Twelve bodies — all bearing signs of torture and left with messages by cartels — were found on Thursday in the central Mexican state of Guanajuato, local authorities said, attributing the killings to disputes between organized crime groups.
Guanajuato, a thriving industrial center that is also home to popular tourist destinations, is currently Mexico’s most violent state, according to official homicide statistics.
The 12 bodies were found within two hours in five locations in the city of Salamanca, according to the state prosecutor’s office, which is investigating the crime.
The victims — three women and nine men — were found on roads, bridges and avenues, their bodies bearing gunshot wounds and signs of torture, while one was dismembered, officials said.
The state prosecutor’s office also said the perpetrators left messages in which a cartel claimed responsibility.
Messages are often left on victims’ bodies by drug cartels seeking to threaten their rivals or punish behavior they claim violates their rules.
The bodies were found less than 24 hours after gunmen attacked a residential center for people suffering from addictions in the same municipality, killing four.
A National Guard investigator waits outside a rehabilitation center where, according to officials, unknown gunmen killed four people and injured five in Salamanca, Guanajuato state, Mexico on October 2, 2024.
MARIO ARMAS/AFP via Getty Images
“This month of October has started with very high crime rates here. That makes 16 people (murdered) so far,” Salamanca Mayor Cesar Prieto told reporters.
But he said the violence affecting the city was “a temporary issue” that flares up “when one group decides to attack another.”
Police, politicians and civilians have all been targeted in Guanajuato. In June, a baby and a toddler were among six members of the same family murdered in Guanajuato. In April, a mayoral candidate was shot dead in the street in Guanajuato just as she began campaigning.
Last December, 11 people were killed and another dozen were wounded in an attack on a pre-Christmas party in the state. Just days before that, the bodies of five university students were found stuffed in a vehicle on a dirt road Guanajuato.
The U.S. State Department urges American to reconsider traveling to Guanajuato. “Of particular concern is the high number of murders in the southern region of the state associated with cartel-related violence,” the department says in a travel advisory.
Hit by spiraling violence linked to organized crime, Mexico has recorded more than 450,000 murders since December 2006, when a controversial military anti-drug operation was launched.
Demand for mezcal was low for years, but interest and sales have soared. The vast majority of the spirit is made in Oaxaca, Mexico, where family-owned distilleries dot the landscape.
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For years, mezcal sat in the shadow of its popular cousin tequila …known for its worm…and deemed too smokey for a spot on the same shelf as premium spirits. But not anymore. Once banned and later sold in plastic jugs for pennies, the handcrafted spirit has found its way into cocktail bars and Michelin-starred restaurants. No other liquor has seen a greater increase in production in the past decade. Mezcal gets its name from the Aztec word for cooked agave– a thorny plant sacred to Mexico for thousands of years. The vast majority of mezcal is made in the southern state of Oaxaca… where family-owned distilleries dot the landscape. We went to meet the mezcaleros as they labor to quench the world’s thirst for mezcal.
Mezcaleros harvest agave year round but it’s no low-hanging fruit. Pried from the earth, the spikes are removed by machete…revealing the heart – the piña – which looks like a hundred pound pineapple…Agave takes its sweet time to ripen, up to 30 years for some varieties. It grows in the valleys that run between the Sierra Madre mountains– Here in Oaxaca, the crossroads of indigenous and spanish colonial cultures, the birthplace of mezcal. And Santiago Matatlan is its cradle.
The Hernandez brothers, Armando and Alvaro – are fourth-generation mezcaleros from an indigenous Zapotec family. They learned the craft from their father, Silverio. Today they run Mal de Amor, one of Matatlán’s largest distilleries, or palenques.
Armando Hernandez (in Spanish/English translation): We make mezcal without hurry, meaning everything in its time. We don’t add or do anything to speed up production. But we make it nonstop – 365 days a year, the entire day.
Cecilia Vega: Is it different from the way your father made it?
Alvaro Hernandez: No.
Hernandez family
60 Minutes
Armando Hernandez (in Spanish/English translation): No, it’s the same. We conserve all the traditions, everything we were taught. And everything is done by hand.
Agave was first distilled here in the 1600s …Mexicans have been drinking mezcal at baptisms, funerals and every occasion in between ever since. And let’s clear this up early: tequila is a type of mezcal, made with blue agave mostly in the state of Jalisco. But most tequila has been mass produced, made by machines, since the 70s.
Artisanal mezcal resists machinery – the agave is roasted in underground pits for days, then it’s crushed by horse-drawn mill. The mash is fermented in wooden barrels… and distilled twice in copper vats. No temperature dials or controls…bubbles indicate the alcohol content.
Cecilia Vega: Who knows more about the process?
Armando Hernandez (in Spanish/English translation): I think he may know more But I drink it more. (laugh)
At Mal de Amor, they offer Napa-style tours of their agave fields. Mezcal is now a half billion dollar a year industry… but in the 1980s and 90s, Armando and Alvaro told us production of mezcal could barely support the family.
Armando Hernandez (in Spanish/English translation): The price of mezcal was very low. It was miserable.
Cecilia Vega: What was it?
Armando Hernandez (in Spanish/English translation): 7 pesos for a liter of mezcal.
Cecilia Vega: Less than a dollar.
Armando Hernandez (in Spanish/English translation): And we were ten children. Sunday was the only day we could afford a cup of milk and a piece of bread. So we decided to go.
Armando left Mexico first, alone– bound for California.
Cecilia Vega: Do you remember the day you left?
Armando Hernandez (in Spanish/English translation): Yes, it was the 3rd of December 1992. I was 12 years old. I have children of my own now and I could never bring myself to let them cross the border alone. It was a sad goodbye. Very painful to leave the family behind.
Cecilia Vega: How did you get there?
Armando Hernandez (in Spanish): Como todo migrante
Cecilia Vega: Con coyote?
Armando Hernandez (in Spanish/English translation): Like all migrants…With a coyote, smuggled across the border…
Alvaro eventually joined him in Los Angeles…they spent a decade working in bars and restaurants, when…the plot twisted: artisanal became hip, and mezcal’s popularity boomed. Alvaro began to dream about returning to the family business.
Alvaro Hernandez (in Spanish/English translation): I had plans drawn up for the palenque and I showed Armando.
Armando Hernandez (in Spanish/English translation): Alvaro came in with a plan for his palenque, and he spread it on the bed and said, “I’m going to do this” And I told him, “You’re crazy. How are you going to make a living?”
Armando was skeptical…until he noticed shots of mezcal going for $10each…he says he looked down at the label on a bottle one day, and it was from their hometown.
Cecilia Vega: And you finally told your brother, “I told you so.” (laughter)
Alvaro Hernandez (in Spanish) : Sí, te lo dije. (laugh)
So Armando and Alvaro went back home to ramp up the family palenque.
Enter John Rexer and Gilberto Marquez, of the mezcal brand Ilegal…made from 100% espadin, the variety of agave that ripens the fastest.
Cecilia Vega: So how far out does the Ilegal agave go? I mean, is this all Ilegal?
Gilberto Marquez: Yeah. There’s about– 2,500 plants per acre. There’s about five acres out here.
Gilberto Marquez
60 Minutes
Cecilia Vega: This is a lot of espadin, right?
Today, Olegal is one of the top-selling mezcal brands. but it, too, started humbly. Rexer – an expat New Yorker – was in search of a steady supply of mezcal to serve at a bar he owned in Guatemala.
John Rexer: I would take a bus up from Guatemala. It’s a 24-hour bus ride. Along the way, you can pull a string in that bus and say, “I wanna stop here.” Walk to a village. Wait until lights came on somewhere and say, “Hey, do you know anybody who makes good mezcal around here?” And invariably, someone would have an uncle, a brother, a cousin.
Cecilia Vega: Tengo un Tio
John Rexer: Tengo un Tio (laugh) Sí. Yeah, that’s exactly it.
Cecilia Vega: Everybody has an uncle.
As the name on the bottle suggests, Rexer’s operation wasn’t exactly legal.
Cecilia Vega: Is it true that you once dressed like a priest to have to get this across a border?
John Rexer: Listen, I went through 12 years of Catholic school.
Cecilia Vega: Me too–
John Rexer: I knew how to play the role…
It was his friend Gilberto Marquez who introduced him to the Hernandez brothers
John Rexer: And we rolled down here And it was very, very, very tiny. And they were making– very small amounts.
John Rexer and Cecilia Vega
60 Minutes
Armando Hernandez (in Spanish/English translation): And he asks me, “Do you have more of this mezcal?” And we said, “Yes, we have 10,000 liters and it took us like two years to make. And John says to us, “I want it all!”
A sidebar, and this may go without saying, but Rexer has swigged his fair share of mezcal.
John Rexer: (Cough) Excuse me…
Cecilia Vega: Do you want a water? Yeah, no. Take a break, you’re good. He’s like “Do I want a water?”
John Rexer: You know, there’s an expression, the best mezcal is the one in front of you. It’s not entirely true. You don’t want to cover it in smoke, You want to taste the agave.
Cecilia Vega: A lotta people say they don’t like mezcal because of the smoke.
John Rexer: Obviously, you’re in a smoky environment, right? When you dig up the pit oven there’s smoke everywhere. So there’s a lot of early mezcals that came into the States that are heavy smoked.
Cecilia Vega: Has mezcal gotten a bad rap on that front?
John Rexer: I think in the early days, it did. But people began to discover no the agaves have particularly unique flavors.
Rexer asked brothers Armando and Alvaro to go into business — and he made a promise: if they could produce the mezcal, he’d sell it around the world. They’d been burned by false promises before, so they weighed his offer in their native language.
Cecilia Vega: You spoke in Zapotec so he wouldn’t understand?
Armando Hernandez (in Spanish/English translation): I said to Alvaro in Zapotec, “Do you believe him?” And he said “I don’t know.” But we figured, let’s see.
John Rexer: I said, “Listen, I’ll pay you upfront so that we can get started.
Armando Hernandez (in Spanish/English translation): Two days later, we had the deposit in our account for all 10,000 liters. He said each month I’ll keep making deposits.” So we made more – 500 liters, a thousand, two thousand. And it grew like that.
