Summary5 min read

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

Episode: The O'Reilly Update, Weekend Edition
Date: February 28, 2026

Overview

This weekend edition of The O'Reilly Update delivers an incisive roundup of major news stories, followed by Bill O’Reilly’s commentary on a race-related political controversy and a historical segment on the Gulf War’s Desert Storm operation. The episode is structured with a news briefing by Mike Slater, listener mail, and O’Reilly’s signature “Message of the Day.”

Key Segments & Discussion Points

1. National News Highlights

[00:10–03:05] | With Mike Slater

FBI Employees Fired after Trump Investigation
- At least ten FBI agents who worked on Special Counsel Jack Smith's classified documents case against former President Trump were fired.
- Both federal indictments—over election interference and classified documents—were historic firsts.
- The classified documents charges were dismissed due to Smith’s unlawful appointment; the election charges were dropped post-2024 presidential race.
- “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.” [00:40, Mike Slater]
Hillary Clinton Deposed in Epstein Investigation
- Hillary Clinton testified under oath before the House Oversight Committee regarding ties to Jeffrey Epstein and Ghislaine Maxwell. Bill Clinton's testimony to follow.
- Notable incident: Rep. Lauren Boebert photographed Clinton during the closed-door session, sparking controversy.
- Flight logs confirm Bill Clinton traveled with Epstein internationally; he maintains travels were for charitable work.
- “This will be the first time that a former president has been forced to testify before Congress.” [01:27, Mike Slater]
New York Blizzard: Snowball Fight Turns to Assault
- Viral video: Individuals threw snowballs at police officers, leading to the arrest of Guzmane Koulibali for assault—less than three weeks after a prior attempted robbery arrest.
- Mayor weighed in, suggesting it was “a snowball fight.”
Violent Incident: Cuban Military Intercepts Boat
- Cuban forces intercepted and killed four people (injuring six) on a boat, some of whom were U.S. citizens or legal residents.
- Cuba claims the group was armed and had terrorist intentions; the U.S. denies involvement and says it will investigate.

2. Message of the Day: Newsom, Race, and 'Cheap Insults'

[03:05–05:18] | With Bill O'Reilly

Governor Gavin Newsom’s Controversial Interview
- Promoting his new book, Newsom recounted low SAT scores to claim relatability—“just like you”—to a Black interviewer.
- Outcry ensued, accusing him of racism. O’Reilly critiques how the “R word” (racist) is weaponized in political rhetoric, often unfairly.
- O'Reilly argues for policy critique over character attack:
- “There are far better ways to dissent from Governor Newsom's agenda than to tag him with a dishonest label... peddling hatred is much easier than honest analysis, as Gavin Newsom has learned the hard way.” [04:06, Bill O’Reilly]

3. Listener Mail & Hockey Team Controversy

[05:18–07:08] | With Bill O'Reilly

Debate Over Presidential Invitations to U.S. Men’s & Women’s Hockey Teams
- Listener Neil says O'Reilly's coverage was “unfair.” O'Reilly clarifies:
  - The men's team received a direct invitation from Trump and decided for themselves whether to attend the White House.
  - The women’s team's invitation was, per O’Reilly, more backhanded and not determined by players.
  - O'Reilly promises to name decision-makers involved in women's team invitation refusal on YouTube.
  - “The women should have decided where they want to go to the State of the Union, not some people running the team.” [06:15, Bill O’Reilly]
US-Canada Relations Discussion
- Listener Robin and Perry discuss pride in U.S. and Canadian hockey teams and critique Canada’s political leadership.
- O'Reilly defends criticism of Canadian leadership without condemning the country itself.

4. Something You Might Not Know: Operation Desert Storm

[07:08–09:30] | With Bill O'Reilly

35th Anniversary of U.S. Ground Invasion of Iraq
- Recap of events leading to Operation Desert Storm:
  - Iraq invades Kuwait (Aug 1990), UN response, Saddam’s miscalculation.
  - Six-week air campaign begins January 16.
  - Ground offensive starts February 24; in less than 100 hours, Iraqi forces are defeated, Kuwait is liberated.
  - President George H.W. Bush declared victory—Saddam Hussein stayed in power to avoid a civil war (which occurred after U.S. invasion in 2003).
- U.S. casualties: 150. Iraqi military casualties: ~50,000.
- Notable Points:
  - “It was also the largest global coalition ever assembled. Countries from every continent took place in the mission.” [09:22, Bill O'Reilly]

Notable Quotes

Mike Slater, on FBI firings:
“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.” [00:40]
Bill O’Reilly, on ‘racism’ accusations:
“The R word often used to demonize its target, perhaps cancel a person. Obviously, the ultra liberal Newsom does not want to insult black Americans. His intent was to portray himself as a regular guy who eventually made it doesn't matter. Newsom was pounded.” [03:45]
Bill O’Reilly, on policy versus personal attack:
“There are far better ways to dissent from Governor Newsom's agenda than to tag him with a dishonest label… Peddling hatred is much easier than honest analysis, as Gavin Newsom has learned the hard way.” [04:06]

Timestamps of Major Segments

News Recap with Mike Slater: [00:10–03:05]
O’Reilly: Message of the Day (Newsom Controversy): [03:05–05:18]
Listener Mail & Hockey Team/Canada Talk: [05:18–07:08]
Desert Storm Historical Segment: [07:08–09:30]

Memorable Moments

Lauren Boebert breaking protocol by taking a photo during Hillary Clinton’s deposition, creating closed-door drama. [~01:22]
O’Reilly’s pointed critique of the “racist” label as political weapon:
“The R word often used to demonize its target, perhaps cancel a person…” [03:45]
Revelation that the Gulf War (Desert Storm) was the shortest campaign with the largest coalition ever assembled, toppling an army in less than 100 hours. [09:22]

Conclusion

This episode interweaves sharp news analysis and historical perspective with O’Reilly’s commentary on political discourse, offering listeners facts with a “no spin” approach. Key headlines cover government shakeups, high-profile testimonies, domestic disturbances, and international incidents—all through the signature tone of The O’Reilly Update: direct, uncompromising, and focused on factual clarity.

