Loading summary
A
This episode is brought to you by LifeLock. Between two factor authentication, strong passwords and a VPN, you try to be in control of how your info is protected. But many other places also have it and they might not be as careful. That's why Lifelock monitors hundreds of millions of data points a second for threats. If your identity is stolen, they'll fix it, guaranteed or your money back. Save up to 40% your first year. Make visit lifelock.com podcast for 40% off. Terms apply.
B
Bill O'Reilly here. You are listening to the O'Reilly Update. Coming up next, the news with Mike Slater.
C
Thank you, Bill. It is Friday, August 22, 2025. Here's what's happening today in America. Penalty eliminated, planning an attack not fast enough. And cracker barrel rebrand. It's all coming up. Then Bill's gonna be here with your message of the day. But first, the New York Court of Appeals throughout the a billion dollar fraud penalty. This is the Tish James civil fraud penalty. The five judge panel found the punishment to be excessive. Back when this amount was first announced, Tish James, the attorney general of New York wrote four just on Twitter. This is all she wrote, $464,576,230.62. Donald Trump Jr. Just wrote back. I believe you mean $0. The panel wrote the court's disgorgement order, which directs that defendants pay nearly half a billion dollars to the state of New York is an excessive fine that violates the Eighth Amendment of the United States Constitution. That is the part that has cruel and unusual punishment in there. Amazing. Many articles have been written lately, New York Times included, about the administration planning to attack inside Mexico against the cartels. General Guillot, he is the commander of northcom, said in February that transnational criminal organizations based in Mexico continue to threaten U. S Sovereignty and territorial integrity through the production and trafficking of fentanyl and other illicit drugs and the facilitation of unlawful mass migration towards the U. S. Southern border. That's an important statement because Mexico, of course, is going to say, oh, our sovereignty, our sovereignty. And there's our commander Northcom saying you don't have that anymore. Marco Rubio, our secretary of state just two weeks ago said we have to start treating them, the cartels, as armed terrorist organizations, not simply drug dealing organizations. Similar news, the Trump administration says that they are on pace to deport 400,000 illegal aliens this year. Right now they're averaging 1,500 deportations a day, 180,000 total so far but this will be short, even at this pace of the 1 million in in the first year that they said they wanted. That's at least forced deportation. Self deportations are another story. The restaurant Cracker Barrel is in a bit of a pickle. They've gone through a big corporate rebrand and the CEO is getting destroyed. For 48 years, the logo has been exactly as you're imagining in your mind right now. And it has been replaced with just corporate bland slop with no barrel and no Uncle Herschel. Even the inside of the restaurants, a restaurant that used to harken back to the old Southern general store, nostalgia, real wood giant fireplace, now corporate bland, sterile and cold. She said on Good MORNING America. The feedback has been overwhelmingly positive. Well, stock prices have gone down 12%. I'm Mike Slater from Politics by Faith. Bill O'Reilly has your message of the day. Next.
B
Did you know that Fast Growing Trees is the biggest online nursery in the USA? Thousands of plants, more than 2 million happy customers. They have everything your yard needs, fruit trees, privacy trees, shrubs, more whatever plants you are interested in. Fast Growing Trees will deliver your dream yard right to your door. They're alive and thrive guarantee ensures your plants arrive happy and happy, healthy. And this fall, they have the best deals, up to half off selected plants. Plus, my listeners get 15% off the first purchase with Code Bill at checkout. That's an additional 15% off with code bill@fast growing trees.com again, fast growing trees.com code bill now is the perfect time to plant save today with Code Bill offer valid for a limited time. Terms conditions may apply. Time now for the O'Reilly update. Message of the day on It's Friday. How do you deal with madness? I hope in your life you never have to. But millions of people all over the world have family friends that have psychological conditions. Very difficult to deal with that. And now we have a guy who could blow up the entire world who I believe is mentally ill and that would be bad. Vlad Putin. So couple of weeks, my new book confronting Evil comes out and Putin's on a cover along with Yaya, Tolah, Khomeini, Mao, Hitler. And we learned a lot about all that. He is one evil kind of guy, but he's not stable. He's not thinking rationally. He once did. In fact, about eight years ago, Donald Trump could reason with him no longer. And Putin would, in my opinion, use nuclear weapons. He'd do it because I think he is certifiable. I can back it up a million different ways. When you read the book. You'll see how this guy operates. He doesn't care about human life at all. He's the richest man in the world. Made all his money through gangster activities. Flat out stone killer. Again, he has nuclear weapons. And I understand there was a point early in the Ukrainian war where Putin was ready to use them and he only backed away because China got wind of it and said, hey, Vlad, you use nukes, you're done. And he withdrew. I can't say that 100%, but I believe it is true. I'm Bill O'Reilly. I approve the message by writing it. You can reach me billorilly.com billorilly.com name in