US charges governor of Mexico’s Sinaloa state and 9 others with drug trafficking and weapons charges

2026-04-29T23:08:47.902Z / CNN

By Kara Scannell, Michael Rios

PUBLISHED Apr 29, 2026, 7:08 PM ET

Sinaloa Gov. Ruben Rocha Moya speaks as he leaves the inauguration ceremony of Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum at the San Lazaro Legislative Palace in Mexico City, Mexico, on October 1, 2024.

Jose Luis Torales/NurPhoto/AP/File

A federal grand jury indicted the governor of Sinaloa and other Mexican state officials with drug trafficking and weapons charges for allegedly working with cartels to bring drugs into the United States in exchange for bribes and favors.

Ruben Rocha Moya, the governor of the Mexican state of Sinaloa since 2021, and nine current or former high-ranking Mexican officials were charged in a five-count indictment unsealed Wednesday with allegedly helping a faction of the cartel led by the Chapitos, the sons of Joaquin Guzman Loera — also known as El Chapo, the former leader of the Sinaloa cartel until he was prosecuted in the US.

“These politicians and law enforcement officials have abused their authority in support of the Cartel, exposed and subjected victims to threats and violence, and sold out their offices in exchange for massive bribes,” according to the indictment.

Prosecutors in New York allege Rocha Moya met with the Chapitos prior to his election in 2021 and assured them that if elected, he would put officials friendly to their drug trafficking operations into power. Cartel members stole ballot boxes and kidnapped or intimidated opponents to drop out of the race to ensure his victory, according to the indictment.

Rocha Moya strongly denied the allegations, writing on X, “I categorically and absolutely reject the accusations made against me by the Southern District of New York Federal Prosecutor’s Office, as they lack any truth or foundation whatsoever. And this will be demonstrated, with full force, at the appropriate time.”

Moya went on to say, “To the people of Sinaloa, I say that, with the courage and dignity that characterize us, we will demonstrate the lack of foundation for this slander.”

Mexico’s Foreign Ministry said it received extradition requests from the US government but said they lack “sufficient evidence.” In a statement, the Foreign Ministry said, “However, as is standard procedure in these cases, the Attorney General’s Office will determine whether there is sufficient evidence under Mexican law and the viability of the requests for provisional arrest for extradition.”

US prosecutors allege the current and former Mexican officials aided the cartel in importing fentanyl, cocaine and other drugs from Mexico into the US; shielded the cartel leaders from investigation and prosecution; and allowed drug-related violence. In exchange, the indictment alleges, the defendants in total received millions of dollars.

Authorities allege one of the men, Juan Valenzuela Millan, a former high-level commander in the Culiacan police department, assisted in the kidnapping of a US Drug Enforcement Administration source and another victim. They were turned over to the cartel, which killed them, the indictment says. Millan, who led the department in Sinaloa’s largest city, allegedly accepted approximately $41,000 a month in bribes he distributed to others on the police force, and in exchange, he gave the Chapitos access to department resources, including patrol cars and radios.

Damaso Castro Zaavedra, the deputy attorney general for the Sinaloa state attorney general’s office , allegedly received monthly payments of approximately $11,000 from the Chapitos for protecting them from arrests and tipping them off about planned US-backed operations.

After El Chapo’s arrest, the cartel splintered into two groups — the one led by the Chapitos and the other by Ismael Zambada Garcia, known as El Mayo.

US authorities previously charged the Chapitos. Two were extradited to the US and pleaded guilty. The other two brothers remain at large in Mexico. Zambada was also charged and brought to the US in 2024 to face charges. He also pleaded guilty.

Zambada previously accused Rocha Moya of being involved in an alleged meeting that led to his capture. Rocha Moya at the time denied any involvement, saying, “There is absolutely nothing, nothing, that can link me to that matter, nothing. I say this categorically, emphatically. Nothing.”

Trump says U.S. may cut the number of American troops in Germany

April 29, 2026 / 7:38 PM EDT / CBS News

By Joe Walsh

Joe Walsh is a senior editor for digital politics at CBS News. Joe previously covered breaking news for Forbes and local news in Boston.

