Latino USA

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 burden...

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 &mda...

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 sh...

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 st...

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 investi...

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 j...

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 d...

Latino USA returns in partnership with iHeart's My Cultura Podcast Network. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

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...

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 th...

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...

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 t...

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 Imperf...

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 reve...

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...

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...

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 u...

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...

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 crack...

“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...

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 “Tak...

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....

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...

“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. I...

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 Telemu...