The investment was announced by Eduardo Osuna, director general of BBVA México, at a meeting of bank investors and clients. (Mario Jasso/Cuartoscuro)
BBVA, the largest financial group in Mexico, has announced a historic investment of 100 billion pesos (US $5.1 billion) for the next six years.
The announcement was made by BBVA Mexico’s Vice President and CEO Eduardo Osuna during the bank’s National Meeting of Regional Councillors (RNCR) which brought together businesspeople, clients and investors.
In making the announcement, BBVA executives offered a reason for the investment as ambitious as the 12-figure sum: “transforming the bank.” (Shutterstock)
Osuna said the investment would go toward technology and physical infrastructure to keep “transforming the bank.”
“When we say more than 100 billion pesos, it is because technology is advancing so quickly that we have to modulate where we direct this investment,” Osuna said.
During the meeting, global head of BBVA Carlos Torres Vila said that the multi-million dollar investment is a reflection of the institution’s trust in Mexico.
“It’s not just an investment; it’s trust, a long-term vision, and a commitment to the more than 30 million customers we serve in the country,” he said. “Mexico has the structural strengths and competitive advantages to emerge stronger in this increasingly complex world.”
Torres recalled that Mexico had positioned itself as the United States’ main trade partner when it surpassed China in 2023 for the first time in 20 years. In 2024, he noted, that lead increased.
Torres added that even amidst increasingly uncertain times, foreign direct investment in Mexico grew 5.4% in the first quarter of 2025 compared to the first quarter of last year.
“And as time passes and uncertainty regarding the level of global tariffs decreases, investment in Mexico will resume its growth,” Torres speculated. He added that pending the renegotiation of the United States-Mexico-Canada Agreement (USMCA), which may occur this year, the U.S. tariff system currently “puts the country in a more advantageous position compared to other competing countries, particularly in relation to China.”
According to Torres, Mexico will likely be the country to face “the fewest trade barriers from the U.S.”
Mexico’s advantages, according to Torres, include competitive labor costs, a strategic location, high integration of value chains in complex products with the U.S., and a growing capacity to offer high value-added products and services.
However, Torres acknowledged that the Mexican economy has slowed down, and that it will likely continue to shrink compared to last year. Yet, his outlook for the medium term is positive thanks in part to President Claudia Sheinbaum’s Plan México.
“[Plan Mexico] is an ambitious plan with a broad vision that encompasses multiple initiatives in very diverse areas,” Torres said. “It will ensure that Mexico not only successfully tackles global challenges, including economic ones, but also emerges stronger.”
The addition of a fleet of Tesla Cybertrucks to the Jalisco State Polic fleet has been hailed as a step into the future by the U.S. Embassy but mocked as an empty show by Mexico's ruling party.
(Secretaría de Seguridad de Jalisco/X)
The state of Jalisco has integrated three Tesla Cybertrucks into its police fleet as part of a 678-vehicle security upgrade ahead of the 2026 FIFA World Cup, drawing both cross-border praise and domestic scrutiny.
Jalisco Governor Pablo Lemus Navarro said the investment of “around 970 million pesos” (US $50.1 million) — which also includes armored Black Mamba units — aims to bolster safety and project a modern image for the host region.
The updated Jalisco fleet also includes Black Mamba Sandcats, armored vehicles that state Governor Pablo Lemus Navarro describes as “sort of like tanks.” (Special Military Forces/Facebook)
The Black Mambas “are sort of like tanks,” the governor noted, saying all the new vehicles will be distributed to state and municipal police in the Guadalajara metropolitan area and the interior of Jalisco.
“We need to work hard on security perception,” Lemus said.
Zapopan, a city of 1.5 million next to Guadalajara, will host four games during next year’s men’s soccer World Cup, which will be jointly staged by Mexico, the U.S. and Canada. Mexico City and Monterrey will also host games during the nearly six-week tournament.
The U.S. Embassy in Mexico applauded Jalisco’s acquisitions on social media, including a picture of the rugged, industrial-looking vehicle manufactured by the automotive magnate Elon Musk (whose planned Tesla gigafactory in Nuevo León is still on hold).
“Jalisco is stepping up into the future,” reads the post on X, known as Twitter until Musk bought it in 2022. “The state government is taking a bold step toward innovation with the acquisition of Cybertrucks for its official fleet. Technology, sustainability and a vision for the future at the service of its citizens.”
The ruling party is not impressed
Leaders in Mexico’s ruling party, Morena, mocked the leap “into the future” by the Jalisco state government (run by the Citizens Movement party) with the Morena state president, Erika Pérez, remarking sarcastically, “I see [the vehicle] and think Robocop is going to come out. I said, ‘Wow, we all don’t have to worry anymore. There’s someone out there to take care of us.’ Thank you very much.”
