Machete y Mate

In light of the Jan 8 events in Brasilia and the ongoing fall out we sit down with Brazil based journalist Brian Mier of BrasilWire and TelesurEnglish to break it all down and make sense of it all. We discuss Lula's electoral victory, societal conditions that lead to the coup attempt, the coup attempt itself, and what a Lula presidency represents not only for Brazil but for the whole region and wo...

In light of the evolving situation in Peru, we sit down with Peruvian comrade Francesca Emanuele to discuss the fall of Pedro Castillo. With incredible nuance, she breaks down the actions of the recalcitrant Right Wing congress, Castillo's ineffectiveness and incompetence, how Peru got here, and what's next for her embattled homeland. If you support what we do consider showing your solidarity at p...

BUENAS MI GENTE! The full team is back with another current events episode. We begin by discussing the mandated prison release of Jorge Glas, the former VP of Ecuador who got swept up in the immensely consequential Odebrecht corruption scandal. We then move on to break down the recent RW fuckery in Bolivia, lead by Fascist Golpista Luis Fernando Camacho and his Civic Committee goon squad, against...

BUENAS MI GENTE! We're back this week with a long awaited current events episode. We discuss and breakdown the ramifications of Lula's victory in Brazil, what it means not only for Brazil but for the region and the planet as a whole. We then move into and finish off with Gustavo Petro and a recap of his first 100 days, including but not limited to what we call the Arepa Accords. If want to support...

On the eve of the momentous election in Brazil, we sit down with one of our favorite people, veteran of the show, and beloved Brazilian comrade, Fern. Fern takes us through what the Bozonaro presidency has meant for Brazil and what a second term would bring. He goes through and breaks down the candidate roster from Front-Runner Lula and his PT lead Left coalition down to candidates with no chance...

We're back with a Current Events episode this week! We start off with a bit of debrief of the unfortunate rejection of the Chilean draft constitution. We then talk about the latest wave of protests in Haiti in the age of Ariel Henry. We finish off trying to break down and make sense of the assassination attempt of Argentinean VP Cristina Fernandez de Kirchner in the context of the current zeitgeis...

This week T and LeRoy, ahead of Sunday's referendum, discuss the resulting draft from Chile's long and arduous constitutional convention. We talk about the events that lead to this seemingly miraculous moment, from the 1973 coup to the early history of the 1980 Pinochet Constitution to the nationwide uprisings in the last couple of years. We finish off by giving our predictions on what is looking...

THE WHOLE BAND IS TOGETHER FOR THIS LATEST CURRENT EVENTS! We kick things off by discussing the tragedy in Cuba, the most significant industrial natural disaster in its history. We pivot to President-elect Petro of Colombia's inauguration, early moves, and what early predictions for Colombia and the region with a Petro/Marquez presidency. We finish off with the raid and arrest by the FBI of the fo...

After a loooong unplanned (but almost expected) hiatus two of the three sit down together. Just LeRoy and T on this one, we decided to employ our more free form, After Dark format as we get back into the swing of things. We talk about abortion rights and the state of reaction in the US, what it's like dealing with management in excessively hierarchical industries like retail/sales. LeRoy gives a f...

Buenas mi gente! This week we dive head first into the long awaited regionally consequential election in Colombia that has Miami seething! We do a mini deep dive into the violent 20th century history of Colombia that created the material conditions allowing for the historic victory for the Left in the country. We give our takeaways tackle the ramifications of the results for Colombia and the regio...

Back again, the whole team is together and joined by Australian comrade Rev. For the first half of this episode we talk with Rev about the massive election that just occurred in LeRoy's neck of the woods down under in so-called Australia. We break down the humiliation of the Australian Liberal Party as they lost their majority and what this election could mean for the left in Australia moving forw...

A semi quick turnaround for y'all for this jam packed current events! We start of in Mexico where AMLO dominated a recall vote as he pushes to nationalize Mexico's lithium. We then go to Chile where the Constitutional Convention is in the home stretch in their attempt to rewrite the decrepit Pinochet constitution. We finish off in El Salvador where President Nayib "Fuckboy" Bukele continues to con...

