By Claire Galofaro 15 October 2017 PORT ARTHUR, Texas (Associated Press) – Jefferson County, Texas, was drowned by more than 60 inches of rain during Hurricane Harvey, which left wide swaths of the county in ruins. Last November, Jefferson flipped from voting Democratic in presidential elections to instead back Donald Trump, who has dismissed the […]
By Paige Winfield Cunningham 16 October 2017 (The Washington Post) – The government’s response to Hurricane Maria in Puerto Rico — and how Americans perceive it — perfectly illustrates how President Trump puts his administration on the defense by failing to tame his tweets.The United States has dispatched to Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin […]
By Aaron Blake 12 October 2017 (The Washington Post) – President Trump seemed to hint early Thursday that the federal government could pull out of helping Puerto Rico before the recovery is finished. And just hours later, a new poll showed what a bad idea that was.Quinnipiac University is providing some of the first full-scale […]
By Aída Chávez 13 October 2017 (The Intercept) – Nestled in the $36.5 billion disaster relief package the House of Representatives approved Thursday is $5 billion specifically for Puerto Rico to maintain basic government function after being devastated by two hurricanes, as economic activity on the island has come to a near standstill, and tax […]
By Sandra Lilley , Suzanne Gamboa, Daniella Silva, and Carmen Sesin 13 October 2017 (NBC News) – President Donald Trump’s Twitter comments on Thursday threatening to pull federal resources from Puerto Rico as the U.S. territory grapples with the lack of basic necessities elicited shock and alarm on the island and the mainland.San Juan Mayor […]
By Emily Flitter 8 August 2017 NEW YORK (Reuters) – As the U.S. growing season entered its peak this summer, farmers began posting startling pictures on social media: fields of beans, peach orchards and vegetable gardens withering away. The photographs served as early warnings of a crisis that has damaged millions of acres of farmland. […]
By Hannah Northey 13 October 2017 (E&E News) – President Trump’s nomination of a former Texas regulator who’s touted the benefits of carbon dioxide to lead the Council on Environmental Quality is being praised by industry but derided by environmentalists as “creative evil” and a “nightmare scenario.” If confirmed by the Senate, Kathleen Hartnett White […]
By Cristina Marcos 12 October 2017 (The Hill) – Legislation to provide $36.5 billion in aid for communities affected by recent wildfires and hurricanes, including Puerto Rico, secured widespread support in the House on Thursday save for 69 Republicans. The votes in opposition included many members of the conservative House Freedom Caucus, who believe government […]
WASHINGTON, 12 October 2017 (Associated Press) – President Donald Trump lashed out at hurricane-devastated Puerto Rico on Thursday, insisting that federal help will be limited and blaming the U.S. territory for its financial struggles. The broadside came as the House headed toward passage of a $36.5 billion disaster aid package, including assistance for Puerto Rico. […]
By Eliza Barclay and Alexia Fernández Campbell 11 October 2017 (Vox) – Death tolls are the primary way we understand the impact of a disaster. And for nearly two weeks after Hurricane Maria hit Puerto Rico, as a humanitarian crisis was intensifying, the death toll was frozen at 16.“Sixteen people certified,” Trump said on 3 […]
