@tony But what if Trump replaces all the high officers in the army with loyalists?

@tony He is a petty man, insecure with a big ego, like dictators.

@tony Trump asked for hundreds of billions, or even trillions, in exchange for no guarantees. So Ukraine declined.

It's all part of the negotiations, possibly: the bluster, the unacceptable demands.

@Cerberus That act alone would be very close to a coup in my book.

@JoonasIlmavirta Yeah, it's bad.

But the American constitution has big problems, the main one being that it gives too much power to the winner of elections, and to the president of the country in particular.

Well, I guess it's my turn to join the list of laid off people in tech - I got laid off today.

@Adam I'm very sorry to hear that! Was that something you knew to expect or more of a surprise?

@Adam Oh, no, that sucks so much.

I think you mentioned that something like this might happen a while ago? Or maybe I misremember.

Do you think you can find a new job? Do you have some savings?

@Adam I'm so sorry to hear that. Good luck.

@Cerberus He might have to replace a lot of people. It may be possible, but a coup d'etat is as unAmerican as anything can be. It might not win public support and there are a lot of guns in circulation in the USA. Worst case--a civil war scenario: unlikely, you can't see it happening; but, where Trump is, you never know what's going to happen next.

@Cerberus Will Russia give up the land: will Ukraine sign anything without (realistic) security guarantees? Let's see how "dealmaker" Trump handles this.

@JoonasIlmavirta Yes, currently Trump enjoys much support: that can be lost as quickly as it's gained. Let's see what happens, which is about our only option.

@JoonasIlmavirta It was always a concern and I personally thought it could happen later in the year, maybe, but here we are.

@Cerberus We'll be okay for a while financially so I have time to find something else in that regard. The more pressing issue is we are right in the midst of buying a new house and selling this one. We accepted a counteroffer from buyers and have a contingent offer accepted on a new place.

The issue is the underwriters won't sign off on the mortgage on the new place if they can't verify employment for final closing. I'm actually still an employee through April 22nd even though my last working day was yesterday, so I emailed HR to see if that is sufficient for the underwriters.

If not... it's going to be really hairy trying to find somewhere to live last minute that will accommodate us and our three small dogs.

@Adam Do I understand correctly that rental options don't typically allow pets in the US? That wouldn't be a major issue in Finland.

@JoonasIlmavirta I'm not sure which is more common, but some do allow pets. It just limits the number of options.

@Adam It sounds like you were prepared for this, so it didn't surprise you in the worst of ways. Without any buffer the hit is way harder.

@Adam Sure. The option that springs first to my mind is to rent first and find something more permanent once you know where your next job is. Whether it makes sense to you is, of course, up to you.

@Adam Hey, man, I'm sorry to hear that. That's rough.

@JoonasIlmavirta In addition to understanding my employment status I also asked our realtor to find out of the seller would interested in renting short term.