Saving Our Sons
With Maria away traveling, Julio sits down with Futuro Media’s Executive Director, Erika Dilday, for a special In The Thick conversation. As this Friday marks 19 years since the Columbine High School massacre and the second national student wa…
#107: Fighting the Silent Battles (With James McDaniel)
Maria calls up all-star guest, Christina Greer, professor at Fordham University and fellow at NYU’s McSilver Institute for Poverty Policy and Research, to get an In The Thick take on the latest news. Then, Maria and Julio sit down with actor a…
ITT EXTRA: Strange Times in the USA
Maria and Julio catch up on the week’s news. They chat about the saucy details from James Comey’s forthcoming memoir; corruption in federal immigration agencies; the fed’s raid of President Trump’s personal lawyer, Michael Cohen; Republicans w…
#106: The LGBT Community Is the Fabric of America
In this episode of In The Thick, Maria and Julio are joined by Shelby Chestnut, National Organizing and Policy Strategist with Transgender Law Center, and Verónica Bayetti Flores, freelance writer and co-host of Radio Menea. They discuss the L…
ITT EXTRA: Don’t Let Trump Distract
In this ITT Extra, Maria and Julio highlight three stories you may have missed this week because… Trump: the missing migrant voices from the coverage of the Central American refugee caravan; the conviction of former Bolivian president Gonzal…
#105: Are You a Citizen of the United States?
Julio sits down with Marielena Hincapié, executive director of the National Immigration Law Center, and In The Thick All-Star guest Sandra Lilley, editor of NBC News-Latino, to discuss the 2020 Census and the newly added citizenship question. …
ITT EXTRA: What Would Dolores Huerta Do?
Maria and Julio give a little history lesson about the complicated legacy of César Chávez. From the conservative trope that Chávez was anti-immigration to Maria meeting Chávez for the first time at a Halloween parade, they talk about the real …
#104: Tribalized and Weaponized
Maria and Julio are joined by two In The Thick All Star guests, Wajahat Ali, TV host and contributor to The New York Times, and Christina Greer, professor at Fordham University and fellow at NYU’s McSilver Institute for Poverty Policy and Rese…
Trump Can Read Numbers
Maria and Julio catch up on this week’s news waterfall: President Trump’s last-minute flip-flop on DACA and the spending bill, the Facebook-Cambridge Analytica scandal, why Trump is mad about a leaky White House and Sunday’s tragic Sacramento …
#103: Spring Is Coming?
Winter is ending… we think. Julio and Maria do a little spring cleaning and dig into some of the latest news with Terrell Jermaine Starr, senior reporter at The Root, and Justine Calma, fellow at Grist and The Investigative Fund with The Nat…
Call to Action
Julio and Maria kick back this Friday and catch up on the week’s news—from the Pennsylvania special election in a disappearing congressional district to the power of youth walking out of school to protest gun violence. They also chat about cou…
#102: The ‘Other’ Boston
Boston is known as a progressive city, but it’s also notorious for being one of the most racist cities in the United States. Julio, who’s lived in Boston for over 30 years, breaks it down with former mayoral candidate Tito Jackson, Boston Glob…
When Our Fans Call Us Out (ITT FYI)
For this Friday version of ITT FYI, Maria and Julio answer some emails from our listeners, with an assist from Futuro Media’s Maya Doig-Acuña, who tells us why we missed some big points in our recent Episode 101 Hollywood show. Also, North Kor…
#101: Creating Our Own Seat at the Table
With the Oscars claiming inclusion this year, we wondered: are people of color being represented in the entertainment industry? Julio talks with comedian Elsa Waithe and Felix Sanchez, co-founder of The National Hispanic Foundation for the Art…
I Just Met a Girl Named Maria (BONUS)
Maria and Julio speak with Mexican-American playwright Nancy Garcia Loza to discuss whitewashing in the theater community. They also talk about her new play “Jets, Sharks, and Beckys,” which was inspired by In The Thick! But first, a quick new…
#100: A Hundred Episodes Later, We FINALLY Talk About Gerrymandering
It’s our 100th episode (thank you!) and Maria is reporting around the country for the next few weeks so we ask, “Where is Maria?” before we finally discuss topics you have told us to do for a while now: gerrymandering and other forms of limiti…
ITT FYI: The LULAC Letter
Last week, League of United Latin American Citizens (LULAC) President Roger C. Rocha Jr. refused to step down after a letter he sent to President Trump went viral. Then, CEO Brent Wilkes unexpectedly resigned. Julio calls him to find out why. …
#99: Scandal in the White House
This week, we take a look at two stories that were overlooked. What is going on with the Russia investigation? Then, should White House Chief of Staff John Kelly resign? Maria and Julio are joined by Terrell Jermaine Starr, senior reporter at …
ITT FYI: Code Red
Wednesday’s shooting at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland, Florida, shook the core of many, including all of us here at In The Thick. In this latest ITT FYI, host Julio Ricardo Varela tries to make sense out of America’s latest …
#98: My Political Party Is Journalism
Could media across the political spectrum be doing a better job of reporting on politics, immigration and the President? Hosts Maria Hinojosa and Julio Ricardo Varela lead a discussion with MRC Latino’s Ken Oliver-Mendez and nationally syndica…
SPECIAL REPORT: On the Ground in D.C.
After a brief government shutdown in the early hours Friday morning, President Trump signed a bipartisan budget bill passed by both the Senate and the House of Representatives. The one thing not included in the bill was DACA, which Congress no…
#97: The Case of Immigration Activist Ravi Ragbir
After what a federal judge called an “unnecessarily cruel” detainment, immigration activist Ravi Ragbir is scheduled for deportation this Saturday, February 10th. This is following the recent detention and deportation of several other national…
The Super Bowl of Politics: Trump’s 1st SOTU (Bonus)
President Trump gave his first State of the Union speech Tuesday night, and between bringing up MS-13 and statements like “Americans are dreamers too,” immigration was a major underlying theme. Join Maria and Julio as they share their thoughts…
#96: A 21st Century Civil Rights Moment
In February, schools will participate in the national Black Lives Matter week of action. Teachers will discuss racial issues, and schools around the country will fly Black Lives Matter flags. So, how is race discussed in America’s education sy…