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:
- House Democrats have officially passed Joe Biden’s $1.9 trillion coronavirus relief bill, one of the biggest stimulus plans in U.S. history. Biden is planning to sign the bill this Friday (March 12) after Congress formally sends it to the White House, which can take days for large bills but once he does, it’ll be his first major legislative item as the country continues to address the pandemic. [CNBC]
- The Senate voted to confirm attorney general nominee Merrick Garland on Wednesday (March 10) in a 70-30 vote. Garland had been previously nominated to serve as a Supreme Court justice by Barack Obama, but the nomination was blocked by Mitch McConnell and Senate Republicans who claimed the nomination should wait until the next election. [CNN]
- Some activists are going door-to-door to combat misinformation being spread on social media about vaccinations in Black and Latino communities. Many vaccine conspiracy theories and misleading news reports have sprung up on social media outlets like Facebook, Instagram, YouTube and Twitter and in private online messaging, health experts and researchers said. [NYT]
- Experts have warned that hospitals and healthcare systems in most of Brazil’s largest cities are close to collapsing because of the number of Covid cases in the country. More than 80% of intensive care unit beds are currently occupied in the capitals of 25 of Brazil’s 27 states, according to reports. [BBC]
- Lawrence Romo, the national commander of the American GI Forum, was named to the bipartisan commission that has been tasked with coming up with a strategy to remove Confederate names, monuments and symbols from military bases, and assets. Romo joins seven others who were named to the commission and he is the only Latino member. [NBC Latino]
- Selena will be honored at the Grammys on Sunday, receiving the academy’s Lifetime Achievement Award posthumously. The award is given to an artist “who during their lifetimes, have made creative contributions of outstanding artistic significance to the field of recording.” [ABC7 News]