O'Reilly at The Kennedy Center - A NewsNation Town Hall Special

Summary

Bill O’Reilly’s No Spin News and Analysis

Episode: O'Reilly at The Kennedy Center - A NewsNation Town Hall Special
Date: October 17, 2025
Host: Bill O'Reilly
Guests: Chris Cuomo, Stephen A. Smith, Tom Homan, Madeline Dean

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Overview

This special episode presents highlights from a NewsNation Town Hall at The Kennedy Center in Washington, D.C., featuring Bill O'Reilly, Chris Cuomo, Stephen A. Smith, Tom Homan, and Madeline Dean. The panel engages on the shifting landscape of American politics, media polarization, immigration, law enforcement, health care, political violence, and the general mood of the nation. The tone is candid, energetic, and often confrontational, mirroring deep divides in American society.

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Main Themes and Key Discussion Points

1. The State of American Politics and Media

Timestamps: [00:00]–[04:34]

• Changing America: O’Reilly observes the country is “in flux,” with economic, social, and media upheaval.
• Partisanship & Power: He draws historical parallels to past political rivalries, arguing that the pursuit of power and polarization is not new, but social media and the Trump era have intensified it.
• Role of Media: O’Reilly and Smith lament the collapse in trust in media due to its increasing alignment with political sides for profit.
• Media Integrity:

  “There’s absolutely, positively no excuse for a member of the media...to take a side. The facts are the facts...Call it as you see it...You have an obligation to think about the country more than you thinking about just yourself.” – Stephen A. Smith [04:34]

2. Party Identification and Polarization

Timestamps: [06:23]–[10:00]

• Cuomo’s Ideology: O’Reilly challenges Cuomo’s alignment with the Democrats given his positions (support for Israel, Ukraine, fiscal restraint) diverging from much of the progressive base.
• Political Extremes & Rhetoric: Cuomo pushes back on demonizing Trump voters and condemns the rise of extreme language (“Nazis,” “fascists”), warning such rhetoric seeds political violence.

  “I refuse to call people Nazis or fascists or I would never compare anybody...to Hitler...that kinds of extreme rhetoric...result[s] in extreme kind of outcomes and political violence…” – Chris Cuomo [07:26]

• Backlash from Base: Cuomo describes facing anger from his own party for supporting Israel, emphasizing the negative impact of tribalism in American politics.

3. Immigration and Law Enforcement: ICE Under Scrutiny

Timestamps: [12:25]–[21:31]

• Allegations and Integrity: Tom Homan flatly denies media accusations of bribery and corruption.

  “I didn’t take $50,000 from anybody.” – Tom Homan [12:25]

• ICE Enforcement Practices: Homan details the prioritization of criminal and national security threats, stating 70% of arrests fall into those categories.

  “Nearly 70% of everybody ICE arrests are public safety threats or national security threats.” – Tom Homan [14:22]

• Collateral Arrests: Non-criminal undocumented immigrants are still subject to deportation, especially when encountered during operations for higher-priority targets.
• Public Safety and Sanctuary Cities: Homan argues sanctuary policies force ICE into neighborhoods instead of jails, making operations riskier for agents and communities.

4. Rising Hostility Towards ICE and Law Enforcement

Timestamps: [17:08]–[19:57]

• Agent Safety Concerns:

  “There’s [been a] 1,000% increase on attacks on ICE officers...bounties on their heads...so they’re very careful...using a lot more precautions.” – Tom Homan [17:29]

• Concealing Identity: Smith questions the necessity for ICE agents to hide identities. Homan cites severe security threats, doxxing, and attacks on families as justification.
• Emotional Toll: Homan shares traumatic experiences faced by ICE agents, stressing their commitment and the emotional toll of their work.

5. Data Transparency and Policy Priorities

Timestamps: [21:31]–[22:27]

• Release of Data: Madeline Dean challenges Homan to share more public data; Homan responds that information is available but often misinterpreted.

6. Border Policy and Political Blame

Timestamps: [24:29]–[27:49]

• Open Borders Debate: O’Reilly asserts Biden’s policy led to a “surge” at the border, and Homan agrees.
• Deportation Statistics: Homan details record removals under Trump, arguing it deters dangerous migration and saves lives.
• States’ Role: Discussion turns to local leaders (like Governor Pritzker in Illinois) who oppose ICE; Homan believes their opposition is driven more by animosity to Trump than concern for resident safety.

7. Health Care, Budget, and Social Programs

Timestamps: [28:00]–[33:20]

• State Expenditure: O’Reilly cites Oregon’s $1.5 billion spend on migrant health care versus less funding for police, reflecting Republican suspicion of Democratic priorities.
• Single-Payer Debate: Dean openly supports Medicare for All; O’Reilly frames the debate as the Democratic push for “socialized medicine.”
• Division through Labels: The conversation devolves into debate about language—how terms like “socialized” are used as “poison pills” to fuel partisanship.

8. Americans’ Frustration with Washington

Timestamps: [33:20]–[35:32]

• Economic Realities: Stephen A. Smith calls out Washington’s disconnect from working Americans’ struggles:

  “A man has to work on Doordash when he’s really an air traffic controller…This is why you have so many Americans…so pissed off at Washington.” – Stephen A. Smith [33:20]

9. Lawfare and Weaponization of Government

Timestamps: [35:32]–[37:18]

• Criminalizing Politics: There’s bipartisan agreement that using legal means to target political opponents is corrosive.
• Justice Department Practices: O’Reilly accuses the DOJ of improperly spying and seizing congressional phones. Homan adds that politicized lawfare damages democracy’s fabric.

10. Political Violence and Campus Climate

Timestamps: [39:48]–[43:34]

• Student Voices: Audience question highlights hostility faced by College Republicans after Charlie Kirk’s assassination, including verbal and physical abuse.
• Campus and Internet Hostility: Madeline Dean and O’Reilly critique universities for not setting conduct standards, and lament how internet culture rewards outrage and incivility.

