The musical adaptation of "Real Women Have Curves" was praised by the Tony Awards and across the country for its timeliness as it leaned heavily on one major topic: immigration. Still, the show closed after just two months on Broadway. In this episode, host Maria Hinojosa speaks with two of the lead actresses —Florencia Cuenca and Tatianna Córdoba— about what it takes to keep up with the pace on Broadway, the realities of performing while ICE attacks Latinos, and our relationship with our bodies...
Aug 15, 2025•28 min
After experiencing the complexity of migrating to the U.S. “the right way,” comedian Felipe Torres Medina set out to write a book that was informative but also fun. His goal: to help “remove the weight around the subject of immigration.” The writer for The Late Show with Stephen Colbert published "America Let Me In," which breaks down the serpentine world of visas and legal migration—with a lot of laughs along the way. “Out of respect” for the horrors and challenges of being undocumented, Torres...
Aug 10, 2025•26 min
Professional men’s soccer or “futbol” has always had great Latino players, but only 7% of female professional soccer players are Latinas. That’s not how things look at the Downtown LA Soccer Club. Most of the girls playing for this non-profit are Latinas and that’s intentional. The club is trying to overcome the barriers young Latinas often face: like financial burdens and gender stereotypes. In this episode, we meet their star player and her coach, as they fight for their club to remain a safe ...
Aug 08, 2025•28 min
As the planet hits record-breaking carbon emissions, the race is on to slash CO2 levels. A controversial technology —called carbon capture and storage— is getting pushed as a solution by politicians and private companies. But critics say it’s just another way to keep fossil fuels alive, and for taxpayers to foot the bill We traveled to California’s Central Valley —ground zero for new carbon capture projects— where locals have questions. Will this save the planet? What are the health risks, and w...
Aug 03, 2025•29 min
In a chilling interview, FCC Commissioner Anna Gomez is sounding the alarm about government censorship, the Trump administration’s attacks on the First Amendment and what this means for the rights of all Americans. In this episode, Gomez sits down with host Maria Hinojosa to talk about how the federal government is pressuring media companies to bend to its will, how growing up in Colombia shaped her into the woman she is, and why she’s willing to fight for Democracy, even if it means losing her ...
Aug 01, 2025•26 min
When Andrés tried translating Colombian slang to his American boyfriend, he stumbled into a deeper question: what do these words really mean? In this episode, Andrés traces the roots of everyday slang in Colombian Spanish used not only by the queer community, but by the public at large. What he finds reveals more about his queerness and culture than he thought. In this story, he brings us the painful, often overlooked history behind a few words that he has been using both in his home country and...
Jul 27, 2025•28 min
Candido was working at a car wash when ICE agents pulled up in white vans, blocked all the entrances, and took him and his coworkers. The agents collected their phones but didn’t notice Candido’s Apple Watch right away. He used it to call his family, who otherwise wouldn't have known what happened to him. We hear his story, and then, Maria Hinojosa speaks with Cal Matters investigative reporter Sergio Olmos about a new tool that exposes ICE’s targeted strategy of terror against Latinos in Califo...
Jul 25, 2025•25 min
In this episode, our Executive Editor Maria Garcia reflects on the legacy of Soraya Montenegro, her favorite telenovela villain of all time. Maria explores what Soraya’s legacy reveals about being labeled an evil woman, and even, human evolution. 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 o...
Jul 20, 2025•26 min
The Trump administration is facing more than 300 legal challenges, many of which are being litigated by the American Civil Liberties Union led by Anthony Romero. The executive director has been at the helm through historic legal battles—from voter supression and “muslim” bans, to exposing torture in military detention and defending immigrant and reproductive rights. Romero sits down with host Maria Hinojosa and guides us through the ACLU’s current fight to protect our constitutionally enshrined ...
Jul 18, 2025•30 min
Latino USA returns in partnership with iHeart's My Cultura Podcast Network. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
Jul 15, 2025•1 min
As Democrats confront declining Latino support across three consecutive presidential elections, a fierce debate is unfolding within the party: Are Latino advocacy groups and polling firms helping or hurting the Democratic cause? Critics argue that a flawed messaging strategy —and a complacent advocacy infrastructure— have led to Latino voters drifting right, even toward Donald Trump. But advocates push back, warning that the narrative of a dramatic rightward shift is exaggerated and politically ...
