News On Tap For Monday, July 13, 2026

Dead Men Can't Govern

Today’s “News On Tap” is quite lively - unlike Graham, McConnell, & this zombie Congress. We’ve got all your news from a busy weekend - Lindsay Graham dead, Mitch McConnell missing, & a Zombie Congress shambles back to DC to do nothing. Meanwhile, Trump has turned the war with Iran back on, even as Ukraine is about to turn out the lights in Russia. The insane Right here in the U.S. doesn’t care, though - they’re carrying-on with their War On Democracy, War On Good Government, the War In The Courts (which they’re losing badly, & their cruel Immigration Wars. Meanwhile, polls keep moving in Democrats’ favor, as worrying Media Matters develop. We’ve also got some Movie & Music news, & some Sports news too. Plus, Brooklyn Dad Defiant is back to help us recap the weekend. Read up, get informed, and we’ll see you here tonight, for drinks & fun. Join us!

First Round - The Zombie Congress

Republicans’ Fall Begins Early

• Sen. Lindsey Graham Of South Carolina, Trump Ally, Dies At 71

• Preliminary Medical Examiner’s Findings Reveal Graham Died Of “Aortic Dissection” Due To Hardening Of The Arteries

• Graham’s Death Leaves Senate Agenda In Dangerous Limbo, And Politically Weak Position For Republicans

• Republicans Are Now Scrambling To Find A Replacement For Sen. Lindsey Graham Ahead Of The Midterm Elections

• Lindsey Graham Was Facing Re-Election In November. What Happens Now?

• Related: Who Is Annie Andrews, The Democratic Contender For Lindsey Graham’s Former Senate Seat?

• Michael Tomasky: Lindsey Graham’s Legacy? It’s About One Thing Only, And It Isn’t Good

Where’s Mitch, Really?

• Sen. Mitch McConnell’s Office Releases Letter Claiming A Fall Led To His Hospitalization, Breaking Weeks Of Silence About His Health Condition

• Official Statement From The Office Of Senator Mitch McConnell On His Recent ‘Hospitalization & Recovery’

• McConnell’s Weekend Photo Post Doesn’t Stop Conspiracy Theories About His Condition, & May Have Made Them Worse

The Zombie Congress Returns

• House Republicans Left DC Before July 4 In A Do-Nothing Jam. Now That They’re Back, It’s Not Clear When They’ll Get Out Of It.

• House Set To Vote This Week On Measure Making Daylight Saving Time Permanent, As Johnson Tries To Placate Luna

• Major Senate Confirmation Hearings Set For This Week, Including Blanche For AG, And Clayton For DNI

• Reminder: Blanche Faces New York Bar Complaint After Federal Judge Flags Vindictive Prosecution Of Kilmar Abrego Garcia

Second Round - Failing At Foreign Affairs

Trump’s Iran War Rolls On

• U.S. And Iran Both Assert They Control The Strait Of Hormuz After Another Heavy Exchange Of Fire Over Weekend

• Oil Prices Rise After Back-And-Forth Strikes By U.S. And Iran

• Trump Proposes 20% Toll On Cargo Through Strait Of Hormuz; Restarts Iran Blockade

Other Foreign Affairs

• Ukrainian Drone Strikes Force Russia To Suspend Shipping In Sea Of Azov

• Pres. Zelensky Announces Leadership Shuffle As War Turns In Ukraine’s Favor

• Pro-Palestinian Democratic U.S. House Rep. Ro Khanna Reportedly Detained By The Israeli Military & West Bank Settlers

• Congressman Ro Khanna Says ‘IDF Is Lying’ When They Deny He Was Detained By Israeli Soldiers & Settlers

Third Round - The Right's Wars On America

War On Democracy

• Trump Regime’s “Election Task Force” To Begin Releasing Classified Intel Documents, In ‘Whole Of Govt.’ Effort To Try To Cheat The 2026 Elections

• Trump Officials Sought Ways To Sidestep Election Assistance Commission Before He Fired Its Members

Immigration Wars

• One Person Killed In Maine In Second Fatal ICE-Involved Shooting In Less Than A Week

• Newly Discovered Surveillance Videos Shed Light On Pursuit Before ICE Killing In Houston [Gift Link]

• ICE’s Account Of The Fatal Shooting Of Lorenzo Salgado Araujo In Houston Deserves Real Skepticism

War On Good Govt.

