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HEALTH
2 hospital
giants say
they may
team up
IN PERSPECTIVE
How open
is Cuba
to change?
NJ Advance Media
photographer Aristide
Economopoulos was on
Church Street, covering the
9/11 attacks when he saw the
World Trade Center fall.
The PTSD from that day
brought him to Cuba for a
respite. He came away from
the trip, and subsequent
return journeys, with
stunning photos and new
understanding. / Page D1
LONDON
Nothing
foreign on
Christie’s
trip to U.K.
Third recent overseas excursion
billed as a trade mission; some
see it through ’presidential lens.’
By Matt Arco
NJ Advance Media for The Star-Ledger
LONDON — Gov. Chris Christie,
who last week made concrete
steps toward a 2016 presidential
campaign, will land here Sunday
to lead a three-day trade mission
in a country he says shares a
“really, really strong relationship”
with New Jersey.
The trip will give Christie a
chance to be seen with a foreign
leader during a Monday meeting
with British Prime Minister David
Cameron. He will lead trade
discussions, meet with Rutgers
students studying here and even
spend some time watching a
soccer game.
Christie stressed his chief goal
is to bring jobs to New Jersey and
strengthen ties with the state’s
third-largest trading partner,
with $7 billion changing hands
between Great Britain and the
Garden State each year.
But he also made no secret
about the nationwide significance
of traveling here.
“(The) United Kingdom is a
major international trading
partner with our country,” he said
on a Friday afternoon telephone
conference with reporters.
“I feel really good about the trip
and what we’re going to be able to
accomplish while we’re over
there,” said Christie, who did not
take questions during the
conference call. “(We will) focus
on the opportunities that exist
between the Untied Kingdom and
SEE LONDON, PAGE A8
Today’s
Weather
If Barnabas and Robert Wood
merged, they would create
Jersey’s largest network.
Super
By Susan K. Livio
BUCKS
HOW THE POWER PLAYERS OF THE NFL AND THE SUPER BOWL
ARE SHAPING AMERICAN POLITICS WITH THEIR MONEY
W
By Jonathan D. Salant/NJ Advance Media for The Star-Ledger
hile their teams will be on opposite sides of the field on Super Bowl Sunday,
New England Patriots owner Robert Kraft and Seattle Seahawks owner Paul
Allen both wear blue in the game of politics. Both have contributed to Democratic presidential candidates and political party committees.
Gov. Chris Christie’s favorite football team, the Dallas Cowboys, owned by Republican
donor Jerry Jones, will be watching the game as spectators. So too will the members
of the Jets, whose owner, Woody Johnson, is a GOP fundraiser worthy of the Pro Bowl
who would be a huge asset to the governor if he runs for president.
Here is a look at how the heavy hitters of football affect American politics. The data
comes from the Center for Responsive Politics. Lobbying figures are for Jan. 1-Dec. 31,
2014, and PAC donations are from Jan. 1, 2013, through Nov. 24, 2014.
NEW ENGLAND PATRIOTS
Kraft gave $5,000 — the maximum allowed under
federal election law — to President Barack Obama
in 2012 and $22,100 to the Democratic National
Committee that supported his candidacy, even as
Republican presidential nominee Mitt Romney
called New England his favorite football team.
Kraft also donated $4,600 to Obama and
$20,400 to the Democratic National Committee in
2008, though he also gave to GOP presidential
candidates Romney and John McCain.
SEATTLE SEAHAWKS
Allen, a co-founder of Microsoft Corp., contributed to the 2008 presidential campaign of Democrat Hillary Clinton, who is expected to seek her
party’s nomination in 2016. While he supports
lawmakers in both parties, a majority of his
campaign cash goes to Democratic candidates.
CHRISTIE AND JONES
Christie may be a die-hard Cowboys fan, but he
also shares another interest with team owner Jerry
Jones: Republican politics. Jones contributed
$2,500 apiece to two GOP presidential hopefuls in
2012, Romney and Rick Perry, then governor of
Texas. Might he open up his checkbook if Christie
seeks the White House in 2016?
