## Background
Published by the All-In Podcast on YouTube on September 18, 2026, this video documents Nick Shirley's appearance at the All-In Summit. According to the description, Shirley debuts his investigative film, "Inside California's High Speed Rail to Nowhere," before joining the Besties to discuss California's retaliatory "Stop Nick Shirley Act," systemic daycare and welfare fraud busts, selective legacy media reporting, and the scaling of his independent journalism platform.
## TL;DR
Independent journalist Nick Shirley presents his documentary exposing California's high-speed rail project as a multi-hundred-billion-dollar boondoggle characterized by zero operational tracks, absurd contractor delay settlements, and abandoned routes. Joining the All-In panel, Shirley breaks down California Assembly Bill 2624—dubbed the "Stop Nick Shirley Act"—which was crafted to suppress on-camera investigations into state-funded providers just before the DOJ indicted a $10 million fraud ring he had originally exposed. Shirley details his journey from border reporting to uncovering massive taxpayer-funded scams in Minnesota and across the welfare system, while the hosts dissect legacy media capture and urge him to professionalize his operation with dedicated researchers and armed security to counter severe retaliatory threats.
## Atmosphere & style
The session has an energetic, defiant, and revelatory tone, blending the sharp shoe-leather humor of Shirley’s documentary with a high-conviction summit stage discussion. The hosts treat Shirley with protective admiration, viewing the 24-year-old as an authentic whistleblower reclaiming the lost legacy of investigative programs like 60 Minutes in the face of institutional capture. It feels both electrifying and sobering to watch, moving between outrage at jaw-dropping bureaucratic waste and genuine tension surrounding the life-threatening risks Shirley faces on the ground.
## Key takeaways
- [00:05](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SwBCPBNe_60&t=5s) California's high-speed rail initiative has expended $15 billion over 18 years without laying functional tracks or connecting two municipalities, while estimated completion costs have ballooned from $33 billion to $236 billion.
- [02:10](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SwBCPBNe_60&t=130s) Roughly one-third of the funds spent on the rail project leaked into change-order delay compensation, including paying contractors standby fees of $170,000 per day and a single record delay settlement exceeding $500 million.
- [04:57](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SwBCPBNe_60&t=297s) Right-of-way planning failures allowed private housing developments to be constructed directly on the designated rail corridor, forcing state authorities to downsize the route to an interim 171-mile Central Valley segment.
- [09:21](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SwBCPBNe_60&t=561s) Despite ongoing delays, no operational track, and empty High-Speed Rail Authority offices during working hours, state lawmakers committed $1 billion annually over the next 20 years to sustain the project.
- [11:37](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SwBCPBNe_60&t=697s) California passed Assembly Bill 2624 ('Stop Nick Shirley Act'), imposing minimum civil fines of $4,000 per filmed employee to prevent independent journalists from recording at state-funded immigration support providers.
- [13:26](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SwBCPBNe_60&t=806s) The Department of Justice indicted 12 individuals in San Diego over a $10 million fraudulent childcare scheme that Shirley had previously uncovered through on-the-ground investigations.
- [15:03](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SwBCPBNe_60&t=903s) AB 2624 represents a major conflict of interest, having been authored by Assemblymember Mia Bonta, the spouse of California Attorney General Rob Bonta, whose office is tasked with prosecuting state fraud.
- [18:05](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SwBCPBNe_60&t=1085s) Grassroots whistleblower tips and independent distribution via platforms like X enabled Shirley to expose widespread public corruption and force law enforcement crackdowns without legacy newsroom backing.
- [20:01](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SwBCPBNe_60&t=1201s) Legacy media institutions often criticize citizen journalists rather than investigating uncovered fraud because solo investigative reporters expose the institutional capture and complacency of legacy outlets.
- [22:05](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SwBCPBNe_60&t=1325s) Shirley's viral reporting on Minnesota daycare fraud generated billions of impressions, leading to a guilty plea from the ringleader after an attempted overseas escape and prompting the state's largest autism therapy fraud bust.
- [27:34](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SwBCPBNe_60&t=1654s) Social assistance programs—including child daycares, adult daycares, hospices, and SNAP benefits—suffer from systemic, multi-million-dollar exploitation due to widespread lack of governmental oversight.
- [29:19](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SwBCPBNe_60&t=1759s) Face-to-face confrontational reporting exposes independent journalists to significant physical hazards and death threats, underscoring the urgent need for dedicated security, researchers, and professionalized funding.
- [31:00](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SwBCPBNe_60&t=1860s) Government-sanctioned bureaucratic waste—such as $500 million in contractual non-work payouts on the rail project tracing back to an overseas billionaire—poses as substantial an economic threat as outright criminal fraud.
## Detailed walkthrough
### [00:05](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SwBCPBNe_60&t=5s) The $15 Billion "Train to Nowhere" and the Global Comparison
Addressing the All-In Summit audience, Nick Shirley frames California's flagship transit initiative with a provocation: if given $15 billion, an entrepreneur could build the next PayPal, SpaceX, or Google, yet California spent that exact sum over 18 years to produce a high-speed rail that connects "literally nowhere." When California voters initially approved Proposition 1A in 2008, state leaders promised an electrified rail corridor whisking passengers between Los Angeles and San Francisco in under three hours. Eighteen years later, the state has not connected two cities, let alone a single municipality, while projected completion costs have spiraled from an initial estimate of $33 billion to $126 billion, and most recently to a staggering $236 billion.
To highlight the scale of the failure, Shirley contrasts California's performance with international peers. In the exact same year California launched its initiative (2008), China broke ground on its national high-speed railway; in the intervening decade and a half, China laid more than 30,000 miles of operational tracks spanning the entire country. California, by contrast, has laid no functional tracks at all. An infrastructure analyst interviewed on-site notes that the California High-Speed Rail is currently the single most expensive active infrastructure undertaking on the planet, tracking to become the third most expensive public works project in human history—behind only the 1950s U.S. Interstate Highway System and the International Space Station. Yet while motorists can drive coast-to-coast on I-80 or I-5 and astronauts can orbit the earth, the public will likely never ride this train.
- **Initial approved budget (2008):** $33 billion
- **Revised estimates:** $126 billion, escalating to $236 billion
- **Global benchmark:** China constructed 30,000+ miles of high-speed rail between 2008 and 2024
- **Historical rank:** Poised to be the third costliest infrastructure project in human history (after the U.S. Interstate Highway System and the ISS)
---
[02:10](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SwBCPBNe_60&t=130s) Modern-Day Stonehenge: Payouts for Inaction and Unbought Trains
Standing in California's Central Valley beside elevated, truncated concrete viaducts, Shirley surveys what local residents derisively call a "modern-day Stonehenge"—isolated slabs of concrete and rebar that stop abruptly in open air. Even state leadership has privately expressed skepticism about the project's viability. Footage from 2016 shows Governor Gavin Newsom acknowledging the grim reality behind closed doors, admitting that "the facts seem overwhelming that this project is not going to materialize in our lifetime."
When pressed on how $15 billion could vanish with so little physical progress, an analyst reveals that roughly one-third of the entire budget spent to date has gone toward change-order delay penalties. Because planners broke ground without mapping underground utilities, securing right-of-ways, or finalizing technical designs, contractors contracted to build specific parcels were routinely blocked from doing physical work. Under state contracts, these private contractors were guaranteed standby compensation of roughly $170,000 per day—approximately $5 million every month—simply waiting for state clearance. In February alone, California finalized a record-setting delay settlement exceeding half a billion dollars paid to a contractor who could not lay track. Furthermore, the state has not purchased a single high-speed trainset, leading critics to conclude authorities know the tracks will never see service. At current passenger volumes, the analyst calculates that California could have taken the $236 billion projected outlay and subsidized completely free one-way commercial airline tickets between San Francisco and Los Angeles for every traveler for the next 300 years.
```mermaid
flowchart TD
accTitle: High-Speed Rail Capital Allocation and Leakage
accDescr: Diagram showing how capital allocated to California high-speed rail leaks into delay settlements rather than tracks or trains.
subgraph Funding["Capital Outlay ($15B Spent)"]
A["$15 Billion Expended"] --> B["Active Construction"]
A --> C["Change Order Delays (~$5 Billion)"]
end
subgraph Leakage["Contractor Standby Penalties"]
C --> D["$170,000 / Day per idle contractor"]
C --> E["$5,000,000 / Month standby fees"]
C --> F["$500M+ Single Settlement (Feb)"]
end
subgraph Result["Current Operational Status"]
B --> G["Bare Concrete Viaducts ('Stonehenge')"]
G -.-> H["0 Operational Miles"]
G -.-> I["0 Trains Purchased"]
end
```
- **Delay overhead:** Roughly one-third of total funds expended consumed by change orders and delay compensation
- **Contractor standby rate:** $170,000 per day ($5 million per month) per idle parcel contractor
- **February settlement:** Over $500 million paid out to a single contractor due to state-induced construction delays
- **Airfare equivalence:** The $236 billion cost could fully subsidize all San Francisco-to-Los Angeles commercial flights for 300 years
---
[04:57](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SwBCPBNe_60&t=297s) Subdivisions on the Tracks and the Truncated Central Valley Route
Walking on top of the elevated concrete guideway, Shirley points out that not a single steel rail has been fastened to the concrete foundation. While California currently commits roughly $1 billion per year from state funds to keep the project breathing, completing the system requires between $100 billion and $200 billion in additional capital—a math problem that guarantees perpetual construction without completion. When Shirley visits an area designated as a key transit hub, on-site personnel are bewildered, admitting they have no idea where any future hub is supposed to sit.
Further down the designated corridor, Shirley documents catastrophic planning failures: land sold to private homebuilders in 2006 is actively being turned into new residential housing developments directly atop the state's proposed path. A local city manager explains that normal infrastructure projects acquire all right-of-way properties up front before land values surge; instead, the state left the alignment unacquired, forcing taxpayers to eventually condemn and buy newly constructed houses at 10 to 11 times bare-land value. The city manager adds that communication from state authorities in Sacramento is virtually non-existent, noting that the project pointlessly runs parallel to existing Amtrak routes rather than adding distinct transit value. Quietly abandoning the premier San Francisco-to-Los Angeles corridor, California has officially downsized the project scope to a 171-mile Central Valley stub between Merced and Bakersfield.
- **Annual state allocation:** ~$1 billion/year against a remaining funding deficit of $100B–$200B
- **Right-of-way cost surge:** Active home construction on the corridor forces eventual acquisition costs up by 10x to 11x over raw land values
- **Route truncation:** Original SF-to-LA alignment effectively shelved in favor of an interim Merced-to-Bakersfield segment
- **Redundancy:** The planned segment duplicates existing Amtrak rail service already connecting Central Valley stops
---
[07:33](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SwBCPBNe_60&t=453s) Carving Through Central Valley Farmlands
The elevated concrete viaduct terminates abruptly at an agricultural fence line, giving way to productive almond orchards. Standing in an orchard directly in the rail's crosshairs, Shirley interviews a local agricultural operator about how the alignment disrupts the state's most critical economic engine. The farmer explains that ranches held contiguously by families for generations are slated to be bisected by permanent fences and grade separations, forcing growers to take multi-mile detours just to reach opposite sides of their own land.
Beyond daily operational friction, the bisected properties face severed utilities: irrigation pipes, electrical pump supplies, and farm equipment transit must all be expensively re-engineered. While voters supported the high-speed rail initiative in 2008, the farmer notes that the ballot measure was deliberately vague, concealing exact property takings from the public. He argues that directing tens of billions of dollars to an empty train serving a marginal travel route ignores the Central Valley's urgent crises. Had that capital been directed into agriculture, modern water storage, conveyance canals, and reliable rural energy grids, it would have permanently safeguarded the food supply of the state and the nation. Instead, productive almond groves face condemnation for a transit system that will likely never carry passengers.
[09:21](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SwBCPBNe_60&t=561s) Confronting Senator Dave Cortese on the High-Speed Rail
Nick Shirley’s investigative video documentary concludes in Sacramento, where he visits the headquarters of the California High-Speed Rail Authority. Arriving at 4:09 p.m.—well before the posted 5:00 p.m. closing time—he finds the offices completely deserted, prompting a dry "Hallelujah" as he points out the absence of state workers. Shirley then tracks down California State Senator Dave Cortese, Chair of the Senate Transportation Committee, who recently backed legislation guaranteeing the Authority $1 billion per year over the next 20 years. Confronted in the hallway, Cortese defends the massive financial pipeline as an essential "long-term commitment." When Shirley presses him on whether the project will ever actually be finished and notes that not a single piece of actual rail or track has been laid, Cortese insists, "It is happening," claiming crews are actively preparing to lay track.
The exchange grows tense as Shirley points out that the rail was originally promised to be operational by 2020, and even Governor Gavin Newsom admitted behind closed doors that the original vision was essentially unachievable. Cortese remains unfazed, brushing off the timeline by saying it "might be, might not" be done in two decades and comparing it to other 20-year infrastructure initiatives that are only now breaking ground. Shirley asks how Cortese can expect taxpayers to trust the project when the High-Speed Rail Authority has faced virtually no accountability for ballooning cost overruns and relentless delays. Cortese deflects, asserting that the endeavor is "the greatest economic development project in the country" that should be embraced at every level, pointing to 21 active construction sites and thousands of workers as proof that it will ultimately reach the finish line.
- **Authority Office Visit:** Found completely empty at 4:09 p.m. despite scheduled hours until 5:00 p.m.
- **Funding Commitment:** $1 billion annually secured for the next 20 years.
- **Project Reality Check:** Over a decade into development, zero operational high-speed rail tracks have been laid on the ground.
- **Active Construction Claims:** Senator Cortese cites 21 ongoing construction packages and thousands of laborers across the Central Valley.
---
[11:37](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SwBCPBNe_60&t=697s) Taking the All-In Stage: California's "Stop Nick Shirley Act"
As the video package finishes playing, the All-In Summit erupts in applause and the co-hosts welcome Nick Shirley to the stage. David Sacks immediately kicks off the conversation by marveling at the sheer audacity of the California state government, noting that Sacramento politicians grew so threatened by Shirley’s viral on-the-ground exposés that they engineered legislation specifically designed to shut him down. Sacks expresses shock that elected officials could pass a bill that overtly targets an independent journalist uncovering the misuse of taxpayer funds, predicting that while the law will almost certainly be ruled unconstitutional once it climbs through the courts, the process could drag on for decades.
Shirley explains that the legislative backlash stems directly from his reporting on state-subsidized programs. He had been investigating facilities that receive state money under the umbrella of "immigration support service providers," a sweeping legal designation encompassing non-profits, legal aid clinics, and healthcare networks serving immigrants and undocumented individuals. The timing of the panel proves remarkably vindicating: just hours prior to the Summit, the Department of Justice charged 12 individuals with orchestrating a $10 million fraud scheme involving fraudulent childcare centers in San Diego—the exact same network Shirley had exposed on camera, despite Governor Newsom previously dismissing his reports.
---
[13:26](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SwBCPBNe_60&t=806s) The Mechanics of AB 2624 and the $10 Million Daycare Fraud
Shirley details the draconian mechanics behind Assembly Bill 2624. Under the statute, if an investigator films at any facility tied to immigration support services, the provider can simply hand them a written demand letter stating that the footage cannot be published. If the journalist uploads the video anyway, they are hit with an automatic minimum civil fine of $4,000 per violation—which multiplies if multiple enrolled staff members are captured on camera—and must pay all opposing legal fees if they lose in court. Chamath Palihapitiya and Jason Calacanis react in disbelief at the blatant violation of First Amendment rights, pushing Shirley to explain how a state can legally restrict the press from reporting on businesses funded with public tax dollars.
