Tag: federal

FROM ILLINOIS CENTER-LEFT SOURCES

ABC7
— Hundreds rally for Ukraine in downtown Chicago after shouting match between Trump, Zelenskyy (COMMENT: If you, if your parents, if your grandparents, or if any of your ancestors are/were from Ukraine, what are you doing about this, what are you going to do about this? All my ancestors immigrated from what is now Germany during the 1840s and 1850s. My grandfather on my father’s side fought the Germans in WWI. My uncles on my mother’s side fought the Germans in WWII. My father would have fought the Germans in WWII if he had not been 4-F.)
https://abc7chicago.com/post/ukraine-chicago-protest-today-demonstrators-rally-justice-heated-donald-trump-volodymyr-zelenskyy-meeting/15970169/
— Proposed Medicaid cuts could put nearly 1M Illinois residents at risk of losing coverage. A Humboldt Park Health official said people can expect much longer wait times in the emergency room if the cuts are approved.
https://abc7chicago.com/post/medicaid-illinois-chicago-protest-today-proposed-cuts-held-humboldt-park-health/15966039/

NBC5
— ‘Reverse Robin Hood scam’ or windfall for middle class? Lawmakers debate Trump tax plan extensions. (COMMENT: My critics/opponent have always hinted/implied/argued/shouted that I should pay more federal taxes. I should write about my critics/opponents.)
https://www.nbcchicago.com/news/business/money-report/reverse-robin-hood-scam-or-windfall-for-middle-class-lawmakers-debate-trump-tax-plan-extensions/3687002/

CBS2
— Emotions run high at rally for Ukraine in Chicago’s Daley Plaza
https://www.cbsnews.com/chicago/video/emotions-run-high-at-rally-for-ukraine-in-chicagos-daley-plaza/
— More than 1,000 protest for Ukraine, lambaste President Trump in downtown Chicago
https://www.cbsnews.com/chicago/news/protest-for-ukraine-lambaste-president-trump-downtown-chicago/

FOX32
— Chicago mayor to be ‘held accountable’ for sanctuary policies in Capitol Hill hearing, GOP reps say
https://www.fox32chicago.com/news/republican-chicago-johnson-hearing

CHICAGO TRIBUNE
— Chicagoans rally in support of Ukraine after Zelenskyy’s contentious meeting with Trump
https://www.chicagotribune.com/2025/03/02/chicago-ukraine-rally/
— Democrat leaders ever-increasingly promote more opposition to Republican budget cuts. While I worked for GAO 1980-1997, there was virtually no opposition to Republicans cutting GAO’s budget.
https://www.chicagotribune.com/2025/03/02/federal-employment-cuts-to-national-park-service-other-agencies-draw-sharp-criticism-here/
— Democrat leaders ever-increasingly promote more illegal immigration
https://www.chicagotribune.com/2025/03/02/chicago-guatemalans-community/
https://www.chicagotribune.com/2025/03/02/fear-of-ice-arrests-keeping-customers-at-home-immigrant-owned-businesses-in-aurora-say-the-streets-were-so-lonely/
— Democrat and RINO leaders ever-increasingly replace those who have demographics that vote for Republicans with those who have demographics that vote for Democrats.
https://www.chicagotribune.com/2025/03/02/northbrook-celebrates-diversity-with-cultural-fair/
— Democrat and RINO leaders ever-increasingly discourage assimilation.
https://www.chicagotribune.com/2025/03/03/opinion-multilingualism-us-spanish/

CHICAGO SUN-TIMES
— Musk’s DOGE moves to cancel leases for federal offices across Illinois. The Trump administration is aiming to unload half the buildings the government owns and cancel 50% of leases for offices across the country.
https://chicago.suntimes.com/the-watchdogs/2025/03/03/elon-musk-doge-leases-federal-offices-illinois

