With less than two weeks before the midterms, we knew coverage would be ramped up. Escaping on a nine-day cruise seemed like a good idea. This time around, however, it’s been tough to screen out all the news. Our phones still work so headlines keep popping up. And it’s hard to resist not clicking on a link to read entire stories.
The rioting in France is headline news. Watching protestors destroying buildings and looting shops in Paris and elsewhere is sickening. CNN, the international version available on our ship, keeps running these rampages in loops. Some of the American reporters in Washington, D.C., including Kaitlin Collins, Erin Burnett, Anderson Cooper, and Jim Sciutto, claim screen time to put what’s happening in perspective.
Trump was quick to post on Truth Social and blame migrants for the violence and demand that France close its borders. French President Emmanuel Macron punched back, calling Trump’s claims “stupid.” In France, like in America, people are upset about the rising cost of living. And who’s responsible for that? Trump. His tariffs and illegal war in Iran have caused prices to shoot up worldwide. One man has caused this widespread chaos with Republican leadership not brave enough to step forward and stop him.
Because Republicans are panicked about losing Congress and perhaps the Senate, Trump has been campaigning in ruby red states to try to prop up losing candidates. But it’s what he says while speaking at these rallies that has people concerned for his state of mind. On several occasions, he complimented the backside of Ohio Senator John Husted who is trailing the Democratic candidate, former Senator Sherrod Brown. With people in the background laughing, perhaps in disbelief, Trump said about Husted: “I looked at his ass, and then I looked at his legs, and my — I said, ‘His ass is like, it’s like a pile of muscle.’ Then I looked at his legs, and I said, ‘Man, his feet are big.’” Seriously? This is our president speaking, speaking at a time when I don’t think many voters will vote because Trump likes the Republican candidate’s derriere.
Ohio seems to be attracting this type of low class behavior. Vivek Ramaswamy, the Republican candidate for Ohio governor, ran an ad featuring the mother of his opponent, Democrat Amy Acton. First, some clarity. Acton hasn’t seen her mother for decades ever since she and her brother were removed from their home after their stepfather was found guilty of sexually abusing Amy from ages 9 to 12. Her mother, by the way, chose to stay with that stepfather, leaving Amy and her brother to wind up in foster care.
A response to the ad was given by Amy’s brother, Arthur, who confirmed that they were forced to live in a tent in the wintertime. He said that he might have been sexually abused if Amy had not acted to protect her younger sibling.
Outrage about the ad was swift, not only from Democrats, but by some Republicans. The aforementioned Husted admitted he would never have run that ad, while other condemnation came from Nikki Haley, who once ran against Ramaswamy for president, and Lydia Mihalik, director of the Ohio Department of Development and former mayor of Findlay. The Columbus Dispatch, which has endorsed Action, called Ramaswamy’s ad “revolting and unsettling.”
And what did Ramaswamy do? He doubled down, helped by supportive statements made by Vice President J.D. Vance, and Donald Trump Jr. Trump initially did his usual duck and weave, saying he hadn’t seen the ad. Perhaps his human printer, Natalie Harp, forgot to include that video in what she feeds him each day. But then he came out and defended the ad, encouraging Ramaswamy to keep running it.
We also have Trump and Elon Musk sucking up to Russian President Putin. The Ukrainians claim that Starlink, one of Musk’s companies, is not sharing intelligence with Ukraine that previously operated as an early warning system, helping Ukrainians prepare for attacks that would kill people. While both Musk and Trump have denied involvement in restricting these critical battlefield technologies, U.S. Senators Jeanne Shaheen (D-NH), Ranking Member of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, Richard Blumenthal (D-CT), Sheldon Whitehouse (D-RI) and Chris Coons (D-DE) are demanding answers from SpaceX about recent unexpected, life-threatening restrictions to Starlink and Starshield technologies reported by Ukrainian military officials. In a letter sent to SpaceX Vice President of Legal Christopher Cardaci, the Senators sought answers about any involvement SpaceX may have had in Ukraine’s restricted access to Starshield as well as the role SpaceX plays in Ukraine’s ongoing access to Starlink technology. The Senators’ letter comes after both Trump and Musk denied their involvement in restricting Ukraine’s connectivity to these critical battlefield technologies. But if Musk didn’t approve that move, who did? And would Musk have acted without approval from Trump?
Since we’re in Canada now, I have had time to ponder why we are targeting our allies and, once again, cozying up to dictators and wealthy megalomaniacs. Steve Witkoff, who has no diplomatic skills and no security clearance, is still the one meeting with Putin. At his latest meeting he called Putin “a humanitarian” after the Russian dictator released Stephen James Hubbard, a 74 year-old teacher, who was seized by Russian troops in Ukraine and charged with with being a Ukrainian mercenary. No evidence was ever presented to back up that charge.
In Witkoff’s view, Putin is a humanitarian because he’s released someone he once illegally snatched in Ukraine and made a prisoner. Hillary Clinton, appearing on Kara Swisher’s podcast, has mused that Putin has something on Trump, perhaps photos, a tape, whatever. A better explanation is that Trump has always profited from doing business in Russia and he and his family want that to continue after he leaves office.
I am figuratively and literally at sea trying to explain what is happening in our country because of one man. I don’t expect my perspective will improve once I’m on dry land.
Top Bigstock photo by paul fleet
