"The federal government is processing citizenship requests at the fastest clip in a decade, moving rapidly through a backlog that built up during the Trump administration." — The New York Times, August 13, 2024 … Arrests at the southern border have declined to the lowest level since 2021. — The New York Times, August 2, 2024 "Celia Cruz quarters are officially in circulation," Time reported August 5. Honoring the four-time Latin Grammy award winner known for her Salsa, they are "the first U.S. coins to feature an Afro-Latina figure." The League of United Latin American Citizens, the nation's oldest and largest Hispanic civil rights group, "broke with its longstanding tradition of not issuing presidential endorsements (August 9) to back the Democratic 2024 ticket of Kamala Harris and Tim Walz." — United Press International, August 9, 2024. "Gov. Philip D. Murphy of New Jersey has selected George Helmy, his former chief of staff, to serve out the remainder of the term of Senator Robert Menendez, who was convicted of corruption and is stepping down." — The New York Times, August 16, 2024 … "After resisting what felt all-but inevitable to people close to the senator, Mr. Menendez pulled his name from November's ballot hours before the Friday deadline. He had planned to run as an independent." — The New York Times, August 17, 2024 "Chi Chi Rodriguez, whose flamboyance on the course and passion for the game of golf transformed him into one of its most popular players through his more than three decades on the pro tours, died." He was 88. — The New York Times, August 10, 2024 … "Eddie Canales, a human rights advocate who fought to save migrants trekking through the harsh terrain of South Texas, died." He was 76. — The New York Times, August 12, 2024 The United States and China tied at 40 for the most gold medal wins in the 2024 Paris Olympics. Brazil with 3 led the Latin American countries. — USA Today, August 11, 2024 "The U.S. is pursuing a long-shot bid to push Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro to give up power in exchange for amnesty as overwhelming evidence emerges that the strongman lost last month's election." — The Wall Street Journal, August 11, 2024