DAILY HERALD
— FRONT PAGE TOP OF FOLD WITH BIG PICTURE: Reflecting history: County board considering update to DuPage Heritage Gallery
https://www.dailyherald.com/20250302/news/reflecting-history-county-board-considering-update-to-dupage-heritage-gallery/
— District 207 candidates oppose Trump plans to abolish U.S. Education Department, use public funds for private schools (COMMENT: I should write about my critics/opponents who have used against me the most my attending a) Trinity Lutheran Grade School in Crete 1953-1961 and b) Hope Lutheran Grade School in Park Forest 1961-1962.)
https://www.dailyherald.com/20250228/local-politics/district-207-candidates-oppose-trump-plans-to-abolish-u-s-education-department-use-public-funds-fo/

CHAMPAIGN/URBANA NEWS GAZETTE
— Nothing new about financial mismanagement in Illinois
https://www.yahoo.com/news/editorial-nothing-financial-mismanagement-illinois-155100049.html

OUR QUAD CITIES
— Illinois governor plays Nazi Trump card
https://www.ourquadcities.com/news/4-the-record/illinois-governor-plays-nazi-trump-card/
— Democrat leaders not only oppose cutting federal spending for those who vote for Democrats, they want that spending to be increased. Those who vote for Democrats include those who are liberal/moderate, minority, female, younger, unmarried, LGBTQ, non-rich, non-Protestant, non-German American, have ancestors who have not been in America for a long time, are in America illegally, boozers, gamblers, stoners, and criminals.
https://www.ourquadcities.com/news/local-news/whats-ahead-as-illinois-lawmakers-push-to-stop-medicaid-cuts/

FOX ILLINOIS
— Trump is not the first U.S. President to lose patience with Zelenskyy reports show
https://foxillinois.com/news/nation-world/trump-is-not-the-first-us-president-to-lose-patience-with-zelenskyy-reports-show-volodymyr-former-president-joe-biden-jd-vance-oval-office-russia-ukraine-war-foreign-aid

CENTRAL ILLINOIS PROUD
— Trump’s speech to Congress comes as he wields vast power almost daring lawmakers, courts to stop him
https://www.centralillinoisproud.com/news/politics/ap-trumps-speech-to-congress-comes-as-he-wields-vast-power-almost-daring-lawmakers-courts-to-stop-him/
— Trump’s past speeches to Congress asked them to pass his agenda. Now, he’s willing to go it alone. (COMMENT: Trump got elected by promising to defend and advance the Republican Party platform.)
https://www.centralillinoisproud.com/news/politics/ap-trumps-past-speeches-to-congress-asked-them-to-pass-his-agenda-now-hes-willing-to-go-it-alone/

WSIU
— Democrats say “What Putin thinks of the tensions between Trump and Zelenskyy.”
https://www.wsiu.org/2025-03-03/what-putin-thinks-of-the-tensions-between-trump-and-zelenskyy

WCIA
— Conan O’Brien swipes at Trump with ‘Anora’ joke: Americans ‘excited to see somebody finally stand up to a powerful Russian’
https://www.wcia.com/news/national/conan-obrien-swipes-at-trump-with-anora-joke-americans-excited-to-see-somebody-finally-stand-up-to-a-powerful-russian/

WAND TV
— Following Trump’s lead, his allies lash out at Ukraine’s Zelenskyy and suggest he may need to resign
https://www.wandtv.com/news/national/following-trumps-lead-his-allies-lash-out-at-ukraines-zelenskyy-and-suggest-he-may-need/article_56d77fe3-1f42-5d25-88d5-3626b63a97ed.html

NPR ILLINOIS
— Foreign students say the threat of Trump’s executive orders is getting real
https://www.nprillinois.org/2025-03-03/foreign-students-say-the-threat-of-trumps-executive-orders-is-getting-real
— Democrat leaders say “Majorities say state of the union is not strong, and Trump is rushing change.”
https://www.nprillinois.org/2025-03-03/poll-majorities-say-state-of-the-union-is-not-strong-and-trump-is-rushing-change

DAILY NORTHWESTERN
— How Northwestern has responded to Trump’s anti-DEI orders
https://dailynorthwestern.com/2025/03/03/campus/the-daily-explains-how-northwestern-has-responded-to-trumps-anti-dei-orders/

