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

Episode Date: February 26, 2025

Trump’s cabinet meets, House passes budget resolution, US-Ukraine mineral rights deal, and another airport close call. Plus, the Message of the Day, Trump is taking a risk by courting Vladimir Putin. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Did you know that at Chevron, you can fuel up on unbeatable mileage and savings? With Chevron rewards, you'll get 25 cents off per gallon on your next five visits. All you have to do is download the Chevron app and join to start saving on fuel. Then you can keep fueling up on other things like adventure, memories, vacations, daycations, quality time, and so many other possibilities. Head to your nearest Chevron station to fuel up and get rewarded today. Terms apply. See Chevron Texcores.com for more details. Bill O'Reilly here. You are listening to the O'Reilly update. Coming up next, the news with Mike Slater.

Thank you, Bill. It's Wednesday. February 26th, 2025. Here's this happening today in America. The cabinet meets spending bill advances. Ukrainian mineral deal finalized and an airport. Close call. That's all coming up. Then Bill's going to be here with your message of the day. But first, Trump has his first cabinet meeting today. now that almost the entire cabinet is put together. Also, Elon Musk will be there, although not officially in the cabinet. The press secretary said Musk will be talking about Doge efforts and how all the cabinet secretaries are identifying waste, fraud, and abuse. In Trump's first term of office, he did not meet with his entire cabinet until June 12th of 2017.

Here we are, just a little over a month into his second term with his first full cabinet meeting. Worth remembering on Doge, Harvard released a poll two days ago, 83% of Americans, including 76% of Democrats and 79% of independence, 83% overall, think we should balance the budget and believe we should do it by cutting government spending. The House Republicans passed a budget resolution that calls for, they say, $4.5 trillion in tax cuts and a $2 trillion reduction in federal spending over a decade. It was nearly party line 217 to 215. The only Republican was Thomas Massey voted. against and he voted against it because it didn't cut nearly enough, which it doesn't, by the way.

But big win for Mike Johnson. Johnson, the speaker, Johnson canceled the spending vote last night and then a couple minutes later brought everyone back and they ended up just passing it. It was harder to get the 30 or so moderate Republicans who are in districts that Biden won. But one of them said she received a personal commitment for Mr. Trump to save health care and make it better. Trump was the one who was able to get this across the finish line. Again, at this time in his first term, among Republicans, it was. a plus 77 approval rating.

Today it's even higher. Plus 82. If you're a Republican congressman, you do not want to go against Donald Trump. There was another poll that said if the two disagree, who do you support Donald Trump or the Republicans in Congress? 58% said Donald Trump. Only 22% said Congress. Donald Trump mentioned this two days ago at a meeting with the president of France

that Ukraine and the United States are on the one-yard line of a mineral rights deal. Ukraine would get the capital to mine their rare earth minerals. and then we would get half the profits. The intent is to have Zelensky come to the White House to sign the final deal. Another airport close call, a southwest plane was landing at Chicago's Midway Airport. It was just about to touch the ground when it pulled up because a private jet crossed right in front of it on its runway. Two days ago, 94 passengers on a delta plane had to jump out the emergency slide. Crew noticed smoke just after takeoff.

35 minutes they were back on the ground. And last week, of course, that delta plane flipped on its back when it landed in Toronto. I'm Mike Slater for the podcast Politics by Faith. Bill O'Reilly with your message today. Next. This episode is brought to you by San Pellegrino Chau. A new kind of flavor of sparkling water. The kind made with real fruit juice, a pinch of Sicilian salt, and the sparkle of the Italian sun. With no added sugar and just 10 or less calories per can, enjoy with love from Italy. By San Pellegrino Chau now. Time now for the O'Reilly Update, message of the day.

On this Wednesday, big gamble on the part of President Trump regarding Ukraine, as we have been reporting, the president is not condemning Vladimir Putin because he wants to cease fire, and Putin can make that happen. No one else can't. So instead of lambasting bad Vlad, Mr. Trump is courting him. for what he believes is the greater good, a stoppage of the fighting in Ukraine and a deal for the USA. It's risky. Clear thinking people know the Russian leader is a killer. I will vividly document that in my upcoming book confronting evil. In fact, Putin, a tyrant shares the cover

with Mao Hitler and the Ayatollah Khomeini, murderers wrote. President Trump not only wants Putin to stop the killing in Ukraine. He's also trying to weaken the Russian-China-Iran alliance, obviously an important geopolitical strategy. Now, I don't know if appeasing Putin will work, but opposing him, mocking him, denigrating him will definitely not stop the madness anytime soon. There is danger playing nice with this guy, but there's also a big potential. reward. And that is what President Trump is after. I believe he may get it. I'm Bill O'Reilly. I approve the message by writing it. You can reach me. Bill at Bill o'Reilly.com. Bill at Bill O'Reilly.com. Name in town if you wish to opine. All right, let's go to the mail. We got

