News On Tap For Thursday, August 20, 2026

Who’s On Your Side – 75 Days To Election

Today’s “News On Tap”, has two clear flavors - who cares about you & who doesn’t. We’ve got big news on the big debt that mostly Trump & Republicans caused, what they want to spend your money on, and how they don’t really care about you. We’ve got a lot of other news too - And we’ve got Carlos Alazraqui dropping by too. Read up & get informed!

First Round - The Money Vs The Many

The Truth About Fiscal Responsibility

• U.S. Debt Hits $40 Trillion As America’s Borrowing Binge Continues

• Fox Confirms: About 25% Of The U.S.’ $40t Debt Comes From Donald Trump’s Two Administrations

• Bobby Kogan: Tax Cuts Over The Past Quarter Century Are Primarily Responsible For The U.S.’ Massive Debt

• Robert Reich: Who’s Really Raking It In As The National Debt Explodes? As Usual, The Richest, Who Are Screwing The Rest Of Us

What Trump Cares About: His Money, Ballrooms, & Car Races

• Trump, Who Has Amassed Enormous Wealth In Crypto, Hosts Industry Leaders, As Deregulation Discussions (That Would Benefit Him Personally) Continue

• Donald Trump Shows Off White House Ballroom & Helipad Construction Projects To Media, Bragging ‘We Get The Best Stuff’

• Trump Brings Indy Car Race To The Streets Of Washington, D.C. To Cap Off His Freedom 250 Celebrations

• Trump’s ‘Freedom 250 Grand Prix’ Street Closures Leave D.C. Residents & Commuters Frustrated

Sucks To Be You: What Trump & Repubs Don’t Care About

• During Record Hot Summer, Tens Of Thousands Still Without Power In Indiana, A Week After Deadly Storms - & Some Won’t Have Power Until Next Week

• Power Crews In Hawaii Still Working To Restore Power To Thousands After Tropical Storm Lala Hit Last Weekend

• Trump’s FDA Issues Recall For Soup Sold At Walmart In 29 States

• FDA Upgrades Recall Of Frozen Blueberries To Highest Health Risk Level

• Trump’s FDA Upgrades Egg Recall To Highest Health-Risk Level Amid String Of Food Safety Concerns

Second Round - War & Other Foreign Failures

Trump’s Middle East Mess

• Trump Threatens ‘‘unprecedented’ Economic Warfare Against Iran And ‘Tremendous’ Consequences For Its Backers If No Peace Plan Emerges Soon

• The Problem With Trump’s Plan To Economically Strangle Iran? Experts Confirm Iran May Be Willing To Absorb Far More Pain Than Trump Anticipates

Failing Our Military

• USS George Washington Carrier Arrives In Middle East, Relieving Over-Deployed USS Abraham Lincoln

• As The Rest Of The World Moves Towards More Drone Warfare, The U.S. Army’s New Drone Unit To Be Phased Out By Pete Hegseth’s Acting Army Chief Of Staff

• Jennifer Hegseth’s Hands-On Role in Her Husband’s Pentagon, According To Sources: ‘It’s Bonkers’

Other Foreign Affairs

• Israel Opens Criminal Inquiries Into Killings Of 5 Year Old Child & Medics, But It’s A Military Investigation, & Those Rarely Get Convictions

• Experts Confirm Trump’s Order To Cut Military Exercises With South Korea Significantly Increases Risks

• Russian Missile And Drone Barrage Kills At Least 16 In Ukraine’s Kyiv Region

• Prince Harry, Meghan, & Their Kids Are Moving Back To The U.K. After 6 Years In U.S.

Third Round - Republicans Can't Govern

Republicans’ Failed Economy

• Walmart Posts Slowest Sales Growth In Years As Americans Feel Worsening Economy

• Bond Yields Jump Up Thursday, Erasing Impact Of Trump Treasury Secretary Bessent’s Intervention One Day Earlier

• Fed Officials Warning Interest Rate Hikes May Be Needed If Inflation Stays High

Administration From Hell

• Trump Aide Natalie Harp, Who’s Been The Primary Information Gatekeeper For Trump In His Second Term, Worked At The White House Without Security Clearance For A Year

• Trump Considers A Press Secretary Shakeup: Picking A Man, Potentially Scott Jennings

• Sen. Bill Cassidy Criticizes MAHA Advocate Dr. Heidi Overton’s Nomination To Head The FDA, Citing Her Role In Childhood Vaccine Changes

