In episode 126 of Soberanía, hosts José Luis Granados Ceja and Kurt Hackbarth open with the Senate’s approval of the dual nationality reform, which bars anyone with more than one citizenship from serving as president or governor. The hosts dismantle the criticism from Larry Rubin — a Republican operative and president of the American Society of Mexico — who went to the Senate to lobby against the measure, claiming it discriminates against migrants. The hosts note the hypocrisy: these same voices have been silent on ICE abuses, hunger strikes in detention centers, and efforts to make it easier for migrants to vote.
Next, they examine new revelations in the Cerimedo scandal, including photos of the far-right operative with Donald Trump Jr., Brad Parscale, and other right-wing figures. They discuss how Bolivia’s attorney general—investigating Cerimedo’s alleged drug ties and assassination plot—has been targeted with U.S. visa restrictions. Is this an act of retaliation? The hosts connect this to the broader U.S. strategy of using “narco-terrorist” designations to go after political opponents across the region, including Colombian Senator Iván Cepeda, who warns he could be next.
The conversation then turns to Brazil’s presidential election, where Lula and Flávio Bolsonaro are locked in a tight race. The hosts highlight leaked documents suggesting Bolsonaro’s campaign may have offered the U.S. access to critical minerals in exchange for support, and note that Meta suspended Lula’s paid advertisements days before the vote. They also discuss late-stage scandals plaguing Bolsonaro, including reports of sex parties, a suspicious Rolex, and a bizarre biopic starring Jim Caviezel.
Losers and Haters takes aim at the New York Times for a story claiming Andrés Manuel López Beltrán is seen as the “heir” to AMLO — a claim the hosts say is completely fabricated and reveals how out of touch the paper is with Mexican politics.