Read Full Bio

President Trump said Wednesday he is considering reducing the number of U.S. forces in Germany, amid a spat with Germany’s chancellor and the NATO alliance over Iran.

“The United States is studying and reviewing the possible reduction of Troops in Germany, with a determination to be made over the next short period of time,” he wrote on Truth Social.

The U.S. military has a massive presence in Germany that dates back to the aftermath of World War II and the Cold War. More than 36,000 active duty troops were assigned to bases throughout Germany as of last December, along with nearly 1,500 reservists and 11,500 civilians, according to Defense Department figures. Japan is the only foreign country with a larger presence of U.S. troops.

Germany is also home to the headquarters of U.S. European Command and Africa Command, and its Ramstein Air Base is a key hub for U.S. operations.

The president has grown increasingly frustrated with the U.S.’s allies in Europe, which have sought to keep their distance from the U.S.-Iran war. He has threatened to leave NATO, calling the alliance a “paper tiger” for not entering the war. A 2023 law prevents the president from withdrawing the U.S. from NATO without approval from Congress.

Meanwhile, Europe is grappling with higher energy prices as the Iran conflict severely constrains oil exports from the Middle East.

German Chancellor Friedrich Merz appeared to draw Mr. Trump’s ire after he criticized the U.S.’s handling of the war earlier this week, saying “the Americans clearly have no strategy” on Iran and suggesting the U.S. is being “humiliated” by Iranian negotiators.

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On Tuesday, Mr. Trump wrote on social media that Merz “thinks it’s OK for Iran to have a Nuclear Weapon” and “doesn’t know what he’s talking about.”

“No wonder Germany is doing so poorly, both Economically, and otherwise!” the president said.

Hours before Mr. Trump floated troop reductions, Merz told reporters he still is on good terms with the U.S. president, despite their well-publicized disagreements over Iran strategy.

Mr. Trump’s skepticism of NATO predates the Iran war. He has long accused member states of not spending enough on defense and of being too reliant on the U.S. for security.

In 2020, the final year of his first term, Mr. Trump announced plans to pull around 12,000 U.S. forces from Germany, after accusing the European country of being “delinquent” in military spending. The plan drew bipartisan pushback and was reversed by former President Joe Biden.

In a smaller move last fall, U.S. officials told CBS News that around 700 troops who were deployed in Germany, Romania and Poland would return home. U.S. Army Europe and Africa said it was part of a “deliberate process to ensure a balanced U.S. military force posture,” and was “not an American withdrawal from Europe or a signal of lessened commitment to NATO.”

美国总统特朗普（中）星期三在白宫会见执行美国载人绕月任务的宇航员时对记者说，他同俄罗斯总统普京通话时建议俄乌实行短期停火。 （彭博社）

美国总统特朗普说，他周三与俄罗斯总统普京通电话，建议俄方同乌克兰实施短期停火。

综合路透社与新华社报道，特朗普星期三（4月29日）在白宫会见执行美国载人绕月任务的宇航员时对记者说，他同普京聊得很愉快，他建议俄乌实行短期停火，“我想他可能会采纳这一建议。”

特朗普说，他与普京的谈话涉及多个课题，除了乌克兰外，也稍微谈及了伊朗。他说，普京希望参与伊朗浓缩铀问题的解决，以推动结束伊朗战事。“但我对他说，我宁愿看到你把精力放在结束乌克兰战事上。”

被问及乌克兰和伊朗两场战事哪个会先结束时，特朗普说：“我不知道，也许它们的时间表差不多。”

普京：准备在胜利日停火

俄罗斯总统助理乌沙科夫则说，普京告诉特朗普，俄罗斯准备在胜利日期间实施停火，特朗普对此表示支持。

乌沙科夫说，此次通话是由俄方发起的，持续了超过一个半小时，双方对话“坦诚且务实”。

US will deny visas to applicants who say they fear persecution at home

2026-04-29 4:24 PM ET / CNN

By Jennifer Hansler
Updated Apr 29, 2026, 4:27 PM ET
PUBLISHED Apr 29, 2026, 4:24 PM ET

Immigration

This photo illustration shows a visa stamp on a foreign passport in Los Angeles on June 6, 2020.

