January 30, 2025 Evening Edition

WHITE HOUSE
— Immediate Assessment of Aviation Safety (COMMENT: One of the audits that I worked on for GAO in the early 1980s focused on air traffic control tower staffing.)
https://www.whitehouse.gov/presidential-actions/2025/01/immediate-assessment-of-aviation-safety/

FROM ILLINOIS CENTER-LEFT SOURCES

ANC7
— Air traffic control staffing was ‘not normal’ before deadly DC crash, highlighting ongoing shortages
https://abc7chicago.com/post/deadly-dc-plane-crash-highlights-ongoing-air-traffic-control-staffing-shortages-challenges/15849959/

NBC5
— Records show pilots complained for 20 years about near misses at DC airport
https://www.nbcchicago.com/investigations/records-show-pilots-complained-for-20-years-about-near-misses-at-dc-airport/3661183/
— Trump blames DEI initiatives in deadly plane crash (COMMENT: One of the audits that I worked on for GAO in the early 1980s focused on air traffic control tower staffing.)
https://www.nbcchicago.com/news/politics/trump-blames-dei-initiatives-in-deadly-plane-crash-ntsb-says-focus-on-facts/3660898/

CBS2
— Trump appoints new FAA administrator after vacancy during deadly plane crash
https://www.cbsnews.com/news/plane-crash-dc-faa-administrator-trump-appointment/
— Duckworth slams Trump for implying DEI initiatives caused D.C. plane crash
https://www.cbsnews.com/chicago/news/duckworth-slams-trump-for-implying-dei-initiatives-caused-d-c-plane-crash-how-dare-he/
— Trump speaks about D.C. plane crash and points blame at DEI
https://www.cbsnews.com/news/watch-live-trump-to-speak-on-dc-plane-crash/

WGN9
— Regional jet carrying 64, military helicopter on training flight collide near Reagan National Airport
https://wgntv.com/news/regional-jet-helicopter-collide-near-reagan-national-airport/
— ‘It got real crazy:’ The inside story of bad blood that boiled over into a brawl during a Thornton Township board meeting
https://wgntv.com/news/wgn-investigates/it-got-real-crazy-the-inside-story-of-bad-blood-that-boiled-over-into-a-brawl-during-a-thornton-township-board-meeting/

FOX32
— How do you become an air traffic controller? Deadly crash puts job requirements in spotlight.
https://www.fox32chicago.com/news/air-traffic-controller-requirements
— Cicero residents push for ‘sanctuary city’ policy
https://www.fox32chicago.com/video/1585546

WTTW
— Democrat leaders ever-increasingly promote more LGBTQ.
https://news.wttw.com/2025/01/30/members-chicago-transgender-community-raise-concerns-about-health-safety-after-trump

CHICAGO TRIBUNE
— Mayor: Following ‘longstanding practice,’ Aurora police not enforcing federal immigration laws (COMMENT: Democrat leaders ever-increasingly promote more illegal immigration.)
https://www.chicagotribune.com/2025/01/30/mayor-following-longstanding-practice-aurora-police-not-enforcing-federal-immigration-laws/
— Trump blames diversity hiring as investigation into deadly midair collision begins
https://www.chicagotribune.com/2025/01/30/president-trump-plane-crash-investigation/
— Pentagon agency pauses celebrations for Martin Luther King Jr. Day, Black History Month, Holocaust Days of Remembrance and more (COMMENT: While I worked for the Democrats who ran GAO’s Chicago office for almost 18 years, they ever-increasingly required the office to celebrate groups each month, but they never celebrated Whites, males, or older people.)
https://www.chicagotribune.com/2025/01/29/pentagon-pauses-celebrations/
— Chicago sued by white men barred from Bally’s casino investment
https://www.chicagotribune.com/2025/01/30/chicago-sued-by-white-men-barred-from-ballys-casino-investment/
— Want a low-stress job with lots of time off? The state of Illinois says it wants to recruit you.
https://www.chicagotribune.com/2025/01/30/editorial-state-of-illinois-commercial-jobs-benefits/
— Dolton faces a few more weeks of Tiffany Henyard. More than enough.
https://www.chicagotribune.com/2025/01/30/editorial-dolton-tiffany-henyard/
— Trump administration revokes deportation protections for 600,000 Venezuelans
https://www.chicagotribune.com/2025/01/29/venezuelan-deportation-protections-revoked/

CHICAGO SUN-TIMES
— Ever-increasingly, Democrat leaders encourage/urge everyone to reject Trump’s election.
https://chicago.suntimes.com/other-views/2025/01/30/president-trump-immigrants-transgender-racism-equality-inflation-economy-edwin-yohnka
— White activists sue Bally’s over Chicago casino IPO limited to women, minorities. Bally’s announced a $250 million public offering last month for shares of its massive Chicago casino project, but only to women or people of color. That’s in line with Bally’s agreement with the city, but opponents call it an illegal “race-based stock offering.”
https://chicago.suntimes.com/casinos-gambling/2025/01/30/ballys-dei-lawsuit-minority-investment-ipo

