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.

Life lesson: If you are a Black female and are hired by a board committed to diversity, equity and inclusion, neither bigotry nor (alleged) plagiarism will get you fired.

• Harvard says it stands by its woman. Read the statement. Would it be the same statement if Claudine Gay had OK’d harassment against other groups? An AI-produced video means you don’t have to imagine. 
• Tonight, Carol Swain, a woman Gay allegedly plagiarized, joins us to explain why Gay gets a free pass. Is it because of race, or because she’s a progressive?
• But wait: Harvard’s statement clears Gay of plagiarism. Someone should tell the Harvard Crimson, which reports on her alleged pattern of claiming others’ work as her own.
• Plus, Harvard alumnus and outspoken activist Bill Ackman says the board didn’t fire Gay because it didn’t want to “kowtow” to Ackman. 
• Batya Ungar-Sargon’s take: “It’s actually bad to have the leadership of higher education be subject to the whims of a billionaire—even a billionaire you agree with. It is no defense of the rotting American university system to believe that this is not the way you fix it. Those billionaires got us here!”

Tonight, Congressman Burgess Owens, who questioned the three university presidents, will be on to discuss why this is Congress’ job.

• Seriously:
  • The border is still open.
  • We have $33 trillion in debt, which is exploding because of high interest rates.
  • Social Security and Medicare are a mess.
  • Planes keep getting dangerously close to each other because of a failing air traffic control.
  • The V-22 Osprey can’t fly, and soon, China’s navy will overtake ours.
  • 57 percent of Americans say it is harder to afford Christmas gifts this year.
  • And yet … Congress is focused on the president of Harvard. Is that because it can’t fix anything else?

Real or Made Up?

The White House press release on “U.S. Leadership in the Fight Against Global Corruption” says, “Corruption poses an existential threat to prosperity, security, and democracy – for Americans and for people around the world.”

• Thought bubble 💭: This is pretty rich coming from a White House where the president’s son engaged in the exact type of corruption it promises to fight.
• Verdict: Real. You can read the whole thing on the White House website. 

Ukraine – 4D Chess

Erick Erickson (@EWErickson) reports in his excellent Substack note that Biden’s 4D chess game with Republicans over Ukraine and border funding will result in:

• Biden blaming Republicans for not reupping Ukraine funding.
• Forcing Zelenskyy to negotiate on land with Putin.
• Allowing Biden to keep the open southern border that is so important to his far-left flank. 

If Biden pulls it off … wow

ICYMI: It proves our point last night that Biden would rather Putin win in Ukraine than close the southern border. No Democrats will join us, but our conversation with Senator Bill Cassidy is worth watching.

Climate Failure and the Demise of the Electric Car

Who would have guessed that a climate change conference in oil-rich Dubai could fail? Maybe that was the point?

Al Gore is very worried — thus, maybe we should all feel better. 

• Gore said, “COP28 is now on the verge of complete failure. The world desperately needs to phase out fossil fuels as quickly as possible, but this obsequious draft reads as if OPEC dictated it word for word.”

Is the bloom off of the climate rose for Democrats?

• Biden skipped COP 28, and after a backlash from climate change enthusiasts, the White House dispatched Vice President Kamala Harris.
  • Thought bubble: If you want to pay lip service and have something certainly fail, put Harris in charge. Just look at her current portfolio success rate on the border, voting rights, crime, AI etc. 
• Consumers speak: Electric cars aren’t our future.
  • Ford chops electric F-150 production. 

Republicans Never Miss an Opportunity to Screw Things Up (2x)

The news: Popular New Hampshire Governor Chris Sununu will reportedly endorse Nikki Haley in New Hampshire where former President Donald Trump is up 28 points in the Real Clear Politics average. 

• Remember the good old days when endorsements mattered? 
• Seriously, New Hampshire has an open primary, where someone of any party affiliation can vote in the election.
  • Will Democrats unhappy with Biden show up for Haley? 

Republicans will screw it up. Haley beats Biden by 17 points in the latest national poll. Trump is up four points with serious electability issues. It seems almost certain Republican primary voters will pick Trump, the one person in the world who unifies and energizes Democrat and Democratic-leaning voters. 

• The same primary voters and Republican base will bully Republicans in Congress to formalize the Biden impeachment inquiry, further unifying and energizing Democrats around Biden at a time when his poll numbers are historically weak. 

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.