Badlands News Brief
Badlands News Brief
Israel Goes Hot (or Not?) as the Info War Accelerates
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.
Many items feature original (and subjective) commentary. Feel free to follow the corresponding link to see our writers’ Substack accounts and check out their other work.
Now, onto the news from Thursday, April 18 …
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Markets Dump Then Rebound As Israel Retaliates To Iran In Oddly Toothless, Performative Response
SUMMARY:
Iran says its nuclear facilities remain unharmed: Reuters
Situation in Iran's Isfahan is normal, no explosion taken place on ground: PressTV
CNN: Two US oficials say Israel indicated they would not attack nuclear targets. US didn't "green light" this attack.
Unconfirmed: IRGC states that Iran will target Israeli nuclear sites with counterattack.
Iran Space Agency: "all that happened is a failed and humiliating attempt by Israel aviation" - via Sky News
Iranian officials and outlets are claiming that all explosions heard tonight are due to interceptions and that no explosions have occurred "on the ground"
Bloomberg: Israeli officials notified the US earlier today they planned to retaliate in the next 24-48 hours.
Tehran's Imam Khomeini International Airport (IKA) tells passengers that all flights have been canceled and they should exit the airport.
Fox News: Israeli strikes in Iran came from unmanned aircraft
US claims IDF attacks in Iran were limited.
Three large explosions heard in Isfahan south of Tehran, US officials confirm.
The Natanz nuclear facility is located in Isfahan.
Unconfirmed simultaneous explosions have also been reported in Syria and Iraq (Baghdad and Babil/Babylon province).
Iran has established a no-fly-zone over its western region.
Market reaction: initial panic selling, but gradually as it becomes clear that this is just a token "scripted" response to the token "scripted" initial attack by Iran - which achieved absolutely nothing - markets are rebounding. — ZeroHedge
Our Take: “At the end of the night on Thursday, Israel apparently made good on the predictive programming the Media Industrial Complex put out and that we analyzed throughout the week … until the media walked back said claims almost immediately.
We’re going to learn a lot more about the supposed Actuals throughout the day Friday, and throughout the weekend, which follows the recent trend of SEEMINGLY-seismic events occurring conveniently on weekends.
has floated the idea that these strikes (when they happen,) are surgical in nature, and that Bibi Netanyahu could be forced to take out some of the monsters he helped to create, but no matter where you stand on it, I think the twin parties being exposed more clearly in the Collective Mind are the Biden Admin for its feckless nature and total lack of respect on the world stage … and the media for not seeming to know exactly how to steer the public when it comes to analyzing the most complex and contentious geopolitical conflict of the era.” —(Editor’s Note: We’ll have more Israel-Iran takes below, where we take a look at some of the other headlines that led up to Thursday night’s flashpoint.)
Excused Juror Reveals Selection Process For Trump’s 'Hush-Money' Trial: 'All Have Prior Opinions'
A juror who was excused from serving on the Manhattan trial of former President Donald Trump provided details about the questions potential jurors were asked.
Kara McGee told media outlets outside the courtroom on Tuesday that she was dismissed but said she believes she could be impartial, adding still that it would be “very difficult for anyone really in this country to not come to this without prior opinions.”
“We all have prior opinions on the defendant, unless you’ve been living in a cardbox,” she said, adding that she was excused because of her job in the cybersecurity sector.
Regarding her personal feelings on President Trump, the woman said, “I’m not a fan.” The main reason why, she said, is because of how she believed he handled the COVID-19 pandemic response.
But Ms. McGee provided some insight on the questions that were asked of the jurors.
“One of which is: Do you have opinions about the ability for a former sitting president to be tried in a court of law? Which I think the way people answered that showed how they felt about case,” she said. “The other one was: Do you have any opinions about legal limits for campaign finance donation amounts? Which I believe was another one that was kinda meant to gauge feelings about the particular case,” she added. — The Epoch Times
And …
Judge Dismisses Trump Juror over Concerns About Her Identity Becoming Public
New York Supreme Court Justice Juan Merchan “abruptly” dismissed a previously approved juror on Thursday after she raised concerns about her identity becoming public, according to court reporters.
Court reporters published descriptions of the jurors after the judge sat seven of them upon going through the selection process. The potential jurors are asked 42 questions, and their social media accounts are scrutinized.
