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PULSE POINTS:
❓What Happened: President Donald J. Trump’s pledge to “take back” the Panama Canal from Chinese influence has won support from frustrated Panamanian workers, who say foreigners are favored over locals for canal jobs.
👥 Who’s Involved: President Donald J. Trump, Secretary of State Marco Rubio, Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth, Panama’s President José Raúl Mulino, and local workers like Marvin Moreno.
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📍 Where & When: Panama Canal, with Trump’s campaign intensifying since his inauguration in January.
💬 Key Quote: “Right now [Trump] is the best option because the president we have is putting Panamanians practically against a wall,” said Panamanian welder Marvin Moreno.
⚠️ Impact: Trump’s pressure has secured U.S. military access to the canal and pushed Panama to ditch China’s Belt and Road, strengthening America’s grip on a vital trade route despite opposition from some local elites.
IN FULL:
President Donald J. Trump’s mission to reclaim influence over the Panama Canal is resonating with a growing cohort of Panamanian workers frustrated by their government’s mismanagement and perceived foreign favoritism. Construction workers see the return of U.S. influence as a path to restore local jobs and curb Chinese encroachment.
“May Trump come, take the canal in his pocket, and remove all those people from its administration. They are thieves,” one unemployed worker told The Telegraph, echoing the sentiment among laborers who claim Panama’s President José Raúl Mulino prioritizes foreign workers, particularly from a Chinese consortium building the canal’s $1.4 billion fourth bridge. Marvin Moreno, a 42-year-old welder, put it bluntly: “Right now [Trump] is the best option because the president we have is putting Panamanians practically against a wall. He is practically acting as a dictator.”
Trump has made the 51-mile waterway, which handles 40 percent of U.S. container traffic, a cornerstone of his foreign policy agenda, slamming the late Democratic President Jimmy Carter for “foolishly” ceding it to Panama. He accuses China of controlling the canal through CK Hutchison Holdings, a Hong Kong-based firm managing two adjacent ports, despite Panama’s denials.
Trump’s administration has successfully pressured the company to sell to a U.S. consortium and secured Panama’s exit from China’s Belt and Road Initiative after Secretary of State Marco Rubio’s February 2025 visit. He has also secured a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) in April, granting U.S. military vessels free passage and allowing U.S. troops to train on Panamanian soil.
“We will take back the Panama Canal from China’s influence,” Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth declared in a press conference at the canal. Trump doubled down on Truth Social, demanding free passage for U.S. military and commercial ships through both the Panama and Suez canals, arguing they “would not exist” without America.
While some Panamanians, like opposition leader Ricardo Lombana, call the MOU a “camouflaged invasion” and challenge its legality, workers like Moreno see Trump as defending Panama’s sovereignty against their government’s failures.
Editor’s Notes
Behind-the-scenes political intrigue exclusively for Pulse+ subscribers.
So here’s a little nugget for you, which I have tried to run up the DOD flagpole in recent months: what is the great Panamanian pasttime? It’s not soccer
So here’s a little nugget for you, which I have tried to run up the DOD flagpole in recent months: what is the great Panamanian pasttime? It’s not soccer
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PULSE POINTS:
❓What Happened: Defending Democracy Together (DDT), a Never Trump advocacy group, has expanded into a network of left-leaning political action committees (PACs), policy nonprofits, and media properties, raising at least $151 million since 2018.
👥 Who’s Involved: Former Republicans Bill Kristol and Sarah Longwell, who lead the DDT Network.
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📍 Where & When: Washington, D.C.; network activities and fundraising have been ongoing since 2018.
💬 Key Quote: The New York Times described Kristol as “someone who has probably picked over as many greenroom fruit plates as anyone in Washington.”
⚠️ Impact: The DDT Network resembles a political party infrastructure and has directed significant funds towards opposing President Donald J. Trump and supporting Democratic causes.
IN FULL:
Defending Democracy Together (DDT), a Never Trump advocacy group spearheaded by former Republicans Bill Kristol and Sarah Longwell, has evolved into a substantial network comprising left-leaning political action committees (PACs), policy nonprofits, and media entities. Since its inception in 2018, the network has successfully raised over $151 million, with its financial momentum showing no signs of slowing down. A recent report from the Capital Research Center (CRC) has revealed the Never Trump organization’s vast network of far-left funders and affiliations with a web of anti-Trump political groups.
Kristol, a veteran of Washington politics and staunch neoconservative, serves as the principal officer, while Longwell is the executive director of both Defending Democracy Together and the Defending Democracy Together Institute (DDTI). The duo also oversees the Republican Accountability PAC, a political action committee (PAC).
In 2020, the network’s efforts to defeat President Donald J. Trump were bolstered by a $10,050,000 grant from the Sixteen Thirty Fund, part of the far-left Arabella Advisors dark money network. The network’s financial transparency remains limited, with a significant portion of its backing sourced from anonymous contributions.
Prominent donors to the DDT Network include Democracy Fund Voice, backed by eBay founder Pierre Omidyar, and American Future Republic, connected to LinkedIn founder Reid Hoffman. These contributions have enabled the network to direct substantial resources towards opposing Trump and supporting Democratic candidates, with Hoffman contributing $9.5 million directly to the Republican Accountability PAC. Other significant donors to the PAC include Netflix co-founder Reed Hastings, who has given $6.9 million; John Pritzker, a San Francisco real estate mogul and member of the Pritzker family, who has contributed $3 million; and the leftist daughter-in-law of Rupert Murdoch, Kathryn Murdoch, who gave $2 million.
The DDT Network has also funneled funds into media ventures such as The Bulwark, a Never Trump website, and The Liberal Patriot, a platform that critiques the Democratic Party’s focus on “woke” culture and climate issues. Additionally, the network supports groups like George Conway‘s Society for the Rule of Law (SFL) and the Never Trump group Principles First.
Sarah Longwell’s consulting firm, Longwell Partners, has received over $21 million as a contractor for the DDT Network, suggesting the network also serves as a significant income conduit for its leaders.
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The U.S. and China agreed to suspend most tariffs for 90 days following high-stakes weekend trade negotiations in Geneva, Switzerland over the weekend.
The details: The agreement will see both nations slash their tariffs from 125 percent to 10 percent during the three-month reprieve. A separate 20 percent tariff on China for its role in the fentanyl trade will remain in place.
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- Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent said Sunday the talks led to “substantial progress,” and U.S. Trade Rep. Jamieson Greer added that the differences were “not as large as maybe thought.”
- China echoed the optimism, calling the pending joint statement “good news for the world.”
Markets react: U.S. stock futures surged, with the tech-heavy NASDAQ rising more than three percent. The dollar and bonds also jumped.
Trump reacts: President Trump struck an optimistic tone on Sunday, writing:
- “A very good meeting today with China, in Switzerland. Many things discussed, much agreed to. A total reset negotiated in a friendly, but constructive, manner. We want to see, for the good of both China and the U.S., an opening up of China to American business. GREAT PROGRESS MADE!!!”
What happens next? Talks will continue, led by Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent, Trade Representative Jamieson Greer, and Chinese Vice Premier He Lifeng.
These terms go into effect on Wednesday.
Peace is in the air: Over the weekend, President Trump also announced that India and Pakistan agreed to a “full and immediate ceasefire” following negotiations mediated by the United States.
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The U.S. and China agreed to suspend most tariffs for 90 days following high-stakes weekend trade negotiations in Geneva, Switzerland over the weekend. show more
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