Nine years after Hurricane Maria devastated Puerto Rico, the island’s people continue to suffer from a water, energy and infrastructure crisis. Today, water is often delivered by tanker trucks amid rationing and leaky water pipes that often fail. The island’s electric grid remains fragile and prone to frequent blackouts. Meanwhile billions of dollars continue to sit in bank accounts in Washington D.C.
(“Congress Has the Responsibility to Reverse the Water Crisis it Caused in Puerto Rico,” In These Times, Aug. 10, 2026)
Record corporate profits, historic tax cuts benefiting the wealthiest Americans and stagnant wages have led to a situation of growing economic inequality, surpassing the levels seen during the Gilded Age. In 1970, the wealthiest 1 percent of Americans commanded roughly one-fifth of the nation’s wealth; today, they control one-third.
(“The California Left and the Wealth Tax,” American Prospect, Aug. 11, 2026)
After more than 18 months of Donald Trump’s often disparaged tariffs on nations around the world, Vietnam currently has the largest trade surplus with the U.S. In the first six months of this year, Vietnam’s exports to the U.S. exceeded Vietnam’s imports of U.S. goods by $114 billion—more than the surplus of any other nation.
(“The Country That Has the Biggest Trade Surplus with the US Is Now Vietnam,” Wall Street Journal, Aug. 26, 2026; “Why Are We (And Were we) in Vietnam,” American Prospect, Aug. 27, 2026)
