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.
Some items feature original (and subjective) commentary. Feel free to follow the corresponding link to see our writers’ corresponding Substack accounts and check out their other work.
Now, onto the news from the Weekend that Was …
Elon Musk restores X account of conspiracy theorist Alex Jones
Elon Musk has restored the X account of conspiracy theorist Alex Jones, pointing to a poll on the social media platform formerly known as Twitter that came out in favor of the Infowars host who repeatedly called the 2012 Sandy Hook school shooting a hoax.
It poses new uncertainty for advertisers, who have fled X over concerns about hate speech appearing alongside their ads, and is the latest divisive public personality to get back their banned account.
Musk posted a poll on Saturday asking if Jones should be reinstated, with the results showing 70% of those who responded in favor. Early Sunday, Musk tweeted, “The people have spoken and so it shall be.”
A few hours later, Jones’ posts were visible again and he retweeted a post about his video game. He and his Infowars show had been permanently banned in 2018 for abusive behavior. — AP News
Our Take: “Alex Jones is back on X. I listened to him in a Space, though he was on an alt account for some reason. During the space, lots of major influencers talked about how great it is that “free speech” is back in the public square.
It’s an Op.
It’s frustrating, but not unexpected, that ConInc is gaslighting the people that censorship on X is no longer an issue. Pay attention to who is still censored. That’s where you can expect to find truth.” —
Trump Is Absolutely Smoking Biden In Yet Another Major Poll
President Biden is in serious trouble, with his political standing now at the weakest point of his presidency, according to a new poll from the Wall Street Journal.
The poll shows Biden trailing behind former President Donald Trump in a hypothetical 2024 showdown by 4 percentage points, a gap that widens with the inclusion of third-party candidates, signifying a potential upheaval in the traditional two-party dynamics.
Dislike of Biden has become widespread - with just 23% of voters feeling they've been positively impacted by Biden's policies, starkly contrasting with the nostalgic economic reminiscence of the Trump era. The term "Bidenomics," once a banner of hope, now flounders with less than 30% approval, reflecting widespread disillusionment. No wonder the White House has stopped using the term.
The Democrat president faces serious perception issues. — ZeroHedge
Our Take: “Leaving aside your usual rhetoric about how most mainstream polls are fake (they are,) it's still useful to engage with them for the same reason the Deep State deploys them: mass psychological programming.
Lately, MAJOR pollsters have not only been reporting on Biden's hemorrhaging support, but in Trump's surging support to the contrary.
What's more interesting to me than the headlines, however, is the fact that these outlets (Narrative setters, the lot of them,) are being allowed to move forward with them in the current climate.
To me, this suggests that Anon theories about 'change of batter' strategies could be apt, which is why many of us have advanced the logic that Biden being the DNC nominee in 2024 will ironically be one of the most sure signs of patriot control as anything else, as the Establishment is turning on him with force and gusto.
Additionally, the key term the latest polls have keyed in on is, 'Bidenomics,' as a misstep.
Some additional tidbits to come out of the latest polling data, which is a bit of a stinger for the Con Inc. Doom brigade, is the fact that polling demonstrates CLEARLY that the addition of any third-party candidate into the prospective race leeches support from Biden, while WIDENING the gap between him and Trump.
Just as many of us have been saying.
Candidates like RFK Jr. joining the race are visiting catastrophic net effects onto the Establishment candidate, which is why said Establishment seems so desperate to replace Biden and why they're wielding many of the same lawfare and narrative disruption tools they've deployed against both Elon Musk and Donald Trump.
In fact, the brains (and more importantly, the money) behind the Center for Countering Digital Hate (CCDH) and Media Matters for America have also been attacking RFK Jr. in the mainstream, attempting to get him de-platformed and marked with the same pick-your-controversy scarlet letter as the rest.
They're afraid, and Operation Warp Speed continues.” —
Bill Burr: Liberals Are "F**king Stupid" To Have Turned Trump Into A Martyr
Comedian Bill Burr told talk show host Jimmy Kimmel that liberals are “fucking stupid” to have turned Trump into a martyr and that “he’s coming back” for revenge.
Burr made the comments in the context of saying how he’d teach his kids about narcissists and sociopaths.
“If you wanna see a great case on narcissism, liberals are so fucking stupid the way they handled Trump – you should shut up!” said Burr, adding “he’s a narcissist – neutral energy – neutral.”
Kimmel, who had one of the most severe cases of Trump derangement syndrome for years, wondered if the Donald would “go away” if leftists ignored him.
Burr suggested that Trump was fading away until “you idiot liberals…indicted him and now he’s a martyr,” adding, “He’s coming back, Jimmy! He’s coming back! It’s gonna be great for comedy – he’s coming back!”
