Leland Vittert’s War Notes: “Epstein Class” ‼️

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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 p.m. ET show, delivered straight to your inbox.

Trump needs a win‼️: Consider the reality in America:

📉A new Gallup survey shows American optimism at a record low.
📃The White House just put out a memo telling people not to be "panicans."
- Fair question❓: Is this a messaging problem for the White House or a reality problem?
Watch tonight 📺: Bill O'Reilly joins us.

Real-life horror movie‼️: Pictures of a masked and armed person at Nancy's Guthrie's front door the night she disappeared bring the movie "Scream" to real life.

📱The FBI today released videos and photos of a person at Nancy's front door.
📷The video shows someone wearing a ski mask and gloves walking up to Nancy's door with what looks like a gun strapped to their waist and messing with the camera.
- 🌿The person picks up plants from the front yard and tries to cover the camera with them.
- 🎤The Gutherie family says they don't recognize this person, according to reports from NBC.
📱Savannah Guthrie posted another message to her social media, saying:
- 🎤"We believe she is still alive. Bring her home."
  - 🤷If someone went to great lengths — as the person in the video did to carefully plan a crime — what's the motive if it's NOT ransom?
✏️NewsNation's Brian Entin says:
- "The more law enforcement I talk to, the more telling me the person doesn't look overly sophisticated or professional. The way the gun is holstered and not immediately ripping off the camera. Cartel, for example, would have been more efficient, they say."
Watch tonight📺: NewsNation's Brian Entin on the ground in Tucson, Arizona
- Plus➕: Former FBI Special Agent Chris Swecker, digital forensic expert Heather Barnhart, former CIA officer Tracy Walder and former hostage negotiator Chris Hinkle
  - Look Back 🔙: Some crimes remain unsolved
    - JonBenet Ramsey
    - The Zodiac Killer
    - D.B. Cooper
  - ✅Yet in other "perfect crimes," one piece of evidence ruins the perfect crime
    - The Idaho murders
    - O.J. Simpson
    - The Beltway Sniper

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Epstein Stink Bomb 💣

PREDICTION 🚨: After the Olympics and the Guthrie story, the Epstein files will become a huge story. The storm is brewing.

🤷All the congressmen, mostly Democrats, who say famous people should be in jail because of the Epstein files might want to go back to law school.

Fun 🗣️: Congress is turning on each other, saying fellow members should get a free extended-stay vacation.
- 🎤Rep Tim Burchett, R-Tenn.: "Oddly enough, a lot of congressmen should be in jail. But the truth is that we're not going to — I don't think it'll boil down to anything, and that's going to make a lot of people mad, but I believe that's the truth."
Newsflash 💥: Cavorting with, having dinner with, and using a known pedophile for business connections is not criminal behavior.
- Look back🔙: We've told you for a while that to believe the Epstein files include evidence (beyond a reasonable doubt) of criminal behavior by rich and powerful people other than Epstein is to believe in a cover-up that spanned the Bush, Obama, Biden and Trump administrations.
  - 🤷It doesn't exist.
"The Epstein Class": Last night, Yemisi Egbewole coined the term "Epstein class" — the group of rich, well-connected elites that hung out and traded favors with Epstein after his guilty plea for "procuring a child for prostitution."
- 🤷That isn't a crime.
  - Nor is making filthy comments about women — Dr. Peter Attia
  - Nor is having lunch with Epstein on his island — allegedly with his wife and kids there. Howard Lutnick.
  - Nor is going to a dinner with Epstein — Katie Couric and George Stephanopoulos.
- Zoom out 🤦: There is a group of people who knew or should have known of Epstein's child sex conviction and still had no problem hanging with him because it was good for their contacts and finances.
  - 🤷That's shameful but not illegal.
Fun fact✅: For all of those saying the Epstein files lead to Donald Trump — they are correct in one sense.
- 👍The only person who looks marginally better in their behavior from the Epstein files is Trump, who called the Palm Beach police chief in 2006 and congratulated him for launching an investigation into Epstein.
  - 🎤Trump: "Thank goodness you're stopping him; everyone has known he's been doing this."

Watch tonight 📺: Rep. Seth Moulton, D-Mass., an outspoken member of the "Trump must be guilty" crowd.

👀We'll ask him if he feels differently now.

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Every night during On Balance, Leland Vittert asks "why?" about the most pressing matters of the day, with an intellectual, balanced and sometimes irreverent take on the news.

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