WTF is Going on in Latin America & The Caribbean

Guest: Todd Miller, author of Build Bridges, Not Walls and Empire of Borders In this episode, we are joined in conversation with Todd Miller, author of Build Bridges, Not Walls and Empire of Borders. Todd has been reporting from international border zones for over 25 years. He writes a weekly post for  The Border Chronicle . He resides in Tucson, Arizona, but also has spent many years living and w...

Guest: Monisha Rios, Puerto Rican psychologist and social worker The inspiration for tonight’s episode came during the VI Summit of Heads of State and Government of the Community of Latin American and Caribbean States (CELAC) held in Mexico City on September 18. A result of the Summit was a: “SPECIAL DECLARATION ON THE QUESTION OF PUERTO RICO." The declaration includes two points: 1. Reaffirm...

Guest: Venezuela Vice Minister Yvan Gil Since 2017, the private Portuguese bank NovoBanco, 75% of which is owned by US private equity firm Lone Star, has withheld roughly $2 billion USD belonging to the Venezuelan state’s Economic and Social Development Bank (BANDES). BANDES is requesting that NovoBanco transfer roughly $25 million of the $2 billion directly to the Pan American Health Organization...

Episode Title: Understanding Venezuela's Anti-Blockade Law Guests: Margaret Flowers of Popular Resistance , SanctionsKill and the Embassy Protection Collective William Castillo, Venezuela Vice-Minister for implementation of the Anti-Blockade Law Background: To combat the U.S. economic war on Venezuela, a new strategy was unveiled on Sept. 29. 2020 by President Nicolás Maduro, called the “Anti-...

Guest: Carlos Ron, Venezuela Vice Minister of Foreign Affairs for North America On July 24, the 238th Anniversary of Simon Bolivar's birth, Mexico's president Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador addressed an audience of foreign ministers and international dignitaries saying:  Let’s initiate a relationship in our hemisphere based on the premise of George Washington, according to which “nations shou...

Guest: John Philpot , senior criminal litigation attorney. A member of the  Barreau du Québec  since 1984, he has practiced Criminal Law in Montreal since 1984 and International Criminal Law since 1998. From “Alex Saab vs. Empire: How the US is Using Lawfare to Punish a Venezuelan Diplomat” By Roger Harris of broadcast partner Task Force on the Americas (MintPress May 24, 2021): “ Special Envoy an...

Guest: Yesenia Portillo, East Coast Coordinator for Committee In Solidarity with the People of El Salvador (CISPES). On September 7, The New York Times reported: "El Salvador on Tuesday became the first country to adopt Bitcoin as legal tender, allowing the cryptocurrency to be used in any transaction, from buying a cup of coffee to paying taxes. The bold move, largely celebrated by the intern...

With presidential elections in November, the U.S. is ramping up the pressure on the country. Congress is now considering the RENACER Act, which would mark a new phase in U.S. hybrid war against Nicaragua. Vijay Prashad of the Tricontinental Institute for Social Research , Alex Main of the Center for Economic and Policy Research (CEPR) and Jill Clark-Gollub of Friends of Latin America will engage i...

Guest: Nick Estes , journalist, historian and host of the Red Nation Podcast Last month Progressive International received a letter from The Articulation of Indigenous Peoples of Brazil (APIB) calling for solidarity in their struggle for life and requesting a delegation to travel .to Brazil to witness Bolsonaro's assault on indigenous people and the environment. Over the course of 10 days, the...

Guest Co-Host: Yoav Elinevsky, Latin America Working Group coordinator for Massachusetts Peace Action Guests: Pierre LaBossiere, Haitian born and from the region hit hardest by Saturday's earthquake. He is a veteran labor and human rights activist, a co-founder of Haiti Action Committee and a board member of the Haiti Emergency Relief Fund . Robert Roth, co-founder of the Haiti Action Committe...

Guest: Diego Seguera of Mision Verdad . Diego is a writer, journalist, political analyst and researcher. He is a co-founder of Mision Verdad, as well, as a fellow with the Samuel Robinson Institute . Both organizations are based in Caracas, Venezuela. Background: On August 5th, Mexico's President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador announced that Mexico will host talks between representatives of Venez...

Guest: Javier Gutierrez, Secretary of the Presidency of Nicaragua for Climate Change and Vice-Minister of Environment and Natural Resources Background: Under the slogan Uniting the world to tackle climate change , the forthcoming United Nations Climate Change Conference (COP26) , which will be held in Glasgow (UK) from 1 to 12 November 2021, will bring together representatives of some 200 governme...