Badlands Brief
Poetic Agitprop, Cold War Reruns, & Kokomo From the Ropes
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.
Woman Fatally Shot While Failing to Comply With ICE Orders in MN As State Lawmakers Testify in DC About Somali Fraud Scandal
Federal authorities have launched what the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) describes as the largest immigration enforcement operation ever conducted in Minneapolis–St. Paul, deploying approximately 2,000 federal personnel in early January 2026. The operation involves officers from Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), Homeland Security Investigations, and other DHS components.
According to DHS, the operation is focused on enforcing federal immigration law and investigating related offenses, including alleged fraud, unlawful employment practices, and human smuggling. Federal officials claim that the surge follows ongoing investigations in Minnesota and is part of broader national enforcement efforts.
During the operation, a 37-year-old woman was fatally shot by a federal immigration agent on January 7, 2026. DHS said the agent acted in self-defense after the woman allegedly attempted to strike officers with a vehicle. The incident is under investigation.
Local officials have confirmed the shooting occurred during federal enforcement activity, while noting that they were not involved in the operation itself. The Minneapolis City Council identified the victim as Renee Nicole Good, continuing in a statement:
“Renee was a resident of our city who was out caring for her neighbors this morning and her life was taken today at the hands of the federal government,” the city council said in a statement. NPR member station MPR News has reached out to a family member of the victim. The shooting occurred on a residential street in south Minneapolis — less than a mile from where George Floyd was killed by police in 2020. ICE agents were conducting targeted immigration enforcement operations at the time.”
Video footage of the incident has circulated publicly and is being reviewed by investigators.
The incident occurred at the same time as the House Oversight Committee held a hearing on the multimillion-dollar pandemic fraud schemes in Minnesota. Watch that hearing here.
DHS has stated that the immigration operation is ongoing and that additional arrests or enforcement actions may occur as investigations continue.
Ashe in America: It’s always unfortunate when we hear stories about people dying, but what luck for Minnesota that this happened when it did!
Minnesota lawmakers were called before the House Oversight Committee today to hear about their frauds committed against the American people, but you didn’t hear about that.
Instead, all channels were flooded with outrage porn as a reportedly lesbian poet from Colorado who was “experiencing Minneapolis” reportedly hit a policeman with her car and was immediately shot dead. All the authorities are calling it a clean hit. All the protesters are screaming about fascism. It all feels very George Floyd all over again.
Of course there’s a Colorado connection. It’s a national test kitchen. And before you tell me to move, note that, as this story proves, it’s not contained inside Colorado.
It spreads.
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Machado Vows Return to Venezuela as US‑Led Regional Transition Takes Shape
Venezuelan opposition leader María Corina Machado has vowed to return to Venezuela and reject the authority of the country’s interim leadership, following the US-led Operation Absolute Resolve in which former president Nicolás Maduro was captured and removed from power.
In interviews published this week, Machado said she plans to return to the country despite security risks and ongoing government crackdowns, asserting that Venezuelans deserve a democratic transition and free elections. She rejected the legitimacy of interim leader Delcy Rodríguez, accusing her and other officials of corruption and repression.
Machado has said, in comments reported by Bloomberg, that US officials have told Venezuela’s new leadership they expect steps toward a political transition, though the United States has not formally endorsed her as a transitional leader. She said she has not spoken directly with President Donald Trump in recent months but has publicly welcomed US pressure aimed at forcing political change in Venezuela. Trump has recently said that, while he considers Machado “a nice woman,” he does not believe she has enough political support in the country and has indicated a preference to deal with Rodríguez rather than back Machado as a transitional leader.
The Venezuelan government has responded by tightening internal security and taking actions against opposition figures, while issuing warnings against what it describes as foreign‑backed destabilization efforts. Officials have accused Machado and her allies of seeking to provoke unrest, claims the opposition denies.
Machado’s announcement comes amid heightened international scrutiny of Venezuela’s political future, with rival factions and foreign governments advancing competing visions over who should lead a transition and how new elections should be organized.
At the same time, Republican Senator Rick Scott said that, following recent US actions in Venezuela, the United States would next “fix” Cuba and Nicaragua and seek political change in Colombia. He made the remarks during a public interview.
Burning Bright: Globalist stooge Maria Corina Machado is now openly campaigning for a SECOND regime change operation in Venezuela because the first isn’t enough. [Clip Link]
So, what’s really going on here?
I believe Trump executed a ‘fake’ Regime Change Op in order to intercept the real one Globalists have been planning for a decade, and attempting, in various stages.
By ‘taking out’ Nicholas Maduro (by extracting him, staging photo ops with him and basically getting mad about how Maduro does the Trump dance even better than Trump does the Trump dance, according to actual retarded media reports,) Trump has essentially siphoned the energy from the enemy’s color revolution and rug-pulled its final stage.
