Badlands News Brief
Trump 2024 Has the Deep State a Little Testy ...
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 Monday, December 18 …
Trump would install loyalists to reshape US foreign policy on China, NATO and Ukraine
Donald Trump in a second term would likely install loyalists in key positions in the Pentagon, State Department and CIA whose primary allegiance would be to him, allowing him more freedom than in his first presidency to enact isolationist policies and whims, nearly 20 current and former aides and diplomats said.
The result would enable Trump to make sweeping changes to the U.S. stance on issues ranging from the Ukraine war to trade with China, as well as to the federal institutions that implement - and sometimes constrain - foreign policy, the aides and diplomats said.
During his 2017-2021 term, Trump struggled to impose his sometimes impulsive and erratic vision on the U.S. national security establishment.
He often voiced frustration at top officials who slow-walked, shelved, or talked him out of some of his schemes. Former Defense Secretary Mark Esper said in his memoir that he twice raised objections to Trump's suggestion of missile strikes on drug cartels in Mexico, the U.S.'s biggest trade partner. The former president has not commented.
"President Trump came to realize that personnel is policy," said Robert O'Brien, Trump's fourth and final national security adviser. "At the outset of his administration, there were a lot of people that were interested in implementing their own policies, not the president's policies."
Having more loyalists in place would allow Trump to advance his foreign policy priorities faster and more efficiently than he was able to when previously in office, the current and former aides said. — Reuters
Our Take: “Reuters is concerned because Trump will employ people that will commit to executing his agenda — ‘unlike in his first administration.’ And they’re saying that out loud. What a time to be alive!
All the masks are slipping as Trump 2024 becomes more and more inevitable. The cabal is wigging. Good. That’s exactly where they should be. Let me just state the obvious: Foreign Policy was significantly more successful under President Trump. We had peace and prosperity. The cabal really hates that.
We will make America great again. You can take it to the blockchain.” —
US Defense Chief In Israel Pressuring Netanyahu Govt To Scale Back Killing
Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin is the latest high-ranking US official to visit Israel on Monday, where he'll get a closer assessment from Israeli counterparts on how Gaza operations are going - but importantly he's expected to convey a message of restraint as global pressure on both Tel Aviv and Washington intensifies.
Earlier this month he was among the first most visible officials in the Biden administration to issue rare, surprising criticism of Israel, which has long been America's closest ally in the Middle East. "You know, I learned a thing or two about urban warfare from my time fighting in Iraq and leading the campaign to defeat ISIS," he said in a speech at the Reagan National Defense Forum in California. "The lesson is not that you can win in urban warfare by protecting civilians. The lesson is that you can only win in urban warfare by protecting civilians." He raised eyebrows by then saying Israel faces a "strategic defeat" if it doesn't reduce civilian casualties in Gaza.
"The center of gravity is the civilian population and if you drive them into the arms of the enemy, you replace a tactical victory with a strategic defeat," Austin said. "We will continue to press Israel to protect civilians and to ensure the robust flow of humanitarian aid."
Some Republican hawks had seized on the comments, suggesting they show that President Biden's support and commitment to Israel is weak. Soon after the speech Senator Lindsey Graham blasted Austin's words as "naïve" and said "I’ve just lost all confidence in this guy."
Another indicator of what Austin's messaging is expected to be was seen last week when national security advisor Jake Sullivan while in Israel said the IDF needs to wrap of the current "high intensity" phase of its offensive "within weeks". — ZeroHedge
Our Take: “Many in the Truth Community have probably spent an inordinate amount of time fretting over the fact that the vast majority of the Normie layer in the Collective Mind does little more than skim over headlines when it comes to engaging with the War of Stories.
In fact, even this practice tends to represent a small minority, as the majority of the American public don't engage with the Info War in a direct manner; in fact, they don't even know one is happening.
That said, during this period of escalation and acceleration, and given that the side of Truth itself occupies the role of the Infinite Player, I believe this 'weakness' has been turned into a strength.
The very habits the Media Industrial Complex used to program a once-sovereign populace of lions into the persuasion of passive sheep have now been reverse engineered as their Crisis Cascade picks up steam.
