Many Politicians Lie. But Trump Has Elevated the Art of Fabrication

Whit Ayres, a Republican political consultant here, likes to tell his clients that there are “three keys to credibility.”

“One, never defend the indefensible,” he says. “Two, never deny the undeniable. And No. 3 is: Never lie.”

Would that politicians took his advice.

Fabrications have long been a part of American politics. Politicians lie to puff themselves up, to burnish their résumés and to cover up misdeeds, including sexual affairs. (See: Bill Clinton.) Sometimes they cite false information for what they believe are justifiable policy reasons. (See: Lyndon Johnson and Vietnam.)

But President Trump, historians and consultants in both political parties agree, appears to have taken what the writer Hannah Arendt once called “the conflict between truth and politics” to an entirely new level.

From his days peddling the false notion that former President Barack Obama was born in Kenya, to his inflated claims about how many people attended his inaugural, to his description just last week of receiving two phone calls — one from the president of Mexico and another from the head of the Boy Scouts — that never happened, Mr. Trump is trafficking in hyperbole, distortion and fabrication on practically a daily basis.

Afghan soldier attacks foreign troops at base

An Afghan soldier has attacked foreign troops at military base, with unconfirmed reports saying four US soldiers have been killed.

The attack took place at a base in the north of the country on Saturday.

Abdul Qahar Araam, the Afghan Army’s 209th Corps spokesman, said the soldier shot and killed four US troops inside the base, news agency Reuters reported.

The US military command, based in the capital Kabul, said they were “aware of an incident” at Camp Shaheen.

The camp, in the northern city of Mazar-i-Shariff, is the base of the 209th Corps.

Source: Afghan soldier attacks foreign troops at base – BBC News

This country’s real carnage comes from guns. It’s time for Congress to change that.

On Capitol Hill, there’s shock and anguish after a shooting at a GOP baseball practice. Where’s the shock and anguish for thousands of other shooting victims?

Source: This country’s real carnage comes from guns. It’s time for Congress to change that. – The Washington Post

Jeremy Clarkson gives eye-witness account of Richard Hammond’s crash

Over the weekend, Richard Hammond was involved in a serious driving incident, ending with the former Top Gear presenter in hospital with a fractured knee.  The 48-year-old was filming scenes for the second season of The Grand Tour in Switzerland when the incident occurred, leaving the vehicle in flames.

Jeremy Clarkson has since written about the situation for Drive Tribe, saying “I genuinely thought he was dead.”

According to the report, Clarkson was enjoying a ‘chilled glass of wine’ having finished filming when, over the radio, someone said Hammond and co-host James May were doing another shoot.

“It was a beautiful day,” Clarkson writes, “the filming had gone well and I was on the phone to our executive producer saying that it would be good enough for programme one of the next series when I heard on the walky talky that the Lamborghini test driver had had an ‘off’ in the [Lamborghini] Aventador.

“I was cross. We needed that car for pick up shots the next day and I couldn’t understand why he’d been on the hill in the first place, or why he was going fast enough to crash. Then I saw a plume of smoke.”

The host quickly zoomed up the hill, arriving 30-seconds later to see an “inferno raging, maybe a quarter of a mile away, at the bottom of a hill.”

“It was obvious from the skid marks what had happened,” Clarkson continues. “He’d lost it somehow on the final bend after the finishing line and had plummeted down one bank onto a road lower down the hill, which had caused his car to flip.

“The big question was: had he managed to get out. No-one knew.”

Standing above the scene, Clarkson soon realised the car that had crashed was Hammond’s Rimac. May soon stood alongside, the pair worried for Hammond’s life…

Source: Jeremy Clarkson gives eye-witness account of Richard Hammond’s crash | The Independent

#F1 #SpanishGP🇪🇸 Ham, Vet, Ric

#F1 Max Verstappen edges out Lewis Hamilton in #BahrainGP 🇧🇭 #FP3

Max Verstappen set the benchmark on Saturday in final practice ahead of the Bahrain Grand Prix by pipping Hamilton by just one tenth of a second.  Sebastian Vettel was third for Ferrari

Hamilton is looking for his third straight pole position of the season after going quickest in Australia and China.

He is level at the top of the championship standings with Vettel. In an exciting start to the season, both have one win and one second-place finish each, with Vettel winning in Melbourne and Hamilton taking the checkered flag in Shanghai.

Although not as hot as Friday, drivers still had to deal with track temperatures of 37 degrees Celsius (99 degrees Fahrenheit) on the sweltering hot circuit located in the desert.

The session was briefly halted some 20 minutes from the end after Haas driver Romain Grosjean spun across the track and into the barriers, damaging his car’s front wing. After quick repairs, the Frenchman had the car back on track for the final few minutes.

Source: Max Verstappen fastest in final practice for Bahrain GP | Daily Mail Online

World’s largest aircraft dubbed the £25m ‘giant bum’ gets inflatable ‘landing feet’ after crashing into power lines last year

 

 

 

The world’s largest aircraft has been given a pair of “giant inflatable landing feet” (pictured) after crashing when it got caught in power lines.

The £25million Airlander 10 airship, dubbed the ‘giant bum’ due to its appearance, nose-dived during a test flight last year.

No-one was injured in the accident at Cardington Airfield, Bedfordshire on August 24, but the cockpit was effectively destroyed.

Source: World’s largest aircraft dubbed the £25m ‘giant bum’ | Daily Mail Online