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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 Thursday, October 12 …
Biden Says He's Seen "Confirmed Pictures" Of Hamas Beheading Children, WH Issues Immediate Clarification
U.S. President Joe Biden on Wednesday said he'd seen "confirmed pictures" that beheaded children were among the many victims of the Hamas terrorists who murdered hundreds of civilians in Israeli border towns this weekend. The White House later issued a statement to clarify his remarks.
The reports of Hamas beheading infants came as the world was already grappling with the extent of the crimes being described in Israel's southern kibbutz communities, which bore the brunt of the wave of 1,500 terrorists who invaded Israel on Oct. 7.
During a roundtable with Jewish community leaders at the White House on Wednesday, President Biden emphasized the importance of Americans understanding the nature of the unfolding events.
“It matters that Americans see what's happening. I've been doing this [for] a long time. I never really thought that I would see … have confirmed pictures of terrorists beheading children,” the president said.
White House national security aides have said that they have not had access to the images.
National Security Council spokesman John Kirby, who joined President Biden at the roundtable alongside other White House officials, told the Washington Examiner that while he hadn't personally seen the beheading photos, he trusted the president's assertion of their existence.
The White House later walked back President Biden's comments, telling the Washington Post that neither President Biden nor U.S. officials have seen photos nor independently verified the reports coming out of Israel. Instead, the president had based his confirmation of the atrocities on allegations put forward by Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s spokesperson Tal Heinrich, The Post said. — The Epoch Times
Our Take: “The X handle for the Israeli PM posted three pictures on Thursday in an attempt to prove the government’s claims about beheaded babies. The photos are horrifying — but it’s disingenuous to pretend they show beheaded babies.
Nonetheless, Daily Wire ‘Editor Emeritus’ Ben Shapiro took to X to call everyone that asked questions about the story, ‘pathetic Jew haters.’
This isn’t journalism. It’s propaganda.
Questioning the heinous and horrific claims of governments is journalism. Beheaded babies is the most heinous and horrific claim we’ve heard in a couple generations, full stop. We have a duty to our readers and listeners to verify it.
That’s journalism.
But dare to question the unsourced claims of a major conservative editor, and you’re a ‘pathetic Jew hater.’
Um, what now?
I grew up going to temple, and I rejoiced when we found out — YESTERDAY — that my family’s friends in Israel are safe. Because of my beliefs and my professional/personal network, I have fought the emotions and weeped in private. I have attempted not to react to the ubiquitous and overwhelming emotional stimuli, but to analyze and understand it.
Why?
Because I’m a mom, and a follower of Yeshua, and a human — but I’m also a journalist. A journalist that is ruled by their emotions — especially when government is doing everything to ensure that they are ruled by their emotions — is not a journalist. They are a propagandist.
Shapiro has pushed every regime narrative from covid to elections, and now he demands to be trusted without verification? Worse, now he calls people like me, ‘pathetic Jew haters’?
As Ben would say, ‘so much journalisming.’” —
Another Take: “Questioning whether or not something is real is not the same thing as asserting it's fake.
The Central Narrative (as
calls it,) isn't made up of lies alone.Like the best liars, the Hegelian Deep State uses an overwhelming array of factual details to obscure their underlying aims, which should be obvious to any who've been toiling in the Info War for any length of time.
[They] want war. We want peace.
Of course, every nation and every people has an inherent right to defend themselves, but when the entirety of the Uniparty Establishment (that said Establishment called a conspiracy theory just a week ago,) comes out in lock-step, putting aside their illusory and petty differences in order to bow down to the international War Machine in framing reminiscent of 2001, you've got to take a step back and reset.
Anytime open questioning of Media (and government) Narratives is met with highly emotional counter-programming, labelling and 'othering,' you've got a deployment.” —
Scoop: Zelensky asks to visit Israel in show of solidarity
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky wants to visit Israel in a show of solidarity with the country amid the fighting in Gaza, two Ukrainian and Israeli officials told Axios.
Why it matters: A visit by Zelensky would boost international support for Israel's counteroffensive against Hamas in Gaza.
Behind the scenes: Zelensky's office sent an official request to the Israeli Prime Minister's office asking to coordinate a visit, the Ukrainian and Israeli officials said.
The officials said the talks on the issue are preliminary and there is still no date for a visit.
Zelensky told reporters on Wednesday that in the early days of Russia's invasion, it was critical for Ukraine not to feel alone and that international support helped a lot.
"This is why I urge all leaders to visit Israel and show their support for the people. I'm not talking about any institutions, but about support for the people who suffered from terrorist attacks and are dying today," Zelensky said after a meeting with NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg in Brussels.
