Badlands News Brief
The Witch Hunt Hits a Few Snags as the Landscape Shifts
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 …
'Pursuing Litigation, Not Democracy' - Federal Judge Rejects Lawsuit To Remove Trump From Ballot
A federal judge in West Virginia rejected a bid Thursday to remove former President Donald Trump from the state's ballot, rebuffing a bid from a little-known presidential candidate to remove the former president.
District Judge Irene Berger ruled that John Anthony Castro, the candidate who filed a lawsuit against President Trump, lacked the standing to sue. She sided with attorneys for President Trump, Secretary of State Mac Warner, and the West Virginia GOP to dismiss Mr. Castro's suit.
U.S. District Judge Irene Berger wrote that the evidence that Mr. Castro had submitted removes “any doubt that Mr. Castro’s purported ‘campaign’ exists as a vehicle for pursuing litigation, not votes," adding that he could not prove any political activity in the state aside from the lawsuit that he filed.\
Mr. Castro, who is based in Texas, has filed at least two dozen lawsuits against the former president to remove him from respective states' ballots in recent weeks. Earlier this month, a judge in Arizona dismissed a similar lawsuit.
His lawsuit had argued that President Trump should be disbarred from appearing on the state's ballot because Section 3 of the Fourteenth Amendment of the U.S. Constitution stipulates that anyone who engaged in an insurrection against the United States cannot be a presidential candidate. The U.S. Supreme Court declined in October to hear the appeal of a similar case that Mr. Castro brought in Florida. — The Epoch Times
Our Take: “Anthony Castro is allegedly running for President, but he’s probably not qualified for the job since he continues to pursue standing in Federal Court. Castro’s challenges seek federal relief to remove Trump from the ballot, which courts continue to find conflicts with Article I, Section 4 of the Constitution.
Castro has been repeatedly rebuked as to why this is improper, and it is curious that he continues this ruse after more than two dozen failed (or soon to be failed) cases.
More curious is that Castro is being heard, repeatedly, in courtrooms around the country. He has raised no money, has no campaign infrastructure, and most voters have never heard of him. As the WV judge rightly found, ‘… Mr. Castro’s purported ‘campaign’ exists as a vehicle for pursuing litigation, not votes.’
And yet, federal courts are treating this glorified troll with greater respect and dignity than they treat 45, the Republican frontrunner and former POTUS. Kind of makes one question if we’re actually a serious country.” —
Israel planning to end ground operation in Gaza in '3rd phase of war': Media
Tel Aviv is preparing to end its military ground operation in the Gaza Strip as part of the third stage of its war in the coming weeks, the Israeli Public Broadcasting Corporation reported on Friday, Anadolu Agency reports.
The broadcaster quoted unnamed sources as saying that the Israeli army “is preparing to move to the third phase of the fighting in Gaza during the coming weeks, in accordance with operational achievements.”
“The third phase includes ending the ground operation in the Gaza Strip, reducing army forces and demobilizing reserves, resorting to air strikes, and establishing a buffer zone on the border between Israel and the Gaza Strip,” according to the sources.
The report claimed that the army “took control of most of the northern Gaza Strip area, while it faces great difficulties in moving forward in the southern Gaza Strip area.” — Middle East Monitor
And …
IDF strikes Hezbollah command center in response to border attacks from Lebanon
The IDF says fighter jets have hit a Hezbollah military headquarters in Lebanon in response to attacks on northern Israel today, including one that left a soldier moderately wounded.
The IDF also says it carried out artillery shelling at a number of areas near the border today, presumably to foil planned Hezbollah attacks.
Several projectiles were fired from Lebanon at areas in northern Israel, with the IDF saying it struck the launch sites.
