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.
Walz Exits Third-Term Race as Fraud Investigations Dominate Minnesota Politics & National Conversation
Minnesota Governor Tim Walz said he will not seek a third term in office, confirming he plans to leave the governor’s office at the end of his current term. Walz has been Minnesota’s governor since 2019 and was re-elected once. Minnesota does not impose term limits on governors.
Walz, who served as the Democratic Party’s vice-presidential nominee in 2024, said the decision was not tied to immediate political plans and cited a desire to spend more time with his family; however, he also cited the need to focus fully on governing amid an “enormously challenging” year, particularly a massive welfare and child care fraud scandal involving hundreds of millions, possibly billions, in misused federal funds, often tied to programs serving the Somali community.
“The political gamesmanship we’re seeing from Republicans is only making that fight harder to win.”
“But as I reflected on this moment with my family and my team over the holidays, I came to the conclusion that I can’t give a political campaign my all.”
“Every minute I spend defending my own political interests would be a minute I can’t spend defending the people of Minnesota against the criminals who prey on our generosity and the cynics who prey on our differences.”
“So I’ve decided to step out of the race and let others worry about the election while I focus on the work.”
Democrats, including Kamala Harris, Gavin Newsom, and JB Pritzker praised his service and character. Republicans claimed his departure is accountability for “failed leadership.”
US Senator Amy Klobuchar (D-MN) is reportedly considering running for Minnesota Governor.
Walz will serve out his term until January 2027 and has expressed confidence in contributing to Minnesota afterward.
Ashe in America: Walz isn’t running for reelection, but he should still be in office when he’s prosecuted. He claims he is staying in until his term ends in 2027…
Then again…
Whether Walz is in or out of office should be irrelevant to whether or not he is convicted. I’ve asked it before, and I’ll ask it again:
How much of this fraud made its way to the Americans charged with preventing it?
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Maduro in Court, Rodriguez in Miraflores, & Sheinbaum in a Pincer
Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro has pleaded not guilty to four counts: narco-terrorism, cocaine importation conspiracy, possession/conspiracy to possess machine guns and destructive devices, in a New York federal court. Cilia Flores, Maduro’s wife, also pleaded not guilty to related charges. The couple faces decades to life in prison if convicted. Legal analysts argue his prosecution is unlawful under international law.
Following his removal, Venezuela’s Vice President and Oil Minister Delcy Rodríguez was sworn in as interim president. 283 lawmakers elected last May were also sworn in. Few are categorized as opposition according to Reuters, reporting that the faction of candidates directed by Nobel Prize winner Machado boycotted the contest.
The only lawmaker not in attendance on Monday was first lady Cilia Flores, who is in US custody. Gunfire was reported at Miraflores Palace following Rodriguez swearing in; according to some reports, security forces at the Palace were shooting at a drone.
Mexico’s President Claudia Sheinbaum criticized Operation Absolute Resolve and the capture of Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro, affirming Mexico’s non-intervention policy in response to President Trump’s remarks over the weekend.
When asked on Air Force One whether the US would embark on a military operation against Colombia, Trump replied that Colombia is “run by a sick man” and an operation “sounds good to me.” He also issued a warning to Mexico:
“You have to do something with Mexico,” Trump said. “We’re going to have to do something. We’d love Mexico to do it, they’re capable of doing it, but unfortunately the cartels are very strong in Mexico.”
“We categorically reject intervention in the internal matters of other countries,” Claudia Sheinbaum said. She also dismissed the idea of US military action inside Mexico, emphasizing that cooperation must not amount to subordination.
Energy markets also reacted to developments in Venezuela, with traders weighing whether sanctions relief could allow increased oil output. Morningstar’s oil price forecasts won’t change, according to Morningstar analyst Joshua Aguilar, as Venezuela will require years of large capital investments to modernize its oil infrastructure. “Regime changes rarely lead to rapid investment and stabilizing supply, particularly as opposing factions vie for power.” Morningstar maintains its medium-term oil price estimates.
