Latino USA

Born in El Salvador, Julio Torres has become a big name in comedy. From writing for SNL and having an HBO comedy special, to making and starring in his own films, Julio's dry style is unique: it’s highly visual and deeply inquisitive, and at Latino USA we love it! In this reimagined interview from a couple years ago, Julito spoke to us about developing his own comedic approach, his journey in the industry, and how he enjoys challenging audiences to look at the world from a different perspective. Latino USA is the longest-running news and culture radio program in the U.S., centering Latino stories and hosted by Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist Maria Hinojosa. Follow the show to get every episode. Want to support our independent journalism? Join Futuro+ for exclusive episodes, sneak peeks and behind-the-scenes chisme on Latino USA and all our podcasts. Follow us on TikTok and YouTube. Subscribe to our newsletter. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The capture of Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro marks yet another chapter in a long history of U.S. interventionism across Latin America. We talk to an expert on democracy to make sense of the incursion, how it could destabilize the entire rules-based international order, and why Americans should be concerned about the rise of an “unconstrained and autocratic” Trump. Plus, we get a glimpse of what it was like to be a journalist covering corruption under the Maduro regime, and what Venezuelans might hope for the future.   Latino USA is the longest-running news and culture radio program in the U.S., centering Latino stories and hosted by Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist Maria Hinojosa. Follow the show to get every episode. Want to support our independent journalism? Join Futuro+ for exclusive episodes, sneak peeks and behind-the-scenes chisme on Latino USA and all our podcasts. Follow us on TikTok and YouTube. Subscribe to our newsletter. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

One in four women in the United States has a family member in prison — and those carrying the resulting financial and emotional burden are disproportionately women of color. Mary Estrada is one of them. She’s been taking care of her husband, Robert, for 40 years, as he’s been in and out of prison throughout his adult life. Most Sundays, Mary wakes up at 3 a.m. and drives 135 miles each way from Pomona, California, to San Diego to meet her incarcerated husband. In this episode, we accompany Mary on one of her Sunday visits, and we learn about the true costs of supporting a loved one in prison. This story first aired in 2023. Latino USA is the longest-running news and culture radio program in the U.S., centering Latino stories and hosted by Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist Maria Hinojosa. Follow the show to get every episode. Want to support our independent journalism? Join Futuro+ for exclusive episodes, sneak peeks and behind-the-scenes chisme on Latino USA and all our podcasts. Follow us on TikTok and YouTube. Subscribe to our newsletter. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

As you start the New Year, we wanted to bring you an episode from our friends at Vox’s podcast Unexplainable that we think you’ll like. It’s about a scientific mystery and with a Puerto Rican astronomer at the center of it all. Wanda Diáz-Merced lost her sight as a college student, she thought her dreams of becoming an astronomer were over — until she learned to listen to space instead. Unexplainable takes listeners right up to the edge of what we know...and then keeps on going. For more go to ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠vox.com/unexplainable⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ Latino USA is the longest-running news and culture radio program in the U.S., centering Latino stories and hosted by Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist Maria Hinojosa. Follow the show to get every episode. Want to support our independent journalism? Join Futuro+ for exclusive episodes, sneak peeks and behind-the-scenes chisme on Latino USA and all our podcasts. Follow us on TikTok and YouTube. Subscribe to our newsletter. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Earlier this week we brought you an episode from “My Divo” which we think you’ll enjoy as you slow down this holiday season. This is Ep. 3: “The Long-Lost Prison File” In it, host Maria Garcia looks for answers about Juan Gabriel in Mexico and discovers government files about the artist that have never come to light. As Maria learns more about Juan Gabriel’s story as a young man on the streets and in jail, she reflects on her romantic relationship and what’s at stake when queerness is criminalized. My Divos an Apple Original podcast produced by Futuro Studios. Full series here: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/my-divo/id1719362271 Latino USA is the longest-running news and culture radio program in the U.S., centering Latino stories and hosted by Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist Maria Hinojosa. Follow the show to get every episode. Want to support our independent journalism? Join Futuro+ for exclusive episodes, sneak peeks and behind-the-scenes chisme on Latino USA and all our podcasts. Follow us on TikTok and YouTube. Subscribe to our newsletter. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

