Happy Sunday, and welcome to the RedState Weekly Briefing — where we take a quick look at the week’s most viewed stories in case you missed any of them. What do you suppose caught people's attention as we settle into August? Grab a cup of coffee (or something stronger if you're so inclined) and sit down with this 21st-century Weekend Edition of your favorite (online) publication.
#1 - Beautiful: Cornell Brat Who Refused to Work With Jews Gets Brutal Life Lesson From Mom and Dad — by Teri Christoph
Well, as it turns out, Franco's parents were dismayed at their son's abhorrent beliefs and kicked him right to the curb, telling him to be out of their Virginia house by August 1.
Parents kick Jew-hating Cornell student Austin Franco out of house, but Ivy welcomes him back https://t.co/ynEQejMDEZ pic.twitter.com/R8cczsnESf
— New York Post (@nypost) August 1, 2026Dad Alexander is a Cornell alum and patent lawyer, and Diana is a senior product manager for a banking regulators’ trade association.
They told The Post that they found their son’s behavior reprehensible — and believe he’s fallen victim to dark online influences.
“We have seen our adult son fall under the influence of extremist online content. It should go without saying that the rest of our family finds the views he has expressed morally repugnant, and he did not derive them in any way from us,” they wrote.
#2 - Zohran Mamdani Hit With More Bad News After Walking Back Grocery Store Announcement — by Kyle Becker
So, instead of issuing IDs like his comrade Hugo Chavez did in Venezuela after the black markets sprang up, Mamdani basically declared "open borders" for government-subsidized supermarkets.
Pssst. Here's a dirty little secret. It's not like these government-backed supermarkets are actually designed to work.
As if. Government-backed supermarkets are designed to crowd out legitimate businesses, drive down their profits, run them out of town, dry up the tax base, and push New York City even closer to the cliff of full-blown socialism. (You can go ahead and bookmark this now if you doubt me.)
#3 - WNBA Players Assoc Released Politically Charged Statement After Former NBA Player Declares for Draft — by Kyle Becker
The WNBPA's statement via ESPN:
The WNBPA represents 200+ individual people with different lived experiences, cultures, lifestyles and opinions. We embrace justice, equity, diversity, and inclusion. Those are the values that unite this Union and allow it to protect women’s sports while creating transformational change. Hate, abuse, and demonization of any person or group of people, including transgender people, only fuel fear, division, and harm.
We will continue to have hard conversations. But we will not be used as political pawns.
"Diversity" has nothing to do with it. This statement is coming out because the Woke executives are acutely aware that Americans are not tolerating their unwillingness to protect women's sports.
Just because someone says he has decided to be a female, that doesn't mean that person has stopped having athletic advantages.
#4 - Wait, Are Those Tears? Seattle's Socialist Mayor Cracks As Even the Lefty Media Turns on Her — by Teri Christoph
Attention then turned to Mayor Wilson, who is now firmly in the hot seat about the city's post-shooting response and the overall dismal state of Seattle. Amazingly, even the lefty city's lefty media were pressing her for answers, and she looked on the verge of tears as she attempted to bat away their questions at a weekend press conference.
Seattle's socialist mayor looked like she was about to cry during a brutal press conference where media grilled her about her response to a mass shooting and overall lack of leadership skills. pic.twitter.com/nBfqWzuV7Y
— Brandi Kruse (@BrandiKruse) August 1, 2026The media was laser-focused on Wilson allegedly using Barnes as the "fall guy" for the city's embarrassing post-shooting response. What was she trying to hide? Did her office delay briefing the public so her guests could be there for it? Did the city properly staff the Bite of Seattle with enough law enforcement to keep citizens safe? Will she do any other than fire people and spout progressive platitudes about gun violence?
#5 - John Kennedy Has the Perfect Response to John Thune and Far Left Dems — by Nick Arama
Kennedy said he didn't know when they were going to be holding a vote, but that it needed to get done, he insisted.
"I am prepared to stay here as long as it takes. I've been to a squillion meetings to talk about this stuff that could've been an email! I'd rather have a back alley colonoscopy than go to another meeting! It's time to vote!" he declared.
Now, that's funny. But he's also making the point that it needs to get done. Enough of this back and forth. No colonoscopy, no recess — just do it.
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