Brian Varela

This is what happens when politicians prioritize the whims of party leadership over preventing tragedy. Tom Kean Jr. had a chance to save lives. He chose not to.

Chip in $5 if you think NJ-07 deserves a rep. who cares that you're as safe as possible when taking a flight.

The families who lost loved ones in Flight 5342 watched from the House gallery as their 13-month fight for safety reforms collapsed.

One family member told Speaker Johnson's staff:

"The military killed my family. you just enabled the military to kill the bill that would have saved their lives."

Tom Kean Jr. is a cosponsor of the ALERT Act.

He voted against the stronger ROTOR Act that had unanimous Senate support, then signed onto weaker legislation that doesn't implement the NTSB's most critical safety recommendations.

This is who represents NJ-07.

Families of the victims are calling it inadequate.

House Republicans are now pushing the ALERT Act, which the NTSB says falls short of key safety recommendations.

It doesn't mandate ADS-B In be on every aircraft where ADS-B out is required, which is the collision warning technology experts say would have saved 67 lives.

The bill would have required aircraft to use ADS-B technology that transmits location data to other aircraft.

The Army Black Hawk that collided with American Airlines Flight 5342 had its ADS-B turned off.

The NTSB determined the crash was preventable with this technology.

Republican leadership then whipped votes against it.

Speaker Johnson and his entire leadership team voted no.

At least six Republicans switched their votes on the floor.

Here's why the bill is so important:

And the technology it mandates has minimal costs compared to the lives it can save.

The ROTOR Act passed the Senate unanimously.

But on the day before the House vote, the Pentagon abruptly withdrew support after backing the bill in December.

His vote was decisive in killing legislation that would have likely prevented another midair collision like the one that killed 67 people over Washington last year.

It had support from victim families, the NTSB, aviation safety experts, and labor unions.
It would have likely prevented the crash...

Last week, the House failed to pass the ROTOR Act by a single vote.

The final tally was 264-133. The bill needed 265 votes under suspension rules.

But @KeanForCongress sided with Republican leadership instead of the families of the 67 people who would still be alive if these standards were law.

I had a great time speaking at the NJ College Dems Endorsement Convention! We need more young people in our politics, and it was great to see so many engaged. After that, I knocked on doors across Hunterdon County! Thanks for opening your door and sharing your thoughts, concerns, and questions.

Lhenee was a fantastic employee at our childcare centers, and I’m so grateful that she took the time to talk about her experiences! I believe leadership should be rooted in respect and genuine care for the people you work with. That’s the standard I hold myself to every day.

Women like Sybil have always fought for this country.

And we will not go back to an era when their names could simply disappear from history.

You saw it in the difference between how he treated the U.S. Men's hockey team vs the U.S. Women's hockey team for achieving the same exact goal.

He wants history books that only celebrate certain people as heroes.

Women fight. Women sacrifice. Women change outcomes.

And then they disappear from history.

Now in 2026, Trump wants to bring that erasure back.

Women during the Revolution were basically treated as property of their fathers or husbands.

Their contributions went unrecorded. Their bravery went uncelebrated.

When Sybil died in 1839, she was so poor she couldn't even prove her own marriage existed to claim a pension.

How did those 400 militia members learn about Danbury so fast?

The British attacked at night. The troops assembled by morning. Someone rode through that darkness.

But because that someone might have been a woman, the records stayed silent.

Historian Vincent Dacquino found letters from 1854 describing her ride in detail, written by family members who were there.

But other historians dismiss it as family hearsay.

Meanwhile, we accept plenty of Revolutionary War stories based on similar evidence.

Here's the real question:

No newspapers mentioned her ride. No official records exist.

Today, historians debate whether it even happened.

But recent evidence may offer proof.

George Washington reportedly congratulated her personally.

A 16-year-old girl helped win a battle, and then disappeared from history for 103 years.

Her story wasn't written down until 1880.

It's raining as she rides through territory filled with enemy troops and loyalist outlaws, shouting for the militia to assemble..

By morning, she's ridden 40 miles.

The troops gather and drive the British back.

The 400 militia members are scattered across 40 miles of New York countryside.

Someone needs to ride through the night to rally them.

So Sybil Ludington grabs a stick, mounts her horse, and rides into the darkness.

Picture this: It's April 26, 1777.

British forces are burning Danbury, Connecticut.

A messenger arrives at the Ludington home at 9 PM.

The local militia needs to assemble immediately.

But there's a problem.

In 1777, a 16-year-old girl rode 40 miles through enemy territory to save American troops.

Her ride was three times longer than Paul Revere's.

So why have you never heard of Sybil Ludington?

I’m so grateful to have the support of my friend, and former Assembly candidate, Steve Barratt! Steve was a great candidate and continues to be a leader in reforming our politics, consistently fighting to create a better democracy. I’m proud to have him on our team.

I had a great time in Mt. Olive last night meetings voters who are ready for change! Many thanks for Fahima and Craig for hosting such a fantastic event and for everyone who came with good questions.

Mary Church Terrell spent 90 years fighting voter suppression, segregation, and discrimination.

She never stopped fighting because she knew the work was never finished.

And she was right.

We won't let them erase her legacy, and we will continue to lift up others as we climb in her honor.

They claim they're protecting election integrity.

But let's be clear about what's happening: they're erecting new barriers to the ballot box because they know they can't win when everyone votes.

Now here's what makes me sick.

Republicans in the House just passed the SAVE America Act, which is legislation designed to make it harder for the communities Terrell fought for to vote.

They're dismantling the very protections she spent her life building.

She lived long enough to see that ruling too.

In May 1954, the Supreme Court declared school segregation unconstitutional.

Two months later, at 90 years old, Mary Church Terrell died knowing she'd helped change America.