Tuesday, July 8, 2025
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.
Red-Hot at RedState
New: Judge Stops Congress From Defunding Planned Parenthood, Outrage and Confusion Follow
If nefarious parties can simply stall their way to overriding elected officials with specious legal reasoning, then why even have elections?
Department of Defense Has a Message for LA Mayor Following Her Anger Over ICE Raid
In a post on X, the DOD made it clear it will protect law enforcement and Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents while they do their job to protect American citizens.
Ric Grenell Rips Gavin Newsom, Lays Out What Needs to Happen to Make California a Golden State Again
Grenell hits hard here… but he’s 100 percent on target on every one of his points.
Trending Across Townhall Media
Jonathan Turley Takes Look at Maine Community College's Actions
The fact that the school has taken no action doesn't surprise me. I doubt they will until and unless the backlash becomes so severe they have no other choice but to take that action.
Hamas Security Officer: Let's Face It, We're Finished
This much is certain, however: Hamas will have delivered a much-changed region in the Middle East as a result of their October 7 massacres. They have destroyed Iranian hegemony, the Bashar al-Assad regime in Syria, possibly Hezbollah and its grip on Lebanon, and may take down the ridiculously corrupt and malicious Palestinian Authority along with it. And not least, themselves.
They Say ‘Nobody’s Above the Law’—Until It’s Their Judge
The robe doesn’t make you holy. And it sure doesn’t make you immune.
Intelligence Operative on Epstein Files: 'This Is a Total F**king Disaster'
The Trump Justice Department made this a big deal—they can’t leave us hanging.
Democrats have been engaged in anti-ICE rhetoric; they must condemn these attacks immediately and stop pushing resistance against federal agents who are enforcing our nation’s immigration laws.
Today on Capitol Hill...
It will be a busy day on the Hill Tuesday. The Senate is back in session, and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is slated to meet with GOP senators and House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-LA).
Additionally, there are several meetings/hearings set (though they're all "closed"), including:
White House What's Up
Fresh off a meeting and dinner with Prime Minister Netanyahu and key Cabinet officials Monday evening, President Donald Trump will hold a Cabinet meeting late Tuesday morning. On Monday, he also sent out a series of letters to multiple nations regarding reciprocal tariffs.
Full Court Press...
We've had some humdinger rulings out of federal district courts in the Trump 2.0 era, but Monday's out of Massachusetts regarding Planned Parenthood funding — as passed by Congress in last week's reconciliation bill (and then signed by President Trump) — might take the cake. I've a sneaking suspicion that Judge Indira Talwani is about to get a harsh lesson in the limits of judicial authority. And I am here for it. ????
READ MORE: New: Judge Stops Congress From Defunding Planned Parenthood, Outrage and Confusion Follow
Another district court judge who also may be on the verge of a tough lesson is Paula Xinis in Maryland. Judge Xinis remains under the impression that she has a say in the fate of St. Kilmar of El Salvador. If she ever did (and that's a big IF), she no longer does, as explained by our friend Shipwreckedcrew here.
There's a trial underway (also in Massachusetts) before Judge William Young in the case of American Association of University Professors v. Rubio, involving the administration's attempted removal of non-citizen protesters from the U.S. We'll be keeping an eye on that one, as well.
President Trump plans to head to Texas later this week to survey the areas affected by last weekend's horrific flooding.
As many of you know, I practiced law for almost three decades before hanging up my briefcase and formally entering the world of political digital media. My specialty was insurance defense litigation — meaning at the behest of their insurers, I defended people and companies who were sued (civilly). One of the first things I told my clients when we spoke or met (because they were almost always anxious about the process — understandably) was that roughly 95 percent of civil cases settle rather than going to trial. That wasn't an exaggeration. Taking a case to trial and leaving the outcome in the hands of a jury is a crapshoot. Everyone plays the odds, and pretty much everyone has a breakpoint, where the risk of rolling the dice is no longer worth it. Sometimes, it takes a while (maybe even up to the courthouse steps) to get there, but most folks eventually do.
The calculations are a bit different when we're talking bench trials. Judges are obviously savvy to the system, and there's just one of them deciding your fate in a bench trial versus a jury of 12 (or sometimes six). Evidence and arguments that might land one way with jurors will land differently with an experienced trial judge. There's a bit more predictability, though not fully. Even more so as you make your way up the appellate ladder. Appellate courts are relying on established law and are bound by precedent. You can never say for sure what they'll do — but you can have a pretty good idea.
All of which is to say I learned long, long ago (in a galaxy far, far away) that you can never (and should never) promise your clients (or anyone) what the outcome of a trial or judicial proceeding will be. You can give them educated guesses, best and worst-case scenarios, etc., but never a guarantee. Our readers aren't my clients, and the downside to making confident predictions regarding the outcome of certain cases amounts to winding up with egg on my face — still, there's significant value in maintaining my credibility, of course.
With that said, I am going to wander out on the limb here and predict this: When the smoke clears on some of these cases, it's going to be Judges Talwani and Xinis (and quite a few others) with egg on their faces.
Dude's got the life!
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