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00:00:00
Hi, it's December 29th, 2025. You're00:00:02
tuned in to Why America. I'm Lisa00:00:04
Miller. Over the Christmas holiday week,00:00:06
among posts about the rigged 202000:00:08
election, Jeffrey Epstein, and Nigerian00:00:11
strikes, Trump posted numerous times00:00:13
about fraud in Minnesota under the00:00:15
leadership of Democratic Governor Tim00:00:17
Walls, perpetrated by Somali immigrants00:00:19
who stole taxpayer money from the state00:00:21
and sent it to the terrorist group00:00:23
Al-Shabaab. Nick Shirley, a 23-year-old00:00:26
YouTuber from Utah who calls himself an00:00:28
independent journalist and was a guest00:00:30
at Trump's Antifa roundt for right-wing00:00:33
influencers back in October, posted a00:00:35
video on December 26th called, "I00:00:38
exposed Minnesota's billion dollar fraud00:00:40
scandal. It has gotten 1.4 million views00:00:43
on YouTube and over 100 million views on00:00:46
Twitter in three days. It caught Trump's00:00:48
attention and received praise from the00:00:50
likes of JD Vance and FBI Director Cash00:00:52
Patel. It has spurred on federal and00:00:55
state investigations and instigated00:00:57
responses from officials across the00:00:58
federal and Minnesota state governments.00:01:00
But is this reporting accurate? Is there00:01:03
widespread fraud in the state of00:01:04
Minnesota? Is the Somali community to00:01:07
blame? Is Tim Walls to blame? Today,00:01:09
we're breaking down what's actually00:01:11
happening here in my home state where I00:01:13
actually live among the dreaded Somali00:01:15
immigrant community here in Minneapolis.00:01:17
We'll look at Nick Shirley's video as00:01:18
well as the actual investigative00:01:20
reporting by real journalists. and will00:01:22
discover that many things can be true at00:01:24
the same time and that nuance and00:01:26
critical thinking are once again proving00:01:28
difficult for Trump and his MAGA base00:01:30
who are eating this up hook line00:01:32
and sinker. This headline from Reuters00:01:35
about this story caught my eye. FBI00:01:37
investigating Minnesota fraud scheme00:01:39
director says using the ground news00:01:41
browser extension I can get helpful00:01:43
background information on this00:01:45
publication in one quick glance. To get00:01:47
the big picture, I can click on full00:01:48
coverage, which will show me coverage of00:01:50
the same story from publications across00:01:52
the political spectrum. My partner on00:01:54
today's video, Ground News, is an app00:01:55
and website that offers tools to help00:01:57
you critically analyze the news you00:01:58
read, providing context to understand00:02:00
the full picture. You can follow along00:02:02
at ground.news/leia.00:02:04
For every major news headline and00:02:05
headlines you may have missed, Ground00:02:07
News provides you with information and00:02:08
context like who owns the publication00:02:10
and how factual it is to help you00:02:12
determine for yourself what is00:02:14
trustworthy and how to interpret the00:02:16
news. I feel empowered by Ground News by00:02:18
getting well-rounded insight into each00:02:19
headline instead of relying on a single00:02:21
outlet that might have underlying biases00:02:24
and motivations that I'm not aware of.00:02:26
Ground News also ensures that I never00:02:27
miss a headline because of my own00:02:29
information bubble with its blind spot00:02:31
feature by highlighting stories that are00:02:32
covered on one side of the political00:02:34
spectrum and not the other. Ground News00:02:36
is transparent about its methodology,00:02:38
how it assesses each story and00:02:39
publication, including how it uses three00:02:41
independent monitoring organizations to00:02:43
assess the bias rating for each00:02:45
publication. I genuinely think that the00:02:47
world would be a better place if00:02:48
everyone had this much context about the00:02:50
news they read. Because depending on00:02:51
where you or your family members get the00:02:53
news, you're going to get very different00:02:54
takes on the same story. And listen, I'm00:02:56
not the only one who loves ground news.00:02:57
The Nobel Peace Center even called it an00:02:59
excellent way to stay informed, avoid00:03:01
echo chambers, and expand your00:03:02
worldview. I'm always really impressed00:03:04
with Ground News and genuinely think00:03:05
they're a great resource. If you want to00:03:06
stay informed on US politics and more,00:03:08
