Puerto Ricans hope for change as Bad Bunny sings about the island's turmoil and identity

SAN JUAN, Puerto Rico (AP) — In a small bookstore in the Caribbean's largest mall, dozens of people gathered on a recent evening for the launch of a slim dictionary. Its title is “The ABC of DtMF,” which is short for “DeBÍ TiRAR MáS FOToS,” the newest album from Puerto Rico's latest prodigious son, Benito Antonio Martínez Ocasio, better known as Bad Bunny.

The mostly older crowd flipped through the pages, seeking to understand more about Puerto Rico's culture, the places, phrases and references in Bad Bunny's music.

The singer has elevated the global profile of the island, a U.S. territory, to new heights, promoting its traditional music, denouncing its gentrification and challenging its political status.

It was an unexpected opportunity for an island that for years has cried out about its territorial status, dwindling affordable housing, high cost of living, chronic power outages, medical exodus and fragile economy. Pleas for change have been largely pushed aside, but Puerto Ricans are optimistic that Bad Bunny’s new album and his series of 30 concerts that began Friday means they’ll finally be heard.

“He’s going to bring change, and there’s a young generation who’s going to back him,” said Luis Rosado, 57, who this week attended the dictionary launch at the urging of his son, who lives abroad.

Ten minutes before the first concert on Friday, a giant billboard on stage lit up with the words, “Puerto Rico is a colony since Christopher Columbus ‘discovered’ the island during his second trip to the New World in 1493.”

The crowd that filled the 18,000-capacity coliseum whooped.

“This album has sparked a conversation around the world about our situation as a colony,” said Andrea Figueroa, a 24-year-old professional athlete who said foreigners have started to ask her about Puerto Rico and its issues, something she hopes might lead to change.

Those born on the island of 3.2 million inhabitants are U.S. citizens but cannot vote in U.S. presidential elections, and they have one representative in Congress with limited voting powers.

Figueroa said the album resonated with her because her father is one of thousands forced to leave the island in search of work as the economy crumbled. It’s a sentiment Bad Bunny sings about in “What happened to Hawaii,” with the lyric, “He didn’t want to go to Orlando, but the corrupt ones kicked him out.”

The song taps into concern that the Puerto Rican identity is eroding amid an influx of people from the U.S. mainland, many of them attracted by a 2012 law that allows Americans to move to the island and pay no taxes on capital gains if they meet certain conditions.

Hundreds of Americans also snapped up properties in Puerto Rico after Hurricane Maria struck the island as a powerful Category 4 storm in 2017, forcing more than 100,000 people to leave.

“They want to take the river away from me and also the beach; they want my neighborhood and the grandma to leave,” Bad Bunny sang on Friday as the crowd drowned out his voice.

The artist spent half of Friday’s concert singing from the porch and roof of a traditional Puerto Rican home that served as a second stage, where he wonders about its fate aloud because it’s been rented: “Do good people live there? Is it an Airbnb?”

The mostly young crowd booed loudly, flinching at their reality on an island where the housing price index increased by almost 60% from 2018 to 2024 and where short-term rentals have surged from some 1,000 in 2014 to more than 25,000 in 2023.

However, they cheered upon seeing Los Angeles Lakers superstar LeBron James emerge from the house as a surprise guest.

The song hit Carmen Lourdes López Rivera especially hard. She is the vice president of the Community Board Association of La Perla, an impoverished community once known for being Puerto Rico’s biggest heroin distribution point.

Investors with deep pockets have long sought to buy up the area, which is perched on a hill with deep turquoise waters lapping below a massive 16th-century fort popular with tourists.

“They have always said they want to kick us out of here,” she said. “We’re going to fight for what belongs to us.”

The effect of Bad Bunny’s album and concerts is already being felt.

More than 35,000 hotel nights have been booked during the normally slow summer season, with the concerts expected to attract more than 600,000 visitors, generate more than $186 million and create more than 3,600 jobs, according to government officials.

Beyond that, Bad Bunny’s use of folkloric music like bomba and plena has revived interest in those musical traditions. Dozens of newcomers have requested classes and are seeking out teachers, said Jorge Gabriel López Olán, 28, an experienced drummer.

“And it’s very necessary, isn’t it? To understand where we come from and where our music and culture come from,” he said.

On Friday, Bad Bunny fans sported long ruffled skirts traditionally worn to dance bomba, while others donned straw hats known as a “pava,” worn by “jíbaros,” Puerto Rican peasants. Musicians and dancers wore the same outfits on the main stage, which at one point even featured live chickens.

