Exclusive photos: Trump's telltale toilet

• Mike Allen, author of Axios AM

Photos from Maggie Haberman via Axios

Remember our toilet scoop in Axios AM earlier this year? Maggie Haberman's forthcoming book about former President Trump will report that White House residence staff periodically found wads of paper clogging a toilet — and believed the former president, a notorious destroyer of Oval Office documents, was the flusher.

Why it matters: Destroying records that should be preserved is potentially illegal.

Trump denied it and called Haberman, whose New York Times coverage he follows compulsively, a "maggot."

• Well, it turns out there are photos. And here they are, published for the first time.

Haberman — who obtained the photos recently — shared them with us ahead of the Oct. 4 publication of her book, "Confidence Man: The Making of Donald Trump and the Breaking of America."

• A Trump White House source tells her the photo on the left shows a commode in the White House.
• The photo on the right is from an overseas trip, according to the source.

Trump spokesperson Taylor Budowich told Axios: "You have to be pretty desperate to sell books if pictures of paper in a toilet bowl is part of your promotional plan."

• "We know ... there's enough people willing to fabricate stories like this in order to impress the media class — a media class who is willing to run with anything, as long as it anti-Trump."

Between the lines: The new evidence is a reminder that despite the flood of Trump books, Haberman's is hotly anticipated in Trumpworld.

Cover: Penguin Press

Haberman's sources report the document dumps happened multiple times at the White House, and on at least two foreign trips.

• "That Mr. Trump was discarding documents this way was not widely known within the West Wing, but some aides were aware of the habit, which he engaged in repeatedly," Haberman tells us.
• "It was an extension of Trump's term-long habit of ripping up documents that were supposed to be preserved under the Presidential Records Act."

The handwriting is visibly Trump's, written in the Sharpie ink he favored.

• Most of the words are illegible.
• But the scrawls include the name of Rep. Elise Stefanik of upstate New York, a Trump defender who's a member of House Republican leadership.

Go deeper: A radical plan for Trump's second term

Trump at CPAC Texas: America should kill drug dealers like Communist China does

DRUG DEALERS = BLACK/LATINX AMERICANS

Posted on August 7, 2022 

Donald Trump headlined CPAC Texas, delivering a series of broadsides to the Biden administration to a packed arena at Dallas’s Hilton Anatole. The more than 2,500 seats were filled — with even more guests lining the aisles.

Donald Trump Jr.’s girlfriend, Kimberly Guilfoyle, was supposed to introduce the 45th president — but found herself bumped at the expense of Arizona gubernatorial candidate Kari Lake, for reasons that remain unclear.

Prior to the former president’s speech, a short film played on the large TV monitors. “We are a nation in decline,” a Trump voiceover began. “We are a failing nation.” Gloomy black-and-white footage followed, accompanied by thunder and rain sounds. A screenshot of Trump’s suspended Twitter account was perhaps the most moving image.

Every cell phone in the room was in the air as the former president entered to “Proud to Be an American,” standing motionless at the podium for the entire duration of the song. “The proud patriots here today are the beating heart of the conservative movement,” he began.

Early on, Trump shouted out a number of MAGA members of Congress who were present — including Lauren Boebert, Matt Gaetz and Marjorie Taylor Greene. Of his former doctor Ronny Jackson, now a Texas congressman, he said, “He loved looking at my body, it was so strong.”

Trump reminisced about assassinated Japanese prime minister Shinzo Abe, with whom he was friendly. “He’s on greener fairways now — he loved golf… we played golf…”

He then described his new Hispanic supporters as “hard-working” and “unbelievable.” “Viva Trump!” came the yells from the back of the room.

It wasn’t long before Trump turned his sights from his friends to his enemies. “Crazy Nancy Pelosi — what was she doing? Everything she touches turns to…”

“Shit,” cried the crowd.

He then focused on the “Inflation Reduction Act,” which was being voted on in the Senate concurrently with his address. “Joe Manchin has totally sold West Virginia out,” he said, before claiming of both Manchin and Kyrsten Sinema, “if this deal passes, they will both lose their next election.”

He railed against “old broken crow” Mitch McConnell for trusting Manchin, before offering musings on Joe Biden, inflation, the border, his Remain-in-Mexico policy… and then reverting to more contentious themes.

