Political Roundtable

Rhode Island faces a growing shortage of primary care doctors. Medical specialists make more money than primary care doctors, and the economic conditions for physicians are better in Massachusetts and Connecticut. This is why a legislative panel is studying whether it would help to create a state medical school at the University of Rhode Island. There are a host of other healthcare-related challenges in the state, including the difficult fiscal outlook for some hospitals and Rhode Island’s heavy reliance on public payers like Medicare and Medicaid. State Senator Pamela Lauria, a Barrington Democrat, has a front-row seat on these issues since she’s a nurse practitioner for Coastal Medical, a primary care practice serving more than 100,000 patients. Lauria is also co-chair of the legislative commission studying the potential of a possible state med school at URI. So what is the freshman senator’s prescription for improving healthcare in Rhode Island? As an East Bay resident, how does Lauria assess Governor McKee’s performance on the Washington Bridge issue? And as a Democrat and longtime gun safety activist, what is her explanation for why Donald Trump remains a competitive presidential candidate? This week on Political Roundtable, I’m going in-depth with state Senator Pamela Lauria.

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Rhode Island’s housing crisis is a tough nut to crack. Even though hundreds of millions of dollars have been allocated to promote new housing, progress has been slow and the cost of housing keeps going up. This is a key issue for the future of the state, since Rhode Island needs more housing if the state’s economy is going to grow. There are other worrisome signs on the economic front. The iconic toy-maker Hasbro is considering moving its headquarters and hundreds of jobs elsewhere. And the state’s fiscal outlook suggests a return to the perennial deficits that in the past have typically greeted lawmakers at the start of every General Assembly session. So what can be done to accelerate progress on housing? Why does Rhode Island still lack engines of new job growth? And what does a respected housing advocate make of all this as she prepares to leave her longtime job? This week on Political Roundtable, an exit interview with president/CEO of nonprofit developer ONE Neighborhood Builders Jennifer Hawkins.

The post Jennifer Hawkins of ONE Neighborhood Builders on Rhode Island’s housing crisis, Hasbro’s possible move and what’s next appeared first on TPR: The Public's Radio.

Tuesday’s Rhode Island primary featured a rare spotlight on Republican candidates. Cranston was the scene of a hard-fought mayoral campaign — one of the few places in the state with such high-profile GOP competition. The losing candidate, Barbara Ann Fenton-Fung, has been a bright spot for the Rhode Island GOP, but she’s been taken off […]

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The former Providence Journal reporter Elliot Jaspin once called Rhode Island a theme park for journalists. The same could be said for advocates of good government. Although there have been fewer cases of public corruption in recent years, issues of government accountability and transparency remain front and center. One person closely monitoring these issues is John Marion, who has served as executive director of Common Cause of Rhode Island since 2008. He keeps a watchful eye on state government and spends long hours at the Statehouse monitoring the General Assembly. Over time, Marion and predecessors including Phil West have been an important voice for reform in Rhode Island. But is that enough when many people believe democracy is on the ballot this November? What is the effect when Donald Trump perpetuates a false narrative about crooked elections? And why are we not seeing more robust competition for legislative seats in Rhode Island? This week on Political Roundtable, political reporter Ian Donnis goes in-depth with head of Common Cause of Rhode Island, John Marion.

The post Common Cause’s John Marion on 2024 elections, open records, and more appeared first on TPR: The Public's Radio.

U.S. Rep. Seth Magaziner faces a very different election landscape than when he won his congressional seat in 2022. Although Republicans had high hopes, Magaziner beat GOP candidate Alan Fung two years ago by just under four percentage points. This time around, Magaziner faces token opposition, but it's unclear if Democrats will be able to regain control of the U.S. House of Representatives. The Senate may be up for grabs, and polls show a close presidential race between Democrat Kamala Harris and Republican Donald Trump. Magaziner describes Trump and the election deniers who support him as a threat to democracy. So how should Democrats respond if Trump wins in November and their fears come to fruition? What does Harris need to do to overcome voters' concerns about inflation and other issues? And how does Magaziner see the outlook for strengthening democracy in the US and abroad? This week on Political Roundtable, The Public’s Radio political reporter Ian Donnis goes in-depth with the congressman from Rhode Island's 2nd District.

