The Tea, Spilled by Morning Joe: Friday edition

We made it to Friday!

By this time next week, many of us will be drifting into food comas, which makes this weekend the perfect moment to squeeze in a final round of pre-holiday revelry — coast to coast and beyond.

Start in New York City, where we’re spreading the news about the LuminoCity Festival, an immersive wonderland of light installations and a holiday market waiting for those who venture out to Randall’s Island.

Just up the road in New Haven, Connecticut, Harvard and Yale universities will be facing off in the 141st playing of The Game. With both schools enjoying banner seasons, Yale is calling the showdown “one of the most important games in the history of Yale football.” Kickoff is at noon.

In the nation’s capital, drop by the DowntownDC Holiday Market for festive holiday shopping and hot cocoa in Penn Quarter. Then slip over to the Phillips Collection to see “Out of Many: Reframing an American Art Collection,” an exhibit that celebrates the beauty — and reckons with the complexity — of this country’s history.

In Chicago — if it’s your kind of town — stroll beneath the glowing displays at the Magnificent Mile Lights Festival or the Chicago Botanic Garden. You can also catch Ruth Page’s beloved “The Nutcracker,” a family-friendly, beautifully condensed take on the classic ballet.

Heading west, San Diego is serving history buffs a clandestine thrill with the USS Midway “Top Secret” exhibition — taking visitors “Inside the High-Stakes World of Naval Intelligence.”

Up in Los Angeles, all you’ll wanna do is have some fun at the LA Auto Show, where gleaming classics will be on display through the end of the month — and, who knows, perhaps even a Jay Leno sighting is possible.

Farther north, if you’re sleepless in Seattle, enjoy the Night Owls at Woodland Park Zoo. We hear it’s a real hoot!

Swinging back east, if you prefer animals not by land but by sea, head to the New England Aquarium in Boston for its Aquarium After Dark event.

Down south in Atlanta, locals and visitors may be peachy keen on Smorgasburg Atlanta, the city’s bustling open-air food market.

Texas, of course, does things big: In Houston, the Botanic Garden dazzles with a giant lantern light-art walk. Over in Texarkana, it’s 1.21 gigawatts of fun at a screening of “Back to the Future,” with the Texarkana Symphony Orchestra performing the score live.

And finally, if London happens to be your last stop, the city’s Jazz Festival reaches its grand finale on Sunday — closing the week on a high note.

Disobeying an unlawful order is not sedition — it is required.

MAILBAG

Thank you to our many readers who have written to The Tea, Spilled by Morning Joe! Here, the “Morning Joe” family answers a few of your burning questions.

I am really getting so down and scared about the trajectory of our country. I appreciate you and all the people on “Morning Joe,” and look to you all for hope. Can you send me some uplifting thoughts now? —Cathy B., Traverse City, Mich.

Cathy, let me start by quoting my sainted journalism teacher from Pensacola Catholic High School, Sister Margaret. She kept a short poem by British clergyman Frederick Langbridge in the front of her class as a reminder to us that we should look for reasons to believe, even in challenging times.

“Two men looked out from prison bars. One saw mud, the other stars.”

News from Washington seems to splatter us with mud every day. Even since you wrote me this note, President Donald Trump has threatened that members of Congress could be executed for simply stating the obvious: Military troops cannot follow illegal orders.

Bad news moves fast, but so does data — and the last two weeks of evidence point to the same conclusion: Hate and division are a dead end for any political party.

• Trump’s approval ratings are at their lowest point in his second term. 
• Democrats have a massive lead over Republicans in the generic ballot test, maintaining one of the largest leads over Trump’s party that I can ever remember. 
• Federal courts across America are proving that James Madison’s Constitution still provides America with mighty checks and balances, regardless of what Trump says.
• The White House is getting walloped on the issue of the economy, and very few people still believe it’s Joe Biden’s fault. They are holding this administration accountable. 
• Finally, Democrats scored a historic victory over Trump Republicans two weeks ago — and now believe they are positioned to dominate the midterm elections next year. 

In the past few weeks, the Southern Baptist in me has found the most solace in the words and actions of Chicago’s Pope Leo XIV and from the archbishops across America who are using their pulpits to speak out against the cruel treatment of God’s most vulnerable children.

The impact of the pope’s words, combined with the patriotic acts of courage from defenders of our democracy, will not only see us through in the future — they are doing just that right now.

And for that, I am thankful.

I really enjoyed your book on Harry Truman. Do you have any other books planned for the future? —David M., Franklin, Texas

Thanks so much for your kind words on the Truman book.

Right now, I’m putting the finishing touches on a history of the forces that collided in one of the most significant years of our time: 1979.

