{"id":19015,"date":"2026-03-27T12:00:50","date_gmt":"2026-03-27T18:00:50","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/miranda-partners.com\/news-and-content\/miranda-intelligence\/foreign-press-chatter\/mis-mexico-foreign-press-chatter-mar-13-2025-2\/"},"modified":"2026-11-05T21:30:10","modified_gmt":"2026-11-06T03:30:10","slug":"mis-mexico-foreign-press-chatter-mar-13-2025-2","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/miranda-partners.com\/es\/news-and-content\/miranda-intelligence\/foreign-press-chatter\/mis-mexico-foreign-press-chatter-mar-13-2025-2\/","title":{"rendered":"MI\u2019s Mexico Foreign Press Chatter \u2013 Mar. 20, 2025"},"content":{"rendered":"

Foreign press coverage<\/strong><\/h4>

The most buzzworthy headline of the week in foreign coverage of Mexico came from The Wall Street Journal, which reported that a US citizen has succeeded El Mencho\u2019s throne and now runs \u201cMexico\u2019s top drug cartel\u201d, the CJNG. The report says that California-born Juan Carlos Valencia Gonz\u00e1lez, El Mencho\u2019s stepson (already considered a top contender by security experts in the line of succession) \u201cnow appears to be in charge\u201d and lays out how this could present legal challenges for the United States in going after the kingpin, who has a US $5 million DEA bounty on his head. But if Trump does decide to start unilaterally assassinating cartel operatives (now designated as terrorists) on Mexican soil, would the administration really get squeamish just because Valencia is a US citizen? As noted in the piece, it wouldn\u2019t be the first time the government has killed its own citizens in counterterrorist operations.<\/p>

Another story sure to make noise is McKay Coppin\u2019s page-turning narrative piece in The Atlantic about \u201cThe Cartel Olympics\u201d and how stereotypical images of Mexico as a \u201cpermanent, untamable dystopia just beyond America\u2019s southern border\u201d can lead even seasoned journalists astray.<\/p>

Meanwhile, the NYT published another investigative piece this week on gun smuggling into Mexico, reporting that there has been a surge in demand (smugglers claim they\u2019re moving twice as many guns as they did a year ago) because of the ongoing war between rival factions of the Sinaloa Cartel. A report in AP about a vigilante group in Guerrero also referenced smuggled \u201cmilitary-grade weapons\u201d stamped with Made in the USA.<\/p>

In business and economic news, the cash-to-digital transition was covered both in a Bloomberg report on Mexican banks\u2019 efforts to push digital payments and in a Los Angeles Times piece on digital remittances overtaking cash for the first time in 2025. Reports on the launch of the bilateral US-Mexico talks ahead of the USMCA review brought Mexico\u2019s trade goals into focus in AP and The Financial Times. Domestic politics got less international coverage this week, though Bloomberg reported on AMLO\u2019s break from retirement reticence to fundraise for Cuba and on the new bill Sheinbaum sent to Congress to promote investment in infrastructure, which she also presented at the annual banking convention in Canc\u00fan on Thursday night.<\/p>

On the cultural front, Reuters talked to vendors about the hot demand for Omar Garc\u00eda Harfuch merchandise (will Harfuchitos be as popular as Amlitos?), AP covered the growing thirst for mezcal and its environmental impact, and The Guardian frowned at teens posting AI-generated photos of themselves as 1970s-era DFS agents on TikTok.<\/p>

Notable blogs about Mexico in English<\/strong><\/h4>

This week, the Mexico Political Economist brought historical context to the Mexico-Cuba relationship and AMLO\u2019s plea for aid, showing that both ideology and strategy have influenced how Mexican governments view the island\u2019s Communist regime. Ioan Grillo published a report on cartel cash and its penetration of the Mexican economy, part four of a series on cartel-onomics in his CrashOut newsletter. In Materia Gris, Eduardo Garc\u00eda followed up on his piece about social mobility and education last week with an analysis of the controversial tenure of the recently ousted Marx Arriaga, and what his departure could mean for educational policy.<\/p>

Mexico Political Economist \u2013\u00a0Why does Mexico care so much about Cuba?<\/a><\/p>

Materia Gris \u2013\u00a0Marx Arriaga May Have Been a Minor Official \u2014but Not in the Damage He Caused<\/a><\/p>

