The O'Reilly Update, February 12, 2026

Summary

Podcast Summary: Bill O’Reilly’s No Spin News and Analysis

Episode: The O’Reilly Update, February 12, 2026

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Main Theme

This episode covers key news updates from across America with a focus on the latest legislative efforts regarding voting laws, national security incidents at the southern border, the administration’s stance on energy policy, and the latest U.S. Olympic results. The episode also includes Bill O’Reilly’s signature commentary—addressing media narratives about Donald Trump and Jeffrey Epstein, responding to listener mail about Super Bowl coverage, and closing with a historical vignette about Abraham Lincoln.

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Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. Legislative Update: The SAVE Act

[00:10–01:02]

• What happened: The House passed the SAVE Act, moving it to the Senate.
  • Provisions: Requires proof of citizenship and photo ID to register and vote (including mail-in ballots).
  • Senate Status: Mike Lee indicates 44 senators support it; 50 needed to break a filibuster.
  • Political Division: Only one Democrat in the House voted for it, although “over 70% of Democrat voters support it.”
  • Notable Detail: The lone Democrat ‘yes’ was a Texas Representative pardoned by Trump in December 2025 after bribery charges.
• Quote (Mike Slater):

  “Mike Johnson said that we are hoping some Democrats come to their senses and do the right thing. Otherwise, you have a lot of explaining to do.” [00:29]

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2. Border Security: Drone Breach in El Paso

[01:02–01:43]

• Incident: Reports indicate Mexican cartel drones breached U.S. airspace, resulting in the temporary closure of El Paso airport.
  • Conflicting Sources: Some say closure was due to new counter-drone technology being tested by DoD, not just cartel activity.
  • Ongoing Issue: Trump administration previously highlighted cartel drone use for surveillance and smuggling.
  • DHS Data: 60,000 drone flights were detected within 500 meters of the border in the last half of 2024; that’s an average of 326 per day.
• Quote (Mike Slater):

  “The director of the counter drone program at DHS testified in front of Congress that U.S. officials detected more than 60,000 drone flights within 500 meters of our border just in the second half of 2024… that’s 326 flights a day.” [01:32]

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3. Energy Policy: Executive Order on Coal

[01:44–02:03]

• Presidential Action: The president signed an executive order requiring the Department of War to source electricity from coal plants for military operations.
  • Rationale: To ensure grid reliability and resilience.
  • Funding: $175 million allocated to upgrade six coal plants across Appalachian states.
  • Trends: In 2023, coal produced only 16% of U.S. electricity (vs. >50% in 2000).
• Quote (Mike Slater):

  “The president said the purpose of this executive order is to ensure that we have more reliable power and a stronger and more resilient power grid.” [01:52]

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4. Olympics Update

[02:04–02:36]

• Medal Rundown: USA won silver in ice dancing, swept women's moguls (1-2), took gold in men's 1000m speed skating, and silver in men's Super G.
• Medal Ranking: Norway leads with 13 total medals (7 gold), USA second with 12 (4 gold).
• Upcoming Event: Men's hockey to play Latvia in their opening game.
• Quote (Mike Slater):

  "Norway has seven gold though we only have four. But there's 10 more days to go." [02:30]

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Bill O’Reilly’s Message of the Day

[03:34–05:00]

Trump–Epstein Story & Media Critique

• Topic: Reports emerge that Donald Trump warned Palm Beach authorities about Jeffrey Epstein in 2006.

• Media Response: O’Reilly criticizes outlets (specifically CNN) for spinning the story to imply Trump knew but didn’t act sufficiently.

• Media Critique: O’Reilly argues nothing can be done about "press deception" due to the First Amendment, but notes CNN’s ratings have suffered.

• Sharp Quote (Bill O’Reilly):

  “Nothing can be done about press deception because of the First Amendment. However, CNN has lost millions of viewers because of its poor and dishonest reporting. Even on breaking news, it's all speculation all the time over there.” [04:02]

• On Getting Facts:

  “Very tough these days to get honest analysis. But you knew that.” [04:19] “President Trump, all of the information indicates, was not associated with Epstein's crimes.” [04:23]

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Listener Mailbag

[05:00–06:20]

• Edwin from Connecticut: Criticizes O’Reilly for Super Bowl coverage, implying it supports controversial NFL issues.

  • O’Reilly’s Response: Defends coverage as news-gathering rather than ideological support.
  • Notable Moment: O’Reilly exposes Apple’s role in the halftime show, which involved artist Bad Bunny.
  • Quote:

    “My job is to assemble information and give it to you, Edwin. That is my job. We do not do ideology here. This is not an ideological crusade place... We are here to gather information. This is not ideology that we're pushing.” [05:18]

• Michael, Concierge Member: Questions whether the halftime show is “capitalism in a strict sense.”

