In Maine, a reprieve, for now.

Update: Senate Democrats say they are unwilling to fund the Department of Homeland Security without major reforms, raising the likelihood of a partial government shutdown at the end of this week.

Election notes: *@AhernForAG has a digital video *GOP candidates in CD2 and gov *GA stuff (#9) www.oceanstatemedia.org/politics/tgi...

🦠My latest: RFK's new CDC appointee shrugs off the potential loss of the U.S.’ measles-elimination status and deflects blame to other countries. “It’s just the cost of doing business with our borders being somewhat porous.” @kffhealthnews.org kffhealthnews.org/news/article...

Media News: @oceanstatemedia.bsky.social is seeking to move up the dial to a more powerful frequency at 103.7 FM www.oceanstatemedia.org/about/pressr...

🚨HOLY CRAP. An ICE whistleblower just revealed a secret memo authorizing ICE officers to break into homes without a judicial warrant, which DHS's own legal training materials say is unconstitutional! ICE then hid the memo from the public, passing it along by word of mouth and private conversation.

This signals a dangerous beginning to a dark time in history. We won't stand for it. https://seiu.co/4sIMlPx

Stunning photos from Minneapolis, including this one by John Locher for the Associated Press. www.theatlantic.com/photography/...

There are so many national pathologies blooming and intersecting right now that it's hard to keep track. But one thing is absolutely certain: a society that gives up on facts and truth is cooked. Support journalism. Particularly independent and nonprofit journalism.

A day of panic and then…https://www.npr.org/2026/01/15/nx-s1-5677711/mental-health-addiction-grants-cut-then-restored

#SAMHSA *termination* notices terminated? rollcall.com/2026/01/14/h...

IMPORTANT story: We Found More Than 40 Cases of Immigration Agents Using Banned Chokeholds and Other Moves That Can Cut Off Breathing, by @nicolefoy.bsky.social @mckenziefunk.com

BREAKING: ICE agents in Minneapolis violently detained and arrested a U.S. citizen for one reason only: he refused to prove his citizenship. No crime. No warrant. No probable cause.

#BREAKING: A Superior Court judge has rejected a LEOBOR panel's decision to reinstate Providence Police Sgt. Joseph Hanley to his position after he was caught on video striking a handcuffed suspect in April 2020.

Boston protests ICE killing in Minnesota @wbur.org @allyjar.bsky.social @rlub.bsky.social www.wbur.org/news/2026/01...

A Black man was killed by ICE (off duty) in Los Angeles on New Year’s Eve. And like Renée Good, he was an American citizen. But most people have not heard about Keith Porter. I need y’all to realize this. Black people experience this lack of visibility all the time when it comes to being victims.

In dropping government recommendations that children routinely receive shots for four diseases, RFK Jr.'s allies believe they are closer to a top priority: allowing people who claim vaccine injuries can more easily sue vaccine makers in civil court.

Applications close this Sunday at 11:59 p.m. ET! Past interns have contributed reporting to award-winning projects, gone on to national reporting positions, and published impactful investigations. Learn more about the programs: idabwellssociety.org/training/

Oh my gosh you guys! The House just passed my bill to extend the health care tax credits for three more years!

Pittsburgh Post-Gazette Announces It Will Cease Operations www.nytimes.com/2026/01/07/b...

Today, Renee Nicole Good was murdered by an ICE Officer in Minneapolis, Minnesota. This is horrifying on so many levels. Please stay safe neighbors and call the Deportation Defense Network if you suspect ICE activity in Providence or RI: 401-675-1414

Wednesday’s shooting happened a day after the Department of Homeland Security announced that “the largest DHS operation ever is happening right now in Minnesota.” (via @mprnews.org)

Panel behind new dietary guidelines had financial ties to beef, dairy industries, via @statnews.com

State of R.I. buys shuttered St. Mary’s children’s home property, aims to open a new psychiatric residential facility for youths www.bostonglobe.com/2026/01/07/m...

I thought I understood a lot about addiction medicine, having reported on it for nearly a decade. Then I worked on this story. Article & radio versions here via @kffhealthnews.org & @npr.org: kffhealthnews.org/news/article...

