El Mencho, The Tariff King
Regardless of the way it sounds, the name El Mencho most definitely does not translate into The Mensch. Nemesio Rubén Oseguera Cervantes’s nickname apparently derives from Nemesio. But El Mencho was a man with many aliases and many nicknames, including the Lord of the Roosters. He was also a man who rose from small-time crimes in California to lead the Jalisco New Generation Cartel in drug trafficking and extreme acts of sensationalist violence, as he grew into his role as drug lord and, eventually, one of the most wanted men in Mexico. Well, the chickens have come home to Rooster. With intelligence assistance from the US, Mexican troops killed El Mencho over the weekend. The operation was met with a series of retaliatory acts, including multiple fires and the killing of at least 25 members of the Mexican National Guard, that essentially shut down Puerto Vallarta, forcing tourists to shelter in place and airplanes and cruise ships to change course mid-journey. History shows that arrests and killings of top cartel bosses do little to slow the flow of drugs. But the decision to target El Mencho now was about more than just that. NYT (Gift Article): Mayhem Rocks Mexico After Most-Wanted Cartel Boss Is Killed. “Mr. Oseguera’s killing is a major victory in Mexico’s new offensive against drug cartels and it could help reduce pressure from President Trump, who has been threatening strikes in Mexico. The Mexican government said the United States had contributed intelligence that aided the operation against Mr. Oseguera. U.S. officials said that it was a Mexican operation and that no American troops were involved in the operation. That was only the start for Mexican security forces on Sunday. They were deployed across the country to confront the backlash over Mr. Oseguera’s killing.”
+ Mexican drug cartel boss ‘El Mencho’ tracked through romantic partner. “The operation immediately set off a wave of violence across Mexico, with cartel gunmen blocking almost 100 major roads, torching vehicles and lashing out at security forces, especially in the states of Jalisco and Michoacán.”
+ The latest from CNN.
No Saving Grace
America is getting out of the life-saving business. One of the first acts of the Trump 2.0 administration was to cut USAID funds that were keeping people alive. This was not a mistake or an oversight or evidence of administrative ineffectiveness. It was part of a new American policy that goes something like this: We don’t provide help to anyone unless there’s something in it for us. Hana Kiros in The Atlantic (Gift Article): The Trump Administration Is Ending Aid That It Says Saves Lives. “A year after the Trump administration began the dismantlement of USAID, it is initiating a new round of significant cuts to foreign assistance. This time, programs that survived the initial purge precisely because they were judged to be lifesaving are slated for cancellation … Each of the newly canceled awards represents an occasion in which federal workers had previously convinced Trump appointees that the money would help meet the most basic survival needs of people fleeing war, caught in deadly disease outbreaks, or in danger of starving to death, a former senior State Department official, who left the administration in the fall, told me. ‘It has to be: ‘If we don’t deliver this, people die immediately,” they said.” In other words, the last vestiges of decency must be erased.
Brokehack Mountain
I wish Trump knew how to quit tariffs. But he wishes no such thing. You may have reacted to the news of the ruling against Trump’s Congress-less tariffs (and the somewhat surprising revelation that two-thirds of our Supreme Court still believes in the separation of powers among branches of government in certain circumstances!) with a sense of relief knowing that some checks and balances are holding. But Donald Trump reacted by attacking the justices who ruled against him and stating, “I have the right to do tariffs.” CNN’s Stephen Collinson: Trump won’t blink on tariffs — because he can’t. “First, he believes in tariffs with evangelical intensity. His faith in them is so intense it blanks out any evidence they are a tax on consumers or that they don’t work … The second reason for Trump’s refusal to bend is that tariffs are a means to his ultimate ends of unfettered presidential authority and rejection of a constitutional system that by design shares power across government.”
+ Trump threatens countries to abide by tariff deals despite Supreme Court decision. The global chaos and confusion, and what sure looks like the latest constitutional crisis, has rattled the hell out of the markets (which have, to date, been in something of a state of denial about how lawlessness, recklessness, and inconsistency might impact the bottom line.)
+ “There are seven separate opinions—and even the Justices who agree with one another are in some ways at odds.” The New Yorker: The Supreme Court’s Complicated Takedown of Trump’s Tariffs. Of course, the bigger question is whether or not Trump, the immune monster that this Frankenstein Scotus created, will abide by the ruling.
Five Ring Circus
The 1980 Miracle on Ice was a quest that lifted American spirits and unified the nation. It would probably take an actual miracle to achieve that goal today. So, it’s not much of a surprise that the US men’s hockey overtime win over Canada was immediately followed by silly presidential posts, FBI Director Kash Patel chugging beer in the locker room, and Trump’s crap joke about also having to invite the gold-winning US women’s hockey team to the White House. But let’s not fixate on that garbage. The final matchup of a great Olympics was a great game with a great ending and a thrilling win, 46 years to the day after the Miracle on Ice. “Following goals by Team USA’s Matt Boldy and Canada’s Cale Makar in regulation — and a slew of incredible saves by Team USA’s Connor Hellebuyck and Canada’s Jordan Binnington — the game went into overtime Sunday. In that extra session, Jack Hughes took a pass from Zach Werenski and buried it past Binnington, giving the U.S. a 2-1 victory and its first gold medal in men’s hockey since 1980.” How Team USA won a thrilling gold medal game against Canada.
