Shoplifting Confessions

We begin with a LendingTree survey showing a sharp rise in self-reported shoplifting, then compare the most commonly stolen items, targeted retailers and the number of people who say they have never been caught. The numbers prompt Nick, Dawn and Greg to trade stories about a cassette tape, a nickel and the childhood lessons that follow. We also discuss how underreporting can punish neighborhood stores while larger retailers absorb losses differently. Dawn’s first news block covers the search for a man who enters the Delaware River near Penn’s Landing and does not resurface, a measles outbreak in Delaware with additional Chester County cases, and the latest Cyclospora concerns tied to lettuce. The FDA’s two-day meeting on peptide compounds creates a heated studio dispute over wellness fads and medical evidence. That discussion collides with Nick’s neck pain, his 75-minute nap and a large red welt left by an aggressive massage device. Phil brings us the Phillies’ 9-5 loss to the Dodgers, Aaron Nola’s rough outing and another costly baserunning mistake, while the IronPigs join the wave of LeBron James press-conference jokes. Our Big Take then dominates the rest of the hour as we argue that socialism rises through sustainability, salaries and sympathy. Clips from Harold Ford, Xi Van Fleet, Stephen Miller, Sunny Hostin, John Leguizamo and Van Jones drive a wide debate over communism, reparations, college debt, mandatory DEI courses and the Democratic Party’s direction.