Mexican Congressman Carlos Lomelí, a senator representing Jalisco, demanded transparency, vowing to scrutinize the tender process and asking, “How will this reduce insecurity?”
Although the price Jalisco paid is not known, the list price for a Tesla Cybertruck in Mexico reportedly starts at 1.95 million pesos (US $100,455), fueling debates about fiscal priorities in a state grappling with crime.
Lemus said the purchase included a competitive, national bidding process for both the price of the vehicles and financing.
Tesla Cybertrucks have been subjected to eight recall notices from U.S. safety regulators since deliveries to customers began about 18 months ago. The latest, addressing a section of exterior trim that could detach while driving, occurred in March and affected some 46,000 Cybertrucks.
Jalisco’s security plan includes 4,500 personnel and a six-year investment of six billion pesos (US $309 million) in the “Escudo Jalisco C5i” system, which expands surveillance networks by 50% and integrates AI-powered license plate readers. Patrols will prioritize tourist hubs like Guadalajara, Puerto Vallarta and Tequila, with Cybertrucks serving as mobile command centers using SpaceX’s Starlink internet, another Musk venture.
Families of the disappeared protested the lack of progress in the case in Mexico City on Monday. (Daniel Augusto/Cuartoscuro)
The special prosecutor leading the investigation into the 2014 disappearance of 43 students from the Ayotzinapa Rural Normal School in Guerrero earned a rebuke from President Claudia Sheinbaum on Wednesday after stating that authorities have been “searching for corpses.”
“We have visited more than 800 sites in the mountains [of Guerrero] searching for corpses,” Rosendo Gómez Piedra told reporters outside the National Palace in Mexico City before a meeting on Tuesday with parents of the 43 Ayotzinapa Rural Teachers’ College students who were abducted in Iguala in September 2014 and presumably killed.
🔴 #IMPORTANTE | Rosendo Gómez Piedra, Fiscal Especial para el caso Ayotzinapa informó que uno de los avances que presentará a los padres de los estudiantes desaparecidos de Ayotzinapa es la detención de la ex magistrada Lambertina Galeana por haber desaparecido los videos del… pic.twitter.com/mOofObEg3e
The Ayotzinapa case remains unresolved almost 11 years after the students — all young men — were allegedly abducted by members of a Guerrero-based crime gang after a bus they had commandeered to travel to a protest in Mexico City was stopped by allegedly corrupt municipal police.
“Fue el estado,” or “It was the state,” has been chanted by hundreds of thousands if not millions of Mexicans at countless marches and protests since the disappearance of the students.
Local, state and military officials have all been accused of involvement in the 2014 disappearances, something protesters emphasized with banners referencing enforced disappearance during protests this week. (Daniel Augusto/Cuartoscuro)
Gómez, head of a Federal Attorney General’s Office (FGR) unit focused on the Ayotzinapa case, highlighted on Tuesday that 120 people are in custody in connection with the abduction of the students and noted that some 46 criminal cases are in process.
No one has ever been convicted of involvement in the kidnapping and presumed murder of the 43 young men.
Gómez stressed that investigations are ongoing.
“Now, if you ask me whether we’ve found the young men, [I will say] we haven’t found them, but the investigations are continuing, the processes don’t stop,” he said.
Sheinbaum: Gómez’s ‘searching for corpses’ remark ‘very unfortunate’
At Sheinbaum’s morning press conference on Wednesday, a reporter noted that Gómez said that authorities are searching for the corpses of the missing students and asked the president whether her government believes the young men are dead.
“It’s a very unfortunate statement,” Sheinbaum said before noting that former deputy interior minister Alejandro Encinas — who led an Ayotzinapa truth commission during Andrés Manuel López Obrador’s 2018-24 presidency — had made a similar remark.
Sheinbaum described Gómez’s comment as unfortunate and said the government continues to investigate the case. (Gabriel Monroy/Presidencia)
“The statement is not very fortunate but the important thing is that we continue working [on the case],” she said.
Students’ parents call for removal of special prosecutor Gómez
“The parents are asking for the departure of Rosendo,” said Melitón Ortega, father of one of the missing men and a spokesperson for the mothers and fathers whose lives changed forever when their sons disappeared on Sept. 26, 2014.
Questioned as to why the parents want Gómez to be fired, Ortega cited the corruption allegations against the Ayotzinapa special prosecutor.
The mothers and fathers of the missing students have evidently lost faith in his capacity to lead an investigation that will result in a resolution of the almost 11-year-old case.
