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.  

Editor’s note: Welcome to an abbreviated edition of “War Notes” — by way of explanation, my father (and his dog) are in town and staying with Rachel and I. For those of you who have older parents that come visit … well, you know. 

YOU’RE FIRED!

For some reason, the American media believes federal employees and the bureaucracy in general deserve endangered species-like protections.

• Forbes, in particular, just ran a long piece about the dangers of eliminating the Department of Education: “In a video message posted last year, Trump baselessly claimed the Department of Education is staffed by many people who ‘in many cases, hate our children’ and said ‘we want states to run the education of our children, because they’ll do a much better job of it. You can’t do worse.’”
• Welcome to 2025:
  • If Donald Trump is for it, the media ecosystem must be against it.
  • If Elon Musk thinks it’s a good idea, it must be a threat to democracy. 

Que the meltdown: Over the weekend, Robert F. Kennedy Jr. promised to blow up the FDA, CDC, and National Institute of Health.

• If we can’t fire them, we can ship them to a new Health and Human Services headquarters in Guam, he said.
• “Ship them to Guam” is a reference to the herculean effort it takes to fire one government employee, much less hundreds. 

Zoom out: By the FDA and CDC’s own measures, America keeps getting fatter and less healthy.  

• Why shouldn’t they get fired?
• By the Department of Education’s own measure, American kids keep getting dumber — why shouldn’t they get fired? 

Up for the Job

We have been largely, if not entirely, positive about Trump’s administration picks so far. To be fair, it’s hard to say anything bad about Sen. Marco Rubio, R-Fla., running the State Department. 

• Rubio flipping the script on pro-Hamas cease-fire protesters a few months ago is a master class. 

Full disclosure: Rep. Michael Waltz, R-Fla., is a good friend of mine and a man of real integrity. Not to mention, he’s world-class in his understanding of threats against America.

• Mike Huckabee and I go back to 2005 when he was governor of Arkansas. Again, he is one of the finest men I know and will represent America well.
  • He and I spent a lot of time in Israel together when I was there, and he would bring church groups on tours.
  • He is as pro-Israel as you get. 
  • The list of good things goes on. 
• Which makes Trump picking South Dakota Governor Kristi Noem to run the Department of Homeland Security all the more perplexing.
  • There are three things I know about her, all of which I got from her book, “No Going Back.”
    • She killed her dog.
    • Somehow, she thought telling people she killed her dog was a good idea.
    • She lied about meeting Kim Jong Un – then gave the interviewer a bull 💩 answer by saying she wouldn’t talk about her private conversations with world leaders. 
  • Popcorn: This Senate confirmation hearing will be must-see TV! 

• 4D Chess: Is this the sacrificial Cabinet lamb?
  • Trump gives Democratic senators a layup to embarrass and either cuts her loose or she makes it through.
  • The real power will be Tom Homan at ICE as the “border czar.”

Second Term of Melania

When Trump comes to meet Biden at the White House tomorrow, for the first time in recent history, the president-elect will not be accompanied by his wife. 

• Melania Trump reportedly told friends she wasn’t coming because of the FBI’s raid on Mar-a-Lago.

• What I am thinking: We have never fully understood Melania’s role in the Trump world or the MAGA movement. 
• Look forward: Melania 2.0 could be far more fun to watch.
  • Perhaps the “I really don’t care, do you” jacket was just the beginning.

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.