Soberanía: The Mexican Politics Podcast

Welcome to Part 2 of our special year-end episode on Soberanía! In this segment, we continue our countdown of the top 10 stories about Mexico from 2025, covering stories 5 through 1. Join us as we discuss U.S. regional threats against Latin America, the groundbreaking judicial election in Mexico, the Gen Z Astro Turf March, significant poverty reduction efforts in Mexico, and how Claudia Sheinbaum...

Welcome to Part 1 of our special year-end episode on Soberanía! In this segment, we delve into the top 10 stories about Mexico from 2025, covering stories 10 through 6. Join us as we discuss the opposition's missteps, the ambitious Plan Mexico, the influence of US actors in Mexico, mass Morena demonstrations, and Claudia Sheinbaum's impactful first year in office. Don't miss this engag...

In this year-end episode of Soberanía: The Mexican Politics Podcast, co-hosts José Luis Granados Ceja and Kurt Hackbarth close out the year with an in-depth analysis of Mexico’s newly announced tariff package, examining the policy debate behind it and the pros and cons of this strategy. The conversation then turns to the U.S. move to frame fentanyl as a "weapon of mass destruction," expl...

This week on Soberanía: we report on the demonstration in Zócalo on the seventh anniversary of the Fourth Transformation, the significance of hundreds of thousands taking to the streets, and Claudia Sheinbaum’s push to expand Mexico’s public health system. We break down the proposed shift to a 40-hour workweek, what it really means for workers, and how minimum-wage gains fit into the bigger pictur...

In this episode of the Soberanía Podcast, hosts Jose Luis Granados Ceja and Kurt Hackbarth discuss: the reappearance of AMLO, the resignation of Mexico's Attorney General Gertz Manero, and the recent elections in Honduras. They delve into AMLO's return to public life, his new book, and the political implications of his actions. The resignation of Gertz Manero is analyzed in the context of...

In this episode, we explore protests by Mexican farmers who are challenging the low prices they receive for corn, highlighting the role of intermediaries in the agricultural supply chain and how corn dumping by the US is putting pressure on campesinos. We then return to Gen Z march in Mexico, focusing on the ties to the opposition and the colossal failure of their second attempt to hold a demonstr...

How do you do, fellow kids? In this special episode of Soberanía, hosts Kurt Hackbarth and José Luis Granados Ceja lay out the truth behind what was billed as a "youth" march and instead was a by-the-book, attempt at astroturfed destablization. This includes blow-by-blow coverage of the march itself, from their search for actual young people among the marchers to the scenes of violence i...

This week on Soberanía, Kurt Hackbarth and José Luis Granados Ceja bundle up for a freezing Mexico City episode and break down three stories that reveal where Mexico stands in today’s shifting global politics. First, they explore Mexico and the “old world” — new meetings between Mexico, France, Spain, the EU and CELAC, and what these diplomatic moves say about Latin America’s growing independence...

In this episode of Soberanía , hosts José Luis Granados Ceja and Kurt Hackbarth dive into four key stories shaping Mexico and the region: first, the political vultures circling after the assassination of the mayor of Uruapan, Michoacán, amongst renewed calls for US intervention and failed “war on cartels” policies. Second, a leaked U.S. memo exposing what Washington is demanding behind the scenes...

In this week's episode of Soberanía, hosts Kurt Hackbarth and José Luis Granados Ceja dive into the Trump administration’s latest round of extrajudicial military assassinations — this time in the Pacific — and Mexico’s response after rescuing a survivor off the Acapulco coast. With no end to the military buildup in sight, and while attempting to make military action against Venezuela look incr...

In this episode of Soberanía, hosts José Luis Granados Ceja and Kurt Hackbarth unpack the supposed relaunch of Mexico's right-wing party, the PAN: can it really reclaim relevance with the same people peddling the same program, simply by means of an updated logo? José Luis and Kurt then shift to the government’s response to recent torrental rains and flooding in five states, assessing preparedn...

In this week's episode of Soberanía, hosts Kurt Hackbarth and José Luis Granados react to the farcical irony of far-right Venezuelan opposition figure María Corina Machado receiving the Nobel Peace Prize, unpacking her long record of backing coups, sanctions, and foreign intervention, what this award reveals about Western hypocrisy, and what it all could mean for Mexico. They then turn to Pres...

This week on Soberanía, hosts José Luis Granados Ceja and Kurt Hackbarth break down Washington’s latest escalation as the US declares itself to be in a "non-international armed conflict" with cartels, exploring how it is set to revive post-9/11 war-on-terror tactics in Latin America. They proceed to discuss the case of the kidnapped Mexicans finally freed after the kidnapping of the Glob...

