CBS News
LaMonica McIver wins special House election in New Jersey for late Donald Payne Jr.’s seat
TRENTON, N.J. — Democratic Newark City Council President LaMonica McIver has defeated Republican small businessman Carmen Bucco in a contest in New Jersey’s 10th Congressional District that opened up because of the death of Rep. Donald Payne Jr. in April.
McIver will serve out the remainder of Payne’s term, which ends in January. She and Bucco will face a rematch on the November ballot for the full term.
McIver said in a statement Wednesday that she stands on the “shoulders of giants,” naming Payne as chief among them.
She cast ahead to the November election, saying the right to make reproductive health choices was on the ballot as well as whether the economy should benefit the wealthy or “hard working Americans.”
“I will fight because the purpose of politics and the purpose of our vote is to give the people of our communities and our nation a bold voice,” she said.
Bucco congratulated McIver on the victory in a statement but said he’s looking forward to the rematch in November.
“I am not going anywhere,” he said in an email. “We still have a second chance to make district 10 great again!”
Who are LaMonica McIver and Carmen Bucco?
McIver emerged as the Democratic candidate in a crowded field in the July special election. A member of the city council of New Jersey’s biggest city since 2018, she also worked for Montclair Public Schools as a personnel director and plans to focus on affordability, infrastructure, abortion rights and “protecting our democracy,” she told The Associated Press earlier this summer.
Bucco describes himself on his campaign website as a small-business owner influenced by his upbringing in the foster system. He lists support for law enforcement and ending corruption as top issues.
The 10th District lies in a heavily Democratic and majority-Black region of northern New Jersey. Republicans are outnumbered by more than 6 to 1.
It’s been a volatile year for Democrats in New Jersey, where the party dominates state government and the congressional delegation.
Among the developments were the conviction on federal bribery charges of U.S. Sen. Bob Menendez, who has denied the charges, and the demise of the so-called county party line — a system in which local political leaders give their preferred candidates favorable position on the primary ballot.
Democratic Rep. Andy Kim, who’s running for Menendez’s seat, and other Democrats brought a federal lawsuit challenging the practice as part of his campaign to oust Menendez, who has resigned since his conviction.
CBS News
Rockefeller Center Christmas Tree arrives in New York City
NEW YORK — The iconic Rockefeller Center Christmas Tree has arrived in New York City, signaling the start of the 2024 holiday season in the Big Apple.
The 74-foot, 11-ton Norway Spruce was driven from Massachusetts and hoisted into place by a crane Saturday morning in Midtown Manhattan.
Five miles of light strands with more than 50,000 multicolored LED bulbs will be wrapped around the tree. A Swarovski star crown, sparkling with 3 million crystals, will top it.
The lighting ceremony is scheduled for Dec. 4.
2024 Christmas tree donated by Massachusetts family
The evergreen, donated by the Albert family in West Stockbridge, Massachusetts, was cut down Thursday morning and loaded onto a flatbed truck for the 140-mile trip to New York.
The family said it was planted in 1967. It’s also the first Rockefeller Center Christmas Tree from Massachusetts since 1959.
When it comes down in January, the tree will be milled into lumber for Habitat for Humanity.
contributed to this report.
CBS News
Recipe from Martha Stewart: Alexis’s Chopped Salad
Martha Stewart’s 100th book, “Martha: The Cookbook” (published November 12 by Clarkson Potter), features some of the lifestyle entrepreneur’s favorite recipes. She shares with “Sunday Morning” viewers one of her daughter’s specialties. Stewart writes:
“One of my favorite salads to look at, as well as to eat, is my daughter Alexis’s chopped salad. Each time she makes it, she tries to include at least ten different vegetables, and thus it is easier for summer preparation than winter, when farm stands and gardens are full of endless ingredients.
“Consider the list here a starting point. I change my version as my garden changes – it might also include three colors of string beans, several kinds of corn, and red, yellow, white, and striped beets.
“I sometimes serve this with a fancy grilled cheese sandwich for a luncheon or as a first course for a more elaborate dinner.”
Alexis’s Chopped Salad
Serves: 12
Ingredients:
Kosher salt
2 ears of corn, shucked
Pinch of sugar
½ pound green beans, trimmed
½ pound yellow wax beans, trimmed
4 plum tomatoes, seeded and cut into ¼-inch pieces
1 pint cherry tomatoes, halved
1 small yellow bell pepper, seeded, deveined, and cut into ¼-inch pieces
1 small red bell pepper, seeded, deveined, and cut into ¼-inch pieces
1 small purple bell pepper, seeded, deveined, and cut into ¼-inch pieces
1 English cucumber, peeled, seeded, and cut into ¼-inch pieces
1 small red onion, peeled, cut into ¼-inch pieces, and soaked in ice water
1 medium jalapeño chile, seeded, deveined, and finely chopped
¾ cup whole cilantro leaves
2 Tablespoons unseasoned rice vinegar
2 Tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
Radicchio leaves, such as Variegato di Lusia, for serving
Instructions:
1. Prepare an ice bath. Bring a medium saucepan of salted water to a boil. Add the corn and sugar, and blanch the corn until tender, about 6 minutes. Remove the corn from water and plunge immediately into the ice bath. When the corn is thoroughly cooled, remove it from the ice bath. Using a sharp knife, remove the kernels from cobs. Transfer the kernels to a large bowl.
2. Add the green and yellow beans to the boiling water. Blanch them until tender, about 1 minute. With a slotted spoon, remove the beans from the water and plunge immediately into the ice bath. When the beans are thoroughly cooled, transfer them to a colander to drain. Cut the beans into ¼-inch pieces and add to the bowl with corn.
3. Add the tomatoes, bell peppers, cucumber, onion, jalapeño, and cilantro leaves. Stir to combine. Add the vinegar, oil, black pepper, and 1 teaspoon salt. Toss to combine. Taste and adjust for seasoning. Keep the salad chilled until ready to serve over radicchio leaves.
From “Martha: The Cookbook” by Martha Stewart. Copyright © 2024 Martha Stewart Living Omnimedia LP. Photographs copyright © 2024 by Dana Gallagher. Published by Clarkson Potter/Publishers, an imprint of Crown Publishing Group, a division of Penguin Random House LLC, New York. Reprinted with permission.
For more info:
CBS News
Full interview with crime author Michael Connelly from “CBS Saturday Morning”
Be the first to know
Get browser notifications for breaking news, live events, and exclusive reporting.