In The Thick

Maria and Julio are joined by Reema Amin , reporter for Chalkbeat New York, and Antonia Hylton , correspondent for NBC News and co-host of the Southlake podcast, for a conversation about how the COVID-19 pandemic has impacted students. They also get into the conservative-led movement to ban books and bar classroom discussions around what they perceive as critical race theory.  ITT Staff Picks: “Th...

Maria and Julio process the tragic mass shooting that occurred in Uvalde, Texas on Tuesday, when an 18-year-old man opened fire at an elementary school, killing two teachers and 19 children. They get into the systemic issues of gun control, border policing, and how this intersects with immigration.  ITT Staff Picks: “There are parents today scrolling through photographs of their children, realizin...

Maria and Julio are joined by Danielle Moodie and Wajahat Ali , co-hosts of the Democracy-ish podcast. They talk about the latest in immigration news, including the continued enforcement of Title 42. They also unpack the mainstream media’s coverage of the white supremacist attack in Buffalo, and the murder of journalist Shireen Abu Akleh by Israeli forces. And, they reflect on the latest attacks o...

Maria and Julio react to the deadly white supremacist attack at a supermarket in Buffalo, New York. They talk about the rise in mass shootings rooted in racist and anti-Black ideologies, and the culpability of right-wing media and politicians. They also discuss the primary elections held this week across the country. ITT Staff Picks: In this piece for The Grio, David A. Love analyzes the ways that...

Julio is joined by Jason Wu , public defender at the Legal Aid Society's Harlem Community Law Office, and Tiffany Diane Tso , freelance writer, editor, and co-founder of the Asian American Feminist Collective. They reflect on the rise in hate crimes targeting different Asian American communities, and how to build community safety beyond policing. They also get into the opportunity for multiracial...

In this rebroadcast episode from 2020, Maria and Julio are joined by Dr. Michele Goodwin , law professor at the University of California, Irvine, host of Ms. Magazine’s On The Issues podcast and author of the book, Policing the Womb: Invisible Women and the Criminalization of Motherhood , and Mary Ziegler , law professor at Florida State University, historian and author of the book, Abortion and t...

In this special collaboration with Latino USA, Maria and Julio are joined by Maria Teresa Kumar , founding president and CEO of Voto Latino, and Jaime Longoria, manager of research and training for the Disinfo Defense League at Media Democracy Fund for a conversation about misinformation and disinformation in the Latino community. They get into who is behind these disinformation campaigns, their i...

Maria and Julio share their responses to the leaked Supreme Court draft opinion to overturn the landmark Roe v. Wade case. They talk about the vulnerable communities who will be impacted if abortion bans go into place across the country. They also get into how Republican candidates for Congress, like J.D. Vance, are vying for Trump’s endorsement to push ahead in their primaries. ITT Staff Picks: I...

Maria and Julio are joined by Tanya Ballard Brown , executive editor at Government Executive, and Vann Newkirk II , senior editor at The Atlantic and host of the podcast Floodlines. They reflect on 30 years since the police officers who brutally beat Rodney King were acquitted and the uprisings in Los Angeles that followed. They also get into the Biden administration’s potential plans for student...

Julio and guest co-host Jamilah King , deputy inequality editor at BuzzFeed News, talk about Elon Musk’s deal to buy Twitter. They also get into the Supreme Court’s decision to continue excluding Puerto Rico from federal benefits, and the future of the Trump-era Remain in Mexico policy. And, they discuss new revelations on Republican politicians’ involvement in the January 6 insurrection. ITT Staf...

Maria and Julio are joined by Jullian Harris-Calvin , director of the Greater Justice New York program at the Vera Institute of Justice, and David Luis “Suave” Gonzalez , artist and a former juvenile lifer. They discuss systemic issues within the criminal legal system, the case of Melissa Lucio, and the humanitarian crisis at New York City’s Rikers Island jail complex. ITT Staff Picks: “The idea t...

Maria and guest co-host Jamilah King , deputy inequality editor at BuzzFeed News, discuss a federal judge’s decision to strike down the federal mask mandate on airplanes and public transportation. They also get into the pushback from some Democrats against the repeal of Title 42, and talk about the case of Melissa Lucio, the first Latina woman to be put on death row in Texas. ITT Staff Picks: Aaro...

