People’s Mañanera August 8
Every day, President Claudia Sheinbaum gives a morning presidential press conference and Mexico Solidarity Media posts English language summaries, translated by Mexico Solidarity’s Pedro Gellert Frank. Previous press conference summaries are available here.
Results of the Institute to Return Stolen Goods to the People Auction
Mónica Fernández, head of the Institute to Return Stolen Goods to the People, presented the results of its latest online auction. A total of 15,218 interested parties registered, of which 867 actively participated in bidding for various items. In total, 107,066 goods were sold, with committed sales amounting to over 40.95 million pesos (US$2.21 million).
President Claudia Sheinbaum announced that the funds raised will be allocated to Healthcare Centers included in the Amuzgo Justice Plan.
It was also reported that both online and in-person auctions will take place during August. On the website subastasenlinea.indep.gob.mx, direct sales of movable goods are also available, with prices ranging from 1 to 5,000 pesos (US$0.05 to US$269).
Promotion of Mexican Handicrafts
Marina Núñez, Deputy Minister for Cultural Development at the Ministry of Culture, reported that the economic activity generated by handicrafts in 2023 reached almost 156.36 billion pesos (US$8.43 billion), equivalent to 0.52% of GDP. She said that around 7,500 artisans have benefited directly or indirectly through events organized by the Ministry.
Cultural Appropriation of Artisan Designs
Núñez also denounced a case of cultural appropriation by Adidas and a designer, who reproduced traditional Yalalag huaraches sandals (from Oaxaca) without authorization. Adidas has reportedly contacted the state government and talks are underway to agree on reparations for the affected community.
Mexico Sings Contest and Cultural Promotion
Minister of Culture Claudia Curiel announced that the semifinals of the Mexico Sings contest will begin airing on Sunday, August 17, from 7:00 to 9:00 PM on public media. She explained that this contest is part of the Comprehensive Strategy for Addressing the Root Causes of Violence and Addictions.
Opinion on U.S. Security Policy
Sheinbaum commented on the executive order signed by President Donald Trump, authorizing the U.S. military to combat fentanyl trafficking. She clarified that this measure does not involve Mexican territory, as it is an internal U.S. question.
Announcement of Electoral Reform Forums
The President announced that during the August 11 morning press conference, Pablo Gómez will present the plan for holding consultation forums on the Electoral Reform. These forums will include participation from politicians, experts, National Electoral Institute (INE) board members, and representatives from Indigenous communities and civil society.
She clarified that the Presidential Commission for Electoral Reform will not prepare an initial proposal. Instead, the forums and debates will serve as the starting point for drafting new electoral legislation.
Recollection of 2006 Impeachment Attempt and Criticism of Conservatism
Sheinbaum recalled that Vicente Fox, Carlos Salinas, Diego Fernández, and sectors of the PRI and PAN tried to block Andrés Manuel López Obrador from becoming president through an impeachment attempt for allegedly violating a court injunction. Their goal was to disqualify him from the presidential race. She explained that the attempt failed due to popular support for AMLO and mass mobilizations. She also criticized the media campaign labeling AMLO “a danger to Mexico” and accused Luis Carlos Ugalde, then head of the IFE, of blocking a recount of the vote following the electoral fraud.
She recalled that this sparked a historic civil resistance that culminated in the Reforma Avenue sit-in, a symbol of the fight for democracy.
Criticism of Conservatism and the PAN
Finally, the President pointed out the hypocrisy of Mexican conservatism, noting that the PAN president—whom she linked to the real estate cartel in the Benito Juárez borough in Mexico City— was outraged because a governor rode in an SUV, while hiding much more serious scandals within his own party.
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Companies Lobby Against Mexican Reform That Would Require Them to Report the ‘Definitive’ Price
Netflix, Uber, Rappi and DHL are pressuring Congress to weaken Morena’s bill against ‘drip pricing,’ the hidden fees tacked onto a low advertised cost.
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“I Want to Work With President Sheinbaum,” Mamdani Says; He Praises Her Policies
At the Urban 20 forum, New York Mayor Zohran Mamdani called Mexico City an international ‘inspiration’ for how it confronts the cost-of-living and care crisis.
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Mexico Sees the US as a ‘Greater Threat’ Than China or Russia, New Survey Confirms
A Focaldata–Rockefeller poll finds 58% of Mexicans see the US as a major threat, more than double the figure for China and well above Russia.
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Mexicana Receives Its Ninth Embraer Aircraft; Increases Its Capacity by 11.04%
Mexico’s recently nationalized airline Mexicana receives its ninth Brazilian-built Embraer E2, raising monthly capacity to 57,020 seats out of the AIFA airport.
