January 16, 2026

FROM ILLINOIS CENTER-LEFT SOURCES

CHICAGO TRIBUNE
— What the fraud in Minnesota can teach Illinois
https://www.chicagotribune.com/2026/01/16/opinion-fraud-minnesota-illinois-audit/

CHICAGO SUN-TIMES
— DD: Democrat leaders ever-increasingly promote more vice.
https://chicago.suntimes.com/columnists/2026/01/15/marijuana-recreational-drugs-gun-ownership-second-amendment-jacob-sullum

CBS2
— University of Illinois approves tuition increase for incoming freshmen, including at UIC and Urbana-Champaign. DD: I was able to work my way through college, but my critics/opponents stress that college costs were much lower back then.
https://www.cbsnews.com/chicago/news/university-of-illinois-tuition-increase-uic-urbana-champaign/

CRAIN’S CHICAGO BUSINESS
— Downtown office vacancy ended 2025 at another record high
https://www.chicagobusiness.com/commercial-real-estate/downtown-office-vacancy-ended-2025-another-record-high

KANE COUNTY CHRONICLE
— Kane County GOP Treasurer Chris Lauzen’s son running in Delaware – as a Democrat
https://www.shawlocal.com/kane-county-chronicle/2026/01/15/kane-county-gop-treasurer-chris-lauzens-son-running-in-delaware-as-a-democrat/

SPRINGFIELD STATE JOURNAL REGISTER
— Labor, voting rights groups intervene in Illinois voter data lawsuit
https://www.sj-r.com/story/news/state/2026/01/15/labor-voting-rights-groups-intervene-in-illinois-voter-data-lawsuit/88177670007/

CENTRAL ILLINOIS PROUD
— DD: Democrat leaders ever-increasingly focus on driving Trump’s approval rating down.
https://www.centralillinoisproud.com/news/national/ap-what-americans-think-about-trumps-first-year-back-in-office-according-to-ap-norc-polling/

NPR ILLINOIS
— DD: Democrat leaders ever-increasingly blame Trump for the cost of healthcare.
https://www.nprillinois.org/2026-01-15/trump-health-care-plan-doesnt-help-people-facing-skyrocketing-aca-premiums

WGLT
— GOP candidates for Governor blast sanctuary cities and SAFE-T act in Central Illinois forum. DD: If I was still the TAPROOT Republicans of Illinois chairman and an Illinois Center Right Coalition Steering Committee member, the organizations would still be hosting candidate forums.
https://www.wglt.org/local-news/2026-01-16/gop-candidates-for-governor-blast-sanctuary-cities-and-safe-t-act-in-central-illinois-forum

WMBD
— Republican candidates for governor debate at Five Points Washington. DD: If I was still the TAPROOT Republicans of Illinois chairman and an Illinois Center Right Coalition Steering Committee member, the organizations would still be hosting candidate debates.
https://wmbdradio.com/2026/01/15/republican-candidates-for-governor-debate-at-five-points-washington/

POLITICO ILLINOIS
— DD: Democrat leaders use Chad Hampton of Victoria and his mother Cheryl Hampton of Streator to promote more hatred against Republicans.
https://www.politico.com/newsletters/illinois-playbook/2026/01/16/drawing-a-legal-line-on-hate-00733123

CAPITOL FAX
— Morning briefing
https://capitolfax.com/
— Afternoon roundup
https://capitolfax.com/2026/01/15/isabel%e2%80%99s-afternoon-roundup-449/

FROM ILLINOIS CENTER-RIGHT SOURCES

GOPUSA ILLINOIS
— For Democrats, the federal government exists a) to hire, retain, and promote Democrats, and especially Democrats who are minority, female, younger, and/or veteran and b) to take opportunities and money away from Republicans and to give those opportunities and that money to Democrats. – Dave Diersen
http://www.gopillinois.com
— I should write about operatives and dupes who work for my critics/opponents. I would focus on those who have taken the most/biggest adverse actions against me lately. They hint/imply/argue/shout that they carry water for the elephant, that is, they work for the leaders of the Illinois Republican Party, DuPage County Republican Central Committee, and the Milton Township Republican Organization. SEE: https://www.google.com/search?q=%22carry+water+for+the+elephant%22+republican – Dave Diersen
http://www.gopillinois.com

MCHENRY COUNTY BLOG
— Imagine Not Having to Wait 14 Days After the Election to Find Out Who Wins
https://www.mchenrycountyblog.com/2026/01/15/imagine-not-having-to-wait-14-days-after-the-election-to-find-out-who-wins/
— Referendums on School Choice Scholarships on One-Third of Illinois Counties’ Ballots
https://www.mchenrycountyblog.com/2026/01/16/referendums-on-school-choice-scholarships-on-one-third-of-illinois-counties-ballots/

ILLINOIS REVIEW
— Fiscal Conservative Ted Dabrowski Spent $181K on Consultants While $75K Went to Dan Proft’s Florida Firm
https://www.illinoisreview.com/illinoisreview/2026/01/fiscal-conservative-ted-dabrowski-spent-181k-on-consultants-while-75k-went-to-dan-profts-florida-firm.html

FROM NATIONAL CENTER-RIGHT SOURCES

WASHINGTON TIMES
— The real reason health care and education costs are soaring
https://www.washingtontimes.com/news/2026/jan/15/real-reason-health-care-education-costs-soaring/
— Americans seize the socialism: Most say it’s government’s job to give healthcare. DD: Democrat leaders ever-increasingly hint/imply/argue/shout that under socialism, healthcare is free.
https://www.washingtontimes.com/news/2026/jan/15/americans-seize-socialism-say-governments-job-give-health-care/

NEW YORK POST
— Pentagon to ‘refocus’ military newspaper Stars and Stripes away from ‘woke distractions’
https://nypost.com/2026/01/15/us-news/pentagon-to-refocus-military-newspaper-stars-and-stripes-away-from-woke-distractions/

AMERICAN CONSERVATIVE
— Why (Traditional) Marriage Matters. DD: Democrat leaders ever-increasingly promote LGBTQ, that is, they ever-increasingly destroy traditional marriage.
https://www.theamericanconservative.com/why-traditional-marriage-matters/

EPOCH TIMES
— Venezuela’s Machado Gifts Trump Her Nobel Peace Prize Medal. Opposition leader María Corina Machado was awarded the peace prize in December 2025 for her fight for democracy.
https://www.theepochtimes.com/us/trumps-view-on-venezuelan-opposition-leader-machado-remains-unchanged-white-house-5971661

FEDERALIST
— Resisting Law Enforcement Is Violence And This Administration’s Job Is To Stop It At All Costs
https://thefederalist.com/2026/01/15/resisting-law-enforcement-is-violence-and-this-administrations-job-is-to-stop-it-at-all-costs/

FEDERATION FOR AMERICAN IMMIGRATION REFORM
— States Respond to Increased Assaults Against ICE Officers with Legislation to Put Agents in Greater Danger
https://www.fairus.org/legislation/state-and-local/states-endanger-ice-officers-mask-prohibition
— FAIR Highlights Disastrous Consequences of Anti-ICE Rhetoric in Minneapolis
https://www.fairus.org/legislation/executive/fair-highlights-disastrous-consequences-anti-ice-rhetoric-minneapolis

FOX NEWS
— Three Venezuelan illegals arrested after ICE officer ‘ambushed and attacked’ during traffic stop. DHS secretary calls Minneapolis incident ‘attempted murder of federal law enforcement.’
https://www.foxnews.com/us/three-venezuelan-illegals-arrested-ice-officer-ambushed-attacked-traffic-stop-noem.amp
— ICE takes down illegal alien who allegedly rammed law enforcement vehicles, nearly running over officer. DHS Assistant Secretary Tricia McLaughlin blamed pro-sanctuary politicians she said ‘have encouraged illegal aliens to evade arrest.’
https://www.foxnews.com/politics/watch-ice-takes-down-illegal-alien-who-rammed-law-enforcement-vehicles-nearly-running-over-officer
— Pentagon vows to reform military newspaper Stars and Stripes, remove ‘woke distractions’
https://www.foxnews.com/media/pentagon-vows-reform-military-newspaper-stars-stripes-remove-woke-distractions.print

LEGAL INSURECTION
— Walz Urges Minnesotans to Protect Illegals, Film ICE ‘Atrocities,’ ‘Resist’ in Deranged Speech
https://legalinsurrection.com/2026/01/walz-urges-minnesotans-to-protect-illegals-film-ice-atrocities-resist-in-deranged-speech/

NEW AMERICAN
— Minneapolis Riots Heat Up; Illegals Involved in Beating of ICE Agent Are Biden “Migrants” Released at Border
https://thenewamerican.com/us/crime/minneapolis-riots-heat-up-illegals-involved-in-beating-of-ice-agent-are-biden-migrants-released-at-border/

WESTERN JOURNAL
— Minneapolis Rioters Break Into Federal Agent’s Vehicle, Steal Weapon and Ammunition
https://www.westernjournal.com/stunning-footage-minneapolis-rioters-break-federal-agents-vehicle-steal-weapon-ammunition/

FROM NATIONAL CENTER-LEFT SOURCES

ASSOCIATED PRESS
— DD: Democrat leaders ever-increasingly promote insurrection.
https://apnews.com/video/trumps-insurrection-act-threat-stands-out-against-the-laws-long-history-ae22f8e0ca7446c8ad81a3f5e6b112ed

THE HILL
— DD: Democrat leaders ever-increasingly promote insurrection.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=i4_fGiPWVOA

CNN
— DD: Democrat leaders ever-increasingly promote insurrection.
https://www.cnn.com/us/live-news/minneapolis-ice-shooting-protests-01-15-26

CNBC
— Over 800,000 student loan borrowers remain in backlog for forgiveness, affordable repayment plans. DD: I was able to work my way through college, but my critics/opponents stress that college costs were much lower back then.
https://www.cnbc.com/2026/01/15/student-loan-forgiveness-repayment-plan-backlog.html

REUTERS
— DD: Democrat leaders ever-increasingly promote insurrection.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VbNS4RQzM6w

MSN
— DD: Democrat leaders ever-increasingly promote insurrection.
https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/politics/what-is-the-insurrection-act-and-what-happens-if-president-trump-invokes-it/vi-AA1UjxDH
— West Point Orders All Minority Cadet Clubs Disbanded Immediately in DEI Crackdown
https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/us/west-point-orders-all-minority-cadet-clubs-disbanded-immediately-in-dei-crackdown-report/ar-AA1yt5ZU

CBS NEWS
— DD: Democrat leaders ever-increasingly promote insurrection.
https://www.cbsnews.com/minnesota/live-updates/minnesota-ice-shooting-protests-trump-insurrection-act/

NEW YORK TIMES
— FRONT PAGE TOP OF FOLD: According to Democrat leaders, their illegals do not vote.
https://www.nytimes.com/2026/01/14/us/politics/noncitizen-voters-save-tool.html
— DD: The more hatred that promote against Trump, the more that the Democrat news media promotes you.
https://www.nytimes.com/2026/01/13/us/politics/minneapolis-mayor-jacob-frey-ice.html

WASHINGTON POST
— Trump launches ‘Great Healthcare Plan.’ DD: The federal government paying for 72% of my healthcare insurance premiums since 1966 and for my wife since 1978 helped me endure tremendous efforts by my Democrat Post Office, IRS, and GAO superiors to waste my career and to get rid of me.
https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/2026/01/15/trump-healthcare-plan-aca/
— DD: For Democrats, education exists to crank out good little Democrats.
https://www.washingtonpost.com/books/2026/01/15/university-trump-lee-bollinger-review/

USA TODAY
— DD: Democrat leaders ever-increasingly promote insurrection.
https://www.usatoday.com/story/opinion/columnist/2026/01/16/ice-minneapolis-trump-insurrection-act-minnesota/88197983007/
https://www.usatoday.com/story/graphics/2026/01/15/what-is-the-insurrection-act-timeline-trump-ice-shooting-minneapolis/88197593007/

WAPT
— Defense Department says military newspaper Stars and Stripes must eliminate ‘woke distractions’
https://www.wapt.com/article/stars-and-stripes-eliminate-woke-distractions/70013027

BLOOMBERG
— George Floyd Lawyer to Represent Renée Good Family. DD: How much success have Democrat leaders had in your county, township, municipality, school district, and precinct turning Renee Good into George Floyd?
https://news.bloomberglaw.com/business-and-practice/wake-up-call-george-floyd-lawyer-to-represent-renee-good-family

FORBES
— These 8 Sweeping Student Loan Forgiveness Changes Happen In 2026. DD: I was able to work my way through college, but my critics/opponents stress that college costs were much lower back then.
https://www.forbes.com/sites/adamminsky/2026/01/15/these-8-sweeping-student-loan-forgiveness-changes-happen-in-2026/

FORTUNE
— Renee Good and George Floyd: 2 Minneapolis killings, 2 grieving families, one law firm. DD: How much success have Democrat leaders had in your county, township, municipality, school district, and precinct turning Renee Good into George Floyd?
https://fortune.com/2026/01/15/family-of-renee-good-hires-george-floyd-lawyer-minnesota-shooting-ice/

CAREERS IN GOVERNMENT
— DD: For Democrats, government exists a) to hire, retain, and promote Democrats, and especially Democrats who are minority, female, younger, and/or veteran and b) to take opportunities and money away from Republicans and to give those opportunities and that money to Democrats.
https://www.careersingovernment.com/

GOVERNING
— DD: Democrat leaders ever-increasingly promote insurrection.
https://www.governing.com/policy/trump-threatens-to-invoke-insurrection-act-over-minnesota-ice-protests

FED SMITH
— Thrift Savings Plan Millionaires Hit New Record—Nearly 195,000 and Counting. DD: I would be a TSP millionaire if my Democrat GAO superiors had not wasted my career and forced me to retire when I was 49 years old in 1997.
https://www.fedsmith.com/2026/01/13/tsp-millionaires-new-record-number/

INSIDE HIGHER EDUCATION
— The Faculty Merit Act Is Meritless. A proposal to mandate publication of SAT and other standardized test scores for all faculty and faculty job applicants is statistically unsound. DD: Since 1966, my critics/opponents have stressed that my ACT score was only 24 and that I only just barely made it into the upper 20% of my high school class.
https://www.insidehighered.com/opinion/views/2026/01/15/faculty-merit-act-meritless-opinion

PEOPLE
— Renee Good’s Family Hires Law Firm That Previously Helped George Floyd’s Family Secure $27 Million Settlement. Romanucci & Blandin said it would launch a civil investigation into the shooting of Good by an ICE agent. DD: How much success have Democrat leaders had in your county, township, municipality, school district, and precinct turning Renee Good into George Floyd?
https://people.com/renee-good-s-family-hires-law-firm-that-once-represented-george-floyd-s-family-11886246

HUFFINGTON POST
— Federal Workers Ask Judge To Block Trump’s ‘Loyalty’ Question On Job Applications. DD: While I worked for the Democrats who ran the federal government for almost 30 years, they wasted the careers of and got rid of their employees who were not blindly loyal to the Democrat Party platform and especially loyal to the platform’s Affirmative Action plank.
https://www.aol.com/articles/federal-workers-ask-judge-block-215616534.html

PEW RESEARCH CENTER
— The Political Gap in Americans’ News Sources. DD: GOPUSA ILLINOIS newsletters bring attention to Illinois government and political news and commentary that Democrat and RINO leaders do not want anyone to read.
https://www.pewresearch.org/journalism/2025/06/10/the-political-gap-in-americans-news-sources/

FROM FOREIGN SOURCES

WORKPLACE INSIGHT
— Major surge in people working past retirement age … matched by rise in age discrimination claims. DD: While I worked for the federal government, retirement age was 55 if you were a Republican, White, male, and/or non-veteran and if you had not made Senior Executive Service, currently $197,200/year. In 1993, to get rid of their employees sooner who were the aforesaid, my Democrat GAO superiors “offered” those who had 25 or more years of federal service like me a $25,000 buyout and early retirement. I had 25 years of federal service and I was 45 years old.
https://workplaceinsight.net/major-surge-in-people-working-past-retirement-age-matched-by-rise-in-age-discrimination-claims/

January 13, 2026 Evening Edition

FROM ILLINOIS CENTER-LEFT SOURCES

ABC7
— Trump says government will stop making payments to sanctuary cities, states, including Chicago, IL
https://abc7chicago.com/post/donald-trump-speech-today-detroit-michigan-president-says-government-will-stop-making-payments-sanctuary-cities-states/18397691/
— Trump is ending protected immigration status for Somalis
https://abc7chicago.com/post/trump-is-ending-protected-immigration-status-somalis-long-target-anti-immigrant-barbs/18396840/
— Pritzker defends SAFE-T Act, but leaves door open to possible changes in legislative session. Republicans are ramping up their push for a series of modifications.
https://abc7chicago.com/post/gov-jb-pritzker-defends-safe-act-illinois-law-eliminating-cash-bail-leaves-door-open-possible-changes/18397579/

WTTW
— Trump Threatens to Defy Court Ruling, Yank Funding From Chicago Over Immigrant Protections
https://news.wttw.com/2026/01/13/trump-threatens-defy-court-ruling-yank-funding-chicago-over-immigrant-protections

CHICAGO TRIBUNE
— Chicago video gambling legalization in flux as aldermen, Mayor Brandon Johnson weigh changes. DD: In 2009, I led the successful effort to ban video gambling in Wheaton. My critics/opponents have punished me ever since.
https://www.chicagotribune.com/2026/01/13/chicago-video-gambling-legalization-aldermen-mayor-brandon-johnson-weigh-changes/

CHICAGO SUN-TIMES
— Mayor Johnson pushes back on Trump threat to halt U.S. funding for Chicago, other sanctuary cities. On Tuesday, the president said he would stop federal payments to cities resisting immigration policies and their states. Mayor Brandon Johnson called the threat “blatantly unconstitutional and immoral.”
https://chicago.suntimes.com/immigration/2026/01/13/brandon-johnson-donald-trump-sanctuary-cities

DAILY HERALD
— Tensions flare in Minnesota as protesters and federal agents repeatedly square off
https://www.dailyherald.com/20260113/nation-and-world-politics/tensions-flare-in-minnesota-as-protesters-and-federal-agents-repeatedly-square-off/

SOUTHERN
— Mendrick visits Southern Illinois
https://thesouthern.com/news/gop-governor-candidate-mendrick-visits-southern-illinois/article_37f1622d-4812-5d57-9e14-e67c7644d4e6.html

CAPITOL CITY NOW
— Pritzker: Blago hire reflects on Homer Glen. Pritzker is not done trying to hold down insurance premiums; he also says the state and the Bears have talked infrastructure.
https://capitolcitynow.com/news/248842-pritzker-blago-hire-reflects-on-homer-glen/

CAPITOL FAX
— Afternoon roundup
https://capitolfax.com/2026/01/13/isabel%e2%80%99s-afternoon-roundup-448/

