Badlands News Brief
Sorosian Strings, Kayfabian Comms & the Woke House
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 the Weekend that Was …
George Soros is paying student radicals who are fueling nationwide explosion of Israel-hating protests
George Soros and his hard-left acolytes are paying agitators who are fueling the explosion of radical anti-Israel protests at colleges across the country.
The protests, which began when students took over Columbia University’s Morningside Heights campus lawn last week, have mushroomed nationwide.
Copycat tent cities have been set up at colleges including Harvard, Yale, Berkeley in California, the Ohio State University and Emory in Georgia — all of them organized by branches of the Soros-funded Students for Justice in Palestine (SJP) — and at some, students have clashed with police.
The SJP parent organization has been funded by a network of nonprofits ultimately funded by, among others, Soros, the billionaire left-wing investor. — NY Post
Our Take: “It's becoming increasingly clear that the most insufferable caricatures in the modern zeitgeist are all paid operatives who are deployed to generate angst and animosity.
These operatives all seem to have the unique ability to reach people who are otherwise indifferent on a particular subject, and inspire a contempt toward whichever political position is best suited for the moment. (These operations also have the net effect of inspiring useful idiots to jump in and support the operation.)
I don't think that's an accident.
The M.O. of these schemers is to control both sides of a conflict—whether it be an international war, or a domestic political issue—so that they can control how the public perceives each side, so that they can properly antagonize those individuals to adopt a position on one side of the paradigm.
Once they have you on one specific side, they can feed you information to stroke your confirmation bias.
I know the common parlance when analyzing these totalitarians is to purport that they want us all to believe the same thing—and to a large extent, that is very true—but opposition will always be a necessary element of their operation, because it gives the indoctrinated a target.
Without that target, the masses may start noticing things.
So distraction and misdirection are both big parts of the psyops. Meaning controlled opposition will always be a real factor.” — GhostofBasedPatrickHenry
Barr, who said Trump shouldn’t be near Oval Office, says he will vote for him in 2024
Former Attorney General Bill Barr, who previously said that Donald Trump shouldn’t be near the Oval Office, told CNN’s Kaitlan Collins on Friday that he would vote for the former president over President Joe Biden in the 2024 election.
“I think that Biden is unfit for office,” Barr said on “The Source” in a wide-ranging interview. “I think Trump would do less damage than Biden, and I think all this stuff about a threat to democracy – I think the real threat to democracy is the progressive movement and the Biden administration.”
Collins pressed Barr – who has been highly critical of his former boss – “Just to be clear, you’re voting for someone who you believe tried to subvert the peaceful transfer of power, that can’t even achieve his own policies, that lied about the election even after his attorney general told him that the election wasn’t stolen. … You’re going to vote for someone who is facing 88 criminal counts?”
Barr began, “Look, the 88 criminal counts, a lot of those are-”
“Even if 10 of them are accurate?” Collins interjected.
“The answer to the question is yes,” Barr countered. “I’m supporting the Republican ticket.” — CNN
Our Take: “RON! fought the man ... and then endorsed him.
Vivek fought the man ... and then endorsed him.
Barr worked for the man, fought the man ... and then endorsed him.
For those of you who've been unable to accept the possibility that many of the loudest players on the game board—the ones the MSM leap at the chance to use against Trump ostensibly from within his own movement—are playing roles, this is storytelling 101.
There's a reason Kayfabe and false feuds are some of the most simple and effective Narrative Deployments in the Info War.
Bad guys used Kayfabe to help codify the controlled opposition dynamic, pitting right against left, republican against democrat, man against woman, black against white because it appeals to human binary/tribal thinking.
Good guys use Kayfabe because the narrative-setters on the opposing side are cut off from their former power structure, and are spinning in a void of indecision.
Bicameral thinking avails us well.
When you know the way broadly ...” — Burning Bright
Inside the failed White House coup to oust Biden press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre
Top aides to President Biden secretly hatched a plan this past fall to replace White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre by recruiting outside allies to nudge her out the door, The Post has learned.
