What Obama Can Achieve in Mexico

YURI CORTEZ/AFP/Getty Images(MEXICO CITY) -- President Barack Obama arrives in Mexico on Thursday afternoon for a 24-hour trip in which he is expected to meet with Mexico's president, Enrique Peña Nieto, to talk about trade, security and immigration.

The details of what both presidents will discuss have not been laid out to the public. Nor has it been explained why this meeting is important, other than to "reinforce" the relationship between both countries.

But here are some concrete issues that both presidents might end up talking about and why they need to be addressed.

Security
Mexico's president has tried to shift the focus of U.S.-Mexico talks away from security, and to the economy, arguing that the relationship between both countries must expand beyond drug war cooperation. The U.S. seems to be going along with this request based on statements made recently by Secretary of State John Kerry.

But there are changes in Mexico's security policies that directly affect the United States, such as a recent decision by the Mexican government to stop direct communication between Mexican law enforcement agencies and American agencies. From now on, all requests made by the U.S. for intelligence information must be routed through Mexico's Interior Ministry.

This new policy could hamper cooperation between U.S. officers who work for agencies like the DEA and the FBI, with their Mexican counterparts, according to sources consulted by the Los Angeles Times. It will also give Mexico's ministry of the interior more power to decide which sorts of sensitive information can be passed along to U.S. agents.

Obama and his advisers will probably have to ask some questions about how intelligence information will be shared from now on and seek some reassurances that information will still be made available to them. They may also want to ask Mexico what it wants to do with bi-national programs that have come under scrutiny from officials in Mexico's new government.. For example, there was a program through which U.S. agents help to conduct background checks on new Mexican police hires to make sure that they have no connection to drug trafficking groups.

Alex Sanchez, a security analyst at the Council on Hemispheric Affairs, believes that intelligence sharing will be a significant issue during the private meetings that will be held on Thursday, even if it has been downplayed by both sides.

He said that intelligence sharing will become more relevant as Mexican cartels increase their presence in the U.S., and also as the U.S. explores new ways to secure the border with drones.

"I think the U.S. government wants to make sure that Peña Nieto is on the same page as Obama, that he wants to pursue the cartels as consistently and aggressively as [former Mexican President] Calderon did during his presidency," Sanchez said.

Trade and North American Integration
Some economists in the U.S. and Mexico have suggested that both countries should work together in order to compete against China's economic power.

This belief that Mexico and the U.S. should be partners and not actually competitors is supported by the fact that both countries already produce many goods together with companies in the U.S. sending raw materials to Mexico, for example, where they are assembled into different sorts of products, and sent back to this country.

James R. Jones, a former U.S. ambassador in Mexico, says that North America has the human capital and energy reserves that could make it into the most competitive region in the world.

At a recent panel at the Americas Society, a Washington D.C. think tank, he suggested that Obama and Peña Nieto try to come up with regulations that make it easier for companies on both sides of the border to work together and export their products to the rest of the world.

"We need to find ways to not diminish the security of the border, but still expand and enable the commercial movement of goods," Jones said.

Another issue that both presidents should take a look at is NAFTA's legacy, says, Raul Gutierrez, a Mexican industrialist who leads the steel products group Deacero.

At the same panel at the Americas Society, Gutierrez mentioned that since this free trade agreement was implemented in 1994, the real minimum wage has fallen in Mexico by 25 percent. Under NAFTA, the number of Mexicans living in poverty has increased by 11 million, and more than 2,000 small exporting companies have closed. Mexican exports meanwhile only contain 30 percent of national content, and exports that come out of the assembly plants along the border, known as Maquiladoras, only average 3 percent of national content.

Gutierrez said that things could've been worse for Mexico, if NAFTA had not been implemented. But he argued that the U.S. and Mexico must find ways to boost Mexico's ailing manufacturing sector in order to create jobs in the country and prosperous conditions that would stop people from entering organized crime networks.

"A strong Mexican economy is in the security interests of the U.S.," Gutierrez said. "The U.S. will do well to think of North American competitiveness and not just its own in confronting the challenges of China," Gutierrez added, arguing that a more prosperous Mexico would also be a good market for U.S. companies.

Immigration
Mexico's president has been rather silent on this issue, saying only that he "fully supports" Obama's push for immigration reform. Back in November when he visited Obama in Washington, Peña Nieto said that rather than making "demands" on the U.S. President and the U.S. Congress, on behalf of the six million undocumented Mexican immigrants who live in the U.S., he wants to "contribute," to Obama's solution.

