Cuba, diplomacy and the Cuban refugee crisis in Central America provide the primary themes this week on Latin Pulse. The program discusses the diplomatic, business, and tourist openings that continue to improve between Cuba and the United States, including a discussion of new reforms announced this week regarding travel and economic concerns. The program also shares the view from Central America about the problem of Cuban refugees there. The news segment of the program covers the alarm this week...
Jan 29, 2016
Latin Pulse registers its 200th episode this week, so the program looks back at the audience's favorite programs since the program became an online radio project. Themes included in the program include migration, the Drug War, the civil war in Colombia, indigenous issues, and the construction of the Belo Monte Dam in Brazil. The program also includes a discussion of religion, including Santeria and about the folk saint Santa Muerte. The news segment of the program analyzes the surprise diplomati...
Jan 22, 2016
Looking ahead at what appear to be the key issues for 2016 in Latin America is the mission for Latin Pulse this week. The program includes an in-depth and extended discussion with a director of one of the top research centers reviewing Latin American affairs and includes in-depth discussion of Brazil, Venezuela, Cuba, Mexico, and United States policy towards the region. The news segment of the program discusses the move this week to extradite Mexican cartel leader Joaquin "El Chapo" Guzman to th...
Jan 15, 2016
Latin American films provide the central focus for Latin Pulse this week. The program completes its two-part conversation on the film Olvidados , which recounts Operation Condor and its human rights abuses from a Bolivian perspective. The program also reviews the top Brazilian film of the past year, The Second Mother . The news segment of the program delves into the controversy between the new National Assembly in Venezuela and that country's Supreme Court over accusations of electoral fraud and...
Jan 08, 2016
Politics and diplomacy provide the main themes for Latin Pulse this week. The program marks the anniversary of the diplomatic opening between Cuba and the United States with an interview recorded in Havana. The program deals with the prospects for the end of the embargo. The program also follows the complicated corruption scandal in Brazil that has now intersected with the political movement to impeach and unseat President Dilma Rousseff. The scandal has now evolved into a political crisis as al...
Dec 18, 2015
Religion and politics, the so-called taboo subjects provide the central themes for Latin Pulse this week. The program provides a preview of Cuba's favorite religious celebration, the feast day of San Lazaro. The program explores the mix of faiths that honor that day on Dec. 17, including the practitioners of Santeria and those with Christian beliefs. The program also goes in-depth on reaction to the surprising landslide win of opposition groups in Venezuela in that country's Congressional electi...
Dec 11, 2015
Latin Pulse returns from holiday hiatus this week, with a program about culture and politics . The program previews the film Olvidados, about Operation Condor, that will soon make its cable debut on HBO Latino. The film tells the story of Operation Condor from a Bolivian perspective. And the program catches up with the results of the Argentine presidential elections and analyzes how a shift to a conservative government means historic changes for that country. The news segment of the program look...
Dec 04, 2015
Reflections on a special trip to Cuba provide the main themes on Latin Pulse this week . The program includes interviews with a U.S. delegation on a cultural and educational exchange in Cuba, including the delegation's leader, the former governor of Missouri. The program also includes viewpoints on the U.S. embargo of Cuba and the possibility of business development on the island. The discussion ranges through politics, economics and shared interests between the U.S. and Cuba. The news segment o...
Nov 20, 2015
Femicide and violence against women in Latin America provide the themes on Latin Pulse this week . The program focuses on murders aimed at women in Central America and Mexico, the region with the worst global statistics as assembled by the United Nations. The program also discusses linkages between such violence and unauthorized immigration. The program discusses the causes behind femicide and includes analysis about the need to improve the justice in the region. The news segment of the program ...
Nov 06, 2015
Trade, finance and economics provide the main themes on Latin Pulse this week . The program gives an in-depth analysis of the Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP) and what obstacles it faces in the U.S. Congress and the U.S. political system. The program also reviews the current status of the debt crisis in Puerto Rico and dissects how the island territory piled up billions in debt. The news segment of the program covers the results of presidential elections in Latin America, with a focus on why the ...
