Morning Wire Podcast Summary

Episode: Hiding In Plain Sight: Inside America’s Child-Trafficking Crisis

Date: November 1, 2025
Hosts: John Bickley & Georgia Howe
Guest: Derek Benner (CEO, Our Rescue)

Overview

This episode centers on the hidden epidemic of child trafficking in the United States, inspired by the new documentary "Hiding in Plain Sight: America's Child Trafficking Epidemic." Hosts John Bickley and Georgia Howe interview Derek Benner, CEO of the nonprofit Our Rescue, which is combating child trafficking and produced the film. The conversation exposes the scale and realities of child exploitation, the evolving tactics used by predators (especially online), shortcomings in resources for law enforcement, and the urgent need for public awareness and action.

Key Discussion Points

1. Changing Definitions and Hidden Reality of Trafficking

• Modern Trafficking: The definition has shifted beyond kidnapping or forced captivity. Most trafficking now involves online grooming, fraud, and coercion rather than explicit force.
• Public Awareness Gap: While trafficking is often perceived as a foreign or distant issue, the reality is it happens at a staggering scale within American communities.
  • Quote: "It's a very tough conversation. But at Our Rescue, we feel like we need to help fill that gap and...start understanding how big of a crisis this is and how we can all pitch in to join the fight." — Derek Benner [03:54]

2. Scope and Scale of the Crisis

• Staggering Numbers:
  • In 2024, the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children received over 20 million suspected child exploitation tips.
  • Contained within these tips were 64 million suspected images of child sex abuse material. [05:29]
  • Online enticement reports saw a 200% increase in 2023, nearing 600,000 incidents in a single year, across platforms like social media, chat rooms, and online gaming. [07:16]
• Not a Political Issue:
  • The discussion stresses that trafficking is not partisan or limited to any one socioeconomic group—it affects all communities.
  • Quote: "This is not a Democrat or Republican issue…This is an all of us issue." — Derek Benner [04:39]

3. How Victims Are Ensnared

• Grooming Over Force:
  • Most victims are lured through methodical online grooming rather than abduction.
  • Criminal organizations exploit the internet to target and manipulate children.
  • Emerging Threat: Generative AI is being used to create synthetic child sexual abuse material, compounding the challenge—a 1,300% increase in reports of such material was noted. [06:11]
  • Quote: "We've seen a 1,300% increase in reports of generative AI child sexual material. That's the new frontier." — Derek Benner [06:42]

4. Digital Tactics Used by Predators

• Every Online Platform is Vulnerable:
  • Predators use mainstream social apps, messaging, encrypted forums, and especially online games to contact children.
  • Online enticement often escalates to the exchange of explicit material and sometimes in-person meetings. [07:16]
  • Quote: "Even online gaming has become a massive target for predators to try to engage children..." — Derek Benner [07:22]

5. Enforcement Challenges and Resource Shortfalls

• Severe Resource Constraints:
  • The federal government spent $48 billion on the war on drugs in 2024, but less than $32 million to support Internet Crimes Against Children (ICAC) task forces, equating to only $500,000 per task force. [08:28]
  • Law enforcement faces backlogs and emotional tolls due to the overwhelming volume of cases and disturbing content.
  • Quote: "The backlogs that they face are staggering…It's crazy that here we are as a nonprofit providing this equipment, the expensive forensics tools, the expensive software licenses that it takes to bring these pred[ators] justice." — Derek Benner [08:46]

6. The Role of Our Rescue and Technology

• Operational Support:
  • Our Rescue steps in to fund and equip law enforcement with advanced cyber forensics tools, including technology for examining digital evidence and canine units trained to detect hidden storage devices. [11:10]
  • Quote: "We're engaging with police departments...to assess their technology gaps. And we are actually providing grant funding directly...to purchase the expensive cyber forensics tools they need." — Derek Benner [11:12]
• Double-edged Sword of Technology:
  • While AI and technology aid law enforcement in processing evidence, offenders use the same tools (encryption, dark web) to evade detection and collaborate.
  • Quote: "In a lot of cases, the violators...are leveraging technology at a scale equal to or better than law enforcement. They don't have to follow the rules..." — Derek Benner [13:27]

7. Policy Progress and What’s Needed Next

• Some Advances, Not Enough:
  • Legislative action (such as the Report Act) and increased awareness following cultural moments like "Sound of Freedom" have helped, but systemic underfunding and slow progress persist.
  • State Leadership: Texas and New Jersey cited for passing effective anti-trafficking laws and supporting local task forces. [14:09]
  • Quote: "The biggest gap...is the resource gap...Typically, a high priority item equals a high budget appropriation. And I think we need to look at how we adjust that." — Derek Benner [15:39]
• Call to Action:
  • Public engagement and understanding are essential; all sectors of society need to contribute to closing the resource and awareness gaps.

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• On Parental Challenges & Online Risk
  "Even the best parents can't compete with what they're allowing their children to view on the Internet. It's coming at your kids whether you like it or not." — John Bickley, Georgia Howe, Derek Benner [00:14–00:26]

• The Psychological Toll on Investigators "It's one of the worst jobs in law enforcement in terms of the material that they have to deal with every day." — Derek Benner [08:34]

Key Timestamps

• Main Discussion Begins: [02:06]
• Changing Definitions & Realities: [02:21–03:54]
• Scope of Child Exploitation (Statistics): [05:29]
• Victim Pipeline & Grooming: [06:06]
• Digital Predator Tactics: [07:16]
• Law Enforcement Resource Shortfall: [08:28]
• Prevalence and Data Challenges: [09:39]
• Our Rescue’s Mission & Technology Gaps: [11:10]
• Technology: AI, Encryption, and Law Enforcement: [12:07, 12:20]
• Policy & Legislative Movement: [14:09]
• Host Closing & Call to Action: [15:50–16:06]

Final Notes

This episode of Morning Wire delivers an urgent, eye-opening discussion on the scope and horror of child trafficking in the US, debunking many misconceptions and highlighting both the alarming growth of online exploitation and the heroic but under-resourced efforts to stop it. The conversation is deeply informative, and Derek Benner consistently emphasizes the need for greater societal involvement, resource allocation, and awareness, making a compelling case for supporting the fight against this hidden crisis.