Latin Pulse

Originating in Puerto Rico again this week, Latin Pulse looks at issues of identity, the media and politics on both the island and in Mexico. The program discusses how U.S. and Latino media often homogenize programming and forget the Puerto Rican experience.  The program also reveals how in Mexico, issues of equity and media corruption distort the political debate.  How do the political left and right find space for debate in a system dominated by the Institutional Revolutionary Party (the PRI).  The news segment of the program covers set backs in the peace process for the Colombian civil war.

The program includes in-depth interviews with:

Production Assistant: Sierra Hancock.

 
podcast

news

Latin America

Mexico

politics

PRI

media

culture

Puerto Rico

education

Colombia

United States

protest movement

drug cartels

democracy

justice

corruption

crime

television

FARC

sports

baseball

PAN

PRD

gambling

civil war

Enrique Pena Nieto

peace talks

prejudice

Televisa

Univision

Telemundo

free speech

Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador

MORENA

Originating in Puerto Rico this week, Latin Pulse takes a look at the status of the island and whether there is movement forward on a change to statehood or independence.  The program also covers the issues of identity, culture and economics facing the island commonwealth.  The program also delves into the special relationship the U.S. has developed with Mexico and how trade pacts and economic reforms have brought the countries closer.  The news segment of the program deals with the latest charges and counter-charges related to allegations that powerful leaders in Venezuela are connected to the drug trade.

The program includes in-depth interviews with:

Production Assistant: Sierra Hancock.

 
podcast

news

Latin America

Mexico

trade

politics

PRI

Venezuela

media

emigration

immigration

economics

music

culture

terrorism

Drug War

Puerto Rico

education

Colombia

United States

protest movement

drug cartels

United States

Diosdado Cabello

Enrique Pena Nieto

Nicolas Maduro

debt crisis

colonialism

NAFTA

Calle 13

democracy

justice

Canada

oil

energy

disappearances

corruption

impunity

violence

police

diplomacy

crime

human rights

gun smuggling

What happens when you mix drug cartels with religion? This week, Latin Pulse explores the rise of narco-religion in Mexico.  The discussion includes a heady mix of discussion regarding the veneration of Catholic saints by violent criminals but also the rise of the devotion of folk saints such as Santa Muerte.  The program also discusses curanderos and the use of witchcraft by the cartels.  The news segment of the program covers the outbreak of violence in student protests in Chile; the protestors are calling for more equity in higher education in the country.

The program includes in-depth interviews with:

Production Assistant: Sierra Hancock.

 
podcast

news

Latin America

Mexico

religion

Chile

students

education

Michoacan

media

internet

YouTube

violence

blasphemy

curanderos

Drug War

Catholic Church

Argentina

Colombia

folk saints

protest movement

drug cartels

Jesus Malverde

Sinaloa Cartel

St. Jude Thaddeus

Knights Templar Cartel

Servando "La Tuta" Gomez Martinez

La Virgen de Guadalupe

Joaquin "El Chapo" Guzman

San La Muerte

Los Zetas Cartel

Tijuana Cartel

Arellano-Felix Cartel

narco-religion

Sinaloa

Santa Muerte

Paraguay

death cults

Beltran-Leyva Cartel

folk religion

Pope Francis

indigenous religion

This week, Latin Pulse concludes its spring series of programs looking at the roiling political waters in Venezuela. Experts on the program look at the use of conspiracy theories and how they are used to make propaganda gains and control the political discourse.  The program also discusses the breakdown of democratic institutions in the country and the credibility of elections. The news segment of the program covers accusations by the head of the Venezuelan National Assembly that he expects the political opposition to use fraud to make political gains in elections for the assembly later this year.

The program includes in-depth interviews with:

Production Assistant: Sierra Hancock.

 
podcast

news

Latin America

diplomacy

politics

Venezuela

autocracy

justice

elections

PSUV

socialists

media

conspiracy

propaganda

military

United States

coup plots

democracy

violence

domestic espionage

Nicolas Maduro

Diosdado Cabello

Leopoldo Lopez

Antonio Ledezma

Drug Enforcement Administration

political repression

Hugo Chavez

coup

DEA

Drug War

imperialism

Maria Corina Machado

Operation Jericho plot

conspiracy theories

human rights

Henrique Capriles

Julio Borges

military tribunal

Copei

secret police

free expression

Carlos Andres Perez

Debating conditions in Venezuela provides a special topic this week on Latin Pulse, as the program provides an extended time for a diplomatic representative of the Bolivarian government to respond to questions. Beyond an official representative of the Venezuelan government a left-wing critic of the government also discusses his view that Venezuela is slipping into autocracy. The news segment of the program covers the call this week for further investigations into illegal domestic spying in Colombia and the sentencing of former government officials to long prison sentences for ordering such illegal activities.

The program includes in-depth interviews with:

Production Assistant: Sierra Hancock.

 
podcast

news

Latin America

diplomacy

politics

Venezuela

autocracy

justice

authoritarianism

Cuba

spying

media

economics

politics

military

United States

Barack Obama

energy

housing

domestic espionage

riots

Alvaro Uribe

human rights

Nicolas Maduro

economic sanctions

coup

oil

democracy

dictatorship

inflation

national security

Summit of the Americas

George W. Bush

Antonio Ledezma

Drug Enforcement Administration

political repression

Hugo Chavez

protest movement

electrical grid

hydro-electric dams

alternative media

cocaine smuggling

Raul Castro

Fidel Castro

Drug War

Leopoldo Lopez

secret police

infrastructure

imperialism

DEA

Spain

France

torture

CELAC

ALBA

colonialism

environmentalism

Bolivia

Diosdado Cabello

SEBIN

Justice, human rights and immigration policy regarding Central America provide the triple themes this week on Latin Pulse. The program focuses on the extradition case of Inocente Montano, a former colonel and leader for the Salvadoran military during El Salvador's civil war.  Spanish authorities want Montano sent to Spain to face human rights charges connected to the massacre of Jesuit priests at a university in San Salvador.  The program also looks at Congressional concerns over U.S. immigration policy in Central America. The news segment of the program reviews the controversial trade mission to Cuba of New York Governor Andrew Cuomo.

