INSIDER
Round 2 in the Trump-vs-Mexico matchup looks ominous for Mexico
Read full article: Round 2 in the Trump-vs-Mexico matchup looks ominous for MexicoMexico is facing a second Donald Trump presidency, and few countries can match its experience as a target of Trump’s rhetoric: There have been threats to close the border, impose tariffs and even send U.S. forces to fight Mexican drug cartels if the country doesn’t do more to stem the flow of migrants and drugs.
Mexico says foreign firms have pledged $20 billion in investments, but many are old or uncertain
Read full article: Mexico says foreign firms have pledged $20 billion in investments, but many are old or uncertainMexican officials say companies have pledged $20 billion in new foreign direct investment in Mexico.
Mexico's incoming president announces first Cabinet picks: academics and former public servants
Read full article: Mexico's incoming president announces first Cabinet picks: academics and former public servantsMexico's incoming President Claudia Sheinbaum has begun naming her Cabinet, presenting an even gender distribution and a heavy presence from academia and her prior administration as Mexico City’s mayor.
Former Mexico City Mayor Claudia Sheinbaum to be the ruling party's presidential candidate
Read full article: Former Mexico City Mayor Claudia Sheinbaum to be the ruling party's presidential candidateThe former mayor of Mexico City will be the dominant ruling party’s presidential candidate, moving the country closer to electing its first female president next year.
Mexico's governing party to decide its presidential nomination by polling
Read full article: Mexico's governing party to decide its presidential nomination by pollingMexican President Andrés Manuel López Obrador's governing Morena party has decided that a series of five polls over the summer will decide the party's nomination for the June 2024 presidential election.
He's been Mexico's voice abroad. Now he wants the presidency
Read full article: He's been Mexico's voice abroad. Now he wants the presidencyHe’s been the face of Mexico internationally for nearly five years and often the country’s leading voice in meetings with top world leaders — including volatile ones, like former U.S. President Donald Trump.
Could scientist Claudia Sheinbaum be Mexico’s next leader?
Read full article: Could scientist Claudia Sheinbaum be Mexico’s next leader?Mexico is a year away from electing its next head of state and the potential candidate getting the most attention is an environmental scientist who could become the first female leader of Latin America’s second-largest economy.
World opinion shifts against Russia as Ukraine worries grow
Read full article: World opinion shifts against Russia as Ukraine worries growThe tide of international opinion appears to have decisively shifted against Russia, as a number of non-aligned countries joined the United States and its allies in condemning Russia’s war in Ukraine and its threats to the principles of the international rules-based order.
US invites Mexico to join semiconductor production effort
Read full article: US invites Mexico to join semiconductor production effortA high-level United States delegation invited Mexico to participate in a push to shift semiconductor production from Asia to North America and expand production of electric vehicles.
Driver in San Antonio tractor-trailer tragedy pretended to be a victim: Mexican immigration official
Read full article: Driver in San Antonio tractor-trailer tragedy pretended to be a victim: Mexican immigration officialA Mexican immigration official says that in the chaotic minutes after dozens of migrants were found dead inside a tractor-trailer sweltering in the Texas heat, the driver tried to slip away by pretending to be one of the survivors.
53 people, including five kids, are dead in San Antonio after being trapped in tractor-trailer
Read full article: 53 people, including five kids, are dead in San Antonio after being trapped in tractor-trailerThe victims included migrants from Mexico, Guatemala and Honduras. Most were men; five were minors.
Biden lauds democratic unity despite no-shows at summit
Read full article: Biden lauds democratic unity despite no-shows at summitPresident Joe Biden says democracy is an “essential ingredient” for the Western Hemisphere's future, an implicit rebuttal to leaders from around the world who boycotted the Summit of the Americas because authoritarians were not invited.
Desperate search for survivors in Cuba hotel blast; 27 dead
Read full article: Desperate search for survivors in Cuba hotel blast; 27 deadRelatives of the missing in Cuba’s capital are desperately searching for victims of an explosion at one of Havana's most luxurious hotels that killed at least 27 people.
Mexican president opens new -- and distant -- airport
Read full article: Mexican president opens new -- and distant -- airportMexican President Andrés Manuel López Obrador is inaugurating one of his hallmark building projects, a new Mexico City airport that reflects the contrasts and contradictions of his administration.
