ABC7
— Illinois gun sales surge amid coronavirus pandemic, shop owners say; upswing echoed nationwide – Chuck Goudie and Barb Markoff, Christine Tressel, and Ross Weidner
https://abc7chicago.com/covid-19-fuels-gun-sales-surge-in-illinois-and-nationwide-shop-owners-say/6194802/
CHICAGO TRIBUNE
— Talk of the County: Government assistance allows people to ‘spend all of the extra money on marijuana, alcohol, cigarettes and gambling’
https://www.chicagotribune.com/suburbs/lake-county-news-sun/opinion/ct-lns-talk-of-county-st-0520-20200518-qwdw56almzdejdqboy4dnjysue-story.html
— DISGUSTING, TRAGIC: Southland colleges offer courses for cannabis industry job seekers and aspiring entrepreneurs – FRANCINE KNOWLES
https://www.chicagotribune.com/suburbs/daily-southtown/opinion/ct-sta-knowles-column-st-0519-20200518-lnpxugzjnngefbn47l44lk2s6a-story.html
— DIERSEN HEADLINE: A Trump-hater says “Rushing to reopen the economy won’t help American workers — it will kill them.”
https://www.chicagotribune.com/opinion/ct-nyt-opinion-coronavirus-reopen-economy-workers-20200518-va75vbwvx5gkddihk5tfqv7zou-story.html
CHICAGO SUN-TIMES
— Rep. Garcia urges Gov. J.B. Pritzker to ensure Illinois Hispanics are hired as contact tracers Garcia said, “Keep in mind, Governor, there is a body of these folks who are experienced, who people trust and they know how to knock on doors when it is safe to do so.”- Lynn Sweet (DIERSEN: GAO hired me in 1980 because it could not find a qualified Democrat, minority, female, younger person, or veteran who would take the job. IRS hired me in 1971 because it could not find a qualified Democrat, minority, female, or veteran who would take the job. The Post Office hired me in 1966 because it could not find a qualified Democrat, minority, female, or veteran who would take the job.)
https://chicago.suntimes.com/coronavirus/2020/5/18/21263129/rep-jesus-chuy-garcia-urges-gov-j-b-pritzker-to-hire-illinois-hispanic-contact-tracers
— Mike Ditka’s restaurant in Gold Coast is closing COVID-19 and a short-term lease are blamed for “the extremely difficult decision.” – Darel Jevens
https://chicago.suntimes.com/2020/5/18/21263210/ditkas-closes-restaurant-chicago-gold-coast-chestnut-mike
CRAIN’S CHICAGO BUSINESS
— It’s time for Illinois to start rethinking ‘normal’ We cannot afford to hide from this virus forever. Living with it is our best hope, most likely for many months to come. And so, it is time for a new approach and, in some cases, to recalibrate our thinking. – Editorial
https://www.chicagobusiness.com/opinion/its-time-illinois-start-rethinking-normal
WBBM
— Top Mayoral Aide Says COVID-19 Pandemic To Cost Chicago ‘Probably In Excess Of $500 Million’ – KEITH JOHNSON
https://wbbm780.radio.com/articles/top-mayoral-aid-covid-19-to-cost-chicago-in-excess-of-500m
SPRINGFIELD STATE JOURNAL REGISTER
— What to expect when legislature returns Wednesday – Kade Heather
https://www.sj-r.com/news/20200518/what-to-expect-when-legislature-returns-wednesday
BELLEVILLE NEWS DEMOCRAT
— Plummer accuses Pritzker of creating ‘autocracy’ – MIKE KOZIATEK AND HANA MUSLIC
https://www.bnd.com/news/coronavirus/article242803566.html
KANKAKEE DAILY JOURNAL
— Census outreach ‘incredibly stymied’ by COVID-19 pandemic – Jerry Nowicki
https://www.daily-journal.com/news/local/census-outreach-incredibly-stymied-by-covid-19-pandemic/article_05f91d08-98ed-11ea-86c6-13c6256917ec.html
SUBURBAN LIFE
— Pritzker to critics of emergency rule: Defying IDPH rules was already a misdemeanor IDPH: 59 more COVID-19 deaths, 2,294 new confirmed cases – SEAN HAMMOND
https://www.mysuburbanlife.com/2020/05/18/pritzker-to-critics-of-emergency-rule-defying-idph-rules-was-already-a-misdemeanor/am46rmh/
FOX ILLINOIS
— Businesses violating stay-at-home order could be cited, fined
https://foxillinois.com/news/local/businesses-violating-stay-at-home-order-could-be-cited-fined
NEWS CHANNEL 20
— Illinois Republicans upset with Gov. Pritzker’s power – Matt Roy (DIERSEN: If Rauner had done what Pritzker has done, the Democrats would have removed him from office by now.)
