FROM ILLINOIS CENTER-LEFT SOURCES
CBS2
— Local labor leaders call for economic blackout on May Day. DD: Are/were you a union member? I was a union member 1966-1969 while I worked for the Democrats who ran the Post Office. I was a union member 1971-1980 while I worked for the Democrats who ran IRS. I should write about my critics/opponents who have used that against me the most. I would focus on those who have shouted the loudest that federal employees are overpaid because of federal unions, and that therefore, I was overpaid. In today’s dollars, my Post Office salary increased from $19.57/hour to $20.87/hour and my IRS salary increased from $56,409/year to $113,402/year. In my defense, I earned a bachelor’s degree in management in 1970, I earned an MBA in 1976, and I passed the CPA examination on my first attempt in 1979.
https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/us/local-labor-leaders-call-for-economic-blackout-on-may-day/vi-AA20rAPn
— Cannabis linked to slower cognitive development in teens. Researchers from University of California San Diego School of Medicine found that teenagers who use cannabis show slower thinking and memory skills as they get older. DD: I have never used pot and I never will. If I had used pot, I would not have been able to a) earn an ACT score of 24 and graduate in the upper 20% of my class, b) earn a job-related bachelor’s degree, c) earn three job-related master’s degrees, d) earn six job-related professional certifications, and e) earn a job-related professional license.
https://www.cbsnews.com/chicago/video/cannabis-linked-to-slower-cognitive-development-in-teens-health-watch/
— DD: Those who vote against Trump want more a) dependency on government and charity, b) LGBTQ, e) abortion, f) mass/illegal immigration, g) vice, h) diminishment of Second Amendment rights, and/or i) Affirmative Action and DEI, that is, race and gender based preference giving, patronage, political affiliation discrimination, reverse discrimination, age discrimination, religious discrimination, and/or national origin discrimination. Those who vote against Trump are anti-conservative, anti-Republican, anti-American, anti-White, anti-male, anti-older people, anti-those who have more money than they have, anti-married people, anti-Protestant, anti-German American, and/or anti-those whose ancestors have been in America longer than their ancestors.
https://www.cbsnews.com/chicago/video/columbia-college-hosts-documentary-screening-for-alumnus-made-why-trump-two-americas/
ALTON TELEGRAPH
— Jerseyville protest group draws honks at weekly anti-Trump rallies
https://www.thetelegraph.com/news/article/jerseyville-protests-standing-together-anti-war-22216748.php
WAND TV
— IL Freedom Caucus airs grievances about Democrats blocking their bills
https://www.wandtv.com/news/statehouse/il-freedom-caucus-airs-grievances-about-democrats-blocking-their-bills/article_c7cc6521-0a40-477b-b436-2dddca51a7a6.html
CHICAGO TEACHERS UNION
— Time to Plan Your Civic Day of Action on May 1st
https://www.ctulocal1.org/posts/time-to-plan-your-civic-day-of-action-on-may-1st/
POLITICO ILLINOIS
— Bob Fioretti, the Republican candidate for Illinois attorney general, has been endorsed by Retired Chief of Riverside Police Tom Weitzel. Weitzel is a 37-year veteran of law enforcement who praised Fioretti’s “decades of legal experience, a proven commitment to justice, and a willingness to challenge the political establishment when it fails the people of Illinois.”
https://www.politico.com/newsletters/illinois-playbook/2026/04/22/back-at-work-under-a-cloud-00885862
CAPITOL FAX
— Morning briefing
https://capitolfax.com/
FROM ILLINOIS CENTER-RIGHT SOURCES
GOPUSA ILLINOIS
— What differentiates Democrat candidates, elected officials, and party leaders from RINO candidates, elected officials, and party leaders? Democrat candidates, elected officials, and party leaders aggressively defend and advance the Democrat Party platform. RINO candidates, elected officials, and party leaders do not defend and advance the Republican Party platform. – Dave Diersen
http://www.gopillinois.com
— What does Google AI say about you and what you do? Google AI says the following about me and my GOPUSA ILLINOIS newsletters: “GOPUSA ILLINOIS is a long-standing, conservative political news aggregator and daily newsletter focused on Illinois government and Republican politics. The newsletter is curated and edited by David Diersen, who has managed the publication for over two decades. It primarily consists of “Daily Clips”—a comprehensive collection of links and excerpts from various news outlets (local, state, and national) that impact Illinois Republicans. Updates are typically delivered twice daily. You can read the latest editions directly at www.gopillinois.com . Editor David Diersen frequently posts notifications when new newsletters are live on his Facebook profile. To subscribe or manage existing email updates, users can find contact and administrative links at the bottom of the email versions or through the main GOPUSA Contact Page.” – Dave Diersen
http://www.gopillinois.com
— What impact did the grade school(s) that your parents sent you to have on you? My parents sent me to Trinity Lutheran Grade School in Crete 1953-1961 and then to Hope Lutheran Grade School in Park Forest 1961-1962 to stay with the Missouri Synod. That put me on track to earn a job-related bachelor’s degree, three job-related master’s degrees, six job-related professional certifications, and e) job-related professional license. – Dave Diersen
http://www.gopillinois.com
CENTER SQUARE ILLINOIS
— Illinois Republicans say Dems’ redistricting amendment would create more corrupt maps
https://www.thecentersquare.com/illinois/article_e297d104-1d6f-4c11-b617-7dcfbdb3284e.html
ILLINOIS POLICY INSTITUTE
— Illinois income growth lags U.S. under Pritzker
https://www.illinoispolicy.org/illinois-income-growth-lags-u-s-under-pritzker/
ILLINOIS REVIEW
— Election Fraud Allegations Emerge in Illinois GOP Insider-Run Elections. DD: Since 2000, I have fought for direct election of Illinois Republican Party (IRP) State Central Committee (SCC) members. Since 2000, those who oppose direct election of IRP SCC members have done everything that they could to destroy me.
