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 Imposes 50% Tariff on Some Canadian Goods in Renewed Escalation With Our Northern (Globalist) Neighbor
President Donald Trump has announced new 50% tariffs on nearly $20 billion worth of selected Canadian imports, citing what the administration describes as Canada’s discriminatory treatment of American automobiles, dairy products, and alcoholic beverages. The tariffs, issued under Section 338 of the Tariff Act of 1930, are scheduled to take effect on August 19.
The new duties apply to a range of Canadian goods but exempt energy, potash, fish, critical minerals, and certain other products. Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney criticized the move as inconsistent with the USMCA trade agreement and said Canada remains willing to negotiate, while Canadian officials have indicated they are considering retaliatory measures.
Ashe in America: Trade war with Canada makes so much sense. The Great North American Richard Measuring Contest is a long time coming. I like America’s chances.
The globalists on our northern border are smoking out the northeast, as we talked about yesterday, and these good neighbors also dump their trash in the American Midwest.
But even worse, Canada arguably represents the final stand of Globalism as it sits on our US northern border. Canada is, in my opinion, the greatest national security threat to the United States of America; ignoring that possibility because Canadians are silly and smell like syrup is inviting disaster.
Canada, through their Prime Minister, swears allegiance to England (and their twisted bloodline nonsense), and Canada’s border with the US is 5,525 miles, including Alaska,…and seriously, if this thing escalates, what about Alaska?!
Greatest. National. Security. Threat.
Now obviously, #notallcanadians. We’ve got Ehret and RMB and MRFF; and I’ve always been a fan of Wesley Huff and Ryan Reynolds. Marc Carney and Neil Young can eat the entire bag, but not all of the Canadians are despicable globalists, of course.
Canadians will be fine in the golden age, so long as they pledge allegiance to the flag instead of the crown. (That last line was mainly included to trigger Jonathan Drake.)
Still, we have to save Alaska, everyone.
I am somewhat pacified knowing Russia is on the other side of that Canadian-Globalist divide, watching our six. Even so, don’t underestimate the Maple Marxists.
They love their European roots, eh?
EU Facing Growing Resistance to New Russia Sanctions
The European Union is encountering increasing internal resistance as it attempts to finalize its latest package of sanctions against Russia, with several member states pushing back over measures they say would disproportionately harm their own economies. Because EU sanctions require unanimous approval, objections from even a handful of governments have stalled negotiations and exposed growing divisions within the bloc over how far additional economic restrictions should go.
According to reporting, Greece has opposed restrictions affecting its shipping industry, while France and Italy have objected to proposals involving travel restrictions on former Russian combatants. Germany and Portugal have also resisted measures targeting imports of Russian fish due to concerns over domestic industries. The disagreements come despite the EU maintaining its broader sanctions regime against Russia, which was recently extended through July 2027.
EU officials continue to argue that sanctions remain an essential tool for pressuring Moscow over the war in Ukraine, but analysts say the latest negotiations highlight the growing difficulty of maintaining consensus as national economic interests increasingly diverge. Observers note that while previous sanctions packages were approved after lengthy negotiations, the newest proposals have encountered broader resistance from multiple member states rather than a single holdout.
Related: Reports that FBI Director Kash Patel recently visited Russia drew attention after Russian media claimed he delivered a letter from President Trump to President Vladimir Putin. The FBI has not publicly confirmed the reported visit or its purpose, and the White House has not released details regarding the reported communication.
GhostofBasedPatrickHenry: It would appear that President Trump is using Game Theory to have both NATO, and now the European Union, tear itself apart. I actually believe that this strategy is being deployed against most of the globalist regime’s proxy entities, including Israel.
President Trump is allowing these institutions to pursue their own self-destructive goals while catalyzing them to operate on a condensed timeline so that their failure and subsequent collapse can lead to an earnest solution that adequately and honestly serves the interests of the people.
It is critical that we adequately isolate the Deep State elements from the earnest populist nationalist movement, so that they can be fully exposed and destroyed. In order to do that, we must first draw them out into the open by baiting them into revealing their true nature. President Trump does this brilliantly with his charisma and personality. We should all be taking notes and learning from the master.
The timing of all of these events is not lost on me. Right as the European nations are plotting to revolt against EU schemes against Russia, FBI Director Kash Patel announces that he intends to visit Moscow—something that no FBI Director has done since 2013, when Robert Mueller went to Russia under the Obama administration.
This also comes just days after President Trump gives a public address on the failing election systems, and the likelihood that they have been completely compromised by foreign powers.
Earth Echo Cacao Bliss
5 Cups Cocoa Daily. Indigenous tribe with clean arteries & normal blood pressure, blood sugar. Go to trycacaobliss.com/badlands to learn more...