“He hasn’t been competent in his position,” Mario González, father of another of the missing students, told the news magazine Proceso.
Families of the disappeared have lost faith in special prosecutor Rosendo Gómez Piedra, one father said, citing allegations of corruption. (X)
“And recently other things that we didn’t know have been discovered, like how he got drunk during searches for our sons, that he threw parties, that he went home [from work] at 1 in the afternoon and didn’t return. In other words, he didn’t do his job,” he said.
Sheinbaum on Wednesday acknowledged that the parents have asked for a “change” in the leadership of the FGR unit conducting the Ayotzinapa investigation.
“We are looking to see if it is necessary or not,” she said.
“In any case, the … [Attorney General Alejandro] Gertz, on our proposal, is strengthening the Attorney General’s Office with people who specialize in … [new] ways of investigating, which will allow us to open new routes in order to know the truth,” Sheinbaum said.
‘We’re developing new schemes of investigation’
Sheinbaum, who met with the students’ parents for around three hours on Tuesday, told reporters that the federal government, through the Security Ministry and the FGR, is “developing new schemes of investigation” aimed at getting to the bottom of the Ayotzinapa case.
“I don’t want to give much more information but it has to do with different schemes of investigation to those that have been followed up until now,” she said.
“And we’ve been in contact with the relatives, the mothers and the fathers, to explain what they are,” Sheinbaum said.
“That is giving us a lot more information so I have the hope, because certainty is sometimes difficult [to have], … that this new way of investigating will take us to what all Mexicans want. … We want the truth, justice and to find the young men,” she said.
Sheinbaum added that the parents of the missing students “agree” with the use of new “forms of investigation.”
“We’re working with them because we believe we must respect them,” she said.
Melitón Ortega said on Tuesday that Sheinbaum has shown a “willingness to continue working until we reach the truth.”
“… We will continue to give … [our] confidence to the president,” he said.
The Tepic International Airport has had international status for more than 15 years, but the flights to Los Angeles will be its first non-domestic route.
(Wikimedia Commons)
Nayarit, a state on Mexico’s Pacific Coast best known for housing destinations like Punta Mita and Nuevo Vallarta, has announced its first ever flight to the United States. The new route will connect Tepic International Airport (TPQ) with Los Angeles International Airport (LAX), starting July 16.
The route will be operated by low-cost airline Volaris on Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays. Flights will depart LAX at 11:37 a.m., and land in TPQ at 2:27 p.m. The return flight will depart from TPQ at 6:50 p.m., arriving in Los Angeles at 9:48 p.m.
Luxury hotels in Punta Mita and high’end residences have made the Nayarit Riviera an important destination on Mexico’s Pacific Coast. (Fernando Gutiérrez/Unsplash)
Although the airport was officially declared international on December 15, 2009, this will be the airport’s first-ever international flight. It has up to now operated domestic flights only.
Recently, the airport carried out significant renovations and expansions to accommodate international demand. With an investment of 2.5 billion-pesos (US $145 million), the modernization project includes an expanded runway, a new control tower, and a new terminal designed to handle up to 20 million passengers annually. The new terminal required an additional investment of 1.6 billion pesos (US $93 million).
According to the newspaper El Financiero, the renovations may expand operations to eventually include international routes to and from Canada, other U.S. destinations, Central America, South America and Europe.
Major highways are also being renovated to facilitate access to the airport from destinations along the Nayarit coast.
The Riviera Nayarit, one of Mexico’s top destinations, continues to experience growing international demand, and the route is expected to facilitate a greater influx of visitors. The flight out of TPQ (known as Aeropuerto Internacional de Tepic-Riviera Nayarit in Spanish) will additionally serve a significant number of Nayarit residents living in California who frequently travel between the two regions.
According to the Mexican Airports Group (AME), due to the lack of air connectivity in the region, 88% of passenger demand is being diverted to the airports of Puerto Vallarta and Guadalajara. AME said the Riviera Nayarit has the potential to capture between 10% and 15% of the annual passenger traffic at both airports, which could translate to over three million passengers per year.
Another recent new route for TPQ is to and from Felipe Ángeles International Airport (AIFA) near Mexico City. The flight launched May 1 and is operated by low-cost airline Viva.
Being a Mexican abroad can make you feel extra patriotic about so many things, as Mexico News Daily writer Gaby Solis discovered. (Canva)
I’ve been living abroad for almost eight years. During this time, I’ve come to appreciate Mexico in a way that I think only distance can teach you.
I left Mexico in 2015 with my newlywed husband to move to Dubai after he got a job as a pilot. We lived there for five years but were forced to return to Mexico in 2020 after the COVID-19 pandemic hit. We settled first in Guadalajara and then in Mexico City. After two years, he got his job back and we moved to Dubai again.
