January 26, 2026 Evening Edition

FROM ILLINOIS CENTER-LEFT SOURCES

ABC7
— NRA, legal experts question Trump administration stance after fatal Minnesota protest shooting
https://abc7chicago.com/post/nra-response-alex-pretti-gun-rights-groups-question-trump-administration-stance-minneapolis-minnesota-shooting/18480147/
— Comparisons drawn between Alex Pretti, Kyle Rittenhouse in renewed Second Amendment debate. Ex-Illinois House GOP Leader Durkin called the White House’s comments on the Minneapolis shooting ‘the height of hypocrisy.’
https://abc7chicago.com/post/alex-pretti-shooting-minneapolis-comparisons-drawn-between-kyle-rittenhouse-renewed-second-amendment-debate/18480088/
— Congressional GOP criticism grows over Pretti shooting and Minnesota ICE operation
https://abc7chicago.com/post/congressional-gop-criticism-grows-pretti-shooting-minnesota-ice-operation/18479552/

NBC5
— Minneapolis remains on edge, ‘Border Czar’ heads to city after Pretti shooting. Protests have continued in the aftermath of Pretti’s death over the weekend.
https://www.nbcchicago.com/news/local/minneapolis-remains-on-edge-border-czar-heads-to-city-after-pretti-shooting/3881688/
— Gregory Bovino to leave Minneapolis, Border Patrol to draw back agents. NBC News confirmed reports from earlier in the day that Bovino would be leaving the Twin Cities.
https://www.nbcchicago.com/news/local/gregory-bovino-to-leave-minneapolis-border-patrol-to-draw-back-agents/3881725/
— Border Patrol commander and some agents planning to leave Minneapolis, sources say. Gregory Bovino, a public face of Trump’s immigration crackdown, will leave Tuesday, while some agents plan to leave sometime this week, sources told NBC News.
https://www.nbcchicago.com/news/national-international/border-patrol-commander-some-agents-planning-leave-minneapolis-sources/3881752/

CBS2
— “A terrible miscalculation”: Officials’ response to fatal Minneapolis shooting causes anger among some at DHS.
https://www.cbsnews.com/news/alex-pretti-minneapolis-shooting-causes-internal-anger-dhs/

WGN9
— Republicans divided on ICE tactics as shutdown looms
https://wgntv.com/politics-3/republicans-divided-on-ice-tactics-as-shutdown-looms/

FOX32
— Senate Democrats block DHS funding, risking partial shutdown
https://www.fox32chicago.com/news/senate-democrats-block-dhs-funding-risking-partial-shutdown

CHICAGO TRIBUNE
— Trump’s Minneapolis misadventure turns deadly for a second time
https://www.chicagotribune.com/2026/01/26/editorial-minneapolis-border-patrol-gregory-bovino-ice-alex-pretti/
— Alex Pretti’s death shows why militarized immigration raids portend lethal force
https://www.chicagotribune.com/2026/01/26/opinion-alex-pretti-minneapolis-ice-border-patrol-raids-lethal-force/

CHICAGO SUN-TIMES
— New SNAP work rules leave unemployed Englewood man and thousands of others at risk. The new work rules for the federal food assistance program start Feb. 1 in Illinois, with state officials estimating that as many as 400,000 residents could be pushed out of the program.
https://chicago.suntimes.com/news/2026/01/26/new-snap-work-rules-leave-unemployed-englewood-man-thousands-of-others-at-risk-food-benefits-cut-off-trump

SPRINGFIELD STATE JOURNAL REGISTER
— House passes ICE funding bill. Here’s how Illinois lawmakers voted.
https://www.sj-r.com/story/news/politics/2026/01/26/house-passes-ice-funding-bill-heres-how-illinois-lawmakers-voted/88320024007/

SOUTHERN
— Trump to send border czar Tom Homan to Minneapolis as admin faces outrage over Pretti shooting
https://southernillinoisnow.com/2026/01/26/trump-to-send-border-czar-tom-homan-to-minneapolis-as-admin-faces-outrage-over-pretti-shooting/
— DD: Democrat leaders ever-increasingly fight deportation of their illegals.
https://southernillinoisnow.com/2026/01/26/americans-largely-at-odds-with-trump-administration-on-immigration-ice-tactics-polls/

