Badlands News Brief
Trump Tours, Bannon Breaks Out & Israel Hesitates
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, and to let our Badlands readers know about a fantastic deal they’re offering.
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Now, onto the news from Tuesday, October 29 …
Badlands Media Special Coverage - Trump Press Conference from MAL
Our Take: “We’re here to talk about the character of Kamala Harris,” Donald Trump said, opening his press conference with a somber tone.
In a way, this press conference feels like Trump’s answer to Kamala’s quick gaggle last week where she gathered reporters to call Trump Hitler for five minutes, but there was so much more substance, including policy announcements.
The conference lasted a little under an hour, and Trump covered Kamala’s “campaign of destruction,” referring to her run as a “campaign of hate.”
The subtext of Trump’s remarks pointed to foreign interference in US elections. In referring to how Trump would handle the dangerous slander of the left and particularly his opener, Trump curiously declared, “We will obliterate your entire country.”
Trump further announced that, as President, he would seize the assets of gangs and cartels, creating a compensation fund for victims of migrant crime. He also doubled down on calls for the death penalty for any migrant that kills Americans, including police.
Jon, Chris, and I discussed Trump’s remarks after the event concluded, and you can watch at the link above. —
Steve Bannon Released From Prison After Serving 4 Months For Contempt Of Congress
Steve Bannon, who served as a top White House adviser early on in the Trump administration, was released from prison on Oct. 29 after serving four months for contempt of Congress.
“The four months in federal prison not only didn’t break me, it empowered me,” he said during his “WarRoom” podcast. “I am more energized and more focused than I’ve ever been in my entire life.”
Bannon, 70, was serving time in the Federal Correctional Institution in Danbury, Connecticut. His release comes after a federal judge on Oct. 22 denied his request for early release. Bannon entered prison in July after the Supreme Court refused to take up his request to avoid his four-month sentence.
When he began serving his sentence in July, Bannon called himself a “political prisoner.”
“I am proud of going to prison,” he said at the time, adding that he was standing up to Attorney General Merrick Garland and what he called a “corrupt” Justice Department.
A jury convicted him in 2022 for two counts of contempt of Congress after he refused to comply with requests from the House select committee investigating the Jan. 6, 2021, Capitol breach.
Bannon, 70, claimed that former President Donald Trump had extended executive privilege over his testimony. Bannon’s attorney, David Schoen, told the U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit that the district court had wrongly excluded evidence surrounding another attorney advising Bannon that he didn’t have to comply with the subpoenas because Trump had invoked that privilege. — The Epoch Times
Our Take: So happy to have Chris's dad back in the mix.
I love Bannon, always will. A big reason for that is because—as the story goes— when the Billy Bush tapes ("grab them by the p***y...") came out in October 2016, all of Trump's "advisors" at the time told him that he could never win the election, and in order to save the country from a Hillary Clinton presidency, Trump needed to step down and let Mike Pence ride the momentum of the campaign into the White House.
Allegedly, Bannon—who had only recently joined the campaign, in the eleventh hour—was the only advisor who told Trump that the American People were with him, and he needed to stand in the breach, and own it.
That anecdote is precisely why when, just a year later, Bannon was "fired" from the White House, I knew it was kayfabe. I didn't have the terminology at the time, but I knew that there was no way that two men could go through what they went through together, and then that quickly forget and turn on one another. I even speculated at the time that the reason for the theatrics was so that Bannon could exit the spotlight—he had become the obsession of the media in 2017—and focus on building a new media apparatus, which of course is exactly what he did.
I even think that there has been some strategic value in his 4-month hiatus from the battlefield. His absence has almost been like a test for the rest of the movement, to see who was steely-eyed enough to hold it together and persevere. (There have been a few who have seemed to have cracked under the pressure.)
I love how Bannon is telling stories from prison of hanging out with minorities—including Muslims—and getting to know them, and their trials and tribulations. Take a listen to what he says here about the "politics of money," the Great Awakening, and the uniting of the tribes.
And please note his direct quote: "... politics is nothing more than professional wrestling."