Now their partnership produces 3,000 bottles of mezcal a day, almost all of them for export. And every bottle is certified by the Mexican government – stamped with a hologram to mark denomination of origin… like champagne or cognac.
We’d heard there are rules about how to drink this artisanal mezcal. The good stuff isn’t for shots or diluting in cocktails. It’s for sipping. So we asked Marquez… the former bartender who now promotes Ilegal.
Cecilia Vega: Favorite way to drink it.
Gilberto Marquez: Spicy margarita.
Cecilia Vega: Oh. Wait a second, I thought you weren’t supposed to drink mezcal in a margarita.
Gilberto Marquez: You do wanna enjoy mezcal neat. But there’s nothing wrong with having it in a cocktail, especially if we’re trying to get folks to try it for the first time. It’s an introduction to mezcal.
Marquez poured us a joven, the colorless mezcal you’ll find in most bottles…
Gil Marquez: This is– 100% espadin.
Cecilia Vega: So joven means young.
Gilberto Marquez: Joven means young, unaged.
Cecilia Vega: Salud–
Gilberto Marquez: Salud. (clink)
Cecilia Vega: This one tastes spicy to me.
Gilberto Marquez: So smoke is not the first thing that you taste…
Cecilia Vega: It’s definitely there but I would not call this smokey.
Gilberto Marquez: Yes.
Aging mezcal is a Mexican tradition. Ilegal does it in American Oak, the same way bourbon is made.
John Rexer: So this is the añejo. And this is aged 15 months.
Cecilia Vega: Color is definitely darker.
John Rexer: Yep.
Cecilia Vega: Wow. So good. How would you drink this one?
John Rexer: Absolutely neat, 100%.
Cecilia Vega: Has anyone ever said to you, “Hey, what’s a gringo like you doin’–“
John Rexer: Yes. I’ve gotten pushback over the years. “You’re a foreigner.”
But I’m someone who fell in love with the rhythm and the pace of Oaxaca. And fell in love with mezcal.
He’s no longer the only foreigner in this partnership. Bacardi, the largest privately held global spirits company, acquired Ilegal last year in a deal worth a reported $100 million.
John Rexer: When we started to grow the brand, one of the questions I asked myself was, “How do you fall in love with something and then not destroy the thing you fell in love with by making it grow?”
Cecilia Vega: Can you do that with an international conglomerate like Bacardi?
John Rexer: I think it’s a great question. Because it’s not just a beautiful liquor but it’s certain things that we’re trying to preserve and believe in. This is a family business. We have to respect the artisanal production. We can never let this become industrial.
Cecilia Vega: What does the deal with Bacardi mean for you?
Armando Hernandez (in Spanish/English translation): What’s going to change is many people’s lives in this community. It is a benefit for the whole community.
The palenque now employs a hundred people from Matatlán and beyond. Including their 87-year-old father, the mezcalero emeritus. Armando and Alvaro translated from Zapotec to Spanish. We asked what Senor Hernandez thought of his sons’ mezcal.
Cecilia Vega: Does it live up to the family name?
Silverio Hernandez (English translation): “That’s why I drink it. If not, I wouldn’t drink it.”
The Hernandez brothers are expanding the family palenque…construction is already underway.
Cecilia Vega: So if there’s the American dream, is this the Mexican dream?
Armando and Alvaro Hernandez: Sueño Mexicano.
Armando Hernandez (in Spanish/English translation): It’s the Mexican dream. It’s something we never imagined.
Oaxaca, a diverse patch of four million people on the southwest curl of Mexico’s tail, may be one of the country’s poorest states, but it boasts one of the fastest-growing economies. Both pillars of that economy, agriculture and tourism, have been revitalized by the explosion in global demand for mezcal. Tens of thousands of Oaxacan families produce mezcal for a living, mostly in small, handcrafted batches. The deeper you travel into Oaxaca’s countryside, the harder mezcaleros cling to their ancestral methods and the louder they’ll tell you: there’s a price to pay for this mezcal boom.
Agave
60 Minutes
Insulated by peaks and valleys, Oaxaca has its rugged terrain to thank for its diversity…
The Zapotec people flourished here for nearly a thousand years, their ancestral capital preserved at Monte Alban, now a UNESCO World Heritage Site.
Oaxaca is home to 16 different indigenous groups, more than anywhere else in the country.
The state capital, Oaxaca City, is a technicolor hub of markets and vendors — with its 16th century cathedral, Santo Domingo de Guzmán, towering over the stone streets.
On the coast, Puerto Escondido, the hidden port, draws surfers from around the world who come to ride a massive break in the Pacific called the Mexican Pipeline.
Then there’s the food. Oaxaca is called the land of seven moles, after its rich stew made with dozens of ingredients.
To wash it all down: hundreds of varieties of small-batch mezcal, many made from wild agave. The most sought-after stuff is crafted deep in Oaxaca’s rural communities and has tourists venturing out there.
At the Real Minero distillery, or palenque, we met John Douglas, a bar owner, who makes regular trips down from Bourbon Country, Kentucky.
Cecilia Vega: So what gives?
John Douglas: It’s delicious and there’s a story behind it about flavor, about people, about histories, about, “Jeez, how exactly is this made?”
Cecilia Vega: How many bottles will you bring home?
John Douglas: Oh, gosh. You’re not the TSA, are you? (laugh)
Here, the agave roast is a smoky, well-choreographed ballet; everyone knows their part.
And in charge… Graciela Ángeles Carreñ … a mezcalera with a reputation as a leader in the industry…
Her family has been making mezcal since it was more bootleg than above board.
Cecilia Vega: And your grandmother sold mezcal on the back of a burro?
Graciela Ángeles Carreño (in Spanish/English translation): So my great-grandfather produced the mezcal and my great-grandmother sold it. And why did she sell it? Because nobody inspected the women at the time. She made a special knock at the door, open the door, and the woman with the donkey takes out her mezcal…
Graciela Ángeles Carreño
60 Minutes
Cecilia Vega: Opens her store. (laugh)
Graciela Ángeles Carreño: Aquí está el mezcal ahora.
The Carreño family distills in clay pots. eleven-thousand liters of mezcal a year, some 8,000 bottles. Many go for upwards of a hundred dollars.
making artisanal mezcal is part science, part intuition. and it comes with a funk…which we saw and smelled inside carreño’s fermentation room.
Graciela Ángeles Carreño (in Spanish/English translation): Right now it’s not too fermented, you can put your mouth here and try it.
Cecilia Vega: Very bitter.
Graciela Ángeles Carreño (in Spanish/English translation): Yes, and you can taste the alcohol.
Cecilia Vega: It tastes like beer.
Graciela Ángeles Carreño: Yeah.
Carreño showed us how she knows when it’s ready for the next step.
Graciela Ángeles Carreño (in Spanish/English translation): If I put my ear to it, listen. It’s like a stomach.
Cecilia Vega: It is like a stomach. Oh, wow..
Cecilia Vega: How much time left for this?
Graciela Ángeles Carreño (in Spanish/English translation): I think maybe another four days.
Graciela Ángeles Carreño: (in Spanish) This is where the flavors are produced.
Cecilia Vega: This is where the flavor comes.
Graciela Ángeles Carreño: (in Spanish) This is like the magic part.
Cecilia Vega: This is your magic.
Graciela Ángeles Carreño (in Spanish): Yes.
Cecilia Vega learns about the mezcal making process from Graciela Ángeles Carreño.
60 Minutes
Three hours south of Oaxaca City at the Perez family palenque, we met Lalo Perez, a fifth generation mezcalero …that’s the next generation holding his hand.
The whole family had just pulled an all nighter, tending the fire for their roast…
A community ritual, neighbors came by in the morning to help stack the pinas. And Lalo’s father, Tio Tello, watched over.
Cecilia Vega: How was the roast last night?
Lalo Perez (in Spanish/English translation): Around 8:00 in the morning, we finally started stacking the piñas…
Cecilia Vega: (in Spanish): That’s why the gentleman is sleepy, right?
We joked about being beat from the night before…but Lalo says making mezcal doesn’t feel like work.
Lalo Perez (in Spanish/English translation): From the moment I go out into the countryside to harvest agave I feel like I want to taste it already.
Cecilia Vega: You’re smiling when you tell me this–
Lalo Perez (in Spanish/English translation): (laughs) It’s the joy that mezcal brings me. If you drink five glasses, it brings you even more joy! (laughter)
Lalo walked us through his agave varieties, with names like Madrecuishe and Tepeztate. He told us each gives a unique taste: herbal, mineral, earthy.
Tio tello insisted we taste for ourselves…and led us to his private stash where he keeps his prized batches.
Cecilia Vega: Muy diferente. Si, muy diferente. Wow. Tepeztate is the winner.
Lalo has taken over most of the manual labor from his dad, using wooden mallets to crush the roasted agave. He distills batches of about 250 bottles at a time.
But here’s the thing – mezcal produced by the Perez family can’t technically be called mezcal…it is made in the right region, using the right methods to qualify for denomination of origin. But Lalo told us he doesn’t bother with the bureaucracy of getting it certified by government-approved regulators.
Cecilia Vega: You don’t put the word “mezcal” on your bottles to sell. Does that bother you?
Lalo Perez (in Spanish/English translation): On the contrary. To certify it, they practically tell you how to make your mezcal. An inspector comes and tells you, “Don’t crush with wooden mallets. Water it down, so that it will pass lab tests. And then I’ll certify it so you can sell it.” We don’t need a government certifier to come and tell us how to make mezcal.
Cecilia Vega: There’s no doubt in your mind that what’s inside your bottles is mezcal?
Lalo Perez (in Spanish): Yes. It is mezcal.
Tio Tello and Lalo Perez
60 Minutes
Maybe so. but Cinco Sentidos, the brand that bottles the Perez family’s product for export, has to label the uncertified mezcal “distilled agave”…
In bars around the world, that’s become a selling point. Small-batch enthusiasts clamor for obscure, limited-run bottles and mezcal by any other name still smells as sweet.
Graciela Carreño chose to drop denomination of origin two years ago. Her main focus now is her plants– once you harvest agave, that’s it.
Cecilia Vega: This is not like grapes. The crop does not grow back each year.
Graciela Ángeles Carreño (in Spanish/English translation): You can only benefit from it once in its lifetime and it takes thirty years to give you its best.
