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. Subscribe to War Notes here.  

The $400,000 Kegger

The men of UNC-Chapel Hill’s Pi Kappa Phi and Alpha Epsilon Pi became national heroes overnight for saving Old Glory from the pro-Hamas types. 

• Click here to see the video of them singing the national anthem while getting pelted with water bottles by the “protesters.” 
• A GoFundMe page to show appreciation in the only way fraternity men understand, a party, now tops $400,000.
• John Rich of Big and Rich fame offered to headline their party. He will join us tonight to discuss how a few fraternity boys became national heroes. 

Thought bubble: The boys of “Animal House” could have only dreamed … Brandon Rosenblum joined us last night to discuss. 

Look back: Like the American men who saved our nation before, they did so at personal risk and asking for nothing in return because they believed in the idea…

This morning, my father reminded me of the letter written by Sullivan Ballou to his wife shortly before his death in the Battle of Bull Run. 

• In it, the major in the 2nd Rhode Island Infantry regiment wrote, “I know how strongly American civilization now leans upon the triumph of government, and how great a debt we owe to those who went before us through the blood and suffering of the Revolution, and I am willing, perfectly willing to lay down all my joys in this life to help maintain this government, and to pay that debt.”

Perspective: Courage takes many forms. For those saying it’s not on the battlefield, you are right, but our universities are now a battlefield of ideas. 

It’s noteworthy that, unlike the protesters, none of the fraternity brothers had masks on. 

• The New York Times defended the mask-wearing. 
• The Washington Post attacked the group StopAntisemitism for aggressively outing some of the pro-Hamas types…
• Be fair: There’s an honest conversation to be had about whether those at these protests and rallies should be fired or not hired when they graduate.
  • Thought experiment: If they were at a protest wearing a Klan hood rather than a keffiyeh, the Washington Post would lead the charge to have them exposed, fired, tarred, feathered and maybe put in the stockades. 

“Hi, Mom.” LAPD cops take the keffiyeh and masks off pro-Hamas types after clearing UCLA’s campus.

Agreement: Both pro- and anti-Israel protesters, divided by police at the University of Alabama, found a common chant: “F–k Joe Biden.”

• Click here to watch the video.  
• Read The Crimson White’s excellent coverage here.

Party of Common Sense

At a rally yesterday, Trump said something so simple most everyone missed it: “Republicans are becoming the party of common sense.” 

• Thought bubble: Is he wrong?
  • It’s not just the protests…
    • Florida Governor Ron DeSantis just banned lab-grown meat in his state.
      • Bonus: Senator John Fetterman, D-Pa., tweeted in agreement. 
    • Swing state polling shows vast rejection of Biden’s appliance restrictions. 
    • Swing state voters don’t want to pay for the student loans for people like the Marxist poetry-studying revolutionary at Columbia University who demanded humanitarian aid for protesters and protested Biden. 

Saying the quiet part out loud: How can Jews support a Democrat? asks popular Denver radio host Ross Kaminsky.

Watch tonight: Batya Ungar-Sargon and Chris Hahn will answer the question, “Can you be a Jewish Democrat these days?” 

MSNBC Warnings

Our friends at Mediaite report Joe Scarborough criticized viewers of “Morning Joe” who are “too stupid” to notice how the protests would hurt Biden’s reelection campaign and help Trump instead.

Alex Wagner on MSNBC worries the protests may lead to the next “Reagan era.”

Even Nicholas Kristof writes in a New York Times opinion, “How Protestors Can Actually Help Palestinians.” 

Al Sharpton on MSNBC questioned, “How do the Democrats — how do all of us on that side — say January 6th was wrong if you can have the same pictures going on on college campuses?”

• In response, “Morning Joe” host Mika Brzezinski said, “Good lord, don’t make a parallel with January 6th!”
• Sharpton: “You lose the moral high ground!”
• Joe Scarborough: “That has happened, though.”

Too little too late: Biden listened. Yesterday, his press secretary refused to even speak about the protests. At 10 a.m. today, the White House announced a 10:30 a.m. speech from the president.

Dry Run

Students at UCLA are better organized — they seem to be learning. They attacked police and journalists with cement- and urine-filled water bottles.

Look forward: What have both sides, the “agitators” and the authorities, learned from the college protests that they can take to the conventions in Chicago and Milwaukee? In essence, were the college protests a “dry run”?   

The Wall Street Journal has good videos of police detaining protesters and protesters spraying mace and bear spray. 

There’s video of protesters at UCLA using surfboards and umbrellas to fend off the police. Click here to watch the police detain people as they break through the encampment there. 

Watch tonight: Ray Kelly, former NYPD commissioner during 2004 protests against the Republican National Convention in New York City, will look forward to how this summer might go with us. 

War Notes will be off tomorrow…see you all Monday. 

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.