Booming US Firearms Industry Could Get 2026 Deregulatory Boost From Trump Administration

Authored by John Haughey via The Epoch Times,

Record sales made the first year of the second Trump administration a profitable one for the nation’s $92 billion firearms industry, but the potential for federal regulatory rollbacks in his second year could provide manufacturers and retailers with long-term assurances they need to thrive.

That is why state lawmakers need to act fast, South Dakota Gov. Larry Rhoden said, calling on Republicans in state capitols nationwide to “seize the opportunity we see right now with Trump” in the White House to adopt bills that protect gun owners’ rights.

“We were just playing defense” for years, said Rhoden, one of seven Republican governors to participate in a Jan. 21 Governors’ Forum on the firearms industry during the second day of the Jan. 20–23 Shooting, Hunting, Outdoor Trade (SHOT) Show at the Venetian Expo and Caesars Forum in Las Vegas.

“We’ve taken the lead in South Dakota” by adopting a bill that bans “coding firearms,” he said. “We have an opportunity, and we need to retake advantage of it” right now before the midterms to “move the needle” on such issues as deregulating suppressors and interstate firearms commerce, he added.

The Trump administration has not been as aggressive in addressing firearms reform as it has in other realms, but White House Counsel David Warrington said that’s about the change.

He noted Deputy U.S. Attorney General Todd Blanche is at the annual show, which is projected to draw more than 55,000 industry executives and sales staff from all 50 states and more than 126 countries to tour 2,800 vendors offering wares on “13.9 miles of aisles” sprawled across 19 acres on The Strip.

Among changes expected to be forwarded by the administration in 2026 include proposals to ease private gun sales, ship firearms interstate via mail, export firearms overseas, trim fees for licensed retailers, and simplify the 4473 Form required when purchasing a firearm, including requiring applicants list their biological sex at birth.

President Donald Trump recognizes gun owners are among his most ardent supporters, Warrington said, adding the president checks with him and Assistant Attorney General Harmeet K. Dhillon, who leads the Department of Justice’s Civil Rights Division’s Second Amendment group, to ensure gun owners’ rights are secure and to ask about initiatives to further strengthen them.

“He tells me, ‘The people that stuck with me through the toughest and hardest times are the same people who believe in the Second Amendment,’” Warrington said.

Industry In Demand

There are more than 10,000 U.S. companies that manufacture, distribute, and sell firearms, ammunition, and hunting equipment. They directly employ nearly 151,000 people and generate an additional 232,327 supplier/ancillary jobs, earning more than $26 billion in wages while contributing $91.65 billion in activity to the nation’s economy in 2024, the National Shooting Sports Foundation (NSSF) documents in its Firearm and Ammunition Industry Economic Impact Report for 2025.

That’s nearly a 400 percent increases compared to the $19.1 billion it generated in 2008, the foundation notes, adding the industry’s average $68,300 annual salary is above median workforce ranges, and that the industry and its employees paid nearly $11 billion in local and state taxes, and $941.8 million in excise taxes paid to Pittman-Robertson Wildlife Restoration Fund in 2024.

The industry is boosted by millions of new gun owners over the last five years who have undergone review on the National Instant Criminal Background Check System (NICS), although the number of background checks—an indicator, but not verified documentation, of a sale—declined by 4 percent in to 14.6 million in 2025 from 15.38 million in 2004, the foundation documents.

The foundation, whose 9,000 members include manufacturers, distributors, retailers, shooting ranges, and publishers, is the nation’s largest gun owners’ rights lobbying presence in Washington. According to Open Secrets, it spent $5.5 million on DC lobbying in 2025 and nearly $7 million in 2024. During those same two years, the National Rifle Association spent $2.2 million and $4.9 million, respectively, on federal lobbying.

Arkansas Gov. Sarah Huckabee Sanders speaks with firearms industry representatives on Jan. 21, 2026, after participating in a Governors’ Forum at the SHOT Show in Las Vegas, where 60,000 people are expected to view and purchase outdoors and law enforcement gear from more than 2,800 companies during the three-day annual trade show. John Haughey/Epoch Times

Arkansas Gov. Sarah Huckabee Sanders said her state has targeted firearms manufacturers because they produce quality products and pay employees well with benefits. She offered advice to companies unhappy with the regulatory environment they are now in, such as those in leading firearms manufacturer states like California.

“First thing, operate in a red state. One of the reasons is blue states make so many regulations,“ she said, adding that manufacturers are ”looking for a new place to go” where development codes are manageable, energy is available, and the industry is appreciated.

“Arkansas is a red state. It is the best red state,” Sanders said, noting it is third in the nation in per capita industry impact.

“The only reason we aren’t number one is so many people in Arkansas are buying these products and keeping them in-state.”

Montana Gov. Greg Gianforte said the state’s economic development agency receives “three to six” calls a week from firearms manufacturers about relocating to Montana. He recently heard about a company having issues with Colorado regulations and “cold-called them,” he said. “I have a simple pitch: ‘Come back to America,’” which the state has turned into a marketing video.

The biggest obstacle to the industry’s growth, the governors agreed, is the availability of a workforce with skills in needed crafts such as CMC (Computerized Machining Center) operators, welders, and gunsmiths, with all touting state programs that link companies with high school and community college vocational education programs.

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Booming US Firearms Industry Could Get 2026 Deregulatory Boost From Trump Administration

Demographics Deployed For Political Control

Authored by Jeffrey Tucker via The Epoch Times,

People are talking ever more about the possibility of civil war in the United States.

The scenes on the streets do not look good, to be sure. That said, we are nowhere near this point and certainly don’t have to be.

The trigger for the unfolding of events speaks to a tactic of control that unleashes resistance (and counterresistence) like no other.

If this issue is resolved in peace and within the rule of law, normalcy can be restored.

Let’s review some of the deeper history.

At the height of the Roman Empire, when conquering ever more territory was regarded as regime triumph, a strategy for control emerged that would long persist into the modern age. The military would urge Romanization of the conquered provinces. The aristocracy would flood provinces and towns, bringing language and technology and administrative leadership.

Roman citizens, often veterans of these wars, were settled with land grants and created loyal Roman outposts. Many modern European cities trace origins to these settlements. The tactic assured regional loyalty, lessened local resistance, and helped blunt the efficacy of independence movements.

The Spanish Empire took a similar approach in the Americas. Massive settler migration from Iberia led to the demographic replacement of indigenous populations. Spanish was imposed as the dominant language. Indigenous tongues were suppressed. Localized religions mutated to match priorities of the imperial faith.

