December 18 Evening Edition

ASSOCIATED PRESS
— Split screen: Trump holding rally as impeachment vote looms – DARLENE SUPERVILLE, ZEKE MILLER and JILL COLVIN
https://apnews.com/df59970ad25ae98e8d0139fd24adcec1

THE HILL
— Watch live: Trump holds rally in Michigan while House votes on impeachment
https://thehill.com/video/campaign/475202-watch-live-trump-hosts-rally-in-michigan

ABC7
— Trump impeachment debate: Republicans draw comparisons to Jesus, Pearl Harbor attack, Salem Witch trials – AP
https://abc7chicago.com/politics/gop-ties-impeachment-debate-to-jesus-pearl-harbor-salem-witch-trials/5766752/
— Chicago marijuana sales to start on time, City Council votes down ordinance – Jessica D’Onofrio and Sarah Schulte
https://abc7chicago.com/politics/ordinance-to-delay-recreational-marijuana-sales-fails-/5764998/

CBS2
— City Council Approves Ban On Aldermen Lobbying Other Elected Officials – Todd Feurer
https://chicago.cbslocal.com/2019/12/18/chicago-city-council-aldermen-lobbying-ban/
— Chicago Hospitals Prepare For Problems Related To Legal Marijuana Use – Vince Gerasole
https://chicago.cbslocal.com/2019/12/17/chicago-hospitals-prepare-for-problems-related-to-legal-marijuana-use/

CHICAGO TRIBUNE
— DISGUSTING, TRAGIC: Revival of head shops may be sign of coming high times for Illinois – CHARLES SELLE
https://www.chicagotribune.com/suburbs/lake-county-news-sun/opinion/ct-lns-selle-head-shops-st-1219-20191218-vs6cwgeodrhgjahupmj5lprqty-story.html
— Marijuana teen vaping up as other drug use, drinking and smoking decline, according to NIH survey – Kate Thayer
https://www.chicagotribune.com/lifestyles/ct-life-marijuana-vaping-up-nih-monitoring-the-future-survey-tt-20191218-c6rxsuxm3nb2tmtpkgipyq233u-story.html
— Oswego police prepare for jump in marijuana-related DUIs – LINDA GIRARDI
https://www.chicagotribune.com/suburbs/aurora-beacon-news/ct-abn-oswego-marijuana-st-1219-20191218-4hsewpwqrbh3xc57oy6ctp5meu-story.html
— Illinois is getting more than 250 new laws and taxes on Jan. 1. Here’s what you need to know. – DAN PETRELLA and JAMIE MUNKS
https://www.chicagotribune.com/politics/ct-liststory-illinois-new-laws-2020-20191218-k3sjxat7mvgonbbbvyr7anlbja-list.html
— Gov. J.B. Pritzker signs measure to consolidate hundreds of police and fire pension funds – DAN PETRELLA and JAMIE MUNKS
https://www.chicagotribune.com/politics/ct-illinois-municipal-pension-consolidation-20191218-v7feag3lsfez5irczyq7ba4cha-story.html
— Illinois Gaming Board moves to yank video gambling license after accusing owner of offering a $5 million ‘illegal inducement’ to betting parlor chain – DAVID HEINZMANN
https://www.chicagotribune.com/investigations/ct-rick-heidner-video-gambling-license-revocation-20191218-hksxbsjwnnhnvlyjidassomj5m-story.html
— Shareholder lawsuit is filed against ComEd parent Exelon, alleging it misled investors concerning federal probe
https://www.chicagotribune.com/business/ct-biz-exelon-shareholder-lawsuit-20191218-i6cxtbmjv5hajdydmkzzrmrlhq-story.html
— Legal recreational weed sales will begin Jan. 1 as planned in Chicago, despite a wild, angry debate in City Council – JOHN BYRNE, LOLLY BOWEAN, GREGORY PRATT and DAN PETRELLA
https://www.chicagotribune.com/politics/ct-lori-lightfoot-marijuana-delay-vote-city-council-20191218-rjelqg6gc5fojgkpau3q32tio4-story.html
— DuPage Forest Preserve board OKs five years of priority projects that don’t include Greene Farm Barn
By SUZANNE BAKER
https://www.chicagotribune.com/suburbs/naperville-sun/ct-nvs-forest-preserve-greene-barn-st-1220-20191219-43dsann6sfc3bkurnfog4uyrx4-story.html

CHICAGO SUN-TIMES
— DISGUSTING, TRAGIC: Cigar shops, hookah lounges and other smoke shops could allow pot use under city proposal Mayor Lori Lightfoot introduced an ordinance laying out rules for consuming pot in public Wednesday. – Tom Schuba 
https://chicago.suntimes.com/cannabis/2019/12/18/21028867/recreational-marijuana-cigar-hookah-smoke-shops-public-pot-consumption
— Lightfoot moves to strengthen Welcoming City ordinance — but leaves ‘carve-outs’ in place for now Immigrant activists have demanded removal of exceptions that govern how Chicago Police cooperate with ICE. Lightfoot campaigned on the promise to do just that. – Fran Spielman 
https://chicago.suntimes.com/2019/12/18/21028945/lightfoot-moves-to-strengthen-welcoming-city-ordinance-but-leaves-carve-outs-in-place-for-now
— Effort to delay recreational pot sales fails after gov promises to give 2 new licenses to owners of color Mayor Lori Lightfoot warned of a “multitude of unintended consequences” if pot sales were delayed in the city until July 1. – Fran Spielman 
https://chicago.suntimes.com/city-hall/2019/12/18/21028078/recreational-marijuana-sales-chicago-city-council-vote-delay

CRAIN’S CHICAGO BUSINESS
— Legal weed survives push to delay sales After a dramatic showdown on the City Council floor today—one of the biggest tests of Mayor Lightfoot’s administration so far— aldermen thwarted a call from black council members to halt recreational marijuana sales for six months. – A.D. QUIG 
https://www.chicagobusiness.com/marijuanacannabis/legal-weed-survives-push-delay-sales

QUAD CITIES TIMES
— DISGUSTING, TRAGIC: Pot pushers push pot.
https://qctimes.com/news/local/holiday-gift-guide-in-the-weeds-looking-for-gifts-for/article_9a7d058e-be76-5d79-bd5c-f839fb6b50da.html

SUBURBAN LIFE
— DISGUSTING, TRAGIC: Hundreds at rally call for Trump’s impeachment – Kierra Frazier
https://www.mysuburbanlife.com/2019/12/18/hundreds-at-rally-call-for-trumps-impeachment/aozw1b8/

WJBC
— Illinois’ transparency on economic subsidies gets a middling grade
http://www.wjbc.com/2019/12/18/report-illinois-transparency-on-economic-subsidies-gets-a-middling-grade/

FRANKFORT PATCH
— OUTSTANDING: Rally In Support Of President Trump Planned In Frankfort The rally will be held from 10 a.m. to noon Saturday at the intersection of La Grange Road and Route 30 in Frankfort. – Andrea Earnest
https://patch.com/illinois/frankfort/rally-support-trump-planned-frankfort

EVANSTON PATCH
— DISGUSTING, TRAGIC: Hundreds Take Part In Anti-Trump Impeachment Rally In Evanston The House will vote on Wednesday whether to make Donald Trump the third president in U.S. history to be removed from office.​​ – Nikki Gaskins
https://patch.com/illinois/evanston/hundreds-take-part-anti-trump-impeachment-rally-evanston

DUPAGE COUNTY ELECTION DIVISION
— DIERSEN HEADLINE: Nomination Petition Hearings: West v. DiCianni at 9:30 AM Thursday, December 19, 2019; Hooper v. Felice at 2:15 PM Thursday, December 19, 2019; and Tarnowski v. Youngberg at 3:00 PM Thursday, December 19, 2019. 
https://www.dupageco.org/Election/61831/

CITY OF WHEATON
— VIDEO: Adult-Use Cannabis
https://vimeo.com/380119918
— Cannabis Laws
https://www.wheaton.il.us/cannabislaws

ILLINOIS REVIEW
— COOK COUNTY DEMOCRAT PARTY CHAIRMAN ADDED TO LIST OF THOSE UNDER FEDERAL INVESTIGATION
https://www.illinoisreview.com/illinoisreview/2019/12/cook-co-democrat-party-chairman-added-to-list-of-those-under-federal-investigation.html
— CBS BOOSTS SOUTHERN POVERTY LAW CENTER
https://www.illinoisreview.com/illinoisreview/2019/12/cbs-boosts-southern-poverty-law-center.html

WASHINGTON TIMES
— Illinois high school officials probe racist insults at game – AP
https://www.washingtontimes.com/news/2019/dec/18/illinois-high-school-officials-probe-racist-insult/
(FROM THE ARTICLE: The Illinois High School Association is investigating claims that student fans at a high school girls basketball game west of Chicago subjected members of a visiting team to racist and body-shaming chants and slurs. Officials from Bishop McNamara Catholic School in Kankakee say the ugly behavior was on display Saturday during their varsity team’s game against St. Edward Catholic School in Elgin, WLS-TV reported. Bishop McNamara fans and parents say students in the St. Edward fan section were yelling racist comments throughout the game, including making animal noises at a black Bishop McNamara player and another member of the team.)
— Utah rally supporting Trump impeachment draws hundreds – AP
https://www.washingtontimes.com/news/2019/dec/18/pro-impeachment-rally-draws-hundreds/
— Trump favorability up 6 percentage points since impeachment began, Gallup poll shows Support for impeachment down 6 percentage points since October – Jennifer Harper
https://www.washingtontimes.com/news/2019/dec/18/trump-favorability-up-6-percentage-points-since-im/

WASHINGTON EXAMINER
— ‘Payback’: Republicans vow to impeach next Democratic president – Kerry Picket 
https://www.washingtonexaminer.com/news/republicans-vow-to-impeach-next-democratic-president

GOPUSA
— Judge permits Georgia to remove 120K ‘inactive’ voters from registration rolls
http://www.gopusa.com/?p=81410

BREITBART
— Pew: Race Divides Democrat Party on Faith and Marriage – DR. SUSAN BERRY
https://www.breitbart.com/politics/2019/12/18/pew-race-divides-democrat-party-faith-marriage/
— Nancy Pelosi Compares Impeachment to Battle of the Bulge Against Nazi Germany – JOEL B. POLLAK
https://www.breitbart.com/politics/2019/12/18/nancy-pelosi-compares-impeachment-to-battle-of-the-bulge-against-nazi-germany-wwii/

BLAZE
— Top House Democrat compares Trump impeachment to fights against slavery, Jim Crow – Nate Madden
https://www.theblaze.com/news/top-house-democrat-compares-trump-impeachment-to-fights-against-slavery-jim-crow

CNS NEWS
— Trump Administration Expands the List of Criminal Offenses That Would Bar Asylum – Susan Jones 
https://www.cnsnews.com/article/national/susan-jones/trump-administration-expands-list-criminal-offenses-would-bar-asylum

DAILY CALLER
— Democrats Betray America With Impeachment Vote – RONNA MCDANIEL, REPUBLICAN NATIONAL COMMITTEE
https://dailycaller.com/2019/12/18/mcdaniel-democrats-impeachment/
— Trump Administration Wants To Restrict More Criminal Aliens From Qualifying For Asylum – JASON HOPKINS
https://dailycaller.com/2019/12/18/trump-illegal-aliens-asylum-criminals/

DAILY WIRE
— Epic Fail: Latest Poll Shows Trump’s Approval Rising, Support For Impeachment Low – Paul Bois
https://www.dailywire.com/news/epic-fail-latest-poll-shows-trumps-approval-rising-support-for-impeachment-low

COLLEGE FIX
— Justice Department is still investigating Harvard for anti-Asian admissions practices – GREG PIPER (DIERSEN: Ever-increasingly, because of the Democrats, Libertarians, Greens, and RINOs, it is OK to be anti-Trump, anti-Protestant, anti-conservative, anti-patriotic, anti-Republican, anti-American, anti-White, anti-male, anti-older people, anti-rich people, anti-gun owners, anti-German Americans, anti-draft avoiders, and/or anti-those whose ancestors have been in America for a long time.) 
https://www.thecollegefix.com/justice-department-is-still-investigating-harvard-for-anti-asian-admissions-practices/

ABC NEWS
— DIERSEN HEADLINE: America-haters want all the citizens of all the countries in the world to seek asylum in America.
https://abcnews.go.com/International/blocked-border-young-families-pregnant-mothers-struggle-asylum/story?id=67777661

WASHINGTON POST
— Pelosi emerges as Trump’s most powerful political adversary with impeachment – Paul Kane
https://www.washingtonpost.com/powerpost/with-impeachment-pelosi-emerges-as-trumps-most-powerful-political-adversary/2019/12/18/3f47cd96-21b2-11ea-86f3-3b5019d451db_story.html

USA TODAY
— ‘Four more years!’: Michigan crowd rallies for Trump ahead of House impeachment vote – Kathleen Gray and Elena Durnbaugh
https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/politics/2019/12/18/donald-trump-battle-creek-kellogg-impeachment-rally/2693773001/

NEW YORK DAILY NEWS
— DIERSEN HEADLINE: A Trump-hater says “Reject Trump’s cynical anti-Palestinian ploy on campus speech.”
https://www.nydailynews.com/opinion/ny-oped-reject-trumps-cynical-ploy-on-campus-speech-20191218-yqbljj3wpbfofeo574wasjysum-story.html

NEW YORKER
— India’s Citizenship Emergency – Isaac Chotiner (DIERSEN: Islam is more like a political party or a country without borders than a religion.)
https://www.newyorker.com/news/q-and-a/indias-citizenship-emergency
(FROM THE ARTICLE: Last week, India adopted new legislation called the Citizenship Amendment Act, which gives undocumented immigrants of several faiths a path to citizenship but excludes Muslims, who make up about fifteen per cent of the country’s population. The law is part of a pattern of persecution of Muslims carried out by Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi and his Bharatiya Janata Party, who seek to transform India from an avowedly secular, pluralistic country into a Hindu one. This past August, Modi revoked the autonomy of India’s only Muslim-majority state, Kashmir, and flooded it with troops, in an ongoing siege. In Assam, another state with a large Muslim population, the government implemented the National Register of Citizens, which forced people to prove or lose their citizenship status. Immigrants whose citizenship was stripped by the state are already being sent to detention camps; last month, the government declared that the citizenship registry would soon cover the entire country. The cumulative effect of these moves has been to throw India’s democratic character and future into a precarious state not seen since the mid-nineteen-seventies, when Prime Minister Indira Gandhi declared a state of emergency and imprisoned her political opponents. In response to the Citizenship Amendment Act, demonstrations have broken out across India.)

DAILY BEAST
— The Illinois High School Association is investigating claims that students yelled racist comments and chanted animal noises at a black player during a high school girls basketball game. – Emma Tucker
https://www.thedailybeast.com/illinois-high-school-officials-probe-racist-slurs-by-students-at-game

WINDY CITY TIMES
— DISGUSTING, TRAGIC: Thousands attend impeachment rally in Chicago
http://www.windycitymediagroup.com/lgbt/Thousands-attend-impeachment-rally-in-Chicago/67655.html

December 18 Morning Edition

NBC5
— DIERSEN HEADLINE: DISGUSTING, TRAGIC: Ever-increasingly, Trump-haters promote Trump-haters.
https://www.nbcchicago.com/news/local/chicago-politics/hundreds-gather-for-rally-ahead-of-trump-impeachment-vote/2190395/#new_tab
— DIERSEN HEADLINE: DISGUSTING, TRAGIC: Ever-increasingly, pot pushers push pot.
https://www.nbcchicago.com/top-videos-home/cannabis-in-illinois-how-will-the-new-law-work/2190484/

WGN TV
— Chicago aldermen call for delay in legal weed sales, as growers ramp up production – MIKE LOWE (DIERSEN: Needless-to-say, those who lead minorities, females, younger people, etc. should urge them to NOT sell/use pot. Sooner or later, those who sell/use pot will become destitute and wards of the state.) 
https://wgntv.com/2019/12/17/chicago-aldermen-call-for-delay-in-legal-weed-sales-as-growers-ramp-up-production/
— DIERSEN HEADLINE: DISGUSTING, TRAGIC: Ever-increasingly, pot pushers push pot.
https://wgntv.com/2019/12/17/qa-what-to-know-when-recreational-marijuana-becomes-legal-in-illinois-jan-1/

FOX NEWS CHICAGO
— DIERSEN HEADLINE: DISGUSTING, TRAGIC: Ever-increasingly, Trump-haters promote Trump-haters.
https://www.fox32chicago.com/news/rallies-held-in-chicago-suburbs-urging-house-to-impeach-trump

CHICAGO TRIBUNE
— The president is very likely to be impeached tonight. Here’s what else to watch for. – AP
https://www.chicagotribune.com/nation-world/ct-nw-trump-impeachment-what-to-watch-20191218-wkbqltppkfdhjhw5gioj3upbsq-story.html
— What price does the republic pay for Trump resistance at all costs? – John Kass
https://www.chicagotribune.com/columns/john-kass/ct-trump-resistance-costs-kass-20191218-az5v7xxyxbfktlxe4i5qwqdyqi-story.html
— DISGUSTING, TRAGIC: On eve of House impeachment vote, Chicago-area residents rally in support of ousting President Trump – MORGAN GREENE, ERIN HEGARTY and TED SLOWIK
https://www.chicagotribune.com/news/breaking/ct-trump-impeachment-protest-20191218-jayg7xjjnjaftdlhktzzqlvzou-story.html
— DIERSEN HEADLINE: Trump-haters promote Trump-haters.
https://www.chicagotribune.com/columns/dahleen-glanton/ct-dahleen-glanton-impeachment-vote-illinois-democrats-20191218-yb2y4bmj4nhkteru4ujrfj4uou-story.html
— Oak Lawn expects to reap at least $500K from ‘penny per push’ video gaming tax, believed to be first of its kind in Illinois – ZAK KOESKE
https://www.chicagotribune.com/suburbs/daily-southtown/ct-sta-oak-law-push-tax-st-1218-20191217-xxk6rbzwdjauzmewnuhe6supjq-story.html
— Sports betting is coming to your phone in Illinois. That means big money for the state — and big worries about addiction. – John Keilman
https://www.chicagotribune.com/news/ct-online-sports-betting-illinois-20191218-teohp6ahb5hfnhg7izy5dxppbi-story.html

CHICAGO SUN-TIMES
— DIERSEN HEADLINE: A Trump-hater says “The worst of Trump is yet to come — and his Republican sycophants fear it The president will invent any lie if it suits his purpose. That behavior is only going to get worse after the impeachment of Trump fails to result in a fair Senate trial.”
https://chicago.suntimes.com/columnists/2019/12/17/21026298/phil-kadner-president-donald-trump-republican-party-2020-election-gop-senate-congress

DAILY HERALD
— Naperville’s new mission: ‘Creating inclusive community’ – Marie Wilson (DIERSEN: Ever-increasingly, Trump-hating Democrats use isolated incidents by isolated people to justify painting Naperville as being full of Republicans who are White supremacists, Nazis, KKK members, haters, racists, sexists, bigots, and even worse things.) 
https://www.dailyherald.com/news/20191218/napervilles-new-mission-creating-inclusive-community
— FRONT PAGE WITH COLOR PHOTO OF UNDERWOOD: DIERSEN HEADLINE: Trump-haters promote Trump-haters.
https://www.dailyherald.com/news/20191217/underwood-says-shell-back-impeachment-shes-taking-a-political-risk-doing-so
— DIERSEN HEADLINE: Trump-haters promote Trump-haters.
https://www.dailyherald.com/news/20191217/impeachment-rallies-held-across-suburbs-as-house-vote-nears
— DuPage Airport operations highest since 2005
https://www.dailyherald.com/business/20191218/dupage-airport-operations-highest-since-2005

