The "Shawn Ryan Show" is hosted by Shawn Ryan, former U.S. Navy SEAL, CIA Contractor, and Founder of Vigilance Elite. We tell REAL stories about REAL people from all walks of life. We discuss the ups and downs, wins and losses, successes and struggles, the good and bad in a respectful but candid way with our guest. We're better than entertainment, we're the REAL thing. Please enjoy the show.
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#282 Nik Seetharaman - Former SpaceX's Head of Cybersecurity Critical Warning on AI Swarms
NEW
Nik Seetharaman is a special operations–trained cyber leader turned founder, known for bringing an operator’s mindset to some of the most sensitive security programs in American industry. A former JSOC advance‑force operator attached to an East Coast Naval Special Warfare squadron, he ran advanced cyber warfare and close‑range reconnaissance missions before crossing over into the world of high‑stakes defense technology and enterprise security.
In industry, Nik helped build and lead security at three of the most influential defense‑tech companies of the last decade. He served as head of cybersecurity operations at SpaceX and later led international cyber defense programs at Palantir, giving him a front‑row seat to how software, data, and security shape modern national power. He then became CIO and CISO at Anduril Industries, where he built the company’s cybersecurity and weapons‑system security programs from the ground up while Anduril was racing to field autonomous systems for the Pentagon.
Today, Nik is the founder and CEO of Wraithwatch, a cyber defense company born from his frustration that defenders are almost always forced to react second. At Wraithwatch, he is focused on “weaponizing” AI for defense at scale—using advanced models to help blue teams pre‑empt and out-iterate attackers instead of learning only from breaches and red‑team reports. Across each chapter of his career, he has carried forward the same core idea: apply special operations discipline, speed, and clarity of mission to how software, security teams, and AI‑driven defenses are built and run.
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Nik Seetharaman Links:
LI - https://www.linkedin.com/in/nikseetharaman
Wraithwatch - https://www.wraithwatch.com
X - https://x.com/nikseeth
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06:09:10•February 23, 2026
#281 Jeremy Slate - The Fatal Decisions That Doomed the Entire Roman Empire
NEW
Jeremy Ryan Slate is the CEO and co-founder of Command Your Brand, a leading podcast PR agency that helps entrepreneurs, authors, and thought leaders build authority and grow influence through top‑tier podcast appearances. He is also the host of The Jeremy Ryan Slate Show, where he explores how power truly operates—through history, empires, and modern influence networks.
A bestselling author, global speaker, and authority strategist, he equips founders and executives to turn their stories into credibility through precise messaging and strategic media placement.
He holds both a BA and an MA from Seton Hall University, where he studied Catholic theology and World Religions. He also studied literature at Oxford University.
From newspaper routes and gym management to teaching and entrepreneurship, he built his career from the ground up, launching his breakout podcast in 2015 and his successful agency a year later. Today, he continues to empower creators, leaders, and visionaries to command their brand and shape the modern narrative.
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LI - https://www.linkedin.com/in/jeremy-ryan-slate-bb7b284a
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02:08:57•February 19, 2026
#280 Sarah Adams - If China Isn’t the #1 Threat… Then Who Is?
For years, Sarah Adams has worked where threat warnings begin, not where they end.
She is a targeting officer and global threat advisor with deep expertise in counterterrorism, threat network analysis, and overseas intelligence operations. Sarah served in the Central Intelligence Agency’s Counterterrorism Center, as well as in the Near East and Iran Operations Divisions, working complex operations against both state and non-state adversaries.
Her deployed field work spans Europe, the Middle East, North Africa, and South Asia. Across those theaters, her focus has remained consistent: identifying, assessing, and disrupting terrorist networks, hostile state activity, and emerging threats to United States and allied interests.
After leaving the CIA, Sarah served as a Senior Advisor to the United States House of Representatives following an executive appointment from the Agency, applying operational experience directly to national security policy, oversight, and accountability. She later led research and development initiatives for the Department of Defense, advancing innovation, tradecraft modernization, and intelligence capabilities with enterprise-level impact.
