By Sol Amaya, CNN

(CNN) — Like the Lernaean Hydra of Greek mythology, the serpentine monster that grew two new heads for every one cut off, organized crime in Latin America is proving difficult to defeat with the kind of decapitation strategy apparently favored by President Donald Trump.

For every drug kingpin who falls, several others are willing to succeed him.

A case in point occurred last month when Nemesio Oseguera Cervantes, alias “El Mencho,” was mortally wounded in a Mexican military operation supported by US intelligence.

His death sparked violent retaliation across Mexico, resulting in the deaths of 60 people, the government said, and raising the prospect of a power struggle in his powerful Jalisco New Generation Cartel, known by its Spanish initials as the CJNG.

On March 7, Trump convened a gathering he dubbed the Shield of the Americas Summit at his golf club in Doral, Florida, where a dozen Latin American leaders agreed to form a “military coalition” against organized crime. In a speech to attendees, Trump described it as “a coalition to eradicate the cartels.” (Not invited to the event were the presidents of Colombia and Mexico, two countries that have been confronting cartels for decades and that are traversed by drug-trafficking routes.)

Succession and fragmentation

But analysts consulted by CNN agree that decapitating criminal organizations is unlikely to end the problem of drug trafficking. Besides the availability of candidates to replace the fallen leader, fights to succeed him often create fragmentation and violent struggles, complicating the state’s ability to respond.

“Where there are many groups disputing territory, disputing businesses, that’s where violence is exacerbated and these autonomous units start to form. This is the most dangerous thing,” explained Marcelo Bergman, a sociologist and expert on criminality. “These groups end up fighting among themselves, carrying out executions, extorting, creating panic in societies.”

This occurs not only in Mexican cartels, but also in criminal organizations in several countries in the region. “A very notorious case is Ecuador’s, where several gangs are vying for control of routes, apparently to traffic the cocaine that leaves Colombia and enters Ecuador and then goes out through the Pacific to Mexico and then to the United States,” Bergman said.

In the past year, the nonprofit Armed Conflict Location and Event Data (ACLED) monitoring group placed Ecuador among the 10 most violent countries in the world, with a large part of its population exposed to the threat of organized crime. Just one example of this situation was the recent discovery of five human heads hanging on the beach of Puerto López, in the province of Manabí.

But Ecuador is not alone in this infamous ranking. According to the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC), Latin America and the Caribbean — despite accounting for only 9% of the world’s population — are the scene of almost a third of global homicides, and 40% of those deaths are related to organized crime and gangs.

Diversification and use of technology

Another nonprofit, the Global Initiative Against Transnational Organized Crime (GI-TOC), reports that criminal groups have diversified from drug trafficking and moved into illegal gold mining, human trafficking, extortion and money launderin

By Sarah Ferris, Lauren Fox, Adam Cancryn, CNN

(CNN) — Both parties on Capitol Hill remain unmoved in their fight over President Donald Trump’s immigration agenda, threatening to drag out the Department of Homeland Security shutdown for days – if not weeks – more.

Even as a top official warned Tuesday the US could soon be forced to shutter some airports, top party leaders are responding to the mounting political crisis by blaming their opponents.

“I think Republicans need to pay TSA workers,” New Jersey Sen. Cory Booker told CNN when asked if Democrats planned to stand firm on their demands as airline delays worsen. “This chaos is Donald Trump and congressional Republicans who are doing nothing to pay these very loyal government workers.”

Booker is among dozens of Senate Democrats who are refusing to support any funding bill for DHS that doesn’t include a significant overhaul to Trump’s Immigration and Customs Enforcement agency. They see the funding fight as their only chance to force the White House to make changes in law to the agency’s contentious – and at times, fatal – operations, which have led to nationwide outrage this year.

“ICE being able to wear masks, to be able to pull people out of their cars and throw them to the ground, to be able to gas little babies and to be able to shoot people in broad daylight with no accountability. That is not helping reduce lines at the airport,” Sen. Elizabeth Warren of Massachusetts told CNN on Tuesday.

These Democrats have repeatedly tried to force Republicans to fund DHS’ other key functions, including the Transportation Security Administration, the Coast Guard and the Federal Emergency Management Agency. But Republicans are equally firm that Democrats are the ones blocking the funding and insist they will not fund slices of the department.

That fierce disagreement over federal immigration enforcement has left DHS without funding at a critical time, with a heightened threat environment stemming from the US war with Iran and severe weather and spring break travel threatening to compound at already understaffed airports. And both sides warn the stalemate could continue through Congress’ two-week recess for Easter and Passover, dragging the shutdown on for many more weeks.

The impasse is also colliding with the confirmation process for Trump’s pick to lead the agency, Sen. Markwayne Mullin, who is set to appear before the Senate Homeland Security Committee for a grilling on Wednesday.

Inside the Capitol and White House, Republicans believe that Democrats – not Trump – will feel the political pain from the shutdown as they seek to block funding for border security, according to multiple people familiar with internal discussions. They argue that vulnerable Democratic incumbents – like Georgia Sen. Jon Ossoff, whose hometown airport of Atlanta has seen hours-long waits – will feel the blowback come November.

