The Un-insurability Crisis Is Upon Us

Trump may not believe in climate change, but the insurance industry does

By Andrew Hoffman, Rupert Read, originally published by Resilience.org

This map shows all census tracts within the U.S. categorized into one of five classifications related to climate risk.

What does a post-1.5°C world mean for the insurance sector, their customers, investors, and the economy as a whole? This question has suddenly hit the news, as insurers begin to withdraw from some prominent places, and insurance insiders begin to break cover, as reported by the New York Times, just last week: https://www.nytimes.com/2025/04/10/climate/climate-change-economic-effects.html.

New research by the Climate Majority Project, working with a set of insurance insiders working safely within the veil of anonymity, looks at this question and set out three possible scenarios. The one towards which we are currently headed is dire, unless new policies and strategies are instituted that rethink and rework the risk landscape.

Insurance is the canary in the climate coal mine

The insurance sector is dealing with the realities of a climate-changed world with higher payouts from more extreme weather events and more assets in harm’s way by raising premiums and reducing coverage to manage losses. As this continues, with an increasing number of regions becoming ‘ uninsurable‘, Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell has warned that insurance companies pull out “of coastal areas [and] areas where there are a lot of fires” the loss of available insurance means that “there are going to be regions of the country where you can’t get a mortgage” in “10 or 15 years.” 

This would be devastating to individual homeowners and to the economy at large as property values drop and governments take in less tax revenue for schools, police and other basic services. Günther Thallinger, Chairman of the Investment Board of multi-national insurance company Allianz SE warns that this represents “a systemic risk that threatens the very foundation of the financial sector.”

In its 12^th national report, “Property Prices in Peril,” First Street — the analytics firm behind the climate risk rating attached to leading real estate listings – estimates the impacts of climate damage could reduce unadjusted U.S. real estate values by $1.47 trillion over the next 30 years.

EDITOR'S NOTE: Cathy and I were notified in January by our long-time insurer that because of climate risks, they would no longer cover us. We live within 1.5 miles of the coast. It took three months and a much higher premium to secure a new carrier. This problem is real, is happening in Charlestown and it's happening now. - Will Collette

"Fair and balanced"

 

Bah, MAGA

URI forester says forests are part of the solution to climate change

Rhode Island woodlands offer test sites for researchers and foresters looking to future

Kristen Curry

A forestry extension specialist at the University of Rhode Island, Christopher Riely works with faculty and students across campus, and off-campus partners, to help improve Rhode Island’s forests and the wildlife they support. A certified forester, Riely is also involved with research and practice in the emerging field of climate-adaptive forest management, taking place in Rhode Island, just five miles away from campus.

At URI, Riely frequently works with students in the University’s College of the Environment and Life Sciences, often accompanying students to the 1800-acre Hillsdale Preserve to study Rhode Island’s other main ecosystem: its woods.

Rhode Island is still more than half woodland.

URI faculty and staff are working with students and Rhode Island DEM in the emerging field of climate-adaptive forest management, just miles from campus. Oak trees are a particular focus of study.

Previously managed as a gentlemen’s hunting preserve for a Wall Street banker, the site was deeded to the state for scientific forest management and is now managed by the Rhode Island Department of Environmental Management (DEM) in research partnership with URI. It’s a place full of history and beauty, but also damage and warning, including scores of dead trees.

Nurturing now, thriving later: The lasting power of affectionate mothering

Hard to beat a mother's love

American Psychological Association

Affectionate mothering in childhood may have a lasting impact on important personality traits, potentially influencing life outcomes such as educational achievement, economic success, and health and well-being, according to research published by the American Psychological Association. 

The findings suggest that positive maternal parenting could foster important traits such as openness, conscientiousness and agreeableness.

"Personality traits are strong predictors of important life outcomes, from academic and career success to health and well-being," said Jasmin Wertz, PhD, lead author of the study and a professor of psychology at the University of Edinburgh. "Our findings suggest that fostering positive parenting environments in early childhood could have a small but significant and lasting impact on the development of these crucial personality traits."

