The Dawn Show For May 13 2026

Inside Zach Reihl’s Exoneration, Solitary Confinement Torment, And The Courtroom Farce That Took Down A Marine Vet

Dawn Stensland opens the hour with the stunning final exoneration of Zachary Reihl, a local Marine veteran, Temple University graduate, and J6 defendant who had his seditious conspiracy conviction completely thrown out. Dawn breaks down how Reihl survived over a year in pre-trial solitary confinement while treated worse than international terrorists. Reihl joins the show directly to expose the malicious tactics used by federal prosecutors—including withholding evidence, using coerced witness testimony, and scheduling critical hearings on his wife's pregnancy due date—and details his upcoming book and documentary highlighting the weaponization of the justice system. The crew then shifts focus to Washington, where Supreme Court Justices Amy Coney Barrett and Elena Kagan delivered rare Capitol Hill testimony to justify a major budget increase amid skyrocketing personal threats. We react to Justice Barrett's chilling, highly personal accounts of having to explain a bulletproof vest to her twelve-year-old son during the Dobbs leak and experiencing a dangerous swatting incident at her family home. Meanwhile, Donald Trump dominates the foreign policy front, greeting the new businessman-turned-prime-minister of Iraq at the White House and posting a massive Truth Social decree detailing a total maritime blockade on Iranian cargo and massive trade agreements in the Gulf. Finally, Abington Township Police Chief and Pennsylvania Chiefs of Police Association President Patrick Malloy joins the show to provide a law enforcement perspective on the growing debate over Flock license plate reader cameras. Chief Malloy addresses the privacy concerns of libertarians while demonstrating how these devices are vital in tracking international theft rings, locating missing non-verbal children, and solving local burglaries. Malloy also weighs in on a tragic hit-and-run arrest in Abington and argues passionately that true criminal justice reform in the region is completely impossible without comprehensive education reform and school choice.

Surge Philly Confronts Antifa Chaos And "First Amendment Squad" Hypocrisy In DC

The Dawn Stensland Show opens up with a comprehensive debrief on Pennsylvania's newly signed 2026-27 state budget. State Senator Tracy Pennycook joins the program to share insider perspective from Harrisburg, celebrating a long-overdue cost of living adjustment (COLA) for retired first responders who haven't seen a pension increase in over two decades. However, the crew reacts sharply to the billions in unused funds being clawed back from government agencies—a clear sign that the state is actively overtaxing its citizens. Dawn argues that Governor Josh Shapiro is playing politics with Pennsylvania's energy dominance, locking residents into higher electric bills to appease environmentalists and secure out-of-state political favors instead of unleashing the natural gas right under our feet. The conversation shifts to the ongoing crisis in the public education system, specifically looking at the staggering $25,000 to $30,000 spent per child in Philadelphia despite abysmal reading and math scores. Senator Pennycook presses for extreme accountability, highlighting how underperforming students are simply passed to the next grade rather than being held back or sent to mandatory summer school. The team champions school choice and expanding the EITC program, arguing that tax dollars must follow the child so parents can escape failing districts and force public institutions to compete for the best educators. Later in the episode, the crew welcomes Frank Scales and Ian McGinnis from Surge Philly to dissect their intense weekend covering the 250th Independence Day festivities and recent pride events. The journalists share wild footage of a confrontation in Washington, D.C., where an aggressive Antifa mob and a hypocritical "First Amendment Squad" of metropolitan police actively impeded conservative media coverage on public property. The team breaks down the deeply unsettling double standards of the political left, exposing the dangerous rhetoric of individuals celebrating the passing of conservative champions like Lindsey Graham, while illustrating how a complete lack of dialogue directly paves the way for political violence. Finally, the guys bring some sports talk to the table, backing Phillies pitcher Zach Wheeler's bold decision to reject a late MLB All-Star invitation after being disrespectfully snubbed for initial selection.

