The O'Reilly Update, February 27, 2026

Summary

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

Episode: The O'Reilly Update, February 27, 2026
Host: Bill O'Reilly
Date: February 27, 2026

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Episode Overview

This episode of "The O’Reilly Update" covers several significant news stories from February 27, 2026, offering Bill O'Reilly's signature "no spin" analysis. Key topics include high-profile FBI firings related to Trump investigations, Hillary and Bill Clinton’s closed-door Congressional depositions in the Epstein case, a snowball assault incident in NYC, an alleged Cuban terrorist infiltration, skepticism around certain media allegations, media trust issues, and a historical segment on Abraham Lincoln’s Cooper Union Address. The program closes with select listener mail.

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Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. Major News Stories Recap

Host (Mike Slater, Guest Newscaster):

• FBI Firings Related to Trump Investigations
  (00:10–01:10)

  • At least 10 FBI personnel involved in Jack Smith’s investigation of Trump over classified documents were fired.
  • Jack Smith’s cases: one indictment about overturning the 2020 election, another about Mar-a-Lago documents.
  • Charges were dismissed as Smith was ruled unlawfully appointed; Smith withdrew election charges after Trump’s 2024 win.

  Notable Quote:

  "The two of them were the first federal criminal indictments against a former president in U.S. history." — Mike Slater (00:32)

• Clintons Deposed in Epstein-Related Investigation
  (01:11–02:02)

  • Hillary Clinton testified before House lawmakers in a closed-door session regarding Jeffrey Epstein and Ghislaine Maxwell.
  • Bill Clinton scheduled to testify next.
  • Incident: Rep. Lauren Boebert took a forbidden photograph, causing legal drama.
  • Epstein flight logs indicate Bill Clinton’s extensive travel; his office cites “charitable work.”

  Notable Moment:

  "This will be the first time that a former president has been forced to testify before Congress." — Mike Slater (01:22)

• NY Snowball Assault Incident
  (02:03–02:24)

  • An individual was arrested for assaulting police with snowballs and had a previous robbery arrest.
  • NYC Mayor downplayed severity:

    "I think that it was a snowball fight." (02:19)

• Cuban Boat Infiltration and U.S. Response
  (02:25–02:54)

  • Cuban military intercepted a boat, killing four, injuring six. Some on board were US citizens or legal residents.
  • Cuba accuses them of terrorism and attacking Cuban forces.
  • U.S. officials, including Marco Rubio and the Secretary of State, deny involvement and await more facts.

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2. O'Reilly’s Message of the Day: Caution with Unverified Allegations

Host: Bill O’Reilly
(03:03–04:55)

• O’Reilly critiques recent NPR stories, especially allegations aimed at Trump regarding sexual assault linked to Epstein.

• The initial interview with the accuser (public) had "no mention of Donald Trump"; later interviews are sealed and unverified.

• The case reportedly settled for money with the Epstein estate, not Trump.

• O’Reilly highlights potential political bias and lack of credible evidence.

• Warns listeners about the dangers of “trial by mob.”

  Notable Quotes:

  "Skepticism should be in play here. It is absolutely wrong and extremely damaging to the country to make public dubious allegations. Trial by mob must be avoided." — Bill O'Reilly (04:50)

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3. Media Trust and Listener Mail

Mail Bag Segment (05:10–07:03)

• On Accusing Major Outlets:

  • Listeners express distrust in Associated Press (AP), NPR, and other mainstream outlets.
  • O’Reilly agrees:

    "The AP is shot, finished, done. NPR, PBS, Washington Post, the network news never coming back. They did it to themselves." (06:24)

• On Truth in News and Constitutional Limits:

  • O’Reilly explains that laws requiring “truth in journalism” would be unconstitutional due to the First Amendment’s protection of subjective claims.

    "There isn’t a law that would be constitutional because everything would be, 'oh, no, it’s true.' You know, First Amendment, subjective, objective truth... That's beyond a reasonable doubt. So that'll never happen." (05:28)

• On Christian History (Ash Wednesday Listener Question):

  • Clarifies his earlier statement:

    "Jesus Christ was Jesus of Nazareth. Christ came later. Okay. Jesus of Nazareth was a Jew... [St. Paul] structured what the Catholic Church would become. That's the way the history breaks down." (06:45)

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4. “Something You Might Not Know” — Abraham Lincoln’s Cooper Union Address

(07:34–10:11)

• History segment: On Feb. 27, 1860, Lincoln’s speech at Cooper Union galvanized national opposition to slavery.

