Thursday, April 30, 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 Domino Effect: SCOTUS' Louisiana v. Callais Decision Unmoors Democrat Plans for Voting Takeover
SCOTUS has effectively taken the cudgel out of their hands, and as the X poster above surmised, Democrats may never control another election for quite some time to come
By the looks of things, the normal people in Los Angeles have received the message.
Report on Alleged WHCD Shooting Suspect Stumbles Upon the Most Troubling Aspect of Them All
The Democrat Party has been so successful at mainstreaming the radicalism and extremism within its ranks to the point that media outlets and so-called "extremism experts" either don't recognize it or refuse to acknowledge that the obvious radicalism and extremism that exists among the Democrat faithful, which leads to assassination attempts, is radical and extreme anymore.
Trending Across Townhall Media
In 29 states, that wouldn't be an issue, but Pacheco has the misfortune of living in a state that makes it a felony offense to transport or possess a loaded firearm in a vehicle without a carry permit.
HotAir — The Atrocities Liberals Don’t Care About
The irony is thick. Gulf countries are beginning to unite with Israel. The UAE now has the Iron Dome and Israeli advisors helping defend against Iran.
Our "allies" in the West are siding with evil.
PJ Media — This Is Huge: DOJ Indicts Sinaloa Governor and Others in Sweeping Cartel Case
This appears to be the first time the DOJ has indicted a sitting Mexican governor.
Townhall — The Court Didn’t Officially Do This to the Voting Rights Act, but Liberals Already Know
What I still can’t believe is that the NAACP lawyers arguing for the VRA during oral arguments tried to claim that white Democrats don’t vote for black people.
Note, Zeldin did not tag AOC so she's obviously searching for herself on social media. Sheesh, this broad needs a hobby.
WHAT'S ON TAP?
Today on Capitol Hill...
Thursday has fewer meetings/hearings set, but still promises to be lively on the Hill:
- House Appropriations, Legislative Branch Subcommittee — Fiscal Year 2027 Legislative Branch Bill
- House Appropriations, Commerce, Justice, Science, and Related Agencies Subcommittee — Fiscal Year 2027 Commerce, Justice, Science, and Related Agencies Bill
- House Appropriations, Defense Subcommittee — Budget Hearing - the United States Air Force and Space Force
- Senate Armed Services — Closed hearings to examine the Department of Defense budget request for Fiscal Year 2027 and the Future Years Defense Program; to be immediately followed by an open session at approximately 11:00 a.m. [Secretary of War Pete Hegseth and Joint Chiefs Chair Dan Caine to testify]
- Senate Appropriations, Military Construction, Veterans Affairs, and Related Agencies Subcommittee — Hearings to examine proposed budget estimates and justification for fiscal year 2027 for the Department of Veterans Affairs.
- House Appropriations, Interior, Environment, and Related Agencies Subcommittee — Budget Hearing – Indian Health Service
- Senate Appropriations, Department of the Interior, Environment, and Related Agencies Subcommittee — Hearings to examine proposed budget estimates and justification for fiscal year 2027 for the U.S. Forest Service.
And while the House approved a three-year renewal of FISA on Wednesday, that may not be enough to get 'er done.
There is a distinct possibility that the nation’s most-important intelligence gathering tool lapses just after midnight tonight because the House and Senate aren’t on the same page.
— Chad Pergram (@ChadPergram) April 30, 2026
Authorization for FISA Section 702 expires at 12:00:01 am et Friday.
National security…
There is a distinct possibility that the nation’s most-important intelligence gathering tool lapses just after midnight tonight because the House and Senate aren’t on the same page.
Authorization for FISA Section 702 expires at 12:00:01 am et Friday.
National security advocates are apoplectic that Congress could let the program lapse, exposing the nation to the possibility of a terrorism attack during a heightened threat environment.
The House approved a three-year extension yesterday. But it included a ban on a digital currency to be managed by the federal government. That’s a poison pill for the Senate.
The Senate could pass a 45-day extension. But there are signals that Sen. Ron Wyden (D-OR) could object due to privacy concerns.
Both the House and Senate would have to approve a bridge to avoid the program from legally ceasing. However, both chambers are set to leave today for a recess until mid-May.
That said, the court which oversees FISA says the program continues on paper. However, telecommunications firms which provide information to the government could be reluctant to comply without an authorization of FISA by Congress.
White House What's Up
President Trump's Thursday shedule includes:
- 8:00 AM — THE PRESIDENT participates in Executive Time — The White House
- 10:50 AM — THE PRESIDENT and THE FIRST LADY participate in a Farewell with His Majesty King Charles III of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland and Her Majesty Queen Camilla — South Portico
- 11:30 AM — THE PRESIDENT participates in a Phone Interview — Oval Office
- 2:00 PM — THE PRESIDENT participates in an Executive Order Signing — Oval Office
- 3:00 PM — THE PRESIDENT participates in a Policy Meeting — Oval Office
- 4:00 PM — THE PRESIDENT participates in a Policy Meeting — Oval Office
Keeping Up With the Cabinet
Sec. Energy - Chris Wright — Wright has been in central and eastern Europe promoting U.S. energy partnerships.
President Trump is unleashing a new era of cooperation for Central and Eastern Europe.
— Secretary Chris Wright (@SecretaryWright) April 29, 2026
These partnerships are rooted in our mutual support for an energy addition agenda—all of this is evidenced by the billions of dollars of deals that were signed. pic.twitter.com/5hHePkRXnt
Full Court Press...
Two big decisions were handed down by the Supreme Court on Wednesday — one unanimous, one split along ideological lines. Interestingly, the unanimous one even involved pregnancy resource centers. We've got more coming on that one shortly.
In the meantime, Callais is the one making all the waves.
READ MORE: Supreme Court Strikes Down Louisiana's Congressional Map in Major Voting Rights Ruling
The Domino Effect: SCOTUS' Louisiana v. Callais Decision Unmoors Democrat Plans for Voting Takeover
COMING ATTRACTIONS
President Trump will deliver remarks at The Villages, Florida, on Friday.
MORNING MUSING
I think most of us are eyeing prices at the pump and hoping they'll start dropping back to "normal" levels sooner rather than later — even while we recognize that it won't/can't be overnight.
SEE: 'Rockets and Feathers': Why Gas Prices Stay High Even As Oil Falls
That's a serious topic — and not just because of potential political ramifications.
That said, I must confess to being a fan of whoever runs the U.S. Oil & Gas Association's X account (from the profile, it looks to be the association's president, Tim Stewart). The account is full of sass, and I, for one, am here for it.
Please be patient for a few minutes as the thousands of Strait of Hormuz Twitter experts are making the shift over to the Voting Rights Act.
— US Oil & Gas Association (@US_OGA) April 29, 2026
They will be with you momentarily....
LIGHTER FARE
Nesting kitties!
Wait for the surprise.. 😅 pic.twitter.com/yNSKmL23pW
— Buitengebieden (@buitengebieden) April 30, 2026
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