Friday 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'

Rapid Response Trump Camp Puts to Bed X Post by Harris 'Interns' Citing AP's 'Fake News' Vance Quote

In contrast to the single-A, sophomoric work product of the Harris social media hooligan squad, Team Trump must have had its top-tier rapid response team on the clock tonight--because they didn't mess around and demolished that dumb post to smithereens.

YIKES: Tim Walz's Remarks About Gaza Just Revealed Why They Don't Want Him Answering Questions

Sounds like he thinks people who chant against America, riot in the streets, and whose actions help Hamas are "very fine people." Could he be any more clueless and/or radical?

Why Would Hunter Biden Enter a Straight-Up Guilty Plea With No Deal? His Explanation, and More

In the end, the only person Hunter has to blame is himself - not just for doing the crime in the first place, but for endlessly documenting it and then writing about it in a memoir.

WHAT'S ON TAP?

Today on Capitol Hill...

Still quiet on the Hill, but there are two field hearings on Friday:

House Judiciary — “The Biden-Harris Border Crisis: California Perspectives” (Santee, California)
House Natural Resources Subcommittee on Water, Wildlife and Fisheries — Oversight Field Hearing titled “Water Abundance: Opportunities and Challenges in California” (Santa Nella, California)

White House What's Up

President Joe Biden travels to Detroit, Michigan, Friday to "deliver remarks discussing how his Investing in America agenda is benefiting communities across Michigan and ensuring Americans have a brighter, more prosperous future."

The Homestretch

Vice President Kamala Harris is in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, Friday, continuing with her debate prep. Second Gentleman Doug Emhoff will be at a Chicago campaign event Friday afternoon.

Former President Donald Trump will travel to Charlotte, North Carolina, on Friday to address the National Fraternal Order of Police. Before that, though, he'll spend the morning in court in the Second Circuit Court of Appeals (see below), after which, he's expected to hold a press conference at Trump Tower at noon Eastern.

Trump running mate, Sen. JD Vance (R-OH), will be attending a fundraiser in Rancho Santa Fe, California.

Full Court Press...

Where to begin? Judge Juan Merchan is expected to rule today on whether he'll further delay sentencing (currently set for September 18) in Trump's Manhattan case.

Trump is also expected to attend oral argument Friday morning in the appeal of the verdict in the E. Jean Carroll civil case against him (the one where the jury found him liable for battery and defamation and awarded Carroll $5 million).

Meanwhile, Hunter Biden's California trial is no longer proceeding following his surprise guilty plea Thursday, for which Managing Editor Jennifer Van Laar was present and provided in-depth coverage.

BREAKING: Hunter Biden Pleads Guilty in LA, Faces Up to 17 Years in Prison

INSIDE THE COURTROOM: Hunter Biden Admits He Committed Every Element of Every Crime Charged in Indictment

Why Would Hunter Biden Enter a Straight-Up Guilty Plea With No Deal?
His Explanation, and More

MORNING MUSING

Whiplash. That's a good way to describe the way Thursday felt in relation to Hunter Biden's California tax trial. First, they were set to begin jury selection. Then, his attorney, Abbe Lowell, advised the court he intended to enter an Alford plea — which was news to the prosecution, which strenuously objected. Then, there was a discussion with Judge Mark Scarsi as to whether the court had to accept such a plea or had discretion on the matter. Then, Lowell informed the court that Biden would simply plead guilty — an act which Hunter maintains was to spare his family. Something he could have done weeks, if not months, ago. Now, we wait for sentencing in December, which very few expect will mean anything because just about everyone and their brother expects a pardon or a commutation is in the offing. But just so you know, Hunter cares deeply about his family. Deeply.