Gaby left Mexico for Dubai, a world quite unlike the one she left behind. (ZQ Lee/Unsplash)
That two-year-break from our expat experience helped me reconnect with my roots and traditions. Yet, while being in Mexico made me feel at home, it didn’t make me feel more Mexican. If anything, it made me feel I didn’t have to think about my nationality as often as I did in Dubai.
In the two years and half that have passed since we came back to Dubai, I’ve reinforced that feeling: I feel more Mexican abroad than in my actual home country.
Why does this happen? Here are some reasons why I think it does.
I represent my culture abroad
My mother-in-law once told me that we are ambassadors of Mexico abroad: The image we project of ourselves shapes the perception others have of our country.
I think that’s true, and to some extent, I want people to form a positive and friendly image of us Mexicans when they interact with me. At the back of my mind, I find myself carrying my Mexican identity wherever I go, trying to project a good image of what a Mexican is. It feels as if, the moment I step out of my house, I put on an invisible badge that says “I’m Mexican.”
Gaby working hard to represent Mexico in Dubai. (Gaby Solis)
I didn’t have this feeling back home, much less consciously think about my nationality on a daily basis. I guess that’s because back home, my nationality was implied. I didn’t have to clarify it to anyone or even think about it — it just was.
That identity also intentionally shows up in certain social interactions. In a multicultural city like Dubai, where so many nationalities abound, we often get asked “Where are you from?” This is an inevitable reminder of my nationality and culture. And because people want to connect, they will bring up an anecdote of a time they met someone from Mexico, or the time they traveled to Mexico or ate Mexican food. The country effortlessly blends into the conversation, making me feel very Mexican.
I’m sure I’m not alone in this. I think it happens to every expat in the world, because it’s common that we find ourselves talking about our home country, culture and food much more often than we would do back home.
I feel proud when I hear a foreigner appreciate Mexico
The other day, my husband and I were having lunch at a restaurant. There was a Swiss man, probably in his sixties, having lunch with his daughter next to us. We began talking and he told us he worked in the tourism industry and that he had to travel a lot. When he asked where we were from, he got excited at the mention of Mexico.
“I love your country,” he told us. “It’s one of those rare countries in the world that truly has everything.”
Gaby with Mariachis at a Mexican Embassy event in Dubai. (Gaby Solis)
We couldn’t help but feel extremely proud of Mexico and of being Mexican.
At the risk of sounding presumptuous, this wasn’t a one-off. Whether it’s someone raving about a trip to Cancún or a stranger saying how much they love tacos or how friendly they find Mexicans to be, these types of compliments to our culture make me feel incredibly proud and incredibly Mexican.
Back home, amongst Mexicans, we rarely give or receive compliments about Mexico. And if we do say something nice about our country, it will almost always be followed by a critique of our government, politics, insecurity, Mexicans — you name it.
Either way, it’s interesting how being away and hearing positive feedback from others can shift the perspective of our own country and make us feel proud of it.
I appreciate Mexican food more
Food is probably the one thing that brings people closer to home, regardless of where they are in the world.
Since I was a teenager, enchiladas have probably been my favorite food — especially the ones made by my abuelita. And although I’ve always appreciated and enjoyed them, it’s different when I prepare and eat them in Dubai. For some reason, I cherish each bite more than if I were eating the dish in Mexico. Even the process of fixing the plate — adding the cream, lettuce and chopped onion and sprinkling cheese on top — brings back those familiar feelings of comfort, belonging and family back.
Sparkles the dog takes a moment to enjoy some fine cuisine. (Gaby Solis)
I also get excited whenever I find rare Mexican foods at a restaurant or at the supermarket— let alone when I find Mexicans preparing Mexican food.
The other day, at a supermarket I had never been to before, I bumped into a stand of Mexican food from a place that has gained a good reputation for its Mexican cuisine called Lila Taquería. Two Mexicans were preparing quesadillas and serving them with Mexican salsa. The moment I approached and asked, “Are you Mexicans?” our faces lit up. We talked about Mexico, food and the odds of bumping into fellow Mexicans in this context. I ended up buying corn tortillas, totopos and green salsa after trying a sample of everything.
The identity boost that comes from connecting through food with your roots and with your own people in a foreign land is hard to beat. It’s hard to think of things that make you feel more Mexican.
What makes you feel more patriotic as an expat?
Gabriela Solis is a Mexican lawyer turned full-time writer. She was born and raised in Guadalajara and covers business, culture, lifestyle and travel for Mexico News Daily. You can follow her lifestyle blog Dunas y Palmeras.
