Seriously, what can we do about the fascist now loose upon America?

We’re in a far more dangerous and violent stage of Trump’s regime. What should we do to stop it?

Robert Reich

EDITOR'S NOTE: Dr. Reich wrote this piece prior to the ICE murder of Alex Pretti in Minneapolis.

Five-year-old Liam Conejo Ramos, a student at Valley View Elementary, in Minneapolis, whom school officials and a lawyer for the Ramos family say was detained with his parent by federal agents on Tuesday

ICE agents have kidnapped a 5-year-old child to use him as “bait” to arrest his parents. The child and his father are now in a detention center in Texas, although no one knows their exact whereabouts. They were in America legally.

This is only the latest cruel outrage I’ve heard about. All this is being done in our name — the United States of America — with our authority, our tax dollars, and, seemingly, our acquiescence.

Recently I asked many of you what you believe to be the most important strategy for stopping Trump’s reign of terror. I offered several alternatives based on what I’ve heard from prominent people and organizations in the resistance, along with some skeptical responses to each.

So many of you responded and want to discuss these further that today I’m posting a revised version of my query — including the top three alternatives, as edited to reflect many of the responses sent to me.

1. Target a few Republican senators and House members to switch parties and thereby give Democrats a congressional majority in at least one chamber.

Several of the people I contacted said the single most important thing we can do now is target a few Republican senators and representatives to switch sides or become independents who caucus with the Democrats — giving Democrats a majority in at least one chamber. That will be stop or at least slow Trump.

Republican majorities are razor-thin in both chambers, but as long as they’re in the majority, it’s extremely difficult to stop Trump. Yet some Republicans represent purple districts and states and are struggling to keep their Republican supporters behind them. They’re also struggling with their own consciences in continuing to support Trump’s authoritarian fascism. They’re “gettable,” I’m told.

I recall in 2001 when Vermont Republican Senator Jim Jeffords became an independent and caucused with the Democrats — thereby giving Democrats control of the Senate. Jeffords was a principled man who thought George W. Bush and Dick Cheney were destroying the GOP. Trump is far worse than Bush and Cheney.

Skeptics tell me this won’t work because the forces holding Republican senators and representatives in place are way stronger than they were in 2001.

Donald Trump needs your medals! Give him some before he kills again

Since getting gifted a Nobel Peace Prize, the awards have been pouring in. Here's a sampling

Belarus? Really?

Congratulations to Wendy Flanagan of Charlestown

URI senior named national Major of the Year by SHAPE America

Kristen Curry 

University of Rhode Island senior Wendy Flanagan ’26 has been chosen as a Major of the Year by the SHAPE America Society of Health and Physical Educators. The SHAPE America Major of the Year award celebrates outstanding undergraduate students in the fields of health, physical education, recreation and dance.

Flanagan will be honored during a ceremony at SHAPE America’s national convention this spring.

Flanagan was nominated for the award by faculty in the URI Feinstein College of Education’s health and physical education program and will be honored during a ceremony at the organization’s national convention this spring in Kansas; she follows in the footsteps of Jane Carr ’25 who won the award last year. SHAPE America is the nation’s largest membership organization for health and physical education professionals, founded in 1885.

TNC Acquires 105 Acres of West Greenwich Forest

More open space added to South County's inventory

Tim Mooney

Photo by Russell Laman

The Nature Conservancy (TNC) announced that it has acquired a 105-acre open space property near the West Greenwich-Exeter town line for forest protection and public recreation, including hunting.

TNC combined the newly protected property with previously conserved land to form the Bernard and Donald Harrington Preserve. The preserve—TNC’s 26^th in Rhode Island—is now open to the public and offers more than three miles of hiking trails across 319 acres of field and forest.

TNC purchased the land for $720,000 from David Harrington and his cousins, Colleen Derjue and Bernard Harrington, Jr., who all have lifelong ties to the property and wanted to see it protected.

Storm news: New NOAA maps show likely amounts of snow and ice in Charlestown

Here's what the latest maps from NOAA's experimental winter weather site shows:

Ice may not be a problem.

Probability of ANY ice at all put at 34%.

New snowfall projection still heavy, but slightly less than yesterday

Stay warm. Stay safe. STAY HOME.

American embarrassment. Global pariah.

Trump's Davos debacle marked a new low.

Aaron Rupar

Donald Trump sounded like a fascist dictator suffering from a brain bleed during his speech yesterday at Davos. It was a national embarrassment even by the lowly standards of modern American politics.

