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.  

State of play: 

• 29 days to the election 
• Decision Desk HQ average: Kamala Harris +3.6, as of around noon ET today. Click here to see the latest numbers.
  • Polymarket betting odds: 53.6 to 45.6 in favor of Trump.
    • Note that we have switched from PredictIt to Polymarket at the suggestion of the great Ross Kaminsky of KOA radio in Colorado.

Editor’s note: War Notes began one year ago today as an email I sent to our executives and newsroom about the Oct. 7 attacks.

• It’s a grim anniversary, but the mission remains the same: to give our readers, now you, a perspective on the day’s news you won’t hear anywhere else.
  • On issues requiring nuance, we believe both red and blue ignore what’s right for the partisan gain. 
  • On all issues, we are fair and hold both sides to the same standard. 
  • On issues requiring moral clarity, we believe there are absolute rights and absolute wrongs.

Thank you for your support and please click here to subscribe. Christmas is around the corner — give your friends a free subscription! 

Storm Coming

Depending on how far north Hurricane Milton comes ashore, it could be the “big one” for Tampa Bay.

Be smart: Hurricanes rotate counterclockwise, thus the “dirty” side of the storm with the most surge could come ashore right into Tampa Bay and shove 10 feet or more of water into the city. Yikes!

Leave now: We ended the broadcast two weeks ago as Helene roared ashore saying there were hundreds of people who would call 911 and help wouldn’t get there — that’s going to happen again with Milton. 

BYE! The Wall Street Journal reports hurricane insurance premiums and heat are ending the Florida real estate boom and sending people back north — see below.

• What I am hearing: The higher end of Florida real estate is still on fire. 
• At some point, the insurance markets will stabilize. 

Killing and Kidnapping Spree 

It’s quite en vogue to “level set.” I am not exactly sure what that means, but let’s do it anyway.

• Click on this link to watch a short video so we are all on the same page about what Hamas and their funders and protectors in Tehran did Oct 7.
  • The barbarism of Hamas knew no ends — they were trained to do this.
    • The acts of torture, systematic rape and mutilation require a cruelty unthinkable to the human mind. 
  • Again — click here so we all know who we are dealing with. 
  • Evil personified: A Hamas terrorist posing with Israelis he just orphaned by killing their mother.

Ground truth: Things are a lot worse one year later.

• Hamas still holds American hostages. The horror they go through every day is unimaginable.
  • The lack of international outrage at their continued captivity is appalling. 
• Hamas, Hezbollah and Iran still vow to destroy Israel and keep attacking them
  • In fact, the terror groups funded by Iran surrounding Israel — and Iran itself — are emboldened by America’s lack of defense of Israel. 
• The “Palestinian people” in Gaza and the West Bank continue to suffer as pawns for Iran. 
• The Biden-Harris administration obsesses over restraining Israel rather than defeating Iran. 
• Even in her “60 Minutes” interview, Vice President Kamala Harris was far more focused on distancing herself from Netanyahu — as if HE is the root cause of all problems rather than Iran. 

What I am listening to: Douglas K. Murray on the Free Press podcast with Bari Weiss explains this as Western nations drunk on peace.

• Fact check: In order to have peace, you must win the war. 

What I am reading: The Wall Street Journal’s Editorial Board lays out the lessons that SHOULD be learned! 

But the Palestinians…

• What you don’t hear: Turns out most of the 41,000 dead Palestinians in Gaza may have been Hamas terrorists.
• But what about the Palestinians? Really, there are millions of them.
  • Iran will continue to use and exploit the Palestinians for their own cause of destroying Israel — physically destroying and destroying its credibility worldwide with the help of the BBC and others.

The same monsters control Gaza — if you care about the Palestinians, you should want Israel to win. 

• Hard truth 💭: Over and over, Israel has shown a willingness to compromise and concede in the name of peace. The Palestinians, often at Iran’s prodding, have made Israel pay a dear price in blood and treasure for every such concession. 

“Commemorating the Palestinian Martyrs” 

Oct. 7 exposed a cancer growing in America’s Left of terrorist-supporting, Jew-hating progressives.

• Chicago-Kent Law School had an official sanctioned event: “Commemorating the Palestinian Martyrs.”
  • On Oct. 7, they celebrated the terrorists who slaughtered and raped 1,200 Jews the year before. 
  • And the law school thinks that is OK.

Loud and proud: In “celebration” of Oct. 7, Hamas and Hezbollah supporters:

• Spray-painted a Jewish cafe in San Francisco
• Camped outside a Jewish congressman’s home, threatening him and his family
• Called to “flood New York City” in reference to “Al-Aqsa Flood Operation,” Hamas’ code name for the Oct. 7 attacks.
• Chanted at Columbia University their solidarity with Hamas and Hezbollah. 

Imagine the reaction if “MAGA” was spray-painted outside a Black-owned business by a guy in a white sheet …

• Or if “MAGA” protesters in white sheets were outside a Black congressman’s house 
• Or if a group of Proud Boys marched through Columbia University

Silence is violence: The betting markets show Trump as the favorite to win Pennsylvania. 

• As John Lefevre points out, that’s because Harris was afraid of the pro-Hamas wing of her party 

Show Me the Money

The Biden-Harris administration and their friends in the press keep “fact-checking” the demonstrably true fact that FEMA would have more money for Hurricane Helene victims if not for the migrant crisis. 

• Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas said, “We are meeting the immediate needs with the money that we have. We are expecting another hurricane hitting. … FEMA does not have the funds to make it through the season.”

Where did FEMA spend its money this year?

• Click here to see some of the headlines.

Let’s check the tape — was Karine Jean-Pierre lying then or lying now? 

Let’s check FEMA’s own website to see their No. 1 priority. 

• So their No. 1 priority is equity…
• Rural whites in North Carolina are suffering without help or rescue for a week
• What do you expect people to say or think? 

The coverage from NBC: “False claims about FEMA disaster funds and migrants pushed by Trump.”

• Be fair: NBC writes, “Trump and his allies appear to be conflating two different funds. FEMA has dedicated disaster relief money that cannot be used for other purposes.”
• Two things can be true:
  • It may be technically true that the money comes from different pots
    • Although, the big pot (our tax dollars) remains the same
  • It can also be true that illegal immigrants in New York City get treated far better than rural white people in North Carolina who lost everything to Hurricane Helene. 

Distinction without a difference: 

• From Newsweek: “The $650 million cited by Republicans refers to the Shelter and Services Program (SSP), which had a budget of that amount for Fiscal Year 2024, which ended on September 30. SSP allocates funds to migrant support groups, nonprofits, and state and local governments to distribute to those in need of shelter, food or medical care. While the funds are distributed by FEMA, they do not come from the agency’s budget”

Tone deaf: Secretary of State Antony Blinken and Harris tout money for Lebanon as FEMA claims it’s broke. 
What I am reading: “Hurricane Helene is America’s Chernobyl moment” on UnHerd.

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.