A wide range of ongoing infrastructure and digital improvements aim to make Puerto Vallarta more widely accessible and more modern for tourists from younger demographics. (Miguel Naranjo/Unsplash)
Puerto Vallarta is undergoing a series of infrastructure upgrades aimed at improving mobility, connectivity and public safety for residents and visitors, with the latest news from the city all centered around these upgrades. In 2024, the state government allocated more than 178 million pesos for tourism-related public works, including expanded sidewalks, new bike lanes and road improvements. A new fleet of ecofriendly buses is scheduled to launch in the second half of 2025.
Major projects include the construction of the Las Juntas road node to ease traffic north of the airport and the expansion of Puerto Vallarta International Airport with a new terminal. Maritime infrastructure is also expanding with new docks and digital access is increasing through the Red Jalisco program.
Gov. Enrique Alfaro, center, inaugurated Puerto Vallarta’s latest bike lanes — part of a new initiative to add more green mobility options in the city — in October. (Gov of Jalisco)
New bike lanes and ecofriendly buses
Puerto Vallarta is embracing a more sustainable future with major improvements to its urban mobility, including the introduction of new bike lanes and a fleet of ecofriendly buses in 2025. Following a $178-million-peso investment in 2024, Jalisco is looking to improve its infrastructure to positively impact tourism.
Among the notable enhancements is the comprehensive rehabilitation of the city’s entrance boulevard, which now includes wider sidewalks and bicycle lanes.
To complement these pedestrian-friendly improvements, Puerto Vallarta is also rolling out a fleet of air-conditioned, eco-friendly buses in the second half of 2025. The updated buses are designed to reduce emissions while providing a more comfortable ride.
Las Juntas road node to transform traffic flow north of airport
A major infrastructure project is underway in Puerto Vallarta to improve traffic conditions and support the city’s growth. The Las Juntas road node, located north of the international airport, is poised to become a key piece of the city’s transportation puzzle.
The Las Juntas road node will enhance access between Puerto Vallarta, Riviera Nayarit and inland destinations like San Sebastián del Oeste and Mascota. (Yussara Canales/Instagram)
Once completed, the Las Juntas interchange will help alleviate congestion for up to 116,000 people per day. The project includes “urban rehabilitation, improvements to vehicular traffic, the addition of sidewalks and upgrades to lighting,” according to Luis Villaseñor, director of the Puerto Vallarta Tourism Board.
The project is more than just a road upgrade. By improving access between Puerto Vallarta, Riviera Nayarit and inland destinations like San Sebastián del Oeste and Mascota, Las Juntas will become a gateway for tourists and residents. The new infrastructure will also benefit residential neighborhoods like Fluvial, Ixtapa and 5 de Diciembre.
Terminal 2 at PVR to enhance international air connectivity by 2026
Puerto Vallarta’s Gustavo Diaz Ordaz International Airport is undergoing a significant transformation with the construction of Terminal 2, a major expansion expected to be completed by the end of 2026. The new terminal is designed to accommodate more international flights and enhance the overall passenger experience. With travelers now arriving from North America, Europe and South America, enhanced air access is key to supporting both tourism and business growth.
The airport project is part of a broader push to modernize Puerto Vallarta’s tourism infrastructure. As the city attracts new demographics, including digital nomads, Gen Z entrepreneur and luxury travelers, upgrading facilities is a necessary move.
New docks in Mismaloya and El Centro boost bay connectivity
Maritime connectivity is getting a major upgrade in Puerto Vallarta with the construction of new docks in Mismaloya and El Centro, part of a broader plan to improve transportation around the Bay of Banderas. These additions will link key points of interest and make travel between coastal destinations more efficient.
Mismaloya is getting a brand new dock. (Viajes Boreales)
“A strong push will be given to maritime connectivity with the construction of new docks in Mismaloya and the Las Peñas dock in El Centro being carried out,” said Villasenor.
The goal is to enable efficient transportation of people and cargo by sea by connecting these new structures with existing docks in Los Metros, Boca de Tomatlan, Quimixto and Yelapa, he said.
This maritime network hopes to alleviate road traffic, as well as offer tourists a new way to explore Puerto Vallarta’s coastline and beach villages.
Digital access and safety get a boost with free wi-fi and emergency response system
Puerto Vallarta is investing not only in physical infrastructure but also in digital connectivity and public safety. The Red Jalisco Network will add more than 300 free Wi-Fi connection points across the city, which will improve digital access for both residents and visitors. The initiative includes complimentary internet in schools, plazas, public buildings and major tourist zones like the Malecon.
