Npr.
This is the Indicator from Planet Money.
I'm Waylon Wong, joined today by our friend Mary Childs from Planet Money.
Hi.
Thank you for having me here.
It is so great to have you here.
And today we are talking geopolitics and how they're playing out at the Panama Canal.
As you've probably heard,
President Trump has some major grievances with this crucial piece of the global economy.
Yes, he has said that China controls the canal even though it is owned by Panama.
And just yesterday, the administration scored a victory.
American investment fund BlackRock agreed to buy majority stakes in two ports at the Panama Canal.
This deal transfers ownership in these ports
plus dozens of other ports in other countries from a Hong Kong based company to a US Led consortium.
So the Trump administration may be placated on that front,
but it remains unhappy about how much the Panama Canal charges for tol.
The president has called these fees a ripoff.
So today on the show we are going to focus on that.
What does it actually cost to go through the Panama Canal and who foots the bill?
We sort out who pays what to use this all important waterway.