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‘Proud moment’: Acting defense secretary grew up in RI, son of a retired Marine general

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‘Proud moment’: Acting defense secretary grew up in RI, son of a retired Marine general


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John J. Salesses is a retired major general who appreciates knowing, on a basic level at least, what his four grownup children are up to.

So the 91-year-old Rhode Islander was aware that his second-oldest son, Robert G. Salesses, had reached a pay grade of GS-15 in his job at the Pentagon. That’s the highest pay grade available for federal employees.

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Then, about a week ago, Salesses recalls, one of his other sons told him something interesting:

“Bob” was in line to serve as acting U.S. Secretary of Defense in the opening days of the second administration of President Donald J. Trump.

The magnitude of such a responsibility isn’t something that’s fuzzy to someone like Salesses, even at his advanced age.

The Warren retiree once directed the entire U.S. Marine Corps Reserve. The reserve force has about 35,000 personnel serving all over the world, he says.

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The much bigger job that his son took over on Inauguration Day left the younger Salesses with enormous responsibility at a moment of growing global instability.

Ukraine is being ravaged by the largest armed conflict in Europe since World War II, with Russian leaders raising the specter of nuclear war on occasion. An Iranian missile attack was part of a recent exchange between Iran and Israel this past fall. Barely a month ago, the largest armada of Chinese warships since the 1990s took to the waters of the South China Sea.

A short assignment?

As of Wednesday, Robert Salesses’ tenure wasn’t expected to be lengthy. Just until the U.S. Senate had confirmed Trump’s pick, either Pete Hegseth or someone else.

The father of the acting secretary, or “SECDEF,” as it’s known in bureaucratic jargon, afforded his son some space. There would be time for catching up later.

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Raised in Barrington, exposed to Camp Lejeune

Robert G. Salesses was born in San Diego.

His mother, the late Dolores Ann “Lola” Salesses, and his father opted to raise their family in Barrington.

His father mostly worked the schedule of a Marine reservist. The elder Salesses tought English at Rhode Island College. He held administrative jobs as a dean and vice president for academic affairs.

He did not try to groom his sons for military life. But they were exposed to it during some of his reserve stints at Camp Lejeune.

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Robert Salesses went to Rhode Island College and graduated in 1980. He worked in the private sector.

His younger brother, a future military pilot, decided one day that he would join the Marine Corps.

“Bob said, ‘I’m going to go, too,’” their father recalled on Friday.

In the Marines, he would participate in the 1991 liberation of Kuwait during the Gulf War, according to a biography posted online by the Department of Defense.

Some of Robert Salesses’ other jobs in the Marines involved carrying out the withdrawal of critical nuclear stockpiles from former Soviet States, development of multinational counternarcotics policies with Central and South American allies; and crisis planning within the European and Pacific theaters of operation, according to the posted bio.

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Hefty U.S. defense responsibilities and a ‘proud moment’

After retiring from the Marines, during his career in the Defense Department, Salesses’ tasks put him in a range of positions. The bio says one of those jobs involved management of $1.2 billion in defense resources.

Another “sensitive” task, it says, involved making sure the secretary of defense and other senior leaders had “the means to execute DoD’s primary mission essential functions.”

The younger Salesses has worked as a professional staff member under the leadership of Democratic and Republican presidents.

“He got to know the defense system pretty well,” his father said Friday. “It’s a proud moment.”

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“I think this is his last day,” he added.

He anticipated that his son would continue to serve in the department under the secretary chosen by the president.

And late Friday night, Hegseth, an Army veteran and former “Fox & Friends” co-host, was confirmed by the Senate on a narrow 51-50 vote.



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Rhode Island

Police ID man hit, killed by car in Cranston

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Police ID man hit, killed by car in Cranston


CRANSTON, R.I. (WPRI) — Cranston police have identified the man who was hit and killed by a car on Atwood Avenue Friday evening.

Major Todd Patalano said the man was 80-year-old Richard Viti, of Cranston.

Police were called Friday evening to the area of 700 Atwood Avenue for reports of a pedestrian who was hit by a car. Investigators say Viti was crossing the street to get to the San Bernardo Society.

The driver, who has not yet been identified, faces charges of operating on a suspended license and operating an unregistered vehicle, according to Patalano.

