July 17, 2024

Democrats ever-increasingly run the mainstream news media (MNM). Democrats ever-increasingly use the MNM to defeat Trump and to elect Biden. When the MSN criticizes Democrats, it is to help them win. When the MNM criticizes Republicans, it is to make them lose.

FROM ILLINOIS CENTER-LEFT SOURCES

ABC7
— Democrats say “RNC updates: Day 3 to focus on national security, foreign policy.”
https://abc7chicago.com/live-updates/rnc-day-3-led-by-the-newly-nominated-donald-trump-jd-vance-wednesday-focuses-on-national-security-and-foreign-policy/15064209/?cmp=emc-wls-news-headlines-7/17/2024
— Democrats say “Trump feted by former rivals Haley, DeSantis. Trump, with a bandage on his ear, made an appearance again Tuesday evening.”
https://abc7chicago.com/live-updates/rnc-2024-day-2-live-updates-nikki-haley-and-ron-desantis-to-speak-on-tuesday-donald-trump-makes-appearance-night-1/15062421/entry/15062834/
— Democrats say “After bashing Trump in primary, Haley and DeSantis to preach unity at Republican National Convention.”
https://abc7chicago.com/post/ron-desantis-nikki-haley-tonight-trump-republicans-2024-rnc-milwaukee/15063255/
— Democrats say “Haley, DeSantis give strong endorsements. Trump’s former rival Nikki Haley officially endorsed him in her speech.”
https://abc7chicago.com/live-updates/rnc-2024-day-2-live-updates-ron-desantis-digs-biden-with-weekend-at-bernies-comment-in-republican-national-convention-speech/15062421/
— Democrats say “Gov. Pritzker, Sen. Durbin critique former President Trump VP pick, J.D. Vance.”
https://abc7chicago.com/post/gov-jb-pritzker-sen-dick-durbin-critique-former/15063434/
— Democrats say “LGBTQ+ advocacy groups laud a new California law barring school districts from requiring that parents be notified of their child’s gender identification change.” Democrats ever-increasingly encourage children to be sexually active LGBTQers.
https://abc7chicago.com/post/california-gender-identity-law-elicits-praise-lgbtq-advocates/15063100/

NBC5
— Democrats say “Trump made a big entrance at the RNC, but he has yet to speak. Here’s when he’s expected to deliver his speech.”
https://www.nbcchicago.com/2024-rnc-republican-national-convention-milwaukee/trump-made-a-big-entrance-at-the-rnc-but-he-has-yet-to-speak-heres-when-hes-expected-to-deliver-his-speech/3491866/
— Democrats say “DeSantis, Haley offer emphatic endorsements of Trump.”
https://www.nbcchicago.com/2024-rnc-republican-national-convention-milwaukee/rinc-live-updates-milwaukee-desantis-haley-indiana-jim-banks/3491978/
— Democrats say “DeSantis says Democrats are in ruins.”
https://www.nbcchicago.com/2024-rnc-republican-national-convention-milwaukee/florida-governor-ron-desantis-says-democrats-are-in-ruins/3492248/
— Democrats use Durkin to destroy the Republican Party.
https://www.nbcchicago.com/2024-rnc-republican-national-convention-milwaukee/former-minority-leader-jim-durkin-on-trumps-messaging-vance-nomination/3490582/
— Democrats say “Black Republicans celebrate party’s diversity at 2024 RNC in Milwaukee. GOP leaders from the Chicago area said Democrats haven’t kept promises to voters.”
https://www.nbcchicago.com/2024-rnc-republican-national-convention-milwaukee/black-republicans-celebrate-partys-diversity-2024-rnc-milwaukee/3491912/

CBS2
— Democrats use Pat Brady to blast Vance.
https://www.yahoo.com/news/fmr-illinois-gop-head-gives-215900113.html
https://www.yahoo.com/news/gop-nominates-trump-vance-republican-214900080.html
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_9xCjoJxhPE
— Democrats say “What Trump’s choice of JD Vance as his VP running mate means for the Senate.”
https://www.cbsnews.com/news/jd-vance-vp-trump-senate/
— Democrats blast Vance.
https://www.cbsnews.com/chicago/news/republican-vp-pick-jd-vance-record/
— Democrats say “Chicago Pastor Corey Brooks delivers prayer at Republican National Convention.”
https://www.cbsnews.com/chicago/video/chicago-pastor-corey-brooks-delivers-prayer-at-republican-national-convention/

WGN9
— Democrats use Jim Durkin to blast Republicans.
https://wgntv.com/news/republican-national-convention-milwaukee/illinois-gop-maga-moderate-republicans/
— Democrats say “Trump is feted by his former rivals in a show of Republican unity after rally shooting.”
https://wgntv.com/news/republican-national-convention-milwaukee/ap-republican-convention-to-focus-on-immigration-a-day-after-a-bandaged-trump-makes-triumphant-entrance/
— Democrats say “Chicago crime a likely focus in RNC’s ‘Make America Safe Again’ theme.”
https://wgntv.com/news/republican-national-convention-milwaukee/chicago-crime-a-likely-focus-in-rncs-make-america-safe-again-theme/

FOX32
— Democrats say “Pastor Corey Brooks shouts out hometown of Chicago at RNC.”
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aJ6u6wg7sOc

WTTW
— Democrats say “Aurora Mayor Richard Irvin Hosts Black Republicans From Around US, Downplays Past Trump Criticism and Future Runs For Office.”
https://news.wttw.com/2024/07/16/aurora-mayor-richard-irvin-hosts-black-republicans-around-us-downplays-past-trump

CHICAGO TRIBUNE
— Democrats say “US Rep. Mary Miller at RNC says media has demonized Trump.”
https://www.chicagotribune.com/2024/07/16/us-rep-mary-miller-who-at-rnc-says-media-has-demonized-trump-symbolizes-rightward-shift-of-illinois-gop/
— Democrats say  “Donald Trump is feted by his former rivals in a show of Republican unity after rally shooting.’
https://www.chicagotribune.com/2024/07/16/republican-convention-2/
— Democrats say “A Teamsters pitch at the Republican National Convention suggests big trouble for Democrats.’
https://www.chicagotribune.com/2024/07/16/editorial-a-teamsters-pitch-at-the-republican-national-convention-suggests-big-trouble-for-democrats/
— Democrats say “Johnson plan to remove George Washington statue from outside his City Hall office now up in the air.”
https://www.chicagotribune.com/2024/07/16/johnson-to-remove-george-washington-statue-from-outside-his-city-hall-office/
— Democrats say “Latecomer GOP state legislative candidates have raised little cash.”
https://www.chicagotribune.com/2024/07/16/latecomer-gop-state-legislative-candidates-have-raised-little-cash-records-show/

CHICAGO SUN-TIMES
— Democrats say “Former primary rivals Haley, DeSantis make case for second Trump presidency.”
https://chicago.suntimes.com/politics/rnc-2024/2024/07/16/republican-national-convention-milwaukee-donald-trump-nikki-haley-ron-desantis
— Democrats ask “Will the assassination attempt change Trump?”
https://chicago.suntimes.com/columnists/2024/07/16/republican-national-convention-milwaukee-assassination-attempt-trump-rodney-davis
— Democrats say “Mayor Johnson nixes plan to remove George Washington statue outside his City Hall office. The since-rescinded decision to remove the statue had nothing to do with the former president’s ownership of slaves, Mayor Brandon Johnson’s communications director said.”
https://chicago.suntimes.com/city-hall/2024/07/16/george-washington-statute-removal-city-hall-mayor-brandon-johnson-monuments
— Democrats say “Ahead of DNC, Brandon Johnson puts homeless on the street to make room for tent city occupants. Residents of a Magnificent Mile shelter are evicted to make room for occupants of a tent encampment that’s being cleared ahead of the Democratic National Convention.”
https://chicago.suntimes.com/2024-democratic-national-convention/2024/07/16/dnc-2024-homeless-democratic-national-convention-mayor-brandon-johnson-tent-city-shelter

