April 23, 2026

FROM ILLINOIS CENTER-LEFT SOURCES

CHICAGO TRIBUNE
— The millionaire’s tax will tempt many Illinoisans. Here’s why it is a terrible idea as written.
https://www.chicagotribune.com/2026/04/23/editorial-the-millionaires-tax-will-tempt-many-illinoisans-heres-why-it-is-a-terrible-idea-as-written/
— Proposed millionaire tax is an effort to keep up with the blue state Joneses.
https://www.chicagotribune.com/2026/04/23/opinion-millionaire-tax-illinois-population-loss/

CHICAGO SUN-TIMES
— DD: Democrat leaders ever-increasingly a) glorify and praise their illegals and b) fight their deportation.
https://chicago.suntimes.com/immigration/2026/04/22/marimar-martinez-chicago-border-patrol-agent-shooting-testimony-homeland-security-congressional-committee
https://chicago.suntimes.com/immigration/2026/04/22/ice-broadview-kat-abughazaleh-trump-crime-chicago

DAILY HERALD
— BEYOND OUTRGAGEOUS, BEYOND DISGUSTING, BEYOND TRAGIC: Trump reclassifies state-licensed medical marijuana as a less-dangerous drug in a historic shift. DD: Pot is poison, In 2019, I led the successful effort to ban the sale of pot in Wheaton. All my critics/opponents have used pot, are using it, want to use it, want to make money selling it, want the tax revenue from its sale, want votes from those who use it, and/or want to use it to destroy America.
https://www.dailyherald.com/20260423/marijuana/trump-reclassifies-state-licensed-medical-marijuana-as-a-less-dangerous-drug-in-a-historic-shift/
— Naperville’s India Day festival to leave city after reduced financial support. DD: In 2021, to cut the number of Republican candidate entries in Wheaton Independence Day parades, Democrat and RINO Wheaton leaders ended my role as the Republican fundraiser for those parades.
https://www.dailyherald.com/20260422/news/napervilles-india-day-festival-to-leave-city-after-reduced-financial-support/

WHEATON PATCH
— Sale Of THC-Derived Products, Psychoactive Substances Outlawed In Wheaton. The city council approved the regulations at its April 20 meeting. DD: In 2019, I led the successful effort to ban the sale of pot in Wheaton.
https://patch.com/illinois/wheaton/sale-thc-derived-products-psychoactive-substances-outlawed-wheaton

BLOCK CLUB CHICAGO
— Midway Blitz Is Over, But ICE Is Still Quietly Targeting Chicago Immigrants — Especially At Court
https://blockclubchicago.org/2026/04/22/midway-blitz-is-over-but-ice-is-still-quietly-targeting-chicago-immigrants-especially-at-court/

LEGAL NEWSLINE
— ‘Plaintiffs’ lawyer paradise:’ IL lawsuit-friendly courts jack up costs
https://www.legalnewsline.com/cook-county-record/plaintiffs-lawyer-paradise-il-lawsuit-friendly-courts-jack-up-costs-report-says/article_f84db5f8-0a89-4d54-8f0e-a440288076b7.html

POLITICO ILLINOIS
— Del Mar brings fighter’s edge to GOP ticket
https://www.politico.com/newsletters/illinois-playbook/2026/04/23/del-mar-brings-fighters-edge-to-gop-ticket-00888061

CAPITOL FAX
— Morning briefing
https://capitolfax.com/2026/04/23/isabel%e2%80%99s-morning-briefing-722/

FROM ILLINOIS CENTER-RIGHT SOURCES

MCHENRY COUNTY BLOG
— Pritzker Grab of Local Zoning Control Explained, Criticized
https://www.mchenrycountyblog.com/2026/04/23/pritzker-grab-of-local-zoning-control-explained-critized/

CHICAGO CONTRARIAN
— Draft Law in Springfield Would Make Homeless Encampments Impossible to Eliminate in Chicago Parks
https://www.chicagocontrarian.com/blog/draft-law-springfield-homeless-encampments-chicago-parks

ILLINOIS FAMILY ACTION
— Illinois Democrats Push Redistricting. Again.
https://illinoisfamilyaction.org/2026/04/illinois-democrats-push-redistricting-again/

