Bill O'Reilly here. You are listening to the O'Reilly Update. Coming up next, the news with Mike Slater. Thank you, Bill. It is Monday, February 23rd, 2026. Here's what's happening today in America. Attack thwarted. Cartel leader killed. Tariff increased. And Team USA for gold's all coming up. Then Bill's going to be here with your message of the day. But first, the Secret Service shot a man and killed him after he tried to unlawfully enter Mar-a-Lago. The suspect is Austin Tucker Martin. He's a white male, 21, from North Carolina. He was reported misting after leaving his home a few days ago. He was walking on Mar-a-Lago property with a shotgun and gas canister. The president was hosting a dinner in Washington, D.C. at the time. Law enforcement released a photo of the shotgun the man was carrying during this break. And Caroline Levitt said in the middle of the night, while most Americans were asleep, the United States Secret Service acted quickly and decisively to neutralize a crazy person. In Mexico, Mexican forces killed their most wanted cartel boss. His name is El Mencho. He's the head of the Jalisco New Generation Cartel, widely regarded as the country's most violent of all the cartel leaders. The Trump administration has been pressuring Mexico to remove this cartel leader. Mexican forces led an operation on Sunday to capture him in his town, about 20,000 people in the western coastal state of Jalisco. This is where the cartel was founded and based. At least seven cartel members were killed during this operation. This operation then set off an outbreak of violence across Mexico in at least six states. A lot of burning cars and leaving them in the middle of the street. Cartel guys like to do that. The U.S. government has warned its citizens to shelter in place until further notice in five Mexican states. The Supreme Court ruled against the president's tariffs. These are the ones that he instituted under the International Emergency Economic Powers Act. It was a six to three ruling against the president, but the president in response said, based on a thorough, detailed and complete review of the ridiculous, poorly written and extraordinarily anti-American decision on tariffs. After many months of contemplation by the United States Supreme Court, please let this statement serve to represent that I, as president of the United States, will be effective immediately raising the 10 percent worldwide tariff on countries to the fully allowed and legally tested 15 percent level. The president says he has the authority to do this under other tariff legislation. Team America one of the greatest hockey games of all time 24 Jack Hughes just a couple minutes after getting his teeth knocked out literally scored the game goal for Team USA over Canada 2 in overtime This is the third gold medal for Team USA men hockey on the 46th anniversary of the Miracle on Ice. After the game, Jack Hughes said, this is all about our country right now. I love the USA. I'm so proud to be an American today. The final medal count, Norway with 41. We got 33. Italy with 30 overall. I'm Mike Slater from the podcast Politics by Faith. Bill O'Reilly has your message of the day. Next. Time now for the O'Reilly Update message of the day. On this Monday, I have some information to give you that might be of interest. Europe is a fairly liberal place. All right. Out of the 45 countries that comprise the continent, all of them have voter ID laws. All of them. The exception is some precincts in Great Britain where they don't really care. But places like Sweden and Denmark and Switzerland and Greece, even Spain, all say if you want to vote in our national elections, you have to prove citizenship. So why is there resistance in the United States of America? Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer leading that charge. Schumer says that if you pass a law demanding an ID, you're racist. The poor blacks or poor minorities can't vote. That's gibberish, hogwash. The states will provide you with an ID free of charge. They'll even bring it to your house. So what's the deal here, really? Well, it has to be we want undocumented people to vote. I'm Bill O'Reilly. I approve the message by writing it. You can reach me, bill at billoreilly.com, bill at billoreilly.com, name and town if you wish to opine. Now let go to the mail Linda says if you were asked if the United States should defend Taiwan O how would you respond I would defend Taiwan without President Trump or any other president Now, it doesn't mean you start a nuclear war. What it means is if China comes over and militarily takes a free country, no one buys any China stuff anywhere. And that's the end of China. And if anybody did, then they can't do business with the United States. You'd have to have all the South Asian nations and Japan and everybody on board and NATO. You have to line that up. That's how you would cripple China. That's why they don't do it now. I know that's what would happen. Shooting war. Boy, that would be catastrophic for the world, wouldn't it? Peter Avila, Nottingham, New Hampshire. I take issue, Bill, with your assessment of the economy being vibrant. I think it's more about who you ask. You have a person simply not having that experience. I, for one, with many of my peers experiencing difficulties making ends meet, and the stock market is not the only barometer. Okay, but when I say the economy is vibrant, I mean there are opportunities for you. So you're not doing that well in New Hampshire. All right. Look around. There are jobs, good jobs. You may have to move. I had to move a lot. But there are opportunities to earn money here. And you've got to be smart about it. It's not like we have 10% unemployment, inflation at 10%. All of that is fairly tame. You're right. It depends on the individual. But if you're not doing well, you've got to go to plan B. In a moment, something you might not know. Now the O'Reilly Update brings you something you might not know. On this day in 1945, U.S. Marines overran forces from the Empire of Japan defending Mount Suribachi. The image of American soldiers hoisting the American flag is one of the most iconic photographs ever taken. Codename Island X, this barren speck of volcanic rock, one third the size of Manhattan, better known to the world as Iwo Jima The invasion of that territory codenamed Operation Detachment was planned a year in advance The tiny island was vital to the Allies. The Pentagon wanted the airfields to prepare future strikes against Japan. Tokyo viewed the island as the last line of defense for their sacred homeland. Beginning in June 1944, the U.S. Navy began bombarding Iwo Jima. American soldiers then stormed the beaches on February 19th, but met little resistance. As the troops moved inward, however, they encountered brutal Japanese defenses entrenched all over the island. On February 23rd, U.S. forces won the high ground on Suribachi. Once the top was secured, an American flag was attached to a damaged water pipe and raised over the island. It was the first foreign flag to fly on Japanese soil in history. Three out of six Marines depicted in the photo were killed days later. The brutal battle would last for weeks. 70,000 U.S. soldiers fought against thousands of Japanese troops. After five weeks of combat, 7,000 Marines were killed. 20,000 Japanese dead. The surrender of Iwo Jima put Americans just 750 miles away from Tokyo. And here's something else you might not know. For some soldiers, the mission to defend the island would go on. Two Japanese lieutenants held out on Iwo Jima for another four years. A pair of machine gunners finally surrendered on January 6, 1949. For more incredible stories about America's brutal campaign to vanquish Japan, please check out my book, Killing the Rising Sun. Back in a moment. Thank you for listening to the O'Reilly Update. I am Bill O'Reilly. For more news and honest analysis, please go to BillO'Reilly.com. No spin, just facts, and always looking out for you.