US files 1st USMCA environment case on Mexico over porpoise
Read full article: US files 1st USMCA environment case on Mexico over porpoiseThe U.S. Trade Representative's Office has filed the first environmental complaint against Mexico for failing to protect the critically endangered vaquita marina, the world's smallest porpoise.
Extortionists target families of crash victims in Guatemala
Read full article: Extortionists target families of crash victims in GuatemalaGuatemalan families awaiting word on the fate of relatives involved in a deadly migrant smuggling accident in southern Mexico are now also living with the terror of extortionists telling them their loved ones have been kidnapped.
Mexico and US prepare new security framework
Read full article: Mexico and US prepare new security frameworkOfficials from Mexico and the United States are developing a new framework for their governments’ security relationship that is more “holistic” in addressing crime and will tackle a broader range of issues than the previous initiative.
Officials: Many Haitian migrants are being released in US
Read full article: Officials: Many Haitian migrants are being released in USU.S. officials say many Haitian migrants camped in a small Texas border town are being released in the United States, undercutting the Biden administration’s public statements that Haitians who enter the country illegally face immediate expulsion.
Many migrants staying in US even as expulsion flights rise
Read full article: Many migrants staying in US even as expulsion flights riseU.S. officials say many of the thousands of Haitian migrants camped in the small Texas border town of Del Rio are being released in the United States with notices to appear in immigration court or to an immigration office.
Assertive Mexico seeks leadership role in Latin America
Read full article: Assertive Mexico seeks leadership role in Latin AmericaA gathering of leaders from Latin America and the Caribbean here this weekend is the latest sign of Mexico flexing its diplomatic muscle as it looks to assert itself as the new mediator between the region and the United States.
Venezuela gov't, opposition pledge to address people's needs
Read full article: Venezuela gov't, opposition pledge to address people's needsRepresentatives of Venezuela’s government and opposition say they have agreed to find ways to deal with the pressing needs of Venezuelans, especially in combatting the coronavirus pandemic.
Venezuelan government, opposition leaders meet in Mexico
Read full article: Venezuelan government, opposition leaders meet in MexicoThe government of Venezuela and its opposition have met for the first time in two years to look for a change in the South American nation's prolonged political standoff.
Report blames poor welds for Mexico City subway collapse
Read full article: Report blames poor welds for Mexico City subway collapseA preliminary report by experts into the collapse of a Mexico City elevated subway line that killed 26 people placed much of the blame on poor welds that joined steel support beams to a concrete layer supporting the track bed.
US and Mexico seek ways to do more on irregular immigration
Read full article: US and Mexico seek ways to do more on irregular immigrationIn consecutive visits this month, Vice President Kamala Harris and Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas have conveyed to the most important U.S. partner that the Biden administration is taking a more nuanced approach to immigration than its predecessor, but still asking what more Mexico can do.
Mexico: Russia's Sputnik V shortages mean limited 2nd doses
Read full article: Mexico: Russia's Sputnik V shortages mean limited 2nd dosesMexican authorities say Russia has been having so many problems producing second doses of its Sputnik V coronavirus vaccine that there won't be enough to give people who got the first dose a second shot.
Mexico to rely heavily on Chinese vaccines
Read full article: Mexico to rely heavily on Chinese vaccinesAn elderly woman gets her shot of the Pfizer vaccine for COVID-19 in Mexico City, Monday, March 8, 2021. (AP Photo/Marco Ugarte)MEXICO CITY – Mexico announced a huge bet on Chinese vaccines Tuesday, without making public any information about their efficacy. The total of 32 million doses, plus at least 4 million doses of the CanSino shot, would dwarf the estimated 5 million vaccine doses Mexico has acquired so far from other sources. Mexico has administered only about 4.7 million doses of all vaccines, a tiny amount given the country’s population of 126 million. AdInoculations with Chinese vaccines already have begun in more than 25 countries.