ONE bad headline can change the tenor of the Info War, and lately, dozens seem to hit & distort the Central Narrative daily.” —
Cause Of Professional Soccer Player's Sudden Collapse Remains A "Mystery"
What caused a fit, healthy, young footballer to suddenly collapse in the middle of the pitch during a Premier League game on Saturday remains a “mystery,” according to reports.
29-year-old Luton Town club captain Tom Lockyer suffered a “medical emergency” in the 59th minute of his team’s match against Bournemouth, falling to the ground as fellow players looked on concerned, causing the match to be abandoned.
The incident was Lockyer’s “second cardiac-related on-field scare in seven months,” reports the Telegraph. “An atrial fibrillation, a heart issue which affects around 1.4 million people in the UK, was cited as the cause of his collapse in May’s Championship Play-Off Final.”
“On Saturday, however, the club says Lockyer suffered cardiac arrest. There has been no confirmation that the two incidents are related,” states the report.
The player had been given the “all clear” after an operation in June yet remains in hospital undergoing tests with the cause of his latest collapse remaining a “mystery”.
Paramedics spent 10 minutes on the pitch treating Lockyer before he was carried off.
Following the incident, many on X inevitably speculated that it was COVID vaccine-related, with one citing Pfizer’s admission that, “Authorized or approved mRNA COVID-19 vaccines show increased risks of myocarditis (inflammation of the heart muscle) and pericarditis (inflammation of the lining outside the heart).” — Modernity News
Our Take: “Another day, another professional athlete collapsing during play due to enigmatic and mysterious reasons that apparently no one can figure out …
Just.
Another.
Befuddling.
Situation.
On Dec 15th, Luton Town Club Captain Tom Lockyer suffered a medical emergency during play - his second such incident within 7 months. Multiple people on scene reported that Lockyer indeed suffered a heart attack.
It is worth noting that the English Premier League had a vaccine mandate in effect for it’s players during the Covid 19 Plandemic.
As I say on Sports Talk, I cannot reiterate enough how irregular and detached from normal this current reality of accepting young athletes collapsing mid-play has become. This is NOT normal. Especially for futbol/soccer players, as they are routinely the most well conditioned athletes in the world.
Which begs another question: Why haven’t we seen such a swath of collapses here in the United States? Were owners/leagues complicit in the lie as well? Did they agree to go along with it on the condition that their athletes be given a placebo to protect their investment/business?
I realize this is pure speculation, but at some point, we have to ask why we haven’t seen this in the United States to such a degree, and we also have to be dogged in the pursuit of the truth. We cannot allow these instances to become normalized and routine. They aren’t.
What we are seeing in these collapses are the side effects of a deadly poison foisted upon society—to believe this is all normal and a ‘coincidence’ is showcasing a degree of naivety I was not aware existed.” —
US Army faces 'TikTok mutiny' as Gen Z recruits whine about low pay, 'sh***y' food and FITNESS TESTS while on bases in uniform
The US Army is facing a TikTok mutiny as Gen Z recruits are taking to social media to whine about low pay, 'sh***y' food and fitness tests.
The brazen posts - by uniformed troops on US bases - represent an audacious challenge to top brass amid a recruitment crisis. The Army fell short of its target by 25 percent last year.
One of the posts by military influencer Anthony Laster slams Army life for having 'No Privacy, The Pay Sucks, Sh***y Food, Disrespectful Leadership, NO SLEEP!' and has been viewed more than 600,000 times.
Laster, from Chicago, has more than a million followers on TikTok and made the public comments in uniform while on mission in the desert. In another post he claimed he spent his whole day watching TikToks while supposedly fighting the Taliban.
It gives a woeful impression of America's fighting forces to potential recruits, which is likely to cause further animosity toward TikTok from critics. Politicians from both sides have concerns about the platform's links with China and accuse it of pushing subversive anti-US propaganda. — The Daily Mail
Our Take: “Is it possible that the Chinese are using TikTok to demoralize US troops?
Yes.
Is it also true that the US government is demoralizing service members and that these posts about military life are legitimate and heart felt?
Absolutely.
I know several young people who regret joining the military—some who left after vaccine mandates, and still more that always planned to join up but are terrified to serve under current US leadership. We don’t need the Chinese to sabotage military engagement — the US government is doing that all on their own.