Venezuela’s state oil company PDVSA asked some joint-venture partners to reduce output, according to a Reuters report citing anonymous sources. The shift is reportedly due to rising onshore inventories and operational constraints, including shortages of diluents needed to process heavy crude.
Burning Bright: Months ago, I wrote about Syria – not as the fall of a regime to hostile forces, but as a controlled transition under the Sovereign Alliance lens.
Assad’s relocation to Moscow, the pre-planned Russian repositioning, the sudden U.S. strikes on ISIS remnants in conveniently-cleared zones ... all of it pointed to a managed handover that allowed sovereign players to purge globalist proxy networks while the narrative machine screamed and gnashed their teeth, or stared in slackjawed confusion.
At the time, I compared the practice to Russian Maneuver Defense, on both an Actual and Narrative level. Fast-forward to today, and I believe a version of the same template is playing out in Venezuela with Nicolás Maduro’s ‘arrest’ and extradition to New York.
So, is this the hostile regime change the media harpies want you to see?
Or is it something far more elegant – a negotiated, bloodless coup, a managed exit that sets the stage for a sovereign renewal on the back of kinetic purges of ‘cartel networks’ while front-running and neutralizing the globalists’ own inverted playbook?
Look at the prime signal boosters, who happen to be the core pillars of my theorized Sovereign Alliance:
Russia’s Dmitry Medvedev calls Trump’s actions “illegal” and a violation of international law ... but then notes they have “a certain consistency” in terms of defending staunch national interests.
I would have suggested that Medvedev is hinting that Trump has set a template that can be wielded in Ukraine ... but he came right out and said it.
Not one for subtlety, that one.
Meanwhile, over in China, social media explodes with hundreds of millions of views framing the Venezuela op as a “perfect blueprint” for Taiwan – a surprise move to reclaim sovereignty without the endless proxy bleed.
So while Beijing follows Moscow’s lead in officially condemning Trump’s move while demanding Maduro’s release, the subtext screams recognition: Trump has provided cover for sovereign reclamation ops worldwide.
That’s Narrative Shielding.
And Trump himself is telling you he’s aware of it, threatening (or rather, promising,) to apply the Venezuela template to everything from Iran to Mexico, Colombia to Cuba ... and yes, perhaps most threatening to the Globalist stronghold (weaker with each passing deployment) of Greenland.
Hell, Denmark’s PM is openly warning that a “Venezuela playbook” there would mean “the end of NATO,” with the EU rushing to affirm sovereign principles they’re happy to ignore elsewhere.
Again, it seems the wrong kind of wars are being summarily started (and quickly, sometimes bloodlessly) ended by Trump, at least, according to the players Trump himself has long referred to as our ‘so-called allies.’
This isn’t geopolitical friction between long-running allies, to me; it’s globalist containment breach, and the beast has noticed.
***
Jon Herold: Calling what happened a regime change isn’t a bad thing…
I disagree with it, I don’t like it. But the ability to pull off what he is saying they pulled off is one of the most impressive displays of power projection you could possibly do.
Chris Paul: Maria Hakuna Matata via DD Geopolitics
🇻🇪 Look who decided to show up and kiss Trump’s ass after he dismissed her.
This is so embarrassing. Apparently she plans to return to Venezuela.
***
Ashe in America: Operation Absolute Resolve the Condor Situation in Venezuela?
I don’t know for sure, but ColonelTowner does, and she’s joining CannCon and me this evening (and every Tuesday until we’re done with the book) at 6pET on Badlands Book Club. It’s a great time to join us — we’re going back to the beginning and recapping chapters 1-4 today!
TL;DR: The good guy CIA are going to take down the bad guy CIA and then we can all go back to trusting the CIA again… right?
Also:
I mean, yeah. Men with guns are always the ultimate power.
That’s why gun grabbers can ingest all the richards.
