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:
- Following the death of Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg on Friday night, Trump said he will announce a nominee to replace her on Friday or Saturday. The shortlist is said to include Amy Coney Barrett and the Cuban-American judge Barbara Lagoa, both conservative choices with a history ruling against abortion. The Senate is expected to vote on Trump’s nominee, despite comments some Republican Senators made in 2016 saying they opposed Supreme Court hearings in an election year.[The Hill]
- The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has updated the guidance on its website to say that the Coronavirus can spread through aerosols in the air and travel more than six feet, something that many medical experts have said over the last few months. “Airborne viruses, including COVID-19, are among the most contagious and easily spread,” the site now says.[CNN]
- Conspiracy theories and disinformation have been spreading on social media in Latino communities, particularly in Florida, as the election approaches. Through YouTube clips, WhatsApp messages, and Facebook memes, false stories about Joe Biden, Barack Obama, and Black Lived Matter, among other topics, have reached wide swaths of people, something many Democrats fear will impact Latino voters before they cast their ballots. [NBC Latino]
- Cuba has worked to control the spread of the Coronavirus on the island, but it’s still reeling from the economic difficulties that the pandemic has exacerbated. Already, Cuba’s economy was suffering, in part because of U.S. sanctions, and plummeting tourism and remittances has resulted in food shortages and scarce goods.[NYT]
- Advocacy organizations and political groups such as Mi Familia Vota are urging young people, particularly those who are bilingual, to serve as poll workers ahead of the election. “We need to make sure that every voter gets their vote to be counted and no voter gets turned away, and that means investing and having individuals who are culturally competent and speak several languages,” Eduardo Sainz, Mi Familia Vota’s Arizona state director, said.[AP]
- A motion to impeach Peru’s President Martín Vizcarra fell short of the two-thirds majority of 87 votes it needed in order to remove him from office. Vizcarra has been accused of obstruction of justice during a congressional battle that has come amid the pandemic, which has hit the country particularly hard.[NYT]