January 10 Evening Edition

ABC7
— SESSIONS SAYS HE’D BE FAIR AS AG, DEFY TRUMP IF NECESSARY – ABC NEWS
http://abc7chicago.com/politics/sessions-says-hed-be-fair-as-ag-defy-trump-if-necessary/1695358/
— ‘MURDER BOARDS’ PREP TRUMP’S CABINET PICKS FOR HEARINGS
http://abc7chicago.com/news/murder-boards-prep-trumps-cabinet-picks-for-hearings/1694997/

 

NBC5
— Homeland Security Pick Cites Securing Border as Top Priority  The confirmation of Kelly, a retired Marine general, is almost assured – Alicia Caldwell
http://www.nbcchicago.com/news/politics/Homeland-Security-Pick-Faces-Questions-on-Wall-Immigration–410263575.html

 

CBS2
— Dillard Recalls Obama’s Early Years – Craig Dellimore
http://chicago.cbslocal.com/2017/01/10/former-republican-colleague-recalls-obamas-early-years/

 

FOX NEWS CHICAGO
— New legislature, same old problem in Illinois: No budget – AP
http://www.fox32chicago.com/news/local/228315069-story
— Mom says daughter racially ‘tormented’ at Elmwood Park middle school – Elizabeth Matthews
http://www.fox32chicago.com/news/crime/228313524-story

 

CHICAGO SUN-TIMES
— Sessions vows to target gun crime, boost cops’ morale in Chicago – FRANK MAIN and FRAN SPIELMAN
http://chicago.suntimes.com/news/democrats-to-press-attorney-general-pick-as-hearing-opens/
— New poll has Trump approval rating at 37%, Obama at 55% – USA TODAY
http://chicago.suntimes.com/news/new-poll-has-trump-approval-rating-at-37-obama-at-55/
— Bill requiring lead testing in schools heads to governor’s desk – Tina Sfondeles
http://chicago.suntimes.com/news/bill-requiring-lead-testing-in-schools-heads-to-governors-desk/
— Men in KKK costumes disrupt Sessions confirmation hearing – AP
http://chicago.suntimes.com/news/men-in-kkk-costumes-disrupt-sessions-confirmation-hearing/
— DIERSEN HEADLINE: Anti-Trumps say  “Obamacare repeal game is a disgrace.”
http://chicago.suntimes.com/opinion/opinion-obamacare-repeal-game-is-a-disgrace/
— GOP anxiety is mounting over health care repeal initiative – AP
http://chicago.suntimes.com/news/gop-anxiety-is-mounting-over-health-care-repeal-initiative/
— Lipinski aide found dead after ‘domestic fight’ call – Jordan Owen
http://chicago.suntimes.com/news/police-woman-found-dead-in-oak-lawn-after-domestic-fight/
— Illinois lawmakers OK tax incentive program extension – AP
http://chicago.suntimes.com/news/illinois-house-oks-4-month-tax-incentive-program-extension/

 

CHICAGO TRIBUNE
— Speaker Paul Ryan: GOP will work on repealing, replacing health law ‘concurrently’
http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/nationworld/ct-paul-ryan-obamacare-repeal-20170110-story.html
— L.L. Bean faces boycott for family member donation to Trump PAC – Kim Bhasin
http://www.chicagotribune.com/business/ct-ll-bean-trump-boycott-20170110-story.html
— Naperville’s annexation-mania echoes past Lake County battles – Dan Moran
http://www.chicagotribune.com/suburbs/lake-county-news-sun/opinion/ct-lns-moran-village-consolidation-st-0111-20170110-column.html
— Before the president from Chicago says farewell, there’s disappointment – John Kass
http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/columnists/kass/ct-obama-farewell-speech-kass-0111-20170110-column.html
— DIERSEN HEADLINE: Democrats blame “societal oppression,” that is, they blame Republicans for the problems that Blacks have.
http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/opinion/commentary/ct-missing-black-fathers-obama-20170110-story.html
— More budget nonsense for Illinois – Editorial
http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/opinion/editorials/ct-illinois-stopgap-budget-springfield-edit-0111-md-20170110-story.html

 

DAILY HERALD
— DuPage referendum fix awaiting the governor’s signature – Robert Sanchez
http://www.dailyherald.com/article/20170110/news/170119898/
— Bill to test school water for lead goes to Rauner – Jake Griffin
http://www.dailyherald.com/article/20170110/news/170119931/
— Affordable housing fee could stymie upscale housing project in St. Charles – James Fuller
http://www.dailyherald.com/article/20170110/news/170119971/
— Conflict forces Glen Ellyn Dist. 41 board member to resign – Katlyn Smith
http://www.dailyherald.com/article/20170110/news/170119920/
— Kane Co. voters to decide on $50 million tax increase for forest district – Lauren Rohr
http://www.dailyherald.com/article/20170110/news/170119913/

