Badlands News Brief
Global Grifters, Fleeing Fellows, and a Surprisingly Friendly Funeral
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 with some Badlands flavoring to help wash it down.
Before we get into the meat of today’s Brief, we want to take a moment to thank our sponsor, Luv Litters. This 100% pure, kiln-dried wood litter is crafted from wood destined for landfills, and has no dust, no mess, and no toxins. It's safe for all your pets!, and 30 pound bag of Luv Litters lasts up to six months! Transform your pet care routine today with a litter that loves your pet as much as you do.
Now, onto the news from Thursday, January 9 …
Carter Funeral Brings Trump Together With Presidents He’s Criticized
President-elect Trump will join the other four living American presidents Thursday at former President Carter’s funeral service in Washington, putting him side by side with Democratic predecessors who have described him as a threat to democracy.
Trump has long been an outsider among the living presidents and has sometimes skipped events attended by other members of the world’s most exclusive club. He did not attend services in 2020 for civil rights icon and former Rep. John Lewis (D-Ga.), who was eulogized by former Presidents Obama, George W. Bush and Clinton. Carter, then 95, did not attend but wrote a letter that was read aloud at the services.
Obama, Bush and Clinton also attended services for the late Sen. John McCain (R-Ariz.) in 2018. Trump, who later complained he did not receive a proper thank you for the arrangements, was not invited. And Trump did not attend the funeral of former first lady Barbara Bush in 2018. Then-first lady Melania Trump joined the Obamas, the Clintons, George W. Bush and former President George H.W. Bush at the service.
Trump has also broken the mold with harsh attacks on past presidents in both parties, raising questions about whether the other presidents even want him around. – The Hill
AND
Report: Michelle Obama Skips Jimmy Carter’s Funeral to Vacation in Hawaii
All living former first ladies attended former President Jimmy Carter’s funeral on Thursday, except Michelle Obama. Former first lady Michelle Obama did not attend because she reportedly had “scheduling conflicts,” journalist Jeff Zeleny told CNN.
“She’s still in Hawaii,” Zeleny said, underscoring the lack of an open seat next to her husband. “Mrs. Obama sends her thoughts and prayers to the Carter family, and everyone who loved and learned from the remarkable former President,” her spokesperson told reporters.
Because of Michelle Obama’s absence, former President Barack Obama sat in between President-elect Trump and former first lady Laura Bush. The former presidents and first ladies were seated in the second row of the Washington National Cathedral.
Video footage showed Barack Obama and Trump smiling and laughing before the funeral began, perhaps images that would not have been captured if Michelle Obama attended. – Breitbart
Our Take: Everything you need to know about the funeral can be found in these videos:
President Trump shakes hands with former Vice President Mike Pence, but Karen Pence does everything in her power to avoid eye contact with Donald or Melania.
The Trumps sit down, alone in somber silence, as the crowd of peers grows next to them, and all of them avoid the Trumps. Barrack Obama shakes hands with everybody except Trump, then sits down next to him. Trump immediately engages Obama in conversation and makes him *laugh*, as Obama nervously thumbs through the funeral program as if it is some riveting brochure. Michelle is notably absent.
George Bush appears with his wife, Laura, and they walk right past Trump without even a nod, shaking everyone else's hand. The Clintons enter from stage left. Bill engages the group of peers with pleasantries, while Hillary sits down and scowls like an ornery witch in Sunday school. (Not even a glance in Trump's direction.)
In comes Kamala and her valet, Doug, in the most awkward moment of afternoon. A look of disgust washes over the group as they all seem to snarl at Kamala. Doug looks like he wants to cry. Trump continues to engage Obama in conversation and make him laugh, and the group seems to bristle whenever he does.
Then comes Our Boy Blue, whose ostensible senility is a welcome breath of fresh air in a room of people who appear desperate to forget their current state of affairs.
Shout out to Hunter, who failed at his one job: don't touch your nose.
I feel bad for Melania, who has been the embodiment of class and grace over the past ten years — since the start of this episode.
The atmosphere was quite different than that of the George Bush, Sr. funeral, where all the Swamp Creatures were cordial with the Trumps... before receiving a mysterious white envelope.
