In a heartwarming tribute, actor James Woods shares his memories of the late Rob Reiner, emphasizing the value of friendship transcending political differences. The episode continues with discussions on transparency in politics, featuring a substantial look into Susie Wiles’ Vanity Fair interview. From current political climates to personal acts of courage, this episode provides listeners with engaging and thought-provoking content to consider during these turbulent times.
00:26:29 Target Employee’s Viral Video After Harassment
SPEAKER 03 :
Hey girl, yes you. You are seen, you are loved, and you were made for more. Created especially for teen girls, chart-topping Christian artist Anne Wilson invites you to her 40-day devotional, Hey Girl, through honest stories, scripture, and journal prompts. Anne talks about real struggles, comparison, insecurity, doubt, and faith, reminding you that God is always near and fighting for you. Hey girl, from K-Love Books. Get your copy today at klove.com slash books.
SPEAKER 05 :
Welcome to the Mike Gallagher Week in Review podcast. It’s Friday, December 19th, 2025. I’m Eric Hansen. This week, Scott Jennings talks about his new gig. Actor James Woods remembers his friend, director Rob Reiner. And the left can’t stop going nuts about Charlie Kirk. We begin with his widow, Erica Kirk, who had Democrats howling when she appeared on CBS.
SPEAKER 07 :
It has been just a really dark night. dark, horrible 48 hours. We’ve got this, and it kind of started, not horrible, it was actually wonderful, the CBS town hall with Erica Kirk Saturday night that caused the left to lose their minds. They’re livid that CBS would dare air the voice of one of America’s most prominent conservative influencers, because that’s what Erica Kirk now finds herself in the role of being. And the new chief of CBS News, a woman by the name of Barry Weiss, chose to do a town hall with her, similar to other town halls that she’s going to be doing or has done, and the left lost its mind. Look at this headline from this despicable Roger Friedman at Showbiz411. Barry Weiss’s embarrassing CBS Christian hour with Erica Kirk sends Charlie Kirk book to number two. He writes, 70 years of CBS News was chucked out the window tonight by Barry Weiss. See, they don’t think that conservative voices are allowed to even be heard. That’s the crazy part of this. And so much so that I think some of them want to kill us. Do you know one of the victims at Brown University over the weekend was a 19-year-old college kid who was one of the few conservatives, one of the few Republicans on the Brown campus? She was actually the head of the Young Republicans at Brown University. Was she targeted? Wouldn’t surprise you, would it? Not with this kind of mindset, this mind rot. Oh, Barry Weiss is chucking tradition and history out the window. What? What’s wrong with letting voices be heard? And you understand, this is where the left has now… landed that you’ve got to stop those voices from being heard. Maybe it started with tearing down Confederate statues. That’s not even allowed to exist. Pretend the Confederacy didn’t happen. Pretend there were no members of the Confederacy. If there’s a general, tear it down. George Washington owned slaves, tear them down. Christopher Columbus was whatever he was, tear him down. And it just keeps building and building and building. And now we’re witnessing a time where even allowing a strong, powerful voice like Erica Kirk’s isn’t allowed.
SPEAKER 05 :
In the sweepstakes of horror this week, the mass shooting at Bondi Beach in Australia is as bad as it gets. We invited Yael Eckstein from the International Fellowship of Christians and Jews to offer perspective on this terrible crime.
SPEAKER 07 :
What happened in Australia, tragically, is happening all over the world. A lot of people are starting to wake up. I saw Brigitte Gabriel on social media last night saying, we must not be silent about what took place in Australia. These innocent victims, all they wanted to do was celebrate the beginning of Hanukkah in an iconic beach called Bondi Beach in Australia. And Brigitte said, look, face it, we have an Islamic terrorism problem. And we can either run from it and hide, or we can address it. I’ve gotten to know Yael Eckstein over the years. She oversees all ministry programs and serves as the international spokesperson for the International Fellowship of Christians and Jews. She has a very special place in my heart because without the IFCJ, we would not have been blessed with our many visits to Israel over the years. It’s an organization that matters a lot to all of us here at the Mike Gallagher Show. And what an honor it is to see your smiling face here. Hanukkah is underway. Christmas is next week. And yet, tragically, here we go again, Yael, with more violence, terrorism, bloodshed. You know, thanks to you, we were in Israel shortly after October 7th. We interviewed survivors. We saw first up close and personal what this awful, ugly terrorism looks like, sounds like, feels like. But Yael, tragically to people in Israel, this is nothing new. That’s the part that breaks my heart. This didn’t just start yesterday, did it?
