By Simon Lewis and Matt Spetalnick WASHINGTON (Reuters) -When Marco Rubio arrives in Latin America this weekend on his first foreign trip as Donald Trump's secretary of state, he'll find a region reeling from the new administration's shock-and-awe approach to diplomacy.

Secretary of State Marco Rubio said on Thursday he had "zero doubt" that China has a contingency plan to shut down the Panama Canal in the event of a conflict with the U.S. and that Washington intends to address what it sees as a national security threat.

While repeating Trump’s lies about Panama, Senate leaders from both parties provide fraudulent justifications for a military intervention against the impoverished Central American country.

Newly inaugurated U.S. President Donald Trump is pushing to "take back" the Panama Canal, the world's second busiest interoceanic waterway.

A bipartisan group of U.S. senators on Tuesday expressed alarm at China's influence on the Panama Canal, which President Donald Trump has vowed the United States would take back.

President Donald Trump’s insistence that he wants to have the Panama Canal back under U.S. control is feeding nationalist sentiment and worry in Panama, home to the critical trade route and a country familiar with U.

US senators heard sharply different analyses about Chinese influence over the Panama Canal on Wednesday, with some experts suggesting solutions ranging from enhanced trade partnerships to military intervention to regain control of the strategic waterway.

After President Donald Trump’s pledge to regain control of the Panama Canal, lawmakers in Congress are taking a closer look at the key shipping channel.

Trump vows Mexico, Canada tariffs to start Feb 1 after using press conference to blast DEI once again: Live - The president said neither country has been ‘good to us on trade’ and the U.S. did not nee

None are believed to have survived the Wednesday night collision, which caused both aircraft to plunge into the frigid Potomac River.

Three of President Donald Trump’s cabinet picks prepared for skepticism and intense grilling from Democratic senators during their confirmation hearings Thursday