July 5th, 2024
1. Claudia Sheinbaum appoints third bloc of her cabinet
Mexico’s president-elect, Claudia Sheinbaum, announced four members who will join her cabinet when she takes office. They are Omar García Harfuch, who will serve as Secretary of Security and Citizen Protection (SSPC); Rosa Icela Rodríguez, will move on from the SSPC to become the new Secretary of the Interior; while Ariadna Montiel will repeat her position as Secretary of Welfare. Finally, Mario Delgado will assume the position of Secretary of Public Education.
With these appointments, only the head of the Secretaries of Tourism, National Defense, Navy, Labor, and Culture will remain to be named. It should be noted that the President-elect has opted for profiles with outstanding recognition in their field, at the same time respecting the principle of gender parity.
Excelsior: Gabinete de Sheinbaum: Ariadna Montiel, Delgado, García Harfuch y Rosa Icela se suman
2. Debate on Judicial Branch reform intensifies
The Chamber of Deputies continued with the roundtable discussions on the reform of the Judicial Branch, where the participants were polarized around the proposal sent by the Federal Executive. Three ministers of the Supreme Court came in person to the legislative chamber to express their positions, among them its president, Minister Norma Piña, who said that the Judicial Branch will present its own reform proposal at the end of August.
In this context, the possible resignation of Minister Norma Piña was announced, which was criticized by the opposition, which described the event as a “technical coup d’état.” On the other hand, both President López Obrador and President-elect Claudia Sheinbaum indicated that the reform to the Judicial Power goes beyond a resignation because they want to reform it in depth. For the time being, the presiding minister will remain in office.
3. President López Obrador welcomes “change of tone” in US presidential debate
President López Obrador welcomed what he called a “change of tone” in the U.S. presidential candidates’ narrative regarding Mexico, as the country was mentioned on relatively few occasions during their national debate.
One of the mentions was when Donald Trump called Mexico the most dangerous country in the world. For his part, Biden highlighted the collaboration on the fight against fentanyl trafficking. On immigration, President Biden criticized the policy undertaken by former President Trump where minors were separated from their families.
Aristegui Noticias: Biden y Trump cambiaron ‘el tono’ sobre México en el debate: López Obrador
4. Mexico continues to be the main trading partner of the United States
Mexico is consolidating its position as the United States’ largest trading partner, according to information from the Census Bureau, which stated that between January and May 2024, the value of Mexican merchandise exports to the U.S. reached an unprecedented figure of US$206.796 billion.
Trade between the two nations stood at around US$345.4 billion, which represents 16 percent of US trade with the entire planet, which means that for every US$100 that the U.S. trades with the world, US$16 are with Mexico. The second largest trading partner of the North American country is Canada, followed by China.
La Jornada: México bate récord en sus exportaciones a Estados Unidos
5. Extreme precautions for Hurricane Beryl
Authorities of the states of Yucatan, Quintana Roo, Campeche and Tamaulipas have issued warnings and have taken extreme precautions due to the passage of hurricane Baryl, which is expected to hit Mexican land in category 3 in the town of Tulum this Friday.
Among the measures taken are the suspension of classes, the establishment of shelters for the vulnerable population and the suspension of economic activities as of last night. The governor of Yucatan stated that she expects the economic impact to be the least possible and emphasized that the most important thing is the wellbeing of the population. President López Obrador also stated that they are ready to assist the population in case they need it.
La Jornada: Exhorta AMLO a extremar precauciones ante impacto de ‘Beryl’