Soberanía: The Mexican Politics Podcast

Soberanía Podcast
  • 4.9 (63)
  • 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. AMLO in the Crosshairs (Again)

    17h ago

    AMLO in the Crosshairs (Again)

    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 reveals the moral bankruptcy of the Mexican right. They connect this to the broader campaign to destroy AMLO's moral authority as a way to weaken Claudia Sheinbaum's presidency. Next, they examine the Schrödinger's box of the USMCA trade agreement. The hosts explain that while the agreement will automatically extend for at least 10 more years, the U.S. may opt for annual reviews — a nightmare scenario that would allow Trump to hold a cudgel over Mexico's head every single year until 2036. The conversation then turns to the electoral results in Colombia and Peru. Iván Cepeda conceded a razor-thin defeat (by just 251,000 votes) to a far-right candidate endorsed by Trump, while in Peru, left-wing candidate Roberto Sánchez refuses to recognize Keiko Fujimori's victory, citing widespread fraud. The hosts analyze the different strategies — Cepeda's cautious concession versus Sánchez's defiance — and draw lessons for the Latin American left about the need to defang political opponents before they regain power. Losers and Haters takes aim at the BBC, which unironically tweeted that global trust in news has hit an all-time low — while ignoring its own role in that collapse, from its genocidal coverage of Gaza to its Middle East editor's ties to a CIA front group.

    1 hr
  2. 'La Perra de Trump': Mexican Soccer Fans Give Right-Wing Oligarch a Rude Awakening

    Jun 17

    'La Perra de Trump': Mexican Soccer Fans Give Right-Wing Oligarch a Rude Awakening

    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, the TV Azteca owner was instead met with chants of "Trump's bitch" from the crowd — a moment that went instantly viral. The hosts connect this to the deeper history of the Salinas family's ties to the CIA, documented in a recent investigation showing how far-right Mexican figures have been in Washington's orbit since the 1970s.Next, they turn to the warm reception Mexico has given the Iranian national team, who were forced to base themselves in Tijuana after the U.S. refused to let them stay on US soil. From the mayor of Tijuana hosting a reception, to crowds cheering them at their hotel, to the Iranian booth at the Chapultepec World Cup village drawing huge crowds, the hosts argue this is Mexico at its best — a rebuke to U.S. racism and a genuine expression of solidarity with a nation under attack.The episode also examines new polling showing Claudia Scheinbaum's approval at 71 percent — unchanged despite months of U.S.-backed smear campaigns. Homicides have dropped 46 percent under her administration, a statistic that gets virtually no English-language coverage because it undercuts the narrative of a "cartel-controlled" Mexico. The hosts note that even as the U.S. tries to justify intervention, Mexico's security strategy is producing results.Losers and Haters takes aim at U.S. commentators who can't accept that America lost its war with Iran and now has to take a bad deal. The segment highlights the cognitive dissonance of pundits demanding Trump renege on the agreement — as if losing a war doesn't require making concessions.

    58 min
  3. On My Whistle: Mexico Braces for World Cup Conflict

    Jun 10

    On My Whistle: Mexico Braces for World Cup Conflict

    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. They note that while the union has protested every government regardless of party, the current context, with FIFA demanding cosmetic works and Ricardo Salinas Pliego calling for radical action, has created a volatile mix. Next, they turn to a rare good news story: Mexico's first domestically produced electric vehicle, the Olinia. Priced at 150,000 pesos (about $8,600), the small car is designed for specific Mexican urban needs — school runs, market trips, mobility for people with disabilities — not for export or highway competition. The hosts explain how the vehicle fits into Plan Mexico's broader goal of building national industrial capacity and reducing dependence on imports, while also potentially improving Mexico City's air quality. The episode then examines the American Society gala, a who's-who of opposition figures who gathered to hear a proposal for a "crime-fighting treaty" with the U.S. While Ambassador Ron Johnson was a no-show, the hosts note the event's corporatist structure and its alignment with the Trump administration's push for direct U.S. military intervention in Mexico. Losers and Haters takes aim at cartoonist Paco Calderón, whose attempt to defend Maru Campos only highlighted the opposition's inability to maintain a consistent narrative about the Chihuahua CIA scandal, two months later and they still can't agree on whether she collaborated with U.S. agencies or not. Cover photo by Jay Watts

    1 hr
  4. Sheinbaum to US Ambassador: Mind Your Own Business

    Jun 3

    Sheinbaum to US Ambassador: Mind Your Own Business

    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 government's achievements over two years, she turned to the extradition request against Sinaloa Governor Rocha Moya and asked bluntly whether Washington is genuinely interested in fighting cartels or simply positioning itself to influence Mexico's 2027 elections. "Mexico is nobody's piñata," she said, warning that if the U.S. can target one governor, it will come for others until the Justice Department becomes "the principal elector in Mexico."The hosts then examine new fronts in U.S. pressure: reports that two more governors — Alfonso Durazo of Sonora and Américo Villarreal of Tamaulipas — are under federal investigation and have had their visas withdrawn, and Marco Rubio's testimony warning that Mexican cartels could use drones against U.S. interests — a new pretext for intervention. Meanwhile, new tariffs citing "forced labor" in Mexico ignore the actual forced labor happening in U.S. prisons and ICE detention centers.Losers and Haters takes aim at two figures: Héctor Aguilar Camín, and Enrique Krauze, who embarrassed himself by celebrating a right-wing Spanish politician lecturing Mexico on sovereignty. The hosts note that the opposition's reliance on foreign intervention only confirms how bankrupt their domestic project has become.

