January 24, 2026

FROM ILLINOIS CENTER-LEFT SOURCES

CHICAGO SUN-TIMES
— DD: Democrat leaders ever-increasingly fight deportation of their illegals.
https://chicago.suntimes.com/news/2026/01/23/chicago-minnesota-protest-ice-border-patrol-funding-bill

SHAW LOCAL
— DuPagePads meets ‘unprecedented’ need for shelter from cold with overnight warming center
https://www.shawlocal.com/my-suburban-life/2026/01/23/dupagepads-meets-unprecedented-need-for-shelter-from-cold-with-overnight-warming-center/
— What $1 million or less gets you in DuPage / Cook County, Jan. 12 to 18
https://www.shawlocal.com/real-estate/2026/01/23/what-1-million-or-less-gets-you-in-dupage-cook-county-jan-12-to-18/
— Glen Ellyn: Single-family home built in 1938 goes for $1 million
https://www.shawlocal.com/real-estate/2026/01/23/glen-ellyn-single-family-home-built-in-1938-goes-for-1-million/

SOUTHERN
— Vance addresses criticism that Trump admin has not done enough to move anti-abortion rights agenda forward
https://southernillinoisnow.com/2026/01/23/vance-addresses-criticism-that-trump-admin-has-not-done-enough-to-move-anti-abortion-rights-agenda-forward/

FOX ILLINOIS
— ‘Horrific smear’: ICE did not arrest 5-year-old or use child as ‘bait,’ McLaughlin says
https://foxillinois.com/news/nation-world/horrific-smear-ice-did-not-arrest-5-year-old-or-use-child-as-bait-mclaughlin-says-minneapolis-minnesota-immigration-and-customs-enforcement-raid-illegal-immigration-governor-tim-walz-mayor-jacob-frey-investigation-probe

WCIA
— Issues with federal government loom large in Illinois over 2026 session. DD: How soon will the Democrats who run Illinois officially declare war against the federal government, that is, against America?
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Lhxz25OqcOU

WSIU
— Lawmakers discuss potential changes to the SAFE-T Act
https://www.wsiu.org/state-of-illinois/2026-01-23/state-week-lawmakers-discuss-potential-changes-to-the-safe-t-act

FROM ILLINOIS CENTER-RIGHT SOURCES

GOPUSA ILLINOIS
— If you had an opportunity to stress something to Trump, what would you stress? Among many things, I would stress political affiliation discrimination, reverse discrimination, and age discrimination in the federal government. I would stress that the Democrats who ran the Post Office in 1966, IRS in 1971, and GAO in 1980 hired me because they could not find a qualified Democrat, minority, female, younger person, or veteran who would take the job. I would stress that because I have always been a Republican, my Democrat superiors in the federal government wasted my career and forced me to retire when I was 49 years old in 1997. I would stress that my Democrat Post Office superiors forced me to resign when I was 20 years old in 1969. I would stress that I earned a bachelor’s degree in business when I was 21 years old in 1970. In today’s dollars, my IRS Revenue Officer starting salary was $56,409/year (GS-7) in 1971. It was $68,999/year (GS-9) in 1972. It was $83,482/year (GS-11) in 1973. It was $100,059/year (GS-12) in 1974. The IRS manager who promoted me those three times was impressed by my taking graduate evening business courses at Loyola. None of my coworkers were doing anything like that. My Democrat IRS superiors, supervisors, coworkers, and subordinates were furious. According to them, those promotions should have been given to my coworkers were Democrat, minority, female, and/or veteran. To get rid of me, my Democrat IRS superiors got rid of the IRS manager who had promoted me. They disallowed my travel vouchers in 1974. They ignored/dismissed/belittled my earning an MBA from Loyola in 1976. They disallowed my education deductions in 1978. They ignored/dismissed/belittled my passing the CPA examination on my first attempt in 1979. They ever-increasingly made it clear that they would never promote me to GS-13. GAO audits IRS. Because of the aforesaid adverse actions, I took a $23,699/year (21%) pay cut, a downgrade from GS-12 Step 5 ($113,402/year) to GS-9 Step 10 ($89,703/year), to transfer to GAO in 1980. My Democrat GAO superiors, supervisors, coworkers, and subordinates were furious. According to them, I should have had to take a $72,701/year (64%) pay cut to transfer, a downgrade from GS-12 Step 5 to GS-4 Step 1 ($40,701/year). They succeeded in delaying my promotion to GS-13 ($118,984/year) until 1986. They never would have promoted me to GS-13 if I had not a) earned a master’s degree in accounting from DePaul in 1980, b) passed the Certified Internal Auditor examination on my first attempt in 1981, and c) became a licensed CPA in 1981. They forced me to retire when I was 49 years old in 1997. The aforesaid is political affiliation discrimination, reverse discrimination, and age discrimination. – Dave Diersen
http://www.gopillinois.com

