Monday, January 12, 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
Dear White Liberals: Blacks and Hispanics Want No Part of Your Anti-ICE Protests
This is a lucrative business all around, and there are too many people profiting from outrage that solves nothing and in the end, leads to deaths like Renee Good's.
Trump Has Blunt Warning for Netflix: 'Stop the Cultural Takeover'
The long, involved deal-making process will continue, and regulators will be watching closely, but as Newsmax wrote, with Trump’s entry into the story, “the Netflix-WBD merger is no longer just a corporate transaction, but a political flashpoint."
What Was the 'Doomsday Plane' Doing at LAX? Anxious Angelenos Want to Know
Turns out that the reason it touched down was not so dramatic. The plane was used to transport Secretary of War Pete Hegseth to SoCal so he could speak to defense companies as part of his “Arsenal of Freedom” tour. He was met on the tarmac by RedState's Pentagon correspondent, R.C. Maxwell.
Trending Across Townhall Media
The Trouble With Facebook Marketplace Sales
A combination of public spaces, the Second Amendment, and listening to your instincts when things seem off can all combine to keep you safe when buying or selling on Facebook Marketplace.
The lies have a purpose, and it is to get the war that Tim Walz wants.
Red State Residents Speak Out on the Blue State Invasion, Sparking Viral Videos
Lest you think we South Carolinians and other Deep South Red Staters hate Yankees, rest assured we do love our like-minded conservative friends who don’t vote for insane policies. If you promise not to come down and vote the way that led to ruin in California and other blue states, we’ll fill you up with the best Southern cooking like biscuits and gravy, and lots of sweet tea. Just make sure to have some insulin on hand.
I Like JD Vance So Much That I Want Him Primaried Hard
Not being challenged in the primary is not necessarily a recipe for defeat; the lack of testing and tempering, however, is a real concern.
Of course he's a sick man; he's in charge of the Democratic Party.
WHAT'S ON TAP?
Today on Capitol Hill...
The critters are back in action on the Hill, though only one meeting is scheduled for Monday:
- House Committee on Rules — H.R. 2262 – Flexibility for Workers Education Act; H.R. 2270 – Empowering Employer Child and Elder Care Solutions Act; H.R. 2312 – Tipped Employee Protection Act; H.R. 2988 – Protecting Prudent Investment of Retirement Savings Act; H.R. 4366 – Save Local Business Act
The big discussion will undoubtedly revolve around the Obamacare subsidy measure passed by the House last week, with all eyes on the Senate and whether they'll even hold a vote on it.
White House What's Up
President Trump is back at the White House and has a busy Monday on tap. He'll meet with Secretary of State Marco Rubio in the Oval Office at 10:30 AM Eastern. Then, at 1:30 PM, he'll meet with Archbishop Coakley, President of the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops. Later in the afternoon, he'll participate in "Signing Time" in the Oval Office. And after that, he'll meet with the CEO of the Tunnel to Towers Foundation, also in the Oval Office.
Vice President JD Vance shared a pointed post on X over the weekend about the criminal illegal aliens that the professional Left seems hellbent on defending and the potential costs of same.
Arresting and deporting these people is absolutely critical to national security. National democrats are going to get our law enforcement killed if they don't stop lying about this issue and the people working to keep us safe. https://t.co/ruh68LJ4Wk
— JD Vance (@JDVance) January 11, 2026
Keeping Up With the Cabinet
Dir. Federal Bureau of Investigations - Kash Patel — Patel recently highlighted the numerous critical arrests they made over the holidays:
The @FBI was hard at work throughout the holiday season to protect our communities - our teams worked with partners and made several important arrests stopping several alleged attacks and very likely saving many lives.
— FBI Director Kash Patel (@FBIDirectorKash) January 9, 2026
-In North Carolina, @FBICharlotte field office arrested…
On the national defense front, RedState was provided the following statement this morning from the Department of War's Public Affairs Office regarding the "Arsenal of Freedom":
Secretary of War Pete Hegseth will travel to Brownsville and Fort Worth, Texas, tomorrow, to visit SpaceX and Lockheed Martin. Secretary Hegseth will deliver his third major speech since becoming Secretary of War. He will deliver remarks to the workforce and leaders at SpaceX, alongside its founder, Elon Musk. Secretary Hegseth will also administer the oath of enlistment to the next generation of American warfighters.
