Welcome to this edition of The Woz Report, where we delve into the latest developments in technology, politics, and society. Yesterday we woke up to the news that a New York jury found Donald Trump guilty on all counts in his historic New York hush money case.
Trump becomes the first former or sitting president to be convicted of a crime. Allies of Trump, including those in Russia rushed to his defence and condemned the outcome of the trial, in which he was convicted on all 34 felony counts of falsifying business records. His supporters in Russia certainly view the verdict as a wrong doing.
According to The Daily Beast, Malek Dudakov, a political scientist blamed the judge and the jury and baselessly claimed that all of them were prejudiced against Trump. This is the view coming from a country where shots are fired first, and questions are asked later. Trump, aka the useful idiot will appeal the decision, claiming the trial was rigged.
“It’s reckless, it’s dangerous, it’s irresponsible for anyone to say this was rigged just because they don’t like the verdict,” President Biden said, speaking to reporters at the White House. via NBC News.
It’s unsurprising to hear the anti-American rhetoric coming from Russia. Propaganda is not a new phenomenon, but the digital age has given state actors an extended reach into areas of society that were previously difficult to infiltrate. I’ve been exploring the complex realm of anti-democratic global propaganda, orchestrated by China, Iran, and Russia. This is the focus of my long-form newsletter, arriving in your inbox every Sunday for paid subscribers.
The UK and US general elections provide foreign states with a platform to propagate their anti-democratic views. It is up to both the current governments and their citizens to filter out this noise, a task that is easier said than done. Brace yourself and take everything with a pinch of salt.