“A juror who had been selected for Donald J. Trump’s criminal trial in Manhattan was abruptly excused on Thursday, demonstrating the challenges of picking a jury to decide the fate of the polarizing former president,” the New York Times reported:
The woman told the judge overseeing the case that she had developed concerns about her identity becoming public. Although the judge has kept prospective jurors’ names private, they have disclosed their employers and other identifying information in court.
After excusing her, the judge, Juan M. Merchan, instructed reporters to no longer detail where a prospective juror works. “I have the legal authority to do it,” the judge said of blocking the news media from reporting identifying employer information.
Former President Donald Trump’s unprecedented criminal trial began Monday morning with jury selection. Thursday is the third day of the process, which could wrap up early next week. — Breitbart
Our Take: “Jury selection in the NY Election Interference trial has been a challenge, even after just three days, and the first story above confirms what many of us have long believed: it’s unlikely if not impossible for President Trump to get a fair trial in NY.
Maybe it’s because the jury pool is irreparably tainted by fake news and government-generated hoaxes. Maybe it’s because the Attorney General and her District Attorney are terminally Trump-deranged activists with no regard for the law. Maybe it’s both.
It’s probably both.
In response to the juror in the second article, Judge Merchan wigged out and changed the rules again, this time restricting the media in how they can report identifying information about the jurors.
That’s probably for the best — in the context of proper justice, not this kangaroo court — but Merchan’s actions do nothing to allay concerns on the primary matter. Can Trump get a fair trial in NY?” —
Speaker Mike Johnson adds border security in a bid to pass stalled House foreign aid package
House Speaker Mike Johnson added a border security measure to a foreign aid package Wednesday in a bid to appease disgruntled conservatives, but he hasn’t won them over yet.
Mr. Johnson, who faces a growing threat of removal by his right flank, told lawmakers the House would vote on the package Saturday night, delaying a weeklong recess that was set to begin Friday.
The $95.3 billion package includes three aid bills addressing, separately, Ukraine, Israel and Taiwan.
Supporting Ukraine aid without linking it to U.S. border security provisions could cost Mr. Johnson his speakership, but he has brushed off the specter of his removal. He said the situation in Ukraine was at a tipping point and the “axis of evil” of Russia, China and Iran are coordinating to push the conflict deep into Europe and in the front yard of NATO allies.
“To put it bluntly, I would rather send bullets to Ukraine than American boys,” said Mr. Johnson, Louisiana Republican.
The Ukraine aid would be provided as a loan, but with provisions allowing for the loan to be canceled. — The Washington Times
Our Take: “I call it a War of Stories more often than an Information War for a reason.
Layering the War of Stories refrain over 5GW lends one a better understanding of some of the more asymmetric--and therefore, effective--narrative deployments by the good guys.
To wit, whatever you think of Mike Johnson (and I would guess it's nothing good right now,) his recent appearance alongside Donald Trump and his references to being a ‘wartime Speaker’ are seismic developments for those of us looking for hints as to the next chapter in the story.
Under this framing, it's possible to look at both Johnson and his America First opposition in Congress (MTG, Gaetz, Boebert,) as helping to push the MAGA agenda forward, even while making mass psychological sacrifices along the way.
Everyone is playing a role. We don't have to determine who's on what side. We only need to observe the net effects of their deployments.
Johnson has damaged the Uniparty this week, wittingly or unwittingly.
And I feel fine.” —
Biden Falsely Claims That WWII Uncle Eaten By Cannibals, Twice
Joe Biden has always been a prolific liar and plagiarist, but on Wednesday he took things to another level.
While attempting to disparage former President Donald Trump for 'skipping out' on a 2018 visit to a military cemetery outside Paris (when in fact the Navy made a 'bad-weather' call), Biden claimed that his uncle, 2nd Lt. Ambrose J. "Bozey" Finnegan Jr., was shot down in World War II and eaten by cannibals.
"He was a hell of an athlete, they tell me, when he was a kid. He flew those single-engine planes as reconnaissance over war zones, and he got shot down in New Guinea. They never found the body because there used to be, there were a lot of cannibals, for real, in that part of New Guinea," Biden said during a Wednesday stop in Pittsburgh - an account which appears in the official transcript of his remarks.
"They never recovered his body, but the government went back when I went down there and they checked and found some parts of the plane," Biden continued.
