Phil Stewart

Anyway, so I was with Secretary Hegseth in Panama in April, and he was basically really focusing on China.

And trying to keep the Chinese government and the Chinese economy has really become more interested in Panama in recent decades.

And that canal is quite important for U.S.

commerce, but also for the U.S.

military economy.

Were there a contingency in Asia?

So I think if you look at the broader if you look at the broader U.S.

policy, it seems to be more about rolling back the inroads of U.S.

adversaries in the hemisphere.

And then I guess the drugs, too, because that's still a priority for for him.

But I don't remember him running on.

I don't remember him running on cocaine, though.

So it's a trick.

Well, no, I think that they've been, I mean, the rationale for a lot of the actions they've taken, like the boat strikes in the Caribbean and on the Pacific side, have been squarely based on the drug trade.

But then, you know, the intervention in Venezuela has this kind of dual nature to it.

So it's, you know, on the one hand, they're serving, you know, they've extracted drugs

Maduro based on his indictment on drug trafficking charges.

Right.

Or his involvement in drug trafficking.

And then they're also talking about the oil industry.