Mexico Quake: The death toll is rising after a 7.1 magnitude earthquake struck central Mexico yesterday. Dozens of buildings are reported to have collapsed in Mexico City and at least 216 people are reported dead.

Twenty-one children died when their school collapsed. About 40 buildings collapsed in Mexico City and rescue teams are digging survivors out of the rubble.

The earthquake struck at 1pm, about 100 miles outside Mexico City.

This comes just two weeks after a quake in Southern Mexico killed 90 people, and hours after Mexicans participated in ceremonies and drills in memory of a quake that killed thousands more than 30 years ago.

Mighty Winds: Residents of Puerto Rico sheltered and hunkered down as Hurricane Maria made landfall as a Category 4 with winds of 155 mph, just short of a Category 5. The storm devastated Dominica and could be the strongest ever to hit Puerto Rico.

Meanwhile Jose, now a tropical storm, did an end run and is meandering off the East Coast, bringing heavy rain to Long Island and New England.

America First: Speaking to the United Nations General Assembly yesterday, President Trump dealt threats and insults to countries around the world like elbow jabs in a hockey game. Repeatedly using the terms “sovereign” and “sovereignty,” Trump made it clear he is not balancing the well-being of the world against US interests.

“As president, I will always put America first, just like you as the leaders of your countries will always — and should always — put your countries first,” Trump said.

Once again calling North Korean leader Kim Jong-un “Rocket Man,” Trump said that if the US has to defend itself, “We will have no choice but to totally destroy North Korea.” He added, “If the righteous many don’t confront the wicked few, then evil will triumph.”

North Korea’s UN ambassador walked out before Trump spoke, leaving a junior diplomat in his seat.

Trump went on to call Iran a “rogue nation” and declared the Iran nuclear deal made under the Obama Administration “an embarrassment” that is “one of the worst and most one-sided transactions the United States has ever entered into.”

“The Iranian government masks a corrupt dictatorship behind the false guise of a democracy,” Trump continued. “It has turned a wealthy country with a rich history and culture into an economically depleted rogue state whose exports are violence, bloodshed and chaos.”

And last, Venezuela. Trump said the US is “prepared to take further action if the government of Venezuela persists on its path to impose authoritarian rule on the Venezuelan people.” He said the government of President Nicolás Maduro

has “destroyed a prosperous nation by imposing a failed ideology that has produced poverty and misery everywhere it has been tried.”

The Undead: Just when you thought it was all a memory, congressional Republicans are gearing up for one last shot at killing Obamacare.

The Graham-Cassidy bill would dismantle the Affordable Care Act and hand over all its money to the states to run their own health care programs. It eliminates premium subsidies to the insured, gets rid of payments to insurance companies for lower copayments and deductibles for the poor, and does away with Medicaid expansion adopted by 31 states. The bill could throw millions of people off their health insurance.

Yesterday the bill hit a political tripwire when a bipartisan group of governors came out in opposition.

The last effort to repeal Obamacare was blocked by the lone vote of Arizona Republican Sen. John McCain, who now says he’s considering a vote in favor Graham-Cassidy.

Voodoo Economics: Abandoning their crusade to stop the growth of the national debt, Senate Republicans have put together a plan to cut taxes by $1.5 trillion over the next 10 years, surely adding to the existing $20 trillion debt. The Republicans believe that the reduced taxes will spur economic growth, thereby offsetting the tax cut. It’s never worked before.

Social Notes: Celebu-caster Billy Bush, who lost his job at NBC News because of the infamous Access Hollywood tape while Donald Trump went on to become President, has split with his wife of 20 years, Sydney. His lawyer said the pair is on “a short-term break.”

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