FROM ILLINOIS CENTER-LEFT SOURCES
CHICAGO TRIBUNE
— Kane state’s attorney confirms she’s investigating Elgin ICE complaints
https://www.chicagotribune.com/2025/12/18/elgin-kane-investigation-ice-agents/
— FRONT PAGE TOP OF FOLD WIH BIG PICTURE: Trump administration threatens to withhold $50M from CTA, calling its plan to add police ‘materially deficient.’
https://www.chicagotribune.com/2025/12/19/cta-security-plan-fta/
— DD: Democrat leaders ever-increasingly a) glorify and praise their illegals and b) fight their deportation.
https://www.chicagotribune.com/2025/12/19/editorial-greg-bovino-susie-wiles-donald-trump-immigration-home-depot-deportations/
https://www.chicagotribune.com/2025/12/19/chicago-immigration-enforcement-raids/
— Some Carl Sandburg students speak out against a Turning Point USA club. DD: Your attitude toward Charlie Kirk and his assassination say more about you than anything that you can say about yourself.
https://www.chicagotribune.com/2025/12/19/carl-sandburg-students-oppose-turning-point-usa-club/
— Young conservative women find a home in Turning Point USA: ‘If Erika can do it, I can do it’. DD: Your attitude toward Charlie Kirk and his assassination say more about you than anything that you can say about yourself.
https://www.chicagotribune.com/2025/12/19/turning-point-usa-erika-kirk/
CHICAGO SUN-TIMES
— ALL OF THE FRONT PAGE: DD: Democrat leaders ever-increasingly a) glorify and praise their illegals and b) fight their deportation.
https://chicago.suntimes.com/the-watchdogs/2025/12/19/border-control-body-cameras-videos-midway-blitz-albany-park
DAILY HERALD
— DD: Under the Democrats, soon, everyone in Illinois will be a) handing out welfare and/or b) receiving welfare.
https://www.dailyherald.com/20251219/lifestyle/im-so-thankful-salvation-army-delivers-gifts-food-to-needy-suburban-families/
— DD: Democrat leaders ever-increasingly succeed in getting religious leaders to do their bidding.
https://www.dailyherald.com/20251219/nation-and-world/pope-names-pro-immigrant-pastor-bishop-of-florida-diocese-where-trumps-mar-a-lago-is-located/
ABC7
— Erika Kirk endorses JD Vance for president in 2028
https://abc7chicago.com/post/erika-kirk-endorses-jd-vance-president-2028/18300896/
— Concern grows over health care costs in Chicago area as ACA premiums could double in January
https://abc7chicago.com/post/concern-grows-health-care-costs-chicago-area-affordable-act-premiums-could-double-january/18301472/
WTTW
— Push for Chicago Teen Curfew to Control Large Gatherings Faces Uncertain Future. DD: How prepared is your municipality for Democrat teen takeovers?
https://news.wttw.com/2025/12/19/push-chicago-teen-curfew-control-large-gatherings-faces-uncertain-future
WBEZ
— DD: Democrat leaders ever-increasingly a) glorify and praise their illegals and b) fight their deportation.
https://www.wbez.org/public-safety/2025/12/19/border-control-body-cameras-videos-midway-blitz-albany-park
25 NEWS NOW
— Democrat and RINO leaders ever-increasingly push more pot. Pot is poison. I led the successful effort to stop the sale of pot in Wheaton in 2019.
