1 big thing: Latino podcasters rise 

Illustration of a microphone stand and base with the top mouthpiece replaced with a lightbulb

First look: HUD announces grants for Hispanic-serving institutions

2. HUD grants for Hispanic-serving colleges

Illustration of a dollar sign made out of house keys.

Black History Month here amid more teacher fears

3. Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo travels to Denver

Arsenic found in Hispanic and Native American neighborhoods more often

4. El Paso officials will seek death penalty 

A crowd of people hold a candlelight vigil in El Paso

5. Stories we're watching 

6.🪅 Pachanga: Humberto Chacón

Welcome back! We had a bit of technological snag on Tuesday — if you didn't get your newsletter, let us know and we'll send it to you. 

Puede leer este boletín en español aquí.

This newsletter, edited by Astrid Galván and Laurin-Whitney Gottbrath, is 1,432 words, a 5.5-minute read.

Thanks so much for joining us. And thanks to Carlos Cunha for the copy edits. 

Latino

Red wooden block with Latino in colors engraved on it.

Keep tabs on the stories that most affect the U.S. Latino community on both sides of the border, a collaboration with Noticias Telemundo. Weekly - Thursdays

Axios Latino

Bullying tops Latino parents' worries

1 big thing: Why parents worry — and how much 

2. California fast-food workers law on hold 

Protesters dressed in red hold large signs that say "join us at the table, respect democracy"

3. Reading ambassador to battle false narratives 

Meg Medina sits with a bookcase behind her

4. Arsenic in neighborhoods' water supply 

Hand holding a glass of water as it fills from a kitchen faucet

5. Stories we're watching

A man puts up a poster of a murdered journalist in Mexico City

6.🪅Pachanga: Brian J. Garcia

Would you help us out? We're looking into whether mass shootings have changed our behaviors.

Do you avoid large crowds? The grocery store? Go on without a worry? Reply to this email with your thoughts. 

This newsletter, edited by Astrid Galván and Laurin-Whitney Gottbrath, is 1,361 words, a 5-minute read.

Thanks for reading, and thanks to Carlos Cunha for the copy edits! If you're not signed up, make sure to do so here. 

1 big thing: Critical race theory's next frontier

dozens of student protesters stand in california holding a posterboard that reads "the most violent element in society is ignorance"

2. Med schools' Hispanic professor problem

Illustration of a medical cross being erased by a pencil

3. The man behind Macy's storied displays

Manny Urquizo  speaks to a camera with string lights behind him 

4. Stories we're watching

throngs of rioters attack two police officers on horseback 

5.🪅Pachanga: Carlota Ortiz Monasterio

Carlota Ortiz Monasterio against a backdrop with lines 

Astrid here. I've got a mean cold. What's your best home remedy? 

This newsletter, edited by Astrid Galván, is 1,095 words, a 4-minute read.

Thanks for reading us! Thank you to Carlos Cunha for the copy edits and Laurin-Whitney Gottbrath for help with edits!

1 big thing: Peru's protest crackdown intensifies

A young person in pigtails pushes against a row of police officers holding shields in Peru 

2. Analysis: Gallego's Senate run and Latino candidates

CHC BOLD PAC Chairman Democratic Rep. Ruben Gallego (D-AZ) speaks at a Congressional Hispanic Caucus event welcoming new Latino members to Congress at the headquarters of the DNC.

"Black Panther" actor Tenoch Huerta calls out Hollywood colorism

3. Actor Tenoch Huerta on Hollywood colorism

Actor Tenoch Huerta sits on a couch, holds a microphone to his face and looks off to the side during a press event in Mexico City

4. Accused El Paso shooter to change plea

A large crowd of people hold candles during a nighttime candlelight vigil in El Paso 

6. Smile to go:🏺Artistry abounds

🛻We highly recommend this amazing visual project about the evolution of the pickup truck. 

 🪅 Don't forget to send us your Pachanga Thursday submissions — where you get to brag about your latest feat — by replying to this email. 

This newsletter, edited by Astrid Galván and Laurin-Whitney Gottbrath, is 1,365 words, a 5-minute read.

Thanks for reading, and thanks to Patricia Guadalupe for the copy edits. If someone forwarded you this newsletter, you can sign up here. 