Rich Zeoli Hits Top Of The National Charts Plus Why Dawn’s Garbage Day Routine Involves A 4:45 AM Wake-Up Call

Dawn opens the Friday show highlighting a major national K-12 educational initiative launched to protect students from adult sexual predators in schools. We look closely at how the current administration is addressing a disturbing, recurring pattern across the nation where authority figures face credible reports of misconduct but are simply transferred to different schools within a district—a process known as "passing the trash." Dawn shares how she has tracked these devastating patterns locally and nationally since her days at CBS3 and Fox 29, challenging the corporate press for staying quiet on these institutional failures while executing major financial penalties under Title IX against non-compliant districts. The crew then shifts directly to a massive economic story as Steve Quirk, Chief Brokerage Officer at Robinhood, joins the program to break down the newly launched "Trump Accounts." We discuss the immediate velocity of the program, which secured over six million child sign-ups and $125 million in individual contributions within its first few days on the market. Quirk explains how the treasury seeds $1,000 for children born between 2025 and 2028 into low-cost ETFs to harness the power of compounding returns, while clarifying that parents of children up to age 17 can still utilize the app for tax-free investments up to $5,000 annually to help build long-term self-sufficiency. Finally, political powerhouse and newly minted chart-topper Rich Zeoli joins the studio to celebrate his podcast hitting the top 250 national political charts just in time for America's 250th anniversary. The conversation goes deep into the surveillance state as Dawn, Rich, and Dan debate the viral backlash over local police networks installing Flock automated license plate readers. We dissect a shocking case out of Colorado where an innocent driver was wrongfully accused of theft by a flawed AI system, raising major civil liberties questions about whether modern technology is turning the legal system into a "guilty until proven innocent" regime.

Sergeant Mark Fuzetti On The Olney Murder Mystery And Philly's Crime Rate Drop

The Dawn Stensland Show breaks down the chilling investigation into 44-year-old Eugene Albert Horsch after his arrest in Center City. We welcome Sergeant Mark Fuzetti to the show to unpack the horrific discoveries made by law enforcement inside an Olney home, including zip ties, notes referencing serial killers, and chemicals meant to dissolve human remains. Fuzetti tracks the latest on the lab testing and shares details regarding how a routine traffic stop by federal park rangers blew the case wide open. Dawn targets the ongoing environmental crisis hitting local vacationers as fecal bacteria alerts completely shut down multiple South Jersey beaches. We react to the massive financial strain facing local families who are paying thousands of dollars a week for rentals only to find swimming advisories blocking the ocean water. The crew looks at the heavy rainfall rates causing sewage overflows and discusses the gross reality of local waterways this summer. We transition to the media world as Dawn critiques Kellyanne Conway’s recent performance filling in on Fox News for Sean Hannity. The crew reacts to the difficulties of reading a teleprompter and explains why the show's signature snarky writing fell flat. Finally, Dawn highlights Pennsylvania Senator John Fetterman's aggressive remarks targeting a controversial Maine Senate candidate, demanding that national leaders hold the line.

Border Security Shockwaves: How The Open Border Drove Up Housing Costs By 30%

We break down the affordability crisis on The Dawn Stensland Show with HUD Secretary Scott Turner, who joins the crew during his tour across Pennsylvania. Secretary Turner details how the Trump administration is laser-focused on expanding homeownership by cutting bureaucratic red tape and removing the regulatory barriers that stifle builders. We look at the concrete numbers behind the one-year anniversary of the Working Families Tax Cut, noting how the permanency of Opportunity Zones has already sparked over $100 billion in investment into distressed communities and created 400,000 new housing units nationwide. Dawn and election integrity attorney Linda Kearns tackle the direct link between open border policies and the housing crunch, highlighting reports that illegal immigration pushed domestic housing costs up 30% and rental demand up 20%. We shift locally to analyze Philadelphia's declining homicide rate and address the post-Fourth of July drama surrounding Mayor Cherelle Parker’s decision to detonate city fireworks at 2:30 a.m. Dawn presses on the absurdity of waking up neighborhoods with late-night noise just years after city council championed bills against loud boom parties, while the team debates whether the city’s event insurance will cover a postponed Christina Aguilera concert. The conversation goes deep into the mechanics of voting as Linda exposes the flaws in Gavin Newsom’s recent performative speech regarding election interference and ballot seizure. We analyze why federal data grabs fail to fix the system, arguing instead for tedious, localized reforms like allowing poll watchers to get close enough to see mail-in envelopes and implementing Texas-style electronic poll books that scan driver's licenses. Finally, the crew shares a laugh over Dawn's strict no-sleep philosophy, a special delivery of pistachio chocolate from Trader Joe's, and Linda’s struggle to avoid her phone by taking up local crochet classes.