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.
Now, onto the news from Wednesday, June 5 …
Behind Closed Doors, Biden Shows Signs of Slipping
When President Biden met with congressional leaders in the West Wing in January to negotiate a Ukraine funding deal, he spoke so softly at times that some participants struggled to hear him, according to five people familiar with the meeting. He read from notes to make obvious points, paused for extended periods and sometimes closed his eyes for so long that some in the room wondered whether he had tuned out.
In a February one-on-one chat in the Oval Office with House Speaker Mike Johnson, the president said a recent policy change by his administration that jeopardizes some big energy projects was just a study, according to six people told at the time about what Johnson said had happened. Johnson worried the president’s memory had slipped about the details of his own policy.
Last year, when Biden was negotiating with House Republicans to lift the debt ceiling, his demeanor and command of the details seemed to shift from one day to the next, according to then-House Speaker Kevin McCarthy and two others familiar with the talks. On some days, he had loose and spontaneous exchanges with Republicans, and on others he mumbled and appeared to rely on notes.
“I used to meet with him when he was vice president. I’d go to his house,” McCarthy said in an interview. “He’s not the same person.” — WSJ
Our Take: Anonymous sources with knowledge of the matter claim that Biden is ‘slipping’ behind closed doors.
The White House denies the claims in this WSJ piece, insisting that the so-called ruler of the United States has never been more on his game — that Joseph Robinette Biden is a model statesman and world leader.
The problem for the White House is that everyone can watch the stumbly wumbly fall off bikes and up stairs, and everyone can hear scrotus gaffe every time he speaks. He also shakes hands with the air, wanders off from his handlers, and keeps referencing recent conversations with long dead figures. But don’t believe your eyes, ears, or the WSJ’s anonymous sources. Believe the White House, Jack!
The fact that the WSJ is now comfortable with publishing this editorial is notable. The mockingbirds’ protectionist approach to the Biden Administration is shifting, as outlets like WSJ — and even Politico — are suddenly capable of criticizing scrotus.
I don’t think they can replace him before or during the convention, at least the way things currently stand, but remember when 45 said the 25th would be a problem for Crooked Joe?
Are the mockingbirds seeding that deployment now? —
Ukraine uses US weapons to strike inside Russia, according to a senator and a Western official
Ukraine has used U.S. weapons to strike inside Russia in recent days, according to a U.S. senator and a Western official familiar with the matter.
The weapons were used under recently approved guidance from President Joe Biden allowing American arms to be used to hit targets inside Russia for the limited purpose of defending Kharkiv, Ukraine’s second-largest city.
The official was not authorized to comment publicly on the sensitive matter and spoke on condition of anonymity. Republican Sen. Mike Rounds of South Dakota, a member of the Senate Armed Services Committee, confirmed the strikes with U.S. weapons, but did not say how he was briefed.
Biden’s directive allows for U.S.-supplied weapons to be used to strike Russian forces that are attacking or preparing to attack. It does not change U.S. policy that directs Ukraine not to use American-provided ATACMS or long-range missiles and other munitions to strike offensively inside Russia, U.S. officials have said. — AP News
Our Take: With the obvious out of the way from the jump--that being the fact that this narrative deployment suggests significant 'red line' escalation from the western hegemon toward Russia--allow me to present a quick thesis on why the very tenor of the War of Stories implies patriot control:
The short answer is ... history isn't this linear, which tells you something is afoot.
History is largely defined by asymmetric, nonlinear events that only look obvious or predictable with the benefit of hindsight. This is the case with virtually all world conflicts and mass societal inflection points.
But THIS era is breaking from that trend, as these 'Actuals' have all been projected.
Which begs the question: who is writing the story?
From where I'm sitting, Q, Trump, Putin, Xi and members of the theorized Sovereign Alliance have projected these eventualities with frequency, confidence and, yes, even timing.
Coordination = Control.
Exposure > Disclosure > Justice.