CRAIN’S CHICAGO BUSINESS
— We need to hit pause on Chicago marijuana sales Equity and justice depend on it, members of the aldermanic Black Caucus write. Act now, or there will be zero African American, Latinx or female owners licensed to run cannabis shops. – CHICAGO ALDERMANIC BLACK CAUCUS (DIERSEN: Needless-to-say, those who lead minorities, females, younger people, etc. should urge them to NOT sell/use pot. Sooner or later, those who sell/use pot will become destitute and wards of the state.) 
https://www.chicagobusiness.com/opinion/we-need-hit-pause-chicago-marijuana-sales

SPRINGFIELD STATE JOURNAL REGISTER
— DIERSEN HEADLINE: Trump-haters promote hatred of Trump.
https://www.sj-r.com/news/20191217/pro-impeachment-supporters-to-davis-lahood-choose-country-over-party

BLOOMINGTON PANTAGRAPH
— DIERSEN HEADLINE: DISGUSTING, TRAGIC: McLean County promotes pot in its unincorporated areas.
https://www.pantagraph.com/news/local/govt-and-politics/mclean-county-board-decides-to-regulate-not-ban-cannabis-related/article_8c537679-b8e5-53d5-b431-0605f497af67.html

SUBURBAN LIFE
— Immigration issues the topic of Casten town hall in Glen Ellyn Casten criticized President Donald Trump’s immigration agenda during the 90-minute gathering. – Megann Horstead (DIERSEN: Did those who represent you in your municipality, in your township/ward, in your county, and in Illinois vote to allow refugee resettlement? If the voters in your precinct, in your municipality, in your township/ward, in your county, and in Illinois had been allowed to vote on this, how would the majority have voted? How strongly do the Democrats, Libertarians, Greens, and RINOs in your precinct, in your municipality, in your township/ward, and in your county demonize, denigrate, and condemn Republicans?) 
https://www.mysuburbanlife.com/2019/12/16/immigration-issues-the-topic-of-casten-town-hall-in-glen-ellyn/aphi8l0/

BUGLE NEWSPAPERS
— Pritzker expected to sign letter consenting to refugee resettlement New Trump administration policy requires state and local consent (DIERSEN: Did those who represent you in your municipality, in your township/ward, in your county, and in Illinois vote to allow refugee resettlement? If the voters in your precinct, in your municipality, in your township/ward, in your county, and in Illinois had been allowed to vote on this, how would the majority have voted? How strongly do the Democrats, Libertarians, Greens, and RINOs in your precinct, in your municipality, in your township/ward, and in your county demonize, denigrate, and condemn Republicans?)
https://www.buglenewspapers.com/story/2019/12/12/news/pritzker-expected-to-sign-letter-consenting-to-refugee-resettlement/774.html

WCIA
— Syverson secured rare Senate floor access for rock star who promoted casino – Mark Maxwell
https://www.wcia.com/illinois-capitol-news/syverson-secured-rare-senate-floor-access-for-rock-star-who-promoted-casino/
(FROM THE ARTICLE: In a brazen move that violated Senate rules, state Senator Dave Syverson (R-Rockford) brought Rock and Roll Hall of Fame musician Rick Nielsen, the guitarist for Cheap Trick, onto the chamber floor in May during a sensitive time when his colleagues were considering whether or not to approve a Rockford casino and when Nielsen was lobbying support for one. Nielsen stands to gain significant personal wealth if the Illinois Gaming Board approves the Hard Rock casino bid because his wife invested in the project. Nielsen is also in business with Syverson through the Stockholm Inn in Rockford. On May 15th, Nielsen visited the statehouse to build support for the Rockford casino project. During his visit, he staged a public press conference from the statehouse press room, sought an audience with the governor, and passed out guitar picks to legislators on the floor in the House and Senate, all in support of approving a Rockford casino.)

WAND
— Champaign votes to allow refugee resettlement (DIERSEN: Did those who represent you in your municipality, in your township/ward, in your county, and in Illinois vote to allow refugee resettlement? If the voters in your precinct, in your municipality, in your township/ward, in your county, and in Illinois had been allowed to vote on this, how would the majority have voted? How strongly do the Democrats, Libertarians, Greens, and RINOs in your precinct, in your municipality, in your township/ward, and in your county demonize, denigrate, and condemn Republicans?) 
https://www.wandtv.com/news/champaign-votes-to-allow-refugee-resettlement/article_8c218ce4-2138-11ea-b0ea-9f18ae460efd.html

WPSD
— DISGUSTING, TRAGIC: Activists in Carbondale demand Bost support impeachment of President Trump – Logan Gay
https://www.wpsdlocal6.com/news/activists-in-carbondale-demand-bost-support-impeachment-of-president-trump/article_a53bb526-214a-11ea-b67f-33712f81b509.html

NEWS CHANNEL 20
— Governor Pritzker says Illinois will continue to welcome refugees (DIERSEN: Did those who represent you in your municipality, in your township/ward, in your county, and in Illinois vote to allow refugee resettlement? If the voters in your precinct, in your municipality, in your township/ward, in your county, and in Illinois had been allowed to vote on this, how would the majority have voted? How strongly do the Democrats, Libertarians, Greens, and RINOs in your precinct, in your municipality, in your township/ward, and in your county demonize, denigrate, and condemn Republicans?) 
https://newschannel20.com/news/local/governor-pritzker-says-illinois-will-continue-to-welcome-refugees

TRI STATE HOMEPAGE
— Gov. Pritzker writes letter welcoming refugees to Illinois (DIERSEN: Did those who represent you in your municipality, in your township/ward, in your county, and in Illinois vote to allow refugee resettlement? If the voters in your precinct, in your municipality, in your township/ward, in your county, and in Illinois had been allowed to vote on this, how would the majority have voted? How strongly do the Democrats, Libertarians, Greens, and RINOs in your precinct, in your municipality, in your township/ward, and in your county demonize, denigrate, and condemn Republicans?)
https://www.tristatehomepage.com/news/local-news/gov-pritzker-writes-letter-welcoming-refugees-to-illinois/

EVANSTON NOW
— DISGUSTING, TRAGIC: ‘Dump Trump’ supporters gather downtown – Bill Smith
https://evanstonnow.com/story/government/bill-smith/2019-12-17/83790/dump-trump-supporters-gather-downtown

MCHENRY COUNTY BLOG
— Pritzker Welcomes Refugees (DIERSEN: Did those who represent you in your municipality, in your township/ward, in your county, and in Illinois vote to allow refugee resettlement? If the voters in your precinct, in your municipality, in your township/ward, in your county, and in Illinois had been allowed to vote on this, how would the majority have voted? How strongly do the Democrats, Libertarians, Greens, and RINOs in your precinct, in your municipality, in your township/ward, and in your county demonize, denigrate, and condemn Republicans?)
http://mchenrycountyblog.com/2019/12/17/138360/ 
— Local Legislators Criticize Taxpayer Gifts of $50 to Each Newborn for College Fund
http://mchenrycountyblog.com/2019/12/18/local-legislators-criticize-taxpayer-gifts-of-50-to-each-newborn-for-college-fund/ 
— County Board Member Chuck Wheeler Seeks Second Amendment Sanctuary Status for McHenry County
http://mchenrycountyblog.com/2019/12/18/wheeler-seeks-second-amendment-sanctuary-status-for-mchenry-county/ 
— IL-14: Reactions to Lauren Underwood’s Impeachment Decision
http://mchenrycountyblog.com/2019/12/18/il-14-reactions-to-lauren-underwoods-impeachment-decision/ 
— President Turns to God in Face of Impeachment Today
http://mchenrycountyblog.com/2019/12/18/president-turns-to-god-in-face-of-impeachment-today/ 
— Difference in Value of Homestead Exemption in Cook County and Elsewhere
http://mchenrycountyblog.com/2019/12/18/difference-in-value-of-homestead-exemption-in-cook-county-and-elsewhere/ 
— The Woodstock Impeach Trump Rally
http://mchenrycountyblog.com/2019/12/18/the-woodstock-impeach-trump-rally/

CAPITOL FAX
— Did Syverson’s guest violate Senate rules?
https://capitolfax.com/2019/12/18/did-syversons-guest-violate-senate-rules/
— Pritzker sends president a letter consenting to receive refugees (DIERSEN: Did those who represent you in your municipality, in your township/ward, in your county, and in Illinois vote to allow refugee resettlement? If the voters in your precinct, in your municipality, in your township/ward, in your county, and in Illinois had been allowed to vote on this, how would the majority have voted? How strongly do the Democrats, Libertarians, Greens, and RINOs in your precinct, in your municipality, in your township/ward, and in your county demonize, denigrate, and condemn Republicans?) 
https://capitolfax.com/2019/12/17/pritzker-sends-president-a-letter-consenting-to-receive-refugees/

WASHINGTON EXAMINER
— Republicans vow to impeach next Democratic president – Kerry Picket
https://www.washingtonexaminer.com/news/republicans-vow-to-impeach-next-democratic-president
— McConnell wants quick impeachment dismissal vote: ‘We’ve heard enough’ – Susan Ferrechio
https://www.washingtonexaminer.com/news/mcconnell-wants-quick-impeachment-dismissal-vote-weve-heard-enough

WASHINGTON FREE BEACON
— China Violates Disclosure Law to Publish Propaganda in New York Times, Washington Post – Yuichiro Kakutani
China Daily gave media outlets millions to publish ads disguised as news stories
https://freebeacon.com/national-security/china-flouts-fed-law-to-publish-propaganda-in-ny-times-wapo/

GOPUSA
— Supreme Court Affirms the Right to Destroy Cities
http://www.gopusa.com/?p=81344

AMERICAN THINKER
— Illegals and the American Birthright – Noel S. Williams (DIERSEN: Sooner or later, Democrats, Libertarians, Greens, and RINOs will hint/imply/argue/shout that you stole everything that you have.)
https://www.americanthinker.com/articles/2019/12/illegals_and_the_american_birthright.html
(FROM THE ARTICLE: Pete Buttigieg, supposedly one of the more moderate Democrat candidates for president, believes that illegal aliens are just reclaiming stolen land. I can picture him toting one of those mischievous banners popular with the Open Borders mobs: “we didn’t cross the border, the border crossed us.” Not only is that historical bunk, but it is illegal aliens who are stealing stuff, including our finite resources and, ultimately, our American birthright. Whose land, exactly, was “stolen”? Who crossed whose border? Many Tejanos who lived in Texas wanted to break away from Mexico and supported the Texas revolution. After smiting Santa Anna and declaring independence, they favored annexation by the United States. Similarly, in Alta California, most new settlers and Californios (Hispanic natives of California) supported a revolt against the unstable Mexican government. Even before the Mexican-American War (1846-1848), Californios incited several revolts against the Mexican government, as outlined in this National Park Service lesson. After giving them a thorough whipping in the war — U.S. forces even raised the Stars and Stirpes over the Halls of Montezuma in Mexico City — the U.S. magnanimously paid Mexico $15 million, and several more millions to pay off Mexican debt to U.S. citizens. Considering the Louisiana Purchase, comprising more land, also cost about $15 million, an interpretation is that Mexico, having been soundly humiliated in battle, can be thankful we anted up at all. After all, they desperately petitioned for peace. Whose land was stolen? Mexico only controlled the land they relinquished in the Mexican Cession for one short generation, and our financial payments generously helped alleviate their financial crisis.)

BREITBART
— American Taxpayers Continue Funding Border Walls — in the Middle East – JOHN BINDER
https://www.breitbart.com/politics/2019/12/17/american-taxpayers-continue-funding-border-walls-in-the-middle-east/

DAILY CALLER
— ‘Spare Us Your Amnesty’: DHS Rips Mayor De Blasio For Defending Driver’s Licenses For Illegal Aliens – JASON HOPKINS
https://dailycaller.com/2019/12/17/dhs-rips-de-blasio-over-drivers-licenses/

RUSH LIMBAUGH
— Never Trumpers Gear Up for 2020 with Times Square Billboard, Super PAC
https://www.rushlimbaugh.com/daily/2019/12/17/never-trumpers-gear-up-for-2020/

TOWNHALL
— Out of the Shadows… and Into the Voting Booth? – Michelle Malkin
https://townhall.com/columnists/michellemalkin/2019/12/18/out-of-the-shadows-and-into-the-voting-booth-n2558185
— DHS Explains Why New York Allowing Illegal Immigrant Drivers License Hinders Catching Criminals – Julio Rosas
https://townhall.com/tipsheet/juliorosas/2019/12/17/dhs-explains-why-new-york-allowing-illegal-immigrant-drivers-license-hinders-catc-n2558171

CAMPUS REFORM
— Conservative student group alleges smear campaign by college employee A conservative student group at College of Lake County in Illinois says a college employee led a smear campaign against it. The group told Campus Reform that it filed a formal complaint after the employee allegedly posted flyers around campus calling it a “hate group.” – Alec Stone
https://campusreform.org/?ID=14117

THE HILL
— Democrats set to take historic step of impeaching Trump – MIKE LILLIS AND OLIVIA BEAVERS 
https://thehill.com/homenews/house/475014-democrats-set-to-take-historic-step-of-impeaching-trump
— Trump seethes over impending impeachment – MORGAN CHALFANT AND BRETT SAMUELS
https://thehill.com/homenews/administration/474986-trump-seethes-over-impending-impeachment

CBS NEWS
— Pro-Trump demonstrators to serenade Capitol Hill ahead of impeachment vote – MELISSA QUINN
https://www.cbsnews.com/news/trump-impeachment-protest-pro-trump-demonstrators-serenade-capitol-hill-ahead-impeachment-vote-today-2019-12-18/
— Conservative Trump detractors, including George Conway, launch group aimed at defeating Trump in 2020 – MELISSA QUINN
https://www.cbsnews.com/news/george-conway-and-group-of-trump-critics-launch-the-lincoln-project-aimed-at-defeating-trump-in-2020/

CNBC
— George Conway and other conservative Trump critics form super PAC to battle president in 2020 – AP
https://www.cnbc.com/2019/12/17/george-conway-other-conservatives-critics-form-super-pac-to-battle-trump.html

NEW YORK TIMES
— India Adopts the Tactic of Authoritarians: Shutting Down the Internet India, the world’s largest democracy, shuts down the internet far more than any other country. This week, 60 million people — roughly the size of France — have no service. – Jeffrey Gettleman, Vindu Goel and Maria Abi-Habib (DIERSEN: My critics/opponents want to shut down a) me, b) my GOPUSA ILLINOIS emails, and c) www.gopillinois.com. Ever-increasing, everyone can see who my critics/opponents are by how they treat a) me, b) my GOPUSA ILLINOIS emails, and c) www.gopillinois.com. If I do not promote a Republican event in GOPUSA ILLINOIS emails, it is because the event organizers a) did not notify me of the event or b) did not want me to promote the event. If I do not report on a Republican event, it is because the event organizers a) did not want me to report on the event or b) I was not able to attend the event. Because I spend 10+ hours each and every day putting GOPUSA ILLINOIS emails together and sending them out, I cannot attend many events, especially those that require substantial travel time. The less conservative that event organizers are, the less likely that they will a) notify me of their events, b) ask me to promote their events, c) invite me to attend their events, and/or d) ask me to report on their events.) 
https://www.nytimes.com/2019/12/17/world/asia/india-internet-modi-protests.html
— DIERSEN HEADLINE: Ever-increasingly, Democrats promote LGBTQ activity.
https://www.nytimes.com/2019/12/18/opinion/transgender-rights-democrats.html

WASHINGTON POST
— Denmark denied refugees asylum by arguing it’s safe for them to go home to Syria – Miriam Berger
https://www.washingtonpost.com/world/2019/12/18/denmark-denied-refugees-asylum-by-arguing-its-safe-them-go-home-syria/

USA TODAY
— FRONT PAGE TOP OF FOLD WITH BIG COLOR PICTURE: DIERSEN HEADLINE: How long have your ancestors been in America? Ever-increasingly, Democrats hint/imply/argue/shout that the longer that your ancestors have been in America, the more reparations that you owe, 
https://www.usatoday.com/in-depth/news/nation/2019/12/16/black-white-tucker-family-meet-confront-slavery-history/4412970002/

WALL STREET JOURNAL
— DIERSEN HEADLINE: Constructively, those who support the SALT cap demonize, denigrate, and condemn those like me who pay more than $10,000 a year in SALT taxes as being undeservedly filthy rich. Trump should increase the $10,000 SALT cap to $20,000 for married filing jointly.
https://www.wsj.com/articles/democrats-salt-sleight-of-hand-11576628213
— Trump’s Tough Letter on Impeachment Is Written in Style of His Tweets The president criticized Democrats’ motives in a strongly-worded letter to Speaker Pelosi – Alex Leary
https://www.wsj.com/articles/trumps-tough-letter-on-impeachment-is-written-in-style-of-his-tweets-11576620051
— Trump Denounces House Democrats as Impeachment Vote Looms Pelosi calls president’s letter ‘really sick’ ahead of Wednesday’s planned debate and vote – Natalie Andrews, Lindsay Wise and Siobhan Hughes
https://www.wsj.com/articles/democrats-largely-united-on-impeachment-as-vote-looms-11576597334
— The Changing Face of Immigration Most of those crossing into the U.S. illegally used to be Mexican men seeking work. Now it is families and unaccompanied minors from Central America seeking asylum. – Alicia A. Caldwell
https://www.wsj.com/articles/the-changing-face-of-immigration-11576630807
— How the U.S. Became a Nation Divided Political, cultural and economic gaps have hardened amid anxiety born of the financial crisis and a fundamental argument over American values – Gerald F. Seib
https://www.wsj.com/articles/how-the-u-s-became-a-nation-divided-11576630802
— DISGUSTING, TRAGIC: Youth Marijuana Vaping on the Rise, Researchers Say The number of adolescents vaping marijuana and THC oil is rising, a worrisome trend amid a surge in lung ailments, researchers said – Brianna Abbott
https://www.wsj.com/articles/youth-marijuana-vaping-on-the-rise-researchers-say-11576645261
— The Democrats Could Re-Elect Trump in 2020 On the campaign trail he’ll say they’ve been out to get him from his first day in office. He won’t be wrong. – Jason L. Riley
https://www.wsj.com/articles/the-democrats-could-re-elect-trump-in-2020-11576626559
— How the Definition of an American Family Has Changed There were fewer nuclear families and many more alternative arrangements, such as unmarried parents – Ellen Byron (DIERSEN: I should write a book about those in Illinois who claim to be religious, conservative, and/or Republican, but who fail/refuse to defend/advance the traditional family plank in the Illinois Republican Party platform.)
https://www.wsj.com/articles/how-the-definition-of-an-american-family-has-changed-11576418401

BLOOMBERG
— McConnell Plots Path to Deliver Swift Trump Acquittal by Senate – Steven T. Dennis and Laura Litvan
https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2019-12-17/mcconnell-plots-path-to-deliver-swift-trump-acquittal-by-senate

NBC5 New Hampshire
— Lebanon to vote on resolution permitting refugee resettlement Resolution is in response to an executive order issued in September by Trump – Nathaniel Reed (DIERSEN: Did those who represent you in your municipality, in your township/ward, in your county, and in Illinois vote to allow refugee resettlement? If the voters in your precinct, in your municipality, in your township/ward, in your county, and in Illinois had been allowed to vote on this, how would the majority have voted? How strongly do the Democrats, Libertarians, Greens, and RINOs in your precinct, in your municipality, in your township/ward, and in your county demonize, denigrate, and condemn Republicans?)
https://www.mynbc5.com/article/city-to-vote-on-resolution-permitting-refugee-resettlement/30261871#

KVRR
— Clay County Commission votes to accept refugees – Austin Erickson (DIERSEN: Did those who represent you in your municipality, in your township/ward, in your county, and in Illinois vote to allow refugee resettlement? If the voters in your precinct, in your municipality, in your township/ward, in your county, and in Illinois had been allowed to vote on this, how would the majority have voted? How strongly do the Democrats, Libertarians, Greens, and RINOs in your precinct, in your municipality, in your township/ward, and in your county demonize, denigrate, and condemn Republicans?)
https://www.kvrr.com/2019/12/17/clay-county-commission-votes-to-accept-refugees/

