federal Archives - Page 4 of 432

February 19, 2025

FROM ILLINOIS CENTER-LEFT SOURCES

NBC5
— Fired federal workers protest Trump administration cuts as others speak out in support (COMMENT: If you were me, what position would you take on federal employees. While I worked for the federal government for almost 30 years (Post Office-3, IRS-9, and GAO-18), virtually all my superiors, supervisors, coworkers, and subordinates were Democrats. Extremely few sided with me. Virtually none came to my defense. Many helped my Democrat superiors waste my career and take adverse actions against me including forcing me to retire when I was 49 years old in 1997. Overwhelmingly, they promoted Affirmative Action and DEI, that is, they promoted race and gender based preference giving, patronage, political affiliation discrimination, reverse discrimination, age discrimination, religious discrimination, and/or national origin discrimination.)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_SsrWEuGTRs

CHICAGO TRIBUNE
— Libertyville Township has unrelated O’Connors facing off for supervisor; ‘We were just blessed with the same last name’ (COMMENT: What offices are on the April 1 ballot in your precinct? Who are the candidates? How much do you know about them? How have those candidates treated your Republican Precinct Committeeman?)
https://www.chicagotribune.com/2025/02/18/libertyville-township-has-unrelated-oconnors-facing-off-for-supervisor-we-were-just-blessed-with-the-same-last-name/

CHICAGO SUN-TIMES
— Trump’s Friday firings leave EPA Chicago office down dozens of scientists, staff (COMMENT: Republican-led budget cuts during the 1980s and 1990s left GAO’s Chicago office down dozens of auditors. I was one of those auditors that my Democrat GAO superiors forced into early retirement.)
https://chicago.suntimes.com/environment/2025/02/18/trump-fires-epa-chicago-scientists-staff-environmental-protection-agency
— Democrats oppose anything and everything that discourages voter fraud.
https://chicago.suntimes.com/other-views/2025/02/18/safeguard-american-voter-eligibility-illinois-citizenship-passport-birth-certificate-becky-simon

NPR ILLINOIS
— She worked for years to get a federal job. Within a month, she was fired (COMMENT: The Democrats who ran GAO in 1980, IRS in 1971, and the Post Office in 1966 hired me because they could not find a qualified Democrat, minority, female, younger person, or veteran who would take the job. My passing the postal employment examination and earning a high school diploma qualified me for the Post Office job. My passing the Federal Service Entrance Examination and earning a bachelor’s degree in management qualified me the IRS job. My earning an MBA, passing the CPA examination on my first attempt, and almost completing the requirements for a master’s degree in accounting qualified me for the GAO job.)
https://www.nprillinois.org/2025-02-19/she-worked-for-years-to-get-a-federal-job-within-a-month-she-was-fired
(FROM THE ARTICLE: A dream job. Rose is the daughter of immigrants and grew up on the East Coast. For her entire professional life, she had wanted to work in the government. She’d done a few internships around Washington, D.C., before taking a job as a consultant. In that role, she’d worked alongside federal workers on environmental cleanup and clean energy projects. Working with those federal employees inspired her to pursue a job as a civil servant. But, she says, she soon learned that “getting a job in the federal government is a science in itself.” Initially, she was rejected from several positions. Undaunted, Rose steeped herself in the language of the U.S. government. She taught herself an endless list of acronyms and bought a book on how to build a résumé that would make her more attractive to federal work. Then late last year, she got what she thought was going to be her big break. She had interviewed at the Department of Energy for a job helping to oversee a portfolio of renewable energy projects. She says the hiring process was a monthslong ordeal, during which, she jokes, she told them everything except “what my blood type is.” In December, she got the call from human resources telling her she’d landed the role. “I was with a friend at the time,” she says. “And I just kept saying over and over, ‘I got the job! I got the job!'” It was going to be a turning point in her life: “It really felt like … my career is beginning, because this is the job I want,” she recalls.)

WOKV
— ‘Now I have a voice’: Jacksonville sheriff joins statewide illegal immigration crackdown
https://www.wokv.com/news/local/now-i-have-voice-jacksonville-sheriff-joins-statewide-illegal-immigration-crackdown/AGNOWOCVPNBXHMIWPMNIJGNBRQ/

CENTRAL ILLINOIS PROUD
— Trump imposes his vision on America
https://www.centralillinoisproud.com/news/politics/ap-trump-imposes-his-vision-on-america-in-departure-from-first-term-stumbles/

WAND TV
— Rep. Will Davis (D- East Hazel Crest), who chairs the House Appropriations-Elementary & Secondary Education Committee, calls for more Affirmative Action and DEI, that is, for more race and gender based preference giving, patronage, political affiliation discrimination, reverse discrimination, age discrimination, religious discrimination, and national origin discrimination. Democrat leaders ever-increasingly hint/imply/argue/shout that all the problems that minorities and females have are caused by Republicans.
https://www.wandtv.com/news/statehouse/rep-blaine-wilhour-argues-illinois-should-stop-focusing-on-equity-in-education-funding/article_b0c6b2da-ee4d-11ef-ade8-67c4623f0b02.html

POLITICO ILLINOIS
— Anticipate/expect that ever-increasingly, hate-filled Trump-hating Trump-haters will blame for everything that is bad.
https://www.politico.com/newsletters/illinois-playbook/2025/02/19/pritzkers-budget-reveal-00204837

CAPITOL FAX
— Morning briefing
https://capitolfax.com/2025/02/19/isabel%e2%80%99s-morning-briefing-458/

FROM ILLINOIS CENTER-RIGHT SOURCES

WIREPOINTS
— Illinois has spent billions and billions on illegal immigrants…and that’s just the money we can see publicly
https://wirepoints.org/illinois-has-spent-billions-and-billions-on-illegal-immigrants-and-thats-just-the-money-we-can-see-publicly-wirepoints-on-am-560-chicagos-morning-answer/

FROM NATIONAL CENTER-RIGHT SOURCES

AMERICAN GREATNESS
— Morning Greatness: Most Americans Say Foreign Aid Is Wasted on Corruption
https://amgreatness.com/2025/02/18/morning-greatness-most-americans-say-foreign-aid-is-wasted-on-corruption/
— Support for President Trump’s Tariffs on China: A Strategic Move Towards Equitable Global Relations. Trump’s tariffs on China target fentanyl, economic espionage, and human rights abuses, signaling a hardline stance on trade and national security.
https://amgreatness.com/2025/02/19/support-for-president-trumps-tariffs-on-china-a-strategic-move-towards-equitable-global-relations/

BREITBART
— Fmr. GAO Head David Walker: DOGE Opponents Aren’t ‘Providing Any Support’ for Claims It’s Breaking Law
https://www.breitbart.com/clips/2025/02/19/fmr-gao-head-doge-opponents-arent-providing-any-support-for-claims-its-breaking-law/

CENTER SQUARE
— IRS tax gap grows to $600 billion as DOGE looks for savings (COMMENT: I worked for GAO for 3 years on audits of IRS’s efforts to close the tax gap.)
https://www.thecentersquare.com/national/article_ecd0de72-ee0c-11ef-848d-ebb54839938d.html

CHRISTIAN POST
— Wheaton College alumni flood petition for leadership change amid ‘pernicious drift’
https://www.christianpost.com/news/wheaton-college-alumni-flood-petition-to-change-leadership.html

COLLEGE FIX
— Trump finds nearly $1 billion in Education Department waste
https://www.thecollegefix.com/trump-finds-nearly-1-billion-in-education-department-waste/

DAVID ARMANO
— These federal employees have no idea how private sector workers view them. Wow, they live in a world of their own with guaranteed job security, unions and legal armies ready to do battle on their behalf. A completely different set of rules. (COMMENT: If you were me, what position would you take on federal employees. While I worked for the federal government for almost 30 years (Post Office-3, IRS-9, and GAO-18), virtually all my superiors, supervisors, coworkers, and subordinates were Democrats. Extremely few sided with me. Virtually none came to my defense. Many helped my Democrat superiors waste my career and take adverse actions against me including forcing me to retire when I was 49 years old in 1997. Overwhelmingly, they promoted Affirmative Action and DEI, that is, they promoted race and gender based preference giving, patronage, political affiliation discrimination, reverse discrimination, age discrimination, religious discrimination, and/or national origin discrimination.)
https://x.com/armano/status/1892047499755409808?mx=2

EPOCH TIMES
— Trump Terminates Biden-Era US Attorneys in DOJ Overhaul. The president stated that the move was necessary to restore a ‘fair justice system’ in the country. (COMMENT: My critics/opponents have always stressed that my Republican U.S. Senator Peter Fitzgerald appointed U.S. Attorney Patrick Fitzgerald who sided with my Democrat GAO superiors in Diersen v. GAO. To side with my Democrat GAO superiors is to promote Affirmative Action and DEI, that is, to promote race and gender based preference giving, patronage, political affiliation discrimination, reverse discrimination, age discrimination, religious discrimination, and national origin discrimination.)
https://www.theepochtimes.com/us/trump-terminates-biden-era-us-attorneys-in-doj-overhaul-5812443

FOX NEWS
— Deportation flights are ‘the most profoundly impactful tactic’ to deter illegal immigration (COMMENT: Anticipate/expect that many, most, if not virtually all of those who are deported will return.)
https://www.foxnews.com/video/6369027551112

FROM NATIONAL CENTER-LEFT SOURCES

CNN
— Trump administration terminates privacy officials at agency overseeing government hiring and firing
https://www.cnn.com/2025/02/18/politics/opm-privacy-team-fired/index.html

NEWSWEEK
— Musk Says Some DOGE Workers Are Federal Employees
https://www.newsweek.com/elon-musk-doge-employees-hannity-interview-2033017

NBC NEWS
— Despite DOGE, Trump’s agenda calls for adding trillions of dollars to U.S debt. Budget experts say Trump’s tax and spending priorities would increase red ink, even as he boasts of balancing the budget. “I don’t think their rhetoric matches reality,” says one.
https://www.nbcnews.com/politics/doge/doge-trumps-agenda-calls-adding-trillions-dollars-us-debt-rcna191665

CBS NEWS
— Tension between sanctuary cities and federal immigration crackdown
https://www.cbsnews.com/video/tension-between-sanctuary-cities-and-federal-immigration-crackdown/

MSN
— Boeing’s new Air Force One delayed until 2029 or later
https://www.msn.com/en-us/money/companies/boeing-s-new-air-force-one-delayed-until-2029-or-later-official-says/ar-AA1zeNrN

WASHINGTON POST
— U.S. Catholic bishops sue Trump administration over blocked refugee funds. The suit says the impact of the administration’s action is “devastating” for the Church and the refugees it serves. (COMMENT: According to Democrat leaders, sooner or later, everyone outside of America who is one of the following a) is a refugee, b) will be a refugee, and c) should be admitted as a refugee: minority, female, younger, LGBTQ, disabled, poor, non-Protestant, non-German American.)
https://www.washingtonpost.com/nation/2025/02/18/catholic-bishops-sue-trump-refugee-funds/
— FEMA is losing scores of employees. What does that mean for disaster recovery? Cuts at the Federal Emergency Management Agency could affect people across the country who are struggling to rebuild and prepare for disasters. (COMMENT: I should write about the tremendous negative impacts of Republican gutting of GAO during the 1980s and 1990s.)
https://www.washingtonpost.com/climate-environment/2025/02/18/fema-layoffs-disaster-response/
— Trump and Musk praise each other, promise ‘hundreds of billions’ in cuts during Fox interview
https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/2025/02/18/trump-presidency-news/
— Youngkin promises help for federal workers but defends Trump job cuts. In his first extended remarks on the Trump cuts, Youngkin acknowledges many are anxious but says the process is needed and that state help is coming. (COMMENT: In Diersen v. GAO, virtually everyone sided with the Democrats who ran GAO. Those who sided with GAO were many, most, if not virtually all of the following: liberal/moderate, minority, female, younger, poor, LGBTQ, veteran, disabled, non-Protestant, non-German American, and/or have ancestors who have not been in America for a long time.)
https://www.washingtonpost.com/dc-md-va/2025/02/18/virginia-youngkin-trump-federal-jobs/
— Why people aren’t having kids (COMMENT: My Democrat IRS and GAO superiors used my and my wife’s giving up trying to have children to justify the big adverse actions that they took against me. They hinted/implied/argued/shouted that I had lied about our efforts to have children. They stressed that we did not try IVF knowing full-well that our doctors said it would not be successful. They shouted that we could have adopted or become foster parents but did not.)
https://www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/2025/02/18/fertility-decline-women-kids-claudia-goldin/

USA TODAY
— Trump’s mass firing of probationary employees illegal, not performance-based, lawyers say (COMMENT: After I transferred from IRS to GAO when I was 31 years old in 1980, my Democrat GAO superiors were furious that they could not use their probationary procedures to fire me because I had served my probationary period while I worked for IRS.)
https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/politics/2025/02/18/trump-mass-firings-federal-workers-illegal/79070972007/
— Barron Trump is ‘future of conservative movement’ say College Republicans
https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/politics/2025/02/19/barron-trump-nyu-conservative-republican/79104907007/
— Trump said he was the ‘father of IVF.’ After his executive order, these voters are rejoicing.
https://www.usatoday.com/story/life/health-wellness/2025/02/19/ivf-trump-insurance-executive-order-reactions/78405547007/

UNION JOURNAL
— Trump Has Used $10.7 Million in Taxpayer Funds for Golf Expenses
https://www.theunionjournal.com/donald-trump-has-used-10-7-million-in-taxpayer-funds-for-golf-expenses/

BLOOMBERG
— Trump Accelerates Mass Firing of Federal Workers
https://www.bloomberg.com/news/newsletters/2025-02-18/trump-accelerates-mass-firing-of-federal-workers-evening-briefing

FAST COMPANY
— How federal workers are mobilizing against Trump, Musk, and DOGE. In response to sudden firings, government workers from across departments are starting a protest movement to fight back—and are targeting Tesla dealerships.
https://www.fastcompany.com/91280631/how-federal-workers-are-mobilizing-against-trump-musk-and-doge

WORLD AND WAY
— Wheaton College Clash Over Russell Vought Escalates, Exposing Evangelical Fault Lines
https://wordandway.org/2025/02/19/wheaton-college-clash-over-russell-vought-escalates-exposing-evangelical-fault-lines/

INSIDE HIGHER EDUCATION
— Democrat and RINO leaders use DEI to get rid of Republicans.
https://www.insidehighered.com/news/quick-takes/2025/02/19/higher-ed-groups-push-back-trumps-dei-threats

GOVERNMENT EXCUTIVE
— Thousands join class actions as fired feds weigh options to challenge Trump’s moves. Former federal probationary employees are hopeful they can prove their dismissals were not actually performance based, as their agencies claim. (COMMENT: After I transferred from IRS to GAO when I was 31 years old in 1980, my Democrat GAO superiors were furious that they could not use their probationary procedures to fire me because I had served my probationary period while I worked for IRS.)
https://www.govexec.com/workforce/2025/02/thousands-join-class-actions-fired-feds-weigh-options-challenge-trumps-moves/403087/

FED MANAGER
— Federal Agencies Start Mass Layoffs, Probationary Employees Targeted (COMMENT: After I transferred from IRS to GAO when I was 31 years old in 1980, my Democrat GAO superiors were furious that they could not use their probationary procedures to fire me because I had served my probationary period while I worked for IRS.)
https://www.fedmanager.com/news/federal-agencies-start-mass-layoffs-probationary-employees-targeted

FEDERAL NEWS NETWORK
— Fired probationary employees bring class-wide complaint to OSC (COMMENT: After I transferred from IRS to GAO when I was 31 years old in 1980, my Democrat GAO superiors were furious that they could not use their probationary procedures to fire me because I had served my probationary period while I worked for IRS.)
https://federalnewsnetwork.com/workforce-rightsgovernance/2025/02/fired-probationary-employees-bring-class-wide-complaint-to-osc/

FED WEEK
— Federal Workplace Likely to Be Topic in Hearing on New GAO High-Risk List (COMMENT: At that hearing, Republicans should stress that GAO wasted my career and forced me to retire when I was 49 years old. My Democrat GAO superiors wasted what I had learned a) working for GAO for almost 18 years and for IRS for almost 9 years before that, b) earning six job-related professional certifications, c) earning a job-related professional license, and d) earning three job-related master’s degrees. Who does Trump want the next head of GAO to be, that is, who does Trump want the next Comptroller General to be?)
https://www.fedweek.com/fedweek/federal-workplace-likely-to-be-topic-in-hearing-on-new-gao-high-risk-list/
(FROM THE ARTICLE: Democrats likely will use the hearing to point out that among GAO’s concerns in all such reports since they started in 2001 is what GAO calls “strategic management of human capital.” Main issues cited have included persistent shortages of federal employees with needed skills in areas such as cybersecurity and other IT functions, the STEM fields in general, acquisition, HR, and others—along with the need for better planning and building up capacity for the workforce of the future. The prior report said that shortages of employees were “undermining agencies’ abilities to meet their missions.” Closing those gaps “will require demonstrated improvements in agencies’ capacity to perform workforce planning, foster employee engagement, train staff effectively, and recruit and retain the appropriate number of staff with the necessary skills,” it said.)

AFGE
— AFGE Condemns Trump’s Mass Firing of Federal Employees
https://www.afge.org/article/afge-condemns-trumps-mass-firing-of-federal-employees/

NARFE
— NARFE Members Denounce Fed Firings During Nationwide Protests. Act Now: Protect Federal Earned Federal Retirement and Health Benefits from Budget Cuts. Urge Congress to Stand Up for Public Servants, Rule of Law. (COMMENT: I have been a NARFE member since I was 40 years old in 1988.)
https://www.narfe.org/advocacy/legislative-action-center/?_zs=NUifm&_zl=k7OF3

REDDIT
— Some federal workers are ‘getting wealthy at taxpayer expense,’ says Elon Musk, whose companies have received at least $20 billion from the government. (COMMENT: I was a federal employee for almost 30 years. My critic/opponents have always demonized me, denigrated me, and condemned me as being overpaid.)
https://www.reddit.com/r/50501/comments/1isvn9q/some_federal_workers_are_getting_wealthy_at/?rdt=63007

INSTAGRAM
— 3rd of federal workers are veterans. The federal government is largely a jobs program for them.(COMMENT: My Democrat superiors who took adverse actions against me were veterans and/or used their subordinates who were veterans to do that. I should write about that. Of course, they stressed that I avoided the Vietnam War draft.)
https://www.instagram.com/thetnholler/p/DGPScQstOrO/

February 18, 2025 Evening Edition

WHITE HOUSE
— EXPANDING ACCESS TO IN VITRO FERTILIZATION; ENSURING ACCOUNTABILITY FOR ALL AGENCIES
https://www.whitehouse.gov/news/

FROM ILLINOIS CENTER-LEFT SOURCES

CHICAGO TRIBUNE
— ‘We are the patriots’: Chicago federal employees protest mass firings in Federal Plaza (COMMENT: I have always been a Republican. Virtually all federal employees are Democrats. I was a federal employee for almost 30 years. I share many demographics with Trump. If I was still a federal employee, my Democrat superiors, supervisors, coworkers, and subordinates would have killed me by now figuratively if not literally.)
https://www.chicagotribune.com/2025/02/18/federal-employees-protest-mass-firings/
— Trump administration gives schools a deadline to end DEI programs or risk losing federal money
https://www.chicagotribune.com/2025/02/18/trump-schools-end-dei-programs/
— Trump signs order to study how to expand IVF and calls for ‘radical transparency’ from government
https://www.chicagotribune.com/2025/02/18/trump-will-sign-new-executive-orders-while-his-first-joint-tv-interview-with-musk-airs-in-prime-time/
— Soon, if not already, under the Democrats and under the RINOs, everyone in America will be a) handing out welfare and/or b) receiving welfare.
https://www.chicagotribune.com/2025/02/14/dupage-naperville-homeless-winter-emergency-shelter/

CHICAGO SUN-TIMES
— Democrats ever-increasingly promote more illegal immigration.
https://chicago.suntimes.com/la-voz/chicago-immigration-resource-guide
— Trump’s Friday firings leave EPA Chicago office with fewer scientists, staff. Dozens of probationary employees were cut because they didn’t have job protections.
https://chicago.suntimes.com/environment/2025/02/18/trump-fires-epa-chicago-scientists-staff-environmental-protection-agency

DAILY HERALD
— Suit asks court to block appointment of McConchie successor in Senate
https://www.dailyherald.com/20250218/illinois-state-politics/suit-asks-court-to-block-appointment-of-mcconchie-successor-in-senate/
— College of DuPage board names top pick for president
https://www.dailyherald.com/20250218/news/college-of-dupage-board-names-top-pick-for-president/
(FROM THE ARTICLE: COD Trustee Andrew Manno, who co-chairs the presidential search committee, told the board last month that it had selected about a dozen or so candidates to appear before the committee for interviews. The committee held those interviews over a span of two days — “over long, long hours” — and was able to narrow the search down to four candidates, Manno said in January. Both the board and the committee agreed to follow a “hybrid confidential approach” to “ensure that COD has the best quality candidates that the country has to offer,” Manno said previously.)