subscribe through this QR code or my00:03:10
link below at ground.news/leia00:03:12
for 40% off this unlimited access00:03:15
Vantage plan. It comes out to $5 a month00:03:17
for unlimited access to all the features00:03:19
I've mentioned. Thanks, Ground News. In00:03:20
his viral video exposing Minnesota's00:03:23
fraud scandal, Nick Shirley interviews a00:03:25
man named David, no last name provided,00:03:27
who has been doing his own research to00:03:30
discover Somali fraud in Minnesota,00:03:32
which includes numbers on a piece of00:03:34
paper that he likes to wave around and00:03:36
visiting child daycare centers upwards00:03:38
of 100 times to see if he can get a look00:03:42
at the children. Before they head out to00:03:44
investigate the fraud, David warns00:03:46
Shirley that these people are incredibly00:03:48
violent. Okay, so we have to be careful00:03:50
because these people are very violent.00:03:53
They're exceptionally violent.00:03:54
>> Shirley and David go to a child care00:03:56
center and determine that because they00:03:57
cannot see in and the doors are locked00:04:00
in the middle of the day, then that00:04:01
means there is fraud. There couldn't00:04:03
possibly be children inside this center00:04:05
that two grown men and a cameraman can't00:04:07
just wander into freely. Clearly fraud.00:04:10
Shirley then points out as a complete00:04:11
nonsequittor that the recently00:04:13
redesigned Minnesota flag looks00:04:15
suspiciously like the Somali flag. And00:04:18
here in Minnesota, if you take a look at00:04:19
the Minnesota state flag, they recently00:04:22
changed it and it very much so resembles00:04:24
the flag of Somalia00:04:26
>> because both are blue and have a star.00:04:29
Stars in the color blue are very unique00:04:31
for flags as we all know. The clearest00:04:33
answer is that there was a conspiracy to00:04:35
make the Minnesota flag look like the00:04:37
Somali flag. Not that we had a whole ass00:04:39
contest to pick a new flag, which00:04:41
included a statewide open submission of00:04:43
flag ideas, which received over 2,00000:04:46
submissions, including drawings from00:04:47
children and also just a photo of Duke,00:04:50
the dog mayor of Cormarant Village. Of00:04:52
those submissions, one was chosen by the00:04:54
flag selection commission. And then00:04:56
together with the designer, they00:04:57
finalized a flag with a geometric shape00:04:59
on the left that looks like the state of00:05:01
Minnesota, the North Star because we are00:05:03
the stars of the North obviously, and00:05:05
then the color blue because we have over00:05:06
10,000 lakes. But yeah, no, it's a00:05:08
Somali conspiracy. Then they visited00:05:10
another daycare center. Again, couldn't00:05:12
wander in freely. And when a woman00:05:13
answered the door and acted suspicious00:05:15
of them, again, three grown men with a00:05:17
camera trying to get into a daycare00:05:18
center. Obviously, that means fraud.00:05:20
Ignore the fact that this entire00:05:22
community has been terrorized00:05:24
for weeks at this point by masked,00:05:26
unidentified ICE agents targeting them00:05:28
in the streets and in their places of00:05:30
work and in their churches and schools.00:05:32
No. No. The only conclusion to be drawn00:05:34
here is fraud. They then wave David's00:05:36
papers in front of a few Somali people's00:05:38
faces, demanding them to explain what's00:05:41
going on here. Additional reminder that00:05:43
English is likely not the first language00:05:44
for a lot of these people that they are00:05:46
interrogating. But yes, their confusion00:05:47
is conclusive proof of fraud. Nick00:05:50
Shirley did peek inside this one. Lil00:05:52
Peeping Tom. And at this one, he did00:05:53
confirm he could see a child inside, but00:05:55
then later pronounced that there were no00:05:57
children inside. After they were done00:05:59
harassing child care centers, they went00:06:01
to a building with 14 different00:06:02
healthcare centers inside of it. Ignore00:06:04
the fact that it's a large office00:06:06
building with many offices. Again, most00:06:08
offices turned them away because there00:06:10
were at least three men wandering around00:06:11
with a camera, though at one point it00:06:13
looked like there were an additional two00:06:15
masked men behind them. And then later00:06:17
in the video, Shirley says that he knew00:06:19
filming this video would be very00:06:21
dangerous. So, he hired security. And00:06:24
then he invites viewers to help him fund00:06:26
