Badlands News Brief
MORE Shooter Shenanigans ... and TrumpaMania Reigns
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.
But before we get onto the Brief, we want to introduce you to a new Sponsor of the Badlands Substack: Kimchi One, a fermented product by our friends at Brightcore, who are offering the Badlands audience 25% off using the promo code: “Badlands.”
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Now, onto the news from Monday, September 16 …
Would-Be Trump Assassin Palled Around With Neo-Nazi Azov Brigade In Ukraine: What Did The Government Know?
Perhaps the most interesting angle to attempted Trump assassin Ryan Routh's recent history in his Ukraine connection. We documented that when he went to Ukraine to recruit for its International Legion in 2022 he was a Western mainstream media darling for a time, having been quoted on behalf of the cause to get more foreign fighters thrown into the battle against Russia by a who's who of major media sources from FT to Newsweek to the NY Times.
But when he arrived in Ukraine, according to these media reports, the 58-year old Routh himself was considered too old to fight alongside the Ukrainian army. "So plan B," Routh described to one outlet, "was to come to Kiev and promote the idea of many others coming to join the International Legion. We need thousands of people here to fight alongside Ukrainians."
"There are about 190 countries on our planet, and if the governments are not officially sending soldiers here, then we civilians should pick up this torch and make it happen," he described. He had told Newsweek in a video interview from Ukraine that the war with Russia was as simple as "good vs. evil" and essentially the same as good guys and bad guys in the Hollywood movies Americans grew up with. It was not a gray conflict, he described, but "black and white".
In March of 2022, just a month into the Russian invasion, he tweeted that everyone around the globe should be willing to volunteer and "fight and die" in Ukraine. Still, much of his time was reportedly spent in a hotel room in the far western city of Lviv.
Among the more bizarre aspects to his campaigning on behalf of the Ukrainian military's foreign legion were his efforts to recruit US-trained Afghan special soldiers to go to Ukraine's front lines. The initiative appeared so large in scale (given Routh was seeking to transfer hundreds, or even thousands, of Afghan fighters - according to his words) - that one commentator questions in light of the attempted assassination of Donald Trump: "Who was he working with in the US government that was allowing him to do this?" — ZeroHedge
Our Take: So not only was this loser trying to recruit "freedom fighters" from Afghanistan to go fight the Russians in Ukraine, but he was also hanging out with literal Nazis? He even appeared in one of their propaganda videos? Hah!
Should we add that the New York Times interviewed him last year for doing this? Why would the New York Times do that? Interview (glorify) a guy who hangs out with actual Nazis?
Does that story have anything to do with this story from 2022?
You think this guy was the CIA's contact on the ground to go meet up with their ISIS goons and get them to Ukraine?
Here's a completely separate story from last week.
But wait, it gets better. In the ZeroHedge article, the author quotes a source, who asks, "Who was he working with in the US government that was allowing him to do this?"
Here's one guy from the Biden administration that we can prove was on the ground in Ukraine with Routh: Chef Jose Andres.
Back in 2022, two months before the ISIS story was reported, Chef Andres was appointed Co-Chair of the President’s Council on Sports, Fitness, & Nutrition, the White House announced Wednesday.
So why the hell was Chef Andres taking a picture with Routh in Kiev?
As hilarious as that sentence may be, it is a very serious question, which demands an answer. And let's not discount the fact that Routh was vocally calling for Iran to kill Trump, and when that didn't materialize, he apparently took matters into his own hands. Amazing. —
Germany angers European neighbors as it tightens migration along all land borders
Germany has begun new controls at all of its land borders as part of a crackdown on migration, placing restrictions on a wide area of free movement known as the Schengen Zone and stirring anger among its European neighbors.
From Monday, as well as existing border controls with Austria, Switzerland, the Czech Republic and Poland, Germany will now also have internal border controls with France, Luxembourg, the Netherlands, Belgium and Denmark.
Berlin will have the power to reject people at all land borders, a statement from the Interior Ministry said. The new rules will last for six months initially.
The move marks how far Germany has shifted in recent years on the flashpoint issue of migration.
The German government under Angela Merkel welcomed more than one million new arrivals during the migrant crisis of 2015-2016 but is now following other European countries in toughening up rules as it faces a surging far-right opposition.