MONDAQ
— Illinois Amends Recreational Cannabis Law To Protect Drug Testing By Employers – Condon A. McGlothlen, Marc R. Jacobs and Adam R. Young
http://www.mondaq.com/unitedstates/x/876370/Illinois+Amends+Recreational+Cannabis+Law+To+Protect+Drug+Testing+By+Employers

PBS
— What Trump’s refugee policies could mean for places like Bowling Green, Kentucky (DIERSEN: Did those who represent you in your municipality, in your township/ward, in your county, and in Illinois vote to allow refugee resettlement? If the voters in your precinct, in your municipality, in your township/ward, in your county, and in Illinois had been allowed to vote on this, how would the majority have voted? How strongly do the Democrats, Libertarians, Greens, and RINOs in your precinct, in your municipality, in your township/ward, and in your county demonize, denigrate, and condemn Republicans?)
https://www.pbs.org/newshour/show/what-trumps-refugee-policies-could-mean-for-places-like-bowling-green-kentucky

LBGTQ NATION
— DIERSEN HEADLINE: LGBTQ activists crow about their success in getting Chick-fil-A and Hallmark to dump individuals, organizations, companies, governments, and countries that are Trump supporters, Protestant, conservative, patriotic, Republican, American, White, male, older, gun owners, German American, and those whose ancestors have been in America for a long time. 
https://www.lgbtqnation.com/2019/12/religious-right-melting-chick-fil-hallmark-channel-month/

NEW INDIA TIMES
— Indian-American businessman from Illinois Krishna Bansal running for U.S. Congress (DIERSEN: Speakers at the campaign kick-off rally at the Bolingbrook Golf Club included Chirico, DeMonte, Grogan, Ives, Jani, Keller, Kuma, Schneider, and Senger. Attendees included Anderson, Balich, Carlyle, Coyne, Edmier, Felice, George, Hanson, Hois, Holder, Jorgensen, Kelly, Lauzen, Lawlor, McCluskey, Mitchell, Rilley, Ruhl, Schultz, Simone, Vician, Ward, Yurgaitis, and Zahm. The host committee included many of the aforesaid plus Batinick, Caprio, Claar, Daily, Hartwell, Hunt, Mervine, Nathwani, Pearson, Sharma, Wheeler, and Wehrli.)
http://www.newsindiatimes.com/indian-american-businessman-from-illinois-running-for-u-s-congress/

ECONOMIC TIMES
— Rich nations urged to do ‘fair share’ as global refugee meet begins (DIERSEN: Ever-increasingly, Democrats, Libertarians, Greens, and RINOs a) charge Republicans with not doing enough to help refugees and b) demonize, denigrate, and condemn Republicans as being White supremacists, Nazis, haters, racists, sexists, bigots, and even worse things who should be gotten rid of once and for all.) 
https://economictimes.indiatimes.com/news/international/world-news/rich-nations-urged-to-do-fair-share-as-global-refugee-meet-begins/articleshow/72844250.cms

December 17 Evening Edition

ABC7
— Recreational marijuana sales could be delayed in Chicago after committee passes ordinance (DIERSEN: Democrats want minorities and women to be pot pushers.)
https://abc7chicago.com/politics/committee-passes-ordinance-that-could-delay-recreational-marijuana-sales-in-chicago/5763373/
— Local pastors say ending CPD’s merit promotions could hurt efforts to promote diversity in the department – Craig Wall (DIERSEN: My Democrat superiors in the federal government used the subjectivity in their promotion systems to give preference to their employees who were Democrats, and especially to those who were minority, female, and/or younger.) 
https://abc7chicago.com/politics/beck-hears-from-pastors-frustrated-by-end-to-police-merit-promotions/5763444/

NBC5
— Hundreds Gather for Rally Ahead of Trump Impeachment Vote The House of Representatives is expected to vote on articles of impeachment against the president Wednesday
https://www.nbcchicago.com/news/local/chicago-politics/hundreds-gather-for-rally-ahead-of-trump-impeachment-vote/2190395/
— Illinois Democrats Facing Tough Re-Election Bids Will Support Impeachment of President Trump Reps. Underwood and Lipinski have both said they will vote in favor of articles of impeachment against the president
https://www.nbcchicago.com/news/local/chicago-politics/illinois-democrats-facing-tough-re-election-bids-will-support-impeachment-of-president-trump/2190269/

CBS2
— Emergency Rooms Prepare For Legal Marijuana
https://chicago.cbslocal.com/video/4247189-emergency-rooms-prepare-for-legal-marijuana/

FOX NEWS CHICAGO
— Trump angrily objects to impeachment, calls it ‘perversion’ – Lisa Mascaro and Mary Jalonick
https://www.fox32chicago.com/news/trump-angrily-objects-to-impeachment-calls-it-perversion

WTTW
— City Council Committee Votes to Delay Recreational Marijuana Sales in Chicago – Paul Caine
https://news.wttw.com/2019/12/17/city-council-committee-votes-delay-recreational-marijuana-sales-chicago

CHICAGO TRIBUNE
— Freshman Democratic Rep. Lauren Underwood, who won a Trump district last year, will vote for articles of impeachment – RICK PEARSON
https://www.chicagotribune.com/politics/ct-lauren-underwood-to-vote-for-impeachment-20191217-6sftdw3f4zg4lbxlikfmqfn5iu-story.html
— What happens to the weed black market when recreational marijuana goes legal Jan. 1? ‘I see it opening the door to more clients,’ one dealer says. – Ally Marotti
https://www.chicagotribune.com/business/ct-biz-illinois-marijuana-black-market-20191216-tgnejrr2bna4xj36fd64fzgqay-story.html
— Measure to delay Chicago’s recreational marijuana sales till July narrowly clears panel of aldermen; full City Council may vote Wednesday – JOHN BYRNE (DIERSEN: Democrats want minorities and women to be pot pushers.)
https://www.chicagotribune.com/politics/ct-lori-lightfoot-black-aldermen-weed-delay-20191217-2y7zgpibi5a3bik7vekcphywiy-story.html
— Recreational pot isn’t all that’s new in Illinois in 2020: The minimum wage goes up, so do parking garage taxes and license plate fees – DAN PETRELLA and JAMIE MUNKS
https://www.chicagotribune.com/politics/ct-illinois-new-laws-2020-20191218-k3sjxat7mvgonbbbvyr7anlbja-story.html
— Hammond council unanimously approves resolution supporting DACA, Dreamers – LU ANN FRANKLIN
https://www.chicagotribune.com/suburbs/post-tribune/ct-ptb-hammond-daca-vote-st-1218-20191217-c6vu42kekrbyjbriyy7lnpnwwq-story.html
— Corruption experts have descended on Chicago, a rich habitat – Editorial
https://www.chicagotribune.com/opinion/editorials/ct-editorial-corruption-convention-chicago-ethics-20191217-20191217-rw2wkpbsyjecvjr43vv5p5z2pe-story.html
— Doctor’s report says 77-year-old Joe Biden is ‘healthy, vigorous’ and ‘fit to successfully execute the duties of the Presidency’ – LAURAN NEERGARD and ALEXANDRA JAFFE
https://www.chicagotribune.com/politics/elections/ct-joe-biden-health-20191218-iklhofocbregvchiqcaghmfwgy-story.html
— DISGUSTING, TRAGIC: Hundreds turn out for Naperville rally calling to impeach President Donald Trump – ERIN HEGARTY
https://www.chicagotribune.com/suburbs/naperville-sun/ct-nvs-impeachment-rally-riverwalk-st-20191218-l5h3a5oq3feylciyhgcmcrc6di-story.html

CHICAGO SUN-TIMES
— Reps. Lauren Underwood, Cheri Bustos to back Trump impeachment Underwood and Bustos are two of 31 Democrats representing districts Trump won in 2016 and the group has been closely watched for defections. – Lynn Sweet
https://chicago.suntimes.com/politics/2019/12/17/21026607/lauren-underwood-vote-trump-impeachment
— Feds investigating former Cook County Assessor Joe Berrios, records show The authorities are interested in his access to private planes and boats, among other matters, according to a grand jury subpoena obtained by the Sun-Times. – Mark Brown, Tim Novak, and Robert Herguth
https://chicago.suntimes.com/politics/2019/12/17/21026896/cook-county-assessor-joe-berrios-federal-investigation
— Exelon sued over lobbying investigation The company has disclosed multiple grand jury subpoenas and an SEC probe. – Jon Seidel 
https://chicago.suntimes.com/business/2019/12/17/21027004/exelon-class-action-lawsuit-comed-lobbying-investigation
— DIERSEN HEADLINE: Ever-increasingly, LGBTQ promoters promote LGBTQ activity.
https://chicago.suntimes.com/2019/12/17/21024383/hallmark-channel-zola-ellen-degeneres-sanna-marin-finland-sesame-street-editorial
— Reflections before the House debates the impeachment of President Donald Trump on Wednesday The most memorable day in my career was Dec. 19, 1998, when Bill Clinton was impeached and — in a shocker — Rep. Dennis Hastert, R-Ill., lined up support to be Speaker. – Lynn Sweet
https://chicago.suntimes.com/columnists/2019/12/17/21027177/reflections-house-debates-wednesday-two-articles-impeachment-against-president-donald-trump-clinton

DAILY HERALD
— Underwood says ‘I must vote to protect the Constitution’ and vote for impeachment – James Fuller
https://www.dailyherald.com/news/20191217/underwood-says-i-must-vote-to-protect-the-constitution-and-vote-for-impeachment
— Haymarket Center suing Itasca over zoning classification – Robert Sanchez
https://www.dailyherald.com/news/20191217/haymarket-center-suing-itasca-over-zoning-classification

CRAIN’S CHICAGO BUSINESS
— Move to delay Chicago weed sales passes committee A full council vote is expected tomorrow on Ald. Jason Ervin’s proposal to halt recreational marijuana sales in Chicago until July 1. – A.D. QUIG (DIERSEN: Democrats want minorities and women to be pot pushers.)
https://www.chicagobusiness.com/government/move-delay-chicago-weed-sales-passes-committee
— New pot laws can’t start at the finish line The reality is that marijuana legalization had to begin somewhere. Delaying recreational sales in Chicago to address the all-white industry isn’t the answer, writes the executive director of advocacy group Chicago NORML. – EDIE MOORE
https://www.chicagobusiness.com/opinion/new-pot-laws-cant-start-finish-line

SPRINGFIELD STATE JOURNAL REGISTER
— Some local Democratic leaders back Biden – Bernard Schoenburg
https://www.sj-r.com/news/20191217/some-local-democratic-leaders-back-biden

PEORIA JOURNAL STAR
— DISGUSTING, TRAGIC: Pot pushers push pot.
https://www.pjstar.com/news/20191216/canton-pot-dispensary-to-be-ready-jan-1-being-rebranded-as-rise

ALTON TELEGRAPH
— DISGUSTING, TRAGIC: Illinois offering low cost cannabis loans (DIERSEN: Democrats want minorities and women to be pot pushers.)
https://www.thetelegraph.com/news/article/Illinois-offering-low-cost-cannabis-loans-14913307.php

EFFINGHAM DAILY NEWS
— Shimkus to miss impeachment vote – Dawn Schabbing
https://www.effinghamdailynews.com/news/local_news/shimkus-to-miss-impeachment-vote/article_fbd1cd66-2119-11ea-a184-8ff9444c6b3f.html

NEWS TRIBUNE
— U.S. Rep. Adam Kinzinger says he will vote ‘no’ on president’s impeachment Congressman urges ‘let’s get back to real work’ – Derek Barichello
https://www.newstrib.com/2019/12/17/u-s-rep-adam-kinzinger-says-he-will-vote-no-on-presidents-impeachment/acqo3r6/

KENDALL COUNTY NOW
— Kendall County Board approves revised employee drug policy Tuesday vote comes before adult use cannabis becomes legal Jan. 1 in Illinois – KATIE FINLON
https://www.kendallcountynow.com/2019/12/16/kendall-county-board-approves-revised-employee-drug-policy/askoay3/

NPR ILLINOIS
— Joe Biden Is ‘Healthy’ And ‘Vigorous’ According To Doctor’s Report – RICHARD HARRIS
https://www.nprillinois.org/post/joe-biden-healthy-and-vigorous-according-doctors-report#stream/0

WIFR
— Pot Patrol: Law enforcement agencies prepare for impaired drivers – Brittany Karlin
https://www.wifr.com/content/news/Pot-Patrol-Law-enforcement-agencies-prepare-for-impaired-drivers-566290421.html

MCHENRY COUNTY BLOG
— McSweeney on Illinois Corruption
http://mchenrycountyblog.com/2019/12/17/mcsweeney-on-illinois-corruption/ 
— IL-14: Catalina Lauf Electoral Board Hearing Officer and Campaign Merchandising
http://mchenrycountyblog.com/2019/12/17/il-14-catalina-lauf-electoral-board-hearing-officer-and-campaign-merchandising/ 
— Former CL Mayor Bob Wagner, R.I.P.
http://mchenrycountyblog.com/2019/12/17/former-cl-mayor-bob-wagner-r-i-p/ 
— DeWitte Gets Another Study Group Appointment
http://mchenrycountyblog.com/2019/12/17/dewitte-gets-another-study-group-appointment/ 
— Mike Beuhler Calls Jack Franks Out on Coroner Elimination
http://mchenrycountyblog.com/2019/12/17/mike-beuhler-calls-jack-franks-out-on-coroner-eliminated/ 
— IL-06: Jeanne Ives Earns Endorsement from Club for Growth
http://mchenrycountyblog.com/2019/12/17/il-06-jeanne-ives-earns-endorsement-from-club-for-growth/
— FBI Rebuked by FISA Court
http://mchenrycountyblog.com/2019/12/17/fbi-rebuked-by-fisa-court/ 
— IL-14: Lauren Underwood Announces She’ll Support Impeachment, Rally in Woodstock at 5:30
http://mchenrycountyblog.com/2019/12/17/il-14-impeachment-rally-in-woodstock-at-530/ 
— Dems Demonstrating for Impeachment in Crystal Lake Tonight
http://mchenrycountyblog.com/2019/12/17/dems-demonstrating-for-impeachment-in-crystal-lake-tonight/

WIREPOINTS
— Illinois enacting a progressive tax is like Sears attempting a turnaround by hiking prices – Ted Dabrowski and John Klingner
https://wirepoints.org/illinois-enacting-a-progressive-tax-is-like-sears-attempting-a-turnaround-by-hiking-prices/

CAPITOL FAX
— DISGUSTING, TRAGIC: Lightfoot praised for “new and innovative” cannabis social equity idea (DIERSEN: Democrats want minorities and women to be pot pushers.)
https://capitolfax.com/2019/12/17/lightfoot-praised-for-new-and-innovative-cannabis-social-equity-idea/
— Pritzker sends president a letter consenting to receive refugees (DIERSEN: What do Democrats say to refugees about Republicans?) 
https://capitolfax.com/2019/12/17/pritzker-sends-president-a-letter-consenting-to-receive-refugees/

WASHINGTON TIMES
— Barack Obama’s feminist nonsense – Cheryl K. Chumley
https://www.washingtontimes.com/news/2019/dec/17/barack-obamas-feminist-nonsense/

AMERICAN THINKER
— Who approved Hallmark’s decision to air same-sex wedding ads? – Catharine Evans
https://www.americanthinker.com/blog/2019/12/who_approved_hallmarks_decision_to_air_samesex_wedding_ads_.html

BLAZE
— Violence erupts during pro-Trump women’s event at DC hotel after attendees at ‘high-profile Democrat wedding’ harass conservative women; 1 arrested Hot time in the old town – Sara Taylor (DIERSEN: If I do not promote a Republican event in GOPUSA ILLINOIS emails, it is because the event organizers a) did not notify me of the event or b) did not want me to promote the event. If I do not report on a Republican event, it is because the event organizers a) did not want me to report on the event or b) I was not able to attend the event. Because I spend 10+ hours each and every day putting GOPUSA ILLINOIS emails together and sending them out, I cannot attend many events, especially those that require substantial travel time. The less conservative that event organizers are, the less likely that they will a) notify me of their events, b) ask me to promote their events, c) invite me to attend their events, and/or d) ask me to report on their events.) 
https://www.theblaze.com/news/fracas-erupts-during-pro-trump-womens-event-at-dc-hotel-after-attendees-at-high-profile-democrat-wedding-harass-conservative-women-1-arrested

DAILY CALLER
— Despite Viewership Woes, CNN Retains Stranglehold On 58 Airports – RUDY TAKALA
https://dailycaller.com/2019/12/17/takala-cnn-viewership-airports/

GOPUSA
— Trump supporters in revolt against media
http://www.gopusa.com/?p=81263
— Barack Obama: It’s time for women to run the world
http://www.gopusa.com/?p=81299

NEWS BUSTERS
— DIERSEN HEADLINE: Ever-increasingly, Democrats hint/imply/argue/shout that Jesus is anti-Trump, anti-Protestant, anti-conservative, anti-patriotic, anti-Republican, anti-American, anti-White, anti-male, anti-older people, anti-rich people, anti-gun owners, anti-German Americans, anti-draft avoiders, and/or anti-those whose ancestors have been in America for a long time. 
https://www.newsbusters.org/blogs/nb/ryan-foley/2019/12/17/cuomo-slams-gop-their-silence-trumps-pelosi-tweet-says-its

PJ MEDIA
— Trump’s Most Loyal Supporters Are Orthodox Jews. Here’s Why – TYLER O’NEIL
https://pjmedia.com/election/trumps-most-loyal-supporters-are-orthodox-jews-heres-why/

NOQ REPORT
— Could President Trump get 15% of the black vote? More? – Michio Hasai 
https://noqreport.com/2019/12/17/president-trump-get-15-black-vote/

NATIONAL LAW REVIEW
— Illinois Recreational Marijuana Law Amendments Permit “Reasonable” Drug Testing But Leave Uncertainty
https://www.natlawreview.com/article/illinois-recreational-marijuana-law-amendments-permit-reasonable-drug-testing-leave

WASHINGTON POST
— Impeachment live updates: House Democrats have enough votes to impeach Trump, according to a Post analysis – Felicia Sonmez, John Wagner and Elise Viebeck
https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/trump-impeachment-live-updates/2019/12/17/f3aa9e20-20b9-11ea-86f3-3b5019d451db_story.html

FORBES
— DISGUSTING, TRAGIC: Marijuana’s Ten Biggest Victories Of 2019 – Tom Angell
https://www.forbes.com/sites/tomangell/2019/12/17/marijuanas-ten-biggest-victories-of-2019/#5d137f179667

COLDWELL BANKER
— OFFICE CONDO FOR SALE: 610 West Roosevelt Road, Wheaton – $125,000
https://www.coldwellbankerhomes.com/il/wheaton/610-west-roosevelt-rd/pid_34056169/

December 17 Morning Edition

CHICAGO TRIBUNE
— Black market likely to get bigger when pot becomes legal – Kathy Valente, Director of Operations, Illinois Family Institute, Tinley Park
https://www.chicagotribune.com/suburbs/naperville-sun/opinion/ct-nvs-naperville-letters-st-1222-20191216-ofpek3zivjec5c4ugihdm7ppai-story.html
— As recreational pot is about to become legal in Illinois, Pritzker administration warns it will crack down on ‘bad actors’ who affect medical cannabis availability – Robert McCoppin
https://www.chicagotribune.com/marijuana/illinois/ct-illinois-marijuana-shortages-letter-20191217-jz64jyh3t5htjjtafn63sgouhi-story.html
— Lawsuit filed by Wheaton cop who alleged sex and age discrimination is dismissed, but judge says dearth of female leaders in department ‘raises an eyebrow’ – CLIFFORD WARD
https://www.chicagotribune.com/news/breaking/ct-met-wheaton-lawsuit-dismissed-20191216-tckmd3xgejgkljoieyahyn7muy-story.html
— Jesse Jackson pushes Nicor to bring long-sought natural gas line to impoverished Pembroke Township in Kankakee County – John Keilman (DIERSEN: Pembroke Township was one of the areas that I was assigned to collect delinquent taxes in while I worked for IRS in its Harvey office 1972-1973.)
https://www.chicagotribune.com/news/breaking/ct-pembroke-nicor-gas-jackson-20191217-3lxvyxklwvgshfbxznbh3t5gyy-story.html

