Badlands Brief

RIP Lindsey Graham

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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Senator Lindsey Graham “Dies Suddenly”

Sen. Lindsey Graham, the South Carolina Republican who served more than two decades in the U.S. Senate, died July 11, 2026, at age 71. His office said he died following a “brief and sudden illness.”

According to information released by his office, preliminary findings indicated that Graham suffered an aortic dissection resulting from arteriosclerotic cardiovascular disease. Final findings remained pending additional testing.

Graham had represented South Carolina in the Senate since 2003 and was campaigning for another term. Before his death, he had returned from a trip to Ukraine, where he met with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy.

Following the announcement, President Donald Trump issued a public tribute to Graham.

Burning Bright: I'm not going to dance on Lindsey Graham's grave, but I'm also not going to pretend this isn't extremely weird and kind of fascinating.

First of all, the Turtle Elephant in the room in the political world is that the vast majority of the Mindscape was expecting an imminent death announcement out of the US Senate, and it was not Graham's.

Second, Donald Trump's public statement on Graham, while succinct and, I guess respectful was still ... odd.

Try to think of how you might feel if a close friend and ally (according to public statements,) announced your death on social media by saying ... "Lindsay Graham is dead!"

Sure, he said nice things afterward, but, the vibes are a bit off.

Now, when it comes to Graham's legacy, reasonable people can disagree, but from where I'm sitting, he was as establishment as establishment gets, and yes, I am aware of the various theories regarding his infamous questioning of Brett Kavanaugh during his Supreme Court confirmations concerning treason and the death penalty, which does add a certain bit of fifth-gen color to the proceedings.

Additionally, if you've gone down any of the deeper rabbit holes associated with Graham, perhaps one of the prime examples of Uniparty politicians we have over the last few decades, you're aware that he seemed to moonlight as the de facto point of contact between various US Proxy States and the US Senate, with Ukraine and Israel topping the list in recent years.

Badlanders tend to have views on those particular proxies that paint us as diametrically opposed to most of American Conservatism, and even to large swaths of the so-called Truth Community.

I stand by my own analysis of both proxies, and that of my peers.

And I stand by my suspicion of any so-called American representative who cozies up to them, understanding that my trust in Trump's navigation of the most complex military operation ever devised does NOT extend to a single other member of Congress.

And never will.

Rest in Peace, Lindsay Graham.

And may God judge you, for better or worse in accordance with the balance of your soul.

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GhostofBasedPatrickHenry: The Grim Reaper was busy yesterday.

In addition to Lindsey Graham, former Emir of Qatar Hamad bin Khalifa Al Thani—the father of current Emir Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani—died yesterday at the age of 74. Hamad’s reign lasted from June 27, 1995 until June 25, 2013, when he appeared in a brief televised addressed where he abdicated the throne to his son, Tamim. (Four years later, Saudi King Salman followed suit and abdicated the throne to his son, Mohammed.)

Another notable death was actor Sam Neill, best known for playing Dr. Alan Grant in the original Jurassic Park film. Neill was 78.

But the most odd coincidence had to be the reporting that Lindsey Graham’s longtime colleague and friend, Senator Mitch McConnell, had also died. A video circulating the internet taken in front of McConnell’s home showed him being loaded up in an ambulance. Commenters noted that the ambulance crew showed no sense of urgency in their behavior, suggesting that perhaps it indicated that McConnell had passed.

McConnell later released a written statement claiming that he was alive and well at the hospital, along with a picture of him and his wife, though it has been widely speculated that this image is AI-generated. Most seem to be in agreement that the statement was not written by McConnell, and there is doubt as to whether he is actually alive. In the statement, McConnell admits that he was hospitalized recently after a nasty fall that left him injured, claiming this to be the reason that he has been MIA for the past month.

How strange that both Lindsey Graham and Mitch McConnell—perhaps two of the most notorious NeoCon Republican Senators—potentially died on the same day. It is one of the most bizarre coincidences of recent memory, and one that has normies questioning verisimilitude.

As for Lindsey Graham, we have yet to get much detail on his death, other than it was a heart attack and it was related to a condition he had been suffering from for a while.

The Zionists have wasted no time in blaming Putin/Russia, accusing them of assassinating Graham in some sort of grand conspiracy with Iran. It seems clear that these sociopaths are dead set on exploiting the situation to try and merge the Ukraine and Iran wars into a single conflict.

(NOTE: It's actually Mossad that is notorious for using undetectable poisons. According to whistleblowers, Mossad has scientific labs specifically dedicated to developing these kind of poisons, and Mossad assassins are ordered to attend/observe autopsies so they can understand how a dead body is evaluated for foul play.)

It should be noted that Graham has spent the past several days in Ukraine—on his way back from the NATO summit in Turkey last week—meeting with Zelensky and touring drone factories.

President Trump has been making some interesting posts regarding Graham’s death. This one has been widely shared, though I think many miss the tongue-in-cheek nature of the post.

And I have to give a shout out and hat tip to GMONEY and Patriots In Progress for this one:

There are many theories flying around right now regarding Graham’s death. We have limited facts, and there is no need to rush to reach a conclusion. We can afford to sit back and watch this unfold.

