Thursday, May 21, 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
DoW Axes Canada Defense Board Over Carney’s Antics As PM Downplays the Hit
A stronger, U.S.-aligned Canada deters adversaries more effectively than Ottawa’s autonomy play ever could. The day Carney realizes that is the day the North American allies can resume the key bilateral forum, or else the fireside accord that lit North America’s defense for nearly a century could go dark.
Nebraska Just Took a Sledgehammer to the ESG Machine Behind Corporate America
ISS's own employees apparently had doubts. Internal emails quoted in the complaint show staff questioning whether the firm's climate and diversity analysis was worth anything.
Chris Murphy Spins a Fairy Tale About Thomas Massie’s Loss — Here’s a Reality Check
Relatedly, Chris Murphy knows we'll take lectures from Democrats on the Epstein files on like the 4th of Never, right?
Trending Across Townhall Media
Bearing Arms — Texas Democrat Prime Example of Why We're Never Giving Up Our Guns
You want me to give up my guns and trust my government? That's never going to happen, because there are people in this country who support some truly awful people who want to hurt me and mine, and they're not going away anytime soon.
HotAir — Weaponized Lawfare: Finally Somebody Might Pay a Price
Forget for the moment how ham-handed the criminal attempt was; she committed this crime well after the case evaporated, and long after these documents were sealed.
PJ Media — Cuba Falling: Today Is 'the Beginning of the end' — and Rubio's Powerful Message
Folks, I think we've officially reached the tipping point when it comes to the fall of communist Cuba. If anyone else was president, I wouldn't buy it myself, but Donald Trump is, and I do.
Townhall — Owner of the San Diego 'Trump House' Hospitalized in Critical Condition Following Attack
We would have wall-to-wall coverage if there were a wave of right-wing violence. Left-wing violence is swept under the rug.
Twitchy — Dr. Oz Has the PERFECT Prescription for Joy Behar and the Harpies on The View
Joy Behar threw a hissy fit, going so far as to try to encourage Americans not to take any drugs that were offered by Trump Rx. (We're old enough to remember when Democrats did a similar 'scientific' 180 related to the COVID vaccine.)
WHAT'S ON TAP?
Today on Capitol Hill...
Thursday also looks to be a busy day on the Hill, with multiple hearings/meetings set, including:
- House Appropriations, Military Construction, Veterans Affairs, and Related Agencies Subcommittee — Budget Hearing – Department of Veterans Affairs
- House Appropriations, Departments of Transportation, and Housing and Urban Development, and Related Agencies Subcommittee — Fiscal Year 2027 Transportation, and Housing and Urban Development, and Related Agencies Bill
- House Appropriations, Interior, Environment, and Related Agencies Subcommittee — Fiscal Year 2027 Interior, Environment, and Related Agencies Bill
- House Small Business — “Building the Future: How Small Home Builders are Closing America’s Housing Gap.”
- House Financial Services, National Security, Illicit Finance, and International Financial Institutions Subcommittee — Modernizing the BSA for Financial Crime in the 21st Centur
- House Judiciary, Courts, Intellectual Property, Artificial Intelligence, and the Internet Subcommittee — “Court Packing: A Threat to the Supreme Court’s Legitimacy”
- Senate Appropriations, Departments of Labor, Health and Human Services, and Education, and Related Agencies Subcommittee — Hearings to examine proposed budget estimates and justification for fiscal year 2027 for the National Institutes of Health.
- Senate Appropriations, Department of Defense Subcommittee — Hearings to examine proposed budget estimates and justification for fiscal year 2027 for the Navy.
- House Homeland Security, Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Protection Subcommittee — “State and Local Cybersecurity: Escalating Threats, Federal Partnership, and the Resilience of America’s Communities”
- House Science, Space, and Technology, Environment Subcommittee — Research-Driven Resilience: Applying Science to Secure U.S. Water Systems from Cyber Threats
- House Appropriations, Departments of Transportation, and Housing and Urban Development, and Related Agencies Subcommittee — Budget Hearing – Department of Transportation
On Wednesday, the House passed the 21st Century Road to Housing Act — by a vote of 396-13.