ILLINOIS FAMILY INSTITUTE
— Predatory Gambling in Illinois Continues to Expand
https://illinoisfamily.org/gambling/predatory-gambling-in-illinois-continues-to-expand/

FROM NATIONAL CENTER-RIGHT SOURCES

WASHINGTON FREE BEACON
— ‘An Acceptance of Violence Against Civilians’: Campus Activists Spread Official Hamas and Hezbollah Propaganda Materials
https://freebeacon.com/latest-news/campus-activists-are-spreading-hamas-terror-propaganda-adl-study/

NEW YORK POST
— Woke colleges are still wasting young American minds. DD: I escaped liberal indoctrination while I earned a bachelor’s degree and three master’s degrees my majoring in business, accounting, and finance.
https://nypost.com/2026/01/23/opinion/the-fight-to-purge-wokeness-at-colleges-is-far-from-over/
— Trump’s border czar Tom Homan rips new Dem Virginia Gov. Spanberger over order ending ICE cooperation
https://nypost.com/2026/01/23/us-news/trumps-border-czar-tom-homan-vows-to-work-around-virginia-gov-spanbergers-executive-order-ending-ice-cooperation/
— NYC campus activists peddling propaganda directly from Hamas encouraging violence against Jews
https://nypost.com/2026/01/20/us-news/nyc-campus-activists-peddle-propaganda-directly-from-hamas-terrifying-report/
— Despite Trump’s efforts, airline DEI programs are still risking people’s lives
https://nypost.com/2026/01/23/opinion/despite-trumps-efforts-airline-dei-programs-are-still-risking-peoples-lives/

BLAZE
— This is what happens when a state elects a ‘moderate’ Democrat
https://www.theblaze.com/columns/opinion/this-is-what-happens-when-a-state-elects-a-moderate-democrat

BREITBART
— Bad Bunny to Wear Dress in Super Bowl Halftime Show Dedicated to ‘Queer Icons’
https://www.breitbart.com/sports/2026/01/23/report-bad-bunny-to-wear-dress-in-super-bowl-halftime-show-dedicated-to-queer-icons/amp/

DAILY SIGNAL
— They Threatened ICE Online—Then X and Google Got Involved
https://www.dailysignal.com/2026/01/23/hiding-behind-a-screen-wont-protect-you-big-tech-helped-identify-ice-threat-suspects/

DAILY WIRE
— JD Vance DEBUNKS Lie That ICE Arrested 5-Year-Old
https://www.dailywire.com/episode/mks-ep-1897

1819 NEWS
— Trump endorses Tommy Tuberville for governor in 2026. DD: Which Republican primary candidate on the ballot in your precinct a) are seeking Trump’s endorsement and b) have gotten Trump’s endorsement?
https://1819news.com/news/item/trump-endorses-tommy-tuberville-for-governor-in-2026

EPOCH TIMES
— Why Greenland Is Vital for US to Counter China and Russia. The Russian presence in the Arctic now includes six army bases, 10 radar stations, 14 airfields, and 16 deep-water ports.
https://www.theepochtimes.com/article/why-greenland-is-vital-for-us-to-counter-china-and-russia-5971427

FOX NEWS
— Trump reportedly touring the country weekly ahead of midterms
https://www.foxnews.com/video/6388148904112
— Mamdani clarifies NYC won’t check immigration status for universal childcare enrollees. Mayor proclaims New York City a sanctuary city, and ICE agents wouldn’t be allowed into a school without a judicial warrant.
https://www.foxnews.com/politics/mamdani-clarifies-nyc-wont-check-immigration-status-universal-childcare-enrollees

