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 with some Badlands flavoring to help wash it down.

But before we get onto the Brief, we want to introduce you to a new Sponsor of the Badlands Substack: Kimchi One, a fermented product by our friends at Brightcore.

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Now, onto the news from Thursday, August 29 …

Harris hugs Biden record in high-stakes CNN interview

Vice President Kamala Harris sounded like the Democrat she is trying to succeed as president in tonight's CNN interview: open to fracking, ready to crack down on the southern border and dismissive of Medicare for All.

Why it matters: Harris repeatedly cited President Biden's record to justify her policy flip-flops since her own presidential campaign in 2019.

Along the way, she occupied the centrist Democratic position that Biden vacated when he decided to drop out.

Harris praised Biden, saying he "has the intelligence, the judgment and the commitment and the disposition to serve the American people" in his final months in office.

Harris said she has "no regrets" for publicly defending Biden after the debate that derailed his campaign.

With Gov. Tim Walz sitting deferentially by her side, Harris brushed off CNN's Dana Bash on a question about former President Trump's questioning of Harris' racial identity.

"Same old tired playbook, next question please." — Axios

Our Take: Harris and Walz sat down for their first interview since accepting the Democrat nomination on Thursday. Harris attempted to rehab her flip flopping as Dana Bash lobbed mostly softball questions at the embattled Vice President.

Some of the rehab:

Harris was against fracking until she was for it, which apparently was in 2020. She dodged questions about why she changed her mind. Instead, she said that she has “been very clear.” 

On immigration, Harris apparently believes in consequences for people who cross the border illegally, another flip in policy, and a puzzling one because she opposed this position as Border Czar. 

She claimed that her ‘Root causes of migration’ work has have resulted in US companies making a number of investments in south and Central America, and that migrants from that region are down. She then pivoted to blaming Trump and Republicans for not passing the disastrous border bill this term. She then bragged about prosecuting cartels. She should visit Denver. 

When asked to explain her changes on so many key issues, she said, ‘My values haven’t change’ along with some climate change word salad about, ‘Holding ourselves to deadlines around time.’

For his part, Walz was largely silent except to defend his communist and criminal records. ‘People know who I am,’ he stated. 

Yes, Tim we do. Read a summary in Wednesday’s Brief if you missed it. —

PLA Will 'Reunify' Taiwan: Chinese General Confronted Sullivan Just Before Surprise Xi Meeting

Chinese leader Xi Jinping met with US National Security Adviser Jake Sullivan on Thursday at the end of the latter's three day trip to Beijing, which is a first such trip for a sitting US national security adviser in eight years.

But the most interesting and tense moment came just before that, when Sullivan met one of China's vice chairs of the Central Military Commission, Gen. Zhang Youxia. The top general confronted Sullivan on growing US support for Taiwan's military. Zhang informed Sullivan that reunification of Taiwan with the mainland is "the mission and responsibility" of the Chinese PLA military and that it won't be deterred. Sullivan looked nervous and unsettled throughout the whole encounter, with Zhang confident and beaming.

"China demands that the United States stop military collusion between the U.S. and Taiwan, stop arming Taiwan and stop spreading false narratives about Taiwan," the statement issued by the defense ministry said.

Sullivan meekly opted for a diplomatic and conciliatory tone in response, saying "it is rare that we have the opportunity to have this kind of exchange" and underscored "the need for us to responsibly manage U.S.-China relations."

A follow-up White House also statement sought to emphasize the two sides had "recognized the progress in sustained, regular military-military communications over the past 10 months." — ZeroHedge

Our Take: So, Jake Sullivan met with Chinese Gen. Zhang Youxia today (his short follow-up with Xi Jinping was more a merciful photo op than a meeting,) who couldn't even suppress his shit-eating grin at having to (barely) pretend this dude represents an actual administration and not a completely fake one.

Zhang proceeded to cuck Sullivan on national TV by telling him China was going to press forward with "reunification" with Taiwan.

The Media Industrial Complex is working overtime to convince the American people their government is "in control" at a time when they're openly endorsing a regime-backed coup against it.

Does it seem to you like foreign leaders—particularly those belonging to nations Donald Trump excelled in negotiations with—are buying any of it?

Does it seem like Xi Jinping, Vladimir Putin, Mohammed bin Salman or any of the members of the Sovereign Alliance think Sullivan and the Deep State Department are legitimate representatives right now?