It's going to be a hot summer. —
Putin warns that Russia could provide long-range weapons to others to strike Western targets
President Vladimir Putin warned Wednesday that Russia could provide long-range weapons to others to strike Western targets in response to NATO allies allowing Ukraine to use their arms to attack Russian territory.
Putin also reaffirmed Moscow’s readiness to use nuclear weapons if it sees a threat to its sovereignty.
The recent actions by the West will further undermine international security and could lead to “very serious problems,” he said, taking questions from international journalists — something that has become extremely rare since Moscow sent troops into Ukraine.
“That would mark their direct involvement in the war against the Russian Federation, and we reserve the right to act the same way,” Putin added. — AP News
Our Take: It's amazing, listening to these comments by Putin.
Not because he's threatening the United States—that's not what I mean—I'm referring to the comments like, “We will work with any president the American people elect,” which is interesting language, showing respect for both the American People and election integrity.
“I say absolutely sincerely, I wouldn’t say that we believe that after the election something will change on the Russian track in the American politics,”
"absolutely sincerely"
Right.
He crushed the American DC oligarchy: "[not merely] in the international policy sphere, in the domestic policy, but also in the economic policy the current [US] administration makes mistakes one after one, thick and fast ... Sometimes it is even surprising when looking at what is happening,"
Putin also went on a long diatribe to defend President Trump, saying, "...the ex-president is being persecuted for political reasons, and this fact destroys Washington’s imaginary leadership in the sphere of democracy and even the country’s political system."
Speaking about Ukraine, he said that Washington has no concern about the country and its people. "Nobody in the US cares about Ukraine."
Amen, brother.
He even made comments about the crackdown on free speech, citing that journalists are being demonetized and intimidated. [BASED]
Putin is sticking up for the American People in a way that nobody in DC will, probably because most of them are likely controlled by foreign interests. Vladimir Putin is a greater champion for the American People than our own rotten government. (Suck on that, Maddow)
He also mentioned Germany, that "it's economy is the driving force in Europe... if Germany starts to sneeze and cough, all the remaining European economies will fall ill," mocking their proclamations to reject cheap Russian-pipeline natural gas in favor of very expensive LNG transported by boat. (Vlad, you read yesterday's News Brief, bro?!)
Putin said, adding that he saw "no formal logic" in Europe’s actions. "I don’t want to offend anyone, but the training of decision makers in the West, including in Germany, leaves much to be desired," he said.
(This guy is as funny as Trump.)
As far as the kinetic threats, Putin is the most measured and patient geopolitical leader out there. It is his steady hand that has led the way toward peace, followed by Kim Jong Un, Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, and [happening now] Xi Jinping.
My litmus test for the Sovereign Alliance is whether the person is pushing for peace or for war. Everybody knows that MBS is my guy, but Vladimir Putin is the captain of this ship—especially with Trump ostensibly sidelined. Whatever rhetoric and posturing Putin assumes, he is an agent of peace. He has demonstrated that he will only fight as a last resort, and more and more, patriots seem to be holding all the cards.
Enjoying the show. —
Tucker: President Nayib Bukele saved El Salvador. He may have the blueprint for saving the world.
Our Take: ‘They were satanic. I think that made it easier.’
Let’s talk about narrative. The Christian Right has a narrative that stems from 2 Chronicles 7:
‘If I shut up the heavens so that there is no rain, or if I command the locust to devour the land, or if I send pestilence among My people, and My people who are called by My name humble themselves and pray and seek My face and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven, will forgive their sin and will heal their land.’ 2 Chronicles 7:13-14
To be fair, the Christian Right never references verse 13. But it’s important. In context, the leader (Solomon) sought God’s wisdom and God came through. President Bukele calls his national record ‘a miracle.’ He sought God’s wisdom. And God never fails.
In this interview, Bukele straight up called out the satanism, and he shared stories of how satanism presented in his society. He recalled a specific story about gangs and child sacrifice — the murder of a baby because ‘the beast’ demanded it. That considered a conspiracy theory in the USA is an undeniable fact in El Salvador.
