Newsmakers | WPRI 12 News

This week on Newsmakers: Keith Hoffmann, a Democratic candidate for attorney general, announces his newly launched campaign, the abrupt exit of rival Bob Craven, the Trump administration and more; then, Tim White and Ted Nesi are joined by The Providence Journal's Patrick Anderson to break down a big week in local news.

This week on Newsmakers: Tim White and Ted Nesi are joined by 12 News political analyst Joe Fleming and political strategist Cara Cromwell to break down the early weeks of the Rhode Island governor's race, the coming contest for attorney general, the Jimmy Kimmel controversy and more.

This week on Newsmakers: state Rep. David Morales discusses his newly launched Democratic campaign for Providence mayor, police funding, pensions, ICE and more; then, R.I. Republican Party Chairman Joe Powers and R.I. Young Republicans Chairman Ken Naylor Jr. discusses the assassination of Charlie Kirk and the outlook for the 2026 election locally.

This week on Newsmakers: Democratic candidate for governor Helena Foulkes discusses her newly launched campaign, the Washington Bridge, criticism over opioids, jobs, the Charlie Kirk assassination, and more.

This week on Newsmakers: a political potpourri. First, Ted Nesi sits down one-on-one with Congressman Seth Magaziner to discuss his work to ban members of Congress from trading stocks. Next, an encore of Kim Kalunian's live interview with Gov. Dan McKee. Then, Tim White is joined by Eli Sherman for a look at the battle between New England leaders and President Trump over the Revolution Wind project.

This week on Newsmakers: Tim White and Ted Nesi are joined by 12 News political analyst Joe Fleming and political strategist Cara Cromwell to examine the outlook for Rhode Island's 2026 primary election one year out.

This week on Newsmakers: Ted Nesi talks one-on-one with Rhode Island Public Expenditure Council President and CEO Michael DiBiase about a big new report on why state spending is going up so much; plus, 12 News reporter Alexandra Leslie looks at the life of Providence Municipal Court Judge Frank Caprio, who has died at age 88.

This week on Newsmakers: Secretary of State Gregg Amore discusses navigating the Trump administration, the ILO lobbying investigation, the State Archives, his political future and more; then, Tim White takes a fresh look at the 1975 Bonded Vault heist that marked a key moment in the history of the New England Mafia.

This week on Newsmakers: New Bedford Mayor Jon Mitchell discusses the first months of South Coast Rail, controversy over the police department, political controversies, the proposed waste processing facility and more.

This week on Newsmakers: 12 News anchor Kim Kalunian sits down with R.I. Department of Transportation Director Peter Alviti to discuss summer construction season, the Washington Bridge project, truck tolls and more; plus, an encore presentation of Kim's live interview with Gov. Dan McKee from the July 29 edition of 12 News at 4.

Retired federal court judge Nancy Gertner analyzes a recent U.S. Supreme Court decision that effectively ended nationwide injunctions, the Trump administration's stance with the judicial branch, and discusses the difficulty for judges in sentencing criminal defendants.

This week on Newsmakers: Tim White and Ted Nesi are joined by 12 News political analyst Joe Fleming and The Boston Globe's Steph Machado to break down the new Pell Center poll of Rhode Island voters and look ahead to next year's election.

This week on Newsmakers: Greg Cornett, president of Rhode Island Energy, explains what went wrong with its IT systems after the July 3 thunderstorm, how the utility is preparing for the future, the impact of state mandates on customer bills and more.

This week on Newsmakers: United Way of Rhode Island President and CEO Cortney Nicolato discusses how the organization is dealing with federal funding cuts, a new state law on nonprofit executive pay, and how a salt mine in Georgia helps cover United Way's overhead; then, 12 News anchor Mike Montecalvo talks one-on-one with Roman Catholic Bishop of Providence Bruce Lewandowski about his new appointment.

This week on Newsmakers: House Speaker Joe Shekarchi, D-Warwick, responds to Governor McKee's criticism of the budget bill, explains his decision on the assault weapons law, shares his latest thinking on a run for governor and more.

This week on Newsmakers: Tim White and Ted Nesi are joined by The Providence Journal's Patrick Anderson and Rhode Island Current's Nancy Lavin to break down the $14.3 billion state budget and peel back the curtain on the closing week of this year's General Assembly session.