FOX ILLINOIS
— Trump demands Congress end sanctuary cities amid rising ICE tensions
https://foxillinois.com/news/nation-world/trump-demands-congress-to-end-sanctuary-cities-amid-rising-ice-tensions

NPR ILLINOIS
— Amid lawsuits and protests, Trump signals changes to Minnesota immigration surge
https://www.nprillinois.org/2026-01-26/amid-lawsuits-and-protests-trump-signals-changes-to-minnesota-immigration-surge

NORTHERN STAR
— DD: Democrat leaders ever-increasingly push more pot. Pot is poison.
https://northernstar.info/132043/opinion/opinion-with-weed-legalized-cannabis-lawbreakers-should-be-released/

CAPITOL FAX
— Afternoon roundup
https://capitolfax.com/2026/01/26/isabel%e2%80%99s-afternoon-roundup-455/

FROM ILLINOIS CENTER-RIGHT SOURCES

MCHENRY COUNTY BLOG
— The McHenry GOP Governor’s Forum That Darren Bailey Skipped
https://www.mchenrycountyblog.com/2026/01/26/the-mchenry-gop-governors-forum-that-daren-bailey-skipped/
— Gloria Van Hoff Gets Free Ride to Re-Election to the McHenry County Board, GOP COULD SLATE SOMEONE
https://www.mchenrycountyblog.com/2026/01/25/gloria-van-hoff-gets-free-ride-to-re-election-to-the-mchenry-county-board/
— Cynthia Schenk Makes Pitch for Dabrowski Followed by Loud Speech by Rocio Cleveland
https://www.mchenrycountyblog.com/2026/01/22/cynthia-schenk-makes-pitch-for-dabrowski-followed-by-loud-speech-by-rocio-cleveland/
— State Rep. Steve Reick’s Democratic Party Opponent Thrown Off the Ballot
https://www.mchenrycountyblog.com/2026/01/26/state-rep-steve-reicks-democratic-party-opponent-thrown-off-the-ballot/

ILLINOIS POLICY INSTITUTE
— Waste watch: Illinois spends $2.6M on tennis, pickleball
https://www.illinoispolicy.org/waste-watch-illinois-spends-2-6m-on-tennis-pickleball/

FROM NATIONAL CENTER-RIGHT SOURCES

WASHINGTON TIMES
— With Maduro gone, Venezuelan asylum-seekers should go home. ICE must prepare for those who won’t.
https://www.washingtontimes.com/news/2026/jan/26/maduro-gone-venezuelan-asylum-seekers-go-home/
— ICE fight starts another shutdown showdown with Democrats demanding reworking of DHS funding bill
https://www.washingtontimes.com/news/2026/jan/26/ice-fight-starts-another-shutdown-showdown-democrats-demanding/
— Democrats stoke chaos for political gain. Lawlessness and disorder.
https://www.washingtontimes.com/news/2026/jan/26/democrats-stoke-chaos-political-gain/
— The growing conservative rift risks fracturing America. Will we hang together or hang alone? DD: Who leads conservatives in Illinois, in your county, in your township, in your municipality, and in your school district? Hate-filled conservative-hating conservative-haters had their operatives and their dupes destroy TAPROOT Republicans of Illinois in 2012 and Illinois Center Right Coalition in 2007.
https://www.washingtontimes.com/news/2026/jan/26/growing-conservative-rift-risks-fracturing-america/

WASHINGTON EXAMINER
— Does America have the resolve to deport illegal border crossers?
https://www.washingtonexaminer.com/daily-memo/4434193/america-resolve-deport-illegal-border-crossers/

NEW YORK POST
— Trump makes 4 demands to end Minneapolis chaos, calls on Congress to ban sanctuary cities
https://nypost.com/2026/01/26/us-news/trump-makes-four-demands-to-end-minneapolis-chaos-calls-on-congress-to-ban-sanctuary-cities/
— DHS investigating whether Alex Pretti’s gun accidentally fired — and sparked deadly Minneapolis shooting
https://nypost.com/2026/01/26/us-news/dhs-investigating-whether-alex-prettis-gun-accidentally-fired-and-sparked-deadly-minneapolis-shooting-sources/
— Holocaust Museum scolds Tim Walz over ‘deeply offensive’ comparison of Trump to horrors witnessed by Anne Frank
https://nypost.com/2026/01/26/us-news/holocaust-museum-scolds-tim-walz-over-deeply-offensive-anne-frank-comparison/

