There has been a great deal of political consternation and talking points about U.S. aid, or the lack thereof, delivered to Puerto Rico.  Indeed, San Juan Mayor Carmen Yulín Cruz Soto has been a favorite of Democrats and liberal U.S. media as a spokesperson for claims the U.S. has not done enough for the island’s people.
However, a disturbing video shows Puerto Rico’s Secretary of State showing boxes and boxes of food, water and supplies being discarded by Puerto Rican officials in dumpsters, obviously not reaching the intended residents.

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CTH has noted on several occasions that many of Puerto Rico’s 78 municipal authorities control their regions in a similar fashion to mafioso families.  There is a tremendous amount of corruption within the ranks of “Mayors” on the island.  The entire system of governance is more accurately similar to third-world overlords.
This report on FEMA aid being corrupted by these same officials does not come as a surprise; indeed, unfortunately, it is the norm – not the exception.

(Puerto Rico) FBI agents in Puerto Rico have been receiving calls from “across the island” with residents complaining local officials are “withholding” or “mishandling” critical FEMA supplies — with one island official even accused of stuffing his own car full of goods meant for the suffering populace.
The accusations come in the aftermath of deadly Hurricane Maria, which devastated the U.S. territory last month.
“The complaints we’re hearing is that mayors of local municipalities, or people associated with their offices, are giving their political supporters special treatment, goods they’re not giving to other people who need them,” FBI Special Agent Carlos Osorio told Fox News.
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President Trump appears on Trinity Broadcasting Network (TBN) for a very extensive  interview with Governor Mike Huckabee.

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Earlier today President Trump and First Lady Melania Trump hosted a celebration of Hispanic Heritage month in the EAST ROOM of the White House.

[Transcript] 12:52 P.M. EDT – THE PRESIDENT: Thank you. Thank you.
AUDIENCE MEMBER: We love you in Puerto Rico!
THE PRESIDENT: Thank you. You should, you should. (Laughter.) Thank you very much. Thank you very much. I appreciate it.
And it’s great to be with you and Secretary Acosta, Treasurer Carranza, and to every Hispanic American serving in the White House and all across our administration. Thank you very much. (Applause.) It’s a great privilege for the First Lady, Melania, and I to be with you all today. Thank you very much. (Applause.)
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CARIBBEAN SEA (NNS) — President Donald J. Trump visited the amphibious assault ship USS Kearsarge (LHD 3), Oct. 3, to discuss relief efforts in Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands with Navy and Marine Corps leadership.  President Trump met with Governor Kenneth Mapp of the US Virgin Islands aboard the Kearsarge:

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Ward Room – USS Kearsarge – [Transcript] 2:54 P.M. EDT
THE PRESIDENT: Okay, thank you very much. I wanted to begin by saying well be leaving tomorrow morning very early from the White House. Well be going to Las Vegas. We will be paying our personal respects and condolences to everybody.
What happened is such a tragedy. So unnecessary — who can believe what happened in Las Vegas. Great love for the people, great love for the people of our country, and I look forward to going tomorrow. The First Lady will be coming with me, and were going to be paying our respects and condolences. Well be leaving early in the morning.
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President Donald Trump and First-Lady Melania Trump visit with victims of Hurricane Marin in Puerto Rico and delivered brief remarks to the traveling media.

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President Donald Trump and First Lady Melania Trump arrive in Puerto Rico to thank those responding to Hurricane Maria’s aftermath, and visit with the people struggling to recover. This video is a little longer than most and was selected great because it includes a hot-mic at table catching First-Lady Melania’s words of warmth and encouragement.

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There has been a considerable amount of nonsense from people choosing to defend Puerto Rico’s unionized truck drivers and their refusal to work. The painful reality is the Puerto Rican Truckers Union, Frente Amplio, virtually control the port of San Juan and have used typical union tactics to slow down the distribution of relief supplies from the port in an effort to punish the Puerto Rican governor.  Truckers have refused to show up for work.
As President Trump departs the White House this morning he is asked a question about the leftist mayor of San Juan Carmen Yulin Cruz.  During Trump’s response he points out the need for the Mayor to get involved and get the PR truckers back to work.

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President Donald Trump spent much of the weekend working from his New Jersey golf club in Bedminister and then attended the international golf competition, The President’s Cup, at Liberty National Golf Course in Jersey City.
President Trump presented the winning trophy to Team U.S.A., and with compliments to the international competition dedicated the trophy to the people of Puerto Rico, Florida and Texas who are dealing with the aftermath of three devastating hurricanes.

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“I’m really tired of Puerto Rican government officials blaming the federal government for their woes and for not acting fast enough to help people on the island. Last week I had three federal agents in my office and I was so embarrassed; I went out of my way to apologize to them for the attitude of my government and what they have been saying about the U.S. response.”
~Jorge Rodriguez, CEO of PACIV, Puerto Rico-based engineering firm

PUERTO RICO – The head of an international engineering firm in Puerto Rico said in an editorial Saturday that when the time came to send 50 of his engineers to help in the aftermath of Hurricane Maria, he bypassed local officials and went straight to FEMA.

The reason, said Jorge Rodriguez, the CEO of PACIV, in an editorial in the New York Post, is that “for the last 30 years, the Puerto Rican government has been completely inept at handling regular societal needs, so I just don’t see it functioning in a crisis like this one.”

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