News On Tap For Monday, March 2, 2026

Trump's Shiny New Illegal War

Today’s “News On Tap” is overflowing with yet another stupid, illegal, Republican war in the Middle East. [Happens EVERY time a Repub gets in the WH.] We’ve got the basic facts from the weekend at war, the causes & effects of the war, how Americans feel about it (spoiler - NOT in support), and what Congress can and should do. Plus, the new war won’t distract from the Trumpstein files, and it won’t stop tomorrow’s primary elections. Also, war continues in Ukraine, as we note some famous weddings and funerals, and some other entertainment news too. And Brooklyn Dad Defiant will be back tonight to recap the last week of busy news. Read up, get informed, & we’ll see you at the bar tonight!

First Round - Another Stupid Republican War

Updates From The Newest Forever War

• U.S. & Israel Attack Iran As Trump Urges Iranians To ‘Take Over’ The Government

• Trump Says War Could Last Weeks And Offers Contradictory Visions Of New Regime [Gift Link]

• Iran Confirms Supreme Leader Killed In U.S.-Israeli Strikes, Ending 36 Year Iron-Fisted Rule

• Not A Distraction: CIA Tracked Khamenei And Other Iranian Leaders For Months Before US-Israeli Attacks

• Pentagon Confirms To Congress There Was No Sign That Iran Was Going To Attack U.S. First

• Trump Says His Admin. Had Identified Candidates To Take Over Iran - But They Were Killed In Initial U.S/-Israeli Strikes

• Prior To Iran Attacks, CIA Assessed Khamenei Would Likely Be Replaced By Hardline IRGC Elements If Killed

Cause & Effects

• War Widens As Israeli & U.S. Planes Pound Iran, As Tehran & Its Proxies Hit Back Across The Gulf Region

• Intel Sources Confirm Push From Saudis & Israel Helped Move Trump To Attack Iran

• Rachel Maddow: Who Benefits From Trump’s War In Iran? The Answer Is Disturbingly Clear - Israel, Saudis, & The Arab Gulf Nations

• Death Toll From U.S.-Israeli Strike On Girls’ School In Southern Iran Reportedly Rises To 165

• Thousands Of Flights Cancelled As World Faces Worst Travel Chaos Since COVID Pandemic

• Oil Prices Spike And Stock Markets Dip As Iran War Threatens Global Economy

• Higher Gas Prices Are Coming To The Pump After Oil Prices Jump In Wake Of U.S. Strikes On Iran

• Trump’s New Iran War Is Already Fracturing MAGA [Gift Link]

War By Numbers

• New Reuters/Ipsos Poll: Americans Overwhelmingly Oppose Trump’s Strikes On Iran

• Univ. Of Maryland Poll: Only 21% Of Americans Support The United States Initiating An Attack On Iran [Gift Link]

• Strength In Numbers: Polls Shows Trump Has Started A War With Iran That Few Americans Support

• Related: Millions Of Dollars Placed On Prediction Markets After U.S. Airstrikes On Iran As Global Unrest Provides Get-Rich-Quick Opportunities

What Congress Could Do

• Sec. Rubio & Pete Hegseth Set To Give Briefing On Iran To Congress On Tuesday

• Congress Faces War Powers Votes This Week In Wake Of Iran Strikes [Gift Link]

• Alex Nguyen: What A War Powers Resolution Vote On Iran Actually Means

Informed Commentary On The War

• Jennifer Rubin: Trump Launches Another Illegal War

• Tom Nichols: Trump’s Enormous Gamble On Regime Change In Iran - Few Paths To Success, Many To Failure [Gift Link]

• Anne Applebaum: Trump Has No Plan For The Iranian People

• Robert Pape: Khamenei Is Dead. Regime Change Will Be Much Harder.

• Adam Parkhomenko And Sam Youngman: Zero Democrats Should Be Supporting Trump’s New War; Let Trump Fight His Own Damned War

• Ben Rhodes:Trump Wants You To Get Used To This War & Chaos. Don’t.