FROM ILLINOIS CENTER-RIGHT SOURCES

MCHENRY COUNTY BLOG
— The Property Tax Sale Problem That Could Cost McHenry County Taxpayers $13 Million
https://www.mchenrycountyblog.com/2026/01/13/the-property-tax-sale-problem-that-could-cost-mchenry-county-taxpayers-13-million/
— It’s Public Radio Broadcasting Day
https://www.mchenrycountyblog.com/2026/01/13/its-public-radio-broadcasting-day/
— Algonquin Township Refuses to Provide Recording of Last Meeting
https://www.mchenrycountyblog.com/2026/01/13/algonquin-township-refuses-to-provide-recording-of-last-meeting/
— Daniel Biss Runs TV Ad in Quest for 9th District Democratic Party Congressional Nomination
https://www.mchenrycountyblog.com/2026/01/13/daniel-biss-runs-tv-ad-in-quest-for-democratic-party-congressional-nomination/
— 9th District Democratic Party Hopeful Laura Fine Runs Second TV Ad
https://www.mchenrycountyblog.com/2026/01/13/9th-district-democratic-party-hopeful-laura-fine-runs-second-tv-ad/
— Senator Darby Hills Calls for Budget Transparency
https://www.mchenrycountyblog.com/2026/01/13/senator-darby-hills-calls-for-budget-transparency/
— State Legislative Pork in McHenry County
https://www.mchenrycountyblog.com/2026/01/13/state-legislative-pork-in-mchenry-county/
— Small “ICE Out” Demonstration on Route 14 – Photos
https://www.mchenrycountyblog.com/2026/01/12/small-ice-out-demonstration-on-route-14/
— Two Views on the Democrats Energy Law
https://www.mchenrycountyblog.com/2026/01/12/two-views-on-the-democrats-energy-law/
— Start of Most Dangerous Time for Taxpayers
https://www.mchenrycountyblog.com/2026/01/12/start-of-most-dangerous-time-for-taxpayers/
— Candidates’ Night for Those Wishing to Oppose Foster, Plus Contested County Board Candidates
https://www.mchenrycountyblog.com/2026/01/12/candidates-night-for-those-wishing-to-oppose-foster-plus-contested-county-board-candidates/
— Home Price Changes Since 2018
https://www.mchenrycountyblog.com/2026/01/12/home-price-changes-since-2018/
— Taxpayers Provide Unrestricted $12 Million to NASCAR–Over 10% of NASCAR’s Profit
https://mail.google.com/mail/u/0/#search/diersen%40aol.com?compose=GTvVlcSBmzlbpkcWVGRqKjnDXwPvQcFrcWBgjHKQJrXtkDhXCFhwqVwnmtkwXxbcKCQFgDFbmHcJF
— GOP US Senate Hopeful Taunts Democratic Party Hopefuls for Their Endorsement of Tim Walz
https://www.mchenrycountyblog.com/2026/01/11/gop-us-senate-hopeful-taunts-democratic-party-hopefuls-for-their-endorsement-of-tim-walz/
— What a Difference Three Decades Make
https://www.mchenrycountyblog.com/2026/01/11/what-a-difference-three-decades-make/
— If This Proposal Had Been Law in 1948, I’d Have Been in Big Trouble
https://www.mchenrycountyblog.com/2026/01/11/if-this-proposal-had-been-law-in-1948-id-have-been-in-big-trouble/

ILLINOIS REVIEW
— Bailey DOGE Tracker Drops Bombshell: $180M in Taxpayer Cash Funneled to Pritzker-Linked Hyatt Hotel
https://www.illinoisreview.com/illinoisreview/2026/01/bailey-doge-tracker-drops-bombshell-180m-in-taxpayer-cash-funneled-to-pritzker-linked-hyatt-hotel.html

FROM NATIONAL CENTER-RIGHT SOURCES

AMAC
— Democrats Push Anti-ICE Violence
https://amac.us/newsline/politics/democrats-push-anti-ice-violence/

AMERICAN GREATNESS
— George Floyd Redux: Renee Good. When activists obstruct lawful arrests and politicians shout “murder,” the truth is lost: weaponizing a car against police turns ideology into a fatal choice.
https://amgreatness.com/2026/01/13/george-floyd-redux-renee-good/

FOX NEWS
— Trump to cut federal payments to sanctuary cities starting Feb 1 over immigration policies. Move targets jurisdictions that refuse to cooperate with federal immigration enforcement.
https://www.foxnews.com/politics/trump-cut-federal-payments-sanctuary-cities-starting-feb-1-over-immigration-policies
— JD Vance, ICE flip script on sanctuary city leaders as ‘chaos’ erupts across Minnesota: ‘This is dangerous’  ‘You’re only seeing chaotic ICE raids in blue sanctuary cities where local officials are fighting against federal law enforcement,’ VP Vance said.
https://www.foxnews.com/politics/jd-vance-ice-flip-script-sanctuary-city-leaders-chaos-erupts-across-mn-dangerous

TOWNHALL
— A Chicago Man Was Brutally Attacked in the Loop. Guess How Many Times (57) the Suspect’s Been Arrested.
https://townhall.com/tipsheet/amy-curtis/2026/01/13/chicago-57th-arrest-n2669348

FROM NATIONAL CENTER-LEFT SOURCES

CBS NEWS
— At least 6 Minnesota federal prosecutors resign amid pressure to treat Renee Good killing as assault on ICE agent
https://www.cbsnews.com/minnesota/news/federal-prosecutors-minnesota-resign-joe-thompson/

REUTERS
— DD: To give preference to one demographic group is to discriminate against another demographic group. Life is a zero-sum game.
https://www.reuters.com/world/us/naacp-says-trump-being-deceptive-about-history-after-reverse-discrimination-2026-01-13/

WALL STREET JOURNAL
— ICE, Minneapolis and the Rule of Law. Local officials encourage obstruction of federal agents and have now filed a meritless lawsuit.
https://www.wsj.com/opinion/ice-minneapolis-and-the-rule-of-law-9b8b1410

January 12, 2026

FROM ILLINOIS CENTER-LEFT SOURCES

FOX32
— Vigils and protests against ICE held across Chicago and Chicagoland
https://www.fox32chicago.com/news/vigils-protests-against-ice-held-across-chicago-chicagoland
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LBaHEJNT7PM
— Chicago demonstrators rally in solidarity with Iranian protesters. DD: What did your ancestors do after they immigrated? On my father’s side, my ancestors worked in brick factory in Chicago and then homesteaded a farm in Crete Township. On my mother’s side, they sharecropped a farm in Grant Park along the Indiana border.
https://www.fox32chicago.com/news/chicago-demonstrators-rally-solidarity-iranian-protesters

CHICAGO TRIBUNE
— Doctors: The Illinois windfall from legal marijuana has come at a price. DD: Pot is poison. In 2019, I led the successful effort to ban the sale of pot in Wheaton.
https://www.chicagotribune.com/2026/01/12/opinion-illinois-legal-marijuana-health-dangers/
— FRONT PAGE: Documenting the immigration crackdown, from Chicago to Minneapolis
https://www.chicagotribune.com/2026/01/12/documenting-the-immigration-crackdown-from-chicago-to-minneapolis/

DAILY HERALD
— COD offers discounted college courses for high school seniors. DD: What did you do while you were a senior in high school? Instead of studying, I spent 28 hours a week washing dishes for the minimum wage to earn money for UIC expenses and for a new car to get to/from classes there and my parent’s home in Crete. Nevertheless, I got an ACT score of 24 and I graduated in the upper 20% of my Crete-Monee High School class of 1966.
https://www.dailyherald.com/20260111/submitted-content/cod-offers-discounted-college-courses-for-high-school-seniors/

CRAIN’S CHICAGO BUSINESS
— DD: Democrat and RINO leaders ever-increasingly push more pot. Pot is poison. In 2019, I led the successful effort to ban the sale of pot in Wheaton.
https://www.chicagobusiness.com/elevate/cannabis-equity-illinois-still-dream-many
— Diana Rauner stepping down from helm of education nonprofit Start Early
https://www.chicagobusiness.com/nonprofits-philanthropy/diana-rauner-stepping-down-president-start-early

ROCKFORD REGISTER STAR
— ICE shootings prompt hundreds to protest in Rockford. Hundreds of Rockford-area residents gather in solidarity and protest after a fatal ICE shooting in Minneapolis.
https://www.rrstar.com/videos/news/2026/01/11/rockford-area-residents-protest-ice-shooting-death/88133591007/
https://www.rrstar.com/videos/news/2026/01/11/ice-shootings-prompt-hundreds-to-protest-in-rockford/88135402007/
https://www.rrstar.com/story/news/local/2026/01/11/incensed-by-ice-shootings-hundreds-of-rockford-area-residents-gather/88101594007/
https://www.rrstar.com/picture-gallery/news/local/2026/01/11/hundreds-protest-in-downtown-rockford-after-ice-shootings-photos/88135188007/

SPRINGFIELD STATE JOURNAL REGISTER
— Erika Harold, the executive director for the Illinois Supreme Court Commission on Professionalism and 2003 Miss America, will be the guest speaker for the 51st Martin Luther King Jr. Memorial Breakfast on Jan. 19.
https://www.sj-r.com/story/news/local/2026/01/12/the-2003-miss-america-will-keynote-the-martin-luther-king-jr-breakfast/87961675007/

NPR ILLINOIS
— The ICE agent involved in the deadly Minnesota shooting has central Illinois ties
https://www.nprillinois.org/news/2026-01-12/the-ice-agent-involved-in-the-deadly-minnesota-shooting-has-central-illinois-ties-first-listen

WAND
— A protest was held in Moline for the death of Renee Nicole Good, debating ICE agents’ actions. Protesters in Moline rallied over the death of Renee Nicole Good, citing fear and morality as the national debate continues over an ICE agent’s actions.
https://www.wqad.com/article/news/politics/protest-held-moline-death-renee-nicole-good-debating-ice-agents-actions/526-124c11b8-cff0-445e-be99-f7de5a9376c4

WQAD
— Hundreds protest against ICE in Moline for the death of Renee Good
https://www.wqad.com/video/news/local/hundreds-protest-against-ice-in-moline-for-the-death-of-renee-good/526-07dd18db-a617-49d6-830a-fcbc45301053

EVANSTON NOW
— Anti-ICE protest draws hundreds
https://evanstonnow.com/anti-ice-protest-draws-hundreds/

POLITICO ILLINOIS
— Republican candidate Ted Dabrowski is out with a digital ad on social media featuring the father of Katie Abraham, a college student killed in a drunk driving hit-and-run crash caused by an undocumented immigrant in Urbana. The father blames Gov. JB Pritzker. . .Paula Deacon Garcia, a DuPage County Board member, has been endorsed by DuPage County Chair Deb Conroy in her bid for county clerk. In a statement, Conroy cited Deacon Garcia’s record of “transparency and accountability.” Deacon Garcia is challenging incumbent County Clerk Jean Kaczmarek in the March 17 Democratic primary.
https://www.politico.com/newsletters/illinois-playbook/2026/01/12/bear-down-reality-roars-back-00721818

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

FROM ILLINOIS CENTER-RIGHT SOURCES

GOPUSA ILLINOIS
— How successful will Democrat leaders be organizing Renee Good/George Floyd protests in your county, township, and municipality? Democrat leaders ever-increasingly turn Renee Good into George Floyd. Democrat leaders ever-increasingly make it clear that they will never stop bringing illegals into America and fighting to keep them in America. Democrat leaders have declared a Second Civil War against Republicans. Illegals are soldiers in the Democrat Army. – Dave Diersen
http://www.gopillinois.com
— Political parties exist to help elect candidates who can and will defend and advance their platform. The Republican Party platform is conservative. I promote conservative principles with my GOPUSA ILLINOIS newsletters, that is, I promote the Republican Party platform with my newsletters. Far too many Republican leaders reject far too many conservative principles and planks in the Republican Party platform. Everyone in Illinois, DuPage County, Milton Township, Wheaton, and my precinct sees how the leaders of the Illinois Republican Party, DuPage County Republican Central Committee, and Milton Township Republican Organization treat me and treat my newsletters. I should write about the aforesaid leaders, the conservative principles and planks that they reject, and the many big adverse actions that they have taken against me since 2000. – Dave Diersen
http://www.gopillinois.com
— What do you do? I put GOPUSA ILLINOIS newsletters together and send them out. What motivates you to do what you do? I am ever-increasingly motivated by the ever-increasing success that Democrat leaders are having destroying America, Illinois, DuPage County, Milton Township, and Wheaton. I am ever-increasingly motivated by the ever-increasing failure/refusal of RINO leaders to fight back against the Democrats. – Dave Diersen
http://www.gopillinois.com

ILLINOIS REVIEW
— DD: A Dabrowski critic says “Dabrowski Pivoting From Property Taxes to Crime After Poll Shows Him Trailing by 26 Points.”
https://www.illinoisreview.com/illinoisreview/2026/01/ted-dabrowski-pivoting-from-property-taxes-to-crime-after-poll-shows-him-trailing-by-26-points.html

FROM NATIONAL CENTER-RIGHT SOURCES

WASHINGTON TIMES
— Border czar Tom Homan accuses Democrats of fueling chaos as ICE shooting fallout grows
https://www.washingtontimes.com/news/2026/jan/11/tom-homan-white-house-border-czar-accuses-democrats-fueling-chaos-ice/

NEW YORK POST
— Bronx building Mamdani used to showcase new housing commish’s talents has 200 violations — after favored nonprofit ran it into the ground
https://nypost.com/2026/01/11/us-news/bronx-building-mamdani-highlighted-to-showcase-nycs-new-housing-commissioners-talents-has-nearly-200-violations/
— Black New York homeowners blast Mamdani’s radical tenant advocate Cea Weaver. DD: Have you been a landlord? I was a reluctant landlord  1976-1984 because I could not sell my University Park townhome ( https://www.zillow.com/homedetails/774-Sunset-Ct-5-University-Park-IL-60484/5451474_zpid/ ) unless I took a big loss.
https://nypost.com/2026/01/11/us-news/black-new-york-homeowners-blast-mamdanis-radical-tenant-advocate-cea-weaver-white-supremacy-im-not-white/
— Aging NY judges challenge ancient state law that would force them to retire at 76. DD: How old are you? I am 77. I have been fighting age discrimination since I was 25 in 1973. My Democrat IRS superiors used “up-or-out” to waste my career and get rid of me. According to them, if they had not promoted me to GS-13 by the time I was 25, I was forever too old to be promoted to GS-13. Of course, they applied that rule only to Republicans like me. They forced the IRS manager to transfer to Dallas who had promoted me to GS-9 in 1972, GS-11 in 1973, and GS-12 in 1974. They disallowed my travel vouchers in 1974 and my education deductions in 1978. They ignored/dismissed/belittled my earning an MBA in 1976 and my passing the CPA examination on my first attempt in 1979. Because of the aforesaid, I transferred to GAO in 1980. The Democrats who ran GAO finally promoted me to GS-13 when I was 38 in 1986. But that was not until after I had earned a master’s degree in accounting in 1980, I had passed the Certified Internal Auditor examination on my first attempt in 1981, and I had become a licensed CPA in 1981. I never would have made GS-13 at GAO if the GAO manager who had arranged my transfer not gotten back into power in 1985. They forced him to retire in 1987.
https://www.aol.com/articles/aging-ny-judges-challenge-ancient-232601282.html

AMERICAN THINKER
— Federal Law is Supreme on Immigration. The states are trying to legislate immigration law.
https://www.americanthinker.com/articles/2026/01/federal_law_is_supreme_on_immigration.html

COLLEGE FIX
— Indiana University professor back to class after complaint about linking MAGA to ‘white supremacy.’ DD: To get more votes from minorities and from females, Democrat leaders ever-increasingly blame White male Republicans for the problems that minorities and females have.
https://www.thecollegefix.com/indiana-u-professor-back-to-class-after-complaint-about-linking-maga-to-white-supremacy/

DAILY CALLER
— Harvard Hires Drag Queen ‘LaWhore Vagistan’ As Visiting Prof For Class About ‘Sexual Dissidents’
https://www.aol.com/news/harvard-hires-drag-queen-lawhore-194557216.html

DAILY SIGNAL
— Leftist Group Dodges Accountability for ‘Hate Group’ Accusation After Judge Blocks Discovery. DD: My critics/opponents have always hinted/implied/argued/shouted that the Illinois Center Right Coalition (ICRC) and TAPROOT Republicans of Illinois were hate groups that caused Republicans to lose elections. I was an ICRC officer 2003-2007 and the TAPROOT chairman 2005-2012. My critics/opponents had their operatives and their dupes destroy ICRC in 2007 and TAPROOT in 2012. I should write about my critics/opponents.
https://www.dailysignal.com/2026/01/10/splc-leftist-group-dodges-accountability-hate-group-accusation-after-judge-blocks-discovery/

ICE
— National Law Enforcement Appreciation Day. DD: As an IRS Revenue Officer 1971-1980, the last 5 1/2 years of which at the GS-12 Step 1-5 Levels, currently $100,059-$113,402/year, I enforced IRS tax laws.
https://www.ice.gov/national-law-enforcement-appreciation-day

FROM NATIONAL CENTER-LEFT SOURCES

THE HILL
— Noem defends ‘domestic terrorism’ assessment in Minneapolis ICE shooting
https://thehill.com/homenews/administration/5683488-noem-defends-ice-shooting/
— DD: Democrat leaders ever-increasingly defend/promote Maduro
https://thehill.com/homenews/administration/5682340-trump-administration-maduro-venezuela-un-charter/

ASSOCIATED PRESS
— George Floyd and Renee Good: 5 years between Minneapolis videos, and confusion has increased
https://apnews.com/article/video-minneapolis-immigration-good-ice-george-floyd-9dc5b1f19af644f861963f0a041516f4
— DD: Democrat leaders ever-increasingly defend/promote Maduro
https://apnews.com/article/venezuela-us-migrants-maduro-ouster-tps-deportation-2b00b6057435fafe1828a06bd1e7a14c

CNN
— Hundreds of immigration officers headed to Minneapolis as tensions flare amid protests
https://www.cnn.com/2026/01/12/us/minneapolis-immigration-officers-mobilizing-protests

REUTERS
— DHS to send more officers to Minnesota after ICE shooting protests
https://www.reuters.com/video/watch/idRW596512012026RP1/
https://www.reuters.com/world/us/homeland-security-send-hundreds-more-officers-minnesota-noem-says-2026-01-11/
— With Venezuela raid, US tells China to keep away from the Americas
https://www.reuters.com/world/china/with-venezuela-raid-us-tells-china-keep-away-americas-2026-01-11/

MSN
— NYC mayoral aide who says whites owning homes is racist sobs when asked about mom’s $1.4m home
https://www.msn.com/en-au/news/australia/nyc-mayoral-aide-who-says-whites-owning-homes-is-racist-sobs-when-asked-about-mom-s-1-4m-home/ar-AA1TKzVO

NEWSWEEK
— Noem Signals Federal Surge in Minnesota
https://www.newsweek.com/kristi-noem-signals-federal-surge-minnesota-11342319

CBS NEWS
— DD: Democrat leaders ever-increasingly turn Renee Good into George Floyd.
https://www.cbsnews.com/chicago/video/protests-continue-in-minneapolis-amid-ice-operations/
https://www.cbsnews.com/minnesota/live-updates/minneapolis-renee-good-ice-shooting-minnesota-bca-investigation/
https://www.cbsnews.com/amp/colorado/news/rally-colorado-ice-facility-centennial-renee-good-shooting/
https://www.cbsnews.com/texas/video/anti-ice-protest-takes-place-over-a-dallas-highway/

NBC MARYLAND
— Bill could bar some ICE agents, officers from MD state law enforcement jobs. DD: In 1997, when I was 49 years old, when my Democrat GAO superiors forced me to retire, Republicans ran Illinois. Even though I was highly qualified for many state jobs, they had no use for me. I had worked for GAO as an Analyst for almost 18 years, the last 11 years of which at the GS-13 Step 1-10 levels, currently $118,984-$154,682/year. I had worked for IRS as a Revenue Officer for almost 9 years, the last 5 1/2 years of which at the GS-12 Step 1-5 Levels, currently $100,059-$113,402/year. I was a licensed CPA. I was a certified public accountant, internal auditor, fraud examiner, government financial manager, financial services auditor, and forensic accountant. I had master’s degrees in business, accounting, and finance. Since 1997, my critics/opponents have stressed that the Republicans who ran Illinois had no use for me.
https://www.nbcwashington.com/news/local/bill-could-bar-some-ice-agents-officers-from-md-state-law-enforcement-jobs/4040702/