Somaliland Sovereignty, Burkina Faso Coup Claims, and a Resource Revolution in Eastern Congo
Somalia’s president said Somaliland had agreed to resettle Palestinians from Gaza and host an Israeli military base in exchange for international recognition, according to reports from the BBC. Somaliland authorities publicly denied that they had agreed to host Israeli military bases or resettle Palestinians, stating that no such agreement exists.
Several governments in the Middle East and North Africa, including Jordan, Qatar, and Algeria, denounced any move by Israel to recognize Somaliland, saying it would violate Somalia’s territorial integrity.
Burkina Faso’s government reported that it had foiled a coup attempt linked to supporters of former leaders, saying security forces dismantled networks involved in planning the takeover. Authorities in Burkina Faso said the alleged coup plot involved both military personnel and civilians and that arrests had been made, though no independent evidence or detailed identities were released publicly.
Fighting intensified near the city of Uvira in eastern Democratic Republic of Congo as M23 rebels tightened control over border routes, and clashes between Congolese government forces and regional press reported that M23 rebels were reported near strategic transport corridors, raising concerns about cross-border movement and humanitarian access.
GhostofBasedPatrickHenry: On Friday’s edition of Geopolitics with Ghost, I presented my understanding of the widespread unrest in Africa, organizing it all into three distinct conflicts:
Conflict A: The War for Sovereignty (West Africa)
Conflict B: The War for Resources (Congo)
Conflict C: The War for Logistics (Horn of Africa/Somalia)
Over the past few years, we have covered Conflicts A and B on the Brief,learning about the characters, entities, and ambitions in the Sahel and in the Congo.
Of all the storylines, governments, and nations involved in the African theater, the greatest figure to emerge is undoubtedly the President of Burkina Faso, Captain Ibrahim Traore. Many of you have become familiar with this young leader, whom I would describe as the George Washington of Africa. (I think he will end up becoming that significant.)
In the past few days, the Burkinabe government has disclosed that [yet another] coup attempt against Captain Traore has been thwarted. This one was being run out of the neighboring nation of Ivory Coast, with the intent of installing the former President of Burkina Faso, Lt Colonel Paul-Henri Sandaogo Damiba.
Captain Traore once served under Colonel Damiba. It was Damiba who first overthrew the Burkinabe govt in early 2022 with the help of Traore, when the military recognized that ISIS was taking over the country and the government appeared either complicit or indifferent. Nine months later, Traore led his own coup against Damiba, when he realized that Damiba was not organizing the countersurgency against ISIS. Since then, Damiba has been accused several times of plotting a coup against Traore, while allegedly operating out of the Ivory Coast.
I have been positing for a while now that Nigeria and the Ivory Coast represent the two centers of power for ECOWAS. While Nigeria is the political and economic center, the Ivory Coast appears to be a paramilitary proxy hub, which is likely being used to launch insurgency operations against the Alliance of Sahel States.
So that’s Conflict A — what I call the War of Sovereignty.
As for Conflict B, we have covered the Congo situation more times than I can count. The government of Felix Tshisakede has faced countless regime-change operation attempts — both hard and soft coup attempts — with the most recent one being against the M23 Group and their River Alliance Coalition.
The most recent news is that M23 has moved south from Bukavu and taken the city of Uvira. Now they are reportedly expanding their territory, attacking Congolese military bases in the North Kivu region.
What’s at stake in Conflict B is not only $24 Trillion worth of rare earth minerals, but more importantly, it is the rare earth minerals that are used in all high tech manufacturing, and most of the world’s supply are found right here in the heart of darkness.
Hence, why I call it the War of Resources.
That brings us to Conflict C in the Horn of Africa.
Many of you have likely noticed the escalating storylines involving the Somalis.
As I explained on my show on Friday, this battle is all about controlling the Red Sea and Suez Canal — through which 30% of all global shipping container traffic passes.
The Somalian President has accused Israel of offering to recognize Somaliland in exchange for allowing the IDF to establish bases in the Gulf of Aden from which they will launch attacks against the Houthis in Yemen. We also see civil wars happening in Sudan which are likely a direct result of Russia planning to construct a naval base on the Sudanese coast in the immediate future.
