Badlands Brief
Floridian Terror Boats, Venezuelan Deck Chairs, & the War on Fraud
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.
US Investigating Cuban Shoot Out With Unregistered Florida Boat That Left Four Dead
Four people aboard a Florida-registered speedboat were killed Wednesday in an incident in Cuban territorial waters near Cayo Falcones off Villa Clara province, according to authorities in Cuba.
Cuba’s Interior Ministry said the vessel entered its waters and that border guards shot the occupants after the boat opened fire.
Cuba said there were ten people aboard, six were wounded, and that the group possessed assault rifles, handguns, Molotov cocktails or other incendiary devices, body armor or homemade ballistic vests, telescopic sights, and camouflage gear. Cuban officials also described the group as Cuban nationals residing in the United States and characterized the mission as an attempted infiltration.
Marco Rubio said the United States has no information beyond what Cuban authorities have released and that agencies including the Department of Homeland Security and the Coast Guard are investigating whether any of the occupants were US citizens or lawful permanent residents.
US authorities have not independently confirmed who fired first, the number of people aboard, the reported six wounded, or the identities of those killed.
Chris Paul: Based half-century-behind island people. [From AP News]:
“Cuba’s government said late Wednesday that the 10 passengers on a boat that opened fire on its soldiers were armed Cubans living in the U.S. who were trying to infiltrate the island and unleash terrorism…Meanwhile, James Uthmeier, Florida’s attorney general, said he has ordered prosecutors to work with federal, state and law enforcement partners to start an investigation. ‘The Cuban government cannot be trusted, and we will do everything in our power to hold these communists accountable,’ he wrote on X.”
Why is Ron! DeeSantis’ servant, James Uthmeier, making definitive statements and talking tough?
Get on the path. Stay on the path.
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Venezuela’s Top Prosecutor Resigns and Becomes Acting Ombudsman as Legislature Advances Amnesty Amid Rights Criticism
Venezuela’s Attorney General Tarek William Saab resigned from his post after nearly nine years in office and was immediately appointed as acting Ombudsman by the ruling party-dominated National Assembly following the resignation of the previous ombudsman.
Saab’s successor as acting Attorney General is Larry Devoe, head of the National Council of Human Rights. The legislature has formed a 13-member parliamentary commission to evaluate candidates and define the new heads of the Attorney General’s Office and Ombudsman’s Office, with a 30-day deadline to do so.
The changes come amid broader legal and political shifts in Venezuela’s transitional government, including the approval of a limited amnesty bill this month. The new law was approved after a second debate, headed by Jorge Rodriguez, in the legislature. Jorge Rodriguez is President Delcy Rodriguez’s brother.
Human rights organizations have condemned Saab’s interim appointment as a setback for justice reform, questioning the independence of Venezuela’s prosecutorial and human rights institutions even as some reforms proceed.
Ashe in America: If you watch Badlands Book Club, then some of these details should come alive for you. Jorge Rodriguez — brother of President Delcy Rodriguez — is a central figure in Ralph Pezzullo’s Stolen Elections: The Takedown of Democracies Worldwide.
The story centers on self-proclaimed “whistleblowers” whose tale just so happens to, in our opinion, rewrite the history of the CIA’s involvement in…everything. (Shout out to CannCon and ColonelTowner who comprise “our.”)
We’ve discussed on the show, repeatedly, how it seems the book was rushed to market without a fact check, an edit, or even a proofread. It has typos on nearly every page and factual errors in most chapters (so far).
Since the rewrite on “Venezuela Election Fraud” broke, I’ve said that the people involved in the story seem like they’re trying to get ahead of something…like maybe they’re trying to stay out of prison. That was before we started reading this book and before the discombobulating operation that “took out” Maduro.
During Tuesday’s State of the Union address, the President discussed his strong partnership with President Delcy Rodriguez. Yesterday, we learned that President Rodriguez’s brother Jorge — who is alleged to be waist-deep in stealing all the elections — is pushing a limited amnesty bill to release hundreds of political protestors in that nation’s prisons. The measure reportedly omits homicide and other violent crime.
If we are to believe the narrative from the super duper good guy CIA members, then Delcy and Jorge are working hard to release political prisoners that they previously locked up as part of their regime that was just overthrown.
I wonder what those political prisoners will have to say?
When you overthrow a regime, do you usually follow their leadership succession plan and employ the next-in-line regime members to run the new government?
Things are not what they seem, obviously. But was the rewrite intended to get ahead of — and possibly undermine — the restoration of Venezuela happening now? Seems so…
Where’s Machado?
US Sanctions Iran’s Oil “Shadow Fleet” as Israel Strike Tensions Mount
The US Department of the Treasury imposed new sanctions targeting vessels, companies, and financial networks linked to Iran’s so-called “shadow fleet,” accusing them of helping Tehran evade sanctions by transporting oil and generating revenue for missile and weapons programs.
The sanctions designate shipping facilitators and associated entities alleged to support Iran’s military-linked industries, including missile development.
At the same time, tensions are rising over the possibility of Israeli military action against Iran. US officials are assessing the strategic and political implications of potential Israeli strikes, including risks of broader regional escalation.
No US military strike has been announced; however, the new sanctions and ongoing deliberations come amid heightened strain between Iran, Israel, and the United States over Iran’s weapons and regional activities.
Jon Herold & Chris Paul: The Proper Response Is Just to Say “No, It Isn’t”
“When we fake bombed Iran — or really bombed them in a manner that didn’t kill anybody because we gave them advanced notice — I was told that was gonna eliminate their ability to pursue nuclear weapons. Now they’re again on the cusp of that somehow? It just doesn’t add up.”