Jean-Pierre, who made history in May 2022 by becoming the first black and first openly gay person to hold the position, had developed the exasperating habit of reading canned answers directly from a binder to reporters at her regular briefings — offering what her superiors viewed as a less-than-compelling pitch for the 81-year-old Biden as he readied his re-election campaign.
De facto White House communications chief Anita Dunn, 66, the wife of Biden personal attorney Bob Bauer, told colleagues she had decided to call in prominent Democrats to explain to Jean-Pierre, 49, that the time was ripe to move on, sources told The Post. — NY Post
Our Take: “From an ‘official’ quoted in this NY Post piece, ‘Karine is very strong and doing a very good job in the briefing room.’
Sure, why not?
The initial reaction to this NY Post piece is to jump on the DEI outcomes train, and the majority of the internet is marching in lock step with that storyline. *Yawns in comfy*
I’m focused on the part where she cant be fired. KJP is a disaster for Biden, so much so that she is constantly joined by NatSec officials to help her through the briefing. According to the piece, she won’t put in the work to become capable, and it’s created many headaches for the barrier-breaking press secretary.
Is being incompetent KJP’s job description?
I am not well enough versed in devolution to know if this is a proof, but Anita Dunn’s hands being tied on the White House Communications Team, unable to influence critical talent decisions is, at minimum, notable.
They can’t impeach Biden.
They can’t replace Biden.
They can’t even replace KJP.
This news is breaking as the legacy media is reporting that the Biden Administration has kicked off their transition team.
The best is yet to come.” — Ashe in America
China warns U.S. of 'downward spiral' as Antony Blinken meets with Xi Jinping
Secretary of State Antony Blinken met with Chinese President Xi Jinping in Beijing on Friday as he wrapped up a three-day visit to China dominated by contentious issues and warnings from his hosts of another “downward spiral” in relations.
The two men met Friday afternoon local time at the Great Hall of the People, an ornate and cavernous building next to Tiananmen Square.
Xi noted that this year is the 45th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations between the United States and China, and said the two countries “should be partners rather than adversaries.”
“The world is big enough to accommodate the simultaneous development and prosperity of both China and the United States,” he said, according to a Chinese Foreign Ministry readout, adding that U.S.-China relations will stabilize once the U.S. takes “a positive and constructive view of China’s development.”
Speaking to reporters after the meeting, Blinken said the U.S. did not aim to hold back China’s development or decouple the world’s two largest economies.
“We want China’s economy to grow,” he said, but “the way China grows matters.” — NBC News
And …
Ukrainian Drone Strikes Target Russian Oil Refineries Again Despite White House Pleas
Just days after the Biden administration signed a new military aid package worth billions of dollars to Ukraine, Kyiv launched a series of suicide drone attacks on Russian oil refineries. Biden's top officials have pleaded with Kyiv to stop attacks on Russia's energy infrastructure because of the fears that turmoil in crude markets would send pump prices in the US higher ahead of the presidential elections in November.
"Our region is again under attack by Ukrainian UAVs," Smolensk Governor Vasily Anokhin wrote in a post on Telegram on Wednesday. Kamikaze drones damaged oil facilities in western Russia.
Another drone attack hit the Lipetsk region further south, which is home to steel production plants and pharmaceutical sites, Governor Igor Artamonov said.
"The Kyiv criminal regime tried to hit infrastructure in Lipetsk industrial zone," Artamonov said.
The Moscow Times pointed out:
A source in the Ukrainian defense sector confirmed to AFP on Wednesday that drones in the service of the Security Service of Ukraine (SBU) had carried out the attacks.
The source made no mention of the attack on Lipetsk but claimed two oil depots were destroyed in the Smolensk region.
"Rosneft lost two storage and pumping bases for fuels and lubricants in the towns of Yartsevo and Rozdorovo," the source said, referring to the Russian state-controlled energy giant. — ZeroHedge
Our Take: “There are two things happening here:
1) The weakness of Joe Biden and the American Deep State is on full display, as they pay billions in ransom(?) to Ukraine, and are forced to ‘plead’ with them that they don't attack Russian oil refineries-- which will impact global supply chains and drive up the net price.
