Thursday 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'

Dem Staffer Brags That Biden Bought His Vote With 'Canceled' Student Loans, Gets Wrecked in Response

You should not have select groups of people freeloading at the expense of hard-working Americans.

Marlon Wayans' Cringeworthy Interview With Nathan Wade About His Relationship With Fani Willis

I don't know if Wade thought doing this would do for him, but it just made him look even more ridiculous by agreeing to be involved in such a skit.

Is the Chinese Military Crumbling Under Xi? It Seems Like It...

I don't know if China is on the rise, has plateaued, or is on the decline. But what I do know is that, on our end, we need better leadership to handle it.

WHAT'S ON TAP?

Today on Capitol Hill...

We're definitely hitting that summer lull in D.C. Not much afoot on the Hill on Thursday — just three hearings:

Senate Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions — Hearings to examine the immediate and long-term challenges facing public school teachers, focusing on low pay, teacher shortages, and underfunded public schools
Senate Judiciary — Hearings to examine pending nominations (First Circuit, Sixth Circuit, and U.S. District Courts for the Eastern District of Pennsylvania and Vermont)
Joint Commission on Security and Cooperation in Europe (U.S. Helsinki Commission) — To receive a briefing on the proliferation of Russian-style foreign agents laws

White House What's Up

President Joe Biden must be resting up following his trips to France and Italy and ahead of next week's highly-anticipated debate with Former President Donald Trump. The only thing on his schedule for Thursday is traveling from Rehoboth Beach to Camp David.

Full Court Press...

Court should be back in session for Senator Bob Menendez (D-NJ) in his corruption/bribery trial. Looks like there are still a few weeks to go on this one.

It's also another decision hand-down day for the Supreme Court. We're getting down to the wire, and there are 24 decisions left, so expect some news-worthy opinions to be forthcoming.

Of Primary Concern

As of this writing, the Republican primary race for VA-05 (between John McGuire III and Bob Good) has yet to be called. Just north of 300 votes separate the two and it may be a day or three before it's officially called — and given how close it is, we may be looking at a recount.

MORNING MUSING

Happy First Day of Summer! It's my all-time favorite day of the year. The longest. The lightest. And then it's all downhill from here, doggoneit. Well, regardless, I'll be enjoying our sunny-with-highs-in-the-90s day, even while folks in other parts of the country are digging their cars out of hail drifts and such.

Vehicles stuck in hail drifts along Hwy 42 3 miles SE of Willard, NM. Highway appears to be completely washed out. Traffic stuck for miles. @NWSAlbuquerque #stormhour @TxStormChasers pic.twitter.com/oqP07fxePk
— Chad Casey (@WxFanaticCC) June 19, 2024