Badlands News Brief
Globalists Threaten Their Own as Bidenomics 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.
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 Wednesday, May 22 …
EU Members Will Have To Arrest Netanyahu After ICC Warrant: Borrell
Will Israel eventually come up with its own Hague Invasion Act?
EU foreign policy chief Josep Borrell on Tuesday commented on the International Criminal Court (ICC) issuing arrest warrants for top Israeli officials over alleged war crimes in Gaza. He stressed in the statement that all European Union member countries will be legally required to oblige.
He explained that if Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu or Defense Minister Yoav Gallant travel to a European country, they would face arrest.
He said the same for those Hamas leaders listed alongside Netanyahu: "I take note of the decision of the ICC Prosecutor to apply for warrants of arrest before Pre-Trial Chamber I of the International Criminal Court (ICC) against Yahya Sinwar, Mohammed Deif, Ismail Haniyeh, Benjamin Netanyahu and Yoav Gallant," Borrell sated.
"The mandate of the ICC, as an independent international institution, is to prosecute the most serious crimes under international law," Borrell wrote on X. He emphasized "All States that have ratified the ICC statutes are bound to execute the Court’s decisions." He said the EU has taken "note" of the world court's action.
With the exception of Ukraine and Turkey, all of Europe is a signatory to the Rome Statue, requiring them to apprehend those individuals 'wanted' by the ICC. — ZeroHedge
Our Take: “All States that have ratified the ICC statutes are bound to execute the Court’s decisions."
Remember when I said yesterday that the globalists' institutions were being weaponized against them?
The very people who have collaborated to establish this global hegemony, now find themselves in its crosshairs. Again, I don't really care that the ICC was founded by George Soros-- who is probably dead, need to see proof of life-- or that it is an illegitimate organization. What I care about is the fact that we are witnessing the breaking of the controlled-opposition dynamic, and the tables turning to force the globalists to fight one another.
Now all of these oligarchs will have no choice but to advocate for the delegitimization of these institutions, lest they find themselves in the shoes of Benjamin Netanyahu, who is now a global pariah and losing friends at an exponential rate.
Netanyahu Issues Warning To US Leaders Over ICC Arrest Warrants: 'You're Next'
See what I mean?
How amazing would it be if Bibi pulled the pin and took all of his globalist comrades down with him, out of pure spite? Samson Option?
Accelerate.” — GhostofBasedPatrickHenry
Target issues weak forecast as shoppers pull back; shares tumble
U.S. retailer Target (TGT.N), opens new tab on Wednesday reported quarterly earnings that missed Wall Street estimates and its forecast for the current quarter also disappointed investors, who sold off its shares.
Last down 7.7% at $143.84, the stock was on track for its sharpest one-day drop since November 2022.
Last week, Target's larger rival Walmart (WMT.N), opens new tab reported better-than-expected results and raised its annual outlook as shoppers prioritized food and essentials like toilet paper and detergent.
"Target's performance is significantly worse than the overall market, which underlines that Target is losing [market] share," said Neil Saunders, managing director of research firm GlobalData. "All in all, the picture painted by today's figures is of a business that has run out of steam."
Target had a 1.8% share of U.S. retail sales in 2023, according to calculations by Kantar, a data and analytics firm. That was down from 2.1% in 2020, Kantar said.
"Yes, they are losing market share," said Charles Sizemore, chief investment officer of Sizemore Capital Management, which owns shares in Target. But Sizemore said it was "not accurate to compare" Target's results with those of Walmart, which is the biggest U.S. grocery retailer. — Reuters
Our Take: “One of my favorite past times in the age of Bidenomics is pointing out Bidenomics to shoppers complaining about prices.
‘How is ground beef almost $7 a pound?!’
‘Didn’t you hear? The economy is good. The White House said so.’
It’s the little things that keep me sane.
Unfortunately, people who don’t do their own grocery shopping — say, politicians or news anchors — likely don’t have this opportunity, but for me, it presents itself at least once a month.
From Investopedia, ‘There is no doubt that consumer spending is the most vital component of any economy. Why? Depending on the economy's sheer breadth, consumer spending can range anywhere from 50% to 75% of gross domestic product (GDP). In the U.S. this percentage is about 65% of total GDP.’
