Wednesday, February 26, 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
Dan Crenshaw and the Flip Test
Maybe it will also be a signal to conservative politicians and spox not to say stupid things. The Left is already so good at that we do not want to encroach on their turf.
Hank Johnson's Latest Bizarre Comment About Arresting Trump Is Something Else - So Are the Reactions
"You try sitting next to this," Issa said.
I'm thinking things are not going to be very pleasant at the next subcommittee meeting they have between these two after that.
According to the White House, the Congressional Budget Office (CBO) estimates that the Biden Administration’s open borders agenda cost Federal and state taxpayers more than $16.2 billion by providing Medicaid-funded emergency services to illegal aliens.
Trending Across Townhall Media
Wyoming Republican Senators Aren't GOA's Favorite People Right Now
That's not remotely how it should be. There are questions that need to be answered. The people of Wyoming deserve to know why their lawmakers think they should be tracked by unaccountable and anti-gun financial institutions.
Video: Voters Boot America's Worst Mayor in Landslide
Even with all of that and more -- the WGN video report has some details -- Henyard chose to run again. And this time, the voters of Dolton spoke, nearly with one voice.
Trump Team Rolls Stink Bomb Into the White House Press Room, and It's Glorious
That reminds me, have Jake Tapper, Evan Perez, Jim Sciutto, and Carl Bernstein given back their WHCA awards for the phony "Russian dossier" and fake Russia collusion story that was leaked to the news outfit by government intel types?
Independent Reporter: FBI Agents Were Destroying JFK Docs
Mr. Patel, you have your first order of business: finding out if these allegations are true and firing those who participated if confirmed.
This woman goes against the narrative so she’s not going to be featured in any legacy media stories. This is sad because she probably deserves a raise for putting up will all federal workers groaning and screaming around her over an email right now.
Today on Capitol Hill...
Tuesday evening, the House passed its "big, beautiful" budget resolution on a largely party-line vote.
The Senate Judiciary Committee holds confirmation hearings today for John Sauer as Solicitor General and Harmeet Dhillon and Aaron Reitz as Assistant Attorneys General at the Department of Justice, beginning at 10:15 a.m. Eastern. (Dhillon is nominated to lead the Civil Rights Division and Reitz is nominated to head up the Office of Legal Policy.)
Other hearings and meetings set for Wednesday include:
White House What's Up
A quick note re: the White House press pool — Wednesday's edition includes the following line-up:
President Donald Trump will conduct a cabinet meeting at 11:00 a.m. Eastern. He's set to sign executive orders in the afternoon.
Keeping Up With the Cabinet
Sec. State - Marco Rubio — Rubio met with the Saudi Minister of Defense to discuss the U.S.-Saudi partnership.
Sec. Defense - Pete Hegseth — Hegseth paid a visit to Guantanamo Bay on Tuesday.
Sec. Agriculture - Brooke Rollins — Rollins issued a directive tightening restrictions on access to food stamps and other federal benefits for illegal aliens.
Sec. Health & Human Services - Robert F. Kennedy Jr. — Kennedy joined Trump in the Oval Office on Tuesday for the signing of an executive order mandating transparency in healthcare pricing.
Sec. Transportation - Sean Duffy — Duffy met with his Canadian counterpart on Tuesday "to discuss our efforts for travel safety across our shared border."
Sec. Energy - Chris Wright — Wright met with engineers and scientists from Los Alamos National Laboratory on Tuesday to discuss modernizing our nuclear weapons systems and unleashing American nuclear energy.
Sec. Veterans Affairs - Doug Collins — Collins announced the cancelation of nearly $2 billion in consulting contracts for the VA in order to redirect funds back to veterans' healthcare and benefits.
Sec. Homeland Security - Kristi Noem — Noem shared the background on a number of criminal illegal aliens arrested and deported recently. Noem also announced that they've identified some of the leakers within DHS who are exposing the DHS and ICE raids to sweep up criminal illegal aliens.
Admin. Environmental Protection Agency - Lee Zeldin — Zeldin proudly announced the progress of hazardous waste cleanup following the fires in Los Angeles — Trump gave the EPA 30 days for Phase 1, and they got it done.
Admin. Small Business Association - Kelly Loeffler — Loeffler reaffirmed SBA's return-to-work commitment.
Dir. Federal Bureau of Investigations - Kash Patel — The FBI is reportedly investigating a "honey pot" operation launched by former Director James Comey against the Trump campaign in 2015.
Dir. National Intelligence - Tulsi Gabbard — Gabbard ordered the firing of employees participating in pornographic chats while on duty.
Full Court Press...
As we reported Tuesday, Trump has now pulled the security clearances of lawyers and staff at Covington & Burling who assisted former Special Counsel Jack Smith with his investigations of Trump.
The Supreme Court will hear oral argument Wednesday in the case styled Ames v. Ohio Department of Youth Services, which examines "Whether, in addition to pleading the other elements of Title VII, a majority-group plaintiff must show 'background circumstances to support the suspicion that the defendant is that unusual employer who discriminates against the majority.'"
The court fights over Trump's executive actions continue apace, with some wending their way up on appeal already.
The Senate convenes at 10:00 a.m. Eastern and will vote on the nomination of Jamieson Greer as U.S. Trade Representative. A vote on Linda McMahon as Secretary of Education should be teed up shortly as well.
The Senate Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions Committee meets Thursday to vote on the nomination of Lori Chavez-DeRemer as Labor Secretary.
I'm reluctant to write on this because it simply breaks my heart. Even knowing that the safe return of Kfir and Ariel Bibas and their mother, Shiri, was a long shot, I held out hope — as did millions. Looking at the coverage of their funerals today, reading Yarden Bibas' eulogy for his beloved family, well, it's almost unbearable, even while I know we must. We owe it to them to honor and remember them. So we say goodbye to the Littlest Angel and his sweet big brother and their dear mother. And we pray for them and their loved ones. I'm trying to focus on that and not the heartache of what was lost or the fury at the evil perpetrated.
Is it possible for them to be any cuter?