All the data indicates a problem is on the horizon. But let's wait until something happens. That way it will be far more expensive to deal with.

Yet the toilets at Mar-a-lago never survive a Presidential visit.

What am I going to do, read 50 summaries every day then read the emails for real when it is time to deal with them? For the rest of the emails I don't read, I usually go no further than the subject line. Sometimes I read the first sentence before I delete them. How is an AI possibly going to help me with a summary?

Economics less political than question of what text editor you prefer.

Gutting fish at my desk like in Office Space

Top 5 is done every week at my company. And if you have a good reason that it's less than 5, that's ok too. The semiannual performance review is similar, but with self and peer evaluations. And going over 5 is okay too.

Europe is already importing Colombia coal, they are trying to use less coal, but if there's a war they could switch back in a pinch. Last resort in my opinion, but not impossible. Coal's day has passed.

Gas from Algeria was always a thing for Europe, and will continue to be so. Only about 10% of EU imports today. Developing those gas reserves into productive gas fields is a way for Europe to wiggle out from under Russia's thumb, and it's more practical than shipping gas from the Americas.
Europe doesn't important enough oil from the US to make it necessary for them to deal with us. As long as our oil is convenient they will buy it. But EU buys about the same amount of oil from Nigeria alone as it does from the US.

Of course there are no easy answers. But I doubt that Europe is out of choices. I could believe they are out of pain-free choices.

That's why I did. My wife keeps hitting the wrong buttons on the remote and I have to explain to her how to get out of the built-in Android and into the rooted Android TV box we use.

I kind of want a consumer protection law that requires an option to turn the fancy built-in OS on and off. Basically if it can load apps, then it is too complicated and needs an off switch.

My rear projection TV from 20+ years ago used to do that. The later generations of plasma TVs would also detect still images and even had some hacks to reduce the appearance of burn in.

Battle of the grifters!

I think I paid less than that for a 55 inch rear projection 1080i TV back then

Not broad enough. I think iPhones should count as kids toys. And anyone under 95 ought to count as a "kid'.

I'm less sure of that.

Weighing the benefit against the theoretical damage it does to society, I think the Calculus is probably on the positive end of the scale.

The US Customary measurement system on the other hand is concentrated pure evil.

Shipping container with some rockets and drone parts. Maybe some land mines, that'd be a nasty surprise and would really piss off the US.
Doesn't have to be a useful amount of material. Russia shouldn't care if Venezuela wins or not, it's geopolitical chess and Venezuela is another pawn in the game.

Europe can absolutely do a LOT of things.
Now will the governments and people of Europe be willing to take some short-term pain? Only if they are confident that the long-term pain is worse.

I'm not sure why you believe this. But let's say any useful action requires a new EU treaty amendment, which indeed normally requires unanimity.
A scenario where NATO collapses would naturally lead to EU members seeking a replacement. Rolling aspects of NATO straight into EUMC is the sort of amendment that would get unanimously approved.

Destroying the US economy will sever the primary reason that Europe tolerates our nonsense. So thanks to DJT this problem Europe has with the US might solve itself, or rather the decision will be made for Europe regardless if it wanted to make the decision.