Badlands News Brief
Colorado Fallout (and Exposure) Continues ...
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 Wednesday, December 20 …
Colorado’s ineligibility ruling threatens profound disruption in 2024
The ruling by the Colorado Supreme Court on Tuesday that Donald Trump, by virtue of inciting an insurrection, was ineligible to appear on the state’s 2024 ballots threatened yet another massive stress test for America’s governing institutions.
But it also underscored the extraordinary messiness of a presidential campaign litigated as much in the courtroom as on the campaign trail — with cases sprawling across multiple jurisdictions, a cast of characters rivaling a Russian novel and a former president who has perfected the art of working the legal system to his advantage over decades of close brushes with the law.
Like clockwork on Tuesday night, Trump’s pollster predicted that the Colorado court had played into Trump’s hand.
“The fact that it was a bunch of unelected, left-wing judges, and a lawsuit that was brought by a [George] Soros-funded organization, it’s crazy,” Jim McLaughlin, Trump’s pollster, told POLITICO. “The American people have a great sense of fairness, and these are the people that run around saying that Trump’s a threat to Democracy, and they’re getting him thrown off the ballot. They are not giving the American people the right to decide. This, I think, is going to backfire.”
The constant controversy surrounding Trump is not, of course, a clear political benefit for him. Many voters grew so weary of it in 2020 that they chose to oust him from office. Joe Biden, the Democratic president whom they chose instead, has leaned heavily on critiques of Trump’s fitness to be president in his reelection campaign. — Politico
Our Take: “The fallout from the Colorado Supreme Court continued Wednesday, and there are a few points that need to be addressed. The communists are ahead of us in Colorado, guys, and we need to focus our efforts on activities with a possibility of success.
Trump Write in Campaign …
A popular refrain on X right now is, ‘I shall write in Trump as my Presidential Vote.’ Colorado Revised Statute § 1-4-1101, which was amended in 2021, reads, ‘A person who wishes to be a write-in candidate for an office in an election shall file an affidavit of intent stating that he or she desires the office and is qualified to assume its duties if elected.’ The Colorado Supreme Court upheld that Trump is disqualified as a candidate. Write-in votes for Trump in Colorado will just be thrown out, and that is the current lawful, appropriate action for those votes. Don't get distracted by this.
Ramaswamy's Revenge …
Vivek Ramaswamy made headlines Tuesday when he vowed to withdraw from the Colorado GOP primary ballot. In response,
posted, ‘If Vivek actually believed what he is saying, he would drop out of the race altogether and support Trump. Short of that, he is pandering to Trump’s base.’ I agree with this, and I also think attempting to use the disenfranchisement of Colorado voters to fundraise and pander is gross. It's clear to me that Vivek is trying to worm his way into MAGA, and his every move is making me more and more skeptical. Definitely don't get distracted by Vivek, and proceed with caution on that dude.Colorado ‘Caucus Loophole’ …
The Colorado GOP made headlines Wednesday, when their account responded to Vivek's vow with, ‘You won't have to because we will withdraw from the Primary as a Party and convert to a pure caucus system if this is allowed to stand.’ This is not just a knee-jerk reaction. The battle to ensure that only Republican voters select the Republican candidates is an ongoing battle. I have a whole separate take on that in this brief!
What Comes Next? …
In my honest assessment, the most important priority right now is to ensure the intervenors bring the best possible case against the insurrection narrative and overturn lower court's findings on insurrection — which were just explicitly upheld by the Colorado Supreme Court. The intervenors have not yet argued against the insurrection findings — in either proceeding — which has made easy these rulings by the progressive courts in the Centennial state. The case will be appealed to the Supreme Court later this month, and the intervenors need to explicitly argue against these findings of the State Supreme Court:
’The district court did not abuse its discretion in admitting portions of Congress’s January 6 Report into evidence at trial. The district court did not err in concluding that the events at the U.S. Capitol on January 6, 2021, constituted an insurrection. The district court did not err in concluding that President Trump engaged in that insurrection through his personal actions. President Trump’s speech inciting the crowd that breached the U.S. Capitol on January 6, 2021, was not protected by the First Amendment.’
