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.
Some items feature original (and subjective) commentary. Feel free to follow the corresponding link to see our writers’ corresponding Substack accounts and check out their other work.
Now, onto the news from Thursday, January 11 …
US, allies attack Houthi targets in Yemen in response to missile barrages in the Red Sea
The United States and its allies on Thursday launched air and missile strikes at Houthi rebel targets across Yemen after the Iran-backed militia staged multiple drone and missile attacks on ships traversing the Red Sea.
The joint assault, which involved U.S. aircraft, ships and submarines, came after the Houthis ignored weeks of warnings by Washington and its allies to stop their attacks on vessels in the commercially important waterway. The U.S. and the U.K., with support from Australia, Canada, the Netherlands and Bahrain, conducted the strikes.
“The response of the international community to these reckless attacks has been united and resolute,” President Joe Biden said. “These targeted strikes are a clear message that the United States and our partners will not tolerate attacks on our personnel or allow hostile actors to imperil freedom of navigation in one of the world’s most critical commercial routes. — Politico
Our Take: “Trump signed off on a shadow war against Iran before he left office in Jan 2021.
In my opinion: What’s happening tonight is CENTCOM Gen Kurilla and the coalition in the region hitting targets.
Remember the fake news from like two weeks ago that this coalition was falling apart?
Heh.
It’s kinda neat how there’s a shadow war against Iran at the same time that Iranian proxies like Hamas, Hezbollah, and Houthis are being battered by forces of Israel, US and others.
The CIA/Mossad/Islamo-Fascist Frankenstein is being put down.” —
Another Take: “Right.
All of which is why the media attempts to conflate the actions of nation states with those of terror organizations and proxies.
Funny. When Trump was IN office (publicly,) it was a really bad time to be running or funding a terrorist organization, such as ISIS.
But ... thing is, now that he's OUT of office (publicly,) it seems to be an even worse time to be running or funding a terrorist organization ... (think Azov, Hamas, Hezbollah, Houthis, Congress, etc.)
Sovereign Alliance. Regions of Responsibility. Multi-polar world order.
Coordination doesn't always take the form of parallel kinetic action.” —
Closing arguments in Trump's civil fraud trial in New York
Donald Trump brought the campaign trail to the courthouse during closing arguments of his $370 million New York civil fraud trial on Thursday, delivering campaign speeches both inside and outside the courtroom to attack the case against him and the attorney general who brought it.
Trump’s decision to launch into a monologue at the conclusion of his lawyers’ closing arguments reflected the fact that the civil fraud trial is a serious threat to Trump’s business and brand – New York Attorney General Letitia James is seeking to bar Trump from doing business in the state – as well as how Trump is eager to take advantage of the situation as he runs for president.
Judge Arthur Engoron has already found Trump is liable for fraud in the civil case, and he plans to issue a full decision by the end of the month. — CNN
Our Take: “Trump was in court (again) on Thursday for closing arguments in the NY Civil Fraud trial — the Letitia James witch hunt about inflated business valuations where there has been no injury or harm either alleged or proven.
Judge Engoron was presiding. I bet he’s gonna be sad when his 15 minutes are up.
From CNN’s record of the proceedings, it appears to be more of the same, with the witch hunters getting ‘poetic license’ and wide berth, while President Trump and his attorneys are cut off from finishing a thought. Engoron is expected to rule by January 31, though he has already ruled on the top line charge — against 45 — and this case is dealing with the accompanying charges. I predict his findings of fact will be that Trump is Satan and his conclusions of law will be that Trump is liable for eleventy billion dollars.
I summarized all the cases against the President in my Badlands feature earlier this week, so check it out to get caught up.
45 will be back in court next week for another round with E. Jean Carroll, because these are super serious law endeavors and not at all election interference.” —
How Lloyd Austin’s Deputy Ended Up Running the Pentagon From the Beach
For four days in January, most of Washington, including President Biden, didn’t know who was running the Pentagon.
Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin was secretly rushed to Walter Reed Military Medical Center on New Year’s Day, suffering from nausea and severe pain. It would be eight days before the president learned why.
So began a series of events without modern precedent. Austin—sixth in the line of presidential succession and second in the line of military command after the president—was hospitalized and his deputy required to step in from a beach in Puerto Rico where she was on vacation, days before President Biden was informed.
Only a small cadre of aides was aware that Austin was hospitalized. Most others in the Pentagon, including Deputy Defense Secretary Kathleen Hicks, who was carrying out his duties, were kept in the dark, according to the Pentagon’s current version of events. Sasha Baker, the Defense Department’s top policy official and the most senior official present at the Pentagon during that time, attended a meeting at the White House on Jan. 3, unaware that Austin was hospitalized. — WSJ
Our Take: “While it can sometimes feel isolating to question the Central Narrative, it's becoming increasingly untenable for an otherwise healthy, sane mind to perceive said Narrative without an exponential increase in psychological tension and its ensuing cognitive dissonance.
You could sub in any number of 'Current Crisis' to this cypher, but how's this for starters?
