Month: June 2026

FROM ILLINOIS CENTER-LEFT SOURCES

CHICAGO SUN-TIMES
— Illinois Legislature bans new immigration detention centers near homes and schools. A bill awaiting Gov. JB Pritzker’s signature would bar new immigration detention centers from being built within 1,500 feet of certain community buildings.
https://chicago.suntimes.com/immigration/2026/06/01/illinois-legislature-bans-immigration-detention-centers-homes-schools

ABC7
— DD: Soon, under the Democrats, everyone will be a) handing out welfare and/or b) receiving welfare.
https://abc7chicago.com/post/northern-illinois-food-banks-summer-meals-program-returns-schools-close-break/19214885/

WMBD RADIO
— Bailey says latest state budget is “tax and spend”
https://wmbdradio.com/2026/06/01/republican-challenger-to-gov-pritzker-says-latest-state-budget-is-tax-and-spend/

WISCONSIN EXAMINER
— DD: Democrat leaders ever-increasingly promote more LGBTQ in Wisconsin.
https://wisconsinexaminer.com/2026/06/01/gov-tony-evers-raises-lgbtq-pride-flag-over-wisconsin-capitol-for-his-last-time/

3 NEWS NOW
— Iowa man received survivor benefits as a teen after dad’s death; the government wants it back decades later. Christopher Storm received roughly $500 a month in survivor benefits as a teenager after his father died. Now the government says he owes almost $8,000. DD: My father died suddenly when in October of 1969 he was 47 and I was 21. My Democrat Park Forest Post Office superiors had recently forced me to resign my part-time job. Because I was unemployed and a full-time student at NIU, my mother received small monthly checks from Social Security to help support me until I graduated in August of 1970.
https://www.3newsnow.com/southwest-iowa/iowa-man-received-survivor-benefits-as-a-teen-after-dads-death-the-government-wants-it-back-decades-later
(FROM THE ARTICLE: Christopher Storm was 17 years old, working at Pizza Hut and going to high school in Texas when his father died. He received survivor benefits from Social Security — roughly $500 a month — until he turned 18. “It was a help to receive the money, the funds, and be able to try to make it on my own,” Storm said. After a final, lump sum payment of roughly $3,000, he says benefits stopped when he came of age. Thirty years later, the government wants that money back. Storm and his wife, Amy, expected a tax refund this year. Instead, they were told the IRS was claiming it for a past debt. The Social Security Administration says Storm was overpaid in 1996 and now owes almost $8,000. “We’re frantically just trying to figure out what was going on,” Storm said of the moment they learned the IRS was clawing back their refund. Council Bluffs attorney, Keith Buzzard with McGinn Law, says over-payment cases like this are not unusual. “It is fairly common. I think in any given year, there’s like a million of these letters that go out to people,” he said. Buzzard says the financial impact can be severe for some recipients: “They’ll get a letter that they owe 40 or 50 grand.” One possible explanation Buzzard offered is that Storm may have earned too much money while working at Pizza Hut, which could have affected his eligibility for benefits. The Social Security Administration may have made the mistake in overpaying Storm, but that doesn’t mean they’ll just waive the debt. There is also no time limit on when the government can pursue these debts. “They can come back any time,” Buzzard said. The Storms say they would have put the tax refund toward some needed home repairs. “It may not seem real substantial to some people. It feels substantial to us,” Storm said. “To have them say, you know, thirty years later, ‘Hey, that was an over-payment’ definitely feels very unjust.” Buzzard says the Storms are taking the right first step by appealing the debt because that will at least help them get answers.)

SUBURBAN LIFE
— DD: Democrat leaders ever-increasingly promote more LGBTQ in Downers Grove.
https://www.shawlocal.com/my-suburban-life/2026/06/01/pride-month-supporters-speak-out-at-downers-grove-library-board-meeting/

