Three days from now, January 20, will be a busy day: Donald Trump's inauguration  has been moved indoors , the Capitol rotunda, with viewers being sent to the Capital One Arena.  The last time this happened was in 1985 for Ronald Reagan, when the temperature reached 7F.  Not so bad this year at up to 19F, but the prominent factor was wind chill.  It is very uncomfortable in DC at this time of year. It was on  13January1982  when I was working for the U.S. Senate. This was a particularly cold period for the city, with temperatures dropping to below zero.  Chicago that day was -25F.  Citrus groves in Florida froze. It began snowing, all told, around 6 inches in a few hours.  A fire in the Metro train line made for a particularly traffic nightmare. When the snowfall seemed to be ending, the first plane to take off at National Airport ( later named Reagan International--he first got elected in 1981 ) when visibility was only a sixteenth of a mile...

We have been at-sea heading for Southampton, UK,since leaving Miami on Sunday.  Before bringing you up to day on our cruise, one item regarding Donald Trump.  His re-election as president   will definitely change our relationship with the world.    His stance has always been America first. With Europe. The Ukraine War will be probably be settled, with Russia gaining some territory.  Interesting that Vladimir Putin has not yet congratulated Trump. His view about NATO is clear.  He wants every member to pay their share. His "pal," Hungary's Prime Minister Viktor Orban, will hold a summit of 50 European leaders today in Budapest, which will be our final European Christmas River Cruise stop. He identifies well with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, and has had good relations with Saudi Arabia.  Iran has tried to assassinate Trump, so there is a problem there. China will also see some added tariffs, and there is that Taiwan matter.  ...

Today is like the end of summer, for tomorrow begins September.   But you can enjoy life until Tuesday, for Monday is Labor Day, a national holiday. All things considered, the world at this very moment is doing fine: Internationally: The Hamas attacked Israel on 7October2023.  There will be a  three-day cease fire beginning tomorrow in the Gaza Strip to vaccinate 640,000 Palestinian children against polio , which has no cure.  The first case in 25 years was just reported, so maybe this is a possible first step to a larger truce to come. Two doses of two drops of a live virus to be taken orally.  2000 medical volunteers will do the job.  The world yet awaits that expected revenge response from Iran on Israel. Russian invaded the Ukraine in February 2022, and remains in control.  But the fact that Ukraine has lasted this long, and is  now into Russian territory , is a surprise.  The U.S. is approaching a  trillion dollars for the Afgh...