No Spin News - Weekend Edition - November 15, 2025

Summary

Bill O’Reilly’s No Spin News and Analysis

Weekend Edition – November 15, 2025

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Overview

This "Weekend Edition" of Bill O’Reilly’s No Spin News centers on themes of American history, veterans’ experiences, the evolving perception of the American Dream, media responsibility, and global challenges including jihadism in Africa and worldwide debt. The episode combines historical reflection, personal stories of service and resilience, discussions on current societal mindsets, and interviews with economists, legal experts, and foreign correspondents.

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Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. Veterans Day Reflections and Military Leadership (00:40–07:00)

• Bill O’Reilly previews his appearance in a News Nation special on America’s greatest military leaders, discussing the real stories behind historical figures, their leadership qualities, and public misconceptions.
• Leland Vittert (author, journalist, and special correspondent) joins to share his experience filming at West Point and studying various generals.
  • Notable insight: Vittert underscores walking the grounds of West Point and seeing the statues as “a great juxtaposition of the history we know and then the history that will be written by those cadets now at West Point." [03:06]
  • The conversation explores how great generals earned the respect of their troops—contrasting personalities like Eisenhower, Patton, MacArthur, etc.
  • O’Reilly highlights the need for better history education and laments the mythologizing or, conversely, denigration of military leaders.

Quote:
“We tend to mythologize our generals and our military. Now, it's not like Vietnam, where the military was… getting hammered unfairly. But we talk a little bit about Vietnam and the poor leadership that led to that debacle.” — Bill O’Reilly [03:57]

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2. Personal Story: Veteran Zachary Stinson & The Role of Charity (11:00–20:02)

• O’Reilly interviews Marine Sergeant Zachary Stinson, who lost his legs in Afghanistan.

  • Stinson’s account covers enlisting at age 18, his injury in Helmand province, undergoing over 25 surgeries, and his journey back to physical fitness through hand cycling and competitive paracycling.
  • Emphasis on the role of organizations like Semper Fi and America's Fund (thefund.org) in supporting wounded veterans with track chairs, adaptive equipment, and family support, noting the lifelong nature of this assistance.
  • Stinson credits his family as motivation:
    “My kids never knew me as a Marine…but they need to see me getting up and doing something. So cycling is that for me. They see me putting in the work.” [15:13]

• O’Reilly appeals to listeners to support veteran charities, emphasizing that “Veterans Day is the perfect time to help these guys out.” [19:26]

Notable Moment:
Bob and Renee Parsons Foundation, with PXG, will match thefund.org donations up to $7.5 million through year’s end. [19:53]

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3. The American Dream: Is It Alive? (21:25–33:32)

• Interview with Alexander Green (economist and author of "The American Dream: Why It’s Still Alive and How to Achieve It").
  • O’Reilly and Green analyze why 70% of Americans no longer believe the American Dream is attainable, tracing the problem to pessimism fueled by mainstream and social media, the decline of history and financial education in public schools, and entitlement culture.
  • Green argues, “Nothing is free… Politicians are not the answer to your problems. You live the American dream by working, living within your means, saving regularly, investing… letting it compound.” [21:29]
  • Both discuss their own journeys from humble beginnings through hard work, discipline, and gradual advancement.
  • They critique the “coddling” and unrealistic expectations among today’s youth compared to the sacrifices and realistic expectations of their Depression-era/WWII parents.
  • Green notes the dangers of comparing oneself to social media highlight reels, misleading perceptions of economic inequality, and the need for patience and practical strategy.

Quote:
“The capitalist system is the greatest anti poverty program and wealth creator of all time.” — Alexander Green [24:38]

Financial Markets Caution:
Green warns the market is “very expensive right now… there is kind of an AI craze going on… we will have a correction and another bear market at some point.” [32:24]

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4. Media Responsibility and Defamation (33:46–41:33)

• O’Reilly addresses claims by Rep. Melanie Stansberry and Rick Stengel about Donald Trump, debunking misinformation (e.g., no photo evidence of Trump with underage girls) and calls for accountability.
  • Legal expert Rebecca Rose Woodland clarifies defamation law, actual malice, and the burden of proof on public figures.
    • Woodland stresses that reckless disregard for the truth is central in cases against public figures and that merely repeating unverified AI-generated media is not a defense.
    • Media outlets, she notes, are generally protected when guests—not network personnel—make defamatory claims, unless the network knowingly encourages false statements.

Quote:
“To say something like this against a sitting president or anyone in the public realm, you... have to have belief that it is true. If you're just relying on something in social media, that is not enough.” — Rebecca Rose Woodland [38:34]

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5. Global Affairs & U.S. Debt with Phil Balboni (44:18–51:34)

• Foreign policy analyst Phil Balboni discusses the spread of global jihadism in Africa, increased activity by groups like Al Qaeda and ISIS, and the U.S. and French withdrawal creating security vacuums.
  • Nigeria’s problems with Islamist militants and the implications for regional security highlighted.
  • Balboni turns to global debt, warning that the post-pandemic surge in borrowing, both in the U.S. and abroad, is “unprecedented” and could trigger future financial crises.
  • O’Reilly and Balboni agree that government overspending is unsustainable and common-sense fiscal restraint is needed.

