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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.
Items feature original commentary from members of our growing team of citizen journalists, whose stated opinions are their own. Feel free to follow the corresponding link to see their other work.
Now, onto the news from Thursday, November 16 …
China ‘strongly opposes’ Biden’s dictator remark
China’s foreign ministry denounced President Joe Biden’s comment Thursday calling Chinese President Xi Jinping a “dictator” for the second time this year.
“This statement is extremely wrong and irresponsible political manipulation,” foreign ministry spokesperson Mao Ning told reporters on Thursday, according to Reuters.
China’s foreign ministry said it “strongly opposes” Biden’s remarks, without mentioning him by name. “It should be pointed out that there will always be some people with ulterior motives who attempt to incite and damage U.S.-China relations, they are doomed to fail,” she said.
When asked by a reporter on Wednesday if Biden still believed Xi was a dictator, Biden stood by the assessment that he made earlier this year.
“Look, he is. He’s a dictator in the sense that he’s a guy who runs a country that is a communist country,” Biden said during a news conference, just after he announced agreements on a number of confidence-building measures with his Chinese counterpart. — Politico
Our Take: “It’s awesome that the rebuke of Biden’s ‘dictator’ remarks came from a Beijing spokesperson named ‘Mao.’ Clearly the WGA strike is over and the writer rooms are humming at full staffing levels.
In terms of international incidents, this could have been worse. But while the regime keeps trying to convince us of rising tensions, Biden’s misstep must be giving Sullivan and Blinken chest pain within the normie narrative layer.
Deeper, in the context of the ‘sovereign alliance,’ I imagine Xi’s response is something like, ‘Pot/Kettle’? Regardless, I’m certain Trump had a good laugh at the whole affair.” —
Candace Owens slams ‘emotionally unhinged’ Ben Shapiro as Israel feud escalates
Candace Owens blasted Ben Shapiro as “emotionally unhinged” and “unprofessional” — the latest escalation in the feud between the two Daily Wire stars over Israel.
Owens on Wednesday took to social media to respond to Shapiro, the co-founder of The Daily Wire who urged her to quit the right-leaning news outlet.
“Candace, if you feel that taking money from The Daily Wire somehow comes between you and God, by all means quit,” the rabidly pro-Israel Shapiro wrote on his X social media account.
While Shapiro is a co-founder and co-owner of the news site, he has stated in the past that he does not have the authority to fire Owens, who hosts the Daily Wire’s “Candace Owens” talk show.
Caleb Robinson, who is CEO of The Daily Wire, has hiring and firing power at the company.
Shapiro, who holds the title of “editor emeritus” at The Daily Wire in addition to his duties as host of “The Ben Shapiro Show,” was responding to a post from Owens in which she quoted a verse from the Book of Matthew. — The NY Post
Our Take: “The Con Inc. circular firing squad has begun, and I don't think it's lost on anyone that it comes in the midst of the Uniparty's attempt to spin up domestic support for a new Forever War.
While Owens is being framed as the hero of this particular Narrative Deployment, the fact remains that Con Inc., from the Daily Wire on down the line have seemed to close ranks AGAINST Donald Trump and his supporters at particular inflection points in the Info War, among them being Trump's 'early' announcement for candidacy in November 2022, and a year later, as the Israel-Gaza conflict kicked off in earnest.
The fact that one of their own is now seemingly turning against them could be indicative of patriot assets being activated, or simply water (and truth) finding its own level, as the highly-paid, financier-backed politico's scramble to flee from one sinking ship to another in full view of an increasingly-bipartisan observing audience.
Americans are sick of liars, no matter what form they take.” —
Walmart Crashes On Disappointing Guidance, Warns That Consumer Spending Is Deteriorating
After yesterday's solid (inventory liquidation driven) earnings from Target, many were hoping for follow through today from the OG, the world's largest retailer WMT which reported Q3 results at 7:00am ET. Alas, those same long-suffering consumer discretionary investors were in for more disappointment when the retailing giant reported earnings that generally beat on revenue and earnings, and even though it raised its previous guidance, the numbers came in shy of Wall Street estimates which in turn sent its stock tumbling.