Unfortunately, rather than dealing with the root cause of these posts, they will likely discipline the service members that made them. That’s just how this government operates.” —
Musk’s X hit with first EU probe under new disinformation rules
The European Union has opened infringement proceedings into social media platform X, previously known as Twitter, over suspected failure to combat content disinformation and manipulation.
It is the first such probe under the Digital Services Act (DSA).
The bloc’s regulator Thierry Breton said Monday that the move is in response to suspected breaches of X’s transparency obligations and its duties to counter illegal content and disinformation. It is also in response to what the EU calls a “deceptive” design of user interface, relating to its so-called blue checks.
X — run by Elon Musk — said in a pre-prepared statement distributed on social media that it “remains committed to complying with the Digital Services Act and is cooperating with the regulatory process.”
The company added, “It is important that this process remains free of political influence and follows the law. X is focused on creating a safe and inclusive environment for all users on our platform, while protecting freedom of expression, and we will continue to work tirelessly towards this goal.”
The European Commission said it launched the proceedings under the DSA “on the basis of the preliminary investigation conducted so far, including on the basis of an analysis of the risk assessment report submitted by X in September, X’s Transparency report published on 3 November, and X’s replies to a formal request for information, which, among others, concerned the dissemination of illegal content in the context of Hamas’ terrorist attacks against Israel.” — NBC News
Our Take: “The Deep State is Global, but the EU is perhaps the collective that is most ubiquitous with the very concept of collectivism the free sovereign movement stands against, from the US to Russia and beyond.
As such, when we see the vultures in Brussels setting their sights on Elon Musk and 'X,' which remains the most powerful info dissemination apparatus (some would say, weapon,) in the world, each layer of the Collective Mind sees it differently.
For Anons and Truthers, the EU's attempt to suppress 'X' is the latest in a rapid cascade of moves Establishment administrative arms have forwarded in an attempt to cut off a form of power projection they perfected, before seemingly losing control of it with Musk's purchase of the platform/technology.
For Normies, they might not be glimpsing the true implications of these continued attacks on Musk and the System he ostensibly controls, but they do believe world governments have more important things to worry about, which prompts questions.” —
BONUS ITEMS
'Operation Prosperity Guardian' - Pentagon Launches Expansive Naval Coalition To Defend Red Sea Passage
A US-led naval coalition is finally coming together to protect international shipping transit in the Red Sea and vital Bab al-Mandab Strait, per a breaking development from Politico's chief Pentagon correspondent: "The Pentagon is expected to announce tomorrow the formation of Operation Prosperity Guardian, a new task force to protect shipping from Houthi attacks in the Bab Al-Mandeb Strait and Red Sea, per DOD official," writes Lara Seligman on X.
"The operation will be within the framework of the existing Combined Maritime Force 153, a partnership of 39 nations focused on counter piracy and counter terrorism in the Red Sea."
Soon after this reporting, Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin said, "I am announcing the establishment of Operation Prosperity Guardian, an important new multinational security initiative under the umbrella of the Combined Maritime Forces and the leadership of its Task Force 153, which focuses on security in the Red Sea."
Days ago it was reported that the Pentagon was looking to cobble together the 'broadest possible' coalition task force, amid what's now become daily Iran-backed Houthi attacks on commercial vessels. The Houthis have also launched rockets and drones into southern Israel at various times, triggering US warship intercepts.
Just hours ago, we reminded readers of Zoltan Poszar's prediction of central-bank-analogized 'military protection' and said it's soon to become a reality... and just like that, it has. — ZeroHedge
CIA director William Burns meets Israel's Mossad chief in Europe in renewed push to free Gaza hostages
CIA Director William Burns is meeting in Poland on Monday with the director of Israel's Mossad intelligence agency, David Barnea, and Qatari Prime Minister Mohammad bin Abdulrahman al Thani in the latest effort to secure the release of dozens of hostages still being held captive in Gaza, according to a U.S. official familiar with the talks. The same group met twice last month, along with Egyptian intelligence officials, in Doha, Qatar.
The latest meeting follows bilateral talks between Barnea and al Thani on Friday, which marked the first attempt by both sides to restart hostage negotiations after a week-long cease-fire between Israel and Hamas collapsed on Dec 1. Burns and Egyptian intelligence leaders were briefed on those talks, according to sources familiar with the matter.
