January 13, 2025

FROM ILLINOIS CENTER-LEFT SOURCES

ABC7
— Immigration activists hold protest in Pilsen against President-elect Trump’s deportation plans
https://abc7chicago.com/post/chicago-immigration-activists-hold-protest-pilsen-president-elect-donald-trumps-mass-deportation-plans/15793472/
— At least 14 shot, 3 fatally, in weekend gun violence across Chicago
https://abc7chicago.com/live-updates/chicago-shootings-weekend-10-shot-3-killed-gun-violence-city-police-department-says-live-news-updates/15792886/

NBC5
— States are preparing to help or thwart Trump’s second-term plans. Political party identification often has come to define public policy. (COMMENT: What is Trump going to do to turn Illinois red again?)
https://www.nbcchicago.com/news/national-international/states-prepare-help-thwart-trump-plans/3643922/

CBS2
— Democrats protest President-elect Trump’s plan for mass deportations
https://www.cbsnews.com/chicago/video/chicagoans-protest-president-elect-trumps-plan-for-mass-deportations/
— Chicago Police issue alert about crash-and-grab burglars on Northwest, Southwest sides
https://www.cbsnews.com/chicago/news/chicago-police-alert-crash-grab-burglars-northwest-southwest-sides/

FOX32
— Mayor Johnson issues ICE guidelines; City Council to take up key vote next week
https://www.fox32chicago.com/news/mayor-johnson-issues-ice-guidelines-city-council-vote-welcoming-city-ordinance

CHICAGO TRIBUNE
— FRONT PAGE TOP OF FOLD: Illinois Congressional Democrats plot ways to blunt policies after Trump takes office (COMMENT: Illinois Democrats and RINOs reject Trump’s election, that is, they reject the rule of law.)
https://www.chicagotribune.com/2025/01/13/illinois-congressional-democrats-trump-policies/
— MAY 14, 2019 FLASHBACK: Election analysis: On the edge of Illinois’ urban-rural divide (COMMENT: What is Trump going to do to turn Illinois red again?)
https://www.chicagotribune.com/2016/11/17/election-analysis-on-the-edge-of-illinois-urban-rural-divide/
— Illinois House speaker to Mayor Brandon Johnson: Get ready to hear ‘no’ a lot in Springfield
https://www.chicagotribune.com/2025/01/13/speaker-welch-mayor-johnson-session/
— FRONT PAGE TOP OF FOLD WITH BIG PICTURES: Can Chicago make its streets safe for students to walk and bike to school? (COMMENT: I walked to/from school 1953-1964 except between November of 1961 and May of 1962.)
https://www.chicagotribune.com/2025/01/13/chicago-school-safety-zones/

CHICAGO SUN-TIMES
— Seniors have safe driving records overall, and should be treated that way
https://chicago.suntimes.com/editorials/2025/01/12/senior-citizens-driver-tests-illinois-secretary-state-safety-editorial
— Mike Madigan had a rough childhood. It should have no bearing on outcome of his trial. Just stick with the evidence, a Gage Park reader says. Others offer praise for Donald Trump, criticism of the Illinois GOP and thoughts on philanthropy. (COMMENT: Don Anderson of Oak Park wants Republican leaders to be Democrat Lite, RINO, anti-conservative, anti-Republican, if not Democrat. My critics/opponents are the aforesaid.)
https://chicago.suntimes.com/letters-to-the-editor/2025/01/13/michael-madigan-trial-donald-trump-news-conferences-illinois-republicans-philanthropy-headline-puns

DAILY HERALD
— Another fire breaks out at Elgin homeless encampment, as city moves closer to relocating residents  (COMMENT: Under the Democrats and under the RINOs, sooner or later, if not already, there will be homeless encampments in your municipality.)
https://www.dailyherald.com/20250112/news/another-fire-breaks-out-at-elgin-homeless-encampment-as-city-moves-closer-to-relocating-residents/
— Illinois licensing reform (COMMENT: My passing the CPA examination on my first attempt when I was 30 in 1979 and my passing the Certified Internal Auditor examination on first attempt and becoming a licensed CPA when I was 32 a) are among my biggest accomplishments in life and b) have been ignored/dismissed/belittled the most by my critics/opponents.)
https://www.dailyherald.com/20250113/columns/illinois-licensing-reform-has-improved-employment-reduced-crime/
— FRONT PAGE TOP OF FOLD WITH BIG PICTURES: Suburban school districts slowly rolling out electric school buses
https://www.dailyherald.com/20250112/transportation/suburban-school-districts-slowly-rolling-out-electric-school-buses/