AXIOS CHICAGO
— Democrat leaders say “What’s at stake if we lose sanctuary city laws.”
https://www.axios.com/local/chicago/2025/03/03/sanctuary-city-chicago-immigration-house-hearing

POLITICO ILLINOIS
— Former Gov. Bruce Rauner is among Republicans looking at Elon Musk and President Donald Trump’s Department of Government Efficiency with a bit of nostalgia, uncertainty and caution. In an interview, Rauner acknowledged the challenges of trimming government. “There are all kinds of restrictions and union rules and regulatory rules for what you can do as an executive versus what needs legislative or other approvals, including union approvals and employee approvals,” he said. “It was very, very, very tough to shrink.” . . . Sen. Tammy Duckworth, an outspoken critic of President Donald Trump’s funding freeze, will host Lauri Morrison-Frichtl during the president’s speech before Congress on Tuesday. Morrison-Frichtl is executive director of the Illinois Head Start Association, which has been affected by the freeze. Congressman Jesús “Chuy” García (IL-04) will bring Eric Rodriguez for Trump’s speech. Rodriguez is a disabled Army veteran who works at the Hines VA Hospital and is concerned about Trump’s cuts to veterans’ services and the rights of unionized federal employees, according to Garcia’s team.
https://www.politico.com/newsletters/illinois-playbook/2025/03/03/this-week-is-going-to-be-viral-00206948

FROM ILLINOIS CENTER-RIGHT SOURCES

GOPUSA ILLINOIS
— Democrat leaders not only oppose cutting federal spending for those who vote for Democrats, they want that spending to be increased. Those who vote for Democrats include those who are liberal/moderate, minority, female, younger, unmarried, LGBTQ, non-rich, non-Protestant, non-German American, have ancestors who have not been in America for a long time, are in America illegally, boozers, gamblers, stoners, and criminals. – Dave Diersen
http://www.gpoillinois.com
— The Democrat mainstream news media, that is, Democrat leaders, ever-increasingly spins everything against Trump and against the 77 million who voted for Trump. The more demographics that you share with Trump, the more that Democrats assume that you voted for Trump. Trump is conservative, Republican, White, male, older, married, non-poor, Protestant, German American, and his ancestors have been in America for a long time. I am all of the aforesaid. – Dave Diersen
http://www.gopillinois.com
— Trump is following Gingrich’s policy of gutting of federal agencies instead of reforming them. While Gingrich was a U.S. Representative 1979-1999, and especially while he was the Speaker of the House 1995-1999, he became ever-increasingly critical of GAO. He cut GAO’s budget in relative terms, and increasingly, in absolute terms. My Democrat GAO superiors punished me severely for that. If Gingrich had reformed GAO instead of gutting it, there would be no need for DOGE today. – Dave Diersen
http://www.gopillinois.com
— Were you a bad employee? My critics/opponents ever-increasingly hint/imply/argue/shout that I must have been an extremely bad employee because my superiors in the federal government took so many big adverse actions against me. They stress that my GAO superiors forced me to retire when I was 49 years old EVEN THOUGH I had earned three job-related master’s degrees, six job-related professional certifications, and a job-related professional license. – Dave Diersen
http://www.gopillinois.com
— Democrats have invited fired federal employees to Trump’s congressional address. The move comes as lawmakers hear from constituents over President Trump’s and Elon Musk’s efforts to slash federal spending and cull the civil service ranks. My Democrat GAO superiors fired me in 1997, that is, they forced me to retire. What if my U.S. Congressman Henry Hyde and my U.S. Senator Peter Fitzgerald had invited me to Congressional addresses? My critics/opponents have always hinted/implied/argued/shouted that Hyde and Fitzgerald sided with GAO against me. – Dave Diersen
http://www.gopillinois.com
— What would your critics/opponents stress to Trump and to his supporters to turn them against you? My critics/opponents would stress that I am not a team player, that is, that I have not ever been and that I will never be blindly loyal to any individual, that is, that I am instead loyal to conservative principles and to the Republican Party platform. Further, they would stress that I cannot be manipulated or dominated and that I refuse orders to a) glorify, praise, demonize, denigrate, or condemn people, b) pander to people, c) serve as an operative or dupe for anyone, d) coverup wrongdoing, and e) give money to anyone. No offense to Trump or to his supporters, but I take the aforesaid as a badge of honor. – Dave Diersen
http://www.gopillinois.com
— Since 2000, as your GOPUSA Illinois Editor, I have served as a conservative Republican political and government news and commentary aggregator. Of course, my critics/opponents do not want me to influence anything. That is why they a) ended my service as the Milton Township Republican Organization (MTRO) webmaster in 2004 and 2010, b) ended my bid to serves as MTRO Treasurer in 2004, c) ended my service as an American Association of Political Consultants Midwest Chapter board member in 2004, d) almost got Illinois Center Right Coalition (ICRC) to censure me for my GOPUSA ILLINOIS newsletters in 2006, e) ended my ICRC Steering Committee membership in 2007, f) ended my Wheaton Chamber of Commerce Government Affairs Committee membership in 2011, g) ended my TAPROOT Republicans of Illinois chairmanship in 2012, h) gerrymandered my precinct in 2015, i) ended my service as the Republican fundraiser for Wheaton Independence Day parades and fireworks in 2021, and j) ended my Illinois Republican Party State Convention Platform and Resolutions Committee membership in 2024. I should write about my critic/opponents. – Dave Diersen
http://www.gopillinois.com

