FROM ILLINOIS CENTER-LEFT SOURCES
ABC7
— Chicago mayoral contenders trade early jabs as 2027 race begins to take shape. Some mayoral candidates are also seeking reelection in their current positions.
https://abc7chicago.com/post/voters-react-illinois-secretary-state-alexi-giannoulias-joins-crowded-race-chicago-mayor/19619412/
NBC5
— Nearly 20% of Illinois federal student loan holders now in default. DD: What percent of those who took out student loans had no intent of paying those loans back? I never sought a student loan or got a student loan. I worked my way through college. Because of that, my GPA suffered. That harmed my job searches. Students who took out student loan should be expected to have much higher GPAs than those who had to work their way through college.
https://www.nbcchicago.com/news/local/nearly-20-of-illinois-federal-student-loan-holders-now-in-default/3970188/
CBS2
— Chicago’s own Mamdani? Behind DSA’s fight to elect socialists to City Council first.
https://www.cbsnews.com/chicago/news/chicago-mamdani-effect-dsa-election-socialism/
WTTW
— Who Is Running, or Thinking About Running, to Become Chicago’s Next Mayor. DD: If you ran for an office, which of your qualifications would you stress? I would stress a) my having worked for GAO for almost 18 years, the last 11 years of which at the GS-13 Step 1-10 Levels, currently $118,984-$154,682/year, b) my having worked for IRS for almost 9 years, the last 5 1/2 years of which at the GS-12 Step 1-5 Levels, currently $100,059-$113,402/year, c) my having become a licensed CPA and a certified public accountant, internal auditor, fraud examiner, government financial manager, financial services auditor, and forensic accountant, and d) my having earned master’s degrees in business, accounting, and finance.
https://news.wttw.com/2026/06/30/who-running-or-thinking-about-running-become-chicago-s-next-mayor
(FROM THE ARTICLE: The former cardiologist and whistleblower launched a bid for Chicago mayor July 7. Nee began her career as a nurse and later became an interventional cardiologist. While working at Hines VA Hospital, Nee spoke out about failures in patient care that put veterans at risk. The Humboldt Park native said her priorities include making Chicago affordable for working families; trusted leadership for a safer city; and fiscal responsibility that protects the next generation from inherited debt. “I think the qualifications start with being a lifelong Chicagoan,” Nee said. “The other qualifications, though, have followed me on the journey from nurse to physician to whistleblower, breast cancer survivor, going into corporate, health equity and now really wanting to lead the city. I think it’s a combination of all of those things that you learn to navigate difficult situations but also learn where your leverage is and who your stakeholders are to get things solved for people.”)
CHICAGO TRIBUNE
— More Americans are saying no to alcohol.
https://www.chicagotribune.com/2026/08/03/editorial-more-americans-are-saying-no-to-alcohol-so-too-is-new-federal-guidance/
CRAIN’S CHICAGO BUSINESS
— DD: Democrats and RINOs ever-increasingly use Affirmative Action and DEI to get rid of Republicans.
https://www.chicagobusiness.com/opinion/commentary/ccb-baird-diversity-oped-20260803/
— Illinois ranks second to last in U.S. on building new housing. DD: It is not zoned residential, but new car condos are being built west of Iron Gate Motor Condos in Naperville. SEE: https://www.irongatemotorcondos.com/
https://www.chicagobusiness.com/real-estate/residential/ccb-illinois-homebuilding-ranking-20260804/
ILLINOIS VALLEY
— Republican gubernatorial candidate Bailey coming to Mendota Sweet Corn Fest. La Salle County GOP hosting campaign event, America 250 celebration Aug. 9.
https://www.shawlocal.com/illinois-valley/2026/08/03/republican-gubernatorial-candidate-bailey-coming-to-mendota-sweet-corn-fest/
BLACK CHRONICLE
— Burr Ridge mayor OK to sue rival’s consultant over campaign tax claims.
https://blackchronicle.com/politics/burr-ridge-mayor-ok-to-sue-rivals-consultant-over-campaign-tax-claims/
BLOCK CLUB CHICAGO
— The Chicago Mayor’s Race Is Heating Up. Here’s Who Is Running So Far. Mayor Brandon Johnson hasn’t formally said if he’s running for a second term, but a dozen candidates have already launched campaigns ahead of 2027’s election.
https://blockclubchicago.org/2026/08/03/who-is-running-for-chicago-mayor/
IPM NEWS
— GOP U.S. Senate candidate Don Tracy talks abortion, ICE shootings, and Iran war on 21st Show.
https://ipmnewsroom.org/gop-u-s-senate-candidate-don-tracy-talks-abortion-ice-shootings-and-iran-war-on-21st-show/
COD COURIER
— Rising Transportation Costs Create New Challenges for College of DuPage Commuters. Higher gas prices are creating financial challenges for College of DuPage (COD) students who rely on commuting to campus. DD: With money I earned washing dishes and delivering mail, I bought new cars in 1966, 1967, and 1968 to commute to classes at UIC and NIU from my parents’ home in Crete.
https://codcourier.org/rising-transportation-costs-create-new-challenges-for-college-of-dupage-commuters/
POLITICO ILLINOIS
https://www.politico.com/newsletters/illinois-playbook/2026/08/04/illinois-dems-michigan-mission-01023014
CAPITOL FAX
— Morning briefing
https://capitolfax.com/
— Afternoon roundup
https://capitolfax.com/2026/08/03/isabel%e2%80%99s-afternoon-roundup-569/
FROM ILLINOIS CENTER-RIGHT SOURCES
CENTER SQUARE ILLINOIS
— Rivals question Giannoulias’ dual runs for office.
https://www.thecentersquare.com/illinois/article_048862ef-f6b3-4790-a5f0-a37a0a3bce58.html
FROM NATIONAL CENTER-RIGHT SOURCES
WASHINGTON TIMES
— Judge blocks New York’s anti-ICE mask law but preserves law barring cooperation on ICE arrests.
https://www.washingtontimes.com/news/2026/aug/4/judge-blocks-new-yorks-anti-ice-mask-law-preserves-law-barring/
WASHINGTON EXAMINER
— Obama, the red Trojan horse: How the ‘change’ president mainstreamed Marxism.
https://www.washingtonexaminer.com/op-eds/4672366/communism-rise-america-obama/
— Highly credentialed, underemployed, and furious: Meet the DSA. DD: I avoided Democrat indoctrination by majoring in business, accounting, and finance. Democrats and RINOs have always ignored/dismissed/belittled my credentials. I earned a job-related (management) bachelor’s degree, three job-related (business, accounting, and finance) master’s degrees, six job-related (accounting, internal auditing, fraud examination, government financial management, financial services auditing, and forensic accounting) professional certifications, and a job-related (CPA) professional license. I worked for the Democrats who ran the federal government for almost 30 years. If I had been a Democrat, minority, female, or veteran, they would have promoted me into their Senior Executive Service, currently $197,200/year, long before I was 40 years old.
https://www.washingtonexaminer.com/in_focus/4672701/credentialed-underemployed-underpaid-furious-dsa-urban-areas-minority-within-minority/
(FROM THE ARTICLE: According to a 2021 DSA survey, the median respondent is 33. More than 80% of members over 25 hold at least a bachelor’s degree. Median household income falls between $60,000 and $80,000, while 45% earn under $60,000, more than double the comparable share among college graduates nationally. These are not traditional blue-collar workers. Many are teachers, scholars, nonprofit employees, or technology workers. They followed higher education’s script and found the promised rewards had diminished. The DSA does not measure homeownership, but ownership rates are likely below already-depressed national averages for young adults, concentrated as members are concentrated in some of the U.S.’s most expensive metropolitan areas. The survey’s broader demographic profile is revealing. Seventy-seven percent identify as white alone, down from 96% in 2013. Sixty-four percent are male, 27% female, and 10% non-binary. Thirty-two percent identify as LGBT. Sixty percent describe themselves as agnostic or atheist. Only 21% belong to a union, down from 31% in 2013, and just 5% have military service, concentrated in the organization’s oldest members.)
WASHINGTON FREE BEACON
— Extremist Michigan Imam Urges Followers To Turn Out for Abdul El-Sayed: ‘Deal the Zionist a Blow’
https://freebeacon.substack.com/p/extremist-michigan-imam-urges-followers
NEW YORK POST
— Anti-American socialists trying to hijack the Democrat Party.
https://nypost.com/2026/08/03/us-news/dem-rep-josh-gottheimer-rips-anti-american-socialists-trying-to-hijack-party/
AMERICAN ENTERPRISE INSTITUTE
— States Can Strengthen Families and Fight Welfare Dependence and Fraud.
https://www.aei.org/commentary/states-can-strengthen-families-and-fight-welfare-dependence-and-fraud/
BREITBART
— American Manufacturing Expands At Fastest Pace Since 2022.
https://www.breitbart.com/economy/2026/08/03/american-manufacturing-expands-at-fastest-pace-since-2022/amp/
DAILY CALLER
— State-Run Visa Scheme Offering Amnesty To Illegals.
https://dailycaller.com/2026/08/03/john-curtis-state-visa-bill-amnesty-illegal-immigrants/
FOX BUSINESS
— This is what socialism is really about.
https://www.foxbusiness.com/video/6402734779112
FOX NEWS
— Americans are going to realize how ‘destructive’ socialism is.
https://www.foxnews.com/video/6402735785112
BREITBART
— Trump’s DHS Arresting Average of 1,500 Illegals Every Day in U.S.
https://www.breitbart.com/politics/2026/08/03/report-trumps-dhs-arresting-average-of-1500-illegal-aliens-every-day-in-u-s/amp/
FROM NATIONAL CENTER-LEFT SOURCES
ABC NEWS
— 2 DOGE staffers say ‘no’ regrets for people losing income, didn’t reduce the deficit: Depositions. The DOGE employees defended the effort to cut “useless agencies.” DD: If Gingrich had reformed GAO, there would have been no need for DOGE. If Gingrich had reformed GAO, my Democrat GAO superiors would not have been able a) to force me to retire when I was 49 in 1997, b) to always rank me in the bottom half of my coworkers for pay-for-performance, c) delay my promotions and never promote me beyond GS-13, d) to keep me off audits of IRS for all but 3 of the almost 13 years that I worked for GAO, and e) to force me to take a $23,699/year (21%) pay cut in today’s dollars to transfer from IRS to GAO in 1980.
https://abcnews.com/Politics/2-doge-staffers-regrets-people-losing-income-reduce/story?id=131050170
— Hegseth blocks promotion of several Navy officers to 1-star rank. DD: My Democrat GAO superiors a) forced me to retire when I was 49 in 1997, b) blocked my promotion to GS-14, c) delayed my promotion to GS-13, and d) forced me to take a $23,699/year (21%) pay cut in today’s dollars, a demotion from GS-12 Step 5 down to GS-9 Step 10, to transfer from IRS to GAO in 1980. My Democrat IRS superiors blocked my promotion to GS-13. My Democrat Post Office superiors blocked my promotion to GS-5 and forced me to resign when I was 20 in 1966.
https://abcnews.com/Politics/hegseth-blocks-promotion-navy-officers-1-star-rank/story?id=133498412
CBS NEWS
— Democrats in Congress demand training, vetting information on ICE agent who killed immigrant in Maine. DD: IRS would not have hired me to be a Revenue Officer when I was 22 in 1971 if I had not had a bachelor’s degree in business and had passed the Federal Service Entrance Examination. The first 6 months I worked for IRS was in classroom training.
https://www.wwaytv3.com/democrats-in-congress-demand-training-vetting-information-on-ice-agent-who-killed-immigrant-in-maine/
NEW YORK TIMES
— DD: Democrat leaders ever-increasingly promote socialism.
https://www.nytimes.com/2026/08/03/us/politics/democratic-socialists-midterms-democrats-republicans.html
WASHINGTON POST
— DD: Democrat leaders ever-increasingly a) glorify and praise their illegals and b) fight their deportation.
https://www.washingtonpost.com/immigration/2026/08/03/ice-begins-outfitting-haitian-immigrants-with-ankle-monitors-attorneys-say/
— DD: Democrat leaders ever-increasingly promote socialism.
https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/2026/08/03/amid-democratic-socialist-surge-dsa-asks-itself-whats-next/
WALL STREET JOURNAL
— How Democratic Socialists Are Shaking Up the Midterms.
https://www.wsj.com/politics/elections/how-democratic-socialists-are-shaking-up-the-midterms-c3e5e6c2
— Trump Has Discussed Ousting Jeanine Pirro After Reflecting Pool U-Turn. The U.S. attorney in D.C. and longtime ally of the president had dropped criminal charges over damage to the pool. DD: Who has ousted you from what? I should write about my critics/opponents who had their operatives and their dupes oust me a) as an Illinois Republican Party State Convention Platform and Resolutions Committee member in in 2024, b) as the Republican fundraiser for Wheaton Independence Day parades and fireworks in 2021, c) as the TAPROOT Republicans of Illinois chairman in 2012, d) as an Illinois Center Right Coalition Steering Committee member in 2007, e) as the Milton Township Republican Organization webmaster in 2010 and 2004, f) as a GAO employee in 1997, and g) as a Post Office employee in 1969.
https://www.wsj.com/politics/policy/trump-says-jeanine-pirro-folded-like-an-umbrella-in-reflecting-pool-case-89a06be2
FORTUNE
— DD: Were you overpaid? According to my critics/opponents, I was always grossly overpaid. They have always been furious that while I was a union member when I was a postal employee for almost 3 years 1966-1969 and then an IRS employee for almost 9 years 1971-1980, my salary increased from $19.57/hour to $113,402/year in today’s dollars. In my defense, during that time, I earned a bachelor’s degree in business, I earned an MBA, I passed the CPA examination on my first attempt, and I almost completed the requirements for a master’s degree in accounting. In today’s dollars, my IRS salary was $56,409/year when I was 22 in 1971, $68,999/year when I was 23, $83,482/year when I was 24, $100,059/year when I was 25, and $113,402/year when I was 31. In today’s dollars, my GAO salary was $89,703/year when I was 31, $118,984/year when I was 38, and $154,682/year when I was 49. I earned a master’s degree in accounting when I was 31. I passed the Certified Internal Auditor examination on my first attempt and became a licensed CPA when I was 32. I earned four more job-related professional certifications when I was 41, 45, 47, and 48. I earned a master’s degree in finance when I was 48. For Democrats, the federal government exists to hire, retain, and promote Democrats who are minority, female, younger, veteran, disabled, non-Protestant, non-German American, and/or have ancestors who have not been in America for a long time. I am none of the aforesaid.
https://fortune.com/2026/08/03/one-bad-pay-decision-can-cost-a-company-more-than-10000-per-employee-new-research-finds/
FORBES
— Empty Suit Syndrome. DD: In its February 1978 4-page article on me ( https://gopillinois.com/documents/ ), Money Magazine hinted/implied/argued/shouted that I was grossly overpaid, that is, that IRS had promoted me far too fast. IRS had a) hired me when I was 22 in 1971 as a GS-7 Revenue Officer (currently $56,409/year), b) promoted me to GS-9 (currently $68,999/year) when I was 23, c) promoted me to GS-11 (currently $83,482/year) when I was 24, d) promoted me to GS-12 (currently $100,059/year) when I was 25, and e) promoted me to GS-12 Step 4 (currently $110,066/year) when I was 29. Constructively, Money Magazine ignored/dismissed/belittled the fact that I had a) earned a bachelor’s degree in management when I was 21, b) passed the Federal Service Entrance Examination when I was 21, c) earned an MBA when I was 27, and d) completed seven graduate evening accounting courses. Money Magazine would not have done that if I had been a Democrat, minority, female, and/or veteran.
https://www.forbes.com/councils/forbescoachescouncil/2021/09/22/empty-suit-syndrome-why-it-is-wise-to-challenge-vertical-career-growth/
BLOOMBERG LAW
— Chicago Democratic Socialist Sues to Make Congressional Ballot.
https://news.bloomberglaw.com/litigation/chicago-democratic-socialist-sues-to-make-congressional-ballot
JOURNAL OF ACCOUNTANCY
— If you possess the skill, smarts, and persistence to become a licensed CPA, that should be something to celebrate and declare in your business dealings. The CPA license is a powerful, proven differentiator — a mark of public trust, professional rigor, and long-term career value. DD: Ever since I became a licensed CPA when I was 32 in 1981, my critic/opponents have ignored, dismissed, and belittled that.
https://www.journalofaccountancy.com/issues/2025/may/display-that-cpa/
NAPLES DAILY NEWS
— Meet Congressional District 19 hopeful Jim Oberweis ahead of election.
https://www.naplesnews.com/story/news/politics/elections/2026/08/04/florida-election-congress-district-19-candidate-oberweis/90938556007/
LAS VEGAS REVIEW JOURNAL
— The inadequacy of opposing socialism.
https://www.reviewjournal.com/opinion/opinion-columns/victor-joecks/victor-joecks-the-inadequacy-of-opposing-socialism-3858119/
CATHOLIC REVIEW
— Democrat leaders ever-increasingly hint/imply/argue/shout that Jesus condemns the concepts of countries, borders, and laws.
https://catholicreview.org/america-at-250-we-must-remember-we-are-still-a-nation-of-immigrants/
NPR
— DD: Democrat leaders ever-increasingly a) glorify and praise their illegals and b) fight their deportation.
https://www.npr.org/transcripts/nx-s1-5910714
CIVIC MEDIA
— DD: According to past and present leaders of the Milton Township Republican Organization, DuPage County Republican Central Committee, Illinois Republican Party, TAPROOT Republicans of Illinois, Illinois Center Right coalition, etc., I have always been too conservative, I am too conservative, and I always be too conservative. They reject some, many, most, if not virtually all conservative principles and planks in the Republican Party platform. Most commonly, they reject its personal responsibility, traditional marriage and family, right to life, immigration, anti-vice, Second Amendment, equal opportunity (no race or gender based preference giving) planks. They are really anti-conservative if not conservative-haters. I should write about those who have taken the most/biggest adverse actions against me.
https://civicmedia.us/news/2026/08/03/how-wisconsins-sore-loser-law-protects-the-two-party-system
AXIOS & PSYCHOLOGY TODAY
— Blind loyalty. DD: My critics/opponents demand blind loyalty. They destroy those like me a) who they cannot manipulate or dominate, b) who refuse to glorify or praise them, c) who refuse to pander to them, d) who refuse to serve as one of their operatives or dupes, e) who refuse to cover up their wrong doing, and/or f) who refuse to give them money. I should write about my critics/opponents. I would focus on those who have lots of government, political, financial, and/or religious clout in Wheaton, Milton Township, DuPage County, and Illinois. I would focus on those who have had their operatives and their dupes take the most/biggest adverse actions against me lately.
https://www.axios.com/2026/06/26/trump-senate-republicans-blind-loyalty
https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/blog/insight-therapy/202504/eyes-wide-shut-the-temptation-of-blind-loyalty
FROM FOREIGN SOURCES
INDIAN EXPRESS
— What helped you become marriage material? By the time I got married when I was 29 in 1978, I had worked for IRS for almost 7 years and my salary was $110,066/year in today’s dollars. I had earned an MBA from Loyola in 1976 and I was taking graduate evening accounting courses at DePaul. I lived in a one bedroom condo in the Outer Drive East building that I had bought in 1976. I was renting out a town home in University Park that I had bought new in 1972. I owned a 1972 Corvette that I had bought new in 1971. See Money Magazine’s 4-page February 1978 article on my wife and I at https://gopillinois.com/documents/ Things that impressed me about my outstanding wife included that her first job after high school was working for the FBI. She soon became the Corporate Secretary of the U.S. League of Savings Institutions. She did much to help elect Big Jim Thompson governor in 1976. She earned a bachelor’s degree in finance from DePaul in 1986.
