The News Cycle is almost impossible to track these days. At least, to do so fully.
That’s where we come in.
In the Badlands News Brief, the Badlands Media team hand pick news items of interest from the previous days to give you an overview of the biggest goings-on relevant to the Truth Community.
Some items feature original (and subjective) commentary. Feel free to follow the corresponding link to see our writers’ corresponding Substack accounts and check out their other work.
Now, onto the news from Thursday, November 30 …
Governors Ron DeSantis, Gavin Newsom face off in unusual debate
In what may be the most unorthodox match-up of the 2024 presidential primary campaign to date, Florida governor and GOP presidential candidate Ron DeSantis and California's Democratic governor, Gavin Newsom, who is not running for president, faced against each other Thursday night in a debate moderated by Fox News' Sean Hannity.
The two took part in Fox News' "The Great Red vs. Blue State Debate." The two debated for 90 minutes in Alpharetta, Georgia.
When explaining why he was taking part in the debate, Newsom said it was to "tell the truth about the Biden-Harris record and also compare and contrast Ron DeSantis' record."
Asked what grade they would give Biden, the two governors offered unsurprising answers: an "A" from Newsom, who is a Biden campaign surrogate, and a "fail" from DeSantis.
DeSantis said Newsom is "joined at the hip with Biden and Harris." — CBS News
Our Take: “The person who appeared to be the most reasoned in the ‘The Blue State vs. Red State Debate,’ was Sean Hannity — and that tells you everything you need to know.
I was puzzled during the whole debacle trying to determine what this show was meant to be. Newsom was a Biden surrogate, that much was obvious.
But what even is DeSantis?
The problem with Ron is that he is completely detached from the conservative base, independents, and thinking people. His attacks on California were headline talking points without substance. The substance exists, but DeSantis didn’t bring it. The most salient points on all topics were brought by Sean Hannity, God help us all.
When Newsom attacked DeSantis for considering pardoning J6ers, DeSantis ignored the jab and instead regurgitated his messaging on California. In other words, he passed up an opportunity to stand with the majority (and growing) of Americans that believe, correctly, that J6 was a government set up to cover for the stolen election.
When DeSantis pulled out a gender book, I realized that he thinks the GOP base is the Daily Wire audience, and suddenly it all made sense.
Newsom is a toolbox, and didn’t perform well — at one point, he corrected DeSantis’ pronunciation of Kamala Harris, puffed up his chest, and cried, ‘It’s Madame Vice President, to you!’ Absolutely insufferable. But Newsom is largely irrelevant until he announces, and the match up proved to voters that DeSantis’ campaign has not yet found rock bottom.
Worse than all of that, however, is that the format of the debate put DeSantis in the position of attacking California — the state with the most electoral votes in the nation — while he is running for president. Newsom effectively capitalized on this, and I think DeSantis realized the trap, in the moment, on stage.
Everyone with a brain said, going into this debate, that this was a terrible idea for Ron and didn’t benefit his campaign in any way. There was no upside and, given how terrible Ron is at debate, a lot of downside.
But it’s very on brand for the Florida Governor to ignore sound counsel — and common sense — and follow the terrible advice of the right wing of the uniparty.
‘Iceberg! Right ahead!’
At the end of the debate, Newsom said let’s go another half hour, and DeSantis and Hannity agreed. When they came back from the commercial, Hannity announced that both candidates realized they had prior engagements, sorry, the debate is over — and the five remaining DeSantis supporters collectively sighed in relief.” —
Texas AG Paxton suing Pfizer for attempted censorship, ‘misrepresenting’ COVID-19 vaccination
Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton (R) announced Thursday he is suing the pharmaceutical company Pfizer, alleging the company “misrepresented” the effectiveness of its widely administered COVID-19 vaccine.
In his announcement, Paxton accused Pfizer of violating the Texas Deceptive Trade Practices Act by making “false, deceptive, and misleading acts and practices by making unsupported claims regarding the company’s COVID-19 vaccine.”
The lawsuit alleges that Pfizer gave the impression its vaccine would end the COVID-19 pandemic, and that the company’s claims of its shot being 95 percent effective were misleading.
