Badlands News Brief
Badlands News Brief
Embattled Mayors, Peacemakers & Signal Setters
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.
Now, onto the news from Thursday, September 26 …
NYC Mayor Eric Adams indicted on bribery and fraud charges
New York City Mayor Eric Adams was charged with bribery and fraud in an indictment unsealed Thursday following a months-long federal investigation into whether his campaign illegally conspired with Turkish entities to collect foreign donations.
Why it matters: Adams is the first NYC mayor to face criminal charges while serving in office.
Driving the news: Adams was indicted on five counts, including two counts of solicitation of a contribution by a foreign national.
Speaking at a press conference Thursday before the indictment was unsealed, Adams asked New Yorkers "to wait and hear our defense before making any judgments," saying his "day-to-day will not change."
Adams is facing up to 45 years in prison if convicted on all counts and given the maximum sentence, the DOJ said in a press release.
The big picture: The indictment alleges Adams sought and accepted benefits from wealthy foreign individuals and at least one Turkish government official dating back to his tenure as Brooklyn Borough president. — Axios
Our Take: Last month I wrote a piece in the Badlands Substack about the importance of the appearance of impropriety for those responsible for public trust in SEC world, and how astonishingly different it is for those responsible for public trust in government service, specifically elections. It’s relevant to the allegations against Mayor Adams and, if you haven’t read it, you should.
This case is allegedly about campaign finance, though I’m still skeptical given the timing with the Diddy indictment, the fact that both cases are in the SDNY, and the common thread of corruption.
The investigation of Adams & CO has always read as a RICO, but the framing of this Axios article deals specifically with public trust.
Organized crime being exposed for usurping public trust — right before the election — is a welcome development.
That it’s happening in the SDNY is fascinating.
Corruption is metastasized cancer in our country. Let’s see what happens. —
Trump gives strongest signal yet he won’t back Ukraine and Zelenskyy against Putin
Former U.S. President Donald Trump lashed out at Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy on Wednesday for not making concessions to Russia, giving his strongest indication to date he would stop backing Kyiv if he wins the U.S. presidential election.
Trump, speaking at a campaign event in North Carolina, said Ukraine should have “given up a little bit” to appease Moscow and avoid a bloody conflict with its invading neighbor, which he said “didn’t need to happen.”
“We continue to give billions of dollars to a man who refuses to make a deal, Zelenskyy,” Trump railed in a lengthy tirade.
He added that “any deal, even the worst deal, would’ve been better than what we have right now,” referring to the Kremlin's destruction in Ukraine, which accelerated with Russian President Vladimir Putin's full-scale invasion in 2022.
“Ukraine is gone, it’s not Ukraine anymore. You can never replace those cities and towns and you can never replace the dead people, so many dead people,” the Republican candidate said. “If we made a bad deal, it would have been much better. They [Ukraine] would have given up a little bit and everybody would be living.” — Politico
Our Take: It seems that Trump is about to rug NATO, just as Putin is flexing his hypersonic missiles.
To be clear, this change in Russia's doctrine isn't just about nukes. It also concerns the use of [very large] conventional warheads, mounted to hypersonic missiles. When such ordnance strikes while traveling faster than the speed of sound, it purportedly generates a blast equivalent to a half megaton nuke— without any of the "nuke" technology or radioactive fallout associated with nuclear blasts.
And Putin is saying that he will use them against Ukraine or any other nation who plays games. (FAFO)
Zelensky is meeting with Trump today. Given that it also happens to be Friday, I wouldn't be surprised to see something interesting come out of the meeting. Maybe a cool promo for TrumpaMania, or something. After all, Zelensky is a professional actor. —
America's rivals are piling on the pressure all at once
Fueling wars and terror attacks. Illegally making nukes. Aggressively bullying nearby nations. And trying to bludgeon a neighboring country into bloody submission.
These incidents over the past few weeks highlight how US rivals and foes are increasingly challenging the American-led global order as threats multiply worldwide.
Russia, Iran, China, and North Korea have deepened their security ties as they simultaneously present Washington and its allies with new dilemmas that strain the US military.
"They have nowhere else to turn, so they turn to each other," said Michael O'Hanlon, a senior fellow and the director of research in the foreign policy program at the Brookings Institution.
"So it's partly out of necessity, if not desperation, on their part," he told Business Insider. — Business Insider
Our Take: RIGHT on cue, we've got headlines popping up all over the Info War referring to the rise of the multipolar world as a New Axis bent on global domination.
This can be taken as tacit admission that we have existed in a Western Hegemonic paradigm leveraging direct (war) and abstract power projection (sanctions) since WW2.
Those days are over.
Peace is coming, but it will only come on the back of the threat of all-out war.
To wit, in my latest long-form, I said the following:
"If you've ever used the terms 'Axis and Allies,' you've already fallen into the controlled opposition dynamic.