The Normie Layers of the Collective Mind are simultaneously being told that we're on the brink of WW3, that US and UK carrier groups are actively engaged with Iran-backed terrorists in the Red Sea, and that China is growing increasingly bullish on its reunification mission re: Taiwan ...
All while the man they tell us is the Secretary of Defense is MIA to his own Admin for four days, while the officer reportedly running the show was doing so from a literal beach while sipping Mai Tais.
Now, either all of the above is various levels of fake, OR it signals that these people do not currently wield the power they say they do.” —
'A Significant Shift': Blue Collar Democrats Switching To Republican In 'Deep Purple' Pennsylvania
Nearly 59,000 registered Pennsylvania Democrats left the party in 2023; that makes more voters than fans needed to fill the capacity of the Franklin Field Football Stadium at the University of Pennsylvania.
Of those nearly 59,000 who left the Democratic Party, 36,950 switched to the Republican party, and 21,644 switched their party affiliation to “other,” the category the Pennsylvania Department of State uses in its data to cover parties such as Green and Libertarian.
“As the Democrat Party tilts further to the progressive left, more historically traditional, working-class families are moving to the Republican Party, both in terms of how they vote and how they’re registered,” conservative political strategist Charlie Gerow told the Epoch Times.
There is a significant shift going on in the base of the party, he said. — The Epoch Times
Our Take: “The presidential election year is going to test our bicameral thinking abilities.
While Republicans are taking a victory lap on GOP voter registration in Pennsylvania, the bigger story is the 21,644 voters that moved to ‘other.’ The American People are largely finished with the two party system, and this is apparent across the country.
It’s been a while since I’ve looked at the CO voter registration numbers, and this story provides me the opportunity. Also, we see a similar trend.
Per the Colorado Secretary of State website, as of January 2, 2024, there are 3,810,616 active voters in the Centennial State, and the vast majority of them are unaffiliated. This trend has been increasing since 2010, and it’s telling.
In 2022, Democrats accounted for 28.2% of registrations, and in 2024, they’re down to 26.8%. Republicans accounted for 25.1% in 2022, and they’re now down to 23.7% in 2024. In contrast, unaffiliated voters went from 44.8% in 2022 to 47.7% in 2024. Third party consistently accounts for around 2% of the electoral franchise in Colorado, and is materially unchanged.
One other factor in Colorado that may be driving an increase in UAF is our Open Primaries. By switching to UAF, voters can vote in either primary which, as we saw in 2022, can heavily impact Republican candidate selection. This is not an issue in PA yet, but the commies are actively trying to change that. Caution, PA!
Still, the current data does not show ‘victory’ for the GOP and, while they may want to take a victory lap on these numbers in PA and other states, the data reveals a much deeper story about the collective mind:
The American People are politically nonbinary.
This is great for the awakening but, once you realize the plot, it is hard to stomach the party narratives. In other words, the GOP has little to celebrate these days, but the American People are crushing it. America First.” —
Another Take: “The Info War is Bicameral:
The Actuals, insofar as we can discern them, are unerringly moving the world away from terror regimes, globalist proxies and jingoism and toward a multi-polar world order defined by sovereignty, mutual security and free trade.
The Narratives are following the same path, albeit in increasingly cartoonish fashion, exposing collectivism and subversive communism in favor of nationalism, traditionalism and even stoicism.” —
Hunter Biden pleads not guilty at arraignment on tax charges
Hunter Biden, the last surviving son of President Joe Biden, pleaded not guilty to nine tax-related charges at his arraignment in federal court Thursday.
Hunter Biden made his appearance in Los Angeles before U.S. District Judge Mark C. Scarsi, who was appointed by Donald Trump; the former president appeared in court himself this week in connection with the criminal charges against him for trying to overturn the 2020 presidential election.
Biden's hearing lasted about 30 minutes, with Scarsi noting that Biden had complied with his previous conditions of release and that the court "appreciates that and notes it for the record." Scarsi proposed a potential trial date of June 20, just a few months before the 2024 presidential general election. — NBC News
Our Take: “Place this one in the ‘no sh*t, Sherlock’ folder.
I have to give a hearty guffaw to the very first line of this article’ have a looksee: ‘Hunter Biden, the last surviving son of President Joe Biden.’
The last surviving son … It’s like they’re lowkey admitting that living through adulthood with Slow Joe Biden as your father is a challenge in and of itself.
Anyways … Hunter pleaded not guilty less than a day after his bizarre appearance on Capitol Hill in which he left as soon as MTG began speaking. This appearance came during a hearing in which the House GOP formally recommended that Hunter be held in contempt for his defiance of a subpoena for testimony).
Hunter is a walking trainwreck; that much is clear. The question is, exactly who is in control of this slow motion demolition of the Biden family via Hunter Biden’s seemingly inescapable ineptitude?
Something says to me that Hunter may have rolled on Pappy Joe, and is playing as much of a role on this stage as anyone else.” —
Hertz Begins Dumping 20,000 EVs In Shift Back To Petrol Cars
In 2021, rental car company Hertz Global Holdings Inc. tapped Tom Brady to promote its massive push to electrify its fleet.
