Sheinbaum’s mañanera in 60 seconds
- 🗣️ Sheinbaum defends AMLO over El Mayo claims: Asked about former U.S. ambassador Ken Salazar’s memoir allegation that ex-President López Obrador fears testimony cartel boss “El Mayo” Zambada could provide to U.S. authorities, Sheinbaum said AMLO’s only concern was potential U.S. agency involvement in Zambada’s capture — a sovereignty issue — not anything Zambada might say. She added that she herself has “absolutely none” of her own concerns about his testimony.
- 🛢️ Sustainable fracking decision imminent: Sheinbaum said a government-appointed scientific panel is close to issuing its first recommendation on whether “sustainable fracking” is feasible in Mexico, with a public presentation at the mañanera expected soon. An announcement in favor of fracking would represent a notable policy break from López Obrador, who paused fracking during his administration.
- ⚽ Mexico’s World Cup vibe beats the U.S. and Canada: Sheinbaum claimed the atmosphere for the tournament in Mexico surpasses that of co-hosts the United States and Canada, citing the country’s warmth, jubilation and El Tri’s back-to-back victories over South Africa and South Korea.
Why today’s mañanera matters
In 2022, the now-deceased politician Porfirio Muñoz Ledo, a man who represented the ruling Morena party in federal Congress, accused then President Andrés Manuel López Obrador (AMLO) of colluding with narcos and wanting to entrust that collusion to his successor.
In January 2024, ProPublica, Deutsche Welle and Insight Crime all published reports that said that people working for López Obrador’s 2006 presidential campaign received between US $2 million and $4 million from drug traffickers affiliated with the Beltrán-Leyva Organization and the Sinaloa Cartel.
The next month, in February 2024, The New York Times published allegations that people close to AMLO, including his sons, received drug money after the ex-president took office in late 2018.
Now, former U.S. ambassador to Mexico Ken Salazar has weighed in on the speculation that López Obrador colluded with drug traffickers by claiming that the ex-president is worried about testimony cartel boss Ismael “El Mayo” Zambada could provide to authorities in the United States, where he is incarcerated.
President Claudia Sheinbaum’s defense of AMLO — her erstwhile political mentor — when asked about Salazar’s comments was a significant moment at today’s mañanera. While Sheinbaum’s defense of her predecessor was not surprising, renewed focus on López Obrador’s alleged cartel ties could create an additional headache for the president at a time when Mexican authorities are assessing whether there is sufficient evidence to arrest and extradite Sinaloa Governor Rubén Rocha Moya and various other politicians affiliated with the ruling Morena party who U.S. prosecutors accuse of drug trafficking in league with the Sinaloa Cartel.
Also of note at today’s mañanera was the president’s indication that the government will soon announce whether it has decided to allow a form of “sustainable fracking” to take place in Mexico.
Mexico weighs ‘sustainable fracking’ to cut dependence on US natural gas
Fracking has already taken place in Mexico, but the practice was largely paused by López Obrador. Sheinbaum’s apparent push to launch a “sustainable fracking” initiative in Mexico represents a major break with the policy of her predecessor.
Sheinbaum: AMLO not concerned about information US authorities could obtain from ‘El Mayo’
A reporter asked the president about an assertion by Salazar that López Obrador is worried about information U.S. authorities could obtain from Zambada, a Sinaloa Cartel leader who was arrested in the U.S. in July 2024 after he was kidnapped by a son of Joaquín “El Chapo” Guzmán and flown to a New Mexico airport on a private plane.
Salazar makes the assertion in a soon-to-be-released memoir, citing information he received from a Mexican businessman who was said to be a confidant of AMLO. The newspaper Reforma published excerpts from the book on Sunday.
Even though Reforma includes translated quotes of Salazar’s writing, Sheinbaum said that “exactly” what the former ambassador says won’t be established until his memoir is released.
“In any case, I can tell you that if President López Obrador had any concern, … it was about the [possible] participation of a U.S. government agency in the capture of “El Mayo” Zambada in Mexico,” she said.
Sheinbaum said that AMLO didn’t have any concerns about “what this person, this head of a criminal group” might testify to U.S. authorities.
In Federal District Court in Chicago last December Joaquín Guzmán López said that he orchestrated the July 2024 kidnapping of Zambada, but Sheinbaum said on Monday that it was “never made clear” how the transfer of “El Mayo” to the United States took place.
“It’s not that he shouldn’t have been arrested because at the end of the day he was subject to arrest warrants in Mexico. But what was the participation of a U.S. agency or the U.S. government … in this capture? That was [AMLO’s] concern … due to the [possible] interference and violation of sovereignty in Mexico,” she said.
As president, López Obrador asserted that the United States carried out the “operation” that resulted in the arrest of Zambada in the United States. With his use of the word “operation,” he apparently meant a negotiation with Joaquín Guzmán López that he believed resulted in the delivery of Zambada to U.S. law enforcement authorities at a New Mexico airport near El Paso, Texas, on July 25, 2024.
Sheinbaum noted that the López Obrador administration asked U.S. authorities to explain how the arrest of Zambada came about, although it never received a clear response. She said that the Federal Attorney General’s Office continues to investigate how the capture of Zambada occurred and remains in contact with the U.S. Department of Justice as it seeks information about the events leading up to the arrest.
Asked whether she had any concern about what Zambada could say to U.S. authorities, Sheinbaum responded “none — absolutely none.”
A ‘first recommendation’ on the feasibility of ‘sustainable fracking’ coming soon
Sheinbaum told reporters that a group of scientists tasked with assessing whether “sustainable fracking” is feasible in Mexico has made progress in its work.
“I don’t remember whether it’s this week or at the start of next week, [we have] a meeting with the group of scientists, which is very advanced [in the work toward making] a first recommendation. So we’ll bring the recommendation to the mañanera, we’ll bring the scientists again so they can provide the information publicly — information about what they have researched, what they have seen, what they have worked on,” she said.
On repeated occasions, Sheinbaum has expressed her openness to allowing a form of “sustainable” fracking in Mexico.
She has acknowledged her previous opposition to fracking, but now asserts that it can take place safely via the use of new technologies.
Sheinbaum: World Cup atmosphere in Mexico is better than in US and Canada
Mexico is hosting just 13 of the 104 matches at the 2026 FIFA men’s World Cup, but Sheinbaum asserted that the atmosphere here is superior to the atmospheres in the United States, which is hosting 78 matches, and Canada, which is also hosting 13 matches.
“Sorry, what people experience in Mexico isn’t experienced in the United States or Canada,” she said.
Mexico’s week in review: El Tri advances and visiting fans fall in love with Mexico
In Mexico, there is “happiness,” a very warm welcome for World Cup visitors and great “jubilation related to the World Cup,” Sheinbaum said, referring to celebrations on the streets, in public squares and elsewhere.
“In addition, obviously [we’ve had] two victories of the national team,” she said, acknowledging El Tri’s wins over South Africa and South Korea in its first two group matches.
“So today Mexico is in the global spotlight,” Sheinbaum said.
By Mexico News Daily chief staff writer Peter Davies (peter.davies@mexiconewsdaily.com)
