Modern Wisdom #1044 - Nick Shirley - Inside Minnesota's $10B Childcare Fraud Scandal
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Jan 10, 2026 
Nick Shirley, a YouTuber and investigative journalist, unveils the shocking $10B childcare fraud scandal in Minnesota. He shares how a local tip sparked his investigation into empty daycares raking in millions and discusses the alarming surge in autism funding that facilitated this abuse. Delving into the political and regulatory factors that made Minnesota a fraud hotspot, Nick highlights dangerous cash transactions and ties to political figures like Tim Walz. With security threats looming, he reveals plans for future investigations into similar scams across the country.
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Viral Expose Upends Minnesota Politics
- Nick Shirley posted a video exposing childcare fraud that hit over 100 million views in 72 hours.
- He claims his video forced Tim Walz to drop his re-election bid after being labelled a conspiracy theorist by Walz.
How The Investigation Began
- Nick travelled to Minneapolis in June originally to research cultural change and was warned repeatedly about daycare fraud.
- He returned with a whistleblower named David who provided paperwork showing widespread CCAP funding anomalies.
License Vs. Reality Mismatch
- Many licensed daycares in Minneapolis received large sums yet showed few or no children and had blacked-out windows.
- Nick argues those mismatches are strong indicators of systemic fraud rather than isolated mistakes.