CRAIN’S CHICAGO BUSINESS
— Contractors brace for the demise of diversity initiatives (COMMENT: How many employers in Illinois, in your county, in your township, and in your municipality exist because of race and gender based preference giving?)
https://www.chicagobusiness.com/equity/dei-programs-face-death-blows-stream-court-cases
— Mike Ditka lands buyer for Florida home as Chicago Bears legend moves back to Chicago
https://www.chicagobusiness.com/residential-real-estate/chicago-bears-legend-mike-ditka-lands-buyer-florida-home
— Springfield flunked the hemp test — and tougher tests are coming (COIMMENT: Pot pushers want hemp to be regulated because hemp competes against pot.)
https://www.chicagobusiness.com/editorial/hemp-products-delta-8-should-be-regulated-editorial
— Democrat and RINO employers ever-increasingly use DEI a) to not hire Republicans and b) to get rid of their Republican employees.
https://www.chicagobusiness.com/equity/dei-rollback-efforts-are-shortsighted-and-unproductive-opinion
https://www.chicagobusiness.com/equity/dei-will-remain-relevant-demographics-change-opinion

WBEZ
— Cook County judge who shared racist meme faces state probe, reassignment and bias training. Judge Caroline Glennon-Goodman is in trouble for allegedly circulating a meme of a Black boy with an electronic ankle monitor.
https://www.wbez.org/cook-county/2025/01/12/cook-county-judge-who-shared-racist-meme-faces-state-probe-reassignment-and-bias-training

BLOOMINGTON PANTAGRAPH
— Illinois’ turbulent lame duck session foreshadows challenges ahead
https://pantagraph.com/news/state-regional/government-politics/brenden-moore-turbulent-days-in-springfield-may-foreshadow-political-challenges-ahead/article_4c057d46-cf66-11ef-a358-47d8d2228265.html

SOUTHERN
— Majority Whip Emmer says ‘We’re going to put the Trump agenda in place’
https://southernillinoisnow.com/2025/01/12/majority-whip-emmer-says-were-going-to-put-the-trump-agenda-in-place/

NORTHERN PUBLIC RADIO
— Texas, the law-and-order land of guns, God and capital punishment, is awash in cannabis. A loophole in a law allowing farmers to grow non-intoxicating hemp has been exploited, and now intoxicating hemp products are everywhere.
https://www.northernpublicradio.org/2025-01-13/despite-strict-laws-texas-is-awash-in-intoxicating-cannabis

ST. LOUIS PUBLIC RADIO
— Trump Defense nominee Hegseth is ‘dangerously unqualified,’ Duckworth says (COMMENT: What are your qualifications? Mine include a CPA license (inactive), passing the CPA examination on my first attempt, passing the Certified Internal Auditor examination on my first attempt, master’s degrees in business, accounting, and finance, working for GAO for almost 18 years, the last 11 years of which at the GS-13 Step 1-10 Levels, currently $117,807-$153,151/year, and working for IRS for almost 9 years, the last 5 1/2 years at the GS-12 Step 1-5 Levels, currently $99,069-$$112,280/year. GS-12 is equivalent to Major in the military and GS-13 is equivalent to Lieutenant Colonel in the military.)
https://www.stlpr.org/government-politics-issues/2025-01-10/duckworth-trump-defense-nominee-peter-hegseth-dangerously-unqualified

TRIBE
— New lawsuits against ComEd allege racist and retaliatory behavior (COMMENT: In Diersen v. GAO, GAO stated that no minorities or females in its Chicago office had filed discrimination complaints.)
https://thetriibe.com/2025/01/new-lawsuits-against-comed-allege-racist-and-retaliatory-behavior/

CWB CHICAGO
— Illinois expected to change the word ‘prostitute’ to ‘person engaged in the sex trade’ in state laws (COMMENT: How soon will Illinois Democrat leaders legalize prostitution in Illinois?)
https://cwbchicago.com/2025/01/illinois-expected-to-change-the-word-prostitute-to-person-engaged-in-the-sex-trade-in-state-laws.html

CAPITOL FAX
— Morning briefing
https://capitolfax.com/2025/01/13/isabel%e2%80%99s-morning-briefing-434/