“The election was rigged and stolen…,” he said to applause.

“I ran twice, I won twice, and I did much better the second time than I did the first, getting millions and millions of more votes than I did in 2016, more votes than any sitting president in the history of our country. And now we may have to do again, we may have to do it again.”

Staying on domestic issues, Trump said, “Our country is now a cesspool of crime.”

“The streets of our Democrat-run cities are drenched with the blood of innocent victims.”

For possible solutions to America’s rising crime, the former president turned to an unlikely source: Xi Jinping’s Chinese Communist Party.

“You could go all over Hollywood, you couldn’t find an actor to play President Xi,” he said, before speaking with admiration about Xi’s approach to drugs — instituting the death penalty for drug dealers after a “quick trial!” (He did the voice.)

Trump also covered homelessness, the intersection of violent crime and immigration, critical race theory and education. He then moved on to a new theme that’s emerged in recent rally speeches: “Keep men out of women’s sports.” Trump summoned University of Kentucky swimmer Riley Gaines, who competed against Penn’s Lia Thomas, up on stage. “This is our real champion,” he said. After being offered the mic, Gaines kept it brief, advocating to “keep female sports female.” Trump drew her into an embrace and said, “Just to show you how ridiculous it is, look at me, I’m much bigger and much stronger than her. There’s no way she could beat me in swimming, do we all agree?”

He described the events of January 6, “a protest over a rigged and stolen election that no one wants to look at” — and then launched into a physical comedy routine based on Cassidy Hutchinson’s testimony of him attempting to seize the wheel of the Beast and throwing food at the wall of the Oval Office.

Despite the hopes of many in the room, Trump didn’t announce a 2024 run, keeping allusions to the coming presidential election vague by saying the GOP should “continue onwards with the unstoppable momentum” generated from a win this November and pledging that “we will soon have that greatness again.”

After close to two hours, the former president left the stage and the masses filtered out of the room. His most diehard supporters, and the media, will have to keep waiting for Trump to fully reenter the fray.

The post Trump at CPAC Texas: America should kill drug dealers like Communist China does appeared first on The Spectator World. Author: Matt McDonald

Key Moments of Donald Trump's CPAC Speech as Critic Brands It 'Frightening'

BY KHALEDA RAHMAN ON 8/7/22 

NEWSWEEK

Former President Donald Trump spoke for almost two hours as he closed out the Conservative Political Action Conference on Saturday.

In his remarks, he described a country that has been destroyed since he left office and outlined the steps Republicans should take if they win back control of Congress in November.

He decried the inclusion of transgender athletes on women's sports teams, and reiterated calls for drug dealers to get the death penalty and homeless people to be moved to tent cities.

Trump's speech was "unapologetic fascism," Michael Hardy, a senior editor at Texas Monthly, said in a tweet.

"This might be most frightening speech I've ever heard," Hardy wrote, adding that it indicated that the former president's rhetoric is "significantly more extreme than even a few years ago."

However, not everyone agreed. Mark Pukita, a Republican who ran for Senate in Ohio this year, said Trump was naming a "list of what Americans want."

Here, Newsweek has rounded up some key moments from the former president's speech.

'America is on the edge of an abyss'

Trump began his speech by declaring the U.S. "is being destroyed more from the inside than out."

"America is on the edge of an abyss and our movement is the only force on earth that can save it," he said. "What we do in the next few months and the next few years will determine with American civilization will collapse or fail or whether it will triumph and thrive frankly like never before. This is no time for complacency."

He said that Republicans must "run aggressive, unrelenting and boldly populist" campaigns. A priority for the next president, he said, will be to "drain the swamp once and for all and remove rogue bureaucrats and root out the Deep State."

READ MORETrump Says White House Doctor Ronny Jackson 'Loved Looking at My Body'
Trump Calls Dick Cheney 'Great Guy' in Video Resurfaced After 'Coward' Ad
Trump's Kiss Attempt on Swimmer Riley Gaines Creates Awkward CPAC Moment

'Drenched in blood of innocent victims'

"The streets of our Democrat-run cities are drenched with the blood of innocent victims," Trump claimed.