It comes after Germany on Friday struck a controlled migration deal with Kenya, which will see Berlin open its doors to skilled and semi-skilled Kenyan workers. — CNN
And …
UK Leader Starmer Seeks to Learn From Meloni's Tough Migration Policies at Meeting in Rome
U.K. Prime Minister Keir Starmer on Monday praised the migration policies of Italian Premier Giorgia Meloni as the center-left British leader aimed to learn how her nationalist conservative government has made “remarkable progress” in reducing the number of migrants reaching Italy's shores by boat.
The meeting in Rome between the two leaders came after at least eight seaborne migrants died off the French coast over the weekend trying to cross the English Channel.
The Labour Party prime minister isn't a natural ally of Meloni, who heads the far-right Brothers of Italy party. But migration has climbed the U.K. political agenda, and Starmer hopes Italy's tough approach can help him stop people fleeing war and poverty trying to cross the channel in flimsy, overcrowded boats.
More than 22,000 migrants have made the perilous crossing from France so far this year, a slight increase from the same period in 2023. Several dozen people have perished in their attempts, including the eight killed when a boat carrying about 60 people ran aground on rocks late Saturday.
The number of migrants arriving in Italy by boat in the first half of this year was down 60% from 2023, according to the country’s Interior Ministry, and migration formed the core of the leaders' talks at the Villa Doria Pamphilj, a 17th-century mansion set in a large park not far from the Vatican.
At a joint news conference, Starmer said Italy had made “remarkable progress" by cracking down on smuggling gangs and "working with countries along migration routes as equals.” — US News
Our Take: It’s important to recognize that the criticism of Germany’s decision to impose border security with certain nations, in an attempt to crack down on illegal migration and its burdens, is that other EU countries do not want to assume Germany’s share of that burden across Europe.
Poland is pushing back, and ‘both Greece and Austria have warned that they would not accept migrants rejected by Germany.’
The EU nation states’ burgeoning resistance — to what McKinsey and the WEF described as ‘The Great Migration’ — is not without cause. For over a decade, tolerance and empathy ruled European migration sentiment, but the ‘approach to migration has toughened in recent years, in light of a surge in arrivals – particularly from the Middle East and Ukraine – as well as terror attacks motivated by Islamic terror.’
A surge in unchecked migration has led to an increase in terror? That can’t be true because this article was written by CNN, and CNN repeatedly reports that resistance to unchecked migration is rooted in racism.
While European countries are criticizing Germany’s decision due to the additional burden that it will impose on their sovereignty and resource allocation, recall that US media has been labeling AfD as white supremacists since their campaign earlier this year, which resulted in a globalist panic-inducing electoral victory.
This spin will likely continue in the US media in the wake of Germany’s immigration decision. From the article:
‘The coalition government seeking to counter the country’s burgeoning far-right Alternative for Germany (AfD), which is known for its explicitly anti-immigrant and anti-Islam agenda.’
Muh, racism.
If EU countries turn off the migrant faucet, do we think migration will stop? Or will it shift to more accepting and tolerant locations? Locations where border security is racist and all one needs is a dollar and dream to access basic income and all the government services.
As I write this from Italy, its notable that ‘Meloni pledged a crackdown on migration after taking office in 2022, aiming to deter would-be refugees from paying smugglers to make the dangerous Mediterranean crossing to Italy.’ Illegal migration in Italy is down 60% YTD over 2023.
AfD is now following in Meloni’s footsteps, and the UK is exploring their options. The lesson for Americans:
It’s possible. It won’t take long. It simply takes will.
Only one player in the American theater has demonstrated that will.
MAGA —
Netanyahu said preparing to fire Defense Minister Gallant, replace him with Sa’ar
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is preparing to fire Defense Minister Yoav Gallant and is considering appointing New Hope chairman Gideon Sa’ar as his replacement, national broadcaster Kan reported on Monday, citing an official within the prime minister’s bureau.
If the post of defense minister does not pan out, Sa’ar may receive the foreign minister role while Israel Katz takes over for Gallant, Channel 12 reported. It also claimed that New Hope MKs Ze’ev Elkin and Sharren Haskel may be offered ministerial portfolios.