(Steve, were you reading the Badlands News Brief while in prison?)
TrumpaMania is running WILD, brother! —
Trump To Unleash Financial Armageddon On Mexican Drug Cartels If He Wins: We Will Be "Seizing Assets"
Former President Trump reportedly told allies earlier this year that he would covertly deploy Tier 1 US Special Forces operators to Mexico to wipe out drug cartel leadership if he returns to the White House. However, storming the command and control centers of cartels with guns blazing may not be the proper strategy to dismantle these criminal organizations.
"I'm announcing that for the first time under my administration, we are seizing the assets of the criminal gangs and drug cartels and we will use those assets to create a compensation fund to provide restitution for the victims of migrant crime," Trump said at a press conference on Tuesday at Mar-a-Lago. — ZeroHedge
Our Take: Gonna go ahead and wrap Chris's take on Trump announcing the seizure of cartel assets for the purposes of restitution into the May "hit piece" (that could also be an advertisement) for Trump's supposed plan to send "kill teams" to Mexico to take out cartel leaders.
The concept of "Drainage" takes many forms, and we've long theorized that the "collapses" of everything from Silicon Valley Bank and First Republic to Credit Suisse could be related to the actualization of Trump's Executive Order 13818, dated December 21, 2017:
"Blocking the Property of Persons Involved in Serious Human Rights Abuse or Corruption."
That's a pretty broad brush to paint with, effectively allowing the president (or the Military he's theoretically devolved his authority to) to go after enemies foreign and domestic ... even those winning fake elections.
There are many forms of power projection, from the Narrative to the Kinetic to the Financial.
Apply drainage to all, and you end up with quite the variance. —
US intelligence fears INSIDER attack on the election is 'likely'
A new U.S. intelligence memo warns that insider threats will 'likely be an issue' in the November 5 election centers and 'could derail or jeopardize a fair and transparent election process.'
It comes as some Donald Trump supporters are already flagging potential problems with the voting process, reviving fears of legal challenges and violence if the former president loses.
And Trump allies have sought to install election deniers throughout the electoral system.
The new bulletin cites the Department of Homeland Security's definition of an insider threat as someone who 'will use his or her authorized access, wittingly or unwittingly, to do harm to an entity.'
It was produced by the Colorado Information Analysis Center (CIAC), which compiles intelligence from a string of agencies into threat reports for law enforcement partners. — Daily Mail
Our Take: US intelligence agencies are admitting the vulnerabilities in US elections.
“Homeland Security's definition of an insider threat as someone who 'will use his or her authorized access, wittingly or unwittingly, to do harm to an entity.'”
“…the vast scale of the electoral process could be the source of problems… many people are involved… all of whom have a potential to be an insider threat…”
See, we never thought about this before, because there have never been bad guys in the past, but…
“Trump allies have sought to install election deniers throughout the electoral system.”
As opposed to what? Election true believers? People on message that don’t ask questions?
They go on to talk about the “extremists” who demand elections be conducted with integrity, but in so doing they’ve admitted the truth: The election system is extremely vulnerable if there are bad actors on the inside.
The same people that told you 2020 was the safest and most secure election in history are now telling you that the election is in jeopardy because insiders can absolutely jeopardize the election.
Doesn’t sound very safe and secure. —
Defense Minister Gallant Tells Netanyahu: Israel Is Conducting War Without a Compass, Needs New War Goals
Defense Minister Yoav Gallant sent a letter to Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and members of the security cabinet, stating that "the war is being conducted without a compass" and that its objectives need to be updated.
The letter was sent shortly before the attack on Iran overnight into Saturday, and its content was first reported by Channel 13 News. The letter was also sent to Shin Bet director Ronen Bar, Mossad chief David Barnea, IDF Chief of Staff Herzl Halevi and cabinet ministers.
In the letter, Gallant wrote that "the current situation in which we operate without a valid compass and without updated war goals harms the management of the campaign and the cabinet's decisions. Significant developments in the war, primarily the exchanges of direct blows between Israel and Iran, increase the need for a discussion and an update of the war objectives with a comprehensive view of the arenas and the connections between them."
