FROM ILLINOIS CENTER-LEFT SOURCES
CHICAGO TRIBUNE
— FRONT PAGE WITH PICTURE: DD: Democrat leaders blast the One Big Beautiful Bill.
https://www.chicagotribune.com/2026/09/28/immigrants-medicaid-one-big-beautiful-bill/
— Political messaging has changed. DD: Democrats run Facebook. Nevertheless, Republican organizations and Republican candidates ever-increasingly use the Democrat Facebook to communicate instead of websites and press releases.
https://www.chicagotribune.com/2026/09/29/opinion-election-season-political-messaging-influencers/
WTTW
— Chicago, Suburban Cook County Seeking Poll Workers for November Midterm Election.
https://news.wttw.com/2026/09/28/chicago-suburban-cook-county-seeking-poll-workers-november-midterm-election
CRAIN’S CHICAGO BUSINESS
— DD: Democrat leaders promote Democrats.
https://www.chicagobusiness.com/forum/ccb-forum-democracy-election-midterms-20260928/
KANE COUNTY CHRONICLE
— Lauzen seeks 3 public debates with opponent.
https://www.shawlocal.com/kane-county-chronicle/2026/09/28/lauzen-seeks-3-public-debates-with-opponent/
WHEATON RECORD
— DD: Democrat leaders promote Democrats.
https://thewheatonrecord.com/2026/09/28/a-view-of-a-local-campaign-gearing-up-for-the-midterm-elections/
DEPAULIA
— DD: To be woke is to be anti-conservative, anti-Republican, anti-American, anti-White, anti-male, anti-older people, anti-Protestant, anti-German American, and/or anti-those who have ancestors who have been in America for a long time. To be woke is to reject the personal responsibility, traditional marriage and family, right to life, immigration, anti-vice, Second Amendment, and/or equal opportunity (no race or gender based preference giving) planks in the Republican Party platform. My critics/opponents are woke.
https://depauliaonline.com/85822/opinions/is-woke-2-0-a-wave-or-a-war/
KZRG
— Gov. Sanders pushes welfare work rules as ad sparks backlash within GOP circles. DD: What are the demographics of those on welfare? What percent are on welfare of each demographic (political affiliation, citizenship, race, gender, age, religion, national origin, length of time ancestors have been in America, etc.)?
https://www.newstalkkzrg.com/2026/09/28/arkansas-sanders-pushes-welfare-work-rules-as-ad-sparks-backlash-within-gop-circles/
(FROM THE ARTICLE: The criticism came largely from the political right, with several commentators saying they supported work requirements but believed the ad inaccurately portrayed who receives government assistance. Matt Walsh criticized the choice to make Brad a young white man, arguing that the depiction did not reflect demographic patterns among benefit recipients. Tomi Lahren argued that advertisers consider white men a safer demographic to portray negatively. Conservative commentator Jack Posobiec told Sanders to “fire your comms team immediately” after she defended the ad. “This Antiwhite ad should be taken down, the comms team fired, and the Governor’s Office issue an apology,” he said on X. “We are 35 days out from an election and they are attacking young White men.” Other critics focused less on race and more on the ad’s portrayal of young men as lazy.)
POLITICO ILLINOIS
— Republican Attorney General nominee Bob Fioretti announced that Congressmembers Darin LaHood, Mike Bost and Mary Miller have signed on as co-chairs of his campaign.
https://www.politico.com/newsletters/illinois-playbook/2026/09/29/budget-battle-lines-drawn-01096213
CAPITOL FAX
— Morning briefing
https://capitolfax.com/2026/09/29/isabel%e2%80%99s-morning-briefing-817/
— Afternoon roundup.
https://capitolfax.com/2026/09/28/isabel%e2%80%99s-afternoon-roundup-604/
FROM ILLINOIS CENTER-RIGHT SOURCES
GOPUSA ILLINOIS
— Democrats run Facebook. Nevertheless, Republican organizations and Republican candidates ever-increasingly use the Democrat Facebook to communicate instead of websites and press releases. – Dave Diersen
http://www.gopillinois.com
WIREPOINTS
— Juliana Stratton is using her campaign money to fund Abdul El-Sayed.
https://wirepoints.org/juliana-stratton-is-using-her-campaign-money-to-fund-abdul-el-sayed-wirepoints/
CHICAGO CONTRARIAN
— Vallas: Departing Assistant U.S. Attorney Is Chicago’s Most Recent Political Scapegoat. DD: My Chicago office Democrat GAO superiors ever-increasingly blamed my being their office’s only active participant in an agency-wide class action lawsuit that charged them with reverse discrimination, age discrimination, and retaliation a) for their not meeting their Affirmative Action quotas and b) for their not getting rid of their older White male employees as fast as they wanted to. They forced me to retire when I was 49 in 1997.
https://www.chicagocontrarian.com/blog/assistant-us-attorney-chicago-political-scapegoat
(FROM THE ARTICLE: The office failed to defend Mecklenburg demanding that she essentially remain defenseless. Her retirement letter and court filing portray a career prosecutor scapegoated for a felony prosecution she actually opposed, publicly condemned before anyone sought her account, and threatened her with termination when she attempted to correct the record. The underlying facts make that account difficult to dismiss.)
ILLINOIS FAMILY ACTION
— Turning Churches Into Zoning Loopholes.
https://illinoisfamilyaction.org/2026/09/turning-churches-into-zoning-loopholes/
(FROM THE ARTICLE: One of these Senate bills sounds good on paper. The devil is in the details. Senate Bill 635 specifically targets property owned or controlled by churches and other religious organizations. Supporters have even given the idea an appealing name: “Yes in God’s Backyard.” Under SB 635, an established church or other faith-based organization could allow multifamily housing, supportive housing, group homes or mixed residential-commercial developments to be built on its property “by right.” That phrase is important. It means the project would not need local zoning approval. What could go wrong? Well, for one, the legislation would permit buildings as tall as six stories, and locally elected city council members would all be in straitjackets. They could not require any public hearings or discretionary design reviews. They certainly could not require special-use permits or planned-unit-development approval. But that’s not all. A project containing five or more units would have to reserve at least 20% of its rental units for low-income or very low-income households. This would be a mandate. State mandates are not usually what real estate markets like to see.)
ILLINOIS POLICY INSTITUTE
— What to know about flock cameras in Illinois.
https://www.illinoispolicy.org/illinois-automated-license-plate-readers-flock/
ILLINOIS REVIEW
— Trump Receives Hero’s Welcome at Presidents Cup in DuPage County.
https://www.illinoisreview.com/illinoisreview/2026/09/trump-receives-heros-welcome-at-presidents-cup-in-dupage-county.html
FROM NATIONAL CENTER-RIGHT SOURCES
WASHINGTON TIMES
— The U.S. spends $1 billion a year jailing foreign criminals. DD: Democrat an RINO leaders should be billed for that.
https://www.washingtontimes.com/news/2026/sep/28/feds-spend-1-billion-year-incarcerate-foreign-criminals/
WASHINGTON EXAMINER
— Gender ideology may be fading, but it’s still harming children and families. DD: How successful have Democrat leaders been promoting LGBTQ in your school district?
https://www.washingtonexaminer.com/restoring-america/fairness-justice/4743118/minors-transition-without-parental-consent/
— Sanctuary Democrats are putting Americans last.
https://www.washingtonexaminer.com/opinion/editorials/4745391/sanctuary-democrats-putting-americans-last/
AMERICAN THINKER
— Trump quietly slashes nearly $1 billion in federal cash for illegals and wokester foreign aid grants. DD: How successful have Democrat leaders been promoting illegal immigration and dependency on government in your county, township, municipality, and school district?
https://www.americanthinker.com/blog/2026/09/trump-quietly-slashes-nearly-1-billion-in-federal-cash-for-illegals-and-wokester-foreign-aid-grants/
— The math at the pump: Before you blame Trump, follow the damn barrel. Iran matters, refiners matter, supply matters—and the price on that sign has more than one father.
https://www.americanthinker.com/blog/2026/09/the-math-at-the-pump-before-you-blame-trump-follow-the-damn-barrel/
DAILY SIGNAL
— Open Prostitution Booms in NYC. It’s All Part of the Socialist Plan. DD: To vote for Democrats is to vote for socialism.
https://www.dailysignal.com/2026/09/28/open-prostitution-booms-in-nyc-thanks-to-mamdani-prostitution/
DAILY WIRE
— White House Claws Back $810 Million Going To Left-Wing Passion Projects. Using a controversial “pocket rescission,” the Trump administration is attempting to cut over half a billion dollars marked for non-citizens.
https://www.dailywire.com/news/white-house-claws-back-810-million-going-to-left-wing-passion-projects
FEDERALIST
— Legacy Media Falsely Argue That Republicans Are About To Lose Because Americans Hate Deportations. DD: Democrat and RINO leaders ever-increasingly promote their illegals and fight their deportation.
https://thefederalist.com/2026/09/28/legacy-media-falsely-argue-that-republicans-are-about-to-lose-because-americans-hate-deportations/
— Woke Grad School Teacher Programs Help Explain Why The Kids Can’t Read.
https://thefederalist.com/2026/09/28/woke-grad-school-teacher-programs-help-explain-why-the-kids-cant-read/
FOX BUSINESS
— North Korean defector: Students have ‘no clue’ what socialism does when implemented in real life. DD: To vote for Democrats is to vote for socialism.
https://www.foxbusiness.com/video/6405769085112
TOWNHALL
— Privilege, Baloney (DD: My critics/opponents have always demonized me, denigrated me, and condemned me as being privileged. I ask them if I was privileged, why did I take jobs doing yard work 1962-1964, delivering newspapers 1962-1966, washing dishes 1964-1966, cleaning golf shoes, chipping slag, and pumping gasoline in 1966, delivering mail 1966-1969, working on an automotive assemble line in 1970, selling tires, automotive services, and major appliances 1970-1971, pumping more gasoline 1971-1972, collecting delinquent taxes 1971-1980, and auditing federal agencies 1980-1997. My critics/opponents had wealthy parents. Because of that, they did not have to take bad jobs like I had to.
https://townhall.com/columnists/alanjosephbauer/2026/09/29/privilege-baloney-n2683735
(FROM THE ARTCLE: The more one has, the more he has to give back. Much of the Left’s program is similar to that of its commie predecessors in China and Russia. There is a Godly order, and commies spend their time, effort, and others’ blood in destroying it. Just a sampling of our present Left: – End nuclear families and children with promotion of “trans,” not marrying and not bringing children into the world due to faux climate change. – End human progress with regressive approaches to energy. – End nation-states with endless illegal immigration to wipe out borders and nationalities. – End progress and success with DEI mediocrity replacing meritocracy. – End patriotism by promoting anti-home country narratives in “education.” One of the lies of the Left revolves around “privilege.” It’s a loaded word that they like to throw at anyone who either applies himself/herself or succeeds. Somehow all whites have privilege, even the poor ones in Appalachia and the guy who schleps Tiger Woods’ golf clubs around a golf course. Privilege is a two-edged sword: it gives cover to losers — I wasn’t PRIVILEGED to have all of those advantages that those other guys had. Also, I have arrows to shoot at Elon Musk and others to bring them down a peg for succeeding so much and making me look like the failure that I am. Privilege is the primal scream of someone who doesn’t want to play by the rules to get ahead: give me everything because I was cheated at birth. Winners are like Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas. He grew up in Jim Crow Savannah, Georgia, and went on to serve on the highest court in the land. The Left hates him. If he just sat at home and complained that he was a poor unfortunate threatened by those terrible white people, denied the opportunity to succeed in life, he would have been celebrated by the Left before they forget about him. The African American Museum tried to ignore him. A long time ago in a distant age, British officers were populated almost exclusively from the upper classes of English society. Sure, they had the advantage that rank gives, and their conditions were better than that of the average soldier. But they were the ones who were to lead the charge, and they were the ones on whom blame fell when their men did not produce. Long ago, Britain used to hang admirals who failed in battle (“failing to do his utmost”), and those admirals no doubt had titles of Duke, Sir, Lord, and the like. Privilege in a Godly world means extra obligations. And that is how things used to be understood. “Noblesse oblige” was in effect until around the age of Kennedy, when the supposed “Best and Brightest” were tapped to run things instead of the president’s buddy from prep school or the local shooting club. If one had wealth, he was expected to share it with others and give of his time. If he had brains, he was tasked with sharing his knowledge with those less educated. Privilege was not having a leg up; it was the call to use one’s abilities and advantages to help others to make the world a better place. Picture if J.K. Rowling had been told that she had privilege in being able to write so well and thus was forbidden to write the Harry Potter books. Endless millions have read them, watched the resulting movies, enjoyed the theme park attractions, and purchased merchandise. She used part of her wealth to defend U.K. women from the encroachment of men who have a fetish for pretending that they are women in order to enter the latter’s spaces. She could have stayed out of that fight, and her dumb movie stars would have feted her from here to Hogwarts. She could have kept the small fortune she has deployed and bought a few Scottish islands for her enjoyment. Instead, Ms. Rowling has used her writing “privilege” to add more color to this world, and she has used her resulting wealth to try to keep England somewhat sane. The British National Health Service (NHS) has been emboldened to state that it will ignore the Supreme Court ruling in favor of women being defined as, well, women. It’s like U.S. universities rebranding their DEI garbage under new names to similarly avoid the ruling of our Supreme Court. For the professional Left, the goal is destruction of norms; the law is for the little guy — and not of their concern. Harvard still has the same incoming class profile even after the Supreme Court ruled against it on affirmative action. Who would have thought it would be otherwise? . . . When you can’t beat them, at least try to trip them up. Screaming privilege, especially “white privilege,” is intended to retard the successful and elevate the mediocre. Universities and other institutions no longer attempt to hide grants or opportunities for minorities only. They think that by tampering with the playing field, they will eventually straighten it out. Instead of attacking those who truly have skills or belittling disfavored groups, they should be celebrating the successful and encouraging others to learn from them. Remember the “Be like Mike” campaign around Michael Jordan? Do you hear anybody screaming, “Be like Elon?” Me neither, though he is the richest guy in the world and has, out of nothing, invented amazing companies like SpaceX, Tesla, the Boring Company, and Neuralink. He has revolutionized X (formerly Twitter) and did his best to reduce waste and fraud in the U.S. budget. Since lefties live on that waste and fraud and focus on Musk being white and not from South Africa, they can see no good in the man who is single-handedly revolutionizing automated driving with his Robotaxis. The Left does not want to lift up anyone; they simply want to pull everyone down into their mud pond. There is no such thing as white privilege. There are many poor whites, just as there are many rich blacks and Hispanics. Whoever has a skill should make a living on it and also use that skill or income to make others’ lives better. Blessings are not a curse but an obligation for the receiver to use them and help others benefit from them.)
— James Talarico Uses the Bible to Justify His Socialist Agenda. DD: To vote for Democrats is to vote for socialism. DD: The Democrat Party platform is anti-Christian. How successful have Democrats been taking over your church?
https://townhall.com/news/amy-curtis/2026/09/28/james-talarico-taking-on-corruption-on-biblical-grounds-n2683690
LIFE NEWS
— Speaker Mike Johnson: Don’t Support Anti-God Socialism This November.
https://www.lifenews.com/2026/09/28/speaker-mike-johnson-dont-support-anti-god-socialism-this-november/
FROM NATIONAL CENTER-LEFT SOURCES
WALL STREET JOURNAL
— The ‘Affordability’ Democrats? You Have to Be Kidding. From healthcare to housing to energy, their policies have made life more expensive.
https://www.wsj.com/opinion/democrats-affordability-policies-energy-healthcare-inflation-midterm-elections-82afe2a4
NEWS NATION
— DD: Democrat leaders ever-increasingly promote socialism. To vote for Democrats is to vote for socialism.
https://www.newsnationnow.com/politics/socialism-favorability-2025-gallup-survey/
https://www.yahoo.com/news/politics/articles/record-43-us-adults-view-161002968.html
NEWS24
— ‘They’ve normalized radical beliefs’: Democrats’ socialist shift sparks alarm. DD: To vote for Democrats is to vote for socialism.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VO61vVTECCE
— The Democratic Party has become a socialist party. DD: To vote for Democrats is to vote for socialism.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tYwcMEju3IQ
KUTV
— DD: Democrat leaders ever-increasingly crow about their success in promoting socialism.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=I5JxHcDO-gc
WASHINGTON MONTHLY
— DD: Those who want more welfare vote for Democrats. As Democrats move in, poverty and crime increase.
https://washingtonmonthly.com/2026/09/29/the-grim-reality-behind-a-new-census-report/
POLITICAL WIRE
— DD: Democrat leaders ever-increasingly crow about their success in promoting socialism.
https://politicalwire.com/2026/09/28/socialism-grows-more-popular-among-americans/
Tag: Facebook
September 27, 2026
FROM ILLINOIS CENTER-LEFT SOURCES
NBC5
— Trump set to make appearance at Presidents Cup in suburban Medinah.
https://www.nbcchicago.com/news/local/president-donald-trump-set-to-make-appearance-at-presidents-cup-in-suburban-medinah/3994259/
(FROM THE ARTICLE: Members of the Illinois Republican Party plan to show their support for the president on Irving Park Road. DuPage County Republicans described the president’s visit as historic. The group in a Facebook post said: “We have a historic week ahead! The President of the United States will be in DuPage this week. We look forward to having the leader of the free world in DuPage County! DuPage County welcomes you President Trump.”)
— New proposal aims to crackdown on influencers paid to support political campaigns. DD: My critics/opponents demonize me, denigrate me, and condemn me as being a bad political influencer. According to them, I am far too conservative. But they know that I am not paid for what I do. All the money I spend to put GOPUSA ILLINOIS newsletters together, to send them out, and to post copies of them at www.gopillinois.com comes from my Civil Service Retirement System pension, my Social Security, and my retirement saving. My critics/opponent have lots of money. They use their operatives and their dupes to destroy me. I should write about my critics/opponents, their operatives, and their dupes.
https://www.nbcchicago.com/news/local/new-proposal-aims-to-crackdown-on-influencers-paid-to-support-political-campaigns/3994044/
(FROM GOOGLE AI: A political influencer is a content creator, commentator, or public figure who uses social media and digital platforms to shape public opinion, advocate for policies, and support political candidates. Millions of people now get their daily news and civic updates from independent digital creators rather than traditional media. Modern political campaigns routinely credential creators alongside traditional journalists at major events like national conventions. Lawmakers in various states are introducing or expanding regulations to require paid social media influencers to clearly disclose financial backing and sponsorships from political campaigns or advocacy groups. States like California enforce strict financial disclosure requirements and fine non-compliant paid digital posts to prevent hidden election interference.
CHICAGO TRIBUNE
— FRONT PAGE TOP OF FOLD WITH PICTURE: Democrat leaders ever-increasingly make it clear that flooding America with their illegals is one of their top priorities. They ever-increasingly hint/imply/argue/shout that the more illegals that there are, the lower that inflation will be.
https://www.chicagotribune.com/2026/09/27/operation-midway-blitz-challenges-remain/
— Trump administration uses rare authority to claw back nearly $1B in spending approved by Congress.
https://www.chicagotribune.com/2026/09/25/congress-spending/
— The competitiveness in parenting to give kids a leg up has reached a new level. DD: My parents sent me to Missouri Synod Lutheran grade schools. That put me on track to earn a job-related bachelor’s degree, three job-related master’s degrees, six job-related professional certifications, and a job-related professional license. During my junior and senior years in high school 1964-1966, instead of studying, I spent far too many hours washing dishes to buy a new car to commute to/from UIC and my parents’ home in Crete. Nevertheless, I got accepted by UIC in 1966. Because of that dishwashing job, because neither of my patents attended college, because my father was only the first of ancestors to earn a high school diploma, and because my mother never attended high school, virtually no one saw me as being college material. But nevertheless, I took college preparatory courses, I earned an ACT score of 24, and I graduated in the upper 20% of my class.
https://www.chicagotribune.com/2026/09/26/opinion-parents-children-college-competition/
(FROM THE ARTICLE: American parents are working harder than ever to give their children a leg up. Economists Garey Ramey and Valerie Ramey documented that college-educated mothers increased their childcare time by more than nine hours per week starting in the mid-1990s. They attributed this “rug rat race” to intensifying competition for college admissions. The competition isn’t only about time investment, and much of what parents do to give their child an advantage is hard to fault. Families routinely move from cities and their challenged public school systems to suburban neighborhoods with public schools that send large shares of graduates to elite colleges. Once a child is installed at that suburban school, the parent might add private tutoring, an SAT coach and a call to a business contact to secure the child’s summer internship. Each decision, in isolation, seems like good parenting. And after all, it seems like everyone else is doing it. But in the aggregate, these advantages compound, and the opportunity gaps between the advantaged and the disadvantaged widen.)
CHICAGO SUN-TIMES
— Obama Presidential Center’s price tag: almost $1 billion.
https://chicago.suntimes.com/architecture-design/2026/09/26/obama-presidential-center-price-tag-1-billion
DAILY HERALD
— FRONT PAGE WITH PICTURE: DD: Under the Democrats, soon, everyone will be a) handing out welfare and/or b) receiving welfare.
https://www.dailyherald.com/20260926/syndicated-columnists/neighbors-in-need-campaign-again-underway-to-fight-hunger-homelessness-health-care-issues/
WGN9
— Dabrowski re-emerges ahead of November election.
https://wgntv.com/news/politics/wgn-the-point-politics-chicago-illinois/former-gop-candidate-for-governor-re-emerges-ahead-of-november-election/
WBEZ
— Chicago teens want more jobs in their neighborhoods. DD: While I attended Crete-Monee High School 1962-1966, I could not find a job in Crete. My high school friend was a part-time stockboy at the S.S. Kresge in Chicago Heights 5 miles north. I took his suggestion and applied for and got hired as a part-time dishwasher there. In 1964, I bought a 1958 Chevrolet BelAir with money I had earned delivering newspapers and doing yard work. We carpooled. His father had bought him 1960 Plymouth.
https://www.wbez.org/moment-of-youth/2026/09/25/downtown-day-teen-survey-results
FOX ILLINOIS
— DD: Anticipate/expect that Democrats will ever-increasingly disrupt every event that Trump attends.
https://www.foxillinois.com/news/nation-world/trump-is-attending-a-big-college-football-game-and-coaches-are-worried-about-disruptions/article_a1221b0e-b484-5f3d-b33d-1e36d0a4bf0a.html
CAPITOL NEWS ILLINOIS
— DD: Democrat leaders ever-increasingly fight efforts to fight voter fraud.
https://capitolnewsillinois.com/news/as-early-voting-begins-officials-seek-to-reassure-public-about-election-security-integrity/
CAPITOL CITY NOW
— Best colleges in Illinois. DD: UIC is #4. To get accepted by UIC in 1966, I took college preparatory courses at Crete-Monee High School, got an ACT score of 24, and graduated in the upper 20% of my class. IIT Is #5. To get accepted by IIT in 1992, I earned a bachelor’s degree in business from NIU in 1970, earned an MBA from Loyola in 1976, passed the CPA examination on my first attempt in 1979, earned 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, and became a Certified Fraud Examiner in 1990.
https://capitolcitynow.com/news/248842-best-colleges-in-illinois/
FROM ILLINOIS CENTER-RIGHT SOURCES
JOHN KASS
— Vallas: Nikole Hannah-Jones’s Learned Nothing From Risking Her Daughters Future. DD: My parents sent me to Missouri Synod Lutheran grade schools. That put me on track to earn a job-related bachelor’s degree, three job-related master’s degrees, six job-related professional certifications, and a job-related professional license.
https://johnkassnews.com/nikole-hannah-joness-learned-nothing-from-risking-her-daughters-future/
GOPUSA ILLINOIS
— How strongly are the Republican candidates on the ballot in your precinct stressing that to vote for Democrats is to vote for socialism? How strongly are they stressing the negatives of socialism and the positives of capitalism? – Dave Diersen
http://www.gopillinois.
— What is your Republican Precinct Committeeman doing to get out the Republican vote? Yesterday, I finished hand-delivering DuPage County GOP-provided envelopes to the 370 residences in my DuPage County Milton Township Precinct 59 in Wheaton that have at least one registered Republican or Independent voter. Those 370 envelopes had 660 DuPage County Election Division-provided mailing labels and contained: a) the outstanding Milton Township Republican Organization (MTRO)-provided Voter Guide, b) the sample ballot, and c) campaign pieces from the 14 of the 18 Republican candidates on that ballot who provided MTRO with their campaign pieces. I stuffed 5,920 pieces in those 370 envelopes — 5,180 campaign pieces (14X370), 370 Voter Guides, and 370 sample ballots. I had to fold the Voter Guides, sample ballots, and two of the campaign pieces. I used my photocopier to make 370 copies of the 2-sided sample ballot and 170 color copies of the Voter Guide. MTRO provided 200 of the Voter Guides. I hand-delivered the envelopes in 5 batches. There are about 550 residences in my precinct. There are tremendous difference in household incomes and housing values in my precinct. About 4 our 5 times when a Republican home is listed for sale, a Democrat buys it. The 18 candidates on the ballot in my precinct are: Tracy, Bailey/Del Mar, Fioretti, Harris, Drew, Soloman, Oakley, Lewis, Vrankovich, Grasso, Noonan, Schiappa, Henry, Eckhoff, Michaud, Schultz, Quirk, and Helland. – Dave Diersen
http://www.gopillinois.com
— What are your top priorities in life? According to Google AI: “Your top priorities in life are the core values, relationships, and activities that deserve your time, energy, and focus. Health: Taking care of your physical fitness, mental well-being, nutrition, and rest. Family and Relationships: Building deep, supportive, and loving connections with loved ones. Career and Purpose: Pursuing meaningful work, professional growth, or personal ambitions. Financial Stability: Managing money wisely to build security and reduce stress. Personal Growth: Learning new skills, exploring hobbies, and engaging in self-care.” My top priorities in life include my wife and my promoting conservative principles. To promote conservative principles I put together and send my GOPUSA ILLINOIS newsletters. I promote the following planks in the Republican Party platform: personal responsibility, traditional marriage and family, right to life, immigration, anti-vice, Second Amendment, and/or equal opportunity (no race or gender based preference giving). I discourage the promotion of dependency on government and charity, LGBTQ, abortion, mass/illegal immigration, gambling, pot, and other vices, diminishment of Second Amendment rights, and Affirmative Action and DEI, that is, race and gender based preference giving, patronage, political affiliation discrimination, reverse discrimination, age discrimination, religious discrimination, and national origin discrimination. I stress that if I had not followed conservative principles, I would not have what I have including my marriage of 48 years, my job-related bachelor’s degree, my three job-related master’s degrees, my six job-related professional certifications, and my job-related professional license. – Dave Diersen
http://www.gopillinois.com
FROM NATIONAL CENTER-RIGHT SOURCES
WASHINGTON EXAMINER
— Two months before the midterm elections, the Republican Party has a problem. No, it’s not its record, which is strong. And no, it’s not the Democrats, who are weaker than the coverage claims, drowning under the dead weight of a deepening socialist wing that is taking over. The problem is that Republicans haven’t yet successfully presented their strategy as the popular alternative to socialism. Voters need to be reminded that the choice is not between President Donald Trump and some abstract “perfect” policy. It’s between Trump’s strong record and the terrifying prospect of a socialist victory. And in that comparison, there’s no contest.
https://www.washingtonexaminer.com/op-eds/4742019/gop-election-strategy-trump-record-vs-socialism/
— Trump contradicting socialist/communist messaging with Xi Jinping’s visit.
https://www.youtube.com/shorts/k47cO_m7Too
— Brazil is exporting socialism to America — and the DSA is eagerly importing it.
https://www.washingtonexaminer.com/op-eds/4736855/lula-dsa-brazil-socialism-us-elections/
— Democrats think they’re voting for Sweden. DSA is offering Venezuela.
https://www.washingtonexaminer.com/op-eds/4740528/democratic-socialism-nordic-model-dsa-platform/
— Seattle is a slowly dying city. Several Democrat-run cities across the United States are in the decay process thanks to their left-wing policies. Perhaps none is dying faster than socialist Seattle.
https://www.washingtonexaminer.com/premium/4739810/seattle-slowly-dying-city/?itm_source=parsely-api
NEW YORK POST
— Prostitution busts plunge 60% — but hookers multiply — in NYC’s infamous ‘Market of Sweethearts.’ DD: To get more votes, Democrat leaders ever-increasingly promote more vice.
https://nypost.com/2026/09/27/us-news/nypd-making-60-less-arrests-at-queens-notorious-market-of-sweethearts-strip/
— US medical schools have gone DEI-crazy — with deadly results.
https://nypost.com/2026/09/26/opinion/us-medical-schools-have-gone-dei-crazy-with-deadly-results/
— Meet Generation ‘I Do … Not’: Young women who refuse to get married — and vow to never change their minds about it. DD: Democrat leaders ever-increasingly do everything they can to promote LGBTQ, that is, to destroy traditional marriage and family.
https://nypost.com/2025/12/16/lifestyle/meet-generation-i-do-not-young-women-who-refuse-to-get-married-and-vow-to-never-change-their-minds-about-it/
1819
— ‘Our immigration system should serve to make our country better, not worse’: Tuberville touts new legislation eliminating Diversity Visa Lottery.
