FROM ILLINOIS CENTER-LEFT SOURCES
CHICAGO TRIBUNE
— Ordinance aims to kick officers with extremist ties out of Chicago Police Department. DD: I should write about my critics/opponents who had their operatives and their dupes destroy the Illinois Center Right Coalition (ICRC) in 2007 and TAPROOT Republicans of Illinois in 2012. I served as an ICRC Steering Committee member 2003-2007 and as the TAPROOT chairman 2005-2012. I would focus on my critics/opponents who still have lots of clout.
https://www.chicagotribune.com/2026/04/13/cops-extremist-ties-chicago-police-department/
CHICAGO SUN-TIMES
— City Council panel advances ban on cops joining extremist groups. DD: I should write about my critics/opponents who had their operatives and their dupes destroy the Illinois Center Right Coalition (ICRC) in 2007 and TAPROOT Republicans of Illinois in 2012. I served as an ICRC Steering Committee member 2003-2007 and as the TAPROOT chairman 2005-2012. I would focus on my critics/opponents who still have lots of clout.
https://chicago.suntimes.com/extremism-in-the-ranks/2026/04/13/city-council-panel-proposed-ban-cops-membership-proud-boys-extremist-groups
— Dear Abby: Didn’t expect my first job out of college to be this rough. DD: What made your first job out of college rough? For me, it was my boss. He never would have hired me. His superiors hired me assigned me to his store. The job did not really require a college degree. He forced me to pass a 2-week probationary period at a store in Indiana before I could start. In the name of learning the business, he ever-increasingly had me do all kinds of manual labor including cleaning things in the showroom white the store was open. When I gave him my 2-week notice, he rudely, if not violently, fired me. He disapproved of my being a Vietnam War draft avoider, college graduate, Protestant, German American, Crete resident, and my ancestors having been in America since 1844.
https://www.uexpress.com/life/dearabby/2026/04/14
WTTW
— DD: Democrat leaders ever-increasingly promote their criminals.
https://news.wttw.com/2026/04/13/should-illinois-ban-no-knock-warrants-state-lawmakers-debate
WPLN
— Tennessee’s Charlie Kirk Act bans student walkouts, protects conservative speakers.
https://wpln.org/post/tennessees-charlie-kirk-act-bans-student-walkouts-protects-conservative-speakers/
BATAVIA TODAY
— Illinois Committee Criticized for ‘Elitist’ Stance on Gun Ownership Costs. Proposed RIFL Act could add thousands in taxes, pricing out lower-income buyers, opponents say.
https://nationaltoday.com/us/il/batavia/news/2026/04/13/illinois-bill-criticized-for-trying-to-price-the-poor-out-of-gun-ownership/
WAND TV
— IL House Democrats pass bill allowing undocumented immigrants to pay in-state tuition at public universities
https://www.wandtv.com/news/statehouse/il-house-democrats-pass-bill-allowing-undocumented-immigrants-to-pay-in-state-tuition-at-public/article_68d5a0c3-ea7a-4566-8710-c95302b71cdf.html
WHEATON RECORD
— Online Betting Fuels Rise in Student Gambling. DD: In 2009, I led the successful effort to ban video gambling in Wheaton.
https://thewheatonrecord.com/2026/04/13/online-betting-fuels-rise-in-student-gambling/
POLITICO ILLINOIS
— BAILEY BREAKS RANKS: Republican gubernatorial candidate Darren Bailey waded into the escalating clash between President Donald Trump and Chicago-born Pope Leo XIV on Monday — offering a glimpse of how conservatives are navigating the moment just months ahead of the midterms. Calling out Trump: “I’m a Christian and I’m an Illinoisan. President Trump mocking a Chicago-born Pope and posting himself as Jesus Christ is wrong,” Bailey wrote on X, later adding, “I’ll always call it like I see it.” Here’s Trump’s Truth Social post and the image he posted (and then deleted). It’s a notable divide: While Trump remains dominant within the GOP, some religious conservatives aren’t so comfortable with his attacks on the pope. In Bailey’s case: The Illinois Republican’s willingness to criticize Trump suggests he may not be seeking — or prioritizing — the president’s endorsement this time, as he works to broaden his coalition to include independents and conservative Democrats in an uphill statewide bid. Bailey’s not alone. Kendall County Circuit Clerk Matthew Prochaska, a Republican, also defended Pope Leo after Trump’s criticism, WSPYNEWS reports. The backlash has extended into conservative religious circles, where some Trump allies have also taken issue with the president’s rhetoric. Bishop Robert Barron, a Chicago native who serves on Trump’s Religious Liberty Commission, called on the president to apologize, saying the Truth Social posts were “entirely inappropriate and disrespectful.”
https://www.politico.com/newsletters/illinois-playbook/2026/04/14/mitchell-says-hes-ready-to-govern-00870295
CAPITOL FAX
— Morning briefing
https://capitolfax.com/
FROM ILLINOIS CENTER-RIGHT SOURCES
ILLINOIS POLICY INSTITUTE
— Illinois property taxes up 27% under Pritzker.
https://www.illinoispolicy.org/illinois-property-taxes-up-27-under-pritzker/
GOPUSA ILLINOIS
— What is your Republican Precinct Committeeman doing to get more votes in your precinct for Republican candidates on November 3? I am in the process of hand-delivering a letter to the 140 (39%) voters of the 361 registered Republican voters in my precinct who cast a Republican ballot in the March 17 primary. In that letter, I thanked them for voting. For the contested races, listed the candidates and how many votes each got in the precinct and which candidates won in their political jurisdictions. I listed the candidate in the uncontested rases who got the most votes. I urged the voters to consider helping elect the candidates who won the primary to win the November 3 election. – Dave Diersen
http://www.gopillinois.com
FROM NATIONAL CENTER-RIGHT SOURCES
CENTER FOR IMMIGRATION STUDIES
— White House Declares the ‘Era of Amnesty’ in the Immigration Courts ‘Is Over.’ DD: All my employers would have hired noncitizens instead of me if they could have. My critics/opponents cannot say that because they had wealthy parents.
https://cis.org/Arthur/White-House-Declares-Era-Amnesty-Immigration-Courts-Over
— One bill currently stuck in the House, H.R.4393, the “DIGNIDAD (Dignity) Act of 2025” has drawn a lot of attention of late, which is confusing until you accept it for what it has become: rage bait for those clamoring for greater enforcement of the immigration laws. This bill was designed to go nowhere, but its filing shows a failure to read the room of voters who brought Donald Trump back to the White House in November 2024.
https://cis.org/Arthur/DIGNIDAD-Dignity-Act-Rage-Bait-Those-Who-Want-More-Enforcement
TEXAS INSIDER
— The Insulting DIGNITY Act. DD: All my employers would have hired noncitizens instead of me if they could have. My critics/opponents cannot say that because they had wealthy parents.
https://texasinsider.org/articles/the-insulting-dignity-act
FROM NATIONAL CENTER-LEFT SOURCES
THE HILL
— Sudden GOP infighting explodes over bipartisan immigration reform bill. DD: All my employers would have hired noncitizens instead of me if they could have. My critics/opponents cannot say that because they had wealthy parents.
https://thehill.com/homenews/house/5828030-immigration-reform-gop-divides/
https://thehill.com/video/rep-maria-elvira-salazar-defends-dignity-act-despite-gop-uproar-led-by-rep-brandon-gill/11694446/
AOL
— 15 Dead End Jobs To Avoid at All Costs. DD: According to my critics/opponents all the jobs that I had were bad jobs that they would never stoop to take. My critics/opponents have always used my taking those jobs to paint me as being an unmitigated loser and even worse things. My critics/opponents had wealthy parents. I did yard work 1962-1964, delivered newspapers 1962-1966, washed dishes 1964-1966, cleaned golf shoes, chipped slag, and pumped gasoline in 1966, delivered mail 1966-1969, worked on an automotive assemble line in 1970, sold tires, automotive services, and major appliances 1970-1971, pumped more gasoline 1971-1972, collected delinquent federal taxes 1971-1980, and audited federal agencies 1980-1997.
https://www.aol.com/15-dead-end-jobs-avoid-151000035.html
(FROM THE ARTICLE: Assembly line worker. . .Fast food worker)
— Apple, Google, Penguin Random House, Ernst & Young, Hilton, Costco, Whole Foods, Starbucks, Nordstrom, and IBM will hire you without a degree. DD: If I had not earned a bachelor’s degree in management when I was 21 in 1970, Firestone Stores would not have hired me when I was 21 and IRS would not have hired me when I was 22. If had not earned an MBA when I was 27 and passed the CPA examination on my first attempt when I was 30, GAO would not have hired me when I was 31.
https://www.aol.com/articles/10-elite-companies-literally-hire-173929428.html
NEW YORK TIMES
— DD: Democrat leaders ever-increasingly promote more LGBTQ.
https://www.nytimes.com/2026/04/13/us/trump-military-transgender-ban-paychecks.html
— FRONT PAGE TOP OF FOLD WITH PICTURE: Trump’s Erratic Behavior and Extreme Comments Revive Mental Health Debate. As the president threatens to wipe out Iran and attacks the pope, even some former allies and advisers are questioning whether he has grown increasingly unbalanced, describing him as “lunatic” and “clearly insane.”
https://www.nytimes.com/2026/04/13/us/politics/trump-mental-fitness-25th-amendment.html
USA TODAY
— Pope Leo for president? Don’t get any hopes up. It would be almost functionally impossible for Leo to do so because of the church’s Canon law that prohibits clergy from holding public office, not to mention the pope being a foreign head of state and the conflict of dual loyalty,
https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/politics/2026/04/12/pope-leo-president-trump-obama-axelrod/89554875007/
FORTUNE
— Gen Z is rewriting the American Dream, and their parents are funding it—using tuition money for down payments, instead. DD: I had to work my way through college. My father died suddenly when he was 47 and I was 21 in 1969. I would not have been able to buy a new townhome in University Park when I was 24 in 1972 if I had not earned a job-related bachelor’s degree when I was 21. If I had not had that degree, Firestone Stores would not have hired me in 1970 and IRS would not have hired me in 1971. Further, if I had not been taking graduate evening business courses in 1972, IRS would not have promoted me in 1972 because I was not a Democrat, minority, female, or veteran.
