Welcome to the RedState Weekly Briefing — where we take a quick look at the week’s most viewed stories in case you missed any of them. What do you suppose caught people's attention as we moved past the holiday lull? Grab a cup of coffee (or something stronger if you're so inclined), and sit down with this 21st Century Weekend Edition of your favorite (online) publication.
#1 - Tim Walz Throws Tantrum After Daycare Funding Spigot Is Shut Off, Gets Epic Ratio in Return — by Nick Arama
Now, if Walz had any sense, his response should have been, "Thank you for the help, we will do everything we can to comply and help ensure that any fraud is stopped." He would take responsibility and say he's going to clean things up.
But it's Tim Walz, who has no sense and can't read the room. So, of course, he went to Default Mode #1 and....blamed President Donald Trump. This was one for the books.
This is Trump’s long game.
— Governor Tim Walz (@GovTimWalz) December 31, 2025
We’ve spent years cracking down on fraudsters. It’s a serious issue - but this has been his plan all along.
He’s politicizing the issue to defund programs that help Minnesotans. https://t.co/7ByWjeXxu0
#2 - Former TSA Agent Exposes Somali Fraud in Real Time at Minneapolis-St. Paul Airport — by Jennifer Oliver O'Connell
Like County Highway and City Journal, Alpha News has been reporting on Minnesota's fraud for longer than people have been paying attention. In early December, before Nick Shirley's videos exposing Somali daycare fraud went viral, Alpha News' Liz Collin Reports interviewed a former TSA employee named Liz Jaksa. Jaksa worked for TSA at the Minneapolis-St. Paul Airport from 2016 to 2021. In her tenure, Jaksa noticed a consistent pattern and particular people coming through the TSA checkpoints. Years later, Jaksa recognized that this was the now-exploding fraud happening in real time during her time with TSA.
"Since all this fraud came out, the connection's been made," Jaksa told Collin. "I didn't feel good about it then, and now it certainly all makes sense."
Jaksa said she was shocked to see "suitcases filled with millions of dollars cash. And the couriers were always Somali men traveling in pairs. And they got through the checkpoint."
#3 - Ric Grenell Offers Shocking Explanation Why Artists May Be Bailing on Their Trump-Kennedy Center Gigs — by Teri Christoph
Somehow, Trump's name being added to a building has silenced "human voices"? It should be noted that Trump didn't silence anything; it's The Cookers who have abandoned their fans. And they're not the only ones, with country singer Kristy Lee walking away from her January gig in order to, in her own words, keep her integrity intact, and the Doug Varone and Dancers troupe canceling their April date because they can no longer "step inside this once great institution." Again, that's their choice.
Now, there are all kinds of reasons why performers may need to cancel gigs – such as illnesses and family emergencies, or, as we've seen, political temper tantrums and Trump Derangement Syndrome – but Ric Grenell has made a blockbuster claim as to why some of these recent cancellations could be happening: meddling from CNN and The Washington Post.
I have just been informed by some booked artists that they are receiving emails from @CNN and The @washingtonpost encouraging them to boycott the Trump Kennedy Center.
— Richard Grenell (@RichardGrenell) December 30, 2025
The legacy media are left wing activists - and they are open about it.
#4 - Bari Weiss' Response to Clooney's Attack - C’est Magnifique — by Katie Jerkovich
In a recent Variety interview, Clooney claimed that Weiss was “dismantling CBS” amid his wider critique of the network's settlement with President Donald Trump over its deceptively edited 60 Minutes interview with Kamala Harris.
Weiss responded to Clooney’s attack in a statement to The New York Post, inviting him to come to her place of work for a tour to learn about the news business. Ouch.
Bonjour! https://t.co/HsIWTiToMS
— Bari Weiss (@bariweiss) December 30, 2025“Bonjour, Mr. Clooney! Big fan of your work,” Weiss statement shared by the CBS parent company Skydance read. “It sounds like you’d like to learn more about ours.”
#5 - Angry Wisconsin Business Owner Finds Out: Leave Politics at Home — by Ward Clark
This brings me to Wisconsin, and a man named Chad Kodanko, who was the co-owner of a small local restaurant and, apparently, an angry leftist.
On Dec. 12, Husby's Food & Spirits employee Robert Meredith says he left his Charlie Kirk sweatshirt on a hook at work.
"Somebody had told me, 'Hey, where is your hoodie at?' I was like, 'I don't know -- probably at my house?'" Meredith said. "He said, 'No, it's probably not.'"
Meredith says he wasn't provided many details, but was told Husby's co-owner, Chad Kodanko, burned his Kirk sweatshirt.
"It was talking politics in a bar and led to that, which is never good," said Meredith, who also says he was told there is a video of the incident, but he has not seen it.
Let's apply a little position reversal thought experiment, here. Imagine if this were a Republican business owner (or co-owner). Imagine if an employee came in, not protesting, not shouting out his political opinions, but just wearing a Bernie Sanders hoodie. He doesn't wear it while working; he just hangs it on a hook and goes to work. Imagine then that the Republican business owner takes that hoodie and burns it in front of several employees. Imagine the outcry.
When worn on the other foot, the shoe pinches. But this time, the shirt-burner did face consequences, possibly costly ones.
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