Judge rules Trump administration’s blacklisting of Anthropic was illegal • Hacker News Board

Re: Judge rules Trump administration’s blacklisting of Anthropic was illegal

#121

Post by Terr_ » Fri, Aug 28, 2026, 9:03 AM UTC

theultdev wrote: post #101

bobthepanda wrote: post #96

Earlier quoted context omitted.

An interesting feature of Trump 2.0 is that his party has essentially entirely keeled over. Presidents are not historically all powerful within their own parties and the nature of the big tent systems means usually it is fairly difficult to get agreement on everything within a party without some compromise. Trump has managed to defang everybody else in the GOP.

Nah the GOP never had fangs. They can't even get the SAVE act passed.

For "no fangs" there are an awful lot of people around (or dead) with GOP bite marks these days.

The SAVE act status probably has more to do with some Republican legislators who think it will harm their re-election chances by impacting their own supporters.

Re: Judge rules Trump administration’s blacklisting of Anthropic was illegal

#122

Post by ExoticPearTree » Fri, Aug 28, 2026, 9:11 AM UTC

Arodex wrote: post #112

ExoticPearTree wrote: post #108

Before bashing Trump for not liking Anthropic, people should consider the consequences of having the judiciary decide what software companies the government can and cannot use. You might get a petty win against the current administration, but lose big when next time a judge decides that $random_department must use Oracle for ERP and not SAP for example because Oracle has better lawyers and wants money from the govern…

Maybe read about the case and the reasoning of the judge before saying things that aren't pertinent. "The empty invocation of national security is not a blank check to punish and retaliate against government critics"

What I said is pertinent: Anthropic refusing to build software for autonomous weapons platforms is a national security issue. They have the capability, but they just don't want to do it because they don't feel like it.

Soldiers don't need to die because a company is stubborn.

Re: Judge rules Trump administration’s blacklisting of Anthropic was illegal

#123

Post by Arodex » Fri, Aug 28, 2026, 9:47 AM UTC

ExoticPearTree wrote: post #122

Arodex wrote: post #112

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Maybe read about the case and the reasoning of the judge before saying things that aren't pertinent. "The empty invocation of national security is not a blank check to punish and retaliate against government critics"

What I said is pertinent: Anthropic refusing to build software for autonomous weapons platforms is a national security issue. They have the capability, but they just don't want to do it because they don't feel like it. Soldiers don't need to die because a company is stubborn.

>because they don't feel like it

Your argument would be more reasonable if you didn't handwave genuine and difficult moral and ethical decisions under those dismissive terms.

Civilians, including certainly 120 school girls, don't need to die because an AI hallucinated. Anthropic engages its responsability if their tools are used to designate targets. They have a right not to be implicated - or the Trump administration has to be open about requisitioning their tools and drafting their engineers in the name of a warm against Iran, which is another status altogether.

As it stands, there is no war against Iran, especially not one approved by Congress, and the only ones putting soldiers at risk are a senile reality show conman who was elected on the explicit promise of no new wars, and his gung-ho, racist, alcoholic TV host secretary of defense.

Re: Judge rules Trump administration’s blacklisting of Anthropic was illegal

#124

Post by agileAlligator » Fri, Aug 28, 2026, 10:59 AM UTC

LoganDark wrote: post #87

BowBun wrote: post #74

Earlier quoted context omitted.

This is why free trade is important. We had a decent setup where countries were specializing in their own manufacturing/services specialties, and then we all paid each other for what we needed. Then some greedy fools decided they needed more, and started trying to charge more on the way out or on the way in. Now the ones that specialized in the 'must haves' of today have insane leverage over everyone else. Then the '…

What are you saying? If people all choose a shitty version from China, there will be no market for a good local version and businesses will stop trying. The investment required to match China's manufacturing capability in any area is simply impossible unless you say it is an AI data center.

on what basis do you claim the local product is "good" if people are not choosing it?

Re: Judge rules Trump administration’s blacklisting of Anthropic was illegal

#125

Post by cucumber3732842 » Fri, Aug 28, 2026, 11:10 AM UTC

ElProlactin wrote: post #77

jstummbillig wrote: post #70

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Mostly, the law is not creating the right incentives. In this case in particular, I don't think it's so much a matter of speed: I suspect the current US admin would still sow the chaos they do to the same degree if it was ruled illegal within a week instead of within months.

You're right: the current administration would find a way because they don't care what the law says. The law, to them, is a system to be hacked when necessary. Many Americans take for granted the idea that the US is a "nation of laws" and that "rule of law" governs above all else. But the reality is this: there is no such thing as a perfect legal system. You can have a strong legal system by design (good oversight, v…

>Many Americans take for granted the idea that the US is a "nation of laws" and that "rule of law" governs above all else. But the reality is this: there is no such thing as a perfect legal system.

This is a dying vestige of the greatest generation who passed it onto their boomer kids who blindly believed it despite evidince to the contrary. We're moving back toward a late 19th and early 20th century understanding of how government and laws work.

Re: Judge rules Trump administration’s blacklisting of Anthropic was illegal

#126

Post by ExoticPearTree » Fri, Aug 28, 2026, 11:13 AM UTC

Arodex wrote: post #123

ExoticPearTree wrote: post #122

Earlier quoted context omitted.

What I said is pertinent: Anthropic refusing to build software for autonomous weapons platforms is a national security issue. They have the capability, but they just don't want to do it because they don't feel like it. Soldiers don't need to die because a company is stubborn.

