What do Charlestown’s Watchaug Pond and the Reflecting Pool in Washington have in common?

Dangerous algae bloom

RIDOH and DEM Recommend Avoiding Contact with Watchaug Pond

This morning in DC, workers poured bottles of peroxide
into the Reflecting Pool just days after the $14 million
repair job ordered by Donald Trump was completed.

The Rhode Island Department of Health (RIDOH) and Rhode Island Department of Environmental Management (DEM) are advising people to avoid contact with Watchaug Pond in Charlestown due to harmful algae blooms (HABs).  Water samples were collected by DEM and tested by RIDOH’s State Health Laboratories.

All recreation, including swimming, fishing, boating and kayaking, is high risk to health and recommended to be avoided at this location. This HAB is caused by blue-green algae, also known as cyanobacteria, which are naturally present in bodies of water. HABs can produce toxins which can be harmful to humans and animals.

Use caution in all areas of Watchaug Pond as HABs can move locations in ponds and lakes. Initial samples collected at Watchaug Pond exceeded the advisory threshold. People should not drink untreated water or eat fish from affected waterbodies. Pet owners should not allow pets to drink or swim in this water. 

This is going to take a LOT off peroxide!

This advisory recommendation remains in effect until further notice. To confirm the water is free from toxins and high cell counts, water samples will be collected to lift the advisory when the bloom has cleared from the affected waterbody.

Skin contact with water containing HABs can cause symptoms such as skin rashes, sore throat and irritation of the eyes and nose. Swallowing water containing HABs can cause stomachache, diarrhea, vomiting and nausea. More serious, but less common health effects associated with swallowing contaminated water may affect the liver and nervous system, cause irregular heartbeat, dizziness, or seizures.

Young children, pets and people with certain underlying health conditions or who are immunocompromised may be at greater risk for illness. Anyone who experiences symptoms after contact with water containing HABs should contact a healthcare provider.

If you or your pet come into contact with an algal bloom (HAB):

• Rinse your skin with clean water right away.
• Shower and wash your clothes when you get home.
• If your pet was exposed, wash it with clean water immediately and don’t let it lick algae from its fur.
• Call a vet if your pet shows signs of illness like tiredness, no eating, vomiting, diarrhea or other symptoms within a day.
• If you feel sick after contact, call a healthcare provider.

Affected waters may exhibit bright to dark green scum along the shoreline, with thick algae floating on the surface. It may resemble green paint, pea soup, or green cottage cheese. If you see water like this, people and pets should avoid contact with the water.

To report suspected blue-green algae blooms, contact DEM’s Office of Water Resources at DEM.OWRCyano@dem.ri.gov  or call 401-222-4700, Press 3, and select Office of Water Resources. If possible, send a photograph of the reported algae bloom. For more information and the Cyanobacteria Tracker Dashboard that lists current advisories and data, visit: www.dem.ri.gov/bluegreen

Trump Bought Tobacco Stocks and Raked In Industry Donations as FDA Eased Standards

Figures Trump would profit from cancer sticks

By Darius Tahir

Donald Trump, who once declared he had “saved” flavored vapes, grew his stock holdings this year to as much as $1.64 million in tobacco giant Philip Morris.

He also had holdings in Altria and a third leading tobacco company, though an apparent discrepancy in his disclosures clouds the extent of his investments. In 2025, tobacco interests donated $6 million to MAGA Inc., a super PAC that supports the president, and Trump’s inauguration. And, on April 30, a week before FDA guidance that provided a critical boost to the industry, Reynolds American dropped an additional $5 million into the super PAC's coffers.

The stock trades and political contributions occurred as the Trump administration pursued a broadly pro-tobacco agenda: Its FDA piloted a fast-track program to approve nicotine pouches. It unveiled a program to allow vapes on the market more rapidly, despite resistance from career civil servants and leadership, culminating this year in guidance waving through flavored electronic cigarettes. It cut public health employees focusing on anti-tobacco policy. And it broadened enforcement against illicit e-cigarettes, competitors to the big industry players with a financial relationship to Trump.

It amounts to the most pro-tobacco, pro-nicotine presidency in some time — a remarkable policy given the tens of millions of deaths cigarettes caused during the 20th century. Even in recent years, anti-smoking groups say a half-million Americans a year die from cigarettes. Industry advocates say the toll helps justify a shift to e-cigarettes and nicotine pouches, which they say are less harmful. However, public health advocates say these products carry their own risks, such as addiction.

Lawmakers and public health leaders have criticized the recent FDA guidance and approvals as a “lucrative payday” that ignored scientific evidence to deliver what investment analysts have described as “very positive” steps for influential tobacco companies.

