“A-Plus”: After the initial rush of aid from the Federal Emergency Management Agency, hurricane victims in Texas and Florida tell the NY Times that they are waiting for the kind of longer-term help they need. The NY Times reports that FEMA  has been “unreliable and at times inadequate in handling the aftermath, as thousands of people face unusually long delays in getting basic disaster assistance.”

This, despite President Trump’s claim that “In Texas and in Florida, we get an A-plus.”

In Puerto Rico:

-80 percent of the island without power

-27 percent without running water

-37 percent without telephone service

-47 percent of cellphone towers disabled

-30 percent of bank branches closed

The Senate is pushing ahead on a $36.5 billion relief package that could give Puerto Rico a much-needed cash infusion.

The Weinstein Effect: At least 38 women have come forward to accuse writer/director James Toback of harassment and creepy sexual behavior. Reporter  Glenn Whipp writes that “His opening line had a few variations. One went: ‘My name’s James Toback. I’m a movie director. Have you ever seen ‘Black and White’ or ‘Two Girls and a Guy’?”

Whipp writes that once he got women into a meeting in a hotel room, movie trailer, or a public park, things turned quickly sexual and the victims got the full “Harvey.” Do a little reading to see what that means.

An actress named Starr Rinaldi said, “And the horrible thing is, whichever road you choose, whether you sleep with him or walk away, you’re still broken. You have been violated.”

Permawar: American-backed fighters captured Syria’s largest oil field from the Islamic State, depriving them of what was once a rich source of money. Both the Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces and the Syrian government have been fighting to recover parts of the oil-rich Deir el-Zour province along the border with Iraq.

The condition of the Al-Omar oil field, the one just re-captured, is unknown. Everyone has been bombing and shelling it to get rid of ISIS.

The Polite Approach: Japanese Prime Minister  Shinzō Abe appears to have won a third three-year term and said, “As I promised in the election, my imminent task is to firmly deal with North Korea. He said,  “For that, strong diplomacy is required.” North Korea has fired two missiles over Hokkaido, Japan’s northernmost island.

Scout’s Honor: An 11-year-old Boy Scout was kicked out of his den in Broomfield, Colo. after grilling a state Senator about gun control. In a Scout meeting with State Sen. Vicki Marble for which the scouts were told to prepare questions, Ames Mayfield said, “I was shocked that you co-sponsored a bill to allow domestic violence offenders to continue to own a gun.” In a two-minute question, he continued, “Why on earth would you want somebody who beats their wife to have access to a gun?”

A week later Mayfield’s mother was told the subject of guns was too controversial and he son was no longer welcome in his scout den.

Nation: Sentencing hearings begin today for Army Sgt. Bowe Bergdahl, who walked away from his post in Afghanistan and spent five years as a prisoner of the Taliban. He could get life. — Justin Timberlake has been invited back to perform at the Super Bowl halftime show, 14 years after Janet’s Jackson’s intentional/accidental  “wardrobe malfunction” that exposed a pierced nipple. —

Truth on Trial: President Trump tweeted gleefully yesterday that “It is finally sinking through. 46% OF PEOPLE BELIEVE MAJOR NATIONAL NEWS ORGS FABRICATE STORIES ABOUT ME. FAKE NEWS, even worse! Lost cred.”

It’s true, or at least it’s true that 46 percent of Americans believe that. A recent POLITICO/Morning Consult poll says just 37 percent of voters think the press does not make up stories, while the remaining 17 percent are undecided.

The press has made mistakes and gotten some things wrong. They always do. But neither Trump nor his believers have pointed out a single story from the legitimate press and proved that it is fabricated.

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