WHITE HOUSE
— America Is Back — and President Trump Is Just Getting Started
https://www.whitehouse.gov/articles/2025/02/america-is-back-and-president-trump-is-just-getting-started/
FROM ILLINOIS CENTER-RIGHT SOURCES
MCHENRY COUNTY BLOG
— Pritzker Following Nazi Propaganda Minister Joseph Goebbels’ Playbook
https://www.mchenrycountyblog.com/2025/02/20/pritzker-following-nazi-propaganda-minister-joseph-goebbels-playbook/
— Indiana About to Pass Real Property Tax Relief
https://www.mchenrycountyblog.com/2025/02/20/indiana-about-to-pass-real-property-tax-relief/
— Pritzker Four-Year Junior College Proposal Will Hurt Four-Year State Universities
https://www.mchenrycountyblog.com/2025/02/20/pritzker-four-year-junior-college-proposal-will-hurt-four-year-state-universities/
— Judges Go to Schools
https://www.mchenrycountyblog.com/2025/02/20/judges-go-to-schools/
— The Censures of Algonquin Township Supervisor Randy Funk – Part 4
https://www.mchenrycountyblog.com/2025/02/20/the-censures-of-algonquin-township-supervisor-randy-funk-part-4/
CENTER SQUARE ILLINOIS
— Fallout continues after Pritzker’s Nazi comments during budget speech
https://www.thecentersquare.com/illinois/article_3ad0cf8a-efc3-11ef-b47d-1fb230bbecf6.html
ILLINOIS POLICY INSTITUTE
— Food assistance need grows 12% in Illinois since 2019 (COMMENT: Under the Democrats and under the RINOs, more and more and more will want/need/demand more and more and more food assistance.)
https://www.illinoispolicy.org/food-assistance-need-grows-12-in-illinois-since-2019/
FROM ILLINOIS CENTER-LEFT SOURCES
ABC7
— Democrat leaders promote Pritzker’s hate speech
https://abc7chicago.com/post/illinois-governor-jb-pritzker-getting-national-attention-speaking-president-donald-trump-during-budget-address/15939325/
— Democrat leaders use their “undocumented immigrant children” to promote hatred against Trump
https://abc7chicago.com/post/latest-trump-cuts-leave-26000-undocumented-immigrant-children-legal-representation/15938544/
— Border crossings are down and refugee shelters in border cities are seeing decrease first hand
https://abc7chicago.com/post/us-mexico-border-news-crossings-down-refugee-shelters-cities-seeing-decrease-first-hand/15933759/
NBC5
— What does DOGE’s IRS shake-up mean for tax season? DOGE wants access to filers’ data, and the commerce secretary says Trump wants to scrap the IRS altogether. But filing a return remains mandatory — the earlier the better, tax advisers say.
https://www.nbcchicago.com/news/national-international/doge-irs-shake-up-tax-season/3679235/?os=fuzzscanazstr&ref=app
CBS2
— Thousands of IRS employees facing layoffs by Trump administration. Another round of federal job cuts is coming. This time, it’s at the agency responsible for bringing money into the government’s coffers. (COMMENT: While I worked for GAO 1980-1997, its employees always faced Republican-led layoffs.)
https://www.cbsnews.com/chicago/video/thousands-of-irs-employees-facing-layoffs-by-trump-administration/
FOX32
— Chicago Columbus statues could return as city faces art controversy
https://www.fox32chicago.com/news/chicago-columbus-statues-could-return-art-controversy
— Chicago aldermen push to restore Columbus statues
https://www.fox32chicago.com/video/1596704
WTTW
— Democrat leaders promote fired federal employees. Democrats and RINOs either could care less or applauded my Democrat IRS and GAO superiors wasting my career and forcing me to retire when I was 49 years old in 1997.
https://news.wttw.com/2025/02/20/dream-jobs-us-forest-service-unemployment-meet-2-illinois-fired-federal-workers
WGN RADIO
— Former federal employee shares her story of losing her job (COMMENT: Democrats and RINOs do not want to hear my story.)