[…]
The increase in Walmart's comp store sales was notable because both Target and Home Depot reported declines in that metric this week, as consumers continued to pull back from discretionary purchases. — ZeroHedge
Our Take: “Walmart’s news wasn’t as bad as it could have been, but I’m hopeful it’s directional for consumer spending. That is, I’m hopeful that Americans are reclaiming their personal supply chains from the globalists and reinvesting in America First.
Next Friday marks the start of the US holiday shopping season which, in modern history, means unfettered discretionary spending on cheap Chinese crap. But, thanks to those pulling Biden’s puppet strings, Americans have less discretionary income and are, thus, exercising greater discretion when determining how to part with their dollars.
The best gifts are those that are thoughtful and hold meaning for the recipient. Along that line of reasoning, I argue that the best gifts you can give this year are those that infuse capital into American small businesses, starving the globalists. Instead of shopping at Walmart, check out Badlands Marketplace or hit the shops on your local Main Street. The gifts will be a better quality, hold greater meaning, and affirm your values.
And you might just save America. Happy shopping!” —
US public support for Israel drops; majority backs a ceasefire, Reuters/Ipsos shows
U.S. public support for Israel's war against Hamas militants in Gaza is eroding and most Americans think Israel should call a ceasefire to a conflict that has ballooned into a humanitarian crisis, according to a new Reuters/Ipsos poll.
Some 32% of respondents in the two-day opinion poll, which closed on Tuesday, said "the U.S. should support Israel" when asked what role the United States should take in the fighting. That was down from 41% who said the U.S. should back Israel in a Reuters/Ipsos poll conducted Oct. 12-13.
The share saying "the U.S. should be a neutral mediator" rose to 39% in the new poll from 27% a month earlier. Four percent of respondents in the poll said the U.S. should support Palestinians and 15% said the U.S. shouldn't be involved at all, both similar readings to a month ago.
Israel has long counted on the U.S., its most powerful ally, for billions of dollars a year in military aid and international diplomatic support. An erosion of U.S. public support could be a worrisome sign for the Middle Eastern country, which faces not only Hamas militants in Gaza but the Hezbollah Islamist movement in Lebanon and has conducted a long-running “shadow war” with Iran, its regional arch-foe.
The drop in U.S. support, seen in the new poll among both Democrats and Republicans and especially among older respondents, follows weeks of heavy Israeli bombardment and ground combat against Hamas in Gaza in retaliation for an Oct. 7 rampage by the Islamist militants in southern Israel. About 1,200 people were killed and around 240 taken hostage.
Since then, more than 11,000 Palestinians have been killed, around 40% of them children, in Israel's assault, according to counts by health officials in Hamas-ruled Gaza. — Reuters
Our Take: “Normie Republicans are being painted as Islamophobes for refusing to defend Hamas.
Normie Democrats are being painted as antisemites for refusing to defend Israel.
According to the Establishment Uniparty, being anti-war is an extremist stance.
They’re unifying the country through a reversal of the very mass psychological tension they’ve lorded over us for generations, quite accidentally.
The Warmongers on behalf of “both sides” have been given an Impossible Task, and the only answer is the bipartisan endorsement of the humanist stance, which is peace.
Peace was always an option.
Peace will be the death of war.
And without war, [they] cease to exist.
Welcome to the Great Awakening.” —
BONUS ITEMS
Gaza loses communications due to lack of fuel, Israel signals forces may move south
A dire lack of fuel in the Gaza Strip shut down all internet and phone networks on Thursday, the main Palestinian telecom provider said, effectively cutting off the besieged territory from the outside world.
And in a signal that Israel’s ground invasion could soon expand to the south, Palestinians in parts of southern Gaza said they received evacuation notices Thursday. Most of Gaza’s 2.3 million people are crowded into the south, including hundreds of thousands who heeded Israel’s calls to evacuate the north to get out of the way of its offensive.
Nearly every single person in the Gaza Strip doesn’t have enough food, and more than two out of every three people don’t have clean drinking water, the U.N. said Thursday. Residents say bread is scarce and supermarket shelves are bare. Central electricity and running water have been out for weeks. — AP News
Sen. Rand Paul Says He Wants Federal Prosecution Of Fauci For COVID Coverup
Sen. Rand Paul (R-Ky.) has said he's pursuing federal criminal action against Dr. Anthony Fauci for perjury before Congress.
