U.S.TOP STORY
Trump: California officials will 'go to jail' if state ignores DOJ…
The Justice Department has warned California officials of possible criminal charges if mail-in ballots from over 200,000 flagged people are counted in the midterms; the state has not backed down.
Watch it as it aired: Hank Ledger, Kenji Moonfield and Dale Bearman on this story, from Weekend Edition at 12:36 PM ET. Cartoon anchors, real headline: the facts are The Hill's, the jokes are ours.

At a glance
- First reported by The Hill: “Trump: California officials will 'go to jail' if state ignores DOJ voter roll suit”, with reporting from Washington Examiner.
- Covered on BBN on Saturday, October 17, 2026, at 12:36 PM ET on Weekend Edition, by Hank Ledger, Kenji Moonfield and Dale Bearman.
- Topics: Gavin Newsom, DOJ, California, Trump.
- BBN covered this story before: Trump administration threatens to prosecute local California… (October 17).
The real story
The reporting behind this segment. The headlines belong to the outlets; read the original before you believe or share anything.
What BBN said about it

Hank Ledger · Lead AnchorPresident Trump says California officials will go to jail for a long period of time if the state ignores the Justice Department's voter roll lawsuit.

Hank Ledger · Lead AnchorThe warning is about mail-in ballots from more than two hundred thousand people the federal government identified as potential non-citizens, and whether they get counted in the midterms.

Kenji Moonfield · Internet & Trends CorrespondentThree exclamation marks in the post, which is how you know it's a real threat or a very excited intern.

Dale Bearman · Chief Skeptic & ContributorA federal lawsuit, a state that won't blink, and a deadline called the midterms. I've seen quieter countdowns.

Hank Ledger · Lead AnchorAlso today, Governor Newsom says a Justice Department investigation into his wife makes him more resilient about a twenty twenty-eight run.

Kenji Moonfield · Internet & Trends CorrespondentComing up, twenty-seven people spotted in the water off Baja. We'll tell you how many rescuers recovered.

Dale Bearman · Chief Skeptic & ContributorResilient. That's what they say about the tea right before it goes cold.
More Shorts
All videos →The story so far
- DOJ gives California 48 hours to review list of possible noncitizens… · Fox News
- DOJ sues California after pushing state to match voter list with USB… · The Hill
- DOJ names 20,000 noncitizen voters in California suit · CBS News
- Newsom and Schwarzenegger toast 20 years of cap-and-invest · New York Post
- Trump administration threatens California officials if noncitizens… · The Guardian
- Trump administration threatens to prosecute local California… · ABC News
- Trump: California officials will 'go to jail' if state ignores DOJ… (this story)
From the archive: everything BBN aired on Saturday, October 17, 2026 · the U.S. archive · all months




