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Puerto Rico authorities said Friday that nearly half of power customers in the U.S. territory still lack electricity more than three months after Hurricane Maria, sparking outrage among islanders who accuse the government of mismanaging its response to the Category 4 storm. Officials said 55 percent of the nearly 1.5 million customers have power, marking the first time the government has provided that statistic since Maria hit on Sept.
Sen. Marco Rubio speaks at a press conference about the ongoing relief efforts in Puerto Rico following Hurricane Maria at the Capitol Building in Washington, U.S., September 26, 2017. The Republican Party passed sweeping tax reform last week, which is largely expected to boost the U.S. economy through several business-friendly initiatives, but one prominent senator thinks the bill may go a little too far in helping America's biggest corporations.
The federal government typically spends up to $150,000 apiece - not counting utilities, maintenance or labor - on the trailers it leases to disaster victims, then auctions them at cut-rate prices after 18 months of use or the first sign of minor damage, the Associated Press has learned. Officials have continued the practice even amid a temporary housing shortage in Texas, where almost 8,000 applicants are still awaiting federal support nearly four months after Hurricane Harvey landed in the Gulf Coast.
In this Nov. 15, 2017 photo, some roofs damaged by the whip of Hurricane Maria are shown still exposed to rainy weather conditions, in San Juan, Puerto Rico. The Department of Homeland Security's internal watchdog says his office will be investigating how a tiny Florida company won more than $30 million in contracts for desperately needed relief supplies following Hurricane Maria.
Jaime Almanzar, 54, and his seven family members have been living at the motel in Victoria for the past four months since Hurricane Harvey. Almanzar can't afford to repair his damaged two-bedroom home and is working odd jobs every day for food and basic necessities.
Inocencia Rivera, mother of Eduardo Gonzalez, a man who committed suicide three weeks after the passage of Hurricane Maria, stood on her balcony, surrounded by small, solar powered Christmas lights and a Puerto Rican flag in Morovis, Puerto Rico. MOROVIS, Puerto Rico>> Three days before Christmas, Doris Martinez and daughter Miriam Narvaez joined their neighbors in a line outside city hall in Morovis, a town of 30,000 people still living without electricity in the mountains of central Puerto Rico more than three months after Hurricane Maria battered the U.S. island.
Three days before Christmas, Doris Martinez and daughter Miriam Narvaez joined their neighbours in a line outside city hall in Morovis, a town of 30,000 people still living without electricity in the mountains of central Puerto Rico more than three months after Hurricane Maria battered the U.S. island. They waited two hours under the searing sun for their twice-a-week handout - 24 bottles of water and a cardboard box filled with basic foods such as tortillas, canned vegetables and cereal.
The tax bill due for final passage Wednesday could be as damaging to Puerto Rico's economy as Hurricane Maria was. Provisions of the legislation aimed at bringing operations and jobs back to the United States from overseas would apply to Puerto Rico just as they would to India, Ireland or any other foreign jurisdiction.
Metro Orlando was ranked as one of the nation's hardest places to find affordable housing before Hurricane Maria slammed into Puerto Rico three months ago, and tens of thousands of residents started leaving the island for Central Florida. Many are now living temporarily with family or friends, but are understandably impatient to move into their own homes.
I've heard those three words repeated in the mountains of Puerto Rico, amid the wreckage of Big Pine Key and from the mayor who thinks his Texas town may die. I've heard them spat in anger and mumbled in resignation and from California, you can hear them choked through smoke and fear in real time as 2017 explodes the ranks of America's fastest growing demographic: Disaster survivor.
Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, R-Ky., accompanied at right by Secretary for the Majority Laura Dove, walks to the chamber as Republicans in the House and Senate plan to pass the sweeping $1.5 trillion GOP tax bill on party-line votes, at the Capitol in Washington, Monday, Dec. 18, 2017. WASHINGTON - House Republicans on Monday unveiled an $81 billion disaster aid package to help hurricane-ravaged communities and states hit by wildfires, almost double the amount requested by President Donald Trump.
This photo taken last month in San Juan, Puerto Rico, shows roofs damaged by Hurricane Maria and the interior of buildings still exposed to the elements. Carlos Giusti/AP hide caption This photo taken last month in San Juan, Puerto Rico, shows roofs damaged by Hurricane Maria and the interior of buildings still exposed to the elements.
Texas has been awarded billions in federal aid to help recover from Hurricane Harvey and the devastating flooding that followed, but it's unclear how the state is spending its share of the money. Disaster recovery experts say the lack of transparency in Texas could hinder coordination, encourage fraud and squander an opportunity not only to rebuild after one of the country's costliest natural disasters, but also to mitigate the risks of the next monster storm.
Republicans are hesitant to switch from our winner-take-all state laws allocating electors to the electoral college to using the National Popular Vote. The National Popular Vote Plan would award all of a state's electors to the candidate who wins the most popular votes in all fifty states.
In this Nov. 17, 2017, file photo, George Dorsey walks through his hurricane-damaged home in Houston. If House Republicans have their way, victims of hurricanes in Texas and Florida could deduct their losses on their taxes.
Uh-oh. Chelsea Handler tweeted a video that insulted Sarah Huckabee Sanders' appearance, but fans tore into Chelsea for being a 'bully' and a hypocrite! "Get the ' Sarah Huckabee Sanders' look," Chelsea Handler , 42, tweeted on Dec. 7, linking to a video featuring comedian Emily Fortune Feimster , 37, pretending to be the 35-year-old White House Press Secretary.
Lying to the FBI has consequences : What does a 21-year veteran of the FBI make of General Michael Flynn pleading guilty to the bureau? Jeff Ringel, director of the Soufan Group and a former FBI supervisor, joined "Salon Talks" to discuss what the implications are for Flynn. Watch it here .
Or just CLICK THIS LINK to start shopping for anything. Don't worry - anything you buy through it will pay Daily Pundit a commission! Thanks! Puerto Rico Gov. Ricardo Rossello last month asked federal taxpayers to shell out $94 billion to pay for the territory's recovery from Hurricane Maria - then turned around and paid out about $100 million in Christmas bonuses to government employees on the island.
Count Gov. Cuomo among the Democratic leaders who are responding to the truculent mood sweeping the party's base by serving up tough, pointed critiques of the Republican leadership in Congress and the White House. "In my opinion, the federal government should be ashamed of itself," Cuomo thundered from a podium at Kennedy Airport, condemning the Trump administration's response to the devastation in Puerto Rico caused by Hurricane Maria.
Ventura County fire officials say the blaze broke out Monday east of Santa Paula, a city of 30,000 people abo... The Supreme Court is taking up the highly anticipated case of the Colorado baker who refused to make a wedding cake for a same-sex couple. The Supreme Court is taking up the highly anticipated case of the Colorado baker who refused to make a wedding cake for a same-sex couple.