Peña Nieto may believe that Obama is on the right track, with regards to immigration reform, and that any attempts by his government to get involved in U.S. politics would backfire, and delay Obama's plans.

Alex Sanchez from the Council on Hemispheric Affairs, says that Peña Nieto's statements of support, which are likely to be repeated during this visit by Obama, are somewhat helpful. "It's symbolic, of course, and it won't make Republicans back Obama's plan. But it looks good for Obama to get some sort of backing from the country where most immigrants come from," he said.

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Mexican 9-Year-Old Mom Is Actually 12 or 13, Officials Say

Comstock/Thinkstock(NEW YORK) -- A young Mexican girl who gave birth to a daughter two weeks ago is actually 12 or 13 years old, not 9 years old as her parents initially claimed, authorities say.

The girl, identified as Dafne, was impregnated by her 44-year-old step-father, according to Lino Gonzalez Corona, a spokesperson for the Jalisco State Prosecutor’s Office.  The stepfather is under arrest after admitting to having his first sexual encounter with Dafne in April 2012 and a second in June.

Dafne’s mother was unaware of the sexual relationship, according to Corona.  She thought the baby’s father was a 17-year-old boy that her daughter had met at a local market.  She learned of the pregnancy in November 2012, two months before Dafne delivered a healthy baby girl by C-section on Jan. 27, 2013.

“Due to her young age and to the fact that her body was not ready to give birth,” said Dr. Enrique Rabago, director of Zoquipan Hospital, “the medical team decided a C-Section was the best option” for both mother and child.

Roughly 25 percent of the pregnancies seen at Zoquipan Hospital last year were among teens, according to Rabago.

Doctor Raymundo Serrano, chief of gynecology at Zoquipan Hospital, and his team decided to insert a contraceptive implant to avoid another pregnancy.  He described the implant as a small, flexible rod placed just under the skin in the upper arm that releases progestogen and works for up to three years.

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Rosie Rivera to Oversee Jenni Rivera's Finances

Tibrina Hobson/Getty Images(NEW YORK) -- Mexican-American banda singer Jenni Rivera, who was laid to rest last week following the fatal plane crash that killed her and six others, has left her considerable fortune -- estimated at 25 million dollars -- to her five children.

In addition, a handwritten note left by the late singer named her younger sister, Rosie, in charge of managing Rivera's finances as the CEO of Jenni Enterprises should anything happen to her. Rosie's new title puts her in change of not only the late performer's finances, but also of her brand and of continued sales of her music and merchandise.

In addition, the letter grants Rosie, 31, responsibility over the children Jenni left behind: Janney "Chiquis" Marín Rivera, Jacqueline Marín Rivera, Michael Marín Rivera, Jenicka Lopez Rivera, and Johnny Lopez Rivera.

According to one of Jenni's brothers, Pedro Rivera, Jr., the singer had "prepared a letter about a month and a half ago, and Rosie has that letter." Jenni "always had advisers who helped her work and to make things right," he adds.

The "Jenni Rivera Official" Facebook page notes, in an announcement addressed to Rivera's fans, that, in an effort to keep readers abreast of what's to come, "we are now in charge of her [online] accounts." The note concludes by thanking the singer's fans for "making of my sister una gran señora [a great woman]."

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‘Alien’-Looking Human Skulls Found in Mexico

File photo. Hemera/Thinkstock(SONORA, Mexico) -- Archaeologists in Mexico have uncovered 25 “alien”-looking human skulls in a cemetery in the northwest state of Sonora, they said Friday.

Some of the skulls showed “deformities,” said Cristina Garcia Moreno, who worked on the excavation project with Arizona State University, which analyzed the bones. The bones are about 1,000 years old, dating from 945 A.D. to 1308 A.D.

“This was a Hispanic cemetery with 25 skulls, and 13 of them have deformed heads,” Moreno told ABC News Friday. “We don’t know why this population specifically deformed their heads.”

Moreno said that scientists had found skulls in other parts of Mexico, including Guasave, south of Sonora that also showed similar deformities in certain groups of people. Scientists believe they put beams of wood on the front and back of individuals’ heads and wrapped the wood with bands to exert pressure on the skull, Moreno said.

“We know that in some parts of Mexico, people deformed their heads because they wanted to distinguish important people or they wanted to distinguish people from one group from another,” she said.

