Monday, August 18, 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
DOJ Weaponization Head Ed Martin Teases More Info on Schiff and People Connected to J6 Committee
There are tantalizing things in there that he may not be able to speak about right now, but we've all been waiting a long time for accountability.
The Legacy of Karen Bass and Gavin Newsom—the Miserable Death of Downtown Los Angeles
Count California out at your own peril—what's happening here is a virus that easily spreads.
As the Historic Day Dawns, Trump Puts Zelensky on Notice: You Could End War 'Almost Immediately'
Monday could very well be a moment for the history books—in either a good or a very bad way.
Trending Across Townhall Media
New York City's Gun Laws Fail to Prevent Mass Shooting at Brooklyn Lounge
New York's gun laws are doing a much better job of leaving good people defenseless than disarming violent criminals, even with the thousands of firearms the NYPD has seized this year.
Republicans are wrong to believe that the current unpopularity of the Democrats dooms their 2026 prospects--it may, or it may not. But they are right to believe that without a radical course change, the Democrats' long-term prospects are very bad.
Whether she's a certifiable mental case or not, one thing's for sure: she's frightening and assaultive. She needs to go to jail.
What Is The Democrats’ Endgame?
They need to get it through their heads. We are not going to be ruled by them. We are not going to be second-class citizens. We are not going to be serfs.
How dare Michaels post facts? Doesn't she know she's not allowed to fight back with facts?!
WHAT'S ON TAP?
Today on Capitol Hill...
The critters are out for two more weeks, but that hasn't stopped some of the silliest of the bunch from continuing on with their ridiculous antics. Take Rep. Eric Swalwell (D-CA) — please.
READ: What's This Eric Swalwell's Saying About Burying His Political Enemies Beneath the US Capitol?
It also sounds like his leak buddy, Sen. Adam Schiff (D-CA), continues to find himself in hot water...
White House What's Up
It's a big, busy day for President Donald Trump. At noon Eastern, he'll greet European leaders upon their arrival at the White House. Then, at 1:00 PM, he'll welcome Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky back to the White House, where they'll conduct a bilateral meeting in the Oval Office. After that, the president will greet the European leaders in the State Dining Room, and they'll pose for a "Family Photo." Then, they'll participate in a multilateral meeting in the East Room.
I'm not even going to begin trying to predict how that will all shake out. I just know I'll be watching...
READ MORE: As the Historic Day Dawns, Trump Puts Zelensky on Notice: You Could End War 'Almost Immediately'
Full Court Press...
The courts were relatively quiet over the weekend. On Friday, as we reported, the D.C. Circuit Court of Appeals issued another win for the Trump administration, vacating District Court Judge Amy Berman Jackson's preliminary injunction, which blocked the dismantling of the Consumer Finance Protection Bureau (CFPB).
That came on the heels of another D.C. Circuit win on Wednesday, vacating preliminary injunctions regarding USAID funding. The plaintiffs in those companion cases have already moved for a rehearing en banc, so we'll soon see how well Wednesday's ruling holds up.
COMING ATTRACTIONS
The focus for the remainder of Monday (and perhaps throughout the week) will be on President Trump's efforts to broker a peace deal between Russia and Ukraine. It could all go south — in which case, the legacy media will, of course, blame Trump. But if a deal is reached, the legacy media will, no doubt, insist that it was a bad deal and blame Trump.
MORNING MUSING
As I've noted in other articles, I've slowly been slogging my way through all of the recent document dumps and disclosures from the FBI, ODNI, and Sen. Chuck Grassley's (R-IA) office in an effort to somewhat wrap my arms (and brain) around it all. Yes, much of it we've seen before — or at least seen hints of — and a lot of what's being disclosed still has some fairly heavy redactions, but it's still worthy of examination (and rumination).
I frequently remark on the titles of some of the congressional hearings as I compile the Morning Minute — some of them are silly, but some are quite clever. But digging through the recent FBI disclosures, we've been treated to a host of curious investigation names:
- Echos Fate
— Susie Moore ⚾️🌻🐶 (@SmoosieQ) August 14, 2025
- Foggy Falls
- Riding Hood
- Arctic Haze
- Genetic Christmas
- Sirens Lure
We already knew, of course, about "Midyear Exam" and "Crossfire Hurricane." But now, we're being introduced to:
- Echos Fate
- Foggy Falls
- Riding Hood
- Arctic Haze
- Genetic Christmas
- Sirens Lure
And it got me to wondering who comes up with the names of the investigations? Do they have any significance? Why was the investigation into former FBI Director James Comey and media leaks that seemingly implicate him called "Arctic Haze"? I don't know that we'll ever receive an answer to that, nor can I predict with any confidence that Comey will face real accountability for his actions — though I'm not prepared to rule it out.
What I can say with certitude is that the man is getting progressively weirder. Between his "chance encounter" of seashells arranged in an "86 47" message and his latest video lauding Taylor Swift as an inspiration, the 64-year-old man who led the FBI for four years, and prior to that, served as Deputy Attorney General and helmed the U.S. Attorney's Office for the Southern District of New York, is giving off serious middle school girl vibes, and it's downright creepy.
READ MORE: Yikes: Bizarre Video From James Comey About Trump and Taylor Swift Is Maximum Cringe
LIGHTER FARE
I'm happy for the swimming, deviled-egg-eating doggo, but I have questions...
Living his best life pic.twitter.com/hukSjoZZ6Y
— Puppies 🐶 (@PuppiesIover) August 16, 2025
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