If mezcaleros obsess over their agave, it’s because they’re trying to avoid repeating tequila’s mistakes. Overplanting of blue agave, used in tequila, has rendered that plant more susceptible to disease. Carreño says she worries the same could happen to mezcal’s workhorse variety: espadin.
Graciela Ángeles Carreño (in Spanish/English translation): It’s like tequila, only with mezcal, we plant espadin. Only espadin. The irony is, on the world market, what people want most is not espadin, it’s wild agave.
But wild agave has its own problems. As production of mezcal has increased 700% from 10 years ago, some species of agave are vanishing. So Carreño germinates the seeds from 12 varieties in her nursery.
Cecilia Vega: How concerned are you about the future of the agave plant in Oaxaca?
Graciela Ángeles Carreño (in Spanish/English translation): Where do I start? On the one hand we have economic success because this spirit that came from our community is now served in the most famous bars in the world. That makes me happy and proud as a Mexican and Oaxacan. What worries me is the environmental cost, the cultural cost. Because it will not be free. So I think the crossroads right now is recognizing that we need to slow down a little.
Carreño told us mezcal is a reminder to take a moment. So that’s what we did…
Graciela Ángeles Carreño (in Spanish/English translation): Later I’ll tell you the percentage of alcohol. Because these are not low grade.
Cecilia Vega: Oh really? What, how many? (in Spanish) Am I going to be drunk?
Graciela Ángeles Carreño (in Spanish/English translation): No. The main point is not to get drunk, it’s to enjoy it. One bottle and enjoy it. Salud.
Cecilia Vega: Salud.
Graciela Ángeles Carreño: Y (Clink) Bienvenido a Oaxaca.
Cecilia Vega: Muchimas gracias….Excelente.
Produced by Nathalie Sommer and Kaylee Tully. Broadcast associate, Katie Jahns. Edited by Peter M. Berman.
MEXICO CITY (AP) — Mexico’s outgoing president has always taken pride in his reputation as a penny-pincher but on Friday, three days before leaving office, Andrés Manuel López Obrador announced generous cash giveaways for his allies in a radical union movement.
It was part of what analysts call López Obrador’s contradictory policies of cutting some government services to the bone while handing out vast amounts for his own pet projects and to political supporters.
He granted an electrical workers’ union about $95 million a year in unearned pension benefits, describing it as “an act of justice.”
In 2009, some 7,000 of the unionized workers from the debt-ridden, corrupt and overstaffed government power company were laid off. Still, they spent the next decade supporting López Obrador’s two subsequent presidential campaigns.
At the time they were sacked, the workers had not accumulated enough years to retire, under policies allowing retirement after 25 years of service. On Friday, López Obrador gave them pensions anyway.
The action was in line with his generosity to those who support him.
Last year, he gave about $45 million to former workers of a defunct government-owned airline, Mexicana, in order to acquire the trademark rights to the airline’s name, Mexicana de Aviacion.
Experts say the name had essentially no commercial value after the airline went bankrupt in 2010, but the workers — whose pensions were wiped out by the company’s collapse — had been been strong supporters of López Obrador in his presidential bids. He has since spent hundreds of millions of dollars more to revive a smaller version of the government airline.
The lavish giveaways contrast sharply with the image of extreme austerity that López Obrador has sought to project since taking office in 2018 — he sold off the presidential jet and flew around the country on commercial airline flights, in tourist class. Later, he switched to using military aircraft for trips.
He largely eliminated federal oversight and regulatory agencies, claiming they cost too much and arguing that one “cannot have a rich government with poor people.” Federal revenues sharing for state governments and funding local police forces has been slashed to the bone.
That austerity has meant less money for basic projects, including building infrastructure, road construction and maintenance and policing.
Meanwhile, in a rush to finish López Obrador’s pet projects — mostly rail and refinery projects of questionable profitability — the government went on a borrowing spree, running a deficit equivalent to 5% of GDP. That has undermined the central bank’s attempts to control the 5% annual inflation with domestic interest rates of 10.5%.
Gabriela Siller, director of economic analysis of the local financial group Banco Base, said the contradictory policies have hurt Mexico.
There has been less “physical investment,” Siller said. “Paradoxically, this administration is ending up with more debt and a very high budget deficit.”
In his final days in office, López Obrador has been harsh to his enemies.
Late on Monday, he essentially expropriated the $1.9 billion property on the Caribbean coast owned by a U.S. firm that operates a stone quarry and seaport just south of the resort of Playa del Carmen. He declared the land a nature reserve — despite previously granted permits for a quarry and a dock there.
López Obrador had previously threatened to expropriate the property and later offered to buy it for about $385 million, saying at the time he wanted to turn it into a tourist attraction. The company has estimated the land’s value at about $1.9 billion.
The U.S. company that owned the property — Alabama-based Vulcan Materials — said Tuesday the expropriation violates the U.S.-Mexico-Canada free trade agreement and was part of “a series of threats and actions by the current administration against our operations.”
The outgoing Mexican leader has also engaged in very public and nasty disputes with retail, TV and banking magnate Ricardo Salinas Pliego, claiming the tycoon owes over $1 billion in back taxes.
Then, López Obrador claimed he had tried to offer Salinas Pliego a deal to forgive late charges on the back taxes but met with the magnate’s refusal out of “arrogance.”
Salinas Pliego punched back, accusing allies of López Obrador’s son Andy — a top leader in the president’s Morena party — of trying to extort money from businessmen with back tax audits against them.
On Friday, Vice President Kamala Harris will be in Arizona to visit the U.S.-Mexico border. She plans to criticize former President Donald Trump for his role in blocking a bipartisan border security and immigration bill earlier this year. Meanwhile Trump will be in New York, meeting with Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelenskyy before heading to Michigan.
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California avocado growers are fuming this week about a U.S. decision to hand over pest inspections of Mexican orchards to the Mexican government.Inspectors hired by the U.S. Department of Agriculture have been guarding against imports of avocados infected with insects and diseases since 1997, but they have also been threatened in Mexico for refusing to certify deceptive shipments in recent years.Threats and violence against inspectors have caused the U.S. to suspend inspections in the past, and California growers question whether Mexico’s own inspectors would be better equipped to withstand such pressure.”This action reverses the long-established inspection process designed to prevent invasions of known pests in Mexico that would devastate our industry,” the California Avocado Commission wrote in an open letter to U.S. Secretary of Agriculture Tom Vilsack on Monday.At present, inspectors work for the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service, known as APHIS. Because the United States also grows avocados, U.S. inspectors observe orchards and packing houses in Mexico to ensure exported avocados don’t carry pests that could hurt U.S. crops.”It is well known that their physical presence greatly reduces the opportunity of others to game the system,” the avocado commission wrote. “What assurances can APHIS provide us that its unilateral reversal of the process will be equal to or better than what has protected us?”The letter added, “We are looking for specifics as to why you have concluded that substituting APHIS inspectors with Mexican government inspectors is in our best interest.”The decision was announced last week in a short statement by Mexico’s Agriculture Department, which claimed that “with this agreement, the U.S. health safety agency is recognizing the commitment of Mexican growers, who in more than 27 years have not had any sanitary problems in exports.”The idea that there have been no problems is far from the truth.In 2022, inspections were halted after one of the U.S. inspectors was threatened in the western state of Michoacan, where growers are routinely subject to extortion by drug cartels. Only the states of Michoacan and Jalisco are certified to export avocados to the United States.The U.S. Department of Agriculture said at the time that the inspector had received a threat “against him and his family.”The inspector had “questioned the integrity of a certain shipment, and refused to certify it based on concrete issues,” according to the USDA statement. Some packers in Mexico buy avocados from other, non-certified states, and try to pass them off as being from Michoacan.Sources at the time said the 2022 threat involved a grower demanding the inspector certify more avocados than his orchard was physically capable of producing, suggesting that at least some had been smuggled in from elsewhere.And in June, two USDA employees were assaulted and temporarily held by assailants in Michoacan. That led the U.S. to suspend inspections in Mexico’s biggest avocado-producing state.The U.S. Department of Agriculture did not immediately respond to questions about why the decision was made, or whether it was related to the threats.Mexico currently supplies about 80% of U.S. imports of the fruit. Growers in the U.S. can’t supply the country’s whole demand, nor provide fruit year-round.
California avocado growers are fuming this week about a U.S. decision to hand over pest inspections of Mexican orchards to the Mexican government.
Inspectors hired by the U.S. Department of Agriculture have been guarding against imports of avocados infected with insects and diseases since 1997, but they have also been threatened in Mexico for refusing to certify deceptive shipments in recent years.
Threats and violence against inspectors have caused the U.S. to suspend inspections in the past, and California growers question whether Mexico’s own inspectors would be better equipped to withstand such pressure.
“This action reverses the long-established inspection process designed to prevent invasions of known pests in Mexico that would devastate our industry,” the California Avocado Commission wrote in an open letter to U.S. Secretary of Agriculture Tom Vilsack on Monday.
At present, inspectors work for the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service, known as APHIS. Because the United States also grows avocados, U.S. inspectors observe orchards and packing houses in Mexico to ensure exported avocados don’t carry pests that could hurt U.S. crops.
“It is well known that their physical presence greatly reduces the opportunity of others to game the system,” the avocado commission wrote. “What assurances can APHIS provide us that its unilateral reversal of the process will be equal to or better than what has protected us?”
The letter added, “We are looking for specifics as to why you have concluded that substituting APHIS inspectors with Mexican government inspectors is in our best interest.”
The decision was announced last week in a short statement by Mexico’s Agriculture Department, which claimed that “with this agreement, the U.S. health safety agency is recognizing the commitment of Mexican growers, who in more than 27 years have not had any sanitary problems in exports.”
The idea that there have been no problems is far from the truth.
In 2022, inspections were halted after one of the U.S. inspectors was threatened in the western state of Michoacan, where growers are routinely subject to extortion by drug cartels. Only the states of Michoacan and Jalisco are certified to export avocados to the United States.
The U.S. Department of Agriculture said at the time that the inspector had received a threat “against him and his family.”
The inspector had “questioned the integrity of a certain shipment, and refused to certify it based on concrete issues,” according to the USDA statement. Some packers in Mexico buy avocados from other, non-certified states, and try to pass them off as being from Michoacan.