FROM NATIONAL CENTER-RIGHT SOURCES

WASHINGTON EXAMINER
— DD: Without the Electoral College, no Republican will ever be elected again.
https://www.washingtonexaminer.com/restoring-america/fairness-justice/4537529/national-popular-vote-conservatives/

NEW YORK POST
— How Gavin Newsom subsidized migrant invasion with California taxpayers’ cash
https://nypost.com/2026/04/22/opinion/how-gavin-newsom-subsidized-the-migrant-invasion/
— Southern Poverty Law Center weaponized hate — and hurt the innocent
https://nypost.com/2026/04/22/opinion/how-southern-poverty-law-centers-smears-hurt-blameless-targets/

BLAZE
— Uncle Sam wants YOU — to obey immigration laws
https://www.theblaze.com/columns/opinion/uncle-sam-wants-you-to-obey-immigration-laws

DAILY WIRE
— The Smear Machine: How The Southern Poverty Law Center Rebranded Conservatives As Haters
https://www.dailywire.com/news/the-smear-machine-how-the-southern-poverty-law-center-rebranded-conservatives-as-haters
— Don’t Fall For This Hot MAGA Influencer. The 22-year-old med student bragged about making money off “super dumb” conservative men. DD: My critics/opponents say that no one can tell me what to do. I take that as a badge of honor.
https://www.dailywire.com/news/indian-scammer-might-be-behind-your-favorite-hot-maga-influencer

FREE PRESS
— The SPLC Has Spread Hate. DD: I should write about my critics/opponents who falsely claim to be conservative to give themselves standing to destroy conservatives.
https://www.thefp.com/p/the-splc-has-spread-hate-is-it-guilty

FOX NEWS
— Chicago alderman says police are ‘handcuffed’ from stopping teen takeovers under Mayor Brandon Johnson. Johnson avoided the term ‘takeover,’ instead warning residents of a possible ‘teen trend’ on social media.
https://www.foxnews.com/us/chicago-alderman-says-police-handcuffed-stopping-teen-takeovers-mayor-brandon-johnson

HERITAGE FOUNDATION
— Liberals Would Rather See Trump Fail Than America Succeed
https://www.heritage.org/progressivism/commentary/liberals-would-rather-see-trump-fail-america-succeed

TOWNHALL
— What Do Immigrants Owe Us?
https://townhall.com/columnists/kurtschlichter/2026/04/23/what-do-immigrants-owe-us-n2674773
— Gavin Newsom Funded an NGO That Brings HIV-Positive ‘Migrants’ to America
https://townhall.com/tipsheet/amy-curtis/2026/04/22/gavin-newsom-hiv-ngo-n2674904
— Hegseth: This Isn’t a Purge. It’s Long Overdue Accountability.
https://townhall.com/columnists/dr-chase-spears/2026/04/23/this-isnt-a-purge-its-long-overdue-accountability-n2674922

FROM NATIONAL CENTER-LEFT SOURCES

THE HILL
— Trump bashes Supreme Court’s ‘Republican’ justices, says they’ve ‘gone weak, stupid, and bad’
https://thehill.com/homenews/administration/5843013-trump-supreme-court-conservative-justices/

ABC NEWS
— DD: Democrat and RINO leaders ever-increasingly destroy those who do not promote LGBTQ.
https://abcnews.com/GMA/Culture/proud-lgbtq-celebs-share-empowering-advice/story?id=63920287

NBC NEWS
— A year after DOGE, former federal employees are still looking for work. Thirteen federal workers who were laid off during the DOGE cuts told NBC News they struggled to find work, had to move or took major pay cuts after their agencies were gutted. DD: Overwhelmingly, federal employees and federal retirees are despised if not hated. I should write about that.
https://www.nbcnews.com/politics/doge/year-doge-former-federal-employees-still-unemployed-looking-jobs-rcna265911

