Ian Donnis

Providence

Political and Investigative Reporter at The Public's Radio

Politics reporter for @ThePublicsRadio; ex-@ProvPhoenix;❤️ Biggest Little State, ⚾️, 🐕, barbecue & Wifey. Tips: [email protected]

Articles

McKee rejects call for higher taxes on RI's richest

2 days ago | thepublicsradio.org | Ian Donnis

Staterevenue in Rhode Island is running about $80 million ahead of expectations for the fiscal year starting July first. Does that make it less likely that state leaders will support a broad-based tax increase, or how about a tax increase for the wealthiest Rhode Islanders? The Public’s Radio political reporter Ian Donnis sat down to discuss that and other economic questions with Governor Dan McKee. This transcript has been edited for clarity.
TGIF: Ian Donnis’ Rhode Island politics roundup for May 9, 2025

6 days ago | thepublicsradio.org | Ian Donnis

If Gina Raimondo was still governor, she could roll out her meatloaf recipe while talking on Real Housewives of RI. You can follow me through the week on Bluesky, threads and X. Here we go. *** Want to get my column in your inbox every Friday? Just sign up right here. ***1. STORY OF THE WEEK: Legislative leaders in Rhode Island have for years reflexively opposed efforts to raise broad-based taxes.
Steven Brown of the RI ACLU on civil liberties in the age of Donald Trump

1 week ago | thepublicsradio.org | Ian Donnis

A series of court battles will decide the outcome of some of these conflicts. For now, it’s unclear how Trump’s second tenure in the White House will change America and if the president and his allies can succeed in moving the country to the right. One group involved in responding is the American Civil Liberties Union. In Rhode Island, the local ACLU chapter has kept a close eye on the General Assembly for years.
Senate leadership team ‘a labor dream’ - Johnston Sun Rise

1 week ago | johnstonsunrise.net | Ian Donnis

After Val Lawson won election last Tuesday as the new president of the Rhode Island Senate, she faced a battery of reporters’ questions about her dual role as head of that chamber and president of the National Education Association Rhode Island teachers’ union. The focus was easy to anticipate. Lawson, 58, was ready to respond and she stuck by her message – that she will tread carefully to avoid conflicts of interest.
Senate leadership team ‘a labor dream’ - Warwick Beacon

1 week ago | warwickonline.com | Ian Donnis

After Val Lawson won election last Tuesday as the new president of the Rhode Island Senate, she faced a battery of reporters’ questions about her dual role as head of that chamber and president of the National Education Association Rhode Island teachers’ union. The focus was easy to anticipate. Lawson, 58, was ready to respond and she stuck by her message – that she will tread carefully to avoid conflicts of interest.
Neronha co-leads lawsuit aimed at federal health cuts

1 week ago | thepublicsradio.org | Ian Donnis

Rhode Island Attorney General Peter Neronha is among 20 attorneys general backing a lawsuit to stop the Trump administration from making sweeping changes to the federal Health and Human Services Department and to restore cuts. The complaint in U.S. District Court in Providence targets what Neronha called the Trump administration’s dismantling of HHS.
TGIF: Ian Donnis’ Rhode Island politics roundup for May 2, 2025

1 week ago | thepublicsradio.org | Ian Donnis

It’s go(al) time for the Pawtucket debut of Rhode Island FC. You can follow me through the week on Bluesky, threads and X. Here we go. *** Want to get my column in your inbox every Friday? Just sign up right here. ***1. STORY OF THE WEEK: After Val Lawson won election Tuesday as the new president of the Rhode Island Senate, she faced a battery of reporters’ questions about her dual role as head of that chamber and president of the National Education Association Rhode Island teachers’ union.
RI officials backing investment change sought by FM Global

1 week ago | thepublicsradio.org | Ian Donnis

Top state officials in Rhode Island are supporting an investment change sought by FM Global to keep the corporation from considering leaving the state. House Speaker Joe Shekarchi tells The Public’s Radio that FM Global approached him within the last 30 days, “and it identified a concern and they asked me for assistance.”Shekarchil said the change involves removing a 10% cap on the amount that insurance companies can invest in alternative investments.
RI Young Republicans’ Ken Naylor + Young Democrats of RI’s Autumn Guillotte on organizing, young voters’ concerns + our aging political leaders

2 weeks ago | thepublicsradio.org | Ian Donnis

About 47 percent of registered voters ages 18 to 29 cast ballots in the U.S. presidential election last year. That’s less than the overall voting participation of 64 percent, but it shows how young people are playing a bigger role in national elections. At the same time, a recent Harvard Youth Poll found that more than 4 in 10 Americans under age 30 say they’re barely getting by financially, and just 15 percent believe the country is headed in the right direction.
Lawson wins R.I. Senate presidency while retaining prominent union role

2 weeks ago | thepublicsradio.org | Ian Donnis

After Rhode Island Senate Majority Leader Val Lawson won a lopsided vote Tuesday to lead the chamber following the recent death of Dominick Ruggerio, she downplayed potential conflicts stemming from her work as the president of one of the state’s largest teachers’ unions. Lawson (D-East Providence) easily outpaced rival Sen. Ryan W. Pearson (D-Cumberland) on a 24-to-8 margin, with Senate GOP Leader Jessica de la Cruz (R-North Smithfield) winning four GOP votes, and there was one abstention. Sen.