TMH#10: DO AMERICANS DREAM OF INFECTED SHEEP?; BULLET AGAINST CANADA PASSES TOO CLOSE; MOMENTOUS DAY FOR OVIDIO GUZMÁN
July 11th, 2025
Hi, dear readers! This is The Mexican Headline. Let’s take a look at the news:
The announcement of a 35% tariff against Canada starting on August 1st brought back fears of an unpredictable announcement targeting Mexico. Trump has reignited his tariff wars and impositions since the July 9th deadline expired. He imposed a 50% tariff on Brazil for mistreating extreme right-wing ex-President Jair Bolsonaro, a 50% tariff on copper worldwide, and new tariffs on South Korea and Japan. And, of course, the 35% menace on Canada after talks fell apart. Mexico has been spared for now, even as the migrant crisis took a violent turn in early June. Today, a high-level delegation with Mexican Economy Secretary Marcelo Ebrard will hold meetings with its counterparts in Washington. Of course, the copper tariff does affect Mexico, just as the steel and aluminum tariff, which were the main topics of negotiation. With the decision to close the border to cattle, some would say the Trump administration is stepping up pressure on Mexico before talks. But honestly, who knows what goes through his mind?
In the end, President Sheinbaum delivered an answer to the U.S. closure of the border after one case of screwworm in Veracruz. “It’s an exaggeration,” she rightfully said. Reforma and La Jornada picked up statements by the Grupo Consultor de Mercados Agrarios (GCMA), a consulting firm, that sets the losses to Mexican ranchers at USD 400 million during 2025, USD 7 million every day. Interestingly, there was no statement from Agriculture Secretary Julio Berdegué nor a press release from the Department itself. Once again, it shows how the Mañanera and the President have the last word. Also, a different approach to U.S. tantrums and outbursts: not getting hooked on media tit for tats. As most screwworm cases come from Mexico's southern region, Sonora's governor Alfonso Durazo has asked Americans to spare local ranchers.
Huachicol updates. For a fourth day, Reforma and El Universal featured stories about smuggled gasoline or huachicol. This time, there was a webinar by experts, who estimated that losses from smuggled gasoline would be sufficient to pay PEMEX creditors and contractors of the past administration. There’s also a story about Army personnel condemned to 31 years in jail for complicity with smuggling during the Presidency of Enrique Peña Nieto. El Universal published President Sheinbaum’s remarks from yesterday’s Mañanera, where she called for stricter regulation and surveillance on gas stations.
Today, Ovidio Guzmán, son of drug lord Joaquín “El Chapo” Guzmán, holds his first hearing at an Illinois Court, where he will declare himself guilty of many crimes. A defining moment for this criminal dynasty, it was also reported that his brother, Joaquín Guzmán López, will appear in court until September, as he’s ironing out details of his agreement with American prosecutors. Let’s remember it was the latter who allegedly tricked Ismael “El Mayo” Zambada into surrendering to U.S. authorities, which sparked Sinaloa’s current bloodbath.
Let’s take a look inside!
Once again, talks with the Coordinadora Nacional de Trabajadores de la Educación (CNTE), a radical teachers’ union, broke up with Federal authorities. Memories of last May, when the CNTE staged ferocious demonstrations and threatened to boycott the Judicial Election, are still fresh, so negotiations will have to hasten.
According to Francesca Albanese, UN Special Rapporteur on the situation of human rights in Palestine, there’s a Mexican firm, Orbia Advance Corporation, profiting from Israel’s ethnic cleansing in the Gaza Strip. Proceso and La Jornada report on the topic.
NOTE: An earlier version of this post stated that Joaquín Guzmán López tricked “his uncle” Ismael Zambada. I don’t even know why I wrote that. Close as they were, Zambada and Guzmán were just business and crime partners.
That’s it for today. We’ve made it to the end of the week. A second week for us at The Mexican Headline. This time, our weekly Wrapping Up will come out on Saturday at 10:00. See you tomorrow!