Monday, December 29, 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
Viral Ghost Daycare Video Forces Tim Walz to Issue Frenzied Damage Control Statement
Walz's damage-control effort appears increasingly desperate. But unless and until investigations yield some accountability in the governor's office, there is no reason to think he won't survive the fraud debacle.
We Now Know the Accused J5 Pipebomber's Motive...
That said, no doubt there are many who remain unconvinced that Cole is the culprit, and that's certainly understandable. This investigation was left to moulder, and the lack of information surrounding the incident for years allowed all manner of speculation to build. That, combined with the Biden DOJ's fervor directed at anyone in the vicinity of the Capitol on January 6th, has probably ensured that, for many, the questions will never be resolved.
Has the GOP Turned the Corner in the Battle for the House?
I suspect that in those states and areas where the Democrats have the political edge, including possibly Maine, the Trump is the devil campaign will be enough. But not in the more competitive states/areas. And those are where the 2026 mid-term elections will be decided.
Trending Across Townhall Media
HuffPo Writer Mistakes Game for Real 'Gun Violence'
Please, be stupid somewhere more private than the pages of a large publication.
WTH, UK? UK Welcomes Egyptian Activist Who Calls For Rape, Murder, and Suicide Bombings
I look forward to finding out if anybody goes to jail for criticisms of this outrageously stupid decision.
She’d Never Seen That Much Food Before: A Hard Reality From a Farmers Market
From what I could tell about her, Anita is a hard worker. She's also brave. She calls out her "government" on a public platform when doing such a thing can land you in prison.
A YouTuber Did What No Other News Outlet Would Regarding These Somalian Fraud Schemes in Minnesota
And yes, the reason why most haven’t heard about it is that the liberal media did a full-court press in trying to suffocate the story.
Mainstream media? Covering an actual story that could hurt not only one Democrat but the Democratic Party and the state government of Minnesota itself? Never. Besides, they're far too busy crying that Trump's name is on the Kennedy Center.
WHAT'S ON TAP?
Today on Capitol Hill...
Things are (and will be) quiet this week on the Hill as the critters enjoy their holiday break. But they'll be back next week (starting January 6), and they'll be busy. In fact, we spoke with Republican Congressman Bob Onder (MO-03) on Monday morning to get his take on the highlights of 2025 and what we can look forward to in 2026. I'll share that clip here as soon as it's available.
Update: It's cued up here:
White House What's Up
On Sunday, President Trump, who's at Mar-a-Lago for the holidays, held a lengthy phone call with Russian President Vladimir Putin and then met with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky as efforts to reach a peace agreement proceed.
READ MORE: 'Final Stages': Trump Meets With Zelensky to End War, Spars With the Media
In Presser With Zelensky, Trump Reveals the One Issue That's Holding Up a Russia-Ukraine Peace Deal
On Monday, he's set to meet with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu at 1:00 PM Eastern.
Keeping Up With the Cabinet
Sec. Health & Human Services - Robert F. Kennedy Jr. — Kennedy affirmed HHS support for hospitals in Washington, declaring a public health emergency following significant flooding in the state.
Thank you @GovBobFerguson for your leadership in tackling this crisis head-on. @HHSgov continues to work with authorities and hospitals in Washington state to make sure they have what they need to respond to the devastating floods. We are standing by to assist with anything else… https://t.co/SjPyOtFhgs
— Secretary Kennedy (@SecKennedy) December 28, 2025
Full Court Press...
The courts, as you might expect, were quiet over the holidays, but not completely quiet. There was Tennessee District Court Judge Waverly Crenshaw, who decided to put the criminal trial of St. Kilmar of Salvador on hold while he determines whether or not Abrego Garcia's prosecution for human smuggling is vindictive.
There was also an interesting filing by the DOJ in the prosecution of Brian Cole, who's accused of planting the pipe bombs outside the RNC and DNC that were discovered on January 6 (2021). So now we know a little more about his motive.
MORNING MUSING
Independent journalist/YouTuber Nick Shirley may not be the first journalist to cover the Minnesota fraud story, but his coverage of it has certainly gone the most viral. I suspect that's due in no small part to the fact that he didn't just write about it but actually went directly to the source(s) of some of the fraud and provided us with stunning visual evidence of the daycare racket — which is, itself, just a fraction of the fraud — in a very easy-to-digest form.
We've heard rumblings of the issues for quite some time — the Feeding Our Future scandal was already a thing when Minnesota Governor Tim Walz was selected as then-Vice President Kamala Harris' running mate for the 2024 presidential election. But it was largely waved away as having nothing to do with him directly. At some point, though, he's not going to be able sidestep the accountability. This mess is too big. And people are rightfully angry as they learn just how badly their hard-earned tax dollars have been squandered.
This is serious stuff, but I have to acknowledge — the memes are going to be lit.
LIGHTER FARE
Sweet babies!
This is Rosie the golden retriever puppy She met a fluffy Highland calf through a fence and got showered with the slobberiest cow kisses ever. "Personal space? Never heard of her." Instant BFFs. would adopt both
— Puppies 🐶 (@Puppieslover) December 26, 2025
Credit: ( rosiesgoldenscotland on IG).
pic.twitter.com/8x3CzjZu41
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