To quote Bane ... Do they FEEL in control? —

Saudi Arabia Outraged At Ben-Gvir's Call To Build Synagogue Over Al-Aqsa Mosque

In recent years Saudi Arabia and Israel have been moving remarkably fast toward the restoration of official relations, in what's been called a highly anticipated 'deal of the century' - but the Gaza war in the wake of Oct.7 have put these efforts on hold and looks to derail the initiative altogether.

This week tensions have escalated, given that Muslims see current Israeli policies toward Al-Aqsa mosque in Jerusalem as very seriously threatening and an affront to their faith. Israel’s hard-line Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir this week went to so far as to call for a synagogue to be built atop Islam's third holiest site.

The remarks came during a Monday interview with Army Radio and immediately unleashed controversy, with some Israeli groups even condemning the remarks as needlessly inflammatory and unrealistic.

Ben-Gvir during the interview said that Jews should be allowed unrestricted access to pray at the site of the Al-Aqsa mosque, which is situation upon what's called Temple Mount and the Western Wall, a sacred site for the Jews.

Any establishment of a synagogue or new (third) temple on the site would require the destruction of the Al Aqsa Mosque, possibly leading to Islamic uprisings in the region so large it could trigger broader war. — ZeroHedge

And …

‘We failed’: IDF finds it didn’t act sufficiently to prevent deadly settler rampage

An IDF investigation into a deadly terror attack carried out by some 100 Israeli settlers in the West Bank village of Jit earlier this month has found that troops who arrived first at the scene did not act as expected to stop the assailants, according to findings released Wednesday.

The Israel Defense Forces also dismissed two members of a nearby outpost’s local security team for acting “outside the scope of their authority” during the incident.

According to the military’s probe, the IDF received an alert from the Shin Bet in the evening hours of August 15 about a group of Israelis in vehicles heading to carry out a “nationalistic crime” in the Yitzhar area.

A large number of troops and Border Police officers were dispatched to the area, in an attempt to prevent an attack from happening, the probe found.

At around 8 p.m., a group of 100 masked Israeli settlers entered Jit and set fire to three cars and two buildings. They also hurled Molotov cocktails and stones.

[…]

“The investigation revealed that the first force was unable to fully understand the situation. It tried to disperse the rioters and prevent harm to the Palestinians, but it should have acted with greater determination,” the IDF said. — Times of Israel

Our Take: Israel is currently in a downward spiral of moral degeneracy and cultural degradation. The best evidence of this is the recent scandal where several IDF soldiers were arrested by military police for gang-raping a male Palestinian prisoner in an act of perverse domination. Radicalized religious zealots, led by National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir, then stormed two IDF bases in response, demanding that the soldiers not only be released, but be allowed to continue gang-raping Palestinian prisoners.

The Knesset (Israeli Congress) held a publicly televised meeting to debate the issue. They began the meeting by playing CCTV footage of the IDF base in question, which showed the IDF soldiers enter a room full of half-naked men all laying face down with their hands on their head. The soldiers drag one of the prisoners away, and behind other IDF soldiers who were holding up riot shields to block the view, as the soldiers appear to then sodomize the prisoner. Out of respect for this audience, I won't post the video here, but it can be easily found on X.

Here's a still image of the soldiers blocking the view of the attack with riot shields.

In Knesset meeting, one member asked, "To insert a stick in a person's rectum, is that legitimate?" Another lawmaker responded, "Shut up! YES, if he is Nukhba (Hamas), everything is legitimate to do."

The leader of the gang rape was then invited to come onto Israeli television and defend his actions. He wore a mask, which makes sense, since he's an admitted rapist.

However, he was then invited on several other Israeli talk shows, where he was treated like a celebrity.

Let's be honest, this guy looks like a rapist. (The mask was a good call.)

Then you have this Israeli settler attack on the Palestinian town of Jit. Over a hundred masked settlers entered the town and began throwing molotov cocktails and large stones into homes and cars. Footage from the scene:

A 23 year old man, Rashid Mahmoud Abdul Qader Sada, was shot and killed by the settlers. Another man was shot but survived.

According to the news article, nobody was initially arrested by the IDF, who were on scene and witnessed the chaos. It was later reported that four Israelis have been arrested and charged with terrorism.

National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir has come under fire by the chief of the Shin Bet (Israeli domestic security agency) and Defense Minister Yoav Gallant for encouraging these kind of attacks, and failing to deploy the state police (his department) to shut down the various incidents or arrest those involved.

Ben-Gvir has been leading "prayer groups" onto the grounds of the Al Asqa Mosque—in violation of the law, as Israelis are not permitted to pray or protest on these grounds, given past terrorist attacks on mosques by Israelis such as Meir Kahane and Baruch Goldstein (the portrait of whom Ben-Gvir has hanging in his living room)—and now he is calling for the destruction of the Mosque, so the Third Jewish Temple can be built, and prophecies can be fulfilled.