At the time, Hertz placed a huge order for 100,000 Tesla Model 3 vehicles.
Fast forward to late October, when Hertz Chief Executive Stephen Scherr told investors on a third-quarter earnings call that the company would start reducing its EV fleet because of high repair costs compared to the rest of the fleet, which has hurt its bottom line. "EV's will be slower than our prior expectations," he said.
In late October, Scherr told CNBC's Jim Cramer that EVs are seeing more damage than combustion engine cars, and the cost to repair them is much higher.
According to Bloomberg, Hertz began dumping 20,000 EVs on the used car market last month and will be a seller through 2024. The sales are expected to record a non-cash charge in the fourth quarter of $245 million related to incremental net depreciation expense.
"The company expects to reinvest a portion of the proceeds from the sale of EVs into the purchase of internal combustion engine vehicles to meet customer demand," Hertz said, adding, "The company expects this action to better balance supply against expected demand of EVs." — ZeroHedge
Our Take: “Tom Brady has had a rough go with promotional opportunities over the past few years. After the FTX scam blew up in his face, his decision to be the face of Hertz EVs is another embarrassing blow to the celebrated quarterback’s non-pigskin business portfolio.
The best part of this story is that Trump was right. The internal combustion engine is far superior to the battery-powered hot wheels, and customer demand doesn’t lie. People want their cars to work reliably, and EVs are more expensive, more breakable, less reliable, and harder to power given the current infrastructure. Give the people what they want!
It will be interesting to see if Hertz gets government blowback from this decision. It’s 2024 in Biden’s America, and I don’t think businesses are allowed to make their own decisions anymore. We shall see.” —
Last Call for GART 3: Irvine!
Experience everything you love about Badlands in the form of a live, ticketed event, with in-person speakers and meet-and-greets all weekend long, along with good food and good times.
GART 3 will take place from January 11 - 14, 2024 in Irvine, California.
For those who will be unable to attend the in-person event, virtual tickets to stream the entirety of GART 3 are now available, which also include a direct link to a private Telegram chat where you can interact with speakers and hundreds of other GART in-person and virtual attendees.
All virtual ticket purchases will include the ability to access recorded replays of all GART 3 panels during and for at least 6 months following the event.
For a sneak peak as the the atmosphere of GART events, check out the live stream
did last night:BONUS ITEMS
Pentagon Responds To Claims Taylor Swift Is 'Front For Covert Political Agenda'
The Pentagon on Wednesday responded to reports that singer Taylor Swift may be a “front for a covert political agenda” on behalf of the Biden administration.
Pentagon spokesperson Sabrina Singh denied the claims in a tongue-in-cheek statement to Politico.
“As for this conspiracy theory, we are going to shake it off,” she said, referencing one of Ms. Swift’s songs, titled “Shake It Off.”
“But that does highlight that we still need Congress to approve our supplemental budget request as Swift-ly as possible so we can be out of the woods with potential fiscal concerns,” she continued, adding more references to Ms. Swift’s musical catalog.
The statement from the Department of Defense followed comments made by Fox News host Jesse Watters on Tuesday night.
Mr. Watters, during his show Jesse Watters Primetime, questioned how Ms. Swift had soared in popularity over the years, noting that her sold-out “The Eras Tour” has an economic impact greater than the GDP of 50 Countries.
“Around four years ago, the Pentagon’s psychological operations unit floated turning Taylor Swift into an asset during a NATO meeting,” he said. “What kind of asset? A psyop for combating online misinformation.”
The Fox News host then cut to a clip from a 2019 conference on misinformation titled “Information Warfare: defining and analyzing” at the 11th International Conference on Cyber Conflict in Tallinn, Estonia. — The Epoch Times
Iran's navy seizes oil tanker in Gulf of Oman that was at the center of a major US-Iran crisis
Iran's navy captured an oil tanker Thursday in the Gulf of Oman that only months earlier had seen its cargo of Iranian oil seized by the United States over sanctions linked to Tehran's nuclear program, further escalating the tensions gripping the Mideast's waterways.
The vessel was previously known as the Suez Rajan when it was involved in a yearlong dispute beginning in 2021 that ultimately saw the U.S. Justice Department take the 1 million barrels of Iranian crude oil on it.
The seizure also comes after weeks of attacks by Yemen's Iranian-backed Houthi rebels on shipping in the Red Sea, including their largest barrage ever of drones and missiles launched late Tuesday. U.S.-led forces launched retaliatory strikes early Friday. — ABC 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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In regards the Ashe's comments about Trump's civil trial, #1 the judge will not find Trump to be Satan because Satan is "their" god and they love him, so they would compare Trump to our God - who they hate. #2 "...his conclusions of law will be that Trump is liable for eleventy billion dollars" correction, it will seventeen billion dollars (wink, wink). That number seems to pop up everywhere now.
My abbreviated summary of this morning’s always reliable, always informative, always appreciated Badlands Brief. Actors be acting---that’s it. God Bless!!!