https://www.illinoisreview.com/illinoisreview/2026/04/election-fraud-allegations-emerge-in-illinois-gop-insider-run-elections.html
FROM NATIONAL CENTER-RIGHT SOURCES
AMERICAN THINKER
— The Ingredients that Make Up a Democrat
https://www.americanthinker.com/articles/2026/04/the_ingredients_that_make_up_a_democrat.html
CENTER SQUARE
— National Education Association has given nearly two million dollars in donations since 2020 to an organization that trains for May Day school “walk-in” protests, as well as demands agendas such as “tax the rich” and the removal of ICE.
https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/us/report-teacher-s-union-gives-nearly-2m-to-org-that-trains-for-may-day-protests/ar-AA20lY4E
DAILY SIGNAL
— The SPLC Was Paying the Ku Klux Klan, DOJ Indictment Claims
https://www.dailysignal.com/2026/04/21/splc-paid-ku-klux-klan-doj-indictment-claims/
DEPARTMENT OF JUSTICE
— DD: I should write about those who did the most to destroy TAPROOT Republicans of Illinois and the Illinois Center Right Coalition.
https://www.justice.gov/opa/media/1437146/dl
(FROM THE LAWSUIT: The Southern Poverty Law Center’s (“SPLC”) stated mission included the dismantling of white supremacy and confronting hate across the country. However, unbeknownst to donors, some of their donated money was being used to fund the leaders and organizers of racist groups, including the Ku Klux Klan, the Aryan Nation, and the National Alliance.)
FOX NEWS
— Cubs’ co-owner pushes back on woke backlash Matt Shaw received for attending Charlie Kirk’s memorial. Ricketts told Dan Dakich that Shaw and Kirk were close friends who met in Arizona outside of politics or baseball.
https://www.foxnews.com/outkick-sports/cubs-co-owner-pushes-back-woke-backlash-matt-shaw-received-attending-charlie-kirks-memorial
JONATHAN TURLEY
— Chicago to Subsidize May Day Protests By Teachers
https://jonathanturley.org/2026/04/21/civic-action-requires-more-than-textbooks-chicago-to-subsidizes-may-day-protests/amp/
FROM NATIONAL CENTER-LEFT SOURCES
ASSOCIATED PRESS
— DD: Liberals and moderates fight Turning Point USA
https://apnews.com/article/turning-point-clubs-high-schools-charlie-kirk-6ff5b410b6c5272e2203b6adac4a198c
USA TODAY
— Work experience predicts whether a college graduate lands a job out of school. Working during college more than doubles graduates’ odds of landing a job (81% vs 40%). DD: Yes, but your employers and the type of work experience matters the most. I worked for the Park Forest Post Office while I attended UIC 1966-1968 and NIU in 1969. That work experience did not impress potential employers when I graduated from NIU in 1970 with a bachelor’s degree in management. For some, if not many, if not most, if not virtually all of my potential employers, it worked against me. Virtually all employers view federal employees negatively. Because of that, I took and passed the Federal Service Entrance Examination as a backup before I graduated.
https://www.usatoday.com/story/money/personalfinance/2026/04/21/work-strongest-predictor-post-graduation-employment/89699839007/
CPA PRACTICE ADVISOR
— Illinois CPA Society Names 2026 Award Recipients. DD: I passed the CPA examination on my first attempt when I was 30 in 1979 and I passed the Certified Internal Auditor examination on my first attempt when I was 32 in 1981. To discredit me, my critics/opponents have always not only ignored/dismissed/belittled the aforesaid, but they have stressed that my scores could have been better.
https://www.cpapracticeadvisor.com/2026/04/21/illinois-cpa-society-names-2026-award-recipients/182002/
CHILD TRENDS
— Lessons for Engaging Youth in After-School Programs. DD: I did yard work 1962-1964. I delivered newspapers 1962-1966. I washed dishes 1964-1966. I cleaned golf shoes, chipped slag, and pumped gasoline in 1966. I delivered mail 1966-1969, I worked on an automotive assembly line in 1970.
https://www.childtrends.org/publications/5-lessons-engaging-youth-participants-education-program
