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:
- Rep. Nydia Velázquez and Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez wrote a piece for NBC Latino in which they outlined legislation they’ve introduced called the Puerto Rico Self-Determination Act. The act would allow Puerto Rico’s Legislature to create a Status Convention made up of delegates, elected by Puerto Rican voters, to offer solutions toward the island’s status.
- Protests continued in Kenosha, Wisconsin in response to the shooting of Jacob Blake. According to the New York Times, two people were killed and one person was injured as demonstrators and law enforcement clashed at a gas station. Details are still emerging.
- Melania Trump gave a speech about the toll of the coronavirus pandemic on the second day of the Republic National Convention. Meanwhile, the crowd that she spoke to at the Rose Garden failed to observe social distancing measures and many appeared without masks. Meanwhile, Rep. Joaquin Castro opened an investigation into Secretary of State Mike Pompeo’s address at the event, noting that it breaks from the precedent of having secretaries of state and the State Department avoid partisanship. [CNN]
- COVID-19 cases among children have increased by 21% in just two weeks, according to updates from a joint report from the American Academy of Pediatrics and the Children’s Hospital Association. Since the report first came out at the beginning of August, cases of coronavirus among children have jumped from 358,469 to 432,629. [CNN]
- After a search, police in Texas said that they have found a body that might be Sgt. Elder Fernandes, the Fort Hood soldier who has been missing more than one week. The body was found near railroad tracks in the city. Fernandes had been the subject of an investigation into abusive sexual contact he’d faced before he disappeared. [NBC Latino]
- Colombian students organized a vigil in Times Square following the murders of several teenagers in the country. Local authorities still aren’t sure of what led to the attacks, but many believe they were the result of drug gangs in the area. [Latino Rebels]