The news cycle is impossible to fully track these days. That’s where we come in. The Badlands News Brief is a uniquely curated selection of the stories dominating the info war — with context and commentary from Badlands hosts.
Seven European leaders joined Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy in Washington on Monday in a rare display of trans-Atlantic unity. The gathering marked the first time in decades that such a broad delegation of allies had assembled at the White House under such pressing circumstances.
Shortly after noon, one by one, the heads of state and NATO partners passed the White House gates, where they were met by President Donald Trump’s chief of protocol, and in Zelenskyy’s case, by Trump himself.
Some met with Trump’s special envoy for Ukraine and other officials that morning. Others made their way to the White House directly from Dulles and other airports. They were there to bolster Zelenskyy after a disastrous White House visit in February, when he clashed with Trump and Vice President JD Vance — and after Trump held a nearly three-hour one-on-one with Russian President Vladimir Putin last week. – NBC News
Our Take: Why is Donald Trump positively giddy about the prospect that European (i.e., Globalist) leaders are currently lining up to learn the fate of their latest attempt at a prolonged Proxy War?
Because he knows the people are ready for peace, and it's becoming increasingly clear to them who is trying to achieve it ... and who is not.
The people's rejection of this endless bleed isn't mere exhaustion, then; it's a mandate erosion, a collective awakening that the conflict serves not sovereignty, but the appetites of distant oligarchs.
This ties directly to the broader theme threading through the Peacemakers arc: the Collective Western Mind is being gently, inexorably primed for the revelation that the globalist hegemon has subsisted on warmaking as its lifeblood – perpetual conflicts to feed the military-industrial beast, from the jungles of Vietnam to the deserts of Iraq and now the steppes of Ukraine.
Trump's tariffs, imposing economic pressure from afar, and Putin's methodical attrition, bleeding resources on the ground are twin pincers squeezing the life from this empire of endless war.
As a result – and as an increasing plurality of the Collective Western Mind is beginning to understand – it's no wonder the hegemon clings so desperately to escalation; peace would be their undoing, stripping away the justifications for their collectivist grip.
As it has in so many other theaters, from election fraud to the structure of government itself, mandate cultivation, that subtle art of seeding narratives to shift public perception, emerges here as the true 'Why' behind the War of Stories – not just to win battles, but to realign the psyche toward acceptance of a new order.
So, when European leaders clamor to "protect Ukraine," what are they truly defending?
Not the Ukrainian people, whose pleas for negotiation grow louder, but the proxy state model itself – that template of subversion where borders are redrawn not by referendums, but by foreign meddling.
We're witnessing the total inversion of the false Axis and Allies paradigm.
And it was possible to see coming, if you've been tracking the Arc of the Peacemakers. [Read More] – Burning Bright
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National intelligence director Tulsi Gabbard said on Tuesday that she had stripped security clearances from 37 current and former national security officials, including some who worked on the intelligence community’s assessment that Russia interfered in the 2016 presidential election.
In a memo posted on X, Gabbard accused the targeted individuals of having engaged in “politicizing and manipulating intelligence, leaking classified intelligence without authorization, and/or committing intentional egregious violations of tradecraft standards”.
This move is the latest in a series of retributions by the Trump administration against national security officials and political opponents he views as adversaries. In March, Trump revoked security clearances for Joe Biden, Kamala Harris, and several other Democrats and critics. The order also stripped access from former secretary of state Antony Blinken, former representatives Liz Cheney and Adam Kinzinger, New York attorney general Letitia James – who prosecuted Trump for fraud – and Biden’s entire family. – The Guardian
Our Take:
The world Rachel Maddow fears has existed for a long time and Rachel Maddow has supported it.
US President Donald Trump has received a formal invitation to visit Moscow, Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov has confirmed. During last week’s summit in Alaska, Russian President Vladimir Putin extended the invitation to Trump in person.
In an interview with the television channel Rossiya 24 on Tuesday, Lavrov stated that Trump “has an invitation” and recalled that during the summit, the US president had indicated that the idea of him visiting Russia is “interesting.”
During their joint press conference with Putin last week, Trump admitted, however, that he could “get a little heat” for traveling to Moscow. Nevertheless, he said he can “see it possibly happening.”