She was deployed to Libya in 2012 and is the co-author of Benghazi: Know Thy Enemy, a cold-case, open-source investigation that identified the al-Qaeda operatives responsible for the attack on the U.S. Mission Compound and CIA Annex in Benghazi.
Today, Sarah is the host of The Watch Floor at Vigilance Elite, a podcast focused on emerging threats, global affairs, and homeland security risks for everyday audiences. The Watch Floor delivers need-to-know insights, explaining what matters, why it matters, and what comes next.
Shawn and Sarah answer the question - Will Khamenei be ousted as Supreme Leader of Iran by March 31?
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Sarah Adams Links:
YT - https://www.youtube.com/@thewatchfloor
IG - https://www.instagram.com/thewatchfloor
X - https://x.com/The_Watch_Floor
FB - https://www.facebook.com/people/The-Watch-Floor/61586054787023
TT - https://www.tiktok.com/@thewatchfloor
Rumble - https://rumble.com/user/thewatchfloor
Patreon - https://www.patreon.com/cw/VigilanceElite
Spotify - https://open.spotify.com/show/5how8FZvVZvlhnv58antdG
LinkTree - https://tr.ee/qFdF2gcFD_
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03:04:43•February 16, 2026
#279 Wes Huff - This Might Be the Most Important Biblical Discovery of the 20th Century
Wes Huff is a Canadian Christian apologist, theologian, and public speaker specializing in the reliability of ancient biblical manuscripts and the defense of the Christian worldview. Born in Multan, Pakistan, to missionary parents, he spent his early childhood in the Middle East before returning to Canada, growing up in a diverse environment exposed to various worldviews. At age 11, Huff was diagnosed with acute transverse myelitis, a rare neurological condition that paralyzed him from the waist down for about a month, followed by a full recovery that doctors described as medically inexplicable. An aspiring athlete and former student participant in track and field, he is married to Melissa and father to four children.
Huff holds a Bachelor of Arts in sociology from York University, a Master of Theological Studies from Tyndale University, and is currently pursuing a PhD in New Testament studies at the University of Toronto’s Wycliffe College, with a primary focus on the history of ancient biblical manuscripts, textual transmission, and the development of the biblical canon.
As Vice President for Apologetics Canada, Huff speaks regularly at churches, universities, conferences, and interfaith events across North America, addressing topics such as the historical reliability of the New Testament, the formation of the biblical canon, and responses to skeptical objections. Huff also runs an active YouTube channel under his own name, producing debates, lectures, and short videos on apologetics and biblical history, which has grown rapidly to approach hundreds of thousands of subscribers.
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Wes Huff Links:
YT - https://www.youtube.com/@WesHuff
IG - https://www.instagram.com/wesley_huff
WEB - https://www.wesleyhuff.com
APC - https://apologeticscanada.com
In March Wes will be giving a Can I Trust The Bible tour at The Museum of the Bible, go to https://www.museumofthebible.org and use code SHAWN25 for a special discount.
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03:23:22•February 12, 2026
#278 Ro Khanna - Why is Congress Afraid to Subpoena Every Name in the Epstein Files?
Ro Khanna is the U.S. Representative for California's 17th Congressional District (Silicon Valley) since 2017, serving his fifth term as a Democrat. In this episode, Shawn and Ro discuss the recent drop of the Epstein Files and the two tier system of justice in America.
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Ro Khanna Links:
Website - https://khanna.house.gov
Campaign Site - https://www.rokhanna.com
X - https://x.com/RoKhanna
FB - https://www.facebook.com/RepRoKhanna
IG - https://www.instagram.com/rokhannausa
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01:45:54•February 9, 2026
#227 Michael Lester - Are We the Bad Guys?
Michael T. Lester, a U.S. Naval Academy graduate and former Marine Corps combat pilot who served in Asia and the Middle East, initially believed deeply in American ideals. Over time, he experienced growing disillusionment as U.S. actions abroad often contradicted official narratives and failed to align with stated goals of promoting democracy and freedom.
His book provides a non-partisan analysis, arguing that repeated harmful outcomes across administrations are systemic features driven by incentives, not mere mistakes. It outlines an imperial playbook involving regime change, sanctions, proxy wars, and economic control, while linking foreign policy to domestic narrative management that manufactures consent.
Lester applies this framework to current events like Ukraine, Gaza, and Venezuela, noting increasing global skepticism toward U.S. explanations. The provocative title refers to outcomes; from a global viewpoint, the U.S. often appears as the antagonist, emphasizing that denial hinders self-correction.
Motivated by the view that silence enables complicity, Lester wrote this book to encourage honest reckoning in a multipolar world.
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Michael Lester Links:
LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/in/mtlester
Books - https://michaeltlester.com
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04:31:07•February 5, 2026
🚨IMMEDIATE RELEASE🚨 - I Am Being Threatened For Protecting Children...
Please watch the full video to hear my defense’s response to Camp Kanakuk’s attorneys’ demand letter requesting the removal of parts of my interview with Ro Khanna. If you would like to read both letters yourself, you can do so here:
https://drive.google.com/drive/u/2/folders/1-anLwZmDRG6Y7dor8pKldmiIlIiouSC5
Watch the FULL episode with Elizabeth Phillips: https://open.spotify.com/episode/5O8WBQW4lwRpYkS3iR20u8?si=p30yIWWyREmCdQ1m3amrkQ&t=5π=3u6d1eGZTLGSX
Watch the FULL episode with Ro Khanna: https://open.spotify.com/episode/159J2mL0PJcpzZlCgaxJYZ?si=QT5A713ZQy-hRdi1aw27FQ&t=5π=yxt1U4nJTkeIN
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00:07:35•February 4, 2026
#276 Nick Brokhausen - The Deadliest Stories From Vietnam with MACV-SOG
Nick Brokhausen is a highly decorated U.S. Army Special Forces veteran who served in the secretive Military Assistance Command, Vietnam – Studies and Observations Group (MACV-SOG) from 1970 to 1971, conducting high-risk reconnaissance missions deep behind enemy lines in Vietnam and Laos. On his second tour in Vietnam, he joined Recon Team Habu in Command and Control North (CCN), participating in some of the most dangerous operations of the war. With a 15-year career in the Regiment, Brokhausen undertook classified missions across the globe.
He is the author of "We Few: U.S. Special Forces in Vietnam" (2018) and "Whispers in the Tall Grass: Back Behind Enemy Lines with MACV-SOG" (2019), offering firsthand accounts of SOG's covert operations and the camaraderie among elite warriors.
He advocates for preserving the history of special operations and honoring the sacrifices of Vietnam veterans.
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Nick Brokhausen Links:
Amazon Author Page - https://www.amazon.com/stores/author/B07CKVZHTP
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03:19:59•February 2, 2026
#275 Jay Yu - Nano Nuclear Technology and the Future of American Energy
Jay Yu is a prominent DeepTech and NuclearTech entrepreneur with a Wall Street capital markets background. Driven by a vision to make energy more accessible, affordable, and sustainable worldwide, he currently serves as Executive Chairman & CEO of LIS Technologies Inc. (LIST) and Founder & Chairman of NANO Nuclear Energy Inc. (NASDAQ: NNE).
LIS Technologies is the only U.S.-origin and patented laser uranium enrichment technology company, delivering a revolutionary, energy- and cost-efficient approach that is set to redefine nuclear fuel industry standards while also producing medical and stable isotopes; including silicon-28 critical for AI and quantum computing.
NANO Nuclear Energy Inc. (NNE) is the first publicly listed, vertically integrated advanced nuclear micro modular reactor company in the United States. Under Jay Yu’s leadership, NNE acquired one of the highest Technology Readiness Level (TRL) and patented microreactor designs in development, achieved a market capitalization exceeding $3 billion, raised over $600 million in just a year and a half, and earned the title of Wall Street’s Cinderella story of 2024 as the #1 Top IPO Performer.
Leading a world-class team of nuclear engineers, former national leaders in military and policy, U.S. Department of Energy experts, national laboratory veterans, and regulatory specialists, Jay is developing smaller, simpler, and safer advanced nuclear microreactors. He brings deep expertise in corporate structuring, capital fundraising, and recruiting top-tier talent while passionately building strategic relationships and creating lasting value for partners and stakeholders. In 2021, Jay Yu was honored as one of The Outstanding 50 Asian Americans in Business; the highest recognition in the U.S. AAPI community.
Shawn Ryan Show Sponsors:
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Jay Yu Links:
X - https://x.com/nano_nuclear
IG - https://www.instagram.com/nanonuclear
YT - https://www.youtube.com/@nanonuclearenergy
NANO Nuclear - https://nanonuclearenergy.com
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01:47:10•January 29, 2026
#274 Tim Ferriss - Life-Changing Practical Wisdom Backed by Experience and Science
Tim Ferriss is the author of five #1 New York Times and Wall Street Journal bestsellers, including The 4-Hour Workweek, The 4-Hour Body, and The 4-Hour Chef. His podcast, The Tim Ferriss Show, has surpassed one billion downloads and is widely regarded as the “Oprah of audio.” Named as one of Fortune’s “40 Under 40,” Tim is an early-stage technology investor/advisor (Uber, Facebook, Shopify, Duolingo, Alibaba, and 50+ others) and was ranked among the “Top 20 Angel Investors” by Forbes.
A Princeton University graduate (BA 2000, East Asian Studies), Tim is a polyglot who speaks five languages to different degrees, a national Chinese kickboxing champion, the first American in history to hold a Guinness World Record in tango spins, and a practiced horseback archer (yabusame) in Japan.
His business ventures include bootstrapping a nootropics company (BrainQUICKEN) to millions in revenue before selling it in 2010, launching the audiobook imprint Tim Ferriss Publishing with Amazon Audible (responsible for modern classics like Ego Is the Enemy and The Obstacle Is the Way), and co-creating the hit card game COYOTE (2025) with Exploding Kittens creator Elan Lee—now sold in over 8,000 stores worldwide including Target, Walmart, and Amazon.
Known for normalizing vulnerability while achieving massive success, Tim pioneered the remote-work and lifestyle-design movements pre-pandemic, popularized biohacking, and has served as an advisor at Singularity University and a 2009 Henry Crown Fellow at the Aspen Institute.
Shawn Ryan Show Sponsors:
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Tim Ferriss Links:
The No Book free chapters - https://tim.blog/nobook
Everything Tim – https://tim.blog
Podcast – https://tim.blog/podcast
X – https://x.com/tferriss
Instagram – https://www.instagram.com/timferriss
YouTube – https://www.youtube.com/timferriss
COYOTE Game – https://www.explodingkittens.com/products/coyote
Books - https://www.amazon.com/stores/author/B001ILKBW2/allbooks
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03:46:28•January 26, 2026
#273 Steve Robinson - How Somali Criminal Networks Are Stealing Millions of Dollars
Steven Robinson, Editor-in-Chief of the Maine Wire, leads New England’s fastest-growing digital media outlet focused on exposing political corruption and organized crime across local, state, and regional levels. A native of Dexter, Maine, and Bowdoin College graduate in political philosophy, he previously worked at Regnery Publishing, produced the Howie Carr Show, and handled Barstool Sports' Kirk Minihane Show and true-crime podcast The Case, which spurred murder charges per season. During COVID-19, he quit his job to travel 35,000 miles across North America in a camper van before returning to Maine in November 2022 to revitalize the Maine Wire as an aggressive, independent platform for underreported stories, bold investigations, and commentary.