```mermaid
flowchart TD
accTitle: AB 2624 Enforcement Flow
accDescr: Process showing how state-funded providers can suppress investigative footage under AB 2624.
subgraph Funding ["Public Subsidies"]
State["State of CA Grants"] --> Provider["Immigration Support Provider\n(e.g., CHIRLA / Nonprofits)"]
end
subgraph Suppression ["AB 2624 Censorship Mechanism"]
Facility --> Demand["Serve Demand Letter\nProhibiting Video Release"]
Demand --> Upload{"Journalist\nPublishes?"}
Upload -- "Yes" --> Penalty["$4,000+ Fine Per Employee\n+ Mandatory Legal Fees"]
Upload -- "No" --> Suppressed["Reporting Suppressed"]
end
```
The hosts press Shirley on who actually architected and backed the legislation. Shirley identifies CHIRLA (Coalition for Humane Immigrant Rights of Los Angeles), a powerful non-profit advocacy group that has pulled in over $80 million in public grants, as the co-sponsor of the measure. Because CHIRLA and similar entities operate on state funding, AB 2624 was constructed as a protective barrier to shield taxpayer-funded contractors from investigative cameras and public scrutiny under the pretext of defending immigrant safety.
- **Statute Details:** California Assembly Bill 2624 (AB 2624).
- **Financial Penalties:** Fines starting at $4,000 per person filmed, stacked on top of plaintiff legal fees.
- **Bill Co-Sponsor:** CHIRLA (Coalition for Humane Immigrant Rights), a recipient of roughly $80 million in government funding.
- **Federal Crackdown:** DOJ indictment of 12 individuals across San Diego over a $10 million childcare fraud ring that Shirley had previously uncovered.
---
[15:03](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SwBCPBNe_60&t=903s) Sacramento Politics, Legal Battles, and Conflicts of Interest
Jason Calacanis points out the predictable rhetorical framing used by legislators, observing that the bill was cloaked in the buzzword of "safety"—arguing that Shirley simply knocking on doors to verify if government-funded facilities were operational made people feel unsafe. Calacanis calls the law a badge of honor for Shirley, telling him that having a bill dubbed the "Stop Nick Shirley Act" means his shoe-leather journalism is striking a nerve. Chamath and Sacks ask about the legal strategy behind the bill, questioning whether lawmakers knew it was unconstitutional from the start and simply gambled on private citizens lacking the capital to mount a multi-year federal constitutional challenge.
Shirley explains that the political reality in Sacramento makes passing ideological legislation frictionless: with a Democratic supermajority of 30 seats to 10 in the 40-seat State Senate, any measure needing only 21 votes sails through without pushback. Governor Gavin Newsom readily signed AB 2624 into law. More glaring, Shirley reveals, is the blatant conflict of interest at the heart of the bill's authorship: it was authored by Assemblymember Mia Bonta, the wife of California Attorney General Rob Bonta. While the Attorney General is tasked with investigating and prosecuting systemic state fraud, his wife authored the very statute that criminalizes independent journalists who uncover that fraud.
---
[17:03](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SwBCPBNe_60&t=1023s) Nick Shirley’s Origin Story: From Pranks to Border Journalism
Asked by Chamath to share how he got into undercover reporting, Shirley recounts his unconventional path. He began at age 15 making lighthearted YouTube vlogs and prank videos. By 2020, as he became more interested in culture and world events, platform changes made political and COVID-19 coverage increasingly precarious due to aggressive demonetization algorithms, rendering video production financially unviable. In response, Shirley stepped away from content creation for two years to serve a church mission in Santiago, Chile.
During his mission, Shirley became fluent in Spanish and spent countless hours speaking with Venezuelan refugees who had fled economic collapse. Many recounted their plans to make the trek to the United States. When Shirley returned home to the U.S., his mother had also been closely tracking the border crisis, motivating him to travel down to the southern border with a camera and interview crossing migrants directly in Spanish. The reality of the logistics struck him immediately: in one early encounter, an Ecuadorian woman at the border told him she had zero money left to her name, yet sent him a WhatsApp message the very next day revealing she had already arrived in New York City—a revelation that exposed the coordinated transport pipelines moving migrants across the country and sparked his obsession with digging deeper.
[18:05](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SwBCPBNe_60&t=1085s) Independent Citizen Journalism and Grassroots Whistleblowers
Nick Shirley explains that for the past two and a half years, he has committed to publishing a video every single week spotlighting real-world issues unfolding across the United States. Starting from scratch with around 20,000 subscribers, he steadily built an audience until breaking what became one of the most viral investigative pieces online, exposing massive fraud operations in Minnesota. When asked how he finds these stories, Shirley explains that local whistleblowers and residents regularly message him to point him toward illicit activity. Joking that he acts like an unpaid "congressman for the entire United States who actually listens to the people," he emphasizes his total independence from any corporate or political backer.
Jason Calacanis praises Shirley’s "man on the street" format, noting how risky and demanding it is to step into confrontational environments without traditional newsroom backing. Jason highlights that Nick lacks formal journalistic training, has learned entirely on the fly, and funds his operation directly through platform monetization on X. Addressing online conspiracy theories claiming Shirley is a government plant or backed by shadowy financiers, Nick laughs off the allegations, sharing that his 24-year-old self has his own mother filming his videos. Back in 2023, his primary financial goal was simply to earn $300 a day ($100,000 annually), which he felt would mean he was "balling," before his work scaled into a self-sustaining enterprise.
[20:01](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SwBCPBNe_60&t=1201s) Institutional Capture and the Mainstream Backlash
Chamath Palihapitiya brings up the polarized reaction to Nick’s reporting. While common-sense viewers celebrate fraudsters being exposed, passive viewers and critics online often react with intense hostility, occasionally accusing Nick of racism. Shirley expresses bewilderment at people defending criminal syndicates that operate fraudulent child care and learning centers, stating, "Ultimately, I know what I'm doing is right."
Jason intervenes to explain the psychology behind the mainstream media's disdain for Nick. Drawing on his own background as a veteran journalist, Jason argues that legacy reporters entered the profession with high-minded ideals about holding power to account, only to end up captured, politicized, and partisan. When they see a solo 24-year-old doing real investigative shoe-leather reporting—confronting fraudsters, shaming corrupt actors on camera, and triggering law enforcement arrests—they feel exposed. Instead of addressing the blatant criminal enterprise uncovered, legacy critics nitpick peripheral technicalities and run hit pieces investigating Shirley himself. Jason argues Nick is reclaiming the investigative legacy abandoned by flagship institutions: "You're picking up the mantle of what *Frontline* and *60 Minutes* used to be."
```mermaid
flowchart TD
accTitle: Independent Journalism vs Legacy Media Capture
accDescr: Diagram illustrating how citizen tip-offs lead Nick Shirley to uncover fraud, causing legacy media resentment and forcing state prosecution.
subgraph FieldWork["Field Investigation"]
A["Whistleblower Tips"] --> B["On-the-Street Confrontation"]
B --> C["Independent Video Publication on X & YouTube"]
end
subgraph SystemicResponse["Dual Reactions"]
C --> D["Public Viral Attention & AG Action"]
C --> E["Captured Legacy Media"]
end
subgraph Outcomes["Downstream Impact"]
D --> F["Arrests, Indictments & Guilty Pleas"]
E --> G["Hit Pieces Nitpicking Shirley's Methods"]
end
```
[22:05](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SwBCPBNe_60&t=1325s) The Minnesota Daycare Fraud Fallout
Shirley details the aftermath of his viral Minnesota daycare expose, which blew up unexpectedly from his bedroom and amassed billions of impressions across platforms. Following the report, corrupt actors and local political figures faced intense scrutiny. Shirley describes how the mastermind behind a network of fraudulent learning centers, who had siphoned $4 million in public funds, attempted to flee to London on a one-way ticket before being arrested. She subsequently pleaded guilty to daycare fraud. Additionally, the fallout triggered the largest autism therapy fraud bust in the state's history.
- **Viral impact:** Shirley notes the Minnesota video accumulated 4 billion total impressions across platforms within seven days.
- **Flight and arrest:** The head operator of the daycare fraud ring was apprehended attempting to board a one-way flight to the UK after taking $4 million in funds.
- **Legal disposition:** The primary defendant entered a formal guilty plea, with sentencing pending.
- **Related crackdowns:** The investigation catalysed subsequent state and federal busts targeting fraudulent autism treatment centers.
[23:32](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SwBCPBNe_60&t=1412s) Selective Media, Platform Support, and the Next Generation
David Sacks connects Shirley’s experience to Bill Gurley’s summit presentation on selective journalism, asking if mainstream outlets ever reached out in good faith to understand his investigative methods. Shirley reveals that no legacy journalist has contacted him to collaborate or learn; instead, they focus exclusively on investigating him and publishing hit pieces. Jason reiterates that this behavior reflects institutional insecurity. Pledging to back Shirley financially with a recurring personal subscription, Jason urges the audience to support Nick so he can hire dedicated researchers and security protection against criminal retaliation.
Shirley credits Elon Musk and X as the indispensable distribution layer that made his journalism possible. While YouTube provided a strong initial base, posting the Minnesota investigation on X generated 140 million views on the platform, directly reaching world leaders and top government officials. This overwhelming public exposure forced state attorneys general and regulators to act. Nick hopes his work inspires a shift away from internet cynicism toward active civic engagement, proving that young people can bypass traditional gatekeepers to enact real, permanent accountability against public corruption.
[26:33](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SwBCPBNe_60&t=1593s) From Brazilian Favelas and Cuba to Uncovering Fraud
While Nick Shirley gained widespread national attention for his viral exposé on daycare fraud in Minnesota, his on-the-ground reporting began well before he started tracking government corruption. When asked whether he intends to return to international reportage or strictly pursue bureaucratic graft, Shirley explains that exposing fraud has consumed his daily routine for the past eight months. Yet his previous reporting put him in far more hazardous terrain abroad, including near-fatal brushes with foreign authorities and organized crime.
In Rio de Janeiro, Shirley went directly into the Brazilian favelas to meet the head of the notorious Comando Vermelho syndicate. Sitting inside a dilapidated shack at the crest of the favela, Shirley realized how precarious his situation was, recalling that he was narrowly spared from being kidnapped or worse. In another assignment in Cuba, his early departure triggered an interrogation by a two-star communist general sent to uncover his true motives for visiting the island. While Shirley considers that international street work vital, he notes that waking up every morning to tips on systemic domestic graft has, for now, completely monopolized his focus.
- Shirley met directly with the leadership of Comando Vermelho in a broken-down shack atop a Rio de Janeiro favela, narrowly avoiding abduction.
- While reporting in Cuba, Shirley was confronted and questioned by a two-star communist military general who demanded to know why he was leaving the country ahead of schedule.
[27:34](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SwBCPBNe_60&t=1654s) Pervasive Welfare Fraud and the Real Danger of On-the-Ground Confrontations
Turning to what he considers the single largest honeypot of corruption inside the United States, Shirley identifies federal and state welfare systems as completely broken and "absolutely insane." He points to a systemic breakdown under the Biden administration, noting that social programs designed to assist vulnerable citizens have instead been aggressively pillaged. Under public benefit schemes—ranging from adult daycares and child daycares to hospices and SNAP benefits—fraud has scaled into the hundreds of millions. Shirley cites absurd real-world examples of this lack of oversight, such as a strip club in Portland, Oregon, that actively allows patrons to swipe their government-issued SNAP electronic benefit cards.
```mermaid
flowchart TD
accTitle: Independent Fraud Reporting Lifecycle and Risks
accDescr: Chart outlining Nick Shirley's investigative loop, audience requirements, and operational hazards.
subgraph Investigation["Investigation & Delivery"]
A["Identify Program Exploitation<br>(SNAP, Daycares, Hospices)"] --> B["Doorstep Confrontation on Camera"]
B --> C["Viral Content & Audience Attention"]
end
subgraph OperationalThreats["Field Hazards"]
B --> D["Severe Retaliation & Death Threats"]
D --> E["Need for Armed Security & Safe Logistics"]
end
subgraph ProposedScaling["Operational Scaling"]
F["High-Tier Backers<br>($500–$1,000 Supporters)"] --> G["Hire Researchers & Dedicated Editors"]
G -.-> A
end
```
The human cost of confronting these fraudsters has created intense personal danger. Shirley explains that he now requires professional security because individuals caught in these criminal operations "literally want to kill" him. He admits he often lies awake at night wondering what stops a suspect—faced with an unannounced camera crew and the realization that their illicit empire is about to crumble—from pulling a gun and shooting him on the spot to keep the footage offline. When the Besties ask whether he could simply report the facts without live physical confrontations, Shirley emphasizes that modern audiences demand to see perpetrators confronted face-to-face. He concedes that independent journalists operate under a dual mandate: exposing objective truth while feeding the visual and narrative expectations of the online attention economy.
- Shirley highlights how Minnesota Governor Tim Walz touted state-funded daycare centers during high-profile debates with JD Vance, despite those exact programs suffering from rampant financial exploitation.
- Public benefit categories suffering from widespread looting include SNAP food stamps, child daycares, adult daycares, and hospice care facilities.
- In Portland, Oregon, SNAP cards were documented being accepted at an adult strip club.
[29:19](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SwBCPBNe_60&t=1759s) Professionalizing the Operation and Calling for Stiffer Penalties
The Besties validate Shirley’s confrontation style, pointing out that mainstream legacy programs like *60 Minutes* pioneered the practice of ambushing uncooperative targets outside their homes or corporate offices when they refused on-record interviews. Jason Calacanis argues that Shirley’s bravery is undeniable, but insists he must rapidly professionalize his operational model. Instead of relying purely on $5 monthly subscriptions, Calacanis urges Shirley to solicit high-dollar charter memberships at the $500 or $1,000 tier through platforms like Substack. Bringing on an infrastructure of just three or four key personnel—specifically dedicated researchers, security personnel, and an additional video editor—would multiply Shirley's output while safeguarding his physical well-being.
The conversation turns passionate regarding the broader societal damage caused by unchecked fraud. Citing statements from Vice President JD Vance that an estimated 10% to 20% of federal tax dollars are lost to waste and criminal abuse, the panel argues that perpetrators should face double the statutory criminal sentence. Stealing from social safety nets is framed as an egregious violation against the entire nation, regardless of whether it is committed by native-born citizens or immigrants enjoying American legal protections. Calacanis expresses anger that Shirley faces death threats, inadequate institutional backing, and pedantic critiques from mainstream detractors while performing essential public-interest journalism, urging him never to abandon the fight.
- Legacy investigative programs like *60 Minutes* set the precedent for showing up unannounced at a subject’s private residence or place of business when they refuse to answer formal inquiries.
- Recommendations for Shirley’s team include hiring a small core staff of three to four people, including professional researchers and specialized video editors, funded by $500 to $1,000 charter subscriptions.
- Vice President JD Vance previously estimated that roughly 10% to 20% of American tax revenue is squandered through institutional waste and outright fraud.
[31:00](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SwBCPBNe_60&t=1860s) California High-Speed Rail: Waste, Billionaire Payouts, and Systemic Complacency
Shirley reiterates that eradicating public fraud is essential to rescuing the country's fiscal health, but stresses that outright illegality is only half the crisis—legal, government-sanctioned waste is just as destructive. He points to California's high-speed rail initiative as the paramount symbol of state-level dysfunction. The project has ballooned to an estimated $240 billion price tag merely to transport passengers from Fresno to Modesto, with projected ticket costs running three times higher than commercial airline flights. Shirley adds that private entities walked away with half a billion dollars in compensation for "non-work."
One of the hosts reveals that after viewing Shirley's documentary, he pulled corporate records and traced that specific $500 million payout directly to an ultimate beneficiary: a billionaire based in Italy. The Besties point out that while these exorbitant disbursements are entirely legal under California's existing contractual framework, they embody an insidious combination of complacency, institutional corruption, and absolute unaccountability. They observe that this administrative rot has compounded over decades into a massive waterfall under which taxpayers are drowning. The hosts close the session by praising Shirley’s relentless courage, thanking him for leading the charge on independent oversight, and encouraging him to expand his investigative footprint.