Putin and Trump met in person for the first time since 2019 in Anchorage, Alaska to discuss ways of resolving the Ukraine conflict as well as normalizing relations between Moscow and Washington.
Both leaders have described the summit positively, with Putin calling it “frank” and “substantive” and Trump hailing it as “productive.” – RT
Our Take: Sergei Lavrov from the top rope.
First President Trump says that he "might catch a little heat" [from the Fake News press] after Putin ends their press conference by suggesting that Trump visit him in Moscow, implying that the Fake News media may get triggered into another conniption.
Lavrov immediately invites Trump to Moscow.
P.S. If we are reading into handshakes, this is a handshake of bros being bros.
Federal prosecutors have opened an investigation into whether police officials in Washington, D.C., manipulated crime statistics. The investigation comes amid an escalating political showdown between the Trump administration and the city over control of the police department. It wasn't immediately clear what federal laws could have been violated by the possible manipulation of crime data.
U.S. Attorney for the District of Columbia Jeanine Pirro is leading the investigation, according to The New York Times, which first broke the news. It was later confirmed by the Associated Press. Pirro's investigation into whether police officials in the nation's capital falsified crime data comes after NBC Washington reported that a Metropolitan Police Department (MPD) commander was placed on administrative leave amid allegations that he manipulated crime statistics.
That official, Michael Pulliam, has denied wrongdoing. MPD previously told Newsweek that it does not comment on "active internal investigations and personnel matters" and referred back to MPD Chief Pamela A. Smith's statement saying that the department "is committed to upholding the trust and the confidence of the public." – Newsweek
Our Take: This story caught my eye after there was a significant buzz on X yesterday about the local government and media gaming crime statistics in Colorado.
This is the most viscous form of gaslighting – denying the reality of public safety. It’s especially heinous since the government – in my state, in DC, and around the nation – are putting violent criminals back onto the streets in the name of empathy.
While it’s despicable, it’s not new and it’s not specific to crime stats. These co-conspirators have lied about economic data, population data, health data, climate data, election data, and more – manufacturing consent for social change through bogus metrics.
Remember motorcycle accidents recorded as pandemic deaths?
It’s a conspiracy in and of itself, with multiple overt acts – but it’s also the same conspiracy. Ain’t life grand? – Ashe in America
Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent said Tuesday he will begin interviewing candidates for Federal Reserve chair as soon as the White House whittles down what has suddenly become a crowded field.
In a CNBC “Squawk Box” interview, Bessent confirmed the race to replace current Chair Jerome Powell is between 11 candidates, an array that includes past and present central bank officials as well as economists, a White House advisor and a few Wall Street market experts.
“In terms of the interview process, we’ve announced 11 very strong candidates. I’m going to be meeting with them probably right after Labor Day, and to start bringing down the list to present to President Trump,” he said. “It’s an incredible group.” [...]
Though Powell’s term does not end until May 2026, the White House is keen to get the process moving as it pushes an urgent need for interest rate cuts. – NBC News
Our Take: In my latest long-form, I cover what I feel is the most encouraging macro in the Info War ... that being the war for the future itself.
Which just might have been won while you were sleeping.
A Ukrainian soccer player was shown a yellow card for refusing to stop speaking Russian on the pitch. The incident occurred Sunday during a Ukrainian Women’s Top League game between Kolos from the Kiev region and SeaSters from the Black Sea port city of Odessa.
Referee Anastasia Romanyuk paused the game around the 43rd minute to show a yellow card to SeaSters midfielder Irina Maiborodina. The decision sparked a brief argument between Romanyuk and SeaSters coach Denis Kolchin.
“The yellow card was given for dissent [with the referee’s decision]. This is a Ukrainian championship, so we are not speaking Russian. I asked the player to speak Ukrainian,” Romanyuk said, according to news website Sport.ua. – RT
Our Take: This headline is the confluence of "too cartoonish to be real" and "necessary absurdity for society to awaken."
I both love it and hate it, and that's what makes it such a great psyop. – GhostofBasedPatrickHenry
Billionaire Elon Musk is quietly putting the brakes on plans to start his new political party, telling allies he wants to focus on his companies, the Wall Street Journal said on Tuesday, citing people with knowledge of the plans. Musk unveiled the 'America Party' in July after a public dispute with President Donald Trump on the tax cut and spending bill.
