News On Tap For Monday, June 29, 2026

Halfascism In Full Force

Today’s News On Tap is full of halfascism, one might say overflowing. From the supremely bad decisions of the illegitimate Supreme Court, to our failing foreign affairs, to Republicans’ mob-style government, and the Right’s war against democracy, we’ve got all your news updates. Plus, an update from the Not-So-Great American State Fair, Media Matters, Movie & TV news, & Sports news too. Plus, Barb McQuade & Brooklyn Dad Defiant are both back in the bar tonight. Read up, get informed, and we’ll see you here tonight!.

First Round - Supremely Illegitimate Court

Mostly Supremely Bad Decisions

• Supreme Court Rules States Can Count Late-Arriving Mail-In Ballots, Rejecting Trump & Republican Challenge

• Trump Laments ‘Tremendous Loss’ On Mail-In Ballots At Supreme Court, Doubles Down On Voter-ID Bill

• Ari Berman: In A Rare Blow To Trump, The Supreme Court Just Saved Mail-In Voting – For Now

• Supreme Court Rules Trump Cannot Fire Fed Member Lisa Cook, While Also Granting The President Massive Power Over Other Independent Agencies

• Related: White House Secretly Swayed Merit Systems Protection Board, Meant To Stop Civil Service Politicization [Gift Link]

• Supreme Court Finds 4th Amendment Protections Extend To Digital & Location Data; Sends Case Back To 4th Circuit

Cert Grants & Refusals

• Supreme Court Declines To Review Texas Voter Assistance Restrictions, In Blow To Civil Rights Groups

• SCOTUS Majority Refuses Appeal To Revisit NYT Vs Sullivan; Thomas & Gorsuch Dissent, Say Supreme Court Should Revisit Landmark Libel Ruling

• Trump Must Pay E Jean Carroll $5M After Supreme Court Rejects His Appeal In Sex-Abuse Case

Second Round - Not So Foreign Affairs

The Iran War/Not War

• U.S. And Iran Set For New Talks, Trump Claims, After Weekend Hormuz Clashes Threatened Peace Deal

• Trump Says U.S. And Iran To Meet In Qatar After Weekend Of Attacks. Iran Says Nothing Is Scheduled

• Jonatan Alter: The Strait Of Hormuz Is Iran’s Nuclear Weapon

The War In Ukraine

• Ukraine’s Drones Set Another Major Russian Oil Refinery Ablaze Over Weekend

• Putin Surprisingly Admits Russia Faces Fuel Shortages After Ukraine Strikes, Signaling A Severe & Growing Strain On Russia’s Energy Infrastructure

• Putin Says He’s Now Ready For Ukraine Talks, But Still Won’t Halt Long-Range Strikes

Other Foreign Affairs

• Venezuela Is Now Desperately Searching For 50,000 Missing After Earthquakes

• Tens Of Thousands March In The First Budapest Pride Parade Since Viktor Orbán Was Voted Out

Third Round - Republicans' Applied Halfascism

The Right’s War On Democracy

• Pulte’s Choice For Top Spy Aide, A Republican Operative Who Is A Conspiracy Nut, Stokes Fears Of Trump Vote Tampering This Fall

• When The Worst Person Has A Good Point: Bill Maher Challenges JD Vance & Republocans On Trump Election Fraud Claims: ‘That S— Has To Stop’

Dictator Trump’s Other Moves

• New Trump Commission Suggests Replacing The Idea Of Separation Of Church And State With The Idea Of Building Bridges Between Them

• Trump Regime To Slash & Severely Limit Public Input On Fossil Fuel Drilling On Federal Lands

• Newly Released Documents Show Trump’s “Board Of Peace” - His Attempt At A UN Alternative - Plans To Grant Itself Sweeping Immunity

• Trump Says Work Will Begin On DC Golf Course Sept, 1, Despite Judge’s Warning Not To Touch Course, Or Suffer Severe Consequences

Republicans’ Corrupt Mob-Style Govt.