CBS NEWS LOS ANGELES
— “ICE Out for Good” protest hits streets of Hollywood
https://www.cbsnews.com/losangeles/video/ice-out-for-good-protest-hits-streets-of-hollywood/

NEW YORK TIMES
— Noem Says ‘Hundreds More’ Agents Will Be Sent to Minnesota Over ‘Corruption’
https://www.nytimes.com/live/2026/01/11/us/trump-news
— Agents in Trump’s Immigration Crackdown Have Fired at Vehicles at Least 10 Times. The confrontations over the last four months have left two people dead and prompted criticism of federal agencies for allowing officers to open fire on moving vehicles.
https://www.nytimes.com/2026/01/09/us/immigration-agents-shooting-vehicles.html
— Democrat leaders ever-increasingly promote Somalians.
https://www.nytimes.com/2026/01/11/us/somalis-fled-civil-war-and-built-a-community-now-they-are-a-target.html

WASHINGTON POST
— Hundreds in D.C. protest at ICE headquarters over Minneapolis killing. Protesters filled Independence Avenue in downtown D.C. Sunday chanting, “ICE kills moms” and calling masked U.S. Immigration and Enforcement agents “cowards.”
https://www.washingtonpost.com/dc-md-va/2026/01/11/dc-ice-protest-renee-good/
— More federal officers headed to Minnesota; officials point fingers over ICE shooting. Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem remained adamant that Renée Good was responsible for her own death, as Democrats insisted that on a full investigation before drawing conclusions.
https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/2026/01/11/rene-good-ice-shooting-investigation/

USA TODAY
— Don’t call me a Republican. I’m a conservative. DD: Political parties exist to help elect candidates who can and will defend and advance their platform. The Republican Party platform is conservative. I promote conservative principles with my GOPUSA ILLINOIS newsletters, that is, I promote the Republican Party platform with my GOPUSA ILLINOIS newsletters. Far too many Republican leaders reject far too many conservative principles and planks in the Republican Party platform. Everyone in Illinois, DuPage County, Milton Township, Wheaton, and my precinct sees how the leaders of the Illinois Republican Party, DuPage County Republican Central Committee, and Milton Township Republican Organization treat me and treat my GOPUSA ILLINOIS newsletters. I should write about the aforesaid leaders, the conservative principles and planks that they reject, and the many big adverse actions that they have taken against me since 2000.
https://www.usatoday.com/story/opinion/columnist/2025/05/11/trump-republican-party-maga-conservative/83481933007/
— DD: Virtually all illegals are non-White.
https://www.usatoday.com/story/opinion/voices/2025/12/27/ice-arrests-racial-profiling-deportation/87473441007/
— FRONT PAGE TOP OF FOLD WITH BIG PICTURE: DD: Democrat leaders ever-increasingly fight deportation of their illegals.
https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/nation/2026/01/08/ice-shooting-minneapolis-use-of-force/88082677007/

KPRC HOUSTON
— George Floyd and Renee Good: 5 years between Minneapolis videos, and confusion has increased
https://www.cbsnews.com/texas/video/anti-ice-protest-takes-place-over-a-dallas-highway/

WALL STREET JOURNAL
— Inside Minneapolis’s Sprawling Network of ICE Watchers. Renee Nicole Good lived in a community where residents by the thousands are using text alerts, whistles and Google documents to shadow federal agents.
https://www.wsj.com/us-news/inside-minneapoliss-sprawling-network-of-ice-watchers-2c286b6d
— Bread Lines in Mamdani’s New York. A protest at a synagogue and a union drive against ‘genocide’ at a bakery.
https://www.wsj.com/opinion/breads-lines-in-mamdanis-new-york-4532ba80
— How Mamdani and Cea Weaver Plan to End Private Housing. DD: To get elected and reelected, Democrat candidates ever-increasingly promise free housing, free food, free clothing, free healthcare, free transportation, free college degrees, free everything.
https://www.wsj.com/opinion/how-mamdani-and-cea-weaver-plan-to-end-private-housing-c1bec4e7
— About That ‘Disappearing’ Middle Class. Yes, the middle class is hollowing out—because more are rising upward. DD: What helped you rise upward? For me, it was my earning a job-related bachelor’s degree, three job-related master’s degrees, six job-related professional certifications, and a job-related professional license. 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://www.wsj.com/opinion/about-that-disappearing-middle-class-54948a18
— Is Mexico Slouching Toward Venezuela? President Sheinbaum topples democratic institutions and cozies up to Cuba.
https://www.wsj.com/opinion/is-mexico-slouching-toward-venezuela-36ed9042

GOVERNMENT EXECUTIVE
— Safeguarding the federal merit system at the Office of Special Counsel. DD: OSC failed/refused to protect me when my Democrat GAO superiors forced to retire when I was 49 years old in 1997.
https://www.govexec.com/oversight/2026/01/safeguarding-federal-merit-system-office-special-counsel/410590/
(FROM THE ARTICLE: Transparency and accountability are cornerstones of trust in government. The U.S. Office of Special Counsel exists to protect those values. As we begin a new year, it is worth revisiting what OSC is, why it exists and how its work makes a difference. Established by the Civil Service Reform Act of 1978, OSC is an independent investigative and prosecutorial agency that safeguards the merit system by protecting employees from prohibited personnel practices, especially whistleblower retaliation. It also enforces the Hatch Act, provides a forum for employees to disclose government wrongdoing and protects veterans’ job rights under the Uniformed Services Employment and Reemployment Rights Act.

INDEX BOX
— Dangers of Early Retirement. DD: I should write about being forced to retire early. It is extremely devastating. If you are forced to retire early, your critics/opponents will use that against you viciously. My critics/opponents side with my Democrat GAO superiors who forced me to retire when I was 49 years old in 1997. According to them, their motives for doing that were a) not to retaliate against me because I was an active member in a class action lawsuit that charged them with reverse discrimination, age discrimination, and retaliation, b) not because I had complained about their political affiliation discrimination. reverse discrimination, and age discrimination since I transferred from IRS to GAO in 1980, c) not because I was one of their few remaining Republican employees and Gingrich had dramatically cut GAO’s budget, and d) not because they were under tremendous Affirmative Action pressure and they wanted to give my job and my preferred corner office to my Black subordinate. I should write about my critics/opponents.
https://www.indexbox.io/blog/the-hidden-dangers-of-early-retirement-financial-strains-and-emotional-consequences/

NPR
— Celebrities wear pins protesting ICE at the Golden Globes
https://www.npr.org/2026/01/12/g-s1-105659/celebrities-pins-protesting-ice-golden-globes

AXIOS
— Noem defiant, vows more ICE agents as Dems allege coverup
https://www.axios.com/2026/01/11/noem-minneapolis-shooting-renee-good-jonathan-ross

RAW STORY
— Kinzinger calls on Republicans to rebel against the recent economic decisions made by Trump.
https://www.rawstory.com/amp/trump-economy-2674873887-2674873887

FROM FOREIGN SOURCES

ARAB NEWS
—  Niki Conforti, the Republican candidate for the Illinois 6th Congressional District, has told Arab News that she will not accept campaign funds from the American Israel Public Affairs Committee.
https://www.arabnews.com/node/2629038/amp

GUARDIAN
— Council member who lost eye in George Floyd protest sees echo in Ice killing. Soren Stevenson says Minneapolis shooting ‘reminiscent in a scary way’ – but he and his neighbors are feeling activated.
https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2026/jan/11/minneapolis-ice-killing-george-floyd

INDEPENDENT
— Minneapolis ICE shooting latest: Trump admin sending ‘hundreds’ of federal agents to Minnesota as protests continue. Minneapolis mayor has said the presence of ICE officers has made the community less safe.
https://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/americas/ice-shooting-minneapolis-victim-renee-good-live-updates-b2898294.html
— Celebrities protest ICE on Golden Globes red carpet
https://www.the-independent.com/arts-entertainment/films/news/golden-globes-anti-ice-protest-pins-b2898480.html

MEAWW
— Celebrities protest ICE on Golden Globes red carpet with ‘Be Good’ pins. Hollywood stars including Mark Ruffalo and Wanda Sykes honored Renee Good with anti-ICE pins after her killing in Minneapolis.
https://news.meaww.com/celebrities-protest-ice-on-golden-globes-red-carpet-with-be-good-pins

HINDUSTAN TIMES
— What’s happening in Minneapolis? Car window smashing, ICE arrests, protest videos emerge after Renee Good shooting. ICE and border patrol operations in Minneapolis continue even after the Wednesday shooting that killed Renee Nicole Good.
https://www.hindustantimes.com/world-news/us-news/whats-happening-in-minneapolis-car-window-smashing-ice-arrests-protest-videos-emerge-after-renee-good-shooting-101768158336831.html

AL JAZEERA
— DD: Democrat leaders ever-increasingly defend/promote Maduro
https://www.aljazeera.com/video/the-bottom-line/2026/1/11/after-maduro-is-the-us-driving-global-instability

January 10, 2026 Evening Edition

FROM ILLINOIS CENTER-LEFT SOURCES

DAILY HERALD
— Suburban child care providers concerned about federal funding uncertainties. DD: Back in the good old days, my father earned enough that my mother could stay home and raise me and my brother. He never earned more than $50,000 in today’s dollars. He died suddenly when he was 47 and I was 21.
https://www.dailyherald.com/20260110/news/suburban-child-care-providers-concerned-about-federal-funding-uncertainties/

WFIN
— Obama Presidential Center job listings push ‘anti-racism’ pledge ahead of opening. DD: To get more votes from non-Whites, Democrats ever-increasingly call Republicans racists.
https://wfin.com/fox-political-news/obama-presidential-center-job-listings-push-anti-racism-pledge-ahead-of-opening/

CHICAGO HEIGHTS PATCH
— 18 Dogs, Guns, Machete Seized In Raid Of Ford Heights Home. Cook County Sheriff’s Police searched the Ford Heights home Jan. 7 following a narcotics investigation.
https://patch.com/illinois/chicagoheights/18-dogs-guns-machete-cross-bow-seized-raid-ford-heights-home-sheriff

FROM ILLINOIS CENTER-RIGHT SOURCES

CENTER SQUARE ILLINOIS
— Constitutional concerns raised over Illinois’ first civil hate crime case.
https://www.thecentersquare.com/illinois/article_f0408f6f-cf36-445e-8589-8db8a7d362e4.html

MCHENRY COUNTY BLOG
— Bailey Lays Out Blueprint for Illinois
https://www.mchenrycountyblog.com/2026/01/10/bailey-lays-out-blueprint-for-illinois/
— Slow Motion Video of Minnesota Shooting
https://www.mchenrycountyblog.com/2026/01/10/slow-motion-video-of-minnesota-shooting/
— Leon Back In 9th District Democratic Party Primary
https://www.mchenrycountyblog.com/2026/01/10/leon-back-in-9th-district-democratic-party-primary/
— DeWitte Favors Keeping the Bears in Illinois
https://www.mchenrycountyblog.com/2026/01/10/dewitte-favors-keeping-the-bears-in-illinois/
— Tightening Laws on Human Trafficking
https://www.mchenrycountyblog.com/2026/01/10/tightening-laws-on-human-trafficking/
— Feds Tightening Oversight Welfare and Childcare Subsidies
https://www.mchenrycountyblog.com/2026/01/09/feds-tightening-oversight-welfare-and-childcare-subsidies/
— Prairie Grove School District Replaces Superintendent Who Left without Notice with Two Retired Superintendents to Serve Out the Year until Replacement Arrives
— https://www.mchenrycountyblog.com/2026/01/08/15845/
— Selective Image in Minneapolis Shooting
https://www.mchenrycountyblog.com/2026/01/08/selective-image-in-minneapolis-shooting/
— John Collins Weighs in on Minneapolis ICE Shooting
https://www.mchenrycountyblog.com/2026/01/09/john-collins-weighs-in-on-minneapolis-ice-shooting/
— Ness Issues Music-Filled YouTube Year-End Report
https://www.mchenrycountyblog.com/2026/01/08/ness-issues-music-filled-youtube-year-end-report/
— GOP Gubernatorial Hopeful Takes on Huge Increase–300% Since 2019–in Child Care Costs
https://www.mchenrycountyblog.com/2026/01/07/gop-gubernatorial-hopeful-takes-on-huge-increase-300-since-2019-in-child-care-costs/
— Schakowsky Endorses Biss
https://www.mchenrycountyblog.com/2026/01/07/schakowsky-endorses-biss/
— Unions Allow Tiny Step Against Bad Teachers
https://www.mchenrycountyblog.com/2026/01/07/unions-allow-tiny-step-against-bad-teachers/

ILLINOIS REVIEW
— 84% Undecided: Republican Voters Are Not Lining Up Behind Party Insiders in Illinois Senate Primary
https://www.illinoisreview.com/illinoisreview/2026/01/84-undecided-republican-voters-are-not-lining-up-behind-party-insiders-in-illinois-senate-primary.html

FROM NATIONAL CENTER-RIGHT SOURCES

WASHINGTON TIMES
— Minnesota Democrats denied entry to ICE detention facility
https://www.washingtontimes.com/news/2026/jan/10/minnesota-democrats-denied-entry-ice-detention-facility/
— Minneapolis woman fatally shot by federal agent received anti-ICE training
https://www.washingtontimes.com/news/2026/jan/10/minneapolis-woman-fatally-shot-federal-agent-reportedly-received-anti/
— Border turnaround takes center stage in GOP midterm strategy
https://www.washingtontimes.com/news/2026/jan/9/senators-get-close-view-secure-border-really-important-maintaining/
— Donations top $1.5 million for wife and children of the woman fatally shot by ICE in Minneapolis
https://www.washingtontimes.com/news/2026/jan/9/donations-top-15-million-wife-children-woman-fatally-shot-ice/
— Two Democrats propose bill to toss ICE agents’ qualified immunity
https://www.washingtontimes.com/news/2026/jan/9/two-democrats-propose-bill-toss-ice-agents-qualified-immunity/

WASHINGTON EXAMINER
— Democrats and their media comrades want violence
https://www.washingtonexaminer.com/restoring-america/patriotism-unity/4412270/democrats-media-comrades-want-violence/
— Mamdani says Minnesota shooting is a ‘glimpse’ into a year of ‘cruelty’
https://www.washingtonexaminer.com/news/4412907/zohran-mamdani-minnesota-shooting-glimpse-into-year-of-cruelty/

NEW YORK POST
— Protesters descend on Minneapolis hotel where they believed federal agents were staying after deadly ICE shooting
https://nypost.com/2026/01/10/us-news/minneapolis-protesters-surround-hilton-canopy-hotel-believed-holding-federal-agents-after-renee-nicole-good-ice-shooting/
— Minnesota’s lefty activist group ‘Monarca’ training civilians to resist ICE agents — ramping up activities: ‘showing in force’
https://nypost.com/2026/01/10/us-news/minnesota-activist-group-monarca-training-civilians-to-follow-ice-agents-and-is-ramping-up-activities-showing-in-force/

AMERICAN GREATNESS
— The Democrats’ ‘Affordability’ Ploy to Avoid Accountability. Democrats smashed the economy with trillion-dollar spending, then cry “affordability” while blaming the cleanup crew—hoping voters forget who swung the sledgehammer.
https://amgreatness.com/2026/01/10/the-democrats-affordability-ploy-to-avoid-accountability/

BLAZE
— After years of DEI, affirmative action, and replacement-level immigration, some young white Americans are beginning to demand political representation as a group. Conservatives are panicking about this rise in “white identity politics,” but they shouldn’t be surprised at all.
https://www.theblaze.com/shows/the-auron-macintyre-show/young-white-americans-want-their-own-identity-politics-now-and-conservatives-shouldn-t-be-surprised

BREITBART
— Let the ICE Agent’s Defamation Suits Against the Media and Democrats Begin!
https://www.breitbart.com/politics/2026/01/10/nolte-let-the-ice-agents-defamation-suits-against-the-media-and-democrats-begin/
— Tell Google to Show You Stories from Breitbart News in the ‘Top Stories’ Section of Search Results
https://www.breitbart.com/tech/2026/01/10/take-action-tell-google-to-show-you-more-stories-from-breitbart-news-with-preferred-sources-feature/

DAILY CALLER
— Soros-Backed DA Threatening ICE Agents Dedicated Career To Reducing Charges For Illegals
https://dailycaller.com/2026/01/10/krasner-threatens-ice-with-convictions/
— Democrat Strategist Unleashes On Own Party Over Giving ‘Permission Structure’ For Violence Against ICE
https://dailycaller.com/2026/01/09/democrat-strategist-unleashes-on-own-party-over-giving-permission-structure-for-violence-against-ice/

FEDERALIST
— When Can We Start Uprooting Domestic Terror Cells Attacking Law Enforcement?
https://thefederalist.com/2026/01/09/when-can-we-start-uprooting-domestic-terror-cells-attacking-law-enforcement/
— Portland Suspects Who ‘Weaponized’ Vehicle Against CBP Agent Are Venezuelan Gang Affiliates
https://thefederalist.com/2026/01/09/dhs-portland-suspects-who-weaponized-vehicle-against-cbp-agent-are-venezuelan-gang-affiliates/
— Democrats Want Anti-ICE Protesters To Die So They Can Protect Their Fraudulent Patronage With Riots
https://thefederalist.com/2026/01/09/democrats-want-anti-ice-protesters-to-die-so-they-can-protect-their-fraudulent-patronage-with-riots/
— Here’s How Professional Activists Use Guerrilla Tactics To Sabotage ICE Arrests
https://thefederalist.com/2026/01/09/heres-how-professional-activists-use-guerrilla-tactics-to-sabotage-ice-arrests/
— We Need A J6-Level Manhunt For Everyone Who Obstructs Immigration Law Enforcement
https://thefederalist.com/2026/01/09/we-need-a-j6-level-manhunt-for-everyone-who-obstructs-immigration-law-enforcement/
— The Washington Post’s ‘Analysis’ Of The Minneapolis Shooting Is Pure Propaganda
https://thefederalist.com/2026/01/09/the-washington-posts-analysis-of-the-minneapolis-shooting-is-pure-propaganda/
— Any Democrat Accusing ICE Of ‘Murder’ Is Begging For More Vigilante Violence
https://thefederalist.com/2026/01/08/any-democrat-accusing-ice-of-murder-is-begging-for-more-vigilante-violence/

FOX NEWS
— US warns Americans to leave Venezuela immediately as armed militias set up roadblocks. Armed militias known as colectivos reportedly setting up roadblocks to search vehicles for evidence of US citizenship.
https://www.foxnews.com/world/us-warns-americans-leave-venezuela-immediately-armed-militias-set-up-roadblocks

NATIONAL REVIEW
— The Problem Isn’t ICE. It’s ICE Watch.
https://www.nationalreview.com/2026/01/the-problem-isnt-ice-its-ice-watch/
— The ‘Illegal Stop’ Narrative Isn’t Just Wrong. It’s Dangerous
https://www.nationalreview.com/2026/01/the-illegal-stop-narrative-isnt-just-wrong-its-dangerous/