Former federal judge looks at the ‘relentless bad behavior’ of the Trump administration in court

‘I never issued a criminal contempt citation in 19 ½ years on the bench’

John E. Jones III, Dickinson College

Legal battles between the Trump administration and advocates for deportees flown to prison in El Salvador have turned into conflicts between the government and the judges overseeing those cases. One federal judge, James Boasberg, accused Trump administration lawyers of the “willful disregard” of his order in March to halt those flights, saying there was “probable cause” to hold officials in criminal contempt. Another federal judge, Paula Xinis, strongly chastised government lawyers for their failure to follow her order – affirmed by the U.S. Supreme Court – to “facilitate” the return of a man, Kilmar Abrego Garcia, wrongly deported to El Salvador. Xinis cited the government’s “repeated refusal to provide even the most basic information as to any steps they have taken.”

All this happened as administration officials made public statements disparaging the judges. Trump aide Stephen Miller described Xinis as a “Marxist judge” who “now thinks she’s president of El Salvador.” President Donald Trump had earlier called Boasberg a “Radical Left Lunatic Judge” in a social media post and demanded his impeachment.

Politics editor Naomi Schalit interviewed Dickinson College President John E. Jones III about this extraordinary conflict. Jones is a former trial lawyer, former federal judge, and a one-time GOP candidate for the U.S. House.

Right now, we’re seeing two judges have a tough time with attorneys from the government. What governs behavior in the courtroom?

For all the time that I was on the bench, and certainly before that, it was a pretty awe-inspiring thing to go into federal court. The federal court was the big leagues; you just didn’t mess around with federal judges. It was a good way to get your head handed to you, not because judges have hair triggers, but simply because there is a certain decorum that obtains in federal court, a gravity about the proceedings. It’s deference to the court and working within the boundaries of professional ethics. It’s being respectful when the court asks you a question. It involves never criticizing that judge in a personal way outside the courtroom, no matter how much you may disagree with the judge.

I’m struck by the discourteousness of the government attorneys. They’re treating life-appointed district judges like they’re just impediments to what they want to do. It is something that has not ever happened, I think, in the annals of federal jurisprudence.

ICE grabs two New Hampshire citizens returning from trip to Canada

Without explanation, they were stuck in unheated cells, forced to turn over cell phones for illegal search

By Chris Walker, Truthout

CNN

A New Hampshire couple was detained this past weekend by U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) agents, who held them in separate cells without explanation and demanded to go through the husband’s emails.

Both individuals — Bachir Atallah, a real estate lawyer, and his spouse, Jessica Fakhri — are U.S. citizens. The two were stopped by CBP agents as they crossed from Canada into Vermont.

The two recounted the ordeal to an NBC News affiliate station in Boston and The Independent.

The couple was told to exit their vehicle by the border agents, one of whom appeared to reach for his gun. “I said, ‘OK, I’m exiting the vehicle, keep your gun at your waist,'” Atallah recollected.

Atallah said he was “treated like a criminal.” He and his wife were kept in separate cells, with neither allowed to wear shoes or a jacket.

“It was freezing,” Atallah said.

The experience was so overwhelming to Atallah that his blood pressure rose to 153 over 112, causing border agents to call for paramedics. He refused to be treated because CBP officials told him it would delay the process of being released.

Agents also demanded to see Atallah’s email correspondences, which included clients’ names. At first refusing to hand over his phone due to attorney-client privilege, Atallah eventually conceded, saying that, under duress, federal agents “made me write a statement” permitting them to look through his device.

It's me

National Association of Realtors ranks RI as worst for housing

 

Realtor.com

Beach More, Wait Less – Buy Your State Beach Parking Pass Now

Don't forget to get your Charlestown beach pass

The Rhode Island Department of Environmental Management (DEM) encourages you to purchase your 2025 state beach season parking passes now. DEM starts online sales of these passes annually in January to give you plenty of time to prepare. Don’t wait until the hot weather hits and you want to get to the beach. 

