Rhode Island can’t wait for Washington to fund hospital cybersecurity

We must act now

By Ava Fosberg, Rhode Island Current

Treating cybersecurity in hospitals as optional is like driving without a seatbelt. Hospitals might get away with it for a while, but when something goes wrong, the consequences hit hard. Cyberattacks delay care, disrupt services, and put patients directly at risk. 

Rhode Island has already seen how quickly a digital failure can spiral into a full-scale crisis. The state cannot afford to wait for federal action as these threats continue to grow.

In December 2024, hackers used stolen login credentials to breach the RIBridges system. The attack exposed sensitive personal data tied to nearly 650,000 Rhode Islanders. 

Residents lost access to critical services like Medicaid and SNAP. Families struggled to get benefits, verify eligibility, and access necessary care. What started as a cybersecurity issue quickly became a public health and economic crisis.

In January, the Beacon Mutual Insurance Group of Rhode Island confirmed a ransomware attack on its network. Investigators continue to determine the full scope, but early reports suggest that the attack exposed personal information belonging to hundreds of Rhode Islanders. These incidents show a clear pattern of growing vulnerability.

At the same time, threats continue to expand globally. Iran-linked cyber activity now targets U.S. hospitals and health care organizations as part of the broader international conflict in the Middle East. For Rhode Island hospitals, the growing threat of a cyberattack raises the stakes and makes the need for stronger cybersecurity an urgent priority.

The Onion recaps Trump's latest Iran statement

Jack Reed delivers again

Stand up for our neighbors

Trump caves to pressure on surgeon general nomination

Picks an actual doctor though there are new questions

Sarah Boden and Liz Szabo, MA

Donald Trump pulled the nomination of wellness influencer Casey Means, MD, for US surgeon general, and has tapped a physician and Fox News contributor to take her place.

In his announcement on the social media platform Truth Social, Trump called Means “a strong MAHA Warrior," in reference to the Make America Healthy Again movement fueled by Robert F. Kennedy Jr., secretary of the Department of Health and Human Services. 

The president also blamed Republican Sen. Bill Cassidy of Louisiana for Means’ failed nomination, calling the senator "a very disloyal person," and accusing him of "intransigence and political games."

Means proved too hard a pill to swallow 

Though a graduate of Stanford University School of Medicine, Means holds no medical license. She dropped out of her surgical residency program, citing disillusionment with traditional medicine, and pivoted to a career as a wellness influencer. 

Her brother, Calley Means, is a top Kennedy aide who has discussed taking psychedelics with his sister.

Means’ lack of clinical experience, coupled with her contested claims on nutrition, vaccines, contraception, and medical practice, raised eyebrows during her nomination hearing, including from Cassidy, a board-certified gastroenterologist who specialized in liver disease.

Cassidy grilled Means during her confirmation hearing, asking her how she wanted to change childhood vaccination recommendations.

Means testified that "vaccines save lives," but also falsely said that the science was not settled on the debunked link between vaccinations and autism, and that the measles, mumps, and rubella (MMR) vaccine has been linked to deaths. 

"The measles vaccine has caused some adverse effects that have harmed children. There have been children who have died from the MMR vaccine,” Means said. 

The fact Means wouldn’t endorse the MMR vaccine showed that she was an inappropriate fit to be surgeon general, said Paul Offit, MD, director of the Vaccine Education Center at Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia.

“She would be serving as America's doctor who was unwilling to act like America's doctor,” Offit told CIDRAP News. 

Carb-heavy foods like bread and rice may trigger weight gain in unexpected ways.

Scientists discover why bread can cause weight gain without extra calories

Osaka Metropolitan University

Bread has long been a dietary cornerstone, sustaining societies for generations. It is deeply woven into everyday life. But with obesity rates continuing to climb, researchers are beginning to question whether this reliance on staple carbohydrates still makes sense in modern diets.

Obesity increases the risk of many lifestyle-related diseases, making prevention a major public health priority. Traditionally, research has focused on high fat consumption as the main driver of weight gain. This is why many animal studies rely on high fat diets.

However, carbohydrates such as bread, rice, and noodles are consumed daily around the world, yet their role in obesity and metabolism has not been explored as thoroughly. While many people believe that "bread makes you gain weight" or that "carbohydrates should be limited," it has been unclear whether the issue lies in the foods themselves or in how people choose and consume them.

Like Other Rural Towns, Hopkinton Mulls Zoning Changes to Spur Revenue Growth

Some residents worry about town's rural character

By Rob Smith / ecoRI News staff

"Rural Character" has been an obsession in Charlestown

How do you revitalize a town with an aging population and slim pickings for development?

That issue was the topic of a joint Town Council and Planning Board 3½-hour hearing at Ashaway Elementary School last week, as the town weighs changes to zoning regulations and its comprehensive plan sought by a trio of private companies.

Warwick-based energy developer Revity Energy LLC owns a number of properties along Main and Frontier streets, close to Exit 1 off Interstate 95. The parcels are currently zoned as RFR-80, rural farming residential, a zoning designation under the town’s ordinance.

Revity Energy is petitioning the town to change the zoning of the properties, which are mostly open space, seeking the creation of an “economic growth district” that would greatly expand the permitted uses of the properties.

