This is the Jan. 9, 2026, edition of “The Tea, Spilled by Morning Joe” newsletter. Subscribe here to get it delivered straight to your inbox every Monday through Friday.
Happy Friday.
The events of the week have been overwhelming. But understand, this White House operates in a way meant to disorient, distract, and depress you.
Don’t let them win.
The best way to resist the madness is by keeping your head about you — and staying in the game.
When the White House fills websites with conspiracy theories and lies about Jan. 6, know that the gutter of lies we are wading through will soon be followed by a season of truth and personal responsibility — where those lying to gain power will forever carry on their shoulders the heavy weight of history’s judgment.
The Immigration and Customs Enforcement agent who killed a young mother by firing shots at point-blank range from the side of her car will one day have to account for his actions — even if Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem is justifying those actions today.
Do not despair. You can change the future.
The Republican majority is vanishing in the House, as resignations and retirements add up to political headaches for Speaker Mike Johnson.
The same Republican Senate that pushed back against President Donald Trump on filibusters and prosecutors has forced a vote on limiting the president’s war-making power in Venezuela.
It’s not enough, but it’s a start.
The Supreme Court waited until the end of 2025, but it finally said “no” to Trump’s plan to send National Guard troops to militarize American cities.
Federal judges across America continue to rule against Trump’s lawfare schemes and the prosecutors he unlawfully appointed.
And this White House couldn’t pass a major piece of legislation if Trump’s crypto fortune depended on it.
Take note that these checks and balances belatedly being placed on the president may explain why he has begun focusing again on his 19th century imperialist dreams — targeting Greenland, Cuba, the Panama Canal, Mexico, and Caracas.
And what about Noem’s targeting of American neighborhoods? The Wall Street Journal correctly observes that her reckless approach amounts to nothing but bad news for the president:
As for Mr. Trump, violent episodes like this aren’t going to help him or his party in November. His mass deportation policy is already unpopular and will become more so if there are more such violent incidents.
Americans will have their say at the voting booth this fall.
Between now and then, register, volunteer, call friends, get them engaged, join a campaign, work in phone banks, and do what you can to bend the arc of civilization in the direction of freedom, liberty, and toward a more perfect union.
As always, thanks so much for reading the Tea. I pray you have a peaceful weekend.
After this week of divisiveness, the weekend offers a chance to step into something shared — exactly when it’s needed most.
First and foremost, are you ready for some football?
Tonight, we find out who will join the University of Miami in this year’s College Football National Playoff Championship, with No. 1 Indiana taking on No. 5 Oregon in the second semifinal.
Tomorrow, the NFL playoffs kick off with a jam-packed Wild Card Saturday. The NFC opens with the Carolina Panthers hosting the Los Angeles Rams at 4:30 p.m. ET before the Green Bay Packers head to Chicago to take on the Bears at 8 p.m. ET.
Sunday rounds out the weekend with a trio of games. The Jacksonville Jaguars host the Buffalo Bills at 1 p.m. ET, the San Francisco 49ers visit the defending champion Philadelphia Eagles at 4:30 p.m. ET, and the night closes with the Los Angeles Chargers traveling to New England to face the Patriots at 8 p.m. ET.
That prime-time matchup will go head-to-head with the 83rd Golden Globe Awards, hosted for the second straight year by the queen of comedy roasts, Nikki Glaser.
Away from the end zones and the red carpet, the weekend has its own soundtrack. In San Francisco, the symphony performs the “Pirates of the Caribbean” score live as the film rolls on a giant screen. Philadelphia features Mahler’s Symphony No. 4, and in Texas, Austin offers free shows in the Red River Cultural District and San Antonio hosts a choral and gospel-inspired concert in the city’s historic San Fernando Cathedral.
Florida leans into arena-size entertainment as Monster Jam roars into Orlando and the Harlem Globetrotters’ 100-Year Tour bounces into Tampa.
In Grand Rapids, Michigan, the city’s World of Winter festival is in full swing.
And in New York, Wollman Rink in Central Park marks its 75th anniversary on Saturday at 1 p.m., with a bid to break the Guinness World Record for the largest skating lesson.
Now … on to your questions!
MAILBAG
How can the White House get away with updating their official website that includes absolute lies about Jan. 6? What can be done to get our Congress to address this?
— Vicki W., Madison, Wis.
Sadly, websites alone can’t change the minds of those sad creatures whose reality has been so warped by conspiracy theories and lies that they quickly moved past their feelings of shock and horror after the insurrection. They’ve now adopted a warped view of that day that is bent a little bit more by every lie told by Donald Trump.
So what can be done? Well, I think we should start by pressuring every Republican member of Congress to finally show the courage to hang up the plaque that commemorates the Capitol Hill officers beaten and abused on Jan. 6. These officers risked their lives to protect the same Republicans who now refuse to salute them out of fear that doing so may offend Donald Trump.