11. Accountability and Independent Thinking

Timestamps: [43:34]–[45:10]

• Ethics in Leadership: Smith praises Senator Joe Manchin for independent thinking and serving constituents over party leaders.
• Call for Civility: There’s consensus in the panel that both policy and decency need to come from both “the top down and the bottom up.”

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Notable Quotes and Memorable Moments

• On Media Bias:

  “Too many people are looking to say things, just to be saying things, just to have a particular side because it gets them paid. Well, guess what? It’s damaging to the country.” – Stephen A. Smith [04:34]

• On Modern Polarization:

  “Trump comes on and just, it’s like, boom, you’re just pinned to your seat.” – Bill O’Reilly [03:20]

• On Political Rhetoric and Violence:

  “Those things...that kind of extreme rhetoric is going to continue, we’re going to be more likely in resulting in extreme kind of outcomes and political violence…” – Chris Cuomo [07:26]

• On Immigration Enforcement:

  “Bottom line is it’s a crime to enter the United States illegally, and we’re not going to turn a blind eye to that.” – Tom Homan [15:26]

• On Americans’ Frustration:

  “This is why you have so many Americans…so pissed off at Washington. Because somehow, some way, you get to have these conversations…Our debt is $37.8 trillion…A man has to work on Doordash when he’s really an air traffic controller…” – Stephen A. Smith [33:20]

• On Criminalizing Politics:

  “This is what they do in third world countries to criminalize politics. And we’ve got to get past this…” – Madeline Dean [35:38]

• On Campus Hostility:

  “We held a Charlie Kirk vigil, students came up to us after said he deserved it...Hundreds of people posted on our anonymous chatboard for our school.” – Madeline Dean [40:27]

• On Partisan Language:

  “You throw the word socialized in there…Because it’s a poison pill…that’s why nothing gets done. Because it’s not about the practicality…it’s just about name calling and which side is worse.” – Madeline Dean [32:50]

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Takeaways

• Elite Washington remains gridlocked and disconnected from the public, even as citizens face real economic hardship and social division.
• Rhetoric—both extreme and coded—fuels polarization, while social media amplifies the worst instincts in public discourse.
• Immigration remains a flashpoint, punctuated by clashes over enforcement tactics, agent safety, state-local conflict, and the far-reaching reality of undocumented migration.
• Health care, government spending, and the ever-increasing national debt loom large as practical and symbolic battlegrounds.
• Lawfare and the perception of politicized justice are deeply corrosive, drawing concern from both sides.
• Calls for civility and accountability—from both political leaders and everyday citizens—emerged as a rare point of consensus at the close.

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The episode offers a vivid window into the anxiety, frustration, and fractious discourse defining American civic life in 2025.

Transcript

[Bill O'Reilly]

Foreign here. Welcome to the no Spin News for Thursday, October 16, 2025. Stand up for your country. So I taped this yesterday. I'm not really here today because today I have to do a special on great and terrible generals in the United States for Veterans Day. And I'm still in Washington. I got to do that. A whole bunch of other stuff. So this is on tape, but this is worth your time. So last night, the three Americans arrived at the Kennedy center in D.C. that's Chris Cuomo, Stephen A. Smith, and me, your humble correspondent. For two hours plus, we ruminated with some of the most powerful people in the country, and it was a good time. And now in the next few minutes, I'm going to play you some of the highlights. Okay, so that's what we're doing here. It's a highlight program, but it's a good one. Even if you saw the two hours, we're going to give you the real important, pithy parts. So without further ado. That's a cliche. Roll the tape. Well, first of all, I put together the Three Americans concept. This is an offshoot of the Three Americans concept, and I wanted Cuomo and Smith to be part of it because together they make me look much smarter. All right? So it's purely selfish. The country is in a change mode. We're in flux. Everything's changing. Economy's changing. Social mores are changing. Media is collapsing, collapsing right before our eyes. And my job as a independent is to bring some understanding to it all. See, I'm not that concerned about the polarization and the back and forth. There are lines that need to be drawn and adhered to, but that's always been the case. John Adams and Thomas Jefferson, oh, gee, they hate each other. And they would use surrogates to just knife. And it's always going to be that way because the pursuit of power is like the pursuit of money. All right? You can't get enough. They can't get enough. And if there's somebody trying to inhibit their power, they want to hurt them, they want to diminish them. So I'm realistic in the sense of being a historian to know that's not going to change. But what has to change is your understanding of really what's happening, really what's going on here. And that's why News Nation is so valuable, because the others play to a choir. They play to a certain segment of the population. They tell them every night what they want to hear, because you can make easy money doing that. All right? But News Nation doesn't do that. It wants everybody to look in and decide what. Who's got the stronger argument. Now, when I started Fox, that's what the philosophy was. But that's changed a bit. And the reason all of it has changed is because of Donald Trump. He's so overwhelming, his presence is so massive that he dominates every news cycle. And everything that happens that he does is blown up into this colossal debate between the progressive left and the conservative right. And if you think back, George W. Bush wasn't even close to that. Barack Obama was a little polarizing, but he didn't want to be. It was just, you know, but it wasn't close. Biden was taking a nap, so nobody knew what he was talking about. But then Trump comes on and just, it's like, boom, you're just pinned to your seat. But you gotta understand the why of what he is doing, and the other power brokers as well.

