Latino USA

A man dies in a U.S. immigration detention center, under unusual circumstances. He is found unresponsive in his cell, with a sock stuffed down his throat. His death is ruled a suicide, but little information is put out about what happened, and the family wants answers. In this first part of a special two-part series, Latino USA investigates why José de Jesús died in the custody of the U.S. government, and what his death tells us about conditions—especially mental health services—inside the immigration detention system.

This week we talk about what it means to be an American, and how Americans from all backgrounds have confronted the question. Actor George Takei talks about his family experience in a Japanese American internment camp, and how his father taught him about participating in democracy. For those Americans in our armed forces, struggling to get veterans' resources on the island of Guam brings important questions about how we take care of those who serve. And journalists Wajahat Ali and Veronica Beyetti Flores talk about racism, xenophobia, and our current election season.

On this week's Latino USA, producers spend a day in a bodega in Washington Heights, NYC — home to one of the biggest Dominican populations in the U.S. They uncover stories about nutrition, migration, community, and the slow threat of gentrification.

This week, we talk about what makes a sanctuary for queer people of color, from the safety and freedom of gay clubs to Latino USA listeners sharing stories about queer gyms and choral groups. Carmen Carrera, reality TV star known from RuPaul's Drag Race, talks about finding herself. And we tell the story of Julio Rivera, a gay man murdered in New York, whose death became the first documented anti-gay hate crime in the state. Finally, DJ Precolombian talks about the link between dancing and trauma and creating the dancefloor of her dreams.

With the Copa America here in the US, this is the summer of soccer - or fútbol. So Latino USA is taking a look at the sport loved throughout Latin America and around the world. What happens when you come from both the US and Mexico – what national team do you root for? Or what about if your national team is constantly losing, do you lose faith? And we take a look at elite women's soccer in the US, a world few Latinas reach.

A look at some of the political stories that aren't as obvious, from the difference in coverage between english and spanish langauge reporting to why it's hard to accurately gather data about Latinos. Plus a report on the overlooked state races in Florida.

We tell stories of rescue, from a combat search and rescue pilot saving plane crash survivors to Latina young women leaving home for college. A new Puerto Rican superhero spreads the word about social justice and the island's debt crisis. And Diane Guerrero, known for her roles in Orange is the New Black and Jane the Virgin, opens up about growing up after her parents were deported, struggling with self-harm and mental health, and ultimately being rescued by her community and herself.

What's in a word? Find out with Latino USA as we talk about Spanglish and its implications, how to interpret the made up language of some popular movie characters, and living as a deaf Latino.

This week we take a look at comedy – who writes the shows, how to use comedy to fix problems like the pothole on your street, and activists trying to take racial caricatures out of comedy. Plus we hear from Cris Abrego, the creater of one of the largest reality TV empires in the country on the rise of reality TV and what makes watching it funny. And we talk with comedians of color about trying to make it in stand-up comedy clubs, a realm ruled mostly by white men.

We talk about about immigration on Latino USA, usually to the US. But what about global migration? This week we look at some unusual stories of migration, from dressage trainers in Mexico to West Africans in the trecherous Darian Gap of Central America. And we look at what it's like to live in Qatar, the country with the highest percentage of immigrants. Finally, Koko Warner discusses how climate change will affect global migration now and in the future.

Latino USA focuses this week on the idea of the reprise; a repeated but changed, passage of music. Maria Hinojosa talks to Lin-Manuel Miranda about his upcoming Broadway musical Hamilton, composer Tania León, and an up-and-coming band called Ibeyi.

We take another look at the 2016 election cycle and explore the Latino identity of Ted Cruz, why there's a generation gap in Latino voters between Sanders and Clinton, and investigate Hillary Clinton's relationship with a coup in Honduras. We also talk with residents of the Virgin Islands, who can't vote in general elections, and a newly naturalized citizen taking part in the voting process for the first time.

We dive deep into the creative minds of a few writers and artists who will be part of this year's PEN World Voices Festival with a series of conversations. Hear the glitch poetry of Guillermo Gomez Peña, Carmen Tafolla acts out a story, and wisdom from a philosopher.

This week we hear about the growing pains of the legal weed industry. With small business owners and wealthy private investors looking to get in on the profits, what will happen as laws continue to change? We explore how the drug war affects communities of color and the racialized history of weed, and why the legal industry today is mostly white. And finally, what happens when you open an edibles business in college?

Latino USA revisits stories about women who run things. From the potentially most powerful Latina in the US - Supreme Court Justice, Sonia Sotomayor - to the forgotten LGBTQ hero Sylvia Rivera, we learn about the Latinas who have made a mark.