News On Tap For Thursday, March 12, 2026

The Enemy Gets A Vote

Our “News On Tap” for today has an even stronger flavor of quagmire than yesterday’s, unfortunately. Thankfully, we’ve got news updates on Trump’s excursion/war/quagmire in Iran, the costs of the war, and the reason for it (it’s oil). We’ve also got news updates on Republicans’ war on democracy, & the rest of the cluster on Capitol Hill. There’s some frustrating news in Election Land, and some great news in entertainment. And our friend John Fugelsang will be here to talk about all of it with us. Read up, get informed, and we’ll see you here at the bar tonight!

First Round - From Excursion To Quagmire

Updates From Trump’s New Persian Gulf War

• Live Updates: Iran’s New Supreme Leader Vows To Keep Blocking Strait Of Hormuz As Oil Prices Spike Again

• Three More Ships Struck By Iranian Forces In The Persian Gulf, As Iran’s Leaders Warn Of Oil Hitting $200 Per Barrel

• Iran Targets The Busiest International Airport In The World In Dubai, As Un Demands End To Persian Gulf Attacks

• Intelligence Sources Confirm Iran Has Laid About A Dozen Mines In Strait Of Hormuz

• Trump Admin. Plan To Unblock Strait Of Hormuz Collides With Realities Of Global Insurance

• Energy Secretary Wright Says U.S. Now ‘Not Ready’ To Escort Oil Tankers Through Strait Of Hormuz

• Trump Again Claims War Is Won, But Also Says ‘We Don’t Want To Leave Early’ As Oil Prices Rise Again

• U.S. Intelligence Officials Confirm Iran Government Is At No Risk Of Collapse Any Time Soon

• New Zeteo/Drop Site/Data For Progress Poll Shows Most Americans Believe Trump Launched Iran War To Cover Up Epstein Scandal

• Jeff Wise: With New Iran Conflict, The U.S. Is In A New Kind Of War - And We Don’t Have The Upper Hand

It’s About The Oil

• Iran Tells World To Get Ready For Oil At $200 A Barrel As It Fires On Merchant Ships

• Trump Admin. To Release 172 Million Barrels From U.S. Strategic Reserve In Attempt To Combat Oil Price Surge

• Reality Is Starting To Set In: Why Oil Prices Surged Even After The Release Of Strategic Reserves

• Hayes Brown: Presidents Don’t Set Gas Prices. Trump’s Iran War Is An Exception To That Rule.

The Costs Of War

• Preliminary Inquiry Confirms U.S. At Fault In Strike On Girl’s School In Iran [Gift Link]

• Outdated Intel Likely Led To Deadly U.S. Strike On Iranian Elementary School

• Pentagon Tells Congress First 6 Days Of Iran War Officially Cost More Than $11.3 Billion

• War With Iran Puts Further Strain On America’s Farmers, As Fertilizer And Diesel Costs Skyrocket

Second Round - Republicans Can't Govern

Republicans’ War On Democracy

• Senate Republican Majority Leader Thune Confirms Trump-Backed SAVE America Act Will Get A Senate Vote Next Week

• Sen. John Cornyn Flips On Killing The Filibuster, To Pass The SAVE America Act, As Trump Dangles Endorsement

• The “SAVE America Act” Explained: How Republicans’ Current ‘Show Your Papers’ Voting Bill Is Even More Extreme Than The Previous Version

• Charlie Pierce: Does John Thune Actually Have A Spine To Stand Up To The SAVE America Act? He Might.

