Central America in Minutes

Afleveringen

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  Juan Orlando Hernández Returns to Honduras 31.07.2026 8min

  Episode 83: Former Honduran President Juan Orlando Hernández returns to his country after Trump pardoned him last year. He now faces criminal charges of embezzlement.A couple recently forced to return to Guatemala is found dead in a field outside Retalhuleu, near the Mexican border. U.S. self-deportation totals are disputed.Seven months before national elections, Salvadoran opposition leader Claudia Ortiz urges her party to stay open to alliances, but party leaders remain more selective.This episode was written by Yuliana Ramazzini, Leyrian Colón Santiago, Megan Mandrachio, and Gabriel Labrador. Editing by Roman Gressier and sound design by Omnionn.Stream Central America in Minutes on Apple, Spotify, Amazon, iHeart, and YouTube.
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  Who Can Stop Murillo and Ortega in Nicaragua? 24.07.2026 8min

  Episode 81: Daniel Ortega’s announcement that “there will be no more elections” in Nicaragua sparks a wave of regional and international criticism.A Salvadoran fisherman’s body shows signs of violent death in prison that were ignored in an autopsy. He is one of over 500 confirmed deaths in custody under the state of exception.Benedicto Lucas, a former Guatemalan general accused of genocide against the Maya Ixil people, is granted house arrest. His trial has been frozen for two years.This episode was written by Leyrian Colón Santiago, Yuliana Ramazzini, and Megan Mandrachio. Editing by Roman Gressier and sound design by Omnionn. Stream Central America in Minutes on Apple, Spotify, Amazon, iHeart, and YouTube.
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  What Will Trump Decide on TPS for El Salvador? 17.07.2026 8min

  Episode 81: While Salvadoran TPS recipients hold their breath for a last-second renewal, Bukele meets with Trump after launching a bid for a third term.The Nicaraguan regime begins a new phase of persecution by selling off exiles’ properties and secretly revoking the licenses of an estimated 2,000 lawyers.Former President Juan Orlando Hernández is expected to return to Honduras on July 26, where he will face charges of fraud and money laundering before a Honduran court.This episode was written by Megan Mandrachio, Leyrian Colón Santiago, and Gabriel Labrador. Editing by Roman Gressier and sound design by Omnionn. Stream Central America in Minutes on Apple, Spotify, Amazon, iHeart, and YouTube.
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  Salvadoran Political Prisoner Ruth López’s Life Is At Risk 10.07.2026 9min

  Episode 80: Salvadoran human rights attorney Ruth López’s family fears for her life. They finally visited her following more than 400 days in prison.Guatemalan prosecutors stop trying to revoke the house arrest of newspaperman Jose Rubén Zamora, easing up on an emblematic case of lawfare against journalists in Latin America.Nicaragua has received dozens of third-country deportees since Donald Trump returned to office. Other Central American countries have, too, but Managua has been a low-key partner.This episode was written by Leyrian Colón Santiago, Yuliana Ramazzini, and Gabriel Labrador. Editing by Roman Gressier and sound design by Omnionn. Stream Central America in Minutes on Apple, Spotify, Amazon, iHeart, and YouTube.
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  Bukele Sets Stage for Third Term in El Salvador 03.07.2026 8min

  Episode 79: Nayib Bukele registers to run for a third term in El Salvador’s 2027 election after scrapping term limits. If he achieves his goal, he’s set to stay in power until 2033.Donald Trump’s nominee for ambassador to Guatemala, heralded by the opposition, steps down without public explanation following months of turmoil over U.S. policy in Guatemala.Trump's threat to “take back the canal” looms over Panama as concerns grow about the country's neutrality and whether there will be enough water to keep the canal operational.This episode was written by Megan Mandrachio, Gabriel Labrador  and Leyrian Colón Santiago. Editing by Roman Gressier and sound design by Omnionn. Stream Central America in Minutes on Apple, Spotify, Amazon, iHeart, and YouTube.
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  Trump Diplomats Depart an OAS Mission in Turmoil 26.06.2026 8min

