This is the Jan. 16, 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!
If you look at anything in the news today, I’d recommend you watch The New York Times’ video analysis of Renee Good’s killing.
The video angles eviscerate the White House lies that the killer of the 37-year-old mom was run over by her Honda Pilot.
Every person in the White House, the Department of Homeland Security, and the Republican Party who repeats that line is lying to their constituents — and themselves.
The Times’ analysis of the videos shows that the shooter’s feet were well away from the car, and he was completely clear of its path when firing the final two point-blank shots into Good’s side window at the direction of her head.
I don’t expect certain people at the White House to stop lying about the killing, but I do regret that they are too stupid to understand that continuing this lie only hurts them and their Republican Party even more.
They lie when telling the truth would be better for them.
So take a look at the video analysis, then call someone you love to catch up on things not related to politics, and take a couple of deep breaths as we get ready to roll into the weekend!
ON THE CALENDAR
The NFL playoffs continue with the divisional round. Tomorrow at 4:30 p.m. ET, the Buffalo Bills travel to mile-high Denver to take on the AFC’s top-seeded Broncos, followed by the San Francisco 49ers visiting the NFC’s top-seeded Seattle Seahawks at 8 p.m. ET. On Sunday, the Houston Texans play the New England Patriots at 3 p.m. ET, rounded out by the LA Rams visiting the Chicago Bears at 6:30pm ET.
Away from the gridiron, there are fun events across the country.
You gotta know when to fold ’em in New York City, where an all-day origami workshop will be held at the American Museum of Natural History on Sunday.
Bagpipes and ax throwing come to Orlando with the Central Florida Scottish Highland Games on Saturday and Sunday.
Last week we told you about the Harlem Globetrotters 100-Year Tour entertaining fans in Tampa, and this weekend they dribble into San Jose, California. Also in that city, turn it up to Eleven for a “Stranger Things” trivia night.
Austin, Texas, features a tribute to Coldplay, with a string quartet interpretation of the band’s hits.
Harrisburg, Pennsylvania, welcomes the Pennsylvania Farm Show, the largest indoor agricultural event in the country.
And in the nation’s capital, put on your detective caps for a scavenger hunt at the Smithsonian museums. (Perhaps there will be a Nicolas Cage sighting.)
Now … on to your questions!
MAILBAG
What are local officials doing to proactively prevent the 2026 midterm results from being overturned illegally? — Tony F., Fort Lauderdale, Fla.
In an age of information centralization, American elections stand apart from banking, shopping, and most other sectors of society.
The running of elections can often seem bureaucratic, clunky, maddening, and long — especially when you’re waiting for Arizona or Nevada to count two or three ballots a day during presidential recounts. But those reformers who push for the nationalization of voting equipment and systems are playing right into the hands of China, Russia, and malevolent actors across America who would love the ability to rig U.S. elections.
Lots of luck.
When I first ran for Congress, I learned quickly that the six counties I campaigned across had six different supervisors of elections with six different processes for counting ballots, and six different political fiefdoms each had built up over years.
That experience taught me how important decentralization is to the protection of fair elections — and just how hard it would be for a person, party, or foreign nation to rig American elections.
Still, this current administration, and some of the tech lords who align themselves with the White House, makes the necessity of paper ballots all the more critical to prevent widespread hacking.
Expect the 30 or so congressional races that will determine the next speaker of the House to be decided by the barest of margins. That is why it is so critical that Democrats, independents, and Republicans of good faith work together now to focus on key precincts long before the first votes are cast.
Lawyers, tech experts, election analysts, and scores of other workers need to do all they can to make sure the 2026 election is the fairest yet.
With Donald Trump telling reporters he doesn’t even think there should be elections this year, Democrats have been warned.
Now they need to make sure safeguards are put in place so this will be the fairest election ever.
Time to get to work.
How do you all “cleanse your palate” after reporting on the seemingly unending bad news? — Gwen L., Pottstown, Penn.
My first rule is to not be flooded by news reports on television or my phone in the hours following “Morning Joe.” As I said before in the newsletter, it is the intention of this White House to overwhelm voters and viewers of news with one shocking episode of government malfeasance after another.
Getting away from the news and pursuing interests in music, sports, reading, and athletics helps clear my head of the nonsense, and helps me to focus more clearly on what deserves focus.
I avoid partisan podcasts, websites, or cable news shows where the purpose of that broadcast is to build viewership by turning the “other side” into the enemy.
What a waste of time. I spend a good bit of time reading for the show by looking at The Wall Street Journal, The New York Times, The Financial Times, and great writers from magazines and websites across the ideological spectrum. Then I watch sports with my son or find a movie to watch with Mika. She’s a tough critic, so finding the movie usually takes longer than watching it. 🤣 I think it is pretty clear that Trump has no intention of leaving the White House. I think he is going to do whatever it takes to ensure it. Joe talks about how all of their lunacy will come back to haunt them in the midterms (and perhaps beyond); Jonathan reports that the White House is not concerned about the cratering poll numbers. Shouldn’t we be discussing WHY they’re not concerned? — Ken W., West Hollywood, Calif. There are many different theories as to why Donald Trump seems unconcerned with his plummeting poll numbers. There are some people like you (who are very close to me) who share your fear that Trump has no intention of holding elections at the end of this year. I continue to have great confidence in the power of the United States Constitution and the toughness of the American people. I see nothing in the character of the American people that would allow an unpopular president to stop a midterm election because his party was destined to lose. President Trump‘s apparent reluctance to focus on his poll numbers comes, more likely, from his isolation. In Trump’s first term, he had generals and economic advisers around him who dared to tell the truth, whether he liked it or not. Today he is surrounded by loyal minions who place their own political careers above the oath they took to uphold the Constitution of the United States. What a shame. The losers in this mess will be Republican members of Congress, who stand to get trounced in the midterm elections if Trump continues allowing ICE agents to shoot 37-year-old moms at point-blank range, while scheming about future invasions of Greenland. Republicans can either speak up now or wait until they get voted out of office in November. It would be in their best interest, and that of the country, if they started telling the truth now and improve their president’s misguided policies. It’s not news that staying active increases your chance of living longer. But The New York Times reports that some activities are more effective for living longer. The winner in the race for longevity? Tennis, by a mile. A Danish study found that playing tennis adds an average of 10 years to your life. Studies in the U.S. and Britain also found that playing racket sports lowers the risk of death more than any other exercise studied. Other findings: Resistance-and-strength training is also a huge winner in the longevity race. An hour a week of resistance training lowers your risk of death by 25%, increases cognitive function, improves your mood, and delays other age-related issues. So live a little — longer. Grab that tennis racket, lift some dumbbells, and stick around like Methuselah! 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 A toddler embracing a foxhound in Oxfordshire, England, earlier this month. 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.
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." Recommended
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