Oct 30, 2015
Presidential politics and elections in Latin America provide the main themes on Latin Pulse this week . The program goes in-depth on this weekend's presidential elections in Guatemala and Argentina. In Guatemala, comedian Jimmy Morales is the front-runner by a wide margin but some are asking if he is a true break with Guatemala's military past. And in Argentina, Daniel Scioli leads the pack as the handpicked successor of President Cristina Fernandez de Kirchner, but can he make his own way? The ...
Oct 23, 2015
Politics and the competencies of governments in Venezuela and Brazil are the central themes on Latin Pulse this week . The program includes an in-depth discussion about the state of democracy in Venezuela and how it has deteriorated due to crackdowns on opposition leaders. The program also includes a discussion of the political repercussions of the Petrobras corruption scandal in Brazil and further calls for the impeachment of President Dilma Rousseff. The news segment of the program covers the ...
Oct 16, 2015
War and peace are the central themes on Latin Pulse this week . The program includes an in-depth discussion about breakthroughs in the peace process that could end 51 years of civil war in Colombia. The program also discusses tensions in the border regions between Venezuela and Colombia, and on Venezuela's border with Guyana and what those tensions mean in the current political climate. The news segment of the program covers new calls for impeachment to remove President Dilma Rousseff from offic...
Oct 09, 2015
Brazil and its struggles with corruption and development provides the central focus on Latin Pulse this week . The program discusses in detail the various corruption scandals that have created political gridlock in Brazil. The program also has the latest on the development of the controversial Bello Monte dam and how that project is the source of environmental and cultural damage in the Amazon region. The news segment of the program covers the speech by U.S. President Barack Obama at the United ...
Oct 02, 2015
Culture and politics provide the themes on Latin Pulse this week . The program looks backward at the end of the popular Univision program Sabado Gigante and how it survived despite criticisms of its content. The program provided a cultural link on Saturday evenings to many audiences throughout Latin America. Latin Pulse also reviews the upcoming presidential elections in Argentina and how the final stage of the presidency of President Cristina Fernandez de Kirchner casts a shadow on the process....
Sep 25, 2015
It's the fourth anniversary of Latin Pulse, and the program celebrates in its own way: a medley of out-takes and pithy comments from the most popular programs of the past year. The topics on the program range from a review of the crisis of unaccompanied minors on the U.S.-Mexico border to covering various fronts in the Drug War. The program also includes segments on the economic impact of China on Latin America. The news segment of the program covers the aftereffects of the earthquake in Chile t...
Sep 18, 2015
Religion in Latin America provides the theme this week on Latin Pulse, as Cuba prepares for an official visit from Pope Francis. The program analyzes the importance of the pope's upcoming trip to Cuba and reflects on how the Cuba trip will provide a preface for the pope's visit to the United States. The program also reviews a new book that deals with how religion is fighting violence throughout Latin America, especially Central America. The news segment of the program reviews the results in the ...
Sep 11, 2015
The seismic political shift in Guatemala provides the focus this week on Latin Pulse. The program covers both the resignation of President Otto Perez Molina due to a corruption scandal and the presidential elections that will have the country voting on new leaders this weekend. The program analyzes the impact of the United Nations' International Commission Against Impunity in Guatemala (CICIG, by its Spanish acronym) in uncovering corruption and supporting the justice system. The program also pr...
Sep 04, 2015
Violence, crime and national security provide the themes this week on Latin Pulse. First, the program reviews security in Mexico, and discusses the rise of various cartels, especially the Sinaloa Cartel. Another in-depth part of the program deals with the crisis in El Salvador due to the involvement of street gangs in a transportation strike. Both segments discuss how the central governments in these countries do not have the power to stop the criminal groups. The news segment of the program cov...
Aug 28, 2015
Pursuit of justice in major human rights cases in Central America provide the central focus this week on Latin Pulse. First, the program considers the potential extradition of Inocente Montano, a former high-ranking military official in El Salvador who a Spanish court is attempting to try for his part in ordering the massacre of Jesuit priests and religious workers. The second case concerns former dictator Efrain Rios Montt accused of genocide in the killing of Mayan villagers in Guatemala. The ...