😳 CMS Says States Won't Have to Report Childhood Vaccination Levels

Pictures show the aftermath of the U.S. strikes in Venezuela and the reaction from around the world. n.pr/4pr5LFM

So great to hear @kylehopkinsak.bsky.social talk about his investigation into the slow pace of justice in Alaska on @wbur.org Here & Now

Issa Rae has canceled her sold out performance at the Kennedy Center. Pulitzer Prize winner Rhiannon Giddens, Peter Wolf, Low Cut Connie, and the Gay Men’s Chorus of Washington, D.C., have also canceled. Lin-Manuel Miranda has canceled the entire Kennedy Center run of Hamilton.

Figuring out the insurance options for families often falls to women. Some say they're delaying marriage, taking side jobs, and putting their kids on Medicaid as premium prices shoot up in 2026.

Our most popular global health and development stories in 2025 covered the human impact of the upheaval in U.S. foreign aid, surprising news about familiar diseases and the beauty of earth captured by drone cameras.

For people with ACA health coverage in R.I. @healthsourceri.bsky.social this is for you

I talked to some women facing tough decisions for 2026: www.npr.org/sections/sho... #healthinsurance #ACA #insurancepremiums

Dr. Thomas C. Weiner, the oncologist who was the subject of a 2024 ProPublica investigation, will never again practice medicine in the state of Montana. @davidmcswane.bsky.social

The Brown University shooting suspect has been found dead in Salem N.H. Police say he was a 48-year-old native of Portugal who was a Brown student. Follow along live. trib.al/1p1e0Gp

Brown University President Christina Paxson says that Claudio Neves Valente was enrolled at Brown from fall of 2000 and took a leave of absence in 2001. During his time at Brown, he was enrolled only in physics classes. He has no current affiliation with the university.

With no extension of enhanced tax credits, ACA enrollees are going to start the year with premium payments increasing by an average of 114%, or over $1,000 a year per person. Some will find a way to pay it, some have switched to higher deductibles, and some have dropped coverage.

I hope the Providence PD is talking to these witnesses too #BrownUshooter www.facebook.com/photo.php?fb...

The situation at Brown is very serious. We have multiple crews on scene and are continuously updating this story. www.wpri.com/news/local-n...

A child younger than 10 from Fairfield County, Connecticut, is that state's first confirmed case of measles in more than four years, according to the CT Department of Health.

Through the IBWS Investigative Reporting Fellowship, Zachary Bynum was able to publish this important investigation: www.cbsnews.com/atlanta/news... Right now, reporters can apply to be a member of the 2026 Fellowship and publish their own project. Learn more: idabwellssociety.org/ida-b-wells-...

ACA premium relief, deal? No deal... tinyurl.com/47dem8ar

Doubling of out-of-pocket premiums for ACA enrollees isn’t hypothetical. We estimate premium payments will rise by an average of 114%, or $1,016, next year if the enhanced tax credits end.

Top Trump administration officials met with Ukrainian negotiators in Florida on Sunday, pushing to broker an end to Russia’s war in Ukraine and setting the stage for key talks planned this week in Moscow with Russian leader Vladimir Putin. https://to.pbs.org/4oo6S8o

Who gets SNAP benefits in Mass.? People who work for some of the world’s companies…

Big Pharma just lost AGAIN — that’s 16 straight defeats in court! A federal judge threw out Teva’s lawsuit trying to block Medicare from negotiating lower prices on two of its drugs. I’ll keep working to expand Medicare negotiation so that families can afford their medications.

exclusive: Rick Pazdur, the official just tapped by Trump administration to be FDA's top drug regulator has privately warned that some of the agency's new initiatives could be illegal and dangerous. w @rachelroubein.bsky.social

NEW: Epstein fallout in RI and MA RI gov candidate Helena Foulkes and US Rep Jake Auchincloss both say they'll donate campaign cash they received from Harvard's Larry Summers, who is being ostracized over emails he exchanged with the convicted sex offender www.wpri.com/news/electio...

I got to discuss how opioid settlement money is being spent (hint: sock hops and mixed martial arts demos) in my home state of Connecticut on a podcast from the state! Listen here: www.podbean.com/eas/pb-6i4rt...