Julio and guest co-host Terrell Jermaine Starr , senior fellow at the Atlantic Council and host of the Black Diplomats podcast, are joined by Renée Graham , associate editor and columnist for The Boston Globe, and Shefali Luthra , health reporter for The 19th. They talk about the latest on the war in Ukraine, and attacks by Israeli forces on Palestinians in occupied East Jerusalem. They also discu...

Julio and guest co-host Jamilah King , deputy inequality editor at BuzzFeed News, discuss the Brooklyn subway shooting and the calls for more policing in response. They also get into the Black Lives Matter Global Network Foundation’s purchase of a six million dollar mansion in California. And, they unpack the latest on COVID-19. ITT Staff Picks: Nick Pinto writes about the failure of aggressive po...

Maria and Julio are joined by Ai-jen Poo , co-founder and executive director of the National Domestic Workers Alliance, and Pablo Alvarado , co-executive director of the National Day Laborer Organizing Network, to discuss labor organizing for workers. They get into the pandemic’s impact on informal economies, on-the-ground movements to protect low-wage workers, and what meaningful labor reforms wo...

Maria and Julio talk about Judge Ketanji Brown Jackson’s historic confirmation to the U.S. Supreme Court. They also get into the Oklahoma state legislature’s anti-abortion bill, and the dangerous repercussions of media language and framing around immigration. ITT Staff Picks: For The New York Times , reporter Linda Qiu spoke with Black women of the Harvard Black Law Students Association about what...

Maria and Julio reflect on the last two years of the coronavirus pandemic with guests Umair Irfan , staff writer at Vox covering Covid-19 and climate change, and Kiera Butler , senior editor and public health reporter at Mother Jones. They discuss government response to the health crisis, the disproportionate impact on Black and brown communities and what we can expect next. ITT Staff Picks: For V...

Maria and Julio discuss the news of the Biden administration finally putting an end to Title 42, a Trump-era public health order. They also unpack the media’s coverage of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, and the latest on the January 6 attempted coup. ITT Staff Picks: In this piece for Al Jazeera, Jihan Abdalla reports on how immigrant rights groups are reacting to the Biden administration’s indicati...

Maria and Julio are joined by Aisha Mills , political strategist and former host of “Amplified with Aisha” on the Black News Channel, and Dr. Jason Johnson , professor at the School of Global Journalism & Communication at Morgan State University and political contributor at MSNBC. They react to the 94th annual Academy Awards, including the controversy over Will Smith slapping Chris Rock. They...

Maria and Julio discuss the uncovered text messages between Mark Meadows and Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas’ wife Ginni Thomas, revealing new efforts to overturn the 2020 presidential election results. They also get into the latest news out of the war in Ukraine, and President Biden’s meeting abroad with world leaders. And, they unpack Supreme Court nominee Ketanji Brown Jackson’s confirmat...

In The Thick presents an episode from our sister podcast, Latino USA. In this episode, Maria talks with Latino and Latina film critics Clayton Davis , Cristina Escobar , and Jack Rico about Latinos in film this past year. Ahead of Hollywood’s biggest night, they discuss the honors (and snubs) for Latino-led films this awards season. They also talk about the importance of diversity in criticism, an...

Julio and Maria discuss Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky’s address to Congress, and the recent granting of Temporary Protected Status (TPS) to Afghan refugees. They also dive into the lack of accountability in the police shootings of Adam Toledo and Anthony Alvarez. And, they unpack the latest government spending bill, which cut funding for COVID-19 relief and prevention. ITT Staff Picks: Mo...

Julio and guest co-host Jenni Monet , independent investigative journalist and founder of the newsletter Indigenously , are joined by Karen Attiah , columnist for The Washington Post, and Sabrina Rodríguez , national political correspondent for Politico. They unpack the latest coverage on the war in Ukraine, its ramifications for U.S. immigration and refugee policy, and the Biden administration’s...

Maria and Julio talk about Russia’s continued invasion of Ukraine, including increasing sanctions from Western governments and private companies. They also get into the latest in the January 6th investigation, and the arrest of Proud Boys leader Enrique Tarrio. And, they end by talking about the “Don’t Say Gay” bill in Florida. ITT Staff Picks: “It’s really exhausting being a queer person in Flori...

Maria and Julio are joined by ITT All-Star Terrell Jermaine Starr , senior fellow at the Atlantic Council and host of the Black Diplomats podcast, to discuss his reporting on the ground in Ukraine and the impact of Western sanctions on Russia. They also unpack political responses to the invasion. And we hear from Asami Terajima , political reporter for the Kyiv Independent. ITT Staff Picks: “Ukrai...