This week, the United States is hosting the biggest political gathering in the Western Hemisphere. The Summit of Americas, held every 3 or so years, is an opportunity for heads of state from all of the Americas to come together and discuss common issues, from migration to climate change. It’s always been a complicated affair, but this year there was even more drama than usual after the governments of Cuba, Venezuela, and Nicaragua were kept off the guest list. In this episode, we break down the controversy and look at how their absence might change the substance of the gathering. 

In this episode: 

Lucia Newman (@lucianewman), Al Jazeera senior correspondent and editor for Latin America

Episode credits:

This episode was produced by Negin Owliaei with Ney Alvarez, Ruby Zaman, Amy Walters, Alexandra Locke, and Malika Bilal. Alex Roldan is our sound designer. Adam Abou-Gad and Aya Elmileik are The Take's engagement producers.

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