News On Tap For Friday, August, 15, 2025

A Time For War

Today's "News On Tap" has a fighting flavor, with Newsom going on offense in L.A., Democrats in DC fighting against the new Trump occupation, & Texas Democrats keeping up the fight in a new way. Plus, Donnie has a meeting with his boss Putin today, the right is still at war with everyone, & Michigan has to pay a heavy price for cheating. Thankfully, we’ve got Karen & Anita, co-hosts of TruBlu Politics to help us go through all of that and more tonight. But first….

First Round - No More Kumbaya

Democrats Go On Offense

• California Gov. Gavin Newsom Launches Official Redistricting Campaign, Calls For A Special Election To Allow For A New Congressional Map In California

• Border Patrol Agents In L.A. Show Up Outside Of Gov. Gavin Newsom's Redistricting Press Conference

• Leaked Chart Reveals Winners And Losers In California’s Democratic Gerrymander

• In Win For Texas Democrats, Texas Republicans Forced To End First Special Session; Gov. Abbott Immediately Calls For Second Special Session

• Texas Democrats Get Boost From Former Pres. Obama For Blocking Texas Republicans' First Illegitimate Redistricting Push

• Find a "Fight the Trump Takeover" event you can go to this weekend!

Fighting The New Occupation

• This Morning: DC Attorney General Sues To Block Trump Regime's Hostile Takeover Of DC Police Department, As Citywide Occupation Intensifies

• Last Night: Trump Atty. Gen. Pam Bondi Tries To Name DEA Head As DC’s ‘Emergency Police Commissioner,’ But DC's Elected Leaders Push Back

• DC Man Accused Of Throwing Sandwich At Federal Officer Released From Custody, As Judge Finds Felony Charge Pointlessly Excessive

• As Trump's Regime Pushes Its Illegitimate Federal Takeover Of D.C. Police, These Are Your Legal Rights [Gift Link]

• Donell Harvin: How To Truly Keep Washington, DC Safe - How Trump’s Militarized Approach Undercuts What’s Been Working

Second Round - A Meeting With His Boss

• Putin Enters Talks With Trump In Alaska From A Position Of Strength

• Shut Out Of Alaska Summit, Ukrainians Anxiously Await Trump-Putin Fallout

• New Pew Poll Finds More Than Half Of Americans Lack Faith In Trump On Russia-Ukraine War

• One Point Where Ukraine & Russia Both Agree: A Summit With The President Of The United States Is A Big Win For Putin

Third Round - The Many Wars Of The Right

War On Immigration

• Newly Obtained ICE Documents Reveal Plan By Trump Admin. To Double Immigrant Detention Space This Year

• Man Fleeing ICE Immigration Raid In California Fatally Struck By Vehicle

• LAUSD Students Return To Class Amid Fears Over Immigration Enforcement

War On Education

• Federal Judge Strikes Down Multiple Trump Admin. Actions Against Diversity Programs At Schools & Colleges Nationwide

• Trump Administration Ordered To Partially Restore Grants To UCLA

• UCLA’s Legal Win Over Trump Could Prompt Different Strategy In Similar Cases

• Harvard May Still Be Willing To Pay A Half-Billion Dollar Ransom To Trump Regime To Restore Federal Funding

• Tens Of Thousands Of Alumni, Faculty, Students, Staff, & Members Of The Public Ask Harvard Not To ‘Give In’ And Pay Ransom To Trump

• Oklahoma State Schools Superintendent To Begin Giving Controversial Test Developed By Right-Wing Propagandists, To Weed Out So-Called ‘Woke’ Teacher Applicants

War On Abortion

• Federal Judge Blocks Trump Admin’s Broad "Religious And Moral" Birth Control Exemptions From ACA Rules

• Costco To Stop Selling Abortion Pill Mifepristone At Its U.S. Pharmacy Stores, Claiming Low Demand, After Pressure From Right-Wing Extremists

Fourth Round - More News To Drink About

Miscellaneous But Important

• Angry MAGA Republicans In U.S. House Plan To Bypass Speaker Mike Johnson Repeatedly In September By Forcing Votes On Releasing The Epstein Files

• Trump Reportedly Called Norwegian Minister ‘Out Of The Blue’ To Ask About Nobel Prize

The Trump/Epstein Scandal Rolls On

• Newly Leaked Reports Say Trump Has Privately Dismissed Epstein's Victims As ‘Democrats’

• Elie Honig: Republicans Have Created A Legal Nightmare For Themselves On Epstein

Climate Crisis:

• Landmark Global Plastic Pollution Regulation Talks Collapse With Trump Admin. Opposing Key Production Limits

• Tribal Nations Are Scrambling To Save Clean Energy Projects From Trump Admin.

Fifth Round - Entertainment & More

• Taylor Swift’s ‘New Heights’ Podcast Earns 13 Million YouTube Views In 24 Hours As She Unveils Her New Album

• 'Peacemaker' Season 2 Review: After A 3.5-Year Hiatus, James Gunn's Third DCU Installment Packs A Surprisingly Emotional Punch

• James Gunn Admits ‘Superman’ Is Getting Digital Release So Quickly Because Of ‘Peacemaker’ Season 2 Blockbuster

• Eight Things To Watch For The Final Month Of The WNBA Regular Season

• NCAA Comes Down Hard On Harbaugh & Michigan Football, Fining The Team Over $20M, And Penalizing Both Former & Current Head Coaches

• Federal Investigators Reportedly Nearing Indictments In Point Shaving & Game Fixing In College Basketball Scandal

Your Bar Regulars Tonight…

If it wasn’t clear to you before, it should have become clear this week that a growing majority of Democratic, Independent, and non-Trump Republicans have had enough of the Trump & MAGA Republican BS flooding the U.S. With Texas House Democrats standing up and getting some help from Democrats in Illinois, it only makes sense to have the hosts of Tru Blu Politics, Karen from Chicago & Anita From San Antonio, back at the bar tonight. They’ll give us the feeling of what’s happening on the ground, and we’ll talk about some of the other news of the week. Plus, we’ll celebrate some of the good things that happened this week too. Join us!

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