Ruben In The Center

Ruben In The Center

The extremes have it all wrong. Naturally. On every issue, they only see half the picture. The ideologues always lead to a dead-end. You need to travel the middle of the road. That’s where the action is — in the center. On the basketball court, the chessboard, or the boxing ring, the center is where you want to be. Now more than ever, our country needs to be centered. While other journalists lurch to the right or left, nationally syndicated columnist Ruben Navarrette keeps it one hundred by writing — and fighting — in the center. Here’s your host, Ruben Navarrette

Episodes

EP 148 | Dr. Jose Angel Gutierrez, JD/PhD

May 25, 2025 • 43 mins
Host Ruben Navarrette interviews his old friend, Dr. Jose Angel Gutierrez, a retired professor of political science at University of Texas at Arlington, a former civil rights attorney, and the author of more than 30 books on history, politics, race and culture. Gutierrez was a young activist in his native Texas who left his mark on the Chicano Civil Rights Movement of the early 1970's through his involvement in the Mexican American...
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EP 147 | Dr. Kristina Lopez, PhD -- Professor of Social Work, Arizona State University School of Social Work

May 24, 2025 • 29 mins
Host Ruben Navarrette interviews Dr. Kristina Lopez, PhD, Professor of Social Work. A graduate of the University of Michigan at Ann Arbor with a degree in social work and psychology, Lopez explores disparities in early diagnosis and subsequent treatment of underserved children and their families with special emphasis on Latino/a children with autism. The two talk about how Latino families have come to understand autism, and how the...
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EP 146 | Dr. Ron Granieri -- Professor of History & Templeton Education Fellow at the Foreign Policy Research Institute

April 7, 2025 • 59 mins
Host Ruben Navarrette interviews his old friend and former Harvard classmate, Dr. Ronald J. Granieri who is a history professor at the United States Army War College, as well as a Templeton Education Fellow at the Foreign Policy Research Institute. Given that Dr. Granieri's speciality is European history, with an emphasis on the study of allies and adversaries, the conversation could not be better timed. The two old friends talk ab...
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EP 145 | Rev. Samuel Rodriguez -- Pastor, Author, Filmmaker and President of the National Hispanic Christian Leadership Conference

March 25, 2025 • 44 mins
Host Ruben Navarrette interviews his friend and spirtual adviser Rev. Samuel Rodriguez, one of the nation's most prominent Latino evangelical leaders. They discuss faith, social activism and impactful storytelling. They also talk about the moral soul of America, which seems to be hurting at the moment -- and what can be done to heal it. Finally, they delve into the inner workings of Generation Z and explore what religion and faith ...
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EP 144 | Marisa Calderon, CEO of Prosperity Now, and Bob Friedman, founder of Prosperity Now

February 11, 2025 • 38 mins
Host Ruben Navarrette interviews Marisa Calderon, CEO of Prosperity Now, and Bob Friedman, the organization's founder. They discuss social activism, racial justice, and prosperity for all. They also talk about what the political parties have done right and wrong over the years, and how organizations like theirs can help make a better world and build a more perfect union.  
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EP 143 | Chris Salcedo, Newsmax-TV Host & Radio Talk Show Host

January 7, 2025 • 54 mins
Host Ruben Navarrette has a great conversation with his old friend, Chris Salcedo, a fellow professional communicator and broadcaster who traded living in California for Texas about the same time that Navarrette did the opposite. The two talk about politics, MAGA, the turbulent state of media, and why Latinos are finding a new home with a group of people they detested just 30 years ago: Republicans. 
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EP 142 | Emiliano Limon, Veterano Radio Producer & Podcast Developer

December 22, 2024 • 63 mins
Host Ruben Navarrette has a great conversation with his old friend, Emiliano Limon, about the new media and what went wrong with the old media. They talk about Limon's long career in talk radio and how that medium changed America -- and then went off the rails. They also discuss broadcast media in general, and what the future holds for an industry that seems to be changing by the week. 
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EP 141 | Michael Fisher, Former Chief of the U.S. Border Patrol

November 14, 2024 • 58 mins
Host Ruben Navarrette has a great conversation with his old friend, and former Chief of the U.S. Border Patrol, Michael Fisher. They discuss immigration enforcement policy, and the most effective methods of securing the nearly 2000-mile long border between the United States and Mexico. They also talk about politics, leadership and the need to speak honestly about complicated problems that don't have simple solutions. 
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EP 140 | Tavis Smiley, author/radio host/media entrepreneur

October 26, 2024 • 49 mins
Host Ruben Navarrette has a great conversation with Tavis Smiley, his old friend of 30 years and former LA radio co-host. They talk about Smiley's new book, which offers a fresh look at a project he started two decades ago -- "The Covenant With Black America, 20 Years Later." They address the current state of Black America, where it's been and where it's going. They also talk about the 2024 Election and how Black voters are likely ...
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EP 139 | Lupita Castañeda-Liles & Maria Soco Castañeda, Ph.D