He has recently been focused in part on maintaining ties with Vice President JD Vance, the paper said, and has acknowledged to associates that forming a political party would damage his relationship with Vance.
Musk, the world's richest man, and his associates have told people close to Vance that the billionaire is considering using some of his financial resources to back Vance if he decides to run for president in 2028, the paper said. – Reuters
Our Take: Man, it’s so weird to see the tech community backing JD! – Chris Paul
***
Another Take: The America Party play was always going to fail. Or, perhaps, it’s more appropriate to say it was never intended to succeed.
Still, the story provided an excellent exercise in exposure, reminiscent of the Ron DeSantis 2024 presidential primary run. It has a sort of “anyone but Trump” ring to it – from so-called conservatives who should be fully on board with President Trump and Agenda47 by this point.
Elon is still the largest DOD contractor and remains fully funded; those that jumped on his America Party train, however, are suspect and tanking in credibility and support.
You have to wonder about anyone still NeverTrumping at this point… like, I wonder if we’ll see their names in newly declassified document dumps in the near future. – Ashe in America
Ultra-Orthodox leaders have called for an international day of prayer and fasting on Thursday in response to recent government efforts to conscript ultra-Orthodox yeshiva students and arrest those who ignore government orders to enlist.
Rabbi Dov Lando, the spiritual leader of Degel HaTorah, one of the factions of the Haredi United Torah Judaism party, issued a public appeal to Jews around the world to treat the day as if it were Yom Kippur Katan, a minor fast day in which worshipers recite prayers usually read on the Jewish Day of Atonement.
In the United States and Europe, Haredi Jews are “preparing to tear open the gates of heaven to overturn the conscription decree that threatens the Torah world,” party newspaper Yated Neeman declared on its front page on Tuesday, quoting Lando as saying that “Jews are persecuting Jews because they are learning Torah.” – The Times of Israel
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu upbraided French President Emmanuel Macron on Tuesday, charging that the latter’s move to recognize a Palestinian state fuels antisemitism, drawing a combative response from Paris.
Late last month, Macron said France would formally recognize a Palestinian state during a UN meeting in September, drawing a swift rebuke from Israel.
By announcing the move, France was set to join a growing list of nations to have recognized statehood for the Palestinians since the start of the Gaza war nearly two years ago. Many Western nations have followed in Paris’s footsteps.
In the letter sent to Macron, seen by AFP, Netanyahu said antisemitism had “surged” in France following the announcement. – The Times of Israel
Our Take: We are watching Israel implode, both internally and externally.
Bibi Netanyahu has somehow succeeded in inciting nearly every segment of society against him, including the Ultra-Orthodox (Haredim), who otherwise lend their support for Netanyahu's efforts to annex Jerusalem so that the messiah (Mashiach) can arrive and build the Third Temple. (Or, the other way around, if you believe in Revisionist Zionism.)
The IDF generals and the Haredim are now in a game of chicken to see who will blink first. Both sides have threatened an extreme agenda — the IDF conscripting anywhere from 54,000 to 80,000 young Haredi men into military service, and the Haredim threatening extreme economic warfare against Israel and potentially violence against the IDF, according to some Haredi leaders.
As this is all unfolding, Netanyahu is lashing out at leaders around the world — most recently French President Emanuel Macron and Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese as their nations shift from their long-standing position of absolute support for Israel to formally recognizing the State of Palestine, a move that signals their rejection of further military occupation in the West Bank or Gaza.
The fact that Netanyahu is accusing Macron of antisemitism in such an obtuse moment of unbridled hubris makes me inclined to think that Netanyahu is doing all of this wittingly however, his notorious ego and obstinate manner makes it easy to believe that this is all in earnest; that Netanyahu is the secular messiah fulfilling his destiny — just like those 21-year-olds who spent their whole lives in the same room, so they would be "clean" when it came time for them to sacrifice those red heifers...
...at least, in the minds of Bibi and his forebearers.
