News On Tap For Friday, July 18, 2025

All The News They Don’t Tell You

In today’s “News On Tap”, we’re talking about some of the things mainstream media is, like the Epstein files, & Paramount/CBS trying to censor Stephen Colbert. But there's also news about Republicans gutting NPR & PBS, the continued cruelty of MAGA Republicans, & how Republicans keep failing to govern well. We’ve also got good news about the “Good Trouble” rallies & ways to fight forward. Plus, we've got Karen & Anita of Tru Blu Politics in the bar tonight - & Karen was at a rally! But first…

First Round - The News the Mainstream (Mostly) Ignored

Fighting Forward

• "Good Trouble Lives On" Protests Held Across The U.S., Against Trump & Republican's Controversial, Cruel, & Destructive Policies

• Tens Of Thousands In U.S. Join ‘Good Trouble’ Anti-Trump Protests Honoring John Lewis

• The "No Kings" Playbook To Confront Trump’s Authoritarian Breakthrough Is Here. Millions Are Learning From It Already

• Another Win In Court: Federal Judge Rules Trump Firing Of Democratic FTC Commissioner Was Illegal

• California Democrats Have A New Plan To Fight Back Against Republican Attempts To Steal The 2025 Congressional Elections

• Matt Ford: Gavin Newsom’s Retaliatory Redistricting Plan Is Good, Actually - And It Could Work

• Kaniela Ing: A Message From A Winning Democrat - In Hawaii - On How Democrats Everywhere Can Win

Second Round - Republicans Can’t Govern

Republicans Hate Americans

• Republican House Rams Through Rescission Cuts To NPR, PBS, & Foreign Aid - Including UNICEF - Overnight, Sending Bill To Trump

• Where In The U.S. Republicans’ Cuts Threaten Access To PBS And NPR

• Republicans' Next Great Congressional Achievement: Shutting Down The Govt.

• Hayes Brown: Senate Republicans Just Made A Shutdown Much More Likely With Their Cruel & Poorly Thought-Out Rescission Bill

The Cruelty Is The Point

• Pam Bondi, With Other Trump Officials, Toured San Francisco's Alcatraz As Part Of Trump’s Pledge To Reopen Prison

• Trump’s Mad Dream Of Revamping Alcatraz Would Cost More Than $2 Billion

• Florida's Concentration Camp "Alligator Alcatraz" Isn’t Legally Supposed To Hold Minors. A 15 Year Old Ended Up There Anyway.

• Rümeysa Öztürk: What I Witnessed Inside An ICE Women’s Prison

How Republicans Govern

• Cost Of Health Insurance In U.S. Expected To Soar After Republicans Gut ACA Subsidies And Insurers Hike Premiums

• Average Long-Term U.S. Mortgage Rate Rises To 6.75%, Second Straight Uptick

• New AP-NORC Poll Finds Most U.S. Adults Know Republicans' Big Ugly Tax Law Will Help The Wealthy And Harm The Poor

• Trump DOJ Only Seeking One Day In Prison For Ex-Officer Involved In Breonna Taylor Murder Case

• Trump Regime Makes Sure Future Epsteins Don’t Get Caught, As Trump State Dept. Guts Office That Combats Human Trafficking

Third Round - More News To Drink About

Keep Diggin' Donnie

• Jeffrey Epstein’s Friends Sent Him Bawdy Letters For A 50th Birthday Album. One Was From Donald Trump. [Gift Link]

• Insiders Confirm Team Trump Was On The ‘F***ing Warpath’ To Kill Story About Salacious Letter To Epstein

• What The Government Evidence List Actually Tells Us About The Unreleased Epstein Files

• Flashback: Ex-Casino Boss Claims Trump And 'Best Friend' Jeffrey Epstein Were Once Caught Bringing Underage Girls To Casino Floor

• Reminder: Trump And Epstein Were Close Friends For More Than 15 Years

• After Release Of WSJ Story About Epstein Letter, Trump Tells Bondi To Seek Release Of Epstein Grand Jury Testimony

• Elie Honig Highlights Giant Hole In Trump's Claim To Release Epstein Grand Jury Testimony: "You're Leaving Out Tons Of Documents"

• House Republicans Set Up Pointless Non-Binding Resolution Calling For DOJ To Release Epstein Documents

• Kat Tenbarge: Right-Wingers Don't Actually Care About Epstein's Victims

Fourth Round - Entertainment & More

Media Matters

• CBS/Paramount Axes The Entire "Late Show Franchise," In Plainly Political Move, After Colbert's Trump Deal Quip

• David A. Graham: CBS & Paramount No Longer Deserve The Benefit Of The Doubt That Colbert’s Ouster Is Just A ‘Financial Decision’ [Gift Link]

• David Folkenflik: How Bipartisan Support For Public Media Unraveled In The Trump Era

Entertainment & More

• ‘Superman’ Expected Fly Over The Heads Of ‘Smurfs’ & Peeps Who Did Things Last Summer, With $60m Second Weekend

• In HBO's New Billy Joel Documentary, Out This Weekend, The Singer-Songwriter Gives Unusual Insight Into His Career - And It's Worth Hearing

• Disneyland Is Celebrating Its 70th Anniversary

• Caitlin Clark Announces She Will Miss WNBA All-Star Game Due To Groin Injury

• Former Little League All-Star Mo’ne Davis To Try Out For New U.S. Women’s Pro Baseball League

• World #1 Scottie Scheffler Shocks The Media By Telling The Truth, Saying Winning At Golf Is 'Not A Fulfilling Life' As British Open Begins

Your Bar Regulars Tonight…

The Hosts of Tru Blu Politics, Karen from Chicago & Anita From San Antonio, are back the bar tonight, to recap all the good, bad, & crazy news from this week. Plus, Karen will share her experiences at the “Good Trouble Lives On” rally in Chicago - and we’ll talk about how we all can keep fighting back against the fascist MAGAts. And we’ll celebrate some of the good things that happened this week too!

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