Golden for sure

 

Congressional Budget Office shows how Trump-GOP budget bill will benefit the richest at everyone else's expense

This is what "Class War" really looks like and we're losing

This breakthrough turns old tech into pure gold — No mercury, no cyanide, just light and salt

How to pull gold out of old computers and cell phones SAFELY

Flinders University 

Gold recovered from electronic waste in the Flinders University study.
Credit: Flinders University

An interdisciplinary team of experts in green chemistry, engineering and physics at Flinders University in Australia has developed a safer and more sustainable approach to extract and recover gold from ore and electronic waste.

Explained in the leading journal Nature Sustainability, the gold-extraction technique promises to reduce levels of toxic waste from mining and shows that high purity gold can be recovered from recycling valuable components in printed circuit boards in discarded computers.

The project team, led by Matthew Flinders Professor Justin Chalker, applied this integrated method for high-yield gold extraction from many sources - even recovering trace gold found in scientific waste streams.

The progress toward safer and more sustainable gold recovery was demonstrated for electronic waste, mixed-metal waste, and ore concentrates.

"The study featured many innovations including a new and recyclable leaching reagent derived from a compound used to disinfect water," says Professor of Chemistry Justin Chalker, who leads the Chalker Lab at Flinders University's College of Science and Engineering.

"The team also developed an entirely new way to make the polymer sorbent, or the material that binds the gold after extraction into water, using light to initiate the key reaction."

Extensive investigation into the mechanisms, scope and limitations of the methods are reported in the new study, and the team now plans to work with mining and e-waste recycling operations to trial the method on a larger scale.

"The aim is to provide effective gold recovery methods that support the many uses of gold, while lessening the impact on the environment and human health," says Professor Chalker.

The new process uses a low-cost and benign compound to extract the gold. This reagent (trichloroisocyanuric acid) is widely used in water sanitation and disinfection. When activated by salt water, the reagent can dissolve gold.

Next, the gold can be selectively bound to a novel sulfur-rich polymer developed by the Flinders team. The selectivity of the polymer allows gold recovery even in highly complex mixtures.

The gold can then be recovered by triggering the polymer to "un-make" itself and convert back to monomer. This allows the gold to be recovered and the polymer to be recycled and re-used.

Global demand for gold is driven by its high economic and monetary value but is also a vital element in electronics, medicine, aerospace technologies and other products and industries. However, mining the previous metal can involve the use of highly toxic substances such as cyanide and mercury for gold extraction - and other negative environmental impacts on water, air and land including CO₂ emissions and deforestation.

The aim of the Flinders-led project was to provide alternative methods that are safer than mercury or cyanide in gold extraction and recovery.

The team also collaborated with experts in the US and Peru to validate the method on ore, in an effort to support small-scale mines that otherwise rely on toxic mercury to amalgamate gold.

Gold mining typically uses highly toxic cyanide to extract gold from ore, with risks to the wildlife and the broader environment if it is not contained properly. Artisanal and small-scale gold mines still use mercury to amalgamate gold. Unfortunately, the use of mercury in gold mining is one of the largest sources of mercury pollution on Earth.

Professor Chalker says interdisciplinary research collaborations with industry and environmental groups will help to address highly complex problems that support the economy and the environment.

"We are especially grateful to our engineering, mining, and philanthropic partners for supporting translation of laboratory discoveries to larger scale demonstrations of the gold recovery techniques."

Lead authors of the major new study - Flinders University postdoctoral research associates Dr Max Mann, Dr Thomas Nicholls, Dr Harshal Patel and Dr Lynn Lisboa - extensively tested the new technique on piles of electronic waste, with the aim of finding more sustainable, circular economy solutions to make better use of ever-more-scarce resources in the world. Many components of electronic waste, such as CPU units and RAM cards, contain valuable metals such as gold and copper.

Dr Mann says: "This paper shows that interdisciplinary collaborations are needed to address the world's big problems managing the growing stockpiles of e-waste."

ARC DECRA Fellow Dr Nicholls, adds: "The newly developed gold sorbent is made using a sustainable approach in which UV light is used to make the sulfur-rich polymer. Then, recycling the polymer after the gold has been recovered further increases the green credentials of this method."