DD: All my employers would have hired noncitizens instead of me if they could have. My critics/opponents cannot say that because they did not have to take bad jobs like I had to because they had wealthy parents. I should write about my critics/opponents.
https://1819news.com/news/item/our-immigration-system-should-serve-to-make-our-country-better-not-worse-tuberville-touts-new-legislation-eliminating-diversity-visa-lottery
AMERICAN THINKER
— The bennies flowing to Americans from Trump’s tariffs. Trump seems to have been correct that tariffs would work for the American economy, not against it.
https://www.americanthinker.com/blog/2026/09/the-bennies-flowing-to-americans-from-trump-s-tariffs/
BREITBART
— When the Berlin Wall Fell, Who Ran to Which Side? Socialism Is for Morons.
https://www.breitbart.com/clips/2026/09/26/kennedy-when-the-berlin-wall-fell-who-ran-to-which-side-socialism-is-for-morons/amp/
— DD: What percent of those in America legally are Hispanic. What percent of those in America illegally are Hispanic? Ever-increasing, the Hispanics tradesmen I encounter do not speak English.
https://www.breitbart.com/clips/2026/09/26/tx-agriculture-commissioner-even-people-here-legally-staying-out-of-public-due-to-fear-of-being-arrested/amp/
— ICE Raiding Packing Plants Will Raise Beef Prices. DD: Employers want illegals because employers want cheap labor.
https://www.breitbart.com/clips/2026/09/26/tx-agriculture-commissioner-ice-raiding-packing-plants-will-raise-beef-prices/amp/
COLLEGE FIX
— Professors worry ‘immigrants’ left out of school choice. DD: My parents sent me to Missouri Synod Lutheran grade schools. That put me on track to earn a job-related bachelor’s degree, three job-related master’s degrees, six job-related professional certifications, and a job-related professional license.
https://www.thecollegefix.com/professors-worry-immigrants-left-out-of-school-choice-dont-say-if-illegals-included/
FOX NEWS
— America’s socialist elite got rich bashing capitalism.
https://www.foxnews.com/media/economist-calls-out-americas-socialist-elite-says-they-got-rich-bashing-capitalism
HERITAGE FOUNDATION
— Saving America by Saving the Family. DD: Democrat leaders ever-increasingly do everything they can to promote LGBTQ, that is, to destroy traditional marriage and family.
https://www.heritage.org/marriage-and-family/report/saving-america-saving-the-family-foundation-the-next-250-years
NEWSMAX
— Duckworth: Trump’s Arch Could Threaten Air Safety.
https://www.newsmax.com/newsfront/tammy-duckworth-air-safety-faa/2026/09/25/id/1270740/
— Republicans Must Explain ‘Socialism’ to Win Midterms.
https://www.newsmax.com/newsmax-tv/morris-socialism-election/2026/09/26/id/1270797/
REAL CLEAR DEFENSE
— A recent survey of journalists in America helped expose a hidden truth of the feminization of journalism: Female reporters now make up over two thirds of journalists under 30 and half of those over 30. Another study put female representation at 72% of all journalists. In researching this subject, I found a survey from 2017 showing women were around two thirds of journalists then. In comparison, in 1970 women made up only around 20% of U.S. reporters. As Journalism has becoming increasingly feminized, in direct correlation we have seen the changes in reporting from the more objective and fact-based to today’s more “woke” reporting. Feminization of the profession may best explain what so many decry and its exposure the motivation to fix the problem. First, men and women are different in ways that drastically effect the framing and reporting of stories. Multiple polls show men are far more likely to be opposed to censorship than women. Men are also far more tolerant of allowing the views of all sides in debates. One poll, for example, showed men were 3.5 times more tolerant than women for allowing speakers with of even opposing viewpoints to exercise free speech In a recent Pew Poll, men were found to be far more in favor of free speech than women, even when that speech is an opposing view and provocative. Women generally favor consensus and non-offensiveness over hard truth compared with men.
https://www.realcleardefense.com/articles/2026/09/26/over-feminization_of_journalism_and_modern_woke_reporting_1208423.html
FROM NATIONAL CENTER-LEFT SOURCES
YAHOO
— DD: Democrat demonstrators rally near Medinah Country Club.
https://www.yahoo.com/news/politics/articles/kick-trump-illinois-demonstrators-rally-114500999.html
ABC NEWS
— DD: Democrat leaders ever-increasingly promote Islam.
https://abcnews.com/Politics/wireStory/muslim-americans-push-back-republican-politicians-stoke-anti-136746491
CBS NEWS
— Trump cancels nearly $1 billion in spending approved by Congress, a move some lawmakers called illegal.
https://www.cbsnews.com/news/trump-cancels-billion-spending-pocket-rescission/
NEWSWEEK
— DHS Denies Change of ICE Strategy: ‘No One Is off the Table.’
https://www.newsweek.com/dhs-denies-change-of-ice-strategy-no-one-is-off-the-table-12493743
NEW YORK TIMES
— DD: Democrat leaders ever-increasingly do everything they can to promote LGBTQ, that is, to destroy traditional marriage and family.
https://www.nytimes.com/2026/01/21/opinion/heritage-foundation-women.html
— Quitting Prosecutor Felt Pressure to File Charges. DD: When I was 49 in 1997, my Democrat GAO Chicago office superiors talked and acted like Durbin, Mosely-Braun, and Illinois’ Democrat congressmen pressured them to force me to retire. If I could do it over again, I would have strongly asked Illinois’ Republican congressmen to come to my defense. They were Hyde, Crane, Porter, Weller, Fawell, Hastert, Manzullo, LaHood, and Shimkus.
https://www.nytimes.com/2026/09/25/us/chicago-federal-prosecutor-resigns-broadview-six.html
— Antiwar Veterans Group Spends Millions to Elect Democrats, Shaping Midterms. The organization, founded in 2006 to back Democratic veterans opposing the Iraq war, is pouring huge sums into this year’s elections amid intense voter antipathy for another conflict in the Middle East. DD: My many Democrat superiors and supervisors in the federal government were veterans a) who blamed Republicans for America losing the Vietnam war and b) who punished me for that especially because I was a Republican who avoided the war with student deferments and a financial hardship draft deferment.
https://www.nytimes.com/2026/09/26/us/politics/votevets-midterm-elections.html
DESERET NEWS
— Unsure about marriage? The research should reassure you. While naysayers keep pronouncing its demise, traditional marriage continues to show up in academic research as enormously beneficial. DD: My critics/opponents attribute my wife for my successes in life after we got married when I was in 29 in 1978. I passed the CPA examination on my first attempt in 1979. I earned a master’s degree in accounting from DePaul in 1980. I passed the Certified Internal Auditor examination on my first attempt and became a licensed CPA in 1981. GAO promoted me in 1986. I earned four more job-related professional certifications in 1990, 1994, 1996, and 1997. I earned a master’s degree in finance from IIT in 1997. But when we got married, I had worked for IRS for almost 7 years and my salary was $110,066/year in today’s dollars. I had earned an MBA from Loyola in 1976 and I was taking graduate evening accounting courses at DePaul. I lived in a one bedroom condo in the Outer Drive East building that I had bought in 1976. I was renting out a town home in University Park that I had bought new in 1972. I owned a 1972 Corvette that I had bought new in 1971. See Money Magazine’s 4-page February 1978 article on my wife and I at https://gopillinois.com/documents/ Things that impressed me about my outstanding wife included that her first job after high school was working for the FBI. She soon became the Corporate Secretary of the U.S. League of Savings Institutions. She did much to help elect Big Jim Thompson governor in 1976. She earned a bachelor’s degree in finance from DePaul in 1986.
https://www.deseret.com/opinion/2024/12/15/marriage-has-enormous-benefits/
(FROM THE ARTICLE: Married mothers are much better off financially, with a median family income of $108,000 in 2020, twice as much as the $41,000 for childless single women. They head into retirement with over three times as many assets than single peers. And even factoring in controls for variables like children, education, and race, married women’s household incomes are 45% larger than their unmarried peers. All in all, married women are 80% less likely to be poor while single moms are six times more likely. Married men, Wilcox likewise argues, “work harder, smarter, and more successfully” than their single peers. A Harvard study found them much less likely to be fired, and other research finds that married men earn 10% to 20% more than single men with similar backgrounds; even among identical twins, the married twins make 18-26% more than the unmarried. Married thirty-something men’s household income hovers around $95,000 while cohabiting men average $68,000, and singles average $42,000. Even controlling for factors like race, education and age, married men have 40% more household income than unmarried men and are 55% less likely to live in poverty. While impacts of family instability on women are well known, such as a much higher likelihood of poverty and the economic challenges of raising kids alone, single men also end up paying child support and find covering housing costs for two or more family configurations difficult. However, married men with children are three times more likely to attain middle class or higher status, and four times more likely to avoid poverty. They also retire with 10 times more assets than their unmarried peers.)
FORTUNE
— Trump’s new Medicaid rules will kick in, and GOP states are tougher about proving inability to work.
https://fortune.com/2026/09/26/trump-new-medicaid-work-requirements-obba-gop-states-tougher-doctor-documentation/
GEORGETOWN
— The class ceiling among first-generation college graduates. DD: Neither of my patents attended college. My father was only the first of ancestors to earn a high school diploma. He died suddenly when he was 47 and I was 21. My mother never attended high school. I should write about my critics/opponents whose parents had the most education.
https://feed.georgetown.edu/access-affordability/measuring-the-class-ceiling-among-first-gen-college-graduates/
GALLUP
— One in Four U.S. Employees Lack Advancement Opportunities. DD: Advancement opportunities exist in the federal government, but only for Democrats who are minority, female, younger, and/or veteran. Because I am none of the aforesaid, a) my Democrat Post Office superiors refused to promote me beyond GS-4, b) my Democrat IRS superiors refused to promote me beyond GS-12, and c) my Democrat GAO superiors refused to promote me beyond GS-13 even though I earned a) a job-related bachelor’s degree when I was 21, b) job-related master’s degrees when I was 27, 31, and 48, c) job-related professional certifications when I was 30, 32, 41, 45, 47, and 48, and d) a job-related professional license when I was 32.
https://news.gallup.com/poll/695996/one-four-employees-lack-advancement-opportunities.aspx
AMERICAN BAZAAR
— Nalin Haley, the son of former South Carolina Gov. and 2024 Republican presidential candidate Nikki Haley, has again taken a hardline position on immigration, this time linking illegal and legal immigration to the affordability crisis in the United States. DD: All my employers would have hired noncitizens instead of me if they could have. My critics/opponents cannot say that because they did not have to take bad jobs like I had to because they had wealthy parents. I should write about my critics/opponents.
https://americanbazaaronline.com/2026/09/26/america-for-americans-nalin-haley-demands-end-to-h-1b-visas-and-legal-immigration-488873/
HUFFINGTON POST
— DD: Hate-filled Trump-hating Trump-haters use Rove against Trump.
https://www.huffpost.com/entry/karl-rove-says-he-got-credible-threats-for-voting-democrat_n_6ab82cd6e4b07795582c6a4f
September 13, 2026
FROM ILLINOIS CENTER-LEFT SOURCES
CHICAGO TRIBUNE
— Charlie Kirk supporters host vigil in hometown of Arlington Heights year after his killing.
https://www.chicagotribune.com/2026/09/12/supporters-united-at-vigil-charlie-kirks-death/
— FRONT PAGE TOP OF FOLD WITH BIG PICTURE: DD: Democrat leaders ever-increasingly a) glorify and praise their illegals and b) fight their deportation.
https://www.chicagotribune.com/2026/09/13/chicago-operation-midway-blitz-anniversary-city-on-guard/
https://www.chicagotribune.com/2026/09/12/silverio-villegas-gonzalez-killing-anniversary/
https://www.chicagotribune.com/2026/09/13/operation-midway-blitz-joaquin-brito/
https://www.chicagotribune.com/2026/09/11/operation-midway-blitz/
— FRONT PAGE TOP OF FOLD IN NAPERVILLE SUN: DD: Democrat leaders ever-increasingly promote more LGBTQ.
https://www.chicagotribune.com/2026/09/11/naper-pride-fest-naperville-canceled/
— DD: Hate-filled Trump-hating Trump-haters ever-increasingly hint/imply/argue/shout that if you disapprove of something Trump has said and/or done, you should vote for all the Democrats on your ballot.
https://www.chicagotribune.com/2026/09/13/opinion-democrats-message-for-midterms-taxes/
— DD: For Democrat leaders, education exists to crank out good little Democrats.
https://www.chicagotribune.com/2026/09/12/chicago-teens-peace-warriors-restorative-justice/
— A prevalent pattern in Gen Z: moving home after graduation. There are a myriad reasons. Most commonly, it makes financial sense to pay discounted or no rent in today’s economy. It’s a decision nearly 60% of Americans between the ages of 18 and 24 are making — or are forced to make — to live with their parents. DD: I lived with and helped support my mother and brother in Crete for 25 months after I graduated from college. My father had died suddenly when he was 47 and I was 21 in October of 1969. He was earning only $75,000/year in today’s dollars. My mother had never attended high school, she had never worked outside the home, and my brother was having problems. I graduated from NIU in August of 1970 and I got a job working for the Firestone Store in Chicago Heights that month. I applied for and I got a financial hardship draft deferment. In 1972, I was able to buy a new townhome in University Park. SEE: https://www.zillow.com/homedetails/774-Sunset-Ct-5-University-Park-IL-60484/5451474_zpid/ . But it had only 1,000 square feet. In today’s dollars, I paid about $180,000 for it and the down payment would have been about $36,000. In today’s dollars, my IRS Revenue Officer salary had just increased from $56,409/year to $68,999/year. The down payment came from what I had earned working for IRS for 15 months and for a Firestone Store part-time for 18 months and full-time for 7 months before that. According to Zillow, the townhome is currently worth $92,300. That says worlds about real estate values in University Park.
https://www.chicagotribune.com/2026/09/12/young-adults-move-home-post-college/
— As Chicago Bears eye Indiana move, Arlington Heights extends lobbyist contract to lure team there.
https://www.chicagotribune.com/2026/09/12/chicago-bears-indiana-arlington-heights-lobbyist-contract/
(FROM THE ARTICLE: Lobbyist Matt Murphy — a former Republican state senator from Palatine — and firm principal Ryan McLaughlin were in the hallways of the Illinois state Capitol on Arlington Heights’ behalf in the waning days and hours of the spring legislative session.)
— Tracking COVID cash. Illinois, Chicago, Cook County got $11B in pandemic aid but there were gaps in oversight and transparency.
https://www.chicagotribune.com/2026/09/13/illinois-pandemic-aid/
CHICAGO SUN-TIMES
— ALL OF THE FRONT PAGE: DD: Democrat leaders ever-increasingly a) glorify and praise their illegals and b) fight their deportation.
https://chicago.suntimes.com/the-watchdogs/2026/09/11/ice-shooting-silverio-villegas-gonzalez-chicago-franklin-park
https://chicago.suntimes.com/news/2026/09/12/northwest-side-residents-demand-answers-amid-reports-of-ice-agents-staging-at-cpds-17th-district
DAILY HERALD
— FRONT PAGE TOP OD FOLD: Supporters united in Arlington Heights at vigil and remembrance on anniversary of Charlie Kirk’s death.
https://www.dailyherald.com/20260912/news/supporters-united-at-vigil-and-remembrance-on-anniversary-of-charlie-kirks-death/
— FRONT PAGE TOP OF FOLD WITH BIG PICTURE: Even as Bears eye Indiana move, Arlington Heights extends lobbyist contract to lure team to suburbs.
https://www.dailyherald.com/20260912/news/even-as-bears-eye-indiana-move-arlington-heights-extends-lobbyist-contract-to-lure-team-to-suburbs/
(FROM THE ARTICLE: Lobbyist Matt Murphy — a former Republican state senator from Palatine — and firm principal Ryan McLaughlin were in the hallways of the Illinois state Capitol on Arlington Heights’ behalf in the waning days and hours of the spring legislative session.)
— FRONT PAGE: DD: Democrat leaders ever-increasingly a) glorify and praise their illegals and b) fight their deportation.
https://www.dailyherald.com/20260912/news/right-thing-to-do-or-feel-good-pr-suburbs-split-on-whether-ice-bans-on-municipal-property-actua/
EVANSTON ROUNDTABLE
— City honors Afghan refugee, former interpreter for U.S. military.
https://evanstonroundtable.com/2026/09/12/city-honors-afghan-refugee-former-interpreter-for-u-s-military/
LAKE MCHENRY SCANNER
— DD: Democrat leaders ever-increasingly push more pot.
https://www.lakemchenryscanner.com/2026/09/12/cannabis-dispensary-in-woodstock-among-first-to-open-drive-thru-service-after-state-law-change-city-council-approval/
ILLINOIS VALLEY
— Darren Bailey to visit Sandwich Fair. Republican gubernatorial candidate set to appear on Sunday, Sept. 13.
https://www.shawlocal.com/illinois-valley/2026/09/12/darren-bailey-to-visit-sandwich-fair/
FROM ILLINOIS CENTER-RIGHT SOURCES
GOPUSA ILLINOIS
— What arguments would socialists use to sell you on socialism? They would argue to me that under socialism, I would be much better off today than I am. They would stress that even though I earned three job-related master’s degrees, six job-related professional licenses, and a job-related professional license, I never made more than $154,682/year in today’s dollars and that my Civil Service Retirement System pension is only $68,640/year. I would respond that if I had been a Democrat, the Democrats who ran the federal government would have promoted me into their Senior Executive Service, currently $197,200/year, long before I was 40 in 1988 and let me work at least until I was eligible for regular retirement when I was 55 in 2003 even though I am not a minority, female, or veteran. All you need to do to advance under socialism is to be a socialist. All you need to do to advance under Democrats is to be a Democrat. – Dave Diersen
http://www.gopillinois.com
FROM NATIONAL CENTER-RIGHT SOURCES
WASHINGTON TIMES
— Judge boots Trump ‘loyalty’ question from civil service job applications. DD: Democrats run the federal government. They demand loyalty to the Democrat Party platform. The Democrats who ran the Post Office in 1966, IRS in 1971, and GAO in 1980 hired me because they could not find a qualified Democrat who was minority, female, younger, or veteran and who would take the job. They got rid of me because I refused to become a Democrat.
https://www.washingtontimes.com/news/2026/sep/12/judge-boots-trump-loyalty-question-civil-service-job-applications/
WASHINGTON EXAMINER
— The socialist takeover. DD: To vote for Democrats is to vote for socialism.
https://www.washingtonexaminer.com/op-eds/4717752/democratic-socialist-takeover-agenda/
— Fairfax County schools’ guidance on teaching 9/11 is ‘woke.’
https://www.washingtonexaminer.com/news/entertainment/4724823/joe-concha-fairfax-county-school-9-11-woke/
(FROM THE ARTICLE: Washington Examiner columnist Joe Concha said Fairfax County Public Schools are more worried about people being “offended” than teaching what’s “factual and true” about 9/11. “If you take the whole ‘we can’t say Islam’ thing out of this, well, that’s central to this entire history lesson,” Concha said on Fox News’s Hannity on Friday.)
— Mamdani is importing Biden’s economic nightmare. It’ll cost you $664 a year.
https://www.washingtonexaminer.com/op-eds/4719965/mamdani-nyc-delivery-protection-act-cost-jobs-biden/
NEW YORK POST
– ‘Ungendered’ activist claims GLP-1s are ‘fascist’ and ‘genocide fat people’ in unhinged moment during DSA conference. DD: I take Ozempic to fight type 2 diabetes.
https://nypost.com/2026/09/12/us-news/unhinged-activist-claims-glp-1s-are-fascist-and-genocide-fat-people/
(FROM THE ARTICLE: The extremist claimed the drugs, like Ozempic, Wegovy and Mounjaro — which were developed to treat diabetes are credited with lowering the risk of death from heart attack or stroke by 20% in high-risk patients — exist “to sustain a social order in which fat people are monitored, restricted, guilted, stolen from and punished.”)
NEW YORK SUN
— America’s Jobs Surge Is Good News for Trump’s Crackdown on Illegal Immigration. It’s no longer so easy for companies to abandon Americans by hiring foreign labor instead. DD: All my employers would have hired noncitizens instead of me if they could have. My critics/opponents cannot say that because they did not have to take bad jobs like I had to because they had wealthy parents. I should write about my critics/opponents.
https://www.nysun.com/article/americas-jobs-surge-is-good-news-for-trumps-crackdown-on-illegal-immigration
BREITBART
— Hollywood Power Players Mute Their Support for Democrats as Socialists Surge in Party. DD: To vote for Democrats is to vote for socialism.
https://www.breitbart.com/entertainment/2026/09/12/report-hollywood-power-players-mute-their-support-for-democrats-as-socialists-surge-in-party/
— Far-Left Authors Declare War on ‘Fascist’ Ozempic and Other GLP-1 Weight Loss Drugs. DD: I take Ozempic to fight type 2 diabetes.
https://www.breitbart.com/social-justice/2026/09/12/video-far-left-authors-declare-war-fascist-ozempic-other-glp-1-weight-loss-drugs/amp/
CATO
— Redistributing Wealth Means Redistributing Power to the State.
https://www.cato.org/blog/when-government-redistributes-wealth-it-redistributes-power
CENTER FOR IMMIGRATION STUDIES
— Since 9/11, the Number of Immigrants from the Muslim World Has Grown by 1.8 Million. Population doubling largely reflects legal immigration.
https://cis.org/Camarota/911-Number-Immigrants-Muslim-World-Has-Grown-18-Million
(FROM THE ARTICLE: As the 25th anniversary of the September 11, 2001, attacks approaches, some may wonder if increased vetting or possible distrust of Muslims in the United States caused fewer people from the Islamic world to immigrate here. An analysis of Census Bureau data shows that the immigrant population (also called the foreign-born) from predominantly Muslim countries has more than doubled since 2001.1 Not all immigrants from these countries are Muslims. (The Census Bureau does not ask about religion.) Nevertheless, the data indicate that the U.S. did not fundamentally change immigration policy after September 11th, nor does the desire of many people in the Muslim world to settle here seem to have changed much. As a result, the number of immigrants from these countries has soared. Key Findings: The number of immigrants — including naturalized citizens, legal permanent residents, long-term temporary visitors, and illegal immigrants — from the Muslim world increased from 1.7 million in 2001 to 3.4 million in 2024. This represents the net increase — new arrivals minus emigration and natural mortality. Immigrants from predominantly Muslim countries increased by 103 percent from 2001 to 2024. This is much faster than the growth in the overall foreign-born population (58 percent) and is nearly seven times faster than for the overall U.S.-born population. The decision to admit large numbers of people from Afghanistan after the U.S. withdrawal caused the population of Afghan immigrants to nearly double from 2020 to 2024, but Afghans accounted for only a quarter of the total increase from the Islamic world over this time period. Prior research indicates that 10 to 20 percent of immigrants from majority-Muslim countries may be illegal immigrants — lower than the 25 to 30 percent share for the overall foreign-born. The rapid increase in immigrants from the Islamic world overwhelmingly reflects legal immigration policies. Many top immigrant-sending countries in the Muslim world have hostile relations with the United States or struggle with powerful terrorist movements. From 2001 to 2024, the immigrant population increased by 202,000 (476 percent) for Afghanistan, 201,000 (93 percent) for Pakistan, 119,000 (41 percent) for Iran, 65,000 (109 percent) for Syria, 66,000 (416 percent) for Yemen, and 45,000 (87 percent) for Somalia. In addition to immigrants from majority-Muslim countries, there are 1.9 million U.S.-born individuals with parent(s) from such countries. The total number of immigrants from the Muslim world plus their U.S.-born offspring was 5.4 million in 2024, compared to 2.5 million in 2001 — a 118 percent increase. Assuming that recent trends continue, the number of immigrants from majority-Muslim countries and their U.S.-born offspring will nearly double to 10.4 million by 2050.)
DAILY SIGNAL
— Only Half of Traditional Republicans Are Excited to Vote. DD: Hate-filled Trump-hating Trump-haters ever-increasingly hint/imply/argue/shout that if you disapprove of something Trump has said and/or done, you should vote for all the Democrats on your ballot.
https://www.dailysignal.com/2026/09/12/republicans-vote-midterm-election/
DAILY WIRE
— 9/11 Lesson Plan Used By Schools Nationwide Omits Bin Laden, Al-Qaeda, And Islam.
https://www.dailywire.com/news/9-11-lesson-plan-used-by-schools-nationwide-omits-bin-laden-al-qaeda-and-islam
— The 2026 Socialism Conference Reveals The Dangers Of The Marxist Mindset. DD: To vote for Democrats is to vote for socialism.
https://www.dailywire.com/news/the-2026-socialism-conference-reveals-the-dangers-of-the-marxist-mindset
FOX NEWS
— The Democratic Socialist of America are communists. DD: To vote for Democrats is to vote for socialism.
https://www.foxnews.com/video/6404992292112
— DD: Because Democrat leaders say that Americans are being crushed by affordability, a growing trend of mayors push cash handouts as the answer. What did you do to afford things? I took jobs that my peers would not stoop to take. I worked my way through college. I earned a job-related bachelor’s degree. I earned three job-related master’s degrees. I earned six job-related professional certifications. I earned a job-related professional license.
https://www.foxnews.com/media/americans-crushed-affordability-organization-claims-cash-handouts-answer
NATIONAL POST
— Diversity quotas reduce excellence. DD: While I worked for the Democrats who ran the federal government for almost 30 years, ever-increasingly, their meeting their Affirmative Action quotas was their top priority. That ever-increasingly rendered worthless my job-related bachelor’s degree, my three job-related master’s degrees, my six job-related professional licenses, and my job-related professional license.
https://nationalpost.com/opinion/christopher-dummitt-racism-accusations-cant-stifle-the-truth-about-diversity
TOWNHALL
— What Is Patriotism?
https://townhall.com/columnists/jackkerwick/2026/09/13/what-is-patriotism-n2682888
FROM NATIONAL CENTER-LEFT SOURCES
CBS NEWS
— President Trump’s childhood home in Queens sells for nearly $2 million. DD: What is the status of your childhood home? I lived with my parents in an apartment above my grandfather’s hardware store in Crete 1948-1953 ( https://www.facebook.com/groups/214492231934655/posts/5573842849332873/ ). It was torn down in 1966. I then lived with my parents and brother in 1286 Wood Street in Crete 1953-1972 ( https://www.zillow.com/homedetails/1286-Wood-St-Crete-IL-60417/5461313_zpid/ ), a home that my grandparents had built in 1926. I have since inherited it and sold it.
https://www.cbsnews.com/news/donald-trump-childhood-home-queens-sells/
NEW YORK TIMES
— For Influencers, Convention Access Was Easy. Selling the Message Was More Complicated. Online media stars eager to promote President Trump and Republicans worked to find a message that would resonate with an audience that is struggling with an affordability crisis. DD: According to my critics/opponents, “You can’t tell Diersen what to do.” Of course, I take that as a badge of honor. According to my critics/opponents, I never was a journalist, I am not a journalist, and I never will be a journalist a) because I do not have a degree in journalism, b) because no one has paid me for what I have done as the GOPUSA Illinois Editor since 2000, c) because all the money needed for my GOPUSA ILLINOIS newsletters and for my www.gopillinois.com website comes from my Civil Service Retirement System pension, my Social Security, and my retirement savings, d) because either my newsletters nor my website are paywalled or contain any advertising or donation requests, e) because I do not claim to be nonpartisan, f) because I fully disclose that I am conservative Republican, and g) because I fully disclose that I have been an elected Republican Precinct Committeeman since 2000. My critics/opponents ignore/dismiss/belittle/badmouth the fact a) that I worked for GAO as an Analyst for almost 18 years 1980-1997, b) that what GAO Analysts do is very similar to what journalists do, and c) that during my last 11 years at GAO, my salary increased from $118,984/year to $154,682/year in today’s dollars.
https://www.nytimes.com/2026/09/11/us/politics/trump-republican-convention-influencers-message.html
(FROM THE ARTICLE: More than 100 influencers were invited to the midterm convention by members of the Republican National Committee, a committee spokeswoman said. They were given some of the best seats in the arena and special “creator” credentials that granted them access to a list of Republican Party leaders eager to sit for interviews. They recorded content from a special platform directly across from the stage where the president spoke. They partied after hours at an event hosted by TikTok, where they snacked on miniature cheesecakes and an assortment of cake balls. “We got great treatment in 2024,” said Xaviaer DuRousseau, who boasts well over a million followers across Instagram and TikTok, referring to the Republican National Convention two years ago. “But this is even better.” The difficult task facing these dozens of conservative influencers was figuring out how to boost the Republican Party, when the image of prosperity projected from the stage was different from the reality of surging costs.)
