The beginning of Donald Trump’s second presidency marked a dramatic turn in the country’s relationship with Mexico. In an attempt to pressure the nation to restrict illegal migration and drug smuggling along the southern border, Trump threatened to raise tariffs on Mexican imports by 25 percent. Further inflaming the fire, his administration also designated six drug cartels in the country as foreign “terrorist organizations” — following up on a plan he backed down from during his first term.
As a result, Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum threatened to expand her country’s lawsuit against U.S. gunmakers, accusing them of complicity with terror groups. And she recently agreed to send 10,000 Mexican troops to the border as part of her deal with Trump to deter tariffs.
Earlier this month, Trump paused the tariffs that he initially threatened to raise. Most recently, Sheinbaum requested drone flights over Mexico in collaboration with the U.S. for surveillance of cartels. The blustering relationship between the two leaders might provide insight into the next four years of cross-border relations, particularly when it comes to gun policy.
From The Trace
Trump’s Jan. 6 Pardons Cover Gun Charges Too, Says Justice Department: Prosecutors have moved to dismiss cases against three accused rioters who were found with firearms when law enforcement searched their homes.
A Philadelphia Pastor Combats Gun Violence Through Bible Study — and Boxing: Before he became a mentor and advocate, Buddy Osborn experienced glory in the ring, five years in prison, and a painful revelation. Now, his Rock Ministries church is reaching thousands of young people in Philly’s Kensington neighborhood.
An Atlas of American Gun Violence: Eleven years. 410,000 shootings. How has gun violence marked your corner of the country?
What to Know Today
Ivy Schamis was in Classroom 1214 when a gunman killed two of her students and injured four more in the 2018 Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School massacre in Parkland, Florida. After the tragedy, Schamis made it a point to act as a lifeline for the students who were in the room with her that day. Seven years later, the group chat she organized to coordinate rides to vigils and funerals remains active, a place her former students continue to turn for support. [The New York Times]
Years before prosecutors described him as one of the Capitol riot’s “most violent and aggressive participants,” Peter Schwartz was convicted of threatening Shantelle Holeton, who said Schwartz abused her in 2019. Schwartz was among the 1,500 or so rioters granted clemency last month by President Donald Trump. By doing so, he left survivors like Holeton fearing for their safety. [CBS/NPR]
Large numbers of students in the Boston area are staying home to avoid the threat of being deported at school. One teacher said that students are questioning if ICE raids will be handled with the same protocols as mass shootings. [Mother Jones]
Vermont could become the first state in New England to ban guns in bars. The proposal comes out of Burlington, where local lawmakers pushed the measure after a shooting outside a bar last year. Voters in the city approved a similar measure in 2014, but because it didn’t have state approval, it was never implemented. Now, eight Burlington-based legislators have filed the statewide bill hoping it will have better luck. [The Boston Globe]
Since 1990, researcher Mike Jensen and his team at the University of Maryland’s START center, a terrorism research consortium, have recorded a growing number of extremists connected to the U.S. military. The number significantly jumped in 2011 and has steadily increased since then. Jensen warns that Congress and Department of Defense leadership are downplaying the problem. [NBC Washington]
Six years ago, Anjanette Young was the victim of a wrongful police raid. During his campaign for office, Chicago Mayor Brandon Johnson promised to create a ban on no-knock ordinances named after Young. But nearly two years into his term, reform has yet to come. [WBEZ]
In 1968, brothers Elmer and Aaron Dixon founded the first chapter of the Black Panther Party outside of California. From its inception, the Seattle branch of the party fought systemic injustice and uplifted the Black community through initiatives like free breakfast for children, rallied with guns, and eventually drew the ire of the federal government, which worked to disrupt their operations. Though the chapter disbanded almost 50 years ago, the Seattle community still recognizes its history. [KING 5]
Data Point
4,282 – the number of applications for gun carry permits in New Jersey in January, setting a new record [New Jersey Monitor]
Non Sequitur
AP photographer captures a bagpiper emerging from surreal green smoke during military exercises
Pulitzer Prize-winning photographer Vadim Ghirda captured Lance Corporal Jamie Killorn of the 4SCOTS The Highlanders Company as he played the pipes at the end of the Steadfast Dart 2025 exercise in Smardan, eastern Romania. [Associated Press]
