Nick Shirley Investigates America’s Deadly Fentanyl Crisis

A man in Portland tells Nick Shirley that in fifteen years, only once has anyone offered him a real way off the street. He shows Nick a bag with a free ten-pack of syringes, and Nick notices that harm reduction workers also give out pipes, straws, and foil. When Nick asks whether those workers want him to leave the street, the man says, "If we weren't here, they wouldn't have a job." He is one of dozens of people Nick meets in his documentary about the fentanyl crisis in America.

Everyone Nick meets describes the same pattern in every city. Kevin, a local from Portland who shows Nick around Chinatown, says there is a lot of money in keeping people homeless. On Skid Row, Nick puts it bluntly, more people living on the street means more money for the nonprofits that are paid to help them. "Each body is money for these people," he says. In Kensington, a man who has lived on the avenue for ten years calls the whole system one big business.

In Seattle, a man with six outstanding warrants tells Nick he once made $450 in one day by stealing. When asked where he steals from, he says, "Every business is my business." Nearby, a woman tells Nick she shoplifts to survive and is usually released right after being booked. She also shares that she has lost twenty-one friends to fentanyl, and her two children are now in protective custody.

At that point, someone should be willing to take her in, provide accommodation for her to stay, and help her rebuild her life, including getting her help to quit drug use. Each delay puts her back in a position where she is once again close to falling into the same pattern of supply and the same habits which she is attempting to get rid of. One of Nick’s interviews in Kensington illustrates how such an opportunity can be wasted. A man states that he has gone through treatment some four times and explains that he waited for shelter and then had short stays in programs before returning to the street. "They run your insurance up for 30 days," he says, "and then they kick you right back to where you came from."

The 2024 state audit in California found that nearly $24 billion had been allocated to housing and homelessness over a five-year financial period. Out of the five programs examined, two seemed likely to be cost-effective, while three had insufficient outcome data to allow an assessment. Perhaps for California checking the results was an optional extra. This makes it more difficult to identify good providers, to replace those that are ineffective, or to know what the next budget should fund. It also provides an easy excuse for the next funding request. Which, you guessed it, the budget must increase.

Nick's footage shows what can be achieved with help. One man stated that methadone has enabled him to remain drug-free for twelve years. Nick also helped a mother and her son get out of their tent on Skid Row and into a hotel, then arranged for them to join a program that allowed the boy to enroll in school. A mother who wants to get her child back into school needs to have a safe place to live. Someone who leaves a treatment program needs continued care. A shopkeeper needs theft to have consequences.

The man who has gone through treatment several times tells Nick that he has eight children. When asked if he can picture himself leading a life free from drugs, he replies at once, "Of course, and I want that kind of life back." We are the richest country in the world. A father of eight is asking for his life back after four rounds of treatment, and the best our system has delivered is another spot on the street after lackluster care.

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President Trump launched America.gov on Tuesday. The White House describes the site as a single online gateway for federal information and services. Alongside the launch, he signed an executive order that requires federal agencies to link their online services to the new site.

America.gov allows users to get simple answers from official government sources. The White House says the site uses what it calls “Super Intelligence” and protects personal privacy. The new executive order applies to any public-facing federal service available online that serves over 100,000 people each year. Right now, the site only answers questions, but it expects to add passport renewals and Medicare enrollment later this year.

According to the White House, Americans spend about 10 billion hours each year on federal paperwork. The same fact sheet credits Vice President JD Vance's Fraud Task Force with finding over $260 billion in fraud since January 2025, including billions in Medicare.  However, reporting fraud is still complicated and hasn’t been added to the new America.gov.

But we’re hopeful that in the near future it will be a seamless experience for Americans to report fraud or at least get a direct answer and step-by-step instructions to do so. The Treasury made a similar move in July by putting its whistleblower programs on one page and offering awards of 10 to 30 percent of recovered penalties.

We want to know what you think of America.gov. Please reply to this email and share your thoughts.

In an earlier video posted this week, Nick Shirley documented one of his “busiest weeks yet,” to give you and peek into his life behind the camera. Over just a few days, he spoke to students at Harvard and Yale, did a Fox News interview in New York, attended a 9/11 charity event, and flew to Los Angeles to speak at the All-In Summit, watch the full video below.

Nick shared how his busy schedule has changed the way he works. While he still produces his own investigations, much more of his time is directed towards speeches, interviews, and events. Being recognized has made it harder for him to report on the street like he used to.

Being in the spotlight has also brought risks. Nick says he received death threats before his Harvard visit, so there was a strong police presence at the event. He also spoke at Yale on September 10, the anniversary of Charlie Kirk's assassination, at an event hosted by Turning Point USA, the group Charlie started. Earlier this month, Nick said his security now costs between $30,000 and $50,000 a month.

Things were different in New York. At Cantor Fitzgerald's Charity Day, in the same city where Nick was once threatened on a sidewalk, people stopped him to thank him for his work. Nick says the hostility he sees online is not what he experiences in person. Most people he meets are friendly and supportive.

Check out the full video on Nick's channel. We’d love to hear your thoughts, so feel free to reply to this email and let us know what you think.