Why Trump can’t just decree changes to voting by mail

Former federal judge explains how Trump’s executive order is ‘a solution looking for a problem’

John E. Jones III, Dickinson College

John Jones knows about voter suppression. Currently the president of Dickinson College, Jones – nominated in 2002 by President George W. Bush and confirmed unanimously by the U.S. Senate – served for almost two decades as a federal court judge. In that role, Jones presided over a case, filed just prior to the November 2020 presidential election, in which a conservative legal foundation sued Pennsylvania’s top election official, alleging that she had allowed 21,000 dead people to remain on the voter rolls. The group asked Jones to stop those people from voting.

Jones denied the request. “In an election where every vote matters, we will not disenfranchise potentially eligible voters based solely upon the allegations of a private foundation,” he wrote in his memorandum on the case. In this interview with The Conversation politics and legal affairs editor Naomi Schalit, Jones discusses Donald Trump’s March 31, 2026, executive order to wrest control of mail-in voting from states and give it to the U.S. Postal Service and the Department of Homeland Security; how the constitutional design of U.S. voting bars such federal control; and how Trump’s order would disenfranchise voters and is now the subject of lawsuits by voting rights groups and 23 states.

Article 1, Section 4, of the Constitution says, “The Times, Places and Manner of holding Elections for Senators and Representatives, shall be prescribed in each State by the Legislature thereof; but the Congress may at any time by Law make or alter such Regulations.” When you saw the executive order by the president, what did you think?

My first thought was, this executive order is dead on arrival. It assumes two problems that really don’t exist.

States are empowered under Article 1, Section 4, of the Constitution to conduct elections and set the time, place and manner of those elections.

The president’s March order asserts that states don’t maintain active and appropriate voter rolls. That’s just not true. State after state takes that very, very seriously, and it’s a principle of federalism that states are given the responsibility for conducting elections. This includes maintaining accurate voter rolls, which, despite the noise to the contrary, states have historically done very well.

The second inaccuracy that undergirds this executive order is that there is rampant fraud in mail-in voting. There is absolutely no evidence to show that that is true.

Donald Trump has repeatedly claimed there is pervasive fraud in mail-in voting, despite a lack of evidence.

We need to take the threat of GOP LG candidate John Loughlin's bad economic policy seriously

He's also aligned with MAGA PACs in Rhode Island pushing for lower taxes for the rich 

Steve Ahlquist

Loughlin at left (facing away from camera) at a League of
RI Businesses PAC event. 
Photo by Michael Salerno/Rhode Island Current)

In a press release, Republican candidate for Lieutenant Governor John Loughlin, “[c]iting hard IRS migration data from Massachusetts and New York,” labeled the proposed 3% surtax on incomes over $1 million as a “proven job-killing, wealth-repelling mistake.” 

Unfortunately, the interpretation of the “hard IRS migration data” that Loughlin cites (without attribution) comes from the wealth lobby in the form of right-wing think tanks, such as Investment News and others. 

It ignores better studies from the Center on Budget and Policy Priorities demonstrating that “[s]ince its implementation in 2023, the [Massachusetts] levy has delivered billions of dollars in new funding for transformative investments [like universal free school meals, fare-free buses, and affordable childcare.] The tax has also routinely exceeded initial revenue projections — outpacing expectations by $3 billion over roughly its first three years.”

Trump concludes new trade deal

Two Presidents speak...

Pop-up protest in Westerly on Wednesday

Asphalt is everywhere, but is it bad for our health?

It's the material chosen by the Charlestown Citizens Alliance (CCA) for a vanity project

By Joanna Allhands, Arizona State University

Edited by Sadie Harley, reviewed by Robert Egan

In Charlestown, we have "Faith's Folly," a lasting monument to the Charlestown Citizens Alliance's hypocrisy and cronyism. Despite opposing asphalt use elsewhere in Charlestown, the CCA allowed tons of asphalt to be used on a bike path pushed by CCA founding member Faith LaBossiere. LaBossiere sold the project to the CCA-controlled Town Council claiming it would only cost $7000 (see below). The actual cost turned out to be $266,927 plus interest on the bond leading to a cost over-run of 4,000%.

If you piled all of Phoenix's pavement into one spot, it would be enough to cover San Francisco four times over. Roads, parking lots, and other paved surfaces blanket a lot of land—an estimated 40% of Arizona's capital city.

From the Power Point presentation shown the Council
by Faith Labossiere.