Just ruling on the matter of 14A applicability is unacceptable.
Why? Because it's never been about ballot access.
How can progressives use the progressive courts and this (upheld) ruling to punish opponents and make 2024 headlines?
Tina Peters is back in court soon.
‘Trump’s insurrection led to all these other crimes in CO!’
Did the criminal investigations in the wake of J6 ever stop? What false flag are they going to call an ‘insurrection’ next?
It’s never been about ballot access. It’s stage setting.” —
Colorado GOP to Change to Caucus System, Ditch Primary If Trump Kept Off Ballot
The Colorado Republican Party indicated that it would switch from a primary ballot system to a caucus system if former President Donald Trump was kept off state ballots.
On Tuesday, the Colorado Supreme Court barred President Trump from appearing on state ballots in a 4–3 decision. On Wednesday, GOP presidential candidate Vivek Ramaswamy criticized the court decision, threatening to withdraw from the Colorado GOP primary until President Trump was also allowed on the ballot. In response, the Colorado Republican Party said in a Dec. 20 X, formerly known as Twitter, post—“You won't have to because we will withdraw from the Primary as a Party and convert to a pure caucus system if this is allowed to stand.”
A primary is a state-level election in which party members choose a candidate who will run in the general election. A caucus system is basically a local meeting where a party’s registered members from a city, town, or county vote for their preferred candidate.
Opting for a caucus will thus allow them to bypass the primary ballot issue regarding President Trump. The GOP members can then elect the former president for the 2024 race. — The Epoch Times
Our Take: “As I mention in my other take in today's Brief, the battle to ensure that only Republican voters can select Republican candidates is years long, and it has largely centered on closing the primary and restoring the full authority of the caucus. I wrote about this in my local Glendale Cherry Creek column back in June.
Technically, the state GOP can withdraw from the primary, if they receive a waiver from the RNC. A move like this would be opposed by state officials AND the donor class of the state (and national?) GOP, and similar actions by the America First factions within the party have failed in recent months.
But it is possible, and according to my sources within the state party, they will pursue the option if forced by the progressives. The Colorado Primary is March 5, 2024, but the Republican Assembly, when the Republican candidates will ostensibly be selected, is March 29, 2024. So if this is required, the General Election Ballot in Colorado may have to work its way through the courts again. All eyes on the US Supreme Court, but it's comforting to know that the state party is already looking ahead should the outcome not go their way.
Now if only they would fight the damn insurrection narrative.” —
There’s A Direct Line Between Joe Biden’s Deep State And Trump Getting Removed From Colorado’s Ballot
The left-wing legal organization behind Colorado’s decision to remove former President Donald Trump from its Republican primary ballot has a direct link to the Biden administration.
Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington (CREW) President and CEO Noah Bookbinder is a member of the Department of Homeland Security’s (DHS) Homeland Security Advisory Council (HSAC) tasked with giving real-time advice to DHS Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas, the DHS website says. (RELATED: Immigration Courts Add A Whopping One Million Cases To Backlog As Border Crisis Worsens)
CREW brought the Colorado case against Trump and celebrated the Colorado Supreme Court’s 4-3 ruling to keep Trump off the state’s GOP primary ballot.
“Our Constitution clearly states that those who violate their oath by attacking our democracy are barred from serving in government. It has been an honor to represent the petitioners, and we look forward to ensuring that this vitally important ruling stands,” Bookbinder said in a press release.
Bookbinder is a former trial attorney for the Department of Justice’s (DOJ) public integrity section and former chief counsel for criminal justice for the Senate Judiciary Committee. He repeatedly donated to former President Barack Obama’s re-election campaign during his tenure with the Senate, Federal Elections Commission (FEC) records show.
The DHS appointed Bookbinder and 32 other new members to HSAC in March 2022 ahead of the council’s first meeting under Secretary Mayorkas. — The Daily Caller
Our Take: “The grass is green …
The sky is blue ...
A bear poops in the woods ...
The Biden admin is linked to the Trump case in Colorado …
… I’ll take ‘What are things that don’t surprise me? for $2,000, Alex.’
