The one where we talk about Nayib Bukele, an indictment from the EDNY, the curious crackdown on some gang members in El Salvador, and MAGA's fawning approval of these measures.

Find this episode on your favorite podcast player here:

https://pod.link/1647010767/

Here are some of the sources we used while assembling this episode:

Behind Trump’s Deal to Deport Venezuelans to El Salvador’s Most Feared Prison

https://www.nytimes.com/2025/04/30/us/politics/trump-deportations-venezuela-el-salvador.html

Judge Demands Answers About Deal to Return MS-13 Gang Leaders to El Salvador

https://www.nytimes.com/2025/07/25/nyregion/bukele-ms-13-trump-deal.html

The Legal Fig Leaf: The US-El Salvador Detainee Diplomatic Notes

https://www.justsecurity.org/117271/us-elsalvador-diplomatic-notes/

El Salvador moves suspected gang members to 40,000-capacity ‘megaprison’

https://www.theguardian.com/world/2023/feb/25/el-salvador-moves-2000-suspected-gang-members-to-new-megaprison

Damian Merlo's Foreign Agent Registration(FARA) for his work on behalf of El Salvador

https://efile.fara.gov/docs/6898-Supplemental-Statement-20230130-4.pdf

EDNY's indictment for the MS-13 gang leaders

https://www.justice.gov/d9/press-releases/attachments/2023/02/23/ranfla_ii_indictment_foreperson_signaturepdf_0.pdf

El Salvador Government Protection of MS-13 from Extradition Emerges in DOJ Indictment

https://elfaro.net/en/202302/el_salvador/26739/el-salvador-government-protection-of-ms-13-from-extradition-emerges-in-doj-indictment

Bukele Government Dismantled Gang Presence in El Salvador

https://elfaro.net/en/202302/el_salvador/26694/Bukele-Government-Dismantled-Gang-Presence-in-El-Salvador.htm

“He says that, for some time now, the gangs’ street "soldiers" believe that their leaders "sold them out.""It’s true. These structures have no management. The ranflas [leaders] claimed to be looking out for their soldiers’ wellbeing. Not anymore. We came to the conclusion that it wasn’t the case." He thinks that the concentration of power in the hands of the historic leaders of the organizations had backfired on them."The ranflas [in prison] didn’t want to appoint substitutes [in the streets]. I don’t know why. Maybe because they didn’t want to leave to someone else what was theirs. So they didn’t do it. These locos negotiated for their own benefit. What did they negotiate? I don’t know," he said.”

Bukele's Pact with the Gangs Lasted Three Massacres

https://elfaro.net/en/202303/opinion/26745/Bukele's-Pact-with-the-Gangs-Lasted-Three-Massacres.htm

The Guardian on the beginnings of ISIS

https://www.theguardian.com/world/2014/dec/11/-sp-isis-the-inside-story

Comments? Suggestions? Email: [email protected]

Thanks for listening,

Jay and Griff

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