HERITAGE FOUNDATION
— Vetting of 80,000+ Afghans Brought to America Failed the National Security Test
https://www.heritage.org/border-security/report/vetting-80000-afghans-brought-america-failed-the-national-security-test

FROM NATIONAL CENTER-LEFT SOURCES

ROLL CALL
— The race for Florida’s 19th District, which includes Fort Myers and Naples, has attracted an eclectic mix of Republican candidates who’ve run for office in other states. Among them are former North Carolina Rep. Madison Cawthorn, who lost a 2022 primary after a scandal-plagued single term; former Illinois state Sen. Jim Oberweis, who’s made multiple unsuccessful bids for Congress; conservative activist Catalina Lauf, who ran for a suburban Chicago House seat in 2022; and businesswoman Ola Hawatmeh, a 2020 House candidate in New York. Other GOP hopefuls include businessman Jim Schwartzel and Marine veteran Mike Pedersen.
https://rollcall.com/2026/01/23/former-new-york-rep-chris-collins-pardoned-by-trump-seeks-comeback-in-florida/

MSN
— Best and worst degrees for earning money. DD: Choosing the right college major is extremely important. I should have majored in accounting from the beginning. But I did not start taking graduate evening accounting courses until I was 27. I did not take and pass the CPA examination and pass it on my first attempt until I was 30. I did not earn a master’s degree in accounting until I was 31. I did not take and pass the Certified Internal Auditor examination on my first attempt until I was 32. I did not become a licensed CPA until I was 32. But by then, the accounting profession viewed me as being too old to have a career in accounting. The profession would not have done that if I had been a minority, female, or veteran.
https://www.msn.com/en-us/money/careersandeducation/best-and-worst-degrees-for-earning-money/ss-AA1V0ueo

WASHINGTON POST
— DD: Democrat leaders ever-increasingly hint/imply/argue/shout that if you cannot afford something, it is Trump’s fault. Why do you have less money? I have lots less money because my Democrat superiors in the federal government wasted my career and forced me to retire when I was 49 years old in 1997.
https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/2026/01/26/trump-affordability-midterms/

USA TODAY
— DD: Hate-filled Trump-hating Trump-haters ever-increasingly blame Trump for affordability problems. My critics/opponents have always stressed a) what I could not have afforded if I had not avoided the Vietnam War draft and b) what my wife and I could not have afforded if we had children. What helped you afford more things? For me, it was my always earning money since I was 14 years old. For me, it was my earning a job-related bachelor’s degree, three job-related master’s degrees, six job-related professional certifications, and a job-related professional license.
https://www.aol.com/articles/trump-plays-blame-game-white-034521979.html

WALL STREET JOURNAL
— Sanctuary Cities Can Be Deadly. To reduce tension and violence, let local police departments cooperate with ICE.
https://www.wsj.com/opinion/sanctuary-cities-can-be-deadly-906eec57

BLOOMBERG
— DD: Democrat leaders ever-increasingly fight deportation of their illegals.
https://www.bloomberg.com/opinion/articles/2026-01-26/ice-has-engineered-chaos-in-my-minneapolis-community

BROOKINGS
— DD: Democrat leaders say ICE expansion has outpaced accountability.
https://www.brookings.edu/articles/ice-expansion-has-outpaced-accountability-what-are-the-remedies/

MANHATTEN INSTITUTE
— Unlike Mamdani, Most Dems Want Prosperity — Not Class Warfare
https://manhattan.institute/article/unlike-zohran-mamdani-most-dems-want-prosperity-not-class-warfare

RUSMUSSEN REPORTS
— 55% Want Penalties on Companies That Hire Illegals. DD: All my employers would have hired noncitizens instead of me if they could have.
https://www.rasmussenreports.com/public_content/politics/trump_administration_second_term/55_want_penalties_on_companies_that_hire_illegals

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.