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.
Ozarks manhunt: The search for the former police chief turned convicted murderer turned prison escapee sounds like something out of a movie — except movie plots have to be believable.
- The former cop walked out of jail in a guard uniform
- Now, he’s on the run in the rugged mountains of southern Missouri and northwest Arkansas
- What a story — it’s summer, the brush is thick, and the weather’s warm.
- We need Tommy Lee Jones, aka Deputy U.S. Marshal Samuel Gerard in “The Fugitive.”
- Watch tonight: Survivalist Dave Canterbury joins us with why the former chief has the upper hand — and how the longer he stays out of jail, the better chance he has.
Exclusive: The rest of the world forgot about East Palestine.
- To be fair: The rest of the world never really cared, but NewsNation did.
- And we are back — Rich McHugh is on the ground and tonight comes to us with new and exclusive reporting about how the victims still don’t have the help they were promised.
FIGHT, FIGHT, FIGHT
In the end, Elon Musk chose not to fight. At some point, he left the stage. Officially, he left yesterday, but he faded away from the political field of battle like the proverbial old soldier.
- I say “at some point” because I can’t remember exactly. It proves he was just the latest bit player in “The Trump Show” — Trump’s words, not mine.
I am on a movie kick today — aside from “The Fugitive” (see above), Rachel and I watched “The Thomas Crown Affair” last weekend.
- “Regret is usually a waste of time,” Crown told a business rival.
- But boy, would I love to ask Elon Musk, “Was it worth it? Any regrets?”
- The world’s richest man and business disruptor of our time thought he could change Washington. Washington didn’t change him; it spit him out.
- He didn’t fight; he just left.
Last night, as news broke that a trade court overturned Trump’s tariffs (who knew there even is a trade court?), the Washington and New York establishment rejoiced over a HUGE victory against Trump.
- In real time, Chris Cillizza and I told you it wouldn’t matter.
- If Trump won an appeal on the right to unilaterally tariff, he wins.
- For the record, he won at the appeals court today.
- If Trump loses at the Supreme Court, he still wins because he can call himself a victim fighting against the swamp
- If Trump uses the court decision as a way out from most of his tariffs, he wins
- If Trump won an appeal on the right to unilaterally tariff, he wins.
- Rule No. 1 of Trump: He always wins. He sets the game up that way.
- Trump wins when he is fighting — remember what he said after getting shot?
The swamp beat Trump in his first term; in his second term, he just won’t stop fighting.
- To be fair: Trump learned he didn’t have a choice. He realized early in 2021 he either fought or went to jail.
- It was and is about survival.
- 📖 He wrote about this in “Art of the Comeback” nearly 30 years ago.
Musk is the world’s richest man. He didn’t need to fight, and maybe that is his regret.
- But boy, it’s still interesting
Musk is gone but not really out.
- Stephen Miller’s wife is going to work for Musk full-time now.
Was it worth it for Musk? To be fair, he tried and then learned all the Republican promises to change Washington are just empty talk.
- Regrets are usually a waste of time, and Trump seems to understand that. He knows he’s winning when he is fighting.
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.
