Soberanía: The Mexican Politics Podcast

The “gig economy” has been a disruptive force, undermining the working class’ access to job security, benefits, and fair wages, leaving them vulnerable to exploitation and financial instability. Now Claudia Sheinbaum’s government is stepping in and implementing a historic change to labor laws to grant labor protections and social security to hundreds of thousands of “gig” workers who will now be recognized as employees.  Co-hosts José Luis Granados Ceja and Kurt Hackbarth also look at US Ambassador-designate Ron Johnson’s past as a spook for the CIA and as both “military advisor” in El Salvador during the country’s civil war and, more recently, his cozy relationship with Nayib Bukele. Plus a conversation on efforts to protect Indigenous peoples’ rights and in Losers and Haters, we ask why outlets insist on quoting people like Castañeda and Dresser, who have no credibility.

Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum announced that the minimum wage in Mexico would once again see an above-inflation increase in 2025. Co-hosts José Luis Granados Ceja and Kurt Hackbarth discuss the deliberate efforts by the AMLO and Sheinbaum governments to end decades of losses in purchasing power through their policy of promoting higher wages and explain what this tells us about Mexico’s post-neoliberal political economy. Plus a conversation about former US Ambassador to Mexico Christopher Landau’s promotion to US deputy secretary of state and a segment on the Mexican far-right’s recent activity in Argentina and Spain. Finally, in Loser and Haters, we take a look at efforts to misrepresent what the Tren Maya is all about.

In this special “Canada Edition” of the Soberanía podcast, co-hosts José Luis Granados Ceja and Kurt Hackbarth breakdown the central role played by Canadian mining companies in the Mexico-Canada bilateral relationship and explain why Prime Minister Justin Trudeau is trying to throw Mexico under the bus in the face of tariff negotiations with Donald Trump. Plus a discussion on the efforts by the Claudia Sheinbaum government to bury the vestiges of the old neoliberal order by dismantling so-called autonomous institutions. Finally, in Losers and Haters, we explain why the New York Times is trying to turn its coverage of Mexico into an episode of Breaking Bad.

US President-Elect Donald Trump has threatened to impose a 25% tariff on all goods from Mexico, Canada, and China on his first day in office but Mexico’s government is unbowed. In this week’s episode, co-hosts José Luis Granados Ceja and Kurt Hackbarth discuss President Sheinbaum’s reaction and the possible fallout from Trump’s proposal. Plus a conversation about Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau’s deceitful, double-faced approach to Mexico-Canada relations; as well as a look at Sheinbaum’s efforts to ensure water is treated as a human right. We also celebrate the Mexican Congress’ warm embrace of Palestine’s ambassador to Mexico.