Badlands Brief

Entertaining Obstruction & Artificial Shadow Wars

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.

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Appeals Court Blocks Trump Election Order, Setting Up SCOTUS Fight With Democrat-Led States

A federal appeals court has blocked key portions of President Trump’s executive order on election administration in 23 Democrat-led states, ruling the administration cannot enforce several provisions while litigation continues. The order sought to impose new federal election requirements, including proof-of-citizenship measures and restrictions affecting mail voting.

The decision preserves the injunction for the plaintiff states and sets up a likely Supreme Court showdown over the scope of presidential authority in regulating federal elections and the balance of power between the federal government and the states.

Ashe in America: “Saturday’s decision does not settle the underlying dispute over presidential power but keeps Talwani’s injunction intact while the case winds through the courts, a delay that could push final resolution dangerously close to the midterms.” American Greatness

This legal decision simply denies the DOJ request to lift the injunction, but the details are telling. From the NY Post:

“The order directs the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) to compile lists of confirmed US citizens eligible to vote and provide them to states, instructs the US Postal Service (USPS) to establish new standards for mail-in ballots and directs the Justice Department to prioritize investigations into state and local election officials who issue federal ballots to people deemed ineligible to vote.”

Commie states (including mine) sued to say the admin can’t govern the Postal Service, which is a conflict in authorities and established decision rights. States don’t have decision rights over federal executive agencies, but apparently neither does the President according to this very silly judge.

SCOTUS is going to decide dangerously close to the midterms according to the articles, which is exactly the type of drama we’ve come to expect from our fake elections narratives.

History suggests that SCOTUS will decline to make changes so close to an election but, hey, they’ve surprised us before.

This dispute is about presidential authorities, and those battles have largely been going Trump’s way.

This one should as well. If the states don’t have authority over the USPS, and the President doesn’t either, who is constitutionally authorized to exercise its decision rights?

Clarifying these matters is important. Making it entertaining and fun in the process is a gift.

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Trump-Aligned AI Leaders Confirm Shadow War Over Open-Source AI

Leading figures in the Trump-aligned technology and venture capital community are increasingly describing the competition over open-source artificial intelligence as a strategic battle with major national security and economic implications. They argue that restricting open-source AI development would weaken US competitiveness while benefiting foreign rivals, particularly China.

The debate intensified after venture capitalists and technology executives, including Chamath Palihapitiya and members of the Trump administration’s Innovation Council, criticized proposals that could limit open-source AI models. They contend open-source development accelerates innovation, broadens American technological leadership, and prevents a small number of companies from controlling advanced AI capabilities.

The dispute highlights a growing divide within the AI industry. Companies such as OpenAI and Anthropic have generally supported stronger safeguards for frontier AI systems, while advocates of open-source models argue excessive regulation would entrench incumbent firms and reduce America’s ability to compete globally in the race for advanced artificial intelligence.

Burning Bright: Last week on the Devolution Power Hour, Jon humored me by allowing me to sperg out on the topic that almost nobody in the Truth Community is paying attention to right now, and which I believe has more to do with alternatively starting or stopping the American Golden Age than almost anything else we spend our time arguing about.

On that show, I claimed that the concerted effort by Sam Altman of OpenAI and Dario Amodei of Anthropic to seek out government regulation for the nascent, rapidly-accelerating industry was not an attempt to supercharge the American push into an Age of Abundance, but to slow and control that push, putting it in collectivist, oligarchic hands.

Essentially, I argued that, in seeking to attain government regulation and limits, Altman and Amodei revealed themselves not as accelerants to the AI agenda, but retardants to it.

THAT is why many in this audience can be broadly correct in their anxieties about the AI push (given how serpentine its core personalities are,) while completely missing the fact that Donald Trump is very clearly pinning a good degree of his futurism goals on its perpetuation and acceleration.

Over the weekend, we got some fairly direct indicators that are making my AI Shadow War takes age rapidly, and quite well.

First up, we have former White House AI & Crypto Czar David Sachs laying out almost beat for beat my framing from last week regarding Anthropic and OpenAI, openly stating that he believes they’re only seeking government regulation so they can stave off competitors.

