Badlands News Brief
Unlikely Ambassadors, The Ceasefire Accords, & Predatory Cartoonist
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.
Before we get into the meat of today’s Brief, we want to take a moment to thank our sponsor, River Bitcoin. River Bitcoin’s interest-on-cash protects your dollars with FDIC insurance while offering you the option to reap the potential gains of Bitcoin. Move your cash to River and start earning a REAL interest rate with Bitcoin, today!
Now, onto the news from Thursday, January 16 …
Trump Taps Mel Gibson, Sylvester Stallone and Jon Voight as Hollywood ‘Ambassadors’
President-elect Donald J. Trump has added Hollywood to his fix-it list, saying in a social media post on Thursday that Mel Gibson, Sylvester Stallone and Jon Voight would be his “eyes and ears” in the entertainment capital. He said the goal was “bringing Hollywood, which has lost much business over the last four years to Foreign Countries, BACK — BIGGER, BETTER, AND STRONGER THAN EVER BEFORE!”
The initiative came as a surprise, even to one of the participants. In a statement distributed hours later by his publicist, Mr. Gibson said: “I got the tweet at the same time as all of you and was just as surprised. Nevertheless, I heed the call.” He added, “Any chance the position comes with an Ambassador’s residence?” (Mr. Gibson’s home in Malibu, Calif., burned down in the recent California wildfires.)
The motivation for Mr. Trump’s announcement was unclear, but he was probably referring to what is known as runaway production. Because of costs, major movies are increasingly being shot in other countries. Britain, Hungary, Australia and Canada, for instance, offer studios generous tax incentives.
– The New York Times
Our Take: Why are you calling everything fake all the time?! It's all very serious and very REAL!
*Trump announces Sylvester Stallone and Mel Gibson special ambassadors to Hollywood, California, pretty much because it's too fake and gay these days.*
It's okay to relax and enjoy the show. –
‘EPIC’: Trump Says He’ll Use Gaza Ceasefire’s Momentum to Expand Abraham Accords
US President-elect Donald Trump said on Wednesday he would use the momentum of the freshly agreed upon Gaza ceasefire deal to expand the Abraham Accords, the US-backed agreements struck during his first term that normalized Israel’s relations with several Arab countries. Negotiators reached a phased deal on Wednesday to end the war in Gaza between Israel and Hamas after 15 months of conflict.
Trump, who repeatedly threatened that there would be “hell to pay” if hostages were not released ahead of his January 20 inauguration, said he was “thrilled American and Israeli hostages will be returning home.”
“With this deal in place, my National Security team, through the efforts of Special Envoy to the Middle East, Steve Witkoff, will continue to work closely with Israel and our Allies to make sure Gaza NEVER again becomes a terrorist safe haven,” Trump wrote on his Truth Social platform. “We will continue promoting PEACE THROUGH STRENGTH throughout the region, as we build upon the momentum of this ceasefire to further expand the Historic Abraham Accords.” — The Times of Israel
Our Take: Over two years ago, before I was involved with Badlands, I co-hosted a history-themed show on a friend's channel. It was on the episode linked here where I discussed the Middle East for the first time on stream, on the topic of the Abraham Accords and Kanye West which, oddly enough, I linked together even back then.
I wasn't suggesting that Kanye was somehow involved in the Accords, but I did speculate that the dinner he had with President Trump and Nick Fuentes was not the "accident" it was purported to be, and that Kanye's subsequent appearance on the Alex Jones Show mocking Bibi Netanyahu while dressed in a gimp suit (by Balenciaga) was much more calculated than it appeared. (In hindsight, Ye claimed to have only recently learned of Netanyahu a few weeks before, saying he had heard Bibi was a "super-killer.")