OPM
— The problem of employee ratings inflation in the federal government is well known – about 60% of employees are rated “outstanding’ or “exceptional” and only 0.3% are rated below satisfactory. DD: My Democrat Post Office superiors used the subjectivity in their employee rating system to justify their forcing me to resign when I was 20 in 1969. My Democrat IRS superiors used the subjectivity in their employee rating system to justify their not promoting me to GS-13. My Democrat GAO superiors used my IRS employee ratings to force me to take a $23,699/year (21%) pay cut in today’s dollars to transfer from IRS to GAO. My Democrat GAO superiors used the subjectivity in their employee rating system a) to justify their delaying my promotions to GS-11, GS-12, and GS-13, b) to justify their never promoting me beyond GS-13, c) to justify their always ranking me in the bottom half of my coworkers for pay-for-performance, and d) to force me to retire when I was 49 in 1997.  They would not have done that if I had been a Democrat, minority, female, younger, or veteran.
https://www.opm.gov/news/secrets-of-opm/bad-management/

PJ MEDIA
— Michelle Obama’s Racism Is No Surprise, Considering Her Husband’s Record
https://pjmedia.com/robert-spencer/2026/01/23/michelle-obamas-racism-is-no-surprise-considering-her-husbands-record-n4948672

YELLOWHAMMER NEWS
— Trump drops another blockbuster 2026 endorsement.  DD: Which Republican primary candidate on the ballot in your precinct a) are seeking Trump’s endorsement and b) have gotten Trump’s endorsement?
https://yellowhammernews.com/president-trump-drops-another-blockbuster-2026-endorsement-urging-algop-chair-john-wahl-to-run-for-lt-governor/

FROM NATIONAL CENTER-LEFT SOURCES

ABC NEWS
— Minneapolis streets filled with protesters. DD: How soon will the Democrats who run Minnesota officially declare war against the federal government, that is, against America?
https://abcnews.go.com/US/live-updates/minneapolis-ice-shooting-live-updates-doj-investigating-apparent/?id=129340693

MSN
— DD: Democrat leaders ever-increasingly hint/imply/argue/shout that GAO rightly exists to harm/stop Republican elected officials. Democrats do not want Republicans to audit Democrats. When I was 31 in 1980, I was one of the last Republicans who the Democrats who ran GAO hired.
https://www.msn.com/en-nz/news/other/the-one-person-who-can-stop-trump-has-two-months-left-to-do-it/ar-AA1PhX9W

MERCURY NEWS
— DD: Democrats and RINOs use Affirmative Action and DEI to destroy Republicans who are conservative, White, male, older, non-veteran, married, non-poor, Protestant, German American, and/or have ancestors who have been in America for a long time.
https://www.mercurynews.com/2026/01/24/opinion-dei-is-a-path-to-meritocracy-not-an-alternative/amp/

NEW YORK TIMES
— ICE Agent Charged With Misdemeanor Following Scuffle With an Activist. The police in Brookfield filed a battery charge against a federal agent, who was off duty when he scuffled with an immigrant rights activist. DD: Democrat leaders ever-increasingly fight deportation of their illegals.
https://www.nytimes.com/2026/01/23/us/ice-agent-charged-illinois.html
— Thousands March Through Manhattan to Protest ICE Crackdowns Across U.S.  The detention this week of a 5-year-old boy in Minnesota animated protesters in New York City, who faced freezing temperatures. DD: Democrat leaders ever-increasingly fight deportation of their illegals.
https://www.nytimes.com/2026/01/23/nyregion/nyc-ice-protest-union-square.html
— DD: Democrat leaders ever-increasingly promote more dependency on government and charity.
https://www.nytimes.com/2026/01/22/nyregion/refettorio-harlem-nyc-free-food.html
— DD: Democrat leaders have declared a Second Civil War against Republicans. Their illegals are their soldiers in their Democrat Army.
https://www.nytimes.com/2026/01/19/opinion/trump-minneapolis-ice.html
— DD: Democrat leaders ever-increasingly side with China and Russia against Trump, that is, against America.
https://www.nytimes.com/2026/01/22/business/davos-trump-xi-china.html

LOS ANGELES TIMES
— DD: Democrats and RINOs use Affirmative Action and DEI to destroy Republicans who are conservative, White, male, older, non-veteran, married, non-poor, Protestant, German American, and/or have ancestors who have been in America for a long time.
https://www.aol.com/news/trump-drops-court-fight-enact-181048063.html

SACRAMENTO BEE
— Lessons from the Vietnam War on resisting authoritarianism at home. DD: What are the similarities and differences between Vietnam in the past and Venezuela today?
https://www.sacbee.com/opinion/op-ed/article314251069.html

