News Wrap: 28 Sinaloa cartel members charged in U.S. fentanyl trafficking case

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• Geoff Bennett:

  In the day's other headlines: The U.S. Justice Department charged 28 members of Mexico's Sinaloa drug cartel in a sweeping investigation of fentanyl trafficking.

  The drug has fueled a surge of overdose deaths. Today's indictments name several sons of convicted drug lord Joaquin "El Chapo" Guzman, the so-called Chapitos known for their brutality.

• Anne Milgram, Administrator, Drug Enforcement Administration:

  To dominate the fentanyl supply chain, the Chapitos kill, kidnap, and torture anyone who gets in the way. In Mexico, they fed their enemies alive to tigers, electrocuted them, water-boarded them, and shot them at close range with a .50-caliber machine gun.

• Geoff Bennett:

  Most of those charged to remain at large. The probe also targeted a complex supply network, including Chinese chemical and pharmaceutical companies.

  Montana is poised to impose the nation's first total ban on TikTok. State lawmakers headed toward final approval of the measure this evening. It would bar the popular video-sharing app in the state and impose hefty fines on app stores or the company itself. The federal government and nearly half of the states already ban TikTok from government devices over concerns about its ties to China.

  The Constitutional Council of France gave it's approval today to a government plan raising the retirement age to 64. The decision means the bill can now become law, after months of public outcry. In Paris, protesters gathered outside city hall to condemn the decision, and some people set fires. Riot police charged at one point, trying to disperse the crowd.

  In Yemen, the Saudi-backed government and rebels linked to Iran have started a three-day exchange of nearly 900 prisoners. Some were greeted by loved ones today in the capital, Sanaa, held by the Houthi rebels. The International Red Cross hailed it as a breakthrough toward ending the long-running civil war.

  Ralph Wehbe, International Committee of the Red Cross: The look of despair changed now to the look of happiness is exactly what it's all about. We thank the parties of the conflict who reached this conclusion, and we are sure that this is a good boost for better days for Yemen.

• Geoff Bennett:

  Other flights carried prisoners to cities held by the internationally recognized government.

  South Korea and the U.S. conducted a new round of military exercises today, this time involving two B-52 bombers. The nuclear-capable planes were joined by South Korean fighter jets. That followed North Korea's latest missile launch. The North's state TV said it was a new solid-fueled, long-range weapon.

  President Biden has wrapped up three days in Ireland. He visited a Roman Catholic pilgrimage shrine today in County Mayo. His great-great-grandfather had lived there before coming to America. At the shrine, the president also met a priest who had performed last rites on his son Beau Biden in 2015.

  Here at home, Minneapolis will become the first major U.S. city to allow broadcasts of Muslim calls to prayer day and night. The city council has voted to amend a noise ordinance, so the calls will now be heard on loud speakers five times a day. Minneapolis has had a growing number of East African immigrants for decades, and mosques are now common.

  On Wall Street, stocks fell after a Federal Reserve Board member said inflation is still much too high. The Dow Jones industrial average gave up 143 points to close at 33886. The Nasdaq fell 42 points. The S&P 500 was down eight.

  And a Spanish mountain climber emerged today from a cave where she spent 500 days in a social isolation experiment. Beatriz Flamini greeted family and friends after living more than 200 feet underground since late 2021. Cameras recorded her daily life, and she says she lost track of the outside world.

• Beatriz Flamini, Mountain Climber (through translator):

  I'm still anchored in November 2021. I don't know what has happened in the world. I don't know. I have come out of the cave. For me, it is still November 21, 2021, and seeing you all in masks, for me, it's still the height of the COVID pandemic.

• Geoff Bennett:

  Flamini says she spent her time exercising painting and reading, and teammates left food and necessities where she could find them. But water was limited. So, today, she had her first shower in 16 months.