The Badlands Brief is your daily drop of Badlands’ takes on the narratives dominating the info war. Read on, and join the conversation in the comments section.

Arizona Supreme Court Rejects Appeal, AG Kris Mayes Moves To Seek New Indictment In Trump Electors Case

The Arizona Supreme Court has rejected an appeal in the 2020 electors case involving allies of President Trump, a decision that Attorney General Kris Mayes followed by announcing plans to seek a new indictment to restart the prosecution.

“The Arizona Attorney General’s Office will return this case to the grand jury,” Mayes spokesperson Richie Taylor said. “We decline to comment further at this time.”

A judge previously dismissed the indictment after finding prosecutors failed to present the grand jury with the precise statutory language tied to the alleged conduct.

: It’s hard to see this as anything other than a regime puppet outing themselves.

Read the room, and you’ll see that the vibe of the nation has changed. A majority of the electoral franchise thinks scrotus’ 81M so-called “votes” aren’t real.

If they’re right, then the actions of the “fake electors” justifiable. (Spoiler alert: They’re right.)

If you zoom out, then Kris Mayes is doubling down on weaponized government at a time when weaponized government is more acknowledged than ever. That’s hilarious.

It’s a bold move. Let’s see how it works out for them.

US and Russia Set to Sign Agreement Friday on Bering Strait Tunnel Connecting Alaska and Russia

Kremlin special envoy Kirill Dmitriev says Russia and the United States will sign an agreement on June 5 to move forward with the design phase of a proposed tunnel connecting Russia’s Chukotka region with Alaska across the Bering Strait.

“Regarding the tunnel. We will have news tomorrow: we are signing an agreement to continue the tunnel design. The tunnel will be built,” Dmitriev said, describing the project as one of the most significant infrastructure initiatives envisioned between the two countries.

The proposal envisions a fixed land link between Asia and North America and has been promoted by Russian officials as a potential symbol of expanded economic cooperation with the United States.

Dmitriev first introduced the idea in October of last year, estimating that a conventional build could exceed $65 billion, while suggesting costs could fall below $8 billion if construction methods associated with Elon Musk’s The Boring Company were used.

: It is my opinion that our government was formally seized by a hostile insurgency on November 22, 1963, when President John F Kennedy was assassinated in Dallas, Texas. It is my opinion that Lyndon B Johnson was part of the coup, as was the CIA and other interested parties inside and outside our government—including the Mossad and Israeli diaspora.

I believe that this same insurgent group killed JFK Jr when he attempted to begin his career in the Senate; And I believe that President Trump is bringing the saga full circle, leading a counterinsurgency against these pirates.

JFK and Nikita Khrushchev once attempted to bridge our continents, and that project was shuttered by the insurgents who seized control of the country and subjugated our people.

An alliance between the Russian and American people is something that these insurgents deeply fear because they despise Jesus Christ, and the Russo-American alliance will represent the resurgence of Christianity and its triumph over the dark forces currently seeking to erase its memory in Lebanon, among other places.

According to Kirill Dmitriev, this agreement will be signed today, marking the formal emergence of the Sovereign Alliance in the public zeitgeist. It is ironic that many of the haters who will seethe over this development are Christian, because they have been brainwashed into hating one other Christian superpower in the world. It will take time to reprogram them out of hating our Christian friends in Russia. We are lucky that Vladimir Putin has exercised such restraint and patience as this process has unfolded. Satan has long sought to fool the God-loving people of this world into annihilating one another. As we continue forward, I suspect we will see the agents of the devil leap forth and demand the subjugation and suppression of God’s chosen people (the followers of Christ). But God will prevail.

We are witnessing the completion of a story that has been generations in the making. The Putin-Trump Tunnel will forever change the world.

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Trump Slams ‘Unpatriotic’ Republicans as Media Cheers For GOP Subversion

President Trump criticized a small group of Republican lawmakers who opposed portions of his agenda, calling them “unpatriotic” and “grandstanders” following Senate debates over administration-backed legislation. The comments came as several Republicans joined Democrats on select votes related to spending and executive authority.

Recent media coverage has focused on disagreements within Republican ranks, including opposition from some state and federal lawmakers to specific Trump-backed policies. An Atlantic podcast highlighted examples of Republican officials who have publicly broken with the president on issues ranging from spending to redistricting.

Despite those disagreements, most congressional Republicans have continued to support the administration’s major legislative priorities. Recent Senate votes showed only a limited number of Republican defections on key measures, allowing most Trump-backed proposals to advance.

: What we are witnessing in the summer of 2026 is not the external assault we were long conditioned to monitor—the one launched from legacy media ramparts, institutional holdouts or the predictable vectors of lawfare and narrative inversion.

The breach is occurring from within the very walls of the MAGA coalition by elements that have only ever worn its colors when it served their narrower interests.

We saw this pattern during the 2022 midterm cycle.

Then, a chorus of voices positioning themselves as guardians of the movement declared Trump’s 2024 announcement premature, too destabilizing, too early.

The same voices orbiting the DeSantis operation framed that announcement itself as the problem—as a reckless act that would fracture the very ‘unity’ they claimed to champion.

In truth, Trump’s early declaration functioned as a disarmament operation against a weaponized unity play already in motion, one intended to sideline the one figure whose presence alone prevented the movement from being quietly herded back onto partisan rails.

Trump entered that cycle already saddled with the engineered perception of having ‘lost’ a structurally-compromised (i.e., rigged) election, something he hasn’t shut up about in the six years SINCE.

The wolves among the flock used that perception as narrative cover to begin the work of distancing themselves from the core that had delivered 2016 and refused to accept 2020.

Many of those same figures—unelected, unaccountable to the base they claimed to represent—now operate from positions secured in that very cycle.

They are seizing the public discombobulation generated by Trump’s ongoing fifth-generation warfare campaign as fresh cover to break ranks again because the movement they only ever pretended to serve represents an existential threat to the Uniparty architecture they were cultivated to protect.

Every assertion of actual sovereignty, every compression of enemy timelines, every exposure of the old rules-based illusions creates stress in the system.

That stress is an opportunity.

But the Truth Community has not proven immune to the same pattern.

Those of us who have continued to point out the structural falsity of American elections—long after Trump’s 2024 victory, long after the surface restoration of certain guardrails—have been routinely mocked, berated and attacked for refusing to outsource our discernment to partisan outcomes.

We are told the future of the movement now rests on capturing or holding the 2026 midterms, as if the results of another engineered election cycle could magically restore what was never fully present in the first place.

This is the same trap as 2022, repackaged.

It reduces the entire project of American sovereignty to the base function of electioneering and hands the initiative back to the very mechanisms that produced the very systemic tyranny we’re meant to bring down.

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John Bolton Reaches Plea Deal Over Retention of National Security Records

Former Trump National Security Adviser John Bolton is expected to plead guilty later this month to a single count of illegally retaining sensitive national security documents, according to CNN.

As part of the anticipated agreement, Bolton has agreed to pay a fine exceeding $2 million. The charge carries a potential prison sentence ranging from no incarceration to up to five years. A plea hearing is currently scheduled for June 26.

Federal prosecutors charged Bolton earlier this year after alleging he kept diary entries and other records from his time in the first Trump administration at his residence. The original indictment included eight counts related to transmitting national defense information and 10 counts tied to retaining such material.

Investigators also alleged Bolton shared more than 1,000 pages detailing his daily activities through a personal email account with two unauthorized individuals. Those allegations are not included in the charge he is expected to plead guilty to.

:

In which job(s) did Bolton help plan coup d’état?

• 1981–1983: General Counsel, then Assistant Administrator, U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID)

• 1983–1985: Partner, Covington & Burling (law firm)

• 1985–1989: Assistant Attorney General, Office of Legislative Affairs, U.S. Department of Justice

• 1989–1993: Assistant Secretary for International Organization Affairs, U.S. Department of State

• 1993–1999: Partner, Lerner, Reed, Bolton & McManus (law firm)

• 1997–2001: Vice President, American Enterprise Institute (AEI)

• 2001–2005: Under Secretary of State for Arms Control and International Security Affairs

• 2005–2006: U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations

• 2007–2018: Of Counsel, Kirkland & Ellis (law firm); Foreign Policy Adviser to Mitt Romney (2012)

• 2018–2019: National Security Advisor to the President

Is this case really about what this guy put in his book, or will there be accountability for Bolton’s portfolio of work that sold out the American people so the rest of the world could rise?

The latter is literal treason.

Trump Says No Need to Get Enriched Uranium; Praises Ayatollah in Face-Turn

President Donald Trump said June 4 that the United States does not need a formal agreement with Iran to obtain the country’s enriched uranium, asserting that the US could get access to it if it chose to, but adding there is currently “no need” because the material is effectively “entombed” at damaged nuclear sites. Trump also said the US is closely monitoring the sites and claimed any recovery operation would be difficult and risky.

The comments mark a notable shift from earlier negotiations, in which transferring or surrendering Iran’s enriched uranium stockpile had been reported as a central element of a potential agreement between Washington and Tehran. US officials previously indicated that Iran giving up enriched uranium was a key objective of the talks.

Trump also struck a conciliatory tone toward Iran’s leadership. While saying he is not currently seeking a meeting with Supreme Leader Ayatollah Mojtaba Khamenei, Trump indicated he would consider one if a deal is reached and said he would approach such a meeting respectfully. He has also recently stated that Iran has already agreed not to obtain nuclear weapons, describing that commitment as the central issue in the ongoing discussions.

: This is a remarkable shift in rhetoric in the past 48 hours.

We’ve gone from [paraphrased] “the Ayatollah is a crazy religious zealot who cannot be reasoned with and therefore must be destroyed,” to, “…he’s probably a professional; in some circles, he has a very good reputation… some people say bad [things about him], but a lot of people say bad [things] about me—totally false, of course.”

This is a rebranding exercise at Warp Speed.

President Trump is wasting no time in reframing the Ayatollah as a reasonable actor, and seeding the idea that they will eventually meet and strike a deal. And he does this with brilliant tact. Yes, Trump was responding to a question from Peter Doocy on whether he would be willing to meet, and started with, “I don’t want to meet,” but then immediately shifted to say that he would be “honored” to meet with the Supreme Leader, which was a jaw-dropping breakthrough in public diplomacy. It felt like an olive branch, of sorts. He even said that “some people have suggested it.”

After months of exchanging disparaging memes and Lego AI videos with the Iranian government via social media, President Trump now says he would be respectful in a potential meeting, reinforcing the notion that there will be no formal attempt to overthrow the existing system of government in Iran, and instead we will make peace with their current leaders—whoever they may be.

I was curious to see how this development has impacted President Trump’s “friends” in Mossad Media, so I checked in on Mark Levin’s X feed. Levin had not addressed Trump’s comments—and I expect that he will keep the powder dry, for now—though I did see this repost from Israel’s Ambassador to the UN, Danny Danon.

A list? Like the lists that the Nazis used to make? Notice how Mike Waltz nods along like a complete dumbass.

So we are clear: the former National Security Advisor is nodding in agreement to the suggestion by a foreign diplomat that a list be compiled of Americans who criticize that diplomat’s government, and those Americans be targeted with some form of retribution.

It would appear that Mike Waltz is a traitor—like so many others in our government—and is fully prepared to support the targeted persecution of American citizens by a foreign government. The fact that this persecution is retribution for Americans exercising their First Amendment right to criticize government (notably, a foreign government) is perfect symbolism for how horribly corrupt and irredeemable our political class has become. What a sniveling coward Mike Waltz is to have remained on that stage after such a statement. Thank God he was fired from the cabinet. (Now we must root out the other rats that remain.)

The world isn’t turning on Israel because they are Jewish; the world is turning on Israel because they are behaving like a bunch of bloodthirsty sociopaths. They are despots, and the world has grown tired of their desire to subjugate all nations under the mantra of antisemitism.

BONUS ITEM

US-Brokered Israel-Lebanon Talks Produce Ceasefire Framework, Push Toward Expanded Security Deal

The United States convened a fourth round of high-level trilateral talks between Israeli and Lebanese representatives, producing a ceasefire framework tied to new security conditions.

Under the US-led agreement, Israel and Lebanon committed to a ceasefire contingent on a full halt to Hezbollah fire and the removal of all Hezbollah operatives from the South Litani sector. The deal also establishes pilot zones where the Lebanese Armed Forces would assume exclusive control, excluding all non-state armed groups.

The framework builds on Pentagon talks on May 29 and centers on reinforcing sovereignty, border stability, and dismantling non-state armed organizations. It envisions expanded Lebanese Armed Forces responsibility across national territory, with US support, and emphasizes preventing the re-emergence of armed non-state groups while strengthening state control.

The sides agreed to resume political and security talks the week of June 22, with Washington continuing to facilitate negotiations toward a broader settlement.

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DOJ Obtains Superseding Indictment Against Southern Poverty Law Center

The Justice Department said Tuesday it has secured a superseding indictment against the Southern Poverty Law Center, adding new allegations about how the organization’s tax-exempt donations were used to fund informants inside extremist groups.

A grand jury in the Middle District of Alabama alleges the group used roughly $4.1 million to pay individuals embedded in hate organizations, who prosecutors say then took part in activities including recruiting members and obtaining materials linked to cross burnings and Ku Klux Klan regalia.

The updated indictment reportedly removes language referring to “false or misleading” statements to banks, following a Supreme Court ruling in Thompson v. United States clarifying that the relevant statute applies only to false statements.

The SPLC faces 11 counts of wire fraud, bank fraud, and conspiracy to commit money laundering, with prosecutors alleging it defrauded donors and banks by routing funds through shell accounts to individuals inside the groups it publicly opposed. The organization has pleaded not guilty and recently moved to dismiss the case, calling it a vindictive prosecution.

: Back in 2023, the commie mayor of Colorado Springs, Yemi Mobolade, was elected into one of the reddest cities in Colorado after a supposed cross burning in front of his campaign sign.

“Jurors found Bernard, who is also Black, and his wife, Ashley Blackcloud, were guilty of making a threat or conveying false information about a threat. They were also found guilty of conspiring to do that together. Rodriguez said setting the cross on fire and writing a racial slur on one of Mobolade’s campaign signs and then spreading word about it harmed Mobolade and his family and affected the city’s election.”

The story was always crazy, and when Mobolade was let off the hook, everyone (including yours truly) believed the mayor was in on it and skating free.

Also, the stunt didn’t harm Mobolade. It ushered him into office and, it turns out, he knows the guy that did it – but Mobolade’s complicity was off limits.

Now I wonder if the SPLC was involved.

The narrative was so important that, when supply for racism outweighed demand, racism had to be manufactured.

You can bet me and the homies are tracking the SPLC connections of the people and entities that fabricated claims under the KKK Act against us in 2022.

Abusing the legal process for narrative gain should be a crime. Note that, in trying to determine whether it is a crime, I learned a new word:

“Barratry is an old common-law offense that dates back to medieval England. At its core, it means habitually inciting, promoting, or fomenting lawsuits and legal disputes in which the instigator has no legitimate interest.”

Apparently it’s not really in vogue in 2026; but we should make barratry great again, beginning with the SPLC and their collaborators (and I have a list from there…)

Hezbollah Must Withdraw From Israel-Occupied Lebanon — US

The United States is backing a new Israel-Lebanon ceasefire framework that requires Hezbollah to halt attacks on Israel and withdraw its operatives from areas south of the Litani River, while security zones in southern Lebanon would come under the control of the Lebanese Armed Forces. The agreement was announced jointly by the US, Israel, and Lebanon following negotiations in Washington.

According to reports, the Trump administration views the removal of Hezbollah fighters from southern Lebanon as a central condition for stabilizing the border and advancing broader Israel-Lebanon peace talks. Secretary of State Marco Rubio said the goal is a security arrangement in which armed non-state actors no longer operate in the designated zones.

The demand reflects a long-standing international position that Hezbollah’s armed presence south of the Litani River violates earlier ceasefire arrangements and should be replaced by Lebanese state authority. Previous agreements similarly envisioned Hezbollah forces withdrawing north of the Litani while Lebanese troops deployed in the area.

The proposal faces significant obstacles. Hezbollah has historically resisted disarmament and has insisted that any withdrawal or surrender of weapons must be accompanied by a complete Israeli withdrawal from Lebanese territory. Recent statements from Hezbollah leaders have rejected US-backed disarmament plans and warned against accepting arrangements they view as serving Israeli interests.

The ceasefire remains fragile. Even after the agreement was announced, rocket launches, drone incidents, and Israeli strikes continued, underscoring the challenge of enforcing a deal when Hezbollah itself was not a direct signatory to the negotiations.

The emerging US-backed framework appears to move beyond a simple ceasefire toward a broader objective: replacing Hezbollah’s military presence in southern Lebanon with the authority of the Lebanese state. Whether Hezbollah accepts that outcome may determine whether the current truce develops into a lasting peace agreement or collapses into renewed fighting.

: Listen to the way President Trump talks about Hezbollah in this clip:

Here’s how I think this is going to go:

The Lebanese People will plead for Hezbollah to stay, because they are the only fighting force that has been defending civilians from the IDF.

Hezbollah will ultimately pull back, due to pressure and incentive provided by Trump.

Once Hezbollah is gone, Israel will move quickly to annex the land south of the Litani River. The world will respond by unanimously rebuking Israel, with most countries cutting all ties and banning entry of Israelis into their border.

What happens at that point is anybody’s guess. Obviously, Hezbollah will return with a vengeance. I suspect that President Trump will take their side, honoring the agreement they are likely about to announce.

Putin and Iran will obviously come running to aid Hezbollah, as will Syria, Egypt, Turkey and Pakistan. Saudi Arabia, which has always been an enemy of Hezbollah, will stand with them. Pakistan will obviously oppose Israel, as will the Taliban in Afghanistan, which already offered to send Hezbollah fighters and weaponry.

The EU will continue to escalate the hostility it has already exercised against Israel, with France likely taking the lead, given its historical connection to Lebanon. Canada will follow suit.

China will likely remain relatively silent, but they will stand with their allies in the Global South. And North Korea will probably jump in the mix, for fun.

Simply put, I think this situation will unite most, if not all, of the world—which has already been voting together against Israel at the UN. (The US has used its position on the Security Council to veto these measures.)

With Trump negotiating peace with Iran, and Israel’s antics threatening that peace, the US will have no choice but to abandon Bibi and his merry band of Kahanist psychopaths.

And the American People will support the move.

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Trump Says Iran ‘Already Agreed’ Not to Have Nukes, Wants to Meet Ayatollah

President Trump said Iran has already agreed in principle not to obtain a nuclear weapon and suggested he would be open to personally meeting Iran’s supreme leader as negotiations continue. In an interview released June 3, Trump stated, “They’ve already agreed they’re not gonna have a nuclear weapon,” while emphasizing that preventing an Iranian bomb remains his top condition for any final agreement.

Trump also indicated that Iran’s supreme leader is directly involved in approving the ongoing talks and said he would “probably” meet him if doing so would help secure a deal. The comments mark a notable shift from months of military escalation toward a more diplomatic posture, with the White House signaling confidence that negotiations are making progress despite continuing regional tensions.

The remarks come amid reports that talks have been complicated by continued Israeli military operations in Lebanon and lingering disputes over sanctions, regional security, and the future of Iran’s nuclear program. While Trump has expressed optimism that an agreement could be reached soon, neither Washington nor Tehran has announced a finalized deal.

After months of conflict and repeated warnings that Iran could never be allowed to obtain a nuclear weapon, Trump is now publicly portraying Tehran as having accepted that core demand. The remaining question is whether negotiators can turn that claimed understanding into a formal, enforceable agreement.

: In the latest turn of the Iranian Knot, Donald Trump has once again demonstrated that he already knows how this chapter closes, and that he has been content to let the Hegelian machine run its own script long enough to expose its authors before quietly seizing the pen.

Amid reports of a heated exchange with Benjamin Netanyahu over Israel’s planned escalations in Lebanon, the President sat for an interview and offered two lines that should have collapsed the prevailing narrative in an instant, claiming that Iran has already agreed not to pursue nuclear weapons under the framework now under discussion, and that he would like to meet the Supreme Leader.

Not the old Ayatollah whose image had been frozen in amber for decades as the necessary villain of the narrative, but Mojtaba Khamenei, a figure operating within a reconfigured leadership structure shaped by the strikes that supposedly removed his father and by the IRGC commanders we’re told represent the final blocks en route to peace.

Oh, and we were also told in advance (by the New York Times, no less,) that the man Trump signaled he would sit down with looks and sounds nothing like the one the original playbook required to remain in place, so disfigured and changed has he been by the very strikes Trump rained down on his regime at the start of the war.

This, to me, represents another deliberate inversion that has defined Trump’s approach to the entire theater from the outset.

Having long since studied the enemy’s preferred ending across multiple theaters—an on-ramp of controlled escalation that would lock the United States back into perpetual Middle Eastern entanglement, justify the continued weaponization of energy corridors and regenerate the military-industrial and narrative mandates the Globalist Hegemon requires to survive—he chose instead to run their script himself, ALMOST beat for beat in order to engender the very discombobulation we see writ large across all layers of the Mindscape right now.

In so doing, Trump has permitted the optics of tension with Netanyahu, the headlines of regional friction and the lingering specter of Hormuz to serve as narrative shielding while he inserts the hard pivots that redirect the story toward the off-ramp they never would have authored.

This recalls our own ’s concept of ‘drafting’ in the Info War, where he argues that, in the same way a driver drafting behind a larger vehicle conserves power before sling-shotting past it at the moment of maximum vulnerability, Trump has stayed within the slipstream of the script the media and institutional voices were deployed to protect, only to edit it from the inside.

The result is not chaos for its own sake, but the methodical humiliation of a machine that now finds its own carefully-constructed story beats weaponized against it.

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Election Official Joins DOJ Role in Grand Conspiracy Probe of Prior Investigations of President Trump

Kurt Olsen, a White House official who assisted President Trump’s efforts to examine the 2020 election results, has joined the Justice Department as a senior attorney in the US Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of Florida.

A Justice Department spokesperson confirmed Olsen began his role on Monday. He will report to US Attorney Jason Reding Quinones, a prosecutor involved in developing a broad grand conspiracy inquiry examining whether past investigations and prosecutions involving President Trump amounted to criminal conspiracy.

The effort is being overseen within the Southern District of Florida, where prosecutors are reviewing prior federal probes into Trump, including the Russian Collusion investigation tied to his 2016 campaign, cases brought by former Special Counsel Jack Smith, and the FBI’s 2022 search of Mar-a-Lago for classified documents.

The work is being supervised by Joe diGenova, a Trump ally serving as counselor to acting Attorney General Todd Blanche and leading a civil rights unit in Miami.

Olsen has been involved in efforts examining possible foreign interference in US elections and participating in the collection of voting machines and election materials in Puerto Rico, Georgia, and Arizona to support the investigation.

: As I said on Badlands Daily yesterday, if there is any attorney in the nation that understands election fraud and malfeasance on every level – fake voters, fake ballots, and fake counts, and their evidentiary application across legal challenges, cyber expert analysis, legislative endeavors, and more – that attorney is Kurt Olsen.

Olsen spent the time between Trump Administrations as Mike Lindell’s attorney, and he went everywhere the evidence was. Patrick Byrne is very excited about Olsen joining DOJ, sharing that he and Olsen agreed that the latter was going to take election fraud “to the firing squad” – In December 2020.

That post is interesting. I always thought that Mike Lindell’s unfortunate photo op on January 15, 2021 where Olsen’s name was listed on the papers under Lindell’s arm, was Olsen’s origin story for how he got in the election fight.

But according to Patrick Byrne, Olsen agreed with Byrne that he was going to prosecute election fraud “all the way to the firing squad” back in December of 2020?

How very interesting.

I don’t recall where Lindell got the papers or who put Olsen’s name on them. Seems important.

Regardless, congratulations to Kurt Olsen!

Trump and Netanyahu Both Confirm Tense Call Re: Lebanon

President Trump and Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu have both confirmed reports of a tense phone call over Israel’s military actions in Lebanon. Trump acknowledged he was frustrated by continued Israeli strikes and confirmed he sharply criticized Netanyahu during the conversation, though he emphasized that the two leaders still maintain a strong relationship.

According to reports, Trump was concerned that further escalation in Lebanon could undermine US efforts to stabilize the region and advance diplomatic talks involving Iran. The call reportedly focused on planned Israeli operations in Beirut and the risk of a broader regional conflict.

The dispute highlights a growing difference in priorities between Washington and Jerusalem. While Netanyahu remains focused on pressuring Hezbollah militarily, Trump has increasingly pushed for de-escalation, ceasefires, and a broader regional settlement that could include an agreement with Iran.

:

And there you have it.

I wasn’t sure if we had actually reached that point yet. There have been so many moments that teased it, and then came the rug pull.

But it would appear that moment has finally come.

This doesn’t mean that President Trump will never be kind to Netanyahu again. In fact, I expect him to be. He will continue to kill Bibi with kindness just like he has done for the past ten years.

The real tell was this moment, when Trump said he was open to meeting the Ayatollah.

This was the moment, I’m sure, that heads exploded across Tel Aviv. Because this was the moment that it became painfully clear that Trump was being 100% truthful at the beginning of this Iran conflict when he described it as The Venezuela Model.

Just like with Venezuela, I suspect that we will soon see President Trump call Iran one of our greatest allies.

BONUS ITEM

NIH Researchers Charged In Monkeypox Smuggling Scheme At Detroit Airport

Two National Institutes of Health researchers have been charged in a federal criminal complaint with conspiracy to smuggle monkeypox into the United States and making false statements to federal authorities, according to the US Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of Michigan.

Vincent Munster, a Netherlands citizen and chief of the Virus Ecology Section at the Rocky Mountain Laboratory in Montana, and Claude Kwe, a Cameroon national and research fellow in Munster’s section, are accused of attempting to bring biological materials into the country after traveling from the Republic of Congo during an outbreak of monkeypox.

Federal authorities say the two arrived at Detroit Metropolitan Airport on January 25, 2026, where Customs and Border Protection officers discovered a black case they claimed contained diagnostic equipment. Investigators allege the case instead held 113 vials in Styrofoam coolers. Of those tested, 17 contained deactivated monkeypox virus, one contained chickenpox virus, and two contained human DNA.

The case is being investigated by the FBI, Customs and Border Protection, and the Department of Health and Human Services Office of Inspector General. The men face up to five years in prison if convicted.

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The Brief is free, but you can support us by becoming a paid subscriber to help our collective of citizen journalists take back the narrative.

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The Badlands Brief is your daily drop of Badlands’ takes on the narratives dominating the info war. Read on, and join the conversation in the comments section.

Media Says Talks Between US and Iran Stalled. Trump Calls Fake News.

: I love the fact that President Trump has tricked the MSM into questioning whether any of this is real. I hope that dynamic is further exploited for the benefit of the American People and the world.

Alpha and I covered this topic in depth on Badlands Daily yesterday. I also covered the Israeli response on Geopolitics with Ghost. So I would encourage you to go watch those shows to get a far more in-depth discussion and dissection of this evolving event.

I suspect this pattern of “fakeness” will continue, with all sides accusing one another of lying about the news of the day. I bet we will see the MSM continue to gaslight the public about what is or what isn’t happening.

Sooner or later, the public will have no choice but to defect from the news media entirely, as no outlet will be considered a reliable narrator.

Trump Appoints William Pulte, Housing Director to Acting DNI

President Trump has appointed William J. Pulte as Acting Director of National Intelligence.

Pulte currently serves as director of the Federal Housing Finance Agency (FHFA) and as chairman of Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac. Pulte will continue holding his existing roles at the FHFA and with Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac while serving in the acting DNI position.

Trump praised Pulte’s qualifications in the post, highlighting his experience overseeing some of the nation’s most sensitive financial matters, including the safety and soundness of U.S. housing markets.

: “… he will remain Director of the Federal Housing Finance Agency, and Chairman of Fannie Mae/Freddie Mac.“

I would have thought ODNI was a full time job.

There are 18 intelligence agencies, including the Space Force one, and ODNI is a sort of clearing house within that community.

How can that be a part time job?

In my other take in today’s Brief, we revisit DOGE and modern tooling and accountability …

I can be convinced that Gabbard’s leadership of ODNI oversaw a change effort in the IC — transforming the people, process, and technology.

With modernization, IC oversight could be a part time job.

I guess we’ll see what happens.

What I’m really looking forward to is the Justice phase…

“Don’t forget that this persecution is being done by the same weaponized agencies that for seven years have been running illegal psychological warfare campaigns against the American people, much as if they were trying to destabilize a foreign country.”

Accelerate.

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EPA Boss Makes Criminal Referrals Alleging Self-Dealing in Green Energy Grants While Media Panics in the Midst of Trump’s Energy Transition

EPA Administrator Lee Zeldin has made criminal referrals to the EPA inspector general and the Department of Justice alleging self-dealing in the distribution of Biden-era green energy grants funded by the Inflation Reduction Act.

Zeldin has canceled or paused roughly $29 billion in such grants, including $20 billion from the Greenhouse Gas Reduction Fund that was routed through eight nonprofit “cutouts” and a separate $2 billion grant to Power Forward Communities for residential decarbonization projects.