In tandem with improved digital access, the city has also rolled out a Street Emergency Button System at 120 strategic locations. These rapid-response devices are part of a public safety program designed to offer reassurance in the busier urban zones.
Meagan Drillinger is a New York native who has spent the past 15 years traveling around and writing about Mexico. While she’s on the road for assignments most of the time, Puerto Vallarta is her home base. Follow her travels on Instagram at @drillinjourneys or through her blog at drillinjourneys.com.
With hundreds of obscure candidates to choose from, voting knowledgeably in Sunday's elections requires a significant effort on the part of voters. (Andrea Murcia/Cuartoscuro)
Budget cuts at Mexico’s National Electoral Institute (INE) meant less funds available to promote participation in the election. (Daniel Augusto/Cuartoscuro)
A poll conducted by Buendía & Márquez around the same time last year found that 78% of Mexicans knew that the presidential election (won by Claudia Sheinbaum) would take place in June 2024.
President Sheinbaum argues that a renewal of Mexico’s judiciary via elections is necessary to rid the nation’s courts of ills such as corruption and nepotism. She has been urging citizens to get out and vote this Sunday, and is predicting a solid turnout.
Fewer than 4 in 10 Mexicans are certain they will vote
Only 37% of those polled said they were sure they will vote in the judicial elections, at which Mexicans will elect almost 900 federal judges, including nine Supreme Court justices.
An additional 24% said it was “probable” they would vote on Sunday.
Almost two in 10 people (18%) said they didn’t yet know whether they would vote or not, while 10% of respondents said it was unlikely they would vote.
An additional 10% of respondents said they were certain they wouldn’t vote.
More than 3,000 candidates seek to be elected to judgeships on June 1, including 64 candidates to the Supreme Court. (@caguirrearias/X)
El Universal noted that poll respondents tend to “overestimate” their own turnout at elections.
Among people who identified themselves as supporters of the ruling Morena party, 47% of respondents said they were certain they would vote. Only 31% of opposition party supporters said they were sure they would vote.
A higher turnout of Morena supporters (a majority of Mexicans, according to polls) would likely assist candidates seen as close to the ruling party, such as Supreme Court justices Lenia Batres Guadarrama and Bertha María Alcalde Luján, who are aiming to remain in their positions after the elections. Both women became Supreme Court justices during former president Andrés Manuel López Obrador’s six-year term.
A quarter of Mexicans have no interest in the judicial elections
A similar percentage of respondents (23%) said they are only a little bit, or mildly, interested in the elections.
Just one in five respondents (21%) said they are very interested in the elections, while 29% said they are somewhat interested.
Most Mexicans disagree with ex-president’s claim that Mexico could become a tyranny
Only 29% of respondents said they had heard former president Ernesto Zedillo’s criticism of the 2024 judicial reform and the upcoming judicial elections.
As Mexico News Daily reported earlier this month, the ex-president wrote in an article for the magazine Letras Libres that “no truly democratic country elects its judges this way.”
Most Mexicans disagreed with former President Ernesto Zedillo’s warnings of impending tyranny. (Andrea Murcia Monsivais/Cuartoscuro)
“That’s something dictators only invent to control the judiciary,” Zedillo stated, adding that Morena is seeking to impose a “regime” to make “arbitrary and abusive” decisions according to its own political interests.
Buendía & Márquez asked the poll respondents to offer an opinion on Zedillo’s claim that “Mexico could cease being a democracy and become a tyranny.”
Six in 10 respondents said they disagreed with the assertion. Within that cohort, 37% said they very much disagreed with the claim while 23% said they somewhat disagreed with it.
Only 7% of those polled said they very much agreed with Zedillo’s assertion, while 20% said they “somewhat” agreed with it.
Among opposition party supporters, 47% said they very much or somewhat agreed with the former president’s statement, but a slightly higher percentage (49%) said they disagreed with it.
Sheinbaum and cabinet members addressed Mexican exports, Gaza and childhood obesity at Tuesday's presidential press conference. (Hazel Cárdenas/Presidencia)
President Claudia Sheinbaum discussed the latest data on Mexican auto exports and the situation in Gaza at her Tuesday morning press conference.
Health Minister David Kershenobich Stalnikowitz spoke about childhood obesity and diabetes, but failed to present his information as clearly as he would have liked.
Here is a recap of Sheinbaum’s May 27 mañanera.
Sheinbaum responds to data showing decline in auto exports in April
A reporter brought up the latest trade data published by national statistics agency INEGI, which showed that the value of Mexican exports increased 5.8% annually in April to US $54.29 billion, but auto sector export revenue fell 7.1% to $15.3 billion.
