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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.
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, August 31 …
Trump Open To Ramaswamy As Vice President: "I Think He's Great"
Former President Donald Trump on Tuesday praised GOP candidate Vivek Ramaswamy when asked if he would consider the 38-year-old biotech engineer as a running mate.
"I think he's great," President Trump told conservative talk show host Glenn Beck. "Look, anybody that's said I'm the best president in a generation ... and he said it a couple of times ... I have to like a guy like that."
During the interview, President Trump openly discussed his thoughts on the presidential candidacy of Mr. Ramaswamy, indicating his receptiveness to a youthful and comparatively unestablished candidate who could bring a fresh perspective to Washington.
President Trump, considered the frontrunner for the GOP nomination, described Mr. Ramaswamy as "smart," "young," and "got a lot of talent."
When asked about the possibility of a "Vice President Ramaswamy," President Trump responded affirmatively, saying, "He's a very, very, very intelligent person. He's got good energy, and he could be some form of something. I tell you, I think he'd be very good. I think he's very good. I think he's really distinguished himself."
The timing of President Trump's remarks is noteworthy, as they come shortly after the first GOP debate, where he opted not to participate but pledged to observe for potential vice presidential contenders. — The Epoch Times
Our Take: “Sometimes journalists have slow days, and they must resort to headlines that almost sound like news, but are really just a waste of everyone's time. This might be one of those stories. Of course, I could be totally wrong, and if I am I'll eat my words, but my intuition is screaming that there's really nothing to this but an easy write up.
The other day, the People's General Michael Flynn appeared on the PBD Podcast and was asked about the possibility of Vivek Ramaswamy for VP, to which he responded that Vivek's experience in politics and in life was ‘razor thin.’ In the same interview, when asked how often he was in communication with Trump, Flynn hesitated briefly before saying ‘we are in communication’ and didn't elaborate any further, which to me suggests that he is probably in rather frequent communication with Trump, so the fact that he seemed dismissive of Ramaswamy leads me to believe that he and Trump, and maybe even other potential members of Donny's future cabinet, may have already hashed this all out.
Flynn DID concede that Ramaswamy would be a good Treasury Secretary. Everything about that exchange has me thinking it ain't Vivek for VP.” —
Another Take: “
dubbed this article a ‘live grenade.’There's nothing like taking one for the team, eh?
I am no Vivek fan. However, I find this to be a very compelling angle. So, for people who dislike Pence, I can see why this may appear as an attractive alternative. Conversely, I look at his business ties to a vaccine company, and I am having Dr. Shiva flashbacks. Nobody wants those.
I feel a good point to be made here is that President Trump has options. Many would like to see someone outside of the establishment norm. I would like to see someone die-hard America First. I personally would like to see someone who compliments the Trump administration, to be a voice of determination and possibly a future MAGA candidate to continue a true legacy of greatness.
This movement is here and now, and never returning to the cycle of complacency that was prior to the 2016 election should be every Patriot’s goal moving ahead. Long gone are the days of accepting the uniparty, one-world order. The Status Quo is no more, non-existent.
Ramaswamy is not necessarily the pick in my book, but it is a net positive gain that he has surpassed DeSantis with ease. Silver linings can be found even in dark places. The controversy over the vice president pick is well at hand in the mind of Donald Trump.
Whomever the pick is, I trust President Trump’s ultimate decision and judgment.” — Johnny Q
ANOTHER Take: “(Editor’s Note: Throwing your editor under the bus in the previous Take is a bad move, so I’ll have my eye on you, Johnny Q.)
Vivek's rise is directly proportional to DeSantis's fall.
As
points out, donors who jump from one sinking ship to the next will provide the Actual benefit, while the continued exposure of the Con Inc. shill brigade will provide the Narrative benefit.This is also a pretty epic dig at Vivek, with Trump patting him on the head and sending him off to bed with a glass of Vice President commiserations for his troubles.
Trump continues to wield control of all Aspects of the 2024 election cycle, while being ‘hunted’ by a weaponized DOJ.” —
Russia, North Korea 'Actively Advancing' Arms Deal For Ukraine War: White House
The White House is again accusing Moscow of importing North Korean weapons for use in its military operation in Ukraine, at a moment tensions with Pyongyang are mounting, which has led to tit-for-tat exchanges of nuclear rhetoric.