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From Fast and Furious to Walking Fentanyl: Lessons Not Learned by the US
Nancy Flores digs into declassified emails showing the DEA let fentanyl ‘walk’ New Mexico streets, echoing the ATF’s Fast and Furious guns to the Sinaloa Cartel a decade earlier.
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China Accuses the US of Dividing Mexico over Trade Dispute
China’s embassy described the US comments as an expression of “supremacy and hegemony” and asserted that they sought to discredit the economic cooperation between Mexico and China.
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Sheinbaum Meets Privately with Maru Campos on Her Arrival in Ciudad Juárez
If any law was broken in the drug operation involving CIA agents in Chihuahua, those responsible, including state officials, must be prosecuted, the two agreed.
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Beatriz Mojica: From Criticizing AMLO to Coordinating Morena in Guerrero
The senator on leave is Morena’s pick for governor of Guerrero in 2027, after a career that includes the PRD and her 2018 support for Ricardo Anaya.
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Morena’s Elections Commission Chief: Differences Are Natural to a Living Party
Amid criticism over the 10 chosen profiles, Citlalli Hernández, president of Morena’s National Elections Commission, defended the differences as natural to a living party.
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Foreign Direct Investment Reached a Record High of $40.8 Billion in Sheinbaum’s Second Year
The United States, Spain and Canada supplied 60% of the inflows, and the first quarter of 2026 set another record at $23.6 billion under Plan México.
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Authorities Investigate the Origin and Destination of Fuel Seized in Guanajuato
The seized site held storage facilities resembling Pemex’s; officials have not said who operated it or made any arrests, pending the investigation.
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Historic ‘Huachicol’ Seizure in Guanajuato, Thanks to Setting Aside Political Differences and Tightening Coordination, Sheinbaum Says
More than 50 million liters of stolen fuel were seized as Guanajuato’s daily homicides fell from over 12 to about four, a 75% drop.
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People’s Mañanera September 18
President Sheinbaum’s daily press conference, with comments on Guanajuato’s homicide drop, fuel theft, the USMCA, health spending, and a new passenger train.
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Mexico’s Culture Ministry Announces Mass Book Purchase for the National Library Network
A 50-million-peso call opens Monday for Mexican and independent publishers, paired with a sales-tax exemption for bookstores worth 200 million pesos a year.
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Sheinbaum and Trump Talk. A Deal Appears Imminent
Politico and Bloomberg report a Wednesday call a U.S. official called “constructive,” days before the September 28 and 29 USMCA review, as Trump pushes to close a deal before the U.S. midterms.
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People’s Mañanera September 17
President Sheinbaum’s daily press conference, with comments on infrastructure, the fight against drugs, sovereignty, Mexican handicrafts, and historical memory.
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“I’d Like a Report on What the U.S. Does Against Drugs,” Sheinbaum Says
The president turned the tables on Washington’s drug scorecard, pointing to U.S. consumption, the opioid crisis, money laundering, and the guns flowing south into Mexico.
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The Women of Mexico’s War of Independence
We interviewed Dr. Pedro Salmerón for our weekly bulletin to talk about Mexican Independence: “Like the nomads of Mongolia, they all moved together. Women participated directly.”
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Mexico Stands Up to the U.S. on its Independence Day – Soberanía 124
Six fronts of Mexican sovereignty, a leaked U.S. “poll” manufacturing consent for intervention, and Rubio’s threats against Mexico.
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Broken Promises and Discontent: Reforms to Mexico’s Supreme Court Between 1994 and 2018
In part one of his paper, Luke Pickrell explores Mexico’s Supreme Court during the neoliberal period and argues it was made to serve the elite rather than the people.
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The President, at the Parade: Mexico Does Not Bow Down, Does Not Kneel, and Is Not for Sale
On Independence Day, Sheinbaum cast Mexico as a nation “born from the rebellion of a people who refused to accept injustice as their destiny.”
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In Her Second Cry of Independence, Sheinbaum Reasserted National Sovereignty
From the National Palace balcony before a packed Zócalo, President Sheinbaum delivered her second Cry of Independence: “Long live a free, independent, and sovereign Mexico!”
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Claudia Sheinbaum’s Cry at the Zócalo Drew More Than 300,000 Attendees: Mexico City Authorities
Mexico City’s government reported that more than 300,000 people packed the Zócalo for Sheinbaum’s Cry of Independence, with celebrations spilling into boroughs across the capital.