https://www.aol.com/finance/gen-z-rewriting-american-dream-152625419.html
(FROM THE ARTICLE: The cost of college has never been higher. But for a growing share of young Americans, the return has never felt more uncertain. Faced with rising tuition, stubborn student debt, and a cooling job market, many are questioning whether a four-year degree is worth it at all. Now, their parents are coming to a similar conclusion—and acting on it. Instead of prioritizing tuition, more families are putting their money toward something they see as a better investment: helping their kids achieve homeownership. Seventy-four percent of parents with children at home would consider or have already started financially planning to help their kids buy a home, according to a new report from Northwestern Mutual. Among those parents, 29% say helping their children purchase a home is more important than paying for college tuition. Ashley Russo, a wealth management advisor at Northwestern Mutual, said parents are increasingly redefining what financial success looks like for their children—shifting from degrees to deeds.)
ENTREPRENEUR
— Career success. DD: To have a successful career working for the Democrats who run the federal government, you have to be a Democrat, minority, female, and/or veteran and to excel at getting rid of federal employees who are Republican, White, male, and/or non-veteran. Because I am not any of the aforesaid and because refused to do the aforesaid, I never would have made GS-13 if I had not earned an MBA, passed the CPA examination on my first attempt, earned a master’s degree in accounting, passed the Certified Internal Auditor examination on my first attempt, and became a licensed CPA.
https://www.entrepreneur.com/business-news/former-tesla-president-says-reading-is-most-important-habit-for-success
FAST COMPANY
— DD: To hire, retain, and promote Democrats who are minority, female, and/or younger, Democrat employers ever-increasingly lower standards. The Democrats who ran GAO in 1980, IRS in 1971, and the Post Office in 1966 hired me because they could not find a qualified Democrat, minority, female, or younger person who would take the job.
https://www.fastcompany.com/91524191/entry-level-hiring-is-broken-these-companies-are-completely-reimagining-it
AZ BIG MEDIA
— How professional certifications are reshaping modern career development. DD: Because I was not a Democrat, minority, female, or veteran, the Democrats who ran GAO a) would not have hired in 1980 me if I had not passed the CPA examination on my first attempt in 1979 and b) would not have promoted me in 1986 if I had not passed the Certified Internal Auditor examination on my first attempt and became a licensed CPA in 1981.
https://azbigmedia.com/business/how-professional-certifications-are-reshaping-modern-career-development/
(FROM THE ARTICLE: Professional certifications have become a defining element of modern career development. In an increasingly competitive and skill-driven job market, certifications help individuals demonstrate verified expertise and practical knowledge. They serve as formal proof that a professional meets industry standards and is capable of performing specific roles effectively. As organizations demand higher levels of specialization, certifications play a crucial role in bridging skill gaps and improving workforce quality.
CPA PRACTICE ADVISOR
— Illinois’ Eligibility Requirement for CPA Exam Reduced From 150 Credit Hours to 120. DD: In Diersen v. IRS, to disallow the graduate evening accounting courses that I had deducted, the small claims tax court judge imposed a new rule that accounting courses cannot be deducted until after you are qualified to take the CPA examination.
https://www.cpapracticeadvisor.com/2023/01/04/illinois-reduces-cpa-exam-eligibility-requirement-from-150/75431/
CONTRARIAN
— DD: My critics/opponents blame those who are conservative, Republican, White, male, older, Protestant, German American, and/or have ancestors who have been in America for a long time for the problems that those who are liberal/moderate, Democrat, minority, female, younger, non-Protestant, non-German American, and/or have ancestors who have not been in America for a long time have.
https://www.contrariannews.org/p/hegseths-enraging-purges-shock-but
MOTHER LODE
— Millions in the US never finished college. DD: I had to work my way through college. The money came from what earned doing yard work 1962-1964, delivering newspapers 1962-1966, washing dishes 1964-1966, cleaning golf shoes, chipping slag, and pumping gasoline in 1966, delivering mail 1966-1969, and working on an automotive assemble line in 1970. My parents provided me with room and board in their Crete home while I took classes at UIC 1966-1968, weekends during my first semester at NIU in 1969, and the summer of 1969. I graduated debt-free from NIU with a bachelor’s degree in management and owning a 1969 Dodge Charger SE in August of 1970.
https://mymotherlode.com/sports/college-sports-general-news/10735932/millions-in-the-us-never-finished-college-with-targeted-help-reenrollments-are-ticking-up.html/amp
