Wednesday, May 21, 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
'This Is a District Court—Not a Denny’s': 5th Circuit Responds to SCOTUS in TdA Case and Hoo Boy
One hopes that when the Circuit finishes addressing the matters the Supreme Court tasked it with, it will deliver a thoroughly delicious record and opinion for the High Court to gnaw on
An Update on the 2026 Senate Races
With these numbers, the Democrats will need to pick up all five Republican seats without losing any of their own. In other words, a really bad national environment, or a lot of luck, is going to be necessary for them to win back the Senate.
Kennedy and Kennedy Obliterate Democrats' Take on HHS Funding With a Few Simple Questions
The best we may be able to manage is to try to slap down these wastes whenever we find them. Senator Kennedy and HHS Secretary Kennedy have certainly done so today, so the next question is this: What's being done about it?
Trending Across Townhall Media
Is This Why the Tax Stamp on Suppressors is Dropped to $0?
We gun owners tend to be a paranoid lot, but like they say, just because you're paranoid doesn't mean people aren't out to get you. The ATF isn't a trustworthy organization. It never has been and likely never will be.
Marco Rubio Rocks And Will Be President One Day
Rubio is tested with the exercise of real power every day, and he is passing that test with flying colors.
Canada Might Begin Euthanizing Kids Without Parental Consent
Leftism really is a death cult.
Jake Tapper Should Expect All of His Interviews to Be Like This
There are damning stories in the book. Yet, what cannot be resolved is that the media knew about this and did nothing.
WHOA! Buzz Patterson Drops ANOTHER Huge Clinton Scandal (Yes, It Involves Sexual Misconduct)
We're almost afraid to ask, but we have to wonder how many other stories Buzz Patterson has to report in his iceberg.
Today on Capitol Hill...
Big doings on the Hill as we head into crunch time on the Big Beautiful Bill. President Donald Trump was on the Hill on Tuesday to rally the GOP troops, and appears to have been successful in doing so. Here's the latest rundown of what to expect as House GOP leadership endeavors to get the bill across the finish line:
There are, of course, hearings and meetings set for Wednesday as well — lots of them. And there were some real humdingers on Tuesday. See, for instance:
Rubio Decimates Chris Van Hollen in Glorious Exchange About USAID and Deportation
(Will simply take a moment, once again, to applaud President Trump on his Cabinet. Secretary of State Marco Rubio and HHS Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. were both inspired picks and have acquitted themselves beautifully thus far.)
A sampling of what's in store Wednesday:
An added note: As I was writing the Morning Minute, we learned that Virginia Rep. Gerry Connolly (D) had passed away. Connolly's passing will undoubtedly be top of mind for many in Congress today.
White House What's Up
President Trump will greet the President of the Republic of South Africa late morning, followed by lunch and a bilateral meeting. (That one...should be interesting.) Later in the afternoon, he'll host the 2025 NCAA Men's College Basketball Champions — The University of Florida Gators — in the East Room.
Full Court Press...
The Supreme Court issued a win for Maine legislator Laurel Libby (censured by the Maine House for posting a social media photo of a biological male celebrating his win in a girl's track and field event) on Tuesday, granting her application for an injunction (effectively reinstating her voting and speaking privileges in the state legislature).
The 5th Circuit issued an order in the A.A.R.P./W.M.M. case (regarding removal of Tren de Aragua (TdA) members pursuant to the Alien Enemies Act (AEA)) that included a phenomenal concurrence from Judge James Ho, which I address further in my Morning Musing.
The Supreme Court will likely hand down more decisions on Thursday.
Vice President JD Vance is set to speak at the U.S. Naval Academy graduation on Friday.
Tuesday evening, I happened upon the concurrence authored by 5th Circuit Court of Appeals Judge James Ho following the Supreme Court's recent ruling on one of the TdA/AEA cases. Like many, I was slightly amused and maybe enthralled by Judge Ho's not-so-subtle pushback at the Supremes. He was respectful, but there was zero doubt that he disagreed with the manner in which SCOTUS has handled the case. I shared some of the highlights from his opinion in my longer article, but I wanted to acknowledge something else Judge Ho noted in his opinion:
It should go without saying that the President and his fellow Executive Branch officials deserve the same respect that courts regularly afford every other litigant—including other Presidents and officials.
It should. But it needs to be said, as many in the federal judiciary — including Supreme Court justices — appear to have dispensed with that notion. Ho rightly points out previous presidents who were afforded respect by the courts despite having publicly shamed and even defied them or having been disbarred (see, e.g., Obama, Biden, Clinton).
There is no Trump exception to jurisprudence. It's time for the courts to recognize that. Kudos to Judge Ho for stating that so plainly.
I'll say he did.
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