January 17, 2026

FROM ILLINOIS CENTER-LEFT SOURCES

ABC7
— Thousands expected at anti-ICE protest near Broadview facility
https://abc7chicago.com/post/broadview-ice-protest-today-expected-draw-thousands-renee-good-shooting-minneapolis-minnesota/18421001/

CBS2
— “No Kings” protest planned near Broadview ICE facility on Saturday
https://www.cbsnews.com/chicago/news/no-kings-protest-broadview-ice-facility-saturday/
— Judge rules federal agents can’t arrest or use pepper spray on peaceful protesters in Minneapolis
https://www.cbsnews.com/chicago/news/judge-rules-federal-agents-cant-arrest-or-use-pepper-spray-on-peaceful-protesters-in-minneapolis/

FOX32
— Large ‘No Kings’ protest planned near Chicago-area ICE facility
https://www.fox32chicago.com/news/broadview-no-kings-protest-1-17
— Walz, Frey to be investigated for allegedly impeding law enforcement
https://www.fox32chicago.com/news/walz-frey-be-investigated-allegedly-impeding-law-enforcement-report

CHICAGO SUN-TIMES
— DD: The mainstream news media exists to destroy the Republican Party and to destroy Republicans.
https://chicago.suntimes.com/columnists/2026/01/17/ice-laws-renee-macklin-good-minnesota-trump-mona-charen

FROM ILLINOIS CENTER-RIGHT SOURCES

CENTER SQUARE ILLINOIS
— ICE hiring ban bill reignites SAFE-T Act fight at Illinois Capitol
https://www.thecentersquare.com/illinois/article_73963b26-4744-49eb-91b1-920c75dde2d2.html

ILLINOIS REVIEW
— Illinois Taxpayers Stuck With $175 Million Bill for Obama Center After Pledge of “No Public Money”
https://www.illinoisreview.com/illinoisreview/2026/01/illinois-taxpayers-stuck-with-175-million-bill-for-obama-center-after-pledge-of-no-public-money.html

FROM NATIONAL CENTER-RIGHT SOURCES

WASHINGTON TIMES
— Judge rules in favor of anti-ICE protesters; says they can legally shadow DHS vehicles
https://www.washingtontimes.com/news/2026/jan/17/judge-rules-favor-anti-ice-protesters-says-legally-shadow-dhs/

NEW YORK POST
— Trump admin slams LA Mayor Karen Bass after she called for ICE to leave the city:  ‘Doing the bidding of criminal illegal aliens’
https://nypost.com/2026/01/16/us-news/trump-admin-slams-la-mayor-after-she-called-for-ice-to-leave-the-city/
— Thousands pack lefty activist group Monarca’s anti-ICE training — where they’re urged to annoy agents ‘like a mosquito’ DD: The first 6 months that I worked for IRS in 1971 was in Revenue Officer training.
https://www.aol.com/articles/minnesota-lefty-activist-group-monarca-221013106.html

BIZ PAC REVIEW
— Sitting Minnesota Dem live-posts locations and operations of ICE officers
https://www.bizpacreview.com/2026/01/16/sitting-minnesota-dem-live-posts-locations-and-operations-of-ice-officers-1616418/

CENTER FOR IMMIGRATION STUDIES
— Is a ‘Civil War’ Brewing in Minnesota over Immigration? Either get smart or stop lying, because the mullahs are watching. DD: Democrat leaders have declared a Second Civil War against Republicans. Illegals are soldiers in their Democrat Army.
https://cis.org/Arthur/Civil-War-Brewing-Minnesota-over-Immigration

EPOCH TIMES
— Minnesota Fraud Coverup Reaches ‘Highest Levels’ of State Government. The Trump administration said it would freeze child care funds in Minnesota unless officials there provide more data about the programs.
https://www.theepochtimes.com/us/dr-oz-says-minnesota-fraud-coverup-reaches-highest-levels-of-state-government-5972064

FEDERATION FOR IMMIGRATION REFORM
— Illegal Aliens Defy Removal Orders, Challenge Mandatory Fines
https://www.fairus.org/press-release/illegal-aliens-defy-removal-orders-challenge-mandatory-fines

WESTERN JOURNAL
— Texas Gave Over $1 Billion in Medical Care to Illegals in Less Than One Year
https://www.westernjournal.com/government-report-shows-red-state-gave-1-billion-medical-care-illegals-less-one-year/

