This is the Oct. 2, 2026, edition of “The Tea, Spilled by Morning Joe” newsletter. Subscribe here to get it delivered straight to your inbox Monday through Friday.

“All things on earth point home in old October.”
— Thomas Wolfe, “Of Time and the River,” 1935

Cool nights. Turning leaves. Sweaters. Football. Baseball playoffs. 

October has arrived — even if the Red Sox won’t be part of it. Here’s what’s happening this weekend: 

In Boston, things are getting chili at SpicetoberFest, a day of hot sauces and spicy food. Drinks are on hand for anyone who gets in over their head.

In Brooklyn, CultureCon takes over the Navy Yard, with Michael B. Jordan, Mahershala Ali, John Legend, Daniel Kaluuya, Colin Kaepernick, and more.

In Philadelphia, it’s October 1777. The Revolutionary Germantown Festival returns to Cliveden with living history interpreters, tours, candle dipping, papermaking, blacksmithing, and a re-enactment of the Battle of Germantown.

Down I-95, Tom Morello’s Power to the People comes to Merriweather Post Pavilion on Saturday. Foo Fighters, Dave Matthews, Joan Baez, Public Enemy, Brittany Howard, and special guest Bruce Springsteen are all on the bill. A portion of the proceeds will go to nonprofit groups focused on civic participation.

Farther south, Piedmont Park’s Splish Splash Doggie Bash is Atlanta’s annual canine pool party. Hundreds of dogs. One pool. All tails welcome.

Up in Chicago, the Big Apple comes to Lincoln Square as the neighborhood’s annual Apple Fest fills the streets with fresh-picked apples, cider, seasonal brews, live music, and food stalls. Sweaters encouraged.

In Texas, Austin City Limits marks its 25th year at Zilker Park. Charli XCX, Lorde, The xx, Twenty One Pilots, and Skrillex headline the first of two weekends.

Out west, Hardly Strictly Bluegrass is underway in San Francisco’s Golden Gate Park through Sunday, free as always. Emmylou Harris, Mavis Staples, Robert Plant, My Morning Jacket, and Rilo Kiley are among this year’s performers.

And finally, look up. The Albuquerque International Balloon Fiesta begins Saturday, sending more than 500 hot-air balloons into the New Mexico sky. This year’s theme is “The Scenic Route,” a nod to the centennial of Route 66.

And with that, let’s get to your letters.

LETTERS FROM OUR READERS

I sincerely believe that after 250 years, America and Americans are resistant, stalled, and unable to hold the proverbial “mirror up” to ourselves and be accountable for our past, present, and our present future path. Why and what does it say about America/Americans after 250 years and 47 presidents that, artificially intelligent we are in hyper-mode … but [as far as] organically intelligent … we have regressed.

— D.J. Price, Los Angeles

Donald Trump has now said that the arch he wants to build at the entrance to Arlington Cemetery is necessary for national security reasons. It will be a military complex, housing snipers, drones, and ammunition. If it is needed for national security reasons, why would you tell everyone about its true purpose? Isn’t that counterproductive to the goal of national security? If this is true, you have now just given up intelligence not only to the world, but also our enemies. Furthermore, the arch will house snipers? How is that possible given the design? I am not an architect or a civil engineer, but I don’t get it. Then again, I am just a 72-year-old woman trying to understand something that looks so stupid on the surface. 

— Kym H., Alexandria, Va.

Republicans are no longer a Grand Old Party. They and the Media use GOP and it substantiates that they are a Grand Party and as we now know they are not. Can we please refer to them as MAGA Republicans?

— Art T., Lewis, Delaware

I believe it was in October 2024 that you, Joe, held up, I believe it was the Wall Street Journal and it read something to the effect of “The economy was for the winner of the presidential election to screw up.” The point was, of course, that the economy was on the right track and whoever won the election could just sit back and let matters take their course and the economy would continue to improve. Given the state of the current economy and what Trump has done to it, I think it would be a great prop to show that clip or bring up another copy of the newspaper you held up that day. 

— Percy W., St. Cloud, Minn.

What’s happening under the current administration is frightening. It feels like our experiment with a democratic constitutional republic is failing as the safeguards seem inadequate to protect us from deeply prejudiced and mentally deranged leaders. Can we really survive this?

— Kevin P., Akron, Ohio

There is real damage being done across the education landscape and children/students are the casualties. As the Department of Education continues to dismantle the office of special education and civil rights, we are now seeing an upward tick in special education numbers and a decrease in civil rights investigations. There is this false narrative that states can oversee these areas better, but that is not true. In my career in high-level positions, I have seen firsthand the disenfranchisement of students and families. I’d like to see Morning Joe examine this and bring to the table folks who can authentically speak about the tsunami that is approaching.

— Kate A.F., Cleveland, Ohio

Joe, when Trump made the promise to pay every American adult $5000 if Republicans win the majority in the House and Senate, wasn’t that a constitutional crime? 18 U.S. Code § 597 – Expenditures to influence voting. The way I see this, Trump has already committed this crime and if Americans accept the bribe we’re committing a crime too. 

— Bill H., West Palm Beach, Fla.

Re: Cruel and Unusual Punishment: I thought it was illegal to run a dungeon in the USA. What do we do to protest the lack of food, water, medicine, and medical care in ICE/DHS prisons? Who owns those prisons? Who is profiting from them? Where are the pinchpoints? Bemoaning the tragedy isn’t enough, we need to know where to point our outrage, especially where it can force a change. I want this to be a bigger more front-and-center issue, not something that just flies below the radar. 

— Jan S., Hailey, Idaho

The post “Americans are unable to hold up the proverbial ‘mirror’ up to ourselves”: Letters from our readers appeared first on MS NOW.

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