WIREPOINTS
— Willful indifference to cost: Illinois’ noncitizen healthcare scandal is worse than new audit shows
https://wirepoints.org/willful-indifference-to-cost-illinois-noncitizen-healthcare-scandal-is-worse-than-new-audit-shows-wirepoints/

BREAKTHROUGH IDEAS
— Illinois Commits to Using Schools to Harm and Indoctrinate Minors
https://www.breakthrough-ideas.com/read/2025/02/28/illinois-commits-to-using-schools-to-harm-and-indoctrinate-minors

ILLINOIS REVIEW
— Illinois Schools to Trump: We’re Keeping DEI, Even If It Costs Millions!
https://www.illinoisreview.com/illinoisreview/2025/03/illinois-schools-to-trump-were-keeping-dei-even-if-it-costs-millions.html

FROM NATIONAL CENTER-RIGHT SOURCES

WASHINGTON TIMES
— Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth is directing the civilian workforce at the Pentagon to respond to the Office of Personnel Management’s request for a list of their accomplishments for the past week. (COMMENT: My accomplishments last week include my putting together and sending out GOPUSA ILLINOIS newsletters with links to 500 articles.)
https://www.washingtontimes.com/news/2025/mar/2/defense-secretary-directs-civilian-employees-comply-opm-request/
— Islam is killing Germany. To survive, Europe must return to its roots.
https://www.washingtontimes.com/news/2025/mar/2/islam-killing-germany/
— Trump Is right: Fire bad federal employees and reward good ones (COMMENT: My critics/opponents ever-increasingly hint/imply/argue/shout that I must have been an extremely bad employee because my superiors in the federal government took so many big adverse actions against me. They stress that my GAO superiors forced me to retire when I was 49 years old EVEN THOUGH I had earned three job-related master’s degrees, six job-related professional certifications, and a job-related professional license.)
https://www.washingtontimes.com/news/2025/mar/2/trump-right-fire-bad-federal-employees-reward-good-ones/

WASHINGTON EXAMINER
— Hollywood’s decline is an American tragedy
https://www.washingtonexaminer.com/opinion/editorials/3334133/hollywood-decline-is-an-american-tragedy/

NEW YORK POST
— Vance family moved to ‘undisclosed location’ after hundreds of pro-Ukraine protesters swarm ski resort ahead of vacation
https://nypost.com/2025/03/01/us-news/jd-vances-visit-to-vermont-ski-resort-interrupted-by-pro-ukraine-demonstrators-after-zelensky-exchange/

