February 7, 2025

FROM ILLINOIS CENTER-LEFT SOURCES

ABC7
— Kankakee County sheriff Mike Downey says Illinois laws hinder enforcement, supports DOJ lawsuit on sanctuary status (COMMENT: Hopefully, your county sheriff agrees with Downey.)
https://abc7chicago.com/post/kankakee-sheriff-says-illinois-trust-act-hinders-enforcement-supports-doj-lawsuit-sanctuary-status/15874853/
(FROM THE ARTICLE: The Kankakee sheriff said he hopes a lawsuit by the Department of Justice over Illinois’ sanctuary laws can resolve ongoing frustration in the law enforcement community. “Why are we so concerned about these individuals who are not here legally, who have some have committed violent, heinous crimes, and we’re worried about whether or not a local police department is calling ICE to say, hey, this guy’s in our community,” said Kankakee County Sheriff Mike Downey.)

FOX32
— Democrat leaders ever-increasingly crow about their success in pushing pot.
https://www.fox32chicago.com/news/illinois-cannabis-market-new-sales-record-2024

CHICAGO TRIBUNE
— Federal employees are demonized, denigrated, and condemned, except those federal employees who Trump wants to get rid of. I was a federal employee for almost 30 years. I have been a federal retiree for more than 27 years.
https://www.chicagotribune.com/2025/02/06/trump-musk-move-to-oust-epa-staff-in-the-great-lakes-region-including-dozens-responsible-for-protecting-drinking-water-for-30-million-in-u-s-and-canada/
— Democrat leaders ever-increasingly use Trump-proposed tariffs to promote more hatred against Trump.
https://www.chicagotribune.com/2025/02/07/illinois-braces-for-impact-of-tariffs/
— Chicago Auto Show goes electric with 2 EV tracks, dozens of models and first appearance by Rivian (COMMENT: I am especially interested in how the 2025 Dodge Charger Daytona R/T EV will be displayed.)
https://www.chicagotribune.com/2025/02/06/chicago-auto-show-ev-rivian/

CHICAGO SUN-TIMES
— Lawsuit alleges UI Health stopped gender-affirming care for teen after Trump executive order. Part of the nationwide suit against the order alleges that a 17–year-old Illinois boy had been given a date for chest surgery at UI Health, only for it to be canceled one day after Trump’s order.
https://chicago.suntimes.com/lgbtq/2025/02/06/lawsuit-alleges-ui-health-stopped-gender-affirming-care-for-teen-after-trump-executive-order

DAILY HERALD
— Illinois, Trump administration in legal battle over immigration policy
https://www.dailyherald.com/20250206/illinois-state-politics/illinois-trump-administration-in-legal-battle-over-immigration-policy/
— Cannabis is never safe for developing brains (COMMENT: Democrats ever-increasingly push more pot.)
https://www.dailyherald.com/20250207/health-and-fitness/cannabis-is-never-safe-for-developing-brains/
— FRONT PAGE TOP OF FOLD WITH PICTURE: EVs, hybrids give spark to Chicago Auto Show (COMMENT: I am especially interested in how the 2025 Dodge Charger Daytona R/T EV will be displayed.)
https://www.dailyherald.com/20250206/transportation/evs-hybrids-give-spark-to-chicago-auto-show/

WBEZ
— Chicago alderpeople want to ban participants in the Jan. 6 attack from working for the city
https://www.wbez.org/politics/2025/02/06/chicago-alderpeople-want-to-ban-participants-in-the-january-6th-attack-from-working-for-the-city

WCIA
— Democrat leaders ever-increasingly crow about their success in pushing pot.
https://www.wcia.com/news/illinois-news/cannabis-sales-higher-than-ever-in-illinois-exceeded-2b-in-2024/

WAND TV
— IL House Dems approve resolution condemning Trump for Jan. 6 pardons, GOP walk out
https://www.wandtv.com/news/il-house-dems-approve-resolution-condemning-trump-for-jan-6-pardons-gop-walk-out/article_c6f54a60-e4db-11ef-9fd5-1f36abe51611.html
— Thousands of cars sold in Illinois have fake odometer readings (COMMENT: I bought a 1968 Dodge Charger R/T collector car from the Chicago Car Exchange (CCE) in 1994. I had owned a 1969 Charger SE 1968-1971. I should not have assumed that CCE would not have engaged in odometer fraud. SEE: https://caselaw.findlaw.com/court/us-7th-circuit/1385001.html  CCE did not set the car’s odometer back, but it knew that its previous owners had done that. CCE offered to buy the car back from me, but only for what I had paid them for it. I had spent thousands on the car making it “show ready.”)
https://www.wandtv.com/news/thousands-of-cars-sold-in-illinois-have-fake-odometer-readings/article_05d9763e-e3dd-11ef-a40b-6b906b5beb3d.html