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Transcript3 lines

[00:00]
A
Foreign Bill O'Reilly, here. You are listening to the weekend edition of the O'Reilly update. Coming up next, the news with Mike Slater.
[00:10]
B
Thanks, Bill. Here's what's happening this week in America. Agents fired, Clinton deposed, snowball fight, assault and a Cuban infiltration. That's all coming up. Then 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. And 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 Koulibali, 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 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.
[03:06]
A
Time now for the O'Reilly update. Message of the day. California Governor Gavin Newsom has a book out, so he's running around giving interviews, trying to market it. For a guy like Newsom who has enemies, this is not an easy thing. Speaking to a black interviewer in Atlanta, Newsom tried to make the point that he was no genius as a kid. He pointed to his low SAT scores, saying, they indicate that he is, quote, just like you. Uh oh. Because his show host is black. The governor was immediately accused of being racist, a cheap insult usually made against conservatives by liberals. But this time it was vice versa. The R word often used to demonize its target, perhaps cancel a person. Obviously, the ultra liberal Newsom does not want to insult black Americans. His intent was to portray himself as a regular guy who eventually made it doesn't matter. Newsom was pounded. There are far better ways to dissent from Governor Newsom's agenda than to tag him with a dishonest label. His record in California is certainly up for scrutiny, but peddling hatred is much easier than honest analysis, as Gavin Newsom has learned the hard way. I'm Bill O'Reilly. I approve the message by writing it. You can reach me billiloreilly.com billorilly.com name in town. If you wish to opine, go to the mail. Neal. Hey, Bill. With regard to the invitations at a hockey team, it's really an unfair positioning on your part. Okay, Neil, I'm being unfair. First, President Trump personally invited the men's hockey team, but some of the players immediately responded. No coaches, management or other executives had input. In fact, I'm not sure the US Men's hockey team as an organization even formally responded separately. Well, on the phone, Trump backhandedly invited the women's team. It was a joke. Number one, Neil, you may not like the joke, but it was a joke. Number two, the men's hockey team decided for itself whether they would go or not. And that's what should happen to the women. The women should have decided where they want to go to the State of the Union, not some people running the team. And I'll name the people on the YouTube thing. I'll name the people who made the decision. The hockey players didn't make it. It's, it's amazing story not being reported, but I was fair. Robin White, Chester, Virginia. I, too am proud of both teams, excellent players. I'm happy the USA won. I'd like Canada to know their team is amazing. Yeah. And I want daytime with Canada. I am absolutely convinced that would be the best thing for our country and the world. John Khan's here is remember, John, remember, if you got a problem, you gotta follow our direction here. I hope President Trump reads your column and realizes a necessary blunder to attack Canada. Well, he's not attacking them, he's criticizing them. And they have taken advantage of us. But enough's enough. Okay, Perry. Hey, Bill, isn't it Canadians that are the problem? It isn't Canadians. Perry says it isn't Canadians that are the problem, it's their leadership. Country has drifted way too far left. I don't disagree with that. In a moment, something you might not know. Now the O'Reilly update brings you something you might not know. 35 years ago, the armed forces of the United States launched a land invasion of Iraq. The mission would go down as one of the most successful military campaigns in history. Here is the story of Desert Storm. August 1990, Iraq invaded Kuwait, an oil rich country and strategic ally of the usa. Three months later, the United nations passed a resolution authorizing the use of force to repel Saddam Hussein and Iraqi troops, the heinous dictator. Saddam ignored the warning. He said, quote, american society cannot accept 10,000 dead in one battle. They will not attack. Saddam was wrong. On January 16th, American and British forces launched a six week air campaign. More than 100,000 tons of bombs were dropped on targets in and around Baghdad. On February 24, a massive ground offensive began. Saddam's forces were rapidly overwhelmed. They ran in less than 24 hours. The Iraqi army was totally defeated. Four days later, Kuwait was liberated. President George Bush the elder declared a ceasefire. On February 28, Iraq promised to comply with all future UN resolutions. But Saddam retained his power. The Pentagon believing any attempt to remove him would start a catastrophic civil war. And that is exactly what happened 12 years later under Bush the Younger. In total, 150 US soldiers and roughly 50,000 Iraqi troops were killed in Desert Storm. And here's something else you might not know. The operation was not only the most successful campaign in history, toppling an army in less than 100 hours, it was also the largest global coalition ever assembled. Countries from every continent took place in the mission. Back in a moment. That is the weekend edition of the O'Reilly Update. I am Bill O'Reilly. For more news and honest analysis, please go to billoreilly.com no spin, just facts. And always looking out for you.