Badlands News Brief
Escalation ... Acceleration ... and Biden
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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 picks news items of interest from the previous days to give you an overview of the biggest goings-on relevant to the Truth Community.
Items feature original commentary from members of our growing team of citizen journalists, whose stated opinions are their own. Feel free to follow the corresponding link to see their other work.
Now, onto the news from the Weekend that Was …
Hamas & IDF Ground Forces Clash For 1st Time Inside Gaza: Israeli Soldier Killed, Others Wounded
Hamas has claimed to have repelled a brief Israeli ground incursion, in what marks the first such reported direct ground fight between two sides in Gaza. The Al-Qassam Brigades announced its fighters destroyed two Israeli military bulldozers and a tank as part of an ambush amid the IDF's conducting 'limited' incursions into the strip.
"The soldiers of the Zionist force that fell into the Khan Younis ambush left their vehicles and fled east of the fence on foot," the Hamas wing said on social media. The IDF as expected did not confirm the claims, saying only that "shots were fired at IDF soldiers operating west of the Gaza Strip security fence, in the area of Kissufim." Instead, the IDF said only that "An IDF tank struck the terrorist cell who fired at the soldiers" - but did confirm its forces were operating inside Gaza at the time of the incident.
The IDF appears to have begun taking casualties, and the major ground offensive has yet to even begin. Importantly, an IDF statement cited in a fresh Times of Israel update appears to back Hamas' account of repelling the IDF tank and bulldozers. — ZeroHedge
Our Take: “It’s close to impossible for us to suss out the difference between Actuals and Narratives that have and will continue to emerge from the Israel-Hamas conflict and those in the wider region.
That said, I think the key theater to pay attention to is less the kinetic one, and more the political and even sociopolitical one.
What the Collective Mind is paying closest attention to right now is less the various bits of escalation within Israel, Gaza and beyond, and more the response of various world leaders TO that escalation.
Stateside, the lion’s share of that attention is fixed on the Biden Regime, and right now, the domestic Deep State has to feel like the eye of Sauron is on it.
Sucks to be them … and what an interesting time (again) for Trump to be on the sidelines, comfy and cozy and never afraid to comment.” —
Meet The GOP Speaker Frontrunners—Emmer, Hern, Donalds And Scott—After Jordan Exits Race
Nearly a dozen House Republicans tossed their hat in the ring for the speakership after the GOP’s abrupt removal of Rep. Jim Jordan (R-Ohio) as the party’s nominee, setting up a high-stakes battle for House speaker following a tumultuous three weeks of Republican infighting that has brought Congress to a halt.
Amid GOP infighting that has frozen the House, a group of mainstream Republicans and Democrats had called instead for a temporary expansion of the authority of Speaker Pro Tempore Patrick McHenry (R-N.C.),, a move that would enable the House to vote on funding measures before a permanent replacement is chosen. Surprisingly, Jordan had also been expected to support the effort—which would have expanded McHenry’s powers through January—before his third speaker vote, though he backtracked hours later after multiple Republicans objected to the plan. — Forbes
Our Take: “When Kevin McCarthy (R-CA) was elected Speaker, the Freedom Caucus negotiated changes to the House rules to get McCarthy over the finish line. Since the 118th Congress got underway, we’ve seen House Leadership suspend the rules when they conflicted with their in-the-moment desires. This is what pushed Rep. Matt Gaetz (R-FL) to lead the Speaker’s ousting, successfully removing McCarthy from power earlier this month.
The faction of establishment Republicans that opposed the bid of Jim Jordan (R-OH) are looking for another McCarthy. As America First puts up Byron Donalds (R-FL), those addicted to the DC status quo will no doubt fight Donalds as hard as Jordan. Majority Whip Tom Emmer (R-MN) appears to be the establishment favorite —despite his complete and total failure to whip votes and his blue state background. For Pete’s sake, he entered politics back in the 1990s to save the trees.
For what it’s worth, Ken Buck (R-CO), my horrible congressman, voted for Emmer during the Jordan votes, making him an instant ‘no’ for me. I like Donalds for the job, but his allegiance to the US Constitution will likely inhibit his chances with the caucus. Of course, the best option is to vacate the Congress and demand free and fair elections—the only outcome that would help restore public trust in the institution.