1 big thing: Latinas make lowriding inroads 

A powder pink 1948 Chevrolet Impala with chrome letters in Spanish on the front grill 

Brazilian officials suspected of helping rioters

2. Officials suspected of helping Brazil rioters

a police officer leans through broken glass in Brasilia, Brazil 

3. Ex-GOP candidate arrested in shootings case

Solomon Peña handcuffed and walking between SWAT officers in Albuquerque.

4. In photos: MLK's impact on Latinos 

A man walks past a mural of Martin Luther King Jr. 

6. Smile to go: 💃🏽Joys of salsa

Hello! Hope you had a fantastic weekend. Anyone else hooked on Shakira's new song? 🔥🔥

🚨Situational awareness: The Department of Justice is expected to announce today whether it’ll seek the death penalty for the man accused of killing 23 people and wounding 22 others at an El Paso Walmart in 2019.

Don't forget to sign up for this newsletter here.

This newsletter, edited by Astrid Galván and Laurin-Whitney Gottbrath, is 1,437 words, a 5.5-minute read.

Thank you for reading! And thanks to Carlos Cunha for the copy edits!

Editor’s note: The caption in the photo for the first item of this newsletter has been corrected to reflect the car is a 1948 Chevrolet Fleetline, not Impala.

National

Brazilian authorities are not just prosecuting those who stormed the country's government institutions this month — they're also investigating public officials who they believe may have helped plan, incite or let the attack play out. 

Driving the news: This weekend the former security secretary for Brasília, Anderson Torres, was arrested, accused of conspiring to allow the attacks — an allegation he denies.

Former President Jair Bolsonaro, who as of yesterday was still in Orlando, has also been named a person of interest in the investigation, under suspicion of inciting the mob. His lawyer late Friday said Bolsonaro "vehemently repudiates the acts of vandalism and depredation of public property committed by those infiltrating the demonstration.” 

The commander of the capital's military police and three capital health ministry workers are among the 1,400 people in custody or who have made bail, according to the detainee list. The commander hasn't commented on the charges but earlier said he followed protocol during the attack. 

Army members tried to help some suspects in the riot avoid arrest, officials told The Washington Post.

What they're saying: "The people who invaded the sites knew these places, knew the inside layouts," Ricardo Cappelli, who was appointed by President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva to head a temporary federal takeover of security in Brasília, said yesterday in a press conference.

Cappelli announced that authorities are investigating the military police unit that patrols the Congress, Presidential Palace and Supreme Court buildings.

Meanwhile, Lula's administration, which had been in power for just a week when the attacks in Brasília took place, is trying to keep other government operations going while the investigations continue.

Yesterday, authorities revoked a Bolsonaro-era rule that forced doctors to report abortions to police even when legal. 

Sônia Guajajara, inaugurated Thursday as the country's first minister for Indigenous peoples, abolished a Bolsonaro-era rule that allowed logging in native communities' reservations.

Subscribe to Axios Latino to get vital news about Latinos and Latin America, delivered to your inbox on Tuesdays and Thursdays.

Brazilian authorities are not just prosecuting those who stormed the country's government institutions this month.

A police officer inspects torn portraits at the Supreme Court building in Brasília on Jan. 10, two days after  rioters raided federal buildings. Photo: Carl de Souza/AFP via Getty Images  

Jair Bolsonaro

Latin America and Latinos

Brazilian authorities are not just prosecuting those who stormed the country&#x27;s government institutions this month — they&#x27;re also investigating public officials who they believe may have helped plan, incite or let the attack play out. Driving the news: This weekend the former security secretary for Brasília, <a class="gtmContentClick" data-vars-link-text="Anderson Torres" data-vars-click-url="https://www.theguardian.com/world/2023/jan/14/key-bolsonaro-ally-arrested-on-return-to-brazil-over-alleged-coup-attempt-anderson-torres" data-vars-content-id="10866c67-897e-49f4-b61b-4f175f4919ab" data-vars-headline="Brazilian officials suspected of helping rioters" data-vars-event-category="story" data-vars-sub-category="story" data-vars-item="in_content_link" href="https://www.theguardian.com/world/2023/jan/14/key-bolsonaro-ally-arrested-on-return-to-brazil-over-alleged-coup-attempt-anderson-torres" target="_blank">Anderson Torres</a>, was arrested, accused of conspiring to allow the attacks — an allegation he denies.

China is becoming the most formidable rival America has faced, and the risk of confrontation with Russia, North Korea or Iran still looms. Authoritarians are rising, the chaotic Afghanistan exit revealed the limits of U.S. power, and the pandemic, climate change and other critical challenges continue to pose grave threats.

