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Reporter’s Notebook: On the papal plane and beyond — covering Pope Leo XIV’s first foreign trip
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Pope Leo XIV’s first foreign trip is over. A six-day pilgrimage to the Middle East wrapped up Tuesday in Beirut.
We were in conflict-torn Lebanon just a few miles from the country’s Ground Zero, where on Aug. 4, 2020, a deadly blast in Beirut’s port killed over 200, injured thousands and left over 300,000 homeless.
Five years on, the Lebanese government has not concluded its investigation into how the nearly three tons of ammonium nitrate being stored in the port combusted, resulting in the largest non-nuclear explosion ever. Every fourth of the month, the families of victims go to the port to protest the government for its inaction and corruption.
POPE LEO XIV BEGINS LEBANON VISIT AMID ECONOMIC CRISIS, HEIGHTENED SECURITY CONCERNS
Pope Leo XIV offers a «silent prayer» for the victims of the 2020 explosion at Beirut Port during his visit to Lebanon on Dec. 2, 2025. (Houssam Shbaro/Anadolu via Getty Images)
Pope Leo paid homage at the port with a silent prayer and lit a lamp in the victims’ memory.
Earlier in the day, Vatican press officer Salvatore Scolozzi was in the marble hallway of Beirut’s Intercontinental Phoenicia Hotel doing roll call for the 80 journalists accredited.
All the windows of this luxury hotel were shattered during the 2020 explosion, injuring staff and guests and destroying all the furniture. «All the air seemed to be sucked out of the building and there was glass flying and dust everywhere,» a staff member told me, adding that there were no fatalities. After extensive repairs, the hotel reopened in 2023 but is still surrounded by skeletal burned-out buildings.
In the lobby, Scolozzi warns, «Non fare ritardi VAMPS, don’t be late.» He and his staff have worked for over a year putting together this six-day tour de force pilgrimage to Turkey and Lebanon, originally planned for the late Pope Francis.
REPORTER’S NOTEBOOK: THANKSGIVING WEEKEND IN TURKEY WITH AN AMERICAN POPE, NEXT STOP LEBANON
We are known collectively as the VAMPS, the Vatican Accredited Media Personnel, and on this trip we hail from 15 different countries. After our 5:30 a.m. check-in for our return flight to Rome, the lobby chatter is focused on what we should ask the new pontiff on the much-anticipated in-flight press conference en route to Italy.
Normally each language group comes up with a question for the presser, and debate can get heated. «He will never go there,» was the comment after one colleague suggested we ask if the pope’s frequent references to the important role of women during the trip indicated he would be open to women deacons.
Initially, there was concern that Pope Leo might not speak with journalists at all on board.
POPE LEO XIV OPENS FIRST FOREIGN TRIP IN TURKEY WITH A VISIT TO CHRISTIANITY’S EARLY HEARTLANDS
But we were relieved when the curtain opened on our chartered Airbus flight from Istanbul to Beirut and a rather bashful-looking Pope Leo took thorny questions such as the conflict in Gaza, confirming the Vatican’s years-long support of a two-state solution, but insisting, «Israel is our friend.»
Pope Leo does not want to polarize, he is measured and diplomatic, and, six months into his papacy, appears to be gaining confidence and making his speeches punchier. He kept to the script in his native English and, in Lebanon, also spoke in excellent French and said a few words of Arabic as he pressed the need for peace between local authorities, different religious groups and the country’s youth.
At Monday’s evening celebration with young people, a Christian type of Woodstock, he saluted the Lebanese who had not emigrated, and those who had returned. «Have hope, don’t leave, your country needs you!»
Pope Leo XIV waves during an open-air Mass at Waterfront Square after he visits the site of the 2020 port explosion on the final day of his Lebanon trip, in Beirut on Dec. 2, 2025. (Houssam Shbaro/Anadolu via Getty Images)
Nada Merhi, a local Catholic Maronite volunteer who was only 5 when the civil war of 1975-1990 shattered her family’s lives, spoke of her love for her country. She said she would never leave despite the economic and political criss and the renewed violence following the Iran-backed Lebanese militant Hezbollah’s attack on Israel a few weeks after Hamas’ massacre in Israel on Oct. 7, 2023.
«We need concrete help, but above all we just want peace. I hope the pope will not forget about us.»
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Andre Sassine, a small-business owner from Byblos, a coastal city about 20 miles north of Beirut, is optimistic. «Business will be good if we just have peace. The Muslims in Lebanon are not the problem, don’t believe the media, the problem is with external countries influencing and corrupting,» he said, adding that he thought President Donald Trump, whose daughter Tiffany married a man of Lebanese descent, could join forces with the pontiff.
«We Lebanese love America,» he said, «and we love this new pope born in America. Please help us find peace.»
pope leo xiv,lebanon,middle east,christianity religion,vatican,roman catholic
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ICE arrests convicted pedophiles, violent assailants as Trump meets with Angel Families
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FIRST ON FOX: After President Donald Trump and Department of Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem met Monday with Angel Families impacted by crimes committed by illegal immigrants, the agency announced it had arrested additional illegal immigrants convicted of sexual assault and violent crimes.
Deputy Assistant Secretary Lauren Bis told Fox News Digital that «while Americans were enjoying their weekends, the heroic men and women of ICE were working around the clock to get the worst of the worst criminal illegal aliens out of our country, including pedophiles, rapists and violent assailants.»
Bis said that while «sanctuary politicians and the media ignore the victims of criminal illegal immigrant crime. Today, President Trump and Secretary Noem met with Angel families and victims at the White House,» adding that «these victims and their families are why we continue to fight for the arrest and removal of illegal aliens from our communities.»
Among those arrested by ICE this weekend was Gerardo Moran-Cisneros, from Mexico, who was convicted of lewd or lascivious acts with a child under 14 years old in Los Angeles. Also in Los Angeles, ICE arrested Jathniel Rei Tangkilisan, from Indonesia, convicted of domestic battery in Hollywood.
The mother of Laken Riley, Allyson Phillips, joins President Donald Trump during an Angel Families remembrance ceremony held in the East Room at the White House February 23, 2026, in Washington, DC. (Win McNamee/Getty Images)
In the Los Angeles suburbs, ICE arrested Hoang Dung Duong, from Vietnam, who was convicted of assault with a deadly weapon in Santa Ana, California.
Across the country in New York City, ICE arrested Pedro Pichasaca-Dutan, from Ecuador, who was convicted of rape. In nearby Somerset County, New Jersey, ICE arrested Mexican national Victor Ortiz-Ramos, who was convicted of aggravated sexual assault of a victim less than 13 years old.
Also in New Jersey, which is a sanctuary state, ICE arrested Carlos Aparicio-Zarate, also from Mexico, who was convicted of aggravated assault — serious bodily injury in Asbury Park.
In the Chicago suburb of Wheaton, Illinois, Martin Villanueva-Arenas, another Mexican illegal, was arrested by ICE following his conviction for aggravated criminal sexual assault of a child, leaving the scene of an accident and resisting a peace officer.
In Chicago proper, ICE arrested Jose Parada-Valdivia, from Mexico, who is convicted of possession with intent to distribute cocaine. Meanwhile, ICE also arrested Mexican national Juan Ortiz-Pozos, who is convicted of aggravated vehicular hijacking and aggravated battery on a peace officer in Chicago’s Cook County.
TRUMP’S ‘TOTAL ELIMINATION’ STRATEGY PAVED WAY FOR FALL OF CARTEL KINGPIN ‘EL MENCHO’
Left to right, from top: Gerardo Moran-Cisneros, Jathniel Rei Tangkilisan, Hoang Dung Duong, Pedro Pichasaca-Dutan, Victor Ortiz-Ramos, Carlos Aparicio-Zarate, Martin Villanueva-Arenas, Jose Parada-Valdivia, Juan Ortiz-Pozos, Javid Finton McLawrence. (Alex Brandon/AP; DHS)
In Houston, ICE arrested Javid Finton McLawrence, from Grenada, who was convicted of indecent assault. In the Dallas-area Tarrant County, ICE apprehended Jeremias Hernandez-Fernandez, from Mexico, who was convicted of indecency with a child.
