Friday, December 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
315,000 uncertified votes sure seem like a significant issue. For years after the 2020 election, we were told any questioning of the results in the "most secure election in history" was tantamount to a clear and present threat to democracy itself.
Progressive Ideology Hijacked Leftist Women’s God-Given Instincts
Christianity is not the enemy of women. It built the very concept of women having inherent worth. It protects families. It anchors empathy in truth. The problem is not that progressive women care too much. It is that they have been taught to care without discernment.
Although the NTSB has yet to reveal its ultimate conclusion on who was at fault, it's clear the U.S. government thinks there's enough evidence that the Army crew failed in their duty to be vigilant on their flight.
Trending Across Townhall Media
'Free Palestine' Trio Open Fire at Jewish Home in California. Sort Of
Punks throughout the country think that if they use an airsoft gun, they aren't really doing anything wrong, but no one is required to measure the barrel diameter of such a gun before responding with lethal force.
BREAKING: Brown Shooter Dead of Self-Inflicted Gunshot Wound UPDATE
The absolute morals and prudence vacuum in the Ivy League has been exposed, leaving the players naked, confused, squirming, and afraid on the national stage.
‘Sioux Falls Man’ Is Arrested, and There’s Something Weird About the News Coverage
The establishment media doesn’t want anyone getting the crazy idea that maybe inundating the nation with “refugees,” and particularly with “refugees” who adhere to a belief system that teaches its adherents that unbelievers are “the most vile of created beings” (Qur’an 98:6), was a bad idea.
Last Night's Presser on the Brown University Shooter Took Many Wild Turns
A homeless man named “John” apparently is the real hero here. He cracked the case wide open, confronted the shooter, got his description, and that of his car.
Former Brown University Student Pulls BACK the Curtain on the Ivy League in Brutal, DISTURBING Post
Sounds like Brown is a con for failed academics who never really wanted to stop going to school.
WHAT'S ON TAP?
Today on Capitol Hill...
The critters are about to head out for their Christmas/holiday break, but they did manage to get a few more items checked off the ToDo list before they flew the coop:
The Senate passed a third tranche of en bloc nominations.
The move also brings the GOP’s total of confirmed nominees to 417, a mark higher than the first year in President Trump’s first term or former President Biden’s White House tenure.
...
Headlining the group are former Rep. Anthony D’Esposito (R-N.Y.), who will serve as inspector general at the Department of Labor; Scott Mayer and James Murphy, who will join the National Labor Relations Board; and Tammy Bruce, the ex-State Department spokesperson who will now become the deputy representative to the United Nations.
The House, on Thursday, passed H.R. 498 — the Do No Harm in Medicaid Act (on a 215-201 vote):
WASHINGTON, D.C. – Today, Congressman Brett Guthrie (KY-02), Chairman of the House Committee on Energy and Commerce, and Congressman Dan Crenshaw (TX-02), issued a statement following House passage of H.R. 498, the Do No Harm in Medicaid Act—legislation that prohibits federal Medicaid dollars from going toward specified gender transition procedures for individuals under the age of 18.
“The Do No Harm in Medicaid Act helps strengthen, sustain, and secure our Medicaid program by ensuring federal Medicaid funding is not used for medically unnecessary care for minors,” said Chairman Guthrie. “I’m thankful to my colleague, Representative Dan Crenshaw, for his diligent work in protecting our nation’s children. It’s our duty as members of Congress to support our fellow Americans—especially our most vulnerable—by prohibiting valuable and finite taxpayer dollars from continuing to fund controversial, life-altering gender transition procedures for individuals under the age of 18.”
“Using Medicaid for unscientific, irreversible procedures on minors is an abominable betrayal of our most vulnerable,” said Rep. Crenshaw. “This is a crucial step in protecting our children from the depraved actors that would do them harm.”
White House What's Up
President Trump is set to have a quiet weekend with no public events scheduled, but before he gets to that, he'll be making an announcement Friday at 1:00 PM Eastern from the Oval Office. He's got another Christmas reception in the Grand Foyer at 5:45 PM Eastern. And then, at 9:00 PM Eastern, he'll deliver remarks on the economy in Rocky Mount, North Carolina.
Vice President JD Vance shared an important Christmas message from Pope Leo XIV.
Before the holy night of #Christmas, find one person with whom to make peace. This will be a more precious gift than any that can be bought, because peace is a gift found only in the heart.
— Pope Leo XIV (@Pontifex) December 19, 2025
Keeping Up With the Cabinet
Sec. War - Pete Hegseth — Hegseth is touting the Warrior Dividend announced by President Trump.
Introducing the (tax free!) Warrior Dividend. pic.twitter.com/dz1Ol8kzZS
— Secretary of War Pete Hegseth (@SecWar) December 18, 2025
Full Court Press...
We had a handful of notable court decisions on Thursday, including:
- ❌ CREW v. DOGE (FOIA/records retention) — D.C. Circuit Court of Appeals DENIES admin's petition for rehearing (and for rehearing en banc).
- ↔️ America First Legal v. Roberts (FOIA - Judicial Conference docs) — Judge Trevor McFadden (D.C.) GRANTS defendants' motion to dismiss. (Note: This doesn't directly involve the administration — just noting it because of the players/subject matter involved.)
- ❌ Lazaro Maldonado Bautista v. Ernesto Santacruz Jr (immigration detention policy) — Judge Sunshine Sykes (Central District of California) enters final judgment in favor of plaintiffs. Admin has already appealed to the 9th Circuit.
But perhaps the big legal news came late Thursday night with a federal jury in Milwaukee finding Judge Hannah Dugan guilty on obstruction charges.
COMING ATTRACTIONS
President Trump will be traveling to Davos, Switzerland, for the World Economic Forum in January.
MORNING MUSING
I watched and reported on the delayed-by-several-hours press conference Thursday evening regarding the Brown University shooting and, like many, I'm sure, was relieved to learn that the suspected gunman is no longer a threat (as he appears to have taken his own life).
READ MORE: Authorities: Suspected Brown U Shooter Dead of Self-Inflicted Gunshot Wound, Linked to MIT Killing
We learned his identity and a bit about his background. We learned that he's suspected of both the Brown shooting and the shooting of MIT professor Nuno Loureiro in Brookline, Massachusetts, on Monday. We learned a bit about how the case was cracked open — essentially compliments of a tip from a now-homeless former Brown student named John, who came forward after authorities released video identifying him as a second person of interest (someone they believed had interacted with the primary person of interest).
While officials were full of praise for "John" for his cooperation and assistance, they got to that after about 20 minutes of patting themselves and one another on the back for the bang-up job they've done with the case. The presser probably ran for half an hour, and easily 85-90 percent of it consisted of various officials letting us know how great their teams and partners are.
The situation is tragic. The way it's been handled by the authorities — at least in the public-facing arena — has been utterly disastrous.
LIGHTER FARE
It's always the orange cat(s).
First Christmas with orange cats..🎄🐈😅
— 𝕐o̴g̴ (@Yoda4ever) December 18, 2025
📹wncmomof5 pic.twitter.com/cHRzQ7PYN0
Enjoying the "Morning Minute"? You can ensure you receive it in your Inbox every weekday by signing up for our newsletter here.
Editor’s Note: Do you enjoy RedState’s conservative reporting that takes on the radical left and woke media? Support our work so that we can continue to bring you the truth.
Join RedState VIP and use the promo code MERRY74 to receive 74% off your VIP membership!
Join the conversation as a VIP Member