News On Tap For Wednesday, July 8, 2026

Fumbling Through The World

Don’t stumble after you sip from today’s “News On Tap” - even if Grampy Donald already seems like he’s had one too many. We’ve got news today on Trump’s Nutso NATO Appearance, the War In Iran heating up again, & Winning the War In Ukraine. We’ve also got updates on the Platner Cleanup, the War Over Democracy. Meanwhile, Republicans keep failing on affordability, and they’re making people ask - “Where’s Mitch?” Plus, there’s huge TV & Music news, & a big World Cup update. And we’ve got both Charlie Pierce and Bob Cesca in the bar tonight! Read up, get informed, and then join us here at the bar tonight!

First Round - Fumbling Our Foreign Affairs

Trump’s Nutso NATO Appearance

• Trump Says Ceasefire With Iran Is ‘Over’ As NATO Summit Wraps

• Denmark Says It Will Defend Greenland As Trump Threatens To Take Greenland Again

• Trump Calls Spain ‘Terrible Partner,’ Threatens To Cut Off All Trade

• Grampy’s Back Again: Trump, 80, Confuses Iran For Japan, And Zelensky For Putin During NATO Press Conference

• Leaving NATO, Trump Unexpectedly Switches Back To Old Air Force One, Sidelining Qatari Jet

Going Backwards On The Iran War

• Trump Declares Ceasefire With Iran Over During Angry Broadside At NATO Summit

• U.S. Hits Iran With Fresh Strikes & Renewed Sanctions After Iranian Tanker Attacks

• Oil Prices Jump And Stocks Drop After Trump Says Iran Ceasefire Deal Is ‘Over’

• U.S. Airlines Fuel Bills Rose By $3 Billion In May, Due To Trump’s War In Iran

• Popular Information: The Real Cost Of The Iran War, So Far? $103 Billion In 120 Days.

Winning The War In Ukraine

• Ukraine Targets Kremlin ‘Shadow’ Tankers As Russian Strikes On Kyiv Continue

• Trump Says U.S. Will Give Ukraine License To Make Patriot Missiles Themselves

• Zelenskyy At NATO Meeting Says Group Should Let Ukraine Join To ‘Make All Of [Europe] Stronger’

Other Foreign Affairs

• ‘Lojack’ Le Pen Announces She’ll Run For French Presidency Next Year, Despite Being Forced To Wear Court-Ordered Ankle Monitor

• Hungarian Public Media Outlets That Had Become Propaganda Outlets Halt Broadcasting In Continuing Post-Orbán Clean Up

Second Round - Election Battles

The Platner Cleanup Continues

• Maine Democratic Party Confirms Platner Will Have ‘No Role’ In Picking Next Nominee

• Another Ex-Girlfriend Alleges Platner Removed Condom During Sex Without Consent

• One Thing Democrats Seem To Agree On: They Want Schumer Silent On Platner’s Replacement In Maine

• David Dayen: The Best Way For Democrats To Salvage The Maine Senate Race? A Lighthouse Primary.

War Over Democracy

• Trump DOJ Threatens Top State Election Officials In All 50 States Over Noncitizen Voting (Which Is Non-Existent)

• Trump Regime Now Demanding States Change Voting Rules Or Lose Antiterrorism Funds

• Federal Judge Quashes Trump DOJ Attempt To Get Names Of 2020 Election Workers In Fulton County, Georgia

• Charlie Pierce: A Federal Judge Just Smacked Down Another One Of Trump’s Ridiculous Voter Fraud Crusades

Third Round - Republican Government Sucks

Republican Failures On Affordability

• Global Economy, Hit By Trump’s Iran War And Inflation, Faces Sharp Slowdown

• Trump & Republicans In Congress Have Made It Nearly Impossible To Get Food Stamps

• Critics Ridicule Trump’s Bizarre ‘Freedom Fuel’ Gas Price Stunt: ‘What A Joke’

• Doing What Republicans Won’t: Walmart Announces They’re Lowering Prices On Thousands Of Items, Including Beef, Soda Pop, And Household Goods