Keep in mind, Maduro’s administration still controls Venezuela, at Trump’s behest and on his authority.
This will not do for the National Endowment for Democracy or the ghost of USAID, both of which have donated millions to Machado’s campaigns en route to her winning a Nobel Peace Prize that was denied to President Trump, which is just about the cleanest reverse indicator you’re ever likely to get in the Info War.
By swapping Maduro out with his second-in-command, Trump is baiting the enemy into attempting to drum up support for a SECOND color revolution in as many weeks, because they didn’t get the one they wanted the first time around.
Russia is considering following the same playbook in Ukraine.
And China may in Taiwan, because Trump has granted them the Narrative Shielding to do so, while depriving the Globalists of that very thing by slamming the door shut on Machado’s legitimacy while shattering the carefully-cultivated illusion of her public mandate.
In other words, Trump (and yes, Maduro) steered Venezuela into the path of the torpedo before it could arm itself.
And very, very few in the so-called Truth Community have figured this out.
Pro tip: when you find yourself cheering for the same things as characters who represent the NED, USAID, WEF and NATO ... you just might have gotten rugged.
***
President Trump chummed the waters and now the NeoCons have taken the bait. [Clip Link] Their mask is off and they’re now letting their freak flags fly, revealing their true selves.
I mean, just listen to this clip from Tom Cotton. [Clip Link]
Wow what a sociopath.
Their rhetoric represents the essence of tyranny. The US government is arbitrarily deciding that these Latin American governments are illegitimately for reasons that aren’t entirely clear.
Our government has become everything that our forefathers rebelled against in 1775, and our politicians are the henchmen of transnational oligarchs.
As for the Maduro op, it appears that Trump may have launched it in order to derail the Deep State’s attempt to install Maria Corona Machado—Burning Bright seems to see it the same way, as well.
And it’s worth noting that America’s Mayor, Rudy Giuliani, posted an anti-regime-change rant, calling the Shah’s son is a bum and denouncing attempts to overthrow the Iranian government.
Based.
P.S. I’ve decided that Delcy Rodriguez’s Trump-a-Mania stage name is Kokomo. [Clip Link]
Trump Spotlights Venezuelan Oil Deal as US Seizes Russia-Flagged Tanker After Weeks-Long Pursuit
The United States seized a Russia-flagged oil tanker as part of an expanded sanctions-enforcement campaign, according to US officials. The seizure occurred Wednesday after a roughly two-week pursuit across the Atlantic.
US officials said the tanker was linked to shipments of Venezuelan oil and was operating under a Russian flag at the time of the seizure. Officials described the action as part of a broader US sanctions-enforcement campaign targeting vessels moving Venezuelan oil.
The seizure has drawn international attention and criticism. Russian officials and state-aligned media outlets condemned the action, arguing that the tanker’s capture violated international maritime law and amounted to unlawful interference with commercial shipping.
US posture indicates that enforcement actions against vessels suspected of transporting Venezuelan oil in violation of US sanctions, will continue. In related news, President Trump announced Wednesday on Truth Social:
“Venezuela is going to be purchasing ONLY American Made Products, with the money they receive from our new Oil Deal. These purchases will include, among other things, American Agricultural Products, and American Made Medicines, Medical Devices, and Equipment to improve Venezuela’s Electric Grid and Energy Facilities. In other words, Venezuela is committing to doing business with the United States of America as their principal partner – A wise choice, and a very good thing for the people of Venezuela, and the United States.”
Burning Bright: Are we watching a Cold War re-run ... or a total inversion of the very same?
Let’s lay out the ‘facts’ of the case as the System of Systems is feeding them to us:
US forces, operating under a federal warrant, tracked and seized a Russian-flagged shadow fleet tanker in international waters.
Russian military assets—including at least one submarine and surface warships—were in the vicinity, escorting or shadowing the vessel during the operation.
The Globalist press rushed to analogize the incident to Cold War techno-thrillers, complete with submarine cat-and-mouse framing and the specter of unintended escalation looming.
All ‘true,’ according to the central narrative.
Now ... let’s play the inversion game, operating under the simple, but revolutionary premise that Donald Trump and Vladimir Putin aren’t steering us into the path of certain doom, but rather, directly into the path of the torpedo before it can arm itself.
As long as you understand that the torpedo is a story, one we have stolen and turned around on the invisible enemy.
To wit, that tanker was flying Russia’s colors, yes—but it wasn’t a Russian tanker.
The Marinera (formerly the Bella 1) had been stateless, operating in the dark fleet that hauls sanctioned crude from places like Venezuela and Iran.