ABC7
— Judge declines to immediately block Elon Musk or DOGE from federal data or layoffs
https://abc7chicago.com/post/white-house-claims-elon-musk-does-not-run-doge-new-filing/15925645/
— Democrats ever-increasingly promote more illegal immigration.
https://abc7chicago.com/post/chicago-leaders-speak-undocumented-business-owners-deportations-illinois-hispanic-chamber-commerce-offers-legal-adivce/15926782/

NBC5
— Republicans consider cuts, work requirements for Medicaid. Eighty million U.S. adults and children are currently enrolled in the nearly-free health care coverage offered to the poorest Americans.
https://www.nbcchicago.com/news/health/republicans-consider-cuts-work-requirements-medicaid/3677068/

CBS2
— Mentoring program helping Black high school students prepare for college success (COMMENT: To get rid of me, my Democrat IRS superiors got rid of my IRS mentor who promoted me in 1972, 1973, and 1974. To get rid of me, my Democrat GAO superiors got rid of my GAO mentor who arranged for my transfer from IRS in 1980 and was finally able to assign me to audits of IRS and to promote me in 1986.)
https://www.cbsnews.com/chicago/news/onegoal-mentoring-program-black-high-school-students-college/

FOX32
— Illinois federal employees protest against Trump’s layoffs. Federal workers held a rally at Federal Plaza in Chicago, protesting planned layoffs under President Donald Trump. The Trump administration offered buyouts to nearly 2 million federal employees, leading to 75,000 resignations. Thousands of probationary workers, including EPA employees, were fired without warning, sparking outrage. (COMMENT: I have always been a Republican. Virtually all federal employees are Democrats. I was a federal employee for almost 30 years. I share many demographics with Trump. If I was still a federal employee, my Democrat superiors, supervisors, coworkers, and subordinates would have killed me by now figuratively if not literally.)
https://www.fox32chicago.com/news/illinois-federal-employees-protest-against-trumps-layoffs

WTTW
— Are You a Federal Worker in Illinois? We Want to Hear From You. (COMMENT: Would WTTW be interested in hearing about how my Democrat GAO superiors used Republican-led budget cuts to waste my career and to force me to retire when I was 49 years old in 1997?)
https://news.wttw.com/2025/02/17/are-you-federal-worker-illinois-we-want-hear-you
— Fired EPA Workers in Chicago Rally Against Trump’s Mass Government Layoffs
https://news.wttw.com/2025/02/18/fired-epa-workers-chicago-rally-against-trump-s-mass-government-layoffs
— Democrats ever-increasingly push more pot.
https://news.wttw.com/2025/02/18/committee-advances-bill-ban-vehicle-searches-based-smell-cannabis

VERMILION COUNTY FIRST
— Chief Budgeteer Senator Chapin Rose (R-Mahomet) joined Illinois Senate Republican Leader Senator John Curran (R-Downers Grove) and Deputy Leader Senator Sue Rezin (R-Morris) to call on Illinois Governor JB Pritzker to commit to transparent accounting of taxpayer spending and to deliver a budget that does not include tax increases on Illinois families and businesses in tomorrow’s address.
https://vermilioncountyfirst.com/2025/02/18/illinois-senate-republicans-call-for-no-new-taxes-transparent-accounting-in-budget/

CENTRAL ILLINOIS PROUD
— Illinois Republican Senate members say Democrats state budget is flawed
https://www.centralillinoisproud.com/news/local-news/watch-live-illinois-republican-senate-members-discuss-budget/
— Florida is rushing to enforce new immigration laws.
https://www.centralillinoisproud.com/news/national/ap-florida-is-rushing-to-enforce-new-immigration-laws-heres-what-to-know/

FOX ILLINOIS
— Trump’s border czar says ICE arrests way up, illegal border crossings way down
https://foxillinois.com/news/nation-world/trump-effect-has-migrants-thinking-twice-about-crossing-the-border-white-house-says-illegal-immigration-border-security-politics-ice-arrests-public-safety

WQAD
— Democrats ever-increasingly promote more abortion
https://www.wqad.com/video/news/politics/illinois-politics/planned-parenthood-of-illinois-offering-medication-abortion-pills-through-app/526-3295b9a7-c293-4033-9d3d-4a4e89a2c287
— Democrats ever-increasingly push more pot.
https://www.wqad.com/video/news/politics/illinois-politics/illinois-committee-advances-bill-to-ban-vehicle-searches-based-on-smell-of-cannabis/526-3f033835-2d5d-4df9-b093-e19bb4879010

CAPITOL NEWS ILLINOIS
— Eliminating immigrant spending, boosting education funding top Senate Republican budget priorities. Gov. JB Pritzker set to give budget address Wednesday.
https://capitolnewsillinois.com/news/eliminating-immigrant-spending-boosting-education-funding-top-senate-republican-budget-priorities/

BLOCK CLUB CHICAGO
— Residents, Advocates Fear An Encampment Clearing As Tensions At Gompers Park Rise. Though the city said a planned March 5 moving event doesn’t mean the encampment will be cleared, similar events have led to the dismantling of tent cities, advocates said.
https://blockclubchicago.org/2025/02/18/residents-advocates-fear-an-encampment-clearing-as-tensions-at-gompers-park-rise/

CAPITOL FAX
— Afternoon roundup
https://capitolfax.com/2025/02/18/isabel%e2%80%99s-afternoon-roundup-250/
— Poll unsurprisingly finds Trump/Musk and their actions unpopular in Illinois, except for a close division on immigration (COMMENT: 2.4 million in Illinois voted for Trump/Vance.)
https://capitolfax.com/2025/02/18/poll-unsurprisingly-finds-trumpmusk-and-their-actions-unpopular-in-illinois-except-for-a-close-division-on-immigration/

FROM ILLINOIS CENTER-RIGHT SOURCES

CENTER SQUARE ILLINOIS
— Bill would eliminate property taxes for Illinois homeowners after 30 years of residency (COMMENT: I have lived in Illinois for more than 76 years and in Wheaton for almost 47 years. I have paid real estate taxes for more than 52 years.)
https://www.aol.com/bill-eliminate-property-taxes-illinois-213600444.html
— Pritzker to deliver proposed Illinois budget amid mounting spending pressures
https://www.thecentersquare.com/illinois/article_d154e64e-ee38-11ef-ad97-eb573b7a9e65.html
— Government efficiency caucus formed
https://www.thecentersquare.com/illinois/article_1951acf4-ee41-11ef-8dfc-47160dadc270.html

MCHENRY COUNTY BLOG
— Because Secret Service Clearance Is Required Wednesday Deadline to Buy Tickets to See Lara Trump at McHenry County/Joe Tirio Fundraiser
https://www.mchenrycountyblog.com/2025/02/18/because-secret-service-clearance-is-required-wednesday-deadline-to-buy-tickets-to-see-lara-trump/
— Algonquin Township Road Commissioner Danijela Sandberg’s Opponent Prematurely Declares Victory
https://www.mchenrycountyblog.com/2025/02/18/algonquin-township-road-commissioner-danijela-sandbergs-opponent-prematurely-declares-victory/
— Illinois Policy Institute Tees Up Opposition to Progressive Income Tax Proposals by Democrats
https://www.mchenrycountyblog.com/2025/02/18/illinois-policy-institute-tees-up-opposition-to-progressive-income-tax-proposals-by-democrats/
— Looks Like I Was Wrong on Netflix Subject for “Monsters – Season 3”
https://www.mchenrycountyblog.com/2025/02/18/looks-like-i-was-wrong-on-netflix-subject-for-monsters-season-3/
— Grafton Township Republican Party Issues Endorsements for Township Trustee
https://www.mchenrycountyblog.com/2025/02/18/grafton-township-republican-party-issues-endorsements-for-township-trustee/
— Another View of the Replacement Process for State Senator Dan McConchie
https://www.mchenrycountyblog.com/2025/02/18/another-view-of-the-replacement-process-for-state-senator-dan-mcconchie/
— The Censures of Algonquin Township Supervisor Randy Funk – Part 2
https://www.mchenrycountyblog.com/2025/02/18/the-censures-of-randy-funk-part-2/
— McHenry County Administrator Peter Austin Gets 5.3% Raise
https://www.mchenrycountyblog.com/2025/02/18/mchenry-county-administrator-peter-austin-gets-5-3-raise/

ILLINOIS RECORD
— A leaked Video shows the Illinois GOP seemingly lying about their 2024 election get out the vote impact
https://www.illinoisrecord.com/p/a-leaked-video-shows-the-illinois

FROM NATIONAL CENTER-RIGHT SOURCES

WASHINGTON TIMES
— Illegal immigrants now paying up to $30,000 as cartels raise prices under Trump
https://www.washingtontimes.com/news/2025/feb/18/illegal-immigrants-paying-30-000-cartels-raise-pri/

WASHINGTON EXAMINAR
— CPAC theme: ‘America is back on track’
https://www.washingtonexaminer.com/news/washington-secrets/3322407/cpac-theme-america-back-on-track/

AMERICAN WIRE
— Biden admin doled out 10 BILLION to illegals in just one year, shocking probe finds
https://americanwirenews.com/biden-admin-doled-out-10-billion-to-illegals-in-just-one-year-shocking-probe-finds/

CENTER SQUARE
— New guidance seeks to end use of ‘race preferences, stereotypes’ in school admissions
https://www.thecentersquare.com/national/article_127ef2e4-ee26-11ef-a6c4-878910db08f2.html
— IRS tax gap grows to $600 billion as DOGE looks for savings (COMMENT: I worked for GAO for 3 years 1986-1988 on audits of IRS Criminal Investigation Division efforts to close the tax gap.)
https://www.thecentersquare.com/national/article_ecd0de72-ee0c-11ef-848d-ebb54839938d.html
(FROM THE ARTICLE: As billionaire Elon Musk and his Department of Government Efficiency take a look at one of the federal government’s most-disliked agencies, the Internal Revenue Service, some point to a persistent problem: the tax gap. The tax gap is the difference between what taxpayers pay the IRS voluntarily and on time and what they actually owe the IRS. The projected annual gross tax gap for tax year 2022 was $696 billion, with about $90 billion of that paid late or through IRS enforcement, according to the IRS.)

DAILY WIRE
— Education Dept Slashes $600 Million In Grants Promoting ‘Divisive’ Ideologies. Grants had been training teachers in CRT and gender ideology.
https://www.dailywire.com/news/education-dept-slashes-600-million-in-grants-promoting-divisive-ideologies

FEDERALIST
— United States Should Encourage Less Migration, More Stability
https://thefederalist.com/2025/02/18/former-refugee-the-united-states-should-encourage-less-migration-more-stability/

FOX NEWS
— Vance to speak at CPAC’s opening day. CPAC, which dates back to 1974, is the nation’s oldest and largest annual gathering of conservative leaders and activists.
https://www.foxnews.com/politics/vice-president-jd-vance-speak-cpacs-opening-day

NEW AMERICAN
— Noem to Illegal Aliens and Would-be Illegals: Get Out, Stay Out, and Don’t Cross the Border
https://thenewamerican.com/us/immigration/noem-to-illegal-aliens-and-would-be-illegals-get-out-stay-out-and-dont-cross-the-border/

NEWSMAX
— If you have a criminal record, you can’t stay here
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Gt8YhNBsLVc

OPEN THE BOOKS
— CASH FOR MIGRANTS: FEMA NOT THE ONLY AGENCY SPENDING BIG. The Office of Refugee Resettlement has faced questions over transparency, conflict of interest.
https://openthebooks.substack.com/p/5f0bfa8c-91b1-4477-baa5-b98ecf340a76?lid=q5u4w2bhnmbt

TOWNHALL
— Homan Has the Perfect Response to AOC ‘Educating’ Illegals on How to Evade ICE
https://townhall.com/tipsheet/madelineleesman/2025/02/18/tom-homan-aoc-update-n2652391

FROM NATIONAL CENTER-LEFT SOURCES

CBS NEWS
— Trump says he may impose auto tariffs of around 25%
https://www.cbsnews.com/news/trump-auto-tariffs-25-percent/

NEWSWEEK
— Inside the Five-Star Hotel Where Deported Migrants Are Awaiting Their Fate
https://www.newsweek.com/inside-five-star-hotel-where-deported-migrants-are-awaiting-their-fate-2032899

USA TODAY
— Student asks Supreme Court to say he can wear T-shirt saying ‘There are only two genders.’ In past decisions, the Supreme Court has allowed students to wear arm bands in protest of the Vietnam War but not to hold up a “Bong Hits 4 Jesus” banner.
https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/politics/2025/02/16/supreme-court-student-two-genders-t-shirt-free-speech/78390509007/

LEADER
— IRS tax gap grows to $600 billion as DOGE looks for savings (COMMENT: I worked for GAO for 3 years 1986-1988 on audits of IRS Criminal Investigation Division efforts to close the tax gap.)
https://www.myleaderpaper.com/news/national/irs-tax-gap-grows-to-600-billion-as-doge-looks-for-savings/article_e3f7dd85-5ace-5b39-a934-9d543adda481.html
(FROM THE ARTICLE: As billionaire Elon Musk and his Department of Government Efficiency take a look at one of the federal government’s most-disliked agencies, the Internal Revenue Service, some point to a persistent problem: the tax gap. The tax gap is the difference between what taxpayers pay the IRS voluntarily and on time and what they actually owe the IRS. The projected annual gross tax gap for tax year 2022 was $696 billion, with about $90 billion of that paid late or through IRS enforcement, according to the IRS. The problem has been around for decades and is growing. From 2014 to 2016, the IRS estimated the tax gap was about $496 billion each year, according to a 2024 report from the U.S. Government Accountability Office.)

ABP
— How Big A Problem Are Illegal Indians For US? 11 Insights From Johns Hopkins Study.
https://news.abplive.com/news/world/how-big-problem-illegal-indians-us-11-insights-johns-hopkins-study-1752190

February 18, 2025

FROM ILLINOIS CENTER-LEFT SOURCES

CBS2
— Durbin, congresspeople highlight what they say would be detrimental effects of federal spending cuts (COMMENT: To what extent is your county, township, municipality, school district, and precinct dependent on federal spending?)
https://www.cbsnews.com/chicago/news/durbin-congresspeople-detrimental-effects-federal-spending-cuts/
— Democrat leaders ever-increasingly promote their protests against Trump.
https://www.cbsnews.com/chicago/video/protesters-rally-in-chicago-against-president-trumps-policies/

WGN9
— Democrat leaders ever-increasingly promote their protests against Trump.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qFkVQUBlIoY
https://wgntv.com/news/chicago-news/chicago-presidents-day-trump-musk-protests/
— Illinois Congressional Democrats rail against Trump, Musk cuts (COMMENT: To what extent is your county, township, municipality, school district, and precinct dependent on federal spending?)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=luDPZki4H5Q

FOX32
— Illinois Dem lawmakers push back against Trump budget cuts (COMMENT: To what extent is your county, township, municipality, school district, and precinct dependent on federal spending?)
https://www.fox32chicago.com/video/1594717

CHICAGO TRIBUNE
— Democrat leaders ever-increasingly promote more hatred against Trump.
https://www.chicagotribune.com/2025/02/18/opinion-illinois-fighting-unconcstitutional-actions-donald-trump/
— Homer Township Reset slate challenges Freedom Caucus incumbents in Republican Primary
https://www.chicagotribune.com/2025/02/17/homer-township-republican-primary/

CHICAGO SUN-TIMES
— Democrat leaders ever-increasingly promote their protests against Trump.
https://chicago.suntimes.com/politics/2025/02/17/protesters-march-donald-trump-nationwide-presidents-day-demonstration
— Democrat leaders ever-increasingly promote more hatred against Trump.
https://chicago.suntimes.com/letters-to-the-editor/2025/02/17/trump-presidency-republicans-maga-mean-federal-layoffs-debt-conservatives-new-party-usaid

NPR ILLINOIS
— Democrat leaders ever-increasingly promote their protests against Trump.
https://www.nprillinois.org/2025-02-17/thousands-of-people-protest-in-washington-d-c-and-across-the-u-s-on-presidents-day

WCIA
— Central Illinois federal workers face unemployment, uncertainty (COMMENT: Because of Republican-led budget cuts, all during the almost 18 years that I worked for the Democrats who ran GAO 1980-1997, I faced Democrat retaliation, that is, I faced political affiliation discrimination, reverse discrimination, age discrimination, religious discrimination, and national origin discrimination. I should write about that.)
https://www.wcia.com/news/champaign-county/there-were-people-crying-central-illinois-federal-workers-face-unemployment-uncertainty/

WAND TV
— Democrats ever-increasingly promote more abortion.
https://www.wandtv.com/news/planned-parenthood-of-illinois-expands-medication-abortion-access-through-app/article_206323fe-edf3-11ef-ab84-1f11aa00a2cd.html

POLITICO ILLINOIS
— TROLLING TRUMP: The Illinois Democratic Party has been trolling President Donald Trump by projecting digital phrases onto the Trump International Hotel & Tower in Chicago’s River North neighborhood and a stream of online messaging.
https://www.politico.com/newsletters/illinois-playbook/2025/02/18/richard-irvin-returns-to-the-ring-00204650

CAPITOL FAX
— Morning briefing
https://capitolfax.com/2025/02/18/isabel%e2%80%99s-morning-briefing-457/

FROM ILLINOIS CENTER-RIGHT SOURCES

GOPUSA ILLINOIS
— How much success have the Democrat and RINO leaders of your county, township, municipality, and school district had promoting fear, anger, and hatred against Trump and against those who voted for Trump? – Dave Diersen
http://www.gopillinois.com
— I should write about the tremendous negative impacts from Republican gutting GAO instead of Republican reforming of GAO. If Republicans had reformed GAO, the Democrats who ran GAO 1980-1997 would not have been able to a) force me to take a $23,472/year (21%) pay cut in today’s dollars to transfer from IRS to GAO, b) delay my promotions and never promote me beyond GS-13, c) always rank me in the bottom half of my coworkers for pay-for-performance, or d) force me to retire when I was 49 years old in 1997. – Dave Diersen
http://www.gopillinois.com
— GAO is supposed to fight waste in the federal government. But Democrats run the federal government and Democrats run GAO. I worked for the Democrats who ran GAO 1980-1997. Because I have always been a Republican, they did not want me fight waste. To get rid of me, they. a) forced me to take a $23,472/year (21%) pay cut in today’s dollars to transfer from IRS to GAO, b) delayed my promotions and never promote me beyond GS-13, c) always ranked me in the bottom half of my coworkers for pay-for-performance, and d) forced me to retire when I was 49 years old in 1997. They wasted what I had learned a) working for GAO for almost 18 years and for IRS for almost 9 years, b) earning three job-related master’s degrees, c) earning six job-related professional certifications, and d) earning a job-related professional license. – Dave Diersen
http://www.gopillinois.com
— According to my critics/opponents, the courts in Diersen v. GAO decided that employers can fire their employees a) because they oppose political affiliation discrimination, reverse discrimination, and/or age discrimination and/or b) because they have performance problems. According to my critics/opponents, both of the aforesaid applied to me a) because I was an active member in a class action lawsuit that charged my employer with reverse discrimination and age discrimination and b) because my employer never promoted me beyond GS-13 and always ranked me in the bottom half of my coworkers for pay-for-performance. According to them, I had to have performance problems because they took those adverse actions against me even though I had three job-related master’s degrees, six job-related professional certifications, and a job-related professional license. But in fact, they took those adverse actions against me a) because I opposed their political affiliation discrimination, reverse discrimination, and age discrimination and b) because I was an active member in a class action lawsuit that charged them with reverse discrimination and age discrimination. – Dave Diersen
http://www.gopillinois.com
— What do your critics/opponents stress about you to turn people against you? My critics/opponents stress that I am conservative, Republican, White, male, older, non-veteran, Protestant, German American, my ancestors have been in America since 1844, I was a federal employee for almost 30 years and almost 9 of which working for IRS, I have been a federal retiree for more than 27 years, I have been married for almost 47 years, I have more education than they have, I have six professional certifications and a professional license, I have more real estate, vehicles, and/or money than they have, I have better health than they have, etc. – Dave Diersen
http://www.gopillinois.com
— What do your critics/opponents stress to promote envy against you? Mine stress that I have been a federal retiree for more than 27 years, that I have been married for almost 47 years, that I have more education than they have, that I have six professional certifications and a professional license, that I have more real estate, vehicles, and/or money than they have, that I have better health than they have, etc.
http://www.gopillinois.com

