The X-Ray

The United States’ success as a country, the consolidation of democracy, its ability to conquer a continent and then project massive power across the world, is due in part to its relationship with Latin America.

As the polymath author of the seminal book Guns, Germs and Steel Jared Diamond explained, geography is destiny. And the United States’ southern border, unlike those of France or Germany, for example, that have gone to war ti...

Why do most Americans strongly disapprove of Congress? It’s complicated. Addiction to power, fame, and money has always been part of Congress’ ick factor and the brutal politics of our era create all sorts of perverse incentives for members to cosplay TV stars. But is there something deeper going on? Is Congress broken forever?

Fernando hunts for an answer with Dr. Kevin Kosar, a senior fellow at the American Enterprise Institute st...

The 2017 neo-Nazi rally in Charlottesville was a coming out party for the extreme-right movement. From that ugly debut, white nationalist groups are now literally marching across the country. Most recently in East Cobb, Georgia, Jewish worshippers were terrorized at a synagogue by swastika brandishing thugs. With a jump in attacks against ethnic, religious, and sexual minorities, the FBI’s far-right domestic terrorism warning sadly...

Latino voter participation jumped dramatically in the last two elections — yet the Washington DC political class seems pretty clueless about these voters. And if the surprising midterm results are a real trend, the Latino vote is in play for both parties. How effectively Democrats and Republicans persuade — or repel — Latinos could very well determine the winner of the presidency in 2024.

To help dispel the big mystery about these v...

The Ukraine war took an unexpected turn — into Russia. The spectacular march on Moscow by Vladimir Putin’s rebellious henchman exposed the strongman’s surprising weakness. During these dramatic events, the Russian nuclear superpower teetered on the edge of chaos. And as America ramps up support for Ukraine, an unstable Russia is now an even bigger threat to the global democratic order.

Fernando is joined by Admiral Mike Rogers who u...

A majority of Americans increasingly question the Supreme Court’s authority. Deeply controversial decisions have sparked public outrage, raising concerns about the Court’s legitimacy and its outsized impact on American democracy.

Fernando digs into the Court’s growing unpopularity with Michael Waldman, president and CEO of the Brennan Center for Justice at NYU School of Law. Waldman is a constitutional lawyer and expert on the presi...

With the resolution of the debt ceiling crisis in sight, we’re asking the key question – just what did Americans get for all the fire-breathing threats to drive the country into a catastrophic default?

Fernando speaks with freshman Congressman Seth Magaziner (D-RI) to find out how this madness looks from inside the tent, through the eyes of someone who only recently joined the circus on Capitol Hill.

And on our special X-Ray Vision s...

The drip-drip of revelations surrounding Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas is sabotaging the legitimacy of the nation’s highest court. Hundreds of thousands of dollars in luxury gifts have gone undisclosed. It’s a troubling pattern of shady behavior at an institution that is considered a cornerstone of American democracy.

U.S. Senator Sheldon Whitehouse (D-RI), a longtime critic of the Supreme Court’s approach to policing itself...

Two drones explode over the Kremlin. Giant fuel depots blow up in occupied Crimea. Mysterious detonations hit several cities deep in Russia. Are these the first attacks in Ukraine’s much anticipated spring counteroffensive? Will this campaign finally start liberating Ukraine from Vladimir Putin’s bloody invasion? And why should Americans care about yet another war in a faraway nation?

Former U.S. Secretary of Defense Leon Panetta jo...

Here we go again. Congress is facing a June 1 deadline to avoid a totally preventable “debt ceiling” crisis. If no one flinches in this dangerous game of chicken, the U.S. economy will be dragged into a cataclysm, destroying America’s global reputation and unleashing unfathomable pain for every American family.

An artifact from World War I, the debt ceiling comes back every few years to provide existential drama — the battlefield of...

Andrew Yang is at it again. Starting with his debut on the national stage in the 2020 presidential election, the entrepreneur without government experience jumped into the political arena with a fresh message and camera-ready charisma. And though he lost his quest for the presidency, he gained a national following and reputation for deep thoughts.

Now, Yang is taking another big leap — creating a new political party that wants to in...

Like a party guest that won’t leave, Donald Trump is the rare losing presidential candidate that is making another run at the White House. Twice impeached and now indicted, Trump is nevertheless the favorite candidate to win the Republican nomination, according to recent polls. But what does this mean for our political system overall? And what’s the impact on a divided Republican Party? Former Rep. Reid Ribble (R-WI) joins Fernando...

Since Donald Trump entered the presidential race in 2015, his MAGA movement has grown exponentially, attracting millions of fervent followers and directly influencing political leaders across the country. In this episode of The X-Ray, Fernando and Greg Sargent, an opinion columnist at The Washington Post who covers national politics, have a wide-ranging conversation about Trump’s movement, analyzing what Greg calls "the Fortress MA...

When Donald Trump is arrested and formally charged this Tuesday for alleged crimes in New York, it will be a historic spectacle. As we all know, no U.S. president or former president has ever been charged with a crime. This unprecedented event puts the nation in uncharted, and some say, dangerous territory. To understand what this all really means, and what we can expect after Donald Trump’s historic day in court, Fernando speaks w...

No one has done more to expose social media‘s threat to democracy than Frances Haugen, globally famous as the Facebook Whistleblower. Frances exposed how Facebook’s secret algorithms generated engagement by stoking hate, division, conspiracy theories and sometimes even violence.  Fernando and Frances discuss the risks social media poses to our democracy, the unique power of algorithms that shape human perception, and the ongoing ri...

Is the rise of authoritarianism in America real? Is democracy at risk? Just a few years ago, this would have been ridiculous. But after the rise of Donald Trump and the January 6 insurrection, fascism is no longer an old idea from history, some experts say it is a clear and present danger. Ruth Ben-Ghiat, author of the bestseller “Strongmen: From Mussolini to the Present,” joins Fernando for a fascinating exploration of authoritari...

Introducing The X-Ray with Fernando Espuelas — a new podcast with a fresh take on political power: Who wants it? Who wields it? And why?

Through compelling conversations with newsmakers, power players, and experts, The X-Ray answers these questions, providing listeners with insightful analysis of the biggest issues facing our democracy at home and abroad.

Subscribe wherever you get your podcasts and follow the show on Twitter, Facebo...

As season two of "Swamp Stories" comes to a close, so does Weston's time as host of the show.

After nearly 50 episodes that cover a wide range of national democracy reform topics, Weston has turned his sights back home to Tennessee. He was recently sworn in as the mayor of Hamilton County, the state's fourth largest county.

For Weston's final episode, he sat down with Issue One's Chief of Strategy and Program Ethan Rome to reflect on...