• Trump’s Attacks On Democracy Are Working, Some: New Marist Poll Confirms Americans’ Confidence In Fairness & Accuracy Of 2026 Elections Is Already Declining

The Cluster On Capital Hill

• TSA Workers Set To Miss First Paycheck Of Partial Shutdown As Senate Continues Fighting Over DHS Funding

• Senate Republicans Block Senate Democratic Bill To Fund All Other DHS Agencies, Including TSA, While Still Blocking ICE & CBP

• CBO Confirms U.S., At The Direction Of Trump Admin., Borrowed $50 Billion A Week For The Past Five Months: ‘This Cannot Be Sustainable’

• Republican-Led Senate On Track To Pass Housing Affordability Package - That’s Dead On Arrival In The House

• Sen. Josh Hawley Introduces Bill To Remove FDA Approval For Abortion Drug Mifepristone

Third Round - Trump's Further Failures

Trump’s Tariffs Failures

• Trump Admin Now Telling Court That Tariff Refunds May Take Significant Time To Send Out

• Trump Regime Kicks Off New Process To Try To Replace Tariffs Struck Down By Supreme Court

Trump’s Failing Immigration Wars

• Federal Judge Temporarily Halts Maryland ICE Facility Construction, Citing Environmental Concerns

• Furious Right-Wing Allies Lobby Trump To Keep Deporting Immigrants, As Trump Admin. Tells Republicans To Back Off On Anti-Immigrant Messaging

• Trump Admin. Appeals Lower Court Ruling To Supreme Court In Further Attempt To End Immigration Protections For Haitian Immigrants

• UN Panel Of Experts Says Racist Hate Speech By Trump And Other U.S. Leaders Has Led To Human Rights Violations In Domestic Immigration Operations

Fourth Round - More News To Drink About

The Trump/Epstein Files

• In Testimony To Congress, Epstein’s Former Accountant Richard Kahn Revealed Settlement With Woman Who Accused Trump Of Sexual Assault When She Was 13

• Oversight Chair Rep. Comer Confirms Epstein’s Accountant, During Closed Door Testimony, Named Individuals Who Fueled Epstein’s Wealth

Election Land

• South Carolina Democratic Rep. Jim Clyburn announces his intention to run for reelection to Congress, at 85

• Oklahoma Republican Rep. Hern launches bid to succeed Markywayne Mullin in Senate

Other Foreign Affairs

• Trump’s War With Iran Is Sucking Up Expensive U.S. Air Defense Munitions That Ukraine Desperately Needs

• Lords A-Leaving: Britain Is Ejecting Hereditary Nobles From Parliament After 700 Years

Fifth Round - Media, Entertainment & More

Media Matters

• Universal Pictures To Give Movies Longer First Run Play in Theaters, Ending Pandemic-Era Policies

• SXSW 2026 Begins: 15 Film And TV Premieres That Will Make Their Debuts In Austin

Entertainment & More

• The Countdown Is On For The 98th Oscars, With Conan O’Brien Back And A ‘Moving’ In Memoriam

• Oscars 2026 Predictions: Who Could Win Best Picture, Actor And Actress?

• Jack Osbourne & Wife Aree Gearhart Announced The Birth Of Their Second Child - His Fifth - & Named Her After His Dad

• Ballet Legend Misty Copeland Says Timothée Chalamet ‘Wouldn’t Be An Actor’ If Not For Ballet And Opera

• Broadway Legend Nathan Lane Has Harsh Words For “Schmuck” Timothée Chalamet, Tells ‘The View’ No One Cares About Ping-Pong

• World Baseball Classic: United States Sneaks Into Quarterfinals With Italy’s Dominant Win Over Mexico

• Oksana Masters, Jake Adicoff, And Sydney Peterson Are Golden In Monster Day For U.S. Para Cross-Country Team

• U.S. Superstar Oksana Masters Extends Historic Medal Haul At Winter Paralympics With Three Gold Medals, & Is Now The Most Decorated American Winter Paralympian Ever

Tonight’s Bar Regular:

John Fugelsang, our friend, broadcaster, podcaster, comedian, Host of “Tell Me Everything with John Fugelsang” weeknights on Sirius XM and author of the bestselling book “Separation of Church and Hate” is back with us at the bar tonight for more news, drinks, and fun. We’ll talk about Trump’s rapidly devolving Middle East war, how the Trump regime didn’t plan for this war, & how killing kids isn’t Christian at all. We’ll also cover the cluster on Capitol Hill, some frustrating news in Election Land, and how if the U.S. had treated Trump like France did their former president, we wouldn’t be in this mess. We’ll also draw a few rounds from the News On Tap. Grab a drink & join us tonight!

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