TOP O’ THE MORNIN’
Red-Hot at RedState
Abrego Garcia has gone through all the necessary legal procedures that are likely available to him. The government has also met the requirement set by the Supreme Court to ensure that his case is treated as if he had not been mistakenly sent to El Salvador.
Very little objectivity and chock full of grievance-mongering. In other words, CBS’ version of hard-hitting journalism eyeroll* emoji>.
Stop being such an idiot.
Trending Across Townhall Media
It is uncertain how this situation will conclude, so it is advisable to practice shooting, attend training sessions whenever possible, and enhance your skills.
The Left LOVES the Che Guevaras of the world because, in the end, they love violence. They find it sexy, even orgasmic.
This incident highlights the Democratic leadership’s attempt to generate anger artificially, which has not been successful. From Jeffries’ unsuccessful attempt at humor to his party’s continuous reliance on false stories, it is becoming evident why they are facing challenges in connecting with the voters.
President Trump took the grandkids out for a night at the fights. The fights were exciting, the crowd was supportive, and the left cried a raging river of liberal tears. All in all, UFC 314 was a ‘Yuge’ success.
WHAT’S ON TAP?
Today on Capitol Hill…
The critters are mostly back home for a “state work period” during Holy Week (and next week, as well), so there aren’t any big hearings or votes set. They’ll have their work cut out for them upon their return, however. Per Punchbowl:
The House committees expected to be among the first to mark up include the Judiciary, Homeland Security and Armed Services, three of the key authorizing committees. These markups will likely begin the week of April 28, GOP sources say.
Other committees may also mark up that week, as well.
…
The entire House committee markup schedule has been thrown into flux since the passage of the House-Senate budget resolution last week. House and Senate committees have vastly different instructions for their committees. GOP leadership was still reworking the cadence of markups for the 11 House committees instructed under the resolution.
Speaker Mike Johnson’s leadership team is committed to marking up its reconciliation package first, before the Senate gets started. Remember: tax bills have to start in the House.
Johnson and Senate Majority Leader John Thune are intent on finishing the package before Memorial Day. That’s just 42 days from now. This is a very ambitious timeline, as we’ve repeatedly noted.
White House What’s Up
President Donald Trump has a busy Monday. He’ll greet President Nayib Bukele of El Salvador at the White House late morning. The two will meet and then have lunch. (One suspects the case of Kilmar Abrego Garcia might be one topic of conversation…) Later in the afternoon, Trump will visit with 2025 College Football National Champions, The Ohio State Buckeyes.
Vice President JD Vance joined the chorus of those condemning the arson attack on the Pennsylvania Governor’s mansion and calling for swift justice for the perpetrator.
Keeping Up With the Cabinet
Sec. Defense – Pete Hegseth — Hegseth congratulated “Dan ‘Razin’ Caine on his confirmation in the Senate as the next Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff.”
Attorney General – Pam Bondi — Bondi expressed relief that Pennsylvania Governor Josh Shapiro and his family are safe and gratitude for the first responders and police apprehending the suspect following the arson attack on the governor’s mansion.
Sec. Interior – Doug Burgum — Burgum outlined how Trump’s decision to bring back “Beautiful Clean Coal” is a “triple win” for the U.S.
Sec. Agriculture – Brooke Rollins — Rollins highlighted five USDA accomplishments from this past week.
Sec. Commerce – Howard Lutnick — Lutnick emphasized the administration’s dedication to protecting our national security interests, including semiconductors.
Sec. Labor – Lori Chavez-DeRemer — Chavez-DeRemer recently visited Port Miami “to hear firsthand from the men and women who keep one of our nation’s busiest ports operating.”
Sec. Health & Human Services – Robert F. Kennedy Jr. — Kennedy visited FDA headquarters on Friday and reiterated his commitment to empowering FDA employees “to not see themselves as bureaucrats, but as leaders in an inspired and engaged workforce whose goal is to improve the health of this nation, particularly for our children.”
Sec. Housing & Urban Development – Scott Turner — Turner celebrated Palm Sunday in Charleston, South Carolina, with Senator Tim Scott and his wife, Mindy.
