The outside world has viewed Chile as a shining example of success in Latin America after enduring one of the region’s worst dictatorships. It has strong institutions, a relatively low poverty rate, and a high GDP. But recently thousands of Chileans have poured into the streets, banging pots and pans and jumping subway turnstiles. The protests reve…

In the first round of Uruguay’s presidential election on Oct. 27, voters changed the political makeup of parliament and nearly passed a referendum that would have allowed the government to get tougher on crime, as homicides and thefts continue to rise. The left-leaning Frente Amplio has held a majority for the last 15 years, but those days are over…

In the Argentine presidential election last week, Alberto Fernández managed to outrun incumbent Mauricio Macri using the fact that he isn’t Cristina Kirchner, his running mate, as well as the fact that he’s close enough. This year’s election tugged at people’s memories of an easier time. It worried investors and critics of the Kirchners who are afr…

Evo Morales was the first indigenous president of Bolivia, and he spoke to a group of Bolivians that politicians usually ignored. During his time in office, his social programs have drastically reduced poverty and grown the middle class. But his presidency wasn’t supposed to last forever. On Oct. 24, Bolivia declared him the winner of the president…

Former Colombian president Álvaro Uribe Vélez is standing trial for tampering with witnesses and making false accusations. It’s the first time Colombia’s Supreme Court has charged an ex-president with a crime, and Uribe is the most powerful politician in Colombia. We dive into who Uribe is and why he's on trial, and LAND reporter Nico Bedoya talks …

Mexico was one of the first countries to ratify the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child 30 years ago. As the United Nations prepares to commemorate the treaty at the General Assembly in New York this week, RadioLAND reporter Chase DiBenedetto looks at whether Mexico is living up to its commitment when it comes to migrant children m…

After a few months off, RadioLAND is back. In this episode, we look at one of the summer’s biggest stories: the resignation of Puerto Rican Gov. Ricardo Rosselló and the protests that surrounded it. LAND staff writer Paola Nagovitch reports from Puerto Rico on what the protests were like and what’s next for the island, including the role that it wi…

Salvadorans make up the largest portion of Temporary Protected Status, or TPS, holders in the United States. The Trump administration is trying to end the immigration status for several countries, but the consequences would reach further than the borders of the United States. In the case of El Salvador, it would mean a loss of significant income fo…

Peru’s former President Alberto Fujimori is facing a variety of criminal charges, including the forced sterilization of hundreds of thousands of women, most of whom were Indigenous and low-income. Since then, thousands of women have spoken out, saying they never gave consent. Alanna Elder talked to Lima journalist Natalia Sánchez Loayza and Nico Be…

A shale formation in the Neuquen province of Argentina called Vaca Muerta, or “dead cow,” holds a massive reserve of oil and gas. The province is booming as the rest of Argentina remains deep in an economic crisis. The oil boom, however, isn’t enough to save the whole country’s economy. Alanna Elder talks to La Nación reporter Sofía Diamante about …

There are more than 20 candidates running in Guatemala’s presidential election, which will be held on June 16. Some of them, however, are facing scandals that may keep them off the ballot. Thelma Aldana, a former attorney general and a frontrunner in the presidential race, is one of them. Vaclav Masek talks to journalist Edgar Ortiz about what the …

A month-long blockade of the Pan-American Highway in Colombia is over, but the movement behind it is not, according to the leaders of a coalition of Indigenous groups. Producer Alanna Elder reports on what happened and what’s next. Plus, former LAND staff writer Hanna Wallis, who wrote about the movement for the New Republic, talks about what it wa…

Last Sunday was the birthday of Cesar Chavez, who in the 1960s, along with Dolores Huerta, led a movement demanding higher wages, better conditions and more recognition for the dignity of farm workers. In a country that today employs more than 2 million farm workers, there are many stories of daily life and resistance in the U.S. food system. Repor…

Against a backdrop of machismo and impunity in the justice system, the #MeToo movement erupted in Mexico last week, with thousands of women sharing stories of harassment and abuse on social media. Producer Alanna Elder spoke with two women who are working to confront this crisis. Plus, LAND editor Colleen Connolly talked to Brazilian reporter Eduar…

Two days before the one-year anniversary of the killing Rio de Janeiro Councilwoman Marielle Franco, police in Brazil arrested two former officers for the assassination. In communities all over the world, people gathered to remember her this week. Producer Alanna Elder went to one of these gatherings in New York. Plus, LAND editor Colleen Connolly …

Two men claim to be the legitimate president of Venezuela: opposition leader Juan Guaidó and sitting president Nicolás Maduro. Leaders of countries in the Americas and beyond have thrown their support behind one or the other. Producer Alanna Elder talks to Alejandro Velasco, a Venezuela historian and the executive editor of the NACLA Report on the …

On Feb. 24, Cubans voted to replace the constitution they've had for the last 40 years. Reporter Vaclav Masek talks to Cuban blogger and researcher Harold Cárdenas about the changes this brings to the island. Plus, reporter Jacqueline Kovarik talks to the Hemispheric Institute about the launch of a new website documenting the expulsion of refugees …

As protests continued in Haiti, a bizarre story broke out: eight people, including five former U.S. military members, were arrested in Port-au-Prince with cars full of weapons. In other news from Latin America, a migrant shelter in Mexico closed and Venezuela President Nicolás Maduro closed his country's border with Brazil. Lastly, Aleesa Mann talk…

El Salvador elected a new "outsider" president, Nayib Bukele, who upset the country's two-party system. In other news from Latin America, Venezuelan opposition leader Juan Guaidó continued his efforts to unseat President Nicolás Maduro, Joaquín "El Chapo" Guzmán was found guilty and the ghost of Pablo Escobar's former drug ring has been haunting Co…