So it was in the Soviet Union. After the archives opened following the fall of communism, scholars found proof of what they had long suspected. Hundreds of thousands of ethnic Russians were directed to migrate to the Baltic states following the 1940 annexation. The priorities were the same as the above examples: spread the Russian language, intermarry, and build and administer infrastructure. This weakened national identities and secured Russian holdings.

All of these are examples of what is called settler colonialism. It’s a tactic, often a brutal one because it touches the lives, languages, educations, and religion of everyone. It can often be pitiless toward the settled traditions that are being displaced.

The USA was born as an experiment in the same way via the British Empire. The English Court and its industrial partners had every intention of using the colonies for the empire’s own purposes, restricting trade and taxing its residents. It did not go so well. After 150 years of experience with freedom in the colonies, Americans developed a sense of independent identity that led to a war of independence that the colonies won.

It is true that the United States began as a nation of immigrants and has always been a welcoming country. The early Founding documents left the issue of citizenship to the states because people were citizens of their states. Following a horrible Civil War, the federal government took charge of determining citizenship, alongside a peculiar model of earning the right to vote. All people born within its borders were automatically granted citizenship rights.

Immigration became a source of controversy in the late 19th century with floods of new asylum seekers from Russia, Italy, Ireland, and elsewhere, thus taxing infrastructure and giving rise to ethnic and religious tensions. The immigration acts of 1921 and 1924 sought to settle those problems with a strong legal preference for European migration.

Forty years later, this prioritization was deemed discriminatory. The immigration act of 1965 reversed priorities and opened up the country to a wider range of newly arriving residents to become citizens.

Even with this change, the subject of immigration was regarded as a manageable domestic policy dispute, with people on all sides favoring this or that. The debates concerned economics, religion, and the issue of acculturation.

What was not in question was the idea of using demographics for purposes of political control. There seemed to be an established political rule in this country: These debates can be settled without resorting to old-world tactics of settler colonialism. No one overtly sought to use demographics to shore up political power.

Something changed dramatically following President Donald Trump’s first term. Many people in the upper echelons of power perceived Trump to be a unique threat, not just in his person but in what he represented. His movement crossed class barriers to tap into a sense of American identity itself, complete with nostalgia for old forms of freedom and independence.

At this point in the story, matters turn dark.

I will introduce this by telling of a visit to see my mother in Texas in the summer of 2020. I had expected the topic of conversation to turn entirely on the COVID-19 pandemic response and the lockdowns. I could hardly get anyone interested. At gatherings and meals, at church or at civic meetings, the only topic on anyone’s mind seemed to be the open southern border. They spoke about it with unusual fire and passion, as if a fundamental deal had been broken.

It was this, even more than the lockdowns, that concerned them, and why? Because they could feel themselves losing trust in the main mechanism that permits the people to exercise some control over the regime. If elections are compromised—they could see this coming—all is lost.

That experience was a revelation to me. I had not previously seen how much the shift in policy had affected their lives. It was causing huge burdens on educational infrastructure and hospital systems. There was a widespread perception that seemed to confirm what Trump had said on the campaign trail in 2015. This was not normal, legal immigration, but something else. Someone or something was using demographics for purposes of political manipulation. Now even the plebiscite was in question.

The election later that November did not allay the fears, as what looked like an in-person-voting landslide turned the other direction overnight thanks mostly to mail-in ballots. It had already evaporated in the system and now the very legitimacy of a nationwide election was in question. Regardless, Trump was declared the loser and Joe Biden the winner.

The subject of immigration and its political uses would only intensify over four years, as millions (10 million to 20 million) were allowed in, went on welfare, contributed to rising crime, and generally raised alarms about what was happening to American democracy.

The United States was founded to be a land governed by the people themselves: not a king or an aristocracy but by representatives elected by the people. The Founders set up such a system with great hope that it would last. Much of the credibility of such a system turns on a clear distinction between citizens and non-citizens. As welcoming as America is and always has been, a people’s government needs standards and enforcement for who can participate in elections and partake of public welfare.

These questions have become the burning issue of our time. We see this play out in Minnesota right now as protesters on the streets work to interfere with federal efforts to find and capture undocumented people let in under the lax rules of 2021–2024.

What appears to be a battle between federal enforcement and liberally minded protesters actually has a deeper root. The perception within the administration is that the immigration system had been weaponized (by an autopen president) for purposes of fastening down a particular brand of political control.

No American wants to live in a society in which federal enforcement officers come to their communities and demand papers from regular citizens. That seems incompatible with the ideals of this country. What’s also incompatible with American ideals is for a single political party to take a page out of the history books of Rome, Spain, and the Soviet Union and use people as tools in an effort to maintain political control.

This is the point at which immigration has more in common with invasion.

Sadly, these struggles are not going away anytime soon. They will likely expand to other blue states where voting patterns seem reliant on lax standards of voter eligibility. My friends, these tactics are playing with fire. When you mix generous welfare benefits, sketchy voting rights, and elections that turn on just a few percentage points, you have a highly volatile environment.

One can only hope for American liberty to survive these struggles. After that, there is no question that we need national consensus on citizenship and its meaning, lest the republic established by the Founders be lost forever. If we can get this one point settled, much of the rest will fall into place.

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Demographics Deployed For Political Control

Left-Wing NGOs Plan "Economic Blackout" Across Minnesota As State Becomes Testbed For Revolution

The color-revolution risk assessment we delivered to readers in August 2025 has since seen a timeline that has been accelerated, with Democratic Party-aligned dark-money funded NGOs, left-wing militant groups, and anti-Trump labor unions leveraging Minneapolis as a testbed for coordinated socialist resistance activity, including strike actions, boycotts, and engineered social unrest, all aimed at undermining President Trump's legitimacy, authority, and governing capacity, with the end goal of regime change at the White House.

The assessment initially forecasted that selective resistance movements would begin to materialize in 2026, with mass resistance emerging in 2027-28 ahead of the presidential election. That timeline has since accelerated, as Marxist NGOs and unions are funneling personnel and resources into Minneapolis to fuel social unrest, with the hopes of impeding the federal government's deportation operations targeting criminal illegal aliens. Remember, these illegals are either the Democratic Party's current voting bloc or future voting bloc.

Spotted organizing tonight’s protests in Minneapolis: the literal Communist Party.

Here’s the pin they’re handing out to match the flags they’re waving. @realDailyWire pic.twitter.com/AWM0lPf8Yl

— Brecca Stoll (@breccastoll) January 10, 2026

Several weeks of protests following the fatal shooting of a left-wing legal observer by an ICE agent in Minneapolis are now evolving into what local media outlet Minnesota Reformer calls a "general strike" set to unfold on Friday. The outlet reports that "Minnesota's unions, progressive faith leaders, and community activists" are organizing the strike, called "ICE Out of Minnesota: Day of Truth & Freedom."