The White House maintains that Biden is strong on the economy and that the economy is strong. Target disagrees. We all disagree, don’t we?
In Bidenomics, the majority of Americans are just trying to survive.” — Ashe in America
Trump campaign starts taking cryptocurrency donations, vows to build a ‘crypto army’
The Trump campaign announced Tuesday it will start accepting cryptocurrency donations, casting the move as one of solidarity with opponents of “socialistic government control” over the U.S. financial markets.
Supporters of former President Donald Trump can donate using “any cryptocurrency accepted through the Coinbase Commerce product,” his campaign said in a press release.
The announcement ties President Joe Biden, who is running for reelection against Trump, with Sen. Elizabeth Warren, D-Mass., a vocal crypto critic who has pushed to clamp down on the nascent industry.
“Biden surrogate Elizabeth Warren said in an attack on cryptocurrency that she was building an ‘anti-crypto army’ to restrict Americans’ right to make their own financial choices,” the campaign said, referring to a reelection ad Warren posted on X in March 2023.
“MAGA supporters, now with a new cryptocurrency option, will build a crypto army moving the campaign to victory on November 5th!” the campaign said. — NBC News
And …
Biden Does Not Threaten Veto Against House Crypto Market Structure Bill, But 'Opposes Passage'
The White House is against the U.S. House of Representatives passing a crypto market structure bill, but the president isn't threatening to veto it, in a positive sign for the crypto industry.
U.S President Joe Biden's White House published a statement of administrative policy Wednesday saying the administration opposed the passage of the Financial Innovation and Technology for the 21st Century Act, citing concerns over a lack of investor protections should it make its way through Congress. The bill also suggested the White House would want to work with Congress on future legislation addressing the crypto markets, in contrast with previous statements from Securities and Exchange Commission Chair Gary Gensler, who has repeatedly said he does not believe the industry needs additional legislation specific to crypto.
"The Administration is eager to work with Congress to ensure a comprehensive and balanced regulatory framework for digital assets, building on existing authorities, which will promote the responsible development of digital assets and payment innovation and help reinforce United States leadership in the global financial system," the statement said. "H.R. 4763 in its current form lacks sufficient protections for consumers and investors who engage in certain digital asset transactions." — Coin Telegraph
Our Take: “You know I love me some shot-chaser headlines, and this is a pretty great set.
First of all, the crypto regulation market is almost as complex to follow and make sense of as the crypto market itself is, with more regulators trying to protect their own bags as their are venture capitalists trying to pass off the latest meme coin as a state of the art venture in world-altering blockchain technology.
All of which is to say, I don’t know which way the US regulatory environment is going to go, though I have leaned in the direction of non-Bitcoin cryptocurrencies being watched and regulated more closely than the grand pappy, the only one (so far,) the Administrative State has been forced to recognize as a commodity.
But that’s not what I want to focus on with this Bicameral set of headlines. Instead, feast your eyes on the latest in a long line of examples of not just how Donald Trump puppeteers the Media Industrial Complex, but the Biden Administration.
You don’t even need to subscribe to ‘Patriots in Control’ or Devolution scenarios to witness the sort of influence going on, here, as even the American normie is seeing it.
Trump came out in favor of broader crypto acceptance, and so, the Biden Administration—and its media lapdogs—have been forced to capitulate just days after threatening to bring the hammer down on the whole industry.
Isn’t it fun to watch the Narrative Master at work?” — Burning Bright
Saudi king to be treated for lung inflammation, state news agency says
Saudi King Salman will undergo treatment at Al Salam Palace in Jeddah for a lung inflammation, the state news agency said on Sunday, hours after he underwent medical tests.
Citing the royal court, the state news agency said the 88-year-old king would be treated with antibiotics until the inflammation subsides.
Due to King Salman's health issue, Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, the de facto Saudi leader, postponed a visit to Japan that had been scheduled to begin on Monday, Japan's Chief Cabinet Secretary Yoshimasa Hayashi said.
