Author: Trish

New Figures Now Reveal More Than 5,000 Were Killed When Maria Hit Puerto Rico

Trish

As we debate whether the numbers of people who were killed when Hurricane Maria hit Puerto Rico in September, 2017 were deliberately under-reported or just badly counted, there’s one thing Trump knew. It was nothing compared to a “real catastrophe like Katrina.”

Even as Trump made that insulting comment the following month, average Puerto Ricans were certain that many more than the 16 people he touted had been lost.

A new study from the New England Journal of Medicine estimates the actual death toll to be closer to 5,000. Even worse, “one third of the deaths were attributed to delayed or interrupted health care.”

Hurricane Katrina, which hit South Florida and Louisiana in August, 2005, resulted in 1,833 fatalities.

Trump made no secret he considered money spent in Puerto Rico to be both unnecessary (since he believed it to be full of non-citizens) and an annoyance. Could his attitude have led to a tightening of the purse strings that contributed to the death toll?

Bigly in the Extreme

Trish

“One tragicomic element of Trump’s presidency is that the more he tries to tear down Obama’s legacy, the bigger he makes Obama look.”

— Ben Rhodes, former Obama Administration foreign policy advisor, reacting to Trump’s announcement that the United States will no longer participate in monitoring Iran’s nuclear program.

It’s Not Your Imagination — Gas Prices Are Higher Under Trump

Trish

Take a look at this graph from AAA and you might think, “Yes, the price of gas seems high but it’s not the highest it’s been lately. Look how high it was in June of 2015! And how about September of 2017? Thanks Obama!”

Hold on. While it’s true that the price at the pump always goes up in the summer, look at each of the past Januaries. Now are you feeling worried? You probably should be.

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