The Average American Worker Has Just $955 in Retirement Savings, New Study Finds

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A new study finds that the median American worker has just $955 saved for retirement through a defined contribution plan like a 401(k) account, with most falling well short of recommended retirement savings targets for their ages.

The study by the National Institute on Retirement Security (NIRS) found that among all workers between the ages of 21 and 64, including those who haven’t saved anything for retirement, the median amount saved in a defined contribution plan was just $955 as of 2023.

By contrast, among those who have positive retirement plan wealth — or at least $1 saved in a defined contribution (DC) plan — the median savings were much higher at $40,000.

The report found that the average account balance among workers aged 21 to 64, including those with no savings, was $93,229. However, among those who have saved at least $1 in a DC plan, the average savings was $179,082.

NIRS’ study also compared Americans’ retirement savings balances against the targets used by Fidelity, which developed guidelines based on age and income levels. (Read more from “The Average American Worker Has Just $955 in Retirement Savings, New Study Finds” HERE)

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Top Goldman Sachs Lawyer Shocks Execs With Abrupt Resignation After ‘Xoxo’ Emails With Epstein Surface

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Goldman Sachs’ top lawyer is finally headed for the exit over her Jeffrey Epstein ties — and she surprised the bank by making the decision to leave herself, The Post has learned.

The Wall Street giant said late Thursday that Kathy Ruemmler — who in the latest Epstein files dump was revealed to have an email rapport with the convicted pedophile right up to the days before his suicide, even signing her notes with “xoxo” — is leaving the bank.

In an odd twist, however, Ruemmler won’t be leaving until June 30.

What’s more, it was her decision — and she blindsided Goldman with the news, according to sources.

“I made the determination that the media attention on me, relating to my prior work as a defense attorney, was becoming a distraction,” Ruemmler said in a statement.

Sources said Ruemmler called up Solomon to break the news after an email surfaced that showed Ruemmler signed emails to Jeffrey Epstein with “xoxo” and wished him a happy birthday — prompting a crude joke from the disgraced financier about naming his penis. (Read more from “Top Goldman Sachs Lawyer Shocks Execs With Abrupt Resignation After ‘Xoxo’ Emails With Epstein Surface” HERE)

Olympics Ban Ukrainian Athlete for Helmet Depicting Athletes Killed by Russia

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Ukrainian skeleton pilot Vladyslav Heraskevych, 27, was banned from the 2026 Winter Olympics on Thursday, just minutes before his event was due to begin, because he insisted on wearing a helmet covered with images of athletes killed by Russia’s invasion of his country.

Heraskevych said he accepted the ban as the “price of our dignity,” but he insisted his helmet did not actually violate the rules set by the International Olympic Committee (IOC) and he noted that other athletes have been allowed to express political opinions at the Winter Games.

“U.S. figure skater, Canadian freeskier, Israeli skeleton athlete who is also here today, they didn’t face the same things,” he said. “So suddenly, just a Ukrainian athlete in this Olympic Games will be disqualified for this helmet.”

In an interview on Thursday after the IOC announced its decision, Heraskevych said he felt “emptiness” because he was banned over “an interpretation of the rules which I do not agree with.”

“I was at many funerals when I was in Ukraine and it’s a truly terrible tragedy that young people at such a young age were killed for nothing. Because of their sacrifice, we’re able to be here today, and I want to honor them, and I want to honor their families,” he said. (Read more from “Olympics Ban Ukrainian Athlete for Helmet Depicting Athletes Killed by Russia” HERE)

Sanctuary California: Illegal Alien Hit with More Child Rape Charges After Allegedly Murdering 13-Year-Old Boy

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An illegal alien accused of raping and murdering 13-year-old Oscar Hernandez last year in the sanctuary state of California has been hit with additional child rape charges involving two other teen boys.

Last year, as Breitbart News reported, 44-year-old illegal alien Mario Edgardo Garcia-Aquino of El Salvador was arrested and charged by the Los Angeles District Attorney’s Office with raping Hernandez and then murdering him, leaving his body on the side of a road in Ventura County, California.

Hernandez was first reported missing by his family on March 28 after he had taken a train to Lancaster, California, to visit Garcia-Aquino, a youth soccer coach to young boys. Police allege that Garcia-Aquino murdered Hernandez while raping him before dumping his body.

Now, Garcia-Aquino is facing nine additional child sexual abuse charges — eight counts of sodomy of a person under 16 and one count of oral copulation of a person under 16.

Garcia-Aquino had been charged with sexually assaulting a teenage boy in December 2022 and was charged again in a separate case in February 2024 for sexually assaulting another teenage boy. (Read more from “Sanctuary California: Illegal Alien Hit with More Child Rape Charges After Allegedly Murdering 13-Year-Old Boy” HERE)

Lawmaker Rips Pam Bondi in Scathing Opening: ‘You’re Running a Massive Epstein Cover-Up’; Massie: Bondi Defense in Hearing Was ‘Incompetence’

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By Raw Story. Rep. Jamie Raskin (D-MD) Wednesday delivered a scathing opening statement and directly criticized Attorney General Pam Bondi, accusing her of deliberately blocking the investigation into late financier and convicted child sex offender Jeffrey Epstein.

