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.
A senior Moscow security official has rebuked United States President Donald Trump and raised the danger of another world war breaking out after Trump said Russian leader Vladimir Putin was “playing with fire” by refusing to engage in Ukraine ceasefire talks with Kyiv.
Dmitry Medvedev said World War III was the only “REALLY BAD thing” in a response, late on Tuesday, to Trump, who had earlier posted a message to Putin on social media saying that “really bad things would have already happened in Russia” without his intervention. […]
Medvedev responded on the platform X:
“Regarding Trump’s words about Putin ‘playing with fire’ and ‘really bad things’ happening to Russia. I only know of one REALLY BAD thing — WWIII.”
“I hope Trump understands this!” — Al Jazeera
Our Take: Love posts like this from Trump. He's saying it without saying it.
If the war "started" in February of 2022, that means for nearly three years, Trump wasn't (technically) President.
How come none of those "really bad things" happened to Russia then?
This week’s Badlands News Brief is sponsored by Luv Litters! 100% pure kiln-dried wood with no dust, no mess, and no toxins. The biodegradable litter is crafted from wood destined for landfills, giving it a new purpose in your pet’s life — and it's safe for all your pets, including cats, birds, reptiles, and other critters! Right now Badlands readers get free shipping with code “BADLANDS”!
U.S. President Donald Trump purported on Tuesday that Canada was "considering" giving up its statehood in exchange for protection by the proposed "Golden Dome" missile defense system at no cost, despite Canadian officials repeatedly stating that the country is not for sale.
"I told Canada, which very much wants to be part of our fabulous Golden Dome System, that it will cost $61 Billion Dollars if they remain a separate, but unequal, Nation, but will cost ZERO DOLLARS if they become our cherished 51st State," Trump wrote on Truth Social.
"They are considering the offer!" he claimed. — Fox News
Our Take:
Trump purchasing Canada for $61 billion. — Chris Paul
NPR and a group of Colorado-based public radio stations, including Colorado Public Radio, filed suit Tuesday against the Trump administration in an effort to block planned federal funding cuts or restrictions to the broadcasters.
The suit, filed in U.S. District Court for Washington, D.C., points to remarks President Donald Trump has made claiming that public broadcasting is biased against him as evidence that he is using the threat of funding cuts to chill the First Amendment rights of the broadcasters, including National Public Radio.
“It is not always obvious when the government has acted with a retaliatory purpose in violation of the First Amendment. ‘But this wolf comes as a wolf,’ “ the suit says, referencing language from prior court decisions. “The Order targets NPR and PBS expressly because, in the President’s view, their news and other content is not 'fair, accurate, or unbiased.' " — Colorado Public Radio
Our Take: Colorado Public Radio reporting on the merits of their own lawsuit is peak legacy media.
Once again, Colorado is at the forefront of a fight against President Trump. There isn’t a lawfare avenue they won’t try, a government entity they won’t weaponize, or taxpayer dollars they won’t waste.
And as has happened repeatedly over the past five years, when the government can’t make a case, they’ll recruit NGOs or friendly corporations as plaintiffs.
Katherine Maher, the NPR CEO, is the face of this particular lawsuit. She should be familiar.
The clip is long, but important. The record is thick.
President Trump isn’t making off-handed personal statements about NPR and their affiliates… He’s citing the congressional record — and specifically the testimony of the plaintiffs.
President Donald Trump on Tuesday signaled that his patience with Vladimir Putin is running thin, warning the Russian leader that he is “playing with fire” by refusing to engage in serious peace talks about ending the war in Ukraine.
But Trump, frustrated that Putin has shrugged at his offer to reset relations with the U.S. following a peace settlement, still hasn’t decided to shift gears.
“Putin is getting dangerously close to burning the golden bridge that Trump has set out before him,” said an administration official, who, like others, was granted anonymity to share details about the president’s current thinking.
Trump has yet to make a decision on whether to impose additional sanctions on Moscow in response to Putin ramping up attacks on Ukraine, according to four U.S. officials. — Politico
Our Take: For the weekday crowd.
The escalating tit-for-tat between Trump and Putin isn’t cause for concern.
If you’ve been paying attention to the war beneath the war, it’s cause for anticipation.
Vice President JD Vance and two of the president’s children are among the MAGA characters set to speak at a Bitcoin conference in Las Vegas this week.
