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Boston Globe
15-05-2025
- Politics
- Boston Globe
R.I. Senate backs uniform process to respond to book ban attempts, passes ‘Freedom to Read Act'
He said one key change to this year's bill is that it requires people challenging a book to have 'a vested interest' in the community. So someone challenging a book in a public library must live in that community, and someone challenging a book in a school library must be a a parent, guardian, or teacher of a student enrolled there, he said. Get Rhode Map A weekday briefing from veteran Rhode Island reporters, focused on the things that matter most in the Ocean State. Enter Email Sign Up 'This addresses the problem that's occurred with national organizations coming in from outside' that 'have an agenda, looking to ban 50 books.' He cited a Advertisement McKenney said he wishes there was a requirement that people read a book before challenging it, but that's not in the bill. Related : The bill would shield librarians from criminal or civil charges arising from their book collections. And it would allow a librarian who has been subjected to discipline or termination 'for refusing to censor library materials' to file an 'anti-censorship' lawsuit. Advertisement McKenney said a Westerly High School teacher ended up being 'harassed' after a complaint about a book was filed. 'Librarians shouldn't have to put up with that type of thing,' he said. 'Teachers shouldn't have to put up with that type of thing.' Rhode Island Library Association President Beatrice Pulliam has said Rhode Island is the only state in New England that does not protect library staff from criminal prosecution for the content of book collections. According to the EveryLibrary Institute, 44 states have exemptions or defenses from from prosecution under obscenity laws for certain professions or workplaces, and 31 have specific exemptions for libraries. Three Republican senators voted against the bill, as did Senator Leonidas P. Raptakis, a Coventry Democrat. 'I do not support banning books,' said Senate Minority Leader Jessica de la Cruz, a North Smithfield Republican. 'Adults may choose whatever books or media they want, whether they access them online, if it's at a public library, a store — whatever they want is fine with me." But, de la Cruz said, 'I do believe there are materials that are not age appropriate, that children should not have unfettered access to in public school libraries.' She said the bill applies the same standards to public libraries as it does to public school libraries. 'And that's where we take issue,' de la Cruz said. 'Those institutions are not the same. A parent can decide whether or not to go into a public library, and they have the ability to supervise what materials their child has access to. And the same does not apply in public school libraries.' Related : Advertisement Meanwhile, Representative David Morales, a Providence Democrat, has filed a House Speaker K. Joseph Shekarchi, a Warwick Democrat, issued a statement this week, saying, 'I support the concept of the bill, but the House is working on a possible amendment addressing specific language about the private right of action contained within the legislation.' Edward Fitzpatrick can be reached at
New York Times
01-05-2025
- Sport
- New York Times
Yankees claim outfielder from Braves, put Giancarlo Stanton on 60-day IL
The New York Yankees added a potentially interesting bat during Thursday's off day. The team claimed outfielder Bryan de la Cruz off waivers from the Atlanta Braves and optioned him to Triple-A Scranton-Wilkes/Barre. The Yankees also put Giancarlo Stanton (double tennis elbows) on the 60-day injured list to make room for Cruz on the 40-man roster. The earliest Stanton could return is May 24. De la Cruz, 28, has shown pop in the majors, hitting 19 homers in 2023 and 21 in 2024. The Yankees don't need a starting outfielder immediately, but they might have been looking for a right-handed complement to Jasson Domínguez in left field. Earlier today, the Yankees claimed OF Bryan de la Cruz off waivers from the Atlanta Braves and optioned him to Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre. To make room on the 40-man roster, the Yankees have transferred DH/OF Giancarlo Stanton to the 60-day injured list. — New York Yankees (@Yankees) May 1, 2025 Domínguez, a 22-year-old switch-hitting rookie, has been excellent from the left side (.872 OPS, 63 plate appearances) and terrible from the right side (.391 OPS, 41 plate appearances). A righty hitter, de la Cruz has a career .311 on-base percentage