December 24, 2025

FROM ILLINOIS CENTER-LEFT SOURCES

CHICAGO SUN-TIMES
— Illinois joins lawsuit against White House’s attempted national ban on youth gender-affirming care. The Department of Health and Human Services this month unveiled a series of regulatory actions designed to block access to gender-affirming care for patients under 19, including threats to cut off federal Medicaid and Medicare funding from hospitals that provide care. DD: Democrat leaders ever-increasingly encourage youth to be sexually active LGBTQers.
https://chicago.suntimes.com/health/2025/12/24/illinois-joins-suit-trump-administrations-attempted-nationwide-ban-on-gender-affirming-care-for-youth

DAILY HERALD
— FRONT PAGE TOP OF FOLD: DD: Democrat leaders ever-increasingly a) glorify and praise their illegals and b) fight their deportation.
https://www.dailyherald.com/20251223/illinois-state-politics/doj-sues-illinois-governor-over-laws-protecting-immigrants-at-courthouses-and-hospitals/

NPR ILLINOIS
— Trump administration is recalling about 30 career diplomats. DD: Are/were you a career employee? I worked for the federal government for almost 30 years, almost 3 for the Post Office, almost 9 for IRS, and almost 18 for GAO. But my Democrat IRS superiors, supervisors, coworkers, and subordinates not only ignored/dismissed/belittled my postal employment, they used it against me; they were furious that I had almost 3 years of federal seniority when I started at IRS. And my Democrat GAO superiors, supervisors, coworkers, and subordinates not only ignored/dismissed/belittled my IRS employment, they used it against me; they were beyond furious that I had almost 12 years of federal seniority when I started at GAO. Because of that seniority, I had more vacation day and sick days. Because of that seniority, I got a preferred corner office at GAO. Because of that seniority I got the “opportunity” to get a $25,000 buyout and to take early retirement when I was 45 in 1993.
https://www.nprillinois.org/2025-12-23/the-trump-administration-is-recalling-about-30-career-diplomats

FROM NATIONAL CENTER-RIGHT SOURCES

WASHINGTON TIMES
— Military recruiting soars after Trump election and ‘woke’ policy rollback. DD: Did you enlist? Initially, my plan to get a college degree was to enlist and to use the GI Bill. If I had enlisted, I would not have been able a) to earn a job-related bachelor’s degree when I was 21, b) to earn an MBA when I was 27, c) to pass the CPA examination on my first attempt when I was 30, d) to earn a master’s degree in accounting when I was 31, d) to pass the Certified Internal Auditor examination on my first attempt when I was 32, and e) to become a licensed CPA when I was 32. I would not have been able a) to buy new cars when I was 19, 20, 23, 25, 29, etc., b) to buy real estate when I was 24, 25, 27, 29, and 35, c) to get married when I was 29, d) etc.
https://www.washingtontimes.com/news/2025/dec/23/us-military-recruiting-hits-15-year-high-trump-administration/

WASHINGTON EXAMINER
— Border Patrol ‘will go anywhere’ to arrest illegal immigrants in 2026
https://www.washingtonexaminer.com/news/crime/4355660/border-patrol-travel-arrest-illegal-immigrants-2026-chief/
— Why is Mamdani surrounded by antisemites?
https://www.washingtonexaminer.com/opinion/beltway-confidential/4356909/why-zohran-mamdani-surrounded-by-antisemites/

NEW YORK POST
— Why do pessimistic pundits keep getting Trump’s economy so wrong?
https://nypost.com/2025/12/23/opinion/why-do-pessimistic-pundits-keep-getting-trumps-economy-so-wrong/
— Mamdani doesn’t care about ‘upward mobility.’ DD: How upwardly mobile were you? Thanks to my outstanding parents and teachers, I was able to earn three master’s degrees, six professional certifications, and a professional license notwithstanding neither of my parents having attended college, my father being only the first of my ancestors to earn a high school diploma, and my mother never having attended high school.
https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/opinion/mamdani-doesn-t-care-about-upward-mobility-and-his-charter-school-snub-proves-it/ar-AA1SQQnX
— DEI hollowed out a generation — and sapped America’s promise. DD: Democrat and RINO leaders use Affirmative Action and DEI to destroy Republicans who are conservative, White, male, older, non-poor, Protestant, German American, and/or have ancestors who have been in America longer than their ancestors.
https://nypost.com/2025/12/22/opinion/dei-hollowed-out-a-generation-and-sapped-americas-promise/

BLAZE
— The Great Replacement isn’t a theory. It’s the plan. DD: Democrat leaders ever-increasingly replace those who have demographics that vote for Republicans with those who have demographics that vote for Democrats. That will destroy America.
https://www.theblaze.com/shows/the-auron-macintyre-show/the-great-replacement-isnt-a-theory-its-the-plan

BREITBART
— ICE Arrests 101 ‘Dangerous’ Illegal Alien Truckers on California Roads
https://www.breitbart.com/immigration/2025/12/23/report-ice-arrests-101-dangerous-illegal-alien-truckers-on-california-roads/amp/
— ICE Releases AI Video of Santa Rounding Up Illegal Aliens, Urges Self-Deportation to Avoid the ‘Naughty List’
https://www.breitbart.com/pre-viral/2025/12/23/watch-ice-releases-ai-video-of-santa-rounding-up-illegal-aliens-urges-self-deportation-to-avoid-the-naughty-list/

CAMPUS REFORM
— 5 times merit made a comeback in 2025. DD: My critics/opponents credit their successes to merit. They credit my successes to my benefitting from discrimination against those who are non-Republican, liberal/moderate, minority, female, younger, veteran, unmarried, LGBTQ, non-Protestant, have ancestors who have not been in America for a long time, and/or are noncitizens.
https://www.campusreform.org/article/5-times-merit-made-comeback-2025/29157

COLLEGE FIX
— Lawsuit challenges University of Rhode Island’s ‘preference’ for hiring union members. DD: When the Democrats who ran the Post Office hired me when I was 18, I felt that I had no choice but to join the union. When the Democrats who ran IRS hired me when I was 22, I felt that I had no choice but to join the union. When the Democrats who ran GAO hired me when I was 31, they made it clear that they despised/hated unions and union members. They hinted/implied/argued/shouted that if I had not been a union member, IRS would not have promoted me when I was 23, 24, and 25, that is, that IRS grossly overpaid me because I was a union member.
https://www.thecollegefix.com/lawsuit-challenges-u-rhode-islands-preference-for-hiring-union-members/

DAILY SIGNAL
— The Left Framed Trump on ‘Affordability’ Crisis. Here’s What Trump Must Do Now. DD: If there is something that you want to buy, but you can’t afford it, who do you blame? Hate-filled Trump-hating Trump-hates want you to blame Trump. Who do you blame for your not having more money than you have? I blame my Democrat superiors in the federal government who wasted my career, who took many big adverse actions against me, and who forced me to retire when I was 49 in 1997.
https://www.dailysignal.com/2025/12/23/the-left-framed-trump-on-affordability-crisis-heres-what-trump-must-do-now/amp/
— Reversing Democrats’ ‘Affordability’ Trap on Trump Before Midterms
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ry49sksqMFg

FOX BUSINESS
—  This is a good incentive for illegal aliens to leave voluntarily
https://www.foxbusiness.com/video/6386883945112

LEGAL INSURRECTION
— Systematic Scholarship Discrimination In Illinois Public Universities Challenged By Equal Protection Project. Our Civil Rights Complaint to the Department of Justice involves at least seventy-seven (77) scholarships and programs across seven institutions, including the flagship University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign.
https://legalinsurrection.com/2025/12/systematic-scholarship-discrimination-in-illinois-public-universities-challenged-by-equal-protection-project/

NEW AMERICAN
— Top Democrats in Columbus, Ohio, Warn Illegal Aliens That ICE Is in Town
https://thenewamerican.com/us/immigration/top-democrats-in-columbus-ohio-warn-illegal-aliens-that-ice-is-in-town/
— University Writing Center Rejected Proper English, Calling It “Linguistic White Supremacy”
https://thenewamerican.com/us/education/university-writing-center-rejected-proper-english-calling-it-linguistic-white-supremacy/
— ICE Arrests More Than 100 Illegal Alien Truck Drivers in California
https://thenewamerican.com/us/immigration/ice-arrests-more-than-100-illegal-alien-truck-drivers-in-california/

PJ MEDIA
— Outrageous: Boasberg Demands Trump Return 130+ Terrorist Illegals to U.S.
https://pjmedia.com/catherinesalgado/2025/12/23/boasberg-outrageously-demands-trump-return-130-criminal-illegals-to-us-n4947441

FROM NATIONAL CENTER-LEFT SOURCES

NEW YORK TIMES
— DD: Democrat leaders ever-increasingly a) glorify and praise their illegals, b) fight their deportation, and c) make it clear that they despise/hate Republicans who are conservative, White, male, older, non-poor, Protestant, German American, and/or have ancestors who have been in America for a long time. All my employers would have hired noncitizens instead of me if they could have. My coworkers were overwhelmingly Democrats who were non-German American, had ancestors who had not been in America for a long time, non-Protestant, veteran, minority, female, and/or younger than me.
https://www.nytimes.com/2025/12/23/us/politics/stephen-miller-trump-immigrants.html
— How Did DOGE Disrupt So Much While Saving So Little?  The group’s biggest claims were largely incorrect, a New York Times analysis found. And its many smaller cuts added up to few savings. DD: If Gingrich had reformed GAO instead of gutting it, there would be no need for DOGE.
https://www.nytimes.com/2025/12/23/us/politics/doge-musk-trump-analysis.html

WASHINGTON POST
— Trump administration abruptly recalls over two dozen career ambassadors. DD: U.S. ambassadors serve at the pleasure of U.S. presidents. Managers of GAO offices serve at the pleasure of those who run GAO.  While I worked for GAO’s Chicago office 1980-1997, the Democrats who ran GAO got rid of the managers who they assigned who failed to get rid of enough of the office’s employees who were GS-14 and below and who were Republican, White, male, older, non-veteran, Protestant, German American, and/or had ancestors who had been in America for a long time. I should write about each of those managers and the employees who they got rid of.
https://www.washingtonpost.com/national-security/2025/12/22/trump-ambassadors-recalled/

BOSTON HERALD
— Things are looking up, thanks to Trump
https://www.bostonherald.com/2025/12/24/moore-things-are-looking-up-thanks-to-trump/

SACRAMENTO BEE
— Here’s how Sacramento County residents can help with the upcoming homeless count. DD: As Democrats move into your county, township, municipality, and school district, homelessness will increase.
https://www.sacbee.com/news/local/homeless/article313927206.html

DAILY BEACON
— Check your privilege. DD: What are your demographics? If you are the following, my critics/opponents attribute your successes in life to your benefitting from discrimination against those who are not the following: conservative, Republican, American, White, male, older, non-poor, married, Protestant, German American, and/or have ancestors who have been in America for a long time.
https://utdailybeacon.com/87543/opinion/check-your-privilege/

WKBN
— DOJ to investigate ‘DEI wokeness’ after Pa. school bus driver fired for banning Spanish
https://www.wkbn.com/news/doj-to-investigate-dei-wokeness-after-pa-school-bus-driver-fired-for-banning-spanish/

WHYY
— Gen Z college graduates are facing tough odds in the job market. With a historically bad job market, phantom job listings and a loss of entry-level positions due to AI, young Philadelphians are sounding the alarm. DD: What entry-level jobs did you have? I had three. I earned a bachelor’s degree in management from NIU when I was 21 years old in 1970. My first entry-level job was a Retail Sales Manager for a Firestone Store. My salary was about $50,000/year in today’s dollars for a 44-hour workweek. In 1971, my second entry-level job was a GS-7 IRS Revenue Officer. The salary was $55,850/year in today’s dollars. To get that job, I had passed the Federal Service Entrance Examination. My taking graduate evening business courses at Loyola helped me get promoted to GS-9 ($68,315/year) in 1972, to GS-11 ($82,655/year) in 1973, and to GS-12 ($99,069/year) in 1974. I earned an MBA from Loyola in 1976. In 1980, my third entry-level job was a GS-9 Step 10 GAO Analyst. The salary was $88,808/year in today’s dollars. To get that job, I passed the CPA examination on my first attempt in 1979 and almost earned a master’s degree in accounting from DePaul. My salary was $153,151/year in today’s dollars almost 18 years later in 1997, after I earned a master’s degree in accounting from DePaul in 1980, after I passed the Certified Internal Auditor examination on my first attempt in 1981, after I became a licensed CPA in 1981, after I earned four more professional certifications in 1990, 1994, 1996, and 1997, and after I earned a master’s degree in financial markets and trading from IIT in 1997.
https://whyy.org/articles/philadelphia-gen-z-college-graduates-job-market/

WALL STREET JOURNAL
— America Needs More Husband Material. Marriage, disdained by many elites, has collapsed among the working class. DD: Democrat leaders ever-increasing destroy traditional marriage and family. Under the Democrats, fewer and fewer and fewer people are marriage material. What helped make you 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 $108,978/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.
https://www.wsj.com/opinion/america-needs-more-husband-material-11ae071a?mod=opinion_lead_pos7

FORTUNE
— DD: Democrat leaders want the stock market to crash so that they can blame it on Trump.
https://fortune.com/2025/12/24/precarious-is-wall-streets-defining-word-for-2026/
— Why restricting graduate loans will bankrupt America’s talent supply chain. DD: I earned three job-related master’s degrees. I took only one course at a time because that was what I could afford in terms of time and money. Consequently, I did not earn an MBA until I was 27. I did not earn a master’s degree in accounting until I was 31. I did not earn a master’s degree in finance until I was 48. By then, it was too late.
https://fortune.com/2025/12/23/k-shaped-economy-education-graduate-loans-talent-supply-chain/

MONEY TALKS
— Here’s What Workers Say Matters Most in a Job in 2026 and What They’ll Do to Get It. DD: What about the importance of what employers do? The importance of what the Post Office does (deliver mail), Firestone Stores do (sell tires), Oldsmobile did (build cars), IRS does (collect taxes), and GAO does (audit federal agencies) motivated me to accept their job offers.
https://www.moneytalksnews.com/heres-what-workers-say-matters-most-in-a-job-in-and-what-theyll-do-to-get-it/
(FROM THE ARTICLE: Key findings include: 85% of workers said remote work now matters more than salary when evaluating a job. 69% have switched, or seriously considered switching, career fields. Gen Z professionals reported struggling to build momentum and wanting stronger support. Working parents were stretched thin, with 65% saying remote work would better support their families. And across the workforce, return-to-office mandates have been straining trust and loyalty.)

LEGAL NEWSLINE
— DOJ says IL law can’t be used to limit, sue, ‘harass’ ICE agents
https://www.legalnewsline.com/madison-stclair-record/justice-department-battles-illinois-over-ice-limitations/article_df7e9ec0-7b26-4da6-a1a5-205da2d1962e.html

JD SUPRA
— The EEOC Issues New Guidance Regarding Anti-American Discrimination. DD: All my employers would have hired noncitizens instead of me if they could have. My coworkers were overwhelmingly Democrats who were non-German American, had ancestors who had not been in America for a long time, non-Protestant, veteran, minority, female, and/or younger than me.
https://www.jdsupra.com/legalnews/the-eeoc-issues-new-guidance-regarding-5111758/
(FROM THE ARTICLE: The technical assistance document also offers examples of specific circumstances that may implicate this new guidance on national origin discrimination, including: Using discriminatory job advertisements, such as those that include the employer’s preference for or requirement of applicants from a particular country or with a particular visa status (e.g., “H-1B preferred” or “H-1B only”). Terminating American employees who are on the “bench” between job assignments at a higher rate than employees who are visa guest workers. Requiring American workers to participate in more burdensome application processes than H-1B visa holders during the PERM labor certification process. Allowing the harassment of employees based on their national origin, accent, or ethnicity, through unwelcome remarks or conduct. Retaliating against an employee who engaged in protected activity under Title VII, such as objecting to or opposing national origin discrimination at work, participating in employer or EEOC investigations, or filing an EEOC charge.

ATLANTIC
— DD: According to hate-filled Trump-hating Trump-haters, Trump Is looking a lot smaller and he is no longer dominating his party or the country in the way he once did.
https://www.theatlantic.com/politics/2025/12/president-donald-trump-diminished/685427/

DAILY DISPATCH
— DD: I should write about anti-conservatives. I would focus on Republican candidates on ballots in my precinct since 2000. I would focus on leaders of the Illinois Republican Party, DuPage County Republican Central Committee, and Milton Township Republican Organization since 2000. I would focus on conservative leaders in Illinois since 2000. I would focus on religious leaders in Illinois since 2000. I would focus on those who continue to have lots of religious, government, political, and/or financial 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.dailydispatch.co.za/news/opinion/2025-12-24-conservative-american-manhood-has-hit-rock-bottom/

FROM FOREIGN SOURCES

INDIA TODAY
— Disagree with me, you won’t get the job: Trump’s test for next Fed chair. DD: Democrats run the federal government. For them, the federal government exists a) to hire, retain, and promote Democrats and b) to advance the Democrat Party platform. 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. I qualified myself for the Post Office job by earning a high school diploma and passing the postal employment examination. I qualified myself for the IRS job by earning a bachelor’s degree in business and passing the Federal Service Entrance Examination. I qualified myself for the GAO job by earning an MBA and passing the CPA examination on my first attempt.
https://www.indiatoday.in/world/us-news/story/disagree-with-me-you-wont-get-the-job-trumps-test-for-next-fed-chair-glbs-2840797-2025-12-24

December 23, 2025

FROM ILLINOIS CENTER-LEFT SOURCES

CHICAGO SUN-TIMES
— Department of Justice sues Pritzker, Raoul over law barring federal immigration actions at courthouses. The law bars immigration enforcement from taking place inside or within 1,000 feet of state courthouses. The federal government claims states can’t dictate where federal agents make arrests.
https://chicago.suntimes.com/immigration/2025/12/22/department-of-justice-sues-pritzker-raoul-over-law-barring-federal-immigration-actions-at-courthouses

CHICAGO TRIBUNE
— DD: Democrat and RINO leaders ever-increasingly push more pot. Pot is poison. In 2019, I led the successful effort to ban the sale of pot in Wheaton.
https://www.chicagotribune.com/2025/12/23/federal-push-to-relax-marijuana-classification-should-help-the-industry-in-illinois-but-the-effects-for-consumers-may-take-time/

DAILY HERALD
— DD: The Democrat Party platform promotes homelessness.
https://www.dailyherald.com/20251223/editorials/daily-herald-opinion-funding-for-dupagepads-will-help-save-lives-shelter-countys-homeless/

WSPY
— Bailey says Illinois must generate more power to cut costs
https://www.wspynews.com/news/local/governor-candidate-says-illinois-must-generate-more-power-to-cut-costs/article_59ee29a7-6dd5-40ee-a979-639b0413ac63.html

FROM ILLINOIS CENTER-RIGHT SOURCES

WIREPOINTS
— Illinois Is Forcing Ideology on Its Employees — and Calling It ‘Training’
https://wirepoints.org/illinois-is-forcing-ideology-on-its-employees-and-calling-it-training-wirepoints/

MCHENRY COUNTY BLOG
— Danielle Penman, Hopeful of Succeeding Don DeWitte in State Senate, Appears Before McHenry County GOP Central Executive Committee
https://www.mchenrycountyblog.com/2025/12/23/danielle-penman-hopeful-of-succeeding-don-dewitte-in-state-senate-appears-before-mchenry-county-gop-central-executive-committee/
– McHenry County State’s Attorney Keeps Still Another Man from Getting SAFE-T Act Get Out of Jail Free Card
https://www.mchenrycountyblog.com/2025/12/22/mchenry-county-states-attorney-keeps-still-another-man-from-getting-safe-t-actget-out-of-jail-free-card/
— A New Revenue Idea for Balancing Chicago’s Budget
https://www.mchenrycountyblog.com/2025/12/22/a-new-revenue-idea-for-balancing-chicagos-budget/
— U.S. Senate Hopeful Don Tracy Appears Before McHenry County GOP Central Executive Committee
https://www.mchenrycountyblog.com/2025/12/22/u-s-senate-hopeful-don-tracy-appears-before-mchenry-county-gop-central-executive-committee/

FROM NATIONAL CENTER-RIGHT SOURCES

WASHINGTON TIMES
— Democrats thrive on government fraud. DD: I became a Certified Fraud Examiner when I was 41 in 1990. I became a Forensic Accountant when I was 48 in 1997. My Democrat GAO superiors wasted that.
https://www.washingtontimes.com/news/2025/dec/22/democrats-thrive-government-fraud/

NEW YORK POST
— Mamdani doesn’t care about upward mobility. DD: From what I see, for those in America who are the following, upward mobility is ever-increasingly crashing: conservative, Republican, American, White, male, older, Protestant, German American, and/or have ancestors who have been in America for a long time. When I was young, I was able to do the following, but I doubt that I could if I was young today: a) earn a job-related bachelor’s degree, b) earn three job-related master’s degrees, c) earn six job-related professional certifications, and d) earn a job-related professional license. When I was young, the following hired me, but I doubt that they would hire me if I was young today: a) Post Office, Firestone Stores, IRS, and GAO. When I was young, the following promoted me, but I doubt that they would promote me if I was young today: a) IRS and b) GAO.
https://nypost.com/2025/12/22/opinion/mamdani-doesnt-care-about-upward-mobility-and-his-charter-school-snub-proves-it/
— The great debate over what makes an American. DD: According to Democrat leaders, real Americans despise if not hate those who are conservative, Republican, American, White, male, older, married, Protestant, German American, and/or have ancestors who have been in America for a long time.
https://nypost.com/2025/12/22/opinion/what-makes-an-american-jd-vance-gets-it-right/

