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:
- Kamala Harris formally accepted her nomination for vice president at the Democratic National Convention. The third day of the event included speeches from Barack Obama, Hillary Clinton, and Gabrielle Giffords. [CNN]
- Miles Taylor, a former Department of Homeland Security chief of staff who has been part of Republican Voters Against Trump efforts, said that President Donald Trump was serious when he asked officials if the U.S. could swap Greenland for Puerto Rico. According to Taylor, Trump’s words were that “Puerto Rico was dirty and the people were poor.” [NBC Latino]
- The former head of Petroleos Mexicanos, a state-owned oil company, faces corruption charges and said former President Enrique Peña Nieto and his treasury secretary directed kickbacks and embezzlements while in office. An investigation was opened into Nieto earlier this month, but the testimony shows how direct Lozoya’s accusations are. [AP]
- Mass anti-government protests formed nationwide in Argentina as people called on President Alberto Fernández to reverse his thinking on a controversial proposal for justice reform. Thousands of people also rallied to speak out against extended lockdown measures and economic hardship, as well as judicial reform. [Bloomberg]
- Cuba imposed a new lockdown last week after coronavirus numbers started increasing, shutting down restaurants and bars. On Tuesday, the head of epidemiology at Cuba’s public health ministry, Francisco Duran said the island would make finding a vaccine a top priority, leveraging its history of vaccine research. [Deutsche Welle]
- Prince Royce, who performed his 2010 version of “Stand By Me” at the DNC last night, spoke to Billboard about why he chose that particular track for the event. “We felt that ‘Stand By Me’ would go perfectly with the convention’s message of unity,” he said, “and [that] singing in both Spanish and English was important.”