In one of the Hezbollah attacks against the Manara area, a soldier was moderately wounded, the IDF says. — Times of Israel
Our Take: “I chose to highlight these headlines back-to-back in order to point out a few things:
For starters, aside from the fact that much of the Globalist media has interests not just misaligned with the great majority of humanity (that would be us, by the way,) but rather anathema to it, they can never seem to get their stories straight, and their projections almost always diverge from reality. If we’re being generous, we can chalk this up to the fact that reality is itself extremely difficult to predict, leaving aside how much direct lying is being forwarded about the stories that make it up.
Most importantly, however, these back-to-back headlines signal how the Globalist media gets to have its cake and eat it, too, as the Establishment signals a planned deescalation of the crisis, earning a few pats on the back for the humanitarian effort, while summarily getting the tacit permission to increase bombing tenfold following reported escalation by the other side … whatever the other side happens to be in the current conflict.
In the end, while examining the nuances of the Gaza Crisis is a game in and of itself, the signal amidst the noise revolves around US kinetic and financial involvement in said conflict, which should be a unifying subject among not just the America First movement, but the American citizenry.
And you know what? Slowly but surely, it’s going to be just that.” —
Supreme Court Will Reverse Trump Ballot Removal But Dodge Insurrection Question, Expert Predicts
The U.S. Supreme Court is likely to strike down a Colorado court ruling that removed former President Donald Trump from the state’s ballot. However, the conservative majority on the highest court is likely to do so in a narrow way that doesn’t get into the weeds of whether President Trump's actions constituted insurrection, according to a constitutional law expert.
The Supreme Court may say the 14th Amendment’s disqualification clause doesn’t apply to the president, predicted Horace Cooper, senior fellow with the National Center for Public Policy Research, who formerly taught constitutional law at George Mason University.
The Colorado Supreme Court ruled on Dec. 19 that President Trump is to be barred from the state’s ballot because he “engaged in insurrection” by inciting his supporters to storm the U.S. Capitol on Jan. 6, 2021.
Because, under Colorado election law, only qualified candidates can be placed on the ballot, it would be “wrongful” for the secretary of state to allow on the ballot a candidate disqualified under Section 3 of the 14th Amendment, which bars from office anybody who has previously taken an oath of office and later engaged in an insurrection, according to the ruling.
Lawyers for the former president immediately announced that they intend to appeal the ruling to the U.S. Supreme Court. — The Epoch Times
Our Take: “Just like with the Colorado Supreme Court hearing, there are limited likely outcomes of Trump’s appeal to SCOTUS:
SCOTUS overturns CO findings of insurrection and the 14A ruling. This is the right call.
SCOTUS overturns insurrection findings, making the 14A question moot. Also acceptable.
SCOTUS upholds both the CO insurrection findings and their 14A rulings. This will immediately lead to the similar case rulings in state courts around the nation.
SCOTUS overturns the 14A ruling but avoids addressing the CO Supreme Court’s insurrection findings.
At a minimum, the high court should chastise the lower courts for coming to a criminal finding in a civil case and attempting to act upon that improper finding. But the expert in this article is betting on number 4, and I agree it’s likely.
Also, it would be a mistake. Not addressing insurrection unfairly penalizes Americans in Colorado.
Through that lens, Cooper’s analysis is disturbing. The second half of this article talks about SCOTUS intentionally avoiding the issue of insurrection to skirt around influencing the election, citing reputational damage that the Justices endured in 2000 for weighing in on Bush v. Gore. Justices in the highest court in our land would allow an unjust and improper finding to remain in effect in Colorado because rebuking the state court might be unpopular? Yikes.
Cooper also asserts that the CO Supreme Court should have been more prudent in addressing insurrection. But the CO court was not prudent. Allowing their error and overreach to stand is an astonishing course for SCOTUS to pursue since, again, this is a civil case and the insurrection findings are based on the highly political J6 Committee Report.
If the high court fails to correct the state courts’ error, then the insurrection finding could (and, in Colorado, will) bar military veteran J6ers from running for office. It will also green light the uniparty’s next phase of lawfare-as-election-interference, and affirm that fake insurrections are effective change tactics.” —
Putin Quietly Signals He Is Open to a Cease-Fire in Ukraine
President Vladimir V. Putin’s confidence seems to know no bounds.
