A State of Shock Rebuilding Florida After Irma’S Historic Devastation P.4
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CONTROVERSY BUSINESS TALKING POINTS TRUMP’S A horrible How Hillary NEW summer for explains FRIENDS? Hollywood her defeat p.6 Rep. Nancy p.38 p.17 Pelosi THE BEST OF THE U.S. AND INTERNATIONAL MEDIA A state of shock Rebuilding Florida after Irma’s historic devastation p.4 SEPTEMBER 22, 2017 VOLUME 17 ISSUE 840 ALL YOU NEED TO KNOW ABOUT EVERYTHING THAT MATTERS WWW.THEWEEK.COM THERE IS NO SINGLE TRUTH IN WAR TUNE IN OR STREAM PREMIERES SUNDAY SEPT 17 8/7c Funding for THE VIETNAM WAR provided by BANK OF AMERICA; CORPORATION FOR PUBLIC BROADCASTING; PBS; DAVID H. KOCH; THE BLAVATNIK FAMILY FOUNDATION; PARK FOUNDATION; THE ARTHUR VINING DAVIS FOUNDATIONS; THE JOHN S. AND JAMES L. KNIGHT FOUNDATION; THE ANDREW W. 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As Ron Brownstein points out nearly a century ago, but it continues to explain much, including in CNN.com this week, the U.S. can be divided into “high car- many Americans’ adamant refusal to accept the reality of climate bon” and “low carbon” states. High carbon states produce large change. In the past three weeks, two monstrous hurricanes of his- amounts of oil, gas, and coal, and rely on industries that burn toric intensity devastated large swathes of Texas, Florida, and the lots of fossil fuels. They are invariably “red” or Republican. Low Caribbean. Climate change didn’t cause Harvey and Irma, but carbon states, located mainly on the coasts, have economies that climatologists suspect a warming planet made these killer hurri- depend mostly on financial, service, and information-age compa- canes more destructive. (Total damage: upwards of $200 billion.) nies. They are blue. In red states like Wyoming, North Dakota, It’s simple p hysics: Hurricanes draw their energy from warm and Texas, the per-capita carbon dioxide emission levels also are ocean waters, and the Gulf, Caribbean, and southern Atlantic are much higher, because they’re largely rural and people rely on significantly warmer right now than their historic norms. Warmer cars and machinery. In 2016, President Trump carried 20 of the air also can carry more moisture. Harvey dumped more rain on 21 states with the highest per capita carbon emissions. In these Houston—about 50 inches—than any storm in U.S. history. Irma states, the implications of accepting climate change are under- howled at 180 mph for 37 hours, a record, and was the second standably alarming—more alarming, evidently, William Falk Cat egory 4 storm to hit the U.S. in three weeks. Coincidence? than even two Cat e gory 4 hurricanes. Editor-in-chief NEWS 4 Main stories Florida pummeled Editor-in-chief: William Falk by Irma, as the Managing editors: Theunis Bates, Caribbean digs out from Carolyn O’Hara Deputy editor/International: Susan Caskie devastation; Bannon’s Deputy editor/Arts: Chris Mitchell Senior editors: Harry Byford, Alex war on the GOP Dalenberg, Richard Jerome, Dale Obbie, Hallie Stiller, Frances Weaver 6 Controversy of the week Art director: Dan Josephs Photo editor: Loren Talbot After cutting a deal with Copy editors: Jane A. Halsey, Jay Wilkins Democrats, will Trump’s Chief researcher: Christina Colizza Contributing editors: Ryan Devlin, pivot to the left last? Bruno Maddox 7 The U.S. at a glance VP, publisher: John Guehl Seattle mayor resigns VP, marketing: Tara Mitchell Sales development director: over abuse allegations; Samuel Homburger CEOs golf with Trump Account director: Steve Mumford Account managers: Shelley Adler, Alison Fernandez 8 The world at a glance Detroit director: Lisa Budnick A deadly earthquake Midwest director: Lauren Ross A Florida Keys resident at the spot where his trailer once stood (p.4) Southeast director: Jana Robinson in Mexico; Pyongyang West Coast directors: James Horan, Rebecca Treadwell lashes out over sanctions ARTS LEISURE Integrated marketing director: Jennifer Freire Integrated marketing managers: 10 People 22 Books 28 Food & Drink Kelly Dyer, Caila Litman Sharon Osbourne on Marketing design director: Joshua Moore Kurt Andersen’s tour of The perfect pub chicken, Marketing designer: Triona Moynihan her marriage to a serial Research and insights manager: Joan Cheung crackpot America by way of Chicago Marketing coordinator: Reisa Feigenbaum cheater; Michael Moore’s Senior digital account manager: war with elites 23 Author of the week 30 Travel Yuliya Spektorsky Programmatic manager: George Porter ‘America’s librarian’ Trekking the monasteries Digital planners: Jennifer Riddell, Talia Sabag 11 Briefi ng of northern Tibet