In the grand theater of American politics, where incremental progress is often paraded as victory, a new act is unfolding in New Jersey. As the state’s minimum wage ticks upward to $15.92 an hour, a chorus of progressive Democrats is declaring the celebrated climb a mirage. They argue that even this hard-won number is a phantom when held against the stark, unyielding cost of life in 2026.

Driving in New Jersey will cost more in the new year as toll increases take effect on some of the state’s busiest highways and river crossings. Toll hikes approved for the New Jersey Turnpike, Garden State Parkway, and Delaware River Joint Toll Bridge Commission will go into effect in the first week of 2026. The increases are described as necessary to fund capital projects and keep pace with rising construction and labor costs, but some have disputed that.

by Ariana Figueroa, States Newsroom A federal judge in California on Wednesday found the Trump administration unlawfully terminated temporary protections for more than 60,000 nationals from Honduras, Nepal, and Nicaragua.  In a scathing 52-page order, Northern District of California Judge Trina Thompson found that Department of Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem did not go through the proper federal procedures to end the designations for Temporary Protected Status for those three nations.