1. STORY OF THE WEEK: The mid-term elections of 2026 are almost 20 months away -- and that’s an eternity in politics. But after months of soul-searching after the Democrats’ devastating loss last November, there are some glimmers of hope for the party. Most notably, liberal Susan Crawford beat conservative Brad Schimel by 10 points for a Wisconsin Supreme Court seat -- despite how Elon Musk dropped more than $20 million into the race. Closer to home, thousands of people were expected to gather at Hope High School in Providence at noon Saturday, and march to Kennedy Plaza, as part of a national mobilization with a message of “hands off” to Musk and President Trump. U.S. Sen. Cory Booker of New Jersey broke a Senate record by making a grueling 25-hour speech, part of what he called a need for “a bolder vision of who we are as a country, not just about who we're against as the other party.” On a more fundamental level, Wall Street’s intense dislike for Trump’s latest tariff initiative raises more talk about a possible recession. On the plus side for Trump, he has a few years to try to deliver on his vision of ushering in a new golden age of U.S. manufacturing. But even some Republicans think the push on tariffs is a mistake, and the many moving parts of the economy make it hard to predict whether voters will want to praise or punish Trump by November 2026.

2. TALK OF THE TOWN: More than 200 people came to the Swift Community Center in East Greenwich for a town hall staged Thursday night by U.S. Rep. Seth Magaziner. The main concern was anxiety about democracy -- and impatience about how Democrats are responding. You can read my detailed recap here. U.S. Rep. Gabe Amo also staged a town hall Thursday night, in East Providence, joined by Attorney General Peter Neronha.

3. THE BENJAMINS: If it seems like Rhode Island’s budget keeps growing by leaps and bounds, you’re not mistaken. The spending plan was $8.67 billion when Gina Raimondo signed it 10 years ago, in 2015. By contrast, the budget proposal unveiled by Gov. Dan McKee in January called for $14.2 billion in spending. So what gives? Federal funds make up about $5 billion of the budget. And as Brian Daniels, director of the state Office of Management and Budget, noted in an interview on Political Roundtable, the cost of the two biggest parts of the budget -- education and social services -- are growing faster than state revenue. Daniels said the state is trying to control expenditure growth -- a pressing need given the post-Covid era return of perennial deficits.

4. COLLEGE HILL: Brown is the latest prominent university to face a possible loss of federal funds due to the Trump administration -- potentially $510 million in Brown’s case. (More here from Lynn Arditi.) In an email Thursday, Brown Provost Frank Doyle shared this message: “I am writing because we are aware there are troubling rumors emerging about federal action on Brown research grants. We have received questions about whether the University is facing the magnitude of government actions we have seen reported at other institutions concerning interruptions or revocation of research funding. We will not repeat these various rumors, including unsubstantiated reports by online outlets, but it is important to share that, at this moment, we have no information to substantiate any of these rumors. In your respective roles as chairs and faculty directors, please share this information with your concerned faculty. We are closely monitoring notifications related to grants, but have nothing more we can share as of now.”

5. FREE SPEECH: On a related note, David Wright has an interesting story looking at how students on the right and left are testing free speech at Brown and RISD, even as colleges try to keep a low profile amid fallout from the Trump administration.

6. COMING ATTRACTION: The lieutenant governors are coming, the lieutenant governors are coming! Yes, the National Lieutenant Governors Association will be meeting in RI next week, probably with less star power than when VP Pence gave the keynote and Gov. Raimondo pitched Elon Musk on investing in the Ocean State (!) during the National Governors Association confab here in 2017.

7. SMITH HILL: Janet Coit, the former DEM director who went on to work in a top role for NOAA Fisheries, has signed on as a volunteer adviser to House Speaker Joe Shekarchi. Coit is well-liked and time will tell whether her expertise is the secret sauce that helps nudge forward progress on a bottle bill and reform of the Coastal Resources Management Council. In other Shekarchi news, the speaker is staging a town hall with Ward 3 Providence City Councilor Sue AnderBois at 6 p.m. on Monday, April 7 at Hope High School.

8. RHODE ISLAND SENATE: Senate President Dominick Ruggerio is not expected to attend session next week -- the last before lawmakers’ April break. “He is doing well,” spokesman Greg Pare said via email. “He is in constant contact by phone with his leadership team and his colleagues in the chamber. For the time being, he is going to focus on rebuilding his strength so that he can be here in person when sessions get busy.” The April break signals the approach of a more active phase of the legislative session, so all eyes will be on whether Ruggerio moves past the absences of recent weeks. The Senate did not meet this past Thursday due to what Pare called a lack of business. Via statement, Ruggerio thanked his leadership team and colleagues “for ensuring that the Senate has never skipped a beat throughout this process. We are fortunate to have an incredible team of dedicated and talented public servants in the Senate, and our important work continues to move the state forward.” 

9. SHORT TAKES: Ben Berke remembers The Mad Peck …. Congrats, Kevin McNamara …. Debate about a new RIPTA hub …. Demolition won’t eliminate the McCoy memories.

10. CREATIVE UNDERGROUND: Secret Mall Apartment brought back all kinds of memories, since I covered during my days at the Providence Phoenix the battles over the threat to the fertile hothouses represented by old mills. At one point, an unhappy Buddy Cianci called the associate publisher of the Phoenix when he didn’t like my suggestion that the city was squandering a golden opportunity. Years later, there’s poetic beauty in how Michael Townsend -- banished from Providence Place for years due to the secret apartment -- is being recognized more widely for his creativity and zest. Here’s my look at the coming together of past and present.

11. REEL LIFE: In one funny twist, Dante Bellini, who spoke for mall ownership as a PR man when the secret pad was discovered in 2007, has become a celebrated filmmaker who is collaborating with Secret Mall Apartment director Jeremy Workman on a movie shooting in South Korea (and is an associate producer on SMA). In related Bellini news, there will be a screening April 15 (reception at 6:30 p.m.) at 184 Hope St., Providence of his film Lillian, which was inspired by the memoir Breathless by Brown engineering professor Eric Chason.

12. KICKER: The seeds of my destiny as a royal rooter of the Red Sox were planted during a family trip north of Boston in 1975. I grew up as a National League partisan and a fan of the Mets, not surprising since my dad was among those left disconsolate when the Dodgers bolted Brooklyn for LA. But the children of family friends in the Bay State were abuzz about the Goldust Twins, Fred Lynn and Jim Rice, and it was hard to not appreciate their rookie season. I cheered for the Sox over the NL Reds in the memorable 1975 World Series and my bond with the team grew stronger from there. So congrats to Fred, Jim and Dewey Evans on the 50th anniversary of being part of some big times in Red Sox baseball.