One of the pressing questions going into next month’s Democratic Convention is who Vice President Kamala Harris will pick for her running mate. Former Rhode Island governor Gina Raimondo is on the short list. We talk with political pundits from Brown University and the Boston Globe about that story and more. The number of people experiencing homelessness in the Ocean State is up from last year – by a lot. We’ll talk with the new head of the Rhode Island Coalition to End Homelessness about fighting back myths and getting lawmakers to do more. And Cajun and Zydeco music is synonymous with life down in Louisiana. But, the local group Magnolia has brought the rich sounds of the Bayou to southern New England. Plus our picks for what to do this week.
Politics
Posted inLocal, Politics
RI, MA politicians react to President Biden’s decision to end his re-election campaign
Political leaders in Rhode Island and Massachusetts offered swift reaction to Sunday’s bombshell announcement by President Biden that he would drop out of his race for a second term as president. “President Biden made a selfless and noble decision” Rhode Island Gov. Dan McKee said in a prepared statement. “We are forever grateful for his […]
Posted inLocal, Politics, TGIF
TGIF: Ian Donnis’ Rhode Island politics roundup for July 19, 2024
As Gina Raimondo showed us in 2021 before exiting for DC, politicians are committed to doing/saying one thing…until the very second the situation changes. (I’ll be on vaca in the coming week, so my next column will appear Aug. 2.) You can follow me through the week on threads and what we used to call […]
Posted inPolitical Roundtable, Politics
Steve Frias on why he’s not supporting Trump or Biden, how the RI GOP has to change, and more
Until recently, Steve Frias of Cranston held one of the top posts in the Rhode Island Republican Party — national committeeman. Frias decided to not seek re-election for that role because he does not support Donald Trump, now the GOP nominee for president. Frias is among a small number of Rhode Island Republicans who have publicly repudiated Trump, and he’s been more outspoken than most in calling out the former president’s false claims about a stolen election in 2020. So does Frias share Democrats’ concerns about Trump’s possible return to the White House? What about Trump’s pick of JD Vance as his running mate and the theatrics at the RNC in Milwaukee this week? And does the Cranston Republican have any bright ideas for how to improve the meager GOP legislative representation in Rhode Island? This week on Political Roundtable, I’m going in-depth with local historian, past legislative candidate and former Rhode Island GOP National Committeeman Steve Frias.
Posted inLocal, Politics
UNH poll finds 29% approval rating for Gov. McKee
A University of New Hampshire poll published Thursday finds that Gov. Dan McKee has a 29% approval rating and that 60% of Rhode Islanders think the state is on the wrong track. The findings, based on online responses earlier this month from 598 Rhode Islanders, signal a warning for McKee ahead of the 2026 race […]
Posted inPolitics
Trump injured but ‘fine’ after attempted assassination at rally, shooter and one attendee are dead
Former President Donald Trump was the target of an apparent assassination attempt Saturday at a Pennsylvania rally, days before he was to accept the Republican nomination for a third time. A barrage of gunfire set off panic, and a bloodied Trump, who said he was shot in the ear, was surrounded by Secret Service and […]
Posted inLocal, Politics, TGIF
TGIF: Ian Donnis’ Rhode Island politics roundup for July 12, 2024
If your bingo card had George Clooney delivering a sharp jab to POTUS via op-ed, raise your hand. You can follow me through the week on threads and what we used to call the twitters. Here we go. *** Want to get my column in your inbox every Friday? Just sign up right here. *** […]
Posted inPolitical Roundtable, Politics
Brown professor Corey Brettschneider on the presidents who have threatened democracy and the citizens who fought back
Presidential threats to democracy are nothing new. Our second president, John Adams, outlawed dissent and tried to prosecute his critics. Andrew Johnson’s presidency featured threats against his perceived opponents, and Richard Nixon engaged in a criminal conspiracy. But there are some key differences in our current moment. In a recent decision, for example, the U.S. Supreme Court expanded presidential power, and groups aligned with Donald Trump, like the Heritage Foundation, have ambitious plans for remaking the federal government. As Democrats wrestle with doubts about President Joe Biden, what is the outlook for American democracy? Are the traditional checks and balances of our system out of whack? And does the way in which Americans responded to overreaching presidents in the past offer clues for the future? This week on Political Roundtable, I’m going in-depth with Brown University political science professor Corey Brettschneider, author of “The Presidents and the People: Five Leaders Who Threatened Democracy and the Citizens Who Fought to Defend it.”
Posted inLocal, Politics, Transportation
Lawsuit over westbound Washington Bridge likely, state’s lawyer says
A lawyer hired by the state of Rhode Island to claw back money for the debacle involving the westbound Washington Bridge said a lawsuit is more likely than not, although a final decision is not expected for a few more weeks. Barring a surprise, lawyer Max Wistow said the call on whether to pursue litigation […]
Posted inLocal, Metro Desk, Politics
With no bids to rebuild, RI officials decline to define timeline for opening westbound Washington Bridge
State officials declined on Tuesday to project when a new westbound Washington Bridge would open. Rhode Island Gov. Dan McKee’s administration plans to issue a request for information to determine why a proposal to rebuild the span attracted no bids by a recent deadline. The governor declined at a press conference to say what the […]