WOODY AND THE JETS
Johnson once said he would rather see Romney
in the White House than his football team with a
winning record. That was in 2012, and both
Romney and the Jets went down to defeat, but not
before Johnson helped the Republican presidential nominee raise $483 million, including $13,250
from himself and other team executives.
He would be a strong addition to the fundraising
teams of any prospective 2016 Republican presidential candidate, including Christie.
A chance of snow, mainly after 4 p.m. West
wind 5 to 7 miles per hour.
High: 33°. Low: 29° / Forecast, Page 2
Index
Arts & Escapes / E1
Books / D8
Business / A6
Barnabas Health and the
Robert Wood Johnson Health
System are exploring a partnership, the CEOs of both organizations confirmed to NJ Advance
Media.
If the two major health systems
were to merge or otherwise join
forces, they would create the
largest hospital network in the
state, stretching from Essex to
Ocean counties.
Robert Wood Johnson operates
hospitals in Somerset, Hamilton
and Rahway; its flagship hospital
in New Brunswick also serves as
the clinical campus of the Robert
Wood Johnson Medical School
and home to the Cancer Institute
of New Jersey and two children’s
hospitals.
“
We are
actively in
discussions
with Barnabas
about ways we
can increase our
service to the
community.”
Stephen K. Jones, chief executive
officer of the Robert Wood
Johnson Health System
Inside
SPORTS: Seven pages of Super Bowl coverage,
including how the QBs match up. Page C1
ARTS & ESCAPES: Nine Super Bowl moments
that changed America. Page E1
CHICKEN WINGS
The National Chicken Council spent $640,000
on lobbying in 2014 on issues such as country of
origin labeling and food safety. Its political action
committee contributed $302,900 to federal
candidates. The trade group for the chicken
industry says 1.25 billion wings will be eaten on
Super Bowl Sunday.
HAVING A COLD ONE
Anheuser-Busch InBev spent $3.8 million to
lobby in 2014 on such issues as alcohol taxes and
maximum weights for trucks, and its political
action committee made $537,481 in donations to
federal candidates.
The National Beer Wholesalers Association’s
PAC contributed $3 million to federal candidates.
THE GAME ITSELF
The National Football League’s Gridiron PAC
contributed $330,750 to federal candidates for the
2014 elections. The league spent $1.2 million to
lobby in 2014, up from $1.1 million a year earlier,
and the NFL Players Association spent $200,000,
an increase from $120,000 in 2013. Issues included
player safety.
Robert McNair, the owner of the Houston Texans,
was the 10th biggest donor to outside groups in
2014, contributing $3.5 million, all to committees
that worked to elect Republican candidates.
Classified / G1
County News / B1
New Jersey / A13
NJ Advance Media for The Star-Ledger
Obituaries / A15
Perspective / D1
Puzzles / E5 & E6
Sports / C1
Travel / E8
TV Grid / E7
Barnabas operates Clara Maass
Medical Center in Belleville,
Community Medical Center in
Toms River, Jersey City Medical
Center, Monmouth Medical
Centers in Long Branch and
Lakewood, Newark Beth Israel
Medical Center in Newark, Saint
Barnabas Medical Center in
Livingston and two children’s
hospitals. Barnabas also has a
management agreement with
University Hospital in Newark.
Both CEOs declined to say what
kind of collaboration they are
pursuing because the hospitals
have a confidentiality agreement
that prevents them from revealing the status or the details of
their discussions at this time.
“We are actively in discussions
with Barnabas about ways we can
increase our service to the
community. That’s a good thing to
do for New Jersey,” Stephen K.
Jones, chief executive officer of
the Robert Wood Johnson Health
System, told NJ Advance Media.
“We think there are great things
we can do together.”
“I don’t expect any announcements in the short term,” Jones
said, declining further comment.
Barry H. Ostrowsky, president
and CEO of Barnabas Health,
SEE HOSPITALS, PAGE A4
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