Chris Delmas/AFP/Getty Images/File

Applicants for visas to the United States will now have to affirm that they do not fear persecution in their home countries as the Trump administration seeks to further restrict potential asylum seeks from entering the country.

The new rule, outlined in a diplomatic cable to all embassies and consulates this week, comes amid a sweeping shift in policies that have upended and restricted immigration to the US.

The administration had already increased vetting for student visa applicants, and it has temporarily paused decisions on immigration applications to ensure that they meet newly rolled out security check guidance, according to a source familiar with the situation and an internal memo.

The rule applies for those applying for nonimmigrant visas, which include those for tourists, students and temporary workers. In January, the US suspended immigrant visa processing for 75 countries.

“Consular officers must prevent abuse of the immigration system by visa applicants who misrepresent their purpose of travel, including those who attempt to obtain nonimmigrant visas for the purpose of claiming asylum upon arrival in the United States,” said the cable, which was reviewed by CNN.

The Washington Post first reported on the cable.

Related article This rendering shows a US passport with President Donald Trump’s image on the inside. US to issue passports featuring Trump’s picture to commemorate America’s 250th anniversary 2 min read

The directive from the State Department instructs consular officers to ask nonimmigrant visa applicants two questions: “Have you experienced harm or mistreatment in your country of nationality or last habitual residence?” and “Do you fear harm or mistreatment in returning to your country of nationality or permanent residence?”

“Visa applicants must respond verbally with a ‘no’ to both questions for the consular officer to continue with visa issuance,” the cable instructed.

·A State Department spokesperson said, “Consular officers are the first line of defense for US national security” and noted the department “uses all available tools and resources to determine whether each visa applicant qualifies under US law.”

In order to seek asylum, a person must be physically present in the US and be fleeing political, racial or religious persecution in their home country.

Camille Mackler, an immigration policy consultant, told CNN that the new directive “is going to put people in really bad, terrible positions of having to make choices that ultimately affect their and their family safety.”

“I also think this pushes people to unsafe for pathways and unsafe for routes, because if you need to leave, you leave, and you do whatever you need to do that,” she said.

CNN’s Priscilla Alvarez contributed reporting.

House passes FISA renewal in bipartisan vote, putting pressure on Senate before looming deadline

April 29, 2026 5:27pm EDT / Fox News

Senate Majority Leader John Thune warns a controversial provision added to win over conservatives could make it ‘dead on arrival’

By Adam Pack , Chad Pergram

Congressional Republicans are racing to extend a controversial spying program before it is scheduled to lapse Friday at midnight.

House lawmakers voted 235 to 191 in a bipartisan manner to extend Section 702 of the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act (FISA) for the rest of President Donald Trump’s term.

The vote split Republicans, with more than 20 GOP privacy hawks voting against a three-year extension of the warrantless surveillance program.

The successful vote leaves the Senate little time to act before the fast-approaching April 30 deadline.

Speaker of the House Mike Johnson, R-La., talks with reporters at the Capitol in Washington on Jan. 7, 2025.(J. Scott Applewhite/AP)

SPEAKER JOHNSON ONE STEP CLOSER TO RENEWING CONTROVERSIAL SPY PROGRAM AFTER CONSERVATIVES FALL IN LINE

A swath of House conservatives voted against the FISA renewal bill, citing concerns that the measure does not include more stringent privacy safeguards, such as a requirement for intelligence agencies to obtain a warrant before accessing Americans’ data.

The spy law, considered one of the government’s most powerful surveillance tools, allows the U.S. government to gather intelligence on foreigners abroad who are using U.S. platforms, even when those communications involve Americans.

“We should all be standing up for the Fourth Amendment,” Rep. Chip Roy, R-Texas, a leading GOP privacy hawk, said during debate on the FISA renewal bill Tuesday.