Quote:
“There’s only one way to get out of a debt problem. You spend less and you have to bring in more income... That’s the basic kitchen table economics.” — Phil Balboni [50:31]

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Notable Quotes with Timestamps

• “We tend to mythologize our generals and our military… But we talk a little bit about Vietnam and the poor leadership that led to that debacle.” — Bill O’Reilly [03:57]
• “My kids never knew me as a Marine, but they need to see me getting up and doing something. So cycling is that for me. They see me putting in the work…” — Sgt. Zachary Stinson [15:13]
• “Politicians are not the answer to your problems. You live the American dream by working, living within your means, saving regularly, investing those savings…” — Alexander Green [21:29]
• “The capitalist system is the greatest anti poverty program and wealth creator of all time.” — Alexander Green [24:38]
• “To say something like this against a sitting president or anyone in the public realm… If you’re just relying on something in social media, that is not enough.” — Rebecca Rose Woodland [38:34]
• “There’s only one way to get out of a debt problem. You spend less and you have to bring in more income... That’s the basic kitchen table economics.” — Phil Balboni [50:31]

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Key Segments and Timestamps

• Veterans Day & Leadership Special Discussion: [00:40–07:08]
• Interview: Sgt. Zachary Stinson on Recovery & Veterans' Support: [11:00–20:02]
• The American Dream: Analysis with Alexander Green: [21:25–33:32]
• Media Defamation and Accountability: Legal Segment: [33:46–41:33]
• Global Jihadism in Africa & Debt Crises with Phil Balboni: [44:18–51:34]

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Memorable Moments

• Leland Vittert on the emotional power of walking the "parade ground at West Point" and seeing statues of famous generals come alive for today’s cadets. [03:06]
• Sgt. Stinson describing how being active is vital after injury: "It's really easy to become sedentary and just kind of roll over and die. So it's just being active and staying active." [14:19]
• Bill O’Reilly’s personal story about his own climb from minimum wage jobs post-college to national broadcaster as a metaphor for the American Dream. [25:54]
• Clear debunking and legal breakdown of viral misinformation about a public figure, illustrating media’s responsibility in the AI era. [33:46–41:33]

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This episode weaves together stories of service, loss, perseverance, and the enduring need for truth and responsible citizenship at individual, institutional, and national levels—underscored by O’Reilly’s signature blend of personal narrative, pointed commentary, and expert interviews.

Transcript

[A]

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[B]

It's the mid-1800s. The colonies have been liberated by George Washington, and the young nation has been strengthened by Andrew Jackson. But now the Civil War calls on new heroes to keep a fractured Union intact. General Ulysses S. Grant came from humble beginnings and rose to lead the Union army against the rebellious South. His willingness to make hard decisions led him first to victory, then to the White House.

[A]

He was a hero of the Civil War. Without Grant, it might have been a stalemate because McClellan, who was the first commander, he was a coward and his troops did not respect him. And then Lincoln went through three, four guys and they were terrible. And finally drags Grant, who's out in the hinterlands, because this guy with least will fight. So we analyze all the big generals all throughout history and yes, in some surprises. So joining us now from New York City is Leland Vitter, the correspondent on the special and of course, the author of the book Born Lucky, big bestseller, Dedicated Father, Grateful Son, My Journey with Autism. And anything surprise you about the special? Leland?

[B]

Yeah, that I think it could have been five segments. We spent the day at West Point, Bill, after I interviewed you, and they gave us the head of the history department at West Point to take us through the generals and the lessons learned. And it was, I think, one of the top 10 or 15 days of my life listening to him. And our viewers are going to get a taste of that, of the very best. And to walk around the plane, the parade ground at West Point, and see the statues of Washington and Grant, of Eisenhower, of Patton, and then bring those alive on the screen is this just sort of great juxtaposition of the history we know and then the history that will be written by those cadets now at West Point.

[A]

Now, I didn't see the special yet, but they say it's very good. And I think it's important for Americans who really don't know a lot in generally speaking, because public schools don't teach history anymore about their leadership on a battlefield. Because we tend to mythologize our generals and our military. Now, it's not like Vietnam, where the military was, whoa, you know, they were getting hammered unfairly. But we talk a little bit about Vietnam and the poor leadership that led to that debacle. And then, of course, we talk about the modern wars in Iraq and Afghanistan. But what I took away from it was that. And I'm not gonna. I don't wanna give it away, but you asked me who the greatest American general was. Don't give it away. We want people to watch the special. And my answer surprised you, right?

[B]

It did. And I would say that the person at West Point who we interviewed, the head of the History Department at West Point, disagrees with you, Bill. So we kind of. Yeah, we adjudicate that in the special.

[A]

Oh, but I didn't get to rebut him. So you interviewed him.

[B]

That's what happens when you do your interview first. Sorry.

[A]

Okay, so there is a lot of stuff swirling around. Now. One of the guys that you and I kind of went up against was MacArthur, General MacArthur in World War II, who was, you know, a good general, sure. But so many deficits. And you kind of disagreed a little with that, right?

