April 8 Evening Edition

ABC7
— Illinois COVID-19 Update: IL reports 3,739 new coronavirus cases, 34 deaths
https://abc7chicago.com/health/il-reports-3739-new-covid-19-cases-34-deaths/10498371/
— Biden announces 6 executive orders on gun control, nominates new ATF boss. Biden is tightening regulations requiring buyers of “ghost guns” to undergo background checks. – AP
https://abc7chicago.com/politics/biden-announces-executive-action-on-gun-control/10497467/
— DIERSEN HEADLINE: Ever-increasingly, Democrats use citizens of foreign countries against Republicans.
https://abc7chicago.com/politics/abc-news-live-special-examines-immigration-humanitarian-crises-at-border/10498884/

NBC5
— Countries Worldwide Hit New Records for Virus Cases, Deaths – Michelle R. Smith
https://www.nbcchicago.com/news/coronavirus/countries-worldwide-hit-new-records-for-virus-cases-deaths/2481631/
— Employers Should Incentivize, Not Mandate, Workers to Get Covid Vaccines, Says Wharton Professor – Kevin Stankiewicz
(DIERSEN: To incentivize their Democrat employees who were minority, female, and/or younger, my Democrat superiors in the federal government gave them preferred job assignments, easier to meet performance expectations, generous performance appraisals, faster promotions, bigger pay-for-performance increases, etc.)
https://www.nbcchicago.com/news/business/money-report/employers-should-incentivize-not-mandate-workers-to-get-covid-vaccines-says-wharton-professor/2481280/

FOX NEWS CHICAGO
— Suburban Oak Park residents vote ‘No’ on defunding the police – Mike Flannery
https://www.fox32chicago.com/news/suburban-oak-park-residents-vote-no-on-defunding-the-police

CHICAGO TRIBUNE
— COVID-19 vaccinations are accelerating, forcing CEOs to plot a return to the office sooner than expected. ‘Yes, you can ask for proof.’ – RYAN ORI
https://www.chicagotribune.com/columns/ryan-ori/ct-prem-biz-covid-vaccine-back-to-the-office-ryan-ori-20210408-qwca7ummmvhxxj3miz62nf3jzy-story.html
— City moves to protect ‘traditional parades’ canceled during pandemic – JOHN BYRNE
https://www.chicagotribune.com/coronavirus/ct-coronavirus-chicago-canceled-parades-20210408-nae7azdrezbblkcqfgdv3ruuyy-story.html
— Stay-at-home order issued at University of Chicago as COVID-19 spikes; school eyes link to fraternity parties, cancels in-person classes – ROSEMARY SOBOL and ELYSSA CHERNEY
https://www.chicagotribune.com/coronavirus/ct-covid-19-university-of-chicago-spike-restrictions-20210408-xk432koinbfazmoqrwnkquxzy4-story.html
— How much the US minimum wage was actually worth the year you were born
(DIERSEN: I worked for the minimum wage 1964-1966. The $1.25/hour that I earned then is worth $10.64/hour in today’s dollars. I washed dishes in the basement of the S.S. Kresges in Chicago Heights part-time during my junior and senior years at Crete-Monee High School and full-time during the summer in between. With the money that I earned and saved, I bought a new 1966 Pontiac Tempest Sprint (a poor man’s GTO) in May of 1966 to commute to classes at UIC in the fall from my parents’ home in Crete.)
https://www.chicagotribune.com/featured/sns-minimum-wage-worth-value-living-wage-year-you-were-born-20210405-avg3tjkmynfdldepxvwg6dtniq-photogallery.html
— US Rep. Robin Kelly, new Illinois Democratic chair, promises stronger candidate recruitment in GOP strongholds. – RICK PEARSON
(DIERSEN: From what I see, Trump-hating Democrats, Libertarians, Greens, Independents, and RINOs do not vote for Democrat candidates because they are strong. They vote for Democrat candidates because they want to punish Trump.)
https://www.chicagotribune.com/politics/ct-robin-kelly-illinois-democrats-20210408-db2sddidg5h5fnb347uocervru-story.html
— Cook County Democrats endorse legislation Lightfoot opposes | Pritzker announces 150K new vaccine doses | U.S. Rep. Robin Kelly promises stronger Democratic candidate recruitment in GOP strongholds – LISA DONOVAN
https://www.chicagotribune.com/politics/ct-cook-county-democrats-endorse-bills-lightfoot-opposes-parade-robin-kelly-spin-20210408-njos3urtqzanxjk4e6xr7pzobu-story.html
— COVID-19 test positivity rates continue to climb in Kane, DuPage counties – MEGAN JONES
https://www.chicagotribune.com/suburbs/aurora-beacon-news/ct-abn-aurora-kane-dupage-county-covid-st-0409-20210408-ptealhxagnbcfioxqmejp5llca-story.html

CHICAGO SUN-TIMES
— DIERSEN HEADLINE: A hate-filled Trump-hating Trump-hater promotes hatred against Trump.
https://chicago.suntimes.com/columnists/2021/4/8/22374016/mlb-all-star-game-georgia-trump-voting-rights-gene-lyons

DAILY HERALD
— Illinois sets single-day vaccination record as worry over variants grows – Jake Griffin
https://www.dailyherald.com/news/20210408/illinois-sets-single-day-vaccination-record-as-worry-over-variants-grows