NEW AMERICAN
— Philly Sheriff Says She’ll Arrest ICE Agents Who Attempt to Enforce Immigration Law
https://thenewamerican.com/us/philly-sheriff-says-shell-arrest-ice-agents-who-attempt-to-enforce-immigration-law/
— ICE Agent’s Cellphone Footage Clearly Shows Woman Attempted to Run Him Down Before Shooting
https://thenewamerican.com/us/crime/ice-agents-bodycam-footage-clearly-shows-woman-attempted-to-run-him-down-before-shooting/
— Minnesota Is in Open Rebellion Against the Federal Government
https://thenewamerican.com/us/crime/oreilly-minnesota-is-in-open-rebellion-against-the-federal-government/

PJ MEDIA
— Will Dems Succeed in Making George Floyd 2.0?
https://pjmedia.com/matt-margolis/2026/01/10/will-dems-succeed-in-making-george-floyd-20-n4948128
— New Video From Before Shooting Destroys Another Left-Wing Narrative About Renee Good
https://pjmedia.com/matt-margolis/2026/01/10/new-video-before-shooting-destroys-another-left-wing-narrative-about-renee-good-n4948123

TOWNHALL
— Leftists Stage Massive Anti-ICE Protest Outside of the Wrong Hotel
https://townhall.com/tipsheet/josephchalfant/2026/01/10/whoops-leftists-stage-massive-anti-ice-protest-outside-of-the-wrong-hotel-n2669257

FROM NATIONAL CENTER-LEFT SOURCES

CBS NEWS
— 3 congressional lawmakers say they were denied access to ICE facility in Minneapolis
https://www.cbsnews.com/minnesota/news/omar-craig-morrison-denied-access-ice-facility-minneapolis/
— Congress debating possible consequences for ICE after Renee Good’s death
https://www.cbsnews.com/news/congress-debating-possible-consequences-ice-kristi-noem-renee-good-death/

TIMES LEADER
— Helping U.S. Break Free From Government Dependency. DD: Democrat leaders ever-increasingly promote more dependency on government. According to them, without massive government assistance, you will not be able to a) get a job, b) buy a car, c) earn a bachelor’s degree, d) buy a home, e) etc. But even though my parents lacked money, without government assistance, I a) got jobs, b) bought cars, c) earned college degrees, d) bought a new townhome, condos, and homes, e) got married, f) earned professional certifications, and g) earned a professional license. Granted, to do the aforesaid, I took bad jobs that my peers would never stoop to take.
https://www.timesleaderonline.com/opinion/columns/2026/01/helping-u-s-break-free-from-government-dependency/

LINKED IN
— Nearly 80% of people feel unprepared to find a job in 2026, as two-thirds of recruiters say it’s harder to find quality talent. DD: What did you do to qualify yourself for better paying jobs? I earned a) a job-related bachelor’s degree, b) three job-related master’s degrees, c) six job-related professional certifications, and d) a job-related professional license. My critics/opponents use the aforesaid against me. They stress that even with all the aforesaid, I never earned more than $154,682/year in today’s dollars.
https://news.linkedin.com/2026/LinkedIn-Research-Talent-2026

NEWSROOM
— Businesses flooded with applications from unqualified candidates. DD: What did you do to qualify yourself for better paying jobs? I earned a) a job-related bachelor’s degree, b) three job-related master’s degrees, c) six job-related professional certifications, and d) a job-related professional license. My critics/opponents use the aforesaid against me. They stress that even with all the aforesaid, I never earned more than $154,682/year in today’s dollars.
https://newsroom.co.nz/2025/07/08/businesses-flooded-with-applications-from-unqualified-candidates/

January 9, 2026 Evening Edition

FROM ILLINOIS CENTER-LEFT SOURCES

ABC7
— Renee Good’s wife speaks out after fatal ICE shooting in Minneapolis: ‘She literally sparkled’
https://abc7chicago.com/post/renee-goods-wife-speaks-fatal-ice-shooting-minneapolis-she-literally-sparkled/18378823/
— Illinois 5th worst state in US, Chicago 3rd worst city for fraudulent odometer rollback on used cars. DD: There were more than enough facts to make the Chicago Car Exchange (CCE) suspicious of the 1968 Dodge Charger R/T’s claimed mileage that CCE sold me, and therefore, CEE should have verified its claimed milage. The court left out many of those facts in its written decision. SEE: https://law.justia.com/cases/federal/appellate-courts/F3/110/481/526770/  I argued this case before Chief Judge Posner. Further, CCE refused to offer to pay me the car’s loss in value because of the odometer discrepancy or the thousands of dollars of improvements that I had made to the car. The odometer exemption decision was rendered moot when the BIG THREE had Congress modify the Federal Odometer Act. I appealed the rest of the decision to the Supreme Court, but Supreme Court refused to hear it. According to Google AI: “Diersen v. Chicago Car Exchange was a federal appeals court case that established that the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) did not have the authority to exempt vehicles ten years or older from the Odometer Act’s disclosure requirements. Case Summary  Plaintiff: David Diersen, who bought a 1968 Dodge Charger from Chicago Car Exchange (CCE). Defendant: Chicago Car Exchange (CCE), an automobile dealership. Allegation: Diersen claimed CCE violated the federal Odometer Act by providing an inaccurate odometer reading and intended to defraud him. The Odometer Act allows purchasers to sue for triple actual damages or $1500. Initial Ruling: The district court ruled for CCE, citing a 1988 NHTSA regulation that exempted vehicles ten years or older from the Act’s requirements. Appeals Court Ruling: The Seventh Circuit Court of Appeals reversed, stating the NHTSA regulation was invalid as it lacked statutory authority. The court noted that Congress did not exempt any vehicle class in the Odometer Act, which aims to protect all purchasers from odometer tampering. Outcome: While finding the regulation invalid, the appeals court upheld the summary judgment for CCE because Diersen did not provide enough evidence that the dealership intended to defraud him, a required element for a claim under the Odometer Act. The court distinguished “mere negligence” from “intent to defraud” and noted that CCE had no reason to question the car’s original seller’s sworn statement. CCE had also offered Diersen a full refund, which he declined.”
https://abc7chicago.com/post/fraudulent-odometer-rollbacks-used-cars-14-past-year-illinois-5th-worst-state-us-chicago-3rd-city/18379513/

CBS2
— Judge blocks Trump administration from freezing $10 billion in social services funding to 5 Democratic states
https://www.cbsnews.com/chicago/news/judge-blocks-trump-administration-freezing-social-services-funding/
— Illinois leaders reject claims of fraud, say Trump’s childcare funding freeze is politically motivated
https://www.cbsnews.com/chicago/news/illinois-child-care-funding-freeze-no-fraud-trump-politically-motivated/

CHICAGO SUN-TIMES
— Pritzker, Illinois House Speaker Welch open to tweaking SAFE-T Act
https://chicago.suntimes.com/columnists/2026/01/09/pritzker-illinois-house-speaker-welch-open-tweaking-safe-t-act-electronic-monitoring-rich-miller

CHICAGO TRIBUNE
— Wife of Minnesota woman killed in ICE shooting: ‘We had whistles. They had guns’
https://www.chicagotribune.com/2026/01/09/wife-of-minnesota-woman-killed-in-ice-shooting-we-had-whistles-they-had-guns/
— A needless death in Minneapolis
https://www.chicagotribune.com/2026/01/08/editorial-ice-minneapolis-shooting-renee-good-immigration-enforcement/
— Vivek Ramaswamy’s family bodyguard arrested on drug trafficking charges
https://www.chicagotribune.com/2026/01/09/vivek-ramaswamys-family-bodyguard/

DAILY HERALD
— DD: Democrat leaders push medial pot to push recreational pot.
https://www.dailyherald.com/20260109/news/schaumburg-family-losing-access-to-daughters-medical-marijuana-patches-faces-pivotal-week/
— ‘Democracy in action’: Training teens as election judges — and encouraging them to vote — is a vital mission. DD: But Democrats run high schools and shout at teens that Republicans cause everyone’s problems.
https://www.dailyherald.com/20260109/editorials/daily-herald-opinion-democracy-in-action-training-teens-as-election-judges-and-encouraging-the/

WGEM
—  League of Women Voters’ candidate forums next month. DD: If I was still the chairman of TAPROOT Republicans of Illinois and a member of the Illinois Center Right Coalition Steering Committee, the organizations would still be hosting candidate forums.
https://www.wgem.com/2026/01/08/wgem-stream-league-women-voters-candidate-forums-next-month/

WFIW
— JEFFERSON COUNTY REPUBLICANS TO HOST GOVERNOR CANDIDATE FORUM IN JANUARY DD: If I was still the chairman of TAPROOT Republicans of Illinois and a member of the Illinois Center Right Coalition Steering Committee, the organizations would still be hosting candidate forums.
https://www.wfiwradio.com/2026/01/06/jefferson-county-republicans-to-host-governor-candidate-forum-in-january/

NPR ILLINOIS
— DD: Democrat leaders ever-increasingly fight deportation of their illegals.
https://www.nprillinois.org/2026-01-08/renee-nicole-good-isnt-the-first-death-caused-by-ice-under-trump-administration

CAPITOL FAX
— Afternoon roundup
https://capitolfax.com/2026/01/09/isabel%e2%80%99s-afternoon-roundup-446/
— ILGOP Chair Salvi: ‘The partisanship of Democrats has reached the level of undeniable insurrection’
https://capitolfax.com/2026/01/09/ilgop-chair-salvi-the-partisanship-of-democrats-has-reached-the-level-of-undeniable-insurrection/

FROM ILLINOIS CENTER-RIGHT SOURCES

MCHENRY COUNTY BLOG
— Poll of Republican U.S. Senate Primary Shows Nobody above 6%, 84% Undecided
https://www.mchenrycountyblog.com/2026/01/09/poll-of-republican-u-s-senate-primary-shows-nobody-above-6-84-undecided/

FROM NATIONAL CENTER-RIGHT SOURCES

WASHINGTON TIMES
— New video shows protester taunting ICE officer before Minneapolis shooting
https://www.washingtontimes.com/news/2026/jan/9/new-video-shows-protester-taunting-ice-officer-minneapolis-shooting/

NEW YORK POST
— Renee Nicole Good’s 6-year-old son attends ‘social justice’ school that teaches about George Floyd, warned staffers to report ICE
https://nypost.com/2026/01/09/us-news/renee-goods-kindergarten-son-attends-social-justice-school-that-teaches-about-george-floyd-warned-staffers-to-report-ice/
— Socialist politician turns LA City Hall into anti-ICE, abolish-police spectacle
https://nypost.com/2026/01/09/us-news/la-lawmaker-eunisses-hernandez-hosts-anti-cop-anti-ice-presentation/

BIZ PAC REVIEW
— NYC protesters chant, ‘Kristi Noem will hang… Save a life, kill an ICE’
https://www.bizpacreview.com/2026/01/09/nyc-protesters-chant-kristi-noem-will-hang-save-a-life-kill-an-ice-1614951/

BREITBART
— Democrats Defend Tren de Aragua Migrants Shot During Attack on ICE
https://www.breitbart.com/immigration/2026/01/09/democrats-defend-tren-de-aragua-migrants-shot-during-attack-on-ice/

FRC ACTION
— No “flexibility” on tax dollar funding for abortion
https://www.frcaction.org/get.cfm?c=CHECKOUT&dmy=75509402-9BEA-3BC3-82CFD1DCF3A7C4A1&srcItem=PT26A01&fromItem=AL26A01&x=0#gsc.tab=0

NATIONAL REVIEW
— Heed the Unforgettable Words of Henry Hyde
https://www.nationalreview.com/the-lifeline/heed-the-unforgettable-words-of-henry-hyde/
(FROM THE ARTICLE: The controversy this week involving the president insisting that pro-lifers be flexible on the Hyde amendment in budget negotiations in Congress has me longing for the days of the late Illinois Republican Congressman Henry Hyde. He drew the line on taxpayer funding of abortion, and so much else.)

NEWSMAX
— Democrats ‘Demonized’ Agents Ahead of Minn. ICE Shooting
https://www.newsmax.com/newsmax-tv/dan-meuser-democrats-ice/2026/01/09/id/1241481/

FROM NATIONAL CENTER-LEFT SOURCES

THE HILL
— DD: I should write about those Republican candidates, elected officials, and party leaders in Wheaton, Milton Township, DuPage County, and Illinois who since 2000 have had their operatives and their dupes take the most/biggest adverse actions against me to curry favor with the Democrat news media.
https://thehill.com/blogs/in-the-know/5416852-elizabeth-warren-stephen-colbert-cbs/

CBS NEWS
— Prosecutors in DOJ’s Civil Rights Division will not investigate Minneapolis ICE shooting, sources say
https://www.cbsnews.com/news/doj-civil-rights-division-will-not-investigate-minneapolis-ice-shooting-sources-say/

DESERT REVIEW
— GOP, Pro-Life orgs forcefully defend Hyde Amendment amid Trump’s backpedaling
https://www.thedesertreview.com/news/national/gop-pro-life-orgs-forcefully-defend-hyde-amendment-amid-trump-s-backpedaling/article_fcfbf23d-4097-45fc-8151-ed09370a70d5.html

January 8, 2026

FROM ILLINOIS CENTER-LEFT SOURCES

CHICAGO TRIBUNE
— Will 2026 be the year Illinois GOP primary voters learn politics? DD: Which candidate in the March 17, 2026 Republican gubernatorial primary do you predict will get the most votes in your precinct, township, county, and Illinois and why? What percent of the registered voters in your precinct do you predict will vote in the primary and why? What is your Republican Precinct Committeeman doing/going to do to maximize Republican turnout?
https://www.chicagotribune.com/2026/01/08/opinion-illinois-gop-politics-midterms/
— Only in Chicago, do you get targeted for ‘leaking’ a public meeting. DD: My critics/opponents want to stop me from sending out GOPUSA ILLINOIS newsletters. Failing that, they want stop everyone from reading them.
https://www.yahoo.com/news/articles/editorial-only-chicago-targeted-leaking-110000167.html

CHICAGO SUN-TIMES
— ALL OF THE FRONT PAGE: ICE agent fatally shoots woman during immigration operation in Minneapolis. Live video posted online showed a large presence of federal and local officers, yellow police tape and cars that had been in a crash. DD: Democrat leaders are always looking to repeat the success that they had with George Floyd. Will Democrats ever-increasingly use vehicles against ICE officers?
https://chicago.suntimes.com/immigration/2026/01/07/shooting-is-reported-in-minneapolis-where-the-feds-are-conducting-an-immigration-crackdown
— Protesters march in Little Village after ICE killing in Minneapolis. The group marched more than a mile and rallied in front of a mural of the Virgin Mary before disbanding with calls for people to get involved with rapid responder groups. DD: Democrat leaders are always looking to repeat the success that they had with George Floyd. Will Democrats ever-increasingly use vehicles against ICE officers?
https://chicago.suntimes.com/news/2026/01/07/little-village-protest-ice-minneapolis

CBS2
— Welch: Affordability takes priority in Illinois General Assembly’s spring session. DD: That should include urging everyone in Illinois to follow conservative principles. If I had not followed conservative principles, I would not have been able to a) to buy a 6-year old car when I was 16 with money I earned delivering newspapers and doing yard work, b) to buy new cars when I was 17, 19, 20, 23, 25, 29, etc. with money I earned washing dishes, cleaning golf shoes, chipping slag, pumping gasoline, delivering mail, working on an automobile assembly line, selling tires, automotive services, and major appliances, pumping more gasoline, collecting delinquent taxes, and auditing federal agencies, d) to pay for tuition and books to earn a bachelor’s degree when I was 21 and master’s degrees when I was 27, 31, and 48 with money I earned doing the aforesaid, f) to buy real estate when I was 24, 25, 27, 29, 35, etc. with money I earned doing the aforesaid, g) to get married when I was 29, h) to earn professional certifications when I was 30, 32, 41, 45, 47, and 48, and i) to earn a professional license when I was 32. Admittedly, inflation makes doing the aforesaid more difficult. But not everything is more expensive. I paid $600 in 1972 for a TV that is primitive by today’s standards. That $600 is almost $5,000 in today’s dollars. My wife and I paid $7,000 in 1982 for a computer system that is primitive by today’s standards. That $7,000 is more than $23,000 in today’s dollars. What does it mean to follow conservative principles? It means focusing on making yourself a productive member of society, focusing on making the most of your potential, complying with all laws, avoiding all vices, minimizing immediate pleasures, always being employed even if that means taking bad jobs, saving as much of what you earn that you can, and focusing on earning college degrees, getting married, and earning professional certifications, and professional licenses.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=b1kjHb7skqM

WGN9
— DD: Democrat leaders continue to treat Pat Brady like he is still the chairman of the Illinois Republican Party.
https://wgnradio.com/lisa-dent/pat-brady-minneapolis-ice-shooting/

DEKALB CHRONICLE
— DD: Democrat leaders organize a rally in DeKalb 5 years after January 6, 2021. Dozens protest against Trump’s military operation in Venezuela and his plans there.
https://www.shawlocal.com/daily-chronicle/2026/01/07/dekalb-rally-draws-dozens-against-us-military-operation-in-venezuela/

RIVER BENDER
— Raoul Wins Civil Hate Crime Lawsuit Against Two Carroll County Residents. DD: Democrat leaders always hint/imply/argue/shout that the more of the following that you are, the more likely that you commit hate crimes: conservative, Republican, American, White, male, older, Protestant, German American, and/or have ancestors who have been in America for a long time. Democrat leaders do that to get more votes from those who are liberal/moderate, non-Republican, non-American, minority, female, younger, non-Protestant, non-German American, and/or have ancestors who have not been in America for a long time.
https://www.riverbender.com/news/details/attorney-general-raoul-wins-civil-hate-crime-lawsuit-against-carroll-county-residents-who-engaged-in-racebased-intimidation-89644.cfm

POLITICO
— Illinois Dems say Noem must go  DD: For Democrat leaders, their top priorities include a) flooding America with citizens of foreign countries, b) keeping them in America, and c) officially giving them the right to vote ASAP.
https://www.politico.com/newsletters/illinois-playbook/2026/01/08/illinois-dems-say-noem-must-go-00715867

CAPITOL FAX
— Morning briefing
https://capitolfax.com/2026/01/08/isabel%e2%80%99s-morning-briefing-655/

FROM ILLINOIS CENTER-RIGHT SOURCES

WIREPOINTS
— ‘Here We Go Again’: Pritzker Launches Repeat of Meddling in Illinois Republican Primary
https://wirepoints.org/here-we-go-again-pritzker-launches-repeat-of-meddling-in-illinois-republican-primary-wirepoints/

FROM NATIONAL CENTER-RIGHT SOURCES

WASHINGTON EXAMINER
— ‘Implicit bias’ training mandate among new health care-related laws in Illinois
https://www.washingtonexaminer.com/news/4410081/implicit-bias-training-mandate-among-new-health-care-laws-illinois/

NEW YORK POST
— Trump pulls US out of ‘racist’ UN forum that pushed ‘global reparations agenda.’ DD: To get more votes from Blacks, Democrat leaders ever-increasingly push reparations.
https://nypost.com/2026/01/07/us-news/trump-pulls-us-out-of-racist-un-forum-that-pushed-global-reparations-agenda/

DAILY CALLER
— Brown University Learned Nothing From Campus Assassination Of Conservative Student
https://dailycaller.com/2026/01/07/brown-university-shooting-dei-christina-paxton-matthew-guterl/

DAILY SIGNAL
— Conservative Lawmakers Unveil Blueprint to Balance Budget, Execute Trump Agenda
https://www.dailysignal.com/2026/01/07/exclusive-conservative-lawmakers-unveil-blueprint-to-balance-budget-execute-trump-agenda/

FEDERATION FOR IMMIGRATION REFORM
— Maduro’s Policies Contributed to the U.S. Border Crisis
https://www.fairus.org/legislation/executive/fair-shows-how-maduros-policies-contributed-us-border-crisis

