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Mexico Seeks to Restore Peace and Order Following Clashes and Violence Related to El Mencho's Death; Russia-Ukraine War Marks Four Years. Aired 3-3:45a ET
Aired February 24, 2026 - 03:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
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ROSEMARY CHURCH, CNN ANCHOR: Hello and welcome to our viewers joining us from all around the world. I'm Rosemary Church, Just ahead.
Mexico looks to restore order after the country's most wanted cartel boss is killed in a military operation, stranding thousands of travelers.
Four years on, Ukraine marks a somber anniversary, a war seemingly with no end in sight, and many say they are at breaking point.
Then later, a centuries-old tradition in Greece, where revelers have some fun.
UNKNOWN (voice-over): Live from Atlanta, this is "CNN Newsroom" with Rosemary Church.
CHURCH: Good to have you with us.
Mexico's President and defense ministry claim the country is getting back to normal after the killing of the drug kingpin, El Mencho, triggered an explosion of violence. But many people, tourists and locals alike are still extremely alarmed by the unrest.
Americans desperate to get out of Mexico have been told by the U.S. State Department to stay put and stay indoors. However, some major airlines say they expect to resume flights to and from Mexico later today.
Cartel members have been clashing with security forces and police, imposing roadblocks and setting buildings on fire. That's after their leader, the country's most wanted narco trafficker, died in a shootout with the Mexican military. El Mencho was in charge of the Jalisco New Generation Cartel, which operates across most of the country and you can see it has the most significant presence in the darker blue areas on the map there.
The cartel and its affiliates also operate in almost every U.S. state, according to federal authorities.
CNN's David Culver traveled to Guadalajara and has this report.
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DAVID CULVER, CNN SR. U.S. NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: We're about to touch down. This is one of the few commercial flights that's actually able to land in Guadalajara today. This plane will be fully booked with a very long standby list of people eager to get out.
I mean this is what you see as soon as you walk out of baggage claim. You've got crowds of folks who are sitting with all their luggage. You've got people who have turned their luggage into furniture, propping their legs up.
Some of them essentially camping out under blankets and many of them seem to be here without even anywhere to go. They don't have flights. They don't have a confirmed ticket. They don't even know if they have a ticket, if the plane will take off.
How confident are you you'll be flying out tonight?
MUSKAN DAVE, STRANDED TOURIST: Hopefully. It's a 50-50.
CULVER: You don't feel internally at ease?
DAVE: No, it feels like eerily quiet right now and then like you read online that okay maybe the cartels like regrouping and maybe it's going to get worse now.
CULVER: You just want out of here at this point?
DAVE: Yes, 100 percent.
CULVER: You just want to go home? Yes.
ANITA EGSDAL LUTTA, STRANDED TOURIST: Yes, I'm five months pregnant.
CULVER: You're five months?
A. AGSDAL LUTTA: Yes.
MARTIN EGSDAL LUTTA, STRANDED TOURIST: We cannot run if anything actually happens and then also like just to keep the baby healthy. How are we going to get food? Are we going to be able to have clean water?
CULVER: So where will you sleep?
A. EGSDAL LUTTA: We don't know yet. We'll just take it.
M. EGSDAL LUTTA: Someone's boss?
A. EGSDAL LUTTA: Yes, I'll take it by the minute and see what happens.
CULVER: Is it possible you'll end up sleeping here tonight?
A. EGSDAL LUTTA: Possibly, Yes.
CULVER: You've got Army National Guard. Let's see there. They're searching some of the vehicles it looks like there too.
I mean in the middle of the highway the car burnt out.
I mean another very obvious sign of the narco-terrorism targeting a popular convenience store. This OXXO, look at it, torched.
CULVER (voice-over): The chaos erupted Sunday after Mexican authorities launched an operation against the Jalisco New Generation Cartel. The main target? The cartel boss himself, Nemesio Oseguera Cervantes, better known as El Mencho. Mexican Special Forces raided his compound in the town of Talpalpa.
Led there, officials say, through a romantic connection of El Mencho. Video recorded by locals and geolocated by CNN showed the Mexican military swarming the area after confirming his location. The cartel leader captured and injured during the operation, officials say he died en route to Mexico City for treatment.
