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:
- Donald Trump sparked concerns over a constitutional crisis again on Thursday when he, once again, declined to commit to a peaceful transfer of power. He told Fox News Radio that he would agree with a Supreme Court decision if it ruled that Joe Biden won the election but questioned results beyond that because of “fraudulent ballots,” putting mail-in voting into question again. [WaPo]
- Ruth Bader Ginsburg will lie in state at the U.S. Capitol today, becoming the first woman to be honored that way. Thousands of people came to pay their respects earlier this week as she laid in repose outside the Supreme Court. [BBC]
- More than 50 Latino leaders from different faith communities endorsed Joe Biden through a Medium post published this week as part of an effort initiated by the organization Faith 2020. “When the rights of others are deliberately violated and my faith is used to promulgate an agenda and actions that are not aligned with my values and scripture, we cannot be silent,” said Tatiana Torres, the Latino outreach director for Faith 2020. [The Hill]
- Trump announced new sanctions on Cuba that prohibit Americans from importing Cuban cigars and rum as well as staying in hotels funded by the Cuban government. These are an expansion of sanctions he announced in 2019, which were meant to slow Americans traveling to Cuba by instituting a ban on cruise ships, private yachts, fishing vessels and educational/cultural groups traveling to the island. [NYT]
- Despite his downplaying of the coronavirus and wildfires growing in the Amazon, Brazil’s President Jair Bolsonaro saw a jump in approval ratings in a recent survey. The percentage of Brazilians who reportedly rate his government as “great” or “good” rose from 29% in December to 40%, and the percentage of those who view it as bad or terrible dropped from 38% to 29%. [Reuters]
- The Miss Venezuela beauty pageant, which has often led contestants to Miss Universe, Miss World and Miss International pageants, will be held online for the first time in its history. A six-month process to prepare the 22 competitors this year was done entirely online, with the women staying under strict isolation orders and relying on distance learning to rehearse for different parts of the contest. [NBC Latino]
