Badlands News Brief
Badlands News Brief
Ukrai-NATO Spins Up as Wokeness Spirals
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.
Many items feature original (and subjective) commentary. Feel free to follow the corresponding link to see our writers’ Substack accounts and check out their other work.
Now, onto the news from Thursday, April 4 …
Blinken: ‘Ukraine will become a member of NATO’
Secretary of State Antony Blinken reaffirmed the U.S. commitment for Ukraine to eventually join NATO but held back commitments ahead of the alliance’s annual summit, which will take place in Washington in July.
“Ukraine will become a member of NATO. Our purpose at the summit is to help build a bridge to that membership,” Blinken told reporters Thursday in Brussels.
NATO allies agreed at the 2023 summit in Vilnius, Lithuania, that Ukraine can join NATO when certain conditions are met, but sparked criticism from Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky and Baltic allies for failing to set concrete goals and a timeline for Kyiv to join the alliance.
Ukraine’s supporters are crafting ways to demonstrate robust international support for Kyiv that can be announced at NATO’s Washington summit, marking the 75th anniversary of the alliance.
The deliverables are consequential amid concerns over waning U.S. commitment to supporting Ukraine, with House Republicans holding up additional American assistance and fears that the return of former President Trump to the White House could see a retreat of the U.S. from its commitments to allies and partners. — The Hill
Our Take: “Don't buy into the Ukraine-NATO-WW3 fear-mongering, even while acknowledging that it's good for our position in the Mind War.
Instead, see it for what it is: a Narrative and Actual Panic Pattern that relies on the Deep State's increasingly-apparent foundational belief that a second (public) Trump Administration is as inevitable as they've been trying to demoralize us into believing is impossible.
To wit, in recent days, we've seen Deep State Department stooges Antony Blinken and Jake Sullivan literally chase Trump around the map, attempting to circumvent Trump's meetings with other world leaders (who may or may not belong to a Sovereign Alliance standing against him,) while also prepping the logistical game board for the reality that they may have to continue their proxy war against Russia without US backing.
They already lack the US MIL backing, and we believe that's because of Devolution-COG operations; as soon as Trump is back, they also lose the financial backing.
and I discussed this at length in this week’s episode of the Devolution Power Hour, a snippet of which you can see below:Tick tock.” —
Supreme Court Considers Hawaiian Climate Change Lawsuit That Could Destroy Energy Industry
In 2020, the city of Honolulu sued several major fossil fuel companies, including Exxon and Chevron, claiming the companies’ products cause greenhouse gas emissions and global warming without warning consumers about the risks. The city employed a series of state laws including public nuisance and trespass measures and said the companies should pay billions to the state to abate the effects of climate change like weather events, sea level rise, heat waves, flooding and global warming.
The success of the Hawaiian suit would set a precedent for Democrat run states across the nation, allowing them to essentially overwhelm energy companies with lawsuits until they are forced to accept Green New Deal-like parameters and apply them in every state in the US. Meaning, it won't matter if conservative states oppose the measures, they would be applied anyway.
The cost to the American public would be devastating, increasing energy expenses to levels that would make domestic manufacturing impossible and decreasing quality of life for the average citizen for decades to come. — ZeroHedge
(Segment from FOX News:)
Our Take: “This is an important case that could reshape the corporate and legal landscapes for generations.
Utility companies are one of many players in a complex ecosystem of public-private partnerships. Energy utilities, in particular, are so heavily regulated that the lines between public and private are often indistinguishable, and the non-governmental organizations add an additional layer of plausible deniability when disaster strikes.
That’s usually how it goes in this space — all these players protect the ecosystem and explain away true injury and harm. We’re outside ‘usually how it goes,’ however, because the carbon monster is global communism’s greatest weapon.
That’s how we got here, where the Hawaii Supreme Court ruled that this case can proceed to trial.
The case is the City of Honolulu vs. Exxon and Chevron (and other energy companies). The claim is that ‘the companies’ products cause greenhouse gas emissions and global warming without warning consumers about the risks.’
There are several problems with this claim: First, literally no one doesn’t know that ‘fossil fuels’ ‘contribute’ to ‘global warming.’ The regime hasn’t shut up about it for 20+ years. Second, if the government wanted energy companies (or automakers or farmers or server farms or everywhere else this radical move is going) to label their products for global warming, then they should have required them to do so. They certainly can! The regulatory framework infects every aspect of production — especially for energy companies.
In other words, if you’re mad there is no label, blame Congress and the Department of Energy. Honolulu wants to blame the energy companies so they can further the deeply unpopular and overtly illogical green new deal.
The implications of this case and its appellate record are already alarming, and the author’s comparison to the gun grab is apt. The US Supreme Court is considering many states’ requests (outright begging) for the high court to intervene and stop the madness.