What I did say in that stream — pure speculation, of course — was that I viewed the Abraham Accords as a diplomatic weapon, not intended to protect Israel from the Arabs, as it had been marketed to the American public, but that it was designed to protect the Arabs from the "evil twin" (h/t
) in Tel Aviv, by exposing and destroying it.Months later, when I did first appear on Badlands, on Devolution Power Hour, I postulated to
and that we are up against an antiquated evil, which has likely spent generations — if not centuries — fortifying itself with layers of defenses. (These come in many forms.) It would be foolish of us to charge such a fortification, head on. And they are too well-provisioned to wear them down with a protracted siege.The only way to get to the enemy within is to draw him out into the open. But how do you bait an enemy into leaving his castle, when it is so well fortified, and he has witnessed your great victories on the battlefield. All he has to do is wait you out, and he can come.
So how do you draw him out?
When the Emiratis and Jared Kushner put the Accords together, they intentionally left out Saudi Arabia and Palestine. The moment they were signed on September 15, 2020, Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman dispatched the recently promoted Foreign Minister, Faisal bin Farhan, to begin working on the normalization deal between Israel and Saudi. This deal would represent the incorporation of Saudi into the Abraham Accords, and represent a symbolic peace between Israel and Islam.
Peace in the Middle East.
And that is why October 7th happened. Because a real peace deal would be a stabilization to the region that would make future plans regarding the "Greater Israel Project" all but impossible. So, President Trump started chumming the waters with the Abraham Accords, then MBS came in and started poking the sharks with the Saudi-Israel normalization deal.
To be clear, nobody forced them to do October 7th. They made that choice, and somebody will hopefully face justice over it. But now that they've made that choice, we appear to be on a trajectory that will likely bring the Sovereign Alliance into direct confrontation with the Deep State. I hope that drama plays out on the highest public stages available. —
Washington Post Cartoonist Arrested Over Child Porn
Darrin Bell, a Pulitzer Prize-winning cartoonist known for his work with The Washington Post, has been arrested on child pornography charges, according to an entry on the Sacramento County Jail’s website. In the listing detailing Bell’s inmate information, he is reported to have been booked on January 15, and is said to be charged with felony “possession/control of obscene matter depicting a person under 18.”
The investigation into Bell was conducted by Sacramento Valley Internet Crimes Against Children detectives (ICAC) and apparently began after a tip about 18 files containing child sexual abuse material (CSAM) that were uploaded to an online service, according to the outlet BNO, citing a statement by the Sacramento County Sheriff’s Office.
Investigators are said to have ultimately found a total of 134 videos linked to the same account, which was allegedly owned and controlled by Bell. A search warrant was reportedly executed at Bell’s residence, resulting in his arrest and booking into the Sacramento County Main Jail. – The Hill
Our Take: This cartoonist won a Pulitzer for his work against people who are against the grooming of children.
His work has a particular concentration that makes this entire story seem like it should have been obvious…
The lady doth protest too much, methinks. The good news is that public support for groomers has become a pretty reliable tell… for groomers. –
Israel Holds Off on Approving Hostage Deal, Accusing Hamas of Reneging on Details
Israel was still holding off on Thursday afternoon from officially declaring that a ceasefire-hostage release deal announced a day earlier by mediators had been reached with Hamas, insisting that details remained to be finalized and that Hamas was throwing last-minute wrenches into the negotiations.
Mossad chief David Barnea, the head of Israel’s negotiating team who was dispatched to Doha on Saturday night, was still in the Qatari capital as of Thursday afternoon, according to an official familiar with the talks.
Both the US and Qatar — who brokered the agreement — proclaimed on Wednesday evening that a deal had been reached to end the 15-month war in Gaza triggered by Hamas’s October 7, 2023, onslaught, but Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu held off on publicly commenting, saying he would only do so when the terms were finalized. [...]
The Prime Minister’s Office issued a statement Thursday morning accusing Hamas of backing out of some agreements and creating a “crisis” in finalizing the deal. – The Times of Israel
AND
Israel Security Cabinet to Meet on Friday After Hostage Deal Reached, Netanyahu Says
The office of Israeli prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu has said that a “deal for the release of the hostages” has been reached in Doha and that he has ordered the security cabinet to convene later on Friday, a day after originally intended.
“Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has been updated by the negotiating team that agreements have been reached on a deal for the release of the hostages,” his office said in a post on X in the early hours of Friday. […]
His office had accused Hamas on Thursday of reneging on key parts of the agreement to extort last-minute concessions. No evidence was provided for the allegation and Hamas denied it. Netanyahu has been accused of deliberately sabotaging previous deals for his own political benefit.
It was not immediately clear whether the full cabinet would meet on Friday or Saturday… The Times of Israel reported that the full cabinet meeting would not take place until Saturday night, citing a Netanyahu spokesperson. […]
That could mean that the ceasefire does not come into effect until Monday, a day later than originally planned. — The Guardian
Our Take:
This is a truly shocking development. Nobody saw this coming.
Actually, I think President Trump saw this coming, which is why he was so quick to spike the football and make countless posts on Truth Social celebrating the success of this deal. In the collective mind, Trump has already sown the narrative that this was a done deal, so this delay (which I assume will become indefinite) now feels like Netanyahu pulling defeat from the jaws of victory.
Now they are saying that they will "approve it" on Saturday, it will go into effect around noon on Sunday, and due to stipulations in the terms of the deal, the required 24-hour delay means that the first hostages won't be exchanged until Monday, when Donald Trump will be sworn in as President.
What does POTUS think about all of this?
“We changed the course of it, and we changed it fast, and frankly, it better be done before I take the oath of office,” President Trump said in a podcast interview with Dan Bongino.
Trump also said, “We shook hands, and we signed certain documents, but it better be done.”
But wait. There's more.
Netanyahu’s coalition will maintain a Knesset majority even without Ben Gvir’s party, though if fellow far-right minister Bezalel Smotrich’s Religious Zionism also follows through on threats to depart, it would fall to a minority. Opposition parties have promised to support the coalition so long as it is advancing the deal.
Yesterday we talked about the Korean-Mexican standoff happening in Seoul. Now we have a Yiddish-Mexican standoff happening in Tel Aviv.
Trump's Gambit worked. Netanyahu is pinched.
Checkmate. –
Trump 2.0 is Radically Different, and Could Be More Potent
The President-elect Trump who will take the oath of office Monday is a radically different figure from the one who shook up Washington eight years ago. This Trump knows more about how Washington works.
Trump 1.0 wanted to change Washington, but Trump 2.0 is set up better to succeed, and the president-elect is equipped with a highly capable chief of staff in Susie Wiles, who has infused more discipline into his operation.
“When it comes to the three big things — the people, the process and the priorities — these guys are in a totally different league than we were in 2016,” said Sean Spicer, who served as Trump’s press secretary upon taking office in 2017.
“It’s not just lessons learned. It has to do with the environment,” Spicer added, noting Trump this time has the full backing of the Republican Party and is entering with the mandate of a popular vote victory.
Trump’s team retains its outsider appeal, and the frenzy that was a defining element of Trump’s first term is unlikely to disappear. – The Hill
Our Take: Donald Trump and the Kobayashi Maru …
For some time, I've been referring to the Middle East as the Kobayashi Maru of both the Info War and the Shadow War, which is being translated to the masses through the War of Stories.
Elon Musk is now routinely using this refrain in reference to the position the sociopolitical establishment has been put in on a mass psychological level as the Trump era rises to new heights.
For reference, the Kobayashi Maru is the name given to the fictional test in the Star Trek universe that all prospective Star Fleet captains must pass. In essence, the test puts recruits into an impossible situation, wherein either choice results in great loss of life.
The reason the test and the name is infamous in genre fiction lore, however, rests in the central theme it allowed Gene Roddenberry to communicate through the cognitive cypher of the Star Trek universe (aka. its central character,) James T. Kirk.
You see, Captain Kirk didn't accept the parameters of the test, believing they were the result of a nihilist, defeatist and, dare I say scientific worldview? So he reprogrammed the test with different victory conditions, allowing him to bypass the original code and rescue the members of a stranded starship in the simulation while simultaneously ensuring his own crew came out alive.
That's all a long way of saying, Donald J. Trump is the James T. Kirk of the Info War and the Shadow War, and his Kobayashi Maru is the Middle East.