This week on Newsmakers: Cindy Coyne, a newly announced Democratic candidate for lieutenant governor, discusses why she's running; then, Tim White and Ted Nesi are joined by political strategist Cara Cromwell to break down some of the latest headlines.

A new book explores how the wealthy and politically powerful have attempted to leverage the courts to chill press freedoms. This week: New York Times Deputy Investigations Editor David Enrich, author of 'Murder the Truth: Fear, The First Amendment, and a Secret Campaign to Protect the Powerful'

This week on Newsmakers: Attorney General Peter Neronha talks about his sweeping new health care proposals, his political future, litigating against the Trump administration, the Aaron Thomas case and more.

This week on Newsmakers: Tim White and Ted Nesi are joined by Target 12's Eli Sherman and Alexandra Leslie to break down the week in the news, including flag and budget controversies at Providence City Hall, the U.S. House reconciliation bill, next year's World Cup and more.

This week on Newsmakers: Senate President Val Lawson and Senate Majority Leader Frank Ciccone make their first appearance since winning the race to succeed the late Dominick Ruggerio. The two Democrats discuss their backgrounds, their policy priorities, the budget, the proposed Assault Weapons Ban Act and much more.

Reporters Tim White, Eli Sherman and Amanda Milkovits break down testimony in the criminal trial of Aaron Thomas, including testimony from the defendant. This episode was recorded on location from outside Washington Superior Court in South Kingstown.

This week on Newsmakers: Lt. Gov. Sabina Matos reveals she almost stepped down from her position two years ago amid the signature scandal that derailed her campaign for Congress in a one-on-one with Kim Kalunian; then, state Sens. Val Lawson and Frank Ciccone were elected as senate president and majority leader, respectively, after the death of Senate President Dominick Ruggerio.

This week on Newsmakers: Dr. Mariah Stump and Dr. Thomas Bledsoe of the Rhode Island Medical Society discuss the closure of Anchor Medical and how to address the state's primary care crisis; plus, Kim Kalunian talks one-on-one with House Speaker Joe Shekarchi.

This week on Newsmakers: Tim White and Ted Nesi are joined by The Providence Journal's Patrick Anderson and Rhode Island Current's Nancy Lavin to break down the week in the news, including tariffs and the stock market, the closure of Anchor Medical, State House happenings, the state's new Catholic bishop and more.

URI President Marc Parlange joins us to talk about the state of higher education and the school's recent achievements. In the second half, Eli Sherman and Tim White look at the Aaron Thomas trial underway in Washington County Superior Court.

This week on Newsmakers: Rhode Island Congressman Seth Magaziner discusses President Trump's first two months in office, the Signal chat scandal, divides among Democrats, his change of plans on moving to his district and more.

This week on Newsmakers: Tim White and Ted Nesi are joined by The Boston Globe's Steph Machado for a look at the latest headlines; then, a preview of next week's special coverage commemorating the 70th anniversary of WPRI 12, featuring vintage clips from Newsmakers' nearly half-century on the air

This week on Newsmakers: Brown Health CEO John Fernandez and Care New England CEO Dr. Michael Wagner discuss their opposition to the governor's budget bill, how to get more Medicaid funding for Rhode Island, the future of their hospitals and more.

This week on Newsmakers: Marc Dunkelman, a fellow at Brown University's Watson Institute, discusses his new book "Why Nothing Works" and what Democrats need to do to run government more effectively; plus, Tim White and Ted Nesi are joined by 12 News political analyst Joe Fleming to break down Gov. Dan McKee's campaign launch video.

This week on Newsmakers: Senate Minority Leader Jessica de la Cruz and House Minority Leader Mike Chippendale discuss their legislative priorities at the State House, the GOP's ongoing struggles in Assembly races, the first month of the new Trump administration and more.

This week on Newsmakers: Rhode Island Congressman Gabe Amo discusses how Democrats are handling the new Trump administration, pushback from both sides of the aisle, the upcoming budget fight and more.

This week on Newsmakers: Housing Secretary Deborah Goddard discusses the state's new goal for adding more houses and apartments, how she'll address community opposition, the pallet shelters and more; plus, Kim Kalunian's one-on-one interview with Gov. Dan McKee about President Trump, Hasbro, his reelection and more.