https://newschannel20.com/news/local/illinois-republicans-upset-with-gov-pritzkers-power
WSPY
— Illinois GOP Again Push to Remove Graduated Income Tax Amendment From November Ballot; Legislators Send Letter on Mental Health
http://www.wspynews.com/news/local/illinois-gop-again-push-to-remove-graduated-income-tax-amendment-from-november-ballot-legislators-send/article_fa1ae5c2-99d0-11ea-bb9f-23c3e0bae433.html
WEEK
— DIERSEN HEADLINE: Ever-increasingly, Trump-haters promote hatred against those who do not hate Trump.
https://week.com/2020/05/19/theres-no-place-for-hatred-in-our-state-addressing-the-trend-at-reopen-illinois-rallies/
NORTHEASTERN ILLINOIS INDEPENDENT
— Four Illinois counties to vote on secession from Chicago. What if they succeed? – Matthew Rago (DIERSEN: Do the leaders of your county want secession from Chicago or do they want to get rid of the county’s residents, organizations, companies, and governments that are Trump supporters, Protestant, conservative, patriotic, Republican, American, White, male, older, non- poor, gun owners, German American, and/or those whose ancestors have been in America for a long time?)
https://neiuindependent.org/16823/opinions/four-illinois-counties-to-vote-on-secession-from-chicago-what-if-they-succeed/
WISCONSIN EXAMINER
— Trump’s defamation suits pose a chilling prospect for the press The eyes of the nation turn to Rhinelander, WI — population 7,632 – Bob Lewis (DIERSEN: In your municipal district, in your municipality, in your township, and in your county, who takes the lead in defaming people? I should write a book about those in Wheaton’s West District, Wheaton, Milton Township, and DuPage County who take the lead in defaming people. I would focus on those who have lots of religious, government, political, and/or financial clout. I would focus on those who paint themselves as being religious, conservative, and/or Republican to give themselves standing to defame those who are religious, conservatives, and/or Republican. Of course, they have their operatives and their dupes do their dirty work, so I would focus on them too.)
https://wisconsinexaminer.com/2020/04/27/trumps-defamation-suits-pose-a-chilling-prospect-for-the-press/
CHICAGO LAW BULLETIN
— FROM THE ARTICLE: 38 out of 177 lawmakers in the 101st Illinois General Assembly as attorneys.
https://www.chicagolawbulletin.com/getdoc/58ee96b1-7f43-4a61-afa5-e8b007b1f0d0/introducing-lawyers-in-the-legislature-20200515
ROBERT FEDER
— WIND’s Amy Jacobson barred from governor’s media briefings (DIERSEN: I do not claim to be impartial. I am conservative and I state that I am conservative. I am Republican and I state that I am Republican. It is called full disclosure. According to Democrats and to according RINOs, only those who claim to be impartial can be journalists or reporters. I should write a book about mainstream journalists and mainstream reporters who falsely claim to be impartial. They talk, act, and/or write like they are not only liberal and/or Democrat, but like they are anti-conservative and/or anti-Republican. Further, I should write a book about pot pushers who have lots of religious, government, political, and/or financial clout in DuPage County who sided with other pot pushers against me when I spoke out against pot at a DuPage County Board meeting last year. They said that lobbyists cannot be journalists or reporters. They said that I was a lobbyist, and that therefore, I was not a journalist or a reporter, that is, they charged me with failing to register as a lobbyist with the State of Illinois. They know that by definition, lobbyists are paid to lobby and that I have never been paid to lobby. I should have sued them.)