and .697 OPS vs. lefties in the majors. Teams have spent the season trying to exploit the Yankees' lefty-heavy lineup. Their 228 plate appearances against lefty relievers are the most in the majors, well ahead of the second-place Chicago Cubs at 191. Advertisement It was unclear if de la Cruz would remain minor-league depth for the Yankees, who have mostly been playing Everson Pereira in left field at Triple A. Second baseman Jazz Chisholm Jr. was expected to have an MRI on Thursday on the right oblique he injured as the Yankees faced the Baltimore Orioles on the road this week. If Chisholm must go on the injured list, the Yankees could add de la Cruz in his place. The move didn't mean much for Stanton's timeline. The Yankees have not yet said when he might begin a rehabilitation assignment, though he's recently been hitting against a high-velocity pitching machine and performing light running workouts. The Braves had demoted de la Cruz to Triple A when they called up ex-Yankee Alex Verdugo on April 17. (Photo of Bryan de la Cruz: Kevin C. Cox / Getty Images)
Yahoo
01-03-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Nesi's Notes: March 1
Happy Saturday! Here's another edition of my weekend column for — as always, send your takes, tips and trial balloons to tnesi@ and follow me on Twitter, Bluesky and Facebook. Close Thanks for signing up! Watch for us in your inbox. Subscribe Now 1. What's ahead for the Rhode Island Republican Party? As GOP stalwarts gather today to decide the contest for state party chair between incumbent Joe Powers and challenger Jessica Drew-Day, their glass can be viewed as half-full or half-empty. Many Republicans have been energized by the weeks since the inauguration of President Trump, who won 42% of the vote in Rhode Island last fall, the highest share for a GOP nominee since 1988. And Rhode Island's long-dominant Democrats certainly give the GOP lots of campaign fodder, from the Washington Bridge fiasco to perennial budget deficits. But no matter how many times local Republicans think an issue has emerged that will finally transform the legislative map, they seem to come up short. The GOP currently holds just 14 out of 113 Assembly seats, roughly where they've been for over a decade now, and the last time a Republican prevailed in a major race was 2006. In a joint appearance on this week's Newsmakers, Senate Minority Leader Jessica de la Cruz and House Minority Leader Mike Chippendale acknowledged the challenges. 'I think our best options right now are to first focus on open seats, and then identify seats in which Trump did well and then let those candidates know — you can't just run once; you might have to run twice or even three times,' de la Cruz said. But, she added, 'It's going to take time.' The pair have coalesced around a shared top legislative priority — creation of a state inspector general's office — that unites all Republicans (and is backed by some Democrats). The 2026 midterms will present another opportunity for the GOP to try and make gains. But with national politics still so polarized, and a majority of Rhode Island's electorate backing Democrats cycle after cycle, Republicans shouldn't underestimate how challenging it will be. 2. President Trump's administration could wind up shifting the dynamic in the General Assembly, depending on its future personnel moves. On Newsmakers, both Leader de la Cruz and Leader Chippendale confirmed they've had discussions about potentially taking jobs with the new administration. Neither offered specifics. 'It would have to be something where it would make sense for me to leave, because I love what I do and I feel I have been effective in the Senate even in the super-minority,' de la Cruz said. As for Chippendale, he said, 'If an opportunity where I think I could make a lasting difference were to present itself, I'm open to that.' As you'd imagine for two people contemplating a position in the administration, they have no qualms about Trump's moves so far. 'That's what the people of this country voted for,' Chippendale said. 3. It's too soon to say what the long-term fallout will be after Friday's Oval Office clash between President Trump, Vice President Vance and Ukraine's President Zelenskyy. But local members of Congress, all Democrats, expressed universal alarm about what they saw. 'To my Republican colleagues, where is your voice?' Senator Reed said in a statement. 