Sheinbaum’s bind gets tougher
At least a dozen Mexican lawmakers – including members of President Claudia Sheinbaum’s Morena party – have reportedly offered to be informants to the United States as part of Washington’s investigations into elected officials’ alleged collusion with cartels. Sheinbaum has denounced the investigations, using them as a rallying cry for her left-wing party. However, the Mexican leader doesn’t want to anger the White House for two main reasons: she wants to stave off a potential US strike on cartels, as a US hit on Mexican land will not go down well among the Mexican public, and to ensure that Washington maintains free trade (the US buys some 80% of all Mexico’s exports). Reports of lawmakers cooperating with investigators will only further increase Washington’s leverage over Sheinbaum, meaning she might have to sacrifice her standing with her own party to retain good standing with the White House.
Israel-Lebanon ceasefire deal hasn’t gone down well with Hezbollah
The latest ceasefire agreement, signed on Friday, commits Lebanon to disarming the Iranian-backed militant group Hezbollah. Under the terms of the deal, Israeli forces would then exit southern Lebanon. There’s just one problem: Hezbollah, as you might imagine, rejects the agreement. The speaker of the Lebanese Parliament – a top political ally of the group – even said on Saturday it was an “incitement to civil war.” An all-out civil conflict remains a remote possibility – neither the Lebanese government nor Hezbollah wants a head-to-head collision with the other – but there are growing signs of unrest, as Hezbollah supporters blocked major roads in Beirut on Friday to protest the agreement. We’ll be watching closely for the militant group’s next move.
Pakistan-Afghanistan violence escalates again as talks stall
On Sunday, Pakistan launched deadly airstrikes near the countries’ 1,600-mile shared border, in retaliation for an attack on Pakistani paramilitaries on Saturday. There’s a dispute over the nature of the deaths: the Afghan Taliban said the airstrikes killed at least 36 civilians, while Islamabad said it killed 32 militants. Violence has been ticking up in recent weeks, shattering a relative period of calm between the two neighbors who’ve been fighting since late February. Pakistan accuses the Taliban of harboring members of the Pakistani Taliban, which has carried out attacks on Pakistani police and security forces in recent years – the Afghan Taliban denies these charges, but has privately acknowledged that some Afghan militants have joined the group. The latest violence heightens the risk of further escalation as the Chinese-led peace talks stall.
Bonus watching: A big week for the US Supreme Court
The Supreme Court is set to make several high-stakes decisions in the final week of its term. Birthright citizenship, campaign finance laws, and whether transgender girls and women can play on female sports teams in public school and college are all left on the docket. One major ruling was delivered on Monday morning: the Court blocked the Trump administration from firing a sitting Federal Reserve governor, Lisa Cook, while allowing the firing of a Federal Trade Commission member without cause. The decision gives the White House greater control of independent agencies – just not the central bank
