Badlands Brief
African Acceleration, Powell's Replacement, & MEGA Democracy
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 Nominates ‘Fraud Czar’ to DOJ as House GOP Unveils MEGA Act Election Overhaul
President Donald Trump announced late on January 28, 2026, the nomination of Colin McDonald to a Department of Justice role focused on combating fraud against taxpayers and federal programs. The role is described as targeting large-scale misuse of federal funds and related financial crimes.
Trump confirmed the nomination publicly through social media, and the substance of the announcement was corroborated by national news outlets. Primary reporting did not describe the position as limited to election fraud, though election-related financial crimes may fall within its scope.
“I am pleased to nominate Colin McDonald to serve as the first ever Assistant Attorney General for National FRAUD Enforcement, a new Division at the Department of Justice, which I created to catch and stop FRAUDSTERS that have been STEALING from the American People. My Administration has uncovered Fraud schemes in States like Minnesota and California, where these thieves have stolen Hundreds of Billions of Taxpayer Dollars. Colin McDonald is a very Smart, Tough, and Highly Respected AMERICA FIRST Federal Prosecutor who has successfully delivered Justice in some of the most difficult and high stakes cases our Country has ever seen. Together, we will END THE FRAUD, and RESTORE INTEGRITY to our Federal Programs. Congratulations Colin — STOP THE SCAMS!”
Separately, House Republicans unveiled new federal election legislation known as the MEGA Act on January 29, 2026. The proposal would establish nationwide standards for federal elections, including voter identification requirements, citizenship verification measures, changes to mail-in voting rules, and restrictions on ballot harvesting.
Jon Herold: Make Elections Great Again...
...Just not until 2027
The Make Elections Great Again Act is available to read and unfortunately, for those of you who believe elected officials can and will actually fix the fraudulent election system that those same election officials benefit from, it has a massive problem.
The effective date for most of the key provisions isn’t until 2027—AFTER YOUR PRECIOUS MIDTERMS
We just got major news out of Fulton County relating to election fraud. How timely for the uniparty to placate you ahead of the midterms with an election integrity solution using something that won’t actually matter for the midterms.
REQUIRING PHOTO ID FOR VOTING: “This section and the amendments made by this section shall apply with respect to elections for Federal office held in 2027 or any succeeding year.”
COMPUTERIZED STATEWIDE VOTER REGISTRATION LIST REQUIREMENTS: “...on and after January 1, 2027.”
REQUIREMENTS FOR APPLICANTS WHO REGISTER BY MAIL: “...on and after January 1, 2027.”
RECEIPT, PROCESSING, AND COUNTING OF ABSENTEE AND MAIL-IN BALLOTS: “This section shall apply with respect to elections for Federal office held in 2027 or any succeeding year.”
***
Burning Bright: The 2020 Election Fraud narrative never died for some of us.
And now, as 2026 dawns, we witness the first unmistakable merging of Narrative and Actual in a way that threatens to shatter long-held illusions on a mass scale.
To wit, on the back of the Fulton County raid, the deployment itself is the signal. After years of Narrative-only, an Actual probe pierces the battlespace in the heart of one of the most contested counties in modern electoral history.
And it is followed immediately by a second, more enduring Actual: President Trump’s creation of a new Fraud Enforcement Division at the Department of Justice, with the nomination of Colin McDonald as its inaugural Assistant Attorney General.
It’s not about scams. It’s about exposing systems as anathema to sovereign will.
Which brings us neatly to the temporal mirror Trump is holding up.
As the 2020 fraud narrative accelerates into Actual territory, Trump and his administration are boosting retroactive disclosures about 2016—declassifications exposing what is now framed as an Obama-era conspiracy to manufacture Russia collusion intelligence, to undermine faith in Trump’s legitimate victory through fabricated ties to foreign powers.
We’ve known about this, of course, as the parallels are impossible to ignore for any mind willing to map them.