CNBC
— The racial wage gap starts as early as 16 for Black workers—and results in ‘a lifetime of consequences,’ DD: In today’s dollars, my ending GAO salary was $74/hour in 1997. To get that, I had a) worked for the Democrats who ran GAO for almost 18 years and for the Democrats who ran IRS for almost 9 years, b) earned three job-related master’s degrees, c) earned six job-related professional certifications, and d) earned a job-related professional license. All my minority coworkers who my Democrat superiors promoted over me a) had less work experience than I had, b) had less education than I had, c) had no professional certifications or fewer than I had, and/or d) had no professional license like the one I had.
https://www.cnbc.com/2024/02/15/racial-wage-gap-starts-as-early-as-16-heres-why.html

MSN
— 15 female-dominated careers that pay at least $75 per hour. DD: In today’s dollars, my ending GAO salary was $74/hour in 1997. To get that, I had a) worked for the Democrats who ran GAO for almost 18 years and for the Democrats who ran IRS for almost 9 years, b) earned three job-related master’s degrees, c) earned six job-related professional certifications, and d) earned a job-related professional license. All my female coworkers who my Democrat superiors promoted over me a) had less work experience than I had, b) had less education than I had, c) had no professional certifications or fewer than I had, and/or d) had no professional license like the one I had.
https://www.msn.com/en-us/health/other/15-female-dominated-careers-that-pay-at-least-75-per-hour/ss-AA21sGNm
— DD: Federal employees who are the following do not have Civil Service protections: conservative, Republican, American, White, male, older, non-veteran, Protestant, German American, and/or have ancestors who have been in America for a long time.
https://www.msn.com/en-in/news/world/perfect-test-case-against-trump-doj-will-affect-legal-rights-of-all-federal-employees/ar-AA1Qn8v1
— DD: Democrat leaders ever-increasingly promote LGBTQ, that is, they ever-increasingly destroy traditional marriage and family.
https://www.msn.com/en-us/lifestyle/relationships/11-reasons-why-more-women-are-walking-away-from-men-and-marriage/ss-AA1YvbfS

NEW YORK TIMES
— Hollywood Has Stigmatized Whiteness
https://www.nytimes.com/video/opinion/100000010775488/he-thinks-hollywood-has-stigmatized-whiteness.html

WASHINGTON POST
— DeSantis signs Florida law banning local DEI funding, says white men are ‘disfavored.’  DeSantis claims diversity, equity, and inclusion programs discriminate against white men. DD: Under the Democrats and under the RINOs, those who are the following are ever-increasingly disfavored: conservative, Republican, American, White, male, older, Protestant, German American, and/or have ancestors who have been in America for a long time.
https://www.washingtonpost.com/national/2026/04/22/florida-dei-desantis-race/9ad6f788-3e8c-11f1-bb46-ed564688d953_story.html

NEW YORK SUN
— A New Push To Grant Amnesty for Illegals Emerges in Congress Under Misleading Guise of ‘Dignity.’  Heading into the midterms, the last thing the GOP should be doing is alienating its core voters on immigration.
https://www.nysun.com/article/a-new-push-to-grant-amnesty-for-illegals-emerges-in-congress-under-misleading-guise-of-dignity

CITY JOURNAL
— How Gavin Newsom Subsidized the Migrant Invasion. The California governor has spent nearly $1 billion on nonprofits that want, among other things, to dismantle the border, “abolish ICE,” and help immigrants “living with HIV.”
https://www.city-journal.org/article/california-gavin-newsom-illegal-immigrants-ice

STATELINE
— Asylum-seekers could lose right to work under proposed Trump administration rules. DD: All my employers would hired noncitizens instead of me if they could have.
https://stateline.org/2026/04/23/asylum-seekers-could-lose-right-to-work-under-proposed-trump-administration-rules/

USA TODAY
— DD: Democrat and RINO leaders ever-increasingly destroy those who do not promote LGBTQ.
https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/politics/2026/04/21/grindr-set-to-host-inaugural-white-house-correspondents-dinner-party/89719638007/
— DD: FRONT PAGE TOP OF FOLD WITH BIG PICTURE: To get more votes from women, Democrat and RINO leaders ever-increasingly give women more preference over men.
https://www.usatoday.com/story/money/2026/04/15/trump-dei-crackdown-targets-women-networking/89426934007/

