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:
- The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) used its muscle to temporarily halt evictions for Americans who can show they are struggling to pay their rent due to the pandemic. [CNN]
- Facebook and Twitter have cracked down on accounts linked to Russia that attempted to spread fake news and conspiracy theories about Joe Biden’s campaign, racial justice groups, and Trump policies. [NPR]
- Donald Trump’s new coronavirus task force adviser is Scott W. Atlas, a radiologist who is neither an epidemiologist or an infectious disease expert. He has alarmed scientists by arguing that the science behind wearing masks is “uncertain” and has painted herd immunity as advantageous, despite the fact that it has failed in countries like Sweden. [NYT]
- Latino political groups are raising money and registering voters in high numbers, bypassing the Democratic Party for funding. Groups such as Voto Latino are working to encourage record-breaking participation among Latinos in November, despite COVID-19, and are often turning to money from Silicon Valley and other resources at a time when some say that the Democratic establishment isn’t thinking about Latino voters as much as they should. [The Hill]
- The family of Layleen Polanco, a transgender woman who died while in custody at Rikers Island, received $5.9 million after leveling a lawsuit against the city, charging them for reckless indifference. Polanco, who was 27, died of an epileptic seizure while in solitary confinement at Rikers last year. [HuffPo]
- The Cuban government ordered a 15-day lockdown in Havana to stop the low-level but continued spread of coronavirus. [AP]
- Twitter called out Miami Herald columnist Armando Salguero after he tweeted criticism of Tennessee Titans safety Kevin Byard and quarterback Ryan Tannehill, who explained that athletes were sitting out of practice last week in solidarity with victims of police brutality. “I am so sick of the America bashing by people who have never lived and would never live anywhere else,” he wrote on Twitter and then repeatedly pushed back on the idea that America was founded on racist ideas. The Miami Herald’s executive editor has said it is addressing the matter internally. [NBC Latino]