Second, we have White House Commerce Secretary (and the core voice behind Trump’s Tariff Trade Agenda) Howard Lutnick reportedly saying the administration aims to “protect open source AI.”

Third, we have China continuing to rug-pull the closed-source and closed-weight American AI industry by timing strategic releases of open-source and open-weight models that are simultaneously accelerating the industry as a whole while blunting western attempts to slow it down, granting Trump the very narrative shielding he requires to resist the regulation push and continue the acceleration path.

In other words, I argued last week that China is actually HELPING protect the future of an open-source, open-weight, FREE AI world, while the biggest voices in the American AI industry are trying to get western governments to stop it.

Good thing Trump and Xi are Sovereign Bros.

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Media Takes Aim at Netanyahu, Claiming He Has Caused Irrevocable Harm to Israel’s Reputation Among a Bipartisan American Electorate

A growing number of major media outlets are arguing that Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has inflicted lasting damage on Israel’s standing with the American public, contending that years of partisan political alignment, the ongoing Gaza war, and repeated clashes with US administrations have eroded what was once broad bipartisan support. Commentators argue Netanyahu has transformed Israel from a largely bipartisan issue into an increasingly polarizing one in American politics.

The criticism comes as recent polling shows Americans’ views of both Israel and Netanyahu have become more negative across much of the electorate. Pew Research Center found unfavorable views of Israel and declining confidence in Netanyahu have risen since 2022, with opinion worsening across demographic groups and among younger voters in both major parties.

The debate coincides with renewed strains between Washington and Jerusalem. While President Trump recently praised Turkey as a “tremendous ally,” he also publicly criticized Israeli military operations during a meeting with Netanyahu, underscoring increasingly visible policy differences even as the US-Israel alliance remains intact.

GhostofBasedPatrickHenry: Here we have another pattern emerging.

The last time Netanyahu tried to crash the White House, in September 2025 during the UN General Assembly, Trump reacted by inviting Erdogan to the White House the day before Bibi was scheduled to address the whole assembly of nations.

Now we have Netanyahu once again trying to invite himself to the White House, and once again Trump is using Erdogan to signal to us his real intent.

In my opinion, President Trump’s plan has not been to wage a kinetic war against America’s greatest foreign adversary—Israel.

Trump’s plan appears to be to destroy Israel’s public reputation by feeding into its greatest indulgences and allowing it the space to show the world what it truly is.

When I say that “President Trump is waging a war against Israel, using Iran as his proxy,” perhaps that doesn’t mean a violent conflict. Perhaps that means that Israel’s war against Iran has cost it all of the good will and support that the world has blindly given Israel for the past 15 years.

What Israel represents is an empire. In their eyes, it is an empire that has only begun to tap into its true potential. When that potential is fully realized, Israel will rule the world. Much like the Sanhedrin of the ancient world, the Zionist State of Israel does not seek the glory of God, but only the glory for itself.

I will not be available for commentary on stream this week, but I will be paying close attention to what happens today at the White House. Watch how Trump engages with Bibi, what he offers him, and how Netanyahu goes about making his demands heard.

What moves happen against Turkey after Netanyahu’s visit? And when does Russia finally get involved in solving this riddle?

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DC Insiders Claim Kamala Harris, AOC & Gavin Newsom are Best Bets For Dems in 2028

Axios’ latest Democratic “power rankings” place former Vice President Kamala Harris, California Gov. Gavin Newsom, and Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez atop the party’s early 2028 presidential field. The rankings are based on interviews with Democratic strategists, donors, elected officials, and party insiders, evaluating factors such as political influence, fundraising strength, and national profile.

The list reflects early positioning rather than declared candidacies, with Axios noting the field remains fluid and could shift significantly as additional Democratic governors, senators, and other national figures weigh potential presidential bids.

Ashe in America: Yes, please.

It’s really quite something that there is no new talent on the Democrat side. And it’s hilarious that we’re talking about AOC being anywhere near executive power. That can’t be real.

It’s a fun story. AOC has a presidential candidate. I might be concerned if they were putting up someone new, someone that seems normal and Kennedy-esque. Someone tacking back to the middle and restoring sanity. That person might be a contender in the public mind.

But these fools?