FROM ILLINOIS CENTER-RIGHT SOURCES

GOPUSA ILLINOIS
— Democrat employers use Affirmative Action and DEI a) to not hire Republicans and b) to get rid of their Republican employees. What Republicans do you know who have worked for Democrats? I worked for Democrats for almost 30 years. The Democrats who ran the Post Office in 1966, IRS in 1971, and GAO in 1980 hired me because they could not find a qualified Democrat, minority, female, younger person, or veteran who would take the job. They gambled that I would become a Democrat and lost. What Republican employees do you know who have complained about political affiliation discrimination, reverse discrimination, and/or age discrimination? I ever-increasing complained about the aforesaid after my Democrat IRS superiors a) disallowed my travel vouchers in 1974, b) got rid of the IRS manager who had promoted me in 1972, 1973, and 1974, and disallowed my education deductions in 1978. I complained even more after my Democrat GAO superiors forced the GAO manager to retire in 1987 who had arranged for my transfer from IRS in 1980 and had been finally able to assign me to audits of IRS and to promote me in 1986. I became an active member in a class action lawsuit that charged my GAO superiors with reverse discrimination, age discrimination, and retaliation in 1988. My attorney Walter T. Charlton filed Diersen v. GAO in 1998. SEE: https://gopillinois.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/09/DiersenGAOFifthAmendedComplaint.pdf  I never would have survived for almost 3 years at the Post Office, 9 years at IRS, and 18 years at GAO if I had not a) taken job-related college courses 1966-1969, b) earned job-related master’s degrees in 1976, 1980, and 1997, c) earned job-related professional certifications in 1979, 1981, 1990, 1994, 1996, and 1997, and d) earned a job-related professional license in 1981. – Dave Diersen
http://www.gopillinois.com
— My critics/opponents reject the equal opportunity (no race or gender based preference giving) plank in the Republican Party platform, that is, they promote Affirmative Action and DEI, that is, they promote race and gender based preference giving, patronage, political affiliation discrimination, reverse discrimination, age discrimination, religious discrimination, and national origin discrimination. I should write about my critics/opponents. I would focus on those who have lots of religious, government, political, and/or financial clout in Wheaton, Milton Township, DuPage County, and Illinois. I would focus on those who have had their operatives and their dupes take the most/biggest adverse actions against me. – Dave Diersen
http://www.gopillinois.com
— QUESTION: Why do people promote Affirmative Action (AA) and DEI, that is, why do they promote  race and gender based preference giving, patronage, political affiliation discrimination, reverse discrimination, age discrimination, religious discrimination, and national origin discrimination? ANSWER: They are Democrats or RINOs. They have personally benefitted from, are personally benefitting from, and/or want to personally benefit from AA and DEI. Their spouse, children, and/or grandchildren have benefitted from, are benefitting from, and/or will benefit from AA and DEI. They blame those who are the following for their problems: conservative, Republican, American, White, male, older, Protestant, German American, and/or have ancestors who have been in America for a long time. To benefit from AA or DEI is to benefit from discrimination against those who are the aforesaid. – Dave Diersen
http://www.gopillinois.com
— To promote Affirmative Action (AA) and DEI is to reject Trump’s election. How strongly do the leaders of the Illinois Republican Party and the leaders your Republican county and township/ward party organizations promote AA and DEI, that is, how strongly do they promote race and gender based preference giving, patronage, political affiliation discrimination, reverse discrimination, age discrimination, religious discrimination, and national origin discrimination? Anticipate/expect that fewer and fewer and fewer Republican party leaders, elected officials, candidates, and precinct committeemen/captains in Illinois, in your county, in your township/ward, and in your municipality will be conservative, White, male, older, Protestant, German American, and/or have ancestors who have been in America for a long time. Anticipate/expect that they will be lesser and lesser and lesser qualified for their positions. – Dave Diersen
http://www.gopillinois.com

JOHN KASS
— The Woke Fires Turning California Red
https://johnkassnews.com/fire-turns-california-red/

BREAKTHROUGH IDEAS
— Pushing Back Against Perversion: Good News Stories from Illinois and Florida
https://www.breakthrough-ideas.com/read/2025/01/09/pushing-back-against-perversion-good-news-stories-from-illinois-and-florida

WIREPOINTS
— Chicago Public Schools should reject union demands for 9% yearly raises and implement a salary freeze instead.
https://wirepoints.org/chicago-public-schools-should-reject-union-demands-for-9-yearly-raises-and-implement-a-salary-freeze-instead-wirepoints/

MCHENRY COUNTY BLOG
— GOP Algonquin Township Road Commissioner Candidate Deploys Sign in Front of Former Commissioner Bob Miller’s Home
https://www.mchenrycountyblog.com/2025/01/12/gop-algonquin-township-road-commissioner-candidate-deploys-sign-in-front-of-from-commissioner-bob-millers-home/
— Projected 2025 McHenry County Employee Compensation: Ho-Ju
https://mail.google.com/mail/u/0/#inbox?compose=DmwnWrRnXVPZqCDJjXQVPTSdSDFWTmtDWVDrdPJdLJPLKwXrLjHRgHkscnspwMmKdZJdcMHqjzqL
— Retiring State Rep. Brad Holbrook Takes on Taking Guns Away without Due Process
https://www.mchenrycountyblog.com/2025/01/12/retiring-state-rep-brad-holbrook-takes-on-taking-guns-away-without-due-process/
— What Do You Want Illinois’ Flag to Look Like?
https://www.mchenrycountyblog.com/2025/01/11/what-do-you-want-illinois-flag-to-look-like/
— Projected 2025 McHenry County Employee Compensation: Ha-Ho
https://www.mchenrycountyblog.com/2025/01/11/projected-2025-mchenry-county-employee-compensation-ha-ho/
— Republican on Winnebago County Board Arrested for DUI
https://www.mchenrycountyblog.com/2025/01/11/republican-on-winnebago-county-board-arrested-for-dui/
— Illinois Estimated to Have Fifth Highest Number of Illegal Aliens
https://www.mchenrycountyblog.com/2025/01/11/illinois-estimated-to-have-fifth-highest-number-of-illegal-aliens/
— Illinois House Speaker Says It’s Time to Be “Sensitive” to Voters on Taxes, 80 Degree Weather, Massive Earthquake Also Expected
https://www.mchenrycountyblog.com/2025/01/13/illinois-house-speaker-says-its-time-to-be-sensitive-to-voters-on-taxes-80-degree-weather-massive-earthquake-also-expected/

