Jack Nicas

And that was, I think, an explosion of of rage and also power from this Jalisco cartel.

But it also was a short burst of violence, you know.

After Sunday, things really have calmed down.

And, you know, by midweek, the Mexican government says, you know, all roads are clear, all the fires are put out, and there really are no shelter in place orders to speak of.

And so Mexico is kind of back to normal.

That's exactly the question, because while things are back to normal, the country is still very much on edge because Trump is still pressuring the Mexican government to do more.

And you just suddenly have a beheaded cartel that may now be fighting for territory and power.

For one, the Mexican authorities had a piece of very actionable intelligence, and so an opportunity was created and they took advantage of it.

But this also comes amid the backdrop of a very aggressive offensive against the cartels by President Sheinbaum.

She basically has made clear that she wants to take a very different tact from her predecessor to go after the cartels.

And then there also is...

One other major difference, and that is Donald J. Trump.

What we have in Mexico right now is a sustained pressure campaign from the White House to do more against the cartels.

He does not want any more of the same excuses.

He is saying the Mexican government must solve its cartel problems or the U.S.

military will do it.

And that has meant repeated and public threats of a unilateral U.S.

military strike against the cartels, which President Sheinbaum has said is a red line that cannot be crossed.

And so instead, what we're seeing is the Mexican government doing everything it can to show it can handle the problem itself.

Well, you have to remember that California used to be Mexico.