https://wgnradio.com/lisa-dent/former-federal-employee-shares-her-story-of-losing-her-job/
— Mayor Brandon Johnson shares plan to fight food inequity in the city
https://wgnradio.com/lisa-dent/mayor-brandon-johnson-shares-plan-to-fight-food-inequity-in-the-city/
WBEZ
— To get more votes from minorities, Democrat leaders want more federal money to be spent on them.
https://www.wbez.org/education/2025/02/20/uic-cultural-centers-and-race-based-college-programs-across-illinois-threatened-by-latest-trump-guidance
CHICAGO SUN-TIMES
— Trump, Musk unpopular with Illinois voters, Pritzker poll finds. It is notable that Gov. JB Pritzker’s team released the poll, and it shows he is prepared for a political fight — both in terms of a potential third term for Illinois governor, or a 2028 presidential bid.
https://chicago.suntimes.com/politics/donald-trump/2025/02/20/president-donald-trump-elon-musk-illinois-voters-poll-jb-pritzker
(FROM THE ARTICLE: A new Illinois poll commissioned by Democratic Gov. JB Pritzker finds President Donald Trump and his cost-cutting czar Elon Musk’s early administration actions aren’t quite popular. A Global Strategy Group poll of 800 “likely 2026 voters” conducted Feb. 5-9 found more than 50% of those surveyed called Trump’s actions “extremely concerning.” Of those polled, 56% called Trump unfavorable, including 49% who called him very unfavorable. For Musk, 56% called him unfavorable, with 50% dubbing him very unfavorable. Democrats were the most negative on Musk and Trump, but independents viewed both unfavorably as well. A party-line split was evident in the poll, with 90% of Republican voters saying they approved of Trump, and 83% saying they approved of Musk. Among independents, 40% approved of Trump, and 38% approved of Musk. The poll also delved into some of Trump and Musk’s actions, with 57% of those polled calling any move to end an initiative to lower the cost of prescription drugs “extremely concerning.” Eliminating government programs, including health care, Meals on Wheels and child care; eliminating all members of the Aviation Safety Board; pardoning all the Jan. 6 rioters; and eliminating the Department of Education were among the most concerning topics for those polled. It is notable that Pritzker’s team released the poll, and it shows the Democratic governor is prepared for a political fight ahead — both in terms of a potential third term for governor, or a 2028 presidential bid. Pritzker has been criticizing Trump since his first gubernatorial campaign began in 2017. But now he’s aiming his ire at Musk as well — and has frequently railed against the billionaire adviser at Illinois news conferences. At a Wednesday briefing at the Illinois State Capitol, Pritzker blamed Musk for the unpredictability of federal funding and its effects on the state budget. And he used a collective “we” when talking about Musk and Trump. “We don’t know what they’re going to do. And you’ve seen that. You know, Elon Musk comes out with tweets about Social Security that turned out to be completely false,” Pritzker said. “We don’t know what they’re going to do. We don’t know whether they’re going to cut off the Medicaid expansion across the country. They’ve been hearing from Republican governors, just like they have from Democratic governors about the negative impact on the people of their state.” Despite the poll’s negative approval rating for Trump, the Republican president’s statewide vote grew to 43.8% last year, up from 38.76% in 2016. The poll has a margin of error of plus or minus 3.5 percentage points.)
— Alderman introduces plan to punish Chicago city employees and officers for having extremist ties. The plan from 47th Ward Ald. Matt Martin follows growing calls for the Chicago Police Department and Mayor Brandon Johnson to fire cops with ties to extremist groups. (COMMENT: I should write about my critics/opponents who painted Illinois Center Right Coalition and TAPROOT Republicans of Illinois as being extremist groups. I would focus on those who have taken the most/biggest adverse actions against me.)