Gallant proposed four new war goals for the four arenas in which Israel operates: Gaza, Lebanon, Iran, and the West Bank. The objective for Gaza, as suggested in the letter, is "establishing a reality without a military threat, preventing the enhancement of terror capabilities, securing the return of all hostages, and promoting an alternative to Hamas rule." — Haaretz
Our Take: The Israeli Defense Minister, Yoav Gallant, is at it again.
For the past 18+ months, Gallant and Netanyahu have had this rift, beginning in March 2023 when Gallant attended an anti-Netanyahu protest that materialized in response to Bibi's plans to overhaul the judiciary. (The equivalent of the Democrat's plan in America to stack the Supreme Court.) In response, Netanyahu fired Gallant—only to rehire him the very next day.
The story here is that, just hours before Israel launched its strike against Iran, Gallant released a public letter criticizing Netanyahu's military leadership, stating that it lacked direction. (Not exactly a hot take, considering that's exactly what most of Bibi's critics have been saying since last October.) Nonetheless, it is a strange move, and truly underscores the fractured nature of domestic Israeli politics at the moment—perhaps the most critical moment in the young nation's short history.
It's important to note that Gallant—who is considered the Biden administration's "inside man" in the Netanyahu cabinet—is not criticizing Netanyahu's warmongering. He is simply criticizing the lack of defined objectives, which he essentially proposes in the letter—one for each of the FOUR theaters of war that Israel is now engaged.
It's hard to say exactly what Gallant's endgame is with his decision to publish this letter. Whatever the intent, the most likely outcome, at this point, is that Netanyahu will fire Gallant and replace him. That opportunity presents a real danger for Bibi, because he has so many competing dynamics to consider.
First, let's take a look at the current state of Netanyahu's cabinet:
For quite a while, the speculation has been that Netanyahu will replace Gallant with Gideon Sa'ar, an Israeli politician who has been serving as an observing "minister without portfolio" (meaning no official title) during the current Netanyahu administration, and was just recently elevated to join the new three-member War Cabinet, along with Gallant and Netanyahu.
The previous War Cabinet was dissolved after Benny Gantz resigned back in June. Gantz was also a "minister without portfolio," and like Sa'ar, a political opponent of Netanyahu. However, since even before October 7th, Sa'ar has been a vocal war-hawk, going as far as to say that any entity that attacked Israel should be completely annihilated from existence. That's the kind of rhetoric that is going to get Netanyahu's jimmies rustled, along with the cabal of psychotic zealots who make up the Security Cabinet.
A major dynamic that Bibi should be weighing is the IDF leadership, who have reportedly soured on Netanyahu's lack of strategic objectives. Both Gantz and Gallant—who have actually been political opponents, historically, until finding common ground in criticizing Netanyahu—are retired generals, and seem to speak for the IDF when they voice these sentiments.
It is unclear to me how the IDF would respond to the appointment of Gideon Sa'ar as the new Defense Minister, but what is being widely surmised by a wide spectrum of analysts is that if Netanyahu indulges the religious zealots, and appoints National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir as Defense Minister, he may be facing a potential mutiny from the IDF brass. (In Israel, you are allowed to hold multiple cabinet titles simultaneously. Netanyahu held five titles until he was indicted with corruption charges, and was compelled by Israeli law to resign from all posts except for Prime Minister.)
Ben-Gvir has made it clear that he desires to see every Arab within reach slaughtered. And while that attitude may or may not appeal to the IDF brass, the real problem they will have with him is that he opposes the recent edict that has nullified the conscription exemption that the Orthodox and Hasidic Jews in Israel have enjoyed since the country's founding. The logic is that their service to the Jewish State is through their Talmudic studies, but the IDF is desperate for soldiers, and tens of thousands of Israeli citizens have packed up and left the country—perhaps never to return. That number of ex-pats is growing by the day, as the situation with the various wars continues to deteriorate. And Ben-Gvir doesn't believe that these religious students should be compelled to serve, even though the Israeli Supreme Court has already ruled that they must. (And the IDF brass are demanding their service.)
