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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 picks 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 commentary from members of our growing team of citizen journalists. Feel free to follow the corresponding link to see their other work.
Now, onto the news from Thursday, July 13 …
Ray Epps To Be Criminally Charged For Role In January 6th, Blames Tucker
Ray Epps, a man who was seen goading Trump supporters to storm the Capitol on January 6, 2021, will be criminally charged, according to Epps' attorney.
The impending charges were revealed in a Wednesday lawsuit filed by Epps against Fox News, which accuses former host Tucker Carlson of defaming him.
"...in May 2023, the Department of Justice notified Epps that it would seek to charge him criminally for events on January 6, 2021—two-and-a-half years later," reads the filing. "The relentless attacks by Fox and Mr. Carlson and the resulting political pressure likely resulted in the criminal charges."
In March, Epps hired attorney Michael Teter - formerly of Perkins Coie, the firm notorious for helping the Clinton campaign hatch the Steele dossier and collaborating with the FBI to push the Trump-Russia hoax. Teter immediately sent a letter to Carlson demanding that the former Fox News host retract "false and defamatory statements" that Epps was a J6 government plant.
Epps, 62, was identified as a key instigator of the riot who has long been suspected of being a fed (or a fed asset), told his nephew in a text message: "I was in the front with a few others. I also orchestrated it." — ZeroHedge
Our Take: “On the night of January 5, 2021, Ray Epps yelled in the midst of a public gathering with John ‘JaydenX’ Sullivan, ‘Tomorrow, we’re gonna go into the Capitol!’ The crowd promptly began shouting, ‘Fed! Fed! Fed!’
This is important because the basis of Epps’ case against Fox is that the network is responsible for the overwhelming and, in my opinion, appropriate public belief that Epps is a federal confidential human source. Adding to this belief is the inexplicable treatment Epps has received by the government.
Of all the J6 defendants, the evidence on Ray Epps is most damning. He is on tape, multiple times across multiple days, openly inciting the crowd to violence. Yet, despite the evidence against him, he was removed from the watch list and became the darling of the sham J6 Committee. Plus, he was seen with Sullivan who likewise was ignored by the feds despite filming himself saying, ‘We did it!’ inside the Capitol Rotunda in the middle of the very violent insurrection. Sullivan was paid more than $70k for his video footage of J6, and he is now a war correspondent in the Ukraine, because of course he is.
Yesterday, Rep Troy Nehls questioned FBI Director Wray about the failure to bring charges against Epps, playing video of Epps’ greatest hits on J6. Wray declined to comment on Epps except to whine about being offended that anyone would believe the FBI would incite an insurrection. His objections weren’t believable. Just a few hours after the hearing, this news broke that prosecutors are planning to charge Epps. The message: Sit down and be pacified. Trust the system. Justice or something.
While Epps is suing Fox News for the public believing he is a fed, the reality is that Epps’ own actions and words made most people believe he was a fed instantly upon interacting with him, and they shouted as much on video. The actions of the bureau and the federal legislature in protecting him — such as disgraced former Rep Adam Kinzinger coaching him through his testimony before the J6 Committee — solidified the public’s sentiment about Epps into a well-founded and defendable belief. Any charges the corrupt DOJ throws at him now are much too little and much too late to combat the belief — especially after our friends and fathers, brothers and husbands and sons have been locked up for years for much less. Ray Epps may be the regime’s greatest mistake in the insurrection psyop. His story drives awakening, so I’m glad he’s still in the news.” —
Hollywood actors go on strike, say it's time for studio execs to 'wake up'
SAG-AFTRA, the union representing Hollywood actors and performers, has voted to go on strike against major studios. Union president Fran Drescher said in a press conference that it was time for studio executives to "wake up and smell the coffee."
The union's national board made the decision after negotiations broke down with the Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers. After a last ditch effort, monitored by a federal mediator, the two sides failed to come to an agreement.
"This is the Union's choice, not ours," the AMPTP said in a statement. "Rather than continuing to negotiate, SAG-AFTRA has put us on a course that will deepen the financial hardship for thousands who depend on the industry for their livelihoods."
The studios have also pointed out that the climate for streaming is not good; they've had a lot of layoffs recently. Just before the strike was called, Disney's CEO, Bob Iger, told CNBC that the union's expectations are not realistic.
SAG-AFTRA said in a statement that the streaming ecosystem has "eroded" the way actors get paid. The union accused the studios of refusing to acknowledge "enormous shifts in the industry and economy" and being unwilling to offer a fair deal. — NPR
Our Take: “Hollywood is committing seppuku in front of the world.
Over the course of the last few months, the Entertainment Industrial Complex has kicked off a Writer's Strike and a Director's Strike, which is now being followed by an Actor's Strike.
They actually did it.