Dr Patel says: "We dived into a mound of e-waste and climbed out with a block of gold! I hope this research inspires impactful solutions to pressing global challenges."

"With the ever-growing technological and societal demand for gold, it is increasingly important to develop safe and versatile methods to purify gold from varying sources," Dr Lisboa concludes.

Fast Facts:

Electronic waste (e-waste) is one of the fastest growing solid waste streams in the world. In 2022, an estimated 62 million tons of e-waste was produced globally. Only 22.3% was documented as formally collected and recycled.

E-waste is considered hazardous waste as it contains toxic materials and can produce toxic chemicals when recycled inappropriately. Many of these toxic materials are known or suspected to cause harm to human health, and several are included in the 10 chemicals of public health concern, including dioxins, lead and mercury. Inferior recycling of e-waste is a threat to public health and safety.

Miners use mercury, which binds to gold particles in ores, to create what are known as amalgams. These are then heated to evaporate the mercury, leaving behind gold but releasing toxic vapors. Studies indicate that up to 33% of artisanal miners suffer from moderate metallic mercury vapor intoxication.

Between 10 million and 20 million miners in more than 70 countries work in artisanal and small-scale gold mining, including up to 5 million women and children. These operations, which are often unregulated and unsafe, generate 37% of global mercury pollution (838 tons a year) - more than any other sector.

Most informal sites lack the funding and training needed to transition towards mercury-free mining. Despite accounting for 20% of the global gold supply and generating approximately US$30 billion annually, artisanal miners typically sell gold at around 70% of its global market value. Additionally, with many gold mines located in rural and remote areas, miners seeking loans are often restricted to predatory interest rates from illegal sources, pushing demand for mercury.

"Moderate" air quality today and tomorrow

"Moderate" is not good - high ground level ozone from vehicles and fine particles in the air, including those from fireworks and faraway wildfires

From Rhode Island DEM: 

Forecast Discussion

Saturday, July 5, 2025 | Updated 9:15 AM

For Saturday, July 5th, lots of particle pollution from overnight fireworks hang around, with highest readings Providence to the south and over the eastern half of the state. 

Some lingering wildfire smoke will hang around as well, making for mid MODERATE PM. Ozone expected to reach MODERATE. 

Heat returns on Sunday, with SW flow, sunshine, and temperatures near 90F inland. Ozone and fine particles to reach MODERATE statewide. A steady south flow on Monday will increase dewpoints to the 70s, continued hot in the 90s. Enough ocean air should mix in for GOOD air quality.

Clouds and showers for Tuesday and very muggy. Highs in the mid 80s.

Wealth of Global 1% Has Skyrocketed by Over $33 Trillion Since 2015

As the saying goes, "the rich get richer," a LOT richer

Jake Johnson

For guys like Jeff Bezos, it's good to be alive

An Oxfam report published June 25 estimates that the richest 1% globally have seen their wealth surge by more than $33.9 trillion over the past decade, with just 3,000 billionaires accounting for $6.5 trillion of that increase.

The report, released ahead of June 30 development financing talks in Seville, Spain, argues that the international community's plan to achieve the Sustainable Development Goals agreed upon in 2015 has failed utterly as global inequality has continued to expand, efforts to end poverty have stagnated, and the climate crisis has spiraled further out of control.

Rhode Island Democratic Leaders blast Trump’s Big, Beautiful Boondoggle

Trump and His Mean-Spirited Republican Congress Destroy Sixty Years of Progress

Statement from U.S. Senator Jack Reed

“Republicans knew this bill is a bad deal for their constituents and passed it anyway.  This bill goes against the self-interest of average Americans in favor of the ultra-wealthy and corporations.  It slashes the safety net out from under hardworking families – taking away health care from millions -- in order to give special interests bigger tax benefits.  Republicans structured the bill so the ultra-wealthy can cash out right away while the little guy and average taxpayers will get stuck paying the bill for years to come.

“During this unprecedented time of chaos and dysfunction, it’s easy to get overwhelmed and miss the latest developments. But the negative impacts of this bill must cut through the noise. Americans must be informed about the consequences of this legislation and they deserve to hear plainly from their elected representatives about how this bill is going to impact their families.