  • O’Reilly’s Response: Argues that the massive audience and profit potential from Apple and Bad Bunny confirms that it is.
  • Quote:

    “You got 138 million people watching and Apple's going to make a ton of money from downloads with Bad Bunny. They're going to make way more than they invested in the NFL. That is capitalism.” [06:05]

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Something You Might Not Know: Abraham Lincoln’s Birthday

[06:21–07:50]

• Historical Spotlight: 217 years since Lincoln’s birth (Feb 12, 1809).
• Key Life Events:
  • Family’s moves, mother’s early death, voracious reading, rise from humble origins.
  • Early career: farmhand, ferry operator, storekeeper, postman, attorney, politician.
  • Political ascent and fight against slavery; two Senate losses led to national attention.
  • Elected first Republican president in 1860; led the nation through Civil War; preserved the Union.
  • Assassinated five days after Lee’s surrender in 1865 at age 56.
• O’Reilly’s Plug: Encourages listeners to read his book “Killing Lincoln” for more stories.

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Notable Quotes & Moments

• Mike Slater on Voter ID Law Support:

  “Only one Democrat in the House voted for it, even though over 70% of Democrat voters support it.” [00:33]

• Bill O’Reilly on Today’s Media:

  “It was hard to tell them apart anyway.” — [on Jake Tapper covering a story in front of a cactus] [04:14]

• Listener Mail Exchange (on ideology):

  “You got plenty of those. You don't need another one. So I go to the Super Bowl, okay, and then I'm doing a story on San Francisco's collapse because I'm there.” [05:12]

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Episode Flow & Tone

The tone remains true to O’Reilly’s “no spin” brand: direct, critical of perceived media bias, and focused on relaying facts in a self-assured, conversational style. Listener questions provide a touch of humor and perspective, while the historical segment closes the episode on a reflective note.

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Timestamps for Major Segments

| Segment | Timestamp | |--------------------------|---------------| | Main News Updates | 00:09–02:39 | | O’Reilly Message (Epstein) | 03:34–05:00 | | Listener Mailbag | 05:00–06:20 | | Lincoln’s Birthday Segment| 06:21–07:50 |

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Summary prepared for listeners seeking the facts and flavor of Bill O’Reilly’s reporting and commentary, without the spin.

Transcript

[A]

Bill O'Reilly here. You are listening to the O'Reilly Update. Coming up next, the news with Mike Slater.

[B]

Thank you, Bill. It is Thursday, February 12, 2026. Here's what's happening today in America. Onto the Senate airspace closed, beautiful clean coal and your Olympics update. That's all coming up. And Bill's gonna be here with your message of the day. But first, the House passed the SAVE act, where it's now onto the Senate, where Mike Lee said there are 44 supporters of it. It will need 50 to pass if the Senate forces a talking filibuster. The bill says that you must prove you are a citizen to register to vote and bring a photo ID to the polls and mail in ballots must have a copy of your photo ID as well. Mike Johnson said that we are hoping some Democrats come to their senses and do the right thing. Otherwise, you have a lot of explaining to do. Only one Democrat in the House voted for it, Even though over 70% of Democrat voters support it. That one Democrat vote. By the way, the one Democrat in the House who voted for the SAVE act is a Democrat from Texas who Trump pardoned back in December on bribery charges. We have a mess of reports at the moment, but Sean Duffy, our transportation secretary, and some officials from the White House say that Mexican cartel drones breached US Airspace, prompting a temporary closure of airspace over El Paso, which shut down the El Paso airport. Some sources are saying the shutdown was prompted by the Defense Department's use of a new counter drone technology, and they shut down the airspace because of risks that it could pose to our aircraft in the area. The Trump administration has warned for months about Mexican cartels using drones at the border to surveil border agents and smuggle drugs. The director of the counter drone program at DHS testified in front of Congress that U.S. officials detected more than 60,000 drone flights within 500 meters of our border just in the second half of 2024. That's 326 flights a day. The president signed an executive order directing the Department of War to enter into agreements to purchase electricity from coal power plants to power military operations. The president said the purpose of this executive order is to ensure that we have more reliable power and a stronger and more resilient power grid. The president's executive order also directed the Department of Energy to distribute $175 million to fund upgrades at six coal plants in Kentucky, North Carolina, Ohio, Virginia and West Virginia. In 2023, coal accounted for only 16% of U.S. electricity in the year 2000. It was more than 50%. An Olympics update yesterday, a disappointing silver medal in ice dancing, but America went 12 in women's moguls and we won the gold in the men's 1000 meter speed skating. Also second place at men's super G today. Men's hockey has their opening game and against Latvia. The medal total so far, Norway in first place with 13 total medals and America coming back second place right now with 12. Norway has seven gold though we only have four. But there's 10 more days to go. I'm Mike Slater from the podcast Politics by faith. Bill O'Reilly has your message of the day. Next Lifelock, how can I help?

