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?