Taken together, these are not separate scandals, but rather chapters from the same playbook—a System of Systems deploying intelligence apparatus, both domestic and foreign to stage managed (i.e., ‘smooth’) transitions of power.
American Manchurian Candidates. Color revolutions at home.
We see the same shadow mechanisms at work globally, with the NGO industrial complex and its color revolution template exported and then re-imported amidst the collusion between state and non-state actors to subvert the will of would-be sovereigns.
And all of this converges against a very specific backdrop.
In Minnesota—the epicenter of recent fraud exposures that helped ignite Trump’s new division—we witnessed the rapid mobilization of protests, NGO-orchestrated unrest and, yes, a domestic insurgency.
Meanwhile, election officials in Georgia begin preemptively framing any coming justice campaign as dictatorial overreach.
They don’t fear what we’ve been calling for. They fear what some are only now daring to believe possible.
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Venezuelan Re-Normalization: That Was Quick!
President Donald Trump said Thursday that the United States would reopen commercial airspace over Venezuela, following the US military’s capture of Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro on January 3. The President instructed US officials, including the Transportation Secretary and military leaders, to enable the reopening, and said Americans would soon be able to travel to Venezuela.
American Airlines announced it plans to resume direct flights between the United States and Venezuela for the first time in over six years, pending government authority approval and security assessments.
American’s Chief Commercial Officer Nat Pieper said in a statement, “We have a more than 30-year history connecting Venezolanos to the US, and we are ready to renew that incredible relationship. By restarting service to Venezuela, American will offer customers the opportunity to reunite with families and create new business and commerce with the United States.”
Following Maduro’s capture, the US government eased certain sanctions on Venezuela’s oil sector with a general license that authorizes US firms to purchase, sell, transport, store, market, and refine Venezuelan-origin crude oil, but does not cover new production or lifting sanctions on production activities.
Also Thursday, Venezuela’s Acting President Delcy Rodriguez signed an overhaul of the nation’s hydrocarbons law to open the oil industry to foreign and private investment after the measure passed the National Assembly.
The normalization efforts in Venezuela follow Secretary of State Marco Rubio’s testimony before the Senate Foreign Relations Committee Wednesday. The Secretary told the committee that Venezuela’s new leaders were moving toward closer ties with Washington and said there was no immediate need for further US military action.
“The authorities there deserve some credit. They have passed a new hydrocarbon law that basically eradicates many of the Chavez era restrictions on private investment in the oil industry. It probably doesn’t go far enough to attract sufficient investment, but it’s a big step from where they were three weeks ago. So that’s a major change,” the Secretary said.
GhostofBasedPatrickHenry: So it would appear that Venezuela is being activated, as the decades-long persecution of Hugo Chavez and Nicolas Maduro comes to a head.
Delcy Rodriguez is signing seals allowing foreign investors to participate in their economy, as President Trump opens up the airspace to facilitate the resumption of commercial flights.
So as Delcy Rodriguez feigns contempt for Trump and the NeoCons in the GOP, she is still helping to accelerate capital investment in Venezuela.
Trump’s “arrest” of Maduro allowed Rodriguez to put the government into a state of continuity, which I think may have fortified it against subsequent attempts to overthrow it. Now Trump and Rodriguez can focus on kickstarting their economy and bringing them up to speed so they too can join the Golden Age.
Trade Deficit Surges, Markets React as Trump to Announce Fed Chair Replacement
Speaking at the premiere of Melania Thursday, President Donald Trump said that he would announce a replacement for Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell on Friday morning. Powell’s term as chair is up on May 15, 2026.
The US Census Bureau and the US Bureau of Economic Analysis released the US International Trade in Goods and Services Thursday, showing the US trade deficit increased 94.6% from October to November, amid ongoing trade and tariff negotiations. Financial media reported that the deficit in October 2025 was the lowest since 2009.
Oil prices rose more than 2% Thursday, with some reports citing gains of over 3%, as markets reacted to reports that Trump was weighing possible military strikes on Iran.