"Gun battles rage between bloodthirsty street gangs. Bullets tear into crowds at random, killing wonderful beautiful little children that never even had a chance. Carjackers lay in wait like predators hunting their prey."

Hardy described those comments as "some literal blood-and-soil rhetoric."

'Hold the Biden administration accountable'

The November midterms need to be "a national referendum on the horrendous catastrophes radical Democrats have inflicted in our country," Trump said.

The Republican Party "needs to campaign on a clear pledge that if they are given power, they're going to fight with everything that they had to shut down the border, stop the crime wave, beat inflation and hold the Biden administration accountable."

He said job number one for the next Congress and president is "restore public safety."

'Felt very strong'

Trump mocked former White House aide Cassidy Hutchinson's testimony alleging he grabbed at the steering wheel of the presidential SUV when the Secret Service refused to let him go to the Capitol on January 6, 2021.

"How about that phony story?" Trump said.

He went on to suggest that he was flattered at the idea that he could take on "big, strong" Secret Service agents, referring to Hutchinson's testimony that Trump lunged at Secret Service special agent Bobby Engel.

"I wasn't sure if I should be honored 'cause I felt very strong," he said.

'We will keep men out of women's sports'

"We will keep men out of women's sports," Trump said, before bringing Riley Gaines, a University of Kentucky swimmer who has been critical of transgender swimmer Lia Thomas, on stage.

"Just to show you how ridiculous it is, look at me. I'm much bigger and much stronger than her. There's no way she could beat me in swimming. Do we all agree?"

Trump also said: "No teacher should ever be allowed to teach transgender to our children without parental consent."

'He loved looking at my body'

Trump also boasted about how former White House doctor Ronny Jackson "loved" looking at his body.

"He was a great doctor," Trump said. "He was an admiral, a doctor and now he's a congressman. I said, which is the best if you had your choice?

"He loved looking at my body. It was so strong, powerful. But he said I'm the healthiest president that's ever lived. I was the healthiest. I said, I like this guy."

'The woman brings chaos'

Trump took a moment to swipe at House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, criticizing her trip to Taiwan.

He said: "Crazy Nancy Pelosi... What was she doing in Taiwan? Everything she touches turns to—I do not want to say it cause I don't want them to say I used foul language."

He went on: "I got impeached twice. She failed twice. The woman brings chaos. And that's exactly what's happening. What's happened in China, Taiwan, what's going on - she played right into their hands because now they have an excuse to do whatever they're doing."

Relocate homeless people in 'tent cities'

Trump also reiterated his calls for homeless people to be moved to "tent cities" on the outskirts of major U.S. cities.

"It's also time to take back out streets and public spaces from the homeless and the drug addicted and the dangerously deranged," he said.

"The only way you'd going to remove the homeless encampments and reclaim our downtowns is to open up large parcels, large tracts of relatively inexpensive land on the outer skirts of the various cities and bring in medical professionals, psychiatrists, psychologists and drug rehab specialists and create tent cities... We have to relocate the homeless until they can get their lives back."

Death penalty for drug dealers

Trump also repeated his calls to impose the death penalty on drug dealers.

"If you look at countries throughout the world, the only ones that don't have a drug problem are those that institute the death penalty for drug dealers," he said.

He said Chinese President Xi Jinping had told him that his country dos not have a drug problem because it executes drug dealers after "a quick trial."

While acknowledging that "it sounds horrible," Trump said such policies would effectively reduce drug trafficking in the U.S.

Bring back 'stop and frisk'

The "tried and true" strategy of stop-and-frisk must return, Trump said, referencing the highly controversial policing tactic.

"Instead of taking the guns from law-abiding Americans let's take them away from the violent felons and career criminals for a change," he said.

Donald Trump repeatedly misgenders swimmer Lia Thomas in pathetic rant about trans athletes

LILY WAKEFIELD AUGUST 6, 2022

PINK NEWS

Donald Trump tosses hats to supporters at the rally Waukesha, Wisconsin. (Getty/ Scott Olson)

Donald Trump repeatedly misgendered swimmer Lia Thomas in pathetic rant about trans athletes, promising to ban trans women from sports.

Trump made the comments at a “Save America” rally in Waukesha, Wisconsin on Friday (5 August), where he pushed the Republican candidates in the state that he has endorsed for November’s midterm elections.