his security in the future through a00:06:28
company called Blackline. He tells00:06:30
viewers to donate to Blackline Guardian00:06:32
Fund, which according to their website00:06:34
exists to extend protection to00:06:37
individuals and institutions facing00:06:38
credible threats, but lacking the00:06:40
financial means to secure professional00:06:42
protective services. So, poor Nick00:06:44
Shirley over here can't afford his own00:06:46
security detail despite having over a00:06:48
million YouTube subscribers and a brand00:06:50
sponsor on this very video that probably00:06:53
paid him thousands. When they did get00:06:55
inside one of the offices, they were00:06:56
offered rates for child care. And people00:06:58
were inside working, sitting at desks,00:07:01
on the phone, doing work. Of course,00:07:03
must be fraud. But then someone called00:07:05
the cops, and Shirley and everyone he00:07:06
was with were escorted out. Only00:07:08
explanation, fraud. Shirley then00:07:10
explains that they just care about the00:07:12
fraud. It doesn't make them Islamophobic00:07:14
or racist. If it was a bunch of white00:07:16
people out here, we would be having the00:07:18
same conversation. But the reality is,00:07:20
no, you would not. You wouldn't. Because00:07:22
multiple times throughout this video,00:07:23
Shirley and his good pal David, no last00:07:25
name, make sweeping claims about00:07:27
Somalians. When one guy in a Man on the00:07:30
Street interview asks Shirley who owns00:07:32
one of the daycare centers he's standing00:07:34
outside of, Shirley says, "Somoleons."00:07:36
>> Who supposedly runs it?00:07:38
>> Somalians. Oh my god.00:07:39
>> David says, "These people are violent."00:07:42
The entire video ends with the00:07:43
declaration, "It is time to reclaim our00:07:46
cities from corruption and illegal00:07:48
fraudsters." If that daycare center was00:07:50
owned by white people, surely would not00:07:52
have responded, "Whites" when asked,00:07:54
"Who owns this place?" They would not be00:07:56
taking the alleged fraud of a group of00:07:58
white people and making sweeping00:07:59
statements about all white people. They00:08:01
would not be insinuating or outright00:08:03
stating that this is a problem within00:08:04
the white people community, that white00:08:06
people are really insular and secretive,00:08:08
that any white person in the vicinity00:08:10
must know something, and if they pretend00:08:11
they don't, then that's suspicious, and00:08:13
that we need to reclaim our cities from00:08:15
the white illegal fraudsters. Reclaim00:08:17
our cities is exceptionally loaded00:08:19
language and it is meant to play to00:08:21
conservative and MAGA fears of00:08:23
immigrants invading our cities without00:08:25
saying the quiet part out loud with just00:08:27
enough plausible deniability to say no00:08:29
no we're not racist. We just want our00:08:32
cities back. We just care about fraud.00:08:34
Not only that, but this is just bad00:08:36
journalism. In the day of independent00:08:38
journalists, no-named 23-year-olds with00:08:40
no training who can pick up a camera and00:08:42
show up anywhere asking outlandish00:08:44
questions no one can answer and putting00:08:46
dramatic music in the background, they00:08:48
can convince a surprising amount of the00:08:49
public that they're doing hard-hitting00:08:51
investigative journalism. And listen, I00:08:52
also don't have formal training as a00:08:54
journalist. That's why I'm always very00:08:56
clear with you guys that I am not a00:08:57
journalist. I am not trying to pawn off00:08:59
my work as investigative journalism. I00:09:02
usually rely on the work of journalists00:09:04
to get my facts and then I dig deeper00:09:06
into the headlines to provide more00:09:07
context and my own legal takes as a00:09:09
lawyer. And as a lawyer, I can tell you00:09:11
that none of what is shown in that00:09:13
video, David's pieces of paper with no00:09:15
sourcing provided and video of allegedly00:09:18
empty daycare centers would be00:09:19
sufficient for probable cause to suspect00:09:21
a crime is being committed. That is not00:09:23
sufficient work to even constitute00:09:25
actual investigative journalism. It's00:09:27
lazy. You show up and you film people00:09:29
without their consent to make them00:09:31
uncomfortable, which makes for good TV.00:09:32
You talk to one conspiracy theorist00:09:34
named David, no last name, while00:09:36
providing no sources or credentials and00:09:38
pawn that off as proof. So, I wanted to00:09:40