[B]

I did. And we. We went to the MacArthur statue right, at West Point and looked at duty, honor and country. The speech he gave. Old soldiers never die. They just fade away. And went and went through that with this head of the History department about why MacArthur as a soldier has a different meaning as a general than other generals, than Pershing and others that you and I talked about, Patton, Grant, on and on. What I think was most interesting is. And we tried to do this in the specials, we tried to find common themes between all these men. And probably what was the most common and most important thing was their ability to gain the respect of their troops. And we pointed that out. You talked about that just now about Grant and then in the Civil War with McClellan, McClellan's problem. But that was the common characteristic. How they did that through all the different generals is totally different. You think about somebody like Eisenhower and Patton couldn't be more juxtaposed. Eisenhower and MacArthur, very different personalities, but yet would become such amazing leaders.

[A]

Yeah. I mean, there's a lot in there and I want people again. It's on Tuesday, tomorrow at 10pm News Nation. So just a quick question. The book pretty impressive, Leland, you know, I'm glad.

[B]

Thank you very much.

[A]

I'm glad it's out. And it's an excellent Christmas and holiday gift because it gives hope to so many people who have children, not only with autism, but other learning disabilities and people parents need to have perspective. When you did the media for the book, it was mostly friendly media. Nobody was mean to you, right?

[B]

No, I think that's what's so amazing, right, Bill, is I did everything from you and Steve Bannon all the way through Joe Scarborough for Born Lucky, talking about the story of my dad when I was diagnosed with autism, adapting me to the world rather than the world to me. And you talk about finding a topic in America right now that Joe Scarborough and you and Steve Bannon can agree on and almost come to tears at different times. Talking about it is been this story of Born Lucky. And you said it's a message of hope. And I appreciate, Bill, you talking about how it's been a bestseller. And thank you to anybody who's come on this journey with us and bought the book. But to me, what has been most important about the reception is the emails and the letters and the phone calls and the text messages and the social media posts from hundreds if not thousands of people I've never known thanking me for telling them and showing them that they're not alone, thanking me and telling them that there is hope for every parent of a kid.

[A]

That's the key to it. All right. The book is Born Lucky and I will see you at 9pm Eastern tonight for the Leland Vittert program on a News nation. All right. So I'm sure you saw the Bill Maher stuff with me and we're going to run a little bit of that in a in about two minutes here.

[B]

But that was a little bit of it tonight, too.

[A]

Yeah, that was, that was a pretty interesting back and forth. All right, Leland, we'll see you tonight. Thanks. Thanks. Taking the time. You're listening to the no Spin News Weekend Edition today is Veterans Day. All right? Now, this is very close to me, so if you follow my career, you know, we raised more than $30 million for the independence Fund. They provided track chairs, high tech wheelchairs for severely injured vets in Iraq and Afghanistan. 30 million. Independence Fund, no longer in business. Okay. We got a track chair to every single vet who needed it. With all that money coming in. Now, there are other service people who need help from Iraq and Afghanistan. These are contemporary wars. In Iraq, Americans lost 4,492 people. Okay, 32,292 wounded. That's a big number in Iraq. Afghanistan, 2004, 56 killed, 20,770 wounded. Altogether more than 50,000 U.S. service people wounded in Iraq and Afghanistan. Now, there is a charity that's doing a lot of good. There are actually two. One is the Fisher House. Okay. But we're not going to do that today. But that's a good charity. The other is Semper Fi and America's Fund. Thefund.org is how you get to them. All right, so they help severely wounded vets and their families in a variety of ways. And one of the men that they've helped is Marine Sergeant Zachary Stinson, who joins us now from Chambersburg, Pennsylvania. Sergeant, good to see you. And I want to tell the folks about your personal story. I'll start it off, and then I'll ask you some questions about it. Okay, so at 18, you enlisted in the Marines, Is that correct?

[C]

Yes, sir.

[A]

Why did you enlist?

[C]

Because I liked working out.

[A]

You wanted a free. Free gym to go to? No, but why really did you enlist in the Marines?

[C]

Because I didn't want to go to college and start my life out in debt. I wanted to be the best. So I had talked to enough people that said the Marines were the way to go, so that's why I did it.

[A]

Okay, so at 18, you're not fully formed emotionally, but to go to the Marines is usually a very positive experience. Three years later, you're sent to Afghanistan. Right. Is it three years after you did boot camp?

[C]

Yes, sir.

[A]

And you're on patrol in Marja, Afghanistan. Where is Marja?

[C]

Southern Helmand province, Afghanistan.

[A]

And you're out there with the guys, and you step on an ied, a mine, and you get your legs severely injured. Right, Right.

[C]

Yes. Gone.

[A]

Okay. Now, you didn't know that at the time. You just got concussed and boom, all of a sudden you're back in the states with two legs that are severely, as you put it, gone. 25 surgeries, is that correct?

[C]

Roundabout, Yes. I really don't know the actual number.

[A]

It was that many, though?

[C]

Oh, yeah, yeah, that or more.

[A]

And what did the surgeries do for you?

[C]

A lot of it was washout. Just cleaning out the injury. A lot of dirty bombs over there just because of the dirt, but. And then everything was else. Just trying to get function back, trying to get my legs, trying to save as much of my leg as they could. I had my eardrum blown out. I had my pelvis smashed. So just getting functionality in those parts of my body.

[A]

All right, so you go through this ordeal, but then you also develop a plan to get yourself back into top shape. Tell us about that.

