Soberanía: The Mexican Politics Podcast

Soberanía Podcast
  • 4.9 (64)
  • Politics
  • Updated Weekly

Soberanía: The Mexican Politics Podcast brings you news and analysis about Mexico from a grassroots and leftist perspective, helping English-language audiences better understand the country, its politics and players.

  1. 6d ago

    Heads Will Roll: Mexico Arrests Chihuahua AG for Treason

    In episode 129 of Soberanía, hosts José Luis Granados Ceja and Kurt Hackbarth discuss the arrest of former Chihuahua Attorney General César Jauregui on suspicion of treason, after an investigation found he may have allowed CIA agents to take part in an irregular raid on a suspected drug lab — a case that only came to light because the agents' vehicle fell off a cliff and exploded. Next, they dig into an El Financiero poll showing Morena at 46% of decided voters ahead of the 2027 midterms, with the PAN at 8%, the PRI at 6%, and Movimiento Ciudadano reeling from the Guadalajara repression. They unpack the junior parties' fight for survival and the irony that Morena needs those troublesome allies to hold its two-thirds majority. The conversation then widens into the Mexican-American vote in Texas, where early voting shows a striking swing, and how Trump's indiscriminate immigration crackdown has shattered the Republican dream of splitting documented and undocumented Latinos — with the death of Emiliano Andrade Covarrubias in an ICE detention center as a case in point.Losers and Haters takes aim at the FBI, which rejected journalist Joseph Heffernan's FOIA request about the El Mayo Zambada kidnapping by citing "personal privacy" — even as the plane used in the operation sits on display at the War Eagles Air Museum in New Mexico, complete with photographs and technical data.

    Heads Will Roll: Mexico Arrests Chihuahua AG for Treason

  2. Oct 14

    Jalisco Governor Unleashes BRUTAL Repression: Fake 'Progressive Party Shows True Colors

    In episode 128 of Soberanía, hosts José Luis Granados Ceja and Kurt Hackbarth open with their take on the repression in Jalisco, where Governor Pablo Lemus and Movimiento Ciudadano are under fire after state police brutally cracked down on a peaceful, family-friendly protest demanding clean water in Guadalajara. The hosts detail the detentions — including a Rappi delivery worker snatched off his motorcycle — the squalid conditions at Casa Jalisco, and the political fallout, from Morena's push for impeachment to federal human rights investigations. They trace Movimiento Ciudadano's lineage back to the PRI and explain why the "party of the two lies" keeps revealing itself as the "orange PAN." Next, they discuss the IMSS workers' protests, with thousands marching in Mexico City and 20+ cities demanding 7% of GDP for healthcare, better wages, and medicines that actually reach the clinics. The hosts share their own experience navigating the IMSS system and break down the long neoliberal erosion of Mexican healthcare, and they call out the crocodile tears from the same media outlets that spent decades cheering its privatization. The conversation turns to a solution: tax the rich. Then they cover the left and the internet. President Sheinbaum goes live on Instagram and TikTok for the first time, calling for regulation of violent online content and addressing Anabel Hernández's fake news about her marijuana use. They also analyze Meta's electoral interference in Brazil's second round, where Lula's campaign has denounced the blocking of his ads. Losers and Haters takes aim at Francisco Garduño, former head of Mexico's National Migration Institute, exonerated of charges in the Ciudad Juárez fire that killed 40 migrants. An apology months late, a mural, and some training modules — the hosts note that when there are no consequences, the conditions that led to the tragedy continue.