SPEAKER 08 :
I think the whole world is waking up to see, Mike, that evil isn’t something we just study from history. It’s not something from the past. It’s something that is rearing its ugly head once again today. And I think the answer is found exactly in the season we’re in now. During Hanukkah, during Christmas, we’re called to bring forth light. I guess what I see, and from my experience living with terror and this evil and war here in Israel since October 7th, what I see is we can’t rely on anyone else to be our voice. We can’t rely on anyone else to bring that light and do good in the world. We have to do it ourselves. And if all of us do our part, the world will be so much more beautiful.
SPEAKER 07 :
Amen. And I just wonder, I’m going to ask you a personal question, because you’re dealing with this in person all the time. The IFCJ continues to bless so many people throughout Israel. Do you get discouraged? Sometimes I come into work and I find myself getting sort of beaten down. It’s like, man, this isn’t just policy differences here. We’re staring at the face of evil. Does that ever get to you, Yael, on a personal level?
SPEAKER 08 :
I guess it’s how I relate to it. I think the darker the world gets, the more I am driven and motivated and encouraged to bring light. Because Mike, you’ve been here in Israel and you’ve seen since October 7th and so much of it is because of your followers and your listeners. We’ve been able to provide over 6 million meals to people in need in Israel. We’ve placed thousands of bomb shelters. We’ve gone into Syria. You’re seeing videos now. That’s in Syria that we’ve been able to set up medical clinics and provide food boxes to persecuted Christians. And so as the world gets darker, I feel God calling me. And I see so many people standing along just like you, Mike, saying that biblical word of here I am willing to do what’s hard in order to do what’s right. And when we do what’s hard in order to do what’s right, the darkness is gone. Taking a back seat because that hope and that love and that aid is what’s front and center to feed the hungry, to clothe the naked, to shelter the poor, to pray for the peace of Jerusalem. That is our answer as people of faith to this evil and spiritual warfare that’s spreading at a terrifying pace.
SPEAKER 05 :
We warned at the outset it has been a dark week. We woke up on Monday to the news that actor and director Rob Reiner and his wife had been murdered in their home.
SPEAKER 07 :
I want to share with you James Woods. He’s just a great actor. He, too, is a legendary actor. And he’s a guy that sort of represents the way I wish more of us felt. Do you hate somebody in your life? who does not support Donald Trump. Because many people hate you because you do support Donald Trump. And it seems to me that we ought to be better than they are. When people were taunting and mocking Charlie Kirk and his wife and family after Charlie was assassinated, Normal people found that repulsive. Normal people were shocked by that. Normal people were sickened by that. And thankfully, we didn’t do that after the murder of Rob Reiner and his wife Michelle. Now, you want to get into Trump’s post, that’s fine. Again, I don’t want to belabor it. I’m not going to pile on. There’s been enough pushback as it is. Again, I wish he hadn’t have posted it. I’m with Scott Jennings, who said last night on CNN, some things you just got to put in your pocket, you know? Rob Reiner hated Trump. Trump, obviously, not a fan of Rob Reiner, as he said yesterday. Probably not very productive to claim that Rob Reiner was murdered because of his Trump derangement syndrome. It infuriated a lot of people and probably wasn’t very helpful in trying to win over independents to our side as the midterms are going to be closer and closer. But that’s the way I see it. You may see it differently. Feel free. 800-655-MIKE if you want to weigh in. I do want to share with you what James Woods said last night. I think he, too, disagreed with President Trump’s post yesterday. So be it. And he knew Rob Reiner, despite their political differences. I think what he said to Jesse Waters last night was real significant, real meaningful, and kind of a perfect message heading into Christmas.
