April 27, 2026

FROM ILLINOIS CENTER-LEFT SOURCES

CBS2
— 4 people killed, 11 others injured in Chicago weekend shootings
https://www.cbsnews.com/chicago/news/chicago-weekend-shootings-april-24-to-27/

CHICAGO TRIBUNE
— DD: Democrat leaders have always used SPLC to destroy Republicans.
https://www.chicagotribune.com/2026/04/27/column-southern-poverty-law-center-federal-charges-page/
— FRONT PAGE WITH PICTURE: DD: Democrat leaders ever-increasingly a) glorify and praise their illegals and b) fight their deportation.
https://www.chicagotribune.com/2026/04/27/suffolk-tribune-poll-immigration-operation-midway-blitz/
https://www.chicagotribune.com/2026/04/24/orland-park-ballet-communities-afriad-ice/
— DD: Democrat leaders ever-increasingly shout at Blacks, and at everyone else, that Republicans cause all the problems that Blacks have.
https://www.chicagotribune.com/2026/04/27/illinois-educators-pro-black-curricula-erikson-institute/

NORTHWEST INDIANA TIMES
— DD: Democrat leaders ever-increasingly push more pot.
https://nwitimes.com/news/local/illinois/chicago/article_81805bb2-1512-5fde-bfcc-2a12bf86b9ac.html

POLITICO ILLINOIS
— Veteran Illinois GOP consultant Collin Corbett is leaving the Republican Party and becoming an independent.
https://www.politico.com/newsletters/illinois-playbook/2026/04/27/a-gop-strategist-leaves-his-party-00892517

CAPITOL FAX
— Morning briefing
https://capitolfax.com/2026/04/27/isabel%e2%80%99s-morning-briefing-724/

FROM NATIONAL CENTER-RIGHT SOURCES

WASHINGTON TIMES
— Fourth attempt on Trump’s life raises fresh questions about ‘Trump Derangement Syndrome’
https://www.washingtontimes.com/news/2026/apr/26/fourth-attempt-trumps-life-raises-fresh-questions-trump-derangement/

NEW YORK POST
— Who are ‘The Wide Awakes,’ leftist group WHCD gunman Cole Allen was part of?
https://nypost.com/2026/04/26/us-news/who-are-the-wide-awakes-leftist-group-whcd-gunman-cole-allen-was-supposedly-a-part-of/
https://www.aol.com/articles/wide-awakes-leftist-group-whcd-022825056.html
— Trump calls ‘60 Minutes’ host ‘disgraceful’ for reading WHCD suspect Cole Allen’s alleged manifesto on air.
https://nypost.com/2026/04/26/media/trump-calls-60-minutes-host-disgraceful-for-reading-whcd-suspect-cole-allens-alleged-manifesto-on-air/
— Ex-President Barack Obama claims ‘we don’t have’ WHCD gunman Cole Allen’s motives — despite raving anti-Trump manifesto.
https://nypost.com/2026/04/26/us-news/ex-president-barack-obama-claims-we-dont-know-whcd-gunmans-motives-despite-raving-anti-trump-manifesto/
— Read White House Correspondents’ Dinner gunman Cole Allen’s full anti-Trump manifesto.
https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/us/read-white-house-correspondents-dinner-gunman-cole-allen-s-full-anti-trump-manifesto/ar-AA21KTOm

FREE PRESS
— The Disappointments of Cole Allen
https://www.thefp.com/p/the-disappointments-of-cole-allen

LEGAL INSURRECTION
— California Stealth Attempt To Reinstate Affirmative Action In Education
https://legalinsurrection.com/2026/04/california-stealth-attempt-to-reinstate-affirmative-action-in-education-opposed-by-equal-protection-project/

FROM NATIONAL CENTER-LEFT SOURCES

NBC NEWS
— Cole Allen
https://www.nbcnews.com/news/us-news/shooting-suspect-white-house-correspondents-dinner-cole-thomas-allen-rcna342146

MSN
— Cole Allen: NASA fellow and teacher accused in White House dinner shooting
https://www.msn.com/en-in/autos/photos/who-is-cole-allen-nasa-fellow-and-teacher-accused-in-white-house-dinner-shooting/ar-AA21KfKA