Sources at the time said the 2022 threat involved a grower demanding the inspector certify more avocados than his orchard was physically capable of producing, suggesting that at least some had been smuggled in from elsewhere.
And in June, two USDA employees were assaulted and temporarily held by assailants in Michoacan. That led the U.S. to suspend inspections in Mexico’s biggest avocado-producing state.
The U.S. Department of Agriculture did not immediately respond to questions about why the decision was made, or whether it was related to the threats.
Mexico currently supplies about 80% of U.S. imports of the fruit. Growers in the U.S. can’t supply the country’s whole demand, nor provide fruit year-round.
CABO SAN LUCAS, Mexico, September 25, 2024 (Newswire.com)
– As the holiday season approaches, families are seeking a getaway that will delight both kids and adults. Solmar Hotels & Resorts’ five stunning properties in Los Cabos offer something for everyone—world-class golf, luxurious spas, private beaches, kids’ clubs, water parks, outdoor activities, and a range of dining options, as well as spacious suites with kitchens. The season is filled with unique experiences like whale watching and festive holiday celebrations.
Holiday Festivities
While Cabo may be known for its tropical climate, Solmar Hotels & Resorts transforms the destination into a winter wonderland. Guests can partake in festive activities like Christmas tree lighting ceremonies, Santa’s unforgettable parachute arrival, piñata parties, gingerbread house-making workshops, and indulgent churros and chocolates for Three Kings Day. To elevate the festivities, La Roca, Brigantine, and Anica offer special menus for Christmas. The celebrations culminate with dazzling themed New Year’s Eve parties at each property, such as the Fabulous 50s featuring an Elvis Presley tribute at Solmar Playa Grande.
About the Resorts
Grand Solmar Pacific Dunes offers an upscale retreat with expansive suites overlooking the Pacific. Guests enjoy direct access to the 18-hole Solmar Golf Links designed by Greg Norman, along with a variety of amenities, including a kids’ club with a water park, a luxurious spa, pickleball court, fine dining restaurant, and water activities like paddleboarding and kayaking.
Grand Solmar Land’s End boasts a prime location near the world-famous Cabo Arch at the southernmost tip of the peninsula with stunning panoramic views, infinity pools, kids’ club, swim-up bars and farm-to-table dining.
Playa Grande Resort is perfect for action-packed fun with mini-golf, tennis courts, award-winning spa, two jacuzzies and four pools (with distinct adult, family and children’s areas), kids’ club, theme nights, and daily activities.
The Ridge at Playa Grande is ideally located in the heart of Cabo San Lucas, within walking distance to the marina, which boasts numerous restaurants and activities. The hotel offers a more intimate experience with spacious family suites with kitchens, kids’ club, mini golf court, tennis court, infinity pool, private beach, theme nights and full-service spa using traditional and ancient techniques.
Solmar Resort, the brand’s first hotel, was established in 1974. This 100-room hotel, showcasing inviting Mediterranean-style architecture, seamlessly blends comfort with excitement. Guests enjoy private beach access, two pools, a jacuzzi, two restaurants, and the convenience of being close to Cabo’s vibrant city center.
Destination Attractions
Beyond the resorts, Cabo San Lucas is a haven for adventure. Renowned as one of the world’s top whale-watching destinations, December marks the start of the season, offering guests extraordinary encounters with humpback and gray whales. Solmar Hotels & Resorts arranges these excursions, while also providing opportunities to explore the vibrant underwater world through scuba diving and snorkeling. For a more leisurely experience, guests can embark on a sunset cruise along Cabo’s stunning coastline with the Solmar Sea Experience.
Hurricane John struck Mexico’s southern Pacific coast Monday night with fierce winds and heavy rainfall after strengthening from tropical storm to major hurricane in a matter of hours.John’s rapid intensification caught authorities off guard as they scrambled to update their guidance to residents and keep pace with the stronger storm.Video above: Tracking the Tropics: Helene forecast to grow in the Caribbean Tuesday and hit Florida by ThursdayIt hit land as a Category 3 hurricane, pummeling a tourist hub of the country’s Oaxaca state with maximum sustained winds of 120 mph (190 kph).Shortly before the hurricane hit, the U.S. National Hurricane Center said “life-threatening” and storm surges and flash floods were already ravaging the Pacific coast near Oaxaca. Mexican President Andrés Manuel López Obrador and other authorities urged people to take shelter.“Seek higher ground, protect yourselves and do not forget that life is the most important thing; material things can be replaced. We are here,” López Obrador wrote on the social media platform X.John hit land near the town of Punta Maldonado and was also likely to batter nearby tourist hubs Acapulco and Puerto Escondido before weakening inland.The unexpected surge in strength caught scientists, authorities and residents of the area by surprise, something AccuWeather Senior Meteorologist Matt Benz attributed to warmer oceans, which add fuel to the hurricanes.As a result, surprise surges in hurricanes’ strength have become increasingly common, Benz said.“These are storms that we haven’t really experienced before,” he said. “Rapid intensification has occurred more frequently in modern times as opposed to back in the historical record. So that’s telling us there’s something going on there.”Residents were tense in Oaxaca’s coastal cities as the forecast shifted and authorities responded.Laura Velázquez, the federal coordinator of civil protection, told residents of Pacific coastal cities they should evacuate their homes and head to shelters in order to “protect theirs and their family’s lives.”“It’s very important that all citizens in the coastal zone … take preventive measures,” Velázquez said.Ana Aldai, a 33-year-old employee of a restaurant on the shores of the tourist hub Puerto Escondido, said businesses in the area began closing after authorities ordered the suspension of all work on the area’s main beaches.The governments of Guerrero and Oaxaca states said classes would be suspended in a number of coastal zones on Tuesday.Oaxaca’s governor said the state government had evacuated 3,000 people and set up 80 shelters. It also said it sent out 1,000 military and state personnel to address the emergency.Videos on social media from Puerto Escondido showed flip-flop-clad tourists walking through heavy rain and fishermen pulling their boats out of the water. Strong rains in previous days have already left some roads in the region in a precarious position.Aldai said she was “a little bit distressed” because notice from authorities came quickly. “There was no opportunity to make the necessary purchases. That also distresses us,” she said.Benz, the meteorologist, expressed concern that the storm could slow once it hits land, leaving the storm hovering over the coastal zone, which could cause even greater damage.The hurricane is bleak news for the region, which last year was walloped by Otis, a similar rapidly intensifying hurricane.Otis devastated the resort city of Acapulco, where residents had little warning of the strength of what was about to hit them. One of the most rapidly intensifying hurricanes ever seen, scientists at the time said it was a product of changing climate conditions.Otis blew out power in the city for days, left bodies scattered on the coast and desperate family members searching for lost loved ones. Much of the city was left in a state of lawlessness and thousands scavenged in stores, scrambled for food and water.The government of López Obrador received harsh criticism for its slow response to Otis, but authorities have since pledged to pick up their speed.President-elect Claudia Sheinbaum said her government planned to work on improving an early alert system, similar to what the country has with earthquakes.Through Thursday, John is expected to produce 15 to 30 centimeters (6 to 12 inches) of rain across coastal areas of Chiapas state with more in isolated areas. In areas along and near the Oaxaca coast to southeast Guerrero, between 25 and 50 centimeters (10 and 20 inches) of rain with isolated higher totals can be expected through Thursday.“You’re going to feel the impacts of the storm probably for the next couple of weeks to a couple of months,” meteorologist Benz added.
PUERTO ESCONDIDO, Oax. —
Hurricane John struck Mexico’s southern Pacific coast Monday night with fierce winds and heavy rainfall after strengthening from tropical storm to major hurricane in a matter of hours.
John’s rapid intensification caught authorities off guard as they scrambled to update their guidance to residents and keep pace with the stronger storm.
Video above: Tracking the Tropics: Helene forecast to grow in the Caribbean Tuesday and hit Florida by Thursday
It hit land as a Category 3 hurricane, pummeling a tourist hub of the country’s Oaxaca state with maximum sustained winds of 120 mph (190 kph).
Shortly before the hurricane hit, the U.S. National Hurricane Center said “life-threatening” and storm surges and flash floods were already ravaging the Pacific coast near Oaxaca. Mexican President Andrés Manuel López Obrador and other authorities urged people to take shelter.
“Seek higher ground, protect yourselves and do not forget that life is the most important thing; material things can be replaced. We are here,” López Obrador wrote on the social media platform X.
John hit land near the town of Punta Maldonado and was also likely to batter nearby tourist hubs Acapulco and Puerto Escondido before weakening inland.
The unexpected surge in strength caught scientists, authorities and residents of the area by surprise, something AccuWeather Senior Meteorologist Matt Benz attributed to warmer oceans, which add fuel to the hurricanes.
As a result, surprise surges in hurricanes’ strength have become increasingly common, Benz said.
“These are storms that we haven’t really experienced before,” he said. “Rapid intensification has occurred more frequently in modern times as opposed to back in the historical record. So that’s telling us there’s something going on there.”
Residents were tense in Oaxaca’s coastal cities as the forecast shifted and authorities responded.
Laura Velázquez, the federal coordinator of civil protection, told residents of Pacific coastal cities they should evacuate their homes and head to shelters in order to “protect theirs and their family’s lives.”
“It’s very important that all citizens in the coastal zone … take preventive measures,” Velázquez said.
Ana Aldai, a 33-year-old employee of a restaurant on the shores of the tourist hub Puerto Escondido, said businesses in the area began closing after authorities ordered the suspension of all work on the area’s main beaches.
The governments of Guerrero and Oaxaca states said classes would be suspended in a number of coastal zones on Tuesday.
Oaxaca’s governor said the state government had evacuated 3,000 people and set up 80 shelters. It also said it sent out 1,000 military and state personnel to address the emergency.
Videos on social media from Puerto Escondido showed flip-flop-clad tourists walking through heavy rain and fishermen pulling their boats out of the water. Strong rains in previous days have already left some roads in the region in a precarious position.
Aldai said she was “a little bit distressed” because notice from authorities came quickly. “There was no opportunity to make the necessary purchases. That also distresses us,” she said.
Benz, the meteorologist, expressed concern that the storm could slow once it hits land, leaving the storm hovering over the coastal zone, which could cause even greater damage.