• Lincoln argued founders approved federal power over slavery in territories.

• This speech propelled Lincoln to become the Republican nominee and, eventually, president.

• The Cooper Union Building still stands as a college today.

  Notable Quotes:

  "The sum of the whole is that of our 39 fathers who framed the original Constitution, 21. A clear majority certainly understood that no proper division of local from federal authority nor any part of the Constitution forbade the federal government from controlling slavery in federal territories..." — Abraham Lincoln, quoted (08:38)

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Memorable Moments & Analysis

• The program's central tone is skeptical of sensational media reports, especially regarding Trump and the Epstein case.
• O'Reilly consistently encourages critical thinking: “Skepticism should be in play here.”
• The discussion about media trust is candid and critical, resonating with the audience’s concerns.
• Listener interaction brings up both current events and historical context, showcasing O'Reilly’s willingness to clarify or correct historical misconceptions.

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Timestamps for Key Segments

| Segment | Timestamps | |------------------------------------------------|--------------------| | Headline Recap (w/ Mike Slater) | 00:09 – 03:03 | | O’Reilly Message of the Day (Media Caution) | 03:03 – 05:10 | | Listener Mail (Trust & History) | 05:10 – 07:03 | | “Something You Might Not Know” (Lincoln) | 07:34 – 10:11 |

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Notable Quotes (with Attribution)

• "Trial by mob must be avoided." — Bill O'Reilly (04:55)
• "This will be the first time that a former president has been forced to testify before Congress." — Mike Slater (01:22)
• "The AP is shot, finished, done... They did it to themselves." — Bill O'Reilly (06:24)

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Summary

This “O’Reilly Update” leans heavily into media skepticism, legal boundaries in journalism, and historical context regarding both current and past national controversies. With an emphasis on sober analysis and avoidance of "mob mentality," O'Reilly urges viewers to withhold judgment on unsubstantiated allegations, particularly those derived from ideologically-charged sources. The episode seamlessly moves from immediate news to historical lessons, encouraging listeners to ground their opinions in verified facts and reason.

Transcript

[A]

Foreign. Here you are listening to the O'Reilly update. Coming up next, the news with Mike Slater.

[B]

Thank you, Bill. It is Friday, February 27, 2026. Here's what's happening today in America. Agents fired, Clinton deposed, snowball fight, assault and a Cuban infiltration. That's all coming up. And Bill's gonna be here with your message of the day. But first, at least 10 FBI employees who worked on former special counsel Jack Smith's investigation into President Trump's retention of classified documents after he left the White House in 2021. They were fired. If you remember, there were two federal investigations into the then former President Trump, one about overturning the election and another about classified documents. That's the Mar A Lago raid. The agents that were fired were involved in that classified documents case, Smith's investigations. The two of them were the first federal criminal indictments against a former president in U.S. history. The classified documents charges were dismissed by a federal judge on the grounds that Smith was unlawfully appointed. And then Smith dropped the election charges. After the president won the 2024 race, Hillary Clinton appeared before House lawmakers in New York, testifying under oath as a part of a congressional investigation into convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein and Ghislaine Maxwell. Two days of closed door depositions from the House Oversight Committee. Yesterday was Hillary. Today is Bill. This is being done in Chappaqua, New York, where they live. This will be the first time that a former president has been forced to testify before Congress. Some drama on day one. This is a closed door testimony, but Congresswoman Lauren Boebert took a picture of Hillary and her lawyers up there and the lawyers asked that the whole thing be stopped because no one's allowed to take pictures. Flight logs for Epstein's private jet show that the former president traveled on the Epstein plane for trips to the Virgin Islands, Portugal, Siberia, Japan and China. Bill claims that these trips were only ever related to his charitable work. A video made the rounds the other day of people throwing snowballs at New York police officers during the blizzard on Monday, one man was arrested, Guzmane Koulali, 27 years old. He was arrested for assaulting a police officer. He was previously arrested less than three weeks ago for attempted robbery in the subway. When the mayor was asked if anyone should be charged for this, he said, I've seen the videos of this snowball fight. I think that it was a snowball fight. We know a little more about the boat that the Cuban military stopped, killed four people on the boat, injured six others. According to Axios, at least one of the people on board was a US citizen. The others were either on a K1 visa or legal permanent residence of America. Cuba said that the people on the boat were armed with guns and bombs and body armor and that they attacked the Cuban boat first and also, quote, intended to carry out an infiltration of for terrorist purposes. Marco Rubio, our secretary of state, said that Washington had nothing to do with this boat in any way and will respond accordingly after investigating. I'm Mike Slater. I have a podcast called Politics by Faith. You can listen to it anywhere you Download podcasts. Bill O'Reilly has your message of the day next.

