April 25, 2026

FROM ILLINOIS CENTER-LEFT SOURCES

CBS2
— Morris mom is pushing for tougher child grooming laws in Illinois
https://www.cbsnews.com/chicago/video/morris-mom-is-pushing-for-tougher-child-grooming-laws-in-illinois/

CHICAGO SUN-TIMES
— DD: The less death penalty, the more murders.
https://chicago.suntimes.com/news/2026/04/24/pope-leo-affirms-support-illinois-death-penalty-ban-2011-quinn-ryan-trump-firing-squads

ADVANTAGE NEWS
— Illinois Democrats pass redistricting amendment
https://www.advantagenews.com/news/local/dems-pass-redistricting-amendment/article_b129fa30-b330-432b-9d34-29d2c36df89a.html

FOX ILLINOIS
— DD: Democrat leaders ever-increasingly push more pot.
https://www.foxillinois.com/news/nation-world/will-trumps-reclassifying-of-medical-marijuana-have-any-impact-on-criminal-justice-reform/article_dee2f674-2547-58dd-8039-5954afb6d6b5.html

NPR ILLINOIS
— DD: Democrat leaders ever-increasingly use veterans to promote Iran.
https://www.nprillinois.org/2026-04-24/at-a-veteran-led-protest-on-capitol-hill-grief-and-dismay-reverberate-over-iran-war

WGLT
— DD: Democrat leaders use veterans to push more pot.
https://www.wglt.org/2026-04-24/why-veterans-want-looser-research-restrictions-on-psychedelics-and-marijuana

WCIA
— DD: Democrat leaders ever-increasingly push more pot.
https://www.wcia.com/news/business/ap-business/ap-reclassifying-marijuana-as-a-less-dangerous-drug-might-only-be-the-first-step-for-trump/

KWQC
— Illinois House approves redistricting amendment
https://www.kwqc.com/2026/04/24/house-approves-redistricting-amendment-fearing-federal-voting-rights-act-will-be-eliminated/

EFFINGHAM RADIO
— DD: Democrat leaders ever-increasingly push more pot.
https://www.effinghamradio.com/2026/04/25/governor-pritzker-awards-95-loans-to-licensed-social-equity-cannabis-businesses-across-all-license-types/

NADIG NEWSPAPERS
— Which Chicago schools will be sending students to May Day rallies? CPS says it’s up to each principal.
https://nadignewspapers.com/which-chicago-schools-will-be-sending-students-to-may-day-rallies-cps-says-its-up-to-each-principal/

FROM ILLINOIS CENTER-RIGHT SOURCES

CENTER SQUARE ILLINOIS
— Return on investment questioned as Chicago Red Line construction begins. DD: I lived in Crete 1948-1972. If commuter rail service had existed for Crete, Steger, or Chicago Heights, my entire life would be different. Commuter rail service for University Park was a big reason why I bought a new townhome there in 1972.
https://www.thecentersquare.com/illinois/article_5ea5f86a-28ec-4841-8609-f79db7aac72b.html

FROM NATIONAL CENTER-RIGHT SOURCES

NEW YORK POST
— Ferrari drivers on food stamps — how states help scammers game welfare.
https://nypost.com/2026/04/22/opinion/ferraris-and-food-stamps-states-help-scammers-game-welfare/

AMERICAN CONSERVATIVE
— Why (Traditional) Marriage Matters
https://www.theamericanconservative.com/why-traditional-marriage-matters/

AMERICAN ENTERPRISE INSTITUTE
— Voters in Virginia narrowly passed a gerrymander Tuesday that could eliminate up to four GOP congressional seats. Democrats are thrilled. They need only three seats to win control of the House of Representatives this November.
https://www.aei.org/op-eds/virginias-gerrymander-is-a-pyrrhic-victory-for-democrats/

FOX NEWS
— Chicago schools reward protest while students can’t read. Some of the sentiments expressed in Chicago could have been ripped from Mao’s Little Red Book and speeches.
https://www.foxnews.com/opinion/jonathan-turley-chicago-schools-reward-protest-students-cant-read
— New HUD rules will stop sheltering illegals in public housing.
https://www.foxnews.com/opinion/new-hud-rules-stop-sheltering-illegals-public-housing-heres-really-benefits