[C]

Yeah, so I realized one day I looked in the mirror and I was like 220 pounds, and it's just not as easy without legs, just getting up and going for a run or anything like that. So I had to find something that would work. So I grew up as a gym rat, so I hit the gym and then also tried to find a form of cardio and eventually found that in hand. Cycling.

[A]

So you got into cycling and then you started to compete, correct?

[C]

Yes, sir. Yeah, I've done. I started out in marathons. I went over to triathlon for a little bit, and then since 2023, I've been competing internationally for paracycling, as well as a member of Team USA right now until January.

[A]

And you could do all this because of the technology, the medical technology, that even though you didn't have legs, you had enough medical procedure in you that you could function. What level would you say you were functioning at or are functioning at now?

[C]

I mean, functioning at now? I don't know. I like to think more positive that I'm around 80%. Being just having the ability to be physical, though, is such a huge aspect of it. People, especially being in a wheelchair, it's. It's really easy to become sedentary and then just kind of roll over and die. So it's just being active and staying active.

[A]

All right. And you do that through the cycling. You get married and have two girls, right?

[C]

Yes, sir.

[A]

That is in itself an unbelievable situation. And do you attribute anything to your family life that goes over into your competition and your overall life?

[C]

Yeah, yeah, I do attribute that. My kids never knew me as a Marine, and I was a pretty good Marine, but they need to see me getting up and doing something. So cycling is that for me. They see me putting in the work and the bike, doing all the training, and then eventually having the competitions and where I have the final result or things, but they see the process of everything, even though my job doesn't look like it used to, just pushing through and still working out and being active.

[A]

Okay, you're 35 years old now. What has the fun.org done for you specifically so?

[C]

Well, the, the track chairs, they actually were one of the first ones to get me a track chair back in like 2014. I think it was very early. They helped me with anything from bike equipment to honestly putting a fence in my backyard so my kids could play and everything in between. They go much more than just what they've done for me. There's a lot more like neurotherapy and other things that really don't apply to me at this current time. But they've got a little bit of.

[A]

Everything and they stay with you till you're dead. Right? It's lifelong.

[C]

Absolutely. So they were one of the first people to reach out whenever my, whenever I got injured and was at the hospital, they made sure my wife was taking care of any of my other family members down in Maryland because we didn't know how long we were going to be at the hospital initially. So they took care of my family there whenever I couldn't. And then they've been with us ever since and it just doesn't stop.

[A]

And you also know other vets, of course, that are in the Fund.org's orbit and all we've checked you out all have the same great experience. Let's face it, the US economy is under stress. National debt rising, trade war shaking the markets. And meanwhile China is dumping the dollar and stockpiling gold. That's why I protected my savings with physical gold and silver through the only dealer I trust, American Hartford Gold. And you can do this. Get precious metals delivered to your door or place in a tax Advantage Gold IRA. They'll even help you roll over your existing IRA or 401k. Tax and penalty free with billions in precious metals delivered. Thousands of 5 star reviews and an A plus from the Better Business Bureau. You can trust American Hartford Gold as I do. Please call 866-326-5576 or text BILL to 998899. Again, that's 866-326-5576, or text BILL to 998999. What I bought a new Blink Mini 2K plus smart security camera. What? I got 2K clarity sharp enough to see every detail of home when I'm away. Plus audio like a in the room, not with my bestie traveling to another city. Plus easy plugins set up to install faster than skipping through podcast ads. But you'd never Skip ads, right. Plus, I got all of this for just $49.99. Blink Mini 2K+ Mini Camera Max Performance Shop [e-mail] Blink.

[C]

Yeah, I don't have anything, I don't know anybody that has anything negative to say about them. They're literally just a part of our family. I have my previous case manager retired earlier this year, and I still have conversations back and forth, texts and everything. And that goes on top of the case manager I currently have, who I'm in contact with constantly.

[A]

And you know, because you were a Marine, how much the camaraderie helps and gives people support to get through the hardest times.

[C]

Absolutely. Absolutely. You got to have a good support system. I wouldn't be here if it weren't for the fund, if it weren't for my family and a supportive community.

[A]

All right. So we wanted to bring you on and let Everybody know about thefund.org if they want to help out. Tax deductible, of course, Veterans Day, the perfect time to help these guys out. And Sergeant, if there's anything that we can do for you or your family and, you know, and for the duration, you let us know. We're here if you need us at all.

[C]

Greatly appreciate that. I did just want to make a note that the Bob and Renee Parsons foundation, along with PXG, are going to match up to $7.5 million for the fund till the end of the year.

[A]

That's pretty generous, I have to say. Very, very good. The whole thing is a, is a big positive for America from top to bottom. We wouldn't be involved with it if it weren't. Okay, Sergeant, thanks very much. We'll talk again. This is the no Spin News WEEKEND edition. Joining us now is one of the most astute economists that I know. His name is Alexander Green. You know him because we have a association with the Oxford Club and that's where he works. They are a paid sponsor for the no Spin News and I have been with them for three decades myself. And I didn't they didn't know me. I think they thought I was O'Reilly Auto Parts when I bought my first subscription. But I stay with them because they made me some money. And Alex, pretty good stock picker. But it's a tough game now, as you know. So Alex, I got you got a book out. I want everybody to look at it. It's called the American Dream. Why it's still alive and how to achieve it. The American Dream, why it's still alive and how to achieve it. But here in New York City, they just elected a communist mayor and most of the people who voted for the communist mayor are under 40 years old and they don't believe in the American Dream any longer. Why has that happened?

