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 9 pm ET show. Subscribe to War Notes here.
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- Also, a HUGE thanks to Shannon Stanton and the original fearless editor, Katie Oglesby, for turning my misspelled musings into coherent thoughts.
Young female conservatives: The Left loves to trash Trump voters for their “toxic masculinity,” but it turns out there are a lot of women who feel empowered by the MAGA movement and are happy to share it online.
Panache: “War Notes” started by providing moral clarity in the aftermath of the October 7 attacks on Israel by Hamas – both about events in the Middle East and the “pro-Palestinian,” aka pro-Hamas, protests on college campuses here in America.
- Shalom, Mahmoud: The White House tweeted “shalom” (“hello” and “goodbye”) to one of the key organizers of Columbia’s violent protests that called for the annihilation of Israel and the murder of millions of Jews.
- ICE revoked the student visa of Mahmoud Khalil and says they will deport him.
- Once again, Trump makes his opponents take an unpopular position – now, Democrats are fighting for a non-American who parroted terrorist talking points.

Short-Term Pain vs Long-Term Gain
“OMG the stock market is down”; “President Trump’s term is finished”; “50 days in and the recession has begun”; “Trump’s tariffs will doom America.”
- If cable news existed during the crash of 1929, I don’t think it would have been this dramatic.
- Trump promised to disrupt the status quo:
- On Ukraine:
- He’s done that – a meaningful deal is both possible and a huge success.
- On cultural issues:
- America is a VASTLY different place than it was on Election Day.
- On the border:
- CBS spent a day at the border and couldn’t find a single illegal immigrant coming across – not bad for 50 days in office.
- On the economy:
- Markets love predictability and stability – Donald Trump is inherently unpredictable.
- Look at the headlines:
- “Trump Declines to Rule Out Recession,” writes The Wall Street Journal.
- Fair question – how can someone “rule out” a recession?
- “Trump’s tariff strategy sparks criticism from former adviser,” headlines The Hill.
- “Trump Live Updates: Markets Wobble as China Tariffs Deepen U.S. Trade War,” writes The New York Times.
- “A Backlash IS Coming,” by Erick Erickson.
- “Trump Declines to Rule Out Recession,” writes The Wall Street Journal.
- Look at the headlines:
- Markets love predictability and stability – Donald Trump is inherently unpredictable.
- On Ukraine:
- They may not be wrong – but they are not definitely right – we don’t know.
- Reality check: Today’s 4% Nasdaq loss – the most of any of the indices – isn’t even close to its worst 20 days in history.
- Yes, it’s the worst one-day loss since September 13, 2022, as we will hear over and over tonight.
- We did some research – Democrats grew their Senate majority two months after that loss.
- Lesson: Things change.
- Yes, it’s the worst one-day loss since September 13, 2022, as we will hear over and over tonight.
- Look forward: Let’s do a 15-month horizon:
- Trump’s tariff threats bring significantly better trade deals.
- American energy exploration and production increase brings more jobs and cheaper prices.
- U.S. Navy shipbuilding in America grows substantially.
- No, America doesn’t do short-term pain – just remember the great toilet paper shortage during COVID.
- So yes, there is a big danger to Trump.
- That said: If short-term pain leads to long-term gain, nobody will really remember how we got there.
Watch tonight: Our friend Bill O’Reilly joins us on the Trump tariff worries, plus some exclusive reporting from his interview with Mike Pompeo.
- Sad but important read: “Goodbye, Holly,” writes Bill in his “Message of the Day.”
- Bonus: All Washington media will hyperventilate about “shutdown week” – that is, the runup to government funding running out Friday.
- Look at the headlines:
- “Trump’s presidency moves into a new phase with a critical test of his power in Congress,” writes CNN.
- “Trump’s eighth week in office set to continue breakneck level of actions, rallying GOP to avoid shutdown,” headlines Fox News.
- Look at the headlines:
Guess what: Nobody cares – in fact, a lot of Trump supporters hope the government does shut down.

My Money – Also My Money
During the height of the Hamas-Israel war, a meme went around with a nighttime picture of Hamas rockets heading towards Israel and Israel’s Iron Dome intercepting it.
- Written above the Israeli interceptions, it said, “My money.”
- About the Hamas rockets, it said, “Also somehow my money.”
The same can be said for food stamps buying sugary soda and candy while also paying the Medicaid bills for diabetes and obesity – especially for kids.
- Listen: “The Journal” podcast is out with a great look at Gov. Sarah Huckabee Sanders of Arkansas trying to ban the use of food stamps (aka SNAP benefits, in D.C. speak) to buy food that is objectively bad for you.
- FINALLY, government trying to do something that makes sense!
Watch tonight: The powerful forces working against common sense!

Talking Points and Cuss Words
In a game of Hold My Beer, Democrats keep coming up with worse ways to take on Trump.
- This weekend’s winner: A transgender singer at a Bernie Sanders rally:
- “Does your god have a big fat d–k? Cause it feels like he’s f–king me.”
- This is why Trump won.
- Or the continued talking about boys in girls sports – we noticed it during Friday’s show.
- “Republicans want genital exams.”
- No, they don’t. This is straw man fearmongering.
- “Republicans want genital exams.”
- Or, “Republicans will take away your Medicaid.”
Then there is the increasing use of cuss words from the Left.
- Your mom was right – swear words just make you sound ignorant.
Watch tonight: Rep. Ami Bera, D-Calif., on why Democrats keep taking Trump’s bait.
Tune into “On Balance with Leland Vittert” weeknights at 9/8 CT on NewsNation. Find your channel here.
The views expressed in this article are those of the author and not necessarily of NewsNation.