MCHENRY COUNTY BLOG
— Congressman Robert C. McClory’s Significant Law
https://www.mchenrycountyblog.com/2025/02/17/congressman-robert-c-mcclorys-significant-law/
— Crystal Lake Grade School District Has 20% Fewer Students Than in 2008, But More Staff
https://www.mchenrycountyblog.com/2025/02/17/crystal-lake-grade-school-district-has-20-fewer-students-than-in-2008-but-more-staff/
— The Censures of Randy Funk – Part 1
https://www.mchenrycountyblog.com/2025/02/17/the-censures-of-randy-funk-part-1/
— The Contract with Peter Bensinger I Would Not Sign in the Thompson Administration
https://www.mchenrycountyblog.com/2025/02/17/the-contract-with-peter-bensinger-i-would-not-sign-in-the-thompson-administration/

FROM NATIONAL CENTER-RIGHT SOURCES

U.S. Department of HOMELAND SECURITY
— Secretary Kristi Noem announced a nationwide and international multimillion-dollar ad campaign warning illegal aliens to leave our country now or face deportation with the inability to return to the United States. The international ads warn criminal illegal aliens not to come to America and break its laws or they will be hunted down and deported. (COMMENT: Of course, Democrats and RINOs oppose/reject the aforesaid.)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hezXQvjzCkQ

WASHINGTON TIMES
— Time to go: DHS tells illegal immigrants to ‘self-deport and stay out’ Secretary Kristi Noem vows ‘We will hunt you down’
https://www.washingtontimes.com/news/2025/feb/17/dhs-tells-illegal-immigrants-self-deport-stay/

NEW YORK POST
— AOC’s harmful migrant assistance (COMMENT: It is criminal to help people commit crimes.)
https://nypost.com/2025/02/17/opinion/aocs-harmful-migrant-assistance-letters/
— Eric Adams is a hostage to New Yorkers’ will — not to Donald Trump
https://nypost.com/2025/02/17/opinion/memo-to-eric-adams-critics-hes-a-hostage-to-nyers-will-not-donald-trump/

AMERICAN THINKER
— Buttigieg insinuates that Trump’s IG firing spree has something to do with promoting ‘waste, fraud, and abuse’ (COMMENT: When the Democrats who ran GAO’s Chicago Office forced me to retire when I was 49 years old in 1997, the Democrats who ran IG offices in Chicago could have offered to hire me, but they did not. I should write about those who they hired instead of me.)
https://www.americanthinker.com/blog/2025/02/buttigieg_insinuates_that_trump_s_ig_firing_spree_has_something_to_do_with_promoting_waste_fraud_and_abuse.html

BREITBART
— Supreme Court Path for President Trump on Birthright Citizenship
https://www.breitbart.com/politics/2025/02/17/scotus-path-birthright-citizenship-trump/
— Kristi Noem Warns Migrants Against Entering U.S. Illegally: ‘You Will Be Caught’
https://www.breitbart.com/politics/2025/02/17/kristi-noem-warns-migrants-entering-u-s-illegally-will-be-caught/

FOX BUSINESS
— DOGE critics are in favor of government waste (COMMENT: GAO is supposed to fight waste in the federal government. But Democrats run the federal government and Democrats run GAO. I worked for the Democrats who ran GAO 1980-1997. Because I have always been a Republican, they did not want me fight waste. To get rid of me, they. a) forced me to take a $23,472/year (21%) pay cut in today’s dollars to transfer from IRS to GAO, b) delayed my promotions and never promote me beyond GS-13, c) always ranked me in the bottom half of my coworkers for pay-for-performance, and d) forced me to retire when I was 49 years old in 1997. They wasted what I had learned a) working for GAO for almost 18 years and for IRS for almost 9 years, b) earning three job-related master’s degrees, c) earning six job-related professional certifications, and d) earning a job-related professional license.)
https://www.foxbusiness.com/video/6368973252112

FOX NEWS
— Homan takes victory lap after illegal immigrant crossings plummet during Trump admin: ‘He is delivering’ Homan said it’s the lowest he’s seen since President Reagan was in office.
https://www.foxnews.com/politics/homan-victory-lap-after-illegal-immigrant-crossings-plummet-during-trump-admin-delivering

LEGAL INSURRECTION
— Dear DOGE – Why Is The U.S. Government Funding “Media Literacy” Informers And Indoctrination? DHS, Defense, and State are all involved. I know, I took the trainings. Do Secretaries Noem, Hegseth, and Rubio know?
https://legalinsurrection.com/2025/02/dear-doge-why-is-the-u-s-government-funding-media-literacy-informers-and-indoctrination/

NEWSMAX
— Some Shelters Close as Migrant Flow Slows
https://www.newsmax.com/newsfront/migrant-shelters-closing-border/2025/02/17/id/1199406/

FROM NATIONAL CENTER-LEFT SOURCES

NBC NEWS
— Supreme Court could decide who Trump is allowed to fire (COMMENT: According to my critics/opponents, the courts in Diersen v. GAO decided that employers can fire their employees a) because they oppose political affiliation discrimination, reverse discrimination, and/or age discrimination and/or b) because they have performance problems. According to my critics/opponents, both of the aforesaid applied to me a) because I was an active member in a class action lawsuit that charged my employer with reverse discrimination and age discrimination and b) because my employer never promoted me beyond GS-13 and always ranked me in the bottom half of my coworkers for pay-for-performance (PFP). According to them, I had to have performance problems because they took those adverse actions against me even though I had three job-related master’s degrees, six job-related professional certifications, and a job-related professional license. But in fact, they took those adverse actions against me a) because I opposed their political affiliation discrimination, reverse discrimination, and age discrimination and b) because I was an active member in a class action lawsuit that charged them with reverse discrimination and age discrimination.)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Yq2hVZ_zz94

MSN
— Hegseth reports that IRS has audited him and says he owes $33,558.16. (COMMENT: I should write about why my Democrat IRS superiors disallowed my education deductions when I was 29 years old in 1978. They would not have done that if I had been a Democrat, minority, female, younger, or veteran.)
https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/politics/pete-hegseth-shares-back-taxes-self-own-while-blasting-biden-irs-for-audit/ar-AA1zfqGt
(FROM THE ARTICLE: A Fox News host until being nominated by Donald Trump to lead the Defense Department, Hegseth’s annual salary at the media company was north of $2 million, according to a financial disclosure report he filed as part of the confirmation process. Additionally, he earned $900,000 in speaking engagement fees over the last two years, according to the report. As Secretary of Defense, Hegseth will be paid $246,000 per year. The Trump administration is expected to soon announce substantial layoffs at the IRS. Furthermore, Elon Musk’s Department of Government Efficiency is looking to gain access to the IRS’s highly-classified system for housing taxpayers’ financial information.)

ASSOCIATED PRESS & MSNBC & NEWSWEEK & LOS ANGELES & ORANGE COUNTY REGISTER & NBC BOSTON & ABC DENVER & BUSINESS TIMES
— Democrat leaders ever-increasingly promote their protests against Trump.
https://apnews.com/article/president-donald-trump-protest-c8796556fbf20e796f42167f61c3d942
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MLJLFiB6bb8
https://www.newsweek.com/photos-show-trump-musk-50501-protests-across-us-2032448
https://www.latimes.com/california/story/2025-02-17/presidents-day-rally-long-beach
https://www.ocregister.com/2025/02/17/on-presidents-day-in-irvine-demonstrators-rally-against-president-trump-and-elon-musk/
https://www.nbcboston.com/news/politics/presidents-day-brings-protests-against-trumps-policies/3634753/
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tKbNe3qG8MQ
https://www.btimesonline.com/articles/172879/20250218/no-kings-on-presidents-day-rallies-target-trump-policies-musk-s-influence.htm

NEW YORK TIMES
— What do your critics/opponents stress to promote envy against you? Mine stress that I have been a federal retiree for more than 27 years, that I have been married for almost 47 years, that I have more education than they have, that I have six professional certifications and a professional license, that I have more real estate, vehicles, and/or money than they have, that I have better health than they have, etc.
https://www.nytimes.com/2024/01/03/learning/do-you-ever-feel-envious-of-others.html
— Democrats Fear They Are Missing the Moment to Remake the Party. As President Trump steamrolls over their priorities, Democrats say they could miss the opportunity to learn lessons from their defeat and undertake needed reform. (COMMENT: From what I see, the Democrat Party will forever promote dependency on government charity, LGBTQ, abortion, mass/illegal immigration, booze, gambling, pot, and other vices, abolition of the Second Amendment, and Affirmative Action and DEI, that is, race and gender based preference giving, patronage, political affiliation discrimination, reverse discrimination, age discrimination, religious discrimination, and national origin discrimination. By doing the aforesaid, the Democrat Party wants to get more votes from those who are liberal/moderate, minority, female, younger, poor, 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.nytimes.com/2025/02/17/us/politics/democrats-trump-future.html
— FRONT PAGE TOP OF FOLD: Trump Targets a Growing List of Those He Sees as Disloyal. In his first month in office, the president has carried out a campaign of retribution that has little analogue in history. (COMMENT: My critics/opponents demand blind loyalty and destroy those like me who they cannot manipulate or dominate, who refuse to glorify and praise them, who refuse to pander to them, who refuse to serve as one of their operatives or dupes, who refuse to coverup their wrongdoing, and/or who refuse to give them money.)
https://www.nytimes.com/2025/02/17/us/politics/trump-retribution-list.html

USA TODAY
— Federal government has wasted trillions. Trump and Musk are saying, ‘Enough!’
https://www.usatoday.com/story/opinion/columnist/2025/02/17/trump-musk-doge-government-waste-national-debt/78518870007/

WEEK
— How much did Germany pay as WWI reparations? Here’s why Donald Trump’s proposed $500 billion offer for Ukraine is even worse. Ukraine President Volodymyr Zelenskyy asked his officials to reject Donald Trump administration’s $500 billion deal, saying it does not give adequate security guarantees for Kyiv.
https://www.theweek.in/news/world/2025/02/18/how-much-did-germany-pay-as-wwi-reparations-here-s-why-donald-trump-s-proposed-500-billion-offer-for-ukraine-is-even-worse.html

WBAL TV
— Employees across federal agencies detail impacts of layoffs, DOGE action (COMMENT: I should write about the tremendous negative impacts of Republicans gutting GAO instead of reforming GAO. If Republicans had reformed GAO, the Democrats who ran GAO 1980-1997 would not have been able to a) force me to take a $23,472/year (21%) pay cut in today’s dollars to transfer from IRS to GAO, b) delay my promotions and never promote me beyond GS-13, c) always rank me in the bottom half of my coworkers for pay-for-performance, or d) force me to retire when I was 49 years old in 1997.)
https://www.wbaltv.com/article/federal-employees-layoffs-impacts-doge-executive-orders/63821109

WALL STREET JOURNAL
— The Media Claim to Find No Fraud in Government. Then again, they also told us Biden was sharp as a tack and nothing was amiss at the border.
https://www.wsj.com/opinion/the-media-claim-to-find-no-fraud-in-government-waste-abuse-agencies-8ed673b2
— 6 Ways to Fix the Job-Application Nightmare. Companies are needlessly hurting their reputations among potential employees. Here’s what they can do to improve the process—and attract better talent. (COMMENT: I did not apply to be an IRS employee. IRS offered me a job because I had passed the Federal Service Entrance Examination.)
https://www.wsj.com/lifestyle/careers/job-search-applications-fixes-476ed638
— America’s Trumpiest City Council Is Thriving—in Newsom’s California. Huntington Beach has become a laboratory for Trump-style local governance; ‘non-sanctuary city’ status and a MAGA plaque at the library. (COMMENT: How strongly do the Republican leaders of the following support Trump: a) your state senate and house districts, county, township, municipality, and school board and b) the Illinois Republican Party and your Republican county and township/ward party organizations?)
https://www.wsj.com/us-news/americas-trumpiest-city-council-is-thrivingin-newsoms-california-e671f21c

INSIDE HIGHER EDUCATION
— Anticipate/expect that Democrat and RINO leaders will ever-increasingly use DEI to get rid of Republicans
https://www.insidehighered.com/news/diversity/race-ethnicity/2025/02/18/after-trumps-diversity-threats-what-should-colleges-do

February 17, 2025 Evening Edition

February 17, 2025

ABC7
— Trump mug shot hung just outside Oval Office
https://abc7chicago.com/post/president-donald-trumps-mug-shot-fulton-county-jail-georgia-hung-outside-oval-office-photos-show/15916528/
— Trump tours Boeing plane to highlight aircraft maker’s delay in delivering a new Air Force One
https://abc7chicago.com/post/donald-trump-tours-boeing-747-plane-highlight-aircraft-makers-delay-delivering-new-air-force-presidential/15915490/
— Fired federal workers speak out on recent terminations: ‘we’re under attack by billionaires’ (COMMENT: I did more than speak out when my Democrat GAO superiors forced me to retire when I was 49 years old in 1997. I filed Diersen v. GAO. SEE: https://gopillinois.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/09/DiersenGAOFifthAmendedComplaint.pdf My critics/opponents side with GAO in that lawsuit, that is, they promote political affiliation discrimination, reverse discrimination, and age discrimination.)
https://abc7chicago.com/post/federal-layoffs-fired-workers-speak-recent-terminations-were-attack-billionaires/15915591/

WTTW
— An Illinois DOGE? Rep. John Cabello’s (R-Rockford) Proposal Would Create New Department
https://news.wttw.com/2025/02/17/illinois-doge-republican-state-lawmaker-s-proposal-would-create-new-department

WBBM
— LaHood trusts Trump’s implementation of the Republican Party platform. To what extent do the Republican leaders in your county, township, municipality, and school district share LaHood’s trust? Which planks in the Republican Party platform do the aforesaid leaders accept or reject?
https://www.audacy.com/wbbm780/news/local/congressman-lahood-trusts-trump-administration-musk

CHICAGO TRIBUNE
— FRONT PAGE TOP OF FOLD: Democrats ever-increasingly promote more abortion.
https://www.chicagotribune.com/2025/02/17/cook-county-health-planned-parenthood-partnership-englewood/
— Trump’s moves to end foreign aid agency hit close to home in Illinois
https://www.chicagotribune.com/2025/02/17/ctc-l-trump-usaid-spending-illinois/

CHICAGO SUN-TIMES
— ALL OF THE FRONT PAGE: Chicago area federal workers on edge as Trump guts agencies: ‘It’s devastating’ More than 48,000 federal workers in and around Chicago have been on edge for weeks as President Donald Trump aims to drastically reduce the federal workforce. (COMMENT: Virtually all federal employees are Democrats. If I was still a federal employee, my Democrat superiors, supervisors, coworkers, and subordinates would have killed me by now figuratively if not literally. When Republicans gutted GAO in the 1990s, my Democrat GAO superiors forced me to retire when I was 49 years old.)
https://chicago.suntimes.com/politics/donald-trump/2025/02/16/federal-workers-chicago-trump-buyouts-layoffs
— Democrat and RINO leaders ever-increasingly promote more illegal immigration.
https://chicago.suntimes.com/la-voz/work-permit-immigration-eligibility-chicago

DAILY HERALD
— As federal workers and aid recipients reel, Trump’s team is unmoved (COMMENT: I reeled big time when my Democrat GAO superiors forced me to retire in 1997 when I was 49 years old. I filed Diersen v. GAO. SEE: https://gopillinois.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/09/DiersenGAOFifthAmendedComplaint.pdf )
https://www.dailyherald.com/20250215/nation-and-world-politics/as-federal-workers-and-aid-recipients-reel-trumps-team-is-unmoved/
— Illinois leaders: Stop pushing for big government, start helping small businesses
https://www.dailyherald.com/20250215/business/illinois-leaders-stop-pushing-for-big-government-start-helping-small-businesses/

CHAMPAIGN/URBANA NEWS GAZETTE
— Daytona 500 resumes after lengthy rain delay; Trump on hand for start of NASCAR’s biggest race. The Daytona 500 has resumed after two weather delay totaling more than 3 1/2 hours, and with President Donald Trump set to watch the rest of the race in Florida, after he earlier led drivers on two laps around the track in his heavily armored presidential limousine known in Washington as “The Beast.”
https://www.news-gazette.com/news/nation-world/daytona-500-resumes-after-lengthy-rain-delay-trump-on-hand-for-start-of-nascars-biggest/article_cbec048e-62f3-5f04-b0d8-22239f18aa2e.html

ALTON TELEGRAPH
— Trump administration wants the Supreme Court to let the firing of whistleblower agency head proceed (COMMEMT: I was a whistleblower. I ever-increasingly blew the whistle on political affiliation discrimination, reverse discrimination, and age discrimination in the federal government. The Bush administration wanted me to suffer the retaliation that I did for my doing that.)
https://www.thetelegraph.com/news/article/trump-administration-wants-the-supreme-court-to-20170946.php

NPR ILLINOIS
— Democrat leaders ever-increasingly promote more protests against Trump.
https://www.nprillinois.org/2025-02-16/protests-are-set-to-take-place-on-presidents-day-heres-why

WCIA
— Presidents dominate their DOJs. My critics/opponents stress that while Bush was president, his DOJ sided with the Democrats against me in Diersen v. GAO, that is, that Bush wanted political affiliation discrimination, reverse discrimination, and age discrimination.
https://www.wcia.com/news/politics/ap-politics/ap-justice-departments-independence-is-threatened-as-trumps-team-asserts-power-over-cases-and-staff/

WAND TV
— Trump attends the Daytona 500 and says the spirit of NASCAR will ‘fuel America’s Golden Age’ President Donald Trump says the spirit of NASCAR will “fuel America’s Golden Age.”
https://www.wandtv.com/news/national/trump-attends-the-daytona-500-and-says-the-spirit-of-nascar-will-fuel-americas-golden/article_68c448c7-3894-5da3-ab9c-45a47a8dabd3.html
— Local federal employees in Illinois among those who’ve been fired nationally (COMMENT: During the 1980s and 1990s, I was among those Republican GAO employees who the Democrats who ran GAO punished for Republican-led budget cuts. They forced me to retire when I was 49 years old in 1997 because of Republican-led budget cuts.)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=l8_KiZcXA1Q

FOX ILLINOIS
— Rubio backs Israel’s Gaza strategy as ceasefire faces uncertainty amid Hamas tensions
https://foxillinois.com/news/nation-world/rubio-in-israel-says-hamas-must-be-eradicated-casting-further-doubt-on-gazas-shaky-cease

FROM ILLINOIS CENTER-RIGHT SOURCES

GOPUSA ILLINOIS
— What if the federal government had to look like America? It certainly does not now. Virtually all federal employees are Democrats. But Republican Trump got 50% of the vote. What if 50% of federal employee had to be Republican? The Democrats who ran GAO in 1980, IRS in 1971, and the Post Office in 1966 hired me because they could not find a qualified Democrat, minority, female, younger person, or veteran who would take the job. Because I am a Republican, the Democrats who ran IRS would not have promoted me in 1972, 1973, or 1974 if I had not been taking graduate evening business courses. Virtually none of my coworkers had done that. Because I am a Republican, the Democrats who ran GAO would not have promoted me in 1986 if I had not earned an MBA in 1976, passed the CPA examination on my first attempt in 1979, earned a master’s degree in accounting in 1980, and passed the Certified Internal Auditor examination on my first attempt and became a licensed CPA in 1981. None of my coworkers had done anything close to that. – Dave Diersen
http://www.gopillinois.com
— What discourages Republicans from seeking federal jobs? Virtually all federal employees are Democrats. Democrat superiors and supervisors in the federal government give preference to their employees who are Democrat, and especially to those who are minority, female, younger, and/or veteran, that is, they discriminate against their employees who are Republican, and especially against those who are White, male, older, and/or non-veteran. What could Trump do about the aforesaid? He could use me as an example. If I had been a Democrat, the federal government would have promoted me into its Senior Executive Service before I was 40 years old. But because I was a Republican, the federal government wasted my career and forced me to retire when I was 49 years old in 1997 even though I had a) earned job-related master’s degrees in 1976, 1980, and 1997, b) earned job-related professional certifications in 1979, 1981, 1990, 1994, 1996, and 1997, and c) earned a job-related professional license in 1981. Trump could force the return of meritocracy in the federal government. All my coworkers who my Democrat superiors promoted over me were Democrats who a) had less work experience than I had, had less education than I had, had no professional certifications or fewer than I had, and/or had no professional license like the one I had and/or b) were minority, female, younger, and/or veteran. – Dave Diersen
http://www.gopillinois.com

