"Despacito" made this neighborhood famous, but Hurricane Maria ravaged it
In Spanish, despacito means "slowly." In the song, it's about love, but in La Perla, it's about healing
David Begnaud is a CBS News contributor and previously served as the lead national correspondent for "CBS Mornings," based in New York City. He joined the network in 2015 and his reporting — featured across all CBS News broadcasts and platforms, including "CBS Evening News," "48 Hours," "CBS Sunday Morning" and CBS News 24/7 — has earned him some of journalism's most prestigious awards.
One of Begnaud's most notable assignments was his coverage of Hurricane Maria when it hit Puerto Rico in October 2017. He spent more time covering Puerto Rico's recovery than any other network news correspondent, traveling to the island countless times and breaking numerous significant stories. His distinctive, unmatched reporting resulted in government action, and throughout the crisis, he delivered sustained coverage on all platforms — especially on social media. His coverage of Hurricane Maria earned him the prestigious George Polk Award for public service in 2018, which was the first time given to a journalist since 1978. The award, as the nominating committee states, places "a premium on investigative work that is original, resourceful and thought-provoking." Begnaud also received Radio Television Digital News Association's First Amendment Leadership Award for his significant contribution to the protection of the First Amendment and freedom of the press.
At CBS News, Begnaud covered major news stories around the world including the shooting at Pulse Nightclub in Orlando, Florida, the terrorist attack at the Inland Regional Center in San Bernardino, California, and the devastating earthquake that hit Ecuador in April of 2016 leaving hundreds dead and thousands injured. In the summer of 2017, he covered Hurricane Harvey in Houston, Hurricane Irma in Florida, and Hurricane Maria in Puerto Rico. Begnaud's coverage of important national and international stories is also featured prominently on CBS News 24/7.
Prior to CBS, Begnaud covered a wide variety of national breaking news from weather to crime for several news organizations. Previously, he created and reported for "Newsbreaker" at ORA-TV, a social media platform for current events and breaking news and was a contributing correspondent for "Entertainment Tonight," the No. 1 syndicated entertainment newsmagazine in the world.
His career began in local news at KLFY-TV as an unpaid "teen reporter" while in high school, in his home state of Louisiana. Upon graduation, KLFY-TV hired him as a full-time reporter. He later became the weekend morning and evening news anchor. During the week he attended college, and graduated from the University of Louisiana, Lafayette in 2005.
In Spanish, despacito means "slowly." In the song, it's about love, but in La Perla, it's about healing
The United States government wouldn't say how many of the island's 1,100 schools have electricity
Lt. Gen. Jeffrey Buchanan announced on Friday that troops would begin winding down operations
The north side of Puerto Rico, including San Juan, was plunged back into darkness Thursday when a major power line shut down
Relief supplies are arriving on the island, but getting them to the nearly 3.5 million people in desperate need is close to impossible
So far, $1 billion has been earmarked for recovery by the U.S. government, but on the ground in Puerto Rico, it's not apparent yet
Puerto Rico's governor says it's extremely difficult right now to get information out of Guajataca, the city in the western part of the island
Can Puerto Rico survive a direct hit? The governor weighs in as Hurricane Maria approaches
Nearly 40 percent of stations in Miami and a quarter of those as far north as Tallahassee are out of gas
A group of civilian Samaritans rescued roughly 200 people, documenting their heroic deeds along the way
Hundreds of residents near Lake Houston weren't given much time to evacuate when five nearby creeks, river and dam inundated the area
Rozetia Ellis took all of the dresses from the Alfred Angelo store where she worked, earning the gratitude of dozens of women
Judge Sam Benningfield in White County, Tennessee, initiated program to combat rise in infants who are born addicted to opioids
"Folks think because it's not raining anymore, things are just fine or getting better -- they're not," Gov. Bruce Rauner says
Tornado was likely spawned from the remnants of Tropical Storm Cindy, which dumped several inches of rain from Louisiana to the Florida Panhandle