https://www.25newsnow.com/2025/12/20/peoria-dispensary-manager-sees-trump-order-boost-cannabis-research-ease-stigma/
CAPITOL FAX
— Afternoon roundup
https://capitolfax.com/2025/12/19/isabel%e2%80%99s-afternoon-roundup-441/
FROM ILLINOIS CENTER-RIGHT SOURCES
MCHENRY COUNTY BLOG
— What Politico Thinks Is Worth Reporting about 9th Congressional District Hopeful Daniel Biss
https://www.mchenrycountyblog.com/2025/12/20/what-politico-thinks-is-worth-reporting-about-9th-congressional-district-hopeful-daniel-biss/
— Chicago Gets the Ride, Everyone Else Gets the Bill
https://www.mchenrycountyblog.com/2025/12/20/chicago-gets-the-ride-everyone-else-gets-the-bill/
ILLINOIS FAMILY INSTITUTE
— Why Abortions Are Rising Despite the Fall of Roe
https://illinoisfamily.org/life/dr-mohler-why-abortions-are-rising-despite-the-fall-of-roe/
FROM NATIONAL CENTER-RIGHT SOURCES
WASHINGTON EXAMINER
— Democrats won’t give up on child gender transitions
https://www.washingtonexaminer.com/restoring-america/community-family/3926401/democrats-will-not-give-up-child-gender-transitions/
NEW YORK POST
— Trump officials slam Minneapolis police chief’s ‘absurd’ use of Nativity story to criticize ICE raids
https://nypost.com/2025/12/19/us-news/trump-officials-slam-minneapolis-police-chiefs-absurd-use-of-nativity-story-to-criticize-ice-raids/
BIZ PAC REVIEW
— Illinois Dem leaders fume when Chicago Bears mull business-friendly Indiana for new stadium
https://www.bizpacreview.com/2025/12/19/illinois-dem-leaders-fume-when-chicago-bears-mull-business-friendly-indiana-for-new-stadium-1611374/
BLAZE
— Trump DOJ slams door on welfare for illegal aliens, ends Clinton-era loophole draining taxpayer dollars
https://www.theblaze.com/news/trump-doj-slams-door-on-welfare-for-illegal-aliens-ends-clinton-era-loophole-draining-taxpayer-dollars
CENTER FOR IMMIGRATION STUDIES
— WSJ Article Shows Why the ‘Birthright Citizenship’ Debate Is Overdue. The world, technology, and immigration have changed a lot since the 19th century, and the ultimate question is whether the Constitution can keep up.
https://cis.org/Arthur/WSJ-Article-Shows-Why-Birthright-Citizenship-Debate-Overdue
CITY JOURNAL
— Rescheduling Marijuana Is the Wrong Call. Trump’s move sacrifices public decency to big business.
https://www.city-journal.org/article/trump-reschedule-marijuana-pot
DAILY CALLER
— Can The Dark Ages Return? DD: The most recent dark ages were the years Biden was President.
https://dailycaller.com/2025/12/19/victor-davis-hanson-dark-ages-western-civilization-tradition-mass-migration/
FEDERATION FOR IMMIGRATION REFORM
— Illegals on Interstates: Must States Recognize Deadly Drivers’ Licenses? DD: All this harkens back to George Ryan.
https://www.fairus.org/issue/states-giving-drivers-licenses-dangerous-illegal-aliens
FOX NEWS
— Trump’s marijuana order pushes a dangerous lie about drugs. As a society we seem to have become desensitized to the potentially horrific consequences of drug use. We should not be. We must not be.
https://www.foxnews.com/opinion/alex-berenson-trumps-marijuana-order-pushes-dangerous-lie-about-drugs
— Trump administration touts ‘most secure border in history’ as 2.5 million migrants exit US. Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem says administration delivered ‘most historic achievements in presidential history. DD: illegals came to America because Democrat and RINO leaders invited them. Democrat leaders because illegals vote for Democrats. RINO leaders because RINO leaders want cheap labor.
https://www.foxnews.com/politics/trump-administration-touts-secure-border-history-2-5-million-migrants-exit-us
JUDICIAL WATCH
— Sanctuary Policies Release Thousands of Violent Criminal Aliens
https://www.judicialwatch.org/sanctuary-policies-release-thousands-of-violent-criminal-aliens/
NATIONAL REVIEW
— One Nation Under Siege. Radicals assail our constitutional republic from the left and the right.
