Even as it braces for another potentially devastating storm, Puerto Rico is the only U.S. territory whose economic data isn't fully measured by the Commerce Department.
Why it matters: It remains impossible to quantify how much the island's economic growth was stunted by Hurricane Maria's epic destruction 2 years ago — and it won't be easy to gauge any comparable impact from Hurricane Dorian.
President Trump tweeted on Tuesday night — for the thirdtime — that Jonathan Swan's reporting on him asking if officials could explore using nuclear bombs to stop hurricanes from hitting the U.S. was ridiculous.
Why it matters: We stand solidly behind our reporting. Before publishing, we gave the White House full visibility on the key details of our story, and more than nine hours to deny or push back against our reporting.
President Trump has approved an emergency declaration for Puerto Rico to enable federal assistance, with Tropical Storm Dorian fast approaching and the U.S. territory on hurricane watch — as forecasters warn it could take a direct hit Wednesday.
Why it matters: Puerto Rico is struggling to recover from Hurricane Maria. It declared bankruptcy in 2017 amid "the biggest government financial collapse in United States history." Puerto Rico Gov. Wanda Vázquez Garced has already signed an executive order declaring a state of emergency on the island, per Bloomberg's Michael Deibert.