White House national security spokesman John Kirby on Wednesday stopped short of saying there's smoking gun evidence for arms transfers already accomplished, instead strongly suggesting potential sales in the near future. "We urge the DPRK to cease its arms negotiations with Russia and abide by the public commitments that Pyongyang has made to not provide or sell arms to Russia," Kirby said.
Presidents Putin and Kim Jong Un recently exchanged cordial letters expressing a desire for closer cooperation on multiple fronts, also after North Korea has blasted NATO 'imperialism' for causing the Ukraine conflict to erupt. Russia sent a delegation to the north last month, headed by the foreign minister.
Kirby referenced new intelligence which he said shows both pariah leaders (in the West's eyes) are "actively advancing" high-level talks for more weapons.
He further claimed that Russian Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu while in Pyongyang late last month was there "to try to convince Pyongyang to sell artillery ammunition to Russia." — ZeroHedge
Our Take: “The ruling junta in the US wants World War III, and they just keep escalating. If we don’t stop the madness, they will put American boots on the ground.
Kirby, quoted in this piece, is the NSC spokesperson who said earlier this year that congressional approval will not impact Ukraine war funding in any way. The consequences of stolen elections are catastrophic.
Shifting gears to the war of stories, this article puts Rocket Man back in the narrative. President Trump always had the nicest things to say about him. Interesting.” —
Tucker Warns Of Trump Assassination, Hot War With Russia
Tucker Carlson says that if legal efforts to block Donald Trump from running for president again fails, the next steps could be assassination and a hot war with Russia to maintain power and unite the population.
"No one will say that but I don't know how you can't reach that conclusion. Do you know what I mean? They have decided, permanent Washington and both parties, have decided that there's something about Trump that's so threatening to them, they just can't have it," Carlson said on the Adam Carolla show.
"If you begin with criticism, then you go to protest, then you go to impeachment, now you go to indictment, and none of them work, what's next? Graph it out, man. We are speeding towards assassination, obviously," he continued.
"Once you start indicting your political opponents, you know that you have to win or else they're going to indict you if they win. So they can't lose. They will do anything to win. So how do they do that? They're not going to do Covid again, I know everyone on the right is afraid they're going to do Covid and mask mandates -- they can't do that. They're already been exposed. That won't work," he continued. "What are they going to do? They're going to go to war with Russia is what they're going to do. There will be a hot war between the United States and Russia in this next year."
And what might precipitate WW3? According to Carlson, "I think we could Tonkin Gulf our way into it where all of a sudden missiles land in Poland and "the Russians did it" and we're going to war. I could see that happening very easily."
Carlson then urged the GOP-held Senate to rally behind de-escalation, particularly in Ukraine, arguing that the stakes have never been higher for avoiding an apocalyptic scenario. — ZeroHedge
Our Take: “Tucker Carlson gives an ominous message suggesting the Deep State may in fact make a move to take out Trump.
But. What if? What if what Tucker is doing is actually protecting Trump?
Tucker is the most viewed journalist in the world right now. By delivering this message, he has effectively disarmed the deep state and any plans they may have been making to take Trump out. How? Because he just seeded the narrative that if something happens to Trump, it was the Deep State’s doing. The crime would be too obvious now and with people already on the verge of rising up, the deep state knows this is a risk they cannot take.
Moves and countermoves, frens.” —
Trump Says Fear-Mongering About New COVID Variants A 'Lunatic' Ploy To Rig 2024 Election
Former President Donald Trump on Wednesday accused "left-wing lunatics" of fear-mongering about new COVID-19 variants in order to justify the reintroduction of their left-wing lockdown and mandate policies, which included the use of drop boxes and mail-in ballots in 2020, in a bid to rig the 2024 election.
President Trump made the remarks in a video posted on Aug. 30 on Truth Social, saying that his message should serve as a warning to every COVID-19 "tyrant" who not only wants to "take away our freedom" but who would be playing into the hands of those wanting to exploit COVID-19 restrictions to interfere in next year's election.
"The left-wing lunatics are trying very hard to bring back COVID lockdowns and mandates with all of their sudden fear-mongering about the new variants that are coming," President Trump said in the video. — ZeroHedge
(CLICK THE IMAGE BELOW TO WATCH ON TRUTH SOCIAL)
Our Take: “How else are they going to stop him?!
