By Janine L. Weisman | Editor-in-Chief
Good Monday morning!
Happy Star Wars Day to all who celebrate.
Also on this date in 1776, Rhode Island was the first colony to renounce allegiance to Great Britain's King George III. The General Assembly declared independence by passing the Act of Renunciation at the Old State House on Benefit Street in Providence. The original act is at the Rhode Island Department of State and is available for the public to view, upon request, at the State Archives.
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High tide in Providence is at 10:37 a.m. and 10:48 p.m. Low tide is at 3:41 p.m. Sunset is at 7:47 p.m.
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The Special Legislative Commission to Study the Successful Implementation of the Act on Climate meets at 4 p.m.
A coalition of community groups, including the Alliance to Mobilize Our Resistance (AMOR) and the Women’s Fund of Rhode Island, hold a 4 p.m. press conference outside the Wyatt Detention Center in Central Falls to call on the Rhode Island General Assembly to pass legislation (H7436/S2278) to prohibit state and municipal officials from entering into and renewing any contracts that will be used to detain individuals for federal civil immigration violations. The legislation would also prohibit state and local leaders from leasing public real estate for use as an immigration detention facility.
Fifth grade lockers are shown in a hallway at Thompson Middle School in Newport. The Rhode Island KIDS COUNT’s 2026 Factbook estimates the child poverty rate for Newport to be 31.7%. (Photo by Janine L. Weisman/Rhode Island Current)
By Alexander Castro
Researchers compiled the Rhode Island KIDS COUNT’s 2026 Factbook released Monday with less federal data but found enough evidence to support adding the city of Newport back to its list of core cities where child poverty is concentrated.
The U.S. Supreme Court, pictured April 9, 2026. Some progressives are seeking to restructure the court after seeing decisions in recent years they believe have provided political support to President Donald Trump and Republicans. (Photo by Ashley Murray/States Newsroom)
By Jonathan Shorman | D.C. Bureau
Democrats are renewing their calls to overhaul the U.S. Supreme Court in the wake of the court’s April 29 decision empowering states to gerrymander congressional maps in ways that will break apart districts where a majority of residents are Black, Hispanic or belong to other minority groups.
Medications are stored on shelves at a pharmacy in Los Angeles. The U.S. Supreme Court heard a case April 29, 2026, that could have major implications on the price of generic drugs. (Photo by Eric Thayer/Getty Images)
By Zara Norman | Medill News Service
In the case of Hikma Pharmaceuticals USA Inc. v. Amarin Pharma, Inc., the U.S. Supreme Court will decide whether generic drug manufacturer Hikma infringed on a cardiovascular medication patented by Amarin when it marketed an unpatented use.
A U.S. appeals court has blocked one of the main methods of obtaining abortion medication for those living in states with bans. A hearing in the Louisiana case on telehealth access took place at the John M. Shaw U.S. Courthouse in Lafayette, La., in late February. (Photo by Greg LaRose/Louisiana Illuminator)
By Kelcie Moseley-Morris | Stateline
One of the main methods of obtaining abortion medication for those living in states with bans is now blocked nationwide, after a federal appeals court decision issued Friday. The 5th Circuit Court of Appeals blocked a U.S. Food and Drug Administration rule from 2023 that allowed mifepristone, one of two drugs used to terminate a pregnancy before 10 weeks and to treat miscarriages, to be dispensed without an in-person visit with a health provider.
An aerial shot of Pier 2 at the 235-acre Port of Davisville at Quonset Point, one of the top 10 auto importers in North America. In 2025, Rhode Island’s only public port received 212,045 automobiles via ship. (Photo courtesy of Quonset Development Corporation)
COMMENTARY
By Dylan Woodruff
The shift toward regional supply chains means Rhode Island consumers will increasingly experience global disruptions not as distant geopolitical events, but as persistent pressure on household budgets through fuel, groceries and housing related costs. The implication for the state is clear: Adapt or fall further behind.
ICYMI
Single-family housing starts in March at their highest since 2022 | Tim Henderson, Stateline
Americans’ air conditioning costs expected to rise again this summer | Kevin Hardy, Stateline
Trump’s judge nominee, who would add diversity to SC’s federal bench, headed to final Senate vote | Tiffany Tan, South Carolina Daily Gazette
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