Badlands News Brief
Plan B for Israel & Ouroborosian Protests Consume Clown World
The News Cycle is almost impossible to track these days. At least, to do so fully.
That’s where we come in.
In the Badlands News Brief, the Badlands Media team hand pick news items of interest from the previous days to give you an overview of the biggest goings-on relevant to the Truth Community.
Many items feature original (and subjective) commentary. Feel free to follow the corresponding link to see our writers’ Substack accounts and check out their other work.
Now, onto the news from Wednesday, May 1 …
Saudis push for ‘plan B’ that excludes Israel from key deal with US
The US and Saudi Arabia have drafted a set of agreements on security and technology-sharing which were intended to be linked to a broader Middle East settlement involving Israel and the Palestinians.
However, in the absence of a ceasefire in Gaza and in the face of adamant resistance from Benjamin Netanyahu’s Israeli government to the creation of a Palestinian state – and its apparent determination to launch an offensive on Rafah – the Saudis are pushing for a more modest plan B, which excludes the Israelis.
Under that option, the US and Saudi Arabia would sign agreements on a bilateral defence pact, US help in the building of a Saudi civil nuclear energy industry, and high-level sharing in the field of artificial intelligence and other emerging technologies.
An offer would be made to Israel of normalisation of diplomatic relations with Riyadh in return for Israeli acceptance of the two-state solution to the 76-year Israeli-Arab conflict. But under Riyadh’s plan B proposal, completion of the US-Saudi deals would not be made dependent on agreement from the Netanyahu government.
“There should be room for a less-for-less model, so the relationship with the US need not be held hostage to the whims of Israeli politics or Benjamin Netanyahu,” said Firas Maksad, senior director for strategic outreach at the Middle East Institute.
The Biden administration would not land the historic regional settlement it has been seeking in the wreckage of the Gaza war, at least not immediately, but it would cement a strategic partnership with Saudi Arabia that would keep encroaching Chinese and Russian influence at bay. — The Guardian
Our Take: “I've been writing a lot lately about what I see as a Counterinsurgency against Bibi Netanyahu and his regime. This story is a signal that the Counterinsurgency is very real, and nearing completion.
Two weeks ago, on the "Geopolitics" panel at GART in Dallas, we talked about how cheap and affordable energy in the hands of less developed countries would change the world in a very positive way. It would allow for these nations to cultivate a prosperous middle class, which would not only eliminate the incentive to migrate illegals to Europe and the United States, but would also reduce the desire for kinetic conflict, political strife, and destabilizing events.
As we have learned in America, when there is real prosperity, people tend to focus on enjoying their lives, rather than hyperbolic political infighting. (That apathy can also be dangerous, as it can lead to a rise of a petulant political class that hates its own citizenry, but I digress. It's been a painful lesson for us to have learned.)
For these reasons, we should be encouraging these developing nations to develop cheap forms of energy. For these same reasons, malevolent groups who seek to subjugate nations would likely do everything in their power to prevent such developments from occurring. I have to suspect that is the entire premise behind things such as the Green New Deal, and the climate change hoax.
You have to wonder, in 2002, when Bibi Netanyahu testified before Congress on 9/11, and told our country that America must use military force to prevent Iraq, Iran, and Afghanistan from developing nuclear energy programs, was that really about weapons of mass destruction?
When Netanyahu promised us that "murdering Saddam Hussein" would bring peace to the Middle East, that was a vicious lie. How many of our friends and family had to die for that lie? How many innocent millions in the Middle East? How much of our future have we mortgaged for it? $6 Trillion? More?
The reason I have always felt certain that Bibi Netanyahu was in President Trump's crosshairs was because Netanyahu was a key player in the 9/11 false flag, and I think I understand how Donald Trump felt about that event. I could see it in his eyes, and hear it in his voice, because I myself have felt that same unquenchable zeal for justice—no matter how long it takes, and no matter how unlikely the odds. (Funny enough, after reading into Crown Prince MBS's life, 9/11 left a similar impression on him. He seeks vengeance against those who brought war to his doorstep, and falsely blamed his family for it. Bibi is likely in his crosshairs, too.)
You simply can't talk somebody in that mindset out of it. They become an unstoppable force of nature, when the truth is on their side.
The people of Israel have already been in the streets for a while now, calling for Netanyahu's resignation. Now Netanyahu is on the outside looking in on a historic deal that will forever change the world. Israel needs a real leader who is prepared to seize the moment.