The key takeaway from Tucker Carlson’s interview with El Salvador President Natib Bukele is that the nation’s President turned his land back towards God. When elected for his second term, in his inauguration speech, Bukele outlined a three point plan to grow his nation’s economy.
Point one of the plan:
‘Seek God’s Wisdom.’
This is an excellent interview, and everyone should watch. Bukele speaks about law and order, foreign relations, national operations and national security, globalism, domestic crime and so much more.
Of US/Globalist corruption, he said:
‘If you don’t give maintenance to the system, it will fall,’ continuing that there is, ‘a huge erosion of western civilization.’
He’s not wrong.
Tucker asked if Bukele believed anyone in the west had the stomach to solve our actual problems, and Bukele’s response was that democracy, ‘works — until it doesn’t… It may be the beginning of the end.’
He was also certain that the course can be corrected, bullish on positive change once the cancer of captured bureaucracy was removed from the equation.
And that’s the question:
Which way, western man? —
Israeli operation in Gaza 'strategic disaster' as support for Hamas grows — expert
Israel's military operation in Gaza is a "strategic disaster," as support for the radical Palestinian movement Hamas among Gazans is actually increasing, Audrey Kurth Cronin, Director of the Carnegie Mellon Institute for Strategy and Technology, said in an op-ed for Foreign Affairs magazine.
Cronin argues that while the primary objective of Israel's operation in Gaza was to dismantle Hamas, the Israeli armed forces have merely reduced the number of Hamas fighters. According to the expert, a March 2024 opinion poll by the Palestinian Center for Policy and Survey Research showed support for Hamas among Gazans topping 50%, a 14-point rise since December 2023.
"Simply put, despite some tactical victories, the Israeli war in Gaza has been a strategic disaster," Cronin concludes. The expert attributes this situation to the conflict causing the deaths of tens of thousands of civilians, including women and children. Additionally, the increased support for Hamas is linked to Israel's restrictions on humanitarian aid to Gaza and the Israeli army's operations in the city of Rafah in southern Gaza. — TASS
Our Take: Weird.
"Israel's military operation in Gaza is a "strategic disaster," as support for the radical Palestinian movement Hamas among Gazans is actually increasing,"
Hm. Weird. Haven't considered this possibility before.
So Gazan support for Hamas was around 35% back in December, but now it is over 50%? I wonder what those support levels were back in September, when Netanyahu's back was up against the wall, forced to sign a peace treaty that he has spent his entire political career desperately trying to subvert?
And the experts are attributing this growth in support to Israel's overt violence against women and children, and their overt restriction on the admittance of humanitarian aid into Gaza?
"Simply put, despite some tactical victories, the Israeli war in Gaza has been a strategic disaster," Cronin concludes.
I suppose that would depend on what your endgame is. If your endgame was to grow support for Hamas to unprecedented levels among the Palestinian population—which would likely fulfill Netanyahu's recent vow that this war will last at least 10 years—I would call this operation a strategic masterstroke. If nothing else, it has proven to be a masterclass in the subversion of a historic peace deal.
My gut tells me that there are much darker revelations to come out of the Holy Land in the days ahead. Things that will make the bio-weapons labs in Ukraine seem rather tame...
...But in the end, peace will win. Because God wins. Have faith in humanity. —
Roughly Half Of Americans Think Trump Prosecution Was Politically Motivated: POLL
Nearly half of Americans believe Democratic Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg’s prosecution of former President Donald Trump was politically motivated, according to a Sunday poll from ABC News/Ipsos.
The poll showed that 47% of Americans believe the charges against Trump were politically motivated, while 38% say they were not. At the same time, 50% of Americans believe Trump’s guilty verdict in the Bragg case was correct, while 27% believe the verdict was incorrect and 23% said they “don’t know” if the verdict was correct or not.
Despite most Americans agreeing with Trump’s guilty verdict, his favorability remains unaffected. About a third of Americans at 31% have a favorable view of Trump, compared to 29% favorability in March 2024. Biden’s favorability also remained roughly the same following the verdict, with 32% of Americans saying they have a favorable view of Biden compared to 33% in March. — The Daily Caller
Our Take: Polls are valuable because they’re narrative deployments, and this one screams ‘panic’ to me.
