U.S. President Donald Trump stated on Wednesday that drug cartels have “strong control” over Mexico — a situation he believes “cannot be allowed.”

Trump made the comments during a White House event where he signed a bipartisan bill into law that increases prison sentences for distributing fentanyl and its derivatives within the United States.

“Today, we deliver another defeat to the savage drug traffickers, criminals, and cartels that dominate Mexico,” said Trump. “I’m trying to be nice, but they have a strong grip on Mexico.”

“We must do something about it. We can’t allow this. Mexican authorities are terrified, afraid to go to work because the cartels control politicians and elected officials,” he added.

Trump has previously designated major Mexican drug cartels as terrorist organizations.

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His remarks come in the wake of a public clash between Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum and Jeffrey Lichtman, the attorney of Ovidio Guzmán — son of infamous drug lord Joaquín “El Chapo” Guzmán.

Lichtman accused Sheinbaum of acting as “the PR arm of a drug trafficking organization.” The Mexican president called the statement “disrespectful” to the presidential office and announced a defamation lawsuit.

Authorities in Mexico City announced on Wednesday a comprehensive strategy to combat gentrification, including a proposed law aimed at regulating housing rental prices.

The plan follows a wave of protests earlier in July in the central neighborhoods of Roma and Condesa—areas widely seen as the epicenter of the gentrification phenomenon, which intensified during the Covid-19 pandemic.

With the rise of remote work during the health emergency, thousands of foreigners—mostly young Americans—moved to the Mexican capital, drawn by its lower cost of living. “This is not only an issue for our city, but for the entire world,” said Mexico City Mayor Clara Brugada during a public event to present the plan.

“Gentrification means the disappearance of local businesses; it means transforming neighborhoods into areas for temporary housing,” she added.

Brugada stated that her administration will propose a law on “fair, reasonable, and affordable rents” to regulate and stabilize housing rental prices, and to prevent the displacement of people and communities.

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She also announced stricter regulation of short-term and temporary rentals such as Airbnb. “We will fully enforce the existing legal provisions and establish a methodology to set clear parameters for regulating temporary housing operations,” she said.

Additionally, Brugada emphasized that the city will prioritize the construction of public housing in central areas to ensure equitable access to housing.

The influx of higher-income foreigners into central neighborhoods has significantly driven up rental prices, pushing original residents to move to more affordable areas, often on the outskirts of the city.

During the July protests, some demonstrators voiced strong opposition to foreigners, particularly U.S. citizens.

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Civil society groups from Mexico, Colombia, Brazil, and Ecuador denounced on Wednesday the interference of multinational corporations in public food policies across Latin America, which has contributed to the rise in consumption of ultra-processed products in the region.

Alejandro Calvillo, director of the Mexican NGO El Poder del Consumidor, warned during a press conference about an increase in social media attacks against the organization. The NGO has led campaigns raising awareness about the health risks of ultra-processed foods and sugary drinks.

“They accuse us of spending a significant amount of money specifically to carry out public campaigns that highlight the health harms of these products and the sugar content in soft drinks,” Calvillo said, adding that a detailed investigation is currently underway.

Furthermore, Calvillo called on the Mexican government to intensify public awareness campaigns about the damages caused by these products to the population.

He also alerted to a recent wave of discredit campaigns, which are accompanied by cases of espionage and intimidation against researchers from this and other NGOs, as well as corporate tactics aimed at circumventing regulations and policies.

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Alejandra Niño, a researcher and nutritionist from FIAN-Colombia, explained that the implementation of health taxes in the country is facing “a systemic corporate interference strategy,” where powerful political and economic actors exert “corporate capture” to reshape and control public decision-making in favor of their interests.