The scale of the money is “unprecedented and problematic,” said Brian King, who was pushed out of the FDA’s tobacco office last April and now works as an executive at the Campaign for Tobacco-Free Kids. He fears that steering public policy toward tobacco — still addictive and harmful to health — puts Americans at risk.

“It's a gift on a platter with a side of public health malpractice,” he said.

Doctors May Need To Rethink Calcium and Vitamin D Recommendations After Major Review

Might not really help prevent broken bones

By BMJ Group

Calcium and vitamin D supplements, whether taken separately or together, provide little to no meaningful benefit in preventing fractures or falls in most older adults, according to a major review published in The BMJ.

Nearly one in three adults age 65 and older experiences a fall each year. Many of these falls lead to fractures, which can cause pain, lower quality of life, and increase the need for assisted living or residential care. As a result, reducing falls and fractures remains a major public health goal worldwide.

Earlier reviews have also found little evidence that calcium or vitamin D supplements reduce fracture risk, and findings on combined supplementation have been inconsistent. The role of vitamin D in preventing falls has also remained uncertain.

Even so, many doctors, health guidelines, and regulatory agencies continue to recommend vitamin D supplements, with or without calcium, to support bone health. Prescriptions for these supplements have also risen significantly in recent years.

Feds restore home energy rebates, but with a catch

Among other things, heat pumps take a hit

By Dan Gearino

Major new limits on eligibility

This article originally appeared on Inside Climate News, a nonprofit, non-partisan news organization that covers climate, energy and the environment. Sign up for their newsletter here.

Federal energy efficiency rebate programs will no longer cover a switch from fossil fuels to electricity for heating, according to long-awaited guidance from the Department of Energy.

The department published an update on how it will implement consumer programs with $8.8 billion in funding. The new provisions include eliminating use of diversity, equity and inclusion considerations, among other changes.

This follows legal challenges after Donald Trump issued an executive order last year, upon returning to office, canceling the release of funds from President Joe Biden’s Inflation Reduction Act, including rebates for home energy efficiency. A coalition of states successfully sued to restore the funding, obtaining an injunction in March 2025.

States have been waiting for the Department of Energy to reopen funding, a process that begins with this latest publication.

Clean energy and environmental advocates said the guidance was overdue and severely flawed.

The Non-Victory

Compared to where we were before February 28, it's a terrible failure

Robert Reich

Trump again claims victory in Iran. He’s claimed victory before, but now he has a so-called “agreement” with Iran.

That agreement, which appears to be no more than a memo of understanding — that is, a set of principles to which Iran and the United States have agreed — stops the fighting and reopens the Strait of Hormuz but it does not deal with the issue that caused Trump to initiate the conflict: Iran’s nuclear program.

Keep that in mind as you hear various renditions of what’s been decided. Recall that the Strait of Hormuz was open before Trump began bombing Iran. 

At best, the agreement Trump is touting restores the status quo to where it was when he commenced hostilities. Remember also that Iran had agreed to limit its development of nuclear-grade materials in its treaty with the Obama administration, which Trump revoked in 2018.

So what has been accomplished? Iran now is under the control of a more extremist regime than when Trump started this war. 

Oil prices are far higher, and will take some time to return to where they were before it began (if they ever do). 

Meanwhile, Trump has caused the United States to be more dependent on fossil fuels than we were prior to his inauguration for a second time, and the high oil prices brought on by his war has enriched Vladimir Putin’s regime.

The war with Iran has cost the United States an estimated $90 billion, and that’s a conservative estimate. It has caused widespread suffering throughout the Middle East. 

It has put Israel in a more precarious situation than it was before — and much of that is due to Benjamin Netanyahu, who is not a party to, and has not approved, the agreement.

This doesn’t look like a victory. Compared to where the United States and the Middle East were on February 28, when Trump began this war, it’s a terrible failure.

Can't imagine

Wednesday protest in Westerly

Trump screwed up

Cut funding of program to detect and block screwworm infections

Stephanie Soucheray, MA

US Department of Agriculture (USDA) officials have confirmed New World screwworm (NWS) in a dog in New Mexico, and Texas has three more detections, in a goat and two calves. So far, the United States has six detections of the parasitic fly in the past week. 

The first two detections were announced last week were in Zavala, Texas, but the three new detections show the insect has infiltrated more territory in the United States, including La Salle County, Texas (two calves), Gillespie County, Texas (goat), and now Lea County, New Mexico (dog). 

Confirmed NWS infections in animals are also now farther from the US border with Mexico, which has reported more than 27,000 cases through June 3, according to USDA data.