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There may be more charges the driver is facing as the investigation is still in its early stages, Patalano explained.

Viti was taken to Rhode Island Hospital, where he was pronounced dead.

Patalano said the driver is cooperating with authorities.

Download the WPRI 12 and Pinpoint Weather 12 apps to get breaking news and weather alerts.

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RI Lottery Mega Millions, Lucky For Life winning numbers for Nov. 14, 2025

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The Rhode Island Lottery offers multiple draw games for those aiming to win big. Here’s a look at Nov. 14, 2025, results for each game:

Winning Mega Millions numbers from Nov. 14 drawing

01-08-11-12-57, Mega Ball: 07

Check Mega Millions payouts and previous drawings here.

Winning Lucky For Life numbers from Nov. 14 drawing

14-19-34-42-43, Lucky Ball: 13

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Check Lucky For Life payouts and previous drawings here.

Winning Numbers numbers from Nov. 14 drawing

Midday: 2-1-0-8

Evening: 2-6-8-7

Check Numbers payouts and previous drawings here.

Winning Wild Money numbers from Nov. 14 drawing

04-05-12-14-23, Extra: 31

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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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Newport Hospital earns top ranking – What’s Up Newp

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Newport Hospital earns top ranking – What’s Up Newp


Newport Hospital was among several hospitals in Rhode Island that achieved an A rating from the hospital watchdog group Leapfrog in its fall ratings. Three hospitals – Roger Williams Medical Center, Kent, and South County were awarded C or below, a pattern of declining ratings over the last few years.

Additionally, Women and Infants Hospital declined to participate in Leapfrog’s survey, according to Leapfrog. The group surveys more than 2,000 hospitals nationwide twice a year.

Both Fatima and Roger Williams are owned by California-based Prospect Medical Holdings, which filed for bankruptcy several months ago. There have been efforts to sell the hospitals while maintaining both of them open.

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Women and Infants is part of the Care New England Group, which also includes Kent Hospital, whose safety rating has steadily declined over the last few years.

Leapfrog, which conducted the survey, is a well-respected hospital watchdog group that describes itself as “the nation’s gold standard in evaluating hospital performance on national measures of safety, quality, and efficiency in both inpatient and outpatient areas.”

Hospital safety is critical, with surveys suggesting that as many as 440,000 patients die annually because of hospital safety errors. Studies suggest that preventable medical errors are the third leading cause of death in America.

Leapfrog assigns rankings, A to F, based on issues involving infections, surgical problems, safety concerns, and practices to prevent errors. Within each of these areas are also several measures.

Earning A ratings for the fall of 2025 were Newport, Miriam, Rhode Island, and Westerly Hospitals. Newport, Miria,m and Rhode Island are part of Brown University Health (formerly Lifespan), while Westerly is part of the Yale/New Haven group. Landmark Hospital in Woonsocket received a B rating; Kent, Fatima and South received C ratings; and Roger Williams Medical Center received a D rating.

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Several trends were also evident. Newport and Miriam Hospitals have been trending up, scoring B in the spring and fall of 2022, but in 2023 reaching an A rating, and remaining there. Rhode Island fell to a C in the fall of 2023, rising to B in both surveys in 2024, and in the two reports in 2025 have achieved an A rating. 

Landmark has been consistently A-rated since 2022, with the only exception being a B in one of the reports in 2024. Westerly has been rising, from a C in the spring of 2022 to an A in 2025. Fatima has been C-rated with only one exception, a B in the fall of 2022. Roger Williams also consistently received a C until this fall, when its ranking dropped to D.

South County had ranged between A and B, falling to C this fall. 

For those hospitals that trended lower, a significant problem appears to be effective leadership to help prevent errors. “Effective leadership to prevent errors: Errors are much more common if hospital leaders don’t make patient safety a priority. Leaders must make sure that all hospital staff know what they need to work on and that they are held accountable for improvements.”

South County, which is Rhode Island’s only independent hospital, experienced a disruption among physicians several months ago, in a rift with the administration that apparently has yet to heal. 

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Leadership, or lack of leadership, was also noted for other hospitals not performing well. 

Meanwhile, other issues remain: healthcare – the lack of primary care physicians (nationwide); the study to determine whether to build a second medical school at the University of Rhode Island; and the threatened closure of Roger Williams and Fatima Hospitals.



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