Badlands Brief
Condemnation, Calibration, & Constitutional Boxes
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.
SCOTUS Rules That the High Court Cannot Legislate on Elections From the Bench; New Life Into the SAVE America & Mail In Ballot Acts
Rejecting a challenge brought by the RNC, the Supreme Court ruled 5-4 on Monday that federal law does not prevent states from counting absentee ballots that are postmarked by Election Day but arrive afterward, upholding Mississippi’s mail ballot law.
Writing for the majority, Justice Amy Coney Barrett concluded that federal law sets Election Day but does not require every valid absentee ballot to be received by that date. Chief Justice John Roberts joined Barrett and the Court’s three liberal justices in the majority. The ruling leaves Mississippi’s law in place, allowing election officials to count absentee ballots received up to five business days after Election Day, provided they were postmarked on or before Election Day.
Justice Samuel Alito dissented, warning the ruling “leaves open opportunities for voter fraud” and could weaken trust in elections. He cited a 2005 bipartisan commission led by Jimmy Carter and James Baker calling absentee voting a major potential fraud risk, and a 2008 Justice Stevens opinion noting the real risk of absentee ballot fraud.
Alito said the decision “opens Pandora’s box,” creating uncertainty over whether mailed ballots are final and how states should regulate ballot handling under election-day rules.
In a separate election case, the Court also asked the Trump administration to weigh in on whether it should hear a Republican appeal seeking to enforce Pennsylvania’s requirement that mail-in ballots include a handwritten date on the outer envelope. The appeal challenges a lower court ruling that blocked enforcement of the requirement, finding it violated constitutional protections for the right to vote.
Ashe in America: People are dooming out over this decision, but if you reframe the goal (correctly) as putting the government back into its constitutional boxes, then the decision is encouraging:
The court saying it won’t legislate from the Bench is a good thing in the big picture. The decision feels disappointing — but advocates arguing that it’s a good read on the facts, the evidence, and the law. That’s good!
The pressure should be put on Congress to pass Clay Higgins’ mail ballot act, too. And in the states, the people should have the power to force the state legislatures to run real elections.
We are not powerless, they just want us to think we are.
Trump Touts Meeting With Iran in Doha While Iran Offers Contradictions
President Donald Trump said Monday that Iran requested a meeting with the United States and announced talks would take place Tuesday in Doha, Qatar. The White House said Special Envoy Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner would travel to Doha for discussions aimed at advancing implementation of the U.S.-Iran memorandum of understanding.
Iran, however, publicly contradicted the announcement. Foreign Ministry spokesman Esmaeil Baqaei said no negotiations with the United States were scheduled “at any level” in the coming days, though he confirmed an Iranian delegation would travel to Doha for technical discussions related to implementing the existing agreement.
The differing public statements come after renewed military exchanges in the Strait of Hormuz challenged the recently established ceasefire, even as both sides continue diplomatic efforts aimed at preventing further escalation.
GhostofBasedPatrickHenry: It looks like we are going back to this game of “Chicken,” where one side acts like they aren’t going, then shows up at the last minute. It would appear that this theory is bound to be tested, given the fact that Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner are ostensibly en route to Qatar.
I think we will see President Trump’s public relationship with Iran improve dramatically, even if both sides consistently exchange threats and are told that both sides are bombing one another.
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Supreme Court Expands Trump’s Authority Over Executive Agencies
The US Supreme Court on Monday handed President Trump a major victory, ruling 6-3 that presidents have broad authority to remove Senate-confirmed leaders of executive branch agencies. The decision overturns a 91-year-old precedent that allowed Congress to limit a president’s firing power to cases involving “inefficiency, neglect of duty, or malfeasance in office.”
In a separate 5-4 decision, however, the Court declined to immediately back Trump’s effort to remove Federal Reserve Governor Lisa Cook The justices sent the case back to a lower court, allowing Cook to remain in her position while the legal challenge continues.
The ruling does not bar Trump from ultimately removing Cook, but it rejects the administration’s argument that courts have little authority to review such a decision. The outcome temporarily preserves the Federal Reserve’s independence as litigation moves forward.
