Servando Gómez "La Tuta"

. . . and everyone’s watching.

I mentioned this on yesterday’s Carnival, and the WSJ today reports on it,
Alleged Mexican Drug Lord’s Videos With Officials Lead to Arrests
After more than six months on the run from federal troops, Servando Gómez, who allegedly heads the Knights Templar syndicate, is striking back with videos purporting to link officials and their relatives to his gang.

The videos, which in recent months have emerged online, show politicians and their family members meeting with Servando Gómez, known as “La Tuta”—the teacher—who heads the Knights Templar syndicate. Federal officials say Mr. Gómez dominates organized crime and terrorizes residents of Michoacán state.
. . .
In another video posted to YouTube last week, Mr. Gómez accuses some leaders of the rural guards of links to a rival gangster band, the Jalisco Cartel-New Generation, which produces methamphetamine for the U.S. market, officials say.

Walter White would not have allowed himself to be videotaped.

Here are some of the YouTubes:

With Rodrigo Vallejo Mora, son of former Michoacán mayor Fausto Vallejo (206,335 views as of the writing of this post),

With the mayor of Pátzcuaro (4,023 views),

And here he claims the vigilantes owe him drug money, but he offers no proof (28,389 views),

LatinAmer Yes, Argentina defaulted, as predicted, which made Cristina bellyache some more, as U.S. judge scolds Argentina over debt remarks.

ARGENTINA
Argentina debt default: frustration on the streets
Bloomberg’s Willem Marx reports from Buenos Aires on what Standard & Poor’s is calling a default by the Argentine government

A Lesson in Economics for Argentina

Carlos Tevez’s father freed after kidnapping in Argentina
Juventus striker’s family reportedly paid a £28,000 ransom for his safe return

ARUBA
VenEconomy: The Absurdities of the Carvajal Case

BRAZIL
Brazil Secures $700 Million in Loans During Japanese PM’s Visit

CHILE
Chile under International Orders to Compensate Mapuche
Anti-Terrorist Law Proves Unenforceable, Pending Reform

COLOMBIA
Colombia’s Buenaventura on alert after ‘rebel’ attack
Authorities in the Colombian city of Buenaventura, on the Pacific coast, have temporarily banned the sale of alcohol and the carrying of arms.

Why Starbucks in Colombia is a good thing

CUBA
Reconciling

Cuban Political Prisoner of the Day, Alcibiades Guerra Marin, Aug. 2, 2014

DOMINICAN REPUBLIC
Puerto Rico, Dominican brace for Tropical Storm Bertha

ECUADOR
La DEA incauta aviones de empresa que tendría nexos con el gobierno ecuatoriano

EL SALVADOR
Salvadoran Authorities Charge Spanish Priest with Aiding Gangs

HONDURAS
Hope Dwindles for Hondurans Living in Peril

IMMIGRATION
SIGNS POSTED FOR ILLEGALS INCREASINGLY WRITTEN IN CHINESE
Illegals from China and over 70% of the world’s nations are flooding into America as its border collapses

MEXICO
Deal to stop migrants from boarding La Bestia train
Guatemala, Mexico and the United States have reached a deal to try to prevent migrants from jumping onto a freight train in an attempt to reach the US, according to Guatemalan officials.

Mexican Drug Lord Taunts the Authorities With Videos
In a line of work that usually operates out of the limelight, Servando Gómez has put himself — often with prominent people — in front of the camera.

Mexican media denounces ‘gag law’
Mexican journalists denounce a new law that introduces a number of restrictions on crime reporting in north-eastern Sinaloa state.

Mexican Fracking Opponents Lose a Big Round in the Senate

PANAMA
Panama, Canal Contractors Finalize Accord

PERU
Peru’s first-ever high-resolution carbon map could help the world breathe easier

Peru court order US mining firm to pay $163 million

PUERTO RICO
Minimum-Wage Hike Threatens 200,000 Puerto Rican Jobs
Half of Workforce Caught in Cross Hairs of Class-Warfare Folly

VENEZUELA
Did Nicolas Maduro Coerce Senator Landrieu?

“Anti-Imperialists” Mortgage Venezuela’s Future Abroad
China Preys on Incompetence, Ideological Naivity of Chavismo

The New Wave Of Elected Dictatorships Around The World

In Venezuela, imprisoned opposition leader Leopoldo Lopez’s trial for inciting violence during riots has just begun while the country ranks among the world’s top in corruption and crime. If you believe Chavista state propaganda, the country’s problems wouldn’t exist if the US didn’t exist. In Iran, forget about a free press while the supreme leader effectively determines who can run for political office. As in Venezuela, Turkey, Egypt etc Iran’s judiciary is a power-arm of the regime. Need we mention symbiosis between mosque and state? In Turkey, the state is mandating several hours a week of religious indoctrination in schools while sponsoring widespread housing with no units for single living as high-ranking politicians polemically bully women into staying at home and having families. Meanwhile, Prime Minister Erdogan blames all manner of outside forces for his problems, America, Israel, Syria, US-based Gulenist Muslims and others. One more thing: since Vladimir Putin was the first to make this system respectable, the reader can just say ‘ditto Russia’ where Russia isn’t mentioned above.

The week’s posts and podcasts:
Colombia’s narco-subs

Argentina: Cristina gives bondholders the raspberry

Today’s illegal alien invasion update

Argentina defaults

Behold, the Hugo Chavez font

Is North Korea Selling (Cuban) Arms to Hamas?

El Pollo and Venezuela’s game of chicken: Venezuela exerted military pressure on Aruba

And now, MS-13 news

At Da Tech Guy Blog:
The US’s toothless sanctions against Venezuelans

Chicken run: The curious case of Venezuela’s Pollo Carvajal

At BlogHer:
Feels like 100

The week’s podcast:
Memories of old Havana PLUS US-Latin America stories of the week