FOX NEWS
— Woman Rams ICE Agents, Gets Shot. DD: Democrat leaders are always looking to repeat the success that they had with George Floyd. Will Democrats ever-increasingly use vehicles against ICE officers?
https://radio.foxnews.com/2026/01/08/woman-rams-ice-agents-gets-shot/

LEGAL INSURRECTION
— Trump: ‘Venezuela is Going to be Purchasing Only American Made Products.’  “In other words, Venezuela is committing to doing business with the United States of America as their principal partner.”
https://legalinsurrection.com/2026/01/trump-venezuela-is-going-to-be-purchasing-only-american-made-products/

NEWSMAX
— Ramaswamy Gets Gov. DeWine Endorsement in Ohio Race. DD: I might very well have not been elected a Republican Precinct Committeeman in 2000 if Roskam and Hultgren had not endorsed me in that contested race. Because of their endorsements, anti-conservative RINO candidates, elected officials, party leaders, major donors, etc. in Illinois, DuPage County, Milton Township, and Wheaton have viciously punished Roskam and Hultgren ever since. They were furious when Hultgren made me the Milton Township Republican Organization (MTRO) webmaster in 2000. Their vicious punishment of Roskam and Hultgren got even worse after I supported Pat O’Malley instead of Jim Ryan in the 2002 Republican gubernatorial primary. They cringed that I raised $2,000 on very short notice for an elephant to walk behind Roskam in Wheaton’s 2007 Independence Day parade. Of course, they blame me and blame my GOPUSA ILLINOIS newsletters for Roskam’s and Hultgren’s defeats in 2018. They stress their success in stopping Roskam and Hultgren from coming to my defense when the Illinois Republican Party, DuPage County Republican Central Committee, MTRO, TAPROOT Republicans of Illinois, and Illinois Center Right Coalition, Illinois, DuPage County, Milton Township, Wheaton, and Wheaton Park District leaders took big adverse actions against me.
https://www.newsmax.com/newsfront/vivek-ramaswamy-ohio-mike-dewine/2026/01/07/id/1241238/

REAL CLEAR DEFENSE
— DEI Resurfaces in the Marine Corps
https://www.realcleardefense.com/2026/01/07/dei_resurfaces_in_the_marine_corps_1157261.html

TOWNHALL
— DD: Democrat leaders ever-increasingly hint/imply/argue/shout that when Whites and males succeed, it is because they benefitted from discrimination against non-Whites and females.
https://townhall.com/columnists/kurtschlichter/2026/01/07/why-do-they-try-to-make-bad-things-cool-n2668946

FROM NATIONAL CENTER-LEFT SOURCES

THE HILL
— DD: Democrat leaders are always looking to repeat the success that they had with George Floyd. Will Democrats ever-increasingly use vehicles against ICE officers?
https://thehill.com/homenews/state-watch/5677863-woman-shot-minneapolis-ice/
— GOP backlash to Omar earmark slows government-funding bill
https://thehill.com/homenews/house/5676884-gop-opposition-justice-empowerment/amp/

ABC NEWS
— DD: Democrat leaders are always looking to repeat the success that they had with George Floyd. Will Democrats ever-increasingly use vehicles against ICE officers?
https://abcnews.go.com/US/ice-related-shooting-occurred-minnesota-governor/story?id=128984401

CBS NEWS
— Illinois Rep. Robin Kelly filing articles of impeachment for DHS Secretary Kristi Noem
https://www.cbsnews.com/chicago/news/robin-kelly-impeachment-kristi-noem-ice-shooting/

ACSSOCIATED PRESS
— DD: Democrat leaders are always looking to repeat the success that they had with George Floyd. Will Democrats ever-increasingly use vehicles against ICE officers?
https://apnews.com/article/minnesota-immigration-enforcement-shooting-crackdown-surge-173e00fa7388054e98c3b5b9417c1e5a

CNN
— Large crowd gathering in Minneapolis following shooting of woman less than a mile from where George Floyd was killed. DD: Democrat leaders are always looking to repeat the success that they had with George Floyd. Will Democrats ever-increasingly use vehicles against ICE officers?
https://www.cnn.com/2026/01/07/us/video/minneapolis-ice-woman-shot-george-floyd-digvid
https://www.cnn.com/us/live-news/minnesota-fraud-state-reps-testify-01-07-26

ABC NEWS
— Minneapolis shooting by ICE agent brings debate over police force and moving vehicles back in focus. DD: Democrat leaders are always looking to repeat the success that they had with George Floyd. Will Democrats ever-increasingly use vehicles against ICE officers?
https://abcnews.go.com/Politics/wireStory/minneapolis-shooting-ice-agent-brings-debate-police-force-129000719

ABC SAN FRANCISCO
— DD: Democrat leaders are always looking to repeat the success that they had with George Floyd. Will Democrats ever-increasingly use vehicles against ICE officers?
https://abc7news.com/post/protest-held-san-francisco-following-deadly-ice-shooting-37-year-old-renee-nicole-good-minneapolis/18370169/

NBC NEWS
— DD: Democrat leaders are always looking to repeat the success that they had with George Floyd. Will Democrats ever-increasingly use vehicles against ICE officers?
https://www.nbcnews.com/news/us-news/federal-law-enforcement-involved-ice-related-shooting-minneapolis-rcna252812
https://www.nbcnews.com/news/us-news/live-blog/minnesota-ice-shooting-live-updates-rcna252852

CBS NEWS
— DD: Democrat leaders are always looking to repeat the success that they had with George Floyd. Will Democrats ever-increasingly use vehicles against ICE officers?
https://www.cbsnews.com/minnesota/live-updates/minneapolis-federal-agents-protesters-clash-portland-avenue/

NEW YORK TIMES
— DD: Democrat leaders are always looking to repeat the success that they had with George Floyd. Will Democrats ever-increasingly use vehicles against ICE officers?
https://www.nytimes.com/live/2026/01/07/us/minnesota-shooting-ice
https://www.nytimes.com/2026/01/07/us/ice-minneapolis-somalis-immigration.html
— FRONT PAGE TOP OF FOLD: Maduro Is Gone, but Repression in Venezuela Has Intensified. DD: Some on my critics/opponents are gone, but their operatives and their dupes continue to take big adverse actions against me.
https://www.nytimes.com/2026/01/07/world/americas/venezuela-repression.html
— Fixing Affordability Isn’t Easy. Here Are Four Suggestions.  Fixing affordability should include urging everyone to follow conservative principles. If I had not followed conservative principles, I would not have been able to a) to buy a 6-year old car when I was 16 with money I earned delivering newspapers and doing yard work, b) to buy new cars when I was 17, 19, 20, 23, 25, 29, etc. with money I earned washing dishes, cleaning golf shoes, chipping slag, pumping gasoline, delivering mail, working on an automobile assembly line, selling tires, automotive services, and major appliances, pumping more gasoline, collecting delinquent taxes, and auditing federal agencies, d) to pay for tuition and books to earn a bachelor’s degree when I was 21 and master’s degrees when I was 27, 31, and 48 with money I earned doing the aforesaid, f) to buy real estate when I was 24, 25, 27, 29, 35, etc. with money I earned doing the aforesaid, g) to get married when I was 29, h) to earn professional certifications when I was 30, 32, 41, 45, 47, and 48, and i) to earn a professional license when I was 32. Admittedly, inflation makes doing the aforesaid more difficult. But not everything is more expensive. I paid $600 in 1972 for a TV that is primitive by today’s standards. That $600 is almost $5,000 in today’s dollars. My wife and I paid $7,000 in 1982 for a computer system that is primitive by today’s standards. That $7,000 is more than $23,000 in today’s dollars. What does it mean to follow conservative principles? It means focusing on making yourself a productive member of society, focusing on making the most of your potential, complying with all laws, avoiding all vices, minimizing immediate pleasures, always being employed even if that means taking bad jobs, saving as much of what you earn that you can, and focusing on earning college degrees, getting married, and earning professional certifications, and professional licenses.
https://www.nytimes.com/2026/01/05/opinion/affordability-health-care-housing-prices-costs.html
— FEMA Staff Bracing for Dismissal of 1,000 Disaster Workers. DD: While I worked for the Democrats who ran GAO 1980-1997, the agency shrank from more than 6,000 employees to less than 3,000 employees because of Gingrich budget cuts. My Democrat GAO superiors punished me big time for that.
https://www.nytimes.com/2026/01/06/climate/fema-staff-cuts-1000-workers.html

WASHINGTON POST
— DD: Democrat leaders are always looking to repeat the success that they had with George Floyd. Will Democrats ever-increasingly use vehicles against ICE officers?
https://www.washingtonpost.com/nation/2026/01/07/minneapolis-shooting-ice/
— Democrats call Trump’s freeze of childcare funds an act of retribution. The administration is freezing more than $10 billion in grants to California, Colorado, Illinois, Minnesota and New York. Some Democrats called it political retribution. DD: Since I was born in 1948, my critics/opponents have used against me the fact that my father made enough money that my mother could stay home a raise me and my brother. But my father never earned more than $50,000/year in today’s dollars. He died suddenly when he was 47 and I was 21. He almost always worked second jobs to pay the family’s bills. My mother’s earning potential was very limited because she never attended high school. I had to work my way through college.
https://www.washingtonpost.com/nation/2026/01/07/child-care-grants-frozen-democrats/
— Why America stopped building the ‘starter home.’ DD: Back in the good old days, I was able to buy a new starter home, that is, a new townhome, in University Park when I was 24 in 1972. SEE: https://www.zillow.com/homedetails/774-Sunset-Ct-5-University-Park-IL-60484/5451474_zpid/
https://www.washingtonpost.com/business/2026/01/05/starter-home-disappearance/

FOX MINNEAPOLIS
— Minneapolis ICE shooting occurred roughly 1 mile from George Floyd killing. DD: Democrat leaders are always looking to repeat the success that they had with George Floyd. Will Democrats ever-increasingly use vehicles against ICE officers?
https://www.fox29.com/video/fmc-yotuwnpsbu7cfiz7

MINNESOTA STAR TRIBUNE
— DD: Democrat leaders are always looking to repeat the success that they had with George Floyd. Will Democrats ever-increasingly use vehicles against ICE officers?
https://www.startribune.com/she-was-an-amazing-human-being-mother-identifies-woman-shot-killed-by-ice-agent/601559922

WEAU
— ICE guidance restricts shooting at moving vehicles, GAO report shows. DD: Democrat leaders are always looking to repeat the success that they had with George Floyd. Will Democrats ever-increasingly use cars against ICE officers?
https://www.weau.com/2026/01/07/ice-guidance-restricts-shooting-moving-vehicles-gao-report-shows/
(FROM THE ARTICLE: ICE’s directive page was temporarily unavailable online, but a 2023 Government Accountability Office report quotes ICE’s guidance directly. The GAO quote reads: “Firearms shall not be discharged solely to disable moving vehicles, vessels, aircraft or other conveyances, except when deadly force is authorized or under the limited circumstances in the policy.” That language mirrors guidance used by the Department of Justice and the FBI, which also say officers should not discharge firearms solely to disable moving vehicles and may do so only when occupants present an imminent threat of death or serious bodily harm and no reasonable alternative exists. Law enforcement experts say shooting at moving vehicles raises high risks of ricochet and collateral harm and is widely discouraged except in narrow, life‑threatening circumstances. Federal guidance aims to limit such discharges and require documentation and review when they occur.)

WALL STREET JOURNAL
— ‘Tax Me,’ Mitt Romney Says, Pointing at You. His proposals begin with a huge hike on salarymen—strivers who earn income of the sort he doesn’t. DD: My critics/opponents have always wanted me to pay more taxes and especially since I became an IRS employee when I was 22 in 1971.
https://www.wsj.com/opinion/tax-me-mitt-romney-says-pointing-at-you-27e7f47f?mod=opinion_lead_pos5

BLOOMBERG TAX
— Big Four Accounting firms Diverge on Diversity as Culture War Hits Accounting. DD: The accounting profession had no use for me a) because I did not start taking graduate accounting courses until I was 27, b) because I did not take and pass the CPA examination on my first attempt until I was 30, c) because I did not earn a master’s degree in accounting until I was 31, d) because I did not take and pass the Certified Internal Auditor examination until I was 32, e) because I did not become a licensed CPA until I was 32, and f) because I was not a minority and/or a female.
https://news.bloombergtax.com/financial-accounting/big-four-diverge-on-diversity-as-culture-war-hits-accounting

NPR
— DD: To get more votes from Blacks, Democrat leaders ever-increasingly hint/imply/argue/shout that Republicans discriminate against Blacks and that is why Blacks should forever be given more tremendous preference. My Democrat GAO superiors hinted/implied that I discriminated against my Black subordinate and that justified their forcing me to retire and giving him my job and my preferred corner office. He had less work experience than I had. He had less education than I had. He had one professional certification while I had six. He had no professional license like the one I had. Of course, in Diersen v. GAO ( https://gopillinois.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/09/DiersenGAOFifthAmendedComplaint.pdf ), they did not argue that I discriminated against him because I did not discriminate against him. I gave him lots of preference.
https://www.npr.org/2026/01/08/nx-s1-5646525/supreme-court-voting-rights-congressional-black-caucus

FROM FOREIGN SOURCES

INDEPENDENT
— Trump goes on defense after seeing footage of agent fatally shooting Renee Nicole Good in the head. The FBI is investigating the ICE shooting of the mother-of-three, which Trump administration officials have described as an act of self defense
https://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/americas/us-politics/renee-nicole-good-minneapolis-ice-shooting-live-updates-b2896627.html

MEAWW
— Mamdani slams ICE raids following Minneapolis shooting: ‘Cruel and inhumane’  DD: Democrat leaders are always looking to repeat the success that they had with George Floyd. Will Democrats ever-increasingly use cars against ICE officers?
https://news.meaww.com/zohran-mamdani-slams-ice-raids-following-minneapolis-shooting-cruel-and-inhumane

FROM OTHER SOURCES

GOOGLE AI
— You can’t take that away from me. DD: My father often decried his not having a college degree. That had a tremendous impact on me. It motivated me to make earning a job-related bachelor’s degree by the time I was 21 my top priority. It motivated me to earn a) a job-related bachelor’s degree when I was 21, b) job-related master’s degrees when I was 27, 31, and 48, c) job-related professional certifications when I was 30, 32, 41, 45, 47, and 48, and d) a job-related professional license when I was 32. My father was discouraged from going to college because he had brittle type 1 diabetes. The belief was that the stress would kill him.
https://www.google.com/search?q=%22can%27t+take+that+away+from+me%22+%22college+degree%22
(FROM Google AI: The phrase “You can’t take that away from me” is often used in the context of a college degree or an education to express that the knowledge, skills, and accomplishment gained are permanent personal assets that no one can rescind or devalue, regardless of external circumstances like job loss, economic shifts, or others’ opinions. This sentiment highlights several key aspects of earning a degree: Permanent Value The core knowledge, critical thinking skills, and personal growth achieved through education provide a lasting foundation for life and career, unlike material possessions or job titles that can be lost. Personal Achievement Earning a degree often involves significant effort, discipline, and perseverance. The pride and self-worth associated with this accomplishment are inherent and cannot be diminished by others. Career Mobility While specific job markets fluctuate and some question the universal necessity of a degree in the modern world, a college education typically increases an individual’s chances for better career opportunities and provides a base level of credentialing that can open doors. Empowerment The understanding that one’s education is a secure, internal asset can be empowering, especially when facing life’s challenges, such as workplace demotions, financial difficulties, or societal limitations. This perspective suggests that even if external factors like student debt or an unpredictable job market make the journey difficult, the intrinsic value of the education itself is unassailable.)

December 29, 2025

FROM NATIONAL CENTER-RIGHT SOURCES

AMERICAN THINKER
— Polling Signals Trouble for Democrats — and Opportunity for Republicans
https://www.americanthinker.com/articles/2025/12/polling_signals_trouble_for_democrats_and_opportunity_for_republicans.html
— Tucker Carlson: Pro-Islam, Anti-American, And Toxic For Republicans
https://www.americanthinker.com/articles/2025/12/tucker_carlson_pro_islam_anti_american_and_toxic_for_republicans.html

DAILY CALLER
— Democratic Lawmaker Says She Feels Guilty For Being White And Kids Should Too. DD: My critics/opponents promote Affirmative Action and DEI. They want more and more and more preference to be given those who are minority, female, younger, unmarried, LGBTQ, have less money than others, non-Protestant, non-German American, have ancestors who have not been in America for a long time, and/or are citizens of foreign countries.
https://www.aol.com/articles/democratic-lawmaker-says-she-feels-182204161.html

FOX NEWS
— Erika Kirk vows TPUSA will continue campus debates nationwide
https://www.foxnews.com/politics/we-not-afraid-erika-kirk-vows-tpusa-continue-campus-debates-nationwide
— Erika Kirk outlines Turning Point USA’s next chapter after Charlie Kirk
https://www.foxnews.com/video/6387005291112
— What the conservative think tank wars have to do with you. Mass exodus from Heritage Foundation reveals ideological split between populist Trump agenda and traditional conservative economics.
https://www.foxnews.com/opinion/david-marcus-what-conservative-think-tank-wars-have-do-you.amp

NEWSMAX
— DOJ Using Fraud Law to Target Companies on DEI
https://www.newsmax.com/us/doj-dei-fraud-law/2025/12/28/id/1239955/

POST MILLENNIAL
— Charlottesville ends license plate cameras over fears data could be used to identify illegal immigrants
https://thepostmillennial.com/charlottesville-ends-license-plate-camera-program-over-fears-data-could-be-used-to-identify-illegal-immigrants

TOWNHALL
— Infighting at TPUSA?
https://townhall.com/columnists/arthurschaper/2025/12/29/title-reflection-on-years-end-infighting-at-tpusa-n2668557
(FROM THE ARTICLE: The TPUSA audience and the general conservative movement are feeling Charlie Kirk’s passing more keenly, since the MAGA Coalition, which he helped forge and flourish, is beginning to fray. Divisions are the norm in politics, especially among party brass and grassroots activists. They all claim the right vision for their party’s standards, but rarely have the conflicts burst to the forefront as they did at TPUSA American First 2025.)

FROM NATIONAL CENTER-LEFT SOURCES

ASSOCIATED PRESS
— A look at aging baby boomers in the United States. DD: I am 77, I am a baby boomer. Who speaks for the baby boomers in America, in Illinois, in your county, in your municipality, and in your school district?
https://apnews.com/article/census-baby-boomers-aging-america-demographics-ad275e223615952ce73d52ed714d24b0
(FROM THE ARTICLE: By the end of this decade, all baby boomers will be 65 and older, and the number of people 80 and over will double in 20 years. . .The share of senior citizens in the U.S. population is projected to grow from 18.7% in 2025 to nearly 23% by 2050, while children under 18 decline from almost 21% to a projected 18.4%. . .The projected average U.S. life expectancy at birth rises from 78.9 years in 2025 to 82.2 years in 2055, according to the CBO.)

