Two stories of resilience and hope from the wreckage of Hurricane Dorian
Our reporter Brianna Sacks has been in the Bahamas as the country struggles to recover from the impact of Hurricane Dorian. I’d like to draw your attention to two new stories:
First: Cooper’s Town Community Clinic on Great Abaco Island lost staff, power, and water. They stayed opened anyway. The remote clinic was badly damaged by Dorian, its supplies ruined by the storm. All the containers and sterile tools are contaminated and full of mold.
The clinic’s entire 12-person staff also lost their homes. Dr. Latoya Munroe, who runs the clinic, is trying to treat patients and prepare for a looming health care crisis while mourning the loss of a family member and figuring out where she is going to live. Read Sacks’s report on a slim medical team hustling and coping.
Second: A husband-and-wife volunteer helicopter team found 40 stranded people after thinking they were debris. Florida couple Justin and Angela Johnson have been conducting search and rescue missions and helping drop off supplies and resources to remote towns across the Bahamas.
After flying past what they thought was a pile of debris, Justin Johnson “felt an urge” to go back. When they landed, about 30 to 40 people began climbing out of crushed cars and crumpled homes where they had been living, stranded since the storm wiped out their community.
The Trump administration wants to charge immigrants nearly $1,000 to appeal deportation cases
According to a draft regulation we obtained, the administration is pushing a proposal to drastically increase fees for immigrants appealing deportation cases or legally attempting to get judges to reconsider their claims in court.
If implemented, the increase in fees could lead to a substantial shift in how and whether people appeal judges’ decisions in deportation cases. The current fee is $110.
A change in the fees would raise due process issues, and for that reason, it will likely be challenged by advocates.
SNAPSHOTS
New York is the first state to ban flavored vape products amid a nationwide outbreak of lung illnesses. The emergency regulation was approved by the state’s health department, and it will go into effect immediately. Seven people have died and hundreds more have been sickened across the US in the outbreak.
The US government is suing to stop Edward Snowden from making money from his new book and public speeches. The Justice Department filed a lawsuit accusing Snowden, a former contractor for the CIA and NSA, of breaching secrecy agreements by not submitting his book and public remarks for prereview by the government.
A sheriff allegedly tried to have his deputy killed to cover up a racist recording. Sheriff Brindell Wilkins of Granville County in North Carolina allegedly tried to arrange the killing of a deputy who planned to release a recording of him using “racially offensive language,” according to court records.
Jeopardy! host Alex Trebek announced he is going back on chemotherapy for pancreatic cancer. A few weeks ago, the longtime host said he was nearing remission. In a video message to viewers, he said, “That was a bit premature and certainly over-optimistic.”
It’s not just millennials — Gen Z is dealing with a lot of debt now too
Millennials in the US are now carrying an average of $27,900 in debt, not including mortgages.
Gen Z, the oldest of whom are now 22 years old, have an average debt of $14,700. The sources of debt vary, though: Millennials’ main source of debt is credit card bills, and Gen Z’s is student loans.
The data also shows about 45% of millennials and 43% of Gen Z reported feeling guilty about their debt at least every month — more than other age groups.
Read Venessa Wong’s deep dive into how having sizable debt at a young age became “the new normal.”
The Devil Wears Prada is going to be turned into a musical and will make its debut next summer
The beloved film based on the beloved novel is going to be adapted into a musical that will debut in Chicago next July.
The adaptation has an impressive team behind it — including Tony winner Anna D. Shapiro, who will direct, and Elton John, famous for being Elton John, who is creating the show's music.
There’s no casting news yet, so we don’t know who will play Miranda Priestly as she says “that's all” in a singsong voice.