It seems to me that the worst thing Netanyahu could do right now is to give the religious zealots more power, as continued Israeli aggression will only invoke more rebuke from the rest of the world; but empowering those zealots is also exactly what Netanyahu needs in order to solidify his control over the Israeli government—because as soon as this bender ends, Bibi will face consequences for his actions, both before and after October 7th, from either domestic authorities or the international community.
And for that exact reason, I suspect that he will surround himself with men of "conviction" who are driven by religious fervor, and cannot be deterred by the petty whims of secular forces. Men who will cling to those convictions, even in the face of certain doom.
Do you see how Trump's Gambit is paying off? —
How to Finally Abolish the Electoral College
The latest New York Times-Siena College poll says the presidential race is a dead heat. So do any number of other national polls. In the battleground states, virtually every poll either reports a tie, or results well within the margin of error. The upshot: Even as Kamala Harris’ national polling lead over Donald Trump has appeared to shrink, her strength may be holding up in the swing states that matter.
And this suggests the possibility that Election Day may produce a result we have never seen before: a Republican winning the popular vote but losing the Electoral College. That, in turn, just might restore a once-bipartisan consensus — that it is time for the United States to do away with the Electoral College once and for all and let the voters actually decide the presidency.
Throughout American history, we’ve seen five elections where the popular vote winner lost the White House, with the first three happening in the 19th century. More memorable, particularly for Democrats, are the 2000 and 2016 races, but it’s useful to distinguish between them. Al Gore lost the presidency to George W. Bush while winning the popular vote by just 0.5 percentage points, a virtual tie. Trump, however, took the White House even after coming in a full 2 points and 3 million votes behind Hillary Clinton.
Four years later, Joe Biden beat Trump by more than 4 points and 7 million votes in the popular vote, but his Electoral College win stood on a slew of narrow victories in key states.
The 2016 and 2020 campaigns seemed to confirm a broader view of a pro-Republican bias in the Electoral College: With millions of Democratic votes “wasted” in places like California and New York, a Democrat had to win a popular vote plurality north of 3 percent to be elected. — Politico
Our Take: Yesterday, Politico renewed calls to abolish the Electoral College, recognizing that Trump is going to win the popular vote.
A couple days ago, it was Joy Reid:
Which radical communist is delivering the talking points today?
Trump is going to win the popular vote. When that happens, the left will attempt to convince people that this is why we don’t need the Electoral College.
Without the Electoral College, we don’t have a representative republic. They’re gonna try. Hold the line. —
Israel bans UNRWA, the U.N. relief agency for Palestinian refugees
Israel's parliament voted Monday to ban the operations of the United Nations agency for Palestinian refugees, the main humanitarian aid agency operating in Gaza.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu reiterated accusations that UNRWA employees are involved in terrorist activities in the region in a statement about the legislation. An investigation by the U.N. Office of Internal Oversight Services closed in August, debunking some allegations and noting that others lacked sufficient evidence.
However, the agency said nine employees may have been involved in the Oct. 7 terrorist attack against Israel if evidence was "authenticated and corroborated." UNRWA Commissioner-General Philippe Lazzarini said their contracts would be terminated.
Netanyahu's office said Monday that UNRWA personnel "must be held accountable."
"In the 90 days before this legislation goes into effect — and after — we stand ready to work with our international partners to ensure that Israel continues to facilitate humanitarian assistance to civilians in Gaza in a manner that does not threaten Israel’s security," the statement said. — NBC News
And …
Over 100 Congress members tell Guterres US will slash funding to UN if Israel's status downgrades
Any downgrade in Israel’s status or standing at the UN General Assembly will result in a corresponding downgrade of US financial, material, and political support to the UN, more than 100 bipartisan members of Congress wrote in a letter addressed to UN Secretary-General António Guterres.
Reps. Mike Lawler (R-New York) and Jared Moskowitz (D-Florida) spearheaded the letter, which stated that Congress has taken note of the numerous UN actions “aimed to delegitimize Israel’s right to self-defense.”