AMERICAN WIRE NEWS
— It’s no mystery that ‘The View’ is in the pocket of the left, but just how biased could they be? The political leanings of the show’s guests reveal the answer in stark relief, to the surprise of very few. The Media Research Center’s study of the 341 guests who visited ‘The View’ in 2025 indicates that a mere two of them are conservatives. A whopping 128 of the visitors were liberal, including 25 left-leaning politicians. DD: Since at least 2000, very few leaders of the Illinois Republican Party, DuPage County Republican Central Committee, and Milton Township Republican Organization have been conservative.
https://americanwirenews.com/tally-of-the-view-guests-in-2025-include-128-liberals-and-guess-how-many-conservatives/

BREITBART
— Dems Demand Trump Continue Welfare-Dependent Immigration to U.S.
https://www.breitbart.com/politics/2025/12/22/democrats-demand-trump-continue-welfare-dependent-immigration-to-u-s/amp/

CAMPUS REFORM
— Michigan State to host ‘Queering Racial Justice Summit’ highlighting ‘intersections of queer and racial identity’
https://www.campusreform.org/article/michigan-state-host-queering-racial-justice-summit-highlighting-intersections-queer-racial-identity/29183

FOX BUSINESS
— Healthcare problems today are 100% caused by Democrats
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VuQVUNmci_s

FOX NEWS
— Turning Point poll reveals conservatives ‘all in’ for JD Vance 2028 presidential run. DD: I conducted many straw polls for the Milton Township Republican Organization and for TAPROOT Republicans of Illinois. I should write about those candidates who did not win those polls. I would focus on those candidates who blamed me for that and who had their operatives and their dupes take the biggest adverse actions against me.
https://www.foxnews.com/politics/turning-point-poll-reveals-conservatives-all-in-jd-vance-2028-presidential-run

NEWSMAX
— Ban Welfare for Immigrants
https://www.newsmax.com/newsmax-tv/randy-fine-ilhan-omar-somalia/2025/12/22/id/1239360/

TOWNHALL
— The Trump Admin Just Gave Illegal Aliens Even More Reason to Self-Deport
https://townhall.com/tipsheet/dmitri-bolt/2025/12/22/the-trump-administration-offers-a-christmas-gift-to-illegals-n2668301

FROM NATIONAL CENTER-LEFT SOURCES

MSN
— DD: Democrat leaders ever-increasingly push more pot.  In 2019, I led the successful effort to ban the sale of pot in Wheaton.
https://www.msn.com/en-us/health/medical/cannabis-use-is-up-46-among-american-seniors-as-trump-signs-an-order-to-reclassify-marijuana-are-you-positioned-to-profit-if-pot-stocks-surge/ar-AA1SQmC3

NEW YORK TIMES
— FRONT PAGE TOP OF FOLD: A nerdy economics essay recently went viral. It asserted that the federal measure for the poverty line was woefully outdated and that for a family of four, the income needed today to function in American society was $140,000. The essay, by Michael Green, a financial market strategist, struck a nerve and set off another round of debate about affordability, focused this time on whether people with six-figure incomes should feel strapped. DD: I did not make $140,000/year in today’s dollars until I was 45 in 1993 and I had earned master’s degrees when I was 27 and 31, professional certifications when I was 30, 32, and 41, and a professional license when I was 32.
https://www.nytimes.com/2025/12/20/us/politics/middle-class-us-economy-affordability.html

USA TODAY
— Federal judge rules US must give due process to deported Venezuelans. DD: The federal justices and judges in Diersen v. GAO denied me due process. They denied me my 7th Amendment right to a jury trial. SEE: https://gopillinois.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/09/DiersenGAOFifthAmendedComplaint.pdf They would not have done that if Republicans had been the discriminators and I had been a Democrat, minority, female, younger, or veteran.
https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/politics/2025/12/22/trump-administration-venezuelan-migrants-alien-enemies-act/87890359007/
— Democrat leaders ever-increasingly glorify and praise their illegals and fight their deportation.
https://www.usatoday.com/picture-gallery/news/2025/12/20/immigrant-woman-detained-months-judge-orders-deportation/87813683007/

SACRAMENTO BEE
— As health care premiums soar, Democrats are eager to blame Republicans
https://www.sacbee.com/news/politics-government/capitol-alert/article313895932.html

WALL STREET JOURNAL
— The Heritage Foundation Blows Up. Its conservative scholars jump to Mike Pence’s policy shop after being stifled at the think tank.
https://www.wsj.com/opinion/heritage-foundation-staff-exodus-mike-pence-kevin-roberts-c4ba0b7c
— AI Means the End of Entry-Level Jobs. DD: What entry-level jobs did you have? I had three. I earned a bachelor’s degree in management from NIU when I was 21 years old in 1970. My first entry-level job was a Retail Sales Manager for a Firestone Store. My salary was about $50,000/year in today’s dollars for a 44-hour workweek. In 1971, my second entry-level job was a GS-7 IRS Revenue Officer. The salary was $55,850/year in today’s dollars. To get that job, I had passed the Federal Service Entrance Examination. My taking graduate evening business courses at Loyola helped me get promoted to GS-9 ($68,315/year) in 1972, to GS-11 ($82,655/year) in 1973, and to GS-12 ($99,069/year) in 1974. I earned an MBA from Loyola in 1976. In 1980, my third entry-level job was a GS-9 Step 10 GAO Analyst. The salary was $88,808/year in today’s dollars. To get that job, I passed the CPA examination on my first attempt in 1979 and almost earned a master’s degree in accounting from DePaul. My salary was $153,151/year in today’s dollars almost 18 years later in 1997, after I earned a master’s degree in accounting from DePaul in 1980, after I passed the Certified Internal Auditor examination on my first attempt in 1981, after I became a licensed CPA in 1981, after I earned four more professional certifications in 1990, 1994, 1996, and 1997, and after I earned a master’s degree in financial markets and trading from IIT in 1997.
https://www.wsj.com/opinion/ai-means-the-end-of-entry-level-jobs-6b268661
— Rove: Democrats’ Lessons From 2024? Never Mind. Hoping its problems have solved themselves, the party won’t release its ‘after-action report.’ DD: From what I see, the Democrat plan for retaking the White House, Senate, and House is to continue to a) destroy Trump and all those who voted for him, b) flood America with illegals and keep them in America, c) promote even more dependency on government and charity, LGBTQ, abortion, booze, gambling, pot, and other vices, diminishment of Second Amendment rights, and Affirmative Action and DEI, that is, race and gender based preference giving, patronage, political affiliation, reverse discrimination, age discrimination, religious discrimination, and national origin discrimination, and d) promote socialism.
https://www.wsj.com/opinion/democrats-lessons-from-2024-never-mind-a8f93bca
— The Year the Job Market Hit a Wall. Unemployment rose and wage growth shrank this year, potentially setting up an even rougher 2026. DD: When I was 18 in 1966, the Post Office would not have offered me a job if it had not gotten a budget increase to deal with the 1966 Christmas rush.
https://www.wsj.com/economy/jobs/2025-jobs-unemployment-charts-f231bdef
(FROM THE ARTICLE: The federal government has led this year’s job cutting, as the Trump administration’s Department of Government Efficiency quickly moved to downsize the federal workforce early in 2025. Rounds of layoffs, the deferred-resignation plan and other voluntary departure programs, including an early-retirement push, slashed the number of civil servants in the federal workforce to its smallest in more than a decade as of November.)

FORBES
— DD: Democrat leaders ever-increasingly blame Republicans for the high cost of healthcare.
https://www.forbes.com/sites/forbestv/2025/12/22/mike-levin-warns-of-healthcare-insurance-hikes-when-2026-hits-previews-next-steps-on-aca/

FAST COMPANY
— LGBTQ+ fans express disappointment in Nicki Minaj after she appears with Erika Kirk at Turning Point USA event. The star, who once positioned herself as a queer ally, is generating quite an intense reaction from admirers who feel betrayed.
https://www.fastcompany.com/91464983/nicki-minaj-erika-kirk-turning-point-usa-queer-fans-express-disappointment

NERD WALLET
— How to Pay for Grad School in 2025. DD: I paid lots of money for tuition and books to earn an MBA from Loyola (16 courses) in 1976 when I was 27, a master’s degree in accounting from DePaul (12 courses) in 1980, and a master’s degree in financial markets and trading from IIT (14 courses) in 1997. That money came from what I earned working for IRS 1971-1980 and for GAO 1980-1997.
https://www.nerdwallet.com/student-loans/learn/ask-brianna-paying-graduate-school
(FROM THE ARTICLE: The average cost of a master’s degree was $62,820 in 2024, according to the Education Data Initiative. But the cost of graduate school can vary by school, type of degree and program. Regardless of which university’s name will be on your diploma, you may need to pay for your degree with graduate student loans. But before taking on debt, use these strategies to reduce how much you borrow.)

BLOOMBERG GOVERNMENT
— DD: Democrat leaders ever-increasingly blame Republicans for the high cost of healthcare.
https://news.bgov.com/bloomberg-government-news/health-costs-rise-everywhere-in-2026-not-just-with-obamacare

FOUNDATION FOR AMERICAN INNOVATION
— Congress Should Reform GAO for the Twenty-First Century. DD: I worked for the Democrats who ran GAO 1980-1997. They wasted my career, they took many big adverse actions against me, and they forced me to retire when I was 49 years old in 1997. They did that because I opposed their political affiliation discrimination, reverse discrimination, and age discrimination and because I became an active member in a class action lawsuit that charged them with the aforesaid in 1988. If Gingrich had reformed GAO instead of gutting it, my Democrat GAO superiors would not have been able to a) force me to take a $23,472/year (21%) pay cut to transfer from IRS to GAO, b) keep me off audits of IRS for all but 3 of the almost 18 years that I worked for GAO, c) delay my promotions and never promote me beyond GS-13, d) always rank me in the bottom half of my coworkers for pay-for-performance, and e) force me to retire when I was 49 years old in 1997.
https://www.thefai.org/posts/congress-should-reform-the-government-accountability-office-for-the-twenty-first-century
(FROM THE ARTICLE: Comptroller General Gene Dodaro’s 15-year term leading the Government Accountability Office will end later this month. Mr. Dodaro’s tenure of public service spans more than 50 years. Few Americans have made more contributions to the federal government, and his leadership has resulted in considerable savings for American taxpayers. The end of his term begins a process to fill the vacancy: a bipartisan congressional commission recommends a slate of candidates, the president nominates from that list, and the Senate provides advice and consent, including possible rejection. The process of recommending, nominating, and confirming a new Comptroller General in 1996 and 2008 took about two years, often with irregularities. The upcoming vacancy and looming debate provide an opportunity for Congress—and GAO itself—to reimagine the organization for the twenty-first century. GAO’s more-than-a-century-long history has involved several transformations. During the twentieth century, the organization’s original focus—auditing government payment vouchers–transitioned into broader financial oversight, program evaluations, and directed work on behalf of Congress. Congress started layering on additional responsibilities. In 1974, Congress directed GAO to police impoundments, and in 1996, it gave GAO a role in reviewing regulations. In the 1990s, GAO faced steep budget cuts and staffing reductions, prompting a new comptroller general, David Walker, to refocus the organization’s mission heading into the 2000s—including rebranding the organization to focus on its modern mission of government accountability and delivering a return on investment for American taxpayers in terms of government savings. Over the past quarter-century, GAO’s work has produced roughly $1.5 trillion in financial benefits for the U.S. government. Over the past 15 years, GAO’s annual reviews of duplication and waste across federal programs have resulted in more than $700 billion in financial benefits. As a trusted, nonpartisan institution within the legislative branch, GAO continues to provide substantial value to lawmakers on Capitol Hill. Nevertheless, GAO is now at a crossroads. GAO and the current comptroller general have faced increasing opposition from the Trump administration and some congressional Republicans. OMB Director Russ Vought has stated, “We’re not big fans of GAO,” and called the organization “something that shouldn’t exist.” This opposition is primarily due to concerns about GAO’s recent actions related to its congressionally mandated responsibilities under the Impoundment Control Act and the Congressional Review Act. On Capitol Hill, some members and staff question the usefulness of GAO’s reports and recommendations. During the 117th Congress, a bipartisan select committee passed a recommendation that called for a review of congressional satisfaction with GAO’s work. Some evidence indicates that GAO’s work is not having the intended impact. At least a quarter of GAO’s recommendations are routinely ignored. As of December 2025, more than 5,200 open recommendations remain unaddressed. GAO maintains a “high risk list” of “government operations with serious vulnerabilities to fraud, waste, abuse, and mismanagement, or in need of transformation,” which currently includes 37 areas, including nine items identified in the last century. Some question whether GAO is overly cautious in its approach to evaluating federal programs and activities. There is a long-running joke among congressional staff and even GAO employees and alumni that its reports typically include a balanced framing, such as “progress made, challenges remain,” which requires Congress to probe deep into the reports page and footnotes to actually understand potential problems identified through program evaluations. GAO’s own metrics show a declining impact. As of December 2025, GAO’s own performance metrics reveal a recent decline in the organization’s return on investment and in its ability to encourage federal agencies to implement its recommendations promptly between 2019 and 2024. This decline has occurred despite bipartisan reforms enacted by Congress over the past decade to increase GAO’s ROI and effectiveness. Some question whether these trends are linked to GAO’s transition to widespread remote work, which persists today and was codified by a 2023 agreement with its labor union, and to a headquarters building that is often largely empty, according to GAO staff. . .The upcoming nomination of a new comptroller general offers a chance to put GAO back on the right track. GAO itself should propose reforms and process changes to address these concerns. As Congress and President Trump prepare to recommend and nominate the next comptroller general, we recommend the following reforms to strengthen GAO’s effectiveness and value for Congress and the American people. 1. Reaffirm GAO’s core mission and explicitly prioritize fiscal stewardship…2. Empower the next comptroller general with authority, autonomy, resources, and a mandate for institutional renewal…3. Remove politically charged enforcement duties—especially under the Impoundment Control Act—and maintain strict neutrality under the Congressional Review Act…4. Direct GAO to focus on high-impact audits and program evaluations, supported by transparent performance metrics and independent review…5. Require GAO to produce more precise and actionable recommendations for Congress and federal agencies…6. Strengthen structured collaboration between GAO and Congress and embed GAO expertise within committees…7. Establish a statutory requirement for annual comptroller general recommendations on rescissions and fiscal savings opportunities…8. Expand GAO’s partnership capacity with federal agencies and state governments to strengthen program integrity and reduce mismanagement…9. Require federal departments and agencies to cooperate with GAO’s oversight and information requests fully…10. Expect the next comptroller general to restore bipartisan credibility by avoiding unnecessary political conflict…Throughout GAO’s long history, Congress has recognized the need to review and reform GAO’s mission to meet the times. In 2026, Congress should consider how to focus GAO’s work and use its $900 million in annual funding and more than 3,500 employees to meet the needs of the legislative branch and the American people. As Congress and President Trump work to identify, nominate, and confirm the next comptroller general, Congress should hold hearings and reauthorize GAO to update its mission for the twenty-first century.)

TAX NOTES
— IRS Criminal Investigation Division Lists Top 10 Cases of 2025. DD: I worked for GAO on audits of IRS’s Criminal Investigation Division for 3 years. SEE: https://www.gao.gov/assets/ggd-88-61.pdf and https://www.gao.gov/products/ggd-89-41
https://www.taxnotes.com/research/federal/other-documents/other-irs-documents/irs-criminal-investigation-division-lists-top-10-cases-2025/7tf2c

MOTLEY FOOL
— DD: Democrat leaders ever-increasingly push more pot.  In 2019, I led the successful effort to ban the sale of pot in Wheaton.
https://www.fool.com/investing/2025/12/22/trump-rescheduling-marijuana-pot-stocks-plunged/

NPR
— Under Trump, 317,000 workers are out of the government. Here are 3 of their stories. DD: For Democrats, the federal government exists to hire, to retain, and to promote Democrats, and especially Democrats who are minority, female, younger, and/or veteran. Because I am none of the aforesaid and because I complained about their discrimination, my Democrat Post Office, IRS, and GAO superiors wasted my career, took many big adverse actions against me, and forced me to retire when I was 49 in 1997.
https://www.npr.org/2025/12/18/nx-s1-5626822/trump-federal-workers-firing-civil-servants

AMERICA MAGAZINE
— DD: Democrat leaders ever-increasingly hint/imply/argue/shout that GOD despises, if not hates, if not condemns those who are conservative, Republican, American, White, male, older, married, Protestant, German American, and/or have ancestors who have been in America for a long time. Democrat leaders ever-increasingly hint/imply/argue/shout that GOD wants dependency on government and charity, LGBTQ, abortion, mass/illegal immigration, booze, gambling, pot, and other vices, abolition of the Second Amendment, and Affirmative Action and DEI, that is, race and gender based preference giving, patronage, political affiliation, reverse discrimination, age discrimination, religious discrimination, and national origin discrimination. Democrat leaders ever-increasingly hint/imply/argue/shout that GOD rejects the concepts of countries, borders, governments, and laws. Democrat leaders ever-increasingly hint/imply/argue/shout that GOD wants socialism and then communism. Democrat leaders ever-increasingly hint/imply/argue/shout that GOD is a Democrat.
https://www.americamagazine.org/faith-and-reason/2025/12/22/trump-die-catholic-social-teaching/

FROM FOREIGN SOURCES

SPECTATOR
— Could a degree make you less employable? DD: Firestone Stores would not have hired me in 1970 and IRS would not have hired me in 1971 if I had not earned a bachelor’s degree in business in 1970. IRS would not have promoted me in 1972, 1973, and 1974 if I had not been taking graduate business evening courses. GAO would not have hired me in 1980 if I had not earned an MBA in 1976 and passed the CPA examination on my first attempt in 1979. GAO would not have promoted me in 1986 if I had not earned a master’s degree in accounting in 1980, passed the Certified Internal Auditor examination on my first attempt in 1981, and became a licensed CPA in 1981.
https://spectator.com/article/could-a-degree-make-you-less-employable/

INDEPENDENT
— DD: Democrat leaders ever-increasingly blame Republicans for the high cost of healthcare.
https://www.msn.com/en-us/money/personalfinance/expiring-healthcare-subsidies-could-cost-you-2-050-more-each-month/ar-AA1SxPIC

ECONOMIC TIMES
— US triples self-deportation stipend till year end, offers $3000, free flight to illegal immigrants. DD: In 1993, to get rid of GAO employees who were Republican, White, male, older, and/or non-veteran and who had 25 years of federal service, the Democrats who ran GAO offered a $25,000 buyout if they took early retirement.
https://economictimes.indiatimes.com/nri/latest-updates/us-triples-self-deportation-stipend-till-year-end-offers-3000-free-flight-to-illegal-immigrants/articleshow/126134067.cms

December 22, 2025 Evening Edition

FROM ILLINOIS CENTER-LEFT SOURCES

CHICAGO TRIBUNE
— Medicaid fraud is a problem.
https://www.chicagotribune.com/2025/12/22/medicaid-one-big-beautiful-bill-trump-fraud-reform/

CHICAGO SUN-TIMES
— Illinois lawmakers visit Broadview ICE facility months after they were denied entry. The lawmakers said ICE expects immigration arrests to ramp up in the near future. While the facility only had two detainees on Monday, they said ICE anticipates increasing staffing at the facility with 85 additional agents.
https://chicago.suntimes.com/immigration/2025/12/22/broadview-ice-chuy-garcia-delia-ramirez-danny-davis
— These two crooks can still convert millions from their campaign funds into personal use if they want. Because they’re grandfathered in under an old law, former Illinois House Speaker Michael Madigan and ex-Ald. Edward Burke can collectively pocket nearly $4 million and use it for virtually anything they want, so long as they pay income taxes.
https://chicago.suntimes.com/the-watchdogs/2025/12/22/michael-madigan-edward-burke-illinois-campaign-contributions-convert-to-personal-use-elections-board

DAILY HERALD
— DD: Democrat leaders ever-increasingly blame Republicans for the high cost of healthcare.
https://www.dailyherald.com/20251222/business/health-care-among-americans-biggest-priorities-for-2026-according-to-a-new-ap-norc-poll/
https://www.dailyherald.com/20251222/business/how-the-end-of-extra-affordable-care-act-subsidies-could-affect-you/
— DD: Under the DuPage Democrats, more and more and more DuPage residents want/need/demand more welfare.
https://www.dailyherald.com/20251222/lifestyle/dupage-foundation-awards-100000-in-emergency-food-response-grants/
(FROM THE ARTICLE: The foundation said more than 94,000 DuPage County residents struggle with food insecurity, including 8.4% of the county’s children.)
— After staging a collection drive, Republican state Sen. Darby Hills of Barrington Hills and her staff last week delivered food, toiletries and other items to eight food pantries in her 26th District. More than 2,000 items were collected in the Moms & Meals drive, according to a news release from Hills’ office. Boxed up for delivery, it was enough for five carloads.
https://www.dailyherald.com/20251222/local/state-sen-hills-delivers-donated-goods-to-food-pantries/
— DD: Democrat leaders use “medical marijuana” to push pot.
https://www.dailyherald.com/20251222/news/schaumburg-family-launches-campaign-to-retain-access-to-daughters-medical-marijuana/

FOX32
— ‘Rails and Roots’ shows how Mexican railroad workers built Chicago. DD: My ancestors on my father’s side immigrated from what is now Germany in 1844 and worked in a Chicago brick factory until 1854 when the homesteaded a farm in southeast Crete Township.
https://www.fox32chicago.com/news/chicago-mexican-worker-railroads

WTTW
— A group of Illinois Congressional representatives on Monday were allowed inside Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s processing center in suburban Broadview, months after they were previously turned away. Illinois U.S. Reps. Jesus “Chuy” Garcia, Delia Ramirez, Jonathan Jackson and Danny Davis toured the controversial west suburban facility Monday as part of a routine congressional inspection, six months after they said they were denied access by ICE agents without authority.
https://news.wttw.com/2025/12/22/accountability-not-optional-illinois-congressional-reps-tour-broadview-ice-facility

