Tonight on NJ PBS news in person.

Voting begins in our state this weekend, but the midterms are already well underway.

Tonight, the unusual trend in the voting so far, and the new safeguard being rolled out by the state's attorney general amid concerns of possible federal interference.

We talked to one of the state's top political reporters about what the early numbers really tell us, and whether new Jersey is ready for the voting battles ahead also.

Eagles quarterback Jalen Hurts out for the rest of the season after doctors discovered blood clots in his legs and in his lungs.

The news has shocked Eagles fans and put the season very much in doubt.

But it's also raisin serious questions about a common but serious conditio known as deep vein thrombosis, which impacts hundreds of thousands of Americans every year.

Tonight, we talked to a doctor about the risk factors the symptoms and the treatment.

And it is a film buffs Paradise in new Jersey right now.

The Montclair Film Festiva is back, marking its 15th year.

Tonight we talked to the festival's creative director about how much the event has grown, what it means for aspiring filmmakers, and why it's so importan to keep the festival accessible for all of us who live in Jersey.

NJ PBS news starts now.

This is NJ PBS news with Rob Nelson.

Good evening everybody.

Early in person voting begin across new Jersey this Saturday, but hundreds of thousands of voters have already returned their Mail-In ballots.

These are the numbers.

Registered Democrats account for roughly two thirds of those returns statewide, with sizable advantage in three closel watched congressional districts.

On top of that, we're seeing an interesting change in the way that voters are casting.

Excuse me, those early ballots this election cycle.

And as all that voting picks up, the state's attorney general is promising extralegal civil rights and security support to protect voters.

All of that amid concerns about intimidation, disinformation and also possible federal interference.

So what these early numbers really mean, and how well prepared is our state for the pressure ahead to break it all down?

We are joined now by Brant Johnson political reporter for nj.com.

Welcome to NJPW, PBS.

Good to have you.

Good to be here.

Thank you for having me.

First time here.

Hope it's.

One of many to come.

All right.

So let's get into what we know about from these the mail in ballot returns here.

So roughly, I got 66% Democrat of the 364,000 that have been returned.

That is not surprising in and of itself.

Right now, we're a blue leaning state.

We have more Democrats than Republicans.

And Democrats tend to vote via mail in ballots, more so than Republicans do although we've seen Republicans start to return more in recent years.

Again, no, that's not a shock for a blue state like new Jersey.

Exactly.

What was interesting to me is how like I mentioned a second ago, how those ballots are being returned.

Yes, there's something different this year that we haven't seen before.

Tell folks yes, that's.

About you're seeing more people use drop boxes instead o just putting them in the mail.

And it's something you're hearing.

Democrats governo Mike Sherrill told me last week that she encouraged people to use drop boxes more often.

And the thought there is that the fear is of federal interference with mail in ballots, that maybe there might be something negative afoot from the Presiden Donald Trump's administration, and that you're safer to put it in a drop box.

I've had Republican clerks tell me that that's not the case, that you should have faith in the Postal Service, and that however you decide t vote, whether in person, early, in person, on Election Day, mail in ballots or drop box, you will say your vote will safely be counted.

I mean, listen, at the end of the day, Donald Trum has changed his tune recently, but he has railed against mail in ballots for a while now, for years.

It's fraudulent.

It's a hoax.

Don't trust it.

Don't do it.

And now again, he softened his position.

But in terms of the post office literally interfering with people's vote, which is kind of sad and unthinkable, okay, no matter what the politics of it may be.

Are those fears founded or not?

Yeah, it's definitely been a conversation that Trump has said tha he's questioned mail in ballot.

Even though he votes by mail himself.

Yes, yes.

Yeah.

And it has been a topic of conversation where he has said that, you know, maybe we don't know what's going on with mail in ballots.

But Republicans, there's also been a push, especially in the state in recent years in new Jersey to have Republicans vote more by mail.

But I've I've ha Republican clerks tell me that you should have faith in the the mail in ballot system.

But Democrats saying you never know like, you know, you can't count anything.

Can't can't count out anything these days and the weird political environment that we live in.

Weird.

And I would also argue we really have lost trust in institutions from.

More than.

Ever to the post office.

And numbers, at least here in Jersey, are kind of.

Yeah.

No more proof.

It's that, you know, on all sides.

It's why even though Republicans are doing not as well in polling heading into the midterms, Democrat aren't scoring terrific numbers either with the vote with voter confidence.

It's kind of like everybody has an issue with government more so than ever.

Let me ask you this to Attorney General Davenport made a big announcement yesterday, kind of gearing up for what may emphasis on the may come.

