Badlands Brief
Contempt-able Congress & Quantum Trolling
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.
Official White House Account Makes a Q Post, Then Makes a Q Post, Neither of Which Are Q Posts
The White House Office of Science and Technology Policy announced a new national effort aimed at developing a quantum computer capable of ushering in what it called the “era of quantum-enabled intelligence.” The initiative seeks to accelerate US leadership in quantum computing and related technologies, which the administration has identified as strategic priorities alongside artificial intelligence and biotechnology.
The announcement comes as the administration continues to emphasize a “Golden Age of Innovation,” with OSTP Director Michael Kratsios and other officials highlighting quantum technologies as critical to economic competitiveness and national security.
Separately, two recent posts from the official White House account sparked online activity about “Q” messaging.
Jordan Sather: While everyone is freaking over the White House shitpost marketing w/ Q… This Quantum signing is a big deal, too.
Anyway, here's Trump at the Quantum Executive Order signing bringing up his uncle, John G. Trump:
Remember, John G Trump was tasked with taking some of Nikola Tesla's papers upon Tesla's death in New York in 1943.... (some of those trunks are still unaccounted for).
Be interested to see what [hidden] technologies the Trump Admin rolls out under the guise of "Quantum."
House GOP Committees Threaten ActBlue With Contempt Over Subpoena Compliance
House Judiciary Chairman Jim Jordan, House Administration Chairman Bryan Steil, and House Oversight Chairman James Comer sent a letter to ActBlue CEO Regina Wallace-Jones warning the group could face contempt of Congress for failure to comply with subpoenas.
Lawmakers say subpoenas issued July 22, 2025 requested documents on alleged misconduct at ActBlue, whistleblower retaliation, and mass legal team departures after the company ended voluntary cooperation. ActBlue said in October 2025 it had produced all non-privileged responsive records.
The committees point to an April 2, 2026 New York Times report citing documents they say were not produced, including former Interim General Counsel Aaron Ting’s resignation letter and an internal message from former Legal Counsel Zain Ahmad alleging retaliation after reporting misconduct. They argue these fall within scope and are not protected by attorney-client privilege.
They further allege the materials indicate potential foreign donations, misleading statements to Congress, and retaliation against a whistleblower, and say ActBlue is withholding them to conceal the extent and duration of misconduct. After a follow-up demand on April 14, 2026, lawmakers say ActBlue still did not comply.
On June 5, ActBlue submitted a privilege log but continued withholding those records along with at least 420 additional documents, citing attorney-client privilege. The committees say they have repeatedly sought justification for these claims but received no adequate explanation, arguing the lack of compliance is hindering Congress’s ability to investigate possible foreign interference in political donations and consider election security legislation.
Earlier this month, Wallace-Jones declined to answer questions during testimony before the House Administration Committee regarding allegations that the organization facilitated foreign campaign donations to Democratic candidates in federal elections, invoking the Fifth Amendment.
Ashe in America: Didn’t Steve Bannon go to prison for “contempt of congress” or whatever? There was ongoing litigation involved, too, as I recall it.
So it can be done.
The corruption of ActBlue (and WinRed) money laundering has been well documented in the pages of this Substack (and on Why We Vote) — for years at this point.
We’re all ready for the justice phase, and the pace of this thing could indicate that the justice phase is dotting every “i” and crossing every “t”. That’s important because our criminal justice system requires precision and diligence when it comes to rights.
Regina’s rights have been protected through this process. She’s set up to take the fall.
Regina should flip, just saying.
Last seat in the lifeboat, going once…
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Trump Orders Immediate Repairs to Lincoln Memorial Reflecting Pool After Claiming Vandalism
President Trump said work would begin immediately to repair the Lincoln Memorial Reflecting Pool after personally inspecting the site and alleging that vandalism had damaged the recently renovated landmark. In a Truth Social post, Trump said the pool may need to be partially drained and cited damage to the surface and surrounding grounds.
Reports from multiple outlets noted that some observers and critics have questioned whether the deterioration stemmed from the renovation itself rather than intentional damage, and authorities have not publicly released evidence supporting all of Trump’s claims.
Burning Bright: The DC Reflecting Pool Saga is an Actual-Narrative Dialectic that simultaneously reveals and condemns the enemy’s vision for the nation while bolstering our own.
The Reflecting Pool—anchored on the sacred axis between the Washington Monument and the Lincoln Memorial—has been singled out for restoration ahead of the 250th anniversary precisely because it sits at the center of some of the American Mind’s most potent civic geometry.