- California's high-speed rail initiative is projected to cost $240 billion, despite currently covering only the Central Valley stretch between Fresno and Modesto at triple the cost of an airline ticket.
- A single $500 million payment distributed for non-work on the rail project was traced back to a corporate entity owned by an Italian billionaire.
- The panel distinguishes between criminal fraud and state-sanctioned waste, concluding that legal bureaucratic complacency poses just as great an economic threat to the nation.
## Notable quotes
> [02:10](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SwBCPBNe_60&t=130s) the facts seem overwhelming that this project is not going to materialize in our lifetime. — Gavin Newsom
> [09:21](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SwBCPBNe_60&t=561s) It is happening — Dave Cortese
> [09:21](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SwBCPBNe_60&t=561s) might be, might not — Dave Cortese
> [09:21](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SwBCPBNe_60&t=561s) the greatest economic development project in the country — Dave Cortese
> [18:05](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SwBCPBNe_60&t=1085s) congressman for the entire United States who actually listens to the people — Nick Shirley
> [18:05](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SwBCPBNe_60&t=1085s) balling — Nick Shirley
> [20:01](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SwBCPBNe_60&t=1201s) Ultimately, I know what I'm doing is right. — Nick Shirley
> [20:01](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SwBCPBNe_60&t=1201s) You're picking up the mantle of what Frontline and 60 Minutes used to be. — Jason Calacanis
> [27:34](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SwBCPBNe_60&t=1654s) absolutely insane — Nick Shirley
> [27:34](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SwBCPBNe_60&t=1654s) literally want to kill — Nick Shirley
## Mentioned
Nick Shirley, All-In Podcast, PayPal, SpaceX, Google, Proposition 1A, Gavin Newsom, Dave Cortese, California High-Speed Rail Authority, David Sacks, Chamath Palihapitiya, Jason Calacanis, Department of Justice, Assembly Bill 2624, CHIRLA, Mia Bonta, Rob Bonta, X, YouTube, Elon Musk, Bill Gurley, Comando Vermelho, Tim Walz, JD Vance, SNAP, Substack, 60 Minutes, Frontline, Amtrak
## Video description
(0:00) Nick Shirley debuts his new video at the All-In Summit: "Inside California's High Speed Rail to Nowhere"
(11:42) Nick joins The Besties to discuss California's "Stop Nick Shirley Act" and recent fraud arrests
(17:03) How he got into investigative journalism and finding fraud
(23:32) Selective journalism and why Nick is a major threat to mainstream outlets
(27:34) What's next for Nick: Investigating welfare fraud, building his platform
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Follow Nick Shirley:
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调查揭露高铁与托儿所资金浪费乱象 加州将矛头对准调查记者
政府默许的合同浪费与福利欺诈之所以屡禁不止，是因为根深蒂固的官员将立法武器化以压制公民监督，从而保护公共拨款受益人。
独立记者 Nick Shirley 发布纪录片，揭露加利福尼亚州的高铁项目是一项耗资数千亿美元的劳民伤财工程，至今无任何可用轨道，伴随着荒唐的承包商延误赔偿以及多条被废弃的路线。在参与 All-In 节目讨论时，Shirley 深入剖析了被称为“阻止 Nick Shirley 法案”的加州议会第 2624 号法案（Assembly Bill 2624）——该法案旨在压制对受州政府资助机构的现场镜头调查，而就在法案出台前不久，美国司法部（DOJ）起诉了一起由他最初曝光、涉案金额达 1000 万美元的诈骗团伙。Shirley 详细讲述了他从边境报道到揭露明尼苏达州及整个福利体系中巨额纳税人资金骗局的历程；节目主持人则深入剖析了传统媒体被利益集团俘获的现状，并敦促他通过配备专职研究员和武装安保来实现运作专业化，以抵御严峻的报复威胁。
加利福尼亚州高铁项目在18年间已耗资150亿美元，至今未铺设任何可用轨道，预计完工成本已从330亿美元飙升至2360亿美元，其中约三分之一的支出流向了工期延误的停工补偿。 (0:05)
加州通过了被称为“阻止 Nick Shirley 法案”的 AB 2624 法案，禁止独立记者在受州资助的移民支持机构进行录像，违者每出镜一名员工将面临最低4000美元罚款；该法案由加州总检察长的妻子 Mia Bonta 提出，引发重大舆论与利益冲突争议。 (13:26)
Shirley 依靠线人举报与一线街头对质揭露大额公共欺诈，其曝光的圣迭戈托儿所欺诈网络近期促成美国司法部起诉12名嫌疑人并追查1000万美元赃款，此前其针对明尼苏达州的调查亦促成主犯认罪。 (11:37)
Shirley 透露美国福利系统（涵盖 SNAP 食品券、成人及儿童日托等）正遭受广泛的侵吞滥用，而现场当面质询涉案人员的报道方式使他面临严重人身威胁，正寻求团队专业化与安保配置。 (27:34)
Reading summary
Independent investigative reporter Nick Shirley and the All-In Podcast hosts argue that systemic government waste and welfare fraud are actively shielded by bureaucratic inertia, legacy media hostility, and retaliatory state legislation. Drawing on viral on-the-ground exposés, Shirley contrasts grassroots accountability efforts with institutional failures ranging from California's stalled high-speed rail to multi-million-dollar childcare subsidy scams.
California High-Speed Rail's Escalating Inefficiencies (0:05)
California's high-speed rail initiative exemplifies catastrophic public-sector planning and legal waste, according to Shirley. Approved by voters in 2008 with a $33 billion budget to link San Francisco and Los Angeles, projected costs have escalated to between $236 billion and $240 billion. Eighteen years and $15 billion into the project, the state has completed zero operational miles of track and purchased zero trainsets, while international peers like China built over 30,000 miles of high-speed rail in the same timeframe. The route has been curtailed to a 171-mile Central Valley segment between Merced and Bakersfield that largely duplicates existing Amtrak service.
Roughly one-third of all funds spent to date went toward change-order delay penalties, including guaranteed contractor standby fees of $170,000 per day ($5 million monthly) due to unmapped utilities and unacquired rights-of-way. In one instance, a delay settlement exceeding $500 million was paid to a contractor controlled by an Italian billionaire. Furthermore, state failure to secure corridors early has permitted active homebuilding on proposed alignments, driving future condemnation costs tenfold above raw land values. While State Senator Dave Cortese defended the state's ongoing $1 billion annual commitment as essential economic development across 21 active job sites, critics view the endeavor as an indefinite construction project disconnected from transportation delivery.
Systemic Exploitation of Social Safety Nets (22:05)
Beyond state-sanctioned construction waste, Shirley identifies state and federal welfare programs—including SNAP benefits, adult daycares, hospices, and childcare subsidies—as prime targets for criminal exploitation. In Minnesota, Shirley’s viral exposé revealed a network that siphoned $4 million in public funds; the primary operator was arrested while attempting to board a flight to London, entered a guilty plea, and triggered broader investigations into regional autism therapy centers.
Hours before the All-In Summit session, the Department of Justice indicted 12 individuals in San Diego tied to a $10 million childcare fraud ring Shirley had previously reported on despite earlier dismissals by state officials. Citing extreme oversight lapses, such as a Portland strip club accepting SNAP cards, and referencing statements by JD Vance estimating that 10% to 20% of federal tax dollars are lost to fraud and waste, the panel advocated doubling statutory sentences for criminal syndicates looting safety nets.
Legislative Retaliation and AB 2624 Censorship (13:26)
In response to investigations into public funding flows, California lawmakers passed Assembly Bill 2624, labeled by critics the 'Stop Nick Shirley Act.' Co-sponsored by CHIRLA (Coalition for Humane Immigrant Rights of Los Angeles)—an advocacy organization that has received roughly $80 million in public grants—the law restricts filming at taxpayer-subsidized immigration support providers. Under AB 2624, facilities can issue a demand letter prohibiting video release; publishing footage incurs mandatory civil penalties starting at $4,000 per person filmed, plus opposing legal fees.
Shirley and the podcast hosts condemn the statute as an unconstitutional speech suppression mechanism intended to insulate subsidized non-profits from public accountability under the pretext of immigrant safety. Shirley also underscored political conflicts of interest behind the bill: it was authored by Assemblymember Mia Bonta, the wife of California Attorney General Rob Bonta, whose office is tasked with investigating and prosecuting public fraud across the state.
Grassroots Citizen Journalism and Physical Risks (18:05)
Shirley’s operational model bypasses traditional media institutions by relying on citizen whistleblower tips, independent production with his mother filming, and direct distribution on platforms like X and YouTube. Shirley noted his Minnesota reporting reached 140 million views on X and generated 4 billion impressions across platforms, directly pressuring regulators and prosecutors to intervene where traditional newsrooms remained inactive or antagonistic.
This confrontation-heavy style introduces severe personal risks. Shirley reported receiving direct death threats from fraud syndicates, requiring him to hire private security to guard against physical retaliation. While Jason Calacanis likened Shirley’s confrontations to investigative techniques once pioneered by legacy programs like 60 Minutes, the panel urged Shirley to professionalize his workflow by raising high-dollar subscriptions ($500 to $1,000 tiers) to support dedicated researchers, editors, and full-time protection.
While Shirley's field investigations have forced prosecutorial crackdowns and exposed structural flaws in massive state projects, his model faces unresolved hurdles: scaling a low-budget operation against well-funded criminal enterprises, mitigating intense personal physical danger, and overcoming state-level legal mechanisms engineered to criminalize independent video reporting.
## Background
本视频由知名科技与财经播客频道《All-In Podcast》于 2026 年 9 月 18 日发布在 YouTube 平台。页面简介显示，内容记录了独立调查记者尼克·雪利（Nick Shirley）在 All-In 峰会上首发其曝光加州高铁巨额浪费的调查短片，并随后登台与四位主持人深入探讨加州针对其拍摄出台的打压法案、全美福利欺诈抓捕大案，以及独立公民记者对主流媒体的颠覆性挑战。
## TL;DR
节目首先播放了尼克·雪利对加州高铁工程的实地调查，揭示该项目耗费上百亿美元且预算飙升至 2360 亿美元，却未铺设任何铁轨且因合同停工索赔沦为全球最昂贵烂尾工程的荒谬现状。随后尼克登台与主持人们对谈，揭露了自己因曝光托儿所与移民扶持机构欺诈案而遭遇加州立法（AB 2624 法案）限制拍摄的内幕，并表示已对加州政府提起第一修正案宪法诉讼。尼克回顾了自己从街头恶搞自媒体转型为硬核调查记者的历程，详述其推动明尼苏达州虚假学习中心骗局抓捕定罪的经过，并指出全美福利欺诈已陷入普遍疯狂。主持人们强烈谴责被体制俘获的传统主流媒体对真实黑幕的失职，并呼吁建立专业化的资金与安保团队，支持尼克等独立调查力量继续追责制度性贪腐。