CITY OF CHICAGO
— Homegrown Purchase Assistance Program. HomeGrown Program will provide up to $70,000 in assistance for low to moderate income home buyers. DD: When I was 24 in 1972, HUD made the new townhome that I bought in University Park ( https://www.zillow.com/homedetails/774-Sunset-Ct-5-University-Park-IL-60484/5451474_zpid/ ) affordable. I could not have afforded to buy that townhome if it had cost more. In today’s dollars, I paid about $180,000 for it. In today’s dollars, my IRS Revenue Officer salary had increased from $56,409/year to $68,999/year. The down payment came from what I had earned working for IRS for 15 months and for a Firestone Store part-time for 18 months and full-time for 7 months before that. According to Zillow, the townhome is currently worth $94,200. That says worlds about real estate values in University Park.
https://www.chicago.gov/city/en/depts/mayor/press_room/press_releases/2026/may/homegrown-purchase-assistance.html

POLITICO ILLINOIS
— The hottest ticket in town
https://www.politico.com/newsletters/illinois-playbook/2026/06/02/the-hottest-ticket-in-town-00946038
(FROM THE ARTICLE:  Forget Soldier Field concerts and summer music festivals. The hottest ticket in Chicago right now is an invitation to the June 18 grand opening of the Obama Presidential Center. The invitations have been trickling into inboxes and mailboxes, setting off a scramble among politicians, donors, civic leaders and longtime Obama supporters hoping to secure their spots at what is shaping up to be one of the city’s biggest events of the year. . .The invite list also includes familiar Illinois names, including Republican Kirk Dillard, now chair of the Regional Transportation Authority. In a different political era, Dillard and Obama served together in the Illinois Senate, where they worked on ethics reform, racial-profiling legislation and death-penalty safeguards. They also developed a friendship as fathers of young daughters and were part of a regular poker game. That relationship became nationally significant during Obama’s 2008 presidential campaign. Concerned about his standing ahead of the Iowa caucuses against Hillary Clinton and John Edwards, Obama asked Dillard to appear in a TV ad highlighting his willingness to work across party lines. Dillard agreed, and the ad became part of Obama’s broader electability argument to independents and moderate voters. Obama won Iowa, altering the course of the Democratic primary and ultimately the presidency. Dillard recalls that conversation when Obama asked him to vouch for their bipartisan relationship in a brief online endorsement. The testimonial then evolved into one of Obama’s early TV ads. “Voters responded well” to the online comments, recalls Dillard today, prompting political consultant David Axelrod to talk to him at the time about adapting the online endorsement into a TV ad. That ad helped Obama, but it became a political liability for Dillard, Axelrod said recently during an Institute of Politics discussion on Obama’s Chicago journey. During Dillard’s 2010 gubernatorial campaign, opponents Bill Brady and Andy McKenna Jr. portrayed him as insufficiently conservative. Dillard narrowly lost the Republican primary. A few days after the defeat, Dillard said, he received an unexpected call from the White House. “‘Kirk, Barack Obama,’” Dillard recalled the president saying. “I said, ‘Mr. President, how many Baracks do you think I know?’” Dillard said Obama apologized, telling him, “I’m sorry our friendship hurt you in your governor’s race,” and invited Dillard and his family to visit the White House. Despite the political cost, Dillard said he remains proud of helping promote a bipartisan message and of Obama’s historic election as the nation’s first Black president. Strautmanis said it was natural for Dillard to be on the guest list because the opening of the Obama center “is a celebration of those who helped us get here.” Sidenote: One person who didn’t receive an invitation to the Obama Presidential Center opening was President Donald Trump.)

CAPITOL FAX
— Morning briefing
https://capitolfax.com/2026/06/02/isabel%e2%80%99s-morning-briefing-751/

FROM ILLINOIS CENTER-RIGHT SOURCES

WIREPOINTS
— Pritzker Extracted $162 Billion in Additional Taxes From Illinois Residents While State Remains 50th in Bond Ratings, Fiscal Cliff Ahead
https://wirepoints.org/wirepoints-mark-glennon-on-am560-pritzker-extracted-162-billion-in-additional-taxes-from-illinois-residents-while-state-remains-50th-in-bond-ratings-fiscal-cliff-ahead/