Jul 13, 2025•54 min
In 1948, a plane crashed near Fresno. On that flight there were 28 Mexican citizens who were being deported from the United States. Everyone on board died. The American crew members had their bodies sent home to their families for a proper burial, but the 28 farmworkers were buried in a mass grave—nameless. Today, we’re bringing back the story of the man who made it his life mission to identify the 28 unnamed workers and connect with their families. We also bring you some updates on that search—...
Jul 11, 2025•50 min
For decades, there’s been a persistent story about Mexican immigrants crossing the border for a better life in the United States. But there’s a new trend emerging: Mexicans and Mexican Americans, disillusioned with American politics, moving to Mexico for a more fulfilling life. In the second episode of a three-part collaboration with the Imperfect Paradise podcast, Imperfect Paradise host Antonia Cereijido and Latino USA’s Maria Hinojosa sit down with a Mexican American creative who moved to Mex...
Jul 06, 2025•27 min
What happens when your musical partner is also your life partner and you’re raising a child together? We hear the answer in Buscabulla’s new album Se Amba Así , which takes us through the trials of modern love. From arriving at a crossroads in their relationship, to celebrating the breaking of learned patterns, the Puerto Rican couple lets listeners in as they grapple with the challenges of long term relationships. In this interview, we also hear about their experience collaborating with Bad Bun...
Jul 04, 2025•28 min
During a flurry of election-related anxiety, Imperfect Paradise host Antonia Cereijido re-downloaded TikTok and fell down a very specific rabbit hole: Latina trad wife content. Videos of women waking up at three in the morning, making “lonche” for their husbands and espousing traditional lifestyles have gone viral on social media. In the first episode of a three-part collaboration with the Imperfect Paradise podcast, Latino USA goes behind the scenes with one particular so-called trad wife, Lupi...
Jun 29, 2025•29 min
California Senator Alex Padilla was forcibly removed from a press conference on June 12. We’ve seen the Trump administration go after activists, students, universities, journalists and now, in the latest escalation, elected officials, including members of Congress. On today’s Latino USA episode, host Maria Hinojosa sits down with Senator Padilla to talk about this recent incident and what it reveals about everyone else’s right to free speech. Latino USA is the longest-running news and culture ra...
Jun 25, 2025•23 min
We go behind the scenes with The Network’s hosts Victoria Estrada and Marta Martinez. In conversation with Maria Hinojosa, they share anecdotes and reflections on their reporting in Latin America for the 3-episode series produced in collaboration with NPR’s Embedded podcast. From what sparked their interest in telling this story to the challenges of trying to reconstruct something that happened 40 years ago. Latino USA is the longest-running news and culture radio program in the U.S., centering ...
Jun 22, 2025•19 min
This week, we’re presenting the third of “The Network,” a new series that Latino USA co-produced with NPR’s Embedded podcast. The network and its method took off in countries where women didn’t have a legal option for abortion. Since Roe v. Wade was overturned, many Americans have found themselves in that very situation. We travel to the US to see how the network is responding to exploding demand and mounting abortion restrictions. Embedded+ supporters get first access and sponsor-free listening...
Jun 20, 2025•44 min
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. Embedded+ supporters get...
Jun 15, 2025•35 min
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 f...
Jun 13, 2025•41 min
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 ...
Jun 11, 2025•16 min
“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 ra...
Jun 08, 2025•26 min
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 Canal...
Jun 06, 2025•27 min
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 h...
Jun 01, 2025•27 min
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 ...
May 30, 2025•25 min
“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 r...
May 25, 2025•29 min
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 he...
May 23, 2025•35 min
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...
May 18, 2025•29 min
After World War II, Puerto Ricans began settling in Pennsylvania Dutch Country, drawn by economic opportunities among Mennonite farming communities. Several generations later, they’re honoring their history and reclaiming their identity as “Dutchiricans” within the Mennonite church—and beyond. Today, the story of a Dutchirican matriarch —from her family’s migration from Puerto Rico to their adoption of the Mennonite faith— and how spirituality, work, and resilience forged a new cultural identity...
May 16, 2025•28 min
In the news this week: Pope Leo XIV, or Papa León 14, has been selected to lead the Catholic Church and its 1.4 billion congregation worldwide. And on his first moment in a global spotlight, he chose to speak… Spanish. Robert Francis Prevost was born in Chicago but spent most of his life as a missionary and bishop in Peru, where he has citizenship. He’s the first-ever pope from the U.S. and the second from the Americas, which made him an unexpected choice. Chicago is claiming him, of course, but...
May 11, 2025•21 min
