Happy Tuesday! I'm Dan McGowan, and the Celtics shot the basketball like an 11-year-old rec team last night. Follow me on X (Twitter) @DanMcGowan, on Bluesky @danmcgowan, or send tips to
dan.mcgowan@globe.com.
Attorney General Peter Neronha has now joined more than a dozen federal lawsuits against the Trump administration, challenging issues like birthright citizenship, a freeze in federal funding, and cuts to K-12 education and AmeriCorps.
The latest lawsuit came Monday when Neronha was among 19 attorneys general to sue the Trump administration in US District Court in Providence arguing that the US Department of Health and Human Services has been unlawfully “dismantled.” My colleague Christopher Gavinhas the full story here.
Neronha’s office was doubly busy on Monday because it also joined a lawsuit filed in Massachusetts challenging the Trump administration’s funding freeze on wind energy.
The attorney general’s office has made it easy to track each lawsuit here, but here’s an overview.
Birthright Citizenship
In February, a federal judge in Boston blocked an order by President Trump that would end birthright citizenship for American-born children of immigrants who are in the country illegally or temporarily, becoming the fourth judge to bar its enforcement while a flurry of lawsuits challenging its constitutionality are pending.
Federal Funding Freeze
A judge in Rhode Island granted a temporary restraining order against President Trump’s federal funding freeze, halting the implementation of the administration’s sweeping ideological review of spending.
DOGE
There are two DOGE-related lawsuits, one in New York and one in New Mexico.
In New York, a federal judge in Manhattan extended a ban on Elon Musk’s Department of Government Efficiency accessing sensitive Treasury Department information, but rejected broader restrictions.
NIH Indirect Costs
In March, A federal judge issued a nationwide preliminary injunction blocking the Trump administration from slashing National Institutes of Health payments for research overhead, a decision that suggests plaintiffs seeking to overturn the sweeping policy change are likely to eventually succeed.
Federal Workers
In April, the Supreme Court blocked an order for the Trump administration to return to work thousands of federal employees who were let go in mass firings aimed at dramatically downsizing the federal government.
Department of Education
Twenty states filed a lawsuit in March to stop the Trump administration from dismantling the US Department of Education, two days after half of the agency’s staff were laid off as part of sweeping cuts to the agency.
Public Health Funding
In April, a federal judge said she will temporarily block President Donald Trump’s administration from cutting billions in federal dollars that support COVID-19 initiatives and public health projects throughout the country.
Elections
In April, a judge blocked the Trump administration from immediately enacting certain changes to how federal elections are run, including adding a proof-of-citizenship requirement to the federal voter registration form.
NIH Research Grants
Rhode Island is among 17 states that filed suit challenging delays in the review of NIH grant applications and the termination of already-issued grants.
Libraries, Museums, and Workers
In April, 21 attorneys general filed suit in federal court in Rhode Island over drastic cuts made to three agencies that help oversee funding for museums and libraries, seek to support minority-owned businesses, and resolve labor disputes peacefully.
K-12 Funding
In April, 19 attorneys general challenged the the U.S. Department of Education’s threat to withhold federal funding from state and local agencies that refuse to abandon programs and policies that promote equal access to education in K-12 classrooms across the nation.
AmeriCorps
In April, two dozen states filed suit over dramatic cuts to AmeriCorps, alleging the Trump administration is trying to "dismantle" the volunteer service organization as part of its sweeping federal cost-cutting campaign.
HHS
Attorneys general from 19 states and Washington, D.C., filed a federal lawsuit on Monday arguing the Trump administration unlawfully “dismantled” the US Department of Health and Human Services through restructuring that has halted crucial public health initiatives from programs monitoring maternal and newborn health to continuing care for 9/11 first responders and survivors.
Wind Energy
A coalition of state attorneys general filed a lawsuit Monday against President Donald Trump’s attempt to stop the development of wind energy.
The 1846 governor's election was one of the closest in Rhode Island history, and neither candidate received the majority of the vote needed to win the office. What happened? (You can find the answer below.)
Do you have the perfect question for Rhode Map readers? Don't forget to send the answer, too. Shoot me an email today.
The Globe in Rhode Island
⚓ Former North Kingstown High School basketball coach Aaron Thomas testified on Monday that he was performing body composition testing on student-athletes through 2020 — two years after the superintendent at the time told him to stop. Read more.
⚓ The 305-year-old First Unitarian Church of Providence is confronting its history of benefiting from the slave trade as part of an inquiry launched during its 300th anniversary celebration in 2020. Read more.
⚓ For six decades, Rhode Island‘s Route 4 has lacked two key ramps in its interchange with Interstate 95, costing commuters time and clogging local roads with traffic around Warwick, West Warwick, and East Greenwich. Now that's slated to change. Read more.
⚓ There were three people who appeared on every episode of “Rowan and Martin’s Laugh-In” and the prime-time special that kicked it off: the comedy team of Dan Rowan and Dick Martin (it was their show, after all), and the series’ unsung heroine, Ruth Buzzi. Buzzi, a Westerly native, died Thursday. She was 88. Read more.
You can check out all of our coverage at Globe.com/RI
Also in the Globe
⚓ The Trump administration on Monday issued a new ultimatum to Harvard University in its escalating feud over federal funding and oversight of academic affairs at the Ivy League university in Cambridge. Read more.
⚓ The Boston Globe was a finalist for three 2025 Pulitzer Prizes — for public service, editorial writing, and illustrated reporting and commentary — award organizers announced Monday. Read more.
⚓ This Dan Shaughnessy sentence sums up everything you need to know about Game One of the Celtics/Knicks last night: "It was as if the Celtics put the Red Sox bullpen in charge of their third-quarter, 20-point lead." Read more.
⚓ The US Small Business Administration and Skills for Rhode Island’s Future are holding the Small Business Empowerment Summit all day at Crowne Plaza.
⚓ The special legislative commission that is studying renewable energy meets at 2 p.m. Here's the agenda.
⚓ The state Board of Elections is meeting at 2 p.m. to schedule a special election in Senate District 4 following the death of Senate President Dominick Ruggerio.
🏆 Pop quiz answer
On April 1, 1846, Byron Diman narrowly defeated incumbent governor Charles Jackson at the polls, but neither candidate earned at least 50 percent of the vote. The General Assembly backed Diman, and made him the 18th governor.
RHODE ISLAND REPORT PODCAST Ed Fitzpatrick talks to our colleague Amanda Milkovits about her latest story on a widowed father battling his wife's parents over child visitation rights. Listen to all of our podcasts here.
Please tell your friends about Rhode Map! They can sign up here. The Globe has other email newsletters on topics ranging from breaking news alerts to sports, politics, business, and entertainment –
check them out.
Boston Globe Media Partners thanks its sponsors for supporting our newsletters. The sponsoring advertiser does not influence or create any editorial content for this newsletter. If you are interested in advertising opportunities, please contact us here.
You are receiving this because you signed up for Rhode Map. Unsubscribe if you no longer wish to receive this newsletter.