Fourth Round - More News To Drink About

War In The Courts

• Federal Judge Halts Trump Regimes’ Abstinence-Only Overhaul Of Teen Sex Ed Program

• New Court Filings Reveal Trump Regime Was Warned About Peeling Reflecting Pool Nearly A Month Before It Brought Vandalism Charges

• Rep. Joyce Beatty, A Kennedy Center Board Member, Asks Judge To Block New Inscription Of Trump’s Name On Kennedy Center

War Over Democracy

• Missouri Judge Allows Republicans’ Newly Rigged (In Their Favor) Congressional Map To Be Used In Nov. Elections

• New Expert Study Confirms Trump’s Effort To Undermine Confidence In Elections Has Made Little Headway

• Election Officials Are Preparing For Nightmare Scenarios, Just In Case, Including Attempted Federal Ballot Seizures - And Violence

Polls & Politics

• Cook Political Report: Texas And Iowa Senate Races Move To Toss Up; Races For Governor Also Move In Democrats’ Direction

• Abdul El-Sayed Leads Mike Rogers By 7 Points In New Michigan Senate Poll (Avg Of Polls Has El Sayed Up 0.7)

• New Poll Shows Unexpectedly Tight Race For U.S. Senate In Arkansas Between Republican Tom Cotton & Democrat Hallie Shoffner

• House Democrats Add 5 More Candidates To ‘Red To Blue’ List, Bringing List Of Possible Flips To 37

• The Downballot: 100+ Special Elections Since Trump’s Return, Show Democrats In Great Position To Reclaim The House

• Zeeshan Aleem: Trump’s Plummeting Approval Ratings Are Even Worse Than They Look As New Data Shows His Die-Hard MAGA Followers Are Vanishing

Data Centers Suck

• ‘There Ain’t No Bans Coming’: Florida Republican Candidate For Governor Byron Donalds Says Critics Can’t Stop Ai Data Centers

• Voters Aren’t Waiting For November To Try Ousting Officials Over Data Centers

Miscellaneous But Important

• New FTC Proposal Would Require Retailers To Reveal If They Vary Prices Based On Personalized Shopper Data

• Hunter Biden Corrects The Record: Fmr. Pres. Joe Biden’s Health Is Better Than You Heard Last Week

Fifth Round - Media, Entertainment, & More

Media Matters

• Charter Closes $34.5 Billion Cox Deal In Cable Megamerger, Company Set To Adopt Cox Communications Name

• Police Report Confirms Hayden Panettiere’s Ex-Boyfriend Brian Hickerson, With Whom She Had A History Of Violent Conflict, Was At Scene When She Died

Movies, TV, & Music News

• ‘The Odyssey’ Beats ‘Deadpool & Wolverine’ As Biggest R-Rated Movie Of All Time With $1.35 Billion

• Rosie O’donnell’s Kimmel Guest-Host Stint Is Proving To Be A Ratings Winner’

• And The Band Played On: National Symphony Orchestra Announces New 2026-2027 Season, All Outside The Kennedy Center

Sports Entertainment

• Mookie Betts Homers And Has Rbi Single In 10th As Dodgers Beat Rockies 6-4 For 3-Game Sweep

• Cade Cavalli Follows Up Near No-Hitter With Another Scoreless Double-Figure Strikeout Game For The Nats, As Washington Defeats The Texas Rangers 6-0

• Olivia Miles Has 20 Points, 7 Assists Before Ankle Injury As WNBA-Best Minnesota Lynx Beat The Golden State Valkyries 77-66

• U.S. Open Singles Champions To Earn A Record $5.5 Million, He Highest Winnings In Grand Slam Tennis History

• Kinley Rasmus Ties Mo’ne Davis’ Record For Most Strikeouts By A Girl During A Little League World Series Game (Davis Is Now A Pro In The WPBLl Playing For The L.A. Queens)

Today’s Special Guest

Carlos Alazraqui isn’t just the guy who’s voiced everything from the Taco Bell dog, to Rocko of “Rocko’s Modern Life”, to El Chupacabra on Disney’s Cars’ spinoff “Planes.” He’s also not just Deputy James Garcia from “Reno 911,” or a host of your other favorite one-off characters you’ve seen & heard in TV and the movies. He’s also a friend and actorvist - an actor who’s an activist for better politics & political action. And tonight, he’s back in the bar with us, to talk about all the news of the day, what he’s up to now - and yes, there will likely be some sports talk too.

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