https://www.robertfeder.com/2020/05/19/winds-amy-jacobson-barred-governors-media-briefings/
(FROM THE ARTICLE: Jacobson’s participation prompted others in the media to question whether she had forfeited her standing as a journalist by becoming an advocate and activist. Capitol Fax editor Rich Miller wrote: “Give a speech at a rally and then expect to be treated like a reporter? Nope.” Chicago Tribune chief political reporter Rick Pearson tweeted: “And we are the ones accused of being ‘fake news.’” On Monday Pritzker’s press secretary, Jordan Abudayyeh, notified Jacobson that she was persona non grata. “This weekend you attended and spoke at a political rally to fire up the crowd opposing the Governor’s policies to combat COVID-19,” Abudayyeh wrote in an email Jacobson made public. “That rally was attended by people holding hateful Nazi imagery. An impartial journalist would not have attended that rally in that capacity and therefore you will no longer be invited to participate as an impartial journalist.” Jeff Reisman, regional vice president and general manager of AM 560 The Answer, questioned the decision and said he hoped Jacobson would be readmitted. “I am disappointed that the governor has decided to limit the scope of questions he receives from the media,” Reisman said. “Amy Jacobson has had a long career as a journalist in Chicago, and she has routinely been asking questions that AM 560’s listeners want to have answered. “In this time of uncertainty, I would hope that Gov. Pritzker and his staff would be more transparent and accountable to the people of Illinois. Picking and choosing which media outlets are allowed to ask questions creates the impression that Gov. Pritzker isn’t willing to answer difficult questions. I hope this decision would be reversed immediately and that Amy would be given access once again.” Muller also defended Jacobson, saying: “Why is it we have to agree with Governor Pritzker to ask him questions? . . . Regular people are hurting. That is who Amy and I speak with on our different radio shows. Pritzker allows no followup questions and no real questions from anyone but sycophants.” Jacobson has harshly criticized Pritzker’s handling of the shutdown and challenged the governor on why his family recently traveled from a home in Florida to one in Wisconsin in apparent violation of his statewide order. She said she plans to talk about the ban on Tuesday’s show. Before she joined the news/talk station in 2010, Jacobson worked for more than 10 years as a general assignment reporter at NBC-owned WMAQ-Channel 5.)
PRAIRIE STATE WIRE
— Pritzker bans AM 560’s Jacobson from daily press conferences, claims she isn’t “impartial” (DIERSEN: I do not claim to be impartial. I am conservative and I state that I am conservative. I am Republican and I state that I am Republican. It is called full disclosure. According to Democrats and to according RINOs, only those who claim to be impartial can be journalists or reporters. I should write a book about mainstream journalists and mainstream reporters who falsely claim to be impartial. They talk, act, and/or write like they are not only liberal and/or Democrat, but like they are anti-conservative and/or anti-Republican. Further, I should write a book about pot pushers who have lots of religious, government, political, and/or financial clout in DuPage County who sided with other pot pushers against me when I spoke out against pot at a DuPage County Board meeting last year. They said that lobbyists cannot be journalists or reporters. They said that I was a lobbyist and that therefore, I was not a journalist or a reporter, that is, they charged me with failing to register as a lobbyist with the State of Illinois. They know that by definition, lobbyists are paid to lobby and that I have never been paid to lobby. I should have sued them.)
https://prairiestatewire.com/stories/537599785-pritzker-bans-am-560-s-jacobson-from-daily-press-conferences-claims-she-isn-t-impartial
(FROM THE ARTICLE: Abudayyeh criticized Jacobson for her attendance at a downtown Chicago rally of Pritzker critics on Saturday. “This weekend you attended and spoke at a political rally to fire up the crowd in opposing the Governor’s policies to combat COVID-19,” Abudayyeh said. “An impartial journalist would not have attended that rally in that capacity and therefore you will no longer be invited to participate as an impartial journalist.”)
WIREPOINTS
— Trading at junk levels: Illinois borrowing costs 5 times higher than AAA-rated states – Ted Dabrowski and John Klingner
https://wirepoints.org/trading-at-junk-levels-illinois-borrowing-costs-5-times-higher-than-aaa-rated-states-wirepoints/
ILLINOIS LEAKS
— Pritzker bans AM 560’s Jacobson from daily press conferences, claims she isn’t “impartial” – JOHN KRAFT
https://edgarcountywatchdogs.com/2020/05/pritzker-bans-am-560s-jacobson-from-daily-press-conferences-claims-she-isnt-impartial/
CAPITOL FAX
— DIERSEN HEADLINE: Republican-haters side with Republican-haters.