Top US diplomat 'visits' Mexico, Canada on virtual trip
Read full article: Top US diplomat 'visits' Mexico, Canada on virtual tripSecretary of State Antony Blinken, second from right, speaks during a virtual meeting at the State Department in Washington, Friday, Feb. 26, 2021, with Canadian Foreign Minister Marc Garneau who is in Ottawa, Canada. But they were geographically far apart Friday as Secretary of State Antony Blinken, because of the pandemic, started a new chapter in North American relations with virtual visits to Mexico and Canada in what was billed as his first official trip. “The United States has long-standing relationships with both Mexico and Canada," Blinken said afterward. The secretary began his virtual visits with Mexico, a country Trump repeatedly disparaged in his campaign and early in his presidency, though relations turned more cordial under López Obrador. AdBiden last week made his first bilateral meeting, also virtual, with Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, who at times had a frosty relationship with Trump.
The Latest: Tennessee probe finds wasted vaccines
Read full article: The Latest: Tennessee probe finds wasted vaccines___WASHINGTON — Coronavirus vaccine makers tell Congress to expect a big increase in the delivery of doses over the coming month. AdLooking ahead to summer, Pfizer and Moderna expect to complete delivery of 300 million doses each, and J&J aims to provide an additional 100 million doses. ___MADRID — Spain has registered 7,461 new coronavirus cases and 443 more deaths. AdThe country has reached a total of 3.1 million cases and 68,000 confirmed deaths. Ad___GENEVA — The head of the World Health Organization is criticizing the lack of access to coronavirus vaccines for the world’s poor.
The Latest: Hong Kong ease pandemic rules as cases decline
Read full article: The Latest: Hong Kong ease pandemic rules as cases declineFILE - In this Feb. 7, 2020 file photo, people wearing masks attend a vigil for Chinese doctor Li Wenliang, in Hong Kong. (AP Photo/Kin Cheung, File)HONG KONG — Hong Kong is reducing social distancing rules following a sharp drop in new coronavirus cases, including restarting indoor dining and reopening gyms. More than two-thirds of the new cases were in Seoul area, home to half of South Korea’s 51 million people. The company has contracted to provide 100 million doses — enough for 100 million Americans — by the end of June. “We just need the vaccine to arrive.”___ATLANTA — Snowy and icy weather across much of the nation has “significantly” delayed shipments of COVID-19 vaccine to Georgia, state health officials said Wednesday.
UN chief urges global plan to reverse unfair vaccine access
Read full article: UN chief urges global plan to reverse unfair vaccine accessThe coronavirus has infected more than 109 million people and killed at least 2.4 million of them. America's top diplomat said the U.S. also plans to provide “significant financial support” to COVAX through the GAVI vaccine alliance, and will work to strengthen other multilateral initiatives involved in the global COVID-19 response. India’s External Affairs Minister Subrahmanyam Jaishankar also called for a halt to “vaccine nationalism” and encouragement for internationalism. he said Russia is ready to discuss progress on implementing the only resolution the Security Council has adopted on the pandemic. After three months of difficult negotiations, the council last July 1 endorsed fhe secretary-general’s call for cease-fires in major global conflicts to tackle COVID-19.
Mexican president works from isolation after virus test
Read full article: Mexican president works from isolation after virus testLópez Obrador appeared “with resolute spirit, working and looking good,” Foreign Affairs Secretary Marcelo Ebrard, who is also isolating and awaiting test results, said on Twitter. On Monday, the WHO chief said via Twitter: “I am sorry to hear that you have tested positive for #COVID19, President @lopezobrador— . Stay strong!”At the start of the pandemic López Obrador was criticized for leaning into crowds and giving hugs. López Obrador is known to be stubborn and more often doubles down on a position rather than retreat in the face of criticism. ___Associated Press video journalist Lissette Romero and AP writer Mark Stevenson in Mexico City and writer Jamey Keaten in Geneva contributed to this report.
Mexico's president says he's tested positive for COVID-19
Read full article: Mexico's president says he's tested positive for COVID-19Mexico President Andrs Manuel Lpez Obrador says he has tested positive for COVID-19 and is under medical treatment, Sunday, Jan. 24, 2021. (AP Photo/Marco Ugarte, File)MEXICO CITY – Mexican President Andrés Manuel López Obrador said Sunday he has tested positive for COVID-19 and that the symptoms are mild. López Obrador, 67, has rarely been seen wearing a mask and continued to keep up a busy travel schedule taking commercial flights. At the start of the pandemic López Obrador was criticized for still leaning into crowds and giving hugs. Besides López Obrador, other Latin American leaders who have tested positive for the coronavirus are Brazil’s President Jair Bolsonaro, Guatemala’s Alejandro Giammattei, Honduras’ Juan Orlando Hernández and Bolivia’s then-interim President Jeanine Ánéz.