## Atmosphere & style
整个对话兼具科技峰会的高能量现场感与暗访揭黑的紧迫悬疑感，开场的高铁荒诞实录迅速点燃了观众与主持人的讥讽与愤怒。现场交流在辛辣幽默的插科打诨与生死一线的严肃反差间来回激荡——既有针对政客利益冲突的犀利解剖，也有尼克深入里约贫民窟黑帮和敲门对峙诈骗犯时直面枪口威胁的沉重压迫。主持人们同仇敌忾的支持与尼克平实坚毅的青年行动者姿态相互共振，带给受众一种体制遮羞布被无情撕开、常识与公民监督重新夺回话语权的酣畅淋漓。
## Bulletin
- [00:05](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SwBCPBNe_60&t=5s) 加州高铁项目历经18年耗资150亿美元，目前未铺设任何一节铁轨且未连通任何城镇；总成本预估已从最初的330亿美元飙升至2360亿美元，成为人类历史上第三昂贵的基础设施工程。
- [02:32](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SwBCPBNe_60&t=152s) 由于前期规划失误导致停工，加州高铁三分之一资金耗于变更单延误赔偿（每日17万美元），近期更向承包商达成了超5亿美元的天价停工补偿和解。
- [11:40](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SwBCPBNe_60&t=700s) 独立记者尼克·雪利的暗访曝光促使加州司法部正式起诉涉嫌侵吞1000万美元公款的12名日托所诈骗犯，但加州议会随后推出AB 2624法案，试图通过高额罚款禁止记者发布针对受资助NGO的调查视频。
- [22:05](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SwBCPBNe_60&t=1325s) 尼克此前曝光的明尼苏达州虚假托儿与救助金大案主谋已被捕并认罪，其调查视频在X平台上获得了超1.4亿次浏览，但主流传统媒体不仅未跟进报道，反而撰写抹黑文章抨击调查者。
## Key takeaways
- [00:05](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SwBCPBNe_60&t=5s) 加州高铁成本预测呈指数级暴增至2360亿美元，造价规模仅次于美国州际公路系统与国际空间站，但至今仅剩断截的水泥桥面。
- [02:32](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SwBCPBNe_60&t=152s) 若将加州高铁预算直接用于全额补贴旧金山至洛杉矶的全部航空客流，足以让两地乘客免费乘机150至300年。
- [04:57](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SwBCPBNe_60&t=297s) 加州政府未提前收储拟建高铁线路用地，导致开发商在路线上抢建新房，未来强行拆迁征地成本将直接暴涨10至11倍。
- [07:33](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SwBCPBNe_60&t=453s) 高铁建设生硬切断了中央山谷传承数百年的成片农场、水利网络与供电设施，纳税人巨资被错配于低效高铁，而非加州急需的农业水利与能源电网。
- [11:40](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SwBCPBNe_60&t=700s) 加州推出的AB 2624法案规定，只要涉事机构发出书面禁令信，记者擅自发布曝光视频将面临每人头至少4000美元罚款并承担对方全部律师费，尼克已就此提起宪法诉讼。
- [15:04](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SwBCPBNe_60&t=904s) AB 2624法案由加州总检察长罗伯·邦塔的妻子、众议员米娅·邦塔提出，而总检察长本应负责打击欺诈，夫妻二人形成了显而易见的制度性利益冲突。
- [18:05](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SwBCPBNe_60&t=1085s) 尼克·雪利完全凭借基层民众提供的线索独立展开调查，早期由母亲协助拍摄，以极低的成本撕开了动辄数百万至千万美元的庞大福利欺诈网络。
- [20:01](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SwBCPBNe_60&t=1201s) 主流媒体对尼克展开攻击，源于传统记者已被体制与政治立场深度俘获，而独立公民记者的街头直击让建制派新闻机构的失职暴露无遗。
- [22:05](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SwBCPBNe_60&t=1325s) 明尼苏达州虚构托儿所案的核心主谋侵吞400万公款，在登机潜逃伦敦前被捕并认罪，该案还推动了全美最大规模自闭症护理诈骗案的立案调查。
- [27:34](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SwBCPBNe_60&t=1654s) 从食品券到儿童日托与临终关怀，美国基层公共补贴领域已被系统性欺诈严重侵蚀，甚至有夜总会允许刷SNAP福利卡消费。
- [29:19](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SwBCPBNe_60&t=1759s) 揭发跨国犯罪与欺诈网络让独立调查记者面临枪击与人身安全威胁，各界呼吁组建包含专业研究员、剪辑师与全职安保在内的专业化团队为其保驾护航。
- [31:00](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SwBCPBNe_60&t=1860s) 加州高铁将巨额停工补偿金合法化输送给海外亿万富豪，揭示了在现行制度庇护下、合法外衣包裹的公共工程腐败比单纯违法欺诈对公共财政的掠夺更具破坏力。
## Detailed walkthrough
### [00:05](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SwBCPBNe_60&t=5s) 加州“通往虚无”的高铁与失控的百亿预算
开场抛出了一个直击灵魂的问题：如果你手握 150 亿美元，你会用它创造什么？是下一个 PayPal、SpaceX、Google，还是去造一条高铁？随后画面切入加州高铁的真实勘测现场——眼前是一片荒凉、断截的水泥构筑物，没有任何铁轨，被称为“一条彻头彻尾通往虚无的高铁”。自 2008 年立项宣称要连接旧金山与洛杉矶以来，18 年过去了，消耗了 150 亿美元，加州却没有连通哪怕任何一座城镇。相比之下，同样始于 2008 年的中国高铁系统，如今已建成超过 3 万英里（约 4.8 万公里）的高速铁路网，连接了整个国家。
现场受访专家指出，所谓“加州高铁”如今只是一堆裸露的钢筋混凝土和烧掉的 150 亿美元，是当今全球单价最高昂的基础设施项目。该项目的成本预测呈现出令人咋舌的指数级膨胀：最初预估仅需 330 亿美元，随后飙升至 1260 亿美元，而最新的测算数字更是攀升到了惊人的 2360 亿美元。这一开销规模使它稳稳成为人类历史上第三昂贵的基础设施工程，仅次于 1950 年代建立的美国州际公路系统以及国际空间站。
二者与加州高铁的本质区别在于，人们今天可以切实驾驶在 5 号州际公路或 80 号州际公路上横穿美国，宇航员也能真正进入国际空间站；而对于加州高铁，专家直言：“在我们有生之年，谁也别想坐上它。”站在中央山谷（Central Valley）断头的高架水泥桥面旁，这截耗资不菲的废弃结构已被当地居民戏称为“现代版巨石阵”。
- **初始预算与最新预估**：从立项时的 330 亿美元暴增至 1260 亿美元，最新预测达 2360 亿美元。
- **历史造价对比**：仅次于美国州际公路系统（第一位）和国际空间站（第二位），名列人类工程史第三。
- **修建进度与横向反差**：18 年耗资 150 亿美元未连通任何城镇；同期中国高铁已连通全国超 30,000 英里路线。
```mermaid
flowchart TD
accTitle: 加州高铁预算飙升与历史工程对比
accDescr: 展示加州高铁预估成本如何从330亿飙升至2360亿美元，并与历史工程做对比
subgraph CostGrowth ["预算飞涨历程"]
A["2008 初始预算<br>$330 亿美元"] --> B["中期调整<br>$1260 亿美元"]
B --> C["最新估算<br>$2360 亿美元"]
end
subgraph GlobalRank ["全球最贵工程排名"]
R1["No.1 美国州际公路系统<br>(全美畅行)"]
R2["No.2 国际空间站<br>(人类太空驻留)"]
R3["No.3 加州高铁<br>(目前仅剩断头水泥)"]
end
C -.-> R3
```
---
### [02:32](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SwBCPBNe_60&t=152s) 变更单停工索赔陷阱与“永不采购”的列车
当被问及为何在明知不可能完成的情况下官方仍在推进时，受访专家翻出了加州州长加文·纽森（Gavin Newsom）早在 2016 年的一段私下坦白：“压倒性的事实表明，这个项目在我们有生之年根本无法实现。”那么已经蒸发的 150 亿美元究竟流向了何处？答案揭示了一场令人匪夷所思的官僚与工程管理灾难：整整三分之一的项目资金被耗费在所谓的“工程变更单延误赔偿”（change order delays）上。
由于规划方最初根本没搞清楚地下管线走向，也缺乏修建高铁的实际工程方案，导致中标分包商进场后无法动工。根据合同，由于官方原因造成停工，纳税人每天需要向承包商赔偿 17 万美元，折合每月约 500 万美元。就在不久前，加州刚刚为一起重大停工索赔案达成了超过 5 亿美元的巨额和解，纳税人的巨资仅仅因为施工队“闲置无法施工”便付诸东流。
更具讽刺意味的是，该项目甚至从未采购过一列真正的高速列车。受访者尖锐地指出，州政府之所以迟迟不买车，是因为他们心知肚明铁轨上永远不会有车在跑。如果将这笔庞大的预算换一种算乘法：以旧金山与洛杉矶之间目前的客流量，若将高铁投资直接用于全额补贴两地间的单程单程机票，可以为所有乘客提供长达 150 年的完全免费航班；若按最新的 2360 亿美元总成本计算，这笔钱足够免费为所有人买单往返航班长达 300 年之久。“在数学上，这根本说不通。”
- **停工赔偿条款**：由于前期规划失误导致停工，承包商每天可获赔 17 万美元，每月赔偿金高达 500 万美元。
- **单笔天价和解**：加州近期刚达成一项超 5 亿美元的工程延期停工补偿和解案。
- **机票补贴对比**：高铁预算若用于直接补贴旧金山至洛杉矶客流，可提供 150 年至 300 年的免费单程航空出行。
---
### [04:57](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SwBCPBNe_60&t=297s) 荒谬的规划断层：在拟建路线上抢建新房
来到项目规划中的高铁枢纽所在地，记者遭遇了现场人员的推诿与一问三不知。随着沿线深入勘探，更离谱的规划脱节浮出水面：2006 年便已被开发商买下的地块，在 2008 年高铁规划出台后并未被政府及时收储；如今高铁标段正在施工的同时，正下方的线路上却紧锣密鼓地盖起了一栋栋崭新的民宅。未来高铁若要真正落地，加州政府将不得不按高昂的房屋市价逐套将它们强行收购并拆除。
接受采访的当地市政经理（City Manager）无奈地表示，常规政府工程通常会在一开始以低廉的原生土地价格买断整条路线用地，而放任土地完成住宅开发后再去拆迁收购，成本将直接暴涨 10 到 11 倍。市政经理坦言，州政府与地方基层的沟通极度匮乏，地方完全被蒙在鼓里。更令人费解的是，该高铁路线在许多区域几乎与美铁（Amtrak）现有的铁路线完全平行重合，纯属低效的重复建设，而类似在拟建线路上批地建房的闹剧在整个中央山谷屡见不鲜。
面对无法逾越的建设阻力，加州政府早已悄然放弃了原定直通“旧金山—洛杉矶”的宏伟蓝图，将缩水后的所谓示范段蜷缩在默塞德（Merced）至贝克斯菲尔德（Bakersfield）之间。目前州政府每年仍按部就班地拨付 10 亿美元维护预算，但面对高达 1000 亿至 2000 亿美元的实际完工缺口，每年 10 亿的杯水车薪更像是一场无止境的资金空转。
- **征地规划倒挂**：未提前收回路线地块，导致在高铁拟经路线上直接盖新房，后期征地拆迁成本预计暴涨 10 至 11 倍。
- **线路严重缩水**：放弃了旧金山直通洛杉矶的核心战略，降级为连接中谷偏远小镇（默塞德至贝克斯菲尔德）。
- **资金缺口悬殊**：每年常规注资 10 亿美元，距离 1000 亿至 2000 亿美元的竣工需求缺口极大。
---
### [07:33](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SwBCPBNe_60&t=453s) 被撕裂的百年农庄与错位的百亿基建优先级
高铁桥梁在田野边缘突兀中断，前方延伸进广袤的农田与果园。走访中央山谷的扁桃仁种植园时，世代在此耕作的当地农场主指出了高铁给农业带来的毁灭性破坏。数百年完整成片的家族农场将被高铁路线从中生生劈成两半，迫使农人绕道远行才能照管两边的土地；更严峻的是，农田的灌溉管道网络、电力设施等基础设施将被彻底切断重组，日常作业与灌溉成本急剧攀升。
谈及当年的选民公投，农场主回忆道，虽然当时提案通过了，但选票上的说明极其语焉不详，选民根本无法获知路线具体经过哪里。项目原本标榜连接加州南北的核心人口稠密区，最终却将沉重代价砸向了原本根本不需要高铁的传统农业区。
面对高铁项目上千亿美元的无底洞，农场主感慨万千：加利福尼亚自建州以来，农业一直是全州的命脉与支柱，但州政府却长期忽视对水利蓄水系统和能源电网的迫切投资。如果有 1000 亿乃至 2000 亿美元注入农业水利基础设施，“整个加州都将发生翻天覆地的彻底变革”。然而现实却是，纳税人的巨资被捆绑在一列只服务极少数人、且大概率空无一人的列车幻影上，换来的只是万亩良田的被毁与农业人口的真实苦难。
- **农业割裂与破坏**：连续传承数百年的连片农场被生硬截断，灌溉网络、供电线路和农机通行被迫面临拆分改造。
- **基建优先级错配**：严重缺乏急需的加州全州水利管网和能源电网投资，千亿资金却沉淀于效益极低的高铁断头路。
### [09:21](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SwBCPBNe_60&t=561s) 探访加州高铁局与质询参议员科特斯
在大会播放的调查视频片段中，尼克·雪利（Nick Shirley）实地探访位于萨克拉门托的加州高铁局（California High-Speed Rail Authority）办公室。当时时间是下午 4 点 09 分，尽管官方标明的闭门时间是下午 5 点，但整栋办公室内却空无一人。随后，尼克直接在走廊堵住了加州参议院交通委员会主席戴夫·科特斯（Dave Cortese）参议员，质问他为何要推动并通过一项在未来 20 年每年向加州高铁局注资 10 亿美元的法案。
科特斯坚称这项注资是一笔“必须付出的良好长期承诺”。当尼克直接指出该项目至今连一根铁轨都没有实际铺设、且加州州长加文·纽森（Gavin Newsom）甚至在私人录音中都承认该项目基本不可能按原计划完成时，科特斯表现得颇为回避，声称工程部门“目前正准备铺轨”，而原定 2020 年完工的目标“可能实现，也可能无法实现”。他辩解称自己经手过的许多交通项目都要历经 20 年才见眉目，但它们“绝对物有所值”。科特斯更进一步将加州高铁标榜为全美“最伟大的经济发展项目”，呼吁包括联邦在内的各级政府齐力支持，并宣称目前沿线有 21 个在建工程和数千名工人在忙碌，公众迟早会看到高铁落成。
- **办公处扑空**：尼克于下午 4:09 前往加州高铁局办公室，发现办公楼在下午 5:00 下班前已空无一人。
- **资金承诺**：法案承诺在接下来的 20 年内，每年向加州高铁提供 10 亿美元资金。
- **项目现状争议**：尼克指出项目历经多年延误且未铺设任何一节铁轨，而科特斯强调全线有 21 个工程标段与数千名施工人员正在作业。
---
### [11:40](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SwBCPBNe_60&t=700s) 登台峰会与加州“阻止尼克·雪利法案”的内幕
视频播毕，全场爆发掌声与笑声，主持人呼吁观众“千万别像加州高铁那样拖延”，随后热烈欢迎尼克·雪利登台。大卫·萨克斯（David Sacks）打趣道尼克是杰森·卡拉卡尼斯（Jason Calacanis）的“心头好”，并立即切入核心话题：加州政府因极为畏惧尼克揭露欺诈而仓促立法，企图阻止他前往涉嫌侵吞纳税人资金的机构拍摄曝光。萨克斯对此类行径感到荒谬绝伦，虽然坚信该法案在漫长的司法诉讼中终将被裁定违宪，但仍对地方政府能如此明目张胆地打压独立报道感到震惊。
尼克随即向全场披露了最新进展：就在演讲当天，加州司法部刚刚正式起诉了 12 名涉案人员，指控他们通过加州资助的日托所网络实施了高达 1000 万美元的诈骗——而这一黑幕正是尼克此前在圣迭戈实地拍摄并曝光的。尼克解释称，加州通过所谓的“移民支持服务提供者”（Immigration Support Service Providers）机制，向包括非营利组织、法律服务机构和医疗中心在内的大量机构输送巨额公款。为了掩盖当中的猫腻，州议会出台新法：一旦这类机构向拍摄者寄出书面要求信（Demand Letter），拍摄者便不得发布相关调查视频，违者每涉及一名员工便面临至少 4000 美元的民事罚款，还要承担对方的诉讼律师费。
```mermaid
flowchart TD
accTitle: 加州限制调查记者报道的运作机制
accDescr: 展示加州如何通过拨款、法案限制及罚款机制封杀调查记者的曝光视频
subgraph Funding ["公款输送环节"]
A["加州政府税收资金"] --> B["移民支持服务机构 / NGO<br/>(如 CHIRLA 等获取数千万美元拨款)"]
end
subgraph Investigation ["记者实地曝光"]
C["尼克·雪利等独立记者<br/>实地走访调查与拍摄"] -.->|"曝光涉嫌欺诈"| B
end
subgraph LegalBlock ["争议性法案打压机制 (AB 2624)"]
B -->|"发出书面要求信<br/>(Demand Letter)"| D["禁止上传或公开视频"]
D -->|"若违规发布"| E["每名涉事人员处最低 $4,000 罚款<br/>+ 强制承担对方全额诉讼费"]
end
```
- **查处欺诈的最新突破**：加州司法部于当天正式起诉 12 人，涉及日托所欺诈税款 1000 万美元，该线索最初由尼克调查曝光。
- **法案的严苛罚则**：受资助机构只需送达禁令信件，记者若擅自上传曝光视频，起步罚金为 4000 美元（按受影响员工人头累加），并需承担原告全部律师费用。
- **宪法第一修正案诉讼**：针对这项剥夺言论与新闻自由的恶法，尼克已正式对加州政府提起了宪法诉讼。
---
### [15:04](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SwBCPBNe_60&t=904s) 利益冲突与言论自由违宪诉讼：AB 2624 法案
杰森·卡拉卡尼斯讽刺地指出，加州建制派总是喜欢打着公众最熟悉的幌子——所谓的“安全”（Safety）——来推动审查。尼克登门敲门仅仅是询问一句“你们开门营业还是关门了”，就被扣上“让受访者感到不安全”的帽子。杰森鼓励尼克称，政客们甚至把这部法律私下戏称为“阻止尼克·雪利法”（Stop Nick Shirley Act），这恰恰证明尼克的工作打中了贪腐体制的七寸，是一枚货真价实的“荣誉勋章”。
深入探讨加州议会的政治格局时，尼克揭示了该法案（编号 AB 2624）背后赤裸裸的利益网络。在加州参议院中，民主党占据 40 席中的 30 席，法案只需 21 票即可轻松通过，共和党毫无制衡能力。该法案的联合发起方是非营利倡导组织 CHIRLA，该组织从州政府领取了高达 8000 万美元的公款；而一手撰写并起草该法案的州众议员米娅·邦塔（Mia Bonta），正是加州总检察长罗伯·邦塔（Rob Bonta）的妻子。尼克与现场主持人们敏锐地指出，总检察长本应负责起诉福利欺诈，其妻子却通过立法剥夺民间调查记者的曝光权利，构成了极其荒诞且显而易见的利益冲突。
- **加州议会席位失衡**：参议院共有 40 个席位，其中民主党占 30 席，共和党仅占 10 席，任何争议法案均可在绝对多数下强行通过。
- **法案起草者的利益纠葛**：AB 2624 法案由众议员米娅·邦塔提出，其丈夫罗伯·邦塔正是掌管加州执法监督权力的总检察长。
- **赞助组织的资金体量**：协助推动该法案的非营利组织 CHIRLA，累计获得了加州政府 8000 万美元的巨额补贴。
---
### [17:03](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SwBCPBNe_60&t=1023s) 从恶搞博主到调查记者：尼克·雪利的缘起故事
在主持人的引导下，尼克回顾了自己投身独立调查报道的戏剧性历程。他透露自己从 15 岁起便在 YouTube 上制作日常 Vlog 和街头恶搞视频，随着年龄增长，他开始对真实世界中正在发生的大事产生浓厚兴趣。然而在 2020 年前后，各大视频平台的审核机制极度严苛，只要视频标题包含“特朗普”（Trump）或涉及政治、疫情等话题，就会被直接黄标取消收益（Demonetized），导致内容创作者难以糊口。
