Wednesday, May 20, 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
She fired her shot. And Duffy promptly rolled her argument up in a fire blanket and stomped it out. With what, you might ask? A heaping helping of her own hypocrisy.
Further, they were scoping for "diverse targets" and seemingly wanted to hit multiple locations.
Louisiana Republicans Ended Bill Cassidy’s Career - He Just Defected Again
The exercise is political, not legislative — a pressure campaign designed to put Republicans on the record heading into the midterms. Cassidy, with nothing left to lose, was happy to oblige.
Trending Across Townhall Media
Bearing Arms — Babylon Bee Goes on Rampage Mocking Anti-Gun Media, Politicians
The Bee used actual statements--the PTSD comment, for example, was ripped directly from a journalist named Gersh Kuntzman, who claimed he got it after shooting an AR-15--and often video, to show the idiotic nonsense being peddled by politicians and the media to try and demonize firearms.
HotAir — BBC This Is Sick Beyond Measure
Normalizing degeneracy is not "enlightenment." It is the sign of cultural decay.
PJ Media — Ketanji Brown Jackson, the AOC of Jurisprudence, Has Thoughts About Court Neutrality
Jackson wants Americans to believe the court stands above politics, and she could help by sounding less like a political activist disappointed by a vote count.
Townhall — The One Tweet That Perfectly Summarizes Why Thomas Massie Lost Last Night
His supporters were heard chanting “2028” at Massie’s watch party. If you can’t win a congressional primary, you’re not winning the White House.
Twitchy — It's a Cringe-Off! Gavin Newsom and JB Pritzker Battle Each Other for WORST PHRASING EVER
At least Pritzker's comment was mostly just embarrassing for himself alone (though he, too, is no stranger to whipping up violent leftist thugs into a frenzy).
WHAT'S ON TAP?
Today on Capitol Hill...
There are a ton of hearings/meetings set for Wednesday on the Hill, including:
- House Intelligence (Permanent Select) — 25 Years After 9/11 - Reviewing the 9/11 Commission & Intelligence Reform Impacts (OPEN)
- House Homeland Security — “TSA Modernization: Industry Perspectives on Key Security and Travel Reforms 25 Years After 9/11”
- House Ways and Means, Tax Subcommittee — Tax Subcommittee Hearing on Your Paycheck, Returned: How the Working Families Tax Cuts Delivered for Americans
- House Foreign Affairs — FY2027 Budget Request: State Department Adjacent Entities
- House Financial Services, Digital Assets, Financial Technology, and Artificial Intelligence Subcommittee — Partnering for Innovation: How Bank-Fintech Collaborations Enhance Financial Infrastructure
- House Judiciary — “The Southern Poverty Law Center: Manufacturing Hate”
- House Armed Services — Department of the Air Force Fiscal Year 2027 Budget Request
- House Natural Resources, Water, Wildlife and Fisheries Subcommittee — “The Federal Reclamation Program’s Next Century”
- Senate Commerce, Science, and Transportation, Consumer Protection, Technology, and Data Privacy Subcommittee — Hearings to examine betting, focusing on protecting sports integrity in America.
- Senate Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions — Hearings to examine meeting the individual needs of all students, focusing on the role of charter schools.
- House Energy and Commerce, Oversight and Investigations Subcommittee — Corrosion, Collapse, and Clean-Up: Examining the Potomac Interceptor Collapse.
- House Education and Workforce, Health, Employment, Labor, and Pensions Subcommittee — "Bad Medicine: Politics, Unions, and Antisemitism in Health Care"
- Committee on House Administration, Elections Subcommittee — Committee on House Administration Subcommittee on Elections Hearing: “Examining Best Practices for Strengthening Election Security”
- House Energy and Commerce, Health Subcommittee — Examining the Medicare Physician Fee Schedule, MACRA, and Opportunities for Payment Reforms
- House Foreign Affairs, Western Hemisphere Subcommittee — Confronting the Totalitarian Ortega-Murillo Regime
- House Financial Services, Capital Markets Subcommittee — From Order to Execution: Ensuring Efficient and Transparent Equity Markets
- House Natural Resources, Oversight and Investigations Subcommittee — Oversight Hearing titled “The Profit Engine Driving Environmental Nonprofits.”