None of these sillies are even remotely scary — they’re punchlines. If anything, they prove that the Democrats aren’t interested in putting up competent contenders. That’s notable, but also not surprising. All these people know elections are fake.

What’s their goal, then? How far is this DSA Rising op going to go, and when do we get the Bernie Sanders comeback? As insane as it sounds, he’s the most electable loser in the lot.

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Media Frames Trump Admin Hunt For Narcos as Prelude to Mexican Invasion

Media coverage is increasingly portraying the Trump administration’s intensified campaign against Mexican drug cartels as laying the groundwork for possible US military action inside Mexico. Reports point to expanded intelligence operations, increased surveillance, and the designation of several cartels as foreign terrorist organizations, prompting debate over whether the administration is preparing options for unilateral cross-border strikes.

The White House has maintained that its focus is dismantling transnational criminal organizations responsible for fentanyl trafficking, human smuggling, and violence affecting the United States. Administration officials have repeatedly emphasized cooperation with Mexico where possible while declining to rule out additional measures against cartel leadership.

The discussion follows months of heightened pressure on cartel networks and renewed scrutiny of US-Mexico security cooperation, with some analysts arguing the reporting overstates the likelihood of a military incursion while others contend the administration is intentionally preserving strategic ambiguity regarding future options.

GhostofBasedPatrickHenry: In February 2025, Colombian President Gustavo Petro held a press conference with his generals where he announced that the Colombian militias that had been operating in the jungles against the Colombian government since the early 1960s were actually proxy forces of the Sinaloa cartel, which operates out of Mexico. According to Petro, the Sinaloa cartel is the head of the snake when it comes to the cocaine trade.

Fast forward a year, and President Trump’s administration has indicted 10 Mexican government officials, accusing them of being connected to the Sinaloa cartel. This came on the heels of growing public tension between Trump and Mexican President Claudia Scheinbaum, the latter of which has been reluctant to assist Trump’s government in fighting the cocaine cartels— behavior that has provoked Trump into accusing Scheinbaum of being a cartel puppet.

Now that Trump has begun indicting more of the cartel’s lackeys, and “moving up the food chain,” of the cartel-controlled Mexican officials, we should be pressing forward with the momentum to shape this world.

The question that I have is, “Why does the press seem to be more passionate about saving?”

“Why does the press seem to be more concerned with whether the US military will invade Mexico, and less concerned about Americans dying on behalf of a foreign country?”

We know the answers to these questions, of course. All of these people—the cartels, the press, the corrupt politicians—are all part of a larger cartel that seeks to rule the world, if it doesn’t already.

If the Mexican government is part of the drug trade that has been poisoning, and literally killing, American youth, then invading Mexico and toppling it’s government would be a righteous cause. Perhaps there are better ways at rectifying this issue, but the principle of going to war against a neighboring county believed to be killing American youth is more just and moral than fighting forever wars in a distant desert on behalf of a foreign country.

The only war that America should be fighting is the war to secure our border, secure our elections, and save our country. In order to effectively fight this war, we must establish reasonable objectives and seek to achieve them.

One of the most important of those objectives is to fully understand the treason and fraud that has occurred in and around our government.

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BONUS ITEM

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Biden Tapes Show Him Discussing Classified Material With Ghostwriter

Recordings of Joe Biden speaking with his memoir ghostwriter have been released after a lengthy legal fight, capturing Biden warning at one point that “some of this may be classified” and later stating, “this is classified.”

The more than 70 hours of 2016 and 2017 conversations with Mark Zwonitzer, obtained during special counsel Robert Hur’s classified documents probe, were published by the Oversight Project. Biden’s attorneys spent months trying to block the release before abandoning their lawsuit; a judge accepted the dismissal Monday.

In one exchange Biden tells Zwonitzer: “Some of this may be classified … So, be careful. I’m not sure … It’s not marked classified but —” At another point he says, “The next thing I have here is, um, this is classified …”

The tapes also show Biden frequently pausing, speaking haltingly and struggling to recall events, details that align with Hur’s earlier description of Biden’s memory.

Oversight Project Vice President of Litigation Jeff Clark said the recordings should force a full reexamination of the decision to give Biden a pass for keeping and disclosing classified information.

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