They will have to pull out every stop imaginable, and that will likely prove futile. Overwhelming voter fraud is not going to be difficult when the current administration alienates the entire country.
Unquestionably, most of the American populous is done with the fear-mongering and virus scares. Lockdowns and vaccine mandates did wonders as far as redpilling is concerned. The counter-effect of destroying small businesses and families' lives have echoes of repercussions that have reverberated around the globe.
President Trump put out a statement today saying he will stand up to any attempts at Covid Lockdowns 2.0. That's what we need, not a feckless ‘Brandon’ that will capitulate to globalist interests, funded by lobbyists and a drug-addled Son's fraudulent brand.
I've said this for nearly a month, now: November 2024 never looked so good.
Keep it up, Biden. Keep it up.” — Johnny Q
Chicago TV news crew robbed at gunpoint while reporting on a string of robberies
A Chicago television news crew reporting on a string of robberies ended up robbed themselves after they were accosted at gunpoint by three armed men wearing ski masks.
Spanish-language station Univision Chicago said a reporter and photographer were filming just before 5 a.m. Monday in Chicago's West Town neighborhood when three masked men brandishing firearms robbed them, taking their television camera and other items.
“They were approached with guns and robbed. Mainly it was personal items, and they took a camera,” Luis Godinez, vice president of news at Univision Chicago, told the Chicago Tribune.
Godinez said the news crew was filming a story about robberies in the West Town community that was slated to run on the morning news. He said the footage they shot was in the stolen camera, and the story never made it on the air.
Chicago police identified the victims as a 28-year-old man and 42-year-old man. Police said the pair was outside when the three men drove up in a gray sedan and black SUV. After the armed robbers took items from the news crew they fled in their vehicles.
No injuries were reported and no one is in custody, police said. — ABC News
Our Take: “It turns out, if you decriminalize crime, then crime rates go up. Who could have seen this coming?
According to statistics from SOS Private Security, Chicago averaged 3,926 crimes per every 100,000 people in 2022—mostly violent crimes. And for the first part of 2023, those numbers are going up:
Robbery is up 26% over 2022.
Burglary and break-ins are up 11% over 2022.
Theft is up 24% over 2022.
Aggravated battery increased 31% over 2022.
Criminal sexual assault climbed by 12% over 2022.
Motor vehicle theft is up 165% over 2022 and a whopping 349% over 2019.
Homicide and murder rates decreased by 9% compared to 2022, but increased by 78% over 2019.
Consider that Chicago has some of the most restrictive laws on the books, but one of the most progressive decriminalization postures in the nation. Stolen elections? Or do we think people in Chicago voted for their own demise?
The fact that the reporters’ union is issuing warnings about the safety of reporters in the field is a bit on the nose. The media establishment — for whom all those ‘local’ outlets and reporters work — has cried out for defunding the police for years, even amid a summer-long crime spree by leftist agitators in 2020. If you missed it, it’s expected for that rerun to play next summer in the run up to the 2024 presidential election.” —
Xi To Skip G20 Delhi Summit In Unprecedented Snub At India, Just After 'Dominance' At BRICS
On Thursday what will surely be a huge blow to India's Modi and the much anticipated annual G20 summit hosted in New Delhi is being widely reported.
For the first time, China's President Xi Jinping will not attend the Group of 20 summit, Reuters and others are reporting based on multiple diplomatic sources. This is already being anticipated as a major setback for a summit beset by unity problems and is a deeply symbolic snub given Xi's prominence at the BRICS summit in South Africa only last week.
Clearly, President Xi has downgraded the G20's importance in favor of the BRICS+ format at a moment the 'alternative to Western alignment' bloc is set to double with the admission of six new members.
Crucially, Xi hasn't missed an in-person G20 summit since he became president in 2013. FT has cited Zhang Baohui, professor at Lingnan University in Hong Kong, to point out that he "never missed a G20 meeting before because it’s a vital occasion for China to try to shape the global narrative."
"G20 offers China that platform to outcompete the American messages," Zhang added. Instead, Premier Li Qiang will represent China at the Indian capital where other heads of state will gather, including US President Joe Biden.
FT underscores that "Xi’s move to skip a gathering of G20 leaders for the first time comes after he dominated last week’s Brics summit, where he oversaw plans to expand the developing nations club that Beijing sees as a rival to US-led western groupings." — ZeroHedge
Our Take: “Why now? Why is it now, after 10 years, that President Xi chooses to skip this meeting? Is it because China is about to invade Taiwan? Or is there more at play here?