陷入瓶颈的尼克随后选择暂停创作两年，前往智利圣地亚哥参加教会的传教活动。在南美期间，尼克学会了流利的西班牙语，并目睹了大批委内瑞拉难民因国家经济崩溃而逃往智利；通过与他们的交流，尼克第一次切身了解到南美移民辗转前往美国的真实路线。两年后重返美国，在母亲的鼓励下，尼克带着相机直奔美墨边境，直接用西班牙语与越境移民对话。起初他满怀同情，认为人们背井离乡十分悲惨，但随后发生的一件事彻底改变了他的认知：一位在边境向他诉苦身无分文的厄瓜多尔妇女留下了 WhatsApp 联系方式，结果仅仅到了第二天，这位妇女便发来消息表示自己已经身处纽约市。这种荒诞的反差让尼克意识到背后隐藏着庞大且非同寻常的运作机制，从而开启了他对边境危机与政府资金滥用问题的深度挖掘。
- **创作转折点**：2020 年由于平台对政治和疫情话题的严苛审查与收益剥夺，尼克选择前往智利圣地亚哥进行为期两年的传教。
- **关键技能与视角**：在智利期间掌握了流利的西班牙语，并从南美难民口中获知了跨国人口流动的第一手资讯。
- **走向调查的契机**：在边境偶遇自称分文没有的厄瓜多尔女性，次日对方却已搭乘未知交通工具抵达纽约，促使尼克下决心追查资金流向与幕后推手。
### [18:05](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SwBCPBNe_60&t=1085s) 独立调查与线人网络：从草根博主到揭露明尼苏达惊天骗局
在过去两年半的时间里，尼克·雪莉（Nick Shirley）坚持每周制作一期视频，深入挖掘并记录美国本土发生的各种社会现实。他的频道起初籍籍无名，仅有约两万名订阅者，但凭借持续不断的输出，他最终制作出了互联网历史上播放量最高的调查视频之一，彻底引爆并曝光了明尼苏达州的欺诈大案。当被问及线索来源、是否有吹哨人主动爆料时，尼克透露，各地的普通民众是他最核心的情报来源。大家在遇到问题时会主动私信提供线索，尼克甚至开玩笑形容自己就像是“一个真正倾听民间疾苦、服务全美国的国会议员”，唯一的区别在于他完全独立运作，“不为任何利益集团工作”。
播客主持人们对尼克深入街头（Man on the Street）的报道形式给予了极高评价。主持人杰森·卡拉卡尼斯（Jason Calacanis）指出，街头调查是一门极其艰难且危险的报道艺术，尼克冒着人身安全风险冲在前线，更令人钦佩的是他从未接受过任何正规的新闻专业训练，所有技能全靠自学摸索。针对网络上攻击尼克是“联邦卧底（Fed）”或背后有金主资助的传言，尼克笑着回应，他在 2023 年最初的目标仅仅是每天赚 300 美元（年入约 10 万美元），觉得那样就可以生活得非常滋润；而爆火的明尼苏达调查视频，镜头背后其实是他自己的母亲在帮忙举着相机拍摄：“难道一个 24 岁的联邦特工会让他亲妈来帮忙拍 YouTube 视频吗？”这种百分之百的独立性，正是他推动社会实质性改变的基石。
```mermaid
flowchart TD
accTitle: 独立调查新闻运作模式
accDescr: 展现尼克·雪莉如何从普通爆料演变为推动官方执法的完整调查闭环流程
subgraph 线索与调查阶段
A["基层民众与吹哨人线报"] --> B["实地暗访与街头面对面质询"]
B --> C["完全独立自费制作 / 母亲协助掌镜"]
end
subgraph 传播与回响阶段
C --> D["社交媒体 X 爆发式裂变传播"]
D --> E["引发公众聚焦与体制内震动"]
end
subgraph 问责与法律后果
E --> F["主流媒体撰写抹黑文章"]
E --> G["司法机关介入起诉 / 涉案主谋认罪"]
end
```
### [20:01](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SwBCPBNe_60&t=1201s) 舆论两极分化与传统媒体的“制度性俘获”
伴随巨大曝光量而来的，是极其两极化的舆论反响。除了认同“偷窃诈骗必须受到惩罚”的常识性支持者，以及那些恼羞成怒的欺诈犯之外，网络上竟然还充斥着大量为其辩护、甚至扣帽子指责尼克是“种族主义者”的普通网民。对此，尼克坦言自己感到不可理喻：“如果一个人去为开设虚假托儿机构、洗钱诈骗的人辩护，那他真的需要好好反思一下自己的价值观了。”
杰森对此给出了深刻的行业剖析。他以传统媒体出身者的视角直言，这并非尼克做错了什么，而是尼克的存在彻底撕下了建制派记者的遮羞布：
> “你对他们而言是一种巨大的威胁。那些主流记者当年也是怀揣理想入行的，他们本该勇敢地去揭露这些黑幕，但如今他们已经被体制深度俘获、高度政治化，并且选边站队。而你没有站队。”
主流媒体抨击尼克“事实核查不严谨”或“不够详尽”，本质上是在细枝末节上找茬。杰森强调，尼克在镜头前当面羞辱并曝光这些真实的欺诈者，迫使各州总检察长不得不介入立案抓人。传统调查新闻旗舰节目如《60分钟》（60 Minutes）和《前线》（Frontline）早已遗忘了如何履行新闻监督职责，而尼克单枪匹马捡起了这面被主流媒体抛弃的旗帜。
### [22:05](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SwBCPBNe_60&t=1325s) 明尼苏达托儿所欺诈案余波：潜逃、定罪与司法问责
在被问及执法机关后续行动时，尼克表示，他在视频中公开了所有核心证据，迫使司法部门采取实际行动。谈及明尼苏达州虚假托儿/学习中心（Learning centers）的后续进展，尼克透露最新一批 12 名涉案人员已被锁定，虽然部分嫌疑人已逃离出境，但案件的核心头目已被抓获归案。
该视频发布后引发了轩然大波，尼克回忆当时甚至有人试图在街头制造混乱与抗议来转移联邦移民和海关执法局（ICE）及司法视线，掩盖其欺诈行径，政治层面上明尼苏达州州长蒂姆·沃尔兹（Tim Walz）也面临巨大舆论压力。在该案中：
- 涉案学习中心的一名核心主谋非法侵吞了高达 400 万美元的政府救助资金；
- 该嫌疑人购买了一张前往伦敦的单程机票试图外逃，但在登机前被执法部门成功截获逮捕；
- 涉案头目目前已经当庭认罪（plead guilty），正在等待法庭正式宣判；
- 这一调查还直接推动了该地有史以来最大规模的虚构自闭症护理诈骗案（autism bust）的立案查处。
### [23:32](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SwBCPBNe_60&t=1412s) 调查“调查者”与新一代公民记者的崛起
查马斯（Chamath Palihapitiya）提及比尔·格利（Bill Gurley）在峰会演讲中关于“媒体选择性报道”的论点，并询问尼克在走红后是否有主流媒体主动联络沟通。尼克表示，没有任何主流主流媒体带着诚意向他请教“你是怎么查出这些案子的”，相反，传统媒体将镜头对准了调查者本身，接二连三撰写针对尼克本人的抹黑攻击文章（hit pieces）。
面对这种“调查调查者”的敌意环境，杰森认为这恰恰坐实了主流媒体的恐慌与无能。鉴于尼克调查的欺诈网络牵涉巨大的黑产利益与犯罪团伙，杰森当场承诺每月向尼克资助数千美元，并呼吁在场嘉宾与观众共同支持，为尼克配置专业的研究团队与人身安保力量：
- **平台影响力对比**：明尼苏达调查视频在 YouTube 上获得了数百万次播放，而在社交平台 X 上，视频曝光量突破了 1.4 亿次，直接触达全球最具决策力的高层政商人士；
- **平台赋能**：尼克由衷感慨，如果不是埃隆·马斯克（Elon Musk）领导下的 X 平台坚持言论自由与算法透明，这种挑战体制黑幕的自媒体调查根本不可能掀起如此波澜；
- **青年行动主义**：尼克希望自己的经历能激励同龄一代人“少抱怨、多做事（be less of a complainer and be more of a doer）”；
- **新闻理念升华**：新闻调查绝不仅仅是展现现状或被动防守，而是持续跟进、咬住腐败不放，直到通过现实维度的问责带来真正的社会制度变革。
### [26:33](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SwBCPBNe_60&t=1593s) 深入险境的过往：从里约贫民窟到古巴将军的审问
在凭借曝光明尼苏达州欺诈案声名鹊起之前，Nick Shirley 的调查内容远比追踪政府腐败更为凶险多元。主持人指出，Nick 曾孤身潜入巴西危险重重的贫民窟（Favelas），询问他如今是否还将精力放在这类硬核探险上，抑或已彻底转型专攻政府贪腐。Nick 坦言自己非常希望能重返那种险境报道，但在过去八个月里，他几乎每天早晨一睁眼，就会被海量关于欺诈与腐败的全新线索包围，不知不觉中便全职投身到了反腐调查的最前线。
谈及过往那些命悬一线的瞬间，Nick 回忆道，他曾在里约热内卢的贫民窟深处与巴西最庞大的犯罪组织“红色司令部”（Comando Vermelho）头目碰面。双方身处贫民窟山顶一间残破不堪的破窝棚内，气氛高度紧绷，他心知当时只要稍有差池，自己就会被绑架甚至丧命。不仅如此，他在古巴也曾险些沦为人质，甚至引来了一位两星共产党员将军亲自盘查，逼问他究竟为何来到古巴、又为何突然提前离境。尽管这些涉及跨国黑帮与地缘政治的深度题材依然令他着迷，但眼下美国国内愈演愈烈的欺诈问题，已经彻底占据了他的全部生活。
- 曾深入里约热内卢贫民窟与“红色司令部”（Comando Vermelho）头目独处破屋，险遭绑架。
- 在古巴因提前离境遭军方重点调查，一名两星将军亲自出面盘问身份与动机。
- 过去八个月持续深挖腐败，每天清晨都会面对铺天盖地的欺诈爆料。
### [27:34](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SwBCPBNe_60&t=1654s) 猖獗的福利欺诈与生死一线的现场对峙风险
当被问及美国境内还有哪些隐藏极深的“欺诈蜜罐”值得深挖时，Nick 毫不犹豫地指出，美国本土的社会福利欺诈已经陷入了“彻底的疯狂”。从最基层的食品券系统，到日托中心（Daycare）、成人日托机构以及临终关怀机构（Hospice），只要是涉及政府财政补贴的领域，几乎无一例外被严重蚕食侵吞。他举例称，在俄勒冈州波特兰，甚至有脱衣舞俱乐部支持直接刷补充营养援助计划（SNAP）的福利卡；而在政治层面上，拜登政府时期的监管缺位彻底打开了欺诈的闸门，甚至明尼苏达州州长 Tim Walz 在与 JD Vance 辩论时引以为傲的日托中心等福利计划，背地里也是千疮百孔。
这种单枪匹马揭发贪腐的行动让 Nick 付出了沉重的个人安全代价。他坦言自己现在出门必须配备保镖，因为许多既得利益者真的“想要杀了我”。他每天入睡前都会思考极为沉重的问题：当自己敲开一个诈骗犯的家门时，如果对方意识到东窗事发、余生即将面临牢狱之灾，极有可能在绝望中拔枪射击以阻止视频发布。面对主持人提出的“是否可以不见面、改用其他手段获取事实以规避危险”，Nick 解释了自媒体在算法时代所受到的注意力机制制约：大众最渴望看到的恰恰就是现场对峙的张力，“人们就是想看骗子被当面拆穿的那一刻”。这种在揭露真相与争夺传播影响力之间的拉扯，让他不得不时刻处于危险的刀尖之上。
- 福利欺诈重灾区：食品券（SNAP）、儿童日托、成人日托、临终关怀等各类联邦与州政府资助项目。
- 荒诞乱象案例：波特兰某脱衣舞俱乐部允许顾客使用 SNAP 食品券福利卡消费。
- 个人安全危机：因动了巨额欺诈网络的奶酪，必须雇佣安保人员同行防范枪击威胁。
### [29:19](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SwBCPBNe_60&t=1759s) 走向专业化团队：效仿《60分钟》与扩大资金支持
针对当面质询所带来的巨大安全隐患，主持人表示了坚定的理解与支持。他们指出，哥伦比亚广播公司的王牌调查节目《60分钟》（60 Minutes）数十年来一直采用这种暗访与伏击式采访（Ambush Journalism）模式——一旦被调查对象拒绝配合出镜，记者就会在其住宅或办公室外围堵追问。Nick 采取当面质询的做法在新闻伦理与调查手段上完全站得住脚，但其团队模式必须尽快实现“专业化升级”。
```mermaid
flowchart TD
accTitle: 调查团队专业化支持模型
accDescr: 展示从受众订阅资金到专业调查团队组建，最终产出揭黑报道以遏制纳税人税款流失的闭环流程。
subgraph Capital ["资金支持层"]
A["5 美元基础订阅"] --> C["组建支持基金"]
B["500 - 1000 美元资助会员"] --> C
end
subgraph Operation ["专业化团队架构"]
C --> D["专业调查员 (Researcher)"]
C --> E["视频剪辑师 (Video Editor)"]
C --> F["全职安保团队 (Security)"]
end
subgraph Impact ["社会监督成效"]
D & E & F --> G["高规格独立调查报道"]
G --> H["遏制 10%-20% 税款流失与盗窃"]
end
```
主持人建议 Nick 应当在资金支持上表现得更加激进，不仅要维持 5 美元的常规受众订阅，更应通过 Substack 等平台设立 500 美元甚至 1000 美元的“创始资助者”（Charter Supporters）档位。正如副总统候选人 JD Vance 所言，美国有 10% 到 20% 的纳税人资金正在被肆意浪费。如果全社会能资助 Nick 组建一个包含专业研究员、专职剪辑师和专业安保人员在内的 3 到 4 人核心团队，他的调查生产力将实现质的飞跃。主持人愤怒地表示，那些蚕食社会福利资金的罪犯是在公然抢劫整个国家与纳税人，理应承担双倍的刑罚；面对各方在细枝末节上的挑刺与人身威胁，Nick 绝不应该停下揭黑的脚步。
- 资金扩展策略：摆脱单薄的 5 美元订阅，增设 500 至 1000 美元的机构/深度支持者档位。
- 团队扩建构想：招募 3 至 4 名核心人员，包含资深案情调查员与专业视频剪辑师。
- 惩戒主张：针对盗取国家福利体系的腐败罪犯，应处以普通盗窃罪两倍的刑罚。
### [31:00](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SwBCPBNe_60&t=1860s) 加州高铁的荒诞黑洞：合法制度下的巨额资金掠夺
Nick 进一步强调，不仅是赤裸裸的违法欺诈在拖垮国家，加州高铁（California High-Speed Rail）这类披着公共工程外衣的无底洞项目，同样是毫无理性的荒谬典型。整个项目预算高达 2400 亿美元，连接的仅仅是从弗雷斯诺（Fresno）到莫德斯托（Modesto）的区段，而预估票价竟高达普通飞机机票的三倍。更令人震惊的是，有承包方在没有完成任何实质性工程的情况下，竟然堂而皇之地拿走了 5 亿美元的“未开工补偿”。
现场嘉宾随即证实了这一黑幕。在深入追查资金流向后，他们发现这笔高达 5 亿美元补偿金的最终受益人竟然是一位意大利亿万富豪。最讽刺且危险的地方在于：这笔荒唐的巨额支出在现行法律框架下是“完全合法”的。不同于触犯刑法的明目张胆式欺诈，这种在体制庇护下滋生的渎职、合谋、官僚懈怠与问责机制缺位，如同一场巨大的瀑布般将纳税人彻底吞没。在对谈尾声，All-In 播客全员向 Nick Shirley 的无畏勇气致敬，盛赞他所践行的使命对挽救公共财政至关重要，并鼓励他继续捍卫公众知情权。
- 加州高铁荒诞数据：耗资 2400 亿美元仅连接弗雷斯诺与莫德斯托，规划票价为机票价格的三倍。
- 资金去向：某意大利亿万富翁名下的承建实体因工程停摆直接获赔 5 亿美元未开工款项。
- 机制本质：制度性浪费与腐败被包装在合法的体制合同之下，缺乏起码的问责机制与商业逻辑。
## Notable quotes
> [00:05](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SwBCPBNe_60&t=5s) 在我们有生之年，谁也别想坐上它。 — 受访专家
> [02:32](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SwBCPBNe_60&t=152s) 压倒性的事实表明，这个项目在我们有生之年根本无法实现。 — 加文·纽森
> [02:32](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SwBCPBNe_60&t=152s) 在数学上，这根本说不通。 — 受访专家
> [18:05](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SwBCPBNe_60&t=1085s) 一个真正倾听民间疾苦、服务全美国的国会议员 — 尼克·雪利
> [18:05](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SwBCPBNe_60&t=1085s) 难道一个 24 岁的联邦特工会让他亲妈来帮忙拍 YouTube 视频吗？ — 尼克·雪利
> [20:01](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SwBCPBNe_60&t=1201s) 如果一个人去为开设虚假托儿机构、洗钱诈骗的人辩护，那他真的需要好好反思一下自己的价值观了。 — 尼克·雪利
> [20:01](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SwBCPBNe_60&t=1201s) 你对他们而言是一种巨大的威胁。那些主流记者当年也是怀揣理想入行的，他们本该勇敢地去揭露这些黑幕，但如今他们已经被体制深度俘获、高度政治化，并且选边站队。而你没有站队。 — 杰森·卡拉卡尼斯
> [23:32](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SwBCPBNe_60&t=1412s) 少抱怨、多做事（be less of a complainer and be more of a doer） — 尼克·雪利
> [27:34](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SwBCPBNe_60&t=1654s) 想要杀了我 — 尼克·雪利
> [27:34](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SwBCPBNe_60&t=1654s) 人们就是想看骗子被当面拆穿的那一刻 — 尼克·雪利
## Mentioned
尼克·雪利 (Nick Shirley), 杰森·卡拉卡尼斯 (Jason Calacanis), 大卫·萨克斯 (David Sacks), 查马斯·帕里哈皮蒂亚 (Chamath Palihapitiya), 加文·纽森 (Gavin Newsom), 戴夫·科特斯 (Dave Cortese), 米娅·邦塔 (Mia Bonta), 罗伯·邦塔 (Rob Bonta), 蒂姆·沃尔兹 (Tim Walz), JD Vance, 比尔·格利 (Bill Gurley), 埃隆·马斯克 (Elon Musk), 加州高铁局 (California High-Speed Rail Authority), CHIRLA, 红色司令部 (Comando Vermelho), 美铁 (Amtrak), 加州司法部, 美国移民和海关执法局 (ICE), 60分钟 (60 Minutes), 前线 (Frontline), AB 2624 法案, 补充营养援助计划 (SNAP), YouTube, X, Substack, WhatsApp, PayPal, SpaceX, Google
## Video description
(0:00) Nick Shirley debuts his new video at the All-In Summit: "Inside California's High Speed Rail to Nowhere"
(11:42) Nick joins The Besties to discuss California's "Stop Nick Shirley Act" and recent fraud arrests
(17:03) How he got into investigative journalism and finding fraud
(23:32) Selective journalism and why Nick is a major threat to mainstream outlets
(27:34) What's next for Nick: Investigating welfare fraud, building his platform
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Intro Music Credit:
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Intro Video Credit:
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#allin #tech #news
[Source](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SwBCPBNe_60)
Source quotes
[0:05] 受访专家: 在我们有生之年，谁也别想坐上它。
[2:32] 加文·纽森: 压倒性的事实表明，这个项目在我们有生之年根本无法实现。
[2:32] 受访专家: 在数学上，这根本说不通。
[18:05] 尼克·雪利: 一个真正倾听民间疾苦、服务全美国的国会议员
[18:05] 尼克·雪利: 难道一个 24 岁的联邦特工会让他亲妈来帮忙拍 YouTube 视频吗？
[20:01] 尼克·雪利: 如果一个人去为开设虚假托儿机构、洗钱诈骗的人辩护，那他真的需要好好反思一下自己的价值观了。
[20:01] 杰森·卡拉卡尼斯: 你对他们而言是一种巨大的威胁。那些主流记者当年也是怀揣理想入行的，他们本该勇敢地去揭露这些黑幕，但如今他们已经被体制深度俘获、高度政治化，并且选边站队。而你没有站队。
[23:32] 尼克·雪利: 少抱怨、多做事（be less of a complainer and be more of a doer）
[27:34] 尼克·雪利: 想要杀了我
[27:34] 尼克·雪利: 人们就是想看骗子被当面拆穿的那一刻
Source quotes
[2:10] Gavin Newsom: the facts seem overwhelming that this project is not going to materialize in our lifetime.