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[A]

Time now for the O'Reilly update. Message of the day on this Thursday. After all this time, reports are servicing that Donald Trump called Palm beach authorities in the year 2006 to warn them about Jeffrey Epstein's conduct. So Trump haters desperately trying to link the president to Epstein's crimes have been dealt a big setback, right? No. CNN and others are spinning it this Trump knew what Epstein was doing and didn't act quickly enough. So how would CNN know that? It doesn't say. It just continues to throw out ideological nonsense and preposterous analysis every day. Nothing can be done about press deception because of the First Amendment. However, CNN has lost millions of viewers because of its poor and dishonest reporting. Even on breaking news. It's all speculation all the time over there. The network sent Jake Tapper to Arizona to cover the terrible Guthrie kidnapping. Tapper stood in front of a cactus. It was hard to tell them apart anyway. Very tough these days to get honest analysis. But you knew that President Trump, all of the information indicates, was not associated with Epstein's crimes. I'm Bill O'Reilly. I approve the message by writing it. You can reach me billorilly.com, [e-mail] name in town if you wish to opine. All right, let's go to the mail. Edwin Pinder, Westhaven Connecticut. Hey, Bill, gotta tell you, I'm disappointed that you watched the National Football League and you went to the Super Bowl. You are supporting this controversial stuff by talking about it. Okay, Edwin, My job is to assemble information and give it to you, Edwin. That is my job. We do not do ideology here. This is not an ideological crusade place. You got plenty of those. You don't need another one. So I go to the super bowl, okay, and then I'm doing a story on San Francisco's collapse because I'm there. And then I found out why the devious rabbit was given a halftime show. And Edwin, you did not know that that Apple was behind it. You didn't know it because no one knew it until I found out. It wasn't that hard to find out just because it's me. You know, when I ask somebody something, they usually pony up the information. But again, we are here to gather information. This is not ideology that we're pushing. But I appreciate the letter and you watching it. Would Michael concierge member? Michael is an advantage in life. Now he's got my team behind him. So somebody does something untoward to Michael will help him. Michael says, I'm not sure I call a halftime capitalism in a strict sense. I guess it could be, but in this case, it was not consumer demand in a free market. Yeah, Michael, it was. You got 138 million people watching and Apple's going to make a ton of money from downloads with Bad Bunny. They're going to make way more than they invested in the NFL. That is capitalism. In a moment, something you might not know now the O'Reilly update brings you something you might not know. 217 years ago today, a baby was born in rural Kentucky. His life will be defined by personal tragedy and incredible courage. He will be remembered as the greatest president in American history. Here is the true story of Abraham Lincoln. Born February 12, 1809. The family moved to Indiana, then Illinois before his 10th birthday. Abe's mother died from so called milk sickness. She contracted the illness after consuming dairy from cows that grazed on poisonous plants. Devastated, young Abe turned to books. Reading the Bible, classic literature and the plays of William Shakespeare. As a young man, Abe worked as a farmhand, ferryboat operator, storekeeper, postman, and eventually an attorney. He entered politics in 1834 at the age of 25. Serving first in the Illinois General assembly, then the U.S. house of Representatives, Abe was instrumental in the rise of the Republican Party. Lincoln then launched two campaigns for the Senate. He lost both of them, but the exposure propelled him into the national spotlight for his strong anti slavery position. Abe Lincoln was selected as the first Republican presidential candidate in 1860, was elected to leave the divided nation later that year. The Civil War began 39 days after Lincoln's inauguration. Now the president spent the next four years struggling to save America. The battle took an immense toll on his personal life and physical health, but he did succeed in preserving the Union. As we all know, Confederate General Robert E. Lee surrendered to the Union forces on April 9, 1865. Just five days later, a Southern hater, John Wilkes Booth, shot and killed Abraham Lincoln at Ford's theater in Washington, D.C. the president was 56 years old. For more amazing stories about Lincoln's life and death, please check out my best selling book, killing Lincoln. Back in a moment. Thank you for listening to the O'Reilly update. I am Bill O'Reilly. No spin, just facts. And always looking out for you.