Wednesday, August 5, 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
Zohran Mamdani Hit With More Bad News After Walking Back Grocery Store Announcement
Collective responsibility is the catch to all of these utopian socialist projects. There is always an authoritarian stick on the other side of these carrots of "free stuff."
The Democrat Establishment's Pivot on DSA Insurgency Begins, and This Is Not Gonna Go Well
In other words, the establishment Democrats can't win here. They can resist, which doesn't seem to be doing much good so far, or they can come to terms with the direction their base appears to want them to head, and roll with it.
The First Amendment Requires Reversal of Shiloh Hendrix’s Conviction
Andy Warhol promised everyone fifteen minutes of fame; he never warned that those minutes could end in a criminal record for a single ugly word.
Trending Across Townhall Media
Bearing Arms — The Big Takeaways From the FBI's New Report on Active Shooters
The vast majority of these incidents ended because citizens fought back or the shooter fled or took their own life, which makes it even more important that we have the tools to fight back as effectively as possible.
HotAir — Michigan's Socialist Shocker...Finally Called
DDHQ has finally called the race for El-Sayed, but this was a lot messier than the socialists thought. And the clean-up will be worse.
PJ Media — Fauci's Diary-Uh: 'Science's' Biggest COVID-Era Lies Thus Far
There needs to be a reckoning so the nation can heal. Otherwise, the messaging is clear: the deep state can kill, lock down, and punish the American people with impunity, and that just won't do.
Townhall — Mike Rowe Triggered a Ton of People With His Lengthy Post About Socialism
I still can’t believe we have people who think that it’s acceptable because “democratic” comes before socialism. I wonder what they think when the word “national” is in front [of].
It should be easy to see that if the boys’ team destroys a WNBA team, it only highlights how much more adult men will dominate the women’s league and eventually turn it into an absurd joke.
WHAT'S ON TAP?
Today on Capitol Hill...
Wednesday looks to be another somewhat busy day for the Senate, with multiple hearings/meetings set, including:
- Senate Finance — Hearings to examine exploring process approaches for addressing Social Security solvency.
- Senate Small Business and Entrepreneurship — Hearings to examine the next 250, focusing on small businesses leading the way.
- Senate Judiciary, Federal Courts, Oversight, Agency Action, and Federal Rights Subcommittee — Hearings to examine the Muslim brotherhood network in America.
- Senate Foreign Relations — To receive a closed briefing update on the war in Sudan.
- Senate Intelligence (Select) — Closed business meeting to consider certain intelligence matters; to be immediately followed by a closed briefing on certain intelligence matters.
Meanwhile, Sen. Rand Paul (R-KY) has vowed to bring up the contempt of Congress vote for Anthony Fauci on Thursday. And Sen. Susan Collins (R-ME) has let us know she won't support Todd Blanche's nomination for attorney general. (Never fear, folks, that means the requisite votes are there among the other GOP senators. 😉)
Handcuffs or Bust: Rand Paul Cranks Legal Heat on Fauci Up to Eleven
Susan Collins Announces Opposition to Todd Blanche - Here's What He'll Need to Be Confirmed
White House What's Up
President Trump is out West on Wednesday:
- 8:00 AM — THE PRESIDENT participates in Executive Time — Las Vegas, Nevada
- 1:30 PM — THE PRESIDENT delivers Remarks — Red Rock Casino Resort and Spa
- — THE PRESIDENT departs Las Vegas, Nevada en route the White House — Las Vegas, Nevada
- — THE PRESIDENT arrives the White House — The White House
Vice President JD Vance is set to host a Congressional Roundtable on Anti-Fraud Initiatives this morning at 10:00 AM ET.
Keeping Up With the Cabinet
Sec. Veterans Affairs - Doug Collins — Collins is highlighting the VA's push to expand access to care and provide better service to veterans.
Veterans deserve a system that works for them.
— VA Secretary Doug Collins (@SecVetAffairs) August 5, 2026
We’re expanding access to care, speeding up service, and connecting more Veterans to benefits they’ve earned. 🇺🇸
Learn more: https://t.co/FfaRJP2fuI pic.twitter.com/A0y8bJOaV8
Full Court Press...
Some more notable court decisions:
- ❌ In U.S. v. Griswold (voter rolls), Judge Phillip Brimmer (Colorado) DENIES admin's motion to compel and GRANTS defendant's motion to dismiss.
- ❌🧐 In Climate United Fund v. Citibank (denial of federal grants), D.C. Circuit Court of Appeals (en banc) largely AFFIRMS lower court preliminary injunction blocking EPA from terminating climate grants issued under the Inflation Reduction Act, but with a highly fractured decision regarding the impact of Congress's later repeal of the underlying statutory authority (via the OBBB).
Keep an eye on SCOTUS — I suspect that decision on the emergency stay application regarding President Trump's USPS/election integrity executive order may land soon.
COMING ATTRACTIONS
Meanwhile, we'll be keeping an eye on the committee vote regarding Todd Blanche's AG nomination and the anticipated full Senate vote come Saturday. As noted above, I suspect that will be a vote to confirm Blanche to the AG spot.
We'll also be watching that contempt of Congress vote slated for Thursday regarding Anthony Fauci. That should be lively!
MORNING MUSING
If there's anything more challenging than reading the tea leaves (and polling) before an election, it's deciphering what exact message the voters sent after an election. Well, sort of. The voters have spoken, and it's mostly a mixed bag here in Missouri. When time permits, I hope to elaborate on that a bit more.
We do know that even the fairly liberal 1st Congressional District isn't into former Rep. Cori Bush's brand of crazy Democratic Socialism, electing instead to return Wesley Bell to Washington.
We also know that Missouri will (likely — the real election in Missouri is the primary, given the way districts are drawn) have two new Congress critters come January, with Chris Stigall securing the GOP nomination for CD-6 to replace the retiring Sam Graves, and State Senator Rick Brattin securing the nom in the newly redrawn CD-5, which should send him to the Swamp in place of Democrat Rep. Emanuel Cleaver.
And...we know that Missourians dumped proposed Constitutional Amendments 4 and 5 (initiative petition reform and phasing out the state income tax, respectively) resoundingly (by like an 80-20 margin). These were measures highly championed by the very Republican leaders Missourians elected two years ago and returned to office this go 'round. So...a bit schizophrenic? Maybe. I think there's more to it.
LIGHTER FARE
I couldn't decide, so y'all get a twofer today:
Everyone has their own way of solving problems..🦙😅 pic.twitter.com/X4Fx5SyRFE
— 𝕐o̴g̴ (@Yoda4ever) August 4, 2026
orange cat behaviour 😺 pic.twitter.com/qGgSZzXgEw
— We don't deserve cats 😺 (@catsareblessing) August 4, 2026
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