Friday, January 23, 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
Brandon Gill Trounces Jack Smith and Leaves Him in the Dust During Epic Grilling
Gill pointed out how Smith did this despite concerns about violating the Speech and Debate clause, and despite the fact that it was never contemplated to charge these people. Gill contended that Smith walked all over their rights.
Homan Plans to Defy Spanberger After ‘Bond Villain’ Blocks ICE Cooperation in VA: ‘Not Going to Stop’
Spanberger would prefer that the citizens of Virginia hide in the shadows, staying behind locked doors at home, rather than having criminal illegal aliens be a little skittish about having to be held accountable. Any Bond villain would be nodding with approval.
‘Machiavelli Is Dead,’ Declares Argentinian President
The rebirth of the ideas of liberty is not academic. It is spiritual. It is moral. And it is happening whether the gatekeepers approve or not.
Trending Across Townhall Media
Yes, Virginia, They Want Your Guns: New Bill Would Ban Possession of ‘Assault Firearms’
In fact, I don’t think any Republicans in the legislature should try to water down this bill by offering an amendment to exclude existing owners. This is what Democrats introduced. Don’t negotiate. Don’t give them an opportunity to claim they’re really moderate and willing to compromise. They keep insisting that no one wants to take our guns, and SB 749 proves them wrong. Make them own it.
Real Mann of Science™ Ordered to Settle His Markers With Mark and Rand
There has to be immense relief and utter jubilation at another crack on Mann. Mark and Rand Simberg are still appealing the orginal verdict, too. God bless them, intrepid freedom of speech and truth warriors, both.
JD Vance Was Absolutely Brilliant in Minnesota
That’s the point where I left my car, but trust me, it was fantastic to watch, and you should check the whole thing out. Vance defended law enforcement with clarity, context, and courage. He called out the lies, honored the victims, and demanded accountability from those who prefer chaos to order.
Well, We Know Why Don Lemon Wasn’t Charged in the Minneapolis Church Storming Incident
But Lemon was not charged, and we likely know why: the local judge’s wife works for Minnesota Attorney General Keith Ellison.
Lemon in Orange? Activist Podcaster Dares Pam Bondi to Arrest Him but It’s Harmeet Dhillon Who Responds
Lemon would love to be a ‘journalistic’ martyr. Best to not give him the pleasure. Letting Lemon languish in mediocrity might be the best punishment for him. His sad podcast is its own prison, after all.
WHAT’S ON TAP?
Today on Capitol Hill…
The critters have largely flown the coop, as most likely wanted to get out ahead of the Winter Storm Fern. Friday is the March for Life, though, so no doubt some of the pro-life congressional members are sticking around for that.
Before closing up for the week, they did make some progress, with the House managing to get the final FY 2026 appropriations bills across the finish line — a feat that hasn’t been accomplished in nearly three decades.
For the first time in 29 years, the House has passed all 12 appropriations bills.
With a 1 seat majority.
Regular order has returned.
Congratulations,@TomColeOK04 & @SpeakerJohnson
— Derrick Van Orden (@derrickvanorden) January 22, 2026
READ MORE: Minibus Passes, Essential Agencies Now Funded: Defense, Health, and Education – and DHS!
More High Drama on House Floor Includes Kerfuffle During Venezuela War Powers Vote
Now it falls to the Senate to see if it can get it together next week, ahead of the January 30 deadline. Something tells me they will. I don’t think there’s an appetite for more Shutdown Theatre at the moment — besides, there’s drama aplenty in Minnesota.
White House What’s Up
President Trump is back in the U.S. following his stint in Davos, Switzerland. On Friday, he’ll participate in an interview in the early afternoon. He’ll then sign some bills, meet with Social Security Administration Commissioner Frank Bisignano, and participate in “policy time” in the Oval Office.
The vice president had a good laugh over protesters attempting to disrupt his (non)stay in Minneapolis, after his Thursday visit to Drama Central.
🤣 https://t.co/JY9PTnoVU2
— JD Vance (@JDVance) January 23, 2026
READ MORE: JD Vance Schools Media After Reporter Pushes Debunked ‘5-Year-Old Arrested by ICE’ Hoax
Keeping Up With the Cabinet
Sec. Agriculture – Brooke Rollins — Rollins recently shared a post inviting those who know of someone committing fraud against nutrition programs to report it to the USDA.
Do you know of someone committing fraud against nutrition programs? We want to hear from you!
In St. Louis, we found a group accused of stealing and laundering $7 MILLION from local school lunch programs.
Report fraud here: pic.twitter.com/wRIoB4Rysm
— Secretary Brooke Rollins (@SecRollins) January 23, 2026
Full Court Press…
We had a couple of notable court decisions on Thursday, including:
- ❌ American Association of University Professors v. Rubio (habeas/removal of protesters) — Judge William Young (Massachusetts) enters JUDGMENT in favor of Plaintiffs on Counts I and IV.
- ↔️ Jackson v. Kennedy (RIF) — Judge Beryl Howell (D.C.) GRANTS in part/DENIES in part admin’s motion to dismiss.
A big part of the discussion this week has been about whether or not DHS/ICE can rely on administrative warrants (versus judicial warrants) to enter homes in order to apprehend illegal aliens with a final order of removal. We had a great discussion about that on Thursday on the morning show — it’s about six minutes, and if this is a topic of interest for you, I encourage you to give it a listen:
Found out that ICE agents entering homes with an administrative warrant – rather than a judicial one – isn’t (currently) considered a 4th amendment violation.
Legal Eagle @SmoosieQ explained the difference between warrants, and how they apply to ICE. https://t.co/El09J3HUZy
— Jerome (@ProducerJerome) January 22, 2026
Our good friend (and sometime-columnist) Shipwreckedcrew also wrote on the issue yesterday — here’s his lawsplainer.
COMING ATTRACTIONS
President Trump will deliver remarks in Clive, Iowa, on Tuesday, January 27th.
First Lady Melania Trump will ring the opening bell of the New York Stock Exchange on Wednesday, January 28th.
MORNING MUSING
It’s Friday, and the weekend’s almost here, so it’s the appropriate time to think about chilling out after a crazy, hectic week of news and such. We got our fill of Jack Smith and his Arctic Frost antics on Thursday. And…there’s no question that some of the protesters in and around Minneapolis could stand to put their furor on ICE. In fact, some of the ringleaders who mobbed Cities Church last Sunday have entered the FO stage — they might want to put some ice on that.
Mother Nature appears intent on reminding everyone — or at least two-thirds of the country — of that this weekend. The arctic blast has already blown through — we’re at 9 degrees in STL and continuing to drop. Next comes the snow for us and ice for those in the South. It’s going to be the perfect weekend to stay home and chill.
So, I highly recommend that. Stay safe, stay warm, and catch y’all on the other side. 🥶
LIGHTER FARE
Whatever Queso wants, (s)he shall have!
Queso has something to tell you 😺
— Antidepressant Content (@depressionlesss) January 23, 2026
Enjoying the “Morning Minute”? You can ensure you receive it in your Inbox every weekday by signing up for our newsletter here.
Editor’s Note: Do you enjoy RedState’s conservative reporting that takes on the radical left and woke media? Support our work so that we can continue to bring you the truth.
Join RedState VIP and use the promo code FIGHT to get 60% off your VIP membership!
