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:
- According to a City University of New York study, Latinos registered and voted in record numbers in the 2020 presidential election. One in about 10 voters was Latino, a demographic that saw a rise in registration and voting by roughly 18.7 million people. [NBC Latino]
- On Wednesday, the Biden administration formally asked the Mexican government to investigate a General Motors plant located in Mexico after reports of serious violations of worker rights at the plant. According to a U.S. official, the administration has been monitoring the situation for a number of months and this marks the first time the U.S. government has acted on its own to highlight labor concerns under a trade agreement. [WaPo]
- Governor Doug Ducey signed a bill on Tuesday that would remove voters from the state’s Permanent Early Voting List if they did not vote by mail in the last two election cycles or the last four years. According to the voting rights group Fair Fight Action, the bill could remove more than 125,000 voters from the state’s list to receive mail-in ballots, a number that includes roughly 30,000 Latinx voters. [HuffPost]
- New Mexico State Police confirmed Tuesday that a body pulled from Río Grande last week was identified as Juan Muñoz, the 20-year-old National Guardsman who went missing in February. The official cause of death is still pending autopsy report results. [NBC]
- Lucas Villa, a student activist and protest leader in Colombia, had died. He was declared brain dead this week after he had been shot eight times at a peaceful protest against President Ivan Duque’s government. The 37-year-old is one of the three students shot during the demonstration on May 5 in Pereira, Colombia. [CNN]
- J Balvin joined The Daily Show With Trevor Noah via Zoom on Tuesday (May 12). The Colombian singer emphasized his desire to disassociate his homeland with the late cocaine kingpin, Pablo Escobar, explaining that he wants to show the country’s positive side. He also revealed he is good friends with Escobar’s son and also opened up about his own battle with depression. [Billboard]