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Brian Lehrer: Brian Lehrer on WNYC, and in our last segment, we were talking, as we often do, about very serious things, the wage gap in the United States and in the world and pessimism around the coming climate summit in Scotland, but during this membership drive we're also breaking it up with some fun each day in the form of a New York, New Jersey geography quiz. We're going region by region with guest quiz leaders every day, and today it's on to New Jersey. If you think you know where things are in New Jersey, call in and take a shot at it. 646-435-7280. 646-435-7280. If you get two in a row right, we'll give you a prize of a Brian Lehrer Show, New York City skyline mug.

It's a good price for New Jersey because you can actually see the skyline from New Jersey if you're in Manhattan itself. You really can, except for a few places. Who knows where things are in New Jersey? You don't have to be from the Garden State to play. Call up and give it a shot. 646-435-7280. 646-435-7280. Drum roll, please. Imagine one in your heads. Our quiz leader for this is none other than New Jersey, Senator Cory Booker. Senator, it's always great to have you on to talk about the serious things in the world as Senator, and going back to when you were mayor of Newark. Thanks for doing this and coming out to play.

Sen. Booker: Are you kidding me? This has been an Oasis on a very tough week here in DC. I'm so happy to be on, and I'll just say that I'm often jealous of those people on the west side of Manhattan and in Staten Island who have such an incredible view of New Jersey. They have the best views of anybody in America.

Brian: We're going to have to do a New Jersey skyline mug next. Just as people's calls are coming in and they're getting ready, want to give us a brief update on the negotiations toward what we were talking about in our previous segment, a human infrastructure bill, childcare, elder care, paid family leave, climate provisions. Are you getting there?

Sen. Booker: Yes, we definitely are making really promising progress. In the last 48 hours, I've been in discussions with the president with Manchin, with Schumer. Everyone knows we need to land this. Everything is not going to get done, but there will be significant things done on climate for our children, for American families, and so I'm encouraged. I think that we could get this done soon.

Brian: Great. Let's take our first quiz contestant and it is Chris in Union. Chris, you're on WNYC. Hi, there. You ready for the question?

Chris: Yes, sure.

Brian: Senator Booker, hit him up.

Sen. Booker: You got it. All right, Chris, this is a big one for me. Queen Latifa, Jerry Lewis, and the great author Philip Roth are all from the same New Jersey city, which one?

Chris: Newark.

Sen. Booker: You are the man. Absolutely. Brick City, indeed.

Chris: Brick City, yes.

Sen. Booker: Do you know why our state's largest city is called Brick City?

Brian: This is not a quiz question by the way.

Sen. Booker: This is not a quiz question. I'm just curious.

Brian: We're just chatting now.

Sen. Booker: We're just chatting. He's right. This is not a quiz question.

Brian: Go ahead, Chris.

Chris: I'm guessing it's because there's so many bricks buildings.

Sen. Booker: That is absolutely right. We are a city that, especially in the '60s and '70s just had canyons of very large brick buildings. Most of them, frankly, public housing, but when I was mayor, I used to always say we're a Brick City because the folks are tough, resilient, enduring, and when they come together there's nothing we can't build. Why don't I get to the next question?

Brian: No, no, wait a minute, Chris. Since you got that impromptu bonus question, that means you got two in a row right, and you know what that means?

Chris: Do I get a coffee mug?

Brian: You do. You get a Brian Lehrer Show New York City skyline mug. Hang on and we're going to take your address off the air, and we're going to go on next to Bryce in Toms River. Hi, Bryce. You ready for a question?

Bryce: Good morning. I am. I'm quite excited to be on the air here. I've listened for many years, and it's first time I really called in--

Brian: I'm so glad this made you call in and maybe you'll even win something--

Bryce: --and equally excited to hear from our Senator.

Brian: -- to take home. Senator, next question.

Sen. Booker: You got it. Bryce, you're the man. This is an exciting question for a guy from a cool New Jersey town, Toms River. Here we go. The musician who backed Bruce Springsteen or obviously as every New Jersian knows, the E Street Band. The question is where in New Jersey is E Street?

Bryce: Belmar.

Sen. Booker: You are the man.

Brian: The man.

Sen. Booker: Belmar is correct.

Brian: All right, next question and Bryce might win himself a mug for his first-ever call to the show.

Sen. Booker: All right. I just toured this section of New Jersey with our amazing New Jersey firefighter's forestry service. The Pine Barrens make up almost a quarter of New Jersey's landmass. Now, they were the subject of a great book by John McPhee, but it's also the setting and title of an episode of what television series?

