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.
Oh lord: Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer on ABC’s “The View” today continued to dig the Democrats’ political grave.
- Among his quotes, Schumer said, “Their attitude is, ‘I made my money all by myself. How dare your government take my money from me?’”
- Watch more here.
- Remember the “Kamala is for they/them” ad – this could be Republicans’ midterm ad.
- To be fair: This is necessary – an addict must reach rock bottom before rehab can work.
- Watch more here.
- Democrats must find the emotional center of the country.
- Reagan, Clinton, Obama and Trump all found it.
- New data from Vox shows that if every registered voter went to the polls in 2024, Trump would have won by 5 points.
- Until a leader like that emerges on the Left, Democrats will continue to say profoundly stupid things.
- Reagan, Clinton, Obama and Trump all found it.
- Road map: California Gov. Gavin Newsom had Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz on his podcast and said a lot of Trump ally and MAGA firebrand Steve Bannon’s talking points:
- “Reminds me a lot of what Bernie Sanders was saying, reminds me a lot of what Democrats said 20, 30 years ago,” Newsom said.
- WELCOME to the party, Gavin – “War Notes” told you that weeks ago by comparing Trump and Bill Clinton on half a dozen issues.
- Bonus: Walz about Trump voters: “I think I can kick most of their asses.”
- To think this guy could have been the vice president.
- “Reminds me a lot of what Bernie Sanders was saying, reminds me a lot of what Democrats said 20, 30 years ago,” Newsom said.
JFK files: I am too young to really understand all the JFK conspiracy theories – to me, Oswald did it without help from the CIA or the mob.
- Maybe I am wrong – hopefully, whatever we get today finally gives us the answers.
Apollo 13: The SpaceX rescue of two astronauts stranded by NASA/Boeing should become another Ron Howard film – except he won’t make it because Trump and Musk would be the heroes.
- Look back: Barack Obama actually set the stage for today.
- Watch Obama and Elon Musk touring SpaceX back in 2010.
- Who knew: Elon once wore ties.
- Watch Obama and Elon Musk touring SpaceX back in 2010.
- We’ve come a long way since “The Right Stuff,” and I am not sure that’s a good thing.
The Long Game
Prediction: At 9:00 p.m. tonight, you will get vastly different views of the call between Trump and Putin.
- MSNBC will tell you Trump caved to Putin in his call today because of the pee tapes – see, I bet you forgot about the pee tapes conspiracy theory.
- CNN will talk about how Trump likes dictators and will abandon the “liberal” rules-based free world – whatever that means anymore.
- Fox will tell you that Putin’s agreement to stop targeting Ukraine’s infrastructure earns him a spot in American history, perhaps second only to Washington and Lincoln.
Truth: Today’s phone call is just one hand in the poker tournament, one play in a Super Bowl, one at-bat in MLB – pick your analogy.
- Yes, any one hand/play/at-bat can change a game or a season, but there is nothing to suggest this call is that.
What I am thinking: Based on what we know about the call, it went as expected.
- The KGB-trained manipulator vs. the bare-knuckle New York developer who outfoxed the mob.
- Both men need public wins.
- Both men need a deal where they can credibly say they won.
- The real negotiation will happen in private.
- Since 2017, we’ve learned to wait and see what happens with Trump – it’s a process – let’s wait and see.
Coincidence: Living in the Middle East teaches you there are no coincidences
- Israel restarting the war in Gaza.
- The media loves to cry over the bodies of Hamas fighters.
- Massive American strikes on the Houthis in Yemen.
- The media loves videos of American jets taking off from aircraft carriers at night.
- Plus, challenging Iran and the Houthis.
- Not a bad head fake.
Wise words: Let the process play out – then we will know who won the game.
- Anybody predicting the winner at this point sounds foolish.
Activist Judges
Breaking: A federal district court judge just ordered USAID to be restarted, saying that shutting it down violates the Constitution.
- Honest question: If the president can’t stop foreign aid programs he views as contrary to the best interests of the United States, what exactly is the president’s job?
Danger: Republicans love a president running roughshod over federal judges these days, but they are forgetting the No. 1 rule in Washington:
- Things change.
Maybe judges really are just an extension of politics these days.
- Much like how Carl von Clausewitz said, “War is nothing but a continuation of politics with the admixture of other means.”
- Liberals now lionize Chief Justice John Roberts for rebuking Trump on impeaching judges.
- Look back: These were the same people who called Roberts and the other conservative justices zealots for overturning Roe v. Wade.
- Then This: AOC saying Biden should just ignore judges — he did on forgiving student loans.
A few things can be true at once:
- Cherry-picked district judges usurping the power of the president nationwide seems like a vast abuse of the separation of powers.
- Simply ignoring court orders that the administration doesn’t like sets a horrible precedent – even if the administration is legally right.
- It’s certainly possible judges don’t have jurisdiction over certain presidential powers.
- I.e., a district judge ordering an aircraft carrier to return to port.
Watch tonight: Tom Dupree on the legal side and Mark McKinnon on the politics.
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.