[9:21] Dave Cortese: It is happening
[9:21] Dave Cortese: might be, might not
[9:21] Dave Cortese: the greatest economic development project in the country
[18:05] Nick Shirley: congressman for the entire United States who actually listens to the people
[18:05] Nick Shirley: balling
[20:01] Nick Shirley: Ultimately, I know what I'm doing is right.
[20:01] Jason Calacanis: You're picking up the mantle of what Frontline and 60 Minutes used to be.
[27:34] Nick Shirley: absolutely insane
[27:34] Nick Shirley: literally want to kill
Original transcript
[0:05] Hey besties, if you were given $15
[0:08] billion, what could you build? The next
[0:11] PayPal, perhaps the next SpaceX, the
[0:14] next Google, or would you build a
[0:17] high-speed rail?
[0:20] >> This is the California highspeed rail
[0:22] that goes to absolutely nowhere. And I
[0:25] mean absolutely nowhere, I mean
[0:27] literally nowhere.
[0:30] This is all California has to show for
[0:32] $15 billion in 18 years of work. In
[0:36] 2008, they said they were going to
[0:37] connect Los Angeles to San Francisco. To
[0:40] this date, they have connected literally
[0:42] nothing. And now to finish this project,
[0:45] they're estimated it's going to cost a
[0:46] hundred to $200 billion. And funny
[0:49] enough, in 2008, China also created
[0:51] their own highspeed rail. And they've
[0:53] connected the whole entire country of
[0:55] China, over 30,000 miles. here in
[0:57] California. They haven't connected a
[0:59] single town. We're going to be breaking
[1:00] down this entire thing from start to
[1:03] finish to show you guys what is actually
[1:04] happening with the California highspeed
[1:06] rail. Let's get into it. Now, let's go
[1:07] talk to somebody who knows a lot about
[1:09] the California highspeed rail. What's
[1:11] the truth about the highspeed rail here
[1:13] inside of California? Uh, well, we call
[1:15] it California highspeed rail, but all we
[1:18] have is concrete and rebar and about $15
[1:21] billion spent. It currently is right now
[1:24] the most expensive infrastructure
[1:26] project happening in the world today.
[1:28] The original estimates for California
[1:30] highspeed rail was $33 billion.
[1:33] It then jumped to $126 billion and now
[1:36] the newest estimate is $236 billion.
[1:41] This project is on track for one thing
[1:43] and that is to be the third most
[1:45] expensive infrastructure project in the
[1:47] history of the world. Number one is the
[1:50] interstate project of the 1950s. Number
[1:52] two is the International Space Station
[1:55] and now it is California highspeed rail.
[1:57] The difference between those three
[1:59] projects is you can drive on I5 or you
[2:01] can go on I80 and drive across the
[2:04] entire country. You can go to outer
[2:06] space. We will never ride California
[2:09] highspeed rail.
[2:10] >> So it goes from there all the way to
[2:14] right here. This is where it ends. It is
[2:16] probably the most expensive piece of
[2:18] concrete uh known to man and often
[2:21] referred to here in the Central Valley
[2:22] as a modern-day Stonehenge.
[2:24] >> How come they continue to say that
[2:25] they're going to continue to build the
[2:26] highspeed rail when there's actually
[2:29] proof that it is quite literally
[2:31] impossible?
[2:32] >> Governor Nuomo in a in a video himself
[2:34] from 2016, I believe, actually admitted
[2:38] to all of us in a private video that he
[2:41] doesn't believe that this project will
[2:43] ever be done in our lifetime. He said
[2:46] that
[2:46] >> okay the facts seem overwhelming that
[2:49] this project is not going to materialize
[2:50] in our lifetime
[2:51] >> and now this is a result of over $15
[2:54] billion.
[2:55] Who's taken the $15 billion? And where's
[2:58] the $15 billion gone if this is all that
[3:00] they have to show for
[3:01] >> onethird of the entire cost of
[3:04] California highspeed rail has gone to
[3:06] this part called change order delays uh
[3:09] because they didn't know where the
[3:11] infrastructure was and or how to build
[3:13] this actual train contractors that got
[3:16] awarded a a parcel to work on are owed
[3:20] $170,000 a day, $5 million a month for
[3:24] every single day they can't work. We
[3:28] just settled here in California very
[3:30] recently in February uh the largest
[3:33] settlement in a delay settlement for
[3:36] over half a billion dollars. Because a
[3:38] contractor couldn't work on the actual
[3:40] project, they were owed a half a billion
[3:43] dollars.
[3:43] >> What are some of the biggest examples of
[3:45] waste, fraud, and just complete
[3:47] incompetence by the government when you
[3:49] see this highspeed rail? California was
[3:52] supposed to buy the actual trains and
[3:55] the trains that would be considered
[3:56] highspeed rail. The state didn't buy the
[4:01] trains,
[4:03] my opinion, because they know that there
[4:05] will never be a train on these tracks.
[4:07] >> So, California has not even bought the
[4:09] trains yet.
[4:10] >> No. If we would just buy one-way tickets
[4:14] at current ridership between San
[4:16] Francisco and LA, which is the goal of
[4:19] California highspeed rail, we could
[4:21] subsidize free tickets one way for the
[4:24] next 150 years.
[4:27] Now, with the new estimate that
[4:29] California highspeed rail is going to be
[4:30] $236 billion,
[4:33] uh, we could subsidize one-way tickets
[4:36] between San Francisco and LA for the
[4:39] next 300 years. So, to me, it would make
[4:43] more sense for all of us to just buy the
[4:46] flights from San Francisco to LA than it
[4:49] would be to build a train or whatever
[4:52] this is and spend more money doing that.
[4:55] I mean, it doesn't make any sense
[4:57] mathematically.
[4:57] >> Now, we're on top of the highspeed rail,
[4:59] and there's not any rail that has been
[5:02] placed. It's actually just a bunch of
[5:04] cement. The highspeed rail to nowhere.
[5:06] That's what they should call it,
[5:07] actually. And despite the California
[5:08] highspeed rail appearing to be
[5:10] impossible to finish, California has
[5:12] allocated $1 billion a year to finish
[5:14] the project, while they actually need
[5:16] anywhere from 100 to $200 billion to
[5:19] finish it. And the high-speed rail even
[5:21] becomes more interesting and you realize
[5:23] how impossible it is the further along
[5:25] the alignment you go. And later we'll be
[5:27] confronting the center who's over the
[5:29] oversight committee for the
[5:30] transportation inside of California. We
[5:32] then saw some train tracks where the hub
[5:34] of the highspeed rail is supposed to be.
[5:36] Hello.
[5:37] >> Hey.
[5:37] >> How you guys doing? Is this the
[5:39] highspeed rail though?
[5:40] >> Uh no. So you can't be out. This is
[5:41] high.
[5:42] >> Not the highspeed rail. Where's the
[5:43] going to be the hub for the highspeed
[5:45] rail?
[5:45] >> I'm not sure.
[5:46] >> You don't know where the hub is going to
[5:47] be for the highspeed rail?
[5:49] No. All right. And despite these guys
[5:51] saying this is not the hub for the
[5:52] highspeed rail, which it really is, we
[5:54] then went down the alignment and this is
[5:56] what we found. So, this location right
[5:58] here was actually bought in 2006 for
[6:01] developers to develop this land. And
[6:04] then they set forth the plan to actually
[6:05] go through with the highspeed rail in
[6:07] 2008. In order for the highspeed rail to
[6:10] actually happen, they're going to have
[6:10] to go through and buy each and every
[6:12] single one of these houses that is
[6:14] currently being built. Keep in mind
[6:15] right now they're building the highspeed
[6:16] rail while these people are building
[6:18] houses on the alignment. Let's go talk
[6:20] to a city manager right now. And how is
[6:22] it possible right now that here in
[6:23] California you have a government who is
[6:25] spending billions upon billions of
[6:27] dollars for this highspeed rail.
[6:29] Meanwhile, a construction site is right
[6:31] here where they're building houses on
[6:33] where that highspeed rail is supposed to
[6:34] go. Uh
[6:35] >> we don't really know. Typically
[6:37] government buys all of the alignment up
[6:39] front. That way you don't have cost of
[6:40] buying it once it's developed. Like this
[6:42] will bring it up 10 or 11 times. what
[6:44] bare land value would be. So, we don't
[6:46] really know. They we communication is
[6:48] pretty sparse, so we're left mostly in
[6:50] the dark.
[6:51] >> Do you think that this highspeed rail
[6:52] has just been some sort of fantasy for
[6:54] the people inside of Sacramento and the
[6:56] politicians of California?
[6:59] >> Look, it it's you've got a project that
[7:02] duplicates Amtrak's current service
[7:03] route. I will tell you from a ground
[7:05] perspective, we don't understand why
[7:07] they're sticking two rail lines next to
[7:09] each other that are going to serve the
[7:10] same areas. And how many more cases of
[7:12] this do you think are inside of this
[7:14] alignment for the highspeed rail?
[7:17] >> I don't think this is atypical. I think
[7:18] this has happened quite a bit up and
[7:19] down the valley.
[7:20] >> California actually abandoned the route
[7:22] from San Francisco to Los Angeles. Now
[7:24] they're focusing from Merced to
[7:26] Bakersfield. And so the highspeed rail
[7:28] will actually not even be servicing
[7:30] people from Los Angeles to San
[7:31] Francisco. The highspeed rail bridge
[7:33] ends over there. It continues over here
[7:36] onto this road, but as you'll see, it
[7:38] then has to go through a bunch of
[7:39] farmland just like this. Now, they have
[7:42] the road right here for the highspeed
[7:44] rail, but in other locations, do they
[7:46] have it? We're going to go speak with
[7:47] the farmer right now. Now, we're in the
[7:48] middle of an orchard right now. How will
[7:50] the farmers be affected from the
[7:51] highspeed rail?
[7:52] >> Ranches that have been contiguous for
[7:54] hundreds of years will now be split. And
[7:56] that requires you now having to travel
[7:58] to both sides, right? your
[7:59] infrastructure have to be pulled from
[8:00] one side to the other whether it be
[8:02] irrigation, power supplies, and even
[8:04] just and operationally it's just going
[8:06] to make it everything real inconvenient.
[8:08] >> When California brought about the plan
[8:09] for the highspeed rail, did you guys
[8:11] vote on it or did you guys have any say
[8:12] so with it or do you even think it's
[8:14] going to happen?
[8:15] >> You know, all the voters had a ch had a
[8:16] chance to vote and it passed. Um but it
[8:19] was a very vague on the ballot. No one
[8:22] knew where it was going to go. To me,
[8:23] they're putting in all the wrong spots.
[8:25] Um, it was to serve two different
[8:27] populations in the north, the state and
[8:28] the south. And they're where they're
[8:30] deciding to put it is it's going to
[8:32] impact an area that didn't need the
[8:33] highspeed rail to begin with.
[8:34] >> They're allocating millions and billions
[8:36] of dollars to this each and every single
[8:38] year. And now they're saying they're
[8:39] going to need uh almost hundred billion
[8:41] dollars more, if not $200 billion. What
[8:44] could farmers of California do if they
[8:46] had hundred billion invested into them?