Hammer and anvil. Trump the blacksmith is reforging the world, with the help of the Sovereign Alliance.” —
Another Take: “Israel is being completely isolated on the game board.
The longer they choose to draw out their side of the conflict, the more alienated they become in the region.
This is yet another soft Devolution proof, with Donald Trump conveniently out of the public seat of power in the West, as the Uniparty War Hawks converge on the Biden Admin, pressuring the pretender to go to war against Iran and all its proxies despite the utter surety of the resultant World War that would break out.
The Russians took center stage throughout 2022-23, and now the Saudis have stepped up to the plate to exert asymmetric power projection to forward the side of peace with the US Military Industrial Complex temporarily hamstrung by the Devolution operation.
It's almost like the Sovereign Alliance has always been real, that Devolution is a worldwide plan rather than US-only, and that the Actuals are transforming the world for the better while the Narratives catastrophically damage the Deep State Establishment.” —
Chaos Erupts At UCLA After Pro-Gaza Activists Refuse Entry To Non-Allied Students
It's like the Seattle CHAZ encampment all over again. Far-left activists have declared the UCLA campus a "liberated zone" and are refusing entry for many students not affiliated with the pro-Gaza protests. They have erected barriers and placed guards, creating makeshift checkpoints which require a special wrist band in order to gain passage.
In other words, if you aren't an "ally" then you don't get to attend classes, or, if you're lucky you are allowed to take a longer route around the barricades. Keep in mind, this is not a protected form of protest or free speech, which explains why many college campuses have chosen to have protesters removed by police. UCLA so far appears to be supporting the activists and has allowed them to take control.
The barricades and the selective barring of certain students has led to predictable anger. Various groups are now engaging protesters and have triggered what can only be described as an all out brawl. The use of weapons has been common and firecrackers have even been fired at activist tents. Whether or not the fighting is between pro-Gaza and pro-Israel groups is not yet clear, and the conflict may simply be a matter of students enraged by the general blockade. No substantial police presence is visible so far. — ZeroHedge
Our Take: “So many Chazzes! Chazzes? Choze? No matter, the important point is that Gaza Floyd (h/t: James Lindsay) is well underway! I love state-sanctioned rebellion season, don’t you?
The much anticipated reboot of The Summer of Love is even more inclusive than the original, as Antifa sheds its black block summer of love attire in favor of keffiyeh and makeshift thobes. Note, they’re not wearing either appropriately, but rather appropriating Muslim culture to hide their faces while destroying property and harassing non-revolutionary passersby.
Students around the nation are participating in the Muslim call to prayer, and the most privileged in our society—mostly leftist women wanna be revolutionaries whose birth control has scrambled their brains—are demanding humanitarian aid to those occupying Ivy League campus buildings.
It’s all amusing. Until it isn’t. What happens when they leave campus?” —
Fed holds interest rates at 23-year high as inflation continues to push back timing of a rate cut
US markets closed mixed on Wednesday on a volatile day of trading.
Stocks spent the morning largely unchanged before jumping higher when Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell indicated during a press conference that policymakers believed it was unlikely that they they would raise rates again in this cycle.
Investors, however, were unable to sustain the rally and the S&P 500 and tech-heavy Nasdaq fell again to close the day lower.
The blue-chip Dow ended Wednesday higher by 87 points, or 0.2%. The S&P 500 fell by 0.3% and the Nasdaq was also down 0.3%.
Wall Street ultimately was unable to snap April's losing streak. All three major indexes closed out last month lower after five months of gains. The Dow notched its worst month since September 2022. — CNN
Our Take: “Widespread pain prompts widespread awakening.
The economy is the shared communication vector through which all people interact, forming constant inputs and outputs.
When the input heavily outweighs the output, it results in tension, which prompts questions.
And questions, when asked earnestly and forcefully, will save the world.
We were told this would happen, not just in the Q drops, but by Donald Trump himself, when he said we'd have a crash unlike anything we'd seen before.
"A 1929 situation, if you put the wrong man in there."
While I'm of the belief that a transition period in the US economy is not only possible, but already in progress when one tracks foundational moves being made at the deepest layers of the system, short-term pain is not only probable, but arguably necessary to accelerate the very awakening process we want and need to play out.” —
House passes antisemitism bill with broad bipartisan support amid campus arrests
The House passed a bipartisan bill Wednesday to combat antisemitism as pro-Palestinian protests roil colleges across the U.S.
The measure passed 320-91. Twenty-one Republicans and 70 Democrats voted against it.