My instinct is that the madness will continue, at least for a little while longer.” —
Police Scotland Deluged With Nearly 4,000 Complaints As New Hate Crime Law Is Weaponized
As predicted, Police Scotland was deluged with nearly 4,000 complaints in the first day alone after the passage of an absurd new hate crime law, proving the legislation is being weaponized by activists.
Under the new legislation, anyone deemed to have been verbally ‘abusive’, in person or online, to a transgender person, including “insulting” them could be hit with a prison sentence of up to seven years.
Transgender activists have been busy making lists of people they are waiting on to make such comments, including Harry Potter author JK Rowling herself.
Although it was announced yesterday by police that Rowling wouldn’t be investigated, the mere fact that she has been reported could create a ‘hate incident’ file on her that will remain in perpetuity. — Modernity News
Our Take: “As I previously reported on this new Scottish Law, a number of moving parts have to be kept in mind:
Firstly, we need to differentiate between a rush of woke activists mass reporting nonsense from actual mass arrests. I'm not one to promote too much certainty on the cognitive battlefield, as it's poor form, but I do feel very confident that all these squealing activists are going to have a hard time getting these reports to stick.
It's pretty hilarious to see that the first 24 hours of this law has already created absolute chaos and deep uncertainty about how practical it is (literally not practical at all).
This means it's symbolic. As is the way with many Deep State operations, the illusion that you're losing rights that they have no power over is present yet again.
That's why what I said before still stands—'Belief in the false authority of treasonous criminals and a lack of citizens prepared to stand up for themselves are what make such laws dangerous, not the laws themselves.'
And J.K. Rowling is putting this principle to the test. Rowling went all out, calling a list of dangerous 'trans women' men and then put the hashtag #ArrestMe.
She then went further and stated:
’If they go after any woman for simply calling a man a man, I'll repeat that woman's words and they can charge us both at once.’
Then what happened? Police were forced to announce that her comments would result in... zero charges because they are not criminal.
She does not give their false authority any power, anywhere in her being. Think about this stance, growing en mass around the world and be inspired. Let's go!” —
Ulta Shares Tumble On Beauty Slowdown As Consumers Pull Back
Shares of Ulta Beauty plunged 15% on Wednesday, the largest daily decline since March 2020, after the company warned investors at the JPMorgan Chase & Co. conference that first-quarter demand for beauty products cooled.
"We have seen a slowdown in the total category," CEO Dave Kimbell told investors.
Kimbell continued, "We came into the year—and we talked about this on our [earnings] call a few weeks ago—expecting the category to moderate. It has [had] several years of strong growth, as I said. We did not anticipate it would continue at the rate that it's been growing."
He predicts first-quarter comparable sales at the lower end of the low-single-digit growth range than previously forecasted for the first half of this fiscal year. He noted the company lost market share in the prestige makeup and hair category.
Kimbell said the slowdown is a " bit earlier and a bit bigger" than previously anticipated and pointed to high credit card debt and student loan payments as some of the financial pressures on consumers.
Responding to the CEO's comments, Oppenheimer analyst Rupesh Parikh wrote in a note to clients that his team is "surprised by the moderation, and, at this point, are unclear whether this represents just a shorter-term blip."
Investors dumped Ulta shares in New York on Wednesday, closing the session down 15%, the largest intraday loss since March 2020. — ZeroHedge
Our Take: “Discretionary spending has always been a fickle metric, but in 2024, in certain sectors, it’s almost nonexistent. That’s Bidenomics.
Luxury beauty products and services is one such category.
I had the opportunity to go to Ulta after Christmas when my son’s girlfriend gave me a gift card. I hadn’t been to the beauty super store in several years, and the cost of foundation, concealer, mascara, and eye pencils was shocking. I ended up using the gift card on a couple new brushes because I felt like I was making an investment instead of buying makeup.
For many women’s budgets — especially moms with kids and other mouths to feed — top shelf shampoo and conditioner have become middle tier. Regular mani pedis have become a special treat. Women have learned to maintain their own eyebrows and color their own hair.
Women everywhere are now making do with lesser brands — or no brands at all. I’m a big fan of
Behold the unpatented future— that’s true beauty.
More and more Americans are being forced outside their comfort zone due to the economic pressures of failing globalism. A byproduct is that Americans are forced to reframe the concept of ‘need’ — and some of the outcomes of this great reset are unexpected and pleasantly surprising.
For example, crippling an industry that exists to destroy women’s self esteem and deceive them into denying their true beauty and purpose.
I believe every purchasing decision — every dollar you spend in 2024 — is an activist choice. Stop giving money to people that are trying to destroy your way of life, poison you, brainwash your daughters and, in many cases, reduce the population (that is, kill us all).