https://indianexpress.com/article/entertainment/bollywood/a-strong-woman-is-not-marriage-material-neena-gupta-reveals-that-95-of-men-want-women-who-are-helpless-10462475/
Tag: affirmative action
August 2, 2026
FROM ILLINOIS CENTER-LEFT SOURCES
CHICAGO TRIBUNE
— Judge rules Illinois not required to turn over voter rolls to Feds. DD: Democrat leaders ever-increasingly fight efforts to stop voter fraud.
https://www.chicagotribune.com/2026/08/01/judge-rules-illinois-not-required-to-turn-over-voter-rolls-to-feds/
— DD: Democrat leaders ever-increasingly use MLK to promote more hatred against Republicans, that is, to get more votes from Blacks.
https://www.chicagotribune.com/2026/08/01/marchers-return-to-marquette-park-60-years-after-historic-mlk-visit/
— FRONT PAGE TOP OF FOLD WITH BIG PICTURE: DD: Democrat leaders ever-increasingly a) glorify and praise their illegals and b) fight their deportation.
https://www.chicagotribune.com/2026/08/02/dick-durbin-retiring-dream-act/
— Financially plan ahead for having children. DD: In anticipation of our having children, when my wife and I got married, we lived on just one of our salaries. But because we both had major fertility problems, we gave up trying to have children without trying IVF. We did not adopt or become foster parents. My Democrat GAO superiors used that against me viciously. They decried the time and money that they spent raising their children. They decried their wives having little or no income. They ever-increasingly demonized, denigrated, and condemned my wife and I as being selfish disgustingly rich DINKs. They would not have done that if I had been a Democrat, minority, female, or veteran. I should write about Democrat GAO superiors.
https://www.mercurynews.com/2026/07/27/jill-on-money-managing-the-high-cost-of-kids/
CHICAGO SUN-TIMES
— DD: Democrat leaders ever-increasingly a) glorify and praise their illegals and b) fight their deportation.
https://chicago.suntimes.com/letters-to-the-editor/2026/08/01/dhs-ice-durbin-retail-immigrants-children-race-riot-1919-flooding-healthcare-joliet-ac
— DD: Democrats and RINOs use Affirmative Action and DEI to get rid of Republicans.
https://chicago.suntimes.com/columnists/2026/08/01/dei-black-consumers-businesses-diversity-equity-inclusion-marc-morial
EDWARDSVILLE INTELLIGENCER
— Illinois election law gives political parties too much power over voters.
https://www.theintelligencer.com/opinion/article/illinois-open-primary-ballot-access-22360592.php
ADVANTAGE NEWS
— State Rep. Adam Niemerg, R-Dieterich, praises federal ruling blocking in-state tuition benefits for students in U.S. illegally.
https://www.advantagenews.com/news/local/illinois-lawmaker-praises-federal-ruling-blocking-in-state-tuition-benefits-for-students-in-u-s/article_1411a678-6da5-4545-8de2-672fa0b371c5.html
CITIES 92.9
— Parental rights concerns raised after Illinois expands minors’ access to birth control. DD: Democrat leaders ever-increasingly promote more LGBTQ.
https://www.cities929.com/2026/08/01/parental-rights-concerns-raised-after-illinois-expands-minors-access-to-birth-control/
FROM NATIONAL CENTER-RIGHT SOURCES
WASHINGTON TIMES
— Democratic socialist is socialist, and socialist is communist.
https://www.washingtontimes.com/news/2026/aug/1/democratic-socialist-socialist-socialist-communist/
WASHINGTON EXAMINER
— The Heritage Foundation still leads the conservative movement. DD: According to my critics/opponents, I have always been too conservative because I promote the following planks in the Republican Party platform: personal responsibility, traditional marriage and family, right to life, immigration, anti-vice, Second Amendment, and equal opportunity (no race or gender based preference giving) planks. My critics/opponents reject some, many, most, virtually all, if not all of the aforesaid planks.
https://www.washingtonexaminer.com/opinion/4421947/heritage-foundation-still-leads-conservative-movement/
— American citizenship is being exploited.
https://www.washingtonexaminer.com/op-eds/4669902/birthright-citizenship-legal-immigration-exploited-reinforce-citizenship-significance/
— The Peter Pan generation chooses pets. DD: My former neighbor Dr. Dan Kiley wrote the Peter Pan Syndrome. SEE: https://www.amazon.com/Peter-Pan-Syndrome-Never-Grown/dp/0380688905
https://www.washingtonexaminer.com/premium/4667440/peter-pan-generation-chooses-pets-over-children/
(FROM THE ARTICLE: Accusations of Peter Pan syndrome have long dogged Generation Z and millennials. And young Americans have given their critics fresh ammunition: they prefer pets to children during their prime family-forming years. A new Harris Poll revealed that 40% of Americans selected pets when forced to choose. Make no mistake: respondents were also offered the option of having both children and pets, which 39% chose. Still, the plurality of Americans who would rather forgo children altogether is cause for concern. Young Americans are apprehensive about marriage and family. As previously reported, Americans believe 26.5 is the ideal age for marriage and that married couples should have their first child a year later. But the median age at first marriage has risen to 28.6 for women and 30.2 for men, years beyond Americans’ preferred timeline for marriage and family. In other words, there is a schism between the family timeline Americans consider ideal and the one they can achieve. Alas, 45% of those who prefer pets believe they are currently incapable of raising children. Some see pets as a cheaper alternative to children. But many more have resigned themselves: just over half of Gen Z and millennials who are not parents “have thought about building a life around pets instead of having children.” Amid a growing number of chronically single Americans, 49% of pet owners rely on their animals for the companionship they no longer seek from a significant other. Americans believe the rite of homeownership should precede child-rearing. In fact, young Americans view their inability to afford a home as an obstacle to forming families. Half of adults ages 18 to 26 consider a fenced backyard essential when buying a home — a nod to the traditional vision of a home, a white picket fence, and two and a half children. Curiously, their fervor for spacious yards does not extend to children’s playrooms or double sinks in primary bathrooms. Why? Renters offer a clue. City dwellers have developed a new fixation beyond the coveted dishwasher or in-unit laundry. They now seek “pet-friendly” apartments. More than a third organize birthday parties, subscribe to monthly care packages, and purchase strollers for their furry friends. Pet-friendly cafes and “bark mitzvahs” are increasingly common. Hotels offer “dog butlers” and canine treats on holiday menus. And yet, the same childless pet owners roll their eyes at toddlers crying in restaurants or on airplanes. They would like more “adults-only” options for dining and vacations. Almost two-thirds of Gen Z and millennials opt for home cooking, and many give up pricey grocery brands and other creature comforts to afford pet expenses. Perhaps financial responsibility has found an unlikely instructor. Despite economic pressures, the American Pet Products Association reports that Gen Z and millennials remain steadfast in their commitment to pet ownership. But can young pet owners actually balance their books? About 30% are carrying pet-related debt, compared with 14% among Generation X and baby boomers. Worse, nearly a third say they have “delayed paying off debt,” 4 in 10 say they take on extra work to afford their pets, and a quarter skip medical appointments to cover pet expenses. It is no wonder that a supermajority of pet owners would claim their pets as dependents if legally permitted and demand tax breaks for expenses similar to child-related deductions. Amanda Reynolds, a New York City resident, filed a lawsuit against the IRS in June of last year. She claimed that her golden retriever, Finnegan, meets the functional criteria for defining dependents. The IRS, she argued, violated the 14th Amendment’s Equal Protection Clause because the agency unfairly treats taxpayers with nonhuman dependents. Rest assured: young Americans are capable of responsibility, sacrifice, and concern for something beyond themselves. Don’t parents seek housing best suited to their children? Don’t they budget for clothes, toys, and treats, and celebrate birthdays? Parents often feel squeezed, taking on debt to ensure that their children’s childhoods remain carefree. I grant your objection: children are not pets. But devotion is no symptom of Peter Pan syndrome, either. Young Americans are marrying later than they would like. The age of first-time homebuyers has risen well beyond the age at which they would like to have their first child. Young Americans’ parental instincts toward their pets prove that they are capable of caring for others. Conservatives must offer solutions in earnest, not patronize them as overgrown children.)
AMERICAN ENTERPRISE INSTITUTE
— Wokeness in Higher Education Is Still Alive and Kicking. DD: I avoided Democrat indoctrination by majoring in business, accounting, and finance.
https://www.aei.org/commentary/wokeness-in-higher-education-is-still-alive-and-kicking/
— American Men Need to Start Taking More Personal Responsibility. DD: My parents and teachers promoted personal responsibility. That put me on track to earn a job-related bachelor’s degree, three job-related master’s degrees, six job-related professional certifications, and a job-related professional license.
https://www.aei.org/multimedia/american-men-need-to-start-taking-more-personal-responsibility/
AMERICAN THINKER
— Victim/Oppressor Golf. Who knew golfing, skydiving, and scuba diving were a “white” thing?
https://www.americanthinker.com/articles/2026/08/victim-oppressor-golf/
BREITBART
— Trump Admin Cancels 28,000 Trucker Licenses Held by Illegal Aliens.
https://www.breitbart.com/immigration/2026/08/01/trump-admin-cancels-28000-trucker-licenses-held-by-illegal-aliens/
DAILY SIGNAL
— Victor Davis Hanson: The Socialist Monster Awakens.
https://www.dailysignal.com/2026/08/01/socialist-monster-awakens/
— Mamdani’s Tax List Reveals the Dark Side of Socialist Class Warfare. DD: To get more votes from those who have less money than others, Democrat leaders ever-increasingly promote more class warfare.
https://www.dailysignal.com/2026/07/28/mamdani-tax-list-socialist-class-warfare/
FOX NEWS
— Trump admin’s push to scrap DEI in federal government takes landmark step with new hiring rule. DD: The Democrats who ran the Post Office in 1966, IRS in 1971, and GAO in 1980 hired me because they could not find a qualified Democrat, minority, female, younger person, or veteran who would take the job.
https://www.foxnews.com/politics/trump-admin-push-scrap-dei-federal-government-landmark-step-new-hiring-rule
— Senate Republican pushes merit-based military promotions, targets Biden-era DEI policies. Jim Banks’ measure would refocus promotion boards on merit and replace DEI training with military values instruction.
https://www.foxnews.com/politics/senate-republican-pushes-merit-based-military-promotions-targets-biden-era-dei-policies
HEARTLAND
— Class Warfare. DD: To get more votes from those who have less money than others, Democrat leaders ever-increasingly promote more class warfare.
https://heartland.org/opinion/class-warfare/
NEW AMERICAN
— TV Is Too White, Woke Professor Claims — and It Intensifies White Kids’ Racism. DD: To get more votes from non-Whites, Democrat leaders ever-increasingly promote more hatred against Whites.
https://thenewamerican.com/us/culture/tv-is-too-white-woke-professor-claims-and-it-intensifies-white-kids-racism/
OPM
— Merit-Based Federal Hiring and Restoring Accountability. DD: The Democrats who ran the Post Office in 1966, IRS in 1971, and GAO in 1980 hired me because they could not find a qualified Democrat, minority, female, younger person, or veteran who would take the job.
https://www.opm.gov/news/news-releases/icymi-opm-director-scott-kupor-discusses-merit-based-federal-hiring-and-restoring-accountability-on-the-ingraham-angle/
U.S. HOUSE
— DEI is Discriminatory and Illegal. DD: Democrats and RINOs use Affirmative Action and DEI to get rid of Republicans.
https://oversight.house.gov/release/hearing-wrap-up-dei-is-discriminatory-and-illegal/
FROM NATIONAL CENTER-LEFT SOURCES
THE HILL
— Class warfare is smoldering in America — and it’s about to catch fire. DD: To get more votes from those who have less money than others, Democrat leaders ever-increasingly promote more class warfare.
https://thehill.com/opinion/national-security/5880610-working-class-anger-arson-wake-up/
ASSOCIATED PRESS
— DD: To get more votes from minorities, females, younger people, veterans. those who have less money than others, non-Protestants, non-German Americans, and those whose ancestors have not been in America for a long time, Democrat leaders ever-increasingly shout at those who are the aforesaid that Republicans cause all the problems that those who are the foresaid have.
https://philasun.com/week-in-review/urban-league-report-says-trump-administration-is-harming-black-americans-chances-at-american-dream/
NEW YORK TIMES
— It Wasn’t a ‘Civil War.’ It Was the Slaveholders’ Rebellion. DD: My critics/opponents have always used against me the fact that all my ancestors immigrated during the 1840s and 1850s. In their defense, I have always stressed that they always lived in northeast Illinois.
https://www.nytimes.com/2026/08/02/opinion/civil-war-slaveholders-rebellion-slavery.html
— DD: To get more votes from non-Whites, Democrat leaders ever-increasingly promote more hatred against Whites
https://www.nytimes.com/2026/07/29/opinion/elon-musk-far-right-remigration.html
— Heritage Foundation. DD: According to my critics/opponents, I have always been too conservative because I promote the following planks in the Republican Party platform: personal responsibility, traditional marriage and family, right to life, immigration, anti-vice, Second Amendment, and equal opportunity (no race or gender based preference giving) planks. My critics/opponent reject some, many, most, virtually all, if not all of the aforesaid planks.
https://www.nytimes.com/2026/07/28/magazine/heritage-foundation-trump-republicans.html
— Nike Was the Poster Child for Diversity Efforts. That Made It a Trump Target. DD: GAO was a poster child for political affiliation discrimination. That made it a target for Republican budget cuts.
https://www.nytimes.com/2026/07/16/us/politics/nike-dei-trump-eeoc.html
— Are You a Jerk or a Sucker? Do only creeps or chumps still believe in the American dream? DD: What did you do to achieve the American Dream? I followed conservative principles. I worked my way through college. I earned a job-related bachelor’s degree and three job-related and master’s degrees. I earned six job-related professional certifications. I earned a job-related professional license.
https://www.nytimes.com/2026/07/26/opinion/your-friends-and-neighbors-apple-tv.html
— FRONT PAGE TOP OF FOLD: G.O.P. Kills Bid to Expand I.V.F. Access in the Military. DD: My Democrat GAO superiors 1980-1997 a) decried the time and money that they spent raising their children and b) decried the little or no income that their spouses had. They used against me big time a) my wife and I giving up trying to have children without trying IVF, our not adopting, and our not becoming foster parents and b) my wife’s good job. According to them, were it not for the aforesaid, we would not have been able to buy two new cars and a home in Wheaton when we got married in 1978 and I would not have been able a) to pass the CPA examination on my first attempt in 1979, b) to take a $23,699/year (21%) pay cut in today’s dollars to transfer from IRS to GAO in 1980, c) to earn a master’s degree in accounting in 1980, d) to pass the Certified Internal Auditor examination on my first attempt in 1981, e) to become a licensed CPA in 1981, and f) to have a home built in Wheaton in 1984. My Democrat GAO superiors ever-increasingly demonized, denigrated, and condemned my wife and I as being disgusting selfish rich DINKs. They would not have done that if I had been a Democrat, minority, female, or veteran. They knew full-well that both my wife and I had major fertility problems. Should write about my Democrat GAO superiors?
https://www.nytimes.com/2026/07/31/us/politics/gop-ivf-military.html
LAS VEGAS REVIEW JOURNAL
— What happened to personal responsibility? DD: My parents and teachers promoted personal responsibility. That put me on track to earn a job-related bachelor’s degree, three job-related master’s degrees, six job-related professional certifications, and a job-related professional license.
https://www.reviewjournal.com/opinion/letters/letter-whatever-happened-to-personal-responsibility-3732141/
WALL STREET JOURNAL
— India’s Affirmative-Action Lesson for America. Quotas hold the country back, even as China’s meritocracy fuels its economic advancement.
https://www.wsj.com/opinion/indias-affirmative-action-lesson-for-america-26f2dbaf
(FROM THE ARTICLE: India’s long-running debate about affirmative action has a new point of comparison: China. As Indians argue about expanding caste quotas in government jobs and public higher education, opponents of affirmative action want their country to learn from its northern neighbor. They compare India’s quota-ridden system—DEI on steroids—with China’s brutal meritocracy, which has produced economic and technological results that many Indians envy.)
BLOOMBERG LAW
— The Trump administration plans to dramatically reduce discrimination complaint processing options for federal workers, according to two people familiar with the proposal. DD: How has EEOC impacted you? EEOC had a tremendous impact on me. When I was 22 in 1971, I accepted a job offer from Oldsmobile. But Oldsmobile withdrew that job offer because it had just agreed to stop hiring Whites to settle an EEOC complaint. Because I had accepted that offer, my Firestone Store boss rudely fired me. Because of that, I accepted a job offer from IRS.
https://news.bloomberglaw.com/daily-labor-report/federal-worker-eeo-process-eyed-for-major-overhaul-in-trump-plan
FEDERAL NEWS NETWORK
— Essay questions on many federal job applications, asking candidates how they would advance the Trump administration’s policies. DD: For Democrats, the federal government exists to hire, retain, and promote Democrats who are minority, female, younger, veteran, non-Protestant, non-German American, and/or have ancestors who have not been in America for a long time.
https://federalnewsnetwork.com/hiring-retention/2026/04/federal-job-applicants-cant-skip-loyalty-question-that-opm-says-is-optional-court-filings-claim/
— Trump administration tosses degree requirements. DD: If I had not earned a high school diploma and passed the employment test, the Democrats who ran the Post Office would not have hired me in 1966. If I had not earned a bachelor’s degree in business, Firestone Stores would not have hired me in 1970. If I had not passed the Federal Service Entrance Examination, the Democrats who ran IRS would not have hired me in 1971. If I have not been taking graduate evening business courses, my Democrat IRS superiors would not have promoted me in 1972, 1973, and 1974. If I had not earned an MBA and passed the CPA examination on my first attempt, the Democrats who ran GAO would not have hired me in 1980.
https://federalnewsnetwork.com/hiring-retention/2026/04/trump-administration-tosses-degree-requirements-for-federal-it-managers/
FINANCIAL EXPRESS
— DD: To get more votes from non-Whites, Pritzker ever-increasingly promotes more hatred against Trump.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qVLKVZ7Qq1Y
URBAN INSTITUTE
— DD: What are the biggest personal choices that you made? Mine include earning a job-related college degree even though no one saw me as being college material.
https://www.urban.org/urban-wire/poverty-results-structural-barriers-not-personal-choices-safety-net-programs-should-reflect-fact
BROOKINGS
— DD: What are the biggest personal choices that you made? Mine include earning a job-related college degree even though no one saw me as being college material.
https://www.brookings.edu/articles/following-the-success-sequence-success-is-more-likely-if-youre-white/
YALE INSIGHTS
— Are Leaders Responsible for Employee Wellbeing? DD: While I worked for the Democrats who ran the Post Office 1966-1969, IRS 1971-1980, and GAO 1980-1997, they ever-increasingly worked harder to get rid of me. They would not have done that if I had been a Democrat, minority, female, and/or veteran.
https://insights.som.yale.edu/insights/are-leaders-responsible-for-employee-wellbeing
ATLANTIC
— DD: What are the biggest personal choices that you made? Mine include earning a job-related college degree even though no one saw me as being college material.
https://www.theatlantic.com/family/archive/2018/07/get-out-of-poverty-success-sequence/566414/
POLITICO
— Heritage Foundation. DD: According to my critics/opponents, I have always been too conservative because I promote the following planks in the Republican Party platform: personal responsibility, traditional marriage and family, right to life, immigration, anti-vice, Second Amendment, and equal opportunity (no race or gender based preference giving) planks. My critics/opponent reject some, many, most, virtually all, if not all of the aforesaid planks.
https://www.politico.com/news/magazine/2026/08/01/heritage-foundation-young-republicans-groypers-hiring-01006937
NATIONAL CATHOLIC REPORTER
— Vatican issues sweeping defense of traditional marriage. DD: My critics/opponents fail/refuse to promote traditional marriage.