House leadership attempted to win over some conservative holdouts by adding language permanently banning the Federal Reserve from issuing central bank digital currencies (CBDC) to the FISA renewal bill.

But Senate Majority Leader John Thune, R-S.D., has warned that the sweetener for privacy hawks will be interpreted as a poison pill in the Senate, where Democrats fiercely oppose a CBDC ban.

“They know that,” Thune told reporters Tuesday, referring to House Republicans.

Senate Majority Leader John Thune, R-S.D., has warned House Republicans about sending the upper chamber a FISA renewal bill with a ban on central bank digital currencies attached.(Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images)

DEMS PULL OUT ALL THE STOPS TO KEEP OBAMACARE SUBSIDIES FIGHT ALIVE AFTER VOTE TO REOPEN GOVERNMENT

Johnson has voiced optimism that the upper chamber will take up the House bill without modifications.

“I speak with Leader Thune all the time. They’re watching this very closely, and hopefully they can process what we send them,” Johnson told Fox News Wednesday.

“No one, on the Republican side anyway, wants to play around with letting these critical national security tools go unfunded or expire,” he added. “So, I think they’ll move it expeditiously.”

The Trump administration has pressured House Republicans for weeks to back an extension of the spy law, arguing the surveillance authority is too vital for national security to expire.

“This department strongly supports the reauthorization of FISA 702,” Department of War Secretary Pete Hegseth told lawmakers Wednesday. “It is not hyperbole to say many of the most important missions we have executed could not have happened without the intelligence gathered through FISA 702.”

War Secretary Pete Hegseth urged House lawmakers to approve a FISA renewal bill during an appearance before the House Armed Services Committee Wednesday.(Kevin Wolf/AP)

CLICK HERE TO DOWNLOAD THE FOX NEWS APP

House Democrats, many of whom have fierce objections to a clean extension of the spy law, voted en masse against the measure.

“I’m suspicious. The way it’s proposed right now, particularly under this administration,” Rep. Andre Carson, D-Ind., told Fox News, referring to the FISA renewal bill. “I was more comfortable when I voted for it in 2024. Under this administration, I’m not as comfortable.”

Just 42 Democratic lawmakers, including Rep. Jim Himes, D-Conn., the top Democrat on the House Intelligence Committee, crossed party lines in support of the measure.

“I’ve seen countless, countless instances where the intelligence obtained through section 702 quite literally saved lives,” the Connecticut Democrat said. “So, given the binary choice between reauthorization and expiration, the responsible choice is reauthorization.”

美联储主席鲍威尔星期三在最后一次政策会议后的新闻发布会上说，他将在下月任期结束后继续担任美联储理事。 （法新社）

美国联邦储备局主席鲍威尔周三说，他将在下月任期结束后继续担任美联储理事，具体时间待定。

鲍威尔星期三（4月29日）在最后一次政策会议后的新闻发布会上说：“我的主席任期将于5月15日结束，之后我将继续担任美联储理事，具体任期长短待定。”

鲍威尔说，他并不想成为一名高调的异议人士，而是希望看到导致美联储遭受前所未有的法律攻击的政治氛围能够平静下来，让美联储能够更加专注于核心使命。

他告诉记者：“我担心这些攻击正在重创美联储，并危及对公众真正重要的事物，那就是在不考虑政治因素的情况下制定货币政策的能力。”

美国司法部今年1月就美联储总部翻新工程超支展开调查和发出传票。鲍威尔当时批评此举实质上是在惩罚美联储不遵从总统特朗普的降息要求。

鲍威尔周三补充说，他计划在他认为合适的时候离任。这一举动虽不同寻常，但并非史无前例。

鲍威尔可以一直担任美联储理事至2028年。

美国财长贝森特则对鲍威尔的决定作出批评。他告诉福克斯商业频道节目，此举“违反了美联储的所有准则”，并且“侮辱了有望成为下一任美联储主席的沃什”。

鲍威尔继续留任美联储理事，意味着特朗普将无法在七人理事会中安插新人，使得他无法完全如愿地重塑美联储。

U.S. charges 10 Mexican officials, including Sinaloa governor, with drug trafficking

April 29, 2026 / 7:51 PM EDT / CBS/AP

The governor of Sinaloa and nine other current and former Mexican officials were charged with drug trafficking and weapons offenses in a U.S. indictment unsealed Wednesday in New York, accused of aiding in the massive importation of illicit narcotics into the United States.

