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The following is a list of the best picture Oscar winners from the last 20 years, ahead of Sunday’s 97th Academy Awards in Hollywood.This year, 10 films are in contention for the top prize: “Anora,” “The Brutalist,” “A Complete Unknown,” “Conclave,” “Dune: Part Two,” “Emilia Perez,” “I’m Still Here,” “Nickel Boys,” “The Substance” and “Wicked.”2024 – “Oppenheimer”2023 – “Everything Everywhere All at Once”2022 – “CODA”2021 – “Nomadland”2020 – “Parasite”2019 – “Green Book”2018 – “The Shape of Water”2017 – “Moonlight”2016 – “Spotlight”2015 – “Birdman”2014 – “12 Years A Slave”2013 – “Argo”2012 – “The Artist”2011 – “The King’s Speech”2010 – “The Hurt Locker”2009 – “Slumdog Millionaire”2008 – “No Country for Old Men”2007 – “The Departed”2006 – “Crash”2005 – “Million Dollar Baby”

Sunday’s Oscars gala looks set for a nail-biting finale, with “Anora” and “Conclave” equally tipped by pundits to win best picture after a twisty awards season in which favorites have swiftly risen and spectacularly faltered.Here are the 10 movies nominated for Hollywood’s biggest prize at the 97th Academy Awards:- ‘Anora’ -Sean Baker’s sex worker tragicomedy “Anora” is an almost universally admired movie about class, capitalism and Cinderella dreams, from a filmmaker’s filmmaker. Last May, it became the first US movie to win the Cannes festival’s top prize since 2011. But the long path to Oscars success back home was far from assured. “Anora” left January’s Golden Globes empty-handed, before re-emerging as the year’s frontrunner by sweeping key awards from Hollywood’s producers, directors, writers and critics. – ‘Conclave’ -Twisty Vatican-set thriller “Conclave,” based on a Robert Harris novel about the mysterious and cutthroat politics of pope-picking, has surged at the last minute to become a joint favorite with “Anora” for the top prize. It debuted at the Telluride film festival in August to positive reviews but little serious Oscars buzz. That dramatically changed deep into awards season, when it won the top prize at Britain’s BAFTAs. And then last weekend, “Conclave” — starring Oscar nominees Ralph Fiennes and Isabella Rossellini — took the top award from Hollywood’s Screen Actors Guild. – ‘The Brutalist’ -Immigrant saga “The Brutalist” appears likely to seal a second best actor Oscar for Adrien Brody, who plays a brilliant architect and Holocaust survivor. It is a potential dark horse for best picture as well. The longest nominated film, running more than three-and-a-half hours (with intermission), looks like a lavish Hollywood epic, but was shot for less than $10 million. – ‘A Complete Unknown’ – This old-school biopic of a young Bob Dylan, endorsed by the legendary folk singer himself, was the final Oscars contender to be screened for voters last year. It quickly won favor, and eight nominations. The film’s best shot at glory is 29-year-old megastar Timothee Chalamet, though some have suggested a best picture surprise. – ‘Wicked’ -“Wicked” brings the smash-hit Broadway musical about the formative years of the “Wizard of Oz” villain to the big screen. It is the biggest blockbuster on the list, with a whopping $730 million box office worldwide.Voters may wait for the second and final installment to honor this lavish adaptation. But that won’t stop stars Ariana Grande and Cynthia Erivo from bringing the house down with a much-hyped live musical Oscars performance.- ‘Emilia Perez’ – No film had a more turbulent campaign than “Emilia Perez.”French director Jacques Audiard’s musical, about a drug cartel boss who transitions to life as a woman and turns her back on crime, was bought by Netflix before its Cannes debut. It won big at the Golden Globes, and topped the Oscar nominations with 13 nods. But its prospects evaporated when racist tweets from Oscar-nominated star Karla Sofia Gascon emerged, compounding criticism of the movie’s Mexican cliches and use of artificial intelligence.- ‘The Substance’ -Very few horror films have ever been nominated for best picture, and this entry about an aging Hollywood star addicted to a dangerous youth serum is even gorier than examples like “The Exorcist.” “The Substance” likely left too many Academy voters feeling queasy to realistically take the top prize, but star Demi Moore is a favorite for best actress.