https://www.ncronline.org/vatican/vatican-issues-sweeping-defense-traditional-marriage-pushing-back-polygamy
PSYCHOLOGY TODAY
— Sometimes, the best next step forward is a step back. DD: When I was 31 in 1980, to get promoted to GS-13, I took a $23,699/year (21%) pay cut in today’s dollars to transfer from IRS to GAO. My Democrat IRS superiors had made it very clear that they would never promote me to GS-13 even though I had earned an MBA when I was 27 and had passed the CPA examination on my first attempt when I was 30. They had gotten rid of the IRS manager who had promoted me when I was 23, 24, and 25. They had disallowed my travel vouchers when I was 25. They had disallowed my education deductions when I was 29. They would not have done that if I had been a Democrat, minority, female, and/or veteran.
https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/blog/your-awesome-career/202604/why-your-next-career-move-might-be-a-demotion
FROM FOREIGN SOURCES
MEAWW
— Hegseth: Meritocracy reigns supreme in the Pentagon. DD: To promote Affirmative Action and DEI is to dump meritocracy. All my coworkers who my Democrat superiors in the federal government promoted over me were Democrats a) who had less education than I had, b) who had less work experience than I had, c) who had no professional certification or fewer than I had, and/or d) who had no professional license like the one I had and/or b) who were minority, female, younger, veteran, non-Protestant, non-German American, and/or have ancestors who have not been in America for a long time.
https://news.meaww.com/meritocracy-reigns-supreme-hegseths-pentagon-fires-back-after-mark-kellys-race-and-gender-claims
August 1, 2026
FROM ILLINOIS CENTER-LEFT SOURCES
NBC5
— DD: Democrat leaders ever-increasingly a) glorify and praise their illegals and b) fight their deportation.
https://www.nbcchicago.com/investigations/immigrant-children-could-face-court-hearings-without-lawyers-chicago-attorneys-warn/3969082/
CBS2
— Democrats in Congress demand training, vetting information on ICE agent who killed immigrant in Maine. DD: IRS would not have hired me to be a Revenue Officer when I was 22 in 1971 if I had not had a bachelor’s degree in business and had passed the Federal Service Entrance Examination. The first 6 months I worked for IRS was in classroom training.
https://www.cbsnews.com/news/democrats-congress-ice-maine-shooting-letter-training-vetting/
— People with disabilities fear service cuts as Trump’s DOJ questions legal protections. DD: While I worked for the Democrats who ran GAO’s Chicago office 1980-1997, they had me supervise all the disabled employees they hired.
https://www.cbsnews.com/news/trump-doj-disability-rights-home-care/
— Noisy motorcycle caravans creating chaos downtown, raising safety concerns from neighbors.
https://www.cbsnews.com/chicago/news/motorcycle-caravans-dan-ryan-expressway-south-loop-downtown/
(FROM THE ARTICLE: A caravan of hundreds of motorcycles created a loud, chaotic, and potentially dangerous situation on the Dan Ryan Expressway and in the South Loop and downtown Chicago late Thursday night. Some Chicago neighbors said it has become a summer nuisance that comes with serious safety concerns. The Caravan of motorcycles made its way from the Dan Ryan through the South Loop to downtown, where residents said it’s nothing new, but time something is done. Police experts said the solution isn’t as easy as it appears.)
WCIA
— Pritzker signs Illinois ‘language equity’ law; 24% of residents don’t speak English. DD: Everyone in America speaking English made America great.
https://www.wcia.com/news/capitol-news/pritzker-signs-illinois-language-equity-law-24-of-residents-dont-speak-english/
(FROM THE ARTICLE: With nearly 24% of Illinois residents speaking a language other than English, with Spanish being the most common, Gov. JB Pritzker signed a new law to regulate language requirements at government agencies statewide. “Illinois is a diverse state made up of people with cultural and linguistic backgrounds from around the world—hundreds of unique languages are spoken in households across the state, and those people are equally as entitled to access public services as their English-speaking counterparts,” said Pritzker. The Language Equity and Access Act requires the Governor’s Office of New Americans to partner with the Illinois Department of Human Services to create, implement, and oversee statewide language access plans for state agencies. The act requires an annual compliance report to the Governor’s Office and the Illinois General Assembly. The state says, besides Spanish, Polish, Chinese, and Tagalog are the most spoken languages in the state. “Prioritizing accessibility for people who do not speak English as a first language will open new avenues of equitable opportunities for countless Illinoisans of differing backgrounds,” said state Rep. Theresa Mah (D-Chicago).)
FROM NATIONAL CENTER-RIGHT SOURCES
WASHINGTON EXAMINER
— Socialist candidates barnstorm country to grow ranks in Congress.
https://www.washingtonexaminer.com/news/campaigns/congressional/4671147/left-wing-candidates-flock-allies-campaign-trail-maximize-collective-influence/
NEW YORK POST
— Fed-up Spaniards lash out at socialist prime minister after migrant invasion: ‘A third-world country.’
https://nypost.com/2026/07/31/world-news/fed-up-spaniards-lash-out-at-socialist-prime-minister-after-migrant-invasion/
AMERICAN CONSERVATIVE
— Import Socialists, Get Socialism. Democratic socialists haven’t learned hard lessons from their ancestral homelands.
https://www.theamericanconservative.com/import-socialists-get-socialism/
AMERICAN GREATNESS
— The Fifth for Fauci and the Administrative State. Fauci was attempting to protect the myth behind the leftist narrative of “trust the science.”
https://amgreatness.com/2026/08/01/the-fifth-for-fauci-and-the-administrative-state/
AMERICAN THINKER
— Socialism and Islam: A tale of two psychoses. A dark night is descending over America.
https://www.americanthinker.com/blog/2026/07/socialism-and-islam-a-tale-of-two-psychoses/
COLLEGE FIX
— Student debt is turning college grads into socialists.
https://www.thecollegefix.com/bulletin-board/student-debt-is-turning-college-grads-into-socialists-column/
DAILY SIGNAL
— The Democratic Socialist Rising Class.
https://www.dailysignal.com/2026/07/31/cut-flowers-democratic-socialist/
FOX NEWS
— Socialism has become a buzzword.
https://www.foxnews.com/video/6402556733112
— Shocking percentage of Democrats identify as ‘democratic socialists’ according to new poll: ‘Toxic policies.’ Democratic-aligned respondents who identify as democratic socialists were primarily young White Americans.
https://www.foxnews.com/politics/shocking-percentage-democrats-identify-democratic-socialists-according-new-poll-toxic-policies
— Democratic Socialists of America activists signed pledge to support, defend ‘Chinese socialism.’ The statement expresses the view that ‘the record of the socialist countries is overwhelmingly positive.’
https://www.foxnews.com/politics/democratic-socialists-america-activists-signed-pledge-support-defend-chinese-socialism
HANNITY
— Mamdani-Linked Socialists Sign China Loyalty Pledge.
https://hannity.com/media-room/commie-commitment-mamdani-linked-socialists-sign-china-loyalty-pledge/
NEWSMAX
— One-Third of Democrats Identify as Democratic Socialists.
https://www.newsmax.com/us/one-third-of-democrats-identify-as-democratic-socialists-cnn-poll-finds/2026/07/31/id/1264705/
PJ MEDIA
— Where Is the Socialist Wave Really Coming From?
https://pjmedia.com/matt-margolis/2026/07/31/where-is-the-socialist-wave-really-coming-from-n4955681
FROM NATIONAL CENTER-LEFT SOURCES
ASSOCIATED PRESS
— Vetting of ICE officer is under internal review after Maine shooting. DD: IRS would not have hired me to be a Revenue Officer when I was 22 in 1971 if I had not had a bachelor’s degree in business and had passed the Federal Service Entrance Examination. The first 6 months I worked for IRS was in classroom training.
https://apnews.com/article/maine-shooting-immigration-ice-vetting-9a8cfccc9e509766fb65effaa607a65b
ORANGE COUNTY REGISTER
— DD: Ever-increasingly, those who come to America want/need/demand massive government assistance, lack education and/or job skills, and/or have health and/or other problems. Ever-increasingly they talk and/or act like they want to impose their language and/or their religion on America, that is, to turn America into a clone of their motherland.
https://www.ocregister.com/2026/07/31/fear-the-day-when-talented-foreigners-dont-want-to-move-here/
WALL STREET JOURNAL
— Democratic Voters Are Battling Over What Their Party Stands For. Some are embracing insurgent socialist candidates, and others say the party is losing itself.
https://www.wsj.com/politics/elections/democratic-socialists-voters-why-3d25da52
— The Smithsonian’s Disdain for America. The head of the National Museum of American History doesn’t want to talk about her exhibits.
https://www.wsj.com/opinion/the-smithsonians-disdain-for-america-8edffb1e
24/7 WALL STREET
— The RMD Tax Trap That Costs Retirees Six Figures. A $1.6 million traditional 401(k) generates a mandatory $60,400 first RMD at 73, which counts as ordinary income and grows larger every year. Adding the RMD to Social Security can push MAGI above $109,000, triggering Medicare IRMAA surcharges that won’t appear until 2028 due to a two-year lookback.
https://247wallst.com/personal-finance/2026/07/30/the-rmd-tax-trap-that-costs-retirees-six-figures-without-these-three-moves-before-year-end/
NATIONAL TREASURY EMPLOYEES UNION
— Tell Congress to Adequately Fund Federal Agencies. DD: I was a NTEU member 1971-1980.
https://www.nteu.org/blog/2026/07/30/tell-congress-to-adequately-fund
FED SMITH
— Federal Employees Could Get 12 Weeks of Paid Leave Under New Senate Bill. DD: My critics/opponents have always been furious about the benefits that I got a federal employee for almost 30 years and that I have continued to get as a federal retiree for almost 29 years.
https://www.fedsmith.com/2026/07/31/federal-employees-12-weeks-paid-leave-senate-bill/
FEDERAL NEWS NETWORK
— OPM cements major shift in federal employee appeals, RIF processes. DD: For Democrats, the federal government exists to hire, retain, and promote Democrats who are minority, female, younger, veteran, non-Protestant, non-German American, and/or have ancestors who have not been in America for a long time.
https://federalnewsnetwork.com/workforce/2026/07/opm-cements-major-shift-in-federal-employee-appeals-rif-processes/
— HHS violated 5,000 probationary employees’ rights with 2025 terminations. DD: I transferred from IRS to GAO when I was 31 in 1980. My Democrat GAO superiors were furious that they could not use probationary procedures to get rid of me.
https://federalnewsnetwork.com/workforce-rightsgovernance/2026/07/hhs-violated-5000-probationary-employees-rights-with-2025-terminations/
— Some federal careers are built to end early, so what comes next? DD: Federal employees under the Civil Service Retirement System (CSRS) who are the following are expected/forced to retire as soon as they are eligible, that is, as soon as they have 30 years of service and are 55 years old: Republican, White, male, non-veteran, Protestant, German American, and/or have ancestors who have been in America for a long time. I am all of the aforesaid. I became eligible to take GAO’s early retirement “offer” when I was 45 in 1993. My Democrat GAO superiors succeeded in forcing me to take early retirement when I was 49 in 1997 because since I was 40 in 1988, I had been an active member in a class action lawsuit that charged them with reverse discrimination, age discrimination, and retaliation. That dramatically reduced my CSRS pension and my retirement savings.
https://federalnewsnetwork.com/retirement/2026/07/some-federal-careers-are-built-to-end-early-so-what-comes-next/
GOVERNMENT EXECUTIVE
— New documentary recounts ‘free-for-all attitude of cruelty’ toward axed federal employees. The movie, which was filmed during the start of the second Trump administration, examines the human and societal effects of recent federal job cuts. DD: My critics/opponents continue to be overjoyed that my Democrat Post Office, IRS, and GAO superiors wasted my career and forced me to retire when I was 49 in 1997. My critics/opponents continue to ignore/dismiss/belittle that while I was a federal employee for almost 30 years, I used my personal time and my salary to earn a job-related bachelor’s degree, three job-related master’s degrees, six job-related professional certifications, and a job-related professional license.
https://www.govexec.com/workforce/2026/07/documentary-recounts-cruelty-axed-federal-employees/415071/
— Veteran’s preference. DD: I avoided the Vietnam War draft. While I worked for the federal government for almost 30 years, many, most, and at times, virtually all of my superiors, supervisors, coworkers, and/or subordinates were Democrat veterans. They had no use for me, if not despised me, if not hated me. They blamed Republicans like me for America losing the Vietnam War. I should write about my Democrat veteran superiors who took the most/biggest adverse actions against me. They all stressed that if I had not avoided the Vietnam War draft, I would not have been able to a) earn a bachelor’s degree when I was 21 in 1970 and master’s degrees when I was 27 and 31, b) earn professional certifications when I was 30 and 32, c) earn a professional license when I was 32, d) buy new cars when I was 19, 20, 23 25, and 29, e) buy real estate when I was 24, 25, 27, 29, and 35, or f) get married when I was 29.
https://www.govexec.com/technology/2026/07/gsa-official-put-leave-social-media-post-saying-veterans-preference-federal-hiring-hampering-tech-recruiting/415122/
GAO
— Law Enforcement Officers: Observations on Recruitment and Retention at the Federal Level. DD: IRS and GAO have always been run by Democrats. I was an IRS Revenue Officer 1971-1980, the last 5 1/2 years of which at the GS-12 Step-1-5 Levels, currently $100,059-$113,402/year. GAO audits IRS. I transferred from IRS to GAO when I was 31 in 1980 and worked for GAO for almost 18 years. My Democrat GAO superiors wasted my knowledge of IRS. Democrats do not want Republicans to audit Democrats. They refused to assign me to audits of IRS’s Collection Division. However, they did assign me to audits of IRS’s Criminal Investigation Division for 3 years.
https://www.gao.gov/products/gao-26-108495
(FROM THE REPORT: From 2019 through 2024, officer resignations and retirements have increased, reducing staff at law enforcement agencies. Studies have shown that having more officers can improve public safety and reduce crime.)
July 31, 2026
FROM ILLINOIS CENTER-LEFT SOURCES
WTTW
— Judge Expands Lawsuit Accusing CPD of Targeting Black, Latino Chicagoans With Traffic Stops to Include All Black, Latino Drivers.
https://news.wttw.com/2026/07/30/judge-expands-lawsuit-accusing-cpd-targeting-black-latino-chicagoans-traffic-stops
CHICAGO TRIBUNE
— FRONT PAGE TOP OF FOLD: Urban League report says Trump administration is harming Black Americans’ chances at American Dream. DD: To get more votes from Blacks, Democrat leaders ever-increasingly shout at Blacks that Republicans cause all the problems that Blacks have. My Democrat superiors in the federal government did that. They ever-increasingly hinted/implied/argued/shouted at my many Black superiors, supervisors, coworkers, and subordinates that I caused all their problems. It all culminated when they forced me to retire when I was 49 in 1997 and gave my job and my preferred corner office to my Black subordinate. He had less education than I had. He had less work experience than I had. He had one professional certification while I had six. He had no professional license like the one I had.
https://www.pbs.org/newshour/politics/urban-league-report-says-trump-administration-is-harming-black-americans-chances-at-american-dream
https://www.pbs.org/newshour/politics/national-urban-league-declares-state-of-emergency-for-civil-rights-in-the-u-s-under-trump
— Most Black Americans say they never fly the American flag. DD: I have flown an American flag off my front porch 24 hours a day since September 11, 2001.
https://www.chicagotribune.com/2026/06/30/black-americans-fly-flag-poll/
— Businesses should improve access for people with disabilities. DD: While I worked for the Democrats who ran GAO’s Chicago office 1980-1997, they had me supervise all the disabled employees they hired.
https://www.chicagotribune.com/2026/07/30/letters-073026-accessability-transit/
CHICAGO SUN-TIMES
— Democrat leaders ever-increasingly a) glorify and praise their illegals and b) fight their deportation.
https://chicago.suntimes.com/immigration/2026/07/29/immigration-midway-blitz-federal-agents-misconduct-legal-liability-guzman-state-laws
— Other cities also struggle with teen takeovers. What can Chicago learn from them? DD: What is your municipality doing to stop Democrat teen takeovers?
https://chicago.suntimes.com/the-watchdogs/2026/07/30/chicago-teen-takeovers-other-cities-strategy-baltimore-detroit-philadelphia-washington
https://chicago.suntimes.com/teen-takeovers-chicago-public-schools-lollapalooza-tornadoes
— Illinois SNAP recipients kicked off the federal food program are getting $400 from the state. State officials estimate 100,000 people will receive the one-time benefit to help offset cuts in federal food assistance. DD: Democrat leaders want as many voters as possible on SNAP because they vote for Democrats.
https://chicago.suntimes.com/health/2026/07/30/illinois-snap-recipients-kicked-off-the-federal-food-program-are-getting-400-from-the-state
SHAW LOCAL
— Illinois launches monthly payment program to help residents who lost SNAP benefits. DD: Democrat leaders want as many voters as possible on SNAP because they vote for Democrats.
https://www.shawlocal.com/news/2026/07/30/illinois-launches-monthly-payment-program-to-help-residents-who-lost-snap-benefits/
POLITICO ILLINOIS
— DD: Democrats promote Democrats at Lollapalooza.
https://www.politico.com/newsletters/illinois-playbook/2026/07/31/the-politics-of-lolla-01018139
CAPITOL FAX
— Morning briefing
https://capitolfax.com/
— Afternoon roundup
https://capitolfax.com/2026/07/30/isabel%e2%80%99s-afternoon-roundup-567/
— Pritzker calls Bailey a racist, in Spanish. DD: To get more votes from non-Whites, Democrat leaders ever-increasingly call Republicans racists.
https://capitolfax.com/2026/07/30/pritzker-calls-bailey-a-racist-in-spanish/
(BAILEY RESPONSE: Friends, today JB Pritzker called me a racist. But this isn’t really about me. It’s about you, because this is what JB Pritzker does to people who disagree with him. If you don’t support his agenda, you’re not just wrong, you’re an extremist. You’re a racist. Tomorrow, you’re a fascist. JB will do everything that he can to make this election about anything except his own record. After nearly eight years in office, that’s the one conversation that he can’t afford to have. He doesn’t want to explain why property taxes keep climbing. He doesn’t want to explain why he doubled the gas tax. He doesn’t want to explain why Illinois families are staring at the biggest tax hike in Illinois history. He doesn’t want to explain why people are paying more and getting less, and he certainly doesn’t want to explain why repeat offenders are escaping justice. And not for nothing, when people in my own party mocked JB Pritzker’s weight, I called them out. I said it was wrong because politics should be about ideas, not personal attacks. It’s a shame that Governor Pritzker doesn’t have the class to treat the people of Illinois with that same respect. Friends, I’m not running to call people names. I’m running to lower your taxes, make Illinois affordable, give drivers a break at the pump, and keep the bad guys in jail. That’s the conversation Illinois deserves. Thank you, and God bless.)