“Republicans are shifting a heavier financial burden onto families, communities, hospitals, and states.  Taking away people’s health coverage doesn’t mean they stop getting sick or can’t see a doctor.  Health costs for everyone will rise.  And it takes away over one trillion dollars in federal funding that states and localities rely on to provide vital services like schools, transit, nutrition assistance and aid to families in crisis.

“This fiscally irresponsible giveaway to the wealthy and well-connected is a debt-busting disaster.  It will cost U.S. taxpayers trillions of dollars in interest payments and Republicans unilaterally approved a record-breaking $5 trillion dollar debt limit increase.  But that’s just debt already incurred – this bill will add trillions of dollars in future debt when it’s all said and done, with little to no long-term benefit for middle- and working-class families. 

“Whatever short-term economic benefits this bill may offer, it will do lasting destructive damage to U.S. finances and young Americans will be forced to pay for it long after Donald Trump is gone.”

Statement from U.S. Senator Sheldon Whitehouse

“Trump’s Big, Beautiful-for-Billionaires Bill is one massively destructive piece of legislation.  Cooked in back rooms, dropped at midnight, and fraudulently scored, it increases costs for everyone by walloping the health care system, making families go hungry, and sending utility bills through the roof.  It saddles our children and grandchildren with trillions and trillions of dollars in debt – all to serve giant corporations, fossil fuel polluters, and billionaire Republican megadonors who are already among the richest people on the planet.”

Statement from Congressman Seth Magaziner

“Republicans in Congress have jammed through a bill that guts programs working people rely on to hand out tax breaks to the wealthiest people on the planet.

“The final version will cause millions of people to lose their health insurance, and will increase costs for millions more by slashing Medicaid, Medicare, and the Affordable Care Act. It also cuts over $100 billion from SNAP, which helps 40 million Americans put food on the table, and will eliminate good-paying clean energy jobs in Rhode Island and across the country.

“This bill represents the largest transfer of wealth from working people to the ultra-wealthy in U.S. history, and is a shameful betrayal of the basic promise that the government should work for everyone, not just those at the top.

“Today, I voted ‘no’ and I will keep fighting back against cruel attacks on working Rhode Islanders. Despite today’s setback, our fight to lower costs and improve quality of life for working people will continue.”

Kinfolk

That settles it

Brown University engineers tackle brain injuries with innovative wearable technology

From kids playing sports to battle damage to soldiers, traumatic brain injury can ruin lives

By Juan Siliezar, Brown University

Traumatic brain injuries are a pervasive yet elusive health problem, affecting millions worldwide. According to recent data, an estimated 2 million people experience a traumatic brain injury each year in the U.S. 

From kids and adults on playing fields, to soldiers and sailors on battlefields, the risk of brain injury includes everything from mild concussion to chronic traumatic encephalopathy (CTE) — a progressive disease often associated with football players who suffer repeated blows to the head.

Despite alarming trends about these types of injuries, they remain frustratingly difficult to diagnose and even harder to prevent. The applied mechanics laboratory at Brown University’s School of Engineering is part of an effort to develop solutions. The 10-person team — which includes postdoctoral researchers, graduate and undergraduate students — is led by Haneesh Kesari, an associate professor of engineering. The lab’s focus is centered on traumatic brain injury and blunt trauma the body can endure.

Summer cook-out food can shorten your life

Hot Dogs, Soda, and a 540,000-Person Warning

By American Society for Nutrition

A major research study suggests that older adults who eat a lot of ultra-processed foods may face a higher risk of dying earlier. People who reported eating the most processed foods were about 10 percent more likely to die over the next two decades compared to those who ate the least.

The study followed more than half a million U.S. adults for nearly 30 years, making it one of the largest of its kind. 

The researchers found that eating more ultra-processed foods was linked to a small but noticeable increase in deaths from all causes, especially from heart disease and diabetes. However, no clear link was found with cancer-related deaths.

Two articles: two drug experts look at the "science" behind Bobby Junior's anti-vax campaign

Here are two articles from vaccine experts who show that HHS Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. doesn't know what he's talking about.

Here's the first:

I’m a physician who has looked at hundreds of studies of vaccine safety, and here’s some of what RFK Jr. gets wrong

Jake Scott, Stanford University

In the four months since he began serving as secretary of the Department of Health and Human Services, Robert F. Kennedy Jr. has made many public statements about vaccines that have cast doubt on their safety and on the objectivity of long-standing processes established to evaluate them.