• Trump CDC Stopped Monitoring Parasite Now Causing Explosive Diarrhea Across The Country

• Trump Regime Now Plans To Keep National Guard In D.C. Until Inauguration Day 2029

• Minnesota Gov. Walz Pull Natl. Guard Troops From D.C., As Pressure Grows On Michigan Gov. Whitmer To Do The Same

• Trump Regime Guts Habitat Protections For Endangered Species, Ending Decades Of Protection While Opening Wild Habitats To Drilling And Mining [Gift Link]

• Whistleblowers Confirm Trump Rushed Kennedy Center Renovations, Allowing For Major Contractor Errors

• Trump Officials Now Weighing Permanently Fencing Off Public Space Around The White House, Including Lafayette Square Park

War In The Courts

• Federal Judge Delivers Blistering Order In Slush Fund/Trump IRS Audit Immunity Deal; Confirms Trump Sued IRS Illegitimately; Refers Multiple Lawyers To State Bars, Blocks IRA Audit Immunity

• At Trump DOJ’s Demand, Judge Reluctantly Drops Jan. 6 Case Against Proud Boys

• Judge Deals Two More Blows To Trump’s War On DEI In Blue States

• Hunter Biden Awarded $1.7M In Defamation Case Against Former Overstock CEO & Trump Ally Patrick Byrne

Fourth Round - More News To Drink About

Polls & Politics

• Friday Late Night Recap: Graham Platner Files Paperwork, Formally Withdraws From Maine Senate Race

• Michael Tomasky: Susan Collins May Be Chuckling At Maine Democrats’ Problems, But She’s In Far Worse Trouble Now

• Texas Hispanics Swung Hard To Trump In ‘24. New Polling Shows Talarico Now Leads Paxton By 7 Points Among Texas’ Hispanic Business Owners

Miscellaneous But Important

• Kash Patel Called To White House Over The Weekend On Heels Of Continued Questions Over His Behavior

• FBI Admits It Has Epstein Files Training Videos

• FBI Analysts Fired After Refusing To Join Georgia 2020 Election Probe

Fifth Round - Media, Entertainment, & More

Rest In Peace

• Sam Neill, Versatile Actor Known For Jurassic Park, The Hunt For Red October, Peaky Blinders, & Many More, Dies At 78

• Randolph Mantooth, Know For His Role As A Medic On NBC’s ‘Emergency!’ Series, Dies At 80

• Don Iwerks, Disney Camera And Projection Pioneer & Son Of Disney Legend Ub Iwerks, Dies At 96

Media Matters

• NYTimes Journalists Subpoenaed As Trump Regime Escalates Pressure On Media [Gift Link]

• Trump Reportedly Directed FBI Dir. Patel To Oversee Investigation Involving Times Reporting [Gift Link]

• Paramount, & Warner Bros. Discovery Hit With Lawsuit From 12 States, Including California, To Block Merger

Movies, Music, & More

• Disney’s Live-Action Moana Underwhelms With A $43M Opening Box Office, But Still Wins The Weekend

• ‘Michael’ Crosses $1 Billion, First Biopic To Surpass Coveted Box Office Milestone

• Madonna’s ‘Confessions II’ Debuts At No. 1 On Album Chart, As Ken Carson And Sienna Spiro Also Bow In Top 10

• Jay-Z Closes Packed 3-Night Yankee Stadium Residency With Epic Late Night Show Featuring Beyoncé, Rihanna, Usher, Teyana Taylor, And More

Sports Entertainment

• World Cup Semifinals: Four Previous Champions, A Bitter Rivalry, Mbappé Vs Yamal And Messi Vs Kane

• Wimbledon Men’s Final: Jannik Sinner Repeats As Champion After Weathering Early Challenge

• Wimbledon Women’s Final: At 21, Linda Nosková Becomes The Youngest Wimbledon Champion In 15 Years

• Philadelphia’s Sánchez To Start MLB All-Star Game At Home For NL. Toronto’s Cease The Pick For AL.

Your Bar Regular For Tonight

Brooklyn Dad Defiant, AKA Majid Padellan, is an author, activist, blogger, as sell as host/co-host of TWO online shows – ‘The Defiant Weekly’ on Wednesdays, and ‘The JoJo & BDD Show’ with Jo Carducci on Thursdays. Tonight, we’ll talk with him about his latest Substack piece, “The Make-A-Wish Presidency,” on Trump’s temper tantrum terrorism, and the sycophantic Republican Congress. We’ll also talk about this crazy weekend of news with Lindsay Graham gone & Mitch McConnell MIA. And we’ll draw a few rounds from the News On Tap too. Grab a drink & join us tonight!

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