News On Tap For Thursday, April 23, 2026

Grinding It Out

In today’s “News On Tap” it’s clear that Trump is just grinding it out, and not getting anywhere. We’ve got your Iran war quagmire update today, Trump’s latest Cabinet firing, and the costs of the war, There’s also news in failing government, on the economy, in the immigration wars, and on Capital Hill. There’s news in the Redistricting War too, along with updates in Polls & Politics, & in the Trumpstein Files too. There’s plenty of media and entertainment news too. And John Fugelsang is back in the bar tonight too! Read up, get informed, & come to the bar tonight!

First Round - Trump's Middle East Quagmire

Updates From The Iran War

• Live Updates: Trump Orders U.S. Navy To ‘Shoot And Kill Any Boats’ Laying Mines In Strait Of Hormuz

• Air War In Iran Has Given Way To Crippling Stalemate In Hormuz [Gift Link]

• Inside Sources Confirm Iran’s Military More Capable Than Trump Administration Is Publicly Acknowledging

• Zeeshan Aleem: How Trump Set The Stage For A Long Drawn-Out Negotiation With Iran

Fragging Their Own

• Hegseth Ousts The Navy Secretary, Further Destabilizing The U.S. Military During A War That Trump Started

• MAGA Warmonger & Twice-Failed Republican Candidate For Congress Hung Cao Named Trump’s New Acting Navy Secretary

The Costs Of War

• New Pentagon Report Destroys Trump’s Dream of Cheaper Gas Before Midterms, Saying It Could Be Six Months Or More Before The Strait Of Hormuz Is Open & Clear

• Why Diesel Has Become a Much Bigger Economic Problem Than Gasoline, Due To Trump’s War In Iran

Second Round - Republicans Can't Govern

Trumponomics Is Failing

• New CNBC Survey Shows Trump’s Net Approval Rating On Economy Falls To Lowest Of His Two Terms

• New Gallup Economic Confidence Index Shows 47% Of U.S. Adults Believe Economic Conditions Are Poor; 73% Say They’re Getting Worse

Immigration Wars

• ICE Tells Officers To Curtail Court Arrests, Stop Entering Homes Without Warrants

• Senate Republicans Bypass Democrats To Ram Through $140B Plan To Boost ICE & CBP Funding Amid Ongoing DHS Shutdown

• Related: In Win For Common Sense, Four Republicans Senators - Collin, Murkowski, Tillis, & McConnell - Vote Against Adding SAVE America Act To Budget Package

Other Failures In Governing

• Tough On Crime My Ass: Trump’s DOJ Has Cut Thousands Of Law-Enforcement Jobs While Vowing To Get Tough On Crime

• RFK Jr-Led CDC Cancels Publication Of Study Showing Benefits Of Covid Vaccines [Gift Link]

• Oliver Willis: The Trump Regime Doesn’t Want You To Know The COVID Vaccine Worked

• During Congressional Hearing, RFK Jr. Defends Trump’s Mathematically Impossible Drug Discount Claims

• Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis Signs Law Blocking Local Florida Governments From Funding DEI

Third Round - The Redistricting War

• For Frustrated Republicans, The Redistricting Wars Now Turn To Florida And The Courtroom

• Biased MAGA Judge In Virginia Temporarily Blocks Virginia’s Redistricting Referendum; VA Atty. Gen Appealing To State Supreme Court

• Kevin Robillard & Arthur Delaney: Trump & Republicans Started A Redistricting War. Democrats Are Winning It.

• Adam Serwer: Republicans Are Really Mad About The Redistricting Wars Because Democrats Finally Stopped Following Old Rules That Repubs Long Ago Abandoned. [Gift Link]

• Jonathan Last: The National Battle Over Gerrymandering Should Be Just The First Step For Democrats. Next Up? Expanding SCOTUS.

Fourth Round - More News To Drink About

Polls & Politics

• Voting Rights Groups Sue Trump Administration To Stop Collection Of Voter Data

• Strength In Numbers Polling Shows Democrats Don’t Actually Hate Their Party. They Hate That Their Party Doesn’t Fight Harder.

The Trumpstein Files

• House Democratic Rep. Raja Krishnamoorthi Slams Trump DOJ For Considering Ghislaine Maxwell Pardon

• Trump DOJ’s Internal Watchdog Claims They Are Now Reviewing Compliance With The Law Mandating Epstein Files Release

Other Foreign Affairs

• EU Approves €90 Billion Loan For Ukraine After Hungary Lifts Controversial Veto

• Millions Of Americans May Now Also Be Considered Canadian Under New Law In Canada

Miscellaneous But Important

• Rep. David Scott, A Georgia Democrat Seeking His 13th Term In Congress, Dies At Age 80

• Rep Tom Kean Jr., 57, House Republican, Has Been MIA In Congress For More Than A Month

• Trump Admin. Moves To Reclassify State-Licensed Medical Marijuana As A Less-Dangerous Drug In A Historic Shift

• Struggling Discount Carrier Spirit Airlines Nears $500 Million Bailout Deal With Trump Admin, While Its In Bankruptcy

• Prediction Market Kalshi Suspends Three Political Candidates Who Bet On Their Own Races

Fifth Round - Media, Entertainment, & More

Trump’s War Against The Media

• Trump’s Plans For A ‘Mic-Drop’ Confrontation With The Media At The White House Correspondent’s Dinner Are Leaked

• Margaret Sullivan: Why Are White House Journalists Partying With Trump At All?

• Judge Tosses Kash Patel’s Defamation Suit Against Former MSNBC/MSNOW Contributor Frank Figliuzzi

• FBI Said To Have Investigated NYTmes Reporter After Article On Patel’s Girlfriend [Gift Link]

• New York Times Executive Editor Accuses FBI Of Trying To “Criminalize” Journalism Amid Report On Investigation Of One Of Its Correspondents

Other Media Matters

• Paramount Takeover Of Warner Bros. Gets Green Light From Shareholders, But They Reject David Zaslav’s Massive Golden Parachute

• Hollywood Petition To Block Paramount-Warner Bros. Merger Tops 4,000 Names As Robert De Niro, Sofia Coppola, Holly Hunter And More Join The Fight

• ‘Simpsons’ Movie Sequel Nabs $21.9 Million To Film In California, As State Ramps Up Tax Credit Program

Entertainment & More

• Michael B. Jordan And Austin Butler To Star In New Miami Vice Film

• Taylor Swift And Bad Bunny Top Spotify’s First All-Time Most Streamed Artists List

• Album Review: Foo Fighters Build A Healing Album Out Of Heroic Noise

• SGA Scores 37 As The Thunder Beat The Suns To Go Up 2-0 In Their 1st-Round NBA Playoff Series

• Detroit Pistons Have Insane 30-3 Run To Open The Third Quarter, Smashing The Orlando Magic In Game 2 To Tie The NBA Playoff Series At 1-1.

• Johnston Scores On Power Play, As Dallas Stars Defeat Minnesota Wild In 2OT In Game 3

• Zegras & Philly Flyers Push Penguins To Brink With Game 3 Win Over Pittsburgh To Take 3-0 Lead In Series

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. (John’s also got new writing and a new/old video up on his Substack too!) We’ll talk about Trump’s quagmire with Iran, Democrats big win in Virginia, and we’ll draw a couple rounds from today’s News on Tap. Join us tonight!

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