First, we are not a 50/50 country — but this poll reinforces that we are. This is important. If President Trump — whether as a candidate or by favorability, or on the issues — is polling higher than 50, then it’s over. The intangible but determinative metrics of candidate enthusiasm and popular outward support all swing hard in favor of 45, and ABC/Ipsos (and their controllers) are desperate to make a Trump loss seem plausible.
Recall the immediate response to the 34-count conviction. Support for Trump went up in every demographic following the show trial, but ABC/Ipsos wants you to believe that that’s a ‘red mirage’:
‘Of the 55% of Americans who said they followed the Bragg case somewhat or very closely, 57% believe the guilty verdict was correct and 35% believe the verdict was not correct. Only 8% say they don’t know if the verdict was correct.’
It’s unclear how these people followed the trial, but methinks ABC polled their own audience referencing their own biased reporting.
We are not a 50/50 country, but the regime desperately needs us to be in order for their narrative to be believable. ABC comrades are dutifully doing their part. Trump 2024. —
Taliban delegation arrives in Russia for St. Petersburg International Economic Forum
A delegation of the Taliban movement (outlawed in Russia), led by Minister of Labor and Social Affairs Abdul Manan Omari, has arrived in Russia to take part in the St. Petersburg International Economic Forum (SPIEF), an Afghan embassy official told TASS.
"They have arrived in Russia," the official said.
Earlier, Zamir Kabulov, Russian special presidential envoy for Afghanistan and director of the Foreign Ministry’s Second Asia Department, said that apart from the labor minister, the Talbian delegation would also include the head of the Afghan Chamber of Commerce and Industry.
Kabulov also told TASS that Russia’s foreign and justice ministries had reported to President Vladimir Putin that the Taliban could be removed from the list of banned organizations. Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov, in turn, pointed out that this initiative reflected objective reality.
The St. Petersburg International Economic Forum (SPIEF) is taking place on June 5-8. This year’s theme is "The Formation of New Areas of Growth as the Cornerstone of a Multipolar World." Scheduled events include meetings for small and medium-sized businesses, creative industries, the SPIEF Youth Day, as well as the Drug Security, SPIEF Academy and SPIEF Junior forums. SPIEF is organized by the Roscongress Foundation. TASS is the information partner of the event. — TASS
Our Take: For the uninitiated, I highly encourage you to go listen to Zak Paine's recent interview with Lord Miles Routledge, the self-branded "Last Great British Explorer." In 2023, western media outlets reported that Miles had been taken prisoner by the Taliban, with whom he remained for 8 months.
But as Miles told Zak, his experience was really more like an honored guest of the Taliban, who allowed him to live in a house with servants, have a laptop with internet access, watched films like Titanic with him (one of the Taliban guys cried), served him tea and delicacies, let him shoot RPG's at the shooting range, trolled western journalists on Twitter, and even gave him a private tour of the caves in Tora Bora, where Osama bin Laden is said to have hidden out after 9/11. (They did this as a favor to Miles, who made a YouTube video of it. Check out his many X posts about his experience.)
Miles refers to the Taliban as his "Talibros," and has returned to Afghanistan many times to visit his friends. He also shared several anecdotes with Zak about the Taliban capturing members of ISIS and Al Qaeda, and the Talibros were able to discern that these operatives—some of whom were western nationals who had succumbed to online propaganda and joined ISIS—were not even real Muslims, and had no understanding of the Quran.
These reported experiences align with what I heard when I interviewed Mike Harris, the Financial Editor for Veterans Today and former 2006 Republican [primary] candidate for Arizona governor. Harris has been traveling to Afghanistan for years to try and help the Taliban cultivate a real economy, so their people are not vulnerable to the financial influence of western intelligence agencies seeking to recruit them to join mercenary groups like ISIS and Al Qaeda.
