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 Labor Department announced that another 779,000 Americans filed for first-time unemployment benefits the last week of January, which means that for another week in a row, claims have been up nearly four times what they were during the same period last year and indicates the challenges the country may face to make progress on job recovery. [CNN]
- House Republicans have decided not to remove Marjorie Taylor Greene, the congresswoman who has amplified conspiracy theories and violence against Democrats, from committee assignments. Republicans said she apologized to them for her comments, but claimed “the media is just as guilty as QAnon for promoting lies.” [Rolling Stone]
- After a surge following the holidays, U.S. coronavirus infections, deaths and hospitalizations have been falling in the last week. At the same time, the rate of coronavirus vaccinations is accelerating and the number of people who have received at least one shot is now higher than the number of reported U.S. infections. Such numbers bode well for the vaccine rollout. [NYT]
- The Biden administration will continue to recognize Venezuela’s Juan Guaidó as the legitimate president of the country and won’t negotiate anytime soon with President Nicolás Maduro.“I certainly don’t expect this administration to be engaging directly with Maduro,” State Department spokesperson Ned Price said in a briefing this Wednesday. [NBC News]
- Puerto Rico has implemented slight changes to its pandemic safety measures after cases and hospitalizations dropped slightly. A curfew that has been in place for nearly a year will shorten and run from midnight to 5 A.M. and businesses will be allowed to stay open for one more hour until 11 P.M. each night. These measures will be in effect from Feb. 8 and March 14. [WaPo]
- Smartmatic, an international elections equipment company, is suing Fox News for more than $2.7 billion over false reports that it conspired to steal the 2020 election. “Fox is responsible for this disinformation campaign, which has damaged democracy worldwide and irreparably harmed Smartmatic and other stakeholders who contribute to modern elections,” the company’s CEO, Antonio Mugica, said in a statement posted online this week. [NBC]