Burning Bright: Ever since I wrote the Righteous Russia series in 2022, I’ve been using the ‘Power is Power’ refrain I borrowed from Game of Thrones as a translation layer that sums up what I see as the core dialectic writ large across the geopolitical battlespace where it concerns the theorized Sovereign Alliance and the Globalist Hegemon they stand opposed to.
But let’s take a break from the geopolitical and focus in on the Power Paradigm where it concerns Donald Trump’s domestic mandate.
Certainly this audience is a part of that mandate, which we view as relatively ironclad.
And yet, one of the great paradoxes of the 2026 Narrative Cycle lies in the fact that we’re being told by many to prize the results of the Midterm Elections above all other developments when it seems to me Trump has been doing everything in his power to demonstrate in no uncertain terms that Congress (and yes, that includes the Uniparty GOP) is not just acting as a retardant (see what I did there?) to his agenda, but have revealed themselves as being diametrically opposed to its implementation.
Tell me ... if the GOP currently ‘controls’ Congress, and if controlling Congress is paramount to implementing the MAGA agenda ... why is Donald Trump, our President focusing on shoring up Presidential authority in direct opposition to that claim, and those who back it?
Who is the true Invisible Enemy?
Are they hiding in plain sight?
GART 12 in Deadwood was Epic! Catch the Replay with a Virtual Ticket!
For the third year in a row, Badlands Media returned to Deadwood, South Dakota for a 3-day patriot-packed event with our hosts and the Badlands community. The event was a blast, and loaded with great content. Click here to access the replay!
Eastern Europe is a Powder Keg, Ukraine is a Match
Germany is preparing legislation that could restore mandatory military service next year if voluntary recruitment falls short, while Poland has continued strengthening security measures along its border with Germany. The developments come as European governments continue adjusting defense and border policies amid the ongoing war in Ukraine.
Meanwhile, Russia claimed it is expanding military operations in western Ukraine and accused NATO of supporting Ukrainian strikes on Russian airfields. Russian officials also alleged links between Ukrainian forces and Mexican drug cartels.
GhostofBasedPatrickHenry: A lot of these stories feel so goofy. Ukraine working with the Mexican cartels. Germany bringing back conscription. Poland about to be invaded. Any of these headlines would be considered surreal if they happened in isolation. These crazy headlines now form a constellation of insanity and satire that undermine the verisimilitude of the entire narrative.
In any event, Eastern Europe is making itself into a powder keg, all because of Ukraine.
All of these countries claim to be on the same team, militarily, and working together in the race to restore military power projection to Europe. And yet, it feels like they are all in an arms race against one another.
RNC Sues Colorado Over Overseas Voting Rules
The Republican National Committee (RNC), along with two Colorado Republican officials, has filed a lawsuit against Colorado Secretary of State Jena Griswold, challenging a policy that allows certain US citizens living overseas to register and vote in Colorado elections.
The case, filed in Denver District Court, includes Douglas County Clerk Sheri Davis and US Rep. Jeff Crank as co-plaintiffs. It targets state guidance interpreting the federal Uniformed and Overseas Citizens Absentee Voting Act (UOCAVA), which permits some citizens abroad to register in Colorado even if they have never lived in the state, so long as a parent, guardian, spouse, or domestic partner previously resided there.
The lawsuit argues this violates Colorado’s constitutional residency requirements, claiming that residency cannot be established through family ties and that individuals who have never personally lived in the state do not qualify as residents under the state constitution. It seeks to block the policy and remove affected voters from the rolls.
Ashe in America: While I am always supportive of suing Jena Griswold, I’m skeptical about this lawsuit because of who is bringing it.
Sheri Davis is my county clerk, and she is a fraud denier. Remember when I called my clerk about the Konnech scandal and the office told me that everything was fine because the vendor said there were no Chinese servers in our elections? Setting aside the fact that Chinese servers were not the allegation — Chinese access was the allegation and the evidence supported it — that was Sheri Davis’ office.
In addition to Davis, we have Jeff Crank, the congressman from Colorado’s fifth district, who thinks he is a champion of election integrity because he voted for the Save America Act. He gave me a word salad when I asked him why we should be paying taxes, and his 2026 campaign has mainly centered on his expansive spending priorities.
