This is the March 23, 2026, edition of “The Tea, Spilled by Morning Joe” newsletter. Subscribe here to get it delivered straight to your inbox Monday through Friday.
QUOTE OF THE DAY
“Good, I’m glad he’s dead.”
— President Donald Trump, on the death of Robert Mueller III, former FBI director and decorated American hero
JOE’S NOTE
We woke up this morning to a series of breaking news stories.
- Air traffic at LaGuardia has ground to a halt after a late-night collision between an Air Canada jet and an airport fire truck. Two pilots were killed, and the airport will remain closed into the afternoon.
- The president backed down from his Saturday-night threat to escalate the war with Iran by targeting the regime’s energy infrastructure. In a Truth Social post earlier this morning, Trump said talks have been progressing well over the past five days.
- He also weighed in on airport security, issuing a separate statement that ICE agents deployed to airports should not wear masks.
And hanging over all of it this morning is the president’s weekend reaction to the death of Robert Mueller III — which shocked even Donald Trump’s fiercest critics.
CHART OF THE DAY
THE PASSING OF AN AMERICAN HERO
Robert S. Mueller III left a life of privilege at Princeton University to serve as a U.S. Marine at the height of the Vietnam War. At a time when many from well-connected families found ways to avoid military service, Lt. Mueller chose a different path — serving with distinction and earning both a Bronze Star for Valor and a Purple Heart after being wounded by an AK-47.
As FBI director, Mueller confronted President George W. Bush over the National Security Agency’s warrantless wiretapping program, warning that it violated constitutional protections against unlawful searches and seizures. He told the president he would resign if the program was not changed.
It was.
Mueller’s later work as special counsel investigating Donald Trump’s presidential campaign resulted in no criminal charges against the president but raised serious concerns — later echoed by Marco Rubio’s Senate Intelligence Committee. The committee concluded the campaign’s actions posed a “grave counterintelligence threat,” leaving it vulnerable to “malign Russian influence.”
ON THIS DATE
In 2010, President Barack Obama signed the Affordable Care Act, a $938 billion overhaul of the nation’s health care system. As then-Vice President Joe Biden put it at the time, “this is a big f—ing deal.”
REPORTER’S NOTEBOOK: DAVID IGNATIUS
JS: President Trump said this morning that the United States and Iran are negotiating a “total resolution” of hostilities in the Middle East — and that he will postpone any U.S. attacks on Iranian power plants by five days. David, what are you hearing about these talks?
David Ignatius: The president is exploring diplomatic possibilities, but there’s no deal yet — just early signals about the tone and direction of talks.
A Qatar- and Oman-led mediation effort collapsed after Israel struck Iranian gas facilities at South Pars, abruptly shutting down that channel. Now a new backchannel led by Turkey has emerged in recent days, with indications that discussions involving Iranians and others have shown early signs of progress.
JL: So is this really about leverage, giving Iran five days to move on reopening the Strait of Hormuz?
DI: We can expect an Iranian negotiating strategy that seeks to extract as much as possible in exchange for reopening the strait. If they don’t get those concessions, we’re likely right back where we were.
This is very characteristic of Trump. He’ll go right up to the edge — sometimes over it — and then say enough concessions have been made to justify negotiations.
David Rohde: Is there any realistic path to resolving the nuclear issue in these early talks?
DI: That will remain one of the unresolved issues. Before this conflict began, Iran had made an offer that went pretty far toward addressing it. They proposed gradually diluting their highly enriched uranium under [International Atomic Energy Agency] supervision. But that kind of arrangement would require a lengthy, detailed negotiation. This is just the beginning. Some elements, like monitoring nuclear sites, could be handled from the air. But others, including missile capabilities, would likely require on-the-ground verification to ensure compliance. MB: Were U.S. officials surprised by Iran’s ability to sustain these attacks? DI: The United States seemed to believe it had degraded Iran’s missile and drone capabilities far more than it actually had. Iran clearly planned for this war better than was understood. When this is over, it will be critical to examine the intelligence failures that led to such a serious underestimation of Iran’s capabilities. This conversation has been condensed and edited for brevity and clarity. Today, the American Civil Liberties Union launched a national ad campaign set to Bruce Springsteen’s “Born in the U.S.A.,” ahead of its arguments before the Supreme Court in a landmark case challenging the constitutional right to birthright citizenship. In a rare move, Springsteen authorized the use of the song to highlight what’s at stake — and, as the ACLU put it, how birthright citizenship remains “integral to American values and the very fabric of our nation.” 17% — The share of Major League Baseball players in favor of robo-umps calling balls and strikes. Sixty-three percent were against it, while 19.4 percent were unsure. Today is World Bear Day, which highlights all eight species of bears and the ongoing efforts to protect them. Above, a picture of a polar bear in Kincraig, Scotland’s Highland Wildlife Park earlier this year.Recommended
ACLU LAUNCHES BIRTHRIGHT CITIZENSHIP CAMPAIGN
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