The bill, titled the Antisemitism Awareness Act, would mandate that the Education Department adopt the broad definition of antisemitism used by the International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance, an intergovernmental group, to enforce anti-discrimination laws.
The international group defines antisemitism as a "certain perception of Jews, which may be expressed as hatred toward Jews." The group adds that "rhetorical and physical manifestations" of antisemitism include such things as calling for the killing or harming of Jews or holding Jews collectively responsible for actions taken by Israel.
The bill's prospects in the Senate are unclear.
Asked whether the Senate would take up the legislation, Majority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., told reporters earlier Wednesday that "we haven't seen what the House is sending us yet."
Rep. Mike Lawler, R-N.Y., introduced the bipartisan legislation, which received backing from Democratic moderates who are supporters of Israel amid the country’s war with Hamas. — NBC News
Our Take: “I've been reporting on this development since September, and started discussing it on Badlands Daily with CannCon after the October 7th attack. Back in the fall, I said that this would eventually reach Congress, and become a national "movement" to subvert free speech. It is not difficult to see how this could easily be expanded in the future to include criticism of the US government, as well as Israel.
This is a very nefarious situation that highlights the levels of betrayal and control that "special interest" foreign lobby groups have over even the most celebrated GOP figures, such as Sarah Huckabee-Sanders and Kristi Noem.
For the past few years, an NGO called the International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance has been exerting its influence over governors and state legislatures across America in order to expand the definition of "antisemitism" to include the version created by the IHRA. This revised definition focuses almost exclusively on the foreign government of Israel, equating any criticism of that government—or Zionism, in general—with a hatred of all Jewish people.
I want to repeat that: Criticizing a foreign government is now considered "hate speech" in 38 states.
Those states include Texas (Abbot), Arkansas (Huckabee-Sanders), South Dakota (Noem), Virginia (Youngkin), and of course, Florida (Desantis).
All of those governors have publicly boasted about this accomplishment. Kristi Noem even entitled her legislation the "God's Chosen People Act," implying that Christians are somehow not God's chosen people, despite the Bible quoting Jesus as saying that exact thing.
The IRHA definition also considers any claim that "the Jews" had anything to do with the crucifixion of Jesus of Nazareth "antisemitic," despite the fact that the Bible plainly states that the Pharisees (Jewish leaders in Biblical times) played a direct hand in Christ's demise, as they considered His claims of being the Son of God heresy.
Turns out that the greatest traitors to our republic are the "super based and red-pilled" Republicans—something else I have been cautioning for quite some time. The fact that they have attempted to weaponize a woke interpretation of the Bible in order to subvert the Bill of Rights is grounds for nation-wide revulsion against the Republican establishment.
These are the same demons who protected Jeffrey Epstein. Every American has some real soul-searching to do when it comes to the GOP, and deciding whether they are truly worthy of the power they wield. While we are at it, we should also look into this IHRA organization, and figure out who is pulling their strings.” —
Starbucks On Brink Of Worst Crash Since Dot Com After "Stunning" Earnings Miss
Starbucks shares plummeted by 16% during the early cash session, approaching the -16.2% level last seen during the Covid crash. If intraday losses surpass 16.2% and remain above this level at closing, it would mark the company's worst single-day loss since the Dot Com crash in early 2000.
"Starbucks reported what's perhaps the worst set of results of any large company so far" this quarter, analyst Adam Crisafulli of Vital Knowledge wrote in a note. William Blair downgraded the coffee chain, citing last quarter's "stunning across-the-board miss on all key metrics."
Starbucks reported a 4% drop in same-store sales in the second quarter compared with the same period last year, while analysts tracked by Bloomberg were expecting growth. In China, same-store sales plunged 11%. The company's top geographic segments are showing a pullback in consumer spending.
On Tuesday evening, CEO Laxman Narasimhan started the earnings call with investors by clarifying his unhappiness with last quarter's results.
"Let me be clear from the beginning. Our performance this quarter was disappointing and did not meet our expectations," Narasimhan said. — ZeroHedge
Our Take: “Who will be the first Fortune 500 domino to fall?
Amidst a flurry of concerning economic data reported to kick off May, the world's biggest coffee chain has broken its own dubious record by reporting massive misses, causing a stock crash.
While the surface-level narrative being peddled by both Starbucks itself and the economic "experts" who've been unable to predict anything since the engineered Covid crash of 2020 is that US consumers are tapped out in the stagflationary environment that has come to define the Biden era, I've got a more positive spin on said data that goes back to a theory I laid out two years ago.