USA TODAY
— DD: To vote for Democrats is to vote for socialism.
https://www.usatoday.com/story/opinion/2026/09/12/democrats-dsa-midterm-elections-socialism-capitalism/91676903007/
— DD: Hate-filled Trump-hating Trump-haters ever-increasingly hint/imply/argue/shout that if you disapprove of something Trump has said and/or done, you should vote for all the Democrats on your ballot.
https://www.usatoday.com/story/opinion/columnist/2026/09/13/trump-republican-convention-embarrassment-midterms/91695089007/
DETROIT FREE PRESS
— New car prices soared to the highest level yet this year. DD: Back in the good old days, in 1966, I was able to buy a new 1966 Pontiac Tempest Sprint with money I earned washing dishes for the minimum wage for 15 months part-time and 3 months full-time. In 1967, I was able to buy a new 1968 Oldsmobile 442 with money I earned cleaning golf shoes, chipping slag, pumping gasoline, and delivering mail for 12 months part-time and 6 months full-time. In 1968, I was able to buy a new 1969 Dodge Charger SE with money I had earned delivering mail for 9 months part-time and 3 months full-time. In 1971, I was able to buy a new 1972 Corvette with money I earned delivering mail for 5 months part-time and 3 months full-time, working for a Firestone Store for 7 months full-time and 8 months part-time, and working for IRS for 4 months full-time.
https://www.freep.com/story/money/cars/2026/09/12/average-new-car-prices-soar-above-50000-for-the-first-time-this-year/91716076007/
LAS VEGAS REVIEW JOURNAL
— The Democratic chicken or the socialist egg? DD: To vote for Democrats is to vote for socialism.
https://www.reviewjournal.com/opinion/opinion-columns/victor-davis-hanson/victor-davis-hanson-the-democratic-chicken-or-the-socialist-egg-3885713/
KSL
— Vance pushes restoration of nuclear family, traditional marriage in convention speech.
https://www.ksl.com/article/news/politics/vance-pushes-restoration-of-nuclear-family-traditional-marriage-in-convention-speech/51622697
C-SPAN
— Vivek Ramaswamy Says Sanctuary Cities “Spit in The Face of The Rule of Law.”
https://www.c-span.org/clip/campaign-2026/vivek-ramaswamy-says-sanctuary-cities-spit-in-the-face-of-the-rule-of-law/5206165
WALL STREET JOURNAL
— Meet the Factions Driving the Democratic Socialists of America. From cocktail-party pragmatists to Constitution-abolishing ‘theory bros,’ these groups are steering America’s largest socialist organization in its breakout year. DD: To vote for Democrats is to vote for socialism.
https://www.wsj.com/politics/elections/meet-the-factions-driving-the-democratic-socialists-of-america-0c5e74f0
GEN ZER
— Gen Z’s skills seem to be on the decline. DD: What did you do to acquire, maintain, and improve your job skills? I worked my way through college. I earned a job-related bachelor’s degree. I earned three job-related master’s degrees. I earned six job-related professional certifications. I earned a job-related professional license.
https://thegenzer.substack.com/p/gen-zs-skills-seem-to-be-on-the-declinebut
POYNTER
— Want to get promoted? Make sure you understand what your bosses want. My superiors in the federal government wanted me to become a Democrat. Because I refused, they wasted my career and forced me to retire when I was 49 in 1997.
https://www.poynter.org/commentary/2026/how-to-get-promoted-at-work/
PHYS
— Luck or merit? Not all inequality is equally acceptable. DD: Where does your income come from. My income comes from my Civil Service Retirement System pension, Social Security, and retirement savings. Where did the money come from for what you own? For me, it came from what I earned doing yard work 1962-1964, delivering newspapers 1962-1966, washing dishes 1964-1966, cleaning golf shoes, chipped slag, and pumped gasoline in 1966, delivering mail 1966-1969, working on an automotive assembly line in 1970, selling tires, automotive services, and major appliances 1970-1971, pumping more gasoline 1971-1972, collecting delinquent federal taxes 1971-1980, and audit federal agencies 1980-1997. More recently, it has come from inheritances.
https://phys.org/news/2026-09-luck-merit-inequality-equally.html
FROM FOREIGN SOURCES
ECONOMIC TIMES
— The Marxist-Socialist-Islamist alliance smiling. DD: To vote for Democrats is to vote for socialism.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uEa3n0wmTNo
August 27, 2026
FROM ILLINOIS CENTER-LEFT SOURCES
CHICAGO TRIBUNE
— A suburban challenge to Chicago’s monopoly on Lake Michigan water makes major waves
https://www.yahoo.com/news/us/articles/editorial-suburban-challenge-chicago-monopoly-100000841.html
CHICAGO SUN-TIMES
— DD: Democrat leaders ever-increasingly a) glorify and praise their illegals and b) fight their deportation.
https://chicago.suntimes.com/2026/08/26/lawmakers-advocates-allege-chicago-immigration-court-violated-due-process-for-minors-handed-removal-orders
https://chicago.suntimes.com/crime/2026/08/26/defense-attorney-wants-broadview-6-prosecutor-on-the-stand-in-cbp-sex-assault-case-she-hasnt-testified
WGN9
— DD: Democrat leaders ever-increasingly a) glorify and praise their illegals and b) fight their deportation.
https://wgntv.com/news/chicago-news/illinois-leaders-slam-immigration-court/
CAPITOL NEWS ILLINOIS
— Will Supreme Court’s order on mail-in ballots impact voting in Illinois?
https://capitolnewsillinois.com/news/will-supreme-courts-order-on-mail-in-ballots-impact-voting-in-illinois/
NCTV17
— DuPage County Board, clerk at odds over November election funding.
https://www.nctv17.org/news/dupage-county-board-clerk-at-odds-over-november-election-funding/amp/
FROM ILLINOIS CENTER-RIGHT SOURCES
MCHENRY COUNTY BLOG
— Corbett Plays Gender Card in Campaign for Governor on Women’s Equality Day.
https://www.mchenrycountyblog.com/2026/08/26/corbett-plays-gender-card-in-campaign-for-governor-on-womens-equality-day/
ILLINOIS REVIEW
— Illinois Review Calls for Attorney General Probe Into Possible Deletion of Lyons Township FOIA Video.
https://www.illinoisreview.com/illinoisreview/2026/08/illinois-review-calls-for-attorney-general-probe-into-possible-deletion-of-lyons-township-foia-video.html
FROM NATIONAL CENTER-RIGHT SOURCES
WASHINGTON EXAMINER
— AOC renews DSA membership after yearslong break ahead of possible 2028 bid.
https://www.washingtonexaminer.com/news/campaigns/presidential/4701610/aoc-rejoins-democratic-socialists-2028-after-lapsed-membership-since-2019/
ADVOCATES FOR SELF GOVERNMENT
— 10 DSA Arguments for Socialism and Why They Fail.
https://www.theadvocates.org/socialism-cant-abolish-scarcity/
BIZ PAC REVIEW
— Air Force awarded nearly $750,000 for AI-powered DEI training tool under Biden.
https://www.bizpacreview.com/2026/08/26/air-force-awarded-nearly-750000-for-ai-powered-dei-training-tool-under-biden-1656412/
— Hillary says bring on the socialist ‘experiment’ as Democrats chase young voters.
https://www.bizpacreview.com/2026/08/26/hillary-says-bring-on-the-socialist-experiment-as-democrats-chase-young-voters-1656425/
BREITBART
— Gun Control Support Falls Among Likely U.S. Voters.
https://www.breitbart.com/2nd-amendment/2026/08/26/rasmussen-gun-control-support-falls-among-likely-u-s-voters/amp/
CAMPUS REFORM
— Cal State San Bernardino requires DEI statement for baseball coaching job.
https://www.campusreform.org/article/cal-state-san-bernardino-requires-dei-statement-baseball-coaching-job/30482
CENTER FOR IMMIGRATION STUDIES
— The Employment Effects of Immigration Enforcement. DD: Unlike my critics/opponents, because my parents lacked money, I had to compete against noncitizens for jobs. All my employers would have hired noncitizens instead of me if they could have. I did yard work 1962-1964. I delivered newspapers 1962-1966. I washed dishes 1964-1966. I cleaned golf shoes, chipped slag, and pumped gasoline in 1966. I delivering mail 1966-1969. I worked on an automotive assembly line in 1970. I sold tires, automotive services, and major appliances 1970-1971. I pumped more gasoline 1971-1972. I collected delinquent federal taxes 1971-1980. I audited federal agencies 1980-1997.
https://cis.org/Academic-Articles/Employment-Effects-Immigration-Enforcement-Initial-Assessment
COLLEGE FIX
— Slavery does not explain black-white health disparities.
https://www.thecollegefix.com/bulletin-board/no-slavery-does-not-explain-black-white-health-disparities/
DAILY SIGNAL
— We Need to Stop Letting in Ungrateful Immigrants.
https://www.dailysignal.com/2026/08/26/victor-davis-hanson-we-need-to-stop-letting-in-ungrateful-immigrants/
DAILY WIRE
— Why Global Jihad Remains Invisible To The West.
https://www.dailywire.com/news/why-global-jihad-remains-invisible-to-the-west
FOX BUSINESS
— Democrats continue to embrace socialists in key races.
https://www.foxbusiness.com/video/6404092708112
— RICH ELITES: Socialists are PRETENDING to help working class.
https://www.youtube.com/shorts/3r0c6VpXY18
HERITAGE FOUNDATION
— Inflated Federal Pay: How Americans Are Overtaxed to Overpay the Civil Service. DD: According to my critics/opponents, I have always been grossly overpaid. They stress that I was a federal union member for almost 12 years, almost 3 years while I worked for the Post Office 1966-1969 and almost 9 years while I worked for IRS 1971-1980. In today’s dollars, a) my Post Office salary increased from $19.57/hour to $20.87/hour and b) my IRS salary increased from $56,409/year to $113,402/year. In my defense, during that time, I stress that I earned a bachelor’s degree in management in 1970, I earned an MBA in 1976, I passed the CPA examination on my first attempt in 1979, and I almost completed the requirements for a master’s degree in accounting. In today’s dollars, while I worked for GAO 1980-1997, my salary increased from $89,703/year to $154,682/year. In my defense, during that time, I stress that I earned a master’s degree in accounting, passed the Certified Internal Auditor examination on my first attempt, became a licensed CPA, earned four more job-elated professional certifications, and earned a master’s degree in financial markets and trading.
https://www.heritage.org/jobs-and-labor/report/inflated-federal-pay-how-americans-are-overtaxed-overpay-the-civil-service
HOT AIR
— DD: Wokeness is not in remission. My critics/opponents are woke.
https://hotair.com/john-s-2/2026/08/26/wokeness-is-in-remission-but-leftists-have-not-been-cured-n3818391
LEGAL INSURRECTION
— Hillary Clinton Suggests Rise of Socialism in the Democratic Party is ‘Healthy.’
https://legalinsurrection.com/2026/08/hillary-clinton-suggests-rise-of-socialism-in-the-democratic-party-is-healthy/
NEWS BUSTERS
— Violent Socialists Have Taken Over Messaging for Democrats.
https://newsbusters.org/blogs/nb/steve-malzberg/2026/08/26/cnns-jennings-rips-violent-socialists-who-have-taken-over
NEWSMAX
— The Left Clears the Way for Crime.
https://www.newsmax.com/newsmax-tv/katie-gorka-virginia-crime-left-policies/2026/08/26/id/1267449/
— 9 Weeks Left: Reframe Election to ‘Capitalism vs. Socialism’ for a Win. DD: Are the Republican candidates on the ballot in your precinct stressing that to vote for Democrats is to vote for socialism?
https://www.newsmax.com/mclaughlin/capitalism-midterm-socialism/2026/08/26/id/1267365/
— America Doesn’t Guarantee Parity of Outcomes, and Shouldn’t. DD: My critics/opponents want equal outcome, that is, they reject equal opportunity. They want race and gender based preference giving. According to them, all the problems that minorities and females have are caused by Whites and men.
https://www.newsmax.com/judddunning/mao-marxism-truman/2026/08/26/id/1267399/
— Socialism Among History’s Greatest Failures.
https://www.newsmax.com/newsmax-tv/rudy-giuliani-socialism-new-york-city/2026/08/26/id/1267388/
— Mamdani’s socialism has to lead to dictatorship.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PImjnhUb_UA
PJ MEDIA
— The DSA’s Revolution Will Be Funded by Mom and Dad.
https://pjmedia.com/david-manney/2026/08/26/the-dsas-revolution-will-be-funded-by-mom-and-dad-n4956502
REASON
— The GOP Is Becoming Anti-Conservative.
https://reason.com/podcast/2026/03/04/jonah-goldberg-the-gop-is-becoming-anti-conservative/
TOWNHALL
— The Case for Reparations Is Officially Closed.
https://townhall.com/news/amy-curtis/2026/08/26/mehdi-hasan-reparations-vip-n2681937
(FROM THE ARTICLE: One of the worst ideas the Left has ever had is that of reparations. The notion that people who didn’t commit atrocities must give money to people who didn’t experience atrocities in the name of historical fairness has always been a steaming pile of bull dung. As I have often said: I was born in 1983, not 1683. I didn’t own slaves; my ancestors didn’t own slaves. I grew up not benefiting from slavery in any way, shape, or form. Paying for slavery, therefore, is not my responsibility.)
— The DSA Civil War Being Fought on Wikipedia.
https://townhall.com/columnists/theodore-cazals/2026/08/27/the-dsa-civil-war-being-fought-on-wikipedia-n2681991
FROM NATIONAL CENTER-LEFT SOURCES
ROLL CALL
— Facebook Hires Ex-GOP Senator To Advise On Anti-Conservative Bias.
https://rollcall.com/2018/05/04/facebook-hires-ex-gop-senator-to-advise-on-anti-conservative-bias/
CNN
— State Dept. looking to sell US embassy artwork official called ‘very woke.’
https://www.cnn.com/2026/08/26/us/video/wiley-woke-artwork-vrtc-digvid
CNBC
— DD: Democrat leaders ever-increasingly discourage traditional marriage and family.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=H5MKgZ24ZtE
— Working your way through college is practically impossible now. DD: I spent far too many hours washing dishes instead of studying during my junior and senior years in high school. My ACT score and GPA suffered. I spent far too many hours delivering mail instead of studying during my first 3 years in college. My GPA suffered.
https://www.cnbc.com/2018/08/23/20-best-cities-for-students-working-their-way-through-college.html
NEW YORK TIMES
— DD: Those who promote woke destroy those who do not promote woke. My critics/opponents are woke. To be woke is to be anti-conservative, anti-Republican, anti-American, anti-White, anti-male, anti-older people, anti-Christian, anti-German American, and/or anti-those who have ancestors who have been in America for a long time.
https://www.nytimes.com/2026/08/27/opinion/woke-right-trump-free-speech.html
WASHINGTON POST
— Republicans accuse Facebook of anti-conservative bias.
https://www.washingtonpost.com/video/politics/republicans-accuse-facebook-of-anti-conservative-bias/2018/04/11/05628bc2-3db9-11e8-955b-7d2e19b79966_video.html
WALL STREET JOURNAL
— JD Vance Is the GOP’s Obama. He and the former president have much in common. And both disdain Republicans.
https://www.wsj.com/opinion/jd-vance-is-the-gops-obama-2e35f480
FORBES
— What To Do When You Envy Your Colleague’s Success. DD: My coworkers who my Democrat superiors in the federal government promoted over me were Democrats who were minority, female, younger than me, and/or veteran. While I could not change my race, gender, age, or veteran status, I could have become a Democrat. But I refused to do that.
https://www.forbes.com/sites/ronashkenas/2014/12/12/what-to-do-when-you-envy-your-colleagues-success/
— OK Boomers, About That Working-Through-College Thing. DD: I spent far too many hours washing dishes instead of studying during my junior and senior years in high school. My ACT score and GPA suffered. I spent far too many hours delivering mail instead of studying during my first 3 years in college. My GPA suffered.
https://www.forbes.com/sites/patrickwwatson/2019/12/09/ok-boomers-about-that-working-through-college-thing/
24/7 WALL STREET
— Medicare Part B Went Up 9.7% This Year. Your Social Security Raise Was 2.8%.
https://247wallst.com/investing/etf/2026/08/26/medicare-part-b-went-up-9-7-this-year-your-social-security-raise-was-2-8-these-3-etfs-close-the-gap/
FREE PRESS
— DD: Democrat leaders ever-increasingly a) blame capitalism for everyone’s problems and b) promote socialism to fix those problems.
https://www.thefp.com/p/honesty-project-capitalism-socialism-americans
CITY AND STATE
— AOC rejoined DSA this month after 7-year absence. The socialist standard-bearer apparently forgot to renew her annual DSA membership when it expired in 2019.
https://www.cityandstateny.com/politics/2026/08/aoc-rejoined-dsa-month-after-7-year-absence/415648/
WINSTON SALEM JOURNAL
— Will Black voters save the Democratic Party from socialism?
https://journalnow.com/opinion/column/article_47bdf39b-d6ca-56a1-bc2a-f3c40bb9b795.html
SPECTRUM NEWS
— Students working far more hours to pay for tuition than those 30 years ago. DD: I spent far too many hours washing dishes instead of studying during my junior and senior years in high school. My ACT score and GPA suffered. I spent far too many hours delivering mail instead of studying during my first 3 years in college. My GPA suffered.
https://spectrumlocalnews.com/nc/charlotte/news/2023/02/09/students-have-to-tack-on-more-hours-of-work-to-afford-college-tuition-
COURTHOUSE NEWS
— Unions sue over new rules expanding feds power to fire workers. DD: My Democrat GAO superiors fired me, that is, they forced me to retire, because I was an active member in a class action lawsuit that charged them with reverse discrimination, age discrimination, and retaliation. According to the courts, that is OK.
https://www.courthousenews.com/unions-sue-over-new-rules-expanding-feds-power-to-fire-workers/
FEDERAL NEWS NETWORK
— GAO finds 96% of DOGE’s claimed savings on federal grants cannot be verified.
https://federalnewsnetwork.com/federal-newscast/2026/08/gao-finds-96-of-doges-claimed-savings-on-federal-grants-cannot-be-verified/
NATIONAL INSTITUTE ON RETIREMENT SECURITY
— 80% of Americans Say U.S. Faces Retirement Crisis. DD: I got in line for a Civil Service Retirement System (CSRS) pension when I was 18 in 1966. I have been getting a CSRS pension, currently $68,640/year, since I was 49 in 1997. My critics/opponents have always been furious about that. In my defense, I paid 7% of my federal salary into the CSRS. Further, I would not have become a postal employee in 1966 if my high school friend had not asked me to join him in taking the postal employment test. Further, I would not have become an IRS employee in 1971 if Oldsmobile had not withdrawn a job offer that I had accepted because Oldsmobile had just agreed to stop hiring Whites to settle an EEOC complaint.
https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/80-of-americans-say-us-faces-retirement-crisis-amid-affordability-pressures-and-debt-americans-wary-of-ai-financial-advice-and-crypto-in-retirement-plans-302860171.html
INVESTOPEDIA
— The College Majors Facing the Highest Unemployment Rates. DD: In retrospect, with benefit of hindsight, I should have majored in accounting. I erroneously thought that I could never pass the CPA examination. But I did pass the CPA examination on my first attempt when I was 30 in 1979, earn a master’s degree in accounting when I was 31, and passed the Certified Internal Auditor examination on my first attempt and became a licensed CPA when I was 32. But by then it was too late. The accounting profession saw me as being far too old to have a successful career in accounting. On top of that, the profession was under tremendous pressure to hire, retain, and promote young minorities and young females.
https://www.investopedia.com/the-college-majors-facing-the-highest-unemployment-rates-in-today-s-challenging-job-market-12062003
INSIDE HIGHER EDUCATION
— Wealthy students with high standardized test scores make up the majority of students at the most selective universities. DD: My critics/opponents have always knowingly, outrageously, disgustingly, and falsely hinted/implied/argued/shouted that my parents were filthy rich and that is why I was able to get an ACT score of 24, graduate in the upper 20% of my class, get accepted by UIC, NIU, Loyola, DePaul, and IIT, earn six professional certifications, and earn a professional license. They have always known that I had to work my way through college.
https://www.insidehighered.com/news/admissions/traditional-age/2026/08/27/new-paper-takes-aim-meritocratic-admissions-policies
UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA PRESS
— Champion of the Oppressed. DD: My critics/opponents paint minorities, females, and younger people as being oppressed and paint themselves as being champions of the oppressed.
https://online.ucpress.edu/jrpc/article-abstract/29/2/132/204315/Champion-of-the-OppressedRedescribing-the?redirectedFrom=fulltext
PHYS
— DD: According to my critics/opponents, minorities, females, and younger people are oppressed by Whites, males, and older people. My critic/opponents paint themselves as being champions for minorities, females, and younger people.
https://phys.org/news/2026-08-appropriated-racial-oppression-black-parents.html
MEDIATE
— DD: Democrat leaders ever-increasingly paint today’s Republicans as being yesterday’s Confederates.
https://www.yahoo.com/news/politics/articles/house-democrat-says-confederacy-still-185729081.html
FROM FOREIGN SOURCES
DAILY TELEGRAPH
— Socialists took over the Democratic Party.
https://www.dailytelegraph.com.au/news/world/michael-knowles-socialists-took-over-the-democratic-party/video/fa388abe1182d9c0d09080422d3abfec
August 25, 2026
FROM ILLINOIS CENTER-LEFT SOURCES
ABC7
— Chicago-area critics question legality, practicality of President Trump’s mail-in ballot order.
https://abc7chicago.com/post/chicago-area-critics-question-legality-practicality-president-donald-trumps-mail-ballot-order-involving-usps-restrictions/19729693/
NBC5
— Fan flies down several rows in wild brawl caught on cam at Sox game.
https://www.nbcchicago.com/news/local/watch-fan-flies-down-several-rows-in-wild-brawl-caught-on-cam-at-sox-game/3979682/
— Teacher on no-hire list was hired by suburban school district. DD: Have you been put on a no-hire list? Constructively, my Democrat GAO superiors put me on a no-hire list when they forced me to retire when I was 49 in 1997. Previously, they had a) always ranked me in the bottom half of my coworkers for pay-for-performance, b) delayed my promotions and never promoted me beyond GS-13, and c) ignored/dismissed/belittled my earning a master’s degree in financial markets and training when I was 48, my earning job-related professional certifications when I was 41, 45, 47, and 48, my becoming a licensed CPA and passing the Certified Internal Auditor examination on my first attempt when I was 32, my earning a master’s degree in accounting when I was 31, my passing the CPA examination on my first attempt when I was 30, and my earning an MBA when I was 27. They had forced me to take a $23,699/year (21%) pay cut in today’s dollars to transfer from IRS to GAO in 1980.
https://www.nbcchicago.com/investigations/teacher-on-no-hire-list-for-sexual-misconduct-case-was-hired-by-suburban-school-district/3979810/
CBS2
— DD: Democrat leaders ever-increasingly a) glorify and praise their illegals and b) fight their deportation.
https://www.cbsnews.com/chicago/news/protesters-chicago-southwest-side-masked-ice-agents/
WGN9
— Washington Post ordered to reinstate columnist Karen Attiah fired after Charlie Kirk posts. In addition to reinstatement, the arbitrator ordered the newspaper to compensate Attiah with full back-pay and benefits. DD: My Democrat GAO superiors forced me to retire when I was 49 in 1997 because I was an active member in a class action lawsuit that charged them with reverse discrimination, age discrimination, and retaliation. In Diersen v. GAO, the court ruled that was OK.
https://wgntv.com/news/washington-post-ordered-to-reinstate-columnist-fired-after-charlie-kirk-posts/
(FROM THE WSJ: After his death, Attiah made several comments on social media. “Part of what keeps America so violent is the insistence that people perform care, empty goodness and absolution for white men who espouse hatred and violence,” Attiah said in one post on the social-media site Bluesky. “Refusing to tear my clothes and smear ashes on my face in performative mourning for a white man that espoused violence is … not the same as violence,” Attiah said in another post.)
CHICAGO TRIBUNE
— DD: Democrat leaders ever-increasingly a) glorify and praise their illegals and b) fight their deportation.
https://www.chicagotribune.com/2026/08/24/mckinley-park-ice-arrest-damen/
CHICAGO SUN-TIMES
— DD: Democrat leaders ever-increasingly a) glorify and praise their illegals and b) fight their deportation.
https://chicago.suntimes.com/immigration/2026/08/24/crowd-gathers-after-i-55-crash-reportedly-caused-by-federal-immigration-agents
CRAIN’S CHICAGO BUSINESS
— Following Tribune acquisition and layoffs, Daily Herald workers look to form union. DD: I was a union member for almost 12 years.
https://www.chicagobusiness.com/media-marketing/ccb-daily-herald-union-20260824/
SOUTHERN
— USPS makes new rules for mail-in ballots, but they are less restrictive than Trump’s demands.
https://southernillinoisnow.com/2026/08/24/usps-makes-new-rules-for-mail-in-ballots-but-they-are-less-restrictive-than-trumps-demands/
— Trump administration to tout efforts to shut down Education Department as school year begins.
https://southernillinoisnow.com/2026/08/24/trump-administration-to-tout-efforts-to-shut-down-education-department-as-school-year-begins/
WAND TV
— Pritzker signs bill improving sanitation, access to menstrual products on construction sites.
https://www.wandtv.com/news/statehouse/pritzker-signs-bill-improving-sanitation-access-to-menstrual-products-on-construction-sites/article_188cec41-4e3b-40e2-a698-80fd80c64238.html
NPR ILLINOIS
— Farmers struggle to find workers. DD: All my employers would have hired noncitizens instead of me if they could have. I did yard work 1962-1964. I delivered newspapers 1962-1966. I washed dishes 1964-1966. I cleaned golf shoes, chipped slag, and pumped gasoline in 1966. I delivering mail 1966-1969. I worked on an automotive assembly line in 1970. I sold tires, automotive services, and major appliances 1970-1971. I pumped more gasoline 1971-1972. I collected delinquent federal taxes 1971-1980. I audited federal agencies 1980-1997.
https://www.nprillinois.org/2026-08-24/farmers-struggle-to-find-workers-amid-trumps-economic-policies
WHEATON RECORD
— Saturday Morning Protest: “Blame the Billionaires.” 14 Advocates took to the streets of downtown Wheaton before the Midterm elections. DD: I avoided Democrat indoctrination by majoring in business, accounting, and finance.
https://thewheatonrecord.com/2026/08/24/saturday-morning-protest-blame-the-billionaires/
(FROM THE ARTICLE: On Saturday, Aug. 22, 14 members of Indivisible DuPage gathered in downtown Wheaton, just a few blocks from campus, to protest the influence of wealthy donors and corporations in American politics ahead of the November midterm elections. The protesters are members of Indivisible DuPage’s “visibility brigade,” a group that brings the organization’s advocacy into public spaces. Aimee Renkes, the brigade’s leader, noted that the group also posts signs on the bridge over Interstate 88 weekly, holds rallies and supports other protests. This past winter, they were wardens — volunteers who help manage the crowd and de-escalate tensions — during a student-organized demonstration in Adams Park. Each sign featured a different phrase: “Frustrated with gov’t corruption? Blame the billionaires” and “Fuming over grocery prices? Blame the billionaires.” The group also displayed QR codes directing people to the League of Women Voters website and a countdown to November’s midterm elections. The protesters said they were concerned about the influence of money on political campaigns and the political process. “We believe we need to get money out of politics so that we can really have better representation for the people,” Renkes said. “And that’s on both sides of the aisle.” Renkes also mentioned the Supreme Court decision in Citizens United v. Federal Election Commission, which struck down restrictions on certain independent political spending by corporations and unions. Renkes said the decision contributed to the influence of wealthy individuals and corporations in politics. “I can’t outspend Amazon,” she said, referring to the influence she believes corporations have in politics. The protesters packed up their signs at 10:45 a.m. Renkes said some members had been hesitant to protest in Wheaton because of the community’s political and religious demographics. Still, they considered the morning a success after receiving honks, thumbs-up gestures and messages from people passing by. Tuco Fuentes is an active member of the visibility brigade and also serves as its photographer. Throughout the event, he took photographs and videos that were shared on Indivisible DuPage’s Facebook and Instagram accounts. “I believe it is important for people to exercise their constitutional right to free expression, even when there are opposing opinions,” he said. Renkes acknowledged that political conversations can be uncomfortable, but emphasized that they are necessary because politics affects people’s daily lives. She encouraged conversations with neighbors about these topics, civil discourse, voting and participation in local politics as ways to push back against the influence of wealthy donors in politics. “To just stick our head in the sand isn’t doing anyone any good,” she said.)
FROM ILLINOIS CENTER-RIGHT SOURCE
GOPUSA ILLINOIS
— Under socialism, working for socialists would be like working for the Democrats who run the federal government. To get hired, retained, and promoted, all you would need to do is be a socialist. The Democrats who ran the Post Office in 1966, IRS in 1971, and GAO in 1980 hired me because they could not find a qualified Democrat, minority, female, younger person, or veteran who would take the job. All my coworkers who my Democrat superiors promoted over me were Democrats a) who had less education than I had, had less work experience than I had, had no professional certification or fewer than I had, and/or had no professional license like the one I had and/or b) who were minority, female, younger, veteran, non-Protestant, non-German American, and/or had ancestors who had not been in America for a long time. – Dave Diersen
http://www.gopillinois.com
ILLINOIS POLICY INSTITUTE
— Pritzker defends 57% toll hike approved by board he appointed.
https://www.illinoispolicy.org/pritzker-defends-57-percent-toll-hike/
ILLINOIS REVIEW
— Lyons Township Clerk Calls Emergency Meeting as GOP Opponent Seeks Footage of After-Hours Kiss Inside Government Office.
https://www.illinoisreview.com/illinoisreview/2026/08/lyons-township-clerk-calls-emergency-meeting-as-gop-opponent-seeks-footage-of-after-hours-kiss-inside-government-office.html
— Disgraced Former IL GOP Mayor Keith Pekau, Now Living in Colorado, Works to Defeat Republican Liz Gorman.
https://www.illinoisreview.com/illinoisreview/2026/08/disgraced-former-il-gop-mayor-keith-pekau-now-living-in-colorado-works-to-defeat-republican-liz-gorman.html
FROM NATIONAL CENTER-RIGHT SOURCES
WASHINGHTON TIMES
— Trump highlights school choice agenda at back-to-school event. DD: My parents sent me to Missouri Synod Lutheran grade schools. That put me on track to earn a job-related bachelor’s degree, three job-related master’s degrees, six job-related professional certifications, and a job-related professional license.
https://www.washingtontimes.com/news/2026/aug/24/trump-highlights-school-choice-agenda-back-school-event/
— DHS proposes new $103,000 fee to hire foreign skilled guest workers. DD: All my employers would have hired noncitizens instead of me if they could have. I did yard work 1962-1964. I delivered newspapers 1962-1966. I washed dishes 1964-1966. I cleaned golf shoes, chipped slag, and pumped gasoline in 1966. I delivering mail 1966-1969. I worked on an automotive assembly line in 1970. I sold tires, automotive services, and major appliances 1970-1971. I pumped more gasoline 1971-1972. I collected delinquent federal taxes 1971-1980. I audited federal agencies 1980-1997.
https://www.washingtontimes.com/news/2026/aug/24/dhs-proposes-new-103000-fee-hire-foreign-skilled-guest-workers/
— Why men aren’t working and what we can do about it. DD: If you are a male who is forced to retire early, anticipate/expect that you will never be able to find a job appropriate for your work experience, education, and professional certifications/licenses. That is especially true if you are conservative, Republican, White, older, non-veteran, German American, and/or have ancestors who have been in America for a long time.
https://www.washingtontimes.com/news/2026/aug/24/men-arent-working/
— Socialism has been discredited time and time again. No nation that has beaten it has wanted a return. DD: To vote for Democrats is to vote for socialism.
https://www.washingtontimes.com/news/2026/aug/24/socialism-discredited-time-time/
— Working under the influence: 1 in 5 workers test positive for drugs after increased marijuana use. DD: Democrat leaders ever-increasingly push more pot.
https://www.washingtontimes.com/news/2026/jul/23/report-finds-1-5-workers-testing-positive-drugs-increased-marijuana/
WASHINGTON EXAMINER
— El Sayed says ‘preemptively’ banning sharia is discriminatory. DD: Ever-increasingly, to vote for Democrats is to vote for sharia law.
https://www.washingtonexaminer.com/news/campaigns/congressional/4698959/el-sayed-sharia-law-mike-rogers-beta/
— Trump’s pro-family agenda has won bipartisan support, but economic anxiety clouds GOP midterm hopes.
https://www.washingtonexaminer.com/news/white-house/4698796/trump-pro-family-agenda-bipartisan-support-economic-anxiety-midterms/
NEW YORK POST
— Trump rips public schools for ‘failing at education’ — touts better way under his school choice plan.
https://nypost.com/2026/08/24/us-news/trump-rips-public-schools-for-failing-at-education-touts-better-way-under-his-school-choice-plan/
BIZ PAC REVIEW
— Woke education is broken education. DD: My parents sent me to Missouri Synod Lutheran grade schools. That put me on track to earn a job-related bachelor’s degree, three job-related master’s degrees, six job-related professional certifications, and a job-related professional license.
https://www.bizpacreview.com/2026/08/24/woke-education-is-broken-education-1656029/
BREITBART
— Vance: We Fight Socialism by Investing in Americans, Not Throwing Slogans.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rUvnMGFYmtU
— Vance Backs $103,265 Fee for Every New H-1B Visa.
https://www.breitbart.com/economy/2026/08/24/jd-vance-backs-103265-fee-for-every-new-h-1b-visa/amp/
— Leftist Washington Post Ordered to Reinstate Columnist Fired After Mischaracterizing Charlie Kirk Quote.
https://www.breitbart.com/the-media/2026/08/24/leftist-washington-post-ordered-to-reinstate-columnist-fired-after-mischaracterizing-charlie-kirk-quote/
CAMPAIGN FOR WORKING FAMILIES
— Muslim Democrat Claims Jesus Is Radical Socialist. DD: Ever-increasingly, to vote for Democrats is to vote for socialism.
https://www.cwfpac.com/monday-august-24-2026-muslim-claims-jesus-socialist-not-papaws-democrat-party
CAMPUS REFORM
— UW professor with broad collection of leftist research and publications advertises herself as a ‘Marxist scholar.’ DD: Ever-increasingly, to vote for Democrats is to vote for socialism.
https://www.campusreform.org/article/uw-professor-broad-collection-leftist-research-publications-advertises-marxist-scholar/30449
DAILY CALLER
— Washington Post Forced To Rehire Columnist Fired Over Distasteful Charlie Kirk Posts.
https://dailycaller.com/2026/08/24/wapo-reporter-fired-charlie-kirk-tweets-ordered-reinstated-karen-attiah/
DAILY WIRE
— Who Is Behind The Rapid Rise Of The DSA? The DSA is now a terrifying force that’s ready to overthrow the government along with civilization in general.
https://www.dailywire.com/news/who-is-behind-the-rapid-rise-of-the-dsa
— The Bad Ex Who Blackmailed Her Way Back To The Washington Post. Who has time for journalistic integrity?
https://www.dailywire.com/news/the-bad-ex-who-blackmailed-her-way-back-to-the-washington-post
(FROM THE ARTICLE: A year ago, Karen Attiah, an untalented, narcissistic, racist, terror-sympathizing man-hater who loves the word “democracy” more than life itself, was fired from her job as an opinion writer at The Washington Post. Her crimes against journalism? Lying, failing basic standards of accuracy, and posting egregious commentary about Charlie Kirk within hours of his assassination. This week, after a year-long public tantrum, a private arbitrator forced the Post to take her back. Like a bad ex blackmailing you into getting back together. Democracy Lives On…in the forced rehire of every Bluesky Karen who cannot accurately quote a dead man. On September 10, 2025, the same day Charlie Kirk was assassinated in front of thousands, Attiah posted this: “Black women do not have the brain processing power to be taken seriously. You have to go steal a white person’s slot”. – Charlie Kirk Kirk was not, of course, speaking about all black women. He was responding on a live show to Joy Reid, Michelle Obama, Sheila Jackson Lee, and Ketanji Brown Jackson, discussing their own affirmative-action status.)
FEDERALIST
— Treasury Dept. Closes More Loopholes That Gave Illegal Aliens Your Tax Dollars.
https://thefederalist.com/2026/08/25/treasury-dept-closes-more-loopholes-that-gave-illegal-aliens-your-tax-dollars/
FOX NEWS
— Trump takes aim at critical race theory and transgender ideologies in public schools. DD: My parents sent me to Missouri Synod Lutheran grade schools. That put me on track to earn a job-related bachelor’s degree, three job-related master’s degrees, six job-related professional certifications, and a job-related professional license.
https://www.foxnews.com/video/6403976245112
— Opportunities are the only thing that should be equal, not outcome. DD: My critics/opponents want equal outcome. According to them, when whites and males do better at something than minorities and females, it is because Whites and males discriminate against minorities and females. Overwhelmingly, those who earned college degrees, professional certifications, and a professional license with me were Whites and males.
https://www.foxnews.com/media/stephen-smith-says-opportunities-thing-equal-outcome
— The ‘YOUNG, DUMB AND BORED’ are turning to socialism.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=20B8tqU_7As
— Socialism doesn’t work.
https://www.foxnews.com/video/6403987124112
— Wealthy socialist TORCHED over privileged lifestyle.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_YsdaPnKWqg
— Socialists ripped over kids-focused push in deep-red state: ‘Next generation of comrades.’
https://www.foxnews.com/politics/socialists-ripped-over-kids-focused-push-deep-red-state-next-generation-comrades
JACOBIN
— Class Traitors Are Welcome in the Socialist Movement.
https://jacobin.com/2026/08/dsa-gordillo-socialism-media-hypocrisy
LEGAL INSURRECTION
— Washington Post Ordered to Rehire Columnist Fired Over Charlie Kirk Comments.
https://legalinsurrection.com/2026/08/washington-post-ordered-to-rehire-columnist-fired-over-charlie-kirk-comments/amp/
— Trump Education Department Takes on Accreditors Pushing DEI on Colleges.
https://legalinsurrection.com/2026/08/trump-education-department-takes-on-accreditors-pushing-dei-on-colleges/amp/
NATIONAL REVIEW
— The New York Times Helps to Launder Karen Attiah’s Lie.
https://www.nationalreview.com/corner/the-new-york-times-helps-to-launder-karen-attiahs-lie/amp/
NEWS BUSTERS
— Why Colleges Are Bringing the SAT Back (and Why Woke Schools Banned It)
https://www.newsbusters.org/blogs/nb/john-stossel/2026/08/24/why-colleges-are-bringing-sat-back-and-why-woke-schools-banned-it
POST MILLENNIAL
— Judge forces Washington Post to rehire columnist who lied about Charlie Kirk.
https://thepostmillennial.com/breaking-judge-forces-washington-post-to-rehire-columnist-who-lied-about-charlie-kirk
TOWNHALL
— Pritzker’s Absurd Claim About Illinois Home Buying Isn’t Accurate.
https://townhall.com/news/amy-curtis/2026/08/24/pritzker-il-easiest-state-to-buy-a-house-community-note-n2681769
— NYC Mayor Mamdani Sued Over $70 Million Socialist Grocery Plan.
https://townhall.com/news/jeff-charles/2026/08/24/nyc-mayor-mamdani-sued-over-70m-socialist-grocery-plan-n2681804
— The DSA’s Latest Defense of Its Privilege Is About As Hypocritical As You’d Expect.
https://townhall.com/news/dmitri-bolt/2026/08/24/a-wealthy-nyc-socialist-is-defending-her-glaring-hypocrisy-n2681751
— The DSA’s Least Talked-About Policy May Be Its Most Dangerous: a centralized government database containing information about how much you own, what you are worth, and every asset you possess, all in the name of taxing the wealthy.
https://townhall.com/news/dmitri-bolt/2026/08/24/heres-the-least-talked-about-and-most-dangerous-policy-the-dsa-is-pushing-for-n2681774
WHITE HOUSE
— President Trump is fighting to put parents back in charge and reignite America’s education system 🇺🇸.
https://www.whitehouse.gov/videos/president-trump-is-fighting-to-put-parents-back-in-charge-and-reignite-americas-education-system-%F0%9F%87%BA%F0%9F%87%B8/
FROM NATIONAL CENTER-LEFT SOURCES
THE HILL
— The damaging effects of shifting from equal opportunity to ‘equal outcomes.’ DD: My critics/opponents want equal outcome. According to them, when whites and males do better at something than minorities and females, it is because Whites and males discriminate against minorities and females. Overwhelmingly, those who earned college degrees, professional certifications, and a professional license with me were Whites and males.
https://thehill.com/opinion/education/529262-the-damaging-effects-of-shifting-from-equal-opportunity-to-equal-outcomes/
REUTERS
— Trump’s approval holds at record low as US support for Iran war falls.
https://www.reuters.com/world/us/trumps-approval-holds-record-low-us-support-iran-war-falls-reuters-ipsos-poll-2026-08-24/
CBS NEWS
— Lara Korte, one of three editorial employees of the military newspaper Stars and Stripes who were dismissed last week after speaking to CBS News, said Monday that the paper’s editorial independence remains paramount. DD: Since 2000, my critics/opponents have hinted/implied/argued/shouted at the following that because I am a Republican Precinct Committeeman, they can and they should dictate the content of my GOPUSA ILLINOIS newsletters: the leaders of the Illinois Republican Party, DuPage County Republican Central Committee, and Milton Township Republican Organization. I should write about the many big adverse actions that the aforesaid have taken against me since 2000. Those who have taken adverse actions against me reject some, many, most, virtually all, if not all the planks in the Republican Party platform.
https://www.cbsnews.com/news/lara-korte-interview-stars-and-stripes-fired-editorial-independence/
WASHINGTON POST
— This not-so-secret document is inspiring the left — and tripping up its candidates. The Democratic Socialists of America platform aims to upend the status quo. That can mean a bumpy ride for those trying to win in the short term. DD: To vote for Democrats is to vote for socialism.
https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/2026/08/24/democratic-socialists-biggest-challenge-their-own-platform/
WALL STREET JOURNAL
— The Warmth of Pizza-Station Collectivism. Democratic socialism thrives in the campus dining hall, where everything is free.
https://www.wsj.com/opinion/free-expression/the-warmth-of-pizza-station-collectivism-9b903d41
— Supreme Court Removes Hurdle to Trump Directive on Mail Voting.
https://www.wsj.com/politics/elections/supreme-court-removes-hurdle-to-trump-directive-on-mail-voting-f2a1437a
— Chicago Dug Itself Out of a Financial Hole. Now It’s Sliding Back In. Windy City’s financial standing is heading south again, with few solutions in sight.
https://www.wsj.com/us-news/chicago-dug-itself-out-of-a-financial-hole-now-its-sliding-back-in-9cc9c818
— Government Proposes New Six-Figure Fee for H1-B Visas. Administration plans to charge more than $100,000 for skilled foreign-worker visas after similar move was rejected by federal appeals court.
https://www.wsj.com/politics/policy/government-proposes-new-six-figure-fee-for-h1-b-visas-a0da2d01
— Washington Post Ordered to Rehire Columnist Karen Attiah. She was fired for social-media remarks after killing of political commentator Charlie Kirk. In addition to reinstatement, the arbitrator ordered the newspaper to compensate Attiah with full back-pay and benefits. DD: My Democrat GAO superiors forced me to retire when I was 49 in 1997 because I was an active member in a class action lawsuit that charged them with reverse discrimination, age discrimination, and retaliation. In Diersen v. GAO, the court ruled that was OK.
https://www.wsj.com/business/media/washington-post-ordered-to-rehire-columnist-karen-attiah-84c8ac94
(FROM THE ARTICLE: After his death, Attiah made several comments on social media. “Part of what keeps America so violent is the insistence that people perform care, empty goodness and absolution for white men who espouse hatred and violence,” Attiah said in one post on the social-media site Bluesky. “Refusing to tear my clothes and smear ashes on my face in performative mourning for a white man that espoused violence is … not the same as violence,” Attiah said in another post.)
— The Makings of a College Campus Socialist. Why has socialism failed in the real world? DD: I avoided Democrat indoctrination by majoring in business, accounting, and finance.
https://www.wsj.com/opinion/the-makings-of-a-college-campus-socialist-7733a079
FORBES
— ‘We Want To Invest In You’: Vance Breaks Down Trump Admin Approach To ‘Defeat Socialism.’ DD: Because I was not a Democrat, minority, female, or veteran, my Democrat Post Office, IRS, and GAO superiors not only did not invest anything in me, they did everything they could to get rid of me. Absolutely none of them encouraged me to do what I did to advance. I earned a job-related bachelor’s degree, three job-related master’s degrees, six job-related professional certifications, and a job-related professional license.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aMgo3BdmJoY
NATIONAL DESK
— American jobs for AMERICAN BORN citizens, not ILLEGAL MIGRANTS.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CFn4rySBcxI
MAINE PUBLIC
— Vance frames midterms as fight against socialism. DD: To vote for Democrats is to vote for socialism.
https://www.mainepublic.org/politics/2026-08-24/jd-vance-frames-midterms-as-fight-against-socialism-as-gop-confronts-electoral-headwinds
DESERT NEWS
— Trump touts his school choice initiatives during ‘back to school’ Rose Garden event. The president also offers disputed child vaccine advice — while attacking ‘transgender insanity’ in the classroom. DD: My parents sent me to Missouri Synod Lutheran grade schools. That put me on track to earn a job-related bachelor’s degree, three job-related master’s degrees, six job-related professional certifications, and a job-related professional license.
https://www.deseret.com/education/2026/08/24/trump-back-to-school/
August 19, 2026 Evening Edition
FROM ILLINOIS CENTER-LEFT SOURCES
ABC7
— Democrats rally at Illinois State Fair ahead of midterms, decrying costs and corruption.
https://abc7chicago.com/post/illinois-state-fair-2026-governors-day-democrats-rally-springfield-ahead-midterm-election/19703516/
https://abc7chicago.com/videoClip/19704715/
— Illinois Tollway board votes to approve toll increases.
https://abc7chicago.com/post/illinois-tollway-board-vote-toll-increases/19701930/
CBS2
— Crowd turns out to honor U.S. Sen. Dick Durbin at brunch in Springfield.
https://www.cbsnews.com/chicago/news/crowd-turns-out-honor-u-s-sen-dick-durbin-springfield/
— More than 83,000 buildings, homes still without power in Northwest Indiana. DD: The more that overhead lines bring power to your home, the more that those lines are near trees, the more that I recommend getting a whole-house backup electric generator.
https://www.cbsnews.com/chicago/news/buildings-homes-still-without-power-northwest-indiana/
WGN9
— Democrats rally for Pritzker at Illinois State Fair ahead of gubernatorial rematch with Bailey.
https://wgntv.com/news/politics/democrats-rally-for-pritzker-at-illinois-state-fair-ahead-of-gubernatorial-rematch-with-bailey/
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Fi7u2jipwuQ
FOX32
— Illinois sues Trump admin. over CDL records. Attorney General Kwame Raoul discusses Illinois’ lawsuit against the Trump administration over demands for personal information from millions of commercial drivers.
https://www.fox32chicago.com/video/fmc-unwo4l5f9wgl4sgv
CHICAGO TRIBUNE
— Illinois Democrats tout party dominance at State Fair but it’s clouded by harassment scandal and fraud case.
https://www.chicagotribune.com/2026/08/19/democrats-illinois-state-fair/
CHICAGO SUN-TIMES
— Welch skips Illinois State Fair, where Democrats focus on Trump instead of harassment scandal. Democrats headed into the home stretch of the campaign season by hammering a familiar foe, while Chicago mayoral politics also made their way downstate.
https://chicago.suntimes.com/springfield/2026/08/19/chris-welch-state-fair-illinois-house-sexual-harassment-harry-benton
— What about Trump’s obsession with his critics? DD: My critics/opponents have taken many big adverse actions against me. They assume that because they have lots of clout, I will not take adverse actions against them in response.
https://chicago.suntimes.com/letters-to-the-editor/2026/08/19/trump-bears-illinois-indiana-stadium-ballys-city-council-traffic-stop
DAILY HERALD
— Illinois Democrats focused on Trump as they seek third sweep of statewide races.
https://www.dailyherald.com/20260819/illinois-state-politics/illinois-democrats-focused-on-trump-as-they-seek-third-sweep-of-statewide-races/
— Tollway imposes 57% hikes on cars, 30% for trucks, with more to come.
https://www.dailyherald.com/20260819/transportation/tollway-imposes-57-hikes-on-cars-30-for-trucks-with-more-to-come/
CAPITOL NEWS ILLINOIS
— In Illinois, Warren urges Democrats to unite behind all party nominees. Massachusetts senator delivers keynote in event honoring retiring Sen. Dick Durbin.
https://capitolnewsillinois.com/news/in-illinois-warren-urges-democrats-to-unite-behind-all-party-nominees/
CAPITOL CITY NOW
— Warren rallies Illinois Democratic troops. The US senator from Massachusetts praised Gov Pritzker as a fighter: “Go, JB!”
https://capitolcitynow.com/news/248842-warren-rallies-illinois-democratic-troops/
CAPITOL FAX
— Afternoon roundup
https://capitolfax.com/2026/08/19/isabel%e2%80%99s-afternoon-roundup-582/
FROM ILLINOIS CENTER-RIGHT SOURCES
ILLINOIS REPUBLICAN PARTY
— ILGOP Announces Jeff Castle as New State Central Committeeman for CD6
https://illinois.gop/news/
(THE PRESS RELEASE: Today, the Republican Party of Illinois announced that ILGOP Chairman Bob Grogan has resigned from his position as State Central Committeeman for the 6th Congressional District. Effective today, Grogan will be replaced by Jeff Castle, the Chairman of the Milton Republican Party and Secretary of the DuPage Republican Party. ILGOP Chair Bob Grogan released the following statement: “I always want to be replaced by someone better than me – and I have the perfect replacement in Jeff Castle. Jeff is the hardest-working volunteer in DuPage County and has been instrumental in moving the party forward, especially in the Collar Counties. Jeff will continue to be a fantastic champion for northern Illinois.” The Republican Party Chairs of the 6th Congressional District, consisting of Cook County and DuPage County, elected Castle unanimously. Castle was nominated by Cook County Chairman, Terrance Carr.)
ILLINOIS POLICY INSTITUTE
— Illinois Tollway board approves largest passenger toll hike in Illinois history.
https://www.illinoispolicy.org/illinois-tollway-hike-approved/
MCHENRY COUNTY BLOG
— Corbett Complains That State Fair Has Only Democrat and Republican Days
https://www.mchenrycountyblog.com/2026/08/19/corbett-complains-that-state-fair-has-only-democrat-and-republican-days/
— Democrats Pass Another Law That Would Keep ICE from Putting Illegals in McHenry County Jail
https://www.mchenrycountyblog.com/2026/08/19/democrats-pass-another-law/
— Law Allows More Flexibility When Dealing with Juvenile Domestic Violence Situations
https://www.mchenrycountyblog.com/2026/08/19/law-allows-more-flexibility-when-dealing-with-juvenile-domestic-violence-situations/
— Algonquin Township Board Doesn’t Use Robert’s Rules of Order
https://www.mchenrycountyblog.com/2026/08/19/algonquin-township-board-doesnt-use-roberts-rules-of-order/
— Next Spring’s Election Petitions Now Available
https://www.mchenrycountyblog.com/2026/08/19/next-springs-election-petitions-now-available/
— Catalina Lauf Loses Third Congressional Race
https://www.mchenrycountyblog.com/2026/08/18/catalina-lauf-loses-third-congressional-race/
— Facebook Marketplace Deal Goes Awry
https://www.mchenrycountyblog.com/2026/08/18/facebook-marketplace-deal-goes-awray/
— Newsletter Following Florida Politics Awards Illinois Ex-Pat Catalina Lauf “The Apprentice: Carpetbagger Edition,” Latest Polling Shows Close Race
https://www.mchenrycountyblog.com/2026/08/18/newsletter-following-florida-politics-awards-illinois-ex-pat-catalina-lauf-the-apprentice-carpetbagger-edition-latest-polling-shows-close-race/
FROM NATIONAL CENTER-RIGHT SOURCES
WASHINGTON TIMES
— Not so socialist: DSA leader lives in $1.5 million NYC row house purchased by his parents.
https://www.washingtontimes.com/news/2026/aug/19/not-socialist-dsa-leader-gustavo-gordillo-lives-15-million-nyc-row/
— Medicare for All: The Democratic Socialists of America’s Trojan horse. Government-run healthcare means rationing, fewer choices and more federal control.
https://www.washingtontimes.com/news/2026/aug/19/medicare-democratic-socialists-americas-trojan-horse/
— Who should control your life: You or the federal government? Young voters need more than warnings about communism’s bloody history.
https://www.washingtontimes.com/news/2026/aug/19/who-control-life-federal-government/
NEW YORK POST
— SF high school where 94% flunk math has California’s highest Berkeley acceptance rate.
https://nypost.com/2026/08/18/us-news/mission-high-boasts-top-berkeley-admit-rate-despite-math-failures/
— Deadbeat AOC’s student-loan mooching should be a red flag to her 2028 supporters.
https://nypost.com/2026/08/19/opinion/deadbeat-aocs-student-loan-mooching-should-be-red-flag-to-her-2028-supporters/
AARP
— What the Unemployment Rate Means for Older Adults. The rate for older workers increased in July as the nation lost jobs overall. DD: If you are forced to retire early, anticipate/expect that you will not be able to find a job appropriate for your work experience, education, and professional certifications/licenses. That is especially true if you are conservative, Republican, White, male, older, non-veteran, German American, and/or have ancestors who have been in America for a long time.
https://www.aarp.org/work/job-search/unemployment-rate-older-workers/
— Unemployed Older Adults Encounter Age Discrimination.
https://www.aarp.org/pri/topics/work-finances-retirement/employers-workforce/long-term-unemployment-survey/
AMERICANS FOR PROSPERITY
— DD: Democrat and RINO leaders ever-increasingly promote more dependency on government, that is, they ever-increasingly destroy personal responsibility. My parents and teachers promoted personal responsibility. That put me on track to work my way through college, to earn a job-related bachelor’s degree, to earn three job-related master’s degrees, to earn six job-related professional certifications, and to earn a job-related professional license.
https://americansforprosperity.org/policy-corner/the-upward-mobility-act-is-a-step-forward-on-welfare-reform/
DAILY CALLER
— Colorado faced a new legal hurdle to a permit-to-purchase system that took effect August 1 when the National Rifle Association joined a state affiliate in seeking an injunction blocking the scheme. In April 2025, Democratic Colorado Gov. Jared Polis signed legislation initially introduced as an outright ban on so-called “assault weapons” that required anyone wishing to buy a modern semiautomatic firearm, including the AR-15 rifle, to first receive a firearms safety course eligibility card, then complete a firearms safety course within five years.
