Tag Archives: Puerto Rico

The Independent reports: Donald Trump on Friday claimed he was the “best thing that ever happened to Puerto Rico,” despite personally blocking funding to the U.S. territory for years, even as the island tried to rebuild from the devastation of Hurricane Maria in 2017. “I have to say in a very nice way, very respectful way, I’m the best thing …

The Daily Beast reports: President Trump once asked aides if he could sell Puerto Rico and buy Greenland instead, according to former Department of Homeland Security official Miles Taylor, who told MSNBC on Wednesday that he heard the remarks directly in Aug. 2018, when officials were regularly going to Puerto Rico to coordinate hurricane recovery efforts. “One time before we …

From a New York Times interview with former Acting Homeland Security Sec. Elaine Duke: She said that as Hurricane Maria approached Puerto Rico and Ms. Duke argued for an emergency declaration before its landfall, Mick Mulvaney, then the president’s budget director, resisted. The next day, Ms. Duke said she was pleased when the president himself expressed concern about the people …

The Atlanta Journal-Constitution reports: The Georgia Department of Driver Services has agreed to make it easier for Puerto Ricans and applicants from other U.S. territories to get driver’s licenses under the terms of a federal lawsuit settlement announced Monday. The department agreed to allow residents from the territories — who are U.S. citizens — to transfer their driver’s licenses to …

The Miami Herald reports: Most Democrats running for president have tip-toed around the issue of Puerto Rican statehood, saying they want Puerto Ricans to decide whether or not the U.S. territory becomes the country’s 51st state. But Michael Bloomberg is going further. The former New York mayor and 2020 presidential candidate broke with most of the Democrats vying for the …

CNN International reports: A 6.4-magnitude earthquake rocked Puerto Rico early Tuesday morning, just one day after a 5.8 magnitude quake shook the island, according to the US Geological Survey. The 6.4 quake struck at 3:24 a.m. local time about 6 miles south of Indios, Puerto Rico, the USGS said. The mayor of Guayanilla, just north of Indios, reported damage to …

CBS News reports: A 6.0-magnitude earthquake struck near Puerto Rico late Monday, scaring and rousing many from their sleep in the U.S. territory. The U.S. Geological Survey said the quake hit 49 miles off the island’s northwest coast at a shallow depth of 6 miles. Three aftershocks, with magnitudes of 4.7, 4.6 and another of 4.6, hit within less than …

The Hill reports: President Trump on Wednesday criticized the mayor of San Juan, Puerto Rico, as the island braced for a tropical storm nearly two years after it was devastated by Hurricane Maria. San Juan Mayor Carmen Yulín Cruz, a vocal critic of the president and the administration’s response to Hurricane Maria, said Tuesday night that Trump should “get out …

The Weather Channel reports: Tropical Storm Dorian is pelting the Lesser Antilles with heavy rain and gusty winds this morning, and the storm could go on to impact Puerto Rico, the Dominican Republic, The Bahamas and possibly Florida over the next several days. Dorian’s center passed near the south coast of Barbados late Monday night, producing a wind gust to …

It’s another “pity the fact checkers” kind of day. With Puerto Rico under a hurricane watch on Tuesday, President Donald Trump complained about “yet another big storm” heading toward the U.S. territory and lamented how much aid Congress had previously allocated for recovery, using an inflated figure. As he has in the past, Trump dramatically overstated how much money Congress …

The New York Times reports: It started as a headline seemingly straight out of The Onion. Then it unleashed a torrent of jokes on late-night television and social media. And finally it exploded into a serious diplomatic rupture between the United States and one of its longtime allies. In the latest only-in-Trumpland episode skating precariously along the line between farce …

The Washington Post reports: The governor of Puerto Rico announced late Wednesday that he will resign effective Aug. 2, amid intense pressure from inside and outside his government, after a series of leaked chat messages denigrating his opponents and Hurricane Maria victims triggered outrage from frustrated citizens who had taken to the streets for 13 consecutive days of protests. Ricardo …

The Associated Press reports: Waving flags, chanting and banging pots and pans, tens of thousands of Puerto Ricans jammed a highway Monday to demand the resignation of Gov. Ricardo Rosselló in a crisis triggered by a leak of offensive, obscenity-laden chat messages between him and his advisers. The demonstration appeared to be the biggest protest on the island in nearly …

Bloomberg reports: Puerto Rico Governor Ricardo Rossello’s promise not to seek re-election was meant to mollify citizens of the bankrupt commonwealth after reams of embarrassing texts leaked from his administration. On Sunday night, many said Rossello was merely postponing his well-deserved exit. After days of protests, residents of San Juan poured into the colonial quarter to celebrate his retreat — …

NPR reports: Some of Puerto Rico’s biggest stars rallied a crowd of many thousands in San Juan on Wednesday, calling on the island’s governor, Ricardo Rosselló, to resign. It was the fifth day in a row of protests in the U.S. territory, following a leak of hundreds of pages of misogynistic and homophobic texts between the governor and his main …

CBS News reports: There are new calls this morning for the governor of Puerto Rico to resign, after leaked conversations reveal his part in a profane and derogatory group chat. The island has struggled to recover from Hurricane Maria in 2017, and Governor Ricardo Rosselló’s administration has been plagued by scandals involving funding. Two of Rosselló’s top officials stepped down …

NBC News reports: Puerto Rico Gov. Ricardo Rosselló backed down from a “religious liberty bill” after international star Ricky Martin published an open letter Thursday slamming the legislation that would exempt government employees from serving constituents if they believe it clashes with their religious beliefs. “As a defender of human rights and a member of the LGBT community, I am …

The Associated Press reports: Boston Red Sox manager Alex Cora will not attend the ceremony at the White House on Thursday honoring the 2018 World Series champions. Cora cited the Trump administration’s response to Hurricane Maria in his native Puerto Rico as the reason for his decision. “The government has done some things back home that are great, but we …

The Washington Post reports: White House spokesman Hogan Gidley twice referred to Puerto Rico as “that country” during a television appearance Tuesday in which he defended a series of tweets by President Trump lashing out at leaders of the U.S. territory. “With all they’ve done in that country, they’ve had a systematic mismanagement of the goods and services we’ve sent …

The Hill reports: President Trump on Tuesday blasted politicians in Puerto Rico, calling them incompetent while saying the “best thing” that ever happened for the island is “President Donald J. Trump.” Trump has reportedly told senior administration officials that he believes Puerto Rico should not see any more federal aid other than food stamp funding and has reportedly directed aides …