The O'Reilly Update, January 13, 2026

Summary

---

Episode Overview

Podcast: Bill O’Reilly’s No Spin News and Analysis
Episode: The O'Reilly Update, January 13, 2026
Host: Bill O'Reilly (with news briefing by Mike Slater)
Main Theme:
A news-packed update covering escalating tensions and sanctions on Iran, lawsuits against federal enforcement initiatives, significant changes at Facebook (Meta), and a critique of Associated Press bias in news coverage—topped with historical context on federal authority and rebellion, and listener correspondence.

---

Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. Major US News Headlines

(Presented by Mike Slater, 00:39-03:34)

• Iran Sanctions and Tariffs
  • President Trump announced a trade embargo against Iran.
  • Any country doing business with Iran will face a 25% tariff on all US transactions.
  • Supreme Court decision on executive power for tariffs pending. Trump’s team is “looking at some very strong options.”
  • Iranian parliament vows fiery opposition: “We stand facing you.”
• Lawsuits Over Federal Immigration Enforcement
  • Minnesota and Minneapolis suing Trump administration, calling federal ICE crackdowns a “federal invasion.”
  • Illinois and Chicago following suit.
  • Homeland Security retort: Local officials failing in their duty resulted in federal interventions.
  • 2,000+ federal agents already in Minnesota, with 1,000 more expected.
• Oregon Voter Roll Cleanup
  • Oregon to remove 800,000 inactive voters—20% of all registered voters—from the rolls.
• Meta (Facebook) Leadership Shakeup
  • Dina Powell McCormick, former Trump advisor, appointed president and vice chairman of Facebook.
  • Married to US Senator Dave McCormick.
  • Dana White (UFC CEO, Trump supporter) also on Facebook’s board.
  • Trump reacts: “A great choice.” Noteworthy reversal—allies now at helm where he was once banned.
  • “Things change quickly.” (Mike Slater, 03:30)

---

2. Message of the Day: AP Coverage and Media Bias

(Bill O’Reilly, 03:34-05:23)

• Associated Press Critique
  • O’Reilly accuses the AP of anti-Trump bias via story selection and skepticism, not direct attacks.
  • Recalls 2025 White House expulsion for “slanting its coverage.”
  • Example: After Border Patrol agents shot two Venezuelan gang members in Portland, the government statement described them as suspected criminals, but the AP reported doubts on the admin's version.
  • O’Reilly: “Clearly, the Associated Press sought to undermine the Trump administration…and that is shameful.” (04:46)

---

3. Listener Mailbag

(05:41-07:26)

• Law Enforcement Back-Up & the Minnesota Incident
  • Robert (concierge member, law enforcement since 1979): Surprised at Minnesota police not backing up federal ICE agents.
    • O’Reilly: “Not do their jobs and protect ICE. That’s true. I think that was horrible.” (06:02)
  • Lynn, Atlanta: Calls recent shooting “bad.” Consensus among retired colleagues is de-escalation was possible.
    • O’Reilly replies that full context—including officer mindset—is necessary before judgment.
  • Seth: Attributes Minneapolis shooting more to inflammatory left-wing rhetoric than Biden’s policies.
    • O’Reilly: “But it’s a stair step. None of this would be in play…the rebellion would not be going on without Biden’s dereliction of duty.” (07:19)

---

4. Historical Context: The Nullification Crisis

(“Something You Might Not Know,” 07:26-09:16)

• Flashback to 1833
  • President Andrew Jackson’s letter to VP Van Buren warned against South Carolina’s defiance of federal tariffs.
  • Jackson: “The crisis must now be met with firmness; our citizens protected.” (07:55)
  • Compromise on tariffs averted violence, but Jackson foresaw the next conflict would center on slavery.
  • Relevance: Today, certain states, like Minnesota and Illinois, are refusing to comply with federal immigration law—a form of “rebellion.”
  • O’Reilly: “That is a rebellion. That is something that is going to have to be dealt with.” (09:09)

---

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• Iran Tensions:
  • “We are the nation of Imam Hussein. We are waiting. We stand facing you.” (Iranian parliament speaker, quoted at 01:34)
• Facebook’s Political Shift:
  • “Don’t forget, President Trump was once banned from Facebook. And now Zuckerberg eats dinner at Mar-a-Lago…” (Mike Slater, 03:20)
• News Media Skepticism:
  • “The Associated Press wants to make the Trump administration look bad, not by directly attacking the president, but by story selection and deep skepticism.” (Bill O’Reilly, 03:44)
• Law Enforcement Commentary:
  • “I’ve seen good and bad policing, but I’ve never seen police refuse to back up another law enforcement officer. It’s too bad the Minnesota police would not do their jobs and protect ICE.” (Robert & O’Reilly, 06:02)
• Historical Parallel:
  • “Today, many places in the Union are refusing to comply with federal immigration law. That is a rebellion.” (Bill O’Reilly, 09:09)

