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.  

Running Out of Other People’s Money

My old buddy from Denver, Kyle Clark, along with Laura Casillas and Briana Fernandez, just obtained a video of a Denver city official telling newly arrived illegal immigrants to leave the sanctuary city. 

• “The opportunities are over,” (Denver’s Newcomer Communications Liaison Andres) Carrera says to the group in Spanish. “New York gives you more. Chicago gives you more. So I suggest you go there where there is longer-term shelter. There are also more job opportunities there.” 
• In other words: Sanctuary cities are now trying to pawn off their illegal immigrants to other sanctuary cities. 

Perfect example: The late great Margaret Thatcher noted that socialist governments always “run out of other people’s money.” However well-intentioned Denver’s policies are, the full effect is coming into focus across America. 

• Out of money: As Clark, Casillas and Fernandez report, Denver now faces a $120 million budget crisis because of its sanctuary policies. 

And more are coming: An El Paso judge ordered the release of migrants caught on video storming the border fence and clashing with Texas National Guard troops.

Truly Forgotten Hostages 

ABC’s “This Week” dedicated the first 15 minutes or so to the “humanitarian crisis in Gaza,” first with Britt Clennett in Jerusalem and then in a long interview with Sen. Chris Van Hollen, D-Md. 

• You can read the transcript here.

Any viewer would come away with the perspective of Israel unilaterally carrying out war crimes and forcibly starving millions of Gazans for kicks, and the United States is providing the bombs because it loves killing Muslims. 

In the entire segment, the word “hostage” was used three times — twice by the reporter and once by Van Hollen — the rest of the time was spent bashing Israel. In fact, they said “humanitarian aid, crisis or disaster” eleven times, around once per minute.

Missing from their report: 

• The rapes and other atrocities Hamas committed on Oct. 7 
• Hamas’ responsibility over the Gaza Strip and its theft of aid 
• The number of hostages Hamas holds in deplorable conditions underground and starving 
• The New York Times report of brutal rapes and sexual assaults on hostages 
• This bombshell report from the chair of Urban Warfare Studies at West Point detailing Hamas’ war crimes, including its now documented use of al-Shifa Hospital as a command and operations center
  • They aren’t alone: A CNN banner at 1 p.m. ET read, “Destruction at Al-Shifa Hospital after Israel’s two-week siege”

In the ABC segment, there was not even a demand for Egypt, which also shares a border with Gaza, to let in humanitarian aid. 

• Fact check: Yes, Gazans are poor and starving, but because of Hamas … not Israel. 
• Perhaps we missed all the ABC News stories about the top ten countries suffering famine in the U.N.’s World Food Program’s hunger crisis rankings last year. 

YET, ABC led its most important NEWS show with Gaza. 

• Why? Because Americans increasingly, especially young Americans, believe a false narrative saying Israel is both the aggressor and carrying out “war crimes” in Gaza. 
• Fact check: Nothing could be further from the truth. 

Watch tonight: Retired Major John Spencer of West Point will discuss the truth about “war crimes” in Gaza and the impossible standard the Western media holds Israel to. 

• His latest piece in Newsweek breaks down the unprecedented measures Israel has taken to prevent civilian casualties.

“The Kim Mulkey Way”

Ahead of tonight’s LSU vs. Iowa blockbuster women’s basketball game, The Washington Post went for a three-point buzzer-beater and airmailed it into the stands. 

• What was supposed to be a hit piece on Louisiana State University coach Kim Mulkey reads like milk toast. 

Read it here: Writer Kent Babb appears to have some type of personal animus with Mulkey. 

• Parts of the piece make no sense, including when he tries to adjudicate the alleged suspension of Kelli Griffin, a player in the 2009-2010 season, because Mulkey found out she was gay. Yet a quick check of box scores for that season shows Griffin playing all the way through the NCAA tournament.
• Zoom out: Lots of reporters have personal vendettas, but editors are supposed to check, not enable, that type of reporter. 
• Zoom further out 📷: The Washington Post has become akin to the Huffington Post, which publishes pieces based on narratives that are not rooted in facts. 

How it happened: Like in basketball, the best defense is a good offense. Mulkey came out swinging, warning her fans of a coming piece and threatening to sue if the publication got it wrong.

In perspective: Why on Earth is the Post clearly spending its vast resources adjudicating the non-suspension-suspension of women’s college basketball players in 2010? 

The Griner angle: The article’s unusual focus on Brittney Griner perhaps explains the publication of it as a way to lift Griner into the conversation again and warn anybody who doesn’t properly “celebrate her” that the Post is coming for them too! 

Litmus test: After reading the piece, I wish I had a daughter for Kim Mulkey to coach. Maybe the Mulkey way is also the winning way? 

Reply to War Notes with your thoughts on Mulkey’s coaching style and the Washington Post coverage.

Trump Keeps Giving Democrats What They Want

Watch tonight: Bill O’Reilly on why Trump continues to give Democrats and the media the example they want.

O’Reilly went to the funeral for fallen New York City police officer Jonathan Diller on Saturday. 

• You can read his excellent column here. 

Think of the story that could have been for Monday. How would Democrats deal with a story so damning for their narrative?

• Diller was murdered by a career criminal. 
• Trump visited the family. 
• His widow gave a gut-wrenching eulogy where she said, “My husband died a hero.”

Yet, Trump can’t take a win. Rather than celebrate Easter like a normal politician, he compared himself to Jesus and went scorched earth on the judges and prosecutors in his case.

Jennifer Bowers Bahney at Mediaite had the pleasure of spending Easter morning following Trump’s social media meltdown.

• Be fair: Trump’s grievances have legitimacy.
• Be smart: Democrats and their media friends will use any opportunity to talk about Trump being crazy. Why keep giving it to them? 

Just Why?

Today, President Biden denied he declared yesterday, Easter, a “Transgender Day of Visibility.” His press secretary called it “misinformation.”

Perhaps they didn’t read the proclamation posted on the White House’s official website.

• “NOW, THEREFORE, I, JOSEPH R. BIDEN JR., President of the United States of America, by virtue of the authority vested in me by the Constitution and the laws of the United States, do hereby proclaim March 31, 2024, as Transgender Day of Visibility.” 

Be fair: The never-failing source of information, Wikipedia, notes Transgender Day of Visibility started in 2009 on March 31. So Biden didn’t suddenly decide to replace Easter with Trans Day of Visibility as Republicans on Twitter would like you to believe. 

That said: To quote Jay Leno, what the hell were you thinking?

The political why: Tonight with Scott Tranter and Kurt Bardella, we’ll discuss:

• Why the statistically insignificant transgender movement carries so much political weight on both sides
• Why the White House continues to celebrate the transgender lifestyle
  • Like in this video where the secretary of education declares, “You don’t just belong here, we need you here.”
    • Really? Why do we need trans kids? 
• Why the White House didn’t quietly declare Monday the Transgender Day of Visibility 
• Why they doubled down with this tweet, complete with Easter colors

The Future

For everybody who complains politicians are too old — fact check: they are! 

Watch tonight: We’ll talk to Wyatt Gable, the 21-year-old college junior who beat the 84-year-old incumbent North Carolina state representative in the Republican primary election last month.

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.