The Actors have now joined Hollywood Writers and Directors to strike during a time period where the American people have never been more tired of their bullsh*t, and where an independent film about child trafficking is beating Disney tentpoles full of the Marxist programming they endorse.
They have done this in the midst of the most contentious sociopolitical climate in decades, a stagflated economy and declining box office receipts and ratings for woke, Marxist programming.
Quite the move.
If one were a conspiracy theorist, one might think we've got ghosts in the Hollywood machine.
Every move they make lessens their grip on the Collective Mind.
Who's really pulling the strings?
Whose movie are we watching?” —
White House cocaine investigation concluded after just 11 days, no suspect ID’d: Secret Service
The Secret Service ended its investigation into cocaine found in the West Wing of the White House after just 11 days without identifying a suspect, enraging congressional Republicans who demanded answers about how an illegal drug got into one of the most secure buildings in the world.
In a statement Thursday, the protective agency said its probe was “closed due to a lack of physical evidence” after FBI forensic testing on the bag the cocaine was found in failed to turn up fingerprints or sufficient DNA.
“Without physical evidence, the investigation will not be able to single out a person of interest from the hundreds of individuals who passed through the vestibule where the cocaine was discovered,” the Service said.
Rep. Tim Burchett (R-Tenn.) stormed out of a briefing offered to lawmakers on the House Oversight Committee moments after it began Thursday morning, calling the conclusion “bogus” and the investigation a “complete failure.” — The NY Post
Our Take: “Well, that’s completely expected. Credit where it’s due, House Speaker Kevin McCarthy said what everyone is thinking:
‘You can’t tell me in the White House, with 24/7 surveillance in a cubby hole by a Situation Room that they don’t know who delivered it there,’ he said. ‘We should get an answer to the question. It just seems to me that in America today anything involving Biden Inc. gets treated differently than anything else and that shouldn’t be the case.’
That shouldn’t be the case, indeed.
The failure of the Secret Service to publicly identify the owner of the cocaine found in the White House means they’re either incompetent or complicit. We are talking about arguably the most secure building in the world with cameras covering every inch. If the Secret Service is really going with the ‘we just don’t know’ defense, then they need to be relieved of duty for being unable to perform their job duties. After all, an incompetent Secret Service is a threat to national security. We are repeatedly told that these agencies are full of ‘rank and file’ good guys. But good and competent are not synonyms, and if this is their final conclusion on the investigation, the competence of the service deserves scrutiny, good guys or not.
More likely, however, is that they know exactly whose coke it is, and they’re protecting that person. I believe the Secret Service is highly competent and that they probably knew the coke owner’s identity in the first 24 hours. They just aren’t telling the public. Why would that be? The Secret Service’s prime directive is to protect the President and First Family. They will even allow themselves to appear incompetent if it means protecting their charges.
While I believe the coke belonged to Hunter—who was absolutely on scene with opportunity despite KJP lying to reporters about that fact—it may have been another Biden’s. Maybe the coke belonged to James, or Hallie, or Ashley or Jill. Maybe the blow belonged to Joe. But it’s important to note that Hunter is living at the White House, and he is required to behave per the conditions of his plea agreement. A coke scandal for Hunter could result in a revoked plea and jail time.
That’s a hell of a motive for a cover up. We may never get answers, but the response, investigation, and conclusions of the Secret Service point to the owner being a Biden. And Hunter has the history of addiction as well as the biggest personal motive among the criminal Biden clan.
House Republicans are gnashing their teeth over the investigation’s conclusions, demanding answers and issuing strongly-worded statements. I agree with the sentiment, but I have little faith in their ability to deliver any additional insights or action in this matter. They haven’t confronted Biden about the 459 criminal violations of the law with a publicly-verifiable evidentiary record. They haven’t delivered any action in response to his document scandal or the Afghanistan withdrawal, or intentionally destroying the American economy. House Republicans bring big energy, but have repeatedly shown they’re unable to finish, leaving constituents wholly unsatisfied.
At the end of the day, the service protects the president. It’s his White House while in office, he is responsible for the actions of his family on the premises, and the buck stops at the top. Thus, Found Blow Joe needs to answer some questions. But is anyone in the legislature bold enough to ask?” —
Robert F. Kennedy Jr. to testify at House weaponization hearing next week
Democratic presidential candidate Robert F. Kennedy Jr. will appear before a House subcommittee next week to share his experience with federal censorship.
The Select Subcommittee on the Weaponization of the Federal Government will meet next Thursday to discuss the federal government's role in censoring the public and Big Tech's "collusion with out-of-control government agencies to silence speech."
RFK Jr. will bring a personal testimony to the hearing — the White House attempted to censor him over COVID-19 vaccine misinformation in January 2021.
