Badlands News Brief

Trump's Slings and Arrows ... Hunter's Threats

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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. Feel free to follow the corresponding link to see their other work.

Now, onto the news from Monday, August 21 …

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Trump's bond set at $200,000 in Georgia case, warned about social media threats

A Fulton County judge has set former President Donald Trump's bond at $200,000 in District Attorney Fani Willis' election interference case.

Trump and the other 18 defendants in the case have been given until Friday at noon to appear at the Fulton County Jail for processing. The former president said Monday evening on his social media platform that he intends to surrender in Georgia on Thursday.

In addition to Trump, Fulton County Superior Court Judge Scott McAfee set bond Monday for attorneys John Eastman and Kenneth Chesebro at $100,000, for Ray Smith III at $50,000, and for Scott Hall at $10,000.

Eastman is expected to surrender on Wednesday, according to the California judge overseeing Eastman's disbarment proceedings, who wrote in a filing Monday that "the court is willing to make certain changes in this week's trial to accommodate Dr. Eastman's surrender in Fulton County, Georgia."

All the defendants' bond agreements include a provision that they "shall perform no act to intimidate any person known to him or her to be a codefendant or witness in this case or to otherwise obstruct the administration of justice."

Trump's bond agreement says that includes "no direct or indirect threat" against codefendants or witnesses. — ABC News

Our Take: “Ever since the first Trump indictment earlier this year (somewhat surreal to read, right?) we’ve been prepared mentally for this week, and for those that will follow. If you’ve been around for years, and are familiar with drops from a particular letter of the alphabet, then it’s likely been something you’ve been prepared for for far longer.

That said, on the eve of Trump’s public arrest and likely mug shot, the overall persuasion and psychological temperature of his growing (and larger than ever) support base isn’t reactive and emotional, nor even muted … but excited.

There’s SOME anxiety in the air, but I don’t think it’s from Trump or his allies. I think it’s from his political enemies.

Trump is innocent. He knows this. We know this. The enemy knows it, too.

Watch the events of the coming days, and ruminate on their impact on the Collective Mind with one simple question in mind:

After this week, is Donald J. Trump going to look like he’s a part of the Establishment … or an existential threat to its continued existence?” —

Burning Bright

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MSNBC Talking Head Delights At Thought Of Trump In A "Really Dirty, Dangerous, Scary" Jail

An MSNBC talking head daydreamed about Donald Trump visiting a dirty, scary and dangerous jail, delighting in the idea that Trump could be “really freaked out” by it.

Host Alicia Menendez asked guest Jill Wine-Banks how the process of Trump visiting Fulton County jail in Georgia will be different from the previous indictments he has faced.

The talking head shot back “It’s going to be very different because they have said that they are going to do mug shots and fingerprints. And he will be turning himself in at the Fulton County Jail, not in a federal building, not in a clean, nice environment.”

She continued,”It is, from what we hear from the press, a really dirty, dangerous, scary place.”

“So it’s going to be a very different picture. And I think the picture of him there, I think his experience of being in a real jail – I can tell you that some of the Watergate defendants, when they were put in the D.C. jail, really freaked out. And we had to move them to a Army base where they could be housed without being in fear at all times so that they could cooperate and testify,” Wine Banks added. — Summit News

Our Take: “When I was in high school, I read a series of novels by Frank Peretti that started with This Present Darkness. The universe of this series shows the reader the natural and spiritual realms mixed together, and there is one part that I remember vividly:

A leftist academic was napping and dreaming her best dreams, while a demon sat above her head stirring her brain with his finger.

That is what I imagine is happening as Ms. Wine-Banks gleefully imagines Trump’s public humiliation. What we consider TDS is a religious crusade to get Trump. Wine-Banks is in denial though, because the unlawful and unprecedented treatment of Trump is a rallying cry that accelerates the great awakening.

I also laughed at her description of the jail in Atlanta where taxpayers pour money into the (in)justice system. It’s dirty and scary and terrifying. What about justice reform and humane conditions? Where’s the money going?

Still voting Trump.” —

Ashe in America

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Soaring Number Of Americans Want Nuclear Power

Several months after Elon Musk shared his thoughts on X (previously Twitter), advocating for greater use of nuclear power in response to a Times Magazine article featuring J. Robert Oppenheimer's grandson's views on nuclear's role in a net zero-carbon economy, a Pew Research Center survey noted a rise in the number of Americans supporting nuclear power. 