DAILY HERALD
— Democrats say “Republicans lean into Trump’s border message during a convention night focused on immigration.”
https://www.dailyherald.com/20240716/news/republicans-lean-into-trumps-border-message-during-a-convention-night-focused-on-immigration/
— Democrats say “New Illinois GOP Chair Kathy Salvi greets delegates at RNC.”
https://www.dailyherald.com/20240716/illinois-state-politics/a-great-successor-new-illinois-gop-chair-kathy-salvi-greets-delegates-at-rnc/
— Democrats say “Bob Fioretti, Charlie Kirk and cops from Illinois all in town.”
https://www.dailyherald.com/20240716/news/rnc-notebook-day-two-bob-fioretti-charlie-kirk-and-cops-from-illinois-all-in-town/
— Democrats say “Pritzker, Durbin rip into VP nominee Vance.”
https://www.dailyherald.com/20240716/nation-and-world-politics/very-extremist-views-pritzker-durbin-rip-into-vp-nominee-vance/

CHAMPAIGN/URBANA NEWS GAZETTE
— Democrat and RINO leaders ever-increasingly promote more illegal immigration.
https://www.news-gazette.com/news/nation-world/fact-focus-a-look-at-ominous-claims-around-illegal-immigration-made-at-the-republican-convention/article_0fff31ad-255d-5705-ac81-1fa1b4b5416d.html

OAK PARK
— Democrats say “Local GOP rally for Donald Trump at RNC.”
https://www.oakpark.com/2024/07/16/local-gop-rally-for-donald-trump-at-rnc/

NPR ILLINOIS
— Democrats say “Women headline a night at the RNC that framed Trump as compassionate, not combative.”
https://www.nprillinois.org/2024-07-17/women-headline-a-night-at-the-rnc-that-framed-trump-as-compassionate-not-combative
— Honoring my enslaved ancestors (COMMENT: In defense of my ancestors, they always lived in northeast Illinois, they never were in a position to discriminate against anyone, and they never did discriminate against anyone.)
https://www.npr.org/2024/07/17/1197958205/honoring-ancestors-part-two-07-17-2024

WILL
— Democrats ask “What do Illinois’ former GOP leaders think of the party now?”
https://will.illinois.edu/21stshow/story/what-do-illinois-former-gop-leaders-think-of-the-party-now

POLITICO ILLINOIS
— Mary Miller and the media bashers. – SHIA KAPOS  (COMMENT: Democrats ever-increasingly run the mainstream news media (MNM). Democrats ever-increasingly use the MNM to defeat Trump and to elect Biden. When the MSN criticizes Democrats, it is to help them win. When the MNM criticizes Republicans, it is to make them lose. I should write a book about my critics/opponents who have pandered the most to the MNM in Illinois. I would focus on those who have taken the most/biggest adverse actions against me to curry favor with the MNM in Illinois. I would focus on past and present a) leaders of the Illinois Republican Party, DuPage County Republican Central Committee, and Milton Township Republican Organization, b) Republican leaders of Illinois, DuPage County, Milton Township, and Wheaton, c) Republican candidates on ballots in my precinct, d) conservative leaders and activists, and e) religious leaders and activists. I would focus the aforesaid a) who removed me from the Illinois Republican Party Platform and Resolutions Committee and b) who ended my service as the Republican fundraiser for Wheaton Independence Day parades and fireworks in 2021.)
https://www.politico.com/newsletters/illinois-playbook/2024/07/17/mary-miller-and-the-media-bashers-00168949
(FROM THE ARTICLE: Right out of the gate, the Tribune’s Jeremy Gorner asked why Miller is “reluctant” to talk to the media. Her answer: “I’m happy to talk to people. But we would like fair coverage from the media. The media has demonized President Trump. Name-calling. That’s what my little kids did. Name calling,” Miller said. From the Tribune: “Miller didn’t address the fact that Trump has made name calling a hallmark of his political career, from his successful 2016 run for the White House, through his term as president, and in his presidential bids in 2020 and this year,” report Jeremy and Rick Pearson. Trump’s name calling: He has referred to President Joe Biden as “Crooked Joe,” his 2016 Democratic opponent Hillary Clinton as “Lyin’ Hillary,” and Haley as “Birdbrain” and DeSantis as “Ron DeSanctimonious” and “Meatball Ron.” The media bashing continued at Fiserv Forum in the evening. Kari Lake, the U.S. Senate candidate — and former TV news anchor — started her speech welcoming the crowd. “We love you all. Actually, actually, wait a minute. I don’t mean that. I don’t welcome everybody in this room. The guys up in the fake news,” she said, referring to the media rows. “Frankly, you guys up there in the fake news have worn out your welcome.” Others took swipes, too, including Arkansas Gov. Sarah Huckabee Sanders, who was a Trump press secretary in the White House. The take-away: Republicans feel emboldened as Trump heads into the campaign season with Republicans feeling united and polling in his favor. . .Sparks flew, when Congressman Matt Gaetz poked at former House Speaker Kevin McCarthy on the floor of the convention, and Illinois Republican National Committeeman Richard Porter told him to “shut up,” via X. Nikki Haley tried to bring unity to the RNC. Some people booed. . .If you’re in Milwaukee, come by for the talks, and if you’re not, check it out online. Today’s guests: Milwaukee Mayor Cavalier Johnson, Gov. Sarah Huckabee Sanders and Dr. Ben Carson.)

CAPITOL FAX
— Democrats say “Morning briefing”
https://capitolfax.com/2024/07/17/isabel%e2%80%99s-morning-briefing-327/
— Democrats say “Afternoon roundup”
https://capitolfax.com/2024/07/16/isabel%e2%80%99s-afternoon-roundup-120/

FROM ILLINOIS CENTER-RIGHT SOURCES

WIREPOINTS
— Pritzker’s role in the extreme rhetoric surrounding Donald Trump. – Ted Dabrowski and John Klingner
https://wirepoints.org/gov-pritzkers-role-in-the-extreme-rhetoric-surrounding-donald-trump-wirepoints/

PRAIRIE STATE WIRE
— Kathy Salvi: It is an honor to be recognized by my fellow Illinois Republicans as the next Chair of the Illinois Republican Party’
https://prairiestatewire.com/stories/661868316-kathy-salvi-it-is-an-honor-to-be-recognized-by-my-fellow-illinois-republicans-as-the-next-chair-of-the-illinois-republican-party

CENTER SQUARE ILLINOIS
— Pritzker blasts Trump’s VP selection. – Kevin Bessler
https://www.thecentersquare.com/illinois/article_2d5056e4-439f-11ef-a0ca-e720196cccef.html
— Haley, DeSantis hammer Biden on national security policy. – Dan McCaleb
https://www.thecentersquare.com/national/article_c9d2909c-43a2-11ef-ad3d-3bd110a9af41.html

FROM NATIONAL CENTER-RIGHT SOURCES

WASHINGTON TIMES
— Trump’s primary rivals praise him in prime-time convention speeches. – Susan Ferrechio
https://www.washingtontimes.com/news/2024/jul/16/ron-desantis-and-nikki-haley-trumps-primary-rivals/
— Three police snipers were inside the building used by would-be Trump assassin. – Matt Delaney
https://www.washingtontimes.com/news/2024/jul/16/three-police-snipers-were-inside-building-used-by-/
— Chinese press sees Trump assassination attempt as a failure of democracy. ‘Violent actions’ raising doubt among allies about U.S. reliability, article says. –  Bill Gertz
https://www.washingtontimes.com/news/2024/jul/15/chinese-press-sees-trump-assassination-attempt-as-/

WASHINGTON EXAMINER
— Chicago mayor plans removal of George Washington statue in City Hall – Elaine Mallon
https://www.washingtonexaminer.com/news/campaigns/state/3085809/chicago-mayor-plans-removal-george-washington-statue-city-hall/
— Security has to separate Gaetz and McCarthy during live interview verbal fight. – Brady Knox
https://www.washingtonexaminer.com/news/house/3086280/security-separate-gaetz-mccarthy-live-interview-verbal-fight/
— Senate GOP candidates attack ‘border czar’ Harris at Trump convention. – David Sivak
https://www.washingtonexaminer.com/news/campaigns/presidential/3086338/senate-gop-candidates-border-czar-harris-trump-convention/
— Heartbroken families of crime victims blame Biden and plead for Americans to vote Trump. – Anna Giaritelli
https://www.washingtonexaminer.com/news/campaigns/presidential/3086260/heartbroken-families-crime-victims-blame-biden-rnc/
— The end of affirmative action, one year later. – GianCarlo Canaparo
https://www.washingtonexaminer.com/restoring-america/equality-not-elitism/3085633/the-end-of-affirmative-action-one-year-later/

