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'

Rich, Obnoxious California Transplants Messed With the Wrong Rancher

Being a jerk rarely works and I imagine it works even less against farmers and ranchers, particularly when the jerks have more money than brains.

Desperate Biden Campaign Turns to Paranoia, Starts Attacking Major Allies, Including Barack Obama

The press has painted Biden into a corner regarding his revelations of his senility, and the cash has stopped coming in.

Biden's Weird Greeting of British PM Starmer and Befuddled NATO Dinner Remarks

How is he possibly going to get through his "big boy" press conference on Thursday when he can't even read a script in a clear and coherent way?

WHAT'S ON TAP?

Today on Capitol Hill...

Things should be a tad quieter today on the Hill — fewer meetings/hearings are set. Here are some of the key events: 

• Senate Aging (Special) — Hearings to examine health care transparency, focusing on lowering costs and empowering patients
• Senate Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions — Hearings to examine what Congress can do to end the medical debt crisis in America
• Senate Commerce, Science, and Transportation — Hearings to examine the need to protect Americans' privacy and the AI Accelerant
• Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs — An oversight hearing to examine the U.S. taxpayer funded high-risk virus research

White House What's Up

It's Big Boy Day at the White House! President Joe Biden will head back to the NATO Summit in the morning, where he'll powwow with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky before returning to the White House and giving a press conference on the South Lawn in the early evening. Grab the popcorn...

Full Court Press...

Jury deliberations are expected to begin Thursday in the corruption trial of Senator Bob Menendez (D-NJ). We will, of course, report on any verdict once one is reached. 

And Alec Baldwin's New Mexico trial regarding the "Rust" set shooting continues. 

MORNING MUSING

Much has been written/said about the implosion of Joe Biden's candidacy (and presidency) and all the cover-up efforts both by his own campaign and administration as well as the legacy media. But I want to take a moment to ponder something else: What is the competency/lucidity level of those around Biden who thought throwing him out there for the debate and then continuing to throw him out there in follow-up interviews was a good idea — assuming they aren't saboteurs? Who came up with the idea of branding his Thursday evening press conference a "big boy press conference"? To whom does that person/those people answer? Because that either was dreamed up by the most incompetent of boobs or by someone who's trying to shove Joe out onto the South Lawn and lock the door behind him. 

LIGHTER FARE 

It may just be my twisted sense of humor, but I chuckled at this. 

even CSPAN hittin em w the backhand https://t.co/y12kqgsNUY

— Mike Benz (@MikeBenzCyber) July 11, 2024