The reason this is relevant today, in 2024, is that the entirety of the Media Industrial Complex are going to attempt to convince you that the emergent MIL triumvirate of Russia-China-Iran represent the 'New Axis,' and pose an existential threat to the Globalist West.
Oh, and let’s throw a suddenly resurgent Nuclear-starved North Korea into the equation." —
Mahmoud Abbas urges UN to stop the war in Gaza
Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas urges the U.N. to stop the war in Gaza
Abbas called for a comprehensive and permanent ceasefire in Gaza, an end to attacks by Israeli settlers in the West Bank and East Jerusalem, the delivery of humanitarian aid throughout Gaza and a full withdrawal of the Israeli military from the enclave.
He said that the Palestinian Authority, which he leads, should have control over all Palestinian territories and that it would hold elections once the war is over. — Reuters
Our Take:
“Stop this crime. Stop it now. Stop the killing of children and women. Stop this genocide. Stop sending weapons to Israel. This madness cannot continue. The entire world is responsible.
Israel reoccupied the Gaza strip, and has almost entirely destroyed it. It is no longer fit for life, after destroying the buildings, the homes, the educational and medical centres."
Many like to view this Gaza conflict as Judeo-Christian vs Muslim, but the reality is that there are several Coptic Churches in Gaza—some being the earliest churches ever built—and congregations that became the victims of the IDF.
And yet, there are Christians who will convulse at this assertion, and exonerate the Israeli government of any wrong-doing.
From the article:
Israel's U.N. Ambassador Danny Danon responded to Abbas' speech in a statement, accusing him of only talking about a peaceful solution when he is at the United Nations and failing to condemn the Oct. 7 attack by Hamas militants that triggered the war in the Hamas-run Gaza Strip.
More lies.
Not only did Abbas call out Hamas for not informing the Palestinian Authority of their planned attack, but he blamed them for the subsequent destruction of the Palestinian people.
Here's Abbas in 2007—after Hamas drove both the Palestinian Authority security forces and the IDF out of Gaza—stating that his government would have no dialogue with the "murderous terrorists" in Hamas.
Here's Abbas in 2017, stating that he would not appoint any Hamas officials to serve in the Palestinian government unless they recognized the state of Israel.
Here's Abbas in 2018, after Hamas tried to assassinate his prime minister with a roadside bomb, when Abbas sent the PM to Gaza to negotiate the peaceful transfer of the Gazan government to the Palestinian Authority.
That incident resulted in Abbas sanctioning Hamas, cutting them off financially, in an attempt to destroy the organization. So how did it survive? Bibi Netanyahu devised a scheme where Israel literally walked briefcases full of cash (totaling tens of millions of dollars) into Gaza and gave them to families with ties to Hamas.
Netanyahu was outed by one of his cabinet ministers, who was so appalled by the plot that he resigned from the government and went public with the story.
So if you don't like Hamas, just understand that Abbas is the only person who has actually tried to stop them, while the United States and Israeli governments have directly funded their ascent to power.
Netanyahu was throwing shade at Abbas the other day.
Reminder: Here is what President Trump thinks of Abbas and Netanyahu. (From an interview in December 2021 with Barak Ravid.)
And as we anticipate Netanyahu's speech to the UN General Assembly this morning, remember that back in July, the night before Bibi addressed Congress, President Trump posted the letter Abbas had sent him expressing his concern over the assassination attempt, complete with a hand-written note.
"Everything will be good." —
Diddy's famous friends have been criticized for staying silent amid his arrest. Crisis PR experts say it's good strategy.
As discussions and theories have swirled around Combs' felony counts, his famous friends, colleagues, and labelmates have also become sources of speculation.
Old quotes about Combs and his notorious parties have resurfaced online, while photos he's taken with other celebrities continue to make the rounds on social media.
There's been no suggestion from prosecutors that other celebrities will be charged in the case, although US Attorney Damian Williams said in response to a question from Business Insider last week that "nothing is off the table."
At the heart of the charges against Combs is what he called "Freak Offs," which prosecutors describe as sexual "performances" — often lasting days — that Combs directed between victims and male sex workers, who were often illegally trafficked.
[…]
Still, onlookers are hungry for more information about Combs' social circle, including (but not limited to) who still supports him, who might be forced to testify, who severed ties with the self-proclaimed "Bad Boy for Life," and who barely knew him in the first place. A photo can only tell us so much about a relationship, after all.
But if the celebrities in question are listening to their PR teams, it's unlikely those onlookers will get the answers they crave — at least, according to experts, not anytime soon. — Business Insider
Our Take: The majority of this article is about the strategic PR move of staying silent for those in Diddy’s blast radius for exposure. Interesting. ‘Here’s why you’re not gonna hear from your favorites, but it’s the PR firms, see! It’s not a sign of guilt!’