[8:50] >> Oh man, it could revolutionize the
[8:52] state. I mean, agriculture has been the
[8:54] backbone of this state since its
[8:56] founding. And we're not investing in
[8:59] water infrastructure. We're not
[9:00] investing in energy infrastructure. And
[9:03] it's just it's it's sad cuz we're
[9:05] worried about a train that's going to
[9:07] serve a small sector of the population.
[9:09] And what really needs to be done is
[9:11] something that's going to be good for
[9:11] all of us in the state.
[9:12] >> So pretty soon we could see a high-speed
[9:14] rail come right through here where all
[9:15] these almonds are at. And people are
[9:18] going to be suffering because of it.
[9:19] >> Yes. And there'll probably be no one on
[9:21] the train. Now, we came here to
[9:22] Sacramento to go speak with the people
[9:24] at the California Highspeed Rail
[9:26] Authority office. It is 4:09 right now,
[9:29] and we just went inside and nobody's
[9:31] here. Hallelujah.
[9:32] >> Really?
[9:34] >> Said they're open.
[9:35] >> They close at 5:00 p.m. However, they
[9:38] are not here. But we are going to go
[9:39] speak with a senator who just approved
[9:41] and passed a bill that's going to give
[9:43] $1 billion for the next 20 years to the
[9:45] California Highspeed Rail Authority.
[9:47] We're going to go talk to him and see
[9:48] why he approved that. Senator Cortezi,
[9:50] how are you doing? Good. My name is Nick
[9:52] Shirley. We're doing a a little
[9:54] investigation on the highspeed rail. We
[9:56] just want to ask what made you want to
[9:57] secure $1 billion for the next 20 years
[9:59] for the highspeed rail.
[10:02] >> I believe it's a good uh long-term
[10:04] commitment that we need to make.
[10:07] >> And do you think that's actually ever
[10:08] going to happen here inside the state of
[10:10] California?
[10:10] >> It is happening. Have you been there?
[10:11] >> Yeah, I actually have.
[10:12] >> All right. Well, then you know it's
[10:13] happening.
[10:14] >> And there's actually not a single piece
[10:15] of rail or track that's been laid.
[10:17] >> They're getting ready to do that right
[10:19] now.
[10:20] And do you think in 20 years the
[10:21] highspeed rail will be done as promised
[10:23] is going to be done in 2020? It
[10:25] >> might be, might not.
[10:27] >> Gavin Newsome even said in a private
[10:28] video like it's not even possible
[10:31] essentially.
[10:31] >> I have a lot of transportation projects
[10:33] I've worked on for 20 years that are
[10:35] just finally getting started and they're
[10:36] all worth it.
[10:37] >> And do you believe as a chair of the
[10:38] Senate Transportation Committee, do you
[10:40] believe the highspeed rail authority has
[10:41] been sufficiently accountable for the
[10:43] increase and delays that have taken
[10:45] place with the highspeed rail?
[10:46] >> Well, we're trying to hold them
[10:47] accountable. And what can you give to
[10:50] people to make them believe that the
[10:51] highspeed rail is actually going to be
[10:53] built and finished in our lifetime or in
[10:55] your lifetime?
[10:56] >> It's not my commitment. My commitment is
[10:57] it's the greatest economic development
[10:59] project in the country and uh people
[11:01] should be embracing that all the way to
[11:03] the federal government. There's no other
[11:05] economic development project that even
[11:06] comes close to that in this country. And
[11:08] it's a shame that uh you know certain
[11:11] people in the country aren't taking
[11:14] taking that seriously. So, uh, that's
[11:17] how we get things done is when the
[11:18] federal government, the state government
[11:20] work together. Build dams, build
[11:22] bridges, build highways, build highspeed
[11:24] rail. That's what needs to happen.
[11:26] >> And you do believe that we'll see the uh
[11:28] finish of the highspeed rail in our
[11:30] lifetime.
[11:30] >> There's 21 construction projects going
[11:32] on right now with thousands of workers.
[11:34] So, you'll see it get done.
[11:37] >> Besties, don't be like the highspeed
[11:39] rail.
[11:40] >> Please welcome Mick Shirley.
[11:54] [ __ ] yeah. [ __ ] yeah. What's up, bro?
[11:58] Hey, man.
[12:00] >> Saxs, this is your guy. Get in there.
[12:02] >> Wow. Uh maybe a good place to start
[12:05] actually is that California was so
[12:09] afraid of what you're doing, exposing
[12:11] their fraud, that they actually passed a
[12:13] law to stop you from doing your
[12:17] investigations and you know your videos
[12:20] where you actually show up at these
[12:22] places that are stealing taxpayer money.
[12:24] I could you just I mean I I'm still like
[12:26] shocked that they could get away with
[12:27] that. I know you're fighting it in court
[12:28] and I fully expect it'll be
[12:30] unconstitutional in like 20 years
[12:32] whenever it makes its way through the
[12:34] court system, but could you just explain
[12:35] that?
[12:36] >> Yes. So, I exposed California for all
[12:38] the fraud that they've enabled here
[12:40] inside the state. And they use what's
[12:41] called immigration support service
[12:43] providers, and it quite literally means
[12:45] anybody who provides services to illegal
[12:47] immigrants or immigrants. And that
[12:49] includes nonprofits and healthcare
[12:50] facilities. So, uh actually today, this
[12:53] just happened literally today. I filmed
[12:55] all these daycarees in San Diego and
[12:57] when I exposed it, Newsome came after
[12:59] me. But today, they found 12 individuals
[13:03] who were all immigrants and they charged
[13:04] them of $10 million of fraud. That
[13:06] happened today.
[13:07] >> California did.
[13:08] >> California,
[13:10] that DOJ did.
[13:13] So, underneath this new bill, this new
[13:15] law that they created, if these
[13:17] immigration support service providers
[13:18] were to give me a piece of paper saying,
[13:20] "Hey, you can't upload that video. I
[13:22] can't upload that video." And they only
[13:24] created that after I exposed the fraud.
[13:26] >> Wait, wait, wait. Okay, let me First of
[13:28] all, what is an was it immigration
[13:30] support services like what is that?
[13:32] >> Yeah, it means legal services, healthc
[13:34] care facilities, um quite literally
[13:37] anything where your tax dollars go to
[13:39] provide the services for illegal
[13:40] immigrants or immigrants here in San
[13:42] >> from the state of California. So the
[13:43] state of California is funding
[13:45] >> these businesses basically.
[13:48] >> Yes.
[13:48] >> To provide services to illegals.
[13:51] >> Yeah. It can be medical. It can even be
[13:52] NOS's, nonprofits that received grants
[13:54] from the government. For instance, the
[13:56] people who sponsored this bill is called
[13:57] Chura. They've received $80 million and
[14:00] they do the advocacy work for illegal
[14:02] immigrants here inside the United
[14:03] States.
[14:04] >> Wait, they got $80 million. Sorry,
[14:07] million or billion. 80 million million
[14:09] nonprofit.
[14:10] >> Nonprofit.
[14:11] >> And then it sounds like they're the law
[14:14] is written that any service to
[14:17] immigrants
[14:18] >> Yeah. you can't go do this work because
[14:20] they're trying to protect the community.
[14:22] >> So, wait, but how do they stop you? So,
[14:23] let's say you so you go to one of these
[14:25] NOS's or businesses that's received this
[14:27] funding. You record it. Um, and now
[14:31] they're saying you can't upload it.
[14:32] >> Yeah. So, if they simply were enrolled
[14:34] in this service, then they give me a
[14:36] piece of paper saying, "Hey, you can't
[14:38] upload that video, a demand letter. I
[14:40] can't upload the video." And if I do,
[14:42] I'll get a $4,000 fine. And then I'll
[14:44] have to go to court and I'll have to pay
[14:45] for their legal fees if they win. So
[14:47] $4,000 is just the minimum if they have
[14:49] 10 employees in there who all are part
[14:51] of the service.
[14:51] >> Sorry, doesn't that violate your
[14:53] constitutional rights?
[14:54] >> Yeah, first amendment rights.
[14:55] >> And so do you sue the state of
[14:57] California?
[14:58] >> Yeah, I'm suing the state of California
[14:59] right now
[15:00] >> to undo that bill.
[15:02] >> Yes.
[15:03] >> Obstensively, by the way, Saxs, this was
[15:05] all under the pretext of our favorite
[15:08] term, safety, because what Nick Shirley
[15:11] was doing in knocking on a door and
[15:12] saying, "Is this business open or
[15:14] closed?" was making people feel unsafe.
[15:16] And if you use that word unsafe, well
[15:19] then everybody has to rally around it.
[15:21] And they literally called this the Nick
[15:23] Shirley law. So I think this is the most
[15:26] amazing uh badge for you. And it's an
[15:29] award. The fact that they're creating
[15:31] laws to try to stop you from doing basic
[15:33] journalism means you're kicking [ __ ]
[15:36] ass, Nick. Don't stop.
[15:38] >> Um
[15:41] these First Amendment cases though have
[15:43] been incredibly well litigated. So, do
[15:46] they just pass this knowing that it will
[15:48] probably get overturned at the federal
[15:50] level and then it's up to you to raise
[15:53] the money, find the conlaw people, and
[15:55] then take the case? Is that what it is?
[15:57] Or do they actually legitimately think
[15:58] there's legal standing? Like, what does
[16:00] your team tell you about that law that's
[16:02] trying to stop you?
[16:03] >> Yeah. I don't think they thought Nick
[16:05] Shirley would hear about this bill cuz
[16:06] they called it AB2624.
[16:09] And unless an assemblyman dubbed it the
[16:11] Stop Nick Shirley Act, I probably
[16:12] wouldn't have heard about it. So
[16:13] California, they've pretty much passed
[16:15] all these laws. Like it's it's called
[16:17] comeie for you. Call me Foria for a
[16:19] reason. Like to forget a bill passed in
[16:22] California in the in the legislators.
[16:25] There's 40 senators. 30 of them are
[16:28] Democrats. 10 of them are Republicans.
[16:29] It needs 21 votes to pass. So it's quite
[16:31] literally nearly almost impossible for a
[16:33] Republican to pass anything here inside
[16:34] the state of California.
[16:36] >> Let's be clear, Gavin Newsome signed
[16:37] this.
[16:38] >> Yeah.
[16:39] >> And who is the impetus of this bill?
[16:40] Like is there a way that people are
[16:42] teasing out the the funding cycle and
[16:45] the people that were behind this thing
[16:46] or no?
[16:48] >> Well, Chura, they're the co-sponsor but
[16:49] who received $80 million. The person who
[16:51] created this bill is the wife of the
[16:53] attorney general. Her name is Mia Bont.
[16:55] So, meanwhile, the attorney general is
[16:56] supposed to prosecute the fraud. Well,
[16:58] his wife's creating laws to make it
[16:59] harder for fraud to be prosecuted and to
[17:01] go after and be exposed.
[17:03] >> How did you start? Let's take a step
[17:04] back, Nick, for the folks that don't
[17:06] necessarily know the origin story. How
[17:08] did you stumble into this? because yeah
[17:10] it's uh when I was 15 years old I
[17:12] started making YouTube videos vlogs and
[17:14] pranks as I got older I got more
[17:16] interested to see what was actually
[17:16] happening in the world but at that time
[17:18] around 2020 you couldn't make videos
[17:20] with the word Trump in the title or if
[17:22] you talked about politics or talked
[17:23] about co you might be demonetized so you
[17:25] couldn't make any money and so then I
[17:26] ended up taking like a 2-year break on a
[17:28] mission trip for our church and went to
[17:30] uh Santiago Chile I started learning
[17:32] about um all these people that were
[17:34] fleeing Venezuela they were going to
[17:36] Chile and they were telling me about how
[17:37] people are going to the United States so
[17:38] then I got back to the United States, my
[17:40] mom was also keeping up to date with
[17:42] that. And then when I got to the back
[17:44] home, I went to the southern border and
[17:46] I started interviewing people in Spanish
[17:47] saying like, "How'd you guys come over
[17:49] here? Like, what's going on?" And I
[17:51] thought it was like super sad that the
[17:52] all these people were coming over
[17:53] fleeing the country. And then I get this
[17:55] lady's WhatsApp who was from Ecuador.
[17:58] She said she had no money at the border.
[18:00] And the next day she texted me saying
[18:01] she was in New York City. And I was
[18:03] like, "That's super strange." And so for
[18:05] the past 2 and a half years, I've been
[18:07] making a video every single week about
[18:09] something that's happening here inside
[18:10] the United States. And like I went from
[18:12] 20,000 subscribers, nobody knowing me to
[18:14] now having I created one of the most
[18:16] viewed videos ever in internet history
[18:18] exposing the fraudsters in Minnesota.
[18:21] And uh I was I only knew about that
[18:22] fraud because I had been making a video
[18:25] every single week from across the world.
[18:28] >> What happens like whistleblowers reach
[18:30] out to you and say, "Hey, Nick, go over
[18:31] here. Go over there."
[18:32] >> Yes. So, like I rely heavily upon the
[18:34] people in in these states to let me know
[18:36] what's going on. Like I'm pretty much
[18:38] like a I said made a joke. I'm I'm like
[18:40] a congressman for the entire United
[18:42] States who actually listens to the
[18:43] people.
[18:45] >> But I don't work for anybody.
[18:46] >> Well, and what I really appreciate about
[18:48] what you're doing is Man on the Street
[18:51] is a really challenging uh art form and
[18:55] journalistic uh format. It's incredibly
[18:58] brave for you to go out there, put
[19:00] yourself at risk, and you have, just to
[19:02] be clear, so people can appreciate this,
[19:04] you have no formal journalistic
[19:05] training. You have learned everything on
[19:07] your own, and you have funded it. Uh,
[19:09] and I think it's important that we're
[19:11] clear about this because people make
[19:12] allegations, oh, you're a plant.
[19:14] Somebody's funding you. You're funded by
[19:16] the people through your X.com account.
[19:18] You make tens of thousands of dollars a
[19:20] month, I think, maybe hundreds of
[19:21] thousands a year just to sustain
[19:23] yourself.
[19:24] >> Yeah. for me to like when I my whole
[19:26] goal was to make $300 a day in 2023. I
[19:29] thought I could like do everything with
[19:30] $300 a day. I was like, I'm going to be
[19:32] balling. That'sund that's a $100,000 a
[19:34] year. And then uh I started making more
[19:37] and more money. I post this Minnesota
[19:38] fraud video. My mom literally films it.
[19:41] That's my favorite thing. People like
[19:42] Nick's a Fed. I'm like, would a Fed have
[19:43] his mom filming his YouTube videos when
[19:46] he's 24 years old?
[19:47] >> Not a fed thing to do.
[19:48] >> Yeah. Not a Fed thing to do. I think
[19:51] they could find somebody better if they
[19:52] if that was the case. But um I was just
[19:55] 100% working uh for myself to show
[19:58] people what was actually happening and
[20:00] I've created a lot of change.
[20:01] >> The the audience reaction is a little
[20:03] polarized, right? There are obviously
[20:05] people like us who are like,
[20:07] >> you know, stealing is wrong.
[20:09] >> Um then there's obviously fraudsters who
[20:11] can be angry at you,
[20:12] >> very angry.
[20:13] >> Um but then there are passive viewers
[20:15] that actually really dislike what you're
[20:17] doing.
[20:17] >> Yeah. I don't understand.
[20:18] >> How do you unpack that? Like why why is
[20:20] that reaction happening? Ultimately, I
[20:22] know what I'm Ultimately, I know what
[20:24] I'm doing is right. And for you to be
[20:25] defending a a fraudster who opens up a
[20:27] layering center, I'm like, you might
[20:29] need to rethink something.
[20:30] >> I can tell you what this is.
[20:31] >> People say you're racist.
[20:32] >> I can tell you what's happening here,
[20:34] Shimoth.
[20:35] >> Having been a journalist and come up
[20:36] with these people.
[20:37] >> Oh, here we go.
[20:39] >> No, no, it's actually super important.
[20:41] >> Jason lectures Nick.