The hurricane is bleak news for the region, which last year was walloped by Otis, a similar rapidly intensifying hurricane.
Otis blew out power in the city for days, left bodies scattered on the coast and desperate family members searching for lost loved ones. Much of the city was left in a state of lawlessness and thousands scavenged in stores, scrambled for food and water.
The government of López Obrador received harsh criticism for its slow response to Otis, but authorities have since pledged to pick up their speed.
President-elect Claudia Sheinbaum said her government planned to work on improving an early alert system, similar to what the country has with earthquakes.
Through Thursday, John is expected to produce 15 to 30 centimeters (6 to 12 inches) of rain across coastal areas of Chiapas state with more in isolated areas. In areas along and near the Oaxaca coast to southeast Guerrero, between 25 and 50 centimeters (10 and 20 inches) of rain with isolated higher totals can be expected through Thursday.
“You’re going to feel the impacts of the storm probably for the next couple of weeks to a couple of months,” meteorologist Benz added.
Hurricane John struck Mexico’s southern Pacific coast Monday night with fierce winds and heavy rainfall after strengthening from tropical storm to major hurricane in a matter of hours.John’s rapid intensification caught authorities off guard as they scrambled to update their guidance to residents and keep pace with the stronger storm.Video above: Tracking the Tropics: Helene forecast to grow in the Caribbean Tuesday and hit Florida by ThursdayIt hit land as a Category 3 hurricane, pummeling a tourist hub of the country’s Oaxaca state with maximum sustained winds of 120 mph (190 kph).Shortly before the hurricane hit, the U.S. National Hurricane Center said “life-threatening” and storm surges and flash floods were already ravaging the Pacific coast near Oaxaca. Mexican President Andrés Manuel López Obrador and other authorities urged people to take shelter.“Seek higher ground, protect yourselves and do not forget that life is the most important thing; material things can be replaced. We are here,” López Obrador wrote on the social media platform X.John hit land near the town of Punta Maldonado and was also likely to batter nearby tourist hubs Acapulco and Puerto Escondido before weakening inland.The unexpected surge in strength caught scientists, authorities and residents of the area by surprise, something AccuWeather Senior Meteorologist Matt Benz attributed to warmer oceans, which add fuel to the hurricanes.As a result, surprise surges in hurricanes’ strength have become increasingly common, Benz said.“These are storms that we haven’t really experienced before,” he said. “Rapid intensification has occurred more frequently in modern times as opposed to back in the historical record. So that’s telling us there’s something going on there.”Residents were tense in Oaxaca’s coastal cities as the forecast shifted and authorities responded.Laura Velázquez, the federal coordinator of civil protection, told residents of Pacific coastal cities they should evacuate their homes and head to shelters in order to “protect theirs and their family’s lives.”“It’s very important that all citizens in the coastal zone … take preventive measures,” Velázquez said.Ana Aldai, a 33-year-old employee of a restaurant on the shores of the tourist hub Puerto Escondido, said businesses in the area began closing after authorities ordered the suspension of all work on the area’s main beaches.The governments of Guerrero and Oaxaca states said classes would be suspended in a number of coastal zones on Tuesday.Oaxaca’s governor said the state government had evacuated 3,000 people and set up 80 shelters. It also said it sent out 1,000 military and state personnel to address the emergency.Videos on social media from Puerto Escondido showed flip-flop-clad tourists walking through heavy rain and fishermen pulling their boats out of the water. Strong rains in previous days have already left some roads in the region in a precarious position.Aldai said she was “a little bit distressed” because notice from authorities came quickly. “There was no opportunity to make the necessary purchases. That also distresses us,” she said.Benz, the meteorologist, expressed concern that the storm could slow once it hits land, leaving the storm hovering over the coastal zone, which could cause even greater damage.The hurricane is bleak news for the region, which last year was walloped by Otis, a similar rapidly intensifying hurricane.Otis devastated the resort city of Acapulco, where residents had little warning of the strength of what was about to hit them. One of the most rapidly intensifying hurricanes ever seen, scientists at the time said it was a product of changing climate conditions.Otis blew out power in the city for days, left bodies scattered on the coast and desperate family members searching for lost loved ones. Much of the city was left in a state of lawlessness and thousands scavenged in stores, scrambled for food and water.The government of López Obrador received harsh criticism for its slow response to Otis, but authorities have since pledged to pick up their speed.President-elect Claudia Sheinbaum said her government planned to work on improving an early alert system, similar to what the country has with earthquakes.Through Thursday, John is expected to produce 15 to 30 centimeters (6 to 12 inches) of rain across coastal areas of Chiapas state with more in isolated areas. In areas along and near the Oaxaca coast to southeast Guerrero, between 25 and 50 centimeters (10 and 20 inches) of rain with isolated higher totals can be expected through Thursday.“You’re going to feel the impacts of the storm probably for the next couple of weeks to a couple of months,” meteorologist Benz added.
PUERTO ESCONDIDO, Oax. —
Hurricane John struck Mexico’s southern Pacific coast Monday night with fierce winds and heavy rainfall after strengthening from tropical storm to major hurricane in a matter of hours.
John’s rapid intensification caught authorities off guard as they scrambled to update their guidance to residents and keep pace with the stronger storm.
Video above: Tracking the Tropics: Helene forecast to grow in the Caribbean Tuesday and hit Florida by Thursday
It hit land as a Category 3 hurricane, pummeling a tourist hub of the country’s Oaxaca state with maximum sustained winds of 120 mph (190 kph).
Shortly before the hurricane hit, the U.S. National Hurricane Center said “life-threatening” and storm surges and flash floods were already ravaging the Pacific coast near Oaxaca. Mexican President Andrés Manuel López Obrador and other authorities urged people to take shelter.
“Seek higher ground, protect yourselves and do not forget that life is the most important thing; material things can be replaced. We are here,” López Obrador wrote on the social media platform X.
John hit land near the town of Punta Maldonado and was also likely to batter nearby tourist hubs Acapulco and Puerto Escondido before weakening inland.
The unexpected surge in strength caught scientists, authorities and residents of the area by surprise, something AccuWeather Senior Meteorologist Matt Benz attributed to warmer oceans, which add fuel to the hurricanes.
As a result, surprise surges in hurricanes’ strength have become increasingly common, Benz said.
“These are storms that we haven’t really experienced before,” he said. “Rapid intensification has occurred more frequently in modern times as opposed to back in the historical record. So that’s telling us there’s something going on there.”
Residents were tense in Oaxaca’s coastal cities as the forecast shifted and authorities responded.
Laura Velázquez, the federal coordinator of civil protection, told residents of Pacific coastal cities they should evacuate their homes and head to shelters in order to “protect theirs and their family’s lives.”
“It’s very important that all citizens in the coastal zone … take preventive measures,” Velázquez said.
Ana Aldai, a 33-year-old employee of a restaurant on the shores of the tourist hub Puerto Escondido, said businesses in the area began closing after authorities ordered the suspension of all work on the area’s main beaches.
The governments of Guerrero and Oaxaca states said classes would be suspended in a number of coastal zones on Tuesday.
Oaxaca’s governor said the state government had evacuated 3,000 people and set up 80 shelters. It also said it sent out 1,000 military and state personnel to address the emergency.
Videos on social media from Puerto Escondido showed flip-flop-clad tourists walking through heavy rain and fishermen pulling their boats out of the water. Strong rains in previous days have already left some roads in the region in a precarious position.
Aldai said she was “a little bit distressed” because notice from authorities came quickly. “There was no opportunity to make the necessary purchases. That also distresses us,” she said.
Benz, the meteorologist, expressed concern that the storm could slow once it hits land, leaving the storm hovering over the coastal zone, which could cause even greater damage.
The hurricane is bleak news for the region, which last year was walloped by Otis, a similar rapidly intensifying hurricane.
Otis blew out power in the city for days, left bodies scattered on the coast and desperate family members searching for lost loved ones. Much of the city was left in a state of lawlessness and thousands scavenged in stores, scrambled for food and water.
The government of López Obrador received harsh criticism for its slow response to Otis, but authorities have since pledged to pick up their speed.
President-elect Claudia Sheinbaum said her government planned to work on improving an early alert system, similar to what the country has with earthquakes.
Through Thursday, John is expected to produce 15 to 30 centimeters (6 to 12 inches) of rain across coastal areas of Chiapas state with more in isolated areas. In areas along and near the Oaxaca coast to southeast Guerrero, between 25 and 50 centimeters (10 and 20 inches) of rain with isolated higher totals can be expected through Thursday.
“You’re going to feel the impacts of the storm probably for the next couple of weeks to a couple of months,” meteorologist Benz added.
First, a report on fentanyl killing over 70,000 a year in the U.S. Then, FTC Chair Lina
Khan: The 60 Minutes Interview. And, take a look inside the treasures of the National Archives.
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Fentanyl, which is often hidden in counterfeit pills, is fueling the worst drug crisis in U.S. history. Last year the synthetic opioid killed more than 70,000 Americans.
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Vice President Kamala Harris’ announcement on Tuesday that Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz will be her running mate in the 2024 presidential election increased the spread of false claims about the Midwestern Democrat, some of which appeared on social media even before Harris made her pick public.
Here’s a look at the facts.
___
CLAIM: Walz said on CNN that he wants to invest in a “ladder factory” to help people scale the wall on the U.S.-Mexico border and illegally enter the U.S.
THE FACTS: That’s false. Posts are misrepresenting a comment Walz made on an episode of CNN’s “Anderson Cooper 360” last week. In the full segment, the Democrat criticizes former President Donald Trump’s plan to build a wall on the southern border by joking about the hypothetical investment. He then gives multiple other examples of how to address illegal crossings into the U.S. through Mexico.
Amid Harris’ Tuesday announcement, social media users used a clip from the segment to make it seem as though the Minnesota governor was advocating for illegal immigration.
“He talks about this wall, I always say, ‘let me know how high it is, if it’s 25 feet then I’ll invest in a 30-foot-ladder factory,’” Walz says, referencing Trump. “That’s not how you stop this.”
One X post that shared the clip reads: “FLASHBACK: Kamala’s VP pick, Tim Walz, says he should invest in a ‘ladder factory’ to help illegal aliens climb the border wall.”