• Speaker Mike Johnson Sparks Outrage After Viral Midterm Comments, Claiming He’s Running A ‘Protection Program’ For Republicans; ‘Sounds Like A Mob Boss’

• Trump & Republicans’ Big Ugly Bill Is Bringing A Slew Of Negative Student Loan Changes, Starting July 1

• Senate Farm Bill Draft Focuses On Farm Economy, Keeps Big Ugly Bill’s Snap Cuts

• Judd Legum: Trump & Republicans’ Big Ugly Bill Is Already Making Kids Go Hungry

• Charles Gaba: New HHS Report Admits Trump/Republican Policies - Including Preventing ACA Subsidy Extension - Had Already Thrown 2.6m Off The ACA Cliff As Of February 2026

Immigration Wars

• Trump Nominates Former Oklahoma State Trooper Lance Schroyer To Be New ICE Director

• New York Poll Worker Confronted By ICE Speaks Out; Says ‘Now, I’m Even Worried More About November’

• Florida Gov. DeSantis Says ‘Alligator Alcatraz’ Is Shutting Down After Nearly 1 Year In Operation

• After SCOTUS TPS Decision, This MAGA Ohio Town Could Soon Face The Mother Of All ICE Raids

Fourth Round - More News To Drink About

Elections & Politics

• What To Expect In Tuesday’s Colorado’s State Primary

• Maga Rep. Julia Letlow, Lifted By Trump, Wins Republican Senate Runoff Race In Louisiana

• Colorado Supreme Court Delay Threatens Democratic Redistricting Efforts

• UC Berkeley To Open Nancy Pelosi Institute Aimed At Advancing Democracy

The Not-So-Great American State Fair

• Photos Confirm Extremely Sparse Crowds At Trump’s Great American State Fair

• Daniel Dale: Again, Trump Said Nobody Left His Great American State Fair Speech. Again, That Wasn’t True.

• Man In ‘Uncle Sam Costume’ Busted For Masturbation & Other Lewd Acts At Trump’s State Fair

• Kevin Levin: Of Course A Confederate Flag Showed Up At The Great American State Fair

• Vanilla Ice’s Freedom 250 Concert In D.C. Canceled Due To ‘Inclement Weather’ That Doesn’t Materialize

Climate Crisis

• Europe’s Heatwave Linked To 1,300 Deaths, WHO Says, As Germany Hits Record 107F

• Around 145 Million At Risk As U.S. Braces For Holiday Week Heat Wave, As Wildfires Continue To Rage In The West

Fifth Round - Media, Entertainment, & More

Staying & Going

• Mel Brooks Celebrates 100th Birthday After A Legendary Career In Comedy

• Paul Fell, Well-Known Political Cartoonist, Dies Just Shy Of 80, Of Cancer

Media Matters

• BBC Requests Trump’s Diary And Phone Logs In Editing/Libel Lawsuit

• Comcast To Spin Off NBC Universal And Sky Into Separate Company

Movies & TV Entertainment

• Box Office: ‘Supergirl’ Has Good But Not Good Enough Debut With $38 Million Haul; ‘Toy Story 5’ Remains No. 1 With $70 Million

• ‘Supergirl’: DC Studios Boss “Confident” in Studio Strategy Despite Film Opening Below Expectations

• ‘Michael’ Surpasses ‘Oppenheimer’ as Highest-Grossing Biopic With $977 Million Worldwide

• Comedian John Oliver to Guest Star on ‘General Hospital’

Sports Entertainment

• Canada Beats South Africa 1-0 In World Cup’s First Knockout Match, With Late Goal

• Breaking Down The World Cup Knockout Bracket: Who Has The Toughest Path Forward?

• Wimbledon 2026 Update: Sinner Wins In Five Sets; Osaka Wins; Raducanu & Draper Pull Out Due To Injury; Williams First Singles Game Set For Tuesday

• Sonny Gray Loses No-Hit Bid Against Yankees In 8th But Red Sox Rally In 10th To Finish 4-Game Sweep Of NY

Tonight’s Special Guest

Barb McQuade, legal expert and friend of the bar, is a law professor at the University of Michigan, former U.S. attorney, MSNOW legal analyst, contributor to The Contrarian, co-host of the “Sisters In Law” podcast, New York Times bestselling author, AND she’s got a new book, “The Fix: Saving America from the Corruption of a Mob-Style Government” We’ll talk with her about SCOTUS terrible decisions today, about her book, and how we good people can strike back at this illegitimate court.

Your Bar Regular For Tonight

Brooklyn Dad Defiant, AKA Majid M. Padellan, is a author, activist, blogger, and host/co-host of TWO online shows – ‘The Defiant Weekly’ on Wednesdays, and ‘The JoJo & BDD Show’ with Jo Carducci on Thursdays. We’ll talk with him about his newest piece “Loving America Doesn’t Mean Loving Its President” about the half-assed Trump State Fair, & we’ll draw a few rounds from the News On Tap. Grab a drink & join us tonight!

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