The referrals highlight cases such as former Greenhouse Gas Reduction Fund director Jahi Wise personally overseeing a $5 billion grant to his prior employer, a $2 billion award to Power Forward Communities—a nonprofit tied to Stacey Abrams that reported only $100 in revenue the previous year—and $20 million given to Young, Gifted & Green, whose CEO applied while serving on the White House Environmental Justice Advisory Council.

Zeldin stated that the funding went to “pass-through entities” connected to former Obama-Biden officials, Democratic donors, and politically connected individuals, describing the rushed 2024 distribution as “blatant waste and abuse” that “feels criminal” and centered on “self-dealing.”

: As I've been arguing for years, the Scarcity Paradigm was never a neutral observation of physical limits. It has rather functioned as the central operating lie of the Globalist Deep State’s Hegelian machinery, a narrative imposition refined over decades and then compounded by engineered Actuals on the ground.

In other words, the Macro Narrative of Scarcity and decline has been paired with concrete projects designed to make that constraint self-reinforcing, from destabilization operations in the Middle East and other energy hotbeds to corporate and governmental limits placed on domestic energy production and distribution.

The dialectic has run on parallel tracks: foreign chokepoints that have punished sovereign peoples on the back of energy dependence on adversarial or unstable regimes, and domestic architectures that constrain output while laundering political and financial power through the administrative state.

The Green New Deal era represented an especially aggressive acceleration of both tracks.

What was presented as climate and justice policy at the time operated in practice as a mechanism for locking in lower energy densities and for routing enormous flows of public capital through networks of aligned nonprofits and politically-connected entities.

Recent criminal referrals from Trump's EPA leadership targeting billions in rushed grants—funds moved through thinly-capitalized cutouts to figures with clear partisan ties—illustrate how these programs functioned once the layers are pulled back.

Two years of executive orders dismantling energy limits and accelerating restored pathways along Nuclear and Supersonics, and legal pressure on the administrative machine have begun dismantling those structures, not as isolated regulatory housekeeping, but as part of a broader restoration of energetic sovereignty.

Thus, the reverse indicators now surfacing in mainstream coverage are so instructive precisely because they are involuntary.

Outlets that once celebrated every new offshore wind commitment now lament the halting of projects in places like my own Massachusetts, where promised long-term industrial footprints largely delivered temporary construction booms (and an influx of illegal labor) before policy shifts, cost realities and investor flight intervened.

At the same time, the same information channels amplify near-daily warnings about data center expansion—framing the infrastructure required for a new American frontier in the realm of compute as a looming crisis for grids, water and rural communities.

Remember, the enemy always attacks what he fears most.

: DOGE exposed waste, fraud, and abuse and, in my opinion, deployed modern tooling inside government to monitor and flag waste, fraud, and abuse in the golden age government.

But we cannot have a golden age without accountability for this dystopian era. To that end, Zeldin’s referrals are encouraging.

If we don’t have transparency and accountability for what’s been done in the name of the full faith and credit of the American people, then we haven’t solved anything, and the next corrupt scheme will be emboldened to go even harder.

Prosecute all of them. Anyone that violated their oath and caused harm on the American people needs to be dragged into the light and held to account.

I hope we see other agencies follow suit with criminal referrals. And I hope they livestream the trials.

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Putin Hits Drone Factory and Other Sites Outside Kiev in Response to Ukraine’s Unhinged Aggression

On May 22, 2026, a Ukrainian drone struck a college dormitory in Starobelsk in Russia’s Lugansk People’s Republic late at night while students were asleep. The attack reportedly killed 21 people, mostly teenage girls, and injured 70 others.

Russia has responded with a large-scale overnight missile and drone strike using precision weapons, including hypersonic missiles, targeting Ukrainian military airfields, defense industry facilities, fuel and transport infrastructure, and a drone production plant linked to President Zelensky across regions including Kyiv, Zaporozhye, Kherson, Dnipropetrovsk, Poltava, Khmelnytskyi, and Sumy.

Russian Defense Ministry officials stated that all designated targets were hit and described the operation as a response to “terrorist attacks” by Kiev, with President Putin calling it a new chapter in Ukraine’s “crime spree” that would bring “well-deserved and inevitable punishment.”

In a separate incident on Saturday, a fiber-optic-guided drone struck the machine hall of the sixth power unit at the Zaporozhye Nuclear Power Plant, puncturing a hole in the building.

Rosatom, which operates the plant under Russian control since 2022, described it as Kiev’s first deliberate attack on the facility’s main equipment and warned that any explosion or fire could cut power and water supplies, creating conditions for a nuclear incident.

Rosatom CEO Aleksey Likhachev stated that radiation from such an event would primarily endanger Ukraine and neighboring EU countries.

Ukrainian authorities denied involvement.

: My favorite part of the story is this:

A drone film scouting company linked to Zelensky’s friends became Ukraine’s “miracle” factory that produced all of their long range drones.

How many other film production companies in Ukraine do you think were repurposed for the war effort?

Strange.

These strikes from Russia came in response to Ukrainian aggression; particularly the attacks against the nuclear power plant at Zaporizhzhia—the largest one in all of Europe.

It’s become clear that Ukrainian leadership is growing increasingly unhinged. Just look at that story about Ukraine “accidentally” arming a drone with weapons and flying it toward military targets.

You will recall that sometime over the last week, a drone struck Romania—which is west of Ukraine—and the MSM reported that the drone was Russian. Putin and the lads denied this, of course.

In fact, Putin went public and not only denied it, but suggested that it was likely the West or Ukraine who committed the false flag against Russia.

Accidentally flying a heavily armed drone into Finland.

Attacking the largest nuclear power plant in Europe.

Bombing the hell out of Lebanon.

The thugs in Kiev have grown increasingly bold in their attempt to commit false flag operations.

Accelerate.

BONUS ITEM

Henry Nowak Case Goes Nuclear in the UK, Sparking Public Outrage and Allusions to the ‘White George Floyd’

On December 3, 2025, in Southampton, UK, 18-year-old Henry Nowak was stabbed five times by 23-year-old Vickrum Singh Digwa while walking home after a night out.

Nowak suffered wounds to his face, legs, and a penetrating lung injury from an 8-inch blade.

He repeatedly told arriving police officers that he had been stabbed and could not breathe, but officers instead arrested and handcuffed him after Digwa claimed Nowak had launched a racist attack that knocked off his turban.

Nowak died about an hour later from his injuries. No independent evidence supported Digwa’s racism allegation.

Digwa, who carried two blades (including a kirpan worn around his neck) and had trained with weapons since age 12, was arrested at the scene.

Police focused on the unverified racism claim rather than treating Nowak’s wounds or immediately securing Digwa, despite a visible blood trail.

Digwa was convicted of murder on May 28 following a trial in which prosecutors stated the case was about murder, not racism or religion, and in which Digwa was found to have lied about key events.

Digwa was sentenced to life imprisonment with a minimum term of 21 years.

Nearly six months after the killing, Hampshire Police referred itself for an independent investigation into its handling of the incident.

Nowak’s family described the police treatment of their son as “unbearable” and noted that the perpetrator “was believed” while their bleeding son was not.

The case has prompted discussion about police response and media coverage when the victim is white and the perpetrator is from a minority background.

Please share the Brief far and wide! Want to join the conversation? Jump in the comments and let us know your thoughts. And if you like the Substack, you should check out our shows — streaming now on Badlands Media!

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Trump Admin Reportedly Moving to Shut Down ‘Weaponization’ Fund Created to Target Government Abuse

The Trump administration is reportedly preparing to eliminate a Justice Department initiative known internally as the “weaponization” fund, a program established to support investigations and legal actions tied to alleged political abuse by federal agencies during prior administrations.

According to reports, administration officials believe the effort has become politically burdensome and legally difficult to sustain as attention shifts toward broader institutional reforms and budget priorities.

The fund was originally associated with investigations into alleged misconduct involving federal law enforcement, intelligence agencies, censorship coordination, and politically motivated prosecutions. Critics inside and outside the administration reportedly argued the initiative created expectations of sweeping criminal accountability that proved difficult to deliver in court.

Supporters, however, viewed the program as a symbolic commitment to confronting what they describe as entrenched bureaucratic and prosecutorial abuse.

The reported move comes amid wider restructuring efforts across the Justice Department and renewed debate inside Trump-aligned circles over whether systemic reform or high-profile prosecutorial action should remain the administration’s primary strategy moving forward.

: I don’t believe it. This reporting cites two anonymous sources claiming that the weaponization fund was too hard to manage, so they’re scrapping it. Sounds like statist wishful thinking.

Leftist politicians around the nation are talking about taxing weaponization disbursements at 100% just to ensure that their weaponization cannot be weaponized – for people like Tina Peters.

Do we think that makes it too hard for Trump, and he’s going to scrap the program? From our collective experience with President Trump, I would think such moves by people like Michael Bennet (or Gavin Newsom, who is pursuing a similar strategy for the weaponization fund) would make our President go even harder, double the fund, and shame Axios for reporting unfounded rumors.

There must be accountability.

This weaponization fund deals with restitution… We still need accountability.

I hope Trump doubles the fund and mocks them to their faces.

Especially Bennet.

As I’m from the communist country of Colorado, I apologize for Bennet, America.

Trump Reportedly Erupts at Netanyahu Over Lebanon Escalation, Forces Halt to Beirut Strike

President Trump reportedly unleashed an expletive-filled rebuke of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu during a June 1 phone call, accusing him of jeopardizing US diplomatic efforts and escalating the conflict in Lebanon. According to Axios, Trump called Netanyahu “crazy,” demanded to know “What the f*** are you doing?” and blamed Israel’s actions for increasing international hostility toward both Netanyahu and Israel.

The confrontation came after Iran threatened to abandon negotiations with Washington over Israel’s military actions in Lebanon. Axios reports Trump intervened directly to stop a planned Israeli strike on Beirut, arguing that further escalation would undermine ongoing regional diplomacy and isolate Israel internationally.

Israeli officials subsequently confirmed that plans for a Beirut operation were shelved, although Netanyahu publicly maintained that Israel would continue responding to Hezbollah attacks and would keep military operations underway in southern Lebanon.

The reported exchange marks one of the sharpest public indications of tension between Trump and Netanyahu since Trump’s return to office. It also underscores the administration’s effort to prevent the Lebanon front from derailing broader negotiations involving Iran, Hezbollah, Israel, and the Lebanese government.

: "You're fucking crazy. You'd be in prison if it weren't for me. I'm saving your ass. Everybody hates you now. Everybody hates Israel because of this."

"What the fuck are you doing?"

As most of you know, I’ve been anticipating this moment for a long time. I’m not certain that we’ve reached it, but we definitely are at an inflection point.

Before we get into the meaning of all this, let’s first evaluate the narrative deployment.

Many have responded to this headline with the typical, “It’s Axios, it’s probably fake news.” But as this audience has seen—or, at least, as I have posited—Barak Ravid [and Mark Caputo] has a unique relationship with President Trump. They routinely conduct direct phone interviews where Trump will often reveal exclusive information.

Barak Ravid remains the only journalist that I’m aware of to whom Trump has trashed Netanyahu, which he did during their December 2021 call. (Though audio of it was recorded and published in Israel, it went unreported in the American MSM—because the MSM is controlled by Zionists.)

During that call, Trump also heavily implied that Netanyahu played a role in the 2020 stolen election, with subtext regarding the prerecorded video Netanyahu released congratulating Biden, “before the ink [of the election results] was even dry,” perhaps implying that the video was premeditated and Netanyahu was part of the election conspiracy to overthrow President Trump.

The dynamic between Trump and Ravid seems to be that Trump grants exclusive access and scoops, and Ravid accurately relays that information to the public. It seems reasonable to assume that if Ravid violated that dynamic, he would lose that access.

Whether the information Trump is conveying to Ravid is accurate is another matter altogether. While Ravid has demonstrated privileged access and knowledge in his reporting, it’s highly likely that Trump has also used Ravid to broadcast mis/disinformation.

Whether this specific anecdote is true is largely inconsequential. It has now become part of the zeitgeist.

It’s hard to say whether the story being true or false would make for a more interesting plot line. If Trump did fabricate this story, imagine the position that puts Netanyahu and the Zionists in? Do they break ranks and attack Trump by calling him a liar? Wouldn’t doing so isolate them and effectively end American support for their war effort? Causing derision and division among the already splintering GOP base?

Based on the reactions I’ve seen from Mossad Media, it’s more likely that there is truth to this reporting. Mark Levin is calling for an FBI investigation to catch the leaker. Laura Loomer is screeching about disloyalty within Trump’s camp. I imagine that if the call didn’t happen, they would know and would simply be brushing it off as fake news. If the call did happen, then there’s the possibility of an audio recording, hence why they are crying foul and demanding heads on pikes.

Now let’s talk about what this means.

This may or may not be the face-turn-against-Netanyahu-moment that I have been expecting. While it certainly has the markings, it is only a single reported event, and we have lived through too many rugpulls to get swept up in the hype.

What this narrative deployment does do, regardless if Trump walks it back, is it advances the Overton Window toward the reality of Netanyahu and Trump having an ugly divorce, and Israel pursuing war in a fit of blind rage without the support of the US. However that ends is in God’s hands.

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Iran Suspends US Talks, Threatens New Fronts as Trump Tells Everyone to Chill

Iran is halting discussions with the United States that have been conducted through mediators, according to a report from Tasnim News Agency, which cited Iranian officials linking the move to ongoing Israeli military operations in Gaza and Lebanon.

The report states that Tehran considers Lebanon to have been a key condition of a previous ceasefire arrangement and argues that the ceasefire has now been violated. Iranian negotiators reportedly have conditioned any future talks on an immediate end to Israeli military operations in Gaza and Lebanon and a complete Israeli withdrawal from areas of southern Lebanon.

Tasnim also reported that Iran and allied resistance groups are prepared to respond to Israeli actions. Options under consideration include efforts to close the Strait of Hormuz and activate pressure points along other strategic waterways, including the Bab el-Mandeb Strait.

The report said Iran’s armed forces and allied resistance groups remain committed to retaliatory measures unless their demands regarding Gaza and Lebanon are met.

President Trump later said he held a “very productive” call with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, stating that Israeli troops will not enter Beirut and that any forces already en route have been turned back. He also said Hezbollah, through intermediaries, agreed to halt all shooting, with both sides committing not to attack one another as part of a de-escalation arrangement.

“Iran really wants to make a deal, and it will be a good one for the USA and those that are with us. But don’t the Dumocrats, and various seemingly unpatriotic Republicans, understand that it is MUCH tougher for me to properly do my job and negotiate, when political hacks keep negatively “chirping,” at levels never seen before, over and over again, that I should move faster, or move slower, or go to war, or not go to war, or whatever. Just sit back and relax, it will all work out well in the end - It always does! President DJT”

: Why is Donald Trump treating the very geopolitical conflict we’re told is eroding his public mandate like it’s the very accelerant into the Golden Age he built his public platform on a decade ago?

Well, understanding that might require you to invert the true desired endgame of Trump’s plans not just for the United States, but for a reimagined world.

And he’s not being subtle about it.

Remember this banger of a quote he issued at the start of the ‘war?’

“Just like the results in Venezuela, which the media doesn’t like talking about, the results in Iran will be amazing - And if Iran’s new leaders (Regime Change!) are smart, Iran can have a great and prosperous future!”

How about this one?

“This is being perfectly executed, on the scale of Venezuela, just a bigger, more complex operation. The result will be the same.”

Say, why is the President talking about Venezuela so much when he’s currently waging a very real and—if you’ve been reading my Iran War series closely—very deadly serious war with the Iranian Regime?

Well, because, as I’ve been arguing for months, the Iranian Knot is following the Venezuela Model.

It’s just bigger and more complex.

Trump told you this in early March. I told you this in early January.

This isn’t to brag. It’s an optimistic signal that ‘The Plan’ isn’t just something that can be cheered on from the sidelines or glimpsed on the macro in the Q Drops.

It can be mapped in detail once the templates are understood.

From ‘Sovereign Disentanglement,’ published on my Substack on January 11:

“Speaking of templates, the Info War is picking up on one having been set for Iran as well.

Another hotbed of regime ops that is currently in the midst of its own color revolution many even in this otherwise-discerning audience have fallen for.

So, is Trump going to spirit away Khamenei, only to leave the rest of his ruling party in control while rug-pulling the global regime’s planned version of the change event?”

Those are the sort of questions that have been keeping the REAL Regime and all its corporate Western Hegemonic propagandists up at night, and they’re the same questions that have cemented my belief in the Sovereign Alliance and the Multipolar War.

What’s more, the longer the process plays out, the more impossible it will be for the enemy to undo the damage to their system.

That is why the Collectorate seems to be panicking even as we’re told the perpetuation of the Iran War narrative is actively destroying the mandate of the very movement that represents an existential threat to their existence.

They KNOW Trump’s true endgame.

They KNOW that the Iran War is a story whose resolution will bring about a new vision for geopolitics, global governance, finance and trade.

In other words, they KNOW they’re in the middle of the Trump Transition.

And you know what?

So are you.

Act accordingly.

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Judge Deals Charlie Kirk Murder Suspect Two Legal Setbacks; New Evidence to Be Revealed in Public Hearing

A Utah judge handed Tyler Robinson, the man accused of assassinating Charlie Kirk, two significant pretrial defeats on June 1. Judge Tony Graf ruled that Robinson’s July preliminary hearing will remain open to the public and media, rejecting defense efforts to close portions of the proceedings. Graf also declined to halt the case while Robinson appeals a separate ruling allowing cameras in the courtroom.

The July 6–10 hearing is expected to be the most substantial public presentation of evidence in the case so far. Prosecutors have indicated they plan to introduce forensic analyses, surveillance footage, witness statements, autopsy findings, and alleged messages in which Robinson admitted responsibility for the September 2025 killing of Kirk at Utah Valley University. Authorities have also cited DNA evidence allegedly linking Robinson to the rifle used in the shooting.

Robinson, 23, faces aggravated murder charges and prosecutors are seeking the death penalty. A separate hearing is scheduled for June 12 on defense claims that prosecutors improperly influenced public opinion through media comments about the case.

: Charlie Kirk’s murderer is having a hearing right after the nation’s birthday, where the most extensive, and ostensibly conclusive, evidence against Robinson will be presented. And nothing can stop what is coming…

I am not sure anyone could ever convince me that Robinson killed Kirk. The story never made sense, and the institutional establishment did that thing where they shame you for asking obvious questions about a story that doesn’t make sense.

That usually means you’re dealing with a tightly controlled lie that the institutional establishment is trying to sell and, when that happens, I’m going to believe the opposite of whatever that is.

I’ll probably still watch.

But it’s going to take a hell of a presentation of evidence to convince me that Robinson killed Kirk.

Kanye West Packs Record Crowd in Istanbul After European Festival Cancellations

Rapper and designer Kanye West reportedly drew a massive crowd during a surprise performance in Istanbul after a string of canceled appearances and mounting backlash across Europe. According to reports, thousands gathered near the Bosphorus for the late-night event, which Turkish media described as one of the city’s largest recent live music gatherings tied to an international artist.

The performance came after multiple European venues and festival organizers distanced themselves from West following continued controversy surrounding his public remarks and online activity. Despite the cancellations, the Istanbul appearance highlighted West’s continued ability to attract large international audiences outside Western European cultural institutions.

The event also underscored Turkey’s growing role as an alternative destination for artists, influencers, and public figures facing restrictions or reputational pressure in parts of Europe and North America.

: Just as President Trump is doing his face turn against Netanyahu, and resolving the conflict with Iran, one of his most powerful proxies is reminding the world that he remains the most popular performing artist in modern culture.

While this fact may seem trivial and superficial, we must remind ourselves that our struggle is not merely a political movement, it is a cultural revolution and spiritual revival.

Kanye West has been at the center of both of those things. He was also standing shoulder-to-shoulder with Donald Trump at Trump Tower weeks before he first took office, when many in MAGA were afraid to admit to their friends and family that they voted for Trump and accept the social consequences of being a deplorable. Kanye’s public support for Trump cost him everything: billions of dollars in net worth, his marriage, and the ability to see his children (which happened before he went DEFCON 3 on the Jewish elite).

Have you noticed that both Kanye and Trump have followed similar trajectories? Both turned heel and provoked a massive shift in the Overton Window. Kanye even spelled it out in his provocative hit song, Heil Hitler:

“With all the money and fame I still don’t get to see my children…So I became a Nazi, yeah b****, I’m the villain.”

President Trump also became a Nazi; a Jewish Nazi, which is now what Zionists are considered in the mainstream zeitgeist around the world. His provocative political posturing has caused a political cataclysm that has forever reshaped politics—for the second time in Trump’s short political career.

Kanye has since had his face turn and publicly repented for his behavior. And now President Trump is following suit and turning babyface. It’s a pattern.

The world needs Kanye West—the Kanye West that made Jesus is King—just like it needs Donald Trump. If more good men had the courage to speak their mind (speak truth) the way those two do, then maybe Satan wouldn’t have as much power and control over this world as he now does.

BONUS ITEMS

AUKUS Partners Launch Joint Undersea Drone Program

The United States, United Kingdom, and Australia will jointly develop new undersea drones under the AUKUS defense pact, War Secretary Pete Hegseth announced Saturday in Singapore.

Hegseth said the project is the first “Pillar Two” initiative focused on uncrewed undersea vehicles, calling it a move to deliver “highly adaptable multi-mission UUV payloads” to maintain maritime advantage.

AUKUS, formed in 2021, strengthens Indo-Pacific defense cooperation and includes nuclear-powered submarine development under Pillar One and advanced technologies like AI, cyber, and quantum systems under Pillar Two.

The announcement comes after past concerns over a Pentagon review of the pact, later eased when President Trump reaffirmed US support. Hegseth said the US remains committed and is moving quickly to expand submarine capabilities in the Pacific.

Badlands Blitz Episode 19

and take a break from attempting to analyze what's actually happening in Iran in order to catch a glimpse of the grand strategy at play between Donald Trump and his Frenemies ... in Iran?

Check it out!

Please share the Brief far and wide! Want to join the conversation? Jump in the comments and let us know your thoughts. And if you like the Substack, you should check out our shows — streaming now on Badlands Media!

The opinions expressed in the Badlands Brief are those of the tagged authors and do not necessarily reflect the attitudes or positions of Badlands Media.

The Brief is free, but you can support us by becoming a paid subscriber to help our collective of citizen journalists take back the narrative.

Subscribe now

The Badlands Brief is your daily drop of Badlands’ takes on the narratives dominating the info war. Read on, and join the conversation in the comments section.

As Schrodinger’s War Rages On, The US Plans an Investment Fund into … Iran?

U.S. and Iranian negotiators reached a tentative memorandum of understanding on May 28 that would extend the current cease-fire by 60 days and launch a new round of negotiations over Iran’s nuclear program, according to U.S. officials. The proposal remained subject to final approval by President Donald Trump. Reuters reported that the agreement would begin a formal negotiation period focused on nuclear issues.

According to reporting by The Associated Press, the draft framework would require Iran to cease collecting tolls in the Strait of Hormuz and remove mines from the strategic waterway within 30 days. In exchange, the United States would begin easing its naval blockade of Iranian ports and discuss sanctions relief during the negotiation period.

The future of Iran’s highly enriched uranium stockpile remains one of the principal unresolved issues identified for the talks. Vice President JD Vance said negotiators had reached a tentative agreement but were continuing discussions over language and nuclear-related provisions, and he said it was unclear whether or when Trump would approve the proposal.

Separate reporting citing the New York Times said the draft memorandum also included discussion of a possible international investment or reconstruction fund for Iran in the event that a broader final agreement is reached. Details and terms of any such mechanism had not been finalized.

: Last week, the New York Times reported that there are plans for a $300 billion US investment fund into Iranian reconstruction once the very real war Donald Trump is waging with the definitely very real and not fake so-called Iranian Regime runs its course.

The media machine is very confused by the prospect that Trump already has massive infrastructure and investment plans into a foreign adversary, especially when said investments will no doubt bolster said adversary, and especially when said adversary is the absolute most seriously bad adversary of all the other adversaries.

For now.

The thing is, when you understand that Trump and the so-called Iranian Regime are the ones putting the squeeze on the Globalist Hegemon, and that the closest allies to said Regime are Russia and China, two of the three core pillars of the Sovereign Alliance alongside the United States, it's not only possible to see such reconstruction efforts coming, but to project them in advance.

In fact, I even named the process as part of my Iran War series, which itself is an evolution of the Multipolar War thesis I've been constructing for years.

From April ...

"The fragile off-ramp from the latest Iran theater—hailed as a face-saving ceasefire while detonating a cascade of second-order exposures—has accelerated the very transitions the Invisible Enemy once relied upon halting to maintain its grip through scarcity, dependency and perpetual friction.

Energy flows through the Strait of Hormuz are resuming under new terms. Iran is asserting direct, tiered control—limiting transits, vetting affiliations and floating toll structures that lean into DeFi rails for Gulf reconstruction.

Currency rails are shifting in real time.

Value exchange mechanisms are decoupling from the old petrodollar chokeholds.

Markets are pricing in reconstruction booms, energy prices are stabilizing on fundamentals rather than fear, and the European Collectorate is being left staring into the void of its own exposed fecklessness on both power projection and resource security grounds.

This was never random. It was the public translation of the patient architecture of liberation I first named years ago.

And the Sovereign Alliance—anchored by the US under Trump, Russia under Putin and China under Xi, now extending quiet nods to a reforming Iran and other inverted players stepping onto their own redemption arcs—has accelerated these transitions.

I believe Trump is strengthening the position of the American people precisely by weakening our position in the System of Systems.

Economic, energy and military disentanglements are not markers of retreat, then. They are the prerequisites for genuine resurgence and convergence, and the disentangling of the Iranian Knot acts as a microcosm for this global dialectic between Sovereign Disentanglement and Multipolar Reconstruction."

Usually, the Building comes AFTER the Breaking.

But the path to the Golden Age is Bicameral.

(Read the full feature, if you fancy.)

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Fox News, Among Others, Reports Clickbait Fake News Story Regarding Iranian President’s Resignation; Obviously Propaganda

A number of media outlets [falsely] reported that Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian had offered his letter of resignation, “citing a lack of authority inside the country’s ruling system.” According to the report, Pezeshkian accused the IRGC of “excluding him from major and vital decision-making processes in the country, and that the vacuum created by this situation has enabled hardline factions within the IRGC to take control of affairs, the source said.”

The claim of Pezeshkian’s resignation was later proven false by the Iranian government.

The story was originally published by Iran International with the headline, “Iran’s president offers resignation, citing total takeover by IRGC commanders,” and was cited by all of the other news outlets as the source in their reporting.

Fox News originally published the report as the lead story on their website with the headline, “Iran’s president reportedly submits resignation letter amid claims of deepening internal divisions,” and later amended to read, “Iran president’s request adds new twist to US-Iran talks as Trump weighs peace proposal.”

A number of other outlets who reported the story, including The Jerusalem Post, kept their original article posted on their websites.

: I saw this story break last night, right as I was going live on The Narrative with .

I only had time to check Pezeshkian’s X account—which had no mention of a resignation—before posting my knee-jerk reaction as our stream was beginning.

Something about this story didn’t feel right. That initial instinct was vindicated when the Iranian government later dismissed the report as fake news.

Before I get deeper into it, I just wanted to take a moment to dunk on Fox News—or should I say Faux News—who had the audacity to update the headline in order to avoid embarrassment, but forgot to update the image or the article, itself. The story remained the lead on their website throughout the night.

Here is a screen cap of the original headline on their website.

And here is the updated headline. Note that the image still bears the inlay caption, “REGIME RIFT.”

The also forgot to write a new article that corresponds with the new headline.

I suppose the article does still correspond with the headline, being that Pezeshkian had reportedly “requested” to resign, but the fact that they changed the headline seems to indicate that they likely knew the story was pure propaganda and wanted to minimize embarrassment.

The outlet that originally reported the story is called Iran International. The headline they published read, “Iran’s president offers resignation, citing total takeover by IRGC commanders.”

A quick search revealed that Iran International is owned by a privately-owned UK-based company called Volant Media. In fact, this information can be found in the footer of Iran International’s website.

Volant Media is owned by a British-Saudi film executive named Adel Abdulkarim Alabdulkarim. A 2018 report by The Financial Times of London accused Alabdulkarim of receiving funding from Israel, which he denied.

Anytime I learn that a media outlet which ostensibly presents itself as a “Middle East” news organization that is based in UK, I assume that it is actually British Intelligence. This feeling was compounded when I learned that Alabdulkarim was a Saudi royal with British citizenship, and further compounded when I learned that Iran International beams its signal directly into televisions in Iran.

Clearly, this organization is a propaganda outlet. So it makes sense that it would push this Fake News nonsense. I just find it hilarious and awesome that they got caught making up news, and that Fox News (among others) are also exposed in the scheme.

It would seem that their intended goal was to gaslight the public (both inside and outside Iran) into believing that Pezeshkian (who is a heart surgeon) was resigning and that the “hardliners” at the IRGC had taken over control of the civilian government, likely in an attempt to sway public opinion toward supporting the resumption of hostilities between the US and Iran.

This could not have happened to a more deserving group of lying sociopaths.

Bondi Says DOJ Produced “Everything Required” From Epstein Files

Former Attorney General Pam Bondi told the House Oversight Committee in a closed-door interview Friday that the Justice Department produced the Epstein-related materials required under the Epstein Files Transparency Act, according to The Epoch Times.

ZeroHedge republished The Epoch Times article and reported that Bondi’s written opening statement said then-Deputy Attorney General Todd Blanche oversaw the file-release process. The repost said Bondi acknowledged redaction errors but defended DOJ’s compliance and transparency.

Rep. James Comer, R-Ky., said transcripts of the interview would be released as quickly as possible, according to the reposted article.

: This is still going on?

I want all the predators rolled up, too, but I generally believe the predators are also the powerful, and there are many signs that the powerful are panicking because accountability is coming. I imagine that will include the predatory conduct on all fronts. I’m good to see what happens.

You can’t rush justice if you want criminals to face accountability.

You also can’t skip phases in a transformation program if you want your change to stick.

Regardless, the suggestion that the administration is covering up pedo rings and somehow protecting Epstein collaborators is tiresome; it’s fodder for people that watch “reality” TV and care about the characters.

That being said, the “everything required” line from Bondi reminds me of what the election cabal said about the files they wiped during the Trusted Build.

“We preserved all the records we were required to under the law.”

So, “pass better law” is the underlying shade, putting the burden on the lawmakers, and rightfully so.

But the government dodging inquiry and transparency in this way is also tiresome.

It’s good of Pam Bondi to remind us all of that, so we can do something about it.

Congress Accused of Quietly Moving to Integrate US and Israeli Militaries

A draft provision in the House Armed Services Committee’s Fiscal Year 2027 National Defense Authorization Act would expand defense cooperation between the United States and Israel through a proposed “United States-Israel Defense Technology Cooperation Initiative,” identified as Section 224 of the bill. The provision would authorize broader collaboration in defense research and development, weapons co-production, joint ventures, licensing agreements, and emerging technology fields including artificial intelligence, quantum technologies, autonomous systems, directed energy, cyber capabilities, and biotechnology. It also references “network integration” and “data fusion” between the two countries.

The United States and Israel already cooperate on missile defense programs. The proposal would extend cooperation into additional defense technology sectors outlined in the legislation.

A recent Quincy Institute brief by Steven Simon argues that deeper defense-industrial integration could shift elements of the bilateral relationship away from annual military aid votes and into defense acquisition processes, which the brief describes as less publicly visible.

:

has dug into this, and relayed to me that he thinks the whole accusation is overblown. He’s probably right—I certainly trust Jon’s judgement when it comes to interpreting government documents—but I also can’t help but laugh at how stupid and useless the GOP has become.

They choose now, of all moments, to introduce this bill? Do they lack any semblance of self-awareness? (Read the room, dudes.)

Whatever the truth of this “integration” document may mean, the narrative that it is spinning up is fantastic.

“Does Israel control the US Congress?”

“No, of course not. Don’t be antisemitic.”

[Congress announces bill to allegedly integrate the IDF and US Military.]

You really can’t make this shit up. These people actually are this stupid, it would seem. As they are all being accused of being Israel’s bitch, they pick this moment in time to introduce a bill like this one?

Accelerate.

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Trump Goes Ham on an “Obama Judge” After Kennedy Center Renovation Blocked

A federal judge has ordered the removal of President Donald Trump’s name from the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts and blocked a planned two-year closure of the venue for renovations, ruling that only Congress has the authority to change the institution’s name. The decision was issued May 29 by U.S. District Judge Christopher Cooper in litigation brought by Rep. Joyce Beatty of Ohio.

The ruling halted plans approved by the Kennedy Center’s Trump-appointed leadership to close the facility for a major renovation project. The court also found that the center could not formally bear a name other than the one established by Congress.

In a subsequent Truth Social post, Trump criticized Cooper, an appointee of former President Barack Obama, and defended the renovation proposal. Trump said construction materials had already been ordered or were about to be ordered and described the project as a major structural and aesthetic rebuilding effort.

Trump said the Kennedy Center suffers from deteriorating infrastructure, including rust, aging mechanical systems, failing pipes, pest issues, and structural problems that he argued make extensive renovation necessary.

Following the ruling, Trump said he would work toward transferring responsibility for operating the Kennedy Center to Congress, arguing that the court’s decision prevented him from carrying out his plans for the institution.

: "Unless I am free to do what I do better than anyone else, bring this Institution back, physically, financially, and artistically, I have no interest in continuing what could only be a hopeless journey into 'NEVER NEVER LAND.'"

Do you guys think “Never Never Land,” is a nod to Michael Jackson or Epstein’s Island or both?

My other take in the brief today is about Bondi and the Epstein files. Maybe I’m over-connecting things… or maybe the Epstein-led phase of the transformation program is about to run some cycles.

Separately, the quote from President Trump above implies he might just shut it down, which is also acceptable.

Accelerate.

Russia, Afghanistan Sign Military Cooperation Deal in Moscow, Signaling Reconstruction

Russia and Afghanistan signed a military-technical cooperation agreement May 27 at an international security forum in the Moscow region, Interfax reported. The report said the signing followed a meeting between Russian Security Council Secretary Sergei Shoigu and Afghan Defense Minister Mohammad Yaqub.

Yaqub said ties with Russia were important and that the two countries had expanded bilateral relations, according to Interfax. Shoigu said Western countries should unfreeze Afghan assets and take responsibility for post-conflict reconstruction.

Interfax reported that Shoigu said May 14 that Russia had built dialogue with the Taliban and was developing a full partnership with Kabul.

: This is a callback to August 2024, when Putin invited the Taliban to the St Petersburg Economic Investment Forum (SPIEF) and they stole the show by walking around with shopping bags and freshly purchased shiny dress shoes.

That same week, it was reported that Biden’s State Department had “mistakenly” sent the Talibros $239M, which is amazing. And, of course, we mustn’t forget that in 2020 President Trump signed the Doha Agreement, which the Taliban honored when they hunted down and killed the ISIS-K terrorists responsible for bombing the Abbey Gate and killing 13 US soldiers during the disastrous Afghanistan withdrawal in 2021.

Now President Putin is formally strengthening the security ties between Russia and the Taliban, moving toward a full partnership as Russia publicly demands that The West lift all sanctions against Afghanistan.

It’s been too long since we’ve seen a memetic moment out of Putin or the Talibros, so I feel like they are both on deck to deliver. Hopefully we can also throw Kim Jong Un in there for some additional spice. (And the Iranian Foreign Ministry. Those guys really know how to shit-post.)

PS - I will never not laugh at any image of the Taliban sitting in a highly formal setting—like a board room—while in full regalia. Classic.

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Welcome to the 19th episode of The Blitz, which is intended to serve as a weekly recap and dissection of the work we do Monday through Friday in the Badlands Brief.

On this episode, and discuss the ongoing flirtation between the Trump Administration and the Real, but also Fake Iranian Regime, how select segments of the Media Industrial Complex are starting to guess the game (too late,) and what it takes to keep a Multipolar World stable over the long run.

As always, while all Badlands content will continue to be free, including The Blitz, the only way we’re able to pay ourselves for the time is due to those of you who choose to support it directly.

So, if you like the work this Substack team does on a daily basis and the step-up in said work for 2026, consider upgrading to a Paid Subscription to this newsletter (cancel at any time.)

Otherwise, stay Positive, stay Based and most importantly … stay Bright!

The Badlands Brief is your daily drop of Badlands’ takes on the narratives dominating the info war. Read on, and join the conversation in the comments section.

Trump Makes the Deal; Gives [60 Day] Peace a Chance … Kind Of …

According to reports, the U.S. and Iran reached a tentative agreement on Thursday to extend the existing ceasefire by another 60 days and ease shipping restrictions through the Strait of Hormuz.

Under the reported deal, the U.S. would lift its blockade of Iranian ports and some sanctions on Iranian oil sales in exchange for unrestricted shipping through the strategic waterway.

However, the agreement remains pending approval from President Trump and Iranian leadership.

Iranian state media reported that the text had not been finalized or confirmed.

U.S. Vice President JD Vance said the sides are “not there yet, but we’re very close,” while a U.S. official described the American strikes as defensive measures to preserve the ceasefire.

: The Art of the Deal Story.

Throughout this second term, Steve Witkoff has made it clear that whenever President Trump dispatches his envoys to negotiate peace, he empowers them to act with the necessary autonomy to maneuver and flex in order to get the deal done.

That's why President Trump is sending in his close friends and confidants, and not some career diplomats from the State Department. He trusts his friends. He doesn't trust the State Department.

The idea that terms were negotiated by the President's envoys that may be unacceptable to the President flies in the face of everything we have come to understand about the dynamic between the President and his envoys. They know going into these meetings Trump's endgame; what he can and cannot accept. With the stakes as high as they now are, there's no way they would walk out of that room with an agreement in place unless they were certain that Trump would accept it.

With all of that said, I love what President Trump is doing here. He's giving himself ‘veto’ power over a deal that surely he has already approved. This due diligence period provides all the snakes and jackals ample time to slither out from their holes to try and thwart it, exposing themselves in the process. It also serves as a reminder to the observing world who is holding all of the cards.

But that's not what makes this The Art of The Story.

The Art of The Story is the narrative quest Trump is now leading.

This Dark Night of The Soul serves as a Hero's Journey for the public's perception of the Islamic Republic of Iran.

It's similar to the journey we took in Venezuela, though that one was rather abbreviated compared to this one, and understandably so.

The story of a "scary" Iran has been deeply embedded in the modern zeitgeist. The American mythos must be rewritten so that a real and lasting peace can be cultivated between the American People and the Iranian People.

I suspect that we will soon see President Trump completely change his posture and rhetoric on Iran, much like he has done with Venezuela.

Just like he dragged the populist-nationalist movement kicking and screaming into this conflict, he will drag the NeoCons and Zionists kicking and screaming into this peace.

And it will be glorious to watch them fight back.

The Iran War Narrative Is Caught in a Doom Loop ... And That’s a Good Thing

: You know that deal Ghost is referencing above?

Well, the Media Industrial Complex immediately refuted it, using the ghost of Little Khamenei

Most weekdays now open with a familiar dialectic: reports that US negotiators and their Iranian counterparts have finalized, or are hours from finalizing some framework, memorandum of understanding or extension.

Halting optimism bubbles up from the ether, markets flicker and then, within hours, the counter-beat lands—denials from the so-called Iranian ledger, albeit always translated through the Media Industrial Complex.

The two sides alternate this pattern, sometimes within the same news cycle, both sustaining and ultimately ratcheting a low-grade whiplash that is entirely engineered.

To read this pattern as ultimately a GOOD thing for our side of the ledger requires operating from two core premises:

The first is that baseline truth in this theater is functionally inaccessible to us, and that every major media organ translating it for public consumption is operating at roughly the same level of reliable information as the audience—while having demonstrated, repeatedly that even IF they possessed better maps of reality than we did, they would NOT be trusted to translate them accurately, but more often to do the polar opposite, which is useful enough for us to know.

This is why Donald Trump has been consistent in his alternatingly-bombastic and dismissive commentary on the war he is supposedly fighting, replete with fake Ayatollahs, fake navies, and, in this writer’s estimation, a fake war whose actual phase was concluded before most of the current story beats kicked off.

The Media Industrial Complex, meanwhile keeps reaching for increasingly-threadbare justifications to keep their chaos narrative alive—up to and including the recent suggestions that when the supreme leader finally reappears, he may be unrecognizable in both voice and visage.

Which is patently absurd to believe.

The second premise is that both sides of this Mind War continue to believe that prolonging the story cycle itself inflicts greater damage on the opposing side.

Obviously, only one of them can be correct given the zero-sum nature of the Multipolar War.

The Media Industrial Complex and its aligned institutions appear to believe that sustaining the Iran storyline continues to bleed Trump’s core mandate and threaten his congressional map ahead of the very dramatic Midterms (that Trump himself just told you he doesn't care about.)

They treat every fresh escalation or contradictory leak as another day’s attrition against the mandate of a president they still imagine can be worn down by narrative pressure.

Trump, by contrast has given every public signal that he is unbothered by either metric.

This is because he has spent more than a decade forging a mandate the other side cannot replicate, and because he continues to behave as though he holds the decisive cards on timing, off-ramps and the ultimate codification of whatever settlement emerges on the other side of the Iranian Knot.

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Federal Judge Slapping Dems on Mail-in Ballots & Citizenship Checks

A federal judge has cleared President Trump’s executive order on voter citizenship checks and tighter mail-in voting rules to move forward.

U.S. District Judge Carl Nichols ruled that Democratic plaintiffs failed to demonstrate legal standing or sufficient harm to justify a preliminary injunction blocking the order.

The judge found that the executive order does not directly require the plaintiffs to take any action, and that no federal agency had yet implemented steps under the order that could cause them harm.

Judge Nichols rejected arguments that the order would disenfranchise millions of voters, calling those claims speculative. He noted that the order mandates procedures allowing individuals to access, review, and correct information in any state-by-state citizenship lists used to maintain voter rolls.

The judge also dismissed privacy concerns over the sharing of basic voter data—such as name, age, and residence—between government agencies, ruling that such sharing does not rise to the level of injury required for Article III standing.

The ruling removes a key legal obstacle and allows the Trump administration to proceed with implementing the executive order’s provisions on policing voter rolls for citizenship and restricting mail-in voting.

No specific timeline for rollout was detailed in the decision.

: My state AG has a reported 65 lawsuits against the Trump Administration and its agenda. He’s joined on to all the nonsense, and he’s counting these lawsuits as campaign accomplishments in his run for Governor.

That could be understood as using state funds for his campaign, but that would never be prosecuted in Colorado.

“Plaintiffs have failed to show that they are likely to have Article III standing or that they will suffer imminent and irreparable harm absent an injunction. The Court recognizes that the Postal Service may ultimately issue a final rule that directly affects Plaintiffs or their members, or that the Government may develop State Citizenship Lists that omit specific individuals due to particularized flaws. Plaintiffs may, of course, renew their motions if and when those future actions occur. Until then, however, Plaintiffs cannot show that preliminary injunctive relief is warranted.”

It’s not about justice, it’s about obstruction. These states (and Colorado is one of many) are pursuing frivolous legal actions to obstruct the lawful agenda of the People’s duly-elected Commander in Chief.

And they’re losing.

That’s the real takeaway — the establishment efforts to stop the President’s agenda are largely unsuccessful.

The weeping and gnashing of teeth will continue.

Accelerate.

Trump Admin Tells Prosecutors to Stand Down on Rodriguez

The Trump administration has directed federal prosecutors in Miami to stand down on criminal investigations into Venezuela’s acting President Delcy Rodríguez.

The move is intended to support efforts to stabilize Venezuela following Nicolás Maduro’s ouster and to facilitate U.S. investment in the country’s oil sector.

Prosecutors were told to avoid actions that could upset ongoing diplomatic and economic initiatives with Rodríguez’s government.

Rodríguez, a longtime target of the DEA with prior U.S. sanctions for alleged involvement in drug trafficking, gold smuggling, and money laundering, has not been criminally charged in the United States. Sanctions against her were lifted after she was recognized as Venezuela’s sole head of state.

She has hosted U.S. delegations and participated in ceremonies with American oil executives as oil flows have increased.

The directive aligns with a broader pattern of pausing high-profile probes into certain foreign leaders during the current administration.

: Our Girl, Delcy "Kokomo" Rodriguez, strikes again.

Despite the fact that it was the first Trump administration that sanctioned Kokomo, and opened an investigation into her, here we are today.

Perhaps Delcy was never the target?

Perhaps this was all misdirection?

Perhaps it was a ruse to mislead certain parties?

It's my understanding that John Bolton was responsible for the sanctions imposed on Delcy and others in the Maduro circle, and that tracks, given that he served in the administration from April 2018 until September 2019.

It was November 2019 that Erik Prince secretly traveled to Caracas to meet with Delcy on behalf of President Trump.

This was later reported as an "outreach" to the Maduro government.

According to Colonel Douglas Macgregor, who served as a senior military advisor during the first administration, President Trump wanted nothing to do with John Bolton until Israeli tycoon Sheldon Adelson asked that Bolton be brought onboard.

Suddenly, Trump was all for it.

In all likelihood, Bolton was a spy sent by the Israeli oligarchy to infiltrate the Trump cabinet and report back their activity.

All the behavior of Trump's administration from April 2018 to September 2019 would suggest that Trump was under the spell of the NeoCons, and carrying out their foreign policy objectives in Venezuela, even if unwittingly.

Then Bolton is fired, Erik Prince (who had previously offered to provide 5,000 mercenaries for a ground invasion) is dispatched to meet in secret with Delcy, and on January 3rd, 2020, Trump takes out Soleimani—who I believe was a Mossad asset.

Then COVID hit, and Trump's relationship with Israel became very rocky, as he had to wrestle with Netanyahu to shut down the construction of illegal settlements in the West Bank, and twist Bibi's arm to get them to sign the Abraham Accords.

Trump then had the 2020 election stolen from him, and Netanyahu was the first to call Biden to consecrate the coup.

Now the DOJ is being told to "stand down" on the Delcy investigation, probably because she was never a target.

After all, she did meet in secret with Erik Prince.

All of this feels connected. The timeline is the story, and the story makes sense.

Isn't it worth considering that maybe a similar dynamic is in play with Maduro?

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Gavin Newsom Runs Interference Before California Primaries, Announces 100% Tax on Anti-Weaponization Fund

California Gov. Gavin Newsom signed Senate Bill 73, which sharply restricts law enforcement access to ballots and election records.

The new law limits peace officers from accessing ballots, voter lists, rosters, and certified voting technology.

Officers are generally barred from interfering with election administration except in cases involving urgent public health or safety threats.

A court order is now required before law enforcement can take possession of key election materials, and removing packages containing voted ballots from election officials is classified as a crime.

Newsom stated that the measure is intended to “clarify the rules of engagement,” noting that violations can carry criminal penalties, fines, and up to three years in jail.

He also vowed to impose a 100% tax on any payouts that California residents receive from the $1.776 billion “anti-weaponization” fund established through President Trump’s settlement with the Department of Justice.

Newsom described the fund as a “slush fund” and linked it to Trump’s pardons of January 6 defendants, stating that recipients are being “rewarded” after being pardoned for “beating up cops.”

: This move by Newsom is hilarious.

If a Californian receives a payout for having the government weaponized against them, the state government will be weaponized to take the payout via a 100% tax.

I didn’t think Newsom could be more unlikable, but here we are.

How did this taxation come through representation?

It’s petty and punitive and intended to preserve a false narrative. I can’t imagine this law will stand up to legal challenges, so I hope Californians do the work and take their crooked governor to court.

He also signed this: “Removing packages containing voted ballots from election officials is also classified as a crime, with civil penalties of up to $50,000 for violations involving ballot custody.”

That is hilarious, considering ballot chain of custody is essentially non-existent.

Did our boy new just make status quo election administration a crime?

Trump’s Strategy on Cuba Rooted in ‘Accelerationism,’ According to Reports

The Trump administration is applying economic pressure to Cuba’s regime through expanded sanctions, a strategy described internally as “accelerationism” to hasten societal collapse in stages.

On May 1, President Trump signed an executive order imposing secondary sanctions on companies doing business with GAESA, Cuba’s military-industrial conglomerate.

This has already prompted several foreign firms—including Canadian miner Sherritt International and European shipping companies CMA CGM and Hapag-Lloyd—to suspend operations in Cuba, with more pullouts expected from banks and hotel operators.

Additional measures include the cutoff of Venezuelan oil shipments to Cuba, a Justice Department indictment of Raúl Castro over the 1996 Brothers to the Rescue shootdowns, and the termination of a GAESA executive’s U.S. green card.

The administration is also more aggressively enforcing existing sanctions while conducting multiagency planning for potential unrest or chaos on the island.

Senior officials say the goal is to methodically constrict Cuba’s economy and create conditions for a peaceful transition away from the current regime without immediate regime elimination. The approach includes limited humanitarian assistance routed through non-government channels, such as the Catholic Church and charities, to demonstrate alternatives to the current system.

: The best way to describe it is 'accelerationism,' " one senior administration official said, referring to the philosophy of hastening societal collapse.

Am I tripping on acid, or has the Trump administration been reading the Badlands News Brief?

Hey guys: if you need a consultant on this subject, I know a guy.

Accelerate.

Please share the Brief far and wide! Want to join the conversation? Jump in the comments and let us know your thoughts. And if you like the Substack, you should check out our shows — streaming now on Badlands Media!

The opinions expressed in the Badlands Brief are those of the tagged authors and do not necessarily reflect the attitudes or positions of Badlands Media.

The Brief is free, but you can support us by becoming a paid subscriber to help our collective of citizen journalists take back the narrative.

Subscribe now

The Badlands Brief is your daily drop of Badlands’ takes on the narratives dominating the info war. Read on, and join the conversation in the comments section.

Trump Says He Doesn’t Care About the Midterms

In a cabinet meeting Wednesday, President Trump said Iran “thought they were going to out wait me, you know, we’ll out wait him, he’s got the midterms. I don’t care about the midterms, look what happened last night, that was the prelude to the midterms.”

: Trump does not care about the midterms because:

• Elections are fake

• The GOPe is Trump’s actual enemy

• The system cannot be defeated while operating within its controlled framework

• The Congress and the Senate are illegitimate (and if you mistakenly believe otherwise, they remain feckless and useless)

• The US is post-constitutional, or perhaps retro-constitutional is more accurate

Nearly 100% of MAGA still refuses to grasp what Trump is saying, often because they are heavily incentivized to protect the system, in opposition to Trump.

***

: Chris Paul is 100% correct and, from where I sit in the Communist Country of Colorado, where the gubernatorial contest has made pretty much everyone retarded, the pageantry of democracy (h/t: Marc Elias) is a bad reality TV show.

Think I’m being hyperbolic?

The gubernatorial candidates in Colorado include a local pastor and state representative that claims there are pedophile rings in the state government (Scott Bottoms), a state Senator who has excoriated Bottoms for his claims – whose former staffer was just arrested for pedophilia (Barb Kirkmeyer), and a vaporware wanna be cowboy who claims to have decapitated a cat when he was three years old and was forced to wear the cat’s carcass on his head (Victor Marx) – and that is one of his least sensational claims.

If elections were real, a Republican could actually win Colorado. 51% of the state has defected from the two party system, and the people are engaged in a battle of ideas.

But elections are fake, so the main topic on the debate stage is – I kid you not – the roads. Should we get out here on the campaign trail? There is also a heated debate about whether fraud is fraud or just mismanagement. (Both of those narratives are being led by Kirkmeyer who the establishment LOVES.)

For the record, given the legislative agenda of the Colorado General Assembly, I would be shocked if there weren’t pedophile rings in the Colorado government. They keep trying to remove parental rights and enable pedophiles every single legislative session. Why else would they do that?

Just remember: It doesn’t have to be real for it to be hilariously entertaining, though treating it as real prolongs our collective pain. If you can effectively balance that in your brain, then the midterms are a lot of fun.

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Trump Thanks Armenia, Talks Tripp Agenda to Make Central Asia Great Again

“Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan, of Armenia, a great friend and Leader, is making his Country strong, wealthy, and very secure! Nikol completely shares my vision of PEACE and PROSPERITY for Armenia and the entire South Caucasus region. Our Secretary of State, Marco Rubio, just traveled to Armenia, where he advanced several important Deals for both our Countries. Soon, the United States and Armenia will break ground together on the Trump Route for International Peace and Prosperity, which will transform the South Caucasus, and help our wonderful American Energy Companies gain access from Central Asia all the way to the United States. For these reasons, Nikol has my COMPLETE and TOTAL Endorsement for Re-Election on June 7, 2026. With Nikol’s help, we will bring the United States, Armenia, the South Caucasus, and Central Asia to greater heights than ever before. Make (Armenia) Great Again — MAGA! President DONALD J. TRUMP”

: “…Soon, the United States and Armenia will break ground together on the Trump Route for International Peace and Prosperity, which will transform the South Caucasus, and help our wonderful American Energy Companies gain access from Central Asia all the way to the United States…”

Let’s check the map:

I’ve circled Armenia in red.

You will recall last year when President Trump announced a $4 billion railroad deal with Kazakhstan, which Trump touted as “the largest Railroad Equipment Purchase in History.”

You will also recall when Trump and Putin met in Alaska last August, and speculation swirled regarding the reviving of an old plan to connect Russia and Alaska with a railroad bridge/tunnel, after Russia pitched the idea to the US.

One month after meeting with Trump in Alaska, Putin signed off on a Russian plan to construct the largest high-speed rail network in Europe. Three years ago, Putin signed a deal with Iran to finance and build a railway between the city of Rasht—the capital of the Gilan province in northern Iran—and the city of Astara, located at the border of Iran and Azerbaijan, with half of the city residing it either country. This past February, Russia and Iran signed the final portion of the agreement, and construction reportedly began last month.

Why would Putin be so invested in completing a 114-mile stretch of railway in northern Iran?

Because this missing rail link is the final piece needed to complete the Shanghai Cooperation Organization’s North-South Transport Corridor, which expects to compete with the Suez Canal for traffic and freight moving between Asia and Europe.

Oh, and last week the passenger train route between Azerbaijan and Georgia was restored. Prior to it being shut down during COVID—and never reopened—the line was one of the most popular routes for travelers in the region.

When President Trump says that this deal with Armenia (which sits at the center of the geographic triangle of Georgia-Azerbaijan-Iran) is intended to provide access to American energy companies “…from Central Asia all the way to the United States…” what Trump is insinuating is that the US intends join the SCO’s North-South Transport Corridor (NSTC).

Technically, Armenia is not in Central Asia. It is in West Asia.

Central Asia is comprised of the territory between the Caspian Sea and China. So when Trump references “Central Asia” he is not talking about Armenia. He is most likely talking about Kazakhstan.

Most likely, the US will tie into the NSTC network through Kazakhstan and across eastern Russia to Alaska.

Coincidentally, two days ago China launched a newly constructed rail corridor in Central Asia (Kazakhstan) that connected to Uzbekistan, China, and Afghanistan.

It would appear that these rail networks are being connected to establish the largest transportation system in the world—which makes sense, considering that Asia is the largest landmass in the world and directly connected to Europe and Africa.

President Trump appears to be signaling a move that firmly aligns himself with Putin and Xi against the old guard of Europe; In this case, specifically the Parisian-based Suez Company and its affiliates in the City of London.

Space Force Awards SpaceX $2.29 Billion Contract To Build Global Military Communications Network In Space

US Space Force has awarded SpaceX a $2.29 billion contract to rapidly build a new satellite communications network designed to securely move military data around the world at high speeds, creating a critical “backbone” for future US military operations.

According to Space Force, the program, known as the Space Data Network Backbone, will use a constellation of low-Earth orbit satellites linked together with optical, or laser-based, communications technology. The system is intended to allow US military forces to rapidly and securely share targeting information, sensor data, battlefield communications, and other intelligence across the globe, even in contested environments.

The contract requires SpaceX to deliver a fully operational prototype by the end of 2027. The effort will also work alongside the Space Development Agency’s Transport Layer program, another military satellite network already under development, with both systems expected to work together as part of a larger War Department communications architecture.

Space Force officials said the project is part of a broader push to speed up military space acquisitions using rapid prototyping and commercial partnerships while expanding the industrial base supporting US national security space programs.

: The brightest signal of the domestic alliance between Donald Trump and Elon Musk has always lived in the contracts, the integrations and the expanding partnerships between seemingly-unrelated entities.

The just-announced $2.29 billion Space Force award to SpaceX for a global military communications network is only the latest confirmation of a pattern I’ve been tracking for years.

This is backbone infrastructure—secure, high-speed, resilient data movement for operations in contested environments, which ties directly into the decentralization and autonomy themes that define Musk’s portfolio and that simultaneously serve the reorientation of American defense priorities under Trump’s new Pax Americana doctrine.

These are converging rails, and I believe they were designed that way from the jump.

Musk’s projects, viewed holistically constitute the practical load-bearing structure for the Golden Age transition Trump has described, with emergent energy systems designed to move us beyond engineered scarcity and toward genuine abundance, while autonomy in vehicles, robotics and logistics multiplies productive capacity rather than displacing it, contrary to the fear mongering you’re currently seeing about it in both the central narrative and large swaths of the so-called Truth Community who haven’t guessed the game, but who will pretend they did once it becomes inarguable.

Transportation, communications and computing power are domains that represent the material foundation without which rhetoric about American renewal remains aspirational rather than operational.

Musk’s recently-detailed Master Plan—centered on sustainable abundance through integrated AI, energy density, automation and next-generation platforms—directly mirrors Trump’s long-time Golden Age promises, which is why both men have been demonized as frequently as they’ve been mocked.

Now, where one figure supplies the executive force, narrative clarity and institutional discombobulation, the other supplies the engines (literally,) the energy architecture and the distributed systems of the new anti-System.

A decade of cross-company integrations is already visible on Musk’s side of the ledger, with each of his projects reinforcing one another in recursive loops en route to eventual convergences in terms of balance sheets, technology, personnel and mission statements.