Pavement absorbs heat during the day and releases it slowly at night via the urban heat island effect, increasing the amount of energy that cities consume.

But for Elham Fini, a senior scientist affiliated with the Julie Ann Wrigley Global Futures Laboratory at Arizona State University, pavement's potential impact on our health deserves as much attention as its carbon or energy footprint.

"To make something truly sustainable," she said, "you cannot ignore the human side of it."

Asphalt fumes can be hard on health

Fini—a faculty member in ASU's School of Sustainable Engineering and the Built Environment—spent years studying why asphalt breaks down so quickly.

Suliman Rashid, a graduate teaching associate in the School of Sustainability at Arizona State University, moves samples of an asphalt binder made from leftover forest-thinning material. Credit: Joanna Allhands

That work pointed her toward the volatile organic compounds that escape from bitumen, the black, sticky petroleum byproduct that holds asphalt together.

Two studies in the Journal of Hazardous Materials and Science of the Total Environment shed light on how the compounds that give asphalt its trademark scent change after sunset and form ultrafine particles, which can worsen air quality.

These carbon-based vapors are continuously released but become more noticeable on hot, sunny days. They can cause dizziness and difficulty breathing in the short term.

Long-term exposure also can elevate the risk of lung cancer, a major concern for construction workers who regularly breathe these fumes without a respirator.

URI researcher awarded $296,000 USDA grant to study spinach

Gotta fill those spinach pies

Kristen Curry

URI Assistant Professor Camilo Villouta, left, and Ph.D. student Deniz Camli-Saunders are conducting new research growing hydroponic vegetables. (URI Photos / Shalyne Scott)

Plant-based agriculture is changing with the introduction of new engineering, technology, and information tools. Camilo Villouta, an assistant professor in the University of Rhode Island’s Plant Sciences department, not only has a green thumb, but he also brings a sophisticated command of modern tools to his position at the University. Now he’s taking his plant engineer mindset to new research growing hydroponic vegetables.

Backed by a recent U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) award, Villouta has received a competitive food research grant from the department’s National Institute of Food and Agriculture to conduct research connected to controlled environment agriculture. The two-year project is already underway and will conclude in 2028.

The rising demand for locally sourced, fresh produce available year-round has led to the rapid growth of controlled environment agriculture in urban areas, including in Providence where growing national producer Gotham Greens opened its only New England location.

Villouta serves as the controlled environment agriculture specialist at URI, focusing on hydroponic and greenhouse production systems.

“My research has always been strongly applied and connected to real-world production systems,” said Villouta. “I work closely with growers to understand and address the challenges they face, particularly in controlled environment agriculture. My approach is to study plant physiology in detail and translate that knowledge into practical solutions that improve production outcomes.”

In Connecticut, Doctors Now Sue Patients Most Over Medical Bills, Surpassing Hospitals

Chasing medical debt

Noam N. Levey and Katy Golvala and Jenna Carlesso, CT Mirror

Many hospital systems in Connecticut have stopped suing their patients over unpaid bills, stung by criticism about the harm caused by aggressive collection tactics.

But physicians, dentists, ambulance companies, and other health care providers are still taking their patients to court, a Connecticut Mirror-KFF Health News investigation of state legal records shows.

Lawsuits by doctors and other nonhospital providers now dominate health care collections in Connecticut, the records show, accounting for more than 80% of cases filed against patients and their families in 2024.

That’s a major reversal from just five years earlier, when hospital system lawsuits made up three-quarters of health-related collection cases in the state’s courts.

The shift is moving medical debt collections into a less regulated realm. Most hospitals, because they are tax-exempt nonprofits, must make financial aid available to low-income patients and follow federal regulations that limit aggressive collection activities. Other medical providers, such as private medical groups, are generally exempt from these rules.

The lawsuits are typically over bills of less than $3,000, but the impact on patients can be devastating. Lawsuits are among the most ruinous byproducts of a health care debt problem that burdens an estimated 100 million people in the U.S.

Lawsuits can lead to garnished wages, liens on homes, and hundreds of dollars of added debt from interest and court fees. They also pile additional financial strains on struggling families, prevent patients from getting needed care, and sap trust in medical providers.

Trump Declares Victory in Iran. Reality Disagrees.

Killing, destruction, trashing the global economy and making life miserable for America is not "winning"

By Mitchell Zimmerman

Did you know that Germany won World War II?

