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Boston Globe
2 days ago
- Business
- Boston Globe
Jim Bennett tapped as interim R.I. commerce secretary
As Commerce secretary, Bennett is expected to work on deals to bring larger corporations and firms to Rhode Island, and is expected to focus on the continued redevelopment of the long-vacant 'Superman' building from office space to hundreds of apartments. (The developer is Get Rhode Map A weekday briefing from veteran Rhode Island reporters, focused on the things that matter most in the Ocean State. Enter Email Sign Up While serving as president and CEO of Commerce, Bennett was credited for bringing Canton, Mass.-based Advertisement From 2011 to 2015, Bennett served as Providence's director of economic development. He also served on the board of directors of the Rhode Island Convention Center Authority on and off from 1995 until he Advertisement Bennett has also worked in the private sector as the executive vice president of Bennett is the founder of Madison Components LLC, a New Hampshire-based distributor of electronic components and independent reseller of refurbished hardware that is now closed. He also founded Mitkem Corporation and Ceimic Corporation, both of which operate environmental testing labs; and investment banking firm Albert, Bennett & Co. The investment firm's registration with the Financial Industry Regulatory Authority He was also candidate for state treasurer in 1998 and governor in 2002. He lost in the Bennett graduated from Brown University in 1979, where he played hockey. He was He is registered to vote in Narragansett, R.I., and owns property in Florida, according to a copy of his financial disclosure filed with the state, which was obtained by the Globe. Advertisement Bennett replaces Tanner focused on small businesses during her tenure, and was tasked with helping pull Rhode Island out of a post-pandemic slog, overseeing the development of the Prior to Tanner, focused on redeveloping Alexa Gagosz can be reached at
Boston Globe
3 days ago
- Politics
- Boston Globe
R.I. poised to join N.H. with ban on deepfakes within 90 days of elections unless disclosed
Advertisement The action comes as the Get Rhode Map A weekday briefing from veteran Rhode Island reporters, focused on the things that matter most in the Ocean State. Enter Email Sign Up 'This could have been a pyrrhic victory on our part if the Senate hadn't stripped out that language,' said John M. Marion, executive director of Common Cause Rhode Island. 'It's a good thing that Rhode Island is trying to stay ahead of the curve on requiring disclosure of deepfakes in elections.' Marion said Rhode Island has a history of 'ahead of the curve' on campaign finance disclosure. He noted that in 2012, the state enacted legislation requiring the disclosure of independent expenditures in the wake of the Advertisement The Rhode Island bill would prohibit rival candidates, political parties, and political action committees from creating and publishing recordings or videos that have been manipulated or generated by AI within 90 days of elections. But the prohibition would not apply if that manipulation or use of AI is disclosed, and the prohibition would not apply to 'synthetic media that constitutes satire or parody.' The legislation allows candidates who are the targets of such 'synthetic media' to seek injunctions and to file civil lawsuits seeking damages. Ilana Beller, organizing manager for the democracy team at Public Citizen, based in Washington, D.C., called Rhode Island's 'synthetic media' bill 'a huge win for democracy.' She noted that deepfakes depict a person saying or doing things they never actually said or did. 'That is a form of fraud,' Beller said. 'The concern here is that, with this new ability to create deepfakes using AI, folks are being given the tools to create an alternative reality that looks factual to other people. We don't want voters to make these critical democratic decisions based on something fraudulent.' The American Civil Liberties Union of Rhode Island and Common Cause agree on many legislative matters. But the ACLU opposed the 'synthetic media' bill, saying the group appreciates the legislation's intent but fears it could be used to infringe on First Amendment rights. 'In order to ensure that debate on public issues is, in the words of the US Supreme Court, 'uninhibited, robust, and wide-open,' the First Amendment provides special protection to even allegedly false statements about public officials and public figures,' the ACLU said in written testimony. 'AI-generated campaign communications are entitled to these protections.' Advertisement The ACLU acknowledged that free speech rights are not unlimited in the political arena. But it argued that the First Amendment does not allow the government to declare any image or recording fraudulent if it fits the bill's definition of 'synthetic media.' As an example, the ACLU noted that science-fiction Netflix series ' The Senate passed the bill The two legislators who voted against the legislation — Representatives Jennifer A. Stewart and Cherie L. Cruz, both Pawtucket Democrats — said they shared the ACLU's concerns about First Amendment freedoms. When asked about First Amendment concerns, Marion said, 'This is a bill about disclosure of the use of AI, not the prohibition of the use of AI. Courts have consistently upheld the use of disclosure in elections.' Marion said the number of states passing deepfake regulations is growing rapidly. 