AMERICAN THINKER
— Fonda disproves the adage age brings wisdom
https://www.americanthinker.com/blog/2025/03/fonda_disproves_the_adage_age_brings_wisdom.html

CAMPUS REFORM
— ‘LGBTQ+ words for elementary students’: 10 ways Maine’s Department of Education spends its money
https://www.campusreform.org/article/lgbtq-words-elementary-students-10-ways-maines-department-education-spends-money-/27577

FOX NEWS
— Illinois GOP chair Kathy Salvi unleashes on governor for ‘grandstanding’ with special demand of Trump admin. ‘Governor Pritzker is grandstanding for his 2028 run for president instead of focusing on the mess that he’s left with us in Illinois,’ she said.
https://www.foxnews.com/politics/blue-state-gop-chair-unleashes-governor-grandstanding-demand-trum-admin

NATIONAL REVIEW
— Trump’s Worthy Effort to Rein In ‘Independent’ Agencies (COMMENT: GAO is supposed to be an independent agency, but instead, it is an arm of the Democrat Party.  If Gingrich had reformed GAO instead of gutting it, there would be no need for DOGE today.)
https://www.nationalreview.com/2025/03/trumps-worthy-effort-to-rein-in-independent-agencies/

NEWSMAX
— Zelenskyy Should Work With Trump to End Ukraine War
https://www.newsmax.com/drlucjaswiatkowskicannon/zelenskyy-trump-ukraine/2025/02/26/id/1200577/

WESTERN JOURNAL
— Wheaton College Alumni Send Clear Message on School’s Woke Drift
https://www.westernjournal.com/christian-college-alumni-send-clear-message-schools-woke-drift/
— Canada Spent $320 Million to Fuel Anti-Christian Hate But Came Up Empty-Handed
https://www.westernjournal.com/canada-spent-320-million-fuel-anti-christian-hate-came-empty-handed/
— Have We Become the Party of Handouts?
https://www.westernjournal.com/become-party-handouts/

FROM NATIONAL CENTER-LEFT SOURCES

NEW YORK TIMES
— Elon Musk Is South African. We Shouldn’t Forget It. (COMMENT: My critics/opponents have always demonized, denigrated, and condemned my hometown of Crete where I lived 1948-1972. They stress that while I lived there, it was overwhelmingly Lutheran and German American.)
https://www.nytimes.com/2025/02/28/opinion/elon-musk-south-africa.html
— Hate-filled Trump-hating Trump-haters ever-increasingly promote more hatred against Trump. Soon, if not already, Democrat and RINO employers will officially a) not hire you unless you hate Trump and b) fire you if you do not hate Trump.
https://www.nytimes.com/2025/03/03/opinion/trumps-masculinity-democrats.html
— Democrats Invite Fired Federal Workers to Trump’s Congressional Address. The move comes as lawmakers hear from constituents over President Trump’s and Elon Musk’s efforts to slash federal spending and cull the civil service ranks. (COMMENT: My Democrat GAO superiors fired me in 1997, that is, they forced me to retire. What if my U.S. Congressman Henry Hyde and my U.S. Senator Peter Fitzgerald had invited me to Congressional addresses? My critics/opponents have always hinted/implied/argued/shouted that Hyde and Fitzgerald sided with GAO against me.)
https://www.nytimes.com/2025/03/02/us/politics/democrats-trump-federal-workers.html
— Trump and the press
https://messaging-custom-newsletters.nytimes.com/dynamic/render?campaign_id=9

WASHINGTON POST
— Trump’s opponents decry a sweeping crackdown on free speech. In an effort to stamp out “woke” racial and gender messages, critics say, the president is running afoul of the First Amendment.
https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/2025/03/02/trump-free-speech-censorship/
— Tariffs on Canada, Mexico to take effect Tuesday barring Trump reprieve
https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/2025/03/03/trump-presidency-news/
— A closer look at DEI and veterans’ preference (COMMENT: According to my critics/opponents, all the jobs that I got and all the promotions that I got should have been given to veterans instead of me because I avoided the Vietnam War draft. I should write about that.)
https://www.washingtonpost.com/business/2025/03/03/dei-preference-veterans-military-families/

