Maria and guest co-host Imara Jones , journalist and award-winning creator of TransLash Media, discuss President Biden’s warning of nuclear “Armageddon” from Russia and his move to pardon federal marijuana possession convictions. They also get into the recent court ruling on DACA, the alleged abortion hypocrisy surrounding Republican candidate Herschel Walker, and the women-led protests in Iran following the death of 22-year-old Mahsa “Zhina” Amini. ITT Staff Picks: Noah Berlatsky writes about t...
Oct 07, 2022•21 min
Julio is joined by Sabrina Rodríguez , national political reporter for the Washington Post, and Fernanda Santos , editorial director of Futuro Media and contributing columnist for the Washington Post, to discuss the changing political climates around the world, including Brazil’s presidential election. They also discuss voter turnout in the U.S. within communities of color and how to build cross-racial solidarity ahead of the midterms. ITT Staff Picks: “The candidates and their vision for Brazil...
Oct 04, 2022•34 min
Julio and guest co-host Renée Graham , opinion columnist at The Boston Globe, discuss the impact of Hurricane Ian in Florida, and recent polling of Latino voters and how it will impact the midterms. They also get into the controversy surrounding retired NFL quarterback Brett Favre, who used state welfare funds to finance his own projects in Mississippi. ITT Staff Picks: There are many reasons people decide to stay put during a hurricane. The Washington Post spoke to some Florida residents about ...
Sep 30, 2022•20 min
Maria and Julio are joined by Peniley Ramírez , award-winning journalist and executive producer of Investigates and Special Projects for Futuro Unidad Hinojosa, to discuss the aftermath of her decision to publish an unredacted report on the investigation of 43 missing students from Ayotzinapa Rural Teacher’s College in Mexico. They get into the new revelations found in the report, and the pushback Peniley has received online and from the Mexican government for releasing it. ITT Staff Picks: Peni...
Sep 27, 2022•32 min
Maria and Julio talk about the latest in the multiple civil and criminal investigations against former President Donald Trump, including a lawsuit from New York Attorney General Letitia James. They also get into the political stunts by Republican governors, including Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis who promised asylum seekers jobs and housing, but sent them to Martha’s Vineyard with neither. ITT Staff Picks: Barb McQuade, a law professor, wrote about why the civil lawsuit from New York AG Letitia Jame...
Sep 23, 2022•22 min
Maria and Julio are joined by Carlos Edill Berríos Polanco , freelance journalist and a contributing writer for Latino Rebels, to discuss Hurricane Fiona’s impact on Puerto Rico and how the island is still recovering from Hurricane Maria five years later. They also talk about the issue of statehood for Puerto Rico, and how artist Bad Bunny is using his platform to raise awareness about corruption on the island. ITT Staff Picks: “Puerto Ricans have been forced to be incredibly resilient against a...
Sep 20, 2022•35 min
Maria and Julio are joined by Jonathan Capehart , Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist and associate editor for The Washington Post. They get into the Justice Department’s investigation into former President Trump and what hopes there are for accountability. They also talk about the increase in threats of violence from the far-right and the role of journalists in framing the coverage of Trump’s actions. And, they discuss President Biden’s calls to defend democracy ahead of the midterms. ITT Staff P...
Sep 16, 2022•42 min
Maria and Julio are joined by Caitlin Dickerson , staff writer for The Atlantic, and Hamed Aleaziz , immigration policy reporter for the LA Times. They unpack immigration policy in the United States, including recent news of the Department of Homeland Security’s roll back of a Trump-era public charge rule. They also discuss how media coverage can impact immigrant communities. ITT Staff Picks: In this investigative piece for The Atlantic , Caitlin Dickerson dives into the history and impact of th...
Sep 14, 2022•42 min
Maria and Julio react to the news of Queen Elizabeth II passing away, and they reflect on the British empire’s legacy of colonialism and imperialism. They also get into the Justice Department’s investigation of former president Donald Trump and his mishandling of classified documents, and they unpack the decades of neglect and disinvestment that contributed to an ongoing water crisis in the predominantly Black city of Jackson, Mississippi. ITT Staff Picks: Candace McDuffie writes about Black Twi...
Sep 09, 2022•23 min
In this rebroadcast episode from 2021, Maria welcomes Marinah Valenzuela Farrell, a Chicanx midwife and director of the Changing Woman Initiative , and Dr. Rachel Hardeman , a reproductive health equity researcher and associate professor at the University of Minnesota, for a conversation about inequities in birthing healthcare. They discuss how to ground our ideas of parenthood in inclusive frameworks and the path towards reproductive justice. ITT Staff Picks: Elizabeth Weller’s pregnancy turned...