The Prime Minister’s Office denied negotiations with Sa’ar, and a spokesman for Sa’ar claimed there was “nothing new” on the issue.
Rumors that Netanyahu would replace Gallant have been circulating for months, with Sa’ar denying as early as July that he had received an offer that would bring him back into the coalition.
Asked at the time if he would be willing to serve as defense minister in the current government, however, Sa’ar appeared to hint that he would consider the option, replying that he wouldn’t “tie my hands” on the matter. — Times of Israel
Our Take: Gallant is reportedly wanting to avoid immediate escalation of the war with Hezbollah in the north, reportedly clashing with the army’s Northern Command chief Ori Gordin, who is calling for the government to approve a large-scale operation in Lebanon to destroy Hezbollah. (SOURCE)
Well, don't say I didn't warn you that this exact situation was going to unfold.
As I expected, Gallant— who is Biden's "inside man" in the Netanyahu regime— is turning on Bibi, demanding peace, forcing Bibi's hand to dismiss him.
Remember, Trump's guy— Benny Gantz— already pulled this maneuver back in June.
That leaves Bibi alone with the psychotic religious zealots in his cabinet, who believe that if they slaughter a bunch of cows and burn their bodies, they can summon their messiah, and conquer all the territory between the Nile River (Egypt) and the Euphrates (Iraq), creating "Greater Israel."
I know this sounds insane— it is— but here are the actual patches being worn by certain units in the IDF, which display the Greater Israel map.
What we are watching is the slow descent into madness— just like in that movie, The Joker. We are watching the making of a real-life supervillain. Because when a man is possessed by his own self-indulgent desires, and cornered into desperation, that's when the fires of the crucible forge the supervillain.
It is absolutely critical to understand that Netanyahu was raised by some of the most radical zealots of the 20th century. His father, Benzion, was the personal secretary of Ze'ev Jabotinsky— the leader of the ultra-violent Irgun militia that terrorized Palestine in the 1930's and 1940's, murdering both Arab and British people in a bloodthirsty rampage on a divine quest (in his own mind) to establish a socialist kingdom in the Holy Land. (All kinds of nefarious actors in the west were sending him weapons, including future president Lyndon B Johnson, who absolutely was involved in the plot to kill/usurp JFK.)
No doubt, Netanyahu grew up being filled with delusions of grandeur, being groomed by his father's friends to ascend the throne and implement their plans for Greater Israel.
If you don't believe me, here is a 1930's Irgun propaganda poster calling for the creation of Greater Israel.
Here is the official emblem of the Irgun from the 1930's showing the same map.
And here is Netanyahu's Finance Minister, Bezalel Smotrich, speaking at a rally for Greater Israel in March 2023. Note the map displayed on the podium.
It looks like the supervillain is going to emerge just in time for Trumpamania 2024... —
Intel Solidifies $3.5 Billion Deal to Make Chips for Military
Intel Corp. has officially qualified for as much as $3.5 billion in federal grants to make semiconductors for the Pentagon, according to people familiar with the matter, after the chipmaker reached a binding agreement with US officials.
The secretive program, called Secure Enclave, seeks to establish production for advanced chips with military and intelligence applications. It spans multiple states, including a manufacturing facility in Arizona, Bloomberg has reported.
Though Intel has always been the frontrunner for this award, there’s been pushback from other chipmakers, concern in Washington about the wisdom of relying on one firm, and a funding fight across multiple agencies and Capitol Hill that threated to cut into Intel’s total award.
The funding could be announced as soon as next week, said the people, who asked not to be identified because the discussions are private. It would add to a possible $8.5 billion in grants and $11 billion in loans that Intel was awarded in March under the Chips and Science Act, a law that President Joe Biden signed in 2022 to revitalize US semiconductor manufacturing and reduce reliance on Asia. — Bloomberg
Our Take: I KNOW people probably think I’m weird for how much I obsess over any news surrounding US semiconductor manufacturing …
(Editor: He IS weird for focusing on this, but that doesn’t mean he’s not right.)
It’s late, guys. So, you’re now witnessing my incessantly witty internal dialogue.
