The Dodgers are kinda the new Yankees, so I’m cheering for Toronto. Even if it means rooting against Mookie. You can follow me through the week on Bluesky, threads and X. Here we go.
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1. STORY OF THE WEEK: How will history judge President Trump? A longer view will shed light on whether he’s known more for a peace deal in the Middle East and reordering global trade, or for creeping authoritarianism and trolling his critics in a way unimaginable for any of his White House predecessors. For what it’s worth, documentarian Ken Burns offers a reminder: “We always think that our moment is the biggest crisis — ‘you know, we’re so divided now.’” Burns knows this subject well as someone responsible for widely lauded multi-part documentaries on such subjects as The Civil War and The Vietnam War. His latest production, on The American Revolution, debuts on Ocean State Media on Nov. 17.
During an interview on One on One, Burns told me that the violence of the revolution has been downplayed, since it pre-dated the development of photography, and possibly to protect the big ideas propelling the nation’s founding documents. “But this is not just a revolution, it’s a civil war — a bloody civil war, and a world war, and probably the fourth World War over the prize of North America,” Burns said. While not shying from the gore and fraught conflicts of the revolution, the documentarian also leans on the long lens of history in finding some expectation for brighter days. “This is the great gift of history: it provides you with the ability, much like a financial advisor who is averaging out the returns on various accounts that you have,” he said, “to just calm things down a little bit.”
2. GOT OVERSIGHT? A planned Nov. 13 joint legislative Oversight hearing on the Washington Bridge got more tantalizing with the news that former U.S. Attorney Zachary Cunha, now at law firm Nixon Peabody, has been hired “to assist the committees in conducting this hearing.” While Cunha commands $600 an hour for his work, he also brings the promise of credibility to a process that has previously offered little real value. “A career public servant, Attorney Cunha’s vast experience will enhance the conduct of a fair and robust inquiry by our oversight committees without unnecessary impact on the state’s ongoing lawsuit related to the Washington Bridge,” House Speaker Joe Shekarchi and Senate President Val Lawson said in a joint statement.
3. AG MATTERS: With a lull in the race for governor, the Democratic primary for attorney general remains the captivating campaign of the moment. Kim Ahern jumped in this week, not long after resigning her role as the first chair of the Cannabis Control Commission. During a March interview, Ahern said she still had a lot to think about in terms of a possible AG run, and she defended how it took about three years to open the application window on new cannabis shops. While she currently lags fellow Democrats Keith Hoffmann and Jason Knight in fundraising, and state Rep. Joe Solomon (D-Warwick) is still actively contemplating a run, Ahern may stand out as the only woman in the field. On the GOP side, Chas Calenda (who ran in 2022 against Peter Neronha, who is now term-limited) is telling reporters he’s still in consideration mode, although his website indicates he’s a candidate.
4. MIXED MESSAGE: What to make of how, on one hand, Ken Burns is widely regarded as a national treasure, and on the other hand, PBS — the network that shows his work —was defunded (along with NPR) by congressional Republicans earlier this year? As a result, the Corporation for Public Broadcasting, which funded some of Burns’ past work, no longer exists. The documentarian rejected a suggestion that supporters of public media have failed to make an effective case for its value: “No, not at all. Nor does a loss by George Washington at a particular battle mean he goes home and says, ‘O.K., it’s all over.’ It’s an incredibly shortsighted decision. The rescission that took place in the summer of 2025 will hurt, strangely enough, rural stations much more than it will hurt urban ones. It took $4 million away from budgets for future films that we’ve been working on, like this. We’ll survive. We’ll figure out how to do it. PBS will survive, it will figure out how to do it …. And I think we (need to) prove again and again the importance of public broadcasting.”
Asked why he’s likened public media to the Declaration of Independence, Burns said it’s “because when our founders said, Jefferson said, the pursuit of happiness, he did not mean the pursuit of wealth in a marketplace of objects and material things. He meant lifelong learning.”
5. THE BIG SPEND: The Rhode Island Public Expenditure Council, a business-backed research and watchdog group, was out this week with a new look at state spending. RIPEC found that total state government spending was $14,375 per person per year, ranking 17th in the nation per capita and by income. Spending on social services and programs, including Medicaid, grew 32.6% since fiscal 2018, compared with a 15% rise in overall spending. Rhode Island ranked in the top 10 for K-12 spending, but in the bottom for higher education spending. Among other takeaways, RIPEC ranked fifth per capita in both government administration and police/fire spending. Commenting on the findings, RIPEC President/CEO Michael DiBiase said in part, “Targeted government investment can help spur economic development, but questions remain as to the efficiency of spending at this level, and what residents are receiving in return.”
