Untangling the Many Meanings Behind 'La Brega' and Its Ubiquity Among Puerto Ricans

As we celebrate the release of season three of Futuro Studios’ hit-show La Brega, we take you back to where it all first started: Season 1, Episode 1. Host Alana Casanova-Burgess sets out to define the many meanings of  “la brega”—one of them being the struggle—and its ubiquity among Boricuas.  A…

Bad Bunny’s Super Bowl Inolvidable: Predictions, Politics, and NFL’s Motives

The NFL’s all-American spectacle is back with its Super Bowl halftime musical extravaganza…and it’ll be mostly en ESPAÑOL! Puerto Rico’s own Bad Bunny, is one of the biggest artists in the world, and on Feb. 8, all eyes will be on him We speak with Vanessa Diaz, co-author of "P FKN R: How Bad Bunn…

Inside 'The Rip': Three Latinas Star in Netflix’s Newest Crime Thriller

Netflix’s newest crime thriller, The Rip, brings together three Latina actresses: Catalina Sandino Moreno, Sasha Calle, and Lina Esco. The Colombian women share the silver screen with Hollywood heavyweights, Ben Affleck and Matt Damon, in this high-stakes cop film, directed by Joe Carnahan. The cas…

One Year After the LA Fires: Recovery, Toxic Soil, and Scams

“Our government has failed us in many ways.”  A year has passed since the fires in Los Angeles devastated Altadena, CA. Who gets to rebuild? Who stays and who leaves?  We begin by checking back in with Sal Saucedo, a hairdresser who spoke to us after his home became rubble. He has since planted n…

Podcast Special: “Enough is Enough”: The Fight Against ICE In Minnesota

Minnesotans say ICE agents and other federal officers have been terrorizing residents as part of “Operation Metro Surge” for nearly a month. And as ICE’s enforcement becomes more militarized and their numbers grow, so does the network of resistance created by everyday citizens.  We speak to a loca…

Being Bruja: How One Journalist Tapped Into Her Ancestral Power and Became a Witch

When Journalist Zayda Rivera decided to become a witch, people in her life thought it was a joke–many did not take her seriously. Still, Zayda was confident in her choice to follow the ancient practice of brujería.  Last year, Zayda published her debut children's book, Being Bruja: A Young Mystics…

Mirta Ojito on Memory, Migration and the Stories the Ocean Keeps

“Suddenly, a memory assaulted me: For my own journey from Cuba four decades earlier, I had worn the red polyester bell-bottom pants my mother had made.” Pulitzer Prize winning journalist Mirta Ojito joins us to talk about the inspiration behind her new novel, Deeper Than the Ocean. Mirta reflects o…

The World Through the Eyes of Comedian Julio Torres

Born in El Salvador, Julio Torres has become a big name in comedy. From writing for SNL and having an HBO comedy special, to making and starring in his own films, Julio's dry style is unique: it’s highly visual and deeply inquisitive, and at Latino USA we love it! In this reimagined interview from…

The Fall of Maduro and the Rise of an “Unconstrained” Trump

The capture of Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro marks yet another chapter in a long history of U.S. interventionism across Latin America. We talk to an expert on democracy to make sense of the incursion, how it could destabilize the entire rules-based international order, and why Americans shou…

Mary’s Journey: The Costs of Caring for a Loved One in Prison

One in four women in the United States has a family member in prison — and those carrying the resulting financial and emotional burden are disproportionately women of color. Mary Estrada is one of them. She’s been taking care of her husband, Robert, for 40 years, as he’s been in and out of prison t…