Badlands Brief

Tulsi Resigns; Iran Peace Deal on the Horizon

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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HAPPY MEMORIAL DAY!

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Tulsi Gabbard Announces Resignation From Trump Cabinet

Tulsi Gabbard is resigning as director of national intelligence, Fox News reported Friday. The outlet said Gabbard notified President Donald Trump during an Oval Office meeting and that her last day at ODNI is expected to be June 30, 2026.

Fox reported that Gabbard’s resignation letter cited her husband Abraham’s diagnosis with an extremely rare form of bone cancer.

Trump said in a Truth Social post that Aaron Lukas, principal deputy director of national intelligence, will serve as acting DNI.

GhostofBasedPatrickHenry: This one was a real gut punch, for a number of reasons.

First of all, we extend thoughts and prayers to Tulsi and her husband as they navigate his cancer diagnosis and treatment. That is terrible news.

Tulsi Gabbard has been the one person in the administration that I feel is most trustworthy to Drain The Swamp. I’m sure there are others—Kash Patel—but Tulsi is someone who has been as consistent as Ron Paul with her messaging throughout her career in DC. She opposed war with Iran during President Trump’s first term, which is one of the reasons she has become a target to destroy by the NeoCon/Zionist cancer in the GOP.

What makes Tulsi particularly unique is that, even serving as DNI, she maintains an active-duty status in the military. The most recent update to her resume had her leading a Civil Affairs Army Reserve unit that operated out of Fort Bragg in North Carolina under the command of the 4th Psyop Group. (That, itself, is notable for many reasons that this audience could appreciate.)

In 2017, during President Trump’s first administration, Tulsi traveled to Syria to meet with former President Assad—something that enraged the Zionist GOP and Israel lobby. Because she has long opposed wars in the Middle East (wars in general) Tulsi has always drawn the ire and hatred of the Israel lobby, which obviously controls the US government and American society, in general.

Exorcizing this parasite and its influence from American culture will be critical in the fight to save the country and restore self-governance. Tulsi represents a stalwart leader in that fight, and while nobody is accusing her of being an antisemite, the usual suspects from Mossad Media (Laura Loomer, Mark Levin) have been calling for her head for months. They are now spiking the football and adding this scalp to their collection.

With five weeks left in her role, I can only hope that Tulsi will smash all of their toys on her way out of office by declassifying the files that I believe will initiate the end of the Deep State, including the 2020 Stolen Election. (Yes, I believe Israel was behind this theft, as Netanyahu was the first leader to call Biden to congratulate him on defeating Trump, consecrating the coup.)

The Truth Community has long posited that the disclosure process must go “slow” for the sake of the Normies and their delicate sensibilities. However, after spending the past three weeks with various groups of normies [in real life] I can confidently report that Normies are much further along than we have been led to believe. In fact, I would say that they are more cognitively and emotionally prepared for disclosure than large segments of the Truth Community, which has become deeply invested in specific theories and ideas. Should those theories and ideas be challenged by actual disclosure, will the Truth Community be able to handle it? Will the Truth Community be able to reconcile that they may have been misled by bad actors for years, who co-opted the movement and led them astray?

What if the people who have been lying to us about every aspect of our reality are also lying to us about Israel, Iran, the Arabs, and the war in the Middle East? What if they are lying to us about Venezuela? Cuba? North Korea? Russia and Ukraine? China?

I hope Tulsi releases everything. If the truth can kill it, then it deserves to die.

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Trump Holds Call with Muslim Leaders; Iran Peace Deal on the Table

U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio said Monday that the United States had “a pretty solid thing on the table” involving opening the straits, while President Donald Trump said he had told negotiators not to rush and that a blockade would remain until an agreement is reached, certified and signed.

Axios reported that a draft U.S.-Iran deal, according to a U.S. official, would extend a ceasefire for 60 days, reopen the Strait of Hormuz and allow Iran to sell oil freely. The outlet reported that Iran would clear mines from the strait while the U.S. would lift its blockade and issue some sanctions waivers.