Robinson's groundbreaking "Triad Weed" series, launched in August 2023 after a leaked DHS memo revealed over 270 illicit cannabis operations by Asian Transnational Criminal Organizations in Maine, uncovered a vast Chinese mafia network spanning Maine to southeast China. His reporting exposed racketeering involving black-market cannabis, human and sex trafficking, money laundering, bank fraud, illegal border crossings, neurotoxins poisoning homes, murder, and national security threats—including CCP-linked properties near U.S. Army facilities. He provided exclusive details on the exploitation of U.S. Treasury–subsidized loans that allowed foreign nationals to purchase over 70 properties.
Cited in Congressional reports and featured on CBS, Fox News, the Daily Mail, OANN, and more, Robinson's work has led to over 60 articles, property raids, arrests, Sen. Susan Collins' interrogations of intel agencies, and the documentary Triad Weed: How Chinese Mafia Infiltrated Maine. Local police praise it as a field manual, though Maine media avoids the story.
Shawn Ryan Show Sponsors:
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Steve Robinson Links:
X - https://x.com/BigSteve207
X - https://x.com/TheMaineWire
Substack - https://robinsonreport.substack.com
The Maine Wire - https://www.themainewire.com
High Crimes Documentary - https://tuckercarlson.com/high-crimes
Harpe - https://getharpe.com
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03:10:50•January 22, 2026
#272 Elizabeth Phillips - Inside Camp Kanakuk: One of America’s Darkest Child Summer Camps
Elizabeth is the founder of No More Victims, an advocacy organization that passes child protection laws, and has served as the executive director of the Phillips Foundation since 2013. After her younger brother Trey died by suicide in 2019, following childhood sexual abuse at Kanakuk Kamps and a restrictive NDA. She is a SMU who has become a national voice for survivor justice. Elizabeth works on cases related to child sexual abuse, trafficking and negligence as a certified crime victim advocate.
In 2025 she passed Trey’s Law unanimously in Texas and Missouri, banning NDAs that silence child victims of sexual abuse and trafficking It was named in honor of her late brother who was abused and whose perpetrator is in prison for three life terms. She also led the Campaign for Camp Safety with families who lost daughters at Camp Mystic, passing the Heaven’s 27 Camp Safety and Youth CAMPER Acts in Texas (2025) to establish baseline regulations for summer camps.
A certified crime victim advocate, Elizabeth exposed decades of alleged abuse at Kanakuk (FactsAboutKanakuk.com), works globally on prevention, and is scaling innovative treatments for both survivors and offenders. Elizabeth is a wife and mother of three. Elizabeth's dedication to these reforms is now expanding nationally, and this interview is the first time Elizabeth has spoken publicly about this collective work and what’s ahead.
Shawn Ryan Show Sponsors:
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Elizabeth Phillips Links:
IG - https://www.instagram.com/elizcphillips
X - https://x.com/ElizCPhillips
Phillips Foundation - https://phillipsfdtn.org
No More Victims - https://www.nmvalliance.org
Linktree - https://linktr.ee/elizcphillips
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04:01:36•January 19, 2026
#271 Ro Khanna - The Internal Failures Undermining America’s Institutions
Ro Khanna is the U.S. Representative for California's 17th Congressional District (Silicon Valley) since 2017, serving his fifth term as a Democrat. Born to Indian immigrant parents, Khanna graduated Phi Beta Kappa with a B.A. in economics from the University of Chicago and earned a J.D. from Yale Law School.
He taught economics at Stanford, worked in the Obama administration on commerce and manufacturing, and authored key provisions of the CHIPS and Science Act to boost U.S. tech manufacturing. A leader on climate, labor rights (supporting the PRO Act), and digital privacy, Khanna refuses PAC and lobbyist contributions and has championed bipartisan efforts like the Epstein Files Transparency Act (2025) for releasing sealed documents.