  Episode 78: A string of U.S. officials departs Trump’s mission to the OAS amid ideological tensions and a financial crisis that are roiling the hemisphere’s oldest multilateral.The World Bank projects El Salvador’s economy will grow in 2026 by a hair. The ruling party celebrates, while economists say it’s fueled by tens of millions of dollars in remittances.A year after the murder in Costa Rica of Nicaraguan refugee Roberto Samcam, prosecutors finally file charges against the suspects. A trial is expected to begin in 2027.This episode was written by Yuliana Ramazzini, Leyrian Colón Santiago and Megan Mandrachio, who’s interning with El Faro English from the Craig Newmark Graduate School of Journalism at CUNY. Editing by Roman Gressier and sound design by Omnionn. Stream Central America in Minutes on Apple, Spotify, Amazon, iHeart, and YouTube.
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  Honduras Cracks Down on Protests Tied to Land Conflicts 19.06.2026 9min

  Episode 77: Honduras expands the definition of terrorism to include legally registered organizations and cracks down on protests tied to land conflict.Costa Rican President Laura Fernández proposes a reform to slow Nicaraguan migration. Amid mounting criticism, she asserts Nicaraguans have the government “they chose.”In our magazine Beacon: an investigation in El Salvador; an interview with Guatemala’s defense chief; chronicles from Louisiana and the Balkans; and fiction on Mars.This episode was written by Yuliana Ramazzini, Gabriel Labrador, and Leyrian Colón Santiago, with editing by Roman Gressier and sound design by Omnionn. Stream Central America in Minutes on Apple, Spotify, Amazon, iHeart, and YouTube.
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  Nicaraguan Political Prisoners Keep Dying in Regime Custody 12.06.2026 9min

  Episode 76: In Nicaragua, the United States sanctions more than 100 officials after naming the Ortega-Murillo regime as responsible for the death of political prisoner Brooklyn Rivera.In Guatemala, the new attorney general halts the three-year prosecution of a group of journalists and columnists for obstruction of justice, in a landmark win for press freedom.In El Salvador, search groups question official homicide figures due to differences in how murders are registered in the country.This episode was written by Leyrian Colón Santiago, Gabriel Labrador, and Graciela Barrera, with editing by Roman Gressier and sound design by Omnionn. Stream Central America in Minutes on Apple, Spotify, Amazon, iHeart, and YouTube.
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  Arévalo Downplays Report of Imminent Joint U.S. Military Strikes 05.06.2026 7min

  Episode 75: In Guatemala, Arévalo downplays New York Times reporting that joint military strikes against cartels are set to begin in June as U.S. officials push to put boots on the ground.In Nicaragua, six relatives of Indigenous leader Brooklyn Rivera are detained by Sandinista police while claiming his body. Rivera had died in regime custody.In El Salvador, a campaign to save a major city forest gathers over half a million signatures. The government moves ahead with plans to build a new convention center.This episode was written by Yuliana Ramazzini, Leyrian Colón Santiago, and Gabriel Labrador, with editing by Roman Gressier and sound design by Omnionn. Stream Central America in Minutes on Apple, Spotify, Amazon, iHeart, and YouTube.
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  Sweeping Abuses in Costa Rica Against U.S. Deportees 29.05.2026 9min

  Episode 74: Costa Rican authorities find 200 migrants deported there from the U.S. in 2025 were subject to de facto deprivation of liberty, passport retention, discrimination, and physical injury due to the prolonged use of shackles.Despite a constitutional mandate to promote home ownership, El Salvador has a shortage of around 400,000 homes, with many living in precarious housing called mesones.In Panama, hundreds protest the reopening of an open-pit copper mine with a thermoelectric power plant, falling short of international commitments on decarbonization.This episode was written by Gabriel Labrador,  Leyrian Colón Santiago, and Yuliana Ramazzini, with editing by Roman Gressier and sound design by Omnionn. Stream Central America in Minutes on Apple, Spotify, Amazon, iHeart, and YouTube.
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  Political Prisoner Ruth López Hits One Year in Bukele’s Dungeons 23.05.2026 9min

