Ian Donnis

House Speaker Gordon Fox – one of the most powerful people in state government – wants to defer to “the entire General Assembly” on whether the state should consider defaulting on the moral obligation bonds for 38 Studios.

The move comes after Fox, during a taping of a televised debate last Friday, said considering defaulting on the bonds is “an option.”

A new spot by David Cicilline hits back against a recent attack by the National Republican Congressional Committee and similar messages from Brendan Doherty’s campaign, like this:

Meanwhile, Doherty and Cicilline will square off at 7 tonight in a one-hour debate cosponsored by ABC6, RI Public Radio and the League of Women Voters. It will be simulcast on RIPR.

State Representative Spencer Dickinson (D-South Kingstown), who wrote a well-publicized letter condemning House Speaker Gordon Fox’s leadership style, is slated on Wedneday to endorse Fox’s opponent, Mark Binder, according to Binder’s campaign.

Dickinson is set to back Binder during a Wednesday appearance at Laurelmead and also stump with him at the Jewish Community Center, Binder’s campaign says.

Providence Journal management and the Providence Newspaper Guild are expected to conclude talks aimed at averting layoffs by the end of the month, although the outlook remains unclear, says Guild president John Hill.

Governor Lincoln Chafee has said he won’t even consider defaulting on the bonds for 38 Studios, and state Treasurer Gina Raimondo says the state should honor the bonds.

New Hampshire has just four electoral votes — the same puny number as Rhode Island. Yet the neck-and-neck race between President Obama and Mitt Romney has sparked a situation in which the Granite State, as Politico noted, could punch above its weight in presidential politics.

New Hampshire offers the closest opportunity for Ocean State partisans who want to get involved in Romney-Obama race beyond writing a check.

Welcome back to my Friday column. Your tips/thoughts are welcome at idonnis (at) ripr (dot) org. Let’s get to the list.

House Speaker Gordon Fox and his legislative opponent, Mark Binder, squared off during a taped debate this morning on WPRI/WNAC-TV’s Newsmakers.

The topics included Fox’s campaign contributors, Rhode Island’s economy, 38 Studios, same-sex marriage legislation, last year’s pension overhaul, and much more. The skirmish is expected to be their last debate, following one earlier this week, before Election Day.

Second District Democratic Congressman Jim Langevin is up with his first TV commercial against Republican challanger Michael Riley. It uses Riley’s self-description as a Wall Street-type and links him with Mitt Romney.

Jennifer Duffy of the Cook Political Report says a presidential cliffhanger — like  when Al Gore won the popular vote in 2000, but lost the Electoral College to George W. Bush — isn’t out of the question next month.

During a taping today of RIPR’s Bonus Q+A (airing Friday at 6:40 and 8:40 am), she said: