Meet the missing Ayatollah; Nick Shirley hunts fraud in CA; Democrats impending identity crisis

Summary

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10 Minute Drill – Episode Summary

Episode: Meet the missing Ayatollah; Nick Shirley hunts fraud in CA; Democrats impending identity crisis
Host: Matt Whitlock
Date: March 18, 2026

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Episode Overview

Today’s episode of 10 Minute Drill offers a brisk but deep dive into three major stories: the growing identity crisis within the Democratic Party, mounting questions about Iran’s new ayatollah and his very existence, and political activist Nick Shirley’s undercover work exposing widespread fraud in California’s healthcare and childcare funding programs. Along the way, Matt and his rotating analysts also skewer media narratives, dissect sanctuary city policies, and lampoon performative politics on Capitol Hill, all in the show’s signature fast-paced, sardonic style.

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Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. Legislative Fights in the Senate: The SAVE Act and Voter ID

[00:41] – [01:22]

• The Senate begins debates on the SAVE Act, focused on election integrity and enforcing voter ID, an issue supported by a reported 80-85% of Americans.
• Democrats oppose the act, framing it as "Jim Crow," while Republicans risk a procedural slog unless they end the filibuster.
• Quote:
  • “Democrats continue to oppose it, calling it Jim Crow, voter suppression and every insane thing under the sun.” — Matt Whitlock (00:41)
• John Thune stands by the filibuster:
  • “Many of the things that Democrats want to do and when they tried to nuke the filibuster… we don't want to have our fingerprints on…” — Guest Analyst 2 (01:07)

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2. Iran’s Leadership Crisis: Is the Ayatollah Alive?

[01:22] – [03:00]

• Major news: Iranian official Ali Larjani reportedly killed in airstrikes.
• Speculation grows over the unseen new ayatollah, Mostaba Khamenei—questions abound regarding whether he’s even alive, his intelligence, and rumored sexuality.
• These rumors are significant due to Iran’s severe anti-LGBT laws and the need for the ayatollah to control both clerics and the IRGC.
• Quote:
  • “Nobody’s seen him, which is unusual… if he is alive, there’s major questions about his fitness to lead.” — Host, referencing intelligence reports and media rumors (01:40)
• Media accused of selectively emphasizing negative narratives about US actions in Iran.
  • Journalists "seem to be going beyond… and rooting for America to lose against an enemy that is the world's biggest state sponsor of terror…” — Wall Street Journal op-ed referenced by Host (03:00)

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3. Democrats’ Identity Crisis: Post-Trump Future and Internal Strains

[03:00] – [05:54]

• Axios reports rising discontent among Dems with Hakeem Jeffries’ leadership should the party reclaim the House—his lackluster presence and a party united only by opposition to Trump.
• The party’s looming “post-Trump identity crisis” is highlighted, with party strategists warning the anti-Trump platform can’t last.
• Quote:
  • “Once Donald Trump is not on the ballot, we have no idea what [Democrats] are going to do to try and rally their base together.” — Matt Whitlock (05:29)
• John Fetterman offers candid insight:
  • “Democrats aren't afraid of the president.” — Guest Analyst 2 (05:46)
  • “You know who we're afraid of? The base. Our base.” — Guest Analyst 3 (05:49)
• Matt argues that absence of a uniting policy or agenda will hurt Democrats when "hatred for President Trump" is no longer a glue.

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4. Nick Shirley Exposes Healthcare & Daycare Fraud in California

[05:54] – [07:29]

• Activist Nick Shirley has taken his investigative efforts from Minnesota (where he uncovered fraudulent daycare centers) to California.
• In LA, Shirley discovers consultants openly teaching people to set up fake hospice centers—a multi-million dollar scam.
• Quote:
  • “In LA, there’s locations that will teach you how to open up your own hospice center. So I went there with a potential business partner to try and become a multimillionaire in hospice.” — Guest Analyst 3 channeling Nick Shirley (06:50)
• Encounters with fraudulent Somali daycare operators mirror earlier Minnesota findings.
• California is already looking at $170 million in discovered fraud from Shirley’s short investigation, with potential for tens or even hundreds of billions statewide.
• Critique of Gavin Newsom and state policy: fraud and waste diverts resources from vulnerable communities.

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5. Hospital Tax Scams & Healthcare Waste

[07:29] – [09:02]

• House Energy and Commerce Committee hearings target waste in the US healthcare system, especially the manipulation of hospital tax-exemption rules.
• Cleveland Clinic is spotlighted for using tax-exempt benefits to fund lavish projects—art galleries, overseas facilities, sports centers—while maintaining charitable status subsidized by taxpayers.
• Quote:
  • “Cleveland Clinic has a 7,000 piece art gallery. They pay their CEO millions… And all of this is subsidized with your tax dollars.” — Matt Whitlock (09:02)
• The 340B program, designed for charity care, alleged to be funneled into unrelated investments rather than patient services.
• Host asserts that addressing fraud and waste could yield huge savings and improved care for those truly in need.

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6. Effects of Sanctuary City Policies: The Stephanie Minter Case

[09:02] – [10:59]

• The tragic murder of Stephanie Minter by an undocumented immigrant is cited as a failure of sanctuary and non-cooperation policies in Fairfax County, Virginia.
• Interview with Minter’s mother underscores the human cost.
• Policies across Virginia bar state police from cooperating with ICE, inviting concerns about protecting citizens from repeat violent offenders.
• New congressional district maps would make Virginia the “most extreme gerrymander in the country,” per expert Chaz Nutticombe, more so than prior Wisconsin efforts.

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7. Performative Politics: Greg Casar’s "Hunger Strike"

[10:59] – End

• Host pokes fun at Rep. Greg Casar (D-TX) for performative activism—most notably a nine-hour “hunger and thirst strike” that included breakfast and dinner, replete with staff support.
• Quote:
  • “He had staff on hand to dab his head with a towel to check his vitals and make sure that he had survived that full nine hour hunger strike…” — Matt Whitlock (11:34)
• Matt uses this to exemplify the “theatrical” nature of some contemporary political stunts.

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Notable Quotes & Moments

• On the Democratic Party’s malaise:

  • “There is no sort of centralized Democrat leadership calling the shots, trying to set any kind of forward-looking policy agenda. And that is going to come back to bite Democrats.” — Matt Whitlock (05:54)

• On media bias regarding Iran:

  • “Journalists have a right and a duty to report bad news… but many seem to be going beyond that and rooting for America to lose…” — Host referencing Wall Street Journal op-ed (03:00)

• On California fraud:

  • “In their very short time in California, they already found $170 million worth of fraud.” — Matt Whitlock (07:23)

• On performative activism:

  • “Those of us who have ever fasted for religious purposes had to have a very good laugh at the absurdity of this stunt.” — Matt Whitlock (11:34)

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Timestamps for Key Segments

• [00:41] – Senate debate on the SAVE Act and voter ID
• [01:22] – Reports of chaos in Iran & missing ayatollah
• [03:00] – Republican unity on Iran airstrikes; media narrative critique
• [05:29] – Democrats’ post-Trump identity crisis
• [05:54] – Nick Shirley exposes California hospice & daycare fraud
• [07:29] – Congressional probe into hospital tax fraud (Cleveland Clinic)
• [09:02] – Sanctuary policies & Stephanie Minter case in Virginia
• [10:59] – Greg Casar’s nine-hour “hunger strike” and performative politics

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In Summary:
This episode of 10 Minute Drill delivers a sharp, sometimes biting account of current events: doubting the Iranian leadership, chronicling fraud and policy failures in US state systems, and diagnosing the internal malaise gnawing at the future of the Democratic Party. If you crave quick, incisive political banter laced with skepticism and outrage, this is your morning download.

Transcript

[Host]

The Democrats face a major identity crisis. We break it all down. There's new questions about the new ayatollah and his fitness to lead and whether or not he's actually alive. And we're going to get into some major questions about a woke hospital program costing taxpayers billions of dollars. All of that and so much more today on 10 Minute Drill. Everybody get up.

[Co-host 1]

Get up.