The House reassembles Tuesday to attempt, again, to elect a Speaker, and we will have full coverage on Badlands Media.” —
Amid concern about wider war, Americans give mixed reactions to Biden's approach toward Israel-Hamas conflict
Americans overwhelmingly voice sympathy for the Israeli people in the current conflict, and there's widespread support for sending humanitarian aid.
But while a plurality think President Biden has shown the right amount of support for Israel, his approach draws only a mixed response, underpinned by broad public concern about the prospects of a wider war in the region, and terrorism here at home.
Amid that uncertainty, there is broad support for the U.S. engaging in diplomacy to resolve the conflict, but there is a split on whether the U.S. ought to send weapons to Israel.
Mr. Biden's overall handling of the situation is net negative, though slightly higher than his overall presidential approval rating. His handling of the conflict draws partisan splits, though they are somewhat less dramatic than on other issues. Republicans mostly disapprove of the way Mr. Biden is handling it, tending to feel his recent statements and actions haven't shown enough support for Israel. But Republicans do give Mr. Biden relatively better marks on handling the conflict (at 28% approval) than on his job overall (just 8%).
While most Democrats feel Mr. Biden is showing the right amount of support for Israel, nearly 3 in 10 Democrats think he's shown too much support, and they, in turn, would like him to do more to encourage a diplomatic solution. — CBS News
Our Take: “I don't think there's been a moment in the modern Info War wherein the difference between Actual & Narrative has been more difficult or more important to suss out than it is right now.
Ultimately, while there's undoubtedly ratcheting tension within the Collective Mind along all Layers of awareness, even seeping down into the Anon and Truth Community world, it is still possible to come away with a reading of this period of escalation and acceleration with a positive Macro Mindset.
To wit:
Joe Biden is being forced to navigate the most difficult sociopolitical situation since Iran-Contra, while Trump gets to commentate from the sidelines. Biden’s failing on all counts.
Uniparty War Hawks have been exposed, and the US electorate is being shown the positives of an inept and inert Congress.
The cultural Left is being framed as anti-semetic by the Media Apparatus that so recently defended them.
There is currently bipartisan agreement on one thing and one thing only:
NO NEW WARS.” —
Coca-Cola quietly deletes language supporting BLM after Ted Cruz calls out pro-Hamas post
Sen. Ted Cruz, R-Texas, called out Coca-Cola on his podcast this week for supporting Black Lives Matter after the organization's Chicago chapter posted in a now-deleted X post a picture of a paraglider with the text "I stand with Palestine" — a reference to Hamas terrorists who paraglided into an Israeli music festival and slaughtered hundreds of attendees.
After the October 18 episode of The Verdict with Ted Cruz, Coca-Cola — which owns Sprite — deleted its language on its website the following morning.
"Earlier this month, Sprite announced a $500,000 contribution to the Black Lives Matter Global Network in a social post committing action in the fight for racial justice. On June 28, the brand debuted a new TV commercial during the 2020 BET Awards telecast showcasing Black America’s resilience, excellence and optimism. The 60-second spot titled ‘Dreams Realized’ emphasizes Sprite’s commitment to making young Black creators’ dreams a reality and to inspire the next generation to do more and dream bigger," a web archive version of the website reads.
The current version omits that paragraph. — FOX News
Our Take: “At my last corporate employer, the General Manager was a Vietnamese-American who fled to the states as a child, during the war, and told the story often — prior to the summer of 2020. During the summer of 2020, everyone at my firm lost their damn minds and everything that wasn’t billable was about racial justice.
When they decided to donate a million dollars to BLM, I approached the GM and asked him how he could support an organization that was openly communist. He told me, ‘I know they’ve talked about Marxism, but I haven’t heard anything about them being communist.’
Incredible.
That summer, he and his leadership team also encouraged the entire office to attend a racial justice march put on by the Colorado Communist Party. When I asked about that, I was told they agreed with the ‘spirit of the march,’ but that didn’t mean they endorsed the organization putting it on. Because that excuse would hold up for anything right-leaning, wouldn’t it?
