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

“The Pentagon right now is, in some cases, rudderless.”

— Rep. Jason Crow, former Army Ranger and member of the House Armed Services Committee, on the resignation of Army Secretary Dan Driscoll

After more than 280 days at sea — a modern-era Navy record — thousands of U.S. sailors and Marines are finally stepping off the USS Abraham Lincoln. The carrier docked in Thailand this morning amid ongoing concerns about supply shortages and conditions on board. MS NOW Pentagon reporter Priya Sridhar, who has reported extensively on deteriorating morale and mental health concerns aboard the Lincoln, joined “Morning Joe” live from Pattaya City.

WG: Priya, what are you seeing on the ground today? 

PS: Busloads of some of the 5,000 sailors and Marines are just starting to disembark here in Pattaya City. This is really the first time they’re getting any significant time on dry land. The Lincoln stopped twice since leaving San Diego last November — once in Guam in December and once in Oman in July — but on both occasions, no one was allowed to leave the dock.

WG: What kind of shape is the ship in after nine months at sea?

PS: One of the first things people noticed was that it looked very rusty and beat up — which is understandable, given that it was one of the first carriers deployed when the airstrikes on Iran were launched back in February. It has basically been in nonstop combat operations ever since.

WG: What has this crew been doing out there? 

PS: CENTCOM’s commander, Adm. Brad Cooper, said the Lincoln intercepted 200 IRGC drones threatening commercial shipping in the Strait of Hormuz and U.S. forces in the region — and launched hundreds of airstrikes on strategic sites inside Iran. The three destroyers in the strike group were involved in some of the most intense naval combat for the U.S. Navy since World War II. The crew has been working 12- to 14-hour days with no days off and no time ashore.

WG: What are these sailors and Marines telling their families they want to do first?

PS: Family members say they’re most excited about sleeping in a nice big hotel bed, taking a long shower with some privacy, and spending time with friends. 

WG: How are the next few days going to work here? 

PS: The crew will have four days here in Pattaya City — which is basically the Vegas of Thailand, known for its beaches and nightlife. So the commanding officer laid down strict guidelines: a curfew, certain streets off-limits, and anyone who breaks any rules faces maximum punishment. The Thai locals, meanwhile, are excited to welcome them. Tourism has dipped since the Iran war began, and they’re hoping 5,000 service members give the economy a boost.

WG: Army Secretary Dan Driscoll just resigned, the latest in a string of senior Pentagon departures. What does that mean for the people on ships like the Lincoln?

PS: The Lincoln is really a symbol of what happens when generals and admirals with decades of experience are removed during a war with no end in sight. Secretary Pete Hegseth wants to be in an echo chamber. He doesn’t want to hear any outside feedback — and that’s having a real trickle-down effect on the service members fighting this war.

This conversation has been condensed and edited for brevity and clarity.

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These questions can be about politics, news of the day, or anything else that’s on your mind!

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If interested, please fill out this form by Thursday, Sept. 3. 

Participants will be notified via email if selected.

CHARTS OF THE DAY

Source: Gallup poll of 1,000 U.S. adults age 15 and older conducted May 1-June 10, 2026. Margin of error: ±4.1 percentage points

WHAT THEY SAID

Katty Kay on Sen. Ed Markey’s Massachusetts primary win 

“There is clearly a desire for generational change — take Mamdani and Platner. But it seems if you have the progressive bona fides that younger voters are hankering for, they will turn out for an older candidate — like Bernie, Warren, and now Markey.”

Jonathan Martin on Trump’s efforts to restrict voting

“It’s going to have the effect of motivating Democrats more. From a political standpoint, when you tell people that they can’t vote, or that you’re going to challenge their right to vote, or mess with their mail-in ballot — that just motivates people more.”

Jonathan Lemire on the GOP 

“Trump wants to make himself the star of the show next week in Texas at the Republican midterm convention — and I think a lot of members of the GOP are frankly nervous about it because Trump is so unpopular.”

The post The USS Abraham Lincoln finally stopped ashore. What are the soldiers saying? appeared first on MS NOW.

From MS Now.