- ‘I’m Still Here’ -Walter Salles’s drama about a family ripped apart by Brazil’s military dictatorship was always a strong candidate for best international film. But the movie caused a huge shock by landing a best picture nomination too.With star Fernanda Torres also up for best actress, “I’m Still Here” has whipped up frenzied levels of support usually reserved for soccer World Cups in Brazil, with organizers of Rio de Janeiro’s Carnival parades planning to give live Oscars updates.- ‘Dune: Part Two’ -A huge commercial hit — its $715 million worldwide box office far outstripped the original — “Dune: Part Two” also earned stellar reviews. But the epic sci-fi sequel was released way back in February 2024, which is not typically a window for Oscars contenders, and it earned just five nominations, with auteur Denis Villeneuve snubbed for best director. Its best picture hopes are reduced by the likelihood of a third “Dune” next year.- ‘Nickel Boys’ -“Nickel Boys” wowed critics with its innovative use of first-person perspective to transport audiences into the trauma and abuse suffered by young Black boys at a notorious 1960s Florida reform school. It is by far the smallest nominated film by box office, with a global haul of just $2.8 million.

US President Donald Trump said Friday that boxes of classified documents that the FBI seized from his Mar-a-Lago home during an investigation into possible misconduct have been returned to him, and that he would one day display them in his presidential library.Trump said that the boxes, which contained top secret documents that he had faced charges of improperly taking with him when he left the White House after his first term, had been returned by the Justice Department, now led by his own appointees.The department “just returned the boxes that Deranged Jack Smith made such a big deal about,” Trump posted on his Truth Social platform, referring to the special counsel who had led the case over the documents.”They are being brought down to Florida and will someday be part of the Trump Presidential Library,” he wrote, without clarifying if all the documents that had originally been kept in the boxes had also been returned.Trump repeated his position that he “did absolutely nothing wrong” and his claim that the case against him was a political witchhunt. The FBI raided Mar-a-Lago in 2022 in a bid to retrieve the classified documents, which Smith had accused Trump of stashing at the Florida golf club after leaving the White House the year before.Photographs had shown the top secret documents — which included records from the Pentagon and the CIA — piled haphazardly and unsecured in a gleaming bathroom at the busy club.Trump had allegedly thwarted multiple efforts by the previous administration of Joe Biden to retrieve them.The prosecution was still moving through the legal system when Trump returned to power on January 20.Nine days later, Smith dropped the case, citing a Justice Department policy of not indicting or prosecuting a sitting president. He also resigned from the department.

Reactions to an extraordinary Oval Office clash between US President Donald Trump, Vice President JD Vance and visiting Ukrainian leader Volodymyr Zelensky on Friday laid bare America’s political divisions on the grinding three-year conflict between Ukraine and Russia.Democrats accused Trump and Vance of doing Russian leader Vladimir Putin’s “dirty work” after they berated Zelensky in front of the world’s media. But Republicans said the US leaders were right to accuse pro-Western Zelensky of lacking gratitude for American support in Ukraine’s defense against Russia’s invasion.Here is a selection of political reaction:- Democrats -“What we saw in the Oval Office today was beyond disgraceful. Trump and Vance berating Zelensky — putting on a show of lies and misinformation that would make Putin blush — is an embarrassment for America and a betrayal of our allies. They’re popping champagne in the Kremlin.”- Maryland Senator Chris Van Hollen “Trump and Vance are doing Putin’s dirty work. Senate Democrats will never stop fighting for freedom and democracy.” – Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer”Trump is transforming what the United States is as a country in the world into a far right, authoritarian, transactional, valueless oligarchy aligned with the world’s autocracies.”- Ben Rhodes, deputy national security advisor to former president Barack Obama”We cannot let President Trump rewrite history or upend proven partnerships with decades of bipartisan support. I extend my sincere apologies to President Zelensky and again reaffirm my support for our Ukrainian friends.”