Puerto Rico

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Puerto Rico Has a New Governor, but There Are Already Problems

Some question legitimacy of Pedro Pierluisi, sworn in to replace Ricardo Rossello

(Newser) - Puerto Rico has a new governor, and his "unbreakable commitment" to the island is "stronger than ever." Those were the words of Pedro Pierluisi, 60, sworn in Friday to the US territory's top spot after a tumultuous month , a rep for the governor's office says,...

Puerto Rico Governor Names His Possible Successor

Whether Pedro Pierluisi will be approved by legislators remains to be seen

(Newser) - Puerto Rico's governor says he's chosen former Congress representative Pedro Pierluisi as the US territory's secretary of state. That post would put Pierluisi in line to take over as governor when Ricardo Rosselló steps down this week—but he's unlikely to be approved by legislators, reports...

Next in Line for Puerto Rico Governor: Not Gonna Happen

Justice Secretary Wanda Vázquez says she's not interested

(Newser) - The woman who is supposed to replace Puerto Rico's embattled governor announced Sunday that she doesn't want the job as the US territory reels from political crisis, the AP reports. Justice Secretary Wanda Vázquez says in a Twitter post that she hopes Gov. Ricardo Rosselló will appoint...

Puerto Rico's Next Governor Has Her Own Challenges

Wanda Vázquez could see her term complicated by criticism

(Newser) - The woman set to become Puerto Rico's next governor—and just its second female governor—has been criticized for her reluctance to confront problems in Gov. Ricardo Rosselló's administration during her nearly two years as the territory's top law enforcement official. That criticism is likely to...

Puerto Rico Governor Resigning Over Chat-Message Scandal

Ricardo Rossello will leave office Aug. 2

(Newser) - Puerto Rico Gov. Ricardo Rosselló said late Wednesday that he will resign Aug. 2 after nearly two weeks of furious protests and political upheaval touched off by a leak of crude and insulting chat messages between him and his top advisers. A crowd of demonstrators outside the governor's mansion...

Parents of Toddler Who Died in Fall: We Blame Cruise Line

Chloe Wiegand's family speaks out on 'unfathomable' loss

(Newser) - The parents who lost their 18-month-old daughter in a tragic accident aboard a Royal Caribbean cruise ship are speaking out publicly for the first time since their "unfathomable" loss. Chloe Wiegand was with her grandfather in a children's play area on the 11th story of the ship, which...

This Might Be Biggest Protest Ever in Puerto Rico

They want Gov. Ricardo Rossello to step down now

(Newser) - Thousands of Puerto Rican flags fluttered in the morning breeze as demonstrators arrived from across the island Monday for what many expected to be one of the biggest protests ever seen in the US territory, with irate islanders pledging to drive Gov. Ricardo Rosselló from office. Hundreds of thousands of...

Puerto Rico Gov. Responds to the Furor

Ricardo Rosselló will no longer lead his party

(Newser) - Puerto Rico's embattled governor says he will not seek re-election but will not resign as the island's leader, though he will step down as head of his pro-statehood party, the AP reports. Ricardo Rosselló made the announcement Sunday via a brief Facebook video as hundreds of viewers posted...

Calls Intensify for Governor of Puerto Rico to Quit

Online chats shatter the leader's image

(Newser) - In the Spanish colonial fortress that serves as his official residence, Puerto Rico's governor, Ricardo Rosselló is under siege. Motorcyclists, celebrities, horse enthusiasts and hundreds of thousands of Puerto Ricans have swarmed outside La Fortaleza (The Fort) in Old San Juan this week, demanding Rosselló resign over a series...

Puerto Rico Governor Called NYC Official a 'Whore'

Ricardo Rossello apologizes

(Newser) - Puerto Rico's governor apologized Thursday for profanity-laced comments he made in a private chat to describe a former New York City government official and a federal control board overseeing the island's finances. Ricardo Rosselló said he was working 18-hour days and releasing tensions when he called former New...