Because so many died in the Soviet Union, the combined Russian and U.S. military deaths in World War II were over twice that of Germany. So Germany won — except for the small matter of the Soviets and the U.S. occupying burned-out Berlin at the end of the war.

Similarly, U.S. forces suffered about one tenth as many combat deaths as the Viet Cong and the North Vietnamese Army in the Vietnam War. So we won. Except for the North Vietnamese overrunning Saigon in 1975 and reunifying the country under Communist rule.

The same upside-down “logic” applies to Donald Trump’s claim that the U.S. has defeated Iran — since our bombs have devastated Iran and since the U.S. has killed many more Iranians than Iranians have killed Americans.

Back in the real world, none of Trump’s war aims has been achieved. Notwithstanding the cost to Iran and its people, Iran is emerging as an even stronger regional power.

Master negotiator

This is how Trump honors women athletes

Start small: How to make your garden grow this spring

URI Cooperative Extension gardeners offer green suggestions and advice

Kristen Curry 

URI Cooperative Extension gardeners can offer novice growers helpful suggestions and advice. (URI Photo / K. Curry)

For novice gardeners looking to break ground this spring, University of Rhode Island Cooperative Extension gardeners say there’s always a good reason to get outside and grow.

Shanelle Haile’s career brought her around the world, but her efforts in her own backyard gave her a place to experiment with social issues at a condensed size. Haile spent six years working in Washington, D.C., and abroad as a development officer and advisor with the U.S. Agency for International Development.

Tomatoes are an easy plant for new growers and will be highlighted at this year’s Cooperative Extension Spring Plant Sale on May 9 at URI. (Photo provided Cooperative Extension)

RIDOH reports a 2nd measles case

"Measles is almost entirely preventable through vaccination"

The Rhode Island Department of Health (RIDOH) is advising the public that a confirmed case of measles has been identified in Rhode Island. This is the second case of measles identified in Rhode Island in 2026. However, this case is not associated with the measles case that was identified in Rhode Island on April 18.

This individual is a female in her 20s who had traveled from outside the country to visit family in Rhode Island. This person was treated at Brown University Health Urgent Care in Middletown on April 24 and tested positive for measles at the Rhode Island State Health Laboratories. This person did not require hospitalization.

Measles is almost entirely preventable through vaccination. Approximately 97% of Rhode Island kindergarteners have completed the Measles, Mumps, and Rubella (MMR) vaccine series, which protects against measles, mumps, and rubella. MMR vaccine is safe and effective.

New breakthrough treatment for pancreatic cancer

What You Need to Know

By Erin Post 

A new therapy that targets RAS mutations present in more than 90% of patients with pancreatic adenocarcinoma — the most common type of pancreatic cancer — approximately doubles overall survival according to clinical trial results announced today.

Revolution Medicines shared Phase III clinical trial results for a pill called daraxonrasib in patients with previously treated metastatic pancreatic cancer. For decades, RAS was considered “undruggable,” meaning that there was no effective way to target RAS. These results greatly expand the potential benefit of targeted therapies for patients with pancreatic cancer.

“We are standing at the threshold of groundbreaking treatments for patients with pancreatic cancer,” said PanCAN Chief Scientific and Medical Officer Anna Berkenblit, M.D., MMSc. “Today’s announcement represents a real opportunity to bring new hope for people facing this disease: hope for more time with family, hope for better quality of life and hope that ongoing and future research may ultimately lead to a cure.”

Next, Revolution Medicines will need to take their data to the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA). If the FDA grants approval for daraxonrasib, it will be made available as a treatment for patients with metastatic pancreatic adenocarcinoma who have been previously treated.

Legislators’ Annoyance at Underfunded Green Bonds Grows

It takes real money

By Rob Smith / ecoRI News staff

Rockville is probably a farther drive than most Rhode Islanders prefer to make, but the ones who visit the area in Hopkinton are treated to some of the most beautiful forestland in the state.

Having an unbroken block of forest along the state’s western border has long been the conservation goal for environmental officials and environmental groups. 

The Department of Environmental Management, with The Nature Conservancy of Rhode Island, recently announced the state bought nearly 70 acres of forestland on the Princess Pine Estate in Hopkinton to be incorporated into the Rockville Wildlife Management Area.

The North Road purchase borders DEM, Nature Conservancy and Audubon Society lands, in a 2,140-acre block of preserved open and recreational space. It will also boost public access for boating and fishing along Wincheck Pond.