https://chicago.suntimes.com/extremism-in-the-ranks/2025/02/20/alderman-introduces-plan-to-punish-chicago-city-employees-and-officers-for-having-extremist-ties
DAILY HERALD
— Facing lawsuit, Republicans to meet a second time to choose McConchie’s successor
https://www.dailyherald.com/20250220/illinois-state-politics/facing-lawsuit-republicans-to-meet-a-second-time-to-choose-mcconchies-successor/
HERALD WHIG
— Black and Latino leaders want more government assistance for Blacks and Latinos
https://www.whig.com/news/illinois-news/black-latino-lawmakers-criticize-pritzker-s-proposed-budget/article_6e2f622e-efa5-11ef-9fea-3fe4be18874d.html
FOX ILLINOIS
— MAGA is ‘a Nazi movement’: Former NFL punter Chris Kluwe arrested at city council meeting
https://foxillinois.com/news/nation-world/maga-is-a-nazi-movement-former-nfl-punter-chris-kluwe-arrested-at-city-council-meeting-california-huntington-beach-city-council-minnesota-vikings-president-donald-trump-politics-make-america-great-again-red-hat-swastika
WAND TV
— Illinois House Democrats bash Rep. Steve Reick (R-Woodstock) for saying his caucus is part of ‘team Jew’
https://www.wandtv.com/news/statehouse/illinois-house-democrats-bash-republican-for-saying-his-caucus-is-part-of-team-jew/article_690a5734-efd4-11ef-843e-c7d87166bf31.html
WQAD
— Democrat leaders ever-increasingly push more pot.
https://www.wqad.com/article/news/local/the-current/black-hawk-college-cannabis-courses-cohort-online-industry/526-ddc205a3-5e9c-46c0-9ed3-2a4a141a9018
WSJD
— Pritzker Insults President Trump and Fails to Take Responsibility for Illinois’ Budget Deficit (COMMENT: Pritzker runs Illinois. He hates Trump and he hates the 2.4 million in Illinois who voted for Trump. Anticipate/expect that he will ever-increasingly destroy those 2.4 million voters starting with those who are registered Republicans, who voted in the election, and who share Trump’s demographics: conservative, White, male, older, non-poor, non-veteran, married, Protestant, German America, and/or have ancestors who have been in America for a long time.)
https://wsjd.fm/new-blog-1/2025/2/20/severin-pritzker-insults-president-trump-and-fails-to-take-responsibility-for-illinois-budget-deficit
NEWS CHANNEL 20
— Do you support President Trump’s plan to cut the size of the IRS? (COMMENT: I should write about those who have demonized me, denigrated me, and condemned me the most for my having been an IRS employee for almost 9 years.)
https://newschannel20.com/question/vote-do-you-support-president-donald-trumps-plan-to-cut-the-size-of-the-irs-question-of-the-day-internal-revenue-service-doge-department-of-government-efficiency-elon-musk-federal-workforce-downsize-taxpayers
EFFINGHAM RADIO
— IL GOP Reacts To Governor Pritzker’s Budget Address
https://www.effinghamradio.com/2025/02/20/il-gop-reacts-to-governor-pritzkers-budget-address/
CENTRAL ILLINOIS PROUD
— Democrats push a Democrat push poll.
https://www.centralillinoisproud.com/news/national/trump-approval-rating-appears-to-be-underwater-one-month-into-second-term-survey/
— IRS layoffs could hurt revenue collection and foil efforts to go after rich tax dodgers, experts say (COMMENT: Democrats and RINOs either could care less or applauded my Democrat IRS and GAO superiors wasting my career and forcing me to retire when I was 49 years old in 1997.)
https://www.centralillinoisproud.com/news/national/ap-irs-layoffs-could-hurt-revenue-collection-and-foil-efforts-to-go-after-rich-tax-dodgers-experts-say/
BLOCK CLUB CHICAGO
— Plan To Turn Lincoln Square’s Diplomat Hotel Into Transitional Housing Gets $5.5 Million TIF Boost. City Council approved additional funding for the $14 million renovation of the former motel into The Haven for people experiencing homelessness.