WASHINGTON FREE BEACON
— Trump Campaign Sees ‘Nearly 20 Paths’ to Victory As Biden Flounders. Biden has just ‘one, maybe two,’ Chris LaCivita says. – Joseph Simonson
https://freebeacon.com/elections/trump-campaign-sees-nearly-20-paths-to-victory-as-biden-flounders/
— Tom Cotton Slams Biden for ‘Chaos’ at Border, ‘Third World Invasion’  The Arkansas senator’s RNC remarks focused exclusively on immigration. – Joseph Simonson
https://freebeacon.com/elections/tom-cotton-slams-biden-for-chaos-at-border-third-world-invasion/

NEW YORK POST
— Biden and Harris ‘stand with criminals,’ retired Vegas cop tells RNC crowd. – Mark A. Kellner
https://nypost.com/2024/07/16/us-news/biden-and-harris-stand-with-criminals-retired-vegas-cop-tells-rnc-crowd/

AMERICAN THINKER
— The Secret Service Story is Starting to Stink. – Stu Tarlowe
https://www.americanthinker.com/articles/2024/07/the_secret_service_story_is_starting_to_stink.html
— Concerned Parents Face the Tyranny of Cancel Culture. – Janet Levy
https://www.americanthinker.com/articles/2024/07/concerned_parents_face_the_tyranny_of_cancel_culture.html

BREITBART
— Democrats Try to Smear J.D. Vance as Antisemitic, Anti-Israel – JOEL B. POLLAK (COMMENT: Because I am Protestant and 100% German American, my critics/opponents have always smeared me as being antisemitic. I my defense, I have always stressed that my grandfather on my father’s side fought the Germans in WWI, that my uncles on my mother’s side fought the Germans in WWII, and that my father would have fought the Germans in WWII if he had not been 4-F. Further, many, if not most, if not virtually all of my non-Jewish male GAO superiors, supervisors, coworkers, and subordinates were antisemitic and anti-female. Because of that, in 1989, when my Democrat GAO superiors permanently banned from their group that audited IRS, I was able to get assigned to my second choice, the group that audited federal financial institution regulators, because that group was led by a Jewish woman who my coworkers did not want to work because she was a Jewish woman.)
https://www.breitbart.com/faith/2024/07/17/fact-check-democrats-try-to-smear-j-d-vance-as-antisemitic-anti-israel/

CONSERVATIVE HQ
— Who Is JD Vance, Our Next Vice President – Matthew Holloway and George Rasley
https://www.conservativehq.com/post/who-is-jd-vance-our-next-vice-president

DAILY CALLER
— Secret Service’s Explanations For Security Failures Ahead Of Trump Assassination Attempt Aren’t Adding Up. – KATELYNN RICHARDSON
https://dailycaller.com/2024/07/16/secret-services-explanations-for-security-failures-ahead-of-trump-assassination-attempt-arent-adding-up/

FOX NEWS
— Secret Service director responds to criticism of Trump rally perimeter plan. Secret Service continues to face questions as FBI investigates Trump shooter Thomas Matthew Crooks
https://www.foxnews.com/live-news/trump-rally-shooting-fbi-investigation-attempted-assassination-july-17
— Trump Jr. wants ‘veto power over the RINOs,’ praises Vance to keep MAGA movement going ‘for generations’  Donald Trump Jr. spoke exclusively with Fox News Digital on the sidelines of the RNC Convention. – Brooke Singman
https://www.foxnews.com/politics/trump-jr-wants-veto-power-over-rinos-praises-vance-keep-maga-movement-going-for-generations
— Hate-filled Trump-hating Trump-haters ever-increasingly hint/imply/argue/shout that Trump brings it on himself, that is, that he creates his own problems. Hate-filled Diersen-hating Diersen-haters ever-increasingly hint/imply/argue/shout that I bring it on myself, that is, that I create my own problems. I should write about the biggest hate-filled Diersen-hating Diersen-haters in Wheaton, in Milton Township, in DuPage County, and in Illinois. Of course, I would focus on those who have taken the most/biggest adverse actions against me.
https://www.foxnews.com/media/joy-reid-suggests-trump-couldnt-avoid-consequences-his-own-rhetoric-after-assassination-attempt

PJ MEDIA
— DeSantis Torches the Left in RNC Speech. – CHRIS QUEEN
https://pjmedia.com/chris-queen/2024/07/16/desantis-torches-the-left-in-rnc-speech-n4930764

FROM NATIONAL CENTER-LEFT SOURCES

MSN
— Democrats say “MTG attacks transgender people and ‘illegal aliens’ during RNC speech.” Democrats and RINOs ever-increasingly attack those who do not promote LGBTQ and illegal immigration.
https://www.msn.com/en-za/news/other/mtg-rips-into-transgender-people-and-illegal-aliens-during-rnc-speech/ar-BB1q5dLq?item=flightsprg-tipsubsc-v1a?season//

NBC NEWS
— Democrats say “Republicans contrast legal and ‘illegal’ immigrants on second night of convention. Various speakers talked up how their families came to the U.S. while vowing harsh punishments for those who cross the border illegally.”
https://www.nbcnews.com/politics/2024-election/republicans-contrast-legal-vs-illegal-immigrants-rnc-rcna162247

NEW YORK TIMES
— Democrats say Montez Sweat is a  late bloomer. How old were you when you bloomed? I did not a) earn an MBA until I was 27, b) pass the CPA examination until I was 30, c) earn a master’s degree in accounting until I was 31, d) pass the Certified Internal Auditor examination and become a licensed CPA until I was 32. e) become a Certified Fraud Examiner until I was 41, f) become a Certified Government Financial Manager until I was 45. g) become a Certified Financial Services Auditor until I was 47, and h) become a Forensic Accountant and earn a master’s degree in financial markets and trading until I was 48. My Democrat IRS and GAO superiors used my lateness in doing the aforesaid to waste my career and to get rid of me.
https://www.nytimes.com/athletic/5638824/2024/07/17/montez-sweat-chicago-bears/
— Democrats say an app was unveiled by Customs and Border Protection in January 2023 that lets migrants schedule appointments. The app, known as CBP One, allows certain migrants in Mexico to set up a time and come to a port of entry to enter the country.
https://www.nytimes.com/live/2024/07/17/us/rnc-fact-check#joe-biden-created-an-app-to-let-illegals-schedule-their-arrival

WASHINGTON POST
— Democrats say “Haley embraces Trump, says ‘unified’ GOP ‘essential’ to ‘saving’ country. ‘For the sake of our nation, we have to go with Donald Trump,’ the 2024 GOP primary candidate told convention delegates.”
https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/2024/07/16/rnc-convention/
— Anticipate/expect that many millions of illegals will use their false identifications to register to vote and to vote for Biden and for the rest of the Democrat candidates.
https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/2024/07/16/ted-cruz-rnc-speech-immigration-voting/

USA TODAY
— Democrat and RINO leaders ever-increasingly use DEI to get rid of Republicans.
https://www.usatoday.com/story/money/2024/07/17/dei-workplace-trump-vance-impact/74432633007/
— Democrats say that the Republican Party says “Arm yourself accordingly.”
https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/politics/elections/2024/07/17/arm-yourself-gop-firm-against-gun-control-after-trump-shooting/74432303007/

WALL STREET JOURNAL
— Democrats say “Border Crisis a Running Theme for RNC Speakers.”
https://www.wsj.com/livecoverage/trump-biden-election-2024-rnc/card/border-crisis-a-running-theme-for-speakers-R8XIlsqNsPIrwQUekcdY?mod=mhp
— Democrats say “J.D. Vance and the Indian-American Dream. This immigrant group has prospered without quotas or grievances.”
https://www.wsj.com/articles/j-d-vance-and-the-indian-american-dream-2024-election-usha-81ddedd0

HARVARD BUSINESS REVIEW
— Democrat and RINO leaders ever-increasingly use DEI to get rid of Republicans.
https://hbr.org/2024/07/research-4-ways-employees-respond-to-dei-initiatives

