By Janine L. Weisman | Editor-in-Chief
Good Monday morning!
A sunny day with a high of 82 is ahead in Providence, according to the National Weather Service.
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High tide in Barrington-Warren is at 5:35 p.m. Low tide is at 10:14 a.m. and 11:22 p.m. Sunrise is at 6:02 a.m. Sunset is at 7:33 p.m.
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Coming today, RI KIDS COUNT publishes responses from Rhode Island gubernatorial candidates to questions the nonprofit children’s advocacy organization asked them about key policy issues affecting children and families.
The Greater Providence Chamber of Commerce hosts its 2026 Democratic Gubernatorial Forum featuring Gov.Dan McKee and challenger Helena Buonanno Foulkes at 8:30 a.m. at the Crowne Plaza in Warwick.
The Rhode Island Commerce Corporation Access to Capital Committee meets at 3 p.m. to consider sales and use tax rebate awards for the developers of the Superman building in downtown Providence. The full Board of Directors meets at 5 p.m.
Former U.S. Attorney Zachary A. Cunha, left, shown grilling Rhode Island Department of Transportation Director Peter Alviti, right, seen from behind, during a November 2025 joint House and Senate oversight committee hearing on the Washington Bridge, made the shortlist of finalists for an open seat on the Superior Court. (Photo by Michael Salerno/Rhode Island Current)
By Christopher Shea
Rhode Island’s former U.S. attorney, along with a labor lawyer and policy adviser to the House of Representatives, are among a total of eight finalists under consideration by Gov. Dan McKee to fill two vacancies on the state’s Superior Court. The state’s Judicial Nominating Commission sent two lists of recommendations to McKee following the panel's Aug. 12 interviews with applicants to fill the seats formerly held by judges Jeffrey Lanphear and Joseph A. Montalbano.
President Donald Trump speaks during an event in the Oval Office on Aug. 6, 2026. Trump signed an executive order during the event denying birthright citizenship to children of foreign diplomats after a loss at the U.S. Supreme Court limited an earlier order. (Photo by Alex Wong/Getty Images)
By Ashley Murray
The U.S. Supreme Court delivered blows to President Donald Trump’s core campaign promises to upend a constitutional provision governing who becomes a U.S. citizen at birth and to swiftly address the growing national debt with “trillions of dollars” raised by taxing imports. But that’s not slowed Trump’s pursuit of central policy goals and personal passions using what some legal observers describe as “creative lawyering.”
Advocates working to save Newport Hospital’s labor and delivery unit from closing say they are frustrated by a lack of information on Brown University Health’s plans. (Photo by Janine L. Weisman/Rhode Island Current)
By Nancy Lavin
Despite posting a $23 million third-quarter profit, Brown University Health executives remain concerned about costs associated with a rise in uncompensated care and insurance denials. Meanwhile, Aquidneck Island residents are still worried about the fate of the Newport Hospital birthing center.
Democratic challenger Helena Buonanno Foulkes, a former president of CVS Health, makes a point while Gov. Dan McKee looks on during the WPRI debate at Sapinsley Hall at Rhode Island College on Tuesday, Aug. 18, 2026. (Photo by Corey Welch/WPRI 12)
COMMENTARY
CVS doesn’t deserve all to blame for the opioid crisis. But can we be honest about its complex role?
By Philip Eil
Rhode Island’s opioid crisis is too complex to blame on just one company. Critics of Gov. Dan McKee's criticism of CVS should understand that the conversation about the Woonsocket-based company's role requires nuance, accountability and context.
From left, Joe Toner, executive director of the Connecticut State Building Trades Council, Rep. Joe Courtney, Mark Rayha, president of General Dynamics Electric Boat, U.S. Sen. Richard Blumenthal, Rob Brule, Waterford first selectman, and Matt Pugliese, deputy commissioner of the Department of Economic and Community Development, toss dirt at Electric Boat’s campus at the former Crystal Mall on Friday, Aug. 21, 2026. (Photo by Sarah Gordon/CT Mirror)
By P.J. Lockhart | CT Mirror
Construction workers and business leaders joined Connecticut officials Friday for the groundbreaking of General Dynamics Electric Boat’s 800,000 square foot new campus in the former Crystal Mall complex in Waterford. The majority of the mall was acquired last year, and the remaining tenants moved out of the building in the spring. Officials said the project marks a new economic opportunity for southeastern Connecticut, one that could usher in a wave of growth.
ICYMI
Abortion could return to Supreme Court, this time with a focus on women’s health | Kelcie Moseley-Morris, Stateline
US Supreme Court allows $400M Trump ballroom project to proceed | Ariana Figueroa
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