https://www.nationalreview.com/magazine/2026/02/one-nation-under-siege/
— DD: Pot is poison
https://www.nationalreview.com/2025/12/why-rescheduling-cannabis-falls-short/amp/
NEW AMERICAN
— Cowed by the Left, Chick-fil-A Stands by DEI Despite Culture Shift
https://thenewamerican.com/us/culture/faith-and-morals/cowed-by-the-left-chick-fil-a-stands-by-dei-despite-culture-shift/
PJ MEDIA
— Milwaukee Judge Convicted for Protecting Illegal Alien From Arrest
https://pjmedia.com/catherinesalgado/2025/12/19/judge-convicted-for-protecting-illegal-alien-from-arrest-n4947277
TOWNHALL
— Democrats Rage After Woke Trans Surgeries Targeted by Trump Administration
https://townhall.com/videos/2025/12/19/dems-rage-after-woke-trans-surgeries-targeted-by-trump-administration-n2668215
FROM NATIONAL CENTER-LEFT SOURCES
WASHINGTON POST
— Young conservative women find a home in Turning Point with Charlie Kirk’s widow at the helm. Young women who have grown emboldened in their conservative beliefs are attending the annual conference held by Turning Point USA. DD: My outstanding wife’s first job after she earned her high school diploma was working for the FBI. She did much to help elect Big Jim Thompson in 1976. She earned a bachelor’s degree in finance in 1986. She became the Corporate Secretary for the U.S. League of Savings Institutions. SEE: https://gopillinois.com/documents/
https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/2025/12/19/turning-point-kirk-conservative-women/f52251ca-dc9d-11f0-b484-4459fa8e79e5_story.html
WALL STREET JOURNAL
— After Charlie Kirk’s Death, MAGA Battles Over Free Speech. Ben Shapiro rebuked Tucker Carlson at the Turning Point USA conference over an interview with a white nationalist. DD: Who leads Turning Point USA in Illinois and in your county, township, municipality, and school district?
https://www.wsj.com/politics/maga-turning-point-usa-americafest-b4d16632
— Trump Goes for the Stoner Vote. Rescheduling pot sends the wrong message to vulnerable young brains.
https://www.wsj.com/opinion/donald-trump-marijuana-reschedule-drugs-cdc-fda-6b30bf00
— DD: Pot is poison
https://www.wsj.com/video/series/potomac-watch-strassel/wsj-opinion-donald-trump-order-to-relax-marijuana-restrictions/8DAD1240-E948-4CBA-B335-B2212C60CF91
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AyCf6W9P6fk
— Kristen Waggoner’s Legal Crusade for Conservative Christian Values. Her advocacy group has tallied 16 wins before the Supreme Court and is preparing for two transgender sports cases in January.
https://www.wsj.com/us-news/law/kristen-waggoner-alliance-defending-freedom-supreme-court-conservative-christians-19be5bda
— Why My Generation Is Turning to ‘Financial Nihilism.’ It might seem reckless for Gen Z to gamble money on meme coins and sports, but many of us have lost confidence in the traditional ladder of success.
https://www.wsj.com/personal-finance/financial-nihilism-gen-z-gambling-meme-stocks-options-kyla-scanlon-7ae4f2aa
(FROM THE ARTICLE: Early career roles have eroded too. Entry-level jobs have thinned out due to automation and cost pressures, with only 30% of 2025 college graduates able to find entry-level jobs in their field, an 11% drop since 2024, according to the Cengage Group’s 2025 Graduate Employability Report. Just this week the nation’s job report showed that the unemployment rate for 16- to 24-year-olds is at a postpandemic high of 10.6%. That instability hits at the exact moment when people are supposed to take their first steps on the economic ladder. And then there is homeownership: Only about 32% of 27-year-olds owned a home in 2024, a number that hasn’t budged in two years, according to the real-estate brokerage company Redfin. It’s a tough story compared to generations past—almost 40% of boomers and Gen Xers owned a home when they were 27. The price-to-income ratio for a median home now is nearly double what it was when their parents and grandparents were buying in the 1980s and 1990s. The specifics vary by region, but the broader reality is that the entry point into ownership has moved farther out of reach.)
FORTUNE
— The job market is so bad that people in their 40s are resorting to going back to school instead of looking for work. DD: How many people do you know who earned their third master’s degree in their 40s like I did? I earned a master’s degree in financial markets and trading from IIT when I was 48 in 1997. I did that because my Democrat GAO supervisor wanted/demanded that. I did that because my Democrat GAO superiors had made it clear that they would never again assign me to audits of IRS. In addition, I became a Certified Financial Services Auditor when I was 47 in 1996. But they flushed the aforesaid down their toilets when they forced me to retire when I was 49 years old in 1997.
