Badlands News Brief
Manhatt-Insanity, Biden Gorillas & Muskian Moves
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.
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Now, onto the news from Wednesday, May 28 …
"This Is Insanity": Judge In Trump Case Issues Unbelievable Jury Instructions
Legal minds are beside themselves at how the judge in the Trump 'hush money' case has instructed jurors to rule - first in what constitutional law professor Jonathan Turley called "the coup de grace instruction," Judge Juan Merchan said that there is no need to agree on what occurred - and can disagree on what the crime was among the charges.
"Merchan just delivered the coup de grace instruction," Turley wrote on X. "He said that there is no need to agree on what occurred. They can disagree on what the crime was among the three choices. Thus, this means that they could split 4-4-4 and he will still treat them as unanimous..."
"This is absolute insanity," posted Missouri Attorney General Andrew Baily, in response to another Turley observation - namely that the jury will not be given copies of their instructions, but can ask for them to be read again. — ZeroHedge
Our Take: “The NY Election Interference jury began deliberations today, and pretty much the entire internet is dooming. From Jonathan Turley on X:
If the Trump trials are a corruption exposure operation, Merchan’s courtroom is doing a lot of heavy lifting. Turley continued:
Mid-afternoon the jury rang the buzzer with a note for the court with, according to Turley, four specific requests:
The world is bracing for a Guilty verdict, as the jury deliberates. Either way, Trump 2024.” —
Biden campaign makes a ‘guerrilla-style’ pivot on the Trump trial
After six weeks of staying clear of the courthouse at 100 Centre Street, Joe Biden’s campaign on Tuesday showed up to hold their own event — a dramatic reversal of the president’s strategy in the final days of Donald Trump’s trial.
The change comes as Biden tries to catch up with Trump, who has been leading in most key battleground state polls even as he has been mostly confined to New York for the duration of the trial.
Much like Trump has done through part of the trial, Biden’s campaign team brought their own set of surrogates to parade before the mob of television cameras that have camped out outside the courthouse each day to hear from Trump’s allies.
Asked by a reporter why the president’s reelection campaign decided to hold an event at Trump’s trial, his communications director had a simple answer: “Because you all are here,” Michael Tyler said.
“You’ve been incessantly covering this, day in and day out,” Tyler continued, later saying the Biden team would seek to remind voters of “the stakes of this election.” — Politico
Our Take: “Just a day after we get a wide-ranging deep dive on the 'Dem Panic' coming out of the Establishment in DC written BY the Establishment in the Media Industrial Complex, we get a follow-up about how the Biden team is attempting to address it.
The strategy, as we've seen in memetic fashion over the last 24 hours, seems to include recruiting washed-up Hollywoke weirdos (and probably worse,) heckling Trump and his supporters at the site of an ongoing miscarriage of the US justice system.
So, they're doubling down on their support of the very Witch Hunt that has contributed to Trump's surging poll numbers and support among an increasingly bipartisan audience.
What struck me most about this one, however, is how the piece frames the campaign's attempts to remain relevant.
That's right ... even the MSM is acknowledging that Biden isn't just behind Trump where it concerns the public mind ... he's not even RELEVANT unless it's in direct comparison to Trump himself.” —
Trump weighs possible advisory role for Elon Musk, WSJ reports
Former President Trump and Elon Musk have begun speaking on the phone several times a month, including about a potential advisory role for the Tesla CEO in a second Trump administration, The Wall Street Journal reports.
Why it matters: Musk has become one of President Biden's most prominent online critics, leveraging his massive X platform to attack Democrats and promote Trump's messaging on the 2024 election's top issues.
The billionaire X mogul hasn't officially endorsed Trump, but the two met privately in March as the former president sought to boost his fundraising ahead of the general election.
Since then, Trump and Musk have developed a closer relationship and exchanged views on immigration, electric vehicles, the U.S. Space Force, and Musk's portfolio of companies, according to the Journal.
Zoom in: The loose role Trump has floated for Musk would be similar to that of former Marvel chairman Ike Perlmutter, a longtime Trump acquaintance who quietly helped shape policies at the Department of Veterans Affairs, the Journal reports. — Axios
Our Take: “The timing of this is hardly subtle, with the news we covered yesterday regarding the Saudis investing in Elon's AI company, but also creating their own space company.
