News On Tap For Tuesday, July 29, 2025

Media, Messages, Mayhem, & Murder

In today’s “News On Tap”, we’ve got mayhem, murder - & yes, genocide - which are filling the news, even as the right keeps waging their wars on education, immigration, & the courts. Thankfully, we’ve also got Cliff Schecter & Pete Dominick here tonight to help us discuss all of it! But first…

First Round - Yes, It's Genocide

• Former Israeli Attorney General Michael Ben-Yair Agrees That Israel Is Now Committing Genocide In Gaza

• U.S. Federal Code, 18 USC 1091 - Definition Of "Genocide"

• Global Authority On Hunger Confirms 'Worst-Case Scenario Of Famine' Now Unfolding In Gaza Under Israel's Offensive

• Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu Claims No One In Gaza Is Starving. Data, Facts, & Witnesses Prove Him Wrong.

• UK To Recognize Palestine As A State Unless Israel Agrees To 'Immediate Ceasefire' In Gaza

• Ethan Bronner: Israelis Are Finally Beginning To Question The Morality Of Their War In Gaza

Second Round - Another Day That Ends In Why

• Four Dead In Midtown Manhattan Shooting, Including Immigrant Who Was An Off-Duty NYPD Police Officer

• Gunman Who Killed 4 At NYC Building Was Targeting NFL Offices, But Took Wrong Elevator

• Shooter Opens Fire Outside Reno, Nevada Casino, Killing 3 & Injuring Others

• Innocent Bystanders Caught In Gunfire As Shooting In Atlanta Kills 1, Injures 10

• 1 Killed, 3 Hospitalized After Gunman Opens Fire On Detroit's West Side

• Suspect Faces Terrorism Charges In Stabbing Of 11 At Walmart In Michigan

Third Round - The Many Wars Of The Right

War In The Courts

• Federal Judge Expands Previous Ruling, Orders Medicaid Funding Restored To All Planned Parenthood Affiliates

• Overreaching Texas Atty. Gen. Ken Paxton Sues Ulster County, New York Clerk Over Abortion Ruling After Clerk Follows New York Law

• Trump Admin Escalates Its War With The Courts — This Time Targeting Judge Boasberg

• Embattled Trump Nomination Of Emil Bove Kneecapped Again As Third DOJ Whistleblower Comes Forward

War On Education

• Smells Like Capitulation: Harvard Now Said To Be Open To Spending Up To $500 Million To Resolve Trump Dispute [Gift Link]

• Duke University Now Being Probed By Trump Regime Over Allegations Of Civil Rights Violations

• Weaponized Injustice: The Faculty Senate At George Mason Univ. Adopted A Resolution Supporting The School’s President & His Diversity Work. Now The Trump DOJ Is Investigating Them [Gift Link]

War On Immigration

• U.S. Workers & Factories Confirm Trump’s Immigration Crackdown Is Causing Labor Shortages Throughout The Economy

• Federal Judges Begin Pressing Trump Admin. On Deportation Quotas

Fourth Round - More News To Drink About

The Trump/Epstein Scandal Rolls On

• New Report Says Trump DOJ & FBI Have Secret Epstein Prison Tape With No ‘Missing Minute’

• In Supreme Court Appeal, Ghislaine Maxwell Is Now Fighting Trump DOJ's Framing Of Epstein Plea Deal

• Sen. Dick Durbin Demanding Recordings Of Trump DOJ Interviews With Ghislaine Maxwell

• Ghislaine Maxwell Offers To Testify Before Congress – But With Major Conditions, Including Immunity

Miscellaneous But Important

• New Trump Admin. Memo Allows Federal Workers To Try To Proselytize & Persuade Coworkers Their Religion Is 'Correct'

• Apple's iOS 26 Text Filters Could Cost Political Campaigns Millions Of Dollars

• Roy Cooper Raises Record $3.4 Million In First 24 Hours Of His Senate Candidacy

• MAGA Georgia Republican Lawmaker Misspells The Name Of His Own State In His Senate Campaign Launch

Fifth Round - Entertainment & More

Rest In Peace

• Ryne Sandberg, Chicago Cubs' All-Star Second Baseman & MLB Hall Of Famer, Dies From Cancer At 65

Media Matters

• Freedom Of The Press Fdn. Files Disciplinary Complaint Against Trump FCC Chair Brendan Carr, Alleging Ethics Violation; Seeks Sanctions Including Disbarment

• Versant Taps ‘NBC Nightly News’ EP Meghan Rafferty As V.P. Of News Standards

• Sonnenfeld & Company: The “Tiffany Network” Shatters As Paramount-CBS Sells Its Soul, For Cheap

Entertainment & Sports

• Colbert Relentlessly Mocks Parent Company Paramount & Its Just-Approved Merger With Slew Of Pee Jokes After New Stock Ticker "PSKY" Announced

• Eddie Murphy Cast As Inspector Clouseau In New 'Pink Panther' Reboot

• Man Sentenced To 18 Months In Prison For Stalking, Harassing Caitlin Clark

• Univ. Of Colorado Head Football Coach & NFL Legend Deion Sanders Announces He Had Bladder Cancer, But Is Now Cured & Will Coach This Season

Today’s First Special Guest

Cliff Schecter, political commentator, podcaster, author, columnist, & former Democratic campaign PR creator, is back at The Politics Bar to talk about the day's news & his new media platform Blue Amp. We’ll also talk about the shifting environment in U.S. news media, and some of the 2025 & 2026 political races - like the race for U.S. Senate in North Carolina.

Today’s Second Special Guest

Pete Dominick, host of “Standup With Pete Dominck” is a stand-up comic, podcaster broadcaster, news commentator, & activist for quality journalism - and it’s his first time at the bar. We’ll draw from today’s “News On Tap,” talk about his years as the warmup comic for Stephen Colbert, and talk about more about the U.S. media - and what we can all do to support quality media.

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