Rhode Island

Biden commends NATO strength, pledges more aid for Ukraine against Russia • Rhode Island Current

Published

1 year ago

July 9, 2024

Biden commends NATO strength, pledges more aid for Ukraine against Russia • Rhode Island Current

WASHINGTON — President Joe Biden said NATO “is more powerful than ever” in remarks Tuesday to honor the 75th anniversary of the alliance and reaffirm allied support for Ukraine one day after Russian missile strikes on a children’s hospital killed dozens in Kyiv.

Biden spoke at the annual North American Treaty Organization’s summit happening this week in Washington, D.C., where the 12 original member nations signed the Washington Treaty in 1949.

Heads of state fanned out across Washington, visiting lawmakers on Capitol Hill. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy is scheduled to meet with U.S. House Speaker Mike Johnson Wednesday afternoon. Ukraine is not one of the 32 NATO member nations, but the country is in discussions to join and the alliance has sided with Ukraine in its war with Russia.

“It’s a pleasure to host you all in this milestone year, to look back with pride on all we’ve achieved and look ahead to our shared future with strength and resolve,” Biden said during the opening ceremony.

Biden’s 15-minute address came after a dozen days of near constant focus on his health and mental acuity after he flubbed his June 27 presidential debate performance against former President Donald Trump, whose criticism of NATO is well documented.

Biden spoke forcefully about the alliance’s history from the stage in the Andrew W. Mellon Auditorium, where world leaders and hundreds of dignitaries from NATO’s 32 member nations gathered, joined by other partner nations.

“Together we rebuilt Europe from the ruins of war, held high the torch of liberty during long decades of the Cold War. When former adversaries became fellow democracies, we welcomed them into the alliance,” Biden said.

“When war broke out in the Balkans, we intervened to restore peace and stop ethnic cleansing. When the United States was attacked on September 11, our NATO allies, all of you, stood with us, invoking Article Five for the first time in NATO history, treating an attack on us as an attack on all of us. A breathtaking display of friendship that the American people will never, ever, ever forget.”

Military aid

Biden used the remarks to announce a joint package of air defense systems for Ukraine in conjunction with Germany, Romania, the Netherlands and Italy. The package is expected to include donations of advanced missile launching systems known as Patriot batteries as well as other equipment, according to a joint statement issued by the White House shortly after Biden’s speech.

Biden described Russian President Vladimir Putin as NATO’s primary antagonist.

He praised the alliance for moving “swiftly” after Putin further invaded Ukraine in February 2022 and said “the war will end with Ukraine remaining a free and independent country.” Putin previously annexed Ukraine’s Crimean Peninsula by force in 2014.

“Before this war, Putin thought NATO was going to break. Today, NATO is stronger than it’s ever been in its history,” Biden declared.

Biden concluded the ceremony by honoring NATO’s Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg with the Presidential Medal of Freedom, the highest civilian honor in the U.S.

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Rhode Island

RI schools urged to review safety protocols in wake of Brown University shooting

Published

8 minutes ago

December 16, 2025

Press Room

RI schools urged to review safety protocols in wake of Brown University shooting

The Rhode Island Department of Education (RIDE) is urging local elementary and secondary schools to review safety protocols following the mass shooting at Brown University.

Days after two people were killed and nine others were injured in a shooting on the college campus, the department reminded schools statewide to ensure they are following existing safety policies, including keeping exterior doors closed and locked at all times.

“While the events of this weekend are tragic, they are also a reminder and an opportunity to re-train, reinforce, and go through the necessary safety steps, once more,” Commissioner Angelica Infante-Green said in a statement.

She emphasized the importance of following the protocols, including visitor policies, “as designed and written.”

In its latest announcement, RIDE also provided a list of resources for students, families, and school staff for “navigating difficult conversations” about topics such as violence and hate.

Rhode Island schools reminded to keep interior doors closed, exterior doors closed and locked

While all exterior doors should remain closed and locked, the department said, all interior doors should also remain closed. All visitors should go through a single, secure point of entry, according to RIDE.

In Providence, all elementary, middle, and high schools are also required to establish staff “crisis teams” and conduct 15 safety drills each year, according to the district’s existing safety protocols.

In the wake of the Brown University shooting on Dec. 13, Providence Public Schools said students should expect an increased police presence on and near their campuses.

All after-school activities, sporting events, and field trips at Providence schools planned for Monday, Dec. 15, and Tuesday, Dec. 16, were canceled out of an “abundance of caution.”

The district said that it would announce its plans for the rest of the week as soon as possible.

