What Next: TBD | Tech, power, and the future · Slate Podcasts

The Right’s Minneapolis Outrage Machine

January 23, 2026·25 min·2 clips

A 23-year-old YouTuber's video about daycare fraud became the most viewed on X, triggering ICE surges and funding cuts in Minneapolis.

This episode investigates how right-wing influencers, through viral videos and social media posts, drive government actions and public narratives around immigration and fraud in Minneapolis. Host Lizzie O'Leary interviews Will Sommer to explore the feedback loop between the Trump administration and online personalities, highlighting cases like a five-year-old's detention and edited government photos. The discussion reveals how these tactics spread misinformation, influence policy, and create a blueprint for political manipulation.

As heard by us

A sharp look at how a debunked clip can widen into scapegoating.

It traces how a debunked video can still set off a right-wing media wave, then widen into a story about immigrants, welfare, and scapegoating.

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Why you'd press play

When a debunked clip starts working like a scapegoat story.

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