USA TODAY
— MAGA split grows as Mike Pence group poaches from Heritage Foundation
https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/politics/maga-split-grows-as-mike-pence-group-poaches-from-heritage-foundation/ar-AA1SUXHy

WALL STREET JOURNAL
— Mike Johnson: House Republicans Had a Great Year. In 2025 we passed tax cuts, helped businesses expand, and repealed harmful regulations.
https://www.wsj.com/opinion/house-republicans-had-a-great-year-04efce46
— Justice Department Using Fraud Law to Target Companies on DEI. Google and Verizon among those being investigated under novel interpretation of law applying to government contractors.
https://www.wsj.com/politics/policy/trump-doj-dei-fraud-investigations-93213d52

FORBES
— Common Mid-Career Mistakes That Limit Advancement And Growth. DD: Democrats run the federal government. To advance in the federal government, you have to be more than just a Democrat, you have to excel at a) advancing Democrat employees who are minority and/or female and b) wasting the careers of and getting rid of Republican employees who are White and/or male.
https://www.forbes.com/councils/forbescoachescouncil/2025/12/08/common-mid-career-mistakes-that-limit-advancement-and-growth/
— DD: My Democrat Post Office, IRS, and GAO superiors struggled to meet their Affirmative Action quotas, goals, and targets because few minorities and women want to work for the Post Office, IRS or GAO. Consequently, a) they gave tremendous preference to their Democrat employees who were minority and/or female and b) they wasted the careers of and got rid of their Republican employees who were White and/or male.
https://www.forbes.com/sites/lizelting/2025/04/09/as-workplace-gender-bias-stalls-career-growth-business-ownership-offers-opportunities-to-break-barriers/

24/7 WALL STREET
— Why Social Security’s COLA Formula Is Failing Baby Boomers in 2026. Over 50% of current Social Security recipients have cut living costs because prices rise faster than their benefits. Benefits have lost around 20% of buying power since 2010 due to the COLA formula underweighting healthcare and housing costs. The 2026 COLA is 2.8% but fails to match retiree inflation because it tracks urban wage earners instead of senior spending patterns.
https://247wallst.com/investing/2025/12/28/why-social-securitys-cola-formula-is-failing-baby-boomers-in-2026/

BUSINESS JOURNAL
— DD: To get more votes from females, Democrat and RINO candidates, elected officials, and party leaders ever-increasingly paint males as being barriers.
https://www.bizjournals.com/bizwomen/news/latest-news/2025/12/womens-advancement-risk-leaders.html

MCKINSEY & COMPANY
— DD: To get more votes from females, Democrat and RINO candidates, elected officials, and party leaders ever-increasingly paint males as being barriers.
https://www.mckinsey.com/capabilities/people-and-organizational-performance/our-insights/women-in-the-workplace
https://www.mckinsey.com/about-us/new-at-mckinsey-blog/new-mckinsey-book-the-unwritten-rules-about-career-advancement-for-women

SHRM
— DD: All my coworkers who my Democrat IRS and GAO superiors promoted over me were Democrats who a) were minority, female, younger than me, and/or veteran and/or b) 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.shrm.org/enterprise-solutions/insights/gender-pay-gap-addressing-systemic-modern-challenges

GALLUP
— Addressing the Barriers Blocking Employee Development. Less than half of U.S. employees participate in any education or training for their current job. DD: While I worked for the Post Office 1966-1969, Firestone Stores 1970-1972, IRS 1971-1980, and GAO 1980-1997, virtually none of my Democrat coworkers took job-related courses like I did.  I took job-related courses at UIC 1966-1968 and in 1971, at NIU 1969-1970, at Loyola 1972-1976, at DePaul 1976-1980, at Becker CPA review 1978-1979, at Roosevelt 1980-1981, at the Institute of Internal Auditors in 1981, and at IIT 1992-1997.
https://www.gallup.com/workplace/692642/addressing-barriers-blocking-employee-development.aspx

PRECINCT REPORTER
— DD: My Democrat Post Office, IRS, and GAO superiors struggled to meet their Affirmative Action quotas, goals, and targets because few minorities and women want to work for the Post Office, IRS or GAO. Consequently, a) they gave tremendous preference to their Democrat employees who were minority and/or female and b) they wasted the careers of and got rid of their Republican employees who were White and/or male.
https://precinctreporter.com/2025/03/13/discrimination-career-barrier-for-black-women/

GOVERNMENT EXECUTIVE
— DD: Democrats run the federal government. For them, the federal government exists to hire, retain, and promote Democrats, and especially Democrats who are minority, female, younger, and/or veteran. If I had been a Democrat, the federal government would have promoted me into its Senior Executive Service long before I was 40 because I had a) earned master’s degrees in business and accounting, b) passed the CPA and Certified Internal Auditor examinations on my first attempt, and c) became a licensed CPA.
https://www.govexec.com/workforce/2025/05/opm-merit-hiring-plan-includes-bipartisan-reforms-politicized-new-test/405687/

AARP
— 5 Ways AARP Is Fighting Age Discrimination. DD: According to my critics/opponents, age discrimination has never existed. They deny that my Democrat IRS superiors used up-or-out, that is, that they used age discrimination, to not promote me to GS-13. I ultimately did make GS-13 when I was 38 in 1986, but it was not until after I had a) earned an MBA in 1976, b) passed the CPA examination on my first attempt in 1979, c) transferred to GAO in 1980, d) earned a master’s degree in accounting in 1980, e) passed the Certified Internal Auditor examination on my first attempt tin 1981, and f) became a licensed CPA in 1981. My Democrat IRS and GAO superiors promoted many of my Democrat coworkers to GS-13 ahead of me a) who had less work experience than I had, who had less education than I had, who had no professional certifications, and/or had no professional license and/or b) who were minority, female, younger, and/or veteran.
https://www.aarp.org/advocacy/fighting-against-age-discrimination/
(FROM THE ARTICLE: 1. Backing legislation that reinforces worker rights. On a national scale, AARP is backing bipartisan bills that support older workers. In May, AARP sent letters to the House and Senate endorsing the reintroduction of the Protecting Older Workers Against Discrimination Act. This legislation would restore protections, which a 2009 U.S. Supreme Court decision stripped away, that required older workers to prove their age was the sole reason they experienced an adverse employment action. AARP also threw its support behind two more bipartisan bills in September. The Protecting Older Americans Act lets workers choose to pursue age discrimination claims in court rather than being forced into arbitration. The Protect Older Job Applicants Act would expand protections under federal law to include people who are applying for jobs, even before they have reached the hiring stage.)

AXIOS
—  For the first time, there will be more workers in states with a minimum wage of $15 an hour or higher than those with the federal minimum of $7.25. More than a decade ago, labor advocates’ fight for a $15 an hour wage seemed radical — not so much anymore. DD: Back in the good old days, I worked for the minimum wage (about $13/hour in today’s dollars) part-time during my junior and senior years in high school and full-time the summer in between 1964-1966. With the money I earned, I bought a new 1966 Pontiac Tempest Sprint ( https://over-drive-magazine.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/02/1965-12-CD-1966-Pontiac-Tempest-Sprint-Test-1-4.pdf ) in May or 1966.
https://www.axios.com/2025/12/28/2026-new-year-minimum-wage

FROM FOREIGN SOURCES

BUSINESS TODAY
— DD: To get more votes from females, Democrat and RINO candidates, elected officials, and party leaders ever-increasingly paint males as being barriers.
https://www.businesstoday.in/magazine/deep-dive/story/issues-women-face-at-work-the-silent-load-that-career-women-experience-508008-2025-12-24

STUDY INTERNATIONAL
— What women want: 9 best careers for women. DD: My Democrat Post Office, IRS, and GAO superiors struggled to meet their Affirmative Action quotas, goals, and targets because few minorities and women want to work for the Post Office, IRS or GAO. Consequently, a) they gave tremendous preference to their Democrat employees who were minority and/or female and b) they wasted the careers of and got rid of their Republican employees who were White and/or male.
https://studyinternational.com/news/best-careers-for-women/

INDEPENDENT
— DD: To get more votes from females, Democrat and RINO candidates, elected officials, and party leaders ever-increasingly paint males as being barriers.
https://www.independent.co.uk/us/money/women-in-the-workplace-report-2025-findings-b2885110.html

December 27, 2025

FROM ILLINOIS CENTER-LEFT SOURCES

CHICAGO TRIBUNE
— ‘Abolish ICE’ gets early nod from Mayor Brandon Johnson in annual Chicago snowplow contest. DD: Democrat leaders ever-increasingly a) glorify and praise their illegals and b) fight their deportation.
https://www.chicagotribune.com/2025/12/26/abolish-ice-gets-early-nod-from-mayor-brandon-johnson-in-annual-chicago-snowplow-contest/
— Immigration-themed Nativity scene at Evanston church turns ICE agents into shepherds for a peaceful Christmas
https://www.chicagotribune.com/2025/12/26/immigration-nativity-scene-evanston-church-ice-agents-shepherds-christmas/

CHICAGO SUN-TIMES
— ‘Abolish ICE’ gains Mayor Brandon Johnson’s support as Chicago snowplow-naming contest returns. DD: Democrat leaders ever-increasingly a) glorify and praise their illegals and b) fight their deportation.
https://chicago.suntimes.com/news/2025/12/26/chicago-snowplow-naming-contest
— DD: Under Pritzker, more and more and more in Illinois will be on SNAP, that is, more and more and more will be dependent on government assistance.
https://chicago.suntimes.com/other-views/2025/12/26/illinois-hunger-congress-trump-tax-spending-law-snap-benefits-food-stamps-kate-maehr-julie-yurko
— DD: Democrat leaders ever-increasingly a) glorify and praise their illegals and b) fight their deportation.  All my employers would have hired noncitizens instead of me if they could have.
https://chicago.suntimes.com/columnists/2025/12/26/undocumented-immigrants-businesses-jobs-economy-chicago-amy-yee
— ALL OF THE FRONT PAGE: DD: Democrat leaders promote Kwanzaa
https://chicago.suntimes.com/news/2025/12/26/kwanzaa-malcolm-x-college

DAILY HERALD
— Candidate forum for 8th Congressional District Democratic primary set for Jan. 15. DD: If I was still the TAPROOT Republicans of Illinois chairman and an Illinois Center Right Collation Steering Committee member, the organizations would still be hosting candidate forums.
https://www.dailyherald.com/20251226/news/candidate-forum-for-8th-congressional-district-democratic-primary-set-for-jan-15/

QUAD CITY TIMES
— DD: Pot is poison. In 2019, I led the successful effort to ban the sale of pot in Wheaton.
https://qctimes.com/news/state-regional/business/article_d12558fd-a755-50c6-a98e-f3fa668efb2b.html

NORTHERN PUBLIC RADIO & WGLT
— Cannabis use among teens tied to poor school performance. DD: Pot is poison. In 2019, I led the successful effort to ban the sale of pot in Wheaton. If I had used pot, I would not have been able to a) get an ACT score of 24, b) graduate in the upper 20% of my high school class, b) earn a bachelor’s degree and three master’s degrees, c) pass the CPA and Certified Internal Auditor examinations on my first attempt, d) earn four more professional certifications, or e) earn a professional license.  I would not have been able to get jobs that enabled me to a) buy a 6-year old car when I was 16, b) buy new cars when I was 17, 19, 20, 23, 25, 29, etc., c) buy real estate when I was 24, 25, 27, 29, and 35, d) or get married when I was 29.
https://www.northernpublicradio.org/2025-12-26/cannabis-use-among-teens-tied-to-poor-school-performance
https://www.northernpublicradio.org/2025-12-26/marijuana-rescheduling-would-bring-some-immediate-changes-but-others-will-take-time
https://www.wglt.org/2025-12-26/cannabis-use-among-teens-tied-to-poor-school-performance

FROM ILLINOIS CENTER-RIGHT SOURCES

ILLINOIS FAMILY ACTION
— Taking Our Islamic Enemy at His Word
https://illinoisfamilyaction.org/2025/12/taking-our-islamic-enemy-at-his-word/
— Open Borders, Open Jihad
https://illinoisfamilyaction.org/2025/12/open-borders-open-jihad/

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

GOPUSA ILLINOIS
— What are the candidates in the contested Republican primary races on the ballot in your precinct doing to win on March 17, 2026? What are their political consultants advising them to do? Which ones are seeking or have gotten Trump’s endorsement? Which ones are you going to vote for and why? I will be hand-delivering sample Republican primary ballots and campaign literature to the 400 residences in my precinct that have at least one registered Republican or Independent voter. – Dave Diersen
http://www.gopillinois.com
— Have you had adverse actions taken against you? When your critics/opponents have had their operatives and their dupes take adverse actions against you, who has come to your defense? My critics/opponents continue to stress that when they had their operatives and their dupes take adverse actions against me, virtually no one came to my defense. They had their operatives and their dupes a) rudely throw me off the Illinois Republican Party State Convention Platform and Resolutions Committee in 2024, b) rudely end my service as the Republican fundraiser for Wheaton Independence Day parades and fireworks in 2021, c) rudely gerrymander my precinct in 2015, d) rudely end my TAPROOT Republicans of Illinois chairmanship in 2012, e) rudely end my Milton Township Republican Organization (MTRO) webmaster service in 2010 and 2004, f) rudely end my Illinois Center Right Coalition (ICRC) Steering Committee membership in 2007, g) rudely almost getting ICRC to censure me for my GOPUSA ILLINOIS newsletters in 2006, h) rudely defeat my bid to serve as MTRO Treasurer in 2004, i) etc. Who have you hoped would have come to your defense, but did not? For me, it is those Republican candidates on ballots in my precinct since 2000 who I did the most to help elect and to help reelect in general elections. – Dave Diersen
http://www.gopillinois.com

WIREPOINTS
— Illinois’ radically woke employee training
https://wirepoints.org/wirepoints-mark-glennon-on-illinois-radically-woke-employee-training-chicagos-budget-and-more-audio-wls/

MCHENRY COUNTY BLOG
— A Political Christmas Tree
https://www.mchenrycountyblog.com/2025/12/26/a-political-christmas-tree/
— Democratic Party Infighting in Dundee Township Leads to Levy Meeting Tonight
https://www.mchenrycountyblog.com/2025/12/26/democratic-party-infighting-in-dundee-township-leads-to-levy-meeting-tonight/
— Laws Taking Effect January 1st
https://www.mchenrycountyblog.com/2025/12/26/laws-taking-effect-january-1st/
— Bruce Leon Takes the Offensive in 9th Congressional District Democratic Party Race to Replace Jan Schakowsky
https://www.mchenrycountyblog.com/wp-admin/post.php?post=15074&action=edit

FROM NATIONAL CENTER-RIGHT SOURCES

WASHINGTON TIMES
— How the White House drew a new battle plan to take on the Washington press corps. DD: I should write about RINO candidates, RINO elected officials, and RINO party leaders who a) pander to the Democrat news media and b) take adverse actions against me to curry favor with the Democrat news media.
https://www.washingtontimes.com/news/2025/dec/26/white-house-drew-new-battle-plan-take-washington-press-corps/
— High-stakes gamble: Parents pour thousands into youth sports despite microscopic pro odds
https://www.washingtontimes.com/news/2025/dec/26/play-pressure-hidden-toll-families-kids-professionalized-youth-sports/

WASHINGTON EXAMINER
— California wants schools to keep parents in the dark
https://www.washingtonexaminer.com/opinion/beltway-confidential/4362234/california-wants-schools-keep-parents-in-the-dark/

NEW YORK POST
— Minnesota Lt. Gov. Peggy Flanagan wears hijab in solidarity with Somalis as feds probe multibillion-dollar fraud scandal
https://nypost.com/2025/12/26/us-news/minnesota-lt-gov-peggy-flanagan-wears-hijab-at-somali-market-amid-multibillion-dollar-fraud-scandal/
— DD: Pot is poison. In 2019, I led the successful effort to ban the sale of pot in Wheaton.
https://nypost.com/2025/12/26/opinion/trump-makes-the-right-call-on-cannabis-after-a-40-year-wait/
— Mamdani picks his mentor: The woke, radical, anti-Israel YouTuber Ms. Rachel
https://nypost.com/2025/12/26/opinion/mamdani-picks-his-mentor-the-woke-radical-anti-israel-youtuber-ms-rachel/

AMERICAN THINKER
— The calamity of illegal semi-truck drivers on the road
https://www.americanthinker.com/blog/2025/12/the_calamity_of_illegal_semi_truck_drivers_on_the_road.html
— Minnesota Gov. Walz implies that white people should have to apologize for their skin color. DD: To get more votes from nonwhites, Democrats  ever-increasingly glorify and praise them, pander to them, give them more preference, and tell them that White male Republicans cause all their problems.
https://www.americanthinker.com/blog/2025/12/minnesota_gov_walz_implies_that_white_people_should_have_to_apologize_for_their_skin_color.html

BIZ PAC REVIEW
— Infuriating list of fatal car crashes caused by illegals and those who allowed them licenses
https://www.bizpacreview.com/2025/12/26/infuriating-list-of-fatal-car-crashes-caused-by-illegals-and-those-who-allowed-them-licenses-1612331/

BLAZE
— Leftist radicals doxx ICE agents with ‘WANTED’ flyers in Pennsylvania
https://www.theblaze.com/news/leftist-radicals-doxx-ice-agents-with-wanted-flyers

BREITBART
— Democrats ‘Have Adopted Illegal Aliens as Their Primary Constituents’
https://www.breitbart.com/clips/2025/12/26/exclusive-scott-jennings-democrats-have-adopted-illegal-aliens-as-their-primary-constituents/

CHRISTIAN POST
— Kristi Noem urges illegal immigrants to self-deport with $3K bonus or risk deportation, never returning to the US. DD: To me, $3,000 is a lot of money. In today’s dollars, during 1964, 1965, and 1966, I worked for $12.77/hour washing dishes. To earn $3,000 in today’s dollars, I had to work 235 hours.
https://www.christianpost.com/news/dhs-offers-3k-holiday-stipend-for-illegal-aliens-to-self-deport.html

DAILY SIGNAL
— Victor Davis Hanson Explains Why DEI Is the Most ‘Toxic Ideology’ DD: DEI destroys meritocracy.
https://www.dailysignal.com/2025/12/26/victor-davis-hanson-dei-is-most-toxic-ideology-weve-ever-experienced/

FOX NEWS
— Defiant TPUSA leader won’t quit despite intimidation, harassment after Charlie Kirk’s assassination. After a string of harassment, intimidation and destruction in the wake of the assassination of Turning Point USA founder Charlie Kirk, a leader at one of the organization’s college chapters refuses to back down. DD: Who leads TPUSA in Illinois, in DuPage County, in Milton Township, in Wheaton, and in Wheaton Warrenville School District 200?
https://www.foxnews.com/video/6386873781112
— Most radical courses, curriculum that received federal funding in 2025. Parents’ rights groups across the country have spoken out against far-left indoctrination over the past year. DD: My parents sending me to Missouri Synod Lutheran grade schools put me on track to earning a bachelor’s degree, three master’s degrees, six professional certifications, and a professional license.
https://www.foxnews.com/politics/most-radical-courses-curriculum-received-federal-funding-2025
— Homeownership is making a comeback thanks to Trump, but there’s more to come. HUD report shows foreign-born migrants accounted for two-thirds of growth in rental demand. DD: All my employers would have hired noncitizens instead of me if they could have. My being hired in 1970 and 1971 enabled me to not only buy a new townhome in 1972, but to also buy a new Corvette in 1971 and pay for graduate evening business courses in 1972.
https://www.foxnews.com/opinion/sec-turner-homeownership-making-comeback-thanks-trump-theres-more-come.amp

HOT AIR
— Wokeness Isn’t Dead. DD: My critics/opponents continue to promote Affirmative Action (AA) and DEI. They continue to deny that AA and DEI are reverse discrimination and age discrimination.
https://hotair.com/headlines/2025/12/26/wokeness-isnt-dead-n3810212

LAW ENFORCEMENT TODAY
— Deadly Highway Crashes Prompt ICE Sweep of Illegal Alien Truckers in California
https://lawenforcementtoday.com/ice-operation-california-highway-illegal-alien-truckers

LEGAL INSURRECTION
— DEI Policies Have Caused Real Harm to Young White Men. DD: According to my critics/opponents, a) reverse discrimination and age discrimination have never existed and b) older White males have caused all the world’s problems.
https://legalinsurrection.com/2025/12/dei-policies-have-caused-real-harm-to-young-white-men/amp/

NEWSMAX
— ICE: 70% Arrested Had Criminal Ties
https://www.newsmax.com/us/ice-trump-admin-illegals/2025/12/26/id/1239728/
— Discrimination Can Apply to Any Color, Any Sex, Any Race. DD: According to my critics/opponents, only those who are the following discriminate: conservative, Republican, American, White, male, older, non-veteran, German American, Protestant, and/or have ancestors who have not been in America for a long time.
https://www.newsmax.com/michaeldorstewitz/bondi-dei/2025/12/26/id/1239727/

PJ MEDIA
— Laken Riley Act Arrests Reach 17,500
https://pjmedia.com/catherinesalgado/2025/12/26/laken-riley-act-arrests-of-criminals-hit-17500-n4947555
— Not every Black or female is deemed more employable than a White male; only Black or female candidates who demonstrate the proper adherence to progressive values and the progressive agenda are deemed worthy. DD: To get rid of me, my Democrat GAO superiors assigned me to supervise an older Black woman.
https://pjmedia.com/rick-moran/2025/12/26/theres-a-right-kind-of-black-and-a-wrong-kind-of-black-n4947548
— Woke Professor Smears ‘It’s A Wonderful Life’ As Racist
https://pjmedia.com/matt-margolis/2025/12/26/woke-professor-smears-its-a-wonderful-life-as-racist-n4947551

POST MILLENNIAL
— Mamdani’s new lesbian FDNY fire chief never worked as a firefighter. “There are some young LGBTQ members that maybe don’t see this as a possibility for them and I want them to know that there’s nothing that can stop them from finding success.”
https://thepostmillennial.com/mamdanis-new-lesbian-fdny-fire-chief-never-worked-as-a-firefighter
(FROM THE ARTICLE: Some have been critical of Bonsignore’s appointment as well as her comment, saying that she was hired only for DEI purposes.)