World

The riots by Jair Bolsonaro supporters at Brazil’s major political institutions may slow President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva’s agenda.

State of play: To restore order, Lula signed a decree for a federal intervention in Brasília until Jan. 31 — but constitutional amendments cannot be carried out during a federal intervention, meaning his planned tax and environmental overhauls will have to wait.

The swearing-in of Congress, scheduled for Feb. 1, could also be delayed if the intervention is extended, says Gustavo Ribeiro, editor-in-chief at the Brazilian Report, an English-language news and analysis site.  

Even when they're in office, members of Congress will have to deal with the fallout of the attacks — from the damaged buildings to the prosecution of the would-be insurrectionists — which could further set their agenda behind.

Catch up quick: Authorities say over 1,200 people were detained for questioning after the attacks on the Presidential Palace, Supreme Court and Congress on Sunday. 

Hardline supporters of former President Jair Bolsonaro had spent months camped outside the army headquarters in Brasília, asking for a military intervention to depose Lula, who they claimed without evidence won last year's election fraudulently.

"We think there was a lack of security, a security breach. All the people who did this will be found and punished," Lula, who blamed Bolsonaro for the attacks, said. 

Bolsonaro said the protests went too far and rejected Lula's accusations. 

The unclear loyalties of members of the police and the armed forces — some of whom were captured on camera taking selfies with the rioters or just standing by — could also put a wrench on Lula's priorities.

Off-duty military members were reportedly among the attackers. High-ranking military figures were publicly supportive of Bolsonaro, a former army captain, when he initially made his false claims of fraud.

 Justice minister Flávio Dino said Monday that the ministry will conduct a thorough investigation, particularly of the capital military police.

The big picture: Lula, who took office Jan. 1, already faced major challenges, including deep political polarization, slow economic growth, increased poverty and rampant Amazon deforestation.

"It was already going to be a difficult presidency, and this takes that up several notches," Cecilia Tornaghi, senior director for policy at Americas Society/Council of the Americas, tells Axios Latino.

Tornaghi says that was probably at least partly the point — the rioters wanted to send the message that they can disrupt government operations and create chaos if they want to. 

What they're saying: Lula's swift response with the federal intervention, which got quick support from the incoming leaders of the House, Senate and current chief justice, indicates his government won't let this early aggression mark the rest of his presidency, Tornaghi says. 

"He's signaling they won't hide or cower," she says. 

Brazil attacks could put Lula's priorities on backburner

Lula, who took office Jan. 1, already faced major challenges, including deep political polarization and slow economic growth.

rioters wearing brazilian flags on their backs break large glass windows at government buildings 

Rioters break the window of the Supreme Court building in Brasilia, Brazil on Sunday. Photo: Ton Molina/AFP via Getty Images

Brazil

Young adult author first Latina national ambassador for reading

Meg Medina says she hopes to "serve as an example of Latinos' contributions to the U.S. literary landscape."

Author Meg Medina sits with a bookcase behind her 

Meg Medina, National Ambassador for Young People's Literature 2022-2024. Photo: Noticias Telemundo

Hispanic and Latino Americans

Cuban American author Meg Medina was <a class="gtmContentClick" data-vars-link-text="inaugurated" data-vars-click-url="https://youtu.be/qprF0mnX-4g" data-vars-content-id="9bb7b5db-4054-4cec-97b4-448d653e85a2" data-vars-headline="Young adult author first Latina national ambassador for reading" data-vars-event-category="story" data-vars-sub-category="story" data-vars-item="in_content_link" href="https://youtu.be/qprF0mnX-4g" target="_blank">inaugurated</a> Tuesday as the first Hispanic ambassador for young people&#x27;s literature at the Library of Congress.Why it matters: Young adult and children&#x27;s literature has <a class="gtmContentClick" data-vars-link-text="been diversifying" data-vars-click-url="https://www.axios.com/2022/08/23/macmillan-latinos-books-literature-hispanic" data-vars-content-id="9bb7b5db-4054-4cec-97b4-448d653e85a2" data-vars-headline="Young adult author first Latina national ambassador for reading" data-vars-event-category="story" data-vars-sub-category="story" data-vars-item="in_content_link" href="https://www.axios.com/2022/08/23/macmillan-latinos-books-literature-hispanic" target="_self">been diversifying</a> in recent years, but several of those works have been targets of<a class="gtmContentClick" data-vars-link-text=" book bans" data-vars-click-url="https://www.axios.com/2021/11/23/young-adult-latino-books-ban-school-boards" data-vars-content-id="9bb7b5db-4054-4cec-97b4-448d653e85a2" data-vars-headline="Young adult author first Latina national ambassador for reading" data-vars-event-category="story" data-vars-sub-category="story" data-vars-item="in_content_link" href="https://www.axios.com/2021/11/23/young-adult-latino-books-ban-school-boards" target="_self"> book bans</a>.

Latino podcasters are making major inroads with audiences.

Why it matters: Latinos are telling their own stories — and bringing in big audiences — in the world of podcasting, an industry that's expected to generate $4 billion a year in advertising by 2024.  

Latinos spent twice the amount of time listening to podcasts in 2020 as they did in 2019, according to the most recent data from Nielsen.

Podcasts are also filling the major gap in storytelling that Hollywood has left open as it's struggled to put Latinos on screen and behind the camera — despite the fact they're avid consumers. 

What's happening: The second season of "La Brega," a popular bilingual podcast about Puerto Rico's people and history, is premiering Jan. 26.

The first season made several year-end best-of lists when it premiered in 2021.

Details: Alana Casanova-Burgess, the co-creator and host of "La Brega," says the new season provided an opportunity to have an even broader scope, celebrating more aspects of Puerto Rico and Latinos through its music. 

The new episodes will tell more of those stories through eight specific songs across decades, including — naturally — one from Bad Bunny, as well as classics like Elvis Crespo's "Suavemente."

Meanwhile, NPR's "Code Switch," the popular show about race and identity, just added Lori Lizarraga, the first-generation daughter of Ecuadorian and Mexican immigrants, as co-host.

Lizarraga made her debut on Jan. 11 on an episode about how she and her mom partly modified their names to versions easier to pronounce for English speakers. 

She tells Axios Latino she hopes to continue to tell the kind of stories that resonate with listeners and make them feel less alone.

The big picture: Podcasts led by or focused on Latinos have been making huge inroads in the past two years. 

"Suave," the Futuro Studios and PRX series about a man who was incarcerated as a teen, won a Pulitzer prize for audio reporting in May.

Other bilingual shows, like NPR's"The Last Cup," about Lionel Messi, were also successful.

"Idolo: The Ballad of Chalino Sánchez," about a narcocorrido singer whose story was told in both languages, has topped charts since coming out a year ago. 

What they're saying: "I think more places are putting in that effort because it does make sense for everyone who is in this [mass media] space to be figuring out ways to talk about and have conversations and produce content that speaks to a Latino audience," Lizarraga said. 

"You should be ministering to this very diverse melting pot of the Latino community. We’re out here and we consume good content if it's there for us."

 Subscribe to Axios Latino to get vital news about Latinos and Latin America, delivered to your inbox on Tuesdays and Thursdays.

Latino podcasters fill storytelling void

Latinos are telling their own stories in an industry that's expected to generate $4 billion a year in advertising by 2024.

Media trends

Latino podcasters are making major inroads with audiences.Why it matters: Latinos are telling their own stories — and bringing in big audiences — in the world of podcasting, an industry that&#x27;s expected to generate <a class="gtmContentClick" data-vars-link-text="$4 billion" data-vars-click-url="https://www.axios.com/pro/media-deals/2022/05/11/podcasting-ads-us-4-billion-2024" data-vars-content-id="e2ce3671-b42d-4020-8e1e-51f444fa993b" data-vars-headline="Latino podcasters fill storytelling void" data-vars-event-category="story" data-vars-sub-category="story" data-vars-item="in_content_link" href="https://www.axios.com/pro/media-deals/2022/05/11/podcasting-ads-us-4-billion-2024" target="_self">$4 billion</a> a year in advertising by 2024.

Anti-government protests in Peru are entering their second month, with growing concern among human rights groups and political observers that the deadly police crackdown on demonstrators is leading to democratic backsliding in the country.  

State of play: About 60 people have died and more than 700 have been injured in the past month as protests have spread from rural areas to all over the nation.

The situation led authorities on Saturday to close Machu Picchu, stranding tourists in one of the most visited places in the world, and cutting off a major source of revenue for the country.

This weekend, police entered the largest public university to disperse protesters and detain students, who police said had illegally entered the building. The National University of San Marcos denounced it as an abuse of authority.

Catch up quick: The protests started in early December after former President Pedro Castillo was ousted and arrested for attempting to dissolve Congress during an impeachment vote. 