    Jalisco Governor Unleashes BRUTAL Repression: Fake 'Progressive Party Shows True Colors

  3. Oct 7

    US Goes Behind Sheinbaum's Back: Ron Johnson Provokes President's Ire with More Meddling

    In episode 127 of Soberanía, hosts José Luis Granados Ceja and Kurt Hackbarth open with another case of U.S. interference — this time in Querétaro, where Governor Mauricio Kuri and Ambassador Ron Johnson broke ground on a police training academy without federal authorization. The hosts explain how this violates Mexico's National Security Law, which explicitly requires high-level federal approval for any security cooperation with foreign governments. They note the pattern: Chihuahua and now Querétaro, PAN-governed states where the U.S. is pursuing a "subnational strategy" to work around the federal government that defends Mexican sovereignty.Next, they discuss AMLO's return via a video promoting his new book, "Pueblo." In a wide-ranging 90-minute address, he criticized Ron Johnson as "a meddling policeman," denounced U.S. hypocrisy on drug trafficking, and dedicated the book to Claudia Sheinbaum, calling her "the best president in the world" — definitively debunking the opposition's fantasy of a rift between them. The conversation then turns to Brazil's presidential election, where Lula and Flávio Bolsonaro are separated by just two points heading into a runoff. The hosts analyze the structural challenges facing the Latin American left: late capitalism, low growth, and a far-right that promises to "get the state off your back" while offering nothing but nihilism. They note that Brazil's high abstention rate (over 30 million voters) could be decisive, but warn that convincing non-voters to turn out is an uphill battle. Losers and Haters takes aim at Instagram and Meta for removing their video reporting on Bolsonaro's sex parties and suspicious gifts, claiming it violated community standards on sexual violence — even though it was journalistic reporting on a public scandal. The hosts note the irony: the same platform that briefly suspended Lula's ads is now censoring critical journalism while allowing fake election-day ads to flourish.

    US Goes Behind Sheinbaum's Back: Ron Johnson Provokes President's Ire with More Meddling

  4. Sep 30

    GOP Operative vs. Mexico: Larry Rubin's Desperate Attempt to Stop Dual-Nationality Reform

    In episode 126 of Soberanía, hosts José Luis Granados Ceja and Kurt Hackbarth opens with the Senate's approval of the dual nationality reform, which bars anyone with more than one citizenship from serving as president or governor. The hosts dismantle the criticism from Larry Rubin — a Republican operative and president of the American Society of Mexico — who went to the Senate to lobby against the measure, claiming it discriminates against migrants. The hosts note the hypocrisy: these same voices have been silent on ICE abuses, hunger strikes in detention centers, and efforts to make it easier for migrants to vote. Next, they examine new revelations in the Cerimedo scandal, including photos of the far-right operative with Donald Trump Jr., Brad Parscale, and other right-wing figures. They discuss how Bolivia's attorney general—investigating Cerimedo's alleged drug ties and assassination plot—has been targeted with U.S. visa restrictions. Is this an act of retaliation? The hosts connect this to the broader U.S. strategy of using "narco-terrorist" designations to go after political opponents across the region, including Colombian Senator Iván Cepeda, who warns he could be next.The conversation then turns to Brazil's presidential election, where Lula and Flávio Bolsonaro are locked in a tight race. The hosts highlight leaked documents suggesting Bolsonaro's campaign may have offered the U.S. access to critical minerals in exchange for support, and note that Meta suspended Lula's paid advertisements days before the vote. They also discuss late-stage scandals plaguing Bolsonaro, including reports of sex parties, a suspicious Rolex, and a bizarre biopic starring Jim Caviezel.Losers and Haters takes aim at the New York Times for a story claiming Andrés Manuel López Beltrán is seen as the "heir" to AMLO — a claim the hosts say is completely fabricated and reveals how out of touch the paper is with Mexican politics.