- Senate Minority Whip Dick Durbin, co-chair of the Ukraine Caucus”President Trump and his administration continue to embarrass America on the world stage. Today’s White House meeting with the President of Ukraine was appalling and will only serve to further embolden Vladimir Putin, a brutal dictator.” – House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries- Republicans -“Thanks to President Trump — the days of America being taken advantage of and disrespected are OVER… What we witnessed in the Oval Office today was an American President putting America first.”- House Speaker Mike Johnson”Zelensky is either going to have to fundamentally change or go. I can’t believe most Americans, after what they saw today, would want to be partners with Zelensky.”- South Carolina Senator Lindsey Graham”Thank you @POTUS for standing up for America in a way that no President has ever had the courage to do before. Thank you for putting America First. America is with you!”- Secretary of State Marco Rubio”Zelensky could have left the White House today with a peace deal for his country, ending this conflict. Instead, he chose to disrespect our President and nation. Thank you, President Trump and Vice President Vance, for standing up for our country!”- Tennessee congresswoman Diana Harshbarger”Ridiculous grandstanding by Zelensky in the Oval Office. The United States has spent hundreds of billions of dollars to defend Ukraine. And this is the thanks the American people get? It’s time to end this war.”- Florida congressman Greg Steube 

Hollywood legend Gene Hackman had likely been dead for over a week when he and his wife were found lifeless in their New Mexico home, the local sheriff said Friday.Authorities launched a probe into what they said were the “suspicious” deaths of Hackman, 95, and his classical pianist wife Betsy Arakawa, 63, as questions swirl over how the beloved actor could have died.Santa Fe Sheriff Adan Mendoza told reporters Friday the partially mummified bodies had no external injuries but initial tests revealed “both individuals had tested negative for carbon monoxide.”Early suggestions, including from Hackman’s family, were that they could have been overcome by fumes.But, said Mendoza, tests had begun to narrow down a possible date of death.”An initial interrogation was conducted of Mr. Hackman’s pacemaker. This revealed that his last event was recorded on February 17, 2025,” he said.”I think that is a very good assumption, that was his last day of life.”The bodies of the Oscar-winning star of “The French Connection” and his wife were found on Wednesday, after emergency services were called to the scene when maintenance workers had been unable to access the sprawling property.First responders found the door unlocked and open, and pills scattered next to Arakawa’s body, which was in the bathroom.Hackman’s body was found in another room, fully clothed, with sunglasses next to his body, indicating a sudden fall.A German Shepherd was found dead in the bathroom, and two other healthy dogs were at the house.Mendoza said as they waited for the results of toxicology tests, which might shed some light on the tablets by Arakawa’s body, investigators were now trying to piece together a timeline.That included looking through planners and cell phones and searching for any video that might give hints to the couple’s movements over the last few weeks.But, he said, it was a complicated task, compounded by their low profile.”I think everybody here understands that they were very private individuals and a very private family,” he said.In a statement issued Thursday, Hackman’s family said they were “devasted by the loss.””He was loved and admired by millions around the world for his brilliant acting career, but to us he was always just Dad and Grandpa,” daughters Elizabeth and Leslie Hackman and granddaughter Annie Hackman said. “We will miss him sorely and are devastated by the loss,” they added. Hackman, a two-time Academy Award winner, was credited for intense performances of everyman characters inspired by his troubled upbringing, notching up dozens of movie credits extending into his 70s.He is perhaps best known as vulgar New York cop Jimmy “Popeye” Doyle in the 1971 crime thriller “The French Connection” — for which he won an Oscar for best actor.He won another golden statuette two decades later for best supporting actor for his portrayal of the brutal small-town sheriff “Little Bill” Daggett in the 1992 western “Unforgiven.”