FROM NATIONAL CENTER-LEFT SOURCES

THE HILL
— Ocasio-Cortez ramps up fight with Vance amid 2028 speculation
https://thehill.com/homenews/campaign/5692659-ocasio-cortez-presidential-bid/

ASSOCIATED PRESS
— Trump administration delays plan to withhold wages for student loan borrowers in default. DD: If you had gotten a student loan, how would your life been different? My ACT score and my Crete-Monee High School, UIC, and NIU GPAs would have been higher because I would have studied instead of washing dishes and delivering mail.
https://www.kfyrtv.com/2026/01/17/trump-administration-delays-plan-withhold-wages-student-loan-borrowers-default/

AOL
— Average Net Worth of 55-Year-Old Americans. DD: Ever since I was 20 years old in 1969, my net worth has always been much lower because of the many adverse actions that my Democrat Post Office, IRS, and GAO superiors took against me, and especially their forcing me to retire when I was 49 in 1997. According to Democrats, federal jobs are for Democrats, and especially for Democrats who are minority, female, younger, and/or veteran.
https://www.aol.com/articles/heres-average-net-worth-55-163800431.html

NBC NEWS
— Duckworth introduces legislation that would put restraints on current and former political appointees to be nominated as inspectors general. The Inspector General’s Independence Act would bar Trump and future presidents from nominating political appointees who have served or are serving in their administration from serving as an inspector general. DD: While I worked for the Democrats who ran GAO 1980-1997, I often worked with the Chicago offices of inspector generals. Democrats do not want Republicans to audit Democrats.
https://abcnews.go.com/Politics/democratic-senators-bill-prevent-political-appointees-serving-ig/story?id=129247009

NEW YORK TIMES
— Judge Restricts Immigration Agents’ Actions Toward Minnesota Protesters. A federal judge ordered agents not to retaliate against people “engaging in peaceful and unobstructive protest activity” in the state and not to stop drivers who are not “forcibly obstructing” officers.  DD: Democrat leaders ever-increasingly fight deportation of their illegals.
https://www.nytimes.com/2026/01/16/us/minnesota-ice-immigration-agents-protests.html
— DD: The mainstream news media exists to destroy the Republican Party and to destroy Republicans.
https://www.nytimes.com/2026/01/15/opinion/ice-shooting-trump-republicans-polling.html
— The Judge in the Maduro Case Is 92. All Eyes Will Be on His Stamina. Judge Alvin K. Hellerstein was seen drifting in and out of sleep in court last year. The case of Nicolás Maduro, the Venezuelan leader, will test his endurance. DD: While I worked for the federal government, the retirement age was 55 a) if you were a Republican, White, male, and/or non-veteran and b) if you had not made Senior Executive Service, currently $197,200/year. In 1993, when I was 45 years old, to get rid of their employees sooner who were the aforesaid, my Democrat GAO superiors “offered” those who had 25 or more years of federal service like I had a $25,000 buyout if they took and early retirement. I have been fighting age discrimination since I was 25 in 1973. My Democrat IRS superiors used “up-or-out” to waste my career and get rid of me. According to them, because they had not promoted me to GS-13 by the time I was 25, I was forever too old to be promoted to GS-13. Of course, they applied that rule only to Republicans like me. They forced the IRS manager to transfer to Dallas who had promoted me to GS-9 in 1972, GS-11 in 1973, and GS-12 in 1974. They disallowed my travel vouchers in 1974 and my education deductions in 1978. They ignored/dismissed/belittled my earning an MBA in 1976 and my passing the CPA examination on my first attempt in 1979. Because of the aforesaid, I transferred to GAO in 1980. The Democrats who ran GAO finally did promote me to GS-13 when I was 38 in 1986. But that was not until after I had earned a master’s degree in accounting in 1980, I had passed the Certified Internal Auditor examination on my first attempt in 1981, I had become a licensed CPA in 1981, and I had been assigned to audits of IRS in 1986. I never would have made GS-13 at GAO if the GAO manager who had arranged my transfer not gotten back into power in 1985. They forced him to retire in 1987.
https://www.nytimes.com/2026/01/15/nyregion/judge-alvin-hellerstein-maduro.html