It's worth noting that while Mike Pence received an envelope, Jimmy Carter did not. –
Up in Flames: Ukraine Strikes Key Fuel Depot Crucial to Moscow's Victory Plan
Ukrainian drones attacked fuel depots in the city of Engels in the Saratov region in western Russia. There was an explosion and a huge fire. Local authorities decided to introduce a state of emergency, reports the Interia news portal.
The attack on the oil depot, which supplies fuel to the Engels-2 military airport, was carried out on Tuesday night. The strike was confirmed in a statement by the General Staff of the Armed Forces of Ukraine.
“Numerous explosions were reported near the target and a large-scale fire broke out. Local authorities confirm that an ‘industrial facility’ was hit (…)
More detailed information on the results of combat operations is being clarified,” it was written. – ReMix News
AND
Zelensky Says Send Western Troops to 'Force Russia to Peace' in Last-Ditch Appeal Before Trump Inauguration
During a meeting of Ukraine's defense allies held at Ramstein Air Base in Germany on Thursday, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky tried to once again get his backers to escalate their entry into the war with Russia.
We can perhaps expect such desperate, harebrained appeals to be floated each day until Trump takes office on January 20. Zelensky wants as much commitment to the war from the West as possible ahead of a Trump administration which has repeatedly vowed to negotiate a swift end to the nearly three-year long conflict. Zelensky's newest pitch issued Thursday is for the deployment of Western troops in large numbers to Ukrainian soil. He called this one of the "best instruments" to "force Russia to peace."
"Our goal is to find as many instruments as possible to force Russia into peace," he told the meeting of defense representatives. "I believe that such deployment of partners' contingents is one of the best instruments," he emphasized. "Let's be more practical in making it possible." – ZeroHedge
Our Take: While it’s difficult for me to view Zelenskyy as anything other than an actor throwing a temper tantrum, he's poking Putin in the eye then demanding America’s sons and daughters be sent to deal with the fallout.
I don’t ever just believe war propaganda, I attempt to figure out its intention. As a mom of military-aged males, I have a pretty good idea of this propaganda’s intention. My base reaction is inappropriate to put in print. It is anger and every mama bear instinct to rage against the machine. Zelenskyy killed off his own military aged males so now he wants ours?! No!
That’s the point. US troops in Zelenskyy’s suicide mission makes the whole thing much more real than it’s been since its inception. Mamas waving blue and yellow flags may think twice when their sons are sent to die in the next wave.
We should not be sending Americans to fight Russians, and we won’t. But getting to that outcome may require getting American sentiment to “hell no.” We certainly aren’t there yet.
“Austin on Thursday announced a $500 million in additional weapons and equipment for Kyiv, which officials say will be the final military aid package before Biden leaves office.” I’ve yet to see a single pitchfork.
I have no doubt that Trump will end this war. It can’t happen quickly enough.
–
Mayor’s Absence is Considered a Sign L.A. Underestimated Fire Risks
When a series of dangerous, wind-driven fires broke out on Tuesday in the Los Angeles area, Mayor Karen Bass was on the other side of the globe, part of a delegation sent by President Biden to Ghana for the inauguration of its new president.
Ms. Bass, a former Democratic congresswoman who became mayor in late 2022, did not return to Los Angeles until Wednesday afternoon, by which point more than 1,000 homes had burned and 100,000 people across the region had been forced to flee from their homes.
The mayor’s absence has drawn criticism from some Angelenos. Many said there was insufficient warning from officials about the likelihood of devastating fires, even as weather forecasts predicted extreme danger this week. […]
“There was zero preparation. There was zero thought here,” said Michael Gonzales, 47, whose home burned down in Pacific Palisades... Mr. Gonzales, a lawyer, said he believed Mayor Bass made a poor decision to remain overseas despite forecasters warning of the most dangerous fire conditions in more than a decade. – New York Times
AND
Oscar Nominations Pushed Back Due to L.A. Wildfires
This year’s Oscar nominations announcement has been delayed by 48-hours due to the deadly wildfires raging across vast swathes the Los Angeles area.
It had been scheduled for Friday 17 January, but the stars and films up for Academy Awards will now be revealed on 19 January, the BBC reports. The voting for the nearly 10,000 Academy members, which opened on 8 January, has also been extended by two days, until Tuesday 14 January.
