We hear stores almost daily now about violence among drug cartels in Mexico, but over the weekend some of that violence spilled over the border. Police in rural Arizona found a charred SUV with five bodies inside along a stretch of desert road commonly used as a smuggling route. Authorities haven't charged anyone for the crime, but all signs are pointing to the cartels.

Each year, millions of dollars of Mexican drug money pass through the hands of American Drug Enforcement Administration officials. Undercover American narcotics agents launched the money laundering operation in order to trace the drug cartels. This is not the first instance of a U.S. governmental agency using illegal means to fight the war against drugs in Mexico. While the effectiveness of either program stopping the flow of drugs into the U.S. remains unclear, their impact on Mexican citizens is less ambiguous.

Since 2006, when President Felipe Calderón declared war on Mexico's drug cartels, 45,000 Mexicans across the republic have been disappeared, murdered, or mass-executed. Victims of this violence include journalists, over two thousand public officials, and bystanders. While drug-related activity was previously relegated to only a few Mexican states, the dramatic spread of violence — and its severity — is attributable to governmental policy north and south of the border.

A middle-class ex-high school football star named Edgar Valdez Villarreal has long been in the sights of authorities, who allege Villarreal is one of the most successful drug traffickers in Mexico. On Monday, federal police caught Villarreal, a.k.a. "La Barbie," after an intense manhunt that lasted a year and saw the cooperation of Mexican and U.S. authorities.

More tragic news from the drug-war torn nation south of our border in Ciudad Juarez, Mexico. On Saturday, three people with ties to the American consulate were shot and two killed in a drive-by shooting.

Mexico City lawmakers Monday voted to legalize same-sex marriage in the capitol – a move that would also give same-sex couples the ability to adopt children. It was a stunning move in a conservative Catholic nation. Ioan Grillo is Mexico Correspondent for Time Magazine; he reports on the reaction in Mexico City and throughout the nation.

A drug gang stormed a Mexican rehab clinic this week, killing 18 people. The execution was one of the most violent recent incidents in that country's brutal drug war. Time Magazine journalist Ioan Grillo has covered Mexican drug cartels for a long time, and he talks with us about why clinics are being hit and the future of Mexico’s grueling fight against the cartels. 

 

President Obama is in Mexico today for meetings with his Canadian and Mexican counterparts. There's a lot on the agenda and The Takeaway has got a range of voices weighing in on NAFTA, border security and the swine flu. Bret Caldwell is a Director of Communications with the Teamsters Union, Ioan Grillo is a reporter in Mexico City with Time Magazine, and Diana Washington-Valdez is a reporter with the El Paso Times who focuses on US and Mexico border security.

Watch Mexico's President Felipe Calderón welcoming President Obama to Mexico (in Spanish and English)

The violence in Mexico has taken a serious uptick. In the last four days, six federal agents have been killed along with a mayor of a small town in Northern Mexico. A series of eight coordinated attacks in Western Mexico has left many more dead and wounded. The violence has increased in response to President Calderón's efforts to crackdown on drug-related crime. He sent 45,000 troops across the country to lessen the grip of organized crime, which reaches into police forces, government institutions, and mountain villas across the country. Some 11,000 people have been killed in drug-related violence since 2006. For more of the story The Takeaway turns to Ioan Grillo, Time Magazine's reporter in Mexico City.

Here's a report on the impact of drug violence on the small town of Ascension, Mexico:

We continue our coverage of the outbreak of swine flu that appears to be spreading rapidly across the globe. While the epicenter of the outbreak is in Mexico, there are 50 confirmed cases of people sickened from swine flu in the U.S., including 28 at one New York City school. Around the world, 6 are confirmed in Canada; 2 are confirmed in Scotland (with 7 suspected); at least 10 are suspected in New Zealand. In Spain, there is one confirmed case and 17 suspected ones; one suspected in France and one suspected in Israel. This may appear to be a fast moving story to us non-scientists, but in the medical community, they are taking things slow. The Takeaway talks to Dr. Michael Edmonds, an epidemiologist at Virginia Commonwealth University to find out why.

Also joining the conversation is Tom Skinner, the spokesperson for the Center for Disease Control and Prevention to give us the latest on the outbreak in the United States. We also will get a report from Ioan Grillo, Mexico correspondent for Time Magazine. He joins us from the heart of the outbreak in Mexico City.
RESOURCES
Map: State-by-state swine flu infections (The Takeaway)
Read and listen to more about swine flu (The Takeaway)
Times Topics: Swine Flu (The New York Times)
Q&A: Swine Influenza and You (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention)
Understanding Swine Flu (The New York Times)
Key Facts (CDC)
Swine Flu (CDC)
Swine Flu Alert Map (HealthMap.org)
Consults Blog (The New York Times)
Follow CDCemergency on Twitter

An outbreak of swine flu that started in Mexico appears poised to spread across the globe, with confirmed cases in California, Texas, Ohio and New York. The possibility of a pandemic is causing worldwide concern. The Center for Disease Control joins The Takeaway to talk about what you need to know to stay healthy. Also joining the discussion is epidemiologist Dr. Richard Wenzel, immediate past President of the International Society for Infectious Diseases and Chairman of the Department of Internal Medicine at Virginia Commonwealth University, for a look at the the flu, the symptoms, and how we, and the government, should respond.

The Takeaway then turns to Ioan Grillo, Mexico Correspondent for Time Magazine, for look at how Mexico is responding to this health crisis.

Ever wonder how the CDC works? It's exactly like this:



Click through for a transcript.

President Obama touches down in Mexico City this afternoon for talks with his Mexican counterpart Felipe Calderon. This is his first trip to Latin America since being inaugurated. Details of the trip are sketchy due to security concerns, but Obama is sure to address ongoing violence stemming from Mexico’s war against drug cartels. The Takeaway talks to Ioan Grillo Mexico Correspondent for Time Magazine.

For more, here is the AP's report on the visit: