Badlands News Brief
Based Bodegas, Limp Sanctions & Scared Bankers
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, April 17 …
THOUSANDS of NYC Bodegas Just Issued a Stunning Statement Backing Donald Trump.
The Bodega and Small Business Group (BSBG), which represents thousands of bodegas in New York City, has issued a statement backing President Donald J. Trump, slamming local District Attorney Alvin Bragg, and hitting out at local politicians who have ignored the widespread criminality occurring in the city.
“The Bodega and Small Business Group (BSBG)… is honored to host President Donald J. Trump at the Blue Moon bodega in Manhattan where Jose Alba was arrested for simply defending himself and his business against a convicted felon, the statement began.
“The Manhattan DA, Alvin Bragg, only backed off after an angry public campaign from store owners and their supporters united behind Mr. Alba and his Constitutional rights. The Bodega and Small Business Group appreciates President Trump’s support on behalf of tougher enforcement for retail thieves that are making our stores more dangerous and less profitable at the same time.
“President Trump’s visit and support comes at a time when our own state legislators have refused to strengthen the laws against repeat retail theft offenders: ‘Legislative Democrats have formally rejected Gov. Kathy Hochul’s proposal to make it a felony for assaulting a retail worker, a reflection of how the party remains split over criminal justice issues and how to address voters’
concerns over public safety.’ — The National Pulse
Our Take: “The divide between the ruling class and the people has never been clearer in America, as evidenced by the recent happenings in Harlem and NYC more broadly.
President Trump is the victim of unprecedented election interference. Obviously. Yet, because of the allegations and actions against 45, the people are getting a master class in government corruption and how it can be prosecuted. The actions against President Trump are baseless, but the public education resulting from them is critically important in the information war.
President Trump went viral for his visit to Harlem, where a diverse group of supporters chanted ‘four more years!’ and ‘USA!’ Brian and I spoke about this on Wednesday’s Badlands Daily, and how the authenticity of 45 is a big part of what wins hearts and minds to the cause of America First.
Most Americans hold America First values. I believe President Trump’s greatest accomplishment is reminding us all of that fact.
But this is also his greatest crime, and it is the reason the regime has to stop Trump at any cost. The multicultural crowd in Harlem gets it. These thousands of NYC bodega owners get it. Americans of every color and creed across our great nation get it.
America’s exceptionalism relies upon its preservation of liberty. A ruling class that will sacrifice liberty for personal and political gain is treasonous. It’s a big deal, and it’s becoming real obvious.
If these bodega owners are any indication, the People are finding their courage again. It’s liberty or darkness. That’s the choice. Be brave.” —
White House announces new sanctions on Iran following attack against Israel: 'The pressure will continue'
White House National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan released a statement Tuesday announcing that new sanctions will be placed against Iran in the wake of the regime's attacks against Israel last weekend.
The new sanctions come amid Republican criticism of the Biden administration for purportedly not being tough enough on Iran, after the White House extended a waiver that allowed Iran to access to $10 billion of previously escrowed funds in November 2023.
In a press release, Sullivan announced that President Biden is "coordinating with allies and partners, including the G7, and with bipartisan leaders in Congress, on a comprehensive response."
"In the coming days, the United States will impose new sanctions targeting Iran, including its missile and drone program as well as new sanctions against entities supporting the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) and Iran’s Defense Ministry," the statement read. — FOX News
Our Take: “I tweeted(?) about this the other day, but after reviewing the specific terms, I saw that one of the sanctions targets the oil being sold by Iran to China.
China is the leading consumer of Iranian oil by a large margin. The Western Hegemony plans to assign an agent to supervise every oil purchase China makes from Iran.
In other news, China is organizing an eastern coalition of nations—which includes Russia—and word is they plan to issue their own sanctions against the United States.
The US has never been weaker, on the world stage.
We are watching a pincer move against the Deep State.
China and the Sovereign Alliance are one flank; The American People are the other flank.
See how this works?
They are trapped.” —
IMF Warns Biden's Fiscal Profligacy Poses "Significant Risks" To Global Economy 'In Great Election Year'
The IMF said the the quiet part out loud today (admittedly wrapped in 100s of pages of PhD-ese) in their benchmark Fiscal Monitor this morning: pointing out that America's recent economic performance is partially the result of the country's unsustainable borrowing, and that the US' massive fiscal deficits have stoked inflation and pose "significant risks" for the global economy.
“The exceptional recent performance of the United States is certainly impressive and a major driver of global growth, but it reflects strong demand factors as well, including a fiscal stance that is out of line with long-term fiscal sustainability,” the IMF wrote in its latest World Economic Outlook. They added that: "Fiscal policy developments in major economies, notably in the United States, have implications for global financing conditions."
The IMF said the US had exhibited “remarkably large fiscal slippages”, with the fiscal deficit hitting 8.8 per cent of GDP last year - more than double the 4.1 per cent deficit figure recorded for 2022, calculating that 'Bidenomics' (and its Inflation Reduction Act) had contributed 0.5 percentage points to core inflation (due to its fiscal profligacy).
Who could have seen that coming?
The fund further said in its Fiscal Monitor report that it expected the US to record a deficit of 7.1 per cent next year - more than three times the average for other advanced economies. It also raised concerns over Chinese government debt as Beijing copes with weak demand and a housing crisis. — ZeroHedge
Our Take: “London Bridge is falling down, along with [their] whole corrupt system:
Observe a fascinating Narrative deployment coming out of the IMF this week, which I don't think was targeted at us.
In essence, we've got one of the major criminal enterprises in the world (Central Banks,) sounding the warning that the Biden Administration's reckless spending and money printing are not only wrecking the US dollar, but the Eurodollar it underpins, thereby threatening the stability of all fiat currencies, and in an election year.
ZH points out that this ‘benchmark report’ says the quiet part out loud, but I think it goes even further than that, and represents the establishment attempting to send out warning flares to other heads of the Hegelian Hydra.
This tells us two things:
The World Banks are not all on the same page when it comes to 2024 fiscal policy.
Theories on the economic accelerationism inherent in financial readings of Operation Warp speed hold water.” —
NPR editor Uri Berliner resigns with blast at new CEO
NPR senior business editor Uri Berliner resigned this morning, citing the response of the network's chief executive to his outside essay accusing NPR of losing the public's trust.
"I am resigning from NPR, a great American institution where I have worked for 25 years," Berliner wrote in an email to CEO Katherine Maher. "I respect the integrity of my colleagues and wish for NPR to thrive and do important journalism. But I cannot work in a newsroom where I am disparaged by a new CEO whose divisive views confirm the very problems at NPR I cite in my Free Press essay."
NPR and Maher declined to comment on his resignation.
The Free Press, an online site embraced by journalists who believe that the mainstream media has become too liberal, published Berliner's piece last Tuesday. In it, he argued that NPR's coverage has increasingly reflected a rigid progressive ideology. And he argued that the network's quest for greater diversity in its workforce — a priority under prior chief executive John Lansing – has not been accompanied by a diversity of viewpoints presented in NPR shows, podcasts or online coverage. — NPR
Our Take: “Calling the fake news ‘Fake News’ is fake news according to the fake news. But also, when one of their own criticizes them, and says objectively true things, they suspend him. Good on Berliner for resigning.
Of course NPR and their comrades had to make this story about Berliner criticizing the company — it’s the only play they have to avoid addressing the substance of his article. The substance is damning and objectively true, and the audience of this controversy is clearly the audience of NPR.
Newly awakened former NPR listeners incoming.” —
Another Take: “If you're looking for a brief timeline of events regarding the NPR train wreck, observe:
Long-time veteran journalist makes blanket statement about divisive and untenable state of mainstream media, including his own outlet, NPR
Said outlet responds to accusations of political bias, censorship and social engineering by suspending their own journalist making such claims, thereby proving his point
CEO of said outlet goes viral for pointing to the First Amendment as "the number one challenge" in the establishment's fight against disinformation (also known as alternative points of view and free thinking)
CEO's TED talk goes viral in which she warns about the dangers of adhering to the truth, saying, "Our reverence for the truth might be a distraction that’s getting in the way of finding common ground and getting things done.”
