Wednesday, March 18th

Conflict continues, but business mostly as usual at-home. RI considers mobile non-charitable bingo while US considers invasion of Cuba.

Headlines

Trump says he will take Cuba. Island nation already under months-long blockade. “I do believe I’ll be ... having the honor of taking Cuba,” Trump said, “Whether I free it, take it – think I could do anything I want with it, you want to know the truth. They’re a very weakened nation right now.”

The nation’s extremely critical state is in fact due to the blockade imposed by the United States. Since President Trump signed an executive order at the end of January threatening tariffs on nations trading oil with Cuba, the country has faced fuel shortages and rolling blackouts. The nation’s electrical grid failed on Monday and was still mostly down by noon on Tuesday. Sporadic access to electricity has reportedly made food storage and medical care a challenge. The UN has warned about the situation devolving into a humanitarian crisis.

Despite the Cuban government’s offers to open trade and investment to the United States, Secretary of State Marco Rubio has said, “What they announced yesterday is not dramatic enough. It’s not going to fix it. So we’ve got some big decisions to make.”

Senate votes 51-48 to begin debate on the SAVE America Act. The bill goes further than a voter ID law, which has broad support, even among Democrats. It requires those registering to vote to provide a passport, birth certificate, Enhanced Driver's License, or other government-issued photo ID, and it will purge voter rolls. 36 states have laws asking or requiring voters to show identification at the polls. 14 states and Washington, DC, use other methods to verify the identity of voters.

FCC Chair Brendan Carr has warned that broadcasters could face scrutiny over how they cover U.S. military actions involving Iran, raising concerns about potential pressure on media outlets. Under Carr’s leadership, the Federal Communications Commission has signaled a willingness to use its regulatory authority in ways critics say could influence the media landscape in alignment with the administration’s priorities.

This issue is part of a broader debate that has also been shaped by recent controversies, including the reported decision not to air an interview on The Late Show with Stephen Colbert featuring Democratic state legislative candidate James Talarico. That decision has been linked by some observers to interpretations of the FCC’s “equal opportunities” (or “Equal Time”) rule, which is intended to ensure comparable access to broadcast airtime for political candidates.

In Illinois primaries, Lt. Gov. Juliana Stratton won the Democratic nomination for Illinois Senator. Stratton was backed by Governor Pritzker, and has said she will not support Schumer for leader. Daniel Biss, Mayor of Evanston, advances to the general election in Il-09 with the Democratic nomination. Biss defeated journalist and progressive candidate Kat Aboguhzellah. In Il-05, AIPAC-backed incumbent Mike Quigley will advance to the general from a non-competitive primary field. In Il-02, Cook County Commissioner Donna Miller secured the Democratic nomination in a race that also included Jesse Jackson Jr.. Melissa Bean advanced from the Il-08 primary that also featured Justice Democrats-endorsed Junaid Ahmed. 

Quick Hits

• Trump is reportedly angry that NATO allies have rebuffed his calls for a naval coalition to open the Strait of Hormuz. “We did not start this war,” German Defense Minister Boris Pistorius said Monday, Politico.
• U.S. troops continue to be deployed to the region in the ongoing war with Iran. On Tuesday, a U.S. lightning carrier with 2,200 troops were seen near Singapore. U.S. Central Command has said about 50,000 troops are already in the region.
• Joe Kent, director of the National Counterterrorism Center, resigned in protest of the U.S. war on Iran. In his resignation letter, Kent said Iran posed no threat to the United States. His departure marks a high-profile resignation from within the administration. Kent previously ran for Congress as a MAGA-aligned candidate.
• Pam Bondi subpoenaed to testify in front of the House Oversight Committee regarding the Epstein files.
• Oil is back up to $104/barrel after trending lower to start the week. The U.S. allowed Iran to pass its ships through the Strait of Hormuz and released strategic reserves.
• Arizona files criminal charges against Kalshi for facilitating illegal gambling.
• Fossil fuel infrastructure methane leaks are large enough on their own to be a major polluter, an analysis finds. Despite being a simple and affordable and efficient fix, dozens of superpolluting methane mega-leaks around the world.
• Meta’s stock jumped on reports the company intends to lay off 20% of its workforce before correcting. Meta plans the layoff to develop AI.

R.I. Stories

Providence Mayor Brett Smiley announced on Tuesday a housing stabilization package alongside Providence City Councilor John Goncalves. The plan establishes one-time emergency relief funds for households facing eviction. Siraj Sindhu, Executive Director of ReclaimRI (the organization leading the charge for rent stabilization in Providence, the competing proposal), “This proposal is a drop in the bucket. It could help maybe a few hundred renter households, in a city of tens of thousands of renter households.”

Spectrum India on Thayer St. will close at the end of April. The store was in business for nearly 60 years.

Brown University has spent over $200,000 on Providence Police details since a shooting occurred on campus in late 2025. (GoLocal)

R.I. Politics

House bill H8073 and Senate bill S2710 propose expanding Rhode Island’s 2025 law banning future sales of assault weapons to also prohibit ownership.

The House Finance Subcommittee on General Government will meet at 4:00 p.m. today in Room 35. The subcommittee will discuss the governor’s proposed FY27 budget as well as adjustments to FY26.

The House Judiciary Committee will meet at 4:30 p.m. today in the House lounge. Measures under consideration include:

• Narrowing the rental registry requirement to homes built prior to 1978 and limiting its use to lead remediation – H7559
• A bill requested by Lt. Gov. Sabina Matos establishing standards for how credit reports can be used in rental applications – H7762
• Requiring landlords to pay interest on security deposits – H8113
• Introducing statewide rent stabilization with a 4% cap, with exceptions – H8108

Additional housing-related proposals would prevent landlords from requesting incarceration history, allow tenants to pay higher monthly rent instead of a lump-sum security deposit, require leases for mobile home tenants, ban surveillance pricing in housing, and expand tenant protections, including sealing eviction records.

The House Labor Committee will meet at 4:00 p.m. today in Room 101. Measures include:

• A proposed minimum wage hike to $24/hour (currently $16) – H7771
• Indexing the minimum wage to inflation – H7770
• Removing the overtime exemption for certain professional workers earning less than 2.5 times the minimum wage, with a phased implementation – H7490

The Senate Education Committee will meet at 4:00 p.m. today in Room 313 to consider appointments to the URI Board of Trustees, including former CVS CEO Thomas Ryan and former LIUNA general secretary Armand Sabitoni. Terms would run through 2029.

The Senate Committee on Labor & Gaming will meet at 4:00 p.m. today in Room 212. Measures include:

• Allowing mobile, non-charitable bingo administered by the state lottery – S2742
• Allowing nonprofit organizations to participate in permitted games of chance upon annual registration with the state police – S2918

R.I. Elections

Rhode Island Democratic Party hires former Magaziner aide, Katherine Riordan, as their next Executive Director.

“I’m a sitting Democratic governor elected and I am going to get primaried in my own party,” Governor McKee said on Feb. 26, according to a recording released by talk radio station WPRO. “After doing all the work that we’ve done, that’s disgraceful. Period.” (RI Current commentary)

Sports

The Celtics won over the Suns on Monday night, 120-112. Jaylen Brown had 41. Next game tonight, 7:00, against the Golden State Warriors (32-35). Celtics remain comfortably in second in the East.

The Bruins lost in OT to the Montreal Canadiens on Tuesday night, 3-2. With 14 games left, Bruins are only one game inside of the playoffs. Next game against Winnipeg at home tomorrow night at 7:00.