Buoyed by Ukraine’s failed counteroffensive and flagging Western support, Mr. Putin says that Russia’s war goals have not changed. Addressing his generals on Tuesday, he boasted that Ukraine was so beleaguered that Russia’s invading troops were doing “what we want.”
“We won’t give up what’s ours,” he pledged, adding dismissively, “If they want to negotiate, let them negotiate.”
But in a recent push of back-channel diplomacy, Mr. Putin has been sending a different message: He is ready to make a deal.
Mr. Putin has been signaling through intermediaries since at least September that he is open to a cease-fire that freezes the fighting along the current lines, far short of his ambitions to dominate Ukraine, two former senior Russian officials close to the Kremlin and American and international officials who have received the message from Mr. Putin’s envoys say.
In fact, Mr. Putin also sent out feelers for a cease-fire deal a year earlier, in the fall of 2022, according to American officials. That quiet overture, not previously reported, came after Ukraine routed Russia’s army in the country’s northeast. Mr. Putin indicated that he was satisfied with Russia’s captured territory and ready for an armistice, they said. — The New York Times
Our Take: “We have officially reached the end-stage of Overton's Goalpost as it relates to the Russia-Ukraine Conflict, with the New York Times somewhat hilariously reporting that Vladimir Putin is considering being open to negotiations to end said conflict in the coming months.
Of course, the reason this is funny is because what the MSM frames as a negotiation is anything but, with Putin and Russia reportedly looking to have the de facto annexed territories of the Donbas (already firmly under Russian military control) recognized as sovereign Russian Federation territory.
This comes on the heels of the same media apparatus admitting that Russia has clearly 'won' the conflict with the Azov Battalion, a claim citizen journalists have been advancing based on observable reality for over a year, now.
Put another way, what the western Globalist media claims Putin is going to 'negotiate' FOR is the same thing he and his nation already HAVE:
Western acknowledgement of his already-actualized victory.” —
BONUS ITEMS
Supreme Court Rules Against Special Counsel, Will Not Expedite Trump Immunity Clash
The Supreme Court's new docket just dropped, notably without expedited consideration of Trump's claim of presidential immunity in his 2020 election interference case - a critical question which will determine whether he can be put on trial for trying to overturn the results of the last presidential election.
The one-sentence order, with no noted dissents, means that a federal appeals court in Washington will be the first to review a district judge's ruling earlier this month which rejected Trump's claim of immunity - with arguments scheduled to begin Jan. 9.
The move (or lack thereof) comes eight days after the USSC agreed to consider whether to expedite consideration of Special Counsel Jack Smith's petition to short-circuit the appeals court and immediately weigh in on Trump's claim of presidential immunity to try and have the case tossed.Smith argued that public interest required intervention now so that his well-timed case against the former president could proceed as scheduled in March.
"This case involves — for the first time in our Nation’s history — criminal charges against a former President based on his actions while in office," Smith said in his filing, requesting the abnormally fast review. "And not just any actions: alleged acts to perpetuate himself in power by frustrating the constitutionally prescribed process for certifying the lawful winner of an election." — ZeroHedge
The Rise Of Black Support For Trump
Fearing backlash, some black people feel they can only whisper, "I'm voting for Trump."
But others are becoming louder and prouder in voicing support for former President Donald Trump.
Mark Fisher, co-founder of a Black Lives Matter (BLM) group in Rhode Island, made waves recently with his endorsement of the former president.
"I knew I was going to pay a price for it," Mr. Fisher told The Epoch Times, "but I felt like the benefit of doing it far outweighed the cost of me playing it safe."
Mr. Fisher said he felt obligated "to clear a path" for those who think the way he does.
He and other pro-Trump black people are considered renegades.
That's partly because President Trump's foes have tried to brand him as a racist unworthy of votes from black Americans. But it's also because he's a Republican.
For generations, black leaders and churches have encouraged black people to vote for Democrats, including President Joe Biden.
