Rhode Island
Rhode Island delegation reacts to Trump guilty verdict | ABC6
PROVIDENCE, R.I. (WLNE) — Members of Rhode Island’s federal delegation released comments after former President Donald Trump’s guilty verdict in his hush money trail.
Rep. Seth Magaziner said Trump lacks “honest and integrity:”
Today’s verdict confirms that everyone in our country is equal under the law. We have known for years that Donald Trump lacks the honesty and integrity to hold the Oval Office, and his criminal conviction today offers yet another reason why.
Sen. Sheldon Whitehouse, meanwhile, said Trump has shown “zero respect for the law:”
An individual who has been convicted of 34 felony counts and shows zero respect for the rule of law is not fit to lead the greatest nation in the world. It’s only in honest courtrooms that the former president has been unable to lie and bully his way out of trouble. Americans trust juries for good reason.
Rhode Island
‘Proud moment’: Acting defense secretary grew up in RI, son of a retired Marine general
Who is Pete Hegseth, Trump’s pick for defense secretary?
Among President-elect Donald Trump’s nominees for top positions in his administration, Pete Hegseth is one of the most controversial to face Senate confirmation hearings.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.”
“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.
Rhode Island
'The environment cannot be sterilized;' state veterinarian on bird flu found in Rhode Island | ABC6
PROVIDENCE, R.I. (WLNE) — The Rhode Island Department of Environmental Management held a briefing Friday evening after notifying the public that bird flu was detected in a domestic flock in the state.
State Veterinarian Scott Marshall said that bird flu cases typically peak in late fall, early winter, and the spring as a result of bird migratory patterns.
Marshall added that the USDA is monitoring the genetic makeup of the virus to see if it mutates a resistance to antivirals.
“It’s the same advice your mother taught you: the environment cannot be sterilized” Marshall said. “This virus is just one of the potential pathogens you might run into in the environment. Wash your hands before you eat and that’s the best advice I can give.”
He added that the CDC considers the human risk to be low, though domestic cats that eat poultry and dogs that come into contact with dead birds are at risk of the virus.
“Most domestic cats that get affected are going to die, so if you feed poultry products to your pets, you should definitely cook it and render it safe,” Marshall said. “The other way animals will likely get exposed is if you’re walking your dog on the beach and it comes across a dead seagull or a dead duck. so please walk your dogs on a leash and don’t let them have any contact with animals and they’ll be fine.”
RIDEM said that it euthanized 40 birds that were part of a noncommercial flock in order to “minimize their suffering from the infection and prevent the spread of the disease to other birds.”
The department added that the disease was last detected in a noncommercial backyard flock in 2022, and that the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention considers the public health risk for H5N1 to be low.
Rhode Island
Highlights from the Rhode Island General Assembly: Week in Review (Jan 20 – Jan 24) – Newport Buzz
The Rhode Island General Assembly tackled pressing issues this week, ranging from homelessness and health care to civil rights and insurance fairness. Here’s a roundup of the major developments:
Emergency Shelter Zoning Bill
House Speaker K. Joseph Shekarchi (D-Dist. 23, Warwick) introduced a bill (2025-H 5100) to ease zoning restrictions for temporary emergency housing. The legislation aims to help cities and towns provide shelter for those experiencing homelessness during severe weather or disasters.
Pathways for Foreign-Trained Doctors
Rep. Joseph J. Solomon Jr. (D-Dist. 22, Warwick) proposed legislation (2025-H 5108) to allow foreign-trained doctors to work in rural and underserved communities. The bill would create licensure pathways and mentorship alternatives to traditional residency requirements.
Auto Insurance Premium Equity
Rep. Arthur J. Corvese (D-Dist. 55, North Providence) introduced legislation (2025-H 5104) to prohibit auto insurers from using ZIP codes to set rates. The bill aims to prevent discriminatory pricing practices that disproportionately affect low-income drivers.
Reducing Health Care Authorization Hurdles
Rep. Brandon Potter (D-Dist. 16, Cranston) and Sen. Linda L. Ujifusa (D-Dist. 11, Portsmouth, Bristol) introduced a bipartisan effort (2025-H 5120, 2025-S 0053) to streamline health care. The bill would eliminate prior authorization requirements for treatments ordered by primary care providers, improving access and reducing administrative burdens.
Life Science Hub Leadership
The Senate unanimously confirmed Mark Turco as the first CEO of Rhode Island’s Life Science Hub. Turco, a 25-year veteran of the industry, will lead efforts to position Rhode Island as a leader in life sciences.
Senate Committees Address Homelessness
Two Senate committees convened to review the Department of Housing’s response to homelessness and received an update on the Echo Village shelter project.
Honoring Martin Luther King Jr.
The Martin Luther King Jr. State Holiday Commission celebrated the civil rights icon with speeches, music, and awards. Rep. Nathan W. Biah (D-Dist. 3, Providence), the commission chair, served as the event’s emcee.
Condemnation of Trump’s Executive Order
Reps. Karen Alzate (D-Dist. 60, Pawtucket, Central Falls) and Grace Diaz (D-Dist. 11, Providence) criticized President Donald Trump’s executive order ending birthright citizenship. Both legislators pledged support for Attorney General Peter F. Neronha’s lawsuit against the order.
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