Podcast Summary: The O'Reilly Update, December 22, 2025
Host: Bill O’Reilly
News Segment Host: Mike Slater
Air Date: December 22, 2025
Episode Overview
This episode delivers a fact-focused rundown of current events in America, moving from global oil sanctions enforcement, through a chaotic San Francisco power outage, to a confrontation during an ICE operation and blockbuster movie news. Bill O’Reilly follows with his personal Christmas tale in the Message of the Day, answers listener mail, and closes with a nostalgic look at the origins of Alvin and the Chipmunks. The episode maintains O’Reilly’s signature tone: straightforward, personal, and skeptical of media spin.
Major Discussion Points & Insights
1. News Headlines with Mike Slater (00:09–03:03)
Venezuela Sanctions & Oil Tanker Seizures
- The Coast Guard has seized three oil tankers linked to Venezuela's "dark fleet" and sanctions evasion.
- Kristi Noem (quote via Mike Slater): “The United States will continue to pursue the illicit movement of sanctioned oil that is used to fund narco terrorism in the region. We will find you and we will stop you.” [00:26]
- Tighter enforcement could destabilize the Maduro regime.
San Francisco Power Outage
- A massive power outage left 130,000 without electricity due to a substation fire.
- Outage began ~1pm Saturday; grid stabilized by 4:30pm; fire under control by 6pm.
- Impacts: Shopping, business, traffic, and “all the self-driving cars that are all over San Francisco…just stopped right where they were, often in the middle of the street.” [01:20]
ICE Operation & Shots Fired
- Incident in St. Paul: ICE tried to detain a Cuban illegal alien. The individual resisted, struck an agent with his vehicle, fled, then rammed another ICE vehicle. An agent fired a shot but missed. The man was ultimately subdued before reaching his apartment. [01:49]
Movie Weekend Box Office
- “Avatar: Fire and Ash” opened with $345 million worldwide ($88m domestic, $257m international).
- Notable: 35% drop from previous “Avatar” movie's debut.
- Only film with a bigger opening this year: “Zootopia 2” ($500m in three days).
- Angel Studios’ animated “David and Goliath” is #2 with $22 million—its biggest opening ever.
- “James Cameron had the number one, number three and four highest grossing movies of all time… Avatar, Avatar 2 and Titanic.” [02:24]
2. Bill O’Reilly’s Message of the Day: A Christmas Tale (03:03–05:41)
- O’Reilly shares a poignant Christmas memory from 1969, age 21, in Vienna.
- Planned to attend midnight Mass with the Vienna Boys Choir at St. Stephen’s Cathedral; was prevented due to prohibitive ticket costs and security.
- Returned alone to his pension; the innkeeper offered cake and a candle—a small act of kindness.
- Bill O’Reilly: “That was some Christmas. Hope you enjoy yours.” [05:28]
- Tone is nostalgic, humble, and lightly humorous—“This would be on the Hallmark movie schedule.” [03:10]
3. Listener Mail & O’Reilly’s Reflections (05:41–08:14)
On the Value of Fact-Based News
- Zach Washburn (Oklahoma City): Praises O’Reilly for “giving me power through Knowledge. It’s the theme that you have repeated on your program.” [06:03]
- O’Reilly's advice: Knowledge elevates workplace performance and conversations. “The more you know and the better you present yourself, the quicker you're going to rise in your job.” [06:44]
- “You don’t have to be a partisan. I’m just giving you fact after fact after fact after fact.” [06:51]
On Conservative Media Personalities
- Donald Warner (Four Oaks, NC): Asks how “uneducated people like Candace Owens and others get forums…?”
- O’Reilly: “Because they’re Americans. Everybody’s going to have a talk show. … I know what they do. Attack, attack, attack, attack, click, click, click, conspiracy, conspiracy, conspiracy. You like it? Take it. Not me. My time is valuable.” [07:10]
On Upcoming Book
- Jerry Shrivo (White Lake, MI): Asks about a new ‘confronting’ book.
- O’Reilly previews: “It’s called Confronting What Has to Change… This is my last book under contract. It'll be out in September if I can finish it. Hard book to write because everything changes in this country in a moment.” [07:50]
4. “Something You Might Not Know”: The Story of Alvin and the Chipmunks (08:37–11:17)
- 67 years ago today, “The Chipmunk Song (Christmas Don’t Be Late)” hit #1 on Billboard.
- Ross Bagdasarian (Dave Seville): Innovated by speeding up tape to create chipmunk voices.
- The song’s success led to cartoons, comic books, and movies.
- Fun Fact: Bagdasarian appears as a pianist in the Hitchcock film “Rear Window.”
- Notable line: “If you want to call it music.” [10:05] (O’Reilly’s dry humor)
Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments
- On San Francisco’s Outage: Mike Slater captures the city’s tech-centered chaos—“all the self-driving cars…just stopped right where they were, often in the middle of the street.” [01:25]
- O'Reilly’s Christmas nostalgia: “So I tried to sneak in and I failed. They had great security. So I went back to my pension and I was alone Christmas Eve. And the lady who ran the little hotel…gave me a nice little present, a cake and a candle.” [04:45]
- On “Power Through Knowledge”: “The more you know and the better you present yourself, the quicker you’re going to rise in your job, man.” [06:45]
- On Media Personalities: “Attack, attack, attack, click, click, click, click, click. Conspiracy, conspiracy, conspiracy. You like it? Take it. Not me. My time is valuable.” [07:22]
Key Timestamps
- 00:09 — News Headlines Introduction (Mike Slater)
- 00:26 — Venezuela Oil Tanker Sanctions
- 01:06 — San Francisco Power Outage
- 01:49 — ICE Operation/Incident
- 02:24 — Movie Weekend Recap (“Avatar: Fire and Ash”)
- 03:03 — O’Reilly's Message of the Day: Christmas in Vienna
- 05:41 — Listener Mail & O’Reilly’s Advice
- 08:37 — “Something You Might Not Know”: Alvin and the Chipmunks
Summary
This episode delivers a quick but substantive tour through America’s recent headlines, reflects thoughtfully on both personal and societal change, and serves up a slice of pop culture nostalgia—all hallmarks of Bill O’Reilly’s No Spin News. The episode blends news, personal story, listener engagement, and trivia—staying true to its “No Spin. Just Facts.” promise.