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

Episode: Will Putin Accept a Peace Deal? Trump to Meet Xi in China, Americans Divided on Military Action in Venezuela & Talmage Boston on the History of Thanksgiving
Date: November 26, 2025
Host: Bill O’Reilly
Guest: Talmage Boston (Presidential Historian)

Overview

This episode of No Spin News covers geopolitical developments with Russia and Ukraine, diplomatic moves between Trump and China, U.S. public opinion on military involvement in Venezuela, an analysis of domestic political controversies, and closes with an engaging segment on the origin and evolution of Thanksgiving featuring historian Talmage Boston.

Key Discussion Points

1. Exhaustion and Relief: The American Mood Around Thanksgiving

Timestamp: 01:10–03:00

• Bill opens by observing heightened anticipation around Thanksgiving and Christmas, attributing it to collective exhaustion from rapid societal and economic changes.
• He notes that the holidays are acting as a relief mechanism for a nation under pressure.

"People are really looking forward to this holiday. And it's because, in my opinion, they're exhausted. Folks are exhausted in this country by the rapid changes and by the challenges..."
— Bill O'Reilly (01:35)

2. Ukraine Peace Negotiations & Putin’s Role

Timestamp: 03:01–11:50

• Reports that Ukraine is willing to agree to a peace deal with Russia, with talks ongoing in Abu Dhabi.
• O'Reilly emphasizes skepticism, noting the deal is only preliminary and highlighting continued Russian aggression, even as talks occur.
• He outlines war statistics: 100,000 Ukrainian soldiers killed, over a million Russian casualties, $2 trillion war cost for Russia.
• Zelensky's position is described as weak due to mass draft dodging, corruption scandals, and a defensive-only war posture.
• O'Reilly is highly critical of Vladimir Putin, equating his evil with historical dictators.

"Putin is the problem. There's no doubt about it. One man. One man. All of that. Millions of people dead, wounded, displaced. One man."
— Bill O'Reilly (09:05)

"[Putin] is that bad to be with Hitler and Mao... This guy. I gotta tell you, when I hear people praising him or sympathizing with him, over, over. For me, that means the person is not smart enough to engage me in conversation."
— Bill O'Reilly (09:50)

3. U.S.-China Relations: Trump and Xi Jinping

Timestamp: 11:51–14:30

• Announced that Trump will visit Beijing in April; O'Reilly discusses his own prior conversations with Chinese officials regarding the need to address the fentanyl crisis and foster economic ties.
• Emphasizes the global importance of U.S.–China engagement and suggests the U.S. should encourage China to distance itself from Russia.

"We need to have China back away from Putin, number one, and have an economic arrangement with the United States. It benefits the whole world. That's what we need. Okay? Whether you like China or not..."
— Bill O’Reilly (14:12)

4. Venezuela and U.S. Military Action: Public Opinion & Predictions

Timestamp: 14:31–17:32

• Discusses results of a CBS/YouGov poll:
  • 76% say the Trump administration hasn’t clearly explained the U.S. stance on Venezuela.
  • 61% consider Venezuela a threat (major or minor) to U.S. security.
  • 70% oppose U.S. military intervention unless it directly targets narcotics suspects, in which 53% approve.
• O’Reilly predicts Venezuela’s dictator Maduro may soon be ousted via a deal.

"My prediction is... they're going to make a deal, move [Maduro] out someplace, maybe Spain, and they'll let him take his money, but he'll be gone. I think good chance that'll happen."
— Bill O’Reilly (17:13)

5. U.S. Politics: Obamacare Subsidies, Tariffs, and National Debt

Timestamp: 17:33–22:00

• Trump proposes (then withdraws) a two-year Obamacare subsidy extension, citing pushback from cost-conscious Republicans.
• O’Reilly argues for tax credits instead of direct payments to American workers, expressing concern over the $37 trillion national debt.

"I want the debt to be paid down. It's $37 trillion. You can pay 2 trillion off like that. You got to do it. But at the same time, I do feel that American workers really need a break."
— Bill O’Reilly (19:58)

6. Military, Senator Kelly, and Civil-Military Tensions

Timestamp: 22:01–24:44

• War Department (now the Defense Department) investigates Senator Mark Kelly for “demoralizing” the troops by mentioning soldiers should not obey unlawful orders. O’Reilly calls this criticism a political stunt.
• Critical remarks about Arizona Senator Ruben Gallego for foul language and “irrational garbage” in politics.

"If you can't articulate better than that, resign. A lot of kids that watch the news."
— Bill O’Reilly (23:12)

7. Legal News: Comey, Letitia James, and Legal Technicalities

Timestamp: 24:45–25:40

• Updates on legal cases involving James Comey and Letitia James. O’Reilly claims both may have committed illegal acts but faults the legal process for focusing on procedural technicalities instead of merits.