DAILY HERALD
— DuPage County offers $1 million in grants to aid small nonprofits
https://www.dailyherald.com/20250130/news/dupage-county-offers-1-million-in-grants-to-aid-small-nonprofits/

CHAMPAIGN/URBANA NEWS GAZETTE
— State GOP lawmakers introduce bills to punish sexual assault in schools
https://www.news-gazette.com/news/gop-lawmakers-introduce-bills-to-punish-sexual-assault-in-schools/article_61724002-df64-11ef-95a1-17bce3b49e2f.html

ALTON TELEGRAPH
— Civil rights activists call for a Target boycott after retailer backs away from diversity programs
https://www.thetelegraph.com/business/article/civil-rights-activists-call-for-a-target-boycott-20066567.php

SOUTHERN
— Democrat and RINO leaders ever-increasingly use DEI to get rid of Republicans.
https://southernillinoisnow.com/2025/01/30/trumps-missing-the-point-on-dei-and-meritocracy-experts-say/

NORTHERN PUBLIC RADIO
— Democrat leaders ever-increasingly promote more illegal immigration.
https://www.northernpublicradio.org/2025-01-30/legal-centers-for-migrants-kick-into-high-gear-as-trump-ramps-up-immigration-policies

CENTRAL ILLINOIS PROUD
— Rubio says Trump’s interest in Greenland and Panama Canal is legit and driven by China concerns
https://www.centralillinoisproud.com/news/politics/ap-rubio-says-trumps-interest-in-greenland-and-panama-canal-is-legit-and-driven-by-china-concerns/

WRSP
— Marijuana Use Negatively Impacts Working Memory (COMMENT: Putting GOPUSA ILLINOIS newsletters together and sending them out requires a tremendous amount of working memory.)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BsumOdc7kGA

FOX ILLINOIS
— Democrats ever-increasingly push more pot in Springfield.
https://foxillinois.com/news/local/springfield-launches-cannabis-grant-program-to-boost-minority-owned-businesses

DURBIN
— Many Insurrectionists Pardoned By President Trump Pose a Clear Threat To Public Safety
https://www.durbin.senate.gov/newsroom/press-releases/durbin-many-insurrectionists-pardoned-by-president-trump-pose-a-clear-threat-to-public-safety

CHALKBEAT CHICAGO
— How are Chicago schools responding to increased immigration enforcement? Here are five examples.
https://www.chalkbeat.org/chicago/2025/01/30/how-chicago-schools-are-responding-to-deportation-threats/

CAPITOL FAX
— Illinois Freedom Caucus complains about punishment
https://capitolfax.com/2025/01/30/illinois-freedom-caucus-complains-about-punishment/
— Afternoon roundup
https://capitolfax.com/2025/01/30/isabel%e2%80%99s-afternoon-roundup-239/

FROM ILLINOIS CENTER-RIGHT SOURCES

ILLINOIS FREEDOM CAUCUS
— Republican House Leader Tony McCombie Attacks Conservatives
https://illinoisfreedomcaucus.substack.com/p/republican-house-leader-tony-mccombie

CHICAGO CONTRARIAN
— ICE’s Immigration Mission Will Return Chicago to Normal
https://www.chicagocontrarian.com/blog/ice-immigration-mission-return-chicago-normal

PRAIRIE STATE WIRE
— Anti-government secrecy group demands Illinois disclose details on illegal alien criminals in custody
https://prairiestatewire.com/stories/669343672-anti-government-secrecy-group-demands-illinois-disclose-details-on-illegal-alien-criminals-in-custody

ILLINOIS POLICY INSTITUTE
— Madigan collects $158K while facing federal corruption trial in Chicago
https://www.illinoispolicy.org/madigan-collects-158k-while-facing-federal-corruption-trial-in-chicago/

FROM NATIONAL CENTER-RIGHT SOURCES

WASHINGTON TIMES
— FAA turned away qualified air traffic controllers based solely on race
https://www.washingtontimes.com/news/2024/feb/1/editorial-faa-turned-away-qualified-air-traffic-co/
— FAA’s diversity hiring practices were under scrutiny long before the air disaster in Washington. Ongoing policy criticism envelops crash aftermath despite no evidence DEI hiring played any role in accident.
https://www.washingtontimes.com/news/2025/jan/30/faa-diversity-hiring-practices-scrutiny-long-air-d/

