This is the March 20, 2026, edition of “The Tea, Spilled by Morning Joe” newsletter. Subscribe hereto get it delivered straight to your inbox every Monday through Friday.
JOE’S NOTE
Happy Friday!
Here’s hoping you and your loved ones will have a wonderful weekend and be joyous living in a land that may be the richest and most powerful on the planet, but is far from the happiest.
The World’s Happiest Countries annual rankings are out this week, and the big takeaway seems to be this: If you want to be happy, buy a heavy coat and move to northern Europe.
Finland once again tops the list, with Denmark, Iceland, Sweden, Norway, the Netherlands, Luxembourg, and Switzerland all landing in the top 10.
Costa Rica came in at No. 4, and Israel ranked eighth. The United States didn’t crack the top 20.
Heavy social media use is worsening attitudes among younger people in English-speaking countries — the United States, Canada, Australia, and New Zealand — with girls feeling the effects most acutely.
Australia has already banned social media use for children under 16, and Democratic presidential hopeful Rahm Emanuel told me yesterday he would pursue a similar policy in the United States if elected.
Hopefully, you and your family can stay off social media long enough this weekend to catch some of the many interesting happenings across the country.
ON THE CALENDAR
The fields breathe sweet, the daisies kiss our feet,
Young lovers meet, old wives a-sunning sit,
In every street these tunes our ears do greet:
Cuckoo, jug-jug, pu-we, to witta-woo!
Spring, the sweet spring!
Spring, at last.
Today marks the equinox in the Northern Hemisphere, so tuck away your phones and make the most of the longer days ahead.
In the nation’s capital, the National Cherry Blossom Festival returns this weekend, an explosion of pink and white commemorating Japan’s gift of 3,000 flowering trees to the United States. The opening ceremony will feature dance and musical performances by artists from both countries.
In Washington and across the country, Eid al-Fitr celebrations are also underway, from a Museum of Illusions evening with music and calligraphy to a Dupont potluck showcasing dishes from across the Muslim world.
March Madness moves from the first to the second round this weekend for both the men’s and women’s tournaments. After Day 1, just 0.04% of all brackets remain intact. The rest of us have been humbled.
Elsewhere in sports: After a smashing Indian Wells out West, the tennis season moves south for the Miami Open, one of the country’s biggest tournaments.
Calling all oldies fans: Vinylcon returns this weekend to Los Angeles’ California Market Center, where more than 100 sellers will offer LPs, 45s, cassettes, and CDs spanning classic rock, punk, hip-hop, and jazz.
In Chicago, Brookfield Zoo hosts “Glow Wild: A Lantern Festival of Hope,” a luminous walk through light, art, and conservation under the early spring sky.
And if the weekend calls for something quieter: Cillian Murphy’s “Peaky Blinders,” Ryan Gosling’s sci-fi film “Project Hail Mary,” and a second season of the rollicking “Jury Duty” are all out today.
Now, on to your questions!
MAILBAG
As an 84-year-old woman whose primary means of support is Social Security, I am being told that I might have to purchase a passport for $200 that I have no need for. But now Republicans are saying I have to PURCHASE MY RIGHT TO VOTE! This outrageous expense will be a hardship for myself and friends on Social Security. What should we expect next?
— Carole M., Lexington, Ky.
Thank you so much for asking, Carole. There are millions of Americans like you who fear that the additional expense of purchasing a passport or tracking down an original copy of their birth certificate will cause significant hardship if they are required to reregister.
Republicans want to force this hardship on voters despite the fact the Wall Street Journal editorial page rightly concluded, yet again, that Republicans are fighting to enact a draconian measure to address a virtually nonexistent problem. The same conservative editorial board published a similar assessment a decade ago, when Republicans once again set up this straw man, falsely claiming widespread voter fraud.
The Journal also warned Republicans that the unintended consequences of this bill could actually create a greater hardship for the MAGA movement’s strongest supporters, who the WSJ notes are generally less educated and less wealthy than the Democrats’ most reliable voting blocs.
Isn’t the administration of the voting process within the purview of each state? I thought the Republican Party preferred states’ rights?
— Cindi G., Watertown, Mass. Thanks for the question, Cindi. Maybe I should just reprint the entire Wall Street Journal editorial, because yesterday‘s edition also addresses this question: The decentralized nature of American elections is a source of resilience, and Republicans rightly opposed President Biden’s attempt to federalize voting rules on the lax California model. Have they given up this federalist principle? The conservative paper also warned the GOP against ending the filibuster, because what comes around, goes around: If 51 Senate votes are all it takes to limit mail ballots across the country and require voter ID, Democrats next time will use 51 votes to mandate ballot harvesting and ban voter ID. That’s to say nothing of what else progressives have in mind if Republicans do them the favor of launching a pre-emptive strike on the filibuster. Mr. Schumer might make new states out of Washington, D.C., and Puerto Rico, meaning four new Democratic Senators. He might add Justices to the Supreme Court. In exchange for laying the groundwork, Republicans get … the SAVE America Act? No thanks. If the Strait of Hormuz is such an integral shipping lane, why wasn’t this secured prior to bombing? I’m no war strategist but it seems like common sense. — Cookie T., Buffalo, N.Y. The president has claimed no one could have expected Iran to block the Strait of Hormuz after the United States launched military operations against their country. President Donald Trump’s national security adviser in the first term, Amb. John Bolton, told “Morning Joe” this week that he had warned Trump that any action against Iran would lead to the strait being blocked. The president reportedly received similar warnings from his military advisers last month before starting his latest Iranian operation. Now the White House faces an additional problem before U.S. troops can safely return home. It will not only have to achieve its stated goal of weakening Iran’s long-term warmaking machinery, but it will also need to guarantee that Iran will allow shipping lanes to remain open even after U.S. troops return home. That will be a tall order considering Iran’s current attitude toward the United States and its regional allies. Most intel agencies doubt the Israelis will be able to assassinate enough Iranian leaders to create the political space for a more moderate Iranian regime. So, Joe, whaddaya think: Your boys (Sox) gonna take my boys (Jays) this year? — Sharky T., Vancouver Island, Canada Sharky, one of the great mysteries of the 2024 season was why a team as talented as the Toronto Blue Jays fared so poorly. That’s why I was not surprised when the Jays ended up winning the American League pennant and making last year’s World Series one of the greatest in our lifetimes. The only Fall Classics as compelling were the Chicago Cubs’ extra-innings win in the seventh game of the 2016 World Series and the remarkable showdown between the Atlanta Braves and the Minnesota Twins in 1991. Let’s hope this year that my Red Sox and your Blue Jays can both elbow the Yankees out of the playoffs for a stronger America and all things good and decent. Chuck Norris with Chinese American martial artist, actor, director, and screenwriter Bruce Lee on the set of his movie “Meng Long Guo Jiang (The Way of the Dragon).” Martial arts icon and actor Chuck Norris passed away yesterday, his family announced. He was 86. From the Norris family’s statement: “To the world, he was a martial artist, actor, and a symbol of strength. To us, he was a devoted husband, a loving father and grandfather, an incredible brother, and the heart of our family. He lived his life with faith, purpose, and an unwavering commitment to the people he loved … thank you for loving him with us.” David McNew/Getty Images Flowers bloom and vegetation returns at sunrise near a building under construction next to where a house, one of the 6,000 destroyed by the 2025 Eaton Fire, once stood, as winter gives way to spring on March 19, 2026, in Altadena, California.Recommended
IN MEMORIAM: CHUCK NORRIS, 1940-2026 🕊️
ONE MORE SHOT
CATCH UP ON MORNING JOE
