Wednesday, February 24, 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
The Democrats continue to expose themselves as the America-last clowns they are. There was never a better example of that than on Tuesday night.
Abigail Spanberger's SOTU Rebuttal Was Just Plain Weird
As RedState has previously reported, the choice of Spanberger to deliver the State of the Union rebuttal was intended to introduce her to a national audience. Democrats see her as a rising star who will have a big impact on the 2026 and 2028 elections – possibly as a candidate in the latter.
WATCH: The Trump SOTU Moment That Could Win Republicans the Midterms
The National Republican Congressional Committee (NRCC) has wasted no time in capitalizing on this moment. In an exclusive statement to Fox News Congressional Correspondent Bill Melugin, they let him know that the visual above is “a beautiful gift” that is already being used in opposition ads, right in time for the midterms.
Trending Across Townhall Media
Bearing Arms — Armed Dad in California Shows How Minneapolis School Shooting Should Have Gone Down
Yet, despite all of the state's gun control laws, this could have turned out very differently. The suspect reportedly had a Taurus Tracker .44 revolver. While wheel guns aren't exactly what one thinks of for a mass shooting, this was a gun-free zone. He'd have had nothing but sitting ducks and likely had time to reload if need be.
HotAir — The Mainstream Media Will Not Survive 'The Information State'
Most shamefully guilty in all of this was the media. Yes, people distrust and hate the media now. The Information State will atomize whoever small trust had remained. The media would love us to forget, but Seigel’s book won’t allow that. The media truly have shown themselves to be the enemy of the people.
PJMedia — This Moment of the State of the Union Just Lost the Democrats the Midterms
When voters pull the lever in November, many of them are going to remember exactly what they saw: a chamber full of Democratic lawmakers who, when asked point-blank to put Americans first, didn’t take it.
Townhall — Here's the Tweet That Best Summarized Trump's Epic State of the Union Address
Trump consistently criticized Democrats, calling them nuts and saying they should be ashamed for pushing policies that threaten our country's future.
Just a little flashback to a week ago when Jayapal said Republicans are jealous of 'trans' people and that is why they don't want kids to be mutilated. Whatever, girl.
WHAT'S ON TAP?
Today on Capitol Hill...
No doubt we'll continue to see fallout and follow-up from Tuesday night's address, but there are also a few committee meetings set, including:
Senate Energy and Natural Resources — Hearings to examine the nominations of Stevan Pearce, Kyle Haustveit, and David LaCerte
Senate Environment and Public Works — Hearing on the Water Resources Development Act of 2026, focusing on U.S. Army Corps of Engineers projects
Senate Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions — Hearing to examine the nomination of Casey Means as Surgeon General
Senate Judiciary — Hearing on the nomination of Colin McDonald to be Assistant Attorney General
White House What's Up
Well. That was quite a speech, wasn't it? Confession: I was exhausted by the time the SOTU address began last night, and knowing it was expected to last for close to two hours, I was worried about whether or not I'd make it all the way through. And yet, when President Trump rounded the corner and started bringing the speech home, I actually glanced at the clock in surprise that it was as late as it was. That speech actually went by fairly quickly, and I was pleasantly surprised by its pacing and messaging. Nice job, DJT.
On Wednesday, he's got another busy day:
- 9:00 AM — THE PRESIDENT participates in Executive Time — Oval Office
- 11:00 AM — THE PRESIDENT participates in a Policy Meeting — Oval Office
- 3:00 PM — THE PRESIDENT participates in a Meeting with The Secretary of Transportation — Cabinet Room
- 4:30 PM — THE PRESIDENT participates in a Policy Meeting — Oval Office
Keeping Up With the Cabinet
Rather than singling out one Cabinet member today, I thought I'd share the message they each shared ahead of the SOTU:
THE STATE OF THE UNION IS STRONG.
— The White House (@WhiteHouse) February 25, 2026
AND BEGINS RIGHT NOW 🔥 pic.twitter.com/tLIwO9AYP5
Full Court Press...
We've got one more oral argument before the Supreme Court on Wednesday:
Pung v. Isabella County, Michigan —
- Whether taking and selling a home to satisfy a debt to the government, and keeping the surplus value as a windfall, violates the Takings Clause of the Fifth Amendment when the compensation is based on the artificially depressed auction sale price rather than the property's fair market value
- Whether the forfeiture of real property worth far more than needed to satisfy a tax debt but sold for fraction of its real value constitutes an excessive fine under the Eighth Amendment, particularly when the debt was never actually owed?
Speaking of the Supreme Court, four of its members were in attendance at the State of the Union address: Chief Justice John Roberts, and Justices Elena Kagan, Brett Kavanaugh, and Amy Coney-Barrett.
The Court handed down two decisions on Tuesday — Postal Service v. Konan, Hain Celestial Group, Inc. v. Palmquist. I'll have a Skinny on SCOTUS rundown on them soon. And...there are more decisions expected today.
COMING ATTRACTIONS
As noted, more Supreme Court opinions (or at least one) will drop today.
On Thursday and Friday, Hillary and Bill Clinton will be testifying before the House Oversight Committee.
MORNING MUSING
Whoever's advising the Democrats is ripping them off. (Maybe they're just used to it and don't care?) Yes, yes, yes — the State of the Union has very much become political theater, and I get not wanting to be seen as aligning — in any way — with President Trump or the Republicans. But electing to sit on their hands — and stay sitting, for what seemed an eternity — in response to the notion of putting American citizens first? That might go down in history as one of the biggest political self-owns ever.
President Trump was right to highlight not only the wins of this administration but the Democrats' steadfast refusal to celebrate them. (Yes, he did get some buy-in on insider trading — and most of the Dems at least had the sense to applaud those being honored with medals.) But the overall takeaway is inescapable: America is racking up wins...and the Democrats won't stand for it.
Lastly, a little bonus SOTU fun — St. Louisans will appreciate this fun moment between Sen. Eric Schmitt (R-MO) and the Tkachuk boys.
Even this DeSmet guy is so proud of the Chaminade guys! 😂 #IYKYK #STL #TeamUSA https://t.co/rqvF5Hnd5g
— Susie Moore ⚾️🌻🐶 (@SmoosieQ) February 25, 2026
Listen, if Sparty and the Red Devils can set aside their differences, you'd think Congress Critters could figure it out...
LIGHTER FARE
So cute!
Whatchu got there..🐾😍 pic.twitter.com/HG87FFHtRv
— 𝕐o̴g̴ (@Yoda4ever) February 25, 2026
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Editor's Note: With President Trump back in the White House, the state of our Union is strong once again.
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