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Attorney General Neronha issues statement on Rhode Island Recycled Metals Decision

This media release was first issued on Friday, December 13, 2024

PROVIDENCE, R.I. – Attorney General Peter F. Neronha today issued a statement following Superior Court Justice Brian P. Stern’s Decision on the Office’s motion seeking modification of the Special Mastership.

“Today’s decision represents a hard-fought victory for environmental protection and for the health and safety of RIRM’s surrounding communities, and I am grateful to Judge Stern for his thoughtful and thorough decision on this matter. While we still believe that a full receivership is the best path forward, we are encouraged by the significant additional safeguards provided by this decision. As a result of today’s decision, the Special Master will now have complete control and management of the site’s environmental permitting process and compliance, including site remediation and stormwater pollution prevention. Rhode Island Recycled Metals has long caused significant harm to the residents of South Providence, and more or less gotten away with it, for over 10 years. That stops now. We will continue to be vigilant in ensuring RIRM’s environmental compliance at this site and with this new Order, and we certainly won’t hesitate to take further action if necessary.”

President Trump is heading to Asia tonight. The trip includes a high-stakes sit-down with Chinese President Xi Jinping [[ she jeen-peeng ]] in South Korea. China and the U.S. have been involved in a trade standoff since Trump took office for the second time. Trump will start the trip in Malaysia, which is hosting a regional summit, then he'll go to Japan, where he'll meet the new prime minister.        President Trump's extravagant new White House ballroom is getting donations from several major tech companies. The East Wing of the White House is being demolished to make way for the 90-thousand-square-foot ballroom. CNN says the ballroom donors include tech giants Apple, Meta, Google and Microsoft; and defense contractors such as Palantir and Lockheed Martin. Billionaire donors include casino mogul Miriam Adelson, Blackstone CEO Stephen Schwarzman, and cryptocurrency billionaires Cameron and Tyler Winklevoss.        The U.S. has struck another alleged drug boat in the Caribbean Sea. Secretary of War Pete Hegseth announced the overnight strike in a post on X Friday morning. He said the boat was operated by Tren de Aragua, which has been named a Designated Terrorist Organization. All six people on board were killed. This was the tenth strike by the U.S. military on alleged drug trafficking boats.        New York Attorney General Letitia James says she's not guilty of mortgage fraud charges. A federal grand jury in Virginia indicted the Democrat earlier this month. James has said the charges are "baseless" and that Trump's only goal is political retribution. James and President Trump have traded public insults for years, especially after the Democrat won a civil fraud case against Trump. She said the charges have "angered her soul," and she promised to do her job every day while fighting them.        House minority leader Hakeem Jeffries is handing his endorsement to Zohran Mamdani for New York City mayor. He made the announcement ahead of early voting starting tomorrow. Jeffries acknowledged "areas of principled disagreement," but added Mamdani has "explicitly committed to being a mayor for all New Yorkers." The New York Congressman had faced questions for months about whether or not he would endorse Mamdani. Polls show Mamdani leading former New York Governor Andrew Cuomo and Republican candidate Curtis Sliwa.        UFC 321 kicks off tomorrow in Abu Dhabi. In the main event, heavyweight champion Tom Aspinall will face off against former interim champ Ciryl Gane [[ ser-al gahn ]]. Aspinall is making his first defense after being promoted from interim champion due to the retirement of Jon Jones. In the co-main event, Virna Jandiroba [[ VEER-nah jah-nde-ROH-bah ]] will fight Mackenzie Dern for the vacant women's strawweight championship.       

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