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Violent crime in most American cities has generally trended down for decades, except for an uptick during the pandemic. There were 14 homicides in Providence last year, far less than the comparable number in the 1990s and 2000s. The waning of the crack epidemic is part of the explanation for why there’s less violent crime in America than in the past. Providence and some other cities have also seen the introduction of nonprofit groups that send streetworkers to promote peace, disrupt conflicts among young people, and offer a connection between the community and the police. The Nonviolence Institute was formed more than 20 years ago and it has become a vital part of the response in Providence. The founding director, Teny Gross, now leads a similar effort in Chicago. And the first woman director of the Nonviolence Institute, Lisa Pina-Warren, was appointed to that role last month. So how is Providence doing in addressing the roots of violent crime? And what would it take to make a bigger impact? This week on Political Roundtable, I’m going in-depth with executive director of the Nonviolence Institute Lisa Pina-Warren.

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Keep your eye on Dawn Euer, the Democratic state senator from Newport. She’s a potential candidate for attorney general in 2026, along with state Representatives Jason Knight and Robert Craven. Euer is also someone who may be able to move up in Senate leadership next year. The Newport progressive first won office in 2017, when she got more than 60 percent of the vote in a four-way special election. In the time since, she’s sponsored a series of bills on healthcare, the environment and other issues. Euer is part of a rising generation of younger leaders in the state, and her time in the Senate has coincided with the chamber’s move somewhat to the left. But Rhode Island still faces a host of thorny challenges, from replacing the Washington Bridge to managing a more difficult fiscal outlook. So what does Euer say about the state’s ability to take on tough issues? How does she hope to channel her energy in the future? And are state lawmakers bringing enough urgency to the changes needed to improve Rhode Island? This week on Political Roundtable, I’m going in-depth with Senator Dawn Euer, chairwoman of the Senate Judiciary Committee.

The post Sen. Dawn Euer on climate change, her political future, Democrats’ hopes for November & more appeared first on TPR: The Public's Radio.

The amount of U.S. spending on healthcare reached four and a half trillion dollars in 2022, or about $14,000 per person. Despite such massive spending, many aspects of American healthcare are marred by problems. There’s the shortage of primary care doctors. An emphasis on treating disease rather than promoting long-term health. Locally, doctors can make more in neighboring Massachusetts and Connecticut than they can in Rhode Island. And the state’s hospitals are overly dependent on Medicare and Medicaid, rather than the more lucrative reimbursement paid by private insurers. This adds up to a series of complicated challenges, if not a worsening crisis. State government has started making some efforts to respond, but these remain at an early stage. So what will it take to put healthcare in Rhode Island on a better footing? Does the state have too many hospitals? And is it possible to create a system more responsive to everyday people than insurance companies and healthcare executives? This week on Political Roundtable, I’m going in-depth with author, community activist and former state Health Director Dr. Michael Fine.

The post Dr. Michael Fine on the shortage of primary care docs, misplaced priorities and other maladies afflicting healthcare in Rhode Island appeared first on TPR: The Public's Radio.

State Representative Justine Caldwell personifies some of the significant changes that have swept over the General Assembly in the last decade. In 2018, Caldwell, a Democrat, ousted the Republican incumbent in an East Greenwich-based district, Anthony Giarrusso. That change reflects how the legislature has moved a bit to the left and how the former GOP stronghold of East Greenwich now generally elects more Democrats. Caldwell is a fierce supporter of new restrictions on guns. Her time in the General Assembly has coincided with a reduction in the number of pro-gun Democrats. As a result, a series of related measures have become law in recent years, including a House bill sponsored by Caldwell requiring the safe storage of firearms. So how does Caldwell respond to people who believe more laws are the wrong approach? What’s her view on what Democrats need to do differently to win over more working class voters? And can a prescription choice bill she sponsored overcome the monopolistic power of pharmacy benefit managers? This week on Political Roundtable, I’m going in-depth with state Representative Justine Caldwell.

The post Rep. Justine Caldwell on safe gun storage, choice for prescription drug patients, and why East Greenwich went from red to blue appeared first on TPR: The Public's Radio.

Until recently, Steve Frias of Cranston held one of the top posts in the Rhode Island Republican Party -- national committeeman. Frias decided to not seek re-election for that role because he does not support Donald Trump, now the GOP nominee for president. Frias is among a small number of Rhode Island Republicans who have publicly repudiated Trump, and he’s been more outspoken than most in calling out the former president’s false claims about a stolen election in 2020. So does Frias share Democrats’ concerns about Trump’s possible return to the White House? What about Trump’s pick of JD Vance as his running mate and the theatrics at the RNC in Milwaukee this week? And does the Cranston Republican have any bright ideas for how to improve the meager GOP legislative representation in Rhode Island? This week on Political Roundtable, I’m going in-depth with local historian, past legislative candidate and former Rhode Island GOP National Committeeman Steve Frias.

The post Steve Frias on why he’s not supporting Trump or Biden, how the RI GOP has to change, and more appeared first on TPR: The Public's Radio.