https://dailycaller.com/2026/08/13/blue-states-planned-purchase-permit-system-for-semi-auto-guns-just-got-slapped-with-legal-hurdle/
HERITAGE FORNDATION
— U.S. Has a Culture of Dependency. DD: Democrat and RINO leaders ever-increasingly promote more dependency on government, that is, they ever-increasingly destroy personal responsibility. My parents and teachers promoted personal responsibility. That put me on track to work my way through college, to earn a job-related bachelor’s degree, to earn three job-related master’s degrees, to earn six job-related professional certifications, and to earn a job-related professional license.
https://www.heritage.org/poverty-and-inequality/commentary/why-the-us-has-culture-dependency
— The Rise in Dependency. DD: Democrat and RINO leaders ever-increasingly promote more dependency on government, that is, they ever-increasingly destroy personal responsibility. My parents and teachers promoted personal responsibility. That put me on track to work my way through college, to earn a job-related bachelor’s degree, to earn three job-related master’s degrees, to earn six job-related professional certifications, and to earn a job-related professional license.
https://www.heritage.org/commentary/the-rise-dependency
REASON
— Americans Grow Increasingly Dependent on Government Payments. Many citizens of the land of the free are hooked on government checks. DD: Democrat and RINO leaders ever-increasingly promote more dependency on government, that is, they ever-increasingly destroy personal responsibility. My parents and teachers promoted personal responsibility. That put me on track to work my way through college, to earn a job-related bachelor’s degree, to earn three job-related master’s degrees, to earn six job-related professional certifications, and to earn a job-related professional license.
https://reason.com/2024/10/04/americans-grow-increasingly-dependent-on-government-payments/
US HOUSE
— More Americans Dependent on Welfare Checks, at the Expense of Work. DD: Democrat and RINO leaders ever-increasingly promote more dependency on government, that is, they ever-increasingly destroy personal responsibility. My parents and teachers promoted personal responsibility. That put me on track to work my way through college, to earn a job-related bachelor’s degree, to earn three job-related master’s degrees, to earn six job-related professional certifications, and to earn a job-related professional license.
https://waysandmeans.house.gov/2025/01/08/new-report-shows-more-americans-dependent-on-welfare-checks-at-the-expense-of-work/
FROM NATIONAL CENTER-LEFT SOURCES
MOUNTAIN DEMOCRAT
— Sheriffs, NRA oppose law requiring training for gun purchases. Opponents sue Colorado over new requirement for purchasers of semiautomatic firearms, rapid-fire devices.
https://www.mtdemocrat.com/news/national/sheriffs-nra-oppose-law-requiring-training-for-gun-purchases/article_6302cacf-de53-5865-a86c-4b42ff420a32.html
FORBES
— During a Illinois Democratic County Chairs’ Association event on Wednesday, Sen. Elizabeth Warren (D-MA) criticized the Republican Party.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3Eg0Ct7r1s8
FINANCIAL POST
— With $2.4 million in assets, does George need to double that to retire at 50? DD: My retirement income and savings are dramatically less because my Democrat superiors wasted my career and forced me to retire when I was 49 in 1997.
https://financialpost.com/personal-finance/family-finance/does-george-need-double-assets-retire-50
PARADE MAGAZINE
— Being Forced Into Retirement Is One of the Most Damaging Things That Can Happen to You. DD: I should write about that.
https://parade.com/living/being-forced-into-retirement-can-negatively-impact-mental-health
ECONOMIC POLICY INSTITUTE
— Educated, experienced, and out of work. Long-term joblessness continues to plague the unemployed.
https://www.epi.org/publication/issuebriefs_ib198/
August 17, 2026
FROM ILLINOIS CENTER-LEFT SOURCES
NBC5
— 16 teens arrested at vacant Congress Theater, 1 week after illegal rave. The teens, ages 13 to 19, were all charged with one misdemeanor count for criminal trespassing. The mass arrest comes after a local DJ held an unsanctioned rave at the theater on Aug. 8 that drew several young people. DD: What is your municipality doing to stop Democrat teen takeovers?
https://www.nbcchicago.com/news/local/16-teens-arrested-at-vacant-congress-theater-1-week-after-illegal-rave/3976097/
— Frustrations grow as power outages persist in NW Indiana after derecho. DD: The more that overhead lines bring power to your home, the more that those lines are near trees, the more that I recommend getting a whole-house backup electric generator.
https://www.nbcchicago.com/video/news/local/frustrations-grow-as-power-outages-persist-in-nw-indiana-after-derecho/3976247/
CBS2
— 16 teenagers arrested after trespassing inside Congress Theater on Northwest Side. DD: What is your municipality doing to stop Democrat teen takeovers?
https://www.cbsnews.com/chicago/news/16-teenagers-arrested-trespassing-congress-theater/
CHICAGO TRIBUNE
— FRONT PAGE TOP OF FOLD WITH PICTURE: DD: Democrat leaders ever-increasingly a) glorify and praise their illegals and b) fight their deportation.
https://www.chicagotribune.com/2026/08/17/ice-out-chicago/
CHICAGO SUN-TIMES
— Darren Bailey accepts campaign money from sex offender who’s now pastor, attends service at his church. Victor D. Barr was convicted of sexually abusing a 17-year-old girl when she was a Rockford high school student and he was a teacher. He and his household have made three campaign donations to the Republican candidate for governor, who also visited Barr’s congregation in June. Bailey didn’t know Barr’s background and now plans to give the contributions to charity, an aide says.
https://chicago.suntimes.com/the-watchdogs/2026/08/17/darren-bailey-campaign-money-registered-sex-offender-victor-barr-pastor-faith-center-rockford
— ALLL OF THE FRONT PAGE: DD: Democrat leaders ever-increasingly a) glorify and praise their illegals and b) fight their deportation.
https://chicago.suntimes.com/crime/2026/08/17/broadview-six-judge-april-perry-trump-vance
DAILY HERALD
— Midwest shows DSA left could take over the Democratic Party.
https://www.dailyherald.com/20260816/syndicated-columnists/midwest-shows-dsa-left-could-take-over-the-democratic-party/
WBEZ
— Muslim families look to Arabic immersion education to give their children a foundation in faith and identity. Chicago-area Muslim families are flocking to a small southwest suburban school for its rigorous, play-based curriculum taught entirely in Arabic. DD: Democrat leaders fight assimilation.
https://www.wbez.org/education/2026/05/30/chicago-muslim-families-arabic-immersion-education-faith-identity-bridgeview-quran-mas-blossoms
NPR ILLINOIS
— DD: Democrat leaders ever-increasingly promote more LGBTQ.
https://www.nprillinois.org/2026-08-16/what-are-we-going-to-do-the-mom-of-a-trans-teen-grapples-with-trumps-medicaid-move
— Staying in a job for the health insurance? About 1 in 4 Americans do. DD: The federal government paying 72% of my healthcare insurance since 1966 and then also paying 72% of my wife’s healthcare insurance since 1978 helped me endure tremendous efforts by my Democrat superiors in the federal government to waste my career and to get rid of me. For Democrats, the federal government exists to hire, retain, and promote Democrats who are minority, female, younger, veteran, non-Protestant, non-German American, and/or have ancestors who have not been in America for a long time.
https://www.npr.org/2026/07/22/nx-s1-5902333/health-insurance-jobs-gallup
ILLINOIS TIMES
— DD: Democrat leaders ever-increasingly promote more hatred against Trump.
https://www.illinoistimes.com/news/democracy-rising-rally-held-at-old-state-capitol/
PATRICIA KLADIS-SCHIAPPA FOR DUPAGE COUNTY CLERK
— Burr Ridge park district cancels meet and greet event
https://www.facebook.com/61579580051028/posts/for-immediate-release-burr-ridge-illinois-8162026i-regret-to-inform-the-communit/122178940904986001/
POLITICO ILLINOIS
— State Fair glow meets ethics shadow
https://www.politico.com/newsletters/illinois-playbook/2026/08/17/state-fair-glow-meets-ethics-shadow-01038943
CAPITOL FAX
— Morning briefing
https://capitolfax.com/
FROM ILLINOIS CENTER-RIGHT SOURCES
MCHENRY COUNTY BLOG
— Analysis of Catalina Lauf’s Probable Victory in Southwest Florida’s 19th Congressional District.
https://www.mchenrycountyblog.com/2026/08/16/analyzing-catalina-laufs-probable-victory-in-southwest-florildas-19th-congresisonal-district/
BREAKTHROUGH IDEAS
— AOC: Cunning and Callous
https://www.breakthrough-ideas.com/read/2026/08/12/aoc-cunning-and-callous
— Abdul El-Sayed’s Equally Radical Half-Sister Eman Abdelhad. She is an assistant professor at the University of Chicago in the Department of Comparative Human Development.
https://www.breakthrough-ideas.com/read/2026/08/14/abdul-el-sayeds-equally-radical-half-sister-eman-abdelhadi
FROM NATIONAL CENTER-RIGHT SOURCES
WASHINGTON TIMES
— Democratic National Committee Chair Ken Martin sees room for leftists in ‘big tent’ party. Summer meeting ends without resolving ICE fight, Israel rift or midterm cash gap.
https://www.washingtontimes.com/news/2026/aug/16/democratic-national-committee-chair-ken-martin-sees-room-leftists-big/
— Democrats need an agenda before socialists write one for them. Empty opposition to Trump keeps handing energy to the party’s radical wing.
https://www.washingtontimes.com/news/2026/aug/16/democrats-need-agenda-socialists-write-one/
— Radical Democrats gearing up for woke 2.0. Slogans may change, but the extreme leftist agenda remains.
https://www.washingtontimes.com/news/2026/aug/16/radical-democrats-gearing-woke-20/
WASHINGTON EXAMINER
— Half of Democratic voters hold negative view of capitalism. DD: How successful have Democrat leaders been promoting socialism in your county, township, municipality, school district, and precinct?
https://www.washingtonexaminer.com/policy/economy/4689225/half-democratic-voters-negative-view-capitalism-poll/
NEW YORK POST
— Dems now favor socialism over capitalism by this overwhelming amount.
https://nypost.com/2026/08/16/us-news/dems-now-favor-socialism-over-capitalism-by-this-overwhelming-amount-new-poll/
— Gingrich: Iran betting it can outlast Trump if Dems take Congress. ‘Trying to win in America politically’ like North Vietnam.
https://nypost.com/2026/08/16/us-news/iran-betting-it-can-outlast-trump-if-dems-take-congress-gingrich-says/
— If we don’t face WHY men are giving up on work, America’s future is grim. DD: Democrat and RINO employers ever-increasingly give more preference to young women and to young minorities.
https://nypost.com/2026/08/16/opinion/if-we-dont-face-why-men-are-giving-up-on-work-americas-future-is-grim/
(FROM THE ARTICLE: This dysfunction leads to higher rates of drug abuse and suicide, both far worse among men than women, as well as “failure to launch” that now sees one in five men aged 25 to 34 living “at home,” markedly more than their female peers. And men who can’t serve as the family’s prime breadwinners tend not to form families at all, driving both the rise in single-parent (almost always a woman) homes and the decline in US birth rates. Demographers predict that by 2038 more Americans will die than be born.)
AMERICAN ENTERPRISE INSTITUTE
— DD: What do you say to those a) who are able-bodied, b) who refuse to work, and c) who demand welfare?
https://www.aei.org/commentary/are-you-a-bad-citizen/
BRETBART
— Democratic Committee Urges Congress to Defund ICE, Free Illegals.
https://www.breitbart.com/immigration/2026/08/17/democratic-committee-urges-congress-to-defund-ice-free-illegal-migrants/amp/
— Democrats Swamp State Legislatures with 250 Pro-Migrant Bills to Obstruct Trump’s Deportation Mandate.
https://www.breitbart.com/immigration/2026/08/16/democrats-swamp-state-legislatures-with-250-pro-migrant-bills-to-obstruct-trumps-deportation-mandate/
CAMPUS REFORM
— The new DEI witness protection program at universities. DD: Because of Affirmative Action and because of DEI, that is, because of political affiliation discrimination, reverse discrimination, and age discrimination, those who are the following should anticipate/expect that will always have to do more to advance: conservative, Republican, White, male, non-veteran, Protestant, German American, and/or have ancestors who have been in America for a long time. Because I am all of the aforesaid, to advance, I worked my way through college. I earned a job-related bachelor’s degree. I earned three job-related master’s degrees. I earned six job-related professional certifications. I earned a job-related professional license. If I had been liberal/moderate, Democrat, minority, female, veteran, non-Protestant, non-German American, and/or had ancestors who have not been in America for a long time, the Democrats who ran the federal government would have promoted me into their Senior Executive Service, currently $197,200/year, long before I was 40 years old. Instead, they wasted my career and forced me to retire when I was 49 in 1997.
https://www.campusreform.org/article/new-dei-witness-protection-program-universities-analysis/30401
(FROM THE ARTICLE: Changing the acronym may change the press release, but it does not change the requirements of federal civil rights law. At universities across the country, Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) offices are undergoing transformations that would make the Federal Witness Protection Program proud. Diversity becomes “community.” Inclusion becomes “belonging.” Equity becomes “excellence.” Administrators acquire new titles. Departments get new signs.)
DAILY CALLER
— Chicago Has 7 Times The Murders Of Cities In State That Respects Gun Rights.
https://dailycaller.com/2026/08/16/a-study-in-contrasts-one-city-in-anti-2a-state-has-seven-times-the-murders-as-three-in-a-state-that-respects-2a-rights/
FOX NEWS
— Woke 1 looks TAME compared to Woke 2.
https://www.youtube.com/watch%3Fv%3DfdhvAn5sKa8
— Reince Priebus: Donald Trump is the ‘biggest’ reason why ‘Woke 1.0’ is dead. DD: All my critics/opponents are some degree of woke.
https://www.foxnews.com/video/6403538809112
— Long Island street takeover erupts as drivers block road, perform donuts, burnouts. DD: What is your municipality doing to stop Democrat teen takeovers?
https://noticias.foxnews.com/us/long-island-street-takeover-erupts-drivers-block-road-perform-donuts-burnouts-police
HOT AIR
— Chicago Teachers Union’s Sustainable Community Schools Is a Scam.
https://hotair.com/headlines/2026/08/15/chicago-teachers-unions-sustainable-community-schools-is-a-scam-n3817991
TOWNHALL
— If Democrats Win, Trump Will Be Impeached Again.
https://townhall.com/columnists/jeffcrouere/2026/08/17/if-democrats-win-trump-will-be-impeached-again-n2681343
FROM NATIONAL CENTER-LEFT SOURCES
THE HILL
— Fetterman warns of socialism’s rise in the Democratic Party: ‘This is lunacy’
https://thehill.com/homenews/campaign/6032418-fetterman-warns-socialism-rise/
NBC NEWS
— Tough economy forces Gen Z to rewrite the American dream playbook. Squeezed by high costs, an unwelcoming housing market and uncertain career prospects, younger adults are making hard choices — and getting creative. DD: How many Gen Zers are doing what I did? I worked my way through college. I earned a job-related bachelor’s degree. I worked two jobs for 18 months. I earned three job-related master’s degrees. I earned six job-related professional certifications. I earned a job-related professional license.
https://www.nbcnews.com/business/economy/gen-z-rewrites-american-dream-playbook-rcna591764
CBS NEWS
— Most Americans believe a free market system is a good thing. Americans are net-negative on socialism. Capitalism is better-liked. But those ideas aside, right now they say it’s harder now to do things like buy a house, raise a family, and to just feel financially secure than for the last generation. Younger people are especially apt to feel opportunities are fewer. So most also call the current U.S. economic system unfair, in terms of the way it works for chances to get ahead. DD: To get ahead under socialists, you have to be a socialist. To get ahead under Democrats, you have to be a Democrat. To get ahead under RINOs, you have to be a RINO. To get ahead under Affirmative Action and DEI, you have to be a female or a minority.
https://www.cbsnews.com/news/democrats-socialism-economy-political-parties-opinion-poll/
NEWSWEEK
— Best Test Prep 2026. DD: I would not have passed the CPA examination on my first attempt when I was 30 in 1979 if I had not a) taken the Becker CPA Review, b) taken graduate evening accounting courses at DePaul, c) earned an MBA from Loyola, and d) worked for IRS for 8 years.
https://www.newsweek.com/readerschoice/best-test-prep-2026
(FROM THE ARTICLE: Becker provides professional education and exam preparation programs for individuals pursuing accounting, finance and business certifications. Best known for its CPA Exam review courses, Becker offers comprehensive study materials, practice questions, lectures and personalized learning tools. Its programs help students and professionals prepare for certification exams while building the knowledge and skills needed for career advancement.)
WASHINGTON POST
— His family fled socialism. He’s trying to spread it. A young Cuban American is selling democratic socialism door-to-door across Miami. But he cannot bring himself to discuss it across his family’s kitchen table.
https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/2026/08/16/an-activist-tries-sell-socialism-miami-people-who-fled-castro/
USA TODAY
— DD: Democrat leaders ever-increasingly blame Trump for inflation.
https://www.usatoday.com/story/grocery/2026/08/10/families-using-credit-grocery-stores-costs/91128536007/
SEATTLE TIMES
— About one-third of single, unemployed Americans have paused dating. DD: What helped you become marriage material? By the time I got married when I was 29 in 1978, I had worked for IRS for almost 7 years and my salary was $110,066/year in today’s dollars. I had earned an MBA from Loyola in 1976 and I was taking graduate evening accounting courses at DePaul. I lived in a one bedroom condo in the Outer Drive East building that I had bought in 1976. I was renting out a town home in University Park that I had bought new in 1972. I owned a 1972 Corvette that I had bought new in 1971. See Money Magazine’s 4-page February 1978 article on my wife and I at https://gopillinois.com/documents/ Things that impressed me about my outstanding wife included that her first job after high school was working for the FBI. She soon became the Corporate Secretary of the U.S. League of Savings Institutions. She did much to help elect Big Jim Thompson governor in 1976. She earned a bachelor’s degree in finance from DePaul in 1986.
https://www.seattletimes.com/business/one-of-them-was-unemployed-could-they-afford-to-date/
WALL STREET JOURNAL
— Why White-Collar Workers Can’t Get Ahead. DD: What did you do to get ahead? I earned a job-related bachelor’s degree. I earned three job-related master’s degrees. I earned six job-related professional certifications. I earned a job-related professional license.
https://www.wsj.com/lifestyle/careers/why-white-collar-workers-cant-get-ahead-a5b4870e
— Democrats Try to End Internal Squabbling.
https://www.wsj.com/politics/elections/democrats-turn-focus-to-winning-after-months-of-internal-fights-29c49635
FORTUNE
— Backstabbing is the new office norm: Gen Z and millennials are blame-shifting, snitching, and setting others up to fail—but so are managers. DD: Far too many of my Democrat superiors, supervisors, coworkers, and subordinates were backstabbers. Far too many who claim to be religious, conservative, and/or Republican are backstabbers.
https://fortune.com/article/gen-z-millennials-backstabbing-get-ahead-career-new-office-norm-rto-research/
BUSINESS WIRE
— Getting ahead. DD: What did you do to get ahead? I earned a job-related bachelor’s degree. I earned three job-related master’s degrees. I earned six job-related professional certifications. I earned a job-related professional license.
https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20260324580106/en/New-Employer-Ratings-Reveal-Where-Workers-Actually-Get-Ahead-Role-by-Role
24/7 WALL STREET
— A couple earning $110,000 combined with $65,000 in student debt got Ramsey’s green light to have a baby, thanks largely to $45,000 in imminent PSLF forgiveness. Staying a two-income household is the single variable that determines success. Dropping to $55,000 makes the $2,200 mortgage financially crushing. Jade Warshaw recommends building a faux budget before the baby arrives, modeling both dual- and single-income scenarios with real daycare quotes. DD: According my Democrat GAO superiors, if my wife and I had children, I would not have been able to a) pass the CPA examination on my first attempt when I was 30, b) afford to take a $23,699/year (21%) pay cut in today’s dollars to transfer from IRS to GAO and earn a master’s degree in accounting when I was 31, c) pass the Certified Internal Auditor examination on my first attempt and become a licensed CPA when I was 32, d) have a home built in Wheaton when I was 35, and g) buy a collector car when I was 40. My Democrat GAO superiors ever-increasingly demonized, denigrated, and condemned my wife and I as being disgusting selfish rich DINKs. They would not have done that if I had been a Democrat, minority, female, or veteran. They knew full-well that both my wife and I had major fertility problems. They painted themselves as being grossly underpaid. They decried the time and money they spent raising their children. They decried the little or no income that their wives had. Should I write about my Democrat GAO superiors?
https://247wallst.com/personal-finance/2026/08/16/dave-ramsey-tells-couple-earning-110000-they-can-afford-a-baby-but-one-decision-could-change-everything/
HARVARD KENNEDY SCHOOL
— Defining a “Good Job” DD: What jobs have you had? Overwhelmingly, when I was young, my peers a) had parents who had more money than my parents did, b) did not have to take jobs let alone take bad jobs, and/or c) viewed the jobs that I took as being bad jobs that they would never stoop to take. I did yard work 1962-1964. I delivered newspapers 1962-1966. I washed dishes 1964-1966. I cleaned golf shoes, chipped slag, and pumped gasoline in 1966. I delivering mail 1966-1969. I worked on an automotive assembly line in 1970. I sold tires, automotive services, and major appliances 1970-1971. I pumped more gasoline 1971-1972. I collected delinquent federal taxes 1971-1980. I audited federal agencies 1980-1997.
https://www.hks.harvard.edu/centers/wiener/programs/economy/our-work/reimagining-economy-blog/daniel-schneider-defines-a-good-job
SHRM
— What’s the Difference Between a ‘Good’ Job and a ‘Bad’ Job? 10 Dimensions of Job Quality. DD: What about how jobs are viewed? All the jobs that I had were viewed as being bad jobs. I did yard work 1962-1964. I delivered newspapers 1962-1966. I washed dishes 1964-1966. I cleaned golf shoes, chipped slag, and pumped gasoline in 1966. I delivering mail 1966-1969. I worked on an automotive assembly line in 1970. I sold tires, automotive services, and major appliances 1970-1971. I pumped more gasoline 1971-1972. I collected delinquent federal taxes 1971-1980. I audited federal agencies 1980-1997.
https://www.shrm.org/topics-tools/news/employee-relations/whats-difference-good-job-bad-job
(FROM THE ARTICLE: Level of pay. Stable and predictable pay. Stable and predictable hours. Control over hours and/or job location. Job security. Employee benefits. Career advancement opportunities. Enjoying the day-to-day work. Having a sense of purpose and dignity at work. Having the power to change things that are unsatisfying at work.)
BEST COLLEGES
— 40 Companies That Pay for College With Tuition Reimbursement. DD: I worked for the Post Office 1966-1969, Firestone Stores 1970-1972, IRS 1971-1980, and GAO 1980-1997. Because they did not reimburse tuition or reimbursed only token amounts, I paid lots of my own money for tuition a) to earn a job-related bachelor’s degree from NIU in 1970 (many courses), b) to earn a job-related master’s degree from Loyola in 1976 (16 courses), c) to pass a job-related professional examination in 1979, d) to earn a job-related master’s degree from DePaul in 1980 (12 courses), e) to pass a job-related professional examination in 1981, and f) to earn a job-related master’s degree from IIT in 1997 (14 courses). To add insult to injury and to get rid of me, my Democrat IRS superiors disallowed my education deductions in 1978 outrageously, disgustingly, falsely, and unethically arguing that the courses I took a) did not relate to my job duties, b) did not maintain or improve my job skills, c) were taken by me to get a job in the private sector, and d) qualified me for a new trade or business.
https://www.bestcolleges.com/resources/companies-with-tuition-reimbursement/
AMERICAN FEDERATION OF TEACHERS
— Student debt: The hidden affordability crisis. DD: Because I worked my way through college, I graduated debt-free with a bachelor’s degree in management from NIU in August of 1970 owning a 1969 Dodge Charger SE. Not that I could have gotten a student loan, but if I had gotten one, I would not have been able to a) buy a new 1972 Corvette in October of 1971, b) pay tuition for graduate evening business courses starting in January of 1972, or b) buy a new townhome in September of 1972.
https://www.aft.org/column/student-debt-hidden-affordability-crisis
BUZZ FEED
— Jobs That Are Either Criminally Underpaid Or Wildly Overpaid. DD: According to my critics/opponents, I was always overpaid. I did yard work 1962-1964. I delivered newspapers 1962-1966. I washed dishes 1964-1966. I cleaned golf shoes, chipped slag, and pumped gasoline in 1966. I delivering mail 1966-1969. I worked on an automotive assembly line in 1970. I sold tires, automotive services, and major appliances 1970-1971. I pumped more gasoline 1971-1972. I collected delinquent federal taxes 1971-1980. I audited federal agencies 1980-1997.
https://www.yahoo.com/lifestyle/articles/29-jobs-either-criminally-underpaid-110103399.html
— Turning To Socialism. DD: To get ahead under Democrats, you have to be a Democrat. Because I refused to become a Democrat, I did not get ahead in the federal government. To get ahead under RINOs, you have to be a RINO. Because I refused to become a RINO, I did not get ahead in the Milton Township Republican Organization, DuPage County Republican Central Committee, or Illinois Republican Party.
https://www.aol.com/articles/fox-news-host-blaming-gop-202209000.html
POLITICO
— DD: Some blame Bernie Sanders for Hong’s defeat. I should write about the following who have blamed me and have blamed my GOPUSA ILLINOIS newsletters the most for defeats suffered by Republican candidates on ballots in my precinct since 2000: past and present a) leaders of the Milton Township Republican Organization, DuPage County Republican Central Committee, Illinois Republican Party, TAPROOT Republicans of Illinois, and Illinois Center Right Coalition, b) Republican leaders of Wheaton, Milton Township, DuPage County, and Illinois, c) Republican candidates on ballots in my precinct and their political consultants, major donors, fundraisers, pollsters, campaign managers, campaign staff members, and campaign volunteers, d) conservative leaders, and e) religious leaders.
https://www.politico.com/news/2026/08/13/bernie-sanders-wisconsin-progressives-hong-01037121
AXIOS
— America is quickly becoming Sin Nation. Or, as President Trump put it while discussing prediction markets in the Oval Office last month: “The whole world, unfortunately, has become somewhat of a casino.” Why it matters: Once-forbidden vices — weed, gambling and porn — are no longer confined to back alleys or the desert. They’re ubiquitous, digital and spreading at a pace that has outstripped the country’s social and regulatory guardrails. Governments didn’t turn a blind eye to most of this behavior. They encouraged it. We’re scaling sin in real time.
https://www.axios.com/2026/05/12/america-gambling-weed-deepfakes
PSY POST
— DD: As fewer and fewer and fewer men earn college degrees, college women increasingly marry men without degrees. My wife and I got married when I was 29. She was impressed that I earned a bachelor’s degree in management when I was 21 and an MBA when I was 27 and I was taking graduate evening accounting courses.
https://www.psypost.org/college-women-are-increasingly-marrying-men-without-degrees-as-college-demographics-shift/
August 3, 2026
FROM ILLINOIS CENTER-LEFT SOURCES
CBS2
— FRESH Illinois program provides food benefits to those who lost SNAP. DD: According to Google AI, “able-bodied” means an adult is physically and mentally fit for work, is aged 18 through 64, and does not have a dependent child under age 14 in their household. You are automatically exempt from these strict rules if you meet any of the following conditions: You receive federal or state disability benefits (like SSI or SSDI). A doctor or medical professional verifies that you are physically or mentally unable to work. You are pregnant. You live with a child under 14, even if that child isn’t yours or isn’t on your SNAP case. You are experiencing homelessness, are a veteran, or are a young adult aging out of foster care.
https://www.cbsnews.com/chicago/news/fresh-illinois-program-food-benefits-those-who-lost-snap/
(FROM THE ARTICLE: A new Illinois program launched this weekend, providing food benefits to people who lost their Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program benefits because of federal changes. The Families Receiving Emergency Support for Hunger, or FRESH, program kicked off on Saturday. State lawmakers put aside $70 million in the Fiscal Year 2027 budget for the program. On May 1, as many as 150,000 Illinois SNAP participants were set to lose their benefits due to new, stricter eligibility rules in the Trump Administration’s “One Big Beautiful Bill.” The bill requires all able-bodied adults 64 or younger to meet new work requirements to keep their food stamp benefits by either working, volunteering, or going to school for at least 80 hours a month. The new requirements apply to people ages 18 to 64, including veterans and unhoused people. Now, households that lost their SNAP benefits have been automatically enrolled to get to receive a $400 payment from the state.)
