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


  • Pamela White, former U.S. ambassador to Haiti
    Ryan Grim
    Former Ambassador on Haitian President “Put him aside" and "Embrace Prime Minister option"
    18 Jan 2022
    A remark by the former U.S. ambassador to Haiti fuels suspicion of American involvement in the assassination of president Jovenel Moise.
  • Nicaragua in the Multipolar World
    Margaret Kimberley, BAR Executive Editor and Senior Columnist
    Nicaragua in the Multipolar World
    12 Jan 2022
    The U.S. regime change effort in Nicaragua has failed. The people are determined to assert their rights of self-determination and the U.S. is not the only player on the world stage.
  • Black Alliance for Peace Condemns the Policies of the U.S./EU/NATO Axis of Domination in Ukraine
    ​​​​​​​ Ajamu Baraka, BAR editor and columnist
    Black Alliance for Peace Condemns the Policies of the U.S./EU/NATO Axis of Domination in Ukraine
    12 Jan 2022
    The Ukraine crisis began in Washington, not in Moscow. The Obama/Biden regime change plot against an elected Ukrainian president reverberates to this day.
  • EXCERPT: Black Bourgeoisie
    Editors, The Black Agenda Review
    EXCERPT: Black Bourgeoisie
    12 Jan 2022
    Revisiting E. Franklin Frazier’s classic sociological study Black Bourgeoisie should help us understand the misleaders of today’s Black superelite.
  • Pentagon, U.S. Department of Defense
    Raymond Nat Turner, BAR poet-in-residence
    How will we pay for it?
    12 Jan 2022
                                                           …
  • Load More
Subscribe
connect with us
about us
contact us