NEW: Nick Shirley Signals Bigger Revelations Ahead In Somali Fraud Case

Independent journalist Nick Shirley on Thursday teased a second installment of his Minnesota fraud investigation, predicting it will send critics in the mainstream media into a tailspin.

Shirley detonated the news cycle last week with a 42-minute video showing Minnesota daycare centers that appeared inactive or abandoned despite receiving millions in taxpayer funding. The footage, which has racked up more than 134 million views on X alone, triggered federal scrutiny and prompted the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services to freeze all child care payments to the state.

As the video spread, legacy media outlets including CNN, PBS and The New York Times moved quickly to minimize or dismiss Shirley’s reporting, repeatedly referring to it as a “viral video” rather than an investigation. Journalist Stella Escobedo wrote on X that the response amounted to “an indictment” of corporate media, drawing a blunt reply from Shirley.

“Just wait until I post part 2, they are going to go insane,” he wrote.

🚨 Here is the full 42 minutes of my crew and I exposing Minnesota fraud, this might be my most important work yet. We uncovered over $110,000,000 in ONE day. Like it and share it around like wildfire! Its time to hold these corrupt politicians and fraudsters accountable

We ALL… pic.twitter.com/E3Penx2o7a

— Nick shirley (@nickshirleyy) December 26, 2025

Shirley has already clashed publicly with several outlets. He criticized a CBS News reporter for attempting to downplay his findings, while PBS labeled him a “right-wing influencer” who accused Minnesota daycares of fraud “without proof.” The New York Times described his work as a “single viral video,” and NPR featured a University of Minnesota media law professor who suggested Shirley was merely advancing a preferred narrative.

CNN has drawn particular mockery online. Multiple programs alleged Shirley had previously shared “anti-immigrant and anti-Muslim videos,” without offering specifics, according to NewsBusters contributing writer Steve Malzberg.

The network’s coverage peaked with a segment on “Anderson Cooper 360” Tuesday night, when correspondent Whitney Wild pressed Shirley on his methods. During the report, Wild acknowledged on air that CNN attempted to contact the same daycare centers Shirley visited, with little success.

“Only one daycare facility answered and said they are a legitimate business,” Wild told viewers.

The segment was widely ridiculed on social media, with critics accusing CNN of scrutinizing Shirley more aggressively than the alleged misuse of public funds.

Shirley responded on X, writing, “Mainstream media is more mad at me than they are at the FACT that billions of YOUR dollars are being used for fraudulent business.”

Minnesota officials have pushed back against the claims. Department of Children, Youth and Families Commissioner Tikki Brown said earlier this week that past inspections of the centers featured in Shirley’s video did not uncover proof of fraud, while confirming the state is taking the allegations seriously.

“We are aware of a video that’s being circulated that has gained local and national attention about childcare centers in Minnesota,” Brown said at a Monday news conference. “While we have questions about some of the methods that were used in the video, we do take the concerns that the video raises about fraud very seriously.”

With federal funding frozen, oversight intensifying and part two looming, Shirley has made clear he’s not backing down and neither, it seems, is the media firestorm following him.

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