[D]

Well, it's a good question, Bill. I wrote the book, I started a year ago when I read the polls that showed 2/3 of Americans no longer believe the American Dream is attainable. And since then it's gotten even worse. Now 70% of Americans don't believe that the American Dream is achievable. And a lot of it has to do with what you mentioned, the negativity, relentless negativity of the mainstream media. And of course, what social media is even worse. And what they're doing with Mamdani is they seem to believe that the American Dream is not an achievement, but some kind of an entitlement that you can go to the government office and pick up your American Dream. It doesn't work that way. And the funny thing is, Bill, when I was a kid, everything was free. The meals were free, my toys were free, the parties were free. And all that meant was that somebody else was paying for it. Nothing, nothing is free. And when. So when Mandani offers all this free stuff, free education, free health care, free childcare, he's really just saying that somebody else is going to pay for it. And I think a lot of young people who struggle, I struggled when I was young. I'm sure you did too. They want someone to help them out. But the politicians are not the answer to your problems. You live the American dream by working, living within your means, saving regularly, investing those savings at higher levels of return and then letting it compound over a period of time. And that's how you afford to live the life of your dreams.

[A]

Yeah, but that's not taught in public schools.

[D]

No, it's not. It's not.

[A]

So if you're, if you go through the public school system, you are never going to hear how to achieve the so called American Dream. There are no classes on it. They don't, most of the teachers don't even believe it. And then if you come home and your parents are, you know, not doing very well, struggling, then you get cynical and say, this whole system is fixed for the rich. This is what Bernie Sanders pedals and I can't succeed. How do you persuade people who believe that they are wrong?

[D]

You begin by telling the truth when they're taught in school. Especially in college, that capitalism, free markets is all about greed and selfishness and exploitation. All it takes is one minute of plain talk to dispel these notions.

[A]

Well, we're gonna do that though. You see that? Well, it's a trap. I know you do and I do. And there are people, voices that are saying this is what it is. But they seem to be outnumbered, Alex, by the people, particularly the teachers unions, right, that are so far left they're telling the urchins, hey, we gotta go socialism, because the capitalists are greedy. And look at this, that and the other thing. I don't know how to overcome that.

[D]

Yeah, well, it starts with realizing that socialism has been tried multiple times. It's never worked anywhere, any place, at any time. Capitalism means, all it means is you can have anything you want if you just provide enough other people what they want. That's why every time you walk into a store, you hear, how may I help you? And when they leave, you hear two thank yous. You say thank you because you want the merchandise more than the money. The merchant says thank you because they want the money more than the merchandise. And really the capitalist system is the greatest anti poverty program and wealth creator of all time. And you talk about what the media reports. What they don't report is we live in the most meritocratic nation on earth at the greatest time in history to be alive. The human lifespan has more than doubled in the last hundred years. Our standards of living have never been higher. Educational attainment in this country has never been greater. More people with a high school diploma, college diploma, advanced degrees, air and water quality has been improving for decades. U.S. household income and net worth is at all time record highs. The stock market is at a record high. How, if the economy is terrible, is the stock market at an all time high? Is everybody just delusional except Democrats who are running for office?

[A]

I mean, it's a look ahead though on some of them with AI coming in and bitcoin and all this. So the stock market, I don't think is a real good indicator of how people live day to day. I do think it's an elevator to wealth, but boy, you gotta be careful on that. So the American dream, to me, and I don't know if it coincides, I'm halfway through your book with you, is independence. And you're right, when I got out of Boston University with a master's degree in broadcast journalism, I had zero money, nothing. I had a borrower to put gas in my car to drive from Boston to Scranton, Pennsylvania. Where I got a job that paid me barely minimum wage, but I was happy to be able to start and I worked my way up. It took me 10 years to buy my first property, which was a condominium by Giant Stadium in New Jersey. But I saved for it. I wasn't looking for somebody to give me rent control or this or that. I just saved my money. And then I was successful in my career. I worked extremely hard, as you know, and you did the same, and then built up where I can live very comfortably and protect myself from the evils of the world because I have resources. That's the American dream to me. Am I missing something?

[D]

No, that's exactly the American dream. And I think a lot of these young people, Bill, they can't do exactly what they want and so they don't work. When I was young, I thought not what do I want to do? But who needs something done that I might be able to do for them? It's about putting yourself in service to other people's other companies. And eventually you gain the skills to do the kind of jobs you want and earn the kind of income you want and live the kind of life you want. But when you're starting out the idea of following your dreams initially, no, you need experience, you need job skills. And to get ahead, you have to have those things in order to. To live the kind of life you want to live. So I started the same way, Bill. No. No money, no great skills, no connections, no great prospects. But I always believed that I would somehow achieve the American dream. And that's what's so tragic about this 70% figure. Don't even believe it's attainable. I've never wasted a minute working toward any goal I didn't believe was realistic. And so when these kids, and it is mostly kids who are the most pessimistic, these young people are so pessimistic about their outlook. It really is a. It's self defeating. Because if you don't believe that the American dream even exists, why would you strive to achieve it?