FROM ILLINOIS CENTER-RIGHT SOURCES
MCHENRY COUNTY BLOG
— Pritzker Takes the Typical Democratic Party Attack Approach – “He’s Too Extreme!!”
https://www.mchenrycountyblog.com/2026/07/30/21424/
JOHN KASS
— Vallas: Governor Pritzker’s “Vulgar” Education Record.
https://johnkassnews.com/governor-pritzkers-vulgar-education-record/
ILLINOIS POLICY INSTITUTE
— Thanks to gerrymandering, over 90% of recently passed bills in Illinois were sponsored by one party. DD: I live in the racially gerrymandered 3rd Congressional District.
https://www.illinoispolicy.org/thanks-to-gerrymandering-over-90-of-recently-passed-bills-in-illinois-were-sponsored-by-one-party/
FROM NATIONAL CENTER-RIGHT SOURCES
WASHINGTON TIMES
— About a third of Democrats identify as democratic socialists. DD: Under socialism, all you need to do to advance is to be a socialist. Under Democrats, all you need to do to advance is to be a Democrat. I worked for Democrats for almost 30 years. I refused to become a Democrat. None of my Democrat coworkers who they promoted over me did anything close to what I did to advance. I earned three job-related master’s degrees, six job-related professional certifications, and a job-related professional license.
https://www.washingtontimes.com/news/2026/jul/30/third-democrats-identify-democratic-socialists-poll/
— DSA-backed candidates cannot legally be seated in Congress. Americans legally elected but unable to faithfully and truthfully take the oath of office because they support dismantling the Constitution cannot be seated. If you cannot take the oath, then you cannot serve.
https://www.washingtontimes.com/news/2026/jul/30/dsa-backed-candidates-cannot-legally-seated-congress/
WASHINGTON EXAMINER
— How universities taught an entire generation to hate the West. DD: I avoided Democrat indoctrination by majoring in business, accounting, and finance.
https://www.washingtonexaminer.com/op-eds/4669133/postcolonial-theory-marxism-universities/
— Michigan primary tests socialism’s reach with black voters.
https://www.washingtonexaminer.com/news/campaigns/congressional/4668467/dsa-aligned-donavan-mckinney-sees-surge-support-cbc-members-will-black-voters-back-him/
— The government owns 28% of America — and has no clue what’s underneath it.
https://www.washingtonexaminer.com/op-eds/4669412/government-federal-land-critical-minerals/
— Trump’s failures on affordability are sinking the GOP ship for the midterm elections. DD: Democrats have always blamed Republicans for inflation. Then again, Democrats have always blamed Republicans for everything that is bad.
https://www.washingtonexaminer.com/opinion/beltway-confidential/4669564/trump-failures-affordability-tariffs-sinking-gop-midterms/
— Government compels, culture persuades: Why Washington is ruining America. DD: Under the Democrats and under the RINOs, fewer and fewer and fewer Americans are becoming productive members of society.
https://www.washingtonexaminer.com/op-eds/4669387/government-overreach-civil-society/
NEW YORK POST
— Trump gives veterans priority pass for trucking jobs after New York and California busted for illegal immigrants on the road. DD: I often drove postal trucks while I worked for the Post Office 1966-1969.
https://nypost.com/2026/07/30/us-news/trump-gives-veterans-priority-pass-for-trucking-jobs-after-new-york-and-california-busted-for-illegals-on-the-road/
— Lonnie Bunch III, the Smithsonian Institution secretary who called DEI an “integral to excellence in museum practice,” raked in over $4.4 million from 2020-2024 in base salary and added benefits.
https://nypost.com/2026/07/31/us-news/smithsonian-exec-lonnie-bunch-iii-who-said-dei-must-be-at-center-of-institutions-is-raking-in-eye-popping-salary/
— Members of Mamdani’s DSA pledge to ‘support’ and ‘defend’ China: ‘Survival of Chinese socialism is a crucial matter’
https://nypost.com/2026/07/30/us-news/members-of-mamdanis-dsa-pledge-to-support-defend-china/
AMERICAN LIBERTY
— Now Is The Time To Address The Emerging Socialism Of JD Vance.
https://americanliberty.news/commentary/now-is-the-time-to-address-the-emerging-socialism-of-jd-vance/dsimon/2026/07/
BIZ PAC REVIEW
— Semiautomatic firearms selling like hotcakes as gun owners try to beat clock on Colorado licensing scheme. DD: Colorado today, Illinois tomorrow.
https://www.bizpacreview.com/2026/07/30/semiautomatic-firearms-selling-like-hotcakes-as-gun-owners-try-to-beat-clock-on-colorado-licensing-scheme-1652854/
CREATORS SYNDICATE
— America’s Peak Socialism — Abandoned a Century Ago.
https://www.creators.com/read/michael-barone
DAILY CITIZEN
— Why Parents Everywhere Should Pay Attention to the DSA’s Public School Strategy in NYC.
https://dailycitizen.focusonthefamily.com/dsa-public-school-strategy/
FEDERALIST
— Barack Obama Fathered Today’s Marxist Democrat Party.
https://thefederalist.com/2026/07/30/barack-obama-fathered-todays-marxist-democrat-party/
FOX NEWS
— Trump admin’s push to scrap DEI in federal government takes landmark step with new hiring rule. DD: My Democrat superiors in the federal government ever-increasingly used Affirmative Action and DEI a) to not hire Republicans and b) to get rid of their Republican employees.
https://www.foxnews.com/politics/trump-admin-push-scrap-dei-federal-government-landmark-step-new-hiring-rule
— Socialist surge: Inside the DSA’s funding.
https://www.foxnews.com/video/6402495662112
— Pro-migrant socialism brings thousands to Spain.
https://www.foxnews.com/video/6402485537112
— We must help more people buy a home. It’s key to the American Dream. DD: What did you do to buy your first home? I bought a new townhome in University Park ( https://www.zillow.com/homedetails/774-Sunset-Ct-5-University-Park-IL-60484/5451474_zpid/ ) when I was 24 in 1972. In today’s dollars, I paid about $180,000 for it and the down payment would have been about $36,000. In today’s dollars, my IRS Revenue Officer salary had just increased from $56,409/year to $68,999/year. The down payment came from what I had earned working for IRS for 15 months and for a Firestone Store part-time for 18 months and full-time for 7 months before that. According to Zillow, the townhome is currently worth $93,200. That says worlds about real estate values in University Park.
https://www.foxnews.com/opinion/we-must-help-more-people-buy-home-its-key-american-dream
LEGAL INSURRECTION
— Teacher Training Program Paints Parents as Oppressors. DD: Democrats ever-increasingly destroy traditional marriage and family. I owe all my successes in life to my parents and to their traditional marriage.
https://legalinsurrection.com/2026/07/teacher-training-program-allegedly-paints-parents-as-oppressors/
PRESIDENTIAL PRAYER TEAM
— Judge Stephen McGlynn, Southern Illinois U.S. District Court. DD: Judge McGlynn ran for chairman of the Illinois Republican Party in 2005. He was one of the candidates who attended a candidate forum that I organized in Springfield the evening before the election.
https://www.presidentialprayerteam.org/2026/07/30/judge-stephen-mcglynn-southern-illinois-u-s-district-court/
TOWNHALL
— The Socialist Monster Awakens.
https://townhall.com/columnists/victordavishanson/2026/07/30/the-socialist-monster-awakens-n2680404
WESTERN JOURNAL
— Mamdani Is Setting Stage to Saddle NYC with Cash Reparations for Slavery.
https://www.westernjournal.com/watch-mamdani-open-forcing-new-yorkers-pay-cash-reparations-slavery-says-complicit/
YOUR TANGO
— Gen X & Millennials Were Taught 8 Things About Success That Sound Completely Outdated To Gen Z. DD: To get promoted, I earned three job-related master’s degrees, six job-related professional certifications, and a job-related professional license.
https://www.yourtango.com/career/things-gen-x-millennials-taught-about-success-gen-z-sees-outdated
(FROM THE ARTICLE: For older generations, they were taught that work ethic is how you get ahead in life. Even exhaustion is a badge of honor because it’s tied into someone’s work ethic. . .Things about success that sound outdated to Gen Z but were taught to Gen X and millennials: 1. Living to work. . .3. Climbing the corporate ladder is the goal. . .6. Hard work is the key)
FROM NATIONAL CENTER-LEFT SOURCES
THE HILL
— Most say they wouldn’t back democratic socialist presidential candidate. DD: Ever-increasingly, to be a Democrat is to be a socialist.
https://thehill.com/homenews/campaign/5999703-democratic-socialism-presidential-support-low/
— 1 in 3 Democrats now consider themselves democratic socialists. DD: Under socialism, all you need to do to advance is to be a socialist. Under Democrats, all you need to do to advance is to be a Democrat. I worked for Democrats for almost 30 years. I refused to become a Democrat. None of my Democrat coworkers who they promoted over me did anything close to what I did to advance. I earned three job-related master’s degrees, six job-related professional certifications, and a job-related professional license.
https://thehill.com/homenews/campaign/5999669-democrats-identify-democratic-socialists/
CNN
— A third of Democrats now identify as democratic socialists. DD: Under socialism, all you need to do to advance is to be a socialist. Under Democrats, all you need to do to advance is to be a Democrat. I worked for Democrats for almost 30 years. I refused to become a Democrat. None of my Democrat coworkers who they promoted over me did anything close to what I did to advance. I earned three job-related master’s degrees, six job-related professional certifications, and a job-related professional license.
https://www.cnn.com/2026/07/30/politics/cnn-poll-a-third-of-democrats-now-identify-as-democratic-socialists
CBS NEWS
— DD: Democrat leaders ever-increasingly blame Trump for inflation. Then again, Democrats have always blamed Republicans for everything that is bad.
https://www.cbsnews.com/news/cbs-poll-analysis-cost-of-living-democrats-republicans/
NEW YORK TIMES
— Mamdani Leaves Door Open to Paying Reparations to Black New Yorkers. DD: To get more votes from Blacks, Democrat leaders ever-increasingly promise them reparations.
https://www.nytimes.com/2026/07/30/nyregion/mamdani-reparations-slavery.html
WASHINGTON POST
— DD: Democrat leaders ever-increasingly promote socialism. Under socialism, all you need to do to advance is to be a socialist. Under Democrats, all you need to do to advance is to be a Democrat. I worked for Democrats for almost 30 years. I refused to become a Democrat. None of my Democrat coworkers who they promoted over me did anything close to what I did to advance. I earned three job-related master’s degrees, six job-related professional certifications, and a job-related professional license.
https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/2026/07/30/most-americans-would-not-support-democratic-socialist-president-poll-finds/
WALL STREET JOURNAL
— Federal hiring. DD: The Democrats who ran the Post Office in 1966 hired as a GS-4, currently $19.57/hour, part-time postal employee when I was 18 because I had earned a high school diploma and passed the postal employment examination. The Democrats who ran IRS in 1971 hired me as a GS-7, currently $56,409/year, Revenue Officer when I was 22 because I had earned a bachelor’s degree in business and passed the Federal Service Entrance Examination. The Democrats who ran GAO in 1980 hired me as a GS-9 Step 10, currently $89,703/year, Analyst when I was 31 because I had earned an MBA and passed the CPA examination on my first attempt. They hired me because they could not find a qualified Democrat, minority, female, younger person, or veteran who would take the job.
https://www.wsj.com/opinion/federal-hiring-isnt-a-one-test-fits-all-box-350cc742
NEW JERSEY
— New Jersey offers $20 million legal defense fund for noncitizens mistakenly registered to vote.
https://nj1015.com/noncitizen-voters-nj-legal-defense/
CHALKBEAT
— Teens feel unwelcome. DD: When you were a teen, what did you do when you were not in school? 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,
https://www.chalkbeat.org/philadelphia/2026/07/30/third-space-needed-to-address-philly-teen-safety/
FEDERAL NEWS NETWORK
— DD: Federal employees who are the following have no Civil Service protections: conservative, Republican, White, male, older, non-veteran, German American, and/or have ancestors who have been in America for a long time. Unions provide some protection. But GAO did not unionize until 2007. If GAO had been unionized when I transferred from IRS in 1980, my Democrat GAO superiors might not have been able to take the many big adverse actions against me that they did including forcing me to retire when I was 49 in 1997.
https://federalnewsnetwork.com/workforce/2026/07/a-key-mspb-ruling-threatens-civil-service-protections-democrats-warn/
https://federalnewsnetwork.com/workforce-rightsgovernance/2026/07/encouraging-people-to-speak-up-is-one-challenge-protecting-them-afterward-is-another/
JD SUPRA
— Embedding E-Verify into Federal Funding: Where Immigration and Grant Compliance Converge. DD: Democrats and RINOs oppose E-Verify. Democrats because illegals vote for Democrats. RINOs because RINOs want cheap labor.
https://www.jdsupra.com/legalnews/embedding-e-verify-into-federal-funding-3801433/
FROM FOREIGN SOURCES
WORLD SOCIALIST WEB SITE
— DD: Democrat leaders ever-increasingly crow about their success in promoting socialism.
https://www.wsws.org/en/articles/2026/07/31/ueag-j31.html
July 30, 2026
FROM ILLINOIS CENTER-LEFT SOURCES
ABC7
— DeKalb Man, Naperville woman accused of breaking into Naperville home, fatally shooting dog.
https://abc7chicago.com/post/dekalb-man-andre-bridges-naperville-woman-nicole-smith-accused-animal-cruelty-alleged-capistrano-court-home-invasion/19598802/
CBS2
— Community helps food pantry in Wheaton affected by storms, power outages. Two coolers, three standing coolers and a walk-in cooler and walk-in freezer, all filled with food, had to be thrown away after the center lost power for 14 hours. DD: I bought a whole house backup generator in 2011. I should write about my Wheaton critics/opponents who have demonized/denigrated/condemned my decision the most.
https://www.cbsnews.com/chicago/video/community-helps-food-pantry-in-wheaton-affected-by-storms-power-outages/
WGN9
— Illinois vote-by-mail applications open August 5
https://wgntv.com/news/illinois/illinois-vote-by-mail-applications-open-august-5/
FOX32
— Democrat leaders ever-increasingly push more pot.
https://www.fox32chicago.com/news/marijuana-daily-than-alcohol-cigarettes-federal-survey
WTTW
— Mayor Johnson Signs Executive Order Designed to Ban Purchases From Gun Dealers That Flout Laws.
https://news.wttw.com/2026/07/29/mayor-johnson-signs-executive-order-designed-ban-purchases-gun-dealers-flout-laws
— Chicago Can’t Keep Trying to Poison Its Way Out of Rat Problem.
https://news.wttw.com/2026/07/29/chicago-can-t-keep-trying-poison-its-way-out-rat-problem-watchdog-report
CHICAGO TRIBUNE
— FRONT PAGE: DD: Democrat leaders ever-increasingly a) glorify and praise their illegals and b) fight their deportation.
https://www.chicagotribune.com/2026/07/29/ice-venezuelan-brothers-kidney-transplant/
https://www.chicagotribune.com/2026/07/30/courthouse-immigration-families/
https://www.chicagotribune.com/2026/07/29/forest-park-cemetery-workers-arrested-during-operation-midway-blitz-seek-damages/
— What do Democratic socialists want? We took a look at their platform. DD: What do conservatives want? They want Republicans to defend and advance conservative principles. Failing that, to oppose liberal principles including the promotion of dependency on government and charity, LGBTQ, abortion, mass/illegal immigration, vices, diminishment of Second Amendment rights, and Affirmative Action and DEI, that is, wokeness/wokeism, race and gender based preference giving, patronage, political affiliation discrimination, reverse discrimination, age discrimination, religious discrimination, and national origin discrimination.
https://www.chicagotribune.com/2026/07/30/editorial-what-do-democratic-socialists-want-we-took-a-look-at-their-platform/
— Former gubernatorial candidate Rick Heidner buys $5.2M Barrington mansion from Motorola Solutions CEO.
https://www.chicagotribune.com/2026/07/29/rick-heidner-motorola-solutions/
CHICAGO SUN-TIMES
— Latino high schools hit especially hard by teacher cuts in CPS budget heading for vote.
https://chicago.suntimes.com/education/2026/07/29/latino-high-schools-hit-especially-hard-by-teacher-cuts-in-cps-budget-heading-for-vote
DAILY HERALD
— FRONT PAGE TOP OF FOLD WITH BIG PICTURE: Community rallies to help Wheaton pantry that lost three tons of food after storm. DD: I bought a whole house backup generator in 2011. I should write about my Wheaton critics/opponents who have demonized/denigrated/condemned my decision the most.
https://www.dailyherald.com/20260729/news/so-caring-community-rallies-to-help-wheaton-pantry-that-lost-three-tons-of-food-after-storm/
CHALKBEAT
— As more teen boys turn to sports betting, financial literacy teachers rush to show gambling’s real odds. DD: Democrats ever-increasingly promote more vice.
https://www.chalkbeat.org/2026/07/29/sports-betting-among-teens-rises-as-teachers-warn-of-gambling-in-schools/
AXIOS CHICAGO
— THC drinks debut at Lollapalooza before Illinois regulates hemp market. DD: Democrats ever-increasingly promote more vice.
https://www.axios.com/local/chicago/2026/07/30/thc-drinks-lollapalooza-illinois-hemp-pritzker-johnson-rythm-seniorita
POLITICO ILLINOIS
https://www.politico.com/newsletters/illinois-playbook/2026/07/30/hanah-jubehs-political-pivot-01015959
CAPITOL FAX
— Morning briefing
https://capitolfax.com/2026/07/30/isabel%e2%80%99s-morning-briefing-781/
— Afternoon roundup
https://capitolfax.com/2026/07/29/isabel%e2%80%99s-afternoon-roundup-566/
FROM ILLINOIS CENTER-RIGHT SOURCES
WIREPOINTS
— Pritzker Followed Fauci’s Guidance Blindly: The Illinois COVID Failures Nobody Owns.
https://wirepoints.org/from-faucis-mouth-to-pritzkers-rules-illinois-pandemic-blunders-wirepoints/
MCHENRY COUNTY BLOG
— Don Tracy: Washington Post Debunks Stratton’s Healthcare Tax Myth
https://www.mchenrycountyblog.com/2026/07/30/juliana-strattons-position-on-medicare-for-all-criticized-by-washington-post-taxes-for-all/
— After announcing yesterday that his wife is pregnant with their second child, conceived naturally after their first child was born via IVF, Independent candidate for Illinois Governor Collin Corbett is raising awareness about the importance of fertility treatments for Illinois families while taking aim at his Republican opponent, Darren Bailey, for his extreme record against IVF.
https://www.mchenrycountyblog.com/2026/07/29/corbett-calls-bailey-extremist-on-idv-relates-personal-experience/
FROM NATIONAL CENTER-RIGHT SOURCES
WASHINGTON EXAMINER
— Illegal immigrant population surged to all-time high of 15.8 million under Biden.
https://www.washingtonexaminer.com/policy/immigration/4667790/illegal-immigrant-population-surged-all-time-high-15-8-million-biden-study-says/
NEW YORK POST
— ICE is now busting migrants who overstayed visas when they check into airports — reversing a Biden policy.
https://nypost.com/2026/07/29/us-news/ice-arresting-visa-overstayers-at-us-airports-as-trump-admin-ramps-up-immigration-enforcement/
AMERICAN THINKER
— Demographics, debt, and destiny. DD: To get more votes from those who are the following, Democrat leaders ever-increasingly shout at them that Republicans cause all their problems: liberal/moderate, minority, female, younger, LGBTQ, poor, non-Protestant, non-German American, and/or have ancestors who have not been in America for a long time.
https://www.americanthinker.com/blog/2026/07/demographics-debt-and-destiny/
— Communism had little natural appeal to a people formed by Judeo-Christian values; it could only take root in soil that had already been prepared to receive it.
https://www.americanthinker.com/blog/2026/07/the-sudden-long-goodbye/
— How the 1964 Civil Rights Act Eviscerated the American Constitution. James Madison would be horrified. DD: Democrat and RINO leaders use the 1964 Civil Rights Act to get rid of those who are conservative, Republican, American, White, male, older, Protestant, German American, and/or have ancestors who have been in America for a long time.
https://www.americanthinker.com/articles/2026/07/how-the-1964-civil-rights-act-eviscerated-the-american-constitution/
BIZ PAC REVIEW
— Trial lawyers quietly using woke lawfare to hamper American businesses.
https://www.bizpacreview.com/2026/07/29/exclusive-trial-lawyers-quietly-using-woke-lawfare-to-hamper-american-businesses-1652683/
BLAZE
— As personal responsibility withers, governmental control increases. DD: To get more votes from those who are the following, Democrat leaders ever-increasingly shout at them that Republicans cause all their problems: liberal/moderate, minority, female, younger, LGBTQ, poor, non-Protestant, non-German American, and/or have ancestors who have not been in America for a long time.
https://www.dailywire.com/news/the-most-seductive-lie-in-politics
(FROM THE ARTICLE: Personal responsibility used to be something that most Americans believed in. Most Americans still do, but pretty much nobody in our political class does, because the most seductive line in American politics is: “It’s not your fault.”)