Even by his standards, President Donald Trump generated a pile of eye-popping news items this week. Here are some of the highlights:- Oval Office bust-up -A photo-op in the White House with President Volodymyr Zelensky degenerated into a shocking public quarrel that could prolong Ukraine’s war with invading Russian forces.”What you’re doing is very disrespectful to this country,” Trump said, nearly shouting. Zelensky tried to make his case, but was repeatedly rebuffed.Trump finally called an end to the fractious exchange with the words: “It is going to be great television, I will say that.”- RSVP the king -British Prime Minister Keir Starmer laid it on thick with Trump, handing the president a hand-signed letter from King Charles III inviting him for an unprecedented second state visit to London.Reading the invitation in front of a throng of journalists, Trump appeared deeply flattered that he had been invited to Windsor Castle.Starmer also gave him a golf cap in the Trump family tartan, while his wife Melania got a scarf from the posh store Liberty and a Downing Street candle.- AI: Trump and Netanyahu topless -The US president posted an AI-generated video depicting war-ravaged Gaza rebuilt as a seaside Trump-branded resort, with a towering golden statue of himself and bearded belly dancers.The clip’s soundtrack included the lyrics “Donald’s coming to set you free, bringing the light for all to see,” and “Feast and dance, the deal is done, Trump Gaza number one.”Among the AI scenes was Trump and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu sipping cocktails in swimsuits by a pool, while another showed Elon Musk dancing under a shower of cash.- US, Russia, NKorea: UN allies -The United States sided with Russia twice at the United Nations, as Washington sought to avoid condemnation of Moscow’s invasion of Ukraine three years ago.The votes highlighted a seismic shift at the UN, where Washington had previously led votes for resolutions that lambasted its historic competitor and often enemy Moscow.A European-backed text won 93 votes for at the General Assembly and 18 votes against — with Washington siding with Russia, Belarus, North Korea and Sudan.- Ebola prevention ‘accidentally canceled’ -Starring at Trump’s first cabinet meeting, Elon Musk admitted his dramatic government cuts were not perfect.”For example, with USAID, one of the things we accidentally canceled very briefly was Ebola prevention,” he said with a giggle, insisting there was no actual interruption.But current and former staff told US media that USAID’s Ebola prevention work has indeed been largely halted since Musk took an axe to the aid agency.- Le Bromance, still on? -They hugged, they gripped hands, they touched knees and they backslapped. French President Emmanuel Macron and Trump rekindled their touchy-feely bromance at the White House.But when Trump repeated a false claim that Europe would get its aid money back from Ukraine, Macron interrupted to explain the cash was “like the US — loans, guarantees, grants.”Trump smirked and said, “If you believe that, it’s OK with me.”

US President Donald Trump erupted at Volodymyr Zelensky on Friday, angrily sending the Ukrainian leader out of the White House after an extraordinary Oval Office meltdown because he was “not ready” for peace with Russia.The abrupt exit, cutting short what was meant to be a day of Ukraine-US diplomacy, meant Zelensky left without a deal for joint development of his country’s minerals resources that was to be part of a post-war recovery in a potential US-brokered truce.Instead, an ugly clash blew up in the Oval Office where Trump and Vice President JD Vance shouted at Zelensky, accusing him of not being “thankful” for US help in the three-year war against Russian invasion.Telling Zelensky that without US assistance Ukraine would have been conquered by Russia, Trump said Zelensky was in no position to negotiate.”You don’t have the cards right now,” he said. “You’re either going to make a deal or we’re out, and if we’re out, you’ll fight it out and I don’t think it’s going to be pretty.”Zelensky departed shortly after, with Trump posting on social media that “he can come back when he is ready for peace.”The minerals deal was not signed and a joint press conference was canceled. US media reported that Zelensky had been told to leave by senior Trump officials.