Outgoing House Speaker Paul Ryan (R-Wis.) has said that he secretly works to prevent President Trump-induced "tragedies," but apparently the hurricane relief effort for Puerto Rico was not one of them.
Ryan on Thursday said that the nearly 3,000 deaths following Hurricane Maria's devastating impact on Puerto Rico were "really no one's fault," reports USA Today. Trump baselessly claimed Thursday morning that Democrats had inflated the death toll in Puerto Rico "to make me look bad," falsely declaring that the estimated 2,975 people "did not die" as a result of an inadequate response. A government report found "excess mortality" from power outages and water shortages over several months following the storm, and local officials criticized the at-times botched federal efforts.
Subscribe to The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.
Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
-
'Vance stands at a crossroads'Instant Opinion Opinion, comment and editorials of the day
-
Taylor Swift wraps up record-shattering Eras tourSpeed Read The pop star finally ended her long-running tour in Vancouver, Canada
-
Trump talks pardoning Jan. 6 rioters, jailing rivalsSpeed Read On NBC's "Meet the Press," the president-elect said he would pardon Capitol rioters and end constitutionally guaranteed "birthright" citizenship
-
Trump talks pardoning Jan. 6 rioters, jailing rivals
Speed Read On NBC's "Meet the Press," the president-elect said he would pardon Capitol rioters and end constitutionally guaranteed "birthright" citizenship
-
Syria's Assad flees to Russia as rebels take DamascusSpeed Read Ousted Syrian leader Bashar Assad fled to Moscow after rebels' takeover ended his family's 54-year rule
-
South Korean president faces rising impeachment oddsspeed read Opposition lawmakers said they would vote to impeach President Yoon Suk Yeol following his recent imposition of martial law
-
France's Macron vows to finish out termSpeed Read French President Emmanuel Macron rejected calls to step down and said he will name a new government in the coming days
-
Trump DEA nominee bows out as Hegseth pick stallsSpeed Read Florida Sheriff Chad Chronister withdrew as Trump's pick to lead the Drug Enforcement Administration
-
French government poised to fall amid budget fightSpeed Read Far-right and leftist opposition parties both filed motions of no confidence against Prime Minister Michel Barnier
-
Biden arrives in Angola for historic Africa visitSpeed Read The president intends to strengthen U.S. ties with Africa and counter China's dominance in the region
-
Biden pardons son HunterSpeed Read Joe Biden has spared his son Hunter a possible prison sentence for felony gun and tax convictions