Former Oscars host Billy Crystal is among the celebrities who have lost homes in the blaze, as well as Paris Hilton, James Woods, Miles Teller and Julia Louis-Dreyfus, as Breitbart News reported. – Breitbart
Our Take: We're already seeing Overton's Goalpost in full effect on the back of the California fires. Officials seem to be hurriedly (proudly?) declaring themselves incompetent and inept in the midst of the crisis.
Why? Because 'malicious intent' is the endgame, and tribunals follow it.
–
Saudi King and Crown Prince Congratulate Joseph Aoun on Being Elected President of Lebanon
Saudi Arabia’s King Salman and Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman congratulated Joseph Aoun on being elected president of Lebanon on Thursday.
In a congratulatory cable, King Salman wished Aoun success and the Lebanese people further progress and prosperity.The crown prince sent a similar cable.
Lebanon’s parliament voted Thursday to elect the country’s army commander, Joseph Aoun, as head of state, filling a more than two-year-long presidential vacuum.
Thursday’s session was the 13th attempt to elect a successor to Michel Aoun, whose term ended in October 2022. — Arab News
Our Take: I can't be sure, but I think this move represents the completion of an operation that began back in early 2017, right after Trump entered office.
In March 2017, General Joseph Aoun became the Commander of the Lebanese Armed Forces, when he was appointed by President Michel Aoun (no relation to Joseph) who had just assumed office the previous October. Michael Aoun is a close confidante and ally of Massad Boulos — father-in-law to Tiffany Trump and recent appointment by President Trump to be Special Envoy to the Middle East.
In November 2017, Saudi King Salmon summoned the entire Islamic world to Riyadh and announced that he was effectively abdicating the throne, transferring his ostensible authority to his son, the recently-elevated Saudi Crown Prince, Mohammed bin Salmon (MBS). MBS immediately announced to the room that he had assembled a corruption panel, who would immediately begin the process of purging the Saudi government of traitors. Among those apprehended was Lebanese Prime Minister Saad Hariri, son of the former Lebanese leader Rafic Hariri.
Hariri was reported missing for many days after appearing on Saudi television to announce his intent to resign from office, sending shockwaves across the West, culminating in French President flying to Riyadh in a fit of panic to "rescue" Hariri, who the western media was claiming had been kidnapped by MBS. Hariri denied these claims, and ultimately ended up serving out his term, and it now speculated that his fake resignation was somehow part of a larger plot by MBS, who was seeking to usurp control of Lebanon away from Hezbollah and Iran, both of which backed Hariri.
However, reports are that both Hezbollah and Shia (Iran) ally, the Amal Movement, backed Joseph Aoun during the second round of voting, after Hezbollah's candidate, Suleiman Frangieh, withdrew and threw his support behind General Aoun.
Aoun fell short of the 86 votes needed in a first round vote, but crossed the threshold with 99 votes in a second round, according to parliament Speaker Nabih Berri, after lawmakers from Hezbollah and its Shia ally the Amal Movement backed him.
So now Hezbollah, Iran, the US, and Saudi Arabia are backing the same candidate? This has Massad Boulos's fingerprints all over it.
—
Panic Hedge? Hershey Reportedly Asks CFTC Approval to Buy Huge Cocoa Pile on NY Exchange
The worsening global cocoa squeeze has taken a new turn, with US chocolate giant Hershey Co. reportedly seeking approval from the Commodity Futures Trading Commission (CFTC) to purchase a massive amount of cocoa through the New York exchange. The move highlights that cocoa cost inflation will get even more extreme in 2025.
First reported by Bloomberg, the maker of Reese's Peanut Butter Cups asked the CFTC for approval to purchase 90,000 metric tons of cocoa on ICE Futures US. Sources said this is equivalent to about 5,000 20-foot containers and more than nine times the amount the exchange allows.
"The headlines on Hershey today suggest the outlook for confectionary (cocoa) cost inflation is getting even more extreme," Goldman's Natasha de la Grense told clients Thursday morning. [...]
In mid-December, Goldman's commodity derivatives analyst Hugo Fuentes told clients to "go long cocoa" as "prices are positioned for significant upside driven by structural supply deficits, under-hedged consumers, and historically low warehouse stocks." – ZeroHedge
Our Take: With all the fire news, this story immediately reminded me of the 1919 Brooklyn Chocolate Flood.