- ‘Not alone’ -US allies in Europe — increasingly worried that Trump will force Ukraine into a deal effectively handing victory to President Vladimir Putin — quickly expressed support for Zelensky.”You are not alone,” Poland’s Prime Minister Donald Tusk said.”Ukraine, Spain stands with you,” the Spanish premier, Pedro Sanchez, said.The German foreign minister posted on X that “Germany together with our European allies stands united alongside #Ukraine — and against the Russian aggression.”Democratic lawmakers in Washington reacted with shock. Trump and Vance are “doing Putin’s dirty work,” Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer posted.But Russia was delighted with the collapse in relations between Kyiv and Washington, which has led the Western alliance supporting Ukraine for years.”How Trump and Vance held back from hitting that scumbag is a miracle of restraint,” foreign ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova said.Trump’s Republican Party took a similar position, blaming Zelensky.”I can’t believe most Americans, after what they saw today, would want to be partners with Zelensky,” Senator Lindsey Graham said.In Kyiv, Foreign Minister Andrii Sybiha praised Zelensky’s “bravery,” while a source in the presidency said Washington appeared to be “openly playing along with Russia.”- Compromise row -The meltdown came after Trump said Ukraine will have to make “compromises” in a truce with Russia, which has occupied swaths of Ukraine, destroying cities and towns along the way.But showing Trump pictures of war atrocities and referring to Putin, Zelensky said there should be “no compromises with a killer on our territory.”After Zelensky pointed out that previous Western-backed peace efforts involving Moscow had failed to stop Russia from seizing growing areas of Ukraine over the years before the full-scale invasion in 2022, Vance angrily interrupted and called him “disrespectful.”From then on, the session devolved almost entirely into Trump and Vance loudly berating the Ukrainian leader in front of US and international media outlets.- Trump’s ‘numerous’ Putin calls -The leaders of France and Britain also came to the White House this week, seeking to persuade Trump not to take the Russian line and to bolster US support for Ukraine in any future truce.Trump has alarmed Kyiv and European allies with his abrupt U-turn in US policy, casting himself as a mediator between Putin and Zelensky and refusing to condemn the Russian invasion.Trump said in the Oval Office that he had “spoken on numerous occasions” to Putin — more than has been publicly reported beyond the lengthy call between the two leaders earlier this month.And speaking before the shouting match erupted, Trump told Zelensky that a truce is “fairly close.” The US leader had also said that the proposed minerals deal would be “very fair.”The proposal was to give Washington financial benefits for helping Ukraine in a truce, even if Trump has repeatedly refused to commit any US military force as a back-up to European troops who might act as peacekeepers.Trump called Zelensky a “dictator” last week, echoing Russian talking points. He has also said he trusts Putin — whom he has often said he admires — to “keep his word” over a ceasefire.Yet on Thursday, Trump had signaled he was ready to work with Zelensky, saying “I have a lot of respect for him.”As tensions between Moscow and Washington escalated, Russia’s assault on Ukraine continued.Russian infantry were on Friday storming the Ukrainian border from the Russian region of Kursk, near areas of the region that were seized last summer by Ukrainian forces, Kyiv said Friday.burs-sms/acb

It all seemed to be going so well. Then things between Donald Trump and Volodymyr Zelensky went jaw-droppingly wrong, jaw-droppingly fast.In a few astonishing minutes, a diplomatic photo opportunity in the Oval Office that was meant to be a step on the path to peace between Ukraine and Russia descended into a blazing row that has left Kyiv’s fate hanging in the balance.Despite tensions after Trump’s recent outreach to Ukraine’s mortal foe Russia — and his calling Zelensky a “dictator” last week — they had managed to strike a cordial tone for the first 40 minutes.As two former television personalities, they both knew how to play to the cameras. They shook hands. Ex-reality TV star Trump gently joked about Zelensky’s outfit, a less military-style shirt than Ukraine’s war-time leader normally wears. Former comedian Zelensky, at the White House to sign a deal on rare minerals and to keep Trump on side, kept things toned down as they sat in armchairs beside each other and fielded questions.Then, suddenly, things exploded. What followed was perhaps one of the most extraordinary scenes ever to play out in the Oval Office, the hallowed heart of the presidency where US leaders have long hosted their foreign counterparts.