This is the Feb. 4, 2026, edition of “The Tea, Spilled by Morning Joe” newsletter. Subscribe hereto get it delivered straight to your inbox every Monday through Friday.
A federal paramilitary-style force is shooting unarmed Americans in the streets.
One woman was shot five times and left with seven bullet wounds. The thuggish agent who pulled the trigger later bragged about it to colleagues in text messages.
And still, the majority of Republicans and white evangelical voters continue supporting this lawless brutality.
Christians often ask, “What would Jesus do?”
Certainly not this.
On Capitol Hill, Republican lawmakers — many of them trained as lawyers — are now telling Americans that the Fourth Amendment no longer means what it plainly says: that the government needs a judicial warrant before kicking down doors.
The speaker of the House has gone even further, suggesting the president may have a point in calling for federal control of elections because of cheating in Democratic states — though he later said that should not happen.
Mike Johnson knows better. As a constitutional lawyer, he understands that Article 1 gives that power to Congress and the states.
This comes after Donald Trump said there was no need for elections this year, but if there were elections, Republicans should run them.
Instead of sounding the alarm, Republicans stand back while Trump tries to carry out his most dangerous schemes.
This is a party that once stood for small government and individual liberty. Now it champions an ever-growing federal regime empowered to seize property, take guns, and even kill citizens for legally carrying them.
In 2008, the Supreme Court affirmed that Americans have a constitutional right to keep and bear arms — even in Washington, D.C. Trump officials now pretend that ruling never happened, suggesting citizens can be arrested or shot for carrying guns to a rally.
The Trump regime’s appetite for power keeps growing by the day. It takes over corporations, buys stakes in tech companies, seizes oil from foreign lands, runs record deficits, and ignores the First, Second, and Fourth Amendments as mere inconveniences.
And Republicans? They do nothing.
News flash: Americans own their freedom of speech, right to bear arms, and protection against unlawful searches, as well as the right to vote in peace.
But those rights survive only if citizens — and the leaders they elect — have the courage to defend the Constitution that secures them.
“This job sucks.”
— U.S. Attorney Julie Le, expressing her disgust in court at Trump administration officials who are ignoring federal judges’ orders.
Source: Class Action
A CONVERSATION WITH CHRIS CHRISTIE
Former New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie — a onetime Trump ally turned outspoken critic — joined “Morning Joe” to talk about the president’s latest claims of election fraud and how they may backfire on Republicans.
JS: Governor, you told me back in 2020 that President Trump started talking about “rigged elections” early because he knew he was going to lose. Is history repeating itself?
CC: In some ways, yes. We’re still arguing about the 2020 election more than five years later. One big reason Trump’s mail‑in numbers were poor is that he told his supporters, “Don’t vote by mail — it’s crooked.” Many of us warned him not to say that. But a lot of his voters were seniors afraid of Covid and they stayed home.
JS: And that rhetoric still has consequences?
CC: That attitude still hurts Republicans today — because Trump taught many of his voters to distrust mail‑in ballots. So when he blames late votes now, I’d say: Doctor, heal thyself. He created much of the problem he’s complaining about.
JS: Republicans used to embrace early voting. Isn’t discouraging it politically self‑defeating?
CC: Absolutely. It makes no electoral sense. When the results go the obvious way, you have to invent another excuse. The public’s faith in free and fair elections is essential. You don’t have to agree with every result, but you do have to believe the process is fair.
And let’s remember, states run elections, not the federal government. Governors aren’t agents of Washington; we’re entrusted by our citizens and the Constitution to ensure those elections are fair and independent.
WG: Governor, what about the independence of the Justice Department? Republicans used to warn about “weaponization of government,” but now they’re brazenly doing it out in the open. How do we fix that?
CC: That issue troubles me most. During my seven years in the George W. Bush administration, I never once got a call from the White House or Justice Department about who to prosecute. My only instruction was: Use your judgment — don’t embarrass us.
WG: How do we restore that separation?
CC: Maybe the next president — Republican or Democrat — should appoint an attorney general from the opposite party. When I was U.S. attorney, we handled 130 corruption cases, roughly 60% Democrats and 40% Republicans, and no one accused us of playing politics. That impartiality is what sets America apart. If we lose it, we become like every other country where justice is politically controlled. MB: Some argue that nationalizing elections would fix these problems. Wouldn’t that actually make it even easier to rig results? CC: Exactly. The founders were smart — they didn’t want an all‑powerful federal government. They wanted states to handle local matters, including elections, because each state has its own population, customs, and traditions. MB: Why does that matter for trust? Happy birthday to Rosa Parks! The civil rights icon, who refused to give up her seat on a Birmingham bus, was born on this day in 1913. The Justice Department’s latest release of documents related to Jeffrey Epstein has claimed another unexpected casualty: Peter Attia, the physician and longevity influencer whose brand rests on clinical rigor and self-mastery. Attia’s name, according to reporting, appears in more than 1,700 pages of the newly unsealed files. Those records include a series of email exchanges between Attia and Epstein that have prompted swift backlash — and an apology. In one message, Attia jokes crudely about women, writing to Epstein, “P**** is, indeed, low carb.” In another, he refers to having received a “fresh shipment,” a phrase that has drawn particular scrutiny. In a later email, Attia reflects on his association with Epstein: “The biggest problem with becoming friends with you? The life you lead is so outrageous, and yet I can’t tell a soul …” On Monday, Attia addressed the emails in a lengthy post on X, calling portions of the correspondence “embarrassing, tasteless, and indefensible.” He denied any criminal conduct, stressing that he was “never on his plane, never on his island, and never present at any sex parties.” The news comes just days after Attia was announced as a contributor to CBS News. MS NOW has learned from a source familiar with the matter that a re-airing of his October appearance on “60 Minutes” — slated to run opposite the Super Bowl this Sunday — has been pulled. Whether Attia will stay at the network remains uncertain. CBS News did not respond to questions about his future there. Forget that gym membership. New research suggests that tiny bursts of everyday effort — like climbing a few flights of stairs — deliver many of the benefits associated with formal exercise. Just 30 to 45 seconds at a time can lower the risk of early death by roughly 40%, even among people who don’t otherwise work out. Scientists call it vigorous intermittent lifestyle physical activity — movement folded into daily life rather than carved out on a calendar. In places where people routinely live past 100, hills and stairs are unavoidable. “Exercise doesn’t need to be this special thing you do in this special place after you change into special clothes,” said Martin Gibala, a professor of kinesiology at McMaster University. “It can be part of everyday life.”For most of human history, after all, living was exercise. Then came Donkey Kong and all-you-can-eat buffets. Karen Carpenter of American vocal duo the Carpenters passed away on this day in 1983. The Carpenters were one of the most successful music groups of the 1970s. Initially dismissed as creators of “bubblegum pop,” their reputation as artists grew exponentially throughout the 1990s and beyond. Karen Carpenter was only 32 at the time of her death. Tomorrow, actor Ian McKellan will join us to discuss his new play, “The Ark.” Have a question? 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
CC: People trust what’s close to them. When I was governor and something went wrong, I’d hear about it at the deli or my kid’s game. The president doesn’t have that kind of accountability. Keeping elections run by the states preserves that trust. That’s why our electoral system has worked for nearly 250 years.TODAY IN HISTORY
WELLNESS INFLUENCER APOLOGIZES FOR DISGUSTING EPSTEIN TEXTS
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