Monday, October 13, 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
Unbelievable: Antony Blinken Gives Biden Credit for Gaza Deal, and It Gets Worse From There
Americans should be so thankful that no one is listening to these over-credentialed imbeciles anymore.
For now, the freed hostages and their loved ones — and all those who have been praying for their return — can finally exhale.
They're home.
Fighting Erupts Between Pakistan and the Taliban, Proving Karma Does Have a Sense of Humor
As the Afghans are more warlike and capable than the Pakistanis and are at parity in armaments, things don't look good if Pakistan tries to impose a military solution on the problem.
Trending Across Townhall Media
Florida Woman Disarms Hostage-Holding Suspect Thanks to Gun of Her Own
The mainstream media loves to report on violent crimes involving firearms, but are strangely reluctant to cover any and all defensive gun uses no matter how unique or extraordinary they might be.
Against All Odds, Hostage Square Has Now Been Renamed Freed Square
Trump The Peace President. Hard to argue with it.
Poor Joe Biden Is Struggling to Adapt to Private Life
Presidential historians say rough post-presidencies aren't new. Jimmy Carter and Lyndon Johnson both struggled after leaving office. But Biden's situation stands out because of his age, illness, and the fact he no longer has influence to sell to enrich his family.
The Well-Deserved, Utter Humiliation of Palestinian Terrorists and Their Friends
Say a prayer of gratitude for Israel’s victory, and for ours.
Comstock's TDS-Fueled Airport Meltdown: Blames Trump While Schumer's Dems Tank the Vote
Maybe the government should stay shut down for a bit longer.
WHAT'S ON TAP?
Today on Capitol Hill...
The House is still out, and the Senate remains deadlocked on the continuing resolution (CR) to fund/reopen the government. But Senate Majority Leader John Thune (R-SD) made a point over the weekend to highlight what the Senate has been able to accomplish, despite the funding stalemate, while also noting that the Senate will take another vote on Tuesday:
The U.S. House of Representatives and the U.S. Senate have now voted a combined total of 8 times to open up the federal government. We need 5 more of the 44 Democrat “no” votes to join us and the shutdown will be over when the president signs the bill into law.
— Leader John Thune (@LeaderJohnThune) October 11, 2025
Despite the Dem…
The U.S. House of Representatives and the U.S. Senate have now voted a combined total of 8 times to open up the federal government. We need 5 more of the 44 Democrat “no” votes to join us and the shutdown will be over when the president signs the bill into law.
Despite the Dem shutdown, our Senate majority has been busy. This past week we:
1) Confirmed 107 of President Trump’s executive branch nominees
2) Confirmed a Trump-nominated judge to the 3rd Circuit
3) Used the Congressional Review Act to repeal 3 burdensome Biden regulations
4) Processed 20 amendments and then passed the National Defense Authorization Act, a national security imperative and one of the most consequential pieces of legislation Congress deals with every year.
This coming Tuesday the Senate will vote for the 8th time to open up the government and end the unnecessary uncertainty for military families.
Let’s hope there are 5 more Democrats who will join us, because despite all of the good work we’ve done, there’s a lot more we could do if the Schumer Shutdown ends.
Meanwhile, House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-LA) laid out some facts in response to Sen. Elizabeth Warren's (D-MA) dire claims regarding healthcare:
Here are some simple facts:
— Speaker Mike Johnson (@SpeakerJohnson) October 12, 2025
1️⃣ Obamacare was created and passed entirely by DEMOCRATS.
2️⃣ Since Obamacare took effect, health insurance premiums have SKYROCKETED.
3️⃣ The Obamacare COVID-era subsidies were also passed entirely by DEMOCRATS, and set to expire at the end of this… https://t.co/LAzMTF5R7s
Here are some simple facts:
1️⃣ Obamacare was created and passed entirely by DEMOCRATS.
2️⃣ Since Obamacare took effect, health insurance premiums have SKYROCKETED.
3️⃣ The Obamacare COVID-era subsidies were also passed entirely by DEMOCRATS, and set to expire at the end of this year.
DEMOCRATS have increased health care costs exponentially, and are now shutting down the government—as they try to cover up THEIR OWN FAILURES and somehow blame Republicans.
It’s time for DEMOCRATS to reopen government so we can fix this mess!
White House What's Up
President Donald Trump is in Israel, where he's meeting with hostage families Monday morning and addressing the Knesset. After that, he'll head to Egypt, where he'll participate in a Middle East peace ceremony before heading back home to Washington, D.C.
SEE: President Trump Addresses Israel's Knesset: 'The Sun Rises on a Holy Land That Is FINALLY AT PEACE'
Vice President JD Vance made the rounds on the Sunday shows, where he discussed the shutdown and the Middle East peace deal.
READ MORE: Vice President Vance: No US Troops in Gaza or Israel
JD Vance Cooks George Stephanopoulos for Refusing to Talk About the Schumer Shutdown
Keeping Up With the Cabinet
Dir. Office of Management and Budget - Russ Vought — Vought's been keeping quite busy with the shutdown. On Friday, he announced that the RIFs (reductions in force) had begun.
The RIFs have begun.
— Russ Vought (@russvought) October 10, 2025
Full Court Press...
There are no arguments before the Supreme Court on Monday as it's a legal holiday.
The courts were fairly quiet over the weekend, with the big news coming out of the 7th Circuit Court of Appeals in the Illinois National Guard case:
- ✅ State of Illinois v. Trump (National Guard deployment) — 7th Circuit Court of Appeals partially GRANTS admin's motion for administrative stay (pausing TRO as to federalization, but not as to deployment).
READ MORE: New: 7th Circuit Grants Trump Admin's Request for Stay in Illinois National Guard Case - in Part
COMING ATTRACTIONS
As noted above, the Senate is due to hold another vote on the clean CR on Tuesday — will we see any movement from the Dems?
MORNING MUSING
Happy Columbus Day to all who celebrate. And, for that matter, happy Indigenous Peoples' Day. Frankly, I'm happy to celebrate both — especially since the latest refinement of my 23andMe ancestry composition reveals that I am, indeed, part Italian (0.7 percent) — in addition to being part North American/Indigenous (0.3 percent).
All kidding aside, what I'm most happy to celebrate is the blessing of being an American citizen and able to call the United States my home. So, my thanks to all those whose contributions along the way got us here — I celebrate you all.
SEE ALSO: Trump Honors Legendary Explorer the Left Loves to Slander, Says 'We're Back, Italians!'
LIGHTER FARE
The look on the cat's face...
He thinks he's a cat too..🐈🐾🐕😅 pic.twitter.com/s6EOeRy9dI
— 𝕐o̴g̴ (@Yoda4ever) October 13, 2025
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Editor’s Note: The Schumer Shutdown is here. Rather than put the American people first, Chuck Schumer and the radical Democrats forced a government shutdown for healthcare for illegals. They own this.
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