SPEAKER 02 :
I’d be at a party at my friend’s house, and people who didn’t know that Rob and I knew each other, they’d see us laughing and kidding each other, and they’d go… How is it that you and Rob Reiner are friends? And I said, well, what do you mean? They said, well, you are so different in your politics and so on. I said, look, let me explain something about Rob Reiner so that you know. First of all, I judge people by how they treat me. And Rob Reiner was a godsend in my life. We got along great. We loved each other. We had more fun together doing a very serious subject. It was a way to kind of get through it. And he was always on my side. But when people would say to me, well, what do you think of his politics? I would say, I think Rob Reiner is a great patriot. Do I agree with some of or many of his ideas on how that patriotism should be enacted to celebrate the America that we both love? No, but he doesn’t agree with me either. But he also respects my patriotism. We had a different path. to the same destination, which was a country we both loved. And when people would say terrible things to me on social media about him, I said, you got it all wrong. And yes, I can see how you can disagree with him. But because you disagree with people, does it mean that you have to hate people? Gosh, are we listening?
SPEAKER 07 :
Do you agree with that? Because we disagree with people doesn’t mean we have to hate people. And when they hate us, does that mean we have to return the favor? Do we have to act like they do? That may work for you. It doesn’t work for me. I’m not going to hate people because I disagree with them politically. I’ve got big news from MyPillow. Talk about Christmas. This is the Christmas season. A lot of people, a lot of grandparents are buying Christmas presents for their grandkids. How about the five-pack of the children’s Bible story pillows from MyPillow? They’re normally $120. Through December, you can order them for $29.98. If you’re seeing right now on Salem News Channel the picture of these five pillows, they are beautiful, rich, vibrant colors, the story of Daniel in the lion’s den, creation, Jonah and the whale, Noah’s ark, the story of baby Jesus. You want to talk about a perfect Christmas gift for your little one? the Children’s Bible Story pillows. They are my pillows, but with beautiful artwork around these five Children’s Bible Stories. $29.98 with promo code MikeG. You can also order blankets, duvets, and comforters for as low as $25. These are the delightful, warm, luxurious, comfy blankets, comforters, and duvets. $25 with promo code MikeG. Go to MyPillow.com. Look for the Mike Gallagher Special Square. You can order pillows, slippers, bathrobes, mattress toppers, doggy beds. You get all your Christmas shopping done in one fell swoop. When you go to MyPillow.com, find that Mike Gallagher Special Square. Click on the box. And then be sure to enter the promo code MikeG to save big. MyPillow.com, promo code MikeG. MyPillow.com, promo code MikeG. Or call 800-928-6034. 800-928-6034. Sing along with me.
SPEAKER 09 :
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SPEAKER 07 :
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SPEAKER 05 :
This is the Mike Gallagher Show Week in Review podcast. I’m Eric Hansen. White House Chief of Staff Susie Wiles did an interview with Vanity Fair, and the mainstream media really thought they had a controversy.
SPEAKER 07 :
Well, not so much. I loved your take on Susie Wiles. You know, Mark Davis and Chris Stegall and a lot of us were saying, why in the world would the chief of staff of the White House consent to an interview like this with Vanity Fair? It turned out to be a hit piece. It’s terrible. And you said on CNN last night, where you constantly have to do missionary work, and you’re the Christian facing the lions on that panel hosted by Abby Phillips, You said, look, this is an example of transparency. Here’s Trump transparency at its finest.
SPEAKER 06 :
Yeah, the fact that a reporter can talk to the White House chief of staff for 11 hours over the course of the year, the fact that Donald Trump talks to reporters every day, if you want to ask these people questions, you can, and they will answer them, and they will give you candid, blunt answers. Now, you may not like all the answers, or you may think, wow, that’s eyebrow-raising, But isn’t this what we kind of want out of our government, some kind of transparency? I also thought, frankly, it showed a lot of confidence out of Susie Wiles. Look, she’s a candid, blunt person. And as the dust settled on the whole story, guess what? Donald J. Trump, the president, who’s the only one that has an opinion that matters, said, Susie’s my person, and I stand behind Susie. So the people that she mentioned… I think they ought to listen up to Suzy because she’s the chief and that ain’t changing.