WIREPOINTS
— Illinois shouldn’t dismiss Indiana’s overture to snap up “separatist” downstate counties
https://wirepoints.org/illinois-shouldnt-dismiss-indianas-overture-to-snap-up-separatist-downstate-counties-wirepoints/

JOHN BIVER
— USAID, DOGE and the state of Illinois 2025
https://johnbiver.com/usaid-doge-and-the-state-of-illinois-2025/

MCHENRY COUNTY BLOG
— Is McHenry County Administrator’s Pending 5.3% Raise a Signal That All Non-Union Employees Will Receive the Same?
https://www.mchenrycountyblog.com/2025/02/16/is-mchenry-county-administrators-pending-5-3-raise-a-signal-that-all-non-union-employees-will-receive-the-same/
— Inside View of State Senate Appointment Process in Which Darby Hills Selected to Replace Dan McConchie
https://www.mchenrycountyblog.com/2025/02/16/inside-view-of-state-senate-appointment-process-in-which-darby-hills-selected-to-replace-dan-mcconchie/
— Ness Attacked on Facebook by Americans for Prosperity
https://www.mchenrycountyblog.com/2025/02/15/ness-attacked-on-facebook-by-americans-for-prosperity/
— Mike Buehler’s 2025 State of the County Address
https://www.mchenrycountyblog.com/2025/02/15/mike-buehlers-state-of-the-county-address/
— Trump as a “Disruptor”
https://www.mchenrycountyblog.com/2025/02/15/trump-as-a-disruptor/
— Kane County GOP Campaigns Against Democrats’ Sales Tax Hike Referendum
https://www.mchenrycountyblog.com/2025/02/15/kane-county-gop-campaigns-against-democrats-sales-tax-hike-referendum/
— Schakowsky Wonders if MANufacturers Discriminate against Women
https://www.mchenrycountyblog.com/2025/02/15/schakowsky-wonders-if-manufacturers-discriminate-against-women/
— Crystal Lake Grade School Offers Mental Health/Suicide Prevention Advice
https://www.mchenrycountyblog.com/2025/02/15/crystal-lake-grade-school-offers-mental-health-suicide-prevention-advice/
— Keicher Takes on TIFs
https://www.mchenrycountyblog.com/2025/02/15/keicher-takes-on-tifs/

FROM NATIONAL CENTER-RIGHT SOURCES

WASHINGTON TIMES
— Democrats hunt for Trump vulnerability, zero in on inflation
https://www.washingtontimes.com/news/2025/feb/16/democrats-looking-trump-vulnerability-zero-inflati/
— Trump’s record-breaking start rattles Washington, rankles rivals, but earns raves from voters
https://www.washingtontimes.com/news/2025/feb/16/trump-record-breaking-start-rattles-district-rankl/
— Time for ‘Never Trumpers’ to admit they were wrong about Donald Trump
https://www.washingtontimes.com/news/2025/feb/16/time-never-trumpers-admit-wrong-donald-trump/
— Trump moves to counter hatred of Christians and Jews. Left claims it doesn’t exist. (COMMENT: I was baptized, raised, and confirmed as a Missouri Synod Lutheran. While was a federal employee for almost 30 years, virtually none of my superiors, supervisors, coworkers, and subordinates were Protestants.)
https://www.washingtontimes.com/news/2025/feb/16/trump-moves-counter-hatred-christians-jews/
— Dems fighting Trump’s cuts represent states receiving $231 billion in federal funds
https://www.washingtontimes.com/news/2025/feb/15/dem-task-force-stop-trump-bureaucracy-overhaul-rep/

NEW YORK POST
— Trump attends Daytona 500, drives lap around track in motorcade while delivering message
https://nypost.com/2025/02/16/sports/trump-attends-daytona-500-drives-lap-around-track-in-motorcade/

AMERICAN CONSERVATIVE
— Mass Deportations Are an American Tradition. Past presidents showed that removing millions of illegal aliens is achievable.
https://www.theamericanconservative.com/mass-deportations-are-an-american-tradition/

AMERICAN GREATNESS
— Trump Speed. President Trump is not moving at light speed. He’s not moving at warp speed. He is moving even faster… he is moving at Trump speed. And the left doesn’t know what to do.
https://amgreatness.com/2025/02/17/trump-speed/

AMERICAN THINKER
— Trump is Closing the Border. Now What About Legal Immigration?
https://www.americanthinker.com/articles/2025/02/trump_is_closing_the_border_now_what_about_legal_immigration.html

BREITBART
— House Republicans Budget Billions for Trump Border and Immigration Enforcement
https://www.breitbart.com/politics/2025/02/17/budget/
— Trump’s Deputies Shrink Democrats’ Labor and Sex Trafficking Programs
https://www.breitbart.com/politics/2025/02/16/trumps-deputies-shrink-federal-labor-sex-trafficking-uac-program/

DAILY CALLER
— Reince Priebus Tells Dem Panelists Their Party Is On ‘Wrong Side Of Normal’
https://dailycaller.com/2025/02/16/reince-priebus-democrats-wrong-normal-party-abc-news/

FOX NEWS
— Sanctuary policies protect criminal illegal aliens
https://www.foxnews.com/video/6368926559112
— Sanctuary cities are illegal and unconstitutional
https://www.foxnews.com/video/6368939017112
— Mayors, local officials could face arrest if they don’t comply with Trump’s mass deportations (COMMENT: Are the leaders of your county, township, municipality, and school district obstructing or helping with deportation of illegals?)
https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/us/mayors-local-officials-could-face-arrest-if-they-don-t-comply-with-trump-s-mass-deportations/ar-AA1xJrhA
— Trump applauds ‘guts’ of NASCAR drivers ahead of Daytona 500, sends them special message. Trump took a lap in The Beast ahead of the start of the race.
https://www.foxnews.com/sports/trump-applauds-guts-nascar-drivers-ahead-daytona-500-sends-them-special-message?lid=5eki2yd47qmi
— Trump admin aims for killing blow to independence of ‘Deep State’ agencies (COMMENT: After I transferred from IRS to GAO when I was 31 years old in 1980, I soon learned that GAO was much more partisan, that is, anti-Republican, than IRS was.)
https://www.foxnews.com/politics/donald-trump-supreme-court-independent-agencies-deep-state-justice-department-dick-durbin

REAL CLEAR POLICY
— Trump’s Opening Move Against Migrant Sex Trafficking
https://www.realclearpolicy.com/2025/02/17/trumps_opening_move_against_migrant_sex_trafficking_1091841.html

FROM NATIONAL CENTER-LEFT SOURCES

THE HILL
— Trump’s plan is to implement the Republican Party platform.
https://thehill.com/opinion/white-house/5146280-trump-executive-orders-government-efficiency/

CBS NEWS
— Trump administration wants Supreme Court to permit firing of whistleblower agency head (COMMENT: I was a whistleblower. I ever-increasingly blew the whistle on political affiliation discrimination, reverse discrimination, and age discrimination in the federal government. Because of that, my Democrat GAO superiors forced me to retire when I was 49 years old in 1997. Because of that, I filed Diersen v. GAO. SEE: https://gopillinois.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/09/DiersenGAOFifthAmendedComplaint.pdf But Bush sided with my Democrat GAO superiors in that lawsuit. My critics/opponents have always stressed that. My critics/opponents promote political affiliation discrimination, reverse discrimination, and age discrimination.)
https://www.cbsnews.com/news/trump-administration-supreme-court-permit-firing-whistleblower-agency-head/

NEW YORK TIMES
— First Test of Trump’s Power to Fire Officials Reaches Supreme Court. The court’s conservative majority may be receptive to the argument that presidents have unlimited power to remove leaders of independent agencies.
https://www.nytimes.com/2025/02/16/us/trump-supreme-court-special-counsel.html
— Democrats say “Trump Targets an Ideal Born of a President’s Murder. The act of violence almost 150 years ago effectively gave birth to the civil service, that class of nonpartisan experts who cannot be hired or fired for political reasons.” (COMMENT: Constructively, the Democrats who run the federal government have abolished Civil Service protections for federal employees who are Republican, and especially for those who are White, male, older, non-veteran, Protestant, German American, and/or have ancestors who have been in America for a long time. I should write a book about the aforesaid.)
https://www.nytimes.com/2025/02/13/us/politics/trump-civil-service-history.html

USA TODAY
— ‘It’s a lie’: Federal workers incensed by performance language in termination letters (COMMENT: My critics/opponents have always hinted/implied/argued/shouted that real reason why my Democrat superiors in the federal government wasted my career and forced me to retire when I was 49 years old in 1997 was performance problems. They ignore/dismiss/belittle/badmouth a) my earning job-related master’s degrees in 1997, 1980, and 1976, b) my earning job-related professional certifications in 1997, 1996, 1994, 1990, 1981, and 1979, and c) my earning a job-related professional license in 1981.)
https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/politics/2025/02/17/fired-federal-workers-performance-language-doge/78886104007/

BOSTON HERALD
— Trump’s Department of Education gives schools 2 weeks to ditch DEI…or else
https://www.bostonherald.com/2025/02/17/trumps-department-of-education-gives-schools-2-weeks-to-ditch-dei-or-else/

BALTIMORE SUN
— America is in the midst of a rightward shift (COMENT: Are the leaders of the Illinois Republican Party and your Republican county and township/ward party organizations shifting to the right?)
https://www.baltimoresun.com/2025/02/17/america-is-in-the-midst-of-a-rightward-shift-editorial/

ORANGE COUNTY REGISTER
— With 1.4 million undocumented people, Southern California will change as deportations ramp up (COMMENT: How many illegals are there in your county, township, municipality, school district, and precinct?)
https://www.ocregister.com/2025/02/16/with-1-4-million-undocumented-people-southern-california-will-change-as-deportations-ramp-up/

T. ROWE PRICE
— You’re age 35, 50, or 60: How much should you have saved for retirement by now? It’s important to make steady progress toward saving for retirement, no matter what your age. (COMMENT: Saving for our retirement was always a priority for my wife and I. While we were both working, we spent money like only one of us had a paycheck. We always put the maximums into tax-deferred accounts. Our retirement savings are much greater because we gave up trying to have children. Sadly, my critics/opponents use the aforesaid against me. We have less retirement savings because my Democrat superiors in the federal government wasted my career and forced me to retire when I was 49 years old in 1997. We have more money because of inheritances.)
https://www.troweprice.com/personal-investing/resources/insights/youre-age-35-50-or-60-how-much-should-you-have-by-now.html

ATLANTIC
— The Coming Democratic Baby Bust. Birth rates on the left fell in the last Trump presidency. It seems likely to happen again.
https://www.theatlantic.com/health/archive/2025/02/democrat-baby-bust-trump-population-decline/681619/

NARFE
— Musk’s Meddling in Government Operations: A Threat to Federal Employees and National Security
https://www.narfe.org/blog/2025/02/11/elon-musks-meddling-in-government-operations-a-threat-to-federal-employees-and-national-security/
— The Importance of Smart-Sizing Federal Agencies (COMMENT: If Gingrich had reformed GAO instead of gutting it in the1980s and 1990s, there would be no need for DOGE today.)
https://www.narfe.org/blog/2025/02/11/the-importance-of-smart-sizing-federal-agencies-a-letter-from-narfe/
— Emerging Threats to the Federal Community
https://www.narfe.org/advocacy/emerging-threats/

SOUTH AFRICAN
— According to Democrat and RINO leaders, all the citizens of all the countries in the world are qualified to seek asylum in America, and especially those who are marginalized/oppressed, that is, those who are minority, female, younger, LGBTQ, poor, disabled, non-Protestant, non-German American, lack education and/or job skills, boozers, gamblers, stoners, criminals, etc.
https://www.thesouthafrican.com/lifestyle/confusion-qualifies-us-asylum-in-2025/

February 16, 2025

FROM ILLINOIS CENTER-LEFT SOURCES

ABC7
— IRS will lay off thousands of probationary workers in the middle of tax season (COMMENT: I was involved in IRS’s 1974 tax season big time. Have you ever phoned IRS with a tax question? If you did during the 1974 filing season, the IRS employee who answered your call was one of my subordinates. Back then, as a 25-year-old GS-11 (currently $82,655/year) IRS Revenue Officer, I supervised all of the IRS employees, which included a rotating staff of about 90 IRS Revenue Agent trainees, in IRS’s new downtown Chicago office who answered taxpayer questions using IRS’s new tollfree CentiPhone system. Because of my job performance, the IRS manager who had given me that developmental opportunity and who had promoted me in 1972 and 1973 promoted me to GS-12 (currently $99,069/year) in 1974.)
https://abc7chicago.com/post/what-are-propationary-employees-irs-is-set-lay-off-thousands-middle-2025-tax-season-many-await-refunds/15915432/?cmp=emc-wls-news-headlines-2/16/2025

NBC5
— Mexico’s President Sheinbaum offers sarcastic response to Trump’s ‘Gulf of America’ comment
https://www.nbcchicago.com/news/national-international/mexicos-president-sheinbaum-offers-sarcastic-response-to-trumps-gulf-of-america-comment/3641113/
— Sikh communities fear immigration raids as Trump ends sanctuary for temples
https://www.nbcchicago.com/news/politics/sikh-communities-fear-immigration-raids-trump-ends-sanctuary/3675500/
— AP reporter, photographer barred after ‘Gulf of Mexico’ dispute
https://www.nbcchicago.com/news/national-international/trump-denies-media-access-gulf-of-mexico-first-amendement/3675490/

CBS2
— Trump administration face criticism from European allies after Vance speech
https://www.cbsnews.com/chicago/video/trump-administration-face-criticism-from-european-allies-after-vance-speech/

FOX32
— Poll: Increasing number of Democrats say party should become more moderate
https://www.fox32chicago.com/news/democrats-moderation-gallup-poll-2025

WGN9
— Here are the agencies purging federal employees (COMMENT: While I worked for the Democrats who ran GAO 1980-1997, because of Republican imposed budget cuts, they ever-increasingly purged their employees starting with those who were Republican and then those who were White, male, older, non-veteran, Protestant, German American, and/or had ancestors who had been in America for a long time.)
https://wgntv.com/news/nexstar-media-wire/here-are-the-agencies-purging-federal-workers/

WGN RADIO
— Should the IRS be abolished? (COMMENT: I worked for GAO on audits of IRS for 3 years while I was at the GS-13 Step 1-3 Levels, currently $117,807-$125,661/year. I worked for IRS for almost 9 years, the last 5 1/2 years of which at the GS-12 Step 1-5 Levels, currently $99,069-$112,280/year.)
https://wgnradio.com/lets-get-legal/should-the-irs-be-abolished/

CHICAGO TRIBUNE
— IRS will lay off thousands of probationary workers in the middle of tax season (COMMENT: During the 1974 tax season, I was responsible for assuring that all the phone calls that came into IRS’s new tollfree number in the Loop were answered promptly and correctly.)
https://www.chicagotribune.com/2025/02/15/irs-probationary-workers-tax-season/
— The US auto industry will fall behind if it retreats from electric vehicles (COMMENT: I have ordered a 2025 Dodge Charger Daytona R/T EV.)
https://www.chicagotribune.com/2025/02/14/editorial-the-us-auto-industry-will-fall-behind-if-it-retreats-from-electric-vehicles/
— Zelenskyy calls for ‘armed forces of Europe’ as EU leaders bristle at new US policies on Ukraine
https://www.chicagotribune.com/2025/02/15/ukraine-armed-forced-of-europe/
— Trump’s reciprocal tariffs will overturn decades of trade policy
https://www.chicagotribune.com/2025/02/15/trump-reciprocal-tariffs-2/
— FRONT PAGE TOP OF FOLD: ‘Whole different level.’ The Illinois-Indiana political divide widens amid Trump 2.0, from immigration to DEI to LGBTQ rights.
https://www.chicagotribune.com/2025/02/16/illinois-indiana-political-divide-widens-trump-immigration-dei-lgbtq-rights/
— Federal plan to reduce government office space could be a blow to Chicago, where selling properties wouldn’t be easy (COMMENT: I worked in the Kluczynski building 1973-1980 for IRS and then for GAO 1980-1981.)
https://www.chicagotribune.com/2025/02/16/federal-office-space-chicago/
— FRONT PAGE TOP OF FOLD WITH BIG PICTURE IN THE NAPERVILLE SUN: Under the Democrats and under the RINOs, homelessness will ever-increasingly increase.
https://www.chicagotribune.com/2025/02/14/dupage-naperville-homeless-winter-emergency-shelter/

CHICAGO SUN-TIMES
— Democrats ever-increasingly promote more LGBTQ.
https://chicago.suntimes.com/lgbtq/2025/02/15/hundreds-gather-outside-lurie-childrens-hospital-to-protest-youth-gender-care-change-i-want-my-healthcare

ST. LOUIS TODAY
— White South Africans gather in support of Trump and his claims that they are victims of racism
https://www.stltoday.com/news/article_419396d2-eb99-11ef-a041-830ca4999d70.html

BELOIT DAILY NEWS
— Trump tours Boeing plane to highlight aircraft maker’s delay in delivering a new Air Force One
https://www.beloitdailynews.com/news/illinois-news/trump-tours-boeing-plane-to-highlight-aircraft-makers-delay-in-delivering-a-new-air-force/article_789b296d-0e0d-5460-8c0f-19d1085a855c.html

NPR ILLINOIS
— Anticipate/expect that ever-increasingly, Democrat and RINO leaders will negatively analogize Trump to Nixon.
https://www.nprillinois.org/2025-02-15/after-watergate-congress-curbed-the-presidency-now-trump-is-testing-those-limits

WAND TV
— Trump tours Boeing plane to check out features that would be on overdue new Air Force One aircraft
https://www.wandtv.com/news/national/trump-tours-boeing-plane-to-check-out-features-that-would-be-on-overdue-new-air/article_6c73d2e6-5d71-581e-8683-60dbf3479e7f.html

NEWS CHANNEL 20
— Springfield sees rise in gambling addiction amid booming video gaming revenue
https://newschannel20.com/news/local/springfield-sees-rise-in-gambling-addiction-amid-booming-video-gaming-revenue#

FOX ILLINOIS
— Democrat leaders ever-increasingly use health care professionals to demonize, denigrate, and condemn Trump. Sooner or later, if not already, everyone in health care will be Democrat, citizens of foreign countries, minority, female, younger, non-Protestant, non-German American, and/or have ancestors who have not been in America for a long time,
https://foxillinois.com/news/nation-world/health-care-professionals-warn-trump-medical-research-cuts-could-impact-lifesaving-efforts
— Student who moved to DC for internship finds out Trump’s federal freeze canceled it. (COMMENT: EEOC cancelled my career in the automotive industry. In 1971, when I was 22 years old, my Firestone Store boss rudely fired me when I told him that I had accepted a job offer from Oldsmobile. But Oldsmobile withdrew that job offer saying it had just agreed to stop hiring Whites to settle an EEOC complaint. That directly resulted in my accepting a job offer from IRS. I had passed the Federal Service Entrance Examination in 1970 and I had to have a job to help support my mother and brother. My father had died suddenly in 1969.)
https://foxillinois.com/news/nation-world/student-who-moved-to-dc-for-internship-finds-out-trumps-federal-freeze-canceled-it-doge-elon-musk-department-of-transportation-donald-trump-federal-government-internships-university-of-cincinnati-graduate-school

WSIL TV
— IRS will lay off thousands of probationary workers in the middle of tax season. The IRS will lay off thousands of probationary workers in the middle of tax season, according to two sources familiar with the agency’s plans, and cuts could come as soon as next week. (COMMENT: My Democrat GAO superiors and supervisors were furious that they could not use probationary employee procedures to get rid of me in 1980 because I had already survived my probationary period when I worked for IRS.)
https://www.wsiltv.com/news/national/irs-will-lay-off-thousands-of-probationary-workers-in-the-middle-of-tax-season/article_97d05354-732c-5dd5-8b09-a7be5df80852.html

WGLT
— EEOC seeks to drop discrimination case after Trump executive order (COMMENT: If Trump had been President in 1971, my entire life since then would have been completely different. EEOC cancelled my career in the automotive industry. In 1971, when I was 22 years old, my Firestone Store boss rudely fired me when I told him that I had accepted a job offer from Oldsmobile. But Oldsmobile withdrew that job offer saying it had just agreed to stop hiring Whites to settle an EEOC complaint. That directly resulted in my accepting a job offer from IRS. I had passed the Federal Service Entrance Examination in 1970 and I had to have a job to help support my mother and brother. My father had died suddenly in 1969.)
https://www.wglt.org/2025-02-15/eeoc-seeks-to-drop-gender-discrimination-case-after-trump-executive-order

