The Five — Detailed Episode Summary

Episode Title: Day 17 In Desperate Search for Nancy Guthrie
Date: February 17, 2026
Podcast: The Five – FOX News Podcasts
Panelists/Hosts: Kennedy, Harold Ford Jr., Lawrence Jones, Dana Perino, Greg Gutfeld, Jesse Watters
Guest Correspondent: Jonathan Hunt

Overview

This episode dives into the latest news on the high-stakes search for missing woman Nancy Guthrie, then pivots to hard-hitting animated debate and critique about Democratic politicians’ overseas performances, President Trump’s 2026 “affordability tour,” transgender violence and gun policy debates, Rosie O’Donnell’s return to the U.S., and the newly surfaced “erotic poetry” of Congressman Eric Swalwell. The panel blends sharp analysis, humor, and memorable quotes to break down the day’s top controversies and urgent national debates.

Key Segments & Discussion Points

1. Nancy Guthrie Disappearance Update

Timestamps: [00:34] – [03:22]
Main Points:

• DNA Dead Ends: The panel opens with a “Fox News alert” – Day 17 of the search has brought no DNA matches from evidence found at Nancy’s home and on a glove located two miles away.
  • “A disappointing setback… there is no match in the federal database for the DNA.” – Kennedy [00:35]
  • Jonathan Hunt relays the sheriff’s confirmation: the DNA is not in CODIS (Combined DNA Index System), meaning no hits, stalling the investigation. [01:15–01:52]
  • Genealogical testing is mentioned as the next investigative step.
• Crime Profile: Sheriff, per Hunt, leans toward a “targeted kidnapping,” not a burglary, though there are no signs of Guthrie being taken to Mexico.
  • “I believe it was a kidnapping. I believe whoever did that knew what they were up to.” – Sheriff, via Lawrence Jones [02:48–02:53]

2. Democrats’ ‘Overseas Selfie Tour’ in Germany & Foreign Policy Gaffes

Timestamps: [03:22] – [13:52]
Main Points:

• Panel Roasts AOC & Gavin Newsom:

  • Kennedy dubs their attendance at the Munich Security Conference “the unofficial kickoff for 2028,” ridiculing them for appearing “like interns on their first day.” [03:22]
  • Panel critiques AOC’s awkward answers and Newsom’s “bad look for the country.”
  • “The socialist rep not happy with how her word linguini turned her into a global laughingstock…” – Kennedy [04:14]

• Notable Gaffes Highlighted:

  • AOC claims American cowboys originated in Spain—panel finds the remark ignorant:
    • “The Mexicans and descendants of African enslaved peoples would like to have a word…” – Kennedy [04:53]
    • “She’s a direct descendant of the guy that brought the horses to Mexico…Cortez… and then later gave us an ass.” – Harold Ford Jr. [07:46]
  • AOC’s muddled defense of Venezuela’s Maduro and flubs on China, Taiwan, and basic global politics are lampooned.
  • Kennedy compares AOC’s missteps to Kamala Harris':
    • “If Kamala Harris had a flub, she would say… injustice and inequality… then flub the answer, and then you are a racist and a sexist because you noticed.” – Dana Perino [05:33]

• Reflecting on U.S. Politicians vs. Overseas Reality:

  • “Democrats are blessed with the binary filter… but once you step outside the country, that equality evaporates…” – Greg Gutfeld [08:01]
  • The panel contrasts AOC and Newsom’s struggles with Marco Rubio’s successful foreign policy reception in Europe.

• Meta-commentary on Political Training:

  • “The Democrats have a training wheels problem. They have a press that always guides them.” – Jesse Watters [10:06]
  • “What she did in her prep was rehearse. She didn’t learn… that’s why she paused.” – Watters [11:16]

• Suggestions for Better Democratic Representation:

  • “We have a number of Democrats in our party who are very smart, like Mark Warner and Jack Reed… I thought we did not put our best foot forward.” – Harold Ford Jr. [12:16]

3. Trump’s ‘Affordability Tour’ & The Language of ‘So-Called’ Politics

Timestamps: [15:05] – [23:12]
Main Points:

• Trump’s Message:

  • Trump returns to the campaign trail in Georgia, boasting economic achievements, especially on inflation and fuel prices.
  • “Prices are down, way down. Gasoline is less than $2 in many places…We inherited a mess and we’ve brought our country back…” – Harold Ford Jr. (quoting Trump) [15:19]

• Democratic Messaging Critiqued:

  • Mockery of Democrats’ overuse of the phrase “so-called” to delegitimize GOP initiatives.
  • “They always find one word and then they squeeze all the juice out of it. And then they wonder why no one listens to them anymore.” – Harold Ford Jr. [16:16]

• Affordability Issues Remain:

  • Despite positive economic news, real-world prices for consumer goods (citing the Wall St Journal) are rising due to tariffs, healthcare costs, and higher wages.
  • “All of the shutdowns is around illegals. The first shutdown was about health care for illegals. The second shut down was about ICE… now they’re fighting for the legals to vote.” – Jesse Watters [20:44]
  • Upcoming State of the Union will offer an “open field” for clear economic messaging.

• Long-term Economic Uncertainty:

  • Panel debates the impact and speed of incoming investment, AI, and potential market growth running up to the next election.

