News On Tap For Wednesday, July 22, 2026

Halfascists At War With Everything

Today’s “News On Tap” tastes of halfascism & failed wars, unfortunately. From Trump’s quagmire with Iran, to The Real Costs Of War, to Trump & Republicans’ war against Democracy, we’ve got news on all those wars. There’s also a pile of updates from the Administration From Hell, their Immigration Wars, and the continuing Cluster on Capitol Hill. Meanwhile, we’ve got Election Returns & Political News, Media Matters, Movie & TV news, & Sports news too. Plus, Bob Cesca is stopping by tonight to talk about all that & more with us. Read up, get informed, & we’ll see you here tonight!

First Round - Trump's Middle East Mess

The Quagmire With Iran

• U.S. Military Completes 11th Night Of Strikes On Iran As Attacks Continue To Overshadow Diplomacy

• Pentagon Publicly Identifies 4th Service Member Killed In Recent Days

• Oil Surges Past $95/Barrel As Trump Regime Downplays Iran Diplomacy, & Red Sea Shipping Disruptions

The Real Costs Of War

• Hegseth Tells Senate Appropriations Committee Iran War Has Cost $37.5B, But Sources Say Total Is Likely More Than $100B

• Five Takeaways From Hegseth & Caine Hearing With Senate Appropriations Cmte. On Emergency Iran Funding’

• New Politico Poll Shows Trump Voters Losing Patience With Iran War, As Support Drops 13 Points To 37%

Trump’s Other Middle East Problems

• Saudis Reach Deal With U.S. For A Civilian Nuclear Project That Could Let Them Enrich Nuclear Fuel [Gift Link]

• Trump Lifts The Ban On Direct U.S. Flights To Lebanon, Without Explaining Why

• Israeli Military Is Now Building A Miles-Long Earthen Barrier Inside Gaza, On Land That Isn’t Theirs, Entrenching Area’s Divisions Further

Other Foreign Affairs

• Ukraine’s Pres. Zelenskyy Fires His Commander Of Armed Forces After Public Protests And Major Rift

• Outgoing Commander Oleksandr Syrskyi Confirms Ukraine Has Recaptured 270 Square Miles Of Territory So Far This Year

• Trump & Rubio Confirm They Don’t Plan To Stop Tate Brothers’ Extradition To The UK

• French Lawmakers Approve Sweeping Social Media Ban For Children Under 15

Second Round - The War Over Good Government

Administration From Hell

• New Report From The Center On Budget & Policy Priorities Confirms 1.5 Million U.S. Children Have Lost Food Aid Since Last July Due To The Big Ugly Bill

• Trump Regime Pauses $1 Billion In Medicaid Payments To California & Minnesota Over Bogus Claims Of Noncompliance

• Trump Announces He Will Impose 100% Tariffs On Generic Drugs - Starting In August 2028

• Thanks, RFK Jr: Johns Hopkins University Tracker Confirms U.S. Measles Cases Surpass 2025 Total - And It’s Only July

• Trump Admin. To Redirect Billions In Research Funds Toward AI, Away From Universities & Research Institutions

• Trump Appointed Equal Employment Opportunity Commission Moves To End Racial And Gender Workforce Data Collection After 60 Years

• MAGA Republican House Members Try To Curry Favor With Trump Regime Leaders By Beating Up On Smithsonian Museum Director In Hearing [Gift Link]

The War Over Democracy

• New Jersey Removes Non-Citizens From Voter Rolls After Finding Software Glitch; Less Than 400 Voted, And No Outcomes Were Changed By Those Votes

• Trump DOJ Cites New Jersey Registration Error To Renew Demand For Statewide Private Voter Data

• Reporting Confirms Trump Regime Gutted CISA, The Federal Agency Built To Stop Election Interference

• How Republicans Tried - & Failed - To Turned Olive Garden’s Unlimited Pasta Pass Into A Voter ID Talking Point

• Cause & Effect: Democratic House Rep. Cleo Fields Won’t Seek Reelection After Illegitimate Republican Redistricting Actions In Louisiana

Immigration Wars

• Passengers In Houston ICE Shooting Confirm Agents Rammed Their Van Before Firing & Killing Unarmed Immigrant

• Judge Blocks Trump Admin’s Attempt To Quickly Deport Immigrant Witnesses Of ICE’s Fatal Houston Shooting

• Federal Appeals Court Reverses Release Order For Foreign Student Mohsen Mahdawi Arrested By Trump Regime At His Naturalization Hearing In Vermont In 2025