My personal reading of the "Saving Israel for last" comms threaded throughout the largest decentralized info dissemination program of all time (known as the Q Drops,) is in keeping with this view.
Not only has Trump been strategically out of a position of (public) authority while the international game board shifts on dramatic and (over the long haul) necessary levels, but he's also put several establishment factions into their own version of the Kobayashi Maru with his latest narrative deployments regarding a Gaza Peace Deal.
Where it concerns the Israel lobby, Trump has now placed them into a position where any overt moves to restart kinetic action will be seen for what they are: attempts to escalate and progress toward the Greater Israel Project. This move will be cheer-led by the Con Inc. brigade that has disguised themselves as MAGA for most of the last decade despite never dealing with censorship and after going all in on the anti-Trump RON! DeSantis Op.
If Israel doesn't take Trump's chance at peace, he'll have the public, bipartisan mandate to break with them on a level never seen before.
This also puts Middle Eastern factions on notice that Trump can and WILL take action when he returns to the public levers of power he never fully left, and with the full mandate from the American people to do what is necessary to end these conflicts.
From the Doha Agreement to the Abraham Accords to 'not so Greater' Israel, Trump isn't merely solving the Kobayashi Maru ... he IS the Kobayashi Maru.
–
Rep. Zinke to Newsmax: Burgum, Trump Noms 'Enormously Talented'
Two things will be clear at Doug Burgum's confirmation hearing for secretary of interior Thursday, including that President-elect Donald Trump's slate "is enormously talented — there is no doubt," Rep. Ryan Zinke, R-Mont, said on Newsmax on Thursday.
"And two, they were very well prepared," Zinke told Newsmax TV's "Newsline."
"Matter of fact, in policy, they were better prepared than some of their democratic, you know, friends on the Senate side. So I think it's been an enormous success of fielding this group of nominees. And I think all of them will be successful."
"As far as Doug Burgum goes, I can't think of a better individual for interior," he added. – Newsmax
Our Take: We kicked off our Senate Confirmation coverage today with North Dakota Governor Doug Burgum, Trump’s nominee to head the Department of the Interior. This was the Senate Energy Committee, so most of the questioning was about energy policy, with Republicans focused on land access and Democrats focused on green solutions.
The green energy exchanges were interesting, with the main topic being “baseload,” or, “the minimum level of electricity demand that needs to be met consistently over a period of time.” Burgum made it abundantly clear that, while he supports renewable energy, US energy demand cannot be reliably supplied with renewables. The technology isn’t there yet and, as we’ve discussed many times in the Brief, environmental solutions (always) create new, unresolved, environmental problems.
Reliability is critical for US energy, and Burgum (Trump, really) is not going to put Americans at risk to pursue green energy policies that don’t solve for America’s energy demand. Burgum was calm and credible, and even the most vicious democrats, like Hawaii’s Hirono, backed off when it was their turn.
Energy was also a topic during Lee Zeldin’s hearing for the Environmental Protection Agency, and Zeldin was also calm and credible during the probe. The biggest takeaway from all these hearings is that legislators are most concerned about protecting their federal funding and enabling public private partnerships in every sector. Sigh.
South Dakota Governor Kristi Noem’s hearing is scheduled for 9:00AM today.
–
‘Unbreakable Bond’: Britain and Ukraine to Sign 100-Year Alliance
The Prime Minister of the United Kingdom spoke of an “unbreakable bond” with Ukraine as he made an unannounced visit to Kyiv to sign a surprise 100-year military and economic treaty with Kyiv.
Sir Keir Starmer is making his first visit to Ukraine since becoming Prime Minister some six months ago on Thursday, announcing his travel with the obligatory train journey photographs made necessary by the war-imposed no-fly zone.