turn to actual journalists and00:09:42
investigative reporters to find out00:09:44
what's actually happening because there00:09:46
is fraud happening in Minnesota.00:09:48
Allegedly, hundreds of millions of00:09:50
dollars of it and that's a problem. It's00:09:52
a waste of my taxpayer dollars and it00:09:54
would be great to get that money back00:09:55
and to prevent it from happening in the00:09:56
future. The problem for Nick Shirley and00:09:58
the type of people who fall for this00:10:00
investigative journalism is that two00:10:02
things can be true at the same time. And00:10:04
they really struggle with the cognitive00:10:06
reasoning required for that level of00:10:07
critical thinking. There can be fraud00:10:09
happening. Some of the fraud could be00:10:11
committed by people of Somali origin.00:10:13
And also the Somali community as a whole00:10:16
can be mostly made up of good00:10:17
law-abiding taxpaying people. Just like00:10:20
the white person community or the black00:10:22
community, the crimes of individuals do00:10:24
not equate to proclivity for crime in a00:10:26
whole community of people. And when you00:10:28
make sweeping statements to the00:10:29
contrary, these people are dangerous.00:10:31
They're insular and secretive. All fraud00:10:33
is being committed by Somali immigrants.00:10:35
That is in fact racism. You are equating00:10:38
an individual or group of individuals to00:10:40
the entire group based on their00:10:42
ethnicity. You are bunching them all00:10:43
together and slapping them with negative00:10:45
labels. That is racism. And it is people00:10:47
like Nick Shirley who are exploiting the00:10:49
racism and increased fear of immigrants00:10:51
to get views and sensationalize real00:10:54
news stories. So here's the facts as00:10:56
reported on by actual journalists who00:10:58
did actual investigations and actual00:11:00
lawyers leading these prosecutions. On00:11:02
December 18th, US Attorney for the00:11:04
District of Minnesota, Joe Thompson, a00:11:06
Trump appointee who has spent his career00:11:07
as a US prosecutor going after major00:11:09
cases of fraud, claimed that upwards of00:11:11
$9 billion dollar in federal funds that00:11:14
go towards supporting 14 different00:11:16
Minnesota run programs may have been00:11:18
stolen as part of numerous multi-layered00:11:20
fraud schemes in this state. This00:11:22
investigation grew out of his previous00:11:24
investigation into the feeding our00:11:26
future fraud that was discovered during00:11:27
COVID. 57 defendants in that case have00:11:30
been convicted of stealing $300 million00:11:33
in COVID relief funds, the largest COVID00:11:36
related fraud scam in the country. The00:11:38
founder of that nonprofit who was00:11:39
convicted on multiple federal charges00:11:41
was a white woman named Amy Boach. And00:11:43
we all know white women are really prone00:11:45
to fraud. Our brains can't really handle00:11:46
business too good. So, oops. Sometimes00:11:48
we steal. It's in our nature. Those 5700:11:50
total defendants in the Feeding Our00:11:52
Future fraud scheme were receiving00:11:53
payments from clinics meant to serve00:11:55
children with autism, leading to an00:11:57
investigation into those programs, then00:11:59
into child care facilities, into home00:12:01
health services, and into services meant00:12:02
to provide people with stable housing,00:12:04
which uncovered multi-layered fraud00:12:06
activities that led to the current00:12:07
charges. The general scheme is that the00:12:09
defendants create these companies,00:12:11
provide zero services, and submit claims00:12:14
to Medicaid for those services, then00:12:16
pocket the federal funds they receive00:12:18
from those claims. According to00:12:19
reporting from the Associated Press,00:12:21
quote, "The magnitude cannot be00:12:23
overstated." Thompson said, "What we see00:12:25
in Minnesota is not a handful of bad00:12:27
actors committing crimes. It's00:12:29
staggering industrialcale fraud." Of the00:12:32
92 total defendants who have been00:12:33
charged with participating in these00:12:35
fraud schemes, 82 are Somali Americans.00:12:38
However, according to actual real00:12:40
investigative reporting from the Star00:12:41
Tribune, quote, "While Minnesota is00:12:43
confronting one of the largest social00:12:45
services fraud scandals in its history,00:12:47
a Star Tribune review of court records00:12:50
shows the alleged fraud uncovered to00:12:51
date is closer to 218 million, including00:12:55
