President of Mexico Claudia Sheinbaum speaks during the daily morning briefing at Palacio Nacional on July 15, 2026, in Mexico City, Mexico.
(Manuel Velasquez / Getty Images)
This one’s a little different. Aaron, Matt, and Jonathan talk with Ken Salazar—former US senator from Colorado, secretary of the interior under Obama, and ambassador to Mexico under Biden—about why Democrats need to rethink their approach to the US-Mexico border and start treating immigration not as a liability to be managed, but a genuine opportunity to be seized. We also discuss the politics of Mexico and Ken’s experiences with AMLO, Mexico’s former insanely popular populist president, and Claudia Sheinbaum, Mexico’s current insanely popular populist president. Aaron even tries to get a little feisty with Ken about his climate record, but fails spectacularly due to Ken’s “kind grandpa” demeanor. Oh, well.
Check out Ken Salazar’s new book, Borderlands.
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Aaron Regunberg
Aaron Regunberg is a climate lawyer, a contributing editor at The New Republic, and a former Rhode Island state representative.
Matt DaSilva
Matt DaSilva is a co-host of the Fighting Fascism podcast.
Jonathan Smucker
Jonathan Smucker is cofounder and executive director of Popular Comms, a cofounder of Pennsylvania Stands Up, and the author of Hegemony How-To: A Roadmap for Radicals. He has worked for over 25 years as a political organizer, campaigner, and strategist, and has trained thousands of organizers and social movement participants.
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