Newsmakers | WPRI 12 News

This week on Newsmakers: New Bedford Mayor Jon Mitchell. A Democrat first elected in 2011, Mitchell talks about the struggle to increase vaccination rates in his city, the challenging facing the fishing industry, offshore wind, his own political future and more.

This week on Newsmakers: state Rep. Gregg Amore, D-East Providence, discusses his newly launched campaign for Rhode Island secretary of state; Shannon Buss and David Salvatore of the Rhode Island Association of Realtors break down the latest trends in the state's housing market.

This week on Newsmakers: U.S. Sen. Elizabeth Warren, D-Mass., talks with Ted Nesi about the budget talks on Capitol Hill, America's exit from Afghanistan, and her political future; Matt Newell, whose mother Renee died on Sept. 11, looks back with Mike Montecalvo in Newell's first sit-down interview about the topic.

Steph Machado interviews the acting superintendent of Providence schools, Dr. Javier Montañez; Tim White and Ted Nesi break down the controversy involving the governor's now-former chief of staff.

Among President Joe Biden's most vocal supporters of the decision to withdraw from Afghanistan is U.S. Rep. Jake Auchincloss, D-Massachusetts. Auchincloss served in Afghanistan as a U.S. Marine in 2012, and said Biden's decision was the right one, though the execution of the plan could have gone smoother. Auchincloss also weighed in on the $1 trillion bipartisan infrastructure bill and what it cou...

This week on Newsmakers: U.S. Sen. Jack Reed, chairman of the Senate Armed Services Committee, discusses the chaotic American evacuation of Afghanistan and whether President Biden made a mistake ordering the withdrawal. The fourth-term Rhode Island Democrat also looks back at why the U.S. mission struggled and what he learned during his 18 visits to the country since 2001.

This week on Newsmakers: Tom McCarthy, executive director of Rhode Island's COVID-19 response, lays out the state's strategy to deal with the delta variant and open schools; Ben Downing, a Democratic candidate for Massachusetts governor, explains why he's running for the state's top job.

This week on Newsmakers: Brett Smiley, candidate for mayor of Providence, discusses rising concerns about violent incidents in the city and other policy issues; Target 12 investigator Eli Sherman shares an update on the latest coronavirus trends in Rhode Island.

In the era of misinformation, should a seminal case that provided sweeping protections to a free press be revisited? Roger Williams University Law School Prof. David Logan’s recent law review article arguing it should be was cited multiple times in a dissent by Supreme Court Justice Neil Gorsuch, and explains why New York Times v. Sullivan may doing more harm than good. Then, author Maureen Boyle...

This week on Newsmakers: Lt. Gov. Sabina Matos discusses her first 100 days on the job, and her visit to every city and town in the state. She also discusses the state takeover of Providence Public Schools, and why vaccination rates in Providence - where she was city council president - lags the rest of the state. Then Eli Sherman joins Tim White and Steph Machado to discuss the uptick in COVID ca...

This week on Newsmakers: Senate President Dominick Ruggerio, D-North Providence, and Senate Majority Leader Michael McCaffrey, D-Warwick, discuss the end of the regular legislative session and the prospects for lawmakers returning in the fall to tackle marijuana.

This week on Newsmakers: Kim Kalunian talks with R.I. House Speaker Joe Shekarchi; Ted Nesi moderates a reporters' roundtable on Rhode Island politics featuring Steph Machado, Ian Donnis and Dan McGowan.

This week on Newsmakers: Evan Smith, president and CEO of Discover Newport, discusses how the City by the Sea is bouncing back from the pandemic as the summer tourism season heats up; Tim White and Ted Nesi recap the week in the news.

This week on the first half of Newsmakers: after seven years at the helm of the Rhode Island School of Design, Rosanne Somerson is stepping down at the end of June. Ted Nesi interviewed Somerson on the RISD campus, exploring the future of the school, the high cost of tuition, and the treasures in RISD's famous museum. Then, Target 12 Investigator Steph Machado joins Tim White and Ted Nesi to discu...

This week on the first half: U.S. District Judge William Smith discusses the court's approach to inmate compassionate release requests during the pandemic. Then on the second half, the R.I. Department of Environmental Management's Janet Coit exit interview after 10 years with the agency, and the longest serving director in RIDEM history.

Providence Mayor Jorge Elorza. The city’s plan to borrow more than $700 million by floating a bond to shore up its beleaguered pension system was met with a chilly reception by the state’s general treasurer, Elorza discusses why he thinks its a solution to the decades-long problem. Plus, he weighs in on a homeless encampment that is getting shut down by the city, the troubled Providence school sys...

Attorney General Peter Neronha gave the transfer of ownership for the company that runs Roger Williams Medical Center and Fatima Hospital the green light. But in doing so, he shined a light on what he said was a focus on wealth, over the health of the hospital. Plus Neronha discusses his support for police body worn cameras and recent hate crime prosecutions.

One year after the Providence riot that erupted in the wake of the murder of George Floyd, Tim White sat down with the leaders of the Providence Police Department - Commissioner Steven Paré and Col. Hugh Clements - about that night and the lessons learned.

This week on the first half of Newsmakers, with the Providence school department in turmoil, School Board President Nick Hemond discusses what he thinks should happen to Superintendent Harrison Peters, and the status of the state's take over of the beleaguered school system. Then Target 12 investigator Eli Sherman joins Tim White and Ted Nesi for an update on the coronavirus in Rhode Island as the...

This week on Newsmakers: General Treasurer Seth Magaziner, a second-term Democrat, discusses the health of the state and Providence pension funds, whether he's running for governor and what's next for rebuilding Rhode Island's school facilities.

A 12 News exclusive television interview with the vice president during her visit to Rhode Island; plus, Common Cause's John Marion on the census and redistricting.

This week on Newsmakers: with the murder conviction of former Minneapolis police officer Derek Chauvin, the president of the Providence branch of the NAACP, Jim Vincent, discusses what the verdict meant for the country and where he thinks the police reform movement goes from here. He also calls for the repeal of a Rhode Island state law that governs how police officers are disciplined. On the seco...

This week on Newsmakers: U.S. Sen. Jack Reed discusses President Biden’s decision to withdraw all American troops from Afghanistan by Sept. 11, and why he is still concerned about security in the region; then on the second half, Tim White and Ted Nesi break down the week in local news, including Lt. Gov. Sabina Matos’s first news conference.

This week on Newsmakers: Providence Performing Arts Center President and CEO J.L. “Lynn” Singleton talks about how the pandemic has affected PPAC, when he expects the curtain to rise again, and the future of Broadway; on the second half, Tim White and Ted Nesi recap the week in local news.

This week on Newsmakers: R.I. Commerce Secretary Stefan Pryor discusses the state’s ongoing reopening efforts, the billions in federal stimulus dollars heading to Rhode Island, his relationship with Gov. Dan McKee and his own future. Then on the second half, Tim White and Ted Nesi look back at the week in local news, including McKee’s choice of Sabina Matos as lieutenant governor, U.S. Sen. Elizab...