Welcome to the RedState Weekly Briefing  — where we take a quick look at the week’s most viewed stories in case you missed any of them. What do you suppose caught people's attention in this latest whirlwind week? Grab a cup of coffee (or something stronger if you're so inclined), and sit down with this 21st Century Weekend Edition of your favorite (online) publication — here we go!

#1 - SecDef Hegseth Gets a Rude and Disrespectful Welcome by US Military Command in Germany — by streiff

I'm old school on uniforms. I think the custom of wearing BDUs (utilities, fatigues, whatever you want to call the field uniform) all the time is horrendous. When I was a young officer, you weren't allowed to wear BDUs off-post. Period. You couldn't go to a fast food place or run an errand on the way home or at lunch wearing BDUs. In my view, if you can't break out the Class A uniform to welcome the SecDef and note the color guard is in dress uniform, then there is no possible occasion that calls for them. But, if you do wear BDUs to greet the SecDef, show him the respect of wearing a fresh set. Meeting the head of the Department of Defense in wrinkled BDUs is a calculated insult because I really don't believe this four-star or his aide are that stupid.

More evidence to back up my contention that the greeting was intended to show Hegseth how little the commanding general thought of him, perhaps for the first time in the history of the Defense Department, the Secretary of Defense was heckled by military wives.

#2 - WATCH: CNN Host Left Even More Apoplectic by GOP Rep. After Raging Over Defunding of USAID — by Becca Lower

The powerful words did not end there, though. Rep. Burchett reels off one more damning fact: Every dollar of the spending for the USAID is borrowed from future generations.

"Every dollar is borrowed that we're giving away....It is a recipe for destruction," Burchett says.

Someone remind me--but aren't the Democrats the ones who continually cry about everything needing to be "paid-for"?

At this point, all the show host can manage is to repeat her apoplectic lament about government employees being scared/angry.

This is how you do it--by refusing to let the progressive messengers' emotional thoroughbreds even get out of the starting gate.

#3 - EPA Administrator Lee Zeldin Finds the $20 Billion 'Gold Bars' the Biden Administration Tried to Jettison — by Jennifer Oliver O'Connell

Between DOGE, O'Keefe Media, and Project Veritas, the Deep State just keeps exposing how corrupt they are and where the bodies are buried. In a three-minute video, EPA administrator Lee Zeldin explained how they found those "gold bars" that the Biden EPA had tossed "off the Titanic" in the waning days of the administration when they were attempting to gum up the works for incoming President Donald Trump while still funneling money to their left-wing causes to avoid discovery.

Oops.

WATCH: 

🚨The Biden EPA tossed $20 billion of “gold bars off the Titanic”.

BIG UPDATE! We found the gold bars and they are now being recovered for you, the hardworking American taxpayer.

Here are more of the details: pic.twitter.com/DM4C0TQcpj

— Lee Zeldin (@epaleezeldin) February 13, 2025

#4 - Hoo Boy! CNN's Anderson Cooper Freaks Out Over DOGE, Calls Guest a 'D***' on Live TV — by Bob Hoge

Warning – profanity throughout. By CNN, not by me.

Hoo boy, things sure are getting interesting in the legacy/corporate/corrupt media these days as liberal pundits on cable news, newspapers and social media posts are melting like the Wicked Witch of the West now that Donald Trump has assumed the presidency and has begun doing exactly what he said he was going to do.

Perhaps no finer example of this came when CNN’s Anderson Cooper, who normally tries (but fails) to present himself as a serious journalist, called former New Hampshire Gov. Chris Sununu a “d***” on live TV as they argued over Elon Musk and the DOGE. 

No really.

#5 - HOT TAKES: Schumer's New Portal to 'Expose Corruption, Abuses of Power, and Threats' Backfires Big Time — by Sister Toldjah

"Today, I’m calling on our brave public servants," Schumer wrote in a post shared on Twitter/X. "I’m launching a new portal for anyone who wants to expose corruption, abuses of power, and threats to public safety with the legal protections of being a whistleblower."

The portal is in response to the Elon Musk-led DOGE's ongoing assessments of the waste, fraud, and abuse taking place at federal departments including USAID, FEMA, and others. These are actions Schumer and other unhinged Democrats have claimed amount to a "coup" allegedly being orchestrated by an "unelected" person despite the fact that DOGE is carrying out an executive order issued by President Donald Trump.

Unfortunately for Schumer, his announcement backfired almost immediately, with irate conservatives taking it upon themselves to use the portal in order to report Democrats... including Schumer himself.