Give me the the headlines from her kind of election and voting security efforts.

Right now.

Yeah.

She is she's saying the same thing that you should have faith the state will protect the election system, and you should have faith that your vote will be counted and they will do everything they can.

And yes she did mention that the fear is what if there was federal interference?

It wasn't a lot of detail on that.

You know, I have some Democrats saying like, you don't know what may happen.

You know, you could have Republicans or Donald Trump specifically question the outcome of the elections because it's looking to the national environment is leaning more towards the blue side right now.

But the state is saying that they are doing everything they can, which isn't a surprise because this administration, meaning Governor Michael Cheryl' administration, is not exactly a fan of President Donald Trump.

No.

And also, it's a state that's had its own issues with, yes, you know, voter security.

As we learn more and more folks, a couple thousand who should have been registered were and people are now questioning automatic registration and so forth.

So Jersey does have some unique context on this issue.

Is anything Davenpor saying a headline grabbing thing or is it more just posturing and some verbiage here?

It could be.

It could be a bit of that.

I don't know if there's anything specific, any specific threats that are coming in.

They said they'll tak care of them if that's the case.

But I don't know of anything tangible right now that yo should really be worried about, but they're kind o just putting the state on alert.

Okay.

Makes sense here.

Now, to get down to the ground level of politics, I think a fair to say you're the expert here.

District seven is the on everyone's kind of of watching.

What's the state of play in the Cain Bennett race?

So it's not just the biggest congressional race in new Jersey.

It's one of the biggest ones in in the country because control of Congress is up for grabs right now.

Republicans control both the House and Senate.

And the thought is that Democrats have a real shot of taking the House, and maybe less of a shot of taking the Senate, but taking seats like the Cain seat.

Tom Kean Jr.

Seat in parts of Central and North Jersey in the seventh district.

That' going to really help Democrats if they can flip those type of seats, take control.

So Republicans are on the defensive.

They are.

Polling shows that Democrat Rebecca Bennett is leading their recently national donors on the Republican Party re diverted some money away from the Cain race to go to other because it's looking like the national environment is getting tougher for Republicans.

So they have to defend other seats.

And the question is whether that means that Republicans are seeing that race, meaning that they think that it's not going to go for Cain Jr.

But this is the one to watch in the state.

This is the race again, not just here, but it really will have a say on the scoreboard nationally.

So there is one nail biter in two weeks.

Maybe that's the one.

Yeah.

And then there's also talk about the second district.

Yeah.

Are the real numbers to back up the idea that Van Drew could lose that seat.

No, that could be a lo of Democratic wishful thinking.

Even Republicans are sayin that they're not too concerned.

But again if there's a real blue wave that Republicans who are not voting in big numbers and Democrats who feel motivated to come out, that could be in play.

But no, Democrats aren't gung ho on that seat.

It's more that they wouldn't be surprised if it flipped but it's not expected to flip.

So maybe closer than some folks thought, but not likely.

Which switch teams?

That's that's a very accurate way to put it yet.

All right.

Never boring on your beat, my friend.

No, no.

New Jersey politics.

Always, always insane.

When do you sleep?

I don't.

Yeah, that's an honest answer.

All right, Brad Johnson, man, thanks for being here.

Thank you so much.

Absolutely.

Come on back anytime again.

Brant Johnson political reporter for nj.com.

Thanks so much.

Well, tonight Eagles fans are still processin the news that star quarterback Jalen Hurts is expecte to miss the rest of the season after doctors found blood clots in his legs and in his lungs.

He's been diagnosed with a condition known as deep vein thrombosis.

Now, the good news is that hurts is stable and expected to make a full recovery.

But he had been cleared to play in London this month after an earlier ultrasound found with the team calle a superficial clot in his calf.

All of that has raised now serious questions about whethe he should have taken the field, or even gotten on that flight to London.

Our reporter, Scot Minshall, spoke with Eagles fans watching Monday Night Football last night to get their take on the dramatic news.

Take a listen to that.

I was actually like, so shocked because, like, blood clots in my mind were always a thin that, like your dad has or like some old guy has not like a professional to tier athlete like Jalen Hurts.

Joining us now is Doctor Allen, MD.

Doctor, thank you so much for for being here.

We appreciate it.

We just wanted to talk a little bit.

We know this is a huge story in the sports world, but it is also a medical story as well.

We want people to have a takeawa from in this interview with you.

So thanks for your for your time.

As questions swirl around Philly about who knew what and when and what Jale should have been doing or not.