Caused by the larvae of Cochliomyia hominivorax, a parasitic fly, NWS is a serious threat to livestock, wildlife, pets, and, in rare cases, people. The larvae (maggots) burrow into the living tissue of any warm-blooded animals, causing severe wounds and infections, and infection can be fatal. 

This situation is evolving, and we expect new information to emerge.

“This situation is evolving, and we expect new information to emerge as our investigation continues,” said Dudley Hoskins, USDA undersecretary for marketing and regulatory programs. “USDA is committed to sharing what we learn quickly, accurately, and transparently so animal owners and local communities have the information they need to stay vigilant.

“We are working closely with our partners in New Mexico, Texas, and across the region to ensure we identify, contain, and respond to any potential cases as swiftly as possible.” 

Aquatic Weed Treatment Scheduled for Meadowbrook Pond

No fishing on Thursday, then watch notices

The Rhode Island Department of Environmental Management (DEM) announces that Meadowbrook Pond, Richmond will receive treatments to control infestations of invasive aquatic plants on Thursday, June 18.

Anglers and boaters should avoid using the lake during the treatment. Signs will be posted with information about temporary water use advisories. 

Neighbors and other users of the pond should keep pets from drinking the water for at least three days. 

This treatment will target invasive plants in particular, variable water milfoil and curly-leaf pondweed, and it will not harm fish or other aquatic life. Meadowbrook Pond is popular with anglers and boaters and is stocked with trout several times per year.

RFK Jr. Seeks To Peek at Americans’ Medical Records for Clues on Autism and Vaccines

NO!

By Amanda Seitz and Darius Tahir

U.S. health secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. is pursuing federal government access to most Americans’ medical records, in a quest to research a link between vaccines and autism — a connection the medical establishment studied for decades and flatly rejects.

The Department of Health and Human Services is seeking data from little-known state systems that allow hospitals and clinics to exchange detailed, identifiable patient information, KFF Health News has learned.

In private meetings, some public health leaders have objected to giving Kennedy’s team access to such data, raising doubts that it’s legal or that the information would even be useful.

They have also expressed concerns about allowing the federal government to peer into the minutiae of Americans’ medical records, which could mean viewing anything from doctors’ notes to prescription history. HHS has offered no insight into how it will protect or handle the personal health information it obtains.

But Kennedy told KFF Health News that medical records are key to investigating the cause of autism, vaccine safety, and chronic diseases. And millions of dollars in grant money has poured into a Nebraska nonprofit that has assisted Kennedy’s effort, according to state records.

He and his advisers have been frustrated that federal access to Americans’ medical records has been limited.

“We need a good health record system, and one of the things that really surprised me most when I came into office is that there is — that the systems are broken,” Kennedy said in a May interview. “We’ve had to go to the states and, luckily, we’ve got a lot of cooperation from the states, but we now have databases together that we can actually do the studies on. Those studies are in motion.”

HHS has not publicly announced any new projects involving medical records and autism or vaccine research. Kennedy faced blowback last year when he proposed compiling the medical records of people with autism to create a federal disease registry — which health department officials later disputed was underway.

But Kennedy said in May, “We have a whole pipeline of studies that will be done over the next year.”

General Assembly passes protection for Rhode Islanders to get vaccines

Elaine Morgan was the only NO vote in the Senate

Steve Ahlquist

Charlestown's Sen. Elaine Morgan.
Whatever it is, she's against it

The Rhode Island General Assembly approved legislation on Tuesday, introduced by Senator Linda Ujifusa and Representative Susan Donovan, to protect coverage for routine childhood and adult vaccines under Rhode Island law.

This bill (S2379A, H7625A), which now goes to the governor, gives Rhode Island a clear statutory framework to ensure vaccines remain accessible, affordable, and grounded in public health science. It requires state-regulated health insurers in Rhode Island to cover vaccines recommended by the Rhode Island Department of Health (RIDOH) without cost-sharing barriers.

“We don’t have to speculate about the risks of not protecting access to vaccinations,” said Senator Ujifusa (Democrat, District 11, Portsmouth, Bristol). “We can already see the consequences, with measles outbreaks emerging across the country as anti-vaccine messages have gained traction. Rhode Island is acting now to make sure cost and uncertainty never stand in the way of basic public health.”

“Vaccination has been one of the great success stories of public health, protecting not only the vaccinated but also entire communities,” said Representative Donovan (Democrat, District 69, Bristol, Portsmouth). “This bill ensures that here in Rhode Island, coverage for vaccines is protected and that our vaccine guidelines continue to be based on sound medical science.”