'It's incredibly popular and bipartisan at a time when almost all election legislation is passed on a party line vote,' he said. Advertisement He noted that in 2024 a Secretary Gregg M. Amore, a Democrat, pushed for the legislation. 'As artificial intelligence becomes more and more prevalent in our society — especially in the world of elections — we have a responsibility to do everything we can to ensure that voters have access to truthful, accurate information," Amore said in a statement this week. Senator Louis P. DiPalma, the Middletown Democrat who introduced the 'synthetic media' bill, said he was not surprised to read a recent New York Times story, ' The article reports that a Russian influence operation using AI tainted the first round of last year's presidential election in Romania, and a court there nullified that result, forcing a new vote and marking the first major election in which AI played a decisive role in the outcome. The article also includes the AI-generated image purporting to show a Canadian prime minister candidate in a pool with disgraced financier Jeffrey Epstein. 'I am surprised it has not happened more in the United States,' DiPalma said. 'It's going to happen. But this shows we can get ahead of the power curve once in a while.' The bill's House sponsor was Representative Jacquelyn Baginski, the Cranston Democrat who chairs the state House Innovation, Internet and Technology Committee. The General Assembly also recently passed Advertisement 'Rapidly evolving and easily accessible AI technology necessitate this update as celebrities and everyday citizens have been the victims of image-based sexual abuse and exploitation,' said Senator Elaine J. Morgan, a Hopkinton Republican. 'Deepfake pornographic images can cause enduring emotional harm, financial hardship, and permanent damage to the reputation of its victims.' Edward Fitzpatrick can be reached at
Boston Globe
3 days ago
- Politics
- Boston Globe
Bristol, R.I., native wins $60,000 scholarship, headed to top journalism school
I asked Biancuzzo to tell us more about her passion for journalism and her goals. Q: When did you decide that you wanted to pursue journalism as a career? Advertisement Biancuzzo: I decided to pursue a career in journalism after enrolling in Barrington High School's television production, Get Rhode Map A weekday briefing from veteran Rhode Island reporters, focused on the things that matter most in the Ocean State. Enter Email Sign Up You're off to the University of Missouri, which has one of the most prestigious journalism programs in the country. What made you choose to become a Tiger? Advertisement A multitude of reasons. After applying to 12 different universities and having many opportunities at hand, I was at a crossroads of not knowing which college to enroll in. I explored each university while in search of what made their journalism program unique, and when researching and touring Mizzou, I fell in love with their This method includes a hands-on approach from one's first day of classes – an opportunity to learn by doing. In addition to this method, I also was drawn to the community at Mizzou as it is a big school with a tight community feel. If you could cover any story in the world right now, what would it be? The Russia-Ukraine War. We are indirectly involved with several wars worldwide. My empathy and focus at this time of my life is drawn toward the many experiences on the ground of all sides, rather than the politicians and the military. With this opportunity I would fly to the Ukraine and talk to the civilians there who are affected by it on a daily basis. I would want to sit down with them and ask how this war changed their lives, specifically people within my age range. While I am afforded the opportunity to receive a higher education, I would like to know how young people in war-torn countries are handling the realities of war. Are they able to receive higher education? Are they even able to finish school? This chance would mean learning more, not just for my own curiosity, but for the world to know the hardships they are enduring. Advertisement What's the No. 1 thing journalists (and readers) should know about your generation? Gen Z is a generation filled with passion and curiosity. I may not be able to speak for my entire generation, but I can speak for both myself and those closest to me, that our generation is a strong one, often equipped with grit to face challenges. We have faced many hardships already with not only coming of age during the time of COVID-19, but also maturing during a time of various wars taking place overseas and experiencing political unrest in our own divided country. We have seen fundamental rights taken away, and, with that, we have risen to the occasion. I want readers and other journalists to look at my generation and know that we are strong and not afraid to have our voices heard. Let's flash forward 10 years. Where will we find Scarlett Biancuzzo? In 10 years, I'll be pursuing a successful career in journalism. It is my goal to have a career by this time, working for a large news network as a broadcast journalist. Broadcast journalism is truly an open-ended career with countless opportunities that I plan to take, head-on. This story first appeared in Rhode Map, our free newsletter about Rhode Island that also contains information about local events, links to interesting stories, and more. If you'd like to receive it via email Monday through Friday, . Dan McGowan can be reached at