 

CRAIN’S CHICAGO BUSINESS
— Illinois moves to regain its Edge
http://www.chicagobusiness.com/article/20170110/BLOGS02/170119996/illinois-moves-to-regain-its-edge

 

SPRINGFIELD STATE JOURNAL REGISTER
— Senate delays vote on plan that raises income tax – Doug Finke
http://www.sj-r.com/news/20170109/senate-delays-vote-on-plan-that-raises-income-tax

 

CHAMPAIGN/URBANA NEWS GAZETTE
— Illinois House OKs criminal justice reforms – AP
http://www.news-gazette.com/news/state/2017-01-10/latest-illinois-house-oks-criminal-justice-reforms.html

 

MADISON RECORD
— Why a budget won’t fix Illinois – Austin Berg
http://madisonrecord.com/stories/511071338-why-a-budget-won-t-fix-illinois

 

WSIL TV
— Lawsuits over Trump business threaten to tie up presidency – AP
http://www.wsiltv.com/story/34228146/lawsuits-over-trump-business-threaten-to-tie-up-presidency

 

  1. LOUIS POST DISPATCH
    — Rep. William Lacy Clay returns controversial painting to Capitol wall, tries to file charges against colleague Duncan Hunter – Chuck Raasch
    http://www.stltoday.com/news/local/govt-and-politics/clay-returns-controversial-painting-to-capitol-wall-tries-to-file/article_005d92e8-20a3-513f-8e74-6457f650792f.html
    (FROM THE ARTICLE: Clay also tried to file theft charges against that colleague, Rep. Duncan Hunter, R-Calif., although Capitol Police had not indicated to him late Tuesday morning whether they will follow through with Clay’s complaint. In a short address in a tunnel between the Capitol and House office buildings, Clay depicted the debate as part of the culture wars dividing the country. “This is really not about a student art competition anymore,” Clay, D-St. Louis, said after he and a handful of colleagues put it back on a wall amidst 400 other winners of a high school art contest sponsored by members of Congress. “It’s about defending the Constitution.” He said this just after passing Rep. Duncan Hunter, R-Calif., in the tunnel where the painting hangs. Hunter and Clay, who are good friends and whose congressional offices are next door to one another, didn’t speak to each other as they passed. Hunter, citing 18-year-old artist David Pulphus’s depiction of police as animals, which many have interpreted as pigs, said it was offensive. A scrum of about 15 reporters and photographers who had gathered around Hunter shifted to Clay, who led a handful of Congressional Black Caucus members in putting the painting back up where it originally was. It may not be there for good, however. Congressional Republicans are discussing removing it officially as a violation of congressional rules on the art that prevents the competition from depicting controversial “contemporary” issues. Clay said he’d defend the painting through that process as a First Amendment expression of an 18-year-old constituent. “I don’t have a disagreement with that,” he said of the process. “But there is a procedure to follow. You can’t have culture warriors walking around here like they are in charge of something.” Clay told reporters that he had no opinion on the painting, which police groups and others have criticized as depicting police as hog-like animals. Clay said critics should put themselves in Pulphus’s place, as a teenaged black male, who had witnessed the highly publicized shootings of young black men throughout his teen years. Including, “in his own community,” the shooting death of black teenager Michael Brown by Ferguson Police Officer Darren Wilson when Pulphus was 16. Those shootings, Clay said in an interview with the Post-Dispatch, were “animalistic.” While police groups have criticized the painting, Clay received a local police ally over the weekend in St. Louis Police Chief Sam Dotson. “Police officers are not art critics,” Dotson said during a discussion Saturday night at Harris-Stowe State University kicking off Missouri’s official events honoring the Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. He called Clay a “strong supporter” of police and said Clay’s desire to hang the painting is in keeping with protecting the First Amendment. The painting by former Cardinal Ritter High School Senior Pulphus – now a college student – has drawn intense scrutiny after critics noticed that it depicted police officers as animals. Some police groups criticized the painting as divisive and not a true depiction of the shooting death of Michael Brown by Ferguson police officer Darren Wilson in 2014. Hunter removed the painting and left it in Clay’s office on Friday, saying it offended him and denigrated police. Hunter told the Post-Dispatch he had gotten “thousands” of calls and social media messages in support, many from police officers or their families. The painting was on display for six months before critics attacked it, in the middle of hundreds of other paintings by high school art contest winners from around the country. Clay Tuesday blamed “alt-right” media for stirring up the problem, and fellow Congressional Black Caucus members depicted the controversy as an extension of Republican President-elect Donald Trump’s attacks on the media. Hunter said he was making a statement and would not seek to remove it again if Clay puts it back up. But other Republicans, upset at the depiction of police, hinted they may seek official congressional action to take it down permanently. Clay would fight that. “I do not agree or disagree with this painting,” Clay said after he helped put it back up. But he noted that statues elsewhere in the Capitol depict slaveholders and avowed racists that offend him, but he hasn’t demanded they be removed. “I will fight to defend this young man’s right to express himself because his artwork is true for him and he is entitled to that protection under the law,” Clay said, referring to Pulphus. At the forum in St. Louis Saturday night, Dotson referred to the painting as the “elephant in the room.” “Sam Dotson can have an opinion and may not like the painting, but Sam Dotson the police chief or any police officer cannot have an opinion about it because that young man has a right to have his voice heard and it’s our job to make sure his rights are protected,” he said.)