Even the lowest-IQ CNN viewer understands that Biden is not in control of this situation.
2) More importantly, the Biden regime is demonstrating that it is prepared to burn every bridge and destroy whatever clout the United States had remaining on the world stage … all over Ukraine.
Why is Ukraine so important?
The question demands an answer.
The Deep State is so blinded by their ostensible rage toward Russia (and desire to protect Ukraine) that they are willing to sacrifice their relationships with other world powers, such as China.
This is terrible policy. Self-destructive.
The question demands an answer.” — GhostofBasedPatrickHenry
Russian court orders seizure of $440mn from JPMorgan
A Russian court has ordered the seizure of JPMorgan Chase funds totalling $439.5mn a week after Kremlin-run lender VTB launched legal action against the largest US bank to recoup money stuck under Washington’s sanctions regime.
The move highlights some of the fallout western companies are feeling from the punitive measures against Moscow. It is also further evidence of the difficulties western lenders are encountering when trying to follow through with pledges to close their Russia operations since Moscow’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022.
The seizure order, published in the Russian court register on Wednesday, targets funds in JPMorgan’s accounts and shares in its Russian subsidiaries, according to the ruling issued by the arbitration court in St Petersburg. The assets had been frozen by authorities in the wake of the western sanctions.
The dispute centres on $439mn in funds that VTB held in a JPMorgan account in the US. When Washington imposed sanctions on the Kremlin-run bank, JPMorgan had to move the funds to a separate escrow account. Under the US sanctions regime, neither VTB nor JPMorgan can access the funds. — Financial Times
Our Take: “Many people in this community are familiar with Executive Order 13818.
For those who aren't, it's an EO that Trump signed in December 2017 that gives the President the authority to seize the property of individuals or companies who are involved in serious human trafficking operations.
JP Morgan has already been revealed to somehow be involved in the Jeffrey Epstein island, with a former executive (Joe Staley) being accused of being tied to child trafficking crimes.
The only narrative better than the United States government seizing JP Morgan assets is the Russian government seizing JP Morgan assets.
We all know these bankers are criminals, and are likely involved in some really dark stuff.
As for the tit-for-tat with the US/West, yeah I think the East is going to start throwing its weight around as this Multipolar world begins to emerge.” — GhostofBasedPatrickHenry
Women seeking 'vampire facial' youth treatment contracted HIV at New Mexico beauty salon
Four women contracted HIV after receiving a "vampire facial" at a beauty salon and spa in New Mexico, the CDC announced.
A vampire facial is a cosmetic procedure that uses the patient's own blood to improve facial skin tone and texture.
The CDC said this is the first known instance of the virus being transmitted through cosmetic injection services, according to its report released on Thursday.
The agency launched an investigation into VIP Beauty Salon and Spa in Albuquerque after multiple women tested positive for HIV, which was linked back to them receiving vampire facials at the establishment.
Investigators found unwrapped needles and unlabeled syringes scattered throughout the spa, and it is believed that patients were infected with HIV via the spa sharing needles.
Three women contracted HIV from the spa in 2018, while a fourth woman became infected with the virus in 2019, which resulted in a man contracting HIV after he had sex with her, according to the report. — The Post Millennial
Our Take: “I remember years ago, when I first learned about ‘vampire facials,’ being horrified at the entire concept. I hate needles and blood makes me woozy, so this process was less appealing to me than back alley Botox.
Vanity is a seductive bitch, and women will entertain the ridiculous in pursuit of her. Apparently, they’ll even risk AIDS. Yikes.
To be fair, I don’t think these 60+ salon goers consented to being injected with HIV, but I equally doubt they checked the salon’s references or vetted its procedural standards. For example, unsanitary syringes lying around would have been a red flag and, according to the CDC, there were used needles all over the place.
If you’re looking for a reputable place to have a vampire facial done, first ask yourself why — seriously, why do you want to jam a bunch of needles into your face in pursuit of vanity?
If you’re still intent after such self reflection, research reputable providers and insist upon a sterile set of needles. If that fails, and you still get AIDS, do not — I repeat, do not — take AZT. That’s damn near worse for you than AIDS.
