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


  • Attack Against Haiti’s De Facto Prime Minister on Independence Day (+Core Group)
    José Manuel Blanco Diaz
    Attack Against Haiti’s De Facto Prime Minister on Independence Day (+Core Group)
    04 Jan 2022
    The Core Group chose Ariel Henry as the de-factor president of Haiti, in defiance of the people's wishes. But a conflict among factions makes his position insecure and resulted i
  • MLK Day at Camp Lemonnier, US Army
    T.J. Coles
    Using and Abusing Djibouti: How the US Transformed a Tiny African state Into a Hub of Imperial Aggression
    04 Jan 2022
    From Djibouti, the US trains proxies and bombs strategically-important countries in the name of democracy and counterterrorism.
  • Why We Must Defend Julian Assange
    Margaret Kimberley, BAR Executive Editor and Senior Columnist
    Why We Must Defend Julian Assange
    14 Dec 2021
    Julian Assange is one of the political prisoners that the US claims not to have.
  • Essay: Lynch Law in America, Ida B. Wells-Barnett, 1900
    Black Agenda Review
    Essay: Lynch Law in America, Ida B. Wells-Barnett, 1900
    14 Dec 2021
    Ida B. Wells-Barnett’s “Lynch Law in America” remains a compelling account of white violence as both savage and systemic, and of the US as irredeemable.
  • On the Fundamental Differences Between Capitalist “Democracy” and Socialist Democracy
    Danny Haiphong , BAR contributor
    On the Fundamental Differences Between Capitalist “Democracy” and Socialist Democracy
    14 Dec 2021
    The United States recent democracy summit would have been laughable if its implications were not so serious.
  • Load More
Subscribe
connect with us
about us
contact us