Interest has surged to the point where universities including Princeton and Yale have launched courses on Bad Bunny. Albert Laguna, a Yale professor, described Bad Bunny’s residence as a powerful move: “Instead of me going to the world, right, I’m going to start here.”

There is even renewed interest in the Puerto Rican crested toad, the island’s sole indigenous toad species that is under threat and was featured in a video as part of Bad Bunny’s newest album.

Not even two weeks had passed since the album’s launch and people already were sending in pictures to confirm if they had spotted the crested toad, said Abel Vale Nieves with Citizens of the Karst, an environmental nonprofit.

“It’s something we had not seen before,” he said, adding that the album presented Puerto Rico’s reality to the world: “A situation of complete disadvantage where we don’t have the right to a lot of things.”

“It creates interest in Puerto Rico’s historical situation, and I think it did so in a wonderful way,” he said, adding that the concerts will only boost visibility of the island’s issues. “It’s a beautiful opportunity.”

Associated Press music reporter Maria Sherman in New York contributed.

Bad Bunny performs during his first show of his 30-date concert residency at the Coliseo de Puerto Rico José Miguel Agrelot, in San Juan, Puerto Rico, Friday, July 11, 2025. (AP Photo/Alejandro Granadillo)

Bad Bunny performs during his first show of his 30-date concert residency at the Coliseo de Puerto Rico José Miguel Agrelot, in San Juan, Puerto Rico, Friday, July 11, 2025. (AP Photo/Alejandro Granadillo)

Bad Bunny fans pose for a photo before attending the first show of his 30-date concert residency at the Coliseo de Puerto Rico Jose Miguel Agrelot in San Juan, Puerto Rico, Friday, July 11, 2025. (AP Photo/Alejandro Granadillo)

Bad Bunny fans pose for a photo before attending his first show of the 30-date concert residency at the Coliseo de Puerto Rico Jose Miguel Agrelot in San Juan, Puerto Rico, Friday, July 11, 2025. (AP Photo/Alejandro Granadillo)

Fans attend the first show of Bad Bunny's 30-date concert residency at the Coliseo de Puerto Rico Jose Miguel Agrelot in San Juan, Puerto Rico, Friday, July 11, 2025. (AP Photo/Alejandro Granadillo)

Bad Bunny performs during his first show of his 30-date concert residency at the Coliseo de Puerto Rico José Miguel Agrelot, in San Juan, Puerto Rico, Friday, July 11, 2025. (AP Photo/Alejandro Granadillo)

JERUSALEM (AP) — The White House says it is moving into the second phase of President Donald Trump’s Gaza ceasefire plan – breathing new life into a proposal that aims to rebuild the war-ravaged area and reshape the wider Middle East.

Trump’s Mideast envoy, Steve Witkoff, broke the news Wednesday in a post on X, saying the new phase will include the establishment of a transitional Palestinian governing committee and begin the complicated tasks of disarming Hamas and reconstruction.

But the announcement included few details about the new Palestinian committee or other key aspects of the plan, signaling just how much work lies ahead.

Trump's 20-point plan — which was approved by the U.N. Security Council — lays out an ambitious vision for ending Hamas’ rule in Gaza. If successful, it would see the rebuilding of a demilitarized Gaza under international supervision, the normalization of relations between Israel and the Arab world, and the creation of a possible pathway to Palestinian independence.

But if the deal stalls, Gaza could be trapped in an unstable limbo for years to come, with Hamas remaining in control of parts of the territory, Israel’s army enforcing an open-ended occupation, and its residents stuck homeless, unemployed, unable to travel abroad and dependent on international aid to stay alive.

“We’re going to do our best to try and see if we can work with the Palestinian people to try something new,” said a U.S. official, speaking on condition of anonymity to discuss the evolving plan. “It will be hard to do,” he acknowledged.

Here is a closer look at the next stages of the ceasefire and the potential pitfalls.

The ceasefire took effect on Oct. 10, halting two years of fighting between Israel and Hamas. It also included the release of all remaining hostages held in Gaza in exchange for hundreds of Palestinians held by Israel.

The ceasefire has largely held, though both sides accuse each other of ongoing violations. Israeli fire has killed more than 400 Palestinians, according to Gaza health officials. Israel says it has targeted militants or responded to violations of the ceasefire, but the Palestinians say scores of civilians have been shot.

Palestinian militants, meanwhile, continue to hold the remains of the last hostage — an Israeli police officer killed in the Hamas-led Oct. 7, 2023, attack that triggered the war. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has made clear he is in no rush to move forward until the remains are returned.

Netanyahu appeared to play down Witkoff’s announcement as symbolic, calling the creation of a new Palestinian committee a “ declarative move.”

