International

Governor of the Mexican state of Sinaloa is separated from the meeting that resulted in the capture of ‘Mayo’ Zambada

The governor of the Mexican state of Sinaloa, Rubén Rocha Moya, rejected any link with drug trafficking, as well as being part of an alleged meeting with Ismael ‘el Mayo’ Zambada, co-founder of the Sinaloa Cartel, and Joaquín Guzmán López, his former partner, which resulted in the capture of the capo by the US authorities.

“We have no complicity with anyone (…) therefore, if they said that I was going to be (at the meeting), then they lied, and if he believed them (May), then he fell into the trap,” said the governor, who spoke about the issue in the company of the Mexican president, Andrés Manuel López Obrador, and the president-elect, Claudia Sheinbaum, who toured the state of Sinaloa.

His position is given after El Mayo made public a statement in which he maintains that he was ambushed by the son of the Mexican drug trafficker, Joaquín ‘el Chapo’ Guzmán, to be taken to the United States, after being called to a meeting to resolve “a dispute” with the governor of the state of Sinaloa and former congressman Héctor Melesio Cuén.

In addition, he asked President López Obrador for the Attorney General’s Office (FGR) to attract the investigation of the murder of Cuén, who according to Zambada’s letter, would have been killed in the same place where he was kidnapped in May, contrary to the official versions.

The governor of Sinaloa pointed out that he would be “more satisfied” if an investigation were carried out with “greater impartiality,” so that “there are no suspicions of any nature.”

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“We don’t want to be under suspicion, there’s no reason for that,” he insisted.

Regarding the alleged meeting he would attend, Rocha Moya clarified that he was never called to resolve any dispute, as held by May, since he even mentioned that he was out throughout July 25 and returned in the early hours of the following day.

In addition, he positioned that the problems of the state he leads are solved through the institutions of the Government, while he accused that he is sought to “force-force drug trafficking” for being originally from Badiraguato, the cradle of important Mexican drug lords such as El Chapo or Rafael Caro Quintero, among others.

He said that this is a stigma that is held on people from this town in northern Mexico and defended that, on the contrary, the people of Badiraguato and the state of Sinaloa “are good, hardworking people.”

He also considered that this type of case seeks to tarnish his image “and in passing” that of President López Obrador.

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For her part, Claudia Sheinbaum said that support for Governor Rocha Moya will be maintained during her term, which will begin on October 1, as well as to her population in northern Mexico.

“Whoever wants to stigmatize this beautiful state, stay with its history, because men and women of Sinaloa are good Mexicans and Mexicans, men and women of work,” he said.

During the event, President López Obrador endorsed his support for the governor of Sinaloa, while congratulating him for “shiting his face” and not waiting a day to clarify Zambada’s alleged statements.

“We have all the confidence in the governor of Sinaloa, Rubén Rocha Moya, and I congratulate him because he shows his face he didn’t let a day go by,” he concluded.

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International

Luigi Mangione Pleads Guilty to Killing UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson

Luigi Mangione admitted Friday to fatally shooting Brian Thompson, the CEO of UnitedHealthcare, the largest health insurance group in the United States, during an appearance before a federal judge.

The case shocked the U.S. business community and dates back to December 2024, when Mangione opened fire on Thompson, 50, on a Manhattan street. Prosecutors have described the attack as being motivated by Mangione’s opposition to the U.S. health insurance system.

“On the morning of December 4, I shot Mr. Thompson in Manhattan and he died,” Mangione said as he pleaded guilty to a federal stalking charge related to his pursuit of the executive.

Mangione, 28, is scheduled to be sentenced on December 18, and prosecutors have indicated that they will seek a life sentence.

In addition to the federal charges related to stalking Thompson, Mangione also faces a murder case brought by the state of New York.

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Following his guilty plea in federal court, Mangione’s defense asked a state court to dismiss the state charges, arguing that prosecuting him again for the same conduct would violate protections against double jeopardy.

“We have just filed our motion in state court to explain why the charges should be dismissed under New York’s protections against double jeopardy,” Mangione’s attorney, Karen Friedman Agnifilo, said Friday.

Both the federal and state cases could result in a life sentence. Two other federal charges that initially carried the possibility of the death penalty were dismissed by a judge earlier this year.

International

ICE Plan to Equip Agents With Electric Shock Gloves Raises Abuse Concerns

Plans to equip U.S. immigration agents with gloves capable of delivering electric shocks are raising concerns over potential abuses by a law enforcement agency that critics accuse of using excessive force and providing inadequate training to its personnel.

The plan involves the potential purchase of electric-shock gloves for agents with U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), the agency primarily responsible for carrying out President Donald Trump’s campaign to deport millions of undocumented immigrants.

Democratic Representative Maxwell Frost criticized the proposal on X, arguing that the agency has already faced accusations of excessive force during immigration enforcement operations.

“As if assaulting and shooting people in the streets wasn’t enough,” Frost wrote. He also criticized the reported $20 million potential expenditure on the devices and called for greater restrictions on ICE.

The agency has faced growing scrutiny following a series of deadly shootings during immigration enforcement operations. Among the incidents were the deaths of two U.S. citizens in Minnesota in January who were participating in protests against the agency.

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Critics have focused on the tactics used by ICE agents when detaining immigrants, as well as allegations that training standards for newly recruited personnel have been lowered.

According to a procurement plan first reported by the Associated Press, the Department of Homeland Security (DHS), which oversees ICE, could spend between $10 million and $20 million on the devices.

The gloves are described by the agency as tools intended for “distraction and de-escalation,” rather than lethal weapons. The system, known as GLOVE, stands for “Generated Low-Output Voltage Emitter.”

The device is manufactured by Compliant Technologies, a Kentucky-based company that describes its products as advanced non-lethal tools designed to protect and assist law enforcement and other personnel.

The proposal comes amid an intensifying national debate over ICE’s enforcement methods and the use of force during the Trump administration’s immigration crackdown.

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International

Three U.S. Executions Set for Same Day as Trump Pushes to Expand Death Penalty

The death penalty has been abolished in 23 of the 50 U.S. states, while three others —California, Oregon and Pennsylvania— currently have moratoriums in place.

The United States is set to carry out three executions on the same day, a rare occurrence that has not happened since 2010, according to the nonprofit Death Penalty Information Center.

President Donald Trump has sought to expand the use of capital punishment for what he describes as “the most heinous crimes.” In April, the Department of Justice proposed expanding execution methods to include firing squads, lethal gas and electrocution.

Tennessee is scheduled to execute Anthony Darrell Dugard Hines, 66, on Thursday. He was sentenced to death for the 1985 murder of a woman, according to local media.

In Oklahoma, Carlos Cuesta-Rodríguez, 70, is scheduled to be executed for a 2003 murder.

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Meanwhile, Alabama plans to execute Jeremy Williams, 42, who was sentenced to death for the rape and murder of a five-year-old girl.

The United States carried out 47 executions in 2025, the highest number since 2009, when 52 executions were recorded.

Florida conducted the largest number of executions last year, with 19, followed by Alabama, South Carolina and Texas, with five each.

Of the executions carried out in 2025, 39 were conducted by lethal injection. Three were carried out by firing squad and five through nitrogen hypoxia, a method that involves forcing nitrogen gas into a face mask, depriving the prisoner of oxygen.

The United Nations has condemned nitrogen gas as a cruel and inhumane method of capital punishment.