Las Notis is a daily news column that gets you up to speed on the political, media + other goings-on in the United States, Latin America, and the diaspora—all in one quick digest.
Here’s your glimpse at what’s going on today:
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- Joe Biden and Donald Trump held their final debate, which took on a far more civilized tone than their first meeting in September. The night included a discussion of immigration, during which Trump made his most absurd and offensive comment of the night, saying that only migrants with “the lowest IQ” followed the law and showed up for court and asylum hearings, something that has been proven to be entirely false. [Vox]
- Facing criticism for being unable to find the parents of 545 children who were separated from their families by force at the border, a Trump campaign’s communications director made a wild and unproven assertion by trying to reason that some children have not been reunited because “the parents do not want their children back.” There is no evidence that parents have rejected having their children returned to them. [Politico]
- Julian Castro is speaking out about how Latinos can influence the electoral map and urging Democrats to invest more in the demographic, particularly in Texas, where polls show a tight presidential race. “What may emerge after this election is a new electoral map where Latinos are in the driver’s seat like never before,” Castro said. [NBC Latino]
- Brazilian indigenous leader Alessandra Korap of the Munduruku tribe in the Amazon was awarded the 2020 Robert F. Kennedy Human Rights prize, which comes with a $30,000 award and a virtual ceremony in Washington. The recognition is for her work defending the rights, culture, and ancestral lands of indigenous communities in Brazil. [NBC]
- The International Monetary Fund forecasts that most Latin American countries will be unable to return to pre-pandemic growth levels until 2023, while per capita income will likely lag until 2025—longer than any other region. The analyses come as four countries in Latin America hit one million Coronavirus cases. [Bloomberg]