December 13 Evening Edition

ABC7
— Illinois COVID-19 Update: IL reports 7,216 cases, 115 coronavirus deaths
https://abc7chicago.com/health/il-reports-7216–cases-115-covid-19-deaths/8745837/
— 30 retailers, restaurant chains that filed for bankruptcy in 2020 From JCPenney to Ruby Tuesday, 2020 was a brutal year for restaurants and stores.
https://abc7chicago.com/30-retailers-restaurant-chains-that-filed-for-bankruptcy-in-2020/8742960/
— Who are the electors, and what will they do? What’s in store when the Electoral College meets – AP
https://abc7chicago.com/electoral-college-vote-2020-presidential-election-results-map-can-congress-reject-votes/8741585/

NBC5
— What the Electoral College Vote Means for Trump and Biden The presidential race will be officially decided Monday. There’s almost no way to change the outcome
https://www.nbcchicago.com/news/national-international/what-the-electoral-college-vote-means-for-trump-and-biden/2393612/

CHICAGO TRIBUNE
— The Electoral College is voting Monday. Here’s what to expect. – ISABELLA GRULLÓN PAZ AND LISA LERER
https://www.chicagotribune.com/nation-world/ct-nw-nyt-cb-electoral-college-20201213-qlqkkxcztvggbmzrrzupn3eyvu-story.html
— Opponents of Michael Madigan’s reelection as Illinois House speaker harden opposition – RICK PEARSON
https://www.chicagotribune.com/politics/ct-house-speaker-madigan-democrats-dig-in-20201213-adv22cmw2zfpbfxbhoqai6dbne-story.html
— As coronavirus vaccine distribution begins, prepare to carry another thing in your pocket: A COVID-19 credential to show you’ve been inoculated – NATASHA SINGER
https://www.chicagotribune.com/coronavirus/ct-nw-nyt-coronavirus-health-app-20201213-b6xgyjjh5ff6daeyvqielwklju-story.html
(FROM THE ARTICLE: But now, just as the United States is preparing to distribute the first vaccines for the virus, the entry ticket to the nation’s reopening is set to come largely in the form of a digital health credential. In the coming weeks, major airlines including United, JetBlue and Lufthansa plan to introduce a health passport app, called CommonPass, that aims to verify passengers’ virus test results — and soon, vaccinations. The app will then issue confirmation codes enabling passengers to board certain international flights. It is just the start of a push for digital COVID-19 credentials that could soon be embraced by employers, schools, summer camps and entertainment venues. “This is likely to be a new normal need that we’re going to have to deal with to control and contain this pandemic,” said Dr. Brad Perkins, the chief medical officer at the Commons Project Foundation, a nonprofit in Geneva that developed the CommonPass app. The advent of electronic vaccination credentials could have a profound effect on efforts to control the coronavirus and restore the economy. They could prompt more employers and college campuses to reopen. They may also give some consumers peace of mind, developers say, by creating an easy way for movie theaters, cruise ships and sports arenas to admit only those with documented coronavirus vaccinations.)
— White House, other top officials to get early vaccine access – AP
https://www.chicagotribune.com/coronavirus/ct-nw-coronavirus-vaccine-white-house-20201213-jjfla6ldzbawbgugapouohot7u-story.html

CHICAGO SUN-TIMES
— Illinois needs to fix ‘big mistakes’ in vaccine distribution plans, activists say
https://chicago.suntimes.com/2020/12/13/22172464/covid-19-vaccine-shipments-underway-as-states-await-first-batches-live-updates

DAILY HERALD
— Number of new COVID-19 cases continues to fall, but hospitalizations slightly up
https://www.dailyherald.com/news/20201213/number-of-new-covid-19-cases-continues-to-fall-but-hospitalizations-slightly-up

CHAMPAIGN/URBANA NEWS GAZETTE
— The tax-hike waiting game – Editorial
https://www.news-gazette.com/opinion/editorials/editorial-the-tax-hike-waiting-game/article_5d71600f-be50-50fa-927c-2ae9929a5f05.html

BLOOMINGTON PANTAGRAPH
— More US churches are committing to racism-linked reparations – AP (DIERSEN: What criteria will churches use to determine a) which of their members should pay reparations and how much and b) which of their members should get reparations and how much?)
https://www.pantagraph.com/news/state-and-regional/illinois/more-us-churches-are-committing-to-racism-linked-reparations/article_5d510f5e-0a75-5221-abe5-91fd60068447.html

