Clinton in Mexico: US Demand Fuels Drug Wars

US will beef up presence on border

(AP) - The Obama administration says it is sending more agents and equipment to the southwestern US border to combat Mexican drug cartels. Speaking at the White House today, Homeland Security Secretary Janet Napolitano said officials were still considering whether to deploy the National Guard to the border. She plans to meet with Texas Gov. Rick Perry to discuss the matter. More»

Flights kept hush-hush because they're probably illegal

(NEWSER) - The Obama administration has begun sending high-altitude spy drones deep into Mexican territory to keep an eye on the movements of drug traffickers, the New York Times reports. The information is intended to be shared with Mexican law enforcement, and Felipe Calderón formally agreed to the flights in his March 3 meeting with President Obama, but they’ve been kept secret because of legal and political considerations in Mexico. More»

(NEWSER) - With the US recession hammering Mexico, the Mexican drug war frightening the US, and a free-trade tiff in the works, relations between the countries have gotten a tad frosty of late, the New York Times reports. In an effort to head off a full-blown crisis, Hillary Clinton is heading to Mexico today, and President Obama will visit next month. More»

Blow dealt to president's plan to use soldiers to wipe out drug gangs

(NEWSER) - Mexican authorities have arrested a dozen soldiers accused of working with one of the nation's murderous drug cartels, reports Reuters. The development deals a serious blow to President Felipe Calderon's strategy to use soldiers to fight the gangs and clean up corruption in the police force. The troops have been accused of colluding with police officers in the central state of Aguascalientes to provide protection for cartel capos. More»

White House did, he reveals to Ellen DeGeneres

(NEWSER) - So much for spousal privilege. On the first anniversary of Osama bin Laden’s death, Hillary Clinton yesterday revealed that her husband had no idea the raid was going on. Today on the Ellen DeGeneres Show the former president himself backs that up in a discussion about how he found out, Radar reports. He explains that he "didn’t know about [bin Laden] until they told me"—they, meaning the White House. Hillary "never said a word." More»