Dina Boluarte, who was vice president, replaced him — but Castillo's supporters want her to resign, accusing her of plotting with Congress, which they also want to dissolve and make way for immediate elections.  

Boluarte has said "if we have made mistakes in trying to achieve peace and calm then I apologize," and that she won't resign "in response to a minuscule group making the country bleed."

Boluarte has also claimed that the munitions linked to the deaths haven't come from police or armed forces.

What they're saying: The government's refusal to pull back police forces is indicative of a "dangerous transition towards authoritarianism," dozens of Peruvian political scientists and academics wrote in a letter published yesterday in several Peruvian newspapers.

That makes any dialogue unlikely, political scientist Paula Távara Pineda, of the Pontifical Catholic University of Peru, tells Axios Latino. 

"If there's no real action from the government ... I do fear we'll be stuck with no way to move on from this conflict, and that uncertainty about what comes next will only grow," she adds.

The protests have also grown to include those angry over the police crackdown, not just Castillo's supporters, Távara Pineda says.

Many of those killed during the protests are between 15 and 30 years old, according to the country's human rights ombudsman office. 

Many died from projectile or bullet-like wounds to the head and chest, according to a review of autopsy reports by the health news platform Salud con Lupa.

Edgar Stuardo Ralón Orellana, envoy to Peru from the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights, said last week there should be prompt investigations into potential excessive use of force by the government.

Police have not responded to any accusations of excessive use of force.

The big picture: What's happening in Peru is indicative of the growing disenchantment with government institutions that has been seen across Latin America, analysts say.

Protesters in Peru say the current Congress isn't representative of the people — especially Indigenous communities — and that the nation needs a new constitution.  

Only 1 in every 5 Latin Americans says democracy is working, and trust in Congressional bodies and judicial branches has plummeted, the premier regional poll Latinobarómetro conducted in 2020 and 2021.

This could be "paving the way for authoritarian populists who rail against a failed establishment" to rise in power in the region, warns a recent paper in Johns Hopkins' Journal of Democracy.

Peru's protest crackdown could lead to authoritarianism, experts say

About 60 people have died and more than 700 have been injured as protests have spread from rural areas to all over the nation.

a young person in pigtails in  Peru pushes against a row of police officers in riot gear

Protesters on Jan. 21 in Lima demand the release of students arrested at a university. Photo: Ernesto Benavides/AFP via Getty Images

Peru

Anti-government protests in Peru are entering their second month, with growing concern among human rights groups and political observers that the deadly police crackdown on demonstrators is leading to democratic backsliding in the country. State of play: About<a class="gtmContentClick" data-vars-link-text=" " data-vars-click-url="https://www.defensoria.gob.pe/wp-content/uploads/2023/01/ReporteDiario-2212023_17horas.pdf" data-vars-content-id="fdeb39d7-2866-461a-80f0-dbc7067e33c0" data-vars-headline="Peru&#x27;s protest crackdown could lead to authoritarianism, experts say" data-vars-event-category="story" data-vars-sub-category="story" data-vars-item="in_content_link" href="https://www.defensoria.gob.pe/wp-content/uploads/2023/01/ReporteDiario-2212023_17horas.pdf" target="_blank"> </a><a class="gtmContentClick" data-vars-link-text="60 people" data-vars-click-url="https://www.defensoria.gob.pe/wp-content/uploads/2023/01/ReporteDiario-2212023_17horas.pdf" data-vars-content-id="fdeb39d7-2866-461a-80f0-dbc7067e33c0" data-vars-headline="Peru&#x27;s protest crackdown could lead to authoritarianism, experts say" data-vars-event-category="story" data-vars-sub-category="story" data-vars-item="in_content_link" href="https://www.defensoria.gob.pe/wp-content/uploads/2023/01/ReporteDiario-2212023_17horas.pdf" target="_blank">60 people</a> have died and more than 700 have been injured in the past month as protests have spread from rural areas to all over the nation.

Marina E. Franco (Noticias Telemundo for Axios)

Stories

Young adult author first Latina national ambassador for reading

Peru's protest crackdown could lead to authoritarianism, experts say

Latino podcasters fill storytelling void

Brazilian officials suspected of helping rioters

Brazil attacks could put Lula's priorities on backburner

Newsletter editions

😱 How parents worry

🗳 Ruben Gallego's move

🎙 Podcasting power

👩🏽‍🔧 Latina lowriders

📚 CRT's next battle