PANAMA CITY (AP) — Thousands of Panamanians marched in the capital Tuesday in the largest protest yet against an agreement signed during last month's visit by U.S. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth giving U.S. troops access to strategic air and naval facilities in the Central American nation.
U.S. President Donald Trump thrust Panama into the spotlight even before winning election last November by suggesting that his country should consider retaking control of the Panama Canal and accusing Panama of ceding influence to China.
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A man takes a selfie during a protest against the government's decision to sign a memorandum of understanding on security cooperation with the U.S. that protesters believe violates their nation's sovereignty in Panama City, Tuesday, May 6, 2025. (AP Photo/Matias Delacroix)
Students and teachers protest the government's decision to sign a memorandum of understanding on security cooperation with the U.S. that they believe violates their nation's sovereignty in Panama City, Tuesday, May 6, 2025. (AP Photo/Matias Delacroix)
Students and teachers protest the government's decision to sign a memorandum of understanding on security cooperation with the U.S. that they believe violates their nation's sovereignty in Panama City, Tuesday, May 6, 2025. (AP Photo/Matias Delacroix)
Students and teachers protest the government's decision to sign a memorandum of understanding on security cooperation with the U.S. that they believe violates their nation's sovereignty in Panama City, Tuesday, May 6, 2025. (AP Photo/Matias Delacroix)
Panama has vehemently rejected those comments but also tried to pacify the new administration, which has slapped tariffs on many trade partners.
University students led Tuesday’s protest accusing President José Raúl Mulino of sacrificing Panama’s sovereignty with the deal.
“We feel like our president is acting against the wishes of many Panamanians and in very sensitive affairs,” 30-year-old student Tony Ruiz said. “He signs an agreement behind our back that compromises our sovereignty, our neutrality with the world.
The previous night Foreign Affairs Minister Javier Martínez-Acha said of the agreement with Washington: “The memorandum of understanding does not imply a surrender of sovereignty, nor does it violate the national constitution, nor the neutrality treaty.”
Bases where the U.S. will get access for military personnel and contractors will always remain under the control of Panama and it can terminate the agreement with six months notice, he said.
Martínez-Acha said the U.S. government acted in bad faith in how it handled the sensitive issue in the media, an apparent reference to Trump’s inflammatory comments on the canal, but nonetheless Panama was being “prudent” and trying to avoid sanctions that have befallen other countries.
“International cooperation is necessary to strengthen our capabilities,” he said. “Collaborating with the United States in this case helps us improve security without affecting our sovereignty or our laws.”
The details of the deal only became public days after Hegseth's visit.
In a separate agreement, Panama also agreed to look for a way for the U.S. government to be reimbursed for fees its naval ships pay to transit the Canal. The Trump administration has argued that it should not be obligated to defend the canal and pay to use it.
The U.S. built the canal in the early 1900s as it looked for ways to facilitate the transit of commercial and military vessels between its coasts. Control of the waterway transferred to Panama in 1999 under a treaty signed in 1977 by President Jimmy Carter.
The Trump administration has also pressured for the Hong Kong-based operator of ports at either end of the canalto sell those interests to a U.S. consortium that includes BlackRock Inc.
While Martínez-Acha suggested that politically motivated opponents are stirring controversy, the student protesters expressed concern about a U.S. return to a country it invaded as recently as 1989.
“We are a neutral country; we cannot take sides with any country,” said Jam Allard, another student.
“We want our country to be sovereign.”
A man takes a selfie during a protest against the government's decision to sign a memorandum of understanding on security cooperation with the U.S. that protesters believe violates their nation's sovereignty in Panama City, Tuesday, May 6, 2025. (AP Photo/Matias Delacroix)
Students and teachers protest the government's decision to sign a memorandum of understanding on security cooperation with the U.S. that they believe violates their nation's sovereignty in Panama City, Tuesday, May 6, 2025. (AP Photo/Matias Delacroix)
Students and teachers protest the government's decision to sign a memorandum of understanding on security cooperation with the U.S. that they believe violates their nation's sovereignty in Panama City, Tuesday, May 6, 2025. (AP Photo/Matias Delacroix)
Students and teachers protest the government's decision to sign a memorandum of understanding on security cooperation with the U.S. that they believe violates their nation's sovereignty in Panama City, Tuesday, May 6, 2025. (AP Photo/Matias Delacroix)
NEW YORK (AP) — Kamala Harris “wrote off rural America" during the 2024 presidential campaign and failed to attack Donald Trump with sufficient “negative firepower," according to a long-awaited post-election autopsy released on Thursday by the Democratic National Committee.
The committee's chair, Ken Martin, shared the 192-page report only after facing intense internal pressure from frustrated Democratic operatives concerned with his leadership. Martin had originally promised to release the autopsy, only to keep it under wraps for months because he was concerned it would be a distraction ahead of the midterms as Democrats mobilize to take back control of Congress.
On Tuesday, Martin apologized for his handling of the situation and conceded that the report was withheld because it “was not ready for primetime."
Although the autopsy criticizes Democrats' focus on “identity politics,” it sidesteps some of the most controversial elements of the 2024 campaign. The report does not address former President Joe Biden’s decision to seek reelection, the rushed selection of Harris to replace him on the ticket or the party's acrimonious divide over the war in Gaza.
“I am not proud of this product; it does not meet my standards, and it won’t meet your standards,” Martin wrote in an essay on Substack on Thursday. “I don’t endorse what’s in this report, or what’s left out of it. I could not in good faith put the DNC’s stamp of approval on it. But transparency is paramount.”
A spokesperson for Harris did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
The initial reaction from Democratic operatives was a mix of bafflement and anger over Martin's handling of the situation.
“Why not say this in 2024, or bring in more people to finish it, instead of turning this into the dumbest media cycle for 7-8 months?” Democratic strategist Steve Schale wrote on social media.
The postelection report, which was authored by Democratic consultant Paul Rivera, calls for “a renewed focus on the voters of Middle America and the South, who have come to believe they are not included in the Democratic vision of a stronger and more dynamic America for everyone.”
“Millions of Americans are suffering from poor access to healthcare, manufacturing and job losses, and a failing infrastructure, yet continue to be persuaded to vote against their best interests because they do not see themselves reflected in the America of the Democratic Party,” the report says.
The autopsy points to a reduction in support and training for Democratic state parties, voter registration shifts and “a persistent inability or unwillingness to listen to all voters.”
Thursday's release comes as Martin confronts a crisis of confidence among party officials who are increasingly concerned about the health of their political machine barely a year into his term. Some Democratic operatives have had informal discussions about recruiting a new chair, even though most believe that Martin’s job wasn't in serious jeopardy ahead of the midterm elections.
The report found that Harris and her allies failed to focus enough on Trump's negatives, especially his felony convictions. This was part of a broader criticism that Democrats' messaging is too focused on reason and winning arguments, “even in cycles when the electorate is defined by rage.”
“There was a decision in the 2024 Democratic leadership not to engage in negative advertising at the scale required,” the report states. “The Trump campaign and supportive Super PACs went full throttle against Vice President Harris, but there was not sufficient or similar negative firepower directed at Trump by Democrats.”
The report continues: “It was essential to prosecute a more effective case as to why Trump should have been disqualified from ever again taking office. The grounds were there, but the messaging did not make the case.”
Trump's attack on Harris' transgender policies were cited as a key contrast.
Specifically, the report suggested the Democratic nominee was “boxed” in by the Trump campaign's “very effective” ad that highlighted Harris' previous statement of support for taxpayer-funded gender-affirming surgeries for prison inmates.
Democratic pollsters believed that “if the Vice President would not change her position – and she did not – then there was nothing which would have worked as a response," the report said.
The report criticized Harris' outreach to key segments of America while condemning the party's focus on “identity politics.”
“Harris wrote off rural America, assuming urban/suburban margins would compensate. The math doesn’t work,” the report says. “You can’t lose rural areas by overwhelming margins and make it up elsewhere when rural voters are a significant share of the electorate. If Democrats are to reclaim leadership in the Heartland or the South, candidates must perform well in rural turf. Show up, listen, and then do it again.”
The report also references Democrats' underperformance with male voters of color.
“Male voters require direct engagement. The gender gap can be narrowed. Deploy male messengers, address economic concerns, and don’t assume identity politics will hold male voters of color,” it says.
President Donald Trump speaks during an event about loosening a federal refrigerant rule, in the Oval Office at the White House, Thursday, May 21, 2026, in Washington. (AP Photo/Jacquelyn Martin)
Former Vice President Kamala Harris speaks during a fireside chat on Thursday, May 7, 2026, in Las Vegas. (AP Photo/Ty ONeil)
FILE - Democratic National Committee chair Ken Martin speaks during an interview with The Associated Press at DNC headquarters, Jan. 12, 2026, in Washington. (AP Photo/Allison Robbert, File)