SUBURBAN LIFE
— DuPage County reports 606 COVID-19 cases Sunday, five deaths, region’s positivity rate decreases to 12.7% – JOSHUA WELGE
https://www.mysuburbanlife.com/2020/12/13/dupage-county-reports-606-covid-19-cases-sunday-five-deaths-regions-positivity-rate-decreases-to-12-7/af23sd8/

NORTHWEST INDIANA TIMES
— Indiana GOP launches new effort to reach out to minority communities – Dan Carden
https://www.nwitimes.com/news/local/govt-and-politics/indiana-gop-launches-new-effort-to-reach-out-to-minority-communities/article_5a0c113d-48b6-549a-9911-3098182e3a7b.html

ST. LOUIS TODAY
— DISGUSTING, TRAGIC: Pot pushers push pot.
https://www.stltoday.com/opinion/editorial/editorial-u-s-house-vote-to-decriminalize-pot-is-just-a-first-step-but-an/article_a058ae9b-ce76-5914-bce9-adcaaa165ceb.html

AMERICAN THINKER
— Systemic discrimination? In the U.S.? Well, yes… – Eric Utter
https://www.americanthinker.com/blog/2020/12/systemic_discrimination_in_the_us_well_yes.html

BLAZE
— University ‘cancels’ author of essay who criticized references to Jill Biden as ‘Dr’: ‘Sounds and feels fraudulent’ ‘Northwestern is firmly committed to equity, diversity and inclusion, and strongly disagrees with Mr. Epstein’s misogynistic views’
https://www.theblaze.com/news/university-cancels-author-who-criticized-jill-biden-phd

NEWSMAX
— Steve Moore: ‘Trump Vaccine’ Injecting Economic ‘Optimism’ – Eric Mack
https://www.newsmax.com/politics/stevemoore-economic-stimulus-democrats/2020/12/13/id/1001272/

RIGHT WING NEWS HOUR
— BLM Release List of Demands for ‘White People’ – Mark Megahan
https://rightwingnewshour.com/blm-release-list-of-demands-for-white-people/

NATIONAL REVIEW
— The Working-Class-Party Myth, and What Really Motivates Voters – GEORGE HAWLEY & RICHARD HANANIA
https://www.nationalreview.com/2020/12/the-working-class-party-myth-and-what-really-motivates-voters/
(FROM THE ARTICLE: If there is one lesson conservatives claim to have learned from the last few election cycles, it is that the Democrats are the party of elites. In both 2016 and 2020, President Trump performed well among voters, especially non-Hispanic white voters, without a college degree. This has led to some speculation that a class-based realignment is underway. As Senator Marco Rubio (R., Fla.) recently put it, “The future of the [Republican] party is based on a multiethnic, multiracial, working-class coalition.” Senator Ted Cruz (R., Texas) went further, suggesting that a working-class realignment wasn’t just a goal but had already occurred, claiming that the Democrats had become “the party of the rich.”)

EPOCH TIMES
— 3 Ways America’s Mainstream Media Resemble Communist Media – Diana Zhang
https://www.theepochtimes.com/three-ways-americas-mainstream-media-resemble-communist-media_3599102.html
— This Election Puts Corruption of the Media on Full Display – James Bowman
https://www.theepochtimes.com/this-election-puts-corruption-of-the-media-on-full-display_3606750.html
— Scalise: Biden Not President-Elect, Legal Process Must Play Out – ZACHARY STIEBER
https://www.theepochtimes.com/scalise-biden-not-president-elect-legal-process-needs-to-play-out_3616448.html

THE HILL
— Biden faces pressure to take action on racial justice issues – MARTY JOHNSON AND MORGAN CHALFANT
https://thehill.com/homenews/administration/529898-biden-faces-pressure-to-take-action-on-racial-justice-issues

NEW YORK POST
— Black Lives Matter says Biden-Harris have been silent on meeting request – Lia Eustachewich
https://nypost.com/2020/12/11/blm-says-biden-harris-have-been-silent-on-meeting-request/

USA TODAY
— At least 23 arrested as crowds turn unruly after pro-Trump rally in Washington, DC – N’dea Yancey-Bragg and Joshua Bote
https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/nation/2020/12/12/trump-march-brings-thousands-dc-ahead-electoral-college-vote/3882935001/

WALL STREET JOURNAL
— Trump’s Challenge Is Over After losing at the Supreme Court, he has no legal alternatives and ought to concede. – Editorial
https://www.wsj.com/articles/trumps-challenge-is-over-11607898467
— Meet the Electoral College, America’s Most Important Voters – John McCormick
https://www.wsj.com/articles/meet-the-electoral-college-americas-most-important-voters-11607868000

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.