[A]

Okay. The advantage that you and I had, and I'm a little bit older than you, is that our parents were in mine were the Depression as children and then World War II, where sacrifice and deprivation and realistic expectations, that's the key were what was taught, though they didn't have this, well, how come I don't have a boat? How come I don't have a Mercedes? How come I'm not living in Park Avenue, I'm living in Levittown and my parents are Satisfied with Levittown, okay? Because they were scared there'd be another 1929 stock crash. So they didn't take a lot of chances. Now, that was the downside of the expectations that were minimal. All right? That's where we grew up. Now, a lot of parents cater to these kids. They get everything they want, as you pointed out, free everything. And they're coddled. And then all of a sudden, they're out in the real world going, where's my $250,000 job?

[D]

Right?

[A]

Because they weren't taught that you gotta sacrifice, you gotta work hard. It takes a while. That's what the system is. I think that's the key to it.

[D]

Well, they're comparing themselves to people on social media. They're looking at highlight reels of other people's lives and not realizing that their own situations are gonna change. The difference between my net worth in my 20s and my net worth today is night and day. There's huge economic inequality between me and in my 20s and me today. And that's. That's the norm.

[A]

You.

[D]

You work, you save, you invest, you compound the money instead of spending it along the way, and you end up with the kind of net worth that can allow you to have the assets to live the life you that you dreamed of living.

[A]

But it's got to be a strategy. And again, that strategy is not taught enough. Last question. Because you are a stock picker. I'm a little worried about this market now because it's all time high. At blinds.com, it's not just about window treatments. It's about you. Your style, your space, your way. Whether you DIY or want the pros.

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[C]

Hey, it's Sean Spicer reminding you to.

[A]

Tune into the Sean Spicer show every weeknight right here.

[B]

You're not going to want to miss our analysis.

[A]

Whether it's the media, politics, campaigns, the.

[C]

Upcoming midterms, Supreme Court rulings, we've got.

[B]

It all covered for you with the best guests, guests in politics, the pundits, the pollsters, members of the House of Representatives, members of The Senate candidates running for both and key members of President Trump's administration.

[C]

You're not going to want to miss it.

[A]

And you got all the speculative money coming in with the AI stuff. All these companies are roaring. I've seen it before. And I got stops at your, you know, stop is I put on a stock that has profit for me, 20%, something like that down. And automatically when the stock goes down, it hits it, it sells. So I'm protected in that way. But I'm not buying right now, Alex. I'm cautious. Am I wrong?

[D]

You're not wrong, Bill. By every objective measure, the market is very expensive right now. The S&P 500 sells at about 24 times earnings versus long term, 16 times earnings. There is kind of an AI craze going on. Some companies are, are going to prosper, other companies are going to fail. And there's the craziness in meme stocks and crypto and, and whatever shows that a lot of animal spirits are on the loose and it's inevitable we will have a correction and another bear market at some point. And it doesn't, it's, it's okay. If you've diversified and you're asset allocated and you run trailing stops, as you mentioned, you, you're protected, but trees don't go grow to the sky. And the stock market's not going to continue going up like it has been forever. So we've enjoyed some big gains this year, but I think it's going to get choppier and a little tougher going forward.

[A]

All right, Alex. The book is the American Dream, why It's Still Alive and How to Achieve It. Alex Green, you can get it anywhere and we appreciate it, Alex. We'll talk again soon. And if you get any inkling of something that you don't like in the economic system, let us know right away. Okay, I'll give you a call.

[D]

Thanks for having me on.

[A]

Okay, Alex. Sure. You're listening to the no SP News Weekend Edition. So there's a congresswoman from New Mexico named Melanie Stansberry. Roll it.

[E]

Secondly, whether or not Virginia Giuffre has accused the President of wrongdoing, what I'd like to say to the American people.

[A]

Is believe your eyes.

[E]

We have all seen the photographs of Donald Trump with underage girls sitting on his lap.

[A]

There are no photographs of Donald Trump with girls on his lap. So either Congressman Stansberry is lying or she got faked out by some AI thing or whatever. There are no photographs. Now, the House Ethics Committee should absolutely drag her in and say, what the deuce are you doing? Second, a guy named Rick Stengel, Trump hater, okay? Who used to be a journalist, then he was a Democrat, whatever, roll him. I mean, the idea that he calls it a hoax, and all day long people can watch on television, them leering at girls at parties and things. It's like, well, gee, it's not a hoax. So I think it has legs and it should. And it is the sort of thing that could undermine the basis of his presidency. Again, it's not true. There's no evidence of the President leering at anybody. Now, you would think that the news agencies that put these people on CNN and MSNBC would challenge now because they don't care what happened. They want to get Trump. Finally, there was a very disturbing X file from Eric Swalwell. You may remember that name. He probably the worst Trump hater in the country, represents California. He says, quote, the government was shut down for 40 plus days to protect Donald Trump. People weren't paid, credit was destroyed, tenants were evicted, all because pedo protector Mike Johnson sought to shield Donald Trump. But it's coming out now. Pray for these women Trump Epstein terrorized. Now, if I'm Donald Trump, and that goes out on X, I sue Swalwell. But do I win? So herein is the complication of living in the United States of America. Joining us now, Rebecca Rose Woodland. She is a New York attorney, very well thought of, been on this program before. So I come to you, counselor, and I say, Swalwell just said I terrorized underage women. I got a lawsuit.

