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.
Kyle Kirkwood Dominates for Historic, Star-Spangled Victory in DC
Kyle Kirkwood won the inaugural Freedom 250 Grand Prix of Washington, D.C., on Sunday, taking the first INDYCAR race staged around the National Mall.
Kirkwood drove the No. 27 Andretti Global Honda to a 3.0906-second victory over Arrow McLaren’s Christian Lundgaard. Kirkwood led 128 of 147 laps. Andretti teammates Will Power and Marcus Ericsson finished third and fourth, while Chip Ganassi Racing’s Kyffin Simpson finished fifth.
Championship leader Alex Palou finished 20th after a drive-through penalty stemming from contact with another competitor’s wheel during a pit stop. He later crashed on Lap 123 after INDYCAR said his car suffered a broken toe link following earlier contact with a wall. The result cut Kirkwood’s championship deficit to Palou from 133 points to 91 with three races remaining.
President Donald Trump waved the green flag to start the race, and U.S. Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy waved the checkered flag at the finish, according to INDYCAR. The series reported two-day attendance of 215,000.
GhostofBasedPatrickHenry: We always like to start the week off on a light note, especially when President Trump hosts inaugural sporting events in DC.
The Freedom 250 Grand Prix was first announced by President Trump back on January 30th, when he signed an Executive Order authorizing the race. In March, the circuit and logo were unveiled.
Melania Trump introduced a custom-made Indy Car last week during a speech unveiling a new plan to help foster children.
The First Lady explained yesterday that her father was an avid car enthusiast and introduced her to racing when she was young.
Of course, President Trump waved the green flag to start the race.
As for the race, it was the first open-wheel car race in Washington, DC. While there was Grand Prix held in 2002, it featured sport cars rather than true open-wheel racers. This just goes to show President Trump’s commitment to bringing real sport back to the American mythos. Turning DC into a racetrack has probably been the best use of that godforsaken city in years.
The fact that an American driver won this race is a big deal, as open-wheeled racing is a mainstream sport in Europe and therefore European drivers have a cultural advantage when it comes to opportunity. Formula 1 is different from Indy Car in a number of ways, but both feature the same general body design that maximizes speed and is also far more dangerous than the traditional American racecar. So to see an American (Kyle Kirkwood) win it in the inaugural year is like watching that American MMA fighter (Justin Gaethje) defeat the Georgian-Spanish World Champion (Ilia Topuria) at the America 250 MMA fight on the Fourth of July. Just too perfect.
Supreme Court Allows Trump’s Ballroom to Continue… For Now
Chief Justice John Roberts on Friday temporarily allowed construction on President Donald Trump’s White House ballroom project to continue while the Supreme Court considers the administration’s request to block a lower-court injunction.
Roberts’ August 21 order stayed the preliminary injunction issued by the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia “pending further order” from the chief justice or the Supreme Court. The order did not resolve the underlying dispute over the legality of the project. (U.S. Supreme Court, Aug. 21, 2026)
The injunction had barred above-ground construction of the proposed ballroom while allowing work on below-ground national-security facilities and construction necessary to protect those facilities, the president and the White House complex.
The Trump administration asked the Supreme Court for a stay on August 13. In its filing, the administration described the project as an integrated military complex that includes a secure ballroom and national-security facilities and argued that construction should continue for security reasons.
The administration said construction began October 20, 2025, and told the court that the structure extends five stories underground and incorporates bomb shelters, medical facilities and other hardened security features. It also said the project was 65% complete and that approximately $400 million in private donations were funding the ballroom portion.
The case was brought by the National Trust for Historic Preservation and is pending at the Supreme Court as National Park Service, et al. v. National Trust for Historic Preservation in the United States, No. 26A203.
Ashe in America: The President is renovating the not-so-secret complex beneath the White House as part of the ballroom project, and the regime is trying to stop it. On Friday, the Supreme Court allowed the project to continue. Jon Herold and Chris Paul talked about it on DPH Saturday, Jon made a thread about it:
According to the many sworn statements in the filing, the ballroom is critical to US national security and continuity of government.
Because the ballroom is a matter of national security, the Supreme Court told the lower courts to pound sand on their obstruction and unnecessary delays.
You know what else is a matter of national security? Fake elections.
Last week I published, “DOJ brought the wrong case against the right target”, arguing that the DOJ should have brought the Colorado voter roll case from a national security standpoint.
Fake voters result in fake ballots that are fake counted to give us fake results. Fake elections are arguably (outside of continuity of government though the two are not mutually exclusive) the gravest matter of national security.
