I'm John Batchel. I welcome my good colleague of many years, Bill Rajo, senior fellow for the Foundation for the Defense of Democracy.

He keeps the Long World Journal with his colleagues, many of whom we will speak to in these next hours.

But right now we're focusing on the news from Mexico City, Reuters within hours.

One of Mexico's most notorious drug lords, calling himself a Menscho, was killed in a military raid on Sunday, 24 hours past,

sparking widespread retaliatory violence. President Scheinbaum has been under mounting pressure,

writes Reuters, to intensify her offensive against drug cartels blame for producing and smuggling drugs,

particularly the synthetic opioid fentanyl.

The 60-year-old El Mentiono was understood as the mastermind of the powerful Halisco New Generation

Cartel, which has its own acronym.

He died in custody after being injured in a military operation by special forces in the town of

Tupalpa on Mexico's Pacific coast in the Halisco state. I'll stop there, because there are

several pieces I do not have. Bill, you've agreed that this is counterterror.

The question is, what does it achieve and this business about fentanyl coming from overseas?

They're referring to China without naming China. Is that how to understand that? Good day to you, Bill.

Without a doubt, these cartels are terrorist organizations. You could just look at the reaction

to the death of Almencho. They are burning down buildings, targeting individuals,

assassinations. It looks like a war zone in Mexico, throughout Mexico. It's not just limited to

one city or even one province or one state, but multiple. Last I saw was in 13 states that there's

significant violence. They're calling out their National Guard, their military and police are fully

deploying.

It's an absolute, this is the power of these cartels.

And John, it's not just fentanyl.

...