By Alexander Castro | Reporter
Happy Tuesday, and welcome to fall.
Well, almost. The autumnal equinox arrives at 8:05 p.m. tonight. So, depending on when you read this email, you may still have half a day or more of summer left. Use it wisely!
***
Former Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau will deliver Brown University’s 106th Stephen A. Ogden Jr. Memorial Lecture at 5 p.m. Tuesday. The free talk, “Leadership, Democracy and the Evolving Global Landscape,” will cover democracy, international alliances, Canada-U.S. relations and institutional trust. Tickets are required, and Brown’s event page said only a few remained as of Monday evening.
Rhode Island’s judicial selection panel meets at 4 p.m. Tuesday to choose candidates to interview for the District Court chief judge seat created by Chief Judge Jeanne LaFazia’s retirement.
A redesigned Rhode Island Benefit Decision Notice, left, presents eligibility decisions and explanations more prominently than the previous format, right. (Photo illustration by Alexander Castro/Rhode Island Current)
By Alexander Castro
Rhode Island redesigned public benefit notices, about 60,000 of which are mailed each month, to make Medicaid and other eligibility decisions clearer.
Zachary Mandell, chairman of the Rhode Island Judicial Nominating Commission, prepares to begin the panel's meeting on Tuesday, July 28, 2026. (Photo by Christopher Shea/Rhode Island Current)
By Christopher Shea
The panel tasked with selecting Rhode Island’s judges on Tuesday will consider whether its members must disclose campaign contributions to judicial applicants and recuse themselves from considering those candidates.
The 6.5 megawatt Exeter Mail solar farm, completed in September 2025, lets homeowners and renters access the benefits of renewable energy even if they can't put solar panels on their roofs. (Photo by Laura Paton/Rhode Island Current)
By Nancy Lavin
More than a year after federal regulators abruptly canceled a $7 billion solar energy grant program — with funds already distributed and even partially spent — a Rhode Island federal judge has ordered them to revive the program.
Sen. Chuck Grassley, R-Iowa, is urging President Donald Trump to embargo diesel fuel exports as rising costs impact farmers in his largely agricultural state. Grassley is shown at a Senate Judiciary Committee meeting on July 23, 2026. (Screenshot from committee webcast)
By Ashley Murray | D.C Bureau
Diesel prices hit a record average of $6.51 a gallon Monday, and some in President Donald Trump’s own party are breaking their support for the ongoing war in Iran that has driven fuel prices to staggering levels in the United States and across the globe.
The White House, south facing, on June 11, 2026. (Photo by Ashley Murray/States Newsroom)
By Jennifer Shutt | D.C. Bureau
The three news organizations that President Donald Trump has barred from entering the White House filed a lawsuit against the administration on Monday.
ICYMI
Providence whistleblower hotline leads to four investigations in first year | Alexander Castro
Thanks for reading Swell. Did you know our weekend digest is also free? Sign up here. And if you enjoyed today’s edition, please forward to a friend. Increasing our readership helps us cover more news.