Wednesday, July 15, 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
Like a Boss: Brandon Gill Ends an Ayanna Pressley Rant on Women's Rights With One Perfect Question
This honestly should be the default answer anytime Democrats start yada yadaing about "women's rights" allegedly being "under assault" by Republicans. Because in reality, the biggest assault is coming from radical leftists like Pressley who are undermining everything early feminists fought for in this country by pretending that a man who identifies as a woman can actually be a woman, allowing them to invade women's sports, locker rooms, dressing rooms, bathrooms, etc, all in the name of "gender equality."
World Cup Freddy Makes It to the Great Smoky Mountains, Has Some Real American Firearm Fun
I don't think he wants to leave after he's seen how beautiful we are. How about we trade out some leftists to Germany, and we get to keep Freddy and his crew?
Seriously? Sacramento Deploys Climate Cops to Rifle Through Your Garbage Cans Like Common Thieves
Crews will actually have badges to identify themselves as garbage inspectors. Their super-spiffy uniforms will also include high-visibility vests. Mall cops are going to point and laugh at these people.
Trending Across Townhall Media
Bearing Arms — Why Gun Debate Isn't About Just Here and Now
It's about making sure generations untold have the means to protect themselves from the dangers of that day as well.
HotAir — Straight to Jail, Jack Smith, Straight to Jail
If Smith were just any normal guy, you would expect that he would be strung up by the rafters. But because his target was Trump, any effort to prosecute him would be fought with the passion a pitbull has for human flesh, and unless he can be tried in Florida instead of Washington, D.C., the establishment jury would likely find him not guilty.
PJ Media — A Kiss in Indonesia and Its Aftermath Reveal the Heart and Soul of Islam
Terror is thus the glue that holds Islam together, the sole dynamic force that makes it tick. And so the poor couple in Aceh who just received 21 lashes can console themselves with one salient fact: It could have been worse. And soon enough, it probably will be.
But right now, the underreported issue of data centers is causing local voters from both parties to become upset. If enough people get angry, it could cause many voters to ignore labels and party ties. Heck, one—Hanneman in the NYTimes piece, has already done so.
America's "institutions of higher learning" continue to be indoctrination and propaganda centers, even some of the medical schools.
WHAT'S ON TAP?
Today on Capitol Hill...
Lots of hearings and meetings set for Wednesday on the Hill, including:
- Senate Judiciary — Hearings to examine the nomination of Todd Blanche, of Florida, to be Attorney General.
- Senate Intelligence (Select) — Hearings to examine the nomination of Walter (Jay) Clayton, of New York, to be Director of National Intelligence.
- House Select Committee on the Strategic Competition Between the United States and the Chinese Communist Party — Protecting American Innovation: The Federal Research Security Enterprise
- House Foreign Affairs — Ending Supply Chain Dependency: Aligning Tools, Capital, and Partnerships
- House Financial Services — The Semi-Annual Report of the Bureau of Consumer Financial Protection
- House Science, Space, and Technology, Space and Aeronautics Subcommittee — A Review of the Office of Space Commerce’s Mission Authorization Proposal
- Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs — Hearings to examine exposing fraud in America.
- Senate Banking, Housing, and Urban Affairs — Hearings to examine the Semiannual Monetary Policy Report to the Congress. [Fed Chair Kevin Warsh to testify]
- House Energy and Commerce, Health Subcommittee — Maintaining America’s Leadership in Biomedical Innovation: FDA’s Role in Advancing U.S. Drug Development.
- House Foreign Affairs, Western Hemisphere Subcommittee — A New Beginning for Colombia
- Committee on House Administration, Elections Subcommittee — Committee on House Administration Elections Subcommittee Hearing: “Election Observation: Best Practices and Congress’s Role”
- House Oversight and Government Reform, Government Operations Subcommittee — “Emerging Fraud Threats and the Evolving Fraud Landscape”
- House Intelligence (Permanent Select) — States on the Frontlines of Counterintelligence
Senate Armed Services, Personnel Subcommittee — Hearings to examine the TRICARE pharmacy program. - Senate Aging (Special) — Hearings to examine behind the label, focusing on foreign ownership and control in America's drug supply chain.
- Senate Energy and Natural Resources — To receive a closed briefing on the Department of War's fiscal year 2027 budget request.