In a statement ahead of his meetings with Volodymyr Zelensky, Starmer announced he is planning to sign a 100-year treaty today, hailed as a “historic 100 Year Partnership to continue to support Ukraine now and invest in our two countries for the future” which formalises an “unbreakable bond” between the two nations. — Breitbart
Our Take: This move echoes a pattern that has been evident going back to at least the 19th century, when the British military adopted all Prussian military standards and practices. At the time, the Prussian elite were in the midst of a unification effort, as Otto von Bismarck brought the 300 Germanic kingdoms together to form the nation-state of Germany.
The rivalry between the Prussian elite and Russia seems to be real, and seems to also involve the [former] Pale of Settlement region of Russia — modern-day Ukraine.
So what is this unholy alliance really all about? It's hard to say. But most (not all) of those Prussian oligarchs left the continent and moved to London, joining the British aristocracy. Some of these oligarchs were German, and some were Russian Jews from modern-day Ukraine. (Or in the case of the Rothschilds, Austrian Jews.) The banking cabal they all joined originally came from Venice, and draws origins that span far deeper into history.
The pragmatism (timing) of this development is likely due to the fear that President Trump is going to pull all Americans out of Ukraine, and leave the precious coalition without men or resources. All efforts are being made to stoke morale and keep it propped up. —
Trump Encourages Vivek Ramaswamy to Seek Ohio’s Open Senate Seat
President-elect Donald Trump has encouraged billionaire biotech entrepreneur Vivek Ramaswamy to consider filling Ohio’s vacant Senate seat should the post be offered to him, according to two people with knowledge of the matter, who spoke on the condition of anonymity to describe the private deliberations.
Ramaswamy publicly withdrew his name from consideration for the post in November, after Trump chose him to lead the “Department of Government Efficiency” panel along with billionaire executive Elon Musk. But the Ohio native has reemerged in recent days as one of the leading contenders for the Senate seat and is in advanced discussions with GOP leaders about the position, the people said.
JD Vance, who previously held the seat, officially resigned Friday to serve as Trump’s vice president. Under Ohio law, Gov. Mike DeWine (R) will appoint a replacement for the next two years, and then a special election on Nov. 3, 2026, will decide who serves until the term expires in 2029.
While the decision rests with DeWine, Trump has personally appealed to Ramaswamy to accept the appointment if offered, the people said.
– The Washington Post
Our Take: Anyone want to give Vivek Ramaswamy a Senate seat for saying some nice things online and attending a few rallies?
And, oh yeah, being the best friend of JD Vance and his wife.
Those are his qualifications. –
Far-Right State Senator Arrested for Trying to Enter the Georgia House
A far-right northwest Georgia senator was arrested Thursday after he refused to abide by a ban on entering the House chamber made by the speaker last year.
State Sen. Colton Moore, a Trenton Republican and former House member, scuffled with staff and Georgia State Patrol officers before officers handcuffed him and escorted him to a police car that was bound for Fulton County Jail. Moore was charged with “willful obstruction of law enforcement officers,” a misdemeanor.
House Speaker Jon Burns warned Moore Tuesday that the ban put in place last year is still intact after his “vile, disparaging and false comments” about the late House Speaker David Ralston until Moore delivers a “sincere apology” to the family and friends of the chamber’s longtime former leader, who died in 2022. – Atlanta Journal & Constitution
Our Take: This feels excessive.
In the video, before the tackle, Senator Moore is moving like he might be intoxicated, but people close to the state senator insist he isn’t a drinker. Both the senator and people that know him — who I spoke to — insist he was just trying to do his job yesterday when he was tackled, arrested and, apparently, taken to the hospital.
The fact that this dust up appears to be in response to criticism of a painting is wild, but state legislatures can be shockingly despotic. Here in Colorado, legislators have been removed during debate for saying the word “groomer” —when debating legislation about groomers.
This serves as a good reminder that some of our most important work to make America great again needs to happen at the state level. –
BONUS ITEMS
Zelensky Accused of Election Interference in NATO Nation
Politicians from Poland’s opposition Law and Justice (PiS) party have accused Ukraine’s Vladimir Zelensky of interfering in their country's upcoming presidential election.
