Latin America

The Navy destroyer USS Pinckney and the U.S. Coast Guard cutter USCGC Northland sailed together in the Eastern Pacific on April 26. The ships are part of an "enhanced" push to stop cocaine smuggling.

U.S. Nets Trove Of Drugs, But 'Enhanced' Operations Haven't Budged Maduro Or COVID

5:01am May 01, 2020

by Philip Ewing

President Trump and his top advisers had high hopes for a surge in deployments targeting South American contraband. They've been productive but not a panacea.

Mexican lucha libre wrestler Hijo del Soberano sews face masks since his matches have stopped due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

A Mexican 'Lucha Libre' Wrestler Is Sewing Masks To Fight Coronavirus

6:19pm April 30, 2020

by Carrie Kahn

Hijo del Soberano was already designing lucha libre costumes on the side. Since his wrestling venue shut amid Mexico's lockdown, he's turned to making masks. "I just altered my skills a bit," he says.

Economy

Mexico Is Struggling To Help Businesses During The Pandemic

4:22pm April 30, 2020

by Carrie Kahn

Mexican President Andrés Manuel López Obrador has no plans to rescue the country's businesses beyond small loans for small firms. Hurt by the COVID-19 shutdown, the country's in a deepening recession.

World News

Amid Pandemic, Brazil's Jair Bolsonaro Faces Political Crisis

11:41am April 29, 2020

by Philip Reeves

As Brazil's president down plays the coronavirus threat — despite a sharp uptick in death — he's facing a political crisis. It is affecting the government's handling of the pandemic.

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Mexican Wrestlers Are Sewing Lucha Libre Masks To Protect People From The Coronavirus

5:48pm April 28, 2020

by Carrie Kahn

Will the masks of El Santo and the Blue Demon protect people from the coronavirus? Mexico's professional wrestlers hope so. They are now sewing face masks for the public.

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Venezuelan migrants in Colombia walk toward the border amid the coronavirus lockdown. Colombian officials say 12,000 Venezuelans have taken buses back to their home country since Colombia imposed restrictions to stop the outbreak.

Thousands Of Migrants Head Back To Venezuela To Flee Colombia's COVID-19 Lockdown

1:41pm April 28, 2020

by John Otis

Colombian officials say 12,000 Venezuelans have taken buses back to their home country since Colombia imposed restrictions to stop the coronavirus outbreak. Many other Venezuelans are fleeing on foot.

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World News

Pandemic Puts Economic Pressure On Venezuelans Who Fled To Colombia

6:15am April 28, 2020

by John Otis

Venezuela's economy and health care systems collapsed long before coronavirus. Venezuelan refugees in Colombia have run out of cash and are returning home.

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Salvadoran President Nayib Bukele, pictured in February, has authorized police to use lethal force against gang members who allegedly ordered murders to take advantage of police attention to the coronavirus.

El Salvador's President Takes On The Country's Gangs Amid Coronavirus Pandemic

8:24pm April 27, 2020

by Carrie Kahn

President Nayib Bukele authorized officers to use lethal force against gang members who allegedly were responsible for dozens of murders while police were focused on the COVID-19 lockdown.

Poet Gioconda Belli On Nicaragua In The Time Of COVID-19

6:18am April 27, 2020

NPR's Noel King talks to Nicaraguan poet Gioconda Belli about how the country is handling the corornavirus pandemic. She likens the country's response to the outbreak as dark magical realism.

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World News

U.S. Pushes Mexico To Open Some Factories

7:55am April 26, 2020

by Carrie Kahn

U.S. officials and firms are pressuring Mexico to open up factories vital to North American supply chains, despite a number of worker deaths from COVID-19.

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