BHARAT EXPRESS NEWS
— Who is Usha Vance, the immigrant daughter married to Trump’s vice presidential pick, JD Vance?
https://thebharatexpressnews.com/who-is-usha-vance-the-immigrant-daughter-married-to-trumps-vice-presidential-pick-jd-vance/
(FROM THE ARTICLE: Many Republicans see Usha Vance, the Indian-American wife of vice presidential candidate JD Vance, as a symbol of generational change and growing diversity within the party. Usha, 38, is a corporate lawyer who was previously a registered Democrat, the daughter of Indian immigrants and a practicing Hindu. Danny Willis, 25, chairman of Delaware Young Republicans, said: “With this ticket, with the show of diversity in what would be the second gentleman and second lady of the United States, I am extremely proud to be a Hispanic man and a Republican.” Usha has a very different story to tell than the last Republican second lady, Karen Pence, a white grandmother and devout Christian from Indiana who was an elementary school teacher and watercolorist. She is the daughter of Krish and Lakshmi Chilukuri, who are originally from the Indian state of Andhra Pradesh and later settled in California. Krish is an engineer and a university professor; Lakshmi is a biologist and college provost. They are part of a tight-knit community of Indian-American academics in the suburbs of San Diego. Usha said in a recent interview with Fox News: “I grew up in a religious family, my parents are Hindu, and I think that was one of the things that made them such good parents, that made them really, really good people.” Even as a child, Usha seemed a stranger to self-doubt. In a 2022 New York Times profile, Vikram Rao, a family friend who works in Silicon Valley, was quoted as saying, “By age 5 or 6, she had taken on a leadership role. She decided what board games we would play and what the rules would be. She was never mean or unkind, but she was the boss.” The same Times article noted that between 2007 and 2010, Usha “posted 65 ‘read’ books to her Goodreads account, including novels by Zadie Smith, Jonathan Safran Foer and Vladimir Nabokov, and nonfiction by Nina Burleigh and Nicholas Kristof. Her account was inactive for six years afterward.” Usha met J.D. Vance at Yale Law School, where they co-organized a discussion group on “social decline in white America”—a theme he would later return to in his bestselling book Hillbilly Elegy. The book chronicles his upbringing in a poor family in Appalachia and the beginnings of his relationship with Usha, played in a 2020 Netflix film adaptation by Slumdog Millionaire star Freida Pinto. The couple didn’t seem like an obvious match, but in Hillbilly Elegy, J.D. praises Usha as a “Yale spirit guide” who helped him navigate campus life. “She instinctively understood the questions I didn’t even know to ask, and she always encouraged me to seek opportunities I didn’t know existed,” he wrote. Usha once told NBC News, “We were friends and I liked that he was so diligent. He would show up at 9 a.m. meetings that I scheduled for us to work on the brief together.” Among the two fellow Yale Law students was businessman Vivek Ramaswamy, who unsuccessfully ran for Republican president this year. Usha was an editor of the Yale Law Journal and editor-in-chief of the Yale Journal of Law & Technology. She also took courses in which she provided free legal advice on issues surrounding the Supreme Court and media freedom. She also holds a master’s degree in philosophy from the University of Cambridge. Her thesis focused on “the methods used to protect printing rights in seventeenth-century England,” according to her biography on the university’s website. JD and Usha married in 2014 in an interfaith ceremony in Kentucky. That same year, she served as a clerk on the influential DC circuit court for Brett Kavanaugh, whom Donald Trump would nominate and confirm to the US Supreme Court in 2018. Usha also served as a law clerk to Supreme Court Justice John Roberts during the 2017-2018 term, during which time Roberts wrote a 5-4 ruling upholding Trump’s travel ban on several Muslim-majority countries. At the 200-lawyer law firm Munger, Tolles & Olson, Vance, a partner, focused on civil litigation and appeals. The firm, which calls itself “radically progressive,” has counted Berkshire Hathaway, Bank of America and PG&E among its clients. Usha’s own clients have included a division of the Walt Disney Company and the Regents of the University of California. Public records show that Usha was a registered Democrat and voted in that party’s primary in 2014. However, she also voted in the 2022 Republican primary, when her husband was running for the Ohio Senate. Last month, the couple were interviewed by Fox News at their home in Cincinnati, Ohio, about the possibility of JD becoming Donald Trump’s running mate. Usha said: “I don’t know if anyone is ever ready for that kind of scrutiny. I think the first campaign he started, we were shocked. It was so different from anything we had ever done before. But it was an adventure. “And so I guess the way I say it is, I’m not eager to change anything about our lives right now. But I really, you know, believe in JD, and I really love him. And so we’ll just see what happens with our lives.” On Monday, as JD entered the Republican National Convention Hall and members of the Ohio delegation chanted his name, Usha was by his side. She has proven to be an anchor in such moments. “Usha definitely brings me back down to earth a little bit, and when I get maybe a little too cocky or a little too proud, I remind myself that she’s accomplished way more than I have,” JD told the Megyn Kelly Show podcast in 2020. “I’m one of those guys who really benefits from having kind of a powerful female voice on his left shoulder saying, ‘Don’t do that, do that’ — it’s just important.” Usha said in a statement late Monday that she was resigning from the firm to support her family — they have two sons, Ewan, 6, Vivek, 4, and a daughter, Mirabel, 2. A spokesman for Munger said Usha was an “excellent lawyer and colleague.” Republicans at the convention praised the Vances, but some were reluctant to speak out about what they see as identity politics. Virginia Zemel, 66, of Downers Grove, Illinois, said, “You don’t look at the color of the person’s skin and ethnicity. It’s the character of the person and what they stand for.” “America began as a melting pot and we are including everyone. The leadership of President Trump, First Lady Melania Trump and his wonderful family, and now JD Vance as Vice President and his wife and family will be a message to bring back the strength of our country.” However, some political analysts believe Usha’s arrival less than four months before Election Day could be an asset to the otherwise all-white Republican candidacy. John Zogby, a pollster and author, said: “The second lady candidates are barely in the mix. But Indian-Americans are becoming increasingly influential in the United States. They are strongly Democratic – or at least they have been – in their voting record, so if there is an opportunity to tweak that and get even a small percentage, that could be vital, especially in those swing states that everyone is talking about.” He added: “It looks good, she’s a smart lady and anything that can convince a few voters can have a huge impact in an election like this.”)

POLITICO
— Democrats say “How Donald Trump learned to love J.D. Vance.”
https://www.politico.com/news/magazine/2024/07/16/donald-trump-jd-vance-relationship-00168422

PEW RESEARCH
— Democrats ever-increasingly run the mainstream news media (MNM). Democrats ever-increasingly use the MNM to defeat Trump and to elect Biden. When the MSN criticizes Democrats, it is to help them win. When the MNM criticizes Republicans, it is to make them lose. I should write a book about my critics/opponents who have pandered the most to the MNM in Illinois. I would focus on those who have taken the most/biggest adverse actions against me to curry favor with the MNM in Illinois. I would focus on past and present a) leaders of the Illinois Republican Party, DuPage County Republican Central Committee, and Milton Township Republican Organization, b) Republican leaders of Illinois, DuPage County, Milton Township, and Wheaton, c) Republican candidates on ballots in my precinct, d) conservative leaders and activists, and e) religious leaders and activists. I would focus on the aforesaid a) who removed me from the Illinois Republican Party Platform and Resolutions Committee and b) who ended my service as the Republican fundraiser for Wheaton Independence Day parades and fireworks in 2021.
https://www.pewresearch.org/short-reads/2021/05/07/broad-agreement-in-u-s-even-among-partisans-on-which-news-outlets-are-part-of-the-mainstream-media/

July 16, 2024

FROM ILLINOIS CENTER-LEFT SOURCES

ABC7
— Democrats say “RNC 2024: Day 2 will focus on immigration; Nikki Haley to speak. Chants of ‘we love Trump’ could be heard as he entered the RNC on night 1.”
https://abc7chicago.com/live-updates/rnc-2024-day-2-donald-trump-makes-appearance-on-night-1-immigration-and-crime-will-be-focus-tuesday/15062421/
— Democrats say “Protesters rally at GOP convention for abortion and immigrant rights, end to war in Gaza.”
https://abc7chicago.com/post/republican-convention-2024-protestors-begin-gather-outside-fiserv/15060959/
— Democrats say Trump says about Vance “You can help me win” and “How Trump landed on JD Vance as his VP pick.”
https://abc7chicago.com/post/why-did-trump-pick-jd-vance/15062411/
— Democrats say “Suspect purchased 50 rounds of ammunition on day of shooting.”
https://abc7chicago.com/live-updates/donald-trump-rally-shooting-secret-service-director-says-police-were-inside-building-shooter-was-positioned-on/15057158/