I wanted to check how this lands outside my bubble, so I read this article aloud to K, my leftist best friend that I am traveling through Italy with. She said:
‘F*ck that guy. His music sucks, and he only exists because he rode other people’s coattails. Anyone who rides the coattails of people who are truly brilliant should not be idolized. He signed Biggie and then somehow believed he was the talent. He was never the talent. If what they’re saying is true, he is a sexual sadist, and he should be locked up forever. I never f*cking liked him.’
Then she continued ranting. Solid reaction to evaluate. Tell me what you think in the comments.
The article tells us to not judge PR strategy after a celebrity roll call of people to be thinking about. It’s a big blast radius.
As I write this, she is still ranting about how Diddy’s entire persona is a fabrication. Conclusion: This story has legs.
Ciao! —
Energy Secretary Granholm Emphasizes Need For Small Modular Reactors To Power AI Data Centers
In an appearance on CNBC Tuesday morning, U.S. Energy Secretary Jennifer Granholm sure seemed to acknowledge that small modular reactors - one technology we have claimed will be the future of powering AI - are all but a full on "go" for the future.
Granholm was asked about how data centers would be powered in the future. David Faber asked: "At the same time, we’ve been trying to, obviously, replace typical energy sources with renewables. We now have this incredible potential uptick in the need for power because of data centers and the growth of generative AI."
"How do you see it playing out?" he asked. "I mean, we talk a lot about nuclear power. We were talking about Three Mile Island coming back online, or one of the reactors, and any number of other nuclear sites being recommissioned, so to speak. How is it going to mix out, given our power needs could be 20% higher than right now in a handful of years?" — ZeroHedge
Our Take: This week alone, we've seen a cascade of Nuclear Narratives bubbling beneath the surface of the more cartoonish and entertaining threads that dominate the War of Stories.
From Deep State companies like Microsoft joining with corrupt cronies like Josh Shapiro to kickstart the restoration of the Three Mile Island Nuclear Project following the 1979 accident (ie: False Flag,) to US Secretary of Energy Jennifer Granholm pivoting sharply away from wind and solar rhetoric that saturated the Green New Deal framing of the last decade and instead discussing the need for "Small Modular Reactors," something Trump-aligned Space Force Generals discuss with frequency, it's looking an awful lot like my theory that the 'Great' Reset is being circumvented and transformed into the 'Good' Reset holds water.
The Q Drops suggested we have more control than most believe, and that patriots were going to show us a new world.
That starts by recognizing the one they took from us. —
Taliban Wants To Join BRICS, Seeks Invitation To Russia's Upcoming Summit
Despite not being formally recognized by any country, the Taliban government of Afghanistan is now seeking to join the BRICS economic forum.
"Countries with major resources and the world's biggest economies are associated with the BRICS forum, especially Russia, India, and China," the Taliban government's deputy spokesman Hamdullah Fitrat said.
"Currently, we have good economic ties and commercial exchanges with them. We are keen to expand our relations and participate in the economic forums of the BRICS," he said.
While the Taliban government has not been formally recognized, China and Russia have come close - given they have both hosted Taliban delegations for talks, and they maintain embassies in Kabul even after the US-NATO pullout of August 2021.
The Afghanistan Ministry of Foreign Affairs has further said it hopes to be invited to the BRICS summit to be held on October 22-24 in the southwestern Russian city of Kazan, but that there's "no information so far" on whether the Taliban can attend.
BRICS includes Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa, and has recently inducted new members Iran, the United Arab Emirates, Egypt and Ethiopia.
China and Russia have remained the two major regional Asian powers who show willingness to invest in Afghanistan, and potentially tap its significant natural resources. Both have also welcomed the Taliban's fight against rival extremist terror group, the Islamic State Khorasan (ISIS-K). — ZeroHedge
Our Take: Despite not being formally recognized by any country, the Taliban government of Afghanistan is now seeking to join the BRICS economic forum.
Haha, that statement is so baller.
In case you haven’t noticed, the Sovereign Alliance has seen destroying, effectively, the legitimacy of both NATO and the United Nations.
‘Oh no! The United Nations hasn’t formally recognized our government. But then how will they set up a central bank in my country? Or put me into debt slavery with loans from the IMF? Gasp!’
The Talibros don’t care. They don’t need the UN, especially after Mahmoud Abbas ruthlessly thrashed the organization, highlighting its uselessness and meaningless existence.
Can you imagine how angry it must make the globalists that groups like the Talibros can just walk away from the international rules-based order, and join BRICS?
How will the globalists impose crippling financial sanctions on the Taliban, if the Taliban joins an alternative emerging financial system instead of adopting the petrodollar?
The Taliban joining BRICS would present Washington with 'low-hanging fruit' which could be used to denigrate BRICS on a world stage - especially in light of US anger at growing China, Russia, India cooperation and these countries' refusal to condemn Russian military action in Ukraine.
