This screenshot shows that searches for the answer to the question, “Who is the president of Puerto Rico?” peaked last fall right after Hurricane Maria’s catastrophic landfall in Puerto Rico. It also shows that people are still looking for the answer to that question. So who is the president of Puerto Rico? As of this… Read more »

Puerto Rico Resident Commissioner Jenniffer Gonzalez Colon touted support of her recently introduced Puerto Rico admission legislation this morning from the floor of the United States House of Representatives.  Her unofficial remarks are copied below: On June 27, I was joined by more than 40 members of this house in introducing H.R. 42 — 6246,… Read more »

In the video below, a drunken Timothy G. Trybus harasses a woman wearing a shirt showing the flag of Puerto Rico. He steps into her personal space and speaks to her in offensive terms. She asks a nearby police officer, identified as Patrick Connor, to remove him. Governor Ricardo Rossello has asked that the police… Read more »

The National Hurricane Center is reporting that Beryl is no longer forecast to be hurricane strength as it approaches land, and it has been downgraded to a tropical storm.  Yet the threat of flooding remains considerable and wind damage with related power outages are also possible given Puerto Rico’s fragile electric grid. The Guajataca Dam,… Read more »

Beryl started off as a tropical depression and within 18 hours was classified as a hurricane. By now, Beryl is  a Category 1 Hurricane heading for the Lesser Antilles. What does that mean? Hurricane categories Hurricanes are sorted into categories, from Category 1 to Category 5. Hurricane Maria was a Category 5 hurricane that dipped… Read more »

Puerto Rico made headlines after Hurricane Maria hit the Island last September. Millions of Americans were surprised to learn that Puerto Rico is a territory of the United States and that Puerto Ricans are U.S. citizens. Awareness of these facts, according to polls in the States, went from less than half to 76% within a… Read more »

The Earned Income Tax Credit is a program that rewards low income working families for staying employed. This program has proved effective in lifting families out of poverty. The funds it provides are used for college tuition, car repairs, and other expenses that can help poor households increase their income and make their jobs more… Read more »

The Council for Citizens Against Government Waste (CCAGW) sent a letter to the House of Representatives today, urging Members of Congress to support H.R. 6246, the Puerto Rico Admission Act of 2018. “In order to fix Puerto Rico’s unstable fiscal course,” the letter states, “efforts should be made to clear a path to statehood. Positioning… Read more »

First-time candidate Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez has unseated Joe Crowley (D-NY), a member of Democratic House leadership, who has been representing parts of the Bronx and Queens since the 20th century. Ocasio-Cortez is part of Puerto Rico’s diaspora, born in New York but still having family on the Island. She is the first candidate to challenge Crowley… Read more »

by Howard Hills A recent scholarly legal commentary in a prestigious law journal by Puerto Rico Federal District Court Judge Gustavo Gelpi helps clarify Puerto Rico’s political status dilemma. Distilled to its essence, Puerto Rico and Congress must make a choice between statehood or independence, because the current status is not fair or mutually beneficial… Read more »