[E]

Of course you do. I mean, look, first we're looking at the President of the United States. So the standard for defamation, which this would be is actual malice. It's a Supreme Court case against the New York Times, against Sullivan, where when you're a public figure, that that which is published has to be proven to have been knowingly said or written in a false way or with reckless disregard for the truth. Both apply here. There's nothing in any of these emails that indicate President Trump terrorized one to any women. Nothing at all.

[A]

All right, let me stop you there. Reckless disregard for the truth would probably have to be the standard because Swalwell would say, oh, I heard or I didn't. I went mal. You could prove Swalwell hates Trump. That's easy. He's been hating Trump for 10 years. But reckless disregard for the truth. Let's go back to the New Mexico congresswoman who says there's a picture. There isn't a picture. Is that reckless disregard for the truth?

[E]

Well, the defense to defamation is absolute truth. So the Mexican congresswoman. I'm sorry, the congresswoman from New Mexico would have to show these photos. And what do the photos suggest? If there's a photo of his grandchild sitting on his lap, what's wrong with that? So we are talking about now a situation where she's implying these were sexual photos of underage women. So she would have to show sexually explicit photos of underage women on Donald Trump's lap.

[A]

She can't show that. Of course not.

[E]

Because if we, if that was happening, we would have seen that already.

[A]

But she can say. Here's what you can say. Oh, I saw it on the social media and it was probably AI, But I didn't know.

[E]

Well, no, you have to. You have to. To say something like this against a sitting president or anyone in the public realm, you. You have to have belief that it is true. If you're just relying on something in social media, that is not enough. That is not enough. This has to be credentialed information, information that you sourced that you know for sure is real. Like I said, an underage woman sitting on Donald Trump's lap, it could be his grandchild.

[A]

Now, so you're saying that the burden of the case falls on the accuser. But that hasn't been the standard in America. If you're a famous person in the public eye, you don't have those protections.

[E]

Well, you have the protection of this New York Times versus Sullivan case, that if there is actual malice, and if Donald Trump can prove, which he may be able to, that the congresswoman has malice towards him, intentionally stated things in such a way that would create misconceptions, I.e. intentional disregard for the truth. Okay, you cannot spin.

[B]

I know what they're saying to make it sound bad.

[A]

So how about CNN and msnbc? That puts these people on. They know the networks know what they're going to say, because that's always done there. It's called a POV point of view. They know they're going to come on and rip Trump up. Can you drag them into court in the same case? Sure.

[E]

For actual statements, not just overall. They have the right, we have a First Amendment right to have beliefs about the president that don't align with the president. But on specific statements that are knowingly stated incorrectly, false statements or.

[A]

But they didn't make them, the guest made them.

[E]

Well, then the guest can be brought into court.

[A]

Okay, we've established that, Counselor. My question is, can you then drag CNN in a separate lawsuit or MSNBC sue them as well as the perpetrators of what was said, like on X. That's where Swalwell put this garbage. Can you drag X?

[E]

Well, we can't drag X in because X did not make the statement. They just allow for a form of interaction the same way they allow other views. If there was evidence, though, that MSNBC or CNN knowingly contributed to these statements, that the host or brass network brass were encouraging statements like that, if they're.

[A]

Emails, you're not going to get that. So they. Under the First Amendment, the CNN and MSNBC would be protected because it wasn't their personnel saying it. Do I have it right? Yes.

[E]

I mean, but we did see with, you know, ABC and the situation that happened where one of their hosts stated that President Trump was a rapist.

[A]

Yeah, but that he worked for abc and these people don't work, they're just guests. There was a difference. Exactly right. All right, Councilor, I think I have it. If it were me, I would absolutely bring lawsuit in this case. Outrageous. This is the no Spin news Weekend Edition. Dude, this new bacon, egg and chicken biscuit from AM PM Total winner, winner, chicken breakfast. Chicken breakfast? Come on. I think you mean chicken dinner, bro. Nah, brother. Crispy bacon, fluffy eggs, juicy chicken and a buttery biscuit.

[C]

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[B]

All right, let me try it.

[F]

Okay.

[A]

Yeah, totally. Winner, winner, chicken breakfast. I'm gonna have to keep this right here. Make sure every breakfast is a winner with the delicious new bacon, egg and chicken biscuit from AM PM AM P. M. Too much. Good stuff. Eric Bolling here with a question. Do you know what it really takes to keep your edge? It's not comfort. It's not playing it safe. It's walking straight into the fire and coming out stronger on the other side. That's the driving principle behind my podcast, the Edge, where pressure, risk and raw performance collide. On this week's episode, I sat down with Patrick Bet David, a business legend and media mogul who built his empire from nothing. Discover how he used pressure and personal fire to create his edge. Listen and subscribe to Eric Boling's the Edge, available now wherever you get your podcasts. Let's bring in our guest now. I think this is a time for Phil Balboni to appear. So you know him, We've had him on a couple of times before. He is our foreign policy guy. All right. And he and I go way back to the first time I did commentary was at WCVB TV in Boston, and Balboni was The news director, and I think he had a heart attack. But now he runs Global Post Media, and that is our foreign policy go to operation. So you want to know why I'm so smart about foreign policy? Because I read them every morning. He joins us now from Cambridge, Massachusetts. So that was quite the lead in Balboni, right? Did I nail it?