Know this: History will judge those who stormed the United States Capitol to overthrow the 2020 election in the harshest of lights. And a person like former Vice President Mike Pence, who was slandered on that White House website, will be remembered by history as a man who stood in the breach, did his duty, and protected the Constitution of the United States.
Time is on the side of truth.
——
Please explain how the Venezuela operation is any different than Putin trying to take Ukraine for its resources? I know Zelenskyy is not a criminal like Maduro but just taking the country’s oil seems like something Putin would do.
— Anonymous
Of all the geopolitical dangers the seizure of Nicolás Maduro set loose, the most far-reaching may be the signal America’s military operation in Venezuela sent to Russia and China that can be filed under “imperial overreach.”
Donald Trump has long embraced the “great power” theory of international order. Such an approach would allow the United States to dominate smaller countries in its sphere — while leaving Russia and China free to do the same in Europe and Asia.
With Trump telling reporters like me — and several at The New York Times — that he plans on America controlling Venezuela’s oil supply for years to come, the U.S. moral arguments for Russia leaving Ukraine are now far less compelling. And no one should doubt that Beijing has taken note of Trump‘s words and actions in Caracas, and is moving closer to the ultimate seizure of Taiwan.
The geopolitical costs of cheap Venezuelan oil to U.S. foreign policy may be prohibitive for years to come.
—-
If Trump has money (taxpayer money) to purchase Greenland, why doesn’t he have money to support the Affordable Care Act? How much will Trump be paying to purchase Greenland?
— Tim Y., Pittsburgh
President Trump’s priorities appear to be far more focused on ruling as a 19th century imperialist power from the White House than on making healthcare affordable in 2026.
And while Trump may be obsessed with Greenland, most Americans are focused on spiraling health care premiums, on how big insurance corporations deny their claims, and deciding whether to pay for health care this month or make their mortgage payment on time.
Trump and his Republican Party may not be paying much attention to the health care crisis right now, but you can bet they will be focusing on it the closer the election comes this fall.
Republicans know they are on the wrong side of the health care crisis, and it will cost them greatly if they do not strike a deal with the Democrats to bring down prices soon.
—-
Joe, thanks for sharing the Ignatius Loyola quote — love it. Do you have a favorite Augustinian quote that reflects a similar spirit?
— Anthony Z., San Diego
Thanks so much for your question about the quote: “Pray as though everything depended on God; act as though everything depended on you.”
Your question led me to look deeper into the Ignatius quote, and I discovered that it has been attributed to everyone from St. Ignatius to St. Augustine to John Wesley, the founder of the Methodist Church.
The Ignatius claim comes from page 2,834 of the Catechism of the Catholic Church. Evangelical journals credit the quote to Wesley. And institutions connected to St. Augustine claim it as their own.
I had always heard a variant that was credited to Mother Teresa: “Pray as if there is no such thing as work, and work as if there is no such thing as prayer.”
Regardless of the exact wording, or who formulated the phrase in writing first, it is a good reminder that hard work and prayer are powerful companions to whatever journey you begin.
——
On April 6, 1973, the designated hitter became official for the American League in MLB. Ron Blomberg of the New York Yankees was the first DH, walking on five pitches from Luis Tiant of the Boston Red Sox with bases loaded in the first inning. My question for Joe and Mike Barnicle is how did you feel about it at the time? Does it differ from how you feel about it now?
— Mike G., Madison, Miss.
Mike Barnicle: I remember April 6, 1973, quite well. It was opening day at Fenway Park, and they were trying this thing called the DH, the designated hitter.
Orlando Cepeda was the Red Sox designated hitter that day, and it was so exciting to see him step up to the plate because we’d all known what a great career he already had.
Cepeda was obviously at the tail end of that career, but this was the first time Red Sox fans got to see him in the flesh at Fenway Park. Orlando Cepeda wearing a Red Sox uniform was something to behold.
At the end of that year, he was awarded the most valuable designated hitter for 1973. Boston’s DH got the first award given for the position at the end of that year!
Still, the idea of a DH was a real novelty to fans. It reminded us of watching a spring training game where there were few rules on who was going to hit. Looking back, it’s odd that I never thought through the major impact this new rule change would have on team strategy, and how specific players would become full-time DHs instead of position players.
That took some getting used to.
Still today, all these years later, I cannot imagine the game of Major League Baseball without the designated hitter.
ONE LAST SHOT
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
SPILL IT!
In the coming weeks, actor and comedian Sean Hayes will join us to discuss his new off-Broadway show, “The Unknown,” and actress and writer Jeanette McCurdy will join us to talk about her new novel, “Half His Age.”
Have a question for them? Ask here, and we may feature your question on the show.
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Former Rep. Joe Scarborough, R-Fla., is co-host of MS NOW's "Morning Joe" alongside Mika Brzezinski — a show that Time magazine calls "revolutionary." In addition to his career in television, Joe is a two-time New York Times best-selling author. His most recent book is "The Right Path: From Ike to Reagan, How Republicans Once Mastered Politics — and Can Again."