Second Round - The Trumpstein Files

• Latest Release Of Files Show Epstein Used Major Dating Apps After Sex Offender Status

• Latest Files Show Small Stable Of Elite Doctors Served Epstein While Treating His ‘Girls.’ Some OF Them Broke Their Professional Rules Of Ethics.[Gift Link]

• Epstein’s New Mexico Ranch Is Getting Scrutiny At Last. Is It Too Late? [Gift Link]

• Trump Admin. Asked New Mexico To Halt Its Epstein Probe; The State Said ‘No’

• Diane Goldstein: By Mishandling The Epstein Files, The Trump DOJ Has Made Sex Crimes Investigations More Difficult

Third Round - More News To Drink About

Another Day That Ends In Why

• Three Dead, Including Suspect, And 14 Injured After Shooting At Austin Bar

• FBI Now Probing Texas Bar Shooting That Killed 3 And Wounded 14 As Possible Terrorist Act

Election Land

• Texas Democrats Prepare To Decide Party’s Future After Epic Senate Primary

• Republican Insiders Fretting About Their Texas Senate Primary

• Republican Rep. Tony Gonzales Heads Into Primary Election Day With Political Future Imperiled, Democrats Eyeing His District

War In Ukraine

• Suspected Russian ‘Shadow Fleet’ Tanker Seized In North Sea

• Kremlin Now Says Continuing Talks With Ukraine Is In Russia’s Own Interests

• Russia-Ukraine Talks Planned For Abu Dhabi This Week May Change Venue Due To U.S.-Israel War On Iran

• Ukraine’s Pres. Zelensky Warns Long Iran War Could Hurt Ukraine’s Fight Against Russia

Fourth Round - Media, Entertainment, & More

Weddings & Funerals

• Zendaya And Tom Holland Reportedly Recently Married, According To Her Stylist

• Neil Sedaka, Legendary Singer-Songwriter Behind ‘Breaking Up Is Hard To Do,’ & ‘Love Will Keep Us Together,’ Dies At 86

• KLOS-FM Host Uncle Joe Benson, One Of L.A. Radio’s Legendary Voices, Dies At 76

• Univ. Of Colorado Backup Football Quarterback Dominiq Ponder Dies At 23 In Car Crash

Media Matters

• WGA Cancels L.A. Award Show Due To Staff Strike

• Paramount Won The Fight To Try To Take Over Warner Bros. Now The Regulators Get Their Turn.

• David Dayen: States Can Still Block The Paramount-Warner Deal - But There’s Not Much Time For Them To Act

Entertainment & More

• ‘One Battle After Another’ Wins At Producers Guild Awards, Setting Up Awards-Season Clash With ‘Sinners’

• ‘Sinners’ Takes Top Prize At The SAG-AFTRA Awards, Setting Up An Oscar Showdown

• Catherine O’Hara Wins Posthumous SAG-AFTRA Actor Award For ‘The Studio’

• Complete List Of Winners From The 2026 SAG-AFTRA Actor Awards

• Iran’s World Cup Place In U.S. Put In Doubt By Middle East Conflict

• USA Women’s Hockey Captain Hillary Knight Delivers Scathing Joke During ‘SNL’ Appearance Featuring US Women’s & Men’s Hockey Gold Medal Winners

Your Bar Regular Today

Brooklyn Dad Defiant, AKA Majid M. Padellan, is a blogger, author, activist, and host/co-host of TWO online shows – ‘The Defiant Weekly’ on Wednesdays, and ‘The JoJo & BDD Show’ with Jo Carducci on Thursdays - and both are available on his YouTube channel. BDD will get to spend more time with us this week (and not at an airport), as we recap the last week of news - the SOTU, & his appearance at an alternate SOTU event; The Epstein files, and of course, Trump’s new stupid illegal war. Grab a drink & join us tonight!

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