BEN CARSON ENDORSES STATEHOOD FOR PR
From Business Insider:
"Republican presidential candidate Ben Carson endorsed U.S. statehood
for Puerto Rico on Sunday, citing its "very strategic" location for milita-
ry defense. Speaking at a convention for Puerto Rican gubernatorial can-
didate Ricardo Rossello, a member of the island's pro-statehood party,
Carson said he "would be incredibly honored and delighted for Puerto
Rico to be the 51st state." "One thing I've found when I have come to
Puerto Rico is extremely friendly people," the 64-year-old retired neuro-
surgeon said, adding that "we have probably more patriotic Puerto Ri-
cans than almost any other state..."
THOUSANDS MARCH FOR HEALTH CARE PARITY
From The San Juan Daily Star:
"Thousands of protesters joined a march to urge the U.S. Congress to
stop the proposed $3 billion in cuts to Medicare and Medicaid programs
for Puerto Rico and grant the island parity in healthcare funds. Gov. Ale-
jandro García Padilla and other politicians of different ideologies joined
the march as well as several former governors, including Sila Calderón
and Aníbal Acevedo Vilá. Protesters gathered under a hot sun at the Jo-
sé Miguel Agrelot Coliseum in San Juan’s Hato Rey sector and from
there walked to Hiram Bithorn Stadium..."
GDB RELEASES ECONOMIC ACVTIVITY INDEX
From Caribbean Business:
"The Government Development Bank (GDB) has released its Econo-
mic Activity Index (EAI) for September 2015. The index is made up
of four indicators: total payroll employment; total electric power ge-
neration; cement sales; and gas consumption. For September, the GDB
-EAI increased by 0.8% on a year-over-year (y-o-y) basis, and reflected
a month-over-month (m-o-m) increase of 0.5%. On a year-to-date basis
(July-September) the EAI was 127.1, remaining flat compared with the
same period last year. Total nonfarm payroll employment for September
averaged 904,300, an annual increase of 0.5%..."
REP MCCAUL SEES RISK IN PR FLIGHTS
From Bloomberg:
"Flights bound from Puerto Rico to the U.S. mainland may be vulnerable
to having bombs placed on board, according to the chairman of the House
Homeland Security Committee. “In Puerto Rico, we have many cases of
prosecution of corruption, of putting drugs and weapons on airplanes inbo-
und to the United States,” Representative Michael McCaul, a Texas Repu-
blican, said on “Fox News Sunday,” according to a transcript. “It wouldn’t
take a whole lot to put a bomb on one of those airplanes as well. And I think
that’s a main thing from the homeland security standpoint, we’re really wo-
rried about these planes coming into the United States,” the lawmaker said..."
