Monday Morning Minute

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'

CNN Freaks Out Over MAGA Republicans Calling US a 'Republic'—and the Big Problem This Exposes

If they just hear "democracy," they won't understand we are so much more than that. Democrats appear to want to make us much less.

YIKES: Chuck Schumer Goes Viral and Gets Ratioed to the Sun for What He Just Did to a Burger

Plus, grilling pictures seem to be like Mike Dukakis wearing hats or Joe Biden wearing a Kansas City Chiefs helmet.

What You Just Saw Didn't Happen: Obama, White House Deny That Biden Froze at H'Wood Fundraiser Saturday

They can keep telling us we’re not seeing what we’re seeing, but I can tell you who is observing it with 20/20 vision: the American people.

WHAT'S ON TAP?

Today on Capitol Hill...

All quiet on the Capitol front Monday. No meetings or hearings scheduled. Perhaps Chuck Schumer (D-NY) is still busy heating up his grill. No word yet on when Rep. Anna Paulina Luna (R-FL) intends to try and force a vote on her inherent contempt of Congress resolution regarding Attorney General Merrick Garland — expect that to be a tussle when/if she does.

White House What's Up

After a busy week of wandering around at Normandy and the G7 and being led off stage in Hollywood, President Joe Biden will be taking it easy on Monday. Not a thing on his schedule except his "Daily Briefing" in the AM. In the afternoon, Press Secretary Karine Jean Pierre will hold a press briefing. Later in the afternoon, Biden will host a bilateral meeting with Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg of NATO in the Oval Office.

Full Court Press...

The trial of Sen. Bob Menendez (D-NJ) on corruption and bribery charges in the Southern District of New York is still on a brief pause, prompted by his co-defendant coming down with COVID. Currently, the case is set to resume Tuesday.

Meanwhile, Star News Digitial and its Editor-in-Chief, Michael Leahy, are due in court Monday in Nashville, Tennessee, for a hearing over the recent leak of documents regarding the Covenant School shooter.

MORNING MUSING

After this latest grilling incident involving Chuck Schumer, I think it's time we have a serious discussion about politicians and photo ops. Actually, scratch that. There is no discussion needed. Political flacks, listen up:

Don't let your charge don any sort of headgear
Don't let your charge attempt to grill or cook
Don't let your charge show off their gazillion-dollar appliances stocked with fancy-schmancy ice cream and such
Don't let your charge attempt to handle or fire a gun
And whatever you do, do not let your charge attempt to eat a corn dog at a fair