Day: February 23, 2026

 A Cartel Leader is Killed But Mexico’s Network of Criminals, Politicians and Corrupt Bankers Remains Untouched

We begin with the killing of “El Mencho” the violent leader of the Jalisco New Generation Cartel by the Mexican Military. The cartel has been designated as a terrorist organization by the United States and 25 Mexican National Guardsmen were killed in the operation that saw violent shootouts, roadblocks and the burning of vehicles by cartel gunmen across the country. Joining us is to discuss how killing a cartel leader does little to nothing to roll up the real network of criminals, politicians and corrupt bankers is Guadalupe Correa-Cabrera, Professor in the Schar School of Policy and Government, and co-director of the Terrorism, Transnational Crime and Corruption Center at George Mason University as well as a visiting scholar at the National Autonomous University of Mexico. She was recently the Principal Investigator of a research grant to study organized crime and trafficking in persons in Central America and along Mexico’s eastern migration routes, supported by the Department of State’s Office to Monitor and Combat Trafficking in Persons. The President of the Association for Borderlands Studies, she is the author of Los Zetas Inc.: Criminal Corporations, Energy, and Civil War in Mexico and Frontera: A Journey Across the US/Mexico Border and her forthcoming book is Cartels Inc: A “New Generation” of Criminal Networks. 

A Growing Number of Senators and Congress Members Plan to Boycott Trump’s State Of The Union

Then we look into the alternatives to Trump’s State of Union tomorrow as more and more senators and congress members plan to boycott the event to attend the People’s State of the Union in the mall. Joining us is Robert Creamer, a long-time political organizer and Democratic strategist, and author of Stand Up Straight: How Progressives Can Win. He is a partner in Democracy Partners and his latest book is Nuts and Bolts: The Formula for Progressive Electoral Success.

Trump’s Favorite Judge Moves to Bury Jack Smith’s Documents Case Forever

Then finally we speak with Josh Gerstein, a senior White House reporter for POLITICO, specializing in legal and national security issues. Previously he was a reporter at The New York Sun, Beijing correspondent for ABC News, and part of CNN’s investigative unit. He has an article at Politico we will discuss, “Judge dismisses Trump’s Mar-a-Lago classified docs criminal case” now that Trump’s favorite judge has moved to bury forever Jack Smith’s case file against Trump on the misuse of highly classified documents.