Mexico killed its most-wanted drug lord. A wave of violence followed.

Summary

---

Apple News Today – Episode Summary

Episode Title: Mexico killed its most-wanted drug lord. A wave of violence followed.
Date: February 23, 2026
Host: Yasmeen Khan

Overview

This episode of Apple News Today explores three main stories: the Supreme Court’s striking down of Trump-era tariffs and the resulting legal and economic uncertainties; the high-stakes killing of Mexico’s most-wanted drug lord, Nemesio Aceguira ("El Mencho"), and the violent upheaval that followed; and the close of the Winter Olympics in Milan, with a review of Team USA’s performance and notable athletic moments. The episode features analysis from reporters at Axios and Reuters, as well as The Athletic.

---

Key Discussions & Insights

1. Supreme Court Ruling on Trump’s Tariffs

[00:05 – 04:56]

• Summary:
  The Supreme Court's decision to strike down Trump administration tariffs has left businesses, politicians, and diplomats uncertain about the path forward. The ruling clarifies that the power to tax and impose tariffs belongs to Congress, not the executive branch.

• Details:

  • The majority opinion, penned by Chief Justice John Roberts, emphasized the constitutional divide:

    “The power to tax and impose tariffs belonged to Congress... the framers did not give any part of the taxing power to the executive branch.”
    (Yasmeen Khan paraphrasing at 00:22 and 00:44)

  • Trump, after criticizing justices, announced a new global tariff which increased from 10% to 15%.
  • Trump’s plan B leverages Section 122 of the 1974 Trade Act, which allows for tariffs in the case of a balance of payments crisis—a criteria questioned as not currently fitting the U.S.:

    “Section 122... says a president can impose tariffs if there is a balance of payments crisis... There are some lawyers... saying that I’m not sure that really fits the condition of the United States right now.”
    (Courtney Brown, 01:48)

  • Uncertainty looms as businesses seek potential refunds. Estimated $140 billion collected via tariffs.

    “The US has sent refunds for tariffs paid, but not to this large a scale... So many questions about whether small businesses will have to go to court and try to get a refund or whether it will happen automatically.”
    (Courtney Brown, 02:40)

  • New tariffs could mean little practical change for some international businesses, but more uncertainty for those awaiting deals with the US (EU and India hold off on ratification).
  • Analysts highlight that US consumers and businesses may bear most costs, and Trump has lost a key tool in negotiations.

• Notable Quotes:

  “It was really easy for the president to wield tariffs as a threat on almost any issue, and now it’s a little bit more complicated.”
  (Courtney Brown, 00:12)
  "Justices said in the oral arguments that that process would be, quote, a mess."
  (Courtney Brown, 02:40)
  “It’s actually not as big a change as people might think that it is.”
  (Laura Gottastener/US Trade Rep., 03:27)

---

2. Killing of Mexico’s Most-Wanted Drug Lord, “El Mencho”

[04:56 – 08:05]

• Summary:
  Mexico’s military, with assistance from US intelligence, killed Nemesio Aceguira (“El Mencho”), the elusive leader of the Jalisco New Generation Cartel. His death triggered immediate, violent retaliation, especially in western Mexico and Puerto Vallarta.

• Details:

  • Aceguira was notorious for his low profile and for running a vast, diversified criminal empire:

    “Unlike some other cartel leaders... El Mencho has really kept a very, very, very low profile.”
    (Laura Gottastener, 05:53)

  • The cartel is described as a “poly crime organization”—engaged in drug and human trafficking, financial fraud, and even timeshare schemes targeting US retirees:

    “It defrauds mostly American retirees out of their savings by selling them timeshares that don’t exist. It is really a broad and complex criminal organization.”
    (Laura Gottastener, 06:12)

  • After the raid, gangs burned vehicles and blocked roads; US Embassy issued shelter warnings; airlines canceled flights to Puerto Vallarta.
  • President Claudia Scheinbaum signaled a shift in government approach by targeting cartels directly and mobilizing troops.
  • The crackdown carries a risk of nationwide retaliatory violence, presenting a political and operational dilemma:

    “The question here in Mexico is whether we’re really going to see the country having broader outbreaks of violence... the government is constantly always measuring how to crack down on crime groups without creating a situation of retaliatory violence.”
    (Laura Gottastener, 07:37)

• Notable Moments:

  • Dramatic escalation: joint Mexican and American operation with military-grade conflict.
  • Blockades in tourist areas and warnings to Americans highlighted how organized crime spreads instability far beyond cartel circles.

---

3. Winter Olympics Wrap-up: Team USA

[08:05 – 11:26]

• Summary:
  The Milan Winter Olympics closed with the US achieving its largest haul yet—12 golds and second overall behind Norway—despite high drama, injuries, and setbacks.

• Details:

  • Historic gold for Alyssa Liu (women’s figure skating), first since 2006 for US women.
  • Men’s hockey: dramatic win over Canada, first hockey gold for US men since 1980.

    “Jack Hughes wins it. The golden goal for the United States. For the first time since the 1980 miracle, the United States takes the gold.”
    (Yasmeen Khan, 09:04)

  • Women’s hockey: victory over Canada, also in overtime.
  • US athletes faced challenges:
    • Lindsey Vonn’s injury dealt a heavy blow:

      "That was a real blow. Affected a lot of people... And I think it affected much of the Olympics too.”
      (Matt Futterman, 09:48)

    • Chloe Kim (injured) didn’t defend her gold; Jesse Diggins fought for bronze after a crash; Ilya Malinin, world champion skater, struggled under the pressure:

      “I don’t know that anyone will be able to really rationally explain Ilya Malinin... He was nailing those jumps and all of a sudden he just succumbed to the pressure.”
      (Matt Futterman, 10:34)

  • Italy, as hosts, won 30 medals, redeeming themselves after past underperformance.

• Tone:
  A mix of celebration, reflection, and realism—triumphs overshadowed by high expectations and unforeseen injuries.

---

4. Quick News Highlights

[11:26 – End] (Selected Content Only)

• Mar-a-Lago Incident:
  A man carrying a gun and fuel breached Trump’s estate but was shot; Trump was not present.

• NYC Blizzard:
  Massive snowstorm disrupts commute, schools close, transit systems halted, and 35 million people under blizzard warning.

• Viral Zoo Story:
  “Punch” the baby monkey in Japan, rejected by his mother, finds comfort in a viral stuffed toy.

---

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• On SCOTUS tariffs ruling:

  “It was really easy for the president to wield tariffs as a threat on almost any issue, and now it’s a little bit more complicated.”
  (Courtney Brown, 00:12)

• On cartel’s power:

  “It is really a broad and complex criminal organization.”
  (Laura Gottastener, 06:12)

• On Olympic heartbreak and triumph:

  “That was a real blow. Affected a lot of people personally... it definitely affected people on the team. And I think it affected much of the Olympics too.”
  (Matt Futterman, 09:48)

---

Timestamps for Important Segments

• Trump tariffs, economic fallout: 00:05 – 04:56
• Killing of “El Mencho” & aftermath: 04:56 – 08:05
• Winter Olympics wrap-up: 08:05 – 11:26
• Quick news highlights: 11:26 – end

---

Episode Tone & Style

The episode offers concise, authoritative analysis—balancing urgent events (cartel violence, economic uncertainty) with human interest and sports stories. Each segment includes clear expert voices, direct quotes, and context for a nationwide and global audience.

---

Transcript

[Yasmeen Khan]

Good morning. The Supreme Court's ruling on Trump's tariffs raises new uncertainties. Axios talks us through what could happen next.

[Courtney Brown]

It was really easy for the president to wield tariffs as a threat on almost any issue, and now it's a little bit more complicated.

[Yasmeen Khan]

Mexico's most wanted drug lord is killed, setting off a wave of violence inside the country. And the Winter Olympics draws to a close. The athletic looks back at Team USA's Metal Hall. It's Monday, February 23rd. I'm Yasmeen Khan, and this is Apple News. Today, Businesses, diplomats and politicians spent the weekend trying to make sense of the implications of the Supreme Court's decision last Friday to strike down the Trump administration's tariffs and the subsequent angry response from the President. The Supreme Court's ruling on tariffs is deeply disappointing, and I'm ashamed of certain members of the court, absolutely ashamed for not having the courage to do what's right for our country. After lashing out at the justices, Trump announced a 10% global tariff on imports, which later went up to 15%. The court's majority opinion said that the power to tax and impose tariffs belonged to Congress. Chief Justice John Roberts went further, adding that the framers did not give any part of the taxing power to the executive branch. Trump has a Plan B, which relies on a different untested argument based around a part of the 1974 Trade Act. Courtney Brown is a senior economics reporter at Axios and explained it to us.

[Courtney Brown]

Section 122, which dates back to the 1970s, says a president can impose tariffs if there is a balance of payments crisis, a big plunge in the dollar, for instance, related to a trade deficit. And there are some lawyers that have been quite vocal over the weekend in my inbox and on Twitter, other social networks, on television, saying that I'm not sure that really fits the condition of the United States right now.

[Yasmeen Khan]

That probably means more legal challenges, but it might not matter as these tariffs lapse after 150 days without congressional approval. As businesses try to make sense of how this new tariff affects them, many will be wanting a refund on what they've already paid. Around $140 billion has been generated by the tariffs, according to one estimate, and it'll now be up to lower courts to decide what the administration's obligations are.

[Courtney Brown]

Justices said in the oral arguments that that process would be, quote, a mess. And I think that's right. I think it will be a little bit of a mess. The US has done something like this before. The US has sent refunds for tariffs paid, but not to this large a scale. And so there are so many questions about whether small businesses will have to go to court and try to get a refund or whether it will happen automatically. There just no one knows.

[Yasmeen Khan]

A forecast from researchers at Yale suggested the tariff rate would only be about 2% lower than what it was before the Supreme Court ruling, thanks to Trump's retaliatory announcement. U.S. trade Representative Jamison Greer told ABC that Trump remained convinced by the value of tariffs, even as polls suggest public disapproval.

[Laura Gottastener]

The reality is we want to maintain the policy we have, have as much continuity as possible, make sure that business understands this is the direction we've been going. We're going to continue going this way. And there's been a through line to President Trump, Biden and President Trump again, that we're going to have tariffs, we'll have tariffs on China, we'll protect US Industry. It's actually not as big a change as people might think that it is.

[Yasmeen Khan]

Brown from Axios told us that not much is likely to change for businesses working with countries that Trump has signed recent trade deals with, provided both sides honor the agreement, but it could still create uncertainty for those yet to be finalized. Officials for both the European Union and India are considering postponing ratification with the US until the White House offers more clarification on its policy. Some analysts predict that, as before, the cost of these tariffs will be absorbed largely by US Consumers or businesses. But as Brown said, the new tariffs are less flexible and Trump has lost a key lever he's enthusiastically pulled as he sought the upper hand in geopolitical negotiations.

[Courtney Brown]

When President Trump entered office for his second term, we had reported that we knew that he was going to do things a little bit differently on the trade front. Tariffs were going to be the absolute centerpiece of his economic agenda, and he was going to move fast and quickly to implement them. So his advisors decided that President Trump should rely on a completely unprecedented, untested type of power.

[Yasmeen Khan]

After the Supreme Court's ruling, Trump appears to have lost that power. Mexican authorities killed the country's most notorious drug boss yesterday in an extraordinary military raid. It's a dramatic escalation in the government's crackdown against organized crime, and his death has sparked a wave of retaliatory violence. Nemesio Aceguira, known as El Mencho, was once a police officer but became a drug dealer and rose to become the head of the Jalisco New Generation Cartel, running a vast criminal enterprise. The operation that killed him was led by the Mexican authorities But reportedly used American intelligence. At least nine other cartel members were killed and various weapons, including rocket launchers, were seized. Laura Gottastener is a senior correspondent with Reuters Mexico Bureau and explained Aseguerra's significance.

[Laura Gottastener]

He's been one of the top targets both for the United States as well as Mexico for many years now. Unlike some other cartel leaders and sort of narcos that you might see on Netflix, Elementio has really kept a very, very, very low profile.

[Yasmeen Khan]

She told us the cartel he ran was one of the most powerful groups in the country with a presence across the Americas.

[Laura Gottastener]

It is a poly crime organization, which means it is a criminal organization that does not just traffic drugs, although it does. It engages in human smuggling, human trafficking, forced labor, all sorts of financial schemes, financial frauds. It has a pretty developed timeshare fraud. So it defrauds mostly American retirees out of their savings by selling them timeshares that don't exist. It is really a broad and complex criminal organization.

[Yasmeen Khan]

The death of Aseguerra has sparked violent clashes in response. In Jalisco, the western state where the raid was carried out, gangs burned cars and trucks to block roads. And in the tourist hotspot of Puerto Vallarta, several roads were blocked and a video posted by the news site Reforma showed thick smoke rising from vehicles near the beach. The US Embassy has warned Americans in the region to shelter, while multiple airlines have canceled flights to Puerto Vallarta. Mexico's president, Claudia Scheinbaum acknowledged the violence in a social media post, but said, quote, we must stay informed and remain calm. Gotta Steiner told us that Shanebaum has broken with her predecessor by targeting these groups. She's deployed thousands of troops to try and tackle the violence amid intense pressure from the White House to slow the drug trade into the US but as Gaddastino notes, the events of the weekend show that the government has a tricky balancing act as it weighs the potentially violent consequences of its operations.

[Laura Gottastener]

The question here in Mexico is whether we're really going to see the country having broader outbreaks of violence in different parts of the country as a result of this crackdown. And that is another political consideration that the government is constantly always measuring how to crack down on crime groups without creating a situation of retaliatory violence.

[Yasmeen Khan]

The fire in Milan finally went out last night as the Winter Olympics came to a close. Last to enter the stage is Roberto Bolle, who had previously lit the circle of water and fire. The flames simultaneously extinguished in Milan and Cortina. In total, Team USA is coming home with 12 gold medals, a record for the team. And they finished second in the medal count overall behind Norway. There were some incredibly high highs. Like Alyssa Liu's historic gold medal for women's figure skating, the first medal for the American women since 2006, when Sasha Cohen won her Olympic medal. Incredible. And the men's hockey team's dramatic win over Canada in the gold medal match yesterday. United States with numbers. Waka Claus, it comes. Jack Hughes wins it. The golden goal for the United States. For the first time since the 1980 miracle, the United States takes the gold. That win came just two days after the US Women's hockey team won its gold medal match over Canada, also in overtime. But the overall results at the Games have been a little more mixed, with a number of high profile athletes either succumbing to injuries or underwhelming performances.

[Matt Futterman]

So it's been a good games, but it's not been good in the way that they expected it to be good.

[Yasmeen Khan]

Matt Futterman is a senior writer at the Athletic who covered the games in Milan. He said the devastating injury suffered by skier Lindsey Vaughn early on left a big impact.

[Matt Futterman]

I think a lot of people thought Lindsey Vonn was gonna win. We all know what happened with Lindsey. And that was a real blow. Affected a lot of people personally who weren't don't have anything to do with this team. And it definitely affected people on the team. And I think it affected much of the Olympics too. In that first weekend, a couple of

[Yasmeen Khan]

other star athletes were also nursing injuries coming in. Like Chloe Kim, the snowboarder who tore her labrum while training. She ended up falling short of a third straight gold medal. Jesse Diggins, thought of as the world's top cross country skier, crashed and bruised her ribs during her first race and ended up gutting out a bronze medal. And then there was the surprise of 21 year old Ilya Malinin struggling on the ice.

[Matt Futterman]

I don't know that anyone will be able to really rationally explain Ilya Malinin, the figure skater, all of a sudden just not being able to land those jumps. I mean, the jumps are incredibly hard. So I'm not judging him in any way, but he's a world champion. He was nailing those jumps and all of a sudden he just succumbed to the pressure.

[Yasmeen Khan]

As for the host country, Futterman said it was a year to remember for Italy with 30 medals.

[Matt Futterman]

The Italians have worked very hard and spent a tremendous amount of money to not repeat the horror of 20 years ago when they became the rare host country that won fewer medals. When they were hosting the Games than they did in the previous Games, and that's sort of this embarrassment that they've been living with. So they were determined to not repeat that they've been investing a tremendous amount of money in Olympic sport.

[Yasmeen Khan]

Overall, the US still outdid itself in the medal count in these Olympics compared to last time in Beijing. But a group with such lofty goals bears lofty expectations. And finally, a few other stories were following Law enforcement officers shot and killed a man at President Trump's Mar? A Lago estate in Florida during the early morning hours on Sunday. The Secret Service said a man in his 20s breached a secure perimeter carrying what appeared to be a shotgun and fuel can. Authorities say he entered the north gate of the property in a vehicle before being confronted by the Secret Service and a Palm beach county sheriff's deputy. Trump and first Lady Melania Trump were in Washington when the incident took place. New York faces a second major snowstorm of the year today, causing widespread disruption. Thousands of flights have already been canceled, the city's public school students have been given a snow day, and New Jersey Transit has suspended its service entirely. Mayor Zoran Mamdani declared all roads closed to traffic until noon today except for essential and emergency trips. Over 35 million people in total are under a blizzard warning, and more than a foot of snow is expected along large parts of the Eastern seaboard. And finally, if you were scrolling the Internet this weekend, you may have come across the story of Punch, a seven month old Japanese macaque monkey at a zoo just outside Tokyo. Punch went viral after his mother rejected him and the young primate took comfort in a stuffed orangutan from Ikea, which has since sold out in stores. Videos showing Punch looking lonely, being shoved and scolded by fellow monkeys, then rushing back to his plushie for comfort, have captured people's hearts. Zoo officials say the sudden fame led to a doubling of visitors last weekend compared to the previous year, with even higher numbers expected in the coming days. Things may be looking better, though. Punch has been observed being groomed, getting hugs and sitting with adult monkeys, all signs he's finally acclimating. Zookeepers say this is all normal and they're encouraging people not to feel sorry for Punch, but to support his efforts at integrating. You can find all these stories and more in the Apple news app. And if you're already listening in the news app right now, we've got a narrated article coming up next. Bloomberg Businessweek reports on how cryptocurrencies became the preferred method for drug cartels to launder money and why law enforcement agencies are struggling to catch up. If you're listening in the Podcasts app, follow Apple News plus Narrated to find that story and I'll be back with the news tomorrow.