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R.I. soda pop presidential poll: A preference of politics or palate? – The Boston Globe

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R.I. soda pop presidential poll: A preference of politics or palate? – The Boston Globe


As the summer simmers across much of the country, it’s enough to make almost anyone thirsty.

For this week’s Rhode Island Report podcast, host Edward Fitzpatrick headed to North Providence, where Yacht Club Soda has recently launched its latest Soda Pop Poll from its bottling works in Centerdale.

It’s a rematch pitting Donald’s Trumpian Punch against Joe’s Bidenomics Berry.

Every soda sold is a vote for that candidate to become the “President of Soda Pop.”

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Owner John Sgambato said he’s the third generation to own and operate the family business, Yacht Club Bottling Works, in the North Providence village of Centerdale.Edward Fitzpatrick / Globe Staff

To cool down on a hot day, Ed wanted to know, do customers reach for the red bottle or the blue bottle based on politics, or flavor?

Owner John Sgambato told the Globe that the raspberry-forward red fruit punch has been a strong candidate during the last two presidential elections. So this year, the family-owned business has ramped up the blueberry-raspberry flavor of the blue berry beverage, so it’s on par with the punch, Sgambato said.

But what if neither is up to your taste?

In the 2020 Soda Pop Poll, 11 percent went independent. That reflects customers who opted for the Gaspee Point Berrymelon Rebellion, a seasonal flavor that Yacht Club Soda brings back every summer, an homage to the Rhode Islanders who burned the schooner HMS Gaspee in 1772 leading up to the American Revolution.

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“We use that as our independent vote because it’s a rebellion, like the Independence of Rhode Island,” Sgambato said.

Results of the 2024 Soda Pop Poll will be released in the fall.


To get the latest episode each week, follow Rhode Island Report podcast on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, and other podcasting platforms, or listen in the player above.


maria caporizzo can be reached at maria.caporizzo@globe.com. Follow her @mariacap.





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2 dead, 1 seriously hurt after crash on I-95 South in Warwick

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2 dead, 1 seriously hurt after crash on I-95 South in Warwick


WARWICK, R.I. (WPRI) — Two people are dead and another person seriously hurt after a crash involving two vehicles on the highway in Warwick Saturday.

Rhode Island State Police said the crash happened around 1:34 p.m. on the ramp from Route 113 West to I-95 South.

According to police, a Hyundai SUV that was driving in the middle lane of the highway started to drift to the right, crossed the first lane, and then crossed onto the on-ramp lane. The car struck the guardrail twice before driving through the grass median.

The Hyundai then struck the driver’s side of a Mercedes SUV that was on the ramp, causing the Mercedes to roll over and come to a rest. The impact sent the Hyundai over the guardrail and down an embankment.

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The driver of the Hyundai, a 73-year-old man, and his passenger, a 69-year-old woman, were both pronounced dead at the hospital.

A woman who was in the Mercedes was rushed to Rhode Island Hospital in critical condition.

State police said all lanes of traffic were reopened by 4:30 p.m.

The investigation remains ongoing.

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Judge rejects DOJ push for Rhode Island voter information

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Judge rejects DOJ push for Rhode Island voter information


A federal judge on Friday tossed the Department of Justice’s (DOJ) lawsuit aiming to force Rhode Island to hand over its voter information as part of the Trump administration’s push to acquire voter data from several states.

Rhode Island U.S. District Court Judge Mary McElroy wrote that federal law does not allow the DOJ “to conduct the kind of fishing expedition it seeks here,” siding with Rhode Island election officials. She added that the DOJ did not provide evidence to suggest that Rhode Island violated election law.

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McElroy, a Trump appointee, wrote that she sided with the similar decision in Oregon. That decision ruled that the DOJ was not entitled to unredacted voter registration lists.

“Absent from the demand are any factual allegations suggesting that Rhode Island may be violating the list maintenance requirements,” she said in her ruling.

Rhode Island Secretary of State Gregg Amore (D) praised McElroy’s decision. He said in a statement that the Trump administration “seems to have no problem taking actions that are clear Constitutional overreaches, regularly meddling in responsibilities that are the rights of the states.”

“Today’s decision affirms our position: the United States Department of Justice has no legal right to – or need for – the personally-identifiable information in our voter file,” he said. “Voter list maintenance is a responsibility entrusted to the states, and I remain confident in the steps we take here in Rhode Island to keep our list as accurate as possible.”

The Hill reached out to the DOJ for comment.

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The DOJ called for the voter lists as it investigated Rhode Island’s compliance with the National Voter Registration Act of 1993, which allowed Americans to register to vote when they apply for a driver’s license.

The DOJ sued at least 30 states, as well as Washington, D.C., in December demanding their respective voter data. This data includes birth dates, names and partial Social Security numbers.

At least 12 states have given or said they will give the DOJ their voter registration lists, according to a tracker operated by the Brennan Center for Justice.

The department stated after it lost a similar suit against Massachusetts earlier this month that it had “sweeping powers” to access the voter data and that, if states fail to comply, courts have a “limited, albeit vital, role” in directing election officers on behalf of the administration to produce the records. The DOJ cited the Civil Rights Act as being intended to unearth alleged election law violations.

Copyright 2026 Nexstar Media Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.

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Single Dad Says Grandparents’ Rights Trial Has Cost Him More Than $500K, but He'll Do ‘Whatever It Takes’ to Keep Daughter Safe

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Single Dad Says Grandparents’ Rights Trial Has Cost Him More Than 0K, but He'll Do ‘Whatever It Takes’ to Keep Daughter Safe


As the two-year anniversary of his wife’s death approaches, widowed single father Scott Naso is sounding an alarm to fellow parents across the country — and especially in Rhode Island, where he lives with his now 4-year-old daughter, Laila.



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