[F]

It was indeed. Bill, so good to see you and hear from you again. How are you?

[A]

I'm the same, which is tragic for everybody. But I want to talk about your coverage, your foreign coverage. I've noticed on the Global Post website, which I get every morning, you're doing a lot of African coverage. Why?

[F]

Well, it's a very important place, believe it or not. And I think the things I particularly wanted to highlight to your viewers is the threat of global jihadism, which, believe it or not, has not gone away. And actually, the heartland of jihadism today is really in Africa, right across the continent from West Africa, central East and Southern Africa. Al Qaeda is still there, Islamic State is there, and there are other groups aligned with them. It's a great threat to this country. And unfortunately, the US has pulled back its military and special ops forces from much of the continent, which is allowing these groups freer reign than they've ever had before. France was big colonial power. In West Africa, they have also withdrawn.

[A]

That's because it's so chaotic in those places. There's no central government, which is why the jihadists are rising. They did the same thing in Somalia. There was recently a big story from President Trump saying, look, in Nigeria, which is an amazingly complex country, not a strong central government, the jihadists are killing Christians, and the Christians in the interior of the country don't have any protection. And Mr. Trump is saying, look, if you're going to stop this, we're going in. How did you assess that story?

[F]

Well, I mean, I think it's accurate. The Nigeria is, you know, for probably 20 years now, has had a rising problem with Islamist militants in the north of the country, which is primarily Muslim. The Christian population is more in the south of Nigeria and also in the central areas. And it's absolutely true that they have been subject to attack, but so haven't Muslims in the north. So it's really the government has just failed miserably to get a handle on this problem. I mean, there is an army in Nigeria. We have provided support and aid to them, but they have not corrected this problem. And, you know, it is. It is getting worse, and it needs to be addressed. Okay, but Nigeria is only one of Many countries where these.

[A]

No, but it's an enormous country and Lagos has got the oil and all that. And so it's probably going to be the headline. I don't think Mr. Trump's going to go in there because it's a morass. You can't get out. You can do special forces and you can do operations, but you just can't. Too much tribalism. I mean, that would be a disaster. You think Afghanistan was bad? Africa is a thousand times worse as far as logistics are concerned. The other stories that you're, you're concentrating on is the debt, the growing global debt. People's eyes glaze over. We owe 38 trillion here, but this debt thing is everywhere, right?

[F]

Oh, absolutely. I mean the, the increase in the debt in the United States and around the world is really unprecedented. I mean the total Global debt is 25% higher today than it was even as recently as the COVID 19 pandemic, when it was already at an all time high.

[A]

What's the threat there? What's the specific threat with this out of control debt? What could happen?

[F]

The threat, Bill, and that you have to kind of combine where we are in the stock markets and the high valuations and you know, these crazy numbers being given to technology stocks, AI stocks, is that something will trigger a panic, if you will, and that people will head for the exits and it will bring down our economy because we have less ability to address the kind of thing that happened in the Great Recession where the Federal Reserve was able to step in lower interest rates and eventually things corrected over a number of years. Now because the government, the US Government has such enormous debt, the ability to step in and fix a problem that happen in the markets, the financial markets is so much less. I mean, the servicing of the United states debt is $1.2 trillion a year, right?

[A]

Yeah. And I don't want to inject politics in this, but I have to hear. So the Democratic Party though just wants to spend and spend and spend. I mean, that's what this government shutdown was all about. We got to spend more, more, more, more, more, more. And you know, I'm sitting here, I'm not a party guy, as you know, but I'm going, there's got to get some restraint has got to be put back into USA spending. Am I wrong?

[F]

No, you're not wrong. I mean, common sense, what every average American family knows is there's only one way to get out of a debt problem. You spend less and you have to bring in more income. That's it. That's. Those are the.

[A]

Absolutely.

[F]

That's the basic kitchen table economics.

[A]

But the American people, they don't see it. I know they don't see it because you couldn't be supporting the Mandanis of the world and all these other if you did see it. All right, Phil, you have a special for no Spin news watchers and listeners. What is that special?

[F]

So for the last year, we've been offering all new subscribers to global post 50% discount for O'Reilly members. They're the only people on the planet that have this opportunity because of our long friendship and relationship.

[A]

Well, thank you. So it's Global Post.

[F]

We appreciate your support and it's a good vehicle.

[A]

I mean, I'm so busy I don't have time to wade through the propaganda, which is what American media is now. But you guys give it to me straight and that's what I need. So it's globalpost.com if you're an O'Reilly watcher listener, you get 50% off a really good deal.

[F]

Absolutely.

[A]

Okay, Phil, thanks a lot. Really appreciate it, as always. Thank you for listening to the no Spin News Weekend Edition. To watch the full episodes of the no spin news, visit billoriley.com and sign up to become a premium or concierge member. That's billoriley.com Sign up and start watching today.