Opinion - Leland Vittert's War Notes: Fighting = Winning
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.
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
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.
Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Wall Street Journal
23 minutes ago
- Wall Street Journal
JGBs Mixed; Trade, Geopolitical Tensions May Support
0014 GMT — JGBs are mixed in price terms in the early Tokyo session, but may be supported by trade and geopolitical tensions that typically enhance the safe-haven appeal of sovereign debt. U.S. President Trump said on Friday that he would increase tariffs on imports of steel and aluminum to 50% from current 25%, effective June 4. Meanwhile, Ukraine launched drone attacks on four military airports inside Russia, destroying more than 40 warplanes. Five-year JGB yield is unchanged at 1.015%; 30-year yield is down 1.5 bps at 2.950%. (
24 minutes ago
GOP budget battle over ‘Big Beautiful Bill'
Republicans are squabbling over whether President Trump's 'Big, Beautiful Bill' will boost the economy, or add trillions to the nation's debt. ABC News' Selina Wang reports.
Yahoo
24 minutes ago
- Yahoo
Small businesses struggle under Trump's tariff whiplash: ‘I'm so angry that my own government has done this to me'
For some small businesses, the last week brought even more twists and turns to the past two months of President Donald Trump's chaotic tariffs. The situation was already confusing, with stops and starts of tariffs at different levels. Then on Wednesday, a US court said Trump overstepped his authority in imposing most of those import levies – only for an appeals court on Thursday to pause the previous court's ruling. The confusion has made it challenging for some small companies to plan, business owners told CNN. In certain cases, they have had to consider changing their product strategy, looking into shifting their supply chains, reducing staff hours or delaying products. 'My fear is, if this continues, there's going to be like the mass extinction of small businesses,' Julie Robbins, CEO of Ohio-based guitar pedal maker EarthQuaker Devices, told CNN. Trump announced blanket tariffs across the globe on April 2, and since then, his plans have changed on a regular basis. In early April, he issued a 90-day pause on reciprocal tariffs almost everywhere except China. Then, after ratcheting up total tariffs on Chinese imports to 145%, he declared smartphones and certain other electronics would be exempt from the reciprocal tariffs. The US and China agreed in May to roll back reciprocal tariffs for 90 days. And in late May, he threatened smartphone makers like Apple with 25% tariffs if they don't make their phones in the US. He also agreed to push back levies on imports from the European Union until July 9. Those are only some of his changes, which can come at any time of day via the White House, social media posts or other avenues. The whiplash has been hard for companies to keep up with. Even major brands like apparel giant Gap are feeling the impact of tariffs, but small companies with far fewer resources are in an even tougher spot. The National Federation of Independent Business Small Business Optimism Index fell by 1.6 points in April, dipping below the 51-year average for the second consecutive month. The organization's chief economist, Bill Dunkelberg, cited uncertainty as a 'major impediment' for small business owners in a press release. 'It's the sort of more smaller, kind of more niche… brands that are going to really, really get hit by this,' Jack Leathem, an analyst at market research firm Canalys, told CNN in April. Some small business owners have had to make difficult decisions as they've grappled with the impact of tariffs. EveAnna Manley, whose company Manley Labs makes high-end electronics for recording studios, has had to cut her employees' hours by 25%. The reciprocal tariffs that China imposed on the US have been particularly challenging, she says, since China has become a major market for her business. Manley says it took 'decades' for her to 'get the best Chinese importers.' Overall, Manley Labs' sales are down more than 19% compared to last year, she told CNN, which has frozen the company's product development efforts. 'It's just a freaking mess right now,' she said in late May, before this past week's court rulings on Trump's tariffs. 'And I'm so angry that my own government has done this to me.' The best thing small businesses can do right now is to be flexible and diversify their sourcing and procurement strategies, says Tala Akhavan, chief operating officer of Pietra, a platform that helps brands with sourcing, production and logistics among other services. That's what Intuition Robotics, which makes a home robot designed to be a companion for older adults, is doing, according to chief strategy officer Assaf Gad. The company also makes money off its digital subscription accounts, according to Gad, giving it the flexibility to look into a 'plan B' outside of China for producing the company's hardware. Sudden changes in tariff policies haven't really impacted the company's decisions because it's planning for the next nine to 12 months rather than the short term, he said in mid-May. Trump's tariffs have encouraged Gad to think about expanding Intuition Robotics into international markets. 'Maybe this is also a good time to say, 'Let's not put all the eggs in one basket,'' he said, 'and, you know, start looking on other kind of territories that will reduce the risk for us going forward.' But for some companies, finding a plan B isn't so easy. That's the case for Sarah O'Leary, CEO of Willow, which makes wearable breast pumps and accessories. As a medical device company, Willow can't simply just move its manufacturing, O'Leary told CNN. The company had to pause exporting one product it produces in China for postpartum recovery at one point because it became too expensive. The ruling on Wednesday aiming to block many tariffs brought some relief, O'Leary said in an emailed statement on Thursday evening. But she acknowledged that there's still 'so much uncertainty,' adding that 'the chaos will persist.' Any tariffs, even low ones, would be difficult for a small company like hers to absorb, she said in mid-May. 'We don't build our products with that much margin,' she said. 'And so, unfortunately, we are in a position where we have to evaluate what we can do to survive in those contexts.' Error in retrieving data Sign in to access your portfolio Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data