FROM ILLINOIS CENTER-RIGHT SOURCES

GOPUSA ILLINOIS
— Democrat and RINO leaders use DEI is to replace Republicans like me who are conservative, White, male, older, non-poor, non-veteran, Protestant, German American, and/or have ancestors who have been in America for a long time with Democrats and RINOs who are not the aforesaid. So far, Democrat and RINO leaders have used DEI to a) waste my federal career and force me to retire early, b) end my service as the Milton Township Republican Organization (MTRO) webmaster in 2004 and 2010, c) end my bid to serve as the MTRO treasurer in 2004, d) end my American Association of Political Consultants Midwest Chapter board membership in 2004, e) almost get the Illinois Center Right Coalition (ICRC) to censure me for my GOPUSA ILLINOIS newsletters in 2006, f) end my ICRC Steering Committee membership in 2007, g) end my Wheaton Chamber of Commerce Government Affairs Committee membership in 2011, h) end my TAPROOT Republicans of Illinois chairmanship in 2012, i) gerrymander my precinct in 2015, j) end my service as the Republican fundraiser for Wheaton Independence Day parades and fireworks in 2021, and k) end my service on the Illinois Republican Party State Convention Platform and Resolutions Committee in 2024. I should write about the Democrat and RINO leaders who had their operatives and their dupes take the aforesaid adverse actions against me. – Dave Diersen
http://www.gopillinois.com
— Far too many say that they are religious, conservative, and/or Republican, but do little or nothing to defend or advance religious, conservative, and/or Republican principles. What do you say to the aforesaid who work against those like me who defend and advance religious, conservative, and/or Republican principles? Should I write about them? Should I focus on those who read my GOPUSA ILLINOIS newsletters to get information to use against me? Should I focus on those who have taken the most/biggest adverse actions against me? – Dave Diersen
http://www.gopillinois.com
— What quotas/goals/targets do Democrats have for turning students in your school district into sexually active LGBTQers at each grade level?
http://www.gopillinois.com

FROM NATIONAL CENTER-RIGHT SOURCES

WASHINGTON TIMES
— Senate Republican warns that Trump’s downsizing of federal workforce will do ‘more harm than good’ (COMMENT: Downsizing GAO did more harm than good.)
https://www.washingtontimes.com/news/2025/feb/15/senate-republican-warns-trump-downsizing-federal-w/

WASHINGTON EXAMINER
— What would a Harris-Walz administration be doing right now?
https://www.washingtonexaminer.com/in_focus/3320673/what-would-a-harris-walz-administration-be-doing-right-now/

NEW YORK POST
— Corporate America’s lame attempts to dress up DEI is plainly laughable (COMMENT: To promote DEI is to get rid of Republicans who are conservative, White, male, older, non-poor, non-veteran, Protestant, German American, and/or have ancestors who have been in America for a long time.)
https://nypost.com/2025/02/15/business/corporate-americas-lame-attempts-to-dress-up-dei-is-plainly-laughable/

AMERICAN THINKER
— Political backlash and public outcry have prompted a compromise between Florida governor Ron DeSantis and the state’s Republican legislators on Florida’s immigration policy, following a prolonged dispute over how to handle illegal aliens.
https://www.americanthinker.com/articles/2025/02/the_trump_act_the_worst_named_legislation_ever.html
— No More Mr. Nice Guy
https://www.americanthinker.com/articles/2025/02/no_more_mr_nice_guy.html
— False claims: universities can’t make them anymore
https://www.americanthinker.com/blog/2025/02/false_claims_universities_can_t_make_them_anymore.html

BIZ PAC REVIEW
— Finger-wagging NY AG Letitia James rages about ‘unelected’ Elon Musk
https://www.bizpacreview.com/2025/02/15/finger-wagging-ny-ag-letitia-james-rages-about-unelected-elon-musk-1522939/

BREITBART
— Much of Illinois Chafes Under Chicago’s, Governor’s Support for Migrants (COMMENT: Sooner or later, the lower that the income is in your county, township, municipality, school district, and precinct and the closer that you are to Chicago, the greater that the negative impact of illegal immigration will be.)
https://www.breitbart.com/immigration/2025/02/15/much-of-illinois-chafes-under-chicagos-governors-support-for-migrants/
— Fire-Ravaged California Spending Nearly $10 Billion on Health Care for Illegal Aliens
https://www.breitbart.com/politics/2025/02/15/fire-ravaged-california-spending-nearly-10-billion-on-health-care-for-illegal-aliens/
— NYC to Sue Trump Administration over $80 Million in Funding Revoked for Migrant Shelters
https://www.breitbart.com/immigration/2025/02/15/report-nyc-to-sue-trump-administration-over-80-million-in-funding-revoked-for-migrant-shelters/

FOX NEWS
— Florida Speaker Daniel Perez: We stand with President Trump on illegal immigration crackdown. Illegal alien criminals will find no sanctuary in the Sunshine State.
https://www.foxnews.com/opinion/florida-speaker-daniel-perez-we-stand-president-trump-illegal-immigration-crackdown
— At 50, SNL should drop the woke, get back to the joke. The show can once again be funny, if only it will stop preaching at us.
https://www.foxnews.com/opinion/david-marcus-50-snl-should-drop-woke-get-back-joke
— Department of Education warns that public schools must remove DEI policies or lose federal funding. ‘Institutions that fail to comply with federal civil rights law may, consistent with applicable law, face potential loss of federal funding,’ the letter reads.
https://www.foxnews.com/politics/department-education-warns-public-schools-must-remove-dei-policies-lose-federal-funding

NATIONAL REVIEW
— Wheaton College Is Abandoning Its Conservative Alumni
https://www.nationalreview.com/2025/02/wheaton-college-is-abandoning-its-conservative-alumni/

NEW AMERICAN
— Universities Get Rich Off Illegal Migrants; 408,000 Currently Enrolled (COMMENT: UIC accepted me in 1966, NIU in 1969, Loyola in 1972, DePaul in 1976, and IIT in 1992, but from what I see, if there had been as many illegals back then as there are now, they would have been accepted instead of me.)
https://thenewamerican.com/us/universities-get-rich-off-illegal-migrants-408000-currently-enrolled/

NEWS BUSTERS
— CNN Lets Pro-Gay Activist Complain About Trump on Transgenders
https://www.newsbusters.org/blogs/nb/brad-wilmouth/2025/02/15/trying-erase-cnn-lets-pro-gay-activist-complain-about-trump

NEWSMAX
— Dems Tie the Hands of Law Enforcement
https://www.newsmax.com/politics/law-enforcement-dems/2025/02/15/id/1199228/

TOWNHALL
— Here Are the Top DOGE Takedowns So Far (COMMENT: By far, Newt Gingrich’s biggest takedown was GAO. I was collateral damage.)
https://townhall.com/tipsheet/madelineleesman/2025/02/15/doge-week-round-up-n2652105#google_vignette

TRUMP VANCE
— Should I authorize Elon Musk & D.O.G.E. to audit the IRS? (COMMENT: I worked for GAO on audits of IRS for 3 years while I was at the GS-13 Step 1-3 Levels, currently $117,807-$125,661/year. I worked for IRS for almost 9 years, the last 5 1/2 years of which at the GS-12 Step 1-5 Levels, currently $99,069-$112,280/year.)
https://secure.winred.com/trump-national-committee-jfc/lp-hf-email-presidential-poll-v6

FROM NATIONAL CENTER-LEFT SOURCES

YAHOO
— Wall Street’s diversity dilemma deepens as JPMorgan’s Dimon sounds off on ‘stupid’ DEI expenses
https://finance.yahoo.com/news/wall-streets-diversity-dilemma-deepens-as-jpmorgans-dimon-sounds-off-on-stupid-dei-expenses-143000294.html

ASSOCIATED PRESS
— White South Africans gather in support of Trump and his claims that they are victims of racism (COMMENT: Anticipate/expect that Democrat leaders will come down on Americans whose ancestors homesteaded. My ancestors on my father’s side homesteaded a 240-acre farm in southeast Crete Township in 1854.)
https://www.detroitnews.com/story/news/world/2025/02/15/south-africa-trump-supporters/78739407007/

CBS NEWS
— Trump tours updated Boeing plane to highlight delay in delivery of new Air Force One
https://www.cbsnews.com/news/trump-air-force-one-tour-boeing/

NEW YORK TIMES
— Charlie Kirk
https://www.nytimes.com/2025/02/10/magazine/charlie-kirk-american-right.html
— Democrat leaders ever-increasingly crow about their manipulation and domination of religious leaders.
https://www.nytimes.com/2025/02/15/us/trump-usaid-christian-aid.html

WASHINGTON POST
— ICE struggles to boost arrest numbers despite infusion of resources. Trump has ordered a wartime effort to increase deportations, but ICE statistics show arrests have dipped so far this month.
https://www.washingtonpost.com/immigration/2025/02/15/ice-arrests-immigration-deportations/
— Scholz blasts Vance’s support for Germany’s far right. Some see the Trump administration actively promoting political extremism in the West. (COMMENT: Ever-increasingly, since 1999, RINO leaders of the Milton Township Republican Organization, DuPage County Republican Central Committee, and Illinois Republican Party have demonized me, denigrated, and condemned me as being far-right, as being an extremist.)
https://www.washingtonpost.com/world/2025/02/15/vance-germany-afd-scholz-weidel-far-right/

USA TODAY
— Fired federal workers say ‘cold and cruel’ cuts upended their lives (COMMENT: My cold/cruel/nasty/vicious Democrat GAO superiors forced me retire when I was 49 years old in 1997. Before that, they always ranked me in the bottom half of my coworkers for pay-for-performance purposes, delayed my promotions and never promoted me beyond GS-13, kept me off audits of IRS for all but 3 of the almost 18 years that I worked for GAO, and forced me to take a $23,472/year (21%) pay cut in today’s dollars to transfer from IRS. Before that, my cold/cruel/nasty/vicious Democrat IRS superiors never promoted me beyond GS-12, disallowed my education deductions, and disallowed my travel vouchers. Before that, my cold/cruel/nasty/vicious Democrat Post Office superiors forced me to resign and before that, disallowed my sick leave requests.)
https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/politics/2025/02/16/federal-workers-trump-musk-firings/78728081007/

WEST ORLANDO NEWS
— Florida Senator Rick Scott and Republicans Introduce Dismantle DEI Act (COMMENT: What are the Republican elected officials who represent you in your county, township, municipality, and school district doing to fight DEI?)
https://westorlandonews.com/florida-senator-rick-scott-and-republicans-introduce-dismantle-dei-act/

STRAIGHT ARROW NEWS
— Musk’s DOGE pays visit to IRS as millions file tax returns (COMMENT: I worked for GAO on audits of IRS for 3 years while I was at the GS-13 Step1-3 Levels, currently $117,807-$125,661/year. I worked for IRS for almost 9 years, the last 5 1/2 years of which at the GS-12 Step 1-5 Levels, currently $99,069-$112,280/year.)
https://san.com/cc/elon-musks-doge-pays-visit-to-irs-as-millions-file-tax-returns/
(FROM THE ARTICLE: Musk’s cost-cutting agency is reviewing the IRS’s operations. DOGE is focusing on reducing non-essential contracts and scrutinizing the agency’s expanded workforce. Democratic lawmakers, including Sen. Ron Wyden, have criticized Musk’s efforts.)

FORBES
— ‘It Can’t Be America Alone’: Hegseth Touts Work With Allies To Counter ‘Ascendant Chinese Threat’ (COMMENT: In WWIII, which countries will side with China against America? They will include those countries that are a) sending their citizens into America illegally and/or b) are keeping their citizens in America illegally.)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OLpL4__2Ql8

FINANCIAL REVIEW
— As Trump tries to kill DEI, Labor moves to lock it in
https://www.afr.com/work-and-careers/workplace/as-trump-tries-to-kill-dei-labor-moves-to-lock-it-in-20250212-p5lblw

INDIA TODAY
— Return Of ‘DUNKIS’: Two Flights With Deported Indian Illegals From US To Land In Amritsar
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=te8bJPi9mH4
— Legs chained, hands cuffed: Indian deportee on 2nd US flight recounts ordeal
https://www.indiatoday.in/india/story/us-migrant-flight-illegal-indian-immigrants-deportee-claims-legs-chained-hands-cuffed-military-plane-amrtisar-2680787-2025-02-16

TIMES OF INDIA
— Trump Blasts ‘Woke’ U.S. Media In Rare Joint Interview With Elon Musk
https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/videos/international/theyve-failed-trump-blasts-woke-u-s-media-in-rare-joint-interview-with-elon-musk/videoshow/118286894.cms

SKY NEWS
— Democrats used to promote integration, but now they promote segregation.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=txOCBET5Ij4

February 15, 2025

FROM ILLINOIS CENTER-LEFT SOURCES

ABC NEWS
— Cracks in a Sanctuary City: How immigration agents are making arrests based on local police data
https://abc7chicago.com/post/cracks-sanctuary-city-how-ice-immigration-agents-are-making-arrests-based-local-police-data-despite-illinois-trust-act/15908159/
— Elgin moves to ban sale of THC products (COMMENT: Pot sellers oppose THC products because THC products compete against pot.)
https://abc7chicago.com/post/elgin-thc-ban-push-city-council-grants-preliminary-approval-edibles/15905902/

CHICAGO TRIBUNE
— FRONT PAGE TOP OF FOLD WITH PICTURE: Democrat leaders ever-increasingly promote more illegal immigration.
https://www.chicagotribune.com/2025/02/15/chicago-immigration-court-hearing/
— Democrat leaders ever-increasingly use DEI to get rid of Republicans.
https://www.chicagotribune.com/2025/02/14/daughters-target-ceo-dei-efforts/
— FRONT PAGE TOP OF FOLD: Ex-Speaker Michael Madigan’s $158,000/year state pension suspended following conviction (COMMENT: Are you in line to get a pension? Are you getting a pension? I got in line for a Civil Service Retirement System pension when I was 18 years old in 1966. Even though it is dramatically reduced because my Democrat superiors wasted my career and forced me to retire when I was 49 years old in 1997, it is $66,780/year. My critics/opponents have always been furious that I get the aforesaid pension. In my defense, I worked for the Post Office for almost 3 years 1966-1969, IRS for almost 9 years 1971-1980, and GAO for almost 18 years 1980-1997. I earned a job-related bachelor’s degree 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.)
https://www.chicagotribune.com/2025/02/13/michael-madigans-state-pension-suspended/

CHICAGO SUN-TIMES
— Anger, chaos, confusion as federal workers face mass layoffs. As layoff notices were sent out agency by agency, federal employees from Michigan to Florida were left reeling from being told that their services were no longer needed. (COMMENT: While I worked for the Democrats who ran GAO 1980-1997, Republicans shrank the agency from more than 6,000 employee to less than 3,000 employees. My Democrat GAO superiors punished me severely for that.)
https://chicago.suntimes.com/politics/donald-trump/2025/02/14/federal-workers-mass-layoffs-trump-musk-doge
— Letter: Mayor Johnson acts like a dictator
https://chicago.suntimes.com/letters-to-the-editor/2025/02/14/mayor-brandon-johnson-dictator-president-trump-elon-musk-economy-canada-rfk-jr-doge-coders
— Corrupt voters elect corrupt candidates.
https://chicago.suntimes.com/other-views/2025/02/14/illinois-lawmakers-use-your-power-to-rein-in-political-corruption

DAILY HERALD
— Barrington Hills trustee Darby Hills to fill McConchie’s seat representing Illinois’ 26th Senate District
https://www.dailyherald.com/20250214/illinois-state-politics/barrington-hills-trustee-to-fill-mcconchies-seat-representing-illinois-26th-senate-district/
(FROM THE ARTICLE: Hills’ background includes experience as an arbitrator, mediator and Cook County assistant state’s attorney, focusing her efforts on child welfare. She also worked as a labor and employment attorney at Jackson Lewis LLP on behalf of corporations. “Darby’s dedication to children and families, along with her experience as a prosecutor and local leader, make her an invaluable addition to our team,” said Senate Republican Leader John Curran of Downers Grove. “She brings a deeply personal perspective to the fight for Illinois’ most vulnerable children — one that will drive real change in Springfield.” As a village trustee, Hills has advocated for keeping taxes low, responsible budgeting, and accountable government. In Springfield, she will work to create a pro-business environment that supports local job creators and strengthens Illinois’ economy, according to the release.)
— Judge orders Democrat on ballot for York Township supervisor (COMMENT: In your precinct, which offices are on the April 1 ballot, who are the candidates, and which ones are Republican?)
https://www.dailyherald.com/20250214/local-politics/judge-orders-democrat-on-ballot-for-york-supervisor/

SHAW LOCAL
— Hate-filled Trump-hating Trump-haters ever-increasingly use Trump’s tariffs to promote more hatred against Trump.
https://www.shawlocal.com/illinois-valley/2025/02/15/we-might-just-have-to-weather-the-storm-how-trump-tariffs-could-affect-the-illinois-valley/

RIVERSIDE BROOKFIELD LANDMARK
— How to vote in Brookfield and Riverside’s local elections. Voters will decide the makeup of local governing agencies, including village, school and library boards. (COMMENT: What is your Republican Precinct Committeeman going to do to help elect Republican candidates on the April 1 ballot in your precinct? I am going to hand-deliver their campaign literature and a marked copy of the sample ballot to the 400 residences in my precinct that have at least one registered Republican or Independent voter. But according to my critics/opponents in the Milton Township Republican Organization (MTRO), DuPage County Republican Central Committee (DCRCC), and Illinois Republican Party (IRP), that will cause those candidates to lose many votes a) because I am “too conservative” b) because I do not share their hatred against Trump, c) because my demographics are terrible, d) because MTRO, DCRCC, and IRP leaders have taken so many big adverse actions against me, and e) because Republican leaders of Wheaton, Milton Township, DuPage County, and Illinois have taken so may big adverse actions against me.)
https://www.rblandmark.com/2025/02/14/how-to-vote-brookfield-riverside-local-elections/

NPR ILLINOIS
— Anticipate/expect that Democrat and RINO leaders will ever-increasingly say that everything that Trump says and does causes chaos.
https://www.nprillinois.org/2025-02-14/trump-firings-cause-chaos-at-agency-responsible-for-americas-nuclear-weapons
— Democrat and RINO employers ever-increasingly use DEI a) to not hire Republicans and b) to get rid of their Republican employees.
https://www.nprillinois.org/2025-02-14/trump-has-gone-after-dei-programs-but-dei-consultants-say-demand-was-already-dropping

CENTRAL ILLINOIS PROUD
— Trump administration begins sweeping layoffs with probationary workers, warns of larger cuts to come (COMMENT: My Democrat GAO superiors and supervisors were furious that they could not use probationary employee procedures to get rid of me in 1980 because I had already survived my probationary period when I worked for IRS.)
https://www.centralillinoisproud.com/news/national/ap-trump-administration-lays-off-probationary-government-workers-warns-others-of-large-cuts-to-come/

FROM ILLINOIS CENTER-RIGHT SOURCES

WIREPOINTS
— Illinois’ government-anointed electric bus maker is a bigger fiasco than we knew
https://wirepoints.org/illinois-government-anointed-electric-bus-maker-is-a-bigger-fiasco-than-we-knew-wirepoints/

GOPUSA ILLINOIS
— Hate-filled Trump-hating Trump-haters ever-increasingly use against Trump a) everything that he says and does, b) everything that he has said and done, and c) his demographics. My critics/opponents ever-increasingly use against me a) my GOPUSA ILLINOIS newsletters since 2000, b) my demographics, and c) what I did as the Republican fundraiser for Wheaton Independence Day parades and fireworks 2005-2021, as the TAPROOT Republicans of Illinois chairman 2005-2012, as the Milton Township Republican Organization webmaster 2008-2010 and 2000-2004, as a member of the Illinois Republican Party State Convention Platform and Resolutions Committee in 2008, as an Illinois Center Right Coalition Steering Committee member 2003-2007, as the Milton Township coordinator for Pat O’Malley’s Republican gubernatorial primary campaign in 2002, and as the plaintiff in lawsuits that I have filed. – Dave Diersen
http://www.gopillinois.com

FROM NATIONAL CENTER-RIGHT SOURCES

NEW YORK POST
— Obama, Biden endangered flights by rejecting whites for air-traffic controller jobs
https://nypost.com/2025/02/14/opinion/obama-biden-endangered-flights-by-nixing-whites-as-air-traffic-controllers/
— Hey, Congress: Make government great again — by turning Trump’s reforms into law
https://nypost.com/2025/02/14/opinion/hey-congress-make-government-great-again-by-turning-trumps-reforms-into-law/

AMERICAN WIRE NEWS
— Homan sets DOJ probe of AOC in motion over webinar on how illegals can avoid ICE
https://americanwirenews.com/border-czar-homan-sets-doj-probe-of-aoc-in-motion-over-webinar-on-how-illegals-can-avoid-ice/

BREITBART
— FBI Points Out It Sent ‘Thousands of Agents’ to Help Deport Illegals
https://www.breitbart.com/immigration/2025/02/14/fbi-points-out-it-sent-thousands-of-agents-to-help-deport-illegals/

DAILY CALLER
— US Army Says It Will ‘No Longer’ Accept Transgender Applicants, Support Sex-Change Procedures
https://dailycaller.com/2025/02/14/us-army-no-longer-accept-transgender-applicants-bans-sex-change-prodcedures/

DAILY SIGNAL
— F-minus: a tale of two cities’ school districts
https://readlion.com/f-minus-a-tale-of-two-cities-school-districts/

DAILY WIRE
— U.S. Army Bans Transgender-Identifying Individuals From Joining, Halting All Trans Medical Procedures. Trump and Hegseth are crushing wokeness in the military.
https://www.dailywire.com/news/u-s-army-bans-transgender-identifying-individuals-from-joining-halting-all-trans-medical-procedures

LAW ENFORCEMENT TODAY
— Elon Musk prescribes LIFE IN PRISON for people who conducted transgender operations on minors! “Children cannot consent. That is why there are laws protecting minors. Those who perpetrated this evil should be in prison for life.”
https://lawenforcementtoday.com/email-letters/let-rev-bm-1776pac-2025-02-13

NEWSMAX
— Slavery Reparations Advocates Are Real Racists
https://www.newsmax.com/newsmax-tv/owens-slavery-reparations/2025/02/14/id/1199188/

WESTERN JOURNAL
— White House’s Valentine’s Day Card for Would-Be Illegal Aliens Goes Viral
https://www.westernjournal.com/white-houses-valentines-day-card-illegal-aliens-goes-viral/

FROM NATIONAL CENTER-LEFT SOURCES

NBC NEWS
— Latino Republicans walk tightrope between supporting Trump and advocating for ‘law-abiding’ immigrants. Florida Republicans sent letters to Trump officials over deportation worries for some immigrants but did not oppose the policies, “which in Washington is equivalent to a wink and a nod,” one strategist said. (COMMENT: To come into a country illegally and/or to stay in a country illegally demonstrates gross disrespect for the rule of law and for that country. Of course, illegals argue that Democrats and RINOs invited them to come in illegally and to stay illegally.)
https://www.nbcnews.com/news/latino/trump-immigrants-republicans-latino-voter-concerns-deportation-rcna192029

CBS NEWS
— Protests at Stonewall National Monument after “LGBTQ” changed to “LGB” on government website
https://www.cbsnews.com/newyork/news/stonewall-national-monument-protest-trans-queer-references-removed/

REUTERS & NEW YORK TIMES & USA TODAY
— Nearly 10,000 fired as Trump, Musk step up assault on US agencies & Deregulation by Firings’: Breaking Down the Cuts to Financial Oversight & Trump, Musk escalate purge as thousands fired across federal workforce (COMMENT: Have you been fired? I was fired as a) a member of the Illinois Republican Party State Convention Platform and Resolutions Committee in 2024, b) the Republican fundraiser for Wheaton Independence Day Parades and Fireworks in 2021, c) the chairman of TAPROOT Republicans of Illinois in 2012, d) a member of the Wheaton Chamber of Commerce Government Affair Committee in 2011, e) the webmaster for the Milton Township Republican Organization in 2010 and 2004, f) a member of the Illinois Center Right Coalition Steering Committee in 2007, g) a director of the American Association of Political Consultants Midwest Chapter in 2004, h) a GAO employee in 1997, i) a Firestone Store employee in 1971, and j) a Post Office Employee in 1969. I should write about those who orchestrated the aforesaid firings and why they did that.)
https://www.reuters.com/world/us/thousands-fired-trump-musk-take-ax-us-government-offices-2025-02-14/
https://www.nytimes.com/2025/02/13/business/trump-deregulation-firing.html
https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/politics/2025/02/14/trump-musk-purge-thousands-federal-workers-fired/78606349007/

YAHOO NEWS
— Anticipate/expect that Democrat and RINO leaders will ever-increasingly say that voters regret voting for Trump. I should write a book about those unsuccessful Republican candidates on ballots in my precinct since 2000 who blame me and my blame my GOPUSA ILLINOIS newsletters the most for their defeats. I would focus on those candidates who blame what I did as a) the Republican fundraiser for Wheaton Independence Day parades and fireworks 2005-2021, b) the TAPROOT Republicans of Illinois chairman 2005-2012, c) the Milton Township Republican Organization webmaster 2008-2010 and 2000-2004, and d) an Illinois Center Right Coalition Steering Committee member 2003-2007.
https://www.yahoo.com/news/maga-farmers-teachers-latest-groups-170840726.html

NEW YORK TIMES
— FRONT PAGE TOP OF FOLD: Vance Tells Europeans to Stop Shunning Parties Deemed Extreme (COMMENT I should write about leaders of the following who demonized TAPROOT Republicans of Illinois and Illinois Center Right Coalition as being extreme: Illinois Republican Party, DuPage County Republican Central Committee, and Milton Township Republican Organization. I would focus on the aforesaid who had their operatives and their dupes destroy the aforesaid organizations.)
https://www.nytimes.com/2025/02/14/world/europe/vance-europe-immigration-ukraine.html
— Layoffs Expand at Federal Agencies, Part of Trump Purge. Mass firings have rocked multiple agencies as President Trump and Elon Musk ramp up plans to drastically slash and reshape the federal work force.
https://www.nytimes.com/2025/02/14/us/politics/energy-department-layoffs.html
— Democrats become government employees and stay government employees to advance the Democrat Party platform, pure and simple.
https://www.nytimes.com/2025/02/12/nyregion/adams-prosecutor-danielle-sassoon-profile.html
— Democrat leaders ever-increasingly promote mote illegal immigration.
https://www.nytimes.com/2025/02/12/opinion/immigration-republicans-democrats-crisis.html
— Trump Cracks Down on Diversity Initiatives Celebrated in His First Term
https://www.nytimes.com/2025/02/14/us/politics/trump-diversity-education-department.html
— Trump Wields U.S. Power With Unclear Economic Consequences. The president sees the U.S. economy as a powerful lever against other countries but there are risks to that approach.
https://www.nytimes.com/2025/02/03/us/politics/trump-economy-threats.html
— State Dept. Suspends Plan to Buy Armored Teslas. Vehicles made by Elon Musk’s company were on a purchase list issued before Donald Trump was inaugurated and before Mr. Musk became one of the president’s top advisers.
https://www.nytimes.com/2025/02/13/us/politics/state-dept-armored-teslas.html

WASHINGTON POST
— 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 was 23 years old in 1971.
https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/wonk/wp/2015/01/27/debunking-the-myth-of-the-american-love-affair-with-cars/

WALL STREET JOURNAL
— Corey B. Brooks: Trump’s Colorblind Message Energizes Black Americans. Self-reliance, stable families and education will lift neighborhoods like mine to untold heights.
https://www.wsj.com/opinion/trumps-colorblind-message-energizes-black-americans-upward-mobility-913b5206
— How Zoning Ruined the Housing Market in Blue-State America (COMMENT: My DuPage County Milton Township Precinct 59 in Wheaton is extremely diverse in terms of household income and home values.)
https://www.wsj.com/politics/policy/how-zoning-ruined-the-housing-market-in-blue-state-america-3fa94568
— Trump Somehow Lowers the Temperature in Washington. Democrats still attack him, but they’ve reverted from catastrophizing to ordinary partisan rhetoric. (COMMENT: As I hand-deliver campaign literature and a copy of the sample ballot for the April 1 election to the 400 residences in my precinct that have at least one Republican or one Independent voter, I will assess the progress that Democrats and RINOs are having promoting more hatred against Trump.)
https://www.wsj.com/opinion/trump-somehow-lowers-the-temperature-in-washington-political-rhetoric-second-term-bee3c094
— DOGE’s Federal Job Cuts Threaten Republican Districts Too. The workers Elon Musk seeks to cut are everywhere, including in politically red areas. (COMMENT: Democrats run the federal government. To deal with budget cuts, they first get rid of their employees who are Republican, and then their employees who are White, male, older, non-veteran, Protestant, German American, and/or who have ancestors who have been in America for a long time.)
https://www.wsj.com/politics/policy/federal-workers-doge-job-cuts-maps-988416ec

ATLANTIC
— Democrat and RINO leaders falsely claim that government employees cannot be fired for their political views. If had been a Democrat, my Democrat superiors would not have wasted my career and forced me to retire when I was 49 years old in 1997 notwithstanding my being White, male, old, non-veteran, Protestant, German American, and my ancestors have been in America since 1844.
https://www.theatlantic.com/ideas/archive/2025/02/employee-firing-first-amendment/681702/

NAACP
— To get more votes from Blacks, anticipate/expect that Democrat leaders will ever-increasingly promote reparations. To get more votes from Blacks, Democrat leaders ever-increasingly hint/imply/argue/shout that Republicans cause all the problems that Blacks have, and especially Republicans like me who are conservative, White, male, older, non-poor, non-veteran, Protestant, German American, and/or have ancestors who have been in America for a long time. I should write a book about that. I would focus on the success that my Democrat GAO superiors had turning my Black subordinate against me 1990-1997. They stressed to him that I was all of the aforesaid, and that in addition, I lived in Crete 1948-1972 and in Wheaton since 1978. They stressed to him that his pre-GAO work experience was more directly related to our group’s financial industry audit work than mine was. They dismissed, belittled, and badmouthed a) what I had learned completing 14 graduate courses in financial markets and trading at IIT 1992-1997 and b) my having become a Certified Financial Services Auditor in 1996.
https://naacp.org/articles/naacp-praises-reintroduction-historic-reparations-bill-during-black-history-month

February 14, 2025 Evening Edition

FROM ILLINOIS CENTER-LEFT SOURCES

CHICAGO TRIBUNE
— Ex-Speaker Michael Madigan’s conviction could give Illinois GOP a path to relevancy, but it’s still strewn with obstacles
https://www.chicagotribune.com/2025/02/14/michael-madigan-conviction-illinois-gop/

CHICAGO SUN-TIMES
— Democrat leaders ever-increasingly promote more illegal immigration
https://chicago.suntimes.com/la-voz/chicago-sanctuary-laws-immigrants-immigration
— Democrats ever-increasingly use Trump’s tariffs to raise alarms
https://chicago.suntimes.com/money/2025/02/14/trump-tariffs-becoming-concern-illinois-farm-agriculture-industry

DAILY HERALD
— What to know about the federal workforce under Trump (COMMENT: While I was a federal employee for almost 30 years, virtually all my superiors, supervisors, coworkers, and subordinates were Democrats, and many if not most were minority, female, veteran, non-Protestant, non-German America, and/or had ancestors who had not been in America for a long time. Virtually all of my coworkers had less work experience than I had, had less education than I had, had no professional certifications or fewer than I had, and/or had no professional license like the one I had.)
https://www.dailyherald.com/20250214/nation-and-world-politics/what-to-know-about-the-federal-workforce-under-trump/

NBC5
— To promote DEI is to give preference to those who are minority, female, younger, LGBTQ, disabled, veteran, non-Protestant, non-German American, those whose ancestors have not been in America for a long time, etc. )
https://www.nbcchicago.com/news/business/money-report/as-target-and-other-retailers-drop-dei-programs-black-founders-could-face-tougher-battle-to-get-and-stay-on-shelves/3674503/

WGN9
— Democrat leaders ever-increasingly promote more illegal immigration
https://wgntv.com/migrants-in-chicago/dont-want-to-go-back-asylum-seekers-face-deportation-anxiety-in-chicago/

WTTW
— Democrats demonize, denigrate, and condemn Trump’s Secretary of Education. They blast a job that she had in the past. My critics/opponents blast my having been a federal employee for almost 30 years. They especially blast my having been an IRS Revenue Office for almost 9 years.
https://news.wttw.com/2025/02/13/ctu-sounds-alarm-chicago-students-donald-trump-s-education-secretary-pick-set-be

WBEZ
— Democrat leaders ever-increasingly promote more illegal immigration
https://www.wbez.org/immigration/2025/02/14/what-immigrants-should-know-about-law-enforcement-amid-increased-immigration-raids

WEDNESDAY JOURNAL
— In tense national moment, Oak Park leaders stand up for DEI, progressive values. In show of solidarity, range of leaders gather at Unity Temple. (COMMENT: Democrat and RINO leaders use DEI to discriminate against Republicans.)
https://www.oakpark.com/2025/02/11/oak-park-leaders-stand-up-dei-progressive-values/

CENTRAL ILLINOIS PROUD
— Trump’s pick for education chief sketches a roadmap for dismantling the department
https://www.centralillinoisproud.com/news/national/ap-trumps-pick-for-education-chief-seeks-approval-to-lead-an-agency-she-would-be-asked-to-tear-down/
— DOGE gets mixed reviews from conservatives who have long wanted major budget cuts
https://www.centralillinoisproud.com/news/national/ap-doge-gets-mixed-reviews-from-conservatives-who-have-long-wanted-major-budget-cuts/

NORTHERN PUBLIC RADIO
— Democrat leaders ever-increasingly promote more illegal immigration
https://www.northernpublicradio.org/illinois/2025-02-14/pres-trumps-mass-deportation-plan-spur-strong-reactions-from-dekalb-march-organizers

WMBD
— IRS prepares to lay off thousands of workers (COMMENT: My Democrat GAO superiors and supervisors were furious that they could not use probationary employee procedures to get rid of me because I had already survived my probationary period when I worked for IRS.)
https://wmbdradio.com/2025/02/14/us-irs-prepares-to-lay-off-thousands-of-workers-source-says/
(FROM THE ARTICLE: The U.S. Internal Revenue Service is preparing to fire thousands of workers next week, a move that could squeeze resources at the tax-collecting agency during the critical tax-filing season, a person familiar with the matter said. Officials from the Office of Personnel Management, which oversees federal hiring, ordered all agencies on Thursday to dismiss their probationary employees, who are newer to their positions and do not enjoy full civil service job protections.)

WCIA
— US deports 119 migrants from a variety of nations to Panama
https://www.wcia.com/news/international/ap-us-deports-119-migrants-from-a-variety-of-nations-to-panama/

DAILY ILLINI
— Lawsuit targets Illinois teacher scholarship amid wider DEI rollbacks (COMMENT: My critics/opponents have always used my not getting any scholarships against me.)
https://dailyillini.com/news-stories/world-news/state-news/2025/02/14/lawsuit-illinois-teacher-scholarship-dei-rollbacks/

CAPITOL NEWS ILLINOIS
— Pritzker must address multi-billion-dollar deficit amid federal funding uncertainty. Annual budget address will be among toughest in governor’s two terms.
https://capitolnewsillinois.com/news/pritzker-must-address-multi-billion-dollar-deficit-amid-federal-funding-uncertainty/

CHICAGO READER
— Democrat leaders ever-increasingly promote more illegal immigration
https://chicagoreader.com/columns-opinion/opinion/migrant-crime-wave/

AXIOS CHICAGO
— Illinois is one of only 13 U.S. states that sends more money to federal government coffers than it receives (COMMENT: Does your county, township, municipality, school district, and precinct send more money to Illinois and to the federal government than they receive?)
https://www.axios.com/local/chicago/2025/02/14/illinois-federal-money-budget-spending

CAPITOL FAX
— Afternoon roundup
https://capitolfax.com/2025/02/14/isabel%e2%80%99s-afternoon-roundup-249/

FROM ILLINOIS CENTER-RIGHT SOURCES

CENTER SQUARE ILLINOIS
— Anticipate/expect that Democrat and RINO leaders will ever-increasingly paint negatively everything that Trump says and does.
https://www.thecentersquare.com/illinois/article_26d55070-eb0c-11ef-a8f8-ef0141b9447f.html

MCHENRY COUNTY BLOG
— Crystal Lake Grade School District Tells Employees New Contract Led to Notifying Thirty Employees of Staff Reductions, Comparison of Tax to Salary Hikes
https://www.mchenrycountyblog.com/2025/02/14/crystal-lake-grade-school-district-tells-employees-new-contract-led-to-notifying-thirty-employees-of-staff-reductions/
— The Velvet Hammer Hammered Cartoon
https://www.mchenrycountyblog.com/2025/02/14/the-velvet-hammer-hammered/
— Thanks, Pat Quinn, for Making Mike Madigan More Powerful
https://www.mchenrycountyblog.com/2025/02/14/thanks-pat-quinn-for-making-mike-madigan-more-powerful/
— Reick Announces Committee Assignments
https://www.mchenrycountyblog.com/2025/02/14/reick-announces-committee-assignments/

— Darby Hills Selected to Succeed Dan McConchie in the State Senate

Darby Hills Selected to Succeed Dan McConchie in the State Senate

— Reader Questions House GOP Leader Tony McCombie’s Priorities

Reader Questions House GOP Leader Tony McCombie’s Priorities

— McHenry County GOP Sends Invitation to Lincoln Day Dinner

County GOP Sends Invitation to Lincoln Day Dinner

ILLINOIS POLICY INSTITUTE
— Spend $93K per student and what happens? None can read at grade level. (COMMENT: How much money does your school district spend per student? What percent of its students read at grade level?)
https://www.illinoispolicy.org/spend-93k-per-student-and-what-happens-none-can-read-at-grade-level/

FROM NATIONAL CENTER-RIGHT SOURCES

WASHINGTON TIMES
— Trump cans thousands of ‘probationary’ federal employees (COMMENT: My Democrat GAO superiors and supervisors were furious that they could not use probationary employee procedures to get rid of me because I had already survived my probationary period when I worked for IRS.)
https://www.washingtontimes.com/news/2025/feb/14/donald-trump-cans-thousands-probationary-federal-w/

WASHINGTON EXAMINER
— On illegal immigration, it’s Trump filing the lawsuits
https://www.washingtonexaminer.com/daily-memo/3321217/on-illegal-immigration-trump-filing-lawsuits/

FEDERATION FOR AMERICAN IMMIGRATION REFORM
— Vice President Vance Warns European Leaders that Mass Migration is the Most “Pressing Challenge”
https://www.fairus.org/blog/2025/02/14/vice-president-vance-warns-european-leaders-mass-migration-most-pressing-challenge

NEW YORK POST
— Yes: Obama, Biden endangered flights by rejecting whites for air-traffic controller jobs
https://nypost.com/2025/02/14/opinion/obama-biden-endangered-flights-by-nixing-whites-as-air-traffic-controllers/
— Pull the plug on EV subsidies — a government racket that dooms the auto industry
https://nypost.com/2025/02/13/opinion/pull-the-plug-on-ev-subsidies-a-costly-government-racket/

REAL CLEAR POLITICS
— Homan on Criminal Migrants: “I’ve Made It Clear, I Want Everybody,” “I Don’t Care If It’s For Shoplifting”
https://www.realclearpolitics.com/video/2025/02/14/tom_homan_on_criminal_migrants_ive_made_it_clear_i_want_everybody_i_dont_care_if_its_for_shoplifting.html

TOWNHALL
— Ilhan Omar Isn’t the Only ‘Squad’ Member Helping Illegals Avoid Deportation
https://townhall.com/tipsheet/madelineleesman/2025/02/14/aoc-advises-constituents-on-how-to-avoid-being-deported-n2652194

WESTERN JOURNAL
— Sanctuary No More: NYC Mayor Ushers in Homan to Root Out Seriously Criminal Illegals
https://www.westernjournal.com/sanctuary-no-nyc-mayor-ushers-homan-root-seriously-criminal-illegals/

FROM NATIONAL CENTER-LEFT SOURCES

CBS NEWS
— U.S. Army bars transgender people from enlisting, ends gender-affirming care services
https://www.cbsnews.com/news/us-army-bars-transgender-people-enlisting-trump-executive-action/

NEWSWEEK
— Border Czar Says NYC Mayor ‘Can’t Back Away’ on Immigration Enforcement
https://www.newsweek.com/tom-homan-eric-adams-immigration-enforcement-sanctuary-city-2031402

REUTERS
— Putin welcomes Russians freed in prisoner swap as heroes loyal to the Motherland (COMMENT: Will deported illegals be welcomed in their motherlands?)
https://www.reuters.com/world/europe/putin-greets-russians-returning-moscow-after-prisoner-swap-news-agencies-say-2024-08-01/

WALL STREET JOURNAL
— Democrat and RINO leaders ever-increasingly promote more illegal immigration.
https://www.wsj.com/economy/ice-raids-send-chill-through-migrant-workforces-cddf7537

BLOOMBERG
— Russia Has Sent Around 10,000 Immigrants to Ukraine Front (COMMENT: Democrats have declared a Second Civil War on Republicans. Illegals are soldiers in the Democrat Army.)
https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2024-06-27/russia-has-sent-around-10-000-immigrants-to-front-in-ukraine