GOPUSA ILLINOIS
— How conservative is your county, township, municipality, and school district? Conservative counties, townships, municipalities, and school districts promote personal responsibility, traditional marriage and family, right to life, immigration law enforcement, anti-vice, Second Amendment rights, and equal opportunity (no race or gender based preference giving). Conservative places do not promote dependency on government and charity, LGBTQ, abortion, mass/illegal immigration, vices, diminishment of Second Amendment rights, or Affirmative Action, DEI, or wokeness/wokeism, that is, they do not promote race and gender based preference giving, patronage, political affiliation discrimination, reverse discrimination, age discrimination, religious discrimination, or national origin discrimination. I should write about DuPage County, Milton Township, Wheaton, and Wheaton Warrenville School District 200. – Dave Diersen
http://www.gopillinois.com
— From what I see, ever-increasingly, under the Democrats, and under the RINOs, the more of the following that you are, the less likely that you will be hired, retained, and promoted: conservative, Republican, American, White, male, older, non-poor, married, Protestant, German American, and/or have ancestors who have been in America for a long time. – Dave Diersen
http://www.gopillinois.com

ILLINOIS REVIEW
— The Left’s War on Patriotism Reaches America’s 250th Celebration
https://www.illinoisreview.com/illinoisreview/2026/06/the-lefts-war-on-patriotism-reaches-americas-250th-celebration.html

FROM NATIONAL CENTER-RIGHT SOURCES

NEW YORK POST
— Anti-ICE protesters all the way from Portland arrested during violent Delaney Hall clashes
https://nypost.com/2026/06/01/us-news/anti-ice-protesters-all-the-way-from-portland-arrested-during-delaney-hall-clashes/

DAILY CALLER
— Life’s About To Get More Complicated For Gun Owners In Colorado
https://dailycaller.com/2026/05/26/lifes-complicated-gun-owners-colorado/
(FROM THE ARTICLE: In April 2025, Democratic Gov. Jared Polis signed legislation that requires anyone wishing to buy a modern semiautomatic firearm, including the AR-15 rifle, to first receive a firearms safety course eligibility card, then to complete a firearms safety course within five years. The legislation passed after being changed from an outright ban on so-called “assault weapons” that passed in other Democratic-controlled states like California, New Jersey and Virginia.)

DAILY SIGNAL
— Mass Muslim Migration
https://www.dailysignal.com/2026/06/01/michigan-mass-muslim-migration/

DAILY WIRE
— Republicans’ Latest Pro-Union Move Has Some Conservatives Sounding The Alarm. DD: My critics/opponents are extremely anti-union. They have always stressed that that while I was a union member for almost 12 years, my salary increased from $19.57/hour to $113,402/year in today’s dollars. In my defense, I have always stressed that during that time, I earned a job-related bachelor’s degree, I earned a job-related master’s degree, and I earned a job-related professional certification.
https://www.dailywire.com/news/republicans-latest-pro-union-move-has-some-conservatives-sounding-the-alarm

NEWS BUSTERS
— Tennessee’s 1st ‘Nuclear Family Month’ Honoring Traditional Marriage Starts June 1
https://newsbusters.org/blogs/cnsnews/craig-bannister/2026/06/01/tennessees-1st-nuclear-family-month-honoring-traditional

TOWNHALL
— Conservatives Give Better Graduation Speeches than Liberals
https://townhall.com/columnists/tompurcell/2026/06/02/conservatives-give-better-graduation-speeches-than-liberals-n2677054

FROM NATIONAL CENTER-LEFT SOURCES

ABC NEWS
— Hegseth blocks promotion of several Navy officers to 1-star rank. DD: I should write about all the promotions that I was passed over for while I was an IRS employee 1975-1980 and a GAO employee 1980-1997. All my coworkers who my Democrat superiors promoted over me were Democrats who a) had less education than I had, had less work experience than I had, had no professional certification or fewer than I had, and/or had no professional license like the one I had and/or b) were minority, female, younger, veteran, non-Protestant, non-German American, and/or had ancestors who had not been in America for a long time.
https://abcnews.com/Politics/hegseth-blocks-promotion-navy-officers-1-star-rank/story?id=133498412

MSN
— GOP unrest grows as Trump faces health and strategy scrutiny
https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/insight/gop-unrest-grows-as-trump-faces-health-and-strategy-scrutiny/gm-GMEE6D697A
— Pence warns GOP to resist Trump-led populism shift
https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/insight/pence-warns-gop-to-resist-trump-led-populism-shift/gm-GM156201D3
— Pence warns Trump is abandoning conservative values
https://www.msn.com/en-ca/news/insight/pence-warns-trump-is-abandoning-conservative-values-amid-fund-dispute/gm-GMA0F30631
— DD: Democrat leaders ever-increasingly destroy traditional marriage and family.
https://www.msn.com/en-us/lifestyle/relationships/11-reasons-why-more-women-are-walking-away-from-men-and-marriage/ss-AA1YvbfS