Thus, speculation about the eventual consolidation between Musk’s two core entities, Tesla and SpaceX isn’t just financial rumor, but the logical extension of synergies that have been compounding for years, and seem poised for public breakout and convergence.

Together, I believe Trump and Musk are building a bridge from the old paradigm of managed scarcity and centralized control to a new one of sovereign abundance and distributed capability.

(I explored these concepts in great detail in my Timeline War Series, which you should check out, if you fancy a deeper dive on the mechanisms and architecture of the coming Golden Age.)

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Erdogan Threatens Netanyahu on Behalf of "Muslim World"

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan warned Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu that the “Muslim world” would not forget or forgive Israel’s actions in Gaza, accusing the Israeli government of pursuing policies that threaten regional stability and deepen humanitarian suffering. Erdoğan’s remarks came during renewed criticism of Israeli military operations and amid Turkey’s continued positioning as a leading voice against Israel’s Gaza campaign, further escalating tensions between Ankara and Jerusalem.

The comments add to a broader deterioration in Turkey-Israel relations since the Gaza war began, with Ankara increasing diplomatic pressure, trade restrictions, and rhetorical attacks against Netanyahu’s government while calling for greater international intervention on behalf of Palestinians.

: “I pray, God willing, that this tyrant called Netanyahu will receive the lesson he deserves from the Muslim world. May we witness this outcome as soon as possible.” -Erdogan

And there you have it.

As I have been saying, the Muslims are not going to join the Abraham Accords— at least, not the version currently written. The far more likely, even inevitable, outcome is that the Muslims will set aside their countless differences and tribalism and join forces against Israel.

This doesn’t necessarily mean an imminent kinetic conflict between the Muslim world and Israel, but how much longer are the Muslims suppose to stand by and watch the IDF conquer and annex their lands, as it joyfully massacres women and children, and celebrates these crimes by replaying the footage at public gatherings on a large screen?

Men can only take so much humiliation, and witness so much atrocity before they are compelled into action by the divine spark imbued in them by their Creator. The hubris displayed by the Israeli diaspora and its Zionist partners is a sociopathy that will be studied for generations. How a culture can claim eternal victimhood while bombing residential neighborhoods then replaying the footage as entertainment is a dynamic that will hard to explain to future generations who were not alive to witness it for themselves. It is a rare episode in human history where the confluence of many factors have all aligned perfectly to create a vicious monster.

And remember: Erdogan is President Trump’s guy. Trump loves Erdogan, and says so every chance he gets. While Erdogan likes to blow smoke, here he is expressing a sentiment that can be found across the Muslim world.

On an unrelated (but totally related) note: Israeli media is reporting that the US fleet stationed at Israeli air bases is prepared to withdraw from the Middle East entirely within 72 hours of a peace deal being finalized.

This is the moment that a measured and discerning strategist would exercise caution and seek to negotiate a peace with the adversaries that vastly outnumber him. But hubris is blinding.

Biden Sues to Block DOJ Release of Audio Recordings From Biographer Interviews

Joe Biden sued the Justice Department to block the release of audio recordings and transcripts from private interviews with ghostwriter Mark Zwonitzer, arguing the Trump DOJ reversed earlier FOIA privacy protections for political purposes. The materials, recorded in 2016 and 2017 for Biden’s memoir Promise Me, Dad, were later obtained during Robert Hur’s classified-documents investigation. DOJ now plans to provide redacted versions to the House Judiciary Committee and the Heritage Foundation by June 15.

Hur declined to charge Biden in 2024, saying evidence did not meet the standard for prosecution, though his report said Biden had retained classified materials and raised questions about his memory. Biden’s suit argues release would expose sensitive personal law-enforcement material; DOJ says the public should be able to hear the recordings and draw its own conclusions.

“Every American, including a sitting or former Vice President, has a right to privacy in the personal conversations he has within his own home,” the lawsuit states. “And when the US Department of Justice obtains that private information through a criminal investigation, the department bears a particular responsibility to protect it from disclosure.”

: I am of two minds on this lawsuit.

On one side, these audio tapes would be hilarious to listen to and break down and make content about, and the findings from Hur’s report point to intentional cover ups of the decline of the so-called ruler of the United States, or scrotus, at a time when American rights were being undermined. There is a case to be made that the public has a right to hear the audio for themselves.

On the other side, “every American, including a sitting or former Vice President, has a right to privacy in the personal conversations he has within his own home,” as the lawsuit states. This is important.

And the test of whether you truly believe in rights is whether you’re principled on them when it comes to your enemies.

And I see that demented old fool as an enemy (our boy, or not).

Do traitors to the Republic retain their privacy rights?

Let us know what you think in the comments.

BONUS ITEM

DOJ Opens Criminal Investigation into E. Jean Carroll Over Possible Perjury

The Department of Justice has reportedly opened a criminal investigation into E. Jean Carroll, the former Elle magazine columnist who accused President Trump of sexual assault in civil court cases that resulted in a $5 million judgment against him.

According to CNN, citing multiple sources familiar with the matter, investigators are examining whether Carroll committed perjury during the lawsuits. The probe is being led by US Attorney for the Northern District of Illinois Andrew Boutros.

Acting Attorney General Todd Blanche has recused himself from the investigation due to his prior role representing President Trump in the Carroll case.

Judge Delays James Comey Trial Over “86 47” Instagram Post

A federal judge has granted former FBI Director James Comey’s request to delay his criminal trial in the case involving allegations that he threatened President Trump through a social media post.

US District Judge Louise Wood Flanagan set the new trial date for October 21, with Comey’s arraignment now scheduled for September 30. Prosecutors did not oppose the delay.

Comey has been charged over an Instagram post showing seashells arranged on a beach in the pattern “86 47,” which prosecutors and Trump allies allege amounted to a veiled threat against the 47th president.

At a press briefing last month announcing the charges, Acting Attorney General Todd Blanche said the post crossed a legal line and was not protected under the First Amendment, arguing that threats against the president are explicitly prohibited under federal law.

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Biden DOJ Wasn’t as Confident in Their Mar-A-Lago Raid as They Publicly Let On

A senior Biden Justice Department official raised internal concerns just two days after the FBI’s August 8, 2022 raid on Donald Trump’s Mar-a-Lago residence.

In an August 10, 2022 email to National Security Division attorney Sophia Brill, Patty Stemler—a longtime DOJ veteran and ally of then-Attorney General Merrick Garland who had been consulted on Trump-related matters—questioned whether the former president had declassified the seized documents. She noted that while standard declassification procedures exist, “the President as Commander in Chief” is not necessarily bound by them, drawing an analogy to the pardon power.

The email, recently obtained by Just the News and discovered during the DOJ’s own review of federal law enforcement actions, underscores early internal doubts about the raid’s legal footing.

The search, personally approved by Garland, occurred amid prior assertions from Trump’s legal team (including a May 2022 letter from attorney Evan Corcoran) that Trump possessed broad declassification authority and had issued a standing order treating documents removed to his residence as declassified.

: “The email was reportedly discovered during the Justice Department’s investigation into weaponization of federal law enforcement.”

A proper investigation about the weaponization of government would not be a quick undertaking.

Weaponizing the government during the Biden years was not the work of rogue officials, it was official policy — as evidenced by the resource allocation and the consistency in tactics in field offices across the nation.

Every once in a while, and more frequently it seems in recent months, we get these reminders that there is an ongoing federal investigation into the weaponization of government. That should be encouraging, and it is — it’s signal in the midst of an all out assault of noise.

These reminders let us know that what they did to us has not been forgotten, and that, ostensibly, it’s going to be remedied.

While most of these stories relate to weaponization against President Trump, including this one, I have hope that following the investigation where it leads will reveal that 45 is the tip of the iceberg.

There must be a justice phase before we can have a golden age. And it seems we’re closer to that than we’ve ever been.

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Feds Drop Charges for Property Manager Connected to Illegal Biolab(s) in Las Vegas

Federal authorities have dropped gun-related charges against Ori Solomon, the property manager tied to an illegal biolab discovered in a Las Vegas home in late January/early February 2026.

Solomon, an Israeli citizen on a non-immigrant visa, was arrested in February after FBI and local police searched the east Las Vegas rental property and found lab equipment, test kits, vaccines, influenza samples, and other biological materials stored in a locked garage.

Federal prosecutors dismissed the complaint for illegal firearm possession without prejudice in May 2026, citing the interests of justice after reviewing additional information.

Solomon still faces a pending Clark County charge for improper disposal of hazardous waste, with a status hearing set for June 4.

The Las Vegas site has been linked to Chinese national Jia Bei Zhu (also known as Qiang “David” He), who owned the property through an LLC.

Zhu was recently convicted in a separate federal case in California for operating Universal Meditech Inc. (later Prestige Biotech) in the Fresno/Reedley area. He was found guilty of conspiracy to commit wire fraud, multiple counts of wire fraud, distributing adulterated and misbranded medical devices, and making a false statement to the FDA after fraudulently selling over one million faulty COVID-19 tests imported from China for nearly $4 million between 2020 and 2023.

Materials found in the Las Vegas garage may have been connected to Zhu’s California operations. His former partner remains a fugitive in China.

The cases highlight overlapping issues of improper biological material storage and fraudulent medical device activity across state lines.

While federal charges against Solomon were dropped, the state hazardous waste case continues.

: So this guy—an Israeli foreign national (not even an American dual citizen)—was running some sort of an illegal biolab in the garage of this single-family home in Las Vegas.

Multiple people who had access to the property became "deathly ill" after being exposed to the specimens that were haphazardly stored in the garage.

There were hundreds of vials of various rare and highly infectious diseases that were basically just shoved into an old refrigerator, and the house cleaner (who also became deathly ill) said the place reeked of "foul stagnant hospital air."

Ori Solomon, the property manager who had hired the cleaner and allowed others to live there, was in illegal possession of six firearms when he was arrested, given his nonimmigrant visa.

Solomon managed 37 properties in the area.

The Chinese national, Jiabei Zhu, who owned the property and hired Solomon to manage it, is currently in federal custody in California for his connection to another similar type of illegal makeshift biolab.

Zhu was arrested in 2023 and later convicted.

According to a report from the Select Committee on the Chinese Communist Party, the vials found in that 2022 lab were labeled as pathogens like “HIV”, “tuberculosis”, “malaria”, “hepatitis”, and “Ebola”.

Zhu was also found guilty of fraudulently selling more than a million COVID tests for nearly $4 million through his Fresno-based company, Universal Meditech Inc.

When Zhu and his wife were arrested in 2023, authorities realized that Zhu at the time was already a fugitive in Canada, wanted "for his connection to companies in the Chinese dairy industry."

Zhu's business partner, Zhaoyan Wang, was also indicted for his role in the scheme, but Wang fled to China and remains a fugitive of the United States.

"Trial evidence showed Zhu and Wang hired inexperienced employees, like cellphone salespeople, supermarket workers and childcare workers, who ‘would not ask any questions.’ Some of the employees were hired through the Fresno County Economic Development Corporation, which is a public organization that helps find jobs for unskilled workers and provides significant subsidies to employers that hire them, according to the U.S. Attorney's Office."

Despite all of this damning evidence, the state magistrate (judge) in this case allowed Solomon to be released from jail (as he awaited trial) back in February, citing "no concern" that he would return for trial.

The judge's name is Elayna J. Youchah, and from what I can discern, she does appear to be Jewish.

The federal prosecutor who yesterday dropped the weapons charges against Solomon is Sigal Chattah.

Not only is Chattah Jewish, but she was born in Israel—making her a dual citizen.

Chattah also happens to be the First Assistant US Attorney and the Special Attorney to the US Attorney General, so she absolutely has a national profile.

So to be clear: Solomon is still facing state-level charges related to hazardous waste disposal, but he is not facing any federal charges from Chattah. And it was Judge Youchah who released Solomon back into the wild, despite his Israeli citizenship and the fact that the business partner of his employer (who is currently in prison for another biolab) has fled the country to evade an indictment.

The fact that the judge and the US Attorney in this situation are Jewish (the prosecutor is also Israeli) seems like a pretty important detail considering that this guy is an Israeli national, and Israel is notorious for blocking extradition requests by the US for criminals hiding within their borders.

How the hell does this happen?

This appears to be more than just a miscarriage of justice.

This appears to be the control of the US justice system for the benefit of a foreign country; perhaps multiple foreign countries.

I'll ask again: How the hell does this happen?

What kind of Mickey Mouse bullshit is this?

Why do Israeli citizens consistently get away with committing federal (and state) crimes inside the United States?

Treasury Probes Big-Time Youtuber Hasan Piker and Others Over Cuba Ties

Federal investigators have subpoenaed streamer Hasan Piker and activist Medea Benjamin as part of a Treasury Department probe into their participation in a March 2026 humanitarian aid convoy to Cuba.

The “Nuestra America Convoy,” organized with help from CodePink (the anti-war group co-founded by Benjamin), delivered roughly 20 tons of goods to Havana.

More than 40 Americans are reportedly under scrutiny by the Treasury’s Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) for potential violations of U.S. sanctions law.

Subpoenas served to Piker and Benjamin seek financial, logistical, and communications records related to the trip.

The probe comes amid heightened Trump administration pressure on Cuba, including a tightened blockade implemented last year, the designation of Cuba as a state sponsor of terrorism, and a recent Justice Department indictment of former Cuban President Raúl Castro.

Piker, a 34-year-old democratic socialist streamer, publicly praised aspects of the Cuban regime after the trip and was photographed with CodePink figures in Havana.

Benjamin, 73, has long been a prominent critic of U.S. Cuba policy and has faced prior scrutiny over her activism.

: Piker is one of the internet's leading Democratic Socialist voices ... someone who's made his name on anti-Trump, anti-MAGA rhetoric

Benjamin, for her part co-founded Code Pink, an NGO that organized aspects of the effort, and which has long operated in the same ecosystem of activist NGOs that parallel the SPLC model — leveraging humanitarian framing and narrative positioning to advance anti-American rhetoric while maintaining operational ties that are now facing scrutiny, to say the least.

These subpoenas, we're told represent the beginnings of a much wider probe into dozens of Americans involved in similar efforts in the beginnings of the public disclosure phase of what we've known all along: what has been presented as organic counter-culture dissent to Donald Trump and the MAGA core is now being exposed as having been engineered from the start.

These developments mark a rapid and seismic progression in the Mind War, even if most are dismissing the headlines as partisan posturing at present.

The anti-SPLC action could mark the beginnings of the dismantling of institutional proxies that manufactured conflict and laundered narrative power through the administrative state.

The scrutiny of American Culture War figures under the guise of action against Cuban communist influence extends that pressure into the cultural transmission layer against the NGOs and influential voices of the last decade that have shaped a generational perception and normalized opposition to American sovereignty and progress.

Both fit a larger pattern: the mapping of the system is beginning to yield the first hints of coming concrete accountability.

Each disclosure adds pressure to the insurgency’s own unraveling, forcing more of its structure into view without requiring total kinetic confrontation on the home front.

In other words, the more they struggle against the accusations, and now, against the actions of the DOJ, the more the web trembles and twitches, and begins to unravel.

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CDC and Aid Groups Fearmonger Over Ebola Outbreak

An Ebola outbreak centered in Ituri province in northeastern Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) is spreading faster than response efforts can contain it, according to aid organizations.

The outbreak involves the Bundibugyo virus strain and has expanded into North Kivu and South Kivu provinces in the DRC, as well as into Uganda, with confirmed cases reported in major population centers, including Goma and Kampala.

The International Rescue Committee (IRC) warned that “the warning signs are flashing red,” stating the epidemic is outpacing responders.

World Health Organization Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said the delay in detection means authorities are “playing catch-up with a very fast-moving epidemic” and that the outbreak is currently outpacing scaled-up operations.

No vaccines or treatments are available for the Bundibugyo strain.

Response efforts include intensified surveillance, patient isolation, contact monitoring, and scaling up operations by the WHO, DRC and Ugandan governments, and partners, with roughly $500 million pledged for response and prevention.

The IRC has called for relaxing import restrictions on personal protective equipment and rapid funding to support health workers and safe burial teams.

While Congolese officials have stated that response teams are being strengthened daily and described the situation in the affected DRC provinces as “well contained,” aid groups emphasize the heightened risk of further spread given the current conditions.

: Isn’t it weird how we keep having all these potential pandemics after the global think tanks told us we were going to see increasingly frequent pandemics?

They’re so good at predicting stuff … or they’re planning stuff.

Jordan is correct, though; they do seem to be throwing all the public health crises at the wall to see what sticks.

And, in the wake of the “affirmation” of the “lab leak theory,” these stories are less believable than in prior years.

Also from Jordan:

Accelerate.

Israeli Nat SEC Minister Says They Won’t Let Trump Sign a ‘Bad Deal’ With Iran

: The Israelis clearly believe that they are in control and in the driver's seat as far as "Peace in the Middle East" is concerned.

Perhaps that is why they launched yet another major offensive in Lebanon while President Trump is ostensibly in the middle of a high-stakes negotiation with Iran.

There are rumors floating around that the deal has already been finalized and just requires signatures, though none of that has been substantiated. But these rumors do take their toll on those who are highly invested in the outcome of this situation.

One of those people is Lindsey Graham.

Here is what Lindsey Graham had to say about Pakistani Defense Khawaja Asif and the Pakistanis, in general.

(Note that President Trump has had nothing but high praise for the Pakistani leadership, and they have had nothing but love and admiration expressed for President Trump.)

Here is a link to the quote by Asif being referenced in that X quote post.

Make no mistake, when this deal is announced as formally finalized, most of the GOP is going to turn on President Trump like a pack of wild rabid dogs.

That's because those congressmen all are compromised and actually work for the State of Israel, not the American People.

You know it, I know it, and pretty much the whole world knows it.

You know what would be a great way to really take the wind out of the GOP's sails?

Declassifying both COVID and the 2020 Election investigation, specifically any material that implicates the GOP in the coup against President Trump.

I would love to see Tulsi break all of their toys on her way out, and I can't think of a better way to hurt the Uniparty than exposing the traitors in the GOP.

BONUS ITEM

Paxton Crushes Cornyn In Stunning Texas Senate Upset

Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton defeated four-term U.S. Senator John Cornyn in a major upset in the Republican primary runoff for Texas’s U.S. Senate seat.

Paxton won with roughly 63% of the vote to Cornyn’s 37%.

The victory came after a competitive March primary in which neither candidate secured a majority, forcing the runoff.

The result is being described as one of the biggest primary upsets in modern Texas political history.

Paxton, a hard-charging conservative and strong Trump ally known for legal battles against the Biden administration, campaigned as a fighter against the Washington establishment.

Cornyn, a longtime Senate insider and former Majority Whip, was portrayed by Paxton as out-of-touch.

The race featured heavy spending on attack ads.

Trump’s endorsement of Paxton days before early voting helped energize the MAGA base and proved decisive. In his victory remarks, Paxton stated, “Texas has spoken loud and clear. We’re done with business as usual.”

The outcome signals a further rightward shift within the Texas Republican Party, with voters favoring Trump-aligned candidates over establishment figures.

Please share the Brief far and wide! Want to join the conversation? Jump in the comments and let us know your thoughts. And if you like the Substack, you should check out our shows — streaming now on Badlands Media!

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Trump Signal Boosts the New Abraham Accords, Urges Saudis and Qataris to Sign and Extends Offer to Iran to Remake Middle East

“Negotiations with the Islamic Republic of Iran are proceeding nicely! It will only be a Great Deal for all or, no Deal at all — Back to the Battlefront and shooting, but bigger and stronger than ever before — And nobody wants that! During my discussions on Saturday with President Mohammed bin Salman Al Saud, of Saudi Arabia, Mohammed bin Zayed Al Nahyan, of The United Arab Emirates, Emir Tamim bin Hamad bin Khalifa Al Thani, Prime Minister Mohammed bin Abdulrahman bin Jassim bin Jaber Al Thani, and Minister Ali al-Thawadi, of Qatar, Field Marshal Syed Asim Munir Ahmed Shah, of Pakistan, President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, of Türkiye, President Abdel Fattah El-Sisi, of Egypt, King Abdullah II, of Jordan, and King Hamad bin Isa Al Khalifa, of Bahrain, I stated that, after all the work done by the United States to try and pull this very complex puzzle together, it should be mandatory that all of these Countries, at a minimum, simultaneously, sign onto the Abraham Accords. Those Countries discussed are Saudi Arabia, The United Arab Emirates (already a Member!), Qatar, Pakistan, Türkiye, Egypt, Jordan, and Bahrain (already a Member!). It may be possible that one or two have a reason for not doing so, and that will be accepted, but most should be ready, willing, and able to make this Settlement with Iran a far more Historic Event than it would, otherwise, be. The Abraham Accords have proven to be, for the Countries involved (The United Arab Emirates, Bahrain, Morocco, Sudan, and Kazakhstan), a Financial, Economic, and Social BOOM, even during this time of Conflict and War, with the current Members never even suggesting leaving, or taking so much as even a pause. The reason for this is that the Abraham Accords have been great for them, and will be even better for everybody, and bring true Power, Strength, and Peace to the Middle East for the first time in 5,000 years. It will be a Document respected like no other that has ever been signed, anywhere in the World. Its level of Importance and Prestige will be unparalleled! It should start with the immediate signing by Saudi Arabia and Qatar, and everybody else should follow suit. If they don’t, they should not be part of this Deal in that it shows bad intention. In speaking to numerous of the Great Leaders mentioned above, they would be honored, as soon as our Document is signed, to have the Islamic Republic of Iran as part of the Abraham Accords. Wow, now that would be something special! This will be the most important Deal that any of these Great, but always in Conflict Countries, will ever sign. Nothing in the past, or in the future, will surpass it. Therefore, I am mandatorily requesting that all Countries immediately sign the Abraham Accords, and that, if Iran signs its Agreement with me, as President of the United States of America, it would be an Honor to have them also be part of this unparalleled World Coalition. The Middle East would be United, Powerful, and Economically Strong, like perhaps no other area, anywhere in the World! By copy of this TRUTH, I am asking my Representatives to begin, and successfully complete, the process of signing these Countries into the already Historic Abraham Accords. Thank you for your attention to this matter!

DONALD J. TRUMP
PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA”

: “Peace, at the end of the day, should not be extreme, but foundational.

Trump is primed to be the ultimate problem-solver, and the ultimate problem to solve from the perspective of any sovereign leader is the key threat to sovereignty in all its forms: war and all the suffering it causes, and the control it ultimately affords the winning side, as humanity loses.

I believe that Actual solutions to all of the past, present and future crises are in place, from an impending economic collapse and transition to a potential two-state treaty in the Middle East, regions of responsibility forming around the world while the Warmongers and their ilk are chased from the shadows, and then purged in the light, first Narratively, and eventually … quite Actually, I think.

What we’re watching is the War of Stories that is provoking the public mandate for those solutions to be actualized.

And if you have to break a few Bidens, the Uniparty Establishment and the largest decentralized criminal cabal in human history on the way to doing so … all the better.

So, while I don’t think there’s been a moment in the modern Info War wherein the difference between Actual & Narrative has been more difficult or more important to suss out than it is right now, ultimately, I believe that, while there’s undoubtedly ratcheting tension within the Collective Mind along all Layers of awareness, even seeping down into the Anon and Truth Community world, it is still possible to come away with a reading of this period of escalation and acceleration with a positive Macro Mindset.

So long as you know that we are playing an Infinite Game, and that Peace is the Infinite Player on all timelines.

So long as you know the enemy’s aims, and learn their moves.

And the great thing about learning how the enemy’s magic system works is that doing so allows one to reverse engineer it.”

I wrote that in November 2023 (READ) one month removed from the October 7 Narrative that will stand not just as a global inflection point, but as the core ‘split’ that fully separated the wheat from the chaff in the MAGA movement, and even in the so-called Truth Community.

In that piece, I argued that Donald Trump’s Impossible Task was peace itself, and that the prime Kobayashi Maru through which he would codify his skill and his mandate to bring it about was the Forever War Gordian Knot that has been made of the Middle East, with the existential conflict between Israel and Iran at its heart.

Now, as a deal that I believe has already been agreed to by the appropriate parties (as Trump is now actively signaling) nears public disclosure, where do we stand?

Trump is calling for a Macro Region of Responsibility in the Middle East, which INCLUDES the very Regime he’s supposedly fighting against, the MAGA wheat (Congress, Zionists, NATO Warmongers and Faux-MAGA Grifters) has been separated from the chaff, and the public appetite for war has been exhausted.

The Peacemakers are taking the board.

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Carney Warns Alberta Not to Pull a Brexit, Which He Witness Firsthand in England

Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney is warning Alberta separatists not to repeat what he calls the “dangerous bluff” of Brexit — invoking his firsthand experience as governor of the Bank of England during the UK’s 2016 vote to leave the European Union.

Carney said Alberta voters should be wary of arguments that separation is merely a negotiating tactic with Ottawa. Drawing a direct comparison to Brexit, he argued many Britons were told they could vote for a “soft” exit and negotiate later, only to face years of political and economic fallout afterward.

The warning comes after Danielle Smith announced Alberta will hold an October referendum asking whether the province should begin the legal process toward a future binding independence vote.

Critics immediately pointed out the irony: Carney was one of the most prominent establishment voices warning Britain against Brexit in 2016, and pro-Brexit conservatives accused him at the time of running “Project Fear.” Alberta conservatives are now making the same argument — that federal elites are trying to scare voters away from asserting provincial leverage and sovereignty.

: Oh, Canada!

Our northern neighbors declaring independence from the crown is an effort I can get behind. Literally, my biggest issue with Canada is that they swear allegiance to Britain and, therefore, exist as a global regime proxy on America’s northern border.

The fact that Carney is warning against a Canexit is just delicious. Carney is the crown’s man, and he was vehemently anti-Brexit back in the day. He’s still vehemently opposed to the crown losing any sort of power – white knuckling the status quo in the midst of awakening.

I supported the truckers.

I supported the Alberta separatists.

And I very much support Canexit.

A Canadian Declaration of Independence in America’s 250th year seems like some sort of proof. I am not optimistic it will happen, but dare to dream!

Trump Suggests Working With Iran to “Destroy” Nuclear Dust

Trump says Iran’s enriched uranium — which he has repeatedly dubbed “nuclear dust” — must either be surrendered or destroyed as part of an emerging framework tied to ceasefire and Strait of Hormuz negotiations.

In a Truth Social post Monday, Trump said the material would either be “turned over to the United States” for destruction or “destroyed in place” in coordination with Iran and under international observation.

“The Enriched Uranium (Nuclear Dust!) will either be immediately turned over to the United States to be brought home and destroyed or, preferably, in conjunction and coordination with the Islamic Republic of Iran, destroyed in place or, at another acceptable location, with the Atomic Energy Commission, or its equivalent, being witness to this process and event. Thank you for your attention to this matter! President DJT”

The comments come amid reports that US negotiators are exploring multiple disposal scenarios for Iran’s enriched uranium stockpile, including transfer to third countries such as Russia, Turkey, China, or Pakistan, or supervised dilution and destruction inside Iran itself.

Iran, meanwhile, continues to publicly insist it has a right to civilian nuclear technology, even as officials signal willingness to reassure the international community that Tehran is not pursuing a nuclear weapon.

:

Now President Trump is bucking all the demands of Israel and her diaspora, which has been emphatic in insisting that we put boots on the ground to personally extract the nuclear dust from Iran. Instead, Trump is suggesting that maybe we can just count on Iran destroying the dust and then presumably restoring relations and moving on as great allies. (The Venezuela Model)

If this is actually how this situation ends up being resolved, it would be highly subversive of the Zionist regime. Could we even be certain that the US and Iran were ever actually at war?

Israel has now made it clear that no matter what the US does, Israel will plow forward with its wars against Hezbollah/Lebanon and Iran.

President Trump’s exposure operation against these subversive elements within our government will have been a tremendous success. The Arabs and the Persians will be able to make peace, joined by the Pakistanis and the Turks, forming a coalition that will be capable of challenging Israel and keeping its aspiring hegemony in check.

The real enemy is not abroad, it is inside our own government. President Trump has done a fantastic job isolating and exposing these criminal traitors, and incentivizing the world to unite against them. And he has achieved all of this by playing the heel.

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Spencer Pratt is Upending LA Politics

The former reality TV figure and 2026 Los Angeles mayoral candidate is using power washers and stencils to blast clean slogans into filthy city sidewalks: “IMAGINE IF THE STREETS WERE THIS CLEAN” and “SPENCER PRATT FOR MAYOR.” Modernity News is framing the tactic as a guerrilla campaign ad against Karen Bass: the dirtier the street, the stronger the contrast.

The stunt lands because Pratt’s campaign is already running on homelessness, street disorder, fire-response anger, and anti-bureaucracy messaging. Recent coverage shows he has become a real factor in the race, with polling and fundraising momentum placing him in serious contention for a runoff against Bass.

The LA elite is reacting accordingly. Drew Carey blasted Pratt as a “serial scammer,” while critics have attacked his residency, hotel spending, and MAGA-adjacent support. But the more they sneer, the more Pratt’s outsider campaign benefits from the core visual argument: if the city were clean, the ad wouldn’t work.