Raskin, a ranking member, was one of several lawmakers questioning Bondi during a House Judiciary Committee Hearing on Capitol Hill. In a fiery speech, he demanded answers from Bondi about the Epstein files and investigation, and recent Department of Justice actions — reminding her that her clients are the American people — not President Donald Trump.

“But to promote justice for the people, you’ve got to listen to the victims like the women seated behind you today,” Raskin said. “Those are just some of the hundreds of survivors of Jeffrey Epstein’s global sex trafficking ring who are demanding that the truth be told and are demanding accountability for the abusers who trafficked and raped them you still haven’t met with these survivors.” . . .

“Now, you’re not showing a lot of interest in the victims, madam attorney general, whether it’s Epstein’s human trafficking ring or the homicidal governmental violence against citizens in Minneapolis, as attorney general, you’re siding with the perpetrators and you’re ignoring the victims that will be your legacy unless you act quickly to change course,” Raskin said.

“You’re running a massive Epstein coverup right out of the Department of Justice,” Raskin said. “You’ve been ordered by subpoena and by Congress to turn over 6 million documents, photographs and videos in the Epstein files but you’ve turned over only 3 million.” (Read more from “Lawmaker Rips Pam Bondi in Scathing Opening: ‘You’re Running a Massive Epstein Cover-Up’” HERE)

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Massie: Bondi Defense in Hearing Was ‘Incompetence’

By The Hill. Rep. Thomas Massie (R-Ky.) on Wednesday slammed Attorney General Pam Bondi’s defense of how the Department of Justice (DOJ) has handled the release of files tied to convicted sex offender Jeffrery Epstein.

“The recourse, and I keep reminding the folks at DOJ this, is that the next attorney general can bring charges against them for breaking the law,” Massie told reporters, after the attorney general’s combative testimony in front of the House Judiciary Committee.

“I think that’s what’s compelled them to produce 3 million documents. And now they’re claiming that it’s incompetence,” he added. “But [Bondi’s] defense today is incompetence for why they haven’t given us all the documents they should, why they have over-redacted in the case of co-conspirators and why they failed to redact the names of the victims.”

During the hearing, Bondi got into shouting matches with multiple Democratic lawmakers, who criticized the DOJ’s slow release of the Epstein files, particularly the redactions of numerous individuals and failures to conceal the names of victims.

At least 11 victims of Epstein were in the audience — with some wearing shirts referencing the redactions. When Rep. Pramila Jayapal (D-Wash.) asked the victims to raise their hands if they had not yet met with the DOJ, they each lifted a hand. (Read more from “>Massie: Bondi Defense in Hearing Was ‘Incompetence’” HERE)

Photo credit: Gage Skidmore via Flickr

Transgender Dropout Who Killed Family, 6 at Former School Posted About Dream of Becoming ‘Petite’ Woman

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The transgender high school dropout who slaughtered his mom and stepbrother before gunning down six others at his former school in Canada had whined online about his 6-foot-tall frame making it impossible to live out his dream as a “petite” woman.

Jesse Van Rootselaar, 18, aired his grievances about transitioning as well as his obsession for guns in a series of online posts in the years before unleashing hell at Tumbler Ridge Secondary School on Tuesday, the Telegraph reported.

“Do I have a good build type for HRT [hormone replacement therapy]?” Van Rootselaar wrote in a since-deleted post on a trans-community forum.

“Any advice is appreciated, should I put on weight or anything? Work out?”

In one post from March 2020, Van Rootselaar, who described himself as “MtF” — or male-to-female — wrote: “I’m pre-HRT 15yo, I’m super skinny, so that sometimes makes me feel kinda good!”

“But I’m Pre-HRT and my expectations are minimal for chest growth, and I’m 6ft tall! Why can’t I be petit an [sic] smol [small]?” (Read more from “Transgender Dropout Who Killed Family, 6 at Former School Posted About Dream of Becoming ‘Petite’ Woman” HERE)

Under Trump’s Direction, DOT Moves to Bar Unvetted Foreign Drivers From U.S. Trucking Industry

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The Trump administration finalized a major safety reform on Wednesday that blocks unvetted foreign nationals from obtaining commercial driver’s licenses, ending a system that allowed tens of thousands of drivers with unknown or dangerous histories to legally operate heavy trucks and buses in the United States. Department of Transportation Secretary Sean P. Duffy said the rule “ends a safety loophole that has wreaked havoc on our roadways.”

Secretary Duffy unveiled a sweeping new federal rule aimed at shutting down a long‑standing safety loophole that allowed unqualified foreign nationals to obtain commercial driver’s licenses in the United States. The rule, issued under President Donald Trump’s direction, bars states from licensing truck and bus drivers whose driving histories cannot be verified through consular or interagency screening—closing a gap federal officials say has put dangerous, unvetted drivers behind the wheel of 80,000‑pound commercial vehicles and contributed to a series of deadly crashes nationwide.

