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.

Cease-fire at Any Cost

Like so many of President Joe Biden’s problems, he’s caught in the protests between what he wants to do, the political left, the political center and an ever closer Nov. 5. 

• He needs a “cease-fire” in Gaza to take the pressure off his reelection bid.
  • To get a cease-fire, Hamas and Israel must agree to one.
    • Hamas is emboldened by the protests.
      • Hamas keeps holding out for a better deal.
        • Yesterday, Secretary of State Antony Blinken said, “The only thing standing between the people of Gaza and a cease-fire is Hamas.”
        • Yet Hamas knows they have leverage over Biden because of his domestic political problems. 
      • They used to worry about the “Arab street” being on their side.
      • Now, they have “the American street on their side.” 
    • Israel is scared by the protests
      • Israel feels less secure.
      • Hence, Netanyahu said he will continue into Rafah regardless of a deal. 
    • Biden’s constituency is protest-adjacent, especially the boards of so many colleges and universities.
      • Arresting the protesters brings back images of 1968. 
      • Allowing the protests to grow and intensify into riots (like last night at Columbia University) terrifies suburban voters. 

What Biden is saying: Nothing. 

• He’s left that to his deputy press secretary, Andrew Bates, who has been issuing statements: “President Biden has stood against repugnant, antisemitic smears and violent rhetoric his entire life. He condemns the use of the term ‘intifada,’ as he has the other tragic and dangerous hate speech displayed in recent days.”
• Just a few questions:
  • If Biden is so concerned, why haven’t we heard from him directly?
  • If Biden is so concerned, why is it always his deputy press secretary who issues statements about antisemitism and not press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre delivering them from the podium?
  • If Biden is so concerned, why doesn’t the Department of Education or the Justice Department, which often threaten universities over trans rights, threaten the institutions allowing terrorist-adjacent acts by pulling their federal funding? 

Intifada

An “intifada” banner now hangs from Columbia University’s Hamilton Hall.

• “Intifada” does not call for peace or a cease-fire; it calls for a violent uprising against Jews. 

What happened: Overnight, a group of students (and likely professional protesters) took over the building using terrorist-like tactics to bash windows and then zip-tie doors 

• Video shows keffiyeh- and mask-wearing “protesters” threatening and shoving two Columbia University students.
• The university reportedly told the New York City police to stand down despite overtly criminal acts and threats to students. 
• The university’s campus safety team ordered that only students and essential faculty are allowed on campus. Video shows the rioters ignoring those orders like they have every other one so far.

We predicted this last night on air after Columbia University’s president refused to enforce her own 2 p.m. deadline for students to clear off the university’s quad. 

• At this point, anything she says is pretty laughable. 
• But what about the board that she works for? We asked everyone to come on, including former Department of Homeland Security Secretary Jeh Johnson. Everyone on the board of trustees refused or didn’t answer our requests.
  • Yes, you read that right: the former Homeland Security secretary is on Columbia University’s board of trustees, and terrorist sympathizers now run the campus. 

Nothing to see: Columbia University kicked all the reporters off campus. Evidently, they are able to enforce that rule. 

• Thought bubble: Remember when restricting or penning reporters was a threat to democracy? 

Doubling down: The university put out a statement saying, “The safety of our community remains our top priority.” 

• It’s laughable — they have given up control of their campus to a mob. Empty threats of suspension or expulsion mean nothing. 
• It also misses any promises to protect Jewish students from the mob or condemn someone hanging a banner with terrorist slogans! 

It’s not just Columbia.

• UCLA students blocked Jewish kids from using the library and coming on campus. 

Final thought: These groups on American campuses support terrorists and use the same language as terrorists. When will we start calling them terrorists?

Show Me the Money

Programming alert: Senator Ron Johnson, R-Wis., joins us tonight for a victory lap of sorts. He rightly asked, “When does this end?” in response to Biden’s $61 billion in aid for Ukraine.

• Fun fact: The latest aid bill gave Ukraine more than the budget for the U.S. Marines. 
• Turns out, according to a column in Reuters, $61 billion isn’t enough — Ukraine needs more! 

To be fair: The Ukrainians have fought bravely, inflicted heavy losses and done better than anyone expected. 

BUT, as we pointed out last week, America currently funds both sides of the war by buying or importing billions of dollars worth of Russian oil. 

Look forward: Most wars end with negotiation. When will America start forcing the Ukrainians to negotiate? 

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.