With his first major appearance alongside the most powerful world leaders at the G-20, how did President Trump do? How do other countries see the U.S. now that Trump is the president? And does “America First,” really just mean “whiteness first…

How did immigration become about national security when the facts don’t back up this connection? And how do you respond to these accusations when the conversation isn’t about what’s true? When it’s about something deeper?

In this live recordi…

Based on President Trump’s rhetoric with the wall and the Muslim ban, you would think that terrorism is a huge safety issue for the U.S. But how much of a danger does it really pose? Americans are much more scared of terrorism than they should…

After the Virginia shooting, the media was quick to humanize the shooter, who was a white, male, Bernie supporter. Obviously, this isn’t how it always goes down.

So, when is violence just about the action, and when is it about the identity of…

Puerto Rico voted overwhelmingly for Statehood on Sunday, but with only 23% turnout. Many Puerto Ricans boycotted the vote because they continue to be overlooked by the U.S. government. So, what’s the best way forward? Working within the syste…

Former FBI Director James Comey testified before the Senate Intelligence Committee Thursday morning, and we couldn’t wait until our normal Tuesday drop date. For this In The Thick FYI, Maria and Julio called up Tarini Parti, Capitol Hill repor…

The decision to pull out of the Paris Climate Agreement has major implications for the entire world, but President Trump’s choice reflects a deeper, largely unseen problem — how environmental issues disproportionately affect communities of co…

Demonstrators filled the Texas House of Representatives on Monday to protest Texas Senate Bill 4 (SB4), which Governor Abbott signed into law earlier this month. The law bans sanctuary cities in Texas, and it gives police officers broad author…

News about the FBI has been accelerating over the last week, but there’s still so much we don’t know. Who is responsible for the intelligence failures, the Trump administration, the FBI, or someone else entirely? And how should we judge the…

Leading up to the 2016 election, we heard so much about the “sleeping giant” of the Latino vote. So, did the giant wake up? And, more broadly, what does the term Latino mean today to a community that is so diverse? 

Hosts Maria Hinojosa and J…

The media often portrays Donald Trump and Steve Bannon as explicitly anti-Latino and anti-POC. But does this reflect what they really believe? Does it matter? Or should we simply judge Trump and Bannon on their actions and policies alone?

In …

In the last few weeks, protests have been turning violent across the country. But who is starting the violence? Those on the far-left, far-right, or both? And what does the police response tell us about what the U.S. might become?

Hosts Maria…

NPR’s recently released diversity numbers showed little improvement in 2016, and many other outlets have declined to even release their numbers. So why is it so hard to create a diverse newsroom? Hosts Maria Hinojosa and Julio Ricardo Varela l…

Donald Trump promised early on to “drain the swamp,” but what is the swamp actually like? What kind of power do lobbyists have, and who is actually a part of those backroom conversations? Hosts Maria Hinojosa and Julio Ricardo Varela lead a di…

Donald Trump campaigned on “America First,” but by attacking Syria, he has shown himself to be a president very much involved on the world stage. What is the message he is sending by reversing his promises so dramatically? And has war simply b…

Under Donald Trump, political comedy has often been more hard hitting than straight news. And it’s not just big-name late night hosts carrying the torch. Comedians across the country are rethinking what comedy means during a Trump administr…

Judge Neil Gorsuch is facing a likely Democratic filibuster on his way to the Supreme Court. Gorsuch is strong in his belief that the Constitution should be read as it was originally intended – but is it fair to the women and communities of co…

After the failure of the health care bill, the Trump administration immediately shifted the focus back to immigration, with Attorney General Jeff Sessions outlining federal sanctions to sanctuary cities at a White House press briefing. Is this…

After the first hearing on the Russia allegations, we look at some of the unseen implications of the hacking scandal. Would Americans care more if we had been hacked by Mexico? By Iran? Is Russia getting off easy because of its whiteness?

Jul…

Lost in the current debate over health care are the consistent health disparities between communities of color and white communities. What are the disparities under the ACA, and how might they be made worse under the new health bill, the AHCA?…

Last year, he called Donald Trump a “buffoon” on cable news. Now, he’s working with him. Is Javier Palomarez trying to change the Trump Administration from the inside? And if so, when does resistance from the inside become cooperation?

Maria …

51: Getting Into GET OUT (With Special Guests Lakeith Stanfield and Jay Smooth)

When was the last time you sat in a movie theater cowering in fear, then the next minute you’re laughing — and the whole time you’re getting schooled about racial…

So… we need to talk about class. In a lot of ways, this election was about the forgotten working class, but how should we talk about class and its relationship to race? And how are the two interconnected?

Maria Hinojosa and Julio Ricardo Vare…

Immigration raids across the country, a new movement coming from the White House against legal immigration, and a repeated accusation of voter fraud — again, blaming undocumented immigrants.

Maria Hinojosa and Julio Ricardo Varela lead a disc…