24 million in the recent indictments00:12:57
involving housing and autism services.00:12:59
Programs across the country meant to00:13:00
help Americans weather the CO9 pandemic.00:13:03
From the meals program implicated in the00:13:05
feeding our future crisis to the00:13:06
paycheck protection program were rife00:13:09
with fraud. Those numbers are widely00:13:11
expected to grow as ongoing state and00:13:13
federal investigations into the state00:13:14
programs continue. In December,00:13:16
Assistant US Attorney Joe Thompson00:13:18
predicted that prosecutors will00:13:19
ultimately find evidence showing that $900:13:21
billion or more has been misappropriated00:13:24
from what he called 14 high-risk state00:13:26
programs. He declined to say how long it00:13:29
would take to prosecute at least $100:13:31
billion in fraud or provide other00:13:34
details to back up his assertion. But00:13:36
ever in pursuit of a pretext for00:13:38
furthering his racist mission to deport00:13:39
the brown immigrants and militarize the00:13:41
blue cities, Trump has latched onto the00:13:43
race of the defendants in these fraud00:13:45
schemes as proof that Minnesota is00:13:47
riddled with Somali fraud and00:13:49
moneyaundering under the watch of our00:13:51
Democratic Governor Tim Walls. And the00:13:52
only way to fix it is send in ICE and00:13:54
root out the Somali community and send00:13:56
them back to their garbage country.00:13:58
There are 107,000 Somali immigrants00:14:01
living in Minnesota. And 82 Somali00:14:03
Americans who allegedly committed fraud00:14:05
are being used as an excuse to terrorize00:14:08
all of them. Trump has ratcheted up the00:14:10
racist rhetoric by sharing false reports00:14:12
that money from these alleged fraud00:14:14
schemes was flowing straight to00:14:16
Al-Shabaab, an al-Qaeda affiliate in00:14:18
Somalia. US Attorney Joe Thompson00:14:20
confirmed at that press conference on00:14:22
the 18th that there is no evidence that00:14:24
defendants were sending money to or00:14:26
otherwise supporting terrorist00:14:28
organizations. He confirmed a00:14:29
significant portion of the funds was00:14:31
sent abroad used to purchase real estate00:14:33
in places like Kenya and Turkey.00:14:35
Thompson said, quote, "There's no00:14:36
indication that the defendants that00:14:38
we've charged were radicalized or00:14:40
seeking to fund al-Shabaab or other00:14:42
terrorist groups." Prior to the Nick00:14:44
Shirley video, Governor Tim Waltz had00:14:46
already increased scrutiny over these00:14:48
fedally funded programs. He shut down at00:14:50
least one entirely and hired an00:14:52
independent auditor to scrutinize where00:14:54
payments are going. And so, let's be00:14:56
really clear, fraud is happening in00:14:58
Minnesota related to the00:15:00
misappropriation of federal funds00:15:02
through schemes that make claims for00:15:04
services they are not providing.00:15:05
According to actual investigative00:15:07
reporting from the Minnesota Star00:15:08
Tribune, which has been covering these00:15:10
stories for the last 15 years, as far00:15:13
back as 2009, an auditor report found00:15:15
that the state's DHS personal care00:15:18
services program was quote unacceptably00:15:20
vulnerable to fraud and abuse due to00:15:22
insufficient oversight, including00:15:24
outdated technology and a lack of00:15:26
electronic verification. So, the state00:15:28
was on alert for years, long before00:15:30
Walls became governor, that state00:15:32
programs were vulnerable to fraud. The00:15:34
first scheme involving Somali defendants00:15:36
that I saw reporting on occurred in00:15:38
2015, years before Tim Walls became00:15:40
governor when three Minneapolis daycare00:15:43
centers were raided and charged with00:15:44
misappropriating upwards of $6 million00:15:47
from the state's child care assistance00:15:49
program. Investigators concluded, quote,00:15:51
"Internal controls at the state DHS were00:15:54
insufficient to effectively prevent,00:15:56
detect, and investigate fraud." And the00:15:58
Star Tribune's reporting does not look00:16:00
good for the state, especially Attorney00:16:01
General Keith Ellison, seen as a00:16:03
progressive AG. Quote, "Star Tribune00:16:05
reporters uncovered documents showing00:16:07
that the education department and the00:16:09
state attorney general's office failed00:16:10
to act when a whistleblower accused the00:16:13
leader of feeding our future of breaking00:16:15
the law in 2018 and 2019 before more00:16:18
