Why does MAGA spread hate and violence?

The MAGA mind virus

Stephen Robinson

The disastrous choice American voters made in last year’s presidential election was put on grim display earlier this month in response to the politically motivated shooting of Minnesota state lawmakers and their spouses by a right-wing extremist named Vance Boelter.

Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz responded to the violence like a decent human being and condemned the shooting as an attack on all Americans and our very civic order.

“We are not a country that settles our differences at gunpoint,” a somber Walz said during a press conference. “We have demonstrated again and again in our state that it is possible to peacefully disagree, that our state is strengthened by civil public debate. We must stand united against all forms of violence — and I call on everyone to join me in that commitment.”

The president, meanwhile, responded to the shootings like — well, like a maniac.

Trump rejected Walz’s call for unity and as always refused to even pretend he’s supposed to be the president of the entire United States.

“I think the governor of Minnesota is so whacked out. I’m not calling him. Why would I call him?” Trump told reporters on Air Force One. “The guy doesn’t have a clue. He’s a mess. So I could be nice and call him, but why waste time?”

Trump’s predecessors responded more humanely to gun violence. After the Virginia Tech shooting in 2007, Republican president George W. Bush immediately reached out to Democratic Gov. Tim Kaine and offered his support and sympathy. 

Four years later, when 19 people, including Rep. Gabby Giffords, were shot in Tucson, Arizona, President Barack Obama offered Republican Gov. Jan Brewer — a vocal political opponent — the full resources of the federal government.

Unfortunately, 77 million Americans surrendered these moments of shared humanity when they put Trump back in the White House. The tragedies that once united us now only result in more division. And no one, including his supporters, should have expected anything else.

What's wrong with this picture?

Monday: Town Hall with Charlestown legislators Sen. Victoria Gu and Rep. Tina Spears

The Bills, the Buzz, and the Big Decisions: RI’s Legislative Year in Review

Join State Senator Victoria Gu and Representative Tina Spears for a lively discussion on what bills passed in the State House, what stalled, how the new laws could impact our community, and give your feedback on priorities for next year. 

Topics include: environment & shoreline access, healthcare, housing, education & technology

 Date: Monday July 7th

 Time: 6-7:30pm

 Location: Quonochontaug Grange Hall, 5662 Post Road, Charlestown, RI, 02813

4 in 5 Americans support childhood vaccine requirements, poll finds

Even MAGAs agree...so why is Bobby Junior trying to kill vaccinations?

Jim Wappes

A new poll shows that 79% of US adults support requiring children to be vaccinated against preventable infectious diseases like measles, mumps, and rubella to attend school, with even two thirds of Republicans and those who support the "Make America Great Again" (MAGA) movement agreeing with such measures.

The poll of 2,509 adults, conducted by the Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health and the de Beaumont Foundation, also found that, among the 21% who don't support school vaccine mandates, their reasoning focused more on parental choice than on safety concerns.

How Internet of Things devices affect your privacy – even when they’re not yours

You're not being paranoid to believe you're being watch and recorded because you are

David Sella-Villa, University of South Carolina

Some unusual witnesses helped convict Alex Murdaugh of the murders of his wife, Maggie, and son, Paul.

The first was Bubba, Maggie’s yellow Labrador retriever. Prosecutors used a recording of Bubba to place Alex at the site of the murders. Given Alex’s presence at the crime scene, other witnesses then revealed his movements, tracked his speed and explained what he had in his hands. Those other witnesses were a 2021 Chevy Suburban and Maggie, Paul and Alex’s cellphones, which all provided data. They’re all part of the Internet of Things, also known as IoT.

The privacy implications of devices connected to the internet are not often the most important consideration in solving a murder case. But outside of criminal prosecution, they affect people’s privacy in ways that should give everyone pause.

The Internet of Things

The Internet of Things includes any object or device that automatically sends and receives data via the internet. When you use your phone to message someone or social media to post something, the sharing is deliberate. But the automatic nature of connected devices effectively cuts humans out of the loop. The data from these devices can reveal a lot about the people who interact with them – and about other people around the devices.

As an assistant professor of law at the University of South Carolina, I have watched as new kinds of connected devices have entered the market. New devices mean new ways to collect data about people.

Connected devices collect information from different contexts. Take your refrigerator. As a non-IoT device, your fridge generated no data about your kitchen, your food or how often you peeked inside. Your relationship with the fridge was effectively private. Only you knew about that midnight snack or whether you ogled a co-worker’s lunch.