SOUTHERN
— Senate Democrats raise concerns about IRS readiness for tax filing season. DD: What does GAO say about that? GAO audits IRS. I worked for IRS 1971-1980 and for GAO 1980-1997. GAO wasted my knowledge of IRS. It kept me off audits of IRS except 1986-1988. Have you ever phoned IRS with a tax question? If you did during the 1974 filing season, the IRS employee who answered your call was one of my subordinates. Back then, as a 25-year-old GS-11 (currently $82,655/year) IRS Revenue Officer, I supervised all of the IRS employees, which included a rotating staff of about 90 IRS Revenue Agent trainees, in IRS’s new downtown Chicago office who answered taxpayer questions using IRS’s new tollfree CentiPhone system. Because of my job performance, the IRS manager who had given me that developmental opportunity and who had promoted me in 1972 and 1973 promoted me to GS-12 (currently $99,069/year) in 1974.
https://southernillinoisnow.com/2025/12/22/senate-democrats-raise-concerns-about-irs-readiness-for-tax-filing-season/

NPR ILLINOIS
— Skyrocketing number of ‘no-shows’ in immigration court
https://www.nprillinois.org/2025-12-22/npr-analysis-shows-skyrocketing-number-of-no-shows-in-immigration-court
— A rift in MAGA has top Heritage Foundation officials leaving to join with Mike Pence
https://www.nprillinois.org/2025-12-22/a-rift-in-maga-has-top-heritage-foundation-officials-leaving-to-join-with-mike-pence
— Federal judge says U.S. must give due process to deported Venezuelans. DD: The federal justices and judges in Diersen v. GAO denied me my 7th Amendment right to a jury trial. SEE: https://gopillinois.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/09/DiersenGAOFifthAmendedComplaint.pdf They would not have done that if Republicans had been the discriminators and I had been a Democrat, minority, female, younger, or veteran.
https://www.nprillinois.org/2025-12-22/federal-judge-says-u-s-must-give-due-process-to-deported-venezuelans

FOX ILLINOIS
— DHS offers $3,000 ‘home for the holidays’ incentive to migrants who self-deport
https://foxillinois.com/news/nation-world/dhs-homeland-security-offers-3000-home-for-the-holidays-incentive-to-migrants-who-self-deport-illegal-immigration-crackdown-secretary-kristi-noem-cbp-home-app-customs-and-border-protection

FROM ILLINOIS CENTER-RIGHT SOURCES

MCHENRY COUNTY BLOG
— U.S. Senate Hopeful Don Tracy Appears Before McHenry County GOP Central Executive Committee
https://www.mchenrycountyblog.com/2025/12/22/u-s-senate-hopeful-don-tracy-appears-before-mchenry-county-gop-central-executive-committee/

FROM NATIONAL CENTER-RIGHT SOURCES

WASHINGTON TIMES
— DD: Democrat leaders ever-increasingly blame Republicans for the high cost of healthcare.
https://www.washingtontimes.com/news/2025/dec/22/health-care-poised-key-issue-midterms-republicans-scramble-solutions/
— DHS holiday deal for illegal immigrants: Leave now and get $3,000 — or face arrest
https://www.washingtontimes.com/news/2025/dec/22/dhs-tells-illegal-immigrants-go-home-holidays-stay/
— Heritage Foundation loses a dozen scholars to Pence-led group in rift over leadership. Josh Blackman resigns from Heritage, says judges, contributors distancing themselves.
https://www.washingtontimes.com/news/2025/dec/22/heritage-foundation-loses-dozen-scholars-pence-led-group-rift/
— Trump leading U.S. toward unprecedented economic prosperity. Cleaning up the Democrats’ massive mess takes time.
https://www.washingtontimes.com/news/2025/dec/22/trump-leading-us-toward-unprecedented-economic-prosperity/
— Ban the Muslim Brotherhood, or witness the West’s demise. We must act now.
https://www.washingtontimes.com/news/2025/dec/22/ban-muslim-brotherhood-witness-wests-demise/
— Universities, colleges not producing employable adults. DD: Firestone Stores would not have hired me in 1970 and IRS would not have hired me in 1971 if I had not earned a bachelor’s degree in business in 1970. IRS would not have promoted me in 1972, 1973, and 1974 if I had not been taking graduate business evening courses. GAO would not have hired me in 1980 if I had not earned an MBA in 1976 and passed the CPA examination on my first attempt in 1979. GAO would not have promoted me in 1986 if I had not earned a master’s degree in accounting in 1980, passed the Certified Internal Auditor examination on my first attempt in 1981, and became a licensed CPA in 1981.
https://www.washingtontimes.com/news/2025/dec/22/universities-colleges-producing-employable-adults/
(FROM THE ARTICLE: These days, it’s rare for anyone to challenge sacred cows, but Charlie Kirk was the exception. He questioned one of America’s most entrenched assumptions: that everyone needs a college degree. He argued that college has become an overpriced credentialing system that fails to deliver on its age-old promises of rigorous education and better job prospects. Kirk asked tough questions with honest curiosity and respect, and he never backed down from calling out the problems in higher education, even when it made people uncomfortable. Genuine education demands engagement with difficult and often opposing ideas, something Charlie understood, and America’s colleges have largely ceased to provide. While the value has plummeted, the price tag has risen. Charlie Kirk brought this skepticism into mainstream discourse. Now, more than ever, people are questioning whether a college degree is worth it.)
— Democrats thrive on government fraud. A look at Minnesota Somalia, Obamacare, student loans and more.
https://www.washingtontimes.com/news/2025/dec/22/democrats-thrive-government-fraud/

NEW YORK POST
— Vance smashes AmericaFest 2028 straw poll, tops Trump’s position 2 years ago
https://nypost.com/2025/12/22/us-news/jd-vance-smashes-americafest-2028-straw-poll-tops-trumps-position-2-years-ago/
— Elite colleges admitting Asian students at incredible rates post affirmative action
https://nypost.com/2025/12/22/us-news/elite-colleges-admitting-one-student-minority-group-at-incredible-rates-post-affirmative-action/
— Heritage ousts two staffers as more scholars flee to Mike Pence’s group: ‘Brain drain’
https://nypost.com/2025/12/22/us-news/heritage-ousts-two-staffers-as-more-scholars-flee-to-mike-pences-group-brain-drain/
— It’s time to treat Bill Clinton like Prince Andrew — and banish him from polite society
https://nypost.com/2025/12/22/opinion/its-time-to-banish-bill-clinton-like-prince-andrew/
— DEI hollowed out a generation — and sapped America’s promise. DD: My Democrat superiors in the federal government used Affirmative Action, DEI, the veterans preference, and up-or-out to waste my career, to take many big adverse actions against me, and to force me to retire when I was 49 in 1997.
https://nypost.com/2025/12/22/opinion/dei-hollowed-out-a-generation-and-sapped-americas-promise/
— Mamdani doesn’t care about ‘upward mobility’, and his charter school snub proves it
https://nypost.com/2025/12/22/opinion/mamdani-doesnt-care-about-upward-mobility-and-his-charter-school-snub-proves-it/

BIZ PAC REVIEW
— University of Illinois lecture material is wildly bias, teaches ‘white supremacy and xenophobia brought on by … Trump’
https://www.bizpacreview.com/2025/12/22/university-of-illinois-lecture-material-is-wildly-bias-teaches-white-supremacy-and-xenophobia-brought-on-by-trump-1611831/
— School bus driver fired for sign directing students to speak English
https://www.bizpacreview.com/2025/12/22/school-bus-driver-fired-for-sign-directing-students-to-speak-english-1611767/

BREITBART
— Justice Department Ends Clinton Rule Giving Welfare to Migrants
https://www.breitbart.com/economy/2025/12/22/justice-department-ends-clinton-rule-giving-welfare-to-migrants/amp/

CAMPUS REFORM
— Of course students must master standard English
https://www.campusreform.org/article/prof-jenkins-course-students-must-master-standard-english/29175

DAILY SIGNAL
— Accreditation Mandates Bring CRT Into Colleges and K-12 Schools
https://www.dailysignal.com/2025/12/22/accreditation-mandates-bring-crt-into-colleges-and-k-12-schools/

FOX BUSINESS
— Sanctuary city policies are more interested in keeping illegal aliens in the country than protecting Americans
https://www.foxbusiness.com/video/6386843095112

NEWSMAX
— Ted Cruz Eyes 2028 Bid, Vance Showdown Looms
https://www.newsmax.com/politics/ted-cruz-2028-gop/2025/12/22/id/1239245/

PJ MEDIA
— DHS Now Offering Big Bucks for Illegals to Self-Deport
https://pjmedia.com/michaelcantrell/2025/12/22/dhs-now-offering-big-bucks-for-illegals-to-self-deport-n4947398

TURNING POINT USA
— FROM ERIKA KIRK: Thousands of students, patriots, and freedom fighters came together in the desert for the biggest conservative gathering of the year…This is what Charlie dreamed of — not just a crowd, but a movement gaining steam: 80% of attendees had never been to a Turning Point event before, More than one-third were students, Over half were young women, All 50 states were represented, And 40 breakout sessions trained students to lead
https://tpusa.com/

FROM NATIONAL CENTER-LEFT SOURCES

CBS NEWS
— Turning Point USA’s AmericaFest puts conservative rift on display as Vance urges unity
https://www.cbsnews.com/news/turning-point-usa-feuding-jd-vance-ben-shapiro-tucker-carlson/

NEW YORK TIMES
— Playwrights Horizons Is Sued Over Discounts to People of Color. The lawsuit, against the prominent Off Broadway theater, is backed by Edward Blum, who has long challenged race-based policies.
https://www.nytimes.com/2025/12/22/theater/playwrights-horizons-lawsuit-race-based-discounts.html

WALL STREET JOURNAL
— Migrants Who Self-Deport to Be Paid $3,000 in ‘Exit Bonus’ DD: In 1993, to get rid of GAO employees who were Republican, White, male, older, and/or non-veteran and who had 25 years of federal service, the Democrats who ran GAO offered a $25,000 buyout if they took early retirement.
https://www.wsj.com/politics/policy/trump-dhs-migrant-self-deportation-payment-e3ea8933
— Top Heritage Officials Flee to Mike Pence’s Nonprofit as Think Tank Fractures. Conservative movement continues to splinter about how to deal with its most controversial voices.
https://www.wsj.com/politics/elections/top-heritage-officials-flee-to-mike-pences-nonprofit-as-think-tank-fractures-28765f2b

December 22, 2025

FROM ILLINOIS CENTER-LEFT SOURCES

DAILY HERALD
— FRONT PAGE TOP OF FOLD WITH PICTURE: DD: As Democrats move in, poverty and crime increase. DuPage County is a prime example. Democrats have flooded DuPage County since I moved to it in 1978. Poverty and crime have ever-increasingly increased in relative terms if not absolute terms. As time goes on, the Democrats who move have lower and lower and lower incomes. Democrats vote for Democrats. The Democrat Party platform promotes poverty and crime. It destroys personal responsibility. It promotes dependency on government and charity. It promotes vices. I destroys traditional marriage and family. It promotes LGBTQ and abortion. It destroys equal opportunity. It promotes Affirmative Action and DEI, that is, it promotes race and gender based preference giving, patronage, political affiliation discrimination, reverse discrimination, age discrimination, religious discrimination, and national origin discrimination. It promotes hatred against Republicans, and especially against Republicans who are conservative, White, male, older, non-poor, married, Protestant, German American, and/or have ancestors who have been in America for a long time.
https://www.dailyherald.com/20251221/news/neighbors-in-need-glen-ellyn-nonprofit-provides-families-a-bridge-to-a-better-place/
(FROM THE ARTICLE: The CEO of the Glen Ellyn-based nonprofit, Bridge Communities, said more than 3,000 DuPage County schoolchildren are registered as homeless. Van Polen said about 44% of county renters are “rent-burdened,” paying more than 30% of their income for rent. Expenses rise, she said, and wages don’t keep up. . .A typical client, who averages a little over two years working with Bridge mentors while living in one of the 25 apartment buildings Bridge owns countywide, is a single mother in her late 20s with one to three children, Van Polen said. She works, but her job doesn’t provide a living wage. So she has her children stay with relatives while she may live out of her car. There might be a history of domestic violence.)

CHICAGO SUN-TIMES
— Inex­per­i­enced, poorly trained ICE and bor­der patrol agents could face legal trouble. DD: IRS hired me when I was 22 years old in 1971 as a GS-7, currently $55,850/year, Revenue Officer. I spend my first 6 months in classroom training. See below from Google AI. IRS promoted me to GS-9, currently $68,315/year, in 1972, to GS-11, currently $82,655/year, in 1973, and to GS-12, currently $99,069/year, in 1974. My Democrat IRS superiors got more and more and more furious at the GAO manager who promoted me. According to them, those promotions should have been given to my Democrat coworkers who were minority, female, younger, and/or veteran. They forced him to transfer to Dallas, and to get rid of me, they disallowed my travel vouchers in 1974, they disallowed my education deductions in 1978, and they made it clear that they would never promote me to GS13. They ignored/dismissed/belittled my earning an MBA in 1976 and my passing the CPA examination on my first attempt in 1979. The aforesaid led to my transferring to GAO in 1980.
https://www.pressreader.com/usa/chicago-sun-times/20251222/281719800932521
(FROM GOOGLE AI: IRS revenue officer (RO) training involves extensive on-the-job training in tax law, collection techniques, and civil investigative methods. The program typically spans up to a year and includes a series of in-person training units held in various cities. Training Details On-the-Job Focus: New hires receive substantial on-the-job training, which can last anywhere from several months to a year. Structured Units: The training is often delivered in multiple units (e.g., Unit 1 through Unit 4) in various locations. Trainees have reported traveling to different cities for these multi-week sessions. Core Curriculum: The curriculum is designed to educate officers in the specifics of tax law and the techniques necessary for collecting delinquent taxes and securing delinquent returns. This includes: Conducting research, interviews, and investigations. Analyzing financial information for assigned cases. Understanding business law, including laws governing fraudulent transfers and secured debts. Learning how to interact with taxpayers and their representatives, often in the field at homes or businesses. Assessment: Training involves open-book tests, and satisfactory completion of the required levels is often a prerequisite for continued employment and promotion. Continuing Education: Once initial training is complete, officers must stay current with changes in the tax code and enforcement procedures throughout their careers. Post-Training Work Environment After successfully completing the initial training year, revenue officers may be eligible for frequent telework up to four days a week, depending on performance and management discretion. Application Process and Requirements To become an IRS revenue officer, a bachelor’s degree in any major is generally required, or a combination of education and specialized experience. While the IRS doesn’t specify a major, degrees in accounting or finance can be advantageous. . .Key Responsibilities Collection of Delinquent Taxes: The primary duty is to collect unpaid taxes, typically for cases with significant, long-ignored debt. Securing Delinquent Returns: They survey for and secure unfiled tax returns. Taxpayer Interaction: They contact and interview taxpayers (or their representatives) face-to-face or by phone, often at the taxpayer’s home or business, to discuss their financial situation and resolve the debt. Financial Analysis: They analyze financial information, often using IRS Form 433-A, Collection Information Statement, to determine a taxpayer’s ability to pay. Negotiation and Resolution: They educate taxpayers on their rights and obligations and work to resolve liabilities through various means, including: Setting up installment payment agreements. Considering Offers in Compromise (OIC). Suspending collection due to financial hardship (currently not collectible status). Enforcement Actions: If a taxpayer is uncooperative, they can take enforcement actions, which may include recommending the imposition of liens, garnishing wages, levying bank accounts, and seizing assets. Referrals: They can make referrals to IRS Criminal Investigation (CI) if they suspect tax fraud or other criminal violations.)

NPR ILLINOIS
— DD: Democrat leaders ever-increasingly call Republicans who are the following bigots: conservative, White, male, older, non-poor, heterosexual, married, Protestant, German American, and/or have ancestors who have been in America for a long time.
https://www.nprillinois.org/2025-12-22/vance-refuses-to-set-red-lines-over-bigotry-at-turning-point-usas-convention

CENTRAL ILLINOIS PROUD
— Trump removes nearly 30 career diplomats from ambassadorial positions. DD: While I worked for the Democrats who ran GAO 1980-1997, they used Gingrich budget cuts to removed thousands of GAO employees who were Republican, White, male, older, and/or non-veteran.
https://www.centralillinoisproud.com/news/politics/ap-trump-removes-nearly-30-career-diplomats-from-ambassadorial-positions/

ADVANTAGE NEWS
— State rep Nicole La Ha, R-Homer Glen, calls out violent rhetoric after Pritzker commission rips federal officers
https://www.advantagenews.com/news/local/state-rep-calls-out-violent-rhetoric-after-pritzker-commission-rips-federal-officers/article_c8457e75-49c3-4733-9024-4d9d8d178871.html

DES PLAINES PATCH
— Du Page Democrats hosted the annual holiday party. Du Page Democrats hosted the annual holiday party. Large numbers members of the Chicago community  Elected prominent figures in attendance.
https://patch.com/illinois/desplaines/du-page-democrats-hosted-annual-holiday-party
(FROM THE ARTICLE: On Friday, December 12, 2025, the DuPage County Democratic Party celebrated its yearly holiday party under the leadership of County Chairman Reed McCollum. Many members of the Muslim community, as well as a number of Muslim elected officials and upcoming Muslim candidates, were there. Ashfaq Hussain, a member of the Naperville City Council; Saba Haider, a member of the DuPage County Board; Syed Hussain, a candidate for US Congress District 8th Junaid; former Glendale Heights Mayor Chaudhry Asif Khokar; Mahnoor Ahmed, a candidate for the DuPage County Board; and a number of other attendees attended the annual holiday dinner. The yearly holiday party was held by the DuPage Democrats. With a large number of community members and public leaders present, the event was a huge success. The occasion took place on Friday, December 12, 2025. Dinner and activities started at 6:30 PM after the doors were opened at 5:30 PM. Abbington Distinctive Banquets hosted the event. The purpose of the event was to generate money, honor the party’s accomplishments, and unite candidates and elected leaders. Christian Mitchell, the upcoming Lieutenant Governor of Illinois, gave the event’s keynote address. To assist local families, the DuPage Young Democrats organized a holiday supply drive in tandem with the event. Bringing together elected officials, party candidates, volunteers, and community members to promote partnerships and camaraderie was one of the event’s main goals. Honoring Success: The party’s recent achievements, especially its wins in the April elections, were honored at the ceremony. Additionally, the party utilized the event as a fundraiser to support the election of Democrats in DuPage County. Along with outlining the party’s future objectives and tactics, participants also talked on the opportunities and difficulties for the upcoming year. The recent DuPage Democrats’ annual event featured a number of keynote speakers, including: The event’s keynote speaker, Christian Mitchell, will be Illinois’s next lieutenant governor. Dr. Robin Kelly was present at the ceremony and gave a speech. She commended Reed McCollum, the chairman of the DuPage County party, for his attempts to change DuPage County from being “red” (with a Republican majority) to “blue” (with a Democratic majority). Among the prominent sponsors and speakers were Illinois Lieutenant Governor Julina Stratton and US Congress candidate Junaid Ahmed. Along with these keynote speakers, the audience was addressed by over eighty other elected officials, candidates for the Senate and Congress, and local leaders. The main political goal of Julina Stratton is to represent Illinois in the US Senate. Currently serving as Illinois’ lieutenant governor, she has formally begun her campaign for the U.S. Senate in 2026. She discusses focusing on the concerns of middle-class families, increasing wages, and making life more affordable. She stated that she is in favor of ideas like “Medicare for All” and increasing access to healthcare. She Furth mentioned supporters of federal protection of voting and reproductive rights, as has been done in Illinois. Her campaign focused heavily on opposing former President Donald Trump and promoting Illinois’s accomplishments across the country. She was the first major Democratic candidate to enter the race, supported by Governor J.B. Pritzker. Junaid Ahmed, a Muslim candidate for Congress, focuses on fighting to create an effective and equitable economy. ensuring that every citizen has access to high-quality, affordable healthcare. attaining environmental justice and combating the climatic problem. He emphasized fighting for fair justice and civil rights even more.)

