No word on whether Donald Trump partakes in or merely watches ‘golden showers’: Daily Bullshit, January 11-13, 2017 (updated 3x)

There is a new blog post, entitled “An apology.”


Updated for an NPR piece on kompromat[1] and for a story on the drought apparently ending in some parts of California.[2] Updated again for a National Weather Service map on the California drought.[3] Updated yet again for an article detailing Penthouse magazine’s efforts to obtain proof of the ‘golden shower’ claims.[4]


Donald Trump

In fact, big business people often seal deals at strip clubs, and sex parties in St. Petersburg were likely to be sweeteners for a business deal. Only puritan Americans would think it was the sex party that was the important thing.[5]

I’m trying to remind myself that my mission with this newsletter is to illuminate rather than to disseminate. On the other hand, Donald Trump is alleged to be into “golden showers?” (Let the snickering commence.) At least this time, the mainstream media are admitting that these claims are unverified.[6] Juan Cole goes so far as to point out that “intelligence professionals gather a lot of raw intelligence that is nonsense.”[7]

For what it’s worth, both Trump and the Russians deny the report.[8] On the one hand, this is to be expected—of course they would. On the other hand, first, the Russian denial lacks credibility;[9] but second, in combination with unsubstantiated and dubious claims that Russia hacked the Democratic National Committee,[10] this starts to look seriously like disinformation, intended to delegitimize Trump.

Jeff Stein, “Trump, Russian Spies and the Infamous ‘Golden Shower Memos,’” Newsweek, January 10, 2017, http://www.newsweek.com/trump-russian-spies-infamous-golden-shower-memos-541315

Juan Cole, “For Russian hold on Trump, follow the Money, not the Sex tapes,” Informed Comment, January 11, 2017, http://www.juancole.com/2017/01/russian-trump-follow.html

Shane Harris, Devlin Barrett, and Laura Mills, “Trump, Russia Both Hit Out at Claims in Intelligence Dossier,” Wall Street Journal, January 11, 2017, http://www.wsj.com/articles/russia-says-it-has-no-compromising-material-on-trump-calling-report-an-absolute-fabrication-1484125723

Greg Myre, “A Russian Word Americans Need To Know: ‘Kompromat,'” National Public Radio, January 11, 2017, http://www.npr.org/sections/parallels/2017/01/11/509305088/a-russian-word-americans-need-to-know-kompromat

Greg Price, “Penthouse may have proof of Trump’s ‘golden shower’ tryst at Moscow hotel,” Raw Story, January 13, 2017, http://www.rawstory.com/2017/01/penthouse-may-have-proof-of-trumps-golden-shower-tryst-at-moscow-hotel/


California drought

As for another kind of precipitation. . . .

Good news on drought conditions in California. Recent heavy rains have resulted in significant improvement across most of the state.
According to the National Weather Service, “Good news on drought conditions in California. Recent heavy rains have resulted in significant improvement across most of the state.”

Ellen Knickmeyer, “Officials: More than 40 percent of California out of drought,” Minneapolis Star-Tribune, January 12, 2017, http://www.startribune.com/officials-more-than-40-percent-of-california-out-of-drought/410516385/

National Weather Service, [Facebook post], January 12, 2017, https://www.facebook.com/NWSBayArea/photos/a.128008810607817.30966.121579457917419/1308228312585855/?type=3


  1. [1]Greg Myre, “A Russian Word Americans Need To Know: ‘Kompromat,'” National Public Radio, January 11, 2017, http://www.npr.org/sections/parallels/2017/01/11/509305088/a-russian-word-americans-need-to-know-kompromat
  2. [2]Ellen Knickmeyer, “Officials: More than 40 percent of California out of drought,” Minneapolis Star-Tribune, January 12, 2017, http://www.startribune.com/officials-more-than-40-percent-of-california-out-of-drought/410516385/
  3. [3]National Weather Service, [Facebook post], January 12, 2017, https://www.facebook.com/NWSBayArea/photos/a.128008810607817.30966.121579457917419/1308228312585855/?type=3
  4. [4]Greg Price, “Penthouse may have proof of Trump’s ‘golden shower’ tryst at Moscow hotel,” Raw Story, January 13, 2017, http://www.rawstory.com/2017/01/penthouse-may-have-proof-of-trumps-golden-shower-tryst-at-moscow-hotel/
  5. [5]Juan Cole, “For Russian hold on Trump, follow the Money, not the Sex tapes,” Informed Comment, January 11, 2017, http://www.juancole.com/2017/01/russian-trump-follow.html
  6. [6]Shane Harris, Devlin Barrett, and Laura Mills, “Trump, Russia Both Hit Out at Claims in Intelligence Dossier,” Wall Street Journal, January 11, 2017, http://www.wsj.com/articles/russia-says-it-has-no-compromising-material-on-trump-calling-report-an-absolute-fabrication-1484125723; Jeff Stein, “Trump, Russian Spies and the Infamous ‘Golden Shower Memos,’” Newsweek, January 10, 2017, http://www.newsweek.com/trump-russian-spies-infamous-golden-shower-memos-541315
  7. [7]Juan Cole, “For Russian hold on Trump, follow the Money, not the Sex tapes,” Informed Comment, January 11, 2017, http://www.juancole.com/2017/01/russian-trump-follow.html
  8. [8]Shane Harris, Devlin Barrett, and Laura Mills, “Trump, Russia Both Hit Out at Claims in Intelligence Dossier,” Wall Street Journal, January 11, 2017, http://www.wsj.com/articles/russia-says-it-has-no-compromising-material-on-trump-calling-report-an-absolute-fabrication-1484125723
  9. [9]Greg Myre, “A Russian Word Americans Need To Know: ‘Kompromat,'” National Public Radio, January 11, 2017, http://www.npr.org/sections/parallels/2017/01/11/509305088/a-russian-word-americans-need-to-know-kompromat
  10. [10]George Beebe, “Russia’s Role in the US Elections: The Case for Caution,” National Interest, December 16, 2016, http://nationalinterest.org/feature/russias-role-the-us-elections-the-case-caution-18756; David Benfell, “Blaming the Russians,” Not Housebroken, December 13, 2016, https://disunitedstates.org/?p=9151; Jeffrey Carr, “The GRU-Ukraine Artillery Hack That May Never Have Happened,” Medium, January 3, 2017, https://medium.com/@jeffreycarr/the-gru-ukraine-artillery-hack-that-may-never-have-happened-820960bbb02d; Ronald Deibert, “The DHS/FBI Report on Russian Hacking was a Predictable Failure,” Just Security, January 4, 2017, https://www.justsecurity.org/35989/dhsfbi-report-russian-hacking-predictable-failure/; David A. Graham, “An Intelligence Report That Will Change No One’s Mind,” Atlantic, January 6, 2017, https://www.theatlantic.com/politics/archive/2017/01/odni-report-on-russian-hacking/512465/; Matt Taibbi, “Something About This Russia Story Stinks,” Rolling Stone, December 31, 2016, http://www.rollingstone.com/politics/features/something-about-this-russia-story-stinks-w458439

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