The former president used much of his rambling speech to repeat false claims of 2020 election fraud, before moving on to one of his favourite subjects – trans athletes.

As the crowd of Trump supporters cheered, he declared: “We will keep men out of women’s sports.”

He went on to tell the story of a “young female swimmer who wanted to to break the United States record in some kind of event”, but who sees a “giant person” she must compete against.

But the athlete, Trump said, ended up being “badly injured in the race” because “he went by her so fast she got tremendous wind burn”.

He did not name the female swimmer, nor give any detail which would provide the story to be true.

Referencing trans swimmer Lia Thomas, Trump said: “He was just given female athlete of the year by the way.”

To be clear, Thomas was nominated for National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA)’s Woman of the Year award, after making history as the first trans woman to win an NCAA swimming championship. The winner of the award has not yet been announced.

But Trump ploughed on: “Is this country going to hell, or what?”

He also hit out at LGBTQ+ education, telling the crowd: “No teacher should ever be allowed to teach transgender to our children without parental consent.

“What they’re doing to your children essentially behind your back is crazy.”
Donald Trump previously claimed that Lia Thomas has a 30-foot wingspan

Last month, Donald Trump again spread misinformation about Lia Thomas in a speech at the first annual summit of the America First Policy Institute, a right-wing Republican non-profit, on Tuesday (26 July).

After telling the same story about the mysterious swimmer given “wind burn” by a trans athlete, he misgendered Thomas again and confusingly claimed that she had a “wingspan of 30 feet”.

For content, this would mean that each of her arms was the length of a giraffe.

Trans cyclist stripped of silver medal in the middle of competition

Leia Genis won a silver medal. A day later, she was told she didn't meet the sport's new requirements for trans women.

By Greg Owen Saturday, August 6, 2022

Photo: Shutterstock

Leia Genis, a trans cyclist competing in USA Cycling events since June, was unceremoniously stripped of a silver medal last week for not meeting the latest requirements for transgender athlete participation in the sport.

Genis was competing in the women’s elite individual pursuit at the USA Cycling Elite Track National Championships in Pennsylvania, where she won a silver medal, placing second behind cisgender cyclist Bethany Matsick.

The next day, as Genis was preparing for the mass start races, she was approached by a USA Cycling official who informed her she could no longer compete and that her silver medal would be revoked

Genis’s expulsion comes despite the fact she was eligible six weeks ago for two elite competitions under rules established by the global cycling governing board, Union Cycliste Internationale. Those races were held at the same facility and overseen by the same technical director as last week’s competition.

“Yet six weeks later,” Genis wrote in an Instagram post, “now that I am doing well at nationals, I am suddenly ineligible to compete.”

In June, the UCI revised rules around trans female athlete participation, lowering the allowable testosterone threshold from five nanomoles per liter for 12 months to 2.5 nanomoles per liter for two years.

Genis’s exasperation with the rule change was clear in her post.

“Being a trans woman in this sport is so incredibly frustrating,” Genis wrote. “Poorly communicated guidelines, restrictions and requirements that are constantly changing, lack of empathy from USA Cycling, and a peloton full of furtive whispers and sideways glances mean that even showing up to compete is an immense struggle.”

“I am obviously heartbroken,” Genis continues. “I have worked my ass off to be here and I rightfully earned my silver medal. I will continue to train and race but this experience has left me disgusted and abhorred @usacycling”

Genis’s experience comes as athletic associations around the world grapple with how to handle trans athlete participation in sports, from elite swimming to high school soccer. Even darts are mired in controversy.

Universal guidelines remain elusive. The NCAA, which governs college athletics in the U.S., passed the buck in January, requiring each national governing body to set its own standards for trans athletic participation.

Genis has been cycling for two years, racking up thousands of miles on the road. In 2021 she made the leap to team sports joining the mixed gender The Shop racing team, based in Philadelphia and Atlanta.

After her first season with the team, Genis posted: “Not everyone is happy to see a trans person racing, many of which have expressed their disapproval quite loudly. But there have also been many supporters and honestly, I’ve had so much fun, they couldn’t keep me away if they tried. All this to say, it’s been one hell of a summer and I am very eager to continue to grow. I will absolutely be back next season.”