In 'Too Small to Fail,' I suggested that, if you apply the framing of a patriot plan to the economic as well as the political sphere, some of the method to the seeming madness gets clearer.
In a paralyzed environment defined by high borrowing costs, massive conglomerates are actually hurt more than mom and pop businesses.
This is because such massive companies rely on extremely tight margins on a percentage basis.
When you're operating in the billions, a 1% float runs to the tune of hundreds of millions.
When that gets squeezed to the short side, you're then looking at LOSSES in the hundreds of millions (and that's on a monthly basis.)
Apply this to a mom and pop business operating on margins of 10%, with cashflow in the thousands or tens of thousands, and you begin to see how, even in lean times, small American businesses are able to tighten the belt and weather the storm.
As long as Big Brother doesn't come in with the bailout, I believe we're on the verge of a massive transfer of wealth from the liquidation of a good portion of the UnFortunate 500.
That money doesn't disappear. The economic energy flows downhill, and, as long as it isn't sucked up by government intervention (time will tell,) it will settle into the eddies and valleys of the REAL US economy.
That's Main Street, folks.
Stay frosty. Stay lean. Stay vigilant.
We can outlast them.” —
First Saudi-penned opera opens in Riyadh
The first grand opera to be produced in Saudi Arabia has had its opening performance in Riyadh - part of Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman's massively ambitious plans to shift the kingdom into a new era, economically and socially.
Zarqa Al Yamama is the story of a blue-eyed tribal matriarch with the gift of foreseeing the future in pre-Islamic Arabia.
Her predictions of imminent danger are ignored by her tribe - a story with a universal resonance according to Ivan Vukcevic, head of Arabian Opera. The company was set up in Switzerland to help develop the performance and teaching of classical music in the Middle East.
"At its core lies the central female heroine with an extraordinary gift of foresight, advocating for reason and love in the face of adversity, even at the expense of her own life," he says. describing it as an epic tragedy familiar to many in the Arabic-speaking world.
When the idea of a lavish new opera in Arabic was first presented two years ago, Mr Vukcevic and his company were initially taken aback and puzzled. — BBC
Our Take: “When I began public commentary on the Middle East a few years ago, I would always hear the same tired old trope: ‘We can't trust these Muslims. Their Shariah system will erase Western Culture, and destroy Europe and America.’
Opera is often associated with the hubris of smug elites, but the fact remains that opera—along with ballet—is the pinnacle of high European culture. It combines the complexity and talent of orchestra with story-telling and live performance. (I took a History of Opera class my final semester of college to fulfill an elective requirement, and enjoyed it more than I thought I would.)
When I discuss Islam and the Middle East on stream, I see people in the chat fretting over Shariah Law and the end of European culture.
Yet, here is the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia—the King of which holds the title of ‘The Custodian of The Two Holy Mosques’ (the closest thing Islam has to a leader/pope)—bringing high European culture to Arabia.
It would seem that this is inverse Shariah.
With Crown Prince MBS importing European culture to the Middle East, I guess my previous speculation that we will soon see cathedrals in Riyadh and Catholic mass held in Arabic doesn't seem so crazy, does it?
To quote Kanye West after the 2016 election: "It's a new world, Hillary. It's a new world, Barack."
It sure is.” —
BONUS ITEMS
Hakeem Jeffries vows to save Mike Johnson from MTG's motion to vacate
House Democratic leadership on Tuesday confirmed what has long been rumored: If Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene (R-Ga.) introduces a motion to oust Speaker Mike Johnson (R-La.), they will help kill it.
Why it matters: It could be the nail in the coffin for Greene's motion to vacate, which has already struggled due to a lack of Republican support.
What they're saying: "We will vote to table Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene's Motion to Vacate the Chair," Jeffries and his deputies, Reps. Katherine Clark (D-Mass.) and Pete Aguilar (D-Calif.), said in a statement.
"If she invokes the motion, it will not succeed," they said.
The Democratic leaders pointed to the foreign aid bill passing earlier this month: "Upon completion of our national security work, the time has come to turn the page on this chapter of Pro-Putin Republican obstruction."
By the numbers: Just two right-wing House Republicans have signed onto Greene's motion to vacate, enough to remove Johnson only if virtually every Democrat voted with them. — Axios
DOJ under pressure to produce audio of Biden interview with Hur
The Department of Justice is facing mounting pressure from Congress and various organizations to provide audio recordings of President Joe Biden’s interview with the special counsel who investigated his handling of classified documents.