More than 366 million doses of Pfizer’s original coronavirus vaccine were administered in the U.S., according to federal data. The results of an efficacy analysis of the company’s original COVID-19 vaccine released in November 2020 determined that the injection was 95 percent effective against COVID-19 28 days after the first dose. Paxton’s lawsuit claims these results were achieved in a “technical, and artificial way.”
“We are pursuing justice for the people of Texas, many of whom were coerced by tyrannical vaccine mandates to take a defective product sold by lies,” Paxton said in a statement.
“The facts are clear. Pfizer did not tell the truth about their COVID-19 vaccines,” he added. “Whereas the Biden Administration weaponized the pandemic to force illegal public health decrees on the public and enrich pharmaceutical companies, I will use every tool I have to protect our citizens who were misled and harmed by Pfizer’s actions.”
The suit alleges five violations of the Texas Deceptive Trade Practices Act in total. — The Hill
Our Take: “For nearly four years, the key issues and arguments presumed to be true that led to mass lockdowns and forced vaccinations have never been properly debated or evaluated. This is one fact that supports the belief that the COVID pandemic and response was a sophisticated criminal operation, involving an insidious partnership between big tech, big med, big media and big gov. Ken Paxton’s lawsuit will force an honest assessment of these presumed facts about the vaccine’s effectiveness.
I suspect once the inquisitiveness sleeping giant has been raised from his slumber, it will be very hard for it to be put back in its cage.
The warm and oh so cozy reality is, once a mind has been properly activated to be inquisitive—seeking for knowledge and truth even if it makes people uncomfortable—one of the great cons of our age will be exposed.
What we need is a valid and objectively verifiable method for evaluating the vaccine and medical intervention efficacy. A carpenter needs to check level to ensure the homes they build will last and not have problems.
As medical consumers who, due to time pressures, are forced to accept the dictates of officialdom, we should have a way to measure their claims to see if its on the level.” —
Seth Rich's Laptop to Be Turned Over by FBI, Judge Rules
A judge has ordered the FBI to turn over the laptop of murdered Democrat staffer Seth Rich.
Texas Judge Amos L. Mazzant ordered "a timeline for the disclosure of information on Seth Rich's personal laptop, Seth Rich's work laptop, the DVD and tape drive within 14 days following issuance of this Memorandum of Opinion and Order" on Wednesday morning.
Rich, who worked for the Democratic National Committee (DNC), was killed on July 10, 2016, while making his way home from a night out in Washington, D.C. The 27-year-old was speaking to his girlfriend on the phone when shots were heard.
His death has, in the years since, been used by right-wing activists to fuel far-reaching theories about Democrats. While a killer has not been found, police have said evidence indicates he was the victim of a botched robbery. — Newsweek
Our Take: “Both the Shark Fin Template and Narrative Convergence abound when it comes to some of the key, foundational mysteries that provoked the Great Awakening in the first place, back before and during the advent of the Q Op.
No doubt the Seth Rich murder, and the infamous laptop, is one of the most synonymous conspiracies in the Truth Community, and just days before it's revealed that the FBI will be compelled to release that laptop's contents (we hope,) some of the storylines and character cyphers most intimately tied to the original Rich narratives are resurfacing, from Erik Prince of Blackwater fame to the Pizzagate controversy, Julian Assange and the Wikileaks bombshells from 2016.
While it's impossible to know how many of the rumors surrounding Rich and the various laptops that are ubiquitous with corruption conspiracies in the Info War hold water until we get the sauce, I can say with confidence that one side is quaking in their boots ruminating on that very thing.
And it isn't us.” —
Car dealers tell Biden: Customers aren't ready for electric cars
Nearly 4,000 U.S. car dealers are asking President Biden to tap the brakes on proposed emissions regulations designed to ensure that two-thirds of new passenger cars are all-electric by 2032.
Consumers just aren't interested, they say, and electric vehicles (EVs) are stacking up on their lots.
Why it matters: Neighborhood car dealers claim to be the best barometer of consumer sentiment — and a group calling themselves "EV Voice of the Consumer" is sounding the alarm about a widening mismatch between EV supply and customer demand.
Driving the news: A total of 3,882 franchised car dealers from 50 states sent a letter to Biden Tuesday urging the administration to slow down its EV mandates.
"Last year, there was a lot of hope and hype about EVs," they wrote, describing demand from early adopters.