As you enjoy time during this holiday slowdown, we want to share an episode of the “My Divo” podcast. In this episode we hear how for host Maria Garcia, Mexican megastar Juan Gabriel has always held a singular allure. He was a prolific composer and one of the world’s greatest showmen. There was a brightness to him—a big queer exuberance. And now, as the first openly gay woman in her family line, Maria looks to Juan Gabriel as a key to reconciling her queerness with her Mexican heritage. “My Divo” is an Apple Original produced by Futuro Studios. Listen to the whole season here: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/my-divo/id1719362271 Latino USA is the longest-running news and culture radio program in the U.S., centering Latino stories and hosted by Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist Maria Hinojosa. Follow the show to get every episode. Want to support our independent journalism? Join Futuro+ for exclusive episodes, sneak peeks and behind-the-scenes chisme on Latino USA and all our podcasts. Follow us on TikTok and YouTube. Subscribe to our newsletter. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Ada Limón ended her tenure as U.S. Poet Laureate this year – the first Latina to do so. Her work has been described as both tender and resounding, it rejoices in the simplicity of everyday life. She’s been praised for tackling head-on the imperfections of her body and the failings of our governments. But even in the darkness, her poetry does not linger in despair – it always finds a way back to the beauty in nature. Her new poetry collection is called “Startlement.” Limón spoke to us about the art of noticing nature, dealing with grief through poetry, and how to feel brave during hard times. Latino USA is the longest-running news and culture radio program in the U.S., centering Latino stories and hosted by Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist Maria Hinojosa. Follow the show to get every episode. Want to support our independent journalism? Join Futuro+ for exclusive episodes, sneak peeks and behind-the-scenes chisme on Latino USA and all our podcasts. Follow us on TikTok and YouTube. Subscribe to our newsletter. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Journalist Tom Llamas made history this year when he became the first Latino to anchor a major weekday evening news show in English. Every weekday, around six million viewers across the country tune in to NBC Nightly News to watch Tom give the latest national and international news.  He’s been in broadcast journalism for more than 25 years. He joined Maria Hinojosa to talk about how his upbringing in Miami as the son of Cuban refugees shaped the journalist he is today, why he believes in being “down the middle,” and how he envisions his new role at NBC covering the second Trump administration. Latino USA is the longest-running news and culture radio program in the U.S., centering Latino stories and hosted by Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist Maria Hinojosa. Follow the show to get every episode. Want to support our independent journalism? Join Futuro+ for exclusive episodes, sneak peeks and behind-the-scenes chisme on Latino USA and all our podcasts. Follow us on TikTok and YouTube. Subscribe to our newsletter. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

D. Esperanza is 14 years old. After traveling with his cousins from Honduras, he is held in the horrors of U.S. detention in Texas. For five months, while there, D. kept a journal of poems, drawings. It’s his memory of survival. Months later, Geraldo Iván Morales found the journal, about to be trashed. Now, D. and Gerardo are coauthors of "Detained," a book based on D.’s journal. This is their story. Latino USA is the longest-running news and culture radio program in the U.S., centering Latino stories and hosted by Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist Maria Hinojosa. Follow the show to get every episode. Want to support our independent journalism? Join Futuro+ for exclusive episodes, sneak peeks and behind-the-scenes chisme on Latino USA and all our podcasts. Follow us on TikTok and YouTube. Subscribe to our newsletter. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Earlier this year, the White House falsely claimed that millions of US taxpayers' dollars were funding “sex changes” in Guatemala — a lie used to justify gutting USAID, which has provided aid worldwide for more than 60 years. In this episode, we travel to Guatemala to uncover the truth, hear from local organizations caught in the controversy, and learn how losing USAID funding has affected these LGBTQ+ organizations and damaged U.S. credibility abroad. This reporting was produced in partnership with El Faro English and it’s part of the Ida B. Wells Society Investigative Reporting Fellowship.  Latino USA is the longest-running news and culture radio program in the U.S., centering Latino stories and hosted by Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist Maria Hinojosa. Follow the show to get every episode. Want to support our independent journalism? Join Futuro+ for exclusive episodes, sneak peeks and behind-the-scenes chisme on Latino USA and all our podcasts. Follow us on TikTok and YouTube. Subscribe to our newsletter. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.