News On Tap For Tuesday, March 17, 2026

Selfish, Stupid, & Alone

We worked together to build today’s “News On Tap” - because unlike Donald, we’re not selfish or stupid. We’ve got news updates today from Trump’s stupid illegal war in Iran, the costs of that war, and the next war Donald (& Lil’ Marco) wants. We’ve also got Republicans’ failing war against democracy, & Trump’s other domestic wars, against immigration, in the courts, and against good government. Plus, it’s election day in Illinois, and we’ve got media & entertainment news too. Plus, our friend Phil Ittner, independent war correspondent will be joining us to help us get a bit more perspective on al of Trump’s wars. Read up, get informed, & we’ll see you tonight!

First Round - Trump’s Do-It-Yourself Failing War

Updates from Trump’s Illegal Iran War

• Live Updates: Trump Confirms Most Allies, Including NATO, Are Still Refusing To Help Join U.S. To Secure Strait Of Hormuz

• Europe And UK Push Back Against Trump’s Demands For Warships To Reopen The Strait Of Hormuz: ‘This Is Not Our War’

• Top Trump Counterterrorism Official Joe Kent, An ‘America First’ Republican, Resigns Over Iran War, Confirming Iran Posed No Imminent Threat

• Flashback July 2025 (For Context): Republicans In Congress Put White Nationalist Conspiracy Theorist Joe Kent In Top Counterterrorism Job

• Trump Claimed He Spoke To A Former President About Bombing Iran. Four Denials Suggest Otherwise.

• Escalate Or Exit? Military’s Menu Of Options For Trump’s Next Move In Iran War Are Limited

• Nicholas Grossman: Trump’s Favorite Tactic Of Business Bluster Is Failing At The Business Of War

The Costs Of War

• U.S. Central Command (Centcom) Confirms 200 U.S. Service Members Wounded Since Iran War Started

• Gasoline Prices Are Still Rising As The Iran War Stretches Into Its Third Week

• Rift Widens Among Republicans Over Israel And War In Iran

• G. Elliott Morris: New Polls Confirm Trump Has Finally Lost Working-Class Whites, Due To The Iran War

Trump’s Next War - In Cuba

• Cuba’s Power Grid Collapses Into Island-Wide Blackout After Weeks Of U.S. Oil Blockade

• Trump Says U.S. Will Have ‘Honor Of Taking Cuba’ Amid Power Blackout & Government Struggles

• Trump Regime Threatens Cuban Government Amid Oil Blockade, Telling Them Their President Has To Go [Gift Link]

Second Round - The War Over Democracy

• Senate To Take Up ‘SAVE America Act’ Voter Restriction Bill Today, That’s Being Pushed Trump, But Strongly Opposed By Democrats

• What’s In The ‘SAVE America Act’ Voting Restriction Bill That Republicans Are Trying To Ram Through Senate

• Hayes Brown: Trump’s SAVE America Act Is An Ego-Driven Loyalty Test By Trump - & It Won’t Help Republicans Save Their Jobs

Third Round - Trump's Other Domestic Wars

Immigration Wars

• Democratic Leader Hakeem Jeffries Seeks To Force Vote In House On DHS Funding Without ICE And CBP

• Senate Republicans Block Five Separate Bills In 24 Hours Offered By Senate Democrats To Fund TSA, FEMA, CISA, & Coast Guard - But Not ICE Or CBP

• Last Protester In Immigration Detention After Trump’s 2025 Campus Crackdown Has Finally Been Released - After A Year In Custody

• Florida Sheriffs’ Group Now Rebelling Against Trump & DeSantis’ Hard Line Mass Deportation Efforts, Reflecting Efforts From Trump Staffers To Stop Immigration Chaos

• Controversial Border Patrol Official Greg Bovino Now Set To Retire At The End Of This Month

War In The Courts

• House Oversight Panel Officially Votes To Subpoena AG Pam Bondi In Epstein Probe

• Federal Judge Blocks RFK Jr’s Overhaul Of Vaccine Committee & Recommendations

• Supreme Court Now Set To Consider Trump Push To End Protection Status For Haitians And Syrians

• Weather Science Research Group Sues Trump Regime Over “Arbitrary & Capricious” Selloff Of Boulder Lab

• DC Pipe Bomb Suspect Now Says He Should Be Covered By Trump’s Jan. 6 Pardons

War On Good Government

• Facing Bipartisan Senate-Passed Housing Bill, & Key Extension Of The FISA Act, House Republican Hard-Liners Face Headaches Ahead

• Trump DOJ Drops Experience Requirement For New Prosecutors Amid Desperate Hiring Struggle

• Trump’s DOJ Is Helping A Convicted FBI Informant Tied To Russian Intelligence Get Released

• Jeanine Pirro Struggling After Racking Up A Series Of Embarrassing Defeats

Fourth Round - More News To Drink About

Election Land

• Illinoisans Head To The Polls Today To Elect General Election Candidates For Their Next U.S. Senator And Five U.S. House Congressional Districts

• Five Things To Watch In Today’s Illinois Primary Elections

• Candidate Daniel Biss In IL-09 Congressional Democratic Primary Race Accused Of Inappropriate Relationship

• Kevin Robillard: Illinois 9th District May Turn Out To Be The District AIPAC Couldn’t Conquer

Other Foreign Affairs

• Trump Now Planning To Delay His Meeting With Xi In China By ‘A Month Or So’ Due To Iran War

• Afghanistan Says At Least 400 Killed In Strike By Pakistan On Kabul Hospital

• Foreign Policy By Extortion: Trump Regime Threatens Zambia’s Government, Promising No Further HIV Aid Without More Access To Minerals [Gift Link]

Fifth Round - Media, Entertainment, & More

Media Matters

• Trump’s Handpicked Kennedy Center Board Approves Two-Year Closure For $250 Million Renovation

• Paul Farhi: Brendan Carr’s Media Threats Aren’t Really About Licenses Or The First Amendment. They’re About Weaponizing Power.

Entertainment & More

• ‘Paradise’ Renewed For Third — And Likely Final — Season At Hulu

• Sarah Michelle Gellar Criticizes ‘Buffy’ Reboot Cancellation, Tags One Particular Executive With The Blame

• Rock Music’s Most Famous Phone Number, 867-5309, Will Now Direct Callers to a Cancer Helpline

• Heart’s Ann Wilson To Premiere New Documentary, ‘In My Voice,’ With 10-City Screening And Q&A Tour

• Iran Negotiating With FIFA To Move World Cup Matches Out Of U.S. Due To Trump’s War With Iran

• Team USA Vs. Venezuela: Full Preview Of Tonight’s World Baseball Classic Final

Today’s Special Guest

Phil Ittner is exactly the kind of freelance journalist one should look to when they need to get a proper perspective about war. Phil’s been covering them for more than 25 years, and following the 9/11 attacks in the U.S., he had a major role in the coverage of the wars in Afghanistan and Iraq. Phil’s still back in Ukraine, where they now have all kinds of experience fighting Iranian drones. We’ll get an update on the wars in Ukraine & Iran, and how the two are tied together. Plus we’ll ask him how his St. Patrick’s Day has been! Grab a drink & join us tonight.

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