Frederick, concierge member. Thank you, Frederick. The power propaganda for the most part is why folks voted for Kamala Harris. My cousins in the San Francisco Bay Area get propaganda every time they turn on their local news. I had to explain to my cousin that Elon Musk was not going to take her Social Security away.

Yeah, but you know that's pretty parfetched. Your cousin might want to up her intellectual game a little. Go to Janine's website. Dan Rosalep, Naples, Florida. O'Reilly told us

the press is at war with Trump, absolutely. The Wall Street Journal is certainly no friend of his. This morning, they eviscerated Doge claims of amounts saved. I get upset when our side is wrong. Well, I don't know what the hour is there. I don't have a side. All right, I'm here to watch out for you. Now, the Wall Street Journal, in my humble opinion, jumped it.

You've got to wait a while. I'll give them a little time to come up with a clearer picture of government waste. That's fair. Lynn McKinley, El Paso, Texas. Bill, are all the people being laid off from government eligible for unemployment? No, if you take a buyout, which most of them are offered, then you're not. But if you just get axed, you are. You know, federal employees like everybody else are in a workplace.

They're not guaranteed a job. Mark Dawkins, Clay, Alabama. My wife and I started watching you again about a year ago, Bill. You got us through the election. And my question now involves scams like Stacey Abrams, $2 billion to green energy. Any way to get that money back? No. Months of money spent by the federal government, it's gone.

Unless somebody commits a crime, then a judge could order restitution. But spent, it's spent. You're not going to claw it. back. In a moment, something you might not know. This MailChimp-Forific jingle is brought to you by MailChimp. One based on publicly available data on competitors, customers. Plans vary. SMS available as add-on, visit milchimp.com. Now the O'Reilly update brings you something you might not know.

38 years ago today, President Ronald Reagan faced growing criticism over a global scandal now known as the Iran-Contra affair. Here is the story. The policy began in the early 1980s. When the White House started selling weapons to the mull. in Iran. In exchange, the Ayatollah would pressure the leaders of Lebanon to release American hostages held by Hezbollah. Without any congressional oversight, profits from the arms sailed to Iran were then funneled to a Latin America rebel force known as the Contras,

a group fighting the socialist government in Icaragua. The covert operation was a blatant violation of both U.S. and international law. The scheme was exposed to the public in 1986. Leaks from inside the White House revealed key figures, including National Security Council staffer Oliver North, had orchestrated the entire arms affair. Reagan himself denied any knowledge of the incident. In December, 1986, Congress launched the Tower Commission, led by former Texas Senator John Tower to investigate the Iran-Contra situation. Two months later, the commission found President Reagan partially liable for the scandal because, quote, he fostered a lax managerial style and aloofness from policy detail, unquote. On March 4, 1987, President Reagan

addressed the American people from the Oval Office. Tonight, I want to share with you my thoughts on these findings and report to you on the actions I'm taking to implement the board's recommendations. First, let me say I take full responsibility for my own actions and for those of my administration. As angry as I may be about activities undertaken without my knowledge, I am still accountable for those activities. In the end, a few White House officials were convicted of crimes, including National Security Aid, Oliver North. None. served any time in prison. Nearly all were pardoned by Reagan's successor,

George H.W. Bush. Back after this. The best coast just got better. Introducing Quantum of the Seas sailing from L.A. this fall. Conquer next level thrills on the boldest ship in the West, like flow rider surf sessions, bumper cars, and soaring 300 feet above sea level on the North Star. Plus more than 15 dining options on board.

All between Discover. in Ensenada and even overnights in Cabo. You've never done Mexico like this. Book your Boulder-Baha adventure from Los Angeles today. Come seek the Royal Caribbean. Itineraries vary by sale date, ships, registry, Bahamas. Thank you for listening to the O'Reilly update. For more news and honest analysis, please go to Bill O'Reilly.com.

I am Bill O'Reilly, no spin, just facts, and always looking out for you. Thank you.