In the News… quick recap for the week ending February 7, 2026

RINewsToday – Rhode Island Weekly News Recap, Nov. 28, 2025

Each Saturday we publish a quick summary of news items of the week – in Rhode Island, regionally, nationally and internationally – and passings of note.  Catch up, HERE: RHODE ISLAND &  VICINITY Sale of 2 hospitals (St. Joes, Roger Williams) extended to 2/27 Diocese releasing Report on Child Sexual Abuse in the Diocese of…

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It is what it is – February 4, 2026 – Commentary with Jen Brien

Jennifer Breen

by Jennifer Brien, commentary, contributing writer BILLY EILISH’S 3 MILLION DOLLAR HOME SITS ON “STOLEN LAND” Every single award season you can count on some celebrity to make some kind of statement regarding how much this country sucks, God sucks, Republicans suck, and how this country is nothing but “stolen land”. (Yawn)… It never ends…

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It is what it is: January 28, 2026 – Commentary with Jen Brien

Child posing in front of a Rhode Island sign on a wooden wall.

by Jennifer Brien, commentary, contributing writer THE PROTESTS ARE NOT PEACEFUL and are not “NON-VIOLENT RESISTANCE”  Anyone who says the protests / protestors in Minnesota are peaceful or NON-VIOLENT are gaslighting. The recent shooting in Minnesota is yet just another example of what goes down when people encourage these types of individuals to go out…

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The Phone Call That Changed History – by Vincent Marzullo

Close-up of classical stone columns with fluted shafts and bases.

In the narrow margins of the 1960 presidential election, one quiet act of moral courage helped save a life and shape the future of American democracy. Former U.S. Senator Harris Wofford (PA), then a young civil rights advocate advising the Kennedy campaign, played a decisive behind-the-scenes role in urging John F. Kennedy to act when…

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It is what it is, January 21, 2025 – Commentary with Jen Brien

Jennifer Brien

by Jennifer Brien, commentary, contributing writer THEY’RE ATTACKING ANYONE NOW At this point, are you guys even interested? Interested in Minneapolis, I mean, and all the insanity going on there? Do you care at all?  No? Yes? Well, I do hope the answer is YES, even though EVERY SINGLE DAY there’s enough news coming across…

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Pandemic Lessons: “Essential Caregivers Act” Can’t Wait. A Merciful, Bipartisan Bill for a Voiceless Population – Herb Weiss

A neatly made bed with floral-patterned sheets in a bright, cozy room.

By Herb Weiss, contributing writer, aging issues As COVID-19 spread rapidly across the country in March 2020 entering nursing homes largely through community transmission and staff movement the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) issued guidance calling for nationwide visitor bans in nursing homes. These strict restrictions barred all visitors and non-essential health care…

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It is what it is – Jan. 14, 2026 – Commentary with Jen Brien

Jen Brien

by Jen Brien, commentary, contributing writer  HEADLINES LEGACY MEDIA DOESNT WANT YOU TO SEE: “DISTURBING TAPES OF Minnesota AG Keith Ellison taking money to STOP investigations into SOMALI FRAUD EXIST” —- “Mark Zuckerberg’s META appoints former TRUMP ADVISOR AS COMPANY’S new PRESIDENT” —- “VENEZUELANS GATHER AND CHANT “THANK YOU TRUMP” outside of White House” —-…

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What Civil Society Can Do to Lessen Division – by Vincent Marzullo

by Vincent Marzullo, commentary – contributing writer America’s divisions did not appear overnight, and they will not disappear with the next election cycle. They are rooted in mistrust, economic anxiety, cultural change, and a sense among many people that institutions no longer see or hear them. While government and politics often dominate the headlines, the…

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