“Despite the fire department arriving on the scene incredibly soon, the fire spread quickly to the third floor, where butter was stored, and soon enough there was a flood of melted chocolate and butter spreading through the streets of Brooklyn.”
People were reportedly licking the fudgy landscape. “…the chocolatey streets drew the attention of local residents whose desire to have a taste outweighed the ‘lapping it up off the ground’-ness of it all.”
But I digress from this story about 90,000 metric tons of cocoa being sold on the New York exchange.
On the one hand, it’s good for people to be reminded that the economy runs on goods and services. Real ones. They’ve made our money so worthless that people often forget the underlying exchange of labor for goods and services. Awakening often ignites by strange trigger, and America desperately needs an economic awakening.
We have to look for silver linings because this story is not good. “The move highlights that cocoa cost inflation will get even more extreme in 2025.”
They’re coming for chocolate. For chocolate! I know we’re skeptical of unity, but this could be an authentically unifying moment. I don’t care how they identify, every woman wants chocolate at least once a month. It’s a biological necessity.
And we keep hearing that women vote harder than men. Trump making chocolate great again would win women forever. –
UN Migration Agency Appeals for $73 Million in Aid for Syria
The UN migration agency on Thursday expanded an aid appeal for Syria to over $73 million, as the country transitions after years of civil war and decades of dictatorship. The United Nations’ International Organization for Migration said it was more than doubling an appeal launched last month for Syria, from $30 million to $73.2 million, with the aim of assisting 1.1 million people across Syria over the next six months.
“IOM is committed to helping the people of Syria at this historical moment as the nation recovers from nearly 14 years of conflict,” IOM chief Amy Pope said in a statement. “IOM will bring our deep experience in humanitarian assistance and recovery to help vulnerable communities across the country as we work with all partners to help build a better future for Syria.”
The Geneva-based agency said it was working to reestablish its presence inside Syria, after exiting Damascus in 2020, building on its experience working there in the preceding two decades, as well as on its cross-border activities in the past decade to bring aid to northwest Syria. – Arab News
Our Take: It’s becoming more and more clear how this grift works.
Step One: Topple a troublesome government.
Step Two: Drive out an opponent’s military (Russia), and destroy his weapon caches that he was using in operations abroad (Africa).
Step Three: Install your paid mercenary as leader.
Step Four: Apply for financial aid from American and European taxpayers, then launder and steal that money. –
Newsom Prepares to Battle Trump 2.0 With $25M Infusion
On the same day that outgoing Vice President Kamala Harris affirmed that Donald Trump had defeated her fair and square and calmly presided over the transfer of power, another California Democrat was girding for the next battle.
While Harris and the Senate certified Trump’s victory Monday, Gov. Gavin Newsom spent 45 minutes laying out his topline budget priorities and trying to shore up his vulnerabilities, touting a $332 billion budget without a deficit after two years of tens of billions in budget shortfalls. Afterward, however, there was little talk about how Newsom managed to erase such deep budget deficits. [...]
Just days after the election, Newsom anointed himself the leader of the anti-Trump resistance, convened a special legislative session, and announced he wanted to boost the state Justice Department’s budget by $25 million to wage legal fights with the incoming administration. – Real Clear Politics
Our Take: There's the seed.
In the midst of a humanitarian and economic crisis that may or may not have been engineered, residents of California are now told Newsom would like a $25M increase in funding to sue the incoming Trump Administration.
Organic exposure ... or planned demolition? —
‘Back to Her Employers’: Pro-Western Georgian Ex-President Takes Up US Fellowship
Former Georgian President Salome Zourabichvili has taken up a fellowship at the McCain Institute at Arizona State University, the US academic institution has said. The institute is named after former US senator, the late John McCain, a renowned foreign policy hawk who backed the Western-supported coup that overthrow [sic] the Ukrainian government in 2014.