“If we get the announcement on television that war is happening, the proper way to respond is just to say, ‘No, it isn’t.’ That’s all you have to do. Wait a few days, watch the dumb stories, and keep saying, ‘I don’t think that’s right.’”
“Then the light turns on: ‘Wait, are these people faking a war and just telling me about it without any proof, so I’ll support things I would never actually support?’ And you’re like, ‘Oh yeah — that is what they do all the time.’”
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Vance Tapped to Lead White House “War on Fraud”, Immediately Pauses Minnesota Medicaid Funds Paused
Vice President JD Vance is leading a federal initiative, described by President Trump during Tuesday’s State of the Union as a “war on fraud.”
The administration has suspended Medicaid payments to Minnesota, citing concerns about fraud in the state’s program.
Federal officials said approximately $259 million in Medicaid funding is being withheld while the review proceeds.
Vance appeared alongside Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services Administrator Mehmet Oz when announcing the action.
Minnesota officials have been given 60 days to address federal concerns and implement corrective measures in order to potentially restore the suspended funds. The administration says the action is part of a broader effort to combat fraud in federal benefit programs and prevent misuse of taxpayer funds.
Minnesota Democratic leaders have criticized the funding suspension as politically motivated and warned it could impact beneficiaries.
Ashe in America: In a technology transformation program, you have the basic phases: Plan, Design, Test, Deploy, Review, Launch. These phases run in cycles, and the teams for each piece of the transformation may have dependencies with the other teams.
This is where my head goes when I think about DOGE.
The planning was likely done before Inauguration Day, and probably some of the initial design as well. But the development, testing, and deployment work would require systems and data access, and the quality of that data would inform the subsequent cycles.
The Executive Order creating DOGE explicitly references the program being a technology endeavor:
“Sec. 4. Modernizing Federal Technology and Software to Maximize Efficiency and Productivity.
(a) The USDS Administrator shall commence a Software Modernization Initiative to improve the quality and efficiency of government-wide software, network infrastructure, and information technology (IT) systems. Among other things, the USDS Administrator shall work with Agency Heads to promote inter-operability between agency networks and systems, ensure data integrity, and facilitate responsible data collection and synchronization.
(b) Agency Heads shall take all necessary steps, in coordination with the USDS Administrator and to the maximum extent consistent with law, to ensure USDS has full and prompt access to all unclassified agency records, software systems, and IT systems. USDS shall adhere to rigorous data protection standards.”
DOGE was tooling.
Corporations have modern systems with built-in monitoring and security features. In modern technology environments, it’s hard to hide waste, fraud, and abuse. As a corporate employee, you’re tracked to the keystroke.
Government is (was?) different. It was all plausible deniability. When Elon first came into his special government employee role, he and his team found:
Treasury payment approval officers were instructed to always approve payments, with zero denials in careers — even for known fraudulent or terrorist-linked recipients.
Budget codes that were optional or left blank for nearly 70% of federal spending (~$4.7T), making tracing nearly impossible.
Agencies buying far more licenses than needed (e.g., 37k licenses for 13k employees).
Multiple redundant financial (47 across 24 major agencies) and HR systems (111 instances of 59 different products).
Retirements hand-processed in a limestone mine in Pennsylvania (700+ workers, manila envelopes, cardboard boxes, ~10k apps/month).
An incomplete website modernization project that burned $5M+ with no output.
And so much more…
Musk noted when he got in there that most government systems were “shockingly primitive.”
The fraud reports and dollar amounts were the shiny objects. But the modernization of the systems — putting upgraded tooling in place to monitor agencies and prevent waste, fraud, and abuse — was the most likely goal of the whole matter.
Since Elon left government service last May, and since the temporary DOGE organization was shut down in November, the tooling is likely doing the job.
But even the best tooling available requires follow through by humans to make meaningful change in human systems; that is, we need someone to lead the charge to follow through on the findings of fraud.
Apparently that person is JD Vance.
President Trump announced Vance to lead the War on Fraud on Tuesday, and he hit the ground running on Wednesday.
If this is more than theater, we should get new cycles of disclosure and accountability on waste, fraud, and abuse. That’s a narrative we can follow — and it should have actuals we can track.
Related: Given the choice of fraud czar, do you guys think the DOGE tooling came from Palantir?
BONUS ITEM
Mud Volcano Erupts in Northern Colombia, Animals Killed and Roads Damaged
A mud volcano erupted in San Juan de Urabá in northern Colombia, sending mud and debris across nearby land and infrastructure.
Local reports indicate that animals were killed as a result of the eruption. The eruption also caused damage to roads and surrounding infrastructure, disrupting transportation in the area.
Videos circulating on social media show mud flowing across rural terrain near San Juan de Urabá.
Authorities are assessing the extent of the damage.
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In answer to your question about Vance/Palantir, Ashe, YES. A trap, or the disclosure op….it barely matters. In either case, yes. It has the added benefit of making people question the IRS. We see from your descriptions that government systems are pretty much duct taped and paper clipped together…Or ARE they?
As I'm reading the Brief this morning, my thought is - this is like an episode of a soap opera. Will Florida take out Cuba? Will Venezuela be saved? Iran -- welcome to Wag the Dog. All of this makes me ask -- what are we NOT supposed to be seeing? Are these merely distractions? If so, from what? I still say "Fascinating times we live in." Tune in tomorrow for the next exciting episode!