I had other plans for this newsletter and have been primarily personally concerned about the increasingly terrifying scenes on the streets of my city, but the president’s showing in Switzerland was so shabby that I feel compelled to share some thoughts about it.

First of all, despite what cable news chyrons would have you believe, Trump’s screed was chillingly aggressive. He began the Greenland part of it with a thinly veiled threat against NATO, claiming his recent coup in Venezuela proves his regime is a “much greater power than people even understand.” He contrasted his purported strength with European weakness.

“We saw this in World War 2 when Denmark fell to Germany after just six hours of fighting and was totally unable to defend either itself of Greenland,” Trump said to total silence, adding that “without us, right now you'd all be speaking German and a little Japanese.” (German is in fact an official language of Switzerland.)

Trump then channeled Hitler during the Sudetenland crisis, demanding “immediate negotiations to discuss the acquisition of Greenland by the United States" — or else.

“We probably won't get anything unless I decide to use excessive strength and force, where we would be frankly unstoppable. But I won't do that. Okay?"

Life comes at you fast: With financial markets tanking and European nations talking seriously about economic retaliation, Trump shortly after his speech pulled a TACO, posting on Truth Social about a vague “framework of a future deal” involving NATO and Greenland. But during a subsequent interview with CNBC, Trump was unwilling and/or unable to provide any details, instead characterizing the framework (which sure sounds like the status quo) as “a concept of a deal.”

Alas, NATO Secretary Mark Rutte confirmed later on Fox News that the status of Greenland wasn’t even discussed as part of Trump’s “framework.” The “deal” appears to be about as meaningful as a degree from Trump University, but it’s at least better than blowing up NATO for no reason.

Today, ICE murders another US citizen in Minneapolis with no apparent reason

Lots of video, lots of ICE denial

According to evolving news reports and numerous video recordings, ICE agents grabbed a 37-year-old male US citizen on the street in Minneapolis and wrestled him to the ground. While several ICE agents had him pinned face-down, he was shot multiple times and killed.

ICE agents then unleashed a barrage of flashbang grenades, tear gas, pepper balls and other chemical agents at the crowd that had gathered and attempted to keep Minneapolis Police away from the crime scene.

ICE claimed the deceased was carrying a handgun, which he was licensed to carry, and they killed him out of fear for their lives, despite all the contrary evidence captured on video.

The man, a civilian observer, is shown here as ICE agents first grab him. Note there is no gun in his hands.

As the agents pile on, he is pinned to the ground. Note the empty hand sticking out of the pile. This was just seconds before he was shot.

And here, ICE agents unleash their chemical assault on the crowd to force them away from the crime scene

He is now confirmed to be Alex Pretti, an ICU nurse at the local VA hospital. As he was an observer, you can clearly see the camera in his hand when he is first approached by an ICE agent.

Dear Leader sends his thoughts and prayers to the victim's family blames the victim, Gov. Walz, the Somali community for this crime. He also seems to be blaming the MAGA-sacred Second Amendment right to bear arms.

Once again, we are told not to believe what we see with our own lying eyes.

The ultimate target

January 27 session of the Tomaquag Museum book club

Shelter from the storm: resources and tips

 

Current numbers forecast for Charlestown - probably a foot of snow

Lots of snow, high winds and bitter cold

By Will Collette

Tomorrow's storm will hit Charlestown hard. The most optimistic number I have seen for total snow fall is 8." Wind gusts of up to 40 mph are likely. 

Temperatures will determine the nature of the snowfall. In Charlestown, the forecast shows a high of 31 degrees at the storm's start, 22 degrees during the bulk of the storm tomorrow and then a high of 32 degrees as the storm winds down on Monday.

Colder air means lighter snow; temps around freezing could lead to wet snow that would increase the likelihood of power failures especially with the strong winds.

Here's the National Weather Service forecast for Charlestown:

NOAA's advanced winter forecasting site projects these snow accumulations:

NOAA also presents an interesting set of odds for snow accumulation by city and town. They give the odds for Westerly at 81% for 8 inches or more, but those odds drop to 34% for a foot or more and zero for 18 inches plus.

Despite drastic cuts by the Trump regime to NOAA's funding and staff, NOAA is still pretty good at this. The other likely Trump effect to this storm is any havoc it causes will be on us to clean up. FEMA has been gutted and it is unlikely Trump will approve any request for a National Disaster Declaration for any of the Blue states of the northeast.

Charlestown Town Hall will be closed Monday. The scheduled Tow Council meeting will be postponed until Thursday, January 29. CLICK HERE for Charlestown's official storm portal.

From the Charlestown Police: 

Warming Centers Open in Charlestown

With dangerously cold temperatures forecasted, warming centers will be available to provide a safe, heated space for anyone in need.