Georgia’s parliament speaker has slammed the appointment, asserting she is going back to “the entity that employed her.” Zourabichvili, who was born in France and maintained a pro-Western stance during her tenure, has been chosen for the 2025 Kissinger Fellowship, named after former US Secretary of State Henry Kissinger, the McCain Institute announced in a statement on Monday. – RT
Our Take:
Commenting on the offer earlier this week, the speaker of the Georgian Parliament, Shalva Papuashvili, drew parallels between Zourabichvili’s appointment and former President Mikhail Saakashvili’s past positions abroad.
“Almost 12 years ago, a similar gesture was extended to ..Saakashvili, at Tufts University,” he wrote on X on Tuesday. “Despite having pledged allegiance to Georgia alone, Saakashvili later became a Ukrainian citizen and Zourabishvili too, eventually, is likely to return to her native France.”
Papuashvili concluded that neither had truly served Georgia, returning instead “to the entity that employed them.”
kek.
In December, Georgian MPs elected Mikhail Kavelashvili as president…Zourabichvili refused to recognize Kavelashvili as her successor, claiming that the parliamentary vote in October that brought a convincing victory for Georgian Dream had been rigged. Despite failing to provide any proof of fraud, the pro-Western opposition protested for weeks after the vote, demanding an election rerun. They were fully backed by Zourabichvili, who herself appeared among the demonstrators. The 72-year-old also threatened to not leave the presidential palace in Tbilisi, but eventually departed in late December.
But wait, I thought election denial was a threat to our democracy? But it's not when a Kissinger Fellow from the McCain Institute does it? While she refused to vacate the presidential palace? Yet she is somehow not literally Hitler? Not an insurrectionist?
The Georgian political opposition strongly criticized the bill, labeling it a “Russian law” and accusing the ruling party of basing it on legislation enacted in Russia in 2012. The ruling party maintained that the law was inspired by the US Foreign Agents Registration Act of 1938, emphasizing that the Georgian version is actually far more lenient than its American counterpart.
Checkmate, Deep State. Now you's can't leave. –
How Madoff's Ponzi Beneficiaries Are Funding Climate Lawfare
The Picower family is forcing shoddy electric appliances into every American home to assuage their guilty consciences. As the single-largest beneficiaries of Bernie Madoff’s Ponzi scheme, the Picowers have plenty to feel awkward about.
One way they’re excising the guilt is by financing climate change lawsuits and leftwing judicial influence schemes that will strip Americans of conveniences they take for granted – say hot showers or efficient dishwashers.
As my organization, the American Energy Institute, explained in a recent report, leftwing city governments and blue states are suing energy providers over climate change, with the goal of forcing unpopular lifestyle products into every home. The plaintiffs could achieve that goal through government spending financed by legal awards.
Alternatively, the terms of a settlement might require energy companies to change product offerings. A leftwing lobbying campaign disguised as judicial education is midwifing this effort. – Real Clear Politics
Our Take: “Yesterday I wrote that, if we do the next four years right, the law will be less of a weapon. I stand by it, and it’s not just about political and civil lawfare; this sentiment extends explicitly to globalists weaponizing the law for global power and control.
The LA fires have renewed true believers’ declarations that “climate change is real!”
I never understood that progressive battle cry. Of course climate change is real. There were ice ages (allegedly) and now there aren’t. The climate changes. Really.
Back in the early 2000s the claim was “man made global warming is real!” That was more in dispute but only as a matter of degree. No one denied the existence of pollution, only the extent to which the hysteria was justified. Industrialization in all its forms has environmental impacts. This is not in dispute, but it’s also not an effective message for globalists – the main culprits of pollution via industrialization.
What they really mean when they say “climate change is real,” is “man made global warming is the leading cause of climate change, it’s killing the planet, and we must radically change everything about our lives — stop eating meat, get a tiny home, green energy only, no fossil fuels, etc. to solve it. The science is settled!”
Now, this is very much in dispute. It’s not based in fact or science but in a globalist desire for centralized power and control — of the world. It’s world domination and subjugation via weaponized empathy. “You’re killing the planet by not letting me control you! Why do you hate the planet?”
Globalists want you to change everything about your life. But when it comes to how they will change, it’s a different matter entirely. Their efforts focus on “net zero,” or, economic offsets. They can offset the environmental impact of their industrial pollution by paying more money, but you? You need to embrace plant-based protein, cycle instead of drive, limit your consumption, and abandon not just your preferences but the very concept of you having preferences. For the planet.