'We are watching America's leaders surrender to Russia, forfeit our leadership in the world, and do strategic harm to our country — and for what? This is not who we are, and silence is complicity.' Congressman Auchincloss told Tim White: 'President Zelenskyy flew to Washington, but he walked into the Kremlin.' Senator Whitehouse had been at a bipartisan meeting with Zelenskyy just hours before and said the mood there had been upbeat, but Zelenskyy walked 'into a bad episode of 'The Sopranos'' at the White House. Reactions from Gabe Amo, Seth Magaziner and Bill Keating were all variations on the same theme. Yet many Republicans put the blame on Zelenskyy for failing to understand how to deal with Trump and Vance. 'He either needs to resign and send somebody over that we can do business with, or he needs to change,' U.S. Sen. Lindsey Graham said on Fox News soon after. Graham has been a supporter of Ukraine — he'd been with Whitehouse at the Zelenskyy meeting earlier in the day — but he also seemed to be looking for a way to avoid a fatal break between Washington and Kiev. 'I do not know of anyone more likely to be able to mend that fence than Lindsey Graham,' Whitehouse told me. 'And I think he's very determined to try to do that.' 4. There is still some common ground between Democrats and Republicans over foreign policy. Senator Whitehouse found himself agreeing with GOP Congressman Dan Crenshaw of Texas, who said on a Politico podcast, 'I'll tell Europeans all day long, 'If you'd like a settlement with Putin, you should punish him. Why don't you take the $200 billion in frozen assets and actually seize them?' Europeans are like, 'Oh, well, we can't do that.' Then shut up. That's why you don't have a seat at the table.' Whitehouse has been pressing the same point for a long time, including as cosponsor of last year's bipartisan REPO Act. 'I think to the extent that Trump has done a good thing, his constant pressure on the European countries to step up more and invest in their own defense so that they don't have to live under an American umbrella of defense has been effective,' Whitehouse told me Friday. 'And they are standing up.' 5. Some illuminating statistics from a new Gallup poll: Ukraine is viewed favorably by 63% of Americans, but support for the country is far higher among Democrats (84%) than among independents (56%) or Republicans (54%). Russia is viewed favorably by just 17% of Americans, with almost no support among Democrats (4%), but a measurable pro-Russian bloc among independents (24%) and Republicans (21%). 6. Jack Reed is still running for reelection in 2026, as reported in this column back in November. Reed made that clear yet again this week, telling Punchbowl's Max Cohen on Capitol Hill that he is already 'beginning the campaign slog.' Reed is 75 and has boasted strong job approval ratings throughout his career. Nevertheless, Amanda Litman, founder of the activist group Run for Something, is publicly urging someone to primary Reed due to his age. 7. For the second time in recent weeks, Elon Musk used the powerful megaphone of his X account to target a leading Rhode Island official. This time it was Sheldon Whitehouse, after a group called FACT (short for Foundation for Accountability and Civic Trust) filed a complaint against him with the Senate Ethics Committee over his wife's work for an environmental group that receives federal funding. A similar complaint by a different group was dismissed last August. You can read my full story sorting out the facts here. 8. Lt. Gov. Sabina Matos's office has announced that she will hold a 'Know Your Rights' virtual event on Monday evening, in partnership with Dorcas International and Progreso Latino. On this week's episode of Doce Informa, Matos told my colleague Alex Torres-Perez she is hoping to address the 'misinformation' and fear being generated by Washington. 'This is a democracy,' Matos said. 'We have protections — civil rights — protections for everyone that lives in this country. And it's important for all of us to know our rights.' Similar efforts by other Democrats have drawn backlash, with federal border czar Tom Homan criticizing Congresswoman Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez so much that she just sent the DOJ a letter asking if she is under federal investigation. Matos told Alex she isn't concerned about blowback. 'What we're doing is just sharing what is the law — what is the law that protects every citizen of this country,' she said. 'So we're not sharing anything that is not the laws available to protect the civil rights of everybody in this country.' Also appearing on the latest Doce is Jesus Solorio, former executive director of the R.I. Republican Party. 