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Rhode Island

RI Lottery Powerball, Lucky For Life winning numbers for Dec. 15, 2025

Published

12 hours ago

December 15, 2025

Press Room

The Rhode Island Lottery offers multiple draw games for those aiming to win big. Here’s a look at Dec. 15, 2025, results for each game:

Winning Powerball numbers from Dec. 15 drawing

23-35-59-63-68, Powerball: 02, Power Play: 4

Check Powerball payouts and previous drawings here.

Winning Lucky For Life numbers from Dec. 15 drawing

12-16-27-34-41, Lucky Ball: 12

Check Lucky For Life payouts and previous drawings here.

Winning Numbers numbers from Dec. 15 drawing

Midday: 4-9-8-3

Evening: 1-3-5-3

Check Numbers payouts and previous drawings here.

Winning Wild Money numbers from Dec. 15 drawing

10-13-28-33-37, Extra: 35

Check Wild Money payouts and previous drawings here.

Feeling lucky? Explore the latest lottery news & results

Are you a winner? Here’s how to claim your prize

Prizes less than $600 can be claimed at any Rhode Island Lottery Retailer. Prizes of $600 and above must be claimed at Lottery Headquarters, 1425 Pontiac Ave., Cranston, Rhode Island 02920.
Mega Millions and Powerball jackpot winners can decide on cash or annuity payment within 60 days after becoming entitled to the prize. The annuitized prize shall be paid in 30 graduated annual installments.
Winners of the Lucky for Life top prize of $1,000 a day for life and second prize of $25,000 a year for life can decide to collect the prize for a minimum of 20 years or take a lump sum cash payment.

When are the Rhode Island Lottery drawings held?

Powerball: 10:59 p.m. ET on Monday, Wednesday, and Saturday.
Mega Millions: 11:00 p.m. ET on Tuesday and Friday.
Lucky for Life: 10:30 p.m. ET daily.
Numbers (Midday): 1:30 p.m. ET daily.
Numbers (Evening): 7:29 p.m. ET daily.
Wild Money: 7:29 p.m. ET on Tuesday, Thursday and Saturday.

This results page was generated automatically using information from TinBu and a template written and reviewed by a Rhode Island editor. You can send feedback using this form.

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Rhode Island

Brown University shooting: Who is RI Attorney General Peter Neronha?

Published

1 day ago

December 15, 2025

Press Room

Brown University shooting: Who is RI Attorney General Peter Neronha?

Neronha is Rhode Island’s 74th attorney general. He was sworn in on Nov. 6, 2018.
During President Donald Trump’s second term, Neronha has sued the president and his administration over 30 times.

Rhode Island Attorney General Peter Neronha, along with Providence Mayor Brett Smiley and others, announced Dec. 14 that they were releasing the person of interest originally detained for the mass shooting at Brown University.

Neronha said that tips “led to us detaining a person of interest,” but that the evidence “now points in a different direction.”

“We have a murderer out there, frankly,” Neronha said.

As attorney general, Neronha and his office will play a large role in the investigation over the shooting. Here’s what to know about the top legal official in Rhode Island.

Who is Peter Neronha?

Neronha is Rhode Island’s 74th attorney general. He was sworn in on Nov. 6, 2018.

As attorney general, Neronha leads an office that “prosecutes criminal cases; represents state agencies, departments and commissions in litigation; initiates legal action when necessary to protect the interests of Rhode Islanders; and oversees the Bureau of Criminal Identification and Investigation,” according to his office.

Previously, Neronha was the United States Attorney for the District of Rhode Island from 2009 to 2017. He was appointed by former President Barack Obama.

He began his career in public service as a Rhode Island Special Assistant Attorney General in 1996. He was later appointed Assisted Attorney General, and then joined United States Attorney’s Office as an Assistant United States Attorney in 2002.

Neronha is a fourth generation native of Jamestown, Rhode Island. He has undergraduate and law degrees from Boston College.

Neronha’s relationship to Trump

During President Donald Trump’s second term, Neronha has sued the president and his administration over 40 times.

Some of the lawsuits that he has co-led include ones over withheld education funds and the dismantling of federal agencies like Health and Human Services and those that support public libraries and museums.

Neronha often criticizes the president in his lawsuits. In a press release announcing a lawsuit filed against the Trump administration Nov. 25 for reducing grant funds for projects that could help people experiencing homelessness, Neronha said that the administration continues to “punch down” on vulnerable Americans.

“The President and his Administration don’t care about making life easier or better for Americans; they only care about political capitulation, consolidating power, and further enriching the wealthy,” he said.

In a press conference earlier this year, Neronha said that he sues the Trump administration when the president has broken the law, when Americans have been harmed and when they have the legal standing to bring an action against the administration.

While it’s unclear if Trump has ever commented on Neronha specifically, he has often attacked judges who have tried to block his policies.

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