How The US Took Down The World's Most Notorious Drug Kingpin
Regional war fears in Middle East; Potential Alzheimer's detection breakthrough
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Hey everyone—
We love starting the week with some good news. Scientists have taken a huge step toward affordable and accessible Alzheimer’s detection.
Researchers say a new combined blood test can accurately diagnose the disease 90% of the time — a revolutionary development that could one day allow patients to receive routine blood tests in their 30s and 40s to detect— and hopefully slow down or prevent— the disease. (While we’re still a long way from there, we will take incremental developments.)
Make it a great one!
Mosheh, Jill, & Courtney
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📌 ONE DRUG LORD TRICKS ANOTHER DRUG KINGPIN INTO BOARDING A PLANE TO U.S.
The career of one notorious cartel king has been brought to a dramatic end that could have been ripped from the show ‘Ozark.’ One drug lord—Joaquin Guzman Lopez (the son of the notorious El Chapo) appears to have helped U.S. authorities track down and arrest powerful cartel leader Ismael “El Mayo” Zambada after 35 years on the run.
They were both technically arrested on Thursday. But, the lawyer for Zambada says El Chapo’s son “kidnapped” his fellow drug trafficker.
WANTED: “EL MAYO”
El Mayo founded the dangerous Sinaloa Cartel alongside Guzman Lopez three decades ago. At 76 years old, he was still running a leg of the cartel considered the leading smuggler of fentanyl into the U.S. up until the moment he was handcuffed. In 2021 the U.S. State Department raised the reward for his arrest to $15 million — making him one of the most-wanted drug traffickers.
Unlike El Chapo, who was imprisoned twice and escaped twice before being extradited to the U.S. where he is serving a life sentence, El Mayo has been able to evade arrest. He was reportedly sly, stealthy, and a skilled negotiator who never used a cellphone.
CAPTURING THE RING LEADER
U.S. law enforcement officials originally told CNN that El Mayo was lured to the U.S. side of the border as part of an elaborate sting operation. The mastermind behind it all: El Chapo’s son, Joaquin Guzman Lopez, who was helping U.S. investigators.
Guzman Lopez apparently tricked the world’s most savage drug cartel leader into believing they were flying to northern Mexico to look at real estate.
Instead, the plane landed in El Paso, and DHS agents were waiting on the tarmac.
Both El Mayo and Guzman Lopez were arrested.
They face multiple charges for allegedly leading the criminal operations of one of the most savage and deadly drug trafficking operations in the world, including deadly fentanyl manufacturing and trafficking.
BUT WAIT?!
Now the attorney for El Mayo tells CNN his client was KIDNAPPED by Joaquin Guzman Lopez. He says: “Joaquín Guzmán López forcibly kidnapped my client. He was ambushed, thrown to the ground, and handcuffed by six men in military uniforms and Joaquin. His legs were tied, and a black bag was placed over his head.”
SINALOA CARTEL’S INFLUENCE
Regardless of the details surrounding his arrest, officials on both sides of the border say it will have a big impact. The Sinaloa Cartel is one of the oldest and most established cartels in Mexico.
The Sinaloa cartel is behind the majority of marijuana, cocaine, heroin, meth, and fentanyl that is smuggled into the U.S.
More than 1 million Americans have died by drug overdose since 1999.
FUTURE OF THE SINALOA CARTEL
With the head of the snake cut off, officials fear violence from members of the cartel will heighten to a “bloodbath” as members inside the cartel fight for El Mayo’s throne. Who takes the reins of the world’s deadliest drug cartel is yet to be determined.
📌 HEZBOLLAH STRIKE KILLS 12 ISRAELI KIDS, PUTS WORLD ON ALERT FOR WIDER WAR
Fears of a wider war in the Middle East increased over the weekend after a rocket launched by Hezbollah — the U.S.-designated terrorist group that controls southern Lebanon — slammed into a soccer field in the Golan Heights in Israel, killing 12 teenagers and children, and wounding at least 20 others.
It’s the deadliest attack on Israeli civilians since October 7th. Hezbollah originally claimed it had fired the rocket intended for a military target. After the explosion on the soccer field, they shifted their story and denied responsibility. However, U.S. officials say they have no doubt Hezbollah shot an Iranian-made rocket.
Hezbollah began striking Israel in support of Hamas after October 7th, and has been trading strikes with Israel for months. However, this attack could unleash a much more significant war.
WHO ARE THE DRUZE?
The rocket ravaged Majdal Shams, a northern-Israeli town located in the Golan Heights region, and home to a large Israeli Arab Druze community. The town is only 7 miles south of Lebanon.
There are about 1 million Druze Arabs scattered mainly between Lebanon, Syria, Jordan and Israel. Many of the Druze who live in Israel serve in the Israeli military. Religiously, Druze are an offshoot of Islam, but combine traditions from several faiths. The religion initially welcomed new members for less than 100 years in the 10th and 11th centuries, and then closed to any converts in the year 1044.
