On this Day 13 of our cruise on the Norwegian Encore from Seattle to Miami, I feature Guatemala and  Costa Rica.... no t Guat a mala and Costa Ric o .  Then, of course, on November 3, we remain on board and sail away to Southampton, UK. But before the topic of today, here is something from the morning  New York Times,  sharing the latest doings of Donald Trump and his MAGA Republican Party. Republican Campaign Meet the new Project 2025: The America First Policy Institute, a right-wing think tank,   is planning for a Trump win . It wants ultrasounds before all abortions, work requirements for Medicaid and federal workers who can be fired at will. Trump said   he would fire Jack Smith , the special counsel who indicted him over the Jan. 6 riot and classified documents, if he were elected again. His lawyers are also seeking to   dismiss the Jan. 6 case , arguing that Smith was illegally appointed. Trump has floated the idea of   replacing income taxe...

Rachel Maddow can now be called executive producer, for she last night showed her first documentary film,   From Russia with Lev .  The   follow-on program provided further details .  If you missed it, quickly record a replay, today, Saturday, 2PM, MSNBC.  This film should not be confused with a   2016 religious book with the same title . Think back to those days when Donald Trump was president, and he tried to extort new president Volodymyr Zelenskyy, leading to Trump's impeachment.  He was trying to taint Joe Biden through his son Hunter to eliminate Joe from running against him in 2020. If you read through the entirety of a lengthy  Wikipedia  treatment of this  Trump-Ukraine scandal , light mention is made of Lev Parnas ( left of Trump ) and Igor Fruman ( extreme left ) as associates of Rudy Giuliani.  Well, the documentary is all about the role of Parnas.  How the story went is in part shocking, yet revealing, about the do...

Republicans seem troubled in two states.  First, Ohio, and specifically Springfield, a city of nearly 60,000, with a metropolitan area population of 136,000 residents.    It is home of Wittenberg University. Is now where  12,000 to 15,000 legal Haitians  have legally come.  This began three years ago.  The Federal government did not send them to Springfield.  They chose this city for its low cost of living and available work.  There are more than 210,000 Haitian immigrants now in the U.S, all legally entered. Leaders of the area are grateful for their presence. Ohio Republican Governor Mike DeWine was born in Springfield, and grew up in nearby Yellow Springs.  Has served as governor since 2019, and prior to that, was in both the House and Senate of the U.S. Congress. Ohio Republican Senator JD Vance was born in Middletown, Ohio, which is 43 miles from Springfield. Governor DeWine describes his Haitian immigrants as a positive influence....