The Daily Skimm

AUGUST 29, 2018

The Story

Yesterday, Puerto Rico's governor said he's raising Hurricane Maria's death toll from 64 to 2,975.

Back up.

Last September, the hurricane hit the US territory. Thousands of homes were destroyed. FEMA struggled with its response – and admitted it messed up. It took almost a year for most people to get power restored. The official death toll was 64. But everyone presumed it had to be much, much higher. Earlier this month, the Puerto Rican gov admitted that the number of people that died was prob closer to 1,400.

So why the change?

The Puerto Rican government ordered an independent study to determine the number of deaths. And yesterday, it was released. It found that nearly 3,000 people were killed because of the hurricane. That is more than 46 times the original death toll. Researchers said the official count was low in part because doctors weren't trained on how to classify deaths after a disaster. The report also found that people who lived in poor communities, and older men were the most at risk of dying during the hurricane. The governor says he messed up how the death toll was handled. But will put together a commission to help handle some of the things suggested in the report, like creating a registry of people considered vulnerable to future disasters.

This is a big deal.

Yep. It now officially makes it one of the deadliest hurricanes in US history. And raises Qs about the response. Weeks after Maria hit, President Trump said it didn't compare to "a real catastrophe like Katrina." And said first responders couldn't stay forever. Congress also still hasn't officially signed off an a federal aid package for the island. Yesterday, the White House reportedly said it's still pleased with how the gov handled the response.

theSkimm

Next month marks the one-year anniversary of Hurricane Maria. Now, the official death toll is finally being updated. But Puerto Rico's governor reportedly said it could still take months or years to get a complete list of names.

REPEAT AFTER ME...

What to say when your office can't decide on a fall intramural team name…

Let's vote on it. Yesterday, voters in Arizona, Florida, and Oklahoma hit the polls. Because, midterms. Here's a name grabbing headlines: Andrew Gillum (D). In FL, the governor's seat is now between Gillum – the progressive Tallahassee mayor who could be the state's first black governor – and Rep. Ron DeSantis (R) – who got the nom with help (read: endorsement) from the prez. Speaking of governors, FL Gov. Rick Scott (R) will be up against Sen. Bill Nelson (D) in one of the most closely watched Senate races. In AZ, it's all about who's replacing Sen. Jeff Flake (R) – and Rep. Martha McSally (R) beat out more conservative Republicans to get the nom. Meanwhile, AZ's Gov. Doug Ducey (R) has a tough re-election campaign. He's up against Hispanic education professor David Garcia (D) in race where education (hi, teacher walkouts) and immigration are top of mind.

PS: Midterms are 69 days away. Get ready.

What to say to your friend who always wins Cards Against Humanity…

Is this rigged? The Trump admin is looking into whether Google is. Here's what happened: a few days ago, a report came out that said Google tends to use liberal sites when people looked up Trump on its search engine. Yesterday, Trump said that Google was biased against him. He may or may not be getting that from the report, or he may have spent some time Googling himself. He said mostly negative articles showed up. So the White House is looking into whether the gov should start regulating the co. BTW, here's how Google says its search works: the co uses algorithms to figure out how to rank a page on its search engine. And looks into things like how many other places link to that site and what keywords you use. Google says your political opinions have nothing to do with it, and that it doesn't change search results "to manipulate political sentiment."

Who people are talking about…

Former Texas police officer Roy Oliver. Yesterday, the white officer was found guilty of murdering unarmed black teen Jordan Edwards. Last year, Oliver and his partner were responding to reports on a house party when they heard gunshots. They saw a group of teens in a car and ordered it to stop. Oliver shot at the car, saying it was headed towards his partner and he feared his partner's life was in danger. His partner said 'I disagree.' Turns out, the gunshots were coming from near a nursing home in the area. Yesterday, the jury came back with a guilty verdict – which was a big shocker. You know there've been protests calling for justice in similar cases. But a verdict like this is reeeally rare. One researcher apparently found that only six non-federal police were convicted of murder in similar cases since 2005. Now, Oliver could face up to life in prison.

What to say to your new SO…

We need to talk. Yesterday, the CDC laid down some grim facts about STD rates in the US. Hint: they're really effing high. Consider this your friendly reminder to get checked out.