Monday, November 2, 2026
Thursday: a session on the issues of artificial intelligence.
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| A session discussing the role of AI in creating and spreading misinformation, and strategies to stay vigilant against its effects. |
Sen. DiMario honored for her work supporting families and children with special needs
Honored for her effective advocacy
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| From left, Sen. Alan M. DiMario and RIPIN Executive Director Samuel Salganik. |
Sen. Alana M. DiMario was honored today for her work on behalf of families and children with special needs with a Legislative Partner award at the RIPIN Annual Breakfast.
“I am honored to receive this award and celebrate the 35th anniversary of RIPIN, a group founded by parents of children with special needs who recognized that through community and mutual support they could build a more inclusive and supportive Rhode Island,” said Senator DiMario (D-Dist. 36, Narragansett, North Kingstown, New Shoreham).
“I’ve been proud to do my part in
the General Assembly to move our laws in the same direction. Every child
deserves to thrive, and every family deserves the support they need to provide
the best learning environment possible for their children.”
Senator DiMario has sponsored a number of laws supporting
special education and children with special needs, including to improve
individualized education plans (IEP) for children and their parents, to
ensure that parents of children with special educational needs have
access to local advisory committees for support and advice, to allow
students to help with IEP physical education classes, and to codify federal
504 education plans into state law.
She also successfully advocated for the state budget to fund
behavioral
health training for staff in out-of-school programs and personally
supported workforce training for child mental health professionals by covering
membership fees for infant and child care professionals.
EDITOR'S NOTE: Senator DiMario was one of several Democratic women legislators in South County who were targeted for defeat by the far-right League of Rhode Island Businesses. She beat her LORIB challenger Mark Mesrobian by 72% to 28%. She also has no opponent in the General Election tomorrow so she automatically will retain her seat. - Will Collette
Medicare Drug Plans Are Hiking Premiums While Trump Claims Victory on Medicine Prices
Another Trump lie- he DIDN'T lower seniors' prescription costs
But enrollees can avoid the average increase — from $34 a month to $51 — by switching to lower-cost plans during the program’s open enrollment period, which runs through Dec. 7.
Robert Travis Scott of Abingdon, Virginia, did just that in late October after he received a notice that his AARP-UnitedHealthcare Medicare drug plan premium would be increasing from $39.60 a month in 2026 to $121.90 in 2027. With just a little work checking prices online, Scott found a Humana plan for $19.30 with similar benefits.
“Yes, I am quite happy about that,” he said of the new plan he just found. He said he was stunned his existing plan was going up so much and worried that other seniors won’t shop for plans to save money. He estimates he saved himself about $1,000 for next year.
“With some plans increasing premiums substantially, the stakes are higher this year for people with Medicare stand-alone drug coverage if they sit on the sidelines during open enrollment,” said Juliette Cubanski, a vice president and the director of the Program on Medicare Policy at KFF, which conducted the analysis. KFF is a health information nonprofit that includes KFF Health News.
Rising drug costs are among the litany of affordability issues angering voters ahead of November’s midterm election. Donald Trump, whose approval rating in some polls has dipped to the lowest level of his two terms in office, claims his administration has succeeded in negotiating lower prices from drug manufacturers.
Sunday, November 1, 2026
Billionaire Mark Zuckerberg’s company was facing a criminal investigation for allegedly enabling and profiting from the sale of illegal drugs on its platforms.
Zuckerberg off the hook after donating millions to Trump schemes
Jake Johnson for Common Dreams
Bloomberg Law reported Thursday that “senior leaders” at the Justice
Department “ordered career prosecutors in the Western District of Virginia to cease the
criminal investigation following advocacy from Meta’s legal team.” Meta is
headed by Mark
Zuckerberg, a billionaire who has worked to ingratiate himself with Donald Trump by
helping to bankroll his inauguration and ballroom project.
“This is what Meta’s money is buying,” Kyle Jacobs-Morse,
deputy executive director of the Tech Oversight Project, wrote
in response to reports of the halted probe.
The existence of the Meta investigation was first revealed
in March 2024 by The Wall
Street Journal, which reported at the time that US prosecutors were “sending
subpoenas and asking questions as part of a criminal grand jury probe looking
into whether the company’s social-media platforms are facilitating and
profiting from the illegal sale of drugs.”
According to Bloomberg Law, DOJ leaders’ decision to
sideline the probe came “just after company executives were subpoenaed to
testify.”
Time to vote!
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