Tuesday, September 15, 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
Sydney Sweeney Sends the Feminist Sports Brigade Into a Frenzy — Then Drops a Brutal Reality Check
Sweeney will no doubt keep doing what she's doing and not give two rips about what the left finds offensive. And companies like American Eagle and Novig, not to mention our eyes, will reap the benefits.
Karl Rove Says He Is Voting for a Democrat. The 'Final Straw' Is Revealing.
Only the enemies of civilization would make such an argument. And that is why those who believe Americans are replaceable can only hurl epithets, instead of honestly address the reasonable concerns that citizens have about their own country.
'Feminist' on Lindsay Clancy Jury Just Threw More Gasoline on the Fire
This is what nascent totalitarianism looks like. It isn't always announced by jackbooted soldiers; oftentimes, it is quietly ushered in by people who no longer recognize justice.
Trending Across Townhall Media
Bearing Arms — Washington State Announces Cost for Privilege of Buying a Gun
It's about making sure the well-off can have guns, but the people who might have even more reason to own one for self-defense won't be able to get one. It's about creating a system where the elites get to enjoy the totality of their rights, but everyone else has to make a choice between protecting and feeding their family.
HotAir — The Houthis Are Now in the Kill Box
Reporting from inside Yemen seems to indicate that the foothold the Houthis had over the al-Mandeb Strait can now be measured in Scaramucci's, because they weren't there very long.
PJ Media — Oops, She Did It Again. Guess Who's Big Mad at Sydney Sweeney Over Her Nude Sports Ads.
The left cannot resist the urge to react to Sweeney’s unapologetic use of her sex appeal to win big in ads. In the process, it amplifies and adds punch to everything she does. The angrier leftists get, the more attention her ads get. The more attention her ads get, the more those of us on the right enjoy watching the leftist meltdown.
Not too terribly long ago, Gov. Gavin Newsom was bragging about how California spends a lot of money on education. He called it an "investment," as Democrats always do.
But what are taxpayers getting in return for that investment? A generation of students with inflated grade points who can't do basic math or read full-length books (if they can read at all).
He's just a really bad guy, folks.
WHAT'S ON TAP?
Today on Capitol Hill...
Okay, the critters are back in earnest now — even Sen. Mitch McConnell (R-KY)! Lot of hearings set for Tuesday, including:
- Senate Judiciary — An oversight hearing to examine the Federal Bureau of Investigation [FBI Director Kash Patel to testify]
- House Appropriations, Financial Services and General Government Subcommittee — Oversight Hearing - The Economy Act
- House Judiciary, Immigration Integrity, Security, and Enforcement Subcommittee — “The Continuing Tragedy of Sanctuary Laws”
- House Judiciary, Crime and Federal Government Surveillance Subcommittee — “Missing and Murdered Indigenous People: Strengthening Public Safety in Tribal Communities”
- House Financial Services — The Annual Testimony of the Secretary of the Treasury on the State of the International Financial System [Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent to testify]
- House Appropriations, Departments of Transportation, and Housing and Urban Development, and Related Agencies Subcommittee — Oversight Hearing – Federal Aviation Administration
- House Foreign Affairs, Europe Subcommittee — U.S. Policy and Regional Security Challenges in the Western Balkans
- House Science, Space, and Technology — Innovation in Disaster Prevention: Advancing Technology for Prediction and Response
- House Oversight and Government Reform, Health Care and Financial Services Subcommittee — “Unequal Treatment: Addressing the Drivers of Unaffordability for Oral Chemotherapy”
- House Education and Workforce, Health, Employment, Labor, and Pensions Subcommittee — "Out of Touch: When Union Politics Leave Workers Behind"
- House Energy and Commerce, Energy Subcommittee — Nuclear Spent Fuel Policy: Examining Nuclear Lifecycle Innovation Campuses
- House Energy and Commerce, Health Subcommittee — “Examining Legislative Proposals to Reform Medicare Provider Payment and Bolster Health Care Cybersecurity.”
- House Small Business, Innovation, Entrepreneurship, and Workforce Development Subcommittee — “Main Street Meets Crypto: What Digital Assets Mean for Small Businesses.”
