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| All content taken from The O'Reilly Factor on Fox News Channel. Each weeknight by 6 PM EST a preview of that evening's show will be posted and then updated with additional information the following weekday by noon EST.
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"Speaking to the graduating class at the Coast Guard Academy, President Obama said this: 'Climate change constitutes a serious threat to global security, an immediate risk to our national security. And make no mistake, it will impact how our military defends our country.' The president believes that events such as the drought in Nigeria, for example, create instability and make it easier for groups like Boko Haram to gain support. If folks don't have enough water or food they become disenchanted and may turn to groups that promise change. As for ISIS taking Ramadi, Mr. Obama contends the USA is downgrading them, but he does acknowledge there have been setbacks With ISIS now controlling about half of Syria, I'd say setbacks might be a little too gentle. Talking Points believes presidents should deal with problems in the here and now. It's fine to want a cleaner planet and to explore ways to eliminate harmful emissions. But to tell a group of military graduates that climate change is a defense priority borders on delusion. Are not people being burned to death and beheaded by savages who are bent on destroying America and the rest of the civilized world? And the president is presenting climate change as a military priority? That is like George Washington telling his troops at Valley Forge to concentrate on making wax candles and apple cider. Good grief! Most Americans understand that Barack Obama has an aversion to using U.S. power to right wrongs in this world. But the Middle East is aflame. Yet there's the president urging the Coast Guard and other military branches to contemplate climate change. I hope everybody got some cider after that speech."
The Factor invited reaction from two prominent environmentalists. "You're off track because this is a false choice," said Jeremy Symons of the Environmental Defense Fund. "It isn't a choice between whether we deal with ISIS or deal with climate change. We're perfectly capable of leading a clean energy revolution without taking anything away from our counter-terrorism efforts." Tyson Slocum of Public Citizen also agreed with the claim that "climate change" is having an effect on our military strategy. "When the ice caps melt and recede, it opens up shipping lanes that vastly benefit Russian military activities. The Pentagon can deal with both current threats and emerging threats." But The Factor remained perplexed, saying, "The president gave more emphasis to climate change than he did to fighting ISIS." |
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| According to the New York Times, then-Secretary of State Hillary Clinton received emails immediately after the Benghazi attack from her longtime confidante Sidney Blumenthal. FNC's Ed Henry elaborated on the story. "Three days after the attack," he reported, "she went to Andrews Air Force Base and said the attack was inspired by an Internet video. But in the last email she got from Blumenthal, he said that this was a planned terror attack. In those days there were two different versions of what occurred. She picked the narrative that was more favorable to the president, but it wasn't true." The Factor argued that Clinton put forth a story that she should have known was false: "Former Secretary of Defense Leon Panetta told me that he had told both President Obama and Secretary Clinton that this was an organized terror attack." |
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| Asked by The Factor to name the week's most consequential stories, Dana Perino singled out the news that Fox News will host a Republican debate in August. "This is a big deal," she said, "because now the race gets serious. There are 19 candidates and Fox made a controversial decision to take the top ten, based on an average of polls. The debates will really matter." Perino also focused on Republican Senator Rand Paul's vehement opposition to extending the Patriot Act. "He believes passionately in this," she said, "and I believe passionately that he is wrong. He wants to be commander-in-chief, whose number one duty is to protect the nation." |
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| Continuing the series that showcases FNC personalities with interesting back stories, The Factor welcomed anchor John Roberts, who was raised in Canada. "My father died when I was a boy," he recalled, "and left my mother barely enough money to take care of the kids. She went to work as a cashier in a pharmacy and managed to keep a roof over our heads." Roberts later dropped out of college to pursue his dream of being a DJ. "I wanted to be in radio, and I got to the top rock radio station in Canada. Then I moved to television and started a program that was like a Rolling Stone for television. I interviewed U2 and The Police and Culture Club before anyone knew who they were." Roberts eventually turned to news and moved to the USA, where he worked for CBS and CNN before finding a home at Fox News in 2011. |
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| When a TV reporter asked Republican Senator Ted Cruz whether he has a "personal animosity" against gays, Cruz fired back with both barrels, accusing the reporter of harboring a bias against Christians. Bernie Goldberg evaluated the verbal dustup. "I'm not a fan of Ted Cruz," he began, "but on this he makes a good point. He's asking the reporter, why are you putting me in the crosshairs, why aren't you questioning American foreign policy when ISIS is killing gay people? So on that I'm with Ted Cruz, but I also know there are conservative Christians who detest gays. When I say I'm in favor of gay marriage, I get emails from people who write the most vile things about gays while proclaiming their Christianity." The Factor sided with Cruz and his fiery comeback: "This reporter was trying to make a name for himself, so I like what Cruz did. Republican candidates better start doing the same thing or the media will slaughter them." |
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| The Boy Scouts of America have banned scouts from playing with water pistols. Seriously. Greg Gutfeld and Bernard McGuirk each did their daily good deed by opining with their usual perspicacity and humor. "I never understood the Boy Scout thing," McGuirk said. "They have grown men with shorts and knee-high socks, I'm not going there. But these are kids, let 'em be kids." Gutfeld suggested that some other childhood activities are ripe for banishment. "We have to stop playing cops-and-robbers because robbers are really social justice warriors. What about tag, why must someone be 'it?' That's a stigma! And how unequal is musical chairs, where someone is left without a chair?" |
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Rich Lowe, Sandpoint, ID: "O'Reilly, the FBI, given its history, should not engage in political investigations. That is the job of the press."
Jim Douglas, Universal City, TX: "Col. Shaffer is right that the military has been advising President Obama to take a stronger stance against ISIS. The plans are there, but they only get executed when the president says go."
Barbara Hall, Starke, FL: "Bill, your Talking Points on fighting terrorism were right on except for one thing: You left out the part about President Obama losing the fight with ISIS on purpose."
Ron Schurter, Yorba Linda, CA: "Looks like Gary Sinese is the modern day Bob Hope as he does so much for the military." |
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| When asked to name Hillary Clinton's high points as secretary of state, a group of her supporters came up absolutely empty. So take some time to study up on the candidates and their accomplishments. Without that knowledge, you're voting out of ignorance. |
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