Except that's total bullshit of course
As Jonathan Turley points out, there was a survivor who gave a detailed account of how Finnegan and another man remained in the plane as it sank. What's more, Bozey's plane was not shot down - it was a Douglas A-20 Havoc with two Pratt & Whitney R-985 Wasp Junior 9-cylinder radial engines. The plane had mechanical problems when it crashed near New Guinea and simply sank into the ocean. — ZeroHedge
Our Take: “It’s interesting that cannibalism is in the news again. Twice in as many months, and both times were hilarious.
First we had Haitian Prime Minister Barbecue’s alleged arm-eating rerun, which reminded every one of Hillary Clinton’s philanthropy in the embattled island nation. Now we have Uncle Bosey and his tragic fate attaching cannibalism to Joe Biden.
The story is obviously false and has since been fact checked by the Pentagon. It’s still hilarious, of course, but do you think the next name attached to a cannibalism story is going to be an Obama Administration official, too?” —
Miscalculation Led to Escalation in Clash Between Israel and Iran
Israel was mere moments away from an airstrike on April 1 that killed several senior Iranian commanders at Iran’s embassy complex in Syria when it told the United States what was about to happen.
Israel’s closest ally had just been caught off guard.
Aides quickly alerted Jake Sullivan, President Biden’s national security adviser; Jon Finer, the deputy national security adviser; Brett McGurk, Mr. Biden’s Middle East coordinator; and others, who saw that the strike could have serious consequences, a U.S. official said. Publicly, U.S. officials voiced support for Israel, but privately, they expressed anger that it would take such aggressive action against Iran without consulting Washington.
The Israelis had badly miscalculated, thinking that Iran would not react strongly, according to multiple American officials who were involved in high-level discussions after the attack, a view shared by a senior Israeli official. On Saturday, Iran launched a retaliatory barrage of more than 300 drones and missiles at Israel, an unexpectedly large-scale response, if one that did minimal damage.
The events made clear that the unwritten rules of engagement in the long-simmering conflict between Israel and Iran have changed drastically in recent months, making it harder than ever for each side to gauge the other’s intentions and reactions. — The NYT
Our Take: “I cannot stop laughing out loud as I read this nonsense. This is some of the most shameless propaganda that I've seen in an era defined by shameless propaganda.
The question must be asked: Do these people think we are this stupid? Or, is it that they, themselves, are mentally retarded?
The universal take on the whole Iran ‘attack’ on Israel is that it has been a glorified pillow-fight.
A commercial flight from Tehran to Israel takes approximately 2-1/2 hours. Yet, this deadly missile/drone strike is said to have taken over 6 hours—some saying it took as long as 9 hours—to reach the proximity of Israel. (98% of the missiles were intercepted and brought down.)
Uniparty state media was openly mocking Iran for having such lackluster technology, after spending years boasting about its offensive capabilities. (I personally don't think Iran utilized their real tech, because it wasn't intended to be a ‘real’ offensive strike.)
The media also cheered loudly that the alliance forged through the Abraham Accords was able to bring down nearly every missile that was fired. The reported number of missiles fired is ever-changing. One minute they say it was only 125, and mock Iran for not firing more; now they are saying it was 300 missiles, and are whining that they were only expecting ‘10, maybe as many as 60 or 70.’ They are also now saying that Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin is mad because they had no time to plan for a potential attack.
Huh?
They have been talking about war with Iran for YEARS. We literally posted a clip of me on DPH from 10 months ago, where my dumbass openly speculated that attacks between Israel and Iran were likely to happen in the near future. The corporate propagandists have been gas-lighting this specific attack for WEEKS. But the clowns at the Pentagon didn't see this coming?
Everyone in that godforsaken building should be required to wear a red nose that honks when you squeeze it. This is so cartoonish that it is difficult to find appropriate epithets to properly insult their stupidity.
My heart goes out to all the men and women in the armed forces. The clowns leading you are invalids, and will probably get many more of you killed than have already died. It is very obvious that the Pentagon does not value the lives of US soldiers, just as the US government does not value the lives of US citizens. I just hope that the people in charge can be prosecuted and imprisoned for their dereliction of duty.
I don't know what else to say, except that the only appropriate response to this shitshow is to ruthlessly mock every person involved. What a disgrace.” —
White House Makes Fresh Push for Historic Deal to Forge Saudi-Israel Ties
The Biden administration is pushing for a long-shot diplomatic deal in coming months that presses Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to accept a new commitment to Palestinian statehood in exchange for diplomatic recognition by Riyadh, U.S. and Saudi officials said.