Talk a little bit though about deep vein thrombosis.

What exactly it is because I think it is shocking to most people to be having a blood clot.

Discussion about a 28 year ol man who has an NFL quarterback is probably in the 99 percentile of fitness and health.

How did this.

How did this happen?

What's your take?

Well I don't think it's an assessment of his overall health.

I'm sure that Jalen Hurts is in very good health.

But what can happen is when you receive trauma to a superficial vein.

And I believe he was hit in the calf pretty hard with some cleats.

That can set up a process where you get a superficial thrombus, phlebitis, which is a clot in a superficial vein, and usually that's very self-limited, can be managed with non-steroidal warm compresses.

Usually resolves.

Now, sometimes, however, it can propagate or extend.

And if it extends, it can exten into the deep veins, which are where the superficial veins drain into.

And when it gets into the deep vein and forms clot, those clots can break off and go directly to the heart and to the lungs.

So and that's why you get a pulmonary embolism.

So I think in his case, for whatever reason.

His clot extended and he got a DVT or a deep vein thrombosis, and something broke off and he suffered a pulmonary embolism.

And how serious is it when this superficial clot that began in his leg then traveled to his lung?

How common is that travel for a clot to do that?

And how serious a health risk is it?

Well, it all, you know, when when you say how common.

It's not common per se, but once you have a deep vein thrombosis, if it's unrecognized initially, which they often are, a piece can break off and go to the the lung and call the pulmonary embolism.

So that is not all that uncommon.

But the treatment is blood thinner if it's of the size pulmonary embolism.

Jalen hurts has had a. And so that's the appropriate treatment.

And it should resolve.

And he should do fine.

And that's my understanding while he takes those blood thinners.

That's why he will be ou for a few months as he undergoes of that treatment.

I've I've always heard about the vein thrombosi that one of the factors in it.

It can be partly genetic, but also the idea of extended periods of immobility, like for example, a long plane ride, a long road trip.

And that's why they tell folks, hey, if you're on a oversea flight or a long trip, get out.

Walk u and down the aisle of the plane, or get out of the car at the rest stop or whatever.

In other words, get moving.

Keep the blood flowing.

Obviously NFL teams, they travel a bunch.

The Eagles were just in London for the game against the Jaguars.

Do you think immobility the travel was an issue in this case.

And how common is the travel issue in everyday folks.

Well it's uncommon in everyday folks.

But you are absolutely correct.

It's always goo to get up and walk a little bit.

Move if you're not going to get out of the seat, which sometimes can be hard to do on a plane these days.

But at least, you know, flex your feet so that you're compressing your calves, the calves muscle, move the blood up your veins, or help move the blood up your veins.

So that's a good thing to do in his circumstance.

Was that a factor?

Probably, yes.

Certainly.

You know he had a superficial thrombus.

Does that mean he should not have been on a plane?

No, I don't think it means that at all.

It's just that that can happen.

And what would you say again to everyday folks watching this?

What are some of the risk factors and symptoms that you should pay attention to in case there is some kind of blood clouded play in your body?

Well, certainly, if you see any redness o have pain at a localized area.

Swelling, and you suspect a superficial thrombus, phlebitis or, or something else, an ultrasound is is the a good first step?

So you can assess whether it's extended into the deep veins or if there's a deep venous thrombosis component or DVT component to that superficial thrombus phlebitis.

That would be the first thing I would tell you to do if it's just localized to the superficial veins.

Usually, as I said, it can be managed with over-the-counter medications like ibuprofen or aspirin and warm compresses.

If, however, the pain or swelling increases, then further testing needs to be done.

Maybe another ultrasound to see if the clot has extended into the deep veins.

So that's what you need to look for.

Unfortunately, a fair amount of the time they're not as symptomatic as we would like them to be.

And that's when thing may get a little bit dangerous.

You don't know unti something serious has happened.

And just real quick in 30s, I know no one really know the full story except the folks deep within the Eagles Eagles organization.

But in general terms, if you have a blood clot, should you be playing the game of football?

Should you be?

Should you be on an overseas flight?

So if you're talking about a DVT.

No.

But in his cas with the superficial thrombus, phlebitis in general, that would not be a problem.

You would not expect it to be a problem.

I'm sure that ha they thought that he had a deep vein thrombosis or clot in the deep veins, they would not have played him.

I have no question about that.

I think, though, that, you know, when it's superficial, it's usually not an issue.

All right.

Doctor Allan MD renowned Jets fan.

So I know the story doesn't linger in your heart from a football perspective.

That was painful.

That was painful.

