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Boston Globe
11-07-2025
- Politics
- Boston Globe
Elon Musk has something to learn from Ken Block
Advertisement I asked Block to tell us more about what it was like to create a party, and to offer some advice to Musk. 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 Q: You're not Elon Musk for a lot of reasons, but you created the Moderate Party in Rhode Island for a lot of the same reasons Musk says he thinks there should be a third national party. Was there a specific incident that made you start it? Block: If I was Elon, my response to your questions would be 💩, and I would have bought an island in Narragansett Bay and renamed it Block's Island! When I woke up politically in 2007, Rhode Island was a more expensive place for me to live and run my businesses than Massachusetts, otherwise known as Taxachusetts. I wrote an opinion piece about this in The Providence Journal, which prompted many people to reach out to me in agreement and support. I hated the political polarization and dysfunction (now I look back at those times as the good old days), and thought that a centrist party would be the answer to those problems, a party dedicated to quality of life issues that stayed away from social issues. Advertisement Elon Musk has the benefit of being one of the world's richest men, but it would take strong organization on the ground in every state to make a third party a reality. Can you take us behind the scenes on how difficult it is to simply create the party, let alone become viable? Creating a viable third party at the national level is extremely difficult. There are legal roadblocks to clear in each state, where many laws enacted by Democrats and Republicans make it difficult for a new party to establish itself. A couple of billion dollars would go a long way toward clearing the legal and administrative hurdles necessary to launch the party, such as overturning unfair and unconstitutional ballot access laws and collecting millions of signatures. A chicken/egg problem arises as soon as the party is born: you need quality candidates to build momentum, but those same candidates want some assurances that the party is stable and not being overrun with folks with positions contrary to those of the candidates. Ultimately, you stepped away from your party and ran for governor a second time as a Republican. What didn't work about the Moderates? Too many Americans don't get third parties. As challenging as it is today to define what it means to be a Democrat or a Republican, it is much harder to define a new party and keep everyone on message. We did not recruit nearly enough candidates, let alone good ones. We ended up with political novices, most of whom did not undertake the necessary work to win local races in Rhode Island. Experienced politicians did not want to handicap their election efforts by running under the banner of a fledgling party. It turns out that launching the party was the easy part. Advertisement I ended up running for governor as the new party's candidate in 2010 because no one else would, and we needed our candidate to win 5 percent of the vote to keep the party alive. I got 6.5 percent. What advice would you give to Elon Musk? It is unclear whether Musk intends to build a lasting political party. He has said things that lead me to believe that his party is more about unelecting key Republicans in 2026. If that is his goal, any advice about building a viable party is wasted. If he wants to create a new party that survives and thrives, he will need to buy the infrastructure in each state to make it happen; quality, full-time party chairs and other positions whose jobs would be dedicated to the success of the party, with enough seed money to see the party through the first election. If you were creating a new party now, would you try to make a connection with Musk? I am sure that Musk is being inundated with requests for his attention and money by those who want to create an alternative to the Democrats and Republicans. We desperately need a better choice, as the two major parties move further towards their extremes and spend far more time attacking each other rather than working for the common good. Advertisement Musk's messaging before his fallout with Trump was in no way centrist, which makes it hard for me to see how he can credibly claim to represent those in the middle. Let's see how things play out over the next few months. If Musk's political aspirations are to create a viable centrist party, I would indeed be interested. 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 e-mail Monday through Friday, Dan McGowan can be reached at
Time of India
03-07-2025
- Entertainment
- Time of India
Will Taylor Swift host her iconic Fourth of July party this year? Travis Kelce may be changing plans