Now, smart refrigerators can respond to voice commands, show images of the items in your fridge, track who opens it, suggest recipes, generate grocery lists and even contact your car to let you know the milk has expired. All these functions require continuous streams of data.

Sen. Whitehouse calls out the Trump-MAGA budget bill for what it is

A bargain!

Don't be a total jerk: don't use illegal fireworks!

After this crowning achievement, it's definitely time for Chuck to step down as Senate Dem Leader

URI will reopen W. Alton Jones Campus

Campus will reopen to the community

Dawn Bergantino 

Under a plan approved by the University of Rhode Island Board of Trustees, URI will partner with the Rhode Island Department of Environmental Management to reopen its 2,300-acre W. Alton Jones Campus in West Greenwich to the public. (URI Photo)

The University of Rhode Island will reopen the W. Alton Jones Campus in West Greenwich to the public under a plan approved Friday by the University’s Board of Trustees. The 2,300-acre forested campus has long served as a hub for environmental research, science education, and ecological preservation.

Through an agreement with the Rhode Island Department of Environmental Management (RIDEM), the chief steward of the state’s natural resources and the lead agency in managing forested land and water resources throughout Rhode Island, URI plans to reopen the campus with increased protection of its natural resources and recreational and educational opportunities for the public.

Kennedy pulls US support for Gavi's international vaccine efforts

US national interest: stopping infectious diseases overseas make them less likely to come here

Chris Dall, MA

US Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. today told the leaders of Gavi, the Vaccine Alliance, that the United States will withhold financial support for the organization until it has "re-earned the public trust," according to media reports.

The comments were made in a pre-recorded video sent to Gavi officials and health ministers gathered in Belgium for a summit that aims to raise $9 billion to support the organization, which helps provide and distribute vaccines to low-and middle-income countries. 

"In its zeal to promote universal vaccination, it has neglected the key issue of vaccine safety," Kennedy said in the video, a portion of which was posted by the New York Times. "When the science was inconvenient, Gavi ignored the science."

Kennedy added that while he admired Gavi's work to make medicine affordable, the US government would not contribute more to the organization until it starts taking vaccine safety seriously.

"I'll tell you how to start taking vaccine safety seriously: Consider the best science available, even when the science contradicts established paradigms," Kennedy said. 

Gavi refutes Kennedy's claims

In a response to Kennedy's allegations, Gavi said in a statement, "Any decision made by Gavi with regards to its vaccine portfolio is made in alignment with recommendations by WHO's [World Health Organization's] Strategic Advisory Group of Experts on Immunization (SAGE), a group of independent experts that reviews all available data through a rigorous, transparent, and independent process. This ensures Gavi investments are grounded in the best available science and public health priorities."

Since its launch in 2000, Gavi has vaccinated more than 1.1 billion children across 78 countries, preventing nearly 19 million deaths from diseases like measles and pneumonia. 

The Economic Progress Institute celebrates 10 wins that promote progress and equity for Rhode Islanders

Even in hard times, we can move forward

Steve Ahlquist

As the Rhode Island General Assembly concluded its legislative session, the Economic Progress Institute (EPI), a nonpartisan research and policy organization dedicated to improving the economic wellbeing of low- and modest-income Rhode Islanders, highlighted ten wins at an annual celebration.

10. Protecting Consumers from Medical Debt. The Leukemia and Lymphoma Society, a Protect Our Healthcare Coalition member, championed stronger protections for Rhode Islanders with medical debt. Building upon last year’s victories, legislation was enacted to cap interest on medical debt at 4% and prohibit medical debt from resulting in liens placed on principal residences.

“This is important because medical debt leads to bankruptcy for many people,” noted EPI Executive Director Weayonnoh Nelson-Davies.

9. Staffing & Quality Care Act. The Raise the Bar Coalition, led by SEIU 1199NE, advocated for safer staffing for direct care staff and better care for nursing home patients. The General Assembly allocated $12 million to hire new staff at nursing home facilities that do not yet meet the safe staffing requirement or raise wages and benefits for existing direct-care workers at facilities already in compliance. This ensures that nursing homes have the tools and accountability to deliver safe, dignified care and recruit and retain quality direct care staff.