Axios reported the draft memorandum includes Iranian commitments not to pursue nuclear weapons and to negotiate over uranium enrichment and highly enriched uranium stockpiles. Arab News/AFP reported Iran’s Fars news agency said oil, gas and petrochemical sanctions would be temporarily lifted during the negotiation period.

GhostofBasedPatrickHenry: President Trump posted this message on Truth Social on Saturday, which was reposted by the White House with this graphic.

“An Agreement has been largely negotiated, subject to finalization between the United States of America, the Islamic Republic of Iran, and the various other Countries, as listed.”

Take a look at that list of leaders and countries. That list represents the Muslim leaders of the Middle East, and the first one listed is, of course, Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman.

President Trump later posted this screencap of an X post quoting Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian, who said that they are ready to assure the world that they are not seeking nuclear weapons, and do not seek instability in the region.

This is a major break in the narrative that President Trump has long forwarded about Iran. While he has suggested in his interactions with the press that the Iranian leadership wanted to make a deal, he would typically promote the narrative that they were being defiant and unreasonable right as a deal was reportedly being struck—leading to a narrative reset and delay in announcing a ratified deal.

Many wonder why the performative dance is necessary. Why do we have to live in limbo waiting for a deal to emerge when both sides already seem to agree on the broad strokes?

I would posit that the “dance” allows all the subversive to reveal themselves; People that may otherwise be considered key supporters of Trump/MAGA and thought leaders of the movement.

Let’s start with Old Faithful: Mark “Tel Aviv” Levin.

These are sequential posts. First Levin posts a reminder that Saudi Arabia was responsible for 9/11—a blatant lie told by the criminals in the CIA—then he quotes a Jerusalem Post article about the rumored deal, calling it a “big problem.”

He then posted a clip of a podcast where the host and guest were discussing the fact that President Trump seems to be speaking to the Gulf Arab leaders every day, and wondering why more people weren’t questioning this “foreign influence” over our President and his decision making. Levin’s commentary was “Great question.” (Absolute subversion)

Look at what Lyin’ Ted Cruz posted about the rumored deal.

Let’s listen to what [Biden Envoy to Iran] Robert Malley actually said.

Just because these people worked for the Biden administration doesn’t mean they are wrong in their analysis. In fact, we have seen a lot of career liars on both sides of the aisle come out in recent months and start telling the truth, likely motivated by a variety of factors.

For those that didn’t listen to the clip: What Malley said is that even if Trump successfully negotiates a deal with Iran intended to bring peace to the entire region, Israel will likely not comply. Malley says that Israel will continue to wage war on Lebanon and other countries in the Middle East, and they will justify the action by claiming that they found new intelligence suggesting plans of aggression against Israel by those parties.

Lady Lindsey Graham was running his mouth, per usual. Among the many things he posted, he zeroed in on a report about President Trump asking the Arabs to join the Abraham Accords if he succeeded in making peace with Iran.

Here’s the reality of how that moment reportedly went down:

Crickets.

The Arabs were basically like, “LOL nah thanks homie, we good.”

Israel has made itself an international pariah, and one that cannot be trusted under any circumstances. Nobody is eager to sign an agreement that may limit their ability to exercise their sovereignty if/when Israel decides that it is their turn to suffer the IDF’s wrath.

It is not the Muslims who need to relent and submit to Israel. It is Israel that needs to relent and submit to the region. The Arabs have had every opportunity to declare war on Israel, and have refused, demonstrating their earnest desire for peace. Iran has demonstrated the military capacity to severely damage and even destroy Israel. Iran has also demonstrated in recent years a level of restraint at key moments that few expected.

Peace in the Middle East is very much possible. But only if Israel can be reigned in and kept under control. The truth is the opposite of everything we have been told for generations.

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Trump Counters Critics as Rumors of Imminent Iran Deal Ebb and Flow

President Donald Trump said Sunday that U.S.-Iran negotiations were continuing and that he had told U.S. representatives “not to rush into a deal,” according to an archived copy of his Truth Social post. Trump said the blockade would remain in effect until an agreement was reached, certified and signed, and said Iran must not develop or obtain a nuclear weapon.