In news that surprises exactly nobody, it turns out that the case against Trump in Colorado was brought forth by Noah Bookbinder - Who just so happens to be a member of Biden’s Admin (and kind of resembles a slightly smaller, yet just as arrogant Brian Stetler).
Simply put, and personally speaking, the decision by Colorado’s Supreme Court to remove President Trump from the Primary Ballot is arguably the most disgusting miscarriage of justice I have seen in my entire adult life - and that’s saying a lot. It is a move doomed to fail and a move based in nothing other than panic. Panic shouldn’t be a factor in judicial proceedings, but … well, here we are.
Of course, it also helps to realize that this wasn’t a judicial proceeding so much as it was a kangaroo court and clown show full of malfeasance and based entirely in lawfare.
The fact that there is a tie to Biden’s administration coupled with the fact that Joe is on record as saying he will ‘make sure’ Trump isn’t elected means that this news is, sadly enough, not surprising. Rather, it has become expected under the current Communist Regime occupying 1600 Pennsylvania Ave.” —
And It's Gone: "War In Ukraine" Quietly Scrubbed From WaPo Masthead
"It's over" - comments investigative journalist Kit Klarenberg after noticing that The Washington Post quietly deleted a prominent tab from its Masthead.
What was a long featured "War in Ukraine" tab, which had been there from the start of the war going back to Feb. 2022 has disappeared...
An Internet Archive search and review of all Washington Post frontpages shows the tab was there throughout all of 2022. It was also present through most of 2023, until very recently.
Ironically just yesterday Ukraine's President Zelensky again complained that the world's focus has been taken off supporting his country's struggle due in large part to the events in Israel and Gaza.
In an interview weeks ago, he had laid out that "We already can see the consequences of the international community shifting (attention) because of the tragedy in the Middle East. He added at the time: "Only the blind don't recognize this."
WaPo's change in its frontpage is certainly emblematic of this trend, but also the war fatigue that has long gripped the American public, and the widespread acknowledgement that Ukrainian forces are losing.
Still, readers can navigate the WaPo's homepage and still eventually get to a "War in Ukraine" tab, by first clicking on the "World" tab located third from last on the masthead. Ukraine's supporters are none too happy about this highly symbolic development... — ZeroHedge
Our Take: “WAPO, undoubtedly one of the most infamous mouthpieces of the Globalist Collective has officially reached the endpoint of Overton's Goalpost where it concerns the Prussian Proxy of Ukraine, having demoted the storyline from their featured masthead to the back pages.
While they haven't publicly admitted that the initial panic and warmongering on behalf of said proxy was folly, as has been the case for every Forever War both illusory 'sides' of the Establishment Uniparty have endorsed for decades, their silence is telling, and directed.
This about-face on Ukraine has been in the works for some time, beginning with said Establishment's accusations of money laundering toward their proxy, and accelerating with Zelensky's continuously humiliating world tour of beggary. But I think the Collective Mind gets so easily swept up into the next narrative, the implications of this turn are still largely lost on most.
[They] have lost their main vector of power projection. They've lost the story.” —
Judge: Assange visitors can proceed with spying suit against CIA
A lawsuit journalists and allies of WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange brought against the CIA advanced in federal court Tuesday after a federal judge turned down a bid by the spy agency to toss out the case.
Manhattan-based U.S. District Court Judge John Koeltl ruled four Americans who visited Assange while he was holed up at the Ecuadorian Embassy in London several years ago can proceed with their suit over allegations that a security contractor gave the CIA data copied from their phones during those visits.
In his 27-page decision , Koeltl rejected portions of the Assange visitors lawsuit filed last year that alleged the CIA violated their rights by eavesdropping on conversations at the embassy and by obtaining copies of their passports.
However, Koeltl said accessing the contents of their phones — if that occurred — invaded the visitors’ privacy rights under the U.S. Constitution.
“The misconduct alleged is a violation of the plaintiffs’ reasonable expectation of privacy in the contents of their electronic devices under the Fourth Amendment,” the judge wrote.
Koeltl, an appointee of President Bill Clinton, threw out part of the lawsuit that sought money damages against former CIA Director Mike Pompeo. But the judge said the plaintiffs could continue to seek a ruling requiring the spy agency to destroy any records it may have gleaned from the Assange visitors’ phones.
