December 18, 2025

FROM ILLINOIS CENTER-LEFT SOURCES

ABC7
— DD: Democrat leaders say Trump hits Biden and old grievances, touts ‘our country is back’ in address
https://abc7chicago.com/post/trump-address-nation-1st-year-office-2026-agenda/18296354/

NBC5
— DD: Democrat leaders say Trump gives partisan address insisting economy is stronger than many voters feel
https://www.nbcchicago.com/news/national-international/trump-white-house-live-address-agenda/3865053/

FOX 32
— Video gambling costs. DD: I led the successful effort to stop video gambling in Wheaton in 2009.
https://www.fox32chicago.com/video/fmc-phn1jqxq2h0d645s

DAILY HERALD
— FRONT PAGE WITH THREE PHOTOS: Senate hopefuls Kelly, Krishnamoorthi, Stratton target Trump, talk affordability at first debate. DD: If I was still the TAPROOT Republicans of Illinois chairman and an Illinois Center Right Coalition officer, those organizations would still be hosting candidate debates. What did you do to help you afford things? To help me afford cars, college expenses, real estate, etc., I took bad jobs that my peers would never stoop to take. I a) did yard work 1962-1964. b) delivered newspapers 1962-1966, c) washed dishes 1964-1966, d) cleaned golf shoes, chipped slag, and pumped gasoline in 1966, e) delivered mail 1966-1969, f) worked on an automotive assembly line in 1970, g) sold tires, automotive services, and major appliances 1970-1971, h) pumped more gasoline 1971-1972, i) collected delinquent federal taxes 1971-1980, and j) audited federal agencies 1980-1997. I earned a) a job-related bachelor’s degree in 1970, b) job-related master’s degrees in 1976, 1980, and 1997, c) job-related professional certifications in 1979, 1981, 1990, 1994, 1996, and 1997, and a job-related professional license in 1981. I was able to do the aforesaid even though I was not viewed as being college material. Neither of my parents attended college. My father was only the first of my ancestors to earn a high school diploma. My mother never attended high school. I have never been able to run because I have a bone disease. My eyesight has never been correctable to 20/20. I have always had partial red/green color blindness. My ACT score was only 24. I only just barely made it into the upper 20% of my high school class. According to my critics/opponents, I have always been stupid. They stress that I got no scholarships or student loans and that had to work my way through college. One could argue that if I could do the aforesaid with the limitations that I had, just about anyone could do what I did academically and professionally.
https://www.dailyherald.com/20251217/nation-and-world-politics/senate-hopefuls-kelly-krishnamoorthi-stratton-target-trump-talk-affordability-at-first-debate/

RIVER BENDER
— DD: Pritzker ever-increasingly demonizes, denigrates, and condemns Trump.
https://www.riverbender.com/news/details/gov-pritzker-in-primetime-address-donald-trump-ignores-reality-skyrocketing-costs-89192.cfm?

NPR ILLINOIS
— DD: Democrat leaders ever-increasingly side with Venezuela against America.
https://www.nprillinois.org/2025-12-17/venezuelas-government-says-trumps-move-to-block-tankers-is-an-outrageous-threat

CHALKBEAT CHICAGO
— Illinois quietly changes scholarship for teachers of color amid lawsuit, threats from federal government. DD: Did you get any scholarships? I did not. My critics/opponents have always that against me.
https://www.chalkbeat.org/chicago/2025/12/17/illinois-teacher-diversity-scholarship-changes/

CAPITOL FAX
— Morning briefing
https://capitolfax.com/

FROM ILLINOIS CENTER-RIGHT SOURCES

CENTER SQUARE ILLINOIS
— Illinois tops nation for public sector union political spending
https://www.thecentersquare.com/illinois/article_2c1888f3-fb69-4c90-a9db-4ce54dc1804b.html

FROM NATIONAL CENTER-RIGHT SOURCES

NEW YORK POST
— Trump tells America: ‘I’m fixing’ Biden’s mess in chart-filled primetime address
https://nypost.com/2025/12/17/us-news/trump-tells-america-im-fixing-bidens-mess-in-chart-filled-primetime-address/
— House crushes Dems’ attempt to rein in Trump’s military campaign against Venezuela, ‘illegitimate Maduro Regime’
https://nypost.com/2025/12/17/world-news/house-dems-force-vote-to-rein-in-trump-on-venezuela-as-white-house-ramps-up-pressure-on-maduro/
— Chicago-based cash-strapped ‘woke’ Wall Street watchdog braces for Trump administration crackdown on ‘political’ nonprofits
https://nypost.com/2025/12/17/business/woke-private-equity-watchdog-braces-for-trump-administration-crackdown-on-political-nonprofits-sources/

AMAC
— How DEI Is Destroying the American Family
https://amac.us/newsline/politics/how-dei-is-destroying-the-american-family/