[Stephen A. Smith]

The one thing that I would say is this. You can understand why Bill's absolutely right. But the times that we're living in, those past presidents, you talk about the advent of social media, the reach that you can have as a candidate, as an elected official, the way that decisions, perspectives can be disseminated to a point where it can influence so many lives and, and cause of fervor. That's different than it was in the past. And when Bill brings up the media, he's absolutely right. From this perspective, there's absolutely, positively no excuse for a member of the media. I'm talking about a journalist to take a side. The facts are the facts. Like, I didn't vote for Trump. I'm not the biggest fan of how he behaves. But the fact is, is that if he's done a good job, give him credit for doing a good job. If he's done a good job here, fine. If he hasn't done a good job there, fine. Call it as you see it. Because you have to make sure that the public at large is able to look at you and say that I trust that you believe what you're saying you believe, and that it's based on factual information and not your personal feelings or personal animus. And when you do that, then you galvanize the American people because they're going to say, okay, I can trust you. And as a result, there won't be a dissipation or diminished level of trust. And in the media, what happened, what has happened to the media is that unfortunately, too many people are looking to say things, just to be saying things, just to have A particular side because it gets them paid. Well, guess what? It's damaging to the country. And I think that you have an obligation to think about the country more than you thinking about just yourself. When you are a member of the media or you have the kind of influence that media is supposed to have. That level of sensitivity is required for any conscientious soul that has the interests of the American people ahead of themselves.

[Bill O'Reilly]

Why are you a Democrat, though? And I don't say that being a wise guy. You support Israel, correct?

[Chris Cuomo]

Yeah, well, I do, and that's been. That's been isolating, too.

[Bill O'Reilly]

Look, you support Israel and the progressives don't. Generally speaking, you are for a very rigorous defense against Putin in Ukraine, correct? You want to stop them, right?

[Chris Cuomo]

Oh, yeah, of course. I mean, I would fully support. In fact, I just, on social media, encourage President Trump to provide tomahawks to the Ukrainians. I mean, it's like he is probably the only person in the world that could end this terrible war. And I think, why can't we all agree that's necessary?

[Bill O'Reilly]

You're not a wild spender. You want to get the debt under control. So why are you Democrat?

[Chris Cuomo]

That's.

[Bill O'Reilly]

Your party is against you on all three of those issues?

[Chris Cuomo]

Well, I mean, a lot of the things that maybe I really believe in calling balls and strikes, and I think I want to follow the truths.

[Bill O'Reilly]

Why is it an independent now?

[Chris Cuomo]

Well, well, I mean, those are some independent thoughts, but. But overall, I mean, you have to pick one side. Republican, Democrat. That's always been my party. And Bernie, Bernie's bill, let me just say, it's like I'm the only Democrat in my family. I grew up in a conservative part of Pennsylvania, and I grew up. And I know, and I love people that voted for President Trump, but they are not fascists, they're not Nazis, they're not trying to destroy the Constitution. Those things. And that's part of another thing. I refuse to call people Nazis or fascists or I would never compare anybody, anybody to Hitler and those things. And now that kinds of extreme rhetoric is going to continue, we're going to be more likely in resulting in extreme kind of outcomes and political violence and doing all these kinds of things, like Charlie Kirk, for me, all I could say is like, let people grieve, give people the space. I'm not going to use that terrible thing and that passing assassination to make my argument and try to put out my views. It's like, my God, you know, he's a father that had his neck blown out by a bullet. And now people have forgotten President Trump was in my state, was shot in the head. And if that would have, could you imagine where our nation would be if he was hit in the same way with Kirk? We really got to turn the temperature down. And we can agree to disagree on these kinds of things, but right now, shutting down the government, I just can't take it that.

[Stephen A. Smith]

So what do the Democrats, your contemporaries, say to you when you say that to them?

[Chris Cuomo]

What do I say to them is.

[Stephen A. Smith]

Like, no, what do you, what do they say to you when you say that to them?

[Tom Homan]

What do they say to me?

[Bill O'Reilly]

Yes.

[Chris Cuomo]

Yeah. Well, parts of my base are angry with me. No. And primarily, which is really strange. Really strange. I, you know, run the, run the numbers. Run the numbers. I vote, I think 90% plus Democrat. But they're angry. And for, it's like, but I, with my base, very, very angry about me being fully, fully, unapologetically supportive for Israel. And that really pushed that. I've backed Israel through this entire thing. Now, of course, it's heartbreaking, the tragedy in Gaza and what's happened to the innocent Palestinians. Now, for me, I blame Hamas and Iran and Hezbollah and some other people. They'll believe Israel, and I refuse to do that.

[Bill O'Reilly]

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[Tom Homan]

I didn't take $50,000 from anybody.

[Bill O'Reilly]

Okay. How did that get into the mainstream, do you think?

[Tom Homan]

I have no idea. Look, I've been. There's been hit pieces on me since I came back to this administration. There's got to be 30, 40 hit pieces on me about how I'm involved with contracting or government contracts, when in fact, day one I came back. I recused myself from any discussions of any contract or any monetary decisions like that because I used to have a company that did consulting. So I cleared myself. Day one. What people don't talk about is I took a significant, huge pay cut to come back and serve my nation. And I'm not enriching myself doing this job.

[Bill O'Reilly]

Does this make you angry that they're coming at you this way?

[Tom Homan]

I don't care what people think about me and never have no. Because I know who I am. I work for the greatest president in the history of this nation, in my opinion, and we're doing the right thing every day.

[Bill O'Reilly]

Okay, I got one more question, then you guys jump in. The ICE agents that you command have been demonized as Gestapo, and they're kicking indoors and dragging people out, and their kids are crying. You've heard it all. But what I want you to explain tonight is what are the orders of the men and women who are on these raids? What are they supposed to do?

[Tom Homan]

Well, they're enforcing immigration laws as enacted by Congress. They're upholding the oath they took to enforce those laws. They're not making this up. So when the people want to attack ICE for doing what they're doing, but why don't you go scream at Congress? They wrote the law. I mean, ICE is just enforcing the law, but ICE is prioritizing public safety threats and national security threats, and the data proves it. I look at the data every morning on the way to work. I look at 22 pages of data. And the last time I looked at a couple days ago when I actually looked at percentages, nearly 70% of everybody ICE arrest are public safety threats or national security threats.

