The President's Daily Brief - PDB Afternoon Bulletin | February 23rd, 2026: Violence Erupts In Mexico After Cartel Kingpin Slaying & Venezuela Passes ‘Amnesty’ Law

Episode Date: February 24, 2026

In this episode of The President's Daily Brief: First up — Mexico’s most wanted cartel boss is dead, triggering fears of violent retaliation as burning vehicles, armed gunmen, and road blockades spread across multiple regions. Authorities brace for cartel infighting and a potential power vacuum that could destabilize key cities. I’ll have the latest details. Later in the show — Venezuela passes a new amnesty law aimed at freeing political prisoners. But human rights advocates warn the legislation contains sweeping exemptions and loopholes that could leave many detainees behind bars while giving the regime broad discretion over who qualifies for release. To listen to the show ad-free, become a premium member of The President’s Daily Brief by visiting https://PDBPremium.com. Please remember to subscribe if you enjoyed this episode of The President's Daily Brief. YouTube: youtube.com/@presidentsdailybrief Stash Financial: Don't Let your money sit around. Go to https://get.stash.com/PDB to see how you can receive $25 towards your first stock purchase and to view important disclosures. Ava: See how millions are boosting their credit with Ava—download the Ava app and use code BAKER for 20% off your first year. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

It's Monday, the 23rd of February. Welcome to the PDB afternoon bulletin. Okay, to be fair, it's more like, for today anyway, the PDB early evening bulletin. Apologies. Sometimes it happens when you're on the road a lot. I'm Mike Baker, your eyes and ears on the world stage. All right, let's get briefed. First up, Mexico's most wanted cartel boss is dead,

and the country is now dealing with violent blowback from cartel members. I'll have the details. Later in the show, Venezuela passes a new amnesty law meant to free political prisoners, but critics warn that it may leave many behind bars. But first, today's afternoon spotlight. One of the most powerful and violent cartel bosses in the world is dead. Nemesio Ocigera Savantes, better known as El Mentiono, the longtime leader of the Helisco New Generation Cartel,

was killed Sunday during a Mexican federal raid in the, state of Halisco. Mexican security forces launched the operation in the town of Tapalpa, in the western coastal state of Halisco. It's a town of about 20,000, where the organization was founded and based. Officials, say at least seven cartel gunmen were killed in the firefight. El Mencho was reportedly wounded, placed into custody, and died while being transported to Mexico City. Mexican authorities say the operation was carried out by their forces. U.S. officials, meanwhile, indicate that American intelligence contributed to the effort, but stressed that no U.S. troops were involved on the ground. For years, El Menshaw had been one of the most wanted men in the world. U.S. State Department

had placed a $15 million bounty on his head. He was indicted in the U.S. multiple times on federal drug trafficking charges tied to methamphetamine, cocaine, and increasingly the fentanyl that's been flowing into American communities. Under his leadership, the Haliscoe New Generation Cartel grew into one of Mexico's two dominant criminal organizations, rivaling the Sinaloa cartel. It built its reputation through extreme violence, some brazen attacks on Mexican security forces, and the use of military-grade weapons, including rocket launchers. In terms of brutality and battlefield-style tactics, the cartel's methods have at times resembled those of insurgent groups like al-Qaeda, employing mass intimidation, public displays of violence,

and coordinated assaults designed to challenge state authority. Within hours of his death, cartel operatives set vehicles on fire across at least six Mexican states. Burning buses and trucks were used as roadblocks. Public transportation was suspended in parts of Helisco. Schools were canceled in neighboring Neurit. The U.S. government warned Americans in multiple states to shelter in place. In Guadalajara, a host city for the upcoming World Cup, panic briefly spread at the international airport. after videos showed travelers fleeing amid reports of unrest.

Mexican authorities insist the airport remained operational. Now, cartel retaliation following a setback is nothing new. When Mexican forces captured El Chapo's son Ovidio Guzman back in 2019, cartel gunman effectively paralyzed the city of Gulliakan within hours, essentially overwhelming local security forces until the government ultimately released him. And this is why fighting the cartels, cartels is such a dangerous business in Mexico. It's not like taking down a mafia boss in the U.S. where the organization quietly reshuffles leadership and moves on. The cartels respond with open warfare.