“We have concluded that the UN is not a neutral party but one that has definitively taken sides against Israel. We remind you that the US is the largest donor to the UN,” according to the letter. “Our contributions account for one-third of the body’s collective budget. We will not accept the UN’s ongoing hostility to our ally Israel.” — Jerusalem Post
Our Take: Many months back, when the [completely illegitimate, George Soros-created] UN International Court of Justice issued indictments against Netanyahu and members of his cabinet, I spoke enthusiastically of the development. Many of you probably thought that I was looking at it from a pure "get Netanyahu" standpoint, viewing the ICJ as the noble actor—but that's actually not at all what I was thinking.
As I wrote back then, what I saw with that development was the beginning of the end of the UN—the globalist hegemony—as we know it.
That's because I understood what the UN represented, its history with Israel, as well as the ICJ. As many globalist leaders argued at the time, the ICJ was created to persecute "African warlords and thugs like Putin, not western leaders [like Netanyahu]."
The modern Zionist state of Israel—which is a completely separate entity from the Bible's House of Israel—was officially created by the UN's Partition Plan for Palestine in 1947. President Harry Truman initially opposed the concept, as did the entire US military brass (the heroes of WW2), because it was viewed as the same brand of despotic imperialism that they had just defeated. But the politicians in DC were all bought and paid for by the Zionist lobby, and as the "voice of the American People," they had all the leverage.
Regardless of how you may feel about the manner in which Israel was created, nothing has changed since then. Our Congress is still completely owned by the Zionist lobby, and is fully prepared to bankrupt our nation in order to advance the Zionist agenda. There's a silly notion that Joe Biden and Kamala Harris are against Israel, but that is pure WWE theater. In fact, Kamala's husband just went out and shilled hard for the Zionist lobby.
In fact, the Israeli media was swooning back in 2021 because Biden's cabinet may contain the most Jewish advisors in US history.
Given Antony Blinken's comments to Netanyahu during his visit after October 7th, when he said that he was coming to Israel "not as Secretary of State, but as a Jew," one must wonder how many of these people possess dual-citizenship with Israel? One must also wonder where their loyalties ultimately lie?
Now, some of you will certainly get upset with me for making these assertions, but I would make these same comments if we were talking about a cabinet of Muslims who potentially possessed dual-citizenship with Iran. All I am asking is that you be principled in your beliefs, and not fall into the trappings of moral relativism.
Are we talking about religion here? Or are we talking about the politics of our federal government? Do you understand why it would be advantageous for the Zionist lobby to conflate those two things?
100 members of Congress just sent a threatening letter to the UN, stating their intent to defund the UN if it "downgrades" Israel's status. While I can totally get on board with defunding the UN—and hope that this is a happy silver lining to this whole situation—how long until Congress declares war on the UN, in order to protect Israel? Don't you think that possibility becomes much more likely if Congress falls under firm Republican control? Especially if there are enough compromised Deep State Republicans who are seeking to undermine a Trump presidency?
Are we really okay with our elected representatives being controlled by and beholden to a foreign lobby? When, exactly, are we going to have this conversation? —
Billionaire Says Bitcoin, Tariffs and Donald Trump Will Make You Rich | Howard Lutnick
Our Take: Well, I did NOT expect this financial sit-down with Trump Transition Team Leader Howard Lutnick to be as full of signal as it was, but what really shocked me was how emotional it gets when he discusses his experience on 9/11.
There's a LOT sitting below the surface, here, and I think it suggests that now more than ever before, Donald Trump not only knows exactly who he needs in key positions entering the second (public) Admin ... but that he always did.
Amidst talk that ranges from power projection and common sense trade deals to replacing income taxes, Lutnick's annecdotes about the sheer damage (both Actual & Mass Psychological) America suffered in 2001 paint the picture of a power player who understands exactly what was lost ... or what was taken.
Of course, just as many in the Truth Community point to Trump's infamous public skepticism over the story of 9/11 as we're told it, the Trump 2.0 Revenge Tour takes on added meaning.