[Bill O'Reilly]

What about the other 30?

[Tom Homan]

How do they get many of them are national security threats. For instance, 3,000 Iranian nationals. Most national security threats don't have criminal histories. They're laying low to do the dirty deed. A lot of them are final orders. People who had due process at great taxpayer expense were ordered removed by a federal judge. Our job is to execute those orders to remove them. A lot of them are gang members. So if you look at the data and as far as the question is, okay, how about the ones that aren't national security threats, not public safety threats, not national security threats, not gang members, who are they? They're collateral arrests. Because when you when the sanctuary cities forces them into the neighborhood to find a bad guy because they won't give us access to the jail. So now we got to go neighborhood and find them and we find that criminal many times are with others, others who are in the country legally, we're not walking away from them. We're going to enforce immigration law, unlike the last administration.

[Bill O'Reilly]

So even if collateral people, they are subject to deportation, even if they don't have a criminal record?

[Tom Homan]

Absolutely. If they're in a country legally, it's not okay. Bottom line is it's a crime to enter the United States illegal, illegally, and we're not going to turn a blind eye to that.

[Stephen A. Smith]

Mr. Holman, thank you for Let me.

[Tom Homan]

If the message we want to send Bill is enter the country legally, it's a crime, but don't worry about it.

[Bill O'Reilly]

Well, that's what we've had for.

[Tom Homan]

That's the message we send, that enter the country legally, it's a crime, but don't worry about it. Unless you commit another crime, no one's looking for you. You're never going to fix this problem. People are continuing to put themselves in harm's way to come to the greatest nation on earth.

[Stephen A. Smith]

I got a couple of questions. First of all, good to see you and thank you for being on my show on a couple occasions. I really appreciate it. But I have to ask you, when you say okay, you enter the country illegally, it's that cut and dry. Is that consistent in your mind with what the president told America during the campaign and immediately after that? He was targeting criminals, not people who just entered illegally.

[Tom Homan]

Like I just said, we are prioritizing criminal aliens, national security threats and public safety threats. The data clearly proves it. 70%. Actually, the percentage of criminals we're arresting is higher than what the Biden administration did. Even though they said they're going to concentrate on criminal ambulance who are convicted of aggravated felonies. And that's just a stone cold fact. We still target criminals. They come first. War is first. But are others wrapped up? Certainly, especially in sanctuary cities where most collateral arrests occur.

[Madeline Dean]

Let me get an audience. Question, Amy, what is your question for Mr. Homan?

[Bill O'Reilly]

Hi, Mr. Homan, I'm from Chicago. And while I do appreciate all the hard work that the ICE officers have been doing, taking the worst of the worst, it seems to become more aggressive.

[Tom Homan]

Recently, probably in the past two months. A couple days ago, there's a large train station down the street from my house and there were ICE officers 5.

[Bill O'Reilly]

O' clock in the morning.

[Stephen A. Smith]

And that's not always affecting just them.

[Tom Homan]

It's affecting regular citizens too.

[Bill O'Reilly]

Delays, whatever. But I'm just curious why it's become.

[Tom Homan]

So much more aggressive in seems in Chicago mostly. Well, a couple things. Aggressive. I don't know if I used that term, but there's 1,000% increase on attacks on ICE officers. Have you seen the media lady? There's bounties on their heads for $50,000 to kill one of them. So they're very careful in the way they do these operations. They gotta protect themselves. So I wanna use the term aggressive. They're using a lot more precautions when they approach somebody. Second of all, if the mayor wants less ICE agents on the streets of Chicago, then let us send the jail to arrest a bad guy in the safety and security of a jail where it's safer for Chicago residents, it's safer for the ICE agents and it's safer for the alien. It doesn't make sense to release a public safety threat who's in the country legally back into the public. They like to say, well, we're a welcoming community. We want victims and witnesses of a crime who are illegal in the United States. So feel free to come to the police with all fear of working with ice? That is a bunch of crap. Because victims and witnesses of a crime don't want the bad guy in the neighborhood either.

[Bill O'Reilly]

Amy's question though. How common is it for the Chicago authorities to release dangerous migrants back into the population?

[Tom Homan]

How common every day.

[Bill O'Reilly]

Do you have stats on it?

[Tom Homan]

Certainly we do. We got a number of detainers we issued that weren't honored. If you look at the number of criminals we wrestled off the streets of Chicago, ICE has made Chicago safer. The governor and the mayor should Be calm President Trump and thanking him for taking public safety threats off that street. It makes the street safer for Chicago residents like yourself. No one's going to argue taking a criminal off the street doesn't make the community safer. I looked at the data this morning. There's over, you know, there's about, between ICE and CBP, there's over about 530,000 removals. At 70%, you're looking at about 330,000 criminals that were removed from this country, which makes this country safer.

[Stephen A. Smith]

Could you explain why when it comes to ICE agents, there's been this whole big deal about concealing their identity? Law enforcement officials throughout this country don't get the license, don't get the license to do that. They have to walk up to you, they have to identify who they are, they have to make sure it's clear. An ICE agent getting to conceal their identity is not a, or a situation that other law enforcement officials have. Why should ICE agents have that?