For what it’s worth, I think you’re stunning without the Luciferian beauty ritual.” — Ashe in America
BONUS ITEMS
Worst In 70 Years: Biden Approval Rating Absolutely Dismal
President Joe Biden has the worst job approval rating since Eisenhower during his recently completed 13th quarter in office, according to a new poll by Gallup.
While Biden clocks in at 38.7%, the previous low was set by George H.W. Bush at 41.8% in 1992. Donald Trump and Barack Obama averaged 46.8% and 45.9% respectively during the same point in their presidencies. Prior to Bush, Jimmy Carter is the only other president with a sub-50% average in his 13th quarter.
Richard Nixon, Ronald Reagan, Bill Clinton and George W. Bush averaged between 51% and 55% approval in their 13th quarters, while Dwight Eisenhower had the highest average for a president during his 13th month at 73.2%.
What's more, Biden's most recent approval rating places him 277 out of 314 presidential quarters in Gallup history dating back to 1945, placing him in the bottom 12% of all presidential quarters. Biden's score is technically the lowest of his presidency, which has been dragging in the low 40% range since Q4 of his term. — ZeroHedge
Biden Administration Shelves Plan to Ban Menthol Cigarettes
The Biden administration is reversing course on its plan to ban menthol cigarettes, after the White House weighed the potential public-health benefits of banning minty smokes against the political risk of angering some Black voters in an election year.
The administration said Friday that it is delaying a decision on whether to impose a ban, contending that it needs more time to consult with outside groups on the matter. There is no timeline for the administration to revisit the decision, as President Biden competes with former President Donald Trump for votes in November.
Menthols account for more than a third of all cigarettes sold in the U.S. each year and are predominantly used by Black and Hispanic smokers. Some 81% of Black smokers used menthols in 2020, compared with 30% of white smokers and 51% of Hispanic smokers, according to a Wall Street Journal analysis of data from the National Survey on Drug Use and Health.
Some Black community leaders had fought the measure, saying a ban would expand the illicit market for cigarettes and lead police to racially profile Black smokers. The American Civil Liberties Union and some members of the Congressional Black Caucus expressed similar concerns.
The proposed ban has generated much feedback from the civil rights and criminal justice movements, said Xavier Becerra, secretary of the Department of Health and Human Services. “It’s clear that there are still more conversations to have, and that will take significantly more time,” he said in a statement. — WSJ
Putin Didn’t Directly Order Alexei Navalny’s February Death, U.S. Spy Agencies Find
Alexei Navalny’s February death in an Arctic penal colony prompted a new wave of sanctions targeting Russia’s economy, upended delicate negotiations to exchange prisoners between Russia and the West, and left Russia’s limited opposition in disarray.
Russian President Vladimir Putin might not have planned for it to happen when it did.
U.S. intelligence agencies have determined that Putin likely didn’t order Navalny to be killed at the notoriously brutal prison camp in February, people familiar with the matter said, a finding that deepens the mystery about the circumstances of his death.The assessment doesn’t dispute Putin’s culpability for Navalny’s death, but rather finds he probably didn’t order it at that moment. The finding is broadly accepted within the intelligence community and shared by several agencies, including the Central Intelligence Agency, the Office of the Director of National Intelligence, and the State Department’s intelligence unit, the people said. — WSJ
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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I personally think we should ignore the campus protesters. Don’t engage any social media posts, don’t watch the videos, nothing! It’s our attention they want. It’s pretty clear these protesters are the same bunch that previously marched for ANTIFA, BLM and then waved Ukraine flags. If they can’t evoke reactions out of us, then they lose.
Re: CNN's questioning Barr about voting for Trump, a rewrite of the question is in order: "Just to be clear, you're going to vote for someone who exercised his legitimate right to question an election and still left his seat of power peacefully, someone who we - the power brokers in DC - thwarted at every turn so as to make his presidency a failure in the eyes of our hate-filled audience, and who we have subverted our Constitution and turned our country into a banana republic to pursue through lawfare for 8 straight years?"
Ayup.