Aug 14, 2015
Colombia and its civil war provide some of the central themes this week on Latin Pulse. The program discusses land reform, rural development, and indigenous issues and how they are related to the civil war. The program also reflects on the Colombian emigrant experience and the various social and cultural forms that this community works to keep alive. The program discusses Colombian music, dance, and customs. The news segment of the program covers the debt default of Puerto Rico and its economic ...
Aug 07, 2015
Looking back at the violent history of repression in the Dominican Republic is the central theme this week on Latin Pulse, as this year marks the 50th anniversary of U.S. efforts to bolster a military dictatorship. The program discusses the U.S. invasion and occupation in some depth and discusses how this event continues to resonate with Dominicans to this day. The program also explores the political and economic fallout from that invasion. The news segment of the program covers the violent tran...
Jul 31, 2015
Issues in the Caribbean provide the central themes this week on Latin Pulse. The program provides a deep analysis of the issues confronting the new relationship between Cuba and the United States. Major parts of the discussion reveal how these relations are linked to domestic presidential politics in the United States. The second segment in the program discusses the racial tensions fueling immigration policy in the Dominican Republic , regarding threats to deport Haitian immigrants. The news seg...
Jul 24, 2015
War and politics provide the themes on Latin Pulse, this week, as the program tunes in to events in Guatemala and Colombia. The first segment of the program discusses the complex political matrix in Guatemala as the country heads toward presidential elections and what effects the anti-corruption protests in the country might have on that process. The second part of the program examines how U.S. policies have affected the conduct of the civil war in Colombia. The news segment of the program gives...
Jul 17, 2015
Pope Francis and his trip to the Andes region of Latin America provides the central theme on Latin Pulse. The program includes a deep theological discussion of how Pope Francis is redirecting the philosophy of the Church to take the concerns of poverty more seriously. The program also discusses the Church's views on LGBT rights, indigenous issues, and euthanasia. The program also reviews the political issues in Ecuador, Bolivia, and Paraguay that intersect with the pope's trip. The news segment ...
Jul 10, 2015
Pope Francis and his upcoming trip to the Andes provide the central theme this week on Latin Pulse. The program includes analysis from Rome and how the issues of marriage equality and LGBT acceptance by the Catholic Church may arise during the pope's trip. The program also includes discussion of the pope's role in bringing Cuba and the United States together diplomatically during the past year. The program includes analysis of the pope's shift to favor liberation theology. The news segment of th...
Jul 02, 2015
Looking ahead to next week and the important meetings between Brazil's President Dilma Rousseff and U.S. President Barack Obama, Latin Pulse gives an analytical preview of what to expect. The program includes viewpoints from both Brazil and the United States, taking into account the domestic problems Rousseff faces, including the worst economic climate in a generation as Brazil slips into recession, and the worst presidential popularity ratings in Brazil's democratic history. The news segment of...
Jun 26, 2015
Violence and salvation are the themes this week on Latin Pulse . The alarming rise in homicide rates in El Salvador catches our attention and the program discusses the causes and how the government is reacting to the rise in gang-related violence. The reaction seems to be extrajudicial killings and the return of death squads. The program also includes an analysis about the shift of religious beliefs in Latin America, including the rise of evangelicals and religious pluralism. The news segment of...
Jun 19, 2015
Trade and financial concerns provide the central themes this week on Latin Pulse as the program focuses on the Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP) and the debt crisis in Puerto Rico. With the U.S. Congress split over the TPP, the program debriefs an economic expert on how the proposed trade pact will have an impact on jobs in Latin America, the U.S. and Asia too. The program also unravels the key issues related to the debt problems of Puerto Rico. The news segment of the program covers the ongoing d...
Jun 12, 2015
Violence provides the central theme this week on Latin Pulse as the program looks at troubles in Colombia and El Salvador. In Colombia, as the country's civil war turns the corner on 51 years of pain, the peace process seems stalled as violence escalates in the war. In El Salvador, violence levels are higher than they have been in more than 20 years. The news segment of the program covers how women demonstrated across South America this week to call attention to the high levels of violence aimed...
Jun 05, 2015
