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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.

Photo: Daniel Torok · Public domain · Wikimedia Commons · altered by BBN
▶ As it aired · U.S.

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.

Photo: Donald Trump
Photo: Daniel Torok · Public domain · Wikimedia Commons · altered by BBN

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What BBN said about it

  1. 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.

  2. 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.

  3. 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.

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

  5. 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.

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

  7. Dale Bearman · Chief Skeptic & ContributorResilient. That's what they say about the tea right before it goes cold.

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The story so far

  1. DOJ gives California 48 hours to review list of possible noncitizens… · Fox News
  2. DOJ sues California after pushing state to match voter list with USB… · The Hill
  3. DOJ names 20,000 noncitizen voters in California suit · CBS News
  4. Newsom and Schwarzenegger toast 20 years of cap-and-invest · New York Post
  5. Trump administration threatens California officials if noncitizens… · The Guardian
  6. Trump administration threatens to prosecute local California… · ABC News
  7. 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