You can purchase resident, non-resident, or senior parking passes online at www.beachparkingri.com. For step-by-step details on purchasing your state beach parking pass online, click here.  

Purchasing passes in advance helps reduce wait times at entry booths.  Once purchased, passes take up to 24 hours to validate, as residency, age and payment are verified.  New this year, returning customers with unchanged registration information can bypass the verification process. These updates are part of DEM’s new contract with parking vendor, LAZ Parking. 

How gold nanoparticles may one day help to restore people’s vision

Brown University research on ways to prevent blindness among programs threatened by Trump cuts

Brown University

A new study by Brown University researchers suggests that gold nanoparticles — microscopic bits of gold thousands of times thinner than a human hair — might one day be used to help restore vision in people with macular degeneration and other retinal disorders. 

In a study published in the journal ACS Nano and supported by the National Institutes of Health, the research team showed that nanoparticles injected into the retina can successfully stimulate the visual system and restore vision in mice with retinal disorders. The findings suggest that a new type of visual prosthesis system in which nanoparticles, used in combination with a small laser device worn in a pair of glasses or goggles, might one day help people with retinal disorders to see again. 

“This is a new type of retinal prosthesis that has the potential to restore vision lost to retinal degeneration without requiring any kind of complicated surgery or genetic modification,” said Jiarui Nie, a postdoctoral researcher at the National Institutes of Health who led the research while completing her Ph.D. at Brown. “We believe this technique could potentially transform treatment paradigms for retinal degenerative conditions.” 

Nie performed the work while working in the lab of Jonghwan Lee, an associate professor in Brown’s School of Engineering and a faculty affiliate at Brown’s Carney Institute for Brain Science, who oversaw the work and served as the study’s senior author. 

EDITOR'S NOTE: Read more about Musk-Trump cuts to medical research at Brown HERE.

DOGE Aims to Embed Agents in All Nonprofits That Receive Federal Funds

Why?

By Zane McNeill , Truthout

The Vera Institute of Justice, a nonprofit dedicated to reform of the criminal legal system, has revealed that Elon Musk’s “Department of Government Efficiency” (DOGE) recently attempted to embed staff within the organization, citing Vera’s prior receipt of federal funds. According to DOGE officials, this was part of a broader plan to install government teams inside all nonprofits that receive federal funding.

“The attempted intrusion by DOGE — a temporary, un-elected and non-Congressionally approved agency — toward the Vera Institute should alarm every American,” Diane Yentel, president of the National Council of Nonprofits, said in a statement.

During a call with DOGE representatives, Vera’s legal team challenged the legitimacy of the request, noting that the U.S. Department of Justice had already terminated the nonprofit’s federal grants, which had totaled approximately $5 million over three years. While the Vera Institute successfully pushed back and DOGE ultimately withdrew the request, civil society advocates warn that the incident is part of a broader campaign to undermine nonprofit independence.

“This action by DOGE sets a dangerous precedent, leaving any recipient of federal funding — nonprofit, for-profit, and individuals alike — vulnerable to the whims of this destructive group. DOGE and The Trump Administration’s professed commitment to free speech and financial efficiency falls flat when their actions selectively target and weaken groups whose missions they may oppose,” Yentel said.

This tactic to control nonprofits could have far-reaching consequences. An Urban Institute analysis found that more than 103,000 nonprofit organizations received a combined $267 billion in government grants in 2021. These figures, based on IRS filings, excluded smaller organizations with limited reporting requirements — highlighting the vast scale of the nonprofit sector’s entanglement with public funding.

Why are Thomas and Alito still on the Supreme Court?

