The Puerto Rico Crisis: CNN yesterday visited a destroyed town one hour out of San Juan where representatives of the Federal Emergency Management Agency were visiting for the first time since Hurricane Maria crushed Puerto Rico on Sept. 20^th. They were not bringing food, water, or medicine. They were just there to assess the damage.

Our friend Christopher Young finally surfaced in San Juan to Post, “We are safe and have a roof over our heads. Every day is a search for potable water, diesel fuel, food and gasoline, some days you wait in line for eight hours and get nothing. This is an end of the planet story line.”

In Washington, President Trump claimed yesterday that his administration is doing a great job. “As far as Puerto Rico is concerned that’s been going, as you know, really well.” He went on, “We have done an incredible job considering there’s absolutely nothing to work with.”

Trump said, “People can’t believe how successful it’s been.”

Contrast that with San Juan Mayor Carmen Yulín Cruz who said, also yesterday, “I am begging, begging anyone that can hear us, to save us from dying. I am mad as hell. Because my people’s lives are at stake.”

Incredibly, Trump tweeted this morning, “The Mayor of San Juan, who was very complimentary only a few days ago, has now been told by the Democrats that you must be nasty to Trump.”

Most of the main roads have been cleared. FEMA says that public water has been restored to 45 percent of the island, but electricity is still out. The island’s rickety old electricity grid is crumbled. There’s a communications blackout. Without power, residents don’t have telephone service, radios, or televisions to tell them what’s going on and where help might be available.

Homeland Security Secretary Elaine Duke called the Puerto Rico response “a good news story in terms of our ability to reach people and the limited number of deaths that have taken place.”

Hearing that, Cruz retorted: “This is, damn it, this is not a good news story. This is a ‘people are dying’ story. This is a ‘life or death’ story. This is ‘there’s a truckload of stuff that cannot be taken to people’ story. This is a story of a devastation that continues to worsen.”

Swamp Thing: Already in trouble for failing to shepherd a successful health care bill, Secretary of Health and Human Services Tom Price was forced to resign after taking $400,000 in private charter flights when commercial flights were available, embarrassing President Trump in his campaign promise to drain the Washington Swamp.

He’s the 9^th Trump staffer or appointee to resign or get fired.

Also under scrutiny for using charter jets are Ryan Zinke, the interior secretary; Scott Pruitt, the administrator of the Environmental Protection Agency; and Treasury Secy. Steve Mnuchin.

On Thursday, Price had said he would pay back the government $51,887 of the $400,000 he spent for his seats on the private jets, even though the entire jet was rented for him. The website Politico, which broke the story, says the true amount Price spent is more like $1 million.

No Cigar: The US announced that it is pulling out about half its Cuban embassy staff after mysterious “sonic” attacks in which 21 American diplomats suffered a series of maladies including hearing loss, dizziness, tinnitus, headache, fatigue, and trouble sleeping.

The State Department also warned Americans not to visit Cuba, although it seems pretty clear the attacks were focused on embassy staff.

The Obit Page: Herbert W. Kalmbach, a personal lawyer for President Richard Nixon who was accused of being a cash bagman and went to prison for illegal political fundraising, has died in Newport Beach, Calif. at 95. One of his convictions was for trying to sell an ambassadorship for a $100,000 political donation to Nixon.

Kalmbach helped funnel more than $200,000 to the Watergate break-in defendants. The payments were later seen as hush money to keep the defendants from talking, but Kalmbach said he believed it to be for “humanitarian” purposes.

Dressed Down: Air Force Lt Gen. Jay Silveria, superintendent of the Air Force Academy, delivered a blistering speech to his cadets after racist slurs were found on a message board, one of which said, “Go home niggers.”

“You should be outraged not only as an airman, but as a human being,” Silveria said. “If you can’t treat someone with dignity and respect, then get out.”

Clear? Crystal.

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