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:
- In his first public appearance since the mob attack on the U.S. Capitol, President Donald Trump spoke to a group of reporters at Joint Base Andrews today and failed to take responsibility for inciting his supporters. “If you read my speech — and many people have done it, and I’ve seen it both in the papers and in the media, on television — it’s been analyzed, and people thought that what I said was totally appropriate,” he said. [Vox]
- Senate Democratic leader Chuck Schumer has called on Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell to reconvene the Senate in order to hold a trial that could mean Trump’s second impeachment. Schumer argued that a 2004 resolution means he and McConnell can call a session without the requirement for unanimous consent during an emergency. [CNN]
- The Trump administration is switching up its vaccine distribution process, opting to no longer hold back second doses of the shot and instead giving available doses to older adults and people with high-risk medical conditions.“We now believe that our manufacturing is predictable enough we can ensure second doses are available for people from ongoing production, so everything is now available to our states and our health care providers,” HHS Secretary Alex Azar said this week. [Politico]
- Brad Schneider, a Congressman from Illinois, is the third member of Congress to test positive for COVID-19 since pro-Trump rioters stormed the U.S. Capitol building. Pramila Jayapal of Washington state and Bonnie Watson Coleman of New Jersey have also tested positive. During the siege, many Republicans had refused to wear masks while sheltering in place during the hours-long lockdown. [Business Insider]
- The Trump administration has designated Cuba as a state sponsor of terrorism, Secretary of State Mike Pompeo announced on Monday. While Cuba had been taken off the list five years ago, Pompeo said it was being designated again because of “repeatedly providing support for acts of international terrorism in granting safe harbor to terrorists.” [NPR]
- The contenders for this year’s Premio Lo Nuestro have been announced, and J Balvin leads the nominations with 14 nods. Maluma follows with 12 nominations, Camilo with 10 and Ozuna with eight. [Billboard]
- Fans think Selena Gomez might be preparing to launch a Spanish-language album after several promo murals surfaced in Mexico. Gomez had hinted about a project in Spanish 10 years ago when she tweeted to a fan, “Can’t wait for y’all to hear the Spanish record. It’s sounding so cool.” [Billboard]