Most parents believe sex trafficking happens somewhere else, to other families, other kids, in foreign places, or dark alleyways. That belief is exactly why it keeps happening. Tonight, a survivor whose trafficking began at just eight years old, while she was still living at home. No kidnapping. No running away. No warning signs anyone wanted to see. Her story exposes how exploitation can start quietly, embed itself in everyday life, and continue for years without being recognized for what it is. Also, joining the conversation is Nate Lewis, a survivor himself and founder of The Innocent, who works directly with law enforcement to stop trafficking before it escalates.Together, they dismantle the myths parents cling to, reveal where this crime actually hides, and explain why so many communities miss it, until it’s too late. This is not a story about “bad parents” or “bad kids.” It’s about access, blind spots, and a reality most families are dangerously unprepared to face.

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Two mothers who lost their children to filicide... and refused to let it be the end of the story. According to the FBI, approximately 500 children are killed by a parent every single year in the US. Nearly 10 a week. And most of the time, there were warning signs that courts and law enforcement ignored ... until it was too late. Hope Hooton warned family court repeatedly that her estranged husband was dangerous. The court still gave him unsupervised custody. In May 2024, he shot and killed their two children, 7-year-old Alec and 6-year-old Lydia,  and turned the gun on himself. Hope responded by going to the Arizona State Capitol, and her bill, the Alec and Lydia Act, passed the House unanimously. Brandi Morey-Pols called law enforcement when her 6-year-old son Rowan didn't come home from a custody visit. She was told it was a civil matter. No Amber Alert. Three days later, Rowan and his father were found dead in a camper. She founded The Rowan Project and fought for the Rowan Act, expanding Amber Alert criteria in custody cases.  Two women. Three dead children. One broken system,  and the mothers who decided to fix it. May also bring in Judge Rosemarie Aquilina, who sees this pattern in her courtroom.

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Religious parents don't have to sit down and shut up. Dr. Phil explains the Supreme Court ruling that backs them. A Christian father is suing the Lake Washington School District in Washington State after it denied his religious opt-out request from LGBTQ lessons, Pride Month instruction, and pronoun requirements at Henry David Thoreau Elementary School. Dr. Phil breaks down the lawsuit, Alliance Defending Freedom's role, Washington's 2024 LGBTQ-inclusive curriculum law, the Supreme Court's 2025 Mahmoud v. Taylor ruling on parental rights and religious freedom, and the Religious Liberty Commission report on how parents can respond when a school says no. Know your rights, use your rights. This is The Real Story.  

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Kary-Ann Parkinson let her 5-year-old son Sam walk half a mile alone to a pond in their Williamsburg, Virginia, gated community. Now she's a convicted criminal, placed on Virginia's Child Abuse and Neglect Central Registry for 7 years for trusting her own kid. Dr. Phil breaks down the case, dividing parents: is this justice, or the criminalization of independence?

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Beni Sabti lived under the Iranian regime—and risked everything to escape it. Now a leading Iran expert, he joins Dr. Phil to share what life is really like inside the country, why protests keep erupting, and whether the regime could fall in our lifetime. From nuclear threats to propaganda campaigns, Sabti breaks down what Americans need to know—and what could come next.

This episode is brought is brought to you by Preserve Gold, call 844-718-2642 or text ASK PHIL to 50505 for your free wealth protection guide.

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A family massacre. A teen charged. And ChatGPT, an alleged accomplice. A 17-year-old in Massachusetts is charged with murdering his mother and 14-year-old brother after investigators found he'd used ChatGPT to search "fantasy stories" about killing them. It's the 4th murder case now linked to AI chatbots. Is the technology to blame? We go back 50 years to teens blamed for murder over playing records backward to answer that question. Plus the warning signs every parent needs to see before it's too late. If you or someone you know is in crisis: call or text 988.

This episode is brought to you by: Preserve Gold — call 844-718-2642 or text ASK PHIL to 50505 for your free wealth protection guide.

This episode is brought to you by: Chapter compares every Medicare plan nationwide for free to recommend coverage based on your doctors, prescriptions, and budget. Call 352-845-0659 or visit https://chapter.com/phil. *Paid Partnership

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Dr. Phil sits down with neuroscientist and educator Dr. Jared Cooney Horvath for a wake‑up call every parent needs to hear. Across the country, kids are more distracted, more anxious, and less interested in school, even as classrooms fill up with laptops, tablets, and “learning” apps.​ Dr. Horvath issues a chilling warning: the very school devices families were promised would boost achievement may actually be quietly eroding children’s attention, memory, and motivation. He and Dr. Phil expose how classroom tech can blunt deep thinking, lower test scores, and reshape developing brains in ways most parents never see coming.​ In this urgent, brain-based conversation, Dr. Phil pushes for straight answers and simple, powerful steps parents can take right now—at home and at school—to protect their child’s focus, learning, and future before more damage is done.

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With their hands full grooming dogs and their phones ringing nonstop, the new owners of an established dog-grooming business turn to HighLevel and Dr. Phil for help attracting new customers and keeping their growing business on track.

Learn how to build a business that serves your life, not one that consumes it.

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Another Epic UAP Failure. Dr. Phil breaks down why 93% of Americans have no official way to report a UFO/UAP sighting. Thousands of civilian UAP reports sit untouched while the government turns a blind eye. In today's Real Story, Dr. Phil exposes the broken UAP reporting system: no public reporting channel through AARO or PURSUE, 1,855 "Tier One" credible UFO sightings sitting in NUFORC's database, and two former U.S. presidents (Jimmy Carter, Ronald Reagan) who saw UFOs with nowhere to report them.

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She wasn't just a country legend — she was family we never met. Dolly Parton's passing revealed a real psychological phenomenon: parasocial grief, the one-sided bond that makes losing a stranger feel like losing a loved one. From the wildfire relief fund she launched in 48 hours, to the Imagination Library that's put hundreds of millions of free books in kids' hands, to a million-dollar check written out of her own pocket after Hurricane Helene — Dolly proved family isn't about blood, it's about who shows up. This is The Real Story on why the world grieved her like kin. 💔🎶 

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