Conservative right-wing influencers, including influencer Nick Shirley, are now turning their attention to California's social welfare programs after successfully spreading allegations of fraud in Minnesota. Shirley's viral YouTube video claimed to uncover a $100 million fraud scheme involving Somali childcare centers in the state, but it was later revealed that local news outlets had reported on similar issues years earlier.
Shirley has now arrived in California and is "investigating" Somali-run childcare centers, applying a similar method used in his Minnesota video. He claims to be working with private investigator Amy Reichert, who also investigated ghost daycares in the state.
Meanwhile, pro-Trump creator Benny Johnson published a documentary-style video claiming to reveal a multimillion-dollar "homeless industrial complex" in California, teaming up with two Republican gubernatorial candidates and former adviser Steve Hilton. The claims were rejected by Governor Gavin Newsom's office as "literally the conspiracy theory meme in real life."
Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) administrator Mehmet Oz also published a video on alleged healthcare fraud in California, likening it to being run by the Russian Armenian mafia. Newsom's office filed a civil rights complaint against Oz shortly after.
The Trump administration appears to be leveraging the same playbook used in Minnesota to go after other blue states. A senior White House official told WIRED that the President "loves Minnesota and the people" and is ready to target California next, as part of a broader effort to root out alleged fraud in Democratic-run states.
The move has been met with criticism from California officials, who argue that the allegations are baseless and racially charged. The issue highlights concerns about the Trump administration's approach to immigration enforcement and its efforts to target vulnerable populations through investigations into social welfare programs.
As the situation continues to unfold, it remains to be seen how far-reaching these efforts will be and what impact they may have on California's residents and social services.
Shirley has now arrived in California and is "investigating" Somali-run childcare centers, applying a similar method used in his Minnesota video. He claims to be working with private investigator Amy Reichert, who also investigated ghost daycares in the state.
Meanwhile, pro-Trump creator Benny Johnson published a documentary-style video claiming to reveal a multimillion-dollar "homeless industrial complex" in California, teaming up with two Republican gubernatorial candidates and former adviser Steve Hilton. The claims were rejected by Governor Gavin Newsom's office as "literally the conspiracy theory meme in real life."
Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) administrator Mehmet Oz also published a video on alleged healthcare fraud in California, likening it to being run by the Russian Armenian mafia. Newsom's office filed a civil rights complaint against Oz shortly after.
The Trump administration appears to be leveraging the same playbook used in Minnesota to go after other blue states. A senior White House official told WIRED that the President "loves Minnesota and the people" and is ready to target California next, as part of a broader effort to root out alleged fraud in Democratic-run states.
The move has been met with criticism from California officials, who argue that the allegations are baseless and racially charged. The issue highlights concerns about the Trump administration's approach to immigration enforcement and its efforts to target vulnerable populations through investigations into social welfare programs.
As the situation continues to unfold, it remains to be seen how far-reaching these efforts will be and what impact they may have on California's residents and social services.
this is super concerning. I'm all for keeping an eye out for fraud but it feels like we're just piling on another group - somali immigrants, this time. can't help but wonder what other 'investigations' are coming our way now that california's been targeted
, this is just great. Another bunch of right-wing influencers spreading baseless allegations like there's no tomorrow 
. Nick Shirley thinks he's a journalist now? Give me a break 
. And what's with all the names dropping and teaming up with other "investigative journalists"? Sounds like a bad sitcom 
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. The Russian Armenian mafia? Come on, dude 
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, and now they want to target social welfare programs? That's just racist in disguise 
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and btw have you tried those new matcha lattes from Starbucks? they're actually pretty good! i was at the mall the other day and saw this old lady trying to order one of those fancy iced coffees and she couldn't figure out how to use her phone... poor thing 
. And Benny Johnson, pro-Trump creator or not, is just cashing in on the same conspiracy theories. It's like they're trying to start a snowball effect of misinformation 
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I'm all for some good old-fashioned accountability, but this feels like a bunch of witch hunts to me 
. California officials are right to push back on these baseless allegations - we need to be careful not to demonize certain communities or groups over unfounded fears.
. Let's keep a level head here, folks! 
... you know when that one conspiracy theorist guy tries to expose the "truth" but really just makes everything worse? 
that's some serious Hollywood drama right there!
Like, Governor Newsom's office rejecting these claims and then getting a civil rights complaint filed against Oz... what even is going on here?! It feels like they're trying to distract us from the real issues while making examples out of vulnerable populations.
I don't like where this is going. These conservative influencers think they can just jump from one state to another, spreading false info and causing harm to innocent people 
. Nick Shirley and his crew are basically playing a game of "Find the Problem, Make it Big" 
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. The fact that Oz is likening healthcare fraud to some shady mafia operation is just ridiculous 
It's like they're trying to make an example of California, using social welfare programs as a scapegoat for all their other problems.
. This is exactly what we should be worried about: politicians using misinformation to manipulate public opinion 
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This is getting ridiculous, and we need to call out these influencers for the hate speech masquerading as journalism 
... how can they just waltz into California and start investigating Somali-run childcare centers without even doing their own research? 
... on one hand, you're saying that these programs are being run by bad people who are taking advantage of vulnerable populations, but then you're also painting an entire group with the same brush? No thanks, not buying it 
we gotta stand with our neighbors not against each other, gov't needs to focus on real issues not baseless claims 
these influencers are just spreading hate & fear like a virus 
we need facts, not fear-mongering news 
. It's clear that the Trump administration is more interested in scoring political points than actually addressing legitimate issues with healthcare or immigration reform 
. The impact on California residents and social services is going to be huge if this kind of thing continues to happen