FROM ILLINOIS CENTER-RIGHT SOURCES

MCHENRY COUNTY BLOG
— McHenry County Republicans Decide Not to Have Rod Blagojevich as Lincoln Day Dinner Speaker
https://www.mchenrycountyblog.com/2025/12/22/mchenry-county-republicans-decide-not-to-have-rod-blagojevich-as-lincoln-day-dinner-speaker/
— What Ever Happened to Lee Daniels?
https://www.mchenrycountyblog.com/2025/12/21/what-ever-happened-to-lee-daniels/
— Comparing Wealth Across Illinois
https://www.mchenrycountyblog.com/2025/12/21/comparing-wealth-across-illinois/
— Sue Rezin on Assisted Suicide Law
https://www.mchenrycountyblog.com/2025/12/21/sue-rezin-on-assisted-suicide-law/
— Capparelli Endorsed for U.S. Senate by Italian Group
https://www.mchenrycountyblog.com/wp-admin/post.php?post=15317&action=edit
— Woodstock Cited as One of Six Best Places to Retire in Illinois, What Are the Other Five?
https://www.mchenrycountyblog.com/2025/12/21/15314/

FROM NATIONAL CENTER-RIGHT SOURCES

NEW YORK POST
— Major signs of another coming Dark Age — collapsing the West could make history repeat.
https://nypost.com/2025/12/21/opinion/major-signs-of-another-coming-dark-age-collapsing-the-west-could-make-history-repeat/

FOX NEWS
— Leaked University of Illinois lecture material blames Trump for ‘white supremacy,’ embraces far-left activism. Leaked PowerPoint slides show EDUC 201 course promotes far-wing talking points on immigration and race.
https://www.foxnews.com/us/leaked-university-illinois-lecture-material-blames-trump-white-supremacy-embraces-far-left-activism
— Radical wokeism threatens American liberty
https://www.foxnews.com/video/6386808265112
— White House teases major housing affordability plan as prices squeeze Americans. DD: Where did the money come from for your first down payment? Back in the good old days, mine came from what I had earned working for IRS for 15 months, working part-time for a Firestone Store for 21 months, and working for that store full-time for 7 months before that. I bought a new town home in University Park ( https://www.zillow.com/homedetails/774-Sunset-Ct-5-University-Park-IL-60484/5451474_zpid/ ) when I was 24 years old in September of 1972. Zillow estimates it to be worth $90,800 today. IRS had just promoted me and my salary had increased from $55,850/year to $68,315/year in today’s dollars. I had bought a new 1972 Corvette in 1971. I had paid tuition for three graduate evening business courses at Loyola in 1972.
https://www.foxnews.com/politics/white-house-teases-major-housing-affordability-plan-prices-squeeze-americans

JONATHAN TURLEY
— Yale No Longer Has a Single Republican Professor Across 27 Departments. DD: While I worked for the Democrats who ran the federal government for almost 30 years, virtually all of my superiors, supervisors, coworkers, and subordinates were Democrats. Many, most, and at times virtually all of them were minority, female, younger than me, veteran, non-Protestant, non-German American, and/or had ancestors who had not been in America for a long time.
https://jonathanturley.org/2025/12/21/study-yale-has-eliminated-all-republican-faculty-from-27-departments/

LAW ENFORCEMENT TODAY
— New Orleans Exposes Media Lies About ICE Enforcement
https://lawenforcementtoday.com/new-orleans-operation-catahoula-crunch-exposes-media-lies-about-ice-enforcement

NEWSMAX
— Homan: Politicians’ Rhetoric Will Bring More Bloodshed for ICE
https://www.newsmax.com/newsfront/tom-homan-ice-immigration/2025/12/21/id/1239170/

FROM NATIONAL CENTER-LEFT SOURCES

ABC NEWS
— Vance rallies conservatives, honors Charlie Kirk at Turning Point USA convention. Earlier this week, Erika Kirk endorsed Vance for president in 2028.
https://abcnews.go.com/Politics/vice-president-jd-vance-rallies-conservatives-honors-charlie/story?id=128605789

ASSOCIATED PRESS
— Turning Point convention’s young attendees praise VP Vance’s closing speech and 2028 outlook
https://apnews.com/video/turning-point-conventions-young-attendees-praise-vp-vances-closing-speech-and-2028-outlook-6c047838edd643c0b0691e8217a03e53

CNN
— Turning Point exposed a brewing MAGA civil war. Can Vance unite it? DD: I should write about my critics/opponents who had their saboteurs destroy TAPROOT Republicans of Illinois in 2012 and Illinois Center Right Coalition in 2007.
https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/politics/turning-point-exposed-a-brewing-maga-civil-war-can-jd-vance-unite-it/ar-AA1SMRCm

NEW YORK TIMES
— Mitt Romney: Tax the Rich, Like Me. DD: Who wants you to pay more taxes and why? Starting when I was 18 years old in 1966, my critics/opponents have hinted/implied/argued/shouted that I should pay more taxes because I was an overpaid federal employee, I avoided the Vietnam War draft, I itemized, my wife had good-paying jobs, we itemized, we gave up trying to have children, we did not adopt, we did not become foster parents, etc.
https://www.nytimes.com/2025/12/19/opinion/romney-tax-the-rich.html
— DD: Democrat leaders ever-increasingly shout that if you cannot afford something, it is Trump’s fault. There are many things that I could/cannot afford because my Democrat superiors in the federal government wasted my career and forced me to retire when I was 49 years old in 1997.
https://www.nytimes.com/2025/12/20/upshot/affordability-democrats-trump.html
— DD: Democrat leaders ever-increasingly call Republicans who are the following bigots: conservative, White, male, older, non-poor, heterosexual, married, Protestant, German American, and/or have ancestors who have been in America for a long time.
https://www.nytimes.com/2025/12/21/us/politics/vance-republicans-trump-antisemitism.html
–DD: Democrat and RINO leaders ever-increasingly push more pot. Pot is poison.
https://www.nytimes.com/2025/12/19/opinion/trump-marijuana-policy.html

WASHINGTON POST
— The diversity overcorrection in the workplace. Discrimination against young White men was an open secret in hiring. 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. The Democrats who ran IRS in 1972, 1973, and 1974 promoted me because I was better qualified than my Democrat, minority, female, younger person, and veteran coworkers. I was taking graduate evening business courses. The Democrats who ran GAO 1986 promoted me because I was better qualified than my Democrat, minority, female, younger person, and veteran coworkers. I had earned an MBA in 1976. I had passed the CPA examination on my first attempt in 1979. I had earned a master’s degree in accounting in 1980. I had passed the Certified Internal Auditor examination on my first attempt in 1981. I had become a licensed CPA in 1981.
https://www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/2025/12/21/diversity-hiring-white-men/

NBC PHOENIX
— Vance closes out Turning Point’s annual AmericaFest conference in Phoenix. The conference drew more than 30,000 people to downtown Phoenix.
https://www.12news.com/article/news/politics/vice-president-jd-vance-closes-out-turning-points-annual-americafest-conference-in-phoenix-arizona/75-d864ef69-d5ff-4c98-858a-8f4b23ea575d
— Turning Point’s annual AmericaFest conference in Phoenix draws ‘counterpoint’ protest. DD: My critics/opponents oppose/despise/hate not only Kirk and Turning Point, they oppose/despise/hate conservatives like me. Should I write about my critics/opponents. I would focus on those who have lots of religious/government/political/financial clout in Wheaton, Milton Township, DuPage County, and Illinois. I would focus on those who have had their operatives and dupes take the biggest adverse actions against me lately.
https://www.12news.com/video/news/politics/turning-points-annual-americafest-conference-in-phoenix-draws-counterpoint-protest/75-359c4cfa-d554-4045-87a6-81cc04185ce7

WALL STREET JOURNAL
— By All Means Raise Mitt Romney’s Taxes. But please spare the middle class trying to become rich like him.
https://www.wsj.com/opinion/by-all-means-raise-mitt-romneys-taxes-5e936cf6
— Would You Let Claude Do Your Taxes? Preparing a return is the kind of task AI ought to be good for. DD: I use and recommend Quicken and TurboTax.
https://www.wsj.com/opinion/would-you-let-claude-do-your-taxes-d7517b52
— What to Do if You Suspect You’re About to Be Laid Off. DD: My Democrat GAO superiors deliberately misled me into believing that they were going to let me work until I was eligible for regular retirement when I was 55 in 2003. But they succeeded in suddenly forcing me to retire when I was 49 in September of 1997.
https://www.wsj.com/lifestyle/careers/holiday-layoff-signs-workers-81df9d0e
— The True Meaning of Empathy
https://www.wsj.com/opinion/the-true-meaning-of-empathy-5b93dfca
(FROM THE ARTICLE: Some people are performers. In June 2020, Nancy Pelosi and Chuck Schumer led a group kneeling in the U.S. Capitol wearing African kente stoles. National Football League end zones say “Choose Love” and “It Takes All of Us.” Empathy? More like images over action. Then there are coddlers. They paternalistically throw money at problems: welfare, drug programs, ObamaCare. They create rules and regulations to protect “marginalized” groups: Title IX, affirmative action and federal contract set-asides. To pay for it, they rationalize redistribution of wealth so the world can be “fair” for everyone. This progressive playbook often fails. See low-income housing, preferential college admissions and rising insurance premiums. Is letting men on women’s swim teams and in women’s bathrooms empathy? I can’t get there. . .New York Mayor-elect Zohran Mamdani is a coddler: “We will prove that there is no problem too large for government to solve, and no concern too small for it to care about.” Yikes. Is that empathy or a threat? Sadly, we know how the latter ends. Lately there has been talk of a $140,000 poverty line for a family of four. See what I mean? Economist Milton Friedman put it best: “One of the great mistakes is to judge policies and programs by their intentions rather than their results.” Intentions like “social justice” inevitably lead to organizing and activism and raised taxes—empathy is expensive!—and redistribution of wealth, without solving the underlying problems. For me, empathy and that elusive righteousness is about restoring lost dignity. And that often means setting up rules and then getting out of the way and letting freedom and free markets do their magic. There is little political credit for that whole “freedom” thing. Just results. The American way is: Do what you want, but respect the dignity of others. An essential part of respect is to not be pitied. Freedom is dignity. That’s true empathy.)

FORBES
— Healthcare Demand Is Rapidly Growing. DD: How good has your health been? My critics/opponents have always been envious of my relative good health. They ignore/dismiss/belittle that I cannot run because I have a bone disease, my eyesight cannot be corrected to 20/20, and I have partial red/green color blindness. They have always hinted/implied/argued/shouted that if I had not avoided the Vietnam War draft, my health would never have been as good.
https://www.forbes.com/sites/saibala/2025/12/21/healthcare-demand-is-rapidly-growing/

NIEMAN LAB
— DD: Democrat and RINO leaders use DEI to get rid of Republicans.
https://www.niemanlab.org/2025/12/dei-dies-in-darkness-taking-integrity-with-it/

FREE PRESS
— DD: According to my critics/opponents, a) those who are the following have never been discriminated against: conservative, Republican, White, male, older, non-poor, heterosexual, married, Protestant, German American, and/or have ancestors who have been in America for a long time and b) those who are the aforesaid discriminate against those who are not the aforesaid. I should write about my critics/opponents.
https://www.thefp.com/p/should-we-feel-sorry-for-white-men

NPR
— Shopping for pricy ACA health plans? Some cheaper options come with trade-offs. DD: Are/were your healthcare insurance premiums subsidized? Ever since I became a part-time postal employee when was 18 in 1966, my critics/opponents have been furious that the federal government has paid 72% of my healthcare insurance premiums. They have been even more furious ever since I got married when I was 29 and the federal government started paying 72% of my wife’s healthcare insurance premiums. That 72% subsidy is a major reason why people despise/hate federal employees, federal retirees, and their spouses. That 72% subsidy helped me withstand tremendous efforts by my Democrat superiors in the federal government to waste my career and to get rid of me.
https://www.npr.org/sections/shots-health-news/2025/12/21/nx-s1-5649902/aca-health-plans-costs-alternatives

FROM FOREIGN SOURCES

MEAWW
— You don’t have to apologize for being white anymore. DD: To get more votes from minorities and from females, Democrat and RINO candidates promote more hatred against Whites and against males.
https://news.meaww.com/jd-vance-says-trump-ended-dei-you-dont-have-to-apologize-for-being-white-anymore

HINDUSTAN TIMES
— CEO’s take on merit, privilege and success divides internet. DD: Because I was able to earn three master’s degrees, six professional certifications, and a professional license even though neither of my parents attended college, my father was only the first of my ancestors to earn a high school diploma, and my mother attended high school, my critics/opponents have always hinted/implied/argued/shouted that I benefitted tremendously from discrimination against those who not share my demographics, that is, those who are liberal/moderate, minority, female, younger, veteran, unmarried, LGBTQ, non-Protestant, non-German American, have ancestors who have not been in America for a long time, and/or are noncitizens. I should write about my critics/opponents. I would focus on those whose parents had the most money.
https://www.msn.com/en-in/money/news/90-of-life-is-ceo-s-take-on-merit-privilege-and-success-divides-internet/ar-AA1SMc3r
(FROM THE ARTICLE: A LinkedIn post by Rohan Verma, CEO and co-founder of Breathe Well-being, has sparked a discussion online about privilege, merit and the role of luck in shaping life outcomes. In his post, Verma argued that educational pedigree and family background play a decisive role in determining future success. He claimed that those who attend elite institutions such as Ivy League universities or India’s IITs and IIMs are far more likely to see their children enter top colleges and corporate leadership roles, while people engaged in low-paid or manual labor largely come from poor families, irrespective of talent or hard work. “If you went to an Ivy League or the IIT/IIM route, your kids will likely attend a good college. And there is zero chance that they will end up doing manual labor. If you are a billionaire, your kids will 100% attend Yale, Stanford, or Harvard (or something similar). And they will later become Board Chairmen and CEOs,” Verma wrote in his post. “On the other hand, – 100% of people doing lowly paid jobs or manual labor come from poor families — regardless of their IQ, talent, or propensity for hard work,” he continued. “This is how privilege persists over generations,” Verma wrote, adding that many manual laborers could have been corporate leaders “had they been born differently”. He concluded by saying that “probably 90% of life is luck,” with only a small fraction accounting for inspirational stories of people who rise against all odds. True humility and awareness, he added, come from recognizing which parts of one’s life fall into that 90%.

FROM OTHER SOURCES

HARPER COLLEGE
— Accounting Program DD: I will forever regret not majoring in accounting from the beginning. I wrongly believed that I could never pass the CPA examination. I did not start taking graduate evening 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 the Certified Internal Auditor examination on my first attempt until I was 32. I did not become a licensed CPA until I was 32. By then, my IRS and GAO superiors and the accounting profession considered me to be far too old. They would not have done that if I had been a Democrat, minority, female, and/or veteran. I should have majored in accounting at UIC 1966-1968, NIU 1969-1970, and Loyola 1972-1976.
https://www.harpercollege.edu/academics/business/accounting/index.php
(FROM THE POSTING: Start your accounting career at Harper College. Take the first steps toward becoming an accountant, bookkeeper, or financial auditor. Harper’s Accounting Program offers several courses of study, including certificate programs that prepare students for the Certified Public Accountant (CPA) exam and entry-level roles in business and finance. Associate degrees with transfer options are also available, with Advising Services to help students plan the transfer process and provide information on what accounting classes would fit best with the student’s academic and career goals. Students will learn practical knowledge and skills essential to succeed in business careers. Harper’s Accounting courses are designed to equip students with a strong foundation in auditing, financial and managerial accounting, and business law. For professional accounting students, Harper’s Accounting Program offers an exam preparation certificate that meets Illinois Board of Examiners (ILBOE) requirements for the Uniform CPA Exam. Whether you are earning the first two years of your bachelor’s degree in accounting or if you are developing your skills as a current professional, Harper College’s Accounting Program is a valuable stepping stone toward a successful career in accounting and business finance. Get started today by exploring the Harper’s degree and certificate offerings.

CPA PRACTICE ADVISOR
— 7 in 10 Managers Say Supervising Gen Z Feels Like Babysitting or Parenting. About 61% say their Gen Z reports require frequent hand-holding, while 52% say they struggle to follow basic instructions. DD: All those who my Democrat IRS and GAO superiors assigned me to supervise were Democrat, minority, female, younger, veteran, disabled, non-Protestant, non-German American, had ancestors who had not been in America for a long time, and/or had performance problems.
https://www.cpapracticeadvisor.com/2025/07/22/7-in-10-managers-say-supervising-gen-z-feels-like-babysitting-or-parenting/165375/

PWC
— DD: PWC wants to hire an experienced internal auditor who is a CPA and Certified Internal Auditor (CIA). Should I apply? Just kidding. I passed the CPA examination on my first attempt in 1979. I passed the CIA examination on my first attempt in 1981. I became a licensed CPA in 1981. I earned additional job-related professional certifications in 1990, 1994, 1996, and 1997. I earned an MBA in 1976. I earned a master’s degree in accounting in 1980. I earned a master’s degree in finance in 1997.
https://talentexchange.pwc.com/bp-audit-support-contractor-jobs/31211

December 21, 2025

FROM CENTER-LEFT SOURCES

CHICAGO TRIBUNE
— DD: Democrat leaders ever-increasingly a) glorify and praise their illegals and b) fight their deportation.
https://www.chicagotribune.com/2025/12/20/volunteers-bringing-holiday-bliss-to-needy-immigrant-families/
https://www.chicagotribune.com/2025/12/21/broadview-six-protest-ice-charges/
https://www.chicagotribune.com/2025/12/19/chicago-immigration-enforcement-raids/
https://www.chicagotribune.com/2025/12/18/broadview-zoning-ice-center/
https://www.chicagotribune.com/2025/12/18/illinois-accountability-commission-pritzker-border-patrol/
— DD: Democrat leaders ever-increasingly demonize, denigrate, and condemn Trump.
https://www.chicagotribune.com/2025/12/21/column-donald-trump-kennedy-center-susie-wiles-page/

CHICAGO SUN-TIMES
–DD: What helped you earn a bachelor’s degree? For me, back in the good old days, it was my parents who provided me with room and board while I took classes at UIC 1966-1968, weekends during my first semester at NIU in 1969, and the summer of 1969. For me, it was the money I earned delivering mail for the Park Forest Post Office part-time during the school years and full-time during the summers 1966-1969. The aforesaid enabled me to graduate debt-free from NIU with a bachelor’s degree in management in August of 1970 and owing a 1969 Dodge Charger SE.
https://chicago.suntimes.com/education/2025/12/18/in-austin-neighborhood-of-chicago-black-mentors-are-making-college-possible

DAILY HERALD
— DD: Democrat leaders ever-increasingly a) glorify and praise their illegals and b) fight their deportation.
https://www.dailyherald.com/20251219/lifestyle/downers-grove-woman-helps-form-operation-midway-bliss-to-assist-those-affected-by-ice/

CENTRAL ILLINOIS PROUD
— DD: Anticipate/expect that Democrats and RINOs will use Trump’s pot order to push more and more and more pot. Pot is poison. I led the successful effort to stop the sale of pot in Wheaton in 2019.
https://www.centralillinoisproud.com/business/press-releases/accesswire/1119813/after-trumps-marijuana-executive-order-will-the-dea-face-a-court-imposed-deadline-from-mmjs-writ-of-mandamus/

FROM CENTER-RIGHT SOURCES

WASHINGTON EXAMINER
— Netflix’s merger threatens to push more woke dogma on Americans
https://www.washingtonexaminer.com/restoring-america/faith-freedom-self-reliance/4044489/netflix-warner-bros-merger-threatens-more-woke-dogma/

DAILY WIRE
— How Universities Divert Federal Science Grants To DEI And Administrative Bloat. 56% overhead rate funds college administrators under the guise of science grants.
https://www.dailywire.com/news/how-universities-divert-federal-science-grants-to-dei-and-administrative-bloat

PJ MEDIA
— The Left Offers Slavery, Nothing Else.
https://pjmedia.com/caskeet/2025/12/20/the-left-offers-slavery-nothing-else-n4947341

FROM CENTER-LEFT SOURCES

THE HILL
— Turley: Democratic despotism: The left moves from censored to compelled speech
https://thehill.com/opinion/civil-rights/5657977-democratic-despotism-the-left-moves-from-censored-to-compelled-speech/
— Trump endorses GOP’s Blakeman for New York governor a day after Stefanik exits race. DD: Which of the candidates on the Republican primary ballot in your precinct a) have sought Trump’s endorsement and/or b) have gotten Trump’s endorsement?
https://thehill.com/homenews/campaign/5658614-trump-endorses-blakeman-ny-governor/
— DD: What helped you escape liberal indoctrination? I majored in business at UIC 1966-1968, NIU 1969-1970, and Loyola 1972-1976. I majored in accounting at DePaul 1976-1980. I majored in finance at IIT 1992-1997.
https://thehill.com/opinion/education/5601601-college-indoctrination-myth-exposed/

ABC NEWS
— Here’s what you missed at Turning Point’s chaotic convention. Turning Point USA’s AmericaFest convention has been marked by internal feuds among conservative figures. DD: Who leads TPUSA in Illinois, in DuPage County, in Milton Township, in Wheaton, and in Wheaton Warrenville School District 200? I want to promote TPUSA activities. I should write about my critics/opponents who had their operatives and their dupes destroy TAPROOT Republicans of Illinois and the Illinois Center Right coalition.
https://abcnews.go.com/US/wireStory/missed-turning-points-chaotic-convention-128592455
(FROM THE ARTICLE: Some of the biggest names in conservative media took turns torching each other on the main stage, spending more time targeting right-wing rivals than their left-wing opponents. The feuds could ultimately define the boundaries of the Republican Party and determine the future of President Donald Trump’s fractious coalition, which appears primed for more schisms in the months and years ahead.)