In an interview on EpochTV's "American Thought Leaders" with Jan Jekielek, Dr. Paul said he has asked Attorney General Merrick Garland to prosecute Dr. Fauci for giving false testimony during multiple congressional hearings.
"We haven't had a lot of luck," Dr. Paul said. "Garland is not paying attention to the referral, but [Dr. Fauci] did lie to Congress."
The Epoch Times reached out to Georgetown University, where Dr. Fauci is employed, for comment but didn't receive a reply by the time of publishing. In July, Dr. Fauci joined the university as a distinguished university professor in its school of medicine’s department of medicine.
Dr. Paul alleges that Dr. Fauci—and multiple other parts of the federal government—engaged in an "extensive" coverup of the origin, threat, and potential treatments for COVID-19. The senator said he detailed the two-year misdirection in his book "Deception: The Great Covid Cover-Up," which was published in October.
"Virtually everything they said in private, they said the opposite in the public at the same time," Dr. Paul said. — The Epoch Times
Outrage Ensues After No Charges Likely In Biden Classified Document Scandal
Following a 'thorough investigation,' special counsel Robert Hur is unlikely to charge anyone in connection to President Joe Biden's classified document scandal, according to multiple reports citing sources familiar with the matter.
Hur's report is expected to sharply criticize Biden and his aides for their handling of classified documents - the standard treatment for the protected establishment class whose name doesn't end in Trump.
This outcome raises obvious questions DOJ sham investigations - for if a Special Counsel's probe into potential mishandling of sensitive national documents results only in criticism and no legal repercussions, what message does it send about accountability at the highest levels of government?
Hur's investigation, which began in January following his appointment by Attorney General Merrick Garland, has spanned nearly a year. It has involved interviews with around 100 Biden aides, including the President's embattled son, Hunter Biden, who himself faces unrelated legal troubles following an indictment on federal gun charges. Biden himself was interviewed last month.
"The president has been interviewed as part of the investigation being led by Special Counsel Robert Hur," reads the statement from the White House Counsel's Office spokesperson Ian Sams (the guy who lied and had a meltdown over Hunter Biden's $260K in Chinese wires).
Of note, Hunter Biden listed Joe's Wilmington, Delaware home - where a bunch of classified documents were found, as his address when he received above mentioned Chinese wires, due to the Biden family's dealings with CCP-linked businessmen. — ZeroHedge
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.
Another great start to my day, thanks for your Takes.
Couldn't agree more Ashe: "check out Badlands Marketplace or hit the shops on your local Main Street. The gifts will be a better quality, hold greater meaning, and affirm your values.
And you might just save America. Happy shopping!” — Ashe in America. My wife & I sell our home grown & homemade jalapeno jellies (Turtle Creek at Lake Gaston) on Badlands Market. We also have 2 local retail stores in Downtown Litteleton, NC. Black Friday is Shop Local. That is a huge weekend for us and our friends 9 other local shops.
BB you highlight in all your Takes how Normieville is feeling the strain... the TV is having a hard time telling them what to think :-)) When there is a delay and people have time to hear other opinions and actually think for themselves the fear porn does not work as in days of old!
We the People are winning and gaining strength every minute of every day.
Keep it coming.
God Wins!
God Bless!!!
When you say stop purchasing stuff from China I would ask you to think a little bit about the following. I own a small business I sell printed promotional items and a lot of the goods I sell are originally manufactured in China. Then they are printed here in America. For example I sold a $15,000 order for holiday gifts, that I made several thousand dollars on. The supplier here in America designed and then purchased the goods from a vender in China, shipped them here, held them in a warehouse here, printed them here shipped them UPS to my client. So to say stop buying goods from China is not as easy as; stop and there will be no one effected. I would say of that $15,000 less than 30% was direct income to China.
I would be happy to sell goods made 100% here in America but the economy will not support that. As a general rule my clients don’t want to purchase goods from China, but they don’t want to spend the extra money to purchase 100% American goods. I agree we do need to move our purchasing away from China. But we have much bigger fish to fry. I would let the economics sort this out, including tariffs on imported goods.
Keep in mind (when bashing me) that it might be made in China, but many Americans did make money on those goods.