"Saudi Arabia informed the Japanese government that due to the health condition of King Salman of Saudi Arabia, Crown Prince Mohammed's visit to Japan, which had been scheduled to begin on the 20th, had to be postponed," Hayashi said at a news conference in Tokyo.
Earlier on Sunday, King Salman underwent medical tests at the royal clinics at Al Salam Palace due to "high temperature and joint pain", the Saudi state news agency said.
The king was last admitted to hospital in April for a routine checkup, state TV reported then. — Reuters
Our Take: “I wanted to take this opportunity to highlight King Salman, because he deserves it. After all, he is the guy who gave Trump the Sword Dance—the seven-year anniversary of which was this past Monday.
(MBS did meet with Japan on video conference, which was an important meeting, since Japan is the only Asian country that has consistently supported Israel since 1948.)
King Salman is the 25th son of the founder of Saudi Arabia, Abdulaziz bin Abdul Rahman Al Saud. In 1953, his father appointed him as deputy governor of Riyadh, which at the time was a small town in the middle of the desert. Salman governed the region until he became Crown Prince in 2011, and during that time, Riyadh transformed from a backwater village to one of the world's great cities.
Being that Riyadh is the ancestral hometown of the Saudi family, the title of governor also comes with the duty of administering punishment against bad relatives who disgrace the family name. Salman was a diligent enforcer, not afraid to imprison a royal who had financially preyed on the Saudi people, which made him a rather popular figure among the commonfolk. (Obviously, plenty of corruption went unpunished—hence, the Royal Purge of 2017.) This appetite for justice against his own kin also won Salman the admiration of regional and global leaders.
It's also where his son, Mohammed bin Salman, acquired his taste for justice.
Salman is known for being a great father. He would force his children to read one book a week, then quiz them on it to make sure they comprehended the subject matter. He taught them to be diligent and punctual—the citizens of Riyadh say you could set your watch to the Salman royal entourage walking to work every morning, which they did before the sun rose. MBS chose to attend school in Riyadh, forgoing all of the posh offerings of fancy European boarding schools, so he could be closer to his father. Those are family values that Americans can admire.
Ultimately, the legacy of King Salman bin Abdulaziz will be as the great reformer who drove out the zealots, rounded up the traitors, and liberated the people from the tyranny of radical Wahhabi Islam. His son will transform Arabia into a great world power.
May God bless and protect the King and his family, and bring peace and prosperity to his kingdom.
If you would like to learn more about Salman, check out my pinned thread on X.” — GhostofBasedPatrickHenry
13th Oregon county votes to secede and join Idaho
On Tuesday, Crook County became the 13th county in Oregon to vote to secede from the Democratic-controlled state and join neighboring Idaho, a conservative state that they believe better represents their values. The measure passed with 53 percent of the vote.
Organizers of Measure 7-86, also known as the "Greater Idaho Measure," say the decision to secede is because of the state's progressive policies and high crime rates. They allege they have been alienated in Oregon and that moving to Idaho would enable citizens to benefit from reduced taxes as well as improved governance and representation.
According to the proposal, the Oregon border would be moved 200 miles to the west. This would result in 14 counties and a few partial counties falling under Idaho state borders.
"The Oregon/Idaho line was established 163 years ago and is now outdated. It makes no sense in its current location because it doesn't match the location of the cultural divide in Oregon," the measure's website states.
"We want an economy that is not held back by Oregon regulations and taxes, including environmental regulations. We’ll still have federal and Idaho regulations, and that’s plenty," the website reads. "Idaho knows how to respect rural counties and their livelihoods." — The Post Millennial
Our Take: “Progressive politics in Oregon have now led to 14 counties joining the Greater Idaho initiative, a largely ceremonial endeavor to annex Eastern Oregon into Western Idaho.
The activists are attempting to get the attention of their ruling class in Salem, after the leftist fever dream of social justice policy enactments have resulted in the rural population’s disenfranchisement.
I can relate. Northern Colorado counties have kicked around the idea of joining Wyoming to escape the same policies infecting the Centennial State, but nothing quite as organized as Greater Idaho. Unfortunately for me, I live south of Denver, and the Greater Wyoming people will likely put up a wall.
