Bill O’Reilly’s No Spin News and Analysis - The O'Reilly Update, December 26, 2025

Episode Date: December 26, 2025

Trump’s Christmas Message, SoCal flooding, Washington Monument lit up, and don’t watch the abridged version. Plus, the Message of the Day, George Washington crossing the Delaware and the battle of Trenton. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Bill O'Reilly here. You are listening to the O'Reilly update. Coming up next, the news with Mike Slater. Thank you, Bill. It is Friday, December 26, 2025. Here's this happening today in America. Trump's Christmas message, Southern California flooding, Washington Monument, illumination, and don't watch the abridged version. It's all coming up, then Bill's going to be here with your message of the day. But first, other than the president's usual, Christmas message format, which starts out with Merry Christmas to all, including this year the radical left scum that is doing everything possible to destroy our country, but are failing badly. That's his normal Christmas message.

Other than that, he also sent a tweet yesterday tonight. At my discretion, as commander-in-chief, the United States launched a powerful and deadly strike against ISIS terrorist scum in northwest Nigeria, who have been targeting and viciously killing, primarily in a sense of Christians, at levels not seen for many years. years and even centuries. I've previously warned these terrorists that if they did not stop slaughtering of Christians, there would be hell to pay. And tonight, there was. The Department of War executed numerous perfect strikes, as only the United States is capable of doing. Under my leadership, our country will not allow radical Islamic terrorism to prosper. May God bless our military,

and Merry Christmas to all, including the dead terrorists, of which there will be many more if their slaughter of Christians continues. A lot more flooding in Southern California. Two people have died. The rain is expected to last throughout today. Gavin Newsom has declared states of emergency in Los Angeles County, Orange, Riverside, San Bernardino, San Diego, and Shasta. About 120 first responders are assisting local residents with evacuations and any other services that are needed, which is a nice reminder to thank all of our emergency personnel and everyone who worked over Christmas and Christmas Eve. Thank you for keeping us safe. I'll look forward to seeing how this exactly looks, But on New Year's night and midnight, and for the next six days, there will be nightly displays at the Washington Monument in D.C., which will, quote, project a sweeping visual narrative onto the monument, highlighting key moments in American history from discovery and independence to unity and future innovation.

It's free if you're in the area. Projections begin at 7 o'clock every night. This is a part of our 250th anniversary, which we'll talk more about in the next segment. Yesterday in the Something You May Not Know segment, we talked about the backstory of the movie It's a Wonderful Life, how it started out as a Christmas card that someone wrote and somehow Frank Capra came across it. In other It's a Wonderful Life news, Amazon is being criticized, rightfully so, for having a version that removes the entire Pottersville scene, the 22-minute scene where George

sees what life in Bedford falls and the people he loves what their life would be like if he were never born. You know, the point of the movie, it just removes the whole 22 minutes. So there's still time to watch it, but if you watch it on Amazon, there's the full version and the abridged. The full version is 131 minutes. Don't miss one of them. I'll be back with the message of the day. Next.

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This time, though, as my little three-year-old James reenacts George Washington Crossing the Delaware, yesterday this morning was the 249th anniversary of George Washington Crossing. the Delaware. So fascinating to me that we look back on our history and we think, well, of course it turned out that way. Of course that happened. Of course we won World War II. Of course the D-Day landing was successful. Of course we landed on the moon before anyone else. Of course, of course it worked out. No, some of the most pivotal, of course we invented the atom bomb first. No, some of the most pivotal moments in our history could have gone in any direction at any time. and there's a million examples of this just during the Revolutionary War

but crossing the Delaware it's got to be near the top of things that are possible but somehow worked our men were starving it's freezing cold it was in the 20th there was a nor'easter

the men who were there wrote that the wind cut like a knife driving snow and sleet many of the men had no shoes in the Continental Army but to get to the river They had to go on a three-mile hike. They had to get there by midnight.

On Christmas Eve night, at about 8 o'clock, I started putting together a basketball hoop. It was very frustrating. But then I thought of these men hiking to the Delaware River. To then cross the Delaware River, 2,400 men, 18 can of 200 horses. 249 years ago, yesterday last night, with no guarantee this would work at all.

