Today, we're presenting episode 2 of “The Network,” a new series that Latino USA co-produced with NPR’s Embedded podcast. 

The network had developed a method that had the potential to get women widespread access to safe abortions. But to make that happen, a whisper network wasn’t enough. 

Hosts Marta and Victoria travel across Latin America to trace how the network entered a new era. Women spoke up and teamed up. They challenged each other and sometimes even broke the law.

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Latino USA is the longest-running news and culture radio program in the U.S., centering Latino stories and hosted by Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist Maria Hinojosa. 

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This week we’re presenting the first episode of “The Network,” a new series that Latino USA co-produced with NPR’s Embedded podcast. 

In the mid-1980s, an OBGYN in Brazil noticed that far fewer pregnant women at his hospital were dying from abortion complications. 

It wasn’t a coincidence. 

Brazilian women had made a discovery that allowed them to safely have abortions at home, despite the country’s abortion restrictions. That discovery eventually spread across the globe. 

Embedded+ supporters get first access and sponsor-free listening for every Embedded series. Sign up at plus.npr.org/embedded

Want to support our independent journalism? Join Futuro+ for exclusive episodes, sneak peaks and behind-the-scenes chisme on Latino USA and all our podcasts. www.futuromediagroup.org/joinplus.

Latino USA is the longest-running news and culture radio program in the U.S., centering Latino stories and hosted by Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist Maria Hinojosa. 

Follow the show to get every episode. 

Follow us on TikTok and YouTube. Subscribe to our newsletter. 

In the news this week: On June 6, Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents began a series of raids in Los Angeles, and their actions were the boiling point after months of violent apprehensions. 

Protests grew and the federal government sent unsolicited troops as a response, which only heightened tensions. We speak with Cal Matters reporter Sergio Olmos about the administration’s excessive crackdown, how we got here, and why this is happening in the Sanctuary city of LA. 

“Los Angeles is a very diverse place,” and going after people in low-paying jobs with assault rifles “is not a very popular thing here," Olmos said.

Latino USA is the longest-running news and culture radio program in the U.S., centering Latino stories and hosted by Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist Maria Hinojosa. 

Follow the show to get every episode. 

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“I'm waiting for my baby with the greatest love in the world, but with all these problems.” 

Latino USA spoke with a pregnant Venezuelan woman who is part of a lawsuit against the Trump administration’s efforts to end birthright citizenship. This month, the Supreme Court is expected to weigh in on whether Trump can deny the baby’s constitutional right. This massive shift in our constitution would change a baby’s life, and leave some stateless.

Latino USA is the longest-running news and culture radio program in the U.S., centering Latino stories and hosted by Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist Maria Hinojosa. 

Follow the show to get every episode. 

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Long before Latin music ruled the airwaves and charts, Tejano was king… and there was one man at the center of it all: Johnny Canales.

His impact on the music industry is undeniable. Johnny helped Selena Quintanilla skyrocket to success and he helped make many other Tejano artists highly visible.

In this episode, Maria Hinojosa sits down with Adrian Arredondo and Myrna Perez, the directors of “Take It Away: The Rise and Fall of Tejano Hollywood,” a new documentary that looks at the life of Canales and his legacy.

Latino USA is the longest-running news and culture radio program in the U.S., centering Latino stories and hosted by Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist Maria Hinojosa. 

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This Pride Month, come celebrate Frank's big day.

As a young boy, Frank Rojas watched his older sister shine at her quinceañera. He secretly longed for a celebration of his own, but knew that these coming of age parties were only for girls.

Now, two decades later, the culture has changed and more boys are having their own quiceañeros. So Frank is throwing himself a double quince on his 30th birthday. On his own terms, but not without hesitation.

Come to Frank’s party to celebrate his big day. A day when he will be unapologetically queer, when he’ll blend his queer family with his blood family, and when he’ll get his own sparkle.

Latino USA is the longest-running news and culture radio program in the U.S., centering Latino stories and hosted by Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist Maria Hinojosa. 

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After the Supreme Court ruled that mandatory life sentences for juveniles were unconstitutional, a flurry of re-sentencings followed across the country. But for juvenile lifers in Tennessee, it was like nothing happened. What followed were several legal battles, culminating in a Tennessee Supreme Court decision that ultimately ruled the state’s sentencing unconstitutional. The Republican-led state legislature responded by proposing a torrent of “tough on crime” bills aimed at juveniles. We head to Tennessee, where we explore a recent push to funnel more children into the adult prison system. 

Latino USA is the longest-running news and culture radio program in the U.S., centering Latino stories and hosted by Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist Maria Hinojosa. 

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“I am a political prisoner,” Jeanette Vizguerra said in an exclusive interview from inside a detention facility. She’s been a symbol of resistance for the immigrants rights movement since 2017 when she was recognized as one of Time’s 100 most influential people, after seeking sanctuary in a church to avoid deportation.

She remained an outspoken activist and in March 2025 she was detained by ICE.

In this episode we also hear from others who took sanctuary years ago, but unlike Jeanette, want to remain in the shadows fearing retaliation. What is sanctuary now that churches are no longer protected?

Latino USA is the longest-running news and culture radio program in the U.S., centering Latino stories and hosted by Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist Maria Hinojosa. 

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This audio file has been updated.

If some Latinos hear la doctora, it doesn’t evoke the image of a medical doctor. Instead, it’s that of a Cuban American attorney-turned-show host who sings her own theme song.

In 2001, Doctora Polo had been practicing family law for over 20 years in Miami when she was hired to host a new court show on Telemundo that would later become Caso Cerrado. It often aired for multiple hours a day on Telemundo and was nominated for a Daytime Emmy.

In this episode of Latino USA, Doctora Polo reflects on her role as a Latina entertainer and the phenomenon of Caso Cerrado in Latinx pop culture.

Latino USA is the longest-running news and culture radio program in the U.S., centering Latino stories and hosted by Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist Maria Hinojosa. 

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This episode originally aired in 2022.

Two years ago, 18-year-old Lisbeth Bencosme was shot four times on a sidewalk in Harlem. She was a new mom at the time, and it was her faja, a staple postpartum girdle for many Latinas, that would keep her alive until medics arrived. In this episode, we meet Lisbeth, a true badass New Yorker who takes us on her path healing from gun violence and postpartum depression, in a country where there’s little support for either.

Latino USA is the longest-running news and culture radio program in the U.S., centering Latino stories and hosted by Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist Maria Hinojosa. 

Follow the show to get every episode. 

Follow us on TikTok and YouTube. Subscribe to our newsletter.