CHICAGO SUN-TIMES
— Pritzker expected to sign letter consenting to refugee resettlement New Trump administration policy requires state and local consent. – Peter Hancock (DIERSEN: What do Illinois Democrats say to refugees about Illinois Republicans?)
https://chicago.suntimes.com/metro-state/2019/12/16/21025402/pritzker-refugee-resettlement-letter-consent-illinois
— Trump impeachment: Pre-vote skirmish expected at Tuesday Rules Committee hearing On Monday, a spokesman for Rep. Dan Lipinski, D-Ill., said he would vote yes on both impeachment articles. Lipinski faces two major March Democratic primary opponents who support impeachment. – Lynn Sweet 
https://chicago.suntimes.com/columnists/2019/12/16/21025278/trump-impeachment-tuesday-rules-committee-hearing
— DIERSEN HEADLINE: A Trump-hater says “Trump is leading a revolution that is destroying America.”
https://chicago.suntimes.com/columnists/2019/12/16/21025153/jesse-jackson-trump-republicans-impeachment-trial-house-of-represenatives-2020

DAILY HERALD
— Pritzker expected to give consent for refugees to resettle in Illinois – Peter Hancock (DIERSEN: What do Illinois Democrats say to refugees about Illinois Republicans?) 
https://www.dailyherald.com/news/20191216/pritzker-expected-to-give-consent-for-refugees-to-resettle-in-illinois
(FROM THE ARTICLE: “As the great grandson of a Jewish refugee from Ukraine, the president’s attacks on immigrant families are deeply personal to me,” Pritzker said in an email statement. . .According to a tally kept by World Relief, 24 other governors and more than 60 municipalities already have submitted consent letters. Among the local communities listed is DuPage County. . .”It’s not just the Chicagoland area, in which most people think refugees are going,” she said “It’s places like Aurora and DuPage and Moline, which is where Global Relief has offices.)
— FRONT PAGE TOP OF FOLD: DIERSEN HEADLINE: DISGUSTING, TRAGIC: Oakton Community College promotes pot.
https://www.dailyherald.com/business/20191217/oakton-partnership-offers-students-a-path-to-jobs-in-the-cannabis-industry
https://www.dailyherald.com/submitted/20191216/oakton-leverages-cannabis-curriculum-to-create-stem-pathway

CRAIN’S CHICAGO BUSINESS
— DISGUSTING, TRAGIC: Lightfoot floats the idea of weed co-ops As the Jan. 1 start of recreational marijuana sales approaches, the mayor is focusing more attention on diversity and equity. – JOHN PLETZ 
https://www.chicagobusiness.com/marijuanacannabis/lightfoot-floats-idea-weed-co-ops
— Changing the narrative isn’t a credible strategy, Governor It’s a transparent attempt to substitute political spin for sorely needed action. – MARK GLENNON
https://www.chicagobusiness.com/opinion/changing-narrative-isnt-credible-strategy-governor

MEDILL REPORTS
— AUTO-VOTER REGISTRATION IN ILLINOIS NOT COMPLYING WITH LAW, EXPERTS SAY – Megan Sauer
https://news.medill.northwestern.edu/chicago/auto-voter-registration-in-illinois-not-complying-with-law-experts-say/

CENTRAL ILLINOIS PROUD
— Spending deal would end two-decade freeze on gun research – AP
https://www.centralillinoisproud.com/news/business/spending-deal-ends-two-decade-freeze-on-gun-safety-research/
— GOP governors push Trump to scale back employment licensing regulations – Trevor Shirley (DIERSEN: I became a licensed CPA in 1981 when I was 32 years old.)
https://www.centralillinoisproud.com/news/national/gop-governors-push-trump-to-scale-back-employment-licensing-regulations/

POLITICO ILLINOIS
— George P. Bush, the son of Jeb Bush, headlined the holiday luncheon hosted by Illinois Republican leaders and supporters, including Richard Porter, Jay Bergman, Sanford “Sandy” Perl and Kim Godden. Bush talked immigration, politics and baseball. He said even though his family has spoken out against Republican Donald Trump, he’d be supporting him in 2020. Part of the program included a word association game that equated Texas with opportunity and Illinois with, well, none. (Seems harsh.) Spotted in the crowd at the estate of Gene and Georgetti in Rosemont were business leaders Ty Fahner and Bill Kunkler, state House Minority Leader Jim Durkin, former Congressmen Peter Roskam and Bob Dold, Bolingbrook Mayor Roger Claar, Rosemont Mayor and state Rep. Brad Stephens, former state Comptroller Leslie Munger, Kane County State’s Attorney Joe McMahon, political fundraiser Lisa Wagner, political consultant Thom Serafin and public affairs consultant Brian Bernadoni. – Shia Kapos
https://www.politico.com/newsletters/illinois-playbook/2019/12/17/bumps-in-cannabis-road-lipinski-will-vote-to-impeach-bradys-big-bucks-487920

DUPAGE COUNTY ELECTION DIVISION
— DIERSEN HEADLINE: Nomination Petition Hearings: West v. DiCianni at 1:30 PM Tuesday, December 17, 2019; Hooper v. Felice at 2:15 PM Thursday, December 19, 2019; and Tarnowski v. Youngberg at 3:00 PM Thursday, December 19, 2019. 
https://www.dupageco.org/Election/61831/

CENTER SQUARE
— Illinois’ treasurer calls on President Trump to support surrendering billions in unclaimed U.S. savings bonds for states to find rightful owners – Greg Bishop
https://www.thecentersquare.com/illinois/illinois-treasurer-calls-on-president-trump-to-support-surrendering-billions/article_e7071c4c-2042-11ea-9d5f-93aa1669df2c.html

WASHINGTON FREE BEACON
— Illegals Line Up Early for Newly Available NY Driver’s Licenses Law faced multiple suits, one of which is ongoing – Graham Piro 
https://freebeacon.com/politics/new-york-enacts-law-allowing-illegal-immigrants-to-get-drivers-licenses/

AMERICAN THINKER
— The Left Lines Up With the Terrorists – Civis Americanus
https://www.americanthinker.com/articles/2019/12/the_left_lines_up_with_the_terrorists.html

BREITBART
— Impeachment Backfire: Polling Shows Trump Surge Against All Democrat Contenders in Last Month – HANNAH BLEAU
https://www.breitbart.com/politics/2019/12/16/impeachment-backfire-polling-shows-trump-surge-against-all-democrat-contenders-in-last-month/

DAILY CALLER
— ‘This Will Protect Criminals’: Homeland Security Blasts New York Law Allowing Illegal Aliens To Get Driver’s Licenses – PETER HASSON
https://dailycaller.com/2019/12/16/dhs-new-york-green-light-allow-illegal-alien-driver-license/

NEWSMAX
— Trump ‘Disdainers’ Worse Than the Haters, But Equally Irrelevant – Conrad Black
https://www.newsmax.com/conradblack/trump-haters-disdainers-impeachment/2019/12/16/id/946109/

PJ NEWS MEDIA
— New Jersey Gives Illegals Driver’s Licenses. How Long Before They Get the Vote? – TYLER O’NEIL
https://pjmedia.com/trending/new-jersey-gives-illegals-drivers-licenses-how-long-before-they-get-the-vote/

NATIONAL REVIEW
— Rand Paul vs. Google and Facebook – JOHN MCCORMACK
https://www.nationalreview.com/2019/12/rand-paul-backs-bill-letting-newspapers-negotiate-better-deals-with-google-facebook/
(FROM THE ARTICLE: The Kentucky senator backs antitrust exemption letting newspapers negotiate better terms from the tech giants. Kentucky senator Rand Paul is signing on to a bill attempting to help a struggling industry, print and digital news organizations, by giving them more power to negotiate the terms under which Google and Facebook may distribute their content. Current antitrust law forbids news organizations from banding together to negotiate terms of distribution and advertising rates, but the Journalism Competition and Preservation Act would provide a four-year exemption to existing antitrust laws for “news content creators” to collectively negotiate with “online content distributors” that have at least one billion active users each month (i.e., Google and Facebook). “Government threatens the viability of trusted news sources through old and outdated restrictions on the ability of those sources to survive in an evolving media environment,” Paul said in a written statement Monday to National Review. “We need to get government out of the way, which is why in addition to cosponsoring the Journalism Competition and Preservation Act of 2019, I will also be introducing legislation to free broadcast media from the chains that restrict their ability to better serve their customers.”)

THE HILL
— GOP set to make life difficult for Democrats on impeachment – OLIVIA BEAVERS AND MIKE LILLIS
https://thehill.com/homenews/house/474821-gop-set-to-make-life-difficult-for-democrats-on-impeachment

POLITICO
— Trump’s Been President for 3 Years. Why Is Federal Morale Dropping Now? An annual survey of the federal workforce notches its first decline in employee engagement since 2014. How bad are things, really? – MICHAEL STRATFORD
https://www.politico.com/news/agenda/2019/12/17/government-morale-trump-federal-administration-084835

ASSOCIATED PRESS
— Trump threatens to bypass Commission on Presidential Debates
https://apnews.com/c4e1bbc13ccdec5953a66f3002974899

NEW YORK TIMES
— Moderate Democrats Back Impeachment of Trump as House Vote Nears Several vulnerable freshmen who had expressed reservations about the effort said they would vote to impeach President Trump, despite the political risks. – Michael D. Shear
https://www.nytimes.com/2019/12/16/us/politics/judiciary-committee-impeachment.html
— Praise for Rep. Van Drew From Trump, Scorn From Those at Home The New Jersey Democrat has quickly become anathema to people on both sides of the political divide after news spread he planned to switch parties. – Tracey Tully
https://www.nytimes.com/2019/12/16/nyregion/jeff-van-drew-democrat-republican.html
— FRONT PAGE WITH COLOR PICTURE: As Protests Rage on Citizenship Bill, Is India Becoming a Hindu Nation? Several people have been killed as unrest spreads to new corners of the country. Many see the passage of a new law as anti-Muslim. – Jeffrey Gettleman and Maria Abi-Habib
https://www.nytimes.com/2019/12/16/world/asia/india-citizenship-protests.html

WASHINGTON POST
— DIERSEN HEADLINE: A Trump-hater says “Nixon was bad. Trump is much worse.”
https://www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/nixon-was-bad-trump-is-much-worse/2019/12/16/f1edb280-2045-11ea-a153-dce4b94e4249_story.html

WALL STREET JOURNAL
— The Voter Theft That Wasn’t A Wisconsin judge enforces the law. Liberals cry foul. – Editorial
https://www.wsj.com/articles/the-voter-theft-that-wasnt-11576540787
— Peter Thiel at Center of Facebook’s Internal Divisions on Politics Billionaire investor thinks political-ad policy shouldn’t change; some directors and executives disagree – Emily Glazer, Deepa Seetharaman and Jeff Horwitz
https://www.wsj.com/articles/peter-thiel-at-center-of-facebooks-internal-divisions-on-politics-11576578601
— Protests Over India’s New Citizenship Law Widen Critics of legislation, which disadvantages some Muslim immigrants, say Prime Minister Modi is undermining country’s secular foundation – Krishna Pokharel and Newley Purnell
https://www.wsj.com/articles/protests-over-indias-new-citizenship-law-widen-11576501527
— Make Your Job Application Robot-Proof It takes planning to make sure AI gatekeepers don’t bounce your résumé—sometimes for arbitrary reasons—before a human can make a call – Sue Shellenbarger
https://www.wsj.com/articles/make-your-job-application-robot-proof-11576492201
— Achieving Quantum Wokeness Political correctness barges into a computer science breakthrough. – Editorial
https://www.wsj.com/articles/achieving-quantum-wokeness-11576540808

FORTUNE
— Paid Parental Leave for Fed Workers Could Spur Wider Changes – AP (DIERSEN: Government is nasty. Politics is nasty. Democrats are nasty. Virtually all my superiors, supervisors, coworkers, and subordinates in the federal government had spouses and/or children to support. They hinted/implied/argued/shouted that employees who had dependents should get preference over employees like me who never had dependents.)
https://fortune.com/2019/12/16/paid-parental-leave-federal-workers/

FORBES
— DIERSEN HEADLINE: Ever-increasingly, Trump-haters hint/imply/argue/shout that citizens of foreign countries are better than citizens of America. 
https://www.forbes.com/sites/adigaskell/2019/12/17/why-immigration-is-so-important-in-the-global-race-for-talent/#40a8ec2f1022

USA TODAY
— 92% of Americans think their basic rights are being threatened, new poll shows – Joshua Bote (DIERSEN: Democrats want government to take away rights, money, opportunities, etc. from those who are Trump supporters, Protestant, conservative, patriotic, Republican, American, White, male, older, non-poor, gun owners, German American, draft avoiders, and/or those whose ancestors have been in America for a long time.) 
https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/nation/2019/12/16/most-americans-think-their-basic-rights-threatened-new-poll-shows/4385967002/

FEDERAL NEWS NETWORK
— Paid federal parental leave will cost $3.3B over 5 years, but that’s not the whole story – Scott Maucione
https://federalnewsnetwork.com/pay-benefits/2019/12/paid-federal-parental-leave-will-cost-3-3b-over-5-years-but-thats-not-the-whole-story/

FED WEEK
— DoD Bill Returns Focus to Probationary Period Issue (DIERSEN: My Democrat GAO superiors, supervisors, coworkers, and subordinates were furious that when I transferred from IRS to GAO in 1980 when I was 31 years old, because I had been under a probationary period at IRS, I was not under a probationary period at GAO. Nevertheless, they did everything that they could to get rid of me. GAO audits IRS. They kept me off audits of IRS for all but 3 of the almost 18 years that I worked for GAO. They gave me unfair performance expectations and unfair performance appraisals. They assigned me to work for, to work with, and to supervise the office’s most problematic employees. And even worse things. In my defense, I completed the requirements for a master’s degree in accounting from DePaul in 1980, passed the Certified Internal Auditor examination on my first attempt in 1981, became a licensed CPA in 1981, a Certified Fraud Examiner in 1990, a Certified Government Financial Manager in 1994, a Certified Financial Services Auditor in 1996, and a Forensic Accountant in 1997. In addition, I completed the requirements for a master’s degree in financial markets and trading from IIT in 1997.)
https://www.fedweek.com/federal-managers-daily-report/dod-bill-returns-focus-to-probationary-period-issue/

FED SMITH
— Which Agencies are the “Best Places to Work”? (DIERSEN: GAO is on this list. To attract/retain young Democrat minorities and to attract/retain young Democrat females, GAO can stress how it gets rid of its employees who are Republican, White, male, and/or non-veteran who GAO does not promote to GS-13 (currently $98,198) by age 25, GS-14 (currently $116,040) by age 30, GS-15 (currently $136,495) by age 35, and Senior Executive Service (currently $165,500) by age 40. Further, GAO can stress that it no longer requires passing the CPA examination to get hired/promoted.)
https://www.fedsmith.com/2019/12/17/agencies-best-places-work/

VANITY FAIR
— ELIZABETH WARREN WANTS BLOOMBERG TO “ANSWER FOR” HIS HISTORY OF SEXIST REMARKS Warren called for women to be released from nondisclosure agreements that prevent them from speaking about Bloomberg and the allegedly toxic work environment he fostered. – ALISON DURKEE
https://www.vanityfair.com/news/2019/12/michael-bloomberg-sexist-comments-elizabeth-warren-ndas

DAILY BEAST
— DIERSEN HEADLINE: Biden sides with “world leaders” who laugh at Trump.
https://www.thedailybeast.com/joe-biden-campaigns-off-video-showing-world-leaders-laughing-at-trump

GUARDIAN
— Steve Bannon: ‘We’ve turned the Republicans into a working-class party’ – Steve Bannon (DIERSEN: My critics/opponents look down on the working class. I was a member of the working class 1964-1997. I did yard work and delivered newspapers 1962-1964; washed dishes 1964-1966; cleaned golf shoes, chipped slag, and pumped gasoline in 1966; delivered mail 1966-1969; worked on an automobile assembly line and as a security guard in 1970; sold tires, automotive services, and major appliances 1970-1971; pumped gasoline 1971-1972; collected delinquent taxes 1971-1980; and audited federal agencies 1980-1997.)
https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2019/dec/17/steve-bannon-working-class-republicans-labour

THE HINDU
— Indian-American to run for Congress Krishna Bansal said his major policy issues are free enterprise, fiscal discipline, family values and a firm foreign policy.
https://www.thehindu.com/news/international/indian-american-to-run-for-congress/article30327061.ece

December 16 Evening Edition

ABC7
— Bloomberg’s sexist remarks fostered degrading company culture, lawsuits allege
https://abc7chicago.com/politics/lawsuit-bloombergs-sexist-remarks-fostered-degrading-culture/5759788/
— DIERSEN HEADLINE: DISGUSTING, TRAGIC: Democrats want minorities to be pot pushers.
https://abc7chicago.com/business/local-cannabis-social-equity-applicants-want-licenses-struggle-applying/5758308/

CBS2
— Lightfoot Says She’s Working With Black Caucus To Avoid Bid To Delay Recreational Pot Sales; ‘I Feel Comfortable That We’ll Get There’ – Todd Feurer
https://chicago.cbslocal.com/2019/12/16/mayor-lori-lightfoot-black-caucus-recreational-marijuana-sales-delay/

FOX NEWS CHICAGO
— ‘Indisputably better’: Barack Obama says world would see ‘significant improvements’ if run by women – Austin Williams (DIERSEN: What do you say to a) men who pander to women, b) Whites who pander to minorities, c) older people who pander to younger people, d) citizens of America who pander to citizens of foreign countries, e) those whose ancestors have been in America for a long time who pander to those whose ancestors have not been in America for a long time, f) those who have more money who pander to those who have less money, and g) those who claim to be Christian, conservative, and/or Republican, but who pander to those who are anti-Christian, anti-conservative, and/or anti-Republican?)
https://www.fox32chicago.com/news/indisputably-better-barack-obama-says-world-would-see-significant-improvements-if-run-by-women