Over the weekend, ICE also arrested Mexican nationals Juan Vasquez-Perez, convicted of third-degree sex abuse in Johnson County, Iowa, and Esteban De Paz Jimenez, convicted of assault and battery on a family member, aggravated robbery and preventing summons of law enforcement in Caroline County, Virginia. The agency also arrested Claudy Ngoy, from the Democratic Republic of the Congo, who was convicted of assault with a deadly weapon with intent to kill in Wake County, North Carolina.
On Sunday, Trump signed a declaration proclaiming Feb. 22 «National Angel Family Day» in honor of the «thousands of American lives stolen from us by criminal illegal aliens and the deadly drugs they bring across our borders.»
In the declaration, Trump reaffirmed his commitment to combatting illegal immigrant crime, writing, «We stand with the Angel Families, many of whom continue to be left without justice» and «we recommit to carrying out the largest mass-deportation effort in our Nation’s history, getting the worst of the worst out of our country, and putting a stop to the violence targeting the brave men and women of law enforcement.»
TRUMP HALTS ANGEL FAMILIES SPEECH TO CHECK ON WOMAN IN AUDIENCE
U.S. President Donald Trump holds up a proclamation dedicating February 22nd as Angel Family Day during a remembrance ceremony held in the East Room at the White House February 23, 2026 in Washington, DC. (Win McNamee/Getty Images)
Among those present for the Angel Family event were Allyson Phillips, mother of slain Georgia nursing student Laken Riley, Alexis Nungaray, mother of slain Houston teen Jocelyn Nungaray, and the family of Rachel Morin, a Maryland mother of five who was killed by an illegal alien.
Trump told the families, «For too long, your stories were suppressed so that politicians could open our borders. But today, the world hears you.»
«We are not just mitigating the threat anymore; we are eliminating it,» he went on, adding, «The justice delivered in Tapalpa this weekend is just the beginning for every family in this room.»
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Several of the Angel Families spoke during the event as well, with Phillips telling Trump, «You are a man of your word, Mr. President.»
«My daughter Laken didn’t die in vain,» said Phillips. «Because of the Laken Riley Act and the work you’re doing to clear out these monsters, other mothers won’t have to live my nightmare.»
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immigration,illegal immigrants,migrant crime,donald trump,kristi noem,enforcement,homeland security
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La clave para ubicar a «El Mencho»: una pareja sentimental que lo visitó y se fue un día antes del operativo
El secretario de Defensa Nacional de México, Ricardo Trevilla, brindó este lunes nuevos detalles sobre el operativo federal desarrollado en la localidad de Tapalpa, Jalisco, que este domingo mató a Nemesio Oseguera Cervantes, «El Mencho», el líder del Cártel de Jalisco Nueva Generación (CJNG) y considerado por Estados Unidos el mayor traficante de cocaína, heroína y metanfetamina en México. Según indicó, una pareja sentimental del jefe narco habría sido clave para encontrarlo.
Los detalles que ya habían trascendido de la operación contaban que «El Mencho» transcurrió sus últimos días alejado de las grandes riquezas que había forjado durante su imperio criminal, viajando disfrazado de un refugio a otro, yendo de choza en choza y caminando por veredas con mosquitos.
Además, tenía su salud deteriorada producto los problemas de riñón e hígado que le dejaron las múltiples cirugías clandestinas a las que se sometió a lo largo de su vida y acechado por la certeza de que cada movimiento que hacía era monitoreado por agencias de seguridad de Estados Unidos. Y no se equivocaba.