[Tom Homan]

Look, I don't, I don't, I don't particularly like the mask either, but name another law enforcement agency that's over 1000% attacks on them. And name another law enforcement agency whose spouses and children have been doxed on social media and been attacked and bullied in churches and schools. These men and women put a gun on their hip and wear a Kevlar vest to go on the streets every day. Look for the worst of the worst. Makes this country safer, them wearing a mask. If that protects them and protects their families, then that has to be done. No one knows. You know, I remember the day some of these cities, if they weren't wearing a mask during COVID you got reported to the, to the police and got arrested for it. These men and women are trying to protect themselves and their families. Again, I don't like the mask. I wish there wasn't need for it, but there's not another law enforcement agency dealing with the attacks that ICE is dealing with right now. Look, immigration enforcement, I've been doing it since 1984. It's always been controversial, it's always been emotional. But people need to remember the men and women of ice. They don't hang their heart on a hook when they go to work. They're mothers and fathers too. They have children too. And they take very, very emotional things home to them every day. You know, I've done this for over 40 years. I stood in the back of a trailer with 19 dead people who baked to death. I've talked to nine year old girls. They were raped Multiple times by the cartels. And these men and women take that home every day. These are heroes and they're patriots and I'm happy and I'm proud to support them.

[Madeline Dean]

You talk about seeing data all the time. You guys do not put out data enough. Track is the best thing that they have. Right? Syracuse University has this open FOIA request. I hear you on shows all the time. I do not think that you're fos. Okay. I've known you a long time. You can't say I see the data all the time. Great. I don't put the data out because track, you can look it up for yourself. T R A C. It's an acronym through Syracuse university. It's like 50 50. That takes me to the next point, which is you're not cutting fat, you're cutting muscle. And these communities need people who may have entered the wrong way but have done everything right since. And their kids are here and they're productive, but that's. And their employers need them.

[Tom Homan]

What?

[Bill O'Reilly]

That's for Congress to do. They got to.

[Madeline Dean]

I'm not on. Listen, Tom and I have talked about this. You're an enforcement guy. I'm with you. And Tom makes the right point that they got to fix it. But enforcement priorities matter. Okay. And I think that's part of it that you should.

[Bill O'Reilly]

One big thing, both of you.

[Madeline Dean]

Yes, Tom, go ahead.

[Bill O'Reilly]

And I'm going to throw it over to the director.

[Madeline Dean]

Well, that's very nice of you say this, but it deputized as you've been.

[Bill O'Reilly]

It has to be said the surge of foreign nationals through the open border instituted by President Biden solely was about 15 million human beings. So of course there's going to be more pressure on a president incoming than Barack Obama. The most of Obama's deportations were at the border. 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. Theroux, 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 five 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 998-899 again, that's 866-326-5576. Or text bill to 998-899. Hey there, it's your buddy, Craig Carton. And if you're like me, you could use a timeout from the chaotic news cycle, a pause from the politics, a break from. From the bedlam. I'm inviting you to join me every day on the Craig Carton show podcast where we tackle the biggest sporting events.

[Stephen A. Smith]

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[Bill O'Reilly]

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[Stephen A. Smith]

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[Bill O'Reilly]

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[Stephen A. Smith]

And take a break from the non stop news cycle.

[Bill O'Reilly]

Subscribe now to the Craig Carton show.

[Stephen A. Smith]

Podcast, available on Apple, Spotify, Amazon Music.

[Bill O'Reilly]

Or wherever you get your podcasts. But when Biden took over, he opened the border. Am I right or wrong?

[Tom Homan]

You're right.

[Bill O'Reilly]

That's what I thought.

[Tom Homan]

Well, get your good answer, Chris. The bottom line is.

[Madeline Dean]

Thank you.

[Tom Homan]

Bottom line is the data clearly shows.

[Bill O'Reilly]

Oh, he has that.

[Tom Homan]

Trump is keeping his. Go to ice.gov and track.

[Madeline Dean]

It's like the last time we cut out not was in like September.

[Tom Homan]

But I can tell you when I was vice director of track, he used to put out a lot of information. You can take raw data, make any assumptions you want unless you know that data.

[Madeline Dean]

Tom, I'm with you, but that's the burden. But be transparent and then have the fight.

[Tom Homan]

I'm being transparent. Tonight, 70% of everybody arrests a criminal. President Trump said we're going to concentrate on national security threats. That's exactly what we're doing. The data shows it. And like I said, for the hundreds of thousands of criminals that is going to be removed in this administration and that makes that country safe again. Keeping President Trump's promise to the American people, what he was going to do, he said he's going to have the largest deportation operation in history. We're going to have the largest deportation operation in history. You look at numbers right now, I just told you, over half a million have been deported between CBP and ice. And that's not counting the first four months of the fiscal year that were under Biden. We're not even counting those months. But if you extrapolate in the monthly apprehension we got right now, you do have the biggest operation in the history of the nation. And the reason, one of the reasons people don't understand why do we have the most secure border in nation history? Because President Trump's executive orders his leadership on that. The men and women of the border who stand in that front line and catch and release. And third, because the whole world sees ICE out there every day across this nation, enforcing immigration law sends a clear message of consequences so families don't spend their life savings handed to a criminal cartel to make that dangerous journey because they know there's consequences. President Trump's policies, whether people want to face it or not, is saving lives by the thousands. Under Joe Biden, a record number of aliens died making that journey. A record number of Americans died from fentanyl coming across that border. This administration is not only enforcing law and making our streets safe again, they're saving thousands of lives.

[Bill O'Reilly]

Why do you think Governor Pritzker is so adamant against you and ice? Why?

[Tom Homan]

Because they hate Trump more than they love the residents of Chicago.

[Bill O'Reilly]

Is it that simple, though?

[Tom Homan]

You tell me. I don't know. I don't know any elected mayor, any elected governor, any elected city council person. Their number one responsibility is the safety of their communities. So why would you not stand shoulder to shoulder with ICE to remove public safety threats?

[Madeline Dean]

Because you don't think that the people that they're arresting are the number one security interest in your community?

[Tom Homan]

Well, I think they are.

[Madeline Dean]

I get your opinion. I get my opinion. But I also get that you don't make the policy. Bill is right about. That hurts every time I say it, that Congress should make these priorities. Congress should give what your men and women have been asking for since I first met you 100 years ago, which is changes to the rules of what is asylum and how they can process and what their resources are.