The bill comes in response to the Trump Administration’s war on vaccine science. Last year, the U.S. Health Secretary Robert Kennedy Jr replaced all 17 members of the Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices (ACIP), the independent panel that advises the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention on vaccine recommendations. The committee was subsequently reconstituted with new appointees, including individuals who have previously been skeptical of the efficacy of vaccines and the federal pandemic response.

The legislation ensures Rhode Island retains the authority to act promptly and responsibly to protect public health. It follows the lead of other states, including Massachusetts, and ensures that any vaccine recommended by the Rhode Island Department of Health is covered without cost-sharing for every Rhode Islander, whether they have private insurance, Medicaid, or state employee coverage.

The bill passed in the House, but 14 Representatives, Democrats, Republicans, and the one Independent, voted against it. 

Over in the Senate, the bill passed with only one vote against.  

EDITOR'S NOTE: That was Sen. Elaine Morgan who "represents" the northern half of Charlestown. She's a corrupt MAGA-nut who has achieved virtually nothing for her constituents. She faces a strong challenger, Samantha "Sam" Wilcox, Democrat, who currently serves as Richmond Town Council president. To stop Morgan from further embarrassing us, I urge you to support Sam Wilcox for RI Senate District 34. I do. - Will Collette 

Here’s the video of the discussion on the House floor: RI State Representative Charlene Lima vs Vaccines

The discussion on the floor is presented here, edited for clarity, where clarity was possible:

He's out there

NOT A JOKE: US Department of Homeland Security announces new state religion for the US

What does the Constitution say about this:

CRMC approves key SouthCoast Wind permit over objections from fishing industry

Trump couldn't stop them either

By Nancy Lavin, Rhode Island Current

A map rendering showing the proposed path of power lines from SouthCoast Wind up the Sakonnet River to connect in Somerset, Massachusetts. (Courtesy Southcoast Wind)

The murky future for SouthCoast Wind gained a small but significant sign of clarity Tuesday with a key permit approval from the Rhode Island Coastal Resources Management Council (CRMC).

The panel’s unanimous vote — the first decision made by the newly retooled council —- followed a four-hour series of expert presentations and public comments on the impacts of the underwater cable lines in Rhode Island waters. The center of the project — 141 turbines generating more than 1,200 megawatts of wind-powered electricity at nameplate capacity — sits more than 60 miles south of Rhode Island’s coastline, closer to Martha’s Vineyard and Nantucket. But project developers needed permission from Ocean State regulators to run power lines from the turbines to the electric grid, snaking up the Sakonnet River, underneath Island Park in Portsmouth and out Mount Hope Bay to reach land at Brayton Point in Somerset, Massachusetts.

When and whether the high-voltage cables ever come through Rhode Island remains unclear; SouthCoast is one of many offshore wind projects facing unforeseen setbacks since President Donald Trump took office in January 2026. The developer hasn’t lined up a buyer for its product, though Massachusetts power providers are expected to announce a decision on a potential deal by the end of the month. Rhode Island Energy was initially interested in procuring a small piece of the project power, too, but broke off contract negotiations after multiple delays, citing federal policy uncertainty. 

Federal regulators with the U.S. Bureau of Ocean Energy Management have also revoked a key federal permit tied to the project and are still reviewing whether to reissue the permit with new conditions — if at all.

Fishermen, municipalities and conservative-funded interest groups noted the federal uncertainty in 90 pages of opposition letters to coastal regulators. Far more pressing for critics, however, was the potential environmental harms to native species and habitats where the developer wants to drill and bury the power lines, and the commercial and recreational fishing community that depends on those habitats.

French fries may be driving potatoes’ bad reputation, while other potato dishes seem far less risky for type 2 diabetes.

Scientists discovered something surprising about french fries and diabetes

BMJ Group

French fries may be the real potato problem. A large study tracking more than 205,000 people for nearly 40 years found that eating three servings of fries per week was linked to a 20% higher risk of developing type 2 diabetes, while baked, boiled, or mashed potatoes showed no significant increase in risk. The research also found that swapping potatoes for whole grains lowered diabetes risk, while replacing them with white rice had the opposite effect.

French fries have long been criticized as an unhealthy food choice, and new research suggests they may deserve that reputation more than other potato dishes.

A large study published in The BMJ found that eating three servings of French fries per week was associated with a 20% higher risk of developing type 2 diabetes. In contrast, consuming the same amount of potatoes prepared in other ways, such as boiled, baked, or mashed, was not linked to a significant increase in diabetes risk.

The research also found that what replaces potatoes in a person's diet matters. Swapping potatoes for whole grains was associated with a lower risk of type 2 diabetes, while replacing them with white rice was linked to a higher risk.