Sec. Transportation – Sean Duffy — Duffy visited the new FAA Tech Center in Atlantic City Friday to reiterate the administration’s commitment “to upgrading our ATC technology and making our air space the envy of the world.”
Sec. Energy – Chris Wright — Wright is in Saudi Arabia, visiting with the Saudi Minister of Energy to promote U.S. energy policy.
Sec. Education – Linda McMahon — McMahon announced that “The Title IX Special Investigations Team will investigate the parties that reportedly allowed a man to compete in a women’s fencing tournament last month.”
Sec. Veterans Affairs – Doug Collins — Collins honored Vaughn Drake Jr. of Lexington, Kentucky — said to be the oldest known survivor of the attack on Pearl Harbor — on his passing.
Sec. Homeland Security – Kristi Noem — Noem confirmed that as of May 7, all travelers will need a Real ID or passport in order to fly.
Admin. Environmental Protection Agency – Lee Zeldin — Zeldin joined “Gufeld!” Friday and noted that Elon Musk will long be remembered “for his intellect, his contributions to society, and the way he changed the world.”
Admin. Small Business Association – Kelly Loeffler — Loeffler recently visited Baltimore steel manufacturer Marlin Steel which supports Trump’s trade agenda.
Dir. Central Intelligence Agency – John Ratcliffe — Ratcliffe greeted Ksenia Karelina upon her return to the U.S.
Dir. Federal Bureau of Investigations – Kash Patel — Patel honored fallen Miami agents, along with AG Bondi.
Dir. National Intelligence – Tulsi Gabbard — Gabbard also paid her respects to the fallen agents.
U.S. Trade Rep. – Jamieson Greer — Greer joined “Face the Nation” to discuss the administration’s trade agenda.
Full Court Press…
Following a rather terse hearing with the court Friday in the Abrego Garcia case, the government has been providing the court with daily updates, as ordered, but essentially letting Judge Paula Xinis know they’re not playing her game. Expect there to be continued twists and turns in this one, especially with El Salvador President Bukele in town, as noted above.
The Supreme Court will likely be handing down additional opinions on Thursday. In the meantime, I’ll be doing my darnedest to get us caught up with my TL;DR “Skinny” summaries of the opinions issued thus far this term.
COMING ATTRACTIONS
Trump is set to meet with Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni later in the week, and Vance is heading to Italy at the end of the week.
We’ll undoubtedly see more of Trump’s trade agenda playing out.
As noted above, the Supreme Court looks to be handing down decisions on Thursday.
MORNING MUSING
The reference to the proverbial “Florida man” has been a long-running joke — no offense to our own resident Florida Man, Brad Slager — but lately, there’s been a lot of talk about a “Maryland father.” The fate of Salvadoran national Kilmar Abrego Garcia remains to be sorted out — and it’s been fascinating to watch the legal battles over it — but coverage of the case in the legacy media has overwhelmingly and repeatedly referred to him as a “Maryland father,” as though his having taken up residence in the Old Line State and produced offspring somehow negates the fact that he was in the country illegally — and subject to an order of removal (with the caveat that he was not to be removed back to his home country).
And let’s say the media wants to ignore the fact that in 2019, an immigration judge found DHS’ determination that Abrego Garcia was a member of MS-13 “trustworthy” and “supported by other evidence” and avoid, at all costs, conceding his membership in the gang now designated a “foreign terrorist organization.” They could just as easily refer to him as the “Salvadoran national” that he is — that’s not a loaded characterization in either direction. But no, they insist on referring to him as merely a “Maryland father” in an effort to evoke sympathy for his plight.
Well, fine, we can all play that game, right? So, I’ve decided I’m going to take to regularly referring to President Trump as a “Florida grandfather.”
“Florida grandfather sued, prosecuted, and shot at, then libeled by multiple news outlets.”
(It’s all in the framing, isn’t it?)
— Susie Moore ⚾️🌻🐶 (@SmoosieQ) April 13, 2025
LIGHTER FARE
How could anyone say “no” to that face?
Pupper doesn’t want to go home from the playground..🐕🐾😅 pic.twitter.com/eqVNCNtZrw
— 𝕐o̴g̴ (@Yoda4ever) April 13, 2025
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