Sep 06, 2022•40 min
In this rebroadcast episode from January, Maria and Julio ring in the new year with Jelani Cobb , staff writer at the New Yorker and dean of the Columbia Journalism School. We listen back to their reflections on the legacy of the Black Lives Matter movement, the attacks on voting rights in the lead-up to the midterm elections, and the state of U.S. democracy. ITT Staff Picks: “Black communities are constantly reminded that while people spoke about their “allyship” for Black Lives Matter, they we...
Sep 02, 2022•36 min
It’s ITT’s first live show of 2022! Maria and Julio travel to the NABJ-NAHJ Convention at Caesars Palace in Las Vegas, Nevada to talk about the complexity of Latino communities and the role of journalists who are reporting on them. They’re joined by Lori Montenegro , Washington D.C. bureau chief for Noticias Telemundo, and Ed O’Keefe , Senior White House & Political Correspondent for CBS News to discuss what is being missed in media coverage of the Latino vote and Latino communities broadly....
Aug 30, 2022•1 hr
Julio and guest co-host Renée Graham , opinion columnist at The Boston Globe, discuss the release of the affidavit for the search warrant at former President Trump’s Mar-a-Lago estate. They also unpack this week’s primaries and President Biden’s announcement of a student loan debt relief plan. And, they get into Louisville Metro Police detective Kelly Goodlett pleading guilty to a federal conspiracy charge in connection to the police killing of Breonna Taylor. ITT Staff Picks: Lexi McMenamin int...
Aug 26, 2022•21 min
In this special collaboration with Latino USA, Maria and Julio are joined by Sonja Diaz , founding director of the Latino Policy & Politics Institute at UCLA, and Jazmine Ulloa , national politics reporter for the New York Times, to talk about the complexity of Latino voters ahead of the midterm elections. They get into what they are hearing from voters on the ground, and the key races we should be keeping an eye on. ITT Staff Picks: Suzanne Gamboa writes about the “erosion of Latino voter s...
Aug 23, 2022•41 min
Julio and guest co-host Renée Graham , opinion columnist at The Boston Globe, get into the latest CDC guidance and the investigations into former President Donald Trump, including the FBI’s search at Mar-a-Lago and the investigation into 2020 election interference in Georgia. They also recap this week’s primaries, from Representative Liz Cheney’s loss in Wyoming to former Alaska Governor Sarah Palin’s run for Congress. This episode was mixed by Rosana Cabán. ITT Staff Picks: “By some estimates, ...
Aug 19, 2022•22 min
Julio and guest co-host Terrell Jermaine Starr , journalist and host of the Black Diplomats podcast, are joined by Imani Gandy , senior editor for the Rewire News Group and co-host of the podcast Boom! Lawyered, and Nathalie Baptiste , senior reporter at HuffPost, and they get real . They discuss the FBI search of Mar-a-Lago, and the spike in threats of violence toward law enforcement officials. They also get into the latest with abortion access. ITT Staff Picks: “It’s time for MAGA adherents, w...
Aug 16, 2022•34 min
Maria and guest co-host Terrell Jermaine Starr , journalist and host of the Black Diplomats podcast, discuss the investigation into former President Donald Trump, including the FBI’s search at his Mar-a-Lago home and some of the mainstream media coverage on the raid. They also get into the Biden administration’s announcement that they are ending the Trump-era Migrant Protection Protocols, or Remain in Mexico, policy. This episode was mixed by Rosana Cabán. ITT Staff Picks: “Garland’s address was...
Aug 12, 2022•23 min
Maria and Julio talk with Heather McGhee , activist, author and host of the new podcast “The Sum of Us,” produced by Higher Ground and Futuro Studios. They get into Heather’s journey covering multiracial solidarity movements across the United States. They also talk about the passage of the Inflation Reduction Act, and the results of Kansas’ ballot initiative on abortion rights. ITT Staff Picks: Ellen Ioanes breaks down how the Inflation Reduction Act will help Americans, for Vox . Rolling Stone ...
Aug 09, 2022•37 min
In this rebroadcast episode from 2021, Maria and Julio are joined by Kendra Pierre-Louis , climate reporter with Gimlet, and Dallas Goldtooth , organizer for the Indigenous Environmental Network. They discuss how communities of color are the most impacted by climate disasters globally, and also how they are at the forefront of pushing for climate justice. ITT Staff Picks : To combat this summer’s heat wave and protect civilians, Congress could pass policy to stop utility shutoffs even if a custo...
Aug 05, 2022•39 min
Julio and guest co-host Harsha Nahata, producer for In The Thick, are joined by Anoa Changa , a southern-based movement journalist for NewsOne, and Karen Attiah , columnist for The Washington Post. They hear from Maria on her reporting out of North Dakota and discuss multiracial organizing ahead of the midterms. They also get into the harmful narratives around immigration, and how the climate crisis is having a deadly impact in Kentucky. ITT Staff Picks: For Scalawag Magazine , Anoa Changa inter...
