This is the July 23, 2026, edition of “The Tea, Spilled by Morning Joe” newsletter. Subscribe here to get it delivered straight to your inbox Monday through Friday.
— Sen. Rand Paul, R-Ky., on the war with Iran
WASHINGTON — For two hours Wednesday, away from the cameras, in a room just steps away from the Senate chamber, a group of powerful lawmakers rehearsed for some of their darkest fears about November’s midterm elections: disinformation triggering voter-roll purges in key states before Election Day, National Guard troops deployed to polling places as voters cast their ballots and the machinery of a free election seizing up in real time.
Almost a dozen senators, seated at long tables arranged in a U-shape, with notepads and water bottles before them, were walked through three hypothetical situations set before, on and after Election Day 2026. At points, screens displayed mocked-up graphics or artificial intelligence-generated videos that could be used to sow disinformation.
The exercises are part of a broader effort by Democrats — both inside government and out — to prepare for anything ahead of November. Republicans often decry their fears as hyperbolic. They may yet be right.
Read the full story on MS NOW.
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CHART OF THE DAY
Source: Fox News survey of 1,003 registered voters conducted July 17-20, 2026. Margin of error ± 3 percentage points.
WHAT THEY SAID
Eugene Robinson on Trump’s rally
“It’s a very, very odd choice to make fun of the concept of affordability when, in fact, it’s a huge issue in the lives of most Americans.”
John Heilemann on GOP prospects
“Republicans in battleground states have given up so much of their authority to Trump and bound themselves to him. They are his instruments. They not only don’t want to distance themselves because they’re afraid — they can’t because they are inextricably tied to what the president has done.”
Andrew Ross Sorkin on AI
“I’m optimistic that spending on AI is going to continue with trickle-down effects across the economy. But the flip side? We’re effectively building data centers and an entire new ecosystem that is going to leave a lot of other people behind. I’m certain that there will be a painful transition period — which could lead to some real questions again about capitalism.”
15 AND OVER ONLY
France is now the first European country to ban access to social media for users under 15, joining Australia in blocking minors from platforms entirely. At least a half-dozen other countries have enacted or proposed similar bans. The United States is not among them.
A Pew Research poll found that 56% of U.S. adults support barring teens under 16 from social media. In 2024, the Senate passed the Kids Online Safety Act, which would have required companies to address features known to harm young users, but it stalled in the House.
In the meantime, several states have enacted their own age-verification laws and algorithm restrictions. Some youth advocates prefer that targeted approach, arguing that blanket bans let social media companies off the hook.
The post Democrats prep for doomsday election scenarios appeared first on MS NOW.
