Following the presidential election of Joe Biden “the share of Black and Latino adults who say they feel angry about the state of the country has been sharply lower than in June, while feelings of hope have increased, according to a Pew Research Center survey,” Pew Research reported December 9. Fewer than half of Black (41 percent) and Latino (44 percent) adults now say they are angry, “a substantial drop from the 72 percent and 67 percent, respectively, who said the same in June.” “President-elect Joseph R. Biden Jr. has selected Xavier Becerra, the Democratic attorney general of California, as his nominee for secretary of health and human services, tapping a former congressman who would be the first Latino to run the department as it battles the surging coronavirus pandemic.” – The New York Times, December 7, 2020 “Saying ‘the last thing we need is to further divide an already divided nation,” Utah Republican Sen. Mike Lee blocked proposals to establish the National Museum of the American Latino and the American Women’s History Museum.” The Latino museum had been a goal for at least 25 years. – NBC News, December 10, 2020 Iris Martinez, the first Latina to be elected Cook County Circuit Court clerk, was sworn into office (December 1) with a promise of a ‘new beginning.’” Martinez, a former Illinois state senator, beat her Republican challenger with more than 71 percent of the vote. – Chicago Sun-Times, December 1, 2020 “Bad Bunny, the Puerto Rican singer, rapper and streaming megastar, has set an industry milestone with his latest album, ‘El Ultimo Tour del Mundo.’ It is the first LP entirely in Spanish to top the Billboard 200 album chart.” – The New York Times, December 8, 2020 The Arecibo Observatory in Puerto Rico collapsed, its 900-ton receiver platform tumbling into its reflecting dish, demolishing both the observatory itself and any hopes that the venerable instrument could somehow be saved.” – Time, December 14, 2020 Dr. Tabaré Váquez, the immediate past president of Uruguay, “who ushered in 15 years of leftist leadership and continued to practice as a physician while in office, died (December 6).” He was 80. – The New York Times, December 10, 2020