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.
- Joe Biden unveiled a 19-page agenda for the Latino community, which includes investing in Latino economic mobility, investing to end health disparities, expanding education access, combating hate crimes and gun violence, and securing “our values as a nation of immigrants.” He lambasted the Trump administration for its “assault on Latino dignity.” Biden has been criticized in the past for ineffective Latino outreach strategies. [The Hill]
- At least five people were killed after Tropical Storm Isaias hit the East Coast on Tuesday. The storm spun into a tornado that hit a mobile home park in North Carolina, killing two people. In areas like Maryland and Pennsylvania, Isaias toppled trees, caused severe flooding, and led to mass power outages. [Time]
- According to new data from the Pew Research Center, Latinos—who have been disproportionately affected by COVID-19—are less optimistic about the virus than the rest of the U.S. population. A survey shows 70% of Latinos say they believe that the worst of the pandemic is still to come, compared to 40% of the general population. [NBC Latino]
- Argentina’s government is working to strike a deal to restructure its foreign debt to help alleviate poverty and stimulate economic growth in the country. Still, the Economic Commission for Latin America and the Caribbean believes Argentina will be one of the hardest-hit countries in the region when it comes to job losses and poverty. [Reuters]
- A U.S. district judge issued a 70-page ruling that says it’s unconstitutional to deny Puerto Ricans access to three federal welfare programs. “To be blunt, the federal government discriminates against Americans who live in Puerto Rico,” he wrote. For now, the ruling only applies to the plaintiffs in the case, but some legal experts think it could reach the Supreme Court. [PBS]
- Colombia’s Supreme Court has ordered house arrest for Álvaro Uribe, who served as president of the country from 2002 to 2010 and has been involved with politics for decades. The decision came amid an investigation into whether Uribe has committed acts of fraud, bribery and witness tampering. [NYT]
- During an Instagram Live discussion about Afro-Latinidad with Pose co-creator Steven Canals, Zoe Saldana expressed regrets about her controversial decision to play Nina Simone in the 2016 biopic, a role many interpreted as performing blackface. Saldana, who has said in the past that she didn’t think she was “right for the part,” apologized and said, “I should have tried everything in my power to cast a Black woman to play an exceptionally perfect Black woman.” [Nylon]
- The Vatican called for an investigation into a fire in a Nicaraguan cathedral that destroyed a 380-year-old sculpture of Jesus. Authorities in the country have said the fire was an accident, but some maintain it was an act of terrorism that happened when someone threw a bomb into the cathedral. Nicaragua’s Permanent Commission on Human Rights, a non-government organization, has also called for an independent investigation. [US News & World Report]