DAILY TROJAN
— An identity crisis for children of immigrants (COMMENT: All my ancestors immigrated from what is now Germany during the 1840s and 1950s. While they never returned to German to visit or for any other reason, they were slow to stop speaking German. My grandparents spoke German ad that held them back. Neither of my parents attended college. My father was only the first of my ancestors to earn a high school diploma. My mother never attended high school.)
https://dailytrojan.com/2023/01/26/an-identity-crisis-for-children-of-immigrants/

JD SUPRA
— Anticipate/expect that Democrat and RINO employers will continue to use DEI a) to not hire Republicans and b) to get rid of their Republican employees.
https://www.jdsupra.com/legalnews/what-employers-should-know-about-3894669/

RASMUSSEN REPORTS
— Trump’s Leadership Scores Higher in Second Term
https://www.rasmussenreports.com/public_content/politics/trump_administration_second_term/trump_s_leadership_scores_higher_in_second_term

AUTO WEEK
— Could All EV Sales Be Hit With $1,000 Tax? GOP senators back bills to dramatically redraw EV credit landscape, shifting those incentives in the opposite direction. (COMMENT: I have ordered a 2025 Dodge Charger Daytona R/T EV.)
https://www.autoweek.com/news/a63798825/ev-credit-repeal-gop-senate-bill/

INDIA WEST JOURNAL
— US Sends Out Two More Planes With Illegals To India
https://indiawest.com/us-sends-out-two-more-planes-with-illegals-to-india/

AUSTRALIAN BROADCASTING CORPORATION
— These immigrants are leaving Australia because of the high cost of living
https://www.abc.net.au/news/2024-06-08/why-these-immigrants-are-deciding-to-return-to-their-motherland/103912586

February 14, 2025

FROM ILLINOIS CENTER-LEFT SOURCES

ABC7
— Trump administration begins mass layoffs across multiple federal agencies (COMMENT: While I worked for the Democrats who ran GAO 1980-1997, the agency ever-increasingly shrank because of Republican-led budget cuts. My Democrat GAO superiors ever-increasingly punished me for that. I was one of the last Republicans who GAO hired. GAO audits IRS. The Democrats who ran GAO in 1980 let me transfer from IRS when I was 31 years old, but only if I took a $23,472/year (21%) pay cut in today’s dollars. They could not find a qualified Democrat, minority, female, younger person, or veteran who would take the job. My qualifications included having a) passed the CPA examination on my first attempt in 1979, b) almost completed the requirements for a master’s degree in accounting from DePaul, c) earned an MBA from Loyola in 1976, and d) worked for IRS for almost 9 years, the last 5 1/2 years of which at the GS-12 Step 1-5 Levels, currently $99,069-$112,280/year. To further punish me for Republican-led budget cuts, my Democrat GAO superiors a) delayed my promotions and never promoted me beyond GS-13, kept me off audits of IRS for all but 3 of the almost 18 years that I worked for GAO, always ranked me in the bottom half of my coworkers for pay-for-performance purposes, and forced me to retire when I was 49 years old in 1997.)
https://abc7chicago.com/post/trump-administration-begins-mass-layoffs-multiple-federal-agencies-sources/15903559/

NBC5
— Local businesses concerned about DEI rollbacks as Illinois AG releases guidance (COMMENT: Democrat and RINO employers use DEI a) to not hire Republicans and b) to get rid of their Republican employees.)
https://www.nbcchicago.com/top-videos-home/local-businesses-concerned-about-dei-rollbacks-as-illinois-ag-releases-guidance/3674153/

FOX32
— Trump’s Illinois approval rating: New poll sheds light on president’s favorability (COMMENT: How strongly do the following approve of Trump: a) the leaders of the Illinois Republican Party and your Republican county, township, and ward party organizations, b) the Republican leaders of your county, township, municipality, and school district, c) the Republican candidates on the April 1 ballot in your precinct, and d) your Republican Precinct Committeeman?)
https://www.fox32chicago.com/news/trump-illinois-approval-rating-new-poll
(FROM THE ARTICLE: President Donald Trump’s approval rating in Illinois stands at 45%, slightly higher than his election day numbers. Trump’s support grew in suburban Cook County and the collar counties but remained steady in Chicago. The poll highlights a gender gap and varied opinions on Trump’s early policy moves.)
— Durbin slams RFK Jr. as ‘unqualified, unfit, and dangerous’ after health secretary confirmation
https://www.fox32chicago.com/news/illinois-senator-slams-rfk-jr-unqualified-unfit-dangerous-health-secretary

CHICAGO TRIBUNE
— Brandon Johnson, brooking no diversity of opinion, summons his inner Donald Trump. Chicago’s mayor is taking precisely the wrong lessons from his administrative failures
https://www.chicagotribune.com/2025/02/14/editorial-brandon-johnson-donald-trump-loyalty/
— Democrats ever-increasingly use DEI to get rid of Republicans
https://www.chicagotribune.com/2025/02/14/opinion-dei-trump-administration-free-speech/
— Reader: Illinois should follow President Donald Trump’s example and cut the waste (COMMENT: Democrats and RINOs oppose cutting government waste because Democrats and RINOs benefit from government waste. Democrats and RINOs do not want Republicans like me to fight government waste. GAO fights government waste. I would not have survived as a GAO Analyst for almost 18 years 1980-1997 if I had not a) earned master’s degrees in business in 1976, in accounting in 1980, and in finance in 1997, b) passed on my first attempt the CPA examination in 1979 and the Certified Internal Auditor examination in 1981, c) became a licensed CPA in 1981, d) became a Certified Fraud Examiner in 1990, Government Financial Manager in 1994, Financial Services Auditor in 1996, and Forensic Accountant in 1997, and e) worked for IRS for almost 9 years 1971-1980, the last 5 1/2 years of which at the GS-12 Step 1-5 Levels, currently $99,069-$112,280/year.)
https://www.chicagotribune.com/2025/02/13/letters-021325/
— Mayor Johnson’s public food market idea leaves us hungry for details
https://www.chicagotribune.com/2025/02/13/editorial-mayor-johnsons-public-market-idea-leaves-us-hungry-for-details/
— What to know about the federal workforce under President Trump (COMMENT: GAO did not unionize until 2007. If GAO had been unionized in 1997, I might still be a GAO employee.)
https://www.chicagotribune.com/2025/02/13/president-trump-federal-workforce-explainer/
(FROM THE ARTICLE: The civilian federal workforce, not including military personnel and postal workers, comprises about 2.4 million people. While a chunk of federal workers, about 20%, are in Washington, D.C., and the neighboring states of Maryland and Virginia, more than 80% are distributed outside the region. . .Civil servants are the vast majority of federal workers. They’re generally hired through an application process and have strong protections once in their positions. Political appointees, who number roughly 4,000, serve at the discretion of the president and can be dismissed at will by the chief executive. . .“Civil servants tend to be in their jobs as careers, some of them for decades,” said Elaine Kamarck, a senior fellow at the Brookings Institution who worked in President Bill Clinton’s Democratic administration when about 426,000 federal jobs were cut over more than eight years in a deliberative effort aimed at reinventing government. . .It’s not easy to fire the vast majority of federal workers — they have considerable job security with a long legal history. Federal employees who are not political appointees have strong protections designed to prevent political whims from clearing out the workforce. The protections have grown over time, under leadership of both major political parties. “The president definitely has his work cut out for him,” said Donald Kettl, a professor emeritus and former dean of the University of Maryland School of Public Policy. Federal workers are entitled to due process, which means they can challenge disciplinary actions through a formal process. They have to be notified of the allegations against them and allowed to respond and present their side. “You have to build a record to fire somebody, and that doesn’t often happen,” Kamarck said. . .Federal workers have union representation, but, unlike those of many industries, they do not have the power to strike. Federal workers also can’t bargain over pay, because salaries are set in law. Federal unions can bargain over working conditions and basic protections for their members. Recently, unions have battled over remote working conditions, which they’ve successfully bargained for in the past and Trump is working to sharply reduce. “There also are some limits about what they can bargain over, so, for example, they can’t bargain over what the policy of their agency is,” Super said. “That’s a matter for the political process to work out, but they can bargain for things that affect workers on their jobs and their well-being.”)
— Trump administration begins sweeping layoffs with probationary workers, warns of larger cuts to come (COMMENT: My Democrat GAO superiors and supervisors were furious that they could not use probationary employee procedures to get rid of me because I had already survived my probationary period when I worked for IRS.)
https://www.chicagotribune.com/2025/02/13/trump-administration-lays-off-probationary-workers/

CHICAGO SUN-TIMES
— Trump, pensions, health care among pressure points as Gov. JB Pritzker crafts state budget. Uncertainty in federal funding under President Donald Trump’s administration has made a tough state budget season even more difficult for Gov. JB Pritzker and Illinois Democrats who control Springfield.
https://chicago.suntimes.com/springfield/2025/02/14/jb-pritzker-budget-proposal-donald-trump
— Aviation, COPA chiefs out after Johnson vows to purge disloyal staff (COMMENT: My critics/opponents demand blind loyalty and destroy those like me who they cannot manipulate or dominate, who refuse to glorify and praise them, who refuse to pander to them, who refuse to serve as one of their operatives or dupes, who refuse to coverup their wrongdoing, and/or who refuse to give them money.)
https://chicago.suntimes.com/city-hall/2025/02/13/aviation-commissioner-retiring-jamie-rhee-ohare-midway-mayor-brandon-johnson-clean-house

DAILY HERALD
— EDITORIAL: Removing Henry Hyde’s name from Wheaton courthouse feels petty. Because it is.
https://www.dailyherald.com/20250213/editorials/daily-herald-opinion-removing-henry-hydes-name-from-wheaton-courthouse-feels-petty-because-it-is/
— Elgin moves to ban sale of THC products (COMMENT: Money spent on THC products, booze, gambling, prostitution, and other vices is money not spent on pot.)
https://www.dailyherald.com/20250213/news/elgin-moves-to-ban-sale-of-thc-products/
— FRONT PAGE TOP OF FOLD WITH BIG PICTURE: Democrat leaders ever-increasingly use illegals and students to promote more hatred against Trump.
https://www.dailyherald.com/20250213/news/this-is-a-safe-environment-amid-fears-of-deportation-sweeps-schools-work-to-protect-students/

CARROLL COUNTY NEWS
— Early voting begins for April 1 election (COMMENT: What offices are on the April 1 ballot in your precinct? Who are the candidates? Which ones are Republican?)
https://www.mycarrollcountynews.com/news/article_b1cc4bac-ea21-11ef-a282-2ff1c3444292.html

CENTRAL ILLINOIS PROUD
— The more demographics that voters have who vote for Republicans, the more that Democrats and RINOs discriminate against those voters. Demographics that vote for Republicans include: conservative, White, male, older, Protestant, German American, and have ancestors who have been in America for a long time.
https://www.centralillinoisproud.com/news/politics/ap-given-christianitys-dominance-in-us-trump-raises-eyebrows-with-anti-christian-bias-initiative/

NPR ILLINOIS
— Trump administration was set to purchase $400 million worth of armored Teslas
https://www.nprillinois.org/2025-02-12/trump-administration-was-set-to-purchase-400-million-worth-of-armored-teslas
— Trump hired Musk as a special federal employee. Here is what that means. (COMMENT: I was just a regular federal employee. But notwithstanding tremendous efforts by my Democrat superiors to waste my career and to get rid of me, I survived for almost 18 years and got promoted to GS-13 Step 10, currently $153,151 year.)
https://www.nprillinois.org/2025-02-13/trump-hired-musk-as-a-special-government-employee-heres-what-that-means
— Under the Democrats and under the RINOs, homelessness will ever-increasingly increase.
https://www.nprillinois.org/illinois/2025-02-13/statewide-counting-the-unhoused
— A federal worker tried to take Trump’s ‘Fork’ resignation offer. Here’s what happened
https://www.nprillinois.org/2025-02-14/a-federal-worker-tried-to-take-trumps-fork-resignation-offer-heres-what-happened
— Immigration poll shows growing support for restrictions, but deep divisions remain (COMMENT: Democrats want immigrants because immigrants vote for Democrats. RINOs want immigrants because RINOs want cheap labor.)
https://www.nprillinois.org/2025-02-14/immigration-poll-shows-growing-support-for-restrictions-but-deep-divisions-remain

NPR ILLINOIS & WEEK
— As Chicago strengthens immigrant protections, downstate officials split on sanctuary laws (COMMENT: Ever-increasingly, according to Democrat leaders, those who are the following are discriminated against by Republicans and protected by Democrats: 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, in America illegally, boozers, gamblers, stoners, criminals, etc.)
https://www.nprillinois.org/illinois/2025-02-13/as-chicago-strengthens-immigrant-protections-downstate-officials-split-on-sanctuary-laws
https://www.25newsnow.com/2025/02/13/chicago-strengthens-immigrant-protections-downstate-officials-split-sanctuary-laws/

WAND TV
— Attorney General Raoul joins coalition proving DEI guidance for businesses (COMMENT: To promote DEI is to promote discrimination.)
https://www.wandtv.com/news/attorney-general-raoul-joins-coalition-proving-guidance-for-businesses-on-diversity-and-inclusion/article_7d3937ce-ea3f-11ef-8955-0341fccb6b8c.html

RUSS STEWART
— DEMOCRATS BESEECH SEN. DURBIN: TIME TO STEP ASIDE IN 2026
http://www.russstewart.com/articles/2025/01-29-25.html

CAPITOL FAX
— Morning briefing
https://capitolfax.com/2025/02/14/isabel%e2%80%99s-morning-briefing-456/
— Afternoon roundup
https://capitolfax.com/2025/02/13/isabel%e2%80%99s-afternoon-roundup-248/

FROM ILLINOIS CENTER-RIGHT SOURCES

GOPUSA ILLINOIS
— Ever-increasing, when push comes to shove, Democrats and RINOs make it clear that they are anti-conservative, anti-Republican, anti-American, anti-White, anti-male, anti-older people, anti-Protestant, anti-German American, and/or anti-those whose ancestors have been in America longer than their ancestors. – Dave Diersen
http://www.gopillinois.com

WIREPOINTS
— Chicago Public Schools is so corrupted, both morally and financially, that it begs for an intervention like DOGE
https://wirepoints.org/chicago-public-schools-is-so-corrupted-both-morally-and-financially-that-it-begs-for-an-intervention-like-doge-wirepoints-on-wls-ramblin-ray-show/

MCHENRY COUNTY BLOG
— Illinois State Corporate Tax Rate Second Highest in the Nation, How the Personal Property Tax Made It So and How It Could Have Been (and Still Could Be) Different?
https://www.mchenrycountyblog.com/2025/02/13/illinois-state-corporate-tax-rate-second-highest-in-the-nation-how-the-personal-property-tax-made-it-so-and-how-it-could-have-been-and-still-could-be-different/
— Crystal Lake Grade School District Follows Cary’s Lead on Possible Contacts with ICE
https://www.mchenrycountyblog.com/2025/02/13/crystal-lake-grade-school-district-follows-carys-lead-on-possible-contacts-with-ice/
— DuPage Appearance of Lara Trump Sponsored by McHenry County GOPAC
https://www.mchenrycountyblog.com/2025/02/13/dupage-appearance-of-lara-trump-sponsored-by-mchenry-county-gopac/
— Movie Tentatively Titled “The Lottery” Being Shot in McHenry County
https://www.mchenrycountyblog.com/2025/02/13/movie-tentatively-titled-the-lottery-being-shot-in-mchenry-county/
— Reick Explains Attack on Home Schooling, Plus Private Schools
https://www.mchenrycountyblog.com/2025/02/13/reick-explains-attack-on-home-schooling-plus-private-schools/
— Salvi Name Still Potent in Northwest Suburbs, But Joe Salvi No Longer Seeking the Senate Appointment
https://www.mchenrycountyblog.com/2025/02/13/salvi-name-still-potent-in-northwest-suburbs/
— Madigan Loses $13,170 Monthly Pension
https://www.mchenrycountyblog.com/2025/02/13/madigan-loses-13170-monthly-pension/
— Three McHenry County Nursing Homes Fined by Illinois Public Health Department
https://www.mchenrycountyblog.com/2025/02/13/three-mchenry-county-nursing-homes-fined-by-illinois-public-health-department/
— Chinese Companies Indicted for Trade Secret Theft from Aurora Company
https://www.mchenrycountyblog.com/2025/02/13/chinese-companies-indicted-for-trade-secret-theft-from-aurora/
— $1.5 Million Food Stamp, that is, SNAP Fraud
https://www.mchenrycountyblog.com/2025/02/13/1-5-million-food-stamp-that-is-snap-fraud/

FROM NATIONAL CENTER-RIGHT SOURCES

WASHINGTON TIMES
— Trump’s spending pause exposes extreme reach of federal government. Uncle Sam pays for up to 40% of states’ expenses. (COMMENT: To what extent are those in the following dependent on government spending: your county, your township, your municipality, your school district, and your precinct?)
https://www.washingtontimes.com/news/2025/feb/13/trump-spending-pause-exposes-extreme-reach-federal/

NEW YOR POST
— AOC shares tips on how illegal immigrants can evade ICE: ‘Do not open your door’
https://nypost.com/2025/02/13/us-news/aoc-shares-tips-on-how-illegal-immigrants-can-evade-ice-do-not-open-your-door/

BREITBART
— Former GAO Head David Walker: What DOGE Is Doing ‘Needs to Be Done,’ But Needs More Transparency (COMMENT: Who does Trump want the next head of GAO to be? Walker headed GAO 1998-2008. Walker could have, but he did not a) rescind GAO’s forcing me to retire in 1997 or b) settle Diersen v. GAO. Therefore, Walker further promoted patronage, political affiliation, reverse discrimination, age discrimination, religious discrimination, and national origin discrimination in GAO.)
https://www.breitbart.com/clips/2025/02/12/fmr-gao-head-what-doge-is-doing-needs-to-be-done-but-needs-more-transparency/
— New York ‘Doing Everything They Should Do’ by Tipping Off Illegals
https://www.breitbart.com/clips/2025/02/13/hispanic-caucus-chair-new-york-doing-everything-they-should-do-by-tipping-off-illegals/
— New York City Mayor Eric Adams (D): ‘We Need’ Illegals Who Haven’t Committed Further Crimes, ‘That Is Part of Who We Are’ (COMMENT: To come into a country illegally and/or to stay in a country illegally is to demonstrate gross disrespect for the rule of law and for that country. Of course, illegals say that under Biden’s policies, they came into America “legally” and/or that they are staying in America “legally.”)
https://www.breitbart.com/clips/2025/02/14/adams-we-need-illegals-who-havent-committed-further-crimes-that-is-part-of-who-we-are/
— Hegseth: Woke Generals ‘Will Have a Different Job in Due Time’
https://www.breitbart.com/politics/2025/02/13/exclusive-defense-secretary-pete-hegseth-woke-generals-have-different-job/

EPOCH TIMES
— IRS to Be Audited by DOGE. IRS collects trillions in taxes. (COMMENT: Democrat and RINO leaders do not want Republicans to audit IRS. I worked for the Democrats who ran GAO on audits of the Democrats who ran IRS for 3 years 1986-1988 while I was at the GS-13 Step 1-3 Levels, currently $117,807-$125,661/year. I had worked for the Democrats who ran IRS for almost 9 years 1971-1980, the last 5 1/2 years of which at the GS-12 Step 1-5 Levels, currently $99,069-$112,280/year. I agreed to take a $23,472/year pay cut in today’s dollars to transfer, that is, a downgrade from GS-12 Step 5 to GS-9 Step 10, because the Republican GAO Staff Manager (Bill) who had arranged the transfer promised me that he would assign me to audits of IRS and that he would rapidly promote me back to GS-12 Step 5 and then to GS-13. But my Democrat GAO superiors immediately replaced Bill with a nasty/vicious Democrat Staff Manager (Dave) who despised Republicans and especially Republicans who shared my demographics. Dave kept me off audits of IRS, gave me bad job assignments and unfair performance expectations and appraisals, and delayed my promotions back to GS-12 Step 5. But then, in 1985, Dave had to have major heart surgery and go on extended sick leave because of his heavy drinking. That enabled Bill to assign me to audits of IRS and to promote me to GS-13 in 1986. But then, Dave came back from sick leave and a) forced Bill to retire in 1987, b) threw me off audits of IRS in late 1988, c) gave me an extremely bad job assignment and unfair performance expectations and appraisal in 1989, and d) ranked me at the bottom of my coworkers for pay-for-performance (PFP) purposes in 1989. But thankfully, Dave’s efforts to get rid of me moderated because my Congressman Henry Hyde came to my defense. But Dave nevertheless succeeded in a) keeping me off audits of IRS for the rest of my GAO career, b) always ranking me in the bottom of my coworkers for PFP, and c) forcing me to retire when I was 49 years old in 1997. If Dave had not taken the aforesaid adverse actions against me that he did, I would have always been assigned to audits of IRS and I would have been promoted to GS-13 sooner and then to GS-14, currently $139,211-$180,974/year, and then to GS-15, currently $163,749-$195,200/year, and then to Senior Executive Service, currently $195,200/year.)
https://www.theepochtimes.com/us/irs-to-be-audited-by-doge-trump-says-5809719
(FROM THE ARTICLE: The IRS will be audited by the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE), President Donald Trump said on Feb. 13. “The Internal Revenue Service will be looked at like everybody else,” Trump told reporters at the White House in Washington. He said that just about every federal agency will be examined by DOGE, led by billionaire Elon Musk. “They’re doing a hell of a job. It’s an amazing job they’re doing,” Trump said. “I call it the force of super-geniuses, but it’s building, and you know they go up, and they talk to some of the people about certain deals, and they get all tongue-tied because these people get it. They’re very smart people. We need smart people.” The IRS declined to comment on the remarks. Trump was responding to a question about how DOGE reportedly arrived at the IRS on Thursday and whether he wanted to close the IRS. Trump said he did not expect the IRS, which is currently processing 2024 taxes, to be shuttered. Sen. Ron Wyden (D-Ore.) said on social media platform X, owned by Musk, that his office has heard that DOGE is at the IRS. “That means Musk’s henchmen are in a position to dig through a trove of data about every taxpayer in America. And if your refund is delayed, they could very well be the reason,” Wyden said. After DOGE accessed U.S. Department of Treasury payment systems earlier in the year, a group of Democrats in the U.S. House of Representatives wrote to the acting IRS commissioner asking what confidential information DOGE had requested from the IRS and how many taxpayers had had their confidential information accessed by DOGE. Separately on Thursday, senior IRS executives were instructed to identify all contracts that were nonessential for termination, according to an internal email. The email said that the General Services Administration (GSA), which manages most government contracts, is demanding they review consulting contracts under their purview and determine whether they can be justified. The GSA deems a contract nonessential if it “merely generates a report, research, coaching, or an artifact,” the email says. “Consistent with the goals and directives of the Trump administration to eliminate waste, reduce spending, and increase efficiency, GSA has taken the first steps in a government-wide initiative to eliminate non-essential consulting contracts.” The GSA did not respond to a request for comment by publication time.)

