The O'Reilly Factor
A daily summary of segments aired on The O'Reilly Factor. A preview of the evening's rundown is posted before the show airs each weeknight.
Tuesday, May 17, 2016
The Factor Rundown
Talking Points Memo
Top Story
Impact Segment
Factor Followup
Is It Legal?
What the Heck Just Happened?
Factor Mail
Tip of the Day
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Comments
The Press and Donald Trump
"As you may know, the New York Times published a front page story Sunday with the headline 'Crossing the Line, How Donald Trump Behaved With Women in Private.' The article is now in dispute, as one of the primary women interviewed says her words were taken out of context and that the reporters did not accurately portray her interactions with Donald Trump. This signals that it will be very difficult to get the truth when Donald Trump is involved. The Times assigned reporters Michael Barbaro and Megan Twohey to write the story. Mr. Barbaro has written a number of anti-Trump tweets, which should have disqualified him from writing about Donald Trump. Ms. Twohey is an excellent reporter with a great resume, but she is a feminist. The Factor asked her to appear this evening, but she declined. The reason I mention feminism is because Donald Trump's resume goes against that ideology. Mr. Trump, as we know, ran beauty contests and has been flamboyant in his interactions with the opposite sex. This is a complicated story and one that should be covered by reporters without an agenda. Being a feminist can be a good thing, but this all comes back to being fair. The fundamental problem is that in the national media there are very few non-liberal people even working there. If you get a job at the New York Times or the national media, you'd better toe the liberal line or it will be tough to advance. The national media are strongly anti-Trump and they can not discipline themselves to cover his campaign fairly. It will get very nasty!"
Bob Woodward Reacts to Talking Points
The Factor pursued the media vs. Trump angle with Washington Post editor Bob Woodward. "This was not one of the New York Times' best stories," Woodward conceded, "but we are all better off because the Times is investigating and reporting on both candidates. The public is smarter than we think - they can read a story like the Times story and see people come forward and say their words were twisted." Woodward also defended the Times decision to assign a self-proclaimed feminist to the Trump story. "Being a feminist doesn't condemn someone and say they can't report on X or Y. The best reporters can filter out their personal emotions, and there are all kind of feminists on the left and the right." The Factor urged Woodward, "You have to assign reporters who are as unbiased as they can be."
Trump vs. Hillary
Donald Trump has threatened to go after Hillary and Bill Clinton with a vengeance, saying nothing will be off limits. Juan Williams and Mercedes Schlapp analyzed the wisdom of that strategy. "Trump can't resist the scorched earth policy," Williams said. "It will delight some of his base because it will get under her skin, but he risks the danger of coming across as someone engaging in despicable behavior." Schlapp theorized that Trump has to attack. "He doesn't have much of a choice. He can either be passive or he can attack, and the Clintons are going to play this hard. Trump is best when he is on offense and there are many young women voters who are not aware of Monica Lewinsky or Gennifer Flowers. Nothing is going to be off the table."
Stopping Illegal Immigration
Louisiana is among a handful of states that are fighting back against the Obama administration on illegal immigration and sanctuary cities. The Factor spoke with the state's Attorney General Jeff Landry. "In February New Orleans issued instructions for police officers to not ask immigration status and to not cooperate with federal authorities," Landry said. "Then some politicians filed bills that would cut off public finance for any municipalities that engage in sanctuary city policies. If we can pass this bill, public officials have a choice - they either can protect illegals in their cities or risk the loss of their funds. If this law passes, it will be one of the strictest in the nation and it will eradicate sanctuary cities in Louisiana."
Bergdahl Update
The military trial of accused deserter Sgt. Bowe Bergdahl has been delayed until next year, meaning President Obama will be out of office when Bergdahl finally faces justice. Attorneys Lis Wiehl and Erin Ehrlich elaborated on the story. "There have been a few delays," Ehrlich reported, "and the defense is now arguing that they need time to sift through evidence." The Factor described that as a ruse, saying, "It sounds to me like the military doesn't want to try this case until President Obama gets out of office." Wiehl turned to California, which is suffering unintended consequences after dramatically lowering the punishment for shoplifting. "Shoplifting is up about 50% in many parts of California since it was classified as a misdemeanor. And robbery is up about 25% in San Francisco, which now has the highest property crime rate in the country."
Crazy TSA Lines
Security lines in many American airports have been out of control, with passengers waiting for as long as three hours. Greg Gutfeld and Bernard McGuirk gave the situation a full body scan. "There is fewer staff, more luggage, and more passengers," Gutfeld said. "But this is not the TSA's fault, I love the TSA. As a married man, that pat-down is the closest I get to forbidden fruit." McGuirk hammered the TSA and its administrators. "They thought this pre-check program would expedite the lines, but you have to pay for it and you have to go to the airport for an interview. So in their genius, the TSA decided to cut staff before they saw whether this would work. You have to privatize, I've seen kids working at Burger King who are more efficient."
Viewers Sound Off
Factor Words of the Day
Paula Restrepo, Dallas, TX: "I'm sure this email will never get read, but I hear a former girlfriend of Bill Clinton was interviewed. Is the news media afraid to approach the subject?"

Wendell Kelsey, Southside, WV: "The lady in the New York Times story on Trump may not think she was mistreated, but parading a model in front of men is not something that should be approved of."

Joe Scibetta, Red Bank, NJ: "I think Donald Trump will make a mistake if he goes after Bill Clinton's transgressions. He should concentrate on what Hillary did as Secretary of State."
Cyber Addiction
We hear a great deal about drug and alcohol addiction, but Internet addiction may someday be an equally big problem to our society.