Historians often talk about the importance of landmark years like 1917, 1945, 1968, 1989. But more events occurred in 1979 that still shape our world today than in the 40-plus years that followed the end of the ’70s.

• The United States normalized relations with China and, in so doing, launched the age of globalization.
• Margaret Thatcher was elected prime minister of the United Kingdom, and even though she was a controversial figure inside her country, her policies pulled Great Britain out of an economic decline that had haunted the country since the end of World War II.
• Pope John Paul II took control in the Vatican and began working with a certain Polish national security adviser in Jimmy Carter’s White House, with a goal of ending Soviet tyranny in Eastern Europe.
• The Iranian hostage crisis also began in 1979 after Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini returned to Iran to begin the Islamic Republic. It launched the age of Islamic radicalism that has tortured Western governments for 40 years.
• The Soviet Union invaded Afghanistan, and because of the plans that Zbigniew Brzezinski had made in preparation, the USSR was forced to retreat in humiliating fashion. Soviet generals would later accuse him of setting the trap in Afghanistan that would ultimately cause the Soviet Union’s collapse.

Many other events also played out in 1979 in ways that continue to affect us today. It’s been exciting writing the book and gaining a better understanding of how the world we live in is still shaped by the events of that single year that many of us have overlooked for too long.

Thanks for the question, and I hope you enjoy 1979!

Are you using a particular method to improve your piano skills? —Annie E., Pigeon, Mich.

I’m actually doing what my mother tried to get me to do when I was 5 years old. Along with learning songs by Billy Joel, Elton John and some of my other musical heroes, I am beginning to go through all the scale exercises Mom taught me when I was in elementary school.

The key is putting in the time. I’ve known how to play piano by ear for most of my life, but I’ve too often sat down, played a few songs and then walked away. Now I set aside a certain period of time to work on making the songs sound better — and also trying to improve my touch.

It’s been a great way to relax, and I know my mom would be proud that little Joey finally sat down and practiced his scales! 🤣

Love your Spotify list, Joe. So eclectic with many of my own favorites. I know you are a big Beatles fan, as I am. What are two or three of your other musical influences? —Marianne D., Rockville, Md.

Thanks! The Beatles are really the beginning, middle and end of my musical influences. But I’ve also spent a lot of time listening to Brian Wilson’s most remarkable songs from 1965 to 1967, as well as 1970s R&B and indie music from the 1980s through about 2010.

The Beatles, Elton John, the Beach Boys, Chuck Berry, Stevie Wonder, Elvis Costello, REM, Sly and the Family Stone, Buddy Holly, Hank Williams Sr., the Postal Service, Stars, Vampire Weekend and scores of other acts.

But try to guess what music Spotify tells me I’ve listened to the most this year?

Beethoven’s Sixth Symphony. 🤯

How many dogs does Mika have? Is there a favorite? —Cathay D., Palm Beach Gardens, Fla.

We’ve lost count by now, but I think the number is less than five and more than two.

Mika does not have any favorites, but she would tell you that there is a special place in her heart for Hobson. He is a big, lumbering dog whose frame is so large that he often finds himself in pain by the end of the day. She says Hobson reminds her of me. 🤣

But Mika quickly adds that Cali and Shelby also hold a special place in her heart! “They’re all my favorites,” she says.

We also asked Patton Oswalt a reader question when he stopped by the “Morning Joe” set this week!

What was his favorite character he played on TV or in movies? —Wilma P., Cedar Rapids, Iowa

The favorite character that I’ve ever played on TV is Constable Bob Sweeney on “Justified.” Again, amazing writing, amazing directing. Getting to do scenes with Timothy Olyphant — just an incredible actor — and then getting to be directed by people like Michael Dinner and Lesli Linka Glatter … you’re just in such amazing hands.

And then, movies — I mean, the character that I got to play in this little tiny movie I did called “Big Fan,” about an obsessive sports fan — it’s super low-budget, and it’s such a real character. I have a lot of affection for that guy because, there but for the grace of God, I could have gone down that road very easily.

ONE LAST SHOT

Washington said farewell to former Vice President Dick Cheney this week. The Republican gained the antipathy of Democrats during the Iraq War. He later became persona non grata in Trump’s Washington after speaking out against the president and Jan. 6. Neither Donald Trump nor JD Vance was invited to Cheney’s funeral. Fox News refused to televise the ceremony.

That’s all the time we have, folks!

Thanks so much for your questions and for reading The Tea, Spilled by Morning Joe!

Have a great weekend!

Joe

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SPILL IT!

The “Morning Joe” family is gearing up for Thanksgiving! We want to know: What is your favorite Thanksgiving dish?

Let us know here — and we’ll feature the winning dishes (the dinner winner, if you will) next week!