News On Tap For Friday, August 7, 2026

Game On, LFG - 88 Days To Election

Today’s ‘News On Tap’ tastes like unifying Democratic voters - & fearful elected Republicans. We’ll recap last night’s election in Tennessee, do a little Election Week Cleanup, and check on the polls which are terrible for Republicans. Meanwhile, Trump’s Middle East Mess continues abroad, as his Failed & Dangerous Executive Branch continues attacking America. Republican Economics continues to fail badly, as the Republican Cluster on Capitol Hill keeps failing in different ways. Thankfully, Trump’s losses in the courts keep racking up, while his mini-mes like Max Miller keep showing us all who they are. We’ve also got Media Matters, Movie & Music news, and Sports news too. Plus, Karen & Anita from The Tru Blu Politics podcast are back tonight to help us talk about all of it. Read up, get informed, and we’ll see you here tonight!

First Round - Elections, Polls, & Politics

Thursday Night’s Election Returns

• ‘Tennessee Three’ Lawmaker Justin Pearson Wins Democratic Primary For Redrawn 9th District

• Republican State Sen. Brent Taylor Now Set To Face Off Against Democratic State Rep. Justin Pearson, For Tennessee Democratic House Rep. Steve Cohen’s Redistricted Seat

• MAGA Trump Sycophant Rep. Andy Ogles Loses His Republican House Primary In Tennessee

• Democrats Flip Reliably Republican Seat To Gain School Board Control In Tennessee’s Knox County

• Sen. Marsha Blackburn Wins The Republican Primary For Governor Of Tennessee

Election Week Cleanup

• Unusually High Turnout Along With Significant Enthusiasm Gap Shaped Michigan Primary, Boosting El-Sayed And Lawrence To Victory

• Rep. Haley Stevens In New Interview Makes Clear The Primary Is Over, It’s Time To Back El-Sayed: “I Am Going To Be A Part Of Stopping Maga And Trump”

• Carolyn Fiddler: This Week, Midwesterners Showed Yes They Kan-san, As The Show Me State Showed Up & Showed Out

Polling & Electoral Politics

• Talarico Opens 4-Point Lead Over Paxton In New Texas Senate Poll

• Two Key South Georgia Republican Mayors Endorse Sen. Jon Ossoff

• New Poll Shows Arizona’s Democratic Gov. Katie Hobbs With Strong Lead Over Maga Republican Andy Biggs

• New Emerson Poll Shows Democrats Within Striking Distance Of Winning In Iowa Governor & Senate Race

• Trump-Backed, RFK Jr-Aligned Republican Nominee For Iowa Governor, Zach Lahn, Caught Living Luxury Out-Of-State Lifestyle, Despite Claims He’s An Iowa Farmer

• Will Bunch: On The American Prairie, A Quiet Independent Plan To End The Republican Senate Majority Is Building Steam

Second Round - Failing At Foreign Policy

Trump’s Middle East Mess

• Iran & Oman Reach Framework Of Agreement To Temporarily Reopen Strait Of Hormuz; Deal Not Yet Approved By U.S.

• Iran’s Chief Negotiator Accuses Trump Of ‘Theater Diplomacy’

• Steve Benen: As Questions Intensify Over U.S. Weapons Shortfalls, Trump Trips Over His Own Contradictions

• Trump Now Facing Calls For Windfall Tax On Big Oil’s Profits From Iran War

Other Foreign Affairs

• Russia Drops Record Number Of Glide Bombs On Ukraine As Casualties Pile Up

• Zelensky Says Ukraine Will “Build Missiles The Way We Built Drones” If Western Nations Can’t Or Won’t Fulfill Commitments For Defense

• Spanish-Led Police Raid Smashes A Vast Mediterranean Smuggling Network, Arresting 78

• School Shooting In Thailand Kills Eight, Including Suspected Attacker

Third Round - Failures Of Republican Govt.

Republican Economics Has Failed

• U.S. Economy Loses 23,000 Jobs In July, As Trump-Era Economy Continues To Fail

• Job Losses In July And Negative Revisions Reveal A Significantly Weakening U.S. Labor Market

• Trump’s Response - More Tariff Wars: Trump Issues New Tariffs On Key Ingredient For Electronics And Solar Panels [Gift Link]

A Failed & Dangerous Executive

• Trump Again Targets Birthright Citizenship With Pointless & Unenforcible Executive Orders, Just A Month After His Supreme Court Loss

• Trump Regime & Corrupt Louisiana Attorney General Liz Murrill Announce Bossier Parish School Board And Federal Government To End 61 Years Of Segregation Monitoring