SPEAKER 07 :
And make no mistake about it, Suzy Wiles is not going to go rogue. So none of this was done without the blessing and approval of Donald Trump. In fact, President Trump was asked about the interview and he said, I stand with Suzy and I’m fine. I mean, go ahead.
SPEAKER 06 :
I was on with the guy Whipple who wrote it and did the interviews last night, and he was comparing his conversations with Susie to anything he ever did with the Biden White House. And he said with the Bidens, it was like, oh, I’ll talk to you, but it has to be on background and you can’t use my name. And if you quote me, you have to send me my quotes for approval. And I mean, it was what you would have expected out of the Bidens. No transparency, completely and totally stage managed. for the purpose of misleading the American people. Contrast that with Trump. He talks, she talks, they tell you what they think. These are blunt people. I think the American people are mature enough to take it, don’t you?
SPEAKER 07 :
Absolutely. Scott Jennings is with us. He’s taking over Charlie Kirk’s time slot beginning January the 5th, along with Alex Marlowe. Scott will be in the 1 to 3 slot. Speaking of Charlie, I found a clip that I’m going to play a little later. We saw this horrific attack in Australia. We’ve seen this horrific attack at Brown University, which I’ve got to believe the thing that the shooter said before he began firing and took those two young lives was Allah Akbar. I guess we’ll find out. But look, the West is under attack. You’ve said it before. You said it the other day. Charlie, the clip that I found… said charlie said islam is taking over by force he said islam is not compatible with western civilization period charlie said i’m not talking about individuals we’re talking about the macro ideology where many of them gather together and what it metastasizes into he’s right isn’t he scott he was right he he absolutely is you know the last time i saw charlie alive we did a conversation at a turning point event
SPEAKER 06 :
And a lot of it centered on the future of the West and the West being under attack and the need for people to stand up and defend the West. That was back in the summer. Ever since that day, I have thought about that conversation because look at the number of incidents that have occurred. Australia is just the latest. And so I feel as strongly about this today as I ever have. You also notice the administration’s national defense documents and their national defense strategy documents. is now focused on the defense of the West and what’s going on in Europe and the mass migration crisis that’s leading to this. So we better wake up. I mean, I don’t know what else to say. Wake up, because we’ve allowed this to happen to ourselves in the West. And if we don’t stand up and we don’t wake up, it won’t take long for the West to be overrun and torn down.
SPEAKER 05 :
The Trump administration expects a blockbuster economy in 2026. Our own Roger P. Shulman agrees.
SPEAKER 07 :
Speaking of fantastic, it’s our own newsman, Roger P. Shulman, who holds down the fort every day on the Mike Gallagher Show. Hey, Roger, first of all, Merry Christmas. It’s good having you with us every week on our show. J.D. Vance is in Pennsylvania right now. Thank you, sir. J.D. Vance is in Pennsylvania right now touting the Trump economy. Look, if Trump’s calculations are correct, this administration is poised to look at a pretty spectacular 2026. And all signs are looking pretty good right now, aren’t they?
SPEAKER 04 :
Well, gas prices are going down. That affects just about everything. That is a major factor. Also, there’s going to be the income tax return boom. Most working families get up to $2,000 at the beginning of the year. That is quite a boost. Another major factor, a lot of businesses will be able to write off capital expenditures, and that means they’ll be able to hire more people and give people raises, which are long-incoming. And Tariffs have driven up some prices, but the administration is eliminating levies on things like coffee and meat. So that is helping. Although meat prices are exceedingly high, a lot of folks aren’t seeing the benefits and insurance costs could go up. But… no tax on tips, that’s going to help a lot of people, particularly low-income service workers, and the no tax on Social Security, that will be very helpful. So it looks pretty bright. You might not hear it on the mainstream media, but a lot of bright, shining things could happen in the coming year that will really help the economy.