CNBC
— How much one parent needs to earn so the other can stay home in every U.S. state. DD: In Illinois, it is $79,102/year. In today’s dollars, my father never earned more than $50,000/year. He died suddenly when he was 47 and I was 21 in 1969. My mother, who never attended high school, never worked outside of the home until after he died. She stayed at home and raised me and my brother.  Consequently, 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, and I worked on an automotive assembly line in 1970. I had to work my way through college.
https://www.cnbc.com/2026/01/15/how-much-one-parent-needs-to-earn-so-the-other-can-stay-home-by-state.html

NEW YORK TIMES
— Again, a Gunman Got Perilously Close to Trump. After two previous assassination attempts, the effort by an armed man to storm the White House Correspondents’ Association dinner is sure to raise questions about security and political violence.
https://www.nytimes.com/2026/04/26/us/politics/trump-gunman-security-violence.html
— Influencers Are Spinning Nicotine as a ‘Natural’ Health Hack. The influencers, many of them aligned with the Make America Healthy Again Movement, say the medical establishment has unfairly demonized the compound.
https://www.nytimes.com/2026/04/20/well/nicotine-health-maha.html
— The Hotel Where Reagan Was Shot in 1981 Becomes a Crime Scene Again. The Washington Hilton was the site of an assassination attempt against the 40th president.
https://www.nytimes.com/2026/04/26/us/politics/correspondents-dinner-shooting-washington-hilton-reagan.html

WASHINGTON POST
— Correspondents’ dinner lacked highest security level despite presence of top officials
https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/2026/04/26/white-house-correspondents-dinner-security-status/
— Cole Allen
https://www.washingtonpost.com/national-security/2026/04/26/whcd-shooting-suspect/

USA TODAY
— Cole Allen: FBI retraces a cross-country trail.
https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/politics/2026/04/26/cole-tomas-allen-white-house-dinner-suspect/89809523007/
(FROM THE ARTICLE: Allen, according to police, boarded a train from Los Angeles, checked into a Washington hotel that was the scene of the black-tie gala, and fired a weapon outside the dinner attended by President Donald Trump and other top federal officials.)

LOS ANGELES TIMES
— Cole Allen
https://www.latimes.com/california/story/2026-04-25/suspect-california-trump-white-house-dinner

USA TODAY
— DD: What percent of those who took out student loans never expected/intended to pay them off?
https://www.usatoday.com/story/opinion/columnist/2026/04/10/borrowers-avoid-student-loans-moving-abroad/89504893007/

MINNESOTA DAILY
— A progress report on the American dream. DD: My critics/opponents promote Affirmative Action (AA) and DEI. What are your demographics? If you were born years later than you were, could have had the successes that you had? I would not because of AA and DEI, that is, because of race and gender based preference giving, that is, because of political affiliation discrimination, that is, because of reverse discrimination, that is, because of age discrimination, that is, because of religious discrimination, that is, because of national origin discrimination. I was born in 1948. Ever-increasingly my superiors were under ever-increasing pressure from Democrat leaders to get rid of their employees who were conservative, Republican, White, male, older, non-veteran, Protestant, German American, and/or had ancestors who had been in America for a long time. My critics/opponents promote AA and DEI.
https://mndaily.com/opinion/progress-report-american-dream-0/05/01/2008/snoadmin/

WALL STREET JOURNAL
— Millions of Americans Are Going Uninsured Following Expiration of ACA Subsidies. Nearly a tenth of those enrolled in Affordable Care Act plans last year dropped insurance after costs rose sharply. DD: The federal government paying 72% of my health insurance since 1966 and then also my wife’s health insurance since 1978 helped me endure tremendous efforts by my Democrat superiors to get rid of me.
https://www.wsj.com/health/healthcare/millions-of-americans-are-going-uninsured-following-expiration-of-aca-subsidies-0051240d
— DD: Were it not for America’s military actions, there would be no Christianity, no Catholicism, and no Pope.
https://www.wsj.com/world/what-happened-to-just-war-why-modern-popes-have-become-peace-activists-a8cd7ecb

