Bob Plain
Langevin supports Medicare for All, Reed is only holdout
After being pressed hard by constituents, Congressman Jim Langevin announced today he too supports Medicare for All. “After much deliberation,” said Langevin in a prepared statement, “I have determined that this is a policy worthy of serious consideration, so I have decided to cosponsor the Medicare for All Act.” “I have long said the Affordable Care Act is […]
RI congressional delegation split on Medicare for All
When it comes to Medicare for All, Rhode Island’s congressional delegation is split down the middle. Senator Sheldon Whitehouse and Congressman David Cicilline both cosponsor such bills in their respective chambers, while Senator Jack Reed and Congressman Jim Langevin are both still undecided. Whitehouse made news recently as an early cosponsor of Vermont Senator Bernie […]
ProJo gives teachers short shrift, reporter complains about property taxes
Not all news stories are created equally, and not all political interest groups get equal treatment in the Providence Journal. For example, the ProJo covered both the National Educational Association of Rhode Island and the Center for Freedom and Prosperity when the teachers’ union and the anti-tax activists each launched television advertisements. But for some […]
Whitehouse explains Medicare For All, prospects for bills passage
“It’s to provide the opportunity to people who are not eligible for Medicare to never-the-less join Medicare and have all the advantages of reliability, efficiency, and security of Medicare,” said Senator Sheldon Whitehouse, describing the Medicare For All bill he will be cosponsoring in the coming days. “At this point, it’s pretty aspirational,” he said. […]
Sheldon Whitehouse cosponsors Bernie Sanders’ Medicare For All legislation
Rhode Island will have a signature on Senator Bernie Sanders’ much-anticipated Medicare For All bill set to be introduced on Wednesday as Senator Sheldon Whitehouse will be a cosponsor. “It’s time we had a real conversation about creating a national health plan,” Whitehouse said in a statement released today. “We have come a long way […]
Pawtucket ends lunch shaming, moves toward free food for all students
Pawtucket is employing a two-part strategy to changing its approach to school lunch. The first part was to stop lunch shaming. In April, RI Future flagged the Pawtucket School District as one of several in Rhode Island that serves cold cheese sandwiches to students if their parents don’t pay their food bill on time – […]
DNC Chairman Tom Perez to teach at Brown
Tom Perez, chairman of the Democratic National Committee and former labor secretary to President Barack Obama, is returning to Brown University, his alma mater, to teach a course this fall. “Today’s students at Brown will be tomorrow’s leaders,” Perez said in a statement from the Watson Institute for International and Public Affairs, where he will […]
RI Democrats stand with Dreamers, oppose ending DACA
Top elected officials in Rhode Island spoke out against President Trump’s plan to cancel DACA, the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals program that grants amnesty to 800,000 children of undocumented immigrants. “As long as I am Governor of this state,” said Governor Gina Raimondo, “Rhode Island will stand up for the American Dream, and the […]
RI delegation chides Trump for ending DACA
Rhode Island’s all-Democratic congressional delegation reacted harshly today after the White House confirmed President Donald Trump plans to upend immigration status for 800,000 Americans by eliminating DACA, or the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals. “President Trump’s priorities are backwards,” said Senator Jack Reed. “This decision is shameful and cruel,” said Senator Sheldon Whitehouse. “America has […]
Lawsuit, complaints to AG contend Corrigan isn’t legally EG’s town manager
Was East Greenwich fire fighter Jim Perry fired as retaliation in an erupting labor dispute? Does the East Greenwich Town Council routinely violate the state Open Meetings Act? Is Gayle Corrigan even legally the town manager? These are a sampling of the questions both the Attorney General and a Superior Court judge have been asked […]
Providence elementary school students eat free this year
School meals will be free for every elementary school student in the Providence Public School District this year, according to a press release from PPSD. “Providence Public Schools are committed to creating educational environments that support health and wellness,” said School Board member Robert Gondola, the chairman of the board’s Health and Wellness Committee. “The […]
CNAs kick off Labor Day early with a picket at Charlesgate Nursing Center
Labor Day starts early this year as SEIU members will host a picket, rally, and march on Thursday in Providence. The group will start at the Charlesgate Nursing Center, where CNAs and other employees are agitating for a new contract, and from there will march to the State House, where they will rally for a […]
Pokanoket Nation isn’t federally recognized, says Brown indigenous group
The steering committee for Brown University’s Native American and Indigenous Studies Initiative is advising people dig deeper into the Pokanoket encampment/protest in Bristol, saying the Pokanoket people are not a federally or indigenously recognized Native American tribe. “While there is a long history of erasure and forced assimilation of Native peoples in the Northeast, meaning […]
EG firefighter accused Sue Cienki of verbal threats, sexual harassment
Embattled East Greenwich Town Council President Sue Cienki has become known for her caustic style and acrimonious behavior. But EG Firefighters Association President Bill Perry said Cienki entered new territory when she threatened to remove a firefighter’s genitals and feed them to his dog. Perry filed a complaint against Cienki for “verbal threats and sexual […]
Dawn Euer wins Senate seat, progressive caucus continues to grow
There will soon be one more progressive woman in the state Senate as Democrat Dawn Euer beat Republican Mike Smith in a special summer election to represent Jamestown and Newport as the senator from District 13. “Tonight’s win is a win for everyone who believes that we need to do more to create good paying […]
Bill Lynch says he’s no longer a senior adviser to state Democratic Party
Bill Lynch says he is no longer a senior adviser to the Rhode Island Democratic Party. In an email to RI Future yesterday, Lynch said he now works with the party “as a spokesperson only.” However, state party spokeswoman Ann Gooding said otherwise. “Bill Lynch continues in his role as senior advisor to the state […]
Pokanoket Tribe occupies Bristol land, say it belongs to them not Brown
More than 50 Native Americans and their allies occupied waterfront land in Bristol on Sunday for what they called “a long term encampment,” saying the gorgeous spot overlooking Mt. Hope Bay belongs to the Pokanoket Tribe, not Brown University. “We as aboriginal citizens have been denied our birthright to our family’s land, our sovereignty rights, […]
Cicilline to Trump: fire Steve Bannon
It’s high time to fire Steve Bannon, Congressman David Cicilline told President Donald Trump in a letter sent Tuesday and signed by seven US representatives. “Americans deserve to know that white nationalists, white supremacists, and neo-Nazis are not in a position to influence U.S. policy,” said the letter. Referencing the racist violence on display in […]
RI Democrats trash Trump for lacking morals on Charlottesville
Rhode Island Democrats castigated President Donald Trump for equating protesting white supremacy with advocating for white supremacy after a racism rally in Charlottesville, Virginia turned violent and left one woman dead and many others injured. “The United States fought against Nazis and fascism in World War II. Over 400,000 Americans gave their lives in that […]
Fung denounces bigotry, but not Trump
Cranston Mayor Allan Fung declined to denounce President Donald Trump’s notion that “both sides” deserve blame for the racist rally in Charlottesville, Virginia that turned violent and left one woman dead and more injured. When asked for a comment on Trump’s reaction to Charlottesville, Fung spoke instead about the events that transpired in Charlottesville. “Let […]
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