FEDERALIST
— Advocating For Asylum Seekers Made Me Less Sympathetic To Illegal Migrants
https://thefederalist.com/2025/02/14/advocating-for-asylum-seekers-made-me-less-sympathetic-to-illegal-migrants/

NATIONAL REVIEW
— AOC Webinar Teaches Illegal Immigrants How to Avoid ICE Deportation
https://www.nationalreview.com/news/aoc-webinar-teaches-illegal-immigrants-how-to-avoid-ice-deportation/

REAL CLEAR POLITICS
— Homan: “AOC Is Going To Be In Trouble Now” For Delivering Webinar On How Illegals Can Evade ICE Apprehension
https://www.realclearpolitics.com/video/2025/02/13/tom_homan_aoc_is_going_to_be_in_trouble_now_for_delivering_webinar_on_how_illegals_can_evade_ice_apprehension.html

FROM NATIONAL CENTER-LEFT SOURCES

CNN
— RAHM EMANUEL JOINS CNN
https://cnnpressroom.blogs.cnn.com/2025/02/13/rahm-emanuel-joins-cnn-as-senior-political-and-global-affairs-commentator/

REUTERS
— Thousands fired in US government as Trump, Musk purge federal workers (COMMENT: While I worked for the Democrats who ran GAO 1980-1997, the agency ever-increasingly shrank because of Republican-led budget cuts. My Democrat GAO superiors ever-increasingly punished me for that. I was one of the last Republicans who GAO hired. GAO audits IRS. The Democrats who ran GAO in 1980 let me transfer from IRS when I was 31 years old, but only if I took a $23,472/year (21%) pay cut in today’s dollars. They could not find a qualified Democrat, minority, female, younger person, or veteran who would take the job. My qualifications included having a) passed the CPA examination on my first attempt in 1979, b) almost completed the requirements for a master’s degree in accounting from DePaul, c) earned an MBA from Loyola in 1976, and d) worked for IRS for almost 9 years, the last 5 1/2 years of which at the GS-12 Step 1-5 Levels, currently $99,069-$112,280/year. To further punish me for Republican-led budget cuts, my Democrat GAO superiors a) delayed my promotions and never promoted me beyond GS-13, kept me off audits of IRS for all but 3 of the almost 18 years that I worked for GAO, always ranked me in the bottom half of my coworkers for pay-for-performance purposes, and forced me to retire when I was 49 years old in 1997.)
https://www.reuters.com/world/us/mass-firings-federal-workers-begin-trump-musk-purge-us-government-2025-02-13/

CBS NEWS
— U.S. is deporting African and Asian migrants to Panama in diplomatic breakthrough
https://www.cbsnews.com/news/us-deportations-panama-african-asian-migrants/

NEW YORK TMES
— Democrats say “Trump Wants to Destroy All Academia, Not Just the Woke Parts.”
https://www.nytimes.com/2025/02/14/opinion/trump-college-academia-woke.html

USA TODAY
— Musk, Trump degrade federal workers as they put them out of work. It’s sadistic. (COMMENT: What is your opinion of federal employees? From what I see, employers and just about everyone else have a negative opinion of past, present, and future federal employees. I was a federal employee for almost 30 years. I have been a federal retiree for more than 27 years.)
https://www.usatoday.com/story/opinion/columnist/2025/02/12/elon-musk-donald-trump-federal-workers-jobs-cruelty/78428472007/

WALL STREET JOURNAL
— Trump’s EEOC Firing Will Likely Prevail in Court. The justices’ precedents imply that he has the power to dismiss officials of ‘independent’ agencies. (COMMENT: How has EEOC impacted you? I became an IRS Revenue Officer when I was 22 years old in 1971 because my Firestone Store boss had rudely fired me. He did that because I had told him that I had accepted a job offer from Oldsmobile. But Oldsmobile withdrew that job offer saying it had just agreed to stop hiring Whites to settle an EEOC complaint.)
https://www.wsj.com/opinion/youre-fired-trump-says-the-justices-will-likely-agree-officials-dismissed-supreme-court-precedent-9b40b529
— Trump Layoffs Push Federal Workers Into Tough Job Hunt. Companies have pulled back on white-collar hiring, limiting options for government workers. (COMMENT: What is your opinion of federal employees? From what I see, employers and just about everyone else have a negative opinion of past, present, and future federal employees. I was a federal employee for almost 30 years. I have been a federal retiree for more than 27 years.)
https://www.wsj.com/economy/jobs/federal-workers-jobs-doge-37b761cd
(FROM THE ARTICLE: The Trump administration’s effort to slash the federal workforce is pushing employees into a challenging job market, where their age and lack of corporate experience can hold them back. Federal workers are also facing an environment where hiring for white-collar jobs has slowed. Despite the availability of state and local government jobs, many of these positions take place outside offices and aren’t a good match for federal workers’ experience.)

FORBES
— Jamie Dimon Reportedly Says He’ll Cut Some ‘Stupid’ DEI Costs At JPMorgan Chase (COMMENT: If Affirmative Action and DEI had been implemented earlier/faster, Dimon would have made to where he is now.)
https://www.forbes.com/sites/conormurray/2025/02/13/jamie-dimon-reportedly-says-hell-cut-some-stupid-dei-costs-at-jpmorgan-chase-here-are-all-the-companies-rolling-back-dei/

FORTUNE
— Democrat and RINO employers use DEI a) to not hire Republicans and b) to get rid of their Republican employees.
https://fortune.com/2025/02/14/companies-rolling-back-changing-dei-meta-target-fortune-500-diversity-equity-inclusion-policies/

HUFFINGTON POST
— Ever-increasingly, since the 1960s, the Democrats who run the federal government have used Affirmative Action and DEI a) to hire, retain, and promote Democrats who are minority, female, and/or younger and b) to get rid of their Republican employees who are White, male, and/or older.
https://www.aol.com/trump-trying-federal-workforce-whiter-003612069.html

ECONOMIC TIMES & NDTV
— “Will Take Back Verified Illegals”: PM Modi On Illegal Immigrants | PM Modi’s US Visit (COMMENT: How many of those who are in America illegally share you national origin?)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Dqg2zhKkSUo
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xSm7bjhqMMA

INDIA TODAY
— Impact of US immigration raids on Indians: What visa applicants need to know. Many Indians planning to relocate to the United States have been left anxious after Donald Trump’s crackdown on illegals. As deportation of undocumented immigrants continues, here’s how people applying for work visas can avoid complications.
https://www.indiatoday.in/india/story/impact-of-us-immigration-raids-on-indians-what-visa-applicants-need-to-know-2679998-2025-02-14

GUARDIAN
— Trump administration sparks outcry as it continues to gut federal workforce. Major union as well as federal worker advocacy group condemn moves to fire probationary employees as thousands told to leave.
https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/live/2025/feb/14/trump-musk-federal-government-layoffs-jd-vance-ukraine-latest

February 13, 2025

FROM ILLINOIS CENTER-LEFT SOURCES

CHICAGO TRIBUNE
— Sanctuary cities pose an unacceptable risk to public safety
https://www.chicagotribune.com/2025/02/13/opinion-sanctuary-cities-public-safety/
— Democrats try to move on after ex-Speaker Michael Madigan’s conviction as GOP calls for greater state ethics reforms
https://www.chicagotribune.com/2025/02/12/democrats-try-to-move-on-after-ex-speaker-michael-madigans-conviction-as-gop-calls-for-greater-state-ethics-reforms/

DAILY HERALD
— Hayes endorses Tinaglia to succeed him as Arlington Heights mayor (COMMENT: Since 2004, my critics/opponents have stressed that Jim Rasins did not endorse me for Milton Township Republican Organization (MTRO) Treasurer when he did not run again in 2004. They stressed that I had known Rasins since the 1980s and that I had worked hard to help elect him DuPage County Auditor in 2000 and to help reelect him in 2004. They knew that I had recruited Rasins to speak at an Association of Government Accountants (AGA) Chicago Chapter event in the 1990s. They ignored, dismissed, belittled, and badmouthed my qualifications. I had served as the AGA Chicago Chapter Treasurer 1983-1986. I had served as the Illinois Center Right Coalition Treasurer since 2003. I had worked for GAO 1980-1997, the last 11 years of which at the GS-13 Step 1-10 Levels, currently $117-807-$153,151/year: I had worked for IRS 1971-1980, the last 5 1/2 years of which at the GS-12 Step 1-5 Levels, currently $99,069-$112,280/year. I had passed the CPA examination on my first attempt in 1979. I had earned a master’s degree in accounting from DePaul. I had passed the Certified Internal Auditor Examination on my first attempt and became a licensed CPA in 1981. I had become a Certified Fraud Examiner in 1990, Government Financial Manager in 1994, Financial Services Auditor in 1996, and Forensic Accountant in 1997. Since 2004, my MTRO critics/opponents have stressed that I got only 13 votes in that MTRO Treasurer election while my opponent got 69 votes. They I should write about my MTRO critics/opponents. I would focus on those who have taken the most/biggest adverse actions against me.)
https://www.dailyherald.com/20250212/news/hayes-endorses-tinaglia-to-succeed-him-as-arlington-heights-mayor/

ABC7
— Some new-arrival Venezuelan migrants in Chicago face threat of deportation. President Trump moves up timeline to April to revoke temporary protected status.
https://abc7chicago.com/post/chicago-immigration-news-new-arrival-venezuelan-migrants-face-threat-deportation-no-temporary-protected-status/15899205/

NBC5
— Trump administration considering using defense funding to ramp up deportations. The administration has been unhappy with the current pace of immigrant arrests and deportations, and the Immigration and Customs Enforcement budget has been a factor.
https://www.nbcchicago.com/news/national-international/trump-administration-considering-using-defense-funding-to-ramp-up-deportations/3672999/?os=io..ref%3Dapp&ref=app

WGN9
— Durkin talks Madigan verdict
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=elsCv9KLiF4

WTTW
— Trump Says He Wants the Department of Education Closed ‘Immediately.’ What That Could Mean for Illinois
https://news.wttw.com/2025/02/12/trump-says-he-wants-department-education-closed-immediately-what-could-mean-illinois

CENTRAL ILLINOIS PROUD
— What to know about the federal workforce under Trump. Since President Donald Trump began his second term last month, he has focused on dramatically reducing the federal workforce at a breakneck pace.
https://www.centralillinoisproud.com/news/business/ap-what-to-know-about-the-federal-workforce-under-trump/
— Democrats and RINOs use Affirmative Action and DEI to discriminate against Christians, and especially against Christians who are Protestant.
https://www.centralillinoisproud.com/news/politics/ap-given-christianitys-dominance-in-us-trump-raises-eyebrows-with-anti-christian-bias-initiative/

WAND TV
— Migrants with work permits could become firefighters under new plan in Illinois
https://www.wandtv.com/community/migrants-with-work-permits-could-become-firefighters-under-new-plan-in-illinois/article_bd88074c-e97c-11ef-b76b-d77fe5a5d046.html

CAPITOL FAX
— Morning briefing
https://capitolfax.com/2025/02/13/isabel%e2%80%99s-morning-briefing-455/

FROM NATIONAL CENTER-RIGHT SOURCES

WASHINGTON FREE BEACON
— At the University of Michigan, DEI Now Hides in Office of ‘Community Culture’
https://freebeacon.com/campus/exclusive-at-the-university-of-michigan-dei-now-hides-in-office-of-community-culture/

AMERICAN CONSERVATIVE
— Trump Should Cancel the Diversity Visa Program. Ending the green card lottery needs to be a top immigration priority for the president.
https://www.theamericanconservative.com/trump-should-cancel-the-diversity-visa-program/

BLAZE
— Trump tears down the woke iron curtain.
https://www.theblaze.com/columns/opinion/trump-tears-down-the-woke-iron-curtain

BREITBART
— Former GAO Head David Walker: DOGE Should Look at COVID Payments, Wouldn’t Surprise Me if There Was a Trillion in Fraud, Abuse
https://www.breitbart.com/clips/2025/02/12/fmr-gao-head-doge-should-look-at-covid-payments-wouldnt-surprise-me-if-there-was-a-trillion-in-fraud-abuse/
— New York isn’t alone when it comes to granting driver’s licenses to immigrants without legal status (COMMENT: The list includes Illinois.)
https://www.breitbart.com/news/new-york-isnt-alone-when-it-comes-to-granting-drivers-licenses-to-immigrants-without-legal-status/

EPOCH TIMES
— Trump Says Putin Agreed to Start Negotiations to End Ukraine War. Trump also discussed the plans with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy. Zelenskyy is due to meet with Vice President Vance on Feb. 14.
https://www.theepochtimes.com/world/trump-announces-productive-call-with-putin-on-russia-ukraine-peace-talks-5808724

MEGYN KELLY
— Massachusetts City Flouts Trump Executive Orders, Votes to Become a ‘Sanctuary City’ for Trans People
https://www.megynkelly.com/2025/02/12/worcester-massachusetts-votes-to-become-sanctuary-city-for-trans-people/

FROM NATIONAL CENTER-LEFT SOURCES

THE HILL
— Democrats and RINOs use DEI to get rid of Republicans.
https://thehill.com/homenews/house/5141877-trump-musk-advocacy-campaign/

REUTERS
— US judge clears the way for tens of thousands of federal workers to take Trump buyout
https://www.reuters.com/world/us/us-judge-allows-trump-proceed-with-government-employee-buyout-2025-02-12/

MSNBC
— Trump and Musk were wrong about government employees – they actually want to work (COMMENT: I transferred from IRS to GAO when I was 31 years old in 1980 because GAO’s mission is to fight fraud, waste, and abuse in the federal government. The importance of that mission a) enabled me to withstand for almost 18 years tremendous efforts by my Democrat GAO superiors to waste my career and to get rid of me and b) motivated me to complete the requirements for master’s degree in accounting from DePaul in 1980, pass the Certified Internal Auditor examination in my first attempt in 1981, become a licensed CPA in 1981, become a Certified Fraud Examiner in 1990, Government Financial Manager in 1994, Financial Services Auditor in 1996, and Forensic Accountant in 1997 and to earn a master’s degree in financial markets and trading from IIT in 1997.)
https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/politics/trump-and-musk-were-wrong-about-government-employees-they-actually-want-to-work/vi-AA1yWCyV

NEW YORK TIMES
— The federal employees Trump has purged, so far (COMMENT: The Democrats who ran GAO 1980-1997 gave purge lists to all of their new managers of their Chicago office. Of course, I was at the top of all of those lists because I am conservative, Republican, White, male, older, non-veteran, Protestant, German American, and my ancestors had been in America since 1844.)
https://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2025/02/11/us/politics/trump-musk-doge-federal-workers.html
— Democrat teachers promote DEI
https://www.nytimes.com/2025/02/13/nyregion/trump-dei-executive-orders-schools.html

WASHINGTON POST
— Trump closes down federal worker buyout offer after judge lifts hold (COMMENT: What is your position on buyouts and early retirement offers? In 1993, the Democrats who ran GAO “offered” $25,000 buyouts and early retirement to get rid of their employees who were Republican, older, White, male, non-veteran, GS-13, and/or had 25 years or more of federal service. I was “eligible,” that is, I was “targeted” because I was all of the aforesaid. They succeeded in forcing me to retire in 1997 when I was 49 years old just before their “offer” expired. If I had not succumbed, I would not have been eligible for regular retirement until 2003. Their forcing me to retire wasted what I had learned a) working for GAO for 18 years and for IRS for 9 years, b) earning three job-related master’s degrees (finance-1997, accounting-1980, and business-1976), c) six job-related professional certifications (forensic accounting-1997, financial services auditing-1996, government financial management-1994, fraud examination-1990, internal auditing-1981, and accounting-1979) and d) earning a job-related professional license (CPA-1981).)
https://www.washingtonpost.com/dc-md-va/2025/02/12/trump-federal-worker-buyout-court-hearing/
— Trump wants to substantially cut the federal workforce. Here’s what it looks like. While federal hiring has increased in recent years, federal workers, as a share of all Americans workers, remains at a historic low.
https://www.washingtonpost.com/business/2025/02/12/federal-workers-trump-doge-cuts/

FORBES
— Democrats and RINOs use DEI to get rid of Republicans.
https://www.forbes.com/sites/aparnarae/2025/02/13/the-state-of-dei-practitioners-navigate-a-shifting-landscape/

NPR
— Trump ignites political firestorm in South Africa over Afrikaner asylum status offer (COMMENT: Because Democrats and RINOs use Affirmative Action and DEI to discriminate against Whites in America big time, it makes no sense for Whites to immigrate to America.)
https://www.npr.org/2025/02/13/nx-s1-5294345/trump-ignites-political-firestorm-in-south-africa-over-afrikaner-asylum-status-offer

HUFFINGTON POST
— Trump Ordered A Federal Hiring Freeze. Previous Ones Backfired. GAO found that earlier hiring freezes actually made government services less efficient. (COMMENT: While I worked for the Democrats who ran GAO for almost 18 years, the agency was almost always under Republican-imposed hiring freezes and/or promotion freezes.)
https://www.huffpost.com/entry/trump-federal-hiring-freeze_n_678fe14de4b02903dff7d61f

GAO
— U.S. Comptroller General (COMMENT: Who does Trump want the next U.S. Comptroller General to be and why?)
https://www.gao.gov/about/comptroller-general
(FROM THE POSTING: Gene L. Dodaro became the eighth Comptroller General of the United States and head of the U.S. Government Accountability Office (GAO) on December 22, 2010, when he was confirmed by the United States Senate. He was nominated by President Obama in September of 2010 from a list of candidates selected by a bipartisan, bicameral congressional commission. He had been serving as Acting Comptroller General since March of 2008. . . The Comptroller General of the United States heads the Government Accountability Office (GAO), an agency within the legislative branch of the federal government. The Comptroller General is appointed by the President of the United States with the advice and consent of the Senate. When a vacancy occurs in the office of the Comptroller General, the Congress establishes a bipartisan, bicameral commission to recommend individuals to the President. The Comptroller General’s term of office is set statutorily at 15 years and they are not eligible for reappointment.)

INDIA TODAY
— Indians seeking asylum in US grew 470% in 5 years
https://www.msn.com/en-in/news/world/indians-seeking-asylum-in-us-grew-470-in-5-years-study/ar-AA1yU0hE