https://blockclubchicago.org/2025/02/19/plan-to-turn-lincoln-squares-diplomat-hotel-into-transitional-housing-gets-5-5-million-tif-boost/
CHALKBEAT CHICAGO
— Chicago releases its Black Student Success Plan amid backlash against race-based initiatives
https://www.chalkbeat.org/chicago/2025/02/20/cps-releases-black-student-success-plan/
CAPITOL FAX
— Afternoon roundup
https://capitolfax.com/2025/02/20/isabel%e2%80%99s-afternoon-roundup-252/
— Pritzker’s new Illinois poll has majority ‘extremely concerned’ about a host of Trump’s recent actions
https://capitolfax.com/2025/02/20/pritzkers-new-illinois-poll-has-majority-extremely-concerned-about-a-host-of-trumps-recent-actions/
FROM NATIONAL CENTER-RIGHT SOURCES
WASHINGTON TIMES
— Trump blasts Zelenskyy as ‘dictator’ who duped U.S. into sending aid
https://www.washingtontimes.com/news/2025/feb/19/donald-trump-blasts-volodymyr-zelenskyy-dictator-duped-u-sending-aid/
— Trump has conquered CPAC
https://www.washingtontimes.com/news/2025/feb/20/donald-trump-conquered-cpac/
— Musk wields symbolic chainsaw at CPAC in celebration of his federal role: ‘This is awesome’
https://www.washingtontimes.com/news/2025/feb/20/elon-musk-wields-symbolic-chainsaw-cpac/
— Vance emerges as an early favorite at CPAC to carry the MAGA flag into 2028
https://www.washingtontimes.com/news/2025/feb/20/jd-vance-emerges-early-favorite-cpac-carry-maga-flag-2028/
— ‘I want to find out’: Trump says he is going to personally inspect the gold at Fort Knox
https://www.washingtontimes.com/news/2025/feb/20/trump-inspect-gold-fort-knox/
NEW YORK POST
— Musk wields ‘chainsaw for bureaucracy’ on stage at CPAC to symbolize DOGE’s massive government cuts
https://nypost.com/2025/02/20/us-news/elon-musk-wields-chainsaw-for-bureaucracy-on-stage-at-cpac-to-symbolize-doges-massive-government-cuts/
BIZ PAC REVIEW
— ‘America-last RINOs’ side with Zelenskyy over Trump
https://www.bizpacreview.com/2025/02/20/america-last-rinos-side-with-zelenskyy-over-trump-1523948/
CAMPUS REFORM
— Ex-UIC prof files lawsuit saying he was fired for opposing racial hiring preferences. The Liberty Justice Center recently filed a lawsuit against the University of Illinois Chicago (UIC), alleging that a professor was fired because he criticized the school’s hiring practices, which the professor believes are racially discriminatory. The federal lawsuit was filed on Feb. 10 in the Eastern Division of the Northern District of Illinois. (SEE: Diersen v. GAO at : https://gopillinois.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/09/DiersenGAOFifthAmendedComplaint.pdf )
https://www.campusreform.org/article/ex-uic-prof-files-lawsuit-saying-fired-opposing-racial-hiring-preferences/27506
(FROM THE ARTICLE: The Liberty Justice Center recently filed a lawsuit against the University of Illinois Chicago (UIC), alleging that a professor was fired because he criticized the school’s hiring practices, which the professor believes are racially discriminatory. The federal lawsuit, which was filed on Feb. 10 in the Eastern Division of the Northern District of Illinois, asserts that the school administration violated the Equal Protection Clause of the 14th Amendment when it terminated Professor Stephen Kleinschmit. While he was at UIC, Kleinschmit “observed that multiple hiring and funding programs were either a) explicitly designed to use race as a qualification in hiring decisions or b) being subverted to favor nonwhite applicants and faculty,” according to the lawsuit. The document asserts that when Kleinschmit spoke out about the allegedly discriminatory hiring practices, the school administration terminated his contract. “When he complained about this unlawful behavior, he was terminated—ostensibly due to budget cuts, yet the University retained faculty hired under a non-competitive, racially preferential hiring program, and soon after advertised a new job opening in his old department stating ‘members of a recognized underrepresented group are particularly encouraged to apply,’” the complaint says. Kleinschmit has a Ph.D. in Public Administration and was a professor in the school’s Department of Public Policy, Management, and Analytics until he was fired in 2023. Among other specific allegations, the complaint asserts that UIC required Diversity, Equity and Inclusion (DEI) statements in hiring. The lawsuit additionally accuses the administration of incorporating the race-conscious statements “into departmental norms and guidelines for promotion and tenure.” The 31-page lawsuit also gives other examples of allegedly racially discriminatory school policies. “The University Faculty Senate on July 29, 2020 released the UIC Senate Statement on Black Lives Matter, which asked the white faculty and administrators to ‘acknowledge their white privilege and power, and to commit to take action against systematic racism through anti-racist action,’” the lawsuit explains. In a statement about the lawsuit, Liberty Justice Center Senior Counsel Reilly Stephens called UIC’s hiring practices “blatantly” illegal. “The University of Illinois Chicago repeatedly engaged in blatant acts of racial discrimination, then added illegal retaliation to the mix to avoid accountability for its unlawful behavior,” Stephens asserted in a press release. “These actions are unacceptable violations of the right to equal protection under the law, and we urge the court to put a stop to it immediately.” Campus Reform has contacted the University of Illinois Chicago for comment. This article will be updated accordingly.)
