We already know that the Bush White House is the most secretive administration since that of President Nixon. But here's some news for those chatting on talk-radio yesterday about President Bush's sincerity or how he's "keeping us safe" -- a viewpoint at odds with that of our own federal government:

In the run-up to the Fourth of July, you can't ask the leader of the free world even an innocuous question without having your press credential quickly taken away.

URGENT: PLEASE CALL THE CITY TO KEEP BRADFORD STREET OPEN AND KEEP OUR NEIGHBORHOOD WALKABLE, BIKEABLE AND HUMAN SCALE

A day after federal immigration legislation fell apart, William "Terry" Gorman, the founder of Rhode Islanders for Immigration Law Enforcement, also made an appearance on Newsmakers, for the show to be broadcast Sunday.

Gorman, the subject of a profile last Sunday by Karen Lee Ziner, was ecstatic about the collapse of the immigration bill.

As the ProJo's Daniel Barbarisi made clear a few months back, Providence Mayor David N. Cicilline's budget was overly rosy, since it included no money for expiring contracts for four city unions and counted on the General Assembly supporting a series of new targeted fees. The latter didn't happen, and, as could be anticipated, new contracts will almost certainly come with new costs.

Last week in the Phoenix, Mary Ann Sorrentino wrote that police cheaters don't deserve pensions:

The Providence Journal quoted Police Chief Dean Esserman as asking the Retirement Board to “do justice” by revoking Prignano’s pension. The story did not mention, however, whether the pensions of other officers associated with the cheating scandal will also be reviewed.

In his latest roundup on the prospective Providence mayoral field for 2010, RI Future's Matt Jerzyk interestingly includes the name of General Treasurer Frank Caprio. Perhaps, with a potentially crowded gubernatorial field on the Democratic side, Caprio is keeping his options open. Speaking of the gubernatorial field, AG Patrick Lynch hasn't helped himself with his quickly rescinded threat not to sign off on the state tobacco bond money.

[A balky server at the office has delayed my blogging for the day, but here goes . . . ]

This question, in the aftermath of the General Assembly's passage of the budget last week, is the guiding frame for a rountable published in today's Phoenix:

At a time when most state budgets are flush with surpluses, Rhode Island’s fiscal house remains in disrepair.

From today's New York Times:

Young Americans are more likely than the general public to favor a government-run universal health care insurance system, an open-door policy on immigration and the legalization of gay marriage, according to a New York Times/CBS News/MTV poll. The poll also found that they are more likely to say the war in Iraq is heading to a successful conclusion.

Playing to a military audience, as with the president's trip to Newport, spares him the likelihood of facing criticism over the war in Iraq. It's getting harder not to notice, though, when people like Senator Richard Lugar, the ranking Republican on the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, and someone whom the New York Times calls "a steadfast supporter," parts company with the administration:

UPDATE: Here are the details on tomorrow's planned protest:

Peace activists from around the state are planning to hold an antiwar rally at 11:00 AM near the rotary on Connell Highway in Newport at Admiral Kalfbus Road. The rotary is close to the main entrance to the naval base where President Bush will be speaking that morning.

The Phoenix reported earlier this year on how a statewide wireless network, the first in the nation, could be a boon for economic development in Rhode Island. Now, the ProJo's Tim Barmann has the details of how the progress of the network has stalled, at least for now.

A plan by the Rhode Island Economic Development Corporation to build a statewide wireless computer network is now in question after the General Assembly chose not to back a $28.

So says Anchor's Rising's Andrew Morse:

I Don’t Suppose We Can Blame This On a Lack of Local Ownership

From an unsigned editorial in today’s Projo…

It is time to consider consolidating many more town and city services regionally. To that end, it might be time to revive Rhode Island’s four counties — Providence, Kent, Bristol and Washington (aka South County) to provide local services.