The overt question in this Oregon-Idaho conflict is the same question bubbling under the surface for all of us: Will the government stop and listen to the people?
Don’t hold your breath.” — Ashe in America
North Korea’s Kim ‘sincere’ in Trump talks: Seoul’s ex-president Moon
North Korean leader Kim Jong Un offered to give up his nuclear arsenal if America guaranteed his regime would survive, former South Korean president Moon Jae-in said in a recently released memoir.
Moon, who led South Korea for five years from 2017, was instrumental in brokering two high-profile summit meetings between Kim and then-United States president Donald Trump, aimed at securing Pyongyang’s denuclearisation in return for sanctions relief.
But after the second summit collapsed in 2019, diplomatic outreach was abandoned, with relations between the two Koreas now at one of their worst points in years, as Kim doubles down on weapons production and draws closer to ally Moscow.
In the memoir released Friday, titled “From the Periphery to the Centre,” former president Moon outlined in great detail his interactions with the North Korean leader.
“Kim said he would forsake nuclear weapons if there was a guarantee of regime survival,” Moon said in the book, adding that he felt the young North Korean leader was “very honest”.
According to Moon, Kim’s reasoning was: “I have a daughter and I do not wish her generation to live with nuclear weapons… Why would we continue to live in difficulty, under sanctions, with nuclear weapons if our security can be guaranteed?” — Insider Paper
Our Take: “We all needed a feel-good story, and here comes our boy Un to deliver in spades.
It's become increasingly clear that whoever was controlling the Kim family lost that control during the Trump administration. Since then, Kim has exited the world stage and rug-pulled John Bolton's wet dream of a worldwide nuclear holocaust. The visual of Bolton yapping at President Trump like an annoying little lap dog, nipping at his ankles through the mustache as Trump leaves to meet Un at the DMZ is just too perfect.
Un's quote: ‘I have a daughter and I do not wish her generation to live with nuclear weapons… Why would we continue to live in difficulty, under sanctions, with nuclear weapons if our security can be guaranteed?’ must have made Bolton apoplectic. The hegemony's former ‘madman’ employing not only rational common sense, but also flexing the empathetic dad-card. Bravo, Un. Well played, Sir.
I really have grown fond of Un, which is a far cry from how I once felt about him, when I believed my government's propaganda. I'd love to see him team up with The Donald of yesteryear and transform his country into a thriving civilization. Trump did say that he thought North Korean beaches had the potential to become world class resorts. I don't think he was just blowing smoke up Un's skirt.
See you at the victory parade, Mr. Supreme Leader.” — GhostofBasedPatrickHenry
BONUS ITEMS
California lawmaker Vince Fong wins special election to finish ousted House Speaker McCarthy’s term
Vince Fong, a California State Assembly member backed by former President Donald Trump, won a special election Tuesday to complete the remainder of the term of deposed former U.S. House Speaker Kevin McCarthy, which runs through January.
A McCarthy protege who also had the former speaker’s endorsement, Fong defeated fellow Republican and Tulare County Sheriff Mike Boudreaux in the 20th Congressional District, in the state’s Central Valley farm belt.
Because of Trump’s involvement, the race will be watched as a possible proxy vote on the former president’s clout as he heads toward an all-but-certain matchup against President Joe Biden in November.
“With the campaign over, the real work now begins,” Fong said in a statement, adding that he will focus on border security, supporting small business and investing in water storage critical to the region’s agriculture. — AP News
CIA blocked feds from interviewing Hunter Biden’s ‘sugar brother’ Kevin Morris during five-year tax probe
The CIA blocked federal investigators from interviewing Hunter Biden’s “sugar brother” Kevin Morris during a five-year probe into the first son’s alleged tax crimes, a whistleblower has told House impeachment leaders.
House Oversight and Judiciary Committee chairmen say the whistleblower informed them the intelligence agency stopped IRS and Justice Department investigators from interviewing Morris in August 2021, a Hollywood lawyer and patron of the first son, according to a Thursday letter addressed to CIA Director William Burns.