As inducements to recognize Israel, the White House is offering Riyadh a more formal defense relationship with Washington, assistance in acquiring civil nuclear power and a renewed push for a Palestinian state—a package that U.S. officials say they are in the final stages of negotiating.
The U.S.-brokered effort offers Israel a prize it has long sought: a historic normalization deal with Riyadh, Israel’s most powerful Arab neighbor.
U.S. officials say the successful multicountry effort to shoot down Iranian missiles and drones on Saturday should make it clear to Israel that its security against threats from Tehran can be enhanced through closer integration with Saudi Arabia. — The Wall Street Journal
Our Take: “When you reframe all of these headlines that are catastrophic for Biden as being table-setters for the return of Donald Trump, you begin to recognize them for what they are: SPOILERS.
Biden is becoming known as a chaos agent either wittingly or unwittingly inflating away the energy of the US economy, emboldening US enemies while driving former allies away and endangering the very sovereignty of the nation by refusing to acknowledge its own borders.
Trump is known for one thing above all else: deal-making.
Trump planted the narrative seeds during his first term, Biden is watering them during his second. All we're waiting on is the harvest.
We've been told we're going to like how this movie ends, but that doesn't stop many from dooming out and black-pilling the whole way through the second act, which is always the one fraught with the most peril, danger and despair.
You can't have the high without experiencing the low.
‘When you know the way broadly, you can see it in all things.’” —
Another Take: “This headline has become a broken record, and I love it.
As this chaotic storm of biblical proportions swirls around the Middle East, Saudi Crown Prince MBS remains completely calm, repeating the same thing over and over and over and over and over again.
Saudi: "Sign the peace deal."
Israel: bombs another city, killing civilians
Saudi: "Sign the peace deal."
Israel: kills a bunch of UN aid workers, including US citizens
Saudi: "Sign the peace deal."
Israel: bombs an embassy in Damascus
Saudi: "Sign the peace deal."
Israel: [taunts Iran in Hebrew]
Iran: fires missile barrage at Israel; barrage blocked by Saudi-led-alliance
Saudi: "Sign the peace deal."
Israel: "OMG! That missile barrage was literally the Holocaust!"
Saudi: "Sign the peace deal."
Israel: "Come on, America! We're going to war with Iran!"
America: "Just sign the damn peace deal."
We are watching the Art of the Deal. One side is playing chess, the other side is playing checkers. Benevolent perseverance will win the day. God will win the day.” —
Internal Documents Show FBI is Worried About White Supremacist Teaming Up With Islamic Extremists
In September of 2022, a Gun Owners of America (GOA) lawyer provided documents to AmmoLand News showing the FBI targeting so-called “militant violent extremists” (MVEs) by referencing symbols such as the Betsy Ross flag and a symbol of a minute man. This leak led GOA to file a Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) request for documents.
The FBI initially refused to turn over any documents to the gun rights group, leading GOA to file a lawsuit against the FBI demanding that the Bureau turn over the documents. Instead of the court issuing an order compelling the government to release the documents, the FBI relented and gave them up.
Since we initially broke the story, GOA has furnished AmmoLand News with an exclusive look at the documents. The new documents show that the FBI’s targeting of certain groups is not limited to the Three Percenters and Oath Keepers. The FBI is also targeting other groups. Some threats seem credible, while other threats seem like the government is reaching. AmmoLand News will be running a series of articles about what is in the documents. This series will shed light on what the FBI believes to be threats to the homeland.
The first set of documents is the FBI addressing what it calls “racially or ethnically motivated violent extremists” (RMVEs) and Islamist extremists. This document covers these two ideologies working together for a shared goal. That goal is to bring about the collapse of Western democracies. — Ammoland
Our Take: “I don't know if the FBI has been reading/listening to my musings on Badlands Media, but I think a bicameral take on this one is appropriate.
On one hand, It would appear that the FBI is trying to get ahead of something that I have been saying for years is inevitable: an Islamo-Christian alliance against Satan. They are gaslighting the idea that anybody who considers this possibility is a Nazi terrorist who wants to kill Jews. They are trying to scare us into using religion to unite humanity against them, because religion is the weapon they use to turn us against one another.