Toddler Dies After Grandfather Dangles Her From Cruise Ship

Puerto Rico authorities say the man lost his grip on Indiana girl

(Newser) - A family cruise turned tragic Sunday afternoon when an 18-month-old girl died after her grandfather dangled her outside an 11th-story window on the ship and then lost his grip. Authorities tell the AP the Royal Caribbean Freedom of the Seas was docked in San Juan, Puerto Rico, at the time....

Celeb Inspires Oprah to Send $2M to Puerto Rico

'The needs of Puerto Rico … are still very real'

(Newser) - Lin-Manuel Miranda didn't just raise $15 million for artists in bringing Hamilton to Puerto Rico . He also inspired a friend. Oprah Winfrey has donated $2 million to relief efforts in the US territory hit hard by Hurricane Maria in September 2017, reports Entertainment Tonight . "I was so moved...

WH Official: Puerto Rico Gaffe Was 'Slip of the Tongue'

Spokesman twice referred to American territory as 'that country'

(Newser) - Puerto Rico is back in the headlines this week, as President Trump lashes out at its leaders, they lash back, and the Senate tries to figure out how much aid to deliver after the devastating hurricanes of 2017. "It is a mess," says an exec with the nonpartisan...

She'll Serve Life for the Murder of Her Millionaire Husband

Aurea Vazquez Rijos was sentenced Friday

(Newser) - Wedded bliss it was not. Adam Anhang, a 32-year-old Canadian millionaire, had moved to Puerto Rico in the early 2000s intending to try his hand at property development there. The Wharton School of Business grad, who had an estimated $24 million fortune thanks in part to an online gaming company,...

Hamilton Went to Puerto Rico, With Tears and Its Original Star

Lin-Manuel Miranda reprised title role in emotional special fundraising performance

(Newser) - Lin-Manuel Miranda reprised his lead role in the hit musical Hamilton on Friday night to start a two-week run in Puerto Rico expected to raise thousands of dollars for artists and cultural groups struggling in the wake of Hurricane Maria. Miranda took the stage for the first time since his...

Scientist: Decline in Forest Insects Is 'Hyperalarming'

Numbers are down 60-fold in parts of Puerto Rico rainforest

(Newser) - The insects are disappearing from an American rainforest—and scientists say the implications are frightening. A study published this week in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences found that there has been a staggering decline of biomass in Puerto Rico's El Yunque rainforest over the last 35...

Maria Protesters Mark Anniversary With Message for Trump

Hundreds of Puerto Ricans give nod to hurricane's 1-year mark by stopping by Mar-a-Lago

(Newser) - Dozens of vehicles slowly approached President Trump's Mar-a-Lago resort in Florida on Saturday afternoon, blasting reggaeton and salsa as they drove by. They honked their horns and waved Puerto Rican flags draped from their cars on their way to a rally a few miles away to mark the one-year...

Trump Won't Back Down From Denial of Hurricane Death Toll

President's Friday tweetstorm praised FEMA, railed against Puerto Rico death toll from Hurricane Maria

(Newser) - President Trump spent much of Friday evening digging into a claim he'd made the previous day that spurred instant backlash. On Thursday, Trump accused Democrats of inflating the death toll in Puerto Rico from Hurricane Maria, which a recent George Washington University report updated from 64 to 2,975....

Fellow Republicans Disagree With Trump on Puerto Rico

Paul Ryan, Rick Scott among those backing up the death toll of 3,000

(Newser) - President Trump thinks the latest estimate of about 3,000 dead from Hurricane Maria in Puerto Rico is a lie made up by his political opponents . But even some Republicans—especially those in Florida—are among those disagreeing with the president's assertion about the estimate from researchers at George...

Trump: Democrats Made Up Death Toll in Puerto Rico

'3000 did not die,' he writes

(Newser) - President Trump isn't just disputing the hurricane death toll in Puerto Rico, he's accusing his political enemies of making up a higher number. "3000 people did not die," Trump tweeted Thursday. The reference is to the latest estimate, commissioned by the territory's government, that 2,...

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