Spokespeople for the CIA and for the U.S. Attorney’s Office in Manhattan, which is representing the federal government in the case, declined to comment. — Politico
Our Take: “Assange is no ally or hero, and the Trump Admin was right to indict him and secure his arrest at the embassy.
However, he is also a threat to many of our nations enemies who no doubt WOULD have assassinated him at the first opportunity.
The ‘Pompeo plotted to assassinate Assange’ fake news is an attempt to invert the truth and frame the Trump Admin for what the Deep State actually wanted to do.” —
Graham Says He’ll Draft Sanctions If China Tries to Invade Taiwan
Senator Lindsey Graham said he’ll help draft sanctions to impose on China if it tried invading Taiwan.
The Republican said Wednesday he’d work with lawmakers from both parties to “create a robust defense supplemental for Taiwan and second, draft pre-invasion sanctions from hell to impose on China if they take action to seize Taiwan.”
“To communist China, if you think you can bully your way into destroying world order without consequences, you will be making Putin’s decision to invade Ukraine look wise,” he added.
Graham made the remarks in response to an NBC report citing three current and former US officials that said Chinese leader Xi Jinping told President Joe Biden in a meeting in the US last month that Beijing would “reunify” with Taiwan but the timing has not yet been decided. — Bloomberg
Our Take: “I have a sneaking suspicion that China-Taiwan is going to be the new Russia-Ukraine? … or was it Israel-Gaza? … or was it … ah, you get the point.
That said, we’ll likely have PLENTY of time for hot takes galore if and when that particular theater goes hot in the Info War, Strange War and War of Stories.
What I want to highlight from this headline—and from Graham’s demonstrably war-hawkish, intense statements—is the prospect that Narrative Seeding, a term once unique to Anons and citizen journalists on the fringes of the alternative media and decentralized internet, is now becoming widespread, being called out everywhere from Truth Social to X and even some media rags.
It used to be a conspiracy theory to suggest that much of modern war was waged in the headlines. Now, the cat’s firmly out of the bag, which means the Collective Mind—even its Normie Layers—are probably growing wise to the coming Narrative Deployments without much conscious thought.
That results in a lack of buy-in when said deployments are launched, and a lack of mass psychological energy, and the ensuing mandate the powers that would be rely on to rule us.” —
These Tesla Wannabes Are Running Out of Road
Electric-vehicle startups were flying high just a few years ago. Now many are focused on survival.
At least 18 EV and battery startups that went public in recent years were at risk of running out of cash by the end of 2024 as of their most recent filings, according to a Wall Street Journal analysis. They include companies such as
Nikola and Fisker, which attracted investors with bold promises to transform the industry and fight climate change with their electric trucks and SUVs.
That was before they stumbled amid rising costs and manufacturing problems.
Three companies—Lordstown Motors, Proterra and Electric Last Mile Solutions—have filed for bankruptcy. Battery maker Romeo Power and charging firm Volta have been sold at a fraction of their valuations when they went public. Several of those remaining say they are working to reduce costs and have since raised capital.
The median stock among the companies that the Journal evaluated is down more than 80% from its market debut, and even further from its peak. The slide has wiped out tens of billions of dollars in market value in just a couple of years.
“It was by far the most insane bubble I have ever seen,” said Gavin Baker, chief investment officer at Atreides Management. — Wall Street Journal
Our Take: “The term 'rug-pull' has become ubiquitous in the Truth Community, and while it's often used in reference to Bitcoin adoption, it's applicable to a wide range of narratives and actuals in the Info War.
One of the biggest turns I've effected psychologically has been the reframing of Elon Musk and Tesla in light of the former's Department of Defense (under Trump) connections and the latter's market dominance in the fledgling EV and energy space.
While I used to consider Tesla just a Trojan horse for the Green New Deal agenda of the WEFian saboteurs of sovereignty across the Atlantic and their stooges Stateside, now I've completely inverted that framing, as the fallout of Tesla's market dominance is forcing a financial crisis cascade within the green energy space, leaving Tesla to scoop up excess energy.