Boston Globe
5 days ago
- Politics
- Boston Globe
Congress must reject cuts that would escalate national homelessness crisis
On the surface, some might celebrate these cuts as cost savings. But in practice, a growing crisis of homelessness - in red and blue states alike - will drive up public health and public safety costs, and cripple state and local communities. Advertisement In Rhode Island, these cuts could end funding for Get Rhode Map A weekday briefing from veteran Rhode Island reporters, focused on the things that matter most in the Ocean State. Enter Email Sign Up If Congress passes the president's budget and cuts funding for permanent supportive housing, Rhode Island's homelessness crisis will escalate further into a Category Five emergency. Hospitals will become bottlenecks, unable to discharge unhoused patients who have nowhere safe to go. Emergency shelters — already operating at capacity — will be overwhelmed, pushing more people back onto the streets. Police and first responders will be forced to manage health and behavioral crises that stem not from criminal activity, but from untreated illness and housing instability. Advertisement The proposed budget would also cause further harm to the nation's safety nets by putting an arbitrary two-year cap on social services for so-called abled-bodied adults and shifting the financial burden to state and local governments that are already stretched thin. The Big Beautiful Bill would gut Community Development Block Grants, end the HOME Investment Partnership Program, and paralyze dozens of other health and social service grants that protect people from falling into homelessness in the first place. Put most simply, the president's proposed budget will create chaos across the nation's housing systems. It would abandon evidence-based approaches in favor of a fragmented, underfunded system with overcrowded shelters and dwindling options for permanent housing. Permanent supportive housing has proven time and again to be a cost-effective solution to homelessness. It reduces emergency room visits, hospital stays, and shelter use — while restoring dignity, stability, and hope. It is one of the smartest investments we can make. Ending homelessness has never been a partisan endeavor. If we allow it to become one, the devastating fiscal and societal consequences of a prolonged crisis will not discriminate between red and blue states or urban and rural communities. If Congress approves the president's cuts to Michelle Wilcox is president & CEO of Crossroads Rhode Island. Advertisement
Boston Globe
19-06-2025
- Politics
- Boston Globe
The R.I. Legislature has the power to help protect our immigrant community
This legislative session, alongside many advocates and policymakers, the Advertisement This small adjustment has a profound impact, it protects immigrant Rhode Islanders from unjust immigration detention, denial of relief, and deportation for minor offenses. Under federal immigration law, a one-year maximum sentence — even for minor offenses — can trigger devastating consequences for immigrants, including Get Rhode Map A weekday briefing from veteran Rhode Island reporters, focused on the things that matter most in the Ocean State. Enter Email Sign Up Take, for instance, a longtime legal permanent resident with a single misdemeanor shoplifting conviction. Even if the individual receives no jail time, just a small fine, they can still face the devastating consequence of deportation and permanent separation from their family. This is because under our current laws, the offense carries a potential sentence of one year, triggering harsh Advertisement Rhode Island wouldn't be the first to take this step — states like New York, Washington, Nevada, New Jersey, Illinois, and New Mexico have recognized the need to protect their residents; Rhode Island must do the same. For the fifth consecutive year, the Senate has prioritized protecting our immigrant neighbors and friends. Yet, it remains stalled in the House Judiciary Committee, waiting to be voted on the House floor. This modest one-day change would not shield individuals convicted of serious crimes, such as, violent offenses, domestic violence, or firearm-related charges which are already treated separately under federal immigration law. These offenses would remain deportable regardless of the sentence length. Just as crucially, this change would not alter the authority of judges or prosecutors. Judges would still retain full discretion to impose appropriate sentences and prosecutors would continue to make charging decisions based on the facts and circumstances of each case. As the 2025 legislative session draws to an end, the RIBLIA Caucus strongly urges the passage of House Bill 5502. Without action, immigrant Rhode Islanders, both documented and undocumented, will remain vulnerable to life-altering consequences for low-level, nonviolent offenses. Together, we have the power to uphold fairness, prevent unnecessary family separations, and protect the rights and dignity of all Rhode Islanders. The time for a floor vote is now. The time to act is now. State Representative David Morales represents District 7 in Providence's Mount Pleasant, Valley, and Elmhurst neighborhoods. State Representative Leonela Felix represents District 61 in Pawtucket. Advertisement
