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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- Congress is expected to pass a pandemic relief deal tied to a $1.4 trillion funding package before the federal government runs out of money at midnight, but leaders are expected to miss the deadline. The relief $900 deal includes money for vaccine distribution and schools, $300 unemployment benefits per week, $330 billion for small business loans, and stimulus checks set at $600 (half the amount under March’s stimulus.) [CNN]
- The Food and Drug Administration is expected to authorize the Moderna vaccine, the second following the approval of the Pfizer vaccine last week. Members of the Trump administration, including Vice President Pence and second lady Karen Pence, have received the Pfizer vaccine. [NYT]
- The Supreme Court threw out a case brought by a coalition of states and immigrant rights group that challenges Trump’s plan to exclude undocumented immigrants from a Census count. The court said the challengers could not bring the case because the government has not yet announced which individuals it will exclude. The court’s three liberal judges dissented from the decision. [CNN]
- Biden plans to nominate New Mexico Rep. Deb Haaland to lead the Interior Department, a selection that would make her the first Native American Cabinet secretary in U.S. history. If she’s confirmed, she would play a role in Biden’s promise to move federal land from fossil fuels and restore protections to public land. [Politico]
- Argentina has been adding more trans people to its workforce after President Alberto Fernández signed a decree in September establishing a 1% employment quota for transgender people in the public sector. Only Uruguay has a similar quote law to promote labor inclusion among trans individuals. [AP]
- Cardi B has a new series on Facebook messenger called Cardi Tries ___. On episodes that will launch every Thursday, she’ll try something completely new, including ballet dancing, firefighting, or stunt-car driving. [Rolling Stone]
- AOC clashed with Marco Rubio after he criticized Biden’s administration for promoting unity when Biden’s expected deputy chief of staff Jen O’Malley Dillon called Republicas “f*****s” in an interview. AOC responded by pointing out that Rubio said nothing when his Republican colleague Ted Yoho called her a “fucking bitch.” “You stood by in total silence when your GOP colleague called a Congresswoman a ‘f*****g b***h’ on the Capitol steps in front of the press,” she tweeted at Rubio. “You weren’t big enough to speak then, & you don’t get to sob now. BTW that is the right word for those who fleece & scam working families.” Rubio wrote back that “socialist” is the word for those who scam working families, but continued to say absolutely nothing about his silence over Yoho’s language. [Independent]