Headlines From The Times - The rising left in South America

The rising left in South America

01/06/22 • 23 min

Across Latin America, the political left is making a comeback not seen since the 2000s. Izquierdista presidential candidates won recent elections in Peru and Honduras. Activists are mounting protests against the conservative presidents of Brazil and Colombia.

The left’s biggest win so far is in Chile, where Gabriel Boric was elected president last month. He’ll take office in a country that’s about to rewrite its constitution, which was put into place by dictator Augusto Pinochet.

Today, L.A. Times Mexico City bureau chief Patrick J. McDonnell and Universidad de Chile professor Claudia Heiss speak with us about this “pink tide” and what it could mean for a region coming to terms with soaring inequality, a legacy of colonialism and a bloody, authoritarian history.

More reading:

Leftist lawmaker Boric wins polarized election in Chile, to become nation’s youngest president

Chile’s new president (Taylor’s version): Gabriel Boric is a Swiftie

Chileans approve rewriting of constitution in landslide vote

More reading:

Leftist lawmaker Boric wins polarized election in Chile, to become nation’s youngest president

Chile’s new president (Taylor’s version): Gabriel Boric is a Swiftie

Chileans approve rewriting of constitution in landslide vote

Previous Episode

The next pandemic is already lurking

Hopefully the COVID-19 nightmare will soon wane, but it’s unlikely to be the last pandemic of our lifetimes. Because the virus that will cause the next pandemic is probably already out there.

Animals carry hundreds of thousands of viruses that have the potential to infect humans. Buffer zones between where people live and where wild animals live lower the risk of viruses jumping from another species to our own. But now human behaviors such as deforestation and urbanization, along with climate change, are erasing those zones.

Today, L.A. Times foreign correspondent Kate Linthicum, who recently traveled to the Amazon rainforest, and national correspondent Emily Baumgaertner, who focuses on medical investigations, explain the issue. And they talk about ways to solve the problem — or at least dial down the risks.

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Where will the next pandemic begin? The Amazon rainforest offers troubling clues

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Next Episode

California crime waves, real and imaginary

It’s been a season of crime in California. Smash-and-grab thefts, follow-home robberies, high-profile murders — national, even international news accounts have painted a Golden State of chaos.

The numbers tell a different story: Some major crime indicators are up, but others are down, and they’re nowhere near historical highs. But that reality isn’t placating anyone. And when Californians get mad about crime — watch out, America.

Today, L.A. Times columnist Erika D. Smith discusses California’s legacy of crackdowns. And business reporter Sam Dean discusses how some stores may be taking advantage of public fear.

More reading:

Column: Don’t let Jacqueline Avant’s shooting get pulled into L.A.'s crass politics of crime

San Francisco confronts a crime wave unusual among U.S. cities

Retailers say thefts are at crisis level. The numbers say otherwise