Este lunes, el secretario de Defensa Nacional mexicano informó que el poderoso capo narco por el que Estados Unidos ofrecía una recompensa de 15 millones de dólares fue ubicado el viernes pasado tras meses de seguimiento. La clave para encontrarlo habría sido una pareja sentimental.
Según indicó Trevilla, en el marco de un trabajo de inteligencia conjunto entre agencias mexicanas y estadounidenses, que permitió vigilar la red de contactos del jefe del CJNG, se logró ubicar «a un hombre de confianza de una de las parejas sentimentales del ‘Mencho’», quien habría trasladado a la mujer a la instalación del poblado de Tapalpa en la que el capo narco finalmente fue ubicado. Sin embargo, no brindó mayores detalles acerca de la identidad de la visitante del jefe narco.
El funcionario indicó además que la mujer abandonó el complejo apenas un día antes del operativo. «El Mencho», en tanto, se quedó en el lugar junto a su equipo de seguridad. Fue ese el momento en que las fuerzas de seguridad decidieron ejecutar la operación militar para capturarlo.
Trevilla explicó también que las fuerzas especiales del Ejército lograron cercar al narcotraficante, pero que en el lugar fueron recibidos a tiros por pistoleros a cargo de la seguridad de «El Mencho».
El lugar en el que se encontraba el peligroso narco está ubicado en las cercanías de la Laguna de Sayula, un cuerpo de agua protegido por montañas que se elevan hasta 1.350 metros sobre el nivel del mar. Las alturas y precipicios, pensaron sus escoltas, harían imposible un operativo para detenerlo. Sin embargo, no fue así.
Los disparos de los guardias del líder del CJNG fueron repelidos por las fuerzas mexicanas, en un enfrentamiento que dejó a ocho presuntos integrantes del grupo criminal muertos y tres militares heridos.
Después del primer intercambio de disparos, «El Mencho» y su círculo de seguridad huyeron hasta una zona boscosa y se escondieron entre la maleza. Pero los militares lograron ubicarlos y establecer un cerco para que no pudiesen salir. A pesar de que al verse acorralados volvieron a a abrir fuego contra el personal de la Guardia Nacional y de las Fuerzas Armadas, tras un fuerte cruce de disparos, los militares hiriendo al capo narco, quien murió a bordo del avión en el que posteriormente fue trasladado para ser atendido.
El operativo, liderado por el Ejército mexicano, con participación de la Guardia Nacional y fuerzas especiales, contó con apoyo aéreo de seis helicópteros y varios aviones con el objetivo de «obtener la sorpresa y tener la iniciativa», aunque no dio detalles del número exacto de militares desplegados en el operativo. Además, contaron con información proporcionada por EE.UU.
En el lugar, las fuerzas de seguridad mexicanas incautaron numerosas armas, entre ellas lanzacohetes RPG de diseño ruso, el mismo modelo que se usó en 2015 para derribar un helicóptero en un evento en el que murieron siete militares mexicanos.
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Cruz warned Mexico officials ‘President Trump was going to’ act if they didn’t fight cartels
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The killing of drug lord Nemesio «El Mencho» Oseguera Cervantes may look like a decisive victory in the war on drugs. But in Washington and Mexico City, it is also being viewed as something more strategic: a visible response to mounting U.S. pressure that has reshaped Mexico’s approach to the cartels.
The operation, carried out by Mexican forces with U.S. intelligence support, underscores deepening coordination between the two governments as fentanyl trafficking remains a central political and security issue in the United States.
Sen. Ted Cruz, R-Texas., told Fox News Digital he had personally warned Mexican officials last year that Washington expected stronger action. «In August of last year, I went down to Mexico. I took a trip to El Salvador, Panama and Mexico, and I met with senior officials in the Mexican government. The message I conveyed to them was that they needed to get serious about fighting the cartels to stop the drug trafficking into America and to stop the human trafficking into America. I told them that if they didn’t get serious, President Trump was going to.»