The DOJ brought the right argument with the ballroom and won.
Now do elections.
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US-Canada Deal Collapses at 11th Hour as Carney Goes All in Ahead of Midterms
New U.S. tariffs on Canadian goods took effect Saturday after trade negotiations between the United States and Canada failed to produce a final agreement, prompting Ottawa to announce plans for retaliatory tariffs.
President Donald Trump had signed three proclamations July 20 imposing additional 50% duties on specified Canadian alcoholic beverages, dairy products and motor vehicles under Section 338 of the Tariff Act of 1930. The White House subsequently postponed their effective date until 12:01 a.m. EDT on August 22 while negotiations continued.
The U.S. Trade Representative said Canada declined to finalize terms agreed to earlier in the week, accusing Ottawa of introducing new demands and reversing previous commitments.
Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney said the U.S. measures amounted to a 50% tariff on roughly C$28 billion of Canadian goods. He announced that Canada would respond “dollar for dollar,” with counter-tariffs concentrated on products including steel, dairy, appliances, agricultural equipment, pulp and paper, and electronics. The Canadian government said the measures would take effect the Tuesday after Labour Day.
Trump escalated his criticism of Canada on Sunday, writing on Truth Social that the country wanted “the benefits of being a State, without being one” and accusing Canada of imposing large tariffs on American farmers. The Truth Social page itself was not accessible through the browser; the remarks were independently reproduced by news organizations Sunday.
Burning Bright: RUGGED!
We got rugged on the Canada deal!
But it’s only going to get funnier from here.
Last week, if you’ll recall, I wrote a take all about how Canada’s SEEMING capitulation to Donald Trump’s trade demands (meaning our trade demands) was the latest example of the successful application of Trump’s Power Paradigm, which, in keepng with his refreshed Pax Americana Doctrine is all about reminding the world (particularly the West) that, if you don’t have the sort of things that guarantee sovereignty, then you can’t really call yourself a sovereign.
What are those things?
Self-sufficiency when it comes to domestic production, something of value to trade for other things of value (that’s called reciprocal trade,) and the ability to defend the things you make and the things you trade, in addition to your so-called sovereign territory and lives.
Obviously, there are a lot of Western nations at present who BELIEVE they can do all of those things, when they can usually only do one or two of the three.
When it comes to the triple threats, there are only a few nations that check all the boxes, and obviously, the United States tops the list.
Which makes the position (both literal and figurative) of our noisy neighbor to the north somewhat dubious in the Age of Trump, which is to say, the Age of Sovereignty.
You see, Canada has actually been levying tariffs (of a sort) on the US for decades, with American Presidents railing on their import duties and de facto hard caps on US imports since the 1970s, particularly when it comes to dairy.
This is why it’s been so funny to see Trump borrowing that ‘reciprocal’ term from the Globalists and wielding it against them sans faux politeness; our trade has never been reciprocal with Canada in the modern age, and Mark Carney, the current Clown Prince up there knows it.
So, what’s Carney’s play here ... and what is Trump’s?
Well, it seems the former is taking a page out of the rest of the Collectorate’s playbook, as well as the American Deep State Dems and yes, even the so-called GOP ... each of whom and ALL of whom seem dead set on turning up the pressure on Trump from within in order to shake his core mandate ahead of the Midterm Elections, where any major loss of Congressional control by his so-called party would be spun by all of the above as a repudiation on said mandate.
This is a good thing, as it means ALL the never-Trump players on the board, whether they be self-described Democrats, self-described Republicans or self-described Canadians (whatever that is) are converging in the collective mind, and against one man and one movement, which happens to be the most dominant movement among sovereign-minded people not just in America, but around the world.
Make no mistake, Carney THINKS he can wait Trump out (which is to say, he thinks he can wait out the economic pain of his own people) through November.
So do the Democrats.
So do the Republicans.
So does everyone, it seems.
But Trump isn’t blinking, isn’t flinching and frankly (and as I’ve argued all year) doesn’t seem to give two shits about the Midterms.
So what happens after November?
And when does Canada bend the knee for real?
There is no King in the North.
Only a Pretender on a soon-to-be-frozen throne.
Saudi Arabia, Turkey, & Pakistan Invite Iran and Syria to Join Mecca Agreement
Saudi Arabia, Turkey and Pakistan’s new collective-defense agreement could expand to additional regional countries, with Syria publicly considering membership and an Iranian official saying Tehran has also received an invitation.
Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan and Pakistani Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif signed the Mecca Joint Defence Agreement on Aug. 7. The agreement says an armed attack against one of the three countries will be considered an attack against all of them.