LOS ANGELES TIMES
— Trump is surrendering a century’s worth of U.S. global power in a matter of weeks
https://www.latimes.com/opinion/story/2025-03-03/trump-ukraine-russia-global-power

USA TODAY
— Trump orders additional troops, armored vehicles to southern border
https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/politics/2025/03/01/pentagon-troops-armored-vehicles-southern-border/80972784007/
— Dismantling agencies and firing workers: How Trump is redefining relations with Congress and courts. Trump has adopted a theory from former Supreme Court justice Antonin Scalia that presidents control the entire executive branch. (COMMENT: Trump is following Gingrich’s policy of gutting of federal agencies instead of reforming them. While Gingrich was a U.S. Representative 1979-1999, and especially while he was the Speaker of the House 1995-1999, he became ever-increasingly critical of GAO. He cut GAO’s budget in relative terms and increasingly in absolute terms. My Democrat GAO superiors punished me severely for that. If Gingrich had reformed GAO instead of gutting it, there would be no need for DOGE today.)
https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/politics/2025/03/02/president-trump-unitary-executive-branch-congress/80517757007/

CBS NEWS
— Trudeau to bring up Trump’s threat to annex Canada in meeting with King Charles
https://www.cbsnews.com/news/trudeau-meeting-king-charles-trump-annex-threat/

NEW YORK DAILY NEWS
— Despite federal deadline, N.Y. colleges make few changes to DEI programs
https://www.nydailynews.com/2025/03/02/despite-federal-deadline-ny-colleges-make-few-changes-to-dei-programs/

BOSTON GLOBE
— Musk and Trump aren’t just decimating the federal workforce. They’re denigrating it. (COMMENT: Overwhelmingly, Republicans view federal employees negatively. Why is that? I have always been a Republican. I was a federal employee for almost 30 years and I have been a federal retiree for more than 27 years. To demonize me, denigrate me, and condemn me, my Republican critics/opponents have always stressed that I was a federal employee 1966-1969 and 1971-1997 and that I have been a federal retiree since 1997. They stress that I was an IRS employee 1971-1980. I should write about my Republican critics/opponents.)
https://www.bostonglobe.com/2025/03/02/opinion/doge-federal-workforce-layoffs/

MIAMI HERALD
— Democrats Denounce Their Own Party: ‘Over-the-Top Wokeism’
https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/politics/democrats-denounce-their-own-party-over-the-top-wokeism/ss-AA1A6goG

WALL STREET JOURNAL
— Some of Illinois Wants to Join Indiana
https://www.wsj.com/video/series/journal-editorial-report/wsj-opinion-some-of-illinois-wants-to-join-indiana/04100582-95B9-4BA1-B267-3BC902D84795
— FRONT PAGE: ‘Garage Mahals’ Are Driving Neighbors Nuts. When a regular garage isn’t big enough, Minnesotans turn to luxury storage spaces. (COMMENT: My critics/opponents despise/hate cars, and especially American nameplate cars, and more especially muscle cars, and even more especially Corvettes. I have owned my 1972 Corvette since I bought it new in 1971. If I sought a political office or a government office, my critics/opponents would stress the Iron Gate Motor Condo in Naperville that I used to own, the one that I own now, and the one that I am buying.)
https://www.wsj.com/lifestyle/garage-mahal-man-cave-car-barn-storage-shed-45681baa
(FROM THE ARTICLE: With his three-car garage in this Minneapolis suburb already full, Bret Bailey had to keep his racing Porsche in a trailer outside through brutal Minnesota winters. Then one March, as he prepared for a race, Bailey discovered the wheels of the trailer had frozen to the ground. “For two weeks, I’m throwing salt out there,” said the 64-year-old retired IT manager. Now, Bailey is part of a man-cave-meets-Storage Wars revolution spreading across the country. He keeps his two Porsches, Ferrari, custom Harley, dune buggy and racing trailer in a nearly 2,700-square-foot space outfitted like a sleek European car dealership. It sports a tequila bar, heated floors, bathroom with a shower, giant TV, leather sofa, stack of racing tires and a car lift. He’s among 100 owners in a complex of garage condos called Chanhassen AutoPlex whose car shows attract thousands of people on summer weekends. When a regular garage just isn’t big enough to stash all their cars, boats, snowmobiles, RVs or even quilting gear and golf simulators, some people turn to luxury storage spaces where they can be close to their toys with all the comforts of home. Call them car barns, barndominiums, toy sheds, garage mahals or shouses (for shop houses), they are a big hit in the Land of 10,000 Lakes.)