In a later post Sunday, Trump defended the negotiations against critics, saying any deal he makes with Iran would be “good and proper” and that the agreement was “not even fully negotiated yet.”

Reuters reported Sunday that Axios, citing a U.S. official, said the proposed U.S.-Iran deal included a 60-day ceasefire extension, reopening the Strait of Hormuz, allowing Iran to sell oil and continuing negotiations over Iran’s nuclear program. Reuters said the White House did not immediately respond to its request for comment on the Axios report.

The Associated Press reported Sunday, citing regional officials and a U.S. official who were not publicly named, that the emerging deal would include Iran giving up its stockpile of highly enriched uranium, with details and timelines still to be worked out. AP also reported that Secretary of State Marco Rubio said “significant progress, although not final progress, has been made” and described reopening the Strait of Hormuz as an initial step before further talks on nuclear issues.

Burning Bright: Donald Trump continues to intimate that the end state of the Iran War, which I have been arguing from the jump is less a war and more a story ABOUT a war will result in the full-scale recognition of the following macro condition:

Iran CANNOT have a nuclear weapon.

And that end state is Bicameral by design.

If you're one of the folks who follows what you yourself acknowledge as a fifth-generation war built on the core tenets of psychological operations, disinformation and narrative warfare, and yet, you STILL take all communications about a war whose realities even the globalist media protectorate is telling you they cannot suss out at face value, then Trump's endgame would STILL codify the conditions for peace.

If, however, you understand that Trump could not only be waging a Narrative War FOR peace, and that he is doing so not against the so-called Iranian Regime, but WITH them, then the war (rather, the stories told about it) looks less like one being fought between Trump and the Iranian regime, and more so one being fought alongside them, and against the Invisible Enemy, something I projected back in 2025 on the back of Operation Midnight Hammer, and something Trump is de facto confirming by mixing in his overtures to peace with his threats of war, all while referencing Iran's eventual inclusion in the Abraham Accords, and all against the backdrop of both Trump and Iran acknowledging the DE-nuclearization of their military even as their civilian infrastructure undergoes a major RE-nuclearization assisted by Sovereign Alliance stalwarts like Russia and China.

Which, again I projected from the outset.

"Simply put, I believe Donald Trump effectively disarmed an Actual War by waging a masterful Narrative War in the midst of the enemy matrix.

How did he do this?

In resetting the Iranian Nuclear Paradigm, he deprived the Invisible Enemy of their story.

And without a story, you have no mandate, as I’ve been arguing in these digital pages since I founded this publication."

I wrote that in June 2025.

Almost a year later, in the midst of what has been the most gloriously-discombobulating series of Narrative Deployments by Trump since he first came down that golden escalator with a series of threats [to them] and promises (to us,) both of which he intends to keep, I posed the following question:

"When is a war NOT a war?"

The answer?

When the war is a story.

But then, what's the POINT of the story?

I think Trump is stretching the mass psychological timeline to its breaking point, and through a mix of energy, financial and even political attrition forcing all players on the global game board to BEG for an ending of the War that is a Story only he can codify.

One that will mark a hopefully-permanent end to engineered hostilities in the region by depriving all parties of their animating premises.

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FBI is Preparing Interviews with Police Officers in Wisconsin Election Fraud Investigation

The FBI is preparing interviews with Milwaukee police officers as part of a reported investigation into the administration of the 2020 presidential election in Wisconsin, according to reporting published Thursday by Townhall citing unnamed sources and the Wisconsin-based Heartland Post. The article said as many as 30 officers could be interviewed regarding activities at Milwaukee’s Central Count facility during election-night ballot processing.

According to the report, the officers were described as potential witnesses rather than investigative targets. The article said investigators were examining whether police assigned to Central Count were instructed to avoid certain areas while election operations were underway.

The reporting referenced a 2020 incident involving former Milwaukee Election Commission Director Claire Woodall-Vogg and a flash drive containing absentee ballot tabulation data. The article said Woodall-Vogg previously stated that the drive had been left at Central Count before being retrieved and transported by police.