Zelensky's office and the Israeli Prime Minister's Office declined to comment.
Driving the news: Since Hamas' attack on Saturday, Zelensky has given Israel strong public support and equated Hamas to Russian President Vladimir Putin's invasion of Ukraine.
Zelensky was one of the first leaders to call Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and express support for Israel.
"In the face of such a terrorist strike, everyone who values life must stand in solidarity ... Israel has the full right to defend itself against terror," Zelensky said in a statement shortly after the attack.
The big picture: Russia has not expressed support for Israel or condemned Hamas. Putin on Tuesday said the violence was "a vivid example of the failure of United States policy in the Middle East," per Reuters. — Axios
Our Take: “While the overall trend of emotional reaction spilling out of the last week of news is difficult to spin in too many positive directions outside of the overall furtherance of the Awakening, that reactivity isn't ONLY guided by the enemy, but can also be turned around on them.
To wit, the former Proxy War Prince of the week, Volodymyr Zelensky is upset that the Forever War spotlight hasn't been on him much this month, and is looking to grift onto the Israel Crisis in order to 'show solidarity' ... ie: conflate the Israel-Hamas conflict with that of Ukraine and Russia.
This has two effects:
1) Ironically, it DOES conflate the two conflicts, though Zelensky isn't going to find many reacting to the Israel conflict to be happy with the implications of said conflation.
2) Demonstrates to the Collective Mind that the Globalist West has all but forgotten the 'plight' of Ukraine and is in the process of moving on to greener pastures.
Acceleration is the death of the Finite Player.” —
EU launches probe into disinformation campaigns as X says ‘hundreds’ of Hamas-affiliated accounts removed
X says it has removed “hundreds of Hamas-affiliated accounts” and taken down thousands of posts since the attack on Israel by the Palestinian militant group, even as the European Commission formally opened an investigation into X after a previous warning about disinformation and illegal content on its platform linked to the Israel-Hamas war.
The platform, formerly known as Twitter, was given 24 hours by the European Union earlier this week to address illegal content and disinformation regarding the conflict or face penalties under the bloc’s recently enacted Digital Services Act.
CEO Linda Yaccarino responded to EU official Thierry Breton in a letter dated Wednesday that she posted to X. She said the company had “redistributed resources and refocused internal teams who are working around the clock to address this rapidly evolving situation.”
“There is no place on X for terrorist organizations or violent extremist groups and we continue to remove such accounts in real time,” Yaccarino wrote.
“X is… addressing identified fake and manipulated content during this constantly evolving and shifting crisis,” she added. The platform had “assembled a leadership group to assess the situation” shortly after news broke about the attack, Yaccarino said.
European Union officials are now assessing X’s compliance with the DSA and have asked the company to start responding to investigators by as early as Oct. 18. — CNN
Our Take: “They are already using the Israel-Palestine conflict as a pretense for ramping up censorship.
This is all a direct result of the EU's latest regulation. The EU saw the UK's Online Safety Bill and raised it one Digital Services Act, because people cannot be trusted to think for themselves. Under the unspoken doctrine of the Digital Services Act, the only free speech you should need is the freedom to agree with the government and the corporatocracy.
It should come as no surprise by now that among the top priorities of Western centers of power is the implementation of a rigorous, legally endorsed censorship machine to exercise power over our primary means of communication and information dissemination. It might sound fantastical, but in the context of Fifth-Generational Warfare, it is essential that you control information flow as tightly as possible.
What is taking place in the EU is an unabashed totalitarian campaign to root out dissent and keep you from forming your own opinion on anything unless that opinion is guided and nurtured by the state.
The state operates on the assumption that the general population is stupid, and even if a percentage of the population starts to see the game for what it really is, they count on the fact that the greater, undiscerning mass will put the fringe in check before information is allowed to spread.” —
Scalise Withdraws as Speaker Candidate, Leaving G.O.P. in Chaos
Representative Steve Scalise of Louisiana withdrew on Thursday from consideration for the speakership he was on the cusp of claiming after hard-line Republicans balked at rallying around their party’s chosen candidate, leaving the House leaderless and the G.O.P. in chaos.
After being narrowly nominated for speaker during a Wednesday closed-door secret-ballot contest among House Republicans, Mr. Scalise, their No. 2 leader, found himself far from the 217 votes needed to be elected on the House floor. Many supporters of his challenger, Representative Jim Jordan of Ohio, the right-wing Republican endorsed by former President Donald J. Trump, refused to switch their allegiance.