In contrast, US software stocks sold off sharply on Thursday, with ServiceNow shares falling around 11%, amid investor concerns that artificial intelligence could disrupt traditional software business models. Apple Inc. reported results for its first fiscal quarter of 2026, showing strong overall performance driven by rebounding iPhone sales in Greater China, and mixed results across other product categories.
Ashe in America: President Trump is expected to announce his nominee to replace Jerome Powell as Fed Chair today. His short list was vetted by Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent.
Kevin Warsh, a Federal Reserve Governor from 2006 to 2011, is widely regarded as the frontrunner. Warsh reportedly met with the President at the White House Thursday.
Director of the National Economic Council Kevin Hassett was the early favorite in some reports, though the President has indicated a preference to keep him in his current role.
Christopher Waller, a current Federal Reserve Governor, is seen as providing continuity. Waller was appointed during President Trump’s first term.
Finally, there is Rick Rieder, BlackRock’s Chief Investment Officer for Global Fixed Income and Chief Bond Investment Manager, though some reports Thursday alleged Rieder was informed he would not receive the nomination.
All of the nominees indicate support for the cutting interest rates–a major point of contention between the President and Chairman Powell. The President has claimed that Powell’s policies have obstructed his economic strategy.
Sounds like that will soon be a thing of the past which is great.
Just pick whichever chairman is going to end the Fed, and let’s get on with the golden age.
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Africa… So Hot Right Now!
Burkina Faso acceded to the Vienna Convention on Civil Liability for Nuclear Damage, a concrete legal step cited alongside reporting on expanding nuclear cooperation with Russia. A Dubai-based industrial group reported development of a 200-MW thermal power plant in Burkina Faso with an estimated ~€180 million investment.
Burkina Faso’s military government formally dissolved all political parties by decree Thursday, ordering party assets transferred to the state and repealing laws on party status, financing, and the opposition leader’s role.
Former Burkinabe President Paul-Henri Sandaogo Damiba was arrested in Togo and returned to Burkina Faso amid junta allegations of links to a coup and assassination plot.
Over in the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Corneille Nangaa, leader of the Rwanda-linked Alliance Fleuve Congo, publicly denounced the US-DRC minerals partnership as unconstitutional, a claim the DRC presidency rejected.
Agenzia Fides reports that former Congolese President Joseph Kabila was killed on January 25 in an explosion while he was meeting with representatives of a guerrilla group. The explosion is said to have killed around 40 people in addition to Kabila, though no official source has yet confirmed the former president’s death.
GhostofBasedPatrickHenry: Two of the three major conflicts in Africa we have discussed before are now reaching a fever pitch.
Putin is involved in Conflict A.
Trump is involved in Conflict B.
(The Arabs are running point in Conflict C.)
Conflict A: The Alliance of Sahel States.
The “muh democracy” folks are about to go apoplectic, because the leader of Burkina Faso, Captain Ibrahim Traore, just dissolved all political parties by executive order.
The reason he gave was that the political parties of Burkina Faso had become subversive. To be clear, there are over 100 political parties in Burkina Faso, yet only 15 currently hold seats in their parliament.
Last week, former Burkinabe President Paul-Henri Sandaogo Damiba was arrested in neighboring Togo under suspicion that he was involved in an elaborate scheme to kill Traore.
From the article, “Among the charges levelled at Damiba by Burkina Faso’s military government are “criminal embezzlement of public funds, illicit enrichment, corruption, aggravated receiving of stolen goods and money laundering”, said Togo’s justice ministry in a statement.”
Meanwhile, both Russia and the UAE are establishing power plants in Burkina Faso, with Russia preparing to build a nuclear plant while the UAE having just completed a thermal power plant.
This situation will become a case study to show how quickly a third world nation where only 20% of the population has electricity can be brought into the Golden Age at an accelerated rate.
Conflict B: Speaking of failed coups by former presidents in Africa, the disgraced former leader of the Democratic Republic of Congo, Joseph Kabila, has been accused of backing the militias that have crossed into the eastern Congo from Rwanda and seized control of the mining towns.