https://capitolfax.com/2020/05/18/politicizing-grandstanding-and-twisting-the-facts/
WASHINGTON TIMES
— Nancy Pelosi: ‘Morbidly obese’ Trump shouldn’t be taking hydroxychloroquine – Victor Morton (DIERSEN: How soon, if not already, will laws be enacted that bar those who are older, those who are overweight, those who have health problems including diabetes, etc. from seeking or holding government or political offices?)
https://www.washingtontimes.com/news/2020/may/18/nancy-pelosi-donald-trump-morbidly-obese-shouldnt-/
WASHINGTON EXAMINER
— Top White House staffers are working from home as West Wing coronavirus fears build – Katherine Doyle
https://www.washingtonexaminer.com/news/top-white-house-staffers-are-working-from-home-as-west-wing-coronavirus-fears-build
— Polls Show Trump Holds Enthusiasm Edge Over Biden – Kimberly Ross
https://www.washingtonexaminer.com/opinion/polls-show-one-huge-problem-for-the-biden-campaign
BREITBART
— Migration Advocates: Open the Borders to Asylum Seekers with Coronavirus – NEIL MUNRO
https://www.breitbart.com/politics/2020/05/18/migration-advocates-open-the-borders-to-asylum-seekers-with-coronavirus/
CNS NEWS
— HEROES Act Would Benefit Murderers and Illegal Aliens – Hans Bader
https://cnsnews.com/commentary/hans-bader/heroes-act-would-benefit-murderers-and-illegal-aliens
DAILY SIGNAL
— A Proposed ‘Health Defense Operations’ Slush Fund Won’t Protect US From Future Pandemics – Romina Boccia
https://www.dailysignal.com/2020/05/18/a-proposed-health-defense-operations-slush-fund-wont-protect-us-from-future-pandemics/
PHYLLIS SCHLAFLY
— Feminists Use COVID-19 To Abolish The Family – Ed Martin
https://www.phyllisschlafly.com/family/feminists-use-covid-19-to-abolish-the-family/
— Restart Sports Without Gambling – John & Andy Schlafly
https://www.phyllisschlafly.com/featured-top/restart-sports-without-gambling/
LIFE SITE NEWS
— Facebook announces progress in developing AI to silence ‘hate speech’ The social media platform says it now detects and removes 88.8 percent of what it considers ‘hate speech.’ (DIERSEN: According to Democrats, Libertarians, Greens, and RINOs, everything is hate speech except for what they say, write, or bless.)
https://www.lifesitenews.com/news/facebook-announces-progress-in-developing-ai-to-silence-hate-speech
— Chicago Catholic group: Cupich’s plan to re-open churches is ‘betrayal of Christ’ Cardinal Cupich’s plan has ‘yielded the authority of the Church and subjugated the primacy of her worship to laws of man,’ they say. – Stephen Kokx
https://www.lifesitenews.com/news/chicago-catholic-group-blasts-cupichs-plan-to-re-open-churches-monstrous-betrayal-of-christ
NEWSGUARD
— Major Republican and Democratic campaign organizations are using shady “news” sites to spread political propaganda (DIERSEN: As everyone knows, he who pays the piper calls the tunes. As everyone knows, 100% of the time and the money needed to put GOPUSA ILLINOIS emails together and to send them out comes from me. Not one penny comes from the Republican National Committee, Illinois Republican Party, DuPage County Republican Central Committee, Milton Township Republican Organization, or any Republican candidate. I should write a book about efforts by the aforesaid and others a) to stop me from putting GOPUSA ILLINOIS emails together and sending them out and b) to stop everyone from reading the emails.)
https://www.newsguardtech.com/misinformation-monitor-may-2020/
THE HILL
— Biden: Trump’s coronavirus response has been ‘nakedly xenophobic’ – JONATHAN EASLEY (DIERSEN: Ever-increasingly, Democrats use coronavirus to demonize, denigrate, and condemn Republicans.)
https://thehill.com/homenews/campaign/498350-biden-trumps-coronavirus-response-has-been-nakedly-xenophobic
HUFFINGTON POST
— DIERSEN HEADLINE: Trump-haters promote hatred against Trump.
https://www.huffpost.com/entry/lincoln-project-ad-trump-lie-die-covid-19_n_5ec34bebc5b6e7a7cb8fcf3c
MCCLATCHY NEWS DC
— Underfunded pensions make GOP leaders reluctant to send federal aid to states like California – DAVID LIGHTMAN
https://www.mcclatchydc.com/news/politics-government/congress/article242761156.html
NEW YORK TIMES
— If Democrats Hold a Big Convention, Will Anybody Come? The Times interviewed 59 delegates who will help nominate Joe Biden. Most said they don’t want to risk their own health, or the health of others, by attending a full-scale convention in Milwaukee. – Reid J. Epstein (DIERSEN: What is the status of the Illinois Republican Party State Convention? How many delegates are there in total and from each county, township, and Chicago ward?)
https://www.nytimes.com/2020/05/18/us/politics/democratic-convention-virus.html
— Trump Threatens to Leave W.H.O. and Permanently End Funding The president said the organization had made missteps during the pandemic that “have been extremely costly for the world.” A claim he takes hydroxychloroquine was criticized by doctors.
https://www.nytimes.com/2020/05/18/us/coronavirus-updates.html
— Virus Forces Conference Planners to Go Back to Go “No one really had this in their playbook,” one planner said. At the moment, there are more questions than answers on what business meetings will look like. – Martha C. White
https://www.nytimes.com/2020/05/18/business/coronavirus-business-travel-conferences.html
— DIERSEN HEADLINE: Ever-increasingly, Trump-haters use coronavirus to demonize, denigrate, and condemn Trump supporters.
https://www.nytimes.com/2020/05/18/opinion/coronavirus-reopen-workers.html
— FRONT PAGE: Freed by Court Ruling, Republicans Step Up Effort to Patrol Voting Officials seek to recruit 50,000 poll watchers and spend millions to fight voter fraud. Democrats say the real goal is to stop them from voting. – Michael Wines
https://www.nytimes.com/2020/05/18/us/Voting-republicans-trump.html
— Germany’s Coronavirus Protests: Anti-Vaxxers, Anticapitalists, Neo-Nazis The pandemic marginalized the far right, as Germans rallied behind Angela Merkel. But the reopening has brought them back, and they are preparing to seize new opportunities. – Katrin Bennhold
https://www.nytimes.com/2020/05/18/world/europe/coronavirus-germany-far-right.html
— FRONT PAGE TOP OF FOLD: Facing Adulthood With an Economic Disaster’s Lasting Scars Those entering the job market in a downturn may never catch up in pay, opportunities or confidence. – Eduardo Porter and David Yaffe-Bellany (DIERSEN: Democrats run the federal government. Will the federal government extend its promotion deadlines? If you are a federal employee who is Republican, White, male, and/or non-veteran, the federal government gets rid of you if you do not make GS-13 (currently $101,176) by age 25, GS-14 (currently $119,559) by age 30, GS-15 (currently $140,634) by age 35, and Senior Executive Service (currently $170,800) by age 40. Extremely few federal employees make the aforesaid promotion deadlines. It is called Affirmative Action, Diversity, Inclusion, patronage, political affiliation discrimination, reverse discrimination, age discrimination, and up-or-out.)
https://www.nytimes.com/2020/05/19/business/economy/coronavirus-young-old.html
WALL STREET JOURNAL
— Why Does Reopening Polarize Us? The divide over lockdowns reflects deeper differences in attitudes about risk, liberty and morality. – Dan Crenshaw
https://www.wsj.com/articles/why-does-reopening-polarize-us-11589842995
— Why Coronavirus Increasingly Exacerbates the Red-Blue Divide Democratic states feel they aren’t getting the help they need from GOP senators, while Republican ones think they bear an unfair economic burden – Gerald F. Seib
https://www.wsj.com/articles/why-coronavirus-increasingly-exacerbates-the-red-blue-divide-11589810871
— Will a Face Mask Protect You? Maybe a little, but washing your hands and social distancing are far more effective. – Marc Siegel
https://www.wsj.com/articles/will-a-face-mask-protect-you-11589842953
FORBES
— COVID-19 Recession Projected To Cost Jobs For 22% Middle Income Older Workers, 15% Higher Income – Ted Knutson (DIERSEN: From what I see, ever-increasingly, businesses and organizations will use coronavirus to get rid of their employees and members who are older, obese, and/or who have health problems including diabetes.)
https://www.forbes.com/sites/tedknutson/2020/05/18/covid-19-recession-projected-to-cost-jobs-for-22-middle-income-older-workers-15-higher-income/#404273316206
(FROM THE ARTICLE: Ghilarducci says this recession is likely to hit older workers harder than economic downturns of the past because the widely publicized larger vulnerability of the aged to COVID-19 is going to increase age discrimination in hiring. She adds older workers are usually the first to get laid off and the last to be re-hired.)
