Your Morning: Mexican cartels wiped out competition in US fentanyl market: DEA

U.S. ‘overwhelmed’ by drug crisis: Two powerful Mexican drug cartels are not only operating fentanyl and other illicit drug markets in all 50 U.S. states but have also successfully eliminated their drug-dealing competition using violence and other means, according to a report issued by the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration. The federal report said the Sinaloa and Jalisco cartels are at the heart of the deadliest drug threat the U.S. has ever faced, with 200 U.S. deaths linked to fentanyl each day. “The cartels are here in the United States, and not only are they here, but they’re comfortable,” Robert Almonte, a former U.S. Marshal and former El Paso Police Department narcotics detective, told NewsNation. How the cartels operate > 

Developing: One person died and several others were injured after a Singapore Airlines flight from London to Singapore experienced severe turbulence Tuesday, forcing an emergency landing in Bangkok, Thailand. “We can confirm that there are injuries and one fatality on board the Boeing 777-300ER. There were a total of 211 passengers and 18 crew on board,” the airline posted to its social media accounts. The latest > 

‘It carries no weight’: After video of Sean “Diddy” Combs appearing to assault his ex-girlfriend Cassie Ventura surfaced, the music mogul took to social media to apologize for his “inexcusable actions.” But not everyone’s buying it, with some doubting his sincerity. While several people have come forward with allegations and lawsuits against Combs recently, Natania Reuben has been sounding the alarm about Combs for 25 years after she was shot in the face outside a Manhattan nightclub, an alleged act Combs was never charged for. Reuben said the apology video has “zero value” to her. “It carries no weight to me because he never apologizes to Cassie directly. It was all about him. ‘I’m disgusted,’ ‘I hit a hard time.’ It was all about him,” Reuben said. Watch the interview > 

Diddy assault video: In the video, Combs is seen running in a towel after Ventura who is seen standing in front of an elevator bank. He grabs and drags her down and then kicks her before picking up her luggage. He is then seen dragging her on the floor back to a hotel room as she braces her head. The footage matches the description of a physical altercation Ventura detailed in her now-settled lawsuit against Combs. More legal action and a federal investigation that led authorities to raid Combs’ mansions in Los Angeles and Miami followed the lawsuit. Here’s a timeline of the allegations and lawsuits > 

Seeking justice: Reuben has spent the past 25 years trying to get justice for the night she says Combs shot her in the face at a Manhattan club. She told NewsNation she doesn’t think Combs was properly charged, and she fears for her life. Combs, his then-girlfriend Jennifer Lopez and rapper Jamal “Shyne” Barrow were all arrested in connection to the shooting, but only Barrow was officially charged. Read more > 

Editor’s note: This section of the newsletter mentions suicide. If you or someone you know needs help, resources or someone to talk to, you can find it at the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline website or by calling 800-273-8255. People are available to talk 24/7. Crisis resources > 

Background: Mica Miller, 30, was found dead at Lumber River State Park in Robeson County, North Carolina. Her husband, John-Paul Miller, was pastor of Solid Rock Church in Market Common in Myrtle Beach, South Carolina. John-Paul Miller was served with divorce papers just two days before his wife’s body was found in Robeson County, according to an affidavit. Timeline > 

Retracing Mica Miller’s last steps: A fisherman who was on the lake near where Mica Miller allegedly killed herself exclusively retraced Miller’s final steps with NewsNation correspondent Rich McHugh. “I started hearing the crying, and then I heard a gunshot,” claimed the fisherman who asked to remain anonymous. “The crying stopped. That’s when I felt like something bad had happened.” He said he discovered Mica Miller’s belongings, but he did not find her body. Now, the fisherman is hoping to clear his name regarding accusations hurled about him online. “I did not do this. There’s no way in the world I would harm anyone, even my worst enemy. I was just here fishing,” he told NewsNation. Watch the “Banfield” exclusive >

Trump trial: The prosecution’s star witness, Michael Cohen, admitted on the stand at former President Donald Trump’s hush money trial Monday that he stole money from his former bosses’ company. While being questioned by one of Trump’s defense attorneys, Cohen testified that he took money that was supposed to be reimbursement for a $50,000 payment to a technology firm. “So you stole from the Trump Organization?” the attorney asked, to which Cohen answered: “Yes, sir.” Cohen has not been charged with stealing from Trump’s company. Full breakdown of what happened in court > 

What’s next? Robert Costello, a defense witness in the case whom the judge threatened to remove from the trial over his behavior, will return to the stand Tuesday. Trump’s lawyers hope his testimony will help undermine the credibility of Cohen. Why the judge told Costello he was being “contemptuous” >

Gilgo Beach killings: Police served a search warrant Monday at the home of Rex Heuermann, the suspect in the deaths of four women whose bodies were found along Gilgo Beach. While it’s not clear what prompted investigators to search the home or what specific information they were seeking, the medical examiner arrived at the home Monday morning and NewsNation observed very large evidence bags being carried out of the home. The latest > 

Gilgo Four: Heuermann is currently awaiting trial, facing murder charges in the deaths of four women known as the Gilgo Four, whose bodies were all found along Gilgo Beach in Long Island, New York. Here’s a timeline of the case > 

What’s happening: President Joe Biden will travel to New Hampshire on Tuesday to detail the impact of a law that helps veterans get benefits as a result of burn pit or other toxic exposure during their service. Biden has blamed burn pits for the brain cancer that killed his son Beau, who served in Iraq, and vowed to advance the PACT Act into law. More than 1 million claims have been granted to veterans since the president signed the PACT Act into law in August 2022, the administration said. That totals about $5.7 billion in benefits given to veterans and their survivors, according to the administration. Read more > 

Historic home: Graceland, the home of Elvis Presley, is set to be sold at a foreclosure auction this week in Memphis, Tennessee. But the King of Rock and Roll’s granddaughter is fighting to block the sale. A temporary restraining order on the sale was granted Monday, according to an attorney for heir Riley Keough. A notice states that Graceland and the surrounding acreage on Elvis Presley Boulevard, is set to be auctioned off for cash to the highest bidder on the Shelby County Courthouse steps Thursday. What we know >