Many of these statements are factually incorrect. For example, in a newscast aired on June 12, 2025, Kennedy told Fox News viewers that 97% of federal vaccine advisers are on the take. In the same interview, he also claimed that children receive 92 mandatory shots. He has also widely claimed that only COVID-19 vaccines, not other vaccines in use by both children and adults, were ever tested against placebos and that “nobody has any idea” how safe routine immunizations are.

As an infectious disease physician who curates an open database of hundreds of controlled vaccine trials involving over 6 million participants, I am intimately familiar with the decades of research on vaccine safety. I believe it is important to correct the record – especially because these statements come from the official who now oversees the agencies charged with protecting Americans’ health.

Do children really receive 92 mandatory shots?

In 1986, the childhood vaccine schedule contained about 11 doses protecting against seven diseases. Today, it includes roughly 50 injections covering 16 diseases. State school entry laws typically require 30 to 32 shots across 10 to 12 diseases. No state mandates COVID-19 vaccination. Where Kennedy’s “92 mandatory shots” figure comes from is unclear, but the actual number is significantly lower.

From a safety standpoint, the more important question is whether today’s schedule with additional vaccines might be too taxing for children’s immune systems. It isn’t, because as vaccine technology improved over the past several decades, the number of antigens in each vaccine dose is much lower than before.

Antigens are the molecules in vaccines that trigger a response from the immune system, training it to identify the specific pathogen. Some vaccines contain a minute amount of aluminum salt that serves as an adjuvant – a helper ingredient that improves the quality and staying power of the immune response, so each dose can protect with less antigen.

Those 11 doses in 1986 delivered more than 3,000 antigens and 1.5 milligrams of aluminum over 18 years. Today’s complete schedule delivers roughly 165 antigens – which is a 95% reduction – and 5-6 milligrams of aluminum in the same time frame. A single smallpox inoculation in 1900 exposed a child to more antigens than today’s complete series.

Since 1986, the United States has introduced vaccines against Haemophilus influenzae type b, hepatitis A and B, chickenpox, pneumococcal disease, rotavirus and human papillomavirus. Each addition represents a life-saving advance.

The incidence of Haemophilus influenzae type b, a bacterial infection that can cause pneumonia, meningitis and other severe diseases, has dropped by 99% in infants. Pediatric hepatitis infections are down more than 90%, and chickenpox hospitalizations are down about 90%. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention estimates that vaccinating children born from 1994 to 2023 will avert 508 million illnesses and 1,129,000 premature deaths.

"Alligator Alcatraz" is a Concentration Camp

Never forget: the Holocaust began with deportations

Steven Beschloss

Alligator Alcatraz. Such an entertaining and amusing name for this new place in the reptile-infested Florida Everglades to send migrants. 

Speaking to reporters on the grounds of the White House, the Sadist-in-Chief was really enjoying himself when asked if the idea is for prisoners trying to escape to get eaten by alligators. “I guess that’s the concept,” he said before sharing his pleasure.

"Snakes are fast but alligators—we're going to teach them how to run away from an alligator. Don't run in a straight line, run like this," he said, making a zigzag with his hands. "You know what, your chances go up about one percent."

So funny. So much fun. But make no mistake: This 3,000-bed facility quickly built with cages and razor-wire by floundering Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis—who is trying to get back into the cruelty spotlight—should be seen for what it is.

Banality of evil: Florida Republican Party is already selling merchandise

In short, “Alligator Alcatraz”—a facility where undocumented immigrants who have not received due process will be sent— is a concentration camp. This is no mere hyperbole.

As Steve Schmidt has noted here on Substack, Brittanica offers a clear definition of what a concentration camp entails. It’s worth taking a moment to read:

An internment centre for political prisoners and members of national or minority groups who are confined for reasons of state security, exploitation or punishment, usually by executive decree or military order. Persons are placed in such camps often on the basis of identification with a particular ethnic or political group rather than as individuals and without benefit either of indictment or fair trial. Concentration camps are to be distinguished from prisons interning persons lawfully convicted of civil crimes and from prisoner-of-war camps in which captured military personnel are held under the laws of war. They are also to be distinguished from refugee camps or detention and relocation centres for the temporary accommodation of large numbers of displaced persons.