: I like the framing that this is a “guerilla campaign tactic,” but it’s also just a smart use of resources. I imagine Bass is going for traditional – expensive – campaign media, and Pratt keeps hijacking the energy and going viral with AI videos and low budget stunts, like pressure washing sidewalks.

For those of us not in LA, it’s highly entertaining. That’s not surprising – Pratt is an entertainer running to be mayor of a city of entertainers, wannabe entertainers, and entertainment industry players.

Over the weekend, Newsweek reported that he is dominating in fundraising:

The most recent polling cited by the New York Times has Pratt within three points of Bass but, notably, that poll is from a private research firm with no sponsor cited. We refer to this firm’s work as “inbred polling” here in Colorado. Maybe they’re better in California…

Regardless, Pratt is approaching the campaign as an entertainer, and he seems to really know his audience.

This fake election cycle is wild. Seeing what captures attention is a bit depressing in its reflection of the American people and their collective mind.

But, again, it’s entertaining.

And isn’t that all we can really ask of our fake elections?

Fallout Between Israel and Ukraine Continues as Ukraine Gives State Honors to WW2 Nazi Collaborator

Tensions between Israel and Ukraine are flaring again after the Ukrainian government held a state reburial ceremony honoring Andriy Melnyk, a leader of the wartime Organization of Ukrainian Nationalists (OUN) who collaborated with Nazi Germany during World War II.

According to multiple reports, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy and senior officials attended the ceremony in Kyiv, where Melnyk was described as a national hero whose remains were repatriated from Luxembourg. Israel’s Foreign Ministry condemned the event, saying there is “no place for ignoring historical truth and the memory of the victims murdered by the Nazis and their collaborators.”

Yad Vashem also criticized the honors, warning that celebrating leaders tied to movements that collaborated with Nazi Germany undermines Holocaust remembrance.

The controversy touches a longstanding fault line in Ukraine. Figures such as Andriy Melnyk and Stepan Bandera are viewed by many Ukrainians as anti-Soviet independence fighters, while critics — including Israeli and Polish officials — point to documented collaboration between factions of the OUN and Nazi Germany, including involvement in atrocities against Jews and Poles.

This is not a new dispute. Israel and Poland jointly condemned state-sponsored glorification of Bandera and Melnyk as early as 2020, and Ukrainian officials at the time pushed back by calling it an internal Ukrainian matter.

:

The History of Russia is perhaps the most tragic and complicated in all of world history. Ukraine—which means “borderlands” in Russian—is a big reason for the tragedy and complexity.

The modern-day nation of Ukraine is enormous; the largest country in Europe. Historically, Ukraine proper was far smaller, localized around Kiev. The regions in the East and South belonged to the Russian Empire. The regions in the West belonged to the Austro-Hungarian (Hapsburg) Empire and the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth.

Historically speaking, these territories represent some of the most ethnically and culturally diverse populations found anywhere in the world. They are situated on the largest open plain in the world, known as The Steppe, between the Carpathian Mountains in Central Europe and the Ural Mountains at the Russia-Kazakhstan border. They have been conquered by every great empire, kingdom, khanganate, and caliphate to ever ride on horseback across Eurasia. In fact, this plain is where all horses on earth originate. It’s easy to understand why God chose this vast open space to place such creatures.

Every major religion—including Judaism and countless forms of paganism—has at one point or another gained a foothold here. Every culture from Vikings, to Greeks, to Mongols, to Muslims, and Cossacks (among countless others) have had their turn ruling these lands and spreading their proverbial seed. And unlike the Middle East, here it was common for multiple empires to proliferate and coexist simultaneously. Mostly because Ukraine is the breadbasket of Europe, and the resources could easily sustain all that life.

What this means is that modern-day Ukraine will never be the homogenous ethno-state that Andrey Melnik and Stepan Bandera aspired to create when they formed the Organization of Ukrainian Nationalists (OUN) in 1929. Melnik and Bandera were both born Austro-Hungarian (German/Cossack) citizens in the western regions of modern-day Ukraine. The OUN’s predecessor was the Ukrainian Military Organization (UVO) was founded in 1920 and operated in secret out of Prague, engaging in terrorism to advance their political interests.

Their counterpart would have been the Jewish militants that emerged from the eastern and southern regions of Ukraine—from the Russian Pale of Jewish Settlement. These militants became known as the Bolsheviks.

Though the OUN immediately allied with the Nazis in the 1930’s and began running pogroms for them against their Jewish brethren in the East, the Bolsheviks and the UVO/OUN did have common ground: they were both hyper-violent terrorist organizations, and they both harbored a historic hatred for Russians, blaming Russia for their respective cultures’ subjugation.

Perhaps this explains how the Banderite culture of violent insurgency became adopted by Jewish-Ukrainian militants, despite Bandera and Melnik’s collaboration with the Third Reich. (Truth be told, I think there were thousands of Jewish Nazis in the Third Reich, as well. All of which were Zionists.)

What we are witnessing now is the hyper-radicalization of two cultures (Israel/Ukraine) with a shared ancestry and history—both fueled by their historical connection to the lands they currently inhabit. One is more secular and the other is more esoteric, but both seem possessed by a conviction that they are fulfilling some kind of prophecy or destiny. That’s what makes both such dangerous animals.

BONUS ITEM

IRGC-Linked Terror Suspect Accused of Plotting to Assassinate Ivanka Trump

An Iraqi national with alleged ties to Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps has been accused of plotting to assassinate Ivanka Trump in retaliation for President Trump ordering the 2020 drone strike that killed Iranian military commander Qasem Soleimani.

According to reports, recently arrested terror suspect Mohammad Baqer Saad Dawood Al-Saadi, 32, pledged to kill Ivanka Trump and allegedly obtained a blueprint of her Florida home. Sources told The New York Post the plot was intended to “burn down the house of Trump” in revenge for Soleimani’s death in Baghdad.

Al-Saadi reportedly posted a map of the area surrounding Ivanka Trump and Jared Kushner’s Florida residence alongside a threat claiming neither “palaces nor the Secret Service” would protect Americans, adding that operatives were in a “stage of surveillance and analysis.”

Federal prosecutors allege Al-Saadi was involved in at least 18 attacks and attempted attacks targeting US and Jewish sites across Europe and North America.

Sources identified Al-Saadi as a senior operative connected to both Iran’s IRGC and Kata’ib Hizballah. Analysts and former Iraqi officials said he was closely tied to Soleimani and later to IRGC Quds Force commander Esmail Qaani. Investigators also allege he trained with the IRGC in Tehran before using a travel agency business to coordinate with terror cells internationally.

Al-Saadi was arrested in Turkey on May 15 and extradited to the United States, where federal charges accuse him of coordinating attacks tied to the ongoing conflict in the Middle East.

Please share the Brief far and wide! Want to join the conversation? Jump in the comments and let us know your thoughts. And if you like the Substack, you should check out our shows — streaming now on Badlands Media!

The opinions expressed in the Badlands Brief are those of the tagged authors and do not necessarily reflect the attitudes or positions of Badlands Media.

The Brief is free, but you can support us by becoming a paid subscriber to help our collective of citizen journalists take back the narrative.

Subscribe now

The Badlands Brief is your daily drop of Badlands’ takes on the narratives dominating the info war. Read on, and join the conversation in the comments section.

HAPPY MEMORIAL DAY!

Tulsi Gabbard Announces Resignation From Trump Cabinet

Tulsi Gabbard is resigning as director of national intelligence, Fox News reported Friday. The outlet said Gabbard notified President Donald Trump during an Oval Office meeting and that her last day at ODNI is expected to be June 30, 2026.

Fox reported that Gabbard’s resignation letter cited her husband Abraham’s diagnosis with an extremely rare form of bone cancer.

Trump said in a Truth Social post that Aaron Lukas, principal deputy director of national intelligence, will serve as acting DNI.

: This one was a real gut punch, for a number of reasons.

First of all, we extend thoughts and prayers to Tulsi and her husband as they navigate his cancer diagnosis and treatment. That is terrible news.

Tulsi Gabbard has been the one person in the administration that I feel is most trustworthy to Drain The Swamp. I’m sure there are others—Kash Patel—but Tulsi is someone who has been as consistent as Ron Paul with her messaging throughout her career in DC. She opposed war with Iran during President Trump’s first term, which is one of the reasons she has become a target to destroy by the NeoCon/Zionist cancer in the GOP.

What makes Tulsi particularly unique is that, even serving as DNI, she maintains an active-duty status in the military. The most recent update to her resume had her leading a Civil Affairs Army Reserve unit that operated out of Fort Bragg in North Carolina under the command of the 4th Psyop Group. (That, itself, is notable for many reasons that this audience could appreciate.)

In 2017, during President Trump’s first administration, Tulsi traveled to Syria to meet with former President Assad—something that enraged the Zionist GOP and Israel lobby. Because she has long opposed wars in the Middle East (wars in general) Tulsi has always drawn the ire and hatred of the Israel lobby, which obviously controls the US government and American society, in general.

Exorcizing this parasite and its influence from American culture will be critical in the fight to save the country and restore self-governance. Tulsi represents a stalwart leader in that fight, and while nobody is accusing her of being an antisemite, the usual suspects from Mossad Media (Laura Loomer, Mark Levin) have been calling for her head for months. They are now spiking the football and adding this scalp to their collection.

With five weeks left in her role, I can only hope that Tulsi will smash all of their toys on her way out of office by declassifying the files that I believe will initiate the end of the Deep State, including the 2020 Stolen Election. (Yes, I believe Israel was behind this theft, as Netanyahu was the first leader to call Biden to congratulate him on defeating Trump, consecrating the coup.)

The Truth Community has long posited that the disclosure process must go “slow” for the sake of the Normies and their delicate sensibilities. However, after spending the past three weeks with various groups of normies [in real life] I can confidently report that Normies are much further along than we have been led to believe. In fact, I would say that they are more cognitively and emotionally prepared for disclosure than large segments of the Truth Community, which has become deeply invested in specific theories and ideas. Should those theories and ideas be challenged by actual disclosure, will the Truth Community be able to handle it? Will the Truth Community be able to reconcile that they may have been misled by bad actors for years, who co-opted the movement and led them astray?

What if the people who have been lying to us about every aspect of our reality are also lying to us about Israel, Iran, the Arabs, and the war in the Middle East? What if they are lying to us about Venezuela? Cuba? North Korea? Russia and Ukraine? China?

I hope Tulsi releases everything. If the truth can kill it, then it deserves to die.

Trump Holds Call with Muslim Leaders; Iran Peace Deal on the Table

U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio said Monday that the United States had “a pretty solid thing on the table” involving opening the straits, while President Donald Trump said he had told negotiators not to rush and that a blockade would remain until an agreement is reached, certified and signed.

Axios reported that a draft U.S.-Iran deal, according to a U.S. official, would extend a ceasefire for 60 days, reopen the Strait of Hormuz and allow Iran to sell oil freely. The outlet reported that Iran would clear mines from the strait while the U.S. would lift its blockade and issue some sanctions waivers.

Axios reported the draft memorandum includes Iranian commitments not to pursue nuclear weapons and to negotiate over uranium enrichment and highly enriched uranium stockpiles. Arab News/AFP reported Iran’s Fars news agency said oil, gas and petrochemical sanctions would be temporarily lifted during the negotiation period.

: President Trump posted this message on Truth Social on Saturday, which was reposted by the White House with this graphic.

“An Agreement has been largely negotiated, subject to finalization between the United States of America, the Islamic Republic of Iran, and the various other Countries, as listed.”

Take a look at that list of leaders and countries. That list represents the Muslim leaders of the Middle East, and the first one listed is, of course, Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman.

President Trump later posted this screencap of an X post quoting Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian, who said that they are ready to assure the world that they are not seeking nuclear weapons, and do not seek instability in the region.

This is a major break in the narrative that President Trump has long forwarded about Iran. While he has suggested in his interactions with the press that the Iranian leadership wanted to make a deal, he would typically promote the narrative that they were being defiant and unreasonable right as a deal was reportedly being struck—leading to a narrative reset and delay in announcing a ratified deal.

Many wonder why the performative dance is necessary. Why do we have to live in limbo waiting for a deal to emerge when both sides already seem to agree on the broad strokes?

I would posit that the “dance” allows all the subversive to reveal themselves; People that may otherwise be considered key supporters of Trump/MAGA and thought leaders of the movement.

Let’s start with Old Faithful: Mark “Tel Aviv” Levin.

These are sequential posts. First Levin posts a reminder that Saudi Arabia was responsible for 9/11—a blatant lie told by the criminals in the CIA—then he quotes a Jerusalem Post article about the rumored deal, calling it a “big problem.”

He then posted a clip of a podcast where the host and guest were discussing the fact that President Trump seems to be speaking to the Gulf Arab leaders every day, and wondering why more people weren’t questioning this “foreign influence” over our President and his decision making. Levin’s commentary was “Great question.” (Absolute subversion)

Look at what Lyin’ Ted Cruz posted about the rumored deal.

Let’s listen to what [Biden Envoy to Iran] Robert Malley actually said.

Just because these people worked for the Biden administration doesn’t mean they are wrong in their analysis. In fact, we have seen a lot of career liars on both sides of the aisle come out in recent months and start telling the truth, likely motivated by a variety of factors.

For those that didn’t listen to the clip: What Malley said is that even if Trump successfully negotiates a deal with Iran intended to bring peace to the entire region, Israel will likely not comply. Malley says that Israel will continue to wage war on Lebanon and other countries in the Middle East, and they will justify the action by claiming that they found new intelligence suggesting plans of aggression against Israel by those parties.

Lady Lindsey Graham was running his mouth, per usual. Among the many things he posted, he zeroed in on a report about President Trump asking the Arabs to join the Abraham Accords if he succeeded in making peace with Iran.

Here’s the reality of how that moment reportedly went down:

Crickets.

The Arabs were basically like, “LOL nah thanks homie, we good.”

Israel has made itself an international pariah, and one that cannot be trusted under any circumstances. Nobody is eager to sign an agreement that may limit their ability to exercise their sovereignty if/when Israel decides that it is their turn to suffer the IDF’s wrath.

It is not the Muslims who need to relent and submit to Israel. It is Israel that needs to relent and submit to the region. The Arabs have had every opportunity to declare war on Israel, and have refused, demonstrating their earnest desire for peace. Iran has demonstrated the military capacity to severely damage and even destroy Israel. Iran has also demonstrated in recent years a level of restraint at key moments that few expected.

Peace in the Middle East is very much possible. But only if Israel can be reigned in and kept under control. The truth is the opposite of everything we have been told for generations.

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Trump Counters Critics as Rumors of Imminent Iran Deal Ebb and Flow

President Donald Trump said Sunday that U.S.-Iran negotiations were continuing and that he had told U.S. representatives “not to rush into a deal,” according to an archived copy of his Truth Social post. Trump said the blockade would remain in effect until an agreement was reached, certified and signed, and said Iran must not develop or obtain a nuclear weapon.

In a later post Sunday, Trump defended the negotiations against critics, saying any deal he makes with Iran would be “good and proper” and that the agreement was “not even fully negotiated yet.”

Reuters reported Sunday that Axios, citing a U.S. official, said the proposed U.S.-Iran deal included a 60-day ceasefire extension, reopening the Strait of Hormuz, allowing Iran to sell oil and continuing negotiations over Iran’s nuclear program. Reuters said the White House did not immediately respond to its request for comment on the Axios report.

The Associated Press reported Sunday, citing regional officials and a U.S. official who were not publicly named, that the emerging deal would include Iran giving up its stockpile of highly enriched uranium, with details and timelines still to be worked out. AP also reported that Secretary of State Marco Rubio said “significant progress, although not final progress, has been made” and described reopening the Strait of Hormuz as an initial step before further talks on nuclear issues.

: Donald Trump continues to intimate that the end state of the Iran War, which I have been arguing from the jump is less a war and more a story ABOUT a war will result in the full-scale recognition of the following macro condition:

Iran CANNOT have a nuclear weapon.

And that end state is Bicameral by design.

If you're one of the folks who follows what you yourself acknowledge as a fifth-generation war built on the core tenets of psychological operations, disinformation and narrative warfare, and yet, you STILL take all communications about a war whose realities even the globalist media protectorate is telling you they cannot suss out at face value, then Trump's endgame would STILL codify the conditions for peace.

If, however, you understand that Trump could not only be waging a Narrative War FOR peace, and that he is doing so not against the so-called Iranian Regime, but WITH them, then the war (rather, the stories told about it) looks less like one being fought between Trump and the Iranian regime, and more so one being fought alongside them, and against the Invisible Enemy, something I projected back in 2025 on the back of Operation Midnight Hammer, and something Trump is de facto confirming by mixing in his overtures to peace with his threats of war, all while referencing Iran's eventual inclusion in the Abraham Accords, and all against the backdrop of both Trump and Iran acknowledging the DE-nuclearization of their military even as their civilian infrastructure undergoes a major RE-nuclearization assisted by Sovereign Alliance stalwarts like Russia and China.

Which, again I projected from the outset.

"Simply put, I believe Donald Trump effectively disarmed an Actual War by waging a masterful Narrative War in the midst of the enemy matrix.

How did he do this?

In resetting the Iranian Nuclear Paradigm, he deprived the Invisible Enemy of their story.

And without a story, you have no mandate, as I’ve been arguing in these digital pages since I founded this publication."

I wrote that in June 2025.

Almost a year later, in the midst of what has been the most gloriously-discombobulating series of Narrative Deployments by Trump since he first came down that golden escalator with a series of threats [to them] and promises (to us,) both of which he intends to keep, I posed the following question:

"When is a war NOT a war?"

The answer?

When the war is a story.

But then, what's the POINT of the story?

I think Trump is stretching the mass psychological timeline to its breaking point, and through a mix of energy, financial and even political attrition forcing all players on the global game board to BEG for an ending of the War that is a Story only he can codify.

One that will mark a hopefully-permanent end to engineered hostilities in the region by depriving all parties of their animating premises.

FBI is Preparing Interviews with Police Officers in Wisconsin Election Fraud Investigation

The FBI is preparing interviews with Milwaukee police officers as part of a reported investigation into the administration of the 2020 presidential election in Wisconsin, according to reporting published Thursday by Townhall citing unnamed sources and the Wisconsin-based Heartland Post. The article said as many as 30 officers could be interviewed regarding activities at Milwaukee’s Central Count facility during election-night ballot processing.

According to the report, the officers were described as potential witnesses rather than investigative targets. The article said investigators were examining whether police assigned to Central Count were instructed to avoid certain areas while election operations were underway.

The reporting referenced a 2020 incident involving former Milwaukee Election Commission Director Claire Woodall-Vogg and a flash drive containing absentee ballot tabulation data. The article said Woodall-Vogg previously stated that the drive had been left at Central Count before being retrieved and transported by police.

The article also cited a sworn affidavit attributed to Milwaukee County Election Commission employee David J. Bolter describing an announcement on November 4, 2020, regarding the arrival of additional ballots.

Milwaukee County Executive David Crowley and Milwaukee Mayor Cavalier Johnson criticized the reported federal inquiry, according to the article, calling it “an act of intimidation.” The report also referenced comments by FBI Director Kash Patel made during an April Fox News interview regarding allegations tied to the 2020 election.

: Would the administration relitigate all these incidents from the 2020 election if it was a rug?

Maybe. It’s possible the final answer on this is, “mistakes were made and we learned our lesson and made some process changes and now our gold standard is really a platinum standard.” Some days I think that’s going to be the answer, and I get a bit ragey.

Setting that aside, because I find this specific story encouraging, Claire Woodall-Vogg is an important character in the 2020 story. She’s the one that delivered “just the margin needed at 3am.”

At 4:30a, there was allegedly a ballot infusion of 138,000 “votes.”

The disclosure operations, and the reported investigations and prosecutions, aren’t helping to restore trust in elections. They’re justifying the lack of trust in elections.

That’s interesting.

The overwhelming evidence of 2020 election fraud is being dragged into the light and affirmed as “real.”

If it’s a rug, what’s the goal? The only answer that makes sense would be civil unrest and violence, maybe war, and in my view if the world, President Trump has done everything possible to avoid that outcome. I see no indication that he changed his mind.

So maybe it isn’t a rug. Maybe we’re going to have honesty and accountability for how fake elections have been… do you think?

I want to believe that. It’s my condition for real elections. And I really want real elections.

Claire Vogg and Ryan Chew need to be interrogated. Also, note that Ryan Chew is with The Elections Group. Remember a few weeks ago when we were talking about Ryan Macias of The Elections Group in 2020, down in Georgia, delivering the answer needed (sort of magically, the story is told) in the 2020 recount?

Same sources and methods and actors across states.

They’re justifying the lack of trust in elections.

What comes next?

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Trump’s Restoration of DC Goes Viral in Surprising Ways

The National Park Service says the cascading fountain and reflecting pool at Meridian Hill Park reopened to visitors on May 14, 2026, after years of work at the lower plaza. NPS said the fountain had been turned off in 2019 during rehabilitation, and that additional repairs were later needed to replace critical components and fix damaged concrete.

WJLA reported May 18 that the Interior Department released video showing water running at the Cascading Fountain in Meridian Hill Park, also known as Malcolm X Park. The station reported the landmark is a 13-basin fountain and one of the longest in North America.

The reopening follows a broader repair effort for Washington fountains. The Washington Post reported Jan. 2 that the National Park Service was spending at least $54.2 million to repair fountains and water features at seven locations in the city, including a $10.68 million project at Meridian Hill Park, according to procurement records reviewed by the newspaper.

Separately, Trump signed Executive Order 14344, “Making Federal Architecture Beautiful Again,” on Aug. 28, 2025. The order was published in the Federal Register on Sept. 3, 2025.

: It’s cool that our nation’s capital is getting a face lift. I’d be happier if the corruption and illegitimacy were getting nipped and tucked, but it’s nice that the assholes who hate America will have nice, clean parks to chill in.

It would be even cooler if the President’s effort is such a flex that mayors and governors across the nation clean their cities as well. Maybe get rid of the needles and junkies and migrant terrorists?

That should be the impact — that local leaders feel embarrassed and inspired to change as well. As though DC sets the acceptable aesthetic for the nation.

I doubt it, but I hope it happens. Denver could be such a cool city. It once was.

Happy Memorial Day!

Remember who we are and the sacrifice our liberty requires.

America 250

BONUS ITEM

Badlands Blitz Episode 18

On this episode, GhostofBasedPatrickHenry and Ashe in America discuss the commutation of Tina Peters’ sentence, as well as the coming ban on antisemitism and other speech laws.

We also hit on geopolitics and expectations for the golden age.

Please share the Brief far and wide! Want to join the conversation? Jump in the comments and let us know your thoughts. And if you like the Substack, you should check out our shows — streaming now on Badlands Media!

The opinions expressed in the Badlands Brief are those of the tagged authors and do not necessarily reflect the attitudes or positions of Badlands Media.

The Brief is free, but you can support us by becoming a paid subscriber to help our collective of citizen journalists take back the narrative.

Subscribe now

Welcome to the 18th episode of The Blitz, which is intended to serve as a weekly recap and dissection of the work we do Monday through Friday in the Badlands Brief. Apologies for the delay in getting this episode out, we had a miscommunication.

On this episode, and Ashe in America discuss the commutation of Tina Peters’ sentence, as well as the coming ban on antisemitism and other speech laws.

We also hit on geopolitics and expectations for the golden age.

You’re welcome!

As always, while all Badlands content will continue to be free, including The Blitz, the only way we’re able to pay ourselves for the time is due to those of you who choose to support it directly.

So, if you like the work this Substack team does on a daily basis and the step-up in said work for 2026, consider upgrading to a Paid Subscription to this newsletter (cancel at any time.)

Otherwise, stay Positive, stay Based and most importantly … stay Bright!

The Badlands Brief is your daily drop of Badlands’ takes on the narratives dominating the info war. Read on, and join the conversation in the comments section.

Lisa Monaco Faces DOJ Referral Over Microsoft Cybersecurity Allegations

Former Biden Deputy Attorney General and former Obama national security aide Lisa Monaco is facing a referral to the Justice Department after the American Accountability Foundation accused her of shielding Microsoft from cybersecurity enforcement actions before joining the company in 2025 as President of Global Affairs.

The referral alleges the Biden DOJ failed to pursue major action against Microsoft despite multiple cyber intrusions between 2019 and 2023 tied to Russian and Chinese hackers that reportedly compromised sensitive US government systems. The foundation noted Monaco oversaw the DOJ’s Civil Cyber-Fraud Initiative, which targeted other contractors for less serious alleged misconduct, while no comparable case was brought against Microsoft.

The complaint also points to several former Biden administration cybersecurity officials who later took jobs with Microsoft or firms connected to the company, including former DOJ official John P. Carlin and former FBI cyber official Bryan A. Vorndran.

The group asked DOJ inspectors general to investigate whether Monaco and other officials violated ethics, recusal, or revolving-door restrictions, and whether Microsoft could face liability under the False Claims Act for representations made to federal agencies about the security of its systems.

The news referral comes as former federal prosecutor Carmen Lineberger was indicted for allegedly sending herself a sealed, unreleased portion of Special Counsel Jack Smith’s report concerning the classified-documents investigation into Donald Trump. According to the indictment, Lineberger allegedly emailed the report from her DOJ account to a personal account and disguised the file under names like “Bundt_Cake_Recipe.pdf.”

: Lisa Monaco was, in my opinion, one of the central architects of the coordinated campaign against President Trump during his first administration. She is speculated to be a central player in Crossfire Hurricane, Arctic Frost, and other key RussiaGate plotlines targeting 45-47, ostensibly at the direction of Obama and his intelligence community.

But that’s not what she’s being referred for in this story. In this story, she is being accused of concealing politically damaging cybersecurity failures about Microsoft in her official government capacity – and then taking a senior position at the company in a (seemingly unlawful) quid pro quo. Monaco was only referred – not charged – and, of course, she is innocent until proven guilty.

If corruption permeates the global business landscape, and I think it does, then it only does so with the help of current and former government officials shepherding it and covering it up. There must be accountability if we want it to never happen again.

Accelerate.

Israel Saved Missiles While US Burned Through Stocks During War

The US carried much of the missile-defense burden during the Iran war, according to new reporting, expending large numbers of advanced interceptors while Israel conserved more of its own stockpile. According to The Washington Post, the Pentagon assessed that the US fired more than 200 THAAD interceptors — roughly half the American inventory — along with large numbers of SM-3 and SM-6 naval missiles.

Analysts say the conflict exposed a major vulnerability in Western missile-defense production capacity, since systems like THAAD and Patriot are expensive and slow to replace. Critics argue the war strained US readiness for other potential conflicts, especially in the Indo-Pacific, while supporters say the joint missile-defense effort prevented far greater regional escalation and civilian casualties.

Israel has denied claims it was dangerously low on interceptors, saying its operations were coordinated closely with Washington throughout the conflict.

: So, Israel held off on using their own missile supplies to defend themselves during this conflict, while the US burned through most of our missiles defending Israel?

How does this stuff even happen? Why would we bankrupt ourselves to ensure that another country prospers? Why are we talking about killing world leaders instead of making peace with them?

This is a parasitic relationship. Demanding that the US taxpayer subsidize the IDF (a foreign military) is insane. Demanding that American citizens not criticize their own government is utterly retarded, and an open assault on the Bill of Rights. Anyone who aids and abets the effort to censor and suppress these criticisms is complicit with the enemy.

The world has grown weary of the Greater Israel project. The Zionists will lash out at all of us, should we choose to stand up to them; should we choose to preserve the American Spirit.

Now is not the time to be quivering cowards, or concern ourselves with the favorite labels of identity politics. It is far more important that we are able to look ourselves in the mirror and know that we remained loyal to the mission to save this country so that one day we can leave it to our children.

We must become defiant. We must become ungovernable.

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Putin and Xi Sign ‘Multipolar World’ Declaration in Beijing

Russian President Vladimir Putin and Chinese President Xi Jinping signed a joint declaration in Beijing this week calling for a “multipolar world” and criticizing what they described as destabilizing US foreign and nuclear policies. The summit produced more than 40 agreements covering trade, technology, energy, media cooperation, and strategic coordination between the two countries.

The declaration framed Russia and China as defenders of a new international order less dominated by the United States and Western alliances. Both leaders condemned “hegemonism” and warned against a return to “the law of the jungle” in global affairs. They also criticized US missile defense initiatives — including President Trump’s proposed “Golden Dome” system — and objected to the expiration of key nuclear arms limitations between Washington and Moscow.

The meeting highlighted how closely Beijing and Moscow continue to align strategically despite China also pursuing stable relations with Washington. The summit came just days after Trump’s own visit to Beijing, underscoring Xi’s effort to position China as a central balancing power between major blocs.

At the same time, the summit exposed limits in the partnership. Putin reportedly failed to secure final Chinese approval for the long-discussed Power of Siberia 2 gas pipeline, a project Moscow sees as critical for redirecting energy exports away from Europe. Pricing and long-term dependency concerns reportedly remain unresolved.

: “This is the Nationalist Realignment. It is the exact formation of the Multipolar World that stands as the Sovereign Alliance’s mission statement.”

I wrote that on May 3, five months after ending my 2025 run of analysis with a feature titled, ‘A Multipolar War.’