Controlling the Red Sea means controlling maritime trade between Asia and Europe. Which is why I refer to Conflict C as The War of Logistics.
Mamdani’s New Tenant Czar Under Fire After Racist Rhetoric About White Property Owners Resurfaces
New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani signed an executive order on January 1, 2026, “revitalizing” the Mayor’s Office to Protect Tenants. The office coordinates city agencies to defend tenants’ rights, improve housing affordability, address complaints about unsafe or unlawful conditions, and hold landlords accountable.
Mamdani appointed Cea Weaver, former coordinator of “Housing Justice for All” and a key figure in passing New York’s 2019 Housing Stability and Tenant Protection Act, as director of the office. Online videoclipsshow Weaver discussing shared equity housing models and other policy prescriptions. Those three linked videos include these greatest hits:
“People like home ownership because they like control, which is rooted in a racist and classist society…This is why rent control is important.”
“We’ve really treated property as an individualized good and not a collective good.”
“I think the reality is that for centuries, we’ve really treated property as an individualized good and not a collective good. And transitioning to treating it as, um... a collective good towards a model of shared equity will require that we think about it differently.”
“It will mean that families, especially white families – but some POC families who are homeowners as well – are going to have a different relationship with property than the one...”
“We can say, hey, um — you know — you are not maintaining this building, and we are the City of New York. We have an interest in making sure that housing is well maintained, and — and we’re gonna take this building away from you.”
Weaver reportedly deactivated her social media account amid the controversy, according to Newsweek.
On January 1, 2026, Mamdani issued an order revoking all remaining executive orders signed by Eric Adams on or after September 26, 2024, Adams’ indictment date, which is expected to affect various policies.
Ashe in America: Generations from now, the surviving cockroaches of the inevitable and ostensibly violent NY Revolution will insist, with unwarranted arrogance, that it “wasn’t real communism.”
Remember that movie “Escape from New York” with Kurt Russell? We’d be well-advised to throw a wall around NY and establish the open air prison now.
Zelenskyy Appoints Chrystia Freeland as Unpaid Economic Advisor
Zelenskyy announced the appointment of Chrystia Freeland, former Canadian Deputy Prime Minister with Ukrainian heritage, as an unpaid advisor on economic development Monday, to enhance Ukraine’s to help the country attract investments and increase internal resilience.
The bilateral ties between Ukraine and Canada are strong following the latter’s recent $2.5 billion aid package announced by Mark Carney on December 27, 2025.
Freeland plans to resign her Canadian MP seat in coming weeks to address conflict-of-interest concerns while working for Zelenskyy.
Burning Bright: Former Justin Trudeau handler Chrystia Freeland made news today by joining Ukraine’s leadership as a ‘top advisor.’
She is an avowed globalist and anti-Russia warmonger. She also has an interesting history when it comes to criticizing Nicholas Maduro ...
In May 2017, she issued the following statement over concerns about Maduro’s impact on ‘Democracy,’ which Globalists always seem very concerned about:
“Canada is very troubled by the announcement by Venezuela’s President Nicolás Maduro that he will establish a constituent assembly to change the Venezuelan constitution, which will further escalate tensions in the country. This announcement follows the Venezuelan government’s concerning decision to withdraw from the Organization of American States.”
In January 2019, she issued the following condemnation of Maduro for ‘stealing an election’ from, you guessed it, the avowed globalist and NGO-funded opposition leader.
“Having seized power through fraudulent and anti-democratic elections held on May 20, 2018, the Maduro regime is now fully entrenched as a dictatorship,” Ms. Freeland said in a statement. “The suffering of Venezuelans will only worsen should he continue to illegitimately cling to power.”
In April 2019, she issued the following statement after the latest failed color revolution against Maduro:
“The crisis in Venezuela, created by the illegitimate and dictatorial Maduro regime, is an ongoing threat to regional peace and security. The Lima Group met today in Santiago to discuss how we can support a return to democracy for Venezuelans.”