+ Want to hear about the connection between the men’s and women’s winning teams? Ignore Trump. Listen to the guy who hit the game-winning shot (after losing part of his teeth). “Jack Hughes scored at 61:41 to give the team the win and the gold medal after 46 years. The New Jersey Devils center revealed who was the first person he thought of after making history for Team USA. Fittingly, he mentioned Megan Keller, who gave Team USA women’s hockey the gold medal against Canada on Thursday.” Of course, I’m burying the lede. Jack Hughes also became the first person ever to have a bar mitzvah and to score an Olympics-winning golden goal. Mazel Teeth!
+ Following the game, the US team paid tribute to Johnny Gaudreau, who likely would have been part of the team if he, along with his brother, hadn’t been killed by a drunk driver. Johnny Gaudreau’s dream was to be an Olympian. His family lived it for him, in a moment fit for a movie.
+ Norway dominated the games. How do they do it? You might be surprised at their attitude toward youth sports. The Nor-Way: Turning good times into gold medals.
+ A family member dispatched to the Varescos’ apartment reported back, said Alice: “Everything open — and the dog is not there.” How Nazgul the wolfdog made his run for Winter Olympic glory in Italy.
Extra, Extra
Snow Day: I took my daughter on some college tours back east last week so she’d get an idea of what winter there would be like. Looks like I picked the wrong week to get my point across. “Over 69 million people remain under winter alerts this morning, and blizzard warnings stretch more than 600 miles up the Eastern Coast. More than 600,00 utility customers are without power across the Northeast, with the worst conditions still to come.” Blizzard warnings blanket Northeast as heavy snow and high winds cause travel chaos. In today’s world, this seems particularly ominous: “DoorDash won’t be operating in New York City until at least 2 p.m.” And more from ABC. Snow totals top 2 feet as wind gusts reach 80 mph.
+ If The Coat Fits: “Over the past few months, during his agency’s chaotic crackdowns in Chicago and Minneapolis, the U.S. Border Patrol chief Greg Bovino has worn an unusual uniform: a wide-lapel greatcoat with brass buttons and stars along one sleeve. It looks like it was taken right off the shoulders of a Wehrmacht officer in the 1930s … Even federal agencies are modeling Nazi phrasing. The Department of Homeland Security used an anthem beloved by neo-Nazi groups, ‘By God We’ll Have Our Home Again,’ in a recruitment ad. The Labor Department hung a giant banner of Donald Trump’s face from its headquarters, as if Washington were Berlin in 1936, and posted expressions on social media such as ‘America is for Americans’—an obvious riff on the Nazi slogan ‘Germany for the Germans’—and ‘Americanism Will Prevail,’ in a font reminiscent of Third Reich documents.” Tom Nichols in The Atlantic (Gift Article): The Republican Party Has a Nazi Problem.
+ From Friend to Foe: NYT Magazine (Gift Article): They Fought for the C.I.A. in Afghanistan. In America, They’re Living in Fear.
+ Pot Hole: The relationship isn’t clearly causal, but these findings are troubling. A huge study finds a link between cannabis use in teens and psychosis later.
+ Survival of the Unfittest: “You can argue whether and how much the course of American history would be different if not for ‘Survivor.’ But as the show airs its all-star 50th season — one for each star on the flag — it is clear that ‘Survivor’ has been a game changer, on TV and off.” NYT (Gift Article): ‘Survivor’ Is America. (And like in Survivor, we occasionally fail to vote the right person off the island.)
+ Arresting Development: “Peter Mandelson was arrested on Monday on suspicion of ‘misconduct in public office’ following revelations about his dealings with Jeffrey Epstein, the sex offender.” U.K. Police Arrest Ex-Ambassador to U.S. Amid Epstein Accusations. (Accountability. What a concept!)
+ We Have a Verdict: Judge forced to slash SF jury pool over hate for Elon Musk. (If that’s a disqualifier, the entire jury system could collapse.)
Bottom of the News
“The focal point of the room is not a dance floor, but three rows of rubber mats, each sectioned off by rope. Event organisers in pink T-shirts scurry about, placing headgear and high-waisted briefs around the makeshift arena. This is not a bar crawl, or rave, or ticketed DJ set. It is Grownkid’s Wrestling Speed Dating night, and attendees came ready to tussle.” Could singles wrestling be an alternative to dating apps? (Maybe I’m getting too conservative, but back in my day, we didn’t wrestle until at least the second date.)