COLLEGE FIX
— Columbia to offer new minor based on ‘what it means to live in a ‘just’ society.’ DD: According to Democrats, justice means taking opportunities, money, and everything else away from Republicans and giving it all to Democrats. My Democrat GAO superiors took my GAO job away from me and gave it to my Black Democrat subordinate.
https://www.thecollegefix.com/columbia-to-offer-new-minor-based-on-what-it-means-to-live-in-a-just-society/
DAILY WIRE
— The rise in “adultism” training that teaches children that their parents are the oppressors.
https://www.dailywire.com/news/new-teacher-training-trend-has-parents-in-its-crosshairs
— History Already Told Us How This Radical Alliance Ends. Islamists and Marxists have long been united in their pursuit to destroy the West.
https://www.dailywire.com/news/history-already-told-us-how-this-radical-alliance-ends
— Obama To Headline Dem Gerrymandering Fundraiser In Posh Martha’s Vineyard. The Massachusetts island is a popular getaway locale for Democratic political figures and donors.
https://www.dailywire.com/news/obama-to-headline-dem-gerrymandering-fundraiser-in-posh-marthas-vineyard
FEDERALIST
— NeverTrumpers Are Banking On Iran War To Drive MAGA Into Extinction.
https://thefederalist.com/2026/07/29/nevertrumpers-are-banking-on-iran-war-to-drive-maga-into-extinction/
— Counting Noncitizens In The Census Undermines American Democracy.
https://thefederalist.com/2026/07/29/counting-noncitizens-in-the-census-undermines-american-democracy/
FOX NEWS
— Trump taps veterans to fix illegal alien trucking problem plaguing US roadways. The program expands CDL eligibility for veterans while removing over 24,000 licenses under English proficiency rules. DD: I often drove postal trucks while I worked for the Post Office 1966-1969.
https://www.foxnews.com/politics/trump-taps-veterans-fix-illegal-alien-trucking-problem-plaguing-us-roadways
— Controversial teacher training targets parental authority as oppression.
https://www.yahoo.com/news/politics/articles/controversial-teacher-training-targets-parental-150037673.html
LEGAL NEWSLINE
— Chicago PD can’t curb class action over race-based traffic stops.
https://www.legalnewsline.com/cook-county-record/chicago-pd-can-t-curb-class-action-over-race-based-traffic-stops/article_85db0c61-4fdf-4268-b606-ccd64458ac27.html
NEWSMAX
— ICE Plans 5,500 New Detention Beds.
https://www.newsmax.com/newsfront/ice-detention-centers-illegal-immigration/2026/07/29/id/1264484/
PJ MEDIA
— White House Streamlines the Deportation Process. Leftists Are Not Taking It Well.
https://pjmedia.com/tim-o-brien/2026/07/29/white-house-streamlines-the-deportation-process-leftists-are-not-taking-it-well-n4955562
TOWNHALL
— One Standard for Government Failure.
https://townhall.com/columnists/joe-abraham/2026/07/29/one-standard-for-government-failure-n2680309
— The New York Times Is Very Upset About ICE Enforcing Immigration Laws at Airports.
https://townhall.com/news/amy-curtis/2026/07/29/ice-detaining-people-at-airports-nyt-n2680314
FROM NATIONAL CENTER-LEFT SOURCES
THE HILL
— Deportation helps make affordability possible.
https://thehill.com/opinion/immigration/5995665-immigration-drives-housing-costs/
— DD: Democrats and RINOs have joined up with America’s enemies to destroy America.
https://www.yahoo.com/news/politics/articles/opinion-fix-birthright-citizenship-declare-170000303.html
— DD: How has EEOC impacted you? EEOC had a tremendous impact on me. When I was 22 in 1971, I accepted a job offer from Oldsmobile. But Oldsmobile withdrew that job offer because it had just agreed to stop hiring Whites to settle an EEOC complaint. Because I had accepted that offer, my Firestone Store boss rudely fired me. Because of that, I accepted a job offer from IRS.
https://thehill.com/opinion/civil-rights/5994270-trump-anti-dei-campaign/amp/
LOS ANGELES TIMES
— DD: Democrat leaders ever-increasingly promote communism.
https://www.latimes.com/business/story/2026-07-29/republicans-want-to-turn-clock-back-to-red-baiting-fifties
— DD: What harmed your ACT score and your high school GPA? Instead of studying, I spent far too many hours (28 hours a week during the school years and 40 hours a week during the summer in between) washing dishes in the basement of the SS Kresge in Chicago Heights while I was a Crete-Monee High School student 1964-1966.
https://www.latimes.com/socal/daily-pilot/opinion/story/2026-07-29/apodaca-unwelcomereturn-of-sat-bias
MIAMI HERALD
— Best ACT Prep Courses. DD: What harmed your ACT score and your high school GPA? Instead of studying, I spent far too many hours (28 hours a week during the school years and 40 hours a week during the summer in between) washing dishes in the basement of the SS Kresge in Chicago Heights while I was a Crete-Monee High School student 1964-1966.
https://www.miamiherald.com/careers-education/best-act-prep-courses/
WALL STREET JOURNAL
— FRONT PAGE: A Small Band of Socialists Is Sowing Panic in the Democratic Party. Once a fringe wing, the movement is wielding surprising political power, capitalizing on popular discontent. Mainstream Democrats see a ‘fundamental threat.’
https://www.wsj.com/politics/elections/democratic-socialists-mamdani-midterms-party-ca2ddf9a
— Democratic Socialists’ Rise Rattles Mainstream Democrats
https://www.wsj.com/world/democratic-socialists-rise-rattles-mainstream-democrats-e7ed7ee1
— Rove: Who’s Afraid of the DSA? Mark Kelly and Tim Kaine can’t find the courage to oppose their party’s radicals.
https://www.wsj.com/opinion/whos-afraid-of-the-dsa-db539ece
— The ‘Downward Mobility’ of Struggling Young Baby Boomers. Staples of middle-class life now seem like luxuries. DD: While I am much more successful financially than what my father was, he was much less successful financially than what his father was, and his father was much less successful financially than what his father was.
https://www.wsj.com/opinion/the-downward-mobility-of-struggling-young-baby-boomers-b82cab21
— Mamdani’s Class Enemies List. He publishes the names and addresses of his new pied-a-terre tax targets. DD: In Money Magazine’s 4-page February 1978 article on me ( https://gopillinois.com/documents/ ), to paint be as being grossly overpaid, it called my Outer Drive East condo a pied-a-terre because I owned a townhome in University Park at the time. I owned that townhome because I could not sell it unless took a big loss.
https://www.wsj.com/opinion/zohran-mamdani-pied-a-terre-tax-list-ali-najmi-ed22425b
— ‘Restorative Justice’ Brings Violent Schools. Why would anyone think you could discipline bullies by inviting them to talk about their feelings?
https://www.wsj.com/opinion/restorative-justice-brings-violent-schools-e6a55a39
NATIONAL LAW REVIEW
— DD: Democrat and RINO leaders use disparate impact to get rid of those who are conservative, Republican, American, White, male, older, Protestant, German American, and/or have ancestors who have been in America for a long time.
https://natlawreview.com/article/disparate-impact-name-only-what-federal-agencies-shift-intentional-discrimination
HR DRIVE
— DD: Democrat and RINO employers have used, are using, and will forever use DEI a) to not hire Republicans and b) to get rid of their Republican employees.
https://www.hrdive.com/news/pulling-back-from-dei-increases-legal-risk-women/826430/
FROM OTHER SOURCES
WRITERS COLLEGE
— Writing from Personal Experience. DD: To promote conservative principles, I cite my personal experiences. I urge all conservatives to do that. My following conservative principles enabled me to a) earn a job-related bachelor’s degree when I was 21, job-related master’s degrees when I was 27, 31, and 48, job-related professional certifications when I was 30, 32, 41, 45, 47, and 48, and a job-related professional license when I was 32, b) buy new cars when I was 17, 19, 20, 23, 25, 29. etc. and collector cars when I was 40 and 45, c) buy real estate when I was 24, 25, 27, 29, 35, etc., d) get married when I was 29, e) etc.
https://www.thewriterscollege.com/writing-from-personal-experience-tips-and-techniques/
July 26, 2026
FROM ILLINOIS CENTER-LEFT SOURCES
ABC7
— How lighthearted social media trend of ‘teen takeovers’ took serious turn in Chicago and across US. DD: What is your municipality doing to stop Democrat teen takeovers?
https://abc7chicago.com/post/teen-takeover-chicago-news-how-social-media-trend-took-serious-turn/19575868/
CBS2
— Teen takeover crowds Green Line ‘L’ terminal in Chicago’s Englewood community. DD: What is your municipality doing to stop Democrat teen takeovers?
https://www.cbsnews.com/chicago/news/teen-takeover-green-line-l-terminal-chicago-englewood-community/
WGN9
— Trump’s crusade against mail-in voting loses in federal court.
https://wgntv.com/news/nexstar-media-wire/president-trumps-crusade-against-mail-in-voting-loses-in-federal-court/
FOX32
— Illinois giving undocumented immigrants in-state tuition rate is unconstitutional.
https://www.fox32chicago.com/news/illinois-immigrants-tuition-ruling
CHICAGO TRIBUNE
— FRONT PAGE TOP OF FOLD: DD: Democrat leaders ever-increasingly a) glorify and praise their illegals and b) fight their deportation.
https://www.chicagotribune.com/2026/07/24/chicago-immigration-court-removal-orders-analysis/
https://www.chicagotribune.com/2026/07/25/hundreds-march-to-trump-tower-vigil-for-ice-killings/
— Illinois Democrats’ single-party rule and diminished GOP may shield Springfield from Benton scandal reforms.
https://www.chicagotribune.com/2026/07/26/harry-benton-election-impact/
WGN RADIO
— Matt Dietrich, Spokesperson for the Illinois Board of Elections on that the Illinois Board of Elections does to ensure that noncitizens aren’t able to register to vote.
https://wgnradio.com/john-williams/how-secure-are-elections-in-illinois/
HERALD WHIG
— Lieutenant governor candidate Aaron Del Mar calls for grace.
https://whig.com/2026/07/25/lieutenant-governor-candidate-calls-for-grace/
CAPITOL NEWS ILLINOIS
— These 9 Illinois communities say they’re interested in new nuclear facilities.
https://capitolnewsillinois.com/news/these-9-illinois-communities-say-theyre-interested-in-new-nuclear-facilities/
FROM NATIONAL CENTER-RIGHT SOURCES
WASHINGTON EXAMINER
— The DSA’s dumbed-down definition of working class is designed to deceive. DD: I was a member of the working class 1964-1997, that is, I was a wage earner 1964-1997. My critics/opponents look down on the working class, that is, they look down on wage earners.
https://www.washingtonexaminer.com/premium/4657193/dsa-dumbed-down-definition-working-class-designed-to-deceive/
NEW YORK POST
— Socialists are on the march.
https://nypost.com/2026/07/25/real-estate/detroit-developer-cites-tax-hikes-as-reason-big-blue-cities-like-nyc-are-struggling-socialists-are-on-the-march/
— Team Trump is wisely pushing for most illegal migrants to go home voluntarily.
https://nypost.com/2026/07/25/opinion/team-trump-is-wisely-pushing-for-most-illegal-migrants-to-go-home-voluntarily/
— NYC promotes nearly 100% of students in grades 3-8 despite 40% of them failing standardized tests.
https://nypost.com/2026/07/25/us-news/city-promotes-nearly-100-of-students-in-grades-3-8/
AMERICAN THINKER
— Bombshell Biden memo: More illegals means more illegal voters.
https://www.americanthinker.com/blog/2026/07/bombshell-biden-memo-more-illegals-means-more-illegal-voters/
— Texas to stop teaching capitalism? Texas parents have a new fight on their hands: keeping ‘anti-racism’ out of their children’s personal finance classes.
https://www.americanthinker.com/blog/2026/07/texas-to-stop-teaching-capitalism/
— America’s Current Socialist Trend Could End Badly.
https://www.americanthinker.com/articles/2026/07/america-s-current-socialist-trend-could-end-badly/
— Red better than blue. At least from an economics perspective.
https://www.americanthinker.com/blog/2026/07/red-better-than-blue/
BLAZE
— The socialists are coming for the Senate.
https://www.theblaze.com/columns/opinion/the-socialists-are-coming-for-the-senate
BREITBART
— Trump to Mamdani: Stop Destroying My Home Town.
https://www.breitbart.com/crime/2026/07/25/pinkerton-trump-to-mamdani-stop-destroying-my-home-town/
DAILY SIGNAL
— Capitalism Improves Human Lives, Socialism Does the Opposite. DD: Under socialism, to advance, all you need to do is be a socialist. Under Democrats, to advance, all you need to do is be a Democrat. For Democrats, the federal government exists to hire, retain, and promote Democrats who are minority, female, younger, veteran, disabled, non-Protestant, non-German American, and/or have ancestors who have not been in America for a long time.
https://www.dailysignal.com/2026/02/01/capitalism-improves-human-lives-socialism-does-the-opposite/
DAILY WIRE
— How Democratic Socialism Went Mainstream.
https://www.dailywire.com/episode/ben-shapiro-show-explains-the-dsa
FOX NEWS
— Majority of Democratic voters support socialism. DD: How soon, if not already, will Democratic Socialists take over the DNC, the Illinois Democratic Party, your Democratic county party, and your Democratic township party?
https://www.foxnews.com/video/6402114830112
— Court checks Pritzker as Trump administration scores another immigration win. The ruling invalidates the RISE Act and Illinois DREAM Act, marking another win for Trump’s immigration agenda.
https://www.foxnews.com/politics/court-checks-pritzker-trump-administration-scores-another-immigration-win
— Democrats concede NJ voter-roll failure was ‘horrible’ — but reject broader fraud fears. Senators and representatives called for election integrity reforms including paper trails and software reviews
https://www.foxnews.com/politics/democrats-concede-nj-voter-roll-failure-horrible-reject-broader-fraud-fears
— Fight for Democratic Party’s future moves to Midwest as socialism gains traction. DD: How soon, if not already, will Democratic Socialists take over the DNC, the Illinois Democratic Party, your Democratic county party, and your Democratic township party?
https://www.foxnews.com/video/6402121162112
— Cuban immigrant warns against rising socialism in US primaries.
https://www.foxnews.com/video/6402120321112
— AOC’s 2028 chances spark concerns about Democratic socialists’ rise.
https://www.foxnews.com/video/6402121973112?spark_wn=1
— Platner to be replaced with socialist Troy Jackson.
https://www.foxnews.com/video/6402114775112
— Far-left victories rip mask off Democrats as top conservative sounds alarm party is ‘way beyond socialism.’ The House Freedom Caucus chairman argues DSA-backed primary wins will make voters nervous ahead of midterm elections.
https://www.foxnews.com/politics/far-left-victories-rip-mask-off-democrats-top-conservative-sounds-alarm-party-way-beyond-socialism
— The Democratic establishment fights back against the socialists.
https://www.washingtonexaminer.com/news/campaigns/congressional/4663234/democratic-establishment-fights-back-against-socialists/
— Economic democracy: The DSA’s plan to punish the productive and reward the lazy. DD: Virtually all my superiors, supervisors, coworkers, and subordinates were Democrats. Extremely few of my Post Office coworkers earned a job-related bachelor’s degree like I did. Few of my IRS and GAO coworkers earned job-related master’s degrees and professional certifications like I did. None of my coworkers earned a job-related professional license like I did. All my coworkers who my Democrat superiors promoted over me were Democrats who a) had less education than I had, b) had less work experience than I had, c) had no professional certification or fewer than I had, and/or d) had no professional license like the one I had.
https://www.washingtonexaminer.com/restoring-america/patriotism-unity/4659903/dsas-plan-to-punish-productive-and-reward-lazy/
— Fetterman: Socialism should be the UNACCEPTABLE view.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GueGDcRLX5s
— Democrats are in big trouble because Black and brown voters don’t want socialism.
https://www.foxnews.com/opinion/democrats-big-trouble-black-brown-voters-dont-want-socialism
LAW ENFORCEMENT TODAY
— The Anti-ICE Campaign Is BLM 2.0.
https://lawenforcementtoday.com/the-anti-ice-campaign-is-blm-2-0
MILITARY
— White House Wants Veterans to Replace Immigrant Truckers Who Lost Their Licenses in Crackdown. DD: I often drove postal trucks while I worked for the Post Office 1966-1969.
https://www.military.com/white-house-wants-veterans-to-replace-immigrant-truckers-who-lost-their-licenses-in-crackdown
POST MILLENNIAL
— Federal judge strikes down Illinois sanctuary policy granting illegal immigrants in-state tuition, financial aid.
https://thepostmillennial.com/federal-judge-strikes-down-illinois-sanctuary-policy-granting-illegal-immigrants-in-state-tuition-financial-aid.
— Alaska sends over 3,000 letters asking voters to prove citizenship. DD: It seems that to prove that you were born in America and/or that either of your parents were American citizens is to prove that you are an American citizen.
https://thepostmillennial.com/alaska-sends-over-3000-letters-asking-voters-to-prove-citizenship
REAL CLEAR POLITICS
— Karl Rove: Dem Socialism a Gift to GOP.
https://www.realclearpolitics.com/2026/07/25/karl_rove_dem_socialism_a_gift_to_gop_706151.html
TOWNHALL
— Democratic Socialists Are Obsessed With Abortion.
https://townhall.com/columnists/derekhunter/2026/07/26/democratic-socialists-are-obsessed-with-abortion-n2680134
— Communism—the Religion of Hate.
https://townhall.com/columnists/marklewis/2026/07/26/communismthe-religion-of-hate-n2680127
FROM NATIONAL CENTER-LEFT SOURCES
THE HILL
— Mamdani’s ‘fair share’ myth joins a growing corpus of socialist fables. DD: According to my critics/opponents, I was always grossly overpaid. In my defense, I worked my way through college and I earned a job-related bachelor’s degree, three job-related master’s degrees, six job-related professional certifications, and a job-related professional license.
https://thehill.com/opinion/campaign/5989614-socialist-mythology-wealthy-taxpayers/
AOL
— The Minimum Salary You Need To Feel Financially Stable in Every State in 2026. DD: In Illinois, it is $83,000/year. I did not start earning $83,000/year in today’s dollars until I was 24 in 1973. By then, I had earned a bachelor’s degree in business from NIU, worked for IRS for 2 years, bought a new 1972 Corvette, bought a new townhome in University Park, and completed six graduate evening business courses at Loyola.
https://www.aol.com/articles/minimum-salary-feel-financially-stable-180011000.html
CNN
— GAO: More Amazon workers are turning to SNAP and Medicaid to make ends meet. DD: What did you do to qualify yourself for better paying jobs? I passed that postal employment test when I was 17 in 1966. I passed the Federal Entrance Examination when I was 21. I earned a bachelor’s degree in business when I was 21. I earned an MBA when I was 27. I passed the CPA examination on my first attempt when I was 30. I earned a master’s degree in accounting when I was 31. I passed the Certified Internal Auditor examination on my first attempt when I was 32. I became a licensed CPA when I was 32. I earned four more job-related professional certifications when I was 41, 45, 47, and 48. I earned a master’s degree in finance when I was 48.
https://www.wxow.com/news/top-stories/more-amazon-and-gig-workers-are-turning-to-snap-and-medicaid-to-make-ends-meet/article_a5034c35-42e9-521b-b91a-e6281fd08371.html
(FROM THE ARTICLE: Employed but still in need of assistance. GAO, which also looked at 2024 Census data, found that nearly 14 million adults who worked at some point that year were enrolled in Medicaid, and 10.6 million adults lived in households that received Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP), the formal name for food stamps. They mostly worked full-time schedules, and a majority worked in one of five occupations, including transportation and food preparation and serving. In 2020, about 12 million wage-earning adults were covered by Medicaid, and 9 million received food stamps, according to the earlier GAO report, which looked at Census data from the prior year. To qualify for food stamps, applicants must earn less than 130% of the federal poverty level, or about $42,000 a year for a family of four. (Some states have higher income limits.) Medicaid recipients can earn no more than 138% of the federal poverty limit, or about $22,000 for an individual, though some states that did not expand the program to low-income adults have lower income thresholds.)