But hey, who’s this hag, and why should we use her statements on Maduro as reverse indicators? Well, I could tell you, but maybe Donald Trump said it best in December 2024. From The Hill:
“’The Great State of Canada is stunned as the Finance Minister resigns, or was fired, from her position by Governor Justin Trudeau,’ Trump wrote in a Monday night post on Truth Social while mocking, again, the Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau as ‘governor.’”
‘Her behavior was totally toxic, and not at all conducive to making deals which are good for the very unhappy citizens of Canada,” he added. “She will not be missed!!!’”
In February 2025, from Global(ist) News:
“In an interview with The Spectator, Trump called Liberal leadership candidate Chrystia Freeland terrible and ‘a whack’ — and claimed credit for her resignation as finance minister.
‘Governor Trudeau understood that. And he actually fired her because of a meeting he had with me. I said, ‘She is so bad. She’s bad for the country,’” Trump said in an edited transcript of a Thursday interview with the magazine.
Freeland resigned from cabinet in December — a move which ultimately led Prime Minister Justin Trudeau to announce he was stepping down as Liberal leader.
The president met Freeland in his first administration during negotiations on the Canada-US.-Mexico Agreement. Freeland played a key role in crafting the continental trade pact to replace the North American Free Trade Agreement.
Freeland, in a post on X, responded saying there was a reason for the president’s comments.
‘There’s a reason Trump called me a ‘whack.’ There’s a reason he complained about my negotiating skills. There’s a reason Putin kicked me out of Russia, too,” she wrote. “I don’t back down — and Trump and Putin know it.’”
Huh.
So, we’ve got an avowed globalist handler joining the Zelenskyy Regime, and who stands staunchly opposed to the ‘Regimes’ of Donald Trump, Vladimir Putin and ... Nicholas Maduro while propping up the globalist, collectivist opposition to each?
Combine this with the cartoonish optics of Maduro’s ‘arrest,’ the net effects that will come out of it on the very cartel networks and globalist NGOs he’s been battling for the better part of a decade, and you MIGHT begin to see why some of us are saying quite confidently that Trump didn’t just execute a regime change ...
He stopped it.
The globalists aren’t angry about Maduro’s ouster. After all, it seems his administration is largely intact as of this writing.
They’re angry about the fact that Trump refused to endorse, and actually actively condemned Maduro’s globalist opposition leader, the NGO-funded, Nobel Prize-’winning’ Maria Corina Machado.
Which some of us saw coming.
BONUS ITEMS
Pentagon Censures Sen. Kelly, Weighs Demotion Over ‘Seditious Statements’
On January 5, 2026, Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth announced administrative actions against US Senator Mark Kelly, a retired Navy captain and former astronaut. The actions include issuing a formal letter of censure – a permanent reprimand placed in Kelly’s military record – for alleged “seditious statements” and “reckless misconduct,” and initiating a 45-day retirement grade determination that could reduce Kelly’s retired rank and corresponding retirement pay.
Hegseth said the actions were based on a pattern of public statements from June to December 2025 that he said characterized lawful military operations as illegal. The Pentagon stated that retired officers remain subject to the Uniform Code of Military Justice (UCMJ) and that Kelly’s status as a sitting US senator does not exempt him.
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Hey Senator Kelly, with all that experience, how is it you end up a traitor??? Was it money, like Benedict Arnold??? You should be grateful that you are not facing a firing squad.
@Ghost - Thank you for the concise and logical (and dare I say, "humble"?) geo-political refresh. As you are aware, the second trumpet speaks directly of the impact and importance of the shipping channels - in other words, this conflict at its peak will be Biblical!
Hey Senator Kelly, with all that experience, how is it you end up a traitor??? Was it money, like Benedict Arnold??? You should be grateful that you are not facing a firing squad.
@Ghost - Thank you for the concise and logical (and dare I say, "humble"?) geo-political refresh. As you are aware, the second trumpet speaks directly of the impact and importance of the shipping channels - in other words, this conflict at its peak will be Biblical!