"It is time to suspend the normal order of business to demand immediate cessation of ICE actions in MN, accountability for federal agents who have caused loss of life and abuse to Minnesota residents, and call for Congress to immediately intervene," ICE Out's landing page says.

Again, this strike is unlikely to accomplish much on the ground beyond disrupting economic activity, but the objective for nonprofits stirring up their column of useful-idiot activists, some of whom are paid, alongside unions mobilizing their members, is an optics-driven informational war aimed at shifting public sentiment and influencing politicians on Capitol Hill.

Small businesses in Minnesota are proactively closing on Friday to support the economic blackout and stand in solidarity with those participating in the general strike. pic.twitter.com/n0PS9hszG9

— Karlyn Borysenko, anti-communist cult leader (@DrKarlynB) January 21, 2026

Think of this boots-on-the-ground effort as a small number of voices using a megaphone in an attempt to manufacture the appearance of widespread public outrage. The hope is that polls shift and force the White House to back down.

However, 2025 was the year when the nation learned (read here) how left-wing billionaire foundations - and even foreign adversaries - are funding NGO networks to undermine the nation to sow chaos and collapse the country from within.

There is already movement on the White House level, and even the Treasury (as revealed in Bessent-Rufo interview last week), that suggests the federal government will begin pressuring the entire nonprofit sector that should be helping the homeless and the poor, but has been hijacked by left-wing billionaires to wage a color revolution operation against Trump to derail the America First movement. These types of operations are what the CIA does overseas in third-world countries for regime changes - it's just that this type of statecraft was inverted when Trump won in 2016.

Taking a look at the Facebook page for "ICE Out of Minnesota: Day of Truth & Freedom," the event is listed as hosted by left-wing nonprofits and unions, including TakeAction Minnesota, Gender Justice, COPAL MN, 50501: Minnesota, ATU Local 1005, CTUL, Twin Cities Democratic Socialists, and nine other groups

Highly organized. These groups are part of the protest-industrial complex.  

Alpha News' Liz Collin provided a memo to the Minnesota Nurses Association members encouraging members to participate in Friday's "statewide economic blackout."

SUBMITTED: Letter from Minnesota Nurses Association urges union members to participate in “ICE Out of Minnesota: A Day of Truth and Freedom.”

It includes a “statewide economic blackout” and rally.

Nurse to @AlphaNews:

“MNA & SEIU are as bad as the teachers unions, we are… pic.twitter.com/GGyMepUIEX

— Liz Collin (@lizcollin) January 19, 2026

Escalations everywhere by left-wing militants.

We warned last September:

• "Planning War Against Fascists" - Socialist Rifle Association Boasts 10,000 Members

Let's not forget that CCP-linked communist billionaire Neville Roy Singham's dark-money-funded NGOs have been involved in nationwide anti-ICE protests:

• 'Comrade' Singham Faces House Subpoena Over Alleged CCP-Linked NGO Network Fueling Anti-ICE Protests

This color revolution operation, which hides behind the nonprofit industry, is called the "invisible insurrection"... and this social unrest will broaden come spring.

Minneapolis (🔜 ALL “sanctuary” cities everywhere) running the Color Revolution playbook perfectly: provoke chaos, deploy ‘legal observers’ as shields, & launder radical activism through dark $ NGOs—all funded by Arabella & Soros-type networks we’ve exposed repeatedly. pic.twitter.com/U9B9rJcY0F

— Seamus Bruner (@seamusbruner) January 21, 2026

Just so readers are aware: once Democrats perfect the "Minneapolis experiment," they will attempt to replicate it across every sanctuary city.

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Left-Wing NGOs Plan "Economic Blackout" Across Minnesota As State Becomes Testbed For Revolution

Pope Leo Evaluating US Invitation To Join Trump's Gaza Board Of Peace

Pope Leo XIV has been invited to join President Donald Trump’s "Board of Peace," according to a fresh Wednesday statement from the Vatican’s secretary of state. "We’ve also received this invitation and the pope received it and we are looking at what to do. We are researching and I believe it’s a question that demands a little time to be considered in order to give a response," the Vatican’s number two, Pietro Parolin, told journalists at an event in Rome.

So neither a yes or no has yet been given in response. The Vatican had throughout the 2-year long Gaza war constantly spotlighted the issue and called for immediate peace. But the Vatican could actually be "considering" the invitation.

via Associated Press

Leo has also been outspoken on the protection of Palestinian Christians, also after his predecessor Francis was known to phone Gaza City's lone Catholic Church each night in solidarity, when the strip was under constant bombardment from Israeli forces.

As the first American pope, he carried on Francis' theme of standing up for the downtrodden, and his very first Christmas sermon stated that God ​had "pitched his fragile tent" among the people of the world. "How, then, ‍can we not think of the tents in Gaza, exposed for weeks to rain, wind and cold?" he posed.

However, Leo has generally been less 'political' and more diplomatic than his predecessor. 

But this doesn't mean his American cardinals have been quiet on world events. According to The Washington Post this week:

Echoing concerns of Pope Leo XIV over a new era of unilateralism and warfare, the three highest-ranking U.S. Catholic archbishops on Monday said “the moral foundation for America’s actions in the world” has been thrown into question by a resurgence in the use or threat of military force, including in Venezuela and Greenland.

The archbishops, Cardinals Blase Cupich of Chicago, Robert McElroy of D.C. and Joseph Tobin of Newark, in a statement released Monday, amplified comments by Leo, the first U.S.-born pontiff, who earlier this month lamented the demise of multilateralism.

“In 2026 the United States has entered into the most profound and searing debate about the moral foundation for America’s actions in the world since the end of the Cold War,” the archbishops wrote. “The events in Venezuela, Ukraine and Greenland have raised basic questions about the use of military force and the meaning of peace.”

There are reports that some US Roman Catholic bishops have even said Catholic servicemembers could conscientiously object to carrying out orders to invade or occupy Greenland.

As for the Gaza board, invitations have been sent to a broad group of countries in Europe, the Middle East, and Asia, including US allies and key regional players. Already, countries and leaders as different and geographically distant as Hungary under Prime Minister Viktor Orban and Vietnamese Communist Party chief To Lam have accepted their invitations. Putin has also been invited.

It is shaping up to be a 'mini UN' of sorts, as the peace board plan calls for an international council to manage reconstruction financing, security coordination, and political cooperation in Gaza - all while working in cooperation with a Palestinian technocratic administration.