- ‘Disrespectful’ – It was Vice President JD Vance who lit the touch paper for the meltdown in relations.Leaning into his growing role as an attack dog for Trump, Vance accused Zelensky of not being “thankful” for US support when the Ukrainian leader questioned his calls for “diplomacy” with Moscow.”I think it’s disrespectful of you to come to the Oval Office and litigate this in front of the American media,” said Vance, sitting on a sofa near the two leaders.As the temperature rose, Zelensky folded his arms and asked Vance if he had ever been to Ukraine, prompting the vice president to angrily accuse Zelensky of leading “propaganda tours.” But then it was Trump’s turn to get involved.When Zelensky said that despite being an ocean away from Europe “you will feel it in the future” if you don’t help Kyiv, Trump was incensed.”Don’t tell us what we are going to feel,” Trump said, raising his voice.After that, the floodgates opened. All the tensions that have bubbled since Trump spoke to Russian President Vladimir Putin on February 12 boiled over — and not behind closed doors, but in the full glare of the world’s media, including AFP journalists.”You’re gambling with the lives of millions of people. You’re gambling with World War III, and what you’re doing is very disrespectful to this country,” Trump said.Red faced and furious, Trump wagged his finger at Zelensky as his voice rose higher. At one point he lightly shoved Zelensky’s upper arm with his hand as he made his points.- ‘Great television’ -For Zelensky it turned into an ambush, as the gruff-voiced Ukrainian kept trying to make his points while Trump berated him. “Please, you think that if you will speak very loudly…,” he said to Vance at one point, before Trump leapt in.”He’s not speaking loudly,” said Trump. When Zelensky asked if he could answer, Trump continued: “No, no, you’ve done a lot of talking. Your country is not winning.” The US president — long skeptical of US support for Kyiv — then delved into a litany of grievances about Ukraine. Trump even expressed solidarity with Kremlin chief Putin.”Let me tell you, Putin went through a hell of a lot with me, he went through a phony witch hunt,” said Trump, referring to an investigation during his first term into whether his 2016 election campaign colluded with Moscow.As the clash continued for some five minutes, reporters frantically filmed and tapped on their phones, while a Ukrainian diplomat buried her head in her hands.”You’re either going to make a deal or we’re out,” said Trump, making clear that this breach was real.Finally Trump called a halt and journalists were escorted out. An hour or so later, Zelensky abruptly left the White House and a minerals deal signing ceremony was canceled.The collapse of US support for Ukraine against Russia, at least for now, had played out in real time. In Moscow, the Kremlin rubbed its hands, hailing Trump’s “restraint” against “scumbag” Zelensky.But for Trump, ever the political showman, some instincts die hard.”This is going to be great television, I will say that,” he said as the meeting wrapped up.

Mexico handed over 29 alleged drug lords to the United States for reasons of national security and outside the countries’ extradition treaty, the attorney general said Friday. The transfers were carried out in this way due to concerns that some judges were deliberately seeking to delay the handover, Alejandro Gertz told a news conference.”This is a national security request that the United States justified based on the criminal conduct of those individuals in that country,” he said.Gertz and Security Minister Omar Garcia Harfuch said the decision to use a national security law instead of the extradition treaty followed reports that some of the suspects could be freed by courts.”There was a risk that some of these targets requested by the US government would be released or that their extradition processes would continue to be delayed due to agreements with some judges,” Garcia Harfuch said.The suspects handed over included Rafael Caro Quintero, who allegedly ordered the kidnap, torture and killing of US Drug Enforcement Administration special agent Enrique “Kiki” Camarena in the 1980s.Caro Quintero was on the US Federal Bureau of Investigation’s list of 10 most-wanted fugitives until his capture in 2022. He pleaded not guilty to narcotics charges in a New York court on Friday.If convicted, Caro Quintero and several others could face the death penalty, the US Department of Justice said.Mexico does not use the death penalty — something that Gertz said the United States should respect. The others delivered to the United States included the ex-leaders of the ultra-violent Zetas cartel, brothers Omar and Miguel Angel Trevino Morales.Former Juarez cartel boss Vicente Carrillo Fuentes and a brother of Nemesio Oseguera, who is the head of the Jalisco New Generation Cartel, one of Mexico’s most powerful criminal organizations, were also on the list.The surprise handover came as Mexico scrambles to seal a deal with Washington to avoid being hit with trade duties that Trump has linked to illegal migration and drug flows.