As for the item at hand, I think it’s SIGNAL as all hell anytime we get news of impending US semiconductor supremacy … WITH the predictable qualifiers about how Biden’s CHIPS Act funding actually finds its way into the new American economy.
That’s because it’s Trump’s CHIPS Act, and because this is a major proof of the Switch theory I’ve been writing about for a while, and that we discuss almost every month on the Devolution Power Hour.
If you look closely, the building blocks to the American Restoration are being laid now … but the STORY is that the economy has never been worse for the very Americans this impending economic and manufacturing boom is set to benefit most … as soon as it ‘turns on,’ which will probably be right around, oh I don’t know, the advent of the second (public) Trump administration?
Operation Warp Speed is Bicameral:
Accelerate the enemy death spiral during the Biden Admin, also known as the Devo Term … AND kickstart a new Awakened American Age in the aftermath quicker than anyone thought possible.
Trump has been telling you we’ll turn it around. The wheel is already in motion. —
North Korea may be Russia's most dangerous ally, Ukraine spy chief says
In the wake of the Ukraine war, Russia has formed a close alliance with China, the world's second-biggest economy, and boosted trade ties with other major economies, such as India.
Yet according to the head of Ukraine's military intelligence agency GUR, Kyrylo Budanov, the Kremlin's most important ally during the war isn't economically and militarily powerful China, but North Korea, an isolated pariah state whose economy has been damaged by decades of sanctions.
Speaking at an event in Kyiv Saturday, Budanov said that North Korea's military aid to Russia was of more concern to Ukraine than the support Russia's other allies had provided, reported Reuters.
"They supply huge amounts of artillery ammunition, which is critical for Russia," he said, pointing to an increase in battlefield hostilities following such deliveries.
For decades, North Korea has been among the poorest and most isolated Asian countries, with the UN imposing severe sanctions to curtail its nuclear weapons program.
However, the Ukraine war enabled North Korean leader Kim Jong Un to improve his situation, forming a valuable security pact with Russian President Vladimir Putin's Russia in June. — Business Insider
Our Take: Kim Jong Un? Putin's most dangerous ally?
(Hulk Hogan voice)
And don't you ever forget it, brother!
I'm glad to see The Rocket Man's reputation proceeds him. Because he's coming in hot at Trumpamania, and he's taking no prisoners. He's the meanest, the leanest, and the most Supremist of all Leaders, and come this November, he's gonna take that jabroni, Zelensky, to Pain City. Because as Reuters just reported last week, Rocket Man has been training with the Special Forces, and is trained to kill.
We were able to catch up with Rocket Man for a quick interview:
Thanks, Champ.
We should note that this article points out that Un has been sending all of his old ammunition to Russia, because as he told [former] South Korean President Moon, he seeks disarmament and de-escalation with the West.
But let's be clear about something, brother. That deal is only good if it's done with The Donald. Until that golden haired Amadeus returns to power, you're gonna get both barrels from the Rocket Man. So buckle up, brother, because the most dangerous man in the world is coming for YOU at Trumpamania 2024. —
Creed Frontman Scott Stapp Urges Americans to Fight Back Against ‘Powers That Be’: We Are a Country ‘Built Upon the Bible and the Word of God’
Creed frontman Scott Stapp launched an impassioned, anti-establishment speech during a performance in Texas over the weekend, bringing the concert to a halt in order to urge Americans to stand up for their rights and fight back against the abuses of what he called the “powers that be.”
He also advocated for the U.S. as a Christian nation, “built upon the Bible and the word of God.”
Scott Stapp didn’t mention any political candidates or parties during his monologue, but he appeared to be speaking out against establishment powers in general.
“They want us divided. They want us separate. They want us compartmentalized in our little niches, in our own little groups… to keep us distracted from holding them accountable,” the rocker said.
Later, he urged Americans to “start reminding them what our Constitution says, we start reminding them what our Bill of Rights says. We remind them that we are a Constitutional Republic built upon the Bible and the word of God, and not a ‘democracy.'” — Breitbart
Our Take: The awakening is accelerating and is accompanied by increasing courage. Hearing mainstream, non-political voices, with massive platforms, speak boldly about the regime is refreshing:
“They want us divided. They want us separate. They want us compartmentalized in our little niches, in our own little groups… to keep us distracted from holding them accountable,” Scott Stapp said recently.