With no clear end in sight to the G.O.P. infighting that has left one chamber of Congress paralyzed at a time of challenges at home and abroad, Mr. Scalise said he would step aside in hopes that someone else could unite the fractious party.
“I just shared with my colleagues that I was withdrawing my name as a candidate for speaker-designee,” Mr. Scalise said. “If you look at where our conference is, there’s still work to be done. Our conference still has to come together, and it’s not there. There are still some people that have their own agendas.”
His abrupt exit left Republicans back at Square One, as fractured as ever over who should lead them and trading recriminations about the disarray in which they found themselves. — The New York Times
Our Take: “On Thursday evening, Steve Scalise (R-LA) dropped out of the Speaker race. On Wednesday, Republicans selected Scalise as their nominee for House Speaker, but by mid day Thursday, Scalise had hemorrhaged support and speculation circulated online that he may withdraw.
A Republican speaker needs 217 votes so, with only 221 House Republicans, they can only spare four dissenters. Scalise won the nomination 113-99, and couldn't muster the remaining support to get to 217.
According to Thomas Massie (R-KY), there are 20+ Republicans that withdrew support from Scalise, so his withdrawal is not surprising. All unofficial polling online points to Jordan (R-OH) as the people’s choice, though Jordan told reporters that he was no longer whipping votes for himself following Scalise's selection.
Also, reminder,
predicted that, when this is over, they would reinstall Kevin McCarthy (R-CA). If Scalise drops out, that again becomes a possibility.” —Another Take: “There's a few ways of reading this situation or 'coincidence,' but my personal favorite lines up more with patriots in control theories than most:
1) The Establishment Uniparty War Hawks are more exposed with this Israel conflict than they have been since 9/11 to a Collective Mind that has grown tired of their bullshit domestically as is.
2) The chaos kicks off in the midst of a divided House with no Speaker, effectively neutering/paralyzing Congress and thus, depriving them of 'striking while the iron's hot' in an attempt to lead the US into a new, kinetic Forever War after losing their last one in Afghanistan (thanks to the consummation of the Doha Agreement,) and as their most recent attempt (Ukraine,) runs out of steam.
You can read this as a happy coincidence, or as yet another case of Narrative Exposure of Deep State factions within the US without Actual damages to the US re: direct involvement.
With Scalise withdrawing from the Speaker vote, we've got another little bit of Actual to map onto the Potential of the Congressional Paralysis theory many of us, including
and have been discussing in recent days.Interesting timing, for US Congress (you know, the ones who can declare war on behalf of the plebs,) to be effectively rudderless.
Of course, I believe the Devolution/COG operation put in place by Donald Trump would negate any actual war declaration on behalf of the US as is. Still, can't deny the Narrative benefit of the Uniparty War Hawks being unable to come to an agreement in a moment the Collective Mind views as ... tense, to say the least.
As I said last week, Matt Gaetz didn't just remove a Speaker, he removed the Uniparty's Narrative Shielding, and now the world is watching Congressional vultures circle the carcass of the Deep State's System of Systems.
An inactive Congress isn't a threat to the American people.
It's a promise.” —
BONUS ITEMS
Family of man wanted for killing Josh Kruger says the 19-year-old and the journalist shared sex and drugs
The family of Robert Davis, 19, who is accused of killing local journalist Josh Kruger, said that Davis was just 15 when he and Kruger began a years-long relationship involving drugs — and that Davis told them Kruger was threatening to post sexually explicit videos of him online before, police say, Davis shot Kruger.
Those assertions by Davis’ mother and older brother in recent interviews with The Inquirer add troubling new complexities to a killing that has garnered national attention. Their account, they said, is drawn from recent conversations with Davis, and from the years of watching his life unravel as he tried to keep the relationship and his drug addiction hidden.
Kruger, 39, was killed after a man entered his Point Breeze home in the middle of the night, police said, and shot him seven times at the base of his stairs. Surveillance video near the scene and tips from Kruger’s friends and family led detectives to Davis, and a warrant was issued for his arrest a few days later. Police described the pair as acquaintances, and said Kruger “was trying to help [Davis] get through life.”
The family’s contentions come as detectives separately discovered and are investigating what multiple law enforcement sources have called explicit photos and messages in Kruger’s phone. The sources, who requested anonymity to discuss an ongoing investigation, did not say whether the images or messages were connected to Davis, but said they were “disturbing” and have been turned over to the department’s Special Victims Unit for further analysis. — The Philadelphia Inquirer
Israel's Defense Chief Admits Failure To Protect Citizens After Security "Collapsed Like Dominoes"
As heavy Israeli bombardment of the Gaza Strip continues for a sixth day, the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) have said they are degrading Hamas' ability to rule, with spokesman Daniel Hagari stating, "In certain areas, the organization can no longer rule and we will continue until this is the case throughout."