WGN9
— Chicago church holds lakefront baptisms to reach young adults after summer of teen takeovers. DD: What is your municipality doing to stop Democrat teen takeovers?
https://wgntv.com/news/features/chicago-church-holds-lakefront-baptisms-to-reach-young-adults/
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lvEzeUWpiJg
CHICAGO SUN-TIMES
— Joining mayor’s race, Giannoulias casts himself as a coalition builder, says Johnson ‘has not met the moment.’ Illinois Secretary of State Alexi Giannoulias enters the race as a presumed frontrunner, with a political target on his back after raising $22 million from business leaders and building trade unions.
https://chicago.suntimes.com/elections/2026/08/02/alexi-giannoulias-chicago-mayor-candidate-2027-february-election-secretary-of-state
CHICAGO SUN-TIMES & WBEZ
— Many women with high-risk pregnancies can’t get abortions in their home states. Illinois welcomes them. More people travel to Illinois than to any other state for an abortion. A program helps the small percentage who need care in a hospital.
https://chicago.suntimes.com/health/2026/08/03/many-women-with-high-risk-pregnancies-cant-get-abortions-in-their-home-states-illinois-welcomes-them
https://www.wbez.org/health-medicine/2026/08/03/many-women-with-high-risk-pregnancies-cant-get-abortions-in-their-home-states-illinois-welcomes-them
DAILY HERALD
— FRONT PAGE TOP OF FOLD: Special interests have dropped more than $4 million on suburban congressional races.
https://www.dailyherald.com/20260802/us-congress-politics/special-interests-have-dropped-more-than-4-million-on-suburban-congressional-races/
— Residents submit nearly 9,000 signatures seeking Aurora recall referendum.
https://www.dailyherald.com/20260802/local-politics/residents-submit-nearly-9000-signatures-seeking-aurora-recall-referendum/
CRAIN’S CHICAGO BUSINESS
— Secretary of State Alexi Giannoulias is running for mayor.
https://www.chicagobusiness.com/politics-policy/ccb-alexi-giannoulias-mayoral-campaign-20260802/
SPRINGFIELD STATE JOURNAL REGISTER
— DD: Democrat leaders ever-increasingly fight efforts to stop voter fraud.
https://www.sj-r.com/story/news/politics/elections/2026/08/03/illinois-pushes-back-on-federal-voter-roll-threats/91098671007/
BLOOMINGTON PANTAGRAPH
— Illinois launches new program to provide food benefits to people who lost SNAP. DD: According to Google AI, “able-bodied” means an adult is physically and mentally fit for work, is aged 18 through 64, and does not have a dependent child under age 14 in their household. You are automatically exempt from these strict rules if you meet any of the following conditions: You receive federal or state disability benefits (like SSI or SSDI). A doctor or medical professional verifies that you are physically or mentally unable to work. You are pregnant. You live with a child under 14, even if that child isn’t yours or isn’t on your SNAP case. You are experiencing homelessness, are a veteran, or are a young adult aging out of foster care.
https://pantagraph.com/news/state-regional/government-politics/article_f6368e6b-604d-5f5a-89b6-a6f2c5de1bd9.html
CHICAGO CRUSADER
— Just 14 percent of Chicago voters want Mayor Johnson to run again.
https://chicagocrusader.com/poll-says-just-14-percent-of-chicago-voters-want-mayor-johnson-to-run-again-2/
NPR ILLINOIS
— Trust in public health institutions is eroding.
https://www.nprillinois.org/2026-08-02/trust-in-public-health-institutions-is-eroding-what-can-officials-do
CENTRAL ILLINOIS PROUD
— DD: Democrat leaders say Senate Republicans see Trump as a growing political liability.
https://www.centralillinoisproud.com/hill-politics/senate-republicans-see-trump-as-a-growing-political-liability/
HINSDALE PATCH
— Bailey Campaign Tied To Hinsdale Woman Who Bashed Blacks, ‘Mexican Parades.’ The lieutenant governor candidate says the woman would have been his running mate had he sought the top job.
https://patch.com/illinois/hinsdale/bailey-campaign-tied-hinsdale-woman-who-bashed-blacks-mexican-parades
(FROM THE ARTICLE: A Hinsdale woman who has criticized Black people, Muslims, the LGBTQ community and “Mexican parades” could have been the Republican candidate for lieutenant governor. Kristina McCloy, who founded the conservative Concerned Parents of Illinois, introduced Republican lieutenant governor candidate Aaron Del Mar during a campaign launch event last fall in Oak Brook. It was for Del Mar and GOP governor candidate Darren Bailey, who chose Del Mar. During the event, McCloy, a former Republican Downers Grove Township trustee, introduced Del Mar. After reaching the podium, Del Mar called McCloy “a woman of integrity, courage and deep conviction.” “Kristina stood ready to run alongside me when I was preparing to launch my own campaign for governor,” Del Mar said, adding that he shares her values. Afterward, McCloy said it was a pleasure to speak at the Bailey-Del Mar event. “When Aaron Del Mar explored a run for governor, he asked me to be his running mate, and I was truly honored,” she wrote on the Concerned Parents social media page. More than a week ago, Patch asked McCloy about her past statements and her ties to the Bailey campaign. In response, McCloy said she had retained legal counsel in the matter. She also sent a link to a piece in the conservative DuPage County Policy Journal that she published after she received the Patch inquiry. In it, McCloy lays out a case that she says shows that the local Patch reporter is biased against conservatives. Del Mar and the Bailey campaign did not return messages for comment over the last week. ‘Mexican parades’ In 2024, McCloy asserted on the Concerned Parents’ Facebook page that schools are hiding the issue of African American children attacking white children. “Black children on white children attacks are frequently trending on social media,” McCloy said. “Schools, parents and towns have been downplaying and even hiding it.” She said some are scared to be at the forefront of the issue for fear of being labeled a racist. Lately, she has been criticizing Greg Hart, who became Hinsdale’s village president last year. He is a former Republican member of the DuPage County Board. On her Concerned Parents social media page, McCloy criticized Hart for “participation in LGBTQ community events, Mexican parades, Muslim events, public support for (Black Lives Matter), publicly complimenting the NAACP (National Association for the Advancement of Colored People), and thanking Joe Biden for his service.” ‘Illegal aliens’ In a DuPage Policy Journal piece, she also said Hart has not been aggressive enough in opposing Gov. J.B. Pritzker’s housing proposal, known as the BUILD Act, which would reduce local zoning powers. (Hart said on social media that he has let legislators and regional leaders know that Hinsdale opposes less local control. That effort has included his visiting Springfield, he said.) McCloy said Pritzker’s proposal would open the door to “increased Section 8 affordable housing” and more crime. As for crime, she said a Hinsdale robbery suspect did not speak English and lives in an area with a lot of Section 8 housing full of “illegal aliens.” Also in the DuPage Policy Journal, she denounced Hinsdale Republican Kari Galassi, a District 3 member of the DuPage County Board. She said Galassi backed giving money for Section 8 housing, the social services arm of the Islamic Circle of North America and “illegal alien assistance.” McCloy also posted a photo of Galassi wearing a headscarf while attending a Muslim community event, an appearance that McCloy said brought Galassi accusations of political pandering. On social media, McCloy posted a meme saying that no foreign-born people should hold powerful elected positions in the United States. She was referring to a President Joe Biden-appointed federal judge, who was born in Trinidad and Tobago. As it turns out, President Donald Trump appointed at least one foreign-born judge, James Ho, who is from Taiwan. At one point, Ho was under consideration for the Supreme Court. ‘Won’t apologize’ Recently, Village President Greg Hart responded on social media to McCloy’s criticism. He said he would work with Republicans, Democrats and independents whenever it advances Hinsdale. “I won’t apologize for believing our community should be welcoming, safe and full of opportunity for every law-abiding resident,” he said. Hart also pointed to McCloy’s passage about Mexican parades, Muslim events, LGBTQ functions and the NAACP. “In reading this op-ed, it seems like the views of the Concerned Parents founder belong in 1826,” he said. “I’ll keep governing in 2026.” In a social media response, Galassi said McCloy, whom she did not name, was criticizing her service for something she considers a strength – working with people of different perspectives to get things done. She said she invited McCloy to meet for “a respectful conversation to discuss our differences.” “Unfortunately, those invitations have been repeatedly denied,” Galassi said. ‘Certified young racist’ Among those responding to Galassi was Hinsdale conservative Jeff Waters, a member of the Hinsdale High School District 86 board. “That commentary is gum on your shoes, Kari – long on criticism and short on solutions,” Waters said. “Keep being you, KG. Since you stepped up to serve your friends and neighbors, the community has benefited greatly. Those who throw stones without ever picking up a shovel contribute zero, zilch, nada. And that’s no mystery to anyone.” In June, Zoe Marsh-Leigh, who is an African American conservative from Chicago, called McCloy “a certified young racist.” She applied the same label to Del Mar. She pointed to Patch’s 2024 story about McCloy’s warning of black children attacking white ones. “Black Chicago, we’re going to have to sit this out until Del Mar voluntarily withdraws,” Marsh-Leigh said on social media. Marsh-Leigh is a co-founder of Chicago Flips Red, which supports GOP candidates.)
POLITICO ILLINOIS
— Giannoulias makes it official
https://www.politico.com/newsletters/illinois-playbook/2026/08/03/giannoulias-makes-it-official-01021972
CAPITOL FAX
— Morning briefing
https://capitolfax.com/2026/08/03/isabel%e2%80%99s-morning-briefing-783/
FROM ILLINOIS CENTER-RIGHT SOURCES
BREAKTHROUGH IDEAS
— Pritzker’s Worship Of Fauci Led To The Covid Bafoonery In IL.
https://www.breakthrough-ideas.com/read/2026/08/02/pritzkers-worship-of-fauci-led-to-the-covid-bafoonery-in-il
CENTER SQUARE ILLINOIS
— Grocery store closures reignite debate over taxpayer-funded food access
https://www.thecentersquare.com/illinois/article_00a0a83a-e71f-4103-8530-caf85e502c9e.html
ILLINOIS POLICY INSTITUTE
— Stacy Davis Gates: The scandal-plagued leadership of a teachers union president
https://www.illinoispolicy.org/stacy-davis-gates-the-scandal-plagued-leadership-of-a-teachers-union-president/
FROM NATIONAL CENTER-RIGHT SOURCES
WASHINGTON TIMES
— Republicans should make Democrats own the radical agenda they refuse to reject. Voters deserve to know what the Democratic Party’s ‘big tent’ now includes. DD: Ever-increasingly, to vote for a Democrat is to vote for socialism.
https://www.washingtontimes.com/news/2026/aug/2/republicans-make-democrats-radical-agenda-refuse-reject/
— A federal appeals court has given the go-ahead for an Oregon school system to fire a social worker who displayed books defending the idea that there are only two sexes. DD: Democrats ever-increasingly promote more LGBTQ.
https://www.washingtontimes.com/news/2026/aug/1/court-says-school-employee-punished-displaying-books/
— Democrats’ anti-ICE fervor eclipses Laken Riley’s murder by illegal immigrant, the law named for her.
https://www.washingtontimes.com/news/2026/aug/2/democrats-anti-ice-fervor-eclipses-laken-rileys-murder-illegal/
WASHINGTO.N EXAMINER
— Bernie Sanders says he’s confident socialists can win in purple states
https://www.washingtonexaminer.com/news/campaigns/congressional/4672307/bernie-sanders-confident-socialist-win-purple-states/
NEW YORK POST
— Asylum-fraud crackdown is another key step in fixing the US immigration system. DD: What percent claim asylum falsely?
https://nypost.com/2026/08/02/opinion/asylum-fraud-crackdown-is-another-key-step-in-fixing-the-us-immigration-system/
— California Democrats need more spine to stop the socialists.
https://nypost.com/2026/08/02/opinion/california-democrats-need-more-spine-to-stop-the-socialists/
— Members of Mamdani’s DSA pledge to ‘support’ and ‘defend’ China: ‘Survival of Chinese socialism is a crucial matter’
https://www.aol.com/articles/members-mamdani-dsa-pledge-support-224305000.html
AMERICAN THINKER
— Boomer-era Democrats’ growing concerns about the socialist monster they created do not resonate with the young people they’ve trained to love socialism and communism. DD: What generation are you? What percent of them are Democrats?
https://www.americanthinker.com/blog/2026/08/older-dems-ok-boomer-problem-with-communism-in-their-party/
BLAZE
— Credentialed jobs are treated as precious, low-wage jobs are kept cheap, and working-class Americans are expected to disappear from the equation entirely. The left suddenly fears that artificial intelligence will replace American workers. It showed far less concern when illegal immigration undercut wages and jobs. The double standard reveals a larger economic vision: protection for the credentialed class, cheap labor at the bottom, and little concern for the working Americans caught between them. DD: If I had not earned an MBA when I was 27 in 1976 and passed the CPA examination on my first attempt when I was 30, the Democrats who ran GAO would not have hired when I was 31 because I was not a Democrat, minority, female, younger, or veteran. If had not earned a master’s degree in accounting when I was 31, passed the Certified Internal Auditor examination on my first attempt and became a licensed CPA when I was 32, earned four more professional certifications when I was 41, 45, 47, and 48, and earned a master’s degree in finance when I was 48, my Democrat GAO superiors would have gotten rid of me much sooner than they did because I was not a Democrat, minority, female, younger, or veteran.
https://www.theblaze.com/columns/opinion/americas-two-tier-economy-is-working-exactly-as-planned
BREITBART
— Donna Brazile to Dems: Don’t Get Caught in This ‘Socialist Wave’
https://www.breitbart.com/clips/2026/08/02/donna-brazile-democratic-party-cant-get-caught-in-this-socialist-wave/amp/
FOX BUSINESS
— The rise of ‘Gen Z affordability socialism,’ why younger voters are embracing government intervention to address the cost-of-living crisis. DD: When you were young, what did you do to afford things? I did not seek government intervention. I worked my way through college. I earned a job-related bachelor’s degree when I was 21 in 1970; job-related master’s degrees in 1976, 1980, and 1997; job-related professional certifications in 1979, 1981, 1990, 1994, 1996, and 1997; and a job-related professional license in 1981. I did yard work 1962-1964. I delivered newspapers 1962-1966. I washed dishes 1964-1966. I cleaned golf shoes, chipped slag, and pumped gasoline in 1966. I delivering mail 1966-1969. I worked on an automotive assembly line in 1970. I sold tires, automotive services, and major appliances 1970-1971. I pumped more gasoline 1971-1972. I collected delinquent taxes 1971-1980. I audited federal agencies 1980-1997.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3aCddPoh6WQ
FOX NEWS
— Socialism’s war on success. DD: Under socialism, to be successful, all you need to do is be a socialist. Under Democrats, to be successful, all you need to do is be a Democrat. For Democrats, the federal government exists to hire, retain, and promote Democrats who are minority, female, younger, veteran, disabled, non-Protestant, non-German American, and/or have ancestors who have not been in America for a long time. I worked for the Democrats who ran the federal government for almost 30 years. All my coworkers who my Democrat superiors promoted over me were Democrats who a) had less education than I had, b) had less work experience than I had, c) had no professional certification or fewer than I had, and/or d) had no professional license like the one I had and/or were a) minority, b) female, c) younger, d) veteran, e) non-Protestant, f) non-German American, and/or g) had ancestors who had not been in America for a long time.
https://www.aol.com/articles/socialisms-war-success-champion-running-090055000.html
— Entire Squad endorses Abdul El-Sayed days before Michigan Democratic Senate primary.
https://www.foxnews.com/politics/squad-endorses-abdul-el-sayed-days-before-michigan-democratic-senate-primary.amp
— Trump targets Biden-era billion-dollar Smithsonian budgets amid anti-‘woke’ push.
https://www.foxnews.com/politics/trump-targets-biden-era-billion-dollar-smithsonian-budgets-amid-anti-woke-push
LEADERSHIP INSTITUTE
— Candidate Vulnerability Assessment
https://leadershipinstitute.org/event/701VL00000xvu8MYAQ
(FROM THE ARTICLE: Identify the Problem Before Your Opponent Does. Every candidate enters a race with potential vulnerabilities. These may include previous statements, professional history, financial records, social media activity, personal relationships, policy positions, or inconsistencies in the candidate’s public record. Campaigns often devote significant time and resources to researching their opponents while failing to conduct the same level of research on their own candidate. This can leave a campaign unprepared when a reporter, opponent, activist, or social media account uncovers damaging information. Join Tom Jones and the Leadership Institute’s Advanced School of Politics for a one-hour online workshop exploring how campaigns can identify, evaluate, and prepare for candidate vulnerabilities before they become public crises. This workshop will provide a practical introduction to internal candidate research and help participants understand how successful campaigns uncover potential problems early, determine the seriousness of each issue, and prepare accurate and defensible responses.)
NEWSMAX
— Mamdani’s Grocery Plan Is Socialist.
https://www.newsmax.com/newsmax-tv/fernando-mateo-mamdani-nyc/2026/08/02/id/1264806/
— ICE Detentions Hit Trump 2nd-Term High.
https://www.newsmax.com/us/ice-migrants-detention/2026/08/02/id/1264826/
PJ MEDIA
— How Noncitizen Voters Sway Presidential Election Results.
https://pjmedia.com/catherinesalgado/2026/08/02/presler-shows-how-noncitizen-voters-can-sway-presidential-election-results-n4955729
REAL CLEAR POLITICS
— The Election Questions Democrats Won’t Answer.
https://www.realclearpolitics.com/articles/2026/08/03/the_election_questions_democrats_wont_answer_154384.amp.html
TOWNHALL
— All the Democrats Are Marxists.
https://townhall.com/columnists/allenwest/2026/08/03/dont-be-fooled-all-the-democrats-are-marxists-n2680492
— Democrats Want to Close the Prisons, Except Not for People Like You.
https://townhall.com/columnists/kurtschlichter/2026/08/03/democrats-want-to-close-the-prisons-except-not-for-people-like-you-n2680504
— For people who scream about wanting affordability, Democrats have yet to deliver on any of it. They have made education, housing, and healthcare costs skyrocket thanks to government intervention under the guise of “lowering costs.” DD: When you were young, what did you do to afford things? I did not seek government intervention. I worked my way through college. I earned a job-related bachelor’s degree when I was 21 in 1970; job-related master’s degrees in 1976, 1980, and 1997; job-related professional certifications in 1979, 1981, 1990, 1994, 1996, and 1997; and a job-related professional license in 1981. I did yard work 1962-1964. I delivered newspapers 1962-1966. I washed dishes 1964-1966. I cleaned golf shoes, chipped slag, and pumped gasoline in 1966. I delivering mail 1966-1969. I worked on an automotive assembly line in 1970. I sold tires, automotive services, and major appliances 1970-1971. I pumped more gasoline 1971-1972. I collected delinquent taxes 1971-1980. I audited federal agencies 1980-1997.
https://townhall.com/news/amy-curtis/2026/08/02/sun-vip-ny-dems-nuke-affordability-10-percent-discount-on-self-checkout-n2680469
— The Trump Administration Just Prosecuted Another Case of Election Fraud.
https://townhall.com/news/josephchalfant/2026/08/02/the-trump-administration-just-prosecuted-another-case-of-election-fraud-n2680527
FROM NATIONAL CENTER-LEFT SOURCES
CBS NEWS
— ICE detentions set Trump-era high in July, as immigration crackdown widens. DD: How many illegals are Democrats harboring in Illinois, in your county, in your township, in your municipality, in your school district, and in your precinct?
https://www.cbsnews.com/news/ice-detentions-trump-high-july-2026-immigration-crackdown-widens/
NEW YORK TIMES
— ‘Comradely’ Talks and a ‘Deer Leader’ Mascot: Scenes From the D.S.A. Summit. At a national meeting of the Democratic Socialists of America, nervous energy and a sprawling tableau of sometimes-competing interests were on display.
https://www.nytimes.com/2026/08/02/us/politics/democratic-socialists-america-convention.html
— What the Crackup of the Heritage Foundation Says About the Post-Trump Right. The bastion of American conservatism best known for Project 2025 has been consumed by an ideological — and generational — civil war.
https://www.nytimes.com/2026/07/28/magazine/heritage-foundation-trump-republicans.html
WASHINGTON POST
— A democratic socialist in the White House? Activists are thinking big. The Democratic Socialists of America summit was abuzz about whether to endorse a presidential candidate, potentially Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez. DD: Ever-increasingly, to vote for a Democrat is to vote for socialism.
https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/2026/08/02/democratic-socialists-are-already-eyeing-2028-with-aoc-mind/
USA TODAY
— Democratic Socialists of America propose radical overhaul of US govt. The Democratic Socialists of America want to fight for working-class Americans by offering free healthcare and abolishing the U.S. Senate. What else does their “Workers Deserve More” platform say? DD: For non-Republicans, government exists to take opportunities, money, and everything else away from Republicans and to give it all to non-Republicans.
https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/politics/2026/08/02/democratic-socialists-america-platform/91092595007/
— What Trump’s asylum change means for people seeking protection.
https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/nation/2026/08/03/what-trumps-new-asylum-policy-means-for-migrants-the-excerpt/91125161007/
WALL STREET JOURNAL
— Trump Team Feuds Over Whether Reflecting Pool Was Hit by Vandals or Botched Work. President criticizes Jeanine Pirro, his appointee as U.S. attorney, for dropping vandalism charge.
https://www.wsj.com/us-news/trump-team-feuds-over-whether-reflecting-pool-was-hit-by-vandals-or-botched-work-4c02ed6b
— Will Michigan’s Democrats Choose Socialism? Abdul El-Sayed looks headed for a victory.
https://www.wsj.com/video/series/journal-editorial-report/wsj-opinion-will-michigan-democrats-choose-socialism/21F80F90-77B4-4882-8196-656E2F5ABE43
— Socialist Chic and the ‘Medicare for All’ Sham. What Abdul El-Sayed proposes is a single-payer system nothing like the program for the elderly.
https://www.wsj.com/opinion/socialist-chic-and-the-medicare-for-all-sham-ceb05ab4
GOVERNMENT EXECUTIVE
— Who watches the watchdogs? GAO finds flaws in inspector general oversight system. President Donald Trump has fired nearly 20 IGs, and his administration last year put a hold on funding for the Council of the Inspectors General on Integrity and Efficiency. DD: While I worked for GAO for almost 18 years and served on the Association of Government Accountants Chicago Chapter Executive Committee for 13 years, I had lots of interactions with IG employees. I worked for GAO on an audit of EPA’s IG office in 1985.
https://www.govexec.com/oversight/2026/06/who-watches-watchdogs-gao-finds-flaws-inspector-general-oversight-system/414195/
UNIVERSITY OF MASSACHUSETTS
— How College Impacts Salary and Future Earning Potential. DD: If I had not earned a bachelor’s degree in business, Firestone Stores would not have hired me when I was 21 in 1970. If I had not passed the Federal Service Entrance Examination, IRS would not have hired me when I was 22. If I have not been taking graduate evening business courses, IRS would not have promoted me when I was 23, 24, and 25. If I had not earned an MBA when I was 27 and passed the CPA examination on my first attempt when I was 30, GAO would not have hired me when I was 31. If I had not I earned a master’s degree in accounting when I was 31 and passed the Certified Internal Auditor examination on my first attempt and became a licensed CPA when I was 32, GAO would not have promoted me when I was 38.
https://www.umassglobal.edu/blog-news/how-college-impacts-salary-and-future-earning-potential
PHILLY VOICE
— With school out, Philly teens say they need more places to build community and stay safe. Young people feel overpoliced and misunderstood when gathering in public and say they want more spaces dedicated just for them. DD: When you were a teen, what did you do when you were not in school? I did yard work 1962-1964. I delivered newspapers 1962-1966. I washed dishes 1964-1966. I cleaned golf shoes, chipped slag, and pumped gasoline in 1966. I delivered mail 1966-1969.
https://www.phillyvoice.com/philly-teens-public-gatherings-third-spaces-school-summer/
July 29, 2026
FROM ILLINOIS CENTER-LEFT SOURCES
CHICAGO TRIBUNE
— Rep. Fred Crespo: Did Illinois’ Speaker of the House normalize sexual harassment?
https://www.chicagotribune.com/2026/07/29/opinion-illinois-house-speaker-sexual-harassment-emanuel-chris-welch/
— Milwaukee makes a bid for laid off Chicago Public Schools teachers. DD: While Republicans dramatically downsized GAO while I worked for it 1980-1997, employers did not bid for the GAO employees who were dumped. Those employees were overwhelmingly White, male, and/or older.
https://www.chicagotribune.com/2026/07/28/milwaukee-seeks-cps-teachers/
— DD: Democrat leaders ever-increasingly a) glorify and praise their illegals and b) fight their deportation.
https://www.chicagotribune.com/2026/07/28/operation-midway-blitz-lawsuit/
— JB Pritzker and Rahm Emanuel are on a collision course in the 2028 presidential race.
https://www.chicagotribune.com/2026/07/29/column-jb-pritzker-rahm-emanuel-2028-presidential-race-washington/
CHICAGO SUN-TIMES
— ALL OF THE FRONT PAGE: As Illinois House Speaker Emanuel ‘Chris’ Welch navigates a new crisis, an older scandal remains unresolved.
https://chicago.suntimes.com/the-watchdogs/2026/07/28/illinois-house-speaker-emanuel-chris-welch-harry-benton-michael-j-madigan-sexual-harassment-inquiry
DAILY HERALD
— Schaumburg Township Republican Organization to hold annual picnic Aug. 2.
https://www.dailyherald.com/20260728/local-politics/schaumburg-township-republican-organization-to-hold-annual-picnic-aug-2/
— Second arrest made in Wheaton carjacking.
https://www.dailyherald.com/20260728/crime/second-arrest-made-in-wheaton-carjacking/
— FRONT PAGE WITH PICTURE: Around 170,000 ComEd customers remained without power Tuesday. As of 2:15 p.m., there were still 29,870 customers without power in DuPage County. DD: I bought a whole house backup generator in 2011. I should write about my Wheaton critics/opponents who have demonized/denigrated/condemned my decision the most.
https://www.dailyherald.com/20260728/news/dupage-was-hit-hard-tornado-confirmed-in-glen-ellyn-straight-line-winds-strike-carol-stream-dow/
— The practical struggle for relevance: Campaign finance picture shows the challenge of being taken seriously.
https://www.dailyherald.com/20260727/editorials/daily-herald-opinion-the-practical-struggle-for-relevance-campaign-finance-picture-shows-the-chall/
(FROM THE EDITORIAL: Our Russell Lissau’s campaign finance update for the November election last Sunday painted a grim picture for Republican candidates at the state and federal level in Illinois. Even more important is the grim picture it forebodes for American politics broadly. First, consider the immediate circumstance. As Lissau reported, Democratic candidates are overwhelmingly better fortified financially than Republicans, with many of their coffers swelling with $1 million or more. For the GOP, only one candidate reports having saved more than $100,000. In such a setting, Republican candidates cannot hope to keep pace with their opposition in getting their message out to voters through public appearances, online and broadcast advertising or other avenues. As a result, in the manner of a vicious circle, potential donors are holding onto their money, which only deepens the candidates’ predicament. College of DuPage political science professor Melissa Mouritsen described the situation in chilling terms. “This little cash so late in the game,” she said, “means few are taking them seriously.” It is troubling enough when a candidate in even one race is so irrelevant that he or she is not taken seriously. When the condition applies to a large body of candidates or even an entire party, that is a disturbing commentary on the state of our politics and the health of our democracy. Nor does the situation involve simply a lack of money. To an even greater extent, it involves the ability of some candidates to amass too much money, often from sources with much to gain from political favor. In such cases, the vicious cycle works in reverse, steadily expanding the war chests of candidates with an already decisive edge. Even before the 2010 Citizens United decision threw open the doors to unrestricted political donors and donations, many political observers fretted about the influence of money in politics. Sixteen years later, the situation is reaching a state of crisis. This crisis is exacerbated by another political factor — this one, too, enabled by a compliant Supreme Court seemingly indifferent to the quality of American self-government. It is the remaking of political boundaries that allows a party in power to tilt voting outcomes in its favor, commonly known as gerrymandering. To be sure, the Trump-shackled Republican Party suffers from certain self-inflicted ailments related to failures on traditional issues like guns and butter. But even discounting those, gerrymandering and all-but-unrestricted campaign fundraising have combined to put Republicans in Illinois in a life-or-death struggle for relevancy. This is not exactly a surprising or new observation, and its opposite is abundantly present in states like Republican-entrenched Florida, South Carolina and many more. But what is surprising is that more candidates of both parties are not rebelling against the conditions that so threaten the health of our political system. The solutions to gerrymandering and financial inequity among campaigns are not simple, and likely demand the difficult and complicated intercession of constitutional amendments. So, it is understandable that politicians avoid the complex, ugly work of producing systemic change and instead shift their messaging toward topics that involve people’s lives more directly and immediately. But it also should be obvious, as Republicans in Illinois offer ample evidence, that getting those messages out — not to mention getting them across — is growing more difficult by the year. At some point, and we urge candidates to make it soon, we’ve got to begin building more prominent messages about the fundamental scaffolding required to take seriously discussions of those direct and immediate issues.)