CATHOLIC LIFE
— At CPAC, Vance talks faith, says policies should help ‘choose life’ and ‘start families’
https://www.catholicnewsagency.com/news/262327/at-cpac-vance-talks-faith-says-policies-should-help-choose-life-and-start-families
DAILY CALLER
— ‘Trump Administration Is Serious’: America’s Southern Border Hasn’t Been This Quiet Since The 1960s
https://dailycaller.com/2025/02/20/border-encounters-drop-to-1960s-levels/
EPOCH TIMES
— Federal Judge Allows Trump Admin to Continue Layoffs of Federal Workers. The suit was brought by federal unions seeking to preserve union dues and bargaining power.
https://www.theepochtimes.com/us/federal-judge-allows-trump-admin-to-continue-layoffs-of-federal-workers-5813651
FOX NEWS
— VP JD Vance speaks on ‘fundamental goal’ of Trump administration at CPAC address. ‘It is easy, unfortunately, to burn the house down. It takes a little bit of time to build it back up and that’s what we have to do,’ said Vance.
https://www.foxnews.com/politics/vp-jd-vance-speaks-fundamental-goal-trump-administration-cpac-address
— Homan says billions saved on illegal migrants can be used to help Americans
https://www.foxnews.com/media/trump-border-czar-tom-homan-says-billions-saved-illegal-migrants-can-used-help-americans
NATIONAL REVIEW
— Pro-Life Issues Are Given Short Shrift at This Year’s CPAC
https://www.nationalreview.com/corner/pro-life-issues-are-given-short-shrift-at-this-years-cpac/
FROM NATIONAL CENTER-LEFT SOURCES
THE HILL
— Trump set to speak at CPAC
https://thehill.com/homenews/administration/5154914-donald-trump-speaking-cpac-2025/
REUTERS
— Musk to appear at CPAC
https://www.reuters.com/world/us/musk-appear-cpac-conservative-gathering-organizer-says-2025-02-20/
CBS NEWS
— Thousands of IRS workers to be laid off (COMMENT: I should write about those who have demonized me, denigrated me, and condemned me the most for my having been an IRS employee for almost 9 years.)
https://www.cbsnews.com/chicago/video/thousands-of-irs-workers-to-be-laid-off-source-says/
— GOP lawmakers concerned about impact of DOGE cuts on constituents, but most support effort (COMMENT: How dependent on federal spending are those in your county, township, municipality, school district, and precinct?)
https://www.cbsnews.com/news/gop-lawmakers-doge-cuts-impact/
POLITICO
— Democrat and RINO leaders ever-increasingly promote those who seek asylum in America.
https://www.politico.com/news/2025/02/20/asylum-seekers-trump-administration-021337
— At CPAC, Vance finally gets the reception he wishes he got in Munich. Surrounded by allies, the vice president basked in his role as culture-warrior-in-chief.
https://www.politico.com/news/2025/02/20/cpac-jd-vance-culture-war-00205236
HARPER’S MAGAZINE
— Rage Against the Machine. Trump’s second attempt at dismantling the bureaucracy.
https://harpers.org/archive/2025/03/rage-against-the-machine-andrew-cockburn-trump-bureaucracy/
EDUCATION WEEK
— Parents Lose Appeal Over School’s Gender Identity Notification Policy (COMMENT: Democrat teachers ever-increasingly promote more LGBTQ.)
https://www.edweek.org/policy-politics/parents-lose-appeal-over-schools-gender-identity-notification-policy/2025/02
RASMUSSEN REPORTS
— 53% Approve Trump Ending DEI Policies
https://www.rasmussenreports.com/public_content/politics/trump_administration_second_term/53_approve_trump_ending_dei_policies