FROM NATIONAL CENTER-RIGHT SOURCES

WASHINGTON TIMES
— Trump rails against California officials as wildfire spreads in and around Los Angeles
https://www.washingtontimes.com/news/2025/jan/12/donald-trump-rails-california-officials-wildfire-s/
— Vance says those who were violent on Jan. 6 ‘obviously’ should not receive pardons
https://www.washingtontimes.com/news/2025/jan/12/vice-president-elect-j-d-vance-says-violent-jan-6-/
— Biden moves to block Trump by renewing ‘temporary’ migrant amnesty
https://www.washingtontimes.com/news/2025/jan/12/joe-biden-moves-block-donald-trump-renewing-tempor/
— Politics, not science, caused destructive California wildfires
https://www.washingtontimes.com/news/2025/jan/12/politics-science-caused-destructive-california-wil/
— Arson arrests grow as Los Angeles battles sprawling blaze
https://www.washingtontimes.com/news/2025/jan/12/arson-arrests-grow-los-angeles-battles-sprawling-b/

WASHINGTON EXAMINER
— Oswego school district hit with civil rights complaint for ‘unconscionable’ racial discrimination
https://www.washingtonexaminer.com/policy/education/3284011/illinois-school-district-hit-with-civil-rights-complaint/

NEW YORK POST
— New Biden water heater ban will drive up energy prices for poor, seniors
https://nypost.com/2025/01/05/us-news/biden-water-heater-ban-to-drive-up-energy-prices-for-seniors-poor/
— Here’s where the Los Angeles wildfires currently stand — after leveling area more than twice the size of Manhattan
https://nypost.com/2025/01/12/us-news/heres-where-the-los-angeles-wildfires-currently-stand-after-leveling-area-more-than-twice-the-size-of-manhattan/
— LAFD’s $300K-per-year diversity chief sparks fury for defending DEI by blaming the victim: ‘He got himself in the wrong place’
https://nypost.com/2025/01/12/us-news/lafds-diversity-chief-sparks-fury-for-defending-dei-by-blaming-the-victim/

AMERICAN THINKER
— Newsom, Bass, and Negligent Homicide
https://www.americanthinker.com/articles/2025/01/newsom_bass_and_negligent_homicide.html
— Illegal Immigration Is Killing Small Towns
https://www.americanthinker.com/articles/2025/01/illegal_immigration_is_killing_small_towns.html

BIZ PAC REVIEW
— Media does PR for Newsom in scramble to save Dems’ golden boy
https://www.bizpacreview.com/2025/01/13/insider-media-does-pr-for-newsom-in-scramble-to-save-dems-golden-boy-1515494/

CAMPUS REFORM
— Northwestern University to offer course on ‘Unsettling Whiteness’
https://www.campusreform.org/article/northwestern-university-offer-course-unsettling-whiteness/27275

DAILY CALLER
— Biden Ends Term With Fewer Americans Employed Than Five Years Ago As Foreign-Born Job Numbers Continue To Soar
https://dailycaller.com/2025/01/10/biden-term-ends-716000-fewer-jobs-foreign-born-employment-soars/
— ‘Gross Mismanagement’: Petition Calling For LA Mayor’s Recall Sees Nearly 100,000 Signatures Amid Devastating Fires
https://dailycaller.com/2025/01/11/petition-recall-los-angeles-mayor-karen-bass-fires/
— ‘We Are Ready To Talk’: Greenland Reportedly Communicating With Trump Team About Cooperating With US
https://dailycaller.com/2025/01/11/greenland-denmark-trump-military-us-don-jr/
— ‘Meritless’: In Its Dying Days, Biden DOJ Sues GOP-Led City Council For Not Being … Hispanic Enough
https://dailycaller.com/2025/01/11/exclusive-former-doj-attorney-rips-biden-admin-lawsuit-claiming-pa-elections-racist/
— LA County Residents Blast Dem Leadership As Fires Compound Litany Of Failed Policies
https://dailycaller.com/2025/01/11/los-angeles-wildfires-gavin-newsom-karen-bass-california/
— Zuckerberg Tells Joe Rogan That Biden Admin Screamed And Cursed At Meta Employees To Censor True Content (COMMENT: I should write my critics/opponents and the articles that I linked to in my GOPUSA ILLINOIS newsletters that they disapproved/despised/hated the most.)
https://dailycaller.com/2025/01/10/mark-zuckerberg-joe-rogan-biden-admin-censorship/
— ‘I Warned, I Rang The Bell’: LA Fire Chief Details How ‘Devastating’ Cuts Led To ‘Horrific’ Wildfire
https://dailycaller.com/2025/01/10/kristin-crowley-los-angeles-fire-department-wildfire/
— Liberal Journalists Getting Axed At Several Major Outlets (COMMENT: All mainstream news media reporters and journalists are liberal.)
https://dailycaller.com/2025/01/10/journalists-fired-layoffs-cuts-washington-post-vox-huffpost-msnbc-ratings/
— As Violent Venezuelan Gang Plagues US, Biden DHS Issues Deportation Protections For Migrants From … Venezuela
https://dailycaller.com/2025/01/10/joe-biden-extends-tps-to-venezuelans/
— Celebrities Share Crazy Footage, Frantic Updates As Wildfires Consume Their Homes
https://dailycaller.com/2025/01/08/celebrities-homes-burned-california-wildfires-los-angeles-james-woods/
— Looters On Scooters Attempting To Ransack Evacuated LA Homes As Wildfires Rage
https://dailycaller.com/2025/01/10/scooter-looter-gangs-evacuated-los-angeles-homes-wildfires/
— California’s Bad Ideas Spread Like Wildfires
https://dailycaller.com/2025/01/12/opinion-administrative-arson-californias-bad-ideas-spread-like-wildfires-frank-ricci/

