Bill Pulte is a preposterous appointment — a political hack who made his name targeting Trump’s political enemies

This is the June 3, 2026, edition of “The Tea, Spilled by Morning Joe” newsletter. Subscribe here to get it delivered straight to your inbox Monday through Friday.

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JOE’S NOTE

FAMILY MOVIE MEMORIES FROM SUMMERS LONG AGO

I don’t remember the first time I went to a summer movie with my dad. But along with the rest of the family, I always knew sitting through a summer classic with my father would be a great adventure. 

As I consider my favorite summer film of all time, memories of those magical summer nights spent in theaters with my parents are always flavored with some of my dad’s own improvised lines. 

There was Robert Redford’s “The Natural,” the story of a great baseball prospect who had his promising career derailed after being shot by an obsessive female fan. When Redford’s character finally made it to the big leagues a decade later, Kim Basinger was the femme fatale who brought danger and batting slumps to the baseball star every time she appeared at his hotel room door. 

As Roy Hobbs’ slump deepened and his team went on another losing skid, it was all too much for my father. As Basinger’s character, Paris, showed up again in Redford’s hotel room and began to whisper sweetly in his ear, my father had enough, shouting in the packed movie theater, “Oh, just leave him alone!!!” 

My mother, brother, sister, and I sank deep in our chairs as Redford followed my father’s advice and helped the Knights win the pennant. 

A few years earlier, Steven Spielberg’s “E.T.” didn’t take off fast enough for my dad, who bellowed 10 minutes into the film to no one in particular: “Joel Siegel really let me down with this one!!! I’m really disappointed in Joel.” 

Again, our family sank a bit deeper into our movie seats at my father’s shouted message to “Good Morning America’s” beloved movie critic, but those sitting around us that night felt nothing but sympathy for the Scarborough family. 

My father was too mesmerized from the opening frames of “Raiders of the Lost Ark” to say much at all, other than “Look out for that rock!” as Spielberg’s spellbinding summer classic took twists and turns across exotic locales in a stunning tribute to “Lawrence of Arabia.” 

All these years later, “Raiders” remains my favorite summer film. I’m sure even Dad wouldn’t shout his objections. 

QUOTE OF THE DAY

“We don’t need a weaponized DNI; we need professionals there.”

—Senate Majority Leader John Thune, R-S.D., on President Donald Trump’s selection of Bill Pulte as interim director of national intelligence

POST OF THE DAY

CHART OF THE DAY

Source: Gallup poll of 1,001 U.S. adults conducted May 1-17, 2026. Margin of error: ±4 percentage points 

ON THIS DATE

In 1989, Chinese army troops moved into Tiananmen Square to crack down on historic pro-democracy demonstrations. The Communist Chinese government killed between 1,500 and 4,000 demonstrators during their crackdown on June 3-4.

WHAT THEY SAID

David Drucker on the Los Angeles mayoral race

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