REAL CLEAR POLITICS
— Feminism, Anti-Racism & the Unraveling of Western Civilization. Statistics from media, academia, and law suggest meritocracy has given way to ideology—reshaping institutions, sidelining men, and raising hard questions about the West’s long-term viability.
https://www.realclearpolitics.com/2025/12/26/feminism_anti-racism_amp_the_unraveling_of_western_civilization_681458.html

FROM NATIONAL CENTER-LEFT SOURCES

THE HILL
— DD: Hate-filled Trump-hating Trump-haters continue to promote Joe Walsh.
https://thehill.com/policy/national-security/5664041-joe-walsh-criticizes-ice-raids/amp/

CBS NEWS
— Boston Archbishop to meet with priest over controversial “ICE was here” nativity scene. DD: How strongly have Democrats taken over your church?
https://www.cbsnews.com/boston/news/ice-was-here-nativity-dedham-boston/

ASSOCIATED PRESS
— DD: Most Americans decide 2025 isn’t the year for charity. DD: Most if not virtually all charities promote the Democrat Party platform, that is, they promote even more a) dependency on government and charity, b) LGBTQ, c) abortion, d) mass/illegal immigration, e) booze, gambling, pot, and other vices, f) diminishment of Second Amendment rights, g) Affirmative Action and DEI, that is, race and gender based preference giving, patronage, political affiliation, reverse discrimination, age discrimination, religious discrimination, and national origin discrimination, and f) socialism.
https://fortune.com/2025/12/24/charitable-giving-declines-philanthropy-affordability-this-year-2025/

MSN
— US rolls out $5,000 penalty for migrants caught after illegal entry
https://www.msn.com/en-in/news/world/us-rolls-out-5000-penalty-for-migrants-caught-after-illegal-entry/ar-AA1RSlwD

CNBC
— As the cost of living keeps climbing, Americans are trying to muscle through the affordability crisis. DD: At my and my wife’s stage in life, we deal with inflation by using our retirement savings. We have no children.
https://www.cnbc.com/2025/12/26/how-americans-are-responding-to-the-affordability-crisis.html

NEW YORK TIMES
— The Strange Death of Make America Great Again. DD: I agree with MAGA when it promotes conservative principles and the Republican Party platform. I disagree with MAGA when it rejects conservative principles and the Republican Party platform.
https://www.nytimes.com/2025/12/24/opinion/turning-points-americafest-maga.html
— Agriculture Department Sheds a Fifth of Its Workers. From January to June, more than 20,000 employees out of more than 110,000 left the agency, according to a report by the agency’s inspector general. DD: Because of Gingrich budget cuts, GAO shed half its workers between 1980 and 1997. I was one of them.
https://www.nytimes.com/2025/12/22/us/politics/trump-agriculture-department-resignations-cuts.html

WALL STREET JOURNAL
— A Tale of Two Medicaid States: Minnesota Fraud vs. Indiana Reform. More indictments in Tim Walz’s state, while Mike Braun’s reforms save hundreds of millions of dollars.
https://www.wsj.com/opinion/medicaid-fraud-minnesota-indiana-reforms-tim-walz-mike-braun-d1edb6b1
— The Bruising Reality of Searching for a Job at 65. DD: I have been unemployed since I was 49 in 1997. My critics/opponents have always stressed that. In my defense, my Democrat GAO forced me to retire, that is, they fired me. Before that, a) they always ranked me in the bottom half of my coworkers for pay-for-performance, b) they delayed my promotions and never promoted me beyond GS-13, c) they kept me off audits of IRS for all but 3 of the almost 18 years that I worked for GAO, and d) they forced me to take a $23,472/year pay cut (21%) n today’s dollars to transfer from IRS to GAO. Before that, my Democrat IRS superiors a) never promoted me beyond GS-12, b) disallowed my education deductions, and c) disallowed my travel vouchers. Before that, my Democrat Post Office superiors, a) forced me to resign and b) disallowed my sick leave requests. The aforesaid has rendered worthless a) my work experience, b) my job-related bachelor’s degree, c) my three job-related master’s degrees, d) my six job-related professional certifications, and e) my job-related professional license.
https://www.wsj.com/lifestyle/careers/the-bruising-reality-of-searching-for-a-job-at-65-eed94709

FEDERAL NEWS NETWORK
— Committee Republicans advance House bill to overhaul the federal probationary period. DD: Have you been in a probationary period? After I transferred from IRS to GAO when I was 31 years old in 1980, my Democrat GAO supervisors were furious when they learned that because of my IRS employment, they could not use probationary procedures to get rid of me. In 1970, my Chicago Heights Firestone Store boss unsuccessfully tried to use probationary procedures to not hire me. The Firestone Store Chicago district office hired me and assigned me to his store. He never would have hired me. He forced me to pass a 2-week probationary period in Firestone’s Gary Indiana Store. He disapproved of my avoiding the Vietnam War draft. He disapproved of my being Protestant. He disapproved of my being German American. He disapproved of me and my ancestors living in Crete and their having been in America since 1844. The aforesaid led to my accepting a job offer from Oldsmobile in 1971. But Oldsmobile withdrew that job offer saying it had just agreed to stop hiring Whites to settle an EEOC complaint. He rudely fired me because I had accepted that job offer.
https://federalnewsnetwork.com/congress/2025/12/committee-republicans-advance-house-bill-to-overhaul-the-federal-probationary-period/

FROM OTHER SOURSES

GOOGE AI
— Come to your defense. DD: Have you had adverse actions taken against you? When your critics/opponents have had their operatives and their dupes take adverse actions against you, who has come to your defense? My critics/opponents continue to stress that when they had their operatives and their dupes take adverse actions against me, virtually no one came to my defense. They had their operatives and their dupes a) rudely throw me off the Illinois Republican Party State Convention Platform and Resolutions Committee in 2024, b) rudely end my service as the Republican fundraiser for Wheaton Independence Day parades and fireworks in 2021, c) rudely gerrymander my precinct in 2015, d) rudely end my TAPROOT Republicans of Illinois chairmanship in 2012, e) rudely end my Milton Township Republican Organization (MTRO) webmaster service in 2010 and 2004, f) rudely end my Illinois Center Right Coalition (ICRC) Steering Committee membership in 2007, g) rudely almost getting ICRC to censure me for my GOPUSA ILLINOIS newsletters in 2006, h) rudely defeat my bid to serve as MTRO Treasurer in 2004, i) etc. Who have you hoped would have come to your defense, but did not? For me, it is those Republican candidates on ballots in my precinct since 2000 who I did the most to help elect and to help reelect in general elections.
https://www.google.com/search?q=%22come+to+your+defense%22

HR MORNING
— Ask these 8 questions to get difficult employees back on track. DD: To get rid of me, my Democrat GAO superiors assigned me to supervise their most problematic employees. They all were Democrats who were minority, female, veteran, disabled, non-Protestant, non-German American, and/or had ancestors who had not been in America for a long time. Further, they assigned me to work for the supervisors who they wanted to get rid of.
https://www.hrmorning.com/articles/back-on-track/

December 22, 2025

FROM ILLINOIS CENTER-LEFT SOURCES

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

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

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

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

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

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

FROM ILLINOIS CENTER-RIGHT SOURCES

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

FROM NATIONAL CENTER-RIGHT SOURCES

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

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

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

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

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

FROM NATIONAL CENTER-LEFT SOURCES

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

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

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

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

WASHINGTON POST
— The diversity overcorrection in the workplace. Discrimination against young White men was an open secret in hiring. DD: The Democrats who ran the Post Office in 1966, IRS in 1971, and GAO in 1980 hired me because they could not find a qualified Democrat, minority, female, younger person, or veteran who would take the job. The Democrats who ran IRS in 1972, 1973, and 1974 promoted me because I was better qualified than my Democrat, minority, female, younger person, and veteran coworkers. I was taking graduate evening business courses. The Democrats who ran GAO 1986 promoted me because I was better qualified than my Democrat, minority, female, younger person, and veteran coworkers. I had earned an MBA in 1976. I had passed the CPA examination on my first attempt in 1979. I had earned a master’s degree in accounting in 1980. I had passed the Certified Internal Auditor examination on my first attempt in 1981. I had become a licensed CPA in 1981.
https://www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/2025/12/21/diversity-hiring-white-men/

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

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

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

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

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

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

FROM FOREIGN SOURCES

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

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

FROM OTHER SOURCES

HARPER COLLEGE
— Accounting Program DD: I will forever regret not majoring in accounting from the beginning. I wrongly believed that I could never pass the CPA examination. I did not start taking graduate evening accounting courses until I was 27. I did not take and pass the CPA examination on my first attempt until I was 30. I did not earn a master’s degree in accounting until I was 31. I did not take and pass the Certified Internal Auditor examination on my first attempt until I was 32. I did not become a licensed CPA until I was 32. By then, my IRS and GAO superiors and the accounting profession considered me to be far too old. They would not have done that if I had been a Democrat, minority, female, and/or veteran. I should have majored in accounting at UIC 1966-1968, NIU 1969-1970, and Loyola 1972-1976.
https://www.harpercollege.edu/academics/business/accounting/index.php
(FROM THE POSTING: Start your accounting career at Harper College. Take the first steps toward becoming an accountant, bookkeeper, or financial auditor. Harper’s Accounting Program offers several courses of study, including certificate programs that prepare students for the Certified Public Accountant (CPA) exam and entry-level roles in business and finance. Associate degrees with transfer options are also available, with Advising Services to help students plan the transfer process and provide information on what accounting classes would fit best with the student’s academic and career goals. Students will learn practical knowledge and skills essential to succeed in business careers. Harper’s Accounting courses are designed to equip students with a strong foundation in auditing, financial and managerial accounting, and business law. For professional accounting students, Harper’s Accounting Program offers an exam preparation certificate that meets Illinois Board of Examiners (ILBOE) requirements for the Uniform CPA Exam. Whether you are earning the first two years of your bachelor’s degree in accounting or if you are developing your skills as a current professional, Harper College’s Accounting Program is a valuable stepping stone toward a successful career in accounting and business finance. Get started today by exploring the Harper’s degree and certificate offerings.

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

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

December 15, 2025

FROM ILLINOIS CENTER-LEFT SOURCES

CHICAGO SUN-TIMES
— Chicago Housing Authority subject of HUD audit citing immigration and criminal activity. The CHA is one of a handful of housing authorities across the country being audited.
https://chicago.suntimes.com/the-watchdogs/2025/12/15/chicago-housing-authority-hud-oig-audit-immigration-criminal-activity
— DD: Democrat leaders ever-increasingly a) glorify and praise their illegals and b) fight their deportation.
https://chicago.suntimes.com/education/2025/12/15/meet-the-chicago-teens-raising-money-to-help-classmates-with-parents-in-immigration-detention
— UChicago, Northwestern students receive prestigious Marshall scholarship. DD: My critics/opponents have always used my having to work my way through college against me. They have always stressed that I would not have had to do that if I had gotten scholarships. They have always stressed that my ACT score was only 24 and that I only just barely made it into the upper 20% of my class.
https://chicago.suntimes.com/education/2025/12/11/uchicago-northwestern-students-receive-prestigious-marshall-scholarship

CHICAGO TRIBUNE
— DD: Democrat leaders ever-increasingly a) glorify and praise their illegals and b) fight their deportation.
https://www.chicagotribune.com/2025/12/15/the-chicago-immigrant-orchestra-is-defiant-in-the-wake-of-recent-raids/
— FRONT PAGE WITH PICTURE: CPS lunchroom workers near six months without a contract: ‘No one sees us.’ DD: Which of your jobs put you out of sight? I washed dishes in the basement of the S.S. Kresge in Chicago Heights while I was a junior and senior at Crete-Monee High School 1964-1966. I worked 28 hours a week during the school years and 40 hours a week during the summer of 1965. All during that time, I worked alone for 20 hours every week. My next job was working alone cleaning golf shores at the Flossmoor County Club. But I soon had to resign because my allergies were killing me.
https://www.chicagotribune.com/2025/12/15/cps-lunchroom-workers-contract-negotiations/

DAILY HERALD
— DD: FRONT PAGE TOP OF FOLD WITH PICTURE: Democrat leaders ever-increasingly hint/imply/argue/shout that under socialism, everyone gets free housing, free food, free clothing, free medical care, free childcare, free transportation, free education, free everything. They ever-increasingly hint/imply/argue/shout that under socialism, you do not have to work unless you want to. More and more and more in America are falling for that.
https://www.dailyherald.com/20251214/news/medical-care-is-a-human-right-st-charles-clinics-meet-the-needs-of-kane-countys-uninsured/

FOX32
— Two-thirds of Americans say government should ensure health care for all. DD: Big step toward socialism, communism, and dictatorship. America-haters ever-increasing destroy personal responsibility and blame capitalism for all problems.
https://www.fox32chicago.com/news/two-thirds-americans-believe-government-should-ensure-health-care-all-poll

CHAMPAIGN/URBANA NEWS GAZETTE
— Legal marijuana? Critics asking people to re-think the issue. DD: Pot is poison. I led the successful effort to stop the sale of pot in Wheaton in 2019.
https://www.news-gazette.com/opinion/columns/jim-dey-legal-marijuana-critics-asking-people-to-re-think-the-issue/article_91c740f6-21e3-4738-9b42-7484b749cd3a.html
— Illinois’ abortion policy places Carbondale in a hot spot
https://www.news-gazette.com/opinion/jim-dey-illinois-abortion-policy-places-carbondale-in-a-hot-spot/article_8c21faab-ea8c-4bf2-bc3f-2c4a16805a03.html

WAND TV
— As gerrymandering battles sweep country, supporters say partisan dominance is ‘fair.’ DD: According to Democrat leaders, political jurisdictions should be gerrymandered to favor voters who have demographics that vote for Democrats. Demographics that vote for Democrats include minority, female, younger, poor, unmarried, LGBTQ, non-Protestant, non-German American, have ancestors who have not been in America for a long time, and/or are in America illegally.
https://www.wandtv.com/news/national/as-gerrymandering-battles-sweep-country-supporters-say-partisan-dominance-is-fair/article_f074880c-f23d-5dfb-8060-2a2b6c7f381c.html

NPR ILLINOIS
— For Americans, the love for chain restaurants runs deep. DD: I became a McDonald’s fan when one of my relatives became financially successful selling eggs to McDonalds starting in 1960s.
https://www.nprillinois.org/2025-12-15/for-americans-the-love-for-chain-restaurants-runs-deep

WHEATON RECORD
— A Conversation on Trump Administration’s Handling of Immigration
https://thewheatonrecord.com/2025/12/14/a-conversation-on-trump-administrations-handling-of-immigration/
— McManis-Evans Women’s Floor Becoming a Male Dorm. DD: Wheaton College being conservative was a reason why my wife and I bought a home in Wheaton in 1978 and had one built in Wheaton in 1984.
https://thewheatonrecord.com/2025/12/14/mcmanis-evans-womens-floor-becoming-a-male-dorm/
— Three Illinois Christian Institutions Announced Closures in Recent Years
https://thewheatonrecord.com/2025/12/14/three-illinois-christian-institutions-announced-closures-in-recent-years/
— New Class Coming this Spring: “The Bible, Slavery and Liberation”
https://thewheatonrecord.com/2025/12/14/new-class-coming-this-spring-the-bible-slavery-and-liberation/

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

FROM ILLINOIS CENTER-RIGHT SOURCES

BREAKTHROUGH IDEAS
— Presumptuous Pritzker Signs Away the Lives of More Illinoisans
https://www.breakthrough-ideas.com/read/2025/12/11/presumptuous-pritzker-signs-away-the-lives-of-more-illinoisans
— American “Educators” and Somali-alia
https://www.breakthrough-ideas.com/read/2025/12/10/american-educators-and-somali-alia

MCHENRY COUNTY BLOG
— Newly-Elected Democratic Party Dundee Township Supervisor Shefali Shah Acts As If She Is All-Powerful. DD: I should write about the many big adverse actions that past and present leaders of the Illinois Republican Party, DuPage County Republican Central Committee, and Milton Township Republican Organization have taken against me.
https://www.mchenrycountyblog.com/2025/12/14/newly-elected-democratic-party-dundee-township-supervisor-shefali-shah-acts-as-if-she-is-all-powerful/
— Illinois Review Takes Down Darby Hills for Taking a Walk on Illegal Alien Vote
https://www.mchenrycountyblog.com/2025/12/14/illinois-review-takes-down-darby-hills-for-taking-a-walk-on-illegal-alien-vote/
— Charlie Brown Christmas Available Free Saturday & Sunday on Apple+
https://www.mchenrycountyblog.com/2025/12/14/charlie-brown-christmas-available-free-saturday-sunday-on-apple/
— Blackface in Easton, Maryland
https://www.mchenrycountyblog.com/2025/12/14/blackface-in-easton-maryland/
— Illinois Ranks High on Lawsuit Abuse. DD: All my critics/opponents side with the defendants in the lawsuits that I have filed. I should write about those lawsuits, the defendants, their lawyers, and the big adverse actions that they have taken against me.
https://www.mchenrycountyblog.com/2025/12/13/14853/
— U.S. Treasury Secretary Calls Out Illinois for Refusing to Stop Taxing Tips
https://www.mchenrycountyblog.com/2025/12/12/u-s-treasury-secretary-calls-out-illinois-for-refusing-to-stop-taxing-tips/
— Bailey Attacks Pritzker on Refusing to Stop Taxing Tips in Illinois
https://www.mchenrycountyblog.com/2025/12/12/bailey-attacks-pritzker-on-refusing-to-stop-taxing-tips-in-illinois/