---

Timestamps for Key Segments

• News Wrap with Mike Slater – 00:39 to 03:34
• AP Critique & Message of the Day – 03:34 to 05:23
• Mailbag Q&A – 05:41 to 07:26
• "Something You Might Not Know" (Jackson and Nullification Crisis) – 07:26 to 09:16

---

Tone and Style

Bill O’Reilly’s trademark style: brisk, no-nonsense, sprinkled with historical lessons, skepticism about mainstream media, and a clear-right-leaning perspective. Exchanges with listeners are direct, occasionally humorous, but always pointed.

---

This summary offers a rich, structured recap of the episode, highlighting the interplay of current events, media criticism, political analysis, and American history that defines Bill O’Reilly’s approach.

Transcript

[LifeLock Announcer]

The new year brings new health goals and wealth goals. Protecting your identity is an important step. Your info is in endless places that could expose you to identity theft leading to lost funds. LifeLock monitors millions of data points per second. If your identity is stolen, our restoration specialists will fix it, guaranteed, or your money back. Resolve to make identity, health and wealth part of your new year's goals. With LifeLock, save up to 40% your first year. Visit LifeLock.com podcast terms apply.

[Bill O'Reilly]

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

[Mike Slater]

Thank you, Bill. It is Tuesday, January 13, 2026. Here's what's happening today in America. Iran sanctions, suing Trump, Oregon voter fraud, and Facebook's new president. It's all coming up. Then Bill is going to be here with your message of the day. But first, Trump announced a trade embargo against Iran and a tariff on anyone doing business with Iran. He wrote, effective immediately, any country doing business with the Islamic Republic of Iran will pay a tariff of 25% on any and all business being done with the United States of America. This order is final and conclusive. Thank you for your attention to this matter. Worth noting. The Supreme Court was expected to rule last Friday on the president's power to issue these tariffs. They didn't issue a ruling, but it might come this week. The president's team has presented Trump with a list of options. He said, we're looking at some very strong options. I'm getting an hourly report and we're going to make a determination very soon. The Iranian parliament speaker vowed that US Forces would be burned by the fire of Iran's defenders. Quote, in the name of millions of Iranian women and men, I say to the delusional and arrogant president United States, we are your opponent. We are the nation of Imam Hussein. We are waiting. We stand facing you. The state of Minnesota and the city of Minneapolis are suing the Trump administration, arguing that all this federal ICE enforcement is a, quote, federal invasion. They're asking a court to stop the crackdown. The state of Illinois and city of Chicago just did the same. Homeland Security said if these elected officials had done their sworn duty to protect the people of Minnesota, to root out fraud and get criminals off the street, we wouldn't be having this conversation in the first place. There are 2,000 federal agents in Minnesota already. Another 1,000 are expected to be deployed. Oregon election officials are set to begin removing hundreds of thousands of inactive voters from their registration roles. The secretary of state outlined two new Directives in total, 800,000 inactive voters will be removed from the rolls. That's 20% of Oregon's voter rolls. Meta has named a new president and vice chairman of Facebook. She's a former Trump administration Advisor, Dina Powell McCormick. She was the U.S. deputy National Security advisor for strategy to President Trump. She's married to US Senator Dave McCormick of Pennsylvania. Trump said the move was a great choice by Meta's CEO, Mark Zuckerberg, and noted that pal McCormick had served the Trump administration with strength and distinction. Facebook last year appointed UFC Ultimate Fighting Championships CEO Dana White, another Trump ally, to their board. Don't forget, President Trump was once banned from Facebook. And now Zuckerberg eats dinner at Mar a Lago and names Trump allies to the board of Facebook. And even now the president of Facebook. Things change quickly. I'm Mike Slater. From the podcast Politics by faith, Bill O'Reilly has your message of the day next.