A Dissent Worthy of “Truth” Social Mitchell Zimmerman   The United States Supreme Court issued an order early morning on April 19 that responded decisively to President Trump’s latest effort to rush immigrants out of the U.S. and into a notorious El Salvadoran prison before anyone has time to react. The high court’s answer: No, you shall not. But Justices Alito and Thomas have filed a dissent that says in substance: Sure, go for it, Donald – nothing urgent here. The dissent is worth examining because it makes plain that in the emerging confrontation between a judiciary determined to maintain a commitment to due process of law and an executive who openly claims unrestrained power, Alito and Thomas are eager to abandon constitutional limits. The dissent is so evasive, so willfully blind to the actual matter at issue, as to make plain that the two are happy to watch Trump dismantle the rule of law from the sidelines. Trump claims that if Homeland Security detains individuals on the allegation they are Tren de Aragua gang members, he has the right to send them to a brutal “Terrorism Confinement Center” in El Salvador without giving the men any chance to dispute that they are gang members or that the president has the authority to exile anyone to a foreign prison. The rule of law requires more. Such accusations are frequently based on unreliable information, like tattoos, and must be considered by a neutral party – a judge. The government admitted Abrego Garcia, for example, was sent to El Salvador in “error,” and subsequent assertions he was a gang member rest on such dubious “evidence” as wearing a Chicago Bulls cap and a hoodie.

MAGA dictionary, continued

Trump regime wants to criminalize advising people on their rights

Put me on the list too

Source: Rhode Island ACLU

 

Can a local fishing panel make a difference in offshore wind projects?

We’re about to find out.

By Nancy Lavin, Rhode Island Current

When the Rhode Island Coastal Resources Management Council (CRMC) put out a public call for volunteers to revive a state fishing advisory panel, a former panel member warned Jim Riggs against joining.

Riggs, a 75-year-old recreational fisherman and retired electrician who lives in Westerly, applied anyway.

“I feel that in order to have your voice heard when it comes to fisheries management, you’re either on the table or on the plate,” Riggs said in an interview. “I prefer to be at the table.”

His seat at the table is now secured; he is one of nine new members the CRMC named to its Fishermen’s Advisory Board (FAB) after a single, unanimous vote on April 8. The advisory panel has been inactive since all of its former members resigned together in August 2023 to protest what they viewed as the CRMC’s kowtowing to offshore wind project developers at the expense of local fishermen. 

Will the same frustrations bubble up? The first test comes this week, as the new panel begins negotiations with SouthCoast Wind, which has applied for a permit to run transmission lines from its wind turbines up the Sakonnet River and out Mount Hope Bay. 

Measles Is Back: Doctors Warn of Dangerous Surge Across the U.S.

Under Trump and RFK Jr., measles is back bigly

By Ann & Robert H. Lurie Children's Hospital of Chicago

Pediatric experts are calling for renewed focus on measles vaccination as outbreaks reappear in the U.S. Despite having been declared non-endemic, measles poses serious risks, especially to young children, with complications like pneumonia, encephalitis, and even fatal brain disorders such as SSPE. In 2024, 40% of U.S. measles cases required hospitalization. Experts stress that the MMR vaccine is safe and the most effective protection against this highly contagious disease.

Parents are encouraged to contact their pediatrician if their child has been exposed to measles or is showing symptoms.

Pediatric infectious disease experts are emphasizing the critical importance of measles vaccination, as the highly contagious virus is once again spreading across the United States. In an article published in Pediatrics, they provide updated guidance for pediatricians on how to recognize, prevent, and manage this vaccine-preventable disease.

Measles, caused by the measles virus, is one of the most contagious infectious diseases known, capable of spreading to 90% of unvaccinated individuals exposed to an infected person. It is transmitted through respiratory droplets and can remain airborne for up to two hours after an infected person has left the area.

“The most effective way to prevent measles is vaccination,” said lead author Caitlin Naureckas Li, MD MHQS, infectious diseases specialist at Ann & Robert H. Lurie Children’s Hospital of Chicago and Assistant Professor of Pediatrics at Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine. 

How and where is nuclear waste stored in the US?

