Bill O'Reilly: The O'Reilly Factor - Tuesday, April 18, 2017 (2024)

Shooting Spree in Fresno

Dana began with Tuesday's murderous shooting spree in Fresno, California, where Kori Ali Muhammad killed three random people, then shouted "Allahu Akbar." Fox News correspondent Jonathan Hunt provided an update. "This all happened in one terrifying minute in downtown Fresno," he reported. "The three victims, all white men, where shot in quick succession. Cops were able to tie him to a previous murder of a white man at a Motel 6 last week. This man has a criminal record involving drug charges, weapons charges, and more, but the FBI is not yet calling this a terrorism incident." But security analyst Jim Hanson insisted that the act was unadulterated terrorism. "Of course it's terrorism, the only question is which particularly strain. In this case we have two - Islamic terrorism and Black Nationalism, which are often combined in prison, where this guy spent a considerable amount of time. He was looking to create a black state, he was looking to kill white people, and he was doing it in the name of Allah. He was obsessed with 'Black Lives Matter' and other radical grievance groups."

Georgia Special Election

Democrats and Republicans alike focused on Georgia Tuesday, where a special election was held to fill the House seat vacated by Secretary of Health and Human Services Tom Price. FNC's Jonathan Serrie reported from the headquarters of Democratic hopeful Jon Ossoff, who received millions of dollars and high-profile endorsem*nts from party leaders and celebrities. "There is a sense of cautious optimism here," Serrie began, "and there is hope that Ossoff will be an outright winner. If not, they hope he will be among the two contenders in a runoff election that would be held in June. Democrats really rallied behind Ossoff, who raised more than $8-million." Pollster Frank Luntz examined the implications of the special election. "This is a tough district for Donald Trump, it's a wealthier and more educated suburban district where Trump did not do as well as Mitt Romney. So much money is flowing into this district that this almost feels like a presidential race, and I do think it's a legitimate bellwether for what may happen in 2018. If the Democrats can't win here, then where are they going to win?"

Keeping the Country Safe

In a major policy speech, Homeland Security boss John Kelly warned that any future terror attacks will likely be carried out by people who entered the country via the southern border. Dana analyzed that warning with Fox News contributor Lisa Boothe and radio talk show host Ethan Bearman. "This does not keep me up at night," Bearman said. "We already have 700 miles of walls and fencing and we need to implement technology, not build a $20-billion wall that won't work. Here in California, the cartels use boats and land on our shores up the coast, so sealing our borders is not the key thing." Boothe, in contrast, endorsed General Kelly's policies and warnings. "All the administration is doing is following the laws on the books. Regarding Ethan's point, Secretary Kelly was in charge of the Southern Command and he is intimately familiar with the threats along the southern border. I trust his judgment on this."

Clinton Campaign Tell-All Book

A new book called 'Shattered' provides a behind-the-scenes account of the disastrous Hillary Clinton campaign. Fox News correspondent Ed Henry gave the book and its revelations a mixed review. "There is a lot in this book that we already knew," he said, "largely because of WikiLeaks that showed that the campaign was fighting. But there is some new information, particularly about election night when President Obama called and asked if she would concede. What's fascinating is that President Obama called a second time and told Hillary Clinton that it was over. Her reaction was to apologize to him for not carrying on his legacy. This was coming at them as a big shock and it was Bill Clinton who had been saying that the campaign should talk to white working-class workers. He was ahead of the curve."

Containing North Korea

Dana welcomed foreign policy specialists Ric Grenell and Gillian Turner, who examined the ongoing tension between North Korea and the USA. "North Korea is facing 175,000 Chinese troops on their border," Grenell said, "so they have gotten the message loud and clear that something has changed. I think the meeting between President Trump and President Xi at Mar-a-Lago was a game changer. We saw President Xi go back to China and put those troops right on the border; we haven't seen diplomacy work that fast in a long time." Turner contended that the Trump administration is merely continuing policies that had already been in place. "We have reached a rhetorical apex on this issue in recent days, but tension between the U.S. and North Korea are not new. This has been boiling and simmering for years, and President Obama is the one who started this cyber-warfare program targeting North Korean missiles."

Religious Freedom & The Supreme Court

The Supreme Court, with newly-confirmed Justice Neil Gorsuch on the bench, is about to hear arguments in a case that is central to religious freedom. Fox News anchor Shannon Bream, who covers the Supreme Court, elaborated on the case. "Supporters of Justice Gorsuch wanted him to be on the court for this case," she said, "because he's been favorable to claims about religious liberty. This case is from Missouri, which gives state grants to make playgrounds safer. But you can't get the grants if you are a religious school and there is a pre-school that can't get money to resurface the playground. Lower courts have ruled against the pre-school." Bream added that Justice Gorsuch has hardly been a shrinking violet, saying, "On day one he asked 22 questions in oral arguments, which is a lot for a rookie justice."

Violent Protests in Berkeley, CA

Finally, Dana ventured into the center ring with Greg Gutfeld and Bernard McGuirk, who opined on the violence in Berkeley, where pro-Trump and anti-Trump forces bloodied one another last weekend. "This is a history lesson for everyone," said Gutfeld, himself Berkeley alum. "Violent rioters mug and beat up those who seek to romanticize them. Naïve leftists always glorify revolutionaries, who only want your wallet ... and maybe your daughter." McGuirk blasted left-wing Democrats for being conspicuously silent. "There are no leaders on the left speaking about this, just as they did not say anything when this traveling band of miscreants showed up at Trump rallies and did the same thing. You don't hear Hillary Clinton and Bernie Sanders and Elizabeth Warren condemning them and telling them to stop."