[Bill O'Reilly]

But I actually.

[Madeline Dean]

They won't do it because they love the problem, because it allows them make everybody hate each other.

[Bill O'Reilly]

Well, they love the.

[Stephen A. Smith]

They love the problem. They love the problem because it's also something they think they can campaign on. Let's not forget, that's the fact that.

[Madeline Dean]

Campaign on the problem.

[Bill O'Reilly]

But I agree with Cuomo on this.

[Madeline Dean]

All right.

[Bill O'Reilly]

You need a better PR guy out there.

[Madeline Dean]

Yeah. Higher bill.

[Bill O'Reilly]

So there's a lot of politics in play here because the Republicans feel that they're gaining. And CNN actually, the other night had a poll that showed Americans are blaming. Most Americans are blaming Democrats for the shutdown. That could change. Okay? So when the Republicans see that the urgency of this drops because the midterms loom. But I want to ask the three Democrats here, this is what I think is underlying. I don't know if you saw the Oregon. The Oregon Treasury Report, two and A half. Two and a half. Two and a half. Well, we got one and a half Republicans and two and a half Democrats. We're good. Let's make a deal. Oregon releases a budget. And in the budget it shows the state of Oregon is spending $1.5 billion for the years 25, 26, 7 to give free health care to undocumented migrants. In the same budget, the state police get 50% less than that. There is a deep suspicion on the part of the Republican Party that the health care system is being gamed. It's a con. Okay? And that all of this money going into Obamacare is being used by the blue states to do things they're not supposed to do.

[Madeline Dean]

Madeline, is it a shell game?

[Bill O'Reilly]

Wait, wait, wait, wait. Here's the question.

[Tom Homan]

Okay.

[Bill O'Reilly]

No, that's not the law and that is not true. But the stats are the stats. Oregon said we are going to spend 1.5 billion to give health care. We're the federal government. The federal government does not allow that. Democrats have said there's no money going and that's not true. So you know where the money goes. Two and a half emergency care. Congresswoman, let her answer the question.

[Madeline Dean]

She's got.

[Bill O'Reilly]

It's a Ronald Reagan bill. Health care for those who come into our emergency room.

[Madeline Dean]

That they don't die.

[Bill O'Reilly]

Not emergency room. It's not emergency room. You're talking about Oregon in the state of Oregon. So I believe and remember people believe what they want to believe. I believe that the goal of the Democratic Party is to have socialized medicine in this country. One payer. And right now on cnn you have a communist town hall with AOC and Bernie Sanders. I thought I was going to that town hall kick. I really thought I was. Chris, what happened? My question is to you.

[Madeline Dean]

This is where right and left come to be reasonable.

[Bill O'Reilly]

Is he still here?

[Madeline Dean]

Okay, Bill, I just.

[Bill O'Reilly]

Wait, wait. Here's my question.

[Madeline Dean]

I said you had mellowed down since the Fox Fox days.

[Bill O'Reilly]

You want a one payer government run Social Security. Great question. Yes or no? You know what I want?

[Madeline Dean]

Yes, I do want Medicare for all.

[Bill O'Reilly]

You want it?

[Madeline Dean]

You know who else wants Marjorie Taylor Greene.

[Bill O'Reilly]

Okay, that's.

[Madeline Dean]

Marjorie Taylor Greene is talking about one.

[Bill O'Reilly]

Who wants. You want a car?

[Tom Homan]

No, no.

[Bill O'Reilly]

I want two things. I want an actual budget. I am newly an appropriator. You're drifting. No, I'm not drifting. I'm telling people what they need to know. You want socializing? Appropriators are supposed to put forward bills, have them pass, go over to the Senate reconcile where you can. It's not a dodge. Come on. It's not a dodge at all. I want everybody in America to have health care.

[Madeline Dean]

Okay, you know what, Martin?

[Bill O'Reilly]

The only way that happens is a one payer Canadian system.

[Madeline Dean]

Let me, let me just.

[Bill O'Reilly]

The only way it happens, Bill, you.

[Madeline Dean]

Know what I mean?

[Bill O'Reilly]

One of my favorite, one of my favorite Martin Luther King quotes is the greatest injustice, the greatest inequity is injustice in health. Okay? Health care is a human right. That's fine. Then you must be for single payer or health care for all the half Democrat right here. Do you want socialized medicine? No, I don't. But I do want to revamp the medical system that we have it now because people don't know what they're paying for. They don't know what they're getting. Okay, but you don't want the government control. We can fix that. Right? The government basically has to offer. So it's two options.

[Madeline Dean]

Bill, you know Donald Trump in his, I don't know him, he called for, read his book. He says we should have the Canadian single payer system before he became president.

[Bill O'Reilly]

Is that before or after we take over Canada?

[Madeline Dean]

That's a fair point.

[Tom Homan]

I don't know.

[Madeline Dean]

Maybe that's his plan. Maybe that's his plan. But look, Marjorie Taylor Greene and a lot of Republicans, they're saying this is broken. You get you had $71 billion of private price profit by insurance companies or ordinary Americans. Premiums are doubling, they're still paying deductibles and they're saying this is a deadweight cost on our country.

[Bill O'Reilly]

I'm not saying you're wrong. I'm saying this is the divide. This is why the stuff throw the word.

[Madeline Dean]

But you throw the word socialized in there, all right? Because it's a poison pill. No, even Canadian. See, this is all code. This is all code.

[Bill O'Reilly]

That's what they pay. It's code. It's code.

[Madeline Dean]

If she says yes, I want socialized blue ball all over TikTok. You know, they're socialists and that's why nothing gets done. Because it's not about the practicality of the purpose. It's just about name calling and which side is worse. Are you going to say something? I just want to say there it is.

