This is the August 14, 2026, edition of “The Tea, Spilled by Morning Joe” newsletter. Subscribe here to get it delivered straight to your inbox every Monday through Friday.

It’s been nine months. 

Nine months since the USS Abraham Lincoln pulled out of San Diego in what was supposed to be a routine seven-month cruise.

And here they still sit — 5,000 sailors and Marines, hundreds of days at sea. A record no crew should have to break. 

From my years on the Armed Services Committee, I know that breaking such records also breaks down the morale of American servicemen and -women. 

Twice, Pete Hegseth’s Pentagon promised those servicemen and -women, “You’re almost home.” 

And twice, that promise was broken.

Military readiness is not limited to the state of advanced weapon systems. It’s also affected by sailors and Marines being forced to sleep in moldy rooms, drink contaminated water, work with no time off, and remain separated from their children, spouses, parents, and loved ones longer than any military leader should ever consider acceptable. 

Hegseth’s cartoonish celebration of war, his advocacy of endless conflicts and invasions, and his continued failure to plan ahead — whether for munition supplies or troop deployments — has left the Navy with too few carriers to relieve those who need it most. 

So the most exhausted ship crew continues its mission in an all-too-avoidable war.

While Hegseth dithers, American readiness bleeds — and that undermines the next crisis, the next conflict, and the next war he will beg to start. 

Meanwhile, the Lincoln’s battered crew continues standing watch, doing the job asked of it, and defending its country. Even if the secretary of defense they ultimately answer to is not.

ON THE CALENDAR

Here’s some of what’s going on this weekend: 

In Boston, the David Chesnut Jazz Festival is back for its fourth year at the Eustis Estate on Saturday. Chesnutwas a coachman there in the 1890s who lived for music. Jazz on the lawn, all afternoon. He’d have liked that.

In New York, this is your last weekend to catch Greater New York 2026 at MoMA PS1. Fifty artists fill every floor of the old schoolhouse, exploring the city in all its layered, lived-in texture. If you’ve been meaning to go, the clock is ticking. 

In the nation’s capital, pandas — the vibe, the merch, the dumplings — are taking over Pennsylvania Avenue. Panda Fest is an outdoor Asian food festival packed with sushi, panda-shaped treats, and a general atmosphere of joyful excess.

In Chicago, look up. The Air and Water Show returns to the lakefront — Thunderbirds, Golden Knights, 2 million spectators, zero-dollar admission. It’s the largest free spectacle of its kind in the country. Grab a spot anywhere from Fullerton to Oak Street, and let the jet engines do the rest.

Down in Austin, Texas, the City-Wide Vintage Sale takes over the Palmer Events Center— jewelry, signage, limited-edition toys, memorabilia, and the kind of oddities you didn’t know you needed until you’re already holding them.

In Santa Fe, New Mexico, the Indian Market is back on the Plaza. Nearly 1,000 Native artists, more than 200 Tribal Nations, 104 years running. Jewelry, pottery, textiles, sculpture — and the chance to buy directly from the people who made them. Free and open to the public.

And in Cotati, California — a small town in Sonoma wine country with an accordion sculpture in the park — the Accordion Festival is back for its 35th year. Seven stages, 40-plus acts, and a mass rendition of “Lady of Spain” that you can probably hear from Napa. 

Now, let’s get to your letters. 

MAILBAG

Do you think Trump is being played by Iran the same way Jimmy Carter was? Do you think he knows that Iran played President Carter? Does this show being ignorant of history dooms one to repeat it? 

— Pamela Y., Portland, Ore.

One of the great ironies of this war is that Donald Trump spent his adult life mocking Jimmy Carter and George W. Bush for being outmaneuvered by Middle East strongmen.

President Trump has called Carter one of the weakest presidents to ever occupy the White House because of his handling of the Iranian hostage crisis. 

As you know, America’s position in those negotiations was compromised by the White House‘s desire to get those hostages home before the 1980 election. 

As Chris Matthews has said repeatedly on “Morning Joe,” the White House in which he worked as a speechwriter was constantly played for fools by the religious officials in Iran for the better part of 444 days. 

The Iranians knew they had leverage over Carter because of his upcoming election campaign against Ronald Reagan.

Forty-six years later, Donald Trump’s desperation to get to a deal with Iran’s radical leaders was compromised by another upcoming election — the 2026 midterms. 

Trump’s proposed memorandum of understanding would have handed hundreds of billions of dollars to the world’s most dangerous terrorist regime while making the Islamic republic the most powerful country in the region. 

Donald Trump eventually learned that Iranian leaders would rather humiliate an American president than accept a bribe to end the war — even if that was in their own best interest. 

Making matters worse for Trump, his decapitation of Iran’s leadership structure left him negotiating with an even more hardened, radical group of Revolutionary Guard members who seem determined to not let the president escape the trap he set for himself and the country he is supposed to protect and defend. 

His arrogance and ignorance of history has been his undoing.

I, too, have a son on the autism spectrum, and am wondering how in the world did we get to the point where science is doubted and debunked theories exist? 

— Marty M., Clarks Summit, Penn.

There have always been conspiracy theorists, but their bizarre worldviews and whacked-out theories failed to gain the traction required to go mainstream and affect policy. That changed dramatically with the advent of social media. Now pushing bizarre conspiracies propels radicals and cynics to the top of the podcast charts or makes them successful social media influencers. While they rake in the money while revving up their click counts, it’s Americans who suffer the consequences. Social media companies should be held liable for the damage they cause to those affected by their irresponsible behavior in promoting such lies. 

The economy is so difficult for average people, yet the Trump administration’s spokespeople and proxies keep telling us everything is rosy. Do they only listen to the rich? Is Trump in so much of a bubble that he really doesn’t realize how bad it is, or is he just ignoring the American people?

— Mary S., Durham, Maine

Mary, it seems obvious that they only listen to the richest Americans when formulating their policies. That is evidenced by just about every poll that has shown a remarkable erosion of support from Donald Trump’s most loyal supporters — Americans with only a high school diploma.

Trump beat Kamala Harris among this group 62% to 36%. Today his approval rating among the same voters has dropped by almost 20 points. That low approval rating gives the president a net of minus 16%. That’s a 34-point swing from January 2025, when he started his term at a net plus 18 with this demographic.

It’s been 40 years — don’t you agree it’s time for another Mets-Red Sox World Series?

— Bonnie M., Fort Myers, Fla.

Bonnie, I’m still recovering from the last time the Red Sox played the Mets in the 1986 World Series. While I would love to see both teams make it to the series separately, I’m not sure I’m ready to face the pressure of that rematch quite yet. Give me another 40 years and maybe I’ll be up to it by then!

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