Tuesday was busy, too, between Darline Graham Nordone being sworn in as the newest U.S. Senator to serve out the rest of her brother, Lindsey's, term, and some longstanding congressional logjams being cleared.
SEE: Great News for Johnson: GOP Rebels End House Floor Holdout
House Votes to Lock the Clock - for Good
We won't mention Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer's (D-NY) contributions to the noise...
White House What's Up
Today's a travel day for President Trump as he heads to Pennsylvania for the Pennsylvania Defense Innovation Summit.
- 8:00 AM — THE PRESIDENT participates in Executive Time — The White House
- 11:00 AM — THE PRESIDENT participates in a Policy Meeting — Oval Office
- 11:00 AM — THE PRESIDENT departs the White House en route to Carlisle, Pennsylvania — The White House
- 3:15 PM — THE PRESIDENT arrives Carlisle, Pennsylvania — U.S. Army War College
- 3:15 PM — THE PRESIDENT participates in a Pennsylvania Defense and Innovation Summit — U.S. Army War College
- 3:15 PM — THE PRESIDENT departs Carlisle, Pennsylvania en route to the White House — U.S. Army War College
- 3:15 PM — THE PRESIDENT arrives at the White House — The White House
.@SenMcCormickPA at the Pennsylvania Defense Innovation Summit: "We're very grateful @POTUS is coming. This is really about how we make his strategy of Peace Through Strength an ongoing reality... this is building momentum as the face of war changes dramatically." pic.twitter.com/hfHbYfB4za
— Rapid Response 47 (@RapidResponse47) July 15, 2026
Keeping Up With the Cabinet
Sec. State - Marco Rubio — Rubio's earned his reputation as the busiest guy in D.C. — the Man of 1,000 Memes. Today, he's delivering remarks at a meeting of the Economic Diplomacy Action Group at the Department of State, followed by a meeting with Colombian Vice President-elect José Manuel Restrepo. On Thursday, he'll host the Ministerial on the Resurgence of Political Terrorism at the Department of State.
Plus, he's pushing to dismantle the International Criminal Court.
Op-Ed from @SecRubio: Why We’re Dismantling the ICChttps://t.co/T4J5COuqUQ
— Department of State (@StateDept) July 13, 2026
And...he's getting sued by old Mahmoud Khalil to boot.
Full Court Press...
We had some court decisions of note on Wednesday, including:
- ✅ In National TPS Alliance v. Noem (revocation of TPS status - Nepal, Honduras, Nicaragua), 9th Circuit Court of Appeals VACATES district court's entry of final judgment and remands for further proceedings.
- ❌ In U.S. v. Oliver (voter rolls), Judge Judith Herrera (New Mexico) GRANTS defendants' motion to dismiss.
Wednesday also saw Supreme Court Justices Elena Kagan and Amy Coney Barrett testifying before both the House and Senate Appropriations Committees.
COMING ATTRACTIONS
President Trump's teased a significant announcement as he plans to address the nation Thursday evening, promising, "It doesn't get bigger."
Also seems like that event Sec. State Rubio is hosting on Thursday might be worth keeping an eye on.
MORNING MUSING
It's funny that how/whether we adjust our clocks is such a controversial concept, and yet it is. I do get the argument from those who'd prefer the permanent setting to be "Standard" time. I don't get the argument from those who'd prefer we continue to "Spring forward and Fall back." Frankly, I don't hear or see a lot of advocacy for that latter camp, though I'm sure there are some who'd like to keep doing it the way we're doing it.
Anyhoo, at the risk of alienating the Standard Time folks, I'll simply say that I am all for ditching the switching and locking in on permanent Daylight Saving Time. I'll deal with the darker mornings. Give me lighter, longer afternoons and evenings!
LIGHTER FARE
Couldn't decide which of these I liked best, so today, y'all get a twofer:
This is Chase. He's been branded as something of an escape artist. Unfortunately there were witnesses and victims in his latest attempt. 14/10 pic.twitter.com/l4mt2Vr5sD
— WeRateDogs (@dog_rates) July 14, 2026
When you want your boat's figurehead to also be its hornpic.twitter.com/Anfgq2t6en
— Hy Bender (@hybender) July 14, 2026
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