The revolution is local, and it begins at home. You have more power than you think. Just ask Ulta.” —
Marjorie Taylor Greene Suggests Mike Johnson Is Being Blackmailed
Marjorie Taylor Greene has introduced speculation that Speaker of the House Mike Johnson is being "blackmailed" because she said his views have changed so much.
Speaking to conservative commentator Tucker Carlson on his show Tucker Carlson Uncensored, the Georgia Republican, who has emerged as a vocal Johnson critic in recent weeks, said the Louisiana Republican "has completely changed his character," leading to speculation that he may be being "blackmailed."
There has not been any evidence to substantiate this view. Newsweek contacted Johnson's office by email to comment on this story.
"Mike Johnson has completely changed his character in a matter of about five months after he has become speaker of the House," she said. — Newsweek
Our Take: “Mileage varies in the truth community where it concerns the stock one puts into the bombast often expressed by self-described America First representatives such as Marjorie Taylor Greene and Matt Gaetz.
That said, as myself,
and others have been arguing since the 2022 midterm elections, if the Biden Administration really is a runaway train of awakening, then why on earth would we want America First patriots to be ‘in control’ of that runaway train in the midst of the worst stagflationary economic death spiral in half a century?Mike Johnson was the latest uniparty bandaid laid over the festering open wound that is establishment politics Stateside, and I believe this whole charade is just more fuel to the fire that the American people MUST wake up as to the false binary that has become of our political system.
Most of them are not on our side, and the sooner we recognize that fact en masse, the sooner we might begin to develop the skills necessary to determine who is.” —
BONUS ITEMS
Judge rejects Trump free speech challenge to Georgia 2020 election case
A Georgia judge on Thursday rejected Donald Trump's bid to dismiss criminal charges in the state's 2020 election interference case against him, which the Republican former U.S. president argued violate his free speech rights.
Fulton County Superior Court Judge Scott McAfee found that the indictment alleges statements by Trump and 14 others charged in the case were made "in furtherance of criminal activity" and are not protected by the First Amendment to the U.S. Constitution.
Trump and the other defendants have been charged with racketeering and other offenses over their effort to overturn Trump's defeat in Georgia to Democratic President Joe Biden. They have pleaded not guilty.
The case is one of four criminal prosecutions Trump faces as the Nov. 5 election nears. His first trial, related to hush money payments to a porn star, is due to get underway in New York later this month.
“President Trump and other defendants respectfully disagree with Judge McAfee’s order and will continue to evaluate their options regarding the First Amendment challenges," Steve Sadow, Trump's lead lawyer on the Georgia case, said in a statement. — Reuters
15 Year Study: Vast Majority Of Children Grow Out Of Gender Confusion
A landmark study conducted over the past 15 years has concluded that most children who experience confusion regarding their gender identity grow out of it and go on to feel content with their lives as men and women.
The study, carried out in the Netherlands by researchers from the University of Groningen, involved more than 2,700 children, tracking them from age 11 to their mid-twenties.
The Daily Mail reports that every three years, the individuals were asked how they felt about their gender.
At the beginning of the study, around 11 percent, or one in ten of the children, expressed ‘gender non-contentedness’.
However, by the age of 25, just 4 percent, or one in 25, said they ‘often’ or ‘sometimes’ felt discontent with their gender.
The study comes as the controversy over allowing children to be given puberty blocking hormones, or even gender reassignment surgery, rages on. — Modernity News
CDC Releases Hidden Trove Of COVID-19 Vaccine Injury Reports
The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has released previously hidden reports of facial paralysis and other adverse events following COVID-19 vaccination.
The 780,000 reports were received shortly after the COVID-19 vaccines were rolled out, and show people experienced a wide range of post-vaccination problems, including heart inflammation, miscarriages, and seizures.
“Loss of consciousness and seizure immediately following injection. Went to ER by ambulance,” one person reported.
“Diagnosed with Bells Palsy today due to left-sided facial numbness and paralysis,” another said.
People lodged the reports with V-safe, a text-message system created by the CDC to monitor for possible side effects of COVID-19 vaccines.
The CDC, for years, declined to make the V-safe data public, instead publishing studies that described the reports as providing reassurance about the safety of the shots. However, according to data released in 2022, nearly 8 percent of the 10 million users required medical attention or hospital care after vaccination, and many others reported missing school, work, or other normal activities.
That topline data came from check-the-box surveys.
The same judge who ordered the release of that data ordered the agency in January to disclose free-text entries from a different section where individuals could describe their experiences. U.S. District Judge Matthew Kacsmaryk, appointed by former President Donald Trump, dismissed the government’s arguments that processing the responses and redacting sensitive information would require too much work. — The Epoch Times
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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Is it just me who keeps asking, "Why TF does NATO exist when we have the EU?" Let them protect their own asses!
I stopped going to Ulta when they had Dylan Mulvany and another male made up as a woman talking about being a woman. Thanks, but no thanks.