AOL
— DD: Pot is poison. I have never used pot and I never will. If I had used pot I would not have been able to earn a job-related bachelor’s degree, three job-related master’s degrees, six job-related professional certifications, and a job-related professional license.
https://www.aol.com/articles/trump-effort-reform-marijuana-policy-214401000.html
— Illinois FOID lawsuit: Federal challenge filed against state gun owner ID law. DD: I have had an FOID card since I was 20 in 1968.
https://www.aol.com/articles/illinois-foid-lawsuit-federal-challenge-210045000.html

NEW YORK TIMES
— DD: Democrat leaders a) decry Hegseth’s striking female and black Navy officers from promotion list and b) say his decision was driven by his anti-diversity stance rather than based on merit. I should write about all the promotions that I was passed over for while I was an IRS employee 1975-1980 and a GAO employee 1980-1997. All my coworkers who my Democrat superiors promoted over me were Democrats who a) had less education than I had, had less work experience than I had, had no professional certification or fewer than I had, and/or had no professional license like the one I had and/or b) were minority, female, younger, veteran, non-Protestant, non-German American, and/or had ancestors who had not been in America for a long time.
https://www.nytimes.com/2026/06/01/us/politics/hegseth-navy-promotion-list.html
— DD: Since 1984, my critics/opponents have wanted public housing to be built on the north border of my Wheaton precinct on the south side of Roosevelt Road.
https://www.nytimes.com/2026/05/27/nyregion/mamdani-turns-to-the-private-sector-to-help-with-public-housing.html
— DD: Democrat leaders ever-increasingly fight against personal responsibility. According to Democrat leaders, all problems are caused by Republicans who are conservative, White, male, older, non-poor, married, Protestant, German American, and/or have ancestors who have been in America for a long time.
https://www.nytimes.com/2026/06/01/well/public-health-stigma-shame-rfk-jr.html

WASHINGTON POST
— Pentagon bans journalists from press office, designating it a classified space. DD: I should sue my critics/opponents who have hinted/implied/argued that I have improperly shared information.
https://www.washingtonpost.com/national-security/2026/06/01/pentagon-bans-journalists-press-office-designating-it-classified-space/

USA TODAY
— Trump and Obamacare. DD: My critics/opponents are ever-increasingly furious that the federal government has paid 72% of my health insurance premiums since 1966 and 72% of my wife’s health insurance premiums since 1978 because I was a federal employee for almost 30 years and because I have been a federal retiree for almost 29 years.
https://www.usatoday.com/story/opinion/columnist/2026/05/27/healthcare-costs-blame-trump-affordable-care-act/90198503007/

ATLANTA JOURNAL CONSTITUTION
— DD: To get more votes from those who have demographics that vote for Democrats, Democrat leaders ever-increasingly blame Republicans for all the problems that those who have demographics that vote for Democrats have.
https://www.ajc.com/opinion/2026/06/supreme-court-colorblind-decisions-preserve-status-quo-and-ignore-the-past/

WALL STREET JOURNAL
— DD: Pot is poison. I have never used pot and I never will. If I had used pot I would not have been able to earn a job-related bachelor’s degree, three job-related master’s degrees, six job-related professional certifications, and a job-related professional license.
https://www.wsj.com/lifestyle/thanksgiving-dinner-cousin-walk-smoke-pot-33e0df67
— The Thorniest Question for Parents of New Grads: Is Your Wallet Still Open? DD: My critics/opponents had wealthy parents. I should write about those whose parents were the wealthiest. I had to work my way through college. That harmed my GPA. I spent far too many hours washing dishes and delivering mail instead of studying.
https://www.wsj.com/articles/the-thorniest-question-for-parents-of-new-grads-is-your-wallet-still-open-5c0daab8
— FRONT PAGE: No Raise, No Promotion: 1 in 4 White-Collar Workers Are Stalling Out. Invisible barrier keeping many Americans from getting ahead—midcareer stall. DD: The Democrats who ran IRS in 1971 hired me as a GS-7 when I was 22. While I got promoted as fast as time-in-grade rules allowed to GS-9 when I was 23, to GS-11 when I was 24, and to GS-12 when I was 25, that was not fast enough for them. They used their up-or-out rule to deem me to be too old to be promoted to GS-13 because they had not promoted me to GS-13 by the time I was 25. They would not have done that if I had been a Democrat, minority, female, or veteran.
https://www.wsj.com/lifestyle/careers/white-collar-workers-career-nyu-study-a81a7d9c

