Badlands News Brief

President of Precedents ...

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 picks 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 commentary from members of our growing team of citizen journalists. Feel free to follow the corresponding link to see their other work.

Now, onto the news from Monday, April 3 …

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Indict One—And All?

As we await the publication of all the impending indictments of former President Donald Trump by Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg, Americans are trying to figure out what constitutes an indictable offense for current and retired public officials.

Most legal experts, Left and Right, have noted:

1) Bragg promised in advance that he would try to find a way to indict Trump. His prior boasts are reminiscent of Stalin’s secret police enforcer Lavrentiy Beria’s quip, “Show me the man and I’ll show you the crime.” Nancy Pelosi gave the game away, when in her dotage, she muttered that Trump had a right to prove his innocence as if he is presumed guilty.

2) No former president has ever been indicted—and for good reason. Such prosecutions would be viewed as persecutions and render all former presidents veritable targets of every publicity-hungry and politically hostile local, state, or federal prosecutor. They would reduce the presidency to Third World norms. Gratuitously prosecuting former presidents would become a political tool to harm the opposing political party or to tarnish the legacy of a former president.

3) Trump is currently ahead in the polls for the Republican nomination to face Democratic incumbent Biden. And in head-to-head matchups, he outpolls Biden. For a prosecutor of the same party as the current president facing reelection to seek to destroy the viability of a likely opponent is a first in U.S. history. But again, it is now in accordance with Third World norms. — American Greatness

Our Take: “Many in this community use terms such as ‘boomerang’ and ‘whiplash’ to describe the uncanny and yet, oddly predictable manner in which Leftist, Marxist, Media Industrial Complex deployments against Donald Trump and the MAGA/America First movement seem to come back around to bite them.

I’m not the only commentator at Badlands confident in my assertion that an indictment of Donald Trump will not only provide rocket fuel to his 2024 Presidential Campaign, but that it will provide all of the legal and psychological shielding needed to guard both Trump himself AND the Justice System from cries of partisanship and bias when the TRUE Witch Hunt commences in the years ahead.” — Burning Bright

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House GOP looking to punish politicized prosecutors by stripping them of legal immunity

For months, House Republicans have decried the actions of leftist local prosecutors who free violent felons or prosecute political enemies like Donald Trump. Now they are beginning to rally around a solution that could inflict significant punishment on wayward district attorneys.

Rep Austin Scott (R-Ga.), a member of the House Intelligence Committee, told Just the News that Republicans are considering turning the tables in a debate started by liberals a few years ago when they tried to eliminate the qualified immunity that protected police officers from lawsuits.

"I think you're going to have to look at prosecutorial misconduct and whether or not prosecutors in this country should be exempt from liability," Scott said in an interview Friday night on the "Just the News, No Noise" television show.

House Speaker Kevin McCarthy said Thursday that Congress will take some action to punish Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg after he brought charges against Trump after months of downgrading violent felonies against other offenders. — Just the News

Our Take: “Unfortunately, the legal system was hijacked long ago. The most recent sweeping hijacking occurred in the mid 1800s, which saw the slow transition away from the common law system to the equity law system, both of which rest upon an older system founded on presumptions of the people's incompetence. As a result of the presumed incompetence of the people, a fast food style justice system was installed, the same one mentioned earlier from the 1800s. These events paved the way for the rampant lawsuits that are filed for all manner of frivolity in modern times. This also creates a situation where certain entities and actors can, effectively, operate without legal pushback for harms inflicted on the people.

For instance, the Ford Pinto, it was discovered, could explode into flames if rear ended. Ford decided, in its infinite wisdom, to not fix the problem with a recall—which would have cost reputation and massive losses in profits. Instead, Ford decided to let the defect remain, and simply pay off anyone who filed the correct suits. Many people who were harmed weren't able to file lawsuits, as such, many suffered without justice.

How could this have happened? The system has no teeth to deal with problems like this proactively.

In another example, patrons of restaurants who slip on the ground, can sue the owner if the owner's name is listed as the owner of the business (founder/beneficial owner of the legal entity). The plaintiff, who slips, could claim damages that are so severe, the business owner might go bankrupt as a result.

As a result of the open capacity for lawsuits, immunity clauses needed to be added to the incorporation documents used by many officials, from judges to district attorneys, to elected officials.

The GOP's move to take immunity away from politicized prosecutors would likely produce a tidal wave of suits. While this is a move that would make many feel better, it's debatable if it would be worth the other problems it causes.

Of course, it's highly unlikely this change will take place because so much of our defunct system, the two-tiered justice system, requires certain actors to essentially cheat the system—they have immunity when the rest of us don't. Immunity is by definition anti-rule of law, as justice is supposed to apply to all equally and fairly.

