Rhode Island Politics

People at picnic tables

According to the mainstream narrative, who is actually responsible?

By Justin Katz | January 14, 2022 |

In order to improve them, we have to understand how our institutions work, but we’re not very good at assessing them anymore. Maybe the problem is the mix of self-esteem culture with identity politics and progressive domination of our cultural institutions.  Saturated in that social brew, our governing class has become something like a giant…

RIDOH Director Nicole Alexander-Scott

Dr. Alexander-Scott is out in the Department of Health.

By Justin Katz | January 13, 2022 |

Not a lot of details have been provided, but Department of Health Director Nicole Alexander-Scott has given her two-week notice to leave her job: Dr. Nicole Alexander-Scott, director of the Rhode Island Department of Health, will stay on for two weeks during the search for new leadership, McKee said. She will then act as a…

A water drop and ripples

We do have an alternative to shutting schools.

By Justin Katz | January 11, 2022 |

With the head of one of Rhode Island’s teachers unions saying “the responsible decision” is to shut schools and force students back into distance learning, his reasons are worth a look: … the overwhelming number of cases, the inability to do meaningful contact tracing, the arctic temperatures we are expecting so windows cannot be opened,…

A girl peaks out from under bedcovers

Politics This Week with John DePetro: The Woke and the Awakening

By Justin Katz | January 10, 2022 |

John and Justin talk about who is woke, awake, asleep, and awakening in Rhode Island politics.

Harrison Tuttle and Richard August on State of the State

State of the State: Black Lives Matter-RI PAC

By Richard August | January 9, 2022 |

Harrison Tuttle of Black Lives Matter Rhode Island PAC speaks with Richard August about his organization and possible his own possible campaign for office.

A Zoom meeting

Open meetings law is the cutting edge of state government’s failure.

By Justin Katz | January 7, 2022 |

What a joke this all is: The open government coalition ACCESS/RI and a number of municipal officials had urged McKee to provide the authorization for remote meetings as COVID-19 cases soar across Rhode Island. The East Providence City Council was among the entities forced to cancel a scheduled meeting this week after members tested positive…

Allan Fung and Barbara Ann Fenton-Fung in a parade

Please, no “Fung for Governor.”

By Justin Katz | January 4, 2022 |

Criticisms of Allan Fung among Rhode Island Republicans have always struck me as either too demanding for purity or else founded in personal animosity (albeit perhaps with some justification… I don’t know).  He was a solid Republican mayor and, from what I could see, a reasonably loyal member of the party.  Given the GOP’s position…

Silhouette of hikers with leader

Politics This Week with John DePetro: A Little Leadership Would Go a Long Way

By Justin Katz | January 3, 2022 |

John and Justin cover the controversial topics in Rhode Island politics today.

A water drop and ripples

Rep. Brianna Henries reminds us how awesome our country is.

By Justin Katz | December 28, 2021 |

Here’s the comment of Est Providence Representative Brianna Henries on today’s biggest news in RI: gob·smacked /ˈɡäbˌsmakt/ adjective INFORMAL•BRITISH utterly astonished; astounded ….however I’m not surprised. I can’t even fathom meeting this level of racism with a clever quip, it does not merit that. This is the reality of our world. We simply must do…

A water drop and ripples

Geena Pham isn’t really disproving Morgan’s concerns. [Language warning]

By Justin Katz | December 28, 2021 |

Geena Pham is a progressive candidate for state senate and a public school teacher.  Here she is tweeting about Patricia Morgan’s controversial comment: Delete your fucking Twitter, Patricia. You’re a disgrace to Rhode Island. Honestly, a world in which a public school teacher running for political office tweets such a thing is exactly a world in…