Puerto Rican's in D.C. calling on Congress for help. Instead of offering a solution, he yet again sarcastically expressed his concern in regards to the downfalls Puerto Rico has caused the United States' economy. "A total lack of accountability says the Governor", Trump tweeted.
"We were expecting a lot from this industry", Ingrid Schmidt, the president of the Puerto Rico Medical Cannabis Association, said over the phone. And in the capital of Nairobi, riot police fired tear gas on demonstrators who defied government orders and tried to march on the central business district.
Almost four weeks after Hurricane Maria battered Puerto Rico, 85 percent of the population is still without electricity, forcing people to get creative - and go old school - as they face an extended period of life in the new dark ages.
Roads and highways have been washed out, hampering relief efforts to the interior of the island.
But the crisis is also creating niche opportunities. Several lawmakers, like New York Senator Kirsten Gillibrand (D-NY), already said they're on board. On Saturday, the government said the direct and indirect death toll from Maria had risen from 45 to 48 and included one person whose supplemental oxygen had failed due to lack of electricity.
On Thursday, the House of Representatives passed a hurricane relief bill totaling $36.5 billion - only $5 billion of which has been specifically designated for Puerto Rico.
"Hurricane aid shouldn't be added to the debt", Rep. Mark Walker (R-NC) opined in the Wall Street Journal this week.
The University of North Carolina has avoided major penalties, after it had been accused of running sham classes for student-athletes for decades.
And those in the industry are careful to make sure that they follow all the rules and deliver a quality product, as they worry this could be a sink-or-swim moment in Puerto Rico's medical marijuana history.
Velázquez said the funds earmarked for loans to local governments would assist Puerto Rico's 'liquidity crisis' and that steps must be taken to ensure that creditors are unable to access funds meant for disaster relief. Maddow never mentions the doctor's name, but in a response to a query from the show, the Department of Health and Human Services refers to the doctor as "Dr. Khanna".
The Puerto Rico Medical Cannabis Association is currently assessing the cost of the damage for the industry's insurers - a particularly integral calculation as the medical marijuana community does not qualify for federal aid because of legal restrictions.
Democrats said Mr Trump's tweets were deplorable, given that the 3-million-plus US citizens on Puerto Rico were confronting the kind of hardships that would draw howls of outrage if they affected a state. Hurricane Maria, it is.
Websites such as hispanicfederation.org, unitedforpuertorico.com have also been launched, through which people can donate to support the recovery. "We don't have time for the political noise". Impassable roads blocked rescue and recovery crews from remote areas.
"Everything in the government has collapsed, not being able to document it, doesn't mean it's not happening", Pascual commented on the situation.
That's a far cry from the president's comments to Puerto Rico on Thursday, when he threatened to cease aid to the island. Along with Trump's disregard for the long-term nature of the island's crisis, it has been haunting for residents and their families on the mainland. For the week, all three indices gained a fraction of a percent. Because of the nature of tallying fatalities, it's hard to say the extent to which the actual count will err on the low side as well. After the attacks of Sept. 11, 2001, Aguirre learned that a number of undocumented immigrants worked in the Twin Towers and went missing after the buildings fell. "It's about people that need their medicine". "Telling this country, telling Puerto Ricans, that they are not a priority in this country, it's a disgrace".