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.
✈️“Born Lucky” in Chicago! I will be speaking and signing books at Kenilworth Union Church on Saturday, January 17, from 2 to 3 p.m.
- 📗Click HERE to RSVP.
Follow the Money💵: Within 24 hours of both the October 7 attacks and Trump’s arrest of Venezuelan strongman Nicolas Maduro, thousands took to American streets waving Palestinian and now Venezuelan flags with professionally made signs.
- 🤷🏼♂️It’s not a coincidence nor is it organic.
- 💰We’ll follow the money trail all the way back to Beijing with Free Press reporter Frannie Block.
Greenland🤷🏼♂️: Will President Trump really invade Greenland — seems doubtful, but he wants you to think he will.
- ✏️“The President and his team are discussing a range of options to pursue this important foreign policy goal, and of course, utilizing the U.S. Military is always an option at the Commander in Chief’s disposal,” said White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt.
- 📺Or better put — he wants Democrats, CNN and MS NOW to go crazy. For what it’s worth, they are obliging.
- Perspective🤷🏼♂️: Every day spent outraged over Greenland is one less to talk about prices, health care and education.
- Watch tonight📺: Mark McKinnon on why taking over Greenland isn’t such a bad idea.
Bipartisan Buffoonery🤪: The leader in the clubhouse for our new segment on the worst takes of the day is “Bipartisan Buffoonery.”
- 🙌🏻Thanks to Brooke McDonald on Instagram @brookemcd for the idea
- 📱Submit your ideas through Friday by replying to “War Notes” or tagging us on social media @lelandvittert
- 🤪Tonight’s buffoonery from the Left and the Right:
- 🐘Will Cain of Fox News: “There was a time when conquest was celebrated, for God, for king, for glory, for Americans. There’s no such thing as stolen land. There’s no such thing as international law. There is only such thing as conquest. And if it serves Americans, then so be it. We rule the jungle. We are the lion.”
- 🤦🏼Yes, Will — conquest was celebrated by Hitler, the Japanese and the British. Americans celebrated freedom — there is a difference.
- 📝To paraphrase Colin Powell: America has saved the world twice and only ever asked for ground to bury our dead in return.
- ‼️Those who think the 1950s and 1980s are the best times in America should remember that.
- 🐘Will Cain of Fox News: “There was a time when conquest was celebrated, for God, for king, for glory, for Americans. There’s no such thing as stolen land. There’s no such thing as international law. There is only such thing as conquest. And if it serves Americans, then so be it. We rule the jungle. We are the lion.”
- 🫏Tonight’s winner on the Left: Mayor Mamdani saying he will make sure World Cup tickets are “available to all.”
- 🤦🏼♂️We applaud the mayor’s desire to help his constituents, although someone should let him know there are no World Cup games in New York City — they are in New Jersey.
“Make It Positive” 👍🏻
🫵🏼President Trump told Republicans today that if they lose the midterms, it’s their fault
- 🎤”I gave you a road map to victory. You have so many good nuggets. You have to use them. … We have had the most successful first year of any president in history. And it should be a positive. Make it a positive,” said Trump
- 🤷🏼♂️Like Trump or not, he’s delivering on his promises:
- ⛓️Outsting Maduro
- 📈A record-high stock market
- 🔒Closing the border
- 🏠Bringing back the hostages from Gaza
- ✏️I could keep going…
- 🤷🏼♂️Are things perfect — no, for many Americans, they feel economically squeezed like never before.
- 🏥Republicans still have zero idea how to solve health care.
- 👀But largely, they are getting a pass because Democrats keep taking the bait.
- 🤦🏼After the Maduro raid, they complained about congressional notification.
- 🤷🏼♂️Like Trump or not, he’s delivering on his promises:
🤦🏼And today, Democrats relived January 6 in excruciating detail.
- ‼️Nancy Pelosi all but cried, and CNN did multiple segments on why there isn’t a plaque dedicated to the Capitol Police heroism.
- 🎤”Today, that president who incited that insurrection continues to lie about what happened that day. … I saw on TV that he was claiming that we did not ask for the National Guard. … For over three hours, we begged him to send the National Guard! He never did it. He took joy in not doing. He was savoring it. …What he’s saying today is an insult to the American people,” said Pelosi
🚨January 6 was awful — truly, I was there.
Reality🗳️: Elections are about the future — and Democrats can’t get past that.
Blinded🧑🦯: Trump disgusts Democrats so much they feel if only they speak enough about him, America will learn.
- 👀We saw it with Biden, Harris and Walz in the lead-up to the 2024 election.
- 🤦🏼They made it about “orange man bad” — it didn’t work then.
- ‼️It won’t work in November.
Be Fair⚖️: For Democrats, it’s a tough sell — when asked what they would do, they must answer for Illinois and California.
- 📊Check out the brutal numbers from Illinois. This is what the Democrats are trying to sell. It’s their utopia.
Watch tonight📺: Congresswoman Debbie Wasserman Schultz, D-Fla., joins us. She is one of the few House Democrats to applaud President Trump’s capture of Maduro.
Look back🔙: We’ll also ask the congresswoman about the viral clip from the last time she came on when she said Trump was a bigger threat to America than Islamic terrorism.
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.