There were three total crossings. Two of them didn't make it. The ice was too thick. And the plan was insane. It was a preposterous plan. Two of them didn't make it. And George Washington was about to abort himself. There were three hours behind schedule.

So by the time they would get across the river, if they did, and they still had to go on another 10-mile hike, They were going to get there after the sun came up And they would lose the element of surprise They'd all be killed But George Washington decided In his words To push on at all events

And thank God they did 22 enemy soldiers were killed 98 wounded The Americans captured a thousand prisoners Only three Americans were killed At the Battle of Trenton But it wasn't so much that battle It was the turning point of the war

Christmas Day Crossing the Delaware in the Delaware to engage in a surprise attack. Amazing. It shouldn't have worked. Conditions couldn't have been worse. Fought through a Nor'easter. Whatever good thing you experienced over Christmas,

make sure you thank George Washington and his men who didn't desert, but hiked in the freezing cold, made it across the river, hiked another 10 miles, and then fought a battle. Morale was low that winter. And Thomas Payne published an essay, say. The day before the battle, George Washington read it to his men. It started these are the times that try men's souls. The summer soldier and the sunshine patriot will in this crisis shrink from

the service of his country. But he that stands it now deserves the love and thanks of men and women. Tyranny like hell is not easy conquered, yet we have this consolation with us that the heart at the conflict, the more glorious the triumph. 249 years ago today. More coming up. When the weather cools down, Golden Nugget Online Casino turns up the heat. This winter, make any moment golden

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wall. But I've never heard of this before. Until a couple weeks ago, it's It's called The Meaning of Labor in the Son of Grace. Search for it immediately. It doesn't look real. The meaning of labor in the Son of Grace. It's from 1884. It's above a door. And it's curved.

The wall curves as it gets to the ceiling. It's this huge wall. The background is painted black and white. There's two figures in color. One guy with a shovel. And then this angel wearing a robe of red and blue and gold. And the angel's wings are something. popping out of the wall.

I mean, they're not really, but it looks like, it's like those, I remember those 3D paintings you used to see at the mall? You get close to it and you kind of cross your eyes and then come back out and you're like, oh, look, a whale. It's like that, but real life, the wings are somehow above the painting is like overlapping with the molding. I have no idea how he did it and how this work of art is not as well known as the Mona Lisa. The meaning of labor in the Son of Grace, 1880.

84. So the scene is a guy working. There may be some New Year's resolution angle. We could take this as well. But a guy's work, he's got a shovel. He's shoveling in the dirt. Laboring, exhausted. And the angel is pointing to the sun and making the point that without the sun, the laborer's work is in vain. Just as sunlight brings about the material works of man, like no food's going to grow without the sun. Grace allows the works of the spirit to shine. That's the point of the painting. The Latin says, with the grace of God and the effort of will,

we obtain the excellence of virtue. The angel has a golden wand and is pointed to the ground and where she does, the ground is green and lush. And the point is that this man's work, digging in the dirt, it's futile if it's not guided by our creator, just like the soul can only be saved by the creator. The painter was thinking of Psalm 126, unless the Lord builds the house, the builder labors in vain. This is what Ben Franklin was quoting when he at the Constitutional Convention said that we should start every day with a prayer.

Franklin said that God governs in the affairs of man, and that without his aid, we will be no better than the builders of Babel. This is one of the most stunning works of art I've ever seen. It's called The Meaning of Labor and the Son of Grace. More coming up. This holiday season, your support can help Cam H. transform mental health care. From now until December 31st, every donation will be tripled for three times the impact. That means your generous gift goes even further to help create a future where Canadians can get

the help they need, when they need it, no matter who or where they are. Together, we can forge a better path for mental health. Make three times the impact with a donation today at camh.ca slash holiday. Thank you, Bill, for letting me fill in. Thank you for listening. My name is Mike Slater. I have a podcast called Politics by Faith. Have a wonderful weekend.