Third Round - Elsewhere In Federal Government

Cluster On Capitol Hill

• House Republicans Narrowly Ram Through Temporary Stopgap Spending Bill, But Shutdown Fight Still Looms

• Senate Majority Leader Thune Delaying Vote On Stopgap Bill, Says He’ll Put It On Senate Floor Before August Break

• Sen. Cornyn Threatens To Sink Trump Ambassadorial Nominees Over Trump Admin. Cuts To PEPFAR HIV Prevention Program

• Republicans Sweating As Republican Sen. Tuberville Joins Democratic Demands For Mitch McConnell To Release ‘Proof Of Life’ Video

War In The Courts

• Federal Judge Rules Trump Must Hand Over Financial Records To BBC, In Connection With His Defamation Lawsuit Against Them

• In Surprise Action, Trump’s DOJ Is Quietly Investigating Florida Rep. Cory Mills, As He Also Faces Down Ethics Committee Probe

• Federal Appeals Court Upholds Peter Navarro’s Criminal Conviction Over Congressional Investigation Into Jan. 6

• U.S. Attorney Fired By Trump Less Than An Hour After Getting Job Files Lawsuit Challenging Removal

Fourth Round - More News To Drink About

Election Returns & Political News

• Trump-Backed Election Denier Rep. Andy Biggs Wins Republican Primary For Arizona Governor

• Trump-Backed 2020 Election Denier Candidates Sweep To Wins In Arizona Republican Primaries

• Troy Jackson Leads Sen. Susan Collins By 3 Points In New Poll Of Maine U.S. Senate Race

• More Donations From Epstein Contacts To Susan Collins Uncovered

• South Carolina Senate Poll Shows Surprising Frontrunner: Former Congressman Trey Gowdy, Who Isn’t Running

• Prediction Market/Gambling Platform Kalshi Throws Fit Over New Wisconsin Law Limiting Election Gambling

• G. Elliott Morris: In Every Poll This Cycle, Likely Voters Are Leaning More Democratic For November’s Midterms, A Change From Past Cycles

Miscellaneous But Important

• Oversight Chairman Comer Calls It ‘Unacceptable’ After Alan Dershowitz Fails To Appear For Epstein Testimony

• French Model Recruiter With Close Ties To Jeffrey Epstein Found Dead In France

• As Cyclospora Cases In The U.S. Hit Record High, Reporting Confirms Taylor Farms Spent Big On Trump, Republican, & Anti-Regulatory Lobbying Before Diarrhea Outbreak

Fifth Round - Media, Entertainment, & More

Media Matters & More

• Rest In Peace: ‘Godzilla’ Actress Kaylee Hottle Dies In Car Accident In Maryland At Age 18

• Writers Guild Seeks Second Preliminary Injunction To Halt Paramount-Warner Bros Discovery Merger; Wants Case Timing Aligned With State AG Suit

• Why Paramount Should Be Worried: A Look Inside The Judge’s Ruling Reveals That The Merger Is In A Shaky Position

• Paramount-Warner Bros. Ticking Fee: Everything You Need To Know About The M&A Time Bomb

Movie & TV News

• Sony Announces They Will Reopen L.A.’S Iconic Cinerama Dome In 2028; Former Hollywood Arclight Theatres To Become Alamo Drafthouse

• ‘Spider-Man: Brand New Day’ Final Trailer Shows Tom Holland Swinging With Zendaya & Closer Look At Mark Ruffalo’s Hulk

• TV Ratings: World Cup Final Scores 63 Million Viewers, Smashing All-Time High For Soccer In The U.S.

Sports Entertainment

• Base-Running Blunder By Philly’s Jt Realmuto Causes Disastrous Game-Ending Double Play, As Dodgers Win 2-1

• WNBA Star Napheesa Collier Likely To Make Her 2026 Season Debut In Return To The Court Tonight, As Minnesota Lynx Take On Seattle Storm

• Toronto’s Marina Mabrey And Atlanta’s Rhyne Howard To Lead A Loaded WNBA All-Star 3-Point Contest In Chicago This Friday

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 is back at the bar tonight. We’ll talk about Bob’s latest piece for The Banter, Don’t Let Donald’s Corruption Get Flushed Down the Memory Hole. We’ll also talk with Bob about Pete Kegbreath’s appearance on Capitol Hill, Trump’s war on democracy, and we’ll grab a few more rounds from the News On Tap. Plus, we’ll ask Bob about his latest episode of Trek Politics too. Join us tonight!

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