Some officials were members of Mexico’s progressive ruling party, Morena, posing a political conundrum for Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum as she seeks to offset mounting pressures from the Trump administration. Some of those politicians called the indictment a political attack on their party.

U.S. federal officials announced the charges in a news release. None of the defendants were in custody, but Mexico’s government said shortly afterward that it had received multiple extradition requests from the U.S. without identifying those requested. It did not say how it would respond.

The 10 people charged in Manhattan federal court are current and former government or law enforcement officials in Sinaloa, including Rubén Rocha Moya, 76, who has been governor of Mexico’s Sinaloa state since November 2021.

Charges against Moya included narcotics importation conspiracy and possession of machine guns and destructive devices, along with another conspiracy count. If convicted, he could face life in prison or a mandatory minimum of 40 years behind bars.

Sinaloa state Gov. Ruben Rocha waves as he takes part in an annual earthquake drill in Culiacan, Mexico, Sept. 19, 2024. Eduardo Verdugo / AP

In a statement posted to social media, Rocha, the highest-profile official charged, said he “categorically and absolutely” rejects the charges from U.S. officials, saying the accusations were an “attack.”

“It is part of a perverse strategy to violate the constitutional order, specifically on national sovereignty, ” he wrote in a post on X Wednesday. “We will show them that this slander doesn’t have any sort of foundation.”

Rocha was a staunch ally of Sheinbaum’s mentor, former President Andrés Manuel López Obrador. The governor enthusiastically backed the ex-president’s “Hugs, Not Bullets” policy, which involved avoiding direct confrontation with powerful drug cartels. López Obrador built a political platform by railing against endemic corruption plaguing Mexican politics.

Some of those named, according to the indictment, have themselves participated in the Sinaloa Cartel’s campaign of violence and retribution.

The indictment alleged that they were closely aligned with the Sinaloa Cartel faction known as “Los Chapitos,” which is run by the sons of Joaquín “El Chapo” Guzmán, the ex-cartel leader now serving a life sentence in a U.S. prison.

Authorities said the defendants played critical roles in helping the cartel ship fentanyl, heroin, cocaine and methamphetamine from Mexico into the U.S. The Sinaloa Cartel is among eight Latin American crime groups designated as terrorist organizations by the U.S. government.

“As the indictment lays bare, the Sinaloa Cartel, and other drug trafficking organizations like it, would not operate as freely or successfully without corrupt politicians and law enforcement officials on their payroll,” U.S. Attorney Jay Clayton said in a release.

DEA Administrator Terrance Cole said in a statement that “the defendants allegedly used positions of trust to protect cartel operations, enabling a pipeline of deadly drugs into our country.”

The indictment of Rocha, who was born in the same town as “El Chapo,” was particularly notable because the governor was embroiled in a scandal in 2023 involving the Sinaloa Cartel. His name was published in a letter written by a then-Sinaloa Cartel capo who was kidnapped by leaders of a rival faction of the cartel and handed off to law enforcement in the U.S. In the letter, the capo said that when he was kidnapped he believed he was on his way to meet with Rocha.

In the years since, the cartels two warring factions have ravaged the northern Mexican state in their struggle for territorial control.

U.S. Ambassador to Mexico Ronald Johnson said in a statement that “while we cannot comment on the individual facts of these indictments, and the legal process will need to play out, one thing is certain: corruption that enables organized crime and harms both our countries will be investigated and prosecuted wherever U.S. jurisdiction applies.”

Among those indicted, at least three officials –- Rocha the mayor of Sinaloa’s capital, and Enrique Cazarez, a senator -– were affiliated with Sheinbaum’s party, Morena. A number of other officials held positions unaffiliated with Mexican parties.