What if Xi really is aligned with Trump in exposing and taking down the Deep State? And what if moves like this are a very subtle hint at just such a thing?
One has to wonder why now, with everything going on over here ranging from Biden’s house of cards falling to the Trump indictments, does Xi choose to skip a G20 Summit?
Timing matters.” —
"Never Going Back": Governor Refuses To Implement COVID Mask Mandates
Amid chatter about the possible return of COVID-19 mask mandates, at least one governor said that they will not return to his state under any circumstances.
“Mississippians will not and should not submit to fear again,” Mississippi Gov. Tate Reeves, a Republican, said in a recent statement.
“In the early days of COVID, there was understandable uncertainty. We did not yet know what we were facing. As the months unfolded, it became clear that there were two pandemics. A disease that was easy to spread and that was deadly for many vulnerable people, and a pandemic of fear stoked by ‘the expert class’ that demanded total subjugation.”
He added that the "simple answer" to mandates is "no," adding, "We will not return to widespread masking or COVID rules.” That statement was issued as he pointed to a CBS News report that asked if mask mandates are coming back.
There has been a small uptick in COVID-19 cases across the United States, according to data provided by the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). But the increase is a considerably smaller than previous so-called COVID-19 "waves" since 2020. — The Epoch Times
Our Take: “What a novel concept—an elected official doing something that actually represents the will of his constituents.
We don’t live in a pure democracy—thank God. If we did, elected officials would only ever do what the majority of people wanted. While this might not sound bad, if the people are incompetent and heavily influenced by propaganda, they aren’t really in control, the propagandists are.
Instead, we have a constitutional republic resting on top of a democratically elected body of representatives. In this arrangement, the will of the people is still the most weighted factor, balanced against what is objectively true and valuable. At least, that’s what should happen.
Elected officials are supposed to be wise, learned men and women who have real-life experience. This way, when a bad idea gets proposed, most of the elected officials recognize it for what it is.
In the case of yet another plandemic fraud, the people rightly refuse to participate. Trump rightly refuses to participate. So must the politicians, if they want to stay in office.” —
BONUS ITEMS
Ukraine's Kuleba tells critics of counter-offensive to 'shut up'
Ukrainian Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba hit out on Thursday at critics of Kyiv's tactics in its counter-offensive against Russia's invasion, saying they were spitting in the faces of Ukrainian soldiers and should "shut up".
"Criticising the slow pace of (the) counter-offensive equals ... spitting into the face of (the) Ukrainian soldier who sacrifices his life every day, moving forward and liberating one kilometre of Ukrainian soil after another," Kuleba told reporters at a meeting of EU foreign ministers in Toledo, Spain.
The New York Times last week quoted U.S. and other Western officials as saying that the offensive had made limited progress because Ukraine had too many troops in the wrong places.
"I would recommend all critics to shut up, come to Ukraine and try to liberate one square centimetre by themselves," Kuleba said, standing alongside Spanish Foreign Minister Jose Manuel Albares. — Reuters
Over 1,600 Scientists Sign 'No Climate Emergency' Declaration
International scientists have jointly signed a declaration dismissing the existence of a climate crisis and insisting that carbon dioxide is beneficial to Earth, contrary to the popular alarmist narrative.
“There is no climate emergency,” the Global Climate Intelligence Group (CLINTEL) said in its World Climate Declaration (pdf), made public in August. “Climate science should be less political, while climate policies should be more scientific. Scientists should openly address uncertainties and exaggerations in their predictions of global warming, while politicians should dispassionately count the real costs as well as the imagined benefits of their policy measures.”
A total of 1,609 scientists and professionals from around the world have signed the declaration, including 321 from the United States.
The coalition pointed out that Earth’s climate has varied as long as it has existed, with the planet experiencing several cold and warm phases. The Little Ice Age only ended as recently as 1850, they said.
"Therefore, it is no surprise that we now are experiencing a period of warming," the declaration said.
Warming is happening “far slower” than predicted by the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change. — The Epoch Times
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.
Flynn is not quite the master at finesse that Trump is…so when he bluntly avoids or hesitates that split second before he speaks, I listen. Love Trump and Flynn.
Great Brief as usual. BB, do you ever sleep? ;-)
I hope everyone going to GART has a great time!