Doctor, thank you so much for your time and your expertise.

We we certainly appreciate it.

And we all certainly are rooting for a, a solid, smooth recovery for Mr.

Hertz.

Thank you doctor.

Thank you.

Time now for the roundabout.

Have a quick look at headlines from all across the state.

And we begin tonight in Hudson County, where Ice agents reportedl stopped and questioned students walking to school this week.

Video shared on social media on Monday appears to show an agent approaching a student, while a woman recording can be heard asking the agent to leave that child alone.

North Bergen Mayor Nicolas Sarkozy now saying Ice agents are using tactics just like this to spread fear amongst residents.

Town officials say the school distric is investigating the situation and new developments out of South Jersey.

The man accused of strikin and killing hockey star Johnny Gaudreau and his brother Matthew will stand trial in January.

Tonight we're seeing new photos of that deadly 2024 crash in Salem County.

Sean Higgins defense says the brother were riding in the traffic lane and may not have had proper bike lights.

Prosecutors allege Higgin was driving under the influence.

Jury selection starts in December, with the trial expected to begin in January.

Changes may be coming to new Jersey.

Strict e-bike laws less than a year after those rules went into effect.

New legislation introduced this week aims to eliminate licensing and registratio requirements for some low speed e-bikes, while keeping stricter rules for faster models.

The bill still needs to go through a state transportation committee and pass the full legislature before becoming law.

And while Eagles fans are now facing a season without Jalen Hurts, Sixers fans are gearing up for another superstars team debut.

Tonight marks the regular season debut for new 76 The Brown James.

The Sixers are headed to the garden tonight to take on the world champion Knicks, who are raising their championship banne in fact, before tip off tonight.

Meantime, the Sixers are hoping LeBron can lead them to a ring this season.

He took a massive pay cut to join the team during the offseason as an unrestricted free agent after eight years with the Lakers.

LeBron signed a two year, $8 million contract in Philly as he now searches for his fifth title.

And that is you're out about on this Tuesday night for the next several days.

Montclair will be one o the centers of the film world.

The 15th annual Montclai Film Festival is now underway, bringing together Hollywood heavyweights, independent filmmakers and some of New Jersey's own emerging talent.

The festival run through Sunday, with appearances still to come from Ava DuVernay, Jesse Eisenberg, Julianne Moore, Paul Giamatti, amongst many others.

Several of the festival' marquee conversations, in fact, will be moderated by Montclair own Stephen Colbert.

But beyond all that star power, the festival fundamentally is about discovering new voices, bringing audiences and artists together, and building on Jersey's growing role in the film industry.

I recently spoke with Tom Hall, artistic director and co-head of Montclair Film and I started out by asking him 15 years in how Montclair compares to other well-known festivals.

Tom, welcome to NJ PBS news.

Good to have you.

Thank you for having me.

It's great to be here with you.

I am a Jersey nativ who just came home about a year ago, and it's amazing to see the growth of this festival.

It now, correct m if I'm wrong, this pretty much feels like it's evolve into the Sundance of the East.

But am I?

Am I?

Am I overstating it?

You tell me, my friend.

Well as someone who spent a Sundance 25 plus times, I will say, whe you go to Utah, you never meet.

Now, Colorado you never meet anyone from Utah.

At the Sundanc Film Festival, it's Los Angeles and New Yorkers flying in and parachuting in and air being being their way to poverty.

But the in Montclair, our mission is a little bit different.

We're really trying to have a connection between film and our community.

People who are here yea round, the people of new Jersey, the people of Essex County, all over the tri state area.

So our real goal is to build that connection between audiences of everyday people and cinema and cinema artists and get them talking and dialog about the thing that make our, our form special.

So it's a really wonderful opportunity.

Now 15 years old here in Montclair to make those connections, we take that very seriously and love it.

Oh, absolutely.

No, I like that.

It still maintains a local flavor.

It's not just a bunch of tourists, but it's a Jersey thing which is absolutely, absolutely.

And so what are yo most excited about year 15 here.

Obviousl it's grown and grown and grown.

What is special unique about festival number 15?

Yeah, the 15th year.

So a few years bac we moved into the October time frame.

The festival used to be for its first 10 or 11 years in May, and when we moved to October, we sort of slid into the award season conversation.

Now suddenly we're getting film and talent who are going to be competing for Academy Awards, the Golden Globes and these bigger, higher profile films that are award season contenders.

So that has been a real radical shift.

And when we made that shift, it's allowed the festival to continue to grow in esteem, both for our audiences but also for our industry partners, distributors, filmmakers who want to be in that conversation and part of the sort of national discussion around what are the best films of the year.

