Morning Minute: Jokes Are Supposed to Have Punchlines

Tuesday, November 10, 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 

Mamdani’s Staff Is Panicking As Their ICE Favor Pipeline Just Hit a Brick Wall Named Stephen Miller

Mamdani has supposedly been slipping names to the White House, but the guy answering the phone now is Miller. Something tells me that list is headed straight for the shredder.

The Aftermath of the Blue Tsunami of 2026: Is JD Vance Correct?

Conclusion: Jennifer Van Laar, RedState’s own Managing Editor, has said that the vice president’s argument is “simplistic.”  I will go further – it is mostly wrong and biased. I also find it to be incredibly disloyal to his own president.  

Tish James Went Silent on Downgrading Charges for Illegal Immigrants — Now We Know Why

The report doesn't identify a specific child-victim case where the Bronx guidance was used, so the question of how often it happened remains unanswered. But when a reporter gave them a chance to clear up the facts, James, Katz, and Gonzalez had nothing to say on camera, which is a funny way to defend a policy you insist is perfectly fine.

Trending Across Townhall Media

Bearing Arms — Judge Extends Scope of AR-15, Magazine Ban Injunction to Rest of State Agencies

For now, though, knowing that enforcement can't just be shifted to another agency means people can proceed as desired with purchases of magazines and so-called assault weapons, which also happen to be the most popular style of rifle in the country today. In common use, baby.

HotAir — Colbert Gets a Taste of Left's War on Speech

Either way, Colbert got cancelled at a prestigious university, much like too many conservative speakers have faced over the past 10-15 years. Funny that Colbert never stood up for those speakers and, now, he got a taste of what they endured.

PJ Media — How Stupid Is the Left for Taking the Bait Again?

Every single time Trump tosses out the bait, they bite, and the rest of the country gets to laugh at the people who forgot how to take a joke a long time ago.

Townhall — If Dems Want to Erase Trump's Tariff Policy, There's a Problem

If Democrats want to erase them, they have a problem. A math problem — they don’t have the votes... 

Twitchy — Spit Take: Jaime Raskin Says That Democrats Don't Do Political Revenge and Retribution

Raskin laughably claimed in the clip above that Democrats are all about defending the rule of law. 

More like the rule of lawfare.

WHAT'S ON TAP?

Today on Capitol Hill...

They may have been easing back into things on Monday, but the critters are back in full force on the Hill today, and there's plenty going on, including multiple hearings/meetings:

• Senate Foreign Relations — Hearings to examine the nominations of Nick Oberheiden, of Texas, to be Ambassador to the Arab Republic of Egypt, Peter Snyder, of Virginia, to be Ambassador to the Republic of Ecuador, Kimberly Greenwood, of Tennessee, to be Ambassador to Barbados, and to serve concurrently and without additional compensation as Ambassador to the Federation of Saint Kitts and Nevis, Saint Lucia, Antigua and Barbuda, the Commonwealth of Dominica, Grenada, and Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, Paul Kalmbach, of Ohio, to be Ambassador to the Republic of Paraguay, Jane Lynch, of North Carolina, to be Ambassador at Large for International Religious Freedom, Wesley Hunt, of Texas, to be Ambassador to the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, Dino LaVerghetta, of Virginia, to be Ambassador to the State of Kuwait, Devin Kennington, of California, to be Ambassador to the Federal Republic of Somalia, Junaid Munir, of Michigan, a Career Member of the Senior Foreign Service, Class of Minister-Counselor, to be Ambassador to the Republic of Djibouti, and Paul Watzlavick, of Texas, a Career Member of the Senior Foreign Service, Class of Counselor, to be Ambassador to the Republic of Suriname, all of the Department of State.
• Senate Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions — Hearings to examine the nomination of Catherine Eschbach, of Texas, to be General Counsel of the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission.
• Senate Environment and Public Works — Hearings to examine the nomination of Justin Schwab, of the District of Columbia, to be an Assistant Administrator of the Environmental Protection Agency.
• Senate Commerce, Science, and Transportation — Hearings to examine the nominations of Leslie Becera, of Virginia, to be an Assistant Secretary of Transportation, Danielle Thumann Severs, of North Carolina, to be a Member of the Federal Communications Commission, and Joshua Shoemaker, of Virginia, to be Chief Financial Officer, and Robert Steinau, of Maryland, to be Inspector General, both of the National Aeronautics and Space Administration.
• Senate Finance — Hearings to examine the nominations of Francis Browne, of the District of Columbia, to be an Under Secretary, and Robert Stebbins, of New York, to be General Counsel, both of the Department of the Treasury, and Christopher Abbott, of Virginia, to be an Assistant Secretary of Commerce.
• Senate Judiciary — Business meeting to consider S.5289, to protect the right to the free exercise of religion, and the nominations of [multiple judicial nominees — see full list here]
• Senate Agriculture, Nutrition, and Forestry — Hearings to examine the nominations of Gregory Ibach, of Nebraska, to be Under Secretary of Agriculture for Trade and Foreign Agricultural Affairs, Department of Agriculture, and Carl Bednarski, of Michigan, John Grunewald II, of Oklahoma, and James Russell Middleton, of Virginia, each to be a Member of the Farm Credit Administration Board, Farm Credit Administration.

Additionally, the leadership battle gets formally underway today — here's an overview:

The Hitchhiker’s Guide To Today’s House and Senate GOP Leadership Elections House and Senate Republicans pick their new leaders for the new Congress. These are closed door votes done by secret ballot. The majority wins. House Majority Leader Steve Scalise (R-LA) is vying against Rep. Jim Jordan (R-OH) for Minority Leader. This is a rematch of 2023 when both stumbled in their efforts to succeed former House Speaker Kevin McCarthy (R-CA). Republicans are deciding who is best suited to lead their quest back to the majority and perhaps become Speaker down the road. They also want to see who may best counter Democrats and who works best with President Trump. It’s about the math. All Republicans who are returning or are incoming freshmen vote. This includes GOP delegates from U.S. territories. So the number of those casting ballots hovers around 175. That means the winner only needs 88 if everyone casts ballots. House Majority Whip Tom Emmer (R-MN) also faces Rep. August Pfluger (R-TX) for Minority Whip. For Senate Republicans, there is a call to delay leadership elections for some introspection. But no one is challenging Senate Majority Leader John Thune (R-SD) for Minority Leader or Majority Whip John Barrasso (R-WY) for Minority Whip. Some Republicans are not happy about this. But as the saying goes, you can’t beat someone with no one.

— Chad Pergram (@ChadPergram) November 10, 2026

The Hitchhiker’s Guide To Today’s House and Senate GOP Leadership Elections

House and Senate Republicans pick their new leaders for the new Congress. 

These are closed door votes done by secret ballot. The majority wins. 

House Majority Leader Steve Scalise (R-LA) is vying against Rep. Jim Jordan (R-OH) for Minority Leader. This is a rematch of 2023 when both stumbled in their efforts to succeed former House Speaker Kevin McCarthy (R-CA). 

Republicans are deciding who is best suited to lead their quest back to the majority and perhaps become Speaker down the road. They also want to see who may best counter Democrats and who works best with President Trump. 

It’s about the math. All Republicans who are returning or are incoming freshmen vote. This includes GOP delegates from U.S. territories. So the number of those casting ballots hovers around 175. That means the winner only needs 88 if everyone casts ballots. 

House Majority Whip Tom Emmer (R-MN) also faces Rep. August Pfluger (R-TX) for Minority Whip. 

For Senate Republicans, there is a call to delay leadership elections for some introspection. But no one is challenging Senate Majority Leader John Thune (R-SD) for Minority Leader or Majority Whip John Barrasso (R-WY) for Minority Whip. 

Some Republicans are not happy about this. But as the saying goes, you can’t beat someone with no one.