If you think this cascading exposure of the Media Industrial Complex is anything other than a controlled demolition, you haven't been paying attention.” —
Israel 'considered revenge attack on Monday' – as ex-Mossad intelligence chief says striking Iran's nuclear facilities 'on the table'
A former Israeli spy agency official says targeting nuclear facilities in Iran is "on the table" - as a report suggests Israel considered, but decided against striking Iran on Monday. Meanwhile, Iran's president warns the "tiniest move" against the country would bring a "fierce" response. — SKY News
Our Take: …
I believe we are watching a counterinsurgency operation of such a sensitive nature that it requires a drastic and creative approach.
Sometimes you can't tell the public the truth.
Sometimes you must show them.
Only then will people find the will to change.” —
BONUS ITEMS
House GOP releases long-awaited foreign aid bills
House Republicans on Wednesday released the text of their Ukraine, Israel and Taiwan aid bills after months of delay.
Why it matters: The spending levels are roughly in line with the $95 billion foreign aid bill the Senate passed in a broad bipartisan vote in February.
The measures met with quick repudiation from House Speaker Mike Johnson's (R-La.) right flank, which will create obstacles to passing them.
Johnson is almost certain to need Democratic help to get all three bills to the House floor and pass them.
By the numbers: The three bills including roughly $26 billion for Israel, $61 billion for Ukraine and $8.12 billion for Taiwan and the Indo-Pacific. — Axios
Ukraine sees allies help protect Israel from Iran attack and asks: What about us?
In the wave of Iranian drones and missiles that were shot down before they reached their targets over the weekend, another ally sees the possibilities, and limits, of Western support.
The U.S. and its partners helped Israel, so why, Ukraine is asking, won’t they help protect us from Russian attacks?
It "looks extremely strange," Ukrainian presidential adviser Mykhailo Podolyak said in an interview Tuesday.
"How does the civilian population of Ukraine or the civilian infrastructure of Ukraine differ from the civilian population of Israel from a humanistic point of view?" he asked bluntly.
Most galling, perhaps, is that the Kremlin has been deploying the same drones as Tehran in its assault on Ukrainian cities.
"Russia and Iran use the same attack strategy and the same tools," Podolyak said. "They can be completely destroyed." — NBC News
House Republicans Introduce Tax Day Alternative, Call For Abolishing IRS
Republican Georgia Reps. Buddy Carter and Andrew Clyde introduced a resolution Tuesday that would declare April 16, the day after Tax Day, as FairTax Day.
The Daily Caller first obtained a copy of the resolution, which is part of H.R. 25, the FairTax Act, which is a bill that would replace the current tax code with a national consumption tax, eliminating both the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) and Tax Day. The lawmakers believe the proposed resolution to establish a national FairTax Day would show a readiness to begin a process that gives the people power over their paychecks.
“Americans spend over six billion hours per year filing their taxes. Instead of putting your hard-earned dollars straight into Uncle Sam’s pocket, the FairTax allows you to keep 100% of your paycheck and choose how much you pay in taxes every year. It is a simple, fair, and preferred alternative to the current system, which punishes success and puts unelected bureaucrats in charge of your paycheck. Let’s make April 15, 2024, our last Tax Day ever. It’s time for a change, and FairTax Day will raise awareness about this popular, Georgia-grown proposal,” Carter told the Caller before introducing the resolution. — The Daily Caller
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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Thanks for today's Takes.
I think the essence of what we are seeing is best highlighted in Wednesday's DPH (just watched this morning;-)) The Trump visit to the Halem bodega and the NYT poll both show the capturing of the public narrative by We the People. The DS Rat Bastards cannot get away with their same old bullshit tricks that they have used all of our lives. We are the news now!!!
Eyes wide open.
God Wins!
God Bless!!!
Man, I love these daily updates. Sometimes the tone of it gives me the chills in a NCSWIC way. Glad to have found Badlands!