WAND
— Talk of ‘COVID passports’ create concern for Illinois civil liberty groups
(DIERSEN: Of course, Democrats, Libertarians, Greens, Independents, and RINOs will use COVID passports against Republicans.)
https://www.wandtv.com/news/videos/talk-of-covid-passports-create-concern-for-illinois-civil-liberty-groups/video_5933091e-6eca-5a3a-9b92-b631945ae770.html

ILLINOIS POLICY INSTITUTE
— TWO ILLINOIS BORDER STATES REVOKE GOVERNORS’ MASK MANDATES – Laura Bianchi
https://www.illinoispolicy.org/two-illinois-border-states-revoke-governors-mask-mandates/

ILLINOIS FAMILY ACTION
— Anti-Life Legislation, Parental Rights and Sex Trafficking – David E. Smith
https://illinoisfamilyaction.org/2021/04/spotlight-anti-life-legislation-parental-rights-and-sex-trafficking/

WASHINGTON TIMES
— DISGUSTING, TRAGIC: Unaccompanied children jumped border at record rate in March – Stephen Dinan
https://www.washingtontimes.com/news/2021/apr/8/unaccompanied-children-jumped-border-record-rate-m/
— VP Harris: ‘Real people’ support stricter gun laws – Seth McLaughlin
https://www.washingtontimes.com/news/2021/apr/8/kamala-harris-real-people-support-stricter-gun-law/

BLAZE
— Biden announces 6 executive actions on guns — including ‘ghost gun’ regulation, model ‘red flag’ legislation No assault weapons ban or buyback program — yet – PHIL SHIVER
https://www.theblaze.com/news/biden-6-executive-actions-on-guns
— YouTube censors DeSantis COVID-19 roundtable challenging lockdown consensus. YouTube removed a video of Gov. Ron DeSantis’ discussion with credentialed medical experts, saying it violated Community Guidelines. – CHRIS PANDOLFO
https://www.theblaze.com/news/youtube-censors-desantis-covid-19-roundtable-challenging-lockdown-consensus

EPOCH TIMES
— Biden Announces New Gun Control Actions, Says It’s a ‘Public Health Crisis’ – JACK PHILLIPS
https://www.theepochtimes.com/mkt_breakingnews/biden-announces-new-gun-control-actions-claims-its-a-public-health-crisis_3767814.html
— Border Patrol Apprehends 172,000 Illegal Immigrants in March. ‘This surge is unlike anything we’ve ever seen before,’ says Border Patrol Council. – CHARLOTTE CUTHBERTSON
https://www.theepochtimes.com/mkt_breakingnews/border-patrol-apprehends-172000-illegal-immigrants-in-march_3767958.html

THE HILL
— CDC director says racism is ‘serious public health threat’ – NATHANIEL WEIXEL
(DIERSEN: Ever-increasingly, Democrats use minorities against Republicans.)
https://thehill.com/policy/healthcare/547251-cdc-director-says-racism-is-serious-public-health-threat

NBC NEWS
— DIERSEN HEADLINE: Ever-increasingly, Democrats use LGBTQers against Republicans.
https://www.nbcnews.com/feature/nbc-out/teachers-fear-transgender-students-are-becoming-political-pawns-gop-bills-n1263526

WASHINGTON POST
— Biden administration spending $60 million per week to shelter unaccompanied minors – Nick Miroff
https://www.washingtonpost.com/national/border-shelters-cost/2021/04/08/c54eec3a-97bd-11eb-8e42-3906c09073f9_story.html

FORBES
— NOVEMBER 29, 2014 FLASHBACK: 12 Things That Make A Neighborhood Truly Great
(DIERSEN: Things that attract Democrats to my precinct include a) the Wheaton Warrenville School District 200 Administration Building, a public grade school, and a public middle school being in the precinct, b) LGBTQ-promoting churches being just north and south of the precinct, and c) the west half of the precinct being represented by an LGBTQer on the Wheaton City Council.)
https://www.forbes.com/sites/trulia/2014/11/29/12-things-that-make-a-neighborhood-truly-great/

DAILY PRINCETONIAN
— Confronting Gerrymandering: The Power of Just Data – Collin Riggins
(DIERSEN: Only 157 in my precinct voted for Trump while 269 voted for Biden. LGBTQ-promoting churches are just north and just south of my precinct. My precinct’s polling place is the LGBTQ-promoting and BLM-promoting church just south of the precinct. About half the homes in my precinct are represented on Wheaton City Council by an LGBTQer whose wife is an LGBTQ activist. Ever-since the 2015 gerrymandering, my precinct contains the Wheaton Warrenville School District 200 Administration building, a public grade school, and a public middle school. My precinct has fewer middle-income voters, more lower-income voters, and more upper-income voters than many other precincts. My precinct has had more turn over (home sales teardowns) than many other precincts. From what I see, about 4 out 5 times when a home owned by Republicans is sold, it is bought by Democrats.)
https://www.dailyprincetonian.com/article/2021/04/gerrymandering-data-census-redistricting-just-data
(FROM THE ARTICLE: For example, Kmetz outlined a problem in the electoral system that affects communities nationwide: there is currently not a centralized database for election results on the precinct level. As a result, the impact that smaller communities have in elections is obscured. Kmetz stated that this “makes it difficult to determine how changing district lines could impact elections.” So, rather than taking very zoomed-out election results as they are, the Lab started a project called OpenPrecincts. Working with local organizations to ensure their use of data is collaborative, transparent, and just, OpenPrecincts is a database that offers precinct-level election results for all 50 states. That way, context can be attributed to data, which can help explain disparities in voter turnout, the prevalence of gerrymandering, and other areas for structural change.)

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.