Morning Minute: Dear GOP - Keep Your Eyes on the Prize

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Wednesday, November 19, 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.

TOP O' THE MORNIN'

Red-Hot at RedState

James Comer Drops an Eye-Opening Surprise on Hakeem Jeffries During House Debate on Epstein Legislation

In my opinion, this is one of those "be careful what you wish for" moments that Democrats likely are already regretting, and undoubtedly, there will be more to come on this front.

Jasmine Crockett Takes Her Pathological Traits to Another Level During House Speech on Epstein

While Crockett is legally allowed to defame people on the House floor because of constitutional protections, this kind of gross behavior should result in censure and removal from committees. But since Republicans couldn't even manage to get that done against Plaskett, that seems unlikely.

Gotcha: House Dem Chuy Garcia Seals Fate After Newly Surfaced Document Undercuts His Entire Argument

So, a member of Congress "acting within the framework of the law" to do what amounts to installing their handpicked successor by ensuring they have no opponents, is a "progressive credential" of which to be proud, apparently.

Trending Across Townhall Media

Well...That Didn't Take Long. New Glock Model Already Outfitted with Full-Auto Switch

As the man in the movie said, you can't stop the signal.

If and When the 'Epstein Files' Come Out, Expect a Lot More of This

We need to see what is there. But I suspect the cost to innocent people will be much higher than we would like.

Some Celebrities Are Finally Getting That We Don't Care What They Think

That hits the nail on the head there — the entertainment industry loudmouths have only succeeded in being off-putting. As with almost all of the loudest people on the left, they don't win over any hearts and minds; they merely generate high-fives from people who already agree with them. They aren't the opinion-changing force that they believe themselves to be.

The Dems' Epstein Files Narrative Is Already Imploding

Overall, this grand narrative that the Epstein Files were going to wreck Trump was as authentic as legal advice from Michael Avenatti.

'We Got Him THIS TIME!' Kara Swisher Predicts the Walls Are FINALLY Closing In on Trump Presidency

We know she's a loon, but it's just too much fun to drag her every time she is wrong. Which is basically every day of her life.

WHAT'S ON TAP?

Today on Capitol Hill...

Tuesday was a fairly eventful day on the Hill, between the votes on the Epstein files and the decision to censure Democrat Rep. Jesús "Chuy" Garcia (IL-04), the critters had a full plate. And let's not forget the spirited debate over whether to censure Del. Stacey Plaskett (D-VI).

Jamie Raskin Gives Shameful Defense of Democrat Colleague's Collusion With Epstein

Wednesday looks to be a busy day, as well, with multiple hearings/meetings set, including:

House Judiciary, Constitution and Limited Government Subcommittee — “Enumeration or Estimation: Why Inaccurate Census Results Hurt American Citizens”

House Select Committee on the Strategic Competition Between the United States and the Chinese Communist Party — Predatory Pricing: How The Chinese Communist Party Manipulates Global Mineral Prices to Maintain Its Dominance

House Committee on Administration — Full Committee Hearing: “Taking Stock of the STOCK Act”

Senate Finance — Hearings to examine the rising cost of health care, focusing on considering meaningful solutions for all Americans

House Education and Workforce, Workforce Protections Subcommittee — "E-Verify: Ensuring Lawful Employment in America"

House Judiciary, Oversight Subcommittee — “Restoring Law and Order in High-Crime U.S. Cities”

House Ways and Means, Health Subcommittee — Modernizing Care Coordination to Prevent and Treat Chronic Disease

Senate Judiciary, Immigration, Citizenship, and Border Safety Subcommittee — Hearings to examine Immigration and Customs Enforcement

Senate Commerce, Science, and Transportation, Aviation Safety, Operations, and Innovation — Hearings to examine how shutdowns threaten air safety, travel, and the economy

Senate Aging (Special) — Hearings to examine made in America, focusing on restoring trust in our medicines

White House What's Up

President Trump is set to attend and deliver remarks at the Saudi Investment Forum in Washington, D.C., on Wednesday.

Also on Wednesday, First Lady Melania Trump and Second Lady Usha Vance will visit Camp LeJeune in North Carolina to spend time with military members and their families.

Keeping Up With the Cabinet

Attorney General - Pam Bondi — Bondi shared her disappointment with the Texas district court's ruling regarding the Texas redistricting map on Tuesday.

We strongly disagree with today’s district court ruling on Texas’s redistricting map - Texas’s map was drawn the right way for the right reasons. We look forward to Texas’s victory at the Supreme Court.
— Attorney General Pam Bondi (@AGPamBondi) Nov 18, 2025

Full Court Press...

An interesting assortment of court rulings on Tuesday.

❌ Trump v. CNN (defamation) — 11th Circuit Court of Appeals AFFIRMS district court's dismissal of case. (This is an older (2022) suit filed by Trump against the network over their use of the phrase “Big Lie” to describe his claims about the 2020 presidential election. The district court dismissed the case; he appealed; the appeals court affirms the dismissal here.)

↔️ Massachusetts Fair Housing Center v. HUD (denial of federal grants) — 1st Circuit Court of Appeals issues judgment remanding case to district court for further proceedings.

✅ Doe v. Noem (termination of categorical parole programs) — 1st Circuit Court of Appeals DENIES plaintiffs' petition for a panel rehearing.

❌ Castanon Nava v. Department of Homeland Security (immigration enforcement) — Judge Jeffrey Cummings (Northern District of Illinois) DENIES admin's motion to stay pending appeal.

Then there was the ruling out of Texas regarding their redistricting attempts.

That one's being appealed directly to the U.S. Supreme Court.

COMING ATTRACTIONS

On Thursday, Vice President JD Vance will sit down with Breitbart Washington Bureau Chief Matt Boyle for a fireside chat at the Andrew W. Mellon Auditorium in Washington, DC.

MORNING MUSING

I get the rationale behind the push for redistricting. Political gerrymandering is permissible, and when you're the party in control, naturally, you're going to try and press things to your advantage. If anything, it's been the Republicans' hesitancy to do just that that's resulted in them being steamrolled by the Democrats time and again.

But even the best laid plans can go awry, and we're seeing a trend amongst the judiciary to rule against Republican redistricting plans because of course they are. Which means many — perhaps most — efforts at redistricting ahead of the 2026 midterms are going to still be tied up in litigation come election time, and the quest to improve Republicans' chances on that front may yield minimal success at best.

Republicans know they're going to have to fight tooth and nail to hang onto the congressional majority in 2026, so I'm hoping they refocus their efforts on shoring up their "safe" districts and finding, vetting, and running good, quality candidates (across the board), while pushing policies that are going to help the economy prosper and voters feel like they're getting ahead of the "affordability" curve.

In other words, don't get so distracted by all the strategery and intrigue that you forget to deliver and give voters a reason to support your candidates. Focus on winning the races you're actually running.

LIGHTER FARE

Talk about trying to suck up all the attention...

Again, again..🐶😅
— Yog (@Yoda4ever) Nov 18, 2025

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