The Tea, Spilled by Morning Joe: ‘Mommy, if you are hearing this, you are a strong woman’

This is the Feb. 5, 2026, edition of “The Tea, Spilled by Morning Joe” newsletter. Subscribe here to get it delivered straight to your inbox Monday through Friday.

It’s impossible to put into words the pain that our dear friend, sister, and colleague Savannah Guthrie and her family are enduring right now after her mother was taken from her home last weekend. 

We are heartbroken for Savannah, her children, and for everyone who loves Nancy so dearly.

We are sending love from the “Morning Joe” family — and, as Savannah has requested, so many prayers. We are praying every hour of the day for Nancy Guthrie’s return. 

Like so many others, we are desperately scanning our phones for any updates. And we are stunned by the brutality of nameless, faceless “commenters” who anonymously capitalize on Savannah’s grief. Somehow, it is still shocking to see such cruelty online. 

We beg those who participate in public platforms to think of their own mothers before carelessly trolling for clicks. 

We love Savannah.  

She is a mom, a daughter, a wife, a friend, a sister, and a woman of faith — someone who gives her whole heart on “Today” to the millions of viewers drawn to her beautiful aura and spirit. 

All of us stand with Savannah as she faces a moment no daughter should ever have to endure.  

Savannah, we know how deeply you love your mom. We see it. We feel it. And we know you carry her love with you wherever you go, always comforted by her love and by your faith in God. 

Together, they are your North Star.

“Mommy, if you are hearing this, you are a strong woman. You are God’s precious daughter, Nancy. We believe and know that even in this valley, He is with you.”

— NBC anchor Savannah Guthrie speaks about her mother, Nancy, who was abducted from her Arizona home early Sunday and is still missing.

Sources: Quinnipiac, among 1,191 registered voters, Jan. 29-Feb. 2; +/- 3.6%; Quinnipiac, among 1,133 registered voters, Jan. 8-Jan. 12; +/- 3.7%

GOP NUDGES TRUMP TO CHANGE COURSE

— Jonathan Lemire

Republicans’ poll numbers are sliding, and GOP lawmakers have begun — quietly — to nudge President Donald Trump toward a course correction. 

But as Jonathan Lemire writes in The Atlantic, Trump has never been one for resets:

Right now, despite the political peril his party faces, instead of recalibrating he is doubling down. Consider a few of the stories that have dominated the headlines and cable chyrons over the past month: 

Anger about the scenes of unrest and violence amid ICE deportation operations in Minnesota? Well, the Trump administration has telegraphed that it would like to carry out a crackdown on Haitians in Ohio next. 

Concern about brandishing military force after the U.S. removed the leader of Venezuela and then threatened Greenland? Trump has sent an “armada” of warships to the Persian Gulf to intimidate Iran. 

A sense that the president has lost focus on what got him elected as he takes on vanity projects such as the White House ballroom? Well, he’ll see you that and raise you both the Kennedy Center renovation and the construction of a giant arch that no one seems to want. 

For Republicans hoping for a change in direction, this is not it.

ON THIS DAY

Medgar Evers being arrested for picketing outside a Woolworth’s store in Jackson, Miss. in 1963.

On this day in 1994, Ku Klux Klan member Byron De La Beckwith was convicted of murdering civil rights leader Medgar Evers — 31 years after the crime. 

Evers was gunned down in the driveway of his Jackson, Mississippi, home on June 12, 1963, while his wife, Myrlie Evers-Williams, and their three young children were inside.

Two separate all-male, all-white juries deadlocked and failed to convict Beckwith. But Evers-Williams never stopped fighting for justice. 

More than three decades after the murder, Beckwith was finally found guilty and sentenced to life in prison, where he later died. 

A CONVERSATION WITH JIM MESSINA

Trump’s poll numbers continue to fall, and immigration — once the backbone of his coalition — is increasingly becoming a liability. 

Jim Messina, who served as White House deputy chief of staff to President Barack Obama and ran his 2012 re-election campaign, joined us to discuss the political fallout —and what it could mean for Democrats ahead of the midterms. 

WG: Jim, the White House has made some cosmetic changes, but the basic approach to immigration remains the same. Why stick with such an unpopular policy? 

JM: Their strategy is to avoid showing weakness. These changes aren’t about a new vision; they’re a response to bad polling. We’ve never seen numbers move like this. A majority of Republicans now think the policy is wrong, and 75% of independents agree. 

JS: What impact will that have on elections?

JM: It will be especially damaging for Republicans because immigration was once the foundation of Trump’s coalition. That’s now collapsing. Voters are focused on the economy and affordability, and Republicans can’t get back to that message. The more Trump talks about immigration, the worse it gets for him, but he can’t stop. 

MS: Joe, this sounds familiar, doesn’t it?

JS: It does, Mika. 

