News On Tap For Friday, August 1, 2025

The Costs Of Going Bananas

Today’s “News On Tap” is a bit crazy - one might even call it bananas. But while Trump & his minions are making the U.S. a banana republic, Trump’s economic failures, including his tariff turmoil, is starting to tank the economy. Meanwhile, people are still starving in Gaza. & the Trump/Epstein scandal rolls on. But Democrats are standing up & speaking out - and former VP Harris is getting back into a more active role. We’ll talk about it all with our friends & bar regulars Karen & Anita of Tru Blu Politics. But first? The news…

First Round - The Trump Economy Has Arrived

Trumponomics Is Here

• U.S. Economy Added Only 73,000 Jobs In July, As Numbers For Prior Months Were Revised Much Lower

• Steve Benen: U.S. Job Growth Hits Significant Downturn As Trump’s Agenda Takes Its Toll On The Economy

• Low-Wage Workers Reeling Over Trump’s Looming SNAP Cuts As Food Prices Rise

• Financial Times: Inflation Is Rising, And It’s Not Just The Tariffs

• New Morning Consult Poll: 6 In 10 American Say Trump To Blame For High Cost Of Living

• Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick Says "The Trump Economy Has Officially Arrived."

Trump's Tariff Turmoil

• Trump TACOs On Mexican Tariffs, Even As He Slams Canada, Raising Tariffs To 35% Immediately

• Trump Announces New ‘Reciprocal’ Tariff Rates On Nations Around The World

• Tracking Trump’s New Tariffs On Every Country

• Trump’s Lawyers Get Frosty Reception At Federal Appeals Court, As Judges Appear Highly Skeptical That He Has The Unilateral Power To Wield Tariffs

• Jared Bernstein: Trump’s Trade War Has Only Just Begun To Hit Americans’ Wallets

Second Round - This Is What MAGA Voted For

America Is Now A Banana Republic

• Trump Admin. To Demolish Part Of East Wing Of The White House To Build Massive Ballroom, In $200M Overhaul [Gift Link]

• Smithsonian Bows To Fascism, Removes Trump From Impeachment Exhibit In American "History" Museum [Gift Link]

• Senate Democrats' New Report Estimates Elon Musk's DOGE Caused At Least $21.7 Billion In Government Waste

• Trump White House Now Conducting "De-Muskification" At The General Services Administration (GSA)

The Trump/Epstein Scandal Rolls On

• FOIA Files Confirm FBI Redacted Trump’s Name In The Epstein Files

• Family Of Virginia Giuffre, Epstein Abuse Survivor, Confirms She Wanted Files Released Before Her Death,

• What Did Trump Know About Virginia Giuffre And When? Breaking Down What We Know, So Far.

Meanwhile, Starvation In Gaza

• Trump's U.S. Envoy Visits Food Distribution Site In Gaza As Humanitarian Crisis Worsens

• Looting, Chaos, & Israeli Gunfire Are Still Preventing Aid From Reaching Gazans

Third Round - More News To Drink About

Redistricting Wars

• House Democratic Leader Jeffries Says ‘All Options’ On The Table To Try And Stop Republicans' Massive Gerrymandering Push

• California Gov. Newsom Says He’s Considering Possible Nov. 4 Special Election To Counteract Texas Republicans' Redistricting

• Why The Proposed Texas Congressional Map May Not Be A Lock To Net Five New Republican Seats

Reality Fights Back

• Judge Blocks Trump Administration From Ending TPS - Temporary Protected Status - For 60,000 Immigrants From Central America & Nepal

• Russia, Russia, Russia: Newly Declassified Report Shows ‘Clinton Plan’ Emails From 2016 Were Likely Made By Russian Spies [Gift Link]

Fourth Round - The Fight Continues

Still Standing

• In New Colbert Interview, Fmr. VP Kamala Harris Laments ‘Broken’ U.S. System That ‘Capitulates’ To Trump - But Confirms She's Still In The Fight

• Fmr. Pres. Biden Joe Biden, In Address To Bar Assoc., Says U.S. Is Facing ‘Existential’ Fight With Marginalized Groups ‘Dramatically Under Attack’ Under Trump

Elections Land

• New Gallup Poll: Democrats Regain Advantage In Party Affiliation Over Republicans, Despite Record Unpopularity

• Democrat Roy Cooper Leads First Public Poll Since Jumping Into North Carolina Senate Race

• Ed Kilgore: The Next Democratic Presidency Will Mean Payback For Trump, And For All Who Followed Him

Fifth Round - Entertainment & More

Media Matters

• Judge Orders Trump Administration To Explain Why Orders To Restore Voice Of America Haven't Been Followed

• Fox Propaganda Network Since Monday: 85 Minutes Talking About Sydney Sweeney, 3 Minutes Talking About Epstein

Entertainment & More

• New Movies This Weekend: ‘Bad Guys 2’ Bags $2M+ During Thursday Previews, While The ‘Naked Gun’ Reboot Shoots $1.6M

• Marc Maron's New HBO Special 'Panicked' Works Through Trauma With Humor

• This Weekend, For One Day Only, MLB Is Turning A NASCAR's Tennessee's Bristol Motor Speedway Into A Record-Breaking Stadium With 85k Fans

• Five Different Countries, Including The U.S., Take Gold Medals On A Wide-Open Day At The Swim World Championships

• Generational Swimming Talents Summer Mcintosh And Katie Ledecky Are Set To Clash In Olympics Preview This Weekend

Your Bar Regulars Tonight…

After a week of hot & ugly news, the hosts of Tru Blu Politics, Karen from Chicago & Anita From San Antonio, are back at the bar tonight, to grab some cool drinks & laugh, as we recap the week’s news. Plus, we’ll talk about former VP Kamala Harris’ return to a more active role in politics & her new book.. And we’ll celebrate some of the good things that happened this week too!

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