Erdogan said the pact is based on collective deterrence and will expand security and defense cooperation and joint defense-industry projects. He said the agreement targets no country and is open to participation by other countries seeking peace, prosperity and stability in the region.
Syrian Foreign Minister Asaad al-Shaibani said during a visit to Islamabad that Damascus is studying whether to join the agreement but has not made a final decision. Pakistan’s state broadcaster reported Aug. 20 that Shaibani welcomed the signing of the pact during talks with Pakistani officials.
Iran also has reportedly been invited to consider membership. The Jerusalem Post reported Aug. 23, citing Al Mayadeen, that Mehdi Rahimi, head of the Iranian parliament’s Khaneh Mellat news agency, said Iran had received an invitation and that the proposal was under review. The reported invitation had not been officially confirmed by Iran’s Foreign Ministry or by Saudi Arabia, Turkey or Pakistan as of Aug. 23.
GhostofBasedPatrickHenry: What else is there to say? Do we really need any further evidence that a new security architecture has emerged in the Middle East, which will create stability and prosperity for the region? Was there ever any doubt such a system would necessitate the inclusion of Iran?
And why wouldn’t it? Because Israel said so? Iran has to be a part of it in order for it to work. Otherwise you will just end up having more conflict, eventually. And before some losers try to tell you that this is bad because the Muslims are gonna come and get us, remember that the three countries that created this pact are all loyal friends of President Trump and those same losers were saying last week that this alliance was going to be used against Iran.
At some point we have to realize that these losers have absolutely no idea what they are talking about, or are simply bold-faced liars who are hellbent on seeing the world fall into chaos and forever war.
PS - Had to do it. Sorry not sorry.
Trump Admin Recommends Stripping ABA of Law School Oversight Authority
U.S. Department of Education staff have recommended withdrawing federal recognition from the American Bar Association council that accredits U.S. law schools, a step that could end a federal role the organization has held for more than seven decades. The recommendation does not itself revoke the council’s recognition.
The Council of the ABA Section of Legal Education and Admissions to the Bar has been federally recognized as an accrediting agency since 1952. The Education Department says its recognition covers programs leading to the first professional law degree, including programs offered through distance education, as well as freestanding law schools.
Federal recognition has financial-aid implications for some institutions. The department says freestanding law schools may use ABA council accreditation to establish eligibility to participate in federal Title IV student-aid programs.
The staff recommendation is one stage in the federal review process. NACIQI makes recommendations on recognition of accrediting agencies, while the assistant secretary for postsecondary education makes a recognition decision after considering the committee’s recommendation, the staff recommendation and other evidence in the record.
The action comes as the Trump administration pursues broader changes to higher-education accreditation. The Education Department on Aug. 19 proposed regulations it said would increase competition among accreditors, limit the influence of private trade associations and address accreditation policies involving immutable characteristics.
The ABA council continues to describe itself as the Education Department-recognized accreditor for J.D. programs while the federal recognition process proceeds.
Ashe in America: ““The association has had government approval to oversee law schools since 1952, but agency staff said its next renewal bid should be denied because of alleged conflicts of interest.” — Politico
The Trump Administration has been dismantling the shadow governance system since they got into office, and the ABA is a huge part of that work in the judicial domain.
The ABA is an unelected NGO with no meaningful oversight from any authority that is accountable to the people. But they’ve held decision rights over the “justice” system and its officers of the court. The ABA wields the power to destroy legal careers — just ask John Eastman, Jeffrey Clark, Rachel Alexander, and all the other lawyers that were targeted and destroyed by the bar for defending the Republic in the wake of November 3, 2020.
If this season has taught us anything about the ABA, it’s that they are extremely selective in the application of sanctions. Since the government previously outsourced their decision rights over “justice” to the ABA in 1952, there is an argument to be made that they’re operating as proxy for the government (and weaponizing it).
1952… The post war rules based order is when our government sold us out and gave away our decision rights. We need to reclaim them, and it seems we are.
The way to defeat the invisible enemy is to reclaim our decision rights from its proxies, like the ABA, and it looks like that is what the administration is doing, bit by bit.
Some institutions don’t need to be reformed.
They need to be abolished.
I hope that’s where this is going.
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AIPAC (and its Declining Reputation) Takes Center Stage in Michigan Senate Race
Allies of Republican Michigan Senate nominee Mike Rogers have asked AIPAC not to advertise on his behalf as he campaigns against Democratic nominee Abdul El-Sayed, Axios reported Saturday. The request has produced tensions between Rogers’ team and the pro-Israel organization, according to people familiar with their discussions.
