News On Tap For Wednesday, March 18, 2026

Lessons to Learn

Today’s “News On Tap” has a flavor of winning, and a few lessons too. We’ve got the full election recap from the primaries in Illinois yesterday - with some lessons for all of us. We’ve also got updates from Trump’s stupid Iran war, and the growing costs of that war. There’s also more bad news about Trump’s economy, and some updates from hearings on Capitol Hill today. Plus, more losses for Trump in the media, and some news in entertainment too. And Bob Cesca will rejoin us at the bat tonight to talk about all that and more. Read up, get informed, & we’l see you here tonight.

First Round - Election Land Returns

• Complete 2026 Illinois Primary Election Results

• Historically High Early Voting In Chicago Helps Bolster Slower Day At Polls

• Current Lt. Gov. Juliana Stratton Wins Illinois Senate Democratic Primary Election Race

• Daniel Biss Barely Wins Democratic Primary Over Kat Abughazaleh In Closely-Watched Illinois Ninth District House Race

• Melissa Bean Wins Illinois 8th District Primary, Likely To Reclaim Her Former U.S. House Seat

• Special-Interest Super PACs Underperform In Illinois Primary Elections

• Big Money Hits A Wall In Illinois Democratic Primaries, Ending With A Decidedly Mixed Record Of Effectiveness

• Paul Waldman: AIPAC’s Strategy In Illinois Primaries Should Be A Wake-Up Call For Democratic Candidates - And For Voters

Second Round - Trump's Stupid Iran War

Updates From The War

• Live Updates: Iran’s Intelligence Minister Killed By Israel; U.S. Unleashes Bunker Busters

• Oil Surges To $110 A Barrel After U.S. & Israeli Forces Strike Iran’s Energy Facilities

• New WSJ Report Exposes Extent Of Russia Helping Iran Target U.S. Troops, Even As Trump Eases Oil Sanctions On Russia

• Anne Applebaum: Everyone But Trump Understands What He’s Done With The Iran War - And That’s Why No One Is Joining Him [Gift Link]

The Costs Of War

• U.S. Drivers See Gas Prices Jump To Their Highest Level Since 2023 As The Iran War Drags On

• Three-Time Trump Voter Freaks Out About Gas Prices: ‘Apparently, I’m An Idiot!’

• New Yahoo/YouGov Poll: 66% Of Americans Disapprove Of Trump On Gas Prices, As They Feel Effects Of His Iran War

• Perspective: Why This Jump In Gas Prices Feels Different

Third Round - Republicans Can't Govern

Trumponomics Is Failing

• Inflation Report: Wholesale Prices Rose 0.7% In February, Mostly Before War Started, Much More Than Expected And Up 3.4% Annually

• Expectations For The Next Fed Rate Cut Get Pushed Back After Hot Inflation Report

• Growing Body Of Evidence Confirms Trump’s Tariffs Are Causing Harm To American Manufacturers Instead Of Benefiting Them

Insecurity On Capitol Hill

• Top Trump Regime National Security Officials Face Back-To-Back Congressional Hearings Starting Today

• DNI Gabbard Grilled On Iran War, Her Presence At Fulton County Raid, During Senate Hearing

• Sen. Markwayne Mullin Faces Senate Confirmation Hearing Today To Lead Homeland Security Department

• At Confirmation Hearing, Sen. Rand Paul Questions If Markwayne Mullin Has Temperament To Lead DHS

The Battle Over Democracy

• Senate Clears Procedural Hurdle, Begins Debating Trump-Backed SAVE America Act, But It’s Still Unlikely To Pass

• Senate Republicans Struggle - & Fail - To Make Their Fight To Ram Through ‘SAVE America Act’ Uncomfortable For Democrats

• Wall Street Journal: Why The ‘SAVE America Act’… Won’t - A Pyrrhic Victory On Voting Isn’t Worth Busting The Senate Filibuster

• U.S. Downgraded In Worldwide Democracy Index As Concerns Continue To Grow

Fourth Round - More News To Drink About

War In The Courts

• Attorney General Pam Bondi Subpoenaed To Answer Questions From Congress About The Epstein Files

• Federal Judge Appears Skeptical Of Trump’s Authority To Build White House Ballroom

• Arizona Atty. Gen. Mayes Files Criminal Charges Against Kalshi Prediction Market Alleging An “Illegal Gambling Operation”

• Mayor Mamdani Moves To End City’s Defense Of Former Mayor Adams In Sexual Assault Lawsuit

Miscellaneous But Important

• Seven-Ton Meteor Startles Cleveland Area With Boom And Bright Flash

• Pulse Nightclub Demolished Nearly 10 Years After Massacre Left 49 Dead; Will Be Made Into A Memorial

Fifth Round - Media, Entertainment, & More

Media Matters

• Federal Judge Orders Voice Of America To Restart All News Operations

• Voice Of America Ordered To Reinstate 1,000 Employees Cut Last Year Under Kari Lake

• ‘CBS Evening News’ Viewership Drops Below 4 Million After Tony Dokoupil’s Disastrous Start

• CBS News Streaming Workers Walk Out After Collapse Of Contract Talks Under Bari Weiss

Entertainment & More

• Oscar Ratings Fall 9% From Last Year With 17.9 Million Viewers

• Dune 3’s Excellent First Trailer Reveals First Look At Robert Pattinson’s Transformation

• ‘Spider-Man: Brand New Day’ Trailer Released: Tom Holland Shoots Organic Webs, Reunites With Bruce Banner, And Teams Up With Punisher

• Val Kilmer Resurrected By Ai, With His Family’s Blessing, To Star In New Movie ‘As Deep As The Grave’

• Venezuela Beats U.S. 3-2 On 9th-Inning Double To Win First World Baseball Classic Title

• WNBA And Players’ Union Reach Tentative Deal On A New Collective Bargaining Agreement

• WNBA’s New Cba Agreement: Three Key Points To Know, Including Pay Increases

Your Bar Regular Tonight

Bob Cesca, podcaster, broadcaster, journalist, artist, & host of The Bob Cesca Show, as well as co-host of the award-winning Trek Politics! Bob’s back tonight for more drinks & fun political discussion - and we’ve got more elections to recap! There’s also more of Trump’s stupid illegal war in Iran to talk about, as Bob did in his recent piece at The Banter. There’s some new superhero news we’ll talk about with Bob too. Grab a drink & join us this evening!

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