BREITBART
— DHS Rips ‘Sanctuary’ Democrats Who Protected Deadly Migrant Trucker
https://www.breitbart.com/immigration/2025/12/17/dhs-rips-sanctuary-democrats-who-protected-deadly-migrant-trucker/

CAMPUS REFORM
— 5 public colleges that rebranded DEI offices in 2025. Here are five public colleges that seemingly attempted to pass DEI off of as something else this year.
https://www.campusreform.org/article/5-public-colleges-rebranded-dei-offices-2025/29114
— Six GOP-led states push sweeping bans on public funding for DEI programs
https://www.campusreform.org/article/six-gop-led-states-push-sweeping-bans-public-funding-dei-programs/29155

DAILY SIGNAL
— ‘PROGRESSIVE POLITICAL MACHINE’: America’s 4 Largest Unions Fund Politics Using Members’ Dues

https://www.dailysignal.com

DAILY WIRE
— Renewing The American Merit Ideal. If you want a happier human society, meritocracy is the way. DD: According to my critics/opponents, a) they are successful because of meritocracy and b) I owe my successes to my benefitting from discrimination against those who are minority, female, younger, veteran, unmarried, LGBTQ, non-Protestant, non-German American, have ancestors who have not been in America for a long time, noncitizen, etc.
https://www.dailywire.com/news/renewing-the-american-merit-ideal

EPOCH TIMES
— Trump Highlights Measures to Drive Down Costs in Prime-Time Address. The president said his administration ‘inherited a mess’ and is fixing the economy with a series of policy decisions.
https://www.theepochtimes.com/us/trump-highlights-measures-to-drive-down-costs-in-prime-time-address-5959737
— Trump Announces $1,776 ‘Warrior Dividends’ to Military Members. The president said the checks are ‘already on the way’ to members of the military.
https://www.theepochtimes.com/us/trump-announces-1776-warrior-dividends-to-military-members-5959745

FEDERALIST
— Large School Systems See Plummeting Foreign-Language Students Thanks To Immigration Enforcement. DD: What percent of students in America are noncitizens?
https://thefederalist.com/2025/12/18/large-school-systems-see-plummeting-foreign-language-students-thanks-to-immigration-enforcement/

FOX BUSINESS
— ‘I INHERITED A MESS’: Trump UNLEASHES explosive economic victory speech
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=U-_3-KBibJw

FOX NEWS
— Trump speech sparks optimism as ‘gangbuster’ economy forecasted for 2026. Newt Gingrich joins commentators in expressing economic confidence after president’s address.
https://www.foxnews.com/media/trump-speech-sparks-optimism-gangbuster-economy-forecasted-2026
— Trump touts bringing country back from ‘brink of ruin.’  Trump unveiled new ‘Warrior Dividend’ checks that will be sent to US troops by Christmas.
https://www.foxnews.com/politics/trump-touts-bringing-country-back-from-brink-ruin
— Trump gives service members special Christmas gift: ‘Warrior dividend.’  ‘And the checks are already on the way,’ Trump said.
https://www.foxnews.com/politics/military-troops-get-special-christmas-gift-president-says-warrior-dividend
— Netflix cancels gay military series the Pentagon called ‘woke garbage’
https://www.foxnews.com/media/netflix-cancels-gay-military-series-pentagon-called-woke-garbage.print

PJ MEDIA
— Trump’s Speech: Panic Is What the Left Wants to See
https://pjmedia.com/david-manney/2025/12/18/trumps-speech-panic-is-what-the-left-want-to-see-n4947223
— House Passes Act to Screen Unaccompanied Minors Despite Major Dem Opposition
https://pjmedia.com/catherinesalgado/2025/12/17/house-passes-act-to-screen-unaccompanied-minors-despite-major-dem-opposition-n4947178
— Want Proof That Dems Love Illegal Alien Criminals? Here Are Three Examples.
https://pjmedia.com/catherinesalgado/2025/12/17/want-proof-that-dems-love-illegal-alien-criminals-here-are-three-examples-n4947183

FROM NATIONAL CENTER-LEFT SOURCES

THE HILL
— DD: Democrats and RINOs had no problem when Biden used his powers.
https://thehill.com/homenews/5654358-most-in-new-poll-say-trump-use-of-presidential-power-goes-too-far/
— Democratic socialism gets a trial run on Broadway with Mamdani
https://thehill.com/opinion/campaign/5651845-democratic-socialism-big-apple/

REUTERS
— US House defeats bids to rein in Trump Venezuela campaign. DD: Democrats and RINOs had no problem when Biden used his powers.
https://www.reuters.com/world/us/us-house-defeats-bids-rein-trump-venezuela-campaign-2025-12-17/