town if you wish to opine. Now let's go to the mail. Glenda Ireland has always been anti Israel. They sided with the Arabs in World War II. I know you're a historian, Bill. Correct me if I'm wrong. The Irish government and socialists in Ireland are anti Israel. Not the folks. Not the folks. They actually sympathize with the Jews because of the oppression from London on Ireland. No, it's a whole different cleave. Okay, let's go to Michael from central Florida. I'm loving my not woke bumper sticker. Looking forward to the arrival of Confronting Evil Good. I'm glad you Pre ordered on billoriley.com it's important. Prices have not gone down significantly for me in Florida. Gasoline vacillates between 270 and 320. A lot of it has to do with state taxes and things like that. But gas prices are not on the rise. I think that's fair to say. Alan I met people that hate Trump so much they don't want to see the war end. Yeah, and that's really disturbing. You know, somebody who'd rather people die than give Trump credit. Careful. Martha Collins, Henderson, Nevada. Confronting Evil coming on September 9th. Fitting. It's my late father's birthday. Like your dad, Bill, he confronted evil in World War II, serving in the Marines on Saipan and Iwo Jima. Thank you for keeping your father's legacy alive, Martha. We need to do that with the World War II vets. They did confront evil in both Pacific and Europe and they defeated it. Carol Concierge member Congratulations, Bill, on obtaining a movie deal for Confronting Evil. As a person who loves films, I pray 5th season holds tight to the purity of your writing. They have to. I'm the executive producer, which is why the other four movies these guys did for me with me were great. We have a very good relationship. In a moment something you might not know. 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 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. Now the O'Reilly update brings you something you might not know. 56 years ago this week, half a million people descended on a dairy farm in upstate New York. For three days, a crowd enjoyed music, speeches, drugs, especially pot. Here's the story of Woodstock. The festival was planned as a peace demonstration at the height of the Vietnam War. The concert began August 15, 1969 on a 600 acre field 100 miles northwest of Manhattan. It was not in Woodstock, it was in Bethel. The roster of the concert included Credence Clearwater, Jimi Hendrix, the who, Grateful Dead, Janis Joplin, Jefferson Airplane and others. Despite its pacifist origins, Woodstock was designed to make money. Tickets cost 18 bucks in advance, $75 today, $24 at the gate. 150,000 tickets were sold to the three day event, but 500,000 folks showed up. The crush caused a 20 mile long traffic jam. Artists like Joni Mitchell bailed because she just couldn't reach the venue. Fences were torn down, cars abandoned. Woodstock quickly became a quote, free concert for anyone who could make the trek to upstate New York. The event featured one of the most prolific lineups in history. The crowd sent a message to the world that Americans could come together to celebrate peace and music. On Monday morning, August 18, Jimi Hendrix performed the final song of the festival, his rendition of the national anthem. And here's something else you might not doubt. Though we're a long way from 1969, some of the acts that played Woodstock are still touring. Santana, John Fogarty, the who, Neil Young. All on the road this summer. Back after this.
A
Hey, it's Ryan Reynolds here for Mint Mobile. Now, I was looking for fun ways to tell you that Mint's offer of unlimited Premium Wireless for $15 a month is back. So I thought it would be fun if we made $15 bills, but it turns out that's very illegal. So there goes my big idea for the commercial. Give it a try@mintmobile.com Switch upfront payment of $45 for three month plan equivalent to $15 per month required new customer offer for first three months only. Speed slow after 35 gigabytes of networks busy. Taxes and fees extra.
B
See mintmobile.com thank you for listening to the O'Reilly Update. I am Bill O'Reilly. No spin, just facts. And always looking out for you.
Episode: The O'Reilly Update, August 22, 2025
Host: Bill O’Reilly
Date: August 22, 2025
This episode delivers a mix of top national news stories, a pointed "Message of the Day" from Bill O'Reilly on dealing with "madness" and threats like Vladimir Putin, responses to listener mail, and a look back at the cultural legacy of Woodstock. O'Reilly maintains his trademark "no spin, just facts" tone, with sharp commentary on contemporary politics and history.
Host: Mike Slater (00:40–03:35)
Major Fraud Penalty Overturned in New York:
U.S. Planning Potential Attacks on Mexican Cartels:
Deportation Statistics Under Trump Administration:
Cracker Barrel Corporate Rebrand Backlash:
Host: Bill O’Reilly (04:47–07:35)
Host: Bill O’Reilly (07:35–10:50)
Ireland's Position on Israel:
Gas Prices in Florida:
Views on Trump and the War:
World War II Veterans’ Legacy:
Movie Deal Announcement:
Host: Bill O’Reilly (11:00–12:20)
National News
00:40–03:35
Message of the Day: Madness/Putin
04:47–07:35
Listener Mail & Commentary
07:35–10:50
Woodstock Retrospective
11:00–12:20
Direct, candid, and slightly sardonic, Bill O'Reilly maintains his signature “no spin” approach, blending factual reporting with blunt commentary. The episode intertwines national policy, global threats, pop culture, and personal observations, all delivered with O’Reilly’s assertive and conversational style.
This summary provides a comprehensive overview for listeners who missed the episode, delivering all the essential topics, color, and notable quotes without commercial interruptions.