Critics say Mexico social programs used for political ends

MEXICO CITY (AP) — Shortly before taking office, Mexican President Andres Manuel López Obrador decided to create an army of volunteers — 18,000 of them — to carry out an unusual mission for an administration yet to begin. The team dubbed the “servants of the nation” set out door-to-door to canvass people who receive government benefits, collecting their personal information in part to see if they might be eligible for yet more help from various programs López Obrador had promised during the campaign for the likes of farmers, the disabled, unemployed youth and the elderly. The force — hired by former campaign workers who made up the transition team — was overwhelmingly shifted onto the...