Moreno said that skulls like this had never before been found in Sonora, and that many of the skeletons in the cemetery were those of children.

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Jenni Rivera's Remains '100%' Identified; Funeral Preparations Begin

Tibrina Hobson/Getty Images(LAKEWOOD, Calif.) -- The remains of Mexican-American singer Jenni Rivera have been "100 percent" identified, her brother Pedro told reporters outside his parents' home in Lakewood, Calif., on Thursday.

"It is 100 percent confirmed that Jenni is no longer with us.  That is Jenni and she's on her way back home now," said Rivera's brother, adding, "God let us borrow our sister, the daughter of Don Pedro Rivera and Rosa Rivera, the singer, the artist, the friend, the strong woman who always showed love -- La Gran Señora.  God let us borrow her for a time, 43 years, and now God has taken her.  I know she is in His presence."

Pedro said his brothers Lupillo, Juan and Gustavo, who earlier in the week had expressed hope that their sister would still be found alive, traveled to Monterrey, Mexico, to ID the body, and had indicated that "there was no need to wait for the DNA results."

Earlier in the week, on Dec. 11, two policemen in Nuevo Leon, Mexico -- Luis Antonio Ávila Moreno, 23, and Mario Alberto García Pacheco, 24 -- were arrested for allegedly stealing personal items belonging to the victims of the Dec. 9 plane crash in which Rivera and six others died.  Among the items found in their possession was a Blackberry phone.

Authorities in Nuevo Leon said they had arrested the officers and taken them in for questioning.

Rivera's funeral -- which will be open to the public -- will be held in the Los Angeles area, said Pedro, though he did not specify a day, adding that "that is something we need to discuss as a family."

Pedro added that Rivera did not want to be cremated, and that the ceremony will be closed casket.

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Jenni Rivera’s Death Confirmed; NTSB to Assist in Crash Investigation

Tibrina Hobson/Getty Images(WASHINGTON) -- The National Transportation Safety Board has confirmed that Jenni Rivera, the Mexican-American singer and reality television star, died on Sunday when the plane she was traveling in crashed outside Monterrey, Mexico.  

Rivera, 43, was one of seven people on the jet.  There were no survivors.

Rivera had given a performance in Monterrey and was traveling to the Mexico City area to tape an episode of the Mexican version of The Voice.  She was to be one of the coaches.

During Monday night’s edition of NBC’s The Voice, host Carson Daly paused for a moment to acknowledge Rivera’s death.

Daly said, “On a sad note tonight, our thoughts and prayers are with the family of Jenni Rivera.  She was a coach on The Voice Mexico, a personal friend and a talented artist and will be greatly missed by many.”

Known as "La Diva de la Banda," Rivera had a groundbreaking career in regional Mexican music, selling some 15 million records.  Her reality show on mun2, I Love Jenni, is one of the network's highest-rated shows.

The NTSB said it is assisting the Mexican government in investigating the crash.  ABC News has learned the Learjet LJ25 was also involved in an accident seven years ago when it experienced a fuel system malfunction.

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Mexican-American Singer Jenni Rivera Feared Dead in Plane Crash

Tibrina Hobson/Getty Images(NEW YORK) -- Multiple reports, including one from Gerardo Ruiz Esparza, Mexico's secretary of communications and transports, confirmed on Sunday that the remains of the private jet carrying popular Mexican-American singer Jenni Rivera have been found, with no survivors.  Rivera, 43, was one of seven people on the jet.

Rivera's father, Pedro, confirmed the news of his daughter's apparent passing to reporters stationed outside his home in Lakewood, Calif., where several family members had gathered, including Rivera's mother, Rosa, and her eldest daughter, Chiquis.

Rivera's father reportedly received the news via telephone from his son, singer Lupillo Rivera, who was in Mexico at the time of the jet's disappearance.

"This is the first tragedy of this kind that we suffer as a family," Rivera's father told reporters Sunday evening.  "I hope people remember her as she was -- someone who was straight with the world."

Mexican officials earlier confirmed the disappearance of the private jet carrying Rivera, which took off from the northern Mexican city of Monterrey at 3:15 a.m. local time on Sunday and fell off the radar 10 minutes, or 62 miles, after takeoff.

The Learjet 25 jet is believed to have been carrying five passengers and two pilots.  It was headed for Toluca International Airport, located outside of Mexico City, where it was scheduled to arrive at 4:40 a.m.  An official search for the jet was initiated at sunrise.