They field convoys of armored vehicles. They deploy heavy weapons. They operate more like paramilitary organizations at times than traditional crime syndicates. The question now is whether the cartel has a clear line of succession, or whether El Mentionro's death triggers fragmentation and a new round of cartel warfare. Typically, it's the latter. There are also broader geopolitical implications here. President Trump has repeatedly threatened unilateral U.S. strikes inside Mexico if cartel violence continues to spill across the border. Mexican President Claudia Steinbaum has firmly rejected that idea, but her government has expanded intelligence cooperation with Washington. Washington. U.S. officials say that American intelligence contributed to this operation involving

El Mentional, though no U.S. troops were reportedly involved. All right, coming up next, Venezuela's interim government approves an amnesty law, but human rights groups say loopholes could keep key political detainees locked up. I'll be right back. Hey, Mike Baker here. Now, let me ask you a question. Have you dabbled in investing here and there, but you haven't been happy with how things are going? Well, I want to tell you about a great business out there that's helping turn good intentions into consistent progress, and that's very important when you're talking about investing. The company is Stash. That's S-T-A-S-H, just like it sounds, Stash. Now, Stash isn't just another investing app. It's a registered investment advisor that combines automated investing

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With Shopify on your side, turn your big business idea into? Sign up for your $1 per month trial at Shopify.com slash special offer. Welcome back to the PDB afternoon bulletin. Under pressure from Washington to show progress after Nicholas Maduro's removal, the interim Venezuelan government is pushing for prisoner releases through a new amnesty law. yet its exclusions leave many detainees behind and place decisions in the hands of the same courts that once imprisoned them. Venezuela's National Assembly, still dominated by members of the ruling coalition that governed under Maduro and now backs acting President Delci Rodriguez, unanimously approved a 10-page amnesty measure.

Rodriguez framed the law as part of what she called a, quote, new political moment following Maduro's ouster in the 3rd of January, U.S. operation. In her telling, this was about forgiveness and reconciliation and turning the page to a new chapter in Caracas. And there has been movement. Advocacy groups estimate roughly 400 political prisoners have been released, out of between 900 to 1100 recognized detainees. The Trump administration pressed for those releases, viewing them as an early indicator, that Venezuela's transition may have real substance. President Trump has praised the steps as a goodwill gesture and a sign that reform may be possible. But the mechanics of the law matter. Under its terms, opposition politicians, activists, and even exiles can petition for amnesty

for charges stemming from political events dating back more than two decades. Under the amnesty law, courts have up to 15 days to respond. Now, on paper, well, that sounds like it creates a relatively straightforward pathway for release. But in practice, it introduces uncertainty, because the reality is that the same judicial system that handled politically sensitive prosecutions under Maduro now holds the authority to decide who qualifies for relief. And then, of course, there are the exclusions. The amnesty law excludes individuals accused of crimes such as sedition, military rebellion, or promoting foreign intervention. And those are charges that were used repeatedly under the Maduro regime. Pro-democracy advocates argue that those carve-outs could keep many detainees behind bars

and potentially expose prominent opposition figures to continued prosecution should they return to the country from exile. The coordinator of Venezuelan Human Rights NGO Justice, Encounter, and pardon, told the Wall Street Journal, quote, government authorities can still accuse anyone of anything that they want in order to exclude them from this amnesty law, end quote. Vice President of the Venezuelan NGO Fort Opinnell called the measure, quote, an important first step, estimating that as many as 2700 people could potentially benefit from having charges dropped or cases expunged. But he cautioned that implementation remains in the hands of the prosecutors and security forces responsible for earlier detentions, saying, quote, the repressive apparatus hasn't been dismantled, end quote.

And it's important to stress that the broader structure remains intact. laws targeting so-called hate speech, including the 2017 anti-hate law, which has been used to prosecute critics of the regime, and restrictions on foreign funding of non-profits, well, they remain on the books. This was clear when Jorge Rodriguez, who was head of the National Assembly and brother of the acting president, acknowledged during debate of the amnesty legislation that the hate law may have been misused, oh, you think? However, no formal repeal of that law has occurred. There are also signs that the number of political detainees may be higher than previously documented, as families feel newly emboldened to come forward. So Venezuela now finds itself in another delicate

political moment. The amnesty law offers a visible gesture of change after Maduro's fall, and for hundreds of families, it has already meant tangible relief. But the deeper question is whether this truly marks a dismantling of a repressive system, or merely a resharm. shuffling of the deck chairs. And that, my friends, is the PDB afternoon bulletin for Monday, the 23rd of February. Now, if you have any questions or comments, please reach out to me at at thefirsttv.com. And to listen to the show ad-free, well, you can do that. It really is very simple. Just become a premium member of the president's daily brief by visiting pdb premium.com. I'm Mike Baker, and I'll be back tomorrow. Until then, stay informed. Stay safe. Stay cool.

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