Hagari has also said that "Israel is targeting those who filmed and broadcast Hamas's murderous invasion of southern Israel on Saturday morning. Overnight, the military killed Mustafa Shahin, a Hamas operative the IDF identified from footage online."
However, one wonders: if Israel's military and intelligence is this efficient at positively identifying Hamas operatives and their residences or hideouts in the middle of a war unfolding, how was Saturday's large-scale incursion - in which jihadists even took over IDF outposts - able to happen? How was it not foreseen (and with the widely reported Egyptian advanced warning to boot)?
There's been growing anger among the Israeli populace at the many failures of the Netanyahu government to protect them:
And in his first statement since the war's outbreak, IDF Chief of Staff Herzl Halevi, issued a rare statement of regret for failing to foresee and stop the Hamas massacres of Israelis on Saturday: "the IDF is responsible for the security of the state and its citizens, and on Saturday morning, in the Gaza border communities, we did not fulfill that responsibility. We will learn, investigate, but now it is a time for war."
This is being widely perceived as an unprecedented apology by Israel's military leadership for its failure to protect the citizenry. — ZeroHedge
US, Qatar agree to prevent Iran from tapping previously frozen $6 billion fund
The U.S. and Qatar have reached an agreement to prevent Iran from accessing $6 billion recently unfrozen as part of a prisoner swap, the deputy treasury secretary told lawmakers on Thursday, sources confirmed to ABC News.
Deputy Secretary Wally Adeyemo told House Democrats in a closed-door briefing that the money "isn't going anywhere anytime soon," sources said.
The agreement comes as the U.S. is scrutinizing Iran's role in backing Hamas, the terrorist group behind the unprecedented attacks on Israel over the weekend. Though the Biden administration said there's been no evidence that Iran played a direct role in the assault, the White House has said Iran is complicit given its decades of support for Hamas.
The administration has faced calls from lawmakers on both sides of the aisle to re-freeze the funds in the wake of the violent conflict. — ABC News
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.
I’d love to see Patriots get more solution orientated.
Thanks for a great and really substantive morning lineup.
How we, the people, can get ahead of the Great Reset has been on my mind lately. It’s great to report daily events but how do we promote change? How do we save ourselves?
I must urge everyone to read Alexander Durgin’s book “The Great Awakening vs. The Great Reset.” This brave Russian philosopher intimately understands the situation the world is in and his solution is to spread awareness of the Great Awakening. He argues many people across the world are against the Great Reset and progressive liberalism, and our best chance to defeat our elite masters is to make the Great Awakening a serious movement. He makes many profound points and presents an interesting history of liberalism. The book takes an hour or so to read.
The book is only available from the publisher in both print and digital form for $4.95. It has been banned elsewhere, of course.
It is not merely enough to oppose the Great Reset. We must, with great passion, unite together and find common ground to defeat our enemies with others in the world. Time is running short, however. Spreading the word is imperative.
Here is the link to purchase the book.
https://arktos.com/product/the-great-awakening-vs-the-great-reset/
Zelensky is just afraid his CASH COW will be cut off.
My preference has been Jim Jordan, he's a proven conservative, Speaker of the Freedom Caucus. Which has forced changes in the every person for themselves GOP.
Quite eye-opening. Biden wasn't following the oil sanction regs. Larry Kudlow: US intelligence is really saying this?
Business host Larry Kudlow calls out the relaxation of sanctions on Iran before Hamas' attack on Israel on 'Kudlow.'
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4XyJqiqvkVY&t=197s
We've gone a whole year without 1 case of bird flu in turkeys, just in time for Thanksgiving, and driving up the prices we now have 3. Minnesota, Dakota, and Utah. Why these areas? Just in time for trying to prove that 'Gene editing can make chickens or turkeys resistant to bird flu'; can prevent the bird flu. How many Millions or billions will the Spendaholics in DC shell out? Or is it a hoax like I believe most of the cases were to drive up prices of chicken and eggs. Sanitation has always been key to keeping a flock. Use of DE EARTH (Diatomaceous earth) and Probiotics in their water is a must. We now have bigger spaces for chickens in production factories. Which alters the nature of these birds. They roam, hunt, sctatch, and peck, for what they like to eat, along with quality feed.