• Trump’s Corrupt Doj Accuses Duke Law Of Racial Discrimination Against White Applicants

• Alarming Comment From Trump’s New Cdc Director, Dr. Erica Schwartz, Who Said ‘Abortion Surveillance’ Will Be A Critical Focus Of Her Work

Cruel & Failing Immigration Wars

• Democrats In Congress, Finally Able To Visit ICE Lockups In Texas, Describe Grim Conditions

• Minnesota’s Hennepin County Attorney Formally Requests Texas Gov. Abbott To Extradite ICE Agent To Face Charges For Assault & Shooting

• Leopards, Faces: Trump Voter Pleads For Fiancée’s Release After ICE Arrest: “They’re Destroying Families”

Cluster On Capitol Hill

• Senate Passes New Severe Sanctions Bill On Russia And Iran Named For Late Sen. Lindsey Graham

• Outgoing Republican Senator Bill Cassidy Takes Coward’s Way Out, Caving To Trump On Blanche Confirmation, Paving Way For Confirmation

• Senate Republicans’ Farm Bill Fails As Democrats Refuse To Go Along With Republicans’ Deep Cuts For SNAP Food Aid To The Poor

Fourth Round - More News To Drink About

War In The Courts

• Federal Appeals Court Rules Trump Cannot Build White House Ballroom Without Congressional Approval; Orders Halt To All Construction On White House Above Ground, Pending Appeal

• IRS Workers Union Joins Lawsuit Against Trump’s Slush Fund & Tax Immunity, Saying Agreement Would Force Them To Follow Unlawful Directions

• AFGE Govt. Employees’ Union Sues Tsa Over Secret Plan To Privatize Airport Security

• Trump Judge Temporarily Saves Trump From Turning Over Financial Info To BBC In $10b Libel & Defamation Case

When They Show You Who They Are

• Ohio Rep. Max Miller Faces A Growing Number Of Calls To Resign From Fellow Republicans

• New Poll Shows Republican Rep. Max Miller Now Down Double Digits To Democrat Brian Poindexter, As Miller Loans His Own Campaign $1 Million

Miscellaneous But Important

• Mitch Mcconnell Discharged From Rehabilitation Facility To Recover At Home [Gift Link]

• Nightmare Fuel: This A.I. Just Created Viruses Not Found In Nature [Gift Link]

• Internet Wigs Out Over Trump’s New ‘Do, Raising Hairy Questions About His Health

Fifth Round - Media, Entertainment, & More

Media Matters

• Facebook & Instagram Parent Company Meta Hit With $567 Million Judgment In New Mexico Child Safety Case

• ‘Awkward’: Garbage Tony Doukopil’s Vacation Absence Leads To ‘Best Ratings In Months’ For CBS Mornings

Movies, Music, & More

• ‘Spider-Man: Brand New Day’ Becomes Fastest Movie To Ever Cross The Half Billion-Dollar Mark At U.S. Box Office

• Joan Jett Cancels Tour Dates While Recovering From Surgery On Fractured Vertebrae

• In New Interview, Lindsey Buckingham Reveals He, Stevie Nicks, Mick Fleetwood, & John Mcvie Have Been Able To Bury Their Hatchets, & Now Talk Regularly

• Minnie Driver Recovering After Car Crash In France, Has Sprained Neck But Says She’s Fine

Sports Entertainment

• Ronald Acuña Jr. Hits 2 Homers As Atlanta Braves Beat Miami Marlins 11-3 To Close Out Sweep, & Pick Up Season-Best 8th Straight Win

• Brooks Lee’s 2-Run Single In The 8th Inning Lifts Minnesota Twins To A 4-3 Win Over The Kansas City Royals

• L.A. Sparks End Minnesota’s 10-Game Winning Streak, Beating The WNBA-Leading Lynx 89-82

• Caitlin Clark Blames Herself For Missed Free Throws, & A Late Turnover In Indian Fever’s 86-84 Overtime Loss To The Las Vegas Aces

• Undrafted Rookie Quarterback Haynes King Leads The Carolina Panthers To 33-30 Comeback Win Over The Arizona Cardinals In Hall Of Fame Game That Kicked Off NFL Preseason

Your Bar Regulars Tonight

Our friends Karen from Chicago, & Anita From San Antonio, co-hosts of Tru Blu Politics (and on Patreon too) are both back in the bat tonight - and as usual, there’s a lot to talk about! From the great Democratic primary election wins, and the unity showing out, to Trump’s ongoing Middle East mess, to the political theatre on Capitol Hill, we’ll talk about all of it and more - & we’ll talk about The Tru Blu Politics daily podcast at Resistance Journal too. Grab a drink & join us tonight!

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