NEW YORK POST
— Air traffic controller was doing the job of two people during DC plane crash due to tower being understaffed
https://nypost.com/2025/01/30/us-news/air-traffic-controller-was-doing-the-job-of-two-people-during-crash-faa-says/
— Trump admin rounds up 5,500 criminal migrants in less than a week — here are some of the worst (COMMENT: Countries that hate America ever-increasingly illegally send their operatives to America to destroy America.)
https://nypost.com/2025/01/29/us-news/trump-admin-rounds-up-5500-criminal-migrants-in-less-than-a-week-here-are-some-of-the-worst/

AMERICAN GREATNESS
— Trump Blames Biden Regime’s DEI Policies For DC Plane Crash, Says Pete Buttigieg Ran ‘FAA Right to the Ground’
https://amgreatness.com/2025/01/30/trump-blames-biden-regimes-dei-policies-for-dc-plane-crash-says-pete-buttigieg-ran-faa-right-to-the-ground/
— Bravo, Trump, for Restoring Merit and Banning Neo Racism in American Education. Trump’s executive order bans DEI in higher ed, mandates compliance, and puts school officials on the hook—no more hiding behind bureaucracy.
https://amgreatness.com/2025/01/30/bravo-trump-for-restoring-merit-and-banning-neo-racism-in-american-education/
— Mexico—Friend, Enemy, Neutral, or Something Else?  After years of U.S. appeasement, Mexico exploits open borders, drug trade, and remittances—it’s time for America to enforce real consequences and reclaim control.
https://amgreatness.com/2025/01/30/mexico-friend-enemy-neutral-or-something-else/
— Mounting Disobedience in Our Schools. School discipline is declining, and the education establishment is clueless about how to improve things.
https://amgreatness.com/2025/01/30/mounting-disobedience-in-our-schools/

FOX NEWS
— Trump says Reagan National Airport crash could have been prevented  (COMMENT: One of the audits that I worked on for GAO in the early 1980s focused on air traffic control tower staffing.)
https://www.foxnews.com/politics/trump-says-reagan-national-airport-crash-could-have-been-prevented-clear-night?lid=itltmx3v03fi

TOWNHALL
— Details on Trump’s Illegals to GITMO Plan
https://townhall.com/tipsheet/katiepavlich/2025/01/30/here-are-the-details-on-trumps-illegals-to-gitmo-plan-n2651396

FROM NATIONAL CENTER-LEFT SOURCES

REUTERS
— Trump opens door to earlier deportation of many Venezuelans from U.S.
https://www.reuters.com/world/americas/trump-administration-ends-extended-protections-venezuelans-us-official-says-2025-01-29/

NBC NEWS
— ‘Fear’ and ‘chaos’ grip federal workers as Trump rapidly remakes the government. More than a dozen civil servants detailed to NBC News their experiences over the past 10 days as Trump moves to quickly upend the federal workforce. (COMMENT: If I was still working for the Democrats who run GAO, they would have had me killed figuratively if not literally by now.)
https://www.nbcnews.com/politics/donald-trump/fear-chaos-grip-federal-workers-trump-remakes-government-rcna189746
— Several top FBI officials are told to resign or face demotion as Trump continues federal purge. The affected employees include about a half-dozen “executive assistant directors,” who are some of the bureau’s top managers.
https://www.nbcnews.com/politics/justice-department/several-top-fbi-officials-are-told-resign-face-demotion-trump-continue-rcna190095

NEW YORK TIMES
— Control Tower Staffing Was ‘Not Normal’ During Deadly Crash (COMMENT: One of the audits that I worked on for GAO in the early 1980s focused on air traffic control tower staffing.)
https://www.nytimes.com/live/2025/01/29/us/plane-crash-washington-dc
— What Caused the Crash Into the Potomac? For Trump, It Was Diversity.
https://www.nytimes.com/2025/01/30/us/politics/plane-crash-trump-diversity.html

BUSINESS INSIDER
— Washington, DC, plane crash thrusts high-stakes role of air traffic control into the spotlight (COMMENT: One of the audits that I worked on for GAO in the early 1980s focused on air traffic control tower staffing.)
https://www.businessinsider.com/dc-plane-crash-atc-spotlight-investigation-ntsb-2025-1

NEWS BREAK
— Democrat leaders ever-increasingly promote interracial marriage. Many of my Democrat IRS and GAO superiors and supervisors were in interracial marriages.
https://www.newsbreak.com/the-morning-hustle-1590243/3783934851960-could-trump-get-rid-of-interracial-marriage

GOVERNING
— Secession Schemes Within the States. Residents of red counties in blue states wish they had a new political home. (COMMENT: Under Pritzker and under his Democrats, Illinois is ever-increasingly headed for disaster. Soon, if not already, everyone in Illinois will be a) handing out welfare and/or c) receiving welfare.)
https://www.governing.com/politics/secession-schemes-within-the-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.