President Donald Trump will not speak at the conference, as he did last year amid his presidential campaigning, but Eric and Donald Trump Jr. will travel to the desert in his absence.
Also scheduled to speak is Ross Ulbricht, the recently pardoned digital drug market mastermind. […]
White House crypto czar David Sacks is another from the Trump orbit who is listed to speak at the Venetian, which is hosting the conference between Tuesday and Thursday. Others in the MAGA-verse on the schedule include Vivek Ramaswamy, an ex-presidential candidate running for governor in Ohio; Byron Donalds, a Trump-endorsed gubernatorial candidate in Florida; and Chris LaCivita, a Trump adviser. — Daily Beast
Our Take: The Eagle has landed…
Post panel interview with Erik Cason, author of Cryptosovereignty.
Saved the best for last…FULL FUGGEM interview with Optimist Fields, co-host of Simply Bitcoin.
Hundreds of lawyers have called on the UK government to use "all available means" to stop the fighting in Gaza, including reviewing trade ties with Israel and imposing sanctions and travel bans on Israeli ministers.
Some 828 UK-based or qualified legal experts, among them former Supreme Court justices, signed a letter to Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer on Monday.
They warned "genocide is being perpetrated in Gaza" from Israel's blockade of food and aid and its new military offensive, which has killed hundreds of Palestinians there in the past fortnight. — BBC
Our Take: UK minister disclosing that the Royal Air Force has been assisting the IDF ever since October 7, including intercepting the missiles fired at Israel by Iran.
This reinforces the notion that the UK now souring on the public optics of the continuing Gaza campaign is an ominous sign for the Diaspora. — GhostofBasedPatrickHenry
Many Court watchers have been interested in the Justices’ decision on Thursday in Trump v. Wilcox to lift the temporary blocks that had been imposed by the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia (and that were affirmed en banc by the U.S. Court of Appeals for the D.C. Circuit), preventing President Donald Trump from firing (as the President had attempted to do) a member of the National Labor Relations Board (NLRB) and a member of the Merit Systems Protection Board (MSPB).
Most analysts have focused on how the ruling sent strong signals that a majority of the Court believes the President has the constitutional authority to remove at least some high-level officials who exercise executive power whom Congress had sought to insulate from presidential control by requiring legal “cause” for any termination.
Thursday’s action by the Justices does not suggest that all high-ranking members of the federal bureaucracy will necessarily be vulnerable to presidential termination and replacement at will… the Court will, for historical and structural reasons, exempt leaders of the Federal Reserve […]
As important as Thursday’s decision was with respect to the contours of presidential control over the executive branch, we were also quite interested in passages in Justice Elena Kagan’s dissent (joined by Justices Sonia Sotomayor and Ketanji Brown Jackson) that go well beyond the boundaries of the debate over the NLRB or MSPB and unitary-executive theory. Instead, the observations in Justice Kagan’s dissent that we analyze below have broader implications for judicial review and separation of powers more generally. — Justia
Our Take: Elena Kagan's dissent in Trump v Wilcox is a 10-page panic over the Humphrey's Executor precedent.
She once again discusses how the courts "make law" and goes on to suggest that catering to practical needs, including the markets, is a sound basis for doing so (just not in this case, the way the majority did it). — Chris Paul
TikTok is dangerous—until it's profitable. That’s the unspoken message from dozens of U.S. states that banned the app from government devices while still using it to sell sunshine and sightseeing through their tourism boards.
Since 2022, over 30 states, including Texas, Florida, and Montana, restricted TikTok on official networks, citing national security concerns. Texas Gov. Greg Abbott called it a platform that "offers this trove of potentially sensitive information to the Chinese government."
Yet over at Visit Texas? Still dancing outside Buc-ee’s like the algorithm depends on it. […]
…the federal government took aim too. President Biden signed a bill in April 2024 requiring ByteDance to sell TikTok or face a nationwide ban, but the deadline passed months ago. TikTok wasn’t sold. The app is still up, running, and increasingly central to tourism marketing across the country.
Despite these political maneuvers, TikTok's popularity continues to soar. — Salon
Our Take: You know what we haven't heard any news about lately?
What will happen to TikTok in the US.
The ban delay is in effect until June 19th. — Jon Herold
An archeological discovery from the Dra' Abu el-Naga area on Luxor's West Bank reveals three new tombs of prominent statesmen from Egypt's New Kingdom era (1550 B.C.E. to 1070 B.C.E.). Based on the inscriptions inside the tombs, the all-Egyptian research team identified the names and owner titles of the tombs.