writes her fi rst novel Chief operating & financial officer: Presidents possess almost Kevin E. Morgan unlimited power to grant 24 Art 31 Consumer Director of financial reporting: Five better ways to wake Arielle Starkman pardons. But they haven’t The centuries-old fury of EVP, consumer marketing & products: always used it wisely. Kara Walker up in the morning Sara O’Connor Consumer marketing director: 12 Best U.S. columns 26 Film Leslie Guarnieri BUSINESS HR manager: Joy Hart Democrats’ religious test Jennifer Operations manager: Cassandra Mondonedo for judges; why Trump Lawrence 34 News at a glance Adviser: Ian Leggett may legalize ‘Dreamers’ lives out a Apple unveils a $999 Chairman: John M. Lagana nightmare iPhone; Nordstrom’s no- U.K. founding editor: Jolyon Connell 15 Best international Company founder: Felix Dennis columns in Darren clothes store Myanmar’s silence as Aronofsky’s 36 Making money Mother! Rohingya are driven out The wild world of ‘initial Visit us at TheWeek.com. coin offerings’ For customer service go to www 16 Talking points .TheWeek.com/service or phone us How Russia used 38 Best columns at 1-877-245-8151. Facebook; why terrorism Sharon Hollywood’s horrible Renew a subscription at www .RenewTheWeek.com or give a gift persists; Clinton settles Osbourne summer; Amazon’s cynical at www.GiveTheWeek.com. Getty (2) Getty scores with Sanders (p. 10) city shakedown THE WEEK September 22, 2017 4 NEWS The main stories... Florida pummeled by Hurricane Irma What happened Post. The “economic toll”—in the form Millions of Florida residents began return- of “disruptions to business, increased ing to their storm-battered homes this unemployment, crop losses, and property week, after Hurricane Irma tore through and infrastructure damage”—could put the state causing extensive flooding, the bill as high as $100 bil lion. But hope- widespread power outages, and billions fully the devastation wrought by Irma— of dollars’ worth of property damage. and by Hurricane Harvey, which hit The record-breaking storm, which also Texas only two weeks earlier—will shake pummeled the Caribbean (see next page), Gov. Scott and other Republicans out of prompted some 7 million people to their stubborn denial that climate change evacuate the Sunshine State. After making poses a serious threat. While individual landfall in the Florida Keys as a Cat e- storms cannot be attributed to global gory 4 hurricane, Irma barreled northward warming, scientists say, higher tempera- tures will make destructive hurricanes up the peninsula’s western side, covering Surveying their broken home in the Keys the whole width of the state. While Miami “more common and severe.” was spared a direct hit from the eye, the 420-mile-wide storm still caused widespread damage elsewhere. The Keys were devastated, What the columnists said with a quarter of homes destroyed and another 65 percent dam- There has never been a storm “quite like Irma,” said Robinson aged. Overall, up to 13 million people—two-thirds of Florida’s Meyer in TheAtlantic.com. It retained hurricane strength for 11 population—lost power. Utility companies warned it would be days, spent a record three days as a Cate gory 5 storm, and whipped weeks before electricity was fully restored. up 185 mph winds for 37 straight hours—longer than any cyclone in recorded history. In addition, Irma formed in the Atlantic, “a Irma weakened to a post-tropical depression after moving north part of the world that usually does not produce huge hurricanes.” out of Florida, but continued to unleash high winds and heavy rainfall. A million people lost power in Georgia and the Carolinas. To limit the impact of future storms, the government should stop By Wednesday, the death toll across the whole region stood at 30, “tempting people into hurricanes’ paths,” said Nicole Gelinas in including eight residents of a Hollywood, Fla., nursing home who the New York Post. The National Flood Insurance Program has were left without air-conditioning in extreme heat. “We’ve got a provided heavily subsidized coverage that encouraged millions of lot of work to do, but everybody’s going to come together,” said people to build homes near coastlines. Some properties have had Florida Gov. Rick Scott. “We’re going to get this state rebuilt.” to be rebuilt several times—all on the taxpayers’ dime—and with extreme weather on the rise, the program was already $24.7 bil lion What the editorials said in debt before Harvey and Irma. Why is the government spending “We’ve come a long way [since] Hurricane Andrew in 1992,” said billions of dollars “keeping people in harm’s way”? the Miami Herald.