PROVIDENCE – Call it a pivotal moment for the future of reality TV, in which dreams and nightmares may both come true.

And, no, it’s not about the pending launch of “The Real Housewives of Rhode Island,” the TV show that the Bravo network has described as being about "a tight-knit circle of Rhode Islanders who have deep community roots and families that go back generations.”

The Bravo publicity blurb continued: “With aspirational lives, thriving businesses and tangled family dynamics, these long friendships prove that in a state this small, there’s no escaping your past… or each other.”

Rather, to judge from President Donald Trump’s rambling performance in delivering a commencement speech on Saturday, May 25, to graduating West Point cadets, it seems to have revealed the full measure of Trump’s rapid cognitive decline.

In his speech, Trump attacked the concept of older men marrying trophy wives. Really? Talk about projective identification.

Trump then advocated a national policy of “peace through strength,” sounding remarkably as if he had borrowed the phrasing from George Orwell’s “1984” political satire, where “war is peace, freedom is slavery, and ignorance is strength.”

No one should be surprised if, in the next few weeks, President Trump were to succumb to a cerebral stroke, the cause of which would be revealed to be his affliction from serious chronic health conditions.

If and when Trump were to become incapacitated from such a stroke, the false narratives and web of lies and deceit that the President has reveled in promoting would probably collapse under their own weight.

All the disruption, and all the threats, and all of Trump’s corrupt men and women wouldn’t be able to put his false narrative back together again.

Following Trump’s demise, there needs to be hope that the United States will return to being a democratic nation of laws. Unfortunately, today, we seem to be a nation governed by lies and artifice, by false narratives, and by manipulative news releases.

The question is: Where can we find hope to persevere?

•    Time and again, as ConvergenceRI has reported, R.I. Attorney General Peter Neronha and his legal team have been in the forefront when serving as the state’s public health advocate, keeping their eyes on the prize.

Last week, AG Neronha and his legal team held a news conference to announce a legal settlement with Barletta Heavy Division to force them to pay $11 million to resolve its violations of Rhode Island solid waste laws by unlawfully dumping tons of contaminated fill during the construction of the Route 6/10 interchange.

The bulk of the financial settlement – some $10 million – will be used to improve the dental health of the state’s children, through a fund administered by The Rhode Island Foundation.

Neronha’s vision of legal intervention offered a potent antidote to Trump’s braggadocio: “Too often, I’ve seen the illegal and immoral decisions of bad actors lead to bad outcomes for Rhode Island’s predominately black and brown communities, with children being one of the most vulnerable groups within these communities,” AG Neronha said in the news release. “For that reason, these funds will be immediately put into action to address immediate health care needs of Providence children. This includes the urgent need to provide access to dental care for children. Whether it’s enforcing lead poisoning prevention laws, fighting for clean air and water for our communities, or working to protect safety-net hospitals, my office has prioritized giving our children a fighting chance, and we will continue to do so.”

In the news release, David Cicilline, president and CEO of the Rhode Island Foundation, praised the Attorney’s effort to focus on health disparities. “Building and sustaining healthy and strong communities is central to our work,” he said. “Focusing the funding on neighborhoods where health disparities are high won’t just close gaps in access to care; the benefits will spill over into their everyday lives. Children who are healthy can concentrate on school, enjoy play and contribute to their communities, creating pathways to a brighter future.”

How dire is the current situation about the lack of dental care for many of Rhode Island’s children? According to the R.I. Department of Health, one in three kindergartners and almost half of all third-graders in the state experience tooth decay – a situation that is particularly dire in Providence. According to data collected by Dr. Greg Stepka during the 2023-2024 school year, more than one in four Providence elementary and middle students had unmet dental care needs, like deep cavities and gum infection, and 520 students required urgent care for abscesses, tooth decay, and infections – a 56 percent rise in the number of severe cases from the prior year, according to the news release.

Moreover, the news release continued, multiple studies have highlighted oral health disparities by socioeconomic status, race, and ethnicity. Children attending schools with more than 75 percent of their students eligible for free or reduced school meals,, including many in the Providence  Public School District, are twice as likely to have untreated tooth decay than those in wealthier districts.

•    The Rhode Island Foundation, under the leadership of David Cicilline, is serving as yet another source of hope and inspiration through its targeted philanthropy during these troubled times under Trump.

In December of 2024, the Rhode Island Foundation unveiled its Five-Year Action plan, what it called an “ambitious blueprint for hope.”

In its recent annual report, the Rhode Island Foundation gave voice to the power of its own philanthropic intervention. “Thanks to the generosity of our donors, we awarded $86 million in grants to approximately 2,500 nonprofit organizations; two-thirds of which were donor-directed, and one-third of which was directed through the Foundation’s community investments programs.”

The team at the Rhode Island Foundation, the introduction to the annual report said, “…continues to focus on careful endowment stewardship. At the end of 2024, total assets stood at approximately $1.5 billion, and our total fund investment return for the year was 10.5 percent. In addition, we raised $59 million in new gifts.”

In many ways, the introduction continued, “Our work is more relevant than ever. That is why we are reimagining how philanthropy can address our shared challenges and prove that generosity is more than just a donation – it’s a strategic investment in our collective future, that will stand the test of time, bridge divides, and create meaningful progress in an increasingly complex world.”

To meet the needs of all Rhode Islanders.    
The Rhode Island Foundation also made it perfectly clear that there is cause for hope, despite the challenges. “National, and local, transitions of power have a real impact on the day-to-day lives of all Rhode Islanders, and on the organizations that help support thriving communities,” the Foundation said. “From the uncertainty many experience during times of transition, to navigating complex conversations about the challenges we all face—as the state’s only community foundation we have chosen and will continue to choose a singular, purposeful response: meeting the needs of all Rhode Islanders.” 

Further, the Rhode Island Foundation made clear its intentional philanthropy. “Our future isn’t predetermined. It’s constructed, brick by brick, gift by gift, grant by grant, opportunity by opportunity. The Foundation’s work is grounded in partnerships with individuals, nonprofits, businesses and civic leaders who have come together for over a century to create a better Rhode Island. And as challenging as the obstacles ahead may feel—we have cause for hope.”

• The outspoken role of our Congressional delegation in opposing Trump, in particular Sen. Jack Reed and Sen. Sheldon Whitehouse, is the kind of political courage and leadership that will help Rhode island navigate the treacherous waters of a post-Trump world.

"This is the most deliberately damaging bill to the economy and to our health care system that I’ve ever seen,’ Sen. Reed said in a news conference held Friday, May 23, in Cranston, in response the U.S. House passing by a one-vote margin Trump’s “big, beautiful bill.”

“Under the House Republican bill, roughly 40,000 Rhode Islanders will be kicked off their health insurance,” Sen. Reed declared. Stay tuned.

Editor’s Note: ConvergenceRI wishes Benedict Lessing, president and CEO of the Community Care Alliance, a speedy recovery from burns suffered in a recent accident. Lessing told ConvergenceRI: “The Burn Unit at Rhode Island Hospital has provided excellent care and is a ‘jewel’ in our health care system.”