This Week on the Show

If you’re anxious because every trip to the grocery store and gas station cuts deeper into your budget, you are not alone. At 9.1 percent, inflation is at a 40-year high. With less supply and more demand for so many products, two-thirds of Americans are living paycheck to paycheck and are outraged over prices. To help, Dr. Phil is starting a series on how to survive inflation. Learn credit card tips, grocery ideas, and coupon tricks that could save you thousands! Today, Harvard-trained economist and Chief Economist of Instawork Dan Altman explains what is happening with the economy. Then, get budget tips from Jordan Page, a mother of eight who calls herself the Fun, Cheap, and Free Queen. You won’t believe some of the money-saving tips!

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Sending a child off to college can be bittersweet, mixed with tears, fears, excitement, hopes and dreams. All over the country right now, thousands of freshman students are going from home life to Greek life. For young women, sorority rush often means a lot of dressing up -- but for young men, pledging a fraternity can mean a lot of drinking. So much so that over the last 20 years, more than 60 young men have died from alcohol poisoning as a result. Dr. Phil delves into the dangerous fraternity rituals putting young men at risk. One of these young men, Danny Santulli, was at a fraternity pledging event at the University of Missouri in October 2021. By the end of the evening, Danny was in the hospital with a blood alcohol content six times the legal limit. He survived, but is no longer the Danny that everyone knew. He suffered severe brain damage, lost his eyesight, can no longer speak, feed himself or walk, and spends his days in a wheelchair being cared for by his family. Hear what happened the night everything went tragically wrong and see the shocking surveillance video. Plus, Danny’s family shares a glimpse into the aftermath of this tragic incident and how difficult life is day to day.

Watch more from part 2, Deadly Brotherhood: The Fight to Stop College Hazing

Dr. Phil takes you inside a fraternity hazing trial that made national headlines. Two former Bowling Green State University fraternity brothers have been sentenced for their part in the alcohol poisoning death of 20-year-old student Stone Foltz. Since this tragedy, Foltz has become one of the most prominent faces of this national epidemic. He was in his final days of pledging Pi Kappa Alpha when prosecutors say he and other underage pledges were encouraged to drink an entire bottle of liquor in order to be initiated into the brotherhood. Meet Foltz’s family and hear about the sentencing. Do they believe the punishment fits the crime? Plus, hear chilling testimony from Foltz’s fellow pledges and his girlfriend that give insight into his deadly initiation night.

Watch more from part one: Horror Hazing: Left Blind and Paralyzed

An umpire gets punched in the face by an upset mother, a worker gets a drink thrown in her face over a 25-cent overcharge on cheese fries, a customer rips a cash register off the counter after an order was made incorrectly, and a man gets so angry on the road while driving that he ends up dead. It sometimes feels like it has gotten too dangerous to leave the house because people’s fuses are so short. What has happened to America? Why do people feel that they can do anything to anyone these days, that rules just don’t apply to them, and/or if they don’t like something, they have the right to intimidate, verbally abuse or even physically assault you? Dr. Phil speaks with people who have experienced firsthand when someone blows their fuse.

TELL DR. PHIL YOUR STORY: Has your life been affected by current social issues?

President Biden recently announced a three-part plan to provide more breathing room to America’s working families as they continue to recover from the strains associated with the COVID-19 pandemic. This plan offers targeted debt relief as part of a comprehensive effort to address the burden of growing college costs and make the student loan system more manageable for working families. The Education Department has indicated that around 8 million federal student loan borrowers who already have their income information on file with the Department will be eligible for automatic student loan forgiveness. However, this announcement kicked off a nationwide debate. Supporters praised the act as a landmark move to wipe out millions of student loan debt, while critics say the plan will increase inflation and does not address the underlying problem of soaring higher-education costs. Dr. Phil speaks with people on both sides of this issue. Inez Stepman, senior policy analyst at Independent Women’s Forum (IWF), says it’s not fair for taxpayers to be stuck paying someone else’s debt. Economic Sociologist and Professor Charlie Eaton says loan cancellation will be life-changing for low/moderate income students. Neal McCluskey, director of CATO Institute, Mark Kantrowitz, policy expert, Holly Taylor, an attorney whose video of her student loan outrage went viral, and James Cowart, a college graduate who says he will benefit from Biden’s student loan plan, weigh in on the debate. Is Biden’s plan raising living standards or adding fuel to inflation? Helping lower-income Americans or supporting the rich? You won’t want to miss this episode!

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