Ny Safidinao

David Bernier, who stepped down as Puerto Rico's secretary of state two months ago, plans to announce his candidacy for governor of the financially troubled island on Wednesday, a spokeswoman said on Tuesday. Bernier, a member of the Popular Democratic Party (PPD), has long been seen as a likely successor to incumbent PPD Governor Alejandro Garcia Padilla, who announced on Monday he would not seek re-election in November 2016 as the U.S. commonwealth struggles through a $72 billion debt crisis. Ana Maria Santiago, Bernier's spokeswoman, said he will announce his candidacy on Wednesday afternoon at his parents' home in Patillas, the southeastern town where he was born. Bernier will face off against rivals from the New Progressive Party (PNP), who include Ricky Rossello, the son of a popular ex-governor, and Pedro Pierluisi, Puerto Rico's representative in Congress. Garcia Padilla had faced low public approval ratings and eroding support within his own party amid ten

Puerto Rico Gov. Alejandro Garcia Padilla said he won't seek re-election so his administration can focus on reducing the Caribbean island's $70 billion debt load. "I will be focusing on attending the issues of the government above all before any of my political aspirations," Garcia Padilla said in a taped broadcast Monday. Garcia Padilla, 44, a member of the Popular Democratic Party, which seeks to continue Puerto Rico's commonwealth status, said he would leave his position when his term ends in January 2017. About 12 percent of Puerto Ricans had a positive view of the governor, the lowest level since Garcia Padilla took office in January 2013, according to a Nov. 2 poll conducted by El Nuevo Dia, the island's biggest daily newspaper. Among voters of his own party, 39 percent approve of Garcia Padilla's work as governor. "Puerto Rico can't change its path in the middle in the crisis," Garcia Padilla said. "We are taking all of the possib

With the current debt crisis in Puerto Rico, Governor Alejandro Garcia Padilla is slowly losing the backing of his own party. Reuters  noted that this could increase the chances that he will not seek reelection for the polls next November. It added that his ratings dived to 12 percent and, worse, mayors and local politicians from his own party, the Popular Democratic Party (PPD), have withdrawn support for him. "Support from such officials in Puerto Rico's towns is crucial for effective governance," noted the same report. It may be bad for Padilla, but Reuters said this is great news for the opposition party, the New Progressive Party (PNP). It is expected to favor holders of the island's debt, amounting to $72 billion. "Creditors would have higher priority in the minds of a PNP candidate," Height Securities analyst, Daniel Hanson, told Reuters. According to Bloomberg , the country faces a dilemma to either pay bondholders $354 million by Dec. 1, &

Puerto Rico's debt crisis takes its toll on the U.S. territory's economy, Governor Alejandro Garcia Padilla is losing support within his own party, increasing the chances he won't seek reelection next November. His public approval ratings are dire - just 12 percent in a recent poll by newspaper El Nuevo Dia - but more detrimental to his campaign plan is the growing number of mayors and other local politicians from his Popular Democratic Party (PPD) who have deserted him. Support from such officials in Puerto Rico's towns is crucial for effective governance. The governor's struggles are good news for the main opposition party, the New Progressive Party (PNP), which in turn may favor holders of the Caribbean island's $72 billion in debt, including foreign creditors. PNP gubernatorial candidates, who include Pedro Pierluisi, Puerto Rico's representative in Congress, and Ricky Rossello, the son of a revered ex-governor, have said they support trying to pay

WASHINGTON, DC --(Marketwired - November 11, 2015) - U.S.English Chairman Mauro E. Mujica today criticized Republican presidential candidate Ben Carson for endorsing statehood for Puerto Rico. At a recent political convention, Carson stated that he "would be incredibly honored and delighted" to support Puerto Rico statehood, noting that geographically, the commonwealth is "very strategically located" and suggesting that given the threat of terrorism, statehood would mean added "unity" for the United States. Upon hearing Dr. Carson's remarks, Chairman Mujica issued the following statement: U.S.English, Inc. is the nation's oldest and largest non-partisan citizens' action group dedicated to preserving the unifying role of the English language in the United States. Founded in 1983 by the late Sen. S.I. Hayakawa of California, U.S.English, Inc. ( www.usenglish.org ) now has more than 2 million members. CONTACT: U.S.English (202) 833-0100 U.S.E