It’s not the first time the U.S. has brought drug trafficking charges against ranking Mexican officials. In 2023, Genaro García Luna — a former Mexican public security secretary under former President Felipe Calderón — was convicted by a U.S. court and sentenced to 38 years in prison after he was accused of taking bribes from the Sinaloa Cartel. He denied the allegations and is appealing his conviction.

The indictment unsealed Wednesday comes after Johnson last week said that the U.S. administration would launch an anti-corruption campaign targeting Mexican officials he said were linked to organized crime.

“Corruption not only hinders progress, it distorts it. It increases costs, weakens competition, and erodes the trust upon which markets depend. It is not a problem without victims,” Johnson said.

Sheinbaum responded Monday by saying her government has not seen “any evidence” of the charges of corruption.

“Any investigation in the United States against any person in Mexico must have evidence reviewed by the (Mexican) Attorney General’s Office,” Sheinbaum said.

Sheinbaum’s government has already detained several local officials across Mexico in its ongoing crackdown against the cartels, fueled by pressure by the Trump administration.

What the Supreme Court just did

With the Voting Rights Act

April 29, 2026 at 4:09 p.m. EDT / The Washington Post

[image_4]

Conservatives on the Supreme Court changed a key pillar of the Voting Rights Act. (Shedrick Pelt for The Washington Post)

[image_5]

Analysis by Amber Phillips

The Supreme Court on Wednesday limited a major piece of civil rights legislation that for decades has allowed legislative districts to be drawn in a way to boost minority voters’ representation.

Now, Republican lawmakers in the South can draw maps to break up Black and other minority voters, diluting their voting power and limiting minority representation in Congress and state legislatures. Some Southern Black Democrats could lose their seats in Congress and legislatures as soon as November.

美联储周三宣布将联邦基金利率目标区间维持在3.5%至3.75%之间不变。利率决议公布后，美股三大指数短线走低，现货黄金微幅下挫，美元指数短线走高10点。 （彭博社）

美国联邦储备局周三宣布，将联邦基金利率目标区间维持在3.5%至3.75%之间不变。这一决定符合市场预期，为今年连续第三次维持利率不变。

不过，围绕星期三（4月29日）发布的政策声明，美联储负责制定货币政策的核心决策机构——联邦公开市场委员会却出现了自1992年以来最严重的分歧：委员会12人中，八票赞成，四票反对。

一名投反对票的成员主张降息25个基点，另有三人支持维持利率不变，但不支持在声明中体现放松货币政策的倾向。

美联储周三在声明中指出，近期指标显示经济活动正稳步扩张，新增就业大体上依然处于低位，失业率近几个月变化很小。通胀居高不下，部分原因是近期全球能源价格上涨。

美联储说，中东局势的变化给经济前景带来高度不确定性。美联储重申将致力于实现最大程度就业和2%通胀目标。

延伸阅读

鲍威尔：卸任主席后将留任美联储理事
美联储主席鲍威尔“告别秀” 料按兵不动

在考虑进一步调整利率目标区间的幅度和时间方面，美联储将仔细评估新的数据、不断变化的经济前景以及风险的总体情况。

利率决议公布后，美股三大指数短线走低，现货黄金微幅下挫，美元指数短线走高10点。

By Reuters

April 29, 2026 6:21 PM UTC Updated 1 hour ago

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U.S. President Donald Trump speaks during an event with Artemis II astronauts, NASA Commander Reid Wiseman, NASA Pilot Victor Glover, NASA Mission Specialist Christina Koch and Canadian Space Agency (CSA) Mission Specialist Jeremy Hansen, in the Oval Office at the White House in Washington, D.C., U.S., April 29, 2026…. Purchase Licensing Rights, opens new tabRead more

WASHINGTON, April 29 (Reuters) – U.S. ​President Donald ‌Trump said ​on ​Wednesday that his ⁠administration ​will ​be releasing as much ​information ​as possible on ‌UFOs ⁠in the near ​future.

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Reporting ​by ⁠Trevor Hunnicutt, ​Writing ​by ⁠Jasper Ward ⁠in ​Washington; ​Editing by ​Christian Martinez

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