This week on Newsmakers: Maj. Gen. Christopher Callahan sits down with 12 News anchor Kim Kalunian for an exit interview during his final days leading the Rhode Island National Guard; then, Tim White and Ted Nesi are joined by The Providence Journal's Patrick Anderson to break down how the local congressional delegation is responding to President Trump's early moves.

This week on Newsmakers: Attorney General Peter Neronha discusses his office's early legal challenges against the new Trump administration on federal funding and immigration, as well as the future of Roger Williams and Fatima hospitals, the Washington Bridge, politics and more.

This week on Newsmakers: Bristol County Sheriff Paul Heroux discusses President Trump's new policies on immigration, how his agency currently handles the issue, politics and more; then, Kim Kalunian talks one-on-one with former White House press secretary Sean Spicer about what he expects from the new administration.

This week on Newsmakers: Tim White and Ted Nesi are joined by The Boston Globe's Steph Machado and The Providence Journal's Patrick Anderson for a reporters' roundtable on Gov. Dan McKee's State of the State speech and his newly release $14 billion state budget bill.

This week on Newsmakers: House Speaker Joe Shekarchi and Majority Leader Chris Blazejewski discuss the new General Assembly session, the budget deficit, housing and homelessness, truck tolls, the Washington Bridge, politics and more.

This week on Newsmakers: Warwick Mayor Frank Picozzi discusses his recent reelection victory, the funding crisis in the city schools, new housing construction, the airport and more; then, Target 12's Eli Sherman joins Tim White and Ted Nesi to discuss the cyberattack on a state IT system.

This week on Newsmakers: a New Year's reporters roundtable looks back at the top local news of 2024 and ahead to what will make headlines in 2025. Ted Nesi is joined by Dan McGowan, Antonia Noori Farzan and Ian Donnis.

The U.S. Department of Justice announced a sweeping civil case against CVS this week, alleging unlawful prescriptions that fueled opioid crisis. Rhode Island U.S. Attorney Zachary Cunha talks about that case, his future as new presidential administration is poised to take over, and what he expects with a Trump-era DOJ.

This week on Newsmakers: Rhode Island Foundation President and CEO David Cicilline discusses the organization's newly released five-year plan, his priorities for 2025, politics and more; plus, Attorney General Peter Neronha talks to Kim Kalunian about the Washington Bridge, his political future and more.

This week on Newsmakers: former Bristol County Sheriff Thomas Hodgson, the honorary Massachusetts chairman of President-elect Trump's campaign, discusses the incoming administration's immigration policy and why Trump did so well in Bristol County; plus, Target 12's Eli Sherman and Globe RI's Steph Machado join Tim White and Ted Nesi to discuss the one-year anniversary of the Washington Bridge closure and the Providence Place mall's turnaround plan.

Roger Williams University School of Law Professors Nicole Dyszlewski and Natasha Varyani discuss their research into racial covenants and redlining, and how the practices permanently shaped neighborhoods across the Northeast. Then R.I. Community Food Bank CEO Andrew Schiff discusses the latest "Hunger in Rhode Island Status Report" report that shows an increase in food insecurity in the state.

This week on Newsmakers: Providence Mayor Brett Smiley discusses the city's $15 million settlement with the state over school funding, a looming tax hike, the city's financial stability, the slow rollout of pallet shelters in the city, Gina Raimondo's future and more.

This week on Newsmakers: U.S. Sen. Jack Reed discusses President-elect Trump's initial cabinet appointments, his concerns about the military under the new administration, Democrats' election loss, his 2026 reelection campaign and more.

This week on Newsmakers: Tim White and Ted Nesi are joined by 12 News political analyst Joe Fleming and political strategist Cara Cromwell to break down Donald Trump's victory on Tuesday as well as his gains locally, the results for Congress, and what happens next.

This week on Newsmakers: Senate President Dominick Ruggerio sits down with 12 News politics editor Ted Nesi to discuss his health, his political future and shaking up his leadership team; then, 12 News political analyst Joe Fleming and Boston Globe reporter Steph Machado join Tim White to break down the news of the week and look ahead to Election Day.

This week on a special edition of Newsmakers: a debate between the two candidates running for Cranston mayor, Republican incumbent Ken Hopkins and Democratic challenger Robert Ferri.