NBC5
— Democrats say “What to watch as the Republican National Convention enters its second day in Milwaukee. On Tuesday, the overview shifts to immigration and crime, according to Trump’s campaign and the Republican National Committee.”
https://www.nbcchicago.com/news/national-international/what-to-watch-as-the-republican-national-convention-enters-its-second-day-in-milwaukee/3491097/
— Democrats ask “What do Illinois Republicans think of Trump running mate JD Vance?” and say “Some expressed surprise at the choice, but delegates agreed they will support the ticket.”
https://www.nbcchicago.com/2024-rnc-republican-national-convention-milwaukee/what-do-illinois-republicans-think-of-trump-running-mate-jd-vance/3490973/
— Democrats say “Tuesday at the RNC to feature focus on immigration, crime. The theme of the second day will be “Make America Safe Again,” according to convention officials.” (COMMENT: The younger that you are, the less education that you have, and the fewer job skills that you have, the more that illegal immigration harms you. I had to work my way through college. If there had been as many illegals in America back then as there are now, they would have gotten the jobs I got doing yard work, delivering newspapers, washing dishes, cleaning golf shoes, chipping slag, pumping gasoline, and delivering mail. And if not that, the wages that I was paid would have been less because illegals drive wages down.)
https://www.nbcchicago.com/2024-rnc-republican-national-convention-milwaukee/rnc-tuesday-nikki-haley-speak-trump-platform-immigration/3491040/
— Democrats say Sen. Tim Scott says “America ‘isn’t a racist country” and Scott “blasts Chicago leadership over violence.” (COMMENT: Ever since the Civil War, Democrat leaders have ever-increasingly shouted at Blacks that Republicans cause all the problems that Blacks have and that Republicans are racists who should be gotten rid of once and for all.)
https://www.nbcchicago.com/2024-rnc-republican-national-convention-milwaukee/tim-scott-america-isnt-racist-blasts-chicago-over-gun-violence/3490744/

CBS2
— Democrats say “Love fest for JD Vance among Illinois delegates at Republican National Convention.”
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yy_Vgll7bjE

WTTW
— Democrats say “From Immigration to Public Safety, What a Trump Victory Could Mean for Chicago.”
https://news.wttw.com/2024/07/16/immigration-public-safety-what-trump-victory-could-mean-chicago

CHICAGO SUN-TIMES
— Democrats say “Suburban native, far-right conservative talk show host Charlie Kirk speaks at RNC. The 30-year-old Wheeling High School grad founded Turning Point USA, a nonprofit organization dedicated to promoting conservative values on high school and college campuses.” (COMMENT: The more planks in the Republican Party platform that you promote, the more that Democrats and RINOs call you far-right.)
https://chicago.suntimes.com/politics/rnc-2024/2024/07/15/charlie-kirk-rnc-republican-convention-speech
— Democrats say “Donald Trump’s VP pick, Sen. J.D. Vance, is the reason Chicago has no top federal prosecutor. Former President Trump wasn’t going to repeat his Mike Pence mistake. He needed someone he could count on to follow orders.”
https://chicago.suntimes.com/columnists/2024/07/15/donald-trump-running-mate-selection-jd-vance-april-perry-us-attorney-chicago

CHICAGO TRIBUNE
— Democrats say “Photos: The Republican National Convention in Milwaukee.”
https://www.chicagotribune.com/2024/07/15/photos-the-republican-national-convention-in-milwaukee/
— Brandon Johnson’s desperate loan gambit to keep the Chicago Teachers Union happy. – Editorial
https://www.chicagotribune.com/2024/07/16/editorial-cps-brandon-johnson-ctu-budget/

DAILY HERALD
— Democrats say “What to watch as the Republican National Convention enters its second day in Milwaukee.”
https://www.dailyherald.com/20240716/nation-and-world-politics/what-to-watch-as-the-republican-national-convention-enters-its-second-day-in-milwaukee/
— Democrats say “JD Vance is a relative political unknown. He’s been asked to help Donald Trump avenge his 2020 loss.”
https://www.dailyherald.com/20240716/nation-and-world-politics/jd-vance-is-a-relative-political-unknown-hes-been-asked-to-help-donald-trump-avenge-his-2020-loss/
— Democrats say “Fact-checking Day 1 of the 2024 Republican National Convention.” (COMMENT: During the almost 18 years that I worked for GAO, I often worked as a fact checker, and especially during my last 11 years as a GS-13 Step 1-10 Analyst, currently $115,439-$150,075/year.)
https://www.dailyherald.com/20240716/nation-and-world-politics/fact-checking-day-1-of-the-2024-republican-national-convention/

CHAMPAIGN/URBANA NEWS GAZETTE & WAND TV
— Democrats say “Protesters rally peacefully at GOP convention for abortion and immigrant rights, end to war in Gaza.”
https://www.news-gazette.com/news/nation-world/protesters-rally-at-gop-convention-for-abortion-and-immigrant-rights-end-to-war-in-gaza/article_9af8c43c-8ec9-56e7-a667-340701db9788.html
https://www.wandtv.com/news/national/protesters-rally-peacefully-at-gop-convention-for-abortion-and-immigrant-rights-end-to-war-in/article_a613b591-d449-5065-b63a-7b042ff8cde9.html

SOUTHERN
— Democrats say “What to know about Secret Service director Kimberly Cheatle.” (COMMENT: While I worked for the Democrats who ran GAO’s Chicago office 1980-1997, they assigned me to work for, work with, and/or supervise all the many females they hired. Females were my superiors during my last 8 years at GAO and a female was my immediate supervisor during my last 4 years. Those females led GAO’s successful effort to force me to take their early retirement “offer” in 1997 when I was 49 years old. Further, during my last 8 years, they assigned me to supervise all their female employees who they wanted to get rid because they had serious performance problems. All the females who they promoted over me 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 CPA license that I had. My Democrat GAO superiors stressed to all my many female superiors, supervisors, coworkers, and subordinates that I opposed gender based preference giving. They hinted/implied/argued/shouted at them that I caused all their problems.)
https://southernillinoisnow.com/2024/07/15/what-to-know-about-secret-service-director-kimberly-cheatle/
(FROM THE ARTICLE: In a 2022 interview with the trade publication Security Magazine, Cheatle reflected on being a woman in the Secret Service. “That achievement in a male-dominated industry was not lost on me,” Cheatle said. “I kept a photo on my desk of the first five women sworn into the service, and I used that to remind me that these women created opportunities for me and I can help others grow and lead as well.” Cheatle graduated from Eastern Illinois University in 1992 with a bachelor’s degree in sociology, according to the News-Gazette, and she first applied for a job as a Secret Service agent before leaving school.)

CENTRAL ILLINOIS PROUD
— Democrats acknowledge that “Signs of trouble at Trump rally were evident in minutes before gunman opened fire.”
https://www.centralillinoisproud.com/news/national/ap-signs-of-trouble-at-trump-rally-were-evident-in-minutes-before-gunman-opened-fire/
(FROM THE ARTICLE: Signs of trouble were evident in the minutes before shots rang out at Donald Trump’s rally in Pennsylvania: Police had a report of a suspicious man pacing near the magnetometers and were apparently exchanging photos of the suspect. Witnesses pointed and shouted at an armed man on a nearby roof. When a police officer climbed up to the roof to investigate, the gunman turned and pointed his rifle at him. But the officer did not — or could not — fire a single shot. A sniper cut down 20-year-old Thomas Matthew Crooks within seconds of him firing an AR-style rifle toward the former president, but it was too late. Now investigators are trying to painstakingly piece together how an armed man with no military background managed to reach high ground and get the jump on teams of Secret Service agents. Stan Kephart, a former police chief who worked event security for two former presidents, said the shooting followed an “an absolute and abysmal failure” on the part of the Secret Service to protect Trump. The agency is ultimately responsible for the candidate’s safety, he added. “You don’t get to blame other people. They are under your control,” said Kephart, now a consulting expert on law enforcement event security.)
— Democrats say “27% in new survey say Vance ‘best’ or ‘good’ pick for Trump.”
https://www.centralillinoisproud.com/news/national/27-in-new-survey-say-vance-best-or-good-pick-for-trump/

