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Friday

President Trump signs executive actions at the White House after his inauguration Monday. Among those orders is one labeling Mexican drug cartels terrorist organizations.

President Trump signs executive actions at the White House after his inauguration Monday. Among those orders is one labeling Mexican drug cartels terrorist organizations. Jim Watson/AFP via Getty Images hide caption

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Jim Watson/AFP via Getty Images

National Security

Trump wants to label drug cartels terrorist organizations. Here's what that means in practice

The full implications of designating the cartels as terrorist organizations will depend, in large part, to how the administration follows through.

Tuesday

A U.S. Customs and Border Protection agent checks pedestrians' documentation at the San Ysidro Port of Entry in San Ysidro, California. A growing number of experts believe the flow of deadly street fentanyl from Mexico into the U.S. has been disrupted, contributing to a drop in fatal overdoses.

A U.S. Customs and Border Protection agent checks pedestrians' documentation at the San Ysidro Port of Entry in San Ysidro, California. A growing number of experts believe the flow of deadly street fentanyl from Mexico into the U.S. has been disrupted, contributing to a drop in fatal overdoses. Sandy Huffaker/AFP/Getty Images hide caption

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Sandy Huffaker/AFP/Getty Images

Health

The pipeline of deadly fentanyl into the U.S. may be drying up, experts say

Street fentanyl has long been viewed as unstoppable. Now many experts say the supply of the deadly synthetic opioid is suddenly drying up in many parts of the U.S. and fatal overdoses are dropping.

Experts: deadly flow of fentanyl into the U.S. is drying up

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Thursday

This image provided by the U.S. Department of State shows Ismael “El Mayo” Zambada, a historic leader of Mexico’s Sinaloa cartel. Zambada and Joaquín Guzmán López, a son of another infamous cartel leader, were arrested by U.S. authorities in Texas, the U.S. Justice Department said Thursday, July 25, 2024. (U.S. Department of State via AP)

This image provided by the U.S. Department of State shows Ismael “El Mayo” Zambada, a historic leader of Mexico’s Sinaloa cartel. AP/U.S. Department of State hide caption

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AP/U.S. Department of State

National

U.S. authorities arrest top Sinaloa cartel leader and son of 'El Chapo'

Ismael Zambada, a historic leader of Mexico’s Sinaloa cartel, and Joaquín Guzmán López, a son of another cartel leader, were arrested by U.S. authorities in Texas, the U.S. Justice Department said.

Friday

U.S. charges El Chapo's sons and other Sinaloa cartel members in fentanyl trafficking

Attorney General Merrick Garland announces the Justice Department charged several leaders of the Sinaloa cartel, a transnational drug trafficking organization based in Sinaloa, Mexico, and several of its facilitators across the world. Drew Angerer/Getty Images hide caption

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Drew Angerer/Getty Images

Law

U.S. charges El Chapo's sons and other Sinaloa cartel members in fentanyl trafficking

Members of the Mexican cartel are facing several charges involving fentanyl trafficking, weapons and money laundering in New York, Illinois and Washington, D.C.

Sunday

Texas officials have told residents Mexico is too dangerous to visit for spring break

A small line of cars waits to cross the Cordova Bridge of the Americas at the United States-Mexico border in 2020. On March 10, Texan officials advised against spring break travel to Mexico, citing the dangers of violent crime. Paul Ratje/Agence France-Presse/AFP via Get hide caption

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Paul Ratje/Agence France-Presse/AFP via Get

The Americas

Texas officials have told residents Mexico is too dangerous to visit for spring break

The advisory follows the kidnapping of four Americans earlier this month in the city of Matamoros. The state's Department of Public Safety said "cartel activity" made trips to Mexico a "serious risk."

Monday

The U.S. and Mexico are working together to find 4 Americans who were kidnapped

Matamoros, Mexico, is a stronghold for various criminal organizations, particularly the Gulf Cartel. U.S. and Mexican officials say four U.S. citizens were abducted at gunpoint in the city on Friday. Alfredo Estrella/AFP via Getty Images hide caption

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Alfredo Estrella/AFP via Getty Images

The Americas

The U.S. and Mexico are working together to find 4 Americans who were kidnapped

The abduction took place on the streets of Matamoros, Mexico. The FBI is offering a $50,000 reward for the return of the Americans and the arrests of those involved.

Saturday

Mexico's Journalists Speak Truth To Power, And Lose Their Lives For It

Journalist and activist Gildo Garza, right, reads the names of murdered journalists at a demonstration outside the federal attorney general's office in Mexico City. Courtesy Gildo Garza hide caption

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Courtesy Gildo Garza

World

Mexico's Journalists Speak Truth To Power, And Lose Their Lives For It

A government agency protects 1,500 journalists and human rights activists, but it is strapped for resources and its record is mixed.

