Garage Logic: SCRAMBLE – Reuvers and Frattallone Send Out the Year of 2025 in Only One Way!!

Podcast: Garage Logic
Host: Gamut Podcast Network
Episode Date: January 1, 2026
Hosts: Chris Reivers and Mike Frattalloni

Episode Overview

This "Weekly Scramble" episode is a classic Garage Logic roundtable: a mixture of ordinary Midwestern life, holiday reflections, and a deep dive into the controversial daycare fraud scandal enveloping Minnesota. Hosts Chris Reivers and Mike Frattalloni use their humorous, candid rapport to dissect day-to-day traditions, the New Year's mood, and, most notably, their frustrations regarding widespread daycare and government fraud, bringing both personal and policy viewpoints to the conversation.

Table of Contents

1. New Year’s Eve Traditions and Humor
2. Routines, Travel, and the Joys of Home
3. The Somali-Run Daycare Fraud Scandal
4. Media Coverage, Racism Claims, and Political Response
5. Reflections on Minnesota Politics & Systemic Issues
6. Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments
7. Timestamps for Key Segments

New Year’s Eve Traditions and Humor

• New Year’s plans: Both hosts share their low-key plans for the holiday, riffing on typical questions from bank tellers about big New Year's Eve parties.

  • Mike quips about his 4 pm dinner reservation with his wife, laughing about their early night and efficient eating (02:19).
  • The hosts rib each other about parental responsibilities and teenage kids' plans for the evening.
  • Chris jokes about "going to bed before the ball drops," poking fun at classic TV specials (03:33).

• On Celebrating:

  • Mike admits he'll be home by 6 pm, probably watching TV, and trying to keep track of his kids as they come and go to various parties. The discussion spotlights the differences between the hosts’ generations and their priorities.
  • The two reflect on the tradition of watching New Year's Eve events—Vegas versus New York, the appeal of local (warmer) celebrations, and why traditions persist.

Routines, Travel, and the Joys of Home

• Reluctance to Travel:

  • Mike expresses his love of routine: "I am a creature of habit. Today, hypothetically, I was going to have the day off. Couldn't do with the day off." (07:15)
  • Discussion about the monotony versus comfort of daily routines—lunch, work, dinner—and why neither host is much for "pleasure travel."
  • They joke about exotic vacations, describing how the novelty wears off and both yearn to return to their routines (09:43-10:56).

• Travel Anecdotes:

  • Chris shares a story about staying within 'tourist-safe' zones while in Mexico, acknowledging the anxieties that come with travel beyond familiar territory (11:17).
  • Mike recounts being warned off a dangerous area while in Santo Domingo (12:29), underscoring their preference for "home."

The Somali-Run Daycare Fraud Scandal

• Frustration Over Persistent Fraud:

  • The conversation turns to the state’s massive daycare fraud, allegedly mostly perpetrated by Somali-owned businesses in Minnesota (14:53+).
  • Chris introduces a New York Post story—“I don't know if you know this, Mike, but somehow there's a link between fraud and Somali-run daycares” (14:53).

• Details of the Scandal:

  • Reports of empty daycare centers supposedly serving large numbers of children, with massive payments funneled through them (15:15).
  • Allegations that essential documentation was stolen, conveniently after a viral YouTube video investigation (16:45-17:34).
  • Cumulative fraud figures cited: $1 billion uncovered so far, up to $9 billion possible, with 92 people arrested (80 Somali immigrants) (19:02).
  • The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services has frozen all childcare payments to Minnesota—$185 million in 2025 alone—pending proof of legitimacy (19:19).

• Mocking of Excuses:

  • Frattalloni and Reivers mock official explanations, especially blaming fraud exposure on “targeting the Somali community” and accusations of racism (18:34-19:01).

Media Coverage, Racism Claims, and Political Response

• Press and Political Accountability:

  • Chris defends the work of investigative journalists like Tom Hauser and Jay Kolls but notes limitations—they report but can’t enforce accountability (20:00-20:52).
  • Frattalloni highlights public anger: why hardworking taxpayers are fed up with fraudsters and a seemingly complicit government (21:03).

