Las Notis is a daily news column that gets you up to speed on politics, media news + other going ons in Latin America and the diaspora—all in one quick digest.
Here’s your glimpse at what’s going on today.
- Democrats and Republicans are still split over a coronavirus relief package, which is critical as tens of millions of Americans lose unemployment benefits. Negotiators are scheduled to meet on Capitol Hill today to come to a consensus. The Democrats’ $3 trillion rescue plan aims to restore weekly $600-per-week aid payments that expired last week, while the Republicans’ plan would reduce those payments to about $200 a week. [NYT]
- After wreaking havoc in Puerto Rico, Tropical Storm Isaias has started to affect the Mid-Atlantic and the Northeast. The storm left more than 641,000 people without power as storm winds and rain hit Virginia and North Carolina. [WaPo]
- The Census announced in a statement yesterday that the deadline for its counting efforts will end on Sept. 30, one month earlier than scheduled. The deadline is for door-knocking efforts, online response collection, and telephone and mail collection efforts as well. [NPR]
- Environmental groups and activists in Brazil expressed concern after new data showed that fires in Brazil’s Amazon rainforest increased by 28% in July compared to the same time last year. Brazil’s conservative President Jair Bolsonaro has been criticized for encouraging deforestation practices and development opportunities in the Amazon region. [NBC]
- Peruvian President Martín Vizcarra has signed an order that exempts qualified foreign doctors and nurses from validating their degrees, allowing thousands of Venezuelans in the country to enter Peru’s health system and combat the coronavirus. Peru has more than 430,000 confirmed cases of the virus. [BBC]
- Latino USA honored the life of Chicano novelist Rudolfo Anaya, who died last month after a long battle with illness. Anaya is best known for his 1972 book, “Bless Me, Ultima.”
- José Ortiz, the CEO of Puerto Rico’s state-owned Electric Power Authority, has announced his resignation after thousands were left without power after Tropical Storm Isaias struck the island. Puerto Rico’s battered power grid is still recovering from past storms and hurricanes. [Latino Rebels]
- Three police officers in El Salvador were convicted for the 2019 murder of Camila Díaz Córdova, a transgender woman who had been deported from the U.S. in 2018. After Córdova’s asylum claim was rejected, she returned to sex work and was arrested on Jan. 31, 2019 for alleged public nuisance and intoxication. The officers reportedly beat her in the patrol car and left her on the road for dead. They were sentenced to 20 years in prison. [NBC]