I'm shocked. Never saw this coming. Oh wait, yes we did. Because for months, we've been talking about Ben-Gvir's mentor, Benzi Gopstein, and how he got himself into some trouble for incitement of violence against Christians in 2015, when he called for churches to be burned and all Christians to be expelled from Israel.

Netanyahu became desperate, apparently after Trump maybe helped Benny Gantz organize a [counter]insurgency against Bibi in 2017. In his desperation, Netanyahu turned to a group of bloodthirsty zealots, who hate both Muslim and Christian alike. They are Jewish supremacists. The question is, are they an enigma, or are they a manifestation of a degenerate culture that is in desperate need of a moral compass?

Israel and America both face an existential moral crisis, which requires a drastic course correction in our cultural zeitgeist. America seems equipped to make this change. Will Israel be able to evolve, as well?

PS - Ben-Gvir needs to watch it. Because he is kicking a hornets' nest. The Muslims have shown a keen ability to weaponize these existing systems against the Hegemony.

PPS - MBS just met with Abbas this week. —

Gavin Newsom to Decide After CA Democrats Pass $150,000 Home Loans for Illegal Aliens

California Governor Gavin Newsom will make the final decision on a bill that would make illegal aliens eligible for $150,000 in home loans for first-time buyers, after the State Assembly passed a final version of the bill on Wednesday.

Assemblyman Bill Essayli (R-Corona) helped lead Republican opposition to the bill, but Democrats passed it by a three-to-one veto-proof majority, sending it to the governor’s desk — and drawing attention to the party’s pattern of creating incentives for illegal migration by heaping taxpayer-funded benefits onto people who are not supposed to be in the country at all.

As Breitbart News has reported, the loan program expands an existing program that does not require a down payment or interest payments, but instead requires borrowers to repay the principal and a percentage of the appreciation of the value of the home. — Breitbart

And …

Venezuelan migrant gang takes over apartment complex in Aurora

Harrowing new footage has captured the moment an alleged Venezuelan gang seized control of an apartment complex in Aurora, Colorado. 

The heavily-armed mob are seen storming through the residence brandishing guns in the video that emerged on Wednesday. A man in a hoodie lugs a high-powered rifle and pounds on a door in the building, while several others wield pistols.

'A GANG HAS TAKEN OVER several apartment complexes in Aurora!' local council member Danielle Jurinsky wrote on Twitter.

Cops refused to confirm whether the gunmen belong to the infamous Tren de Aragua cartel, but council member Jurinksy told Fox 31 that the building had been overrun by a Venezuelan gang.

'This isn’t just Americans. Other Venezuelans are being extorted by this gang,” Jurinsky said. 

The footage comes as the migrant crisis under 'border czar' Kamala Harris has spiraled into chaos. The Venezuelan Tren de Aragua mob has established footholds across the country, including in Colorado. — The Daily Mail

And …

Biden-Harris Slush Fund: DHS Showers Millions on Sanctuary Cities, NGOs for Resettling Migrants in U.S.

President Joe Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris’s Department of Homeland Security (DHS) is sending sanctuary cities and non-governmental organizations (NGOs) hundreds of millions more in American taxpayer dollars for resettling migrants across the United States.

DHS Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas made the announcement on Wednesday.

Specifically, more than $380 million worth of Shelter and Services Program (SSP) grants will go to local and state governments, as well as NGOs, “that are providing critical support such as food, shelter, clothing, acute medical care, and transportation” to migrants “recently released from DHS custody and awaiting their immigration court proceedings.”

The Biden-Harris administration created SSP, funded by Congress, to deliver taxpayer money to cities and NGOs helping resettle migrants after they are released into the U.S. interior from the southern border.

This latest round of hundreds of millions in SSP grants to sanctuary cities and NGOs comes after millions were awarded earlier this year — serving as a boondoggle for those aiding in resettling migrants. — Breitbart

Our Take: Reports of violent newcomer gangs in Colorado have done nothing to sway progressive Democrat politicians and bureaucrats from their long held position that newcomers are our strength.

Why would it?

Decades of violence in California border towns have resulted in progressive Democrats’ decision to give the criminal invaders massive home loans.

Meanwhile, a Federal judge ruled Tuesday that Biden and Harris cannot give illegal farm workers collective bargaining rights that citizen farm workers don’t have.

Consider that for a minute. Border Czar Harris and her demented scrotus partner are advocating for criminally-invading farm workers to access rights that are not available to American farm workers.

