Puerto Rico’s July 25 – 29 political week in tweets
Florida mosquitoes ‘likely’ spreading Zika virus, Puerto Rico labeled ‘epidemic’ by CDC
Florida mosquitoes "likely" spreading #Zika virus, Puerto Rico labeled "epidemic" by CDC https://t.co/rmh0nr2Ms7
— PBS NewsHour (@NewsHour) July 29, 2016
The Zika crisis that has led to the infection of over 5,000 Puerto Ricans has now made its way to the continental United States. The CDC declared the Zika virus an epidemic in Puerto Rico with nearly 700 women showing signs of Zika infection. Four residents in Miami-Dade County have also contracted the disease. Close to 1,650 people have suffered from the mosquito born illness in the U.S. but the four cases in Miami are the only known infection to have taken place on the continental United States.
CDC’s Lisa Romero Works to Improve Birth Control Access in Puerto Rico
Read how #CDCResponder Lisa Romero is working to improve birth control access for women in Puerto Rico. https://t.co/9thPB4cnUW
— CDC (@CDCgov) July 26, 2016
In an attempt to combat the rising cases of Zika and avoid the effects of the debilitating diseases it can cause, the CDC has launched a program in order to provide adequate contraception for areas of Puerto Rico that do not have it. Women who want to delay or avoid pregnancy due to the threat of microcephaly, a disease that lead to babies being born with smaller than average heads, have multiple options in regards to contraception, at no cost.
The Road to Promesa
With #PROMESA in its implementation stages, we took a look at how #PuertoRico got here. https://t.co/LnuIk6hpaZ pic.twitter.com/8pyJZYFkoD
— Pasquines (@Pasquines_US) July 28, 2016
Zachary Williams gives a detailed timeline of Puerto Rico’s history in relation to PROMESA, the bill created by Representative Sean Duffy. PROMESA was signed into law by President Obama in an attempt at managing Puerto Rico’s public finances and reigning in it’s out of control debt by establishing an oversight board for the island.
North Carolina voter ID law overturned on appeal
A federal appeals court overturns parts of North Carolina's 2013 voting law https://t.co/4aMxGwecdm pic.twitter.com/Zpr90C65jz
— CNN Politics (@CNNPolitics) July 30, 2016
The 4th Circuit Court of Appeals ruled that North Carolina’s 2013 voting law disenfranchised African Americans with “surgical precision” by reducing early voting dates, restricting the type of I.D’s that can be shown at polling locations, same-day registration, and out of precinct voting. North Carolina enacted the 2013 law after it had collected data regarding the voting habits of different races within the state.
Hillary Clinton Warns of ‘Moment of Reckoning’ in Speech Accepting Nomination
Hillary Clinton: "I accept your nomination for president of the United States." https://t.co/nv4BPkZz5f pic.twitter.com/8lYUORy7Ar
— NYT Politics (@nytpolitics) July 29, 2016
The final night of the Democratic National Convention concluded with Hillary Clinton accepting the role as the Democratic Party’s standard bearer in the general election. Several Republicans and military veterans took the stage beforehand, lambasting the Republican nominee, Donald Trump, throughout the night. The speaker that had the largest impact were not politicians or retired pentagon officials, but the parents of Captain Khan who was killed in action while serving in Iraq. Khan’s father, Khizr, railed against Trump’s bias towards muslims and in return, received rebuke from the Republican nominee in all-too-common twitter rant.
Trump launches flurry of attacks, asks Russia to hack Clinton’s emails
Trump launches flurry of attacks, asks Russia to hack Clinton’s emails https://t.co/2Y4DrvEzmL
— Post Politics (@postpolitics) July 27, 2016
Donald Trump encouraged Russia, in a case of what would essentially amount to espionage, to reveal emails missing from Hillary Clinton’s private server that have not been released to the public. Trump later tried to distance himself, stating that it did not matter who had the emails or how they were acquired, but that the content was important and needed to be known.