FORTUNE
— Record numbers of kids are enrolling in state-funded preschool. DD: My father never earned more than $50,000/year in today’s dollars and died suddenly when he was 47 and I was 21 in 1969. Nevertheless, because he 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, my critics/opponents have outrageously, disgustingly, falsely, and unethically demonized, denigrated, and condemned him, and therefore me, as being filthy rich. They have always known full-well that I had to work my way through college.
https://fortune.com/2026/04/22/record-preschool-funding-trump-state-coverage-iran-war/

ED WEEK
— Cole’s online resume says he worked for tutoring company. DD: My critics/opponents have always used against me my ACT score being only 24. In retrospect, with benefit of hindsight, I should have used the money that I earned washing dishes while I was in high school for ACT tutoring instead of for a new 1966 Pontiac Tempest Sprint, a poor man’s GTO, to commute to/from my parents’ home in Crete and classes at UIC.
https://www.edweek.org/policy-politics/man-accused-of-firing-weapon-at-event-with-trump-has-background-as-tutor-and-computer-programmer/2026/04
(FROM THE ARTICLE: Allen’s online resume says he worked for the last six years at C2 Education, a company that offers admissions counseling and test preparation services to aspiring college students. “Your Child’s Path to a Dream School Starts Here,” the C2 Education website says. “For over 25 years, we’ve helped high-performing students get accepted into top universities through expert test prep, GPA management, and personalized college counseling,” the company states. In addition to offering prep for the ACT and SAT tests, the organization touts academic support for elementary, middle, and high school students. It says its services are delivered both in-person at academic centers around the country, and virtually.)

ROLLING STONE
— Trump wants to make it harder for veterans to work in government. DD: For Democrat leaders, the federal government exists to hire, to retain, and to promote Democrats who are minority, female, younger, LGBTQ, veteran, non-Protestant, non-German American, and/or have ancestors who have not been in America for a long time.
https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/other/trump-wants-to-make-it-harder-for-veterans-to-work-in-government/ar-AA21jXXG

FROM FOREIGN SOURCES

TELEGRAPH
— Trump shooting suspect is Democrat-supporting ‘teacher of the month.’ Alleged gunman at Washington dinner is video game developer who donated to Kamala Harris campaign.
https://www.telegraph.co.uk/world-news/2026/04/26/washington-donald-trump-gunman-cole-tomas-allen-teacher/

MEAWW
— ‘We were horrified’: Cole Allen’s employer C2 Education condemns WHCD shooting. DD: My critics/opponents have always used against me my ACT score being only 24. In retrospect, with benefit of hindsight, I should have used the money that I earned washing dishes while I was in high school for ACT tutoring instead of for a new 1966 Pontiac Tempest Sprint, a poor man’s GTO, to commute to/from my parents’ home in Crete and classes at UIC.
https://news.meaww.com/we-were-horrified-cole-allens-employer-c-2-education-condemns-whcd-shooting
(FROM THE ARTICLE: C2 Education, a tutoring and college preparation center where Allen began working in 2020, issued a statement condemning the shooting as ‘horrifying’ and said it is cooperating fully with law enforcement investigating the incident. . .Allen joined C2 Education as a tutor in 2020 in Torrance, California, soon after graduating from Caltech. According to a social media post, he was recognized as Teacher of the Month at C2 Education in December 2024.)
— Is the photo of Cole Allen wearing an Israel Defense Forces sweatshirt real?
https://news.meaww.com/fact-check-is-the-photo-of-cole-allen-wearing-an-israel-defense-forces-sweatshirt-real