Then we have the RNC… they’ve been super huge advocates for the people and their elections, right?
Now consider that the plaintiffs are bringing this lawsuit during the election period on the eve of the Colorado primary “election day.” The timing alone almost ensures that the suit will fail.
I know it’s enjoyable to hear that Jena Griswold got sued; however, if the suit is political bolstering willingly brought despite the knowledge that it will likely fail, then isn’t that an abuse of the legal process? I would say so.
Establishmentarians are easy to spot once you notice the calling cards: A portfolio of half measures and an overt disdain for the People and their desired outcomes.
If you’re in Colorado, happy Primary Election Day! It’s certain to get weird…
BONUS ITEMS
Federal Grand Jury Probes Neville Roy Singham’s Multimillion-Dollar Network Over Alleged Financial Crimes
A federal grand jury in Manhattan is investigating China-based tech tycoon Neville Roy Singham for potential financial crimes tied to the massive funding of socialist, communist, and Marxist organizations across the United States over the past decade.
The probe, initiated by U.S. Attorney Jay Clayton for the Southern District of New York and authorized by Acting U.S. Attorney General Todd Blanche, focuses on possible wire fraud, bank fraud, money laundering, and related violations within Singham’s funding web. Prosecutors have issued subpoenas for bank records and financial documents from organizations in the network.
The grand jury action comes after a Fox News Digital investigation in mid-March that exposed how Singham routed hundreds of millions from his Shanghai base into U.S. nonprofits, media outlets, and activist groups promoting identity politics, sectarian division, and socialist causes.
Singham allegedly moved approximately $278 million from Shanghai through three primary channels:
$164,040,000 to Mutod LLC, a now-defunct shell company established in 2017 in Chicago.
$110,376,701 to the GS Donor Advised Philanthropy Fund For Wealth Management Inc., Goldman Sachs’ philanthropy arm in New York City.
$3,500,000 to Likewise Conceptions LLC, another now-defunct shell set up in 2017 in Crystal Lake, Illinois.
These entities then directed the funds into six key nonprofits:
$167,540,000 to People’s Support Foundation Ltd. (Chicago-based 501(c)(3) with Singham’s wife on the board).
$68,748,701 to Justice and Education Fund Inc. (New York 501(c)(3) with self-described communists on the board).
$22,440,000 to People’s Forum Inc. (New York 501(c)(3)).
$16,760,000 to Tricontinental Ltd. (Massachusetts 501(c)(3) founded by Marxist activist Vijay Prashad).
$1,330,000 to CodePink Women For Peace (founded by Singham’s wife and ally Medea Benjamin).
$1,098,000 to Breakthrough BT Media Inc. (pro-communist outlet linked to longtime activist Brian Becker’s network).
These nonprofits reportedly funneled at least $223 million, plus additional support, into a broader global network, including the People’s Welfare Association (a 501(c)(4) channeling grants worldwide), the ANSWER Coalition, the Party for Socialism and Liberation, and various unidentified groups.
Sources indicate Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent met with Goldman Sachs Chairman and CEO David Solomon earlier this year in New York. Bessent reportedly delivered a direct message urging cooperation with investigators and warning of potential scrutiny over the firm’s philanthropy fund’s role in moving Singham’s money.
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Ashe -- thank you for your commentary on the mail in ballot decision. We, the people, need to stand up now and act with the power of the people.
The founding fathers set up our government to have a series of checks and balances to keep government "honest" so to speak. As I read of the SCOTUS rulings, it seems that this is a restoration of some checks and balances. Maybe I'm wrong, but that is how I see it.
Eastern Europe -- this looks like a bunch of toddlers trying to learn how to protect their toys. Proves that NATO really is a paper tiger. Had each country actually participated in NATO over all these years, then this nonsense wouldn't be happening.
Gotta love reading about the crazy world we live in. Let the exposure continue at all levels.
Ashe, I agree completely that, while the mail-in ballot decision was disappointing at first blush, the Court argued reasonably on the Constitution's requirements. Congress can fix this, and must. The politicization of the SCOTUS has been a direct result of Congress' expectation the Court would do what our elected legislators were afraid to tackle.