The whistleblower informed Oversight chairman James Comer (R-Ky.) and Judiciary chairman Jim Jordan (R-Ohio) that two DOJ officials were summoned to CIA headquarters in Langley, Va. — and told Morris “could not be a witness” for their investigation into Hunter Biden. — NY Post
Charges Dropped Against New Jersey Gym Owner Who Defied Strict COVID Lockdown Rules
The owner of a gym in New Jersey who shot to national attention after defying COVID-19 restrictions by keeping his gym open has had all charges against him dropped.
Ian Smith, the co-owner of Atilis Gym in Bellmawr, said in a statement on the social media platform X on May 18 that the more than 80 charges against him and the gym’s co-owner Frank Trumbetti have been dropped with prejudice, meaning they cannot be revisited or refiled.
Among the charges levied against the two men by the state were violations of a governor’s order, public nuisance, disturbing the peace, and operating without a license.
“The support we received locally, nationally, and internationally for our stand is something I will be forever grateful for,” Mr. Smith said. “With that being said, I am thrilled to announce that we have achieved a major victory in the long, hard fight against the State.”
Mr. Smith added that the “victory opens the battlefield again and gives us options to continue to push back and bring justice to the treasonous actions of Phil Murphy and his lackies [sic],” referencing the New Jersey Governor.
He further thanked his “fearless attorneys,” adding that “some of the most high profile attorneys around the country ran from our case—knowing it would be a long, hard road and would make them a target of the state.” — The Epoch Times
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.
The consumer is 65% of the U.S. GDP according to the article. I checked and B to B accounts for 15% and government is the other 20%. I think this should worry us. The bigger the government grows the more it encroaches on consumer and business spending.
What is actually happening is government spending is exploding due to the combination of inflation and the national debt. The debt is over 125% of GDP and the interest rate has boomed to close to 5% thanks to inflation and the resulting action of the Federal Reserve. Thus, the interest on the debt is very close to a Trillion dollars per year! Under Trump it was $300 Billion, so it has basically tripled due to Bidenomics. Isn’t that the real story?
Our Democrat leaders during the first two years voted to spend enormous amounts on the New Green Deal and forced the Fed to borrow Trillions we did not have in tax receipts. That is what caused the explosion in inflation and sped up the bankruptcy process for America. We should thank them! They created the problem by design and now they have taken the giant step to bring America to it’s knees! That was their goal over a century ago.
It won’t work. We cannot be brought to our knees because they made one huge miscalculation. We the People are in charge and we do not need Democrats to help us any longer. In fact, we never needed them. They sold us on the idea that they were needed and picked our pockets for over 100 years to sneak socialism into our society. But America is waking up. If the government declares bankruptcy, America just keeps on working!
If what we are being told by Dr. Jan Halper-Hayes is correct, President Trump declared our bankruptcy in 2018 for God’s sake. We have been kaput for six damned years and business is still going strong.
All that needs to happen is for the rest of America to figure out that we do not need the government that we have been sold. All we need is the government that was designed for us by the Constitution in 1789. For instance, where was student debt relief called for in the founding documents? Do you see how corrupted our design has gotten? Where is the New Green Deal? For that matter where was the original New Deal? We have been sold a piece of goods that is not helping us in reality. It was all socialism in disguise. We can do without it.
So, let’s put Trump back in charge and let’s fix this mess the Left has created. We can do it!
What a great set of Takes today y'all hit multiple homeruns!
It starts with GBPH pointing out how the DS Rat Bastard EU leaders will have to arrest Bibi because they all agreed to the asinine Globalist court... boomerang :-)
My wife & I have 2 retail stores in a small lake community, you can't fool us about how shitty Bidenomics is. Business is down 25% this year. OUCH... hurry back Trump!!!
Bitcoin is a key part of the solution.
GBPH I love your history lessons. I loved history when I was younger and now you are bringing true history back. Thanks!!!
Oregon moving to Idaho is GLORIOUS. We have a daughter and son-in-law in Portland... what a Commie shithole the DS Rat Bastards have turned that once beautiful thriving city into.
Finally, the Kim story is great to help restore faith in humanity. Once the strings are cut amazing things are available and quickly!
Keep sending the heat.
God Wins!
God Bless!!!