Bryce: Oh boy. [laughs] I barely watched television and the book, the Pine Barrens by John McPhee is the reason why I live where I am.

Sen. Booker: Oh my God. I'll give you a hint. It is a legendary HBO TV series that even in the beginning of--

Bryce: It's got to be Atlantic City then.

Sen. Booker: Oh, so close. So close. Yes, so close, but it's The Sopranos.

Brian: Oh, Bryce, I'm sorry. Yes, it is The Sopranos. I was going to give him a clue of think of the first show that comes to mind associated with New Jersey, which probably would have been it. Bryce, call us again, call us again during the regular show, and maybe as a Sopranos segue, our next caller is Mark in North Caldwell. You're on WNYC for a New Jersey geography quiz question or two from Senator Booker. Hi, Mark.

Mark: Hello, how are you? Hello, Senator. Great job. I lived in Newark when you were mayor. I grew up in Vailsburg right behind [unintelligible 00:06:55].

Sen. Booker: Oh, Mark. I'm so happy you're on. I'm so happy you're on.

Brian: There's a North Caldwell--

Mark: I'm part of the Essex County Democratic Machine, but now I feel myself more independent, but I'm still a registered Democrat.

Sen. Booker: All right.

Brian: Willing to admit that he was part of the Essex County Democratic Machine. What questions do you have for him, Senator? I've got a good one. New Jersey in my opinion has lots of great towns, although we need to consolidate government and lower taxes, but we are known for having an incredible number of towns within our state. Is the total number of towns in New Jersey closer to 300 or 600?

Mark: Oh, that's a big one. I know there's 21 counties in New Jersey, but that's a good one. Boy. 21 times 10. I think it's closer to 300.

Sen. Booker: My friend, I wish that were true in many ways, but it's not. There's a great book called Multiple Municipal Madness about the sheer governmental insanity about having so many small towns. The actual number of towns in the state of New Jersey is 565. We used to be 566 until finally at least area of our state, the two Princetons merged into one town called Princeton. We need to do something about that, but I'm sorry, it's a lot more than 300.

Brian: Sorry, you didn't win, Mark. We've done shows on that. Imagine if instead of having 600 different police departments and everything else that goes with the local government, there were 300 and there were more consolidated. It would certainly be more efficient, and presumably, it would be one of the things that drives property taxes down, and as a footnote, Senator, as I know you know, for people out there hearing this for the first time and thinking 600 different towns or localities in the state of New Jersey? There's even more than that school districts, right?

Sen. Booker: Yes, there are more than that. It really, for me, has never made sense, and Camden was able to create a lot of efficiencies by having one county police department and think about it, New York City, which is more people around the same amount of people as New Jersey if I remember New York City's population. They have one police department that serves the whole city of 9 million-plus people, and we have close to 600. It makes no sense. We need to create economies of scale and our scale--

Brian: All right. I said that listeners don't have to be from New Jersey to play. Liz in some place called Brooklyn is calling up to be our next contestant. Hi, Liz. You're on WNYC.

Liz: Hi, how are you?

Brian: Doing okay. Thank you for calling in. Senator, what's the next question.

Liz: Oh my goodness.

Sen. Booker: I almost don't want to talk to her because her town stole my nets.

[laughter]

Sen. Booker: They snuck in and stole them.

Liz: Well let me say I'm a longtime summer resident of Cape May. How's that?

Sen. Booker: Oh, okay. You've redeemed yourself. The redemption is there.

Liz: Okay.

Sen. Booker: All right. Well, this is a question that is tailored for you. This person might have sung a song about the city across the river from New Jersey, but he was born in Hoboken. Who is he?

Liz: Ol' Blue Eyes, you mean?

Sen. Booker: Yes, the chairman of the board.

Brian: Frank Sinatra. That's one. One more and you win a mug. Senator.

Sen. Booker: All right. This is a very important question to me because I am a vegan. What vegetable, or is it a fruit, is New Jersey famous for?

Liz: Oh, Lord. Well--

Sen. Booker: There's a hint in the question. What vegetable, or is it a fruit, is New Jersey famous for?

Liz: Well, there's a Jersey tomatoes, which I think goes back and forth being a fruit or a vegetable.

Brian: Let's stop there, Liz. Just stop there, Liz, because ding, ding, ding, ding, ding, ding, ding.

Liz: Oh my goodness. Oh my goodness. I'm sorry, I was going to go for blueberries because the Jersey capital of blueberries is kind of like mid-state. I forget the name of that camp.

Sen. Booker: Yes, you're very right.

