Autonomous Technological Institute of Mexico
Professor of Political Science and International Relations at the Instituto Tecnológico Autónomo de México (ITAM) and a PhD candidate for political science at the New School; columnist for the Mexican newspaper, Reforma
Mexico: The Drug War and Sunday's Presidential Election Tens of thousands of Mexicans have been killed since President Felipe Calderón began his war on brutal drug cartels after taking office six years ago. To date that war has killed more than 50,000. Four days before Sunday's presidential election, that's on the mind of every potential voter but, in the campaigns to replace Calderón, no candidate has come up with a persuasive strategy. We hear about the likely return of the Institutional Revolutionary Party (PRI), which ruled Mexico for 71 years until it was rejected 12 years ago and about a youth movement against continued corruption. What's happened to the promises of real democracy and the end of corruption? What's the potential impact of a youth movement that began on college campuses and that's spreading on social media? Before beginning our panel discussion, we hear a production from Sonic Trace, a project at KCRW, which is telling the stories of immigrants from Mexico and Central America. As an introduction to the presidential election, we hear from Luis, a 17-year-old, Mexican-born junior at a Los Angeles high school and what he learned about the politics of his homeland. Sonic Trace is produced by Anayansi Diaz-Cortes and Eric Pearse-Chavez. It is part of Localore, an initiative of the Association of Independents in Radio (AIR) and the Corporation for Public Broadcasting. It's home is KCRW's Independent Producer Project. The project is co-produced by Zeega, a non-profit inventing new forms of interactive storytelling. Thanks to Jacob Conrad, who edited the story, audio engineer Mario Diaz, and to Marco Morales. Follow Sonic Trace on Facebook and Twitter .
The longest US war: Will Trump send more troops to Afghanistan? The Trump White House is divided over the Pentagon's request for more troops in Afghanistan—where the US has been fighting for the past 16 years. Is there a formula -- either for "victory" or a political settlement? Is there an end in sight for America's longest war?
Terrorism and tweets, hate speech and murder Just days before an election, Britain is coping with a rash of deadly terrorism, and Prime Minister Theresa May is on the defensive. And again today, President Trump has tweeted criticism of the Mayor of London. Later, a double murder in Portland, Oregon has revealed the ugly past of a supposedly “progressive” city. One immediate question: is “hate speech” protected by the First Amendment?
Who's to blame for the opioid crisis? Some of the lawyers who took on Big Tobacco are now going after Big Pharma. It’s all about the deadly epidemic of opioid use. Are the drug companies to blame? What about the users? Later, on today’s Talking Point: making sense of Britain’s upset election.