In a change effort, you get the outcome you incentivize, and the Biden-Harris DHS is incentivizing sanctuary cities and NGOs. You can’t see the money at work solving the issue, because immigration is very complicated, it requires an elevated sense of equity and empathy and, also, the money is being laundered through NGOs.

Looting the treasury by funding an invasion is a nasty set of high crimes. Most Americans are now on board with the mass deportation platform, but we also must ensure that the communist revolutionaries driving this current fever dream are brought to justice.

Make America Accountable Again.

Make America Safe Again.

Make America Great Again. —

Ukrainian lawmaker claims F-16 was lost due to friendly fire — lawmaker

A US-made F-16 fighter jet, handed over to Ukraine earlier this year, was downed by a Ukrainian Patriot air defense system in a friendly fire incident, Ukrainian lawmaker Maryana Bezuglaya said.

"According to my information, the F-16 of the Ukrainian pilot Alexey ‘Moonfish’ Mes was shot down by the Patriot anti-aircraft missile system due to a lack of coordination between the [military] units," she wrote on Telegram.

The lawmaker criticized the Air Force of the Ukrainian Armed Forces for falsely describing the incident as "a crash."

"The culture of lies in the Air Force Command of the Armed Forces of Ukraine, as well as in other higher military headquarters, leads to the fact that the system of managing military decisions does not improve on the basis of truthful, consistently collected analytics, but deteriorates and even collapses, as is happening in the other directions," she wrote.

In her words, none of the generals was punished over the incident that led to the loss of both the aircraft and its pilot. — TASS

Our Take: Assuming that everything being presented here is true, and not a complete fiction (and there's no reason to think it isn't), I'm not going to make light of somebody dying. But I will say that this guy purportedly trained for two years to fly an F-16, and while it was initially reported that he crashed, now we're learning that he was actually shot down by Ukrainian anti-air missile defense systems.

The article also documents that three other F-16 pilots died on Sunday during a training exercise, highlighting the expertise needed to be an F-16 combat pilot. It doesn't seem like something you can quickly train somebody to do, and the entire idea of throwing this all together on the fly (no pun intended) just seems sillier and sillier, the more you stop and think about it.

What were they thinking?

There's also the possibility that this entire story is a fiction, and all that money was either pocketed, or sent to Africa and the Middle East to fund ISIS. (Maybe America, too...) —

BONUS ITEMS

X Warns Of Brazil Shutdown 'Soon' For Defying Judge's "Illegal Orders To Censor Political Opponents"

On Thursday night, X's Global Government Affairs account posted a dire warning over service availability in Brazil, after dictatorial Supreme Court Judge Alexandre de Moraes punished them for not complying "with his illegal orders to censor his political opponents," according to the post.

More:

When we attempted to defend ourselves in court, Judge de Moraes threatened our Brazilian legal representative with imprisonment. Even after she resigned, he froze all of her bank accounts. Our challenges against his manifestly illegal actions were either dismissed or ignored. Judge de Moraes’ colleagues on the Supreme Court are either unwilling or unable to stand up to him.

We are absolutely not insisting that other countries have the same free speech laws as the United States. The fundamental issue at stake here is that Judge de Moraes demands we break Brazil’s own laws. We simply won’t do that.

In the days to come, we will publish all of Judge de Moraes’ illegal demands and all related court filings in the interest of transparency.

Unlike other social media and technology platforms, we will not comply in secret with illegal orders.

To our users in Brazil and around the world, X remains committed to protecting your freedom of speech.

Meanwhile, Musk says that SpaceX is going to continue to provide Starlink in Brazil to schools and hospitals for free... — ZeroHedge

Trump asks federal court to intervene in hush money case in bid to toss conviction, delay sentencing

Former President Donald Trump asked a federal court late Thursday to intervene in his New York hush money criminal case, seeking a pathway to overturn his felony conviction and indefinitely delay his sentencing next month.

Lawyers for the current Republican nominee asked the federal court in Manhattan to seize the case from the state court where it was tried, arguing that the historic prosecution violated his constitutional rights and ran afoul of the U.S. Supreme Court’s recent presidential immunity ruling.

Trump’s lawyers, who failed last year in a pretrial bid to get the case shifted to federal court, said moving it now will give him an “unbiased forum, free from local hostilities” to address those issues. In state court, they said, Trump has been the victim of “bias, conflicts of interest, and appearances of impropriety.”

If the case is moved to federal court, Trump’s lawyers said they will then seek to have the verdict overturned and the case dismissed on immunity grounds. — AP News

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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