I saw Creed at Red Rocks in 1998 and, while they’ve always been loosely associated with conservative values, Stapp openly speaking about ‘them’ wanting to ‘divide’ us, is both refreshing and undeniably true.
They want to keep us divided and fighting each other. We combat that intention by uniting across externally-agitated divides and shining a light on ‘them’ and their sinister psyops. As
talks about, we are experiencing a crisis cascade crescendo, accompanied by deep state panic patterns. The only way out is through. And the only way to win is not to play their games.Expect the panic to continue as more normies of every stripe and caste stand up and speak out.
Accelerate. —
BONUS ITEMS
ABC Whistleblower Says Harris Camp Allegedly 'Restricted the Scope' of Trump Debate Questions
Late last week, there was word that an ABC News whistleblower was set to expose both the network and the Kamala Harris presidential campaign for allegedly rigging the network's Sept. 10th debate in the Democrat nominee's favor and against former President Donald Trump. The information that they said would be revealed was that Harris was given advance notice on what questions would be asked, and that Trump would be fact-checked live.
Now, the whistleblower has released a sworn, notarized statement, which is dated Sept. 9, 2024--the day before the debate. They say the Kamala Harris campaign allegedly "restricted the scope" of the ABC News debate questions, that the campaign allegedly demanded that only Donald Trump would be fact-checked during the debate. — RedState
EU’s Breton Criticizes Von Der Leyen’s Judgment in Resignation
Thierry Breton, the European Union’s internal market chief, resigned Monday from the European Commission, saying that France was asked to provide a different nominee for the next European Commission.
Breton, in a letter to Commission President Ursula von der Leyen, said that her request was “further testimony to questionable governance.”
He said that von der Leyen asked France to withdraw his name as a nominee “for personal reasons that in no instance have you discussed directly with me,” and in return France would get a more influential role in the EU’s executive arm. — Bloomberg
The end of an economic era
At precisely 2 pm Wednesday, in a windowless ground-floor room in Washington's Foggy Bottom neighborhood, dozens of packed-in economics journalists will hit "send" on reports that the Federal Reserve has decided to cut interest rates. With that, an economic era will end.
Why it matters: The defining economic feature of the last four years has been the onset of the highest inflation in modern times, followed by the Federal Reserve's efforts — late, but aggressive — to bring it to an end. That chapter in America's economic history ends this week.
But the question of what comes next is less clear. The U.S. job market has shown mounting signs of weakness in recent months, including a rise in the jobless rate from a modern low of 3.4% last year to 4.2% in August.
Indeed, that softening may be enough to prompt the Fed to enact an extra-large half-percentage point rate cut this week instead of its usual quarter-point move. The decision currently looks like a coin flip.
State of play: Beyond this week's tactical decision by the central bank, it looks like the era of very low mortgage and other rates that prevailed in the 2010s isn't coming back. — Axios
We hope you enjoyed this brief look back at the major news items you might have missed in this ever-escalating and ever-accelerating news cycle as the Information War continues to rage on around us.
As always, if you have any thoughts on these news items or the MANY others swirling in the digital ether, drop into the comments below to share them with your fellow Badlanders.
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Good news here...many gold nuggets. Everytime I see N Korea in the news I think of that picture of Donald Trump walking into N Korea alone...like a boss.
I'm dreaming of the day Israel and it's drama(that reoccurring theme that dragged across the Old Testament) are no longer in the news. We need to prepare for whatever they throw out to stop Trump. We need to pray for peace to blanket the world and literally interrupt evils plans. Let's go Christian Patriots...imagine God's peace literally unraveling evils plans!
Debate discussion with Trump Deranged friend this week included my opportunity to point out that the only “lie” I could detect from Trump is that he constantly says “We are a nation in decline.” I have lots of actuals to prove otherwise, so it prompts those who worship MSM to rethink their devotion. Then I offered “The Crucible of Donald Trump” which put a sizable crack in the previously closed mind. Chips, LNG and auto factories for the WIN!