Black Agenda Report
Black Agenda Report
News, commentary and analysis from the black left.

  • Home
  • Africa
  • African America
  • Education
  • Environment
  • International
  • Media and Culture
  • Political Economy
  • Radio
  • US Politics
  • War and Empire

Puerto Rico Crippled Before Hurricane Hit
Nellie Bailey and Glen Ford
12 Dec 2017
🖨️ Print Article

Harsh austerity measures imposed by a federal financial oversight board set Puerto Rico up for disaster, said Lara Merling, a researcher for the Washington-based Center for Economic and Policy Research. A new study shows about 1,000 more deaths resulted from Hurricane Irma than were officially reported. “It’s not surprising that the Puerto Rican government had no ability to respond” to the storm, as a result of the spending cuts, said Merling.

Puerto Rico

Related Podcasts

BAR Radio Logo
Black Agenda Radio with Margaret Kimberley
Black Agenda Radio March 6, 2026
06 March 2026
In this week’s segment, we discuss past and present U.S.
Puerto Rico independence movement
Black Agenda Radio with Margaret Kimberley
Venezuela's Bolivarian Revolution and Struggle for Independence in Puerto Rico
06 March 2026
Brianna Alvarado Ramos of Diaspora Pa’lante Collective discusses the challenges
BAR Radio Logo
Black Agenda Radio with Margaret Kimberley
Black Agenda Radio September 19, 2025
20 September 2025
In this week’s segment, we discuss a new book that analyzes the latest iteration of fascism currently emerging in the United States.

More Stories


  • Clau O'Brien Moscoso
    Lawfare in Perú: Trial of Rupture
    12 Mar 2025
    The trial of former Peruvian president Pedro Castillo, the victim of a 2022 lawfare-style coup, has begun. The legal process used against him is a sham covering up the human rights abuses…
  • Janvieve Williams Comrie
    Panama’s Outrage Over Deportations: A Reckoning with a Reality Long Ignored
    12 Mar 2025
    Trump administration interference in Panama has brought about a reckoning on migration and human rights throughout the region. These issues can no longer be ignored.
  • The Mapping Project
    The Revolution Will Not Be Signaled
    12 Mar 2025
    The messaging app Signal is touted as being a safe harbor from state surveillance. However, its connections to large corporate entities make organizers more vulnerable than they may think.
  • Dylan Sullivan , Jason Hickel
    Plundering Africa – Income Deflation and Unequal Ecological Exchange Under Structural Adjustment Programmes
    12 Mar 2025
    Presenting new research, Dylan Sullivan and Jason Hickel mount a devastating critique of the impact of structural adjustment in Africa in the 1980s and 1990s. Drawing on recent data on Africa’s…
  • Briahna Joy Gray
    Why Did MSNBC Cancel Joy Reid?
    12 Mar 2025
    Some speculated that racism explains the firing of the liberal anchor. But MSNBC doesn't have a problem with Black hosts. They have a problem with pro-Palestine ones.
  • Load More
Subscribe
connect with us
about us
contact us