DigitalGhost

I'm in two minds about this. I despise TikTok. I think it's a pointless platform that brings nothing of value to the table and there is some truly horrifying stuff in the EULA. The world would be a better place if TikTok and apps like it didn't exist.

However, as well as being a tech professional, I'm also a libertarian and as soon as western governments start filtering out parts of the internet they don't like, that makes them no better than the Iranians or the Chinese. We've already seen this in the UK with some websites being filtered at ISP level when corporations abuse the law to persuade a judge that the site only offers pirated material. There are websites pertaining to custom software development on games consoles that I can no longer access from home without using a VPN or my 4G connection. America already has some of the worst legal practices in the world when it comes to net neutrality and how far the MPAA has been able to turn the law against the normal internet user. Blocking an app just because Trump doesn't like it and he wants to stick it to the Chinese is a step too far though.

johnwoo

Trumps greatest hits.

el collado kid

Wow that's old trumpys best yet,he should release more in the run up to the election

Lion in Winter

Not to worry, he's reversed course. Now he just wants a cut of Microsoft's money from the purchase.







https://www.bbc.com/news/business-53633315

DigitalGhost

I think he has also finally been convinced that to block an app or website that isn't directly promoting illegal activity in the US would be insanely difficult. In fact, on a technical level, it would be impossible.

The most worrying thing about him is that for all his rhetoric against the Russians, the DPRK and the Chinese, he actually seems to admire how their governments function. I think it ultimately comes down to him being a businessman and not a politician. If you're the CEO of a company and you don't want your employees looking at a particular website then all you have to do is ask a guy like me to block it at a corporate-wide level and it's done. You don't have to worry about things like rights, the law or due process.

Lion in Winter

A businessman. But in "waste management".

Steerpike

I don't normally watch interviews with Trump as I just can't stand the man. But last night, I watched an entire interview on 'Axios' (HBO). It was extremely disturbing. Trump does not answer the question asked, and uses every question to deliver his pre-canned, well-rehearsed, and totally bullshit answer. And he manages to talk over the interviewer, taking advantage of the fact that interviewers are somewhat deferential to him. I don't know if this particular interviewer (Jonathan Swan) is unusually weak, or if that's how all interviewers with Trump go, but it was a shambles.

After Trump gave one of his typical bs answers about why 'cases' are high ("due to our fantastic testing, best in the world, envy of the world, unbelievable numbers ... ") Jonathan asked about 'deaths'. Trump then boggled my mind by saying our death numbers are not bad, and proceeded to produce charts that showed the US as having 'good' death numbers. Jonathan looked at them in amazement, and then pointed out that these were 'deaths per ...' (something - I couldn't even figure out what he was basing them on, but it was statistically bogus) and then asked about 'deaths as a percentage of population' (which is what makes the most sense) but Trump just totally blew that off. The point was never really contested. So in the end, Trump's 'base' will continue to believe that the numbers are not that bad, and that Trump is doing all he can.

I guess this has always been his way, but I'm shocked (and disappointed) that at this stage in the game, he's still getting away with it. Ironically, the interview last week by Chris Wallace on Fox News (of all places!) was more effective at calling Trump out on his more egregious claims.

This does not bode well for the debates. There will have to be extremely good moderation to stop Trump from just using every segment as a campaign speech. Biden could be destroyed if he's not careful.

Here's an article about last night's interview and a link to the full interview.

https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/polit...?ocid=msedgntp

mikelincs

Not getting political, but everyone NEEDS to hear this brilliant song.

BristolUK

I think his base are lost causes. I doubt it's big enough to win for him without significant others not of his usual base and I think they won't fall for it/ protest against the establishment this time.

I read the report of it in the Guardian earlier and naturally you'd expect it not to come out favourable.

I just checked the Mail as one could say that readership has much in common with Trump's base but it's not dissimilar to the Guardian write up and it's backed by a Piers Morgan opinion piece too.

I don't know, obviously, but is there any form of media in the US that normally wouldn't want anything to do with Trump but made an exception leading up to the last election and was somewhere between neutral and let's give him a go and now won't be kind?

A lot of people have suggested that he gained votes from people rejecting the status quo and for someone to shake things up. Maybe they won't do that again.

DaveLovesDee

Deaths per cases...

civilservant

I think it was more rejecting Clinton, she had been in the public eye for so long that her unfavorables were really high.

Biden, while also having been around for a long time, does not have the same problem. He was VP to a (still) popular POTUS, and that's still what most people remember about him.

Steerpike

I presume this is one of the Guardian assessments; -

https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/...-19-death-toll

Donald Trump flounders in interview over US Covid-19 death toll

But in a way, I didn't see it as 'floundering'. Of course what he said was ridiculous, but the interviewer kept letting him say his piece and was hopeless at making him address the issues. Since I tend to avoid Trump interviews, I can't say whether this is always the case or not, other than ... as I said ... Chris Wallace of Fox seemed to do a better job last week of throwing Trump off balance. Axios is a very good documentary show in general, so I was a bit disappointed in this interviewer.

The full HBO / Axios interview is here - The discussion of 'deaths' can be seen around the 13 minute mark.

kimilseung

The funniest bit is when after he has presented his dubious stats of deaths per case, he goes on to promote his testing, and use this as a defense about the high number of cases, he say, "because we test more, we have more cases", shooting himself in the foot on his original stats presented. Swan didnt catch it, but there was so much garbage coming at him.
Edit: for those that didnt see the interview at all.
He present data to make himself look good, then almost immediately admits that the data is artificially high.

Giantaxe

Plenty of material in that interview for a few Lincoln Project ads. I mean, just his... charts. I guess his staff have to feed him stuff in a format a 7 year old would comprehend, but it's crystal clear that Trump is clueless as to the extent of this pandemic within the US.

Giantaxe

So is the corollary that if we write less death certificates we have will have less death?