than $200 million was paid to the00:16:21
nonprofit. Instead of opening an00:16:23
investigation, Attorney General Keith00:16:24
Ellison's office referred the00:16:26
whistleblower to other state and federal00:16:28
agencies. In late 2022, two months after00:16:31
the first indictments were issued, the00:16:33
Star Tribune revealed that daycarees00:16:34
owned by several defendants in the00:16:36
Feeding Our Future fraud scheme were00:16:38
still receiving payments from the state.00:16:40
A Star Tribune review of state and00:16:42
federal records shows that Minnesota00:16:44
officials provided federal authorities00:16:45
with little or no evidence that Feeding00:16:48
Our Future was misappropriating00:16:49
government funds. That being said, Walls00:16:52
has been aware of the fraud and has00:16:53
taken some action to improve oversight00:16:55
over state programs, including signing00:16:57
legislation in 2023 to establish an00:17:00
inspector general at the education00:17:01
department and increased funding for00:17:03
fraud detection efforts. And in October00:17:05
of this year, according to the Star00:17:06
Tribune, quote, Walls ordered an outside00:17:09
audit of payments to providers in 1400:17:11
state programs and announced a new00:17:13
system to review reimbursement claims.00:17:15
And this summer, the state's DHS began00:17:17
cutting off payments to companies that00:17:19
have a single credible allegation of00:17:21
fraud, which is a major change from past00:17:23
practices of continuing payments while00:17:25
investigators build a case. According to00:17:27
DHS, that has led to provider payment00:17:29
cut offs 485 times this year, though00:17:32
it's unclear how much of a change that00:17:34
is from previous years. And the DHS00:17:36
Inspector General has 1,300 open cases,00:17:39
according to the Star Tribune. And of00:17:41
course, while there are many Somali00:17:42
people getting indicted in these crimes,00:17:44
there are also many non-Somali people00:17:46
taking advantage of the state's shoddy00:17:47
oversight. For example, there is00:17:49
widespread Medicaid fraud among00:17:51
addiction treatment providers in00:17:52
Minnesota, which is actively being00:17:54
investigated and does not involve the00:17:56
Somali community. But of course, all of00:17:58
these legitimate investigations and00:17:59
prosecutions of fraudulent activity in00:18:01
Minnesota, which is also happening00:18:03
across the country, along with the fact00:18:05
that we are home to the largest00:18:06
population of Somali in the country. And00:18:08
we have a governor who was on the ticket00:18:10
that ran against Trump in 2024 has made00:18:12
us and more specifically our Somali00:18:14
community a target of Trump's midnight00:18:16
truth social rants and the right-wing00:18:18
misinformation machine that's been00:18:19
spitting out propaganda left and right00:18:21
tying the fraudsters to Al-Shabaab00:18:23
despite no evidence making outlandish00:18:25
claims about the size of the fraud00:18:26
despite no evidence. And generally00:18:28
capitalizing on their base's growing00:18:30
fear of violent brown immigrants of00:18:32
growing violent crime that doesn't00:18:34
exist. reminder that immigrants are less00:18:36
likely than citizens to commit crimes00:18:38
and of Islamophobia that goes back00:18:40
decades. It's the perfect storm and00:18:42
Trump is capitalizing on it, as is Nick00:18:44
Shirley and his investigative reporting.00:18:46
But the reality, it turns out, requires00:18:48
nuance, which isn't as compelling. It00:18:51
doesn't get the views and the clicks. No00:18:52
matter how creatively and clickbay I00:18:55
title this video, it simply won't get00:18:57
the 1.4 million views that Nick00:18:59
Shirley's dramatic investigative00:19:01
reporting does. That's the reality of00:19:03
the world we live in. and the internet00:19:05
that we have created as a society.00:19:07
Nuance is lost in the name of clicks00:19:09
because the reality is that people00:19:11
across the country are guilty of00:19:12
defrauding the federal government.00:19:14
Minnesota seems to be a hotbed of00:19:16
fraudulent activity, especially in the00:19:18
wake of the huge feeding our future00:19:19
scandal. A lot of eyes are on Minnesota.00:19:21
The state has been on notice for at00:19:23
least 15 years that state programs are00:19:25
vulnerable to fraud and abuse. Tim Walls00:19:28
inherited that reality and has taken00:19:30
action to try to fix it. But unlike MAGA00:19:32
blowhards who are willing to bend over00:19:34