BLOOMBERG
— Pritzker Finds Running Most-Troubled U.S. State Only Gets Harder – Shruti Singh
https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2020-05-18/billionaire-s-fight-to-keep-illinois-from-junk-just-got-harder
— Investors Don’t Share Trump’s Scorn for Blue States Republican-dominated states lag in growth and debt performance. – Matthew A. Winkler (DIERSEN: What percent of investor money in America is controlled by the following: Foreigners, Democrats, Libertarians, Greens, RINOs, and Republicans?)
https://www.bloomberg.com/opinion/articles/2020-05-18/coronavirus-economy-investors-don-t-share-trump-blue-state-scorn
GUARDIAN
— DIERSEN HEADLINE: Trump-haters say “U.S. lockdown protests may have spread virus widely.”
https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2020/may/18/lockdown-protests-spread-coronavirus-cellphone-data
FEDERAL NEWS NETWORK
— Coronavirus and career – Mike Causey (DIERSEN: I should write a book about those who demonize, denigrate, and condemn federal employees and federal retires. I was a federal employee for almost 30 years and I have been a federal retiree for almost 23 years. Many millions have not and will not seek a job with the federal government a) because the pay and benefits are terrible, b) because the advancement opportunities are terrible, c) because they lack required education, work experience, professional certifications, and/or professional licenses, d) because they cannot pass an employment examination, e) because they cannot pass a background investigation, f) because they cannot pass a physical examination, g) because they cannot take the demonization, denigration, and condemnation that comes with being a federal employee or federal retiree, and/or h) because they are Republican, White, male, older, and/or non-veteran and they know that the federal government discriminates against the aforesaid.)
https://federalnewsnetwork.com/mike-causey-federal-report/2020/05/coronavirus-and-career-the-a-rod-j-lo-rule/
(FROM THE ARTICLE: They say that the coronavirus is a threat, a deadly threat, to all of us regardless of who we are and where we live. That regardless of who we are, where we live and what we do, we are all in the same boat. And that’s true — up to a point. Then it isn’t anymore. And while we can’t pick our parents, decide our birth date or where we grow up — Bangladesh or Brooklyn — the career path we followed is very important. Especially when times get tough — like now — when having more money, which is almost always a good thing, is better than having little or none. Which is also true when times are good — having a good job or steady income is a good thing, now more than ever! And even if you believe that all of us are created equal, life teaches us that that doesn’t last long. While they face many of the same challenges we all do, some people are in a slightly better place at times like now.)
FED SMITH
— DISGUSTING, OUTRAGEOUS: No COLA in 2021? – Ralph R. Smith (DIERSEN: Ever-increasingly, the purchasing power of the following is dramatically reduced: my Civil Service Retirement System pension, my Social Security, and my retirement savings.)
https://www.fedsmith.com/2020/05/18/no-cola-2021/
(FROM THE ARTICLE: COLA Does Not Match Retiree Expense Increases Since 2000, Social Security COLAs have increased benefits by 53% but the prices of what retirees typically buy have increased by about 99.3%. Medicare premiums and out-of-pocket costs, housing costs, and homeowner’s insurance costs—have been the most rapidly-rising costs in the past year. So far in 2020, there has been a decrease of 0.27% in the third quarter of 2019 over the relevant Consumer Price Index used to calculate any COLA increase. As discussed in previous FedSmith articles, the Social Security COLA is based on the consumer-price index (CPI) for urban workers. Another CPI, known as CPI-E, tracks the spending of older Americans. The difference in these CPI measurements is largely in the cost of health care and housing. Medicare premiums and homeowners’ insurance often grow rapidly from year over year. The COLA adjustments do not take into account the larger percentage spent by older Americans on these expenses.)