NEW YORK TIMES
— Democratic Socialists Are Winning Big. Now They Want Action. The Democratic Socialists of America, after a string of election victories in New York, is eager to tax the rich and enact anti-Israel policies. DD: How soon, if not already, will Democratic Socialists take over the DNC, the Illinois Democratic Party, your Democratic county party, and your Democratic township party?
https://www.nytimes.com/2026/07/26/nyregion/dsa-tax-rich-hochul-mamdani.html
— Gen Z-ers Don’t See the Point of Ambition. DD: How ambitious were your peers? Virtually all my superiors, supervisors, coworkers, and subordinates were Democrats. Extremely few of my Post Office coworkers earned a job-related bachelor’s degree like I did. Few of my IRS and GAO coworkers earned job-related master’s degrees and professional certifications like I did. None of my coworkers earned a job-related professional license like I did. All my coworkers who my Democrat superiors promoted over me were Democrats who a) had less education than I had, b) had less work experience than I had, c) had no professional certification or fewer than I had, and/or d) had no professional license like the one I had.
https://www.nytimes.com/2026/07/23/opinion/gen-z-ambition-millennials-career.html
USA TODAY
— What the Supreme Court’s test for gun rules could mean for AR-15 bans. After appearing to loosen a restrictive test for gun regulations two years ago, the Supreme Court tacked back to the right this term. An even bigger Second Amendment case is up next.
https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/politics/2026/07/26/supreme-courts-historical-test-guns-ar-15/91012945007/
— Student debt has grads becoming socialists. It’s not the answer.
https://www.usatoday.com/story/opinion/columnist/2026/07/26/college-degree-jobs-money-socialism/91014847007/
— New cars cost nearly $50K. Here are 5 affordable car brands under $40K. DD: Back in the good old days, that is, during the 1960s and 1970s. I was able to earn enough money to buy new cars when I was 17, 19, 20, 23, 25, and 29.
https://www.usatoday.com/story/cars/shopping/new-cars/2026/07/14/best-affordable-cars-under-40k/90915827007/
NEW YORK SUN
— Third World-ism Emerging as the Ultimate Driver of the Democratic Socialist Agenda. The far left aspires to fulfill President Obama’s goal of ‘fundamentally transforming’ America.
https://www.nysun.com/article/third-world-ism-emerging-as-the-ultimate-driver-of-the-democratic-socialist-agenda
— Silence of America’s Surging Socialists Speaks Volumes as Nicaragua’s Ortega Ends Democracy.
https://www.nysun.com/article/silence-of-americas-surging-socialists-speaks-volumes-as-nicaraguas-ortega-ends-democracy
DALLAS EXPRESS
— Just 12% Of U.S. Adults Call Four-Year Schools Affordable. DD: Back in the good old days, even though no one thought I was college material, I took college preparatory courses, I got an ACT score of 24, I graduated in the upper 20% of my high school class, I got accepted by UIC, I worked my way through college by working for the Park Forest Post Office part-time during the school years and full-time during the summers, and I graduated debt-free from NIU in 1970 with a bachelor’s degree in business and owning a 1969 Dodge Charger SE. I could not have done that if my parents had not provided me with room and board while I took classes at UIC 1966-1968, weekends during my first semester at NIU in 1969 to keep my Post Office job, and the summer of 1969.
https://dallasexpress.com/education/college-costs-under-fire-just-12-of-u-s-adults-call-four-year-schools-affordable/
TAMPA FREE PRESS
— Wealthy Elites, Not The Working Class, Are Driving Socialist Push.
https://www.tampafp.com/victor-davis-hanson-wealthy-elites-not-the-working-class-are-driving-socialist-push/
YONKERS TIMES
— Should the United States Have a $25 Minimum Wage? DD: I did not start earning $25/hour in today’s dollar s until after I had earned a bachelor’s degree in business and had passed the Federal Service Entrance Examination.
https://yonkerstimes.com/should-the-united-states-have-a-25-minimum-wage/
COMMON DREAMS
— DD: Democrat leaders ever-increasingly promote socialism.
https://www.commondreams.org/news/aoc-on-communism
FROM FOREIGN SOURCES
— ‘Teen takeovers’ started as a social media trend. But now the phenomenon has taken a sinister turn. DD: What is your municipality doing to stop Democrat teen takeovers?
https://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/americas/teen-takeovers-social-media-trend-us-police-chicago-b3021501.html
July 25, 2026
FROM ILLINOIS CENTER-LEFT SOURCES
CHICAGO TRIBUNE
— Oak Park officials deny advisory referendum on ending single family housing zoning.
https://www.chicagotribune.com/2026/07/24/oak-park-zoning-referendum-vote/
— Wheaton man busted in Naperville on meth, other drug charges.
https://www.chicagotribune.com/2026/07/24/naperville-meth-drugs-man-charged-fleeing/
MUSCATINE JOURNAL
— Illinois Lt. Gov. candidate Aaron Del Mar wants to talk affordability, not abortion. DD: Because Democrat leaders ever-increasingly destroy traditional marriage and family, people ever-increasingly cannot afford things.
https://muscatinejournal.com/news/local/government-politics/article_08e1000f-5065-57e6-a97d-3112235b231b.html
CAPITOL FAX
— Afternoon roundup
https://capitolfax.com/2026/07/24/isabel%e2%80%99s-afternoon-roundup-563/
FROM ILLINOIS CENTER-RIGHT SOURCES
ILLINOIS FAMILY ACTION
— How Our Republic Is Destroyed.
https://illinoisfamilyaction.org/2026/07/how-our-republic-is-destroyed/
— Federal Lawmakers Want to End Federal Welfare Benefits for Non-Citizens.
https://illinoisfamilyaction.org/2026/07/federal-lawmakers-want-to-end-federal-welfare-benefits-for-non-citizens/
ILLINOIS REVIEW
— The Quiet Killer of Illinois Conservatism.
https://www.illinoisreview.com/illinoisreview/2026/07/opinion-the-quiet-killer-of-illinois-conservatism.html
FROM NATIONAL CENTER-RIGHT SOURCES
WASHINGTON TIMES
— Socialism moves from protest to power in American cities. What happens when DSA-aligned lawmakers actually have to govern.
https://www.washingtontimes.com/news/2026/jul/24/watch-susan-ferrechio-answers-questions-socialist-policies-reshaping/
WASHINGTON EXAMINER
— ICE arrests under Trump top 602,000, DHS says, but some are skeptical.
https://www.washingtonexaminer.com/policy/immigration/4661389/ice-arrests-trump-top-602k-some-are-skeptical/
— Mike Lindell urged to withdraw ‘absurd’ illegal immigration amnesty proposal.
https://www.washingtonexaminer.com/news/campaigns/state/4661937/mike-lindell-urged-withdraw-illegal-immigration-amnesty-proposal/
— How many illegal immigrant votes is too many?
https://www.washingtonexaminer.com/opinion/editorials/4660341/how-many-illegal-immigrant-votes-too-many-new-jersey-noncitizen-voting/
— Socialism is a ‘pie in the sky treatment’
https://www.washingtonexaminer.com/news/4662090/socialism-democratic-socialist-america-platform-byron-york/
— Genuinely Un-American: Socialists are telling us who they are — and we should believe them.
https://www.washingtonexaminer.com/magazine/4659723/genuinely-un-american-socialists-are-telling-us-who-they-are-and-we-should-believe-them/
— Black Democrats emerge as bulwark against socialist takeover.
https://www.washingtonexaminer.com/news/campaigns/congressional/4661824/black-democrats-bulwark-socialist-takeover/
— DSA endorsement tracker: Here are the socialists running for office across America.
https://www.washingtonexaminer.com/news/campaigns/4657182/dsa-endorsement-tracker-socialists-running-for-office-across-america/
— DD: To get more votes from non-Whites, Democrat leaders ever-increasingly demonize, denigrate, and condemn Whites.
https://www.washingtonexaminer.com/restoring-america/patriotism-unity/4660592/white-supremacy-culture-framework-subverts-american-values/
CITY JOURNAL
— DD: Ever-increasingly, since the 1960s, Democrat and RINO leaders have ever-increasingly forced everyone to give more preference to minorities and to females, that is, to ever-increasingly discriminate against Whites and males. I am a White male born in 1948. If I had been born later, I doubt that I would have been able to work my way through college and earn a job-related bachelor’s degree, three job-related master’s degrees, six job-related professional certifications, and a job-related professional license.
https://www.city-journal.org/article/equal-employment-opportunity-commission-race-reporting
FOX BUSINESS
— Trump warns of socialism as Mamdani targets NYC’s wealthy homeowners.
https://www.foxbusiness.com/video/6402023966112
— How the Republican Party can make the case for capitalism. DD: Under socialism, all you need to do to succeed is be a socialist. Under Democrats, all you need to do to succeed is be a Democrat. Under RINOs, all you need to do to succeed is be a RINO. I never was and never will be a socialist, Democrat, or RINO.
https://www.foxbusiness.com/video/6402054837112
FOX NEWS
— Democratic socialists are outnumbering the centrist and moderates in the Democratic Party.
https://www.foxnews.com/video/6402044327112
— Rahm Emanuel warns ‘Bernie bros’ could sink Democrats by saddling moderates with socialist agenda.
https://noticias.foxnews.com/media/rahm-emanuel-warns-bernie-bros-could-sink-democrats-saddling-moderates-socialist-agenda
PJ MEDIA
— Biden Regime Had Planned to Bring Millions More Illegal Migrants Into the Country.
https://pjmedia.com/robert-spencer/2026/07/24/biden-regime-had-planned-to-bring-millions-more-illegal-migrants-into-the-country-n4955430
FROM NATIONAL CENTER-LEFT SOURCES
THE HILL
— Democrats brush off fears within party about threat of democratic socialists.
https://thehill.com/homenews/campaign/5987225-democrats-democratic-socialists-midterms/
CNN
— DD: Democrat leaders ever-increasingly promote socialism.
https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/other/ar-AA28yb43
NEWSWEEK
— Dare To Dream: Explore The American Dream Index. Don’t listen to the pessimists. The American Dream is thriving in places you might not expect—you just need to know where to look. Type in your ZIP code to find out, and explore all our interactives here. DD: I pursued the American Dream from 60417 (Crete) 1948-1972, then from 60484 (University Park) 1972-1976, then from 60601 (downtown Chicago) 1976-1978, and then from 60187/60189 (Wheaton) since 1978.
https://www.newsweek.com/dare-to-dream-explore-the-american-dream-index-12054194
NEW YORK TIMES
— He Got Fired From FEMA. His Return Could Mark a New Era for Disasters. Cameron Hamilton defended the agency last year when President Trump talked about eliminating it. Emergency managers hope for more stability if he’s confirmed as administrator.
https://www.nytimes.com/2026/07/21/climate/cameron-hamilton-fema-trump.html
WALL STREET JOURNAL
— Socialism’s Slippery Definitions. The hard left is whatever it needs to be at the moment.
https://www.wsj.com/opinion/free-expression/socialisms-slippery-definitions-51c11441
— Socialism Is Whatever You Want It to Be. Definitions are available on an as-needed basis.
https://www.wsj.com/opinion/free-expression/socialism-is-whatever-you-want-it-to-be-17f746d3
BLOOMBERG
— DD: To get citizens of foreign countries to come to America illegally and to stay in America illegally, Democrat and RINO leader give them big public benefits.
https://www.bloomberg.com/sessions/2026-07-28/live-q-amp-a-is-the-american-dream-fading-for-international-students
BLOOMBERG LAW
— EEOC, Texas Car Dealers Reach $925,000 Deal. DD: How has EEOC impacted you? EEOC had a tremendous impact on me. When I was 22 in 1971, I accepted a job offer from Oldsmobile. But Oldsmobile withdrew that job offer because it had just agreed to stop hiring Whites to settle an EEOC complaint. Because I had accepted that offer, my Firestone Store boss rudely fired me. Because of that, I accepted a job offer from IRS.
https://news.bloomberglaw.com/daily-labor-report/eeoc-texas-car-dealers-reach-925-000-deal-in-harassment-case
BUSINESS
— Competition in the Workplace. DD: Virtually all my superiors, supervisors, coworkers, and subordinates were Democrats. Extremely few of my Post Office coworkers earned a job-related bachelor’s degree like I did. Very few of my IRS and GAO coworkers earned job-related master’s degrees and professional certifications like I did. None of my coworkers earned a job-related professional license like I did.
https://www.business.com/articles/gal-rimon-workplace-competition/
PBS
— American Dream and How It’s Changed Over Time. DD: What did you do to achieve the American Dream? I worked my way through college and earned a job-related bachelor’s degree, three job-related master’s degrees, six job-related professional certifications, and a job-related professional license.
https://www.pbs.org/video/new-documentary-explores-the-american-dream-and-how-its-changed-over-time-nob9id/
BROOKINGS
— DD: To get citizens of foreign countries to come to America illegally and to stay in America illegally, Democrat and RINO leader give them big public benefits.
https://www.brookings.edu/articles/a-growing-effort-to-restrict-immigrants-access-to-public-benefits/
— DD: To get more votes from non-Whites, Democrat leaders ever-increasingly shout at them that Republicans cause all their problems.
https://www.brookings.edu/articles/sat-math-scores-mirror-and-maintain-racial-inequity/
NEA
— The Racist Beginnings of Standardized Testing. DD: My critics/opponents have always attributed my success in passing standardized tests to my benefitting tremendously from tremendous discrimination against those who share their demographics. I passed all the tests needed to earn a) a job-related bachelor’s degree, b) three job-related master’s degrees, c) six job-related professional certifications, and d) a job-related professional license. The Democrats who ran the Post Office in 1966, IRS in 1971, and GAO in 1980 hired me because I had earned a high school diploma and had passed the postal employment test and they could not find a qualified Democrat, minority, female, younger person, or veteran who would take the job. I would not have survived as a federal employee for almost 30 years if I had not a) passed that postal employment test when I was 17 in 1966, b) passed the Federal Entrance Examination when I was 21, c) earned a bachelor’s degree in business when I was 21, d) earned an MBA when I was 27, e) passed the CPA examination on my first attempt when I was 30, f) earned a master’s degree in accounting when I was 31, g) passed the Certified Internal Auditor examination on my first attempt when I was 32, h) became a licensed CPA when I was 32, i) earned four more job-related professional certifications when I was 41, 45, 47, and 48, and j) earned a master’s degree in finance when I was 48. Overwhelmingly those who took and passed tests with me were White males.
https://www.nea.org/nea-today/all-news-articles/racist-beginnings-standardized-testing
July 24, 2026
FROM ILLINOIS CENTER-LEFT SOURCES
CHICAGO SUN-TIMES
— DD: Democrat leaders ever-increasingly a) glorify and praise their illegals and b) fight their deportation.
https://chicago.suntimes.com/immigration/2026/07/24/chaotic-crowded-chicago-immigration-mega-court-hearings-are-fueling-record-deportation-orders
CHICAGO TRIBUNE
— Journalists discuss free press challenges. DD: According to my critics/opponents, I am not a journalist a) because I do not have a degree in journalism, b) because no one pays me for what I do as the GOPUSA Illinois Editor since 2000, c) because all the money needed for my GOPUSA ILLINOIS newsletters and for my www.gopillinois.com website comes from my Civil Service Retirement System pension, my Social Security, and my retirement savings, d) because either my newsletters nor my website contain any advertising or donation requests, e) because I do not claim to be nonpartisan, f) because I state that and because I am conservative Republican, and g) because I state that and because I am an elected Republican Precinct Committeeman. My critics/opponents ignore/dismiss/belittle the fact a) that I worked for GAO as an Analyst for almost 18 years 1980-1997, b) that what GAO Analysts do is very similar to what journalists do, and c) that during my last 11 years at GAO, my salary increased from $118,984/year to $154,682/year in today’s dollars.
https://www.chicagotribune.com/2026/07/24/journalists-discuss-free-press-challenges/
FOX32
— Chicago crime: 5 killed, 4 wounded in 6 shootings from Thursday into Friday.
https://www.fox32chicago.com/news/chicago-crime-5-killed-4-shootings-thursday-friday
WTTW
— What Happened to the American Dream? DD: What did you do to achieve the American Dream? I worked my way through college and earned a job-related bachelor’s degree, three job-related master’s degrees, six job-related professional certifications, and a job-related professional license.
https://news.wttw.com/2026/07/23/what-happened-american-dream-new-documentary-asks-1000-people-across-50-states
CENTRAL ILLINOIS PROUD
— Democrats to finalize their 2028 presidential nominating calendar, led by more diverse states. DD: The Democrat Party ever-increasingly moves further to the left.
https://www.centralillinoisproud.com/news/politics/ap-democrats-to-finalize-their-2028-presidential-nominating-calendar-led-by-more-diverse-states/
ADVANTAGE NEWS
— Illinois election integrity advocate Carol Davis says Trump’s allegations mirror concerns raised by state watchdogs.
https://www.advantagenews.com/news/local/illinois-election-integrity-advocate-says-trumps-allegations-mirror-concerns-raised-by-state-watchdogs/article_d4d50eef-73ed-4ff2-9418-c13f0bf500a2.html
CWB CHICAGO
— Robbery suspect caught trying to cut off ankle monitor with bolt cutters at Home Depot.
https://cwbchicago.com/2026/07/robbery-suspect-caught-trying-to-cut-off-ankle-monitor-with-bolt-cutters-at-home-depot.html
POLITICO ILLINOIS
https://www.politico.com/newsletters/illinois-playbook/2026/07/24/illinois-sexual-harassment-harry-benton-01010509
CAPITOL FAX
— Morning briefing
https://capitolfax.com/2026/07/24/isabel%e2%80%99s-morning-briefing-777/
FROM ILLINOIS CENTER-RIGHT SOURCES
MCHENRY COUNTY BLOG
— What’s Happening to Illinois Ex-Pats Running for Congress in Florida?
https://www.mchenrycountyblog.com/2026/07/23/whats-happening-to-illinois-ex-pats-running-for-congress-in-florida/
ILLINOIS REVIEW
— It’s Time for the DOJ Civil Rights Division to Investigate Speaker Chris Welch and Illinois House Democratic Leadership.
https://www.illinoisreview.com/illinoisreview/2026/07/its-time-for-the-doj-civil-rights-division-to-investigate-speaker-chris-welch-and-illinois-house-democratic-leadership.html
FROM NATIONAL CENTER-RIGHT SOURCES
WASHINGTON TIMES
— Sitting judge posts ‘F*** ICE’: The shocking double standard of Illinois courts.
https://www.washingtonexaminer.com/op-eds/4659330/judge-ramirez-f-ice-post-double-standard-illinois-courts/
— DHS has issued $84 billion in fines to illegal immigrants who won’t go home.
