Tuesday, May 19, 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
So Long, Farewell, Auf Wiedersehen, Goodbye, Mr. Massie?
Even my usually negative buddy Cameron thinks Tom Massie is going down today.
I can’t believe I am saying this, but this time, Cameron and I agree.
Spanberger Signs AR-15 Ban, Then Immediately Says the Quiet Part Out Loud
At least two commonwealth's attorneys in Virginia, Philip Blevins in Smyth County and Ryan Mehaffey in Spotsylvania County, have notified the public that they have no intention of enforcing Spanberger's law, which Blevins called both "unconstitutional" and "unenforceable."
Gun-Control Sit-In Implodes After Minnesota Dem’s Alleged ‘Shoot Himself’ Remark
Just hours earlier, Engen had stood on that same floor, urging Democrats to move past partisan gun fights and work together on public safety. That's when, according to Republicans, Gomez told him to go shoot himself.
Trending Across Townhall Media
Bearing Arms — Florida HOA Bans Guns in Common Areas
I'd be ticked, though, if I bought a home in the planned community years ago only to see the community association suddenly change the rules and prohibit the lawful carrying of firearms.
HotAir — An Inconvenient Movie: Al Gore's 20 Years of Failed Predictions
It is tempting to think that we are winning the war, finally, and perhaps we really are. But as with gender ideology, I fear we are taking back territory in the way that Ukraine or Russia have been seesawing on the front: incrementally, and not permanently.
Pratt wants Angelenos to know that his house is really — still — gone. While he's deadly serious about cleaning up L.A. as a result of the completely incompetent response before and after the January 2025 fire, he hasn't lost his sense of humor.
Townhall — The Trump White House Is Letting Its Attack Dog Off the Leash for the 2026 Midterms
Ten days ago, the GOP was dead in the water. Now, there’s more than a chance we keep the House.
Twitchy — Photo of One of the Alleged San Diego Mosque Shooters Raises Eyebrows on X (Pic)
After seeing the photo of Clark, people jumped to an understandable conclusion. One that we will not jump to as we are sticking to the 48 hour rule ... or at least the 24 hour rule.
WHAT'S ON TAP?
Today on Capitol Hill...
Tuesday's shaping up to be a busy day on the Hill, with multiple hearings/meetings set, including:
- Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs — Business meeting to consider reconciliation recommendations to the Budget Committee.
- Senate Armed Services — Closed hearings to examine the posture of the Department of the Navy in review of the Defense Authorization Request for Fiscal Year 2027 and the Future Years Defense Program; to be immediately followed by an open hearing. [SecNav Hung Cao 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 Justice. [Acting AG Todd Blanche to testify]
- House Armed Services — U.S. Military Posture and National Security Challenges in the Greater Middle East and Africa
- House Select Committee on the Strategic Competition Between the United States and the Chinese Communist Party — Crime, Corruption, and Power: The Rise of CCP-linked Scam Networks Targeting Americans And Threatening U.S. Security
- Senate Appropriations, Departments of Labor, Health and Human Services, and Education, and Related Agencies Subcommittee — Hearings to examine proposed budget estimates and justification for fiscal year 2027 for the Department of Labor. [Acting Labor Secretary Keith Sonderling to testify]
- Senate Appropriations, Department of Defense Subcommittee — Hearings to examine proposed budget estimates and justification for fiscal year 2027 for the Army. [Army Secretary Dan Driscoll to testify]
- Senate Commerce, Science, and Transportation, Aviation, Space, and Innovation Subcommittee — Hearings to examine the evaluation of FAA safety measures from the DCA crash. [FAA Administrator Bryan Bedford to testify]
- Senate Judiciary, Constitution Subcommittee — Hearings to examine enforcing Callais, focusing on implementing the Supreme Court's gerrymandering.
- Senate Armed Services, Emerging Threats and Capabilities Subcommittee — Hearings to examine the science and technology priorities in review of the Defense Authorization Request for Fiscal Year 2027 and the Future Years Defense Program.
- Senate Appropriations, Transportation, Housing and Urban Development, and Related Agencies Subcommittee — Hearings to examine proposed budget estimates and justification for fiscal year 2027 for the Department of Transportation. [DOT Secretary Sean Duffy to testify]
Tuesday evening, the Congressional Picnic will take place on the South Lawn of the White House.
White House What's Up
President Trump has a busy Tuesday, as well:
- 8:00 AM — THE PRESIDENT participates in Executive Time — The White House
- 11:00 AM — THE PRESIDENT participates in a Policy Meeting — Oval Office
- 3:00 PM — THE PRESIDENT participates in a Policy Meeting — Oval Office
- 4:30 PM — THE PRESIDENT signs Executive Orders — Oval Office
- 7:15 PM — THE PRESIDENT and THE FIRST LADY deliver Remarks at the Congressional Picnic — South Lawn
And Tuesday's White House Press Briefing will be hosted by none other than Vice President JD Vance.
NEW: JD Vance will stand in for Karoline Leavitt and brief the press at 1pm tomorrow.
— Mary Margaret Olohan (@MaryMargOlohan) May 19, 2026
Keeping Up With the Cabinet
Sec. War - Pete Hegseth — Hegseth has a serious job — and has been handling it well, in my view — but what many don't realize is that he also does a pretty mean imitation of the Commander-in-Chief. Do yourself a favor and watch:
🚨 LMAO! SecWar Pete Hegseth does a hilarious impression of Donald Trump
— Eric Daugherty (@EricLDaugh) May 18, 2026
He’s actually got it down pretty good 🤣
“He said 'PETE, you're gonna have to be tough as SHlT…You ready? They're gonna come after you!’” 🔥 pic.twitter.com/utuKJII58S
Full Court Press...
A couple of interesting court decisions on Monday:
SEE: Ghouls Celebrate As Judge Blocks Major Evidence in Mangione Murder Trial — but the Gun Stays In
SCOTUS Just Hit Reset on Two Voting Rights Cases - and KBJ Is Not Happy
COMING ATTRACTIONS
President Trump is heading to Connecticut on Wednesday to deliver the keynote address at the U.S. Coast Guard Academy's 146th commencement ceremony in New London.
There's also a distinct possibility that the Supreme Court will be handing down more decisions this week — likely on Thursday.
MORNING MUSING
Not sure if you saw, but over the weekend, Dems gathered in Alabama to set the stage for a "Summer of Action." Hate to break it to them, but no. We've seen this movie before; we're not doing this again.
We're not doing 2020 again, friends. Sorry. No sale. https://t.co/iPnMS2nKw7
— Susie Moore ⚾️🌻🐶 (@SmoosieQ) May 17, 2026
LIGHTER FARE
Well, sure, why not?
Mobile observation platform.. 😅 pic.twitter.com/MwBqIroZ2G
— Buitengebieden (@buitengebieden) May 19, 2026
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