It's given us a whole new outlook on what we're able to bring to our audiences, and how to forge connections around those types of movies.

So it's really been a key for our growth.

Plus, you know, everything that's going on in new Jersey right now with film production and everything that's happening here.

New Jersey is a real hotspot for filmmakers and for film artists now.

And so we're really gettin involved in that aspect as well, and trying to be a create a virtuous circle between film production, film exhibition, film education and finding way to connect all of those things through our year round workout Montclair Film as well.

Now, new Jersey is kind of th East Coast Hollywood these days.

I'm seeing that headline everywhere.

There's a lot, a lot going on here, just to say the least.

For if you're an independent filmmaker out there, I mean, talk about a good showing at a festival like this can really skyrocket a film.

And the people involved in it talk about that process.

Because if you have a film in in, I got the book right here.

If you have the film in a festival of this stature and popularity, it could really be a launching pad to incredible things.

Yeah.

One of the things about film that people, I think, sometimes forget i that it's not just an industry, but it's a community.

And they see your fil playing at a film like Montclair and the programmers and film festival folks in California, in Washington state, in Florida, all over the country, Texas.

We have colleagues all over the country, and we're looking at each others programs.

We're trying to discover new artists, and we're always interested in amplifying and elevating new voices.

So we really tak that part of our work seriously.

We love connecting wit other film festivals and other film programmers distributors to get the work seen and get those filmmakers an opportunity from having played at our festival, and we look at the work of other people too.

We see film that play can Sundance, Berlin, South by Southwest, Tribeca.

We're looking at all of thos festivals as well, looking for for new voices.

And again, that's really that art of discovery, that active discovery is so important to us, and we want to make sure that those people have a real opportunity at our festival.

And I love what you just said.

It's not just an industry, it's a community.

I think that's that's that's eloquently put.

So listen, for someone at home watching this saying, wow, I would love to go check out some some films, but they feel intimidated by all the star powe or the thickness of this book, which I might add, but a regular person everyday new Jersey at home who wants to check this out?

What?

How do they navigate that and get in here and see some great stuff?

Yeah.

The first thing I want to say is that's who this is for.

So it can seem like, you know, it's at least there's velvet ropes and, you know, photographers and that's not me, but it actually is yo because we don't do that here.

So our goal is to get you into a seat and have a conversation and a dialog with a filmmaker and with a film, so that we are hoping that everyone can find something here that reflects their interest.

We have a wide ranging program.

The reason the book is so big is that we have we live in a diverse community and a diverse state, with a lot of points of view and a lot of opinions and a lot of ideas.

We're trying to find as many opportunities for those things to come together and connect as possible.

So there's something in that book for you.

You may have to dig a little bit to find it, but there's something there.

And so when you find it in the book, or if you go onlin to our website, Montclair Film, and click on the festival, you can explore the entire program.

You can search by.

You can I want to see a crime movie.

I love true romance movies.

I want to see a documentary about civil rights.

Whatever your interest is we have something here for you.

So come look.

Give it an exploration.

And then it's really about your time and your schedule and finding out when the film is playing.

If you're available and finding something that works for your schedule.

Don't let us be the driver.

You drive your experience.

So come find your, you know, make your own schedule.

Make your own plan.

Our tickets are under $20 for our members, or about $20 for a regular film festival ticket.

Cheaper than a night out on Broadway.

Cheaper than it did going out for dinner.

It surely an effective way.

And you often because of the festival, you get to meet the artists who are being made the film.

You don't go to the orchestra and meet Mozart after the symphony's over and get to ask him about what he was thinking when he wrote The Magic Flute or whatever.

Here you can actually talk to the artists about their intentions an and the ideas behind the movie, and we try and create really long and meaningful opportunities for people to connect.

So dive in.

It's for you, I promise.

We're not we're not trying to make a snobby, inaccessible experience.

This is for our community and we want everybody to feel welcome.

So please join us.

I love that not not snobb or inaccessible, that's that's a perfect spot to to leave at 15 years and going strong.

And what a special thing to have it right here in Montclair for everyone involved with the audienc and the filmmakers and producers themselves.

Tom Hall, thanks so much.

Really appreciat the conversation and your time.

I hope it's the best festival yet.

Tom Hall, artistic Director and co-head of Montclair Film, again.

Many thanks for joining us and have a great few days in Montclair.

Appreciate your time, sir.

Thank you.

And that' going to do it for us tonight.

Thank you so muc for joining us here on PBS news.

Have a good night.

Jersey.