The core thesis?

That the core animating engine of the theorized Sovereign Alliance between Donald Trump’s America, Xi Jinping’s China and Vladimir Putin’s Russia was to wage a faux, escalating series of narrative and fifth-generation wars with one another, while leveraging their actual vectors of power projection (from the kinetic and political to the financial and logistical) against the Global Cartel that has become of the Western World.

A Western World that WAS, until Trump and his Devolution Operation came along ultimately backstopped by the checkmate power projection capabilities of the US War Machine.

On May 12, I wrote the following ...

“This Multipolar Realignment doesn’t happen all at once, despite my sometimes-framing to the contrary.

Rather, the RECOGNITION of said realignment does.

But the choice to see it forming in advance is before you, now.

And it’s getting easier with each passing day, and deployment, which are usually not coming from us.

The Polycrisis (from Ukraine and Venezuela to Iran and Taiwan) now functions as the very macro mechanism granting narrative shielding for the pillars to align and lock in for the next stage as the Multipolar Mesh continues to be woven, thread by sovereign thread in increasingly public view.

The rot of the Globalist System is no longer hidden behind institutional facades; it is being aired out for all to see. And the old power structures can only watch in mounting fear and disbelief as the age of abstraction yields to the age of emergent multipolarity and unfiltered reality.

The Sovereign Alliance has never required the machine’s permission to exist.

It has only ever required the recognition, by those who hold actual power that the old templates no longer serve the interests of sovereign peoples or the futures they are now being granted the ability to build unencumbered.

Rather, that they never have.

We were told we were going to be shown a new world.

We were never told it was going to be Trump alone who showed it to us.”

The title of that feature?

‘The Multipolar World.’

Then, just 12 days later, on May 20, two core pillars of said Sovereign Alliance, Putin and Xi issued the following declaration following their own meeting in Beijing, which directly followed on the heels of Trump’s visit to the same city as part of the same increasingly-disclosed alliance.

‘Putin and Xi Sign Multipolar World Declaration in Beijing.’

That wasn’t a headline manufactured by the Globalist Media apparatus.

That was a headline chosen directly by the Kremlin in their official readout of the meeting.

The Multipolar World is coming. Which means the Sovereign Alliance is real.

And I LOVE to say, ‘I told ya so.’

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Vance Urges UK Patriots to Defend Culture Amidst Mass Migration While UK Towns Form ‘Vigilante’ Security Teams to Protect Women and Children From Migrants

Vice President JD Vance publicly backed British anti-immigration activists this week after the “Unite the Kingdom” rally in London, saying it was “OK to defend your culture” and encouraging opponents of mass migration in the UK to “keep on going.” Vance argued that Western governments have relied on “millions and millions of unvetted people” and framed tighter border controls as both an economic and cultural issue.

The rally itself was organized by British activist Tommy Robinson and drew tens of thousands of demonstrators according to police estimates. UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer condemned the event as promoting “hatred and division,” while police reported dozens of arrests, including several tied to alleged hate-crime offenses.

The second part of the claim — that UK towns are forming “vigilante” security groups to protect women and children from migrants — appears tied to reports about anti-migrant activist networks and local protest groups that have emerged amid tensions over asylum housing and Channel crossings. Reporting and watchdog documentation describe some activist groups organizing patrols, monitoring migrant activity, or attempting to disrupt migrant boat crossings in northern France.

: The people of England and France have, according to reports, decided to reclaim their homelands. And globalists and their media propagandists only use the term “vigilante” when they’re engaging in a comprehensive character assassination. It fits here.

The way I read the facts (without the framing),is that British and French citizens formed neighborhood patrols for community safety, and they’re now being labeled as “anti-migrant” and vigilantes.

This isn’t organic or reactive.

It’s storytelling.

The problem statement (and its proposed solutions) in this story are the work product of the “Great Migration,” a transformational change program pushed by the World Economic Forum and their partners over the past two decades.

Opposing it isn’t bigotry.

It’s just good sense.

Godspeed euro-vigilantes. Godspeed.

Colombia’s Petro Likens Israel’s Ben-Gvir to ‘True Nazi’ Over Abuse

Colombian President Gustavo Petro accused Israeli National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir of acting “like a true Nazi” after Ben-Gvir posted video of detained Gaza flotilla activists, including Colombians, kneeling and handcuffed after Israel intercepted the Global Sumud Flotilla.

The convoy reportedly carried about 430 international volunteers trying to reach Gaza with humanitarian aid. Netanyahu defended the interception but distanced himself from Ben-Gvir’s treatment of the detainees and ordered deportations expedited.

:

What’s crazy about that video is that [Israeli National Security Minister] Itamar Ben-Gvir posted it, himself. He is proud of it.

I’m not sure who the detainees are in the video. Are they Gazan prisoners? Crew members from one of Greta’s flotillas? Hamas fighters?

It doesn’t really matter.

The hubris on display by Ben-Gvir is an increasingly common pattern seen among Israeli leaders.

A video of Israeli Parliament Member Yitzhak Kroizer speaking at the Knesset has been published online. In it, Kroizer explicitly says that there are no innocent people in Palestine, and that killing all the women and children there is a fair price to pay to ensure Israel’s security.

It’s very concerning that our government has become so deeply involved with these monsters; That Israel has such extreme influence over our politicians and our foreign policy objectives. The fact that so-called “Christians” run cover for this depravity and excuse it is beyond despicable. The fact that these military campaigns are being ostensibly conducted in the name of Jesus is unforgivable.

And the world is losing its patience with these ethnic supremacists.

The world isn’t turning on Israel because it hates Jews. The world is turning on Israel because the country is run by blood-thirsty lunatics who openly call for the mass slaughter of women and children while claiming eternal victimhood for themselves, and then demands censorship of those who dare criticize their behavior, or even question it.

And, sadly, it would appear that they have the means to implement these “hate speech” codes in America by leveraging American lawmakers at all levels of government. It would also appear that they have no intention of slowing down.

I have no doubt that by writing all of this I am putting myself in a position where it will later be used against me in some way. That I will be held accountable somehow for saying true things about these aspiring tyrants.

I simply don’t care anymore.

At some point, all of you will have to decide for yourself whether you find this behavior acceptable. Or whether being labeled things like “antisemite” is enough incentive to keep your head down and your mouth shut.

Colombian President Gustavo Petro has shown a tremendous amount of courage in the public statements he has made in recent years on Israel this whole dynamic around it. He has purportedly survived at least one attempt on his life.

Do We The People have the courage, strength, and conviction to stand up to this depravity?

BONUS ITEM

FBI Reviewing Flash Drive Incident, Election Procedures in Milwaukee 2020 Probe

The FBI is preparing to interview multiple Milwaukee Police Department officers as part of its investigation into Wisconsin’s 2020 election, according to sources cited by the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel.

The interviews, which could begin as soon as next week, are expected to focus on officers stationed at Milwaukee’s central count facility and polling places on Election Night. Investigators are reportedly examining an incident involving former Milwaukee Election Commission Executive Director Claire Woodall, who briefly left a flash drive inside a voting machine.

Federal agents have also spoken with Wisconsin Elections Commission Deputy Administrator Robert Kehoe, attempted to question a top Milwaukee County election official at her home, and contacted at least two individuals involved in administering Milwaukee’s 2020 election.

Milwaukee’s 2020 ballots still exist despite standard retention timelines, partly due to ongoing litigation brought by a New London man who sued state and local election officials over issues tied to the 2020 election.

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Soros-Linked Network Backs Texas Data Center Opposition

A report says activist groups connected to the broader funding network associated with George Soros are supporting campaigns opposing major AI and data-center expansion projects in Texas.

Indivisible chapters and allied organizations are involved in local resistance efforts centered on energy use, water consumption, land acquisition and grid strain.

Critics argue the campaigns could slow Texas’ push to become a national AI infrastructure hub, while organizers say the efforts are focused on community and environmental concerns.

: In our Badlands back channel chat, described US-based data centers as “golden age infrastructure.”

I think he’s correct, and I have mixed feelings about it. I’m an early adopter of technology, but also a bit of a Luddite, and I cannot ignore the ethical implications of a centrally planned transformation. That’s how atrocities happen, and — because history repeatedly proves that — I literally don’t have it in me to ignore ethics for the promise of progress.

But these emerging tech tools are a miracle in themselves. They have the power to break humanity’s chains. They have an opportunity to build the golden age, and to enable Americans to define and seize new destinies.

Therefore, like everything else, it comes down to us. What kind of future are we building? What are the lines? What are the decision rights? What actually is the golden age?

Also, Indivisible being opposed makes me want to support. But that could be the whole point of the op, so withholding belief, as suggests, is critical when we’re told if and how we can or cannot make change.

“What truly matters is not which party controls our government, but whether our government is controlled by the people.”

US Indicts Former Cuban President Raul Castro

The United States on Wednesday unsealed a federal indictment charging former Cuban President Raúl Castro with murder and conspiracy in connection with the 1996 shootdown of two civilian aircraft that killed four people.

The charges, filed in Miami, accuse Castro and other Cuban officials of authorizing the attack on planes operated by the exile group Brothers to the Rescue. Prosecutors allege Castro authorized Cuban military forces to use “decisive and deadly action” against the planes, which international investigators later concluded were flying outside Cuban airspace when they were shot down. Cuba continues to deny wrongdoing and insists the aircraft violated its airspace.

The move dramatically intensifies the Trump administration’s pressure campaign against Havana and reopens one of the most controversial incidents in modern US-Cuba relations.

: Just like with the Zionists, President Trump appears to now be courting the other exceptionally large and influential bloc in the GOP: The Hispanic NeoCons.

This contingent is comprised of many immigrants and children of immigrants, who purportedly fled from places like Cuba and view the Castro family as the embodiment of evil. They have long sought conflict with Cuba, hoping to see the Castros brought down.

As the article explains, Cuba does not extradite its citizens, and it’s highly doubtful that US Special Forces will risk another extraction operation to capture a 94 year old man. So the likelihood that Raul Castro actually sees in the inside of a courtroom is near zero percent chance. But the act of indicting him has curried favor with the NeoCons. Surely, Trump has bought himself time.

The grandson, Raulito, is in constant contact with the Trump administration, and all indications point toward Raulito being installed as Trump’s preferred leader in Cuba. Should it happen, this move will be the rugpull against the NeoCons, who will become apoplectic when they see another Castro taking power in Cuba.

Because Trump has already demonstrated aggression with the Maduro operation, as well as Iran, the NeoCons will entrust him to deal with Cuba. But it seems likely that they will not be happy with the ultimate outcome, based on what has already transpired and what appears to be coming down the line.

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The Sovereign Alliance Takes Aim at Legacy Globalist Institutions as the Machine Panics

The Trump administration is preparing to reduce the pool of US military forces committed to NATO’s crisis-response framework, signaling a continued shift toward forcing European allies to assume greater responsibility for continental defense.

Under the NATO Force Model, member states designate troops and capabilities available during major conflicts or emergencies, but Reuters reports the Pentagon plans to significantly scale back the American contribution.

The move comes amid mounting friction between Washington and European capitals over defense spending, Ukraine, Iran and broader strategic priorities.

NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte said any US force reductions would be “gradual and structured,” while European allies pressed Washington for clearer communication after reports of delayed deployments to Poland and reductions in Germany.

: Those who spent years pretending only two of the three pillars of the Sovereign Alliance were truly coordinating with one another are now staring at the evidence of all three moving in concert — and the system shock is palpable.

What truly terrifies the machine is not what these leaders have already done. It is what they plan to do next.

Thus, we are watching the closing of systemic ranks around the very targets the Sovereign Alliance has in its sights: the ideological and governmental poison of globalism itself.

And two institutions emblematic of that toxic ideology that informs the global superstructure now sit squarely in the Alliance’s crosshairs — the NATO bloc and the illegitimate International Criminal Court.

On the ICC, the protectorate’s fear is especially acute.

Putin has long been its favored target, and Xi has already moved to shield him from that collectivist overreach.

Now, however, the protectorate senses Trump is prepared to lend decisive weight to dismantling whatever remains of the court’s tattered legitimacy.

The old order’s enforcers are scrambling because they understand the precedent this would set: once the court’s selective ‘justice’ is exposed as the political weapon it always was, the entire architecture of globalist lawfare begins to crumble, further reducing whatever faux mandate they have left to enforce a rule set that was always based on projection rather than reality.

Yet, the more immediate and obvious threat to the system lies in the rendering of NATO obsolete.

The Trump administration has made clear it will shrink the pool of U.S. military capabilities available to the alliance during crises — a formal shift coming on the back of a decade of Trumpian posturing that will force Europe to shoulder the burden of its own security (and Hegemony) it has dodged for decades.

When the American military backbone is no longer guaranteed, the so-called alliance’s pretensions collapse, because it was never a true defensive pact among equals, but rather a mechanism of dependency.

That dependency is being severed, and the machine knows it.

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Netanyahu’s “Hair Was on Fire” When Briefed By Trump on Peace Proposal

Barak Ravid reports Trump and Netanyahu had a tense call over a new Iran peace proposal. A US source briefed on the call said Netanyahu’s “hair was on fire” afterward.

The proposal was reportedly drafted by Qatar and Pakistan, with input from Saudi Arabia, Turkey and Egypt. It would require Iran to make clearer nuclear commitments, while the US would gradually unfreeze Iranian funds.

Netanyahu is strongly opposed and may seek a Washington meeting with Trump to press his case. Trump has not ruled out renewed strikes but is still weighing diplomacy.

: It’s happening.

Trump is making peace with Iran, bringing to a close a nearly fifty year conflict that the GOP has used to foment fear, raise money, and stump on the campaign trail. No longer will they be able to grift off of the Iran threat.

This has been nothing short of a gambit for President Trump. He has endured tremendous backlash and suffered extensive harm to his reputation in order to sell the ruse that he is somehow controlled—or at least heavily influenced—by the Zionist regime.

The only way to convince the Israelis of this dynamic was to convince the world. No half measures. He had to become the part, like Heath Ledger playing The Joker.

The point of all of this, in my opinion, is to lead the Israelis along, allowing them to believe that Trump is just one convincing conversation away from warring with Iran. That promise—that hope—kept the Israelis engaged, walking the fine line Trump laid before them, trying to remain in Trump’s good graces while constantly pushing the envelope and testing the boundaries of Trump’s patience.

As long as the Israelis believed that President Trump was on their side, and willing to wage their war, they would be willing to exercise restraint and patience as they endeavored to expand the borders of Israel and build their empire.

Through this ruse, President Trump has been able to control the timetables, slowing the Israelis’ conquest to a relative crawl while hyper-accelerating the narratives surrounding the military operations.

Truth be told, despite spending nearly three years at war with their neighbors, and all the rhetoric regarding ambitions to establish Greater Israel, the Israelis don’t have nearly as much to show for their efforts as they should. They could easily be much further along in their conquests of Lebanon, Syria, and the West Bank, had they focused on one at a time. But while fighting in Gaza, the opportunity to embark on the Syria campaign presented itself. When it finally looked like the Israelis were making progress in Syria, Trump launched the war with Iran, which also prompted the Israelis to re-open the front in Lebanon, knowing that Hezbollah would not idly stand by while Israel attacked Iran.

The IDF has been spread thin, assuring that no single campaign would possess the necessary resources or personnel to achieve extraordinary success. Just enough to keep the conflict active and the boots on the ground.

Trump has successfully slowed the conflicts down with constant narrative disruption. First it was the promise of a Gaza Riviera. Then it was a promise of a war with Iran. When the Israelis took the initiative and started that war, Trump stepped in and ostensibly blew up Iran’s nuclear program. That pause allowed Iran to prepare for the next phase of the conflict when they activated a constitutional Continuity of Government plan in August 2025.

A month later, Trump announced the Gaza Peace Deal with all the pomp and circumstance. Then in December, he crashed the Iranian currency (the Rial) and appeared to be launching a color revolution in Tehran, only to redirect attention to Venezuela with the capture of Maduro. By the time the attention was reset on Iran, the color revolution had been thwarted. When Trump launched the war against Iran in late February, he forced the IDF to mobilize all of their available reserves to Lebanon, as well as two covert base in Iraq. We’ve also learned that they went to the UAE to protect their interests in Abu Dhabi and Dubai.

Now the IDF is facing imminent collapse due to manpower shortages. Years of war have exhausted Israel’s resources and morale, and this issue of bucking tradition and conscripting Ultra-Orthodox young men into service has the potential to tear the country apart.

But President Trump’s true masterstroke came yesterday when he told the press that Bibi Netanyahu would do whatever he said.

Being an election year, the knives are out for Bibi. All of his political opponents have been criticizing him for failing in his military campaigns to achieve tangible results, and questioning whether Netanyahu was subordinate to DC. Why did he need to wait for President Trump’s permission to continue waging war against Iran?

The short answer, of course, is that Netanyahu wants American blood and treasure waging the wars in the Middle East. Trump has long postured that this possibility may exist, but he has made Netanyahu dance for his dinner, making countless trips to DC to visit, yet now having very little to show for it.

Bibi will now be forced to prove to his peers that he is not controlled by President Trump and can wage the necessary wars to achieve Greater Israel. The IDF has become increasingly more aggressive in the past few months in Lebanon and Syria, as Trump has decelerated his ostensible war with Iran.

As Trump is slowing down, Bibi is ramping up. And he cannot afford to stop. He must press forward if he has any hope of maintain the public mandate to remain Prime Minister. The moment he loses that mandate, he loses his office. Once he has lost the office, he will be forced back into court to finally face the criminal indictments against him.

Netanyahu’s only option is to restart the war with Iran, regardless of what President Trump does next.

META Axes 8,000 Jobs as AI-Induced White Collar Purge Accelerates

Meta began cutting ~8,000 jobs Wednesday as Mark Zuckerberg accelerates the company’s shift toward artificial intelligence.

The layoffs, equal to roughly 10% of Meta’s workforce, come alongside the reassignment of about 7,000 employees into AI-focused roles and the closure of thousands of open positions.

Reuters reported the changes affect about 20% of Meta’s workforce when layoffs and reassignments are combined.

Zuckerberg told staff he does not expect more company-wide layoffs this year, but the move signals that Big Tech’s AI spending boom is increasingly being paid for through white-collar workforce reductions.

: In 2015, the globalists were talking about the coming “Megatrends.” I wrote about this before, though I was focused on the “pandemic preparedness” lane — a coming pandemic that disrupts global business was one of their Megatrends.

Some of the other Megatrends focused on disruption to the talent markets, and white collar globalists wrote tomes about the impact of AI and machine learning on the various talent markets, and how AI was going to displace significant portions of the workplace across industry sectors.

They were right. But apparently they had a blind spot for the impacts to themselves…

Accelerate.

BONUS ITEM

Former DOJ Prosecutor Charged With Emailing Jack Smith Report to Personal Accounts

A former Justice Department prosecutor has been charged with sending herself copies of an unreleased volume of special counsel Jack Smith’s report tied to the classified documents investigation involving President Trump.

Carmen Lineberger pleaded not guilty Wednesday in federal court in West Palm Beach, Florida, to charges including obstruction of justice, concealing government records, and theft of government property. Prosecutors allege Lineberger, who previously served as managing assistant US attorney in Fort Pierce, forwarded the restricted report and other internal DOJ communications from a government email account to personal Hotmail and Gmail accounts.

The unreleased report volume concerns Smith’s investigation into classified documents kept at President Trump’s Mar-a-Lago residence. US District Judge Aileen Cannon previously blocked the report’s public release.

According to the indictment, Lineberger allegedly attempted to hide the files by renaming documents “Chocolate_Cake_Recipe.pdf” and “Bundt_Cake_Recipe.pdf” before transferring them. Prosecutors have not disclosed what additional DOJ materials may have been included in the emails.

If convicted on all counts, Lineberger faces a maximum sentence of 25 years in prison. The case is being prosecuted by the Northern District of Florida due to potential conflicts involving the Southern District of Florida office where Lineberger previously worked.

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Massie Gets Wrecked on Primary Tuesday

Rep. Thomas Massie lost his Republican primary Tuesday to Trump-backed challenger Ed Gallrein, marking another victory for President Donald Trump in ousting GOP critics.

Gallrein, a former Navy SEAL, defeated the longtime incumbent in Kentucky’s 4th Congressional District after Trump personally endorsed him, campaigned in the state, and repeatedly attacked Massie on social media as “a bad guy,” “an obstructionist and a fool.”

The race became the most expensive U.S. House primary in history.

Gallrein ran on loyalty to Trump and his military background, while Massie positioned himself as an independent “America First” voice who had opposed some Trump priorities, including certain foreign aid votes and tax legislation.

Trump’s influence extended beyond the House race; in the same primary, his endorsed candidate Rep. Andy Barr won the GOP nomination for the open U.S. Senate seat.

Gallrein is heavily favored to win the general election in the deeply Republican district against Democrat Melissa Strange.

In his concession speech, Massie told supporters chanting “no more wars” and “America First” that lawmakers must follow the Constitution over party loyalty and hinted at a possible 2028 presidential run.

Gallrein’s victory speech began with thanks to Trump, underscoring the president’s tightening grip on the Republican Party.

: Oh, the libertarian rage on the internet was pronounced Tuesday evening when Thomas Massie lost his primary.

The ground is moving under alt-normie feet, and one of my local content creator friends said he was “overdosing on black pills” in response to the news.

On the other side of MassieGate nothing could stop what is coming except Thomas Massie, so thankfully, what is coming has not been stopped.

I am curious if this operation is going to continue, but now center more definitively on Lauren Boebert here in my district. Our primary is June 30.

Can Boebert stop what is coming?

In happier news, Brad Reffensberger is out of the gubernatorial race down in Georgia. That’s probably good for him so he can focus his time and resources on his ostensibly upcoming criminal defense.

Also, elections are still fake.

Sovereign Alliance Posturing Paves the Way for Era of American Acceleration

In the midst of Vladimir Putin traveling to Beijing for a meeting with Xi Jinping directly on the heels of Trump doing the same, the Center for European Policy argues that the Putin-Xi relationship has evolved far beyond a tactical “marriage of convenience” and into a mature alliance rooted in a “shared consciousness.”

Since 2012, the two leaders have met nearly 50 times—more than any other world leader has met Xi—culminating in their February 2022 “no limits” friendship declaration just days before Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine.

Beijing has since sustained Moscow’s war effort with dual-use exports, coordinated information operations, and economic lifelines, while both powers back Iran and pursue a vision that privileges state power over individual liberty and seeks to reorder the international system against the West.

CEPA and other globalist think tanks are urging the Trump administration to abandon hopes of splitting the pair and instead strengthen democratic alliances to counter this “meta threat.”

Simultaneously, U.S. manufacturers are answering the call for a WWII-style production surge, as Ford Motor Company announced it is exploring how its commercial vehicles—such as F-Series and Ranger trucks and Pro Power Onboard technology—could quickly and cost-effectively supply North American and European militaries with mobility, transport, and field-power solutions.

The company explicitly invoked its World War II record of producing hundreds of thousands of aircraft, trucks, and engines.

Ford’s move aligns with broader Trump administration talks with automakers (including GM and Oshkosh) to convert idle civilian capacity into defense output, a shift Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth has described as placing the industrial base on a “wartime footing” amid stockpiles depleted by conflicts across Eurasia.

Together, the two developments illustrate a coherent Western response to an emergent power bloc.

: The convergence of Russia and China in the central narrative is granting Donald Trump the mandate he needs for a new era of American Acceleration.

While the Media Industrial Complex spins the Trump-Xi Beijing summit—followed immediately by Putin’s mirrored visit—as either a dramatic new chapter in a new great-power rivalry or a desperate bid to paper over fractures, the emergent pattern I've been projecting for years reveals something far more seismic—something that's more translation and actuation than preparation.

Under this framework, the seeming escalation between Trump, Putin and Xi is not the real story, but rather the ultimate cover story—the perfect translation layer—for the very push into the decentralized, sovereign and abundant future all three envision for their respective peoples.

This Actual-Narrative fusion is now unfolding in real time.

Additionally, Ford is now speaking openly of WWII-style mobilization efforts under the guise of a sudden need for rapid deployment and logistics transformation, as the same Detroit that was once known as the 'Arsenal of Democracy' is being revived, not for abstract globalist adventures, but for sovereign power projection along kinetic, technological and energetic axes.

While this should have always been the case, and the de facto standard operating procedure of a supposed free market powerhouse, only the Multipolar War Donald Trump, Xi Jinping and Vladimir Putin are pretending to wage against each other, but which all three are actually waging against the Hegemon has made the necessity of the transition (which is really a renaissance) undeniable.

In other words, the capacity was always there, but the story was inverted to prevent its actuation, and the new narrative is bending us back toward a world of strategic competition and the resultant growth that comes on the back of it.

This is the Multipolar War in its purest form: not merely the tearing down of the old Rules-Based International Order, but the rapid acceleration out of it and into a new paradigm of cooperative competition forged on explicitly nationalist grounds.

The Sovereign Alliance—Trump, Putin and Xi—has inverted the script.

What currently looks like escalatory posturing between a 'New Axis' or even the very 'New World Order' framing I predicted the System would apply to it 12 days before they did and the fading Hegemon is the precise mechanism cultivating the mass public mandate required for the pivot.

The more dramatic the headlines, the more permission the populations of all three nations grant their leaders to reorient industry, capital and technology toward sovereign ends.

Protectionism and pragmatism are merely the national-level disguises.

Beneath them runs a single current: strategic nationalist competition that rewards only those entities most useful to the host nation’s, and thus, the host people's power and prosperity.

And in this very process, the European Collectorate is being summarily exposed as feckless and weightless—left behind in the rearview mirror of a new history that will look a lot like the one they stole from us.

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Senators Unveil Sweeping Antisemitism Bill

Sens. James Lankford (R-Okla.) and Jacky Rosen (D-Nev.) unveiled a sweeping bipartisan bill Tuesday aimed at combating rising antisemitism through new federal requirements in education, online platforms, and community security funding.

The legislation would require the Department of Education to appoint an antisemitism coordinator and impose new regulations on colleges receiving federal funding, including mandatory non-discrimination policies and grievance processes. It also boosts nonprofit security grants to $1 billion for Jewish communities and creates a dedicated grant program for places of worship. Additionally, the bill mandates that online platforms disclose how they moderate and respond to antisemitic content.

The measure has been more than a year in development and is backed by groups including the ADL and American Jewish Committee.

A House companion bill is expected soon, with sponsors hoping to advance the package through vehicles such as the annual defense authorization bill.

Rosen, who co-chairs the Senate’s bipartisan antisemitism task force with Lankford, called the effort a coordinated federal response to protect Jewish communities.

: I've been saying that this day would come for the past three years.

This bill represents the Trojan Horse that will dismantle the First Amendment, which will lead to the destruction of the Bill of Rights, which will formally end the American Experiment launched by the Founding Fathers.

This is a bipartisan bill, which will receive wide support across both houses of Congress. It may very well be the most widely supported bipartisan bill since the Patriot Act.

And that is how you know that Israel controls our Congress.

If you think that the super-based-and-redpilled Republicans will come to save you: think again.

Tim Burchett was just on the Daily Herold yesterday, and told Jon that he thinks the claims that Israel disproportionately influences Congress is exaggerated—even after Jon raised concern over this bill and what it means for the First Amendment.

Simply put: nobody is coming to save you. Nobody from the Republican Party, anyway. And the "defeat" of Thomas Massie yesterday in his primary will only further persuade reluctant Republicans to get on board with the Israel agenda or prepare to be ousted from Congress. Because if Thomas Massie can't beat the Israel lobby in a fake election, nobody can.

This is the part where we have to get loud, and ridicule these treasonous sociopaths for attempting to dismantle the Bill of Rights.

We must become defiant. We must become undomesticated.

We must become ungovernable.

US Pauses Participation in Long-Standing Defense Board With Canada

The United States has suspended its participation in the Permanent Joint Board on Defense (PJBD), a long-standing bilateral military consultation body with Canada established in 1940.

Elbridge Colby, Under Secretary of Defense for Policy announced via social media that the Department of Defense (sometimes referred to as the Department of War in reports) is pausing involvement in the PJBD “to reassess how this forum benefits shared North American defense.”

The board had served as the primary forum for U.S.-Canada military and security cooperation for decades.

Colby cited Canada’s failure to make “credible progress on its defense commitments” as a key factor.

The decision comes amid tensions over Canadian defense spending and remarks by Prime Minister Mark Carney, including his World Economic Forum address declaring the U.S.-led global order over.

Canada recently met NATO’s 2% of GDP defense target with $63 billion in investments for ships, F-35s, submarines, and Arctic infrastructure, and has pledged to reach 3.5% by 2035, but U.S. officials view this as insufficient.

Analysts describe the pause as largely symbolic and political; core operational cooperation, including NORAD modernization, intelligence sharing, and border security, is expected to continue unaffected.

: “It's unclear why Colby made the announcement on Monday, given that Carney's Davos speech was months ago.”

I’m willing to bet that, months ago, it wasn’t time to pause the Permanent Joint Board. Or maybe they were negotiating in those months, and Canada refused to make a deal.

I don’t know, but this is the right posture:

“Only by investing in our own defense capabilities will Americans and Canadians be safe, secure, and prosperous."