But Walz was not offering to help people enter the U.S. without authorization. He was actually discussing how to prevent this from happening.
In the full segment, after making the investment quip, Walz gives alternative ideas for how to handle illegal crossings on the southern border. Arrests for such crossings reached a record high in December, but dropped to a new low for the Biden administration at the end of July following a temporary ban on asylum.
“You stop this using electronics, you stop it using more border control agents and you stop it by having a legal system that allows for that tradition of allowing folks to come here just like my relatives did,” Walz says near the end of the segment. “To come here, be able to work and establish the American dream.”
— Associated Press writer Melissa Goldin contributed this report.
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CLAIM: Walz changed the Minnesota flag so that it resembles the Somali flag.
THE FACTS: Minnesota did unfurl a new state flag and accompanying seal in May, but the changes were made to replace an old design that Native Americans said reminded them of painful memories of conquest and displacement. The State Emblems Redesign Commission was established during the 2023 legislative session to oversee the development of a new design.
Changes were made to eliminate an old state seal that featured the image of a Native American riding off into the sunset while a white settler plowed his field with a rifle at the ready. The seal was a key feature of the old flag.
The commission included public officials, design experts and members of tribal and other communities of color. Its purpose statement dictated that the designs “must accurately and respectfully reflect Minnesota’s shared history, resources, and diverse cultural communities. Symbols, emblems, or likenesses that represent only a single community or person, regardless of whether real or stylized, may not be included in a design.”
What to know about the 2024 Election
The public submitted more than 2,600 proposals and the commission picked one from Andrew Prekker, 25, of Luverne, as the basis for the flag.
Prekker said Walz had nothing to do with the creation of the flag, and Somalia had nothing to do with the flag design. Minnesota is home to the largest Somali population in the U.S. and is home to U.S. Rep. Ilhan Oman, who was born in Somalia and is a member of an informal group of progressive Democratic House members known as The Squad.
“The inspiration behind my flag were three main concepts inspired by Minnesota’s history and culture: The North Star, the Minnesota shape, and three stripes representing different facets of Minnesotan identity,” he wrote in an email.
Prekker’s original design had the white star on the blue background with white, green and light blue stripes stretching over the rest of the flag. The flag was compared online with flags from states in Somalia that have green, white and blue stripes and a star. The stripes were dropped by the commission in the final design.
The final version of the flag features a dark blue shape resembling Minnesota with a white, eight-pointed star on it. The right side is light blue and is meant to symbolize the state’s abundant waters that led to it being known as the Land of 10,000 Lakes.
The Somali flag has a five-point star on a light blue background. “There is no connection to Somalia or any other country, and in complete honesty I didn’t even know Somalia existed before the whole flag debacle. Any similarities people want to see are a coincidence. It is a Minnesotan flag, and that is what I designed it for,” Prekker said.
In his first news conference since Vice President Kamala Harris became the Democratic nominee for president, former President Donald Trump said he would debate her on Sept. 10 and pushed for two more debates. The Republican presidential nominee spoke for more than an hour, discussing a number of issues facing the country and then taking questions from reporters. He made a number of false and misleading claims. Many of them have been made before.
Here’s a look at some of those claims.
CROWD SIZES
FILE – Crowds are shown in front of the Washington Monument during the March on Washington for Jobs and Freedom, Aug. 28, 1963, in Washington. (AP Photo, File)
CLAIM: “The biggest crowd I’ve ever spoken — I’ve spoken to the biggest crowds. Nobody’s spoken to crowds bigger than me. If you look at Martin Luther King when he did his speech, his great speech, and you look at ours, same real estate, same everything, same number of people, if not we had more. And they said he had a million people, but I had 25,000 people.”
THE FACTS: Trump was comparing the crowd at his speech in front of the White House on Jan. 6, 2021, to the crowd that attended Martin Luther King Jr.’s famous “I Have a Dream” speech on Aug. 28, 1963, at the Lincoln Memorial.
But far more people are estimated to have been at the latter than the former.
Approximately 250,000 people attended the March on Washington for Jobs and Freedom, at which King gave his speech, according to the National Park Service. The Associated Press reported in 2021 that there were at least 10,000 people at Trump’s address.
Moreover, Trump and King did not speak in the same location. King spoke from the steps of the Lincoln Memorial, which looks east toward the Washington Monument. Trump spoke at the Ellipse, a grassy area just south of the White House.
___
JAN. 6
CLAIM: “Nobody was killed on Jan. 6.”
THE FACTS: That’s false. Five people died in the Jan. 6, 2021, riot and its immediate aftermath. Pro-Trump rioters breached the U.S. Capitol that day amid Congress’ effort to certify Democrat Joe Biden’s 2020 election victory.
Among the deceased are Ashli Babbitt, a Trump supporter shot and killed by police, and Brian Sicknick, a police officer who died the day after battling the mob. Four additional officers who responded to the riot killed themselves in the following weeks and months.
Babbitt, a 35-year-old Air Force veteran from San Diego, was shot and killed by a police officer as she climbed through a broken part of a Capitol door during the violent riot. Trump has often cited Babbitt’s death while lamenting the treatment of those who attended a rally outside the White House that day and then marched to the Capitol, many of whom fought with police.
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DEMOCRATIC NOMINATION
Republican presidential nominee former President Donald Trump speaks to reporters during a news conference at his Mar-a-Lago estate Thursday, Aug. 8, 2024, in Palm Beach, Fla. (AP Photo/Alex Brandon)
CLAIM: “The presidency was taken away from Joe Biden, and I’m no Biden fan, but I tell you what, from a constitutional standpoint, from any standpoint you look at, they took the presidency away.”
THE FACTS: There is nothing in the Constitution that prevents the Democratic Party from making Vice President Kamala Harris its nominee. That process is determined by the Democratic National Committee.
Harris officially claimed the nomination Monday following a five-day online voting process, receiving 4,563 delegate votes out of 4,615 cast, or about 99% of participating delegates. A total of 52 delegates in 18 states cast their votes for “present,” the only other option on the ballot.
The vice president was the only candidate eligible to receive votes after no other candidate qualified by the party’s deadline following President Joe Biden’s decision to drop out of the race on July 21.
What to know about the 2024 Election
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THE ECONOMY
CLAIM: Suggesting things would be different if he had been in office rather than Biden: “You wouldn’t have had inflation. You wouldn’t have had any inflation because inflation was caused by their bad energy problems. Now they’ve gone back to the Trump thing because they need the votes. They’re drilling now because they had to go back because gasoline was going up to 7, 8, 9 dollars a barrel.”
THE FACTS: There would have been at least some inflation if Trump had been reelected in 2020 because many of the factors causing inflation were outside a president’s control. Prices spiked in 2021 after cooped-up Americans ramped up their spending on goods such as exercise bikes and home office furniture, overwhelming disrupted supply chains. U.S. auto companies, for example, couldn’t get enough semiconductors and had to sharply reduce production, causing new and used car prices to shoot higher. Russia’s invasion of Ukraine in March 2022 also sent gas and food prices soaring around the world, as Ukraine’s wheat exports were disrupted and many nations boycotted Russian oil and gas.
Still, under Biden, U.S. oil production reached a worldwide record level earlier this year.
Many economists, including some Democrats, say Biden’s $1.9 trillion financial support package, approved in March 2021, which provided a $1,400 stimulus check to most Americans, helped fuel inflation by ramping up demand. But it didn’t cause inflation all by itself. And Trump supported $2,000 stimulus checks in December 2020, rather than the $600 checks included in a package he signed into law in December 2020.
Prices still spiked in countries with different policies than Biden’s, such as France, Germany and the U.K., though mostly because of the sharp increase in energy costs stemming from Russia’s invasion.
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IMMIGRATION
Republican presidential nominee former President Donald Trump speaks to reporters during a news conference at his Mar-a-Lago estate Thursday, Aug. 8, 2024, in Palm Beach, Fla. (AP Photo/Alex Brandon)
CLAIM: “Twenty million people came over the border during the Biden-Harris administration — 20 million people — and it could be very much higher than that. Nobody really knows.”
THE FACTS: Trump’s 20 million figure is unsubstantiated at best, and he didn’t provide sources.
U.S. Customs and Border Protection reports 7.1 million arrests for illegal crossings from Mexico from January 2021 through June 2024. That’s arrests, not people. Under pandemic-era asylum restrictions, many people crossed more than once until they succeeded because there were no legal consequences for getting turned back to Mexico. So the number of people is lower than the number of arrests.
In addition, CBP says it stopped migrants 1.1 million times at official land crossings with Mexico from January 2021 through June 2024, largely under an online appointment system to claim asylum called CBP One.
U.S. authorities also admitted nearly 500,000 migrants from Cuba, Haiti, Nicaragua and Venezuela under presidential authority if they had financial sponsors and arrived at an airport.
All told, that’s nearly 8.7 million encounters. Again, the number of people is lower due to multiple encounters for some.
There are an unknown number of people who eluded capture, known as “got-aways” in Border Patrol parlance. The Border Patrol estimates how many but doesn’t publish that number.
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CLAIM: Vice President Kamala Harris “was the border czar 100% and all of a sudden for the last few weeks she’s not the border czar anymore.”
THE FACTS: Harris was appointed to address “root causes” of migration in Central America. That migration manifests itself in illegal crossings to the U.S., but she was not assigned to the border.
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NEW YORK CASES
CLAIM: “The New York cases are totally controlled out of the Department of Justice.”
THE FACTS: Trump was referring to two cases brought against him in New York — one civil and the other criminal.
Neither has anything to do with the U.S. Department of Justice.
The civil case was initiated by a lawsuit from New York Attorney General Letitia James. In that case, Trump was ordered in February to pay a $454 million penalty for lying about his wealth for years as he built the real estate empire that vaulted him to stardom and the White House.
Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg, a state-level prosecutor, brought the criminal case. In May, a jury found Trump guilty on 34 felony counts in a scheme to illegally influence the 2016 election through a hush money payment to a porn actor who said the two had sex.
___ Associated Press writers Melissa Goldin and Elliot Spagat and economics writer Christopher Rugaber contributed to this article. ___
An earlier version of this story mixed up “latter” and “former” in the third paragraph. Martin Luther King Jr.’s “I Have a Dream” speech on Aug. 28, 1963, drew a far larger crowd than Donald Trump’s speech near the White House on Jan. 6, 2021.