Republican presidential candidate Ben Carson will advocate for Puerto Rico become a state at an event on the island Sunday, BuzzFeed News reported.   Carson is attending a rally for Ricky Rosello, a gubernatorial candidate in the U.S. commonwealth’s pro-statehood party.   A source told BuzzFeed that endorsing Puerto Rican statehood was a condition for Carson speaking at the event.   Several candidates in the 2016 presidential race are in favor of extending statehood to the island as the long as Puerto Ricans vote in favor, including Sen. Marco Rubio (R-Fla.) and former Florida Gov. Jeb Bush.   Carson’s endorsement comes several days before 13 Republicans are set to appear at the Sunshine Summit in Orlando, Fla., where Puerto Ricans are a fast-growing constituency. While Puerto Rico cannot participate in the general election, it will award 23 delegates in the primary elections. By Bradford Richardson Carson to endorse Puerto Rico statehood: report

Puerto Rico's Republican Party is selecting new leaders while calling on GOP presidential candidates to support statehood for the U.S. territory. Jeb Bush, Jr., son of the former Florida governor and presidential candidate, attended the Sunday assembly and addressed the forum for his father. Presidential hopefuls Marco Rubio and George Pataki sent written statements. All three back statehood for Puerto Rico. About 1,235 Republican delegates ratified House Minority Leader Jenniffer Gonzalez Colon as party president and former Puerto Rico Gov. Luis Fortuno as national committeeman. They also chose attorney Zoraida Fonalledas as national committeewoman, Yauco Mayor Abel Nazario as first vice president and attorney Jorge San Miguel as second vice president. Gonzalez Colon recently announced plans to run in 2016 for resident commissioner, Puerto Rico's sole congressional representative. Read more here: http://www.miamiherald.com/latest-news/article42143520.html#storylink=cpy Rep

Puerto Rico Secretary of State David Bernier resigned Sunday, in a step that would allow him to run for governor. Bernier’s resignation comes after speculation in the legislature that Gov. Alejandro García Padilla would choose not run for reelection and would have Bernier run for the Popular Democratic Party nomination in his place. In recent months García Padilla has been saying he would run for reelection. In the press release on the resignation, however, the governor said: “One would hope that [Bernier’s] deliberative process convinces him to make himself available to the commonwealth in the electoral arena. He has proven management experience and the temperament, character, capacity, and inclination to work hard that is necessary and that are generally not found among political candidates. David is one of those few who have the capacity to unite the commonwealth.” García Padilla started his four-year term as governor in January 2013. The members of Puerto Rico’s House of Represe

Amid all the mudslinging and maneuvering, the hype and the histrionics, it’s easy to forget what a presidential campaign is really about: the issues. Yahoo Politics is here to help. From now until Election Day, we’ll be keeping track of where every candidate stands on the topics that matter most. Amid all the mudslinging and maneuvering, the hype and the histrionics, it’s easy to forget what a presidential campaign is really about: the issues. Yahoo Politics is here to help. From now until Election Day, we’ll be keeping track of where every candidate stands on the topics that matter most.   Whenever one of the 2016 White House hopefuls releases a new plan, we’ll summarize it for you. Whenever one of them changes his or her position, we’ll explain how. And we’ll keep adding new policy roundups along the way.  Democratic Debate Schedule October 13, 2015 (CNN) November 14, 2015 (CBS) December 19, 2015 (ABC) January 17, 2016 (NBC) February or March, 2016 (Univision) February or Ma

The 2016 presidential campaign is in full swing as candidates from both national parties are crisscrossing the nation in search of money and votes. In recent years, the United States Territory of Puerto Rico has become one of the more attractive landing spots for those seeking to live at Pennsylvania 1600. Ever since the 2008 primary between President Barack Obama and former First Lady Hillary Clinton, our Island have been routinely visited by most of the top tiered presidential candidates in search of money and more money. Votes? Maybe, if the primary is heated, such as was the case in 2008 when Clinton needed a win in Puerto Rico to make it competitive. But that was the exception, not the rule. They all come, but they come mainly for the money. Being a non-incorporated territory, the Island does not have the right to send senators and representatives to Congress. It also means that we don’t have a vote in the presidential race either. There’s a paradox here. A circle of self-depe

The Puerto Rican Senate recently approved a bill declaring Spanish as the first official language of the country, moving English to second place. The 1993 law proceeding this new regulation put both English and Spanish on equal footing making both compulsory in executive, legislative and judicial matters. “By establishing Spanish as the first official language, we will strengthen our cultural identity and validate the reality that more than 80% of Puerto Ricans do not understand nor speak English,” said Fas Alzamora in an explanatory statement on the bill. The bill was introduced in August 2014 by the ex-president of the ruling Popular Democratic Party (PDP), Antonio Fas Alzamora. It was rejected in June, but reconsidered in late-August with support from a majority of ruling party Senators. Eight senators from the ruling opposition party rejected the bill. “In the 21st century, government efforts should focus on ‘multiculturalism’, including the diversity of languages,” Senate presi

