Las Notis is a daily news column that gets you up to speed on the political, media + other going ons in Latin America and the diaspora—all in one quick digest.
- Here’s your glimpse at what’s going on today:
- On the one-year anniversary of the pandemic, President Joe Biden addressed the nation, stressing the need for unity to control the pandemic by July 4th. The Biden administration’s $1.9 trillion pandemic relief bill has passed; eligible Americans may receive their direct deposits as soon as this weekend. [NPR]
- The CDC updated its guidance for childcare programs during the pandemic, encouraging mask-wearing for those 2 years of age and older. The organization also emphasized the importance of air ventilation and other strategies for containing the spread of COVID-19 while allowing programs to operate. [CNN]
- A report by two human rights organizations, The Observatory and Justiça Global, shows how much the country’s pandemic response will threaten vulnerable communities like the Indigenous populations. The report points out that stretched public health infrastructure, President Jair Bolsonaro’s messy COVID-19 policy, and other geographic and governmental factors will all affect Indigenous communities. [NBC Latino]
- Devis Leonel Rivera Maradiaga, a former leader of the Cachiros cartel, testified in U.S. federal court that he paid now-President Juan Orlando Hernández $250,000 to avoid arrest in 2012. Maradiaga said he made a cash payment through one of Hernández’s sisters in exchange for protection. [AP]
- Selena Gomez has released her latest project, Revelación. Gomez, who explores her Mexican heritage on the record, shares that the Spanish-language EP has been a dream of hers for roughly a decade. [Billboard]
- The GRAMMYs will take place this Sunday and could mean awards for artists such as Bad Bunny, Arca, and Lido Pimienta. Pimienta is scheduled to perform during the pre-show and Bad Bunny will perform during the ceremony. He’ll bring Jhay Cortez onstage with him. [ET]