[Stephen A. Smith]

I'm trying to be very respectful to everybody. Because they deserve it. Let me say. Because you deserve it. But let me say this. I don't think Washington understands how ticked off we truly are. Think about the conversation that we're having right now. You brought up the single payer system, emulating Canada. You know, we're looking at a president that just gave 20 billion to Argentina. We're hearing about us witnessing what I consider to be a retribution tour. And even though to some degree I don't blame him because of how people went after him, still it appears to be counterproductive. We're listening to this kind of stuff while a young man walked up to the microphone and said that he had to leave here to go and work on doordash to help pay for his daughter's tuition. Meanwhile, everybody up here getting paid, but he ain't. This is this kind of stuff right here. That's how you know, and I'm not accusing any of you directly or personally are feeling this way. I'm just talking about the apparatus that is Washington, the nation's capital. This is why you have so many Americans, excuse my language, so pissed off at Washington. Because somehow, some way, you get to have these conversations, engage in specific elements of it, to talk about what we need to do to get things better. Our debt is 37.8 trillion. Somehow, some way, the taxpayer's been paying this, been throwing money. Cause we all look at our check and it's been going to the government. And somehow, some way, you're supposed to be doing something constructive and productive enough to make sure that we don't have that kind of deficit. It isn't happening. A government shutdown is going on right now. A man has to work on doordash when he's really an air traffic controller that we applauded. And we're up here talking about how much some money is going to cost. And the only person that don't have a check coming is him. You know what I'm going to do? I'm going to take a break.

[Madeline Dean]

All right. We've got to stop the lawfare in this country. Both parties.

[Tom Homan]

I agree.

[Madeline Dean]

Both parties. You know, when we take back power, Jim, we're not going to prosecute you if you don't do anything, if you don't do anything terrible. And if you get in power, you shouldn't be prosecuting Democrats. This is what they do in third world countries to criminalize politics. And we've got to get past this and we've got to try to figure out how are we going to move forward, how are we going to actually remain the preeminent country, how are we going to heal some of the divides.

[Bill O'Reilly]

You think it's okay for the Justice Department to spy on eight members of the United States Senate not at All.

[Madeline Dean]

Not at all.

[Bill O'Reilly]

Because it's okay for the Justice Department to take the phone of a sitting member of Congress. That's what we were dealing with in the last. You talk about lawfare and the weaponization of the justice system. That's what happened.

[Tom Homan]

We sent a letter today to Jack.

[Bill O'Reilly]

Smith because two of his lieutenants who were part of the special counsel investigation wouldn't answer our questions. When we brought them in and deposed them 70 some times, each of them took their Fifth, exercised their Fifth Amendment liberties. One of the questions was, how many other members of Congress did you spy on? I exercised my fifth minute right. I'm not going to answer that, Jim. I think that was one of the questions. Was it political when you went after Trump? I'm going to exercise my fifth minute. Right. Why wouldn't they answer? They answered a bunch of questions, but 70, sometimes they did it. And those were the type of questions. Questions they wouldn't answer. And now if we look into that, oh, somehow it's a weaponization of government.

[Tom Homan]

No way.

[Bill O'Reilly]

Looking into it's fine. But getting the court system and changing the court system until you have the right person that'll get the verdict that you want is not the right way to do it. Well, if all those things are fair, that's fair. Change of prosecutor. This is the truth. Hello, the truth. Trump wanted to get those people. That's the truth. He wanted to get them. Now what you guys have to decide is whether that's revenge or retribution.

[Madeline Dean]

I usually ask potential criminals to have a seat, but now I'm asking you to join me, Chris Hansen, for my.

[Bill O'Reilly]

New series, have a Seat with Chris Hansen. Guests each week are fascinating personalities who are grabbing headlines, making waves, or changing our lives for the better. Have a Seat with Chris Hansen.

[Madeline Dean]

Available wherever you get your podcast.

[Bill O'Reilly]

Power, politics and the people behind the headlines. Our country's back.

[Stephen A. Smith]

We're really back.

[Bill O'Reilly]

Candid conversations with the people making the rules and changing the game. Can you see yourself as president one day? I don't think about that.

[Tom Homan]

We just had an invasion over our southern border.

[Bill O'Reilly]

My husband is in the corner, for the record, pumping his fist right now.

[Tom Homan]

That you're asking this question.

[Bill O'Reilly]

This is real talk with lawmakers, newsmakers and political disruptors.

[Madeline Dean]

I think Elon's Port probably fancies himself.

[Bill O'Reilly]

More of a Viking. I think I'm more of a ninja. Join me, Miranda Devine, host of podforce One, for insightful talk, news making moments and behind the scenes peeks at what makes America's greatest minds tick. Find podforceone On Apple, Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Amazon Music or wherever you get your podcasts. Your ratings are very good and I.

[Madeline Dean]

Want to congratulate you.

[Bill O'Reilly]

Retribution is righteous. Revenge is not. I agree with Mr. Jordan here. Comey is as corrupt as J. Edgar Hoover. And you read my book, Killing the Mob, you'll see how corrupt J. Edgar Hoover was. Okay? Comey was off the chart. So if I'm president and Comey has cost my family $150 million, I'm gonna get that sob and I got grounds to get him.

[Madeline Dean]

But that's not what. That's. That the last part doesn't matter.

[Bill O'Reilly]

What? Nuance.

[Madeline Dean]

The last part. No, no, listen. As a lawyer, justice is all about nuance, okay? And the idea that. And again, I'm just telling you, if we were in a court of law right now, Madeline Dean, I. I and Ron are both much better lawyers than I've ever attempted to be. But I'll tell you this, none of this would be allowed in. Tell us who you are and what is your question? Yes, I'm Luke. I'm originally from Amarillo, Texas. Go Cowboys. Stephen A. He's going to leave again. Don't make him leave again.

[Bill O'Reilly]

That was hard.

