Leland Vittert’s War Notes: Georgia on My Mind 🍑

Encourage friends and family to subscribe to War Notes here.

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.

Did you subscribe‼️: Amended! Check out the third episode of Liberty's "Amended!" podcast, titled, "They Can't Say That, Can They?"

Rarely in history has the First Amendment mattered more, been more often quoted and more often misapplied.
It sounds simple ✏️: "Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof; or abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press; or the right of the people peaceably to assemble, and to petition the Government for a redress of grievances."
Reality 🤷: It's far more complicated — just ask Don Lemon
- 🤦He's claiming the First Amendment protection (as a journalist) for storming a church where people were exercising their First Amendment rights (freedom of religion) and while there he defended the protest by saying they had a First Amendment right (speech and assembly) to be there.
For you📱: The "Amended!" podcast featuring Liberty Vittert Capito. The series, produced by Washington University, explores the people and ideas shaping American democracy.
- ✅Yes, that's my sister — it's doing incredible well on Spotify and Apple Podcasts, for good reason.
- 🤓Yes, she is the smarter of the Vittert children.
‼️Click here for the podcast — and please leave Liberty a five-star review wherever you get your podcasts.

Drums of War🥁: The U.S. military is moving enough hardware for a sustained, long-term bombing campaign against Iran.

✈️Night after night, there are reports of conga lines of tankers, fighter jets and reconnaissance aircraft all moving towards Iran.
🗣️The White House keeps telling everyone it's about the nuclear program, and they don't want to do regime change.
- Reality check ✅: They are pissed off that the ayatollah is working on their nuclear site again.
- ‼️They are sending military hardware toward the Middle East for a long-term regime change type of bombing campaign, not just getting rid of the nuclear site.
- Good read📰: The Wall Street Journal headlines: "Iran Is Getting Ready for War with the U.S.", writing:
  - ✏️"Confronting its biggest threat in decades, the regime in Tehran is trying to boost its odds of survival if diplomatic talks fall through."
- More➕: Check out the incredible reporting of Barak Ravid in Axios
Watch tonight📺: Retired Brig. Gen. John Teichert has planned these types of wars and missions, plus spent years in Iraq as the defense attache, so he knows what might come next in Iran.
- ‼️He tells us what a sustained war with Iran will really look like.

The Blue Texas Fantasy 🔵: Every two years, we hear this: "Omg, Texas is going to go blue" — and every time it's gotten Democrats to give tens of millions of dollars betting the dog will catch the rabbit.

Why it matters: All of a sudden, everyone is talking about the Texas Senate race because Stephen Colbert (wrongly) claimed that CBS blocked his interview with James Talarico
- Even Jasmine Crocket seems to side with Trump and CBS' version. – ha!
🏃Democrats keep chasing a ghost and wasting money in Texas.
- 💸In 2018, Democrat Beto O'Rourke's Senate campaign raised $80.3 million and lost.
- 💸In 2024, Colin Allred for Senate raised $90.2 million and lost
- 💸This year, Democrats just launched a $30 million campaign to try to flip the state.
- 💸James Talarico's senate campaign raised $2.5 million in the last 24 hours since his Colbert interview — which didn't air.
  - Is this the year Texas Democrats are going to actually win?
Watch tonight📺: Texas Democratic Party Chairman Kendall Scudder why Democrats keep throwing so much good money after bad.

Is Nancy in Mexico?🚨 The investigation into Nancy Guthrie's disappearance continues to uncover lots about the sheriff's incompetence and little about Guthrie.

NEW‼️: The FBI contacted Mexican authorities to be on the lookout, and Brian Entin reports there have been polygraphs given to try and clear people in the case.
It's been 18 days since Nancy disappeared from her home in the middle of the night.
‼️The case remains unsolved as authorities still have no clue WHO and WHY they did this — yet they say the case isn't cold
- 🎤Pima County sheriff: "As long as we have the ability to chase a lead, it's not cold…We're not going to give up. We're going to find Nancy, and we're going to find out who did this."
- 🔍Around 400 people are working on the case, says Sheriff Nanos, and he is certain they will find Nancy and her abductor … just not sure when.
  - 🎤Sheriff Nanos: "Maybe it's an hour from now…Maybe it's weeks or months or years from now. But we won't quit. We're going to find Nancy. We're going to find this guy."
🗒️TMZ received yet another ransom note — one that allegedly details what will happen if the demands aren't met.
- 🎤Harvey Levin: "The demand graphically describes the consequences if the demand is not met."
  - 🤦Would Harvey please shut up — go write a book, movie or series about the case afterwards, but nobody thinks his reporting the notes is helping.
Watch tonight📺: NewsNation's Brian Entin on the ground in Tucson, Arizona.
- Plus➕: Former FBI agent and profiler Mary Ellen O'Toole and former Boston Police Commissioner Ed Davis.

FOLLOW US ON SOCIAL MEDIA

@lelandvittert

@onbalancewithlelandvittert

Georgia on My Mind🍑

✈️Trump is taking 2026 personally, and nothing says it more than him going to Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene's district — Rome, Georgia — after she defied him and walked away.

‼️This is the first real test of Trump's power as we head into the midterms.
💭Think about Georgia — Trump won in 2016 and lost in 2020 only to win again in 2024.
- 🤦His Senate record is AWFUL. The 2021 runoff elections were a disaster for Republicans because of Trump.
- 👎His 2022 pick of Herschel Walker was equally disastrous.
- Counter argument 🗣️: We keep hearing that Democrats have done so well (and they have) in every special and off-year election.
- ‼️Now, Trump is getting involved and endorsing a candidate for MTG's seat.
  - 🤷Will Republicans turn out for him — and his candidate — there are more than a dozen other candidates in the race.
He is expected to focus on the economy, inflation, unemployment and energy costs.
- 💸The White House realizes that they need to change the narrative of the economy — and this is where he is going to do it.
- 📉Seven in 10 U.S. adults say the economy is fair or poor, according to Pew Research.
Good read📰: The 'boomcession': Why Americans feel left behind by a growing economy

Watch tonight 📺: Erick Erickson, the best conservative political mind I know, on Trump's challenges and mission when he arrives in a state he's won and lost.

Final thought⛳: As I think about Georgia — and Ray Charles — it's only 50 days till the Masters.

WATCH ON BALANCE WEEKNIGHTS AT 9P/8C

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.

Make sure to let us know your thoughts on social media and by replying to this email.

See the latest videos and coverage from On Balance