CBS NEWS
— DD: The Democrat Party platform ever-increasingly promotes more and more and more homelessness. Under the Democrats, Illinois, your county, your township, your municipality, and school district will house more and more and more homeless.
https://www.cbsnews.com/news/washington-dc-homeless-health-care-costs/

NEW YORK TIMES
— Full Transcript of President Trump’s Speech on the Economy. The president sharply attacked his predecessor while insisting that his own record contained nothing but victories.
https://www.nytimes.com/2025/12/17/us/politics/trump-speech-transcript-economy.html
— Trump Finds That Retribution Isn’t Always So Easy. DD: Of course, according to my critics/opponents, all the adverse actions that they took against me were justified. I should write about my critics/opponents, the adverse actions that they took against me, and why those adverse actions were not justified.
https://www.nytimes.com/2025/12/17/us/politics/trump-retribution-revenge.html
— Law Schools See a Decline In Students Of Color. DD: My IRS employee handbook encouraged me to take graduate evening courses in business, accounting, and law.  While I took graduate evening courses in business 1972-1976 and accounting 1976-1980, a big reason why I did not take courses in law was that the tuition and books would not be tax deductible.
https://www.nytimes.com/2025/12/16/us/law-school-black-student-enrollment.html

WALL STREET JOURNAL
— Karl Rove: Alarm Bells Ring, Are You Listening? Between his rallies and online ranting, Trump is setting up a nasty midterm loss.
https://www.wsj.com/opinion/alarm-bells-ring-are-you-listening-8a1b62f8
— Phil Gramm and John Early: The Biggest Fraud in Welfare. The government gives tens of thousands of dollars in benefits to the poor, which it doesn’t count as income.
https://www.wsj.com/opinion/the-biggest-fraud-in-welfare-c325638d
— The A’s at Yale Are Inevitable. ‘When nearly everyone admitted is excellent, excellence becomes common. That isn’t the end of meritocracy—it is what meritocracy looks like at the top.’ DD: According to my critics/opponents, a) they are successful because of meritocracy and b) I owe my successes to my benefitting from discrimination against those who are minority, female, younger, veteran, unmarried, LGBTQ, non-Protestant, non-German American, have ancestors who have not been in America for a long time, noncitizen, etc.
https://www.wsj.com/opinion/the-as-at-yale-are-inevitable-grade-inflation-evaluations-6e91beca

CITY JOURNAL
— Does Poverty Cause Crime? DD: What are the demographics of those who commit crimes?
https://www.city-journal.org/article/new-york-city-poverty-violent-crime

APOLLO ACADEMY
— US Demographics Are Changing. Although the US population continues to grow each year, the number of families with children under 18 reached a peak of around 37 million in 2007 and has declined to approximately 33 million in 2024, see chart below. This reflects demographic changes such as lower birth rates and aging of the population, even as overall population growth continues. DD: America is doomed if this trend is not reversed.
https://www.apolloacademy.com/us-demographics-are-changing/

JD SUPRA
— SCOTUS Will Expand President’s Power to Fire Members of Independent Agencies, Setting Stage for Workplace Regulation Shake-Up. DD: Because federal courts ruled that my Democrat GAO superiors had the power to force me to retire, that is, that they had the power to fire me, Trump has the power to fire any federal employee he wants to.
https://www.jdsupra.com/legalnews/predictions-scotus-will-expand-4998321/

LEGAL DEFENSE FUND
— DD: Democrat and RINO leaders ever-increasingly blame Republicans for all problems that those who are the following have: liberal/moderate, minority, female, younger, unmarried, LGBTQ, non-Protestant, non-German American, have ancestors who have not been in America for a long time, and/or are citizens of foreign countries.
https://www.naacpldf.org/case-issue/college-admissions-and-equity-research-brief/

FROM FOREIGN SOURCES

DAILY MAIL
— Bovino gets in VERY public spat with city mayor as he gives him rude awakening
https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-15393519/Trump-border-patrol-boss-public-spat.html

SOCIALIST PARTY
— The system is rigged for the rich – Fight for socialist change! DD: My critics/opponents promote socialism. According to them, I owe all my income and all my assets to my benefitting from a) working for the socialist federal government and b) capitalist discrimination against those who have less money than I have and are minority, female, younger, unmarried, LGBTQ, veteran, non-Protestant, non-German American, have ancestors who have not been in America as long as mine have, and/or are citizens of foreign countries.
https://www.socialistparty.org.uk/articles/146385/17-12-2025/the-system-is-rigged-for-the-rich-fight-for-socialist-change/

AMNESTY INTERNATIONAL
— DD: Non-Whites ever-increasingly blame Whites for the problems that non-Whites have.
https://www.amnesty.org/en/latest/campaigns/2025/12/why-systematic-racism-has-a-lot-to-do-with-migration-and-asylum-systems/

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.