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.
- Dozens of people had to be rescued by the National Guard in Puerto Rico as Tropical Storm Isaias struck, inundating neighborhoods and causing landslides both on the island and in the Dominican Republic. More than 400,000 Puerto Ricans also lost power as the power grid failed the day before the storm, leaving areas in the dark. [Associated Press]
- In its latest move to restrict legal immigration, the Trump administration is raising fees for some categories of naturalization, asylum and work applications by as much as 80%. Online naturalization applications have gone from $640 to $1,160 and asylum applications, which have historically been free in most of the world, will be $50. [CNN]
- President Barack Obama gave a eulogy at John Lewis’ funeral service and, without naming Trump, criticized current leadership for violent policing and restrictive voting policies. He also called for Puerto Rico to have full representation in Congress. [New York Times]
- A joint investigation by ProPublica and the Texas Tribune published on Thursday takes a look at the devastating toll that COVID-19 has had on Latinx communities in Texas. Latinos comprise 40% of the state’s population but 48% of the state’s 6,190 COVID-19 deaths, the piece states.
- Just days after Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro said he had recovered from COVID-19, his wife and first lady Michelle Bolsonaro has tested positive. In an official statement, the president’s office maintains that she is in “good health” and following health protocols. [The Hill]
- As the world grapples with an increase in reports of violence against women during the pandemic, Peruvian authorities say that more than 900 women and girls have gone missing and are feared to be dead since the country’s lockdown. Of the 915 women in Peru reported missing between mid-March and the end of June, 7% are girls. [The Independent]
- Mexico’s poorest citizens are hardest hit by the pandemic: They make up the highest share of virus-related deaths, according to NPR, but don’t have the money they need to survive. Many of them who work as street vendors say they have to go out and work, even if it means risking illness.
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Naya Rivera’s final television appearance as a guest star on the Netflix show Sugar Rush is out today. It was reportedly the last thing she shot before pandemic-related shutdowns in Los Angeles, just five months before her death in July. [Vulture]