In 2025, Kabila was accused of aiding and abetting these rebels—the M23 Group—and charged with treason. The prosecutor sought the death penalty, and it was granted, convicting him of the failed coup in absentia.
You will also remember the countless times I have cited Kabila, as he was the president of the DRC and in office when Dan Gertler bribed his way into a relationship with Kabila.
Rumors are swirling that Kabila was killed on January 25 by a drone strike while meeting with the M23 rebels in a meeting in Uriva—the latest town that M23 took over a few months ago.
We also have Congress discussing sanctions against Rwanda—which has long been an ally of Israel and a faithful purveyor of the Zionist lifestyle.
Now we have the leader of the M23 Group publicly accusing President Trump and President Tshisekedi of violating the law with the implementation of their legal group.
One must wonder when we will hear about his support for Israel and the Zionist cause.
And to top it all off, China is now planning to move 100,000 tons of Cooper to the USA.
The Sovereign Alliance lives, and that doesn’t bode well for globalist wannabes.
White House Meets Three Times with Alberta Liberation Project; Fourth Meeting Expected
US officials from the State Department met with members of the Alberta Prosperity Project (APP) three times since April 2025 in Washington. Jeffrey Rath, co-founder and legal counsel for the APP, reportedly attended the meetings.
“The US is extremely enthusiastic about a free and independent Alberta,” Rath told Financial Times. The APP plans to send a fourth delegation to Washington next month.
The APP is seeking a $500 billion line of credit from the US government to support Alberta in the event of a successful independence referendum. No referendum has been called to date.
“The department regularly meets with civil society types. As is typical in routine meetings such as these, no commitments were made,” a spokesperson for the State Department said according to the FT report.
Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney stated he expects the US administration to respect Canadian sovereignty, noting that Trump has never raised Alberta separatism with him.
Ashe in America: It’s not surprising that the most productive part of Canada wants to leave the globalist proxy state and join the greatest nation in the history of earth. Producers on this continent have been door mats for globalists for too long, and the people are rising up.
Good.
I’m generally opposed to foreign aid, but Canadian liberation is a worthy cause–for both us and them. The fact that we can help the people of Alberta gain their Independence from Britain while securing our own interests seems like a win-win. The former is a core value; the latter is an imperative. Having the global regime on the US northern border is ostensibly our greatest national security threat.
The only loser in such a deal is greater Canada, which must grapple with losing their powerhouse province. Alberta provides 80% of Canada’s oil and 60% of their natural gas. The province accounts for most of the Canuck’s energy exports.
If Alberta wants to be part of America rather than Britain, we should help them. Other provinces may follow suit, and some of them are productive, too.
Note: Ontario remains the target location for the open air prison.
President Trump should call King Charles and make a deal.
BONUS ITEMS
Senate Funding Vote Fails, Raising Risk of Partial Government Shutdown
The US Senate failed to advance a House-passed government funding bill after a procedural vote fell short of the 60 votes required, increasing the risk of a partial government shutdown. The measure would have funded most federal agencies, including the Department of Homeland Security (DHS), but Senate Democrats opposed moving forward without changes related to immigration enforcement policy.
Following the failed vote, Senate leaders discussed separating DHS funding from the broader spending package and pursuing a short-term continuing resolution to keep DHS funded temporarily while negotiations continue. The White House and congressional leaders stated that talks were ongoing, and any revised funding measure would still require approval by both chambers of Congress to avert a shutdown.
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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.
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The news cycle is so crazy…thanks for helping us keep up to date and cut through the noise and B.S. Your efforts and time spent on research are truly appreciated. 🙏. THANK YOU!
Our Congress is so sneaky and corrupt. On the surface, they attempt to show that they are doing the right thing, but then date it to a point where it won't matter if the Democrats take over. Uniparty! Perhaps Trump will cancel the midterms after all. He may
have a mandate to do so with all of the corruption that is finally being exposed on a more visible level to the general public