In the future, a total reform of the justice system will be needed, to include a citizen-led branch that ensures citizens are

a) properly educated and competent at law and

b) capable of identifying unlawful policies, like immunity, and providing effective pushback and solutions to better solve these problems.” — Justin Deschamps

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"Don't Talk About Nord Stream": WaPo Report Further Demolishes Official Narrative

German investigators are now expressing severe doubts about the official Nord Stream sabotage narrative that was pushed hard in the aftermath the bombshell Seymour Hersh report which pointed the finger at a joint CIA-US Navy covert operation, with help from Norway. Last month, Hersh published an article on Substack that said the CIA planted a cover story for the Nord Stream bombings that was fed to The New York Times and the German newspaper Die Zeit. Likely this was in direct reaction to Hersh's findings. A source within the US intelligence community told the famed Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist, "It was a total fabrication by American intelligence that was passed along to the Germans, and aimed at discrediting your story."

The favored narrative became one that said pro-Ukraine partisans did it in a rogue op. Hersh has maintained this was by design concocted in order to shield the US and Biden administration for ordering the operation. The Die Zeit report cited German officials to assert that the pipeline sabotage bombings were carried out by six people using a yacht rented in Poland that was owned by two Ukrainians. In the days that followed, several Western media outlets seized on that narrative and published similar articles reinforcing the cover story.

But now a fresh, lengthy investigative Washington Post story published Monday is actually confirming many of Hersh's conclusions. Indeed the 'cover story' is already fast unraveling. What's more is that the WaPo article bluntly states Western officials are not at all eager to talk about the Nord Stream sabotage, suggesting a continued cover-up in progress, or in effect a limited hangout. Also very telling is that Western accusations directed at Russia have long ago quieted down.  — ZeroHedge, citing The Washington Post

Our Take: “The Washington Post is now piling on, questioning the 'official' (ie: Biden Admin) Narrative regarding the Nord Stream 2 Sabotage operation, pointing out the following:

- No evidence to back the Biden Admin's claims of a Ukrainian yacht being used in the Op

- Planting the explosive by hand highly unlikely (meaning advanced MIL equipment used)

- Much of the 'evidence' "seems planted"

- US leadership "see little benefit from digging too deeply and finding an uncomfortable answer"

Tick. Tock.” — Burning Bright

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Trump Arrives in New York for an Arraignment That Will Make History

Donald J. Trump traveled to New York from Florida on Monday to face arraignment in the first indictment of a former American president, his trip monitored minutely from the moment he left his Palm Beach estate until he arrived at Trump Tower in Midtown.

Live trackers followed his red-white-and-blue plane all the way to its arrival at La Guardia Airport. Helicopters broadcast the motorcade that swept him to his Manhattan home, which was hemmed in by press, the police and protesters.

On Tuesday, the din will give way to a solemn drama with historic stakes. The former president will be whisked downtown by police officers and Secret Service agents to surrender at the office of the Manhattan district attorney, Alvin L. Bragg. He will then be arraigned in the Manhattan Criminal Courts Building, where his supporters plan a rally outside.

Mayor Eric Adams warned Mr. Trump’s supporters to keep the peace, saying that the dignity of the proceedings would not be disrupted. Barricades were deployed, and the Police Department sent a stand-ready order to its roughly 35,000 officers, a force larger and better trained than some national armies. — The New York Times

Our Take: “Chaos doesn't happen to Donald Trump

Chaos is his Narrative weapon of choice. He thrives in it not by chance, but because he is often the one who provokes it in the first place.

When in doubt regarding a Narrative Deployment where it concerns the leader of the America First movement, simply observe the Net Effects of it on the Collective Mind, as well as the demeanor of its target.

And be comfy.” — Burning Bright

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WWE agrees to merge with UFC to create a new company run by Ari Emanuel and Vince McMahon

Vince McMahon’s World Wrestling Entertainment has agreed to merge with UFC to form a new publicly traded company controlled by Endeavor Group, the companies announced Monday morning.

Endeavor will own a 51% stake in the new combat sports and entertainment company, while WWE shareholders will have the remaining 49%, according to the terms of the agreement. The deal values WWE at $9.3 billion and UFC, which is owned by Endeavor, at $12.1 billion, the companies said in a press release.

The transaction is expected to close in the second half of 2023. Shares of WWE fell more than 2% and Endeavor declined over 5% on Monday.

Ari Emanuel will act as chief executive of both Endeavor and the new company, the companies said. McMahon, likewise, will be executive chairman, while Endeavor President and COO Mark Shapiro will also work in the same roles at the new company. Dana White will remain as president of UFC, and WWE CEO Nick Khan will stay on as president of the wrestling business.

“This is going to be UFC 2.0,” Emanuel said in an interview that aired Monday on CNBC’s “Squawk on the Street.” — NBC News

Our Take: “Unfortunate news out of the alternative sports marketplace.

The UFC and WWE audiences skew heavily MAGA/counter culture. UFC was scooped up by Hollywood's Endeavor several years ago, resulting in stagnation and homogenization of the product, though they still can't quite control the athletes.

WWE could be doomed. It will have the same directives from on high re: homogenization ... but it's literally scripted, so the stories and interviews will be what the writers determine them to be.” — Burning Bright

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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.

The Badlands Media team will continue to combine our cognitive powers in order to slow things down and find the signal amidst the noise as this series expands.

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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