Fortunately, my position on the Jews, Zionism, Israel, and the situation surrounding it all is highly documented. Between Badlands Daily and Breaking History, you can find hours of my musings on those subjects, and my position is nuanced. I am not afraid to jump into the ring and engage in these topics of conversation with anybody, anytime, anywhere. As you may have noticed, I actually enjoy these discussions, despite the incendiary gaslighting surrounding them.
So listen here, FBI, Media Matters, Rachel Maddow: I'm your huckleberry. Let's debate these topics in an arena where the normies will witness it.
Now, let's go bicameral:
I agree with the FBI that Christians and Muslims are natural allies in this moment in history. We share far more cultural values than the 700 Club would ever want you to know, and in the face of this satanic cabal that seeks to destroy traditional values, an Islamo-Christian alliance is the most logical solution to defeat it. (Something that I have been openly saying now for years.)
I have a forthcoming article on the Badland substack on this topic—the sequel to Horseshoe Theory—but in the grand scheme of things, the cultural differences between the Islamic East and the Christian West are negligible enough to disregard, while we fight for our survival against the most powerful network of bad-actors in known history, who appear to hate God, His creation, and all those who worship Him.
If we are going to win this peaceful information war, we are going to need powerful allies, and it's no secret who I would nominate to fit that bill.
Perhaps through this daunting endeavor, we can find kinship with our Abrahamic brothers?” —
Another Take: “Were the Fedbois watching
and I cover Kingdom of Heaven on Tuesday night’s episode of Badlands Story Hour?Because it kind of seems like they were …” —
BONUS ITEMS
Musk Funds National Signature Campaign In Support Of First Amendment
Since acquiring the X platform, formerly known as Twitter, Elon Musk has been on a 'free speech' crusade against leftist corporate media, dark money propping up progressive fact-checkers, taxpayer-funded non-governmental organizations working under the guise of defending free speech, woke corporations, the censorship-complex blob, and rogue elites and progressive lawmakers who push dystopic agendas to undermine the First Amendment.
We've been living through a civil war over the existence of freedom of speech. If you haven't been paying attention, here's a brief summary: US intelligence agencies and the FBI pressured social media platforms, including X, to censor and suppress protected free speech, opponents of the Democratic party, and non-approved government narratives, such as the Covid lab leak, which by the way is not a theory.
When Musk purchased X, he exposed the government's censorship blob and the big tech companies' collaboration to censor the opposition. This effectively kicked off the 1A movement.
The movement could go into hyperdrive, as Musk posted on X, "Given the relentless attacks on free speech, I am going to fund a national signature campaign in support of the First Amendment." — ZeroHedge
Russia will grow faster than the US and all other advanced economies this year, the IMF says
Russia's economy is predicted to grow by 3.2% in 2024, outpacing all advanced economies, including the US, the IMF said.
Despite the war, high investment and robust private consumption have driven Russia's economy forward.
The IMF expects the momentum to fade in 2025, with Russia growing at a rate of 1.8%. — Business Insider
Trump meets with Polish president at Trump Tower
Former President Trump met Wednesday night with Polish President Andrzej Duda, the latest in a series of conversations the presumptive Republican nominee has held with foreign leaders.
Trump hosted Duda at Trump Tower in New York City, where the former president is staying as he attends his criminal trial over an alleged hush money scheme.
Duda, who enjoyed a good relationship with Trump during his first term, has been a proponent of supporting Ukraine in its war against Russia. Trump has been skeptical of providing aid to Ukraine and has criticized the NATO alliance of which Poland is a member.
“He’s doing a fantastic job. The people of Poland love him, they really do,” Trump said of Duda.
“He’s my friend, and we had four great years together,” Trump added.
The Trump campaign, in a readout issued after the meeting, said the two men spoke for two and a half hours and discussed the war in Ukraine and the conflict between Israel and Hamas.
The two men also discussed Duda’s proposal for NATO countries to spend 3 percent of their GDP on defense, the campaign said. — 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.
After reading a pretty middle of the road description about what this trial is about can we stop calling it the "Hush" money trial because that's not what it is.
Also, I was reading about the jurors, and it's funny none of those jurors are his "peers". To do that you'd have to put multi-millionaires businessmen on the jury.
The act of holding Trump’s trial in New York constitutes jury tampering.