Badlands Brief
Weaponization Woes & Bailing on the Bromance
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 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.
Ashe in America: 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.
GhostofBasedPatrickHenry: "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”
Burning Bright: 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.
Ashe in America: 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.
GhostofBasedPatrickHenry: 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.
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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
GhostofBasedPatrickHenry and Burning Bright 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!
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While many normies have come around, I am of the opinion that Trump's comms and symbolic way of communicating is too complicated for them, so they default to social media or if older, mainstream media, like Fox News. I think that is the reason why this is taking forever. Many normies don't even know the point of Trump's tariffs nor understand its purpose. One thing I will say is that the President's psyops are working, even if they don't understand that for the last decade, psyops are the name of the game.
I think the story about the President's phone call with Netanyahu is partially true: yes he did explode at Bibi, but I don't think it was every other word an expletive. I also believe the intent of the story was teofold-the President's anger at Bibi's continued attacks on Iran's proxies are ruining the peace talks and the rug pull on the likes of Tucker Carlson and his gang of four insisting to large audiences that Israel controls the President. As Israel's behavior becomes more erratic and Trump's very real attempts to get Israel to stop attacking its neighbors, those insisting that Israel controls the President will have to think twice, while the public can see that it isn't the President who is, but Congress and the media who are.
I also think that Israel has already submitted and Bibi is acting according to a script. When Q said "Saving Israel for last", was Q referring to reality or optically? If optically, as everything else seems to be, then IMO Israel has already been taken over and is acting to show the world the real reason for the instability in the Middle East and to show the world that the government of Israel isn't Jewish but Zionist. I also think the world will learn the roots of radical Islam, which isn't the Quran, but part of the world takeover by Zionism, using both Israel and Ukraine as proxy states. As a result, Congress and the media will finally be exposed as traitors with loyalty to another country and this may happen before the midterms. Wouldn't it be an interesting October Surprise to expose radical Islam for what it is: not Islam, but the military for Zionism and that one goal of this is to destroy women and make them irrelevant? At some point, this will come out and my hope that it will come out before the midterm elections. Why is Trump so smug when talking about the midterms and the RINOs?
Good morning:
Iran/Venezuela model -- This is the most "unwar" war that I have seen. I've seen enough in my lifetime to know that this is unusual. And I am thankful that young men from our country are not being sacrificed on the altar of war-mongering. I continue to watch to see how the next step goes.
Tyler Robinson -- I cannot imagine how anyone could believe he was the one who killed Kirk. However, sheep are sheep and they will follow where people lead them.
Weaponization reparations: I can just see DJT sending her a personal check for reparations --or paying her tax bill himself.
The motives of the enemy are being made clearer and clearer every day. At some point there can be no more denial of the truth.
Acceleration is at hand.