Brown University researchers launch energy tracker to measure increased fuel costs tied to war in Iran

Donald Trump's war on Iran has already cost you $200 in fuel price increases alone

Brown University 

A Brown University research team is making it easier to track pain at the pump.

A new digital tracker aims to quantify in real time the financial impact of the war in Iran on energy costs for American consumers. As of mid-April, the average American household has spent more than $150 in increased energy costs from rising gasoline and diesel prices since the start of the conflict, according to the tracker.

The project, led by Brown University political scientist and energy researcher Jeff Colgan, highlights a growing U.S. consumer burden of about $20 billion (as of mid-April) in increased energy costs from gasoline and diesel since the start of the war with Iran on Feb. 28, 2026.

“This is an expense coming directly out of the pockets of American consumers, and consumers can use the tracker to help plan for the extra costs that might come with road trips or summer vacations,” said Colgan, director of the Climate Solutions Lab at Brown’s Watson School of International and Public Affairs.

What was that he said about Joe Biden?

What agriculture contributes to the Rhode Island economy

2500 union workers at Rhode Island Hospital ratify new contract

Let's see more of this at Rhode Island's other hospitals

More than 2,500 members of Teamsters Local 251 at Rhode Island Hospital have voted to ratify a three-year agreement that protects their Teamsters health care and includes higher wages and stronger seniority protections. The bargaining unit consists of clinical support, non-clinical, and skilled maintenance staff in nearly every department.

“Local 251 has proudly represented workers at Rhode Island Hospital for more than 30 years,” said Matt Taibi, Secretary-Treasurer of Local 251 and Teamsters Eastern Region International Vice President. “This agreement shows that solidarity has the power to win strong successor contracts.”

The new agreement maintains strong Teamsters health care, layoff protections, and adds access to FSA benefits. Rhode Island Hospital Teamsters resisted many concessionary demands, instead making improvements on job transfers, seniority rights, unused paid time payouts, tuition assistance, shift differentials, and a new pay step for over two thirds of the bargaining unit.

Get Fresh, Buy Local at RI Grown Farmers Markets

Love those fresh veggies!

The Rhode Island Department of Environmental Management (DEM) kicks off the weekly 2026 RI Grown Farmers Market Season this weekend, running through early autumn. 

Starting this weekend, shoppers can visit the RI Grown farmers market at Goddard Memorial State Park, held every Friday from 9 AM – 1 PM through Oct. 9, or the RI Grown farmers market at Fishermen’s Memorial State Park, every Sunday from 8:30 AM to 12 PM through Oct. 11, for locally grown, fresh food. 

Early season offerings include plants, flowers, RI Seafood, spring vegetables, honey, and maple syrup. More vendors and summer crops will be added as the season progresses. 

Keep a lookout for the RI Grown label, which certifies that a product was grown right here in the Ocean State. Local is closer than you think – follow RI Grown on Facebook, on Instagram, and subscribe to our newsletter to find locally caught, grown, and made foods from RI farmers, fishers, and food producers.

China now outspends the US on scientific research

The consequences extend far beyond scientific ranking and clout

Caroline Wagner, The Ohio State University

The cause condemns the effect

China’s rapid rise in science has hit a milestone. The country’s investment in research and development has reached parity with – and by purchasing power measures has surpassed – that of the United States, according to a March 2026 report from the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development. Both nations have crossed the US$1 trillion threshold on research spending.

For 80 years, the U.S. operated the most productive scientific and technological enterprise in human history. Breakthroughs and advances that came from American labs included the internet; the mRNA vaccine; the transistor and its children, semiconductors and microprocessors; the Global Positioning System; and many more.

U.S. scientific and technological leadership was nurtured by sustained public investment in research universities and federal laboratories, as well as a culture of open inquiry. These investments turned scientific discovery into economic strength – accounting for more than 20% of all U.S. productivity growth since World War II.

In contrast, China had previously spent little to nothing on research and development. Some estimates show that China was among the lowest research spenders worldwide in 1980.

As a policy analyst and public affairs researcher, I study international collaboration in science and technology and its implications for public and foreign policy. I have tracked China’s rise across every major database for more than a decade.

The most recent reports showing that China is now outspending the U.S. on scientific and technological research is a turning point worth understanding clearly because, historically, global leadership in one sector – including technology and warfare – feeds into others. U.S. dominance is in question.

Here’s ‘What’s Next’ According to ‘No Kings’ Organizers

Starts May 1

By Joe Maniscalco

This story is from our friends at Work-Bites

Organizers of the latest round of “No Kings” demonstrations held nationwide, in late March, concluded their post-game wrap-up, on March 31, to be promising, “tonight is the night when we move from talking about what’s next—to doing what’s next.”

“What’s next?” is a question “No Kings” organizers could hardly avoid this week after an estimated 8 million people across the country turned out on Saturday March 28, to once again oppose the Trump administration’s deepening march into post-Constitutional authoritarianism.

So, what does “doing what’s next” look like according to “No Kings” organizers?

In the most concrete terms, it looks like working class people nationwide taking the “No School. No Work. No Shopping.” pledge on May 1—International Workers’ Day, as well as continuing to march, rally, and organize.

Upcoming