If US President Donald Trump is to be taken at his word, Mexican imports to the United States will be hit with 25-percent tariffs on Tuesday.But exporters in Mexico, the United States’ biggest trading partner, remain upbeat about the future of the $840-billion business relationship.Mexico’s economy has gone from strength to strength on the back of the free trade agreements it has enjoyed with the United States and Canada since 1994.The value of its exports to the United States now far exceeds that of its imports from its northern neighbor — a major bone of contention for Trump.On Tuesday, the tariffs he announced on all Mexican imports shortly after taking office are due to go into effect, after being suspended for a month.Mexican manufacturers, however, are not as worried as you might imagine.- Been there, done that -Marco Antonio Lopez has experience when it comes to navigating economic upheaval, from the sudden devaluation of the Mexican peso in 1994 that sent the economy into meltdown to Trump’s first presidency, when the Republican threatened to pull the plug on the North America free trade deal.In the end, the US leader renegotiated parts of the deal, but trade remains mostly tariff-free.Lopez’s company SMK Electronica, based in the city of Tijuana on the border with the United States, manufactures electronic components for the automotive, audiovisual and telecoms industries.The Tijuana region is home to hundreds of “maquiladoras” — factories that assemble imported parts into finished products for export, particularly to the United States.”We have faced many crises. The previous Trump administration was not as drastic, but it was very similar and we learned to adapt,” Lopez said.”The border industry is highly adaptable… and the investment is so great that there is no risk of it disappearing.”The automobile industry is under particular threat from the impending tariffs.A representative of an auto parts maker with operations in Mexico who did not want to be identified said that US-Mexico trade was too big to fail, but that tariffs could have an impact on production nonetheless.”Products will become more expensive and there will be a clear loss in competitiveness,” the person told AFP.- Interdependence -Besides tequila and avocados, Mexico is one of the United States’ biggest suppliers of cars, car parts and mechanical and electronic equipment.Free trade has made North America a seamless manufacturing platform, with products like car key fobs, which are assembled in Mexico, crossing borders on the continent several times during the manufacturing process.The aerospace industry is another example: Mexican companies manufacture components for US partners such as Boeing and General Electric in the northern city of Monterrey as well as in the central state of Queretaro.The mere development of a part for an aircraft engine can take between two and three years. “Changing suppliers in this sector is a rather complicated process,” said Erik Palacios, director of the Monterrey aerospace cluster, which groups some 40 companies.He predicted that US customers “will continue buying at a higher price” until they can develop a local supply chain.Citing a recent conversation with an executive from US carmaker Ford, Mexican Economy Minister Marcelo Ebrard said that the brand’s two most productive plants are in Mexico.That fact alone, he said, suggested that there were no plans to relocate them north of the border.- The long-term view -Companies that AFP spoke to said that decisions to locate manufacturing plants in Mexico were taken years in advance, and would likely outlast Trump’s four years in office. “Decisions in these companies are not made six months or a year in advance. They are made five or ten years ahead of time,” SMK Electronica’s Lopez said.German automaker BMW, which has an assembly plant in the Mexican state of San Luis Potosi, subscribes to that view. “We do not base our long-term strategic decisions on policies or political incentives,” a company spokesman told AFP.The spokesman pointed to the company’s announcement in early 2023 of an 800-million-euro ($830 million) investment in the production of lithium batteries in Mexico and the decision to start producing electric vehicles in Mexico in 2027.That, they said, was proof that BMW was banking on the Latin American country for years to come.