Slowly but surely, the mainstream media is dipping its toe into the massive Somali daycare fraud. CBS News has picked up on independent journalist Nick Shirley's viral video to do its own analysis.
A viral video set off fraud allegations at Minnesota day cares. Here's what a CBS News analysis found. https://t.co/knEfPyT685
— CBS News (@CBSNews) December 30, 2025
We don't know who this clown is, but he says that yes, there was a ton of fraud during the COVID epidemic, but CBS News visited those same daycare centers that Shirley did in his video, as did state inspectors, and found that "the facts on the ground tell a different story." Some of the centers were written up, but not for fraud, he claims.
A recent video by conservative YouTuber Nick Shirley alleged nearly a dozen day care centers in Minnesota that are receiving public funds are not actually providing any service. After the video went viral, DHS Secretary Kristi Noem announced a "massive investigation on childcare… pic.twitter.com/vvQv8DEbaV
— CBS News (@CBSNews) December 30, 2025
… and other rampant fraud" in the state.
CBS News conducted its own analysis of nearly a dozen day care centers mentioned by Shirley: all but two have active licenses, according to state records, and all active locations were visited by state regulators within the last six months. CBS News' review also found dozens of citations related to safety, cleanliness, equipment, and staff training, among other violations, but there was no recorded evidence of fraud.
Jonah Kaplan of CBS Minnesota reports:
CBS News conducted its own analysis of nearly a dozen day care centers mentioned by Shirley: all but two have active licenses, according to state records, and all active locations were visited by state regulators within the last six months. One, Sweet Angel Child Care, Inc., was subject to an unannounced inspection as recently as Dec. 4.
CBS News' review also found dozens of citations related to safety, cleanliness, equipment, and staff training, among other violations, but there was no recorded evidence of fraud.
CBS News visited and called several of the day care centers on Monday but received no responses.
Did they leave messages at Gov. Tim Walz's office, where the phone numbers led to?
— JWF (@JammieWF) December 30, 2025
CBS running interference for Somalian fraud. pic.twitter.com/VdIYZz57e2
— Bonk (@BonkPolitics) December 30, 2025
Get your fat head out of the camera and show me what the kid showed me.
— 100 Proof 🥃 (@ChampionCapua) December 30, 2025
What you notice about this clip that is different than Shirley is that Shirley is going door to door, showing you the businesses, knocking on doors, and filming the interactions.
— Stephen L. Miller (@redsteeze) December 30, 2025
Here's a corporate CBS News journalist, just showing you himself, and telling you to take his word… https://t.co/8CDMzUN0Si
And I noticed he didn't say they actually visited them during working hours AND found children being cared for.
— Otto Pen's Aunt MAGA (@MoxieLady411) December 30, 2025
Look at you, trying to keep up with the journalistic power and integrity of an independent 23-year old with a GoPro.
— David Ellis🇺🇸 (@DavidEllisRoot) December 30, 2025
Go get'em, CBS News!
This is what you call investigative journalism, calling and leaving messages at these day care centers? And when they don’t call you back you say there is no evidence of fraud? 😭
— Alex (@aalex2) December 30, 2025
A little late to the story of the year.
— Notch Johnson (@MyNotchJohnson) December 30, 2025
By “no evidence of fraud,” do you mean that nobody looked into it, including you guys?
— John Ennis (@johnennis) December 30, 2025
"we checked government records and they didn't write down any crimes so we know there must not be any. Then we went to record up on the roof downtown to trick people into thinking we actually got off our asses, when in reality all we did was 5 minutes of Google"
— KekMagician🫘🆙 (@KequeMage) December 30, 2025
“We asked the state if the state did fraud and the state said no”
— Jeremy Moser (@jmoserr) December 30, 2025
Journalism 👍
This is the problem with mainstream media.
— Eric Daugherty (@EricLDaugh) December 30, 2025
We're supposed to "take your word" for everything you just claimed.
While @nickshirleyy *SHOWED* us the buildings and Somalis' reactions themselves.
Citizen journalism wins again.
Everyone screaming fraud believes the state was complicit
— TraderJohn (@JohnH_BBT) December 30, 2025
And your answer is “the state did all this checking up”
Go back to Shirley’s original question. Are there actually any kids in these day cares?
Are you serious?! You’re just letting authority tell you everything is OK. Go stake out the locations and see what is going on. Speak to parents with kids there, find out how many kids are actually enrolled. Horrible excuse for journalism.
— Underground (@PopulistBlock) December 30, 2025
The fraud is that there are no children who are attending these daycares and you provided zero evidence that there ARE any children attending these daycares.
— Piques (@piques15) December 30, 2025
Amazing journalism!
All we see is a stand-up report saying they left messages at the daycare centers and got no responses. Why not show us CBS News going door-to-door to see if there are any children at these daycares?
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