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El Mencho was wanted on drug trafficking charges by both Mexico and the United States. White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt called him a top target for both countries and said the U.S. provided Mexico with intelligence support ahead of the operation.
His death sparked a wave of retaliatory violence across at least 20 Mexican states, but nowhere worse than in the cartel's stronghold of Jalisco, and especially in the coastal city and American tourist hotspot Puerto Vallarta. Large plumes of smoke seen covering the city. As tourists hunkered down inside one of the many hotels, the cartel set barricades on fire across the city, many stranded after airlines suspended flights amidst the violence.
Here in the state capital, Guadalajara, set to host World Cup games in just a few months, fierce clashes between gangs and the police. One video showing a man seemingly trying to set a truck on fire.
CULVER: And what you see over my shoulder is not normal. That's the Mexican army posted here at a gas station right next to the airport.
And the reason they're here is because gas stations, like you saw there, convenience stores, and even just vehicles in the highway, have become targets. And so they're hoping to at least show some force so as to deter any of that further violence. As far as when things will get back to quote-unquote "normal" here, as of now, there's no indication that that will be anytime soon.
David Culver, CNN, Guadalajara, Mexico.
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CHURCH: Ukraine is marking the fourth anniversary of Russia's invasion and the start of full-scale war. Last hour, the capital city of Kyiv and every other city in the country held a moment of silence for those lost in the conflict. It's a daily event now as Ukrainians remember their lost loved ones. But as Russian strikes keep pounding the country and attacks on power
infrastructure plunge people into darkness and the frigid cold, Ukrainians describe their utter exhaustion with the war.
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UNKNOWN (through translator): First, we are all waiting for the war to end, period. We're not waiting for anything else. We are waiting for the war to end as soon as possible for peace.
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CHURCH: Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy is sending a message of strength to the country on this grim anniversary. He's urging Ukrainians to remember, quote, we fight for life, for the right to stand on our land and to breathe our own air. And he adds that Ukraine wants a strong, dignified, lasting peace.
CNN's Clarissa Ward sat down with President Zelenskyy earlier and here's part of their conversation.
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CLARISSA WARD, CNN CHIEF INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: I've been coming here regularly throughout the war and I can honestly say that this time it feels different. The morale is the lowest that I have ever seen it. And I wonder, as things stand, do you believe that Ukraine can still win this war?
VOLODYMYR ZELENSKYY, UKRAINIAN PRESIDENT: We didn't lose our country, our independence and freedom. We have it. Now we speak in the capital.
Russia is not winning. This is very important. And everybody's asking how long we can hold the line and how long we can stay.
WARD: And how long can you?
ZELENSKYY: It's not about it. We want to do it yesterday. We wanted Putin to stop this war yesterday.
And when we speak about how to stop him, first of all, to give Ukraine security guarantees.
WARD: So help us understand what is going on with these security guarantees. What is the holdup?
ZELENSKYY: We have mostly everything, I think everything, in the paper. But it's not still signed. It's not signed by the United States, this is the first.
WARD: Why?
ZELENSKYY: I think that the United States wants to sign security guarantees at the very same moment when the 20 points plan will be accepted by all of us.
WARD: And is that a problem for you?
ZELENSKYY: I think it's not the problem, but I can tell you what is better. For me, it still is not clear that if Russia will begin against aggression against us.
What I wanted very much to have in the security guarantees. My question is, how partners will react on the aggression of Russia, if it will be?
WARD: So you want a very specific in writing guarantee?
ZELENSKYY: I will have good things in these guarantees. It's true between us.
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It's true. But I want very specific answer what partners will be ready to do if Putin will come again.
WARD: If you get those security guarantees, would you be willing to accept a frozen front line whereby Russia keeps the territory that they have already seized?
ZELENSKYY: We already said that we are ready for the compromise to freeze the points where we stay, the places.
It's a frozen contact line. We are ready for this. But if Russians or partners in dialogue with Russians want just to withdraw our army from our fortifications, I mean this, we can't be such foolish guys, we are not children.
WARD: What would you like to hear from President Trump tomorrow at his State of the Union address?
ZELENSKYY: I want him to stay on our side.
WARD: This woman said to me, I never want to hear the word resilient again. I am so over being resilient, I am so exhausted, I am so broken. What do you tell Ukrainian people right now who are feeling that, that they're done?
