Live From Surf City: Stories From Hell Salvador

Like the reboot that no one asked for, metallic mining is once again back on the table in El Salvador. Is this God’s gift to the country, as El Presi tweeted out, or just another example of destruction rebranded as development? Who stands to gain and who to lose in Round II of Gold Mining vs El Salvador? Episode 5 of LFSC gets into it with Cruz the environmentalist, who grew up around a hotbed of...

After an extended fall break, we are back this holiday season to explore freedom of the press along with journalist Humberto Flores, who explains how censorship in El Salvador works without jailing reporters (yet), by flexing fear, secrecy, harassment, and laws that haven’t been enforced (yet). ...Not because Nuevas Ideas has a crush on democracy or anything, but maybe because it’s easier choke ou...

This episode looks at the rise of Nayib Bukele, from his days as a media mogul, club promoter, Yamaha dealer and local mayor, to beloved iconoclast president/ world’s coolest dictator. Was he an industry plant, or did this girlie work his butt off to get to the tippity top? We talk to Hilary Goodfriend, UNAM-Mexico City researcher and editor at Jacobin Magazine, NACLA and Latin American Perspectiv...

This episode picks apart the communications strategy of El Salvador's governing party, Nuevas Ideas, and how they've rebranded the suspension of civil liberties into a triumph of good over evil, just by slapping on the face of a tech bro in a baseball hat. We look at the namesake of this podcast, Surf City, through the eyes of political communications expert Elena, who shares her thoughts on the c...

Has your tía been talking about how nice el paisito is now that all the mareros are in jail? Are you glad to be able to visit the family rancho without getting mugged, but maybe a little disturbed that this is due to the Salvadoran equivalent of an ICE raid? Are mareros people? Can we solve all our problems by locking them up and throwing away the key? Should Youtubers have more of a right to visi...

From the sparkling black sand beaches next to CECOT, here's a preview of this season's interviews with Salvadorans (& friends) mulling over, just like you, what the f*** is going on in El Salvador. The water's warm- are you ready to jump in? Season 1 of Live From Surf City coming agostinas 2025.