WBUR
— DD: Political parties exist to help elect candidates who can and will defend and advance their platform. The Republican Party platform is conservative.
https://www.wbur.org/onpoint/2024/07/19/trump-vance-republican-party-platform-presidency

WALL STREET JOURNAL
— DD: I have never been a drinker. Virtually all my Democrat superiors in the federal government who took adverse actions against me and who were White, male, older, and/or veteran were big drinkers.
https://www.wsj.com/arts-culture/food-cooking/in-defense-of-drinking-alone-1871fad4
— The Retirement Crisis No One Warns You About: Mattering. Many of us plan for our future wealth and health. Few prepare for an equally essential aspect of retirement: how to continue to feel seen and valued. DD: If you are not retired, what will you do when you are retired? If you are retired, what are you doing? My Democrat GAO superiors forced me to retire when I was 49 years old in 1997. Since 1999, I have been a Republican Precinct Committeeman. Since 2000, I have sent out GOPUSA ILLINOIS newsletters. I served as the Milton Township Republican Organization webmaster 2000-2004 and 2008-2010. I served as an American Association of Political Consultants Midwest Chapter board member 2001-2004. I served as an Illinois Center Right Coalition officer 2003-2007.  I served as the TAPROOT Republicans of Illinois chairman 2005-2012. I served as the Republican fundraiser for Wheaton Independence Day parades and fireworks 2005-2021. While I continue on as a Republican Precinct Committeeman and as the GOPUSA Illinois Editor, my critics/opponents had their operatives and their dupes end all my other aforesaid roles. I should write about my critics/opponents.
https://www.wsj.com/health/wellness/the-retirement-crisis-no-one-warns-you-about-mattering-380873b2

LAWFARE
— Fear-Based Governance. DD: Because I have always been a Republican, my Democrat Post Office, IRS, and GAO superiors always wanted to get rid of me. They used their adverse actions against me, one of their extremely few Republican employees, to promote fear in my superiors, supervisors, coworkers, and subordinates. My Democrat Post Office superiors disallowed my sick leave requests and forced me to resign. My Democrat IRS superiors disallowed my travel vouchers and education deductions and never promoted me beyond GS-12. My Democrat GAO superiors forced me to take a $23,699 (21%) pay cut in today’s dollars to transfer from IRS to GAO, kept me off audits of IRS for all but 3 of the almost 18 years that I worked for GAO, delayed my promotions and never promoted me beyond GS-13, always ranked me in the bottom half of my coworkers for pay-for-performance, and forced me to retire when I was 49 in 1997. They flushed down their toilets what I had learned earning a job-related bachelor’s degree, three job-related master’s degrees, six job-related professional certifications, and a job related professional license. They would not have done that if I had been a Democrat, minority, female and/or veteran.
https://www.lawfaremedia.org/article/america-s-history-of-fear-based-governance

PARTNERSHIP FOR PUBLIC SERVICE
— DD: Democrats run the federal government. Potential federal employees should know that federal employees who are Republican have no Civil Service protections. SEE: https://gopillinois.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/09/DiersenGAOFifthAmendedComplaint.pdf
https://ourpublicservice.org/blog/pendleton-act-anniversary-president-james-garfield-civil-service-act/

JASON CROW
— DD: For Democrats, the federal government exists a) to hire, retain, and promote Democrats and b) to get rid of Republicans.
https://crow.house.gov/media/press-releases/crow-introduces-legislation-to-safeguard-against-political-harassment

POLITICO
— Judge limits ICE’s crowd control tactics following Minneapolis shooting. The judge’s order prevents federal agents from arresting peaceful protesters. DD: Democrat leaders ever-increasingly fight deportation of their illegals.
https://www.politico.com/news/2026/01/16/ice-minneapolis-arrests-judge-protests-00735416

GOOGLE AI
— DD: Under the Democrats, the more of the following that you are, the bleaker that your destiny is: conservative, Republican, American, White, male, older, Protestant, German American, and/or if your ancestors have been in America for a long time.
https://www.google.com/search?q=%22your+demographics+are+your+destiny

FROM FOREIGN SOURCES

DAILY MAIL
— MAGA civil war deepens as Tucker Carlson meets with Trump in the Oval Office while teasing conservative rivals… as ADL says he should have ‘no place in the White House’
https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-15472249/tucker-carlson-donald-trump-white-house-adl.html

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.