Mexico starts giving first shots of Pfizer-BioNtech vaccine
Read full article: Mexico starts giving first shots of Pfizer-BioNtech vaccineThe country's 1.4 million health workers will be the first to get the shots, followed by the elderly, those with underlying health conditions that make them more vulnerable to the disease, and teachers. Foreign Relations Secretary Marcelo Ebrard said Mexico was the first country in Latin America to get the vaccine, though others were close behind. In Costa Rica, which is the third country in the region to begin using the Pfizer vaccine, the first shot was given Thursday to Elizabeth Castillo, 91. Argentina, which has run into problems obtaining the Pfizer vaccine, received a flight carrying 300,000 doses of the Russian Sputnik V vaccine. Argentina plans to become the first country in Latin America to administer the Russian vaccine starting next week.
The Latest: Brazil is latest to ban flights from Britain
Read full article: The Latest: Brazil is latest to ban flights from BritainA demonstrator wears a face shield with a red handprint, mimicking blood, to protest Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro's handling of the deadly coronavirus pandemic in Brasilia, Brazil, Wednesday, Dec. 23, 2020. ___NASHVILLE, Tenn. — Dozens of Tennessee hospitals have stopped taking transfer patients because they are overwhelmed during one of the nation’s worst recent outbreaks of COVID-19 cases. ___DENVER — Colorado has started vaccinating correctional workers as the state sees a surge of coronavirus cases in its prisons. ___BOSTON — Help is on the way for Massachusetts small businesses struggling during the coronavirus pandemic, with Gov. COVID-19 cases have been declining in New Mexico, but the economic fallout from the pandemic continues.
Mexican president wants to restrict US agents in Mexico
Read full article: Mexican president wants to restrict US agents in Mexico(AP Photo / Marco Ugarte )MEXICO CITY – Mexico’s President Andrés Manuel López Obrador has tossed another hot potato to U.S. President-elect Joe Biden with a proposal that would restrict U.S. agents in Mexico and remove their diplomatic immunity. “The proposal is that foreign agents will not have any immunity,” according to a summary of the president's proposal to the Mexican Senate published Friday. “The proposal requires that foreign agents give Mexican authorities the information they gather,” according the proposed changes. It’s going to be leaked, it’s going to compromise agents, it’s going to compromise informants," Vigil said. “Ninety percent of the information sharing goes from the DEA to Mexico, rather from Mexico to the US.
Mexico says it wants its ex-officials tried in Mexico
Read full article: Mexico says it wants its ex-officials tried in MexicoRegarding drug traffickers and others whose crimes affect the United States, Ramírez said, “that justifies them being tried in the United States." Roberto Velasco, Mexico’s director general of North American Affairs, said generally, crimes in Mexico would be investigated and prosecuted in Mexico. He was also accused of introducing cartel leaders to other corrupt Mexican officials. That decision came after reports that Mexico had threatened to expel the Drug Enforcement Administration’s regional director and agents. Mexican officials complained that the U.S. failed to share evidence against Cienfuegos and that his arrest came as a surprise.
US drops case against ex-Mexican general after pressure
Read full article: US drops case against ex-Mexican general after pressureThe officials asked not to be named because they were not authorized to speak publicly about the case. He was also accused of introducing cartel leaders to other corrupt Mexican officials. Mexican officials complained that the U.S. failed to share evidence against Cienfuegos and that his arrest came as a surprise. In the case of Cienfuegos, Mexican officials have taken no official position on whether he is innocent or guilty, saying that was up to the attorney general’s office to decide. U.S. civil rights lawyer Ron Kuby said the Cienfuegos case marks an odd capstone to the Trump administration.