8. Enhancing healthcare coverage for Rhode Islanders. The General Assembly and the enacted budget together improved healthcare coverage for Rhode Islanders in four distinct ways:

• Removing Prior Authorization Requirements. The Protect Our Healthcare Coalition, co-led by EPI and RIPIN, advocated easing the burden on primary care by removing prior authorization requirements. Enacted legislation established a three-year pilot program prohibiting insurers from requiring prior authorization for services ordered by primary care providers and for in-network outpatient behavioral health services.
• Sustaining Psychiatry Teleconsultation Programs that Support Healthcare Professionals. The Right from the Start Campaign and the Protect Our Healthcare Coalition advocated to maintain funding for the Psychiatry Resource Network (PRN) programs that connect providers with psychiatric consultants to support better patient care. The General Assembly allocated $750,000 of state funds to sustain MomsPRN. PediPRN will also continue through existing federal grant funds. These programs support healthcare professionals through clinical consultations or referral services related to mental health for children and pregnant and postpartum Rhode Islanders.
• Expanding Eligibility for the Medicare Savings Program. The Senior Agenda Coalition of Rhode Island championed expansions to the Medicare Savings Program alongside the Protect Our Healthcare Coalition. The enacted budget adds $7.1 million, including $0.7 million from general revenues, to expand the Medicare Savings Program. This expansion increases eligibility to 125% of the Federal Poverty Level for the Qualified Medicare Beneficiary group and up to 168% for the Qualified Individuals group.
• Increasing Primary Care Reimbursement Rates. The Rhode Island Medical Society championed increasing funding for primary care providers, alongside the Protect Our Healthcare Coalition and the Right from the Start Campaign. The enacted budget includes $8.3 million from general revenue and $26.4 million from all funds to increase Medicaid primary care reimbursement rates to match Medicare rates.

“House Speaker Joseph Shekarchi made a statement when he passed the budget that healthcare was a priority for this General Assembly, and many people worked to ensure Rhode Island becomes a healthier and more vibrant state,” said Executive Director Nelson-Davies. “These wins are a testament to that.”

CCA wants us to remember past shipwrecks

That’s a good first step toward recovery

By Will Collette

I was amused by a post on the Charlestown Citizens Alliance (CCA) blog promoting a July 9 program at the Quonnie Grange on the SS Larchmont maritime disaster right off the Quonnie coast in February 1907.

The collision of the Larchmont and the SS Harry Knowlton cost over 150 lives. It’s an interesting history, covered in a 2014 book by Joseph Soares called The Larchmont Disaster off Block Island, Rhode Island’s Titanic which was reviewed HERE. Obviously, that’s not the amusing part.

It’s good for the CCA to take a close look at historical disasters since those mishaps have so much to teach us. Lacking a grasp of history, the Trump administration’s decision to remove navigation buoys off our coast takes us back to 1907 when mariners had to “do their own research.”

I hope the CCA will also examine its own contributions to disasters in Charlestown’s history, such as the events that took place during their decade of control over Charlestown government from 2010 until the 2022 election.

The current Town Council comprised of members who won in 2022 and 2024 under the banner of Charlestown Residents United (CRU) are still working at cleaning up the mess the CCA left behind.

I earnestly believe it is important to review and understand our history. In the interest of preserving the history of Charlestown disasters, here’s a list of some of those CCA-induced disasters. I added a link to each item to illustrate each one:

• 
  Financial mess. Also click HERE to see how the new CRU Town Council started cleaning up this mess and HERE for a summary of the CCA’s financial messes.
• Shady land deals
• Secrecy in government
• Phony emergencies
• Banning residential wind power
• Blocking tax breaks for permanent residents
• Anti-family housing policies

These bullet points provide Charlestown voters with history they should put before themselves every time we have municipal elections. Despite their crushing losses in 2022 and 2024, I have no doubt the CCA will try another comeback once again hoping voters will believe their rhetoric over historical reality.

Even better than his "Big, Beautiful Bill"

A model approach for Charlestown?

Leading dark sky protection organization endorses model for sport field lighting. Are you paying attention, Ruth?

I want to tell you about a special school on Canada’s rugged east coast: Université Sainte-Anne.  As a student there, you must sign a pledge that you’ll only speak French. The school is equally serious about protecting the night as it’s located within a Starlight Reserve.  Please help institutions like this one succeed. The university aimed to build a football pitch to give its whole community a safe place to stay active, even in winter when daylight is scarce. With support from people like you, that athletic field became the first DarkSky Approved Outdoor Sports Lighting project outside the U.S. “Seeing students, staff and community members use this facility at night and knowing that we’re preserving the surrounding dark sky at the same time makes me proud,” says University President Kenneth Deveau. This project can be a model for communities worldwide. Will you keep that momentum going with a gift to DarkSky International today? With gratitude,  Ruskin Hartley CEO & Executive Director P.S. With global light pollution increasing 10% each year, there’s no time to wait.