Latin Pulse

This week, Latin Pulse looks at the historic decision of the United States and Cuba to normalize diplomatic relations.  After more than a half-century of tensions and embargoes, the next steps for Cuba are the central focus of this program.  The program also includes analysis of the human rights situation in the country and debates the effectiveness of democracy-building programs initiated by the United States.  The news segment of the program looks at the onset of recession in Venezuela and the reaction of the government to the economic problems.

The program includes an in-depth interview with:

Phil Peters of the Cuba Resource Center.

Associate Producer: Gabriela Canchola.

(To see a set list of songs used in the

production of this program, please go here.)

 (The program is 30 minutes in length and the file size is 42 MB.)

 
podcast

news

Latin America

embargo

Cuba

business

Raul Castro

diplomacy

democracy

United States

politics

political prisoners

espionage

Barack Obama

economics

Angel Carromero

Ladies in White

Dissidents

Alan Gross

Cuban Five

Oswaldo Payá

Aron Modig

Republican Party

Sanctions

Venezuela

human rights

recession

oil

trade

conservatives

USAID

Spain

repression

poverty

human rights

intelligence services

Marco Rubio

Jeff Flake

Rand Paul

U.S. Senate

U.S. Congress

Harold Cepero

free speech

U.S. State Department

Rolando Sarraff Trujillo

In this special edition of Latin Pulse, we dip into the holiday spirit, literally, by exploring the spirit of tequila.  The program includes an in-depth discussion of the business and economics surrounding the trade of tequila and how the taste for tequila has changed, propelled by the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA).  The program also includes a tasting and discussion of top shelf tequilas. The news segment of the program looks at the historic proposal this week worked out between the Cuban and U.S. governments regarding discussions of normalizing diplomatic relations after more than 53 years of conflict.

The program includes an in-depth interview with:

Associate Producer: Gabriela Canchola.

(To see a set list of songs used in the

production of this program, please go here.)

 (The program is 30 minutes in length and the file size is 42 MB.)

 
podcast

news

Latin America

tequila

Cuba

Business

NAFTA

micro-distillers

Mexico

United States

Cuervo

Don Julio

Bacardi

Barack Obama

diplomacy

alcohol

Agave

Jalisco

Alan Gross

Cuban Five

Cuervo Reserva de la Familia

trade

alcoholic beverages

whiskey

bourbon

Canada

mezcal

Diageo

economics

beer

This week, Latin Pulse rejoins its analysis of Venezuela with a focus on the political and economic debate there.  With the U.S. levying economic sanctions on the country due to human rights violations, the opposition and protests movements again take center stage in the debate.  The program also looks at the issues of justice regarding accusations leveled at opposition politicians and the jailing of Leopoldo Lopez.  The program includes a wide-ranging discussion of the development of the current form of Venezuelan government and how the death of President Hugo Chavez continues to be felt in amidst the current crisis.

The program includes in-depth interviews with:

Associate Producer: Gabriela Canchola.

 (The program is 30 minutes in length and the file size is 42 MB.)

 
podcast

news

Latin America

Venezuela

Nicolas Maduro

Hugo Chavez

Leopoldo Lopez

democracy

Colombia

United States

oil

Chavismo

protests

justice

economics

Maria Corina Machado

sanctions

violence

elections

Barack Obama

human rights

politics

political opposition

economic sanctions

U.S. Senate

U.S. Congress

Amnesty International

conspiracy

United Nations

protest movement

Henrique Capriles

Alvaro Uribe

Diosdado Cabello

Human Rights Watch

imperialism

violence

diplomacy

PSUV

socialism

internet

This week, Latin Pulse puts

its focus back on Cuba as Alan Gross, an imprisoned U.S. citizen passed the

five year mark of his incarceration on the island.  The program includes an in-depth interview

analyzing the Gross case and what it means for U.S.-Cuba relations.  The program also looks at the modern history

of secret negotiations between the U.S. and Cuba and how those negotiations

have subtly changed policy.  The news

segment of the program looks at the resumption of peace talks in Colombia after

the release of a general held captive by rebels.