CNN
— Top lawyer for military joint chiefs told chairman that officers should retire if faced with an unlawful order. DD: To be an employee is to be someone who obeys orders. While I worked for the Democrats who ran the federal government for almost 30 years, I never disobeyed any of their orders. My Democrat IRS and GAO superiors ordered me to give tremendous preference to their Democrat employees who they assigned me to supervise. All of those employees were minority, female, much younger than me, veteran, disabled, and/or had performance problems. But because I complained about their political affiliation discrimination, reverse discrimination, and age discrimination and I became an active member in a class action lawsuit that charged them with the aforesaid discrimination when I was 40 years old in 1988, they wasted my career, they took many big adverse actions against me, and forced me to retire when I was 49 years old in 1997.
https://www.wisn.com/article/top-lawyer-for-military-joint-chiefs-told-chairman-that-officers-should-retire-if-faced-with-an-unlawful-order/69827195

ASSOCIATED PRESS
— Gender gap closing at Turning Point. Young conservative women embracing Erika Kirk at helm.
https://journalnow.com/news/nation-world/government-politics/article_b632d7be-f716-5ea6-b5f1-3ff96949bb96.html

MSN
— Career Advice. DD: What career advice did you reject? I refused to a) become a Democrat, b) glorify and praise my superiors and supervisors, c) pander to my superiors and supervisors, d) serve as an operative or as a dupe for my superiors and supervisors, and e) help them get rid of their employees because they were Republican, White, male, older, and/or non-veteran. Consequently, my Democrat superiors wasted my career, took many big adverse actions against me, and forced me to retire when I was 49 in 1997.
https://www.msn.com/en-us/money/careersandeducation/mcdonald-s-ceo-the-career-advice-i-would-give-if-i-wasn-t-afraid-to-hurt-your-feelings/ar-AA1SxFgj
— Millions of retirees are owed Social Security money – are you one of them? DD: My critics/opponents will be furious when they learn that because of a law that Biden signed, a) my Social Security increased from $3,000/year to $6,000/year, and now to $18,700/year and b) I got $3,200 and $14,000 backpay awards. Because of the law, I now can start getting 47% of my wife’s Social Security. I paid into Social security 1964-1973 while I washed dishes, cleaned golf shoes, chipped slag, pumped gasoline, delivered mail, worked on an automotive assemble line, sold tires, automotive services, and major appliances, and pumped more gasoline.
https://www.msn.com/en-us/money/retirement/millions-of-retirees-are-owed-social-security-money-are-you-one-of-them/ar-AA1SFaun
(FROM THE ARTICLE: Millions of public workers received a notice this year and saw something unexpected. The Social Security Administration (SSA) informed them that their Social Security checks were going up and a lump-sum payment was on the way. If you spent your career as a teacher, firefighter, police officer, or government worker and watched your Social Security get slashed by confusing rules, this is the change you’ve been waiting for. A newer law, called the Social Security Fairness Act, wipes out two long-hated penalties: the Windfall Elimination Provision (WEP) and the Government Pension Offset (GPO). Those rules used to cut or erase senior benefits for people who also had a pension from a job that didn’t pay into Social Security. Now they’re gone, and billions of dollars are being paid out. Here’s what the law actually does, who gets money, who doesn’t, and how much people are seeing. The Social Security Fairness Act became law on January 5, 2025, and repeals both WEP and GPO for benefits payable starting January 2024. WEP used to reduce retirement or disability benefits if you had a pension from “non-covered” work. This is a job where you didn’t pay Social Security tax. GPO reduced or wiped out spousal and survivor benefits for people with those same kinds of pensions. Together, those two rules cut benefits for more than 2.8 million people. Many of those were teachers, firefighters, police officers, and federal workers under old pension systems. Under the new law, December 2023 is the last month WEP and GPO apply. Any benefit payable for January 2024 and later must be calculated as if those penalties never existed. That means higher monthly checks going forward, and catch-up money for past qualifying months where your benefit was reduced. The new law does not help every public employee. To benefit, you must have a pension based on work that was not covered by Social Security taxes. These may include: State and local teachers, firefighters, and police officers. Federal workers covered by the old Civil Service Retirement System (CSRS), Some workers with foreign Social Security pensions.  If your pension comes from a job where you paid Social Security tax, you will not see a change from this law. Roughly 72% of state and local public employees fall into this group. You may qualify if: You already receive a reduced retirement or disability benefit because of WEP. You get a reduced or zero spousal or survivor benefit because of GPO. You have enough Social Security credits or a spouse or ex-spouse with enough credits, but you never applied because WEP or GPO made the benefit too small to bother with. The law covers benefits on your own record and benefits as a spouse or surviving spouse. It does not change your actual pension. It only changes the Social Security piece that was being cut because of the pension. The amount depends on your situation, but the numbers can be big. The Congressional Budget Office (CBO) estimates show that eliminating WEP alone raises monthly benefits by around $360 on average for affected workers. The GPO repeal adds even more for spouses and widows. The CBO estimates an average monthly increase of $700 for spouses and $1,190 for widows. On top of higher monthly checks, there are lump-sum back payments. Because the repeal applies to benefits payable from January 2024 onward, people who were already collecting in 2024 are owed money for every month their benefit was underpaid. By early March 2025, more than 1.1 million people had already received over $7.5 billion in retroactive payments, with an average lump sum of $6,710. As implementation continued, the totals grew. By early July 2025, more than 3.1 million payments had gone out, totaling about $17 billion, five months ahead of schedule. While some people get hundreds of dollars more per month, others see a more modest increase. The size of your non-covered pension, how much GPO or WEP used to take away, and whether you’re a worker, a spouse, or a surviving spouse are all key factors in how much you’ll receive. For people who were already receiving benefits reduced by WEP or GPO, the process was mostly automatic. In 2025, SSA recalculated records and sent a one-time lump-sum payment for benefits owed back to January 2024 and increased monthly payments going out in April 2025. If you were affected by WEP or GPO and think you might be entitled to an increased benefit or a back-dated lump sum but haven’t received any money or a notice, you need to take action. Check your “my Social Security” account to see the status of your benefits and contact SSA for help if you think there’s a problem. If you never applied for retirement, spousal, or survivor benefits because WEP or GPO made the amount tiny or zero, you most likely need to file a new application. Retroactive payment rules still apply, though, so back pay could be limited to six months in many retirement and survivor cases. So don’t wait, as the longer you delay, the more money you’re losing. . .If you have a pension from work that didn’t pay into your Social Security and your benefits were cut by WEP or GPO, you’re exactly who this law was written for. You should already have received your lump-sum back pay and have been seeing your increased benefit amount since April. If you haven’t and think you’re entitled to it, check with SSA. If you never bothered to apply because WEP and GPO made the benefit tiny or non-existent, you should reconsider claiming now. With back pay potentially limited to six months, act fast to put extra cash in your pocket sooner rather than later.)

NEW YORK TIMES
— FRONT PAGE TOP OF FOLD: Democrat leaders ever-increasingly shout that if you cannot afford something, it is Trump’s fault. There are many things that I could/cannot afford because my Democrat superiors in the federal government wasted my career and forced me to retire when I was 49 years old in 1997.
https://www.nytimes.com/2025/12/20/upshot/affordability-democrats-trump.html
— Turning Point’s Annual Gathering Turns Into a Gripefest. At AmericaFest, conservative leaders insulted one another, revealing serious rifts over conspiracy theories, antisemitism and who belongs in America. DD: Who leads TPUSA in Illinois, in DuPage County, in Milton Township, in Wheaton, and in Wheaton Warrenville School District 200? I want to promote TPUSA activities. I should write about my critics/opponents who had their operatives and their dupes destroy TAPROOT Republicans of Illinois and the Illinois Center Right coalition.
https://www.nytimes.com/2025/12/20/us/politics/turning-points-americafest-ben-shapiro.html
— DD: Anticipate/expect that more and more and more candidates will use criticisms of Trump to be more and more and more anti-conservate, anti-Republican, anti-American, anti-White, anti-male, anti-older-people, anti-heterosexual, anti-married people, anti-rich people, anti-Protestant, and/or anti-those whose ancestors have been in America for a long time.
https://www.nytimes.com/2025/12/19/us/politics/vivek-ramaswamy-anti-indian-hate.html
— DD: Democrat leaders ever-increasingly hint/imply/argue/shout that if you vote for Democrats, your health care will be free.
https://www.nytimes.com/2025/12/18/us/politics/health-care-gop.html

WASHINGTON POST
— The year Trump broke the federal government. How DOGE and the White House carried out a once-unthinkable transformation of the nation’s sprawling bureaucracy.
https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/interactive/2025/trump-federal-government-workers-doge/

FORBES
— DD: I should write about my critics/opponents who had their saboteurs destroy TAPROOT Republicans of the Illinois in 2012 and the Illinois Center Right Coalition in 2007. I would focus on my critics/opponents who still have lots of religious, government, political, and/or financial 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.forbes.com/sites/markmurphy/2025/11/30/theres-a-hidden-saboteur-in-your-meetings-and-theres-only-one-person-who-can-stop-it/

FAST COMPANY
— DD: To get rid of their employees who were Republican, White, male, older, and/or non-veteran, my Democrat GAO superiors and supervisors turned their employees who were Democrat, minority, female, and/or veteran against them.
https://www.fastcompany.com/91449043/most-leaders-misread-generational-tension-these-five-habits-resolve-it-generational-tension-workplace

TIMES RECORD
— Race-based hir­ing prac­tices remain illegal. DD: How has Affirmative Action (AA) and DEI impacted you? While I was young, employers had to hire, promote, and retain based on race and gender, that is, they had to hire, promote, and retain minorities and females. 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. Because I am not a Democrat, minority, female, or veteran, my Democrat superiors ever-increasingly used AA and DEI to promote over me their Democrat employees who were minority, female, younger, and/or veteran. That ever-increasingly rendered worthless my job-related bachelor’s degree, my three job-related master’s degrees, my six job-related professional certifications, and my job-related professional license.
https://www.pressreader.com/usa/times-record-ft-smith-southwest/20251221/281522232434308

NATIONAL CATHOLIC REPORTER
— DD: Ever-increasingly, Democrat leaders succeed in getting religious leaders to do their bidding.
https://www.ncronline.org/opinion/guest-voices/ice-nativity-offers-boston-archbishop-leadership-opportunity-apology

AMERICAN PROSPECT
— Another Mass Staffing Purge at the VA. DD: I worked for the Democrats who ran GAO 1980-1997. They used Gingrich budget cuts to purge the agency of its employees who were Republican, White, male, older, and/or non-veteran. They gave their managers of their Chicago office lists of employees to purge. Of course, I was on all those lists. I would not have survived for almost 18 years if I had not earned an MBA in 1976, passed the CPA examination on my first attempt in 1979, earned a master’s degree in accounting in 1980, passed the Certified Internal Auditor examination on my first attempt in 1981, became a licensed CPA in 1981, earned more professional certifications in 1990, 1994, 1996, and 1997, and earned a master’s degree in financial markets and trading in 1997. I should write about that.
https://prospect.org/2025/12/18/another-mass-staffing-purge-at-va/

WYOMING NEWS
— Two U.S. senators blast Trump’s nominee to be the federal attorney for Wyoming as being unqualified. DD: Were you promoted too fast? IRS promoted me when I was 23, 24, and 25. My Democrat and RINO critics/opponents have always hinted/implied/argued/shouted that I was promoted too fast, that is, that I was unqualified. My Democrat IRS superiors got rid of the IRS manager who promoted me. To get rid of me, they disallowed my travel vouchers when I was 25, they disallowed my education deductions when I was 29, and they never promoted me again. They ignored/dismissed/belittled/badmouthed my earning an MBA when I was 27 and my passing the CPA examination on my first attempt when I was 30. I should write about that.
https://www.wyomingnews.com/laramieboomerang/news/senators-blast-wyoming-s-u-s-attorney-as-unqualified-maga-loyalist-jan-6-supporter/article_8d8a98f8-6f07-44ee-b0db-45b0a4a75c8a.html

MITCH JACKSON
— How an Unqualified, Conspiracy Driven Loyalist Gained Power Inside the Department of Justice. DD: Were you promoted too fast? IRS promoted me when I was 23, 24, and 25. My Democrat and RINO critics/opponents have always hinted/implied/argued/shouted that I was promoted too fast, that is, that I was unqualified. My Democrat IRS superiors got rid of the IRS manager who promoted me. To get rid of me, they disallowed my travel vouchers when I was 25, they disallowed my education deductions when I was 29, and they never promoted me again. They ignored/dismissed/belittled/badmouthed my earning an MBA when I was 27 and my passing the CPA examination on my first attempt when I was 30. I should write about that.
https://mitchthelawyer.substack.com/p/ed-martin-how-an-unqualified-conspiracy

ATLANTIC
— America’s ‘Marriage Material’ Shortage. DD: Democrat leaders ever-increasing destroy traditional marriage and family. Under the Democrats, fewer and fewer and fewer people are marriage material. What helped make you 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 $108,978/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.
https://www.theatlantic.com/ideas/archive/2025/02/america-marriage-decline/681518/

NPR
— Inside Turning Point USA’s uneasy moment after Charlie Kirk. DD: Who leads TPUSA in Illinois, in DuPage County, in Milton Township, in Wheaton, and in Wheaton Warrenville School District 200? I want to promote TPUSA activities. I should write about my critics/opponents who had their operatives and their dupes destroy TAPROOT Republicans of Illinois and the Illinois Center Right coalition.
https://www.npr.org/2025/12/20/nx-s1-5648806/inside-turning-point-usas-uneasy-moment-after-charlie-kirk

FROM FOREIGN SOURCES

INDIAN EXPRESS
— Is the young, white male being pushed out? A new article is latest lightning rod in US culture wars. ‘The Lost Generation’, an article published in Compact magazine last week, alleges that DEI practices have squeezed young, white men out of prestige jobs in sectors such as media and television. It has reignited the debate on representation as the Trump administration goes after DEI programs.
https://indianexpress.com/article/explained/explained-global/young-white-male-us-10431501/

December 19, 2025

GOPUSA ILLINOIS
— Pot is poison. In 2019, I led the successful effort to stop the sale of pot in Wheaton. Pot drags you down. I have never used pot and I never will. Did your classmates and coworkers use pot?  What if your classmates had used pot? If my Crete-Monee High School classmates had used pot, my 1966 class ranking would have been higher. If I had used pot, my ACT score and my GPA would have been lower. UIC would not have accepted me in 1966 let alone NIU in 1969, Loyola in 1972, DePaul in 1976, and IIT in 1992. If I had used pot, I would not have passed on my first attempt the CPA examination in 1979 and the Certified Internal Auditor examination in 1981. If I had used pot, I would not have become a licensed CPA in 1981. If I had used pot, none of my employers would have hired me let alone promoted me. Firestone Stores would not have hired me in 1970. IRS would not have hired me in 1971 let alone promoted me in 1972, 1973, and 1974. GAO would not have hired me in 1980 let alone promoted me in 1986. If my IRS and GAO coworkers had used pot, I would have had less competition. I would have been promoted much faster and much higher than I was. – Dave Diersen
http://www.gopillinois.com
— Who is more likely to use pot? From what I see, it is those who have trouble dealing with reality, who have health, financial, and/or other problems, and/or who fall for vices. From what I see, they are more likely to be liberal, Libertarian, Democrat, RINO, minority, female, younger, unmarried, LGBTQ, non-Protestant, non-German American, and/or have ancestors who have not been in America for a long time. The more that you use pot, the sooner that you will crash and burn. – Dave Diersen
http://www.gopillinois.com

FROM ILLINOIS CENTER-LEFT SOURCES

NBC5
— Marijuana criminals flow into Illinois prisons as president relaxes weed status. DD: Democrat and RINO leaders ever-increasingly push more pot. Pot is poison. In 2019, I led the successful effort to stop the sale of pot in Wheaton.
https://www.nbcchicago.com/investigations/marijuana-criminals-flow-into-illinois-prisons-as-president-relaxes-weed-status/3865686/
https://www.nbcchicago.com/video/news/local/cannabis-reclassification-could-reshape-the-illinois-industry/3865691/

ABC7
— Illinois Accountability Commission holds 1st meeting on claims of abuse in ‘Operation Midway Blitz’
https://abc7chicago.com/post/chicago-operation-midway-blitz-news-illinois-accountability-commission-discusses-impact-federal-agents-using-chemical/18298598/
(FROM THE ARTICLE: The U.S. Department of Homeland Security on Thursday defended their agents actions, which they continue to say are exercised only in the face of grave threats and dangerous situations. “DHS law enforcement officers follow the law and the U.S. Constitution,” a statement from DHS read in part. “Our law enforcement show incredible restraint and professionalism in exhausting all options before any kind of non-lethal force is used.”)

CBS2
— Dozens more Chicago police officers and private security guards to begin patrolling CTA on Friday
https://www.cbsnews.com/chicago/news/cta-security-plan-police-officers-security-guards-patrols/

CHICAGO TRIBUNE
— DD: Democrat leaders ever-increasingly fight deportation of their illegals.
https://www.chicagotribune.com/2025/12/19/opinion-gregory-bovino-christmas-immigration-raids/

CHICAGO SUN-TIMES
— Trump admin ending grants for support services at many Illinois schools. The administration informed ACT Now Illinois last week that it is discontinuing its Community Schools grant, effective Dec. 31. DD: Democrat leaders use grants to promote the Democrat Party platform.
https://chicago.suntimes.com/education/2025/12/18/act-now-illinois-community-schools-grant-trump
— DD: Democrat and RINO leaders ever-increasingly push more pot. Pot is poison. In 2019, I led the successful effort to stop the sale of pot in Wheaton.
https://chicago.suntimes.com/marijuana/2025/12/18/cannabis-trump-reclassify-marijuana-research

DAILY HERALD
— Elgin council meeting paused twice following interruptions from residents frustrated with federal immigration enforcement tactics. DD: Democrat leaders ever-increasingly fight deportation of their illegals.
https://www.dailyherald.com/20251218/news/elgin-council-meeting-paused-twice-following-interruptions-from-residents-frustrated-with-federal-im/

ROCKFORD REGISTER STAR
— Want to talk affordability in Illinois? Start with taxes. DD: Ever-since I became an IRS employee when I was 22 years old in 1971, my critics/opponents have wanted me to pay more taxes. They were furious that I paid less federal income taxes by itemizing. They were even more furious that I paid less federal income tax by deducting my deducting my education expenses 1972-1981 and 1992-1997.
https://www.rrstar.com/story/opinion/columns/guest/2025/12/19/want-to-talk-affordability-in-illinois-start-with-taxes-opinion/87827310007/

JOURNAL COURIER
— DD: Democrat and RINO leaders ever-increasingly push more pot. Pot is poison. In 2019, I led the successful effort to stop the sale of pot in Wheaton.
https://www.myjournalcourier.com/business/article/cloud-lifts-over-cannabis-companies-future-amid-21250757.php
— Trump suspends green card lottery program that let Brown University, MIT shooting suspects into US
https://www.myjournalcourier.com/news/article/trump-suspends-green-card-lottery-program-that-21251664.php

ALTON TELEGRAPH
— Illinois bill would let people with past convictions run for office
https://www.thetelegraph.com/news/article/illinois-bill-convictions-office-21248130.php

WAND TV
— EEOC urges white men to report discrimination. DD: In Diersen v. GAO, the courts ruled that discrimination against older White males was not only legal, but that it is what Congress wanted.
https://www.wandtv.com/news/national/head-of-workplace-rights-agency-urges-white-men-to-report-discrimination/article_5098cb76-91e7-573c-8977-e20aeb5aad43.html

NORTHERN PUBLIC RADIO
— DD: Democrat leaders ever-increasingly side with Venezuela against America.
https://www.northernpublicradio.org/2025-12-18/venezuelans-brace-for-hardship-as-trump-threatens-oil-blockade

NPR ILLINOIS
— DD: The mainstream news media exists to promote more hatred against Trump.
https://www.nprillinois.org/2025-12-18/fcc-chair-faces-questions-about-threats-to-broadcasters-and-agencys-independence

POLITICO ILLINOIS
— December 19, 2025
https://www.politico.com/newsletters/illinois-playbook

CAPITOL FAX
— Morning briefing
https://capitolfax.com/2025/12/19/isabel%e2%80%99s-morning-briefing-651/

FROM ILLINOIS CENTER-RIGHT SOURCES

JOHN KASS
— Which Identity Is Unworthy? It Might Be Yours. DD: According to Democrat and RINO leaders, the following identities are unworthy: conservative, Republican, American, White, male, older, heterosexual, married, non-poor, Protestant, German American, and/or whose ancestors have been in America for a long time.
https://johnkassnews.com/which-identity-is-unworthy-it-might-be-yours/

MCHENRY COUNTY BLOG
— Pritzker Wasn’t Paying Attention During the 1974 RTA Referendum
https://www.mchenrycountyblog.com/2025/12/19/pritzker-wasnt-paying-attention-during-the-1974-rta-referendum/
— Criticism Mimics 1974 RTA Opponents’ Road Tax Diversion Arguments
https://www.mchenrycountyblog.com/2025/12/19/nita-criticism-mimics-1974-rta-opponents-road-tax-diversion-arguments/
— Examples of Homeowners Who Lost Equity Through the Property Tax Sale Process
https://www.mchenrycountyblog.com/2025/12/19/examples-of-homeowners-who-lost-equity-through-the-property-tax-sale-process/
— Man Charged for Lighting Women on Fire on CTA Train and Lighting Up City Hall
https://www.mchenrycountyblog.com/2025/12/18/man-charged-for-lighting-women-on-fire-on-cta-train-and-lighting-up-city-hall/
— Republican Congress Folks Ask Trump Not to Pardon Madigan
https://www.mchenrycountyblog.com/2025/12/18/republican-congress-folks-ask-trump-not-to-pardon-madigan/
— Rep. Sue Ness Asks Constituents about Double-Dipping Elected Officials
https://www.mchenrycountyblog.com/2025/12/17/rep-sue-ness-asks-constituents-about-double-dipping-elected-officials/
— Illinois Public Sector Unions Spend More on Politics Than Any Other State
https://www.mchenrycountyblog.com/2025/12/17/illinois-public-sector-unions-spends-more-on-politics-than-any-other-state/
— Household Income Limit for Senior Real Estate Tax Deferral Going Up to $75,000
https://www.mchenrycountyblog.com/2025/12/17/household-income-limit-for-senior-real-estate-tax-deferral-going-up-to-75000/
— NBC Minimizes Democrats’ 60% Toll Increase
https://www.mchenrycountyblog.com/2025/12/17/nbc-minimizes-democrats-60-toll-increase/
— Biss Calls for Repeal of Second Amendment
https://www.mchenrycountyblog.com/2025/12/17/biss-calls-for-repeal-of-second-amendment/
— Next Dems Will Make It Easier for Sgt. Dam
https://www.mchenrycountyblog.com/2025/12/16/next-dems-will-make-it-easier-for-sgt-dam/
— Crooks in State Government
https://www.mchenrycountyblog.com/2025/12/16/crooks-in-state-government/
— Why This Gambling Opponent Voted for the Lottery
https://www.mchenrycountyblog.com/2025/12/15/why-this-gambling-opponent-voted-for-the-lottery/
— Discount on Lyft Rides on Christmas and New Year’s, First Come, First Serve
https://www.mchenrycountyblog.com/2025/12/15/discount-on-lyft-rides-on-christmas-and-new-years-first-come-first-serve/

FROM NATIONAL CENTER-RIGHT SOURCES

WASHINGTON EXAMINER
— Don’t blame racism for inequality in America. DD: Democrat and RINO leaders ever-increasingly blame Republicans for all the problems that those who are the following have: liberal, moderate, Libertarian, Democrat, RINO, minority, female, younger, non-rich, unmarried, LGBTQ, disabled, veteran, non-Protestant, non-German American, have ancestors who have not been in America for a long time, and/or noncitizen.
https://www.washingtonexaminer.com/premium/3919625/inequality-america-study-racism-american-dream/

NEW YORK POST
— Mamdani appointee resigns after vile antisemitic social media posts resurface
https://nypost.com/2025/12/18/us-news/zohran-mamdani-appointee-catherine-almonte-da-costa-made-vile-antisemitic-comments-in-unearthed-social-media-posts/

BREITBART
— Democrats Fight for Illegals, Career Criminals, and Terrorists over Americans
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Q9ZcyN8VQT8

FEDERALIST
— EEOC Makes Direct Appeal To White Males Facing Workplace Discrimination. DD: In Diersen v. GAO, the courts ruled that discrimination against older White males was not only legal, but that it is what Congress wanted.
https://thefederalist.com/2025/12/18/employment-commission-makes-direct-appeal-to-white-males-facing-workplace-discrimination/
— Large School Systems See Plummeting Foreign-Language Students Thanks To Immigration Enforcement.  DD: What percent of the students in your school district are noncitizens?
https://thefederalist.com/2025/12/18/large-school-systems-see-plummeting-foreign-language-students-thanks-to-immigration-enforcement/

FOX BUSINESS
— Evanston mayor Biss makes the ‘conscious decision’ to choose illegal aliens over Americans
https://www.foxbusiness.com/video/6386677331112
— DD: Democrat and RINO leaders ever-increasingly push more pot. Pot is poison. In 2019, I led the successful effort to stop the sale of pot in Wheaton.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1IjokWmyy7I

FOX NEWS
— A group of House Republicans is urging President Donald Trump against reclassifying marijuana as a less dangerous drug. DD: Democrat and RINO leaders ever-increasingly push more pot. Pot is poison. In 2019, I led the successful effort to stop the sale of pot in Wheaton.
https://www.foxnews.com/politics/house-republicans-demand-trump-reverse-course-after-strongly-considering-marijuana-executive-order
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iE5eDjAAp-M

NATIONAL TAXPAYERS UNION
— Comptroller General Dodaro’s Final Testimony Underscores Why Congress Needs a Strong Watchdog. DD: If Gingrich had reformed GAO instead of gutting it, there would be no need for DOGE. If Gingrich had reformed GAO instead of gutting it, my Democrat GAO superiors would not have been able to a) force me to take a $23,472 (21%) pay cut in today’s dollars to transfer from IRS to GAO in 1980, b) keep me off audits of IRS for all but 3 of the almost 18 years that I worked for GAO, c) delay my promotions and never promote me beyond GS-13, d) always rank me in the bottom half of my coworkers for pay-for-performance, and e) force me to retire when I was 49 years old in 1997.
https://www.ntu.org/foundation/detail/comptroller-general-dodaros-final-testimony-underscores-why-congress-needs-a-strong-watchdog
(FROM THE ARTICLE: This week, Gene Dodaro, the outgoing Comptroller General of the United States, delivered his final testimony to Congress. After 15 years leading the Government Accountability Office (GAO), Dodaro used his closing appearance to highlight persistent high-risk areas across the federal government that expose taxpayers to waste, fraud, and abuse. He also reiterated a warning GAO has issued consistently during his tenure: without sustained leadership and reform from lawmakers, the nation’s fiscal trajectory is becoming increasingly perilous.)