Yet there are other peculiar aspects. For example Bloomberg recently reported that the Trump administration is asking nations interested in holding a permanent seat on a proposed Gaza Strip "Board of Peace" to pledge at least $1 billion in funding. Otherwise they will just hold a three-year seat, according to some initial details. Would the Vatican contemplate this?

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Pope Leo Evaluating US Invitation To Join Trump's Gaza Board Of Peace

Goldman Exec Denies Plan To Oust Top Lawyer Over Epstein Revelations

A senior Goldman Sachs executive says rumors of a plan to oust general counsel and top adviser to CEO David Solomon, Kathryn Ruemmler, are "completely untrue," after recent document dumps from Jeffrey Epstein's estate revealed that she was far closer with him than previously known. 

Ruemmler - a former top legal advisor in the Obama administration - told Goldman execs when they hired her that her relationship with Epstein was purely professional and stemmed from her time as a white-collar defense attorney at Latham & Watkins. It would later become public that she not only met with Epstein dozens of times and exchanged friendly emails for years, she was listed as an executor of Epstein's will as recently as Jan. 18, 2019 - which had been removed before he died in prison on Aug. 10 of that year.

She was hired at Goldman in April 2020 as the bank's head of regulatory affairs. In November of that year, she was forced to give a heads up to Goldman execs when the Daily Beast published an article revealing she was in the courtroom at Epstein's 2019 arraignment. 

Her name also appears hundreds of times in a 500-page log of emails between Epstein and his lawyers that are still under seal because Epstein's estate has cited attorney-client privilege, according to the Wall Street Journal. 

In November, Congress released dozens of emails she had exchanged with Epstein, including some disparaging President Trump, that sparked a panic among some Goldman executives. 

“Trump is so gross,” Ruemmler wrote in a 2017 message with Epstein. He replied “worse in real life and upclose.” -WSJ

Goldman Panics

After an April 2023 report in the Journal detailing the more extensive connections between Ruemmler and Epstein - including how the two had "met dozens of times, that Epstein had visited apartments she was considering buying and that he offered assistance with her travel planning," including a 2017 plan to take her to 'pedo island,' bankers complained to senior management - pointing out that she had a role on the firm's reputational risk committee. The bankers were essentially told to stand down. 

Then, at a dinner organized at CEO David Solomon's Manhattan apartment in 2024, several women who attended told the Journal that they were appalled that Solomon had Ruemmler help organize the event. Solomon, at a later gathering with high-ranking women, complained that Ruemmler had garnered that kind of reaction - and couldn't believe that there were senior women at the firm who would bristle at her. Solomon told the WSJ in a statement that no women had ever raised concerns to him about Ruemmler's involvement in the dinner. 

Concern inside Goldman had picked up by spring 2025 as the public’s focus on releasing the Epstein files intensified. The Trump administration initially vowed to release everything and then pulled back. Some high up the ranks at Goldman thought the firm dodged a bullet, people familiar with the matter said. The relief was short-lived when the House Oversight Committee subpoenaed the Epstein estate in August.

In September, the House committee released the Jan. 18, 2019, version of Epstein’s will that listed Ruemmler as a backup executor. 

Her presence on the will had been discovered by some at Goldman as far back as 2023 when an external lawyer informed a Goldman executive, people familiar with the matter said. -WSJ

Ouster in the Works?

According to the new report, Goldman exec John Rogers - who brought Ruemmler into the bank, reportedly told close associates he was formulating a contingency plan for her exit later this year, according to people familiar with the matter. The idea would be to let her save face with as graceful an exit as possible. 

When asked about it, Rogers told the outlet "That is completely untrue." Another person familiar with the matter said that Solomon hasn't been involved with the plan. 

Ruemmler, meanwhile, doubled down on her assertion that she kept things professional, telling the Journal that her association with Epstein was from when "it was my job to engage with people and companies that had serious legal and public relations problems. Many were under criminal investigation, and many had been convicted of crimes."

She also insists that she never represented Epstein or advocated on her behalf, despite Epstein texting an unknown individual with "what Kathy suggests we tell Waco" (later corrected to WaPo, as in the Washington Post). 

Epstein also told some of his lawyers in 2019 that Ruemmler, a former federal prosecutor, could be a valuable asset to his legal defense. Some on his team discussed asking her to prepare a character witness letter for a bail hearing - as well as she, among other female lawyers under consideration, could cross-examine some of Epstein's accusers, people familiar with the matter told the Journal. 

Ruemmler denied this, telling the outlet that she never drafted a letter, nor was she asked to cross-examine victims. 

Goldman spox Tony Fratto also told the Journal: "Before she accepted the offer to join Goldman Sachs, she proactively disclosed her association with Jeffrey Epstein and other high-profile clients and contacts who might attract media attention, so that the firm would be aware of them. The firm did its own diligence and was satisfied. Nobody involved in Kathy’s hiring had concerns about her prior legal work."

However, recent disclosures have triggered internal and external reviews, which are expected to continue if more information comes to light, according to the report. 

Ruemmler and Epstein's relationship appears to have really taken off in 2014, the year she left the Obama administration and was a partner at Latham & Watkins. She was put into Epstein's orbit by Reid Weingarten - a layer at Steptoe who also transferred his client, Swiss bank Edmond de Rothschild Group - to Ruemmler.  In 2015, Epstein has entered into a $25 million consulting agreement with the Swiss bank that he negotiated with Ariane de Rothschild - one of his associates. 

Ruemmler took on Rothschild as a Latham client, representing it in a U.S. regulatory matter. Latham has said Epstein wasn’t one of the firm’s clients. Weingarten went on to become one of the lawyers who represented Epstein in his 2019 criminal case. -WSJ

So it looks like Goldman is publicly standing behind their former Epstein gal-pal top lawyer, for now. 

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Goldman Exec Denies Plan To Oust Top Lawyer Over Epstein Revelations

NYC Mayor Mamdani Under Fire Not For Snubbing Black Appointees

Authored by Luis Cornelio via Headline USA,

Zohran Mamdani, New York City’s newly sworn-in mayor, is already facing criticism less than a month into his tenure. Not for his democratic socialist agenda, but for failing to appoint black and Hispanic officials. 

In New York City, the mayor relies heavily on deputy mayors, a group that functions much like a cabinet. Mamdani’s predecessor, Eric Adams, filled his administration with black and Hispanic officials, a stark contrast to Mamdani’s approach. 

According to a New York Times report on Thursday, some black and Latino leaders “worry they are being denied access to power under Mayor Zohran Mamdani and that they may lose the ground they had gained under former Mayor Eric Adams.” 

So far, Mamdani has appointed five deputy mayors. None are black, and only one is Hispanic. 

