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Foreign this is Tony Katz filling in for the great Bill O'Reilly. It's Friday, August 29, 2025. You are listening to the O'Reilly Update. Here is what's happening today in America. Details emerge about the Minneapolis shooter Putin pounds Ukraine. Most voters say democracy on the brink of extinction. Politics now having a negative impact on our physical health. Also ahead, my message of the day. But first, officials are releasing new information about the man who opened fire on a Catholic school in Minnesota. Police have identified the suspect as a 23 year old transgender person named Robin Westman. The alleged shooter left behind pages of handwritten notes, wrote Westman, quote, I am tired of being trans. I wish I never brainwashed myself. I unquote. The attack killed two children, ages 8 and 10, and injured 17 others. Russian forces launching a massive aerial assault on the Ukrainian capital as peace talk stall Keev was hit with rockets, missiles and drones. The attack killed at least 19 people, including four children. The blast also damaged buildings operated by the European Union and United Kingdom. The strikes come two weeks after President Donald Trump hosted Russian President Vladimir Putin in Alaska. A majority of Americans now believe democracy in the United States is in danger of disappearing. A survey from the Perceptions of government study finds 51% say the republic could disintegrate within their lifetime. Just 26% believe US democracy is secure for future generations. Most voters from both parties accuse the other side of posing an existential threat to the survival of the United States. A new study from the University of Nebraska showing the link between a person's political beliefs and physical health. Four in ten people cite politics as a major source of stress in their daily lives. A quarter say non stop reporting causes significant headaches. 5% claim discussing politics makes them experience suicidal thoughts. Researchers blame the anxiety on a 24 hour news cycle and social media. The message of the day is just moments away.
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This is Tony Katz filling in for Bill O'Reilly. Time now for the O'Reilly Update. Message of the day. I think burning the American flag is silly. It's never made any sense to me. However, I don't think it should be against the law. And while I agree with President Trump on, well, a lot of things, I mean, I voted for the man three times the executive order on flag burning, that's just not for me. When I was first starting out my career, in order to be shocking, maybe in an attempt to get myself to be known, I had on my website at the time a flag burning kit. Now, it wasn't an actual kit. I didn't actually sell anything. It was about the idea that burning the American flag was something that was protected. This is free speech. And if you're a free speech absolutist, these kinds of acts of course, fit into that type of world. And I wanted to be somebody who wanted everybody to know that I believe in free speech. The more I've thought about it from those, well, 15 plus years ago, that was a silly thing to do. It's not that I don't believe in free speech. I do. I vehemently do. As a radio host, as somebody who gets to do the same kinds of things as Bill O'Reilly does, of course I want to be able to speak freely and I want others to speak freely as well. This is the importance of the First Amendment. The First Amendment does not exist for the speech that you love. It exists for the speech and the people that, that you hate because someone out there hates you. And what you have to say, of course, that's madness, but it's true, they do. And you still have a right to say it. I think that's extremely important. Thus, I think being able to burn the American flag is also something that, well, oddly said, is important. Do I think we should? Of course not. Do I speak out against it? Absolutely, I do. And I think the best way to. To get people not to burn the flag is for us to be a society that talks about what the flag represents, not what the left wants you to believe the flag is. This idea of America is terrible. America is nothing more than slavery. America has never given anybody a fair shake. Of course, that's not the case. And we have to be better stewards of telling that story, if not just in the cultural sphere, which is, well, a place we have to keep fighting for, but in our personal lives as well, to our kids and our grandkids and our friends and to each other, that the flag does matter, that it has value. And the more that we show the reverence for it, the respect for it, that when the national anthem plays, we're not busy doom scrolling on our phones. Rather, we stop what we're doing, we put our phone away, we take off our hat, and we pledge allegiance to that flag. We show it the respect it deserves, and. And by doing so, we model that behavior for other people by talking about the greatness of our country, including our flaws, including what it is that we have overcome. It is not that we're a nation built on slavery. It's that we are a nation that had slavery and knew enough to create a system, a constitution, to end it and to get better, to form that more perfect union. The more respect we show the flag, the more respect others will show the flag. Because it indeed has value. Yes, when it comes to the law, when it comes to the legality, yes, you can burn the American flag. And I do believe that the executive order from President Trump isn't accurate, but what we should be doing is showing all the reasons why no one but a fool would ever burn the American flag. It has too much value. It is too much a symbol of good and decent and right, and it is aspirational. And let us be the people, especially this Labor Day weekend, who remind each other of that and continue to do so from this point forward. This is Tony Katz filling in for Bill O'Reilly. Now it's time for something you might not know. Ladies and gentlemen, we're running out of cottage cheese. Okay, I admit, in my entire radio career, I never thought I'd utter the phrase, but it