It’s a scam. Climate change has always been the umbrella op for the expansion of global communism. Unfortunately, there are true believers among us, raised on this fabricated hysteria their whole lives, and they will continue to demonize your burger, shame your SUV and, in some extreme cases, light themselves on fire for the cause of the climate. The brainwashing has been effective but, thankfully, it doesn’t appear to be as widespread as they’d ostensibly hoped.
If you encounter one of these in the wild, just tell them climate change is a scam. In fact, cite this article and tell them it’s the Bernie Madoff of scams (literally).
–
Kremlin Responds to Trump’s Greenland Acquisition Proposal
Moscow has called for peace and stability to be maintained in the Arctic after US President-elect Donald Trump refused to deny that he could annex Greenland for national security and economic purposes… Speaking to journalists at a press briefing on Thursday, Kremlin Spokesman Dmitry Peskov highlighted that the Arctic is also in the sphere of Russia’s national and strategic interests.
“We are present in the Arctic zone, and we will continue to be present there,” Peskov said, adding that Russia is “interested in maintaining an atmosphere of peace and stability” in the region and is “ready to cooperate with all countries of the world in the name of this peace and stability.”
Russia’s ambassador to Denmark, Vladimir Barbin, has also emphasized that Russia aims to keep the Arctic stable and warned that “an attempt to strengthen US national security at the expense of other countries… will be taken into account by Russia in its military planning.”
Barbin also stated that the fate of Greenland should be decided only on the basis of the will of its people within the framework of current Danish legislation and without “interference from outside.” – RT
Our Take: Russia will continue to operate in the Arctic.
Meanwhile, Trump is threatening to annex a territory that purportedly belongs to Denmark — a founding member of NATO who helped impose sanctions on Russia in the first place.
Newsweek had an interesting take on this situation.
Roger Hilton, a defense research fellow at the Slovakia-based think tank GLOBSEC, told Newsweek on Wednesday that Trump's comments could send a message to NATO adversaries that changing borders by force "is potentially acceptable."
Another expert told Newsweek that Trump is trying to undermine NATO's cohesion. Trump's transition team spokesperson, Karoline Leavitt, said every decision the president-elect makes "is in the best interest of the United States and the American people."
Victoria Herrmann, a senior fellow at the Arctic Institute, told The Washington Post that any U.S. military force against Greenland would be "an attack against a member of NATO" under Article 5 of the alliance's charter.
Itay Lotem, a political expert from London's University of Westminster, told Newsweek that an invasion of Greenland would imply a war between NATO members, undermining any united front for Ukraine as it fights against Russia. Lotem also said that Trump's comments showed that "the souring of trans-Atlantic bonds seems like a strategy of the new administration."
You want some cheese to go with that wine, Hans?
The problem with ceding all of your power by intentionally dismantling your manufacturing base, energy industry, and failing to properly maintain your own military, is that in moments like this one, you don't get to have an opinion. (Rather, you don't get to have an opinion that matters.)
Europe can go sit in the corner while Mommy and Daddy (USA and Russia) figure out what to do with them. –
BONUS ITEMS
Media’s Latest Alito Conspiracy Theory is Particularly Ridiculous
Left-wing media breathlessly reported Wednesday that Associate Justice Samuel Alito provided a job reference on behalf of one of his former clerks to President-elect Donald Trump.
“William Levi, one of my former law clerks, asked me to take a call from President-elect Trump regarding his qualifications to serve in a government position. I agreed to discuss this matter with President-elect Trump…,” Alito told ABC News... CNN, Politico, CBS News, Rolling Stone, Associated Press, New York Times, NBC News, and a host of other left-wing media outlets amplified the report...
Federal judges and Supreme Court justices provide references for former clerks regularly... Ethics guidelines for federal judges acknowledge this reality and mention how to handle such scenarios in the Published Ethics Advisory Opinions. “…there would be no impropriety in a judge answering an inquiry from a screening committee or appointing authority with respect to the judge’s knowledge concerning the qualifications and other relevant factors of a nominee for appointment to any public office.”
You would not know that judicial ethics codes approve of job references if all you read was Adam Liptak’s conspiratorial essay for The New York Times
– The Federalist
Ron DeSantis Has to Pick Rubio’s Replacement Soon. Here’s Who He’s Leaning Toward.
