News On Tap For Wednesday, August 13, 2025

Stupid AND Evil

Today’s “News On Tap” is like a suicide slushie of all the dumbest and worst people doing stupid fascist things. From Trump’s half-assed occupation of DC, to Trump’s partners in fascism, Putin and Netanyahu, waging their own wars, to the right’s perpetual war on good government, it’s not an either/or, but a “Why Not Both” today. Thankfully, there’s some good news in the redistricting war, in Elections Land, and some fun news in entertainment too. Plus DC native Bob Cesca will beam back into the bar tonight, to knock down all the BS about DC being a crime-ridden hellhole. But first…

First Round - Stupid Fascism Is Here

• National Guard Troops Begin DC Assignment; Guard Members Are Supposed To Be Unarmed & Not Making Arrests During Deployment

• As National Guard Troops Arrive In DC, There’s Uncertainty Over Who’s In Charge Of The Police

• The Trump Admin's "New" Method Of Homelessness Crackdown Has Been Tried Before. It Failed.

• In "Posse Comitatus" Trial, California Clearly Has The Stronger Argument Over Trump Admin.

• Will Saletan: From Taking Over DC To Selling Out Ukraine To Putin, Trump's Rapey Coercive Arrogance Continues

Second Round - Trump’s Partners In Fascism

Putin's War On Ukraine

• French Pres. Macron Says Trump, In Meeting With EU Nations & Ukraine, Agreed That Only Ukraine Can Negotiate Territorial Concessions With Russia

• Trump-Putin Summit To Take Place At U.S. Military Base In Anchorage

• Russia Now Suspected To Be Behind Breach Of PACER, The Federal Court Filing System [Gift Link]

• Jonathan Lemire: Putin's New Trap For Trump [Gift Link]

Netanyahu's War On Gaza

• Israel’s PM Netanyahu Pushes For Palestinians To Leave Gaza, As Egypt Continues Seeking 60-Day Truce

• Netanyahu Hints Gaza Ceasefire Talks Now Focusing On Releasing All Hostages At Once

• Israel, Holding More Than 200 Palestinians For The Crime, Still Hasn’t Prosecuted A Single Suspect For The Oct. 7 Attack

Third Round - The Many Wars Of The Right

The Redistricting War Rolls On

• Texas House Democrats Likely To Return Home For Second Special Session, Even As Texas Senate Dems Join In The Walkout

• Corrupt Trump Ally, Texas Atty. General Ken Paxton, Escalates Texas Redistricting Fight, With Call For Beto O’Rourke To Be Jailed

• Newsom Trolls ‘TACO Trump’ With A Truth Social-Style All-Caps Fake Rant, Saying California Is Going To Redraw Their Maps Anyway

War On Good Government

• Trump’s Incompetent Pick For BLS Commissioner Endorses Suspending Monthly Jobs Reports

• After Firing Of BLS Commissioner, Commerce Sec. Lutnick Tells Federal Statisticians At BLS That Independence Is ‘Nonsense’

• Commerce Sec. Lutnick Confirms To Census Workers That Congress Has Final Say Over The Count, Not Trump - & That Undocumented People Will Be Counted

• Trump Admin. Says They Will Go Through A Through Review Of Smithsonian Exhibits To Make Sure They Align With Trump's "Vision Of History"

• U.S. Budget Deficit Soars 20% Over The Summer, Discrediting Trump’s Claims He's Fiscally Responsible

• Nations Move Toward Making Their Own Vaccines As Trump Admin. Cuts U.S. Funding And Preparations For Pandemics

War On Immigration

• Federal Judge Rules ICE Must Improve Conditions In N.Y.C. Migrant Holding Cells [Gift Link]

• ICE Processing Center Is All But Empty When California Congress Members Arrive To Inspect

• Laura Barrón-López: Trump's Moves On Immigration Are Making Immigration Courts Dysfunctional

War On LGBTQ People

• Minnesota Teen Says Random Server At Buffalo Wild Wings Restaurant Forced Her To Prove Her Gender In Restaurant Bathroom

• Charlotte Clymer: If Same-Sex Marriage Is Overturned - An Explainer For The Worst Case Scenario, If Obergefell Is Overturned

Fourth Round - More News To Drink About

The Trump/Epstein Scandal Continues

• Trump Admin. Clears Ghislaine Maxwell To Leave Prison On "Work Release"

• Allison Gill: Ghislaine Maxwell's Security Score, Custody Level, Transfer Code, & Sex Offender Waiver Shouldn't Allow Her Work Release - But Here We Are

Elections Land

• Former Democratic Senator Sherrod Brown To Run For U.S. Senate In 2026, Challenging Jon Husted

• CNN Polling Analyst Harry Enten Says Republicans Have No Hope Of Holding The House In 2026 With Their Current Poll Numbers

• Speaker Mike Johnson, In New Interview, Admits Republicans Are Terrified Democrats Will Impeach Trump A Third Time If They Regain The Majority

Climate Crisis

• Alaska’s State Capitol Juneau Orders Evacuations As A Record Flood From The Mendenhall Glacier Looms

• Quid Pro Blow: Trump FTC Drops Antitrust Investigation Against Volvo, & Daimler After Truckmakers Commit To NOT Enforce Their Private Emissions Reduction Agreement With California

Fifth Round - Entertainment & More

• YouTube Launches AI Age-Verification In U.S., Which Will Automatically Restrict Users Estimated To Be Under 18

• Beyoncé Wins Her First Primetime Emmy For Her ‘Beyoncé Bowl’ Halftime Show At The Super Bowl

• Trump Says He Will Host The Kennedy Center Honors, & Unveils This Year’s Recipients - Including Many Trump Supporters

• Little League World Series Begins Today With Drama Before It Even Starts; Venezuelan Team Allowed Visa Exemptions To Play

• Minnesota Twins Owners Release Statement Announcing Team Is No Longer For Sale

• Venus Williams Gets A U.S. Open Wild Card Spot At Age 45, And Will Be The Oldest Person In The Singles Tournament Since Renee Richards In 1981

• Venus Williams To Get New Barbie As Part Of Inspiring Women Collection

Your Bar Regular For Today

Beaming back from Star Trek Las Vegas, Bob Cesca - broadcaster, podcaster, journalist, comic artist, & host of The Bob Cesca Show - is recharged & ready for another round tonight at The Politics Bar. Bob’s latest piece at The Banter, “The Jobs Report Was Bad — So Trump Fired the Messenger” focuses on the kind of stupid authoritarianism Trump is showing right now with his National Guard occupation of Washington, DC. Since DC is Bob’s hometown, we’ll talk about that & so much more

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