As President Trump continues his rope-a-dope of Israel, Bibi's divine mission is turning into a kamikaze run. – GhostofBasedPatrickHenry
Once again, newly released documents and damning evidence conclusively substantiate what many Americans have long suspected. Russiagate was a conspiracy — hatched, implemented and relentlessly promoted by top officials in the CIA, FBI and across the Obama-Biden-Clinton political machine to rig a presidential election and undermine a duly elected president. It also corrupted the very institutions essential to protecting American liberty.
Despite the mountain of evidence and exhaustive investigations, those responsible for this travesty remain unpunished.
Former CIA Director John Brennan and former Director of National Intelligence James Clapper, among other intelligence officials, have lied to Congress and the American public about their reliance on the discredited Steele dossier — a report paid for by the Clinton campaign and the DNC — while simultaneously engineering different versions of critical intelligence assessments to cover their tracks.
Although the intelligence community and its leaders publicly maintained that the notorious dossier played no role in the official assessment concerning “Russian Activities and Intentions in Recent U.S. Elections,” newly declassified oversight reviews flatly contradict these claims. – The Hill
Our Take: It’s a lifelong trade for them – to subvert the United States of America.
Once it’s fully developed, it’s gonna be really easy to look back at things that happened 10, 15, 20 years ago with these same characters – these corrupt members of the deep state. [Full Episode, Clip Link] – Chris Paul
Forty-three years after Randy White's wife was murdered just minutes after he kissed her goodbye for the last time, he has witnessed the execution of her killer.
Kayle Barrington Bates, 67, was executed by lethal injection on Tuesday, Aug. 19, for the 1982 murder of Janet Renee White, the youngest of five tightknit siblings and a beloved wife who dreamed of having children and running her own business… The execution represents long-awaited justice for White, who was 27 when he lost his wife and witnessed the execution at the age of 70.
"I made a promise to her right after it happened that I would be there for every trial, every hearing, every appeal, and that as long as I was living, I would seek justice for her," he told USA TODAY after the execution. "I feel a relief that I can mentally let Renee know that justice has finally been served for her, and that's mentally what I need. It's always been for her." [...]
Beyond Florida, eight other executions are scheduled in other states in the U.S. by the end of the year, putting the country on pace to see at least 39 inmates put to death in 2025. That's more than any other year since 2013 and would be a 56% increase over the 25 executions conducted last year. – USA Today
Lawyers for Kilmar Armando Abrego Garcia, the immigrant who was wrongfully expelled to El Salvador in March, accused the Justice Department on Tuesday of vindictive prosecution for bringing a criminal case against him after he and his lawyers fought his deportation.
The accusations, made in a 35-page filing in Federal District Court in Nashville, amounted to an effort by Mr. Abrego Garcia to call out the behavior of the administration, which has been going after him in one form or another for nearly five months.
In a reminder of the government’s many missteps in the case, Mr. Abrego Garcia’s lawyers pointed out that Trump officials first removed him from the United States in violation of a court order. They added that instead of taking the traditional path and quickly returning him, the White House “began a public campaign to punish Mr. Abrego for daring to fight back, culminating in the criminal investigation” that led to his indictment.
“Kilmar Abrego Garcia has been singled out by the United States government,” the lawyers wrote. – The New York Times
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"FORTY THREE YEARS after Randy White's wife was murdered just minutes after he kissed her goodbye for the last time, he has witnessed the execution of her killer."
LET'S HOPE WE SEE JUSTICE SOONER THAN THIS POOR MAN.......
I feel the time has come for the 2 party system to die. It no longer serves a purpose. I felt that hope spark when Trump was elected in 2016. We need a clean system without career politicians. Seeing how Trump, Musk, Rfk Jr and gang, non politicians, have made such positive strides, confirms that system doesn't work.
"FORTY THREE YEARS after Randy White's wife was murdered just minutes after he kissed her goodbye for the last time, he has witnessed the execution of her killer."
LET'S HOPE WE SEE JUSTICE SOONER THAN THIS POOR MAN.......
I feel the time has come for the 2 party system to die. It no longer serves a purpose. I felt that hope spark when Trump was elected in 2016. We need a clean system without career politicians. Seeing how Trump, Musk, Rfk Jr and gang, non politicians, have made such positive strides, confirms that system doesn't work.