Natalie Kitroeff

And Jack, what do we know about the intelligence that led the operation to be successful in this case?

Amazing.

They got him by following his girlfriend.

Got it.

And once El Mencho's death is confirmed, we saw the country erupt in flames as the cartel is responding on the streets.

Cartel members loyal to El Mencho, we understand, were lighting things on fire, blocking roads.

We heard of American tourists kind of sheltering in place in their hotels.

Just describe what we were seeing in Mexico.

Massive plumes of smoke darkened the skies of seaside resort towns and tourist hotspots.

But locals are the most threatened.

Right.

And now the question seems to be, what happens next?

Does the government decide to keep pushing on an offensive against the Jalisco cartel, given the stakes and the pressure the government is under from the United States, from the Trump administration?

We'll be right back.

Marie and Jack, I think one of the biggest questions hanging over all this is just given how long this cartel's power has been steadily expanding and how well known the problem of it has been, why did the Mexican government do this at this moment?

Why now?

Right.

And just say how the threat of the U.S.

military coming in and doing a strike in Mexico is perceived in the country and by the government specifically.

And it should be said, this isn't just an idle threat that Trump is making at this point, right?