Huge celebrations across the U.S. are expected to celebrate National Hispanic Heritage Month, an annual tradition that showcases the awe-inspiring diversity and culture of Hispanic people.
Celebrated each year from Sept. 15 to Oct. 15, the month is a chance for many in the U.S. to learn about and celebrate the contributions of Hispanics, the country’s fastest-growing racial or ethnic minority, according to the census. The group includes people whose ancestors come from Spain, Mexico, the Caribbean and Central and South America.
There are more than 65 million people identified as ethnically Hispanic in the U.S., according to the latest census estimates.
Heritage week embraces the sprawling histories of Latinos
Before there was National Hispanic Heritage Month, there was Hispanic Heritage Week, which was created through legislation sponsored by Mexican American U.S. Rep. Edward R. Roybal of Los Angeles and signed into law in 1968 by President Lyndon B. Johnson.
The weeklong commemoration was expanded to a month two decades later, with legislation signed into law by President Ronald Reagan.
“It was clustered around big celebrations for the community,” Alberto Lammers, director of communications at the UCLA Latino Policy and Politics Institute said. “It became a chance for people to know Hispanic cultures, for Latinos to get to know a community better and for the American public to understand a little better the long history of Latinos in the U.S.”
The month is a way for Hispanics to showcase their diversity and culture with the support of the government, said Rachel Gonzalez-Martin, an associate professor of Mexican American and Latino Studies at the University of Texas at Austin.
Sept. 15 was chosen as the starting point to coincide with the anniversary of “El Grito de Dolores,” or the “Cry of Dolores,” which was issued in 1810 from a town in central Mexico that launched that country’s war for independence from Spain.
The Central American nations of Guatemala, Honduras, El Salvador, Nicaragua and Costa Rica celebrate their independence on Sept. 15, and Mexico marks its national day on Sept. 16, the day after the cry for independence.
Also during National Hispanic Heritage Month, the South American nation of Chile observes its independence day on Sept. 18. Indigenous Peoples’ Day, previously known as Columbus Day, is observed in the U.S. on the second Monday of October.
Over the past decade, the month has grown due to the larger Latino consumer base in the U.S., Gonzalez-Martin said. Gonzalez-Martin said visible support from the federal government, including celebrations at the White House, has also made it easier for Hispanics to celebrate.
“Hispanic Heritage Month was a way in which to be Hispanic and Latino but with official blessing,” Gonzalez-Martin said. “It was a recognition of belonging and that became really powerful.”
The four-week period is about honoring the way Hispanic populations have shaped the U.S. in the past and present, Lammers said.
“It gives us a chance to acknowledge how Latinos have been part of this nation for so many centuries,” Lammers said. “I think that’s what is great about this. It has allowed us to really dig deeper and a chance to tell our stories.”
Not everyone who is Hispanic uses that label
Hispanic was a term coined by the federal government for people descended from Spanish-speaking cultures. But for some, the label has a connotation of political conservatism and emphasizes a connection to Spain. It sometimes gets mistakenly interchanged with “Latino” or “Latinx.”
For some, Latino reflects their ties to Latin America. So some celebrations are referred to as Latinx or Latin Heritage Month.
Latin Americans are not a monolith. There are several identifiers for Latin Americans, depending largely on personal preference. Mexican Americans who grew up during the 1960s Civil Rights era may identify as Chicano. Others may go by their family’s nation of origin such as Colombian American or Salvadoran American.
Each culture has unique differences when it comes to music, food, art and other cultural touchstones.
Celebrations are planned throughout the month
From California to Florida, there will be no shortage of festivities. The celebrations tout traditional Latin foods and entertainment including, mariachi bands, folklórico and salsa lessons. The intent is to showcase the culture of Mexico, Puerto Rico, Venezuela and other Latin countries.
Events highlighting Hispanic culture include a quinceañera fashion show in Dallas on Sept. 14, the New York Latino Film Festival, which runs from Sept. 17-22, and the Viva Tampa Bay Hispanic Heritage Festival on Sept. 28-29.
The Smithsonian in Washington, D.C., is offering a slate of activities elevating Hispanic heritage, including a celebration of the life of Celia Cruz and exhibits of art made in Mexico.
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Associated Press writer Terry Tang contributed to this report.
Mexico issued a tropical storm warning Saturday along the coast, from Altata to Huatabampito, and has discontinued all watches and warnings for Baja California Sur after rain from Storm Ileana pounded the resort-studded Los Cabos a day before.
Ileana moved northward over the southern Gulf of California at 7 mph, according to the U.S. National Hurricane Center. The storm was about 70 miles (110 km) east of La Paz, Mexico with maximum sustained winds of 40 mph (65 kph), the center said.
Tropical storm warnings have been issued for the coasts of northern Sinaloa and extreme southern Sonola.
On Friday, a warning was in effect for portions of the Baja California Peninsula, including Cabo San Lucas and San Jose del Cabo.
Juan Manuel Arce Ortega, from Los Cabos Civil Protection, said the municipalities of La Paz and Los Cabos were on red alert at the time and urged residents to avoid crossing rivers, streams, and low areas where they can be swept away by water.
All schools in Los Cabos were also suspended Friday due to the storm.
Óscar Cruces Rodríguez of Mexico’s federal Civil Protection said in a statement that residents should avoid leaving their homes until the storm passes and if residents are in an area at risk of flooding to find temporary shelters.
Authorities prepared 20 temporary shelters in San Jose del Cabo and Cabo San Lucas, according to Los Cabos Civil Protection.
At the Hacienda Beach Club and Residences in Cabo San Lucas, valet worker Alan Galvan said the rain arrived late Thursday night and has been constant. “The rain isn’t very strong right now, but the waves are choppy,” he said.
“The guests are very calm and already came down for coffee,” Galvan said. “There’s some flights canceled but everything is ok at the moment.” Galvan said they are awaiting further advisories from authorities.
The rain remained consistent through Los Cabos Friday afternoon, with several roads flooded and some resorts stacking up sandbags on their perimeters. Some people were still walking around boat docks with their umbrellas.
“The priority has to be safety, starting with the workers. We always have to check on our colleagues who live in risk areas,” said Lyzzette Liceaga, a tour operator at Los Cabos.
“We give them the information shared by the authorities — firefighters in risk areas — so that they can go to the shelters if necessary,” she added.
Earlier this week, Francine weakened into a post-tropical cyclone as it moved north across Mississippi, soaking that state and its neighbors in heavy rain after it slammed into the Louisiana coast Wednesday evening as a dangerous Category 2 hurricane. In August, Tropical Storm Ernesto moved away from Bermuda after making landfall on the island as a Category 1 hurricane.
Hurricane activity tends to peak in mid-September, according to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration.
This story originally appeared on WIRED en Español and has been translated from Spanish.
The wide mowed lawns and leafy trees, the sports fields shining under their illuminated lights, the bouncy castles in the children’s play areas—especially the bouncy castles—are what Celia Pérez Godínez envies. These are the trappings of the wealthy neighborhood she travels to every day as a domestic worker in Cancún. Pérez envies the rich.
She tells me this sitting on a rotten wooden bench one August afternoon, her 7-year-old son getting his scooter stuck on the broken path here many miles away in the north of the city, in a tiny park. Full of garbage and wild vegetation, it’s a short distance from where Pérez lives, close to the city outskirts. As we talk, a homeless person in the background shouts and laughs as if at a joke only he understands.
Pérez is a 33-year-old single mother from San Marcos, Guatemala. She migrated in 2013 to Cancún, Mexico’s over-promoted and hugely popular tourist destination. She rarely has enough time and money to go to the beach and cannot find green areas or decent, safe public spaces for her son to play, having to make do with the few parks, like this, that are available. This is not the life she expected. “You hear that Cancún is wonderful, but when you get here … it’s a disappointment.”
At 54 years old, Cancún is the youngest city in Mexico. It was designed from scratch in the 1970s as a new holiday destination in the country. In this respect, it’s been a wild success. But as an urban project, it is a failure. Designed for 200,000 people, the population of its urban sprawl now exceeds 1 million. Before, much of this area was jungle; today there are hundreds of hotels. Accelerated real-estate development has bitten into the surrounding vegetation year after year.
This growth has been an environmental nightmare but also a social one, giving vastly unequal benefits to the city’s richer and poorer inhabitants. According to recent research by Christine McCoy, an academic at the University of the Caribbean, most people in Cancún live without the minimum green areas or public spaces needed for proper recreation, leisure, rest, or socializing. This is especially true in those regions where the most vulnerable live.
Click play to see Cancún’s urban development from 1984 to 2022.
This inequality has evolved despite Cancún’s rapid expansion consuming huge amounts of green space. Between 2001 and 2021, the surrounding region lost at least 30,000 hectares of jungle, according to data from Mexico’s National Forestry Commission. On the land ripped from the jungle there are now residential and hotel projects. And according to data seen by WIRED, plenty more developents are on the way. At the federal level, since 2018 the Ministry of Environment and Natural Resources has received 40 requests for further land use change in the area. If approved, 650 more hectares of jungle will disappear.
Data obtained through freedom of information shows what urban development projects have been processed over this period, these ranging from 2,247 tiny, popular housing units on the one hand to a 20-story, 429-room all-inclusive luxury hotel. Crucially, none of these include applications for public parks or green areas to be developed or improved, in a city that is already bursting at the seams, having exceeded its tourist carrying capacity for more than a decade.
Osiel Cárdenas Guillén, one of Mexico’s most-feared drug lords, has been released from a U.S. prison after serving most of a 25-year prison sentence, authorities confirmed Friday.
A U.S. Bureau of Prisons official said Cárdenas Guillén had been released from prison and was placed in the custody of the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement. That would normally suggest he would be deported back to Mexico.
A Mexican official who was not authorized to be quoted by name said Cárdenas Guillén faces two arrest warrants in Mexico, making it likely he would be detained upon arrival.
The former head of the Gulf cartel was known for his brutality. He created the most bloodthirsty gang of hitmen Mexico has ever known, the Zetas, which routinely slaughtered migrants and innocent people.