The imbalance has drawn backlash. 

“He already doesn’t have the best relationship with the Black community,” said political consultant Tyquana Henderson-Rivers. “And it seems like he’s not interested in us because there’s no representation in his kitchen cabinet.” 

It must be so exhausting being a lib. https://t.co/xiZtutq8A5

— Tim Carney (@TPCarney) January 16, 2026

Arc of Justice President Kristen John Foy echoed that concern, warning that Mamdani’s staffing decisions undercut his pledge of diversity. 

“For someone who prides himself on being directly engaged with everyday New Yorkers, to be so tone deaf to the cries of Black and Latinos in the city for access to power is shocking,” Foy said.  

She added, “There are some very good people of color that have been appointed to some high-level positions, but those people are not at the center of the decision-making apparatus in this city.” 

In response, Mamdani spokesperson Dora Pekec dismissed the criticism, claiming that 18 of the administration’s 32 appointees are minorities. 

Mamdani was sworn into office on Jan. 1 after campaigning as a democratic socialist and vowing to enact some of the most radical left-wing policies in New York City history. 

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NYC Mayor Mamdani Under Fire Not For Snubbing Black Appointees

Catch-Up Contributions: Maximizing Your Savings If You're Over 50 In 2026 And Beyond

Authored by John Rampton Via The Epoch Times,

If you’re over 50 and feel behind on retirement savings, you’re not alone—and you’re not out of options. There is a powerful tool that the government provides to help you close the gap: catch-up contributions.

Ground Picture/Shutterstock

This extra contribution is designed to help older workers boost their retirement savings during their peak earning years. Its importance has never been greater than it is today because of rising inflation, higher living costs, and longer life expectancies. In addition, the SECURE 2.0 Act (SECURE refers to Setting Every Community Up for Retirement Enhancement) has added more opportunities by 2025, especially for those between the ages of 60 and 63.

Let’s take a look at what’s new, how much you can contribute, and what the updates mean for your retirement plan.

Why Catch-Up Contributions Matter

It is a struggle for many Americans to save enough for retirement. For people 55–64, the median retirement savings are $185,000, which is much lower than the $1.26 million “magic number.”

A catch-up contribution gives you a chance to make up for lost time. If you started saving late, took time off work, or simply couldn’t save as much as you hoped, these contributions let you go beyond 401(k) and 403(b) limits.

With the average life expectancy now in its 80s, a larger nest egg allows you to maintain your lifestyle, cover healthcare expenses, and reduce financial stress as you age.

Standard Catch-Up Contribution Rules

The Internal Revenue Service allows you to contribute more to your retirement accounts if you’re over 50.

• 401(k), 403(b), and similar plans. In 2025, you can contribute an additional $7,500.
• Individual Retirement Accounts (IRAs) (Traditional or Roth). An additional $1,000 can be added each year.

If you’re over 50, you could contribute up to $31,000 to your 401(k) and $8,000 to your IRA in 2025, assuming you have the income and plan flexibility.

In addition to boosting your savings, pre-tax contributions can also cut your taxable income or boost tax-free retirement income—if contributions are made to a Roth.

What’s New in 2025: Key Retirement Contribution Limits

Always check your plan details with your employer or plan administrator, as contribution limits and eligibility may vary.

Standard Workplace Plan Limits

• Employee deferral limit. The maximum amount for 2025 is $23,500.
• Standard catch-up (Age over 50). For those 50 or older, an additional $7,500 can be contributed, bringing the total to $31,000.

SECURE 2.0 ‘Super Catch-Up’

As a result of SECURE 2.0, retirees will experience a powerful—but temporary—boost.

• Who qualifies? Employees aged 60, 61, 62, or 63 in 2025.
• Limit. There is an enhanced catch-up of up to $11,250—the greater of $10,000 or 150 percent of the standard $7,500 limit.
• Total potential contribution. It’s possible to defer up to $34,750 in 2025, including $23,500 in standard deferral and $11,250 in super catch-up, if your plan allows it.
• Action step. Employers have the option of using this feature. Be sure to check with your HR department or plan administrator to confirm participation.

This “super catch-up” gives late-career savers a rare chance to supercharge their savings in the final years before retirement.

IRA Contribution Limits (Traditional & Roth)

• Standard IRA limit. The same as last year.
• Catch-up (Age over 50). Those 50 and older can contribute an additional $1,000, bringing the total contribution to $8,000.

Even if you’re contributing to a workplace plan, adding to an IRA can increase your investment options and tax savings.

Mandatory Roth Catch-Up for High Earners

Some older workers will soon be able to make catch-up contributions under a new rule called SECURE 2.0.

• Who is Affected. Participants aged 50 or older and who earned more than $145,000 in Federal Insurance Contributions Act (FICA) wages from the employer in the previous calendar year.
• The Rule. Catch-up contributions must be made on an after-tax Roth basis. Pre-tax catch-up contributions will no longer be an option for this group.
• Who is Exempt. Individuals earning $145,000 or less, or those contributing only to IRAs/SIMPLE (savings incentive match plan for employees) IRAs.

Ultimately, starting in 2026, high earners aged over 50 will pay taxes on their catch-up contributions upfront (Roth), but can withdraw their money in retirement tax-free. If their plans offer it, all other eligible employees can continue to choose between pre-tax and Roth options.

How to Think About This Emotionally

Behavior isn’t driven by numbers alone—it’s driven by feelings. For you to make this real, here are a few mindset pivots:

• From “Am I too late?” to “I’m on the home stretch and I can sprint.” You may not have decades ahead of you, but you do have years—and that can translate into meaningful savings.
• From “I can’t make up for lost time” to “Let’s make the next 10–15 years count.” Rather than lamenting what you missed, think about what you can still gain. You can use this catch-up window to your advantage.
• From “Retirement is far away” to “Every dollar now has more impact.” The later you start, the greater the impact of every incremental dollar saved. In other words, boosting contributions is not optional—it’s strategic.
• From “Saving is painful” to “Saving is freedom.” The more you contribute, the fewer worries you’ll have later on. In the long run, it’s more about peace than immediate sacrifice.

How to Make Catch-Up Contributions Work for You

For those numbers to become results, here are some actionable steps:

Confirm Your Plan Allows for Catch-Ups

There is no guarantee that your plan will provide it just because you are over 50. If you are unsure of your plan’s details, check with HR or benefits. There must be a provision for catch-up contributions in the plan.

Decide Whether to Use Pre-Tax or Roth

If your retirement plan allows Roth contributions, consider your tax strategies: paying tax now versus paying tax later. Beginning in 2026, high earners may be required to follow Roth catch-up rules. In other words, this is a strategic moment.

