News On Tap For Tuesday, August 19, 2025

Fighting Fears & Fascism

Today’s “News On Tap” has a bit of yesterday’s international flavor, and bit of a flavor of authoritarian cosplay, as Trump’s half-assed takeover of DC continues. We’ve also got updated news on the fight to vote, the wars of the right, what’s wring with Grampy today, and some entertainment news too. Plus, we’ve got journalist & media expert - and White Sox fan - Meredith Shiner in the bar tonight too. But first…

First Round - Foreign Affairs Matters

A Dipstick Amid Diplomacy

• Europe’s Leaders Headed Off Trump's Giveaway To Putin, But Still Emerged Without A Clear Path Out Of The War

• Trump Paused Meeting With Zelensky And European Leaders To Call Putin

• Moscow Noncommittal On Trump's New Proposal For A Trump-Zelensky-Putin Meeting

• M. Gessen: The Real Meaning Of The Zelensky Summit Was Not As It Appeared - And Trump Has Resolved Zero Wars, Not Six [Gift Link]

Netanyahu's War On Gaza

• Surprising Many, Hamas Says It Accepts Proposal For Gaza Ceasefire And Release Of Hostages

• Israel Now Under Pressure To Accept Ceasefire Proposal Accepted By Hamas That Is Said To Be Almost Identical To Earlier US-Backed Plan

Second Round - Fighting Authoritarian Cosplay

Trump's Half-Assed DC Takeover Continues

• As More National Guard Units Deploy To D.C., Local Officials Openly Question The Need

• DC's Highest Crime Neighborhoods Have Yet To See Any "Help" From Trump's Call-Up Of National Guard Members

• Felipe De La Hoz: Trump’s DC Crackdown Is The Logical Endpoint Of The Surveillance State Built By The Post-9/11 Era

• Joan Walsh: While Trump's DC Military Deployment Is Mostly A Show Of Farce, It Could Still Be The Start of a Slow-Motion Civil War

The Fight To Vote

• Trump Is Vowing To Change How Elections Are Run. The U.S. Constitution Doesn't Give Him That Power.

• Redistricting War Roundup: Texas House Democrats Forced To Have Police Minders By Republicans, As California Revs Up Their Own Redistricting Efforts

• Brian Gaar: Congratulations, Republicans! Your Authoritarian Cosplay Has Now Made The Texas State Capitol A Minimum-Security Prison.

• Alex Samuels: Texas Republicans Might Not Sweep Five Gerrymandered Seats As Easily As They Hope

• Trump Allies Look To Primaries As They Escalate Redistricting Pressure On Indiana Republicans

• Noah Berlatsky: Gavin Newsom Is Showing Not Just That Resistance Is Plausible, But When It's Backed Up With A Plan, It Can Pay Major Political Dividends

Third Round - The Wars Of The Right

War On Good Government

• Former CFPB Dir. Confirms The Trump Admin. Has Put Regulations Of Corporations “In A Coma”

• Hegseth Ousts Air Force Chief As Trump Regime's Slow Purge Of Top Military Brass Continue

• Dan Bongino Faces Uncertain Future At FBI Following Shock Announcement Of New Co-Director To "Help" Him

Immigration Wars

• 20 States And D.C. Sue Trump Admin. For Tying Billions In Crime Victim Grants To Immigration Enforcement

• Trump Admin. Revokes Over 6,000 Student Visas For Crimes And Overstays

• Federal Judge Issues Spilt Decision On Lawsuit Over ‘Alligator Alcatraz’ Immigration Concentration Camp

Fourth Round - More News To Drink About

Grampy's Not Doing Well

• Donald Trump, 79, Can’t See World Leader Right In Front Of Him, At Table Full Of World Leaders

• Trump White House Tries To Hide His Cankles With Odd Prop In Zelensky Photo-Op

The Trump/Epstein Scandal Continues

• Republican Rep. James Comer, a Trump Sycophant, Now Claims The Trump DOJ Will Release Epstein Files To Capitol Hill

• House Republicans Tried To Help Trump Move Past The Epstein Scandal By Blocking Votes. They Failed - And Now The Issue Faces Them When They Return [Gift Link]

The People Are Pissed

• Rep. Harriet Hageman Blasted At Town Hall Over Her Stances On Immigration, Abortion, Public Media Defunding, And The Big Ugly Bill

• Rep. Elise Stefanik Drowned Out By Furious Protesters At Event In Her Own District

Fifth Round - Media, Entertainment, & More

Media Matters

• Oligarch's Media: Giant Owner Of Local TV Stations Nexstar Agrees To Buy Other Large Owner Tegna For $6.2B, A Massive Consolidation Of Local TV Stations

• Nielsen Ratings Say Streaming Hits Another Record High In July; YouTube & Netflix Alone Have Higher User Numbers Than Broadcast Networks

Entertainment & More

• ‘Palm Royale’ Sets Season 2 Return, Releases First Photos Of Kristen Wiig, Laura Dern, Carol Burnett, And More

• FTC Alleges Thousands Of Tickets To Taylor Swift Concerts And Other Events Illegally Resold By Maryland Ticket Broker

• No. 1 Ranked Jannik Sinner Pulls Out Of U.S. Open Mixed Doubles Due To Illness. Collins, Harrison Replace Him And Siniakova

• Rich Eisen Pays Tribute To Former ESPN Sportscenter Co-Anchor Stuart Scott In Special Appearance On Show

Today’s Special Guest

Meredith Shiner is a communications strategist, contributing editor to The New Republic magazine, and a lecturer in public policy at the University of Chicago. A former national political reporter and Congressional correspondent in Washington, Meredith’s writing has appeared in a variety of outlets, including: Politico, Roll Call, Congressional Quarterly, The Economist, Yahoo News, Rolling Stone, The Daily Beast, The New Republic, Jezebel, Yahoo Sports and Deadspin. Yeah, she’s good - which is part of why she’s coming to The Politics Bar tonight to talk about Trump & Republicans’ ongoing authoritarian cosplay, Gavin Newsom & Democrats’ responses, and more - including a little baseball talk.

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