 

ILLINOIS NEWS NETWORK
— Controversial tax credit elicits mixed responses from Illinois leadership, businesses
https://ilnews.org/11653/controversial-tax-credit-elicits-mixed-responses-illinois-leadership-businesses/

 

ILLINOIS REVIEW
— DURBIN LEADS ATTACK DURING SESSIONS’ AG HEARING
http://illinoisreview.typepad.com/illinoisreview/2017/01/durbin-leads-attack-during-sessions-ag-hearing.html
— MCHENRY CO CLERK SAYS REFERENDUM OBJECTION BASED ON QUALIFIED SIGNATURE SHORTAGE
http://illinoisreview.typepad.com/illinoisreview/2017/01/mchenry-co-clerk-says-referendum-objection-based-on-qualified-signature-shortage.html
— MCHENRY CO PROPERTY TAX FREEZE REFERENDUM CHALLENGED BY DEPUTY COUNTY CLERK
http://illinoisreview.typepad.com/illinoisreview/2017/01/mchenry-co-property-tax-freeze-referendum-challenged-by-deputy-county-clerk.html
— MASSIVE TAX HIKE IN “GRAND COMPROMISE” WOULD BE A DISASTER, IL STATE REP SAYS
http://illinoisreview.typepad.com/illinoisreview/2017/01/massive-tax-hike-in-grand-compromise-would-be-a-disaster-il-state-rep-says-.html

 

CAPITOL FAX
— ILGOP to leaflet outside Madigan re-election event
http://capitolfax.com/2017/01/10/ilgop-to-leaflet-outside-madigan-re-election-event/
— Rauner joins push for DeVos
http://capitolfax.com/2017/01/10/rauner-joins-push-for-devos/

 

FOX NEWS
— Protesters Interrupt Jeff Sessions’ Senate Confirmation Hearing
http://insider.foxnews.com/2017/01/10/jeff-sessions-senate-confirmation-hearings-attorney-general-protesters

 

BREITBART
— Jeff Sessions on Immigration Law: ‘I’m Going to Follow The Laws Passed By Congress’ – JULIA HAHN
http://www.breitbart.com/big-government/2017/01/10/jeff-sessions-on-immigration-law-im-going-to-follow-the-laws-passed-by-congress/
— Congressional Black Caucus to Re-Hang Anti-Cop ‘Police as Pigs’ Painting in Capital Citing ‘Constitution’ – WARNER TODD HUSTON
http://www.breitbart.com/big-government/2017/01/09/congressional-black-caucus-to-re-hang-anti-cop-police-as-pigs-painting-in-capital-citing-constitution/

 

BLAZE
— Sessions angrily defends his immigration record against Durbin in Senate confirmation – Jon Street
http://www.theblaze.com/news/2017/01/10/watch-sessions-angrily-defends-his-immigration-record-against-durbin-in-senate-confirmation/

 

AOL
— Donald Trump beats libel lawsuit over tweets directed at female political strategist – ERIQ GARDNER
http://www.aol.com/article/news/2017/01/10/donald-trump-beats-libel-lawsuit-over-tweets-directed-at-female/21652018/

 

WALL STREET JOURNAL
— Trump Nominees Financed Senators Deciding Their Fate  Five of Donald Trump’s nominees collectively donated $106,000 to senators on committees conducting their confirmation hearings – REBECCA BALLHAUS
http://www.wsj.com/articles/trump-nominees-financed-senators-deciding-their-fate-1484076076

 

USA TODAY
— Trump wins dismissal of suit over nasty tweets – Nick Penzenstadler
http://www.usatoday.com/story/news/politics/onpolitics/2017/01/10/trump-wins-dismissal-suit-over-nasty-tweets/96402614/

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.