About 57% of Americans (a majority) say they now favor nuclear power generation plants nationwide, up 14 percentage points since 2020, according to Pew. This dramatic rise in just a few short years as demand for electricity with the 'electrify everything' push, including in transportation, soars. 

Pew said respondents still favored solar power (82%) and wind power (75%) over nuclear power, though the biggest takeaway is that nuclear power support rises. 

We presented a bull nuclear thesis to readers back in December 2020, recommending uranium on the belief that nuclear power would eventually be incorporated into the ESG (Environmental, Social, and Governance) framework, as highlighted in our article "Is This The Beginning Of The Next ESG Craze," is proving to be accurate.

"It's also important to underscore that nuclear energy became unpopular in part due to its association with nuclear weapons and fears about its safety. But the actual safety record shows it is one of the safest sources of energy, and it is becoming more popular to be an environmentalist and pro-nuclear," Charles Oppenheimer wrote. — ZeroHedge

Our Take: “It seems as though many Americans are no longer buying into the push to ‘go green.’

Since 2020, the percentage of Americans in favor of Nuclear Power has increased by 14 points—a clear sign that the majority of the American public, by and large, is no longer interested in a green agenda powered by batteries and wind farms.

Such a sharp increase in such a short period of time is not just a shot across the bow; it is a stark signal that the green narrative is being lost and that more and more people are beginning to see the Climate Change boogeyman for what it truly is: A worldwide power grab.” —

Paul Fleuret

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Lionsgate Brings Back Mask Mandates in Office

Is it starting again?

A Hollywood studio has instituted a mask mandate for its employees in light of the current COVID wave. Lionsgate sent an email to staff asking them to mask up on certain floors of its Santa Monica office after several employees caught the virus. The studio is also asking employees to conduct self-screening before coming to the office.

While this is obviously just one office of one studio, the move comes amid some national buzz about whether mask mandates might be returning as variant EG.5 has become dominant in the United States.

The variety has caused an apparent boost in cases (the L.A. Public Health Twitter feed says cases are rising in the area, and the CDC’s website says hospital admissions are up 14 percent nationally this week). Yet experts have also said this omicron-descendent variant — which has been spreading domestically since April — has thus far shown to be no more of a cause of concern than previous variants. According to reporting by The New York Times, the new variety isn’t expected to cause a major wave akin to the first omicron outbreak. — The Hollywood Reporter

Our Take: “The Establishment raised the white flag officially on October 31, 2022 when they begged for mass amnesty and sparked the biggest post-COVID backlash to date ... which, of course, is going to pale in comparison to the ACTUAL backlash to the most damaging PsyOp and Mass Terror campaign launched on the world population in ... ever, I suppose.

They know what's coming. They know nothing can stop it.

And it’s going to be beautiful.” —

Burning Bright

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Tucker Ep. 18 — Into the abyss: Colonel Douglas Macgregor tells us why the Ukraine war must end now.

(CLICK THE IMAGE BELOW TO WATCH THE FULL EPISODE ON ‘X’)

Our Take: “Tucker Carlson posted a video of himself visiting with the Serbian diplomatic delegation Monday and, in response, Adam Kinzinger called him a ‘traitor to the US’ on Twitter.

I wonder how he feels about the interview of Carlson with Colonel Douglas Macgregor (US Army, retired) that the host dropped a few hours later.

The colonel said the US Armed Forces have ‘lost a sense of what is right,’ that ‘morale and discipline’ are close to where they were in the late 1970s, and that there are cracks of disunity that war with Ukraine threatens to grow into massive ‘fissures.’

He also affirmed what we all know to be true: Ukraine is losing. Badly.

I’m sure Kinzinger has mean tweets on deck to attack the decorated combat veteran. The disgraced former lawmaker’s participation in the sham J6 Committee coverup is actually treason. Like the rest of the establishment oath breakers, Kinzinger is projecting his own crimes onto those speaking truth.

It’s no longer working, as two-thirds are smart to government corruption, and that makes it entertaining to watch.” —

Ashe in America

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BONUS ITEMS

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In talks with prosecutors, Hunter Biden’s lawyers vowed to put the president on the stand

It was Halloween of 2022, and Hunter Biden’s lawyer, Chris Clark, didn’t sound happy. Just three weeks earlier, news had leaked that federal agents believed they had enough evidence to charge his client with illegally buying a gun as a drug user.

The leak was “illegal,” the lawyer wrote to the U.S. attorney overseeing the probe. The prosecution, he argued, would be seen as purely political, and it might even violate the Second Amendment.

Then he issued a warning: If the Justice Department charged the president’s son, his lawyers would put the president on the witness stand.