FORBES
— DOJ Civil Rights Chief Nominee Harmeet Dhillon Decries Affirmative Action In College Admissions (COMMENT: If Affirmative Action pressure had been stronger when I was young, minorities and females would have been admitted instead of me. I only just barely made it into the upper 20% of my high school class and my ACT score was only 24. If qualified minorities and females had applied in 1966, UIC would have admitted them instead of me. The same for NIU in 1969, Loyola in 1972, DePaul in 1976, and IIT in 1992.)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VKtKDNN0L0Q

INC.
— To get more votes from women, Democrat leaders ever-increasingly hint/imply/argue/shout that women are superior to men.
https://www.inc.com/stephanie-mehta/this-banks-board-is-78-percent-female-but-dont-credit-dei/91154397

REASON
— Mass Firings Aren’t Meritocracy
https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/politics/mass-firings-aren-t-meritocracy/ar-AA1zZEcv

PEW RESARCH CENTER
— No consensus on who comes to mind when Americans are asked to name a news influencer (COMMENT: Since 2000, as your GOPUSA Illinois Editor, I have served as a conservative Republican political and government news and commentary aggregator. Of course, my critics/opponents do not want me to influence anything. That is why they a) ended my service as the Milton Township Republican Organization (MTRO) webmaster in 2004 and 2010, b) ended my bid to serves as MTRO Treasurer in 2004, c) ended my service as an American Association of Political Consultants Midwest Chapter board member in 2004, d) almost got Illinois Center Right Coalition (ICRC) to censure me for my GOPUSA ILLINOIS newsletters in 2006, e) ended my ICRC Steering Committee membership in 2007, f) ended my Wheaton Chamber of Commerce Government Affairs Committee membership in 2011, g) ended my TAPROOT Republicans of Illinois chairmanship in 2012, h) gerrymandered my precinct in 2015, i) ended my service as the Republican fundraiser for Wheaton Independence Day parades and fireworks in 2021, and j) ended my Illinois Republican Party State Convention Platform and Resolutions Committee membership in 2024.)
https://www.pewresearch.org/short-reads/2025/02/19/no-consensus-on-who-comes-to-mind-when-americans-are-asked-to-name-a-news-influencer/
(FROM THE ARTICLE: About one-in-five U.S. adults (21%) say they regularly get news from news influencers on social media, according to our recent study. The study is part of the Pew-Knight Initiative, a research program funded jointly by The Pew Charitable Trusts and the John S. and James L. Knight Foundation. But because the idea of “news influencers” is relatively new, we also wanted to know who Americans are thinking of when they hear the term. So in an open-ended question, we asked U.S. adults who say they regularly get news from news influencers to name the first one who comes to mind for them. In response, half named a person (as opposed to an organization or entity) or gave no response. The 425 people they named reflect a wide range of backgrounds – from journalists to opinion commentators to politicians to content creators. Most of these people fit the definition of news influencers in our larger study – that is, people with large followings on social media who regularly post about news or politics. The influencers our respondents most often named include Philip DeFranco (volunteered by 3%), Tucker Carlson (2%), Ben Shapiro (2%), V Spehar from Under the Desk News (2%) and Carlos Eduardo Espina (2%).)

DAILY MAIL
— Trump shocks as he makes huge concession to Russia
https://www.msn.com/en-ie/news/world/trump-shocks-as-he-makes-huge-concession-to-russia/ss-AA1A8EKk