News On Tap For Friday, December 12, 2025

Santa’s Overflowing Bad List

Today’s “News On Tap” is a bit salty - maybe it’s all the MAGA tears because they know they’re on Santa’s bad list. We’ve got news updates on Trump & Republicans’ failures on health care & affordability, Donnie’s new war, & his old wars, including on immigration, good government, the courts, and redistricting. Also, A.I. & foreign affairs news, and some entertainment news too. Plus, Karen & Anita of TruBlu Politics are back for our usual weekly roundup of all the news from this week. Read up & get informed!

First Round - Affordability Matters

Sick Of Republican Health Care Failures

• Senate Republicans Reject Senate Democrats’ Bill To Extend Expiring ACA Subsidies, After Failing To Pass Their Own Bill

• Why Affordability Is The ‘Beating Heart’ Of The ACA Enhanced Subsidy Debate

• Dylan Scott: Health Insurance Premiums Are About To Spike For Millions. The Only People To Blame Are Republicans.

• Charles Gaba: As Expected, Senate Republicans Prevented The ACA Subsides From Being Extended. Now What?

Trumponomics Is Failing

• New AP-NORC Survey Confirms Most Americans Are Seeing Higher Prices For Groceries & Gifts

• Homeowners Are Losing Tens Of Thousands In Equity Thanks To Weakening Home Prices

• Mayor-Elect Mamdani And NY AG Tish James Begin Taking On High New York’s Housing Costs

• Thomas Edsall: Trump’s Biggest Challenge To Affordability Isn’t His Tariffs Or His Economic Policies. It’s His Ego. [Gift Link]

Second Round - TrumpLand’s Foreign Wars

Trump Wants A War For Xmas

• Trump Regime Preparing To Seize More Tankers Off Venezuela’s Coast After First Ship Taken

• Trump Admin. Issues New Sanctions Targeting Maduro’s Family And The Venezuelan Oil Sector

• Senate Pushes Forward With Boat Strike Probe As House Republicans Pull Back

Immigration Wars

• Kilmar Abrego Garcia To Remain Free From ICE Custody Following Federal Judge’s Order

• ICE Operation Shows The Difficulty Of Immigration Arrests Amid Pushback In Frigid Minnesota

Third Round - TrumpLand’s Domestic Wars

War Over Good Govt.

• Solid Bipartisan Group Of House Members Pass Bill To Restore Collective Bargaining For Federal Employees

• Federal Judge Orders Trump’s FEMA To Restore Billions In Canceled Disaster Mitigation Funding

• Hundreds Now Quarantined In South Carolina, And On The Utah/Arizona Border, As Measles Spreads In 2 U.S. Outbreaks

• DHS Sec. Noem Accused Of Misleading Congress About Early Hearing Departure To Canceled FEMA Meeting

• Trump Official Testifies To House Committee That ‘Antifa’ Is A Major Threat To U.S. — But Then Can’t Define What Or Who Is ‘Antifa’

• Preservationist Warns Trump Admin. Is Taking Steps Toward Demolishing Four Federal Buildings

War In The Courts

• Trump’s DOJ Again Fails In Its Third Attempt To Indict New York Attorney General Letitia James

• Trump Issues Symbolic & Legally Meaningless Pardon For Election-Denier Tina Peters, Who Was Convicted On State Charges In Colorado

• Chris Geidner: After Trump’s Legal Losses This Week, It’s Clear The Trump Admin’s Authoritarian House Of Cards Is Starting To Fall

Fourth Round - More News To Drink About

Redistricting Wars

• Indiana State Senate Republicans Reject Trump’s Redistricting Efforts 31-19, Despite Trump & Maga Threats

• Indiana Lt. Gov. Confirms Trump Threatened Federal Funding For His State If Legislature Didn’t Redraw Congressional Map

• Maryland House & Senate Leaders Confirm Redistricting Is Not On Next Week’s Special Session Agenda - But Democratic Leaders, Including Gov. Moore, Say It’s Not Dead Yet

• Redistricting Wars Shift To Wisconsin, Where Their State Supreme Court Has Ordered Judicial Panels To Potentially Pick New Maps That May Favor Democrats

Alternative Dangers

• Trump Signs Executive Order In An Attempt to Neuter State & Local Laws That Regulate A.I.

• NYC passes landmark laws to start regulating AI use at the local level in ads and films

Foreign Affairs

• EU Set To Indefinitely Freeze Russian Assets, Removing Obstacle To Ukraine Loan

• Trump Admin. Now Claiming International Stabilization Force Will Be Deployed To Gaza Early Next Year, But Has No Details

• Olivia Troye: The Quiet Rewrite Of America’s National Security Priorities By The Trump Regime Is Stunning - And Terrifying

Fifth Round - Media, Entertainment, & More

• MSNOW Sets Primetime Special With Michelle Obama For Dec. 18

• Director Carl Rinsch Found Guilty Of Scamming $11M From Netflix, Buying Luxury Cars, Watches, & More

• Heisman Finalists Named In Advance Of Award Ceremony On Saturday

• 37 Yr Old “Grandpa” Kirk Cousins Leads The Atlanta Falcons To 29-28 Comeback Victory Over The Tampa Bay Buccaneers

• Remarkable Lindsey Vonn Wins World Cup Downhill At Age 41 To Start Her Olympic Season

Your Bar Regulars Tonight…

Our friends Karen from Chicago, & Anita From San Antonio, co-hosts of Tru Blu Politics, are back tonight for our regular weekly roundup of all the crazy news of the week, from Trump & Republican’s election losses, to Trump’s many wars, the Epstein files, & more. We’ll talk about all of it tonight, and have a few drinks too. Come on by, grab a seat & a sip, & join us!

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