In a rare back to back, the team is back with another current events episode! We start off again in Colombia with a pre-Election state sanctioned massacre in a small Indigenous town under the pretext of rooting out terrorists. We then talk a bit about last week's election in Costa Rica and the country's place in the region generally. And per usual, we finish off in Puerto Rico where they have seen...

After 47 years the whole team is together for this current events episode. We start off by discussing Petro, Francia Marquez, and the Left coalition Pacto Historico's march towards the impending election and what their victory would mean for the region. We then talk about Pedro Castillo's latest trials and tribulations as a Leftist President with a Right Wing Congress in a historically reactionary...

After a long unplanned break, the whole team is together with special guest, Arepa Libre, to discuss the only thing in the news at the moment: Putin's invasion of Ukraine. In our After Dark format, we analyze what lead to this moment, the global response, and what we think the end game could possibly be. We compare and contrast to reminiscent historical events like WWI and Syria while talking abou...

In a solo comrade conversation with only podcast MVP Austin G, we sit down with and are blown away by Florida based activist and comrade of Peruvian descent Alex Suarez! In this invaluable discussion, Alex shares with us a bit about his work as an activist  across the state of Florida, including his work in the #HandsOffVenezuela campaign, as well as his own personal background. He lays out an inc...

First Current Events of the year and the whole team is together! We start off by discussing and trying to unpack the betrayal by 18 members of President-elect Xiomara Castro's LIBRE party and what this means for the region going forward. On a similar note, we then talk about Boric's cabinet picks in Chile and our takes on what he's shown so far in his very young Presidency. We finish off by rantin...

First episode of the year! The whole team is together and joined by official gringo ally, Matt K., to review the year just gone, from the Ecuador election to Boric's victory in Chile, and to also preview the consequential year ahead. We break down the evolving ramifications of 2021, touching on the effect MAS's retaking of power from the fascists in late 2020, and how this will effect the election...

In a T-less comrade conversation, Austin and LeRoy sit down with and are blown away by Chilean Economist and red-diaper baby Diego Polanco! In this invaluable discussion, Diego shares a bit about his family's inspiring involvement in the Chilean and Latin American Left, stretching back to even Pre-Pinochet times, as well as his own personal background. He lays out an incredibly detailed and thorou...

Full team this week to chat about Sunday's historic election in Chile that saw former Student Organizer Gabriel Boric defeat Nazi progeny and Pinochet fanboy Jose Antonio Kast. We break down the results themselves but more importantly how Chile got here and where they (need to) go from here. We talk about what this represents for not only Chile, but for the region and hemisphere. If you enjoy what...

In our current stage of capitalism very few things highlight our god-given blessing of democracy like the annual Spotify wrapped. Whomst among us will dare defy the invisible hand? In what will prove to be the hot girl dudes rockingest collab of the year, Hot Girl Agenda and Machete y Mate come together to navigate identity as both diaspora and homeland kids, parenthood as dirty commies, and looki...

Great news! All three homies are together this week. We start off by discussing the rollercoaster election in Chile pitting a Pinochet sycophant against a Leftist former student organizer in a rapidly approaching run-off election. We then break down the massive and surprisingly comfortable victory of Xiomara Castro in Honduras and what it means for the country and the region. We finish off by reca...

Just LeRoy and T bringing you the current events this week. We talk a bit about the impending elections in Latin America coming up very soon, including the one just passed in Nicaragua and the latest things to look out for. We discuss the unmaterialized US sponsored anti-government protests in Cuba and how much we hate VICE. We finish off with Puerto Rico, where another day another layer added to...

Jen Marley (@JenMarley1680) and Nick Estes (@nickwestes) of The Red Nation (The_Red_Nation) welcomed previous Machete y Mate guest and compa oficial Blanca Estévez as well as our very own Austin González on to their podcast for a conversation on anti-imperialism in Latin America, racist 'left' reactions to land back, and building working class power in the US South. They have graciously allowed us...

The whole team is back this week for for your (ideally) weekly Latin America update. We start off talking about the struggle for reproductive rights in the face of the especially draconian laws in the Dominican Republic. Austin helps us work through and break down the ramifications of Salvador Nasralla aligning himself behind Xiomara Castro the Left LIBRE party in Honduras ahead of next months ele...