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Politico Pens Investigative Piece About The Candace Owens-TPUSA Feud

Candace Owens has intensified a public campaign questioning the circumstances of Charlie Kirk’s killing and accusing people associated with Turning Point USA of withholding information, according to a Politico Magazine report published July 11.

Owens, who worked for Turning Point from 2017 to 2019, has said on her podcast that Tyler Robinson did not act alone and has suggested that Turning Point employees, Israel and Kirk’s widow, Erika Kirk, deserved scrutiny. The article did not present evidence establishing those allegations.

Politico reported that Turning Point increased security at its Phoenix headquarters and at several employees’ homes after staff members received threats following Owens’ broadcasts. The report relied on three anonymous people described as having direct knowledge of the arrangements.

Contracted camera operator Terryl Farnsworth and his family went into hiding for more than a week after he received multiple death threats, Politico reported, citing four anonymous people familiar with the security response.

Turning Point served Owens with a cease-and-desist letter in January, according to a copy she displayed on her show. The letter demanded that she stop suggesting the organization knew about Kirk’s assassination beforehand, participated in it or concealed the truth afterward.

Kirk’s former bodyguard filed a defamation lawsuit against Owens in May, Politico reported. That same month, a man was arrested for allegedly threatening to kill Erika Kirk before a Turning Point event in Texas.

As preliminary proceedings in Robinson’s case began, Erika Kirk’s attorney asked the court to make evidence presented at the hearing public. The motion argued that greater transparency could reduce speculation and conspiracy theories surrounding the killing.

Ashe in America: When CannCon decided to stream this pre trial hearing of Tyler Robinson, I sort of rolled my eyes. I love a good court proceeding, but this case has always seemed like a distraction to me. That being said, since the conclusion of the proceedings, the story has become even more retarded, memetic, and psyoppish, so I’m now grateful that Brian covered every second.

On Friday, prominent “conservative” influencers left the courtroom claiming that the trial — which hasn’t happened yet — was effectively over, and that their millions of followers need to “pray for a speedy trial” because Erika deserves to be able to move on. Benny Johnson engaged in the overt emotional blackmail of Christians, saying that the Bible commands us to stand up for widows.

The implication of Johnson’s video is that the Christian thing to do is rush the judicial process to protect Erika Kirk’s feelings… That the Christian thing to do is condemn a man before his trial because the government said he was guilty.

Again, there hasn’t been a trial yet. And even in the preliminary hearing, the accused hasn’t had the opportunity to present a defense.

For example, the influencers point to the “damning” testimony of Lance Twiggs as something that makes this case over. The Lance Twiggs testimony was a video deposition, and the defense had no opportunity to cross examine the witness.

That’s not even the worst bit. Benny and Jack Poso and Officer Tatum all talked about a very clear video that proved definitively that the shooter was Tyler. Poso was almost moved to tears about it. Once you see what we saw, they seemed to say, you too will condemn the accused before his trial.

They all started backing off that messaging point once our Brian discovered that the secret video was actually visible on a defense laptop on the CourtTV feed… And it’s the same video everyone has already seen.

So they were just lying? Benny and Jack did not respond to requests for comment.

These influencers are pushing hard for a “speedy trial,” but they’re lying to get there. Is it just engagement farming, or is something more sinister going on?

Either way, it’s despicable from the standpoint of constitutional rights.

In the age of weaponized justice, calling balls and strikes on the process is the most important job of any journalist. Readers will recall that this was the whole focus of my (limited) coverage of the Deamonte Kendrick (aka Yak Gotti) murder trial down in Georgia, where the prosecution regularly violated Kendrick’s rights leading, at least in part, to his acquittal. I had never heard of YSL and obviously murder is bad, but mobs deciding judicial outcomes is worse for all of us and posterity. I got sucked into that case just to watch (and rebuke) the government.

Readers will also recall the Derek Chauvin murder trial, where the mob and its influencers ostensibly poisoned the jury pool and influenced the trial outcome to get “justice for George Floyd.”

The tactics of TPUSA-aligned influencers are reminiscent of the Chauvin matter. The desired outcome appears intended to make the public reject any outcome other than Robinson receiving a guilty verdict and the death penalty… maybe.

Over the weekend, Brian and I discussed whether the true goal is to convince Robinson to plea. That seems likely because, despite the Con Inc pearl clutching, the evidence presented so far may not get beyond reasonable doubt with a jury at trial.

That’s why Benny’s implication — that to be a Christian, you must condemn the accused — is so offensive.

Note that they’re also inverting the constitution to claim that Erika Kirk and Turning Point have a right to a speedy trial — that they have a right to speed up the trial process for the accused. That’s not how that works.

While Utah has some rights for victims of crime, such state law cannot outweigh the accused’s federally protected constitutional rights — and wanting it to is not a conservative position by any definition. It’s also not a Christian position.

It’s just shameful.

So what is actually going on?

I’d wager that Benny and Jack are inverting the constitution to sell a story and influence potential jurors and generate a public outrage mob. Just like the Derek Chauvin trial. (Exactly like that.)

