Guests: James Rosen & Bret Stephens
"There was a savage display over the skies of Ukraine Thursday, with killers firing a missile at a civilian airliner and killing 298 people. Also, Israel has sent ground troops into Palestinian territory to hunt down Hamas terrorists and their rocket arsenals. Hundreds have been killed there. So there is bad news all over the place tonight, and we begin with the jetliner. The Malaysian Airlines flight was shot out of the sky over eastern Ukraine, and suspicion immediately fell on separatists who want part of Ukraine to be annexed by Russia. Vladimir Putin is supplying the heavy weapons to these terrorists so he is directly responsible. Over the next few days you will hear the usual calls for investigations and meetings and discussions, but little will happen to Putin because the West is essentially afraid of him. The families and friends of 298 human beings grieve tonight. Is Putin grieving?"

The Factor welcomed Fox News correspondent James Rosen, who reported the latest on the downed jetliner. "Senior U.S. officials have confirmed that the plane was shot down by a BUK surface-to-air missile," Rosen stated, "which is the very category of missile that the rebels in eastern Ukraine have boasted about having acquired. Ukraine officials say they have phone intercepts that directly implicate two Russian military intelligence officials in this attack, but the Kremlin has issued a statement attributing responsibility for this incident to Ukraine. This stands to escalate the whole Ukraine crisis and tensions in U.S.-Russian relations to a new level."

Wall Street Journal foreign affairs columnist Bret Stephens entered the No Spin Zone with his analysis of the attack. "We have to establish a chain of responsibility here," Stephens began. "The military commander of the separatist group in Ukraine was believed to have been a member of the successor to the KGB, and the connection between these separatists and Russia is undeniable. Putin sees his role as reconstituting the old Soviet Union or the old tsarist empire. The question is whether Obama is going to pursue the same strategy he did after Crimea, which is condemn and forget, or whether there will be a genuine change of American policy towards Russia." The Factor reiterated that the separatists and their paymaster Putin are responsible: "There's no question in my mind that these so-called 'separatists' - I call them terrorists - did this. They had the motive and they had the hardware."

Guests:Ed Henry
With the world in turmoil, President Obama spent his Thursday night at a New York City fundraiser. The Factor invited Fox News White House correspondent Ed Henry to opine. "It's hard to argue with the imagery of this," Henry said. "Last week he was fundraising in Texas and said he wouldn't go to the border because he's not interested in photo-ops. But what did he do today as this crisis was unfolding? A photo-op with a single mom in Delaware and then an event to push for more highway funding." The Factor was perplexed by the president's priorities: "This fundraising in the face of intense situations makes President Obama look bad, but he doesn't seem to care. He's here at an apartment on the Upper West Side charging $32,000 a head."

Guests:James Carville & Kate Obenshain
Democrat James Carville and Republican Kate Obenshain evaluated the president's tendency to fiddle at fundraisers while the world is aflame. "This is stunning and I am lacking words," Obenshain declared. "It's not just the fundraisers, which are bad enough. But in his speech today on transportation he gave 40 seconds to the airline, which he called a 'potential tragedy," then proceeded to launch into jokes for the rest of the speech." Carville argued that President Obama remains engaged and on top of events. "They're getting the information and they've already implemented sanctions against Russia. You can dispute whether the optics are good or bad, but I don't think it's irresponsible for him to be at a fundraiser."

Guests:Bernie Goldberg
During live coverage of the Ukraine airline disaster, an MSNBC anchor was pranked by a fan of radio host Howard Stern. FNC media analyst Bernie Goldberg assessed the on-air debacle. "You know the joke about nobody paying attention to what's on MSNBC," Goldberg said. "Well, it turns out that even the anchorwoman doesn't pay attention to her own interview. The producers and the directors and the people in the control room, nobody was paying attention. This woman makes Ron Burgundy look like Walter Cronkite." The Factor pointed out that the woeful anchor was not the only person at fault, saying, "Whoever booked that guest should be fired immediately, this is another embarrassment for the cable arm of NBC."

Guests:John Huddy & David Lee Miller
Israeli ground troops crossed the border into Gaza Thursday in a furious hunt for Hamas terrorists. The Factor elicited the latest from Fox News correspondents David Lee Miller and John Huddy. "There has been a lot of heavy artillery fire," Huddy reported. "There were just two tremendous explosions from air strikes and we've seen a lot of cannon fire. We've also heard machine gun fire which signals the fact that troops are now on the ground." Miller added that Israel has been planning the invasion for weeks. "Some 58,000 reservists have already been called up and apparently the decision to do this was made a few days ago. The talk of a cease fire in the past few days was just talk and a diversion."

Guests:Jennifer Griffin & Michael Rubin
For the latest on the plane downed in Ukraine, The Factor turned to FNC's Jennifer Griffin and Michael Rubin of the American Enterprise Institute. "The State Department is not commenting on reports that there were 23 Americans on board," Griffin reported. "They released a list breaking down other countries, but there were 46 people unaccounted for. If this was an S-300 missile, and they are investigating that, only Russia has the S-300. That would be a real game-changer if it was actually fired from Russian territory." Rubin pointedly blamed President Obama for the crisis. "Isolationism doesn't work. When you ignore a problem it metastasizes and that's exactly what we saw in Ukraine. What really scares me is that this isn't just about the Ukraine and Russia. Thousands of missiles have gone missing in Libya because we led from behind."

Thursday's tip was delivered directly to Attorney General Eric Holder: "The credibility of your entire department is on the line and we hope you will take the time to talk with me on The Factor to reassure Americans that you are seeking justice for the conservative Americans who were allegedly targeted by the IRS."

Jim Clardy, Florence, SC: "As a 30-year veteran of the U.S. Border Patrol, I was thrilled to see Senator Rubio say he would return the migrant children to their home countries. He did not dance around your questions, O'Reilly."

George Dilanni, Grafton, MA: "Marco Rubio is a phony! He said he would be tough on illegal immigration but supported amnesty."

Cathy Baker, College Station, TX: "Bill, I don't understand why they can't build an effective fence as you suggested. We need something down here, fast."

Sheri Starnes, Sugar Land, TX: "Texans do not want a fence like Israel has. I would rather have more Border Patrol and drones."