Three politicians in the last month have been assassinated in Ecuador. Going hand-in-hand with the political violence has been a sharp rise in drug cartel murders, almost tripling since 2021. In a country that historically has been immune to cartel violence, the recent trends are alarming. Here to tell us why this has all happened is Ecuadorian comedian and journalist Ivan Ulchur. Ivan writes for the New York Times in addition to many Spanish language publications, and performs stand-up comedy professionally in Ecuador. Follow him on Instagram here: https://www.instagram.com/otroulchi/Lost In America is hosted by us AKA Turner Sparks and Michael Ira Kaplan. This episode is brought to you by all of our Patreon subscribers. Join them by subscribing here: https://www.patreon.com/LostInAmericaTurner's new comedy album "Double Happiness" is available now. Get a signed, personalized physical VINYL RECORD here: https://www.turnersparks.com/buy-my-album.Get Tickets to see Turner on tour here: https://linktr.ee/TurnerSparksThis show is proudly part of the World's Smartest Podcast Network. Go to www.WorldsSmartestPodcastNetwork.com for all of our shows.Our Sponsors:* Check out Gaia Provides and use my code LOST for a great deal: https://www.gaiaprovides.com/Advertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brandsPrivacy & Opt-Out: https://redcircle.com/privacy