    59 min
  5. Narco-Morena... Again!?: Why the Right's 'Narco' Narrative Keeps Failing

    May 27

    Narco-Morena... Again!?: Why the Right's 'Narco' Narrative Keeps Failing

    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 campaigns against President Sheinbaum. Following the same playbook as the failed "Gen Z" movement, the group's social media follows just five accounts — all tied to the country's rightist media — and pushes a single message: narco-Morena. The hosts explain why this one-note strategy is failing to gain traction with a Mexican public that has repeatedly rejected U.S.-backed smears.Next, they examine Mexico's proposed legislation to block foreign interference in elections; a direct response to U.S. meddling in Honduras, Argentina, and the upcoming Colombian elections. While the New York Times frames the move as authoritarian, the hosts clarify how electoral annulment actually works in Mexico: foreign interference would be just one of several legal grounds, and proving it changed an election result remains a high bar. Plus, new polling shows Morena has gained five points since February, while the PAN and PRI continue to collapse, the PAN now at just 4% party identification. Losers and Haters takes aim at a journalist who criticized Mexico for agreeing to host Iran's World Cup delegation in Tijuana after the U.S. refused to let them stay on American soil. The hosts dismantle her regurgitation of State Department talking points, noting the Iranian embassy's gracious response and the Mexican government's mature handling of a diplomatic logjam not of its making.

    57 min
  6. CIA Out of Chihuahua: 20,000 Protest Secret Incursion into Mexico

    May 20

    CIA Out of Chihuahua: 20,000 Protest Secret Incursion into Mexico

    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 treasonous state-level collaboration, contrasting this with past hesitancy. Next, they turn to a timely revelation from the morning press conference, Mexico's foreign secretary disclosed that of 269 extradition requests Mexico has made to the U.S. since 2018, not one has been fulfilled. The hosts highlight the glaring hypocrisy: the U.S. demands immediate cooperation while stonewalling Mexico's own requests, including for figures linked to the Ayotzinapa case. The episode also features a look at President Sheinbaum's typical weekend — two hospitals, a university campus, a high school, universal scholarships, a milk pasteurization plant, and supervision of the Maya Train cargo expansion, all in a single weekend. The hosts argue this relentless pace of public investment explains why Sheinbaum continues to enjoy widespread support. Losers and Haters takes aim at Luis Rubio of Mexico Evalúa, whose America's Quarterly piece masquerades as analysis but reads as a plea for U.S. capital to be allowed to pillage Mexico's resources — a confession of what all the diplomatic pressure is really about.

    57 min
  7. Trump's Twin Threats: US Goes After Mexican Consulates and Weaponizes Counter-Terrorism Policy

    May 13

    Trump's Twin Threats: US Goes After Mexican Consulates and Weaponizes Counter-Terrorism Policy

    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 meddling in American affairs. Second, Trump's new counterterrorism strategy centers drug cartels and left-wing domestic groups as the primary threats — with language explicitly reserving the right to act unilaterally if a country "cannot or will not" cooperate.Next, the hosts recount the spectacular failure of Isabel Díaz Ayuso's visit to Mexico. The Madrid regional leader arrived expecting to be celebrated, instead faced protests everywhere and cut her trip short. Her post-visit response, calling Mexico a dangerous narco-state, only underscored how badly she misread the country. The hosts note that four PAN governors who met with her managed to hand Morena a gift by changing the news cycle away from the Rocha indictment.Finally, despite relentless U.S. pressure, new polling shows President Sheinbaum's approval has risen to 72 percent. Most telling: in Sinaloa, 60 percent oppose U.S. military operations on Mexican soil, even amid ongoing cartel violence. The episode closes with Losers and Haters targeting PRI president Alejandro Moreno, who traveled to Washington to formally request that Morena be designated a terrorist organization.

    58 min
  8. The Empire Strikes Back: US Releases Sinaloa Indictment to Distract from Chihuahua CIA Scandal

    May 6

    The Empire Strikes Back: US Releases Sinaloa Indictment to Distract from Chihuahua CIA Scandal

    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 provisional arrest without providing evidence; and the charges rely on testimony from protected witnesses — likely the Chapitos — whose credibility is compromised. All of this comes just days after the Chihuahua scandal, where CIA agents were caught operating illegally with a PAN governor.The conversation then examines the newly released U.S. National Drug Control Strategy, which prioritizes militarized interdiction and "the healing power of faith" over public health — revealing that U.S. drug policy is about imperial control, not solving addiction.Finally, they turn to Morena's new party president, Adriana Montiel, a former wellbeing secretary who helped build Mexico's social programs inside the territory. Her first act? Expressing solidarity with Cuba — a promising shift for a party needing territory work, not spotlight seekers.Losers and Haters takes aim at a New York Times piece on Cuba's May Day march, which the hosts dismantle as propaganda: unscientific surveys, unsubstantiated claims, and an "embattled president" framing that ignores the actual U.S. blockade causing the crisis.

    58 min
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4.9
out of 5
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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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