The gall of these people to think that they still have the social clout to mock and shame those who make them feel nervous, such as the Taliban.
The laughing stock of the world right now is the American Deep State. They are a disgrace. —
Rugpull Radio Ep 94: Special Guest Michael Saylor
Michael Saylor is a masterful communicator in the Bitcoin space, traversing narrative layers with ease; the boys
& got the man himself to pop in for tonight's episode.If you haven't watched Rugpull Radio yet, start here.
This interview did NOT disappoint me.
I've listened to a LOT of Saylor content, and Robert Breedlove's conversation with him remains the gold standard precisely because the approach Breedlove took was steeped in First Principles and organic thought rails, NOT Actuals.
The Rugpull boys took a similar approach here. No softballs. Lot of signal.
Also, Michael Saylor being a Robert Heinlein maximalist is a huge white pill for me that confirms the basedness he's already demonstrated.
"Natural Frequency" is my major takeaway from this conversation, and certainly doesn't disabuse myself or any other sovereign psychos of the notion that everything from Nikola Tesla to Donald Trump to the Q Drops to Elon Musk to Bitcoin are weaving a beautiful tapestry that is part of the greatest plan ever devised.
And one we're a part of.
Find your Frequency. Take your power back. —
BONUS ITEMS
Far-Left Blogger Publishes Iranian-Hacked Dossier on J.D. Vance, Doxing His Social Security Number, Physical Addresses, Cell Numbers, and E-Mails.
Far-left blogger Ken Klippenstein has published an internal campaign vetting dossier on the 2024 Republican Party’s vice presidential nominee, Senator J.D. Vance (R-OH). Klippenstein, who previously worked as a journalist with The Intercept and the far-left progressive commentary web show The Young Turks, posted the material believed to have been hacked by the Islamic Republic of Iran on his Substack on Thursday. The National Pulse is choosing not to link to the dossier, given the plethora of personal information contained therein.
The dossier published by Klippenstein contains a bevy of private information belonging to Vance, including his social security number, personal phone number, physical addresses, and private email addresses. Klippenstein made no effort to conceal other private details and contact information for the vice presidential nominee, potentially constituting a threat to Vance and his family.
The 271-page document itself is fairly typical for any campaign’s vetting process. It raises several concerns about past policy positions and statements and weighs how these may impact the presidential ticket. The vetting materials make note of Vance’s early opposition to President Donald J. Trump’s 2016 campaign and some concerns over his ‘conservative’ bona fides.
Throughout the vetting document, Vance is revealed to be far less radically right-wing than portrayed by national Democrats and Kamala Harris’s presidential campaign. The Ohio Republican comes across as thoughtful and open to a wide array of policies and ideological propositions. — National Pulse
Disney Layoffs Underway: Hundreds Of Corporate Staffers Impacted
More layoff news in what already has been a depressing week. Disney is in the middle of a new wave of cuts as part of a “cost-saving initiative,” sources tell Deadline. We hear about 300 or so people are affected by the layoffs that started yesterday and are continuing today and tomorrow, with a possibility to stretch beyond that.
The positions — all based in the U.S. — are across Disney’s corporate operations, including legal, HR, finance and communications, we hear. Among the divisions that are not impacted in this round are Parks, ESPN as well as Disney Entertainment.
“We continually evaluate ways to invest in our businesses and more effectively manage our resources and costs to fuel the state-of-the-art creativity and innovation that consumers value and expect from Disney,” a Disney spokesperson said in a statement to Deadline. “As part of this ongoing optimization work, we have been reviewing the cost structure for our corporate-level functions and have determined there are ways for them to operate more efficiently.”
Today’s cuts follow the July 31 round of layoffs at Disney Entertainment Television when about 140 people were let go, representing about 2% of the total DET workforce, and Disney animation studio Pixar reducing staff by 14% in May.
Disney’s layoffs started yesterday, on the same day Paramount Global laid off hundreds in the second round of its own layoffs aiming to cut 15% of the company’s U.S. workforce, with Paramount+ getting the brunt of the cuts. — Deadline
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.
Wow interesting stuff with the Taliban ... the baller statement was perfect. I'm not sure if crypto is our future but right now it's life changing money to be made. There's still many that think it's bad because they(DS) want centralized which is controlled and it's the decentralized that's safe. Disney is dead to me for now... love these layoffs. And I'm still a Putin fan because he's quite clear on his position against evil. Ty Badlands!
A great quote from BB to end the week:
“…everything from Nikola Tesla to Donald Trump to the Q Drops to Elon Musk to Bitcoin are weaving a beautiful tapestry that is part of the greatest plan ever devised.
And one we're a part of.
Find your Frequency. Take your power back.” — Burning Bright
❤️🕊