Bill Maher Warns Democrats About DSA, Says His 2028 Vote “Is in Play”
Comedian and longtime Democratic voter Bill Maher is intensifying his criticism of the Democratic Party’s leftward shift, warning that the growing influence of the Democratic Socialists of America (DSA) could drive him to support Vice President JD Vance in 2028. In an interview on ABC’s This Week, Maher said Democrats have become “cowardly” and argued the party is increasingly being shaped by “very radical” figures.
When asked whether he could see himself voting for Vance if the Democratic Party continues in its current direction, Maher replied, “Yes. If this is the Democratic side, yes.” He added, “I’m not living in Communist America,” arguing that proposals he has read from the DSA platform—including public ownership of key industries—amount to communism rather than democratic socialism. Maher emphasized that his vote is “in play,” while reiterating that he would not support Donald Trump himself.
Maher’s remarks come amid a broader debate within Democratic circles following a series of victories by DSA-backed candidates in recent primaries. Some prominent Democratic strategists and former party officials have publicly expressed concern that the party is moving too far left, while progressive leaders argue the DSA reflects growing grassroots support for economic reforms and expanded social programs.
In a Bright Brief I wrote two weeks ago, I dove into a strategy being employed by the Democratic Socialists of America they refer to as the ‘Dirty Break.’
“The communist machine is being forced to reckon with the now-unwieldy beast it hath wrought of the leftoid mind.
The Democratic Socialists of America, once a marginal presence now fields a congressional caucus, credible mayoral contenders in major cities and open discussion of endorsing a 2028 presidential candidate.
Sure, the little beastie overlaps with Democrats on affordability and corporate power, but its program extends to public ownership of key sectors, the effective dismantling of administrative and military structures and explicit solidarity with regimes and movements long anathema to American interests … even those of the Democrat variety.
Crucially, the DSA does not hide its long-term intent.
Instead, it openly champions what it calls the ‘Dirty Break’ strategy: run candidates on the Democratic ballot line to exploit its infrastructure, voter base and ballot access while building parallel organization and power; then, once sufficiently strong, rupture—letting the old establishment wither or forcing the break through internal conflict.
And again, that’s how THEY frame it.
This is not reformist capture in the classical liberal mold. It is parasitic acceleration.”
Which is all fine and good.
But the meat of my argument came in the following segment ...
“Trump, in his second term seems positioned to amplify this Dirty Break on the Left—whether through the sheer contrast of his administration’s focus on tangible sovereignty or through the broader exposure of how little the old Democratic machine can deliver once the cultural and institutional cover begins to slip.
But the more intriguing possibility is that he is simultaneously courting, or at minimum not preventing a parallel rupture on the Right.
Not a clean split engineered from above, but a provoked awakening in which the MAGA movement is compelled to carve itself fully and freely from the two-party Controlled Opposition Dynamic.
So, where does this Bicameral ‘Dirty Breaking’ leave us?
If the GOP will not become the vehicle of our ascension and the enemy’s absolution, then perhaps the task is to recognize with finality that it never truly was, and to build outward from the cleared space the fires of change leave behind rather than endlessly petitioning the machine to reform itself.”
Now, while Bill Maher’s recent statements (i.e., abject panic) at the state of his party’s public branding can and maybe should be taken as good news by this audience, let’s not lose sight of the fact that he seemingly de facto endorsed JD Vance as being preferable to the Marxist vision overtaking leftist politics in the US.
Not Donald Trump.
I know Vance is Donald Trump’s Vice President.
So was Mike Pence.
My trust does not transfer from Trump to those around him, who have been placed into their respective roles for a reason, no doubt, but not always for the reasons we believe at first glance.
So ... if the DSA is trying to engineer a ‘Dirty Break’ on the left, and if I’m right that Donald Trump is trying to engineer one on the right ... what are we to make of the Establishment Left attempting to close ranks with the Establishment Right?
From where I’m sitting, the Uniparty is being exposed on both fronts, which is why I think patriot ghosts in the machine are far more likely to be behind the meteoric rises of candidates like Zohran Mamdani and AOC than not, as they have forced the Establishment Left and Right to throw in with each other in full view of an increasingly-sovereign American Mind that has grown tired of the whole charade.
Trump Orders Review of Climate Guidance Used By Federal Judges
President Donald Trump has ordered a federal review into the development of climate-related guidance that had been included in the Reference Manual on Scientific Evidence, a resource used by federal judges to evaluate scientific testimony. Trump argued the material contained politically biased and “discredited” climate science and called for a review of those involved in its preparation.
The climate chapter was removed earlier this year after objections from a coalition of Republican state attorneys general. The review focuses on how the guidance was developed and any potential federal contracting or funding issues, rather than on judicial decisions themselves.
