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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- The FBI said on Thursday (Oct. 8) it intercepted a plot from an anti-government group that had reportedly planned to kidnap Gretchen Whitmer, the governor of Michigan. The group behind the plot is made up of all white men who include six individuals who have been charged federally with conspiracy to kidnap, while another seven seven other people, who have also been associated with the militia group “Wolverine Watchmen,” were charged by the state. Earlier this year, Trump had spoken out against Whitmer’s lockdown measures and tweeted to “Free Michigan!” [CNN]
- Trump sounded hoarse during a chaotic interview on the Sean Hannity show, in which he did not affirm whether he received a negative Coronavirus test at this point, but did say he plans to resume campaigning activities this weekend. His voice gave out at one point, suggesting he might still be battling symptoms of his diagnosis, which came just one week ago, according to the timeline the White House had provided. [Vox]
- According to internal emails and documents obtained by Buzzfeed, Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) are implementing a policy that would allow officers to quickly arrest and deport undocumented immigrants who have been in the country for less than two years. The policy, part of the Trump administration’s effort to ramp up rapid deportations, had been blocked by a federal court in 2019, but that changed when the US Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit lifted a preliminary injunction that now allows ICE to move forward. [Buzzfeed]
- Democrats are going full force in Texas, investing big in digital, radio and print ads targeting Latinos as part of a major effort to engage voters, particularly in Latino communities. As they unleashed ads on Wednesday, their investment in Latinos in that region increased to seven figures, according to the party. [NBC Latino]
- A new study shows that roughly 15 million Brazilians might be thrust into poverty when monthly emergency funds that have been paid out during the pandemic end in December. Brazil, which has the second-highest number of COVID-19 cases in the world after the U.S., has seen economic hardships as a result of the health crisis, with more than 67 million people receiving the emergency funds to keep their head above water. [BBC]
- Cuba’s Prime Minister Manuel Marrero said that the island will open to international tourism starting this week after containing its coronavirus outbreak. Cuba had closed its borders at the beginning of the pandemic and had slowly started opening certain areas of the country as tourism season started. [NBC]
- After a six-month lockdown, thousands of Venezuelans are now using the lifting of restrictions in their country to flee on foot toward cities in neighboring countries such as Colombia, Ecuador, and Peru. More than five million Venezuelans have left their country since 2015 according to data from the United Nations, and economic conditions have been worse across Latin America because of the pandemic. [BBC]
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