READ MORE: Trump Scores Big New Win: House Approves Revised Housing Bill
White House What's Up
Here's how President Trump's Thursday schedule is shaping up:
- 8:00 AM — THE PRESIDENT participates in Executive Time — The White House
- 10:00 AM — THE PRESIDENT receives his Intelligence Briefing — The White House
- 11:00 AM — THE PRESIDENT participates in an Announcement with the Administrator of the Environmental Protection Agency — Oval Office
- 12:30 PM — THE PRESIDENT participates in a Lunch with the Administrator of the Environmental Protection Agency — The White House
- 2:00 PM — THE PRESIDENT participates in an Ambassador Credentialing Ceremony — Oval Office
- 3:30 PM — THE PRESIDENT signs an Executive Order — Oval Office
Keeping Up With the Cabinet
Sec. Interior - Doug Burgum — We're not used to hearing all that much about the Department of the Interior, but Burgum is really getting a chance to help his department shine as the nation gears up to celebrate its 250th birthday.
All eyes are on Washington, D.C. thanks to @POTUS!
— Secretary Doug Burgum (@SecretaryBurgum) May 20, 2026
From restoring historic fountains, revitalizing Lafayette Park and finally giving the Reflecting Pool the attention it deserves, @Interior is PROUD to help @POTUS Make D.C. Safe and Beautiful! https://t.co/Y2dn6NjZpM
Full Court Press...
One recent court decision of note I want to mention:
- ❌ In African Communities Together v. Lyons (immigration raids and arrests), Judge Kevin Castel (Southern District of New York) MODIFIES prior order and grants partial APA stay.
And, of course, on Wednesday, the big news was the indictment of former Cuban leader Raúl Castro.
READ MORE: 'America Does Not Forget': Raul Castro Indicted in Murder of Four Cuban-American Flyers
Also, the Supreme Court is expected to issue opinions today (Thursday) at 10:00 AM Eastern.
COMING ATTRACTIONS
Speaking of Cuba...probably bears watching. 👀
Vice President JD Vance is slated to deliver the commencement address at the U.S. Air Force Academy on May 28.
President Trump will be in Suffern, New York, on Friday to deliver remarks at Rockland Community College and throw his support behind Republican Rep. Mike Lawler (NY-17) in his bid for reelection.
And he's set to attend the G7 Summit in Évian-Les-Bains, France, in mid-June.
MORNING MUSING
I'm old enough to remember when George Michael and Andrew Ridgley of Wham! proudly sported "Choose Life" t-shirts as they bee-bopped around the stage. Now, theirs might not have been a message directed at the abortion issue (believe it had more to do with suicide prevention), but either way, it was a message I'll gladly get behind. We all should.
I was reminded of it last night when I had the privilege of attending the Make Missouri Pro-Life Again banquet. Riley Gaines was the keynote speaker, and I have to say, having attended countless events such as this over the years, she may well be one of the best public speakers I've ever encountered. Gaines spoke directly to the importance of embracing truth and life. Hers was truly an inspirational speech. The entire event was inspirational — frankly, more so than I had anticipated.
This year in Missouri, we're fighting a critical battle on the issue of life as we push to pass Amendment 3 to our state constitution in order to protect the lives and well-being of women, children, and our future. I expect I'll be writing on that quite a bit in the coming weeks and months.
As I said, Wednesday night's event was inspirational and gave me much to think about, but the simplest, clearest takeaway that resonated for me was this: Choose life.
Great event last night with @MORightToLife @NewstalkSTL @Riley_Gaines_ !! pic.twitter.com/s3OpwB6B59
— Susie Moore ⚾️🌻🐶 (@SmoosieQ) May 21, 2026
LIGHTER FARE
As one does...
Just sit and watch.. 😅 pic.twitter.com/aEtHussLft
— Buitengebieden (@buitengebieden) May 21, 2026
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