ZELENSKYY: It's very difficult. It's very understandable and painful that we want to end this war as quick as possible. And really, each day we do all we can.
I speak with all the partners. I try to negotiate. I'm asking different partners in different continents, help me to stop Putin.
But if we will give him all he wants, we will lose everything. Just everything. Our houses, our lives, our families, everything.
Because all of us people will have to run away from the country or be Russians.
(END VIDEO CLIP) CHURCH: U.S. President Donald Trump is set to deliver his State of the Union address to the American public on Tuesday. And he is already indicating it might take some time to cover his lengthy agenda.
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DONALD TRUMP, U.S. PRESIDENT: We have a country that's now doing well. We have the greatest economy we've ever had. We have the most activity we've ever had.
I'm making a speech tomorrow night and you'll be hearing me say that. I mean, it's going to be a long speech because we have so much to talk about.
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CHURCH: Many Americans don't seem to share President Trump's optimistic tone, as many remain dissatisfied with key issues like the cost of living.
In a recent CNN poll, 63 per cent say they disapprove of his job performance. President Trump hopes to shift public sentiment toward his policies. But his address comes as his administration weighs potential strikes on Iran and battles the fallout from the Epstein files, a partial government shutdown and backlash against federal immigration enforcement.
And you can watch special coverage of President Trump's State of the Union address right here on CNN. It begins tonight at 8:00 p.m. in Washington, 9:00 a.m. Wednesday in Hong Kong.
The former British ambassador to the U.S. is out on bail, while London police arrested Peter Mandelson. Just ahead here on "CNN Newsroom."
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CHURCH: London police say the former British ambassador to the U.S., Peter Mandelson, has been released on bail. He was arrested Monday on suspicion of misconduct in public office amid the growing Jeffrey Epstein investigation.
CNN's international diplomatic editor Nic Robertson is live this hour in London, he joins us now. Good morning to you, Nic. So what more are you learning about the arrest of Mandelson? Of course, what comes next?
NIC ROBERTSON, CNN INTERNATIONAL DIPLOMATIC EDITOR: Yes, the police have released him on bail pending further inquiries and his arrest. The police had said arresting a 72 year old man late yesterday afternoon, his release about nine hours later after a search of two properties, one in London and one in Wiltshire. Mandelson puts the Prime Minister who appointed him as ambassador to
the United States in a very difficult position. Obviously, the Prime Minister fired Mandelson late last year in September.
But it does begin to put increased political pressure, put the Prime Minister back in the negative spotlight that Mandelson has been arrested by the police has undergone a number of hours of questioning over the suspicion of misconduct in public office. And this relates to the release of sensitive government market related documents.
When Mandelson was the business secretary in the U.K. 2008 to 2010, the Prime Minister has promised to release documents relating to a separate period relating to his decision to appoint Mandelson as the ambassador to the United States. However, the release of those documents that the government says it will release will most likely have to wait until after this current police investigation is completed.
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Of course, the charges under which Mandelson was arrested yesterday, the same charges that Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor was arrested on and questioned over last week by the police, and today a humble address is expected to be announced in Parliament by one of the opposition parties that will seek to get a release of documents pertaining to the decisions made to appoint Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor, then Prince Andrew, as trade envoy for the U.K. back in 2001.
Again, the release of those documents may run into the same issues that the documents relating to Mandelson's appointment as ambassador to the U.S. may run into, that quite literally the police have an active investigation ongoing into both men on similar charges, and that will affect what the government can actually release. But this amounts to more pressure on Prime Minister Keir Starmer.
CHURCH: Yes, and I was going to ask you about that. What will happen to Keir Starmer in the midst of all of this?
ROBERTSON: It very much appears at the moment, you know, the pressure has focused also on Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor, focused on Lord Peter Mandelson who has resigned from the Labor Party, who's resigned from the House of Lords, still has his title. British government expected to debate the issue surrounding whether or not Andrew Mountbatten- Windsor should be removed from the line of royal succession, is currently number eight in that, and it's expected to be debate within Parliament about Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor today, and that's unusual in of itself, because normally Parliament wouldn't discuss members of the royal family, but he is no longer a prince, so now it is deemed okay for that to go ahead.