Mexican president taps loyalist as new security chief
Read full article: Mexican president taps loyalist as new security chiefMEXICO CITY – Mexican President Andrés Manuel López Obrador proposed a former journalist and long-time Mexico City government bureaucrat to be the country’s new security chief Friday at a time when the country is on track to set a new annual homicide record. López Obrador said he had not asked her in advance and she was currently in quarantine, recovering from COVID-19. When López Obrador was Mexico City mayor from 2000 to 2005, Rodríguez held posts in public security and was social development secretary. López Obrador has given more responsibility than any other president in modern times to the military and not just in the security realm. __AP writer Christopher Sherman in Mexico City contributed to this report.
Low expections in Mexico as US election approaches
Read full article: Low expections in Mexico as US election approachesFILE - In this June 23, 2020, file photo, President Donald Trump tours a section of the border wall in San Luis, Ariz. During his 2016 primary run, Trump sought to mark his ground as a hard-line immigration enforcer who would build a great, great wall on our southern border. Nearly four years later, Trump still has work to do completing his wall and much that has been completed has been paid by U.S. taxpayers despite promises otherwise. (AP Photo/Evan Vucci, File)
Low expections in Mexico as US election approaches
Read full article: Low expections in Mexico as US election approachesFor example, when Mexico was on the brink of defaulting on treaty obligations governing water-sharing this month, the Trump administration provided a graceful exit. Trump made Mexico an immigration waiting room for the U.S. and some say effectively pushed the U.S. frontier south for immigrants. Thousands of asylum seekers were forced to wait out their cases in Mexican border cities before the pandemic allowed the U.S. to effectively suspend its asylum system at the border. Mexico might expect greater recognition of shared responsibility from a Biden administration, but Mexico’s own security strategy has been difficult to decipher. The Trump administration has focused on deporting undocumented immigrants and narrowing the path to legal entry.
Authorities: Top Mexico official helped smuggle drugs to US
Read full article: Authorities: Top Mexico official helped smuggle drugs to USIn this court artist sketch, former Mexican defense secretary Gen. Salvador Cienfuegos Zepeda's appears in federal court, Friday, Oct. 16, 2020 in Los Angeles. LOS ANGELES – Mexico’s former defense secretary helped a cartel smuggle thousands of kilograms of cocaine, heroin, methamphetamine and marijuana into the United States in exchange for bribes, according to court documents unsealed Friday. Mexico authorities don’t identify any drug cartel as H-2, which, according to U.S. officials, was led by Juan Francisco Patrón Sánchez. Garcia Luna, who served under former President Felipe Calderón, has pleaded not guilty to drug trafficking charges. ___This story has been corrected to say Cienfuegos is Mexico’s former defense secretary, not foreign defense secretary.
Arrest of former Mexican defense minister shakes military
Read full article: Arrest of former Mexican defense minister shakes militaryFILE - In this Friday, Sept. 15, 2017, file photo, Mexico's Defense Secretary Gen. Salvador Cienfuegos Zepeda gestures as U.S. Defense Secretary Jim Mattis listens during a reception ceremony in Mexico City. Mexico's top diplomat says the country's former defense secretary, Gen. Salvador Cienfuegos, has been arrested in Los Angeles. Mexico's defense secretary is not just another Cabinet post. The president doesn’t just choose a defense secretary — he chooses from a list of acceptable candidates that the generals submit. Mexico’s Defense Department had no immediate reaction to Cienfuegos’ arrest.
Mexico's ex-defense secretary arrested in Los Angeles
Read full article: Mexico's ex-defense secretary arrested in Los AngelesFILE - In this April 16, 2016 file photo, Mexico's Defense Secretary Gen. Salvador Cienfuegos Zepeda salutes soldiers at the Number 1 military camp in Mexico City. Mexico's Foreign Relations Secretary Marcelo Ebrard wrote in his Twitter account Thursday, Oct. 15, 2020, that U.S. Ambassador Christopher Landau had informed him that Gen. Cienfuegos has been arrested in Los Angeles. (AP Photo/Marco Ugarte, File)MEXICO CITY – Former Mexican defense secretary Gen. Salvador Cienfuegos, who led the country’s armed forces for six years under ex-President Enrique Peña Nieto, has been arrested at Los Angeles International Airport, Mexico’s top diplomat said Thursday. Mexico’s Defense Department had no immediate reaction to the arrest.