The program includes in-depth interviews with:

Production Assistant: Sierra Hancock.

 
podcast

news

Latin America

diplomacy

politics

Guatemala

Honduras

justice

immigration

Cuba

Catholics

Jesuits

Mexico

military

United States

Barack Obama

impunity

crime

El Salvador

police

Central America

human rights

Inocente Montano

civil war

economics

violence

homocide

gangs

corruption

trade

U.S. Congress

Inter-American Development Bank

death squads

United Nations

Joe Biden

migrant children

economic development

undocumented immigration

Memories and reviews of Gabriel Garcia Marquez and his work take center stage this week on Latin Pulse as this week marks a year since the death of this winner of the Nobel Prize for literature. The program traces Garcia Marquez from his beginnings as a journalist through his fame as an author setting an example for writers worldwide.  The program also discusses the writer's ties to Cuba. The news segment of the program reviews the outcome of the Summit of the Americas and Panama and how the United States and Cuba continue working toward normalized diplomatic relations.

The program includes in-depth interviews with:

Production Assistant: Sierra Hancock; and

 
podcast

news

Latin America

diplomacy

politics

Argentina

writers

literature

Uruguay

Colombia

culture

Mexico

Cuba

Panama

United States

Barack Obama

colonialism

imperialism

free speech

Russia

Raul Castro

Fidel Castro

Eduardo Galeano

magical realism

media

Juan Rulfo

Gabriel Garcia Marquez

Mario Vargas Llosa

Miguel de Cervantes

Cuban revolution

Augusto Pinochet

Jorge Videla

Cuban cinema

James Joyce

Virginia Woolf

William Faulkner

The United States and its participation in the Summit of the Americas this weekend provides the central theme this week on Latin Pulse. Although the summit has a specific agenda to deal with economic inequality in Latin America, experts expect that diplomacy between the U.S. and Cuba, and U.S. relations with Venezuela will dominate what happens at this meeting. The news segment of the program covers deportations and extraditions concerning former members of the Salvadoran military who sought asylum from prosecution on human rights charges stemming from their actions in the Salvadoran Civil War.

The program includes in-depth interviews with:

Production Assistant: Sierra Hancock.

 
podcast

news

Latin America

diplomacy

politics

Argentina

military

immigration

Uruguay

Brazil

justice

Mexico

Cuba

Panama

United States

Barack Obama

poverty

economics

human rights

Colombia

El Salvador

Central America

economic sanctions

UNASUR

Luis Almagro

Raul Castro

Venezuela

Honduras

Summit of the Americas

prisoners of war

Drug War

Chile

Guatemala

crime

violence

OAS

Guantanamo

Peru

Judaism, anti-semitism, and Argentina provide the main themes this week on Latin Pulse.  The program revisits the mysterious case of the death of Alberto Nisman, a special prosecutor looking at terrorism cases that may have links to Iran.  The program discusses how the Nisman case continues to provide a crisis atmosphere in Argentina.  Also, the program reflects on the history of Judaism in Latin America and the various waves of prejudice that the Jewish population of the region has weathered. The news segment of the program covers the latest round of diplomacy between Cuba and the United States regarding human rights.

The program includes in-depth interviews with:

Production Assistant: Gabriela Canchola.

 
podcast

news

Latin America

elections

politics

Argentina

military

espionage

Cuba

Alberto Nisman

United States

culture

economics

anti-semitism

human rights

Juan Peron

Hector Timmerman

debt crisis

religion

Maximo Kirchner

Daniel Scioli

Sergio Massa

Judaism

diplomacy

Cristina Fernandez de Kirchner

Salvador Allende

Augusto Pinochet

Chile

Peronism

default

debt

finances

terrorism

Iran

Brazil

justice

Mexico

colonialism

Spain

Nazis

immigration

Uruguay

coup

Israel

Hezbollah

Palestinians

Peru

Carlos Menem

corruption

The arts and the internet in Cuba provide the twin themes this week on Latin Pulse.  The program includes an in-depth discussion with two of Cuba's leaders in the arts, discussing artistic freedom and freedom of expression, along with the cultural themes of their work in the theater. The program also discusses the development of the internet and dissident media in Cuba. The news segment of the program covers the rise in tensions between Argentina and the United Kingdom over the Falkland Islands, and the U.K.'s plans to modernize its defenses on the islands.

The program includes in-depth interviews with:

Production Assistant: Sierra Hancock.

 
podcast

news

Latin America

dissidents

Cuba

Yoani Sanchez

Raul Castro

Fidel Castro

United States

Afro-Cuban issues

elections

politics

Argentina

military

arts

Falkland Islands

culture

economics

military

human rights

Antonio Rodiles

free speech

culture

theater

Afro-Latin American culture

United Kingdom

Las Malvinas

internet

Santeria

dance

socialism

censorship

dissidents

travel

media

writers