6. TOURISM BY THE NUMBERS: Gov. Dan McKee this week celebrated what his office called an unprecedented number of visitors to Rhode Island —29.4 million in 2024, up by 3.5% over the previous year, good for a total economic impact of $8.8 billion. Tourism has long ranked among the state’s top industries, and the state has spent more to boost the sector in recent years. But as I reported in 2023, some people think the state could significantly expand its tourism sector by doubling down on Rhode Island’s rich historical heritage. “We’re one of the only places that has the true historical assets, because our preservation movements have been so strong that we have assets that other places simply do not have,” restaurateur and man-about-town Bob Burke told me at the time. “They, like a historical theme park, are making up fakes. We have the real historical theme park here. The only thing Rhode Island hasn’t done is put up turnstiles and actually organized it.”
7. TECHNOLOGY: “A theory why the internet is going down the toilet”
8. RI PEOPLE IN THE NEWS: Gina Raimondo spoke at Harvard this week …. Ryan J. Holt is leaving state government to become executive director of the American Council of Engineering Companies of Rhode Island …. Amy Santiago announced her run for the seat being vacated by state Rep. David Morales (D-Providence) and she said he supports her run …. It was a big week for the Bell segment of Providence-based Textron. The aircraft maker announced it is exploring cooperation with Ukraine and Lisa Atherton, president/CEO of Bell, was named president/CEO of the corporate parent. A recent study found that women represent 19% of the aerospace/defense CEOs in the U.S., compared with 5% in all industries …. The four members of Rhode Island’s congressional delegation say they have asked that their pay be withheld during the government shutdown …. There are no signs of a GOP opponent for U.S. Rep. Seth Magaziner, although the NRCC still jumped at the opportunity to comment for a story about him in the Daily Caller.
9. CLASSICAL EDUCATION: Ben Berke reports on how Classical High School — the best public school in Providence — has started offering its entrance exam in Spanish for the first time in its 182-year history.
10. NEWS AROUND TOWN: Jim Hummel reports on what was not released in Washington Bridge reports …. Wheeler Cowperwaite and Jonny Williams demystify the opaque matter of hospital pricing …. Ted Nesi reports that Bank of America is now part of the effort to close the financing to preserve two local safety-net hospitals …. The Working Families Party, which has helped move the General Assembly a bit to the left, is now organizing in Massachusetts, reports Kelly Garrity.
11. LEGAL MATTERS: If you want to be Rhode Island’s next top federal prosecutor, U.S. Sens. Jack Reed and Sheldon Whitehouse are accepting applications. The senators say they consulted with the White House and the Senate Judiciary Committee, of which Whitehouse is a senior member, before outlining these details: “Applicants for U.S. Attorney for the District of Rhode Island must have a minimum of ten years as a practicing attorney, deep experience with criminal law, be residents of the state, and demonstrate a commitment to the fair, evenhanded, and independent administration of justice. The process includes confidential and detailed scrutiny of each applicant’s professional experience and personal background.
All interested applicants should send a cover letter and resume to Senator Reed’s office via email (to: US_Attorney@reed.senate.gov) or via mail (to: 1000 Chapel View Boulevard, Suite 290, Cranston, RI 02920) by November 3.”
12. CONTENDER: Luis Hernandez talks with Bryant University soccer coach Ruben Resendes about building the second-ranked Bulldogs (13-0-2) into a national Division 1 powerhouse. Excerpt: “The reality is, we have a great coaching staff here. We have five assistant coaches who have done a great job building the roster with lots of capable talent and experience. That’s really the key. We have really, really high standards because we have good people on board, and the expectation for us is always to compete for a conference championship, always to give ourselves a chance to compete for a national championship. If you have those kinds of ambitions and goals, the way you live every day needs to be pretty consistent and disciplined.”
13. WEEKEND 401: Our tips on some fun and offbeat stuff happening this weekend.
14. KICKER: The dramatic home run by George Springer — the pride of UConn and New Britain, CT. — in the deciding ALCS game between Toronto and Seattle sealed the Blue Jays’ ticket to the big dance. It also conjured thoughts of post-season heroics of the past. One of the most storied is Carlton Fisk’s dinger off the left field foul pole at Fenway in Game Six of the 1975 World Series. Mike Szostak, just five weeks into his job as sports editor of The Woonsocket Call, was there. Reading his trip back in time is a great way to prep for the latest Fall Classic.
