puerto rico political crisis

How bad is your state’s Covid-19 outbreak? Roman Catholic Diocese v. Cuomo is one of the most significant religion cases in the past 30 years. Then Hurricane Maria came that September and made everything worse. He is promoting the position of being the 51th State in the United States of America… but without the positive or negative decision of the American Congress.From an economic point of view, Puerto Rico is another State that suffers the consequences of the austerity policy. But there still appears to be no consensus. Rosselló couldn’t get government employees back to work and had no plan to get food and water to Puerto Rican families trapped on remote parts of the island. By Ed Morales Consumer goods giant Procter & Gamble Company and drug makers Pfizer and Teva Pharmaceutical Industries were among the many companies that closed Puerto Rican factories after the tax incentive was repealed. The solution of the crisis of Puerto Rico is very complicated.From a political point of view, Governor Roselló brokered a referendum about the legal relationship with United States that remains unsettled. Democracy Now! This is more than twice the amount given to Texas & Florida combined. Right now, it doesn’t. But in the meantime, virtually few legal scholars or the media are recognizing Pierluisi as the governor, and you have this situation where the Senate does not recognize him as the governor. Sign up for the The Obama-era Promesa oversight board — which acts like a controlling parent — is expected to submit its latest plan to a federal judge in August. Before 1898, the people of Puerto Rico had Spanish citizenship; after Puerto Rico stopped being part of Spain, the people of Puerto Rico had neither independent nor colonial citizenship. So who’s in charge of Puerto Rico right now? Puerto Rico has lost about 10% of its population over the last decade, sparking an economic crisis that worsens by the day. Which gave Trump more ammunition to criticize Puerto Rico. Federal watchdog says “substantial likelihood of wrongdoing” at US broadcasting agency, Rudy Giuliani’s bizarre legal strategy, in two clips. In the Republican primary that year, Florida Sen. Marco Rubio won all 23 delegates. Trump didn’t visit the island until three weeks after the storm hit, and once he was there, he downplayed the severity of the storm and accused Puerto Rico of costing the government too much money. Please consider making a contribution to Vox today, from as little as $3. “I reiterate, I have no interest in occupying the position of governor,” Vázquez said Sunday on Twitter. Unemployment is at 7.7 percent, nearly double the national rate, and 44 percent of residents live in poverty. At the end of the Spanish–American War in 1898, Puerto Rico was ceded to the United States. We do not accept funding from advertising, underwriting or government agencies. The governor at the time, Aníbal Acevedo-Vilá, was arrested too (though he was acquitted during trial). For example, about 58,800 voters in Puerto Rico cast ballots during the June 2016 Democratic primary. Frustrated voters kicked the party out of office in 2009, but the pro-statehood party has its own corruption problems now. The statehood movement has been building support since Hurricane Maria, but it’s not like Congress was about to admit Puerto Rico into the union. There are at least two reasons Puerto Rico’s political problems persist. It was all by the power of people. Then, three days later, investigative reporters on the island published leaked Telegram app messages that showed Rosselló and his inner circle joking about casualties from Hurricane Maria and ridiculing political rivals with violent, homophobic, and sexist language. “La Fortaleza”) and local congressional seats in the 2020 election. So what does this all mean? For example, the estimated 1.2 million Puerto Ricans who live in Florida are an important voting bloc in a super-competitive state. That would do more damage to the statehood movement than anything else. The Political Crisis in Puerto Rico A leaked group chat involving the governor set off protests demanding his resignation. And unlike last time, voters weren’t willing to wait around until the next election to show their frustration. JUAN GONZÁLEZ: Well, yes. Religious conservatives have won a revolutionary victory in the Supreme Court. No questions about how to fortify the island’s fragile power grid. But the political crisis in Puerto Rico is not limited to narrowing options for political and economic projects for the Popular Democratic Party. This shouldn’t come as a surprise. And he never misses a chance to let Puerto Ricans know he’s still upset about it. He also made a cruel comment about hurricane victims when someone in the group chat asked about the budget for forensic pathologists. So even though 97 percent of voters chose statehood, fewer than a quarter of registered voters turned out to the polls, part of a boycott from the anti-statehood political groups, including a small number who favor full independence from the US. Espero que el señor Gobernador identifique y someta un candidato para el puesto