“President Biden now unquestionably would be a fact witness for the defense in any criminal trial,” Clark wrote in a 32-page letter reviewed by POLITICO.

That letter, along with more than 300 pages of previously unreported emails and documents exchanged between Hunter Biden’s legal team and prosecutors, sheds new light on the fraught negotiations that nearly produced a broad plea deal. That deal would have resolved Biden’s most pressing legal issues — the gun purchase and his failure to pay taxes for several years — and it also could have helped insulate Biden from future prosecution by a Republican-led Justice Department.

The documents show how the deal collapsed — a sudden turnabout that occurred after Republicans bashed it and a judge raised questions about it. The collapse renewed the prospect that Biden will head to trial as his father ramps up his 2024 reelection bid. — Politico

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RFK Jr. Blasts Biden's Approving F-16s For Ukraine "A Disaster For Humanity"

Democrat presidential hopeful Robert F. Kennedy Jr. has blasted President Biden for issuing formal approval for European nations to export US-made F-16 fighter jets to Ukraine, calling it a "disaster" in the making for Ukraine and the world.

RFK Jr. said somewhat sarcastically on X (formerly Twitter) that it's a "great decision for the defense industry, but a disaster for Ukraine and humanity." He emphasized that "F-16s won’t stop the collapse of the Ukrainian military (which some experts say is imminent). These planes require a lot of training and maintenance. This isn’t the movies."

He has elsewhere called on the Biden administration to admit the "failure" of its Ukraine policy and to instead focus on the domestic crises impacting the nation. This comes also as the Maui death toll could continue to soar as emergency crews are still digging through rubble left in the wake of the devastating fires.

As for the F-16s, they are unlikely to go operational in Ukraine until next year, possibly as late as next summer, given Ukrainian pilots must complete a lengthy training program. Both Denmark and the Netherlands have said they will supply the initial round of a half-dozen jets, due to be delivered around New Year.

Russia responded Monday to Biden's formal approval late last week for F-16s to Kiev, which includes the start of a pilot training program based in Denmark. Moscow is warning this will only escalate the war. — ZeroHedge

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Rep. Gaetz Introduces Bill To Censure, Investigate Judge In Trump 2020 Election Case

Rep. Matt Gaetz (R-Fla.) is introducing a resolution to censure U.S. District Court Judge Tanya Chutkan and open an investigation into her "for showing open bias and partisanship in her official duties on the bench."

Judge Chutkan is overseeing a case against former President Donald Trump, brought by the Department of Justice (DOJ) for conspiracy in his challenge of the 2020 election results. She has already overseen many other cases related to the Jan. 6, 2021, Capitol protest, which is being investigated by special counsel Jack Smith. About 1,000 people have already been sentenced for crimes related to the day's events, and Judge Chutkan has been known to hand down harsh prison sentences.

"Judge Tanya Chutkan’s extreme sentencing of January 6th defendants, while openly supporting the violent Black Lives Matter riots of 2020, showcases a complete disregard for her duty of impartiality and the rule of law," Mr. Gaetz said.

He appeared to be referring to remarks the judge made in one Jan. 6-related sentencing. — The Epoch Times

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Progressive insurance sued for 'patently unlawful' racism by offering $25,000 grants to help black-owned businesses buy vehicles, but ruling out whites, Asians, Latinos, and others

Progressive insurance has been sued for 'patently unlawful' racism by offering $25,000 grants to help black-owned businesses buy vehicles — but barring white, Asian, Latino, and other entrepreneurs from applying.

The lawsuit was filed by the conservative group America First Legal (AFL) and others on behalf of Nathan Roberts, the owner of Ohio-based Freedom Truck Dispatch, who couldn't apply because he's white.

Progressive, which is known for its quirky adverts, did not answer DailyMail.com's requests for comment. They have said the grants were there to help black-owned firms that have historically struggled to access capital.

AFL lawyer Gene Hamilton said the case was part of a broader assault against big corporations that inject 'racial considerations into every aspect of their business operations, employment practices, and so much more.' — The Daily Mail

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Meta's Threads User-Hemorrhage Continues

Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg admitted in leaked audio last month that Threads, a Twitter clone, was failing after it experienced a massive influx of users, upwards of 100 million downloads in five days after lunch but has since hemorrhaged a large percentage of those users.  

At Thread's peak, just days after the July 5 launch, the microblogging app had 50 million daily active users worldwide.

Now the total number of daily active users is less than ten million, according to The Wall Street Journal, citing new data from analytics firm SimilarWeb. — ZeroHedge

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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.