Sheinbaum said that due to United States’ tariffs and tariff threats, “a lot of companies, including automotive ones, decided to export more in March than they normally export [that month]” and as a result auto sector exports declined in April.
In March, U.S. President Donald Trump announced a 25% tariff “on all cars that are not made in the United States,” although U.S. content in vehicles assembled in Mexico is exempt from the duty, reducing the effective tariff to 15% on average, according to Economy Minister Marcelo Ebrard. The U.S. tariff on foreign cars took effect on April 3.
The threat of Trump tariffs caused an unusual bump in auto exports in March before import duties were instituted, Sheinbaum said. (Audi México)
Sheinbaum told reporters that companies that operate in Mexico “took advantage” of pauses on (fentanyl-related) tariffs that Mexico achieved thanks to agreements she struck with Trump in February and March.
They used this period to export more goods, she said.
For that reason, exports of vehicles increased in February and March, Sheinbaum said, adding that “we believe” the reduction in auto sector exports in April “has to do with that.”
“Speaking with the automakers, that’s essentially what they’re telling us,” she said.
“… The important thing … is that beyond the automotive sector a lot of other manufacturing companies increased exports to the United States and other countries [in April],” Sheinbaum said.
Sheinbaum condemns situation in Gaza
A reporter put it to the president that “we’re watching in real time a genocide that Israel is committing in the Gaza Strip.”
Nancy Flores, an investigative journalist with Contralínea, cited reports on “the murder of babies, boys, girls, women and the elderly” and asked Sheinbaum whether she was considering breaking off diplomatic relations with Israel as to do so “could be a way to show that we’re against this cruel, inhumane genocide.”
Sheinbaum has previously voiced her support for a two-state solution. (Galo Cañas/Cuartoscuro)
“First of all we condemn this situation,” said Sheinbaum, Mexico’s first female president and also the country’s first president with a Jewish background.
“Secondly, what we’re seeking is peace and that is the foreign policy of our country,” she said.
Sheinbaum said that Foreign Affairs Minister Juan Ramón de la Fuente is actively engaged in “looking for all means” through which peace can be reached in Gaza.
“That is the foreign policy of Mexico and the one we’re following every day,” she said.
Sheinbaum, a supporter of a two-state solution to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, didn’t directly respond to the question about whether her government would consider ending diplomatic relations with Israel.
In March, the president officially recognized Nadya Rasheed as the Palestinian Ambassador to Mexico when the ambassador presented her letter of credence at the National Palace.
On Oct. 11, just 10 days after she was sworn in as president, Sheinbaum remarked:
“We condemn the aggression being endured by the Palestinian people, and we firmly believe that Palestine, like Israel, must be recognized in its full sovereignty. This has been Mexico’s longstanding position, and it remains unchanged.”
Health minister presents alarming — but inaccurate — data on childhood obesity and diabetes
Health Minister David Kershenobich Stalnikowitz told reporters that among children who have undertaken health checks in schools 39% suffer from obesity and 38% have diabetes.
He didn’t say how many children have undertaken health checks in schools, in which junk food can no longer be sold due to a ban that took effect earlier this year.
Later on Tuesday morning, the federal Health Ministry issued a correction.
Health Minister David Kershenobich Stalnikowitz flub spurred alarm over the state of children’s health — until the Health Ministry issued a correction. (Hazel Cárdenas/Presidencia)
“The health minister clarifies that the correct data indicates that 39% of children assessed in public schools are overweight and obese,” said the Health Ministry statement.
In other words, 39% of assessed children are either overweight or obese.
Kershenobich also clarified that 38% of the assessed children have “visual weakness,” but don’t necessarily have diabetes.
In the statement, he offered an apology for the “confusion” his remarks “may have created.”
The 82-year-old health minister (born on the same day in 1942 as former U.S. president Joe Biden) also spoke about the negative impact excessive consumption of sugar can have on children’s health.
His presentation at Sheinbaum’s press conference came after the president said that some children have asked her why candy and other sweet things have disappeared from schools.
The screwworm parasite can be fatal for livestock and cause serious infections in humans. (Animalia)
Mexico’s Health Ministry officially confirmed six cases of parasitic infestation caused by screwworm in southern Mexico. Five patients have been treated and released, while one remains hospitalized.
Five of the cases — which include myiasis (embedded larvae) in the heads of four patients — are located in the state of Chiapas; the sixth is in Campeche.
¿Has escuchado hablar de la miasis? 🤔
Es una enfermedad causada por el #GusanoBarrenador, que puede afectar al ganado y al ser humano. 🐛
Screwworm larvae can enter animals and humans through open wounds and feed on living tissue. The disease can be fatal for livestock, and while cases in humans are rare, they can be serious if left untreated.