"This is about a timeline, not about merit. And you listen to the CNNs or the ABC News, they don't have a blanket clue and they don't care to know..."
— Bill O’Reilly (25:40)

8. Airline Reviews and Holiday Travel

Timestamp: 25:41–29:27

• Ranks top and bottom U.S. airlines for reliability:
  • Top: Delta, Hawaiian, Southwest, United, Spirit.
  • Bottom: American, Frontier, Allegiant, Alaska, JetBlue.
• Personal travel anecdotes illustrate the importance of airline quality.

"Delta going out. Really good, really good. Crews were good. Club was good. Plane was spotless. I. Nine out of ten, I give."
— Bill O'Reilly (26:41)

• Secretary of Transportation Sean Duffy is quoted encouraging respectful dress and manners when flying.

"Maybe we should say please and thank you to our pilots and to our flight attendants...dress a little better, which encourages us to maybe behave all a little better. Let's try not to wear slippers and pajamas as we come to the airport."
— Sean Duffy (29:27)

"It's slobs on parade. Not everybody, but a significant minority. You're slobs. You get on that plane, it's like, whoa, what is this? Come on."
— Bill O'Reilly (30:05)

9. The History of Thanksgiving: Conversation with Talmage Boston

Timestamp: 30:20–38:02

• Boston explains the origins of Thanksgiving, beginning with sporadic national proclamations, but formalized as an annual holiday by Abraham Lincoln in 1863 amid the Civil War — thanks to the years-long campaign by magazine editor Sarah Josepha Hale.
• O’Reilly and Boston also discuss FDR’s decision in 1941 to set Thanksgiving as the fourth Thursday in November to boost the economy.

“She began a serious campaign...writing all these wonderful editorials describing Thanksgiving...But her pleas kept falling on deaf ears until finally, in 1863, President Abraham Lincoln said, ‘yes.’”
— Talmage Boston (31:37)

"Mary Had a Little Lamb was her most famous. She had books of poetry, she wrote novels. She wrote short stories."
— Talmage Boston (33:59)

• Lincoln used Thanksgiving as a unifying, spiritual act during turmoil, while FDR’s move was more economically motivated.

“He wanted to make the holiday such that it would maximize the boom to the economy...So by 1941, Franklin Roosevelt formalized — it's going to be the fourth Thursday in November.”
— Talmage Boston (37:28)

10. O’Reilly’s Thanksgiving Traditions

Timestamp: 38:03–End

• Personalizes the episode with his family’s routine: watching the parade (but “nobody actually watches it”), big family meal, and classic movies.
• Urges listeners to take a break, relax, and enjoy the holiday.

"Thanksgiving at the O'Reilly house. Very traditional. I put the parade on. Nobody watches it...We eat around four. Turkey, everything. The traditional deal, lay it all out. People serve themselves, sit at my grandmother's table. It's 120 years old..."
— Bill O’Reilly (38:03)

Notable Quotes

• “Don't get overly optimistic here, all right, because Putin, one guy can do it...But if Putin doesn't stop it, every resource that we have...gotta be used to destroy the man. Simple as that. Enough.”
  — Bill O’Reilly (10:18)
• “It's exactly what Kelly did. Then the commander, she can say to his war secretary, investigate this. I would. Now do I think it's going anywhere? No, I don't. Kelly is a patriot.”
  — Bill O’Reilly (23:50)
• "But that's what you get. It's kind of irrational garbage complemented by the F word. Boy, this guy. But I don't think it's going to lead to much for Kelly."
  — Bill O’Reilly (24:10)

Timestamps for Important Segments

• 02:00 State of the country; exhaustion and holiday relief
• 03:00–10:30 In-depth Ukraine war analysis, Putin’s motivations, prospects for peace
• 11:51–14:30 Trump–Xi relations, upcoming China visit, U.S.–China interests
• 14:40–17:32 Polling and analysis on military action in Venezuela, Maduro predictions
• 17:33–22:00 Obamacare, GOP tussles, debates over deficit and worker relief
• 22:01–24:44 Senator Kelly investigation, military dissent
• 25:41–29:27 Airline reliability and holiday travel tips; Sean Duffy
• 30:20–38:02 History of Thanksgiving with Talmage Boston
• 38:03–End O'Reilly’s personal holiday traditions and advice

Episode Tone

• Candid, occasionally combative, with trademark O’Reilly skepticism and humor—most notably in discussions of politics, international issues, and his own family traditions.
• Historian Talmage Boston brings a warm, informative counterpoint in the Thanksgiving segment.

Conclusion

This episode delivers O’Reilly’s characteristic “no spin” breakdown of major geopolitical events, U.S. politics, and public sentiment, situating them against a backdrop of national exhaustion and the upcoming Thanksgiving holiday. The historical segment on Thanksgiving offers both education and a lighthearted close, with personal anecdotes and holiday wishes.