Trump has used this monument as an aesthetic declaration that decline is no longer the default setting for America.
He also understood from the outset that the Invisible Enemy would not permit such a signal to stand unchallenged.
In so doing, said enemy has revealed once again that they do not merely dislike Trump or the MAGA core, but actively recoil from the very proposition that America might once again be rendered orderly, beautiful and inspiring.
That is why the Reflecting Pool was boosted so visibly and so early.
Its restoration offered the perfect tripwire.
A gleaming civic mirror in the middle of the National Mall is the kind of symbol that cannot be ignored by those whose power has long depended on demoralization, neglect and the managed acceptance of swamp-like conditions as normal.
The saboteurs knew exactly what to target and how, with a coordinated, precise vandalism campaign designed to turn a completed renovation back into an eyesore within days.
The media took the algae bait immediately.
Within days of the pool’s refilling and the apparent success of Trump’s vision, the bloom returned and sections of the surface began peeling.
Critics rushed to frame the episode as emblematic of Trumpian failure, defining waste, incompetence and a presidency summarized on the micro and macro.
They committed to the surface narrative while the deeper actuals remained unknown or unacknowledged.
And Trump let that narrative crest.
He allowed the images of floating algae and peeling paint to circulate, the gloating to peak, the ‘I told you so’ chorus to commit itself fully to the story of another Trump promise collapsing under its own hubris.
And then, as he so often does, Trump countered.
Multiple arrests have already been made for what the President describes as a well-planned vandalism operation.
Repairs will begin immediately, with the work proceeding under the explicit framing of criminal sabotage rather than inevitable decay.
The timing on both sides was not accidental. It was dialectical.
This sequence transmits several simultaneous concepts into the American Mind:
It reveals that the anti-Trump establishment does not merely oppose a political figure or a voting bloc, but the very attempt to make the country beautiful and symbolically-coherent again.
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CNN Reports Trump Administration Considering Tying DHS Grants to Election Changes as Maricopa County Disputes Intensify
The Trump administration is preparing guidance that could condition certain Department of Homeland Security grants on states adopting election-related measures, including hand-marked paper ballots, manual audits, and additional citizenship verification procedures. According to the report, more than $1 billion in grant funding could be affected, though the policy had not yet been formally announced as of Sunday.
Any effort to link homeland security funding to election administration would likely face legal challenges, with critics arguing the federal government cannot compel states to administer elections in a particular manner. Supporters contend the changes would strengthen election security.
Meanwhile, election administration tensions continue in Maricopa County, Arizona. The Atlantic and local reporting describe an ongoing power struggle between County Recorder Justin Heap and the Board of Supervisors over control of key election functions, including ballot drop-box locations and chain-of-custody procedures, with officials warning that unresolved disputes could complicate preparations for upcoming elections.
Ashe in America: President Trump will certainly be able to say he did everything he could to lawfully secure elections.
The people fighting him will be able to say they did everything they could to “protect” the current election system. They won’t be able to deny it, actually.
The job of the individual American is to remember who the people protecting the system were once the truth about that system has the social permission to be believed.
That’s coming. It’s unavoidable at this point.
I think Jon Herold said on “The Daily Herold” that election disclosure is expected Wednesday. We’ll see what they come up with.
Never forget who prolonged the pain of the people by propping up the fraudulent system for personal gain or comfort.
Accelerate.
BONUS ITEM
Treasury Issues Temporary License for Iranian Oil Sales After Switzerland Talks
Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent said the Trump administration reached a framework agreement with Iran following ongoing talks in Switzerland, including commitments on free transit through the Strait of Hormuz and allowing IAEA inspections.
Bessent said Treasury has issued a temporary 60-day general license authorizing the production, delivery, and sale of Iranian oil as part of the arrangement.
A Treasury Department press release confirmed that OFAC issued “Iran General License X,” authorizing transactions related to Iranian crude oil, petrochemical products, and petroleum products through August 21, 2026.
The license allows activities tied to production, transport, shipping services, and related maritime operations, and permits certain payments in US dollars. It also includes limited authorizations for imports into the United States when tied to permitted transactions.
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It shouldn't but does sometimes surprise me how often the people who work to uglify America, at every level from pop culture to politics to the Reflecting Pool, have first done so to themselves.
The Treasury just gave Iran a bro-hug and offered it a beer.