DAILY SIGNAL
— Climate Change Isn’t Responsible for Disastrous Wildfires
https://www.dailysignal.com/2025/01/12/climate-change-isnt-responsible-disastrous-wildfires/
— Reversing the Long March Through the Institutions. Sometimes, ostensibly discrete global events (including Trump’s election) come into focus and form a unified pattern. When that happens, the world suddenly starts making sense.
https://www.dailysignal.com/2025/01/12/reversing-long-march-through-institutions/
— 1 in 8 Christians Worldwide Is Persecuted ‘Because of Faith in Jesus’ (COMMENT: I should write about my critics/opponents who demonize, denigrate, and condemn my having been baptized, raised, and confirmed as a Missouri Synod Lutheran. It is called religious discrimination.)
https://www.dailysignal.com/2025/01/12/report-1-in-8-christians-worldwide-is-persecuted-because-of-faith-in-jesus/

DAILY WIRE
— Man Detained With Blowtorch Near Wildfire ID’d As Illegal Immigrant, Not Charged With Arson
https://www.dailywire.com/news/man-detained-with-blowtorch-near-wildfire-idd-as-illegal-immigrant-not-charged-with-arson-report

FOX NEWS
— Our long national Biden nightmare is almost over. Trump Invictus is now liberated. Joe Biden, our weakest president is soon to be followed by Donald Trump our most audacious president.
https://www.foxnews.com/opinion/victor-davis-hanson-our-long-national-biden-nightmare-almost-over-trump-invictus-now-liberated
— The H-1B policy was created to bring the “best and brightest” to America and address labor shortages in specialized fields. On paper, it sounds noble. In practice, however, it has been wildly abused and undercuts American workers in tech jobs no one can credibly argue Americans don’t want to do. . .A 2021 U.S. Census Bureau study found that as many as 72% of STEM graduates in America aren’t even working in STEM-related fields. So, is this really about labor shortages or is it about corporate profits at the expense of citizens who can’t compete with cheap foreign labor? Who can forget what happened at Disney in 2014 when IT workers were laid off and forced to retrain their foreign-born replacements if they wanted to receive their severance check? Americans aren’t opposed to bringing in more geniuses like Musk. But let’s not pretend Disney’s foreign replacements were all budding Einsteins. These workers come on restrictive terms, are paid less, work longer hours, and are unable to leave their jobs without risking deportation. They also come with the hope of becoming citizens and bringing their families over through chain migration. It’s a rigged game, designed to create cheap labor and make it impossible for American citizens to compete.
https://www.aol.com/america-first-people-profits-181639060.html
— Los Angeles wildfires: Returning Santa Ana winds threaten to expand deadly blazes
https://www.foxnews.com/live-news/los-angeles-wildfires-palisades-eaton-hurst-active

HERITAGE FOUNDATION
— Progressives Fiddle While Los Angeles Burns
https://www.heritage.org/press/heritage-senior-environmental-policy-fellow-highlights-need-proactive-forest-management

LEGAL INSURECTION
— Chicago Theological Seminary to Offer ‘Queer Womanist Preaching’ Course. “This course will expose students to the queering of religious concepts such as redemption and salvation.”
https://legalinsurrection.com/2025/01/chicago-theological-seminary-to-offer-queer-womanist-preaching-course/

NATIONAL REVIEW
— People Are Not Fleeing States with Strong Pro-Life Laws (COMMENT: Why are there so many unwanted pregnancies?)
https://www.nationalreview.com/corner/no-people-are-not-fleeing-states-with-strong-pro-life-laws/

NEWSMAX
— Apple Wants to Keep Diversity Programs Disavowed by Other US Firms (COMMENT: Democrat and RINO employers use DEI a) to not hire Republicans and b) to get rid of their Republican employees.)
https://www.newsmax.com/finance/streettalk/apple-dei/2025/01/12/id/1194733/