[20:43] >> It's not a lecture. It's an insight. Um,
[20:44] and you're lucky to hear it. Uh, so sit
[20:46] back. uh what you represent to them is a
[20:51] threat because they came up and they
[20:53] wanted to do what you're doing. They
[20:55] were idealistic, these journalists, and
[20:57] they wanted to be brave enough to
[20:59] uncover these things and they've become
[21:02] captured and politicized and they have
[21:04] picked a side. You haven't.
[21:07] >> That's why they that's why they
[21:09] criticize you. And the criticism they
[21:10] have of you is, "Oh, he didn't he wasn't
[21:13] facteing here. Wasn't thorough enough
[21:15] here." Yeah. Okay, fine. on the margins,
[21:17] you're learning on the job. And I've had
[21:19] conversations with you privately about
[21:20] little nuances of things that you need
[21:22] to tighten up. None of that is
[21:26] important. What's important is that you
[21:28] find fraud. You find actual real fraud
[21:32] and you put the people on camera and you
[21:34] [ __ ] shame them and then they get
[21:36] arrested and you're forcing the AGs in
[21:40] this country to face it. And it's just
[21:43] you. It's just you and your pure desire
[21:45] and energy to do it. And that's what
[21:47] journalists hate about you because they
[21:49] could do it too. And they should be
[21:51] ashamed that they don't. This was the
[21:53] job of 60 Minutes and Front Line and
[21:55] they forgot how to do their job. And
[21:56] you're picking up the mantle of what
[21:58] Front Line and 60 Minutes used to be.
[22:00] >> I agree. Give me some.
[22:01] >> [ __ ] yeah.
[22:02] >> I die.
[22:05] >> Are the AG's taking up the cases?
[22:07] >> Well, I mean, I'll go expose it and if
[22:09] they want to do something about it, I
[22:11] put all the information in the videos.
[22:12] And so that's one thing I have seen is
[22:14] there actually has been change like they
[22:16] just found the 12 people today uh the
[22:17] leers in Minnesota most most of them
[22:19] fled the country I believe but they got
[22:21] the head.
[22:21] >> Oh is that right? So give us the kota
[22:23] actually about the the daycarees in
[22:25] Minnesota.
[22:25] >> Yes. So the daycarees in Minnesota they
[22:27] the was the craziest thing because I was
[22:29] just sitting in my room. I just posted
[22:31] that video. I had no idea it was going
[22:33] to be like the biggest video ever. It
[22:34] got 4 billion views in 7 days.
[22:37] >> Uh which was pretty insane. Uh so I post
[22:40] that video and then there starts to be
[22:42] like riots in protest. People start
[22:44] dying to cover for the L the leers. Uh
[22:47] the the politicians were like
[22:49] incentivizing people to go out and riot
[22:51] because they knew like the ICE was there
[22:53] but they could distract everyone by
[22:54] getting people out to the street to
[22:56] cover up for the fraud. Well, it didn't
[22:57] really work cuz Tim Waltz dropped out of
[22:58] re-election.
[23:00] In Minnesota, they the head person of
[23:03] the Laring centers who had received $4
[23:06] million, she tried to go to London on a
[23:07] one-way ticket and then she got caught
[23:09] for daycare fraud and so she was the
[23:11] head like the head honcho of the
[23:13] lessers. She got caught. She got busted.
[23:15] Um then the biggest autism bust of all
[23:17] time took place there as well. So like
[23:19] I've been very productive.
[23:21] >> So wait, so did she get prosecuted?
[23:23] >> Yes. And she plead guilty.
[23:24] >> She plead guilty.
[23:25] >> Yeah.
[23:25] >> Oh wow. And what's the sentence? Uh, I
[23:28] don't know yet.
[23:29] >> Okay. Maybe it hasn't happened yet or
[23:31] >> Yeah.
[23:32] >> Did you Did you see Bill Gurley's
[23:34] presentation?
[23:34] >> I watched a bit of it. It's kind of hard
[23:36] to hear back.
[23:37] >> Yeah. So, I mean, there's a point he was
[23:39] making, which is that journalists seem
[23:40] to have become selective in the stories
[23:43] that they're chasing and the
[23:44] investigations that they're doing and
[23:46] there seems to be a reason that's this
[23:48] kind of politicized point. What's your
[23:50] view? Have you met with journalists and
[23:52] talked with them? Have any of them
[23:53] reached out? And do you have a sense on
[23:55] what what what goes on? what motivates
[23:57] them to say things, do things one way or
[24:00] not the other way.
[24:01] >> No one from the mainstream has reached
[24:02] out to me to say like, "Hey, how are you
[24:04] doing this?" Instead, they like
[24:05] investigate me and they'll write hit
[24:06] pieces on me. I'm like, "Okay, like good
[24:08] for you."
[24:09] >> Investigating the investigator. Yeah.
[24:10] That's that that shows you exactly how
[24:12] threatened they are by you. And I think
[24:16] where where you are going to be just
[24:17] having known you for one year and
[24:19] watching the improvements in the
[24:21] crispness, you are going to be so
[24:23] dangerous when you have a modest amount
[24:25] of resources. And I think what we really
[24:27] need to do is commit to making sure you
[24:29] have more funding. And so I I'm going to
[24:31] right after we get on here, I'm going to
[24:33] subscribe and I'm going to put in, you
[24:35] know, whatever a couple thousand dollars
[24:36] a month to support you. And I think
[24:38] everybody here should. You're doing
[24:40] great work. You need to have some
[24:41] researchers on the team. You need to
[24:43] have some backup and you need to have
[24:45] security because what you're doing is
[24:46] truly a threat to criminals and the mob
[24:50] has always wanted.
[24:52] >> No, I'll take it.
[24:52] >> What was that? What was it?
[24:53] >> You were the son that Jason has always
[24:55] wanted.
[24:55] >> No, no. I mean, I have three great
[24:57] daughters, but I I'm just you're what I
[25:00] got in when I got into journalism. What
[25:02] you're doing is why I got into it, which
[25:03] was the role of journalism. And I think
[25:05] Bill Gurley pointed it out so well in
[25:07] his talk, which was there are still
[25:08] great investigative journalists out
[25:09] there. There just not enough of them.
[25:11] And I I think it's fantastic that
[25:13] there's a new generation doing this and
[25:15] that you're doing is
[25:17] >> Yeah, this is what So there have been a
[25:18] few others that have emerged since you
[25:20] came out. Minnesota piece was such a big
[25:22] maybe inspiration, but it was also a
[25:24] beacon to a lot of people like, oh, we
[25:26] can go do this like you did. Are you
[25:28] seeing more of this? Do you think that
[25:29] they're being successful? And what do
[25:30] you think's changing?
[25:31] >> Yeah, I think a lot of people are taking
[25:32] it up and they're seeing like with X,
[25:34] like if it wasn't for Elon and X, like
[25:36] none of this would have been possible.
[25:42] For instance, I post that video about
[25:43] the fraud in on YouTube. It does well.
[25:45] It gets a few million views on X. It got
[25:47] 140 million views. And the most
[25:48] important people in the world see it and
[25:50] they're able to see like, oh, we're not
[25:52] doing our job. Let's go do what needs to
[25:54] be done. Like the government, I caught
[25:55] them kind of backhanded um on that. So,
[25:57] they had to go step in. But I do think a
[25:59] lot of individuals like I do hope I am
[26:01] motivating a lot of kids, especially my
[26:03] generation, to be less of a complainer
[26:05] and be more of a doer.
[26:12] So I and I think journalism people think
[26:14] of it as just like showing what's going
[26:15] on. Well, you can actually have massive
[26:17] create massive change inside of the
[26:19] country in the areas that you live in.
[26:20] Uh that's something that I've seen with
[26:22] my journalism. I'm like I'm not just
[26:24] playing like the defense. Like I'm
[26:25] actually going out showing people what's
[26:26] going on and I'm not just leaving the
[26:28] story after it's done. Like I'm
[26:29] continuing to follow through because if
[26:30] it's real corruption like it needs to be
[26:32] taken down,
[26:33] >> right? And what other people don't
[26:35] realize uh because you became I think
[26:36] pretty famous from the Minnesota video,
[26:39] but you had other stuff before where it
[26:41] wasn't about chasing down corruption
[26:42] like you went into the FAS and Brazil,
[26:45] right? Which was incredibly scary
[26:47] >> and you've done a lot of this stuff. Are
[26:48] you still doing those sorts of things or
[26:50] is everything now about government
[26:51] corruption?
[26:52] >> I would love to continue to do those
[26:53] videos and I will do more these past 8
[26:56] months. Uh every morning I'm waking up
[26:57] to something new about fraud and
[26:58] corruption. So I've kind of just like
[27:00] been spearheading that. But uh I would
[27:02] like to get more into that stuff. Like I
[27:04] I like I I almost got kidnapped in the
[27:05] Brazilian fabllas. I met up with this
[27:07] the head of Commando Vermelo inside this
[27:09] in inside this FLLA in Rio de Janeiro.
[27:12] And literally like there's only a few
[27:15] things that could have happened with me
[27:17] and him and this broken down shackle in
[27:19] the top of the FLLA got also nearly
[27:21] taken hostage in Cuba. Two car a two
[27:24] star communist general came down to try
[27:26] and figure out why I was in Cuba and why
[27:27] I was leaving early. So like that
[27:30] stuff's still super important. I the
[27:31] fraud stuff's just kind of taken over my
[27:33] life recently though.
[27:34] >> What are the other big pockets of fraud
[27:36] that you are
[27:38] scratching at that you think exist? The
[27:40] big honeypotss that you're going to go
[27:42] chase down and uncover.
[27:43] >> I like welfare fraud here inside the
[27:45] United States is just absolutely welfare
[27:47] insane. Like all of it. Uh
[27:48] >> can you explain that?
[27:49] >> For instance, like food stamps. Uh
[27:51] there's a there's a strip club in
[27:54] Portland, Oregon where you can use your
[27:56] SNAP card.
[27:58] uh like the government especially
[28:00] underneath Biden uh they literally let
[28:02] open like the floodgates to fraud. I
[28:04] mean Tim Waltz was celebrating and using
[28:07] the daycarees in his debates against JD
[28:10] Vance
[28:10] >> right?
[28:11] >> Uh so all these social benefit programs
[28:13] have literally been looted whether it be
[28:15] SNAP whether it be daycarees whether it
[28:16] be adult daycarees like literally you
[28:18] name it hospices like all these things
[28:20] that have received government money are
[28:23] just full of fraud. And so now you're
[28:25] just trying to pull the thread and
[28:26] uncover as much of it as possible.
[28:28] >> Yeah. And it's hard now cuz like I have
[28:30] to have security. Like people literally
[28:32] want to kill me. And so I have to be
[28:33] super strategic and like what's going to
[28:34] stop a fraudster from me knocking on his
[28:36] door and then he him realizing that his
[28:38] time's up and him just shooting me so
[28:40] the video doesn't get posted. Like
[28:41] that's like stuff I think about when I
[28:43] go to bed. Like how do I go out and make
[28:44] these videos a bit differently?
[28:46] >> Well, are there different ways that you
[28:47] can get the information you need to tell
[28:49] the story without actually having to
[28:50] confront the person in real time? Yeah,
[28:53] people want to see the person get
[28:54] confronted.
[28:56] >> So, I mean, but this is what's so
[28:57] interesting because what you're talking
[28:59] about is like at the end of the day,
[29:01] you're still fighting the attention
[29:02] mechanism that you live under, you know,
[29:05] like your incentive is to tell the truth
[29:08] and then but there's a last point where
[29:10] your incentive is I must do something
[29:12] that will get views as well.
[29:13] >> Yeah. Like that's how all this stuff
[29:15] happens. Well, you know, here I'm going
[29:17] to
[29:18] >> that's part of
[29:19] >> 60 Minutes as an example does undercover
[29:21] reporting and always has and they would
[29:24] if a subject would not come on 60
[29:26] Minutes, they would go to their home and
[29:28] wait for them outside their office and
[29:29] home to confront them and ask those
[29:30] questions. They would tell them they're
[29:31] going to do it. So, I think you're well
[29:33] within your right to do that. I think as
[29:35] you professionalize your operation, um,
[29:37] and it's incredibly brave what you're
[29:39] doing, I think you have to ask for a bit
[29:42] more support from the audience. And I,
[29:44] you know, right now you can do a $5
[29:46] subscription, but you should also ask
[29:48] people to be charter supporters, you
[29:50] know, at a $500 level, $1,000 level like
[29:52] Substack might allow you to do. And I
[29:54] think you should be very aggressive in
[29:56] asking for more support because the
[29:59] government, we heard from Vice President
[30:01] J. D. Vance, 10 20% of our tax dollars
[30:04] are being wasted. If we support you to
[30:07] do this work, get a researcher, get an
[30:09] extra video editor. You just need about
[30:11] three or four people around you to
[30:12] support you. and this is really going to
[30:13] take off. If you have those three or
[30:15] four people, um, we're all going to save
[30:17] more money. A and we need to as a
[30:20] country to get behind you and say people
[30:23] who are stealing from the government,
[30:25] that is they should carry double the
[30:27] sentence because you're stealing from
[30:29] the actual society,
[30:30] >> right? And I don't care what country, it
[30:32] doesn't matter what state it is,
[30:34] immigrant or American, and they've been
[30:36] here. You're stealing from the actual
[30:38] country that is giving you, you know,
[30:41] the protection of living in these United
[30:43] States. It is really sinister to steal
[30:46] from the country. It really is. And and
[30:49] just I'm I'm really upset that you are
[30:52] faced with security issues and and a
[30:54] lack of support and this criticism on
[30:56] the ticky tacky things. Do not stop
[30:58] doing what you're doing.
[31:00] >> Thank you very much. And like if we can
[31:01] stop fraud, we can literally save the
[31:03] country. Like that's something people
[31:04] don't understand. What what's crazy is
[31:06] it's not just fraud. I think the
[31:07] California highspeed rail project.
[31:10] Anyone can look at that objectively and
[31:11] say that is the most insane thing on
[31:12] earth. Why are we doing this? $240
[31:14] billion to go from Fresno to Modesto at
[31:16] three times the price of an airplane
[31:18] ticket. None of it makes sense.
[31:19] Literally, it's like lit none of it
[31:21] makes sense. And the guy got paid half a
[31:23] billion for nonwork.
[31:25] >> It's a billionaire in Italy who got paid
[31:27] that money. I tricked him.
[31:28] >> How much did he get paid?
[31:29] >> Half a billion. So the
[31:31] >> Say half a billion.
[31:32] >> Did you watch the video?
[31:33] >> Yeah. So after I saw that video, so Nick
[31:36] Nick sent me that video and then I
[31:38] traced down who got paid that half
[31:39] billion and the ultimate owner is a
[31:42] billionaire in Italy.
[31:43] >> I didn't know that.
[31:44] >> And um the whole story when you when you
[31:46] kind of dig into this so this isn't
[31:47] fraud. It's legal.
[31:48] >> Mhm.
[31:49] >> It's a legal system. It's a legal It's a
[31:52] legal system and and I think it falls
[31:54] under that idea of waste or some sort of
[31:55] corruption, but I think it is as re the
[31:57] fraud stuff anyone can get behind. But
[31:59] this is the stuff
[32:01] >> unethical and logical.
[32:02] >> There's there's complacency, there's
[32:04] corruption, there's unaccountability and
[32:06] these are the things that just trickled
[32:08] into this massive waterfall that we're
[32:10] drowning in right now and I think it's
[32:12] really important what you're doing and I
[32:14] think on behalf of a lot of people I
[32:15] really appreciate the mission you're on.
[32:17] You're an incredible person. We thank
[32:19] you for the work.
[32:20] >> Thank you guys so much. Thanks for being
[32:21] >> No problem. I appreciate it.
[32:22] >> [ __ ] yeah. Thanks,
[32:23] >> brother. Appreciate it.
[32:24] >> Thank you. Great job.
[32:28] >> Thanks, Jason. Appreciate it.