CAPE GAZETTE
— Retired Fed? The IRS May Be Looking For You! DD: I worked for the Democrats who ran IRS for almost 9 years. To get rid of me because I complained about their political affiliation discrimination, reverse discrimination, and age discrimination, they outrageously, disgustingly, and unethically disallowed my education deductions. They disallowed my graduate evening business and accounting courses that I had taken at Loyola and DePaul. They did that notwithstanding the fact a) that my IRS employee manual encouraged me to take such courses and b) that I had stated that in my Loyola and DePaul applications. They outrageously, disgustingly, and unethically argued a) that the courses did not relate to my job duties, b) that the courses did not maintain or improve my job skills, c) that I took the courses to get a job in the private sector, and d) that the courses qualified me for a new trade or business. They would not have done that if I had been a Democrat, minority, female, and/or veteran.
https://www.capegazette.com/affiliate-post/retired-fed-irs-may-be-looking-you/297935
(FROM THE ARTICLE: In the past few months the IRS has reinvigorated a tax enforcement program aimed at Federal employees and retirees who they claim are not in full compliance with their tax obligations. This program, the Federal Employee/Retiree Delinquency Initiative (FERDI) is an IRS enforcement program targeting unpaid taxes and unfiled returns among federal employees and retirees. Established decades ago, but ramped up recently, it uses payroll and pension data to identify employees and retirees who may have unresolved tax issues. As part of this initiative, the IRS has sent out more than a half million letters known as LT36 Notices, stating that the employee or retiree receiving the letter is, per their records, noncompliant with federal tax laws and must act quickly. These LT36 Notices urge federal workers and retirees to review their IRS account, file any outstanding returns, pay owed taxes, or arrange a payment plan. Failure to respond in a timely manner may lead to aggressive collection actions, including wage garnishments, pension levies, and Social Security benefit seizures. The IRS Taxpayer Advocate Service urges any federal employee or retiree who receives an LT36 notice to respond quickly before the IRS takes further action that could affect paychecks, pensions, and other benefits. And they further advise that you seek assistance from a tax professional or the Taxpayer Advocate Service to help you respond to this serious Notice.)

WALL STREET JOURNAL
— Will Virginia Go the Way of Illinois? The plaintiff bar poses the first big test for new Democratic Gov. Abigail Spanberger. DD: To get elected, Biden falsely painted himself as being a moderate.
https://www.wsj.com/opinion/virginia-tort-law-class-actions-abigail-spanberger-legislature-20ce4fa1
— Elon Musk Is Diving Back Into U.S. Politics. Billionaire has mended rift with Trump and he is giving millions to Republicans again.
https://www.wsj.com/politics/elections/elon-musk-2026-midterms-1890c056
— The Democrats Have an ‘Abolish ICE’ Conundrum. As progressives push to disband the agency, centrists are warning Democrats risk similar blowback to the ‘defund the police’ movement
https://www.wsj.com/politics/policy/democrat-respone-abolish-ice-bc51a946

NEW YORK STATE BAR ASSOCIATION
— DD: Ever-increasingly, Democrat and RINO leaders destroy you if you do not promote LGBTQ.
https://nysba.org/scaling-back-dei-has-chilling-effect-on-lgbtq-attorneys/

AMERICAN PROSPECT
— Childcare subsidies. DD: When were you young and how much money did your parents have when you were young? I was young back in the good old days during the 1940s and 1950s. My critics/opponents have always painted my parents as having been filthy rich because my mother stayed home and raised me and my brother and because they sent us to Missouri Synod Lutheran grade schools kindergarten through eighth grade. But neither of my parents attended college. My father was only the first of my ancestors to earn a high school diploma. He never earned more than $50,000/year in today’s dollars. He almost always worked second jobs to pay the family’s bills. He died suddenly when he was 47 and I was 21. My mother never attended high school. I had to work my way through college.
https://prospect.org/2026/01/23/trump-child-care-nick-shirley-minnesota-development-fund/

