Hour by Hour // A close look at the upcoming conditions »
Rhode Island
URI poll: Confidence in R.I. election systems is high, but voters concerned about political violence, A.I. – The Boston Globe
The latest survey polled 500 state residents between Aug. 15 and Sept. 8. The results were released Tuesday, with a margin of error of 6 percentage points.
“While there are national polls that also focus on American confidence in election administration, our survey results offer a detailed snapshot of Rhode Islanders’ levels of trust in election authorities and systems and trust in government as well as attitudes about democracy, media, policy, and political participation in the state,” Emily Lynch, a professor of political science at URI, said in a statement.
“The survey results indicate that Rhode Islanders trust state election systems, but at the same time they have concerns about the upcoming election in a number of areas, such as AI-generated fake political information and political violence,” Lynch continued.
Fifty-one percent of those surveyed said they believe votes are “very often” counted accurately in Rhode Island elections and campaigns. Twenty-nine percent said votes are counted accurately “somewhat often,” another 13 percent said “not often,” and 8 percent believe votes are “not at all often” tallied accurately.
Results also show most respondents have a “great deal or fair amount of trust in election authorities,” from poll workers up to the state Board of Elections and Department of State, as well as in the state’s voting machines, pollsters said.
However, that trust wanes a bit when it comes to mail ballot drop boxes and using the U.S. Postal Service to mail a ballot: Just 34 percent and 35 percent of Republicans had at least “a fair amount” of trust in those two methods, respectively. Eighty four percent of Democrats and 43 percent of independents feel that way about both of those voting options.
There is also a partisan divide over voter fraud.
“A majority of Republicans and independents are somewhat or very concerned about voter fraud – specifically noncitizen voting, citizens voting more than once, vote tampering, and people claiming to be another person in order to vote,” pollsters said. “Democrats lagged on all four questions – with the highest level of concern (37 percent) found with regard to vote tampering.”
Still, majorities of Democrats (85 percent), Republicans (79 percent), and independents (73 percent) think political violence “is a somewhat or very big problem in the U.S. today” and a “smaller majority of all three are concerned about civil unrest after election day in Rhode Island,” the survey found.
Meanwhile, approximately six in 10 respondents said they are worried artificial intelligence will “somewhat or greatly hurt the election process.”
Seventy-nine percent of Republicans, 77 percent of Democrats, and 77 percent of independents indicated they are “somewhat or very concerned about the use of AI-generated political media, such as fake images or video, and support state legislation to ban AI-generated political media,” according to poll results.
In the presidential election, Democratic Vice President Kamala Harris holds a firm lead amongst Rhode Island voters over former President Donald Trump, polling 53 percent to 27 percent, respectively. In the U.S. Senate race, most of those surveyed backed incumbent Democratic Senator Sheldon Whitehouse, or 52 percent, over the 24 percent who said they will vote for his Republican challenger, state Representative Patricia Morgan.
The results also showed an increase of five percentage points – up to 22 percent – of Rhode Islanders who consider the state’s economy “very or somewhat strong.”
Respondents also indicated they largely back more state spending on schools, housing, and road repair.
Christopher Gavin can be reached at christopher.gavin@globe.com.
Why is the flag at half staff? These are possible reasons
The flag of the United States of America is flown at half-staff on several occasions, generally marking that the country is in mourning
On Friday, May 15, flags will be flown at half-staff across the United States to commemorate Peace Officers Memorial Day.
Recognized each year since 1962 as part of May’s National Police Week, the national observance pays tribute to United States law enforcement officials who gave their lives in the line of duty, whether at the local, state or federal level.
“United in gratitude, we recommit ourselves to supporting those who keep the peace in our neighborhoods, and we offer our heartfelt appreciation for the service they render to community and country,” reads a proclamation from President Trump. “Their steady presence brings calm to our streets, their dedication preserves the order that allows our Nation to flourish, and their unwavering vigilance is the reason families across America can rest under the promise of a safer tomorrow.”
In memory of those who made the ultimate sacrifice, the flag of the United States at all public buildings and grounds across the country and its territories – including in Rhode Island – will fly at half-staff from sunrise to sunset on Friday, May 15.
Why are flags flown at half-staff?
According to the official website of the U.S. General Services Administration, flags typically fly at half-staff when the country or specific state is in mourning. Observances include national tragedies, days of remembrance and deaths of government or military personnel.
The president, the state governor or the mayor of Washington, D.C., can order flags to fly at half-staff.
Half-staff vs. half-mast
While half-staff refers to lowered flags on land, half-mast refers to those at sea. Both refer to a flag being flown beneath the top of its staff as a sign of respect.
RI’s Verdi Productions films ‘Bad News On The Doorstep’ in Providence
Verdi Productions wrapped filming of Tom DeNucci’s “Bad News On The Doorstep” early on May 23 in Providence.