Rogers spoke with AIPAC Chair Michael Tuchin in Los Angeles, and the organization shelved an already-produced advertisement targeting El-Sayed the following day, Axios reported. AIPAC and affiliated groups had spent more than $30 million seeking to defeat El-Sayed during the Democratic primary and were prepared to spend millions more supporting Rogers in the general election, according to people familiar with the conversations.
After El-Sayed won the Aug. 4 primary, AIPAC told Rogers’ allies it wanted to continue its advertising effort into the general election. Rogers’ allies instead urged the organization to participate without prominently attaching its name to the effort, Axios reported. Options discussed included directing AIPAC donors to a pro-Rogers super PAC or a joint fundraising organization established by Rogers’ campaign and national Republicans.
Rogers publicly told Axios that he welcomed support from the pro-Israel community. AIPAC spokesperson Deryn Sousa said the organization’s members were highly motivated to participate in the race and were considering ways to make their case against El-Sayed.
GhostofBasedPatrickHenry: Everything now in American politics revolves around Israel. This is something that I saw coming years ago.
The reason is simple: The Israel issue represents so many different facets of politics, aside from the obvious religious issue. It represents a foreign lobby controlling the US government, the NeoCon foreign policy platform, the forever war agenda, and the question of sovereignty and self-governance (for both the American and Palestinian people), just to name a few.
Supporting Israel is now becoming a toxic position for any candidate, Republican or Democrat, for different reasons but it also highlights the despicable fact that American politicians have all sold their souls to a foreign country and are now selling out the American People.
The reason supporting Israel is now such a losing proposition for any candidate is because the American People are sick and tired of seeing everyone else in the world prioritized over our own people by our government, and for whatever reason the GOP seems fully prepared to die on the “I stand with Israel” hill. (The reason is because they are completely owned by the Israel lobby.)
From the politicians’ standpoint, they will continue supporting Israel even to the detriment of their political career because as soon as that career in Congress is over, they migrate over to the private sector are start making real money, and those opportunities will likely be taken from them if they abandon their donors before leaving office. It really is that simple.
The American public needs to wake up to the sobering reality that the GOP hates you as much as the Democrats do, and are just as eager to sell you down the river if it means they get a golden parachute out of public life. President Trump is doing us all a favor by bear-hugging the problem and exposing it to the world. It is now becoming undeniable how pervasive this issue is and how destructive it will be if left unchecked.
Yes, elections are fake and gay until proven otherwise. However, one benefit of going through the motions on this election season is the forced humiliation of these candidates who have adopted positions that are becoming increasingly indefensible. (And most of these politicians are idiots who can’t think on their feet to save their life.)
You will never have your country back as long as these foreign lobbies (particularly the Israel lobby) is allowed to continue to operate with impunity in DC.
BONUS ITEMS
Badlands Blitz Episode 30
On the latest Badlands Blitz, GhostofBasedPatrickHenry and Burning Bright managed to tell a coherent story tying together Joe Kennedy, 1920s American Crime Syndicates, World War 2, the Russian Mafia, Kim Jong Un & Kanye West en route to proving that Donald Trump is Batman.
Again.
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Affirmative Action got a whole lot of people a whole lot of undeserved degrees, like PhDs and JDs. Does anyone actually believe that Barack Obama, Michelle Obama, or Ben Crump actually took and passed the bar exam? Barack turned in his law license about the same time Michelle was court-ordered to give hers up. The story is that she got caught trying to run an insurance scam for Barry. Read her Princeton thesis if you want to learn her level of intelligence. As to Crump, listen to him try to speak or, for that matter, Obama since he no longer has a speechwriter.
Indy Car Racing -- that is fun. We need fun every once in a while.
Canada -- trying to wear long pants when their adherence to the Crown requires them to still be wearing short pants. Some day, Canada, when you grow up and attain your own sovereignty, then you can wear long pants. Until then, you are just silly in your efforts to join the adult table.
While I like the Mecca agreement and its possibilities while Trump is in office.....what happens when we are in a new administration which isn't friendly towards this group? Have we set up a pact that could retaliate against us? Prognosticating the future is exceedingly difficult, but a question to throw out there.
I vote for no lobbyists ever - whether foreign or domestic. They should be considered an enemy of the state. I vote for no "institutions" like the ABA. I know that this country would perform much better if we lost all the weight that these groups put on the nation. Kind of like Weight-Watchers for the nation.