Soberanía: The Mexican Politics Podcast

In episode 114 of Soberanía, hosts José Luis Granados Ceja and Kurt Hackbarth (broadcasting remotely) cover a week of diplomatic scandals, World Cup drama, and economic news. The episode opens with the explosive revelation that the FBI has donated the plane used to kidnap Ismael "El Mayo" Zambada to a museum — effectively admitting U.S. involvement in the operation after years of denials...

In episode 113 of Soberanía, hosts José Luis Granados Ceja and Kurt Hackbarth kick off with a celebration — Mexico has advanced past a knockout stage at the World Cup for the first time since 1986, and the country's hospitality has won hearts worldwide, especially with its embrace of the Iranian team. They argue this moment reveals Mexico's genuine sportsmanship and internationalist spirit...

In episode 112 of Soberanía, hosts José Luis Granados Ceja and Kurt Hackbarth open with the fabricated "interview" of Carlos Monsiváis published by El Universal, which smears Andrés Manuel López Obrador with baseless, homophobic innuendo. The hosts demonstrate how the timeline doesn't match, how Monsiváis's family has denied the interview's authenticity, and how the episode r...

In episode 111 of Soberanía, hosts José Luis Granados Ceja and Kurt Hackbarth cover a week of contrast — from a billionaire's public humiliation to a heartwarming display of South-South solidarity. The episode opens with the spectacular failure of Ricardo Salinas Pliego's attempt to use the World Cup as a launchpad for his presidential ambitions. Expecting to be greeted as a popular hero,...

In episode 110 of Soberanía, hosts José Luis Granados Ceja and Kurt Hackbarth open with an in-depth look at the ongoing teachers' protest in Mexico City. The hosts distinguish between the legitimate demands of the CNTE (including the reversal of a 2007 pension privatization) and the government's claim that violent tactics are being used to project an image of chaos ahead of the World Cup....

In the first live episode of Soberanía, hosts José Luis Granados Ceja and Kurt Hackbarth break down a week of dramatic escalation in U.S.-Mexico tensions and President Sheinbaum's forceful response. The episode opens with a firsthand report from the massive Morena rally at the Monumento a la Revolución, where Sheinbaum delivered her toughest speech yet on U.S. interference. After listing the g...

In episode 108 of Soberanía, hosts José Luis Granados Ceja and Kurt Hackbarth break down the latest astroturf campaign targeting Mexico's government and why it's likely to backfire. The episode opens with Sin Embargo's investigation into "Mexicanos al Grito de Paz," a shadowy group backed by billionaire Ricardo Salinas Pliego that has been organizing flash mobs and banner cam...

In episode 107 of Soberanía, hosts José Luis Granados Ceja and Kurt Hackbarth break down Morena's massive march in Chihuahua — 20,000 people demanding the impeachment of Governor Maru Campos for allowing CIA operatives to conduct illegal operations on Mexican soil. The hosts discuss how the party's new leadership under Ariadna Montiel has finally taken an aggressive stance against treasono...

In episode 106 of Soberanía, hosts José Luis Granados Ceja and Kurt Hackbarth examine the latest U.S. pressure tactics against Mexico — and why they're not working. The episode opens with two coordinated threats. First, the State Department has announced a review of all 53 Mexican consulates in the U.S., echoing a conspiracy theory pushed by far-right operatives about Mexican diplomats meddlin...

In episode 105 of Soberanía, hosts José Luis Granados Ceja and Kurt Hackbarth dissect the U.S. government's extradition request for Sinaloa Governor Rubén Rocha Moya — and why the timing looks less like justice and more like retaliation. The episode opens with a breakdown of the indictment, highlighting three red flags: the U.S. made it public within hours of notifying Mexico; they requested p...

In episode 104 of Soberanía, hosts José Luis Granados Ceja and Kurt Hackbarth dive into the deepening scandal over CIA operatives operating illegally in Mexico—and the U.S. ambassador's aggressive response. The episode opens with an update on the fallout from the Chihuahua incident, where two CIA agents died in a car crash while on an unauthorized operation alongside state authorities. The hos...

In episode 103 of Soberanía, hosts José Luis Granados Ceja and Kurt Hackbarth return from Cuba with firsthand observations of life under the intensifying U.S. blockade. The episode opens with their report from the fifth Patria colloquium in Havana, where they witnessed both the resistence of the Cuban people and the daily reality of hours-hour blackouts, fuel shortages, and a growing waitlist for...