Shortly after, similar symptoms were identified in a 50-year-old Chiapas man after he had been bitten by a dog.
Just over a week ago, three more Chiapas residents were diagnosed with parasitic infections, including a 74-year-old man who remains hospitalized. At the same time, an 86-year-old Campeche resident was treated for screwworm infestation.
El Universal newspaper reported a possible seventh case of parasitic infection in Chiapas that had not been registered by the Health Ministry.
Though the risk of human infection is low, myiasis is more likely in rural areas where people might come into contact with infected animals. Myiasis is not spread from human to human.
Public health officials urge rural residents to maintain personal and animal hygiene, avoid contact with animals with open wounds or signs of infection. If you suffer a wound or a cut, officials recommend treating it immediately to prevent the Cochliomyia hominivorax, or screwworm, fly from laying its eggs.
President Claudia Sheinbaum said Tuesday that the U.S. and Mexico are continuing their joint efforts to eradicate screwworm infestations, an agreement that was announced in April.
A day earlier, Sheinbaum said Mexico’s Agriculture Minister Julio Berdegué is engaged in “permanent talks” with United States officials in hopes of convincing the U.S. to reopen its southern border to Mexican livestock.
The screwworm infestation and the suspension of imports have been a disaster for Mexico’s livestock industry. Exports from January through April this year are down 60% compared to the same period last year, La Jornada reported.
While the border was open during the first quarter of the year, Mexico exported 202,000 head of cattle, whereas Mexico had shipped 504,000 head across the border during Q1 2024.
Latin Grammy winners Carín León (pictured) and Grupo Frontera both recently took the "stage" at NPR headquarters in Washington, D.C. (NPR)
Regional Mexican music’s global resurgence took center stage when stars Carín León and Grupo Frontera delivered standout performances on NPR’s Tiny Desk Concert series in recent weeks, highlighting the genre’s emotional depth and cross-cultural appeal.
León, backed by a 16-piece band, performed May 16 in the NPR Music office in Washington, D.C. — severely testing the cramped spaces of the celebrated venue. A video of the performance on YouTube has garnered 3.8 million views in under two weeks.
Carín León: Tiny Desk Concert
Grupo Frontera, a Texas-formed band deeply rooted in Mexican genres and cumbia, performed there April 24. A video of that session has over 2 million views.
The singer-songwriter León — who hails from Hermosillo, Sonora — won for best contemporary Mexican music album (“Boca Chueca, Vol. 1”).
Grupo Frontera — whose members have roots tracing back to Mexican states like Tamaulipas and Nuevo León — won for best regional Mexican song (“El Amor de Su Vida”) and best norteño album (“El Comienzo”).
Grupo Frontera: Tiny Desk Concert
Like all Tiny Desk concerts, both performances took place behind a real working desk — originally that of now-retired NPR music host Bob Boilen — surrounded by shelves cluttered with books, memorabilia and office supplies.
The intimate, authentic series has become a viral gateway for artists like T-Pain and Dua Lipa, with 138 million views for Lipa’s 2020 session — although hers was recorded in a London studio as a “home concert,” a Tiny Desk format adopted due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
“We’re in a moment where you can be who you are, without U.S. labels dictating terms,” said NPR producer Anamaría Sayre, who champions Latin music.
Blending norteño, banda and pop influences, León played a 15-minute set that included “Ese Vato No Te Queda,” “Lado Frágil” and the then-unreleased ballad “Por La Suave” from his new album, Palabra De To’s (Seca).
“Thank you for having us here. Que viva la música mexicana,” León told the audience, which usually totals about 20 to 30 NPR staffers and guests. “Representing Mexico with our sound is a pride beyond words.”
Mexican singer-songwriter Natalia Lafourcade gave one of Tiny Desk’s all-time most-watched concerts in 2017. (Sony Music)
The performance featured charchetas (brass alto horns that are staples in Mexican music) and a tololoche (a traditional Mexican four-stringed instrument, similar to a small upright bass), plus other instruments emblematic of regional Mexican music’s rich sound.
Three weeks earlier, Grupo Frontera’s seven musicians (two more than usual), one lead singer and three specially added female backup singers brought the band’s “cumbia norteña” fusion to the space.
Playing a month after joining Shakira on-stage in Mexico City, Grupo Frontera performed a 20-minute set that included hits like “Un x100to” and “El Amor de Su Vida” reworked with R&B and reggae twists.
“We rehearsed for days to perfect this acoustic set,” the band noted. Many Tiny Desk invitees opt to play acoustically to match the setting. “The intimate atmosphere made us nervous, but it was truly beautiful.”