NEWSMAX
— Democrat Candidates Tout Backing From Pro-Trans Ideology Group
https://www.newsmax.com/newsfront/democrats-senate-reproductive-freedom-for-all/2025/12/18/id/1238894/

TOWNHALL
— It’s No Shock Why Enrollment in These Large School Districts From Foreign-Language Students Is Down. DD: What percent of the students in your school district are noncitizens?
https://townhall.com/tipsheet/mattvespa/2025/12/18/its-no-shock-why-enrollment-in-large-school-districts-from-foreign-language-students-n2668124
— Can the Dark Ages Return?
https://townhall.com/columnists/victordavishanson/2025/12/19/can-the-dark-ages-return-n2668175

FROM NATIONAL CENTER-LEFT SOURCES

NEWSWEEK
— DD: To get more votes from minorities and from women, Democrat and RINO leaders ever-increasingly promote more hatred against Whites and against men.
https://www.newsweek.com/trump-admin-encourages-white-men-to-claim-discrimination-money-11235826

AOL
— About 1.5 million Americans could face soaring healthcare insurance premiums in 2026 with ACA subsidies set to expire. Will your income still qualify? DD: Are/were your healthcare insurance premiums subsidized? Ever since I became a part-time postal employee when was 18 in 1966, my critics/opponents have been furious that the federal government has paid 72% of my healthcare insurance premiums. They have been even more furious ever since I got married when I was 29 and the federal government started paying 72% of my wife’s healthcare insurance premiums. That 72% subsidy is a major reason why people despise/hate federal employees, federal retirees, and their spouses. That 72% subsidy helped me withstand tremendous efforts by my Democrat superiors in the federal government to waste my career and to get rid of me.
https://www.aol.com/finance/1-5-million-americans-could-190000891.html
(FROM THE ARTICLE: The subsidy cliff affects households with incomes that are above 400% of the federal poverty level (FPL). For 2026 marketplace coverage, that’s about $62,600 for a single person and $128,600 for a family of four in the contiguous U.S.)

NEW YORK TIMES
— DD: Democrat and RINO leaders ever-increasingly push more pot. Pot is poison. In 2019, I led the successful effort to stop the sale of pot in Wheaton.
https://www.nytimes.com/live/2025/12/18/us/trump-news

WASHINGTON POST
— Democrats will not release the autopsy of their 2024 loss. Party leaders hope to avoid contentious fights over the party’s failing as it attempts to reboot for the 2026 midterms. DD: My critics/opponents continue to blame all the losses that Republican candidates on ballots in my precinct have suffered since 2000 a) on what I have done as the GOPUSA Illinois Editor since 2000 and b) on what I did as the TAPROOT Republicans of Illinois chairman 2005-2012 and as an Illinois Center Right Coalition officer 2003-2007, etc. I should write about my critics/opponents. I would focus on a) Republican candidates on ballots in my precinct since 2000, b) Illinois Republican Party, DuPage County Republican Central Committee, and Milton Township Republican Organization leaders since 2000, c) conservative leaders since 2000, and d) religious leaders since 2000. I would focus on those who have had their operatives and their dupes take the most/biggest adverse actions against me.
https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/2025/12/18/democrats-2024-harris-trump-autopsy/

USA TODAY
— White men urged by EEOC to file discrimination claims in anti-DEI escalation. DD: In Diersen v. GAO, the courts ruled that discrimination against older White males was not only legal, but that it is what Congress wanted.
https://www.usatoday.com/story/money/2025/12/18/trump-anti-dei-eeoc-discrimination-white-men/87830694007/

WALL STREET JOURNAL
— DD: Democrat and RINO leaders ever-increasingly push more pot. Pot is poison. In 2019, I led the successful effort to stop the sale of pot in Wheaton.
https://www.wsj.com/politics/policy/marijuana-drug-reclassify-trump-administration-db8eb9b4
— DD: Democrat leaders ever-increasingly blame Trump for their inflation. What has helped you deal with inflation? Ever since my wife and I got married in 1978, we a) spent money like we had only one paycheck instead of two and b) saved as much as we could for our retirement.
https://www.wsj.com/video/series/potomac-watch-strassel/wsj-opinion-donald-trump-tries-to-recover-on-inflation-and-affordability/BD7DA3B4-DD5F-4300-BAAB-75CE2F90406C

WION
— DD: Biden did not “allow” 25 million illegals to come in, he brought them in.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Hm2mC0ysRio

NPR
— Inflation cools slightly in November as worries about affordability grip Americans. DD: Democrat leaders ever-increasingly blame Trump for their inflation. What has helped you deal with inflation? Ever since my wife and I got married in 1978, we a) spent money like we had only one paycheck instead of two and b) saved as much as we could for our retirement.
https://www.npr.org/transcripts/nx-s1-5647510

COLUMBIA SPECTATOR
— Yes, Columbia needs more conservative professors. DD: Virtually all federal employees are Democrats. While I worked for the Democrats who ran the federal government for almost 30 years, virtually all of my superiors, supervisors, coworkers, and subordinates were Democrats. Many, most, and at times, virtually all of them were veterans who blamed Republicans for America losing the Vietnam War.
https://www.columbiaspectator.com/opinion/2025/12/19/yes-columbia-needs-more-conservative-professors/

NIEMAN LAB
— DD: Democrat and RINO leaders ever-increasingly use DEI to get rid of Republicans who are the following once and for all: conservative, White, male, older, heterosexual, married, non-poor, Protestant, German American, and/or whose ancestors have been in America for a long time.
https://www.niemanlab.org/2025/12/dei-dies-in-darkness-taking-integrity-with-it/https://www.niemanlab.org/2025/12/the-dei-whiplash-continues/
https://www.niemanlab.org/2025/12/the-dei-whiplash-continues/

ATLANTIC
— Rescheduling Marijuana Is an Enormous Mistake. Trump’s executive order does little more than offer a tax cut to an industry that profits from addiction. DD: Democrat and RINO leaders ever-increasingly push more pot. Pot is poison. In 2019, I led the successful effort to stop the sale of pot in Wheaton.
https://www.theatlantic.com/ideas/2025/12/trump-marijuana-rescheduling-tax/685317/

FROM FOREIGN SOURCES

INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF GOVERNMENT AUDITING
— A Letter from the U.S. Comptroller General Gene Dodaro. DD: If Gingrich had reformed GAO instead of gutting it, there would be no need for DOGE. If Gingrich had reformed GAO instead of gutting it, my Democrat GAO superiors would not have been able to a) force me to take a $23,472 (21%) pay cut in today’s dollars to transfer from IRS to GAO in 1980, b) keep me off audits of IRS for all but 3 of the almost 18 years that I worked for GAO, c) delay my promotions and never promote me beyond GS-13, d) always rank me in the bottom half of my coworkers for pay-for-performance, and e) force me to retire when I was 49 years old in 1997.
https://intosaijournal.org/journal-entry/a-letter-from-the-u-s-comptroller-general-and-chair-of-the-intosai-journal/

FREE MALAYSIA TODAY
— Should candidate eligibility include health requirements? DD: What about additional requirements including relevant education, relevant work experience, relevant professional certifications, and relevant professional licenses? If I had run for a government office, I would have stressed my relevant education (master’s degrees in business, accounting, and finance), my relevant work experience (almost 9 years working for IRS and almost 18 for GAO), my relevant professional certifications (accounting, internal auditing, fraud examination, government financial management, financial services auditing, and forensic accounting), and my relevant professional license (CPA).
https://www.freemalaysiatoday.com/category/nation/2025/12/19/should-candidate-eligibility-include-health-requirements

TIMES OF INDIA
— Trump’s H-1B Visa Chaos: Jobs At Risk, Families Traumatized As Wait Pushed To Late 2026. DD: All my employers would have hired noncitizens instead of me if they could have.
https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/videos/global-pulse/trumps-h-1b-visa-chaos-jobs-at-risk-families-traumatised-as-wait-pushed-to-late-2026/videoshow/126062036.cms
— Why Is India The Hardest Hit By Donald Trump’s H-1B Visa Crackdown? DD: All my employers would have hired noncitizens instead of me if they could have.
https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/short-videos/briefs/why-is-india-the-hardest-hit-by-donald-trumps-h-1b-visa-crackdown-global-pulse/shorttakes/126061288.cms

December 18, 2025 Evening Edition

FROM ILLINOIS CENTER-LEFT SOURCES

ABC7
— Trump signs executive order that would reclassify marijuana as less dangerous drug. DD: Pot is poison. In 2019, I led the successful effort to stop the sale of pot in Wheaton.
https://abc7chicago.com/post/reclassification-weed-president-donald-trump-signs-executive-order-today-would-reclassify-marijuana-less-dangerous/18298372/
— Trump administration moves to cut off gender-affirming care for transgender youth
https://abc7chicago.com/post/trump-administration-moves-cut-off-gender-affirming-care-transgender-youth-new-hhs-restrictions/18298513/
— Trump’s handpicked board votes to rename Washington performing arts center the Trump-Kennedy Center
https://abc7chicago.com/post/trumps-handpicked-board-votes-rename-washington-performing-arts-center-trump-kennedy/18298307/

NBC5
— DD: Democrat leaders ever-increasingly a) bring in more illegals and b) fight their deportation.
https://www.nbcchicago.com/news/local/chicago-politics/new-illinois-laws-will-impact-thousands-of-students-in-the-new-year/3865125/

FOX32
— DD: Democrat leaders ever-increasingly promote more LGBTQ.
https://www.fox32chicago.com/news/buffalo-grove-volunteers-send-handwritten-support-cards-lgbtq-people-nationwide

CHICAGO TRIBUNE
— President Donald Trump signs order that would reclassify marijuana as less dangerous drug. DD: Pot is poison. In 2019, I led the successful effort to stop the sale of pot in Wheaton.
https://www.chicagotribune.com/2025/12/18/trump-executive-order-reclassify-marijuana/
— New Trump administration proposals could further reduce gender-affirming care for minors in Illinois. DD: Democrat leaders ever-increasingly make children sexually active LGBTQers.
https://www.chicagotribune.com/2025/12/18/gender-affirming-care-trump-proposals/
— State commission highlights ‘unjustified’ uses of tear gas, pepper spray by federal immigration agents
https://www.chicagotribune.com/2025/12/18/illinois-accountability-commission-pritzker-border-patrol/
— President Donald Trump’s Justice Department sues Illinois over sensitive state voter data
https://www.chicagotribune.com/2025/12/18/illinois-voter-data-lawsuit/

CHICAGO SUN-TIMES
— Durbin, Duckworth seek criminal probe of Chicago’s immigration blitz — even after Trump leaves office
https://chicago.suntimes.com/immigration/2025/12/18/durbin-duckworth-criminal-investigation-operation-midway-blitz-ice-tactics
— New state panel takes shot at holding Trump immigration blitz to account: ‘We will not forget’  The chairman of the newly formed Illinois Accountability Commission acknowledged their eventual recommendations are likely to “fall on deaf ears” in the Trump administration.
https://chicago.suntimes.com/immigration/2025/12/18/illinois-accountability-commission-trump-immigration-midway-blitz

DAILY HERALD
— Palatine Township trustees this week approved a $1.65 million tax levy for its community mental health board.
https://www.dailyherald.com/20251218/local-politics/a-good-thing-for-people-palatine-township-levies-first-tax-for-community-mental-health-board/

CRAIN’S CHICAGO BUSINESS
— Justice Department sues for access to Illinois voter rolls
https://www.chicagobusiness.com/politics/justice-department-sues-access-illinois-voter-rolls
— DD: Democrat and RINO leaders ever-increasingly push more pot. Pot is poison.
https://www.chicagobusiness.com/cannabis/trump-signals-marijuana-rescheduling-tax-relief-ahead

CHAMPAIGN/URBANA NEWS GAZETTE
— The head of the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission has urged white men to report workplace discrimination based on race or sex.  DD: In Diersen v. GAO, the courts ruled that discrimination against older White males was not only legal, but that it is what Congress wanted.
https://www.news-gazette.com/news/nation-world/head-of-workplace-rights-agency-urges-white-men-to-report-discrimination/article_6026fc17-ba43-52f4-98bc-f22f3c675724.html

NPR ILLINOIS
— DD: Democrat leaders ever-increasingly demonize, denigrate, and condemn Trump
https://www.nprillinois.org/2025-12-17/with-costs-a-growing-worry-for-americans-trump-seeks-to-defend-his-economic-record

NORTH PARK UNIVERSITY
— North Park University Invites Dreamers to Apply for TheDream.US Scholarship. DD: Did you get any scholarships? I did not. My critics/opponents have always used that against me.
https://www.northpark.edu/stories/north-park-university-invites-dreamers-to-apply-for-thedream-us-scholarship/

DUCKWORTH
— Duckworth-Led Provisions to Protect Rock Island Arsenal. DD: During the first 6 months of 1989, I worked for GAO at the Rock Island Arsenal on an audit of DOD’s 1990 ammunition budget request. SEE: https://www.gao.gov/assets/150/148194.pdf
https://www.duckworth.senate.gov/news/press-releases/duckworth-led-provisions-to-protect-rock-island-arsenal-support-illinois-quantum-technology-research-and-safeguard-care-for-veterans-passes-congress-awaits-presidents-signature
(FROM THE ARTICLE: By Constructing a Child Development Center at Rock Island Arsenal: The bill authorizes $50 million in Major Construction funds for a new addition to the Child Development Center at Rock Island Arsenal and to consolidate the existing facilities and make upgrades to meet DoD guidelines and safety requirements, ensuring that eligible families at Rock Island Arsenal have a safe, modern facility for childcare.)

CAPITOL FAX
— Afternoon roundup
https://capitolfax.com/2025/12/18/isabel%e2%80%99s-afternoon-roundup-440/

FROM ILLINOIS CENTER-RIGHT SOURCES

CENTER SQUARE ILLINOIS
— Pritzker disputes Trump claims, says Illinois GOP backs president ‘100%’
https://www.thecentersquare.com/illinois/article_594bb86c-7336-490e-936f-3e3c69b17fc0.html
https://www.yahoo.com/news/articles/pritzker-disputes-trump-claims-says-160400287.html

FROM NATIONAL CENTER-RIGHT SOURCES

WASHINGTON EXAMINER
— Mamdani says free buses means fewer assaults over ‘fare collection’
https://www.washingtonexaminer.com/news/crime/3926075/mamdani-free-buses-fewer-assaults-fare-collection/

NEW YORK POST
— Mamdani appointee made vile antisemitic comments in unearthed social media posts
https://nypost.com/2025/12/18/us-news/zohran-mamdani-appointee-catherine-almonte-da-costa-made-vile-antisemitic-comments-in-unearthed-social-media-posts/
— NYC Council pushes bill to create Zohran Mamdani’s $1B ‘safety’ agency that would pull cops off some 911 calls
https://nypost.com/2025/12/18/us-news/nyc-council-pushes-bill-to-create-zohran-mamdanis-1b-safety-agency-that-will-pull-cops-off-some-911-calls/

BREITBART
— ‘It’s Open Season’: Antisemitic Attacks in NYC Highlight Broader Threat, ‘This is Mamdani’s NY’
https://www.breitbart.com/politics/2025/12/18/its-open-season-antisemitic-attacks-in-nyc-highlight-broader-threat-this-is-mamdanis-ny/
— Inflation Unexpectedly Tumbles To 2.7%, Much Better Than Expected, Core Inflation Falls to Lowest Since Early 2021
https://www.breitbart.com/economy/2025/12/18/inflation-unexpectedly-tumbles-to-2-7-much-better-than-expected/

DAILY SIGNAL
— EEOC Urges White Males to Report Discrimination—And Promptly. DD: In Diersen v. GAO, the courts ruled that discrimination against older White males was not only legal, but that it is what Congress wanted.
https://www.dailysignal.com/2025/12/18/eeoc-urges-white-males-report-discrimination-promptly/amp/
(FROM THE ARTICLE: White males who have faced discrimination should file a federal complaint, the head of the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission says. In a video posted on social media Thursday, EEOC Acting Chairwoman Andrea Lucas advised potential victims of discrimination to file complaints in a timely manner. “Are you a white male who has experienced discrimination at work based on your race or sex?” Lucas said. “You may have a claim to recover money under federal civil rights laws.” The Trump administration has opposed diversity, equity, and inclusion policies in the government, and terminated DEI federal grants. A person has a deadline of 180 days from the alleged discrimination to make a complaint, according to the EEOC. “Contact the EOC as soon as possible. Time limits are typically strict for filing a claim,” Lucas continued. “The EOC is the federal agency charged with enforcing federal antidiscrimination law against businesses and other private sector employers.” “The EOC is committed to identifying, attacking, and eliminating all forms of race and sex discrimination, including against white male applicants, and employees,” Lucas clarified. The EEOC website says the 180-day deadline can be extended up to 300 days if a state or local agency enforces a law that prohibits employment discrimination on the same basis, and would have to first hear the case. Although the EEOC has frequently taken up discrimination cases on behalf of minority groups, earlier this year the Supreme Court ruled unanimously that someone who belongs to a “majority group” can sue for discrimination, in Ames v. Ohio Department of Youth Services. That case involved a straight woman who alleged she was passed over for employment due to her sexual identity, but the “majority group” principle would likely apply for a white male. During his first term, President Donald Trump appointed Lucas—a former labor and litigation lawyer at the firm of Gibson Dunn—to the EEOC, and the Senate confirmed her in 2020. After Trump returned for a second term in January, he designated her as the acting chair of commission. [Lucas is not related to The Daily Signal reporter who wrote this news story.] Lucas has not been confirmed by the Senate as chair. But, as previously noted in The Daily Signal, as acting chair she forced major law firms to stop using DEI to discriminate based on race.  She further ordered the EEOC to be evenhanded in its enforcement priorities. Lucas made it easier for employees to report DEI discrimination and made it a priority to protect Americans from religious discrimination. This is move is a Trump administration “stunt,” said Markus Batchelor, national political director at People For the American Way, a liberal activist group. “Stunts like this demonstrate the lengths Trump is willing to go to dismantle institutions meant to do good and make them tools that once again unbalance the scales in favor of privilege and white supremacy,” Batchelor told The Grio. “A call for ‘color-blind, merit-based’ employment falls flat from a White House that is overwhelmingly white, wealthy, and unqualified to govern.”)

