>> Jason Self:

“He went to Puerto Rico and started complaining about how much it's costing to help them, saying that they're throwing our budget "out of whack." Then comparing their death toll to a "real catastrophe" like Katrina.”

The boss was being brutally honest yet lacking in context. Yes, the Disaster Relief Fund is probably going to run dry again soon. The mission ops report this morning already had two disturbances in the Atlantic basin. We're not out of hurricane season until the end of November. The current Continuing Resolution runs out on December 8th.

The island is in the hole and is likely to default on its financial obligations to the tune of $76 billion. If it does, kiss any hope of statehood goodbye for the near term. Financial malfeasance by the local administration should not have been allowed to go on that long. To bail the island out, unfortunately, the President would have to get some laws changed that prevent him from even trying to do so. He's not kidding when he brings that up and says it has to be discussed as, frankly, he needs something to take back to DC to keep the bondholders happy and talk a Congress with a razor-thin majority in the Senate into potentially passing a huge bailout.

$76 billion + current costs against the Disaster Relief Fund + costs to make a new electrical grid from scratch + costs to make a new telecomms grid from scratch = ?

Hurricane season isn't even over as the hunter squadron is getting set for a possible recon flight Wednesday. Currently the disturbance isn't near US interests. That can always change, though.