• Discussion of Race and Blame:

  • Chris and Mike debate the line between holding criminals accountable and the risk of ethnic stereotyping (24:13-25:31).
    • Chris: “For me pointing that out on this show, to be called a racist. Forget. Get that noise.” (23:44)
    • Mike: “You have to be careful painting this thievery brush over 80,000 people…” (24:50)
  • Mike urges not to generalize blame, warning against unfair stigmatization of the entire Somali community.
  • Chris insists his frustration is directed specifically at criminals and their enablers.

• Shifting Blame and Political Rhetoric:

  • Mike relays a story of a daycare operator seen dancing after Mayor Frey’s post-election party (30:00), suggesting inappropriate coziness between city officials and alleged fraudsters.
  • Chris lampoons Governor Tim Walz’s statements touting a crackdown on fraud, criticizing the administration’s attempts to deflect responsibility by invoking Trump and blaming “national attention” (31:14-32:50).

Reflections on Minnesota Politics & Systemic Issues

• Disillusionment with Leadership:

  • Both hosts bemoan chronic political gridlock, lack of meaningful reform, and the feeling that entrenched interests are perpetuating the problem.
    • Mike: “At some point in time, people are gonna have to say, emperor, the liberal emperor has no clothes. We can't keep doing this.” (35:40)
  • Frattalloni condemns the “money train” in state politics and wonders when "Minnesota is gonna get better" (35:28).

• Systemic Failures:

  • Reivers: “This administration, the people who allowed this shit to happen. I couldn't agree more.” (28:48)
  • Mike points out fraudsters only exploited systems set up to be easily abused, pinning blame on government negligence as much as on the perpetrators (29:04-29:27).
  • Discussion of how politics rewards distributing money for votes, not necessarily improving the state (35:28).

• Bittersweet Closing:

  • Chris: “Happy New Year, ladies and gentlemen. Crap hole of 2025.” (36:05)
  • Episode ends with a dad joke contributed by Chris’s son (36:21).

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• On Early New Year’s Plans:

  • Mike: “I'm 100% going to dinner at... 4pm.” (02:28)

• On Dislike for Traveling:

  • Mike: “Nothing's better anywhere else. And when people say, oh, it's so great in that country, it's like you're on vacation. Go live there every single day.” (08:26)

• On the Fraud Scandal:

  • Chris: “A Somali-run daycare in Minneapolis is now claiming somebody broke in and stole very important documents... damaging a wall and breaking into the building's office…” (16:42)
  • Mike: “What are the chances of that? ...You know what I like to do is I like to steal children’s paperwork, then take it to a pawn shop, because big money.” (17:05, 17:25)

• On Media and Racism Accusations:

  • Chris: “The issue is not racism. The issue is I am sick and tired of a certain faction of society coming here and ripping off my state... I’m sick and tired of this crap continuing, and for me pointing that out on this show, to be called a racist. Forget. Get that noise.” (23:44)
  • Mike: “We have to be very careful, careful painting this thievery brush over 80,000 people. I don’t believe it.” (24:50)

• On Political Spin:

  • Chris (reading Governor Walz’s statement): “If you threaten everything that makes our state a great place to live by committing fraud in Minnesota, you will be caught and prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law.” (31:52)
  • Mike: “He is so brain blind, brain dead and blind on this subject. It is shocking how obtuse the guy is.” (33:12)

• On Systemic Stagnation:

  • Mike: “When is Minnesota gonna get better? ...And maybe the right can't do shit about it. They're not doing anything great either. I'm so disenchanted.” (35:40)

• Ending Dad Joke:

  • Chris’s son: “A guy with no arms and no legs who practices karate—he practices partial arts.” (36:39)

Timestamps for Key Segments

• New Year’s Traditions & Humor: 00:56–04:50
• Routines, Travel, and Call of Home: 07:01–12:29
• Transition to Daycare Fraud Discussion: 14:29
• Details of Daycare Fraud & Blame Game: 14:53–19:43
• Debate About Racism, Responsibility, and Coverage: 23:00–28:45
• Political Responses and Systemic Critique: 30:00–35:40
• Dad Joke & Closing: 36:10–end

Summary prepared for listeners new to Garage Logic’s “Weekly Scramble”: this episode is a lively, unvarnished critique of Minnesota’s holiday culture, daily routines, and a raw, often comically frustrated discussion about systemic fraud and political dysfunction in the state. The hosts balance personal anecdotes, news commentary, and pointed humor throughout—making for both an entertaining and thought-provoking hour.