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:
- Joe Biden will host the family of George Floyd at the White House today to mark the one-year anniversary of Floyd’s death after he was killed by a former Minneapolis Police officer. Several memorials and marches are also scheduled around the country in Floyd’s honor. [CNN]
- In a recent report, the Department of Homeland Security’s Office of Inspector General said that during the Trump administration, at least 348 migrant parents were separated from their children and deported without documenting if those parents wanted to leave their children behind in the United States. There were cases in which ICE removed parents without their children despite knowing parents wanted to bring their children with them. Some records also do not make clear whether ICE gave some parents the option of reunifying with their children before the parents were removed from the U.S. [NBC]
- The COVID-19 death toll in Latin America and the Caribbean surpassed one million deaths with a higher death rate per capita. Although home to less than 9% of the global population, the region makes up roughly 31% of global COVID-19 deaths in May. Experts say the pandemic hit unprepared governments by surprise and the impact was worsened by leaders who downplayed its severity and failed to secure vaccines. [NBC]
- A mass grave of mainly women victims was found in the yard of an ex-police officer in El Salvador. The officer had been arrested for two murders prior to the discovery and forensics experts have found as many as 40 bodies so far. DNA samples are being collected from community members with missing loved ones, in the hopes to identify victims. [WaPo]
- Mexico’s health ministry reported the lowest daily COVID-19 death toll in a year. Officials say the real number is likely considerably higher (as high as 60% more) than that reported in the official tally, but regardless it follows a steady decline as vaccine roll-out continues. [Reuters]
- HBO’s unscripted series The Shop: Uninterrupted will return this month and feature an episode with Bad Bunny. Guests will also include marketing executive Paul River and Jay Z. [Billboard]