Aug 02, 2022•35 min
Julio and guest co-host Jamilah King , managing editor at BuzzFeed News, unpack the Monkeypox virus and its impact on the LGBTQ+ community. They also get into the latest on the Justice Department’s investigation into January 6, and the upcoming Black Panther sequel, Wakanda Forever. ITT Staff Picks: There is widespread fear and anxiety about the Monkeypox virus among gay and bisexual men, a community which has been hit the hardest, reports Liam Stack for The New York Times . In this piece for Po...
Jul 29, 2022•21 min
Julio is joined by Wajahat Ali , Daily Beast columnist, author and co-host of the podcast Democracy-ISH, and Christian Paz , senior politics reporter at Vox. They get into the midterms and what both parties are doing to rally voters. They also talk about January 6 and the ongoing investigations into Trump’s efforts to overturn the 2020 election. And, they talk about the record-breaking heat waves around the world, and the devastating impacts of the climate crisis. ITT Staff Picks: “Finally, the ...
Jul 26, 2022•43 min
Julio and guest co-host Jamilah King , managing editor at BuzzFeed News, talk about the final January 6 hearing of the summer, the bills passed in the House to protect same-sex marriage and the right to contraception, and the recent racist attacks against South Texas Representative Mayra Flores. This episode was mixed by Rosana Cabán. ITT Staff Picks: Trump’s “idleness, the committee sought to prove, should not be confused with ineffectiveness. It was complicity,” writes Jim Newell in his breakd...
Jul 22, 2022•19 min
Julio is joined by Errin Haines , editor at large for The 19th, and Elie Mystal , justice correspondent and columnist for The Nation. They discuss the Supreme Court and the impact of their decision to overturn Roe v. Wade. They also get into a new Texas House Committee report, which found systemic failures in law enforcement’s response to the mass shooting in Uvalde. And, they unpack the January 6th hearings. This episode was mixed by Rosana Cabán. ITT Staff Picks: For The 19th , Shefali Luthra ...
Jul 19, 2022•39 min
Maria and guest co-host Jamilah King , managing editor at BuzzFeed News, discuss President Biden’s trip to the Middle East, including his visit to Israel and his meeting in Saudi Arabia with Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman. They also get into the latest January 6th hearing, and the recent protests in Uvalde, Texas. This episode was mixed by Rosana Cabán. ITT Staff Picks: “Rather than announcing any major initiatives, Biden, who is on a four-day trip to Israel, the occupied West Bank, and Saudi ...
Jul 15, 2022•19 min
In this special collaboration with Latino USA, Maria and Julio are joined by Carlos Odio , co-founder of EquisLabs, and Tanzina Vega , award-winning journalist, to talk about the lasting impacts of the coronavirus pandemic on Latino communities across the United States ahead of the 2022 midterms. They get into the immense losses experienced by Black, Indigenous, and Latino communities from COVID-19, and reflect on how the pandemic’s impact on the economy could affect voter turnout. ITT Staff Pic...
Jul 12, 2022•39 min
Maria and Julio reflect on the mass shooting in Highland Park, Illinois, that killed at least seven people. They also get into the police killing of 25-year-old Jayland Walker, in Akron, Ohio. And, they remember the 53 migrants who died after a tractor-trailer crash in San Antonio, Texas. This episode was mixed by Rosana Cabán. ITT Staff Picks: “I was sure that pundits, writers, the media and our political leaders would note that many of the parade attendees came from the neighboring Latino comm...
Jul 08, 2022•22 min
Maria and Julio are joined by Julissa Arce , immigration rights advocate and author of the new book “You Sound Like A White Girl: The Case for Rejecting Assimilation.” They discuss the issues of assimilation in the United States and the complexities of Latino identity. They also get into the history of racism against Latinos in this country, and why it’s important to learn that history. This episode was mixed by Leah Shaw Dameron. ITT Staff Picks: “Sounding like a gringa didn’t make me American,...
Jul 05, 2022•32 min
Maria and Julio are joined by Kim Kelly , author and labor journalist, to talk about her new book, "Fight Like Hell: The Untold History of American Labor". They get into the history of labor organizing in the United States and how women of color and Black and brown workers have been at the forefront of these movements. They talk about the current labor movement in the U.S. and the multiple strikes and efforts to unionize across industries, including Kim’s personal experience with unions in media...
Jul 01, 2022•37 min
Maria and Julio are joined by Kimberly Atkins Stohr , senior opinion writer for The Boston Globe and The Emancipator, and Jessica Mason Pieklo , senior vice president of Rewire News Group and co-host of the podcast Boom! Lawyered. They unpack the Supreme Court ruling to overturn Roe v. Wade and how this will affect people throughout the country. They also get into other recent decisions and discuss how Democrats should be responding. ITT Staff Picks: In their latest episode of Boom! Lawyered, co...
Jun 28, 2022•39 min