Thursday, November 12, 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
Ilhan Omar’s Citizenship Nightmare Just Got Worse, and Tom Emmer Says DOJ Is ‘Finalizing’ It
Winning more than 76 percent of the vote in one of the country's bluest congressional districts is fine, and her fiery comments will stir up the base, but it doesn't change her predicament.
Trump on Alina Habba’s $50 Million Deal: ‘I Don’t Want Her Paid’
Trump said Habba had used her relationship with him and colleagues in the White House to get the deal and called it “totally obnoxious and outrageous.” She signed it in October 2025 while still serving as acting U.S. attorney for New Jersey. The contract called for $10 million a year for four years, plus bonuses.
WaPo Tried to Shame Marco Rubio for Being a Great Dad, and It Blew Up in the Blink of an Eye
Trying to frame a mundane story as a scandal certainly seems to confirm these reporters' status. The editors, too. The second they saw their own ethics source say the travel follows the rules, they should have squashed the story.
Trending Across Townhall Media
Bearing Arms — Florida Deputy Armed Fairgoers: You Can Carry, Just Don't Tell Anyone
As for the “word spreading”? It’s too late for that, Mr. Deputy — the carriage of firearms at the North Florida Fair in Tallahassee is legal and will not be stopped by county officials.
HotAir — 'They Still Do That?!' The Left Has Moved on From Climate Change
They're still doing that?! What a joke. The Vanguard of the Omnicause has moved on, and the stragglers who believed in climate change are fools. Greta helped recruit them, but the issue is never the issue; the issue is the revolution. It's time for her followers to get with the new program.
PJ Media — Democrats Doctored Evidence to Try to Dirty Up Trump in Epstein Probe
Every single person brought before the committee, where Democrats showed up, was asked generally the same questions, praying that someone would slip and place Trump in a compromising position on Pedophile Island. It never happened.
Townhall — Here's What Caused a CNBC Host to Laugh a Dem. Rep. Off the Set
Rep. Pete Aguilar (D-CA) was laughed off the set of CNBC’s Squawk Box when he tried to gaslight the hosts into believing the Trump White House weaponized the Department of Justice (DOJ). That’s a flat-out lie. The politicization of the DOJ began under Obama and peaked under Joe Biden. We know about Arctic Frost, Plasmic Echo, and the ongoing surveillance operations against the Trump family and its officials.
Twitchy — Well, Well, Well: Ro Khanna Seems to Have Sold His Nvidia Stock at a VERY Convenient Time
Deciding which congressman is the most corrupt is like deciding which asp is the most venomous.
But there seems to be no question that Khanna is one of the worst snakes of them all.
WHAT'S ON TAP?
Today on Capitol Hill...
Not a lot of hearings going on today on the Hill, but there's this:
House Foreign Affairs, Africa Subcommittee — One Year Later: Assessing Nigeria’s Efforts to Protect Christians and Secure the Middle Belt
The Senate will take up some votes later today on judicial nominations, and the House had some interesting happenings on Wednesday.
House Dems Took Their Eye Off the Ball, Letting GOP Score a Victory With Vote for Veterans
Democrat Scott Colom Is the Projected Winner in Mississippi Senate Race, Cindy Hyde-Smith Concedes
White House What's Up
President Trump’s schedule for Thursday includes:
- 8:00 AM — THE PRESIDENT participates in Executive Time — The White House
- 10:30 AM — THE PRESIDENT participates in a Policy Meeting — The White House
- 11:00 AM — THE PRESIDENT receives his Intelligence Briefing — The White House
- 12:30 PM — THE PRESIDENT participates in a Pre-Tape Radio Interview — Oval Office
- 1:30 PM — THE PRESIDENT participates in a Pre-Tape Interview — Roosevelt Room
- 3:00 PM — THE PRESIDENT participates in a Policy Meeting — Oval Office
- 4:00 PM — THE PRESIDENT participates in a Policy Meeting — Oval Office
Keeping Up With the Cabinet
Dir. National Intelligence - Jay Clayton — the (relatively) newly minted DNI has been keeping a somewhat lower profile than his predecessor, but I've a hunch we're going to be seeing/hearing more of him in the coming days and weeks. In the meantime, his office shared a Veterans Day message yesterday.
Today we honor all who have served. Thank you to the veterans across the Intelligence Community whose service — past and present — strengthens our mission every day. https://t.co/u53b6mQAvm
— Office of the DNI (@ODNIgov) November 11, 2026
Full Court Press...
Several court decisions of note over the past couple of days, though the courts were a tad quieter yesterday with it being Veterans Day:
- ❌ In United States v. Albence (voter registration records), Judge Richard Andrews (Delaware) GRANTS Delaware's motion to dismiss DOJ's lawsuit seeking the state's complete, unredacted voter registration list.
- ❌ In Patel v. Atlantic Monthly Group LLC (FBI director's defamation suit), Judge Emmet Sullivan (D.C.) GRANTS The Atlantic's motion to stay ordinary discovery pending resolution of its motion to dismiss, while allowing both parties to pursue Touhy requests for information from DOJ and the FBI.
- ❌ In Washington v. Department of Education (school mental-health grants), 9th Circuit DENIES the administration’s stay motion. [Text order only]
- ❌ In Illinois v. FEMA (emergency grants), Judge Mary McElroy FINDS FY2026 immigration conditions violate an existing injunction, bars enforcement against plaintiff states, and orders replacement award letters. [11/9]
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.
GOP congressional leadership may be set now, but the Dems still have to select theirs — House Democrats are expected to hold their party elections next week, while Senate Democrats will make their leadership pick in early December.
The Supreme Court will resume hearing oral arguments on November 30.
MORNING MUSING
"Oh, what a tangled web we weave, when first we practice to deceive!" That's often attributed to Shakespeare, but the AI tells me it was actually "[w]ritten by Scottish poet and novelist Sir Walter Scott in his 1808 epic poem Marmion."
For some reason, that's been on my mind lately, as has this: "and the truth will set you free" (from John 8:32).
Just imagine a world where lies were rare or non-existent...a universal form of "Liar Liar" — only less Jim Carrey/slap-stickish.
It's something to ponder, isn't it?
LIGHTER FARE
Find the smiles where/when you can.
Just in case you're having one of those days when everything feels heavy and hopeless, here's some chickens playing volleyball. https://t.co/HRcwOTByuM
— SlenderSherbet (@SlenderSherbet) November 11, 2026
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