Ashe in America: The climate cult has been responsible for so much of the social change we experienced over the last 20+ years.
The stories about the carbon monster led to a portfolio of unfortunate questions, and equally unfortunate answers, and the unfortunate truth is that “climate change” was always about centralizing power and control — decision rights — globally in the hands of the few.
The “sustainable development goals” were originally pitched as a climate change response, back when the science was settled, but they evolved in short order. The SDGs now define acceptable binaries in every domain of human existence.
I like the idea of the climate “science” being investigated (and prosecuted and convicted and held accountable), it’s especially necessary on the cusp of our nation’s Golden Age.
To the cultists: May the odds be ever in your favor.
State Department Report: Cuba Runs Decades-Long Subversive Campaign Against the US
A new State Department report released Monday exposes the Cuban regime’s nearly seven-decade campaign of subversion, espionage, and ideological warfare aimed at undermining the United States from within.
Far from a simple economic failure, Havana operates as a sophisticated intelligence and influence machine whose founding mission remains the destruction of America through infiltration, proxy support, and turning citizens against their own country.
The report details Cuba’s extensive espionage network that penetrated the State Department, National Security Council, and Pentagon, alongside front groups used to recruit and radicalize Americans. It highlights Havana’s long history of training guerrillas, backing insurgencies across Latin America, and supporting violent left-wing movements. This ideological framework, advanced through conferences and propaganda promoting anti-Western and racial grievances, helped shape radical movements that continue to influence US unrest.
The document links Cuban networks to events including the George Floyd riots, the rise of Antifa, and surging pro-terror activism on college campuses. Cuba also hosts foreign military, intelligence, and terrorist installations from adversaries such as Russia, China, and Iran, serving as a key hub connecting these forces with domestic radicals.
While pursuing this sustained assault, the regime keeps its own population in hunger, darkness, and conditions akin to modern slavery amid a chronically failing economy. The report warns that Cuba’s power lies in its ideological and parasitic subversion, not material strength — a durable threat that has outlasted the Soviet Union.
GhostofBasedPatrickHenry: Chris Paul did a deep dive into this document yesterday, so I thought it made sense to start with his findings.
(I implore you all to check out Chris Paul and join as a subscriber)
Chris is spot on in his assessment of the document’s intent: It does appear to be a rather pathetic attempt to project the State Department’s own crimes onto external factions outside of the United States.
To whatever extent the Cuban government, or these other organizations, were nefarious outfits, the narrative that the CIA was some communist-bashing clan of American patriots is some Grade A fed-slop.
The CIA is really just another extension of the global regime. It’s more like a proxy of British Intelligence, which is yet another extension of the global regime.
In the Truth Community, we are quick to judge and presume that any government that we perceive to be either hostile toward the United States or out of alignment with natural law, must be a proxy of the CIA. That is not at all true.
There are plenty of examples of foreign resistance groups or governments that were earnestly fighting against the CIA to retain their sovereignty. Some of these groups may have been earnest actors seeking a better way of life, some of them may have been opportunistic criminals and sociopaths who sought power for the sake of power. And, surely, We The People have been deceived when it comes to our understanding of the world and the different factions operating within it.
Where Fidel Castro and the Cuban government falls within this paradigm (or matrix of paradigms) is a worthwhile pursuit. Given the impact that this narrative has had on the shaping of our world and our government over the past 70 years, it deserves our time and consideration in discerning the truth. We should not simply assume that Fidel Castro and his regime were CIA proxies that were part of a controlled-opposition dynamic. Perhaps they were, but we shouldn’t make these kind of assumptions, with any character or narrative, because it can lead to a deeper misunderstanding of the world once you start building on that flawed foundation.
Indeed, if the CIA is even half as evil as we believe it to be, then we should expect that there were other earnest actors in the world who were actively resisting it and even trying to destroy it. Dismissing these figures as “terrorists” is merely accepting the CIA’s framing at face value. We should evolve and pursue a more nuanced understanding of the world and modern history.
There are so many contradictions and logical fallacies contained within this State Department report that I don’t even know where to begin. The report paints the small island of Cuba, which has been under an embargo by the US since 1960, as this highly funded, trained, and sophisticated opponent that was capable of infiltrating the US government, subverting American culture, and dismantling the American value system, with little to no resistance. And while Cuba was purportedly doing all of this, the CIA (and others, like Joseph McCarthy) were actively hunting these communists and trying to shut down their psychological warfare operations.
Yet, somehow, Cuba succeeded in its mission to destroy America from within by brainwashing its youth and turning them against their forefathers? Somehow Cuba is responsible for training the countless terrorists operating throughout the world and conducting regime-change operations, at will.