Democratic presidential candidate Hillary Clinton reportedly brought in between $200,000 and $500,000 for her campaign in a Puerto Rico fundraiser Friday.   Clinton attended the 200-person event at the Condado Plaza Hilton in San Juan for approximately 90 minutes, according to CNN .   Attendees paid between $1,000 and $2,700 each for seats at Clinton’s fundraiser.   The 2016 Democratic front-runner’s brief stop on the island included a visit to a nearby hospital for a roundtable discussion on healthcare.   The former secretary of State also weighed in on Puerto Rico’s future political status within the United States during her stay.   “It is just hard to justify how you can be an American citizen in Puerto Rico and be treated so different in so many ways,” Clinton told listeners.   “This comes down to basic rights,” she added. “Puerto Ricans have the right to form a government of your choice that is representative at all levels of government, just as you have a right to equality as

Hillary Clinton campaigns in Puerto Rico

Rubio, Clinton campaign in Puerto Rico

“"Not a single Republican has stepped up in Washington to support the leaders in Puerto Rico. And they’re not offering any alternatives either. And that is unacceptable” NOTE: Puerto Rico’s Public Finance Corp failed to pay bondholders an additional $4m of interest due Sept. 1, the agency disclosed today Puerto Rico’s Governor Alejandro Garcia Padilla in June said Puerto Rico and its agencies were unable to repay all of its $72b of debt on time and in full and said the commonwealth would seek to delay payments Congress needs to give authority to let “severely distressed” public corporations and municipalities restructure their debts, Hillary Clinton says at event in Puerto Rico Jennifer Epstein Clinton Calls on GOP To Let Puerto Rico Use Chap. 9 Bankruptcy

Puerto Rico's financial crisis loomed over dueling Friday campaign appearances by Democrat Hillary Rodham Clinton and Republican Marco Rubio, two presidential contenders with sharply different positions on a key issue for Puerto Rican voters whose influence is growing in U.S. politics. In a speech delivered entirely in Spanish, Rubio blamed Clinton supporters for the U.S. territory's economic problems as he railed against giving Puerto Rico bankruptcy protection to resolve a staggering $72 billion debt. "The people who are rallying behind her today are the people who put Puerto Rico in this fiscal mess to begin with," the young Florida senator told about 150 people crammed into an open-air restaurant in San Juan's gritty neighborhood of Santurce. Clinton, who won Puerto Rico's 2008 Democratic primary election, defended her support for giving Puerto Rico bankruptcy protection during a round-table discussion focused on the island's health-care problems. She

Hillary Clinton goes to Puerto Rico on Friday to thank voters there for past support in the primaries, and offering her support for more lenient treatment of the island's mounting public debt. Hillary Clinton To Make A Thank You Trip To Puerto Rico

Marco Rubio opposes giving Puerto Rico the same type of bankruptcy protection available to U.S. towns and cities mired in fiscal crisis, the Florida senator will say Friday as he visits the American territory for the first time as a 2016 contender. In an op-ed to be published in both Spanish and English, Rubio blames the "liberal ideology" of Puerto Rico's politicians, creating a "toxic brew of economic stagnation, higher taxes and bloated government." "Allowing Puerto Rican municipalities to reorganize their debts under Chapter 9 of the U.S. Bankruptcy Code would not solve Puerto Rico’s problems and should only be a measure of last resort considered if Puerto Rico takes significant steps to fix its budget and economic mess,” he writes. The op-ed was timed to coincide with Rubio’s first visit to the island as a presidential candidate. And his position sets him apart from other 2016 contenders, including Jeb Bush and Hillary Clinton, who have supported Ch

SAN JUAN, Puerto Rico (AP) — Republican presidential hopeful Marco Rubio is scheduled to visit the U.S. territory of Puerto Rico this week, his staff said Tuesday. Spokeswoman Olivia Perez-Cubas told The Associated Press that the Florida senator will meet with supporters on Friday in the capital of San Juan. Rubio's one-day visit will coincide with that of Democrat Hillary Clinton . He is scheduled to attend a fundraiser before the rally. Former Maryland Gov. Martin O'Malley visited Puerto Rico last month, becoming the first Democratic presidential candidate to make a campaign stop on the island this year. GOP presidential hopeful Jeb Bush arrived in late April for a fundraiser and a town hall meeting in which he endorsed the idea of statehood for the territory. Puerto Rico residents cannot vote in U.S. presidential elections but can participate in primaries. A growing number of Puerto Ricans have moved to the U.S. mainland as the island faces a 12 percent unemployment rat