In late 2025, he faced Silicon Valley backlash for supporting a proposed wealth tax on billionaires to fund healthcare amid Medicaid cuts. Khanna advocates for progressive economic patriotism, reducing inequality, and ethical tech governance while working across the aisle on national security and innovation. Married to Ritu Ahuja Khanna, with two children, he resides in Fremont.
Shawn Ryan Show Sponsors:
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If you’re serious about selling to the Department of War, go to https://SBIRAdvisors.com and mention Shawn Ryan for your first month free.
Ro Khanna Links:
Website - https://khanna.house.gov
Campaign Site - https://www.rokhanna.com
X - https://x.com/RoKhanna
FB - https://www.facebook.com/RepRoKhanna
IG - https://www.instagram.com/rokhannausa
Roblox Petition - https://act.rokhanna.com/a/save-roblox-petition
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01:52:37•January 15, 2026
#270 Oz Pearlman - The Most Mind-Blowing Mentalism Tricks
Oz Pearlman, known professionally as The Mentalist, is one of the most successful and in-demand mentalists in the world, captivating audiences with jaw-dropping demonstrations of mind reading, suggestion, and psychological illusion.
Born in Israel and raised in Michigan in a secular Jewish family, Oz discovered his passion for magic at age 14 and was already performing professionally by his mid-teens. A prodigy who graduated high school at 16, he went on to earn an engineering degree from the University of Michigan before leaving a promising Wall Street career at Merrill Lynch to pursue entertainment full-time.
Pearlman combines advanced techniques; including suggestion, subliminal messaging, body language reading, statistical analysis, and neurolinguistic programming; to create experiences that feel impossible. He skyrocketed to national fame by finishing third on Season 10 of America’s Got Talent, which led to multiple primetime TV specials and appearances on NBC, ABC, CNBC, and major media outlets worldwide.
An elite endurance athlete, Oz is an enthusiastic marathon and ultramarathon runner with a stunning marathon personal record of 2 hours and 23 minutes. He has completed some of the world’s toughest races, including Badwater 135, the Hawaii Ironman World Championships, Western States 100, and the Spartathlon and has also won dozens of races across the country.
Happily married to Elisa and father to five children (three girls, two boys), Oz runs his own full-service production and entertainment company, managing bookings, live events, branded shows, and television projects. He is the author of the 2025 book Read Your Mind: Proven Habits for Success from the World’s Greatest Mentalist.
Shawn Ryan Show Sponsors:
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Oz Pearlman Links:
X – https://x.com/OzTheMentalist
IG – https://www.instagram.com/ozthementalist
YT – https://www.youtube.com/@OzTheMentalist
Website – https://ozpearlman.com
Book – https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0DVBG7KSR
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02:06:46•January 12, 2026
#269 Nick Shirley - Minnesota’s Daycare Fraud, Nick Fuentes, Gen Z and Philly "Zombies"
Nick Shirley is an American independent journalist, YouTuber, and content creator known for on-the-ground investigative videos and street interviews. Starting with prank and shock content as a teenager, including a 2019 video about flying to New York without parental permission at age 16, Shirley transitioned to political and cultural commentary, gaining prominence for covering protests, immigration issues, and government accountability.
A former high school student from Utah who served a two-year LDS mission in Santiago, Chile, he has amassed over 1 million YouTube subscribers and hundreds of millions of views across platforms. In December 2025, his viral video investigating alleged fraud in Minnesota's government-funded childcare programs—claiming over $100 million in misused funds—garnered more than 100 million views on Xl, prompting renewed scrutiny and FBI comments.
Shirley participated in a White House roundtable on antifa in October 2025 and advocates for transparency in government spending, immigration enforcement, and exposing perceived corruption, often aligning with conservative viewpoints while conducting direct, minimalist on-location reporting.
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Nick Shirley Links:
YT - https://youtube.com/@nickshirley
IG - https://www.instagram.com/nickshirley
X - https://x.com/nickshirleyy
Podcast - https://open.spotify.com/show/4fm9G0i6lyDZ3XE5fz3Lb9
Hoodie - https://shirleydefense.com/collections/all
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