Rhode Island Report

US Senator Jack Reed and US Representative Gabe Amo joined hosts Edward Fitzpatrick and Jim Hummel live at RI PBS studios this week to address questions about the impact that decisions in Washington are having here in the Ocean State.The event marks the 200th episode of the Rhode Island Report podcast, and celebrates the ongoing partnership between Globe Rhode Island and Rhode Island PBS. Tips and ideas? Email us...

Local harpist Emma Newton, who performs under the name Space Cowboy Newt, has an opportunity for other Rhode Island musicians: If you have a protest song, they’ll help you record it for free. Newton, a music producer and audio engineer as well as a musician, talks about the project with guest host Christopher Gavin, and performs some of their own music. Tips and ideas? Email us at rinews@globe.com. 

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A Rhode Island company that provides life-saving nutrition to children around the world is getting caught up in the Trump administration’s dismantling of the US Agency for International Development.

Edesia Nutrition has been on a roller coaster of canceled contracts and late payments. Founder and CEO Navyn Salem says every hour the plant is closed means 415 children aren’t getting the food they need. "We must be the problem...

A Tufts University PhD candidate was arrested by six immigration officers near her apartment. A Columbia University student is facing deportation for his role in pro-Palestinian campus protests. And a Brown Medicine kidney doctor was deported to Lebanon. Is this legal? And what kind of rights do green card and visa holders have here in the United States?

Deborah Gonzalez, Director of the Immigration Clinic at Roger William...

We’ve got a special bonus episode for you today. Earlier this month, in front of a live audience, Globe columnist Dan McGowan interviewed House Speaker Joe Shekarchi. From the Washington Bridge funding to an assault weapons ban, education to the governor's race, Shekarchi had a lot to say. This is a lightly edited recording of their conversation. Tips and ideas? Email us at rinews@globe.com.

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Attorney General Peter Neronha railed at Governor McKee at a House Finance hearing last week for not funding new positions for his office as it battles President Trump’s agenda. Neronha says if “you are not standing with us, then you are standing with Trump.” The attorney general joins host Ed Fitzpatrick to explain what he means. Tips and ideas? Email us at rinews@globe.com.

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It's been nearly 18 years since security officers discovered a one-room apartment within the walls of the Providence Place Mall. It was built by a group of local artists, led by Michael Townsend and Adriana Valdez Young. Now there's a full-length documentary about their "Secret Mall Apartment." Its first theatrical screening is March 21, at - where else - the Providence Place Mall. Michael and Adriana join host Ed Fitzpatr...

Dorcas International, which serves thousands of refugees and immigrants annually, is facing funding cuts and layoffs amid changing policies in Washington. For the latest episode of Rhode Island PBS Weekly, guest host Steph Machado sat down with Kathy Cloutier, the executive director of Dorcas International, to learn more about what’s happening on the ground under the Trump administration. This podcast is an ...

As the Trump administration threatens to remove federal funding for a range of initiatives, from scientific research to health insurance, local lawmakers are pushing back. Providence Democrats Senator Tiara Mack and Representative David Morales are the co-chairs of the Rhode Island Black, Latino, Indigenous, Asian- American, and Pacific Islander Caucus – or RIBLIA. They say the group’s legislative priorities aim to give Rh...

Former US Representative Jim Langevin has a long track record of leading cybersecurity efforts in Congress. The Trump administration's cuts to positions at the federal Cybersecurity Infrastructure Security Agency “make no sense,” he says. He joins host Ed Fitzpatrick to talk about these developments and the Institute for Cybersecurity & Emerging Technologies at Rhode Island College. Tips and ideas? Email us at rin...

Refugees come to the United States to escape dictatorships, oppression, and violence. But the Trump administration’s freeze of the refugee resettlement program and its ramped-up deportation efforts are making many refugees wonder if they’re safe here. Host Ed Fitzpatrick talks to two people who fled to the United States - a man who escaped slavery in Mauritania and a woman avoiding female genital mutilation in Senegal. Tip...

Students are afraid to come to English classes. Young immigrants are skipping weekly soccer games. The Trump administration has stopped funding resettlement of refugees, who are here in the United States legally.

But Teddi Jallow, executive director of the Refugee Dream Center in Providence, who came to the United States as a refugee herself, is determined to continue her work helping newcomers to America, despite the obst...

You might have heard of the Green Book, a guidebook that was widely circulated from the 1930s through the 1960s to help Black travelers find welcoming places across the country to stay, eat, and fill up their cars. But did you know that many of those locations were in New England? Emily Sweeney, a Boston Globe reporter, has documented and mapped more than 350 spots in this part of the country. Sweeney says, "It wasn't that...

Since April, a small group of inmates in Rhode Island's medium security prison have been learning how to code. It's part of a program called The Last Mile. The classes are designed to help inmates find jobs and stay out of prison. Globe RI’s Steph Machado just finished a story for Rhode Island PBS about The Last Mile. She joins host Ed Fitzpatrick to talk more about the program. Tips and ideas? Email us at rinews...

Indie pop singer-songwriter Lainey Dionne has gone from performing for classmates at Smithfield High School to becoming a voting member of the Grammy’s Recording Academy. She talks to our guest host, Boston Globe reporter Chris Gavin, about her journey and life as a working musician in Rhode Island. Dewey Raposo, RI PBS producer of Ocean State Sessions which showcases local musicians, also joins the podcast to discuss the ...

Last week, during R.I. Governor Dan McKee’s State of the State address, a group of Rhode Islanders planned to protest in the State House rotunda. But the area was roped off and guarded by state and Capitol police, who said the space had been reserved by the governor’s administration. But no one used it during and after the address. Now, the ACLU is considering a First Amendment lawsuit, saying that night was "a double wham...

In July 2024, the Rhode Island Supreme Court upheld Mario’s Law, which gives juvenile offenders a chance at freedom after serving 20 years. A month after the ruling, Mario Monteiro – the man the law was named for – was released. He faced two life sentences as a 17-year-old, and served 23 years in prison. Monteiro joins host Ed Fitzpatrick to talk about life in prison as a young person, and the human capacity for chang...

Today marks the start of Rhode Island’s legislative session. What can we expect from lawmakers this year? The Globe's Steph Machado and Jim Hummel of “A Lively Experiment” on Rhode Island PBS join host Ed Fitzpatrick and make some predictions. Tips and ideas? Email us at rinews@globe.com

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Tonight, Providence Mayor Brett Smiley will light the City Hall Menorah to celebrate the eight nights of Hannukah. And this year, the event will hit close to home. He recently converted to Judaism. Before the holidays, Steph Machado sat down with the mayor and Rabbi Sarah Mack, the senior rabbi at Temple Beth-El, to talk about the journey he’s been taking for the past year. Tips and ideas? Email us at rinews@glob...