OUR QUAD CITIES
— LaHood on what Trump VP pick Vance brings to the table. – Eric Olsen (COMMENT: For the last job that you were hired for, what did you bring to the table? GAO audits IRS. When GAO hired me in 1980 when I was 31 years old, a) I had worked for IRS for almost 9 years, the last 5 1/2 years of which at the GS-12 Step 1-5 Levels, currently $97,079-$110,020/year, b) I had passed the CPA examination on my first attempt in 1979, c) I had almost completed the requirements for a master’s degree in accounting from DePaul, and d) I had earned an MBA from Loyola in 1976. But my Democrat GAO superiors ignored, dismissed, and belittled the aforesaid. They forced me to take a $22,996 (21%) pay cut to transfer from IRS to GAO, a downgrade from GS-12 Step 5 to GS-9 Step 10. They delayed my promotions to GS-11, GS-12, and GS-13 and never promoted me to GS-14. They kept me off audits of IRS until 1986.)
https://www.ourquadcities.com/news/national-news/lahood-on-what-trump-vp-pick-vance-brings-to-the-table/

WGLT
— Democrats and RINOs demonize, denigrate, and condemn the AR-15.
https://www.wglt.org/2024-07-15/why-the-weapon-of-choice-matters-in-the-trump-assassination-attempt

AXIOS
— Democrats say “Illinois GOP leaders (Mary Miller, Kathy Salvi, Tony McCombie, Aaron Del Mar, The Uihleins) to watch in 2024.’
https://www.axios.com/local/chicago/2024/07/16/illinois-gop-leaders-to-watch-2024

POLITICO ILLINOIS
— Democrats say “J.D. Vance’s Illinois connection.”
https://www.politico.com/newsletters/illinois-playbook/2024/07/16/jd-vances-illinois-connection-00168596
(FROM THE ARTICLE: You can say he has one connection to Illinois. He’s been blamed for holding up the confirmation of April Perry as Chicago’s top federal prosecutor. Sens. Dick Durbin and Tammy Duckworth recently accused Vance of wanting to “grind the Department of Justice to a halt” over the confirmation. About his VP slot: Neither senator commented on Vance being named Donald Trump’s running mate. Durbin will join Gov. JB Pritzker at an unrelated event today, so we’ll wait for the Illinois press corps to pounce. . .Former Illinois Congressman Adam Kinzinger headlined “The Late Show With Stephen Colbert” and called out Vance for criticizing U.S. support of Ukraine in the war against Russia. “They are celebrating that choice in Milwaukee and in Moscow,” he said.)

CAPITOL FAX
— Morning briefing
https://capitolfax.com/2024/07/16/isabel%e2%80%99s-morning-briefing-326/

FROM ILLINOIS CENTER-RIGHT SOURCES

WIREPOINTS
— March 11, 2016 in Chicago: The Day Violence Against Trump Campaign Was Legitimized. – Mark Glennon
https://wirepoints.org/march-11-2016-in-chicago-the-day-violence-against-trump-campaign-was-legitimized-wirepoints/

CAPITOL NEWS ILLINOIS
— At national convention, Illinois’ beleaguered GOP portrays calm amid internal storm.-  PETER HANCOCK & HANNAH MEISEL (COMMENT: Illinois Republicans like me who are conservative, that is, who are platform Republicans, want direct election of Illinois Republican Party (IRP) State Central Committee (SCC) members. Because I promote direct election of IRP SCC members, IRP SCC members who oppose direct election used pretexts to remove me from the 2024 IRP State Convention Platform and Resolutions Committee. In 2021, they ended my service as the Republican fundraiser for Wheaton Independence Day parades and fireworks. In 2015, they gerrymandered my DuPage County Milton Township Precinct in Wheaton.)
https://capitolnewsillinois.com/news/at-national-convention-illinois-beleaguered-gop-portrays-calm-amid-internal-storm

FROM NATIONAL CENTER-RIGHT SOURCES

WASHINGTON TIMES
— Trump surprises convention with bandaged cameo. – Seth McLaughlin and Susan Ferrechio
https://www.washingtontimes.com/news/2024/jul/15/donald-trump-surprises-republican-national-convent/
— Biden rejects responsibility for overheated rhetoric: ‘I’m not engaged in that’ – Stephen Dinan
https://www.washingtontimes.com/news/2024/jul/15/joe-biden-rejects-responsibility-overheated-rhetor/

WASHINGTON EXAMINER
— Rep. Kat Cammack (R-FL) unloads on Secret Service failures: ‘It’s the DEI bulls***’ – Timothy P. Carney (COMMENT: While I worked for the Democrats who ran GAO’s Chicago office 1980-1997, they assigned me to work for, work with, and/or supervise all the many females they hired. Females were my superiors during my last 8 years at GAO and a female was my immediate supervisor during my last 4 years. Those females led GAO’s successful effort to force me to take their early retirement “offer” in 1997 when I was 49 years old. Further, during my last 8 years, they assigned me to supervise all their female employees who they wanted to get rid because they had serious performance problems. All the females who they promoted over me 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 CPA license that I had. My Democrat GAO superiors stressed to all my many female superiors, supervisors, coworkers, and subordinates that I opposed gender based preference giving. They hinted/implied/argued/shouted at them that I caused all their problems.)
https://www.washingtonexaminer.com/opinion/beltway-confidential/3082918/congresswoman-unloads-secret-service-failures-dei/
(FROM THE ARTICLE: “I think what we’re seeing is what happens when you are more focused on checking boxes, then you are actually getting the most qualified people in the room,” she said. “There is a lot of work and discussions that needs to be had about who are we hiring to protect presidential candidates,” the congresswoman said. “Donald Trump is six-foot-two. I’m five-foot-three. You wouldn’t want me protecting him. I cannot physically take a bullet for him at that height. And so when you have people who are just not physically capable of doing so, we have to have that conversation.” She summarized the DEI approach as “we need so many of X, Y, and Z,” saying this approach “has really put us all collectively in danger and it’s a real shame.”)

NEW YORK POST
— Secret Service Director Kim Cheatle landed job after push by Jill Biden’s office. – Steven Nelson
https://nypost.com/2024/07/15/us-news/secret-service-director-kim-cheatle-landed-job-after-push-by-jill-bidens-office-sources/
(FROM THE ARTICLE: Four sources close to President Biden’s family, including people who interacted with Cheatle during the Obama-Biden administration, said she was well liked by the future first lady and her most senior aides, including top adviser Anthony Bernal. “Cheatle served on Dr. Biden’s second lady detail and Anthony pushed for her,” a Democratic insider told The Post. “Anthony has no national security or law enforcement experience. He should have no influence over the selection of the USSS director.” “I heard at the time she was being considered for director that Anthony had pushed her forward as an option,” another well-placed source told The Post. Bernal, 51, is widely regarded as rivaling even White House chief of staff Jeff Zients in terms of influence over administration decisions. He has faced allegations of bullying and sexual harassment from colleagues who have likened his sway to that of Russian mystic Grigori Rasputin over the Romanov court. “Anthony is obsessed with being DEI-compliant,” a third source told The Post, using the acronym for diversity, equity and inclusion — the human resources practice of attempting to ensure diversity in the workforce.)
— Biden admin flying migrants from overwhelmed California to Texas after Gov. Abbott’s crackdown deterred crossings — at $80K per flight. –  Jennie Taer
https://nypost.com/2024/07/15/us-news/biden-admin-flying-migrants-from-overwhelmed-california-to-texas-after-gov-abbotts-crackdown-deterred-crossings/
— Everything to know about RNC 2024: When it’s on, how to watch, plus speaker schedule – Caitlin Doornbos and Ryan King
https://nypost.com/2024/07/15/us-news/rnc-guide-2024-when-its-on-how-to-watch-speaker-schedule-2/

AMERICAN THINKER
— Walking Over The Graves of Our Heroes. – Allan J. Feifer
https://www.americanthinker.com/articles/2024/07/walking_over_the_graves_of_our_heroes.html

BREITBART
— Joe Biden’s Parole Pipeline Welcomes Nearly 1.2 Million Migrants to U.S. – JOHN BINDER
https://www.breitbart.com/politics/2024/07/15/joe-bidens-parole-pipeline-welcomes-nearly-1-2million-migrants-us/
— Trump VP Pick J.D. Vance Hailed as ‘One of the Best’ Senators on Immigration. – JOHN BINDER
https://www.breitbart.com/immigration/2024/07/15/trump-vp-pick-j-d-vance-hailed-as-one-of-the-best-senators-on-immigration/