The comedian went on to assert that he wanted to vote for someone in their 40’s for president who would have to “live with their decisions.”
“With any luck, they’ll both die of natural causes before the election and maybe you could get somebody that still has something to live for,” said Burr, referring to Biden and Trump. — Modernity News
Our Take: “Bill Burr and Jimmy Kimmel pretending to have original takes on President Trump is what’s actually stupid. That and those two knobs calling anyone else a narcissist. Pot meet kettle.
What’s interesting, however, is that, once again, mainstream influencers are invoking the ‘Trump Dead’ talking points. This recent narrative deployment is being picked up by leftist podcasters, entertainment genre influencers, and mainstream media outlets alike. It’s almost as if they all have the same song book.
Normalizing the death of the most popular political candidate on the right would previously have been unthinkable. But, once again, the rules go out the window when it comes to President Trump. In their panic, they’re escalating.” —
‘Double standards’: World reacts to US veto on Gaza truce resolution at UN
World leaders, international rights groups and United Nations officials have criticised the United States for vetoing a UN resolution calling for an immediate humanitarian ceasefire in Gaza and failing to halt the war that has killed more than 17,400 Palestinians and about 1,100 people in Israel since October 7.
A UN resolution on the pause in hostilities failed to pass on Friday at the UN Security Council after the United States vetoed the proposal and Britain abstained.
The remaining 13 of the 15 current members of the UNSC voted in favour of the resolution put forward by the United Arab Emirates and co-sponsored by 100 other countries. — Al Jazeera
Our Take: “Somewhat lost in the unending flood that is winning (that somehow, large portions of the Collective Mind still perceive as losing,) was the United States (meaning the Biden Admin) being the lone Veto on the UN Security Council voting AGAINST a 'Humanitarian Ceasefire' in the Gaza Strip.
Now, when evaluating the Narrative impact of headlines like this, and statements from Biden Spox like Kirby below, we need to leave aside our logical framing of the Actual events that are occurring on the ground, and consider the psychological impact of such headlines.
Whether or not you personally agree with the tactics that are being advanced in Gaza, the Collective Mind has reached bipartisan agreement on peace being the ultimate goal, and at least on a surface level, the U.S. is the ONLY player on the game board publicly dismissing any resolutions to the bloodshed that don't fit their internal definitions of victory.
Do you think the American people believe they have their best interests in mind?” —
Vladimir Putin Announces 2024 Re-Election Bid
Russian President Vladimir Putin on Friday announced that he will run for re-election in 2024, state media reported.
The announcement follows months of speculation over whether the 71-year-old Putin, who has been in power since 2000, plans to seek six more years in office after constitutional amendments in 2020 reset his term count.
Putin told Lieutenant Colonel Artyom Zhoga, a Russian military officer, about his decision to participate in the upcoming vote following an awards ceremony for army personnel at the Kremlin, according to the state-run RIA Novosti news agency.
“At the front everyone was worried, wondering whether Putin will run,” Zhoga was quoted as saying.
“Putin said that there are good and bad times, but today he’s with the [Russian] people,” the officer continued, adding that he was ready to become one of Putin’s confidants on the campaign trail were he to be asked.
A video later released by the Kremlin captured the moment Zhoga asked the Russian leader to stand for re-election. — The Moscow Times
Our Take: Some would call me anything from the ‘Russia enthusiast’ to the ‘Russia shill’ on Badlands, which is probably true, for better or worse; I’ve been fascinated by the prospect of a Sovereign Alliance of powerful foreign leaders assisting Donald Trump and American patriots in their war against the decentralized power projection of the Deep State, and I believe Putin’s Net Effects have been overwhelmingly negative for the powers that would be.
While the Actuals are extremely difficult—if not impossible—for us to suss out in our own lands, never mind those of others on the game board, I often say that the first move I make when attempting to discern the intentions and possible impact of a given figure is to see how the Establishment media apparatus treats him or her.
In the case of Putin’s re-election bid, all the usual suspects are crying from the rooftops, a stance they typically reserve for only one figure most around these parts love.
Whenever you find yourself cheering or jeering alongside the jackals and hyenas in the Media Industrial Complex, you might want to reexamine your underlying premises.” —
BONUS ITEMS
Pressure grows on Harvard President Claudine Gay after Penn’s Liz Magill resignation
Now that Liz Magill has stepped down as president of the University of Pennsylvania, the spotlight has turned to her counterpart from Harvard University, Claudine Gay.
“One down. Two to go,” Republican Rep. Elise Stefanik of New York wrote on X, formerly known as Twitter, with the “two” being a reference to Gay and MIT President Sally Kornbluth. “In the case of @Harvard, President Gay was asked by me 17x whether calling for the genocide of Jews violates Harvard’s code of conduct. She spoke her truth 17x. And the world heard.”