Trump says it will house “some of the most vicious people on the planet” and the “worst of the worst.” But we already know that this labeling has typically been a lie to justify masked men snatching people off the streets and taking them away in unmarked cars without due process.

Consolation

Don't be a total jerk: don't use illegal fireworks!

Happy 4th from South County Resistance

Don't you just hate ticks!?

Ticks carry decades of history in each troublesome bite

Sean Lawrence, West Virginia University

When you think about ticks, you might picture nightmarish little parasites, stalking you on weekend hikes or afternoons in the park.

Your fear is well-founded. Tick-borne diseases are the most prevalent vector-borne diseases – those transmitted by living organisms – in the United States. 

Each tick feeds on multiple animals throughout its life, absorbing viruses and bacteria along the way and passing them on with its next bite. Some of those viruses and bacteria are harmful to humans, causing diseases that can be debilitating and sometimes lethal without treatment, such as Lyme, babesiosis and Rocky Mountain spotted fever.

But contained in every bite of this infuriating, insatiable pest is also a trove of social, environmental and epidemiological history.

In many cases, human actions long ago are the reason ticks carry these diseases so widely today. And that’s what makes ticks fascinating for environmental historians like me.

Kennedy’s Vaccine Advisers Sow Doubts as Scientists Protest US Pivot on Shots

Who in their right mind would want to promote the spread of infectious diseases?

Arthur Allen and Sam Whitehead

As fired and retired scientists rallied outside in the Atlanta heat, an advisory panel that Robert F. Kennedy Jr. handpicked to replace experts he’d fired earlier met inside the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s headquarters to plan a more skeptical vaccine future.

The new members of the Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices began their tenure Wednesday by shifting the posture of the 60-year-old panel from support for vaccine advancement to doubt about the safety and efficacy of well-established and widely administered inoculations.

Their discussions and votes this week paled in significance, however, in comparison with Health and Human Services Secretary Kennedy’s announcement Tuesday that he would withdraw a $1.2 billion U.S. commitment to global immunization.

That decision will kill children in the world’s poorest countries, critics said.

Republican Megabill Will Mean Higher Health Costs for Many Americans

The sacrifices we must all make for billionaires

Phil Galewitz, KFF Health News and Julie Appleby, KFF Health News and Renuka Rayasam and Bernard J. Wolfson 

Donald Trump’s “One Big Beautiful Bill” cuts federal spending on Medicaid and Affordable Care Act marketplaces by about $1 trillion over a decade, according to the nonpartisan Congressional Budget Office, threatening the physical and financial health of tens of millions of Americans.

The bill, which the Senate passed Tuesday, would reverse many of the health coverage gains of the Biden and Obama administrations, whose policies made it easier for millions of people to access health care and reduced the U.S. uninsured rate to record lows.

The Senate plan to slash Medicaid and ACA marketplace funding could lead to nearly 12 million more people without insurance by 2034, the CBO estimates. 

That in turn would harm the finances of hospitals, nursing homes, and community health centers — which would have to absorb more of the cost of treating uninsured people — and may force them to reduce services and employees, as well as close facilities.

The legislation is nearing Trump’s desk, though first the Senate and House must approve the same version. The House passed its own version in May and is expected to consider the Senate’s version today, according to House Majority Whip Tom Emmer.

Here are five ways the GOP’s plans may affect health care access.

Why does MAGA spread hate and violence?

The MAGA mind virus

Stephen Robinson

The disastrous choice American voters made in last year’s presidential election was put on grim display earlier this month in response to the politically motivated shooting of Minnesota state lawmakers and their spouses by a right-wing extremist named Vance Boelter.

Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz responded to the violence like a decent human being and condemned the shooting as an attack on all Americans and our very civic order.

“We are not a country that settles our differences at gunpoint,” a somber Walz said during a press conference. “We have demonstrated again and again in our state that it is possible to peacefully disagree, that our state is strengthened by civil public debate. We must stand united against all forms of violence — and I call on everyone to join me in that commitment.”

The president, meanwhile, responded to the shootings like — well, like a maniac.

Trump rejected Walz’s call for unity and as always refused to even pretend he’s supposed to be the president of the entire United States.