The program includes in-depth interviews with:

Associate Producer: Gabriela Canchola.

 (The program is 30 minutes in length and the file size is 42 MB.)

 
podcast

news

Latin America

Cuba

immigration

Alan Gross

diplomacy

espionage

Colombia

United States

internet

negotiations

USAID

democracy

civil war

peace negotiations

Russia

United States

immigration

Barack Obama

Africa

politics

media

health issues

embargo

Cuban Five

Fidel Castro

Richard Nixon

Ronald Reagan

Bill Clinton

Carlos Salinas

Jimmy Carter

Radio Marti

John Kennedy

Lyndon Johnson

Juan Manuel Santos

George W. Bush

Gabriel Garcia Marquez

George H. W. Bush

This week, Latin Pulse goes in-depth on politics and the environment.  The program gives a preview of the United Nations conference on climate set for next month in Peru.  And the program looks ahead to the run-off presidential race in Uruguay set for the end of the month.  The analysis of the race in Uruguay also covers the country's controversial marijuana law. The news segment of the program covers the announcement by President Barack Obama that the government will give relief to unauthorized immigrants and likely five million immigrants will be able to put off deportation for a limited time.

The program includes in-depth interviews with:

Associate Producer: Gabriela Canchola.

 (The program is 30 minutes in length and the file size is 42 MB.)

 
podcast

news

Latin America

Mexico

immigration

U.S. Congress

Uruguay

climate

Peru

United States

China

environment

economics

Oil

United Nations

illegal logging

elections

Tabare Vazquez

marijuana

tobacco laws

Ecuador

Brazil

politics

Petrobras

activism

violence

Venezuela

Mercosur

Colorado

diplomacy

indigenous rights

Ashaninka Tribe

marijuana legalization

Aecio Neves

Dilma Rousseff

Nicolas Maduro

Henrique Capriles

health issues

extractive industries

Jose 'Pepe" Mujica

Luis Alberto Lacalle Pou

Argentina

This week, Latin Pulse dives into the Drug War.  The program explores two of the most important fronts in that war: Mexico and Venezuela.  The segment of the program on Mexico gives an overview of the condition of various cartels and why the strategy to focus on drug kingpins has mostly failed. The segment on Venezuela focuses on the ties between Venezuela's military and the drug trade. The news segment of the program gives the latest information about the controversy surrounding 43 missing university students in Mexico and whether they were massacred by police and drug cartels colluding together.

The program includes in-depth interviews with:

Associate Producer: Gabriela Canchola.

 (The program is 30 minutes in length and the file size is 42 MB.)

 
podcast

news

Latin America

Mexico

Venezuela

violence

Enrique Pena Nieto

disapperances

crime

police

military

DEA

cocaine

Central America

Felipe Calderon

Aruba

justice

impunity

Brazil

cartels

Panama

corruption

PRI

Drug War

drugs

gangs

Ayotzinapa

politics

Beltran Leyva Cartel

organized crime

Sinaloa Cartel

protest movement

Tijuana Cartel

civil society

violence

homicide

media

Colombia

Honduras

Ecuador

France

FARC

justice

Cuba

imperialism

drug cartels

Gulf Cartel

Knights Templar

Jalisco Cartel

Dominican Republic

Air France

United States

Javier 'El Chapo' Guzman

U.S. State Department

Los Zetas Cartel

Hugo Armando Carvajal

This week, Latin Pulse takes a deeper look at the disappearance of students from Ayotzinapa and Cuban migration to the United States. Global activists are protesting due to the disappearance of the 43 university students in Mexico. The situation is emblematic of decades of corruption and collusion in the Mexican government. This time, however, it appears the Mexican government will be held to account. Later in the program, Cuban immigrants are coming to the U.S. in higher numbers now than any time in the past 20 years. The program looks at the reason behind this increased immigrant flow.

The program includes in-depth interviews with:

Associate Producer: Gabriela Canchola.

