Wednesday, January 7, 2026
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
Democrats Hold High School Theater-Level J6 Vigil — JD Vance Roasts Them With Just One Tweet
Naturally, social media warriors grabbed their Ginsu knives and immediately began slicing and dicing the high-school theater-level performances.
Florida Man Decked Out in Women's Underwear, Fake Breasts, Arrested — Then Things Get Scary
In a scenario the deputy described as "highly unusual," Zaccarino told the deputies he was on his way to a "costume party" — at 1:19 a.m., no less. *Shockingly,* when asked where the party was, the dude was unable to tell officers anything about the supposed shindig. Then things really got crazy.
The possibility of the Mamdani administration backing down on this policy is slim, considering that not only has Mamdani himself openly talked about seizing property in the name of "warm collectivism" (and believes NYC voters gave him a mandate to do so), but he and his transition team were aware of Weaver's history prior to the appointment - and they went with her anyway:
Trending Across Townhall Media
National Rifle Association Sues Sister Organization NRA Foundation
Many who have been following the NRA closely over the last few years have been watching this drama slowly unfold in front of them. However, many rank-and-flle NRA members haven’t been aware of this conflict that’s been brewing. To quote Hamlin, it is disappointing that it’s come down to this. Foundation President Tom King did not respond to Bearing Arms’ request for comment.*
One Year Later: LAFD Admits Palisades Fire Report Was Edited to Protect Leadership
Would it be so hard to name the Chief who ordered firefighters to leave before the job was done? Would it be so hard to fire him or cut his pension if he's gone already? Apparently that would be too much to ask.
What's REALLY Next for Venezuela and What the MSM Gets Wrong
The path forward in Venezuela won't be easy, but if it's done correctly it will be worth it for all of us. And if there is one man who can handle it, it's the man who is currently in charge of the transition: Marco Rubio.
Trump White House Laughs at This Lib Media Outlet for Taking Their January 6 Bait
The only people who seem to care are the political class, who saw first-hand that we, the people, could eat them alive, and their allies in the liberal media.
Move Over, Quality Learing Center: Here's the Somali Education and Resource Center
"MAGA journalist" Nick Shirley's viral video has people knocking on the doors of alleged Somali daycares, adult care facilities, and, in this case, the Somali Education & Resource Center in Ohio.
WHAT'S ON TAP?
Today on Capitol Hill...
Things are picking back up on the Hill as the critters settle back into the Swamp. There are several hearings/meetings set for Wednesday:
- House Small Business — "A Voice for Small Business: How the SBA Office of Advocacy is Cutting Red Tape"
- House Oversight and Government Reform — “Oversight of Fraud and Misuse of Federal Funds in Minnesota: Part I”
- House Judiciary, Administrative State, Regulatory Reform, and Antitrust Subcommittee — “Full Stream Ahead: Competition and Consumer Choice in Digital Streaming”
- House Education and Workforce, Health, Employment, Labor, and Pensions Subcommittee — "Modernizing Retirement Policy for Today's Workforce"
- House Energy and Commerce, Energy Subcommittee — “American Energy Dominance: Dawn of the New Nuclear Era”
- Senate Judiciary, Federal Courts, Oversight, Agency Action, and Federal Rights Subcommittee — Hearings to examine holding rogue judges accountable
- Senate Intelligence (Select) — To receive a closed briefing on certain intelligence matters
(The bolded ones ought to be of particular interest.)
President Trump addressed the House GOP at their Trump-Kennedy Center retreat on Tuesday. We also learned, sadly, of the passing of Republican Rep. Doug LaMalfa (CA-01).
READ MORE: Death and Mishap Sharpen an Already Razor-Thin Republican Majority in Congress
Trump Offers Blueprint on How Republicans Can Win the Midterms and Future Elections
White House What's Up
On Wednesday, President Trump is set to sign executive orders in the afternoon.
White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt will hold a press briefing — with other cabinet officials — at 11:00 AM Eastern.
Keeping Up With the Cabinet
Admin. Environmental Protection Agency - Lee Zeldin — Zeldin is calling out California Governor Gavin Newsom (D) for his revisionist history on the LA wildfires.
With receipts, from the very first moment President Trump was sworn into office, his leadership successfully drove the full weight of his Administration to complete historically large-scale federal cleanup efforts following the LA wildfires, TOTALLY and QUICKLY. Promises Made.… https://t.co/EHRwT4q7LZ pic.twitter.com/2XlPEByKrA
— Lee Zeldin (@epaleezeldin) January 6, 2026
Full Court Press...
We had a smattering of court rulings of note on Tuesday, including:
- ❌ American Academy of Pediatrics v. Kennedy (restructuring of ACIP; removal of COVID from children's vaccine schedule) — Judge Brian Murphy (Massachusetts) DENIES admin's motion to dismiss.
- ❌ Washington State Association of Head Start and Early Childhood Education and Assistance Program v. Kennedy (dismantling of Head Start) — Judge Ricardo Martinez (Western District of Washington) GRANTS plaintiffs' motion for preliminary injunction.
I haven't had a chance to look into this one yet, but it seems interesting:
🚨 The 7th Circuit has ruled that the Satanic Temple does NOT have standing to challenge Indiana's ban on abortion under the First Amendment. pic.twitter.com/ziKz819dtw
— SCOTUS Wire (@scotus_wire) January 6, 2026
MORNING MUSING
The musing will be relatively brief today — for good reason: Non-Missourians (and, heck, even some Missourians) may not know this, but today is the opening session of the Missouri Legislature, and yours truly is co-hosting the morning show from the rotunda in the Missouri Capitol in Jefferson City, where we're talking with all the big names in Missouri politics (and I can only multi-task so well).
Returning to the Capitol always makes me a bit nostalgic — I worked here, you see, long, long ago, in a galaxy far, far away. (Well, not actually in a faraway galaxy, but you get the drift.) The second semester of my senior year of college, I had an internship with a state senator (who would later go on to become the state's governor), and, while I only remember snippets of it now (because I'm ancient), I remember enough to be grateful that I had such a cool opportunity at such a young age.
Anyhoo...I'm linking the stream from our show, and you can see for yourself what's front and center in the Show-Me State.
LIGHTER FARE
Someone's got talent!
Snow bunny.. 😅 pic.twitter.com/ngmluMPuSp
— Buitengebieden (@buitengebieden) January 6, 2026
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