https://fortune.com/2025/12/16/job-market-so-bad-people-age-40-going-back-to-school/
FORBES
— DD: Rubio promotes merit over DEI at the State Department.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bDlnMxnB3dU
— DD: Unfair Advantages. DD: According to your critics/opponents, what unfair advantages do you have? According to my critics/opponents, the unfair advantages that I have include the following. I was born a healthy White male in 1948. My parents sent me to religious schools K-8 1953-1962. I avoided the Vietnam War draft. The federal government employed me 1966-1969 and 1971-1997 and promoted me in 1972, 1973, 1974, and 1986. I was able to work my way through college and a) earn a job-related bachelor’s degree in 1970, b) earn job-related master’s degrees in 1976, 1980, and 1997, c) earn job-related professional certifications in 1979, 1981, 1990, 1994, 1996, and 1997, and d) earn a job-related professional license in 1981. I got married in 1978. My wife had good jobs. We gave up trying to have children. We did not adopt. We did not become foster parents. I have had a COLA-adjusted Civil Service Retirement System pension since 1997. Because I am a federal retiree, the federal government pays 72% of my and my wife’s healthcare insurance premiums.
https://www.forbes.com/sites/ruthgotian/2022/07/19/you-might-be-overlooking-your-unfair-advantage-heres-how-to-find-it/
— How To Get Promoted Faster At Work. DD: My critics/opponents have always been furious that IRS promoted me when I was 23, 24, and 25 and that GAO promoted me when I was 38. According to them, all those promotions should have been given to my Democrat coworkers who were minority, female, younger, and/or veteran. According to my critics/opponents, the federal government exists to hire, retain, and promote Democrats who are minority, female, younger, and/or veteran.
https://www.forbes.com/sites/dianehamilton/2025/02/11/how-to-get-promoted-faster-at-work-the-one-skill-leaders-notice-most/
CONCORD MONITOR
— DD: Duckworth and other Democrat leaders decry that the Army never promoted Hegseth beyond the rank of Major. IRS promoted me to GS-12 when I was 25 in 1974. The equivalent Army rank is Captain. GAO promoted me to GS-13 when I was 38 in 1986. The equivalent Army rank is Major. My critics/opponents have always ignored/dismissed/belittled/badmouthed what I did as an IRS Revenue Officer 1971-1980 and as a GAO Analyst 1980-1997.
https://www.concordmonitor.com/2025/12/19/my-turn-hegseth-dod-leadership-tillis/
MONEY WISE
— DD: GAO finds rampant Obamacare waste, fraud, abuse, but Democrat and RINO leaders ignore/dismiss/belittle that.
https://moneywise.com/news/rampant-waste-fraud-abuse-fake-obamacare-accounts-got-2350month-from-us-taxpayers-watchdog-finds
YOU GOV
— What are the best decades of Americans’ lives? Many say their 20s or 30s. DD: What were your best years? Mine include a) when I bought new cars when I was 17 in 1966, 19, 20, 23, 25, 29, etc. b) when I bought real estate when I was 24, 25, 27, 29, 35, etc. c) when I earned college degrees when I was 21, 27, 31, and 48, d) when I earned professional certifications when I was 30, 32, 41, 45, 47, and 48, e) when I became a licensed CPA when I was 32, f) when I got hired when I was 18, 21, 22, and 31, g) when I got promoted when I was 23, 24, 25, and 38, h) when I got married when I was 29, i) when I worked on audits of IRS when I was 38, 39, and 40, j) when I worked on audits of federal financial industry regulators when I was 41, 42, 43, 44, 45, 46, 47, and 48, k) etc.
https://today.yougov.com/society/articles/53769-what-are-the-best-decades-of-americans-lives-many-say-their-20s-or-30s
NEW YORK MAGAZINE
— DD: Democrat leaders ever-increasingly a) glorify and praise their illegals and b) fight their deportation.
https://nymag.com/intelligencer/article/blaming-immigrants-is-jd-vance-answer-for-every-problem.html
DEMOCRACY SOS
— Imagine if Congress was elected by Proportional Representation. Illinois’ 110-yr history with a form of PR resulted in more voter choice, more bipartisanship, less bitter polarization and better representation—a lesson for our times. DD: Because minorities vote for Democrats, Democrat leaders ever-increasingly flood America with minorities.
https://democracysos.substack.com/p/imagine-if-congress-was-elected-by-796
TALKING POINTS MEMO
— Democrat and RINO employers use Affirmative Action and DEI a) to not hire Republicans and b) to get rid of their Republican employees.
https://talkingpointsmemo.com/cafe/how-the-trump-administration-is-quietly-resegregating-the-american-workforce
HUFFINGTON POST
— DD: Democrat and RINO leaders want the following to be free for their illegals: housing, food, clothing, healthcare, education, transportation, childcare, etc.