  Episode 73: One year after her arrest by the Salvadoran regime, Ruth López’s family, international organizations, and groups in exile call for her release and for information on her health.Audio published by Hondurasgate and amplified by international media allege an international plot in favor of Juan Orlando Hernández, but skip journalistic due diligence.Guatemala’s new attorney general ends the eight-year tenure of Consuelo Porras, sanctioned by more than 40 countries and known for criminalizing journalists, judges, and political foes. This episode was written by Yuliana Ramazzini, Leyrian Colón Santiago, and Gabriel Labrador, with editing by Roman Gressier and sound design by Omnionn. Stream Central America in Minutes on Apple, Spotify, Amazon, iHeart, and YouTube.
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  A Friend to Trump, Netanhayu, and Bukele Takes Office in Costa Rica 15.05.2026 9min

  Episode 72: Laura Fernández is sworn in as president of Costa Rica, promising an El Salvador-style crackdown on crime. The Israeli government says Costa Rica is willing to open an embassy in Jerusalem. rU.N. experts demand proof of life for Nicaraguan Indigenous leader and political prisoner Brooklyn Rivera. They denounce forced disappearances, inhumane conditions, and dozens of remaining political prisoners under the Ortega-Murillo regime.New reporting shows the government of El Salvador tried to acquire spyware through an international web of intermediaries around 2024, after the deployment of Pegasus against civil society was revealed in the country in early 2022.This episode was written by Yuliana Ramazzini and Leyrian Colón Santiago, with editing by Roman Gressier and sound design by Omnionn. Stream Central America in Minutes on Apple, Spotify, Amazon, iHeart, and YouTube.
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  Guatemala Turns the Page After Eight Years of Consuelo Porras 08.05.2026 9min

  Episode 71: Guatemalan President Bernardo Arévalo names Gabriel García Luna, a career judicial official working for the Executive, as attorney general. After years of selective justice, he will take office May 17 barring legal challenges.In Guatemala, the murder of journalist Carlos Humberto Cal Ical draws calls for a swift investigation and end to impunity, amid growing threats to the press from governments and criminal groups alike across Central America.El Faro announces that the Treasury Ministry in El Salvador froze personal assets of partners of the company that founded El Faro three decades ago, as part of a long-running tax crackdown.This episode was written by Gabriel Labrador and Roman Gressier, with sound design by Omnionn. Stream Central America in Minutes on Apple, Spotify, Amazon, iHeart, and YouTube.
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  Mass Trial for Collective Gang Crimes Begins in El Salvador 24.04.2026 8min

  Episode 70: El Salvador begins a mass trial of 486 alleged MS-13 members following a dramatic rewriting of judicial procedure. The men will be tried for collective, not individual crimes. New penalties of life in prison will take effect on Sunday.After months of avoiding direct confrontation with Washington, Ortega calls Trump “mentally deranged” just as new U.S. sanctions are imposed on his inner circle for human rights abuses and issues related to the gold mining sector.Guatemala’s internationally sanctioned attorney general is cut out of the final list of nominees for the next AG, appearing to upend her reelection bid — until the Constitutional Court rules a last-second do-over, keeping her still in play.This episode was written by Gabriela Cáceres, Yuliana Ramazzini, and Leyrian Colón Santiago, with editing by Roman Gressier and sound design by Omnionn. Stream Central America in Minutes on Apple, Spotify, Amazon, iHeart, and YouTube.
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  Remember Bitcoin? Now Bukele’s All In on A.I. 17.04.2026 8min

  Episode 69: Amid major strain on the public health system, Bukele announces Google’s A.I. system Gemini will help oversee case loads for chronic illnesses. He is billing El Salvador as “the world’s premier testbed for real-world A.I. deployment.”In Guatemala, Plaza Pública reports that the U.S. Embassy tried to influence the elections of constitutional magistrates. Two lobbying groups work against President Bernardo Arévalo in Trump’s Washington.Costa Rican authorities confirm a Nicaraguan citizen as a main perpetrator in the murder of former Nicaraguan military commander Roberto Samcam. Samcam had identified him as a middle man between Nicaraguan intelligence and contract killers.This episode was written by Yuliana Ramazzini, Leyrian Colón Santiago, and Roman Gressier, with sound design by Omnionn. Stream Central America in Minutes on Apple, Spotify, Amazon, iHeart, and YouTube.
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  After Trump Pardon, Hernández Appeals to Court of Public Opinion 10.04.2026 9min