The DOJ has thus far resisted the requests from House Judiciary Committee Chairman Jim Jordan (R-OH), House Oversight Committee Chairman James Comer (R-KY), conservative groups such as Judicial Watch, and CNN, resulting in escalating legal pursuits, a tense impasse with Congress, and healthy doses of criticism.
“This is yet another brazen cover-up,” Judicial Watch President Tom Fitton said in a statement Tuesday. “The Biden Justice Department’s political gambit in asserting Joe Biden’s privacy concerns in order to withhold audio of his criminal interviews with the special counsel really takes the cake.”
Judicial Watch, as well as the Heritage Foundation and CNN, have filed legal complaints in an attempt to enforce Freedom of Information Act requests for the recordings, which feature Biden interviewing with former special counsel Robert Hur about how the president handled classified material from when he was vice president and senator.
Hur found after a yearlong investigation that Biden mishandled classified documents as well as disclosed classified information to the ghostwriter of his 2017 book, Promise Me, Dad. — The Washington Examiner
Whistleblower Josh Dean of Boeing supplier Spirit AeroSystems has died
Joshua Dean, a former quality auditor at Boeing supplier Spirit AeroSystems and one of the first whistleblowers to allege Spirit leadership had ignored manufacturing defects on the 737 MAX, died Tuesday morning after a struggle with a sudden, fast-spreading infection.
Known as Josh, Dean lived in Wichita, Kan., where Spirit is based. He was 45, had been in good health and was noted for having a healthy lifestyle.
He died after two weeks in critical condition, his aunt Carol Parsons said.
Spirit spokesperson Joe Buccino said: “Our thoughts are with Josh Dean’s family. This sudden loss is stunning news here and for his loved ones.”
Dean had given a deposition in a Spirit shareholder lawsuit and also filed a complaint with the Federal Aviation Administration alleging “serious and gross misconduct by senior quality management of the 737 production line” at Spirit.
Spirit fired Dean in April 2023, and he had filed a complaint with the Department of Labor alleging his termination was in retaliation for raising concerns related to aviation safety. — Seattle Times
We hope you enjoyed this brief look back at the major news items you might have missed in this ever-escalating and ever-accelerating news cycle as the Information War continues to rage on around us.
As always, if you have any thoughts on these news items or the MANY others swirling in the digital ether, drop into the comments below to share them with your fellow Badlanders.
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Good stuff that helps me remain comfyAF.
From my personal experience I have seen situations that looked like they would take decades or even generations to fix get turned around 180 degrees in 8 weeks. We all see the world through our own experiential reality but when radical change occurs and break the old mold the world experiences dramatic seismic change.
BB I agree, my wife and I own two retail stores in a rural lake community that has gone through an incredible revitalization over the past 5 years. Shop Local and Small Business has seen tremendous growth. The economy is getting hammered and running a small business takes constant focus but people are turning away from big box store and malls and try their best to shop local. People love to see small towns come back to life.
Keep up the great work.
God Wins!
God Bless!!!
GBPH - "As we have learned in America, when there is real prosperity, people tend to focus on enjoying their lives, rather than hyperbolic political infighting. (That apathy can also be dangerous, as it can lead to a rise of a petulant political class that hates its own citizenry, but I digress. It's been a painful lesson for us to have learned.)" With digressions like this...!
Vigilance is a most difficult virtue to maintain without awareness of a threat. I have found that maintaining a sense of unity (specifically, avoiding the tendency to allow divisions to be artificially created as a means of pitting Man against Man: see Rev.6:4 - and remember that the "sword = dagger" and points to murder and mayhem not war) within the Human Race while also remaining vigilant is aided by remembering who the true enemy is (hint: not of flesh and blood - Ephesians 6, etc.)!
Ashe - "It’s all amusing. Until it isn’t. What happens when they leave campus?”
Clearly rhetorical - and clearly echoing 2020's chaos. Today is recognized as the National Day of Prayer - seems like a reasonable response to the devilish ploys of those who hate...
BB - "short-term pain is not only probable, but arguably necessary to accelerate the very awakening process we want and need to play out.”
Undoubtably the powers that be understand that too and will do what they can to break the will of the people just enough to dilute our enthusiasm for freedom. Keeping our hearts and minds on Truth and those things that really matter - as Simon frequently points out - is our best offense. (IMO)