FROM NATIONAL CENTER-LEFT SOURCES

CBS NEWS
— Former House Speaker Newt Gingrich says U.S. should “allow legitimate refugees to come here” (COMMENT: Sooner or later, everyone outside of America will claim to be “legitimate refugees.” Democrat and RINO leaders provide refugees with free housing, free food, free clothing, free medical care, free education, free transportation, free etc.)
https://www.cbsnews.com/video/former-house-speaker-newt-gingrich-says-u-s-should-allow-legitimate-refugees-to-come-here/
https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/politics/former-house-speaker-newt-gingrich-says-u-s-should-allow-legitimate-refugees-to-come-here/vi-BB1rkC0V

CNN
— Fire department funding and recruitment policy come under scrutiny as deadly Los Angeles blazes rage on (COMMENT: Democrat and RINO employers use DEI a) to not hire Republicans and b) to get rid of their Republican employees.)
https://www.cnn.com/2025/01/12/us/fire-department-los-angeles-wildfires/index.html
— Anti-Americans were poised to remake America in their image under Harris/Walz
https://www.wsiltv.com/news/national/white-christian-nationalists-are-poised-to-remake-america-in-their-image-during-trump-s-second/article_0d2a708d-e5b7-561e-8e0d-2fc3ce2096c9.html

ASSOCIATED PRESS
— Americans have dimmer view of Biden than they did of Trump or Obama as term ends (COMMENT: Biden got votes in 2020 because he falsely hinted/implied/argued/shouted that he would govern as a centrist/moderate.)
https://apnews.com/article/biden-poll-low-ratings-obama-trump-390f25a858bf4cdec28719a2fe17b525
— Democrat use the California wildfires to promote more hatred against Republicans.
https://halifax.citynews.ca/2025/01/12/the-california-wildfires-could-be-leaving-deeper-inequality-in-their-wake-2/

MSN
— Woke politics hamper rescue efforts during California wildfires
https://www.msn.com/en-in/news/world/did-woke-politics-hamper-rescue-efforts-during-california-wildfires/ar-BB1r9s48

MSNBC
— Democrat and RINO leaders ever-increasingly blame Republicans for everything that is bad.
https://www.msnbc.com/opinion/msnbc-opinion/blame-los-angeles-wildfires-scapegoat-rcna187126

REUTERS
— Democrat and RINO employers use DEI a) to not hire Republicans and b) to get rid of their Republican employees.
https://www.inc.com/reuters/apples-board-of-directors-encourages-dei-program-retention/91106364

NEWSWEEK
— Steve Bannon Vows to Take Down Donald Trump Ally Elon Musk
https://www.newsweek.com/steve-bannon-vows-take-down-donald-trump-ally-elon-musk-2013663

NEW YORK TIMES
— Trump Encourages GOP Lawmakers To Find “Fair Number” For SALT Deduction Limit (COMMENT: My wife and I paid less federal income tax because we itemized. We now pay more federal income tax because of Republican SALT deduction limits.)
https://www.nytimes.com/2025/01/12/us/politics/trump-salt-tax-new-york-new-jersey.html
— Big Tech’s Big Bet on Trump
https://www.nytimes.com/2025/01/13/podcasts/the-daily/big-techs-trump-andreessen.html
— Trump’s Inaugural Celebration Will Kick Off at His Golf Club in Virginia
https://www.nytimes.com/2025/01/13/us/politics/trump-golf-club-virginia-inaugural-events.html
— What percent of illegals are paid in cash and work oof the book and under the table?
https://www.nytimes.com/2025/01/13/business/social-security-undocumented-immigrants.html
— College Can’t Be Only for the Rich (COMMENT: My critics/opponents have always held it against me that I did not get any scholarships and I had to work my way through college.
https://www.nytimes.com/2025/01/10/opinion/pell-grants-college-universities.html
— Melania Trump Says She Plans to Be at White House Full Time
https://www.nytimes.com/2025/01/13/us/politics/melania-trump-white-house.html

WASHINGTON POST
— Democrat and RINO leaders ever-increasingly side with China against America
https://www.washingtonpost.com/world/2025/01/13/china-trump-trade-hacks/
— China’s exports jump to record high in rush to beat Trump tariffs
https://www.washingtonpost.com/world/2025/01/13/china-exports-trump-tariffs/
— Steve Bannon derides Elon Musk, vowing to limit influence over Trump. His comments reflect an intensifying battle over Musk’s West Wing sway as Trump prepares to take office. (COMMENT: My brother lost several metal fabricating jobs because his employers moved to Mexico to take advantage of cheap labor there.)
https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/2025/01/12/bannon-musk-trump-maga/
(FROM THE ARTICLE: That split was crystallized last month in the fight over the visa program permitting foreigners with technical skills to work in the United States for up to six years. Bannon and many far-right Trump supporters such as Laura Loomer attacked the “tech bros” as dependent on cheap foreign labor that undermines U.S. workers, while Musk and Ramaswamy defended the program as necessary to protect the competitiveness of U.S. tech firms.)
— Protest crowd estimates down, ticket demand high for Trump inauguration
https://www.washingtonpost.com/dc-md-va/2025/01/13/trump-inauguration-protests-safety-dc/