But the tide seems to be turning. Opinion polls are showing that more black people are willing to break rank, as Mr. Fisher did.
Since President Trump's win in 2016, black support for him has more than tripled, now exceeding 20 percent in some surveys. — The Epoch Times
What is U.S.-led Red Sea coalition and which countries are backing it?
U.S. Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin announced on Tuesday plans to set up a multinational coalition to safeguard Red Sea shipping called Operation Prosperity Guardian.
During a trip to the Middle East, he said the operations would be joined by Britain, Bahrain, Canada, France, Italy, the Netherlands, Norway, Seychelles and Spain.
On Thursday, Austin said Greece and Australia had also joined the grouping, taking it to a total of 20, but added that at least eight countries taking part have declined to be publicly named.
WHAT ARE OTHER NATIONS SAYING?
FRANCE
France's Defence Ministry said it supported efforts to secure freedom of navigation in the Red Sea and surrounding area and said it already operated in the region. But it said its ships would stay under French command and did not say if it would deploy more naval forces.
France has a naval base in the United Arab Emirates and 1,500 troops in Djibouti. Its frigate Languedoc is now in the Red Sea.
ITALY
Italy's Defence Ministry said it would send naval frigate Virginio Fasan to the Red Sea to protect its national interests in response to specific requests made by Italian shipowners.
It said this was part of its existing operations and was not part of Operation Prosperity Guardian.
SPAIN
Spain's Defence Ministry said it would only participate in NATO-led missions or EU-coordinated operations. "We will not participate unilaterally in the Red Sea operation," it said.
BRITAIN
Britain said destroyer HMS Diamond would join Operation Prosperity Guardian. Britain's defence ministry said the coalition would operate as part of the U.S.-led CMF.” — Reuters
Assange Appeal Hearing Set for February
Imprisoned publisher Julian Assange will face two High Court judges over two days on Feb. 20-21, 2024 in London in what will likely be his last appeal against being extradited to the United States to face charges of violating the Espionage Act.
Assange’s wife Stella Assange confirmed that the hearing will take place at the Royal Courts of Justice. Assange had had an earlier request to appeal rejected by High Court Judge Jonathan Swift on June 6.
Assange then filed an application to appeal that decision and the dates have now been set. Assange is seeking to challenge both the home secretary’s decision to extradite him as well as to cross appeal the decision by the lower court judge, Vanessa Baraitser.
Baraitser had ruled in January 2021 to release Assange from Belmarsh Prison and deny the U.S. request for extradition based on Assange’s mental health, his propensity to commit suicide and conditions of U.S. prisons. On every point of law, however, Baraitser sided with the United States.
The U.S. appealed her decision, issuing “diplomatic assurances” that Assange would not be mistreated in prison. The High Court, after a two-day hearing in March 2022, accepted those “assurances” and rejected Assange’s appeal.
His application to the U.K. Supreme Court to hear the case was then denied. Assange then applied for a new appeal of Baraitser’s legal decisions and the home secretary’s extradition order.
Swift rejected Assange’s 150-page argument in a three-page ruling. The appeal of that decision will now take place in February. — Consortium 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.
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.
Thanks for your Takes. Missed y'all yesterday. Hope everyone had a very Merry Christmas!
God Wins!
God Bless!!!
Mark Fisher, paving the way for Black Americans to break free of the Democrat perversion of what our Founding Fathers meant by “Equality”. For many decades the Democrat run Black urban centers and communities have twisted the virtue of Equality into “Equity”,…“equal opportunity” versus “equal outcome”….while at the same time, under the radar for years, destroying “opportunity” through the crime and drug culture run rampant in Dem cities (an argument could be made that this was done totally by design!) thus affecting the quality of education.
This DEI movement/ideology is just cover for robbing Blacks of equal opportunity, trying to convince the nation that the solution is equal outcomes, so forget merit and hard work! For The Great Awakening to succeed, we need ALL AMERICANS
❤️🇺🇸