turns out that everybody is cottage cheese crazy. At least the those people who follow the trends on social media. And one of the big ones is Getting healthy, you need high protein, you need low carb, can't have all those extra sugars. And I guess cottage cheese is the way to go. And what's happening on social media is that influencers, oh, you got to love the term influencers. Influencers are showing people how to make high protein quality snacks and meals using cottage cheese, cottage cheese in all sorts of things. And everybody has said, I didn't know that cottage cheese was, was the latest superfood. And they're going out there and they're utilizing cottage cheese in all these recipes, eating it as snacks. And it turns out that it has caused a dearth of cottage cheese on the shelves. I, for one, am not bothered by this at all. I am somebody who has had cottage cheese and I have decided I prefer actual cheese. Now someone's going to yell at me and say, tony, cottage cheese is delicious and, and fine and wonderful. And that person will probably be my mother. I'm just saying that I'm not affected by it. Also, I'd rather have regular cheese. But this is incredible how these things happen, how many people buy into these ideas. And maybe it's a good thing that America is getting healthy and taking advantage of opportunities to learn how to be more healthy. And they want to be eating the right things. It's funny how the right things change from generation to generation. But this lack of cottage cheese has taken everybody by storm. It's become this incredible talking point because people are going to supermarkets and wondering, hey, where can I get this? When will you get this? Why don't we have more of this? No longer is cottage cheese for the people who are retired there in the villages? No. Cottage cheese is now ubiquitous. Organic Valley says sales have increased over 30%. And in just the first half of 2025, as a matter of fact, overall dairy consumption matched its highest overall total on record for 2023. People love dairy again. Well, I'm sorry I'm not contributing to the buying of more cottage cheese. I'm going to stick, as I said, with regular cheese because I like cheese. I'm a huge fan of cheese. I'm not going to lie. I love cheese. Cottage cheese, maybe if there's nothing else available and I'm too tired to go to the store or just order something from Uber Eats. We'll be right back. It's always a pleasure to be able to sit in for Bill O'Reilly. I'm Tony Katz filling in for Bill O'Reilly. Thanks for listening to the O'Reilly Update. Have a fantastic Labor Day.
Host: Tony Katz (filling in for Bill O’Reilly)
Theme: Major headlines in America, political and social stress, flag burning commentary, and a curious shortage of cottage cheese.
Tony Katz, guest-hosting for Bill O’Reilly, reviews the day's key U.S. news stories, examines social and political anxieties, and delivers a personal message about free speech and American values—specifically addressing the debate on flag burning. The episode closes with an unexpectedly entertaining take on America’s sudden obsession with cottage cheese.
"I am tired of being trans. I wish I never brainwashed myself."
(Tony Katz quoting Westman) [00:54]
“It was about the idea that burning the American flag was something that was protected. This is free speech.” [05:00]
“The best way to get people not to burn the flag is for us to be a society that talks about what the flag represents, not what the left wants you to believe the flag is.” [06:45]
“It is not that we're a nation built on slavery. It's that we are a nation that had slavery and knew enough to create a system, a constitution, to end it and to get better, to form that more perfect union.” [08:20]
“In my entire radio career, I never thought I'd utter the phrase, but it turns out that everybody is cottage cheese crazy.” [11:25] “I'm going to stick, as I said, with regular cheese because I like cheese. I'm a huge fan of cheese. I'm not going to lie. I love cheese.” [14:30]
On Democracy’s Fragility:
“A majority of Americans now believe democracy in the United States is in danger of disappearing… Most voters from both parties accuse the other side of posing an existential threat…” [02:10]
On Free Speech:
“The First Amendment does not exist for the speech that you love. It exists for the speech and the people that, that you hate…” [05:55]
On Patriotism Through Example:
“When the national anthem plays, we're not busy doom scrolling on our phones. Rather, we stop what we're doing, we put our phone away, we take off our hat, and we pledge allegiance to that flag.” [07:25]
On Cottage Cheese Hysteria:
“No longer is cottage cheese for the people who are retired there in the villages. No. Cottage cheese is now ubiquitous.” [13:00]
| Time | Segment | |-----------|---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| | 00:30 | Tony Katz opens with news roundup | | 00:54 | Details on Minneapolis school shooting and suspect quote | | 02:10 | Survey on American democracy's fragility | | 02:50 | Study on political stress and its health consequences | | 04:30 | Message of the day: Free speech, flag burning, and American values | | 07:25 | Remarks on respecting the flag and reinforcing American narratives | | 09:55 | Katz’s closing argument on legality vs. morality of flag burning | | 11:10 | “Something You Might Not Know”: Cottage cheese shortage and America’s health fads | | 13:00 | Cottage cheese leaves the retirement home, enters mainstream culture | | 14:30 | Katz’s passionate love for actual cheese |
This episode balances weighty current events—school violence, international conflict, democratic anxiety—with a thoughtful meditation on free speech and patriotic behavior. Tony Katz makes a persuasive case for respecting American symbols by example rather than law, cautioning against both censorship and cynicism. And, in classic O’Reilly Update fashion, it ends on a light-hearted note, lampooning the nation’s sudden scramble for cottage cheese.
For listeners and non-listeners alike, this episode is a blend of sobering analysis, principled commentary, and just enough humor to keep it all relatable.