ON THE EDGE OF ALL-OUT WAR
Overnight into Sunday, Israel hit back at Hezbollah, striking a number of targets in Lebanon. There were no reported casualties, but the back-and-forth has the Middle East teetering on the edge of an all-out war. Hezbollah is sponsored and armed by Iran—which considers it to be part of their ‘axis of resistance’ against Israel and the US.
The White House reinforced its staunch support for Israel, while at the same time reportedly working the phones in an attempt to contain the fallout from the horrific attack.
A U.S. official tells Axios: “What happened over the weekend could be the trigger we have been worried about and tried to avoid for 10 months.”
Israeli PM Netanyahu ended his U.S. trip early to return home Saturday night and warned Hezbollah “will pay a heavy price.” The Israeli security cabinet convened on Sunday, and authorized the Prime Minister and Defense Secretary to decide on response to the attack. The Times of Israel reports it’s “expected to be strong but not prompt full-on war.”
📌 99 DAY ELECTION COUNTDOWN: DEMOCRATS CLOSE ENTHUSIASM GAP
With less than 99 days until November 5th, and a new presumptive nominee on the Democratic side, it appears there is now a tie in the presidential race.
HARRIS MAKES STRIDES
New polling from the Wall Street Journal shows the race between Donald Trump and Kamala Harris neck and neck. Trump now leads Harris 49% to 47% — just a 2 point advantage — compared to the 6 point advantage Trump held in early July, before Biden exited the race. That puts the race within the 3 point margin of error.
ENTHUSIASM GAP
Harris’ campaign is riding a wave from re-energized Democrats who are now more hopeful about their chances of keeping Trump out of the White House. That WSJ poll shows Harris nearly erasing the advantage Republicans held on voter enthusiasm — a key indicator for likeliness to vote, volunteer, donate, etc. It shows just how much the Biden withdrawal has changed the race.
UPDATING THEIR GAME PLANS
Biden’s decision to leave the race jolted both parties: the Trump campaign is trying to pivot to an opponent completely different from the 81-year-old incumbent they crafted their messaging around, while the Harris campaign is scrambling to introduce their candidate to voters on a shortened timeline.
On the campaign trail in Minnesota Saturday, the former president ramped up his rhetoric on Harris’ progressive agenda, and tying her directly to Biden’s handling of everything from the border to inflation, crime, and abortion.
Meanwhile, Team Harris is enjoying a grassroots surge. So many voters (more than 160,000) turned out for a “white women for Harris” conference call on Thursday that they literally broke Zoom (white women backed Trump the last two elections). The Harris campaign also says it raised $200M in its first week.
VEEP SEARCH: And, it appears that Harris has reportedly narrowed her VP search to 3 finalists: Arizona Senator Mark Kelly, Pennsylvania Governor Josh Shapiro and Minnesota Governor Tim Walz.
⏳ SPEED READ
🚨NATION
📌 I-15 connecting California to Las Vegas reopens after fiery semi-truck accident caused days-long closure (CBS NEWS)
📌 After years of fighting Iowa’s strict abortion law, clinics also prepared to follow it (ASSOCIATED PRESS)
📌 3 Palestinian terror suspects caught after crossing border illegally as overwhelmed agents warn: ‘I probably let terrorists in’ (NY POST)
📌 Vigils to honor Sonya Massey: 'She needed a helping hand, not a bullet to the face'(USA TODAY)
🌎 AROUND THE WORLD
📌 As starvation spreads in Sudan, military blocks aid trucks at border (NY TIMES)
📌 Venezuelans vote in election that could oust an autocrat (WASHINGTON POST)
📌 Putin warns US not to deploy missiles to Germany (GUARDIAN)
📌 Grosseto: The snubbed Italian town that's now winning awards (BBC)
📱BUSINESS, SCIENCE & TECH
📌 A Fed interest rate cut is finally within view (WSJ)
📌 Trump pledges to hire people who ‘love’ crypto (BLOOMBERG)
📌 In more than 200 U.S. cities, $1 million only gets you a starter home (CBS NEWS)
📌 National Chicken Wing Day deals: Get free wings at Wingstop, Buffalo Wild Wings, more (USA TODAY)
🎬 SPORTS & ENTERTAINMENT
📌 Simone Biles draws A-list celebrity crowd at Paris Olympics (BBC)
📌 U.S. wins first gold medal of Paris Olympics at men's 4x100 meter freestyle relay (CBS NEWS)
📌 Robert Downey Jr. sets Marvel return as Doctor Doom in ‘Avengers: Doomsday’ (VARIETY)
📌 ‘Deadpool and Wolverine’ snares $205 million domestic opening, highest R-rated debut ever (CNBC)
🗓 ON THIS DAY: JULY 29
1921: Adolf Hitler becomes leader of the Nazi Party. It would grow from a small movement into the ruling party of Germany, running the country as a totalitarian state from 1933-1945, and lead the world into the most destructive war in human history.
1958: Congress passes legislation creating NASA.
1981: Nearly 1 billion people around the world watch the wedding of Prince Charles and Lady Diana Spencer.
1994: Jim Carrey’s ‘The Mask’ premieres in theaters.
2000: NSYNC’s “It’s Gonna Be Me’ reaches #1 on the Billboard charts.