de Secretario/a de Estado antes del 2 de agosto y así se lo he manifestado. Hundreds of thousands of Puerto Ricans had blocked the main avenues in San Juan, calling for Rosselló to step down after a series of corruption and social media scandals rocked the administration. The political factions in Puerto Rico group themselves around the issue of its political status. They’re bearing the burden of Puerto Rico’s bankruptcy, the lingering economic recession, and the botched response to Hurricane Maria. A 2018 survey shows that the largest group of Puerto Ricans who live there favor statehood, followed by those who would prefer to remain a US territory. For days, the hashtags #RickyRenuncia (#RickyResign) were trending on Twitter, then #RickyRenunció (#RickyResigned) was soon trending too. Justice Department Secretary Wanda Vázquez, the FBI arrested a dozen government officials, tourists booked at least 185,788 hotel rooms and other accommodations, has treated disaster victims in Puerto Rico far differently, academic research later suggesting that 3,000 to 4,000, fewer than a quarter of registered voters, Why the CDC changed its Covid-19 quarantine guidelines, Joe Biden is taking office amid a poverty crisis, The Armenia and Azerbaijan war, explained. AMY GOODMAN: They have to approve the governor? They do pay payroll taxes to fund Social Security and Medicare. Puerto Rico is worse off than any US state. Is he legally able to hold office? ”Now that we are on the subject, don’t we have some cadavers to feed our crows?” he wrote in an apparent reference to government critics. When Rosselló finally announced his decision to step down, Puerto Ricans living on the US mainland expressed nothing but deep pride for the historic moment. Puerto Rican residents and businesses must comply with federal laws, with few exceptions, which is why the FBI has jurisdiction on the island. In these times of COVID-19, climate chaos and elections, independent news is more important than ever. Several others have ruled themselves out until Puerto Rico holds elections in 2020. From a purely political perspective, ignoring Puerto Rico is a big mistake. Experts say the island’s economic crisis is rooted in[PDF] twentieth century legislation that encouraged Puerto Rico’s reliance on debt to fill federal funding gaps. For more than a week, hundreds of thousands of protesters stormed the streets, demanding that the governor of Puerto Rico step down. There is tremendous power in understanding. San Juan Mayor Carmen Yulín Cruz also sued after his swearing-in. The anti-government protests in San Juan inspired similar protests in New York and Orlando, both of which have large Puerto Rican communities. If you visit us daily or weekly or even just once a month, now is a great time to make your monthly contribution. You turn to Democracy Now! 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So he’s got all kinds of conflicts that make him unlikely to be supported by the majority of people to remain as interim governor. There's power in understanding. is a 501(c)3 non-profit news organization. These are some of the leaked chat messages at the center of Puerto Rico's political crisis. So we’re going to have to wait and see what happens. That could help resolve the issue for once and for all. Many people ran out of food and water within days. During the first Democratic presidential primary debates earlier this month in Miami, moderators and Democrats on the stage basically ignored Puerto Rico. So, there are two lawsuits, but I think the Supreme Court is hearing the Senate’s lawsuit. Over the years, Congress has ceded small amounts of autonomy to Puerto Rico, which now operates as a quasi-state. For example, the last time the anti-statehood party was in power in 2008, the FBI arrested a dozen government officials on charges of money laundering and campaign finance violations. What in the world is happening in Puerto Rico? The island ended up pledging 37 delegates to Hillary Clinton and 23 to Bernie Sanders. Politico ran a good piece that sums up the different reactions. But he’s also the brother-in-law of the chairman of the PROMESA board, the financial control board that is running Puerto Rico. I’m Amy Goodman, with Juan González, as we end today’s show looking at the political crisis in Puerto Rico. This is a rush transcript. Farmers say it will cause their ruin. It has an independent elected local government but not all the power and benefits of being a state — including a lack of real representation in Congress. AMY GOODMAN: This is Democracy Now!, democracynow.org, The War and Peace Report. Me reitero, no tengo interés en ocupar el puesto de Gobernadora. The island gets limited funding for Medicaid and food stamps. The past 24 hours in Trump’s legal issues and pardon news, explained. I’m very proud to be Puerto Rican!! This is a challenging time for us all, but if you're able to make a donation, please do so today. The biggest political crisis in the history of the island of Puerto Rico is in full effect. They created numerous tax breaks for investment in Puerto Rico, then repealed them, driving up its debt. The law did not exempt Puerto Rico, even though it’s an island in the Caribbean and can’t get anything trucked in. We rely on contributions from our viewers and listeners to do our work. The officials, former Education Secretary Julia Keleher and Ángela Ávila-Marrero (former chief of Puerto Rico’s Health Insurance Administration), are accused of funneling the government contracts to businesses they had personal ties to. Why Assassination of Top Iranian Nuclear Scientist Could Tie Biden’s Hands in Future Talks. More importantly, he blames Puerto Ricans for the negative media coverage he received in the hurricane’s wake, which often compared his administration’s reaction to George W. Bush’s botched response to Hurricane Katrina in Louisiana. The outcry has brought the island to a crossroads. The government of Puerto Rico was unprepared too. Two government officials who were part of the chat — the secretary of state and a government representative on the bankruptcy oversight board — have since resigned, leaving two key positions unfilled. Countless government leaders have pleaded guilty to charges accusing them of accepting bribes and giving government contracts to businesses they favor. The Federal Emergency Management Agency did send thousands of emergency responders, but they were unprepared for the task. The Puerto Rican flag is seen outside the Governor's residence as Puerto Ricans vote in the general election in San Juan, Puerto Rico on November 03, 2020. Get our newsletter in your inbox twice a week. The current administration of Gov. This is most notably the case for the Puerto Rican Independence Party (PIP) and the larger Puerto Rican independence movement. Obama said “defund the police” is a bad slogan. He claimed a successor, Pedro Pierluisi, who was not the secretary of state as per the Constitution, but he named him secretary of state to be able to succeed him. They basically said —. It all started on July 8th, when an unsourced leak revealed Puerto Rico’s Governor Ricardo Rossello, along with about a dozen other government officials, used inappropriate language within a Telegram group chat. On Monday, the Puerto Rican Senate sued to block the appointment of Pedro Pierluisi as the new governor following Ricardo Rosselló’s resignation last week. Instead of acknowledging the deaths, Trump is angry that Puerto Ricans have criticized him. AI has cracked a problem that stumped biologists for 50 years. Demanding Rosselló’s resignation was, in a sense, a demand for respect and ethical government. The territory’s constitution also allows Puerto Rico to balance it… So far, that hasn’t happened, but two elected officials in his party are reportedly jockeying for the position, according to El Nuevo Día newspaper. And they’re claiming they do, that they have to — no, they have to approve Pierluisi as the secretary of state, which they have not done. Presidential candidates may be ignoring the island, but Puerto Rican voters are not. Stay safe, wear a mask and thank you so much.-Amy Goodman. Both are party insiders who were reportedly weighing a primary run against Rosselló in 2020. JUST WATCHED But over the weekend, the woman in line to replace him, Justice Department Secretary Wanda Vázquez, said she doesn’t want the position. In April 1900, President William McKinley signed the Help keep Vox free for all by making a contribution today. Rosselló’s pro-statehood New Progressive Party and its rival, the anti-statehood Popular Democratic Party, both bear much blame for driving the US territory’s economy into the ground while doing little to ease widespread poverty. We rely on contributions from our viewers and listeners to do our work. But it’s nowhere near enough to lift up the economy enough to pay off the government’s debts. The agency delayed crucial reconstruction aid to Puerto Rico and hired inexperienced contractors to send much-needed supplies, including one company that failed to deliver thousands of meals. While members of both parties have long vowed to support whatever Puerto Ricans want, it’s still unclear whether a majority wants statehood. That’s partly because there is no defined process for statehood. We rely on contributions from you, our viewers and listeners to do our work. It will likely include more unpopular austerity measures, such as cuts to pensions and benefits for public-sector workers, and more budget cuts to public education. Copy may not be in its final form. Also, despite what Trump says in his tweet, the US has not given $92 billion in hurricane relief to Puerto Rico. Other political forces face similar pressures. SAN JUAN, Puerto Rico (AP) — A Puerto Rico judge issued search warrants for the cellphones of government officials involved in a crude and offensive online chat whose leak has set off a political crisis that threatens to bring down the U.S. territory’s governor. But he argues that he is in the line of succession for governor after being nominated as secretary of state by Rosselló last week. Trump administration to place new restrictions on billions in aid for Puerto Rico amid island’s political crisis President Trump and Gov. Australia released a report on alleged war crimes in Afghanistan. South Korea just changed a longstanding military law for the sake of BTS. It’s time for that to end.” The party is pushing a decentralized, democratic model based in part on protests that University of Puerto Rico students staged in 2017 against tuition hikes. By Ray Sanchez, CNN. An independent bankruptcy-like court operating under the Promesa Act has been helping Puerto Rico restructure its debt, and board members asked Rosselló to come up with a new, post-hurricane fiscal proposal. We speak with Democracy Now! The education secretary, for example, was accused of giving charter school contracts to businesses she favored, even though they had less experience than other businesses that bid on the contract. That’s largely a result of the Merchant Marine Act of 1920, also known as the Jones Act, which requires companies to hire US-based shipping crews to transport goods between US ports instead of letting them hire crews who offer the best price. Congress also made it more expensive to live and do business in Puerto Rico for most of its history as a US territory. Yet the government is still operating under strict federal fiscal oversight as part of the bankruptcy, which has brought punishing austerity measures. We count on YOU to make our work possible. Puerto Rico’s estimated 59 delegates outnumber those in more than half of US states. Another reason there’s no immediate impact: A statehood bill — introduced in June 2018 by Puerto Rico’s nonvoting member of Congress, Jenniffer González-Colón — doesn’t have enough support to pass the House. But now that he has agreed to go, no one seems to know who will replace him. A spokesperson told me last week that nothing about the plan has changed as a result of the political drama. President Trump is still really upset that Puerto Ricans haven’t shown him the respect he thinks he deserves after Hurricane Maria hit in 2017. I know the people of Puerto Rico well, and they are great. Well, Pierluisi spent the whole weekend meeting with agency heads and other government officials but did not make any public appearances. So they’re claiming that he’s not officially the governor, and they have now gone to court, to the Supreme Court of Puerto Rico, which has told both sides to come in with their legal briefs by noon today, so that the Supreme Court will then look at the briefs and supposedly make a decision within the next few days. #RickyRenunció pic.twitter.com/mF8OHjPFEY. In many ways, the federal government expects Puerto Rico to act like a US state. There were no questions about the US territory’s debt crisis. Telegramgate, also known as Chatgate, or RickyLeaks, was a political scandal involving Ricardo Rosselló, then Governor of Puerto Rico, which began on July 8, 2019, with the leak of hundreds of pages of a group chat on the messaging application Telegram between Rosselló and members of his staff from his term. He had a law firm that was representing — that was doing work for the PROMESA board, and he also was a lobbyist for AES Corporation, a Virginia-based company that was polluting Puerto Rico with coal ash from their plant in the southern part of Puerto Rico. That turned out to be false, with academic research later suggesting that 3,000 to 4,000 people died as a result of the storm. because you trust that when we're reporting on the pandemic or the uprisings against police brutality—or the climate crisis—our coverage is not brought to you by the fossil fuel, insurance or weapons industries or Big Pharma. While those contracts do not involve hurricane relief aid, the arrests raise questions about whether or not the Puerto Rican government can be trusted with billions of dollars in federal hurricane recovery grants. No questions about the island’s high poverty rate. India says its new laws will modernize agriculture. They may not be able to vote in the general election, but they will certainly have a say in the primary race. Well, at 5 p.m. Friday, Governor Rosselló officially resigned. With the exception of Castro and Sen. Elizabeth Warren, who’ve made campaign stops in San Juan, the Democratic candidates vying for the White House have made minimal efforts to address the issues that Puerto Ricans care about. Puerto Rico is facing an existential crisis of sorts, but the way islanders have responded to that crisis is nothing short of remarkable. Hurricane Maria’s Category 4 winds flattened homes across Puerto Rico and left everyone without power, causing the largest blackout in US history. This is viewer supported news. The million people who marched to kick out Rosselló are US citizens. Our Daily Digest brings Democracy Now! Instead, Vázquez asked Rosselló to appoint a new secretary of state before he leaves office, so that person can then take his place as governor. Then, starting in 1996, Congress began to remove a tax-incentive program to encourage investment in Puerto Rico, prompting US companies to leave the island, taking jobs with them. The United States then refused to pay the colony's creditors, asserting they held odious debt. The Senate then met on Monday and did not vote. The federal government