Stefanik serves on the House Committee on Education and the Workforce, which called on Magill, Gay, and Kornbluth last Tuesday to testify about their responses to alleged incidents of antisemitism on their campuses in the wake of the Israel-Hamas war.
All three gave widely criticized testimony, in which they failed to condemn calls for the genocide of Jews as explicitly against campus harassment and bullying codes. On Friday, a bipartisan group of lawmakers sent a letter to the governing boards of Harvard, Penn, and MIT urging them to remove their university leaders. Meanwhile, hundreds of faculty members have signed a petition in support of Gay.
Gay has since apologized for her remarks, “I am sorry,” she said in an interview with The Harvard Crimson on Thursday. “Words matter.” — CNN
Katie Hobbs demands Biden reimburse Arizona $512M for border security 'failure'
Gov. Katie Hobbs (D-AZ) will travel down to the state's border with Mexico this weekend to visit the border catastrophe in Lukeville, Arizona, following a scathing letter she sent to President Joe Biden for his handling of the situation.
Hobbs told reporters on Friday that she will visit the southern border with the state's top National Guard official as she navigates any state action to respond to the mounting situation in southeastern Arizona. The announcement came just as Hobbs's office released a letter she sent Biden on Friday in which she told him to reassign military to the hard-hit area and reimburse Arizona for $512 million spent responding to the border crisis.
"For far too long, Arizona has continued to bear the burden of federal inaction in managing our southern border," Hobbs wrote in the letter. "The recent decision to close the Lukeville Port of Entry has led to an unmitigated humanitarian crisis in the area and has put Arizona's safety and commerce at risk."
The Lukeville Port of Entry was closed at the federal government's order on Monday and has forced all American and Mexican residents to drive several hours to the next closest port of entry in Nogales, Arizona, where travelers faces lines that are up to five hours long, according to Rep. Juan Ciscomani (R-AZ).
Illegal immigration through the Tucson region of Arizona began to rise six months ago and has ticked up in recent weeks from 12,000 arrests per week to 17,500 arrests in the week that ended on Nov. 30. Data for the past week will be released later Friday. — The Washington Examiner
California Facing Record $68 Billion Deficit, Potential 'Fiscal Budget Emergency': Legislative Analyst
Because of a “severe revenue decline,” California is facing a $68 billion budget deficit that could accumulate to more than $155 billion over the next five years, according to the most updated projection released Dec. 7 by the nonpartisan Legislative Analyst’s Office.
A spokesperson for California Gov. Gavin Newsom suggested some of the state’s approximately $24 billion held in reserves could be used to address the growing deficit—an idea analysts agree will be necessary.
“The Governor has maintained strict fiscal responsibility since taking office, building up the state’s reserves to historic levels reaching the maximum allowed by the state constitution to be put in reserves and paying down debts—putting California in a strong position to deal with budget shortfalls,” Erin Mellon, communications director for Mr. Newsom’s office, told The Epoch Times by email Dec. 7.
Budget problems arose after income tax collections dropped 25 percent in the fiscal year 2022–2023—which ended June 30—compared to the year before, according to the report by the Legislative Analyst’s Office.
Moreover, tax receipts typically due in April were delayed until October this year due to federal and state exemptions granted after winter storms impacted the state, which made it difficult for state officials to determine the scale of the deficit earlier to define budget priorities accordingly. — The Epoch 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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Great start to my week, getting my brain to reengage after a weekend of watching the rain come down in torrents. Thanks!
I have heard the refrain from a number of Badlands contributors that Alex Jones getting back on X is somehow diminished because all of our beloved Badlanders have not been reinstated or are shadow banned. I would humbly suggest that we each have a role to play in this Great Awakening and each role is critical to our TEAM success. As I often say If we could figure out the Plan it would be a very shitty Plan. If any one of us (and I mean all contributors and consumers of Badlands content) think that what happens to us would have the same narrative impact as reinstating Alex Jones… well I would have to call bullshit. I played team sports through college and believe strongly that team sport can/does teach very valuable life’s lessons. We all ain’t the quartedeback, the quarterback ain’t shit if the offense line sucks and if you want to whine in practice well okay if you must but when it’s gametime winning is what matters. So let’s not get stuck navel-gazing. I consume content other than Badlands Media (some that y’all talk trash about too) and I am sure most do as well.
I love y’all and let’s all keep marching forward cause We the People are getting stronger every day and as we continue to spread the Truth the DS Rat Bastards get weaker and weaker.
Keep sending the heat.
God Wins!
God Bless!!!
How Biden could even be registering above a 10 is beyond me. That 10% would account for all the dead who vote every 4 yrs.