News On Tap For Friday, June 26, 2026

Referendum On America

Today’s News On Tap is another clear look at what happens when America elects Democrats vs when they elect Republicans. We’ve got news on the illegitimate Supreme Court, & the ongoing cleanup from Trump’s Iran war mess too. Plus, more Republican halfascism in Congress, from Trump’s ICE Storm Troopers, and Trumpstein files news too. Plus Media news, Movie & Music news, and Sports news too. Also, Glenn Kirschner will be in to help us work through SCOTUS garbage rulings, and Karen & Anita of the Tru Blu Politics podcast are back tonight to help wrap up the week. Read up, get informed, and we’ll see you here tonight!

First Round - Elections Have Consequences

What You Get When You Elect Democrats

• Promise Kept: NYC Mayor Mamdani’s Rent Freeze Approved By New York City Board

• One-Time California Billionaire Tax Confirmed To Appear On November Ballot

• Californians Will Now Vote On A Billionaire Tax. Billionaires Aren’t Happy.

• Marriage Equality Turns 11 Today As Right-Wing Extremists Renew Their Attacks On An America For All

• Gov. JB Pritzker Signs Law Blocking Out-Of-State Access To Illinois Abortion Records Without Patient Consent

What You Get When You Elect Republicans

• Support Is Building On The Right For Prosecuting Women Who Get Abortions

• Bible Passages May Soon Be Required Reading In Texas Public Schools [Gift Link]

• What To Know About The Right-Wing Push To Make Christian Bible Stories Required Reading In Texas Public Schools

The Illegitimate Supreme Court

• How The Supreme Court’s Unjust & Illegitimate Decision On TPS Is Now Upending Life For Thousands Of Immigrants

• Supreme Court’s Ruling To End Deportation Protections For Immigrants Will Have Broad & Painful Impact For Other Americans Too

• Stephen Miller Proudly Says ‘America’s Doors Are Closed Fully To Asylum Seekers’ After Supreme Court Rulings

• Supreme Court’s Illegitimate & Racist Decision On TPS Caps A Decades-Long Fight By Anti-Immigration Racists

• Elora Mukherjee: The Supreme Court’s TPS Decision Is A Slap In The Face To Immigrants Who Followed The Law

• Elie Mystal: With TPS Decision, The Illegitimate Supreme Court Once Again Endorses Trump’s Racism

• Ian Millhiser: The Supreme Court’s New Gun Decision Makes No Sense, Even On Its Own Terms

Second Round - Trump's Foreign Affairs Mess

Cleaning Up Trump’s Iran War Mess

• Iran Attacks Cargo Ship, Pausing UN Efforts To Unblock Hormuz Traffic Jam

• UN Agency Pauses Evacuation Of Ships Through The Strait Of Hormuz After Iranian Attack On Vessel

• Iran Estimates New $40 Billion Annual Payoff From Charging Ships Going Through Straits Of Hormuz [Gift Link]

Other Foreign Affairs

• Death Toll In Venezuela Climbs To 539 After Powerful Quakes, Thousands Reported Missing

• Ukrainian Drones Pound Russia In One Of The Heaviest Assaults Of The War So Far

• Weeks Of Intense Attacks By Ukraine Have Rattled Everyday Life In Crimea, Spurring Emergency Declaration By Russians

Third Round - More Republican Halfascism

The Failed Republican Congress

• Republican Extremists Grind House Agenda To A Halt Over Trump’s SAVE America Act Demands

• Trump Tells House Republican Extremists To End Their Blockade Of All Floor Actions

• Johnson Says He Will Send Housing Bill To Trump

• Republican-Controlled House Appropriations Committee Advances $1.1 Trillion Defense Dept. Spending Bill With Department Of War Name Change

The Trump/Republican Storm Troopers

• 20th Immigrant Dies In Trump’s Immigration Detention Camps

• Following An Increase In Deaths At ICE Facilities & DHS Inspector General’s Report, DHS Watchdog To Review ICE Detainee Deaths & Use Of Force

• Rare Conviction In Operation Midway Blitz ICE Operation In Chicago Falls Apart Amid Ongoing Trump DOJ Misconduct Scandal

• David Graham: What The Prosecutions Of Anti-ICE Prairieland Protesters Reveal About Trump’s America [Gift Link]

The Trumpstein Files

• Billionaire Leon Black Testifies To House Oversight Committee, Claiming He Had No Knowledge Of Jeffrey Epstein’s Crimes

• Leon Black’s Epstein Testimony Ends Abruptly, As House Oversight Cmte. Serves Black With Two New Subpoenas

• Judge Orders Trump DOJ To Release The Rest Of The Epstein Files, Due To A Lawsuit Filed By Katie Phang

• Todd Blanche Concedes Violating Law On Epstein Files, Judge Gives Trump DOJ One Week To Remove Redactions Or Justify Them

Fourth Round - More News To Drink About

Political Realities

• Keep Going: Upstate New York District That Went +20 For Trump Now In Play For Democrats

• Corrupt & Stupid: JD Vance, A Long-Time Fan Of Richard Nixon, Admits Watergate Would Be A ‘12-Hour News Story’ Today, Thanks To Right-Wing Propaganda Media

• New Report Confirms Trump Regime, Through RFK Jr, Tried To Push Third-Party Candidates Out Of Tight House Races

Climate Crisis

• European Heatwave Is Worst Ever - And Scientists Say Impossible Without Climate Crisis

• Paris Bans Drinking Alcohol In Public As Hospitals Hit Heatwave Breaking Point

Miscellaneous But Important

• John Bolton, Former Trump National Security Adviser, Pleads Guilty To Mishandling Classified Information

• FEMA Official Who Claimed He Teleported To Waffle House Ousted From Agency

• Elon Musk Ordered By Judge To Give Deposition Over $1M ‘Vote Buying’ 2024 Election Scheme

Fifth Round - Media, Entertainment, & More

Media Matters

• iHeartMedia Begins Massive Nationwide Layoffs As Part Of Restructuring Plan

• MS NOW To Move To Taped Podcast And Other Pre-Recorded Content On Weekend Nights, Alex Witt To Depart Later This Year

Movies, Music, & More

• ‘Supergirl’ Lifts Off With Solid $7.8M In Thursday Night Box Office Previews

• Lionel Richie Postpones Concerts ‘Under Advisement By Doctors To Rest’ After Reported Hospitalization

• ‘House Of The Dragon’ Season 3 Debuts With 21.5 Million Viewers In Three Days, Down Slightly From Season 2

Sports Entertainment

• Despite Trump Regime Issues, 3.6 Million Soccer Fans Have Attended This Year’s World Cup Matches So Far, Setting A Record

• U.S. Suffers Late Defeat To Turkey, But Is Now Looking To Next Match Vs Bosnia & Herzegovina In World Cup Knockout Stage

• World Cup 2026 Standings: Who’s In, Who’s Out And Every Team’s Path To The Round Of 32

• Serena Williams Now Set To Face 20-Year-Old Maya Joint In First Round In Her Return To Wimbledon

• Red Sox Coach Goes Ballistic On Umpire, Is Tossed From Game With Yankees At Fenway

Today’s Special Guest

Glenn Kirschner, legal expert and friend of multiple bars (including ours), stops by the bar again tonight to help us get a handle on what this illegitimate Supreme Court did this past week, what they might do next week, and how we can fight back, and undo their racist actions. We’ll have the PBR ready for him and get answers to all our questions tonight!

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 to being healthy & available, and they’re back bar tonight too. We’ll recap this week’s news, & talk about The Tru Blu Politics daily podcast at Resistance Journal too. Grab a drink & join us tonight!

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