- Senate Armed Services, Personnel Subcommittee — Hearings to examine the Department of Defense personnel policies and programs in review of the Defense Authorization Request for Fiscal Year 2027 and the Future Years Defense Program.
- Senate Small Business and Entrepreneurship — Hearings to examine blowing the whistle, focusing on inside the grift that keeps giving.
- Senate Appropriations, Energy and Water Development Subcommittee — Hearings to examine proposed budget estimates and justification for fiscal year 2027 for the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers and the Bureau of Reclamation.
- Senate Judiciary, Federal Courts, Oversight, Agency Action, and Federal Rights Subcommittee — Hearings to examine the Muslim Brotherhood in America.
- House Armed Services, Seapower and Projection Forces Subcommittee — Department of the Navy Fiscal Year 2027 Budget Request for Seapower and Projection Forces
- Senate Aging (Special) — Hearings to examine preventing falls and preserving independence, focusing on technology, community programs, and innovation in senior safety.
- Senate Armed Services — To receive a briefing on anomalous health incidents.
- Senate Veterans' Affairs — Hearings to examine the President's proposed budget request for fiscal year 2027 and 2028 advance appropriations requests for the Department of Veterans Affairs.
On Tuesday, the Senate passed a motion to discharge Sen. Tim Kaine's (D-VA) War Powers Resolution from the Foreign Affairs Committee, though the vote on final passage of the measure isn't expected until sometime in June.
SEE: Louisiana Republicans Ended Bill Cassidy’s Career - He Just Defected Again
White House What's Up
The listed times are janky here, but here's what's on President Trump's agenda for Wednesday:
- 11:00 AM — THE PRESIDENT departs The White House en route Groton, Connecticut — The White House
- 11:00 AM — THE PRESIDENT arrives Groton, Connecticut — Groton, Connecticut
- 11:00 AM — THE PRESIDENT delivers a Commencement Address to The United States Coast Guard Academy — Cadet Memorial Field
- 11:00 AM — THE PRESIDENT departs Groton, Connecticut en route The White House — Groton, Connecticut
- 11:00 AM — THE PRESIDENT arrives The White House — The White House
Keeping Up With the Cabinet
Attorney General - Todd Blanche (acting) – Blanche testified before the Senate Appropriations, Commerce, Justice, Science, and Related Agencies Subcommittee on Tuesday. That was about as cordial an event as you might expect.
🚨 OMG. Sen. Chris Van Hollen (D-MD) just got DEMOLISHED after insinuating President Trump's $1.7B anti-weaponization fund would pay a CHILD M*LESTER
— Eric Daugherty (@EricLDaugh) May 19, 2026
AG Todd Blanche was NOT having his BS 🔥
HOLLEN: An individual was pardoned by POTUS and m*lested 2 children, and tried to buy… pic.twitter.com/HyLUdfNq2T
Full Court Press...
I'm back to needing to play catch-up on court rulings, though there haven't been all that many notable ones of late. It's still looking like we'll have another opinion hand-down day this week from SCOTUS, so keep an eye out for that.
COMING ATTRACTIONS
Vice President JD Vance is slated to deliver the commencement address at the U.S. Air Force Academy on May 28.
President Trump will be in Suffern, New York, on Friday to deliver remarks at Rockland Community College and throw his support behind Republican Rep. Mike Lawler (NY-17) in his bid for reelection.
And he's set to attend the G7 Summit in Évian-Les-Bains, France, in mid-June.
MORNING MUSING
I can't imagine it's a pleasant experience, knowing you've been rejected by the voters of your district/state...yet are charged with continuing to represent them for the next seven or eight months — particularly if you lay that rejection at the feet of fellow party members (and a president) who've turned against you. It probably leaves a person feeling underappreciated and ganged up on.
So then, what do you do with your remaining time in office? Make the best of it and continue to vote according to your principles (and largely in line with your party and the president who endorsed your opponent)? Or do whatever you can to throw sand in the gears and the double-bird at those who you feel betrayed you?
Over to you, Bill Cassidy, Tom Massie. What lasting impression do y'all want to leave?
LIGHTER FARE
Did someone request baby ducks?
Baby ducks said please come play with us 🥰 pic.twitter.com/tXcw16q7s3
— Antidepressant Content (@depressionlesss) November 3, 2024
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