CHICAGO TRIBUNE
— House Democrats lay out case for Wednesday impeachment vote against President Trump – AP
https://www.chicagotribune.com/nation-world/ct-nw-trump-impeachment-vote-20191216-ueaz4vydvraepba4wb25dkwqim-story.html
— DISGUSTING, TRAGIC: What happens to the weed black market when recreational marijuana goes legal Jan. 1? ‘I see it opening the door to more clients,’ one dealer says. – Ally Marotti
https://www.chicagotribune.com/business/ct-biz-illinois-marijuana-black-market-20191216-tgnejrr2bna4xj36fd64fzgqay-story.html
— Mayor Lori Lightfoot says she fired city spokesman over ‘professionalism’ concerns, scolds reporters: ‘Obviously (he) was your buddy’ – GREGORY PRATT and JOHN BYRNE (DIERSEN: My nasty critics/opponents advise activists, candidates, elected officials, party leaders, major donors, political consultants, etc. who claim to be religious, conservative, and/or Republican to curry favor with the Democrat news media a) by treating me like I am not a member of the news media and b) by demonizing, denigrating, and condemning me, my GOPUSA ILLINOIS emails, and everyone who reads the emails. I should write a book about my nasty critics/opponents. Better yet, I should sue them.) 
https://www.chicagotribune.com/politics/ct-lightfoot-mccaffrey-firing-ethics-20191216-em5rxpk6kve6pbqbv4b66ysdy4-story.html
— Exodus and Chicago: New census numbers will jump-start remap hypocrisy – Kristen McQueary
https://www.chicagotribune.com/columns/kristen-mcqueary/ct-column-chicago-illinois-census-exodus-remap-mcqueary-20191216-drvvegauevfrxhha5pdns7zvye-story.html
— GOP legislators, don’t be afraid to impeach one of your own – SUSANA A. MENDOZA
https://www.chicagotribune.com/opinion/commentary/ct-opinion-impeachment-republicans-susana-mendoza-20191216-dde2jlgdqvd2pk4xpmec5xt6zu-story.html
— Republican primary for Will County executive unopposed as candidate removed from ballot – ALICIA FABBRE
https://www.chicagotribune.com/suburbs/daily-southtown/ct-sta-will-county-candidate-removed-st-1217-20191216-rfuysp64vbdmrabodywate6haa-story.html
— Rush Limbaugh attacks Greta Thunberg, suggesting people with autism are ‘not well.’ He’s wrong — and vile – Rex Huppke
https://www.chicagotribune.com/columns/rex-huppke/ct-rush-limbaugh-great-thunberg-autism-aspergers-trump-huppke-20191216-y4vuvv34cbel7fmqbfmfekdl44-story.html
— Days after taking over as Chicago police interim superintendent, Charlie Beck suspended the department’s long-standing “merit” promotion process, halting in one swift step perhaps the single biggest irritant for many cops. – ANNIE SWEENEY and JEREMY GORNER (DIERSEN: Passing the CPA examination used to be required to get promoted at IRS and GAO. But IRS and GAO dropped that requirement because of pressure to meet Affirmative Action quotas/goals/targets and too few minorities and women took/passed the examination.)
https://www.chicagotribune.com/news/criminal-justice/ct-chicago-police-merit-promotions-20191216-25tw6brqn5auxiy3tc5fqapf5e-story.html
— DIERSEN HEADLINE: DISGUSTING, TRAGIC: Pot pushers push pot.
https://www.chicagotribune.com/dining/drink/ct-legal-hero-revolution-brewing-cannabis-marijuana-legal-chicago-beer-20191216-43m3sa2qtrcltcnyo5j2dlzhb4-story.html
https://www.chicagotribune.com/marijuana/illinois/ct-biz-illinois-approves-more-marijuana-dispensaries-20191216-n63rojbipjbtnmfuabweuswu2u-story.html

CHICAGO SUN-TIMES
— DIERSEN HEADLINE: TRAGIC, DISGUSTING: Lightfoot wants minorities to be pot pushers.
https://chicago.suntimes.com/2019/12/16/21024708/recreational-marijuana-chicago-city-owned-cultivation-center-tif-lightfoot
— Pro-pot lawmakers warn of supply shortage, vow to prioritize weed sales to medical patients “Each state that has implemented an adult-use cannabis program has had issues related to supply shortages,” the group wrote in a joint letter. – Tom Schuba 
https://chicago.suntimes.com/cannabis/2019/12/16/21024768/pot-illinois-supply-shortage-legal-weed-sales-medical-marijuana
— City’s top lawyer got same residency tax break on two homes — one in Chicago, the other in Naperville — for years Mark Flessner has a Naperville house and a Chicago condo. Records show he got a tax break on both for several years as if each was his primary residence, in a possible violation of state law. The city says it is a mistake he’s rectifying. – Tom Schuba and Fran Spielman
https://chicago.suntimes.com/2019/12/16/21024741/mark-flessner-lori-lightfoot-naperville-law-department-bill-mccaffrey-residency-rule-homes-counsel

CRAIN’S CHICAGO BUSINESS
— The most powerful Chicagoans now This ranking of the 25 most influential leaders in Chicago would have looked a lot different a year ago. Such is the fleeting nature of clout in these turbulent times. – A.D. QUIG, LYNNE MAREK, JOHN PLETZ AND DANNY ECKER
https://www.chicagobusiness.com/crains-list/most-powerful-chicagoans-now

CHAMPAIGN/URBANA NEWS GAZETTE
— Billionaire’s spending spree good for TV – Tom Kacich
https://www.news-gazette.com/news/local/politics/tom-kacich-billionaire-s-spending-spree-good-for-tv/article_9613c57a-a2c5-58ca-aaf2-a52ffdeb00f0.html

BLOOMINGTON PANTAGRAPH
— DISGUSTING, TRAGIC: 4 more marijuana dispensaries approved to sell recreational weed – AP
https://www.pantagraph.com/news/state-and-regional/more-marijuana-dispensaries-approved-to-sell-recreational-weed/article_0adb039e-f57b-5387-a7d2-d83feceeb4a8.html

MORRIS HERALD NEWS
— Conservative group urges Kinzinger to act on impeachment Kinzinger not fazed, says impeachment is a distraction – Derek Barichello
https://www.morrisherald-news.com/2019/12/16/conservative-group-urges-kinzinger-to-act-on-impeachment/al5i2vr/

WGLT
— The Illinois State Board of Elections’ general counsel is recommending tossing out a petition challenge to 17th District congressional candidate Bill Fawell. – TIM SHELLEY 
https://www.wglt.org/post/general-counsel-recommends-tossing-out-fawell-petition-challenge#stream/0

MDJ ONLINE
— Members of Illinois’ Congressional delegation file bill to tax e-cigs $200 million per year – Cole Lauterbach
https://www.mdjonline.com/neighbor_newspapers/extra/news/members-of-illinois-congressional-delegation-file-bill-to-tax-e/article_51d52289-5df0-5354-8f1f-2eb1fe01b4d8.html

NPR ILLINOIS
— Far From Home: Students With Special Needs Sent Out Of State – DUSTY RHODES 
https://www.nprillinois.org/post/far-home-students-special-needs-sent-out-state#stream/0

CENTRAL ILLINOIS PROUD
— Decatur police training officers to draw blood for marijuana testing – Cole Henke
https://www.centralillinoisproud.com/news/illinois-capitol-news/decatur-police-training-officers-to-draw-blood-for-marijuana-testing/

COURTHOUSE NEWS SERVICE
— Illinois Liberty PAC Loses Challenge to Illinois Campaign Finance Ban – LORRAINE BAILEY (DIERSEN: I argued a case before Justice Kanne in 1997. SEE: https://caselaw.findlaw.com/us-7th-circuit/1385001.html )
https://www.courthousenews.com/right-wing-pac-loses-challenge-to-illinois-campaign-finance-ban/
(FROM THE ARTICLE: Brennan’s opinion was joined by U.S. Circuit Judges Frank Easterbrook and Michael Kanne, both Ronald Reagan appointees. Jeffrey Schwab, senior attorney at the Liberty Justice Center representing the PAC, said in a statement, “We disagree with the ruling and are evaluating our options.” The Illinois attorney general’s office did not immediately respond Monday to a request for comment.)

MCHENRY COUNTY BLOG
— U.S. Senate: Five Republicans Filed
http://mchenrycountyblog.com/2019/12/16/u-s-senate-five-republicans-filed/ 
— Congressional Petition Challenge in Shimkus District
http://mchenrycountyblog.com/2019/12/16/138296/ 
— Don’t Expect Real Estate Tax Relief from So-Called “Fair Tax” Referendum Passage
http://mchenrycountyblog.com/2019/12/16/dont-expect-real-estate-tax-relief-from-so-called-fair-tax-referendum-passage/ 
— Algonquin Scheduled to Hire Fromer State Rep. Mike Tryon as Lobbyist
http://mchenrycountyblog.com/2019/12/16/algonquin-scheduled-to-hire-mike-tryon-as-lobbyist/

ILLINOIS REVIEW
— ABORTION-ADVOCATING GOV PRITZKER WANTS ILLINOIS TO BE “BEST STATE FOR RAISING YOUNG CHILDREN”
https://www.illinoisreview.com/illinoisreview/2019/12/-abortion-advocating-gov-pritzker-wants-illinois-to-be-best-state-for-raising-young-children.html
— VIDEO CONDEMNS DUPAGE COUNTY, IL COUNCIL ATTEMPTS TO BAN PRAYER
https://www.illinoisreview.com/illinoisreview/2019/12/dupage-county-il-attempts-to-ban-prayer.html
— FORMER MUSLIM TO JOIN ILLINOISREVIEW.COM CONTRIBUTORS
https://www.illinoisreview.com/illinoisreview/2019/12/former-muslim-to-join-illinoisreviewcom-contributors.html
— SHEHAB: TERROR-TIED CHARITY COORDINATOR PROMOTES ANTI-ISRAEL CONSPIRACY THEORIES AT RADICAL CHICAGO MOSQUE
https://www.illinoisreview.com/illinoisreview/2019/12/shehab-terror-tied-charity-coordinator-promotes-anti-israel-conspiracy-theories-at-radical-chicago-m.html

CAPITOL FAX
— Poll has Mary Miller with the lead in Shimkus district, but undecideds are at 63 percent
https://capitolfax.com/2019/12/16/poll-has-mary-miller-with-the-lead-in-shimkus-district-but-undecideds-are-at-63-percent/
— Proft loses appeal in bid to make unlimited direct contributions with his independent expenditure PAC
https://capitolfax.com/2019/12/16/proft-loses-appeal-in-bid-to-make-unlimited-direct-contributions-with-his-independent-expenditure-pac/

WASHINGTON TIMES
— Barack Obama: Women are ‘indisputably better’ than men – Jessica Chasmar (DIERSEN: What do you say to a) men who pander to women, b) Whites who pander to minorities, c) older people who pander to younger people, d) citizens of America who pander to citizens of foreign countries, e) those whose ancestors have been in America for a long time who pander to those whose ancestors have not been in America for a long time, f) those who have more money who pander to those who have less money, and g) those who claim to be Christian, conservative, and/or Republican, but who pander to those who are anti-Christian, anti-conservative, and/or anti-Republican?)
https://www.washingtontimes.com/news/2019/dec/16/barack-obama-women-are-indisputably-better-than-me/

WASHINGTON EXAMINER
— Black voter support for Trump at ‘highest levels’ and could seal 2020 win – Paul Bedard
https://www.washingtonexaminer.com/washington-secrets/black-voter-support-for-trump-at-highest-levels-could-seal-2020-win

GOPUSA
— Greta Thunberg says politicians should be put against the wall; apologizes if ‘anyone misunderstood’ (DIERSEN: What do you say to those who blame individual Republican Precinct Committeemen, like me for example, for a) decisions made, actions taken, and/or actions not taken by Republican candidates and b) defeats that Republicans candidates suffer?) 
http://www.gopusa.com/?p=81190
— BEYOND TRAGIC: U.S. has more children in single-parent homes than any nation (DIERSEN: I should write a book about those in Illinois who claim to be religious, conservative, and/or Republican, but who fail/refuse to defend/advance the traditional family plank in the Illinois Republican Party platform.) 
http://www.gopusa.com/?p=81231

DAILY CALLER
— More Americans Looking For Work, But Unemployment Is At 50-Year Low — Thank Trump – ANDY PUZDER
https://dailycaller.com/2019/12/16/puzder-americans-work-trump/

NATIONAL REVIEW
— Trump’s Anti-Semitism Executive Order Undermines Campus Free Speech – TYLER COWARD (DIERSEN: Rather than listing groups that people cannot criticize, why not list groups that people can criticize, for example, Trump supporters, Protestant, conservative, patriotic, Republican, American, White, male, older people, non-poor people, gun owners, German Americans, draft avoiders, and those whose ancestors have been in America for a long time?) 
https://www.nationalreview.com/2019/12/trumps-anti-semitism-executive-order-undermines-campus-free-speech/
— The Case for Nationalism: How It Made Us Powerful, United, and Free – Rich Lowry
https://www.amazon.com/Case-Nationalism-Rich-Lowry/dp/0062839640/

EPOCH TIMES
— Iowa State University to Require Anti-Racism Training – MATTHEW VADUM
https://www.theepochtimes.com/iowa-state-university-to-require-anti-racism-training_3175760.html

THE HILL
— Why we should applaud Trump’s executive order on anti-Semitism – MARK GOLDFEDER (DIERSEN: Rather than listing groups that people cannot criticize, why not list groups that people can criticize, for example, Trump supporters, Protestant, conservative, patriotic, Republican, American, White, male, older people, non-poor people, gun owners, German Americans, draft avoiders, and those whose ancestors have been in America for a long time?)
https://thehill.com/opinion/civil-rights/474271-why-we-should-applaud-trumps-executive-order-on-anti-semitism

NEW YORK DAILY NEWS
— Free speech for me, not for thee: The real problem with debate on college campuses – JONATHAN ZIMMERMAN (DIERSEN: Rather than listing groups that people cannot criticize, why not list groups that people can criticize, for example, Trump supporters, Protestant, conservative, patriotic, Republican, American, White, male, older people, non-poor people, gun owners, German Americans, draft avoiders, and those whose ancestors have been in America for a long time?)
https://www.nydailynews.com/opinion/ny-oped-free-speech-for-me-not-for-thee-20191216-m4ocmw7z3vdp3ojsb36kkpsr2q-story.html

WALL STREET JOURNAL
— GOP Senators Seek Quick Acquittal for Trump. The President Wants More. With impeachment looming, many Republicans want a speedy trial without witnesses; Trump wants vindication – Michael C. Bender and Lindsay Wise
https://www.wsj.com/articles/gop-senators-seek-quick-acquittal-for-trump-the-president-wants-more-11576535310

FORBES
— Employee Motivation: It Really Does Matter – Janine Schindler (DIERSEN: What have your workplace critics/opponents done to demotivate you? My Democrat GAO superiors forced me to retire in 1997 when I was 49 years old, gave me unfair performance expectations and appraisals, always ranked me in the bottom half of my coworkers for pay-for-performance purposes, did not promote me beyond GS-13, got rid of my mentor in 1987, kept me off audits of IRS for all but 3 of the almost 18 years that I worked for GAO, and forced me to take a $19,568 (21%) pay cut in today’s dollars to transfer from IRS to GAO in 1980. My Democrat IRS superiors did not promote me beyond GS-12, disallowed my education deductions in 1978, got rid of my mentor in 1975, and disallowed my partial day per diem claims in 1974. My Democrat Post Office superiors forced me resign in 1969 and disallowed my sick leave requests in 1969 and 1968.) 
https://www.forbes.com/sites/forbescoachescouncil/2019/12/16/employee-motivation-it-really-does-matter/#790494b37083

NEWSWEEK
— NEW REPUBLICAN AD ASKS IF GOP WILL DEFEND TRUMP OR THE RULE OF LAW AMID IMPEACHMENT – BENJAMIN FEARNOW
https://www.newsweek.com/new-republican-ad-asks-if-gop-will-defend-trump-rule-law-amid-impeachment-1477456

December 16 Morning Edition

ABC7
— DISGUSTING, TRAGIC: Democrats want Blacks to be pot pushers.
https://news.yahoo.com/local-cannabis-social-equity-applicants-051539004.html

WGN TV
— Social equity applicants get tips on how to enter pot business – SEAN LEWIS (DIERSEN: Thanks to the following, I have never used an illegal drug and I never will: a) my outstanding parents; b) their having me baptized, raising me, and having me confirmed as a Missouri Synod Lutheran (MSL); and c) their sending me to Trinity Lutheran Grade School in Crete and then to Hope Lutheran Grade School in Park Forest to stay with MSL.) 
https://wgntv.com/2019/12/15/social-equity-applicants-get-tips-on-how-to-enter-pot-business/

CHICAGO SUN-TIMES
— Madigan confidant tried to sway Pritzker but was blackballed after ‘trashing’ key gov staffer Mike McClain, a former top lobbyist and close adviser to House Speaker Mike Madigan, was blacklisted from Gov. J.B. Pritzker’s office after orchestrating behind-the-scenes efforts to oust the gov’s pick for chief of staff, sources say. – Tina Sfondeles (DIERSEN: I should write a book about past and present trashers and blackballers in the Milton Township Republican Central Committee, DuPage County Republican Central Committee, Illinois Republican Party, Wheaton, Milton Township, DuPage County, Illinois, TAPROOT Republicans of Illinois, Wheaton Chamber of Commerce, Illinois Center Right Coalition, American Association of Political Consultants Midwest Chapter, GAO, IRS, Post Office, etc.) 
https://chicago.suntimes.com/politics/2019/12/16/21020860/madigan-mike-mcclain-blacklisted-jb-pritzker-lobbyist-comed-anne-caprara
— CPS to discuss hiring more teachers of color at community meeting – Nader Issa (DIERSEN: GAO hired me in 1980 because it could not find a qualified Democrat, minority, female, younger person, or veteran who would take the job. IRS hired me in 1971 because it could not find a qualified Democrat, minority, female, or veteran who would take the job. The Post Office hired me in 1966 because it could not find a qualified Democrat, minority, female, or veteran who would take the job.)
https://chicago.suntimes.com/2019/12/11/21011632/cps-board-education-community-meeting-teachers-color-board-minority

CHICAGO TRIBUNE
— Republicans are right. Democrats wanted to impeach Donald Trump from the start. – Dahleen Glanton
https://www.chicagotribune.com/columns/dahleen-glanton/ct-dahleen-glanton-donald-trump-impeachment-democrats-20191216-tckivuw7q5gnzhnc5pe56uhiwy-story.html
— Full-time cashier at Naperville Walgreens celebrates his 90th birthday: ‘When you go to work, you have a purpose’ – SUZANNE BAKER (DIERSEN: What if Walgreens had an up-or-out policy for its employees who are White, male, and/or non-veteran like the federal government has?)
https://www.chicagotribune.com/suburbs/naperville-sun/ct-nvs-90th-birthday-walgreens-st-1215-20191213-lin2y4g6zbbkjbdyixtuvbcfde-story.html

DAILY HERALD
— FRONT PAGE: Back to the Bahamas: Elk Grove ready for second bowl game sponsorship – Christopher Placek
https://www.dailyherald.com/business/20191216/back-to-the-bahamas-elk-grove-ready-for-second-bowl-game-sponsorship
— FRONT PAGE TOP OF FOLD WITH COLOR PHOTO OF CLINTON: How suburban representatives voted on the Clinton impeachment – Russell Lissau (DIERSEN: Democrats are nasty. Henry Hyde was my Congressman 1978-2007. GAO works for Congress. I can always ask myself what more my Democrat GAO superiors would have done to me if I had not taken their early retirement “offer” in 1997 when I was 49 years old. They had given me unfair performance expectations and appraisals, had always ranked me in the bottom half of my coworkers for pay-for-performance purposes, had not promoted me beyond GS-13, had gotten rid of my mentor in 1987, had kept me off audits of IRS for all but 3 of the almost 18 years that I worked for GAO, and had forced me to take a $19,568 (21%) pay cut in today’s dollars to transfer from IRS to GAO in 1980.)
https://www.dailyherald.com/news/20191216/how-suburban-representatives-voted-on-the-clinton-impeachment
(FROM THE ARTICLE: Republican U.S. Rep. Henry Hyde of Wood Dale chaired the House Judiciary Committee and served as chief prosecutor during Clinton’s trial in the Senate. In an October 1998 interview with the Daily Herald, Hyde, who represented the 6th District, said it was “pretty clear” Clinton perjured himself when he denied a sexual relationship with former White House intern Monica Lewinsky. “There isn’t much doubt that he did willfully misstate the facts under oath,” said Hyde, who retired in 2007 and died later that year.)