Speaker Mike Johnson said Tuesday that Democrats are holding DHS “hostage in order to protect criminal illegal aliens” as he warned that airports are “reaching a breaking point” with 50,000 TSA agents now going without pay for another week. His Senate counterpart, Majority Leader John Thune, argued that Democrats chose not to accept a major ICE proposal from the White House roughly three weeks ago, which he said amounted to “significant gives” designed to unlock talks to fund the department.

Democrats returned a counteroffer to the White House last night, nearly 20 days after the White House’s last offer, two sources familiar with negotiations told CN

By Daniel Wine, CNN

Welcome to 5 Things PM! Did you hear a loud bang this morning? A rare event triggered a sonic boom that caught people by surprise in parts of the eastern US.

Here’s what else you might have missed during your busy day.

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President Donald Trump’s latest comments about the Iran war make him look out of the loop and unprepared, CNN’s Aaron Blake writes. It raises questions about whether the man who launched a war in the Middle East truly understood the implications.

2⃣ Missing general

William McCasland is an experienced hiker and outdoorsman, but the retired Air Force major general hasn’t been seen since leaving his New Mexico home nearly three weeks ago. An unseasonably warm spring is making him harder to find.

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The potentially toxic “forever chemicals” known as PFAS are known to pose many threats, and a new study suggests they could harm bone health in children. Here’s what parents should know.

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A longshot candidate for Florida governor proposed a 50% tax on content creators. CNN’s Donie O’Sullivan talked to the people at the center of this very public debate.

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OpenTable and Resy have dominated the battle for restaurant bookings for more than a decade. Now a wave of fresh competition is upending the dining scene.

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Top headlines

• Trump-appointed intelligence official resigns over Iran war
• One-third of TSA employees at Atlanta’s airport didn’t show up as funding stalemate creates havoc
• House Oversight chair subpoenas Attorney General Pam Bondi for deposition in Epstein probe

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A warning for the future? Every winter, these turtles cluster together to hibernate in the water beneath a frozen lake. Then one year, their resting grounds revealed a sad discovery.

For CNN subscribers

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Por Annie Grayer, CNN

El presidente de la Comisión de Supervisión de la Cámara de Representantes, James Comer, emitió este martes una citación a la secretaria de Justicia de Estados Unidos, Pam Bondi, para que comparezca a una declaración el 14 de abril como parte de la investigación sobre Jeffrey Epstein.

Comer escribió en la carta de presentación de la citación que su comisión está investigando la “posible mala gestión de la investigación del Gobierno federal” sobre Epstein y Ghislaine Maxwell.

“La Comisión tiene preguntas sobre la gestión del Departamento de Justicia de la investigación sobre Jeffrey Epstein y sus asociados y su cumplimiento de la Ley de Transparencia de los Archivos de Epstein”, escribió Comer, en referencia a la ley aprobada por el Congreso el año pasado que ordena al Departamento de Justicia divulgar los expedientes.

Por separado, la comisión anunció que Bondi y el vicesecretario de Justicia, Todd Blanche, tienen previsto informar a los miembros de la comisión a puerta cerrada el miércoles. Una fuente familiarizada con el proceso dijo a CNN que el Departamento de Justicia solicitó informar a la comisión sobre su investigación de Epstein y el cumplimiento de la ley para responder con prontitud a las preguntas de los legisladores, dado que programar una declaración con la comisión llevará tiempo.

Un portavoz del Departamento de Justicia calificó la citación de “completamente innecesaria”, pero no dijo si la secretaria de Justicia la acataría.

“Esta citación es completamente innecesaria. Se ha invitado a los legisladores a ver por sí mismos los archivos sin censuras en el Departamento de Justicia, y la secretaria de Justicia de EE.UU. siempre se ha puesto a disposición para hablar directamente con los miembros del Congreso”, dijo el portavoz.

“Ella sigue manteniendo llamadas y reuniones con miembros del Congreso sobre la Ley de Transparencia de los Archivos de Epstein, por lo que el Departamento ofreció informar a la comisión mañana. Como siempre, esperamos seguir proporcionando a los responsables de políticas los hechos”, continuó el portavoz.

La divulgación de los archivos por parte del Departamento de Justicia ha provocado quejas de legisladores de ambos partidos, y los críticos dicen que creen que los archivos fueron excesivamente censurados y exigen mayor transparencia.

“Como secretaria de Justicia de EE.UU., usted es directamente responsable de supervisar la recopilación, revisión y decisiones del Departamento respecto de la divulgación de archivos conforme a la Ley de Transparencia de los Archivos de Epstein, y por lo tanto la Comisión considera que usted posee información valiosa sobre estos esfuerzos”, escribió Comer.

La medida se produce después de que la Comisión, liderada por el Partido Republicano, votara a principios de este mes, de manera bipartidista, citar a Bondi para que testifique sobre su papel en la divulgación de los archivos.

Esta medida se produce después de que la comisión, controlada por el Partido Republicano, votara a principios de este mes —con apoyo bipartidista— a favor de citar a Bondi para que preste declaración sobre su papel en la divulgación de los expedientes.

El representante Robert García, el demócrata de mayor rango en el panel, hizo referencia el martes al esfuerzo bipartidista que condujo a la citación.

“Gracias a los demócratas unidos de la Comisión de Supervisión, junto con el apoyo de varios republicanos, el secretario de Justicia de EE.UU. ahora comparecerá ante nuestra Comisión bajo juramento. No más mentiras. No más distracciones. Queremos la verdad —y justicia para los sobrevivientes”, dijo Garcia.

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