logo
episode-header-image
Feb 2024
29m 7s

El Salvador Decimated Gangs. But at What...

The New York Times
About this episode
El Salvador has experienced a remarkable transformation. What had once been one of the most violent countries in the world has become incredibly safe. Natalie Kitroeff, the New York Times bureau chief for Mexico, Central America and the Caribbean, discusses the cost of that transformation to the people of El Salvador, and the man at the center of it, the ne ... Show More
Up next
Today
A Landslide Victory for Democrats
On Tuesday night, the blue wave that polls predicted landed with extraordinary force across the United States as Democrats flipped control of both the House and the Senate.Nate Cohn, Lisa Lerer and Shane Goldmacher of The New York Times discuss an extraordinary shift in power and ... Show More
34m 42s
Yesterday
A Guide to Election Night 2026
After two years of campaigning, the 2026 midterm election is now in the hands of the American voters.As the ballot counting begins, Nate Cohn, the chief political analyst for The New York Times, offers a guide for how to understand the results.Guest: Nate Cohn, the chief politica ... Show More
35m 17s
Nov 2
A Political Rebellion in the Rio Grande Valley
Warning: This episode contains strong language.In the midterm elections, one of the regions expected to swing away from President Trump and toward Democrats is the Rio Grande Valley of Texas, where life has been transformed by his administration’s crackdown on immigration.Lynsea ... Show More
1h 16m
Recommended Episodes
Sep 2023
104 - El Salvador: The Price of Security
Once the murder capital of the world, El Salvador finds itself grappling with both gang violence and geopolitical shifts. Between 2013 and 2016, murder rates soared due to gang wars and systemic extortion. President Nayib Bukele, emerging from this tumult, removes the safety catc ... Show More
1h 3m
Jul 2023
Trading criminality for autocracy: El Salvador
<p>A country that was not long ago gripped by gang violence and crime is slowly emerging from fear, thanks to a <a href="https://www.economist.com/films/2023/07/21/inside-el-salvadors-war-on-crime" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">brutal roundup</a> of young men by a wil ... Show More
25m 54s
Feb 2024
What’s it like inside El Salvador’s mega-jail?
Rival gangs in El Salvador used to rule the streets. It was one of the most dangerous countries in the world, with a really high murder rate. But now its President claims it is one of the safest in the Western hemisphere. How did he do it? By creating a state of exception and arr ... Show More
12m 29s
Aug 2023
El Salvador: The rise of the ‘world’s coolest dictator’
Not long ago, the tiny nation of El Salvador had the highest murder rate in the world. Now, it has the highest incarceration rate. President Nayib Bukele – who has described himself as “the world’s coolest dictator” – has detained 70,000 gang suspects without trial. His supporter ... Show More
28m 8s
Jul 2023
Trading criminality for autocracy: El Salvador
<p>A country that was not long ago gripped by gang violence and crime is slowly emerging from fear, thanks to a <a href="https://www.economist.com/films/2023/07/21/inside-el-salvadors-war-on-crime" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">brutal roundup</a> of young men by a wil ... Show More
25m 54s
Jun 2024
El Salvador's War on MS-13: Nayib Bukele Goes Hard
Since 2019, Salvadoran President Nayib Bukele has smashed the country’s two main gangs, MS-13 and Barrio 18, throwing almost 80,000 people into megaprisons and implementing a harsh but effective “state of exception,” aka martial law. Murder rates have plummeted and, for the first ... Show More
56m 47s
Nov 2012
El Salvador's Gang Truce
In one of the most violent countries on earth, peace has broken out. In March, a truce was brokered between El Salvador's two most violent street gangs; they agreed to stop killing each other. The Mara Salvatrucha and Barrio 18 are criminal outfits that trace their origins to Los ... Show More
28m 13s
Jun 2024
President Nayib Bukele: Seeking God’s Wisdom, Taking Down MS-13, and His Advice to Donald Trump
Nayib Bukele is the 43rd President of El Salvador. He was re-elected in February 2024 with 85% of the vote. (00:00) President Bukele on his Inauguration (16:55) Number One Priority: Seeking God's Wisdom (25:14) Why Can't Biden and Other Western Leaders End Crime? (58:50) Legal A ... Show More
1h 8m