Automate Your Contributions

Be sure to set your payroll deferral to capture the full limit, or as much as you can comfortably afford. As a result, decision fatigue and “out of sight, out of mind” barriers are removed.

Prioritize if Balancing Other Needs

Depending on how you balance savings, debt, and lifestyle costs, you may not reach the full catch-up limit at once. That’s okay. Decide what you can contribute now and then increase it incrementally.

Pair This With the Broader Retirement Plan

While catch-up contributions alone cannot guarantee retirement success, they can certainly enhance it. In addition to asset allocation, spending targets, withdrawal strategies, and other late-career considerations, make sure you consider other factors as well.

Work Until You’re Ready

Adding a working year increases savings, contributions, compound growth, and reduces the number of years of drawdown. With the right health and circumstances, staying in the workforce longer can be a perfect combination with catch-up strategies.

Watch-Outs and Potential Pitfalls

Catch-ups have caveats, as with anything:

• Plan limitations. Your employer should allow catch-ups and super catch-up contributions if you fall into the 60–63 bracket. But it is possible that some plans will not implement these new limits right away.
• Tax-treatment shifts. Beginning in 2026, many high earners will have to make catch-up contributions as Roth contributions (losing the upfront deduction). As a result, there is less immediate tax benefit through future tax-free growth.
• Cash-flow and lifestyle trade-offs. Increasing contributions means less take-home pay. If you over-stretch, you may feel deprived or be stressed about your finances. Balance is key.
• Not substituting for a full retirement plan. Contributions are powerful, but you also need to address spending habits, investment risk, and withdrawal strategies. In other words, don’t think of catch-ups as a magic wand.
• Over-reliance on employer plans. When you change jobs, your employer’s match, vesting, or plan rules may change. Be flexible and adapt your strategy as needed.

The Emotional Payoff: Why It’s Worth It

As you shift your mindset from “I’m behind” to “I’m catching up smartly,” several emotional changes occur:

• Less anxiety about “being too old to save.” It’s a matter of actively using your advantages.
• By maximizing every available lever, you’ll have more confidence in your retirement horizon.
• More control over your retirement narrative rather than resigning to “We’ll see what happens.”
• Being proactive now instead of waiting and worrying later gives you more peace of mind.

Yes, it feels good to know that you are going the extra mile. Compound growth, tax savings, and emotional resilience are all benefits of that “something extra.”

Final Thoughts

If you’re over 50 and working, don’t miss out on catch-up contributions. In 2025, you have the opportunity to boost your savings, close gaps, and reshape your retirement outlook. In certain plans, $31,000 is available (or up to $34,750 if you are 60-63) in total. Keep in mind that you still have time, you can still act, and you can still make meaningful progress.

As you move forward, make sure you check your plan’s specifics, choose pre-tax vs Roth, automate, balance lifestyle, and integrate into your larger retirement plan. By doing so, you won’t just increase your savings—you’ll change your perception of your financial future, too. In many instances, how you feel is crucial to a successful retirement.

So, let’s close the gap, own the next chapter, and make every contribution count.

By John Rampton

The views and opinions expressed are those of the authors. They are meant for general informational purposes only and should not be construed or interpreted as a recommendation or solicitation. The Epoch Times does not provide investment, tax, legal, financial planning, estate planning, or any other personal finance advice. The Epoch Times holds no liability for the accuracy or timeliness of the information provided.

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Catch-Up Contributions: Maximizing Your Savings If You're Over 50 In 2026 And Beyond

NYC Socialists Prepare Mass Mobilization Of 4,000 Anti-ICE Army

New York City's Democratic Socialists of America are moving to train and mobilize more than 4,000 anti-ICE activists into "rapid response" units designed to interfere with federal deportation operations targeting criminal illegal aliens, according to a New York Post report.

DSA's effort to assemble a highly organized anti-ICE army of purple-haired leftists to impede federal deportation operations is particularly alarming because the planning phase was apparently being done at an upscale Midtown headquarters of the Chinese Communist Party-linked People's Forum, a venue littered with pro-Communism rhetoric.

"As we've seen in other cities, we still do anticipate a big wave of federal immigration enforcement," a DSA official who called herself Marina told the crowd of about 100 members last Thursday.

NYPost reported that the NYC chapter is preparing to train upwards of 2,000 DSA members and another 2,000 non-members, and to activate 50 additional trainers. If this story is accurate, it suggests that pressure campaigns against ICE agents on city streets, such as those seen in Minneapolis after the fatal shooting of Renee Good by an ICE officer, are highly organized.  

"When we got the call for this ICE sighting, within minutes, we had 20 to 30 observers on foot and in vehicle, myself included. We showed up and we overwhelmed these ICE agents so much that they let this detainee go. They are scaring us, but we are scaring them right back. We have to keep going. It is working," one of these legal observers in Minneapolis admitted in a social media post.

ALERT: Woman reveals that a quick response group she’s in was able impede and obstruct an ICE operation that ended in the detainee being let loose:

“When we got the call for this ICE sighting, within minutes, we had 20 to 30 observers on foot and in vehicle, myself included.… pic.twitter.com/4rYXbWfitN

— E X X ➠A L E R T S (@ExxAlerts) January 18, 2026

Here's more from the NYPost report:

The group didn’t say what all of this will cost, but the member-funded organization repeatedly asked for money throughout the nearly two-hour long meeting – with one leader even going around the room with a red beanie soliciting cash donations in the socialist version of a collection plate.

Most concerning is that a dark-money NGO network tied to a CCP-linked communist billionaire, Neville Roy Singham, was allegedly at the center of this anti-ICE chaos and potentially seen as a command-and-control support node to organize nationwide protests.

This time around, as the Democratic Party's NGO network attempts to spark 'George Floyd 2.0', we've understood how this protest industrial complex operates, and even the Trump administration has caught on, with Trump lashing out at paid protesters, and even Scott Bessent at the Treasury talking about investigating the NGOs.

It has become clearer than ever that Democrats and their NGO networks are waging a color-revolution-style operation against the America First agenda, one that increasingly appears aimed at obstructing federal deportation efforts intended to restore national security after the Biden-Harris regime allowed an invasion.

Democrats oppose the deportation of criminal illegals because they view this population as a future voting bloc, part of a broader strategy to entrench a sinister one-party rule. In the process, national security has been sacrificed for political power.

Why Democrats and their DSA allies are coordinating with a CCP-linked communist billionaire's group to disrupt efforts to restore national security should be deeply alarming to the Trump administration. Yet amid all this chaos, one question remains: why have there been no meaningful reforms in the NGO universe?