The article also cited a sworn affidavit attributed to Milwaukee County Election Commission employee David J. Bolter describing an announcement on November 4, 2020, regarding the arrival of additional ballots.

Milwaukee County Executive David Crowley and Milwaukee Mayor Cavalier Johnson criticized the reported federal inquiry, according to the article, calling it “an act of intimidation.” The report also referenced comments by FBI Director Kash Patel made during an April Fox News interview regarding allegations tied to the 2020 election.

Ashe in America: Would the administration relitigate all these incidents from the 2020 election if it was a rug?

Maybe. It’s possible the final answer on this is, “mistakes were made and we learned our lesson and made some process changes and now our gold standard is really a platinum standard.” Some days I think that’s going to be the answer, and I get a bit ragey.

Setting that aside, because I find this specific story encouraging, Claire Woodall-Vogg is an important character in the 2020 story. She’s the one that delivered “just the margin needed at 3am.”

At 4:30a, there was allegedly a ballot infusion of 138,000 “votes.”

The disclosure operations, and the reported investigations and prosecutions, aren’t helping to restore trust in elections. They’re justifying the lack of trust in elections.

That’s interesting.

The overwhelming evidence of 2020 election fraud is being dragged into the light and affirmed as “real.”

If it’s a rug, what’s the goal? The only answer that makes sense would be civil unrest and violence, maybe war, and in my view if the world, President Trump has done everything possible to avoid that outcome. I see no indication that he changed his mind.

So maybe it isn’t a rug. Maybe we’re going to have honesty and accountability for how fake elections have been… do you think?

I want to believe that. It’s my condition for real elections. And I really want real elections.

Claire Vogg and Ryan Chew need to be interrogated. Also, note that Ryan Chew is with The Elections Group. Remember a few weeks ago when we were talking about Ryan Macias of The Elections Group in 2020, down in Georgia, delivering the answer needed (sort of magically, the story is told) in the 2020 recount?

Same sources and methods and actors across states.

They’re justifying the lack of trust in elections.

What comes next?

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Trump’s Restoration of DC Goes Viral in Surprising Ways

The National Park Service says the cascading fountain and reflecting pool at Meridian Hill Park reopened to visitors on May 14, 2026, after years of work at the lower plaza. NPS said the fountain had been turned off in 2019 during rehabilitation, and that additional repairs were later needed to replace critical components and fix damaged concrete.

WJLA reported May 18 that the Interior Department released video showing water running at the Cascading Fountain in Meridian Hill Park, also known as Malcolm X Park. The station reported the landmark is a 13-basin fountain and one of the longest in North America.

The reopening follows a broader repair effort for Washington fountains. The Washington Post reported Jan. 2 that the National Park Service was spending at least $54.2 million to repair fountains and water features at seven locations in the city, including a $10.68 million project at Meridian Hill Park, according to procurement records reviewed by the newspaper.

Separately, Trump signed Executive Order 14344, “Making Federal Architecture Beautiful Again,” on Aug. 28, 2025. The order was published in the Federal Register on Sept. 3, 2025.

Ashe in America: It’s cool that our nation’s capital is getting a face lift. I’d be happier if the corruption and illegitimacy were getting nipped and tucked, but it’s nice that the assholes who hate America will have nice, clean parks to chill in.

It would be even cooler if the President’s effort is such a flex that mayors and governors across the nation clean their cities as well. Maybe get rid of the needles and junkies and migrant terrorists?

That should be the impact — that local leaders feel embarrassed and inspired to change as well. As though DC sets the acceptable aesthetic for the nation.

I doubt it, but I hope it happens. Denver could be such a cool city. It once was.

Happy Memorial Day!

Remember who we are and the sacrifice our liberty requires.

America 250

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BONUS ITEM

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Badlands Blitz Episode 18

On this episode, GhostofBasedPatrickHenry and Ashe in America discuss the commutation of Tina Peters’ sentence, as well as the coming ban on antisemitism and other speech laws.

We also hit on geopolitics and expectations for the golden age.

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