Travis Kelce and Taylor Swift are busy travelling as they have been spotted in New York, Florida, Nashville and Cleveland in the last few weeks. But, it has always been known that the billionaire pop star celebrates the Fourth of July weekend in her Rhode Island mansion, where she has always thrown a huge party for her friends and family, including her former best friend, Blake Lively, who was a regular attendee. Tired of too many ads? go ad free now Is Taylor Swift throwing a huge party for the Fourth of July weekend at her Rhode Island mansion with Travis Kelce? But this year has been a bit different for the billionaire pop star as she has publicly distanced herself from Blake Lively and her husband, popular Hollywood actor, Ryan Reynolds. However, that's not all; Taylor Swift's home in Rhode Island has been the centre of a controversy, as a few weeks ago human remains were found near it. Additionally, as per a report by The Providence Journal in January, Taylor Swift is spending thousands of dollars in renovating her mansion in Rhode Island. Taylor Swift and Travis Kelce are also most likely enjoying their downtime in Ohio at the moment, as the two were recently spotted at the upscale JoJo's Bar where they had lunch together. With Ohio being Travis Kelce's hometown, there seems to be a possibility that the high profile couple might be spending the Fourth of July weekend with the NFL star's family. However, neither Taylor Swift nor Travis Kelce have commented on their plans for the weekend as the two generally like to keep their relationship pretty private. What have Taylor Swift and Travis Kelce been up to in the last few weeks? Their recent joint appearances have shocked fans; with Taylor Swift taking the stage at the Tight Ends University and walking hand in hand with Travis Kelce, the two turned heads at the event. It also seems like Taylor Swift's relationship with Travis Kelce has only been getting stronger, according to a source, as per People. The source revealed, 'They're incredibly happy and in sync. There's a calmness and ease to their relationship right now that's been really grounding for Taylor and Travis." The source added, "Taylor and Travis are soaking up every minute of this slower season together…This kind of downtime is rare for both of them, and it's really allowed their bond to deepen." Also Read:
Yahoo
03-07-2025
- Yahoo
Caught with Nazi flag, mopped driver stomped on Cape Verdean flag outside East Prov. City Hall
EAST PROVIDENCE – A Lincoln man faces vandalism and other charges after he stomped on a Cape Verdean flag posted outside City Hall during a Cape Verdean Independence Day ceremony on July 2, according to the East Providence police. When police caught up to the 27-year-old man riding away on a moped, they found him to have a large Nazi flag and a 6-inch knife. The incident happened around noon, while the ceremony was being held inside City Hall. The police say the man drove up to City Hall on a moped, walked up to three flags outside the entrance and threw both the United States flag and the Cape Verdean flag onto the ground. Witnesses reported that the man stomped on the Cape Verdean flag, and the incident was caught on a video surveillance camera. The police said they caught the man a short distance from City Hall. The man is being charged with vandalism, disorderly conduct and possession of a prohibited weapon. He is scheduled for arraignment on July 3 in District Court, Providence. The East Providence police are consulting with the Rhode Island Attorney General's Office to determine whether to pursue hate crime enhancements. "The City of East Providence takes great pride in being a diverse, inclusive and welcoming community for all,' Mayor Bob DaSilva said in a press release. "There is no room in this city for acts of hatred and vandalism. Our administration condemns all hateful acts and will continue to make it abundantly clear that East Providence is an inclusive community where hate is neither welcome nor tolerated." Acting Police Chief Michael Rapoza said, "Our agency takes these acts of vandalism seriously and will pursue hate crime enhancements when warranted. I'd like to thank the ceremony attendees for alerting the police and our officers who responded quickly and apprehended the suspect. There is no place for this type of behavior in our city." This article originally appeared on The Providence Journal: Charged with vandalism, man knocked over U.S., Cape Verdean flags
Yahoo
21-06-2025
- General
- Yahoo
Get to know Providence Journal summer intern Bella DeCrescenzo
This summer, The Providence Journal is excited to welcome Bella DeCrescenzo to the newsroom as an intern. A West Bay resident, Bella started on June 2 and will be a full-time presence in our newsroom through mid-August, when she will head back to the University of Maryland to continue her academic career. We talked to Bella about her early experiences in journalism and how she hopes to grow in the profession. Why are you interested in journalism? What topics are you most interested in? I am interested in journalism because I want to aid members of the community by amplifying their voices to make sure that their stories are told. I think that many people's experiences can be overlooked, yet are shared by others and often deserve to be recognized. I want to share these important stories with the community. I also know how important having informed community members is to the strength of our