SPEAKER 07 :
That’s good news, Roger, and I’m just hoping for the best, and I really have a good feeling about 2026. As I like to say, I like our chances. By the way, on an unrelated note, You said to me a week or two ago when we shared we were all babbling with excitement over our Angel Tree campaign in the hallway. You weren’t surprised. You are always – you’re as appreciative of the Mike Gallagher Show audience as anybody because what an incredible story this is. Over 7,200 kids. Roger, people have donated over $211,000 to the Mike Gallagher Show Angel Tree campaign in a little over two weeks. That’s a Christmas miracle.
SPEAKER 04 :
It really is, but you have such great people, people who believe in God, people who believe in our country, and people who enjoy your show greatly. I mean, you do a wonderful job, and I think that people are showing their Christian… beliefs. They’re helping people who definitely need help. They’re at the bottom of our society because they’ve had financial problems. They’re in jail. And helping these innocent children is such a wonderful thing. It’s a natural thing. But yeah, congratulations on that. It’s a godsend, really. It is a godsend. Thanks, Roger.
SPEAKER 05 :
The FBI foiled a frightening jihadist plot in California. It caps a week of crime apparently inspired by radical Muslims.
SPEAKER 07 :
What we do know is that four lunatic, anti-capitalist, pro-Palestinians from Los Angeles had a plan to kill a lot of people on New Year’s Eve. I want to give you an assistant U.S. attorney’s announcement earlier today about the four of them, what they had intended to do, and how their evil, nefarious plot was foiled.
SPEAKER 01 :
The four defendants are Audrey Carroll, 30 years old. The pictures, I think we have them somewhere. We’ll put them up here. Audrey Carroll, 30 years old. Zachary Aaron Page, 32. Dante Gaffield, 24. And Tina Lay, 41. Each from the Los Angeles area. Each is charged with conspiracy and possession of an unregistered destructive device in violation of Title 26, United States Code Section 5861D. We intend to file additional charges in the coming weeks as we finish reviewing the evidence. The defendants are all radical anti-government members of the Turtle Island Liberation Front, which, according to their own social media, is an anti-capitalist, anti-government movement that calls for their associates to rise up and fight back against capitalism. One of the leaders of the organization, defendant Audrey Carroll, helped organize an even more radical faction of the group called the Order of the Black Lotus. Each of the defendants charged today was also a member of the Order of the Black Lotus. Carroll described this group to her co-conspirators as… everything radical. As detailed in the federal complaint, which we will now make public, in November 2025, defendant Carroll created a detailed bombing plot to use explosive devices to attack five or more locations across Southern California on this upcoming New Year’s Eve. Carroll and her co-defendant, Zachary Page, led the effort to obtain and build the bombs and to recruit others to join in their plot. Carol’s bomb plot was explicit. It included a step-by-step instructions to build IEDs or improvised explosive devices and listed multiple targets across Orange County and Los Angeles. Carol also made clear her desires. She said, quote, what we are doing will be considered a terrorist act. Carroll and Page also discussed plans for follow-up attacks after their bombings, which included plans to target ICE agents and vehicles with pipe bombs. Carroll stated that those plans would, quote, take some of them out and scare the rest.
SPEAKER 07 :
We’ve got a problem in this country, and we better come to terms with it real quick. We better recognize that there are violent extremists on the left… who want to kill as many people as humanly possible. These four would-be terrorists were ready to wreak havoc upon the American people on New Year’s Eve. I’ll say this. If you’re not signing up to take a… a handgun training course, and not applying for your concealed carry permit, you’re making a mistake because you need to be able to defend yourself. Americans are, this is where we are. This is, we’re at war. And we have a problem worldwide with, certainly with Islamic terrorism.
SPEAKER 05 :
And finally, a worker at Target became the target of a crazed radical leftist while she was on the job. Don’t worry, this story has a happy ending.
SPEAKER 07 :
Let me share with you the video clip of this angry, foul-mouthed young woman who I’m told is a nurse. And she’s in a world of trouble now because she thought it would be cute to post the video of her confronting an older woman who is a Target employee in California who happened to be wearing a red shirt with the name Charlie Kirk and freedom on the shirt.