FROM NATIONAL CENTER-RIGHT SOURCES

WASHINGTON TIMES
— Illegal immigration embraced by progressive evangelicals pushes America toward cultural suicide. Recycled ’70s Marxism isn’t real Christianity. DD: How strongly have Democrat leaders taken over your church?
https://www.washingtontimes.com/news/2025/dec/14/illegal-immigration-embraced-progressive-evangelicals-pushes-america/

NEW YORK POST
— The woke have seized control of NYC’s ‘affordable housing’
https://nypost.com/2025/12/14/opinion/the-woke-have-seized-control-of-nycs-affordable-housing/

AMERICAN CONSERVATIVE
— Is the Indiana Redistricting Debacle the Future of MAGA?
https://www.theamericanconservative.com/is-the-indiana-redistricting-debacle-the-future-of-maga/

AMERICAN THINKER
— The Wisconsin Supreme Court takes on the Supremacy Clause. DD: Democrats ever-increasingly reject federal law. That is what the Confederates did.
https://www.americanthinker.com/blog/2025/12/the_wisconsin_supreme_court_takes_on_the_supremacy_clause.html

CHRISTIAN POST
— Why the woke right is winning Gen Z: A look inside the machine
https://www.christianpost.com/voices/why-the-woke-right-is-winning-gen-z-a-look-inside-the-machine.html

COLLEGE FIX
— White professor still fighting in court, alleging ‘racially hostile’ environment at Penn State. DEI trainings gave ‘signals to white and Asian employees that they are not going to be treated equally.’ DD: While I worked for the Democrats who ran GAO for almost 18 years, I worked in an ever-increasingly hostile environment. Gingrich ever-increasingly cut the agency’s budget. My Democrat GAO superiors ever-increasingly used those cuts to waste the careers of and to get rid of their employees who were Republican, White, male, older, and/or non-veteran. That all culminated in their forcing me to retire when I was 49 years old in September of 1997.
https://www.thecollegefix.com/white-professor-still-fighting-in-court-alleging-racially-hostile-environment-at-penn-state/

DAILY SIGNAL
— Would ICE Have Deported Jesus at Christmas? AWAY WITH THE MANGER: How the Left Tries to Weaponize Christmas Against Trump. DD: How strongly have Democrat leaders taken over your church?
https://www.dailysignal.com/2025/12/14/would-ice-have-deported-jesus-christmas/
(FROM THE ARTICLE: This year, Catholics in Massachusetts are protesting President Donald Trump’s immigration policies by swapping “Away in a Manger” for “Away With the Manger.” This marks yet another instance of Trump opponents weaponizing the Christmas story to demonize immigration enforcement by claiming Jesus was a refugee and suggesting Immigration and Customs Enforcement would have arrested and deported the Christ child in the manger. The Catholic priest at St. Susanna Parish in Dedham, Massachusetts, set up a classic nativity scene with shepherds, sheep, wise men, and … a sign reading “ICE was here” in the place where Mary, Joseph, and baby Jesus would normally be. While the Catholic leadership opposed this “divisive political messaging,” the Rev. Stephen Josoma blamed the Trump administration for any division. Meanwhile, Lake Street Church of Evanston, Illinois, put baby Jesus in zip ties and an emergency blanket, and placed gas masks on the faces of Mary and Joseph. The church said this symbolizes the conditions of ICE detention facilities and the use of tear gas on “peaceful protesters, journalists, and community members advocating for immigration reform.” “The Holy Family were refugees,” the church posted on Facebook. “By witnessing this familiar story through the reality faced by migrants today, we hope to restore its radical edge, and to ask what it means to celebrate the birth of a refugee child while turning away those who follow in that child’s footsteps.” Was Jesus a Refugee? These strained analogies rest on a kernel of truth. According to Matthew 2:13-23, an angel appeared to Joseph, warning him to flee to Egypt because King Herod the Great aimed to kill Jesus. Herod ordered the slaughter of male children in Bethlehem, but Jesus survived in Egypt. God sent another angel to Joseph later, advising him to return to Israel because “those who sought the child’s life are dead.” Jesus arguably fit the definition of a refugee: someone forced to leave his or her country to escape war or persecution. However, anyone seeking to tie Jesus’ sojourn in Egypt to the plight of refugees or illegal aliens in America today will at once encounter a plethora of problems. Herod, the king who sought to kill Jesus, owed his position to the Roman Senate. Jesus fled Roman-ruled Judea to reside in Roman-ruled Egypt, and then returned to Roman-ruled Judea. Politically, Jesus’ flight to Egypt resembles a conservative family fleeing New York for Florida, or a liberal family moving from Texas to Illinois, more than it does a Somali refugee seeking asylum in the U.S. Jesus did not immigrate to Egypt and did not seek to become a citizen there. Furthermore, the Roman Empire at the time did not grant most of the population the right to vote, and it did not award government benefits to Jewish refugees in Egypt. Modern Western democratic welfare states need to regulate immigration more heavily than ancient empires did, partly because immigrants and refugees often claim benefits from the public purse, and these aliens may also seek to influence politics by voting or other means. Merely shouting, “Jesus was a refugee!” does nothing to address the serious concerns that illegal immigration poses. Caring for ‘The Least of These’ Christians should, of course, heed the Matthew 25 parable in which Jesus says God will reward us for helping “the least of these.” We should care for the sick, feed the hungry, and clothe the naked, to the best of our ability. These commands to love our neighbor do not extend to using the force of the state to redistribute funds, however. Jesus calls on us to love our neighbors, not to bully our neighbors into forking over cash so the government can then serve other neighbors. That parable urges us to see Jesus in the least fortunate, and Christians are right to provide aid to those who are struggling. That doesn’t mean, however, that we must sacrifice national sovereignty or oppose the enforcement of immigration law. In our globalized world, Christians can and should help those in other countries before they seek to enter the U.S., and it would be grotesque for Christians to prioritize aid for those who violated the law to come to America over legal immigrants or the poor people who are still struggling in their own countries. Contrary to the suggestion of the Evanston church, Jesus, Mary, and Joseph were not political activists. Yes, Jesus came to usher in a new kingdom—but when the Jews sought to make him a king, he refused. Jesus did not set himself up as a political leader. Rather, he and his followers urged Jews and Christians to pay their taxes and to submit to the ruling authorities, knowing that the spiritual freedom of the gospel matters far more than any political cause. Jesus knew of political movements against Roman oppression, and he did not endorse them. Jesus’ decision not to lead a political rebellion against Rome likely contributed to the Jewish leaders’ scheme to have him executed. None of this is to say that Christians cannot support political causes, but it does mean that Mary and Joseph likely would not have joined the agitators who seek to block ICE from enforcing immigration law. Perhaps more importantly, ICE would not have removed Jesus from the manger—any more than it would remove conservative New Yorkers from Florida or liberal Texans from Illinois. Christmas is about the birth of Jesus, not an excuse to demonize law enforcement. It’s high time for St. Susanna Parish to put the Christ child back in the center of the nativity scene where he belongs.)

EPOCH TIMES
— 1 in 4 Unemployed Americans Has a Degree—The Future of White-Collar Jobs. DD: I have been unemployed since I was 49 in 1997 despite my having a job-related bachelor’s degree, three job-related master’s degrees, six job-related professional certifications, and a job-related professional license. Why is that? It is because my Democrat GAO superiors forced me to retire and because of the many additional adverse actions that they took against me before that because I complained about their political affiliation discrimination, reverse discrimination,  and age discrimination and because I became an active member of a class action lawsuit that charged them with the aforesaid when I was 40 in 1988.
https://www.theepochtimes.com/business/1-in-4-unemployed-americans-has-a-degree-the-future-of-white-collar-jobs-5950378
— Want a Job? Ditch the Degree and Pick Up a Trade. The future belongs to trades and hands-on skills. DD: Doctors discouraged my father from seeking a college degree because he had brittle type 1 diabetes. According to them, the stress would kill him. So he got an office job. He often decried his not having a degree. He was often passed over for promotions. He blamed his not having a degree for that, but his health problems were also a big factor. That led me to earn four degrees. A bachelor’s degree in management from NIU when I was 21 in 1970. An MBA from Loyola when I was 27. A master’s degree in accounting from DePaul when I was 31. And a master’s degree in finance from IIT when I was 48. That also led me to pass the CPA examination on first attempt when I was 30. To pass the Certified Internal Auditor examination on my first attempt when I was 32. To become a licensed CPA when I was 32. And to earn four more job-related professional certifications when I was 41, 45, 47, and 48.
https://www.theepochtimes.com/opinion/want-a-job-ditch-the-degree-and-pick-up-a-trade-5939262

FOX NEWS
— Illegal immigrant truck driver accused in fatal Washington crash released on $100,000 bond
https://www.foxnews.com/us/illegal-immigrant-truck-driver-accused-fatal-washington-crash-released-100000-bond.print

JONATHAN TURLEY
— “Hatemongers, Homophobes, Fascists, Racists, Flag-Waving Proud Racists”: Fired Radio Host Has Meltdown Over Cubs Infielder Matt Shaw Going to Kirk Funeral. DD: People’s reactions to Kirk’s assassination say a lot about them.
https://jonathanturley.org/2025/12/14/hatemongers-homophobes-fascists-racists-flag-waving-proud-racists-fired-radio-host-has-meltdown-over-cubs-infielder-matt-shaw-going-to-kirk-funeral/

LEGAL INSURRECTION
— Opposing the Hypocrisy of Woke Establishments
https://legalinsurrection.com/2025/12/opposing-the-hypocrisy-of-woke-establishments/amp/

NEWSMAX
— Party Label Drives Voters More Than Policy. DD: Democrats run the news media, education, and just about everything else in America. Democrats exist to advance the liberal/socialist Democrat Party platform and to get rid of Republicans once and for all. To vote for Democrats is to get rid of Republicans once and for all starting with Republicans who are conservative, White, male, older, non-poor, married, Protestant, German American, and/or have ancestors who have been in America for a long time. The more of the aforesaid that Republicans are, the more that they should focus on their personal defense.
https://www.newsmax.com/newsfront/politico-poll-party/2025/12/14/id/1238288/

POST MILLENNIAL
— Illegal immigrant trucker charged in Washington fatal crash was released into US under Biden—then freed again despite ICE detainer
https://thepostmillennial.com/illegal-immigrant-trucker-charged-in-washington-fatal-crash-was-released-into-us-under-biden-then-freed-again-despite-ice-detainer

REAL CLEAR POLITICS
— The Immigration and Deportation Conundrums
https://www.realclearpolitics.com/articles/2025/12/15/the_immigration_and_deportation_conundrums_153629.amp.html

TOWNHALL
— The Weekend’s Gun Tragedies Show Why You Must Buy (Even More) Guns. DD: As Democrats gain more power, they will try to confiscate firearms and ammunition from Republicans.
https://townhall.com/columnists/kurtschlichter/2025/12/15/the-weekends-gun-tragedies-show-why-you-must-buy-even-more-guns-n2667868

FROM NATIONAL CENTER-LEFT SOURCES

NEW YORK TIMES
— Without affirmative action, some colleges focus on economics. DD: Because Black and Hispanic parents have lower incomes than White parents, colleges use income as a proxy for race.
https://yorknewstimes.com/news/nation-world/education/article_5c7a93e6-cfb9-50be-a071-a40bdb92d096.html
— DD: The New York Times exists to promote more hatred against Trump.
https://www.nytimes.com/2025/12/15/us/trump-dei-funding-deaf-blind.html

WASHINGTON POST
— Do Democrats need their own billionaire? Pritzker is betting on it. The Illinois governor has tapped his wealth to climb the political ladder, moving toward a White House run while presenting himself as a champion for everyday people. DD: Does Pritzker champion for you? If so, you must be liberal/moderate, minority, female, younger, unmarried, LGBTQ, poor, non-Protestant, non-German American, have ancestors who have not been in America for a long time, and/or are in America illegally.
https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/2025/12/15/billionaires-pritzker-democrats-president-trump/
— DD: Because federal courts ruled that my Democrat GAO superiors had the power to force me to retire, that is, that they had the power to fire me, Trump has the power to fire any federal employee he wants to.
https://www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/2025/12/14/supreme-court-ftc-trump-firing/

LOS ANGELES TIMES
— Higher cost, worse coverage: Affordable Care Act enrollees say expiring subsidies will hit them hard. DD: Are/were your healthcare insurance premiums subsidized? Ever since I became a part-time postal employee when was 18 in 1966, my critics/opponents have been furious that the federal government has paid 72% of my healthcare insurance premiums. They have been even more furious ever since I got married when I was 29 and the federal government started paying 72% of my wife’s healthcare insurance premiums. That 72% subsidy is a major reason why people despise/hate federal employees, federal retirees, and their spouses. That 72% subsidy helped me withstand tremendous efforts by my Democrat superiors in the federal government to waste my career and to get rid of me.
https://www.latimes.com/world-nation/story/2025-12-14/higher-cost-worse-coverage-affordable-care-act-enrollees-say-expiring-subsidies-will-hit-them-hard

ATLANTA JOURNAL CONSTITUTION
— Worried about paying for college? There are affordable options. DD: My critics/opponents have always used my having to work my way through college against me. They have always stressed that I would not have had to do that if I had gotten scholarships. They have always stressed that my ACT score was only 24 and that I only just barely made it into the upper 20% of my class.
https://www.ajc.com/education/2025/12/worried-about-paying-for-college-there-are-affordable-options/

USA TODAY
— Looking for a big raise or promotion in 2026? Don’t get your hopes up. DD: While I worked for the federal government for almost 30 years, my critics/opponents were ever-increasingly furious a) that the Post Office hired me in 1966, IRS in 1971, and GAO in 1980, b) that IRS promoted me in 1972, 1973, and 1974, c) that GAO promoted me in 1986, d) that I got COLAs, e) that I got step increases, f) that 72% of my and wife’s healthcare insurance premiums were subsidized, g) that I got lots of sick leave and vacation time, h) etc. According to my critics/opponents, all of the aforesaid should have been given to Democrats who were minority, female, younger, and/or veteran.
https://www.usatoday.com/story/money/personalfinance/2025/12/10/raise-promotion-chances-2026/87676414007/
— Why retirees could face a financial shock from Social Security in 2026. Many retirees are struggling with their finances, and things could get worse next year if they aren’t prepared for this reality about Social Security.
https://www.usatoday.com/story/money/personalfinance/retirement/2025/12/10/financial-shock-social-security-2026/87683527007/

WALL STREET JOURNAL
— Disparate-Impact Theory Is Unconstitutional. It purports to combat discrimination but in practice ends up encouraging it. DD: Democrat and RINO leaders use disparate impact to get rid of Republicans who are conservative, White, male, older, nonpoor, nonveteran, Protestant, German American, and/or have ancestors who have been in America for a long time. According to Democrat and RINO leaders, when those who are the aforesaid succeed, it is because they benefit from discrimination against those who are not aforesaid. According to my critics/opponents, because I am all of the aforesaid, a) I owe all of my successes in life to my benefitted from discrimination against those who are not the aforesaid and b) I should pay the price of Affirmative Action and DEI.
https://www.wsj.com/opinion/disparate-impact-theory-is-unconstitutional-2664133d
— FRONT PAGE: The Chinese Billionaires Having Dozens of U.S.-Born Babies Via Surrogate. Videogame executive Xu Bo, said to have more than 100 children, and other elites build mega-families, testing citizenship laws and drawing on nannies, IVF and legal firms set up to help them. DD: With birthright citizenship, the future of America is ever-increasingly bleak. Ever-increasingly, citizens of foreign countries that despise/hate America and despise/hate Americans are taking over America.
https://www.wsj.com/us-news/chinese-billionaires-surrogacy-pregnancy-7fdfc0c3
— Does MAHA Stand for ‘Make America High Again’?  Reclassifying marijuana flies in the face of Trump and RFK Jr.’s professed concern about health. DD: Pot is poison. I led the successful effort to stop the sale of pot in Wheaton in 2019.
https://www.wsj.com/opinion/does-maha-stand-for-make-america-high-again-ff356532
— Say Goodbye to the Billable Hour. DD: While I worked for GAO for almost 18 years, I had to account for each and every hour that I worked. I had to fill out forms each and every day with the number of hours that spent working on “job codes” and then submit those forms every 2 weeks.
https://www.wsj.com/tech/ai/ai-goodbye-to-billable-hours-cba198fe

FORBES
— The CPA Shortage. DD: My passing the CPA examination on my first attempt when I was a 30-year-old IRS employee in 1979 was one of my greatest successes. But my Democrat IRS superiors ignored/dismissed/belittled it. They would not have done that if I had been a Democrat, minority, female, younger, or veteran. My passing the Certified Internal Auditor examination on my first attempt and becoming a licensed CPA when I was a 32-year-old GAO employee in 1981 was one of my greatest successes. But my Democrat GAO superiors ignored/dismissed/belittled it. They would not have done that if I had been a Democrat, minority, female, younger, or veteran.
https://www.forbes.com/councils/forbesfinancecouncil/2025/05/12/disruption-in-accounting-the-cpa-shortage-meets-the-rise-of-ai/
(FROM THE ARTICLE: The CPA pipeline has been weakening for years. Fewer accounting majors are sitting for the CPA exam, and the industry is seeing a mass exodus of Baby Boomers without enough young professionals to replace them. According to estimates from the American Institute of Certified Public Accountants, around 75% of all licensed CPAs reached retirement age by 2019.

PUNCHBOWL NEWS
— Indiana flop muddies Dem redistricting push. DD: I anticipate/expect that Pritzker could say/has said that he has the power to redistrict so that no Republican will ever be elected in Illinois.
https://punchbowl.news/article/campaigns/redistricting-dems/

PROVIDER MAGAZINE
— How to Keep Up with the Jones. DD: Did your parents have trouble keeping up with the Jones? Mine sure did. My father never earned more than $50,000/year in today’s dollars. He died suddenly when he was 47 and I was 21 in 1969. My mother, who never attended high school, never worked outside of the home until after he died because of her limited earning potential. I had to work my way through college. I remember in 1958 when our neighbor to the north owned a top of the line 1958 Oldsmobile, our neighbor to the south owned a top of the line 1957 Pontiac, and we owned a bottom of the line 1951 Plymouth.
https://www.providermagazine.com/Articles/Pages/How-to-Keep-Up-with-the-Jones-to-Attract-Residents-.aspx

GOVERNMENT EXECUTIVE
— DD: Democrats run the federal government. Only those federal employees who are the following have Civil Service protections: Democrats who are minority, female, younger, veteran, disabled, LGBTQ, non-Protestant, non-German American, and/or have ancestors who have not been in America for a long time.
https://www.govexec.com/workforce/2025/11/final-schedule-f-regulations-describe-civil-service-protections-unconstitutional-overcorrections/409616/

CAMPAIGNS AND ELECTIONS
— The ‘Do My Own Research’ Voter Has a New Research Assistant. DD: If I did not spend so much time putting GOPUSA ILLINOIS newsletters together and sending them out, I would do opposition research. I would focus on my critics/opponents who have taken the most/biggest adverse actions against me lately.
https://campaignsandelections.com/voices/the-do-my-own-research-voter-has-a-new-research-assistant/
(FROM THE ARTICLE: I spent years moderating focus groups, and I lost count of how many voters proudly said they “did their own research.” What that really meant was typing a candidate’s name into Google, glancing at ten blue links and, more often than not, closing the browser without clicking a thing. Now, voters searching for a candidate or issue are often getting a single neatly packaged answer assembled by artificial intelligence from whatever sources it finds most credible and clearly written. And if it answers their question, their “research” is done.  That’s great if your campaign is one of those sources. If not, it’s a problem.)