"But that enthusiasm has stalled. Today, the supply of unsold BEVs (battery electric vehicles) is surging, as they are not selling nearly as fast as they are arriving at our dealerships — even with deep price cuts, manufacturer incentives, and generous government incentives."
"With each passing day, it becomes more apparent that this attempted electric vehicle mandate is unrealistic based on current and forecasted customer demand. Already, electric vehicles are stacking up on our lots which is our best indicator of customer demand in the marketplace." — Axios
Our Take: “In a free market, EVs would be tanking and automakers would be attempting to serve their customers. But in global corporate communism, the market doesn’t have the right to say no to EVs. The carbon monster gives the commies a manufactured mandate to force consumers into their market; they have zero incentive to compete in a free one.
The White House will spin the data and change the metrics and claim that EV demand is growing and that green is the future. The people — the smart ones at least — don’t want their transportation dependent upon the electrical grid.
I imagine the regime will start buying up EVs at every level of government to inflate demand. In response, secure for yourself an older, reliable used vehicle that runs on gasoline — before they get banned.” —
Blinken Says 'No Fatigue' Among NATO In Supporting Ukraine As Russia Amasses Missiles Ahead Of Winter
US Secretary of State Antony Blinken came a away from a NATO meeting of foreign ministers on Wednesday with the conclusion that the alliance is holding strong on supporting Ukraine, despite the avalanche of negative reports on how Ukrainian forces are fairing on the battlefield.
He told a press briefing there is "no sense of fatigue" among NATO allies and they are remaining firm. "We must and we will continue to support Ukraine," he said following the NATO meeting in Brussels.
His words seemed by design a flat rejection of the avalanche of headlines which go to back to at least the summer which warned of increasing 'war fatigue' among Western publics and among political leadership.
But more specifically there have been echoes of fatigue voiced by NATO countries' top leadership:
The fact that Blinken now has to address the question of alliance members' fatigue head on is itself very telling. It also comes after the Israel-Gaza conflict has for the past eight weeks dominated the globe's attention. Gone are the days of Zelensky addressing packed out parliaments and Western audiences greeting him as if he's a rock star.
Winter is coming, and the already stalemated front line situation will likely get a lot worse. NATO Secretary Jens Stoltenberg warned of precisely this in Brussels, saying Russia amassed a large missile stockpile ahead of winter, as cited in Reuters. Other sources have also pointed to Russia's amassing more missiles. — ZeroHedge
Our Take: “Antony Blinken, head of the (Deep) State Department is fresh off a recent meeting with NATO allies in Brussels, claiming that there is "no sense of fatigue" when it comes to their support for Ukraine in its continued (and forgotten) war against the Russian Federation.
Of course, the Collective Mind has fully moved on from the Proxy War and its Proxy Prince (Zelenskyy) of 2022, but when you consider Blinken's significance to the Establishment in particular, this gets more juicy for Anons.
While theories abound regarding who controls the Biden Admin, I have argued that the State Department is a truly independent-acting cadre of Deep State stalwarts from the Clinton and Obama eras, replete with intel agency washing.
These days, I think the Devolution operation has them hemmed in on a Deep State archipelago.
Applying this to the international game board, we begin to see a picture being painted: [they] are running out of cards to play, and the Sovereign Alliance is calling their bluff.” —
BONUS ITEMS
Russia’s top court bans ‘international LGBTQ movement’
Russia’s Supreme Court has declared what it called the “international LGBTQ movement” an extremist organization and banned all activities associated with it in the country.
The landmark ruling on Thursday is set to further erode the rights of Russia’s LGBTQ community, who have faced an intensifying crackdown in recent years, as President Vladimir Putin seeks to shore up his image as defender of traditional moral values against the liberal West.
Russia’s highest court found in favour of a motion filed by the Ministry of Justice which claimed the LGBTQ community risked “inciting social and religious discord”, in violation of Russia’s Law on Countering Extremism, according to a statement from the UN condemning the decision.
While there is no legally recognized LGBTQ community in Russia under the country’s discriminatory anti-gay law, Thursday’s ruling states: “The claims are to be satisfied: to recognize the international LGBT movement as an extremist organization and to prohibit its activities in Russia,” according to state news agency RIA Novosti.