9. Senate President Dominick Ruggerio's health struggles continue to hang over the General Assembly. Shortly after senators were told that 'a touch of pneumonia' would keep Ruggerio away from Tuesday's session — the first in two weeks — the Projo's Kathy Gregg discovered he was hospitalized at Fatima. By Wednesday, Ruggerio had been moved to the hospital's rehab unit, and aides say he is improving. The Senate will begin meeting twice weekly next week, so even if Ruggerio is unable to attend by Tuesday, he'll have a second chance to preside on Thursday. Among those expressing support for his continued leadership is GOP Leader Jessica de la Cruz, who had backed Ruggerio in January's election for Senate president. 'His issue is not cognitive in nature — his issue is with his body,' de la Cruz said on Newsmakers. 'I don't think that's enough to say that someone can't serve as a senator.' 10. More from the State House … Speaker Shekarchi rolled out his annual package of housing legislation, acknowledging that this year's is less dramatic than some previous ones … the governor's budget bill is getting pushback from hospital lobbyists (over funding) and gun shops (over the assault-weapons ban) … in a welcome move, the Senate is poised to begin posting committee documents online, as the House has for years … state energy policy is in the spotlight amid voter frustration over high bills. 11. The Rhode Island AFL-CIO commissioned a new poll of the state's voters, finding a near-majority unhappy with the state's direction but support for a variety of union policy priorities, including a $20 minimum wage. Eli Sherman has a full write-up with charts here. That 48% wrong-track number is something Governor McKee's campaign team will be seeking to turn around when he kicks off his reelection bid Monday. 12. Finally, a special treat — a reminiscence by retired Providence Journal political columnist M. Charles Bakst on the death of U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals Senior Judge Bruce M. Selya at age 90: The first time I spoke with Bruce Selya could easily have turned out to be the last. It was the summer of 1964. I was a 20-year-old summer intern in the Providence Journal's Warren office and heard him speak at a clambake whose guest of honor was Republican Gov. John Chafee, running for reelection. Selya was running for attorney general against Democratic incumbent Joe Nugent. He gave a rousing speech assailing Nugent and his staff, calling out the name of one Nugent assistant after another and dismissing them as political hacks. Actually, I'm not sure exactly what he called them, but in my mind I processed it as incompetent and, without putting quotations around the word, that's how I summarized his views in my story about the event. Bang! The next morning, I was summoned to the Journal newsroom in Providence. An editor said one of those Nugent staffers was threatening to sue the paper for libel. I was ordered to type up my notes and anything else I remembered. The one thing that sticks in my mind now is that I recalled schmoozing with Selya at the clambake and that he offered to buy me a beer. I told the editor I declined because I didn't think it would be good look for a candidate for AG to buy a beer for someone under 21, and, anyway, 'I don't like beer.' The editor smiled, the only time he did so in a very heavy conversation. Fortunately, someone at the paper did a follow-up story allowing the AG staffer to vent, and permitting Selya to explain what he'd meant, and that calmed the waters and I never heard another word about a libel suit. Over the years, as Selya chaired Chafee's Senate campaigns and later, we spoke regularly. He knew everything there was to know about politics and Chafee, and we became good friends. Once he became a judge on U.S. District Court and then the U.S. Court of Appeals, and even in my retirement, an aide in his office would call me once or twice a year to inform me the judge wanted to have lunch with me on such and such a date and could I make it? Often we went to the University Club or Cafe Nuovo. As his eyesight deteriorated he could no longer read the menus, but he knew them by heart. We never lacked for conversation – about politics, families, baseball. He'd tell me about his father taking him as a kid to Yankee Stadium. As the years went by, there weren't all that many people who remembered the long arc of Chafee's career. But Selya was there on the ground floor going back to the first campaign for governor in 1962. I tracked the early days as a freshman on the Brown Daily Herald, interviewing the candidate, then covering Election Night, then attending press conferences at the State House. You don't