“For far too long, America has allowed dangerous foreign drivers to abuse our truck licensing systems – wreaking havoc on our roadways. This safety loophole ends today,” U.S. Transportation Secretary Sean P. Duffy said in Wednesday’s announcement. “Moving forward, unqualified foreign drivers will be unable to get a license to operate an 80,000-pound big rig. Under President Trump’s leadership, we are putting the safety of the driving public first. From enforcing English language standards to holding fraudulent carriers accountable, we will continue to attack this crisis on our roads head-on.”

DOT officials say the reforms address safety concerns raised following a series of fatal crashes involving non-domiciled CDL truck drivers. The new rule will enable consular and interagency screening to stop non-qualified drivers from obtaining or maintaining commercial driving permits. (Read more from “Under Trump’s Direction, DOT Moves to Bar Unvetted Foreign Drivers From U.S. Trucking Industry” HERE)

What Democrats Aren’t Saying About Their Judicial Warrant Demands For ICE

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Democrats are demanding federal agents obtain judicial warrants before arresting illegals on private property, a move experts liken to a Trojan horse that would weaken American immigration enforcement for years to come.

Judicial warrants have become a flashpoint in immigration enforcement, with sanctuary jurisdictions increasingly claiming that administrative warrants are not enough and a judge’s signature should be a prerequisite to any type of cooperation. Capitol Hill Democrats have seized on the issue, threatening to block funding for the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) if judicial warrants — along with body cameras and uniform requirements — aren’t mandated for personnel on the ground.

“Requiring a judicial warrant for every ICE [Immigration and Customs Enforcement] arrest would severely weaken the agency’s ability to enforce the law, and it would overwhelm the courts, which is likely what anti-ICE advocates in Congress are attempting to accomplish,” Tony Pham, who previously served as acting ICE director during the final months of the first Trump administration, told the Daily Caller News Foundation.

The chances of Republicans adopting Democrat demands to curtail Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) are basically nil, a Republican staffer involved in the negotiations told the DCNF, describing the demands as non-starters.

The demand for judicial warrants among the left reached a fever pitch after the deaths of Renee Good and Alex Pretti amid anti-ICE protests in January. The incidents sparked Democrats like Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz to equate immigration enforcement to Nazism and prompted party members in Washington, D.C., to threaten a DHS shutdown unless a list of reforms are met. (Read more from “What Democrats Aren’t Saying About Their Judicial Warrant Demands For ICE” HERE)

‘That’s an Enormous Thing’: Reporter Flags DOJ’s ‘Massive Scandal’ That’s Being Overlooked

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The evidence is mounting that President Donald Trump’s DOJ spied on members of Congress to determine how they were going to interrogate Attorney General Pam Bondi on the Jeffrey Epstein case files, MS NOW justice correspondent Ken Dilanian told Mika Brzezinski on “Morning Joe” Thursday — and it could blow up into a massive scandal.

“Ken, I’m interested in something specific that we we could see from one camera angle yesterday, and it looked like the attorney general had like the search history of the lawmaker that she was talking with up,” said Brzezinski. “And I don’t know if that’s her search or whose search history it is. What reporting do you have on that? What’s going on there?”

“Mika, I’m glad you brought this up, because in any other time, in any other administration, this would be a massive scandal that would consume acres of newsprint and we’d be talking about it every day,” said Dilanian. “There was a binder that showed that they had she had the search history of Congresswoman Jayapal, the search history when, remember, members of Congress got to view unredacted copies of the Epstein files, and presumably they did so on a Justice Department system. So the Justice Department had access to what they saw, and they used that as opposition research, essentially to try to embarrass the congresswoman.”

“And that, by the way, that’s a — that’s an enormous thing,” Dilanian continued. “Joe knows this. He was a member of Congress. I mean, remember when Dianne Feinstein accused the CIA, credibly, of spying on her in their oversight effort on the CIA torture question when a staffer was inside a CIA SCIF going through files? That was a major deal.”

(Read more from “‘That’s an Enormous Thing’: Reporter Flags DOJ’s ‘Massive Scandal’ That’s Being Overlooked” HERE)

Just One Democrat Votes For Trump-Backed Election Integrity Bill

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The House of Representatives passed a revamped version of a Trump-backed election integrity bill on Wednesday evening with little help from Democrats.

Lawmakers voted 216-213 to approve the SAVE America Act with just one Democratic lawmaker joining Republicans in support of the measure. The bill would require proof of citizenship to register to vote in federal elections, enacts a voter ID requirement at the ballot box long sought by Republicans and prohibits mail-only voter registrations.

Texas Rep. Henry Cuellar was the lone Democrat to buck House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries and support the election integrity bill.

Democrats argued the legislation’s requirements would erect barriers impeding millions of eligible voters, including married women who have changed their last names or Americans that do not have their birth certificates. Republicans countered that most states already have voter identification requirements and turnout has not been affected.

The GOP-controlled House of Representatives has passed versions of the SAVE Act over recent years, though the legislation has stalled in the Senate due to opposition from Democrats. (Read more from “Just One Democrat Votes For Trump-Backed Election Integrity Bill” HERE)