Verdi Productions’ secret horror movie, “My Boyfriend is a Demon,” now filming in Rhode Island, is no longer a secret as Chad A. Verdi, the East Greenwich production company’s president, has announced the cast and given an outline of the movie’s plot.
The ensemble cast comprises veteran actors and rising young talents. The story follows Mary, a lonely, small-town girl who creates a fake Instagram account that pretends to be boyfriend, a guy too perfect to be real. Mary puts so much effort into making him “real” that he shows up at her door one day.
The cast includes:
- Mattias Ferrell, son of comic actor Will Ferrell and known for “A Very Jonas Christmas Movie” and “Anchorman 2: The Legend Continues.”
- Coco Arquette, daughter of Courteney Cox and David Arquette and known for “Cougar Town.”
- David Arquette, known for his work in the “Scream” film franchise.
- Rosanna Arquette, David’s sister and Coco’s aunt, known for “The Moment.”
- Bailey Sloan, known for “Ragamuffin.”
- Jack Champion, known for “Avatar.”
- Ever Anderson, known for “Peter Pan & Wendy.”
- Vinnie Hacker, known for “Euphoria.”
- Josephine Reitman, known for “Juno.”
- Savannah Lee Smith, kown for “Tunsel Town.”
- Lisa Yamada, known for “Elle.”
- Ty Law, known for “Friday Night Lights.”
“My Boyfriend is a Demon” is written and directed by first-time director mishka.
“My Boyfriend is a Demon” is filming in Providence
The movie began filming in Rhode Island in April and has rented Providence’s Cranston Street Armory for the month of May to use as a studio.
The producing team for Verdi Productions includes Chad A. Verdi, Chad Verdi Jr., Paul Luba, Michelle Verdi and Sera Verdi. Executive producers include Ketchup Entertainment and Kinolime.
Good morning! Happy Thursday! Today will be pretty unsettled with the chance for showers and t’storms. Friday will still be damp with showers and drizzle, but the weekend still looks amazing!
The one good thing with the rain, for allergy sufferers at least, the pollen levels will be lower. In fact, both today and tomorrow, the tree pollen counts will be low locally. Do expect a spike in the pollen count for Saturday and Sunday with the dry weather.
INTERACTIVE RADAR: Live Pinpoint Weather 12 Radar »
“https://www.wpri.com/weather-now/weather-now-for-thu-5-14-26/” FLIGHT TRACKER
“https://www.wpri.com/weather-now/weather-now-for-thu-5-14-26/” POWER OUTAGES
TODAY
Hour-by-hour forecast for today…
We’ll have some showers around during the morning commute today, but the greatest chance for showers and t’storms will be after 9AM and before 5PM.
Showers and thunderstorms could slow travel around mid-day. Rain could fall heavily at times.
A line of showers and t’storms will be sweeping across the area through the afternoon as a slow-moving weather systems moves through the region.
Highs today will be in the upper 50s to lower 60s with southeast to east winds of 5-15mph.
“https://www.wpri.com/weather-now/weather-now-for-thu-5-14-26/” BEACH AND BOATING FORECASTS
TONIGHT
Showers are still possible this evening; although they won’t be as numerous.
TOMORROW
That low center will be nearby Friday morning, and we’ll be stuck with a damp, cool windflow. Expect drizzle and showers in the morning and possibly some lingering showers in the afternoon.
Highs Friday will only be in the 50s. The average high this time of year is in the upper 60s.
LOOKING AHEAD
Then…there’s the weekend. Saturday looks amazing with lots of sunshine and dry weather. It’ll be warmer, too, with highs in the 70s.
-Meteorologist T.J. Del Santo
T.J. Del Santo (tdelsanto@wpri.com) is the weekday morning and noon meteorologist for 12 News. Connect with him on Facebook and Twitter and Instagram and Threads and BlueSky.
______________________________________________________________________________________________________
-
Denver, CO1 minute agoDenver area events for May 15
-
Seattle, WA7 minutes agoFriday Roundtable: Free Summer Shuttles
-
San Diego, CA13 minutes agoSix concerts to fill your musical soul this week in San Diego County
-
Milwaukee, WI19 minutes agoFive teenagers arrested following police pursuit in Milwaukee
-
Atlanta, GA25 minutes ago2 Giant Pandas Are Headed to This US Zoo. Meet Ping Ping and Fu Shuang
-
Minneapolis, MN31 minutes agoBauhaus Brew Labs in northeast Minneapolis set to close next month
-
Indianapolis, IN37 minutes agoIndy 500 qualifying format, schedule, entries, how to watch this weekend
-
Pittsburg, PA43 minutes agoHere are all the free movies you can watch outside this summer in Pittsburgh