Time is running short for Gov. Ron DeSantis’ first big decision of 2025 — picking Marco Rubio’s replacement in the Senate. Asked on Tuesday if he’s made up his mind, the governor said he still has not decided who he will appoint to replace Rubio.
But all signs point to him leaning toward Florida Attorney General Ashley Moody, with Rubio bound for the State Department under President-elect Donald Trump… Moody has been a staunch DeSantis supporter — but also has been vocally supportive of Trump, particularly his positions on legal matters. She recently filed state charges against Ryan Routh, the man charged with attempting to assassinate Trump at his Florida golf course.
The governor wouldn’t give away his thinking about the upcoming vacancy during a gaggle with reporters on Tuesday and sidestepped a question about Moody... “We want someone who is really able to deliver,” DeSantis said.
– Politico
United Airlines Accelerates Rollout of Free Starlink WiFi Service
Great news for air travelers who've long endured spotty WiFi and dreamed of a better future: United Airlines will start rolling out super-fast WiFi service powered by Elon Musk's Starlink this spring, the company revealed on Sunday. That's a significant acceleration of the original timetable in September's announcement of the United-Starlink deal -- and an important development in major-carrier competition.
United will first roll out the service on its Embraer E-175 jets -- which typically feature 2-by-2 seating in the back and 1-by-2 up front. Initial testing will start in February, with the first Starlink-equipped flight expected to lift off "this spring." United expects its entire two-cabin, E-175 regional jet fleet will be equipped by the end of the year, and that the first flight on a larger plane will happen by the same deadline. Eventually, every one of United's more than 1,000 aircraft will have the perk. – ZeroHedge
What is the Economic Value of Greenland and Why Does Trump Want it So Badly?
If Greenland is made the 51st state, it would have as many U.S. Senators as the state of California. That could have very serious implications for the balance of power in Congress. And how would Greenland vote in U.S. presidential elections? Has anyone even considered that?
Of course Greenland could become just another U.S. territory, but why would the citizens of Greenland want to become the next Puerto Rico? That certainly doesn’t sound very appealing… Approximately 56,000 people live in Greenland, and 80 percent of it is covered in ice. So why does Trump want it so badly?
Of course the truth is that it all comes down to natural resources.
In particular, Greenland has lots and lots of oil. According to Wikipedia, Greenland “has some of the world’s largest remaining oil resources”… in 2001, the U.S. Geological Survey found that the waters off north-eastern Greenland (north and south of the Arctic Circle) could contain up to 110 billion barrels (17×109 m3) of oil…
The U.S. consumes an average of approximately 20 million barrels of petroleum per day. – The Most Important News
Joe Rogan: US Should Take Over Mexico After Canada
Podcaster Joe Rogan floated the possibility of the United States annexing Mexico after taking control of Canada, an idea president-elect Trump has suggested his administration could pursue.
“Do you think that they’ll take Canada in to be the 51st or 52nd state, whichever one it is?” Rogan was asked by Theo Von, another popular podcaster and internet personality.
“Here’s what I think, I think we take Canada and then we go right into Mexico,” Rogan responded.
Von exclaimed in agreement “Let’s f‑‑‑ing go!”
“Everybody keeps sneaking over, how about we just let them stay here,” Rogan continued. “Just like, how about we go into that? How about what I said? How about … instead of trying to, like, let all the bad stuff in, how about we make this like totally lockdown safe and then expand safety? Expand it. But you got to do it without stripping people of their rights.” – The Hill
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.
Badlands Media will always put out our content for free, but you can support us by becoming a paid subscriber to this newsletter. Help our collective of citizen journalists take back the narrative from the MSM. We are the news now.
Out of everyone, I felt sad for Melania. She looks visibly shaken. Not only is she probably thinking about her own mother's passing but she is surrounded by people who tried to ruin and even take out her husband and while her son who was at the rally witnessed.
I pray that God be with and protect the Trump family.
Pence’s wife didn’t acknowledge Trump or Melania, who has been nothing but gracious and classy despite’s being g snubbed at every turn. But when Obama walked in she was all smiles and handshakes. BOOM. She just showed the world what she is. All those fucking reptilians.