This visit is a continuation of the "Arsenal of Freedom" tour and a direct follow-up to Secretary Hegseth's call to action delivered to defense executives last fall at Fort McNair.
For too long, Pentagon bureaucracy has hindered the speed and might of our manufacturing base, obstructing innovation and warfare solutions from companies like SpaceX and Lockheed Martin. Under the leadership of President Trump and Secretary Hegseth, we are unleashing the full power of our Defense Industrial Base (DIB) to advance our Peace Through Strength agenda.
These engagements underscore the urgent priority of this administration: ensuring our warfighters have the cutting-edge, American-made equipment they need to dominate any battlefield. American manufacturing is back.
This mission would be impossible without the dedicated American workforce that powers our nation's security. These patriots work tirelessly, not with rifles, but with hardhats and relentless dedication, to ensure our military remains the most lethal and capable fighting force in the world.
This tour is intended to fuel a revival of our Defense Industrial Base, ensuring it can supply America's finest with technologically superior products at the speed of relevance. This guarantees our dominance not just for today, but for generations to come.
This is America’s Arsenal of Freedom.
Full Court Press...
We had a handful of notable court decisions on Friday/over the weekend, including:
- ✅ Harris v. Bessent (removal of independent agency leaders) — D.C. Circuit DENIES plaintiff's petition for rehearing en banc.
- ↔️ State of Washington v. Trump (election law executive order) — Judge John Chun (Western District of Washington), partially GRANTS plaintiffs' motion for summary judgment and partially GRANTS defendants' motion to dismiss
- ❌ Doe v. Noem (termination of family reunification parole processes for Colombians, Cubans, Ecuadorians, Guatemalans, Haitians, Hondurans, and Salvadorans) — Judge Indira Talwani (Massachusetts) GRANTS plaintiffs' motion for TRO.
We also got a great lawsplainer from our friend Shipwreckedcrew regarding the Minneapolis shooting.
Minneapolis Is Not Even a Close Call - a Lawsplainer on Officer-Involved Shootings
Additionally, the Supreme Court will be hearing oral arguments again this week, starting Monday with:
Chevron USA, Inc. v. Plaquemines Parish
- Whether a causal-nexus or contractual-direction test survives the 2011
amendment to the federal-officer removal statute.
Whether a federal contractor can remove to federal court when sued for oil-production activities undertaken to fulfill a federal oil-refinement contract.
COMING ATTRACTIONS
President Trump is traveling to Detroit, Michigan, on Tuesday, where he'll deliver remarks to the Detroit Economic Club at the MotorCity Casino Hotel.
MORNING MUSING
Long ago, I adopted the policy of keeping my politics off Facebook. Sort of. I do share the livestreams for the Morning Show there. And I will occasionally share a comment that has political underpinnings. But, for the most part, I keep my politics to X, the pages of RedState, and the radio show(s). (That's a lot of other outlets, I realize.)
Facebook, I try to reserve for the dog posts and the fun family and friends stuff — some occasional humorous observations. It's because I'm "friends" with a wide array of folks who represent a broad spectrum of political views, and I don't want to get sucked into a social media slap fight with someone I care about and damage a relationship that would otherwise be fine if we limited our more touchy discussions to in-person interactions. A LOT gets lost in translation online. A. Lot.
So, yes, it's driving me crazy right now seeing some of the stuff being shared — often by people I genuinely like, care about, and respect — that's factually/legally wrong, particularly regarding the shooting of Renee Good in Minneapolis last week. Most of those sharing this information are well-intended — they're upset about what happened, and they're sharing information that affirms what they already believe. (Listen, we all do that — it's human nature.)
But the stuff about what ICE is "legally authorized" to do that's wrong? It's going to get more people hurt or killed. You can hold whatever view you want about immigration policy and enforcement — you can argue that ICE shouldn't exist. I'll disagree with that, but you can certainly hold that view and lobby for changes to the law. What you can't do is defy the law (just like gravity) and assume that there won't be consequences — potentially even deadly ones.
This is an instance where ignorance can get you (or others) hurt or worse.
LIGHTER FARE
Poetic doggo.
— Heckin Good Dogs (@HeckinGoodDogs) January 11, 2026
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