Join hosts Jose Luis Granados Ceja and Kurt Hackbarth on Soberania as they explore Claudia Sheinbaum's first year in office, highlighting her impressive 79% approval rating and the challenges she's faced with U.S. tariffs. They also debate Mexico's new tariffs on China and what it means for the country's economic future. In a new segment called "Latin America Roundup," th...

In this week’s episode of Soberanía, hosts Kurt Hackbarth and José Luis Granados Ceja unpack Claudia Sheinbaum’s decision to call Israel’s assault on Gaza a “genocide” for the first time ahead of the UN General Assembly, exploring what this means for Mexico’s diplomatic stance and the grassroots pressure that has shaped public debate. The conversation then turns to a Washington Post report reveali...

On this special Independence Day episode of Soberanía, we dive into President Claudia Sheinbaum’s historic first Grito, Mexico’s growing sense of optimism, and the stark contrast with a United States gripped by fear, censorship, and violence. We also unpack reports of CIA activity in Mexico, Trump’s drone strikes near Venezuela, and what Washington’s doctrine of extrajudicial killings could mean f...

Hosts José Luis Granados Ceja and Kurt Hackbarth dive into the major stories shaping Mexican politics this week. They begin with Mexico’s 2026 budget proposal, examining what Claudia Sheinbaum’s second budget means for banks, Pemex, and social spending. Next, they break down the Sheinbaum administration's crackdown on "huachicol fiscal", the fuel smuggling and tax evasion scheme, ana...

On this episode of Soberanía: The Mexican Politics Podcast, hosts José Luis Granados Ceja and Kurt Hackbarth unpack Mexico’s historic September 1st, when the country inaugurated its first Supreme Court chosen by popular vote and President Claudia Sheinbaum delivered her first State of the Union address. They also look at U.S. Senator Marco Rubio’s visit to Mexico and Washington’s pressure campaign...

In this episode of Soberanía, hosts Kurt Hackbarth and José Luis Granados Ceja break down Senator Lilly Téllez’s call for U.S. intervention in Mexico during a Fox News appearance - an act which many in Mexico equate with treason. They also fact-check the DEA’s recent false claims (or more bluntly, "pulling it out of their a**) about a supposed joint project with Mexico, exposing how narrative...

Poverty is down...and opposition justifications are up. In the latest episode of Soberanía - following the introduction of Jose Luis' new toy - our intrepid hosts discuss the remarkable findings from the INEGI's 2024 Multidimensional Poverty Report: 13.4 million Mexicans exited poverty under AMLO's watch. Even the Guardian was forced to admit it! They further discuss Mexico's expul...

In the latest episode of Soberanía, José Luis and Kurt discuss Trump’s latest executive order against the cartels: a serious threat or more antics from a flailing administration looking to throw another helping of red at its base? Also, Canada tries to play nice with Mexico after throwing it under a bus, a notable reduction in violent crime in the first ten months of the Sheinbaum administration a...

Bring it! On this episode of Soberanía - with a brand-spanking-new intro and outro - Kurt and José Luis break down their experience at the second Panamerican Congress held in Mexico City. Is there any way for the peoples of the Americas to truly understand each other? Also, good economic news on three fronts: reducing poverty, rescuing PEMEX and holding tariffs at bay. Expanding the definition of...

In this crossover episode of  Soberanía , hosts José Luis Granados Ceja and Kurt Hackbarth are joined by David Griscom of  Left Reckoning  to unpack how militarized spending and reactionary politics have turned the U.S.-Mexico border into a profitable battleground. From Texas sheriffs chasing cable news fame to ICE's record-breaking budgets, they explore how state power and corruption fuel a bipar...

The unfriendly skies, indeed: as part of its ongoing turning-of-screws, the Trump administration is now meddling in Mexico's internal aviation rules, with a series of fresh threats against flights to the US and the Delta-Aeromexico joint venture. Kurt and José Luis have a full breakdown. According to a new study, the biggest beneficiaries of the Mexico-US-Canada free-trade agreements have been...

This is getting old. Donald Trump has now threatened Mexico with tariffs for the fourth time since being elected, with an ever-shifting carousel of justifications. In today's episode, José Luis and Kurt have the entire breakdown. New sets of polls on both sides of the border demonstrate that USers are souring on Trump's immigration measures...and that Mexicans are souring on the US. Better...