[Guest Analyst 1]

The story of America is the story of an adventure. I can hear you the rest of

[Guest Analyst 2]

the we are a nation under God, and I believe God intended for us to be free.

[Host]

Yesterday, the Senate began what will likely be a lengthy debate on the SAVE act election integrity legislation intended to force the voter ID issue, which we know is supported by 80 to 85% of the country. Democrats continue to oppose it, calling it Jim Crow, voter suppression and every insane thing under the sun. But there are procedural challenges ahead for Republicans to pass this without getting rid of the filibuster, which John Thune defended on the Senate floor yesterday.

[Guest Analyst 2]

Many of the things that Democrats want to do and when they tried to nuke the filibuster a couple of years ago were all things that we don't want to have our fingerprints on, whether that's adding D.C. and Puerto Rico as states or expanding the Supreme Court.

[Host]

Meanwhile, in Iran yesterday, it was reported that the top Iran security official, Ali Larjani, was killed in in airstrikes. The other major question right now for Iran's leadership is about the new ayatollah. He has not been seen in public alive for quite some time. President Trump spoke about this.

[Guest Analyst 1]

This one we haven't seen at all. So that could be for a lot of different reasons. We don't know, Peter, if he's dead or not. Now that you've I will say this, nobody's seen him, which is unusual.

[Host]

But even if he is alive, there's major questions about his fitness to lead. This from CBS US Intelligence shows Iran's late supreme leader was wary of his son taking power. Sources say Yale Khamenei was wary of his son, Ayatollah Mostaba Khamenei, ever taking power because he was perceived as not very bright and was viewed as unqualified to be leader, according to sources. The New York Post also reported there was speculation that the new ayatollah was in fact gay, which is relevant when you consider the fact that the new leader of Iran right now needs to hold together the irgc, the Iranian Republican National Guard and the mull, the clerics, the religious fundamentalists who are best known for throwing homosexuals off of tall buildings. And so there will be continuous questions about his fitness to lead if it turns out that he is, in fact, still alive. But the other thing I want to discuss on Iran today, the Republican civil war over the Iran strikes has been greatly exaggerated. First from CNN.

[Guest Analyst 1]

Okay, MAGA GOP on the U.S. military action Iran.

[Guest Analyst 2]

Look at this.

[Guest Analyst 1]

Nearly 9 in 10, 89% approve of the U.S. military action iran. That is the MAGA GOP base.

[Host]

As we've been talking about for several weeks, the media has really tried to drive a narrative that Republicans are divided on this. But from the time of the bombing in Iran, we've seen a lot of coalescing. Part of that is one, this operation's been incredibly effective. They have in the first couple days eliminated major groups of Iranian leaders and they've neutralized so much of Iran's military. But, but as we also talked about yesterday, if you've tuned into most major national media, you likely haven't gotten that impression. This from an op ed in the Wall Street Journal on Iran is only bad news fit to print. Journalists have a right and a duty to report bad news and to question Pollyannish reports from the US Government. But many seem to be going beyond that and rooting for America to lose against an enemy that is the world's biggest state sponsor of terror, that has killed thousands of unarmed protesters and that stockpiled of thousands, thousands of ballistic missiles while seeking nuclear weapons which its rulers promised to use against the US And Israel. Axios has a great piece on a potential rebellion Hakeem Jeffries might face should Democrats win the House and he is next in line to become the Speaker. House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries could get caught in the undertow of the very blue wave he hopes to ride into power this November as a growing number of Democratic candidates tell Axios they can't commit to backing his leadership. Now, looking at Hakeem Jeffries or having watched him in interviews, can you blame them? Hello, darkness, my old friend. I have said before, I do not think that there is a less inspiring congressional leader we've seen in decades than Hakeem Jeffries. Every time he does an interview, it looks like he's just reading the most boring, bland, rote talking points you've ever heard. And I can't imagine Democrats look at that and think, that's the dude I wanna ride behind into battle. The challenge for them is the only thing they have uniting them right now is hatred for President Trump. Axios did another story that I thought was very Notable on that point, Democrats face a post Trump identity crisis for 2028. Democrats are barreling toward an identity crisis. When Donald Trump is gone, they're not sure what they'll stand for. Top party strategists are warning they can't win back the White House in 2028 by coasting on voters, dissatisfaction with the president and MAGA. This is a dynamic I've been talking about for several months now. If any Democrat in the House, Senate or on the national level, none of them have agendas on affordability, energy, home, national security, immigration. Their entire platform is we are not Donald Trump. And once Donald Trump is not on the ballot, we have no idea what they're going to do to try and rally their base together. We do know one thing, they are very scared of that base. Here's John Fetterman on Sean Hannity's new podcast.

[Guest Analyst 2]

Democrats aren't afraid of the president.

[Host]

You know who we're afraid of?

[Guest Analyst 3]

The base. Our base.

[Host]

We're afraid of our base. That's because the base is the leadership. There is no sort of centralized Democrat leadership calling the shots, trying to set any kind of forward looking policy agenda. And that is going to come back to bite Democrats. Nick Shirley is back in the news now. Nick Shirley started an incredibly important conversation in Minnesota. One thing that he did is go knock on doors of all these registered facilities that were getting funding from our tax dollars that were actually fraudulent. He went to daycare centers that were registered to receive tax benefits for having a certain number of kids who had no kids at all. Well, he's taking that show on the road and now he's in California. One thing that he got into that we've talked about a couple of times now from this reporting in California is fake hospice centers. And one thing that Nick Shirley found is there are consultants in Southern California training people how to set up fake hospice centers.

[Guest Analyst 3]

In fact, in la, there's locations that will teach you how to open up your own hospice center. So I went there with a potential business partner to try and become a multimillionaire in hospice.

[Host]

One thing that he found is when he showed up to places people ran and in many cases they were driving incredibly fancy cars while running very small rink a dink. Things like hospice centers like Minnesota. Nick also found a lot of fake Somali daycares.

[Guest Analyst 3]

Hello.

[Interviewee]

I was naked. Okay.

[Co-host 1]

No, you weren't.

[Interviewee]

Oh, I can sue you. I was like, I wasn't dressed. I'm a Muslim.

[Guest Analyst 3]

Either way, can we enroll a child into the daycare?

[Interviewee]

You don't know what's going on?

[Guest Analyst 3]

Well, it says there's 14 children enrolled here in the state of California.

[Host]

So that's just a glance at some of what Nick Shirley got into. He says in their very short time in California, they already found $170 million worth of fraud. As we've talked about here, if they were to spend even more time, they'd find tens if not hundreds of billions of dollars in fraud. And the other part of this that's really important, that we'll continue to learn more. Just like in Minnesota, there is a human cost of Gavin Newsom's fraud, of the fraud that they allow that takes tax benefits and tax dollars away from people who actually need care and support and give it to people like California's own Somali fraudsters driving BMWs away from their fake businesses. Speaking of waste, fraud and abuse, today the House Energy and Commerce Committee is holding a hearing on fraud, waste and abuse in the healthcare system, lowering health care costs for all Americans. An examination of the US Provider landscape. One thing they're going to cover in that hearing is a dynamic that we've talked about in which hospitals have tax exempt status on the agreement that they will provide some level of charity care or care for the community, things like that. But what we have found is in so many cases they're taking the benefits of that tax exempt status and keeping it and in many cases essentially laundering it through all sorts of other programs. And Save Our States has a new ad that launched just yesterday on that issue as it relates to Cleveland Clinic. It's another bejeweled bedazzling lifestyles of the rich and famous.

[Guest Analyst 2]

Cleveland Clinic in Ohio, the height of elegance, a gorgeous art museum, facilities in Abu Dhabi.