STATELINE
— Undocumented immigration population reached as high as 15.8M, report finds. Numbers from 2024 may have dropped under Trump administration policies. DD: How many millions of their illegals are Democrats harboring in Illinois, in your county, in your township, in your municipality, in your school district, and in your precinct?
https://stateline.org/2026/07/29/undocumented-immigration-population-reached-as-high-as-15-8m-report-finds/
WAND TV
— Republicans decry a new Democratic Socialists of America platform as Dem primaries split the party. A new platform from the progressive Democratic Socialists of America is sparking Republican attacks.
https://www.wandtv.com/news/national/republicans-decry-a-new-democratic-socialists-of-america-platform-as-dem-primaries-split-the-party/article_7c4bd890-debf-5618-99c4-52b366e74066.html
NPR ILLINOIS
— DD: To get more votes from those who have less money, Democrat candidates ever-increasingly promise to ever-increasingly use government a) to take more money from those who have more money and b) give that money to those who have less money. It is called redistribution of wealth.
https://www.nprillinois.org/2026-07-29/to-win-over-working-class-voters-democrats-need-to-stop-talking-about-democracy
WGLT
— DD: Democrat leaders ever-increasingly push more pot.
https://www.wglt.org/2026-07-28/how-cannabis-effects-our-sleep-and-our-dreams
PEOPLE’S RESOURCE CENTER WHEATON
— Urgent Need: 3 tons of food lost at PRC Wheaton. The power on our Wheaton Campus is restored. We are replenishing what we lost with donations of avocados, clementines, corn, bell peppers, onions, and watermelon. DD: I bought a whole house backup generator in 2011. I should write about my Wheaton critics/opponents who have demonized/denigrated/condemned my decision the most.
https://www.facebook.com/peoplesresourcecenter/posts/the-power-on-our-wheaton-campus-is-restored-however-due-to-yesterdays-power-outa/1460225049475009/
ILLINOIS PATCH
— Over 214,000 Still Without Power Across Chicago Area After Monday’s Severe Weather. ComEd said that 80 percent of outages should be restored by noon on Wednesday. Damage/tornado surveys are happening Tuesday. DD: I bought a whole house backup generator in 2011. I should write about my Wheaton critics/opponents who have demonized/denigrated/condemned my decision the most.
https://patch.com/illinois/across-il/over-214-000-still-without-power-across-chicago-area-after-mondays-severe-weather
CWB CHICAGO
— Migrant detained after allegedly dragging CPD officer with car, biting cop during arrest.
https://cwbchicago.com/2026/07/migrant-detained-after-allegedly-dragging-cpd-officer-with-car-biting-cop-during-arrest.html
WINDY CITY TIMES
— The unapologetic queer history at the new Obama Presidential Center.
https://windycitytimes.com/2026/07/28/opinion-the-unapologetic-queer-history-at-the-new-obama-presidential-center/
PRITZKER
— Dangerous Darren Bailey. He’s too extreme for Illinois. DD: According to my critics/opponents, I am too extreme for my precinct, for Wheaton, for Milton Township, for DuPage County, and for Illinois. I challenge my critics/opponents to put their charges against me in writing and to give me an opportunity to respond.
https://www.dangerousdarrenbailey.com/
POLITICO ILLINOIS
— Petition season fuels mayoral suspense.
https://www.politico.com/newsletters/illinois-playbook/2026/07/29/petition-season-fuels-mayoral-suspense-01014573
CAPITOL FAX
— Illinois NOW: ‘We should be able to trust that men in leadership, who claim to want to protect women, will actually do so’
https://capitolfax.com/2026/07/28/illinois-now-we-should-be-able-to-trust-that-men-in-leadership-who-claim-to-want-to-protect-women-will-actually-do-so/
— Morning briefing
https://capitolfax.com/2026/07/29/isabel%e2%80%99s-morning-briefing-780/
— Afternoon roundup
https://capitolfax.com/2026/07/28/isabel%e2%80%99s-afternoon-roundup-565/
FROM ILLINOIS CENTER-RIGHT SOURCES
CHICAGO CONTRARIAN
— The Red Dawn of Realism: Why Brandon Johnson’s Base Is Fleeing Chicago’s Progressive Circus.
https://www.chicagocontrarian.com/blog/red-dawn-realism-brandon-johnson-chicago-progressive-circus
CENTER SQUARE ILLINOIS
— Tracy rips Stratton for liberal policies, not committing to debate.
https://www.thecentersquare.com/illinois/article_fc3a8aec-95de-47e7-ac47-255b9e423dc6.html
MCHENRY COUNTY BLOG
— Two Assistant State’s Attorneys Represent Private Client Using Courthouse Recourses– “Felonious Official Misconduct” Claimed in Suit
https://www.mchenrycountyblog.com/2026/07/22/two-assistant-states-attorneys-represent-private-client-using-courthouse-recourses-felonious-official-misconduct-claimed-in-suit/
— Corbett Offers Video of Tuesday Night Questions from Listeners and His Answers
https://www.mchenrycountyblog.com/2026/07/22/corbett-offers-video-of-tuesday-night-questions-from-listeners-and-his-answers/
— Ultra-Low-Temperature Cryogenic Systems Announce Facility in Illinois Quantum and Microelectronics Park — 21 New Jobs
https://www.mchenrycountyblog.com/2026/07/23/ultra-low-temperature-cryogenic-systems-announce-facilty-in-illinois-quantum-and-microelectronics-park/
— In Public Comment, Kelly Liebman Keeps Pressure on County Board on Home Rule
https://www.mchenrycountyblog.com/2026/07/23/in-public-comment-kelly-liebman-keeps-pressure-on-county-board-on-home-rule/
— Corbett Comments on State Police Killing Mother in St. Clair County
https://www.mchenrycountyblog.com/2026/07/23/corbett-comments-on-state-police-killing-mother-in-st-clair-county/
— Feds Take Down Woman Who Embezzled from a Sports Team Booster Club
https://www.mchenrycountyblog.com/2026/07/23/feds-take-down-woman-who-embezzled-from-a-sports-team-booster-club/
— What’s Happening to Illinois Ex-Pats Running for Congress in Florida?
https://www.mchenrycountyblog.com/2026/07/23/whats-happening-to-illinois-ex-pats-running-for-congress-in-florida/
— TSA Screening Will Be Faster as New Imaging Process Is Implemented
https://www.mchenrycountyblog.com/2026/07/24/tsa-screening-will-be-faster-as-new-imaging-process-is-implemented/
— Don Tracy, GOP Candidate for the U.S. Senate Releases Video
https://www.mchenrycountyblog.com/2026/07/24/don-tracy-gop-candidate-for-the-u-s-senate-releases-video/
— Building Solar Farms Could Require Much Less Manpower
https://www.mchenrycountyblog.com/2026/07/24/building-solar-farms-could-require-much-less-manpower/
— Female Highland Park Coyote Sentence to Nine Years for Forcing Illegal Aliens into Indentured Servants
https://www.mchenrycountyblog.com/2026/07/24/female-highland-park-coyote-sentence-to-nine-years-for-forcing-illegal-aliens-into-indentured-servants/
— Bailey Finally Addresses Issue Suburbanites Can Relate To: Tolls
https://www.mchenrycountyblog.com/2026/07/24/bailey-finally-addresses-issue-suburbanites-can-relate-to-tolls/
— District 300 Tax Hikers Vote 7-0 to Ask Voters for Permission to Borrow
https://www.mchenrycountyblog.com/2026/07/24/district-300-tax-hikers-vote-7-0-to-ask-voters-for-permission-to-borrow/
— Woodstock Man One of Six Arrested and Kept in Jail for Running Brothels
https://www.mchenrycountyblog.com/2026/07/24/woodstock-man-one-of-six-arrested-and-kept-i-jail-for-running-brothels/
— A Pension System Better Than State and local Government Employees
https://www.mchenrycountyblog.com/2026/07/25/a-pension-system-better-than-state-and-local-government-employees/
— GOP Leader Calls for Common Sense at the Federal Drug Administration
https://www.mchenrycountyblog.com/2026/07/25/gop-leader-calls-common-sense-at-the-federal-drug-administration/
— Republican U.S. Senate Candidate Don Tracy Criticizes Opponent’s Party’s Tax and Salary Hikes
https://www.mchenrycountyblog.com/2026/07/25/republican-u-s-senate-candidate-don-tracy-criticizes-opponents-partys-tax-and-salary-hikes/
— Credit Will Be Given to Park Grant Requests That Seek Inclusive Designs That Go Beyond Minimum Accessibility Standards
https://www.mchenrycountyblog.com/2026/07/25/credit-will-be-given-to-park-grant-requests-that-seek-inclusive-designs-that-go-beyond-minimum-accessibility-standards/
— Video of Apparition in McHenry County
https://www.mchenrycountyblog.com/2026/07/26/video-of-apparition-in-mchenry-county/
— The Second Amendment Explained by Man Who Signed All Four Founding Documents
https://www.mchenrycountyblog.com/2026/07/26/the-second-amendment-explained-by-man-who-signed-all-four-founding-documents/
FROM NATIONAL CENTER-RIGHT SOURCES
WASHINGTON EXAMINER
— Abortion pills don’t empower women. They empower abusive men.
https://www.washingtonexaminer.com/op-eds/4665054/abortion-pills-empower-abusive-men-pressure-deception-into-pill-popping/
1819 NEWS
— Tuberville bashes Mamdani’s plan for government-run grocery stores, says customer base will be illegal aliens.
https://1819news.com/news/item/tuberville-bashes-mamdanis-plan-for-government-run-grocery-stores-argues-customer-base-will-be-illegal-aliens
AMERICAN ENTERPISE INSTITUTE
— Lessons from the 1996 Welfare Reform Law Approaching Its 30th Anniversary. DD: Because voters who receive welfare vote for Democrats, Democrat leaders put as many voters on welfare as they can. What did you do to avoid being on welfare? I did yard work 1962-1964, delivered newspapers 1962-1966, washed dishes 1964-1966, cleaned golf shoes, chipped slag, and pumped gasoline in 1966, delivered mail 1966-1969, worked on an automotive assemble line in 1970, sold tires, automotive services, and major appliances 1970-1971, pumped more gasoline 1971-1972, collected delinquent taxes 1971-1980, and audited federal agencies 1980-1997. I worked my way through college and earned a job-related bachelor’s degree, three job-related master’s degrees, six job-related professional certifications, and a job-related professional license.
https://www.aei.org/commentary/lessons-from-the-1996-welfare-reform-law-approaching-its-30th-anniversary/
BREITBART
— Retiring GOP Rep. Don Bacon says “hate” and ‘stupidity” are motivating the citizens who oppose his support of a cheap labor bill for the rural economy– even as multiple other GOP representatives are quietly quitting the amnesty push. DD: All my employers would have hired noncitizens instead of me if they could have. My critics/opponents cannot say that because they had wealthy parents. Noncitizens work for less money and they are easier to exploit.
https://www.breitbart.com/politics/2026/07/28/hate-stupidity-rep-bacon-slams-citizen-opposition-to-visa-workforce-bill/amp/
— Democrat-run Chicago Blames Trump for 7 More Grocery Store Closings.
https://www.breitbart.com/politics/2026/07/28/nolte-democrat-run-chicago-blames-trump-for-7-more-grocery-store-closings/
COLLEGE FIX
— Professors push ‘antiracism’ therapy to train ‘white allies’ at psychology conference. DD: I should write about my White critics/opponents who promote hatred against Whites to curry favor with non-Whites. I should write about my male critics/opponents who promote hatred against males to curry favor with females. I should write about my older critics/opponents who promote hatred against older people to curry favor with younger people. I should write about my “heterosexual” critics/opponents who promote hatred against heterosexuals to curry favor with LGBTQers. I should write about my “conservative” critics/opponents who promote hatred against conservatives to curry favor with liberals and moderates. I should write about my “Republican” critics/opponents who promote hatred against Republicans curry favor with non-Republicans. I would focus on the aforesaid who have had their operatives and their dupes take the most/biggest adverse actions against me.
https://www.thecollegefix.com/professors-push-antiracism-therapy-to-train-white-allies-at-psychology-conference/
DAILY SIGNAL
— Mamdani’s Tax List Reveals the Dark Side of Socialist Class Warfare.
https://www.dailysignal.com/2026/07/28/mamdani-tax-list-socialist-class-warfare/
FOX NEWS
— The welfare state broke Black families. Work can help restore the dream. Rooftop Revelations: Mothers on Chicago’s South Side are completing electrician training and passing the police exam to escape dependency.
https://www.foxnews.com/opinion/welfare-state-broke-black-families-work-restore-dream
FOUNDATION FOR GOVERNMENT ACCOUNTABILITY
— Fake and Stolen Identities Lead to Waste, Fraud, and Abuse in Welfare Programs.
https://thefga.org/research/fake-stolen-identities-welfare-programs/
LEGAL INSURRECTION
— University at Buffalo Dental Orientation Includes DEI-Focused Required Training.
https://legalinsurrection.com/2026/07/university-at-buffalo-dental-orientation-includes-dei-focused-required-training/amp/
— NYC Democrat Socialists Say They’re Coming For The School Kids. “They are emboldened by their win in the New York City Mayor’s race, and they’re going straight for the children.”
https://legalinsurrection.com/2026/07/nyc-democrat-socialists-say-theyre-coming-for-the-school-kids/
NEWSMAX
— Dems Open 12-Point Lead on Healthcare. DD: The federal government paying 72% of my healthcare insurance since 1966 and then also paying 72% of my wife’s healthcare insurance since 1978 helped me endure tremendous efforts by my Democrat superiors in the federal government to waste my career and to get rid of me. For Democrats, the federal government exists to hire, retain, and promote Democrats who are minority, female, younger, veteran, non-Protestant, non-German American, and/or have ancestors who have not been in America for a long time.
https://www.newsmax.com/politics/healthcare-rasmussen-democrats/2026/07/28/id/1264290/
TOWNHALL
— Here’s Chicago’s Latest Solution to Crime on the Subway.
https://townhall.com/tipsheet/amy-curtis/2026/07/29/chicagos-solution-to-crime-on-the-subway-n2680286
FROM NATIONAL CENTER-LEFT SOURCES
THE HILL
— Corporate boardroom diversity sinks to lowest in more than a decade. DD: The Democrats who ran the Post Office in 1966, IRS in 1971, and GAO in 1980 hired me because they could not find a qualified Democrat, minority, female, younger person, or veteran who would take the job. All my coworkers who they promoted over me were Democrats who were minority, female, younger, veteran, non-Protestant, non-German American, and/or have ancestors who have not been in America for a long time. They all a) had less education than I had, b) had less work experience than I had, c) had no professional certification or fewer than I had, and/or d) had no professional license like the one I had. For Democrats, the federal government exists to hire, retain, and promote Democrats who are minority, female, younger, veteran, non-Protestant, non-German American, and/or have ancestors who have not been in America for a long time.
https://thehill.com/business/5995257-corporate-boardroom-diversity-sinks-to-lowest-in-more-than-a-decade-analysis/
ASSOCIATED PRESS
— The Trump administration wants soldiers to consider becoming truck drivers when they leave the military to help replace the tens of thousands of immigrant drivers who lost their licenses in a crackdown this year. A new campaign launched Friday will promote programs that let veterans who recently drove large military vehicles skip the required skills test for a commercial driver’s license. Other soldiers can attend a commercial driving school during their last six months of active duty. The GI Bill will also pay for 100% of commercial driver’s license training and for some people even pay a housing allowance while they are in school. DD: I often drove postal trucks while I worked for the Post Office 1966-1969.
https://www.wftv.com/news/business/white-house-wants/ZBOS2L2IPI7NDPRNHPDJEKBWXU/
ABC NEWS
— Trump lobs insults at political opponents, press during rescheduled White House correspondents’ dinner. DD: My critics/opponents have their operatives and dupes lob insults at me. I should write about the biggest insults lobed at me at Milton Township Republican Organization, DuPage County Republican Central Committee, Illinois Republican Party, TAPROOT Republicans of Illinois, and Illinois Center Right Coalition events since 2000.
https://abcnews.com/Politics/trump-attend-rescheduled-white-house-correspondents-dinner-friday/story?id=135027808
NEW YORK TIMES
— FRONT PAGE: A California Beach City Struggles to Cope With Rowdy Outsiders. More than 400 people were arrested in Newport Beach on the July 4 weekend after a social media “takeover” got out of hand. Now the city is trying to figure out how to stop it from happening again. DD: What is your municipality doing to stop Democrat teen takeovers?
https://www.nytimes.com/2026/07/28/us/newport-beach-california-teen-takeover.html
WASHINGTON POST
— Whom will Democrats nominate in 2028? The scales just tilted. The DNC’s primary schedule is set to favor the establishment. South Carolina leads the way.
https://www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/2026/07/28/dnc-proposes-2028-primary-schedule-that-could-hurt-socialists/
— DD: Because voters who receive welfare vote for Democrats, Democrat leaders put as many voters on welfare as they can. What did you do to avoid being on welfare? I did yard work 1962-1964, delivered newspapers 1962-1966, washed dishes 1964-1966, cleaned golf shoes, chipped slag, and pumped gasoline in 1966, delivered mail 1966-1969, worked on an automotive assemble line in 1970, sold tires, automotive services, and major appliances 1970-1971, pumped more gasoline 1971-1972, collected delinquent taxes 1971-1980, and audited federal agencies 1980-1997. I worked my way through college and earned a job-related bachelor’s degree, three job-related master’s degrees, six job-related professional certifications, and a job-related professional license.
https://www.washingtonpost.com/ripple/2026/07/27/clinton-welfare-trump-big-beautiful-bill/
USA TODAY
— Trump says the northern border is weak.
https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/nation/2026/07/29/trump-us-canada-border-what-its-like/90832679007/
— DD: Democrat leaders ever-increasingly a) glorify and praise their illegals and b) fight their deportation.
https://www.usatoday.com/story/opinion/2026/07/22/ice-killing-maine-texas-dhs-records-misconduct/90959563007/
— Almost anyone can be an ICE agent now. That’s a problem. Department of Homeland Security’s Immigration and Customs Enforcement hiring push lowers the bar for recruits, including reduced training, slower background checks and lower physical abilities. DD: IRS would not have hired me to be a Revenue Officer when I was 22 in 1971 if I had not had a bachelor’s degree in business and passed the Federal Service Entrance Examination. The first 6 months I worked for IRS was in classroom training.
https://www.usatoday.com/story/opinion/2025/12/03/ice-hiring-border-patrol-jobs-immigration-agents/87483770007/
SEATTLE WEEKLY
— When newspapers go, partisanship grows and lies are believed. DD: Do you help fill voids? I do. I put together and send out GOPUSA ILLINOIS newsletters every morning and often in the evening too. Those newsletters help fill tremendous voids in government and political news and commentary reporting from a conservative perspective in Illinois, DuPage County, Milton Township, and Wheaton. My critics/opponents reject many conservative principles and many planks in the Republican Party platform, most commonly, its personal responsibility, traditional marriage and family, right to life, immigration, anti-vice, Second Amendment, equal opportunity (no race or gender based preference giving) planks. They are anti-conservative if not conservative-haters. I should write about my critics/opponents. I would focus on those who have lots of government, political, financial, and/or religious clout in Wheaton, Milton Township, DuPage County, and Illinois.
https://www.seattleweekly.com/2026/07/28/when-newspapers-go-partisanship-grows-and-lies-are-believed-the-free-press-initiative/
WALL STREET JOURNAL
— Trump Has a Point About the Smithsonian. Its American history museum has become an instrument of left-wing culture warriors.
https://www.wsj.com/opinion/trump-has-a-point-about-the-smithsonian-ac436cc4
— The Welfare State That Ate Britain. The new Prime Minister learns he has narrow fiscal running room. DD: Because voters who receive welfare vote for Democrats, Democrat leaders put as many voters on welfare as they can. What did you do to avoid being on welfare? I did yard work 1962-1964, delivered newspapers 1962-1966, washed dishes 1964-1966, cleaned golf shoes, chipped slag, and pumped gasoline in 1966, delivered mail 1966-1969, worked on an automotive assemble line in 1970, sold tires, automotive services, and major appliances 1970-1971, pumped more gasoline 1971-1972, collected delinquent taxes 1971-1980, and audited federal agencies 1980-1997. I worked my way through college and earned a job-related bachelor’s degree, three job-related master’s degrees, six job-related professional certifications, and a job-related professional license.
https://www.wsj.com/opinion/u-k-welfare-state-treasury-disability-payments-andy-burnham-d09c9fa7
— Supersizing Your Retirement Account. DD: IRS and GAO employees have to file financial disclosure reports with their superiors annually. As I worked for the Democrats who ran IRS 1971-1980 and GAO 1980-1997, they were ever-increasingly envious/furious at what I and then what my wife and I had saved for our retirement.
https://www.wsj.com/personal-finance/retirement/the-everyday-guide-to-supersizing-your-retirement-account-8e914e8e
BLOOMBERG LAW
— Professors Notch Court Wins Over States Banning ‘Woke’ Teaching. DD: To promote wokeness/wokeism is to promote more hatred against Republicans who are conservative, White, male, older, Protestant, German American, and/or have ancestors who have been in America for a long time. My critics/opponents promote wokeness/wokeism.
https://news.bloomberglaw.com/daily-labor-report/professors-notch-court-wins-over-states-banning-woke-teaching
PARTNERSHIP FOR PUBLIC SERVICE
— Merit Systems Protection Board 101: Individual cases, including agency elimination, restructuring, probationary employees and more. DD: Federal employees who are the following have no Civil Service protections: conservative, Republican, White, male, older, non-veteran, German American, and/or have ancestors who have been in America for a long time. Unions provide some protection. But GAO did not unionize until 2007. If GAO had been unionized when I transferred from IRS in 1980, my Democrat GAO superiors might not have been able to take the many big adverse actions against me that they did including forcing me to retire when I was 49 in 1997.
https://ourpublicservice.org/know-the-facts/blog/merit-systems-protection-board-mspb-cases-agency-elimination-restructuring-probationary-employees
MORNING POLITICS
— Senate Confirms Jay Clayton as Intelligence Chief on Party-Line Vote. The former SEC chair and Manhattan prosecutor takes over 18 spy agencies with no career intelligence background. DD: Democrats do not want Republicans to audit Democrats. The Democrat GAO Audits the Democrat IRS. To force me to take a $23,699/year (21%) pay cut to transfer from IRS to GAO when I was 31 in 1980, my Democrat GAO superiors outrageously, disgustingly, and unethically ignored/dismissed/belittled/badmouthed a) what I had learned working for IRS’s Collection Division for almost 9 years, the last 5 1/2 years of which at the GS-12 Step 1-5 Levels, currently $100,059-$113,402/year, b) my having passed the CPA examination on my first attempt in 1979, c) my earning an MBA from Loyola in 1976, and d) the fact that much of what I did for IRS was similar to what I would do for GAO. They kept me off audits of IRS’s Collection Division for all of the almost 18 years that I worked for GAO but did let me work on audits of IRS’s Criminal Investigation Division for 3 years. They would not have wasted my knowledge of IRS if I had been a Democrat, female, or veteran.
https://www.morningpolitics.com/articles/senate-confirms-jay-clayton-as-intelligence-chief-on-party-line-vote
FED SMITH
— TSP Millionaires Hit New Record as Markets Rebound in Q2. A record 224,420 federal employees and retirees now hold $1 million or more in their TSP. Here is how the numbers shifted in 2026. DD: My Civil Service Retirement System pension and my retirement savings are dramatically less because my Democrat superiors wasted my career and forced me to retire when I was 49 in 1997.
https://www.fedsmith.com/2026/07/27/tsp-millionaires-hit-new-record-as-markets-rebound-in-q2/
AARP
— What to Do If You Can’t Afford Your Health Insurance. DD: The federal government paying 72% of my health insurance since 1966 and then also paying 72% of my wife’s health insurance since 1978 helped me endure tremendous efforts by my Democrat superiors in the federal government to waste my career and to get rid of me. For Democrats, the federal government exists to hire, retain, and promote Democrats who are minority, female, younger, veteran, non-Protestant, non-German American, and/or have ancestors who have not been in America for a long time.
https://www.aarp.org/health/healthcare/cant-afford-health-insurance/
MANHATTAN INSTITUTE
— New York City’s Migrant Crisis A Case Study of Welfare Magnet Effects. DD: How successful have Democrat leaders been attracting welfare recipients to your county, township, municipality, school district, and precinct? I should write about their success in attracting welfare recipients to DuPage County, Milton Township, Wheaton, Wheaton Warrenville School District 200, and my precinct.
https://manhattan.institute/article/new-york-citys-migrant-crisis-a-case-study-of-welfare-magnet-effects
PSYCHOLOGY TODAY
— Why It’s So Hard to Catch a Master Manipulator. DD: My critics/opponents have their operatives and their dupes destroy those like me a) who they cannot manipulate or dominate, b) who refuse to glorify or praise them, c) who refuse to pander to them, d) who refuse to serve as one of their operatives or dupes, e) who refuse to cover up their wrong doing, and/or f) who refuse to give them money. I should write about my critics/opponents. I would focus on those who have lots of government, political, financial, and/or religious clout in Wheaton, Milton Township, DuPage County, and Illinois.
https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/blog/fulfillment-at-any-age/202412/its-remarkably-hard-to-catch-the-master-manipulator
LGBTQ NATION
— Gen Z adults are staying away from churches because of Trump.
https://www.lgbtqnation.com/2026/07/gen-z-adults-are-staying-away-from-churches-because-of/
FROM OTHER SOURCES
CONSUMER REPORTS
— How to Buy a New Car. DD: I have bought many new cars since I was 17 in 1966.
https://www.consumerreports.org/cars/buying-a-car/how-to-buy-a-car-in-todays-challenging-market-a7648220054/
July 20, 2026
FROM ILLINOIS CENTER-LEFT SOURCES
CHICAGO SUN-TIMES
— Illinois Republican Party chair Bob Grogan aims to shake off ‘Stockholm syndrome’ of struggling state GOP. Shut out of statewide office for a decade, the new face of the Illinois GOP is appealing to a suburban base that has evaporated under President Donald Trump.