Now Trump is seeding the idea of Elon being in his cabinet?
This part is interesting: ‘Trump and Musk have developed a closer relationship and exchanged views on immigration, electric vehicles, the U.S. Space Force, and Musk's portfolio of companies, according to the Journal.’
Somebody is going to have to roll out the technology that we believe has been withheld from the public, and it makes a lot of sense for that person to be Elon. He already became the top contractor for Trump's DOD, during Trump's first term.
I wonder if these moves represent the foundations of an emerging technology sector? As in very advanced technology.” —
US military pier temporarily removed from Gaza coast for repairs
A U.S. military-built pier off Gaza's coast is being temporarily removed after a part of the structure broke off, the Pentagon said on Tuesday, in the latest blow to efforts to deliver humanitarian aid to Palestinians.
The pier was announced by U.S. President Joe Biden in March and involved the military assembling the floating structure off the coast. Estimated to cost $320 million for the first 90 days and involve about 1,000 U.S. service members, it went into operation two weeks ago.
Pentagon spokesperson Sabrina Singh said a portion of the pier had separated and that the pier would be towed over the next 48 hours to Ashdod port in Israel for repairs.
Singh added the pier would take over a week to repair and then returned to its place off the coast of Gaza.
U.S. officials, who spoke on condition of anonymity, told Reuters earlier on Tuesday that bad weather was believed to be the reason that the part of the pier had broken off. — Reuters
Our Take: “The humiliation event is now complete, and still feels way too similar in spirit to the Afghanistan PsyAct. (Which has now intwined with the Sovereign Alliance.)
Just like with the Afghanistan PsyAct, there are tangent dynamics that amount to a silver lining—such as the billions of dollars of military equipment that the Taliban used to hunt down the ISIS-K mercenaries that bombed the airport and killed those 13 US soldiers.
There has been speculation that this pier would be used to evacuate refugees to Europe and the United States. I found an interesting map that somebody made, which shows the evacuation routes that Israel has instructed the Palestinians to follow. The people in the north were told to head south, and the people in Rafah were told to head north. They say that about a million people have left Rafah.
On the map, you can clearly see that the point of convergence for these two groups is conveniently right where this temporary pier has been installed; So the theory is not unfounded.
When you consider that the IDF bulldozed the only airport in Gaza (Yasser Arafat Airport) back in 2002, and recently closed all the gates out of Gaza, this pier really would represent the only way to move ‘displaced migrants’ out. Whether this be something scripted, or divine intervention, the next major migrant crisis may have just been averted—or at least delayed.” —
Jill Biden: ‘We Will Lose All of Our Rights’ if Another Republican Gets on Supreme Court
First Lady Jill Biden said Wednesday on ABC’s “The View” that we will “lose all of our rights” if another Republican is confirmed to the Supreme Court.
Sara Haines said, “Women are likely to play a crucial role in November and we’ve heard bragging about stripping women’s reproductive rights, 14 states have a total ban on abortion, and now IVF is under attack. How dangerous a time is this for women, and how much worse could it get in a second or third as you mentioned Trump presidency?”
Biden said, “It could get a lot worse under a Trump presidency. I mean, you have to believe him when he uses words like dictator, bloodbath, third term, violence. We’ve seen it so when he says these words, believe him. Don’t think this isn’t going to happen.”
She continued, “And women’s rights, absolutely women’s rights and IVF. I mean, we have have to have a choice. Joe wants to codify Roe and we have to. We have to fight hard so we get it back.” — Breitbart
Our Take: “When Jill Biden talks about ‘rights,’ she’s talking about the emotional fever dream of the progressive left. The ‘right’ to not be offended, the ‘right’ to murder babies, the ‘right’ to disarm, to silence, to tip the scales of justice.
When the fever breaks, you look around and realize that our actual inalienable rights are long gone by founding measures.
Speech. Arms. Privacy. Movement. Assembly. Free Exchange. Representation. None of our inalienable rights are actually inalienable in 2024.
Dr. Jill is just gaslighting white leftist women into believing they’re saving democracy by destroying the Republic. They’re the actual worst, and she is their queen.” —
Russia Is Preparing To Strategically Partner With The Taliban
The driving force for removing the Taliban’s terrorist designation and inviting it to next month’s investment forum is the desire to make tangible progress on reaching a strategic energy deal with Pakistan, which would complete its Ummah Pivot and Greater Eurasian Partnership.