DHS Announces More Than $84 Billion in Civil Fines Issued to Illegal Aliens
WASHINGTON EXAMINER
— Racial quota reckoning: Merit just got a deadline. DD: Since the 1960s, everyone above me has been under ever-increasing pressure to give more preference to those who do not share my demographics, that is, they have been under ever-increasing pressure to discriminate against those who share my demographics.
https://www.washingtonexaminer.com/op-eds/4660403/racial-quota-reckoning-federal-contracting/
— Establishment Democrats risk extinction as socialism rises.
https://www.washingtonexaminer.com/policy/4660428/establishment-democrats-risk-extinction-socialism-rises-joe-concha/
— Will Democrats pick Harris or a socialist? Primary calendar may give early clue.
https://www.washingtonexaminer.com/news/campaigns/presidential/4659947/harris-socialist-democrats-2028-primary-calendar/
AMERICAN THINKER
— Socialism goes mainstream in America, and no one is stopping it. It was bad enough when they’d crept into all the American institutions. Now they’re getting elected to national office.
https://www.americanthinker.com/blog/2026/07/socialism-goes-mainstream-in-america-and-no-one-is-stopping-it/
DAILY SIGNAL
— ‘They Don’t Know What It’s Like’: Communism Survivors Question Why Americans Like Marxism.
https://www.dailysignal.com/2026/07/23/communism-survivors-question/
— Trump Axes Regulations Pushing Race-Based School Discipline.
https://www.dailysignal.com/2026/07/23/education-department-strikes-regulations-requiring-racial-quotas-in-school-discipline/
DAILY WIRE
— New Republican Amnesty Bill Ignites Ire Of Immigration Hardliners. “Vote every single one of them out in a massive wave, and replace them with real immigration hawks.”
https://www.dailywire.com/news/new-republican-amnesty-bill-ignites-ire-of-immigration-hardliners
FEDERALIST
— Every American Needs To Know That Socialism Is Slavery.
https://thefederalist.com/2026/07/23/every-american-needs-to-know-that-socialism-is-slavery/
— Congress Spotlights American Bar Association’s Dance With The DEI Devil.
https://thefederalist.com/2026/07/23/congress-spotlights-american-bar-associations-dance-with-the-dei-devil/
FOX BUSINESS
— How America reached a political tipping point for socialism. The storm began with the COVID-19 pandemic.
https://www.foxbusiness.com/politics/how-america-reached-political-tipping-point-socialism.amp
FOX NEWS
— Laura Ingraham: They KNOW socialism is anti-American.
https://www.foxnews.com/video/6401968228112
— Partisan divide on capitalism and socialism. DD: To destroy Trump, Democrat leaders ever-increasingly promote socialism.
https://www.foxnews.com/video/6401934457112
— Democratic Party’s socialist wing gains ground. DD: To destroy Trump, Democrat leaders ever-increasingly promote socialism.
https://www.foxnews.com/video/6401954225112
— Trump heads back to correspondents’ dinner months after gunfire forced evacuation. The WHCA will honor Secret Service Officer Gonzales for his role in stopping the armed suspect at the Washington Hilton.
https://www.foxnews.com/politics/trump-heads-back-correspondents-dinner-months-after-gunfire-forced-evacuation
HOMELAND SECURITY
— DHS Announces More Than $84 Billion in Civil Fines Issued to Illegal Aliens.
https://www.dhs.gov/news/2026/07/23/dhs-announces-more-84-billion-civil-fines-issued-illegal-aliens
PJ MEDIA
— Communism-Socialism, Islam: How to Meet the Threats?
https://pjmedia.com/eric-florack/2026/07/23/communismsocialism-islam-how-to-meet-the-threats-n4955364
POST MILLENNIAL
— Chicago Mayor Brandon Johnson aims to give ‘reparations’ to illegal immigrants, residents impacted by ICE.
https://thepostmillennial.com/chicago-mayor-brandon-johnson-aims-to-give-reparations-to-illegal-immigrants-residents-impacted-by-ice
— Brandon Gill, Jim Banks draft bill to classify birth tourists as ‘invaders,’ prevent automatic citizenship. The legislation comes as Justice Kavanaugh left the door open for Congress to adjust who is not eligible for birthright citizenship.
https://thepostmillennial.com/brandon-gill-jim-banks-draft-bill-to-classify-birth-tourists-as-invaders-prevent-automatic-citizenship
REAL CLEAR POLITICS
— Trump on Democratic Socialists: “They’re Highly Educated, But Doing Very Poorly; In Other Words, They’re Losers”
https://www.realclearpolitics.com/video/2026/07/23/trump_on_democratic_socialists_theyre_highly_educated_but_doing_very_poorly_in_other_words_theyre_losers.html
— Trump: Communists Promise “Free Rent, Free House,” But Deliver “Squalor, Poverty, Death, And Destruction”
https://www.realclearpolitics.com/video/2026/07/23/trump_communists_promise_a_free_house_but_they_deliver_absolute_squalor_poverty_death_and_destruction.html
STATES TOP LEADING NEWS
— 9.5 Million Student Loan Defaults: Systemic Failure or Personal Choice? DD: What percent of those who took out student loans had no intent of paying those loans back? I never sought a student loan or got a student loan. I worked my way through college. Because of that, my GPA suffered. That harmed my job searches. Students who took out student loan should be expected to have much higher GPAs than those who had to work their way through college.
https://www.stl.news/9-5-million-student-loan-defaults/
U.S. HOUSE
— DEI Erodes Integrity of Law Schools and the Legal Profession.
https://oversight.house.gov/release/hearing-wrap-up-dei-erodes-integrity-of-law-schools-and-the-legal-profession/
TOWNHALL
— Chicago Is Broke, but the Mayor Is Floating Another Plan for Reparations.
https://townhall.com/tipsheet/amy-curtis/2026/07/23/brandon-johnson-reparations-for-ice-n2679998
— The Democratic Socialists of America vs. the United States of America.
https://townhall.com/columnists/christalgo/2026/07/24/the-democratic-socialists-of-america-vs-the-united-states-of-america-n2679963
FROM NATIONAL CENTER-LEFT SOURCES
CNN
— DD: To destroy Trump, Democrat leaders ever-increasingly promote socialism.
https://www.cnn.com/2026/07/23/politics/republicans-capitalism-socialism-poll
AOL
— Voters should take Democratic Socialists at their word.
https://www.aol.com/articles/voters-democratic-socialists-word-opinion-090848000.html
CBS NEWS
— Career limiting decisions. DD: What were the biggest decisions that you made that limited your career? I spent far too many hours working to earn money to buy new cars instead of studying. I avoided the Vietnam War draft with draft deferments. I majored in management instead of accounting. I did not start taking graduate accounting courses until I was 27. I did not take and pass the CPA examination on my first attempt until I was 30. I did not earn a master’s degree in accounting until I was 31. I did not take and pass on my first attempt the Certified Internal Auditor examination until I was 32. I did not become a licensed CPA until I was 32. When I became federal employee when I was 18, I refused to become a Democrat and I never became a Democrat. I ever-increasingly complained about my Democrat superiors’ political affiliation discrimination, reverse discrimination, and age discrimination. I became an active member in a class action lawsuit that charged them with the aforesaid discrimination when I was 40.
https://www.cbsnews.com/news/10-career-limiting-mistakes-to-avoid/
NEW YORK TIMES
— To Win Their Races, Black Politicians Confront a New Landscape. With the Voting Rights Act weakened, Black representation will depend less on Black voters and more on broad, multiracial appeal or on ideological outsider campaigns. As majority-Black districts are blown up one by one, the future of Black representation in Congress could look something like Yorkville, Ill., where Representative Lauren Underwood joined the town parade on the Fourth of July. The congresswoman and her parents were among the few Black people in a sea of white faces along the mile-long route.
https://www.nytimes.com/2026/07/17/us/politics/black-representation-voting-rights-act.html
— Did Liberal Feminism Ruin the Workplace? DD: While I worked for the Democrats who ran GAO 1980-1997, they ever-increasingly a) assigned me to work for their female employees, b) stressed to them that I opposed gender base preference giving, and/or c) had them waste my career and get rid of me. During my last 8 years that I worked for GAO all my superiors were females. They always ranked me in the bottom half of my coworkers for pay-for-performance and they forced me to retire when I was 49 in 1997. I should write about that.
https://www.nytimes.com/2025/11/06/opinion/women-workplace-feminism-conservative.html
— Google Is Building an A.I. Fence Around the Internet It Once Championed. As Google incorporates more artificial intelligence into search, people are spending more time on Google. Some website operators are crying foul. DD: The Democrats who run Google ever-increasingly a) steer everyone to websites that promote liberal principles and the Democrat Party platform and b) steer everyone away from websites that promote conservative principles and the Republican Party platform.
https://www.nytimes.com/2026/07/20/technology/google-ai-open-web.html
— Biking to work: Tips to get started, stay safe and look presentable when you arrive. DD: I walked to/from work and evening classes 1974-1978. I first walked to/from my Outer Drive East studio condo and then my ODE one bedroom condo to my IRS job in the Loop and first to graduate evening business classes at Loyola and then to graduate evening accounting classes at DePaul.
https://www.newstimes.com/living/article/biking-to-work-tips-to-get-started-stay-safe-22357001.php
NEW YORK SUN
— The Socialists Await the Gullible. The leftist surge in America is shadowed by the incompatibility of Marxism and civil liberties.
https://www.nysun.com/article/the-socialists-await-the-gullible
WALL STREET JOURNAL
— The ‘Bernie Bros’ Could Spoil Democrats’ Midterms. Republicans will make even moderate opponents answer for the radical views of DSA candidates.
https://www.wsj.com/opinion/the-bernie-bros-could-spoil-democrats-midterms-0e6e6289
— How to Lose Friends and Alienate People, by JD Vance. His online minions attack me fiercely over last week’s column. They should hear what my kids call me. DD: I should write about my critics/opponents who have had their operatives and their dupes take the most/biggest adverse actions against me since 2000 because of my GOPUSA ILLINOIS newsletters.
https://www.wsj.com/opinion/how-to-lose-friends-and-alienate-people-by-jd-vance-a6a1d5fe
(FROM THE ARTICLE: Over many years of writing pieces critical of politicians, my Republican targets mostly took the beatings like men, many going so far as to acknowledge—if only in confidence—that they probably deserved it. Not so Vice President JD Vance, and his dreary band of online enforcers. This egotism—or rather, insecurity—is worth analyzing. This column reported last week on the bitterness Mr. Vance’s congressional colleagues are feeling over his continual absence. In recent administrations, governing majorities have come to rely on the vice president—who is ex officio Senate president—to act as primary liaison between the White House and Congress. Mr. Vance has blown off this important if unsung duty, preferring to stay in the spotlight. Tempers hit a boil last week when—at a pivotal legislative moment—Mr. Vance canceled a planned Tuesday House meeting in favor of appearing on “The Joe Rogan Experience,” where he bashed Congress. Republicans have mostly held their tongues on Mr. Vance out of deference. But the vice president has shown a lot of lefty leg lately: undermining Israel, panning free markets, touting a Christian-themed big-government agenda. That’s in addition to what many Republicans view as Mr. Vance’s naive approach to Iran. That elected Republicans were joining conservative commentators in a Vance rethink was worthy of reporting. And most readers would have seen the column for what it was: part of a growing GOP debate over who should lead the party in 2028. Team Vance saw it as it sees any slight: an all-hands call to delegitimize a critic—to brand her a RINO, “establishment,” a liar, a captive tool, or part of some anti-JD “op.” The Vance press team contacted my editors to demand corrections. They wanted a mea culpa for what I didn’t write—namely that Mr. Vance had showed up to the House . . . on Wednesday. Never mind that Congress’s anger stemmed from Mr. Vance’s decision to ditch them for Mr. Rogan’s program. They claimed that wasn’t “the reason” for canceling, though they didn’t provide an alternative explanation. What else was Mr. Vance doing in Austin, Texas? Their final complaint was a hair-splitting gotcha: I wrote that “lawmakers can count on a few fingers the times former Sen. Vance has set foot in the Capitol.” That’s what lawmakers told me. Mr. Vance’s spokesman insisted the vice president had been there more than two dozen times since taking office. The phrase obviously referred to the infrequency with which Mr. Vance huddled with members of Congress to solve problems and wasn’t a literal count of the number of times he was physically present to attend a speech or break a tie. Mr. Vance’s real bully-boy strength shows up with his online army, where a retinue of “influencers” and “journalists” stand ready with an arsenal of labels, whataboutisms and falsehoods. The tactics aren’t new. They are straight-up Saul Alinsky—pick the target, freeze it, personalize and polarize it—long practiced by the left. I wrote a whole book about that, “The Intimidation Game.” What is new is for the right to use such means in an effort to shut down conservative dissent.)
— Biden officials predicted 17,000 arbitration disputes a year under the No Surprises Act. In 2026 there were 2.6 million. DD: I have been a FINRA arbitrator since 1998.
https://www.wsj.com/opinion/surprise-billing-act-health-insurance-providers-15c1eadb
— For Sale: The Childhood Home of Conservative Commentator William F. Buckley Jr. The historic Connecticut property, which dates back to 1812, was visited by influential figures like Ronald Reagan, Henry Kissinger and Sylvia Plath.
https://www.wsj.com/real-estate/luxury-homes/william-buckley-jr-childhood-home-connecticut-cc241ca2
BLOOMBERG
— DD: Democrat leaders ever-increasingly glorify and praise everything that is foreign.
https://www.bloomberg.com/sessions/2026-07-28/live-q-amp-a-is-the-american-dream-fading-for-international-students
FORBES
— Women Don’t Have A Merit Problem. They Have A Sponsor Problem. DD: My Democrat IRS superiors got rid of the IRS manager who had promoted me when I was 23 in 1972, 23, and 25. My Democrat GAO superiors got rid of the GAO manager who had arranged my transfer from IRS to GAO when I was 31 and was finally able to assign me to audits of IRS and to promote me when I was 38. They would not have done that if I had been a Democrat, minority, female, younger, or a veteran. All the women who my Democrat IRS and GAO superiors promoted over me a) had less education than I had, b) had less work experience than I had, c) had no professional certification or fewer than I had, and/or d) had no professional license like the one I had.
https://www.forbes.com/sites/shaheenajanjuhajivrajeurope/2026/07/24/women-dont-have-a-merit-problem-they-have-a-sponsor-problem/
MOTLEY FOOL
— Why COLAs Have Lost Retirees 14% of Their Buying Power Since 2016. DD: My critics/opponents were, are, and will always be furious a) that I got COLAs when I was a federal employee 1966-1969 and 1971-1997 and b) that I have gotten COLAs as a federal retiree since 1997 and as a Social Security recipient since 2010.
https://www.aol.com/articles/why-colas-lost-retirees-14-152000000.html
HARVARD CRIMSON
— Students Still Want Public Service. They Just Don’t Want Washington Right Now. Students and faculty say the traditional pipeline from the school into the federal government has narrowed — and with it, the assumption that a degree from the school leads directly to a career in Washington. DD: I worked for GAO 1980-1997. While Charles Bowsher ran GAO 1981-1996, he did everything that he could to get rid the agency’s employees who had degrees in business, accounting, and finance and to replace them with employees who had degrees in public administration from Ivy league universities. That rendered worthless a) my having earned an MBA in 1976, b) my having passed the CPA examination on my first attempt in 1979, c) my earning a master’s degree in accounting in 1980, d) my passing the Certified Internal Auditor examination on my first attempt in 1981, e) my becoming a licensed CPA in 1981, f) my earning four more job-related professional certifications in 1990, 1994, 1996, and 1997, g) and my earning a master’s degree in finance in 1997.
https://www.thecrimson.com/article/2026/4/6/hks-public-service/
WEST CENTRAL TRIBUNE
— Cal Thomas: Who are our domestic enemies? “The ignorant and sometimes deliberate voters who support the DSA agenda should be careful what they wish for.”
https://www.wctrib.com/opinion/columns/cal-thomas-who-are-our-domestic-enemies
TRILL MAGAZINE
— The American Dream Is Expensive. Is Democratic Socialism the Answer? Rising costs and changing expectations are driving a new generation of Americans to rethink the future of the American Dream. DD: What did you do to achieve the American Dream? I worked my way through college and earned a job-related bachelor’s degree, three job-related master’s degrees, six job-related professional certifications, and a job-related professional license.
https://www.trillmag.com/news/politics/the-american-dream-is-expensive-is-democratic-socialism-the-answer/
JD SUPRA
— What Employers Need to Know About the EEOC’s Rescission of Affirmative Action Guidelines and Enforcement Priorities. DD: Since the 1960s, Democrats and RINOs have used Affirmative Action to get rid of Republicans who are White, male, older, non-veteran, Protestant, German American, and/or have ancestors who have been in America for a long time.
https://www.jdsupra.com/legalnews/what-employers-need-to-know-about-the-2097270/
NATIONAL URBAN LEAGUE
— Affordability For All: It’s Time To Rescue The American Dream. DD: What did you do to achieve the American Dream? I worked my way through college and earned a job-related bachelor’s degree, three job-related master’s degrees, six job-related professional certifications, and a job-related professional license.
https://nul.org/news/affordability-all-its-time-rescue-american-dream
July 23, 2026 Evening Edition
FROM ILLINOIS CENTER-LEFT SOURCES
ABC7
— Durbin pressing for action amid possible Legionella at Dirksen Federal Courthouse in Chicago.
https://abc7chicago.com/post/sen-dick-durbin-pressing-general-services-administration-gsa-amid-possible-legionella-dirksen-federal-courthouse/19565422/
NBC5
— Man, 24, and woman, 27, fatally shot in car on University of Chicago campus. A weapon was recovered from the scene, police said.
https://www.nbcchicago.com/news/local/man-24-and-woman-27-fatally-shot-in-car-on-university-of-chicago-campus/3965571/
CHICAGO TRIBUNE
— DD: Democrat leaders ever-increasingly side with Iran against America.
https://www.chicagotribune.com/2026/07/23/house-passes-iran-war-resolution/
— DD: Democrat leaders continue to use Emmett Till to promote more hatred against Republicans.
https://www.chicagotribune.com/2026/07/23/emmett-till-day/
CHICAGO SUN-TIMES
— 2 fatally shot in Hyde Park. A 24-year-old man and 27-year-old woman were found inside a vehicle in the 5900 block of East Ellis Avenue at 5:35 p.m. with single gunshot wounds to each of their heads, police said.
https://chicago.suntimes.com/crime/2026/07/23/2-fatally-shot-in-hyde-park
DAILY HERALD
— Wheaton man charged with sexually assaulting woman.
https://www.dailyherald.com/20260723/news/authorities-wheaton-man-charged-with-sexually-assaulting-woman/
— Arlington Heights couple pleads guilty to vandalizing local GOP headquarters.
https://www.dailyherald.com/20260723/news/arlington-heights-couple-pleads-guilty-to-vandalizing-local-gop-headquarters/
FOX32
— DD: Democrat leaders continue to use Emmett Till to promote more hatred against Republicans.
https://www.fox32chicago.com/video/fmc-6f7oirzh028a7g8i
RIVER BENDER
— DD: Democrat leaders continue to use Emmett Till to promote more hatred against Republicans.
https://www.riverbender.com/news/details/gov-pritzker-designates-emmett-till-day-in-illinois-95340.cfm?