Mexico's Journalists Speak Truth To Power, And Lose Their Lives For It

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Thursday

El Chapo's Wife Pleads Guilty To Helping Run The Global Drug Cartel

Court documents state that Emma Coronel Aispuro (center) controlled a vast fortune earned from the sale of multi-ton cocaine, heroin and marijuana shipments. Craig Ruttle/AP hide caption

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Craig Ruttle/AP

Law

El Chapo's Wife Pleads Guilty To Helping Run The Global Drug Cartel

Emma Coronel Aispuro faced charges of conspiring to distribute drugs into the U.S. from Mexico and laundering the profits. Investigators say she helped stage her husband's tunnel escape from prison.

Monday

U.S.-Mexico Efforts Targeting Drug Cartels Have Unraveled, Top DEA Official Says

Pedestrians walk past Mexico's Consulate General in Los Angeles in October, shortly after ex-Mexican Defense Secretary Salvador Cienfuegos Zepeda's arrest at Los Angeles International Airport at the DEA's request. Charges were later dropped. Frederic J. Brown/AFP via Getty Images hide caption

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Frederic J. Brown/AFP via Getty Images

National Security

U.S.-Mexico Efforts Targeting Drug Cartels Have Unraveled, Top DEA Official Says

A diplomatic row has frozen U.S.-Mexican efforts to target drug cartels. American officials say illicit fentanyl from labs in Mexico is driving a surge in overdose deaths.

U.S.-Mexico Efforts Targeting Drug Cartels Have Unraveled, Top DEA Official Says

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Wednesday

Trump Floating Terrorist Label For Mexican Cartels Brings Fears Of Drone Strikes

President Trump said in an interview this week that he intends to designate Mexican drug cartels as foreign terrorist organizations despite resistance from Mexican officials. Susan Walsh/AP hide caption

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Susan Walsh/AP

The Americas

Trump Floating Terrorist Label For Mexican Cartels Brings Fears Of Drone Strikes

President Trump says he plans to designate Mexican drug cartels as foreign terrorist organizations. The remarks are stoking fears that such a move would trigger a military response.

Tuesday

9 Family Members, All U.S. Citizens, Die In Highway Attack In Mexico

Members of the extended LeBaron family were caught in a brutal attack, Mexican officials say. Here, President Andrés Manuel López Obrador looks on as Security Minister Alfonso Durazo discusses the attack during a news conference Tuesday morning. President Andrés Manuel López Obrador via Facebook hide caption

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President Andrés Manuel López Obrador via Facebook

The Americas

9 Family Members, All U.S. Citizens, Die In Highway Attack In Mexico

Three women and six children were killed as they drove in a small convoy. Mexican officials say they are investigating whether the family members were targeted or were victims of mistaken identity.

Wednesday

Mexico Reports Highest Ever Homicide Rate In 2018, Tops 33,000 Investigations

Forensic personnel load the corpse of a man into a van, after he was executed at a shopping mall in Acapulco, Mexico, on April 24, 2018. A new report recorded more than 33,000 homicides in 2018, making it the country's deadliest on record. Francisco Robles/AFP/Getty Images hide caption

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Francisco Robles/AFP/Getty Images

The Americas

Mexico Reports Highest Ever Homicide Rate In 2018, Tops 33,000 Investigations

The grim news was expected as the number of open homicide cases continued to climb month after month, making the last 12 months the deadliest on record — an average of 91 deaths per day.

Wednesday

Monday

Mexican Journalist Who Covered Drug Trade Gunned Down In Sinaloa

Mexican journalist Javier Valdez speaks at the International Book Fair in Guadalajara, Mexico, in 2016. He was killed by a gunman on Monday. Hector Guerrero/AFP/Getty Images hide caption

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Hector Guerrero/AFP/Getty Images

The Two-Way

Mexican Journalist Who Covered Drug Trade Gunned Down In Sinaloa

Javier Valdez was one of Mexico's most respected journalists. A correspondent for the national newspaper La Jornada, he reported on drug trafficking, from a state controlled by cartels.

Thursday

U.S. Arrests Mexican State Prosecutor, Says He's Also A Drug Smuggler Named 'Diablo'

Nayarit state Attorney General Edgar Veytia was arrested on drug trafficking charges at the U.S.-Mexico border this week. Here, the Nayarit state attorney general's headquarters is seen in Tepic, Mexico. Cesar Rodriguez/Bloomberg via Getty Images hide caption

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Cesar Rodriguez/Bloomberg via Getty Images

The Two-Way

U.S. Arrests Mexican State Prosecutor, Says He's Also A Drug Smuggler Named 'Diablo'

U.S. prosecutors say they'll seek to compel Edgar Veytia to forfeit some $250 million if he's convicted. The attorney general of Nayarit state was arrested this week in San Diego.