America First!

Canada represents the global regime on our northern border. Canada swears allegiance to the British crown, and they have its king on their money.

Until the invisible enemy is defeated, a more hostile posture towards Canada should not only be warranted.

It should be welcomed.

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Israeli Think Tank Says Trump Is Providing Iran Incentive to Resist Us Demands

An Israeli think tank analyst argues that Iran now has greater incentive to resist U.S. demands and avoid major concessions, even if hostilities resume, following President Trump’s decision to pause planned renewed airstrikes.

Raz Zimmt, director of the Iran and Shiite Axis program at Tel Aviv University’s Institute for National Security Studies (INSS), said Tehran drew two key conclusions from Trump’s move, which came at the request of Gulf allies hoping to revive talks.

First, the pause proves the U.S. and its partners fear the economic and political fallout of renewed war more than Iran does.

Second, Trump’s statements are unreliable, so Iran should not capitulate on core issues such as its nuclear enrichment infrastructure and should instead demand upfront guarantees: a full end to the conflict, sanctions relief or unfrozen assets, and arrangements recognizing Iranian control of the Strait of Hormuz.

The analysis comes amid stalled U.S.-Iran negotiations over Iran’s nuclear program, with both sides holding firm on initial positions.

: The important takeaway is that the Israel lobby/regime is losing patience with President Trump.

Trump has brilliantly locked us into a perpetual holding pattern that allows neither peace nor war to break out. Even discerning members of the media are beginning to notice his methodology.

The statis has frozen the conflict, in a sense, but has not frozen the public discourse. With time being of the essence, the Israeli diaspora seems to understand that it is quickly losing ground in the court of public opinion with each passing day.

When pro-Israel pundits speak on the matter, most often attempting to win over the public, it only seems to make things worse. That is because their go-to tactics are fearmongering, condescension, and claiming eternal victimhood. These are all tactics that have soured in the collective zeitgeist, because they are the precise tactics that were used, ad nauseum, by the Left before/during/after the first Trump administration.

The NeoCons have long used radical Islamic terrorism as a tool to promote fear and loathing against the Muslim world; the pretentious pseudo-intellectuals that make up the majority of academia have redefined the term ‘insufferable’ in their incessant attempts to shame the public into accepting their contrived philosophies of cultural marxism; And the perverts and degenerates of the Woke movement have ruined the concept of victimhood by weaponizing it in such a manner that the vast ocean of sympathy they spent generations building is now a dried-out lake bed.

Nobody is falling for this crap anymore, and the natural resistance fomenting in the zeitgeist is provoking an authoritarian response from the institutions of power—which is only further fomenting a deeper and more zealous resistance.

This conflict is innate in human nature, and therefore a necessary process for our culture to endure in order to break out of this psychological prison. It is a process that will not happen overnight, and yet it is constantly accelerating at an increasingly exponential rate.

That cognitive acceleration of the collective mind is provoking the Zionist collective in an anxious fit of rage. As it sees its own demise approaching, it seeks to aggressively intervene, and yet, the act of intervention only accelerates the shifting of the Overton Window.

It is a dynamic that is now provoking anger in the Zionist leadership, as they grow increasingly frustrated with their inability to prevent what they seem to see as inevitable. All they have to do is stop, and allow tensions to subside, and yet they cannot stop.

We see this manifest most recently from Israeli Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich.

Yesterday, Smotrich released a recorded statement where he accused the UN International Criminal Court of seeking an arrest warrant against him and other members of the Netanyahu regime. He stated that such acts are declarations of war, and Israel will respond appropriately, explicitly declaring war on the Palestinian Authority—with new actions to be taken—and effectively declaring war on the UN, which equates to declaring war on the entire world.

This is the raving of a lunatic. It is the behavior of a wild animal that has been backed into the corner and is now fighting for its life.

Instead of diplomacy and discussion, Smotrich and his ilk seek aggressive conflict through violence and hostility. He is setting Israel up to continue such conflicts, regardless of what the United States does next.

And it appears that President Trump intends to make peace with Iran.

BONUS ITEM

NY Governor Signs Bill to Preserve State Power Over Vaccine Mandates

New York Governor Kathy Hochul signed two bills into law on Friday, May 15 aimed at protecting state-level vaccine access and requirements amid federal policy shifts.

The legislation includes one measure that expands pharmacist authority to administer COVID-19 vaccines to children ages 2 to 18.

The second bill requires health insurers to cover all vaccines recommended by the New York State Commissioner of Health, decoupling state policy from federal Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices (ACIP) guidelines, which had recently reduced routine recommendations from 17 to 11 diseases.

The bills also preserve state authority over school immunization schedules, newborn vaccination protocols, and related requirements.

Hochul and state health officials framed the action as safeguarding public health tools against federal changes under the Trump administration, ensuring New Yorkers retain broad access to immunizations.

The moves follow earlier executive orders expanding vaccine administration and come as some critics argue the laws represent overreach or resistance to national policy adjustments.

Core cooperation on other public health issues continues, but the new laws prioritize state control over vaccine recommendations and coverage.

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“A Ton of Evidence That The Election Was Rigged,” AG Todd Blanche

“There’s a ton of evidence that the election was rigged,” says Acting AG Todd Blanche on 2020. “We have multiple investigations going on in Arizona, in Fulton County Georgia, and that’s exactly what we’re looking at.”

: “Well, there’s a ton of evidence that the election was rigged. That’s not something the DOJ needs to tell you about. There’s been evidence about that for many, many years.”

Well, that’s certainly encouraging. Blanche confirms that there are multiple investigations in Arizona and Georgia.

“...by the way, this is very difficult, because they’re very good. They’re very good at hiding up misconduct and hiding what they’re doing. And so that’s why we’re very focused on finding out whether the right people voted, whether people who were supposed to vote voted, whether there was one vote cast per voter. And that’s what we’re doing in multiple states.”

That bit gives me pause, because it sounds like they’re focusing on voter fraud, not election fraud. But I only pause for a minute because, in Georgia and Arizona, those two domains (individual bad actors vs. the systemic design) are inextricably connected.

And Blanche is right. We have had this information for years. But this is moving quickly. There is so much evidence, and building the cases would take years if the record wasn’t as thick as it is.

“And I expect — and, again, people — you will say to me, how long is it taking? Why is it taking so long? And the reality of the answer to that is because it takes a lot of work to uncover what happened in 2020. It takes a lot of old, good old-fashioned law enforcement, police work, which is what we’re doing. And we have great prosecutors working on it as well. “

This sounds like a justice phase… but then he hedges:

“And I expect that — and I assure you, I assure the American people that as soon as we have something to say for it, whether it’s charges, whether it’s a report, whether it’s the results of an investigation, the American people will learn about what we uncovered.”

A report from an investigation without charges would be quite the rugpull.

But I can’t imagine it.

Tune into Why We Vote Tonight at 9pET, where @canncon and I will discuss what we think is coming next.

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Venezuela Deports Maduro Ally Alex Saab to US Years After Biden Pardon

Venezuela’s government deported longtime Nicolás Maduro ally Alex Saab to the United States on Saturday, less than three years after Biden pardoned the businessman in a prisoner swap. Venezuelan authorities said the move was tied to multiple ongoing U.S. criminal investigations.

Saab, a Colombian-born businessman long described by U.S. officials as Maduro’s “bag man,” was removed from key government positions after Rodríguez took power on Jan. 3, including his Cabinet role and position overseeing foreign investment deals tied to Venezuela.

Federal prosecutors have been investigating Saab’s alleged role in a bribery scheme connected to Venezuela’s CLAP food import program. Prosecutors identified Saab as “Co-Conspirator 1” in a Miami-based case involving allegations that shell companies were used to secure inflated food contracts through bribery.

Saab was first arrested in 2020 after his plane stopped in Cape Verde while traveling to Iran. Biden later agreed to free Saab in exchange for imprisoned Americans and the return of fugitive defense contractor “Fat Leonard.”

: All warfare is deception.

And that has certainly been the case with this Venezuela saga. I have long moved away from the puerile concept of good guys and bad guys, instead recognizing the world for what it is: an infinite spectrum of grey. There is also the matter of subjectivity: who is framing the notion of good and bad.

In the eyes of the Deep State, Donald Trump is pure evil.

The question is not whether Alex Saab is a white hat or a black hat; the question is whether he is knowledgeable of specific activities and whether he is a reliable source with trustworthy testimony. If he is truly loyal to Nicolas Maduro—and so far, he seems to have demonstrated nothing but loyalty—then his testimony could prove to be very trustworthy.

The Uniparty has framed this "deportation" as an arrest and extradition. The most recent episode in this saga began in mid-January, when acting interim President Delcy Rodriguez posted on Telegram that Saab—who had been appointed as Minister of Industry by Maduro in October 2024—was leaving his role. She thanked him, "for his service to the Homeland; he will be taking on new responsibilities."

New responsibilities? Perhaps public disclosure via public testimony in what will become the most high-profile criminal case in the US since OJ Simpson?

Fast-forward to February 4: A Venezuelan outlet called Caracol posted an article claiming that Saab had been arrested in a joint US-Venezuela law enforcement operation. Yet, Saab's attorney, Luigi Giuliano, denied the claim.

“It is simply not true that he has been arrested,” Giuliano told Reuters, adding there were no charges against Saab. "Today he wants to meet with the president for clarification," Giuliano said.

Reuters reported that, "journalists aligned with Venezuela's government also denied in social media posts that Saab had been taken into custody."

Parliament President Jorge Rodriguez said he had no information on the matter, and to this day, no charges have been formally filed or announced.

The New York Times reported that Saab and other businessmen were actually being sought for their knowledge of money-laundering schemes involving the Venezuelan government—for which Saab had been convicted in the US and served two years in prison before being pardoned by Joe Biden in 2023 and sent back to Caracas in a prisoner swap.

When Caracol reported on February 4th that Saab and other businessmen had been detained, they specified that it was Venezuelan Intelligence (Sebin) that had detained him. Even then they were speculating that Saab would be extradited to the US within a matter of days. The problem is that Venezuelan law explicitly prohibits the state from extraditing its citizens to foreign countries, and no charges have yet to even be filed.

The New York Times reported that the Venezuelan government (likely Sebin) was working very closely with the Trump administration to acquire this knowledge on money-laundering operations that they believe Saab and his peers possess.

Do you see where this is all going?

The media is excited because they think they are about to get the trial of the century for Maduro, who has been a real pain in the ass for the Uniparty Establishment ever since he was first elected to office in 2013.

Here's the kicker:

On December 31, 2015, Maduro's state oil company, PDVSA, published its Consolidated Financial Statement, which I have procured. On pages 78-79, note 32 is entitled "Investigation Case," referring to a US criminal indictment against multiple representatives of PDVSA—all of them pleaded guilty. PDVSA stated that they, themselves, were victims of this fraud, vowing to overhaul their operations and launch a deep investigation of their own, expecting that it could lead to criminal indictments in Venezuela.

Here are those two pages, translated to English. Please forgive the terrible formatting.

This is the investigation that led to Maduro's corruption purges…that led to Maduro filing lawsuits against 42 corrupt oil executives in US court…that led to Alex Saab cooperating with US authorities during the first Trump administration "with the full knowledge and support of Maduro," according to Saab's own lawyers.

To be clear: It was the arrest of these corrupt officials resulting from this investigation that led the MSM to brand Maduro as a ruthless dictator. He was merely cleaning up corruption in his own government; corruption that ties back to the Bush dynasty and their friends in Big Oil.

After evaluating all of this information, the only conclusion that makes sense is that Alex Saab, Nicolas Maduro, Delcy Rodriguez, and the Venezuelan government are working closely with President Trump to take down the cabal that has long controlled both countries, as well as the oil industry and energy sector.

Time Magazine Frames Trump-Xi Convergence as “New World Order,” ... as Predicted

TIME Magazine published an analysis framing the recent summit between Donald Trump and Xi Jinping as part of an emerging “new world order,” emphasizing shifting geopolitical alignments, direct US-China engagement, and the restructuring of global power relationships. Cooperation and negotiation on trade, AI governance, Taiwan tensions, and international security while arguing the summit signaled movement away from the post-Cold War order dominated by US-led institutions.

TIME’s social media promotion amplified the framing, explicitly using the phrase “new world order” while describing the Trump-Xi convergence as a defining global realignment moment, and broader debates over multipolarity, the future of NATO, and changing economic blocs amid rising tensions involving Russia, Europe, and the Indo-Pacific.

Meanwhile, Donald Trump on Truth Social promoted the summit as a major diplomatic and economic breakthrough, describing discussions with Xi as productive and emphasizing American leverage, trade access, and stability. The summit has triggered extensive media coverage across Western outlets, with interpretations ranging from strategic détente to concerns over a broader restructuring of global alliances and governance systems.

: Check out the terminology TIME Magazine is using to promote their new panic piece masquerading as a feature on Donald Trump’s renewed relationship with Xi Jinping.

“New World Order.”

Interesting terminology, no?

Well, what if I had already told you the machine was going to pivot not just into a full-on panic pattern as Trump’s convergence with Xi and Vladimir Putin accelerated, but also predicted the exact terminology they were going to use to do it?

From ‘Collapse of the Global Cartel,’ which I published 12 days before TIME’s confirmation of the exact thesis I laid out therein ...

“And in the great irony of our age, the very coalition the Globalists will label the ‘New World Order’ (Trump, Putin, Xi and the emerging and rapidly-renormalized Iranian keystone) is the one actually dismantling the REAL New World Order—the faceless Collectorate that has fed on coerced unity, engineered scarcity and perpetual proxy war for decades.

The only proof of this that will ultimately matter is the retroactive codification of what has already occurred: the Globalists will not get their new world war.

The deals—on energy corridors, trade realignments and the quiet reformation of regimes that no longer serve as Hegemonic proxies—are already done.

The rest, as I always say, is a matter of timing and storytelling.

So, enjoy the ride, or freak out with the rest of the Normie Hivemind you’ve pretended to graduate from as the ‘New Axis’ that is really the Sovereign Alliance incarnate takes center stage.

The choice is yours.

Or, put another way ...

The New World Order is dead.

Long live the New World Order.”

Just like I predicted in July of 2025 that the Globalist Regime was going to start referring to the Sovereign Alliance as the ‘New Axis,’ something they codified just two months later by dubbing the US, Russia and China the ‘Axis of Upheaval,’ this one was also relatively easy to see coming if you understand that the deals on an Actual level have been done for years, and that what we’ve been watching in the interim has represented a War of Stories between said Regime and said Alliance as each battles for dominant share of the Collective Mind.

And why is this mindshare so important to the Sovereign Alliance?

For the same reason the Collectorate has bothered with propaganda in the first place: in order to cultivate the mass and global mandate for the codification of a vision for the future.

Without the people’s passive or active buy-in, any vision for the future they will not just inhabit, but help to bring about is doomed from the start.

And since the Global Regime has done a stellar job of demonizing the very key nations (and respective peoples) that could help usher us into a new Global Golden Age, Trump, Putin and Xi have been taking their time in translating an Alliance along pragmatic and organic terms that I believe was agreed to in the shadows long ago.

Retreat is defeat in the Mind War.

The Regime is in retreat.

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President Trump to the Arabs: “...Hold Off on Our Planned Military Attack…”

“I have been asked by the Emir of Qatar, Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani, the Crown Prince of Saudi Arabia, Mohammed bin Salman Al Saud, and the President of the United Arab Emirates, Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan, to hold off on our planned Military attack of the Islamic Republic of Iran, which was scheduled for tomorrow, in that serious negotiations are now taking place, and that, in their opinion, as Great Leaders and Allies, a Deal will be made, which will be very acceptable to the United States of America, as well as all Countries in the Middle East, and beyond. This Deal will include, importantly, NO NUCLEAR WEAPONS FOR IRAN! Based on my respect for the above mentioned Leaders, I have instructed Secretary of War, Pete Hegseth, The Chairman of The Joint Chiefs of Staff, General Daniel Caine, and The United States Military, that we will NOT be doing the scheduled attack of Iran tomorrow, but have further instructed them to be prepared to go forward with a full, large scale assault of Iran, on a moment’s notice, in the event that an acceptable Deal is not reached. Thank you for your attention to this matter! President DONALD J. TRUMP”

:

Look at the names listed in that post:

Tamim.

MBS.

MBZ.

Those are the three leaders that POTUS visited last year when he traveled to the Middle East and was greeted as a conquering hero.

These are our real allies in the Middle East. They are doing what radicalized Christians have long said was impossible for Muslims to do: They are choosing peace and prosperity over war and death.

They will get no credit for doing this from the radicalized Christian Zionists—who we probably should start calling "radicalized Christian terrorists," because it seems that violence and killing innocent people is the way they choose to worship God. (Whichever god that is...)

Or will the radicalized Christian Zionists prove me wrong? Will they accept the peace that the Arabs are brokering with Iran? Or will they demand more blood? As Lindsey Graham clearly seems to be doing.

The Arabs have done a fantastic job cleaning up the extremism in their countries. It's still a work in progress for the region, but Qatar, Saudi Arabia, and the UAE look very different today than they did 10 to 20 years ago.

I think it's time for America to clean up its own society. We need to address the radicalized Christian population that demands nonstop war. They are just as much of a problem as the child-grooming blue-haired land-whales, as both groups want to take our children and put them into harms way for no good reason at all.

It is past time for the radicalized Christians to walk away from the golden calf—walk away from Moloch—and return to Jesus and His teachings. These false idols have warped our minds, twisted our souls, and turned our spirits against the Lord and His Word. It is time to end it, and we have to be tough about it. Deprogramming indoctrinated minds—whether they be kid-sniffing groomers or bloodthirsty Zionists—requires intense determination.

Be tough! Walk away from Satan!

President Trump Settles $10 Billion IRS Lawsuit, Establishes $1.776 Billion Anti-Weaponization Fund

President Trump has settled his $10 billion lawsuit against the IRS and Treasury Department over the leaking of his tax returns. The deal creates an “Anti-Weaponization Fund” to review claims of alleged government weaponization and lawfare.

The Justice Department said that under the settlement, “The Anti-Weaponization Fund” has been established to review and address claims of alleged government weaponization and lawfare. The fund will total $1.776 billion, funded through the federal judgment fund, a permanent DOJ appropriation for settlements. The program will also allow for formal apologies and monetary relief for eligible claimants.

The lawsuit, filed in January alongside Donald Trump Jr. and Eric Trump, accused the IRS of unlawfully disclosing President Trump’s tax records from his first term through a government contractor. Trump’s legal team filed notice in federal court in Miami seeking dismissal of the case with prejudice, meaning it cannot be refiled. Attorneys argued the lawsuit remained in its early stages, allowing President Trump to voluntarily dismiss the case without needing approval from the court or consent from the IRS.

: “The program will also allow for formal apologies and monetary relief for eligible claimants.”

Formal government apologies from the government for weaponizing state power against you, plus a monetary settlement?

Did anyone here ever think something like this was possible?

Stay tuned.

We’re going to cover this deployment from a place of first hand knowledge.

BONUS ITEM

Jury Rejects Musk Claims Against OpenAI, Sam Altman

A federal jury rejected Elon Musk’s claims against OpenAI CEO Sam Altman after less than two hours of deliberation, siding with the defense in a dispute over OpenAI’s nonprofit origins and later restructuring.

US District Judge Yvonne Gonzalez Rogers adopted the advisory jury’s finding that Altman and OpenAI were not liable. She also ruled that claims of breach of charitable trust and unjust enrichment were dismissed as untimely.

Filed in 2024, the lawsuit alleged Altman and OpenAI abandoned their founding nonprofit mission after Musk co-founded the company in 2015 and left its board in 2018. Microsoft, an early investor beginning in 2019, was also named, with Musk alleging it aided and abetted a breach of charitable trust. Those claims were also dismissed.

Musk had sought as much as $134 billion in ill-gotten gains, removal of Altman and OpenAI President Greg Brockman, and reversal of OpenAI’s 2025 restructuring. He argued any funds should go to “the OpenAI charity.”

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Governor Polis Commutes Prison Sentence of Tina Peters

Colorado Gov. Jared Polis has commuted the prison sentence of former Mesa County Clerk Tina Peters, who was convicted in 2024 for allowing unauthorized access to county voting systems tied to efforts to challenge the 2020 presidential election results. Peters is expected to be released after serving about two years in prison. (Associated Press, May 15, 2026)

Peters had been sentenced to roughly nine years after prosecutors said she enabled unauthorized access to Mesa County election equipment and data that later circulated among election denial activists. An April 2026 Colorado appeals court decision upheld her convictions but vacated the sentence and ordered resentencing, citing issues with the trial judge’s sentencing comments.

Polis said the commutation reflected concerns that Peters, a first-time nonviolent offender, received an unusually severe sentence. He said the decision did not endorse her conduct or false claims about the 2020 election.

The case became a national rallying point among supporters of President Donald Trump, who repeatedly called for Peters’ release and claimed in 2025 that he had pardoned her, despite state officials saying presidential pardons do not apply to state convictions.

Colorado Secretary of State Jena Griswold and other critics said the commutation risks weakening deterrence against election-system tampering and could damage public trust in election administration.

: On Friday, Governor Jared Polis granted clemency to Tina Peters in the form of a reduced sentence and grant of parole. Read the official grant, Tina Peters’ statement, and the reactions of the fraud deniers here.

He cut her sentence in half, moved up her eligibility date, and granted parole. The conditions of her parole will be determined by a governor-appointed parole board. I read through the statutes yesterday, and they have broad discretion in assigning the terms that they determine are needed.

I got to hug Tina on Saturday and celebrate a bit with her. Her first priority upon release is seeing her 97 year old mother. Her second priority is reclaiming her health, eating fresh food, and restoring her body. She wants to see Minka, but not until she can be sure she’s never leaving her again.

Tina plans to eat a thick steak and a salad with real tomatoes and avocado.

And she’s excited to get real sleep. Tina told me that the first time she actually slept since she’s been inside was Friday night after the grant of clemency came down.

There is a lot of speculation about whether or not Tina was forced or otherwise coerced to issue her statement of contrition (in the linked article above), and I asked her about that. She said that she approved the statement and stands by it. That is consistent with what she’s told me in our previous conversations.

Much more will be released in the coming weeks, and Tina is ready to tell her story. But the priorities above are her priorities. She’ll tell you about them herself soon…

And June 1 can’t come soon enough for Tina Peters.

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Trump Warns Iran “Clock is Ticking” As Potential False Flag Attacks Are Conducted Against UAE and Saudi Arabia

A drone strike caused a fire near the Barakah nuclear power plant in the United Arab Emirates on May 17, according to Emirati authorities, who said there were no injuries or radioactive leaks. The UAE defense ministry said three drones entered the country from the western border direction, with two intercepted and one striking an electrical generator outside the plant’s inner perimeter in the Al Dhafra region.

The UAE blamed Iran or allied proxy groups for the incident. Presidential adviser Anwar Gargash called the strike a “dangerous escalation” and said it violated international law and norms. Emirati officials said investigations into the source of the drones were continuing.

International Atomic Energy Agency Director General Rafael Grossi said military activity threatening nuclear safety was “unacceptable” after discussions with UAE officials about the strike. The UAE’s nuclear regulator said there was no impact on reactor operations or public safety.

Saudi Arabia condemned the attack and reported intercepting three drones approaching from Iraqi airspace in a separate incident. Regional tensions have remained elevated during a fragile ceasefire linked to the broader Iran conflict.

U.S. President Donald Trump warned Iran that “the clock is ticking” in a social media post amid stalled negotiations tied to the conflict. The Wall Street Journal reported earlier this month that Israel had built and defended a secret base in Iraq during the Iran war to support operations against Tehran.

: Just nine days before the Iran-Israel started back in February, a Deep State-aligned think-tank called the Middle East Council on Global Affairs published an article asserting that a detente with both Saudi Arabia and the UAE was a strategic priority for Iran.

The article was well-sourced, providing quotes from Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman from June 2025—during the Twelve Day War: “Saudi Arabia stands with its brothers in Iran and will spare no effort to support them.” He added that “the entire Islamic world is united in backing Iran.”

The UAE joined in the collective condemnation of Israel’s unprovoked aggression against Iran, as Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian and Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi both expressed their solidarity with the Muslim world, going as far as to call their longtime rival, Saudi Arabia, their “brothers.”

Israel had succeeded in uniting the entire Islamic world under a single banner, and that banner was to oppose Israeli aggression.

Now Saudi Arabia is offering to formalize a non-aggression pact with Iran, and suddenly it is hit by a drone attack… from Iraq? Right after joining a Saudi-led initiative to integrate economic infrastructure and investment across the Middle East? An endeavor potentially worth $100 billion, which could transform the region?

It’s worth noting the recent report of two Israeli military bases that were secretly built in the remote parts of Iraq. The bases were discovered by a Bedouin shepherd named Awad al-Shammari. After reporting his discovery to the relevant authorities, al-Shammari was reportedly gunned down by a helicopter strike.

Now we have an attack on the UAE’s nuclear power plant—an attack that came in from the west. Let’s check the map.

I’ve taken the liberty of marking with an arrow the place where these drones reportedly crossed into the UAE, according to their official statements. I’ve also marked where Iran is located, as well as Israel. You will notice that Iran is not located to the west of the UAE, but Israel and Iraq both are.

I should also remind you that Israel staunchly opposes any Muslim country possessing nuclear technology. The intended target of the attack was the nuclear power plant in the UAE.

It seems to me that somebody is trying to provoke a war between the various Muslim nations. The only nation that would benefit from such a development would be Israel.

Sometimes logic and common sense are all you need to evaluate a situation.

Putin To Visit China Just Days After Trump

Russian President Vladimir Putin is scheduled to visit Beijing on May 19-20 for talks with Chinese leader Xi Jinping, according to a Kremlin announcement released Saturday. The Kremlin said the visit coincides with the 25th anniversary of the 2001 Sino-Russian Treaty of Friendship and will focus on bilateral relations, economic cooperation, and international and regional issues.

Putin’s trip comes less than a week after U.S. President Donald Trump concluded a state visit to China that included meetings with Xi on trade, Taiwan, and the conflict involving Iran. Chinese state media described the sequence of visits by the U.S. and Russian presidents as unusual and indicative of Beijing’s growing diplomatic influence.

Ahead of the visit, Xi and Putin exchanged congratulatory messages, with Chinese state media quoting Xi as saying China-Russia cooperation had “continuously deepened and solidified.” The two countries have expanded political and economic ties in recent years, particularly after Russia’s 2022 invasion of Ukraine increased Moscow’s dependence on Chinese trade and energy purchases.

The Kremlin said the leaders are expected to discuss “key international and regional issues” during the meetings in Beijing.

: The Sovereign Signal is no longer subtle. It is no longer deniable.

In Beijing, in May 2026, two leaders who were supposed to be enemies stood in the same frame and spoke the same language of partnership over rivalry, and watched the last globalist chess pieces tremble as their shadows fell over the board.

And also in Beijing, another leader is set to drop by for his own stoic brand of deal-making and cold, strategic posturing just days after Trump’s departure.

Talk about timing …

And while the Media Industrial Complex—and unfortunately, large swaths of the Alt. Media and even the so-called Truth Community—will attempt to spin up the Putin-Xi convergence as anathema to any prospective and pending US cooperation with the two, long-time readers of the Bright Archives know that nothing could be further from the truth.

And Donald Trump is telling you as much in as many ways as he can.

So, while the financial media largely saw the summit as a dud for the lack of Actuals to come out of it, and while the Globalists are trying to sell it as some sort of loss for Trump and the American people—and no doubt for global markets—the truth is, much like the perpetuation of the Iranian Knot, the longer the sovereign flirtation stretches between Trump and Xi, Trump and Putin and all three as a trinity with the gravity to move the world into a step change, the more the Actual and Narrative pressure builds on the System that seeks to stop them, and the more time the Multipolar World has to carve itself out from the collectivist ether in the interim.

In short, the US can absorb the shocks.

China can absorb the shocks.

Russia can absorb the shocks.

But can the Collectorate?

Can the System?

Can the ideology masquerading as a philosophy?

In Beijing in May of 2026, Trump and Xi dropped the only signal they needed to, just like Trump and Putin did in Helsinki way back in 2018: that they have the power, each to himself before one another, yes, but also each to himself AND one another.

For you see, the Multipolar World does not mean there will be no cooperation. It means the only cooperation that will occur will be the sort that makes sense, the sort that is intuitive and pragmatic.

The sort that is moral and right and yes, righteous.

In short, the sort of competition sovereigns on the micro and on the macro have always engaged in for mutual gain.

Which is exactly what both men echoed in the immediate aftermath.

And herein lies one of the great paradoxes of the globalist plight, as, just as the Iran War has utterly exposed the Western Globalist Hegemon on an Actual level as being a Paper Tiger, the very panic pattern that reaches critical mass anytime two of any three members of the theorized Sovereign Alliance take center stage in the central narrative in concert demonstrates to a bipartisan audience the ironclad promise that lies at the heart of the Power Paradigm premise.

Power begets Power.

Power recognizes Power.

Power is Power.

And three men—meaning three nations, meaning three peoples—wield it in abundance relative to the rest of the map combined.

