Last year, U.S. authorities found nearly 100 fugitives hiding out in Mexico. In 1999, only 14 fugitives were found and returned. The increase is attributed to ongoing cooperation between United States and Mexican officials along the border.

• AUTO TAKEOUT: Toyota is telling auto dealers this morning that new parts to fix unsafe gas pedals will reach them later this week. We find out more from Nick Bunkley, New York Times auto industry reporter.
• MEXICO TAKEOUT: Over the weekend, gunmen shot 21 high school football players in Ciudad Juarez, killing 13. The Houston Chronicle's Dudley Althaus joins us from Mexico City with grim details of the escalating drug violence brewing just south of the border.
• FINANCE TAKEOUT: Former Treasury Secretary Henry Paulson is releasing his tell-all memoir of the financial collapse. New York Times business and finance reporter Louise Story details some of the book’s revelations.

The Tohono O'odham Nation that straddles Mexico and Arizona has found itself at the center of the region's lucrative drug smuggling trade. The reservation is at times overrun by smugglers, and some of the reservation's 28,000 members say they are afraid to leave their homes. Eric Eckholm is covering this story for our partner The New York Times. He reports on how this peaceful reservation now resembles what one tribal chairman calls a "militarized zone."

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.

Amnesty International is taking sides on the drug and gang violence that's already killed 7,000 people this year in Mexico... and their stance may surprise you.

The international human rights watchdog group is accusing the Mexican government of turning a blind eye to thousands of complaints against the Mexican military.  According to the charges, the same military troops tasked with providing security against gang violence are themselves guilty of torturing, and in some cases murdering, civilians.

The Houston Chronicle's Mexico bureau chief, Dudley Althaus, covered this story and joins us to discuss the ramifications of these alleged abuses.  Are these violations a necessary evil in fighting a war so out-of-control, or something to inspire the ancient question: "Who Watches the Watchmen?"

In 2006, when Felipe Calderón was inaugurated President of Mexico, he promised to aggressively fight the drug cartels that had long been waging war in the streets of Mexican cities. Three years later, drug turf wars continue to escalate in violence and have claimed the lives of 14,000 people since December 2006.  

We talk to two guests who describe extra-judicial attempts to fight the cartels, as people turn to vigilante justice to protect themselves. Dudley Althaus is Mexico City bureau chief for the Houston Chronicle; Diana Washington Valdez is a reporter with the El Paso Times. Both journalists speak about the ongoing violence and attempts to hold it back.

U.S. law enforcement agencies have arrested more than 300 members of a ruthless Mexican drug cartel over the past few days. The massive drug sweep against the 'La Familia' cartel was the biggest takedown of a Mexican drug organization in history, according to Rusty Payne, who joins us this morning. Payne is chief spokesman for the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration.

Here's U.S. Attorney General Eric Holder's response to the raids:

The Mexican city of Puebla is trying a bright pink experiment in a culture famous for its machismo and violence. In an effort to prevent violent crimes against women passengers, 35 new taxis are driving the streets. These pink cars are driven by women and will pick up only female passengers. Inside, each pink taxi comes with a beauty kit, a GPS system and an alarm button. We talk to Eduardo Del Castillo, CEO of Pink Taxi, along with Elena Alvarez, a recent passenger.

For a look inside the Pink Taxi, watch the video below:

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. 

The U.S. men's soccer team lost to Mexico 2-1 yesterday. Mexico came back from a short-lived 1-0 lead by the U.S. team with Miguel Sabah kicking in the game-winning goal. The American men still have a chance to qualify for the FIFA World Cup, however. The Takeaway’s sports contributor Ibrahim Abdul-Matin talks about the match, his hopes, and his continued frustration.

For more from Ibrahim, read his blog post, U.S. Soccer: Older but not yet Wiser.

Here are some of the match highlights:

Here's the truth behind my visceral disgust at watching the U.S.A. lose to Mexico in Mexico: it's not as if anyone in the U.S. really expected them to win ... besides me, really. I wanted to will them to win. But soccer in the United States needs its own Lake Placid "Miracle on Ice" moment; they need to do the unthinkable — but yesterday, as has been their fashion, they lost. ...(continue reading)

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: