Wednesday, April 22, 2026
Good morning, and welcome to RedState's "Morning Minute" — a brief glimpse at which stories are trending at the moment and a look ahead at what the day may bring. Consider this your one-stop shop for news to kickstart your day.
TOP O' THE MORNIN'
Red-Hot at RedState
Trump’s Fed Chair Pick Has Fun at Elizabeth Warren’s Expense at Confirmation Hearing
You would think a hearing about the Reserve, interest rates, and economics would be dry, but Massachusetts Democrat Sen. Elizabeth Warren brought some unintentional humor to the proceedings by breaking out her cranky, hen-pecking attitude when it was her turn to ask questions.
It’s Not Over: The Courts Could (and Should) Neuter Virginia’s Anti-Democratic Gerrymandering Gambit
I’ve lost faith in the judicial system in this country since January, 2025, when Trump moved back into 1600 Pennsylvania Ave., especially in the lower courts. However, it would be amazing to see if they actually did the right thing for a change, and nuked this raw, corrupt exercise of political power.
Bessent Lands Another Crushing Blow Right on the IRGC
This isn't just hitting a random bridge; it's taking their money.
Trending Across Townhall Media
Bearing Arms — Texas Armed Citizen Upset by 911 Response to Call About Intruder
Your safety is ultimately your responsibility. I'm very glad that Worley had already decided to take the step of exercising her Second Amendment rights before that stranger broke into her home, and I hope that by sharing her experience others will do the same.
HotAir — FAFO Update: Bulbous Goon Who Clocked Savannah Hernandez From Behind on Media ‘Waah’ Tour
These independent journalists are quite literally risking their lives at this point to bring news from on the ground in what, for all intents and purposes, has become foreign enemy territory, all the way up through the state justice system.
PJ Media — Bongino’s Ominous Warning About the Kash Patel Smear Should Terrify the Left
The Atlantic published a lie. Democrats pounced on it immediately. The entire response feels bizarrely coordinated. Now, Bongino is telling you point-blank that the left is doing this for a reason. It’s panic. And we’ll all understand why soon.
Townhall — The SPLC Was Paying People to Be Racist—So They Could Fight Racism
Also, the Charlottesville Unite the Right circus was supposedly the reason behind Joe Biden’s 2020 presidential run. It was all based on a lie. Nothing about the Left is organic.
Twitchy — MASSIVE DOJ Indictment Confirms Every Horrible Thing about the SPLC -- and THEN SOME
And past Democrat administrations would use the lies spread by SPLC to make policy, such as when Biden's Justice Department declared war on those same parents.
And it was all based on fraud.
WHAT'S ON TAP?
Today on Capitol Hill...
Tons of meetings/hearings set on the Hill for Wednesday, including:
- House Armed Services — U.S. Military Posture and National Security Challenges in the Indo-Pacific Region
- House Natural Resources, Federal Lands Subcommittee — Oversight Hearing on: “EXPLORE America250: Enhancing Accessibility at our National Parks and Public Lands”
- House Ways and Means — Full Committee Hearing on the Trump Administration’s 2026 Trade Policy Agenda with United States Trade Representative Jamieson Greer
- Senate Appropriations, Financial Services and General Government Subcommittee — Hearings to examine proposed budget estimates and justification for fiscal year 2027 for the Department of the Treasury. [Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent to testify.]
- Senate Appropriations, Department of the Interior, Environment, and Related Agencies Subcommittee — Hearings to examine proposed budget estimates and justification for fiscal year 2027 for the Department of the Interior. [Interior Secretary Doug Burgum to testify.]
- Senate Finance — Hearings to examine the President's proposed budget request for fiscal year 2027 for the Department of Health and Human Services. [HHS Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. to testify.]
- Senate Appropriations, Commerce, Justice, Science, and Related Agencies Subcommittee — Hearings to examine proposed budget estimates and justification for fiscal year 2027 for the Department of Commerce. [Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick to testify.]
- House Natural Resources, Indian and Insular Affairs Subcommittee — Oversight Hearing on "Tribal Natural Resource Development: Barriers and Successes"
- House Education and Workforce, Health, Employment, Labor, and Pensions Subcommittee — "Profits Over Patients: The PBM Business Model Under Scrutiny"
- Senate Judiciary — Hearings to examine China's ongoing theft of U.S. innovation.
- House Energy and Commerce, Environment Subcommittee — Help or Hindrance? The impact of U.S. Environmental Laws on Critical Material Supply Chains, National Security, and Economic Growth.
- House Financial Services, National Security, Illicit Finance, and International Financial Institutions Subcommittee — Evaluating the Effectiveness of U.S. Sanctions Programs
- House Homeland Security — Continuation of the Full Committee Hearing on March 25, 2026, titled “Funding Lapse and Security Gaps: Assessing the Harmful Impacts of the DHS Shutdown on Americans”
- Senate Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions — Hearings to examine the President's proposed budget request for fiscal year 2027 for the Department of Health and Human Services. [HHS Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. to testify.]
- Senate Appropriations, Agriculture, Rural Development, Food and Drug Administration, and Related Agencies Subcommittee — Hearings to examine proposed budget estimates and justification for fiscal year 2027 for the Department of Agriculture. [Secretary of Agriculture Brooke Rollins to testify.]
- Senate Appropriations, Energy and Water Development Subcommittee — Hearings to examine proposed budget estimates and justification for fiscal year 2027 for the Department of Energy. [Energy Secretary Chris Wright to testify.]
White House What's Up
President Trump's schedule on Wednesday is the usual busy:
- 8:00 AM — THE PRESIDENT participates in Executive Time — The White House
- 10:00 AM — THE PRESIDENT participates in a Meeting with the Commissioner of the Social Security Administration — Oval Office
- 12:30 PM — THE PRESIDENT participates in a Policy Meeting — Oval Office
- 2:30 PM — THE PRESIDENT participates in a Policy Meeting — Oval Office
- 5:30 PM — THE PRESIDENT participates in a Policy Meeting — Oval Office
Keeping Up With the Cabinet
Sec. Agriculture - Brooke Rollins — Rollins, as noted above, will testify today before the Senate Appropriations Committee. She recently provided an update on "the growing threat of agriculture lawfare targeting our hardworking American farmers and ranchers."
🚨⚖️LAWFARE UPDATE⚖️🚨
— Secretary Brooke Rollins (@SecRollins) April 22, 2026
From the Maudes to Andy Henry to Potter Valley… the work continues.
Today, an outstanding job from @RepJamesComer — who committed to hosting this critical @GOPoversight roundtable after participating in our @USDA’s Farmer Freedom Framework roundtable.… https://t.co/QuYZKNUayC
Full Court Press...
We had several rulings of note on Tuesday, including:
- ❌ In Patel v. Figliuzzi (defamation), Judge George Hanks Jr. (Southern District of Texas) GRANTS defendant's motion to dismiss.
- ✅ In Friends of the Everglades v. Noem (Alligator Alcatraz) 11th Circuit VACATES lower court injunction.
- ✅ In American Federation of Teachers v. Bessent (disclosure of personal financial records to DOGE), 4th Circuit Court of Appeals DENIES plaintiffs' motion for rehearing en banc.
There's more oral argument on tap at the Supreme Court today:
- Blanche v. Lau — Whether, to remove an LPR who committed an offense listed in Section 1182(a)(2) and was subsequently paroled into the United States, the government must prove that it possessed clear and convincing evidence of the offense at the time of the LPR's last reentry into the United States.
And the High Court is set to hand down additional opinions today at 10:00 AM Eastern.
COMING ATTRACTIONS
As noted above, there are more Supreme Court decisions incoming this morning. And the Court will hear oral argument in several cases next week, including regarding Temporary Protected Status (TPS).
On Thursday, First Lady Melania Trump will attend and speak at the Annual First Lady's Luncheon, along with Second Lady Usha Vance, on Thursday.
MORNING MUSING
We bang the drum on elections mattering constantly — for good reason. And the contention that every vote counts is never more evident than when you have an outcome like we did here in Missouri for Ward 1 of the St. Charles City Council in early April. You see, the incumbent councilman, Bill Otto, and his opponent, Chris Kyle, tied. They each received 572 votes. The tie held up even after recounts.
So, what's a city council to do in that event? Here's what:
Instead of having another election, the city had the tie-breaker of the votes be a draw from a jar to determine the councilmember for Ward 1.
It got me to thinking...particularly given the number of Congress critters we've seen resigning of late — several in ignominy:
Maybe we should handle more of our elections this way...would we be any worse off?
LIGHTER FARE
Possibly AI? (I'm suspicious of everything these days.) But cute either way!
Dog made friends with a dolphin..🐕🐾🐬😍 pic.twitter.com/rY0GpS44T4
— 𝕐o̴g̴ (@Yoda4ever) April 21, 2026
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