The summer of burn, loot and murder was a critical part of the American color revolution that led to the coup via stolen election on November 3, 2020. The intent was to destabilize our society and create enough chaos and noise to distract from the illegal moves that local governments were making to their election processes. Corporations, including my employer and my clients, dutifully donated millions and kept employees distracted with racial justice task forces and daily struggle sessions.
That Floyd died of an overdose was known in 2020 by anyone paying attention. It was ignored by those drunk on money and power — as well as those drunk on their white savior complexes. Reason and critical thought left the chat, and feelings have reigned for more than three years.
It now appears that the tide is turning on the truth about BLM, but don’t get your hopes up. Tucker Carlson’s recent revelations that Saint Floyd’s death story was a lie are NOT what led Coca-Cola to remove their previously signaled BLM virtues from their website. Rather, it was BLM’s opposition to the latest current thing — their refusal to side with Israel after the October 7 Hamas attack — that crossed a line for Coca-Cola.
The communist corporations aren’t waking up. They’re evolving with the narrative. Starve global business of your dollars and reclaim your personal supply chain by shopping local, American-made products.” —
"The Whole George Floyd Story Was A Lie": Tucker Carlson
(Click the image below to watch the full episode on ‘X.’)
BONUS ITEMS
Covid-Weary Americans Spark Billions in Corporate Writedowns
Covid-19 reshaped the health-care industry. The waning of the pandemic is reshaping it all over again.
Vaccine makers and pharmacy chains are seeing a steep decline in the number of people getting Covid shots. Makers of at-home rapid tests are going belly-up. Companies that made personal protective equipment have shut down.
When the coronavirus first emerged, companies across the health-care industry raced to reconfigure themselves. Pharmaceutical companies that were focused principally on cancer and rare diseases threw themselves into the pursuit of vaccines and antivirals. Medical-device makers developed at-home testing kits and quickly ramped up production.
That transformation is now unraveling. Pfizer Inc. — one of the biggest winners from the pandemic boom — on Monday offered one of the most dramatic signs of the turnabout, cutting $9 billion from its annual sales forecast because of declining demand for its Covid shots and the Paxlovid treatment. — Bloomberg
Biden administration seeks $105 billion in national security package that includes aid to Ukraine and Israel
The Biden administration is requesting more than $105 billion from Congress as part of a package it says will provide security assistance for conflicts in Ukraine and Israel while addressing “the global humanitarian impacts of Russia’s brutal invasion of Ukraine and of Hamas’ horrific attacks on Israel, including by extending humanitarian assistance to civilians in Gaza.”
The request, the contours of which have been telegraphed to members of Congress in recent days, will also seek additional funding for the US-Mexico border and priorities in the Indo-Pacific region, two sources briefed on the details told CNN early Monday.
In a letter to Speaker Pro Tempore Patrick McHenry, Office of Management and Budget Director Shalanda Young outlined the funding request, which in addition to $61.4 billion in aid for Ukraine and $14.3 billion in aid for Israel, includes $9.15 billion in funding for humanitarian aid, $7.4 billion in funding for Taiwan and the Indo-Pacific region and $13.6 billion to address security at the US-Mexico border.
“The world is watching and the American people rightly expect their leaders to come together and deliver on these priorities,” Young writes. “I urge Congress to address them as part of a comprehensive, bipartisan agreement in the weeks ahead.” — CNN
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.
The Badlands Media team will continue to combine our cognitive powers in order to slow things down and find the signal amidst the noise as this series expands.
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.
Agreed whole heartedly with all the Takes today and got a couple of chuckles too.
I began scratching my head back when the NFL went woke and I still cannot understand why all these companies continue to spit in their customers faces with all their woke bullshit. I know Libtardism is the minority and I would bet We the People are reaching around 80% (not all Awake but...) With the loss of customer base where is all the $ coming from that keeps these corporate leaders funded?
The best answer I can come up with is that the take down really began when Trump won back in 2016 and is continuing to pick up steam. These fools are being forces to self destruct hopefully eliminating all the evil scum at the top while leaving what is good behind.
I will continue praying.
God Wins!
God Bless!!!
Thanks for that awesome clip from Tucker Carlson. His guest is a courageous man!