In other words, it seems more likely that this is an illegal psychological warfare campaign being waged on the American people.

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US Congressman Says He Was Detained By Armed Israeli Settlers

U.S. Rep. Ro Khanna said armed Israeli settlers blocked his delegation near a Palestinian village during a three-day visit to the occupied West Bank, an account disputed in part by the Israeli military.

Photographs supplied to The Associated Press show armed men blocking vehicles carrying the California Democrat and his delegation near Khirbet Zanuta on July 8. Khanna told Reuters that the men carried M4 rifles and prevented the group from leaving.

Cameron Kasky, a member of Khanna’s delegation, told Reuters that the group was held for more than an hour and appealed to the U.S. Embassy in Jerusalem for assistance. Officers who appeared to be police eventually intervened, Kasky said. Khanna later said settlers blocked the delegation for about 20 minutes before Israeli soldiers arrived and continued restricting its departure.

The Israeli military said troops responded to a report that Israeli civilians were blocking foreign nationals and media. It said the troops dispersed the civilians and reopened the road and denied that soldiers participated in blocking the delegation.

Khanna disputed that account, saying soldiers interacted with the settlers and continued preventing the group from leaving until the U.S. Embassy and Israeli police were contacted.

GhostofBasedPatrickHenry: The Israeli Settlers are getting more bold.

Here is the [very short] video shared by Congressman Khanna, which purportedly shows the Settlers who detained him and his team.

Khanna’s remarks:

Congressman Khanna is right.

These Settlers are zealots; and zealots cannot be reasoned with, negotiated with, or intimidated into abandoning their cause. They will fight anybody and everybody who tries to stop them from achieving their goals—including the United States.

What many don’t understand is that we have created a monster. While the Settlers may only reflect a minority of the Israeli culture, they live in a society that is highly insular. They protect their own—even the zealots. And we have enabled this culture, fostering it from its infancy into the full grown society that it has become. They have never been told “No.” They have never been denied any indulgence. They have been given every luxury and complete security.

Simply put, this is a society of spoiled rotten children. And we, the United States, have given them weaponry and unleashed them unto the world.

How this all ends is anybody’s guess. But it is clear that they have no intention of listening to or negotiating with the US. They believe they are on a mission from God.

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Future of the EAC Sparks Debate Following Last Week’s Gutting

President Donald Trump removed the final three members of the U.S. Election Assistance Commission on July 9, leaving the four-seat bipartisan agency without any sitting commissioners, according to the White House and published reports.

Democratic commissioners Thomas Hicks and Benjamin Hovland were notified by email that their positions had been terminated effective immediately. Republican Commissioner Christy McCormick resigned. Republican Donald Palmer had voluntarily left the commission earlier in the year.

Congress created the commission under the Help America Vote Act of 2002. Its four presidentially appointed and Senate-confirmed members are required to be divided evenly between the two major political parties. The agency tests and certifies voting equipment, distributes election grants, supports state and local election officials and maintains the national mail voter-registration form.

A White House official said Trump had authority to remove officials who were not aligned with the administration’s election-security priorities. The official cited the Supreme Court’s recent decision in Trump v. Slaughter as precedent.

Ashe in America: As I wrote in Friday’s Brief:

“The EAC has been the ‘expert’ that assures the public that erroneous code, or a code read error, or a glitch, or a database coding mismatch, for example, are no big deal...Once you realize that these bureaucracies will always speak to the public about elections with the primary goal of preserving trust in elections – even if it means lying to the public – you begin to question every election story you’ve ever been told.”

Over the weekend there was some discussion about replacing these EAC members with individuals that would focus on election integrity.

I weighed in:

I stand by it. Corrupted bureaucracies should be ended not evolved.

The EAC was born from hanging chads, established through HAVA, and has been little more than a Potemkin Village of security standards and certification in its 24 years of existence.

A post mortem on such an entity in any other industry would lead to its dissolution.

HAVA gave birth to the modern elections industry and the regulators of the modern elections industry. The public-private-partnership of democracy. The story of democracy.

A cancer to the Republic.

The net effect of the past two dozen years of the EAC’s existence is a crisis of trust in both elections and government.

Why would we attempt to keep such an entity? If we want to restore public trust in elections and government, we’d shut it down and investigate and prosecute.

For example, why did the EAC cover for the lack of machine certification when the machines were not certifiable? Just one of many questions for potential investigators.

I’m not getting on a rug for this, though. Real elections seem like an unattainable dream at this point. I’m skeptical anyone is actually willing to fight for real elections. Placing new members into the corrupted EAC seats is a negative indicator that supports my position.

And we can’t have real elections until there is honesty and accountability for how fake they’ve been.

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BONUS ITEMS

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Badlands Blitz Episode 24

On the latest episode of the Badlands Blitz, Burning Bright and @GhostofBPH discussed a fascinating global trend few (if any) have noticed:

NATO isn’t just being threatened by the Sovereign Alliance, but from within.

Are we on the cusp of a political NATO Civil War?

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