"At this point, I have to believe that authorities and law enforcement know that the People's Forum is not just ground zero for organizing NYC protests, but for foreign influence nonprofits on a national level. For them to be collaborating with the DSA, fresh off their return from Cuba, is a huge escalation in the revolution against the West. The DSA has an estimated 11,000 members in NYC alone. I pray that we don't have another summer of protest-turned-riots in American cities, but these groups are training to do exactly that. You know the old saying: When someone tells you who they are, believe them," an NGO expert focused on the Singham network told ZeroHedge.

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NYC Socialists Prepare Mass Mobilization Of 4,000 Anti-ICE Army

DOJ Sues Virginia For Failing To Turn Over Voter Rolls

Authored by Troy Myers via The Epoch Times (emphasis ours),

The U.S. Department of Justice is suing the Commonwealth of Virginia over its failure to provide election records, according to a news release Friday.

The U.S. Department of Justice in Washington on Aug. 7, 2025. Madalina Kilroy/The Epoch Times

This lawsuit becomes the latest in what’s been a flurry of legal actions by President Donald Trump’s administration against states to ensure election integrity and accurate voter rolls. The DOJ’s suit against Virginia now brings the total to 24 states and the District of Columbia.

Assistant Attorney General Harmeet Dhillon announced the latest lawsuit Friday evening in a post on X.

“Virginia becomes the next state sued for ignoring federal law!” Dhillon exclaimed in her post. “The Justice Department means business—and [the DOJ Civil Rights Division] will keep fighting to clean up voter rolls. Happy Friday!”

In the DOJ news release, Attorney General Pam Bondi said her office has sued the two dozen states, plus Washington, D.C., and will continue filing lawsuits to protect American elections.

“Accurate voter rolls are the foundation of election integrity, and any state that fails to meet this basic obligation of transparency can expect to see us in court,” Bondi said.

In the DOJ filing, Virginia Elections Commissioner Susan Beals is accused of violating a measure of the Civil Rights Act for not providing election records upon demand by the attorney general.

The Justice Department is asking the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Virginia to order Beals to turn over the statewide voter registration list, including each individual’s name, date of birth, address, and either their driver’s license number, last four digits of their Social Security number, or their Help America Vote Act unique identifier, the court documents read. The DOJ wants these records turned over within five days of a court order.

“Accurate voter rolls are essential to ensuring that American citizens’ votes count only once, and only with other eligible voters,” Dhillon said in the Friday news release.

“The Justice Department is committed to safeguarding fair and free elections, and will hold states accountable when they refuse to respect our federal elections laws.” [source]

Lindsey Halligan, U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of Virginia, said the commonwealth’s refusal to turn over voter rolls not only violates federal law but also undercuts public trust in elections.

“This office will enforce the law to ensure the public and federal authorities receive the information they are entitled to,” Halligan said.

Friday’s lawsuit against Virginia comes only a day after a federal judge dismissed a similar DOJ lawsuit against California. The Golden State declined to provide its voter rolls, citing state privacy laws. California offered redacted records instead.

The judge called the Justice Department’s demand for voter data was “unprecedented and illegal.”

Virginia Election Commissioner Beals’s email bounced back twice when The Epoch Times reached out for comment. The state’s department of elections did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

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DOJ Sues Virginia For Failing To Turn Over Voter Rolls

Michael Cohen Turns Against Letitia James And Alvin Bragg

Authored by Jonathan Turley,

Michael Cohen is back.

The disbarred lawyer has spent a lifetime marketing his curious skill set: a moral and ethical flexibility that allows him to do things that others would find revolting.  A legal thug who threatened students, journalists, and others on behalf of his former client. He then turned against Trump to cut a deal for himself after being criminally charged for fraudulent conduct. He has now turned against the New York prosecutors who sought to rehabilitate him to prosecute Trump.

For full disclosure, I have been a critic of Cohen for years, dating back to his time as a thug for Donald Trump, when I chastised the New York bar for failing to act against him. While the media once despised Cohen, he became a darling of the press when he turned against Trump.

Cohen’s North Star has always been pure, unadulterated self-interest. Neither loyalty nor decency has deterred Cohen from making false statements or serving the interests of his changing patrons.

His conduct as an attorney was a disgrace to the bar for years, as he gamed the system for his own benefit. Michael Cohen was long known as the “fixer” for former President Trump — a legal thug who threatened students, journalists, and others on behalf of his former client.

His signature has been to threaten lawsuits against critics. He even sued Trump and failed.

When his fraudulent business conduct led to criminal charges, it was clear that he was again entertaining best offers. Cohen reinvented himself as a redemptive sinner and received financial support from Trump critics.

Throughout this process and after his conviction, he continued to be accused of lying.

He claimed urgent medical needs for release from prison. Of course, he previously claimed health problems for failing to appear to testify, only to be spotted out on the town for a fancy dinner.

During the Trump trial, Cohen was again accused of lying. He spent two days insisting that he had been a liar but had lied to help former President Donald Trump.

Cohen has lied to Congress, courts, special counsels, the IRS, the banks, and virtually every creature that walks or crawls on the face of the Earth.

Notably, his past convictions for business and tax fraud were not taken in Trump’s interest but in his own.

When he admitted on the stand that he lied during his prior plea agreement, it was to advance his own interests.

Cohen has now continued this pattern of shifting loyalties and turned on New York Attorney General Letitia James and Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg, accusing them of pressuring him to frame his testimony to guarantee Trump’s conviction.

After Trump’s recent court victories and the remanding of his federal case, Cohen is claiming that the Manhattan District Attorney’s Office and the New York Attorney General’s Office “pressured and coerced” him into tailoring testimony:

“I felt pressured and coerced only to provide information and testimony that would satisfy the government’s desire to build the cases against and secure a judgment and convictions against President Trump.”

The posting led some to speculate that Cohen is again marketing his availability to the highest bidder.

Whatever the reason, his statement clearly undermines his former allies as they struggle to preserve what remains of their prior prosecutions.

Cohen remains the personification of the old fable of the scorpion and frog. In the fable,  a scorpion convinced a leery frog to carry him across a river, noting that he could not sting him since they would both drown. Halfway across, the scorpion struck, and the frog asked why he would doom them both. The scorpion replied, “I am sorry, but I couldn’t resist the urge. It’s in my nature.”

James and Bragg just felt that all-too-familiar sting from Michael Cohen.

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Michael Cohen Turns Against Letitia James And Alvin Bragg

Trump Admin Was In 'Discussions' With Venezuelan Minister Months Before Raid

The White House was conducting back-channel communications with Venezuela's hardline interior minister Diosdado Cabello months before the US operation to seize President Nicolas Maduro, and has been in communication with him since then, according to Reuters, citing multiple government officials who spoke on condition of anonymity. 