CrashOut Media \u2013\u00a0Cartel Cash in the Community \u2013 CrashOut by Ioan Grillo<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>

Photo of the week<\/strong><\/h4>
\n\"\"<\/figure>

Armando Mart\u00ednez Ruiz, 52, mezcal producer in Oaxaca. AP\/Claudia Rosel<\/em><\/p>

Other articles on Mexico<\/strong><\/h4>

\u00a0<\/p>

A U.S. Citizen Now Runs Mexico\u2019s Top Drug Cartel-and Targeting Him Is Complicated<\/a><\/p>

18\/03\/2026, The Wall Street Journal, Jos\u00e9 de C\u00f3rdoba, Santiago P\u00e9rez and Steve Fisher<\/p><\/blockquote>

Inside the Supply Line Delivering American Guns to Mexican Cartels<\/a><\/p>

17\/03\/26, NYT, Paulina Villegas and Paul Ratje<\/p><\/blockquote>

The Incredible Story of the Cartel Olympics<\/a><\/p>

20\/03\/26, The Atlantic, McKay Coppins<\/p><\/blockquote>

Ecuador Drug Lord Tied to Fernando Villavicencio\u2019s Murder Caught in Mexico<\/a><\/p>

18\/03\/26, Bloomberg, Steven Kueffner<\/p><\/blockquote>

Mexican Banks Are Working to Boost Digital Payments in Tech Push<\/a><\/p>

18\/03\/26, Bloomberg, Michael O\u2019Boyle<\/p><\/blockquote>

Digital remittances to Mexico overtake cash for first time<\/a><\/p>

17\/03\/26, LA Times, Maria Clara Cobo<\/p><\/blockquote>

EV Startup Olinia Powers Up in Mexico Thanks to State Help<\/a><\/p>

17\/03\/26, Bloomberg, David Alire Garcia<\/p><\/blockquote>

US and Mexico launch review of trade deal with Canada<\/a><\/p>

15\/03\/26, Financial Times, Ciara Nugent and Aime Williams<\/p><\/blockquote>

Tricky negotiations begin Monday to renew a trade pact between the United States, Mexico and Canada<\/a><\/p>

15\/03\/26, AP, Paul Wiseman and Mar\u00eda Verza<\/p><\/blockquote>

Sheinbaum Proposes Bill to Bolster Infrastructure Investment<\/a><\/p>

19\/03\/26, Bloomberg, Alex Vasquez and Gonzalo Soto<\/p><\/blockquote>

Mexico\u2019s Lopez Obrador Rallies Support for Cuba During Widespread Protests<\/a><\/p>

15\/03\/26, Bloomberg, Jim Wyss<\/p><\/blockquote>

More Mexicans were deported annually under Biden than by Trump<\/a><\/p>

15\/03\/26, LA Times, Steve Fisher<\/p><\/blockquote>

This doctor treated migrants\u2019 severe injuries at the US-Mexico wall: \u2018Political decisions made it as violent as possible\u2019<\/a><\/p>

14\/03\/26, The Guardian, Aaron Nelson<\/p><\/blockquote>

Mexico\u2019s heartthrob security minister now available as miniature doll, shirtless or dressed as batman<\/a><\/p>

13\/03\/26, Reuters, Lizbeth Diaz, Diego Delgado, Sarah Morland<\/p><\/blockquote>

Mezcal\u2019s popularity is booming. That comes with a growing environmental cost in Mexico<\/a><\/p>

16\/03\/26, AP News, Claudia Rosel<\/p><\/blockquote>

Glamming up \u2018dirty war\u2019: Teens in Mexico glorify 1970s secret police on TikTok<\/a><\/p>

19\/03\/26, The Guardian, Oscar Lopez<\/p><\/blockquote>

In Mexico, Bread Is the Heart of Daily Life<\/a><\/p>

16\/03\/26, NYT, Rick Mart\u00ednez<\/p><\/blockquote>

Mexico Wins Guinness World Record for Largest Soccer Class Ever<\/a><\/p>

15\/03\/26, Bloomberg, Amy Stillman<\/p><\/blockquote>

\u00a0<\/p>

Descargar PDF: Mexico Foreign Press Chatter 20.03.26<\/a><\/p>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

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