General Warned Trump's Actions Could Get Admin Tried as War Criminals: Book

Andrew Stanton - 1h ago

General Mark Milley once warned former President Donald Trump's advisers that they could be tried for war crimes during a heated discussion about military activity against Iran, according to a new book.


General Mark Milley warned Trump advisers they could be tried for war crimes during a discussion about military action against Iran, according to an excerpt from a new book. Above, Milley speaks during a hearing in Washington, D.C. on June 17, 2021.

Trump appointed Milley to serve as chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff in December 2018, but multiple disagreements throughout his tenure quickly strained their relationship, according to an excerpt published in The New Yorker on Monday from the book, The Divider: Trump in the White House, 2017-2021, by Susan B. Glasser and Peter Baker.

The excerpt outlined the tense relationship between Trump and his generals, who often found themselves at odds with the ex-president over what they viewed as misuses of the military. These concerns included his plans to send the military in to stop protests in the summer of 2020 following the police murder of George Floyd, and concerns he would start unnecessary wars.

After months of frustration, Milley eventually viewed his role as a guardrail against any efforts to use the military against American civilians or start a foreign war—concerns that grew throughout 2020, as some advisers pushed for a strike against Iran, according to the book.

Trump's team began pushing for a "showdown" with Iran amid concerns that they would lose the 2020 presidential election, according to the excerpt. Military action against Iran would have been viewed as an escalation with the Middle Eastern country and would likely have far-reaching consequences.

One adviser allegedly told Trump that if he lost the election, he should strike Iran's nuclear program. Then-Vice President Mike Pence allegedly considered taking the drastic action also "because they are evil," the book reported.

During one meeting with Trump's advisers, Milley offered a dire warning against escalating to war with Iran "If we do what you're saying, we are all going to be tried as war criminals in The Hague," he said, according to the book.
Milley Once Penned Resignation Letter

Milley grew frustrated with Trump at several other points during his presidency, according to the book. At one point, he even planned to resign from office following controversy about appearing with Trump at a controversial photo-op at Lafayette Square in front of St. John's Church in Washington, D.C. The controversy came after police dispersed a crowd of people who were peacefully protesting Floyd's death, sparking a dialogue about the role of the military in civil life.

The incident, and its fallout, prompted Milley to pen a resignation letter, where he accused the president of "doing great and irreparable harm to my country."

"I believe that you have made a concerted effort over time to politicize the United States military. I thought that I could change that. I've come to the realization that I cannot, and I need to step aside and let someone else try to do that," he wrote, according to the excerpt.

However, he ultimately decided not to quit, instead opting to continue to serve in the Trump administration, the book reported. He reportedly told his staff: "F*** that s***. I'll just fight him."

Newsweek reached out to Trump's office and the Joint Chiefs of Staff for comment.

‘Doesn’t look good for me’: Trump sought to exclude wounded veterans from parade

Cami Mondeaux - 4h ago

As President Donald Trump sought to hold a spectacular military parade on the Fourth of July, the former president had a request that stunned his top military advisers: He didn’t want wounded veterans to be on display.


© Provided by Washington Examiner‘

Trump had been inspired to hold a grand Independence Day parade in the summer of 2018 after attending the Bastille Day parade in France the year before. However, he reportedly lamented the presence of wounded soldiers in wheelchairs who had lost limbs in battle, requesting they not be present.

MARK MILLEY ACCUSED TRUMP OF ‘IRREPARABLE HARM’ IN UNSENT RESIGNATION LETTER: REPORT

“Look, I don’t want any wounded guys in the parade,” Trump said, according to an excerpt of the forthcoming book The Divider by journalists Susan Glasser and Peter Baker. “This doesn’t look good for me.”

The comment stunned the generals present for the meeting, worsening frustrations already brewing amid the administration, according to the book.

“Those are the heroes,” John Kelly, then-White House chief of staff, told Trump. “In our society, there’s only one group of people who are more heroic than they are — and they are buried over in Arlington.”

Top military generals advised against holding the parade due to high costs, and the event was ultimately delayed. However, Trump did end up hosting a “Salute to America” parade on the Fourth of July in 2019.

The former president’s comments that he didn’t want wounded soldiers present for the parade were previously reported by the Atlantic in September 2020. The White House denied those reports.