Everyone loves a comeback. —
BONUS ITEMS
Democrats alarmed Harris’s economic message isn’t breaking through
Democrats are frustrated Vice President Harris hasn’t done more to sell her economic message and worry former President Trump continues to have a sizable advantage on what many voters say is their No. 1 issue.
Harris has focused on attacking Trump in recent weeks. But she has lost ground to him in the polls, as voters say they are less likely to be motivated by additional criticisms of Trump, whose flaws are well-known after standing in the national spotlight for more than eight years.
The Harris campaign says it will put more focus on the economy in the final week of the campaign, but abortion-rights and criticisms of Trump’s character get more applause at Harris’s rallies with stars such as Michelle Obama, Bruce Springsteen and Maggie Rogers.
Some Democratic strategists view Harris’s scathing criticisms of Trump as necessary and effective, but they acknowledge she could be doing a better job of talking about the economy — a challenge that also vexed President Biden before he dropped his bid for reelection.
“Where I don’t think she’s done a good enough job is, [Trump] gets away with saying, ‘The economy is the worst it’s ever been, there’s more unemployment, inflation is the highest it’s ever been.’ None of that is true,” said Steve Jarding, a Democratic strategist. — The Hill
Vance to appear on Joe Rogan's podcast
Sen. JD Vance of Ohio, the Republican vice presidential nominee, will record an interview with Joe Rogan on Wednesday, days after former President Donald Trump sat down with the popular podcaster, a spokesperson for Vance said.
Vance, who is expected to hold a campaign event in Pennsylvania later Wednesday, will meet with Rogan at his podcast studio in Austin, Texas.
CNN was first to report the scheduled appearance.
Though it will be his first appearance on Rogan’s show, Vance has appeared on dozens of podcasts since he joined the Republican presidential ticket. Last week, he sat for two separate podcast recordings — with Theo Von and Tim Dillon — for nearly four hours combined of content.
Trump’s three-hour appearance last week spanned a wide variety of topics, including the war in Ukraine, Trump’s health and whether there is life on Mars.
The recording also gave a venue, however, to Trump’s widely disproven claims of a “stolen” 2020 election. — NBC News
Russia Is Experiencing Its "Fastest Economic Growth In The Last Decade"
Richard Connolly, a junior research fellow at the Royal Institute of Shared Services in London and an expert on the Russian economy, told CBS News that the number of small and medium-sized enterprises registered in Russia has reached an unprecedented level, writes Do Rzeczy.
In the wake of many Western companies leaving the country or suspending their operations due to Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, they were quickly replaced by Russian versions.
So, instead of Starbucks, they have Stars Coffee, instead of Zara, they have Maag, and instead of Coca-Cola, Dobry Cola.
Back in April, Doby reported that its 2023 earnings were quadruple the profits made in 2022. — ReMix News
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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Thanks for all your hard work putting your Takes together each week day, this is the closest I get to taking in MSM. Like I often say... Better you than me :-)
GBPH I am sure you must get some very "interesting feedback" when you discuss Bibi but I am here to tell you I applaud you for standing your ground sharing your research and point of view. I hope and pray (and truly believe) we will soon consider open honest debate and alternative point of view a blessing and the world will be much better off because of it.
I think it was Chris Paul who pointed out my favorite Ghost in the Machine from yesterday when he noted the fantastic tan that Steve Bannon had when he was released for "prison". I am thinking about organizing a "prison" cruise for anyone who wants to relax in the sun too :-) It just keeps getting funnier and funnier...
Week's coming in hot.
God Wins!
God Bless!!!
One thing struck me in the Steve Bannon discussion. He compared politicians to the wrestling profession. That made me think about how crazy America has become.
Why is politics a profession? There we have the whole problem defined in a simple question.
Our founding fathers never intended politics to be a permanent job. A profession is a permanent job, and “politician” is not a profession and never should be, but that is precisely what politicians have made of it.
The original intent was for us citizens to vote to send people we admire and trust to represent us in Washington. They went there did several month of duty on our behalf and then returned home to their actual profession which was NOT “politician”!
Look how our design has been corrupted. Look how rich politicians get in a profession they invented. There is our real problem in a nutshell.