Over 2,500 tons stored at power plant just outside of New London, CT

Millstone Nuclear Power Plant is just 25 miles upwind
from Charlestown. An accident could irradiate
the town as quickly as the wind blows

Gerald Frankel, The Ohio State University

Around the U.S., about 90,000 tons of nuclear waste is stored at over 100 sites in 39 states, in a range of different structures and containers.

For decades, the nation has been trying to send it all to one secure location.

A 1987 federal law named Yucca Mountain, in Nevada, as a permanent disposal site for nuclear waste – but political and legal challenges led to construction delays. Work on the site had barely started before Congress ended the project’s funding altogether in 2011.

The 94 nuclear reactors currently operating at 54 power plants continue to generate more radioactive waste. Public and commercial interest in nuclear power is rising because of concerns regarding emissions from fossil fuel power plants and the possibility of new applications for smaller-scale nuclear plants to power data centers and manufacturing. This renewed interest gives new urgency to the effort to find a place to put the waste.

In March 2025, the U.S. Supreme Court heard arguments related to the effort to find a temporary storage location for the nation’s nuclear waste – a ruling is expected by late June. No matter the outcome, the decades-long struggle to find a permanent place to dispose of nuclear waste will probably continue for many years to come.

I am a scholar who specializes in corrosion; one focus of my work has been containing nuclear waste during temporary storage and permanent disposal. There are generally two forms of significantly radioactive waste in the U.S.: waste from making nuclear weapons during the Cold War, and waste from generating electricity at nuclear power plants. There are also small amounts of other radioactive waste, such as that associated with medical treatments.

While Trump pretends he wants to save Social Security, Elon Musk is strangling the program with bureaucratic red tape.

Trump and Musk Are Trying to Kill Social Security

By Jim Hightower 

How ironic: The most inefficient bureaucracy in government turns out to be Donald Trump’s “Department of Government Efficiency.”

That could be humorous, except that DOGE — a creature of the right-wing Project 2025 — has been devastating to millions of people. And it’s about to get worse. Elon Musk — the flighty überrich autocrat put in charge of “efficiency” by his buddy Trump — is now going after the Social Security deposits of 73 million senior citizens.

But wait, hasn’t Trump himself promised (loudly and often) that he would not ax this essential retirement program? Yes… but Elon is his “gotcha.”

Rather than an honest kill, Musk is strangling the program with bureaucratic red tape. Claiming to be cutting waste, he’s eliminating 7,000 people who administer the program, shouting, “Bureaucratic excess!”

Our wartime ruler

From the Charlestown Democratic Town Committee...

 

C-Town Dems News

April 2025

Build the Bench Event with Special Guest David Hogg Thursday, April 24, | 6 PM

Join RI Dems this Thursday, April 24 at 6 PM for their Build the Bench event! Fish Co., 15 Bridge Street, Providence​

Get Tickets!

We are celebrating the next generation of Rhode Island Democrats, with special guest, David Hogg!   The RI Dem Party is dedicated to building up our Democratic "bench" with the next generation of leaders. If you want to help us support our young Democrats, please support this event.   Stop by for food, drinks, merch, music, and new Dem friends. Please buy your ticket before they sell out! For more info on the event, David Hogg or to buy tickets, click here

C-Town Dems donate to RI Food Bank Food Drive   Earlier this month, we collected items for their pantry and donated them at RICAN. They were very grateful! Thanks to all who donated

Protecting Democracy For those looking to get involved in standing up for our nation’s democracy here in Rhode Island, we recommend South County Resistance (a Facebook group) and Indivisible RI as good starting points to find out what’s going on and to join some like-minded neighbors.​

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The Charlestown Democratic Town Committee manages the affairs of the Democratic Party in the town of Charlestown, RI subject to RI Election Law, State Party rules and its own bylaws. We meet the first Wednesday of every month at 6:00 PM at the Charlestown Police Station. Any Charlestown registered Democrat is welcome to attend.

P.O. Box 1088, Charlestown RI 02813 charlestowndemocrats.org