"President Trump holds the military in the highest regard,” a White House spokesperson said at the time. “He's demonstrated his commitment to them at every turn: delivering on his promise to give our troops a much needed pay raise, increasing military spending, signing critical veterans reforms, and supporting military spouses. These nameless anecdotes have no basis in fact and are offensive fiction."

However, the corroborated version of events told in Glasser and Baker’s book offers an inside glimpse of the relationship between Trump and some of his top military officials, who became increasingly frustrated with the former president during his final days in office.

Several officials, including Joint Chiefs of Staff Chairman Gen. Mark Milley, considered resigning from the White House in the summer of 2020, accusing Trump of ensuing “great and irreparable harm” to the country.

The Divider, which describes behind-the-scenes details and unreported conversations that occurred inside the White House during Trump’s presidency, is scheduled to be released on Sept. 20.

Climate deniers use past heat records to sow doubt online

With Europe gripped by successive heatwaves, climate-change deniers are spreading scepticism by publishing data on social media on extreme temperatures allegedly recorded decades ago to imply scientists are exaggerating global warming.


© CRISTINA QUICLER

Climate-change deniers are still active online despite record temperatures across Europe

But experts say the figures cited from the past are often incorrect or taken out of context -- and even if accurate do not change the fact that heatwaves are becoming more frequent and intense.

The posts typically include heat records from almanacs or newspaper reports from the past, arguing that they are similar to the record highs set during this year's heatwaves in Europe.

One post that has gone viral on Facebook includes a screen grab of a brief article published in the New York Times on June 23, 1935, which said the mercury had hit 127 degrees Fahrenheit (52.7 degrees Celsius) in Zaragoza, in northeastern Spain, the day before.


© THOMAS COEX

Heatwaves in Spain have become more frequent, say experts

That temperature is much higher than the record for the highest temperature in Spain of 47.6 degrees Celsius recorded on August 14, 2021 by national weather office Aemet at the La Rambla meteorological station in the southern province of Cordoba.

Contacted by AFP Fact Check, Aemet spokesman Ruben del Campo said the highest temperature recorded in Zaragoza that day in 1935 was just 39 degrees Celsius.

"The figure of over 52 degrees in incorrect. It is not a figure that is in our climate database, and in fact, there is no log of a temperature above 50 degrees Celsius," he said.

And "even if the figure was correct, which I stress it is not, that is not proof that climate changes does not exist", he added.

- 'Warmer now' -


Spanish daily newspaper La Vanguardia in 1935 also reported that temperatures had hit the low 50s in Zaragoza but explained that the measurement was taken "in the sun".

Scientists recommend a series of strict criteria to ensure an accurate temperature reading.

"Sensors must be protected from the sun and the rain, and the temperature inside the weather station must be the same as what it is outside," said Aemet meteorologists Ricardo Torrijo.

Another post that has gone viral on Facebook, Telegram and Twitter since last June shows a front page of Spanish weekly magazine El Espanol from August 1957 with the headline: "The hottest summer of the century".

It referred to a reading of a temperature of 50 degrees Celsius in central Spain, which was also taken in the sun.

Isabel Cacho, a climate expert at the University of Barcelona, said that "in the hypothetical case" that the mercury soared above 50 degrees Celsius, "this would not be an argument to question that it is warmer now".

- 'Not change trend' -

Climate scientists overwhelmingly agree that carbon emissions from humans burning fossil fuels are heating the planet, raising the risk, length and severity of heatwaves and other extreme weather events.

"These figures of high temperatures (in the past) do not discredit the existence of climate change," said Jose Luis Garcia, a climate change expert at Greenpeace in Spain.

"They are unrelated. One thing is one-off temperature data and another very different thing is the tendency towards an increase in the average temperature."

Pedro Zorrilla, a Spanish expert in climate change, said the "anomaly" of a very high temperature recorded in 1935 would have a "very small effect" on average temperatures.

"It does not change the trend," he added.

Records show heatwaves are occurring with greater frequency in the Iberian Peninsula, said Mariano Barriendos, a geography and history professor at the University of Barcelona.

"It is relatively usual for a hot air mass to enter the peninsula from the Sahara Desert. What is worrying is that heatwaves are happening more often," he said.

AFP