NORTHWEST HERALD
— DIERSEN HEADLINE: DISGUSTING, TRAGIC: Ever-increasingly, pot pushers push pot.
https://www.nwherald.com/2019/12/05/sahly-what-shaw-media-is-doing-to-help-readers-with-expungement/awnmjdh/

NORTHWESTERN MEDICINE
— How Cannabis Use Impacts Long-Term Health
https://www.nm.org/healthbeat/healthy-tips/how-cannabis-use-impacts-long-term-health
(FROM THE ARTICLE: Some immediate effects can include: Bloodshot eyes, Increased heart rate, Increased blood pressure, Anxiety, Impaired memory, Changes in mood, Altered sense of time, Difficulty problem-solving, Hallucinations)

ROBERT FEDER
— Former Harvest Bible pastor sues Mancow for defamation
https://www.robertfeder.com/2019/12/15/former-harvest-bible-pastor-sues-mancow-defamation/

POLITICO ILLINOIS
— DOWN AND DIRTY CHALLENGES – Shia Kapos
https://www.politico.com/newsletters/illinois-playbook/2019/12/16/down-and-dirty-challenges-mccaffrey-exits-city-hall-pushback-on-caprara-487908
(FROM THE ARTICLE: In Illinois, the drama is focused on challenging petitions submitted by candidates trying to get on the 2020 primary ballot. It is a brutal process. Candidates with the financial means can challenge petitions of their competitors — requiring them to spend precious time and money defending hundreds of signatures. A great deal of financial and intellectual capital is spent during this behind-the-scenes action, which is frustrating for candidates who would prefer to put their energies into campaigning instead. The process can sometimes make or break a campaign, as Dorothy Brown can attest.)

WIREPOINTS
— Why Illinois Property Taxes Won’t Drop Without Major Spending Reform – Wirepoints Original – Mark Glennon
https://wirepoints.org/why-property-illinois-property-taxes-wont-drop-without-major-spending-reform/

ILLINOIS BUSINESS DAILY
— Illinois received $13 million in public broadcasting funds last year
https://ilbusinessdaily.com/stories/521042493-illinois-received-13-million-in-public-broadcasting-funds-last-year

ILLINOIS REVIEW
— SOME SHOCKING THINGS CHICK-FIL-A FUNDS
https://www.illinoisreview.com/illinoisreview/2019/12/some-shocking-things-chick-fil-a-funds.html

GOPUSA
— Hallmark Channel pulls ads with lesbians kissing, then caves to LGBT pressure
http://www.gopusa.com/?p=81193

WASHINGTON TIMES
— Missteps, selective coverage drive Trump supporters into full revolt against press – Stephen Dinan (DIERSEN: Ever-increasingly, Google News Alerts take you to non-credible articles written by non-credible authors posted on non-credible websites that promote the Democrat, Libertarian, and Green party platforms.)
https://www.washingtontimes.com/news/2019/dec/15/trump-supporters-revolt-against-media-pew-research/
— IRS looks to prevent weaponization of donors’ information, doxxing – Ryan Lovelace
https://www.washingtontimes.com/news/2019/dec/15/irs-nonprofit-guidelines-prevent-weaponization-don/

WASHINGTON FREE BEACON
— Anti-Semitic Representative Ilhan Omar (D., Minn.) Rep Says GOP Is ‘Synonymous’ With Hate Speech – Elizabeth Matamoros
https://freebeacon.com/politics/anti-semitic-dem-gop-synonymous-hate-speech/

AMERICAN CONSERVATIVE
— At The Vanguard Of The Anti-Globalism Revolution Gadflies like Boris Johnson are giving voice to communities torn asunder by neoliberalism. – ROBERT W. MERRY
https://www.theamericanconservative.com/articles/at-the-vanguard-of-the-anti-globalism-revolution/

TOWNHALL
— How Rich: Ilhan Omar Claims the Republican Party Is Responsible for ‘Hateful, Sinful Rhetoric’ – Beth Baumann
https://townhall.com/tipsheet/bethbaumann/2019/12/16/how-rich-ilhan-omar-claims-the-republican-party-is-responsible-for-hateful-sin-n2558041

DAILY WIRE
— Sanders, Appearing With Omar, Lauds Her: ‘One Of The Bravest Members Of The United States Congress.’ Ted Cruz Has A Comment. – Hank Berrien
https://www.dailywire.com/news/sanders-appearing-with-omar-lauds-her-one-of-the-bravest-members-of-the-united-states-congress

BIZ PAC REVIEW
— Steve Scalise: Dems’ fabricated impeachment is ‘political vendetta’ – Samantha Chang
https://www.bizpacreview.com/2019/12/15/steve-scalise-dems-fabricated-impeachment-is-political-vendetta-864713

CAMPUS REFORM
— Tenured faculty member defends calling Trump, Republicans ‘poison’ – Jon Street
https://www.campusreform.org/?ID=14106

CNS NEWS
— How to Cope With Your Professor’s Left-Wing Bias – Hans Bader 
https://www.cnsnews.com/commentary/hans-bader/how-cope-your-professors-left-wing-bias
(FROM THE ARTICLE: To get the best possible grade, students may need to pander to their professors’ left-wing ideology. Professors are much more likely to be progressives than they are to be moderate or conservative. Law professors are no exception. Progressive professors view progressive views as a sign of intelligence, and conservatism as a sign of stupidity. For example, Prof. Robert Brandon, head of Duke University’s philosophy department, argued that conservatives are rare in academia because they are stupid. So to get a good grade, moderate or conservative law students should pretend to be progressives when taking their final exam. That will make them seem more intelligent to their left-wing professors. They should echo their professor’s left-wing ideology in answering exam questions — such as questions about what a vague provision of the Constitution means, or about who should win a lawsuit where both sides have a plausible legal argument. Parroting my professors’ left-wing ideology worked for me at Harvard Law School.)

THE HILL
— Five aides to Van Drew resign ahead of his formal switch to GOP – SYLVAN LANE AND ARIS FOLLEY 
https://thehill.com/homenews/house/474671-five-aides-to-van-drew-resign-ahead-of-his-formal-switch-to-gop
— Trump is a conservative in name only – JUDD GREGG
https://thehill.com/opinion/white-house/474661-judd-gregg-trump-is-a-conservative-in-name-only

CBS NEWS
— Race and gender in the 2020 presidential race — CBS News poll – ANTHONY SALVANTO, JENNIFER DE PINTO, KABIR KHANNA AND FRED BACKUS
https://www.cbsnews.com/news/presidential-election-2020-race-and-gender-in-presidential-race-cbs-news-poll/
(FROM THE ARTICLE: But among those who think it will matter to others, many Democrats think it will be harder to beat Mr. Trump if the nominee is female, gay, or a racial minority. More than half of Super Tuesday Democrats think it would be easier to win if the nominee happens to be white, while just 3% think that would make beating President Trump harder. Fifty percent feel it would be harder to defeat Donald Trump if their nominee is black, compared to 10% who think it will be easier. Black Democrats, in particular, feel that nominating a black candidate would make it harder to beat Mr. Trump. Most black Democrats in these states think it would be harder to beat him if the party nominates a black candidate. They are more likely to feel this way (60% of them do) than white Democrats are (46%). Black Democrats are also generally more confident than white Democrats that their party will ultimately nominate someone who can beat Mr. Trump in 2020. On the matter of gender, a mere 5% say the Democrats would have a harder time beating Trump if their party’s nominee is a man. Forty-nine percent think it would be harder if the nominee is a woman, while just 14% say it would be easier if Democrats nominate a woman. Six in 10 black Biden supporters say they strongly back him, compared to 4 in 10 of his white supporters who state that level of support.)

YAHOO NEWS
— DIERSEN HEADLINE: Trump-haters promote a “fresh Fox News poll.” 
https://www.yahoo.com/news/new-fox-news-poll-on-impeachment-contradicts-the-view-of-its-most-loyal-viewer-president-trump-165743309.html

NEW YORK TIMES
— HARDCOPY ARTICLE TITLE: Worst Job in Politics? Ask the D.N.C. Chief – Reid J. Epstein (DIERSEN: Have you served as the chairman of a political organization? I survived as the chairman of TAPROOT Republicans of Illinois 2005-2012. I should write a book about it. I would focus on those activists, candidates, party leaders, major donors, political consultants, etc., their operatives, and their dupes who blamed me and blamed TAPROOT for all of their problems, for all of your problems, for all of my problems, and for all of everyone’s problems. Those who succeeded in destroying TAPROOT stress those who could have, should have, but did not come to my defense.) 
https://www.nytimes.com/2019/12/15/us/politics/democrats-2020-tom-perez.html
— 2020 Campaigns Throw Their Hands Up on Disinformation Few politicians have teams to spot false statements about them online, or to fight back before it spreads. – Davey Alba
https://www.nytimes.com/2019/12/15/technology/2020-campaigns-disinformation.html
— HARDCOPY ARTICLE TITLE: Refining Your Digital Persona – Victoria Turk
https://www.nytimes.com/2019/12/09/smarter-living/digital-etiquette-manners-online.html
— In Era of Hardening Identities, Trump Order on Jews Kindles Questions Old and New The president said he wanted to target anti-Semitic speech on campuses, but in the time of new nationalism, nothing is really that simple. – Max Fisher (DIERSEN: Under the Democrats, under the Libertarians, under the Greens, and under the RINOs, ever-increasingly, the following identities are viewed negatively: Trump supporter, Protestant, conservative, patriotic, Republican, American, White, male, older, non-poor, gun owner, draft avoider, German American, and/or those whose ancestors have been in America for a long time.)
https://www.nytimes.com/2019/12/15/world/americas/trump-jews-executive-order.html

WASHINGTON POST
— DIERSEN HEADLINE: Trump-haters say “While the president rages, the world melts.”
https://www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/while-the-president-rages-the-world-melts/2019/12/14/bd297e6a-1de5-11ea-8d58-5ac3600967a1_story.html
— Sorry, Trump supporters. The Republican Party needs RINOs. – Henry Olsen
https://www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/2019/12/03/sorry-trump-supporters-republican-party-needs-rinos/

NEW YORK POST
— Democrats don’t see the diversity that’s staring them in the face – Jonah Goldberg
https://nypost.com/2019/12/15/democrats-dont-see-the-diversity-thats-staring-them-in-the-face/

WALL STREET JOURNAL
— Diversify or Die: The National Hockey League Has a Demography Problem Changing U.S. demographics presents an existential threat for a sport that is virtually all white. – Louise Radnofsky
https://www.wsj.com/articles/diversify-or-die-the-national-hockey-league-has-a-demography-problem-11576433696

USA TODAY
— FRONT PAGE WITH COLOR PICTURE: Is marijuana linked to psychosis, schizophrenia? It’s contentious, but doctors, feds say yes – Trevor Hughes, Stephanie Innes, Jayne O’Donnel (DIERSEN: What percent of those who promote pot a) have been stoners, b) are stoners, c) want to be stoners, d) want to money selling pot, and/or e) want governments to take in lots of tax revenue from the sale of pot?)
https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/nation/2019/12/15/weed-psychosis-high-thc-cause-suicide-schizophrenia/4168315002/
— DIERSEN HEADLINE: Ever-increasing, members of the following groups promote LGBTQ activity: anti-Trump, anti-Protestant, anti-conservative, anti-patriotic, anti-Republican, anti-American, anti-White, anti-male, anti-older people, anti-rich people, anti-gun owners, anti-German Americans, anti-draft avoiders, and/or anti-those whose ancestors have been in America for a long time.
https://www.usatoday.com/story/entertainment/movies/2019/12/09/12-lgbtq-movies-you-must-watch-including-portrait-lady-fire/4242804002/
— Trump Facebook feuds: You thought arguing about the 2016 election was bad? Brace yourself for 2020 – Jessica Guynn
https://www.usatoday.com/story/tech/2019/12/13/trump-election-arguments-rage-facebook-social-media-2020/2596750001/

KANSAS CITY STAR
— Forecast: 100% chance I’ll be called ‘fascist’ for writing this about Kansas University conservatives – MICHAEL RYAN
https://www.kansascity.com/opinion/opn-columns-blogs/michael-ryan/article238331518.html

NEWSWEEK
— Wikipedia Founder Jimmy Wales is Taking on Facebook and the Dangers Lurking in the Rise of Artificial Intelligence – FRED GUTERL (DIERSEN: Ever-increasingly, Google News Alerts take you to non-credible articles written by non-credible authors posted on non-credible websites that promote the Democrat, Libertarian, and Green party platforms.)
https://www.newsweek.com/2019/12/20/wikipedia-jimmy-wales-facebook-artificial-intelligence-1476534.html

TRIB LIVE
— Newspapers haven for people with Aspberger’s – Garret Mathews
https://triblive.com/opinion/garret-mathews-newspapers-haven-for-people-with-aspbergers/

STOCK DAILY DISH
— What happened to the phone booth? (DIERSEN: For first 5 years of my life 1948-1954, I lived with my parents in an apartment above my grandfather’s hardware store at the northeast corner of Main and Exchange in Crete which was right above a phone booth.)
https://stockdailydish.com/what-happened-to-the-phone-booth/

NEWSWIRE
— SEO ( Search Engine Optimization ) – 2020 Strategies – Kate Spurdens (DIERSEN: Ever-increasingly, Google News Alerts take you to non-credible articles written by non-credible authors posted on non-credible websites that promote the Democrat, Libertarian, and Green party platforms.) 
https://newswire.net/newsroom/blog-post/00115394-seo-search-engine-optimization-2020-strategies.html

SEARCH ENGINE JOURNAL
— 6 Easy But Stupid SEO Tactics You Must Avoid – John McAlpin (DIERSEN: Ever-increasingly, Google News Alerts take you to non-credible articles written by non-credible authors posted on non-credible websites that promote the Democrat, Libertarian, and Green party platforms.)
https://www.searchenginejournal.com/stupid-seo-tactics/338811/

TIMES
— Google’s creators Sergey Brin and Larry Page started seeking utopia. Then they got a better offer. Idealists turned rampant capitalists, the web giant’s founders leave behind an unloved and distrusted firm. – John Arlidge (DIERSEN: Ever-increasingly, Google News Alerts take you to non-credible articles written by non-credible authors posted on non-credible websites that promote the Democrat, Libertarian, and Green party platforms.)
https://www.thetimes.co.uk/article/google-creators-sergey-brin-larry-page-started-seeking-utopia-then-got-better-offer-z3snc7cwd

GOPUSA ILLINOIS
— MARCH 5, 2019 FLASHBACK: How can www.gopillinois.com get a better NewsGuard rating? Please consider NewsGuard’s rating criteria at https://www.newsguardtech.com/ratings/rating-process-criteria/ or below and email me at diersen@aol.com or phone me at 630-653-0462 with your suggestions. – Dave Diersen
https://gopillinois.com/uncategorized/march-5-morning-edition-3/?highlight=newsguard
(FROM THE POSTING: RATING CRITERIA Here are the nine criteria that NewsGuard uses to assess websites. Each criterion is worth a certain number of points out of 100, as indicated below. A site with a score of 60 points or higher receives a green rating. A site with a score lower than 60 points receives a red rating. In every case, the NewsGuard Nutrition Labels that are provided for each site (by clicking on the rating) spell out the site’s adherence to each of the nine criteria that yielded that source’s particular rating. The criteria below are listed in order of their importance in determining a red rating. For example, failure to adhere to the first criteria—publishing false content—is more influential in determining a red rating than failure to reveal information about content creators.

Credibility
— Doesn’t repeatedly publish false content: In the last three years the site has not produced multiple stories that have been found—either by journalists at NewsGuard or elsewhere—to be clearly false, and which have not been quickly and prominently corrected. (22 Points. A label with a score lower than 60 points gets a red rating.)
— Gathers and presents information responsibly: Content on the site is created by reporters, writers, videographers, researchers, or other information providers who generally seek to be accurate and fair in gathering, reporting, and interpreting information, even if they approach their work from a strong point of view. They do this by referencing multiple sources, preferably those that present direct, first-hand information on a subject or event. (18 Points)
— Regularly corrects or clarifies errors: The site makes clear how to contact those in charge and has effective practices for publishing clarifications and corrections. (12.5 Points)
— Handles the difference between news and opinion responsibly: Content providers who convey the impression that they report news or a mix of news and opinion distinguish opinion from news reporting, and when reporting news, they do not regularly or egregiously misstate, distort, or cherry pick facts, or egregiously cherry pick stories, to advance opinions. Content providers whose clearly expressed purpose is to advance a particular point of view do not regularly and egregiously misstate or distort facts to make their case. (12.5 Points)
— Avoids deceptive headlines: The site generally does not publish headlines that include false information, significantly sensationalize, or otherwise do not reflect what is actually in the story. (10 Points)

Transparency
— Website discloses ownership and financing: The site discloses its ownership and/or financing, as well as any notable ideological or political positions held by those with a significant financial interest in the site, in a user-friendly manner. (7.5 Points)
— Clearly labels advertising: The site makes clear which content is paid for and which is not. (7.5 Points)
— Reveals who’s in charge: Information about those in charge of the content is made accessible on the site. (5 Points)
— The site provides the names of content creators, along with either contact information or biographical information: Information about those producing the content is made accessible on the site. (5 Points))

December 15 Evening Edition

CHICAGO TRIBUNE
— A Senate impeachment trial of President Trump is expected, but how it’ll work is very uncertain – LAURA KING
https://www.chicagotribune.com/nation-world/ct-nw-senate-trump-impeachment-trial-20191215-etlvscxhzndithgftmtpjczg4y-story.html
— As Mayor Lightfoot demands answers from ComEd over federal probe, her security chief’s wife lists the utility as a lobbying client – JOHN BYRNE
https://www.chicagotribune.com/politics/ct-lori-lightfoot-houlihan-smith-lobbyist-20191216-44mp2fgvdnh5pfx2fr3eonyyqi-story.html
— DISGUSTING, TRAGIC: Pot pushers push pot
https://www.chicagotribune.com/suburbs/oak-park/ct-oak-seven-point-marijuana-license-tl-1219-20191215-ckk7o5e5ircfbdgr4jfrkqovjq-story.html

CHICAGO SUN-TIMES
— Fact-check: Would Chicago’s casino tax plan raise city’s take? State Sen. Dave Syverson said a proposal to lower the effective tax rate on Chicago’s future casino would require the state to reduce its cut while allowing the city to raise taxes. That doesn’t quite square with the bill’s language. – BGA
https://chicago.suntimes.com/2019/12/15/21021519/chicago-casino-tax-plan-syverson-taxes-lightfoot-gambling-politifact
— House to impeach Trump next week: Takeaways as vote and Senate trial looms To dilute GOP “coastal elite” charges, Speaker Pelosi wants geographic diversity in her House prosecutor picks, putting Illinois Democrat Raja Krishnamoorthi in play. – Lynn Sweet (DIERSEN: Henry Hyde was my Congressman 1978-2007. GAO works for Congress. I can always ask myself what more my Democrat GAO superiors would have done to me if I had not taken their early retirement “offer” in 1997 when I was 49 years old.)
https://chicago.suntimes.com/columnists/2019/12/13/21021152/trump-impeachment-house-prosecutors-senate-trial-pelosi-raja-sweet
(FROM THE ARTICLE: The prosecutors in the Senate are called House managers. They will be selected by House Speaker Nancy Pelosi. The U.S. Constitution is silent on the number of managers. There were 13 House managers for President Bill Clinton’s 1999 Senate trial, led by House Judiciary Chairman Henry Hyde, the Illinois Republican who died in 2007.)

