Pat Bet-David

The case stems from lawsuit dating back to 2021 and a government audit in 2025.

alleging irregularities.

The ruling will delight the U.S.

president, who vowed last year to take back control of the canal connecting to the Pacific and the Caribbean, and has criticized Chinese influence over the waterway.

Kevin Marino, U.S.

ambassador to Panama, hailed the ruling as strongly affirming the rule of the law.

It confirms that Panama's independent judiciary enforces legal compliance, transparency, and public service obligations.

There's a lot to it.

The two canals that they're talking about, Tom, one of them is called the Key Balboa and the other one is called the Crystal Ball.

And Jose Raul Molino, who happens to be the president of Panama, I want to say he got elected July of 2024.

He's only been in for a minute, a year and a half.

And Panama doesn't have a Republican and Democratic party.

It works in a very different way.

But this guy is very much pro-law enforcement, pro-borders.

He would be considered a conservative.

And when he's sitting there looking at the amount of control that China has over Panama, it's like, wait a minute, what is going on here?

And he knows where President's at, and he probably also knows that

President Trump may do something like the Cuba and something like the Greenland or Venezuela and some of that stuff, but they actually have a, they have an okay working relationship together.

I got some thoughts on this, but Tom, I'll come to you first.

Hutchinson owns, Rob, so the audience can see exactly why these two are so important.