«This was before the Maduro raid,» Cruz added, «But the raid was not a surprise — it was clear the president was going to do what was necessary to keep America safe. I will say that Mexico has pivoted sharply, and this is a real manifestation of that. Thousands of Americans are alive today because Trump was re-elected and Republicans were put in charge of Congress. If we had kept the Democrats’ open-border policies in place, there would be thousands more Americans dead from murder, other violent crime and drug overdoses.»
A soldier stands guard by a charred vehicle after it was set on fire in Cointzio, Mexico, Sunday, Feb. 22, 2026, after the death of «El Mencho.» (AP Photo/Armando Solis)
Melissa Ford Maldonado, director of Western Hemisphere at the America First Policy Institute, told Fox News Digital the strike reflects a broader shift in incentives driven by Washington.
«U.S. pressure has absolutely shaped Mexico’s actions. Pressure is the only thing that compels the Mexican state to act,» Ford Maldonado said. «The Trump administration has been explicit in linking trade leverage and even the possibility of unilateral action to Mexico’s performance against the cartels, which has completely changed the incentive structure in Mexico City. When Washington demands visible results, Mexico is under pressure to produce something visible.»
She said the killing itself fits that dynamic. «The killing of El Mencho is an attempt to do that,» she said. «El Mencho was one of the most wanted men in the hemisphere, and Jalisco New Generation cartel is among the most violent and militarized cartels in Mexico. His death gives the Mexican government something concrete to point to — a high-value target — and claim they’re delivering. But these are only tactical wins, designed to relieve immediate pressure from Washington.»
DEATH TOLL RISES AFTER MEXICAN DRUG CARTEL LEADER KILLED IN US-BACKED OPERATION
A worker sorts freshly printed copies of the newspaper PM bearing the headline «U.S. mapped ‘El Mencho’ and Mexico delivered the final blow, Caught between two fires,» following the killing of the drug lord on Sunday, Feb. 22, 2026. (Jose Luis Gonzalez/Reuters)
Ford Maldonado cautioned that high-profile takedowns have historically failed to produce lasting stability.
«The problem is that tactical wins are not the same thing as strategic change. Tactical wins aren’t enough anymore. If they were, the long list of past arrests and extraditions would have solved this already. I believe Washington is looking for something deeper now: the disruption of the ecosystem that allows cartel power to thrive. Mexico has a problem with corruption, territorial control and political protection, and they must address the political and financial networks that keep the cartels in power.»
Smoke billows from burning vehicles amid a wave of violence following a military operation in which «El Mencho,» was killed, in Puerto Vallarta, Mexico, Feb. 22, 2026. (Screen grab obtained from a social media video. @morelifediares via Instagram/Youtube/via Reuters)
She also pointed to internal Mexican political dynamics that may complicate the narrative.
In June 2020, Omar García Harfuch, then Mexico City’s chief of police, survived an assassination attempt widely attributed to El Mencho. García Harfuch is now Mexico’s secretary of security and citizen protection and oversaw the operation that killed the cartel leader.
«Therefore, there may be other motives involved,» Ford Maldonado said. «Jalisco New Generation cartel has been in a long-standing and very bloody rivalry with the Sinaloa cartel, which some say is the traditional cartel partner of the Morena regime. So, if the Mexican government goes after the rivals of a cartel it’s long been accused of tolerating or working alongside, that alone doesn’t prove it has truly broken with cartel-state collusion.»
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A wave of violence took place after the death of «El Mencho,» in Puerto Vallarta, Jalisco, Mexico, Feb. 22, 2026. (Screen grab obtained from a social media video. @morelifediares via Instagram/Youtube/via Reuters )
For now, she said, the killing is significant but not definitive.
«Unfortunately, history has shown that killing a cartel leader rarely produces lasting stability. It disrupts command and control temporarily,» she said. «Whether this is a real turning point depends on what comes next, specifically, whether enforcement moves beyond high-profile cartel leaders and begins to confront the political and financial networks that sustain them. Until then, this is significant, but it’s not transformative.»
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location mexico,mexican cartel violence,donald trump,ted cruz,crime world,drugs
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