Las Notis is a daily news column that gets you up to speed on the political, media + other goings-on in the United States, Latin America, and the diaspora—all in one quick digest.
Here’s your glimpse at what’s going on today:
-
- After refusing to sign the pandemic relief bill last week, Donald Trump finally approved the package on Sunday (Dec. 27), averting a government shutdown. However, the delay means that people in the Pandemic Unemployment Assistance and the Pandemic Emergency Unemployment Compensation programs will likely not receive a payment for the final week of the year. [CNN]
- Despite warnings of worsening coronavirus outbreaks, Americans flew to other states in staggering numbers. According to a spokesperson, the Transportation Security Administration screened a record 1,284,599 passengers on Sunday. [WaPo]
- Anthony Warner, a 63-year-old man who worked as an information technology specialist, has been identified as the bomber who rigged an R.V. with explosives and set them off in Nashville on Christmas. His remains were identified in the wreckage. [NYT]
- Marco Rubio falsely accused Dr. Anthony Fauci of lying to the public about masks and distorting facts about herd immunity in a Twitter rant. Meanwhile, he received the coronavirus vaccine last week. [Independent]
- Argentina’s senate will convene this week and debate a bill approved by its lower house that could make the country the first in Latin America to legalize abortion. Protesters on both sides of the debate are expected to gather in Buenos Aires and remain there until a decision, expected early on Wednesday, comes. [The Guardian]
- Puerto Rican salsa singer Tito Rojas, known as “El Gallo Salsero,’ died on Saturday after a suspected heart attack. He was 65. [Billboard]
- Armando Manzanero, a composer who wrote decades-worth of classics performed by everyone from Frank Sinatra to Luis Miguel, passed away in Mexico City after complications from COVID-19. He was 85 years old and had been receiving medical treatment since contracting the virus in mid-December. [CNN]