need me to tell you that Selya was a brilliant jurist with a passion for obscure words that would enliven his opinions. But he also had a quick wit. I remember a Court of Appeals hearing in which a lawyer mistakenly addressed a Selya colleague as 'Justice' instead of 'Judge.' Selya piped up, 'It is well known fact that there's no justice in the Court of Appeals.' You couldn't trip Selya up. He was a proud Classical High alum, and when I asked him once if he had to work hard to excel as a student at that rigorous school, he said, 'I'll never confess as to whether I worked hard or not. I got good grades, that's what counted.'' He chuckled, and I marveled at the judiciousness of the response. When Senator Chafee died in 1999, Selya told me, 'He recognized the difference between merely being successful and being a man who brought value to what he did.' You could say exactly the same thing about Selya. No way now, of course, to ask John Chafee how he'd sum up Selya, but the other day I brought the matter up with Lincoln Chafee, who succeeded his father in the Senate. Linc declared, 'A federal judgeship is a dream plum that every senator dreams about being able to bestow. They are a lifetime appointment which will reflect on the senator for years to come, and they come up rarely. One needs a vacancy and the president of one's own party. 'Dad held Judge Selya in such regard that he asked President Reagan to nominate him first to the District Court and then to the ultra-prestigious appellate court. 'I think that says it all.' 13. Set your DVRs: This week on Newsmakers — Senate Minority Leader Jessica de la Cruz and House Minority Leader Mike Chippendale. Watch Sunday at 5:30 a.m. on WPRI 12 and 10 a.m. on Fox Providence, or listen on the radio Sunday at 6 p.m. on WPRO. You can also subscribe to Newsmakers as a podcast via Apple, Spotify, or wherever you get your podcasts. See you back here next Saturday. Ted Nesi (tnesi@ is a Target 12 investigative reporter and 12 News politics/business editor. He co-hosts Newsmakers and writes Nesi's Notes on Saturdays. Connect with him on Twitter, Bluesky and Facebook. Download the and apps to get breaking news and weather alerts. Watch or with the new . Follow us on social media: Close Thanks for signing up! Watch for us in your inbox. Subscribe Now Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Boston Globe
26-02-2025
- Politics
- Boston Globe
R.I. bill would tweak definition of misdemeanor to avoid deportation for lesser crimes
The Senate has passed similar legislation for each of the past four years, but advocates said the change is particularly crucial now that Trump is Get Rhode Map A weekday briefing from veteran Rhode Island reporters, focused on the things that matter most in the Ocean State. Enter Email Sign Up 'This is a common sense bill,' said Advertisement The bill has been needed in the past, Acosta said. But, he said the Trump administration's deportation drive 'brings a little bit more attention and renewed energy.' Acosta said the bill has not become law in the past in large part because the attorney general's office has written to legislators and said it could not be sure if there would be 'unintended, collateral conflict' until a thorough review of federal and state laws was completed. Now, he said, Senate staff has now completed such a review and found that the more 'egregious' misdemeanors would still be covered by provisions of federal immigration policy even if his bill becomes law. When asked for comment on Tuesday, a spokesman said Attorney General Peter F. Neronha 'believes that this bill raises public safety concerns. In the event the General Assembly passes it, we will deal with it. Right now, we are focused on other matters.' The Senate voted 32 to 5 for the legislation, with the Senate's four Republicans voting against it along with Senator Leonidas P. Raptakis, a Coventry Democrat. Advertisement — Edward Fitzpatrick (@FitzProv) Senate Minority Leader Jessica de la Cruz, a North Smithfield Republican, said she has voted for the legislation in past years. 'As a daughter of immigrants myself, I've seen firsthand my family go through the process of becoming an American citizen,' she said. But, de la Cruz said, " After having conversations in the community and beyond, I have some reservations." She said Utah made a similar change to its definition of a misdemeanor in 2019, and now that state is in the process of changing the law back to the way it had been. Also, de la Cruz said the list of misdemeanors punishable by up to a year in jail here in Rhode Island includes assault, larceny, and domestic battery. 