The Taliban remain international outcasts due to their refusal to implement a truly ethno-politically inclusive government per their prior promises as well as their treatment of women. Although no tangible progress has been made on either of those two very sensitive issues, economic and security interests pushed regional stakeholders to enter into de facto relations with this group for pragmatic reasons. Out of all those that have done so, Russia is far ahead of them all as proven by these latest developments:
* 16 May 2024: “Afghan Taliban no longer Russia’s enemy — Russian diplomat”
* 17 May 2024: “Afghanistan to expand range of goods exported to Russia — deputy PM Overchuk”
* 24 May 2024: “Taliban can stabilize Afghanistan if left to its own devices — FSB director”
* 27 May 2024: “Russia invites Taliban to St. Petersburg International Economic Forum — Foreign Ministry”
* 27 May 2024: “Russian ministries propose to Putin to remove Taliban from terrorist list — envoy”
As can be seen, Russia’s previous threat perception of the Taliban has disappeared, and it now considers the group to be a regional security provider with respect to containing ISIS-K. — Andrew Korybko
Our Take: “Wanted to highlight some interesting Sovereign Alliance tidbits threaded throughout a recent piece by Andrew Korybko, which also has Doha Agreement written all over it:
Russia no longer considers the Taliban a terror threat, and in fact considers them to be instrumental in containing the threat of (Deep State) terror group ISIS-K since the Kabul Withdrawal in August 2021. This is a continuation of Trump's post-Doha Agreement vision.
The Taliban is assisting Russia in brokering talks with Pakistan (and vice versa) about inroads to energy trade between all three nations, something that would have been unthinkable a few years ago.
The core tenets of Russia's outreach policy, which includes the new Afghanistan, is built around multi-polarity, in that it seeks to broker energy and trade deals that avoid co-dependence between vassal states and major powers, such as China.
The new world is being constructed before our eyes.
The Sovereign Alliance is real.” —
Soldiers in Ukraine say US-supplied tanks have made them targets for Russian strikes
Ukrainian crews working on US-supplied Abrams tanks have told CNN of a series of the weaknesses and flaws with the armored vehicles, calling into doubt their utility on the war’s ever-changing frontlines. The donation was announced by US President Joe Biden as evidence of the United States’ “enduring and unflagging commitment to Ukraine.”
CNN journalists were the first reporters to see the M1 Abrams in Ukraine, at a location in the country’s east, where around six vehicles were visible, hiding in the foliage.
Crews trained in Germany said the vehicles – the US military’s main $10 million battle tank used in Iraq against Saddam Hussein’s forces and insurgents – lacked armor that could stop modern weapons.
“Its armor is not sufficient for this moment,” said one crew member, callsign Joker. “It doesn’t protect the crew. For real, today this is the war of drones. So now, when the tank rolls out, they always try to hit them.”
His colleague, Dnipro, added they are the “number one target.”
“Without defense, the crew doesn’t survive at the battlefield,” he said. — CNN
Our Take: “The actuals here are pretty amazing—perhaps even a Devolution-proof, of sorts.
First, some background on the Abrams tank: It was first deployed in 1980, and is considered a third generation battle tank. The first generation of battle tanks were the infamous tanks of World War II. It was actually the Russians who built what is considered the premiere tank of this era, the T-34, which certainly wasn't "safe" for its occupants, but performed well, was easy and cheap to build, and was responsible for defeating the Nazis at the Battle of Kursk, which was not only the largest tank battle of all time, but also the single-largest battle in human history, with over 2 million combatants and 6,000 tanks.
Anyone who is familiar with German firearms can tell you that the Germans are autistic masterminds when it comes to engineering, and it was no different with their tanks. Of the 30+ types of tanks deployed by various nations during WWII, it was the Nazi's Tiger I that was the most feared on any battlefield, and not just because it was the most intimidating in appearance. However, the Tiger was over-engineered, extremely expensive to build, and like German firearms, required custom-made parts to maintain. The Nazis were only able to produce 1,300 during the war, while the Soviets made over 80,000 T-34's. (The American M4 Sherman was considered a "death trap" by GI's. Its gun was too small, armor too thin, and it had a small, nimble design, looking more like a clown car than a battle tank.)