Ahead of Hillary Clinton’s first campaign stop in Puerto Rico on Friday afternoon, New York's first Hispanic City Council speaker, Melissa Mark-Viverito, endorsed the Democratic front-runner in an op-ed in Puerto Rico’s largest newspaper. “For Puerto Ricans — both on the island and throughout the diaspora — this election [is] the most important in our lifetime,” Mark-Viverito writes in Nuevo Dia. “Hillary supports Puerto Rico’s push to be allowed to declare bankruptcy and be allowed to restructure its debt. Hillary has also highlighted the inequality Puerto Rico faces by its lack of federal funding under Medicare and Medicaid.” Mark-Viverito is considered a rising star in New York City politics and has begun to make a name for herself on the national stage speaking out on immigration. She remains a well-known figure in Puerto Rico and plans to campaign for Clinton and other Democrats in 2016 in Florida, which has a booming Puerto Rican population, a spokesman said. Mark-Viverito

Sen. Marco Rubio (R-Fla.) will hit the presidential campaign trail in Puerto Rico this Friday, the same day that Hillary Clinton heads to the island. Rubio’s campaign announced the trip on Tuesday, inviting journalists to a Friday afternoon rally at a restaurant near the island’s coast. Clinton’s team confirmed that she’ll be campaigning in Puerto Rico on the same day but has not yet released an itinerary. The visits from the White House hopefuls come as the island faces a crisis over more than $70 billion in debt. The New York Times reported that Puerto Rican officials had to delay work on a financial plan thanks to recent storms, and that the new deadline to complete a plan is Sept. 8. While American cities are allowed to declare bankruptcy, U.S. states and territories cannot. Clinton in July called on Congress to let Puerto Rico have access to bankruptcy laws and to help it restructure its debts. Rubio hasn’t publicly articulated his stance on the debt crisis, with aides tell

Donald Trump told a large, enthusiastic Keokuk, Iowa audience that he's going to purchase the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico in order to resolve its debt crisis and rename it Puerto Trump. Trump later heatedly denied to reporters that buying Puerto Rico was a way to repair bridges with Latino voters offended by his comments about Mexican immigrants. "I love Puerto Rico," Trump told 4,000 flag-waving supporters in the early primary state of Iowa. "I go there every winter, to visit my hubcabs. "Seriously, they got the rug pulled out from under them when the idiots in Washington changed the rules of the game about how they can borrow money. "I don't need to wait until I'm elected President to fix this. I'm just buying the whole damn island right now." Reaction to Trump's plan, the details of which his advisors hurriedly released after the surprise announcement, has been mixed. "Jobs and money," Alejandro Garcia Padilla, Gove

The first Federal Election Commission filing deadline for most of the presidential candidates is Wednesday, but some organizations have released their totals early. Below, the announced money raised by the campaigns, “super PACs” and nonprofits supporting each candidate. Money Raised So Far Millions raised by Campaign Campaign Super PAC Other Jeb Bush Bush r epublican $11.4 in 16 days $103.0 n/a Hillary Rodham Clinton Clinton d emocrat $45.0 in 79 days $15.6 – Ted Cruz Cruz r epublican $14.5 in 100 days $38.0 – Marco Rubio Rubio r epublican $12.0 in 79 days

Hillary Clinton's 2016 presidential campaign has, thus far, been rather light on concrete policy proposals. The first exception to that rule, somewhat surprisingly, turns out to relate to the obscure issues of Puerto Rico's treatment in federal bankruptcy code and health-care reimbursement formulas. These are not top priority issues for most voters, but they are urgent for Puerto Ricans. Clinton's plan arrives as Puerto Rico's governor has said that the island cannot pay all its debts and is trapped in a "death spiral" of recession and debt. This situation hasn't yet secured as much attention as the debt crisis in Greece, but it involves the lives of millions of US citizens, and if Congress doesn't act to do something the resulting fight is going to play out in American federal courts. Clinton offers two big ideas for how Congress could act to help rescue Puerto Rico's economy, plus a hint of larger political change in the future. Hillary Clinto

THE BIG IDEA: — Puerto Rico’s debt crisis may soon blow up into a significant 2016 issue.  The island is poised to default on its crushing $72 billion debt. Its government wants to file for Chapter 9 municipal bankruptcy, following the path of cities like Detroit, but as a U.S. commonwealth it is barred from doing so. The island’s leaders are launching a campaign to get the law changed, using a mix of public pressure on 2016 candidates and a bipartisan lobbying blitz in D.C. But they face opposition from Wall Street, the Koch brothers’ political network and movement conservatives who think it smacks of a bailout. Puertorriqueños recognize their increasing political clout, particularly in Florida, and they promise to put it to use. In an interview on Telemundo yesterday, Puerto Rico Gov. Alejandro García Padilla. want the support of Puerto Ricans must help Puerto Rico now, not later,” he said. “Puerto Ricans decide the elections in Florida. That’s very important. By deciding the ele