Octopus Overlords

The Trump administration has publicly and privately signaled that it does not believe Russia represents a cyber threat against US national security or critical infrastructure, marking a radical departure from longstanding intelligence assessments.

The shift in policy could make the US vulnerable to hacking attacks by Russia, experts warned, and appeared to reflect the warming of relations between Donald Trump and Russia’s president, Vladimir Putin.

Skiers at Sugarbush Resort in Vermont on Saturday morning experienced sub-freezing temperatures and snow flurries.

But receiving the chilliest reception, by far, was Vice President JD Vance, who was met by protesters who shouted names and obscenities as the Vance motorcade rolled past. One sign read, "Vance is a traitor. Go ski in Russia."
...
Video clips showing protestors lining the roads and sharing their feelings have been circulating via social media. Some are shown carrying flags as a show of support for Ukraine.

Fox news reported that the presence of protestors was so great that the Vance family was moved "to an “undisclosed location.”

At nearby Mad River Glen, a sign outside informed, “Sorry VP. Sold out.”

RunningMn9 wrote: Sat Mar 01, 2025 10:20 pm My understanding is that they are pausing “offensive” operations against Russia while we are negotiating. Planning will not be paused, nor will “defensive” operations. At least that’s my understanding from what I saw since the headline broke.

Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth last week ordered U.S. Cyber Command to stand down from all planning against Russia, including offensive digital actions, according to three people familiar with the matter.

Zarathud wrote: Sun Mar 02, 2025 2:30 am Trump is either terrified of Russia or he's a Russian asset. Plain and simple.

Reagan won the Cold War just so Trump could give away our victory in the name of "Making American Great Again."

Someone needs to bring this message to what's left of the Baby Boomers and Generation X.

Kraken wrote: Sun Mar 02, 2025 2:48 am As a boomer who's foursquare with the good guys, I resent generational generalizing.

Isgrimnur wrote: Sat Mar 01, 2025 10:27 pm JD Vance receives ice-cold reception as family arrives for Vermont skiing vacation

At nearby Mad River Glen, a sign outside informed, “Sorry VP. Sold out.”

"Sorry, VP sold out."

Enough wrote:

RunningMn9 wrote: Sat Mar 01, 2025 10:20 pm My understanding is that they are pausing “offensive” operations against Russia while we are negotiating. Planning will not be paused, nor will “defensive” operations. At least that’s my understanding from what I saw since the headline broke.

Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth last week ordered U.S. Cyber Command to stand down from all planning against Russia, including offensive digital actions, according to three people familiar with the matter.

stessier wrote: Sun Mar 02, 2025 2:04 pm He is creating a Bitcoin reserve. Wouldn't those digital wallets become the biggest hacking target on the planet? (Among all the other crazy issues with the idea)

RunningMn9 wrote: Sun Mar 02, 2025 1:38 pm

Enough wrote:

RunningMn9 wrote: Sat Mar 01, 2025 10:20 pm My understanding is that they are pausing “offensive” operations against Russia while we are negotiating. Planning will not be paused, nor will “defensive” operations. At least that’s my understanding from what I saw since the headline broke.

Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth last week ordered U.S. Cyber Command to stand down from all planning against Russia, including offensive digital actions, according to three people familiar with the matter.

I understand what got reported.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

LawBeefaroni wrote: Sun Mar 02, 2025 3:28 pm Best practice would be to keep the majority of a Bitcoin reserve in cold storage. Not that this administration would follow best practices.

Enough wrote:Not sure why you are acting defensive for me sharing this. Multiple posts have been discussing this, so why not share the actual article? Especially since it says some planning is paused.

RunningMn9 wrote: Sun Mar 02, 2025 4:55 pm Just trying to make sure that when I lose my shit over something, it’s not because of a headline or the initial conclusion of anonymous sources.

LordMortis wrote: Sun Mar 02, 2025 5:03 pm Off to duckduckgo it for them (Boy that just does have the same ring as googling it for someone)

LordMortis wrote: Sun Mar 02, 2025 5:12 am

Kraken wrote: Sun Mar 02, 2025 2:48 am As a boomer who's foursquare with the good guys, I resent generational generalizing.

As a US, long single, straight white male Xer, it's become hard to look in the mirror at much of my demographic pieces and what all its bits have becomes

RunningMn9 wrote: Sun Mar 02, 2025 4:55 pm

Enough wrote:Not sure why you are acting defensive for me sharing this. Multiple posts have been discussing this, so why not share the actual article? Especially since it says some planning is paused.

Sorry, not being defensive. My only point is that the reporting is designed to elicit a response. I was just saying that I know how it got reported at first (designed to create terror), and had then seen later reported that further clarified the directive in a way that provoked less terror.

“I don’t think it’s as bad as that reporting is trying to make it sound” is not me being defensive. Just trying to make sure that when I lose my shit over something, it’s not because of a headline or the initial conclusion of anonymous sources.

Broadly, while the financial details are private, there’s some accuracy to Ryan’s statement, based on what’s known about Vance’s investment in Rumble.

When former President Donald Trump and conservative pundits such as Dan Bongino and Steve Bannon began posting their videos on Rumble, its user numbers soared. The company reported an average of 41 million monthly active users (people who visit the site) in the first quarter of 2022. In 2020, the level was closer to 1 million users a month.

Vance personally invested in Rumble. In his April 2022 candidate financial disclosure, he reported holdings in the company that fall in the range of $115,000 to $300,000. His investment was part of a larger package assembled by Narya that included billionaire Peter Thiel, now a leading backer of Vance’s Senate campaign. The details were undisclosed, but as part of the deal, a top Narya partner joined Rumble’s board.
How Russian sponsored media came to Rumble

After Russia began its invasion of Ukraine in February, YouTube banned the Russia state-affiliated media outlet RT — formerly Russia Today — from its platform. In response, Rumble became RT’s primary video platform. Ryan’s campaign noted RT’s move as evidence for its claim that Vance is profiting from Russian propaganda.

Victoria Raverna wrote: Tue Mar 04, 2025 8:02 am If things get very bad, hopefully that'll mean that GOP isn't going to win election for very long time after this.

YellowKing wrote: Tue Mar 04, 2025 10:53 am Yeah I think it's almost a certainty that Trump is going to meddle in the midterms bigly. For starters, he's certainly not going to do anything to stop Russian misinformation and social media manipulation.

Holman wrote: Tue Mar 04, 2025 11:39 am
"Illegal protests."

(By all accounts, this Trump post is real.)

Zarathud wrote: Tue Mar 04, 2025 10:45 pm The image of only half the chamber standing up to applaud Trump is important.

Kraken wrote: Wed Mar 05, 2025 12:03 am

Zarathud wrote: Tue Mar 04, 2025 10:45 pm The image of only half the chamber standing up to applaud Trump is important.

I'd rather that half the chamber had been empty. Even just showing up adds a veneer of normalcy that isn't warranted.

Blackhawk wrote: Wed Mar 05, 2025 12:22 am I don't know. Empty seats are easy to ignore. Half of the room sitting while the other half cheers stands out more.

About six-in-ten registered voters who say they have served in the U.S. military or military reserves (61%) support former President Donald Trump in the 2024 presidential election, while 37% back Vice President Kamala Harris, according to a Pew Research Center survey conducted in early September.

Unagi wrote: Wed Mar 05, 2025 3:37 pm

Blackhawk wrote: Wed Mar 05, 2025 12:22 am I don't know. Empty seats are easy to ignore. Half of the room sitting while the other half cheers stands out more.

How does that stand out, when it's what has been going on for every single one of these for the last 20 years?

edit: yeah, what El Guapo said.