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. We're mid-week and barreling toward Inauguration. Consider this your one-stop shop for news to kickstart your day.
TOP O' THE MORNIN'
Red-Hot at RedState
‘Child, Listen’: Nancy Mace Challenges Jasmine Crockett to ‘Take It Outside’ After Dem Rep Mocks Her
It ended with an actual proposal to take the matter outside and settle it like women. (Which would be hard, considering anyone with the letter "D" next to their name is 1- Not a biologist, and 2- Therefore unable to define what an actual woman is).
I’m not going to speculate on what’s behind this strange behavior, but I can tell you this: as a resident of the City of Angels who knows a number of people who have lost their houses or who have been evacuated, it seems highly unseemly to me.
Pete Hegseth Brings His 'A' Game and Gets the Job Done
Bottom line: Hegseth did what he needed to do to get committee approval though that approval will probably be on a very rigid party line.
Trending Across TownHall Media
Truck Drivers Sue to Spread Constitutional Rights over State Lines
Still, these truck drivers have a reasonable concern, and states like Minnesota kind of screw them over.
Democrats In Minnesota Have Gone Insane and Insurrection-y
Everything is going swimmingly here in Tim Walz's state, as you would expect. Lots of respect for the rule of law, muh democracy, and democratic norms.
Not.
Old Joe Biden Reminds Us Yet Again That Leftists Live in a World of Pure Fantasy
Biden and his handlers set many, if not most, of those fires, and now they’re claiming credit for putting them out.
Reporter Drops a Bombshell About the Firefighter Response to the Los Angeles County Fires
Michael Shellenberger has a bombshell story detailing the failure to mobilize fire crews, the byzantine bureaucracy that bogs down efficiency, and the abject failure of city and county officials to prepare for what is going to be a $100 billion disaster.
Scott Jennings Erupts at WaPo Columnist for Saying Hegseth’s MAIN Qualification is Being a TV Host
Rampell said that Hegseth’s main qualification for being nominated Secretary of Defense was being a TV host.
WHAT'S ON TAP?
Today on Capitol Hill...
After a lively Senate Armed Services Committee hearing on Tuesday regarding President-elect Donald Trump's Defense Secretary nominee, Pete Hegseth, Wednesday is full-up on confirmation hearings. Here's Wednesday's schedule as of this writing:
- Pam Bondi - Attorney General - Judiciary - 9:30 AM Eastern
- Marco Rubio - Secretary of State - Foreign Relations - 10:00 AM Eastern
- John Ratcliffe - CIA Director - Intelligence - 10:00 AM Eastern
- Sean Duffy - Secretary of Transportation - Commerce, Science & Transportation - 10:00 AM Eastern
- Chris Wright - Secretary of Energy - Energy & Natural Resources - 10:00 AM Eastern
- Russ Vought - OMB Director - Homeland Security & Governmental Affairs - 1:00 PM Eastern
(South Dakota Governor Kristi Noem's hearing for Department of Homeland Security Secretary has been postponed until Friday.)
Though all eyes will be on the Senate hearings, the House is also holding some organizational meetings now that committee assignments have been sorted out — hopefully, ones that don't devolve into pistols at dawn. Additionally, we've got:
- House Oversight and Government Reform — “The Stay-at-Home Federal Workforce: Another Biden-Harris Legacy”
- House Transportation and Infrastructure — "America Builds: the State of the Nation's Transportation System"
- Senate Aging — Hearings to examine improving wellness among seniors, focusing on setting a standard for the American Dream
White House What's Up
President (five more days!) Joe Biden will receive his Daily Brief on Wednesday morning. In the evening, he'll deliver his farewell address to the nation. Press Secretary Karine Jean-Pierre will hold a press briefing in the early afternoon.
Full Court Press...
I dropped the ball yesterday and forgot to note the two cases argued before the Supreme Court:
- Thompson v. United States — To determine whether 18 U.S.C. § 1014, which prohibits making a "false statement" for the purpose of influencing certain financial institutions and federal agencies, also prohibits making a statement that is misleading but not false.
- Waetzig v. Halliburton Energy Services — Federal Rule of Civil Procedure 60(b) empowers district courts, on just terms and under circumstances specified in that Rule, to "relieve a party or its legal representative from a final judgment, order, or proceeding." The question presented, which has divided the courts of appeals, is whether a Rule 41
voluntary dismissal without prejudice is a "final judgment, order, or proceeding" under Rule 60(b).
Those appear to land on the wonky/procedural side of things, but Wednesday's oral argument may prove a bit more intriguing:
Free Speech Coalition, Inc. v. Paxton —
This Court has repeatedly held that States may rationally restrict minors' access to sexual materials, but such restrictions must withstand strict scrutiny if they burden adults' access to constitutionally protected speech. See, e.g., Ashcroft v. ACLU, 542 U.S. 656, 663 (2004). In the decision below, the Fifth Circuit applied rational-basis review — rather than strict scrutiny — to vacate a preliminary injunction of a provision of a Texas law that significantly burdens adults' access to protected speech, because the law's stated purpose is to protect minors. The question presented is:
Whether the court of appeals erred as a matter of law in applying rational-basis review to a law burdening adults' access to protected speech, instead of strict scrutiny as this Court and other circuits have consistently done.
COMING ATTRACTIONS
As of right now, we've got the following confirmation hearings teed up for the rest of the week:
- Pam Bondi - Attorney General (Jan. 16 - second round)
- Scott Turner - Secretary of Housing and Urban Development (Jan. 16)
- Lee Zeldin - EPA Administrator (Jan. 16)
- Scott Bessent - Secretary of the Treasury (Jan. 16)
- Doug Burgum - Secretary of the Interior (Jan. 16)
- Kristi Noem - Secretary of Homeland Security (Jan. 17)
Biden is set to make his farewell remarks at the Department of Defense on Thursday and deliver remarks to the Conference of Mayors on Friday.
The biggest news is that a hostage deal appears to be in the offing between Israel and Hamas. If the signing is complete, this could mean the return of some of the hostages by week's end. Keep praying.
MORNING MUSING
We are five days out from Inauguration, and pondering what might crop up between now and then is a somewhat ominous proposition, so instead, I'm going to ponder practicalities: Right now, my fellow editors and I are subscribed to (and receive) constant emails from the White House Press Office, including pool reports, daily and weekly guidance, presidential announcements and such. Will that stop on January 20? Will there be a new/different list to join, or will the emails proceed apace? Will the tenor of the updates emerging from the Trump White House be different than those we've been receiving from the Biden White House? I, for one, cannot wait to find out. Much as I've been waiting to see if the Senate hearing titles improve now that the GOP is in the majority. (Hard to tell thus far, given that they're primarily confirmation hearings — I'll keep y'all posted.) Anyhoo, in the whole scheme of things, a minor matter to ponder. But that's how my brain works, so...
LIGHTER FARE
That's one way to change your perspective...
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— No Context Cats (@nocontextscats) January 13, 2025
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