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'
Dershowitz was laughing, he was gesticulating, he was appalled, he was incredulous. Judge Juan Merchan “went berserk” when dealing with defense witness Robert Costello, he said.
Here's the Behind the Scenes Dish on How Biden Might Get Out of Debates
According to Adams, her CNN sources are telling her both sides are having second, third, and fourth thoughts about agreeing to the rules Biden put out there.
Elise Stefanik Speaks at the Knesset Then Throws Down on Fox News Sunday Over Her Support of Trump
So, while Stefanik's reaction may have been less than measured, her challenging Bream's sources and premise was totally legitimate.
WHAT'S ON TAP?
Today on Capitol Hill...
Things are cookin' again on the Hill, with a number of meetings/hearings set for Tuesday, including:
- Senate Judiciary — Hearings to examine competition in the prescription drug market, focusing on ensuring affordable and accessible medications
- Senate Energy and Natural Resources — Hearings to examine the opportunities, risks, and challenges associated with growth in demand for electric power in the United States
- Senate Foreign Relations — Hearings to examine the President's proposed budget request for fiscal year 2025 for the Department of State, focusing on American diplomacy and global leadership (Sec. of State Antony Blinken to testify fresh off his world Guitar Hero tour)
- Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs — Hearings to examine fraud and Zelle
- Senate Finance — Hearings to examine trade enforcement and entry of merchandise at U.S. ports
White House What's Up
President Joe Biden is traveling Tuesday, first to Nashua, New Hampshire, where he's to deliver remarks on the PACT Act, then to Boston, Massachusetts, where he'll attend a campaign event in the evening before heading back to D.C.
Full Court Press...
Court is back in session in Manhattan Tuesday morning, where attorney Robert Costello will retake the stand for further cross-examination by the prosecution, followed by re-direct by former President Donald Trump's defense team. Unless things have changed overnight, Costello is set to be the last witness of the trial, and that will close out the evidence portion, though Judge Juan Merchan signaled Monday that closing arguments won't take place until next Tuesday. (All of this, of course, assumes that Merchan doesn't grant the defense team's dismissal motion — it would be a stunning turn of events were he to do so, but I hope no one's holding their breath on that.)
The trial of Sen. Bob Menendez (D-NJ) continues in the Southern District of New York, as well.
Of Primary Concern
Primaries are set today in Georgia, Idaho, Kentucky, and Oregon, as well as the special election in California to fill former Speaker Kevin McCarthy's seat in the 20th Congressional District and complete the rest of his term. Republicans Vince Fong (the State Assemblyman handpicked by McCarthy) and Tulare County Sheriff Mike Boudreaux square off in that one. Stay tuned to RedState for coverage of the race results.
MORNING MUSING
I may have shared this story before, but a critically important lesson I learned on my very first day of law school was: "Don't piss off the judge." (My Civil Procedure professor — a self-styled "frizzy-haired, Jewish lady labor lawyer" — scrawled that in big, bold letters across the chalkboard as we nervous 1Ls entered the auditorium where her class was held and began to take our seats.) It stood me in good stead for nearly three decades of litigation practice. I was reminded of it Monday after the fireworks between Judge Merchan and witness Robert Costello in Trump's Manhattan trial. Now, many contend that the judge was way out of line here — believe Alan Dershowitz characterized him as "berserk" — and he may well have been. He's certainly not conducted himself as an even-handed broker in all of this. That said, in my view, Costello was playing a dangerous game on Monday, and I'm not entirely certain to what end. I can definitely understand his exasperation. And maybe he was intentionally tossing a brushback pitch at Merchan. But that's a big gamble, and Trump and his defense team needs to hope it doesn't backfire. We'll soon see...
LIGHTER FARE
He's the worst!
Harrison Butker Late For Practice Again After Spending Morning Enslaving Women And Forcing Them To Wear Handmaid's Tale Uniforms https://t.co/Emi74Mq0VD pic.twitter.com/jtp2hOUKWI
— The Babylon Bee (@TheBabylonBee) May 20, 2024
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