Is Statehood the Answer to Puerto Rico's Problems?
Julia Keleher defends closing schools on the island, federal disaster favors the rich and more...
→ Advocates see Puerto Rican Statehood as a Way to Fix its Problems
Lawmakers have once again introduced legislation to grant statehood to Puerto Rico. (Jeff Stein / The Washington Post)
→ Donald Trump Has Lost His Mind On Puerto Rico
In this video by the Young Turks, John Iadarola discusses President Trump’s refusal to send more aid to Puerto Rico. (John Iadarola / The Young Turks)
→ Striking Defiant tone, Julia Keleher Defends her Tenure in Puerto Rico
Julia Keleher, who stepped down last week as Puerto Rico’s Secretary of Education, said she closed schools on the island because “somebody had to be the responsible adult in the room.” Keleher, who is not from Puerto Rico, continued: “Has anyone ever felt like a minority in a situation? By your voice, by your demographic? That feeling of ‘other’ is difficult.” (Matt Barnum / Chalkbeat)
→ How Federal Disaster Money Favors The Rich
"Those families who are more apt to be able to respond to that [funding] will do so quickly, will do so more efficiently and the funds will be available on a first come, first serve basis.” – Kathy Payton, director of the Fifth Ward Community Redevelopment Corp. in Houston (Rebecca Hersher and Robert Benincasa / NPR)
→ Telemundo, NBCU Nets Go Dark on Liberty Puerto Rico
Local Puerto Rican cable provider Liberty Puerto Rico says that NBCU is attempting to almost double retransmission rates, meaning the provider may drop NBC and its other networks like Telemundo. (Jon Lafayette / Broadcasting Cable)
→ Yale and the Puerto Rican Debt Crisis
In December, 48 Yale University students received citations for attempting to protest Yale’s investments in Puerto Rican debt. (Nick Tabio / Yale Daily News)
→ Comedian's Off-Broadway Show Explores What it Means to be Puerto Rican and American
“‘Made in Puerto Rico’ started with wanting to share some of the stories about growing up in Puerto Rico that I missed, but also growing up in the U.S. We live in in both worlds. ... We express ourselves in both languages.” – Comedian Elizardi Castro (Maria Santana / CNN)