Bill O’Reilly’s No Spin News and Analysis
Episode: No Spin News - Weekend Edition - May 10, 2025
Release Date: May 10, 2025

1. Introduction

Bill O’Reilly kicks off the Weekend Edition of No Spin News, setting a no-nonsense tone for the discussions ahead. He briefly touches on the enduring American spirit of engineering excellence before transitioning to the main topics of the episode.

2. Analysis of the Harvard Harris Poll

Timestamp: 01:07 - 09:56

Mark Penn introduces the latest Harvard Harris poll, which surveyed 2,286 registered voters to gauge their opinions on President Donald Trump, the Republican Party, and the Democratic Party.

• Trump’s Approval Ratings:

  • Approve as President: 48%
  • Disapprove: 46%
  • Right track for the country: 39%
  • Wrong track: 49%

  "Donald Trump's approval stands at 48%, with a 10-point gap in views on whether he's keeping the country on the right track." [02:08]

• Party Approval Ratings:

  • Republican Party Approval: 51%
  • Republican Party Disapproval: 49%
  • Democratic Party Approval: 42%
  • Democratic Party Disapproval: 58%

  "There's a significant gap in the approval of the Democratic Party, disapproving at 58% compared to 42% approval." [02:10]

Poll Methodology Insights:

Mark Penn discusses with the poll conductor the unique aspects of the Harvard Harris poll:

• Voter vs. Adult Polling: Emphasizes the importance of surveying voters rather than all adults, as the latter group tends to be more negative.

  "We're a voter poll. The second thing is I made sure to readjust my sample after the election to make sure that it represents that the Republicans now are a bigger party than the Democrats." [02:18]

• Media Bias Concerns: They explore the possibility of media outlets influencing poll outcomes to disadvantage Trump.

  "You've seen the entire media, you know, gang up pretty much on the president and his policies." [04:05]

Economic Policies and Public Perception:

The discussion delves into Trump’s economic policies, particularly tariffs and immigration, highlighting public support and media exaggeration.

• Tariffs Impact:

  "Imports are only 10% of the country, and a 10 tariff on 10% of the country is 1%." [04:05]

• Immigration Policies:

  "We're very clear, you know, people support taking those people who are here illegally and committed crimes out of the country. There's no question about that." [04:05]

Voter Priorities:

The poll indicates that voters are more concerned with tangible economic factors like prices and unemployment rather than stock market fluctuations.

"Voters are really looking for a demonstration that the economy is going to be strong, that his economic policies are going to work and that their wages are going to grow faster than prices." [09:04]

3. Impact of Potential Movie Tariffs on the Entertainment Industry

Timestamp: 10:14 - 19:05

Mark Penn shifts the discussion to President Trump’s proposal of a 100% tariff on foreign-produced movies to protect the American movie industry.

Trump’s Tariff Proposal:

• Objective: To revive the struggling U.S. movie industry by discouraging foreign film production in the country.

  "I'm authorizing the Department of Commerce and the United States Trade Representative to immediately begin the process of instituting a 100% tariff on any and all movies coming into our country that were produced in foreign lands." [12:00]

• Challenges Highlighted:

  • Difficulties in enforcing tariffs on partially overseas-produced films.
  • Examples of popular films shot in various countries.

Guest: Randy Greenberg

Randy Greenberg, a film producer and UCLA instructor, discusses the feasibility and potential repercussions of the proposed tariffs.

• Operational Challenges:

  "Tariffs on goods that come into the country through ports of call is one thing, but this is digitally delivered. And so how do you do that?" [13:09]

• Economic Impact:

  • Consumers may bear the cost through higher ticket prices or increased subscription fees for streaming services.

    "The consumers like this is going to go right back to the consumer and which will, you know." [15:03]

  • The overall effect could lead to reduced movie revenues and increased chaos within the industry.

Mark Penn’s Perspective:

Mark Penn speculates on the symbolic nature of the tariff and its underlying political motivations.

"I think there might be a little payback here for Hollywood treating Trump so poorly in financing Kamala Harris campaign." [17:22]

Conclusion:

Both hosts agree that while the tariff aims to protect the industry, its practical implementation is questionable and could inadvertently harm consumers and studios alike.

4. Geopolitical Tensions and U.S. National Security

Timestamp: 19:05 - 27:35

Mark Penn introduces Victoria Coats, former Deputy National Security Adviser to Donald Trump and current Vice President of National Security at the Heritage Foundation, to discuss U.S. relations with China and Russia.

China and Russia Partnership:

• Strategic Alliance:

  "They are trying to set up a pull [poll] that will be in competition with the United States and ultimately, in their minds, defeat the United States and our allies." [20:06]

• Economic Dependencies:

  • Russia's reliance on China for natural resources creates a barter-like relationship.

    "With the revenues that China gives them for natural resources, the Russians have to buy Chinese goods." [22:07]

Military Buildup:

• China’s Military Expansion:

  "There's a huge vested, both military and economic mutual interest that they have built over these years." [22:40]

• U.S. Defense Investment:

  "The president's budget is so important, because he is talking about both reducing the waste and bloat and unnecessary activities in our DoD, but investing in the kind of things that China is." [23:34]

Threats to National Security:

Victoria Coats expresses concern over the rapid military expansion of China and the strategic moves by Russia, including the invasion of Ukraine.

"China has a bigger navy than we do at this point." [23:34]

Mark Penn’s Skepticism:

Mark Penn questions the ultimate goals of Xi Jinping and Vladimir Putin, highlighting the impracticality of their ambitions given their economic limitations.

"Russia is a third world country when it comes to economics. They have no consumer power at all." [21:27]

Victoria Coats’ Insights:

She emphasizes that the partnership between China and Russia is one of convenience rather than ideological alignment, aimed at undermining U.S. influence.

"It's more of a death of a thousand cuts kind of thing for the United States and reducing our influence to expand theirs." [26:45]

Conclusion:

The conversation underscores the complexities of U.S. foreign policy in addressing the evolving alliances and military strategies of China and Russia, stressing the need for strategic investments and robust national security measures.

5. Closing Remarks

Bill O’Reilly wraps up the Weekend Edition by directing listeners to premium content available on his website, encouraging them to stay informed with No Spin News.

"Thank you for listening to the no Spin News Weekend Edition." [19:01]

Notable Quotes

• Mark Penn on Tariffs:

  "It's too expensive to make movies in California, so a lot of the movies now go to Canada. That's where we shoot many big productions." [12:00]

• Victoria Coats on U.S. Security:

  "China has a bigger navy than we do at this point." [23:34]

• Poll Conductor on Immigration:

  "People support taking those who are here illegally and committed crimes out of the country. There's no question about that." [04:05]

Conclusion

This episode of No Spin News - Weekend Edition delves into critical issues ranging from political polling and media influence to the intricate dynamics of the entertainment industry and international geopolitics. With insightful discussions and expert opinions, Bill O’Reilly and his guests provide listeners with a comprehensive analysis of the factors shaping the current political and economic landscape.