SPEAKER 11 :
They let you wear that shirt here? Yes. Why? Why are you taking my picture? Why are you wearing that shirt? You’re working. It’s a red shirt. I can wear any red shirt. It’s not a plain shirt. It doesn’t have to be. It’s a Charlie Kirk shirt. Yes. Oh, yes, I know. Are you stupid? No. Why the would you wear that? You’re at work at Target. That’s not a Target shirt. It’s not a plain red shirt. You support a racist. It’s not racist. You support a racist. He’s not a racist. Yes, he is. Yes, he is. I’m sorry, but I’m not going to stand here and argue with you. You’re not. You should go get your manager. You should not be allowed to wear that at work. Unacceptable. Unacceptable. That’s your opinion. The opinion is he’s a racist and you support him. That’s your opinion. And you should you should not be allowed to wear that. This is going to be taken above your head. That’s insane. End thing. End thing. Piece of ****.
SPEAKER 07 :
Did you hear what you said is the end? Piece of S. You piece of S. F you. You’re wearing an effing racist shirt. Now, this story does have a happy ending. Not only is this young woman being investigated, apparently, by the police for possible… harassment charges. But a GoFundMe was established for the older Target employee, which has now raised over $80,000. The GoFundMe was to give her a vacation to have to put up with lunatics like that young woman. Now she’s going to get the goal is $100,000. I’ll bet they’ll hit that goal of $100,000 and that lady might be able to retire. She’s working at Target. She looks to be maybe, I don’t know, what do you think, 65, maybe 70 years old? Having to be harassed by this young woman who thought it would, and the reason she took the video, she was real proud of herself. She thought she was going to get her fired for daring to wear a shirt that simply said freedom, had an American flag on the sleeve, and Charlie’s name. Jennifer is in Illinois. You’re on the Mike Gallagher Show, Jennifer. Welcome. Our number is 800-655-MIKE. Merry Christmas, Jennifer. How are you doing?
SPEAKER 10 :
Merry Christmas, Mike. I’m doing well. A little aggravated after watching that video. It just makes me an insensitive.
SPEAKER 07 :
It’s just infuriating. Well, like somebody said, I guess wearing a Charlie Kirk shirt is like a demon detector. The demons come out of the woodwork.
SPEAKER 10 :
I love that. Yeah, that was great. I mean, who doesn’t like freedom, right, Mike? Yeah.
SPEAKER 07 :
Well, but a whole lot of people on the left hated Charlie Kirk, and they still do, even in death.
SPEAKER 10 :
Well, they don’t like freedom.
SPEAKER 09 :
All right, I appreciate it.
SPEAKER 10 :
I suggest to Jeannie, the Target lady, though, I just want everybody to know, I wish everybody would just give something to her. It makes me sad when I see someone that age working at Target. The economy, it’s bad, I mean, for people.
SPEAKER 07 :
And being harassed like that by a foul-mouthed young woman, and she kept her composure. She didn’t reply in kind. She didn’t raise her voice. She said, I’m not a racist. Charlie Kirk wasn’t a racist. You’re right, there is a sadness to that. But the happy ending is, apparently this young woman has been identified. She’s a nurse at the network. Can you imagine that, a nurse?
SPEAKER 05 :
And that wraps up the Mike Gallagher Show Week in Review podcast for Friday, December 19th, 2025. Be sure to subscribe to all of the podcasts and follow us on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. And if you like the show, be sure to share it with a friend. I’m Eric Hansen. We’ll see you next time on the Mike Gallagher Show Week in Review podcast.
SPEAKER 03 :
Hey Girl, yes, you. You are seen, you are loved, and you were made for more. Created especially for teen girls, chart-topping Christian artist Anne Wilson invites you to her 40-day devotional, Hey Girl, through honest stories, scripture, and journal prompts. Anne talks about real struggles, comparison, insecurity, doubt, and faith, reminding you that God is always near and fighting for you. Hey Girl, from K-Love Books. Get your copy today at klove.com slash books.
Brown University Press Conference Goes OFF THE RAILS