FORBES
— Relevant work experience. DD: GAO audits IRS. To outrageously, disgustingly, falsely, and unethically justify forcing me to take a $23,699/year (21%) pay cut in today’s dollars to transfer from IRS to GAO when I was 31 in 1980, my Democrat GAO superiors ignored/dismissed/belittled the fact that a) much of what I had done for IRS was very similar to what I would do for GAO, b) my last 5 1/2 years at IRS had been at the GS-12 Step 1-5 Levels, currently $100,059-$113,402/year, c) I had passed the CPA examination on my first attempt in 1979, d) I had almost completed the requirements for a master’s degree in accounting, and e) I had earned an MBA in 1976. My Democrat GAO superiors would not have forced me to take a pay cut to transfer if I had been a Democrat, minority, female, or veteran. My Democrat GAO superiors, supervisors, coworkers, and subordinates always used my having to take a pay cut to transfer against me viciously. They were furious when I a) earned a master’s degree in accounting in 1980, b) passed the Certified Internal Auditor examination on my first attempt in 1981, c) became a licensed CPA in 1981, d) earned four more professional certifications in in 1990 (fraud examiner), 1994 (government financial manager), 1996 (financial services auditor), and 1997 (forensic accountant), and e) earned a master’s degree in financial markets and trading in 1997.
https://www.forbes.com/sites/ashleystahl/2015/03/26/4-ways-to-overcome-a-lack-of-relevant-work-experience/

KCRG
— Promotion killers. DD: The following are promotion killers for federal employees: a) being a Republican, b) avoiding the Vietnam War draft, c) complaining about political affiliation discrimination, d) complaining about reverse discrimination, e) complaining about age discrimination, f) complaining about religious discrimination, and g) complaining about national origin discrimination.
https://www.kcrg.com/video/2026/05/31/promotion-killers-workplace-habits-that-hurt-your-career/

FLORIDA POLITICS
— Crowded CD 19 GOP Primary heats up with Catalina Lauf attack ads, other media digs
https://floridapolitics.com/archives/799439-crowded-cd-19-gop-primary-heats-up-with-catalina-lauf-attack-ads-other-media-digs/

SPECTATOR
— DD: Democrats and RINOs ever-increasingly use Affirmative Action, DEI, wokeness, and wokeism to get rid of Republicans.
https://spectator.com/article/woke-isnt-dead-its-just-getting-started/?edition=us

CENTER FOR RETIREMENT RESEARCH
— Lowering Pay for Federal Jobs Is Bad for Workers – and Bad for America. DD: My critics/opponents have always demonized me, denigrated me, and condemned me a) as having been grossly overpaid as a federal employee for almost 30 years and b) as receiving a Civil Service Retirement System (CSRS) pension since I was 49 in 1997that is much too generous. In today’s dollars, my federal salary increased from $19.57/hour when I was 18 in 1966 to $154,683/year when I was 49 in 1997. My COLA-adjusted CSRS pension is currently $68,640/year. In my defense, between 1970 and 1997, I earned a job-related bachelor’s degree (1970), three job-related master’s degrees (1976, 1980, and 1997), six job-related professional certifications (1979, 1981, 1990, 1994, 1996, and 1997), and a job-related professional license (1981).
https://crr.bc.edu/lowering-pay-for-federal-jobs-is-bad-for-workers-and-bad-for-america/
(FROM THE ARTICLE: Total compensation consists of cash wages and fringe benefits, primarily health insurance and employer contributions to retirement plans.  According to the Congressional Budget Office, for employees with a college degree or above, wages for federal employees are consistently less than those for private sector workers (see Figure 1).  Benefits, however, are more generous for federal workers, which fully compensates for the low wages for those with a bachelor’s degree, but federal workers with higher degrees continue to fall short.)