EPOCH TIMES
— 39 Things to Know About JD Vance, Trump’s Running Mate. The freshman senator and best-selling author from Ohio is the first millennial on a major party ticket. Here’s a rundown of his background and stances. – Joseph Lord, Jackson Richman
https://www.theepochtimes.com/article/39-things-to-know-about-jd-vance-trumps-running-mate-5687131
(FROM THE ARTICLE: 2. He’s a Catholic. Mr. Vance was raised Protestant, but later converted to Catholicism, officially becoming Catholic in August 2019.
3. He’s Married to Usha Chilukuri Vance. Mr. Vance is married to Usha Chilukuri Vance, who he met at Yale Law School. They married in 2014.
Ms. Vance currently works as a corporate litigator. She has clerked for Supreme Court Chief Justice John. Roberts and then-appellate Judge Brett Kavanaugh. She would be the first Hindu spouse of a vice president. . .9. He Experienced the Decline of the Rust Belt. In both his memoir and the movie adaptation, Mr. Vance explains his experience of the decline of the Rust Belt, and the impacts it had on those living there. Speaking about his native Middletown, Mr. Vance wrote in Hillbilly Elegy, “There is a lack of agency here— a feeling that you have little control over your life and a willingness to blame everyone but yourself. ”He’s made clear that this experience has continued to shape his political life and decisions. . .11. His Parents Divorced When He was a Toddler. Mr. Vance’s parents, Donald Bowman and Bev Vance, divorced when he was very young, leaving Mr. Vance to be raised by his mother. In “Hillbilly Elegy,” Mr. Bowman is described as having been largely absent from Mr. Vance’s life, though the two reconnected later in life. Mr. Vance says both of his parents struggled to maintain stability in their employment, both largely worked a series of odd jobs over the years. . .15. His Grandparents Were Democrats. Like many in the Rust Belt of the late 20th century, Mr. Vance’s grandparents were pro-union Democrats. Mr. Vance describes their attitude toward politics in “Hillbilly Elegy,” writing, “All politicians might be crooks, but if there were any exceptions, they were undoubtedly members of Franklin Delano Roosevelt’s New Deal coalition. Mr. Vance said the exception was 1984, when his grandfather voted for President Ronald Reagan. . .16. He’s a Marine Corps. Iraq Combat vet. Mr. Vance served in Iraq as a Marine combat correspondent during the mid-2000s. . .19. He Was an Editor of the Yale Law Journal
While studying law, Mr. Vance served on the editorial staff of the Yale Law Journal. . .22. He’s Sponsored Programs to Combat Drug Addiction. In 2016, Mr. Vance left California and returned to Ohio, where he helped launch an effort to combat opioid abuse in the state. Called “Our Ohio Renewal,” the project was short-lived, and the online domain for the website is no longer accessible. . .36. He’s Critical of the Iraq War. Though he served in the Iraq War, Mr. Vance has since been critical of the conflict, saying he made a “mistake” in initially supporting it. “I served my country honorably, and I saw when I went to Iraq that I had been lied to, that the promises of the foreign policy establishment of this country were a complete joke,” he said on the Senate floor in April. . .37. Critical of Ukraine Aid. Mr. Vance has been critical of continued U.S. support for the war in Ukraine. Since taking office, he’s voted against every Ukraine aid package that’s come to the floor. He’s called for Europe to bear the brunt of financing the war. Mr. Vance wrote in an April op-ed for The New York Times that the current trajectory of the war is unsustainable for either the U.S. or Ukraine. He said that the notion that Ukraine will reclaim all its land lost to Russia is “fantastical.”. . . 39. He Says US Focus Should Be on China. Mr. Vance has also taken a tough stance on China, encouraging the United States to focus its efforts there. Between war in Ukraine, Israel, and Taiwan, Mr. Vance said, America has “to pick and choose” where it invests its resources. “We should be focused on our own problems, and that’s mostly China,” Mr. Vance said in April. “My argument is the Chinese are focused on real power. They’re not focused on how tough people talk on TV or how strong our alleged resolve is. They’re focused on how strong we actually are, and to be strong enough to push back against the Chinese, we’ve got to focus there, and right now, we’re stretched too thin.”)

FOX NEWS
— US Secret Service director plans to ‘stay on’ as calls grow for her resignation. Cheatle called the attempted assassination on Trump ‘unacceptable,’ adding the ‘buck stops with her’ – Greg Wehner
https://www.foxnews.com/us/us-secret-service-director-plans-stay-on-calls-grow-her-resignation

TOWNHALL
— The Republican Party Platform is Good. – Mark Lewis
https://townhall.com/columnists/marklewis/2024/07/16/the-republican-party-platform-is-good-n2641988
— DEI Is Transitioning to Die – Alan Joseph Bauer
https://townhall.com/columnists/alanjosephbauer/2024/07/16/dei-is-transitioning-to-die-n2641940

FROM NATIONAL CENTER-LEFT SOURCES

CNN
— Democrats say “Fact-checking night 1 of the Republican National Convention.” (COMMENT: During the almost 18 years that I worked for GAO, I often worked as a fact checker, and especially during my last 11 years as a GS-13 Step 1-10 Analyst, currently $115,439-$150,075/year.)
https://www.cnn.com/2024/07/15/politics/fact-check-night-one-republican-national-convention/index.html
— Democrats say “Rally security failure has Secret Service at odds with its local law enforcement allies.”
https://www.cnn.com/2024/07/16/politics/secret-service-trump-rally-blame/index.html

YAHOO
— Democrats acknowledge that Vance says “He Changed My Mind” and that “Vance Responds To Sean Hannity About Calling Donald Trump “America’s Hitler” And Other Insults.”
https://au.news.yahoo.com/changed-mind-j-d-vance-015817265.html

MSN
— Vance opposes Democrat efforts to replace voters who have demographics that vote for Republicans with voters who have demographics that vote for Republicans.
https://www.msn.com/en-in/news/world/when-democrats-accused-jd-vance-of-endorsing-racist-great-replacement-theory/ar-BB1q2h5z
— Jim Jordan Issues Warning to Parents on ‘Illegal Aliens’ Hiding in Schools. – Kaitlin Lewis
https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/us/jim-jordan-issues-warning-to-parents-on-illegal-aliens-hiding-in-schools/ar-BB1kYnhP

ABC NEWS
— Democrats say “The rise of JD Vance: From ‘never-Trump guy’ to VP pick. Vance could reach new heights, possibly serving as Trump’s vice president.” (COMMENT: How much money did your parents have? While my parents had more money than Vance’s parents had, I had to work my way through college. I did yard work, delivered newspapers, washed dishes, cleaned golf shoes, chipped slag, pumped gasoline, and delivered mail. My critics/opponents have/had wealthy parents.)
https://abcnews.go.com/Politics/rise-jd-vance-trump-guy-potential-vp-pick/story?id=111310334
(FROM THE ARTICLE: Vance’s rise began when he released his memoir “Hillbilly Elegy,” where he reflects on his upbringing and growing up in a low-income family involved in violence and addiction in Middletown, Ohio — part of America’s Rust Belt.)

NBC NEWS
— Democrat and RINO leaders ever-increasingly promote more LGBTQ.
https://www.nbcnews.com/politics/2024-election/anti-lgbtq-rhetoric-plays-prominent-role-first-night-rnc-rcna162028

CBS NEWS
— Democrats say “2024 RNC Day 1 fact check of the Republican National Convention.” (COMMENT: During the almost 18 years that I worked for GAO, I often worked as a fact checker, and especially during my last 11 years as a GS-13 Step 1-10 Analyst, currently $115,439-$150,075/year.)
https://www.cbsnews.com/news/2024-rnc-day-1-fact-check-republican-national-convention/

NEW YORK TIMES
— Democrats say “Fact-Checking Day 1 of the Republican National Convention.”  (COMMENT: During the almost 18 years that I worked for GAO, I often worked as a fact checker, and especially during my last 11 years as a GS-13 Step 1-10 Analyst, currently $115,439-$150,075/year.)
https://www.nytimes.com/live/2024/07/15/us/rnc-fact-check
— Democrats say “Trump Rally Gunman ‘Didn’t Want Attention’ in School, Classmates Said. Fellow students described the gunman, Thomas Crooks, as intelligent but solitary, someone who tried to avoid teasing by his classmates.”
https://www.nytimes.com/2024/07/15/us/trump-rally-shooting-crooks.html