- House Foreign Affairs, Western Hemisphere Subcommittee — Confronting the Totalitarian Ortega-Murillo Regime
- House Foreign Affairs, South and Central Asia Subcommittee — Trojan Horses: Covert Foreign Malign Influence Operations in America
- House Oversight and Government Reform, Delivering on Government Efficiency Subcommittee — “Fixing Fraud and Failure in Federally Funded Homelessness Services” [L.A. Mayor Karen Bass NOT to testify]
- House Judiciary, Courts, Intellectual Property, Artificial Intelligence, and the Internet Subcommittee — “The International Criminal Court’s Threat to the Sovereignty of the United States and its Allies”
- House Judiciary, Oversight Subcommittee — “Restoring Election Integrity: Oversight of Voter Fraud in New Jersey”
They held some votes yesterday, too:
Congress Passed the 'Common Cents' Act Moving the Penny Into Numismatic and Linguistic History
White House What's Up
Here's what's up for President Trump and First Lady Melania on Tuesday:
- 8:00 AM — THE PRESIDENT participates in Executive Time — The White House
- 11:00 AM — THE PRESIDENT participates in a Photo Opportunity — Rose Garden
- 11:40 AM — THE FIRST LADY delivers Remarks to Mountain View Elementary School — Ashe County, North Carolina
- 2:30 PM — THE PRESIDENT participates in an Ambassador Credentialing Ceremony — Oval Office
- 3:30 PM — THE PRESIDENT participates in a Policy Meeting — Oval Office
- 4:30 PM — THE PRESIDENT participates in a Policy Meeting — Oval Office
Also, at 2:00 PM Eastern, Attorney General Todd Blanche will host the White House press briefing in the Rose Garden.
Keeping Up With the Cabinet
Dir. Office of Management and Budget - Russ Vought — Vought's in favor of the President's proposed dividend checks.
.@WHOMB Director Russ Vought told the Daily Signal that the White House is waiting until the “other side of the election” to put Trump's plan in place to send $5,000 checks to every American adult, writes @virginiagmck.
— Daily Signal (@DailySignal) September 14, 2026
“I think there’s a genius involved in what the president’s… pic.twitter.com/a46Zs9dncb
Full Court Press...
Busy day in the courts on Monday, with several notable rulings:
- ❌ In State of California v. USPS (mail-in ballots), SCOTUS DENIES admin's application for stay of lower court injunction.
- ❌ In Trump v. IRS (tax return/Privacy Act), Judge Kathleen Williams (Southern District of Florida) DENIES Trump/his attorneys' motion to stay sanctions pending appeal.
- ❌ In DSCC v. Trump (election integrity EO/USPS ballot rule), Judge Carl Nichols (D.C.) GRANTS preliminary injunction blocking USPS’s new ballot-mail rule, finding the Postal Service likely exceeded its authority by imposing new voter-enrollment and verification requirements on federal ballot mail.
COMING ATTRACTIONS
The tussle over Missouri's congressional map continues, with the 8th Circuit Court of Appeals now considering the matter and expected to issue a ruling late this week.
MORNING MUSING
I don't know if y'all caught California Governor Gavin Newsom's (D) latest attempt at letting America know he's the genuinest, most sincere, authentic, sheepishly reluctant potential presidential candidate ever, but after seeing it...I had thoughts.
- The effort to emulate Marco Rubio is noted
- Nice nod to Kamala and the Venn diagrams
- Who doesn't casually discuss their political future with a CNN host while fly-fishing?
I took particular note of this remark by Gavin regarding his rationale for not running if Harris runs: "I wouldn't do that to her ... I wouldn't do that to you."
How magnanimous. He'd do that to any other candidate (including, presumably, fellow Californian Ro Khanna), but he'd spare Kamala. And Jake. He'd spare Jake. Why? What sets them apart?
Anyway, I'm glad they attempted to recreate a scene from "A River Runs Through It"...because something needs to wash all this BS away.
LIGHTER FARE
Okay, so it isn't just me!
Good morning, X. pic.twitter.com/Y11pVRhU9i
— Ali L (@Alichat66) September 14, 2026
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