News On Tap For Friday, February 27, 2026

Better Than You Think

It’s a Friday, and today’s “News On Tap” is actually better than you think. From the latest in the Trumpstein scandal, to the Netflix/Paramount/Warner Brothers fight, we’ve got your news updates. We’ve also got news from Trump’s immigration wars, his broken Pentagon, his feckless foreign affairs & more. Plus, great news in election Land on both sides of “the pond,” new media & ratings numbers, and some great entertainment news too. And we’ve got Karen & Anita of the Tru Blu Politics podcast back at the bar to help close out the week too. Read up, get informed, & join us tonight!

First Round - Trumpstein Questions Continue

• Live Update: Frm. Pres. Bill Clinton Testifying In House Oversight Committee Hearing Of Trump/Epstein Investigation

• Fmr. Pres. Bill Clinton’s Opening Statement To House Oversight Committee

• In Testimony To House Oversight Committee Over Epstein Files, Fmr. Sec. Hillary Clinton Delivers No News

• Fmr. Sec. Hillary Clinton Keeps Her Cool During Bogus House Epstein Hearing

• Photo Of Lutnick On Epstein’s Island Removed From Trump DOJ Files Now Restored

• House Democrats Say They Have The Votes To Force A Subpoena Of Lutnick In Epstein Probe

• Monica Lewinsky: On The Epstein Files, The Survivors, The Power Of Government, The Media, & The Nuances Of Grooming

Second Round - Trump's War On The News Media

• Netflix Backs Out Of Warner Bros. Deal, Paramount Now Poised To Win Takeover Fight

• California Attorney General Rob Bonta Plants Flag On Paramount-Warner Bros. Merger: “Not A Done Deal”

• Movie Theaters To Keep Lobbying Against Warner Bros. Deal, Now Targeting Paramount

• CNN Staffers Fear ‘Disaster’ Like Those At CBS Are Now Facing, As Paramount Wins Warner Bros Battle

• After Paramount News, CNN CEO Mark Thompson Desperately Urges Employees Not To Rush For The Exits: “Don’t Jump To Conclusions About The Future”

• Josh Marshall: The Epic, Mega Skydance/Paramount Warner Deal Is Bad - But It’s Far From The End Of Legit News In The U.S.

Third Round - Republicans Can't Govern

ICE Monsters & The Immigration War

• New Reports Confirm Trump’s DHS Is Detaining & Questioning Refugees Who’ve Already Been Admitted To The U.S.

• Trump’s DHS/ICE Admits They’ve Now Deported More Than 80 DACA Recipients

• Columbia Student Who Was Kidnapped By ICE Is Released Quickly After Mamdani-Trump Meeting [Gift Link]

• Kristol & Egger: It’s The Same Brutal ICE. Now It’s Just Stealthier.

The Broken Pentagon

• Anthropic Rejects Pentagon’s Demands That They Remove Ai Safeguards

• Will Gottsegen: Anthropic Takes A Stand, As They Refuse To Bow To The Trump Pentagon’s Demands [Gift Link]

• For The Second Time In Two Weeks, Pentagon, FAA, & Border Patrol Miscommunicate As U.S. Military Uses Laser To Take Down CBP Drone

• Scouting America Cowers & Bows To Trump Pentagon, Agrees To Alter Its Policies To Become More Bigoted & Racist In Order To Maintain Support From The U.S. Military

Trumps Failing Government

• Trump’s Surgeon General Pick, Casey Means, Still Lacks Votes For Confirmation In The Senate

• Federal Judge Temporarily Allows Construction Of Trump’s Ballroom Project, But Says He Will “Expeditiously” Review Case If Changes Are Made To Lawsuit

Fourth Round - Foreign Affairs

Trump Threatens Iran Again

• U.S. And Iran Wrap Up Latest Nuclear Talks Without A Deal As The Risk Of War Looms

• With Possible Iran Strike Looming, U.S. Tells Embassy Staff In Israel To Leave, And Urges Speed

• Trump Regime Officials Believe ‘The Politics Are A Lot Better’ If Israel Strikes Iran First

• Fact-Check: Trump’s Case For Attacking Iran Is Just A Series False Or Unproven Claims [Gift Link]

• Shot - VP Vance: ‘No Chance’ U.S. Will Be In Drawn-Out War In Middle East

• Chaser - The Onion’s Point/Counterpoint: This War Will Destabilize The Entire Mideast Region And Set Off A Global Shockwave Of Anti-Americanism Vs. No It Won’t

Other Foreign Affairs

• Pakistan Declares State Of ‘Open War’ After Bombing Major Afghan Cities

• New Gallup Poll Shows American Sympathies Rapidly & Dramatically Shifting Toward Palestinians And Away From Israelis, Due To Actions Of The Netanyahu Govt.

• Progressive Left-Wing Female Plumber Helps Greens Sink Ruling Labour & Far-Right Reform Parties In Surprise UK Election Win

Fifth Round - More News To Drink About

Mayor Mamdani Nails The Pitch

• NYC Mayor Zohran Mamdani Makes Housing Pitch To Trump In White House Visit

• Mamdani Shows Up To Trump Meeting With A Major New York City Housing Pitch — And Props

• Mamdani Gets Another Win: Manhattan DA Drops Assault Charge In Washington Square Park Snowball Fight That Right-Wing Propagandists Used To Smear Mamdani

Trump’s War On Democracy

• Trump, Seeking Executive Power Over U.S, Elections, Is Being Urged By His Extremist MAGA Allies To Declare An Emergency (Which Would Be Illegal) [Gift Link]

• Former DOJ Lawyer Ryan Goodman Dismantles Trump’s ‘Madcap’ Scheme To Take Over Elections: ‘He Can’t Legally Do It’

• Trump DOJ Sues 5 More States For Access To Voter Rolls

Election Land

• High Early Voting Turnout Marks 2026 Texas Primary With Democratic Voters Strongly Leading In Numbers

• New Polling Suggests Runoff Likely In Texas Republican Senate Primary

• Strength In Numbers: New Poll Shows Democrats’ Real Problem With Voters Isn’t Being Too Liberal — It’s Being Seen As Too Weak & Ineffective

• UAW Not-So-Privately Backs Neo-Nazi Platner, Urges Sen. Chuck Schumer - Senate Democratic Leader & Jewish Man - To Stay Out Of Maine’s Senate Primary

Sixth Round - Media, Entertainment, & More

Media By The Numbers

• Donald Trump’s 2026 State Of The Union Address Pulls Only 32.6 Million Viewers, Down 4+ Million From Last Year

• CBS, NBC, & ABC Evening News Ratings: Tony Dokoupil Shows Massive Downward Swing

Entertainment & More

• Rocker P!Nk Calls Out Reports That She Is Separated From Husband Carey Hart As ‘Fake News”

• Review: Bruno Mars’ New Album ‘The Romantic,’ Doubles Down On Silk Sonic’s Smooth ’70s Revivalism

• Lionel Messi Knocked Down As Fans Storm The Pitch During Inter Miami Friendly Match In Puerto Rico

• It’s A Real Party: Flavor Flav To Host Las Vegas Event For Winning U.S. Women’s Olympic Ice Hockey Team

Your Bar Regulars Tonight…

Our friends Karen from Chicago, & Anita From San Antonio, co-hosts of Tru Blu Politics (and on Patreon too) are back in the bar tonight, to talk about a very full week of news. From the SOTU & the Trumpstein files, to the Netflix/Paramount/Warner fight, to news about elections - including the primary election in Texas next Tuesday - we’ll talk about all that & more. Grab a seat & a sip, & join us tonight!

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