The new committee will consist of independent Palestinian experts who are to run Gaza’s daily affairs under American supervision.

Wednesday’s announcement didn't say who will serve on the committee. But the other mediators of the ceasefire — Egypt, Turkey and Qatar — said it would be led by Ali Shaath, an engineer and former deputy minister in the Palestinian Authority in the West Bank.

The U.S. official who spoke on the condition of anonymity said other names are expected in the next two days, and the committee will focus on attracting investment and improving the quality of life.

“This really will be a technocratic committee,” he said. “They seem to be a group that wants to have peace.”

The committee will report to the Board of Peace, a group of world leaders supervising the ceasefire and led by Trump. If the Palestinian committee is seen as just a façade, it risks not gaining public support.

Also, its exact powers remain unclear. Hamas has said it will dissolve its government once the committee takes office, but it has shown no signs that it will dismantle its military wing or security forces.

The board will oversee the ceasefire, reconstruction and an open-ended reform process by the Palestinian Authority, with the goal of one day allowing the internationally recognized authority to return to Gaza to govern.

The U.S. official said invitations for the board have been extended, but he declined to name any of the people expected to join. “It’s going to be a great list,” he said.

The key challenge will be forming a board that can work with Israel, Hamas, the mediators and international aid agencies.

One key appointment appears to have been made. Nickolay Mladenov, a former Bulgarian politician and U.N. Mideast envoy, is expected to serve as the board’s on-the-ground representative. He already has met with Netanyahu and Palestinian leaders in the occupied West Bank.

Trump's plan calls for the formation of an International Stabilization Force to maintain security and train Palestinian police to one day to take over. That force hasn't been formed yet, and a deployment date hasn't been announced.

The U.S. official insisted there is “great excitement” over the force and said there would be important announcements in the coming weeks.

But the force’s command structure and authorities remain unknown.

Hamas said it will oppose any attempts by the force to disarm it, and contributing nations may not to want to risk clashes with the militant group. Israel, meanwhile, is hesitant to trust an international body with its security needs.

Trump’s plan calls for an economic development outline to “rebuild and energize Gaza,” which suffered widespread destruction during the war and where most of the territory’s 2 million people are displaced and unemployed.

Still, no such plan has been announced, and it remains unclear who will pay for a process the U.N. estimates will cost $70 billion.

The ceasefire deal calls for Hamas to surrender its weapons under the supervision of international monitors. Militants who disarm will be granted amnesty and the option to leave Gaza.

However, Hamas, whose ideology is based on armed resistance against Israel, has said it won't disarm until Israel ends its occupation of Palestinian territories.

Bassem Naim, a senior Hamas official, told The Associated Press last month that the group is open to “ freezing or storing” its weapons while a political process takes place, perhaps over many years. It is unclear whether that would be sufficient for Israel.

Failure to disarm Hamas could lead to renewed fighting with Israel and clashes with international troops, and could block progress on the rest of the peace plan.

Under the ceasefire, Israel is to withdraw from all of Gaza, with the exception of a small buffer zone along the border. At the moment, Israel retains control of just over half of Gaza.

The plan says further withdrawals will be based upon “standards, milestones and timeframes linked to demilitarization” to be negotiated by Israel, the U.S., the international force and other “guarantors.”

There are no firm timelines for further withdrawals, and Israel may refuse to pull back further.

The plan calls for an overhaul of the Palestinian Authority, which runs the West Bank, and the creation of conditions for a “credible pathway” to Palestinian statehood.

Palestinian officials say they have begun making reforms in key areas such as corruption, the education system and payments to families of prisoners convicted in attacks on Israelis.

Israel rejects the creation of a Palestinian state and opposes any role for the authority in postwar Gaza. Without a pathway to statehood, any Palestinian support for the new system could crumble. The plan also offers no clear benchmarks or timelines for the reform process.

US Special Envoy Steve Witkoff delivers a speech upon the signing of the declaration on deploying post-ceasefire force in Ukraine during the 'Coalition of the Willing' summit on security guarantees for Ukraine, at the Elysee Palace in Paris Tuesday, Jan 6, 2026. (Ludovic Marin, Pool photo via AP)

Palestinians walk amid buildings destroyed by Israeli air and ground operations in Gaza City Thursday, Jan. 15, 2026. (AP Photo/Jehad Alshrafi)

Makeshift tents shelter displaced Palestinians stand among buildings destroyed by Israeli air and ground operations in Gaza City Thursday, Jan. 15, 2026. (AP Photo/Jehad Alshrafi)