In episode 102 of Soberanía, hosts José Luis Granados Ceja and Kurt Hackbarth open with an in-depth examination of the UN Committee on Enforced Disappearances' unprecedented decision to refer Mexico's case to the General Assembly. The hosts break down why the Mexican government has rejected the report, arguing that the committee improperly extrapolated from outdated data (2009-2016) and st...

In episode 101 of Soberanía, hosts José Luis Granados Ceja and Kurt Hackbarth return from a brief break to tackle the Mexican tax authority's decision to revoke the tax-deductible status some NGOs operating in the country, including prominent organizations linked to the opposition and US funding. The hosts break down what actually happened—a routine administrative review that these groups fail...

In episode 100 of Soberanía, hosts José Luis Granados Ceja and Kurt Hackbarth mark the milestone by reflecting on two years of covering Mexican politics, and the episode is packed with analysis fitting the occasion. The hosts lead with the renewed solidarity campaign for Cuba, sparked by former president Andrés Manuel López Obrador emerging from retirement to launch a fundraising drive for the isl...

In episode 99 of Soberanía, hosts José Luis Granados Ceja and Kurt Hackbarth examine the so-called "Shield of the Americas" summit in Miami—a gathering of right-wing leaders representing barely a fifth of the region's population. The hosts break down why Mexico wasn't invited despite high levels of security cooperation, what the exclusion of Brazil and Colombia reveals, and why U...

In episode 98 of Soberanía, hosts José Luis Granados Ceja and Kurt Hackbarth analyze the widening global conflict following the U.S.-Israeli attack on Iran and its implications for Mexico and Latin America. The episode leads with the U.S. attack on Iran, examining how the widespread destruction done in Gaza is being applied to Tehran while the international community stands by. The hosts connect t...

In episode 97 of Soberanía, hosts José Luis Granados Ceja and Kurt Hackbarth dissect the fallout from the Mexican military's operation that killed Nemesio "El Mencho" Oseguera, leader of the powerful Jalisco New Generation Cartel. The hosts break down what actually happened versus the torrent of disinformation that flooded social media: from AI-generated images of cities in flames to...

In episode 96 of Soberanía, hosts José Luis Granados Ceja and Kurt Hackbarth examine Mexico's balancing act between defending its principles and navigating relentless pressure from the United States. The episode opens with Mexico's rejection of Trump's "Board of Peace" over the exclusion of Palestine—a principled stand that signals a more independent foreign policy. The hosts...

In episode 95 of  Soberanía , hosts  José Luis Granados Ceja  and  Kurt Hackbarth  tackle the controversy surrounding the  U.S.-Mexico critical minerals agreement , examining what it actually says, what it doesn’t, and why it has sparked widespread concern over national sovereignty and resource control. They contrast the deal with the government’s parallel effort to  revoke inactive mining concess...

In episode 94 of Soberanía, hosts José Luis Granados Ceja and Kurt Hackbarth dive into the Mexico connections in the Jeffrey Epstein files, focusing on serious allegations against a former U.S. ambassador and the impunity that protects powerful figures. Next, they provide an urgent update on U.S. efforts to strangle Cuba with an oil blockade, examining Mexico's diplomatic response and the loom...

In episode 93 of Soberanía, hosts José Luis Granados Ceja and Kurt Hackbarth return from a major anti-imperialist conference in Colombia to analyze its outcomes and the urgent challenges facing Latin America. They share their impressions from the “Nuestra América” summit in Bogotá, discussing the push for regional unity, the importance of the upcoming Colombian elections, and the need to turn soli...

In episode 92 of Soberanía, we begin by looking at how much can change in just two weeks, using Mark Carney’s comments at the World Economic Forum as a starting point to discuss shifting economic and political signals and what they mean for Mexico's Claudia Sheinbaum. The conversation then turns to Mexico’s decision to expel criminal figures and what that action reveals about US pressure on Me...

In episode 91 of  Soberanía , hosts  José Luis Granados Ceja  and  Kurt Hackbarth  unpack the political response in Mexico following the U.S. attack on Venezuela. The show starts with an on-the-ground report from the large  anti-imperialist march in Mexico City , analyzing the turnout, the diverse participants, and the powerful message of regional solidarity against U.S. aggression. The conversati...

In episode 90 of Soberania, hosts José Luis Granados Ceja and Kurt Hackbarth confront a watershed moment for Latin America: the U.S. military attack on Venezuela and the kidnapping of President Nicolás Maduro. The hosts dissect the attack as a stark escalation of U.S. intervention, breaking down the dubious legal pretexts used to justify it and the severe breach of international law. They unpack t...