  Episode 68: On Wednesday, former president Juan Orlando Hernández claimed a U.S. appeals court declared him “innocent” of drug trafficking charges. But the court in fact dismissed his appeal because Trump’s November 2025 pardon had made it a moot point.Costa Rican President-elect Laura Fernández has announced her first decrees in May. Mining rights are a priority, and she’ll set the agenda for three months in the legislature. Her first cabinet meeting will be in the National Stadium.During Holy Week in Nicaragua, more than 6,000 religious processions were banned, which U.S. authorities described as religious persecution. The regime rejected the criticism despite ongoing reports of religious restrictions and exiled clergy.This episode was written by Yuliana Ramazzini, Leyrian Colón Santiago, and Gabriel Labrador, with editing by Roman Gressier and sound design by Omnionn.Stream Central America in Minutes on Apple, Spotify, Amazon, iHeart, and YouTube.
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  Mounting Civilian Death Toll in U.S. Boat Strikes 27.03.2026 8min

  Episode 67: International human rights experts condemn U.S. boat strikes against civilians accused of drug trafficking. To date, at least 163 people have been killed and no evidence of drug smuggling has been provided in any of the attacks.Costa Rica joins almost all governments in Central America to sign migration agreements to receive third-country nationals deported from the United States. Costa Rica commits to receiving 25 third-country migrants per week.Today the state of exception in El Salvador turns four years old. On the heels of international findings of potential crimes against humanity, the Bukele-controlled legislature approves life in prison for a slate of severe crimes, including for minors.This episode was written by Leyrian Colón Santiago, Yuliana Ramazzini, and Graciela Barrera, with editing by Roman Gressier and sound design by Omnionn.Stream Central America in Minutes on Apple, Spotify, Amazon, iHeart, and YouTube.
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  At the End of the Maras 20.03.2026 7min

  SPECIAL, Episode 66: I always imagined the end of the maras playing out differently. Since I am a pathological romantic, I imagined people in the street in some sort of march with drums and tears of joy. Or going to leave flowers at a monument for the victims of so much darkness… But no.This special episode shares an audio column by El Faro special investigations reporter Carlos Martínez, translated by William Palomo from Alma de Izote, and narrated by El Faro English editor Roman Gressier. Sound design by Omnionn.Find Central America in Minutes on Apple, Spotify, Amazon, iHeart, and YouTube.
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  Bukele Dismisses Findings of Crimes against Humanity 14.03.2026 8min

  Episode 65: With crimes against humanity in El Salvador on full international display, Bukele denounces the reports as a “coordinated” conspiracy. Trump’s pick as ambassador to El Salvador, former DHS official Troy Edgar, goes before the Senate.China’s future in Honduras hangs in the balance with the new Trump-backed president, Nasry Asfura. In his election campaign, he promised to restore relations with Taiwan, which were cut in 2023, but the administration is keeping its options open.Yuliana Ramazzini, Gabriela Cáceres, and Roman Gressier wrote this episode, with sound design by Omnionn. Find Central America in Minutes on Apple, Spotify, Amazon, iHeart, and YouTube.
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  Honduras Guilty Again for Dispossessing Garifunas 06.03.2026 9min

  Episode 64: The Inter-American Court of Human Rights condemned the state of Honduras for trying to uproot the Afro-Indigenous Garifuna community from Cayos Cochinos at the behest of a tourism conglomerate and a European TV spinoff of Survivor.Guatemalan political elites battle over a top court tainted by allegations of corruption and insider dealing. With all five seats up for grabs this week, both Arévalo and his enemies claim only they really understand where Trump stands.The human rights organization Cristosal reports 245 cases of political persecution in El Salvador. They identify a web of judicial and extrajudicial attacks leading to exile, self-censorship, and even death.This episode was produced with support from the Canada Fund for Local Initiatives. It was written by Yuliana Ramazzini, Gabriel Labrador, and Roman Gressier, with sound design by Omnionn.Stream Central America in Minutes on Apple, Spotify, Amazon, iHeart, and YouTube.