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.
System Failure
Laken Riley, the 22-year-old nursing student killed by an illegal immigrant, would be alive today if any one of the following failures of the government hadn’t happened:
- An open border
- An overly accepting asylum system that allows virtually anyone into the United States
- Venezuela refusing to accept illegal immigrants back
- New York City’s status as a sanctuary city
- Athens, Georgia’s status as a sanctuary city
That’s in the micro sense. In the macro sense, had politicians going back to President Bill Clinton had the courage to deal with illegal immigration, Riley might be alive today. Just ask Clinton, who spoke on the issue in 1995.
Watch tonight: Bill O’Reilly will discuss how many more people like Laken Riley must die before America takes action.
Field of Battle
In politics (like in war), he who defines the field of battle usually wins. In America, the media largely defines the field of battle, giving Democrats an enormous built-in advantage.
Think about the four big stories this weekend:
- Trump’s a racist (see below)
- Alabama bans IVF
- Illegal immigrant kills nursing student in Georgia
- Wayne LaPierre pillaged the NRA to fly on private jets
Now, Americans rank immigration and crime in the top three to five of the issues most important to them … the others don’t even come close to the top ten. And yet, we know which of the four above got the LEAST attention this weekend.
Let’s quickly review what we know about the alleged killer of Laken Riley:
- Illegal immigrant
- Arrested and released on various charges in New York City
- Allegedly beat her to death in a crime of opportunity while she ran near the University of Georgia
Guess which of these facts was missing from the Associated Press write-up of the story over the weekend?
- But evidently the real problem, according to the AP, is solo female athletes running alone; in fact, they wrote a whole story about it: “The killing of a nursing student out for a run highlights the fears of solo female athletes.”
So even when a story highlights the fears of tens of millions of Americans about an issue they rank most or second most important in the presidential election, most news organizations won’t cover the very issue that causes it: open borders.
Democrats have the advantage, especially when they go wall-to-wall coverage of the Alabama IVF story, which is a giant loser for Republicans.
In 1995, Bill Clinton told us “illegal immigration” was a huge problem in America — and it’s a bipartisan issue. Somehow, that changed along the way.
“Uncommitted”
Michigian’s most popular Democrat for president in the state’s primary tomorrow might be “uncommitted.” Rep. Rashida Talib, D-Mich., who is Palestinian-American, says the state’s large Arab American population should choose “uncommitted” when they vote tomorrow as a message to Biden over his support of Israel.
The state’s very liberal governor told CNN, “There are a lot of pressures, and you never know with the weather. You know, there are a lot of different things that can impact what happens on Tuesday.”
- Thought bubble: When a liberal governor says the sitting Democratic president might lose an uncontested primary because of the weather, it’s bad.
- Ground truth: Biden and the DNC tried very hard to organize the primary map in his favor. An “uncommitted” victory or even a strong showing in Michigan would badly embarrass and embattle the president.
Zoom out: Palestine is just one of four major issues (border, climate, student loans) where Biden faces an exposed Left flank.
Look forward: 200,000 Arab voters in Michigan could more than swing the general election — they don’t have to vote for Trump to do so … they just have to stay home. Our friends at Mediaite have a good write-up on Whitmer’s whole interview — it’s worth watching.
Democrats Call It Racist, But It Might Be the Truth
Jonathan Capenhart on MSNBC spoke for much of the media calling Donald Trump a racist for his comments Friday night to black conservatives when he said, “He thinks he’s Biggie Smalls?”
Trump said Black people now wear his mugshot on T-shirts and feel an affinity for the former president now persecuted by a two-tier justice system that also goes after Black people.
- If you care: Our partners at The Hill have an excellent write-up of the “Trump is a racist” hand-wringing.
A few thoughts:
- You can always count on Trump to make it about himself.
- Wow! A Republican, no less Trump, admitted Black people face a two-tiered justice system.
Warning: David Axelrod says Biden must secure Black support, especially that of Black men, before November.
- Fact check: Axelrod knows a thing or two about getting the Black vote out.
Watch tonight: Craig Scott, convicted bank robber released from prison under Trump’s First Step Act, makes his second appearance on the program. We spoke with him last summer about his Newsweek op-ed “Trump Released Me From Prison Under the First Step Act. He Has Even More Street Cred Now.”
Which Trump Do We Get?
Donald Trump’s Saturday night victory speech began with him talking about one issue: immigration, specifically the Georgia killing of a nursing student by an illegal immigrant.
- That combines two of the top three issues for voters: immigration and crime.
- He never mentioned former Ambassador Nikki Haley by name and pivoted to taking on President Biden.
- He sounds like a “normal” general election candidate.
- No stolen election claims
- No promises to help Putin.
- No walk down the memory lane of Twitter.
- Thought bubble: How long will this disciplined Trump last?
Lawrence O’Donnell of MSNBC nearly melted down Saturday night because Haley did so well. “These numbers are disastrous for Donald Trump,” he professed.
Final thought: The media’s continued support and coverage of Haley will only push a return to “undisciplined” Trump.
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.