But the pressure on Keir Starmer is really likely to come into a sharper focus in May, when there will be local elections across the country, which will be a real test of his Labour Party. Of course, there is a by-election, a key by-election for a parliamentary seat in the coming days, and that of course will again, the Labor's, how Labor gets on in that by-election will again be a measure of the Prime Minister, but he seems to be safe in position for now at least, until the next few months, that appears to be the case.
CHURCH: Nic Robertson bringing us that live report from London, many thanks.
President Trump is still weighing military options against Iran, as both sides gear up for another round of indirect nuclear talks. We will have details after a short break, stay with us.
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CHURCH: Welcome back to "CNN Newsroom," I'm Rosemary Church. I want to check today's top stories for you.
Mexican authorities say life is getting back to normal after the killing of a powerful cartel boss triggered violence across the country. The kingpin, nicknamed El Mencho, died after a shootout with Mexican security forces on Sunday. Cartel members have been setting fires and erecting roadblocks in parts of the country.
Ukrainians are marking the fourth anniversary of Russia's full-scale invasion. People across Ukraine paused for a moment of silence last hour to remember their loved ones who were lost. President Volodymyr Zelenskyy praised their courage and said, quote, "we will do everything to secure peace and justice."
President Trump's approval numbers are slipping ahead of his State of the Union address on Tuesday. A new CNN poll found that 68 percent of Americans believe the President has not paid enough attention to the country's most important problems, 57 percent said he should focus on the economy and cost of living in his speech.
U.S. President Donald Trump is pushing back against reports that top military leadership are concerned about a potential conflict with Iran. He says it would be easily won, rejecting concerns about potential casualties and the cost of a major conflict. U.S. and Iranian officials are due to meet in Geneva on Thursday for the latest round of nuclear negotiations.
Another U.S. carrier strike group, the USS Gerald Ford, is making its way to the region amid the U.S. military build-up there. President Trump says he is considering military strikes if Tehran does not agree to a new nuclear deal.
Meanwhile, in Tehran, students are still protesting at university campuses. The demonstrations coinciding with mourning ceremonies for those killed by security forces during last month's anti-government protests.
Omid Memarian is a senior Iran analyst at Dawn, a democracy and human rights non-profit. I appreciate you joining us.
OMID MEMARIAN, SR. IRAN ANALYST, DAWN: Thanks for having me. [03:29:56]
CHURCH: So, as new images of student protests in Iran come to light, the U.S. continues building up its military force off the coast of Iran. President Trump is now refuting multiple reports that his top general, Daniel Caine, is advising him against striking Iran. Trump writing on Truth Social that if that decision is made, then the general's opinion is that it will, quote, "be something easily won," which is apparently not what he is telling the President.
So, how likely is it that the U.S. will attack Iran despite warnings from Trump's top general? And if the U.S. does that, how might the people of Iran respond?
MEMARIAN: Well, the President has made it clear that he wants Iranians to capitulate. And from what we have been hearing over the past few weeks, over the past few months, Iranians are not going to capitulate.
They are not going to raise their nuclear program. And domestically, they feel like it's time for them to basically stand up to the U.S. And domestically, they don't feel that they are legitimate before the eyes of the people. And maybe this is a chance for them to basically use the opportunity to rally the people behind the flag and also control the dissent inside the country.
So they have all the reasons to stand up to the U.S. and, you know, posture a strength, project a strength. The chance for the U.S. to attack Iran, I think, is more than ever. It looks very imminent, at least a surgical attack, not a wide-range attack, but a small attack on Iran.
It looks very imminent. And Iranians have shown that they are not going to give up their nuclear capabilities in whole. And I think we are moving toward a military confrontation.
CHURCH: If the U.S. attacks Iran and if Tehran counterattacks, as it has threatened to do, the region will be thrust into war. How likely is it that this would intensify pressure on the U.S. to opt for regime change?
MEMARIAN: The Iranian government is very fragile domestically. And at this time, they are between a rock and a hard place.
And they have threatened to regionalize the conflict. And they have nothing to lose. They have lost their air.
And at any moment, Israel can attack Iran, the U.S. has threatened Iran. They are asking them to give up their nuclear program and in return, the award they are promising is that they just, we just don't attack you. So they are not getting anything in return.