USA TODAY
— A firefighter with Parkinson’s lost her health benefits. Supreme Court weighs if she can sue (COMMENT: My critics/opponents are furious that the federal government has paid 72% of my health insurance premiums since 1966 and the same for my wife since 1978.)
https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/politics/2025/01/12/supreme-court-americans-with-disabilities-act-retirees/77491061007/

SAN FRANCISCO STANDARD
— Democrats ever-increasingly promote more hatred against those who do not promote LGBTQ.
https://sfstandard.com/opinion/2025/01/12/zuckerberg-welcomes-trolls-says-wiener/

WALL STREET JOURNAL
— The Dirty Work of Clean Energy. The scale of global mining required as part of the ‘energy transition’ has staggering environmental implications.
https://www.wsj.com/arts-culture/books/power-metal-review-the-dirty-work-of-clean-energy-4b8683c5
— SALT in Tax Reform’s Wounds. Raising the $10,000 cap on the state and local deduction is bad tax policy and could be bad politics too.
https://www.wsj.com/opinion/salt-in-tax-reforms-wounds-trump-new-york-deduction-bill-ec1b76fe
— How the Left Turned California Into a Paradise Lost. Gavin Newsom promised to ‘Trump-proof’ the Golden State. If only he’d fireproofed it instead.
https://www.wsj.com/opinion/how-the-left-turned-california-into-a-paradise-lost-government-policy-wildfires-48b88d6a
— Bad Policy Served as Kindling for California’s Wildfires. Bad forest and water management, misplaced priorities and price controls all played a role.
https://www.wsj.com/opinion/bad-policy-served-as-kindling-for-californias-wildfires-forest-water-management-social-justice-c5b94a4f
— Outlook Brightens for job seekers. (COMMENT: At least in Democrat-run Illinois, the more of the following that you are, the bleaker that your job prospects are: conservative, Republican, American, White, male, older, Protestant, German American, and/or have ancestors who have been in America for a long time.)
https://www.wsj.com/lifestyle/careers/job-hunting-2025-hiring-5924a1d7
— Justice Department Report Aims to Correct Record on 1921 Tulsa Race Massacre. Deadly rampage was a coordinated, military-style effort to destroy prosperous Black neighborhood. (COMMENT: What were your ancestors doing in 1921? On my father’s side, they were operating Crete’s only hardware store. On my mother’s side, they were operating a farm in Grant Park along the Indiana border. Anticipate/expect that the longer that your ancestors have been in America, the more reparations that Democrat leaders want you to pay.)
https://www.wsj.com/us-news/law/justice-department-report-aims-to-correct-record-on-tulsa-race-massacre-3e8fcfb1

FORBES
— Democrat and RINO employers use DEI a) to not hire Republicans and b) to get rid of their Republican employees.
https://www.forbes.com/sites/rebekahbastian/2025/01/12/understanding-the-real-cost-of-metas-policy-changes/

FORTUNE
— How successful have Democrats been promoting LGBTQ in your school district?
https://www.aol.com/finance/fleeing-country-rationing-testosterone-transgender-173540254.html

BARRON’S
— Democrat and RINO employers use DEI a) to not hire Republicans and b) to get rid of their Republican employees.
https://www.barrons.com/amp/news/apple-wants-to-keep-diversity-programs-disavowed-by-other-us-firms-bcb6b7a8

AICPA
—  CPA Exam Pass Rates (COMMENT: What percent of those who pass the CPA examination are Republican v. Democrat? My Democrat IRS superiors were furious when I passed the examination on my first attempt when I was 30 in 1979. My Democrat coworkers who they wanted to promote over me had either not taken the examination or had failed to pass it.)
https://www.aicpa-cima.com/certifications/article/24q1-cpa-exam-pass-rates

GOOGLE
— There are several factors that can affect a candidate’s performance on the CPA exam (COMMENT: What percent of those who pass the CPA examination are Republican v. Democrat? My Democrat IRS superiors were furious when I passed the examination on my first attempt when I was 30 in 1979. My Democrat coworkers who they wanted to promote over me had either not taken the examination or had failed to pass it.)
https://www.google.com/search?q=%22CPA+examination%22+pass+demographics

BRYCE WALKER
— Top 100 CPA exam statistics  (COMMENT: What percent of those who pass the CPA examination are Republican v. Democrat? My Democrat IRS superiors were furious when I passed the examination on my first attempt when I was 30 in 1979. My Democrat coworkers who they wanted to promote over me had either not taken the examination or had failed to pass it.)
https://crushthecpaexam.com/deep-dive-top-100-cpa-exam-statistics/