FROM NATIONAL CENTER-LEFT SOURCES

NEW YORK TIMES
— DD: Democrat leaders ever-increasingly promote more foreign truck drivers.
https://www.nytimes.com/2025/12/18/business/trump-immigrants-trucks.html

WASHINGTON POST
— Trump’s unconvincing argument on affordability. Hyperbole is not a plan. DD: What did you do to help you afford things? To help me afford cars, college expenses, real estate, etc., I took bad jobs that my peers would never stoop to take. I a) did yard work 1962-1964. b) delivered newspapers 1962-1966, c) washed dishes 1964-1966, d) cleaned golf shoes, chipped slag, and pumped gasoline in 1966, e) delivered mail 1966-1969, f) worked on an automotive assembly line in 1970, g) sold tires, automotive services, and major appliances 1970-1971, h) pumped more gasoline 1971-1972, i) collected delinquent federal taxes 1971-1980, and j) audited federal agencies 1980-1997. I earned a) a job-related bachelor’s degree in 1970, b) job-related master’s degrees in 1976, 1980, and 1997, c) job-related professional certifications in 1979, 1981, 1990, 1994, 1996, and 1997, and a job-related professional license in 1981. I was able to do the aforesaid even though I was not viewed as being college material. Neither of my parents attended college. My father was only the first of my ancestors to earn a high school diploma. My mother never attended high school. I have never been able to run because I have a bone disease. My eyesight has never been correctable to 20/20. I have always had partial red/green color blindness. My ACT score was only 24. I only just barely made it into the upper 20% of my high school class. According to my critics/opponents, I have always been stupid. They stress that I got no scholarships or student loans and that had to work my way through college. One could argue that if I could do the aforesaid with the limitations that I had, just about anyone could do what I did academically and professionally.
https://www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/2025/12/18/trump-speech-tariffs-economy-checks/
— How the end of extra Affordable Care Act subsidies could affect you.  DD: Are/were your healthcare insurance premiums subsidized? Ever since I became a part-time postal employee when was 18 in 1966, my critics/opponents have been furious that the federal government has paid 72% of my healthcare insurance premiums. They have been even more furious ever since I got married when I was 29 and the federal government started paying 72% of my wife’s healthcare insurance premiums. That 72% subsidy is a major reason why people despise/hate federal employees, federal retirees, and their spouses. That 72% subsidy helped me withstand tremendous efforts by my Democrat superiors in the federal government to waste my career and to get rid of me.
https://www.washingtonpost.com/health/2025/12/18/affordable-care-act-subsidies-expire/

FORTUNE
— Mamdani gets 74,000 resumes in sign of New York City’s job-market misery
https://fortune.com/2025/12/17/mamdani-gets-74000-resumes-in-sign-of-new-york-citys-job-market-misery/

FROM FOREIGN SOURCES

GUARDIAN
— FCC chair suggests agency is not independent amid fears of Trump power-grab. Brendan Carr’s declaration raises concerns amid Trump efforts to exert greater control over independent agencies. DD: GAO is not an independent agency. Congress funds it. It works for Congress.
https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2025/dec/17/trump-fcc-brendan-carr

December 18, 2025

FROM ILLINOIS CENTER-LEFT SOURCES

ABC7
— DD: Democrat leaders say Trump hits Biden and old grievances, touts ‘our country is back’ in address
https://abc7chicago.com/post/trump-address-nation-1st-year-office-2026-agenda/18296354/

NBC5
— DD: Democrat leaders say Trump gives partisan address insisting economy is stronger than many voters feel
https://www.nbcchicago.com/news/national-international/trump-white-house-live-address-agenda/3865053/

FOX 32
— Video gambling costs. DD: I led the successful effort to stop video gambling in Wheaton in 2009.
https://www.fox32chicago.com/video/fmc-phn1jqxq2h0d645s

DAILY HERALD
— FRONT PAGE WITH THREE PHOTOS: Senate hopefuls Kelly, Krishnamoorthi, Stratton target Trump, talk affordability at first debate. DD: If I was still the TAPROOT Republicans of Illinois chairman and an Illinois Center Right Coalition officer, those organizations would still be hosting candidate debates. What did you do to help you afford things? To help me afford cars, college expenses, real estate, etc., I took bad jobs that my peers would never stoop to take. I a) did yard work 1962-1964. b) delivered newspapers 1962-1966, c) washed dishes 1964-1966, d) cleaned golf shoes, chipped slag, and pumped gasoline in 1966, e) delivered mail 1966-1969, f) worked on an automotive assembly line in 1970, g) sold tires, automotive services, and major appliances 1970-1971, h) pumped more gasoline 1971-1972, i) collected delinquent federal taxes 1971-1980, and j) audited federal agencies 1980-1997. I earned a) a job-related bachelor’s degree in 1970, b) job-related master’s degrees in 1976, 1980, and 1997, c) job-related professional certifications in 1979, 1981, 1990, 1994, 1996, and 1997, and a job-related professional license in 1981. I was able to do the aforesaid even though I was not viewed as being college material. Neither of my parents attended college. My father was only the first of my ancestors to earn a high school diploma. My mother never attended high school. I have never been able to run because I have a bone disease. My eyesight has never been correctable to 20/20. I have always had partial red/green color blindness. My ACT score was only 24. I only just barely made it into the upper 20% of my high school class. According to my critics/opponents, I have always been stupid. They stress that I got no scholarships or student loans and that had to work my way through college. One could argue that if I could do the aforesaid with the limitations that I had, just about anyone could do what I did academically and professionally.
https://www.dailyherald.com/20251217/nation-and-world-politics/senate-hopefuls-kelly-krishnamoorthi-stratton-target-trump-talk-affordability-at-first-debate/

RIVER BENDER
— DD: Pritzker ever-increasingly demonizes, denigrates, and condemns Trump.
https://www.riverbender.com/news/details/gov-pritzker-in-primetime-address-donald-trump-ignores-reality-skyrocketing-costs-89192.cfm?

NPR ILLINOIS
— DD: Democrat leaders ever-increasingly side with Venezuela against America.
https://www.nprillinois.org/2025-12-17/venezuelas-government-says-trumps-move-to-block-tankers-is-an-outrageous-threat

CHALKBEAT CHICAGO
— Illinois quietly changes scholarship for teachers of color amid lawsuit, threats from federal government. DD: Did you get any scholarships? I did not. My critics/opponents have always that against me.
https://www.chalkbeat.org/chicago/2025/12/17/illinois-teacher-diversity-scholarship-changes/

CAPITOL FAX
— Morning briefing
https://capitolfax.com/

FROM ILLINOIS CENTER-RIGHT SOURCES

CENTER SQUARE ILLINOIS
— Illinois tops nation for public sector union political spending
https://www.thecentersquare.com/illinois/article_2c1888f3-fb69-4c90-a9db-4ce54dc1804b.html

FROM NATIONAL CENTER-RIGHT SOURCES

NEW YORK POST
— Trump tells America: ‘I’m fixing’ Biden’s mess in chart-filled primetime address
https://nypost.com/2025/12/17/us-news/trump-tells-america-im-fixing-bidens-mess-in-chart-filled-primetime-address/
— House crushes Dems’ attempt to rein in Trump’s military campaign against Venezuela, ‘illegitimate Maduro Regime’
https://nypost.com/2025/12/17/world-news/house-dems-force-vote-to-rein-in-trump-on-venezuela-as-white-house-ramps-up-pressure-on-maduro/
— Chicago-based cash-strapped ‘woke’ Wall Street watchdog braces for Trump administration crackdown on ‘political’ nonprofits
https://nypost.com/2025/12/17/business/woke-private-equity-watchdog-braces-for-trump-administration-crackdown-on-political-nonprofits-sources/

AMAC
— How DEI Is Destroying the American Family
https://amac.us/newsline/politics/how-dei-is-destroying-the-american-family/

BREITBART
— DHS Rips ‘Sanctuary’ Democrats Who Protected Deadly Migrant Trucker
https://www.breitbart.com/immigration/2025/12/17/dhs-rips-sanctuary-democrats-who-protected-deadly-migrant-trucker/

CAMPUS REFORM
— 5 public colleges that rebranded DEI offices in 2025. Here are five public colleges that seemingly attempted to pass DEI off of as something else this year.
https://www.campusreform.org/article/5-public-colleges-rebranded-dei-offices-2025/29114
— Six GOP-led states push sweeping bans on public funding for DEI programs
https://www.campusreform.org/article/six-gop-led-states-push-sweeping-bans-public-funding-dei-programs/29155

DAILY SIGNAL
— ‘PROGRESSIVE POLITICAL MACHINE’: America’s 4 Largest Unions Fund Politics Using Members’ Dues

https://www.dailysignal.com

DAILY WIRE
— Renewing The American Merit Ideal. If you want a happier human society, meritocracy is the way. DD: According to my critics/opponents, a) they are successful because of meritocracy and b) I owe my successes to my benefitting from discrimination against those who are minority, female, younger, veteran, unmarried, LGBTQ, non-Protestant, non-German American, have ancestors who have not been in America for a long time, noncitizen, etc.
https://www.dailywire.com/news/renewing-the-american-merit-ideal

EPOCH TIMES
— Trump Highlights Measures to Drive Down Costs in Prime-Time Address. The president said his administration ‘inherited a mess’ and is fixing the economy with a series of policy decisions.
https://www.theepochtimes.com/us/trump-highlights-measures-to-drive-down-costs-in-prime-time-address-5959737
— Trump Announces $1,776 ‘Warrior Dividends’ to Military Members. The president said the checks are ‘already on the way’ to members of the military.
https://www.theepochtimes.com/us/trump-announces-1776-warrior-dividends-to-military-members-5959745

FEDERALIST
— Large School Systems See Plummeting Foreign-Language Students Thanks To Immigration Enforcement. DD: What percent of students in America are noncitizens?
https://thefederalist.com/2025/12/18/large-school-systems-see-plummeting-foreign-language-students-thanks-to-immigration-enforcement/

FOX BUSINESS
— ‘I INHERITED A MESS’: Trump UNLEASHES explosive economic victory speech
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=U-_3-KBibJw

FOX NEWS
— Trump speech sparks optimism as ‘gangbuster’ economy forecasted for 2026. Newt Gingrich joins commentators in expressing economic confidence after president’s address.
https://www.foxnews.com/media/trump-speech-sparks-optimism-gangbuster-economy-forecasted-2026
— Trump touts bringing country back from ‘brink of ruin.’  Trump unveiled new ‘Warrior Dividend’ checks that will be sent to US troops by Christmas.
https://www.foxnews.com/politics/trump-touts-bringing-country-back-from-brink-ruin
— Trump gives service members special Christmas gift: ‘Warrior dividend.’  ‘And the checks are already on the way,’ Trump said.
https://www.foxnews.com/politics/military-troops-get-special-christmas-gift-president-says-warrior-dividend
— Netflix cancels gay military series the Pentagon called ‘woke garbage’
https://www.foxnews.com/media/netflix-cancels-gay-military-series-pentagon-called-woke-garbage.print

PJ MEDIA
— Trump’s Speech: Panic Is What the Left Wants to See
https://pjmedia.com/david-manney/2025/12/18/trumps-speech-panic-is-what-the-left-want-to-see-n4947223
— House Passes Act to Screen Unaccompanied Minors Despite Major Dem Opposition
https://pjmedia.com/catherinesalgado/2025/12/17/house-passes-act-to-screen-unaccompanied-minors-despite-major-dem-opposition-n4947178
— Want Proof That Dems Love Illegal Alien Criminals? Here Are Three Examples.
https://pjmedia.com/catherinesalgado/2025/12/17/want-proof-that-dems-love-illegal-alien-criminals-here-are-three-examples-n4947183

FROM NATIONAL CENTER-LEFT SOURCES

THE HILL
— DD: Democrats and RINOs had no problem when Biden used his powers.
https://thehill.com/homenews/5654358-most-in-new-poll-say-trump-use-of-presidential-power-goes-too-far/
— Democratic socialism gets a trial run on Broadway with Mamdani
https://thehill.com/opinion/campaign/5651845-democratic-socialism-big-apple/

REUTERS
— US House defeats bids to rein in Trump Venezuela campaign. DD: Democrats and RINOs had no problem when Biden used his powers.
https://www.reuters.com/world/us/us-house-defeats-bids-rein-trump-venezuela-campaign-2025-12-17/

CBS NEWS
— DD: The Democrat Party platform ever-increasingly promotes more and more and more homelessness. Under the Democrats, Illinois, your county, your township, your municipality, and school district will house more and more and more homeless.
https://www.cbsnews.com/news/washington-dc-homeless-health-care-costs/

NEW YORK TIMES
— Full Transcript of President Trump’s Speech on the Economy. The president sharply attacked his predecessor while insisting that his own record contained nothing but victories.
https://www.nytimes.com/2025/12/17/us/politics/trump-speech-transcript-economy.html
— Trump Finds That Retribution Isn’t Always So Easy. DD: Of course, according to my critics/opponents, all the adverse actions that they took against me were justified. I should write about my critics/opponents, the adverse actions that they took against me, and why those adverse actions were not justified.
https://www.nytimes.com/2025/12/17/us/politics/trump-retribution-revenge.html
— Law Schools See a Decline In Students Of Color. DD: My IRS employee handbook encouraged me to take graduate evening courses in business, accounting, and law.  While I took graduate evening courses in business 1972-1976 and accounting 1976-1980, a big reason why I did not take courses in law was that the tuition and books would not be tax deductible.
https://www.nytimes.com/2025/12/16/us/law-school-black-student-enrollment.html

WALL STREET JOURNAL
— Karl Rove: Alarm Bells Ring, Are You Listening? Between his rallies and online ranting, Trump is setting up a nasty midterm loss.
https://www.wsj.com/opinion/alarm-bells-ring-are-you-listening-8a1b62f8
— Phil Gramm and John Early: The Biggest Fraud in Welfare. The government gives tens of thousands of dollars in benefits to the poor, which it doesn’t count as income.
https://www.wsj.com/opinion/the-biggest-fraud-in-welfare-c325638d
— The A’s at Yale Are Inevitable. ‘When nearly everyone admitted is excellent, excellence becomes common. That isn’t the end of meritocracy—it is what meritocracy looks like at the top.’ DD: According to my critics/opponents, a) they are successful because of meritocracy and b) I owe my successes to my benefitting from discrimination against those who are minority, female, younger, veteran, unmarried, LGBTQ, non-Protestant, non-German American, have ancestors who have not been in America for a long time, noncitizen, etc.
https://www.wsj.com/opinion/the-as-at-yale-are-inevitable-grade-inflation-evaluations-6e91beca

CITY JOURNAL
— Does Poverty Cause Crime? DD: What are the demographics of those who commit crimes?
https://www.city-journal.org/article/new-york-city-poverty-violent-crime

APOLLO ACADEMY
— US Demographics Are Changing. Although the US population continues to grow each year, the number of families with children under 18 reached a peak of around 37 million in 2007 and has declined to approximately 33 million in 2024, see chart below. This reflects demographic changes such as lower birth rates and aging of the population, even as overall population growth continues. DD: America is doomed if this trend is not reversed.
https://www.apolloacademy.com/us-demographics-are-changing/

JD SUPRA
— SCOTUS Will Expand President’s Power to Fire Members of Independent Agencies, Setting Stage for Workplace Regulation Shake-Up. DD: Because federal courts ruled that my Democrat GAO superiors had the power to force me to retire, that is, that they had the power to fire me, Trump has the power to fire any federal employee he wants to.
https://www.jdsupra.com/legalnews/predictions-scotus-will-expand-4998321/

LEGAL DEFENSE FUND
— DD: Democrat and RINO leaders ever-increasingly blame Republicans for all problems that those who are the following have: liberal/moderate, minority, female, younger, unmarried, LGBTQ, non-Protestant, non-German American, have ancestors who have not been in America for a long time, and/or are citizens of foreign countries.
https://www.naacpldf.org/case-issue/college-admissions-and-equity-research-brief/

FROM FOREIGN SOURCES

DAILY MAIL
— Bovino gets in VERY public spat with city mayor as he gives him rude awakening
https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-15393519/Trump-border-patrol-boss-public-spat.html

SOCIALIST PARTY
— The system is rigged for the rich – Fight for socialist change! DD: My critics/opponents promote socialism. According to them, I owe all my income and all my assets to my benefitting from a) working for the socialist federal government and b) capitalist discrimination against those who have less money than I have and are minority, female, younger, unmarried, LGBTQ, veteran, non-Protestant, non-German American, have ancestors who have not been in America as long as mine have, and/or are citizens of foreign countries.
https://www.socialistparty.org.uk/articles/146385/17-12-2025/the-system-is-rigged-for-the-rich-fight-for-socialist-change/

AMNESTY INTERNATIONAL
— DD: Non-Whites ever-increasingly blame Whites for the problems that non-Whites have.
https://www.amnesty.org/en/latest/campaigns/2025/12/why-systematic-racism-has-a-lot-to-do-with-migration-and-asylum-systems/

December 17, 2025

FROM ILLINOIS CENTER-LEFT SOURCES

NBC5
— Illinois toll hikes one step closer to reality after Pritzker signs transit funding bill. Under the proposed increase, tolls for passenger vehicles would rise $0.45, while semi drivers would be subjected to a greater hike.
https://www.nbcchicago.com/news/local/illinois-toll-hikes-one-step-closer-to-reality-after-pritzker-signs-transit-funding-bill/3864698/

CHICAGO SUN-TIMES
— After vandals wreck anti-ICE Nativity scene, Evanston church gets creative. Lake Street Church removes the figure of the Virgin Mary wearing a gas mask, which was smashed by vandals, from the display. In its place, church staff put up a sign stating that Mary is being detained by immigration agents. DD: How strongly have Democrats taken over your church?
https://chicago.suntimes.com/immigration/2025/12/16/lake-street-church-evanston-nativity-scene-vandalism

CHICAGO TRIBUNE
— FRONT PAGE TOP OF FOLD WITH BIG PICTURE: Border Patrol Cmdr. Gregory Bovino and agents return to Chicago in show of force across city and suburbs.
https://www.chicagotribune.com/2025/12/16/border-patrol-activity-cicero-chicago/
— DD: How strongly have Democrats taken over your church?
https://www.chicagotribune.com/2025/12/17/opinion-las-posadas-holiday-christmas/

DAILY HERALD
— FRONT PAGE TOP OF FOLD WITH BIG PICTURE: DD: Democrat leaders make it ever-increasingly clear that they will never stop a) flooding America with their illegals and b) fighting their deportation. Democrat leaders have declared a Second Civil War on Republicans. Illegals are soldiers in the Democrat Army.
https://www.dailyherald.com/20251207/news/the-u-s-citizens-getting-caught-in-trumps-immigration-crackdown/

CENTRAL ILLINOIS PROUD
— Darin LaHood urges Trump to deny Mike Madigan’s plea for a pardon
https://www.centralillinoisproud.com/news/local-news/lahood-urges-trump-reject-madigan-pardon/
—  DD: Democrat and RINO leaders ever-increasingly push more pot. Pot is poison.
https://www.centralillinoisproud.com/news/national/trump-admin-could-reclassify-marijuana-would-that-make-it-legal-nationwide/amp/

25 NEWS NOW
— Police dispose of jars of ‘free weed’ that was left near school as holiday gift
https://www.25newsnow.com/2025/12/17/police-dispose-jars-free-weed-that-was-left-near-school-holiday-gift/

WCIA
— Pritzker, Anti-Defamation League call out rising antisemitism across Illinois. DD: What percent of those who come to America are antisemites?
https://www.wcia.com/news/sangamon-county/pritzker-anti-defamation-league-call-out-rising-antisemitism-across-illinois/

CHALKBEAT CHICAGO
— A college degree is most ‘promising path’ to a good job in Illinois
https://www.chalkbeat.org/chicago/2025/12/16/illinois-research-identifies-most-promising-pathways-to-good-jobs/

POLITICO ILLINOIS
— Border patrol returns, tensions rise
https://www.politico.com/newsletters/illinois-playbook/2025/12/17/border-patrol-returns-tensions-rise-00694628
(FROM THE NEWSLETTER: MADIGAN MOVES: Illinois Republican Congress members have written a letter to President Donald Trump urging him to reject former Illinois House Speaker Michael Madigan’s request for a presidential pardon. “Granting clemency in this case would not only reward a lifetime of unethical behavior but also embolden other public officials to exploit their offices for personal gain,” wrote Congress members Darin LaHood (IL-16), Mary Miller (IL-15) and Mike Bost (IL-12). Their letter is here.)

