Walz Claims Credit, Patel Fires Back Federal agents executed 22 search warrants across the Twin Cities metro area this morning in a sweeping operation targeting alleged fraud in Minnesota’s publicly funded social programs, primarily Medicaid-funded child care centers, daycares, and autism service providers. Agencies involved included the FBI, Homeland Security Investigations (HSI), IRS Criminal Investigation, and Minnesota partners such as the Bureau of Criminal Apprehension

In March 2026, California has become ground zero for a bold new wave of citizen journalism. Independent reporters, armed with hidden cameras, public records, and street-level grit, are exposing what they call rampant waste, abuse, and outright fraud in taxpayer-funded programs.

The HHS has paused federal childcare funding nationwide after videos posted on X (formerly Twitter) exposed apparent fraud in Minnesota program. States must now provide receipts, photos, attendance records, and inspection data before funds resume. Independent journalist Nick Shirley last week posted videos that he claims expose $110 million in fraud, after he went to several daycare centers in Minneapolis.

In late December 2025, a series of videos by 23-year-old citizen journalist Nick Shirley thrust Minnesota's long-simmering child care fraud issues into the national spotlight. Shirley's investigative footage, starting with his December 26 YouTube upload titled "I Investigated Minnesota’s Billion Dollar Fraud Scandal," alleged widespread abuse of taxpayer funds in the state's Child Care Assistance Program (CCAP).