>because they don't feel like it Your argument would be more reasonable if you didn't handwave genuine and difficult moral and ethical decisions under those dismissive terms. Civilians, including certainly 120 school girls, don't need to die because an AI hallucinated. Anthropic engages its responsability if their tools are used to designate targets. They have a right not to be implicated - or the Trump administratio…

> Your argument would be more reasonable if you didn't handwave genuine and difficult moral and ethical decisions under those dismissive terms.

Anthropic willingly got itself into bed with the Pentagon. What did expect to do there, use their models to find the best locations to plant flowers?

As a company, you are to do what the client asks you to do or have your contract cancelled. Now it is bad luck that Anthropic decided not to do what the US government asked it to do and it is suffering the consequences. Maybe they should have used those fancy models to figure out that if they decide to say no to something, then every US government agency can say no to them. Suing to do business with the government again is poor business.

Re: Judge rules Trump administration’s blacklisting of Anthropic was illegal

#127

Post by cucumber3732842 » Fri, Aug 28, 2026, 11:15 AM UTC

somenameforme wrote: post #107

klik99 wrote: post #98

Earlier quoted context omitted.

This is true but every recent president has expanded powers, and had their party agree. Due to my age, I first noticed it with Bush then when Obama continued it, it felt weird to be fine with allowing more power in the executive branch when it’s someone you support, because that’ll add to the precedent for the next person who you don’t support. The presidency has come a long way since Washington and Trump 2.0 is a cl…

Exactly. People forget things like Obama signing a law into existence that allows for the indefinite detention of Americans without trial or charge if you claim they're connected to terrorism. [1] As far as I know that law has not yet been used. However that leads to two issues. (1) It could be at any time. The current issues with Israel are rife for abuse to the point that I'm somewhat surprised it hasn't yet been u…

The legislature will never claw back power it gave to the executive unless overall federal power is seriously threatened IMO.

Re: Judge rules Trump administration’s blacklisting of Anthropic was illegal

#128

Post by Paradigma11 » Fri, Aug 28, 2026, 11:19 AM UTC

bruce511 wrote: post #76

newsomix9xl wrote: post #47

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I doubt the Canadians want their economy flooded with Chinese goods ("dumping" - selling goods at less than cost) - which destroys local industry. This was predicted in The Economist awhile back, that if the US blocked Chinese imports a tsunami of Chinese goods would flood other countries and now it's happening. Those countries will also, in turn, erect trade barriers, or suffer the devastation that massive Chinese d…

Hence the concept of trade partnerships. No country makes everything, and yes, there's lots of competition. Tarifs have existed since forever. Countries use them to protect local industries. But they've always been stable, and industry focused. Food production for example is worth protecting and Canada has tarifs on imported Dairy. Partnerships exist to protect local industries, promote exports, and give citizens acc…

But China wants to make everything, that is the problem. It might also be the case that we misunderstand the state of the Chinese economy quite a bit. I heard an argument by an economist that the situation is mainly explained by the real estate crash. That was a ginormous event but the government basically just denied any big consequences. That did kill the credit market for a long time. Now Chinese consumer have little money to spend and China is forced to export their products, no matter the price to keep things going.

Re: Judge rules Trump administration’s blacklisting of Anthropic was illegal

#129

Post by cucumber3732842 » Fri, Aug 28, 2026, 11:23 AM UTC

SwtCyber wrote: post #93

jstummbillig wrote: post #70

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Mostly, the law is not creating the right incentives. In this case in particular, I don't think it's so much a matter of speed: I suspect the current US admin would still sow the chaos they do to the same degree if it was ruled illegal within a week instead of within months.

The harder problem is designing remedies that make illegal government action actually expensive enough to discourage it, without also making officials afraid to make legitimate decisions.

>officials afraid to make legitimate decisions

Yeah, god forbid they drive right down the middle of the lane rather than drive right up to the line of what the public will tolerate.

There is a direct causative line between government actors feeling like they can get away with unpopular things and the populist politics we've had brewing in this country for the past 20yr. The tea party, the Bernie bros the ron paul era libertarians, even MAGA, they were all ultimately captured by the establishment.

The establishment wielding progressive (lowercase p) types would do well to understand that on some level you, the peddlers of government, must cater to the demands of the people, because if you don't eventually the pressure will build until a populist movement you cannot contain comes around and stomps you. And what that could look like is a serious power transfer away from the feds and toward the states. So if your policy goals involve people in other states, which just about all progressives do, this would be bad for you.

Which is to say turn down the damn heat on the frog, this is all happening because you're going too fast.

Re: Judge rules Trump administration’s blacklisting of Anthropic was illegal

#130

Post by Arodex » Fri, Aug 28, 2026, 11:24 AM UTC

ExoticPearTree wrote: post #126

Arodex wrote: post #123

Earlier quoted context omitted.

>because they don't feel like it Your argument would be more reasonable if you didn't handwave genuine and difficult moral and ethical decisions under those dismissive terms. Civilians, including certainly 120 school girls, don't need to die because an AI hallucinated. Anthropic engages its responsability if their tools are used to designate targets. They have a right not to be implicated - or the Trump administratio…

> Your argument would be more reasonable if you didn't handwave genuine and difficult moral and ethical decisions under those dismissive terms. Anthropic willingly got itself into bed with the Pentagon. What did expect to do there, use their models to find the best locations to plant flowers? As a company, you are to do what the client asks you to do or have your contract cancelled. Now it is bad luck that Anthropic…

A judge reviewed the case for weeks, has training and experience in the law, had access to all relevant documents from both parties; the latter got the opportunity to argue their point at length, and the judge who knows the case better than you decided both the government and you are wrong.

Maybe things are a little more complicated than your simple rules.