So while the Germans produced the highest quality tanks, and pioneered maneuver-warfare doctrine with the "blitzkrieg" strategy devised by Heinz Guderian and Erwin Rommel, it is the Russians who have proven themselves to be the masters of combined-arms operations—the mixed use of infantry and armored vehicles. (It was the Russians who defeated Germany. America defeated Japan.)
(Point is, you can't just throw a bunch of untrained Slavs in some armor and put them up against the Russkies, which is probably why Ukraine announced last month that it was pulling all its Abrams off the battlefield, to keep from losing them.)
So we sent Ukraine 31 M1A1 Abrams back in January 2023. What nobody told Zelensky was that back in June 2022, the Pentagon announced that it had commissioned General Dynamics to develop the first new American tank in over 40 years, so I guess we were just emptying our surplus. We now know that it is called the M10 Booker, and appears so promising that last September the Pentagon announced that it was scrapping its plan to upgrade the aging Abrams fleet, instead opting to develop a whole new Abrams prototype. (Sorry, Zelensky.)
In the end, it doesn't matter how fancy (or obsolete, haha) the toys are that you send to Ukraine. These Slavic conscripts have no clue how to fight with tanks, as the reports say that they are using the Abrams as "pillboxes," (stationary) nullifying one of the Abrams' greatest advantages: its speed.
The fact that they are going up against the gurus of armored warfare certainly doesn't help.” —
BONUS ITEMS
Putin would applaud Biden absence at Swiss peace summit, says Zelenskiy
Volodymyr Zelenskiy has said Vladimir Putin will give a standing ovation to Joe Biden if the US president fails to attend a peace summit in Switzerland next month.
On a visit to Brussels where he signed a 10-year security pact with Belgium, the Ukrainian leader said it would not be “a strong decision” if Biden failed to attend the talks scheduled for 15-16 June near Lucerne.
“[The] peace summit needs President Biden and so do the other leaders who look at the reaction of the United States. Putin will only applaud his absence, personally applaud it – and standing, at that,” Zelenskiy said.
The conference is being organised at Zelensky’s request to secure “a just and lasting peace” but Russia has not been invited, so it remains unclear what it can achieve.
More than 160 delegations have been invited, including members of the G7, G20, the EU, the Council of Europe and the UN. Zelenskiy said he was also expecting a reply from China and Brazil, and stressed that all participation mattered. “Believe me every voice is important.” — The Guardian
House COVID panel requests access to Fauci’s personal email and cellphone ahead of testimony
House COVID-19 Committee Chairman Brad Wenstrup on Wednesday requested access to former National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID) director Anthony Fauci's cellphone and personal email records.
The request comes ahead of Fauci's planned testimony next week, in front of the House Select Subcommittee on the Coronavirus Pandemic. Wenstrup said there is new evidence that suggests Fauci used his personal email and cellphone for government communication.
The request comes after Fauci’s Senior Advisor Dr. David Morens emailed former EcoHealth President Dr. Peter Daszak and stated that he could send messages to Fauci privately to dodge Freedom of Information Act requests.
“I can either send stuff to Tony on his private gmail, or hand it to him at work," Morens wrote in the email, dated 2021. "He is too smart to let colleagues send him stuff that could cause trouble."
Wenstrup said the new information was concerning, and has prompted an investigation into a "secret back channel" Morens also alluded to in a separate email. — Just the 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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Hey Jill: the term “reproductive rights” is like the term “racist”; no one pays attention any more. Women have right to sleep with anyone they want. But if they get pregnant there is only one outcome and it’s an autonomous entity…NOT THEIR OWN BODY. So sit down and shut up. You don’t want the baby?? Put it up for adoption. Or better yet, don’t sleep around!!!!
GBPH you had the most thought provoking comment of the day: "I wonder if these moves represent the foundations of an emerging technology sector? As in very advanced technology.” — GhostofBasedPatrickHenry" . I have often wondered how we introduce what has been hidden from us for generations (or longer) and the notion of using the caricature created of Elon to "introduce" advanced (hidden) technologies makes it much easier... very interesting.
And yes BB I agree that: "The Sovereign Alliance is real.” — Burning Bright". There are so many moving parts and they are all working in concert against the DS Rat Bastards across the world that NCSWIC!
Love y'alls work!
God Wins!
God Bless!!!