Only weeks ago, during a prior US pursuit, it hastily switched registration to Russia—without inspection or formalities, a classic false flag maneuver in the shadow trade Trump and his Department of War are translating to the collective mindscape.
Even mainstream outlets have danced around calling it exactly that: a false flag deployed to shield illicit cargo under the protection of a great power’s banner ... and I would argue that even that represents the optimistic framing.
Does it seem more plausible that Trump—fresh off public overtures to end wars, rebuild sovereign strength and drain the globalist swamp—is suddenly trying to kick off World War III with Russia?
Or does it seem far more likely that the Sovereign Alliance is actively dismantling the Globalist Cartel’s final gambit across the entire game board ... and that this falsely-flagged tanker, literally, chased and seized under the watchful, but non-interfering gaze of Russian forces was one of the most blatant signal flares we’ve yet witnessed in the War of Stories?
A flare illuminating exactly what the collapsing Regime had planned: to use shadow fleets, false flags and manufactured crises to spark the hot war they promised ... the one that will never arrive.
Trump Orders US Withdrawal From 66 International Groups, Tightens Rules on Defense Contractors
President Donald J. Trump took two major policy actions Wednesday aimed at reshaping US global engagement and defense industry priorities.
Trump signed a Presidential Memorandum directing the United States to withdraw from 66 international organizations that the administration says no longer serve American interests. Under the order, US participation and funding will end for 35 non-UN bodies and 31 United Nations entities viewed as contrary to US national interests, security, economic prosperity or sovereignty. The White House said the move will stop taxpayer support for entities it deems wasteful or promoting “globalist agendas” and refocus resources on domestic priorities.
In a separate action, Trump signed an Executive Order to “prioritize the warfighter” by curbing defense contractors’ stock buybacks and excessive corporate payouts when such spending comes at the expense of production, innovation and on-time delivery of military equipment. The order directs the Secretary of War to identify underperforming contractors and require remediation plans or use enforcement options under existing law. It also seeks to change future contracts to limit stock buybacks and tie executive compensation to performance metrics like delivery timeliness and production increases.
Both measures reflect the administration’s stated focus on American sovereignty, fiscal restraint and national security priorities.
Ashe in America: If we’re in a transformation program to the generational corruption from American institutions then this is what you’d expect to see.
Zoom out from the NGOs, and consider the second order and it’s tightening of DoD contracts. Assuming these changes are really happening, the transformation is observable now.
Are these changes really happening? I think so.
Remember when we heard the story of USAID funding being cut and then all these formerly “free” outlets and NGOs started begging for money from their audiences?
Observable.
Let’s SEE what happens.
BONUS ITEMS
White House Launch! January 6: A Date Which Will Live in Infamy
The White House has published a new official government webpage addressing the events of January 6, 2021. The page was released ahead of the fifth anniversary of the breach of the US Capitol. It presents the Trump administration’s account of January 6 and disputes “insurrection” conclusions reached by prior congressional investigations and court proceedings.
Importantly, the page states that the 2020 presidential election was stolen and criticizes former Vice President Mike Pence’s actions related to the certification of the 2020 election results. It also challenges the findings of the House January 6 Committee, references prosecutions related to the Capitol breach, and emphasizes that the majority of Americans present on January 6, 2021 were peaceful protesters. The White House has not indicated whether additional revisions or related pages will be added.
Trump Revives Greenland Discussion as Denmark Insists Greenland Is Not for Sale
President Donald Trump renewed public discussion of acquiring Greenland, reiterating that the Arctic island is strategically important for United States national security.
US officials and analysts note that Greenland already hosts American military facilities under long‑standing defense arrangements with Denmark, including agreements that allow the United States to operate bases on the island as part of wider Arctic and North Atlantic security cooperation.
No change to Greenland’s political status has been announced. Members of Congress from both parties, as well as senior administration officials, have publicly commented on Greenland’s strategic relevance, but no new US law or formal treaty proposal concerning Greenland’s status has been introduced or made public.
Danish and Greenlandic officials have reiterated that Greenland is part of the Kingdom of Denmark and that decisions about its future rest with Greenland’s people and governing institutions, stressing that the territory is not for sale.
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Yesterday was a flood-zone of welcome news for our family. Trump announced a ban on institutional investors buying homes, RFK put out a new food pyramid showing meat as recommended, and made childhood vaccines voluntary. Privately owned cattle ranchers are headed toward freedom to process their products locally, multiple woke “corporations” that operate under private donations and NGO money are dissolving, and the “U.S.A.” is exiting the building from at least 61 dubious cartel club memberships. We “voted”😭for this!!! Oh, and gas is down 30 cents from the last time I filled the tank 💗
“Pro tip: when you find yourself cheering for the same things as characters who represent the NED, USAID, WEF and NATO ... you just might have gotten rugged.”
🤭