The claim follows comments Zelensky made earlier this week about PiS presidential candidate Karol Nawrocki. The right-wing politician claimed last week that Kiev could have no future in the EU or NATO until it takes responsibility for the WWII Volhynia massacres. Regarded as a genocide in Poland, the mass murder spree saw up to 120,000 Poles, Jews, Roma, Armenians, including women and children killed by the nationalist Ukrainian Insurgent Army (UPA).
”If Ukraine is not in the EU and not in NATO, if there are no security guarantees for Ukraine, then Pan Nawrocki should start training, because it may turn out that he will have to take up arms,” Zelensky responded in an interview with local media during his visit to Poland on Wednesday. The remarks sparked outrage in Poland. – RT
Vatican Promises Stiff Penalties for Illegal Aliens Crossing its Border
The Vatican City State has enacted stiffer penalties on anyone entering its territory or violating its airspace without permission, threatening offenders with fines and jail time.
The Vatican has hiked both monetary sanctions and prison sentences for those who violate its tight security regulations, Catholic News Agency reported Wednesday.
Through a recent decree, signed by Cardinal Fernando Vérgez Alzaga, president of the Pontifical Commission for Vatican City State, violators will face monetary fines ranging from 10,000 to 25,000 euros and prison sentences from one to four years.
The Vatican City State, the world’s only completely walled-in sovereign territory, has several entry points, all but one of which — the Saint Anna gate — are locked tight from dusk until dawn. The gates are manned by the Swiss Guard, with gendarmes carrying firearms not far off. – Breitbart
Republicans Need A Forceful Answer To Democrats’ Deceptive Questions On The 2020 Election
Democrats continue to play games with the Senate confirmation hearings. And while the Trump nominees remain unscathed by the “gotcha” questioning, someone needs to forcefully, substantially — and in a sound-bite — answer their query about whether Donald Trump “lost” the 2020 election. [...]
As I explained last year when the legacy media hounded then-Sen. J.D. Vance to say Donald Trump lost the 2020 election, there is a fundamental flaw in the question: “The query includes an undefined term — ‘lost’ — which holds a different meaning to Trump supporters and to the anti-Trump inquisitors.”
“If ‘lost’ merely meant Biden is the president of the United States, then that’s an easy answer: Yes, of course, Trump lost, as Biden was inaugurated,” and he is currently nearing the end of his four disastrous years in the Oval Office. But that’s not what those demanding an acknowledgement that Trump lost mean by “lost,” and yesterday’s hearings confirmed that reality, for Bondi repeatedly and expressly attested that, yes, Joe Biden is the president of the United States.
What Durbin, Blumenthal, and pretty much everyone else demanding a “yes” or “no” answer to whether Trump lost the 2020 election seek is a concession that Trump’s election challenges were frivolous, unfounded, or wrong. Democrats inject such concessions into their meaning of “lost.”
– The Federalist
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.
GBPH I enjoyed and was enlightened by your Bibi/Israel Takes. You have been ahead of the curve and taken a lot of heat, I am impressed!
You are spot on Ashe State Government (and ALL levels of government) needs serious fixing too. Trump and team could completely eliminate all Federal Government, Agencies and personnel and the shit left at the state level and below would still be total DS Rat Bastard bullshit. We need a total scrapping and redo of government.
Chris I have no opinion on how good Viveck might be as Senator but I will say that anyone who has spent NO TIME in politics and had great success in business is a much better choice. All of the people who get into "elected" office must perform as our representatives and not our leaders. Government must become the will of the governed and not the puppets of the fiat money system.
Just my 2 cents.
Keep up the great work.
God Wins!
Gods Bless!!!
The dem interrogators are parsing the word "lost" like Billy Clinton parsed the word "is." They can't help themselves. It's part of the marxist playbook: manipulate the language, right down to simple, one syllable words. This behavior is somehow tolerated and even encouraged in the "hallowed" halls of congress and in the phoney pages of the mainstream media. In the real world, such as a playground, such pettiness would be met with a push and a shove and a bop on the nose. That's why these people act and talk this way: they never pay any real consequences for ridiculous, outrageous, moronic arguments and actions. Let's hope that changes. MAGA.