Rivera's publicist, Arturo Rivera, and her makeup artist, Jacob Yebale, are believed to have been on the flight.

Rivera was due in Toluca Sunday evening for the taping of a Mexican TV show, which was cancelled due to Rivera's disappearance.

Known as "La Diva de la Banda," Rivera had a groundbreaking career in regional Mexican music, selling some 15 million records.  Her reality show on mun2, I Love Jenni, is one of the network's highest-rated shows.

Rivera made her film debut at the 2012 Sundance Film Festival in the indie family drama Filly Brown, due in theaters in January.  She was set to work on the Mexican edition of The Voice.

The Long Beach, Calif.-born singer's personal life has often called for as much attention as her career.  A mother of five, Rivera had filed for divorce from former baseball player Esteban Loaiza in October after two years of marriage, citing "irreconcilable differences."

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Private jet Carrying Regional Mexican Superstar Jenni Rivera Disappears

iStockphoto/Thinkstock(NEW YORK) -- Mexican officials have confirmed the disappearance of a private jet carrying regional Mexican music superstar Jenni Rivera that took off from the northern Mexican city of Monterrey at 3:15 a.m. local time on Sunday and fell off the radar 10 minutes (or 62 miles) after take-off.

The Learjet 25 jet is believed to have been carrying seven people – five passengers and two pilots. It was headed for Toluca International Aiport, located outside of Mexico City, where it was meant to arrive at 4:40 a.m. An official search for the jet was initiated at sunrise.

Rivera's publicist Arturo Rivera is believed to have been on that flight. His most recent tweets are of photos from Rivera's concert in Monterrey on Saturday night.

The Mexican American singer's most recent tweet is a re-tweet of what appears to be a fan's message.

Rivera was due in Toluca this evening for the taping of a Mexican TV show, La Voz.

Known as La Diva de la Banda and beloved by fans on both sides of the border, Rivera, 43, has had a groundbreaking career in regional Mexican music, selling some 15 million records. Among her many feats in a male-dominated genre, she made history in September 2011 when she sold out the Staples Center in Los Angeles, the first female regional Mexican artist to do so. Her reality show on mun2, I Love Jenni, is one of the network's highest rated shows. Rivera made her film debut at the 2012 Sundance Film Festival in the indie family drama Filly Brown, due in theaters in January 2013.

The Long Beach, Calif.-born singer's personal life has often called for as much attention as her career. A mother of five, Rivera had filed for divorce from baseball player Esteban Loaiza in October after two years of marriage, citing "irreconcilable differences." Soon after, rumors of an affair between Loaiza and Rivera's own daughter Chiquis surfaced, which Chiquis addressed on Twitter in October by saying, "I would NEVER do that, Ever! That's a horrible accusation."

The search for Rivera's jet continues. This is a developing story.

Copyright 2012 ABC News Radio

Peña Nieto Makes Big Promises to Mexico

MANDEL NGAN/AFP/Getty Images(NEW YORK) -- Mexico's new president, Enrique Peña Nieto, started his first day in office by making some big promises, mentioning that his goal is to "set the grounds" for Mexico to become a developed country.

Surrounded by hundreds of foreign dignitaries, and most of Mexico's political brass, Peña Nieto announced a new "crusade" against hunger, a national crime prevention program, a law that would increase competition in Mexico's monopolistic telecommunications market, and a plan to make broadband internet access a "right" of every Mexican.

The proposals were neatly packaged into a list of thirteen "actions," announced by the new Mexican president during his inauguration speech in Mexico City's Presidential Palace. After each "action" was announced, the select group of politicians, ambassadors, religious leaders and business people who were invited into the palace to watch the speech clapped. They clapped especially hard and long after Peña Nieto talked about reforming the country's mediocre education system. Here are some of the most significant initiatives Peña Nieto announced on Saturday.

-- A crime-prevention program aimed at rebuilding the country's "social fabric," which will include input from the ministries of finance, security agencies and the ministry of social development.

-- New government licenses for two public access TV channels that will compete with the Televisa- TV Azteca duopoly.

-- A new education law that will fund a census of the country's schools and establish new merit-based procedures for hiring teachers.

-- A telecommunications law that will open that sector up to greater competition and declare that broadband internet access is a "right" of all Mexicans.

-- Government-sponsored life insurance for single mothers.

-- Universal pension coverage for citizens over seventy.

According to some observers of Mexican politics, many of these proposals had actually been put forth by Peña Nieto's archrival, leftist candidate Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador during the presidential campaign.