[Bill O'Reilly]

Time now for the O'Reilly update. Message of the Day on this Tuesday, the Associated Press is really becoming a problem. The Worldwide News Agency sends thousands of stories to newspapers around the world, most of which print them with little scrutiny. AP executives will tell you they play it straight, seeking facts, rejecting spin. That is not true. The reality is the Associated Press wants to make the Trump administration look bad, not by directly attacking the president, but by story selection and deep skepticism. You may remember the AP was kicked out of the White House last year for slanting its coverage. They sued, but so far, the AP still looking through the window. And here's a vivid example of why. After Border Patrol agents shot two criminal suspects in Portland, Oregon, last week, the government issued a statement saying the pair is suspected of a local shooting and are members of a violent Venezuelan gang. That is true, but the AP would not accept reality and sent out a hard news report that said, quote, evidence has been cast on the administration's characterization of what prompted the shootings. Clearly, the Associated Press sought to undermine the Trump administration in this case, and that is shameful. I'm Bill O'Reilly. I approve the message by writing it. You can reach me, Bill, at billorilly.com billorilly.com name in town if you wish to opine. Okay. YouTube address. It's free.

[Bill O'Reilly's Associate]

Please sign up YouTube.com Billo Reilly. Got my Minnesota commentary on there. We'll have a new one for you tomorrow.

[Bill O'Reilly]

That's a good deal.

[Bill O'Reilly's Associate]

It really is. It doesn't cost you anything. And we have a far different approach to YouTube than we do for our program here.

[Bill O'Reilly]

All right, let's go to the mail.

[Bill O'Reilly's Associate]

We got Robert, a concierge member. Robert gets direct access to me and big insurance policy for him. Concierge membership billowilly.com Robert says, I've been in law enforcement since 1979. I've seen good and bad policing, but I've never seen police refuse to back up another law enforcement officer. It's too bad the Minnesota police would.

[Bill O'Reilly]

Not do their jobs and protect ice.

[Bill O'Reilly's Associate]

That's true. I think that was horrible.

[Bill O'Reilly]

You never saw the New York, the.

[Bill O'Reilly's Associate]

Local cops in these confrontations. ROBERT lynn, ATLANTA Hate it, but this was a bad shooting.

[Bill O'Reilly]

I've talked to several of my retired.

[Bill O'Reilly's Associate]

Colleagues and the consensus is shooting was bad. I wore a uniform for decades in a big city. It doesn't mean I'm sagacious, but people say I have good judgment. De escalation would have stopped this bad shooting. I don't think is fair because as I said last week, you'd have to break down a video and get in the mind of the officer before you can make that determination. Seth, longtime listener, read all your books. Confronting Evil was excellent. I'm having my 11 year old read Confronting the President's he loves the cursing parrot. Andrew Jackson at a parrot. Very funny story. You said today that the shooting in Minneapolis happened because the Biden's immigration policy I disagree on. I do acknowledge his reckless border policy set the stage. I believe this happened because the extreme and irresponsible language the left is using. Okay, but it's a stair step. None of this would be in play. The rebellion would not be going on without Biden's dereliction of duty. I have to make these points in a broad way.

[Bill O'Reilly]

In a moment, something you might not know. Now the O'Reilly update brings you something you might not know. 193 years ago today, President Andrew Jackson wrote a letter to his incoming vice president, Martin Van Buren. In it, he expressed concern over South Carolina's defiance of federal law. Less than three decades later, that state would secede from the Union. Here's the story behind the so called nullification crisis. The fiasco began in 1892 when South Carolina declared national tariffs on foreign goods as null and unconstitutional. Designed to protect northern factories, Southern officials claim the duties unfairly targeted their residents that imported many products from Great Britain. In early 1833, South Carolina was poised to dispatch armed guards to prevent the collection of terrorists throughout the state. Two weeks before the deadline, Andrew Jackson dispatched an ominous letter to Van Buren warning of a potential civil war should South Carolina take the action, wrote Jackson, quote, was this to be permitted the government would lose the confidence of its citizens and it would induce disunion everywhere. No, my friend, the crisis must now be met with firmness. Our citizens protected, unquote. Well, the crisis was resolved peacefully. In March 1833, Southern lawmakers drafted a reduced tariff arrangement that pacified South Carolina while allowing the federal government to stand on its principles. On May 1, 1833, President Jackson wrote another prescient letter to members of his cabinet. Quote, the tariff issue was only a pretext and disunion in southern Confederacy. The real object, the next pretext will be the issue of slavery. And of course that came true. Here's something else you might not know. Today many places in the Union are refusing to comply with federal immigration law. That is a rebellion. That is something that is going to have to be dealt with. 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.