Leland Vittert’s War Notes: Fundamental (Un)Fairness

NewsNation Chief Washington Anchor and On Balance host Leland Vittert was a foreign correspondent for four years in Jerusalem. He gives you an early look at tonight’s 7 p.m. ET show.

Tonight, former CIA officer and FBI counterterrorism agent Tracy Walder will walk us through the Hamas hostage handover.

Why can’t Israeli drones follow the terrorists and find the other hostages?
Why do all the Hamas gunmen face inward, like they are going to shoot the hostages, rather than away from them?

And, why can’t we get American hostages out?

First, as we told you yesterday, we don’t even know how many American hostages there are.
Plus, President Biden won’t pressure Iran.

Fundamental (Un)Fairness

We have seen this play before: France in the late 1700s, Russia in the early 1900s. It never ends well for the rich.

Bloomberg tells the truth about the roughly 20 percent increase in cost of living since the pandemic began.

Used cars: up 35 percent
Rent: up 20 percent
Electric bill: up 25 percent
Pets: up 17 percent

The presidential response:

Facts first, this was the most expensive Thanksgiving ever.
President Biden’s spin: “As a share of earnings this Thanksgiving, dinner was the fourth cheapest ever on record. I want y’all to know that.”
- Serious question: Who in the White House communications shop thinks this will convince people?
Another question: What will the spin be on a 10% increase in Christmas tree prices this year?

But price increases aren’t real? The Washington Post says to blame social media for feeling sticker shock.

From the Post: “In reality, inflation has been steadily subsiding, and last week, the government reported price hikes had eased yet again in October.”
Fact check: Yes, prices are going up slower than before, but they are still going up and are still up. See the statistics above. Why is the Washington Post so quick to blame the working man who is upset that his Big Mac costs more?

For some, the economy is great. That’s why Dior just released a skin care line for babies.

Thought Bubble: If you can buy $230 perfume for a three-month-old, you probably agree with Biden that he’s grown the economy from the “bottom up and middle out.”

It’s no wonder so many Americans feel left behind and worse off. The richest 1% buy baby perfume, while the 99% cannot afford diapers for their babies.

This didn’t work out well for the rich in France or Russia.

Average Americans are hurting, but poor Americans are hurting more. It always works that way. What will those voters, especially minority voters, do?

Does this explain Biden’s drop in support among Black Americans?

Watch Shermichael Singleton and Scott Bolden debate this on “On Balance” last week.

Watch tonight: Batya Ungar-Sargon will be on to discuss why working-class Americans rightly don’t trust anyone in the government. Have both parties given up on talking to the working class?

Nikki on the Rise at the Right Time

The Koch network just endorsed Republican presidential candidate Nikki Haley.

Americans for Prosperity Action and its donors will now spend big bucks on Haley in a major blow to Ron DeSantis.
Haley’s more traditional foreign policy views don’t align with the Kochs’, but it appears her “winnability” carried the day.
The endorsement and her momentum and movement in polls to second in New Hampshire behind Trump will make her the front-runner at next Wednesday’s NewsNation Republican Debate.
- Set your DVRs: Wednesday, Dec. 6, at 8 p.m. ET.

Be smart: The Kochs’ did this after spending a lot of their own money on polls and focus groups and the like. They believe her to have the best chance.

Thought bubble: When she wins, everyone will say, “We all saw it coming.” But none of you did.

That said, there is no evidence yet. Her rise in the polls will come at the expense of Trump’s support.
Trump is at least a little concerned about Haley. There’s no coincidence Trump flipped the coin at the USC versus Clemson game last weekend.
Will it all come down to the Palmetto State?

No Wonder People Don’t Trust the Media

Sports Illustrated has been accused of using artificial intelligence to write articles and of creating fake bios and headshots of “journalists” to cover it up.

Also, Deadspin published an article showing a kid at a Kansas City Chiefs game in “blackface” to prove there’s racism in the NFL.

Turns out they didn’t see (or didn’t want to see) he painted his face in red and black, the colors for the Chiefs.

During the Trump years, the media long lamented the lack of trust in the media and institutions.

When the media creates fake bios for AI authors and wrongly attacks kids, whose fault is the lack of trust?

What’s next: AI-generated Sports Illustrated swimsuit models? Yes, I know Instagram is full of AI-generated models.

What Rules?

There is no incentive to follow the rules these days:

Thus, the rise of middle-class shoplifters.
- Some of the excuses: “I’m owed it.” “It didn’t scan.”
And, with no consequences, kids don’t show up for school.
What rules will be broken next? Will they stop paying off their mortgage, credit card or rent?

Tune into “On Balance with Leland Vittert” weeknights at 7/6C on NewsNation. Find your channel here.

The views expressed in this article are those of the author and not necessarily of NewsNation.