Column by @danmcgowan.bsky.social -- Mayor Smiley: Providence was prepared for this kind of tragedy www.bostonglobe.com/2025/12/14/m...

Thank you @iandonnis.bsky.social for uplifting this piece. One of the most heartfelt and powerful segments I’ve seen in a long time. It is difficult to watch, but if it feels safe for you to do so, I highly encourage you to try.

A bright spot for Providence in today's new attendance data, as the only one of RI's largest 5 districts to get chronic absenteeism below pre-pandemic levels Woonsocket had 42% of students chronically absent last school year, compared to 29% in Providence www.bostonglobe.com/2025/09/02/m...

Loved seeing the Rhode Island travel piece in @foodandwine.com magazine ⚓️

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PODCAST: What abolishing the Department of Education would mean for Rhode Island btown.buzzsprout.com/163601/episo...

After watching this, I can see why @ezrakleinbot.bsky.social decided that having @davidshor.bsky.social walk us through a presentation would be worth our time. This analysis flips our conventional knowledge post election. I am still sitting with these data days later. Powerful and sobering.

😳

Bartholomewtown: bringing Rhode Islanders closer to their world. Independent journalism and commentary for the Ocean State. Listen wherever you get pods, RIpodcast.com and weekends on @997wpro.bsky.social

you’re fired. wait you’re rehired. email us a list of things you’ve done today wait forget it you’re fired again. come back your job was important. you’re fired. or hired. come in to the office. wait the office has no computers go home. we are the department of government efficiency.

👇🏽👇🏽👇🏽

“It's not just that the money is frozen. It’s that we can’t get anyone on the phone,” she said. “How are we going to produce food if our farmers are being subjected to this uncertainty?” www.providencejournal.com/story/news/p...

This was very good and it filled my bucket versus depleting it. @repauchincloss.bsky.social is so compelling, thoughtful, and clear. I am proud he is our neighboring Congressman. TY @ezrakleinbot.bsky.social

“[SSA] has our bank information, our earnings records, the names and ages of our children, and much more.” “Warning about the risks of Mr. Musk's team accessing the data, Ms. Altman added, ‘There is no way to overstate how serious a breach this is.’” (🎁 link)

BREAKING WAPO: Elon Musk's DOGE is seeking access to a heavily-guarded IRS system that includes detailed financial information about every taxpayer, business, and nonprofit in the country — sparking alarm within the tax agency. www.washingtonpost.com/business/202...

NEW: The state takeover of the Providence schools appears to be in the home stretch. So which goals have been met? My look at key data points the state wanted to hit and where it all stands: www.bostonglobe.com/2025/02/12/m...

in what meaningful way can we say that the constitution is in effect when an unelected and unaccountable billionaire is wielding state power to unilaterally cancel congressional appropriations?

And it’s a security nightmare: They're haphazardly feeding the data into unsecured external AI systems. Treasury's own threat analysis calls this 'the single greatest insider threat risk' they've ever faced.

Courts *ordered* the Trump admin to stop its spending freeze Yet ProPublica found place after place where $ is still frozen -hot meals for elderly and disabled -groceries for those in need -maternal & child health services -a clinic that serves the poor www.propublica.org/article/trum...

1. Do something outrageous via Executive Order 2. Go to court 3. Court rules that said thing is illegal 4. Ignore court's order (We are here). 5. ? If you want to know what steps 5, 6, and 7 are, you can read what they wrote down and said publicly that they would do next. I'm not saying it.

This was a really insightful conversation. Feeling very thankful for @thebulwark.bsky.social @ezrakleinbot.bsky.social

Yes. Yes. Yes.

New: @propublica.org is tracking who's in Musk's DOGE crew. 20+ names so far including some that haven't yet been reported.

I linked DOGE staffer Marko Elez to a deleted X account that advocated repealing the Civil Rights Act, backed a “eugenic immigration policy,” and wrote, “You could not pay me to marry outside of my ethnicity." He just resigned. www.wsj.com/tech/doge-st...

I just subscribed. Only 12 dollars for the year. Let’s support the folks that are supporting democracy and truth telling. @wired.com

By @chrisgavin.bsky.social --Proud Boys recruitment fliers found in R.I. neighborhood. The far-right extremist group has been emboldened since President Trump pardoned members, according to the Anti-Defamation League www.bostonglobe.com/2025/02/06/m...

The world’s richest man + all the supporters and enablers of this initiative will be directly responsible for the deaths of millions of children. And for many, this is being cloaked and/or justified in the name of Christianity. We need strong condemnation from our global faith leaders NOW.

I think the first, massive protest shouldn't take place on the streets; it should be through the marketplace. Start with the 10 biggest advertisers on X. Get influencers to spread the word. Ask anyone who is willing/able to refuse to buy from these places until they divest from X. They will care.

Like … is not one democratic lawmaker willing to go enter a building and demand illegal activity stop? Even if they get arrested? Especially if they get arrested?

Please, please @democrats.org don’t call this a tariff: it is the Trump tax on the working class.

I hate that it's gotten this far, but if countries want to counter a US-imposed trade war, they should make Elon Musk's companies a focus of their retaliation. Those business interests have effectively merged with the US executive branch, and decision-makers value them more than the American people.

I’m just Ken.

Going full court press on Musk would be a pretty obvious play for an opposition party right now, if we had one.

Checking in on Kash Patel’s confirmation hearing:

JUST IN: Meta agreed to pay President Trump $25 million to settle a 2021 federal lawsuit alleging First Amendment violations after his suspension from Facebook and Instagram in the wake of the Jan. 6 attack.

If you’re still on the fence about reaching out to your local Senator asking them to reject RFK, Jr.’s nomination, please take a few minutes to listen to this in its entirety.

I'm just going to keep shouting it: TRUMP TOLD PROSECUTORS TO DIVERT RESOURCES AWAY FROM DRUG TRAFFICKERS TO GO AFTER IMMIGRANTS.

Would love to understand why every Democrat is not out there every second of the day explaining in plain English that Donald Trump has declared war on cancer patients.

I felt a small earthquake in Barrington RI just now

NEW: Josh Kraft has formed campaign committee to run for Boston mayor, per filing w/ OCPF Allison Murray of Providence, RI listed as campaign chair and treasurer

Every time a news outlet or elected official reports eligibility, they should include the dollar amount. The median voter isn’t thrilled about subsidizing private school tuition for families making multiples of their own income.

it is misleading to say trump is imposing a 50% tariff on Colombia — he is imposing a 50% tax on Americans who buy imports from Colombia

Wow. This 🧵. 🎯.

“For the German establishment, the situation was very clear. “A Hitler salute is a Hitler salute is a Hitler salute,” the prominent German weekly Die Zeit wrote in an editorial. “There is no need to make this unnecessarily complicated,” the editorial said.” www.nytimes.com/2025/01/24/w...

Guest on Megyn Kelly this week: “So, that's the thing is the funniest joke we ever pulled on the Democrats was convincing them that Project 2025 wasn't real…it's over, we won, yes, we're going to do Project 2025. And the other thing is, it's good.”

Rhode Island officials on Friday afternoon confirmed the presence of the H5N1 strain of avian influenza in a noncommercial farm flock in southern Washington County. About 40 birds have been euthanized. www.bostonglobe.com/2025/01/24/m...

Elon Musk in an email to X staff in January, per the WSJ. “Our user growth is stagnant, revenue is unimpressive, and we’re barely breaking even”

I think @theonion.com will play a critical role in saving our democracy.