HINDUSTAN TIMES
— Cole Allen: Wife and marriage. A claim has gone viral on social media that Allen was married. To be sure, these claims have been made by unverified profiles. They allege that Allen is married to one Priyanka Rao, and the posts claim she’s an Indian. An alleged photo of Rao’s passport has also been shared alongside an alleged image of Allen and her together.
https://www.hindustantimes.com/world-news/us-news/cole-tomas-allen-married-fact-check-claims-about-wife-white-house-correspondents-dinner-shooting-suspect-motive-details-101777237413313.html
(FROM THE ARTICLE: However, there is nothing to suggest that the alleged shooter was married. The image of the passport shared appears to be a doctored image. On close inspection, it shows that the nationality of Allen’s alleged wife is also listed as Cole Tomas Allen – which is not possible. No mainstream media coverage has indicated that Allen was married, and makes no mention of any serious relationship either. As per a NBC report, Allen lived with his parents. Paul Thompson, one of Allen’s neighbors, told NBC that Allen lived with his parents and rode a blue moped around the area. Noting Allen was “not necessarily friendly,” Thompson added that he had not noticed anything off about him. Further, the person said that that Allen’s “parents are nice, friendly people,” and the “father especially knows everybody.” Allen’s sister also confirmed that he had purchased two handguns and a shotgun from CAP Tactical Firearms and kept them stored at their parents’ home, the publication further reported. . .While details about Allen continue to emerge many are also curious as to his motive. It has now come to light that the Los Angeles man had sent writings to his family members before the attack, where he referred to himself as a “Friendly Federal Assassin”. Authorities believe the attack to be politically motivated, as per Associated Press. Before the shooting at Washington Hilton, Allen sent out writings which made repeated references to President Donald Trump though he was not named directly. The writings also alluded to grievances over a range of administration actions, including the strikes on boats accused of smuggling drugs in the eastern Pacific Ocean.)
— Cole Tomas Allen manifesto: Full text and quotes from White House correspondents’ dinner shooting suspect. Cole Allen, the accused shooter at WHCD, sent a manifesto detailing his justification and ‘rules of engagement’ before the attack, criticizing US leadership.
https://www.hindustantimes.com/world-news/us-news/cole-tomas-allen-manifesto-full-text-and-quotes-from-white-house-correspondents-dinner-shooting-suspect-101777242227511.html
— Why was Cole Tomas Allen shirtless? WHCD shooter’s photos raise questions amid claims of Instagram being deleted.
https://www.hindustantimes.com/world-news/us-news/why-was-cole-tomas-allen-shirtless-whcd-shooters-photos-raise-questions-amid-claims-of-instagram-being-deleted-101777260093456.html
(FROM THE ARTICLE: An official reason for Cole Tomas Allen being shirtless was not provided. However, in such situations, law enforcement officials are known to remove the clothes off a suspect to check for additional weapons or explosives, or anything else that might be dangerous that the individual might have on their person. . .While the likely reason for Allen’s clothes being removed was tied to security reasons, it sparked plenty of social media speculation. It came mostly from unverified profiles. A claim was made that Allen was wearing an IDF tee-shirt or an Israeli Defense Forces tee-shirt. This springs from an alleged image of his that has been doing the rounds online. . .There were also claims that he was seen in this IDF tee-shirt before his Instagram profile was taken down. “Cole Allen was seen in an IDF sweatshirt on his Instagram before his profile was removed,” a page on X claimed. However, the photo in the IDF tee does not appear to be true. Grok fact checked claims saying “The image is a fake composite. The suspect in the WHCD shooting is Cole Tomas Allen, 31, a California tutor/computer science grad from Torrance with no reported IDF, Israeli, or military ties of any kind. Media and law enforcement photos of him (grad cap/gown, shirtless in custody) don’t match this couch shot. The IDF emblem was clearly added to manufacture a “coincidence” conspiracy. No credible reporting supports it.” HT.com could not independently verify the claims about Allen and IDF either. Notably, Allen’s Instagram profile may have been taken down by law enforcement, as they sometimes do to examine the feeds for potential clues or evidence, in such cases. However, after his arrest, a Facebook and LinkedIn account linked to Allen reportedly remained active.)
— The Wide Awakes: All about the Abraham Lincoln-linked group Cole Allen was part of.
https://www.hindustantimes.com/world-news/us-news/the-wide-awakes-all-about-the-abraham-lincoln-linked-group-cole-allen-was-allegedly-part-of-101777271124434.html

TIMES OF INDIA
— Trump Shooter Cole Allen’s Manifesto Has A Message For Iran
https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/videos/international/trump-shooter-cole-allens-manifesto-has-a-message-for-iran-you-could-do-worse/videoshow/130541292.cms

ECONOMIC TIMES
— American dream under strain: Indian students rethink US plans amid low H-1B odds and rising visa uncertainty
https://www.msn.com/en-in/money/news/american-dream-under-strain-indian-students-rethink-us-plans-amid-low-h-1b-odds-and-rising-visa-uncertainty/ar-AA1ZbICG

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.