DAILY HERALD
— Washington bracing for impeachment as battle lines harden – AP
https://www.dailyherald.com/article/20191215/news/312159941/
— DISGUSTING TRAGIC: Schaumburg adopts rules for video gambling
https://www.dailyherald.com/news/20191215/schaumburg-adopts-rules-for-video-gambling
— Special session needed to show urgency of fighting corruption – State Rep. Allen Skillicorn
https://www.dailyherald.com/discuss/20191215/special-session-needed-to-show-urgency-of-fighting-corruption

ABC7
— Bill Clinton Impeachment: Looking back to December 1998 as Washington braces for President Trump’s impeachment vote (DIERSEN: Democrats are nasty. Henry Hyde was my Congressman 1978-2007. GAO works for Congress. I can always ask myself what more my Democrat GAO superiors would have done to me if I had not taken their early retirement “offer” in 1997 when I was 49 years old. They had given me unfair performance expectations and appraisals, had always ranked me in the bottom half of my coworkers for pay-for-performance purposes, had not promoted me beyond GS-13, had gotten rid of my mentor in 1987, had kept me off audits of IRS for all but 3 of the almost 18 years that I worked for GAO, and had forced me to take a $19,568 (21%) pay cut in today’s dollars to transfer from IRS to GAO in 1980.) 
https://abc7chicago.com/politics/clinton-impeachment-looking-back-at-1998-hearings/5694474/
— Hallmark Channel pulls wedding ad showing lesbian couple kissing
https://abc7chicago.com/society/hallmark-channel-pulls-wedding-ad-showing-gay-couple-kissing/5756842/

NBC5
— DISGUSTING, TRAGIC: Pot pushers push pot.
https://www.nbcchicago.com/news/local/cannabis-in-illinois-what-to-know-when-weed-becomes-legal-jan-1/2186746/

FOX NEWS CHICAGO
— Some colleges and students moving to repay descendants of slaves – AP (DIERSEN: From what I see, the more of the following that you are, the more reparations that Democrats will make you pay: Trump supporter, Protestant, conservative, patriotic, Republican, American, White, male, older, non-poor, gun owner, German American, draft avoider, and/or if your ancestors have been in America for a long time.)
https://www.fox32chicago.com/news/some-colleges-and-students-moving-to-repay-descendants-of-slaves

CHAMPAIGN/URBANA NEWS GAZETTE
— No-contest election contests – Editorial
https://www.news-gazette.com/opinion/editorials/editorial-no-contest-election-contests/article_d94351ac-5dc9-56d1-8459-6cbc091aa606.html
(FROM THE ARTICLE: The candidate filing period has come and gone, and here are the dispiriting results for the 118 seats up for election in the Illinois House and the 20 seats up for the Illinois Senate. Of the 118 House districts, 54 feature just one candidate running. Of the 20 Senate seats, 12 contests will provide voters only one choice. What happened to the concept of competitive elections, the engine that makes the democratic process run? In Illinois, they appear to be an afterthought, at least as far as the state legislature goes. But appearances can be deceiving, and what in this case could be perceived as indifference or apathy actually is the product of careful design.)

PEORIA JOURNAL STAR
— DISGUSTING, TRAGIC: Pot pushers push pot
https://www.pjstar.com/news/20191215/ascend-illinois-cultivation-center-gears-up-for-recreational-pot-sales

NPR ILLINOIS
— DIERSEN HEADLINE: Ever-increasingly, Trump-haters want the Democrat, Republican, Liberation, and Green parties to dump individuals, dump organizations, dump companies, dump governments, and dump countries that are Trump supporters, Protestant, conservative, patriotic, Republican, American, White, male, older, gun owners, German American, draft avoiders, and those whose ancestors have been in America for a long time. Ever-increasingly, Trump-haters want members of the aforesaid groups to form a new political party. 
https://www.nprillinois.org/post/iowa-grows-more-diverse-democratic-candidates-are-taking-notice#stream/0

BREITBART
— Megan Rapinoe Slams ‘Sports Illustrated’ for ‘Lack of Diversity’ in Award Speech – WARNER TODD HUSTON
https://www.breitbart.com/sports/2019/12/11/megan-rapinoe-slams-sports-illustrated-for-lack-of-diversity-award-speech/

THE HILL
— 2020 Democratic tensions burst to surface – NIALL STANAGE 
https://thehill.com/homenews/the-memo/474548-the-memo-2020-democratic-tensions-burst-to-surface

NEW YORK TIMES
— Anti-Semitism or Free Speech? College Students Cheer and Fear Trump Order Students across America wondered whether an executive order targeting anti-Semitism would “backfire” on Jewish students. – Myah Ward and Dan Levin
https://www.nytimes.com/2019/12/15/us/trump-anti-semitism-order-college-students.html

LOS ANGELES TIMES
— To this impeachment ‘connoisseur,’ Trump’s case looks familiar – DOYLE MCMANUS (DIERSEN: Henry Hyde was my Congressman 1978-2007. GAO works for Congress. I can always ask myself what more my Democrat GAO superiors would have done to me if I had not taken their early retirement “offer” in 1997 when I was 49 years old.) 
https://www.latimes.com/politics/story/2019-12-15/this-is-impeachment-3-for-me-ouch
(FROM THE ARTICLE: In 1998, when House Republicans set out to impeach President Bill Clinton for lying about sex, they claimed lofty ambitions. “This has to be a bipartisan exercise,” Rep. Henry J. Hyde of Illinois, then chairman of the House Judiciary Committee, told me back then. He failed. His committee produced four articles of impeachment, all but one on strict party lines. The full House approved only two: perjury and obstruction of justice. The Republican-led Senate acquitted Clinton of both charges; no one in the president’s party voted against him. History repeated itself last week in mirror image.)

STANDARD EXAMINER
— Ogden IRS hiring 1,900 positions for upcoming tax season – JESSICA KOKESH (DIERSEN: IRS hired me in 1971 because it could not find a qualified Democrat, minority, female, or veteran who would take the job.)
https://www.standard.net/news/local/community-briefs-ogden-irs-hiring-positions-for-upcoming-tax-season/article_74c9ba97-8f51-5c61-a776-86c0b94ebcdf.html
(FROM THE ARTICLE: The IRS is an equal opportunity employer and applicants must be a US citizen. All employees must pass an FBI fingerprint check and tax compliance verification as well as meet basic qualification requirements for education and/or experience.)

BUSINESS INSIDER
— Bernie Sanders wants to end at-will employment, and that’s a truly bad idea that would increase unemployment – Ryan Bourne (DIERSEN: Democrats run the federal government. Those Democrats a) determine what civil service protections federal employees have; b) falsely tell federal employees who are Republican, White, male, older, and/or non-veteran that they will not retaliate against them because they complain about discrimination, file a charge of discrimination, or participate in an employment discrimination investigation or lawsuit; and c) get rid of federal employees who are Republican, White, male, and/or non-veteran who they do not promote to GS-13 (currently $98,198) by age 25, GS-14 (currently $116,040) by age 30, GS-15 (currently $136,495) by age 35, and Senior Executive Service (currently $165,500) by age 40.)
https://www.businessinsider.com/bernie-sanders-plan-end-at-will-employment-bad-increase-unemployment-2019-12

December 14 Evening Edition

GOPUSA ILLINOIS
— 175+ attend outstanding Krishna Bansal 11th Congressional District campaign kick-off rally at the Bolingbrook Golf Club Saturday afternoon, December 14, 2019. Speakers included Chirico, DeMonte, Grogan, Ives, Jani, Keller, Kuma, Schneider, and Senger. Attendees included Anderson, Balich, Carlyle, Coyne, Edmier, Felice, George, Hanson, Hois, Holder, Jorgensen, Kelly, Lauzen, Lawlor, McCluskey, Mitchell, Rilley, Ruhl, Schultz, Simone, Vician, Ward, Yurgaitis, and Zahm. The host committee included many of the aforesaid plus Batinick, Caprio, Claar, Daily, Hartwell, Hunt, Mervine, Nathwani, Pearson, Sharma, Wheeler, and Wehrli. – Dave Diersen
http://www.gopillinois.com

NBC5
— OUTSTANDING: Indiana Resisting Marijuana Trend of Neighboring States – AP
https://www.nbcchicago.com/news/local/chicago-politics/indiana-resisting-marijuana-trend-of-neighboring-states/2189249/

CHICAGO TRIBUNE
— OUTSTANDING: Indiana resisting marijuana trend of neighboring states – AP
https://www.chicagotribune.com/sns-bc-in–marijuana-indiana-20191214-story.html
— Public input sought on applicants for DuPage judge vacancy
https://www.chicagotribune.com/suburbs/naperville-sun/ct-nvs-naperville-digest-st-1215-20191213-3g5iwlpqsvcv7lirvpsubuls7q-story.html
— Precinct closures harming voter turnout in Georgia, analysis finds – MARK NIESSE AND NICK THIEME (DIERSEN: The closing of the polling place in the Wheaton Warrenville School District 200 building at 130 West Park Avenue in Wheaton has harmed the voter turnout in my DuPage County Milton Township Precinct 9 in Wheaton.)
https://www.chicagotribune.com/sns-tns-bc-georgia-precincts-turnout-20191214-story.html
— DuPage Forest Preserve District Board’s lack of transparency and decorum ‘disturbing’ – MARILYN L. SCHWEITZER
https://www.chicagotribune.com/suburbs/naperville-sun/opinion/ct-nvs-guest-column-st-1215-20191214-nfiw4a7g45hdvefi5rg2ae52zi-story.html

DAILY HERALD
— The suburbs’ fateful role in three presidential impeachments Lawmakers’ remarks in 1974, 1998, 2019 may sound a lot alike – Marni Pyke
https://www.dailyherald.com/news/20191214/the-suburbs-fateful-role-in-three-presidential-impeachments

BLOOMINGTON PANTAGRAPH
— Illinois Statehouse Republicans not facing much backlash – Rich Miller
https://www.pantagraph.com/opinion/columnists/miller-illinois-statehouse-republicans-not-facing-much-backlash/article_bc8b0bc2-1e3b-5cb9-a269-40dbd371f8cc.html

CHAMPAIGN/URBANA NEWS GAZETTE
— UI settles free-speech lawsuit with students involved in incident at 2017 Trump protest – Ben Zigterman
https://www.news-gazette.com/news/local/university-illinois/ui-settles-free-speech-lawsuit-with-students-involved-in-incident/article_2668d44e-6862-5376-9dba-c5e09ec90605.html

PEORIA JOURNAL STAR
— McSweeney says he’s a bipartisan corruption fighter – Doug Finke
https://www.pjstar.com/news/20191214/statehouse-insider-mcsweeney-says-hes-bipartisan-corruption-fighter

ROCKFORD REGISTER STAR
— Syverson denies Hard Rock Casino Rockford advocacy was improper – Jeff Kolkey
https://www.rrstar.com/news/20191214/syverson-denies-hard-rock-casino-rockford-advocacy-was-improper

KANKAKEE DAILY JOURNAL
— To clean up state government, Pritzker must stand up to Madigan – Brett Rowland
https://www.daily-journal.com/opinion/to-clean-up-state-government-pritzker-must-stand-up-to/article_c383d9c2-1ccd-11ea-ab82-b32e6be14b30.html

HERALD & REVIEW
— Safety on road, pot an unlikely couple – Editorial
https://herald-review.com/opinion/editorial/our-view-safety-on-road-pot-an-unlikely-couple/article_ecbb3520-a321-502c-adc8-ffa50e5c3405.html
— Here’s how Decatur police are preparing to test for drivers impaired by cannabis – Analisa Trofimuk 
https://herald-review.com/news/local/public_safety/here-s-how-decatur-police-are-preparing-to-test-for/article_dee2687e-089a-5337-99a2-f82170edeced.html

MCHENRY COUNTY BLOG
— IL-14: NDAA Conference Committee Finishes Work & Passes House
http://mchenrycountyblog.com/2019/12/14/il-14-ndaa-conference-committee-finishes-work-passes-house/ 
— Wilcox Reports
http://mchenrycountyblog.com/2019/12/14/wilcox-reports-26/ 
— IL-14: Catalina Lauf Fires Back at Republican Swamp in Illinois *Update: 2nd Video*
http://mchenrycountyblog.com/2019/12/13/il-14-catalina-lauf-fires-back-at-republican-swamp-in-illinois/

BREITBART
— 17,000 Brazilian Migrants Cross Border in Single Texas City in FY2019 – Bob Price
https://www.breitbart.com/border/2019/12/14/report-17000-brazilian-migrants-cross-in-single-texas-city-in-fy2019/

THE HILL
— Anti-impeachment Democrat poised to switch parties – SCOTT WONG, MIKE LILLIS AND RACHEL FRAZIN 
https://thehill.com/homenews/house/474587-anti-impeachment-democrat-poised-to-switch-parties-reports

MOTLEY FOOL
— Older Workers Are Being Pushed Out of Their Jobs, and It’s a Problem Many employees find themselves out of work or underemployed as they age, which could spell trouble for their retirement. – Maurie Backman
https://www.fool.com/retirement/2019/12/14/older-workers-are-being-pushed-out-of-their-jobs-a.aspx

December 14 Morning Edition

CHICAGO TRIBUNE
— Trump impeachment vote underscores a harshly partisan era – AP
https://www.chicagotribune.com/sns-bc-us–trump-impeachment-20191214-story.html
— Wisconsin judge orders 234,000 voter registrations tossed because they did not respond to mailer within 30 days – AP (DIERSEN: How much deadwood is there in the voter rolls in your precinct, your municipality, your township/ward, your county, and Illinois?)
https://www.chicagotribune.com/midwest/ct-wisconsin-voter-registration-20191214-dohm6efv2jamnjgaz6kinngyyq-story.html

CHICAGO SUN-TIMES
— What happens in Illinois politics when ultra-rich, anti-tax activists sit on the sidelines Neither the House nor Senate Republican caucuses are experiencing major backlash over the fact that large numbers of their members voted to raise taxes. – Tom McNamee 
https://chicago.suntimes.com/columnists/2019/12/13/21021201/illinois-politics-tax-hikes-springfield-bruce-rauner-ken-griffin-richard-uihlein-rich-miller
(FROM THE ARTICLE: For the past few election cycles, pressure from powerful and/or well-funded groups and individuals would’ve scared any Republican incumbent away from such votes. But former Gov. Bruce Rauner and his vindictive checking account have faded into the sunset. The multi-million-dollar money pipeline from wealthy Republican activist Richard Uihlein to Dan Proft’s Liberty Principles PAC has been shut off. And, except for the $2 million he gave Bill Daley to run for mayor of Chicago earlier this year, Illinois’ richest resident Ken Griffin has been mostly quiet. Those three men contributed over $200 million to campaigns since late 2013. That’s a whole lot of cash to put the fear into anyone who crosses them. And it’s why almost all of the Republicans who voted for the 2017 tax hike and the override of Rauner’s veto decided not to run again, lest they be primaried to death. But those rich folks are mainly on the sidelines today.)

DAILY HERALD
— McHenry County voter registration drive nets high school students (DIERSEN: Democrats shout at students, and at everyone else, a) that Republicans are White supremacists, Nazis, KKK member, haters, racists, sexists, bigots, and even worse things who should be gotten rid of once and for all and b) that students, and everyone else, should vote for Democrats to punish Trump.) 
https://www.dailyherald.com/submitted/20191213/mchenry-county-voter-registration-drive-nets-high-school-students
— Harvest church parking lot now off limits for Rolling Meadows pot shop – Christopher Placek (DIERSEN: If the sale of pot is going to be legal in your municipality, township/ward, and/or county, what are Republican elected officials doing to discourage the sale of pot?)
https://www.dailyherald.com/news/20191213/harvest-church-parking-lot-now-off-limits-for-rolling-meadows-pot-shop

CRAIN’S CHICAGO BUSINESS
— Tussle over who can sell marijuana here goes down to the wire The Black Caucus wants to delay the launch date of selling pot, pointing out that existing dispensaries are getting a head start at the expense of minorities who have been historically locked out and criminalized in the business. – A.D. QUIG (DIERSEN: Historically, what percent of pot has been a) sold by minorities and b) smoked my minorities?)
https://www.chicagobusiness.com/government/tussle-over-who-can-sell-marijuana-here-goes-down-wire

HERALD NEWS
— Bolingbrook’s S&P credit rating jumps to ‘all-time high’ – ALEX ORTIZ
https://www.theherald-news.com/2019/12/13/bolingbrooks-sp-credit-rating-jumps-to-all-time-high/as46nlu/
(FROM THE ARTICLE: In a message to Bolingbrook Mayor Roger Claar, former state Sen. Kirk Dillard said, “Not an easy designation to get in a state like Illinois with its well documented fiscal woes.”)

KANE COUNTY CHRONICLE
— Local Democrats mingle with constituents as they hope for strong showing (DIERSEN: On July 5, 2003, a mere 16 and 1/2 years ago, all five announced Republican U.S. Senate candidates (John Cox, Chirinjeev Kathuria, Andy McKenna, Jim Oberweis, and Jack Ryan) attended a picnic that I arranged in the Prairie Path Park in my precinct for voters in my precinct, Jeanne Ives’ precinct to the east, and Debra Olson’s precinct to the west. The 200 attendees included Randy Hultgren.)
https://www.kcchronicle.com/2019/12/13/local-democrats-mingle-with-constituents-as-they-hope-for-strong-showing-in-2020/ae117nj

JOURNAL COURIER
— Cannabis concerns, benefits discussed at forum – Marco Cartolano
https://www.myjournalcourier.com/news/article/Cannabis-concerns-benefits-discussed-at-forum-14906426.php

EFFINGHAM DAILY NEWS
— Are lobbyists such bad guys? – Jim Nowlan (DIERSEN: By definition, lobbyists are paid for what they do. I have never been a lobbyist because I have never been paid to lobby. To call me a lobbyist is to charge me with failing to register as being a lobbyist. SEE: https://www.cyberdriveillinois.com/departments/index/lobbyist/lobintro.html ) 
https://www.effinghamdailynews.com/opinion/columns/jim-nowlan-guest-columnist-are-lobbyists-such-bad-guys/article_932c1148-1df1-11ea-a61a-8b03af59eb24.html/
(FROM THE ARTICLE: The term derives from those who hung around the lobbies outside the chambers of Congress back in the day of Abraham Lincoln, seeking to nab a lawmaker to persuade him to vote for or against the interests represented by the lobbyist. A lobbyist is an advocate, just as a lawyer is for his client. In the early 1990s, I was head of a statewide business group; half my job was to lobby. I was absolutely terrible at the job, which I left after just three years. An analyst by nature, I was always trying to see the merits and weaknesses of all sides of an argument. Wrong-o, when it comes to lobbying, where passionate advocacy of a client’s interests is the only position to take. Complex legislative bodies couldn’t function without lobbyists. In Illinois, 6,000 or so bills are introduced every biennial session. Lobbyists (I’d guess a third of whom are women today) distill often complex bills into understandable chunks of information. They also convey, importantly, just how intensely their clients’ memberships feel about an issue, helpful to a lawmaker seeking re-election.)