TRI STATE PUBLIC RADIO
— Democrat leaders ever-increasingly promote more LGBTQ
https://www.tspr.org/illinois-public-radio/2025-02-06/illinois-attorney-general-vows-to-protect-gender-affirming-care-after-trump-order-threatens-to-cut-funding

POLITICO ILLINOIS
— Pritzker to DOJ: See you in court
https://www.politico.com/newsletters/illinois-playbook/2025/02/07/pritzker-to-doj-see-you-in-court-00203066

CAPITOL FAX
— Morning briefing
https://capitolfax.com/2025/02/07/isabel%e2%80%99s-morning-briefing-452/

FROM ILLINOIS CENTER-RIGHT SOURCES

SOUTHLAND JOURNAL
— Cook County Commissioner Sean Morrison’s Statement on the U.S. Department of Justice’s Lawsuit against the State of Illinois, Cook County, and the City of Chicago
https://thechicagolandjournal.com/cook-county-commissioner-sean-morrisons-statement-on-the-u-s-department-of-justices-lawsuit-against-the-state-of-illinois-cook-county-and-the-city-of-chicago/

WIREPOINTS
— The next absurd bill from Illinois’ legislature: Removing student test scores from teacher evaluations
https://wirepoints.org/the-next-absurd-bill-from-illinois-legislature-getting-rid-of-test-scores-from-teacher-evaluations-wirepoints/
— The covid-era money spigot is turned off. We should get back to normal, but Gov. Pritzker wants to spend even more
https://wirepoints.org/the-covid-era-money-spigot-is-turned-off-we-should-get-back-to-normal-but-gov-pritzker-wants-to-spend-even-more-wirepoints-on-with-wjols-scott-slocum/

GOPUSA ILLINOIS
— Trump’s federal employee buyout deadline has been extended until February 10. Have you faced such deadlines? My Democrat GAO superiors’ deadline to take their early retirement “offer” was September 30, 1997. If I had not taken it, I would not have been eligible to retire for 6 years. In retrospect, with benefit of hindsight, I should not have taken it. I should not succumbed to their threats. Yes, if I had not taken it, they would have taken even bigger adverse actions against me than they had before. But I would have sought help from my U.S. Congressman Henry Hyde. I would have sued my GAO superiors. I would have stressed that I had earned job-relate professional certifications in 1997 (forensic accounting), 1996 (financial services auditing), 1994 (government financial management), 1990 (fraud examination), 1981 (internal auditing), and 1979 (accounting). I would have stressed that I earned a job-related professional license in 1981 (CPA). I would have stressed that I earned job-related master’s degrees in 1997 (financial markets and trading), 1980 (accounting), and 1976 (business). I would have stressed that GAO audits IRS, that I had worked for GAO on audits of IRS for 3 years (1986-1988), and that I had worked for IRS for almost 9 years (1971-1980), the last 5 1/2 years of which at the GS-12 Step 1-5 Levels, currently $99,069-$112,280/year. – Dave Diersen
http://www.gopillinois.com
— If you are considering buying an Iron Gate Motor Condo in Naperville, consider this one at  https://leeernst.exprealty.com/holp/listing/103/12283041  If my wife and I had not bought our unit in 2023, we would be making an offer on this one. Features that it has that our unit does not have include a balcony, windows, forever unobstructed view to the west, wider garage door, and more useable square feet on the second floor. The seller wants $100,000 for his unit than what my wife and I paid for our unit. – Dave Diersen
http://www.gopillinois.com

FROM ILLINOIS CENTER-RIGHT SOURCES

WASHINGTON TIMES
— Feds spent millions to create ‘transgender’ lab testing animals
https://www.washingtontimes.com/news/2025/feb/6/feds-spent-millions-create-transgender-lab-testing/

WASHINGTON FREE BEACON
— Musk Vows to Eliminate ‘Wasteful’ Politico Subscriptions for Federal Employees. Government payments to Politico quadrupled to $26 million during the Biden administration. (COMMENT: GOPUSA ILLINOIS subscriptions are worth at least $5,000/year. But I send out GOPUSA ILLINOIS newsletters out to anyone who wants them free of charge, without any advertising, and with no donation requests.)
https://freebeacon.com/trump-administration/musk-vows-to-eliminate-wasteful-politico-subscriptions-for-federal-employees/
— ‘No Immigrant Should Be Detained,’ Says Left-Wing Nonprofit With $769 Million Federal Immigration Contract. The D.C.-based Acacia Center for Justice is squarely at odds with the Trump administration.
https://freebeacon.com/politics/no-immigrant-should-be-detained-says-left-wing-nonprofit-with-769-million-federal-immigration-contract/

AMERICAN GREATNESS
— Federal Judge Delays Trump’s Worker ‘Buyout’ Deadline
https://amgreatness.com/2025/02/07/morning-greatness-federal-judge-delays-trumps-worker-buyout-deadline/

COLLEGE FIX
— Trump hauls out the government waste (COMMENT: GAO fights government waste. I worked for GAO for almost 18 years.)
https://www.thecollegefix.com/trump-hauls-out-the-government-waste/

DAILY CALLER
— Pam Bondi Sends ‘Clear’ Message To Sanctuary Cities Choosing ‘Illegal Aliens’ Over Americans
https://dailycaller.com/2025/02/06/pam-bondi-sanctuary-cities-illegal-aliens-americans-legal-repercussions/
— GOP Lawmakers React to Trump Suing Their State Over Laws That ‘Obstruct’ ICE Arrests
https://www.dailysignal.com/2025/02/06/gop-lawmakers-react-to-trump-suing-their-state-over-laws-that-obstruct-ice-arrests/

FOX NEWS
— Chicago resident pushes back against Dem leaders acting like Trump ‘isn’t welcome’  Chicago resident Vashon Tuncle joins ‘The Ingraham Angle’ with insight on the Trump administration’s embattled immigration policies. (COMMENT: How welcome is Trump in your county, township, municipality, school district, and precinct. I should write about how welcome Trump is in DuPage County, Milton Township, Wheaton, Wheaton Warrenville School District 200, and my precinct.)
https://www.foxnews.com/video/6368403046112
— Trump’s ICE crackdown could get boost in Florida with DeSantis’ plan to deputize state patrol
https://www.foxnews.com/us/trump-ice-crackdown-could-see-boost-florida-desantis-plan-deputize-state-patrol
— Over a dozen Venezuelan criminal illegal migrants sent to Guantanamo Bay: ‘Highly dangerous’ people. The US plans to house ‘the worst of the worst’ at the detention facility until they can be flown back to their home countries.
https://www.foxnews.com/politics/over-dozen-venezuelan-criminal-illegal-migrants-sent-guantanamo-bay-dangerous-people

PJ MEDIA
— Former USAID Official Liz Cheney Rips Elon Musk for Being a… Foreigner
https://pjmedia.com/robert-spencer/2025/02/06/former-usaid-official-liz-cheney-rips-elon-musk-for-being-a-foreigner-n4936761
(FROM THE ARTICLE: And now you’re throwing shade at Elon Musk for not being born in the United States? . . . Cheney’s sneering at Musk for not being an American just didn’t make any sense, at least apart from the fact that the political establishment claims to be the embodiment of compassion, but actually has nothing but contempt for the American people. The recent revelations about USAID confirm that in spades by showing that taxpayer money that was supposed to go to the poor and needy of the world was actually lining the pockets of “journalists” at AP, Politico, the New York Times, and elsewhere, so as to ensure that the American people were thoroughly saturated with the establishment line. And that was, of course, by no means all that USAID has been up to.)

MRC TV
— Rep. Dan Goldman Advises Illegals How to Evade Authorities…in Three Languages
https://www.mrctv.org/blog/nick-kangadis/legal-rep-dan-goldman-advises-illegals-how-evade-authoritiesin-three-languages

NEWSMAX
— Trump WH Sues Chicago in Latest Crackdown on ‘Sanctuary’ Cities
https://www.newsmax.com/politics/trump-immigration-chicago-arrests-sanctuary-immigrants-enforcement/2025/02/06/id/1198131/

FROM NATIONAL CENTER-LEFT SOURCES

CBS NEWS
— Black Hawk helicopter in D.C. plane crash had a safety system off
https://www.cbsnews.com/amp/news/black-hawk-helicopter-dc-plane-crash-safety-system-off-senator-says/

ASSOCIATED PRESS
— Opposition lawmakers protest alleged mistreatment of Indian deportees by US
https://apnews.com/article/indian-illegal-immigration-protest-parliament-deportation-trump-90ae7999040196e3ce25dd3fa8e29137

NBC NEWS
— Trump signs executive order banning men from women’s sports
https://www.nbcnews.com/nbc-out/out-politics-and-policy/trump-executive-order-ban-trans-women-sports-rcna190767

CNN
— White House pressures ICE to pick up pace of migrant arrests
https://www.cnn.com/2025/02/07/politics/ice-arrests-pressure/index.html

NEWSWEEK
— Unemployment in D.C. Nearly Doubles as Trump Aims to Shrink US Government (COMMENT: While I worked for the Democrats who ran GAO 1980-1997, Republicans shrank the agency from more than 6,000 employees to less than 3,000. My Democrat GAO superiors punished me big time for that.)
https://www.newsweek.com/unemployment-washington-dc-doubles-trump-guts-federal-government-2027547

U.S. NEWS & WORLD REPORT
— What Would a Drastically Reduced Government Workforce Mean for Americans? (COMMENT: While I worked for the Democrats who ran GAO 1980-1997, Republicans shrank the agency from more than 6,000 employees to less than 3,000. My Democrat GAO superiors punished me big time for that.)
https://www.usnews.com/news/national-news/articles/2025-02-06/what-trumps-federal-workforce-cuts-mean-for-everyday-americans

CBS NEWS
— Democrat leaders crow about their success in promoting vices. Because I do not spend money on vices, I have more money. My critics/opponents promote vices.
https://www.cbsnews.com/detroit/video/more-than-80-of-u-s-adults-spend-money-on-common-vice-report-shows/
(FROM THE ARTICLE: 4 in 5 Americans spend money on one of six common vices. That includes alcohol, lottery tickets, casino games, tobacco, marijuana and sports betting.

NEW YORK TIMES
— This Isn’t Reform. It’s Sabotage.
https://www.nytimes.com/2025/02/05/opinion/trump-musk-government.html?searchResultPosition=3

WASHINGTON POST
— Federal workers ‘defiant’ on Musk’s buyout (COMMENT: Democrats run the federal government. Virtually all federal employees are Democrats. If I was still working for the federal government, my Democrat superiors, supervisors, coworkers, and subordinates would have killed me by now, figuratively if not literally.)
https://www.washingtonpost.com/podcasts/can-he-do-that/federal-workers-defiant-on-musks-buyout/
— Democrat and RINO employers ever-increasingly use DEI a) to not hire Republicans and b) to get rid of their Republican employees.
https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/2025/02/07/trump-dei-federal-government-discrimination/
— Tulsa mayor backs reparations plan for ‘Black Wall Street’ massacre victims (COMMENT: What about reparations for all the Republicans who Democrats killed during the Civil War?)
https://www.washingtonpost.com/nation/2025/02/06/tulsa-reparations-race-massacre/
— Elon Musk’s DOGE is feeding sensitive federal data into AI to target cuts (COMMENT: Democrats run the federal government. Virtually all federal employees are Democrats. If I was still working for the federal government, my Democrat superiors, supervisors, coworkers, and subordinates would have killed me by now, figuratively if not literally.)
https://www.washingtonpost.com/nation/2025/02/06/elon-musk-doge-ai-department-education/

HOUSTON CHRONICLE
— Democrat leaders have always used Black History Months to promote more hatred against Republicans.
https://www.houstonchronicle.com/business/columnists/tomlinson/article/trump-hegseth-black-history-cancelled-20149267.php

WALL STREET JOURNAL
— Trump’s Use of Guantanamo Bay Signals Hard Line Against Migrants
https://www.wsj.com/politics/policy/trumps-use-of-guantanamo-bay-signals-hard-line-against-migrants-32880dac
— Test Scores Fall, Unions Want More (COMMENT: The more illegals that there are in schools, the more that test scores will fall.)
https://www.wsj.com/opinion/california-teachers-association-schools-money-covid-david-goldberg-teachers-union-5b21847f
— FRONT PAGE: How Trump’s Sweeping Expulsions Have Thrown the FBI Into Chaos (COMMENT: While I worked for the Democrats who ran GAO 1980-1997, they used Republican-led budget cuts to get rid of the agency’s Republican employees starting with those who were White, male, older. non-veteran, Protestant, German American, and/or had ancestors who had been in America for a long time. Because I am all of the aforesaid. I am amazed that I survived for almost 18 years,
https://www.wsj.com/politics/policy/trump-fbi-firings-immigration-crime-ad7d6b44

KIPLINGER
— Is Your Vice Putting Your Retirement at Risk?  From alcohol to gambling, adults spend a lot of money pursuing their vices. Is the cost of a little fun jeopardizing their retirement nest eggs? (COMMENT: Democrat leaders crow about their success in promoting vices. Because I do not spend money on vices, I have more money. My critics/opponents promote vices.)
https://www.kiplinger.com/retirement/is-your-vice-putting-your-retirement-at-risk

HAGERTY
— American Muscle Car Index (COMMENT: Please let me know if you share my interest in American muscle cars. I am especially interested in Chargers, Corvettes, Mustangs, and Thunderbirds. I have ordered a 2025 Charger Daytona R/T. I own a 2013 Charger R/T Max, 2005 and 1972 Corvette, 2023 Mustang GT Premium, and 1996 Thunderbird LX. I previously owned a 1968 Charger R/T, 1969 Charger SE, 1962 Impala SS, 1966 Pontiac Tempest Sprint, 1968 Oldsmobile 442, 1990 Thunderbird LX, 1994 Thunderbird, and 2003 Cavalier LS.)
https://www.hagerty.com/media/market-trends/hagerty-indexes-idle-into-2025/

UNIVERSITY MAGAZINE
— Scholarships You Should Apply for in February 2025 (COMMENT: My critics/opponents have always used my not getting any scholarships against me. They hint/imply/argue/shout that my not getting any scholarships proves that I am academically deficient and that my parents were filthy rich. I should write about my critics/opponents and the scholarships that they got.)
https://www.universitymagazine.ca/scholarships-you-should-apply-for-in-february/

GLUESENKAMP PEREZ
— Gluesenkamp Perez Introduces Bill to Bring Greater Transparency to College Tuition Costs (COMMENT: Back in the good old days when college costs were much lower, I was able to work my way through college and graduate debt-free and owning a 20-month-old car. But the many hours that I worked to do that instead of studying dragged my GPA down.)
https://gluesenkampperez.house.gov/posts/gluesenkamp-perez-introduces-bill-to-bring-greater-transparency-to-college-tuition-costs

HR DIGEST
— Federal Worker Buyout Deadline Extended Until February 10 (COMMENT: Have you faced such deadlines? My Democrat GAO superiors’ deadline to take their early retirement “offer” was September 30, 1997. If I had not taken it, I would not have been eligible to retire for 6 years. In retrospect, with benefit of hindsight, I should not have taken it. I should not succumbed to their threats. Yes, if I had not taken it, they would have taken even bigger adverse actions against me than they had before. But I would have sought help from U.S. Congressman Henry Hyde. I would have sued my GAO superiors. I would have stressed that I had earned job-relate professional certifications in 1997 (forensic accounting), 1996 (financial services auditing), 1994 (government financial management), 1990 (fraud examination), 1981 (internal auditing), and 1979 (accounting). I would have stressed that I earned a job-related professional license in 1981 (CPA). I would have stressed that I earned job-related master’s degrees in 1997 (financial markets and trading), 1980 (accounting), and 1976 (business). I would have stressed that GAO audits IRS, that I had worked for GAO on audits of IRS for 3 years (1986-1988), and that I had worked for IRS for almost 9 years (1971-1980), the last 5 1/2 years of which at the GS-12 Step 1-5 Levels, currently $99,069-$112,280/year.)
https://www.thehrdigest.com/federal-worker-buyout-deadline-extended-until-feb-10/

AMERICA MAGAZINE
— Democrat leaders crow about their success in getting Catholics to promote illegal immigration.
https://www.americamagazine.org/politics-society/2025/02/06/catholic-church-vulnerable-migrants-trump-249835

WASHINGTON EXAMINER
— Black Federal Employees Targeted in Public Blacklist as Trump and Musk Continue Assault on Diversity (COMMENT: I should write about the tremendous preference that my Democrat Black superiors, supervisors, coworkers, and subordinates got while I worked for the federal government for almost 30 years. I would focus on my Democrat Black GAO subordinate who my Democrat GAO superiors replaced me with. He had less work experience than I had. He had less education than I had. He had one professional certification while I had six. He had no professional license like the one I had.)
https://www.washingtoninformer.com/trump-allies-identify-federal-employees/

TIMES OF INDIA
— Condoms for Taliban to drag shows in Ecuador: Craziest USAID spends revealed
https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/world/us/condoms-for-taliban-to-drag-shows-in-ecuador-craziest-usaid-spends-revealed/articleshow/118003488.cms

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.