In The Thick

Maria and Julio are joined by Anthony Orozco , a journalist who just wrapped up his time as the Latino communities reporter for WITF, and Rachel Leingang , writer of Arizona Agenda on Substack, for a hyperlocal conversation about the 2022 midterms in Pennsylvania and Arizona. They unpack key races in both states and discuss how progressivism will impact state politics going forward.  ITT Staff Pic...

Julio and guest co-host Jamilah King , managing editor at BuzzFeed News, talk about the latest election results and former President Trump’s announcement that he’s running again in 2024.  They also unpack the ongoing issue of gun violence after the shooting at UVA, where three students were killed. Finally, they get into the human rights issues surrounding the FIFA World Cup in Doha, Qatar.  ITT S...

For this year’s midterms, In The Thick and Latino USA are teaming up for a special post-election roundtable discussion. Maria and Julio are joined by Christian Paz , senior politics reporter for Vox, and Maya King , politics reporter for the New York Times, to discuss Democratic victories in the Senate, the re-election of Republican governors across the South, the role of young voters, and the imp...

Maria and Julio recap the 2022 midterm election results so far. They look into key wins for both Democrats and Republicans, including in Ohio, Florida, and Michigan. They also discuss young voter turnout, how abortion played a role at the ballot box, and what mainstream media and polling sites got wrong in their analysis. ITT Staff Picks: “From John Fetterman’s victory over Mehmet Oz in Pennsylvan...

Maria and Julio are joined by Pima County Recorder Gabriella Cázares-Kelly and Kaila Philo , investigative reporter for Talking Points Memo, to dive into the 2022 midterm elections. They discuss election administration and the issues around voter intimidation and voter registration. They also look at the impact that 2020 election denial has had on the integrity of this year’s midterms, and share w...

Maria and Julio talk about the targeted attack on House Speaker Nancy Pelosi’s husband, Paul Pelosi, and how responses from some Republicans are normalizing this kind of political violence. They also get into the latest with voter intimidation and suppression efforts across the country leading up to the midterms, and what Elon Musk’s takeover of Twitter means for the future of our democracy.  ITT...

Maria and Julio are joined by Astead Herndon , national political reporter for The New York Times and host of their politics podcast The Run-Up, to discuss the stakes of the upcoming midterm elections, the fate of our democracy and the power of community organizing. They also talk about the rise of anti-immigration rhetoric and Christian nationalism within the Republican party. ITT Staff Picks:  ...

Maria and Julio get into the latest with the midterms, including the Pennsylvania Senate debate between Republican candidate Mehmet Oz and Democratic candidate John Fetterman. They also talk about the mainstream media’s coverage of the election, the consequences of Kanye West’s antisemitic and anti-Black comments and voter intimidation efforts in Arizona. ITT Staff Picks: “It’s a reflection of a l...

Maria and Julio are joined by Jennifer Medina, a national politics reporter for The New York Times. They break down recent polling on Latino and Latina voters, including Futuro Media’s first-ever political poll. They also discuss the issues that actually matter to Latino and Latina voters, and what both parties are missing in their outreach. And, they get into Jennifer’s reporting on the rise of r...

Maria and Julio talk through the latest with the upcoming midterm elections, including the heated Senate debates in Georgia and Florida, and the record-breaking early voter turnout in Georgia this week. They also discuss the newly released body-cam footage of voter fraud arrests in Florida, and unpack recent polling about the decline in democracy. ITT Staff Picks: With three weeks left before the...

Maria is joined by Erika D. Smith , columnist for the Los Angeles Times, and Alberto Retana , president and CEO of Community Coalition in South Los Angeles, to discuss the political scandal within the Los Angeles City Council. They get into the impact of redistricting on the city, and how this will all play out in the upcoming mayoral election between Rep. Karen Bass and Rick Caruso. They also add...

Maria and Julio discuss the racist comments made by some Latino Los Angeles City Council members in a leaked audio recording. They also get into the move to subpoena former President Trump during this week’s January 6th hearing, and discuss charges against former San Antonio police officer James Brennand for the shooting of 17-year-old Erik Cantu. ITT Staff Picks: “As the Latino population increas...

Maria and Julio are joined by Dr. Steven Thrasher , journalist and author of the new book, “The Viral Underclass: The Human Toll When Inequality and Disease Collide.” They discuss how viruses, from HIV/AIDS to the coronavirus, reveal inequities in our society. They also talk about the ways that COVID-19 continues impacting the most vulnerable populations, even as our leaders shift to a “post-pande...

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 fo...

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-r...

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 peop...

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...

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 P...

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...

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 actio...

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 t...

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 predom...

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 framew...

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 ar...

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...