CENTRAL ILLINOIS PROUD
— Trump calls impeachment vote ‘an embarrassment’ to nation – AP
https://www.centralillinoisproud.com/news/politics/amid-impeachment-vote-giuliani-visits-white-house/

NPR ILLINOIS
— DISGUSTING, TRAGIC: Millions Of Students Are Vaping – RICHARD HARRIS 
https://www.nprillinois.org/post/millions-students-are-vaping#stream/0

CHICAGO REPORTER
— DIERSEN HEADLINE: DISGUSTING, TRAGIC: Democrats want Blacks to be pot pushers. Historically, what percent of pot has been a) sold by Blacks and b) smoked my Blacks?
https://www.chicagoreporter.com/freeway-rick-ross-advice-to-black-chicagoans-heading-into-the-legal-marijuana-business-dont-sell-out/

DUPAGE POLICY JOURNAL
— Congressional candidate Kinzler speaks out for pension reform – Glenn Minnis
https://dupagepolicyjournal.com/stories/520637834-congressional-candidate-kinzler-speaks-out-for-pension-reform

ILLINOIS FAMILY ACTION
— Illinois Lawmakers Gift Us More Drugs and Gambling
https://illinoisfamilyaction.org/2019/12/spotlight-illinois-lawmakers-gift-us-more-drugs-and-gambling/

ILLINOIS FAMILY INSTITUTE
— The Majority Does Not Determine Morality – Dr. Michael L. Brown 
https://illinoisfamily.org/marriage/the-majority-does-not-determine-morality/

WASHINGTON TIMES
— Melania Trump spox says Greta Thunberg fair game: Barron ‘not an activist who travels the globe’ – Jessica Chasmar (DIERSEN: According to my critics/opponents, I am “fair game” a) because I refuse to serve as their operative or as their dupe and/or b) because I promote the traditional family, right to life, immigration, Second Amendment, illegal drugs, and equal opportunity (no race or gender based preference giving) planks in the Republican Party platform.) 
https://www.washingtontimes.com/news/2019/dec/13/stephanie-grisham-says-greta-thunberg-fair-game-ba/
— Rapper Scarface in runoff for Houston City Council seat – AP (DIERSEN: If you ran for a government or political office, who would work the hardest against you and what would they use against you? I should write a book about those who would work the hardest against me and what they would use against me if I ran for a government or political office.) 
https://www.washingtontimes.com/news/2019/dec/13/rapper-scarface-in-runoff-for-houston-city-council/
— Influx of asylum seekers overwhelms Portland, Maine – AP
https://www.washingtontimes.com/news/2019/dec/13/influx-of-asylum-seekers-overwhelms-portland-maine/

GOPUSA
— Michelle Obama on George W. Bush friendship: ‘Our values are the same’ (DIERSEN: From what I see, her values include getting rid of individuals, organizations, companies, governments, and countries that are Trump supporters, Protestant, conservative, patriotic, Republican, American, White, male, older, gun owners, German American, draft avoiders, and/or those whose ancestors have been in America for a long time.)
http://www.gopusa.com/?p=81120

NEWSMAX
— Koch Group Touts House Passage of Farm Workers Bill – Jeffrey Rodack
https://www.newsmax.com/newsfront/americans-for-prosperity-farm-workers-bill/2019/12/13/id/945826/

ONE AMERICA NEWS
— House Democrats Pass Farm Bill Aimed At Granting Amnesty To Illegal Aliens
https://www.oann.com/house-democrats-pass-farm-bill-aimed-at-granting-amnesty-to-illegal-aliens/

ONE NEWS NOW
— Four women have formed the “Conservative Squad” to challenge the ultra liberal and socialist policies of “The Squad.” – AP
https://onenewsnow.com/politics-govt/2019/12/14/four-women-have-formed-the-conservative-squad-to-challenge-the-ultra-liberal-and-socialist-policies-of-the-squad

NATIONAL REVIEW
— Biden: Boris Johnson Won Despite Being Trump’s ‘Physical and Emotional Clone’ because Labour Moved Too Far Left – Tobias Hoonhout
https://news.yahoo.com/biden-boris-johnson-won-despite-143636567.html
— Trump’s Effort to Fight Campus Anti-Semitism Is No War on Free Speech – JONATHAN S. TOBIN (DIERSEN: Democrats focus on turning Jews against Republicans. I should write a book about my Democrat superiors, supervisors, coworkers, and subordinates in the federal government and their efforts to turn my many Jewish superiors, supervisors, coworkers, and subordinates against me. Of course, they stressed that a) I am 100% German national origin, b)  that I was baptized, raised, and confirmed as a Missouri Synod Lutheran, and c) that I lived in Crete 1948-1972.) 
https://www.nationalreview.com/2019/12/trumps-effort-to-fight-campus-anti-semitism-is-no-war-on-free-speech/

THE HILL
— Trump scramble to rack up accomplishments gives conservatives heartburn – ALEXANDER BOLTON
https://thehill.com/homenews/senate/474550-trump-scramble-to-rack-up-accomplishments-gives-conservatives-heartburn?rnd=1576284549/
— Michelle Obama encourages Greta Thunberg after Trump attack: ‘Ignore the doubters’ – MORGAN GSTALTER
https://thehill.com/blogs/blog-briefing-room/news/474413-michelle-obama-encourages-greta-thunberg-after-trump-attacks
— Trump is threatening to boycott the debates — here’s how to make sure he shows up – JOE CONCHA
https://thehill.com/opinion/white-house/474516-trump-is-threatening-to-boycott-the-debates-heres-how-to-make-sure-he

YAHOO NEWS
— Trump is considering boycotting the 2020 general election debates
https://www.yahoo.com/news/trump-considering-boycotting-2020-general-191030379.html

CBS BALTIMORE
— 12 States, Including Maryland (and Illinois), Hope To Block Trump’s Executive Order On Refugee Resettlement
https://baltimore.cbslocal.com/2019/12/13/refugee-resettlement-brief-maryland-trump-frosh/

NEW YORK TIMES
— JPMorgan Chase C.E.O. Jamie Dimon Says It Needs to Do More to Tackle Racism The comments came days after The New York Times published a report detailing allegations of racism at branches of JPMorgan in the Phoenix area. – Aimee Ortiz (DIERSEN: Will Dimon have JPMorgan do what the federal government does? The federal government gets rid of its employees who do not promote patronage, political affiliation discrimination, reverse discrimination, age discrimination, and retaliation for complaining about the aforesaid.) 
https://www.nytimes.com/2019/12/13/business/Jamie-Dimon-racism-chase.html
— Wisconsin Judge Says State Must Purge 200,000 Voter Registrations The decision, which was derided by Democrats, comes in a fight to win Wisconsin in the 2020 presidential election. – Monica Davey and Mitch Smith (DIERSEN: How much deadwood is there in the voter rolls in your precinct, your municipality, your township/ward, your county, and Illinois?)
https://www.nytimes.com/2019/12/13/us/wisconsin-voter-rolls-purge.html
— G.O.P. Senators Flood the Exits in N.Y., and Party Woes Deepen In the last two weeks, four Republican state senators have said they will step down in 2020, giving Democrats hope of winning a supermajority. – Jesse McKinley
https://www.nytimes.com/2019/12/12/nyregion/senate-republicans-ny.html
— Labour’s Crushing Loss in Britain Adds to ‘Too Far Left?’ Debate in U.S. Centrist Democrats portrayed Boris Johnson’s victory as a warning sign for the American election. Progressives said there were few similarities between the two political races. – Katie Glueck and Thomas Kaplan
https://www.nytimes.com/2019/12/13/us/politics/britain-labour-elections-democrats.html

NEW YORK POST
— Why Boris Johnson’s huge win has big echoes for America – Editorial
https://nypost.com/2019/12/13/why-boris-johnsons-huge-win-has-big-echoes-for-america/

WALL STREET JOURNAL
— How the 1% Scrubs Its Image Online Prominent figures from Jacob Gottlieb to Betsy DeVos got help from a reputation management firm that can bury image-sensitive Google results by placing flattering content on websites that masquerade as news outlets – Rachael Levy (DIERSEN: According to my critics/opponents, everything posted on www.gopillinois.com is fake except for what they say is not fake.)
https://www.wsj.com/articles/how-the-1-scrubs-its-image-online-11576233000

ATLANTA JOURNAL CONSTITUTION
— Precinct closures harm voter turnout in Georgia, AJC analysis finds – Mark Niesse and Nick Thieme (DIERSEN: The closing of the of the polling place in the Wheaton Warrenville School District 200 building at 130 West Park in Wheaton has harmed the voter turnout in my DuPage County Milton Township Precinct 9 in Wheaton.) 
https://www.ajc.com/news/state–regional-govt–politics/precinct-closures-harm-voter-turnout-georgia-ajc-analysis-finds/11sVcLyQCHuQRC8qtZ6lYP/

TENNESSEAN
— Party affiliation should not interfere with our constitutional right to vote – Natalie Widmer (DIERSEN: In your precinct, in your municipality, in your township/ward, and in your county, what percent of the voters cast Republican ballots in primary elections, but then vote for Democrats in general elections?) 
https://www.tennessean.com/story/opinion/2019/12/14/tennesseans-voter-rights-shouldnt-limited/2640995001/

SAN DIEGO UNION TRIBUNE
— San Diego grappling with illegally placed election signs as March primary approaches – DAVID GARRICK
https://www.sandiegouniontribune.com/communities/san-diego/story/2019-12-13/san-diego-grappling-with-illegally-placed-election-signs-as-march-primary-approaches

CENTRAL MAINE
— Trump campaign files signatures for Maine primary ballot in March The president’s re-election campaign turns in signatures Friday from registered Maine voters calling for the president’s name to appear on the state’s primary election ballot. – SCOTT THISTLE
https://www.centralmaine.com/2019/12/13/trump-campaign-files-signatures-for-maine-primary-ballot-in-march/

YAHOO FINANCE
— Reminding people of historical injustice can undermine support for equity policies, say Laurier researchers (DIERSEN: According to Democrats, if you are Republican, the longer that your ancestors have been in America, the more that you have disgustingly benefitted from their disgusting discrimination against minorities, women, and the poor. Democrats would be overjoyed if Republicans were required to wear badges that give the number of years that their ancestors have been in America. The more years, the more that those Republicans would be punished.)
https://finance.yahoo.com/news/reminding-people-historical-injustice-undermine-133000584.html

JD SUPRA
— 20 Steps To Avoid Employment Lawsuits (DIERSEN: My Democrat superiors in the federal government always treated me like they wanted me to sue them. They wanted me to charge them with political affiliation discrimination, reverse discrimination, age discrimination, and retaliation. They knew that would help them hire, retain, and promote young Democrat minorities and young Democrat females.)
https://www.jdsupra.com/legalnews/20-steps-to-avoid-employment-lawsuits-49509/

December 13 Evening Edition

ABC7
— Impeachment vote: House committee approves charges against President Trump – AP
https://abc7chicago.com/politics/house-committee-approves-impeachment-charges-against-trump/5751475/
— First lady appears to condone Trump’s criticism of Greta Thunberg – AP
https://abc7chicago.com/politics/first-lady-appears-to-condone-trumps-criticism-of-thunberg/5753166/

CBS2
— As Marijuana Soon Becomes Legal In Illinois, Medical Users Fear Shortage, More Rising Prices – Vince Gerasole
https://chicago.cbslocal.com/2019/12/13/as-marijuana-soon-becomes-legal-in-illinois-medical-users-fear-shortage-more-rising-prices/
— Joliet Township Job Ad Asked For Applicants Who ‘Voted In A Democratic Primary Election’
https://chicago.cbslocal.com/2019/12/12/joliet-township-job-ad-asked-for-applicants-who-voted-in-a-democratic-primary-election/

CHICAGO TRIBUNE
— Chicago Black Caucus chairman may try forcing City Council vote to stall recreational marijuana sales till July – JOHN BYRNE
https://www.chicagotribune.com/marijuana/illinois/ct-chicago-marijuana-alderman-ervin-delay-vote-20191213-dkwdvtnovbd3zjjxxup2u5thhm-story.html
— DISGUSTING, TRAGIC: Head shops come out of the shadows as weed becomes legal – Abdel Jimenez
https://www.chicagotribune.com/marijuana/illinois/ct-biz-head-shops-preparing-for-recreational-marijuana-20191213-4kk7sn4pdvfv3mdg7somlqqgyy-story.html
— OUTSTANDING: Lincolnshire trustees vote down recreational marijuana dispensaries in the village, advocacy groups offer up praise for the decision – KAITLIN EDQUIST
https://www.chicagotribune.com/suburbs/lincolnshire/ct-lsr-marijuana-dispensaries-vote-tl-1219-20191213-csby53logvf25l2lm4k53gkqk4-story.html
— Illinois, here comes recreational marijuana — and a haze of confusion – Editorial
https://www.chicagotribune.com/opinion/editorials/ct-editorial-illinois-legal-recreational-weed-confusion-20191213-z2svvuuegrclrdzs7i3l36nvzm-story.html
— When taxpayers trust Springfield … Part 6: A motto for the Fair Tax: ‘Would we ever break a promise to you?’ – Editorial
https://www.chicagotribune.com/opinion/editorials/ct-editorial-fair-tax-jb-pritzker-madigan-illinois-20191213-4kpcxz7i3jgkzmvwurvpogkyuy-story.html
— Democrats impeachment of Donald Trump is way too thin, like butter scraped over too much bread – John Kass
https://www.chicagotribune.com/columns/john-kass/ct-donald-trump-impeachment-democrats-kass-20191214-wd2jk33ibfdvhlf534b3gfgx2a-story.html

CHICAGO SUN-TIMES
— Chicago’s March primary will feature 17 contested races for Democratic Party committeeperson People might not know why the party post is important. But the candidates who are running say they see it as a way to be more inclusive and maybe make a statement about corruption, too. – Rachel Hinton
https://chicago.suntimes.com/politics/2019/12/13/21020974/chicago-march-primary-cook-county-democratic-party-committeeperson-contested-races
— Black Caucus chair again threatens vote on plan to delay recreational pot sales until July 1 Ald. Jason Ervin said he is still seeking a “decent level of ownership” in an industry that currently lacks owners of color in Illinois. – Fran Spielman
https://chicago.suntimes.com/cannabis/2019/12/13/21021052/illinois-legal-weed-recreational-marijuana-black-caucus-jason-ervin-sales
— House to impeach Trump next week: Takeaways as vote and Senate trial looms To dilute GOP “coastal elite” charges, Speaker Pelosi wants geographic diversity in her House prosecutor picks, putting Illinois Democrat Raja Krishnamoorthi in play. – Lynn Sweet 
https://chicago.suntimes.com/columnists/2019/12/13/21021152/trump-impeachment-house-prosecutors-senate-trial-pelosi-raja-sweet
— Show up for those committee meetings, aldermen, or vote on nothing Legislation should not be decided by a handful of aldermen while everybody else plays hooky. – Editorial
https://chicago.suntimes.com/2019/12/13/21005018/chicago-aldermenl-committee-meetings-quorum-attendance-sun-times-editorial

WBBM 780
— Evanston Receiving National Attention From Decision To Use Pot Sales Tax To Fund Local Reparations Program (DIERSEN: Will Evanston’s motto be “Smoke a joint, help a Black?”) 
https://wbbm780.radio.com/media/audio-channel/evanston-receiving-national-attention-from-decision-to-use-pot-sales-tax-to-fund

PEORIA JOURNAL STAR
— At least officially, Illinois has moved away from political patronage – Scott Reeder
https://www.pjstar.com/opinion/20191213/scott-reeder-at-least-officially-illinois-has-moved-away-from-political-patronage
— DIERSEN HEADLINE: Democrats hint/imply/argue/shout at refugees, and at everyone else, that Republicans are White supremacists, Nazis, KKK members, haters, racists, sexists, bigots, and even worse things who should be gotten rid of once and for all. 
https://www.pjstar.com/opinion/20191213/editorial-community-leaders-need-to-keep-doors-open-for-refugees

ALTON TELEGRAPH
— There’s a dark side to our genealogy craze – Honor Sachs
https://www.thetelegraph.com/news/article/There-s-a-dark-side-to-our-genealogy-craze-14904375.php

WGLT
— LaHood Says Trump Impeachment Is “Witch Hunt By the Democrats” – TIM SHELLEY
https://www.wglt.org/post/lahood-says-trump-impeachment-witch-hunt-democrats#stream/0

MCHENRY COUNTY BLOG
— Closer View of Tribune Underwood Anti-Impeachment Ad
http://mchenrycountyblog.com/2019/12/13/closer-view-of-tribune-underwood-anti-impeachment-ad/ 
— Marijuana Law Rules Explained by CL Police
http://mchenrycountyblog.com/2019/12/13/marijuana-law-rules-explained-by-cl-police/ 
IL-14: Lauren Underwood Still Undecided on Impeachment
http://mchenrycountyblog.com/2019/12/13/il-14-lauren-underwood-still-undecided-on-impeachment/ 
— Impeachment Votes Locally
http://mchenrycountyblog.com/2019/12/13/impeachment-votes-locally/ 
— GOP Write-Ins Possible for County Board in Districts 1 and 5
http://mchenrycountyblog.com/2019/12/13/gop-write-ins-possible-for-county-board-in-districts-1-and-5/

ILLINOIS REVIEW
— WE TWO WILL COUNTY BOARD MEMBERS SAY “PRESIDENT TRUMP DID NOTHING WRONG” – Steve Balich, Will County Board member
https://www.illinoisreview.com/illinoisreview/2019/12/op-ed-we-two-will-county-board-members-say-president-trump-did-nothing-wrong.html
— ILLINOIS LAWMAKERS DIVERT MILLIONS MEANT TO FACILITATE FOID CARDS
https://www.illinoisreview.com/illinoisreview/2019/12/illinois-lawmakers-divert-millions-meant-to-facilitate-foid-cards.html
— MORE EVIDENCE EMERGES THAT FEDERAL GOVERNMENT IS FUNDING WORTHLESS COLLEGE DEGREES
https://www.illinoisreview.com/illinoisreview/2019/12/more-evidence-emerges-that-federal-government-is-funding-worthless-college-degrees.html
— LGBT ACTIVISTS PROTEST CANADIAN CHICK-FIL-A, SAY CHANGES ARE NOT ENOUGH
https://www.illinoisreview.com/illinoisreview/2019/12/lgbt-activists-protest-canadian-chick-fil-a-say-changes-are-not-enough.html
— A DIVISIVE, HISTORICALLY DUBIOUS CURRICULUM
https://www.illinoisreview.com/illinoisreview/2019/12/a-divisive-historically-dubious-curriculum.html
— THORNER: TIME TO END THE OBAMA ADMINISTRATION’S UNCONSTITUTIONAL DACA PROGRAM
https://www.illinoisreview.com/illinoisreview/2019/12/thorner-time-to-end-the-obama-administrations-unconstitutional-daca-program.html
— PLANNED PARENTHOOD PUSHES TO BAN DALEIDEN FROM EVER INVESTIGATING THEM AGAIN
https://www.illinoisreview.com/illinoisreview/2019/12/planned-parenthood-pushes-to-ban-dalieden-from-ever-investigating-them-again.html
— DUCKWORTH RAISES FUNDS CONDEMNING NEW PRO-LIFE FEDERAL JUDGE
https://www.illinoisreview.com/illinoisreview/2019/12/duckworth-raises-funds-condemning-new-pro-life-federal-judge.html
— BUMMED OUT ABOUT TIME’S COVER? 19 YEAR OLD GERMAN RESPONDS TO CLIMATE CHANGE HYSTERIA
https://www.illinoisreview.com/illinoisreview/2019/12/bummed-out-about-times-cover-19-year-old-german-responds-to-climate-change-hysteria.html

BLAZE
— Taylor Swift goes on a lengthy rant about ‘toxic male privilege’ in her Billboard speech. She waited for loud applause, but it never came. That’s awkward – Phil Shiver
https://www.theblaze.com/news/taylor-swift-toxic-male-privilege

NEWSMAX
— Salvation Army Stronger Than Ever After Chick-fil-A’s Fall From Grace – Michael Dorstewitz
https://www.newsmax.com/michaeldorstewitz/salvation-army-chickfila-christian/2019/12/13/id/945835/

CAMPUS REFORM
— Profs: College Republicans have ‘white supremacist’ views, supporting Trump’s re-election a ‘racist provocation’ – Faith Allen
https://www.campusreform.org/?ID=14103

THE HILL
— Impeachment obliterates tinges of comity in House – MIKE LILLIS 
https://thehill.com/homenews/administration/474540-impeachment-obliterates-tinges-of-comity-in-house

WALL STREET JOURNAL
— Inspector General Report on the FBI: The Political Bias Is Obvious Bias is usually proven by circumstantial evidence based on the actions taken, including but not limited to an employer’s deviation from its procedures. – Nick Price, Elkins Park, Pa.
https://www.wsj.com/articles/inspector-general-report-on-the-fbi-the-political-bias-is-obvious-11576274645

FORBES
— Is Political Division Reducing Labor Mobility? – Adi Gaskell (DIERSEN: Because virtually all federal employees in the Chicagoland area have been Democrats, federal career opportunities for Republicans in the Chicagoland area have been very limited. GAO hired me in 1980 because it could not find a qualified Democrat, minority, female, younger person, or veteran who would take the job. IRS hired me in 1971 because it could not find a qualified Democrat, minority, female, or veteran who would take the job. The Post Office hired me in 1966 because it could not find a qualified Democrat, minority, female, or veteran who would take the job.) 
https://www.forbes.com/sites/adigaskell/2019/12/13/is-political-division-reducing-labor-mobility/#1d17fd16df01