 (The program is 30 minutes in length and the file size is 42 MB.)

 
podcast

news

Latin America

Mexico

Iguala

Cuba

violence

Enrique Pena Nieto

disapperances

crime

police

military

migration

immigration

Jose Luis Abarca

Felipe Calderon

education

justice

impunity

refugees

economics

cartels

Agriculture

corruption

PRI

tourism

remittances

inequality

oil

ebola

Venezuela

Angola

Ayotzinapa

Chile

Liberia

politics

Beltran Leyva Cartel

Drug War

Fidel Castro

Raul Castro

Guerreros Unidos

human rights

civil society

organized crime

Juarez Cartel

Tijuana Cartel

Sinaloa Cartel

extrajudicial killings

human trafficking

health issues

medical services

protest movement

This week, Latin Pulse studies the culture of indigenous religions as the program dives into the history of the Day of the Dead. The program takes a look at the impact of colonialism on this holiday, and how those changes impact Latin America today. However, the day continues to be a celebration of humanity's relationship with death and the environment. Then, in the second half of the show, the program analyzes Mayan spirituality and its central role in Mayan culture. The news segment of the program follows the evolving situation with a group of missing university students in Mexico.

The program includes in-depth interviews with:

Associate Producer: Gabriela Canchola.

 (The program is 30 minutes in length and the file size is 42 MB.)

 
podcast

news

Latin America

Mexico

religion

tradition

death

Mexico

Aztecs

Enrique Pena Nieto

indigenous religion

violence

disappearances

migration

immigration

Catholic Church

Catholicism

education

history

colonization

colonialism

Pre-Columbian

Day of the Dead

agriculture

environment

anthropology

spirituality

Maya

Mayan

Guatemala

ancient

text

civilization

custom

culture

Indian

indigenous

archeology

celebration

This week, Latin Pulse provides insight into important elections in South America: presidential races in Brazil and Uruguay.  Brazil's President Dilma Rousseff is fighting for her political life as some polls show conservative challenger Aecio Neves ahead with voting coming this weekend. In Uruguay, polls show former president Tabare Vazquez is the front-runner.  However, balloting this weekend may reveal he is not popular enough to avoid a second round of voting.  Necessary improvements in education is an issue driving both races.  The news segment covers an informal alliance between Cuba and the U.S. to fight Ebola together in West Africa.

The program includes in-depth interviews with:

Associate Producer: Gabriela Canchola.

 (The program is 30 minutes in length and the file size is 42 MB.)

 
podcast

news

Latin America

Uruguay

elections

politics

Brazil

economics

Dilma Rousseff

Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva

Marina Silva

corruption

Workers Party

Cuba

United States

Ebola

health issues

Fidel Castro

education

crime

protest movement

marijuana

finance

business

media

Aecio Neves

Tabare Vazquez

Pedro Bordaberry

Fernando Henrique Cardoso

Luis Alberto Lacalle Pou

Jose Mujica

World Cup

labor

marijuana legalization

drug legalization

Broad Front

poverty

tobacco laws

This week, Latin Pulse focuses on Argentina's debt crisis. A federal judge in the U.S. is holding Argentina in contempt for failing to come up with a plan that satisfies all of its creditors from a default in 2001.  The U.S. Supreme Court ruled it would not review the case, thus upholding the lower court decisions on the bond repayments.  That decision triggered a second default.  This case holds implications not only for Argentina's economic future, but for the position of financial outlets in New York. This week's news segment covers the victory claims of President Evo Morales in Bolivia.

The program includes in-depth interviews with:

(To download or stream this podcast, click here.)

 (The program is 30 minutes in length and the file size is 42 MB.)
 
News

Latin America

Argentina

Latin America

debt crisis

Evo Morales

Bolivia

elections

politics

vulture funds

economics

Thomas Griesa

Hugo Chavez

diplomacy

trade

finance

Mexico

Colombia

Peru

Venezuela

Ecuador

Nicaragua

China

Chile

banking

justice

Barack Obama

George Soros

United States

U.S. Supreme Court

Cristina Fernandez de Kirchner