It was a big day on Newsmakers at Noon as Denise spent the first half of the show one-on-one with Bill O’Reilly, talking about his new book, Confronting America: What Has to Change. O’Reilly describes the book as an examination of America’s cultural problems and what he believes needs to change. Bill O’Reilly
The conversation went well beyond Washington. Denise and Bill talked about education, parenting and divorce, homelessness and addiction, work ethic, faith and personal responsibility. Denise especially enjoyed the personal stories woven throughout the book including “The Buccaneers”, and O’Reilly’s reflections on his years as a teacher and the importance he placed on expectations, respect and taking his students seriously.
But one of the most personal parts of the interview came near the end, when Denise asked O’Reilly about legacy – what he hopes nearly five decades in broadcasting, writing, teaching and public life ultimately leave behind. That opened up a broader question that applies to all of us: What do we want our own legacy to be? Beyond careers, politics, money or accomplishments, how will the people whose lives we touched remember us, and what did we leave behind that actually mattered?
At the heart of Confronting America is O’Reilly’s argument that many of America’s political problems are inseparable from its cultural ones. His prescriptions are his own—and often provocative—but our conversation ultimately came back to something much more personal: individual choices, personal responsibility and the kind of country – and legacy – we leave to the generations coming behind us.
In the second half, Jeff Reynolds, Editor at Large at Restoration News, joined Denise and Hunter to talk about his latest piece examining the Trump administration’s efforts to combat fraud, waste and abuse in federal programs. Jeff’s article argues that recent administration initiatives have uncovered extensive suspected fraud across programs including SBA lending, SNAP and health-care subsidies. We talked about those claims, government oversight and the importance of making sure taxpayer-funded programs actually reach the people they are intended to help. Restoration News
Then things got considerably more colorful. Denise, Hunter and Jeff dug into the Ed Sheeran/Macklemore controversy after Macklemore was removed from dates on Sheeran’s U.S. tour following his pro-Palestinian remarks. Sheeran said the decision resulted from venues refusing to host Macklemore and later publicly apologized for how the situation unfolded. Macklemore subsequently pledged tour proceeds to Palestinian aid. Needless to say, we had a lot to say about the entire mess. Reuters
And somehow Greta Thunberg made her way into the conversation, too. From Bill O’Reilly and the question of personal legacy to government fraud, celebrity politics and the latest cultural controversies – that’s a pretty full hour of Newsmakers at Noon.
Links from Today’s Show
Bill O’Reilly — Official Website
Restoration News — Trump Administration Tackles Fraud Across Programs
Macklemore/Ed Sheeran Tour Controversy — Reuters