    GOP Operative vs. Mexico: Larry Rubin's Desperate Attempt to Stop Dual-Nationality Reform

  5. Sep 23

    Trump Unhinged: Goes After Mexico at UN

    In episode 125 of Soberanía, hosts José Luis Granados Ceja and Kurt Hackbarth open with Trump's speech at the UN General Assembly, where he called Mexico "the epicenter of cartel violence," threatened to "annihilate" Iran, and declared Cuba a failed state. They highlight President Sheinbaum's sharp response: "It's also difficult to live next to a country with high drug consumption and arms production." They also discuss the Special Rapporteur's report condemning the U.S. boat bombings as extrajudicial executions, and the growing push to invoke the Rio Treaty to militarize the hemisphere through the so-called "Shield of the Americas."Next, they examine the controversy over Morena's candidate selection process for the 2027 gubernatorial elections. With no primaries, the party uses opinion polling — which inherently favors those with high name recognition and disadvantages emerging candidates. The result: several candidates with ties to the old PRI, PRD, or PAN, raising questions about their commitment to the Fourth Transformation. The hosts debate the challenges of every option — primaries are costly and traumatized by the PRD experience, assemblies can be stacked with "acarreados," and polls reward incumbents — concluding that while it's a difficult dilemma, Morena's new leadership under Adriana Montiel faces a credibility test.The episode also covers the U.S. Embassy's disastrous attempt to attack China on Mexico's Independence Day, tweeting that Mexican patriotic symbols are "made in China." China's response was sharp and dignified: "A nation's Independence Day belongs to its people." A poll showed 58% of Mexicans see the U.S. as a threat, compared to 27% who see China as one.Losers and Haters takes aim at historian Enrique Krauze, who shared a video of Foreign Minister Roberto Velasco at an LGBTQ+ event at the UN and called it "the lowest point in Mexican diplomacy in 200 years" — a comment the hosts condemn as homophobic and historically illiterate, noting far worse examples from Mexico's diplomatic past.

    Trump Unhinged: Goes After Mexico at UN

  6. Sep 16

    Mexico Stands Up to the U.S. on its Independence Day

    In episode 124 of Soberanía, hosts José Luis Granados Ceja and Kurt Hackbarth celebrate Mexican Independence Day by examining the many fronts on which Mexico must defend its sovereignty today.The episode opens with a reflection on the meaning of independence in 2026 — not as a hollow ritual but as a daily practice. The hosts break down six dimensions of sovereignty: economic (control over resources and trade), security (rejecting DEA/CIA operations), diplomatic (the right to relations with Cuba, China, Iran), digital (data and platform regulation), cultural (language and media ownership), and informational (combating foreign disinformation). They note that sovereignty is not a one-time achievement but a permanent struggle.The conversation then turns to a leaked State Department document, reported by News Nation, claiming a majority of Mexicans support U.S. military intervention against cartels. The hosts dismantle the "poll" — no named firm, no methodology — and connect it to a broader effort to manufacture consent for unilateral U.S. action. They contrast it with a recent El Financiero poll showing 78% of Mexicans reject intervention. This is a dangerous psy-op, they argue, aimed at legitimizing what would be a catastrophic violation of Mexican sovereignty.Next, they examine Marco Rubio's Latin America tour, where he visited U.S.-born puppets in Ecuador and Colombia, threatened to "blow up ships if need be," and claimed vast territories in Mexico are "not governed by the state." The episode also looks at a suspicious "pro-Palestine" march in Mexico City's Polanco neighborhood, where participants chanted antisemitic slogans and held the Palestinian flag upside down. The hosts, who have attended many authentic Palestine solidarity marches, identify this as an astroturf provocation designed to smear the movement, criminalize anti-Zionism, and sow division — part of a broader Zionist effort to gain a foothold in Latin America as Israel loses support in the West.Losers and Haters takes aim at Aristegui Noticias for amplifying the bogus News Nation report as "breaking news." They also mock former DEA administrator Derek Maltz for citing a Twitter poll from a notorious charlatan as evidence that Mexicans want U.S. special forces to arrest their politicians.