“I think the governor of Minnesota is so whacked out. I’m not calling him. Why would I call him?” Trump told reporters on Air Force One. “The guy doesn’t have a clue. He’s a mess. So I could be nice and call him, but why waste time?”

Trump’s predecessors responded more humanely to gun violence. After the Virginia Tech shooting in 2007, Republican president George W. Bush immediately reached out to Democratic Gov. Tim Kaine and offered his support and sympathy. 

Four years later, when 19 people, including Rep. Gabby Giffords, were shot in Tucson, Arizona, President Barack Obama offered Republican Gov. Jan Brewer — a vocal political opponent — the full resources of the federal government.

Unfortunately, 77 million Americans surrendered these moments of shared humanity when they put Trump back in the White House. The tragedies that once united us now only result in more division. And no one, including his supporters, should have expected anything else.

What's wrong with this picture?

Monday: Town Hall with Charlestown legislators Sen. Victoria Gu and Rep. Tina Spears

The Bills, the Buzz, and the Big Decisions: RI’s Legislative Year in Review

Join State Senator Victoria Gu and Representative Tina Spears for a lively discussion on what bills passed in the State House, what stalled, how the new laws could impact our community, and give your feedback on priorities for next year. 

Topics include: environment & shoreline access, healthcare, housing, education & technology

 Date: Monday July 7th

 Time: 6-7:30pm

 Location: Quonochontaug Grange Hall, 5662 Post Road, Charlestown, RI, 02813

4 in 5 Americans support childhood vaccine requirements, poll finds

Even MAGAs agree...so why is Bobby Junior trying to kill vaccinations?

Jim Wappes

A new poll shows that 79% of US adults support requiring children to be vaccinated against preventable infectious diseases like measles, mumps, and rubella to attend school, with even two thirds of Republicans and those who support the "Make America Great Again" (MAGA) movement agreeing with such measures.

The poll of 2,509 adults, conducted by the Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health and the de Beaumont Foundation, also found that, among the 21% who don't support school vaccine mandates, their reasoning focused more on parental choice than on safety concerns.

How Internet of Things devices affect your privacy – even when they’re not yours

You're not being paranoid to believe you're being watch and recorded because you are

David Sella-Villa, University of South Carolina

Some unusual witnesses helped convict Alex Murdaugh of the murders of his wife, Maggie, and son, Paul.

The first was Bubba, Maggie’s yellow Labrador retriever. Prosecutors used a recording of Bubba to place Alex at the site of the murders. Given Alex’s presence at the crime scene, other witnesses then revealed his movements, tracked his speed and explained what he had in his hands. Those other witnesses were a 2021 Chevy Suburban and Maggie, Paul and Alex’s cellphones, which all provided data. They’re all part of the Internet of Things, also known as IoT.

The privacy implications of devices connected to the internet are not often the most important consideration in solving a murder case. But outside of criminal prosecution, they affect people’s privacy in ways that should give everyone pause.

The Internet of Things

The Internet of Things includes any object or device that automatically sends and receives data via the internet. When you use your phone to message someone or social media to post something, the sharing is deliberate. But the automatic nature of connected devices effectively cuts humans out of the loop. The data from these devices can reveal a lot about the people who interact with them – and about other people around the devices.

As an assistant professor of law at the University of South Carolina, I have watched as new kinds of connected devices have entered the market. New devices mean new ways to collect data about people.

Connected devices collect information from different contexts. Take your refrigerator. As a non-IoT device, your fridge generated no data about your kitchen, your food or how often you peeked inside. Your relationship with the fridge was effectively private. Only you knew about that midnight snack or whether you ogled a co-worker’s lunch.

Now, smart refrigerators can respond to voice commands, show images of the items in your fridge, track who opens it, suggest recipes, generate grocery lists and even contact your car to let you know the milk has expired. All these functions require continuous streams of data.

Sen. Whitehouse calls out the Trump-MAGA budget bill for what it is

A bargain!