Warming Center Locations & Hours:

Charlestown Town Hall

Monday–Friday | 8:30 AM – 4:30 PM

Charlestown Senior Community Center

Monday–Thursday | 8:30 AM – 4:00 PM

Friday | 8:30 AM – 12:00 PM

Police Department – Community Room

4901 Old Post Road, Charlestown, RI 02813

Daily | 7:00 AM – 5:00 PM

If assistance is needed outside of these hours, please contact the Charlestown Emergency Services Dispatcher at 401-364-1212.

Please check on neighbors, family members, and anyone who may be vulnerable to extreme cold.

Stay warm. Stay safe.

A parking ban for all roads in Charlestown will go into effect Sunday at noon through Tuesday at 7am.

Historical context. 

We've seen and survived worse. The biggest snowstorm Rhode Island has endured was the February 1978. Cathy and I lived in Providence at the time. I remember the snow reached our second-floor window as we waited for emergency equipment to reach us, sent by the city of Buffalo, NY. Accumulations in South County were just under 30 inches.

Upon our return to Rhode Island to live in Charlestown, we went through several more historic snowstorms - in 2003 and 2005. In 2013, we had Winter storm Nemo that knocked out power in Charlestown for days. Nemo dropped 19 inches on Charlestown. The Presidents' Day 2003 storm dropped around 15 inches on South County. 

The blizzard of January 2005 was bad, but it was east of us on the Cape that really got hammered with 40+ inches plus hurricane force winds.

Click here for a NOAA slide show comparing these storms.

And from WPRI's Eli Sherman:

But at least we don't live in Greenland.

Grifter's gotta grift

The Saudis make their latest payment in their purchase of Donald Trump

Judd Legum

A rendering of Trump International Golf Club, Wadi Safar (Dar Global)

On November 18, Saudi Arabian Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman (MBS) visited Donald Trump at the White House. During his meeting with MBS, Trump agreed to provide Saudi Arabia with unprecedented levels of cooperation and support.

Trump named Saudi Arabia a “major non-NATO ally,” a coveted designation that comes with “defense trade and security cooperation benefits, including access to joint research and development programs with the Pentagon and privileged access to US weaponry, training and loans.”

Further, Trump agreed to sell 300 Abrams tanks and an unspecified number of F-35 fighter jets to Saudi Arabia. Previously, Israel was the only country in the Middle East permitted to buy F-35s. Acquiring the advanced jets has long been a priority for MBS and the Saudi government.

Trump also agreed to cooperate with Saudi Arabia on civilian nuclear energy and to provide Saudi Arabia with access to advanced AI chips.

In addition to the practical benefits to Saudi Arabia, the visit helped burnish the international standing of MBS, who American intelligence concluded directed the murder of a U.S.-based journalist, Jamal Khashoggi. Trump called MBS a “very good friend of mine.”

Now, a few weeks later, MBS appears to be returning the favor.

The Trump Organization announced it would be partnering with Dar Global to build a $7 billion “Trump-branded hotel and golf course” in Saudi Arabia. The development in Diriyah “will include 500 mansions, priced between $6.7 million and $24 million.”

As Trump’s descent into insanity accelerates, here is the ultimate cause for concern

Trump has sole authority to launch nuclear weapons on a whim

By Jon Letman , Truthout

The global security landscape has changed dramatically since Donald Trump’s first term, but one thing that remains constant is U.S. presidential authority to use nuclear weapons. From the moment he took the oath of office until the moment his successor assumes the presidency, Trump has the authority and the means to order a nuclear attack at any moment and for any reason if he chooses to do so.

Dating back to the Eisenhower administration, the system that gives U.S. presidents the ability to launch a nuclear strike at a moment’s notice revolves around what is known as the “nuclear football.” The “football” (formally called the presidential emergency satchel) is carried by a military aide who accompanies the president wherever he goes. As a backup, a second aide carrying another “football” follows the vice president.

The bulky, black, leather-bound 45-lb.-aluminum satchel is believed to contain laminated sheets printed with dozens of nuclear war plans and options, instructions on communicating with the public during a national emergency, and a secure satellite phone — all intentionally low-tech and offline to avoid vulnerability to hacking or technical glitches.

At all times, the president and vice president also carry sealed plastic cards, roughly the size of credit cards, informally called “biscuits” for their resemblance to cookies in a foil wrapper. Officially called the sealed authenticator system, the “biscuit” contains alphanumeric authentication codes to be used by the president to verify their identity.

Fun in the snow. This will be us on Sunday