Monday, May 12, 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’s Comedic Genius Shines As He Rips ABC’s Martha Raddatz With Brutal New Nickname
Raddatz is an all-time bastion of Trump Derangement Syndrome.
'Major Breakthrough': Here Are the Details on the China Trade Deal
The Trump team managed to drive China to the table, and it looks like they've made good progress toward some change.
Joe Biden and Karma for the Democratic Party
For the Democratic Party, he's an open sore that just won't scab over, and it looks like they're going to be dealing with him for some time to come. Like poison ivy.
Trending Across Townhall Media
ATF's Comments On Suppressors Sets Off Firestorm
Suppressors aren't nearly as hard to get as a machine gun, true, but they're still a pain in the posterior to obtain because of the NFA regulations on the books.
Chuck Todd Accidentally Admits That Media Just Prints What Their Sources Say
Let's take Todd at his word that he genuinely didn't know he was lied to back then. The question then becomes whether he or any other journalist should talk to the liars anymore.
See If You Can Spot the Biggest Difference Between Biden's and Trump's China Deals
[T]here's one thing we know about Donald Trump: He doesn't need this gig for a paycheck or for a "10% for The Big Guy" cut of the action.
Is This Why the Libs Weren't Paying Attention to the US-China Trade News Yesterday?
The liberal media’s allergy or inability to cover anything the Trump White House does remains an ongoing issue.
Dem Sen. Alex Padilla Says Trump Would Waste Billions by Cutting Calf. High Speed Rail Funding
If they've been able to waste tens of billions of dollars, then the Democrats will consider it a "success."
WHAT'S ON TAP?
Today on Capitol Hill...
There are only two meetings/hearings set for Monday as Congress kicks off a new week:
- House Natural Resources, Energy and Mineral Resources Subcommittee — Oversight Field Hearing on "Letting Off Steam: Unleashing Geothermal Energy Development on Federal Land” [hearing set at Southern Utah University, in Cedar City, Utah]
- Senate Armed Services, Strategic Forces Subcommittee — To receive a closed briefing on space superiority
The real focus this week will, of course, be on the reconciliation package. There were signs that the meeting between Ways and Means Chair Jason Smith (R-MO) and President Donald Trump on Friday went well...
.@JakeSherman pic.twitter.com/ToTTbv2oZh
— Rep. Jason Smith (@RepJasonSmith) May 9, 2025
Here's the backdrop:
Congress has eight legislative days scheduled until the Memorial Day recess, which is Speaker Mike Johnson’s deadline to push the reconciliation package through the House.
Hill Republicans want to get the package on Trump’s desk by July 4. We’ll note that Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent is looking for a debt-limit increase – which is in this package – by mid-July.
The House GOP leadership’s goal is to have three key committees mark up this week – Ways and Means, Energy and Commerce and Agriculture – and then have the House Budget Committee assemble the bill by week’s end. GOP leaders would then bring the package to the House Rules Committee on May 19 ahead of a floor vote later next week.
The bottom line: We're about to see some serious horse trading.
White House What's Up
President Trump is gearing up to head to the Middle East after making several big announcements over the weekend, including an India-Pakistan ceasefire, a Chinese trade deal, the imminent return of Edan Alexander, the last living American hostage held by Hamas, and an ambitious plan to lower prescription drug prices. First, though, he'll hold a joint press conference with Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. (at 9:30 a.m. Eastern). Then he'll depart and fly to Royal Air Force Mildenhall in England, arriving late Monday evening. From there, he'll travel to Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, arriving Tuesday morning.
Updated: Hamas Says They Will Finally Release US Hostage Held in Gaza; Trump Confirms 'Happy' News
Vice President JD Vance was instrumental, along with Secretary of State Marco Rubio in securing the India-Pakistan ceasefire.
🚨 CNN: “@SecRubio, I was told, played a MASSIVE role in bringing about this ceasefire.”
— Rapid Response 47 (@RapidResponse47) May 10, 2025
“What we now understand… is that actually there’s been a day of intensive negotiations involving him and @VP @JDVance speaking to the leadership and military leadership of both sides…” pic.twitter.com/UTXXKnnhkw
Full Court Press...
On Friday, the news came that retired Supreme Court Justice David Souter had passed. We know the court is holding oral argument on Thursday in the birthright citizenship cases (on the issue of nationwide injunctions in that context), and we could see an interesting order or two issued this week, though no opinion days have been announced as of yet.
The criminal trial of Sean "Diddy" Combs is ongoing in New York. He lost his recent motion to dismiss some of the charges against him and to suppress evidence obtained via several different warrants. Jury selection has wrapped up (or is about to), and opening statements and the presentation of evidence should be getting underway this week.
COMING ATTRACTIONS
As noted, President Trump is heading to the Middle East, and we can expect that to be a newsworthy trip.
We're awaiting the imminent release of Edan Alexander.
Thursday will be a big day at home — oral argument before the Supreme Court on nationwide injunctions in the birthright citizenship cases — and abroad, with Vladimir Putin and Volodymyr Zelensky set to meet face-to-face.
MORNING MUSING
It's counterintuitive in our 24/7, immediate gratification world to embrace patience, but remembering to press "pause" is critical. We have to combat FOMO along with the urge to be the first to slap "BREAKING!" news down on the table and hit the buzzer like we're on a high-stakes game show.
Yet, over and over again, we find that initial reports (particularly those from "unnamed sources") are a bunch of hogwash. I've seen countless examples of such just this weekend on X — and I didn't even spend all that much time on the app. (I actually made a point to pull my face away from the screens and focus on the world around me — highly recommend.)
Striking the proper balance between swiftness and accuracy is a challenge. But over time, I've found that it works out better to take a beat and let the dust settle before snatching up and running with a particular narrative. Not an earth-shattering observation, I'll grant you, but something I like to remind myself of regularly — and Monday, the start of what will undoubtedly be a busy week, seems an appropriate time to do so.
LIGHTER FARE
Those are some happy dogs...
Best friends forever..🐕🐾🐶😊 pic.twitter.com/BPjvNIkRnl
— 𝕐o̴g̴ (@Yoda4ever) May 10, 2025
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