While some of these claims may make sense, in theory, and may even be true to the extent that they were actual attempts of the Cuban government to fight the United States, it seems too fantastical to believe that Cuba would have been capable of tearing down the greatest superpower of all time while also infiltrating and taking over many of the world’s great powers.
The reality is that all of these accusations levied at the Cuban regime by the CIA are sins that the CIA, itself, is actually guilty of doing. It was the CIA who launched Operation Gladio, Operation Condor, and countless other color revolution operations to stabilize and overthrow foreign governments.
It was the CIA (under National Security Advisor Zbigniew Brzezinski, among others) that has recruited, financed, trained and deployed foreign terrorist groups, including Al Qaeda and ISIS.
And it was the CIA who used societal institutions, popular culture, and indoctrination-via-education to turn the American civilization into a sterilized mess of domesticated ne’er-do-wells. The fact that the State Department (synonymous with CIA) is now projecting all of these acts of treason onto other nations—in this moment, Cuba—reeks of desperation in ways that will need to be further unpackaged and discussed.
For now, we must continue to demand accountability while resisting the attempts by the GOP to seize control of these narratives and further weaponize them against the American People.
Simply put: these traitors must face harsh justice and severe retribution for the crimes they have committed against our country and our people.
Spanish World Cup Hero Dons MASA Hat In Victory Parade In Madrid
Spain’s World Cup final hero, Ferran Torres, drew attention during the team’s victory parade in Madrid after wearing a red hat reading “Make Spain Great Again,” a play on President Donald Trump’s “Make America Great Again” slogan. Torres scored the extra-time winner in Spain’s 1-0 victory over Argentina to secure the country’s second men’s World Cup title.
Photos of the hat quickly went viral, prompting debate online over whether it was intended as a political statement or simply a celebratory slogan. Torres has not publicly commented on the meaning of the hat.
GhostofBasedPatrickHenry: Take: This development makes me feel better about my decision do a longform take on the World Cup Final match from Sunday.
You all may recall the amazing goal scored by Ferran Torres of Spain?
Well the media did what the media always does: They tried to paint President Trump as an out-of-touch fool who nobody likes or wants to be around. They claimed that Trump was trying to photobomb the Spanish team when they were taking pictures on stage after being awarded their medals (given to them by President Trump). The media acted like there was some unspoken rift between Trump and the Spanish players because of the recent geopolitical disagreements between Trump and the Spanish government.
Instead, the star of the World Cup Final match showed up to the victory parade in Madrid with a "MAKE SPAIN GREAT AGAIN" hat, styled in the notorious MAGA red hat branding.
As you would expect, the European media has been triggered in oblivion.
The time has come for men to set aside these silly social cues and go back to being men. We should not be concerned with what low-testosterone losers and over-educated liberal women think about us and our political opinions. Hell, we shouldn't even care what normies in general think about us or our ideas. We should just do. We should just be. We should simply return to being men who build things—like civilization—and let the menstruating "men" who seethe scream into their pillows. Their opinions don't matter. Nobody respects them—history certainly won't.
We should stop paying them any mind at all. When they seethe, we should just turn and walk away.
Onward.
BONUS ITEM
Trump Administration Activates Never-Before-Used Alien Terrorist Removal Court
The Trump administration has activated a never-before-used legal process to quickly deport foreign nationals designated as alien terrorists or their immediate family members.
The Justice Department filed the first-ever application with the Alien Terrorist Removal Court, a five-judge panel created by Congress in 1996 but never previously used. The July 15 filing is sealed, and its cover sheet indicates the contents are classified.
Under the 1996 law that established the court, the secretary of State can bar members of designated terrorist organizations, people who endorse or espouse terrorist activity and, in some cases, their spouses or children. The law also allows the secretary of State to designate individuals who intend to engage in activities that could endanger the welfare, safety or security of the United States.
The court has five judges selected nationwide by Chief Justice John Roberts, with a structure similar to the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Court, which handles surveillance applications involving suspected foreign agents. Chief Judge Joan Ericksen held a sealed hearing Thursday but ordered the government to submit a more carefully considered application after raising questions about the DOJ’s target and how the alleged conduct connects to the laws authorizing removal. An updated response is due Wednesday.
Please share the Brief far and wide!
Want to join the conversation?
Jump in the comments and let us know your thoughts.
And if you like the Substack, you should check out our shows — streaming now on Badlands Media!
The opinions expressed in the Badlands Brief are those of the tagged authors and do not necessarily reflect the attitudes or positions of Badlands Media.
The Brief is free, but you can support us by becoming a paid subscriber.
Sneaky devils - they invaded us syruptitiously!
Great brief with a beautiful opening salvo on our complicated relationship with our northern step brother from an arranged marriage. The Cuba insight from Ghost was very well done as well. Keep up the great work.