What they are betting on right now is that Americans attack and they will respond heavily to a U.S. attack and to increase the cost for President Trump, because they know that Iranians can endure much more pain than the U.S. Iranians can endure a lot of pain, actually, because it's not a democratic country and Iranian politicians are not responsible or not accountable to their people.
But President Trump, if there is U.S. casualties for him, when we have like in less than 10 months, we have an election -- midterm election in the U.S., any U.S. casualties for the U.S. for President Trump would be very costly. So I think they are betting on the fact that they can cause a lot of harm for the U.S. And that might be something that might be a deterrence and push the U.S. to not attack Iran.
CHURCH: We mentioned those new images of Iranian students out on the streets protesting after a period of calm following the deadly crackdown on protesters at the start of the year. How are these protesters' demands evolving and what are they calling for right now?
MEMARIAN: These protests are significant because they are happening a month after the massacre that we witnessed in Iran in January. And it shows that grievances that people had, they have not been extinguished. They have been actually intensified in the past few weeks.
And the massacre seems to cross a psychological threshold in Iran. And instead of creating fear inside the country, it has intensified, it has increased the moral outrage.
And it's not anymore about economy, it's not about policy disputes, it's about the government and the fact that Iranians, a great portion of the Iranian society, they cannot live with this government. They don't think that the government is protecting them.
They see the government as a source of instability. And so for many reasons, I think it's very significant, because the crackdown is designed to silence the streets for a prolonged time. And the fact that one month after the massacre, people are coming to the streets, students go to the streets on campuses.
[03:35:01]
I think it shows how much the society has been affected by the killings in January. And all those grievances are still very much alive.
CHURCH: Omid Memarian, thank you so much for joining us. I appreciate your perspective and analysis.
Coming up, a floury mess has blanketed a small Greek coastal town. And it's not from baking. That story just ahead.
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CHURCH: Welcome back to CNN. Time now for your Business Breakout.
And here's a look at some of the Asia Pacific stock markets after trading has ended for Tuesday. You see the Nikkei and Shanghai up nearly 1 percent, the Hang Seng down nearly 2 percent, the KOSPI moving in the other direction in positive territory, adding more than 2 percent.
And these are the business headlines.
New global tariffs from the Trump administration are now active. The President announced them after the U.S. Supreme Court struck down other emergency tariffs he'd previously imposed. The move caused the Dow to drop more than 800 points or about 1.7 percent on Monday.
Shares of Danish drug maker Novo Nordisk plunged more than 16 percent Monday after the release of a disappointing new drug trial. It shows the company's next generation weight loss medication underperformed against a rival drug from Eli Lilly. Novo Nordisk is a pioneer in the booming market for weight loss drugs, but virtually all of its stock gains from the new medications have been wiped out amid increased competition.
The record-breaking bomb cyclone that pummeled the northeastern U.S. is still affecting travel. More than 6000 U.S. flights were canceled on Monday, according to FlightAware. More than 2000 flights have been canceled for Tuesday as airports work to return to full services.
Residents in the northeastern U.S. are digging out from that powerful winter storm. The bomb cyclone is now heading out to sea, but not before bringing blizzard conditions and blanketing several states with more than two feet of snow. Providence, Rhode Island saw the most snowfall, more than three feet.
Hurricane-force wind gusts also hammered the coast and took down power lines, leading to power outages. In Massachusetts alone, more than 250,000 customers are still without electricity.
And you may have heard of a food fight, but have you ever been in a flour fight?
In Greece, it is an annual tradition. Hundreds of people in a coastal town march through the streets throwing colorful clouds of flour everywhere. Some took the event very seriously, wearing eye protection and even suits, while others went without.
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ELENI PAPADIMITRIOU, 40-YEAR-OLD PARTICIPANT (through translator): We are trying, as you can see, with courage and without a suit to become like this. How we end up looking doesn't matter. It's only about the joy and the fun.
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CHURCH: The event dates back to the 19th century. It marks the end of the carnival season and the start of the 40-day lent period leading up to Orthodox Easter.
And thank you so much for your company, I'm Rosemary Church. "World Sport" is coming up next, then I will be back for more news at the top of the hour. Do stay with us.
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