As the U.S. honors Hispanic Heritage Month, some members of Congress are speaking out against President Donald Trump's treatment of Latinos in America.
Rep. Joaquin Castro (D-Texas, 20th District), chairman of the Congressional Hispanic Caucus, released a statement on the ongoing challenges the community is currently facing.
"For almost four years, Latino communities from Puerto Rico to the U.S.-Mexico border have been under assault from a hostile and xenophobic administration that has separated families, abandoned those in need, and spread fear and hate," Castro said.
Rep. Ruben Gallego (D-Ariz,.7th District), first vice-chair of the caucus, echoed Castro's sentiments Tuesday on Cheddar, criticizing the president's response to hurricane devastation in Puerto Rico and his treatment of DACA recipients.
One of the most pressing issues in the U.S. is the coronavirus pandemic, which Castro noted hurts the Hispanic community especially.
"The coronavirus pandemic has disproportionately harmed the health and financial security of many Latino families," Castro wrote. "With disproportionately high rates of infections, hospitalizations, and death, as well as the highest rate of workers unable to work remotely, COVID-19 has been a catastrophe for the Latino community."
Gallego criticized Trump's "irresponsible actions as a leader" amid the pandemic.
"Latinos have disproportionately, above any other demographic, paid the price because of COVID-19," Gallego said. "Because at the end of the day a lot of our people end up being essential workers of this country, and we couldn't social distance."
The CDC released new numbers Friday showing nearly half of all coronavirus-related deaths in people younger than 21 have been Hispanic.
"At the end of the day because we're a younger demographic to begin with, and we're also a middle-class and working-class demographic, we did not have the capability to shelter in place," Gallego said. "Plus the fact that many of us were uninsured to begin with or were underinsured and weren't able to take care of some of the underlying conditions that really give us as a community morbidities that made us more vulnerable to the coronavirus."
The Chinese government brought the sitcom "Friends" back to its streaming services. However, it had instances of LGBTQ+ references left out, after the series had been banned on Chinese streaming platforms for years.
Season 13 "Shark Tank" contestant Tania Speaks secured a $400,000 deal for her Speaks Organic Skincare brand with "Shark" Mark Cuban while also being named one of the best pitches in the history of the show — all at 19 years old. Now 20, Speaks joined Cheddar News to talk about the skincare line, the clean beauty industry, and the moment that host Cuban was moved by her pitch. "I couldn't believe that he got emotional. I'm surprised I held back my tears that long," the young entrepreneur revealed. "It's just amazing for someone else to be inspired by your story, especially Mark Cuban himself."
The media giant formerly known as ViacomCBS has officially rebranded itself as Paramount Global with a focus on its streaming service, Paramount Plus. Naveen Chopra, chief financial officer at Paramount, joined Cheddar to discuss the company’s name change and streaming wars. "There are components of content licensing that we continue to do, either historical arrangements or opportunities to license content that don't really impinge on what we're trying to do with our owned and operated services and that continues to be an important ingredient in our broader financial model," he said. "But our number one priority is putting our best assets on Paramount Plus." Chopra also discussed theatrical release windows before feature films hit its service and the platform's subscription goals.
In efforts to help support black-owned brands. Ulta Beauty says it will make a commitment to not only give these brand shelf space but also help them navigate the ins and outs of growing a business. Last week, the beauty retailer announced in order to reach those goals, the company will spend $50 million on diversity and inclusion programs, including an accelerated program to mentor entrepreneurs of color. CEO of Ulta Beauty, Dave Kimbell, joined Cheddar to discuss more.
