Wednesday, February 19, 2025
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'
Red-Hot at RedState
Trump Executive Order Wipes Out 90 Years of Practice and Permanently Changes the Executive Branch
If this order sticks, Trump has permanently and fundamentally changed the Executive Branch as it has existed since 1935 in less than a month.
Judge Orders Biden Appointee Fired by Trump Reinstated to Office
Other possible cases testing the limits of Humphrey’s Executor are the firings of 17 IGs, who, by statute, can only be fired after a 30-day notice to Congress and an explanation of the reasons, and a member of the National Labor Relations Board.
There’s a lesson to be learned here, one that the Democrats and the media keep learning the hard way: Don’t cross Karoline Leavitt.
Trending Across Townhall Media
Mexican President Threatens Gun Makers If Trump Declares Cartels 'Terrorists'
I can't say definitively if Sheinbaum is taking the cartels' coin, but I can say I wouldn't expect her to act the least bit differently if she were.
CNN Flummoxed as Stephen Miller Explains the Rule of Law
At some point, the Trump winning streak will be broken, but right now, he has all the momentum.
Won't Get Fooled Again: GOP Moves to Impeach Judges Trying to Stop Trump Agenda
The sides have been chosen. It's time to act. Your move, Republican Congress.
Is This What Caused Young People to Move Toward the Right?
Only the weird people remain with the Democrats: the isolated, the overly educated, the wealthy, and the ones with way too much time on their hands.
CNN Anchor Upset Over DOGE Nuclear Firings Didn’t Know Sam Brinton Stole Women’s Airport Luggage
CNN will continue to attack Musk and DOGE while pretending to care about out-of-control government spending and corruption. Will Brown read up about Sam Brinton? No, bless her heart.
WHAT'S ON TAP?
Today on Capitol Hill...
The Senate Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions Committee holds its hearing on President Donald Trump's Labor Secretary nominee, Lori Chavez-DeRemer, on Wednesday, beginning at 10:00 a.m. Eastern. We've been pretty clear here at RedState that this is one nomination that gets a thumbs down from us. The real question as to the hearing is whether she'll catch more heat from Democrats or Republicans.
The confirmation vote on Kelly Loeffler as SBA Administrator will take place at noon today.
On Tuesday, the Senate confirmed Howard Lutnick as Commerce Secretary and passed a procedural hurdle on Kash Patel's nomination as FBI Director — his confirmation vote will come on Thursday.
Other hearings on the Hill Wednesday include:
- Senate Veterans' Affairs — Hearings to examine pending nominations
- Senate Commerce, Science, and Transportation — Business meeting to consider an original resolution authorizing expenditures by the committee during the 119th Congress
- Senate Environment and Public Works — Hearings to examine improving the Federal environmental review and permitting processes
- Senate Commerce, Science, and Transportation — Hearings to examine spectrum auction delays
- Senate Judiciary — Hearings to examine children's safety in the digital era, focusing on strengthening protections and addressing legal gaps
- Senate Intelligence (Select) — Closed business meeting to consider pending intelligence matters; to be immediately followed by a closed briefing on certain intelligence matters
- Senate Armed Services, Airland Subcommittee — To receive a closed briefing on the F-15E United States Central Command Operations
White House What's Up
Trump issued several executive orders on Tuesday, and they included some doozies. He and Elon Musk then sat for an interview with Sean Hannity.
On Wednesday, he travels from Mar-a-Lago to Miami to participate in the Future Investment Initiative (FII) summit. Then, he'll hop on Air Force One, sign a few more executive orders, and return to the White House.
Keeping Up With the Cabinet
Sec. State - Marco Rubio — Rubio met with Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov in an effort to lay the groundwork for bringing the war in Ukraine to an end.
Sec. Treasury - Scott Bessent — Bessent sat for an interview with Fox News' Bret Baier and formally opened the doors of the Department of the Treasury for the first time in almost five years.
Attorney General - Pam Bondi — Bondi shared the list of people Trump intends to appoint to key DOJ positions.
Sec. Agriculture - Brooke Rollins — Rollins and the USDA are exploring ways to stop China from purchasing U.S. farmlands.
Sec. Commerce - Howard Lutnick — As noted above, Lutnick was confirmed on Tuesday.
Sec. Health & Human Services - Robert F. Kennedy Jr. — Kennedy received a warm welcome at HHS on Tuesday.
Sec. Veterans Affairs - Doug Collins — Collins met with New Hampshire Governor Kelly Ayotte on Tuesday.
Admin. Environmental Protection Agency - Lee Zeldin — Zeldin announced Class VI primacy for West Virginia on Tuesday.
Full Court Press...
Lots of activity in the courts — Judge Tanya Chutkan declined to enter a temporary restraining order Tuesday in the case brought by several blue states aimed at preventing Elon Musk or any of his team from accessing data or code at seven federal agencies. Judge Randolph Moss declined to enter a TRO as to DOGE's efforts involving the Department of Education. Judge Rudolph Contreras ordered the temporary reinstatement of a Merit Systems Protection Board member fired by Trump. And in a similar case involving Special Counsel Hampton Dellinger, the Supreme Court has set a 2:00 p.m. Wednesday deadline for a response from Dellinger (following the government's appeal of a lower court ruling) before they rule on the matter.
New York Mayor Eric Adams has a 2:00 p.m. Eastern court hearing in the Southern District of New York regarding the dismissal of the government's criminal case against him.
COMING ATTRACTIONS
The confirmation vote on Kash Patel will take place on Thursday.
The Senate HELP Committee will vote on Linda McMahon's nomination as Secretary of Education.
MORNING MUSING
Greetings from the Swamp! Well, technically Arlington this AM, but close enough. Yes, after about three hours of sleep, yours truly braved the 13+ hour trek (the first two of which were on dicey, snow-covered highways) and wheeled her way to D.C. for CPAC. RedState will, of course, have coverage of some of the highlights/key speakers, along with all of the other whirlwind activities happening here in D.C. and elsewhere. Indeed, it was a long drive, but it's nice to get out and see (parts of) the rest of the country — even in winter. By Ohio, I had sunny skies and just enough snow cover on the ground (not the road) to make everything rather pretty. Reminds me how lucky we are to live in the land of the free.
LIGHTER FARE
Or Wednesday mornings...
Monday mornings..🐻❄️🥱😅 pic.twitter.com/pjfXftNnVV
— 𝕐o̴g̴ (@Yoda4ever) February 17, 2025
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