Excellent Editorial.
Last Fall I attended a lecture at UVA given by one of the school's History professors - a Q&A session followed and I had a burning question...What did the professor make of Trump's performance with Putin at the Helsinki presser (July 2018) when Trump took the word of Putin over all U.S. intelligence agencies, and Trump's body language (slumped shoulders, head down), suggesting he was subornate to Putin who was standing erect and looking confident? The professor's answer was as unnerving as Trump's Helsinki performance - he and other professionals were perplexed; Trump's Helsinki performance was not normal for a US president.
Prior to the Helsinki presser Trump and Putin met one-on-one and Trump confiscated the notes taken and did not release the notes to anyone including the State Dept, which is highly unusual.