backwards to argue that Trump's a good00:19:35
person with good intentions to help00:19:37
people, I'm not emotionally attached to00:19:39
Democratic politicians. It is not the00:19:41
takedown that you think it is to say,00:19:42
"Haha, Democrats. Tim Walls failed you.00:19:44
Okay, primary him. Give me a better00:19:47
candidate. I would happily vote for them00:19:48
over Walls." Bill Clinton is in the00:19:50
Epstein files. Okay, investigate him.00:19:52
Put him in prison. Keith Ellison failed00:19:54
to do his job and investigate widespread00:19:56
fraud. Okay, let's replace him with00:19:58
someone better. Politicians are tools00:20:00
for the people to get what they want.00:20:02
Period. Full stop. And when we forget00:20:04
about that and start hero worshshiping00:20:06
them because of political party00:20:08
affiliation or a sense of tribalism or00:20:10
for their charisma, we get Trump or even00:20:12
Obama. Sorry. When you take the nuances00:20:14
into account, you see a state system00:20:16
that failed us. And the people who have00:20:18
to actually pay for that, other than of00:20:20
course all of us whose tax dollars were00:20:22
stolen, are the people who should have00:20:24
actually received the services build00:20:26
for, which is infuriating in a state00:20:28
with rampant housing shortages, a00:20:30
growing unhoused population, and00:20:31
vulnerable populations in need of00:20:33
medical services, autism services,00:20:35
childare services, etc. These crimes00:20:37
absolutely should be investigated and00:20:39
prosecuted regardless of the race of who00:20:41
did the crimes. I firmly believe in00:20:43
paying taxes to provide these services.00:20:46
And it is the duty of the state to00:20:48
oversee those services. The more we cut00:20:50
taxes, the less oversight they're able00:20:52
to give for lack of resources. The00:20:54
shoddier the technology, the fewer the00:20:56
staff. But then when fraud like this00:20:58
occurs, of course, the sentiment of00:21:00
taxpayers is going to be, why would I00:21:02
pay more in taxes when the people00:21:03
handling my tax dollars are incompetent.00:21:05
And so the cycle continues and more and00:21:07
more services get cut and vulnerable00:21:09
populations are left in the lurch. and00:21:11
the Somali community gets targeted with00:21:13
hate and ICE rates as a result of racism00:21:15
against them based on what a few Somali00:21:17
people have allegedly done. It's a mess00:21:20
and it is absolutely worth being enraged00:21:22
about. But instead of having a larger00:21:24
conversation about the oversight role of00:21:26
state governments about how to improve00:21:28
that oversight to create regulations and00:21:30
provide funds for that oversight, how to00:21:32
better deliver aid and services to the00:21:33
people who need it most. Instead, Trump00:21:35
and MAGA are using this entire situation00:21:38
as a means to further their racist00:21:40
anti-immigrant plan. And the fraud will00:21:42
keep happening and the most vulnerable00:21:44
people among us will continue to suffer00:21:45
and nothing will really change. Okay.00:21:47
So, what can we do? First of all,00:21:49
support actual journalists by purchasing00:21:51
subscriptions to news media you trust or00:21:53
to the substacks of independent00:21:54
journalists whose work appears in actual00:21:56
publications, meaning it's been vetted00:21:58
and not just on a random YouTube channel00:22:00
that they started. If you are in00:22:01
Minnesota, you can have conversations00:22:02
with your state representatives and00:22:04
senators about this. They are far more00:22:06
accessible than federal congress00:22:07
members. You can set up a one-on-one00:22:09
meeting, call their office, and voice00:22:10
your concerns about improving DHS00:22:13
oversight while also protecting our00:22:14
Somali community. The good thing about00:22:16
the local level is that you have a lot00:22:17
of agency here. You just need to voice00:22:19
your concern. You don't even need to be00:22:21
that knowledgeable, though, of course,00:22:22
informing yourself on the issues can00:22:24
help. But as a concerned citizen, you00:22:26
are their constituent. You voted for00:22:27
them. You pay their paycheck. you have a00:22:30
right to access them. Don't be afraid to00:22:32
exercise that right, even if it's just00:22:33
to ask questions about what they're00:22:35
doing about all this. And as always, I00:22:37
will use this as an opportunity to00:22:39