After this crowning achievement, it's definitely time for Chuck to step down as Senate Dem Leader

URI will reopen W. Alton Jones Campus

Campus will reopen to the community

Dawn Bergantino 

Under a plan approved by the University of Rhode Island Board of Trustees, URI will partner with the Rhode Island Department of Environmental Management to reopen its 2,300-acre W. Alton Jones Campus in West Greenwich to the public. (URI Photo)

The University of Rhode Island will reopen the W. Alton Jones Campus in West Greenwich to the public under a plan approved Friday by the University’s Board of Trustees. The 2,300-acre forested campus has long served as a hub for environmental research, science education, and ecological preservation.

Through an agreement with the Rhode Island Department of Environmental Management (RIDEM), the chief steward of the state’s natural resources and the lead agency in managing forested land and water resources throughout Rhode Island, URI plans to reopen the campus with increased protection of its natural resources and recreational and educational opportunities for the public.

Kennedy pulls US support for Gavi's international vaccine efforts

US national interest: stopping infectious diseases overseas make them less likely to come here

Chris Dall, MA

US Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. today told the leaders of Gavi, the Vaccine Alliance, that the United States will withhold financial support for the organization until it has "re-earned the public trust," according to media reports.

The comments were made in a pre-recorded video sent to Gavi officials and health ministers gathered in Belgium for a summit that aims to raise $9 billion to support the organization, which helps provide and distribute vaccines to low-and middle-income countries. 

"In its zeal to promote universal vaccination, it has neglected the key issue of vaccine safety," Kennedy said in the video, a portion of which was posted by the New York Times. "When the science was inconvenient, Gavi ignored the science."

Kennedy added that while he admired Gavi's work to make medicine affordable, the US government would not contribute more to the organization until it starts taking vaccine safety seriously.

"I'll tell you how to start taking vaccine safety seriously: Consider the best science available, even when the science contradicts established paradigms," Kennedy said. 

Gavi refutes Kennedy's claims

In a response to Kennedy's allegations, Gavi said in a statement, "Any decision made by Gavi with regards to its vaccine portfolio is made in alignment with recommendations by WHO's [World Health Organization's] Strategic Advisory Group of Experts on Immunization (SAGE), a group of independent experts that reviews all available data through a rigorous, transparent, and independent process. This ensures Gavi investments are grounded in the best available science and public health priorities."

Since its launch in 2000, Gavi has vaccinated more than 1.1 billion children across 78 countries, preventing nearly 19 million deaths from diseases like measles and pneumonia. 

The Economic Progress Institute celebrates 10 wins that promote progress and equity for Rhode Islanders

Even in hard times, we can move forward

Steve Ahlquist

As the Rhode Island General Assembly concluded its legislative session, the Economic Progress Institute (EPI), a nonpartisan research and policy organization dedicated to improving the economic wellbeing of low- and modest-income Rhode Islanders, highlighted ten wins at an annual celebration.

10. Protecting Consumers from Medical Debt. The Leukemia and Lymphoma Society, a Protect Our Healthcare Coalition member, championed stronger protections for Rhode Islanders with medical debt. Building upon last year’s victories, legislation was enacted to cap interest on medical debt at 4% and prohibit medical debt from resulting in liens placed on principal residences.

“This is important because medical debt leads to bankruptcy for many people,” noted EPI Executive Director Weayonnoh Nelson-Davies.

9. Staffing & Quality Care Act. The Raise the Bar Coalition, led by SEIU 1199NE, advocated for safer staffing for direct care staff and better care for nursing home patients. The General Assembly allocated $12 million to hire new staff at nursing home facilities that do not yet meet the safe staffing requirement or raise wages and benefits for existing direct-care workers at facilities already in compliance. This ensures that nursing homes have the tools and accountability to deliver safe, dignified care and recruit and retain quality direct care staff.

8. Enhancing healthcare coverage for Rhode Islanders. The General Assembly and the enacted budget together improved healthcare coverage for Rhode Islanders in four distinct ways:

• Removing Prior Authorization Requirements. The Protect Our Healthcare Coalition, co-led by EPI and RIPIN, advocated easing the burden on primary care by removing prior authorization requirements. Enacted legislation established a three-year pilot program prohibiting insurers from requiring prior authorization for services ordered by primary care providers and for in-network outpatient behavioral health services.
• Sustaining Psychiatry Teleconsultation Programs that Support Healthcare Professionals. The Right from the Start Campaign and the Protect Our Healthcare Coalition advocated to maintain funding for the Psychiatry Resource Network (PRN) programs that connect providers with psychiatric consultants to support better patient care. The General Assembly allocated $750,000 of state funds to sustain MomsPRN. PediPRN will also continue through existing federal grant funds. These programs support healthcare professionals through clinical consultations or referral services related to mental health for children and pregnant and postpartum Rhode Islanders.
• Expanding Eligibility for the Medicare Savings Program. The Senior Agenda Coalition of Rhode Island championed expansions to the Medicare Savings Program alongside the Protect Our Healthcare Coalition. The enacted budget adds $7.1 million, including $0.7 million from general revenues, to expand the Medicare Savings Program. This expansion increases eligibility to 125% of the Federal Poverty Level for the Qualified Medicare Beneficiary group and up to 168% for the Qualified Individuals group.
• Increasing Primary Care Reimbursement Rates. The Rhode Island Medical Society championed increasing funding for primary care providers, alongside the Protect Our Healthcare Coalition and the Right from the Start Campaign. The enacted budget includes $8.3 million from general revenue and $26.4 million from all funds to increase Medicaid primary care reimbursement rates to match Medicare rates.

“House Speaker Joseph Shekarchi made a statement when he passed the budget that healthcare was a priority for this General Assembly, and many people worked to ensure Rhode Island becomes a healthier and more vibrant state,” said Executive Director Nelson-Davies. “These wins are a testament to that.”

CCA wants us to remember past shipwrecks

That’s a good first step toward recovery

By Will Collette

I was amused by a post on the Charlestown Citizens Alliance (CCA) blog promoting a July 9 program at the Quonnie Grange on the SS Larchmont maritime disaster right off the Quonnie coast in February 1907.

The collision of the Larchmont and the SS Harry Knowlton cost over 150 lives. It’s an interesting history, covered in a 2014 book by Joseph Soares called The Larchmont Disaster off Block Island, Rhode Island’s Titanic which was reviewed HERE. Obviously, that’s not the amusing part.

It’s good for the CCA to take a close look at historical disasters since those mishaps have so much to teach us. Lacking a grasp of history, the Trump administration’s decision to remove navigation buoys off our coast takes us back to 1907 when mariners had to “do their own research.”

I hope the CCA will also examine its own contributions to disasters in Charlestown’s history, such as the events that took place during their decade of control over Charlestown government from 2010 until the 2022 election.

The current Town Council comprised of members who won in 2022 and 2024 under the banner of Charlestown Residents United (CRU) are still working at cleaning up the mess the CCA left behind.

I earnestly believe it is important to review and understand our history. In the interest of preserving the history of Charlestown disasters, here’s a list of some of those CCA-induced disasters. I added a link to each item to illustrate each one:

• 
  Financial mess. Also click HERE to see how the new CRU Town Council started cleaning up this mess and HERE for a summary of the CCA’s financial messes.
• Shady land deals
• Secrecy in government
• Phony emergencies
• Banning residential wind power
• Blocking tax breaks for permanent residents
• Anti-family housing policies

These bullet points provide Charlestown voters with history they should put before themselves every time we have municipal elections. Despite their crushing losses in 2022 and 2024, I have no doubt the CCA will try another comeback once again hoping voters will believe their rhetoric over historical reality.

Even better than his "Big, Beautiful Bill"

A model approach for Charlestown?

Leading dark sky protection organization endorses model for sport field lighting. Are you paying attention, Ruth?

I want to tell you about a special school on Canada’s rugged east coast: Université Sainte-Anne.  As a student there, you must sign a pledge that you’ll only speak French. The school is equally serious about protecting the night as it’s located within a Starlight Reserve.  Please help institutions like this one succeed. The university aimed to build a football pitch to give its whole community a safe place to stay active, even in winter when daylight is scarce. With support from people like you, that athletic field became the first DarkSky Approved Outdoor Sports Lighting project outside the U.S. “Seeing students, staff and community members use this facility at night and knowing that we’re preserving the surrounding dark sky at the same time makes me proud,” says University President Kenneth Deveau. This project can be a model for communities worldwide. Will you keep that momentum going with a gift to DarkSky International today? With gratitude,  Ruskin Hartley CEO & Executive Director P.S. With global light pollution increasing 10% each year, there’s no time to wait.