Devastating hurricanes, Nazi and KKK parades, melting ice sheets, ISIS, and threats of nuclear war — We are daily bombarded with bad news. It's hard to believe Barack Obama's claim that "now is the greatest time to be alive." And yet, we were able to find 10 pieces of important, good news to prove we as humans are at least getting a few things right.
Why it matters: We all need some good news now and then.
San Juan Mayor Carmen Yulin Cruz gave harrowing remarks Friday at a press conference, calling out Trump and anyone who is listening to save her community from dying:
"We have no time for patience anymore...So I am asking the President of the United States to make sure somebody is in charge that is up to the task of saving lives. They were up to the task in Africa when Ebola came over. They were up to the task in Haiti...I will do what I never thought I was going to do. I am begging, begging anyone that can hear us to save us from dying. If anybody out there is listening to us, we are dying. And you are killing us with the inefficiency."
Just before heading to New Jersey for the weekend, Trump stopped and told reporters on the South Lawn of the White House that he'll make a decision about Health and Human Service Secretary Tom Price's future in the administration tonight, per a pool report. Trump called him a "very good man."
This comes after reports that Price has spent more than $1 million on charter and military flights funded by taxpayers' dollars and announced he will repay those costs.
Former president George W. Bush criticized the Trump administration's decision to add North Korea to the travel ban this past week, Business Insider reports, citing a "source present at the dinner."
Bush reportedly said the U.S. should be encouraging dissidents and defectors to seek freedom from the North Korean regime, but suggested banning their travel to the U.S. doesn't contribute to that goal. His spokesperson told Business Insider that Bush didn't address Trump or the travel ban specifically, and instead was speaking "in broader strokes, welcoming and supporting dissidents."
Acting DHS Secretary Elaine Duke, who has been under fire for her Thursday comments that the situation in Puerto Rico has made for a "good news story," acknowledged Friday that the devastation on the island is "clearly... not satisfactory."
Why it matters: Duke, representing the federal government, told Puerto Rican residents "We are here, and have been here, and are helping." However, several people on the ground say the reality is very different. San Juan Mayor Carmen Yulin Cruz told CNN Friday that the island is still very much in "life-saving" mode, and that people are in desperate need of more supplies.
Judge Tanya Chutkan ordered Friday that the State Department save unused visa lottery slots for two Iranian citizens and two Yemenis — if the Supreme Court finds Trump's travel ban unlawful, per Politico. They won visas from the annual, 50,000-person lottery to immigrate to the U.S., but Trump's travel ban has blocked them from getting those visas.
The order would make it difficult for the Supreme Court to declare the legal battle over the travel ban dead, since the issue appears to remain unsettled.
President Trump began his tax speech today by addressing the recovery efforts in Puerto Rico. He vowed to stand by the people until they are safe, and acknowledged that the both Puerto Rico and the Virgin Islands have been "wiped out" and rebuilding must start from scratch.
"Even without delivering on his biggest campaign promises, President Donald Trump has begun to reshape American life in ways big and small," writes Reuters political correspondent John Whitesides:
Bottom line: "While his administration has been chaotic, and his decision-making impulsive and sometimes whimsical, Trump has made changes that could have far-reaching and lingering consequences for society and the economy".
"Despite President Trump's push for tougher immigration enforcement, U.S. agents are on pace to deport fewer people in the government's 2017 fiscal year than during the same period last year," per the Washington Post's Nick Miroff.
"As of Sept. 9, three weeks before the end of the 2017 fiscal year, ICE had deported 211,068 immigrants ... ICE removed 240,255 people during the government's 2016 fiscal year... The lower totals are not for lack of effort. According to ICE, its agents have made 43 percent more arrests since Trump took office versus the same period last year."
"Mainland US cities with large Puerto Rican populations are warning that they will need federal help to cope with an anticipated influx of [fleeing] island residents," per the Financial Times (subscription)
"The bulk of the Puerto Rican population lives off the island, an estimated 5m people. Officials are waiting to see how many of the remaining 3.4m in Puerto Rico will leave and where they will go."
"The hope is that many people leaving the island will be able to find shelter with friends and relatives in places such as New York City and Florida, which are both believed to boast Puerto Rican populations of 1m or more."
A new report by a coalition of progressive advocacy groups examined SEC filings from large, publicly-owned corporations and found that many of companies believe the Trump administration could be bad for their business.
Why it matters: Trump has positioned himself as a pro-business president, particularly over taxes, but has faced setbacks with the disbanding of his corporate advisory councils and hawkish rhetoric on trade. This analysis from Trump opponents — headed by the American Federation of Teachers — finds what companies are telling their investors about those concerns.
The White House counsel's office started an investigation into private email use earlier this week in the wake of the news that Jared Kushner and several other senior White House officials had used private accounts to conduct government business, Politico reports in partnership with the nonprofit watchdog, Project on Government Oversight, citing "four officials familiar with the matter."
Why it matters: The probe was launched to determine if any of the emails sent are related to the Congressional and Special Counsel investigations into Russian interference in the 2016 election. Government officials are supposed to use their government emails so their communications are stored, and for security purposes.