Regardless, Peña Nieto seemed confident that he could carry out these reforms, arguing that the country's strong institutions and its solid macroeconomic indicators would help him to ease social problems in the country.

"In today's Mexico, we can no longer accept the situation of poverty and hunger that much of our population is living through," Peña Nieto said. "If we all contribute with our work and effort, we can turn Mexico into a fully developed country," he added, as the audience applauded.

Strangely, Peña Nieto did not mention the issues of tax reform, or what he will do with Mexico's oil sector, two areas that economic experts have said are crucial if the country is going to move ahead.

However Peña Nieto thanked President Calderon for working with this party to carry out labor reforms that will make it easier to hire and fire workers in the country, in what could be a sign that he will continue to try to forge alliances with the National Action Party or PAN, to pass key economic reforms.

Outside the presidential palace, protests against Peña Nieto led to confrontations between citizens and police. Some of the protesters were the same ones who had attempted to break a security barrier around Mexico's Congress earlier on Saturday.

The hectic activity outside, however, did not seem to dampen Peña Nieto's mood, and the new President raised his voice as he declared that this was "the moment of Mexico."

"Six years are a short period in a country's history," Peña Nieto said about his brand new presidential term. "But 2,191 days are sufficient to set the bases for what should be our goal," he added, mentioning again that he wanted to turn Mexico into a developed country.

"Let's turn Mexico into a country that is not only proud of its past, but a country that is focused on improving its present and conquering its future," Peña Nieto said.

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Amidst Violent Protests Enrique Peña Nieto Sworn in as President of Mexico

Pedro PARDO/AFP/Getty Images(NEW YORK) -- A chaotic protest of thousands of people unfurled outside Mexico's Congress on Saturday as Enrique Peña Nieto took the oath of office to become the new president of Mexico.

Peña Nieto takes over leadership of the country from Felipe Calderon of the National Action Party.

The Institutional Revolutionary Party member was sworn in at Mexico's Congress as a huge police barricade that extended several blocks away from the building kept Peña Nieto's most vocal opponents away from the site.

In the streets surrounding Mexico's Congress, union members from as far away as Oaxaca, mingled with middle-aged protesters, and students from the Yo Soy 132 movement. In the early hours of the morning, small groups of protesters wearing bandanas clashed with police, as they attempted to break the barricade that separated them from the Congressional building.

"We are here because there was fraud; these were the dirtiest elections in a long time," said a young man who had spread a white powder on his face. The powder was made from pepto-bismol mixed with water and intended to help ease the symptoms of tear gas and pepper gas, fired by police to keep protesters away from the barricade.

"I've been looking for a job for the past three years," said the man, who preferred not to provide his name. "With Peña Nieto we will not earn any more than now."

Peña Nieto's election back in July was marred by vote-buying accusations. But Mexico's political class has mostly acccepted his victory, with the exception of leftist Presidential candidate Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador.

The scene inside Congress was relatively calm, although some lawmakers held signs opposing Peña Nieto and booed the new president as they vocally protested the new leader's election. It was a far cry from the chaos of 2006, when lawmakers broke into brawls and swarmed the podium in a last minute effort to prevent the incoming President Felipe Calderon from taking oath.

Outside the Congress however, at least three people were injured, and one protester was reportedly in a delicate state after sustaining injuries to the head during confrontations with police. Most protesters outside Mexico's Congress avoided confrontation with law enforcement.

But smaller groups wearing bandanas on their faces chiseled away at the pavement to get slabs of cement that they threw at police with slingshots. A group of protesters also tore down chunks of a local bus stop, in order to use its materials as weapons and shields. Police fired successive rounds of tear gas and rubber projectiles at protesters, forcing them to retreat fom the barricade. But as the tear gas evaporated, groups made up of a few dozen protesters would approach the barricade again, engaging in a street battle with police.

Oscar Contreras, a local veterinary student, tried to stop one protester from further damaging a bus station that was about five blocks from the police barricade.

"By destroying the city, we are allienating those who we want to convince," Contreras said, adding that he opposed Peña Nieto, because the new President has talked about privatizing the national oil company, Pemex, and and has suggested that taxes will have to be increased.

¨We cannot pay more taxes," Contreras said. "Most Mexicans only make two to three times the minimum wage."

Vice President Joe Biden attended Peña Nieto's inauguration in Mexico. The new president met with President Obama last week at the White House.

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