Most Badlanders are aware of Kyle's (
) research into the Doha Agreement, where the Taliban gave their word to President Trump to hunt ISIS, Al Qaeda, and other CIA mercenaries in exchange for US withdrawal from Afghanistan. Unlike all of the scumbags inhabiting DC, the Talibros actually kept their word, hunting down and killing the ISIS-K mercenaries responsible for the 2021 attack at Kabul airport that killed 13 US soldiers. (The Taliban also shut down the CIA's heroin network, after regaining control over their country.)The Taliban have more honor than the US Congress, who betray Trump and deceive the American People every day.
After listening to Miles's tales, I find these images and narratives of the Talibros visiting Russia hilarious. (Almost feels like a comedy movie.) We have been completely betrayed and deceived by the jackals in the corporate press when it comes to groups like the Taliban, which is why it is no surprise that two months ago it was reported that Russia was removing them from its list of designated terrorist groups.
Now the Russian Foreign Ministry is reporting that they will work with the Taliban to hunt CIA-backed terrorists, as the Taliban now state that they have traveled to Russia seeking economic investment in their country. —
BONUS ITEMS
Lloyd Austin’s chief of staff, blamed for Pentagon chief’s hospitalization secrecy, to step down
Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin’s chief of staff — who took the heat for failing to tell the White House that the intensely private former Army general had been hospitalized in January — is stepping down from her position this month, according to the Pentagon.
Kelly Magsamen, Austin’s right-hand woman since he took office in 2021, has kept mostly quiet throughout her tenure, working behind the scenes as “the chief architect of every initiative I have launched to defend our nation,” the secretary said in a statement on Wednesday.
“She proved instrumental in navigating difficult international challenges — from Russia’s unprovoked invasion of Ukraine to the devastating Israel-Hamas war after the October 7th Hamas atrocities,” Austin said. “From evacuations of embassies under extraordinary pressure to standing up to bullying and coercion by the People’s Republic of China in the South China Sea.” — NY Post
Elon Musk’s X requests Supreme Court investigate how Jack Smith obtained Trump’s social media files
A year after federal courts forced the company formerly known as Twitter to hand over data to special counsel Jack Smith pertaining to former President Donald Trump’s account, the company is asking the Supreme Court to prevent a similar reoccurrence.
X Corp. is asking the justices whether social media platforms can be forced to share data about their users with the government while being disabled from informing those users about the requests.
The company shared information when Smith asked for Trump’s social media account data without the latter’s knowledge. X, owned by Elon Musk, tried to delay Smith from obtaining the data initially, but its bid failed.
The federal judge presiding over that case wondered whether the company was trying to “cozy up” to the former president — allegations that Musk has faced before. Musk recently used similar Trump-supporting rhetoric as many Republicans, insinuating his felony conviction in his New York trial was “motivated by politics.”
Trump was reportedly weighing an advisory role for Musk if he wins back the White House, but Musk quashed the rumors, saying, “There have not been any discussions of a role for me in a potential Trump Presidency.” — The Washington Examiner
WHO confirms first death in Mexico from bird flu never seen in humans
The World Health Organization said on Wednesday a death was caused by the first laboratory-confirmed human case of infection with a subtype of avian influenza.
WHO said the 59-year-old resident of Mexico had died on April 24 after developing a fever, shortness of breath, diarrhea, nausea and general discomfort.
This was the first laboratory-confirmed human case of infection with A(H5N2) subtype of bird flu reported globally and the first H5 virus infection in a person reported in Mexico. — NBC 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.
Absolutely Love Ghost’s entire Take on Putin!
Thank you for the Putin quotes ❤️
And your own assessment: “Vladimir Putin is a greater champion for the American People than our own rotten government.” 👍
NATO’s corrupt guise of “promoting peace and stability” is becoming more transparent by the day and the “actual” is that NATO is the new (maybe not new just newly revealed) ‘axis of evil’.
Thank God for Putin’s restraint, a valuable asset in The Plan! 🙏❤️
Great brief. Thanks again to Ghost, BB, Ashe. I don’t know how you keep up. All tracking in interesting (and hopeful) direction.