We’ve seen this political churn for decades. From Bush’s “permanent majority” in 2004, to Pelosi’s speakership two years later, to Obama’s history-changing coalition in 2008, to the Tea Party’s revolution in 2010, to Obama’s re-election two years after that. 

WG: Why do parties keep getting it wrong? 

JM: Every time a party convinces itself it has a permanent majority, it overreaches — and voters respond by pulling the coalition back toward the center. Newton’s third law applies to American politics: For every political action, there’s an equal and opposite reaction.

WG: What does that look like in practice? 

JS: Open borders? Public opinion swings toward restrictive immigration policies. Heavy-handed enforcement? Voters shift back toward compassion and legalization. American politics is constantly recalibrating — and extremism always gets punished. 

JM: Exactly. Washington is a logic-free zone that underestimates normal voters. Most Americans just want competence — secure borders, fair enforcement, and focus on the economy. The polls show the same dynamic playing out again. 

WG: You mentioned surprising election results. What message are those voters sending? 

JM: Swing voters just want normalcy: Enforce the border, fix the economy, and act like a conventional president. That’s why Democrats are winning surprising races, like the one in Texas.

WG: Turning to the economy, affordability and inflation seem central heading into the midterms. How can Democrats maintain their advantage?

JM: By staying laser-focused on people’s daily lives. Voters feel squeezed — many are working multiple jobs — and they want help. Democrats win when they position themselves as champions of economic fairness. 

The Texas special election proves that: a 31-point swing toward Democrats based on economic issues. 

JS: What do the numbers say now? 

JM: Independents now favor Democrats by 28 points on the generic ballot. The key is discipline. Focus on the economy, ignore Trump’s provocations, and earn voters’ trust through results.

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

SPEAKER CHRIST-SPLAINS BIBLE TO THE POPE 😂

You’ve got to hand it to Christian nationalists: They’ve got some nerve. 

Donald Trump rambled on this morning at the National Prayer Breakfast, bragging about his “big ego” and rambling about rigged elections. Not a word was said about Jesus — but then again, when was this toxic brand of Christianity ever about faith, mercy, or love?

Even Pope Leo has proved too much for House Speaker Mike Johnson after weeks and months of prattling on about crazy things like the word of God and Jesus’ teachings in the Gospels. 

The hapless speaker lectured Leo, suggesting that strong borders and brutal tactics against refugees were consistent with God’s will. 

Where did he read that? 2 Corinthians? The Gospel according to Trump?

The speaker’s ramblings yesterday somehow managed to be both laughable and heretical — no small feat. 

Jesus taught that the foreigner should be treated as our neighbor in His good Samaritan parable and repeatedly throughout His ministry. 

Johnson’s sad twisting of the Gospel follows Rep. Lauren Boebert’s declaration that if Jesus had been packing an AR-15, the Romans couldn’t have crucified Him. 

Kinda misses the point — just like Christian nationalism itself. 

OPERATION METRO SURGE: CONFUSION, CHAOS, AND CALLS FOR ACCOUNTABILITY 

In the wake of Tom Homan’s announcement that the Trump administration is pulling hundreds of federal law enforcement personnel out of Minnesota, new details are emerging about the chaotic immigration crackdown in Minneapolis known as Operation Metro Surge.

Minneapolis Police Chief Brian O’Hara told MS NOW that agents on the ground were “shocked” and “disturbed,” unsure who was in charge or what they were supposed to be doing. “There’s just been a lot of confusion in the ranks,” O’Hara said.

O’Hara also condemned the killing of Alex Pretti by federal officers, calling it “crazy” and “outrageous,” particularly given that Minneapolis police recovered almost 900 illegal guns last year without killing anyone. “This was completely foreseeable, and it should have been preventable,” he said.

Minneapolis City Council President Elliott Payne told MS NOW that criminal charges should be considered, not only for the officers involved but for the entire chain of command that allowed such recklessness.

MS NOW reached out to the Department of Homeland Security for comment and has not yet received a response.

NUCLEAR HOT TEA ☢️

For the first time since 1972, the United States and Russia face each other with no nuclear arms control agreements in force, ending more than half a century of formal limits on their arsenals.

• Donald Trump brushed aside Russia’s offer for a one-year extension.

• China is rapidly expanding and modernizing its nuclear arsenal, adding new missiles, warheads, and launch platforms.

• All major powers are racing to upgrade and enlarge their nuclear capabilities, from warheads and missiles to submarines and missile defenses.

The collapse of these agreements makes the world a more dangerous and unpredictable place, at a moment when relations among Washington, Moscow, and Beijing are at their most strained in years. 

ONE MORE SHOT

Department of Justice

One of the partially redacted photos in the recent tranche of Jeffrey Epstein files released by the Justice Department.

ON THE RADAR

Next week, actors Halle Berry and Chris Hemsworth will join us to discuss their new film “Crime 101.” 

Stay tuned for more!

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