Bruce Kornweiser

Former Navy helicopter pilot Rebecca Bennett handily won the Democratic Party's nomination, besting three other opponents.

The Associated Press called the race within an hour of the polls closing.

Bennett will face an embattled and absent incumbent in Tom Kane Jr.

come November.

Kane has missed more than 100 votes on the House floor over the past three months.

Bennett called Kane a coward for failing to stand up to Trump when his agenda hurt New Jerseyans.

Kaine has given almost no information about his absence beyond vaguely saying he's facing a serious health matter, but will return to work soon.

For NPR News, I'm Bruce Kahnweiser in Greenbrook, New Jersey.

Tensions rose outside the Delaney Hall detention center over the past week as protesters clashed with ICE agents on multiple occasions.

Governor Mikey Sherrill said the violence is unacceptable.

Her plan for the protected zone would task New Jersey State Police with keeping order instead of ICE agents.

Demonstrations erupted amid reports that hundreds of detainees are on a hunger and labor strike over poor conditions.

ICE insists that conditions are fine, but when state health officials sought to inspect Delaney Hall, they were denied full access.

For NPR News, I'm Bruce Convisor in Greenbrook, New Jersey.

Officials say more than 800 people have been brought into city shelters.

Frigid temperatures have gripped the city all week.

Nighttime lows have plunged into single digits, and daytime highs have struggled to climb above 20.

Such a deep and prolonged cold snap has become a rarity in New York over the past 25 years, as winters have become discernibly milder.

Temperatures are expected to moderate next week, but only slightly.

Daytime highs could approach 30 degrees, but that's still about 10 degrees below average.