has treated disaster victims in Puerto Rico far differently than other US disaster victims, even though federal law views Puerto Rico as a US state in the event of a natural disaster. In the chat message scandal, Rosselló and his allies were mostly insulting Puerto Rican politicians and celebrities, such as San Juan Mayor Carmen Yulín Cruz and pop icon Ricky Martin. In fact, Puerto Rico was only mentioned once during the back-to-back debates. The political crisis in Puerto Rico continues as its Senate has sued against the appointment of Pedro Pierluisi as the new governor following Ricardo Rosselló’s resignation last week. Beginning with Christopher Columbus's arrival on the island in 1493, Spain colonized Puerto Rico. A financial contribution to Vox will help us continue providing free explanatory journalism to the millions who are relying on us. Pierluisi was sworn in despite not having been confirmed by the Puerto Rican Senate. “Political parties have centered their programs on status preferences and not on developing an economic and sustainability plan for Puerto Rico. We talked to Massol-Deyá, a 2019 Grist 50 Fixer, about his latest project, why energy independence means political power, and how Puerto Rico is … co-host Juan González for his analysis of the current political climate. Since 1917, lenders to Puerto Rico have been exempt from local, state, and federal taxes—the so-called triple tax exemption—effectively boosting their profits and making the island a more attractive investment. Puerto Ricans are American citizens, but they generally don’t pay federal income taxes if they live and work on the island (unless they are federal employees). The 3 million Americans who live on the island, which is a United States territory, are going through a lot: a lingering economic crisis, a government bankruptcy, the aftermath of a deadly hurricane, and now a major political scandal. The law makes it harder for Puerto Ricans to buy food, gas, and basic consumer goods from the mainland — and for US companies to operate there. The electoral outcomes If everyone who visits our website gave just $8, we could cover our operating costs for 2021. All this points to one fact: No one knows if the chaos will help or hurt the statehood movement in the long run. Why tens of thousands of farmers are blocking roads into India’s capital city. That move, which coincided with the Great Recession, collapsed the territory’s tax base and led the Puerto Rican government to issue even more bonds and rack up massive debt to pay its bills. We’ve answered some of the questions on your mind. Taking the job is “political suicide”, says Carla Minet, the chief editor of the CPI . A smaller number favor full independence from the US. Not only can millions of Puerto Ricans who live on the island vote in the primaries, but there are also millions who live on the US mainland who can vote during the general election. Puerto Rico: How a series of leaked text messages sparked a political crisis. But only the House, the House of Representatives of Puerto Rico, voted by one vote, by a one-vote majority, to approve Pierluisi. But Puerto Rico’s recent economic crisis makes the issue more urgent than ever to resolve. The electric utility company took nearly a year to reconnect everyone to the power grid. Please do your part today. It’s unlikely Democrats will try to pass the statehood bill without a referendum vote that meets federal standards. One possibility is that the new pro-statehood administration will focus on government ethics reform and organize another referendum vote on the statehood issue before the 2020 election. His resignation represents a historic moment for Puerto Rico — it’s the first time that a governor has been pushed out of office without an election. And why does it matter? Author Anne Helen Petersen on why millennials have internalized the worst parts of their condition. But the corruption and political chaos could end up damaging the trust of the New Progressive Party beyond repair, leading it to lose the governor’s mansion (a.k.a. It’s all understandably confusing. to your inbox each morning. ....of which was squandered away or wasted, never to be seen again. The corruption scandal, which involves mismanaged government contracts, has more to do with Hurricane Maria than the chat message one. Sobrino Vega, the former chief financial officer, joked about shooting Yulín Cruz, who is a critic of Rosselló’s administration. Vox answers your most important questions and gives you clear information to help make sense of an increasingly chaotic world. The secretary of justice is the next in line, but Justice Secretary Wanda Vázquez says she’s not interested. Ricardo Rossello of Puerto Rico in … After 12 days of massive anti-government protests, Puerto Rico’s embattled governor, Ricardo Rosselló, announced last week that he will resign. Really—that’s all it would take. Earlier this month, the FBI arrested two former cabinet officials in Rosselló’s government as part of a corruption probe over their handling of $15.5 million in post-hurricane contracts.

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