Cabello, who was Maduro's right hand and seen as Venezuela's second most powerful figure (and close aide of the late former President Hugo Chavez), was key to a 'smooth' regime change - as the 62-year-old had (and has) the power to turn the country's security services or militant ruling-party supporters he oversees to target the country's opposition. That security apparatus he controls has remained largely intact since the Jan. 3 US raid. 

Cabello is named in the same U.S. drug-trafficking indictment that the Trump administration used as justification to arrest Maduro, but was not taken as part of the operation.

The communication with Cabello, which has also touched on sanctions the U.S. has imposed on him and the indictment he faces, dates back to the early days of the current Trump administration and continued in the weeks just prior to the U.S. ouster of Maduro, two sources familiar with the discussions said. The administration has also been in touch with Cabello since Maduro's ouster, four of the people said.

The communications, which have not been previously reported, are critical to the Trump administration's efforts to control the situation inside Venezuela. If Cabello decides to unleash the forces that he controls, it could foment the kind of chaos that Trump wants to avoid and threaten interim President Delcy Rodriguez's grip on power, according to a source briefed on U.S. concerns. -Reuters

Cabello has publicly pledged unity with interim president Rodriguez - who is seen as central to the Trump admin's post-Maduro plans for Venezuela, while Cabello has the power to do things 'the easy way, or the hard way' as they say. 

A former military officer, Cabello has great influence over Venezuela's military and civilian counterintelligence agencies - which conduct widespread domestic espionage. He's also been very close with pro-government militias, particularly the colectivos - a motorcycle gang of armed civilians who have allegedly been deployed to attack protesters. 

The Trump administration has relied on Cabello to keep the situation under control while it accesses the OPEC nation's oil reserves. 

In the hours after Maduro's ouster, some analysts and politicians in Washington questioned why the U.S. didn't also grab Cabello - listed second in the Department of Justice indictment of Maduro.

"I know that just Diosdado is probably worse than Maduro and worse than Delcy," Republican U.S. Representative Maria Elvira Salazar said in an interview with CBS's "Face the Nation" on January 11.
In the days following, Cabello denounced American intervention in the country, saying in a speech that "Venezuela will not surrender."

But media reports of residents being searched at checkpoints - sometimes by uniformed members of the security forces and sometimes by people in plain clothes - have become less frequent in recent days. -Reuters

Meanwhile, Rodriguez has been working to surround herself with loyalists - installing them in key positions to protect herself against internal threats while boosting oil production at the request of Washington, according to Reuters interviews with Venezuelan insiders.

That said, Trump special representative on Venezuela (1st term) Elliot Abrams, expects Cabello to be removed at some point.

"If and when he goes, Venezuelans will know that the regime has really begun to change," said Abrams, who's now at the Council on Foreign Relations.

Cabello has been sanctioned by the US for several years on charges of alleged drug trafficking. In 2020, the US government issued a $10 million bounty for Cabello, who they indicted as a key figure in the "Cartel de Soles," a group that the US has said is a Venezuelan drug-trafficking network - yet which President Trump admitted wasn't an actual organization. As we noted earlier this month, this isn't semantics: Both the Treasury and State Departments had officially designated the non-existent group as a terrorist organization. The latest development seems to at least partially confirm doubts raised by outside observers and lend credence to denials by the Venezuelan government. In November, the country's foreign minister said he "absolutely rejects the new and ridiculous fabrication" by which Secretary of State Marco Rubio had "designated the non-existent Cartel de los Soles as a terrorist organization."

Since the initial bounty on Cabello, the US has raised it to $25 million. 

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Trump Admin Was In 'Discussions' With Venezuelan Minister Months Before Raid

Clinton-Appointed Federal Judge Denies DOJ Bid To Access California Voter Registration Rolls

Authored by Aldgra Fredly via The Epoch Times,

A federal judge on Jan. 15 dismissed the Department of Justice’s (DOJ’s) bid to access California’s voter registration databases, ruling that the demand for voter data from California Secretary of State Shirley Weber was “unprecedented and illegal.”

In a 33-page decision, Clinton-appointed U.S. District Judge David O. Carter sided with California, saying the DOJ cannot use civil rights legislation “as a tool to forsake the privacy rights of millions of Americans,” noting that such authority rests solely with Congress.

The DOJ filed lawsuits in September against six states, including California, alleging they violated federal law by refusing to provide voting records the department said were necessary to prevent inclusion of ineligible voters. The lawsuits were filed separately in each state.

“The Department of Justice seeks to use civil rights legislation which was enacted for an entirely different purpose to amass and retain an unprecedented amount of confidential voter data,” Carter said.

“This effort goes far beyond what Congress intended when it passed the underlying legislation.”

The judge also said the federal government’s request could deter voters from registering due to concerns about how their personal information might be used, threatening the right to vote.

“The centralization of this information by the federal government would have a chilling effect on voter registration which would inevitably lead to decreasing voter turnout as voters fear that their information is being used for some inappropriate or unlawful purpose,” Carter said.

California Secretary of State Shirley Weber speaks in Los Angeles on April 15, 2024. John Fredricks/The Epoch Times

Weber welcomed the ruling and said she would continue to challenge what she described as the administration’s “disregard for the rule of law and our right to vote.”

“As California Secretary of State, I am entrusted with ensuring that California’s state election laws are enforced—including state laws that protect the privacy of Californians’ data,” Weber said in a Jan. 15 statement.

The Epoch Times reached out to the DOJ for comment, but did not receive a response by publication time.

In its complaint against California on Sept. 25, 2025, the DOJ said the state refused to cooperate with the federal government’s request for voter registration databases—including each voter’s full name, date of birth, address, state driver’s license number, and the last four digits of their Social Security number—citing concerns over privacy protections.

The DOJ had argued that its Civil Rights Division has been tasked by Congress with ensuring that states conduct voter registration list maintenance to prevent ineligible voters from being listed.

“Clean voter rolls are the foundation of free and fair elections,” U.S. Attorney General Pamela Bondi said in a statement at the time.

“Every state has a responsibility to ensure that voter registration records are accurate, accessible, and secure—states that don’t fulfill that obligation will see this Department of Justice in court.”

Citing the lawsuits, the DOJ said at the time that Bondi is uniquely charged by Congress “with the enforcement of the National Voter Registration Act (NVRA) and the Help America Vote Act (HAVA), which were designed by Congress to ensure that states have proper and effective voter registration and voter list maintenance programs.”

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Clinton-Appointed Federal Judge Denies DOJ Bid To Access California Voter Registration Rolls