Which means, de facto that any direct pairing of two of the three represents a force multiplier to that power, and an exponential, extinction-level threat to whatever apparatus opposes it.

Controversy Escalates Over Massive Citizenship Verification in Voter Registrations

The Trump administration has run at least 67 million voter registrations through the Department of Homeland Security’s SAVE program, AP reported Monday, citing eligibility checks that critics say could lead to valid voters being removed from rolls before the November elections. USCIS said 60 million checks identified about 24,000 potential noncitizens, and AP reported at least 25 states have used SAVE for voter-roll checks since April 2025.

The SAVE Act, H.R. 22, would require documentary proof of U.S. citizenship to register to vote in federal elections. Congress.gov shows the House passed the bill 220-208 on April 10, 2025, and sent it to the Senate the same day.

Rasmussen Reports said a March 8-10, 2026, survey of 1,098 likely U.S. voters found 63% supported the SAVE Act and 32% opposed it. Rasmussen also published question wording for a May 10-12, 2026, election-integrity survey of 1,060 likely voters.

: How did we get here?

Remember when McKinsey told us a Polycrisis was coming and then — as if they were revealing a plan more than making a prediction — the sustained crisis cascade overwhelmed the nation?

It’s not “democrats.”

It’s unipartisan globalists.

And it is, indeed, all connected. And it’s also being dismantled and restructured.

Accelerate.

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US and Nigerian Forces Engage in Joint Operations Against ISIS in West Africa

Nigerian and U.S. forces carried out a joint counterterrorism operation that killed Abu-Bilal Al-Manuki, also known as Abu-Mainok, Nigeria’s State House said May 16. The State House said early assessments confirmed Al-Manuki and several lieutenants were killed in a strike on his compound in the Lake Chad Basin.

Reuters reported that President Donald Trump and Nigerian President Bola Tinubu both said Al-Minuki was killed in northeastern Nigeria. Reuters, citing the Nigerian Army, said the strike took place in Metele, Borno State, in close coordination with U.S. Africa Command.

The Nigerian Army said the operation began about 12:01 a.m. and ended around 4 a.m. Saturday with no casualties or asset losses, Reuters reported. AP reported, citing a U.S. official speaking anonymously, that Al-Mainuki was involved in Islamic State organizing and finance and had been plotting attacks against the United States and its interests.

: This would be a complicated situation to unpack, but fortunately we have been tracking it years, and I think I understand the dynamics at play.

First of all, to orient ourselves, this situation falls within the battlespace of Conflict A on the map that I created and shared in the Brief back in January.

The Alliance of Sahel States (AES)—which I would argue are part of the Sovereign Alliance—have been in rebellion against the UN-affiliated Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) since 2022, when Captain Ibrahim Traore led a military coup against his own commander, who had overthrown the government of Burkina Faso just 8 months earlier.

Organizations like ECOWAS are created to control and suppress nations around the world. Developing nations are not allowed to modernize or achieve prosperity, so that their country’s natural resources can be plundered and their people exploited for labor, trafficking, and terrorism.

The conflict in West Africa far precedes 2022. For decades, terrorist groups and militias have kept the region destabilized. These groups are funded by the State Department, CIA, UN, NATO, and the vast matrix of NGO’s that operate under those umbrellas.

Russia has been helping Captain Traore and his allies reclaim their sovereignty from these ISIS-linked groups. Russia and the AES have repeatedly accused Ukraine of funding, arming, and training these groups.

Isn’t it strange that Ukraine would prioritize sending weaponry and money to a random place in Africa, while they were ostensibly fighting a war against Russia?

It makes more sense when you realize that the money Congress approved to send to Ukraine was always intended to fund these groups, so that the Deep State could overthrow the governments of the countries they have lost control over; Countries that provide critical resources like gold (Burkina Faso) and uranium (Niger).

Before ISIS was around, it was Boko Haram operating in the region, and they affiliated themselves with Al Qaeda. (Another CIA-created terrorist organization.)

The leader that President Trump mentioned in his post, Abu-Bilal al-Minuki, was the former leader of Boko Haram. His most famous exploit was the kidnapping of hundreds of schoolgirls in Nigeria in 2014—who were most likely trafficked as sex slaves.

110 of these girls were rescued in Nigeria in March 2018, and we know for a fact that US Special Forces were operating in that exact area from our analysis of the Tongo Tongo Ambush, where four US soldiers were killed by ISIS in a scandal where they were clearly set up by bad actors in the Pentagon and CIA. I covered this scandal on The Book of Trump last year with .

ISIS and its predecessors have been operating in the region for over 20 years. It would seem that the original purpose of their presence was to necessitate the French intervention in 2013.

You may recall that the French/UN occupation of North Africa led to a huge scandal when UN aid worker Anders Kompass turned whistleblower and exposed a pedophile ring run by French soldiers.

It would seem that these terrorist organizations are of enormous benefit to the State Department and its partners, as they are now being used to destabilize the Sahel States so that ECOWAS and the UN can justify invading and taking over their governments—which they have been threatening to do for years.

By killing Al-Manuki, President Trump has done a great service to Captain Traore and his Sahelian allies—though the MSM will posit it as Trump siding with ECOWAS against the AES. Destroying these proxy groups is a critical step in stabilizing the region, but even more important is following the money to determine who is financing them.

BONUS ITEM

Badlands Blitz

On the latest Badlands Blitz, and deep dive on China's role in the Sovereign Alliance, and why the Globalist Deep State was actually so upset about Donald Trump's visit to Beijing.

Also, is the MSM retreating on the election narrative?

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Subscribe now

Welcome to the SEVENTEENTH episode of The Blitz, which is intended to serve as a weekly recap and dissection of the work we do Monday through Friday in the Badlands Brief.

On this episode, Burning Bright and Ashe in America spend a good chunk of the show discussing the prospective Donald Trump-Xi Jinping alliance that, while it doesn’t get as much attention as potential coordination between Trump and Vladimir Putin might actually be a pairing the globalist enemy fears even more.

We also take some time to explore the rapidly-shifting American narrative on election denial, which is more popular and bipartisan than ever before.

You’re welcome!

As always, while all Badlands content will continue to be free, including The Blitz, the only way we’re able to pay ourselves for the time is due to those of you who choose to support it directly.

So, if you like the work this Substack team does on a daily basis and the step-up in said work for 2026, consider upgrading to a Paid Subscription to this newsletter (cancel at any time.)

Otherwise, stay Positive, stay Based and most importantly … stay Bright!

The Badlands Brief is your daily drop of Badlands’ takes on the narratives dominating the info war. Read on, and join the conversation in the comments section.

DOJ, DHS, USPS Officials Hold Talks to Expand Federal Involvement in Election Integrity Effort

A Trump administration effort to expand federal involvement in voter verification and mail-in ballot rules is advancing through coordinated discussions across multiple agencies, involving the Justice Department, the Department of Homeland Security, and the US Postal Service.

White House officials have held recent interagency talks on implementing the plan, involving DOJ Civil Rights Division head Harmeet Dhillon and her deputies, USPS CEO David Steiner, and DHS election integrity official Heather Honey, a former aide described as a protege of attorney Cleta Mitchell, who advised Trump during post-2020 election legal efforts.

The effort stems from Trump’s March executive order, titled “Ensuring Citizenship Verification and Integrity in Federal Elections,” which directs DHS to develop a “state citizenship list,” instructs the DOJ to prioritize prosecution of state and local officials who distribute ballots to ineligible voters, and calls on USPS to draft rules requiring states to provide voter registration lists in order to process mail-in ballots.

According to internal disclosures, additional officials involved in the discussions include Deputy Homeland Security Advisor Anthony Salisbury, DOJ associate deputy attorney general Aakash Singh, principal associate deputy attorney general Trent McCotter, and counselor to the attorney general Henry Whitaker.

USPS has stated it is reviewing the executive order and working on draft regulations, while DHS and USCIS officials have said internal deliberations are ongoing.

: we need to pause and appreciate this moment.

Kiddos, we made it.

This is so hilarious. The first two words of this article are “Clay Parikh” – who, of course, is a friend of Badlands, frequent guest on Why We Vote and SitRep, and multi-GART attendee.

“Clay Parikh, a cybersecurity expert from Alabama, spent years as a bit player in the world of election denial. He wasn’t a star with his own media platform, like the MyPillow guy. But he still gained a modest following by circulating conspiracy theories about President Trump’s 2020 defeat, including that poll workers gave Trump supporters—but not other voters—felt-tip markers to fill out their ballots, rendering them invalid and unreadable by voting machines. More recently, he’s asserted that a group of federal lawmakers is covering up foreign election interference.”

Okay, those are some of the least offensive things that Clay Parikh has asserted about the fake eletions. What a lazy assessment of the full range of the election denialism at play. Disappointing… (Note: Everybody be cool, because Brian invited the author on the show…)

Clay Parikh is a certified ethical hacker, and the only public expert that has been hands-on-keys for penetration testing on the voting systems. He has been certified as an expert in court proceedings around the nation, and he’s worked at the highest levels of classification, specifically on critical infrastructure and elections.

Bit player.

Shame, The Atlantic.

Also, they’re right. The election deniers are winning.

We’re winning because our message is the true.

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Saudi Arabia Floats Iran Non-Aggression Pact Modeled on Helsinki Accords

Saudi Arabia has floated the idea of a Middle East non-aggression pact with Iran as part of postwar planning discussions with allies once the US-Israeli conflict with Tehran ends, according to Financial Times reporting.

Diplomats said Riyadh has pointed to the 1970s Helsinki Accords, which eased Cold War tensions in Europe, as a possible framework for reducing regional conflict and expanding economic cooperation.

Arab diplomats said most Muslim and Arab nations would likely support the concept, though including Israel remains a major obstacle as regional anger over Israeli military operations in Gaza, Lebanon, and Syria continues to grow.

The report also said Saudi Arabia is strengthening coordination with Pakistan, Turkey, and Egypt following the conflict. Pakistan’s defense minister said Islamabad wants Qatar and Turkey added to the Saudi-Pakistan defense pact to build a broader regional economic and military alliance aimed at reducing dependence on outside powers.

: For months, there has been relentless gaslighting that Saudi Arabia was secretly supporting and/or conducting warfare against Iran.

For years, there have been similar efforts to convince people that Saudi Arabia is subservient to Israel; That MBS is a Zionist puppet. That the Saudis had betrayed the Ummah and were effectively serving the Deep State.

The reality is that Saudi started serving the Deep State in 1975 when King Faisal was assassinated (if not sooner).

For decades, many of the Saudi royals were in bed with the CIA, funding their operations and otherwise collaborating on projects. This relationship reached its apex under the George W Bush administration.

The dynamic seemed to have changed during the Obama years. I can’t pinpoint a moment when this happened, or really be certain of anything, but in 2011, the lifelong governor of Riyadh—Salman bin Abdulaziz Al Saud—was appointed Crown Prince by his brother, King Abdullah.

That decision began a series of events that led where we are today. Salman became King in January 2015, appointing his son, Mohammed, as Deputy Crown Prince and Defense Minister.

The Son immediately went to work dismantling and rebuilding the government, on paper, and after 10 days, a new government was in place.

The Son was then elevated to Crown Prince in June 2017, one month after President Trump first visited Riyadh. In November, Salman named Mohammed acting sovereign of The Kingdom, and Mohammed immediately arrested all of his corrupt relatives that were working with the CIA, and by extension, Mossad.

There’s no doubt that Mohammed bin Salman harbors animus toward Iran—he has expressed this on countless occasions. But would he embark on a campaign to topple this rival, if doing so would destroy the region? Is it reasonable to believe that his animus was so strong? The Reformer? The one expelled the radical clerics and effectively ended Wahhabism as a state institution?

The one who has spent the past 11 years implementing his ambitious Vision 2030 plan, which requires historic development and investment into The Kingdom? To transform the economy into tourism, hospitality and high tech?

How could any of this be achieved if the Middle East is destroyed in a war?

The reason the Deep State is targeting Saudi Arabia is because of the significance it has played in uniting the Muslim world behind a common vision. Not a caliphate that is built to destroy, instead a society built to prosper economically.

But to achieve this economic vision, Saudi needed partners. It needed a security architecture that could provide stability to the region so that this ambitious economic plan could be implemented. The countries that MBS has brought together are not historic allies. Their partnership is predicated on a vision of a common future that is driven by Mohammed bin Salman and Saudi Arabia.

That is why Saudi Arabia must be torn down, in the eyes of the Deep State.

Taiwan on Deck as Trump & Xi Provide Signal in the Noise

Taiwan emerged as the clearest flashpoint in President Trump’s Beijing summit with Xi Jinping, even as both sides publicly emphasized stability, trade and cooperation. Xi warned Trump that mishandling Taiwan could lead to “clashes and even conflicts,” while US statements largely avoided the issue and said policy remains unchanged.

The signal in the noise: Beijing put Taiwan at the center of the meeting, Washington did not publicly concede ground, and Taipei said there were “no surprises” while urging China to end military pressure. The result was not a breakthrough, but a visible marker that Taiwan is moving higher on the board as Trump and Xi test whether economic détente can survive the hardest security question in US-China relations.

: This is the Multipolar Margin Call thesis I laid out in October during the height of the manufactured (ie: fake) economic tensions between Trump and Xi playing out in real time, now translated through the very apparatus that refused to recognize it at the time.

The US-China trade war wasn’t a bug of the dissolution of the rules-based international order; it was the core feature, as it has forced the rerouting of monetary flows, supply chains and manufacturing capacity back toward sovereign balance sheets on both sides of the Pacific.

Now layer in the Strait of Hormuz squeeze—with Xi offering to help reopen it, both sides agreeing it must stay open and China signaling it will buy more American oil to reduce reliance on the old collectivist chokepoints—and you see the pincer in motion.

Energy and capital are being pulled away from the globalist circulatory system and redirected into sovereign arteries.

Regions of Responsibility are hardening.

Appeals to borderless governance are being dashed on the rocks of pragmatic nationalism.

So, exactly as the Margin Call thesis predicted, and as we have seen in multiple theaters over the last few months, the apparent conflict is the cover story for the true disentanglement in the offing.

And the machine knows what comes next, as this Sovereign Disentanglement cascade is accelerating.

Vladimir Putin opened the sequence with Ukraine—the first major globalist proxy to be peeled away from the board in the modern age, Trump continued it with Venezuela, Iran and the looming Cuba chapter, and Xi is positioned to put the capstone on the entire arc with Taiwan.

That is the last remaining globalist forward operating base of any real consequence.

The machine fears this final disentanglement more than any kinetic exchange because a clean sovereign resolution in Taiwan doesn’t just remove a flashpoint—it completes the trilogy of hard lessons the world has been forced to learn the expensive way.

Iran has demonstrated the folly of relying on distant nations for energy security.

Russia has demonstrated the folly of relying on distant nations (and their proxies) for national security.

And China, through an inevitable Taiwan crisis will finish the trilogy by demonstrating—emphatically—the folly of relying on distant nations for logistical and technological security.

Semiconductors. Rare earths. Advanced manufacturing.

The entire just-in-time global supply chain house of cards has come crashing down, a trend that first started in earnest in the wake of an engineered pandemic that was meant to stop the Sovereign Alliance dead in its tracks, but which only served to accelerate its inevitable victory.

When that realization lands, the on-shoring and reshoring efforts both Trump and Xi have pursued for years will look less like protectionism and more like prophecy.

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Conditions in Cuba Worsen as Trump Puts Pressure on the Regime & Ratcliffe Meets Castro For Talks

Cuba is facing worsening blackouts, fuel shortages and economic deterioration as the Trump administration increases pressure on Havana through tighter sanctions and regional isolation efforts. Reports indicate the island’s energy infrastructure is under severe strain, with dwindling fuel imports and recurring nationwide outages intensifying public frustration and putting new pressure on the Communist government.

The developments come as CIA Director John Ratcliffe reportedly met with Cuban President Miguel Díaz-Canel and senior regime officials for talks, signaling that despite escalating pressure, backchannel communication between Washington and Havana remains active.

Analysts view the combination of economic pressure and quiet diplomatic engagement as a sign the administration may be attempting to force concessions from Cuba while preventing broader regional instability.

: It seems like President Trump is queuing up Cuba to be the next domino to fall, which will take all of the inertia out of the Middle East and the animus toward Iran.

Will we see the Castro Family return to power as a partner of President Trump?

DOJ Sues DC Bar Officials, Citing “Weaponization” Claims

The Justice Department has filed a complaint against DC disciplinary authorities, alleging they are improperly using the attorney discipline process to regulate the official actions of federal government lawyers.

The filing seeks to nullify the DC Bar’s unlawful prosecution of former Assistant Attorney General Jeff Clark, which centers on internal deliberations related to potential fraud in the 2020 presidential election. The case remains tied to ongoing litigation nearly six years later.

Officials argued the disciplinary process improperly targets executive branch deliberations and risks restricting federal attorneys from providing candid legal advice.

The Justice Department said the action advances President Trump’s executive order on ending the weaponization of the federal government and a related memorandum on preventing abuses of the legal system and federal courts.

View the complaint here.

: Jeff Clark drafted an internal memo that represented his personal legal theory about election irregularities in Georgia. That’s not in dispute. In the filing linked above, everyone concedes that Jeff Clark believed the substance of his memo. The memo was never finalized or sent.

The DC bar authorities held a sad and demoralizing hearing – and I covered it – and then recommended disbarment despite admissions over what they characterized as dishonest conduct tied to the draft letter.

But the whole thing may be boomeranging, depending on the outcome of this action.

“The United States asks this Court to (i) enter a judgment declaring that Defendants’ investigations, proceedings, adjudications, and findings against Mr. Clark violate the Supremacy Clause and Article II and are therefore void; (ii) issue an injunction that prohibits Defendants, as well as their successors, agents, and employees, from commencing or maintaining any investigations, proceedings, or disciplinary actions against Mr. Clark based on his conduct as a Federal Government attorney; (iii) award the United States its costs and fees in this action; and (iv) award other relief as the Court deems just.”

The US argues that DC bar authorities are violating the Constitution when they punish federal executive officials for internal legal advice and deliberative discussions inside the Executive Branch. In my opinion based on the information available, this is the kind of thing the US should argue, by the way: Rights protected under law.

This complaint argues that local bar regulators have no oversight of presidential legal decision-making through “ethics” reviews. can we apply to all levels of government? Maybe eventually. We need the precedent…

And weaponized ethics is being adjudicated…

Accelerate.

BONUS ITEM

House Dems Say Redistricting Losses Require a War Posture, Threaten to “Crush” MAGA Souls

Congressional Democrats are escalating their rhetoric over the national redistricting battle ahead of the 2026 midterms, with some lawmakers and strategists openly describing the fight as requiring a “war posture” after Republican-led map changes in states like Texas and elsewhere threatened Democratic House prospects.

According to reports, Democratic operatives argued the party must abandon “unilateral disarmament” and aggressively counter GOP redistricting efforts using every available legal and political tool.

One Democratic strategist quoted in the discussion said the goal was to politically “crush” the “souls” of the MAGA movement, reflecting the increasingly existential tone surrounding control of the House. The comments come amid a growing nationwide push for mid-decade redistricting battles, as both parties prepare for what is expected to be one of the most aggressively litigated and politically charged election cycles in modern US history.

Please share the Brief far and wide! Want to join the conversation? Jump in the comments and let us know your thoughts. And if you like the Substack, you should check out our shows — streaming now on Badlands Media!

The opinions expressed in the Badlands Brief are those of the tagged authors and do not necessarily reflect the attitudes or positions of Badlands Media.

The Brief is free, but you can support us by becoming a paid subscriber to help our collective of citizen journalists take back the narrative.

Subscribe now

The Badlands Brief is your daily drop of Badlands’ takes on the narratives dominating the info war. Read on, and join the conversation in the comments section.

CIA Whistleblower Alleges Fauci Influenced 2021 Intelligence Shift On COVID Lab Leak Assessment

CIA whistleblower and current agency employee James Erdman III told the Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee on Wednesday that Dr. Anthony Fauci “injected” himself into the intelligence community’s review of COVID-19’s origins and influenced how the CIA handled its assessment of a potential lab leak.

Erdman alleged Fauci played an “intentional” role in the agency’s shift away from a 2021 plan to characterize the virus as having originated from a lab leak following a 90-day review. He said the CIA was “considering calling this a lab leak” on August 12, 2021, before its position changed on August 17, adding the agency has not provided documentation explaining why.

“Dr. Fauci’s role in the cover-up was intentional,” Erdman testified, alleging Fauci influenced the analytical process by steering the intelligence community toward “curated” lists of subject matter experts and scientists, including contacts in the U.S., U.K., and Australia.

Erdman also alleged Fauci had contact with intelligence officials in 2020 and 2021 and raised concerns about potential conflicts of interest tied to research linked to Wuhan. He said those concerns were not raised internally.

: It seems every day we have new evidence or new witnesses or new testimony in vast and various treasonous plots against the American people. From Russia Gate to Election Fraud to Covid-19, it’s been a good week for pointing a spotlight at what has been done to us.

The question on everyone’s mind is: What is going to be done about it?

I am optimistic that we will get the justice phase. I’ve been pretty consistent on that point, but I’m also convinced that the actual question that needs to be on everyone’s mind is: What are we going to do about it?

The evidence of widespread public corruption, ostensibly in service of treasonous conspiracies to undermine the will of the people, is overwhelming. We must demand accountability, and we must act. We must withhold belief and withdraw consent and starve the machine.

“What truly matters is not which party controls our government but whether our government is controlled by the people.”

Is it?

Former Zelensky Chief of Staff Consulted Mystic on Key Decisions, According to Court Testimony

Testimony presented in a Ukrainian court case reportedly claimed that a former senior adviser and chief of staff figure connected to President Volodymyr Zelensky relied on guidance from a mystic and feng shui consultant when making major political and personnel decisions. The allegations emerged during proceedings tied to corruption and influence investigations, adding another layer of controversy to ongoing internal disputes within Ukraine’s political establishment.

The claims have fueled renewed scrutiny of the opaque power dynamics surrounding Zelensky’s inner circle as Ukraine continues navigating wartime governance, Western dependency, and intensifying political factionalism. Critics argued the testimony reflects broader concerns about informal influence networks operating alongside official state institutions, though the allegations remain disputed and politically charged.

: So, Andrey Yermak is consulting with some sort of witch or gypsy fortune teller?

Well, that’s what I thought from reading the headline. But that’s not what I got.

Let’s take a look:

Well, that’s disappointing. She looks relatively normal. I was hoping to see something a little more cartoonish.

Though I will say that the building in the background of this image looks like something out of a horror movie. Like a witch coven in the forest.

To make things even more fuzzy, her father is apparently a citizen of Russia, and has been since moving to Crimea in 2015. It’s possible that he is trying to avoid being drafted, but in any event he, too, appears relatively normal.

So now we must beg the question: was Zelensky’s Chief of Staff engaging in mysticism? Or was he simply having an affair with this woman and this was yet another grift to get his girlfriend paid?

Ukraine is definitely a land of mysticism, from a theological standpoint. Jewish mysticism, specifically. So it is very possible that these Jewish Nazis are also Jewish witches. But after looking closer at this story it seems most likely that this was just another grift by the Zelensky regime.

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Media Admits Trump-Xi Meeting Focused Heavily on Optics As Analysts Struggle to Identify Strategic Endgame

President Donald Trump arrived in Beijing for a summit with Chinese President Xi Jinping, featuring an elaborate airport reception, military honors, and extensive state-media coverage designed to project stability between the world’s two largest powers. Trump described the visit as an “opening” with China, while commentators across Western media acknowledged the meeting appeared aimed as much at symbolism and perception management as at concrete policy outcomes.

Coverage of the summit reflected growing uncertainty over the long-term strategic direction of US-China relations under Trump 2.0. Analysts cited unresolved tensions surrounding Taiwan, trade, artificial intelligence, and global supply chains, while questioning whether the public display of cooperation signals a genuine thaw or a temporary tactical pause between rival powers. The meeting comes amid broader geopolitical instability tied to the Ukraine conflict, Middle East tensions, and mounting concerns over a fragmented global economic order.

: The Sovereign Alliance is no longer emerging. It is converging in real time, and the machine’s own reactions are the clearest proof.

To wit, Donald Trump’s imminent Beijing summit with Xi Jinping is being framed as a flashpoint, not just by us, but by the Globalist Hegemon itself.

This is because what said Hegemon fears most is not any single pillar of my long-theorized Sovereign Alliance, but the coordinated whole, operating under an emergent and accelerating translation layer of pragmatism that is increasingly bipartisan, and which has been accelerated by the very global crises each has kicked off.

Trump’s visit to Beijing, then, accompanied as he is by a delegation of American industrial and financial leadership prepared to lock in investment flows and commercial realignments arrives against the backdrop of an Iran front that has been deliberately kept in a state of suspended animation, or rather, perpetuation, depending on which headline you’re reading at any given moment.

The very prolongation of the polycrisis (one that isn’t running on globalist scripts for a change) supplies the Narrative Shielding required for the three primary pillars of the Sovereign Alliance—Washington, Moscow and Beijing—to advance coordinated interests without triggering the total-spectrum alarm the old architecture requires to maintain control.

To wit, what began as unilateral pressure applied by Putin in Ukraine (and by extension, on central Europe,) Trump in the Western Hemisphere (South America) and the Middle East and Xi in the Pacific has become the cover under which their practical convergence can occur in the open, even if we saw it coming years in advance.

The machine doesn’t fear the that the Sovereign Alliance exists.

They already know it does.

They fear that it’s done hiding.

And they fear that the Multipolar World, which stands as the endgame of the Sovereign Alliance isn’t just coming.

It might already be here.

My latest stands as an attempt to translate the real war that I believe is being fought, and won beneath the layered narrative complexities of the fake one.

It should also act as a nice cypher through which to observe and analyze the current convergence of the true superpowers on the world stage. [Read on Burning Bright]

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Appeals Court Temporarily Blocks E. Jean Carroll’s $83 Million Judgment Collection During Trump Appeal

A federal appeals court temporarily halted writer E. Jean Carroll from collecting the $83.3 million defamation judgment awarded against President Donald Trump while Trump’s appeal moves forward. The ruling pauses enforcement of the payout as appellate judges review challenges tied to the underlying trial, damages, and legal procedures surrounding the case.

The decision marks another major development in the long-running legal battle between Trump and Carroll, which became one of the highest-profile civil cases connected to Trump’s post-presidency years. Trump has continued denying Carroll’s allegations while arguing the verdicts were politically motivated and legally flawed, while Carroll’s legal team has sought to preserve the judgment and defend the jury’s findings.

: This is good news for President Trump but, if the verdict is overturned, it’s good news for justice for all. This trial was one of the most egregious abuses of process and power that we’ve ever seen.

Carrol’s story never made sense, from the date to the dress to the simply incredible story we were told to believe.

Add to that the fact that Judge Kaplan is a political hack whose story is still being written, and it’s pretty fantastic that this case is under review.

It must go all the way. Because here’s the thing: The process will be weaponized again in this way if there aren’t consequences for everyone involved, everyone that went along, everyone that played their part.

The first step to restoring public trust is accountability. Start with Kaplan.

NATO Pushes to Expand Funding Pipeline to Ukraine Despite Continued Corruption Concerns

NATO officials are reportedly discussing plans to significantly increase long-term financial and military support commitments to Ukraine as the alliance seeks to sustain Kyiv’s war effort against Russia and stabilize Ukraine’s defense sector. The proposal comes despite years of public warnings from watchdogs, Western officials, and anti-corruption groups about entrenched corruption inside Ukraine’s political, military, and procurement systems.

The renewed funding push highlights growing concern within NATO that a prolonged conflict could strain Ukraine’s economy, manpower, and infrastructure without expanded outside assistance. At the same time, critics across Europe and the United States continue questioning oversight mechanisms, accountability standards, and the long-term sustainability of funneling ever-larger sums into a wartime government still battling corruption scandals and internal political tensions.

: This story breaks right as [former Zelensky Chief of Staff] Andrey Yermak is on trial for massive corruption, and another regime henchman [Timur Mindich] is exposed for embezzling hundreds of millions of dollars and then fleeing to Israel to escape prosecution.

Is Mark Rutte an idiot? Or is he “our guy,” and using his position to maximize the humiliation for the crooks in and around NATO?

Sometimes it’s hard to tell. He definitely has a whiff of goober about him, but has also groveled to Trump in such a humiliating fashion on a number of occasions that it does lead me to think that he is an asset.

BONUS ITEM

Appeals Court Pauses Ruling Against Trump’s 10% Global Tariff

A federal appeals court on Tuesday temporarily paused a lower court ruling that had blocked President Trump’s 10% global tariff imposed under Section 122 of the Trade Act.

The US Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit issued the short-term administrative stay after the Trump administration appealed last week’s trade court decision. The lower court had ruled against the tariffs Friday but stopped short of broadly halting their collection nationwide.

The challengers now have seven days to oppose a longer-term stay as the appeals court considers whether the lower court ruling should remain blocked during the case. The 10% tariff was imposed in February after the Supreme Court struck down most of the tariffs President Trump enacted in 2025. The measure is currently set to expire in July unless Congress votes to extend it.

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