• Warning For ACA Shoppers: Double-Digit Premium Hikes Now Expected For 2027

• New Poll Shows 95 Percent Of Americans Now Believe The Country Is In The Midst Of An Affordability Crisis

Republican Congress In Disarray

• Republican Leaders Claim They’ve Spoken With Hospitalized McConnell

• Proof Of Life: Kentucky Gov. Beshear Urges McConnell To Be ‘Transparent’ And Give An Update On His Health

• Senate Sets New Date For Confirmation Hearing Of Permanent DNI Replacement Nominee Jay Clayton, After Trump Derailed Previous Date

• Republican Rep. Mike Flood Mercilessly Booed At Yet Another Nebraska Town Hall While Defending The Big Ugly Bill

Immigration Wars

• Shades Of Renee Good: ICE Officer Kills Mexican Man in Houston; ICE Immediately Claims, Without Evidence, Man Tried To Run Over Officer

• Joyce Vance: ICE May Be Quieter, But They’re Still Out of Control

War In The Courts

• Federal Judge Orders E. Jean Carroll Be Paid $5M In Damages Immediately From Trump Verdict

• Federal Appeals Court Strikes Down Key Part Of Florida’s So-Called ‘Stop WOKE Act’ Saying It Violates First Amendment Free Speech Rights

• Trump DOJ Agrees To New Second Michael Flynn Payout As Trump Allies Continue To ‘Make Bank’ Without His Proposed Slush Fund

Fourth Round - More News To Drink About

Politics & Elections

• El-Sayed & Stevens Tangle In Michigan Democratic Senate Debate: Key Takeaways

• Ken Paxton Vowed To Crack Down On “Illegal Voting.” He May Have Violated Texas Election Law With His Own Voter Registration.

Miscellaneous But Important

• Manhattan Building Is Stable for Now, Though Building’s Columns Buckled Beneath New Addition

• 1,200 DOJ Alums Ask Senators to Reject Blanche, Who Has ‘Utterly Failed to Abide By’ His Oath

Fifth Round - Entertainment, Sports, & More

TV, Music, & More

• Emmy Nominations 2026: ‘The Pitt’ Leads With 25, ‘Hacks’ Breaks Comedy Series Record With 24 - Full List Here

• Mariska Hargitay To Host Emmys; First Woman To Emcee Show In 15 Years

• U2 Releases ‘Street Of Dreams,’ First Single From Upcoming Album, The Band’s First All-New Effort In Nine Years

• Album Review: While Their Members May Be Showing Some Age, The Rolling Stones’ New Album “Foreign Tongues” Doesn’t Show It

• Rest In Peace: Louise Lasser, Star Of ‘Mary Hartman, Mary Hartman,’ Dies At 87

World Cup Update

• Messi Leads Argentina To 3-2 Comeback Victory Over Egypt And Spot In World Cup Quarterfinals

• World Cup 2026 Quarterfinals: Full Schedule & More

• World Cup Golden Boot Contest: Messi Leads Mbappe & Haaland Before Quarterfinals

• U.S.-Belgium Game Becomes Most-Watched Soccer Telecast In U.S. History At 30M Viewers (1/4 Of Last Super Bowl)

Other Sports Entertainment

• Men’s Singles: Djokovic, After More Than 5 Hours, Wins Match To Reach Wimbledon Semifinals At Age 39

• Women’s Singles: Kostyuk Beats Paolini To Set Up Wimbledon Semifinal Against Noskova

• Yankees Strike Out 17 Times Vs. Rays For 2nd Straight Game

Your First Bar Regular Tonight

Charlie Pierce, political & sports journalist extraordinaire is back at the bar again tonight, and there’s a lot of both sports & politics to talk about. We’ll talk about Trump’s ridiculous appearances at NATO, the Platner replacement saga, and more. Of course, we’ll also talk a little about the World Cup & the #TrumpCurse too.

Your Second 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 is back at the bar tonight. Bob’s got another great new piece up at The Banter, The Most Corrupt President in American History, about Trump’s corrupt crypto scams & more. We’ll talk with him about Doddering Donald at NATO today, the Platner issue, & more. Plus, we’ll ask Bob about his latest episode of Trek Politics, and draw a few rounds from the News On Tap. Join us tonight!

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