UNIVERSITY OF MIAMI LAW REVIEW
— Fugitive Slaves and Undocumented Immigrants (COMMENT: Democrat and RINO leaders ever-increasingly paint their illegals as being fugitive slaves.)
https://repository.law.miami.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=4603&context=umlr

PALLADIUM MAGAZINE
— Complex Systems Won’t Survive the Competence Crisis (COMMENT: To advance minorities and females, Democrat and RINO leaders dump meritocracy. All my coworkers who my Democrat superiors promoted over me were Democrats who a) had less work experience than I had, had less education than I had, had no professional certifications or fewer than I had, and/or had no professional license like the one I had and/or b) were minority, female, younger than me, veteran, non-Protestant, non-German American, and/or had ancestors who had not been in America for a long time.)
https://www.palladiummag.com/2023/06/01/complex-systems-wont-survive-the-competence-crisis/
(FROM THE ARTICLE: The core issue is that changing political mores have established the systematic promotion of the unqualified and sidelining of the competent. This has continually weakened our society’s ability to manage modern systems. At its inception, it represented a break from the trend of the 1920s to the 1960s, when the direct meritocratic evaluation of competence became the norm across vast swaths of American society.)

POLITICO
— Democrat and RINO leaders ever-increasingly promote more illegal immigration.
https://www.politico.com/news/magazine/2025/01/12/trump-military-immigration-domestic-deployment-00195609

INSIDE HIGHER EDUCATION
— Soon, if not already, everyone in healthcare in America will be Democrat, citizens of foreign countries, non-White, female, younger, LGBTQ, non-Protestant, non-German American, and/or have ancestors who have not been in America for a long time.
https://www.insidehighered.com/news/quick-takes/2025/01/13/post-affirmative-action-new-med-students-are-less-diverse

JD SUPRA
— Illinois Expands Employee Access to Personnel Records (COMMENT: My Democrat superiors in the federal government always highlighted in my personnel record the many adverse actions that they took against me.)
https://www.jdsupra.com/legalnews/illinois-expands-employee-access-to-3222169/

GEORGE W. BUSH
— While he was President, George W. Bush promoted mass/illegal immigration from Mexico big time. That helped elect Obama.
https://www.bushcenter.org/publications/reforming-our-immigration-system

AXIOS
— Trump inauguration 2017 vs. 2025: What’s changed.
https://www.axios.com/local/washington-dc/2025/01/13/donald-trump-inauguration-2017-vs-2025
— DNC launches new rapid response social media ahead of Trump’s return to office
https://www.axios.com/2025/01/13/dnc-social-media-trump-kamalahq

DAILY MAIL
— A shocking video shows the leader of diversity, equity and inclusion at the Los Angeles Fire Department appear to blame fire victims as massive blazes continue to tear through the City of Angels. (COMMENT; Democrat and RINO leaders blame Whites for all the problems that non-Whites and everyone else have.)
https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-14276655/Los-Angeles-Fire-Department-Kristine-Larson-diversity-fire-victims.html

GUARDIAN
— Democratic states train non-doctors on providing abortions to expand US access
https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2025/jan/13/abortion-access-healthcare-workers-democratic-states

Author: David Diersen

The opinions that I express in GOPUSA ILLINOIS emails are based on experience that I have gained doing many things since 1948. I base my opinions on what I learned a) working for the federal government for almost 30 years -- Post Office 1966-1969, IRS 1971-1980, and GAO 1980-1997, serving on the Executive Committee of the Association of Government Accountants Chicago Chapter 1983-1996, and being a union member while I worked for the Post Office and IRS; b) earning an MBA from Loyola in 1976, a masters degree in accounting from DePaul in 1980, and a masters degree in financial markets and trading from IIT in 1997; c) passing the CPA examination on my first attempt in 1979 and passing the Certified Internal Auditor examination on my first attempt in 1981; c) serving as a Republican Precinct Committeeman since 1999, the GOPUSA Illinois Editor since 2000, the TAPROOT Republicans of Illinois Chairman 2005-2012, a member of the 2008 Illinois Republican Party (IRP) Platform and Resolutions Committee, a Wheaton Chamber of Commerce Government Affairs Committee member 2003-2011, the Milton Township Republican Central Committee webmaster 2008-2010 and 2000-2004, an Illinois Center Right Coalition Steering Committee member 2003-2007, and an American Association of Political Consultants Midwest Chapter board member 2001-2004; d) attending the 2000, 2004, 2008, 2012, and 2016 IRP State Conventions as a delegate; e) being the subject of a nasty 4-page article in the February 1978 issue of Money Magazine; f) pursing litigation including Diersen v. GAO and Diersen v. Chicago Car Exchange; g) being married since 1978; h) living in Crete 1948-1972, in University Park 1972-1976, in Chicago 1976-1978, and in DuPage County, Milton Township, and Wheaton since 1978; and i) being baptized, raised, and confirmed as a Missouri Synod Lutheran.