[Host]

Cleveland Clinic has a 7,000 piece art gallery. They pay their CEO millions of dollars. They've built facilities in places like London, Abu Dhabi. They have a sports facility that they've funded to help the Cleveland Cavaliers train. And all of this is subsidized with your tax dollars. At the same time as Democrats are saying we're not spending enough on healthcare, if you were to get into some of the basics of fraud, waste and abuse in the healthcare system, whether it was Medicaid fraud, waste and abuse that we've talked about here, whether it's able bodied couch potatoes who are able to get better care through Medicaid than people who actually need it, or, or all of the fake fraudulent applications for Medicaid we've seen around the country or programs like this, the 340B program that gives hospitals money for Charity care, those hospitals keep the money and then invest in all sorts of crazy things. If we got to the root of that fraud, waste and abuse, we could save so much money and provide way better care to all the people who actually need it. A couple weeks ago we talked about the story of Stephanie Minter, a 41 year old mother who, who was murdered at a bus stop by an illegal immigrant who was allowed to stay in this country by woke Fairfax county prosecutors and their policies, their sanctuary policies. Nick Minoc spoke to Stephanie Minter's family.

[Co-host 1]

Now Cheryl is concerned her daughter's murder could have been prevented and she wants to know what local officials are going to do to ensure no one else has to go through what she and her family are dealing with right now.

[Host]

But the other really important thing that Nick has been following for the last several weeks is how these sanctuary policies actually work and how they've actually failed the people across Virginia.

[Co-host 1]

Fairfax is far from the only jurisdiction of having such a policy. Governor Abigail Spamberger signed a similar order as soon as she took office blocking the Virginia State Police working with ice.

[Host]

So again, Abigail Spanberger has a policy for all state police do not cooperate with ice. Fairfax County, Arlington county also have these policies that prevent ICE from being able to get access to violent criminal illegal immigrants even if they murder somebody or like in the case that we talked about Yesterday, sexually assault 12 teenage girls in Fairfax High School. And part of the reason again that I wanna highlight this is these radical terrible leaders are trying to give themselves even more power to through the congressional redistricting process that Virginians are voting on right now. An expert actually analyzed this. Chaz Nutticombe found that Virginia would be the most extreme gerrymander in the country using the efficiency gap. A lot of the anti Dem gerrymander folks keep saying the proposed VA Congressional map would be the most extreme gerrymander in the country. So let's put that to the test using actual political science. Yes, the proposed VA Dem gerrymander would be the most extreme gerrymander in the country. In fact, it would be more extreme than the 2010s Wisconsin gerrymander gerrymander, which has a 19 point efficiency gap as Chad found here that it would be the most radical gerrymander in the country even for a state that Republicans won 47% of just less than two years ago for you can't make it up segment today. Yesterday we highlighted the fact that Senator John Cornyn, Republican from Texas went to Austin airport to try and hand out meals to the TSA workers who are not getting paid because of the Democrats shutdown of Homeland Security. And he was confronted by a House Democrat named Greg Casser. I want to talk a little bit more about Greg today because he's got a long history of performative activity that I have very much enjoyed. Now Greg Kasser is most famous for two things. One, he's a sort of honorary member of the squad because he talks like a socialist and promotes things like defund the police, which he takes credit for actually doing in Austin. But he's not really a member of the squad. They don't really invite him to their parties. They don't post tiktoks with him because he doesn't actually seem that cool. But the other thing that he's really well known for is a July 2023 stunt on the steps of the US Capitol. Now Kasser wanted to show workers that he stood with them in hunger, thirst and everything going on. So he announced he was going to do a hunger and thirst strike on the steps of the U.S. capitol. Now when you hear that, you might think he's gonna go three or four days or maybe he'll go weeks without eating food like Gandhi. He did not. He had breakfast in the morning, maybe at 8:30 or 9:00am, skipped lunch, ate dinner and called it a nine hour hunger fast. But he didn't just do that. When he ended this hunger and thirst fast and had his first drink of water after just nine hours, he had staff on hand to dab his head with a towel to check his vitals and make sure that he had survived that full nine hour hunger strike. Those of us who have ever fasted for religious purposes had to have a very good laugh at the absurdity of this stunt. And so when I saw him yesterday with a very theatrical performance of trying to challenge John Cornyn on who's really responsible for the DHS shutdown, I had a good laugh that my friend Greg is back performing again. That is all the time we have for today. Thank you so much for joining us on 10 Minute Drill. Please like subscribe, leave us a review, tell your friends and have a great day.