advocate for being active within your00:22:40
local community, your neighborhood00:22:42
association, your local mutual aid00:22:44
organization, just within your own00:22:45
friend group. Help support and protect00:22:47
our immigrant communities. Help support00:22:49
our unhoused neighbors. Look to the00:22:51
hyper local level, your own street, your00:22:54
own neighborhood, your own district for00:22:56
ways that you can push for supporting00:22:57
the people who need that support. the00:22:59
most. We can and should push, especially00:23:01
for our state governments, to do00:23:03
something about this. But we must also00:23:04
support each other. That's the only way00:23:06
we get through this. And if you'd like00:23:08
to support my work heading into a brand00:23:09
new year of horrors, consider joining00:23:11
here on YouTube by clicking the big join00:23:13
button below, or supporting me over on00:23:14
Patreon, patreon.com/leiailler,00:23:17
where you get access to all these00:23:18
episodes completely adree. Thank you to00:23:19
my multiplatinum patrons, Christopher00:23:21
Cohen, Amber Rwood, Evan Freedley, Mark,00:23:23
Sarah Shelby, Art, David Lranger, Lucas,00:23:26
Thomas Johnson, Anthony Giles, and Tay.00:23:27
Your generosity makes this channel what00:23:29
it is. So, thank you. And if you liked00:23:30
this episode, you like the one from last00:23:31
week about how Trump is attacking trans00:23:33
rights. Thanks so much for watching.00:23:34
Have a good day. Bye-bye.Description:
Go to https://ground.news/landingV8/leeja to save 40% off an unlimited subscription, for yourself and if you send it as a gift. | @NickShirley 's viral video about the fraud scandal rocking Minnesota and its Somali community misses the mark, is a lazy excuse for investigative journalism, and relies on racism and Islamophobia to scare people and get clicks. Here's what's REALLY happening in the great state of Minnesota. 🔗 Sources: https://www.leejamiller.com//episodes/2025/12/29/minnesota-fraud-scandal-explained 🎙️Listen to the podcast version of every episode here: https://www.leejamiller.com/why-america 👑 Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/cw/leejamiller 👕 Get your Reagan Ruined Everything t-shirt right here: https://leejamillermerch.com/ 📃Sign up for Why, America? The Newsletter for news insights every Friday: https://leejamiller.substack.com/ 𝗖𝗢𝗡𝗡𝗘𝗖𝗧 𝗪𝗜𝗧𝗛 𝗠𝗘 📷 Instagram: https://www.facebook.com/unsupportedbrowser 🤳🏻 TikTok: https://vm.tiktok.com/ZMdPrpN7c/ 🖥 Website: https://www.leejamiller.com 📧 E-mail: contact@tablerock.com 💌 Snail Mail: 400 S 4th Street Suite 401-53 Minneapolis, MN 55415 ___________________ 𝗗𝗜𝗦𝗖𝗟𝗔𝗜𝗠𝗘𝗥𝗦 THIS IS NOT LEGAL ADVICE - Everything contained on this channel is meant solely for entertainment and informational purposes. Nothing herein should be considered legal advice nor does anything on this channel create an attorney-client relationship of any sort. Please seek guidance from a licensed attorney before making any legal decision. COPYRIGHT - Any use of copyrighted content on this channel constitutes fair use pursuant to 17 U.S. Code § 107 as it is utilized for the purpose of criticism, comment, or news reporting allowed under that statute. See, e.g., Monster Communications, Inc. v. Turner Broadcasting Sys. Inc., 935 F.Supp. 490 (S.D. N.Y., 1996); SOFA Entertainment, Inc. v. Dodger Productions, Inc., No. 2:08-cv-02616 (9th Cir. Mar. 11, 2013); Equals Three, LLC v. Jukin Media, Inc., 14-09041 (C.D. Cal. Oct. 13, 2015). AFFILIATE LINKS - This description may include affiliate links that allow me to make a small profit (at no extra cost to you!) on purchases made through them. I only include links to products I genuinely recommend. PLEASE NOTE: I AM NOT A JOURNALIST. Nor am I a scholar providing academic-level peer-reviewed journal articles in video form. (Because that would be boring for both me and for you, and that's not the point of these videos.) These episodes are news commentary on the work of actual journalists (with the addition of personal takes and my own legal knowledge). I have made every attempt to cite my sources in this description. However, given that I am a one-woman show and I turn these videos around in under 24 hours (research, write, film, edit, and post) in an effort to get important information & analysis out to you asap, inadvertent mistakes happen. If you believe I have missed a citation, please reach out at hello@leejamiller.com and I will happily add it to the description.
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