democracy and I want to help provide people with timely news. I am most interested in writing about local politics and the local impacts of federal politics. I also enjoy covering local events and writing features about local community members and businesses. I have some experience with environmental reporting, which I would enjoy exploring more. I really want to explore as many different topics as possible this summer so I can gain a variety of skills and figure out what I enjoy reporting on the most. What are you hoping to get out of your internship with The Providence Journal? Through my internship with The Providence Journal, I hope to get more consistent reporting experience to help strengthen my newswriting skills and gain confidence as a reporter. I hope to report on a variety of beats and cover many topics to figure out which beats I want to focus on in the future. Compiling clips across many beats will also allow me to build a strong portfolio to reflect my time at The Providence Journal. I also hope to cultivate strong professional relationships with my colleagues this summer. I want to spend time shadowing the experienced journalists within the newsroom and hearing about their journalistic processes. From writing tips to career advice, I want to take this opportunity to learn from the professionals around me and forge meaningful connections that last beyond this internship. Tell us about some of your favorite journalism-related experiences from the University of Maryland. Through my classes and extracurriculars at the University of Maryland, I have gained some exciting journalism-related experiences that have continuously made me more confident in my career path. During a broadcast writing class I took this past year, my professor gave us the opportunity to attend Sen. Angela Alsobrooks' campaign headquarters on election night. Alongside journalists from Fox 5 and other well-known stations, we had an amazing experience filming speeches for our package and interviewing very passionate, emotional supporters of Alsobrooks. This past year, I also covered a weeklong environmental-justice symposium where we interviewed the heads of the event about their experience spreading awareness about the effects of climate change on marginalized communities. While I have had the opportunity to cover many more exciting topics and events, the journalism program at the University of Maryland has also given me the opportunity to work with many experienced journalists. Due to the journalism college's impressive staff, I have the support and guidance of Washington Post and CNN reporters who have pushed me to improve as a journalist. What are some things you want readers to know about you? I want readers to know that while I am still a student and am still learning, they can trust my work to be timely and accurate. I hope that they know how seriously I take this opportunity and how excited I am to be able to provide them with important local news. I also want readers to know that while I go to school in Maryland, I am a Rhode Island resident and have stayed up to date on the current issues and happenings in Rhode Island. Overall, I want them to know that I am excited to report on the issues that they want to read about. Their experiences and what they want to learn more about are what will influence me as I look for stories to write and news to cover. I look forward to jumping into local reporting. This article originally appeared on The Providence Journal: Bella DeCrescenzo to serve summer internship with Providence Journal
Yahoo
17-06-2025
- General
- Yahoo
When is the July full moon 2025? How to see it and what makes it special
The full Buck Moon will be on the rise next month, following up on the display of June's Strawberry Moon. The Buck Moon, a Native American term, is called as such because "the antlers of male deer (bucks) are in full-growth mode at this time," according to the Farmer's Almanac. "Bucks shed and regrow their antlers each year, producing a larger and more impressive set as the years go by." Here's what to know. It will rise on July 10, 2025, according to the Farmer's Almanac. When the sun goes down that day, stargazers can look towards the southeast to see the full moon. According to the Farmer's Almanac, they include: Feather Moulting Moon (Cree) Salmon Moon, (Tlingit) Berry Moon (Anishinaabe) When the Chokecherries are Ripe (Dakota) Month of the Ripe Corn Moon (Cherokee) Raspberry Moon (Algonquin, Ojibwe) Thunder Moon (Western Abenaki) Halfway Summer Moon (Anishinaabe) A full moon can be seen clearly with the naked eye. But in a past interview with USA Today Network, Tim Brothers, Massachusetts Institute of Technology technical Instructor and observatory manager, said with any case of stargazing, it's much better if you're using a good telescope or a pair of binoculars. According to Time and Date, they include: Sturgeon Moon: Aug. 9, 2025 Corn Moon: Sept. 7, 2025 Harvest Moon: Oct. 6, 2025 Beaver Moon: Nov. 5, 2025 Cold Moon: Dec. 4, 2025 This article originally appeared on The Providence Journal: When is the next full moon? Here's when to look for July's Buck Moon
