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'

The Hilarious Peter Doocy Memes Have Arrived - and He's Earned Them

Every White House press briefing room needs a Peter Doocy-like figure, especially if it's a Democrat occupying the Oval Office.

China Unveils Two New Advanced Fighters on the Same Day. Are They Real Threats or a Head Fake?

At this point, these aircraft are what the late Don Rumsfeld would call "known unknowns." We know these planes exist, but we have no idea what they mean.

NEW: Biden Slips in Even More Vacation, Raising Ethical Questions

This is his legacy -- questionable behavior and how to be completely missing while occupying office. Of course, if he's on vacation, it's the same unelected bureaucracy running things as when he's actually there. 

WHAT'S ON TAP?

Today on Capitol Hill...

While the Hill itself is currently in hibernation, there's still some buzz regarding various Congress critters. There's still some perturbation over Rep. Gerry Connolly's (D-VA) besting of Rep. Alexandria Ocasio- Cortez (D-NY) in the bid for ranking member on the House Oversight Committee. Also, we learned that a retiring congresswoman who, to be fair, I've never heard of (and I don't think I'm alone in that) has bid farewell to the Hill because, she claims, the incoming president tried to kill her. 

White House What's Up

It's extra quiet time for President Joe Biden as he and First Lady Jill vacation in St. Croix (as per their usual holiday routine). 

Full Court Press...

The monster charged with murder and arson for killing a woman in the New York subway by lighting her on fire is due in court Friday for a hearing. 

A dual Iranian-American citizen indicted last week in connection with the January 28 drone strike that killed three American soldiers in Jordan near the Syrian border is also due in court Friday.

Former U.S. Senator Robert Menendez (D-NJ) is asking the judge in his criminal case to postpone his sentencing from late January as that is when his wife Nadine's trial is set to commence, and he's hoping to be present to support her during her trial. The judge hasn't ruled yet...we'll keep an eye on that. 

MORNING MUSING

Alright, so, our seeming insatiable thirst for palace intrigue has lots of folks pondering a speaker fight coming up in a week (on January 3). Without getting into the specific pros and cons regarding current Speaker Mike Johnson (R-LA), I am comfortable making a prediction, which I laid out on X Thursday: I believe Johnson will retain his speakership (for the near term). The reason I believe this is because a speaker food fight would be of very little benefit — and significant detriment — to President-elect Donald Trump ahead of his inauguration. Chad Pergram's tweet thread lays out all the potential twists and turns to allowing that uncertainty to play out. (And if I'm wrong, I'll own it.)

Which is why I'm going to go out on a limb and predict that @SpeakerJohnson will retain his speakership. A Speaker food fight is the last thing @realDonaldTrump needs ahead of his inauguration. And as disparate as @HouseGOP may be, virtually all want to see DJT take office. https://t.co/9mCUClDdsU

— Susie Moore ⚾️🌻🐶 (@SmoosieQ) December 26, 2024

LIGHTER FARE 

As funny as the big dog's expression is, it's the little guy who has me outright cracking up.

When you wake up and you don’t know what happened last night.. pic.twitter.com/yBSFyLNcSZ

— Buitengebieden (@buitengebieden) December 26, 2024