Further research is needed to help uncover more about who these owners were, said Mohamed Ismail Khaled, secretary-general of the Supreme Council of Antiquities, in a statement from the Egyptian Ministry of Tourism and Antiquities. However, these findings help enrich our understanding of this ancient time period. — Discover Magazine
Our Take: I love “new” archeological discoveries anytime they come up, but this one is particularly cool. Tombs dating back to the Ramesside Period (1292 B.C.E. to 1189 B.C.E.) were discovered in Egypt.
The Ramesside Period is notable for its grandeur, military might, and monumental building. Its ending is also a dramatic moment in Egypt’s history, a fracturing of the kingdom and the end of Egyptian imperial power.
From the article, “The first tomb dates back to the Ramesside period (1292 B.C.E. to 1189 B.C.E.) during the 19th and 20th Egyptian dynasties. It belonged to Amum-em-Ipet, who worked in either the temple or estate of Amun, according to the statement. Although much of his tomb was destroyed, the research team could make out depictions of a banquet, offerings, and funeral furniture carriers.”
You know what else probably happened during the Ramesside Period?
Many scholars place the Biblical Exodus in 13th Century BC, contemporaneous with the “new” discovery.
Are you aware of the similarities between the plagues in Exodus and the prophecies Wrath of God, as foretold in Revelation and the writings of the Old Testament Prophets?
It could be a coincidence that a tomb from this period was just discovered, and all done up for a funeral, no less. Or it could be a pretty public notice for the ancient demons and those that now worship them:
Let My People Go.
(Also, I don’t believe in that kind of coincidence.)
A Maryland judge on Tuesday gave the Trump administration a victory in a case over its controversial plans to significantly restructure the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID).
In a 10-page memorandum opinion, U.S. District Judge Theodore Chuang, a Barack Obama appointee, rejected efforts to depose several members of USAID and the Elon Musk-helmed U.S. Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE).
“[T]he proposed depositions of multiple officials with significant roles in the operation of the government imposes a meaningful burden,” Chuang determined.
In the underlying case, the plaintiffs — 26 current and former USAID contractors and employees — claim Musk possesses “an extraordinary amount of power” without being nominated or confirmed by the Senate, in violation of the Constitution’s Appointments Clause. — Law & Crime
U.S. Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy, Jr. and Argentine Minister of Health Mario Lugones today issued the following joint statement regarding each country’s withdrawal from the World Health Organization (WHO):
“The WHO’s handling of the COVID-19 pandemic revealed serious structural and operational shortcomings that undermined global trust and highlighted the urgent need for independent, science-based leadership in global health.
“There are well-documented concerns regarding the early management of the pandemic and the risks associated with certain types of research. Rather than ensuring timely transparency, the WHO failed to provide critical access to information, impairing countries' ability to act swiftly and effectively, with devastating global consequences.
“The absence of meaningful reforms, disproportionate financial demands, and the increasing politicization of the organization have ultimately led the United States and Argentina to withdraw from the WHO.” — U.S. Department of Health & Human Services
Thank you for reading today’s Badlands News Brief. As always, please share the brief far and wide, and drop your comments below to discuss with your fellow Badlanders. The opinions expressed in the Badlands News Brief are those of the authors and do not necessarily reflect the attitudes or positions of Badlands Media.
The Badlands News Brief is free, but you can support us by becoming a paid subscriber to this newsletter. Help our collective of citizen journalists take back the narrative. We are the news now.
Interesting that DJT's blurb on Canada and the Goldrn Dome coincides with Charles and Camilla's visit and Charles' scheduled speech to Parliament 'from the throne'
(On the new archeological 'finds' - didn’t someone say awhile back that it was gonna be biblical?)
Thanks for today's Takes.
I must state up front that the BCE instead of BC is simply wokeness fukkery and I refuse to play. Ahh I feel better now :-)
Nailed it Ashe: "Let My People Go. (Also, I don’t believe in that kind of coincidence.) Time is short. God wins. — Ashe in America"
God Wins!
God Bless!!!
Interesting that DJT's blurb on Canada and the Goldrn Dome coincides with Charles and Camilla's visit and Charles' scheduled speech to Parliament 'from the throne'
(On the new archeological 'finds' - didn’t someone say awhile back that it was gonna be biblical?)