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. Consider this your one-stop shop for news to support you start your day.
UP IN THE MORNING
Red-hot at RedState
Trump talks about THAT viral moment with Obama at Jimmy Carter’s funeral: ‘We just hit it off’
We’ll probably never know what Donald and Barack talked about. But at least for a moment the political games dissolved. And Trump seems to be appreciating the novel tone around DC these days.
HOT TAKES: Pramila Jayapal finds out after an “idiotic” tweet about a burning McDonald’s in Los Angeles
When I saw this, my first thought was that it was one of the most classless things I had ever seen a congressman do, and I wasn’t the only one.
NEW: Fetterman gets the media going with the “appointment” he wants from Trump
But Fetterman might have a problem with being pope in Greenland. It’s really chilly there and I think he should wear long pants. Therefore, he might not get the appointment.
Trending in TownHall media
Altitude sickness: Colorado lawmakers introduce authoritarian gun ban bill
Second Amendment advocates in Colorado won’t be laughing, however, because they have a steep mountain to climb to prevent this bill from even becoming law.
Turn off the lights, Gavin’s party is over
And then you will see Newsom lie repeatedly to avoid an unpleasant confrontation with a voter who has been ruined like a reptile by his policies and management.
Yikes: The tense and awkward moments at Jimmy Carter’s funeral
The awkwardness was so obvious that CNN’s Jake Tapper highlighted the “chill reception” between Biden and Harris.
There is no way an LAFD deputy chief said that
The LAFD has been criticized for spending an excessive amount of time on DEI initiatives and less on key aspects of training, such as wildfire suppression.
When “What About the Children?” goes shockingly wrong amid the California wildfires
We believe that someone lacks the courage of their convictions.
WHAT’S UPCOMING?
Today on Capitol Hill…
There was an overwhelming bipartisan victory (albeit a diminutive step in the process) on the Laken Riley Act in the Senate on Thursday. The upper chamber voted 84-9 to bring the bill up for debate. While several amendment votes will take place next week, bipartisan support for the measure bodes well for its passage.
Also, JD Vance is no longer the senator from Ohio. He resigned from his seat at midnight before he is sworn in as the 50th Vice President of the United States within 10 days. Gov. Mike DeWine will appoint his successor, who will serve until a special election for the seat in 2026.
Members of the House Freedom Caucus are ready to meet with President-elect Donald Trump at Mar-a-Lago on Friday.
What’s going on in the White House?
With his trip to Rome, Italy postponed, President Joe Biden will spend his Friday (for another 10 days) at the White House, where he will first receive his Daily Brief and then meet with key officials for a behind schedule morning briefing on the issue hits wildfires in Los Angeles. Press spokeswoman Karine Jean-Pierre will moderate a press conference in the afternoon.
Full court press…
After a flurry of rulings on Thursday, Trump will appear (virtually) before Judge Juan Merchan in Manhattan to announce his verdict starting at 9:30 a.m. Eastern Time. Merchan has signaled his intention to issue an unconditional discharge, meaning there will be no prison time or significant punishment, but the conviction will stand (pending appeal). The trial is unlikely to last too long and will not be televised, but we will of course report on it as soon as information becomes available.
After successfully resisting efforts by Trump’s co-defendants in the secret documents case to block (former) special counsel Jack Smith’s release of his “final report” to the 11th Circuit Court of Appeals, the Justice Department is now going all out and appealing the case Judge Aileen Cannon’s order banning publication of the report until three days after the Court of Appeal’s decision on the matter (i.e. Sunday). The DOJ wants Cannon’s order to be overturned in its entirety. Expect a decision from the 11th Circuit on the matter sometime Friday.
In the Southern District of New York, the DOJ has now asked the court overseeing the trial of (former) Senator Bob Menendez (D-NJ) to sentence Menendez to 15 years in prison. We will also keep an eye on how this plays out.
In the meantime, the Supreme Court will be Recording the TikTok ban, hearing starting at 10:00 a.m. Eastern Time.
UPCOMING ATTRACTIONS
The committee’s hearings on Trump’s nominees have been postponed and updated next week. Here’s the latest:
- Doug Collins – Minister of Veterans Affairs (January 14)
- Pete Hegseth – Secretary of Defense (January 14)
- Doug Burgum – Secretary of the Interior (January 14)
- Kristi Noem – Secretary of Homeland Security (January 15)
- Pam Bondi – Attorney General (January 15)
- Chris Wright – Energy Secretary (January 15)
- Marco Rubio – Secretary of State (January 15)
- John Ratcliffe – Director of the Central Intelligence Agency (January 15)
- Sean Duffy – Transport Minister (15 January)
- Russ Vought – Director of the Office of Management and Budget (January 15)
- Pam Bondi – Attorney General (January 16 – second round)
Morning rumination
I have to tell you, I’m pretty disappointed in the Supreme Court after it decided Thursday night not to stay Trump’s conviction – not because of the outcome. I do not currently expect that Friday’s negotiations will have any significant practical impact. (You better not do it.) But because of the reasoning the court gave for its decision. The purpose of immunity is to protect those who have it from trial. And just because Judge Merchan has signaled that he has no intention of hitting Trump too tough, that shouldn’t override the underlying principle here. I largely expected the court’s left-handers to rule as they did. That Chief Justice John Roberts and Justice Amy Coney-Barrett also chose to do so, based on such uncomplicated, just-for-purpose reasoning, is extremely disheartening. As I noted with X, I feel like they might as well have just written this command in crayon.
I feel like they could/should have written this command in colored pencil.
— Susie Moore ⚾️🌻🐶 (@SmoosieQ) January 10, 2025
LIGHTER COST
What I like best about cats is that they often give the impression that their tail belongs to them.
😹😹😹 pic.twitter.com/fHD64nBqw0
– No Cats, No Life (@NoCatsNoLife_m) January 9, 2025