    Mexico Stands Up to the U.S. on its Independence Day

  7. Sep 9

    Mexico Turns to China as U.S. Threats Mount

    In episode 123 of Soberanía, hosts José Luis Granados Ceja and Kurt Hackbarth cover Mexico's foreign minister Roberto Velasco's visit to China, where Beijing reaffirmed its support for Mexico's sovereignty and opposition to foreign interference — a clear signal as Mexico seeks to diversify its relationships amid U.S. pressure. The hosts argue that with the U.S.-Canada trade war escalating (including unprecedented product bans), Mexico cannot afford to remain dependent on a single partner, especially as the U.S. declines technologically while China leads.Next, they break down the 2027 economic package, which avoids raising taxes on the wealthy and instead targets tax evasion through fake invoicing (the "factureras") and pushes for a digital economy with reduced cash use. While the hosts support going after tax cheats, they question the plan's reliance on private banks — which charge exorbitant fees — instead of strengthening the state-run Banco de Bienestar. They also highlight the real culprit behind weak investment: Trump's instability, not Mexico's policies, and note that foreign direct investment remains at record highs.The episode then examines a suspicious document published by Televisa's investigative unit, allegedly showing Senator Julieta Ramírez seeking a cooperation deal with the U.S. Justice Department. The hosts point out multiple red flags: the document is in Spanish without an accompanying English version, has no signatures, and Televisa didn't contact Ramírez or the DOJ for comment. They suspect either journalistic incompetence or a deliberate smear against a rising Morena politician from a border state.Losers and Haters takes aim at Fox News for hyping the Pentagon's downing of "cartel drones" as a justification for lethal military action — when Mexican officials have clarified these are commercial surveillance drones used for migrant trafficking, not weapons. The hosts see this as part of a deliberate campaign to build public support for unilateral U.S. military strikes in Mexico.

    Mexico Turns to China as U.S. Threats Mount

  8. Sep 2

    Sheinbaum’s Second State of the Union: Why It Matters

    In episode 122 of Soberanía, hosts José Luis Granados Ceja and Kurt Hackbarth break down Claudia Sheinbaum's second State of the Union address — a sweeping accounting of progress that reveals a government entering a new phase.The episode opens with a detailed look at the informe, from the 51% drop in homicides to the recovery of the minimum wage (up 154% in real terms since 2018), to the expansion of social programs including the women's pension at age 60 and the "Salud Casa por Casa" home-visit health program. The hosts note the contrast with U.S. State of the Union speeches: in Mexico, the focus is on granular policy achievements and state-led development — housing, rail networks, new universities — rather than tax cuts and military spending. Sheinbaum's approval remains at 69-70%, a testament to the government's continuity and delivery.Next, they examine the proposed constitutional reform to bar dual citizens from holding the presidency or state governorships. The hosts dismantle the hissy fits from figures like Carlos Jiménez and Ricardo Salinas Pliego — the latter of whom inadvertently admitted his own dual nationality by objecting. They argue the reform is a sensible measure in an era of U.S. interventionism, especially given examples like Daniel Noboa and Gustavo Petro's successor in Colombia, who openly prioritize Washington over their own capitals.The conversation then turns to the controversial U.S.-Venezuela oil deal. The hosts cut through the hyperbolic declarations of a "sellout" to examine the nuanced reality: contracts signed under coercion are legally invalid; the oil fields require years and billions in investment; and both sides are hedging — with Rubio claiming it's not really a deal with the government, and Chavista legislators calling the contracts illegitimate. They caution against declaring the death of the Bolivarian Revolution while the organized working class continues to resist.Losers and Haters takes aim at Código Magenta, which published a sensationalist article claiming Sheinbaum suffered a "stress-related crisis" before her speech — with zero sources, no attribution, and nothing to back it up. The hosts argue this kind of lazy fabrication is why trust in media is collapsing, and why audience rights legislation is urgently needed.

    Sheinbaum’s Second State of the Union: Why It Matters
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Soberanía: The Mexican Politics Podcast brings you news and analysis about Mexico from a grassroots and leftist perspective, helping English-language audiences better understand the country, its politics and players.

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