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:
- President Joe Biden held a townhall in Milwaukee on Tuesday and shared several updates on the vaccination process while trying to boost support for his pandemic stimulus package. During the event, he said people who want the vaccine will be able to get one by the end of July, dependent on availability, and schools might start reopening in about 100 days, though some kids may not go back for a full five-day week. [Politico]
- Millions of people in Texas are still without heat or power as more snow and freezing temperatures continue to hit the state. Many people are also without water as pipes have frozen and burst over the last few days. The historic storm, which has been called “the worst of all the weather events of the past week,” is expected to move to southern and eastern parts of the country next. [NYT]
- Amid a scandal in Peru over politicians and public officials receiving the vaccine before many frontline workers, a doctor testified that the country’s former president Martín Vizcarra requested and received vaccines out of turn. Vizcarra had previously said that he and his wife were inoculated because they’d volunteered for an early clinical vaccine trial, but the doctor in charge disputed this. [BBC]
- The Biden administration has announced that it is forming a Gender Policy Council, which will run out of the White House so that its members can collaborate with agencies across government on issues such as national security, health care, and economics, and examine how they intersect with the lives of women in particular. The Council will be co-led by Julissa Reynoso, a Dominican-American attorney who previously served as ambassador to Uruguay. [NYT]
- Researchers in Cuba are making progress toward their own vaccine to protect against coronavirus. The domestically produced vaccine, called Soberana 2, has shown positive results in its first clinical trials that experts have called “encouraging” and “very important.” [BBC]
- Cuban-born journalist Albor Ruiz, known for columns in The Daily News, El Diario and Al Dia News, passed away recently at the age of 80. He reportedly died of pneumonia. In his work, Ruiz advocated for immigrants, particularly those from Latino communities. [NYT]