CAPITOL FAX
— Morning briefing
https://capitolfax.com/2025/12/17/isabel%e2%80%99s-morning-briefing-650/

FROM NATIONAL CENTER-RIGHT SOURCES

WASHINGTON TIMES
— Trump declares Venezuelan government a ‘terrorist’ organization; orders oil tanker blockade
https://www.washingtontimes.com/news/2025/dec/16/trump-orders-blockade-sanctioned-oil-tankers-venezuela-ramping/
— Trump administration urged to review Netflix’s LGBT content for kids as part of merger deal
https://www.washingtontimes.com/news/2025/dec/16/concerned-women-america-netflix-childrens-shows-41-lgbtq-content/
— Netflix and the near-complete woke Hollywood takeover. Filmmaking’s future depends on studio independence.
https://www.washingtontimes.com/news/2025/dec/16/netflix-near-complete-woke-hollywood-takeover/

ALABAMA
— College scholarship in honor of Charlie Kirk created at University of Alabama. DD: Who leads Turning Point USA in Illinois, your county, your township, your municipality, and your school district? Your attitude toward Kirk and toward his assassination say more about you than anything that you can say about yourself.
https://www.al.com/news/2025/12/college-scholarship-in-honor-of-charlie-kirk-created-at-university-of-alabama.html

AMAC
— Deport Illegal Aliens – Laws Require It
https://amac.us/newsline/national-security/deport-illegal-aliens-laws-require-it/

BLAZE
— ‘Enough white guys already’: The war on white men because of DEI in the working world exposed in damning report. DD: According to Democrat and RINO leaders, if Whites and males do better at something than minorities and females, it is because Whites and males benefitted from discrimination against minorities and females.
https://www.theblaze.com/news/damning-report-highlights-the-systematic-erasure-of-white-men-from-various-industries

BREITBART
— Cotton Introduces Bills Enforcing Strict Asylum Seeker Standards, Ending In-State Tuition for Illegal Migrants
https://www.breitbart.com/politics/2025/12/16/exclusive-sen-tom-cotton-introduces-bills-enforcing-strict-asylum-seeker-standards-ending-in-state-tuition-for-illegal-migrants/amp/
— Private sector job growth has shifted to native-born Americans rather than foreigners, Labor Secretary Lori Chavez-DeRemer celebrated on Tuesday. DD: All my employers would have hired noncitizens instead of me if they could have.
https://www.breitbart.com/economy/2025/12/16/labor-secretary-lori-chavez-deremer-private-sector-job-growth-going-to-native-born-americans/

CAMPUS REFORM
— 5 times universities gave scholarships and resources to illegal aliens in 2025. Campus Reform uncovered multiple examples of colleges providing scholarships, legal services, and other resources to illegal alien students even as American students faced rising costs.
https://www.campusreform.org/article/5-times-universities-gave-scholarships-resources-illegal-aliens-2025/29082

CHRISTIAN POST
— How critical theory paved the way for Nick Fuentes
https://www.christianpost.com/voices/how-critical-theory-paved-the-way-for-nick-fuentes.html

COLLEGE FIX
— Anti-Turning Point USA professor used class time to plot disruption
https://www.thecollegefix.com/anti-turning-point-usa-professor-used-class-time-to-plot-disruption-report/

CREATORS SYNDICATE
— The Left Hijacked the US Education System. It’s Time to Take It Back.
https://www.creators.com/read/ken-buck/12/25/the-left-hijacked-the-us-education-system-its-time-to-take-it-back

DAILY CALLER
— New York Voters Warm To Mamdani, His Socialist Policies
https://dailycaller.com/2025/12/16/zohran-mamdani-favorability-policies-siena-poll/

DEPARTMENT OF JUSTICE
— Justice Department Sues the Virgin Islands Police Department for Unconstitutional Practices Resulting in Effective Denials of Gun Permits. DD: When will Democrats officially announce that they will abolish the Second Amendment, confiscate all firearms and ammunition from Republicans, and get rid of Republicans once and for all?
https://www.justice.gov/opa/pr/justice-department-sues-virgin-islands-police-department-unconstitutional-practices

FOX BUSINESS
— White House AI czar blasts blue states for inserting ‘woke ideology’ into artificial intelligence. David Sacks targets Colorado’s algorithmic discrimination law as Trump administration moves to cut AI regulations. DD: Democrat and RINO employers use AI a) to not hire Republicans and b) to get rid of their Republican employees.
https://www.foxbusiness.com/media/white-house-ai-czar-blasts-blue-states-inserting-woke-ideology-artificial-intelligence

FOX NEWS
— Vance tells blue state they ‘might try hiring Americans before suing over Trump’s visa fee explosion. Oregon leads 18 states challenging Trump’s $100K H-1B visa fee as unlawful. DD: All my employers would have hired noncitizens instead of me if they could have.
https://www.foxnews.com/politics/vance-tells-blue-state-might-try-hiring-americans-before-suing-over-trumps-visa-fee-explosion
— Border Patrol commander returns to Chicago as agents deploy pepper balls in immigrant neighborhood. Gregory Bovino’s appearance draws protests in Little Village neighborhood as Operation Midway Blitz escalates. DD: Democrat leaders make it ever-increasingly clear that they will never stop a) flooding America with their illegals and b) fighting their deportation. Democrat leaders have declared a Second Civil War on Republicans. Illegals are soldiers in the Democrat Army.
https://www.foxnews.com/politics/border-patrol-commander-returns-chicago-agents-deploy-pepper-balls-immigrant-neighborhood.amp

NEWSMAX
— Democrat Control Leads to Socialism
https://www.newsmax.com/newsmax-tv/markwayne-mullin-gavin-newsom-democrats/2025/12/16/id/1238618/
— Bill Would Bar In-State Tuition for Noncitizens
https://www.newsmax.com/newsfront/tom-cotton-immigration-college-tuition/2025/12/16/id/1238584/

NUMBERS USA
— Twenty Years Ago Today: House Passed Bipartisan Immigration Reduction and Enforcement Legislation
https://www.numbersusa.com/blog/twenty-years-ago-today-house-passed-bipartisan-immigration-reduction-and-enforcement-legislation/

TOWNHALL
— The November Jobs Numbers Are Here, and It’s Good News for American Workers. Since September the private sector has gained 121,000 jobs. Meanwhile, the government has lost 168,000 jobs. DD: Ever since I became a government employee when I was 18 years old in 1966, my critics/opponents have always hinted/implied/argued/shouted that if I had been a private sector employee, I never would have had the career successes that I had. They have always hinted/implied/argued/shouted a) that career advancement in government is much easier than it is in the private sector, but nevertheless, I never earned more than $153, 151/year in today’s dollars notwithstanding the fact that 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. In my defense, my Democrat superiors in the federal government wasted my career and forced me to retire when I was 49 in 1997. They would not have done that if I had been a Democrat, minority, female, and/or veteran
https://townhall.com/tipsheet/amy-curtis/2025/12/16/jobs-numbers-n2667959

FROM NATIONAL CENTER-LEFT SOURCES

CNN
— Trump condemns antisemitism after Bondi Beach shooting. DD: What percent of those who come to America are antisemites?
https://www.cnn.com/2025/12/16/politics/video/donald-trump-bondi-beach-antisemitism-condemn-vrtc-digvid

ABC NEWS
— Maryland to consider slavery reparations after Gov. Wes Moore’s veto is overridden. DD: In my defense, I have always stressed that while all my ancestors immigrated during the 1840s and 1850s, they always lived in northeast Illinois.
https://abcnews.go.com/US/wireStory/maryland-slavery-reparations-after-gov-wes-moores-veto-128464864

CBS NEWS
— As food insecurity rises in Georgia, a Stone Mountain pet pantry struggles to keep up with growing demand
https://www.cbsnews.com/atlanta/news/as-food-insecurity-rises-in-georgia-a-stone-mountain-pet-pantry-struggles-to-keep-up-with-growing-demand/

ABC SAN FRANCISCO
— Dozens of protesters arrested after chaining themselves in front of San Francisco ICE building. SF’s ICE building cancels appointments; 44 protesters arrested after chaining themselves to entrances. DD: Democrat leaders make it ever-increasingly clear that they will never stop a) flooding America with their illegals and b) fighting their deportation. Democrat leaders have declared a Second Civil War on Republicans. Illegals are soldiers in the Democrat Army.
https://abc7news.com/post/dozens-protesters-faith-communities-block-entrances-san-francisco-ice-building/18292234/

NEW YORK TIMES
— Johnson Rules Out House Vote to Extend Health Insurance Subsidies. DD: Are/were your healthcare insurance premiums subsidized? Ever since I became a part-time postal employee when was 18 in 1966, my critics/opponents have been furious that the federal government has paid 72% of my healthcare insurance premiums. They have been even more furious ever since I got married when I was 29 and the federal government started paying 72% of my wife’s healthcare insurance premiums. That 72% subsidy is a major reason why people despise/hate federal employees, federal retirees, and their spouses. That 72% subsidy helped me withstand tremendous efforts by my Democrat superiors in the federal government to waste my career and to get rid of me.
https://www.nytimes.com/2025/12/16/us/politics/obamacare-subsidies-house.html
— New Yorkers Back Mamdani’s Push for Free Child Care. DD: My Democrat GAO superiors ever-increasingly decried the cost of raising their children. They ever-increasingly punished me for my and my wife giving up trying to have children without trying IVF, our not adopting, and our not becoming foster parents. According to them, if we had children, I would not have been able a) to pass the CPA examination on my first attempt in 1979, b) to earn a master’s degree in accounting in 1980, c) to pass the Certified Internal Auditor examination on my first attempt in 1981, and d) to become a licensed CPA in 1981.
https://www.nytimes.com/2025/12/16/nyregion/mamdani-child-care-poll.html
— DD: To give preference to one demographic is to discriminate against another demographic. To get more votes from those who are the following, Democrat and RINO leaders ever-increasingly give them more preference: minority, female, younger, non-Protestant, non-German American, have ancestors who have not been in America for a long time, and/or are noncitizens. That is, Democrat and RINO leaders ever-increasingly discriminate against those who are White, male, older, Protestant, German American, have ancestors who have been in America for a long time, and/or are citizens of America.
https://www.nytimes.com/2025/12/16/opinion/young-white-men-discrimination.html
— Our Kids Are the Least Flourishing Generation We Know Of. DD: What motivated you when you were young? Did you have the American Dream? I did. That motivated me to earn a job-related bachelor’s degree, three job-related master’s, six job-related professional certifications, and a job-related professional license. But if I was young today, because of my bad demographics, I would not have that motivation because of ever-increasing discrimination against those who share my demographics.
https://www.nytimes.com/2025/04/01/opinion/ezra-klein-podcast-jonathan-haidt.html

LOS ANGELES TIMES
— Texas launches plan to open Turning Point USA chapters in every high school. DD: Who leads Turning Point USA in Illinois, your county, your township, your municipality, and your school district?
https://www.latimes.com/world-nation/story/2025-12-16/texas-launches-plan-to-open-turning-point-usa-chapters-in-every-high-school

MIAMI TIMES
— Without affirmative action, elite colleges are prioritizing economic diversity in admissions. DD: Because Black and Hispanic parents have lower incomes than White parents, colleges use income as a proxy for race.
https://www.miamitimesonline.com/education/without-affirmative-action-elite-colleges-are-prioritizing-economic-diversity-in-admissions/article_9e22ccca-396d-4d8d-82e7-2c6d42613a47.html

USA TODAY
— Mamdani’s NYC win sparks secession talk by Staten Island Republicans
https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/politics/2025/12/17/mamdani-nyc-staten-island-republicans-secession/87340414007/
— Agents are right to file lawsuit against FBI. DD: Because federal courts ruled that my Democrat GAO superiors had the power to force me to retire, that is, that they had the power to fire me, Trump has the power to fire any federal employee he wants to.
https://www.usatoday.com/story/opinion/columnist/2025/12/11/fbi-agents-fired-kneeling-first-amendment-lawsuit/87691940007/

FORBES
— DHS Tells Churches To ‘Get A Grip’ As Nativity Scenes Used To Protest ICE. DD: How strongly have Democrats taken over your church?
https://www.forbes.com/sites/maryroeloffs/2025/12/16/dhs-tells-churches-to-get-a-grip-as-nativity-scenes-used-to-protest-ice/

FAST COMPANY
— DD: If you would ask my Democrat GAO superiors what their greatest successes were, they would include their forcing me to retire when I was 49 years old in 1997 and giving my job and my preferred corner office to my Black subordinate who had less work experience than I had, who had less education than I had, who had one professional certification while I had six, and who had no professional license like the one I had.
https://www.fastcompany.com/91460876/how-trumps-anti-dei-policies-are-hurting-black-workers

ENTREPRENEUR
— McDonald’s CEO Warns That His Career Advice May ‘Hurt Your Feelings.’ In a new Instagram video, Kempczinski urged professionals to take full responsibility for their careers instead of waiting for someone else to give them an opportunity. Kempczinski’s message frames career growth as a personal responsibility, not a passive undertaking. DD: None of my Democrat Post Office superiors urged me to earn a job-related bachelor’s degree. None of my Democrat Firestone Store, IRS, and GAO superiors urged me to earn job-related master’s degrees, job-related professional certifications, or a job-related professional license. In fact, they discouraged me from doing the aforesaid big time. They would not have done that if I had been a Democrat, minority, female, younger, and/or veteran. I should write about that.
https://www.entrepreneur.com/business-news/mcdonalds-ceo-this-career-advice-may-hurt-your-feelings/500931

PROPLE
— DD: How strongly have Democrats taken over your church?
https://people.com/why-churches-taking-stand-anti-ice-nativity-scenes-11864296

UNITED METHODIST NEWS
— In a Nativity scene at Oak Lawn United Methodist Church in Dallas, Mary, Joseph and the baby Jesus are depicted being held in a detention center, as a protest of how immigrants are being treated in the United States. DD: How strongly have Democrats taken over your church?
https://www.umnews.org/en/news/nativity-scenes-art-spotlight-immigration

INSIDE HIGHER EDUCATION
— Turning Point USA’s Student Membership Keeps Growing. DD: Who leads Turning Point USA in Illinois, your county, your township, your municipality, and your school district?
https://www.insidehighered.com/news/quick-takes/2025/12/17/turning-points-student-membership-keeps-growing

FROM FOREIGN SOURCES

ECONOMIC TIMES
— Vance: “Try hiring Americans as states challenge Trump’s $100,000 H-1B visa fee.” DD: All my employers would have hired noncitizens instead of me if they could have.
https://www.msn.com/en-in/money/topstories/jd-vance-says-try-hiring-americans-as-states-challenge-trump-s-100-000-h-1b-visa-fee/ar-AA1SjoUN

PRESS GAZETTE
— Top 50 news websites in the US in November: Ten newsbrands down by over 40% in a year.  DD: The mainstream news media is ever-increasingly nothing more than a mouthpiece for the Democrat Party.
https://pressgazette.co.uk/media-audience-and-business-data/media_metrics/most-popular-websites-news-us-monthly-3/

December 16, 2025 Evening Edition

WHITE HOUSE
— RESTRICTING AND LIMITING THE ENTRY OF FOREIGN NATIONALS TO PROTECT THE SECURITY OF THE UNITED STATES
https://www.whitehouse.gov/presidential-actions/2025/12/restricting-and-limiting-the-entry-of-foreign-nationals-to-protect-the-security-of-the-united-states/

FROM ILLINOIS CENTER-LEFT SOURCES

CHICAGO TRIBUNE
— Border Patrol Cmdr. Gregory Bovino and agents return to Chicago in show of force across city and suburbs
https://www.chicagotribune.com/2025/12/16/border-patrol-activity-cicero-chicago/
— Maryland will consider slavery reparations after Gov. Wes Moore’s veto is overridden. DD: In my defense, I have always stressed that while all my ancestors immigrated during the 1840s and 1850s, they always lived in northeast Illinois.
https://www.chicagotribune.com/2025/12/16/maryland-will-consider-slavery-reparations-after-gov-wes-moores-veto-is-overridden/
— Illinois could be only 5 years away from electricity shortages, higher bills
https://www.chicagotribune.com/2025/12/16/illinois-electricity-report-shortages-bills/
— Napoleon Harris to appear on ballot in Democratic committeeman race after objections struck down
https://www.chicagotribune.com/2025/12/16/napoleon-harris-ballot-democratic-committeeman/

CHICAGO SUN-TIMES
— Bovino’s back: Border Patrol commander leads fresh round of immigration raids in Chicago area. Gregory Bovino returned to Little Village Tuesday after playing a key role in the early phases of Operation Midway Blitz, the immigration enforcement campaign that has stoked fear among Chicago’s immigrant communities and led to thousands of arrests.
https://chicago.suntimes.com/immigration/2025/12/16/greg-bovino-chicago-border-patrol-president-donald-trump-deportation-immigration

ABC7
— Trump to address nation Wednesday night
https://abc7chicago.com/post/president-donald-trump-address-nation-wednesday-night/18292669/
— Church Nativity scenes add zip ties, gas masks and ICE to protest immigration raids
https://abc7chicago.com/post/church-nativity-scenes-add-zip-ties-gas-masks-ice-protest-immigration-raids-evanston-illinois/18292813/
— Multiple immigration arrests caught on camera as Border Patrol Chief Bovino returns to Chicago
https://abc7chicago.com/post/border-patrol-chicago-today-federal-immigration-agents-seen-little-village-cicero-tuesday-video-shows/18292411/

CBS2
— Border Patrol Cmdr. Gregory Bovino in Chicago as federal agents detain people in Little Village, Cicero and Berwyn
https://www.cbsnews.com/chicago/news/border-patrol-gregory-bovino-chicago-little-village-cicero-midway/

FOX32
— Illinois approves $1.5B boost to rescue, revamp Chicago-area transit
https://www.fox32chicago.com/news/illinois-transit-bill

WTTW
— Border Patrol Chief Greg Bovino Back in Chicago as Federal Immigration Operations Ramp Back Up
https://news.wttw.com/2025/12/16/border-patrol-chief-greg-bovino-back-chicago-federal-immigration-operations-ramp-back

WGN RADIO
— DD: Democrat leaders ever-increasingly a) glorify and praise their illegals and b) fight their deportation.
https://wgnradio.com/john-williams/eric-zorn-trump-immigration-policy-is-unpopular/

WBEZ
— Bovino’s back: Border Patrol commander leads fresh round of immigration raids in Chicago area. Gregory Bovino returned to Little Village Tuesday after playing a key role in the early phases of Operation Midway Blitz, the immigration enforcement campaign that has stoked fear among Chicago’s immigrant communities and led to thousands of arrests.
https://www.wbez.org/immigration/2025/12/16/greg-bovino-chicago-border-patrol-president-donald-trump-deportation-immigration

CAPITOL FAX
— Afternoon roundup
https://capitolfax.com/2025/12/16/isabel%e2%80%99s-afternoon-roundup-437/

FROM ILLINOIS CENTER-RIGHT SOURCES

CENTER SQUARE ILLINOIS
— Illinois Freedom Caucus raises new questions about noncitizen police officer
https://www.thecentersquare.com/illinois/article_2b70c989-c57f-4e79-a8fe-ea72f04e2625.html

WIREPOINTS
— Chicago Crime, Courts, and Taxes Under Fire as Critics Question City Leadership – Wirepoints’ Mark Glennon Interviewed on Dan Proft’s Morning Answer
https://wirepoints.org/chicago-crime-courts-and-taxes-under-fire-as-critics-question-city-leadership-wirepoints-mark-glennon-interviewed-on-dan-profts-morning-answer/

ILLINOIS FAMILY INSTITUTE
— The Hunger Industrial Complex: How America Manufactured a Food Insecurity Crisis
https://illinoisfamily.org/federal/the-hunger-industrial-complex-how-america-manufactured-a-food-insecurity-crisis/

ILLINOIS REVIEW
— Dabrowski Campaign Starts with Illegal Robocalls — Repeating Rauner’s $1 Million Mistake. Political robocalls to cell phones without prior express consent are illegal under federal law.
https://www.illinoisreview.com/illinoisreview/2025/12/dabrowski-campaign-starts-with-illegal-robocalls-repeating-rauners-1-million-mistake.html
(FROM THE ARTICLE: That warning makes Dabrowski’s misstep even more striking given who is advising him. Dabrowski’s top campaign advisor is Jeanne Ives, a longtime and outspoken political enemy of Bruce Rauner. Ives built her reputation opposing Rauner’s brand of establishment Republican politics, frequently criticizing his judgment, leadership, and campaign decisions. Yet now, the Dabrowski campaign finds itself ensnared in the very same legal problem that cost Rauner’s campaign $1 million. Illinois law compounds the risk. The state’s Election Code (10 ILCS 5/9-9.5) requires political calls to identify the sponsoring committee and prohibits blocking caller ID. Violations are a Class B misdemeanor, punishable by up to six months in jail and fines up to $1,500. The State Board of Elections may also impose civil penalties and refer cases for prosecution.)
— Return to Innocence: A Generation Caught Between Digital Overload and the Erosion of Boundaries, Imagination and Innocence
https://www.illinoisreview.com/illinoisreview/2025/12/return-to-innocence-a-generation-caught-between-digital-overload-and-the-erosion-of-boundaries-imagination-and-innocence.html

FROM NATIONAL CENTER-RIGHT SOURCES

WASHINGTON TIMES
— IRS law enforcement expanded reach in 2025: Helped ICE, policed D.C. streets
https://www.washingtontimes.com/news/2025/dec/16/irs-law-enforcement-expanded-reach-2025-helped-ice-policed-dc-streets/
— Netflix and the near-complete woke Hollywood takeover. Filmmaking’s future depends on studio independence.
https://www.washingtontimes.com/news/2025/dec/16/netflix-near-complete-woke-hollywood-takeover/

WASHINGTON EXAMINER
— Never, ever give up your guns
https://www.washingtonexaminer.com/restoring-america/faith-freedom-self-reliance/3918225/never-ever-give-up-your-guns/

AMAC
— Deport Illegal Aliens – Laws Require It
https://amac.us/newsline/national-security/deport-illegal-aliens-laws-require-it/

BRETBART
— Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent: Mass Deportations Are Bringing Rents Down for Working-Class Americans
https://www.breitbart.com/economy/2025/12/16/treasury-secretary-scott-bessent-mass-deportations-are-bringing-rents-down-working-class-americans/

FOX NEWS
— Chicago ‘lost its mind’ financially under Mayor Brandon Johnson, Washington Post warns. Washington Post criticizes Chicago’s financial ‘gimmicks’ under Johnson.
https://www.foxnews.com/media/chicago-lost-its-mind-financially-under-mayor-brandon-johnson-washington-post-warns

PJ MEDIA
— Newsom Brags About Giving Illegals Healthcare
https://pjmedia.com/catherinesalgado/2025/12/16/newsom-brags-about-giving-illegals-healthcare-n4947140

TOWNHALL
— GOP Lawmakers Slam Critics of Airstrikes Against Venezuelan Boats
https://townhall.com/tipsheet/jeff-charles/2025/12/16/gop-lawmakers-slam-critics-of-airstrikes-against-venezuelan-boats-n2667972
— These RINO Senators Backed a Bill Seeking to Overturn Trump Executive Order on Federal Unions
https://townhall.com/tipsheet/dmitri-bolt/2025/12/16/two-republican-senators-back-bill-seeking-to-overturn-trump-executive-order-n2667997

WESTERN JOURNAL
— Even the Washington Post Agrees: Chicago’s Leftism Has Doomed City
https://www.westernjournal.com/even-wapo-agrees-chicagos-leftism-doomed-city/

FROM NATIONAL CENTER-LEFT SOURCES

U.S. NEWS & WORLD REPORT
— Illinois Law Generates $1.5B to Save Public Transit From Fiscal Calamity
https://www.usnews.com/news/us/articles/2025-12-16/illinois-law-generates-1-5b-to-save-public-transit-from-fiscal-calamity

WALL STREET JOURNAL
— GOP Leaders See No Chance of ACA Deal by Deadline. Centrists’ proposals stall in House, while Senate leader Thune says agreement could come next month
https://www.wsj.com/politics/policy/house-gop-aca-obamacare-subsidies-57add6a6

CFO
— How CPA licensure became a CFO issue in 2025. What started as a professional standards debate became a CFO concern tied to audit quality and hiring. DD: I became a licensed CPA when I was 32 years old in 1981. My critics/opponents have always ignored/dismissed/belittled that.
https://www.cfo.com/news/how-cpa-licensure-accounting-talent-became-a-cfo-issue-in-2025/807987/

NEWSONE
— How Descendants Of Enslavers Are Repairing Ancestral Damage. DD: In my defense, I have always stressed that while all my ancestors immigrated during the 1840s and 1850s, they always lived in northeast Illinois.
https://newsone.com/6689508/how-descendants-enslavers-are-repairing-ancestral-damage/