Visiting Puerto Rico on Tuesday — the first time since a devastating hurricane hit two weeks ago — President Trump downplayed the criticism leveled at his administration’s slow response to the island’s crisis, while emphasizing the cost of recovery.
“I hate to tell you, Puerto Rico, but you’ve thrown our budget a little out of whack — because we’ve spent a lot of money on Puerto Rico,” Trump said in a press briefing. A beat later, he added, “...
climate
Interior Department launches third investigation into Sec. Zinke’s alleged misconduct
From taking chartered flights for non-business-related matters to allegedly calling Alaska Sen. Lisa Murkowski (R) to threaten her if she did support the Republicans’ attempt repeal Obamacare, Secretary of the Interior Ryan Zinke’s alleged misconduct is under growing scrutiny not only from the press but from with his own agency.
Speaking at a right-wing think tank last Friday, Zinke vowed not to change his travel habits, but his defiance came as the Department of the Int...
Senate, House, and Trump all poised to rip open pristine Arctic landscape in hunt for oil
Forces in Congress are moving to open the pristine Arctic National Wildlife Refuge to oil and gas drilling, bypassing debate by including the controversial move in the upcoming appropriations bill.
Alaska’s coastal plain, 1.5 million acres of protected land known as Area 1002, is the primary breeding ground for a unique herd of 195,000 porcupine caribou — which are, in turn, a staple for the indigenous Gwitchin tribe, who say their way of life would be irreparably change...
Puerto Rico faces a humanitarian crisis as Trump rants about the NFL
Puerto Rico is facing wide-scale humanitarian disaster following a brutal hurricane, but President Trump doesn’t seem to paying the situation much attention. Instead, he’s turned his focus to other issues — namely, Black athletes protesting police violence.
Hurricane Maria made landfall in Puerto Rico last week, killing at least 15 people and devastating the U.S. territory. The storm uprooted buildings and laid waste to the island’s infrastructure. The worst ...
How to make $240,000 in 6 months by being friends with Rick Perry
This week in swamp draining: Rick Perry’s former campaign manager has made $240,000 since March lobbying the Department of Energy, the agency that Perry now leads, according to lobbying disclosures filed with the Senate.
The aide, Jeff Miller, worked as a fundraiser and adviser for former California Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger, and when he joined Perry, Miller was credited with his reinvention—the square glasses, the guy who remembers all the agencies he’ll cut.
Miller g...
After Florida deaths, Trump administration called out for making it harder to sue nursing homes
This week’s tragedy at a Florida nursing home, where eight people died in the wake of Hurricane Irma, brought to light how the Trump administration is aiming to make it harder for seniors and their families to hold nursing homes accountable.
Family members of the people who died at the Hollywood, Florida, nursing home are likely prohibited from filing lawsuits or taking legal action against the owner of the facility, since nursing homes routinely require residents to sign agre...
Scott Pruitt is leaving a toxic trail at EPA after only 6 months on the job
Environmental Protection Agency Administrator Scott Pruitt was sworn into office only six months ago but is already attracting widespread scrutiny for alleged misuse of agency funds, potential violation of a lobbying law, and holding secret meetings with officials from the industries his agency is tasked with regulating.
Upon arrival at the agency, the new EPA administrator pledged a back-to-basics philosophy. That shift in agency priorities, however, appears to be geared toward rai...
Trump’s tweets ignore a very real threat facing Texas
The first major natural disaster of the Trump presidency could be making its way to Texas, with Tropical Storm Harvey threatening to bring winds up to 73 miles per hour and drop as much as 40 inches of rain in some parts of the Gulf. Gov. Greg Abbott (R) has already declared a state of disaster for 30 Texas counties and ordered extra emergency preparedness throughout the rest of the state.
Looking at President Trump’s Twitter feed, however, you’d think that the only disa...
Interior Department investigating Zinke for reportedly threatening senators over Trumpcare votes
The Interior Department’s Office of the Inspector General (OIG) has launched a “preliminary investigation” over reports that Interior Secretary Ryan Zinke threatened to pull funding from Alaskan energy projects if Sens. Lisa Murkowski (R-AK) and Dan Sullivan (R-AK) didn’t vote in support of President Donald Trump’s health care proposal.
“The OIG is undertaking a preliminary investigation into this matter,” Deputy Inspector General Mary Kendall sai...
Democrats want investigation into Trump administration’s reported ‘blackmail’ over health care…
Democrats want investigation into Trump administration’s reported ‘blackmail’ over health care votesCommittee ranking member describes conduct as similar to what “we’d see from the Kremlin.”President Donald Trump meets with Republican senators, including Sen. Lisa Murkowski (R-AK), on health care at the White House on June 27, 2017. CREDIT: AP Photo/Susan Walsh
Rep. Raúl M. Grijalva (D-AZ), the top De...