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Carlos Curbelo, a former Republican congressman who repeatedly criticized Trump while he was still in office, mocked the president’s comments about Puerto Rico as it prepares for the arrival of a tropical storm.

The White House’s Twitter feed currently demonstrates the striking contrast between the government preparing for Tropical Storm Dorian and Trump focusing his attention on attacking Puerto Rico.
The White House has retweeted Trump’s mockery of the island as “one of the most corrupt places on earth” and his boast that he is “the best thing that’s ever happened to Puerto Rico.”

Twitter users are reacting to Trump’s comments on Puerto Rico with scorn and mockery as Tropical Storm Dorian approaches the island.
A writer for the Atlantic said Trump’s comments demonstrated the need for Puerto Rico to gain statehood.

Trump has once again lashed out against Puerto Rico and its leaders as the island prepares for the arrival of Tropical Storm Dorian.

Senator Johnny Isakson, a Republican of Georgia, intends to resign amid mounting health problems.
In a statement announcing his decision, Isakson said his advancing Parkinson’s meant he would “not be able to do the job over the long term in the manner the citizens of Georgia deserve.”

Trump is once again complaining about coverage on his preferred cable network, Fox News.

Jim Mattis, Trump’s former defense secretary, has a new memoir coming out next week in which he details some of his foreign policy differences with the president – most notably on Nato and torture.
Our colleague David Smith reports:
The book, Call Sign Chaos, will be published next week. The Guardian obtained a copy. In it, Mattis avoids direct criticism of his former boss but offers some pointed comments that will probably be seized on by opponents of the president.
The retired US marine corps general recalls being surprised in November 2016 when he was called by the then vice-president-elect, Mike Pence, and asked to meet Trump to discuss the job of defense secretary.

Trump has offered some words of support to Boris Johnson, as the newly elected British prime minister tries to force through a no-deal Brexit by giving Parliament a limited amount of time to prevent such an outcome.

Johnson has confirmed he has asked the Queen for permission to suspend parliament for five weeks from early September.
The prime minister claimed MPs would have ‘ample time’ to debate Brexit, as he wrote to MPs on Wednesday, saying he had spoken to the Queen and asked her to suspend parliament from ‘the second sitting week in September’.

Kellyanne Conway, a senior White House adviser, inspired some confusion among Fox News viewers yesterday when she started singing a Taylor Swift song to mock the artist’s criticism of the Trump administration.

Trump is urging his aides to get a wall built along the US-Mexico border before Election Day using any means necessary. The president has even assured officials that he will pardon them if they break the law to do so, according to the Washington Post.
The Post reports:
The president has told senior aides that a failure to deliver on the signature promise of his 2016 campaign would be a letdown to his supporters a
nd an embarrassing defeat. With the
election 14 months away and hundreds of miles of fencing plans still in blueprint form, Trump has held regular White House meetings for progress updates and to hasten the pace, according to several people involved in the discussions.
When aides have suggested that some orders are illegal or unworkable, Trump has suggested he would pardon the officials if they would just go ahead, aides said. He has waved off worries about contracting procedures and the use of eminent domain, saying ‘take the land,’ according to officials who attended the meetings. …

The polls released this morning also indicate that Joe Biden has maintained a double-digit lead over his fellow Democratic presidential candidates.
According to Quinnipiac, Biden has the support of 32 percent of Democratic voters, besting second-place Elizabeth Warren by 13 points. The USA Today/Suffolk University poll also has Biden at 32 percent, with Warren trailing by 18 points.

Two more polls were released this morning that could have helped Democratic presidential candidates qualify for the next debate. But unfortunately for billionaire activist Tom Steyer, the results were not helpful.
Steyer only needs one more qualifying poll to participate in the September debate, but the surveys from Quinnipiac University and USA Today/Suffolk University showed him receiving the support of less than 1 percent of Democratic voters.

Happy Wednesday, live blog readers!
Given that it’s a day ending in a y, Donald Trump is up and tweeting at a critic, even though that critic is currently bracing for the arrival of Tropical Storm Dorian. The US president slammed the “incompetent Mayor of San Juan” while seeming to complain about how Puerto Rico has repeatedly been hit by major storms – something that the island’s residents certainly would not have chosen either.

Continue reading…

Compassionate leader

An article in Stars and Stripes shared many memories of Barreto Ortiz, describing him as a positive, encouraging leader within his battalion. “He was a great person, honest, caring and full of hopes and dreams,”  Julio Torres was quoted as saying.
Others spoke of how generously Barreto Ortiz helped others, and how he kept up the spirits of his comrades. Some said he taught them to ask for and accept help when they needed it.
Barrot Ortiz earned the Purple Heart, the Bronze Star Medal, the Meritorius Service Medal, the Army Commendation Medal with two Oak Leaf Clusters, the Army Achievement Medal with two Oak Leaf Clusters, the Army Good Conduct Medal with two Oak Leaf Clusters, the Combat Action Badge, the Basic Parachutist Badge, the Army Driver and Mech
anic Badge.
Barreto Ortiz’s
father also served in the U.S.Army. He is survived by his wife and three children.

Puerto Rico’s military record

Puerto Ricans have served in the U.S. military since the Revolutionary War.
There are records of people from Puerto Rico serving in the Civil War, and as volunteers in World War I and World War II. The Borinqueneers distinguished themselves in the Korean War, and evert since Puerto Rico has sent a higher proportion of men and women into the military than any state.
Ironically, Puerto Rican soldiers and veterans cannot vote for their Commender in Chief. As a territory, Puerto Rico cannot vote in presidential elections.
Updated 9/11/2019 to include video.
The post Death of Elis A. Barreto Ortiz Derails Taliban Talks appeared first on Puerto Rico Report.

Download audio: https://play.podtrac.com/npr-500005/edge1.pod.npr.org/anon.npr-mp3/npr/newscasts/2019/09/15/newscast130803.mp3?awCollectionId=500005&awEpisodeId=761005912&orgId=1&d=300&p=500005&story=761005912&t=podcast&e=761005912&size=4500000&ft=pod&f=500005

 The FBI News Review – Blog by Michael Novakhov

Michael_Novakhov shared this story from Links and Pages – The News and Times – Blogs by Michael Novakhov.

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Download audio: https://play.podtrac.com/npr-500005/edge1.pod.npr.org/anon.npr-mp3/npr/newscasts/2019/09/15/newscast130803.mp3?awCollectionId=500005&awEpisodeId=761005912&orgId=1&d=300&p=500005&story=761005912&t=podcast&e=761005912&size=4500000&ft=pod&f=500005