https://chicago.suntimes.com/politics/2026/07/20/bob-grogan-illinois-republican-party-new-chairperson-dupage-county-auditor
(FROM THE ARTICLE: It doesn’t take a professional auditor to conclude the Illinois Republican Party is stuck in a rut, but the state GOP is hoping one can get them back on the path to relevance. Nearly 12 years removed from their last statewide election victory and long relegated to super-minority status in Springfield, Republicans have tapped former DuPage County Auditor Bob Grogan to chair the state party, aiming to revitalize the suburban base that has largely abandoned the GOP under President Donald Trump. Grogan spent 12 years as an elected watchdog keeping tabs on various arms of the county government, and he has no misconceptions about his new volunteer post recruiting candidates, fundraising and, most importantly, attempting to unite a fractured party. “You get blamed for everything and credit for nothing,” Grogan told the Sun-Times. “I’m not in it for the glory. I like to say professionally, what I do is I fix broken things. And that’s my audit background, where you find problems, and you don’t play ‘gotcha.’ You just say, ‘Here’s a list of solutions. Let’s try to go out and do it.’” He’ll need a long list in the wake of his predecessor, Kathy Salvi, who wasn’t able to make many statewide inroads before Grogan unseated her in a May vote by the Republican State Central Committee. “She was more aspirational, and I’m more operational,” said Grogan, who doesn’t embrace Trump quite as enthusiastically as Salvi did. Grogan compared the president to an “elephant in the china shop.” “We share a lot of the same goals. We definitely don’t share a style,” the Downers Grove resident said, referring to Trump. “I come from a totally different background. I’m a boring CPA. He’s a reality TV show, New York real estate developer … But he’s got the hardest job in the world, and I probably have the second hardest job in the world, being chairman of the Illinois Republican Party.” Trump has certainly complicated matters for the state party in the suburbs, which provided the lifeblood of the Illinois GOP for generations. Former President Joe Biden won DuPage County by 18 percentage points in 2024. Grogan contends the “evolution in the suburbs” started under former President Barack Obama. But he acknowledges the headwinds the MAGA movement has brought to suburbs that used to be reliably red. “[Trump] brought in blue-collar voters that weren’t ours before, and that’s a good thing and it’s a challenging thing,” Grogan said. “Blue-collar voters need to be enticed a little bit more. They need to be excited a little bit more.” Grogan doesn’t push Trump’s false conspiracy theory of widespread voter fraud costing him the 2020 presidential election, and Grogan says his party needs to embrace mail voting the president has sowed doubt about. But the new chair is quick to note “no system is zero-fraud and zero-error” — including the one in DuPage County that saw him lose his bid for a third term as auditor. “In 2020, I lost by 76 votes out of a half a million, and I will tell you that the error rate was probably north of that, because we threw out over 800 ballots,” Grogan said. “People should know that every vote does count, and we want to count every vote accurately.” As for abortion rights that remain popular and important to many suburban voters, Grogan, who calls himself pro-life, decried Illinois as “an abortion destination state, and I don’t think that’s what the average suburban, pro-choice person really wants. “They don’t want late-term abortions. They don’t want taxpayer-funded abortions for folks that aren’t even citizens,” Grogan said. “Abortion tourism is not something that they would really endorse.” And he’s undaunted by the odds playing on heavily gerrymandered, Democratic-drawn maps. “Voter patterns change, and they evolve. I have optimism … that eventually governance matters, and I think that the governance of the state of Illinois, and city of Chicago, leaves a lot to be desired,” Grogan said. “That old definition of insanity is doing the same thing over and over again, expecting a different result.” But Republicans are running Darren Bailey again this November against Gov. JB Pritzker, four years after the southern Illinois farmer got trounced by the billionaire governor who’s now heavily favored to win a third term. Grogan backed Ted Dabrowski in the GOP primary and now says Bailey “has definitely come back at it with a different approach … We have structural problems. But if you only believed polls, Hillary Clinton would be president.” More importantly, Grogan said, “There is definitely a lot more JB fatigue than there was six years ago. “You bring up the governor’s name, and there’s a grimace. Where they were giving the benefit of the doubt a couple cycles ago, they’re not so happy,” he said, pointing to COVID-19 business restrictions under Pritzker early in the pandemic and the governor’s potential White House ambitions in 2028. “A lot of people are getting the impression he’s looking over the person’s shoulder at New Hampshire, and the recipe for New Hampshire and Iowa is not the recipe for Illinois,” said Grogan, who’s tasked with working up a fundraising rebound, too. The Democratic Party of Illinois’ $1.2 million cash on hand at the end of June roughly quadrupled the state GOP’s total. Meanwhile, Bailey entered the summer with about $128,000 in his campaign fund compared to more than $3 million for Pritzker, who can cut another massive check anytime he pleases. “We’ve had an over-reliance on one or two donors on the Republican side, which means that we’ve been lazy on developing infrastructure for small-dollar donors and such that really should be our bedrock,” Grogan said, referencing the likes of conservative megadonor Richard Uihlein. A lot of it will take basic leg work and candidate recruitment. “Even if they aren’t going to win someplace, and obviously some … districts are really hard, I think that a well-crafted dialogue with voters has up-ticket and down-ticket effects,” Grogan said. “The first step is they have to meet us, and then they’ve got to hear us, and then they’ll like us. And you can’t do that just by listening to the screamers on Facebook.” It’s also about changing the mindset of Republicans who “kind of suffer from almost a Stockholm syndrome, that they’ve been so long outside of power that they no longer identify [with] what it’s like … to get power,” Grogan said. “So we argue about how many angels dance on the head of a pin, as opposed to how to most advantageously take back a House seat,” he said. “Fratricide is not a great campaign strategy.” “We are in the super minority, and we’ve been there for a long time. We haven’t held statewide office for quite a few years now. But the same was said 40 years ago — like the governor’s mansion was ours exclusively,” Grogan said. “There’s no magic flipping of a switch … We actually have to not fight about things that aren’t really as determinative to the average person trying to make their mortgage payment or their rent payment,” Grogan said. “We have prescriptions for many of the ills. At some point, I think the voters are going to stop digging deeper and look out of the hole that they’ve dug themselves into.”)
CHICAGO TRIBUNE
— DD: Democrat leaders ever-increasingly use the Patriot Front against Republicans. Of course, the Patriot Front knows that. What does that say about the Patriot Front?
https://www.chicagotribune.com/2026/07/20/column-patriot-front-washington-white-supremacy-donald-trump-page/
— First-generation professionals. DD: Thanks to my parents and to my teachers, I not only became first generation bachelor’s degree holder in 1970 when I was 21, but a first-generation MBA holder when I was 27, a first-generation CPA when I was 30, a first-generation master’s accounting degree holder when I was 31, a first-generation Certified Internal Auditor and licensed CPA when I was 32, a first-generation holder of four more job-related professional certifications when I was 41, 45, 47, and 48, and a first-generation master’s in finance degree holder when I was 48.
https://www.chicagotribune.com/2026/07/20/opinion-chicago-first-generation-business-professionals/
DAILY HERALD
— FRONT PAGE TOP OF FOLD WITH PICTURE: Facing 30% toll hike, truckers warn of fallout for the industry, consumers and roads. DD: I first started paying tolls when I was 20 in 1969 when I commuted in my 1969 Dodge Charger SE weekends to/from NIU and my parents’ home in Crete to keep my part-time Park Forest Post Office job.
https://www.dailyherald.com/20260719/transportation/facing-30-toll-hike-truckers-warn-of-fallout-for-the-industry-consumers-and-roads/
VERMILLION COUNTY FIRST
— Bailey Tells Vermilion County GOP “Bring Out the Voters.” DD: As the Republican Precinct Committeeman for DuPage County Milton Township Precinct 59 in Wheaton, I will hand-deliver to the 400 residences in my precinct that have at least one Republican or one Independent registered voter a copy of the sample ballot, campaign literature from all the candidates who provide it to the Milton Township Republican Organization (MTRO), and a MTRO election guide. The Republican candidates on the ballot in my precinct are: Tracy, Bailey/Del Mar, Fioretti, Harris, Drew, Soloman, Oakley, Lewis, Vrankovich, Grasso, Noonan, Schiappa, Henry, Eckhoff, Michaud, Schultz, Quirk, and Helland.
https://vermilioncountyfirst.com/2026/07/19/bailey-tells-vermilion-county-gop-bring-out-the-voters/
HOMEWOOD FLOSSMOOR CHRONICLE
— Cook County Board passes Miller’s resolution to place millionaire tax on November ballot.
https://www.hfchronicle.com/2026/07/18/cook-county-board-passes-millers-resolution-to-place-millionaire-tax-on-november-ballot/
POLITICO ILLINOIS
— Benton case reopens questions about reform.
https://www.politico.com/newsletters/illinois-playbook/2026/07/20/benton-case-reopens-questions-about-reform-01004642
(FROM THE NEWSLETTER: THE GOVERNOR’s RACE is beginning to take shape, and both Democratic Gov. JB Pritzker and Republican challenger Darren Bailey are looking to the latest headlines to sharpen their attacks. Urban love: Bailey last week continued working to make inroads with Chicago voters, hosting a meet-and-greet in Pilsen just weeks after moving into an apartment on the city’s Near South Side. The event, held at The Frida Room, was part of an effort by the downstate Republican to broaden his appeal beyond his rural base and connect with urban voters on issues such as affordability, housing costs and civil liberties. The appearance drew criticism from Team Pritzker, which sees it as an attempt by Bailey to rebrand himself after attacking Chicago, saying Bailey “is the same extreme” candidate he was in 2022. The exchange comes as both campaigns increasingly look for opportunities to turn news events into political ammunition. Bailey used the July 4 arrest of a man accused of jumping a fence at Pritzker’s Gold Coast residence to criticize the governor’s leadership on public safety. “If a criminal out on electronic monitoring can break into the Governor’s own home, we have a problem,” he says in a fundraising ad. Pritzker’s camp accused Bailey of exploiting a security incident, via the Tribune. The back-and-forth shows the race is likely to focus heavily on public safety, the economy and how the two men operate in Chicago. For Bailey, the challenge is convincing city and suburban voters that he can appeal beyond his conservative downstate base. For Pritzker, the task is tying Bailey to the positions and rhetoric that made him a polarizing figure during his unsuccessful 2022 gubernatorial bid. Election Day is 106 days away.)
CAPITOL FAX
— Morning briefing
https://capitolfax.com/
FROM ILLINOIS CENTER-RIGHT SOURCES
BREAKTHROUGH IDEAS
— More IL Tax Subsidies Wasted On Chinese Battery Production.
https://www.breakthrough-ideas.com/read/2026/07/19/more-il-tax-subsidies-wasted-on-chinese-battery-production
CENTER SQUARE ILLINOIS
— Illinois state Sen. Chris Balkema said True Value’s decision to move its headquarters from Chicago to Fort Wayne, Indiana, is another example of businesses seeking relief from what he described as Illinois’ costly regulatory and tax environment.
https://www.thecentersquare.com/illinois/article_ff44c6d1-447f-4610-920c-85b24341f408.html
FROM NATIONAL CENTER-RIGHT SOURCES
WASHINGTON TIMES
— Socialists’ agenda takes hold in America’s cities and towns, while their foothold grows in Congress.
https://www.washingtontimes.com/news/2026/jul/19/socialists-agenda-takes-hold-americas-cities-towns-foothold-grows/
— The Democratic Socialists of America flexes its muscles in the Democratic Party. DSA can bamboozle useful idiots because of ignorance.
https://www.washingtontimes.com/news/2026/jul/19/democratic-socialists-america-flexes-muscles-democratic-party/
— U.S. must not ignore radical Islam’s cultural threat.
https://www.washingtontimes.com/news/2026/jul/19/us-must-not-ignore-radical-islams-cultural-threat/
WASHINGTON EXAMINER
— Some ICE officers take issue with Trump approach to immigration enforcement.
https://www.washingtonexaminer.com/policy/immigration/4653698/ice-melting-under-trump-expectations/
— Cognitive dissonance is fueling the socialist surge.
https://www.washingtonexaminer.com/restoring-america/patriotism-unity/4648378/cognitive-dissonance-is-fueling-the-socialist-surge-disgruntled-democrats/
— Nurses and teachers unions bankroll leftist candidates and causes.
https://www.washingtonexaminer.com/news/campaigns/congressional/4654207/nurses-teachers-unions-bankroll-leftist-candidates-causes/
NEW YORK POST
— Revoke trucking licenses for illegal immigrants — and punish states that don’t comply.
https://nypost.com/2026/07/19/opinion/revoke-trucking-licenses-for-illegal-immigrants-and-punish-states-that-dont-comply/
AMERICAN THINKER
— JD Vance’s real political cause: JD Vance. A provocative essay from Lee Smith makes the case that Vance, having been humiliated over Iran, is finding scapegoats, including Israel and Trump himself. DD: My Democrat superiors who were veterans blamed Republicans like me for America losing the Vietnam War. They especially blamed me because I was 1-A for the Vietnam War draft and I because I avoided the Vietnam War draft with four student deferments and a financial hardship draft deferment. They knew full-well that I was 1-A for the draft even though I could not run because I had an inherited bone disease, my eyesight could not be corrected to 20/20, and I had partial red/green color blindness. They stressed that if I had not avoided the Vietnam War draft, I would not have been sent into combat and that proved beyond a shadow of a doubt that I am a disgusting unmitigated hypocritical lying coward. I should write about my Democrat superiors who were veterans.
https://www.americanthinker.com/blog/2026/07/jd-vance-s-real-political-cause-jd-vance/
CENTER FOR IMMIGRATION STUDIES
— H-1B – Designed for Cheap Labor. DD: All my employers would have hired noncitizens instead of me if they could have. My critics/opponents cannot say that because they had wealthy parents. Noncitizens work for less money and they are easier to exploit.
https://cis.org/Miano/H1B-Designed-Cheap-Labor
DAILY SIGNAL
— DSA’s Dark Triumph: Socialism Surges as America Turns 250.
https://www.dailysignal.com/2026/07/19/dsas-socialism-america-turns-250/
— American Psychological Association Pushes Bias on College Campuses.
https://www.dailysignal.com/2026/07/19/the-american-psychological/
FOX NEWS
— Tom Homan slams Mamdani over sanctuary city policies, ICE criticism.
https://www.foxnews.com/video/6401560708112
— Tom Homan warns ICE surge coming to New York City as Mamdani boasts about sanctuary status. The border czar said he won’t reveal operational details to avoid tipping off groups that could interfere with enforcement.
https://www.foxnews.com/media/tom-homan-warns-ice-surge-coming-new-york-city-mamdani-boasts-sanctuary-status
— Major appeals court declares New Jersey AR-15 ban unconstitutional in landmark Second Amendment ruling. The NRA called the ruling a ‘historic victory’ in a case it has litigated since 2018.
https://www.foxnews.com/politics/major-appeals-court-declares-new-jersey-ar-15-ban-unconstitutional-landmark-second-amendment-ruling
— Communists have captured socialist groups. The Democratic Party is next.
https://www.foxnews.com/media/former-dsa-member-alleges-communists-captured-socialist-group-warns-democratic-party-next.amp
JONATHAN TURLEY
— University of California Suspends Move to Restore Standardized Testing. DD: My critics/opponents have always attributed my success in passing standardized tests to my benefitting tremendously from tremendous discrimination against those who share their demographics.
https://jonathanturley.org/2026/07/15/university-of-california-suspends-move-to-restore-standardized-testing/
LEGAL INSURRECTION
— Trinity College Offering Course to Teach Students to ‘Unsettle’ the ‘White Gaze.’ “White supremacy and racial capitalism structure our world, setting in motion the systems of domination.” DD: I avoided liberal indoctrination by majoring in business, accounting, and finance.
https://legalinsurrection.com/2026/07/trinity-college-offering-course-to-teach-students-to-unsettle-the-white-gaze/
TOWNHALL
— AOC, Sanders Rally for Democratic Socialist El-Sayed in Senate Primary Fight.
https://townhall.com/tipsheet/scott-mcclallen/2026/07/19/aoc-sanders-rally-for-democratic-socialist-el-sayed-in-senate-primary-fight-n2679721
FROM NATIONAL CENTER-LEFT SOURCES
CBS NEWS
— Democratic socialists the new political force in the nation.
https://www.cbsnews.com/newyork/news/democratic-socialists-grace-mausser-the-point-with-marcia-kramer/
REUTERS
— US to revive public charge rule that could deny green cards to immigrants using public benefits.
https://www.msn.com/en-us/money/other/us-to-revive-rule-that-could-deny-green-cards-to-immigrants-using-public-benefits/ar-AA284VmA
— DD: Illegals know full-well that Democrat leaders encouraged/invited them to come to America illegally and to stay in America illegally. Illegals know full-well that Democrat leaders want them to use their false identifications to register to vote and to vote. Democrats run elections in America.
https://www.reuters.com/investigations/trump-claims-voting-by-noncitizens-is-rampant-america-numbers-tell-another-story-2026-07-19/
MSN
— Strengthen your resume. DD: What did you do to strengthen your resume? I earned a bachelor’s degree in business when I was 21. I earned an MBA when I was 27. I passed the CPA examination on my first attempt when I was 30. I earned a master’s degree in accounting when I was 31. I passed the Certified Internal Auditor examination on my first attempt when I was 32. I became a licensed CPA when I was 32. I earned four more job-related professional certifications when I was 41, 45, 47, and 48. I earned a master’s degree in finance when I was 48. My critics/opponents stress that notwithstanding the aforesaid, I never earned more than $154,682/year in today’s dollars.
https://www.msn.com/en-us/money/general/top-10-skills-that-instantly-strengthen-any-resume/ss-AA25SdWD
— Mastering high school for college success. DD: When I was a Crete-Monee High School (CMHS) student 1962-1966, no one saw me as being college material. At best, they thought that Prairie State Community College in Chicago Heights might accept me. Neither of my parents had attended college. My father was only the first of my ancestors to earn a high school diploma. My mother never attended high school. I did not even try to get a student loan because I could not have gotten one. But nevertheless, I got accepted by UIC by taking college preparatory courses, by getting an ACT score of 24, and by graduating in the upper 20% of my class. I had to work my way through college. To buy a new car to commute to/from my parents’ home in Crete and classes at UIC, I washed dishes 28 hours a week during my junior and senior years at CMHS and 40 hours a week during the summer in between. I delivering mail for the Park Forest Post Office part-time while UIC was in session 1966-1968 and full-time during the summers of 1967, 1968, and 1969. My critics/opponents stress that college expenses were much lower back then and that my parents provided me with room and board while I took classes at UIC 1966-1968, weekends during my first semester at NIU in 1969, and the summer of 1969. I graduated debt-free from NIU in August of 1970 with a bachelor’s degree in business and owning a 1969 Dodge Charger SE.
https://www.msn.com/en-us/money/general/mastering-high-school-for-college-success/ss-AA27oyIb
NEW YORK TIMES
— States Rush to Fill Graduate Loan Gap Opened by G.O.P. Budget Bill. DD: What were the reasons why you earned a master’s degree? For me, the main reason was my IRS employee manual which encouraged taking graduate courses in business and accounting. IRS had hired me when I was 22 in 1971. I started taking graduate evening business courses at Loyola in 1972. Because I took only one course at a time, I did not earn an MBA from Loyola until 1976. By then, it was too late. Nevertheless, I then started taking graduate evening accounting courses at DePaul in 1976. Because I took only one course at a time, I did not earn a master’s degree in accounting from DePaul until 1980. By then, it was too late. Nevertheless, I started taking graduate evening finance courses at IIT in 1992. Because I took only one course at a time, I did not earn a master’s degree in financial markets and trading from IIT until 1997. By then, it was too late. I earned the degree from IIT because my GAO superior wanted all her subordinates to have a master’s degrees in finance.
https://www.nytimes.com/2026/07/17/your-money/states-graduate-loans-us-government.html
— DD: My critics/opponents have always attributed my success in passing standardized tests to my benefitting tremendously from tremendous discrimination against those who share their demographics.
https://www.nytimes.com/2026/07/16/opinion/new-york-high-school-test-racism.html
WASHINGTON POST
— DD: Democrat leaders ever-increasingly fight personal responsibility and traditional marriage.
https://www.washingtonpost.com/education/2026/02/25/success-sequence-bills-classrooms/
— Trump loomed over the World Cup, up until the awkward trophy ceremony. The president was loudly booed as he entered the field after Spain’s win, waving to people as he made his way to the stage. DD: What percent of soccer fans hate America, hate Americans, and hate Whites?
https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/2026/07/19/trump-loomed-over-world-cup-up-until-awkward-trophy-ceremony/
USA TODAY
— Vacations. DD: My Democrat IRS and GAO superiors, supervisors, coworkers, and subordinates became ever-increasingly furious as I ever-increasingly benefitted from my wife’s job as the Corporate Secretary for the U.S. League of Savings Institutions. I went with her on her four annual business trips to luxury resorts across America 1978-1992. We almost always followed her business meetings with trips to national parks. According to my Democrat IRS and GAO superiors, supervisors, coworkers, and subordinates, they were grossly underpaid. They decried the time and money they spent raising their children. They decried their wives having little or no income. They ever-increasingly demonized, denigrated, and condemned my wife and I as being selfish disgustingly rich DINKs. Previously, my Democrat Park Forest Post Office superiors who were veterans were furious when I took vacation days for a spring break in 1969 and drove to Daytona Beach with three of my female NIU classmates in my 1969 Dodge Charger SE. In 1970, I repeated the aforesaid. My Democrat Firestone Store boss who was a veteran was furious that I went on a student package trip to the Bahamas while I was taking a graduate evening business course at UIC in the spring of 1971. My aforesaid Democrat veteran superiors and bosses were furious that I took the aforesaid vacations because I had avoided the Vietnam War draft with student deferments and with a financial hardship deferment at a time when my peers were dying in Vietnam. They blamed Republicans like me for America losing the Vietnam War. Further, while I worked for IRS 1971-1980, many, most, and at times virtually all my of superiors and supervisors were Democrat veterans who also especially blamed Republicans for America losing the Vietnam War. They were furious when I took vacations in 1973, 1974, 1975, and 1976. For them, the federal government existed to hire, to retain, and to promote Democrat veterans. In defense of the four vacations that I took to the Bahamas, Hawaii, Mexico, and Jamacia with my IRS coworker 1973-1976, they were all budget packages offered by the National Treasury Employees Union.
https://www.usatoday.com/story/opinion/voices/2026/07/06/summer-travel-too-expensive-trump-inflation/90771431007/
SEATTLE TIMES
— DD: To get more votes, Democrats ever-increasingly flood America with those who have demographics that vote for Democrats, that is, those who want/need/demand massive government assistance. To get more cheap labor, RINOs ever-increasingly flood America with those who will work for less money.
https://www.seattletimes.com/opinion/birthright-citizenship-challenges-have-always-failed-but-they-persist/
SHORE NEWS NETWORK
— DD: Anticipate/expect that Democrat leaders will ever-increasingly hint/imply/argue/shout that Jesus is a socialist and that he condemns capitalists.
https://www.shorenewsnetwork.com/aoc-draws-criticism-after-comparing-jesus-to-socialism-at-memphis-campaign-rally/
DALLAS EXPRESS
— Duty To Disobey. DD: For Democrats, the federal government exists to hire, retain, and promote Democrats who are minority, female, younger, veteran, disabled, non-Protestant, non-German American, and/or have ancestors who have not been in America for a long time. While I worked for the Democrats who ran the federal government for almost 30 years, I never disobeyed any order that they gave me, including their ever-increasing orders to give more and more and more preference to my Democrat subordinates who were the aforesaid and/or had performance problems. All of those who they assigned me to supervise were many, most, if not virtually all of the aforesaid. But that was not enough for my Democrat superiors. When I was 49 in 1997, they forced me to retire and gave my Black subordinate my job and my preferred corner office. He had less education than I had. He had less work experience than I had. He had one professional certification while I had six. He had no professional license like the one I had.
https://dallasexpress.com/opinion/opinion-duty-to-disobey/
FORBES
— Reasons Why You Should Get A College Degree. DD: What were the reasons why you earned a college degree? For me, the main reason was my father’s often decrying his not having one. He had brittle type 1 diabetes from childhood. His doctors discouraged him from seeking a college degree because of the stress that would cause him. He often decried his being passed over for promotions. He often decried his not being able to keep up with Jones. He died suddenly in 1969 when he was 47 and I was 21. He never earned more than $50,000/year in today’s dollars.
https://www.forbes.com/sites/dereknewton/2021/07/31/even-more-reasons-you-should-get-a-college-degree/
— Timing Is Everything: What To Consider When Seeking Career Growth. DD: I earned an MBA from Loyola when I was 27 in 1976. But by then, it was too late. I passed the CPA examination on my first attempt when I was 30. But by then, it was too late. I earned a master’s degree in accounting from DePaul when I was 31. But by then, it was too late. I passed the Certified Internal Auditor examination on my first attempt and became a licensed CPA when I was 32. But by then, it was too late. I earned four more job-related professional certifications when I was 41, 45, 47, and 48. But by then, it was too late. I earned a master’s degree in finance from IIT when I was 48. But by then, it was too late. The aforesaid would not have been too late if I had been a Democrat, minority, female, and or veteran.
https://www.forbes.com/sites/tracybrower/2019/02/28/timing-is-everything-what-to-consider-when-seeking-career-growth/
HARVARD KENNEDY SCHOOL
— What is a good job? DD: Because I refused to become a Democrat, my Democrat Post Office, IRS, and GAO superiors made working for the federal government a bod job for me. Nevertheless, to advance, I earned a bachelor’s degree in business when I was 21. I earned an MBA when I was 27. I passed the CPA examination on my first attempt when I was 30. I earned a master’s degree in accounting when I was 31. I passed the Certified Internal Auditor examination on my first attempt when I was 32. I became a licensed CPA when I was 32. I earned four more job-related professional certifications when I was 41, 45, 47, and 48. I earned a master’s degree in finance when I was 48. I would have earned the aforesaid master’s degrees much soon if I had taken more than one course at a time. But that was all I could afford and my focus was my IRS and GAO job duties.
https://www.hks.harvard.edu/centers/wiener/programs/economy/our-work/reimagining-economy-blog/daniel-schneider-defines-a-good-job
FAST COMPANY
— How much are you worth? Estimate your employability and earning potential. DD: What did you do to increase your employability and earning potential? I passed the postal employment test when I was 17 in 1966. I passed the Federal Entrance Examination when I was 21. I earned a bachelor’s degree in business when I was 21. I earned an MBA when I was 27. I passed the CPA examination on my first attempt when I was 30. I earned a master’s degree in accounting when I was 31. I passed the Certified Internal Auditor examination on my first attempt when I was 32. I became a licensed CPA when I was 32. I earned four more job-related professional certifications when I was 41, 45, 47, and 48. I earned a master’s degree in finance when I was 48. My critics/opponents stress that notwithstanding the aforesaid, I never earned more than $154,682/year in today’s dollars.
https://www.fastcompany.com/91505244/how-much-you-worth
UNIVERSITY OF CHICAGO PRESS JOURNALS
— Good Jobs versus Bad Jobs. DD: My critics/opponents have always hinted/implied/argued/shouted that all the jobs I had were bad jobs that they would never stoop to take. I delivered newspapers 1962-1966. I washed dishes 1964-1966. I cleaned golf shoes, chipped slag, and pumped gasoline in 1966. I delivering mail 1966-1969. I worked on an automotive assembly line in 1970. I sold tires, automotive services, and major appliances 1970-1971. I pumped more gasoline 1971-1972. I collected delinquent taxes 1971-1980. I audited federal agencies 1980-1997. I should write about my critics/opponents. I would focus on those whose parents were the wealthiest.
https://www.journals.uchicago.edu/doi/abs/10.1086/209978
INSIDE HIGHER EDUCATION
— Young Men’s Perceptions of Higher Ed. DD: What were the reasons why you earned a master’s degree? For me, the main reason was my IRS employee manual which encouraged taking graduate courses in business and accounting. IRS had hired me when I was 22 in 1971. I started taking graduate evening business courses at Loyola in 1972. Because I took only one course at a time, I did not earn an MBA from Loyola until 1976. By then, it was too late. Nevertheless, I then started taking graduate evening accounting courses at DePaul in 1976. Because I took only one course at a time, I did not earn a master’s degree in accounting from DePaul until 1980. By then, it was too late. Nevertheless, I started taking graduate evening finance courses at IIT in 1992. Because I took only one course at a time, I did not earn a master’s degree in financial markets and trading from IIT until 1997. By then, it was too late. I earned the degree from IIT because my GAO superior wanted all her subordinates to have a master’s degrees in finance.
https://www.insidehighered.com/news/quick-takes/2026/07/20/young-mens-perceptions-higher-ed