The four-hour hearing was held behind closed doors with only the Justice Ministry present for the proceedings and materials classified. RIA Novosti reports the decision is effective immediately. — CNN
Irish Government Moves To Crack Down On Free Speech After Anti-Immigration Riot
We have previously discussed the growing anti-free speech movement in Ireland. As discussed in The Indispensable Right: Free Speech in the Age of Rage, these crackdowns on free speech tend to come with periods of public panic or anger.
Anti-free speech advocates use such periods as opportunities to get the public to surrender this core right to government censors or prosecutors.
Right on schedule, Ireland is now pushing one of the most chilling crackdowns to date.
The excuse for the latest rollback of free speech was a riot in Dublin leading to the arrest of 34 people and extensive property damage in anti-immigration protests.
The protests have challenged the government policies on handling undocumented migrants.
The bill criminalizes any “preparing or possessing material likely to incite violence or hatred against persons on account of their protected characteristics.”
That includes any material concerning national or ethnic origin, as well as protected characteristics including “transgender and a gender other than those of male and female.” — Jonathan Turley
Nothing will stop Israel from ‘eradicating’ Hamas, Netanyahu warns White House
Benjamin Netanyahu, the Israeli prime minister, warned the United States on Thursday that “nothing will stop” Israel’s army from “eradicating” Hamas as he faced mounting diplomatic pressure to scale back the assault on Gaza.
As he left a meeting in Jerusalem with Antony Blinken, the US secretary of state, Mr Netanyahu vowed to continue the war until all hostages were freed and the Palestinian terror group was destroyed.
“I told him we have sworn, and I have sworn, to eradicate Hamas. Nothing will stop us” said the prime minister, who faces growing demands from Washington to adopt a more restrained stance once the ceasefire in Gaza ends.
Joe Biden, the US president, has reportedly warned Mr Netanyahu that he is concerned about Israeli plans to proceed into southern Gaza, where huge numbers of Palestinans have fled to since the outset of the war.
According to a US official, Mr Netanyahu said an operation in the south was essential to meeting Israel’s main goal of eliminating Hamas. — The Telegraph
New COVID Variant Spreading In US, Experts Explain Risks (Or Lack Thereof)
Compared to Eris, BA.2.86 has a significantly lower growth efficiency, meaning that it is less capable of replicating itself in the human bodies.
The new BA.2.86 variant, unofficially known as Pirola is taking hold in the United States.
Between Oct. 28 to Nov. 25, its prevalence increased from 1 to around 9 percent in the United States, according to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).
The World Health Organization designated Pirola as a variant of interest on Nov. 21, yet it also found the public health risk posed by BA.2.86 to be “low at the global level (pdf).”
In an update published on Nov. 27, the CDC agreed with the WHO’s assessment “that the public health risk posed by this variant is low compared with other circulating variants, based on available limited evidence.” — The Epoch Time
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.
Just a reminder:
To be GOVERNED is to be watched, inspected, spied upon, directed, law-driven, numbered, regulated, enrolled, indoctrinated, preached at, controlled, checked, estimated, valued, censured, commanded, by creatures who have neither the right nor the wisdom nor the virtue to do so. To be GOVERNED is to be at every operation, at every transaction noted, registered, counted, taxed, stamped, measured, numbered, assessed, licensed, authorized, admonished, prevented, forbidden, reformed, corrected, punished. It is, under pretext of public utility, and in the name of the general interest, to be placed under contribution, drilled, fleeced, exploited, monopolized, extorted from, squeezed, hoaxed, robbed; then, at the slightest resistance, the first word of complaint, to be repressed, fined, vilified, harassed, hunted down, abused, clubbed, disarmed, bound, choked, imprisoned, judged, condemned, shot, deported, sacrificed, sold, betrayed; and to crown all, mocked, ridiculed, derided, outraged, dishonored. That is government.
I have been wearing this Orwell 1984 T recently: shorturl.at/hvzEF
Love the reaction from some people!
A friend has a persisting sinus infection out of seemingly nowhere. i recommended a variety of remedies: neti pot w/ sea salt, brushing teeth/gargling w/ food grade hydrogen peroxide & baking soda, colloidal silver nasal spray, oil of oregano. I wonderif this is just normal seasonal transition or the election fraud bug. Anyone else seeing it? Tis the season to strengthen immune system pronto!