White House What's Up

President Trump’s schedule for Tuesday includes:

• 8:00 AM — THE PRESIDENT participates in Executive Time — The White House
• 10:00 AM — THE PRESIDENT participates in a Photo Opportunity — Oval Office
• 11:00 AM — THE PRESIDENT participates in a Policy Meeting — Oval Office
• 2:00 PM — THE PRESIDENT participates in a Policy Meeting — Oval Office
• 3:30 PM — THE PRESIDENT participates in Signing Time — Oval Office
• 5:00 PM — THE PRESIDENT participates in a Policy Meeting — Oval Office

No impromptu press briefings — that we know of.

Keeping Up With the Cabinet

Dir. Central Intelligence Agency - John Ratcliffe — Ratcliffe, as per usual, is keeping his profile low, but he was part of the Gang of Eight briefing Monday afternoon.

Gang of Eight briefing this afternoon is with CIA's John Ratcliffe and DNI Jay Clayton, per @alanhe.

— Jennifer Jacobs (@JenniferJJacobs) November 9, 2026

Full Court Press...

The courts were busy on Monday, issuing several decisions of note, including:

• ❌ In DC Preservation League v. Department of the Interior (East Potomac Golf Course), Judge Ana Reyes (D.C.) DENIES the Trump administration's motion to stay her preliminary injunction pending appeal, leaving restrictions on further tree removal in place.
• ✅ In Rozanski v. Stolzer (religious access to ICE detainees), Judge Matthew Schelp (Eastern District of Missouri) GRANTS the government's motion to postpone a preliminary injunction hearing while the parties pursue mediation over Catholic clergy's access to detainees at the Ste. Genevieve County Detention Center, and orders Archbishop Rozanski to participate personally, either in person or remotely (given his previously scheduled trip to Rome).
• ✅ In Mullin v. Friends of the Ruidosa Church (border-wall construction), SCOTUS GRANTS the administration's request to stay a Texas district court injunction halting construction, holding that the government is exceedingly likely to establish that the court lacked jurisdiction because the major questions doctrine cannot transform a statutory challenge into a constitutional claim.

For more on that last one: 

SCOTUS Blocks Judge's Border Wall Injunction, Delivers Blunt Lesson on Constitutional Claims

Speaking of SCOTUS, they're hearing oral argument today in:

• Department of Labor v. Sun Valley Orchards, LLC — 
  • 1) Whether Article III of the Constitution precludes the Department of Labor from adjudicating proceedings to collect monetary remedies from employers who have allegedly violated the terms and conditions of employment of H-2A workers and domestic workers in corresponding employment.
  • 2) Whether 8 U.S.C. § 1188(g)(2) authorizes the Department of Labor to adjudicate proceedings to collect monetary remedies from employers who have allegedly violated the terms and conditions of employment of H-2A workers and domestic workers in corresponding employment.

COMING ATTRACTIONS

President Trump is set to travel to the Philippines and China in mid-November, and in December, he'll head to Miami, Florida, for the G20 Leaders' Summit.

And, as noted above, later today, we'll see the first fruits of the leadership tussle in Congress. 

MORNING MUSING

There's a lot of chatter at the moment regarding Dave Chappelle's Charlie Kirk crack at his recent Madison Square Garden concert. Perhaps that was the ultimate aim of his comment. But while Chappelle has made a name for himself being edgy and provocative, he's generally been funny. Comedy isn't easy, but he seemed to have mastered it for the most part. Consequently, he's had a successful if at times controversial career. 

But I've listened to the clip in question a couple of times and am left wondering: Where is the punchline? What was the humorous thread that ran through it? I'm not seeing it. Set aside its offensiveness and cruelty — yes, it was both of those. But in what way was it funny? 

Of course, some in the audience still laughed, like the clapping seals audiences often are. Might be time for some soul-searching for them. And, I don't know, man — if you're at the point in your career where you're left with claiming someone's assassination makes you "feel better," well, you've seriously lost your way. Maybe you're the punchline? 

LIGHTER FARE 

Om nom!

Lola the baby otter tries fish for the first time [📹 paulcuffaro] https://t.co/rKwntkqx3Q

— Massimo (@Rainmaker1973) November 9, 2026

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