[A]

Time now for the O'Reilly update. Message of the Day on this Friday, we are using caution about an NPR report that infers the Justice Department is covering up Epstein story allegations against President Trump. The story is foggy, to say the least. The gist of it seems to be the FBI interviewed a woman who says the president assaulted her at the age of 13. The first interview on that is public and the accuser apparently makes no mention of Donald Trump. The subsequent interviews are being withheld by the Justice Department because the information is apparently not verified. In addition, the woman sued the Epstein estate and settled for money. No mention of Donald Trump in that suit. Now, the people reporting the alleged cover up all have an anti Trump bias. In addition, the Biden Justice Department had the FBI reports and kept them classified. If the alleged victim had any credibility whatsoever, surely the Biden people would have gone public. So skepticism should be in play here. It is absolutely wrong and extremely damaging to the country to make public dubious allegations. Trial by mob must be avoided. I'm Bill O'Reilly. I approve the message by writing it. You can reach me billoriley.com, billoriley.com name in town. If you wish to opine now, let's go to the mail. Frederick Concierge remembered his AP stand for associated propaganda. Apparently laws must be passed, require that news agencies report the truth. There isn't a law that would be constitutional because everything would be, oh, no, it's true. You know, First Amendment, subjective, objective truth is we wouldn't have so many lawsuits, let's put it that way. Okay. It's beyond a reasonable doubt. So that'll never happen. Surge. I'm happy to hear you calling out these news outlets like the AP when they lie to us. They have deservedly lost our trust. Be hard to earn it back. They'll never earn it back. The AP is shot, finished, done. Npr, pbs, Washington Post, the network news never coming back. They did it to themselves. Don. Al Haney, Kent, Washington. Bill, you said on your program on ash Wednesday that St. Paul started the Catholic Church. Really? I always heard the church was started by Jesus Christ. Don, I'm going to be nice to you. Jesus Christ was Jesus of Nazareth. Christ came later. Okay. Jesus of Nazareth was a Jew. He died a Jew. He had 12 apostles. 11. After Judas hung himself, they went out to preach. One of the people that heard the message was St. Paul Paul, who was in modern day Syria. He structured what the Catholic Church would become. That's the way the history breaks down. I want to check out everybody for Easter season. Killing Jesus in a moment. Something you might not know.

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[A]

The O'Reilly update brings you something you might not no 166 years ago today, Abraham Lincoln delivered one of the most important speeches in American history. Here is the story behind the Cooper union address. Early 1860, the former congressman from Illinois was invited to address a Republican conference in New York City. Despite losing a recent Senate race, Abraham Lincoln's popularity was growing. On February 27, Abe spoke before a crowd gathered inside the Great hall of Manhattan's Cooper Union Building. The address focused on the biggest issue facing the bitterly divided nation. Slavery. Said Lincoln, quote, the sum of the whole is that of our 39 fathers who framed the original Constitution, 21. A clear majority certainly understood that no proper division of local from federal authority nor any part of the Constitution forbade the federal government from controlling slavery in federal territories, unquote. Which means that when states were not yet ratified, the feds could say, no slavery there. Towards the end of the speech, he urged Republicans to elect anti slavery politicians throughout the USA and prevent the spread of slavery to new states. The address became a national sensation. Abraham Lincoln's remarks are printed and published in every major city, even in the South. He soon became a national symbol for the anti slavery movement. Three months later, Lincoln was selected by the Republican National Convention to run as the party's presidential nominee. In November 1860, Abraham Lincoln defeated Southern Democrat candidate John Breckinridge with an electoral landslide, 180 to 72. Abe also carried the popular vote by an even larger margin, even though Lincoln's name did not appear on many ballots. And here's something else you might not know. The Cooper Union Building stands to this day. The iconic hall houses a private college. Back after this,

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[A]

Thank you for listening to the O'Reilly update. I am Bill O'Reilly. No spin, just facts. And always looking out for you.