LEGAL INSURRECTION
— SPLC – The Racial Arsonist Fundraised Off The Fire. “This has got to be just the tip of the iceberg, not just for SPLC but for a lot of left-wing movements.”
https://legalinsurrection.com/2026/04/splc-the-racial-arsonist-fundraised-off-the-fire/

FROM NATIONAL CENTER-LEFT SOURCES

THE HILL
— Democrats, not Trump, started the gerrymander fight
https://thehill.com/opinion/campaign/5846155-democrats-responsible-gerrymandering/

WASHINGTON POST
— Generous Federal Retirement System. DD: I got in line for a Civil Service Retirement System (CSRS) pension when I was 18 in 1966. I have gotten a CSRS pension since I was 49 in 1997. Currently, it is $68,640/year. In addition, the federal government has paid 72% of my health insurance premiums since 1966 and 72% of my wife’s health insurance premiums since 1978. My critics/opponents are ever-increasingly furious about that.
https://www.washingtonpost.com/archive/politics/1977/10/18/generous-federal-retirement-system/3a9ef61d-0601-4bc7-a967-708c3a0a2c33/

BOSTON GLOBE
— DD: What demonstrates your mental capacity? For me, it is my GOPUSA ILLINOIS newsletters.
https://www.bostonglobe.com/2026/04/24/opinion/president-trump-mentally-unfit-debate/

WALL STREET JOURNAL
— How Obama’s Gerrymandering Pivot Opened a New Strategic Front for Democrats
https://www.wsj.com/politics/elections/obama-democrats-congressional-map-redistricting-97e39b4c

KIPLINGER
— States That Won’t Tax Your Retirement Income in 2026
https://www.kiplinger.com/taxes/states-that-dont-tax-retirement-income
(FROM THE ARTICLE: Illinois has a flat income tax rate of 4.95%. However, the state doesn’t tax retirement income, meaning Social Security benefits, pensions, IRA, and 401(k) distributions are state tax-exempt. But Illinois does tax: Investment income. Gas (Illinois has one of the highest gas taxes in the U.S.). Estates worth more than $8 million (in 2026).)

WEEK
— Gerrymandering warps the balance of minority and majority rights. DD: Ever-increasingly, in Illinois, under the Democrats, those who are the following are in the minority or will soon to be in the minority: conservative, Republican, White, male, older, non-poor, married, Protestant, German American, and/or have ancestors who have been in America for a long time.
https://theweek.com/politics/instant-opinion-gerrymandering-texas-cuba-hospitals-tech

MEDIA MATTERS
— DD: What demonstrates your mental capacity? For me, it is my GOPUSA ILLINOIS newsletters.
https://www.mediamatters.org/ms-now-msnbc/deadline-white-house-angelo-carusone-discusses-mainstream-media-ignoring-donald-trumps

FROM OTHER SOURCES

ILLINOIS CPA SOCIETY
— Sitting for the CPA examination. DD: My Democrat IRS superiors were furious when I passed the CPA examination on my first attempt when I was 30 years old in 1979 because my Democrat coworkers who they wanted to promote over me a) had not taken the examination or b) had taken it, but failed it.
https://www.icpas.org/docs/default-source/default-document-library/future-cpa/cpa-candidates/cpaexam-faq.pdf
— CPA License Requirements. DD: My Democrat GAO superiors were furious when I became a licensed CPA when I was 32 years old in 1981 because my Democrat coworkers who they wanted to promote over me a) had not applied to be licensed or b) had applied, but had been rejected.
https://www.icpas.org/information/licensing-registration/initial-license-requirements

INSTITUTE OF INTERNAL AUDITORS
— Become a Certified Internal Auditor. DD: My Democrat GAO superiors were furious when I passed the CIA examination on my first attempt when I was 32 years old in 1981 because my Democrat coworkers who they wanted to promote over me a) had not taken the examination or b) had taken it, but failed it.
https://www.theiia.org/en/certifications/cia/

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.