Monday Morning Minute: Running on Empty

Start Your Week Right: Recharging When You're Running Low

TOP O’ THE MORNIN’

Red-Hot at RedState 

A recent New York Times article appears to be an urgent attempt to persuade the American public that Joe Biden had some level of involvement in approving autopen signatures for the numerous pardons issued in his last days in office. Nevertheless, this report has only generated more questions than it answered.

When there’s an intent to vilify ICE agents, accusations of them “disappearing people” or “kidnapping” without revealing their identity often surface. These claims persist despite the clearly visible “Border Patrol” or “ICE” labels on the agents’ uniforms. Arresting or detaining individuals by law enforcement is not equivalent to “kidnapping.”

It is evident that if the media and certain politicians could continue to blame the political right for these acts of violence, this narrative would dominate the news cycle. However, coverage on Boelter has been minimal since certain letters linked to him emerged.

Trending Across Townhall Media

I’m not surprised to see the anti-gunners try to spin a loss into a win, and I guess I shouldn’t be surprised at the willingness of local media to just parrot their talking points instead of, you know, doing actual reporting. I’m not sure if this is overt bias by reporters, sheer laziness, or a combination of the two, but either way, their “victory” is still fake news.

Will this hurt Trump permanently? Probably not. The issue is not a top 10 one with the public. But it has been with MAGA, and a lot of people feel insulted. 

According to Boelter, the details that weren’t leaked were about “things that were going on in Minnesota.”

There’s no way Biden knew what was going on, given his mental state. This is a circus. Staffers were helming the ship on this, not Biden, though that’s hardly shocking.

If the New York Times’ reporting can be verified by the Trump administration, those pardons and commutations would be in danger.

WHAT’S ON TAP?

Today on Capitol Hill…

The House is back, and we’re set to have a busy week on the Hill as the Senate wrestles with the rescission package. There are a handful of meetings/hearings set for Monday: 

  • House Veterans’ Affairs, Technology Modernization Subcommittee — VA Office of Information and Technology Organizational Structure and Priorities
  • House Rules — H.R. 1919 – Anti-CBDC Surveillance State Act; H.R. 3633 – Digital Asset Market Clarity Act of 2025; S. 1582 – GENIUS Act; H.R. 4016 – Department of Defense Appropriations Act, 2026
  • House Appropriations, Departments of Transportation, and Housing and Urban Development, and Related Agencies Subcommittee — Fiscal Year 2026 Transportation, Housing and Urban Development, and Related Agencies Bill
  • House Appropriations, Energy and Water Development, and Related Agencies Subcommittee — Fiscal Year 2026 Energy and Water Development and Related Agencies Bill

White House What’s Up

Mid-morning on Monday, President Donald Trump is set to meet with Mark Rutte, the Secretary General of NATO, in the Oval Office. After that, he’ll participate in the White House Faith Office Luncheon in the State Dining Room.

Full Court Press…

We had some more district court craziness on Friday, as Judge Indira Talwani amended her prior temporary restraining order (TRO) on Planned Parenthood funding, in bizarro fashion, and Judge Maame Ewusi-Mensah Frimpong issued a TRO aimed at curtailing ICE immigration enforcement efforts. The appeal has already been filed on the latter, and we’ll undoubtedly see some sort of response from the administration on the former before long. Never a dull moment. 


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