4. Transgender Violence & Gun Policy Debate

Timestamps: [23:38] – [32:56]
Main Points:

• Rhode Island Rink Tragedy:

  • Panel discusses a mass shooting by a transgender individual, with Kennedy and Gutfeld framing the act as rooted in severe mental illness and failed intervention.
  • “If you’re thinking about killing your family and killing yourself, cut out the middleman. Just go ahead and kill yourself.” – Kennedy [26:05] (provocative and intentionally shocking commentary on media coverage)

• Transgender Rights, Mental Illness, & Gun Access:

  • Debate emerges on whether gender dysphoria should bar gun ownership:
    • “If you mentally think you’re someone that you’re not, that has to be addressed.” – Jesse Watters [27:38]
    • The panel broadly agrees mentally unstable people shouldn’t have firearms, regardless of their gender identity.
  • Gutfeld connects social acceptance of “self-identification” with the rise in violent incidents:
    • “It became a self-reported phenomenon where, if you said you were trans, you were trans… That activists… portrayed this as some kind of civil rights thing when it was a mental illness married to a social contagion.” – Greg Gutfeld [28:48]

• Potential for Agreement on Gun Control:

  • “If you are unstable and you are… whatever you are, we shouldn’t let you have a gun. If you beat your wife or you have a record, you shouldn’t be able to have [a gun].” – Harold Ford Jr. [30:18]
  • “We have finally reached a point, at least around this table, about where there are limitations to the Second Amendment.” – Lawrence Jones [32:27]

5. Rosie O’Donnell Returns: ‘TDS Exile’ & The Psychology of Partisanship

Timestamps: [33:47] – [38:25]
Main Points:

• Rosie’s Dramatic Homecoming:

  • Panel mocks O’Donnell’s public explanation for returning from “self-imposed TDS exile” in Ireland, suggesting she left the U.S. over Trump’s reelection.
  • “I thought I was depressed about Trump. No. The weather was driving her crazy.” – Dana Perino [34:34]
  • “She is an ordinary person in Ireland, they’re not impressed by her. She has to be near [Trump]… That is her life force.” – Kennedy [35:17]

• Rich People’s Privilege:

  • The ability to move between countries is characterized as something only the wealthy can do.

• ‘Positive vs. Negative Thought’ Political Framework:

  • Gutfeld delivers a soliloquy on partisan psychology:
    • “The Democrats are the bad thought party… The good thought party is clearly the Republicans. America is a great place. Family, you should have a family… Power of positive thinking.” – Greg Gutfeld [36:23]
  • He connects “negative obsessional thinking” (TDS = Trump Derangement Syndrome) with Democrats’ political woes.
  • “TDS is a continuous build of negative obsessional thinking. People driven to violence… not from thinking positive.” – Gutfeld [38:10]

6. Eric Swalwell’s ‘Secret Erotic Poetry’

Timestamps: [39:39] – [41:27]
Main Points:

• The internet recirculates poetry written by Congressman Eric Swalwell at 19, which the panel reads and lampoons for its pomposity and the double standard in media coverage versus Republicans.
  • “If Brett Kavanaugh’s high school diary is up for grabs, then so is Eric Swalwell’s. Creepy.” – Kennedy [40:45]
• Panel jokes about the tendency for liberal politicians (e.g., Bernie Sanders, Stacey Abrams) to write poetry in youth.

7. Tribute & ‘One More Thing’

Timestamps: [41:41] – [42:10]
Main Points:

• Harold Ford Jr. pays tribute to the late Reverend Jackson, acknowledging his role as a civil rights leader and friend to presidents.
  • “He inspired me… God bless you and rest in peace.” – Harold Ford Jr. [41:43]

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• On the search for Nancy Guthrie: “A disappointing setback on day 17… no match in the federal database for the DNA found.” – Kennedy [00:35]
• On Democratic foreign policy blunders: “She didn’t learn the material. And that’s why she paused. Everyone knows it.” – Jesse Watters [11:16]
• On political media bias: “The Democrats have a training wheels problem. They have a press that always guides them along the way. Any mistake, they’re there to catch them…” – Jesse Watters [10:06]
• On psychological gender identity & gun control: “If you mentally think you’re someone that you’re not, that has to be addressed.” – Jesse Watters [27:38]
• On positive vs negative partisanship: “The Democrats are the bad thought party… the good thought party is clearly the Republicans… That separation in thinking is explaining a lot…” – Greg Gutfeld [36:23]

Segment Timestamps (Approximate)

• Search for Nancy Guthrie: [00:34] – [03:22]
• Democrats in Germany / Foreign Policy Critique: [03:22] – [13:52]
• Trump Affordability Tour / ‘So-Called’ Language: [15:05] – [23:12]
• Transgender Violence & Gun Rights: [23:38] – [32:56]
• Rosie O’Donnell Returns / Partisan Psychology: [33:47] – [38:25]
• Eric Swalwell Poetry: [39:39] – [41:27]
• Tribute / One More Thing: [41:41] – [42:10]

Tone & Style

The episode is a trademark blend of sharp, humorous, and sometimes caustic commentary. The Five’s panelists riff off each other with political jabs, real-time pop culture references, and blunt takes, while occasionally pausing for earnest observations on policy and national life.

For Listeners Who Missed the Episode

• This episode features up-to-the-minute reporting on the Nancy Guthrie disappearance and delivers unsparing critique of high-profile Democrats’ performance on the international stage.
• Expect the panel’s signature mix of wit, humor, and pointed analysis — particularly as they debate the limits of gun rights in light of mental illness, the realities of economic pain vs. political messaging, and the foibles of celebrity political activism.
• Notable is the willingness to entertain partial agreement on traditionally divisive issues, especially gun restrictions for the mentally ill, showing rare bipartisan consensus within the discussion.
• As always, the episode closes with “One More Thing,” this time honoring Reverend Jackson’s legacy, capping off a show oscillating between substantive debate and satirical banter.