WSIL TV
— Push to make Illinois the 51st State.
https://www.wsiltv.com/video/push-to-make-illinois-the-51st-state/video_b96da2f7-14de-531c-90bd-0f3bfe157607.html
WJOL
— Diane M. Harris Named Interim Chairman Of Joliet Township Republican Organization.
https://www.wjol.com/diane-m-harris-named-interim-chairman-of-joliet-township-republican-organization/
WGLT
— DD: The mainstream news media exists to drive Trump’s approval rating down.
https://www.wglt.org/2026-07-23/a-year-after-trump-funding-cuts-public-media-finds-support-from-audiences
NPR ILLINOIS
— DD: Democrat leaders ever-increasingly side with Iran against America.
https://www.nprillinois.org/2026-07-23/for-a-2nd-time-house-approves-resolution-to-end-the-war-in-iran-in-a-rebuke-to-trump
CAPITOL NEWS ILLINOIS
— Here’s how Illinois election authorities guard against noncitizen voting. Officials say safeguards are in place prevent inadvertent registration.
https://capitolnewsillinois.com/news/heres-how-illinois-election-authorities-guard-against-noncitizen-voting/
CAPITOL FAX
— Afternoon roundup
https://capitolfax.com/2026/07/23/isabel%e2%80%99s-afternoon-roundup-562/
FROM NATIONAL CENTER-RIGHT SOURCES
WASHINGTON TIMES
— Trump administration falls short of ‘mass deportations.’ New data released by DHS is disappointing.
https://www.washingtontimes.com/news/2026/jul/23/trump-administration-falls-short-mass-deportations/
— The Smithsonian’s museum of woke. Federal funding should not support ideology masquerading as history.
https://www.washingtontimes.com/news/2026/jul/23/editorial-smithsonians-museum-woke/
WASHINGTON EXAMINER
— Medical students are being trained in left-wing activism. That puts us all in danger.
https://www.washingtonexaminer.com/op-eds/4658905/medical-students-left-wing-activism-puts-us-in-danger/
— Wikipedia is training Google and AI to lie to you.
https://www.washingtonexaminer.com/op-eds/4659114/wikipedia-training-google-and-ai-lie-to-you/
— JD Vance handed Iran $6 billion — American soldiers paid the price.
https://www.washingtonexaminer.com/op-eds/4659856/jd-vance-iran-mou-us-military-casualties-strait-hormuz/
NEW YORK POST
— Democrats’ shameful refusal to fund the Pentagon is making AOC the heart of the party.
https://nypost.com/2026/07/23/opinion/democrats-shameful-refusal-to-fund-the-pentagon-is-making-aoc-the-heart-of-the-party/
— China’s schemes are poisoning every facet of American life — and could bend us to its will.
https://nypost.com/2026/07/23/opinion/chinas-schemes-are-poisoning-every-facet-of-american-life-and-could-bend-us-to-its-will/
DAILY CALLER
— Conservative Leaders Call GOP-Led Amnesty Bill ‘Betrayal’ To Voters.
https://dailycaller.com/2026/07/23/conservative-leaders-call-gop-led-amnesty-bill-betrayal-to-voters/
FOX NEWS
— Smithsonian pushed ‘revolting’ social action training after ‘whiteness’ chart apology.
https://www.foxnews.com/politics/smithsonian-pushed-revolting-social-action-training-whiteness-chart-apology-expert
NEWSMAX
— House GOP Farm Bill Draws Conservative Amnesty Fury.
https://www.newsmax.com/us/house-gop-farming/2026/07/22/id/1263724/
TOWNHALL
— Mamdani Makes It Clear He Believes International Law Trumps US Sovereignty.
https://townhall.com/tipsheet/amy-curtis/2026/07/23/mamdani-international-law-trumps-us-law-n2680000
FROM OTHER SOURCES
THIS OLD HOUSE
— Undergrounding Power Lines. DD: I have asked ComEd to put its line underground between my subdivision and its line along the Illinois Prairie Path, and failing that, to trim the trees that are pushing the line down and to the north.
https://www.thisoldhouse.com/this-old-house/season-47/walpole-ranch-with-adu/all-about-undergrounding-power-lines
July 23, 2026
FROM ILLINOIS CENTER-LEFT SOURCES
CHICAGO TRIBUNE
— ICE accelerates immigration arrests across US to 1,400 a day.
https://www.chicagotribune.com/2026/07/22/ice-immigration-arrests-us/
— Michigan Avenue is improving. But State Street has never looked so shabby. DD: I spent many years in downtown Chicago. I took a) undergraduate classes at UIC 1966-1968, b) a graduate evening business class at UIC in 1971, c) graduate evening business classes at Loyola 1972-1976, d) graduate evening accounting classes at DePaul 1976-1980, e) an undergraduate evening internal auditing class at Roosevelt in 1980, f) a graduate evening internal auditing class at Roosevelt in 1981, g) Becker CPA Review classes 1978-1979, and h) graduate evening finance classes at IIT 1992-1997. I lived in my Outer Drive East studio condo part-time 1974-1976 and in my ODE one bedroom condo full-time 1976-1978. I worked in the Loop for IRS in 1971 and then 1973-1980 and then for GAO 1980-1997. I walked Michigan Avenue to/from my Loyola classes and my IRS job and my ODE studio condo 1974-1976 and then to/from my DePaul classes and my IRS job and my ODE one bedroom condo 1976-1978.
https://www.chicagotribune.com/2026/07/23/editorial-michigan-avenue-is-improving-but-state-street-has-never-looked-so-shabby/
— Democrats try to harness data center backlash that’s dividing rural Republicans.
https://www.chicagotribune.com/2026/07/23/democrats-data-center-backlash-rural-republicans/
DAILY HERALD
— FRONT PAGE WITH PHOTO: Free speech lawsuit against Downers Grove Park District settled out of court.
https://www.dailyherald.com/20260722/news/free-speech-lawsuit-against-downers-grove-park-district-settled-out-of-court/
(FROM THE ARTICLE: A state representative candidate who accused the Downers Grove Park District of violating her free speech rights by limiting where she could campaign in a public park has settled her lawsuit against the district. Laura Hois announced the settlement Wednesday. Federal court records indicate the case was dismissed by agreement June 9. In the agreement, the park district did not admit to any wrongdoing and agreed to pay Hois $32,500. Each side was responsible for paying their own costs and attorneys’ fees. The director of the park district could not be reached for comment Wednesday. In July 2024, Hois was a candidate for the DuPage County Board when she went to a concert at Fishel Park in downtown Downers Grove to speak with concertgoers about her campaign. The Downers Grove Republican claimed in her lawsuit that a park district worker told her that she was not allowed to engage in political conversations unless she stayed in a designated 15-by-15-foot free speech zone.)
— FRONT PAGE TOP OF FOLD WITH PICTURE: ‘Taxation on auto-pilot’ vs. ‘an economic engine’: Speakers take sides on toll hike.
https://www.dailyherald.com/20260722/transportation/taxation-on-auto-pilot-vs-an-economic-engine-speakers-take-sides-on-toll-hike/
PEORIA JOURNAL STAR
— DD: Democrat leaders crow about their success in driving Trump’s approval rating down.
https://www.pjstar.com/story/news/politics/government/2026/07/23/what-is-trumps-approval-rating-in-illinois-latest-july-2026-polls/91014029007/
WSIL TV
— A growing movement to separate parts of Illinois from Cook County is gaining momentum, with nearly one-third of the state’s 107 counties voting to explore the idea of creating a new state.
https://www.wsiltv.com/news/growing-movement-to-split-illinois-gains-support-in-more-counties/article_812f3116-87f2-4372-8027-59ffc2da48b8.html
NPR ILLINOIS
— DD: Democrat leaders use redistricting to split up Republican areas.
https://www.nprillinois.org/2026-07-23/how-predominantly-black-areas-in-6-states-have-been-split-up-by-redistricting
— DD: Democrat leaders ever-increasingly side with Iran against America.
https://www.nprillinois.org/2026-07-23/trump-ramps-up-aggression-toward-iran-despite-dwindling-support-at-home
SHAW LOCAL
— DuPage County Fair. The DuPage County Fair is Thursday, July 23 through Sunday, July 26 at the fairgrounds in Wheaton. The fair will have animal exhibits, live music, a carnival, talent contest and more. Visit dupagecountyfair.org for more information and a schedule of events.
https://www.shawlocal.com/thescene/2026/07/22/5-things-to-do-dupage-county-fair-the-barricade-boys-chitown-exotic-car-show/
POLITICO ILLINOIS
https://www.politico.com/newsletters/illinois-playbook/2026/07/23/schakowskys-aipac-pivot-01009020
CAPITOL FAX
— Morning briefing
https://capitolfax.com/2026/07/23/isabel%e2%80%99s-morning-briefing-776/
FROM ILLINOIS CENTER-RIGHT SOURCES
WIREPOINTS
— CPS Layoff Complaints Ring Hollow Amid Near-Empty Schools and Questionable City Spending Priorities.
https://wirepoints.org/wirepoints-mark-glennon-on-am560-cps-layoff-complaints-ring-hollow-amid-near-empty-schools-and-questionable-city-spending-priorities/
ILLINOIS FAMILY ACTION
— Social Security: Common-Sense Solutions for America’s Fiscal Future Rallies: Bolingbrook County Club August 4 and Bank of Springfield August 5 DD: Walker ran GAO while Diersen v. GAO was pending 1998-2005. I collected delinquent Social Security taxes for IRS 1971-1980.
https://illinoisfamilyaction.org/2026/07/common-sense-solutions-for-americas-fiscal-future/
https://illinoisfamilyaction.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/07/Save-America-Rallies-flyer-C.pdf
(FROM THE ARTICLE: America’s fiscal baseline is rapidly approaching a critical juncture. With the Social Security Trust Fund officially projected to be exhausted in 2032, everyday citizens and families are facing an uncertain economic horizon. If left unaddressed, the impending insolvency could trigger abrupt benefit reductions of 20% to 30%, destabilizing millions of households nationwide.
In response to these compounding challenges, Illinois Family Action is proud to host two ‘Save America Rallies’ featuring co-authors David M. Walker, the former Comptroller General of the United States, and Joe Penland, Sr., a renowned national business leader. Together, they will share a non-partisan, math-driven blueprint aimed at preserving Social Security, managing the ballooning national debt, and establishing sound financial stewardship within the federal government.)
ILLINOIS POLICY INSTITUTE
— Illinois Federation of Teachers: 7 things the union doesn’t want teachers to know.
https://www.illinoispolicy.org/illinois-federation-of-teachers-7-things-the-union-doesnt-want-teachers-to-know/
FROM NATIONAL CENTER-RIGHT SOURCES
CAMPUS REFORM
— Syracuse course to study queer and trans ‘digital resistance’ against ‘anti-gender politics’
https://www.campusreform.org/article/syracuse-course-study-queer-trans-digital-resistance-anti-gender-politics/30287
DAILY SIGNAL
— Victor Davis Hanson: Democrat Socialists Should Throw Away Their Porsches Before Criticizing America. Under capitalism, I was able to buy a new 1966 Pontiac Tempest Sprint ( https://over-drive-magazine.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/02/1965-12-CD-1966-Pontiac-Tempest-Sprint-Test-1-4.pdf ) when I was 17 in 1966 with the money I earned washing dishes for the minimum wage part-time for 15 months and full-time for 3 months.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tFabhrh4IvI
— Democratic Socialists Think America Is Somehow Worse Than Mass Murderer Mao Zedong.
https://www.dailysignal.com/2026/07/22/democratic-socialists-america-worse/
DAILY WIRE
— ‘The Odyssey’ Was Even Worse Than I Expected. Here’s Everything Wrong With It.
https://www.dailywire.com/news/the-odyssey-was-even-worse-than-i-expected-heres-everything-wrong-with-it
FOUNDATION FOR GOVERNMENT ACCOUNTABILITY
— Illegal Aliens Receive Welfare.
https://thefga.org/blog/yes-illegal-aliens-receive-welfare/
FOX NEWS
— Hannity: Democratic socialists want to ‘upend the American system.’
https://www.foxnews.com/video/6401875475112
— Gutfeld: Socialism is a copying mechanism for the envious. DD: My Democrat superiors, supervisors, coworkers, and subordinates in the federal government were filled with envy. They were ever-increasingly furious at my and my wife’s ever-increasing net worth. To turn my superiors, supervisors, coworkers, and subordinates against me, my Democrat superiors stressed a) the new cars that I bought when I was 17, 19, 20, 23, 25, 29, etc., b) the real estate that I bought when I was 24, 25, 27, 29, and 35, c) the collector cars that I bought when I was 40 and 45, d) the college degrees that I earned when I was 21, 27, 31, and 48, e) the professional certifications that I earned when I was 30, 32, 41, 45, 47, and 48, f) the professional license that I earned when I was 32, g) the vacations that I took, h) etc.
https://www.foxnews.com/video/6401878384112
— Inside the DSA’s base: Who makes up the Democratic socialists’ core voters?
https://www.foxnews.com/video/6401859642112
FOX NEWS RADIO
— Democratic Socialism is Taking Over the Left.
https://radio.foxnews.com/2026/07/22/how-is-democratic-socialism-taking-over-the-left/
LEGAL INSURRECTION
— DSA Members are Highly Educated and Downwardly Mobile. They’re gloomy about their own financial prospects, and feel aggrieved about the state of the country.
https://legalinsurrection.com/2026/07/poll-analyst-nate-silver-says-dsa-members-are-highly-educated-and-downwardly-mobile/
— Mamdani Encourages People to Protest Netanyahu Since He Cannot be Arrested.
https://legalinsurrection.com/2026/07/mamdani-admits-he-cant-arrest-netanyahu-instigates-street-violence/
NEWS BUSTERS
— Democrats in Denial About Socialist Politicians, Threat of Communism.
https://www.newsbusters.org/blogs/cnsnews/craig-bannister/2026/07/22/democrats-denial-about-socialist-politicians-threat
TOWNHALL
— Americans Should Not Be Falling for Socialism.
https://townhall.com/tipsheet/print/2679932
U.S. OFFICE OF PERSONNEL MANAGEMENT
— OPM Director Scott Kupor joined The Ingraham Angle to discuss the Trump Administration’s efforts to restore merit-based hiring, strengthen accountability across the federal workforce, and modernize the civil service by rewarding high performers and addressing underperformance. DD: For Democrats, the federal government exists to hire, retain, and promote Democrats who are minority, female, younger, veteran, disabled, non-Protestant, non-German American, and/or have ancestors who have not been in America for a long time. All of my coworkers who my Democrat superiors in the federal government promoted over me were Democrats a) were the aforesaid and b) had less education than I had, had less work experience than I had, had no professional certification or fewer than I had, and/or had no professional license like the one I had. My Democrat GAO superiors forced me to retire when I was 49 in 1997 and gave my job and my preferred corner office to my Black Democrat subordinate. He had less education than I had. He had less work experience than I had. He had one professional certification while I had six. He had no professional license like the one I had.
https://www.opm.gov/news/news-releases/icymi-opm-director-scott-kupor-discusses-merit-based-federal-hiring-and-restoring-accountability-on-the-ingraham-angle/
FROM NATIONAL CENTER-LEFT SOURCES
USA TODAY
— DD: Democrat leaders ever-increasingly a) glorify and praise their illegals and b) fight their deportation.
https://www.usatoday.com/story/opinion/2026/07/21/ice-detention-center-conditions-treatment-immigrants/90956750007/
KOTA RADIO
— GIANNO CALDWELL: Four years after my brother’s murder, I’m marching for justice.
https://www.kotaradio.com/2026/07/23/gianno-caldwell-four-years-after-my-brothers-murder-im-marching-for-justice/
WALL STREET JOURNAL
— Will Democrats Disavow the DSA Platform? It promises to ‘build a new society from the ground up,’ France tried that in 1792.
https://www.wsj.com/opinion/will-democrats-disavow-the-dsa-platform-6a0c6bb2
BUSINESS
— Why Professional Development Is Important for Your Career. DD: To get promoted, I earned job-related college degrees, professional certifications, and a professional license and I served as a leader of a job-related professional association for 13 years. To get promoted, my Democrat coworkers in the federal government a) glorified and praised their superiors, b) pandered to their superiors, c) served as operatives and as dupes for their superiors, and d) worked against/discredited/destroyed their coworkers. I should write about my Democrat coworkers in the federal government who my Democrat superiors promoted over me. They all a) were minority, female, younger than me, and/or veteran and b) had less education than I had, had less work experience than I had, had no professional certification or fewer than I had, and/or had no professional license like the one I had.
https://www.business.com/articles/benefits-of-professional-development/
HARVARD BUSINESS REVIEW
— Model the Transformation You Expect Employees to Deliver. DD: My Democrat superiors and supervisors in the federal government always a) gave preference to their Democrat subordinates and especially to those who were minority, female, younger, and/or veteran and b) discriminated against their Republican subordinates and especially those who were White, male, older, and/or nonveteran.
https://hbr.org/2026/07/model-the-transformation-you-expect-employees-to-deliver
GOVERNMENT EXECUTIVE
— Lawmakers look to avoid government shutdown, and reconsider getting rid of them entirely. DD: Democrats run the federal government. They use Republican-led budget cuts to waste the careers of and to get rid of their Republican employees who are White, male, older, and/or nonveteran.
https://www.govexec.com/management/2026/07/lawmakers-avoid-shutdown-and-reconsider-getting-rid-them-entirely/414949/
— Unions ask for injunction restoring collective bargaining at Defense. DD: The Democrats who ran GAO wasted my career and took many big adverse actions against me including forcing me to retire when I was 49 in 1997. GAO did not unionize until 2007. If GAO had unionized earlier, I might still be a GAO employee.
https://www.govexec.com/workforce/2026/07/unions-ask-injunction-restoring-collective-bargaining-defense/414943/
FEDERAL NEWS NETWORK
— One year later, my layoff from the federal government has become a banishment. DD: There are many similarities between a) Michael Duffin, Trump, and the State Department and b) Dave Diersen, Gingrich, and GAO.
https://federalnewsnetwork.com/commentary/2026/07/one-year-later-my-layoff-from-the-federal-government-has-become-a-banishment/
(FROM THE ARTICLE: In the year since my firing, I have experienced the full spectrum of emotions. Moments of excitement — interviews on “The Daily Show” and NPR — give way to anxiety and depression. Losing a professional identity is never easy, and watching former colleagues struggle to rebuild their lives is equally painful. Many, including myself, have applied for hundreds of jobs without a single offer. Some took service industry work after their unemployment checks ran out. Despite our grief and trauma, many of us still want to return to the State Department or another federal agency. But the path back does not exist. Most job postings now restrict applicants to “internal” only, bypassing a mechanism that would allow the Department to rehire fully vetted former employees at a lower cost to taxpayers. And other federal agencies are reluctant to hire people whom the administration previously fired. This is why we believe our firing was punitive, not a cost-saving measure. We are working with our local American Federation of Government Employees chapter to pursue legal remedies for reinstatement and urging Congress to pass legislation restoring our positions. The years of expertise that walked out the doors of the State Department and other executive branch agencies cannot be replaced by contractors, political appointees or artificial intelligence. Working for the federal government requires experts with deep institutional knowledge who will be there regardless of the outcome of future presidential elections. I left my hometown believing that public service was one of the highest callings an American could pursue. A year later, I still believe that. Washington just doesn’t seem to agree. . .Duffin is a Democratic candidate for Virginia’s 8th Congressional District.)
HR DRIVE
— Federal HR office lost more than a third of its workforce during Trump’s second term, GAO reports. GAO said the losses hampered “operational capacity” at the U.S. Office of Personnel Management and “risk worsening pre-existing skills gaps.” DD: While I worked for the Democrats who ran GAO 1980-1997, they used Republican-led budget cuts to get rid of half of the agency’s workforce. They got rid of all their Republican employees like me who were White, male, older, and/or nonveteran. My undergraduate and graduate majors were personnel management.
https://www.hrdive.com/news/federal-hr-office-lost-more-than-a-third-of-its-workforce-during-trumps-second-term-gao/825907/
ECONOMIC POLICY INSTITUTE
— DD: All my employers would have hired noncitizens instead of me if they could have. My critics/opponents cannot say that because they had wealthy parents. Noncitizens work for less money and they are easier to exploit.
https://www.epi.org/publication/trumps-deportation-agenda-will-destroy-millions-of-jobs-both-immigrants-and-u-s-born-workers-would-suffer-job-losses-particularly-in-construction-and-child-care/
FROM FOREIGN SOURCES
AL JAZEERA
— DD: Since the 1960s, EEOC collected workplace data to pressure/force employers to hire, to retain, and to promote Democrats who were minority, female, younger, and/or veteran.
https://www.aljazeera.com/economy/2026/7/22/why-the-us-may-stop-collecting-workplace-race-and-gender-data