[Tom Homan]

Sorry, I had to.

[Madeline Dean]

But on the topic of Republicans, I'm the president of the American University called College Republicans. In the aftermath of Charlie Kirk assassination, we've. Our club has faced a barrage of insults, attacks and hostility. I'm just wondering how can we as students engage with those who disagree while and remain respectful while also remaining firm in our conviction. So that's for the whole panel.

[Bill O'Reilly]

Tell us a little bit more about these attacks we've had.

[Madeline Dean]

When we tabled a few weeks ago for our club involvement fair, someone came up to us, spat at our table, said, you're not welcome here. Fascist.

[Bill O'Reilly]

Do you know who that person was?

[Madeline Dean]

It was just an American University student. And then after the.

[Bill O'Reilly]

Did you complain about the person?

[Madeline Dean]

We did. Yes. And now they. Nothing happened yet. But it's just we're so used to. At the. We held a Charlie Kirk vigil, students came up to us after said he deserved it. And this was celebrated. We have an anonymous chatboard for school.

[Bill O'Reilly]

How many students came up and say he deserved it?

[Madeline Dean]

Say that again.

[Bill O'Reilly]

How many students at American University came up to you and said he deserved it?

[Madeline Dean]

Well, we had. At least we had two women that came up to us after. But we had hundreds of people posted on our anonymous chatboard for our school.

[Bill O'Reilly]

All at American University. Hundreds of people were happy that Charlie Kirk was assassinated. Yes, okay, what does the management, the dean, all of those people, what kind of a statement do they put out in the face of what you are saying?

[Madeline Dean]

They haven't addressed that. They let us hold our vigil, but that was pretty much it. They haven't addressed.

[Bill O'Reilly]

That's the problem now. That's the problem that Senator Manchin just said. There are no standards and people are doing this. See, if somebody comes to me and spits at me, I pick up the phone and call my lawyer. All right? That's what happens. Because I'm going to defend myself.

[Madeline Dean]

Although it does make you wonder if we were to go back to the old ways of where I hate to quote him as a modern philosopher, but Mike Tyson said that the Internet has made people forget that sometimes what comes out of your mouth can get you punched in the face.

[Bill O'Reilly]

But that doesn't lead to anything.

[Madeline Dean]

But I'll tell you what, I'm not saying that it does. But why? So there's your answer. The why did we stop that? Because it is not a productive solution to the problem. What we're doing and why Joe is so smart to be making this argument is yes, the university should have done something about your situation to set a standard for conduct for its students. And there's an insinuation that the reason they didn't is because there's such a crazy orthodoxy on liberal thinking on campuses that is stifling speech and making people think things are okay, that they shouldn't. We get it. The Internet is that times a gazillion because these guys have to deal with it every day. If Adam Mockler puts out content that is smart and sober minded, which I hear all the time, does not go viral, does not become a hashtag. You have to say something that is incendiary. Andrew Colvett and his co anchor and I had a conversation on the podcast the other day was very good. So you didn't hear about it. I talked to Benny Johnson. He gets upset because of what we're discussing about Charlie Kirk and the responsibility that I see on both sides for the dialogue. It goes crazy. Why? Because it was pitched as me trying to destroy Benny and him trying to destroy me. That is something that has to be controlled. The question is how? Because you can't go back to the old ways, right? Of you're gonna punch me because you don't like what I said. Cause we shouldn't punish the ideas that way. But we gotta do something better than what we're doing now. STEPHEN A.

[Stephen A. Smith]

But Bill was right when he talked about there has to be consequences from your actions, and it has to emanate from the top. You got Senator Joe Manchin on here, who I have profound respect for.

[Bill O'Reilly]

Why?

[Stephen A. Smith]

Primarily, it's because he's an independent thinker, not just in terms of who he is as a person, but who he was on Capitol Hill. He answered to the people of West Virginia. He didn't answer to the president. He didn't answer to contemporaries in the House or the Senate. He answered to the people of West Virginia. He let it be known that is who I represent. That is who I'm here to represent. And that's what we're going to do when we look on Capitol Hill right now. I was watching a few weeks ago, and I'm not here to judge Cash Patel, for example, in terms of the job he's doing or not doing or whatever. I'm simply talking about. Did you see the way that he was talking to Senator Schiff, you know, Bloomingdale and all? Come on, man. You know, you're the director for the FBI. So what I'm saying to you is this. You got a whole bunch of people that work under Trump. But we really going to sit here in this audience today and have a discussion about the quorum, how you talk to people, how you make sure that you conduct yourself. I'm not talking policy right now. I'm talking about that. And we are really not going to know where this emanates from. Let's stop that nonsense. Got a whole bunch of people that want to emulate the president of the United States who does not.

[Madeline Dean]

We're going to talk about it. I'm going to take a break. We're going to keep the conversation going. Look, the only thing I'd say is should it come from the top down? Of course. But sometimes it needs to come from the bottom up. And that's a collective responsibility. And that's. I love all of you for being here. We're going to keep the conversation going. Bill, what's your big takeaway from the.

[Bill O'Reilly]

Night that you're still standing?

[Tom Homan]

Cuomo.

[Bill O'Reilly]

I came in with a lot of, you know, Cuomo does a good job. I give him a lot of grief and he deserves every bit of it. But he does a good job because we're now into this for 2 hours and 20 minutes and kept it moving. You guys liked it, right? I'm watching and I thought we had a very good panel and people spoke from the heart. I didn't see a lot of phony stuff because I'm not big on phony stuff, but I think you did a nice job, Cornwall, and that was my takeaway. All right. That was fun. I hope. Hope you liked it. [e-mail] you have any comments? Name in town bill it bill o'reilly.com so I got a Sunday column coming up. Don't know what it's going to be yet, but it'll be rollicking. And then we will be back in New York on Monday. I want you to have a great weekend and we'll see you then.