We might not think of Tesla as an America First company, they're one of the top domestic producers, a constant innovator, and apparently, a thorn in the side of the Globalist agenda.” —
BONUS ITEMS
California Lt. Gov. calls for state to ‘explore every legal option’ to remove Trump from ‘24 ballot
A day after the Colorado Supreme Court disqualified former President Donald Trump from appearing on the state’s ballots in 2024, California Lieutenant Gov. Eleni Kounalakis is asking the Golden State’s Secretary of State to "explore every legal option" to do the same.
Kounalakis sent a letter to Secretary of State Shirley Weber, dated Wednesday, Dec. 20, and referencing Colorado’s recent ruling which stated Trump was ineligible to appear on the state’s ballot as a presidential candidate because of his role in "inciting an insurrection" on the U.S. Capitol on Jan. 6, 2021.
"This decision is about honoring the rule of law in our country and protecting the fundamental pillars of our democracy," Kounalakis, who launched a campaign to run for California governor in 2026, wrote. "Specifically, the Colorado Supreme Court held in Anderson v. Griswold (2023 CO 63) that Trump’s insurrection disqualifies him under section three of the Fourteenth Amendment to stand for presidential re-election. Because the candidate is ineligible, the court ruled, it would be a ‘wrongful act’ for the Colorado Secretary of State to list him as a candidate on that state’s presidential primary ballot."
The gubernatorial candidate told the Secretary of State that California "must stand on the right side of history," and is "obligated to determine" if the former president is ineligible to be on the ballot for the same reasons he was deemed ineligible in Colorado. — FOX News
Majority Of Democrats Want Hunter Prosecuted For Contempt; Harvard/Harris Poll Finds
It appears that the concerted effort to excuse Hunter Biden’s defiance of a subpoena in the media has failed. According to a Harvard Caps/Harris poll, 71 percent of Americans believe that Hunter should be prosecuted for contempt of Congress. What is remarkable is that 54 percent of Democrats support his prosecution.
I have previously written that Hunter committed a flagrant, criminal violation in holding his presser in front of the Congress and refusing to appear for a deposition in the House. There is an equally compelling basis to take action against Rep. Eric Swalwell (D., Cal.) under House rules for facilitating the alleged federal crime.
The poll shows that, again, the public has rejected the spin in the media and correctly sees this act for what it was: a federal crime.
Every group is lined up in favor of prosecution:
Democrats: 54 percent support
Republicans: 89 percent support
Independents: 72 percent support
The decision of Hunter and his counsel to take this action remains legally incomprehensible. He could have gone into the committee room and taken the 5th Amendment. There is no cognizable defense in my view to this charge.
Hunter may now have not just created a third threat of incarceration, but placed his father and his administration in the worst of possible positions. — Jonathan Turley
Most Large Container Ships Abandon Red Sea As Key Trade Route Freezes
Global transport and logistics company Kuehne + Nagel International AG reports more than 100 container ships have been rerouted from the Red Sea around Africa to avoid Iran-backed Houthi militants in Yemen who attack commercial vessels with missiles and drones.
Bloomberg released two headlines early Wednesday detailing Kuehne + Nagel's update on the Red Sea. The logistics firm said 103 container ships have detoured around the Cape of Good Hope, lengthening travel time by 1 to 2 weeks. It expects the number of detours to rise in the coming days.
For commercial vessels still transiting the vital waterway that connects to the Suez Canal, Bloomberg noted in a separate report that the cost of insuring jumped this week from about .1% to .2% of the hull value to .5%. A $100 million vessel must pay about $500,000 per voyage.
Increased insurance costs plus more extended travel around the Cape of Good Hope only suggest snarled supply chains and increased prices of goods. — ZeroHedge
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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The left is pursuing their attack with a crazy level of desperation that clearly shouts that their very lives are at stake. Hmmmm....anyone wonder which capital offense they so obviously must have committed? Choose from the litany of accusations they are leveling at patriots. ALL of them, actually!
Big difference between Power and Force.
The DeepState criminal system is pure Force (calibrates very low on an energetic scale of consciousness!) and all it’s really accomplishing is a never ending increase in Trump’s Power, built on the foundation where “Truth is the Infinite Player on the Game Board”! 🍿❤️🇺🇸🕊🦅🌎