October 11, 2024 • 36 mins
Host Ruben Navarrette has a great conversation with powerhouse mother-daughter team, Lupita Castañeda-Liles & Maria Soco Castañeda about their lives, their partnership, and their shared passion for their exciting social media platform, "Becoming Mujeres: Translating Cultural Expectations Into Opportunities." They talk about the mental health challenges facing Latinas -- especially young Latinas -- and the long list of opportuni...
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EP 138 | Dr. Max Cuevas, CEO of Clinicas de Salud del Valle de Salinas

August 13, 2024 • 30 mins
Host Ruben Navarrette interviews Dr. Max Cuevas, CEO of Clinicas de Salud del Valle de Salinas, a string of non-profit and low-cost medical clinics sprinkled throughout the central coast and Salinas valley. They talk about the lack of health care insurance coverage, the high cost of health care, and an innovative project being run by the CSVS that imports doctors from Mexico to treat Mexican farm workers and other members of the wo...
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EP 137 | Neal Griffin, Wisconsin-based novelist, reporter and retired law enforcement officer

August 1, 2024 • 45 mins
Host Ruben Navarrette interviews his friend, Neal Griffin, about the retired police lieutenant's latest career enhancement -- going from peace officer to crime novelist to beat reporter for a local Wisconsin newspaper. They talk about storytelling, journalism, politics and the state of modern-day policing among other topics.      
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EP 136 | Arnold Torres, Sacramento-based policy analyst, Spanish-language radio host, and political commentator

July 13, 2024 • 95 mins
Host Ruben Navarrette interviews his longtime friend, Arnold Torres, about the state of American politics, the various challenges facing the country's 62 million Latinos, and the dangerous times in which we live now that Donald Trump has promised mass deportations of undocumented immigrants -- most of whom are Latino.                                                    
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EP 135 | Bob Harrison, Director of Command College, Researcher for RAND Corporation, former police chief and co-host of a podcast

June 8, 2024 • 49 mins
Host Ruben Navarrette interviews his friend, Bob Harrison, director of Command College, researcher for RAND Corporation and former police chief in three different California cities. They discuss policing in the modern era, the recent round of protests on university campuses and what the public thinks of the police when its time to restore order.  
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EP 134 | Martin Mares, Founder and Executive Director of the Ivy League Project; Parlier Unified School Board Member

May 24, 2024 • 42 mins
Host Ruben Navarrette interviews his longtime friend, Martin Mares, founder and executive director of the Ivy League Project -- a unique leadership initiative that has taken thousands of high school students from migrant and working-class backgrounds to visit Ivy League and other selective universities -- with remarkable results. 
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EP 133 | Ray Suarez, author; radio/podcast/TV host; former senior correspondent for the PBS Newshour

May 15, 2024 • 43 mins
Host Ruben Navarrette interviews his friend, veterano Latino journalist Ray Suarez, about his new book on immigration, "We Are Home: Becoming American In The 21st Century." Touching on history and politics, they discuss all that immigrants from all over the world give to the United States, and what the United States takes in return.
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EP 132 | Melissa Vela Williamson, San Antonio-based Public Relations Specialist and author

April 10, 2024 • 56 mins
Host Ruben Navarrette interviews his friend, Melissa Vela Williamson, a San Antonio-based public relations specialist. She is the author of “Smart Talk: Public Relations Essentials All Pros Need to Know.” They discuss the science of communications, the Latino community, and how to get America talking again.
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EP 131 | Dr. Yasmin Davidds, CEO & Founder of the Dr. Yasmin Davidds Leadership Institute

March 23, 2024 • 57 mins
Host Ruben Navarrette interviews Dr. Yasmin Davidds, a Los Angeles-based organizational psychologist with additional certification in emotional intelligence. A popular speaker, negotiating specialist, and expert on women and leadership, Davidds is the author of several books including, most recently, the forthcoming: "Graciously Assertive: How Becoming A Better Human Makes You a Better Leader." She is also Founder/CEO of The Dr. Ya...
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EP 130 | Veronica Navarrette, Speech-Language Pathologist (SLP), Certified Academic Language Therapist (CALT), Montessori-trained Teacher

March 9, 2024 • 41 mins
Host Ruben Navarrette interviews Veronica Navarrette -- his Mexican-born wife, and better 7/8 -- about her long career helping kids on the margins as a bilingual Montessori-trained, certified academic language therapist, dyslexia specialist and speech & language pathologist. 
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EP 129 | David Telisman, communications and marketing specialist, founder and CEO of David Telisman Communications, LLC

February 11, 2024 • 48 mins
Host Ruben Navarrette interviews David Telisman -- his cousin through marriage -- about branding, messaging, and storytelling about issues ranging from mental health awareness to the experience of being Jewish in America post Oct 7.
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