U.S. and Israeli officials have said previous talks stalled because of an impasse over the remaining female hostages, on whose release the Israelis have insisted before considering other categories, including elderly and infirm men. Hamas has claimed the women it continues to hold are IDF soldiers, which the U.S. and Israel have denied. — CBS News
US Space Command Reaches Full Operational Capability
The U.S. Space Command, the Pentagon’s newest and 11th combatant command, has reached full operating capability, according to its commander, Army Gen. James Dickinson.
Gen. Dickinson made the declaration during a headquarters town hall on Dec. 15, according to a statement. The U.S. Space Command (USSPACECOM) was created in 2019 at the direction of former President Donald Trump.
“Since its establishment in 2019, USSPACECOM has been singularly focused on delivering exquisite capability to the joint force to deter conflict, defend our vital interests, and, if necessary, defeat aggression,” Gen. Dickinson said.
“Thanks to the disciplined initiative of our people and the support of our joint, combined, and partnered team, I can confidently say we have reached full operational capability.”
He explained that the announcement followed an “in-depth evaluation of the command’s capabilities,” including the ability to execute its mission on “our worst day, when we are needed the most.”
The declaration of full operating capability met certain criteria, including having the appropriate numbers of skills across the human capital and having the necessary command processes and functions in place, according to Gen. Dickinson.
He named China and Russia both as key adversaries whose space capabilities pose a threat to the United States. — 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.
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Lloyd Austin emailed a contact from Iraq to assist him with spiriting (if my memory is correct) approximately $2M for personal use and he winds up in a key position in the Clown Administration....par for the course. So.... I don’t believe a single syllable that he states. So...what’s he really doing with Netanyahu? You can bet he’s delivering strategic orders from Obama to Bibi.
‘Trump derangement syndrome’ is worsening as the cabal and their minions begin to realize, actually realize, what will happen to all of their plans once Trump is back in the WH. 😂. Oh, and the mutation of the ‘Trump derangement syndrome,’ the ‘Elon derangement syndrome’
is becoming seriously symptomatic as the cabal’s world organizations become feverish and begin to attack. This, too, will fail as the EU is seriously in trouble as an entity....weakening daily.
Hmm....remember the news back during Covid when some vaccines possibly were developed without the spike protein and some red states were specifically targeted with lethal strains? I wonder if there was pressure to stop the worse vaccines here? This has me wondering 🤔
Before I retired, the decision was made to allow military personnel to use social media shortly after a major hack into the secret system. Now, that’s decision is being used to reveal Obama’s minions are continuing his goal of the 16 year plan to demoralize and weaken our military. That appears to be working.
CIA and MOSSAD. Two of the most evil tools of the cabal. Panicked, I’d bet.😄
Red Sea naval operation. Hmm... lots besides oil moved through there by the cabal. Remember Evergreen?
SPACE FORCE operational two weeks before 2024!😃👍👍
I’m with Ashe: what a great time to be alive! God bless all endeavoring to bring truth.🙏🙏
Thanks for another day of fantastic Takes.
I guess I cannot see things from a Normiville perspective but I find the attempt by MSM to frame Trump loyalist being put into positions of authority after Trump is officially back in office as a great campaign ad. If these idiots are in PANIC over the fact that Trump is the people’s choice over any/all of the Uniparty candidates these kind of comments only help make that prospect an even better option to all the voters. We the People are winning BIGLY!
While I share Paul’s concern about the MSM trying to hide the affects of the vax on these professional athletes (as well as all the other “Sudden Death” reports). I also now see how Big Pharma and the rest of the DS Rat Bastards have been doing this Gaslighting to us all of our lives. Chris Paul was the one who really opened my eyes to this trick. First the DS Rat Bastards inflict some terrible autrocity on humanity (steal an election, kill people with a new vax, etc.) and then the MSM provides cover with some ridiculous poll or scientific research paper etc. that “explains” how this new atrocity is actually our fault. They have been doing this all our lives (and longer) but now the pace of their lies have been accelerated causing more and more people into the Great Awakening. Love it when a plan comes together.
Keep up the great work.
God Wins!
God Bless!!!