WALL STREET JOURNAL
— The Democrats Unify Against Israel. The number of senators backing an arms embargo against the Jewish state has doubled in two years.
https://www.wsj.com/opinion/the-democrats-unify-against-israel-7a916769?mod=opinion_lead_pos5

CENTER FOR RETIREMENT RESEARCH
— Lowering Pay for Federal Jobs Is Bad for Workers – and Bad for America. Going forward, the government will have to pay more – not less – to be competitive. DD: 23% of federal employees have master’s degrees while only 11% of private sector employees do. 10% of federal employees have professional degrees while only 4% of private sector employees do.
https://crr.bc.edu/lowering-pay-for-federal-jobs-is-bad-for-workers-and-bad-for-america/

FED WEEK
— ‘Rescheduling’ of Marijuana Could Have Federal Workplace Implications. DD: In 2019, I led the successful effort to ban the sale of pot in Wheaton. All my critics/opponents have used pot, are using it, want to use it, want to make money selling it, want the tax revenue from its sale, want votes from those who use it, and/or want to use it to destroy America.
https://www.fedweek.com/fedweek/rescheduling-of-marijuana-could-have-federal-workplace-implications/
— How Federal Employees Can Retire Early. DD: My Civil Service Retirement System pension and my retirement savings are dramatically less because my Democrat superiors wasted my career and forced me to retire when I was 49 in 1997.
https://www.fedweek.com/retirement-financial-planning/how-federal-retirees-can-retire-early/

FED SMITH
— The Hidden Costs of Retirement: A New Series for Federal Employees. Federal retirement planning extends well beyond healthcare.  DD: My Civil Service Retirement System pension and my retirement savings are dramatically less because my Democrat superiors wasted my career and forced me to retire when I was 49 in 1997.
https://www.fedsmith.com/2026/04/22/hidden-costs-of-retirement-series-for-federal-employees/

FEDERAL NEWS NETWORK
— Treasury secretary: IRS hit a ‘home run’ on challenging filing season, but still needs staffing and budget cuts. DD: In 1974, when I was a newly promoted 25-year-old GS-11 (currently $83,482/year) IRS Revenue Officer, I was responsible for IRS answering all the calls that came into its new Centiphone automated answering system in downtown Chicago. I supervised the operation’s entire staff which included 90 IRS Revenue Agent trainees. Because of my job performance, the IRS manager who had given me that developmental assignment and who had promoted me in 1972 and 1973, promoted me to GS-12 (currently $100,059/year) in 1974. That made my Democrat IRS superiors furious. According to them, that Centiphone assignment should have been given to a Democrat, minority, female, and/or veteran. They soon got rid of the IRS manager that promoted me. They disallowed my travel vouchers. They disallowed my education deductions. They ignored/dismissed/belittled my earning an MBA in 1976 and passing the CPA examination on my first attempt in 1979. They made it clear that they would never promote me to GS-13. That directly resulted in my transferring to GAO.
https://federalnewsnetwork.com/budget/2026/04/treasury-secretary-irs-hit-a-home-run-on-challenging-filing-season-but-still-needs-staffing-and-budget-cuts/

ATLANTIC
— The Virginia Gerrymander Disenfranchises Republicans
https://www.theatlantic.com/ideas/2026/04/virginia-congress-midterms-trump/686895/

FROM FOREIGN SOURCES

INDEPENDENT
— Medical student from India behind AI conservative influencer says ‘super dumb’ MAGA crowd was easy to fool. DD: My critics/opponents say that no one can tell me what to do. I take that as a badge of honor.
https://www.aol.co.uk/news/medical-student-india-created-ai-185742618.html

TIMES OF INDIA
— An India-based medical student reportedly built and operated a popular AI-generated Instagram influencer that amassed millions of followers by posting patriotic, political and lifestyle content aimed at conservative audiences in the United States. DD: My critics/opponents say that no one can tell me what to do. I take that as a badge of honor.
https://www.msn.com/en-in/news/world/ai-generated-maga-influencer-indian-student-behind-hot-girl-profile-with-millions-of-followers/ar-AA21r0hw

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.