The censorship attempts were cited in the preliminary injunction that blocks the Biden administration from contacting social media companies in Missouri v. Biden. The Justice Department is currently reviewing the decision.
The Democratic presidential candidate had tweeted several links and images critical of the Biden and Trump administration's approach to COVID-19 vaccines in the past.
“The judge got it exactly right when he wrote, ‘Freedom of speech and press is the indispensable condition of nearly every other form of freedom,’” Kennedy said in a statement when the injunction was released. “Without freedom of speech, there is no democracy.” — The Washington Examiner
Our Take: “The Psychological impact of RFK Jr. discussing Weaponization of Government in a 2023 Committee hearing can't really be overstated.
1) It furthers the pattern that Trump and Kennedy are advancing parallel Narrative Deployments highlighting government overreach, particularly within the Administrative (Deep) State.
Whether they’re doing so with intentional coordination or because, on some of the key issues afflicting the psyches of the American public, they are aligned, even if they aren’t on other issues, the Net Effects are that both are putting the Establishment on the defense.
2) While Weaponization of Government in the current context largely relates to intel agency corruption, it takes on a WHOLE different vibe coming from the nephew of JFK and son of RFK.” —
Massachusetts Spares ‘Millionaire Destinations’ from Taking in Illegal Aliens
Massachusetts Gov. Maura Healey (D) is sparing “millionaire destinations” from being forced to absorb a growing number of illegal aliens who are living off the state’s taxpayers in motels, Boston Herald columnist Howie Carr writes.
State Rep. Peter Durant (R), who is running for state senate, asked Healey for a full accounting of the cost to Massachusetts taxpayers to house, feed, and care for the growing number of illegal aliens arriving in the state.
In response, Healey’s office said nearly 40 motels were currently being used by the state to house new arrivals but refused to give a cost estimate to taxpayers.
“This is about what we’re spending in taxpayers’ dollars to house, feed, secure those who are in the country illegally,” Durant told the Boston Herald. “I think we’ve got some good information but how many of these 1,300 families are illegal?”
Among the towns and cities where the state is funding migrant motels, Carr writes that nearly none of the “millionaire destinations” in Massachusetts — like Nantucket, Martha’s Vineyard, Cambridge, or Newburyport — are on the list. — Breitbart
Our Take: “The word "hypocrisy" dates back to c.1200, and is defined as, ‘the sin of pretending virtue or goodness.’
Establishment border policies are pretense of virtue in practice. The ruling class demands open border immigration, because they’re such solid humanitarians. But that doesn’t mean they want unvetted foreigners in their communities.
No, they want small town America to absorb the new illegal and unvetted residents. For democracy, or something and, if you have a problem, you’re a bigot. After all, as former Speaker Nancy Pelosi said, ‘Why are you shipping these immigrants up north? We need them to pick the crops down here.’
Classy.
The contradiction became abundantly clear during the Martha’s Vineyard saga last year, when the wealthy playground cried emergency due to a small number of illegals arriving. They claimed the island didn’t have the resources to house the migrants despite a surplus of empty vacation homes and rentals on the island. The foreigners were quickly shipped out of the billionaire playground — a luxury not afforded to Americans in border towns — but the rhetoric from the beautiful people remains unchanged. They still oppose a strong border and expect middle America to manage the situation.
In other words, they’re hypocrites, pretending to be virtuous in caring for migrants as long as they don’t actually have to care for migrants.” —
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.
The Badlands Media team will continue to combine our cognitive powers in order to slow things down and find the signal amidst the noise as this series expands.
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.
Good morning! I was wondering if any of your intrepid journalists have looked into the influx of new apartment complexes being built in small towns? I live in a small town adjacent to two more small towns. All have seen a very rapid increase in apartments being built. They’re either “market rate” or luxury apartments. In this area we have seen 7 or 8 new “luxury apartments” either built or in the planning stages. The median income in this area does not support the building of so many luxury apartments and we can’t get any straight answers from the town leaders. People in this area are struggling to pay the market rate rent so we don’t know how they figure we can afford luxury apartments. It’s not like this area has anything in the way of attractions, so who’s moving here? Our population has stagnated for decades and even declined over the last 2 years. It’s mainly 2 development groups running the show. Oh and my town even got a federal grant to study the heat island effect all while pursuing overdevelopment. Ironic, isn’t it?
As a resident of MA, I just found out there are still some illegals living in Martha's Vineyard, I'm sure much to their dismay . I live less than a mile away from a Holiday Inn, who apparently have a 9 year lease with the state to house these people. BJ's and the Dollar Tree, that are across the street from the Holiday Inn, were both robbed and my neighbor saw unknown people in his backyard. There is also another Holiday Inn, in the next town over that is also housing illegals. The governor doesn't give a crap that citizen's lives are in danger, as long as they get the money!!! Massachusetts is becoming El Paso, TX!!!