https://www.aol.com/articles/why-republicans-falsely-claiming-democrats-161259456.html
DAILY KOS
— DD: Anticipate/expect that hate-filled conservative-hating Democrats and RINOs will ever-increasingly promote more hatred against Kirk. Your attitude toward Kirk and toward his assignation says more about you than anything that you can say about yourself.
https://www.dailykos.com/stories/2025/12/19/2359155/-Wife-of-murdered-bigot-endorses-Vance-for-2028
FROM FOREIGN SOURCES
INTERNATIONAL TIMES
— Retirement Planning Is a Public Health Issue and a Personal Responsibility. DD: My having been in line for a Civil Service Retirement System pension since I was 18 years old in 1966 has had a big positive impact on me.
https://www.ibtimes.com/retirement-planning-public-health-issue-personal-responsibility-3793251
(FROM THE ARTICLE: Retirement readiness in America is increasingly about basic well-being and even longevity itself. Research shows that adults with low incomes and limited financial stability die nearly a decade earlier on average than those with greater wealth. This is not about luxury. It is about stress, access to healthcare, and the ability to live independently as we age. Too many Americans are entering retirement without a plan that accounts for healthcare costs, rising longevity, market uncertainty, taxes, and evolving federal policy. The consequences of that uncertainty extend far beyond individual portfolios. They touch federal programs, the healthcare system, and the economic stability of families and communities.)
FROM OTHER SOURCES
ECONOMIC TIMES
— What married retirees need to know: 5 often-overlooked Social Security rules. DD: My critics/opponents will be furious when they learn that because of a law that Biden signed, a) my Social Security increased from $3,000/year to $6,000/year, and now to $18,700/year and b) I got $3,200 and $14,000 backpay awards. Because of the law, I now can start getting 47% of my wife’s Social Security. I paid into Social security 1964-1973 while I washed dishes, cleaned golf shoes, chipped slag, pumped gasoline, delivered mail, worked on an automotive assemble line, sold tires, automotive services, and major appliances, and pumped more gasoline.
https://m.economictimes.com/news/international/us/what-married-retirees-need-to-know-5-often-overlooked-social-security-rules/amp_articleshow/126082641.cms
(FROM THE ARTICLE: Social Security payments usually depend on how much a person earned and paid in payroll taxes during their career. People with short or uneven work histories may get lower benefits because they paid less into the system. To help, Social Security allows married people to claim spousal benefits based on their spouse’s work history. A husband or wife can get up to 50% of their partner’s full Social Security benefit. This full amount is called the primary insurance amount (PIA).)
LIVE ACTION
— South Korea finds economic stability is key to encourage marriage and family. DD: Democrat leaders ever-increasing destroy traditional marriage and family. Under the Democrats, fewer and fewer and fewer people are marriage material. What helped make you marriage material? By the time I got married when I was 29 in 1978, I had worked for IRS for almost 7 years and my salary was $108,978/year in today’s dollars. I had earned an MBA from Loyola in 1976 and I was taking graduate evening accounting courses at DePaul. I lived in a one bedroom condo in the Outer Drive East building that I had bought in 1976. I was renting out a town home in University Park that I had bought new in 1972. I owned a 1972 Corvette that I had bought new in 1971. SEE: https://gopillinois.com/documents/
https://www.liveaction.org/news/south-korea-economic-stability-key-marriage-family
INVESTOPEDIA
— Maximize Earnings Potential with a College Education. DD: Firestone Stores would not have hired me when I was 21 in 1970 and IRS when I was 22 if I had not earned a bachelor’s degree in business. IRS would not have promoted me in 1972, 1973, and 1974 if I had not been taking graduate evening business courses. GAO would not have hired me when I was 31 if I had not earned an MBA and passed the CPA examination on my first attempt when I was 31. GAO would not have promoted me when I was 38 or let me work until I was 49 if I had not a) earned master’s degrees in accounting and finance, b) passed the Certified Internal Auditor examination on my first attempt, c) became a licensed CPA, and d) earned four more job-related professional certifications.
https://www.investopedia.com/articles/younginvestors/06/investineducation.asp
(FROM THE ARTICLE: College graduates earn significantly more over their lifetime than high school graduates. Higher degrees generally lead to greater salary potential. Choosing an in-state public college can save significantly on tuition costs. A college degree provides economic benefits beyond salary, including job security and upward mobility. College graduates often enjoy healthier lifestyles and increased physical activity.)