BANKING RATES
— 3 College Majors With Declining Starting Salaries. DD: I earned a bachelor’s degree in business when I was 21 years old in 1970. In today’s dollars, my IRS Revenue Officer starting salary was $56,409/year (GS-7) in 1971. It was $68,999/year (GS-9) in 1972. It was $83,482/year (GS-11) in 1973. It was $100,059/year (GS-12) in 1974. The IRS manager who promoted me those three times was impressed by my taking graduate evening business courses at Loyola. None of my coworkers were doing anything like that. My Democrat IRS superiors, supervisors, coworkers, and subordinates were furious. According to them, those promotions should have been given to my coworkers were Democrat, minority, female, and/or veteran. To get rid of me, my Democrat IRS superiors got rid of the IRS manager who had promoted me. They disallowed my travel vouchers in 1974. They ignored/dismissed/belittled my earning an MBA from Loyola in 1976. They disallowed my education deductions in 1978. They ignored/dismissed/belittled my passing the CPA examination on my first attempt in 1979. They ever-increasingly made it clear that they would never promote me to GS-13. GAO audits IRS. Because of the aforesaid adverse actions, I took a $23,699/year (21%) pay cut, a downgrade from GS-12 Step 5 ($113,402/year) to GS-9 Step 10 ($89,703/year), to transfer to GAO in 1980. My Democrat GAO superiors, supervisors, coworkers, and subordinates were furious. According to them, I should have had to take a $72,701/year (64%) pay cut to transfer, a downgrade from GS-12 Step 5 to GS-4 Step 1 ($40,701/year). They succeeded in delaying my promotion to GS-13 ($118,984/year) until 1986. They never would have promoted me to GS-13 if I had not a) earned a master’s degree in accounting from DePaul in 1980, b) passed the Certified Internal Auditor examination on my first attempt in 1981, and c) became a licensed CPA in 1981. They forced me to retire when I was 49 years old in 1997. The aforesaid is political affiliation discrimination, reverse discrimination, and age discrimination.
https://www.aol.com/3-college-majors-declining-starting-130232761.html
(FROM THE ARTICLE: Some College Majors Have Rising Salaries. There’s also been an increase in projected starting salaries for college graduates in the following fields. . .Business. . .2025 salary projection: $65,276. . .As broad as this degree is, options for those starting out include marketing manager, financial controller and financial planning analyst. But as with many of these job titles, more than a bachelor’s degree may be required.)

ATLANTIC
— DD: Democrat leaders ever-increasingly make it clear that if/when they regain control of the White House, U.S. Senate, and U.S. House, they will get rid of Republicans once and for all starting with Republicans who share Trump’s demographics: conservative, White, male, older, non-veteran, married, non-poor, Protestant, German American, and/or have ancestors who have been in America for a long time. To vote for Democrats is to get rid of Republicans once and for all starting with Republicans who share Trump’s demographics. Republicans should be ever-increasingly doing more for their self-defense.
https://www.theatlantic.com/national-security/2026/01/social-media-trump-administration-dhs/685659/

DAILY KOS
— DD: Democrats and RINOs use Affirmative Action and DEI to destroy Republicans who are conservative, White, male, older, non-veteran, married, non-poor, Protestant, German American, and/or have ancestors who have been in America for a long time.
https://www.dailykos.com/stories/2026/1/23/2365007/-Doing-Right-by-Black-People-Is-Not-Reverse-Racism

FROM FOREIGN SOURCES

ECONOMIC TIMES
— Bruce Willis: You can’t undo the past, but you can certainly not repeat it. DD: Democrats run the federal government. They do not want to employ Republicans. In 1969, the Democrats who ran the Post Office forced me to resign. So why did I become an IRS employee in 1971? I had to have a job. My Firestone Store boss had rudely fired me because I had accepted a job offer from Oldsmobile, an offer that Oldsmobile withdrew saying that it had just agreed to stop hiring Whites to settle an EEOC complaint.  I had to have a job. I was helping support my mother and brother.  IRS offered me a job because I had passed the Federal Service Entrance Examination (FSEE) and earned a bachelor’s degree in business in 1970. I never applied to work for IRS. I had taken the FSEE as a backup.
https://m.economictimes.com/magazines/panache/quote-of-the-day-by-die-hard-actor-bruce-willis-you-cant-undo-the-past-but-you-can-certainly-not-repeat-it/amp_articleshow/127368717.cms

FROM OTHER SOURCES

EXP REALTY
— FOR SALE: PROPOSED NEW CONSTRUCTION: 1519 Foothill Drive, Wheaton – $1,799,000  DD: This lot is in my precinct. The realtor, Lee Ernst, represented me in an Iron Gate Motor Condo sale and purchase last year.
https://leeernst.exprealty.com/details.php?mls=103&mlsid=12516679
— FOR SALE: PROPOSED NEW CONSTRUCTION: 1021 Greenwood Drive, Wheaton – $1,685,000 DD: This lot is in my precinct. The realtor, Lee Ernst, represented me in an Iron Gate Motor Condo sale and purchase last year.
https://leeernst.exprealty.com/details.php?mls=103&mlsid=12488277

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.