Just as important, the US will need to figure out exactly what strings Putin's managed to attach to Trump - kompromat? threats? bribes? elaborate man management? something else? - or this vulnerability could be exploited again.

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inigyou 5 hours ago | parent | next [-]

None. No vulnerability. The population and the RNC just voted for a known Russian asset for some reason.

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SubiculumCode 2 hours ago | parent [-]

Our vulnerability is an open internet that includes Russia, leaving our populace completely open to Russian influence campaigns of micro targeted propaganda, recruitment, and incitement.

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analognoise an hour ago | parent [-]

I like how the “Chinese propaganda” against datacenters was found to be mostly a collection of facts.

While Russian propaganda is more clumsy and emotional, we’ve produced such an unequal society with such low regular education and outright corruption that people fall for it. That says something negative about US, not them.

If we admit our system cant even survive an open internet, it should be dismantled or reformed rather than free exchange closed.

	▲	SubiculumCode 32 minutes ago \| parent \| next [-]
		Education would blunt, but not eliminate the threat of nation-state funded micro targeted influence campaigns. Moreover, it would take years, and we have the problem now. In terms of data center propaganda and fact. Both are true. China is funding anti data center sentiment for geopolitical power, while at the same time, there are legitimate reasons for people to not like/ or fear AI. The problem is we (the U.S.) have to solve both. We cannot let China have significantly better AI models than we have because that is a real national security threat, while AI also threatens potential mass destruction dangers and an avenue of utter concentration of wealth, etc
	▲	don_esteban 20 minutes ago \| parent \| prev [-]
		This. I lived in a communistic country, where BBC/Voice of America/Radio free Europe were banned/jammed, under the pretext of 'your feeble minds will not be able to resist the insidious allure of western burgeois propaganda'. Seeing the same argumentation from the west's side is disheartening. We are now in the west, but (almost) full circle back where were before.

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estearum 5 hours ago | parent | prev | next [-]

It's almost certainly just that Trump is a fundamentally fragile, insecure man. He has proven over and over that he will happily fellate (proverbially speaking) any man who says nice things about him, and at least refrain from assaulting most women who say nice things too.

Putin (and everyone else) knows this.

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lesuorac 5 hours ago | parent | prev | next [-]

Idk maybe there is something nefarious but afaik Putin's always been cordial with Trump as well as let him do various investments in Russia. I'm not sure there's much reason for Trump to alienate his friend; if you've ever see Trump's staff meetings you'll know how much cordiality is important to him.

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AngryData an hour ago | parent | prev | next [-]

I think Trump is just that naturally that stupid and always has been.

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TheOtherHobbes 4 hours ago | parent | prev | next [-]

All of the above, plus death threats.

Trump isn't the weakness. The weakness is the almost complete collapse of the checks and balances around the president. If those were in place Trump would have been in prison by the end of 2021 at the very latest.

The DOJ, the military, both houses, the AIPAC wing of the Democrats, and corporate media are all fully captured. So are "independent" organisations like the NRA.

The Supreme Court is mostly captured. The lower levels of the judiciary are still holding out, but have limited enforcement ability without the DOJ.

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noir_lord 4 hours ago | parent [-]

It's why I don't see the US making the course correction it actually needs - realistically the "best" feasible outcome is that a presidential election is held and a business as usual democrat is elected who will immediately not address any of the problems for whatever reason (part of the system/paid by the same people pick one).

Candidates come and go but the system endures and it is the system that is rotten at every level all the way down to the core.

Then 4-8 years later the GOP candidate wins subservient to the same interests as Trump and the US Gov is back there again.

Not really sure what the outcome is for the US at this point, things will have to get a great deal worse before enough Americans decide this is unacceptable but that state can last years/decades before the dam breaks.

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SubiculumCode 2 hours ago | parent [-]

The winning Presidential campaign message would be this: I promise to work to reduce the power of the Presidency via supporting and campaigning for legislation and Constitutional amendments. It is time for Congress to once again be ascendent like it was in the first century of our great Republic.

We need a G. Washington, who refused more power than he was offered, setting precedents and expectations.

	▲	don_esteban 13 minutes ago \| parent [-]
		No, that is your wishful thinking. Based on recent years and the power of personalized AI influence campaigns, the winning Presidential campaign message (after 4 years of 'change nothing substantial Democrat' would most likely be 'I need real, full (silently: fascist) power, to finally drain the swamp'.

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oneshtein 4 hours ago | parent | prev [-]

Epstein files?