--- author: All-In Podcast date: '2026-09-18' guest: '' layout: post.njk source: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SwBCPBNe_60 speaker: All-In Podcast tags: - government-spending - investigative-journalism - public-accountability - infrastructure-failure - welfare-fraud title: 加州高铁黑洞与民间反欺诈调查：公民记者的制度博弈与真相保卫战 summary: 独立调查员 Nick Shirley 做客 All-In 节目，深入揭露加州耗资数百亿美元却未铺设一寸有效铁轨的高铁烂尾工程，以及全美范围内泛滥的福利与非营利组织欺诈现象。对话探讨了加州立法规制独立调查的争议、传统媒体调查功能的退化，以及去中心化公民新闻在问责公共资金中发挥的关键作用。 insight: '' draft: true series: '' category: politics-society area: society-thinking project: [] people: - Nick Shirley companies_orgs: - California High-Speed Rail Authority products_models: [] media_books: [] status: evergreen --- ### 现代巨石阵：耗资数百亿却通往虚无的加州高铁 加利福尼亚州的高铁项目已成为全球最昂贵的公共基础设施灾难之一。该项目自2008年立项启动，最初向公众承诺将连接洛杉矶与旧金山两大核心都市圈。然而历经18年施工并耗费超过150亿美元公帑后，现场展示给公众的却仅仅是几根孤立的水泥柱与钢筋骨架，甚至没有铺设一英尺的铁轨，被中央山谷当地居民戏称为**现代巨石阵**（Modern-day Stonehenge）。 更为严峻的是，该工程的预算遭遇了灾难性的失控膨胀：最初预估仅为330亿美元，随后飙升至1260亿美元，最新的全线完工预估甚至达到了2360亿美元。这一体量使加州高铁成为人类历史上仅次于20世纪50年代全美州际公路系统与国际空间站的第三昂贵基建项目。但与带来跨国交通与太空探索成果的前两者不同，加州高铁极有可能成为一条永远无法全线通车的“通往虚无之轨”。如果将这笔巨额资金按现有客流规模折算，足以为旧金山与洛杉矶之间所有的往返旅客提供未来数百年的全免费单程机票，其在经济学与数学模型上已彻底失去合理性。
Original English Source Hey besties, if you were given $15 billion, what could you build? The next PayPal, perhaps the next SpaceX, the next Google, or would you build a high-speed rail? >> This is the California highspeed rail that goes to absolutely nowhere. And I mean absolutely nowhere, I mean literally nowhere. This is all California has to show for $15 billion in 18 years of work. In 2008, they said they were going to connect Los Angeles to San Francisco. To this date, they have connected literally nothing. And now to finish this project, they're estimated it's going to cost a hundred to $200 billion. And funny enough, in 2008, China also created their own highspeed rail. And they've connected the whole entire country of China, over 30,000 miles. Here in California, they haven't connected a single town. We're going to be breaking down this entire thing from start to finish to show you guys what is actually happening with the California highspeed rail. Let's get into it. Now, let's go talk to somebody who knows a lot about the California highspeed rail. What's the truth about the highspeed rail here inside of California? >> Well, we call it California highspeed rail, but all we have is concrete and rebar and about $15 billion spent. It currently is right now the most expensive infrastructure project happening in the world today. The original estimates for California highspeed rail was $33 billion. It then jumped to $126 billion and now the newest estimate is $236 billion. This project is on track for one thing and that is to be the third most expensive infrastructure project in the history of the world. Number one is the interstate project of the 1950s. Number two is the International Space Station and now it is California highspeed rail. The difference between those three projects is you can drive on I-5 or you can go on I-80 and drive across the entire country. You can go to outer space. We will never ride California highspeed rail. >> So it goes from there all the way to right here. This is where it ends. It is probably the most expensive piece of concrete known to man and often referred to here in the Central Valley as a modern-day Stonehenge. >> How come they continue to say that they're going to continue to build the highspeed rail when there's actually proof that it is quite literally impossible? >> Governor Newsom in a video himself from 2016, I believe, actually admitted to all of us in a private video that he doesn't believe that this project will ever be done in our lifetime. He said that: "Okay, the facts seem overwhelming that this project is not going to materialize in our lifetime." >> And now this is a result of over $15 billion. Who's taken the $15 billion? And where's the $15 billion gone if this is all that they have to show for it? >> One-third of the entire cost of California highspeed rail has gone to this part called change order delays because they didn't know where the infrastructure was and or how to build this actual train. Contractors that got awarded a parcel to work on are owed $170,000 a day, $5 million a month for every single day they can't work. We just settled here in California very recently in February the largest settlement in a delay settlement for over half a billion dollars. Because a contractor couldn't work on the actual project, they were owed half a billion dollars. >> What are some of the biggest examples of waste, fraud, and just complete incompetence by the government when you see this highspeed rail? >> California was supposed to buy the actual trains and the trains that would be considered highspeed rail. The state didn't buy the trains, in my opinion, because they know that there will never be a train on these tracks. >> So, California has not even bought the trains yet. >> No. If we would just buy one-way tickets at current ridership between San Francisco and LA, which is the goal of California highspeed rail, we could subsidize free tickets one way for the next 150 years. Now, with the new estimate that California highspeed rail is going to be $236 billion, we could subsidize one-way tickets between San Francisco and LA for the next 300 years. So, to me, it would make more sense for all of us to just buy the flights from San Francisco to LA than it would be to build a train or whatever this is and spend more money doing that. I mean, it doesn't make any sense mathematically.
### 规划失控与利益输送：工程延误背后的系统性溃败 加州高铁的系统性溃败不仅体现在预算超支上，更根植于其荒谬的工程管理与路线规划中。在项目推进过程中，**变更指令延误补偿**（Change Order Delays: 因政府规划不清或土地未交付导致承包商无法按期开工时产生的停工违约金）消耗了整整三分之一的总建设成本。承包商每天可获得高达17万美元、每月500万美元的延期赔偿，近期加州政府甚至达成了一笔超过5亿美元的巨额延期和解金，资金流向了意大利承包商集团，形成了“未开工却获利丰厚”的荒诞局面。 在实地勘查中，规划上的混乱随处可见。通常政府应在开工前完成全部土地征收以控制成本，但加州政府在规划路线上未提前征地，导致开发商在规划线路上大批建设民宅，后续征地成本直接飙升10至11倍。此外，高铁规划粗暴切断了拥有百年历史的农业庄园与果园，将完整的灌溉与电力系统腰斩，却与既有的 Amtrak 铁路线高度重合。由于全线贯通遥遥无期，加州官方目前已实质性放弃旧金山至洛杉矶的核心线路，转而将范围缩减至中央山谷内人口稀少的默塞德（Merced）到贝克斯菲尔德（Bakersfield）路段。尽管面临每年仅10亿美元拨款与数百亿资金缺口的巨大鸿沟，州交通委员会官员仍坚持将其粉饰为“全美最重大的经济发展项目”。
Original English Source >> Now, we're on top of the highspeed rail, and there's not any rail that has been placed. It's actually just a bunch of cement. The highspeed rail to nowhere. That's what they should call it, actually. And despite the California highspeed rail appearing to be impossible to finish, California has allocated $1 billion a year to finish the project, while they actually need anywhere from 100 to $200 billion to finish it. And the high-speed rail even becomes more interesting and you realize how impossible it is the further along the alignment you go. And later we'll be confronting the senator who's over the oversight committee for the transportation inside of California. We then saw some train tracks where the hub of the highspeed rail is supposed to be. Hello. Hey. How you guys doing? Is this the highspeed rail though? >> Uh no. So you can't be out. This is private property. >> Not the highspeed rail. Where's going to be the hub for the highspeed rail? >> I'm not sure. >> You don't know where the hub is going to be for the highspeed rail? No. All right. And despite these guys saying this is not the hub for the highspeed rail, which it really is, we then went down the alignment and this is what we found. So, this location right here was actually bought in 2006 for developers to develop this land. And then they set forth the plan to actually go through with the highspeed rail in 2008. In order for the highspeed rail to actually happen, they're going to have to go through and buy each and every single one of these houses that is currently being built. Keep in mind right now they're building the highspeed rail while these people are building houses on the alignment. Let's go talk to a city manager right now. And how is it possible right now that here in California you have a government who is spending billions upon billions of dollars for this highspeed rail. Meanwhile, a construction site is right here where they're building houses on where that highspeed rail is supposed to go. >> We don't really know. Typically government buys all of the alignment upfront. That way you don't have cost of buying it once it's developed. Like this will bring it up 10 or 11 times what bare land value would be. So, we don't really know. Communication is pretty sparse, so we're left mostly in the dark. >> Do you think that this highspeed rail has just been some sort of fantasy for the people inside of Sacramento and the politicians of California? >> Look, you've got a project that duplicates Amtrak's current service route. I will tell you from a ground perspective, we don't understand why they're sticking two rail lines next to each other that are going to serve the same areas. >> And how many more cases of this do you think are inside of this alignment for the highspeed rail? >> I don't think this is atypical. I think this has happened quite a bit up and down the valley. >> California actually abandoned the route from San Francisco to Los Angeles. Now they're focusing from Merced to Bakersfield. And so the highspeed rail will actually not even be servicing people from Los Angeles to San Francisco. The highspeed rail bridge ends over there. It continues over here onto this road, but as you'll see, it then has to go through a bunch of farmland just like this. Now, they have the road right here for the highspeed rail, but in other locations, do they have it? We're going to go speak with the farmer right now. Now, we're in the middle of an orchard right now. How will the farmers be affected from the highspeed rail? >> Ranches that have been contiguous for hundreds of years will now be split. And that requires you now having to travel to both sides, right? Your infrastructure have to be pulled from one side to the other whether it be irrigation, power supplies, and operationally it's just going to make everything real inconvenient. >> When California brought about the plan for the highspeed rail, did you guys vote on it or did you guys have any say so with it or do you even think it's going to happen? >> All the voters had a chance to vote and it passed. But it was very vague on the ballot. No one knew where it was going to go. To me, they're putting in all the wrong spots. It was to serve two different populations in the north and the south. And where they're deciding to put it is going to impact an area that didn't need the highspeed rail to begin with. >> They're allocating millions and billions of dollars to this each and every single year. And now they're saying they're going to need almost a hundred billion dollars more, if not $200 billion. What could farmers of California do if they had hundred billion invested into them? >> Oh man, it could revolutionize the state. Agriculture has been the backbone of this state since its founding. And we're not investing in water infrastructure. We're not investing in energy infrastructure. And it's sad cuz we're worried about a train that's going to serve a small sector of the population. And what really needs to be done is something that's going to be good for all of us in the state. >> So pretty soon we could see a high-speed rail come right through here where all these almonds are at. And people are going to be suffering because of it. >> Yes. And there'll probably be no one on the train. Now, we came here to Sacramento to go speak with the people at the California Highspeed Rail Authority office. It is 4:09 right now, and we just went inside and nobody's here. Hallelujah. >> Really? Said they're open. >> They close at 5:00 p.m. However, they are not here. But we are going to go speak with a senator who just approved and passed a bill that's going to give $1 billion for the next 20 years to the California Highspeed Rail Authority. We're going to go talk to him and see why he approved that. Senator Cortese, how are you doing? Good. My name is Nick Shirley. We're doing a little investigation on the highspeed rail. We just want to ask what made you want to secure $1 billion for the next 20 years for the highspeed rail. >> I believe it's a good long-term commitment that we need to make. >> And do you think that's actually ever going to happen here inside the state of California? >> It is happening. Have you been there? >> Yeah, I actually have. >> All right. Well, then you know it's happening. >> And there's actually not a single piece of rail or track that's been laid. >> They're getting ready to do that right now. >> And do you think in 20 years the highspeed rail will be done as promised is going to be done in 2020? >> It might be, might not. >> Gavin Newsom even said in a private video like it's not even possible essentially. >> I have a lot of transportation projects I've worked on for 20 years that are just finally getting started and they're all worth it. >> And do you believe as a chair of the Senate Transportation Committee, do you believe the highspeed rail authority has been sufficiently accountable for the increase and delays that have taken place with the highspeed rail? >> Well, we're trying to hold them accountable. >> And what can you give to people to make them believe that the highspeed rail is actually going to be built and finished in our lifetime or in your lifetime? >> It's not my commitment. My commitment is it's the greatest economic development project in the country and people should be embracing that all the way to the federal government. There's no other economic development project that even comes close to that in this country. And it's a shame that certain people in the country aren't taking that seriously. So, that's how we get things done is when the federal government, the state government work together. Build dams, build bridges, build highways, build highspeed rail. That's what needs to happen. >> And you do believe that we'll see the finish of the highspeed rail in our lifetime. >> There's 21 construction projects going on right now with thousands of workers. So, you'll see it get done. >> Besties, don't be like the highspeed rail.
### 立法反制调查：公权力与非营利机构的审查防线 在揭露基建烂尾之外，独立调查员的现场报道遭遇了来自立法层面的严厉反扑。调查记者 **Nick Shirley** 详细披露了加州近期通过的 **AB 2624 法案**（该法案被业内直接称为“阻止 Nick Shirley 法案”）。该立法的出台背景，源于调查员实地走访并曝光了圣地亚哥等地大量涉嫌套取政府资助的移民支持日托机构与空壳非营利组织。就在节目播出当天，加州司法部正式起诉了12名涉嫌伪造日托服务、诈骗高达1000万美元公款的涉案人员，证实了前期曝光内容的真实性。 然而，加州立法机构却在**“安全防线”**（Safety Pretext）的名义下推动了限制性法规： * **调查禁令机制**：任何接受政府资助的“移民支持服务机构”（涵盖法律咨询、医疗及各类NGO）均可向现场拍摄的调查员发出禁令函； * **高额司法惩罚**：一旦调查员发布曝光视频，将面临单人最低4000美元的民事罚款，并需全额承担对方机构的诉讼律师费； * **利益冲突与权力垄断**：该法案的提案人是加州总检察长 Rob Bonta 的妻子 Mia Bonta，而总检察长本应负责起诉欺诈犯罪。在民主党占据40席中30席绝对优势的加州参议院，此类保护特定利益集团、限制第一修正案言论自由的法案得以迅速通过。目前，调查团队已正式向联邦法院提起诉讼，控告加州政府违宪侵犯公民采访与知情权。
Original English Source >> Please welcome Nick Shirley. What's up, bro? Hey, man. Sacks, this is your guy. Get in there. >> Wow. Maybe a good place to start actually is that California was so afraid of what you're doing, exposing their fraud, that they actually passed a law to stop you from doing your investigations and your videos where you actually show up at these places that are stealing taxpayer money. I mean, I'm still shocked that they could get away with that. I know you're fighting it in court and I fully expect it'll be unconstitutional in like 20 years whenever it makes its way through the court system, but could you just explain that? >> Yes. So, I exposed California for all the fraud that they've enabled here inside the state. And they use what's called immigration support service providers, and it quite literally means anybody who provides services to illegal immigrants or immigrants. And that includes nonprofits and healthcare facilities. So actually today, this just happened literally today. I filmed all these daycares in San Diego and when I exposed it, Newsom came after me. But today, they found 12 individuals who were all immigrants and they charged them of $10 million of fraud. That happened today. >> California did. That DOJ did. So, underneath this new bill, this new law that they created, if these immigration support service providers were to give me a piece of paper saying, "Hey, you can't upload that video," I can't upload that video. And they only created that after I exposed the fraud. >> Wait, wait, wait. First of all, what is an immigration support services, what is that? >> Yeah, it means legal services, healthcare facilities, um quite literally anything where your tax dollars go to provide the services for illegal immigrants or immigrants here. >> From the state of California. So the state of California is funding these businesses basically. >> Yes. To provide services to illegals. Yeah. It can be medical. It can even be NGOs, nonprofits that received grants from the government. For instance, the people who sponsored this bill is called Chirla. They've received $80 million and they do the advocacy work for illegal immigrants here inside the United States. >> Wait, they got $80 million nonprofit. >> Nonprofit. And the law is written that you can't go do this work because they're trying to protect the community. >> So how do they stop you? So you go to one of these NGOs or businesses that's received this funding. You record it. And now they're saying you can't upload it. >> Yeah. So, if they simply were enrolled in this service, then they give me a piece of paper saying, "Hey, you can't upload that video," a demand letter. I can't upload the video. And if I do, I'll get a $4,000 fine. And then I'll have to go to court and I'll have to pay for their legal fees if they win. So $4,000 is just the minimum if they have 10 employees in there who all are part of the service. >> Sorry, doesn't that violate your constitutional rights? >> Yeah, First Amendment rights. >> And so do you sue the state of California to undo that bill? >> Yeah, I'm suing the state of California right now. >> Ostensibly, by the way, Sacks, this was all under the pretext of our favorite term, safety, because what Nick Shirley was doing in knocking on a door and saying, "Is this business open or closed?" was making people feel unsafe. And if you use that word unsafe, well then everybody has to rally around it. And they literally called this the Nick Shirley law. So I think this is the most amazing badge for you. And it's an award. The fact that they're creating laws to try to stop you from doing basic journalism means you're kicking ass, Nick. Don't stop. >> These First Amendment cases though have been incredibly well litigated. So, do they just pass this knowing that it will probably get overturned at the federal level and then it's up to you to raise the money, find the conlaw people, and then take the case? Is that what it is? Or do they actually legitimately think there's legal standing? Like, what does your team tell you about that law that's trying to stop you? >> Yeah. I don't think they thought Nick Shirley would hear about this bill cuz they called it AB 2624. And unless an assemblyman dubbed it the Stop Nick Shirley Act, I probably wouldn't have heard about it. So California, they've pretty much passed all these laws. There's 40 senators. 30 of them are Democrats. 10 of them are Republicans. It needs 21 votes to pass. So it's quite literally nearly almost impossible for a Republican to pass anything here inside the state of California. >> Let's be clear, Gavin Newsom signed this. >> Yeah. >> And who is the impetus of this bill? >> Well, Chirla, they're the co-sponsor who received $80 million. The person who created this bill is the wife of the attorney general. Her name is Mia Bonta. So, meanwhile, the attorney general is supposed to prosecute the fraud. Well, his wife's creating laws to make it harder for fraud to be prosecuted and to go after and be exposed.
### 公民记者的崛起：突破建制媒体的去中心化监督网络 主流新闻机构的职能退化催生了新一代去中心化的**公民新闻**（Citizen Journalism: 独立个体利用数字平台与社交网络直接进行的实地调查报道）。传统媒体如《60分钟》（60 Minutes）曾以尖锐的现场对质和卧底调查著称，但如今的建制派媒体深陷党派政治与机构俘获，对系统性福利欺诈视而不见，甚至反向对独立调查员发起人身抹黑与背景审查。 以 Nick Shirley 为代表的新生代调查员展示了一种自下而上的全新调查闭环： 1. **源于一线的驱动力**：从早期的海外宣教与边境走访出发，深入拉美移民潮第一线，随后将焦点转向全美各地的公共资金滥用； 2. **吹哨人网络与现场对峙**：依赖基层民众与内部吹哨人提供的线索，单枪匹马深入明尼苏达州、俄勒冈州及加州现场，直接将镜头对准涉嫌欺诈的空壳日托中心、成人护理院及食品券兑换点； 3. **社交平台穿透力**：依托 X（原 Twitter）等平台绕过传统媒体分发门槛，明尼苏达日托诈骗调查视频在极短时间内斩获上亿次曝光，直接倒逼联邦调查局、移民及海关执法局（ICE）介入并促成涉案核心头目的认罪； 4. **面临的风险与支持诉求**：面对欺诈团伙的人身威胁、日益严峻的安全安保成本以及巨大的追踪难度，独立调查亟需建立包含研究员、视频剪辑师与专业安保在内的职业化支持体系。在全美财政资金流失率高达10%至20%的当下，守护公共财政与反欺诈调查已成为维护社会契约的底层基石。
Original English Source >> How did you start? Let's take a step back, Nick, for the folks that don't necessarily know the origin story. How did you stumble into this? >> When I was 15 years old, I started making YouTube videos, vlogs, and pranks. As I got older, I got more interested to see what was actually happening in the world. But at that time around 2020, you couldn't make videos with the word Trump in the title or if you talked about politics or COVID, you might be demonetized so you couldn't make any money. And so then I ended up taking like a 2-year break on a mission trip for our church and went to Santiago, Chile. I started learning about all these people that were fleeing Venezuela. They were going to Chile and telling me about how people are going to the United States. So then I got back to the United States, went to the southern border, and started interviewing people in Spanish saying like, "How'd you guys come over here? What's going on?" And then I get this lady's WhatsApp who was from Ecuador. She said she had no money at the border. And the next day she texted me saying she was in New York City. And I was like, "That's super strange." And so for the past 2 and a half years, I've been making a video every single week about something that's happening here inside the United States. I went from 20,000 subscribers to now having created one of the most viewed videos ever in internet history exposing the fraudsters in Minnesota. >> What happens like whistleblowers reach out to you and say, "Hey, Nick, go over here"? >> Yes. I rely heavily upon the people in these states to let me know what's going on. I'm like a congressman for the entire United States who actually listens to the people, but I don't work for anybody. >> And what I really appreciate about what you're doing is Man on the Street is a really challenging art form and journalistic format. It's incredibly brave for you to go out there, put yourself at risk, with no formal journalistic training. You have learned everything on your own, and you have funded it through your X.com account. >> When my whole goal was to make $300 a day in 2023, I post this Minnesota fraud video. My mom literally films it. People like, "Nick's a Fed." I'm like, would a Fed have his mom filming his YouTube videos when he's 24 years old? I was just 100% working for myself to show people what was actually happening and I've created a lot of change. >> The audience reaction is a little polarized, right? There are people who are like stealing is wrong, fraudsters who are angry at you, but then there are passive viewers that actually dislike what you're doing. Why is that? >> What you represent to them is a threat because they came up wanting to do what you're doing. They were idealistic, these journalists, and they wanted to be brave enough to uncover these things and they've become captured and politicized. You haven't. That's why they criticize you. What's important is that you find actual real fraud and you put the people on camera and shame them, then they get arrested and you're forcing the AGs in this country to face it. This was the job of 60 Minutes and Frontline and they forgot how to do their job. You're picking up the mantle of what Frontline and 60 Minutes used to be. >> Are the AGs taking up the cases? >> Well, I put all the information in the videos and there actually has been change. They just found the 12 people today. The head person of the centers who had received $4 million tried to go to London on a one-way ticket and she got caught for daycare fraud, plead guilty. >> Have you met with mainstream journalists? >> No one from the mainstream has reached out to ask how I'm doing this. Instead, they investigate me and write hit pieces. >> Investigating the investigator. That shows how threatened they are by you. If it wasn't for Elon and X, none of this would have been possible. The video got 140 million views on X and the most important people in the world see it. >> I'm not just playing defense. I'm actually going out showing people what's going on and continuing to follow through because real corruption needs to be taken down. >> What are the other big pockets of fraud that you think exist? >> Welfare fraud inside the United States is absolutely insane. For instance, food stamps (SNAP cards) being used at strip clubs in Portland. All these social benefit programs have literally been looted, whether it be SNAP, daycares, adult daycares, hospices. All these things that have received government money are just full of fraud. >> And it's hard now cuz I have to have security. People literally want to kill me, so I have to be super strategic about what stops a fraudster from just shooting me when I knock on his door. >> 60 Minutes does undercover reporting and would go to their home outside their office to confront them. You're well within your right to do that. As you professionalize your operation, you have to ask for more support from the audience. If we support you to get a researcher, an extra video editor, and security, we're all going to save more money. When people steal from the government, they are stealing from the actual society. >> What's crazy is it's not just fraud. The California high-speed rail project: $240 billion to go from Fresno to Modesto at three times the price of an airplane ticket. None of it makes sense. A billionaire in Italy got paid half a billion for non-work through delay settlements. There's complacency, corruption, and unaccountability, and these things trickled into this massive waterfall that we're drowning in right now. We thank you for the work.