Thursday, January 23, 2025
Good morning and welcome to RedState’s Morning Minute – a quick look at what stories are trending right now and a look ahead to what the day might bring. As we continue to revel in this glorious transfer of power, consider this your one-stop shop for news to boost your day.
UP IN THE MORNING
Red-hot at RedState
Newsom vetoed a bill to improve fire safety in order to secure the land for affordable housing
[I]If this clear act of negligence and malice does not result in Newsom being removed or forced to tender his resignation, what will?
Watch: Triumph mocks Trump opponents – “Their need for contraceptives is purely hypothetical”
Are these just one-offs or are these comedy shows finally realizing that they’re only witty when they make fun of anyone and everyone? Not just Trump supporters.
Liz Cheney, take note: Republicans just formed a recent J6 subcommittee, and there’s an compelling twist
The pardons have apparently only further motivated Republicans to uncover the truth about the shenanigans, misdeeds and possible criminality perpetrated by Liz Cheney and her merry band of political parasites.
In the trend of town hall media
The news from SCOTUS is less than ideal
Our right to keep and bear arms is a fundamental right, right up there with freedom of speech and religion. I hope that my disappointment will soon be replaced by a much more elated feeling.
LA Times discovers that price caps do what price caps always do
Newsom has just given Californians a crash course in Econ 101 and also the inherent flaws of Marxist public policy. Again.
Boo-bye! Illegal immigrants begin self-deportation amid tough recent Trump policies
The day may not be far off when we will see negative numbers of unauthorized immigrants crossing our borders. Is it a miracle? No – it’s just about good old-fashioned law enforcement, moral clarity and common sense.
After these details, the media will smother the Antioch High School shooting
We’ll keep you updated, but black Nazis cannot be used as a weapon to attack Trump or advance a gun control narrative. So expect this story to be suppressed by the media again.
Not just no, but HELL NO! Zelensky calls for US troops as part of the peacekeeping force
Trump’s slogan is “America First,” not “Defund Actors of a Corrupt, Failed Nation First.”
WHAT’S UPCOMING?
Today on Capitol Hill…
There will be a lot going on on the Hill on Thursday as Senate committees meet to consider the nominations of Doug Collins (Veterans Affairs Secretary), Lee Zeldin (EPA Administrator), Doug Burgum (Interior Secretary), Chris Wright (Energy Secretary) Eric Turner (HUD Secretary).
Additionally, the Senate Agriculture, Food and Forestry Committee will hold a hearing on the nomination of Brooke Rollins as Secretary of Agriculture. There was also supposed to have been a hearing on Sean Driscoll’s nomination as Secretary of the Army, but it appears that has happened delay.
In addition to some organizational meetings, other hearings on Hill Thursday include:
- House Subcommittee on Natural Resources, Water, Wildlife and Fisheries – legislative hearing on the following bills: • HR 231 (Rep. Hageman), “Colorado River Basin System Conservation Extension Act of 2025”; • H.R. 261 (Rep. Carter of GA), “Undersea Cable Protection Act of 2025”; • H.R. 331 (Rep. Fulcher), to amend the Aquifer Recharge Flexibility Act to clarify a provision regarding conveyances for groundwater recharge purposes; • HR ___ (Rep. Stansbury), “WaterSMART Access for Tribes Act.”
- Subcommittee on House Transportation and Infrastructure, Railroads, Pipelines and Hazardous Materials – “Hearing” (apparently a general hearing only; the topic is unspecified)
- House Energy and Commerce, Communications and Technology Subcommittee – Strengthening American Leadership in Wireless Technology
- House Subcommittee on Veterans’ Affairs, Disability Assistance, and Memorial Affairs – Correcting VA’s violations of veterans’ due process and Second Amendment rights
What’s going on in the White House?
It can’t be straightforward to transfer multiple websites from one administration to the next, and we thank the recent administration for getting everything done on time – but we have not yet encountered a regular release of President Donald Trump’s calendar/schedule, which is already the case It is somewhat complex to make you, dear readers, aware of what is on the agenda on a given day. Trump is currently scheduled to make a virtual appearance at the World Economic Forum in Davos – which will undoubtedly be compelling. He’s been busy all week with executive actions, orders and the like, so expect to see more of that as well.
Full court press…
The first legal challenge Trump’s executive order regarding birthright citizenship will be heard in a Seattle courtroom on Thursday, while opponents of the measure seek a short-lived restraining order on the issue. (Don’t be at all surprised if this is granted. This will be a trial. And eventually – one way or another – it will be resolved in the Supreme Court.)
The Minnesota Supreme Court will do so listen to oral arguments in a case involving the balance of power in the legislature of that state. Because the GOP has a one-seat majority, lawmakers argue over what constitutes a quorum.
Former Sen. Bob Menendez (D-NJ) (remember him?) was dealt a blow Wednesday when the judge overseeing his criminal trial disputed his request for a recent trial.
UPCOMING ATTRACTIONS
There are no congressional hearings scheduled for Friday, although the Senate may be voting on several of Trump’s nominees (John Ratcliffe for CIA director, Pete Hegseth for defense secretary, Kristi Noem for DHS secretary). There is no doubt that we will continue to see some back and forth on these votes and their timing. It looks like the Democrats want to do it the difficult way. OK.
After its passage by the House of Representatives on Wednesday, the Laken Riley Act was expected to head to Trump’s desk for his signature. We know Trump will travel to North Carolina on Friday to assess the situation as recovery efforts from Hurricane Helene continue. He will then travel to Los Angeles, California to assess wildfire damage, followed by a possible stop in Nevada.
Morning rumination
I’m a large fan of the America This Week podcast with Matt Taibbi and Walter Kirn. It’s something I almost always want to catch. I think what appeals to me most about this is that neither is conservative and neither could be considered reliable in the Trump camp, at least until recently. In other words, they don’t occupy exactly the same place on the political spectrum that I do, and yet they still cover what’s going on in the world of news and politics in an intellectually forthright way. I really appreciate that. On Monday afternoon, they aired a livestream to cover Inauguration Day and, towards the end, a pretty good coverage of Walter nailed what just happened in this last election, while Matt admitted we didn’t see that really in our lives:
I just have to finish watching this. @walterkirn sums everything up as perfectly as one could wish for:
The American working class – or let’s call it the middle class – achieved a historic feat this year: they wrested the presidency of the United States from the United States.
— Susie Moore ⚾️🌻🐶 (@SmoosieQ) January 23, 2025
The American working class – or middle class, let’s call it that – achieved a historic feat this year: wresting the presidency from the most connected, wealthiest, billionaire-backed, military-industrial-complex-approved, Secret Service-loved, media-gilded group of history insiders. The guy from Jiffy Lube just took the guy from Mogan Stanley and told him to pound sand. And God bless her.
…
We saw power actually change hands.
Amen.
LIGHTER COST
#Florida @Publix pic.twitter.com/xDMFuqYMz6
— Paul Dellegatto⚡️FOX (@PaulFox13) January 22, 2025
bonus Winter beauty:
A infrequent but handsome sunset in Baton Rouge. pic.twitter.com/1LtbSahPnj
— Chris Blair 🐅🎙 (@LSUTigersVoice) January 21, 2025
I just have to finish watching this. @walterkirn sums everything up as perfectly as one could wish for:
The American working class – or let’s call it the middle class – achieved a historic feat this year: they wrested the presidency of the United States from the United States.
— Susie Moore ⚾️🌻🐶 (@SmoosieQ) January 23, 2025
