Friday, November 21, 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
That's quite literally all Democrats have at this point. Playing the race card has become an instinctual reflex in situations like this.
‘Beyond the Pale’: Mike Johnson Defends Trump, Torches Dems Who Called for Military to Defy Orders
The Speaker then tore into the Democrats for their behavior, saying it was a "wildly inappropriate thing for so-called leaders in Congress to do to encourage young troops to disobey orders."
'We Messed Up': Cracker Barrel CEO Answers Questions for the First Time Since Rebrand Disaster
Masino said the logo, the most infamous and forward-facing part of the rebrand, was just part of a bigger system but claimed that the logo's famous "old-timer" was never going anywhere. She said that what she didn't see in the "data" was that taking the old-timer out of the logo made Americans feel like they themselves were being taken out of it.
Trending Across Townhall Media
So Now Brady Has a Problem With Us Having 'Less Lethal' Weapons?
You're never going to win with these people.
It's evil that you're prepared to kill someone, but it's evil if you want to avoid that, too.
Watch Out Below! German Auto Sector Nosedives
Chancellor Friedrich Merz is a waffling, weak flower if ever there was one, and seems more intent on being seen as the leading bad boy of NATO and the EU's emerging security posture than on attending to his very sick country.
Joy Behar Just Put ABC on the Brink of Another Huge Trump Lawsuit
There’s no evidence linking Trump to Epstein’s vile crimes, yet these co-hosts throw around accusations as if they’re undeniable truths.
So, That's What Barack Obama Discussed With a Bunch of Dems This Week
What I get is that even Barack Obama knows that his party is on life support.
Nice Backpedal: Democrat Aftyn Behn Now Claims That She Never Said She Hates Nashville (She Did)
We know that Democrat voters increasingly vote 'blue no matter who,' regardless of a candidate's deplorable behavior (just look at Jay Jones), but we sure hope this doesn't work on anyone else in Tennessee's 7th District.
WHAT'S ON TAP?
Today on Capitol Hill...
It being Friday notwithstanding, there is actually one hearing set on the Hill — the House Education and Workforce Committee is holding its Member Day hearing this morning.
What's the latest on the Obamacare subsidy discussion? Punchbowl has this to say:
Republican senators have been privately lobbying President Donald Trump to support a limited short-term extension of Obamacare subsidies, arguing it would save the GOP from a 2026 drubbing and buy time for Congress to pass a longer-term health care plan that mirrors the president’s preferences.
Sen. Katie Britt (R-Ala.) has spoken with the president several times this week to pitch the idea, according to multiple sources familiar with the matter.
Britt and other GOP senators, some with different views on the subject, were scheduled to meet with Trump on Thursday, but we’re told the meeting was canceled for unrelated reasons.
The pitch comes as senators are staring down a mid-December deadline to have a bill ready for floor action — a commitment Senate Majority Leader John Thune made as part of negotiations to end the government shutdown.
Trump’s involvement is critical to secure enough GOP support in both chambers for any health care bill, especially one that renews an Obamacare policy. The effort to sway Trump on a two-step process also highlights the urgency many Republicans feel about finding a solution to address the year-end cliff, rather than turning the floor votes into doomed-to-fail messaging exercises.
White House What's Up
Well, this should be good...President Trump is set to meet with New York City Mayor-Elect Zohran Mamdani in the Oval Office on Friday afternoon. Grab the popcorn...🍿
Keeping Up With the Cabinet
Sec. Agriculture - Brooke Rollins — Rollins called out California Governor Gavin Newsom's office for failing to share SNAP data and help eliminate fraud in the program.
Show us the California SNAP data, @GovPressOffice. 🧐
— Secretary Brooke Rollins (@SecRollins) November 20, 2025
If you’re so confident, why are you hiding how much fraud is happening in your state?
Why was your first thought to sue, instead of WANTING to make certain this program is preserved for those in need — not criminals. https://t.co/YEbs9Eedrc
Full Court Press...
Lots of court decisions poppin' on Thursday. It was hard to keep up with them all.
- ↔️ Stanford Daily Publishing Corporation v. Rubio (First Amendment - non-citizens) — Judge Noël Wise (Northern District of California) DENIES parties' cross motions for summary judgment (without prejudice).
- ✅ Castañon Nava v. Department of Homeland Security (immigration enforcement/settlement) — 7th Circuit Court of Appeals GRANTS admin's motion for stay pending appeal.
- 🙃 Chicago Headline Club v. Noem (immigration enforcement) — Judge Sara Ellis (Northern District of Illinois) issues 233-page opinion and order (undergirding her prior preliminary injunction order?) in case where 7th Circuit issued stay pending appeal yesterday?
- ❌ District of Columbia v. Trump (National Guard deployment) — Judge Jia Cobb (D.C.) GRANTS plaintiffs' motion for preliminary injunction.
I also took a closer look at the Comey prosecution and whether it's truly just hanging by a thread:
READ MORE: Is the Comey Prosecution on Thin Ice? Not As Thin As Some Might Have You Think
COMING ATTRACTIONS
At noon on Monday, First Lady Melania Trump will welcome the official White House Christmas Tree at the White House North Drive.
MORNING MUSING
Welp, today's the day — New York City Mayor-Elect Zohran Mamdani heads to the White House for an Oval Office meeting with President Trump. Is this going to be one of those like the February Zelensky meeting? Or are they going to play nice and be all smiles? I guess we'll see.
Frankly, I'm a bit torn here: On one hand, I'd like to see Trump put the screws to Mamdani. On the other hand, I hope for the sake of NYC that they're able to find at least a sliver of common ground. Don't misunderstand — I think pretty much everything that Mamdani stands for is anathema. I guess I'm just, in my own Pollyannish way, looking for a glimmer of bright side here.
Ah, well, at least if nothing else, this should be entertaining, right?
LIGHTER FARE
Some days...
Scientists found out Octopus will randomly punch fish for no reason other than spite..🐙🐠😅 pic.twitter.com/1GfG3RCvon
— 𝕐o̴g̴ (@Yoda4ever) November 20, 2025
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