Cárdenas Guillén was sentenced to 25 years in prison in 2010 and ordered to forfeit tens of millions of dollars. It was not clear why he did not serve his full sentence, but he had been extradited to the U.S. in January 2007.
The 57-year-old native of the border city of Matamoros, Mexico, moved tons of cocaine and made millions of dollars through the Gulf cartel, based in the border cities of Reynosa and Matamoros.
He created the Zetas, a gang of former Mexican special forces soldiers who he recruited to become his private army and hit squad. They committed acts of terror that regularly involved slaughtering dozens of people, decapitating them or dumping heaps of hacked-up bodies on roadways.
The Zetas lived on long after Cárdenas Guillén was captured in 2003. By 2010, the Zetas had formed their own cartel, spreading terror-style attacks across Mexico as far south as Tabasco until their top leaders were killed or arrested in 2012-2013.
An offshoot of the Zetas, the Northeast cartel, continues to control the border city of Nuevo Laredo, across from Laredo, Texas.
But Cárdenas Guillén’s own gang, the Gulf cartel, has become hopelessly splintered after more than a decade of bloody infighting between factions with names like The Metros, The Cyclones, The Reds and The Scorpions.
Cárdenas Guillén’s own nickname was “El Mata Amigos,” or “The one who kills his friends.”
Cárdenas Guillén’s most brazen act was when he surrounded and stopped a vehicle carrying two U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration agents and one of their informants in 1999 in the border city of Matamoros, across from Brownsville, Texas.
His gunmen pointed their weapons at the agents and demanded they hand over the informant, who would almost certainly be tortured and killed. The agents toughed it out and refused, reminding him it would be a bad decision to kill employees of the DEA. Cárdenas Guillén eventually called off his gunmen, but not before reportedly saying “You gringos, this is my territory.”
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Alanna Durkin Richer contributed from Washington, D.C.
This story originally appeared on WIRED en Español and has been translated from Spanish.
China has positioned itself as the main car supplier in Mexico, with exports reaching $4.6 billion in 2023, according to data from Mexico’s Secretariat of Economy.
The Chinese automaker BYD surpassed Honda and Nissan to position itself as the seventh largest automaker in the world by number of units sold during the April to June quarter. This growth was driven by increased demand for its affordable electric vehicles, according to data from automakers and research firm MarkLines.
The company’s new vehicle sales rose 40 percent year over year to 980,000 units in the quarter—the same quarter wherein most major automakers, including Toyota and Volkswagen, experienced a decline in sales. Much of BYD’s growth is attributed to its overseas sales, which nearly tripled in the past year to 105,000 units. Now BYD is considering locating its new auto plant in three Mexican states: Durango, Jalisco, and Nuevo Leon.
Foreign investment would be an economic boost for Mexico. The company has claimed that a plant there would create about 10,000 jobs. A Tesla competitor, BYD markets its Dolphin Mini model in Mexico for about 398,800 pesos—about $21,300 dollars—a little more than half the price of the cheapest Tesla model.
Prevented from selling their wares to the United States due to tariffs, Chinese EV manufacturers have explored other markets to sell their high-tech cars. However, as Mexico establishes itself as a key market for Chinese electric vehicles, officials in Washington fear that Mexico could be used as a “back door” to access the US market.
That tariff-free access is part of the US-Mexico-Canada Agreement (T-MEC), an updated version of the North American Free Trade Agreement that, as of 2018, eliminated tariffs on many products traded between the North American countries. Under the treaty, if a foreign automotive company that manufactures vehicles in Canada or Mexico can demonstrate that the materials used are locally sourced, its products can be exported to the United States virtually duty-free.
According to official figures, 20 percent of light vehicles sold last year in Mexico were imported from China, representing 273,592 units and a 50 percent increase compared to 2022. Currently, most of the vehicles imported from China come from Western brands that have established manufacturing plants in that country, such as General Motors, Ford, Chrysler, BMW, and Renault.
Mexico is the second largest market for Chinese automobiles worldwide, behind only Russia, according to data from Linked Global Solutions, a company specializing in business between China and Latin American countries.
A Trade War Against China
Both the United States and the European Union have intensified a trade war against China, focusing on automobiles and semiconductor chip production, which have been the subject of investigations for predatory practices, tariffs, and restrictions. This new geopolitical strategy is prompting Western companies to look for alternatives to relocate their factories outside of China, a trend known as “nearshoring.”
Concerned about the potential impact on domestic automakers, the US has raised tariffs on Chinese-made electric vehicles to 100 percent. Canada is also considering implementing its own tariffs on Chinese-made vehicles.
The murders of at least 10 people in the northern Mexican state of Sinaloa appear to be linked to infighting in the dominant drug smuggling cartel there, confirming fears of repercussions from the July 25 detention of two top cartel leaders.
Last month, Joaquín Guzmán López, a capo from one faction of the Sinaloa cartel – the Chapitos or “Little Chapos,” the sons of imprisoned cartel leader Joaquin “El Chapo” Guzmán – turned himself in to U.S. authorities. However, he allegedly abducted the leader of the rival faction, Ismael “El Mayo” Zambada, forcing him on to the same flight to El Paso and turning him in.
Mexican authorities are caught in the middle of the coming storm: they weren’t involved in the July 25 capture, but they are unwilling to use the opportunity to crack down on the Sinaloa cartel. The cartel is splintering, and what’s at stake is who will take over Zambada’s faction now that he is in a U.S. jail.
To paraphrase a famous Mexican corrido song, “Smuggling and Betrayal,” the mixture of the two always leads to murder.
Analysts say the government doesn’t want to get involved, because both sides in the Sinaloa cartel’s internal dispute have damaging information on officials they could release at any time. So they have limited themselves to increasingly desperate appeals to both sides not to fight among themselves.
On Monday, Sinaloa state Gov. Rubén Rocha acknowledged that four killings on Friday and six murders on Saturday were related to the dispute between warring factions of the cartel.
“These are related to the drug cartels … and they can be linked to the situation that arose after the detentions of July 25,” said Gov. Rocha. “What I want is peace, and I have to ask for that from whomever, from the violent ones.”
This combo of images provided by the U.S. Department of State show Ismael “El Mayo” Zambada, a historic leader of Mexico’s Sinaloa cartel, left, and Joaquín Guzmán López, a son of another infamous cartel leader, after they were arrested by U.S. authorities in Texas, the U.S. Justice Department said Thursday, July 25, 2024.
/ AP
That echoed a statement earlier in the day from President Andrés Manuel López Obrador, who acknowledged that two more killings were linked to the dispute.
“We don’t want the situation in Sinaloa to take a turn for the worse,” López Obrador said. “It has been stable as far as violence is concerned. That doesn’t mean there wasn’t violence, but there wasn’t confrontation, fighting between groups.”
“Public opinion bombs”
That kind of peace – where drug cartels go about their business of smuggling, dealing and extortion, but don’t cause too much violence – is something the president has praised in the past. Rooting out the cartels, he says, is a policy imposed upon Mexico in the past by the United States, and is something he does not agree with.
But Mexican security analyst David Saucedo said authorities seem loathe to intervene for another reason. Zambada, the captured drug lord, appears to be willing to use the damaging insider knowledge he has about corrupt Mexican politicians to pressure them.
Zambada has already shown he is willing to do that. In a jailhouse letter, Zambada gave a version of the killing of Hector Cuén – a political rival of Gov. Rocha who was killed the same day Zambada was kidnapped – and blamed it on the Chapitos faction.
Rocha and state prosecutors claimed Cuén was killed in a random, unrelated gas station robbery, and published security camera footage they said backed that up. But federal prosecutors later said the governor’s version didn’t add up and was probably a fake.
Zambada apparently has more information he can release if things get too hot in Sinaloa, and if his sons are prevented from taking over his part of the business: the names of politicians, police and military officers he has paid off.
“It seems to me that Mayo Zambada’s media strategy is focused on assuring an orderly transition in the organization he commands,” said Saucedo. “With these (media) hand grenades, these public opinion bombs, Zambada is trying to assure that federal authorities don’t try to interfere in the leadership succession in his organization.”
If that’s the goal – keep things orderly in Sinaloa so drug leadership can pass from one generation to another, and politicians don’t get publicly exposed for cooperating with drug cartels – then the most recent killings don’t bode well for the strategy.
At least two of the men killed last week – they were tortured, shot and found with their heads wrapped in duct tape – were close associates of Zambada.
The Chapitos and their cartel associates used corkscrews, electrocution and hot chiles to torture their rivals while some of their victims were “fed dead or alive to tigers,” according to an indictment released by the U.S. Justice Department.
Mexican army soldiers aboard military vehicles patrol a highway as part of a military operation to reinforce security following a wave of violence in recent days in the city of Culiacan, Sinaloa State, Mexico, on August 19, 2024.
IVAN MEDINA/AFP via Getty Images
But as usual, it’s hard to decipher which killing or act of violence was committed by which cartel faction, and why.
For example, somebody started to methodically destroy the lavish family tomb of a prominent Sinaloa cartel clan a couple of days after July 25 arrests of the two capos. They used bulldozers and backhoes to break open the walls of the mausoleum and dig up the crypts.
The clan whose grandfather’s and uncle’s bodies lay in the tomb – both corpses were stolen – had had violent brushes with both the Chapitos and Zambada factions in the past.
In his jailhouse letter, Zambada called on the governments of the United States and Mexico to be “transparent” about his abduction, subsequent disappearances, and death.
“I also call on the people of Sinaloa to use restraint and maintain peace in our State,” Zambada wrote. “Nothing can be solved by violence. We have been down that road before, and everyone loses.”
If there is any clear victim to be laid to rest in the conflict, it’s the idea that the Sinaloa cartel was ever a monolithic, hierarchal gang with one leader at the top. As the war of lavish tombs in Culiacán, the state capital, shows, the cartel has always been made up of a loose alliance of drug trafficking clans who try to one-up each other, even in death.
El Chapo, the Sinaloa cartel’s founder, is serving a life sentence in a maximum security prison in Colorado after being convicted in 2019 on charges including drug trafficking, money laundering and weapons-related offenses.
Last year, El Chapo sent an “SOS” message to Mexico’s President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador, alleging that he has been subjected to “psychological torment” in prison.
