By RICARDO CASTILLO Political Lockup No sooner had Mexican President Andrés Manuel López Obrador (AMLO) backed down Friday, Jan. 22, on permitting states government and private businesses to purchase anti-covid vaccines, then the 10 governors belonging to the opposition group Federalist Alliance (AF) fired back, complaining that AMLO’s change of mind had come “too late.” “The authorization to join this
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By RICARDO CASTILLO Alfonso Romo Quits Mexican President Andrés Manuel López Obrador’s (AMLO) chief of staff for the past two years, entrepreneur Alfonso Romo, turned in his resignation on Wednesday, Dec. 2. Speaking during his morning press conference on Thursday, Dec. 3, AMLO that Romo “will continue to be my liaison with the business sector.” “The truth is that he
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By RICARDO CASTILLO Cienfuegos, Talk of the Town The release last week of former Mexican Defense Secretary Salvador Cienfuegos from an imminent trial in the United States by U.S. Attorney General William Barr continues to be the talk of the day in Mexico. The fact is is that nobody has the hard facts needed to have a sound opinion on
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By RICARDO CASTILLO U.S.-Mexico Trade Despite restrictions on nonessential travel across the U.S.-Mexico border, two-way trade between the countries has continued on a relatively steady course, with a hefty favorable trade balance for Mexico. Figures released by the U.S. Census Bureau on Tuesday, Oct. 6, indicated that U.S. exports to Mexico during August amounted to$17.047 billion, while Mexican sales to
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By RICARDO CASTILLO Brutal Contradictions in 4T Environment and Natural Resources Secretary (Semarnat) Victor Manuel Toledo Manzur in an apparently private gathering called on the public not to idealize Mexican President Andrés Manuel López Obrador’s (AMLO) Fourth Transformation (4T) ideological program because, he said, there are within it “brutal contradictions” and “it does not exist” when it comes to protecting
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By RICARDO CASTILLO The much-expected ideological clash between Mexican business and government is now here. It had not happened before because there had been civility on the part of the business community regarding the authentic democratic victory achieved by President Andrés Manuel López Obrador (AMLO) in July 2018. But it is now apparent that the business-AMLO friendly relationship may be,
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By RICARDO CASTILLO Which Border Wall Did Trump Mean? Oh, my God! Not again!!! U.S. President Donald Trump reignited his 2016 campaign war cry while stumping in Wildwood, New Jersey, on Tuesday, Jan. 28, saying that he would make Mexico pay for the border wall. After describing costs and the 400-mile-stretch already built of his “beautiful” wall, Trump capped his
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By RICARDO CASTILLO There’s an old practice in Mexican political journalism known as “tying knives” (“amarrando navajas,” if you want the Spanish term.) The term is not political in origin. In fact, it actually refers to the moment before a cockfight when the people in charge of making the birds fight tie a steel blade to the roosters’ spurs. Consequently,
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By RICARDO CASTILLO … A quick review of the most important news items in Mexico over the last few days…
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By RICARDO CASTILLO … The new pro-visible labeling law passed unanimously in Mexico’s 500-voting member Chamber of Deputies…
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