FED SMITH
— Legislation Would Make U.S. Citizenship Permanent Condition of Federal Employment.  DD: All my employers would have hired noncitizens instead of me if they could have.
https://www.fedsmith.com/2026/06/01/legislation-would-make-us-citizenship-permanent-condition-of-federal-employment/

CHRISTIANITY TODAY
— DD: Pot is poison. I have never used pot and I never will. If I had used pot I would not have been able to earn a job-related bachelor’s degree, three job-related master’s degrees, six job-related professional certifications, and a job-related professional license.
https://www.christianitytoday.com/2026/05/can-christians-smoke-weed-pot-marijuana-medical-cbd/

CROSSTALK
— DD: Democrat leaders ever-increasingly destroy those who do not promote LGBTQ.
https://www.crosswalk.com/faith/spiritual-life/things-christians-should-consider-during-pride-month-when-it-comes-to-loving-others.html

ATLANTIC & VOGE
— DD: Democrat leaders ever-increasingly promote vices.
https://www.theatlantic.com/family/2025/11/american-vice-national-character/684785/
https://www.vogue.com/article/are-vices-really-all-that-bad-for-you

NEW REPUBLIC
— DD: My critics/opponents look down on the working class. I was a member of the working class 1964-1997. I washed dishes 1964-1966. I cleaned golf shoes, chipped slag, and pumped gasoline in 1966. I delivered mail 1966-1969. I worked on an automotive assemble line in 1970. I sold tires, automotive services, and major appliances 1970-1971. I pumped more gasoline 1971-1972. I collected delinquent taxes 1971-1980. I audited federal agencies 1980-1997. I should write about my critic/opponents.
https://newrepublic.com/article/211161/trump-wrecking-nlrb-labor-rights

BENZINGA
— Pence Accuses Trump Of Steering Republicans Away From Conservatism
https://www.benzinga.com/news/politics/26/06/52898365/mike-pence-says-republicans-have-lost-their-way-under-trump-as-he-blasts-presidents-newfound-populism

HIGHER ED DRIVE
— DD: Democrat and RINO employers use buyouts and early retirement to get rid of employees who are Republican, White, male, older, non-veteran, Protestant, German American, and/or have ancestors who have been in America for a long time.
https://www.highereddive.com/news/western-michigan-university-launches-buyout-program-to-ease-budget/821538/

PBS
— DD: Pot is poison. I have never used pot and I never will. If I had used pot I would not have been able to earn a job-related bachelor’s degree, three job-related master’s degrees, six job-related professional certifications, and a job-related professional license.
https://www.pbs.org/newshour/politics/supreme-court-will-consider-whether-people-who-regularly-smoke-pot-can-legally-own-guns

FROM FOREIGN SOURCES

TIMES OF INDIA
— Hegseth removes women, Black officers from Navy promotion list; Pentagon denies bias.  DD: I should write about all the promotions that I was passed over for while I was an IRS employee 1975-1980 and a GAO employee 1980-1997. All my coworkers who my Democrat superiors promoted over me were Democrats who a) had less education than I had, had less work experience than I had, had no professional certification or fewer than I had, and/or had no professional license like the one I had and/or b) were minority, female, younger, veteran, non-Protestant, non-German American, and/or had ancestors who had not been in America for a long time.
https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/world/us/hegseth-removes-women-black-officers-from-navy-promotion-list-pentagon-denies-bias-report/articleshow/131459345.cms

INDEPENDENT
— Hegseth targets women and Black military officers in ‘anti-DEI’ move. DD: I should write about all the promotions that I was passed over for while I was an IRS employee 1975-1980 and a GAO employee 1980-1997. All my coworkers who my Democrat superiors promoted over me were Democrats who a) had less education than I had, had less work experience than I had, had no professional certification or fewer than I had, and/or had no professional license like the one I had and/or b) were minority, female, younger, veteran, non-Protestant, non-German American, and/or had ancestors who had not been in America for a long time.
https://www.independent.co.uk/bulletin/news/hegseth-military-promotions-dei-black-b2987879.html