Brian: Oh blueberries. You can now tell your friends that you called The Brian Lehrer Show and all you had to say was Frank Sinatra and tomato and you won the prize. Liz, thank you very, very much. Hang on, we're going to take your address off the air. Who goes next? It's Christian in Cedar Grove. You're on WNYC. Hi, Christian.

Christian: Hi, how are you?

Brian: Senator, what do you got for Christian?

Sen. Booker: I wish I had a great tomato question because as you know what the tomato family--

Brian: Oh, and by the way, now that I know you're a vegan I have a segment idea. We'll have you and vegan, Eric Adams, on the show together and you'll compare recipes.

Sen. Booker: He and I just shared a vegan pizza a few days ago and I would love that. Both of us really want our metropolitan area, the greater Newark metropolitan area to be much healthier. He's the guy that reversed his heart disease and more based upon that, but what I was going to tell you is a very important fact. When the tomato family was walking on the street, a little baby tomato kept falling behind so the dad went back there and stepped on the baby tomato and said Ketchup.

Brian: That's a dad joke. All right, what do you got for Christian?

Sen. Booker: All right. Christian, the American Dream shopping and entertainment complex opened in the Meadowlands in 2019. Construction at the site first started 15 years earlier when it had another name, one associated with everyone from [unintelligible 00:13:04] to, of course, Olivia Newton-John. What name did it start out with?

Brian: There was a name, there was going to be.

Christian: I know [unintelligible 00:13:16]. I know it starts by the Meadowlands.

Sen. Booker: Olivia Newton-John had a song about it which I could sing for you if you would like.

Christian: Oh, God. I would like that actually.

Brian: I'd say go for it if you're really offering.

Christian: If you're offering, I'll take it. I need any help I can get right now. I just know MetLife Stadium is there, I know it's not that.

Brian: We're out of time, you're not getting it.

Sen. Booker: I'm so sorry. Xanadu is the answer. Xanadu. I will say the American Dream shopping and entertainment complex, it blew me away. The largest ski slope in the area indoors, the largest indoor waterpark. It's a phenomenal place. I hope folks will come.

Brian: Julie in Jersey City, you're on WNYC. Hi, Julie. Ready for a question?

Julie: Oh, absolutely.

Brian: Senator.

Sen. Booker: I love this. One of my favorite places in New Jersey is the Delaware Water Gap. It is a place for rock climbing and hiking in our state. It's on the state border with Pennsylvania. What mountain range does the Delaware River cut through there?

Julie: Oh, my gosh. I knew tomatoes, I knew Xanadu. This one unfortunately I do not think I know but let me think about this.

Brian: Just pick a trail.

Sen. Booker: The very biggest trail.

Brian: Yes, pick a trail. Any trail

Julie: Oh, yes. Thank you Senator for that excellent hint. I'm going to say the Appalachian.

Brian: That is correct.

Sen. Booker: That's correct.

Brian: One more for Julie, and we're going to see as we're running out of time if we can give away one more mug, and then it would go to Julie in Jersey City.

Sen. Booker: We need to give away a mug. Here's an easy one just because Julie needs a lift to her day. Which is in New Jersey, Long Beach, or Long Beach Island.

Julie: Oh, my goodness. That's going to be Long Beach Island.

Sen. Booker: Yes, LBI.

Brian: Thank you, Julie, who knows LBI.

Julie: Absolutely. Thank you.

Brian: Hang on, we're going to take your address and send you a mug. Senator, this has been so much fun. You were a great quiz leader. Now, I have to get out of this with one more serious question about the reconciliation negotiations.

Sen. Booker: Of course. According to the rules, you can't give me a mug. Although that might be below the cost but go ahead with your question. If I answer it correctly, I will take a virtual mug.

Brian: Because you mentioned speaking with Senator Manchin and this came up in our last segment, we hear in the headlines Manchin talks about the price tag of the human infrastructure bill, but do you think his real motivation is to save the jobs and the donors from the coal industry in his state?

Sen. Booker: Look, I don't want to get in his head. That would be speculation. He has never in public or private conversations said that is his issue, but I will tell you this. He's talking about the price tag, but he has been a defender of the coal industry in so much as he made a very strong statement about just how many new coal plants China and India are bringing online. He often makes the case of how much of our power is still drawn from coal. He tries to protect his industry, but I have not seen him defend his position based upon that. I disagree with him a lot on a lot of things, but I'm grateful that he is in our party because if he wasn't, Democrats would not have the majority.

Brian: Senator Cory Booker from New Jersey. Thank you for being such a great quiz leader. We'll talk.

Sen. Booker: Thank you. All the best. Take care now.

 

 

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