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.
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TOP O’ THE MORNIN’
After Internal Drama, Trump Names New Pick for White House Counsel
Since Trump realistically has 18 months to make huge strides in accomplishing his second-term agenda (before the midterms), it’s my hope that the adults in the incoming administration are able to mitigate the influence of those who believe their egos and personal finances are more important than the country’s well-being, however that can be accomplished.
Of all the timelines in this universe, this one is by far the most amazing. We’ve gone from Trump being “Hitler” to Jill Biden chatting with “Hitler” in a Catholic Church and appearing in his perfume ads. Amazing.
“S aturday Night Live” is famous for its bread and butter sketch, the politically-tinged cold open, in which the NBC variety show stalwart reliably pokes fun at the major current doings of (usually) whoever sits behind the Resolute Desk. So it was a surprise when they opted to take something of a U-turn this week.
WHAT’S ON TAP?
Today on Capitol Hill…
While it’s Monday and there’s only one meeting/hearing officially scheduled for the critters, the House Rules Committee meets today to, among other things, prepare the National Defense Authorization Act for floor action. This is one of the significant hurdles Speaker Mike Johnson (R-LA) and the House will need to clear in the next 11 days (a continuing resolution to fund the government until at least March being the other). Expect a decent amount of Capitol Hill drama over the next two weeks.
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Meetings between President-elect Donald Trump’s Cabinet nominees and senators will continue this week, including another planned meeting between Sen. Joni Ernst (R-IA) and SecDef nominee Pete Hegseth slated for Wednesday. Tulsi Gabbard, nominee to serve as the Director of National Intelligence, will also make the rounds this week. Stay tuned.
White House What’s Up
After receiving his Daily Brief, President Joe Biden will head to the Department of the Interior, where he’ll deliver remarks at a Tribal Nations Summit. Monday evening, it’s time for Joe and First Lady Jill to host a Holiday Ball for members of Congress. That should make for some fun people watching…
Full Court Press…
The jury resumes deliberations in the Daniel Penny trial Monday morning, following the surprising (and highly questionable) dismissal of Count I (second-degree manslaughter) by the judge Friday afternoon. The jury will now consider Count II (negligent homicide). Expect a verdict sometime today.
The Supreme Court will hear oral argument in two cases on Monday:
- Kousisis v. United States — involving the fraudulent inducement theory of mail and wire fraud
- Feliciano v. Department of Transportation — to determine whether a federal civilian employee called or ordered to active duty under a provision of law during a national emergency is entitled to differential pay even if the duty is not directly connected to the national emergency.
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Meanwhile, in Florida, would-be Trump assassin Ryan Routh (remember him?) has moved to continue the date of his trial from February 10, 2025, citing delays in discovery, in part due to the voluminous nature of the material produced by the Government. “The third discovery production required the digital transfer of files so large that counsel’s IT department was required to intervene and the materials took several days to download.” Routh’s lawyers are asking for a trial date in December 2025. The Government is amenable to a continuance, but not until December.
MORNING MUSING
Every year, I vow I’m going to be on top of my Christmas game and have all my decorating and shopping done early. I think I only managed that once — in 2013. Ironically, that was when I was undergoing treatment (radiation) for breast cancer. For some reason that fall/early winter, I was very zen. I expect the seriousness of the situation forced me to prioritize and minimized the sweating of the small stuff. Also, counterintuitively, the calm I felt helped me to be more productive and, frankly, more intentional. I’ve been a procrastinator my entire life, and I’m sure that feeds an adrenaline junkie habit of some sort. But the truth of the matter is this: Slowing down and soaking everything in —being present — actually works better. It’s important to remember that everything that needs to get done will get done. The focus needn’t be so much on ToDo lists but rather on savoring the season (and its reason) and the opportunities it affords us to visit with and enjoy family and friends.
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LIGHTER FARE
I’m not certain any dog has ever looked more like a Walter than this one.