'It occurs to me that these are intent crimes,' she said. 'If a person intentionally breaks our law, they may be able to explain their conduct to an immigration judge. But we shouldn't be changing all our misdemeanor laws to get around federal immigration laws.' So de la Cruz voted against the bill. Acosta told de la Cruz that under his bill, crimes of 'moral turpitude,' such as domestic violence or child abuse, could still lead to deportation, even if they're misdemeanors. But other lesser crimes would not trigger immigration action, he said, citing examples such as disorderly conduct, shoplifting, and vandalism. 'A minor mistake should be just that — a minor mistake,' he said. Representative Leonela Felix, a Pawtucket Democrat, is sponsoring companion legislation in the House. Advertisement When asked about the bill on Tuesday, House Speaker K. Joseph Shekarchi, a Warwick Democrat, issued a statement that said, 'I am keeping an open mind on the bill and will review the testimony from the public hearing after it is conducted by the Judiciary Committee. I will also look carefully at recent court rulings, different witnesses who come forth, and what other states are doing.' Edward Fitzpatrick can be reached at
Yahoo
08-02-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Demonstrators rally against Trump's immigration crackdown in Pawtucket
PAWTUCKET, R.I. (WPRI) — Hundreds gathered in Pawtucket Friday evening to rally against President Donald Trump's crackdown on immigration. The Party for Socialism and Liberation, alongside the Alliance to Mobilize Our Resistance, hosted the demonstration and march to show solidarity for undocumented Rhode Islanders concerned for their safety. 'This is a very scary time for immigrants,' Daleth Rodriguez said. Rodriguez and her brother Byron were both both in the United States, but have several family members who are undocumented. That's why the siblings participated in Friday's demonstration. RELATED: Central Falls creating new response committee amid ICE raids 'We want to use this privilege for the good of the people who live in the shadows and are scared to come,' Rodriguez said. Right now, Rodriguez told 12 News they're staying in contact with their family members to ensure they know their rights, just in case U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents knock on their door. But even so, the uncertainty their family members are experiencing is unsettling. 'We don't know hat the future holds,' she said. Several of the demonstrators revealed that they know immigrants who have been deported and what they've had to face. 'They go back to whatever country they're from and they're alone,' Uva Juarez said. 'They don't have much family there because their family is here.' MORE: Fear-fueled rumors race across Newport after singular ICE arrest The goal of the demonstration was to bring about some change to protect undocumented immigrants in the Ocean State. Earlier this week, demonstrators set up outside R.I. Senate Minority Leader Jessica de la Cruz's fundraiser. She told 12 News she wasn't bothered by their presence, but added that some of them went too far by going after her supporters. 'They shouldered them to try to push them off balance,' de la Cruz said. 'They hurled insults and slurs at them and made them feel uncomfortable. That's where I draw the line.' Despite the demonstrations, de la Cruz said her position regarding Trump's deportation crackdown remains unchanged. 'I understand their concern and the frustration, and even the fear around the immigration issue,' de la Cruz said. 'But I think that what should be first and foremost and paramount above all is the safety of Rhode Islanders.' But some demonstrators believe ICE will go beyond Trump's executive order targeting violent criminals. 'If that was true, they wouldn't be at schools and they wouldn't be at places of worship,' Byron Rodriguez said. 'They wouldn't target younger people and they wouldn't also be talking about taking away birthright citizenship.' SEE ALSO: McKee says no evidence of ICE raids happening in Rhode Island Organizers are determined to continue spreading the word on behalf of their undocumented neighbors. 'I want to tell people to stand up, fight back and organize,' Pam Montes said. Organizers also announced that they are launching a so-called 'Deportation Defense Line and 'ICE Watch Alert Channel' to notify undocumented Rhode Islanders when agents might be targeting their communities. Close Thanks for signing up! Watch for us in your inbox. Subscribe Now Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