WASHINGTON POST
— Democrats say “J.D. Vance’s ‘Hillbilly Elegy,’ a plea to the White working class.” (COMMENT: How much money did your parents have? While my parents had more money than Vance’s parents had, I had to work my way through college. I did yard work, delivered newspapers, washed dishes, cleaned golf shoes, chipped slag, pumped gasoline, and delivered mail. My critics/opponents have/had wealthy parents.)
https://www.washingtonpost.com/books/2024/07/15/hillbilly-elegy-jd-vance-review/
(FROM THE ARTICLE: Vance grew up in what his memoir describes as “an Ohio steel town that has been hemorrhaging jobs and hope for as long as I can remember.” His mother struggled with addiction; he was raised by his grandparents, neither of whom graduated from high school. . .Though he has overcome his demons, Vance is sympathetic to those left behind. As he describes their plight, “From low social mobility to poverty to divorce and drug addiction, my home is a hub of misery.” And in contrast to other groups that also experience widespread poverty, “working class whites are the most pessimistic group in America.”)
— Democrats say “J.D. Vance adds veteran appeal to Trump’s populist campaign. As a former Marine Corps grunt, the VP pick speaks to the military and lower working class.” (COMMENT: Because my parents lacked money, during my freshman and sophomore years in high school, my plan was to enlist and use the G.I. Bill to get a college degree. But early in my junior year in 1964, I realized that I could earn a college degree much sooner a) if I got accepted by UIC, b) if I commuted to/from classes at UIC and my parents’ home in Crete, and c) if could earn enough money with part-time jobs. The part-time job that I got working for the Park Forest Post Office enabled me to do that, and not only that, but to buy a new 1968 Oldsmobile 442 in 1967, to buy a new 1969 Dodge Charger SE in 1968, to transfer to NIU in 1969, and to graduate debt-free from NIU in 1970 owning that Charger.)
https://www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/2024/07/15/vance-trump-veterans-appeal/
(FROM THE ARTICLE: I interviewed Vance back in August 2016, when “Hillbilly Elegy” was published. “I think in a lot of ways, and for a lot of kids, frankly, the military is that ticket out,” he told me. “It shows you a different world. It gives you a set of skills that I simply didn’t have when I joined the Marines. … From there, I went to Ohio State, and then I went to Yale Law School,” he continued. “But it really provided a number of opportunities that again, I wouldn’t have had if I hadn’t had the Marine Corps.” The skills he acquired as a Marine took him to Big Law, then Big Tech, and on to Big Politics and the Ohio Senate contest of 2022.
— Democrats say “Thousands of RNC protesters denounce Trump, GOP agenda in Milwaukee. Anti-Trump protesters at the Republican National Convention decried political violence of all kinds while condemning threats to democracy and the GOP agenda.”
https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/2024/07/15/republican-national-convention-protests-trump/
— Democrats say “Jan. 6 marchers at Republican convention complicate efforts to avoid subject.”
https://www.washingtonpost.com/elections/2024/07/16/trump-republicans-convention-jan-6/

USA TODAY
— Democrats say : “RNC 2024: Which Republicans have stayed away from Milwaukee.” Which Republican leaders in your county, township, and municipality boycotted the 2024 Illinois Republican Party State Convention in Collinsville?
https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/politics/elections/2024/07/16/rnc-2024-who-is-staying-away-from-milwaukee/74415168007/
— Democrats say “Tuesday’s RNC theme puts focus on law enforcement.”
https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/politics/elections/2024/07/16/tuesday-rnc-theme-what-make-america-safe-again-means/74421209007/

U.S. NEWS & WORLD REPORT
— Democrats say “Trump’s Running Mate: Lawyer and Author-Turned-MAGA Senator J.D. Vance. The former lawyer and author who rose to prominence for a gut-wrenching memoir of addiction in America has quickly become a powerful voice for Trump in Congress.” (COMMENT: How much money did your parents have? While my parents had more money than Vance’s parents had, I had to work my way through college. I did yard work, delivered newspapers, washed dishes, cleaned golf shoes, chipped slag, pumped gasoline, and delivered mail. My critics/opponents have/had wealthy parents.)
https://www.usnews.com/news/national-news/articles/2024-07-15/trumps-running-mate-lawyer-and-author-turned-maga-senator-j-d-vance
(FROM THE ARTICLE: Once a corporate lawyer who attended Yale Law School, Vance rose to national prominence as the author of “Hillbilly Elegy,” a poignant and gut-wrenching memoir that showcased poverty, isolation and lack of opportunity that haunted his family and others in rural Kentucky.)

WALL STREET JOURNAL
— Democrats say “Trump Bets on a MAGA Successor in J.D. Vance. His choice of the 39-year-old Senator reinforces his base, rather than appealing to a broader coalition.”
https://www.wsj.com/articles/jd-vance-donald-trump-vice-president-2024-election-e37cf310
— Democrats say “J.D. Vance Offers Trump a Fresh Face With a MAGA Profile. Ohio senator has appeal in ‘Blue Wall’ states but might not expand support among suburban women and swing voters.”
https://www.wsj.com/politics/elections/j-d-vance-offers-trump-a-fresh-face-with-a-maga-profile-034d3083
— Democrats ask “Who Is in Donald Trump’s Inner Circle?” and say “These Are His Closest Advisers.”
https://www.wsj.com/politics/elections/trump-advisors-inner-circle-presidential-campaign-0e056dee
— Democrats say “Elon Musk Has Said He Is Committing Around $45 Million a Month to a New Pro-Trump Super PAC.”
https://www.wsj.com/politics/elections/elon-musk-has-said-he-is-committing-around-45-million-a-month-to-a-new-pro-trump-super-pac-dda53823
— “The Trump Shooting Changed Everything. The nation narrowly averted tragedy Saturday. Is it enough to ease our political polarization?” – James Piereson
https://www.wsj.com/articles/the-trump-shooting-changed-everything-80f11bd8?mod=opinion_lead_pos5

GOVERNMENT EXECUTIVE
— Democrats acknowledge that “Sen. J.D. Vance, R-Ohio, has been at the center of GOP efforts in Congress to “dismantle” diversity, equity and inclusion programs at federal agencies, and has suggested that if Trump wins re-election, he should fire “every mid-level bureaucrat” in government.” Soon, if not already, all federal employees will be conservative-hating Republican-hating Democrats who are minority, female, younger, unmarried, LGBTQ, non-Protestant, non-German American, and/or have ancestors who have not been in America for a long time.
https://www.govexec.com/management/2024/07/heres-now-trumps-new-vice-presidential-pick-stacks-federal-workforce-issues/398056/

NEW YORK MAGAZINE
— Democrats say “J.D. Vance on His MAGA Conversion. Trump’s man in Ohio once called him “America’s Hitler,” but there’s an explanation.”
https://nymag.com/intelligencer/2024/07/j-d-vance-explains-his-conversion-to-trump-and-maga.html

INSIDE HIGHER EDUCTAION
— Democrat teachers ever-increasingly promote the Democrat Party platform.
https://www.insidehighered.com/news/faculty-issues/academic-freedom/2024/07/16/bridging-campus-divide-dangerous-ideas-ai

July 15, 2024

FROM ILLINOIS CENTER-LEFT SOURCES

WGN9
— Trump in Milwaukee after assassination attempt, Illinois delegates make short trip north for RNC
https://wgntv.com/news/republican-national-convention-milwaukee/trump-prepares-for-rnc/
(FROM THE ARTICLE: A number of Illinois Republicans have made the short trek north to Milwaukee, an unlikely host for the RNC considering it’s a deeply Democratic city. However, Wisconsin is a key swing state in the upcoming election after Biden defeated Trump there in 2020 by less than a percentage point. “We were once inch away from not having a presidential nominee,” Aaron Del Mar of the Illinois Republican State Central Committee said in the wake of the assassination attempt on Trump. “So, yes, certainly that is going to have an impact on who the VP pick is.” Other Illinois delegates say Republicans will use this week to underscore what they think one-party Democratic leadership has meant for Illinois. “The idea that immigrants should be getting more services than people of Chicago, it’s nuts,” Republican National Committeeman Richard Porter said. “It’s just wrong. “So I think it’s time for people to step back and see who it is that’s going to be delivering the kind of ideas and the kind of services that actually help the people of Illinois.” Illinois delegates will be set up near the back of the convention floor this week, next to Arkansas and just behind Texas. Swing states like Florida, Pennsylvania and Wisconsin are positioned much closer to the front.)

ABC7
— RNC 2024, recast by Trump assassination attempt, kicks off Monday. The RNC will maintain its original programming despite the Trump rally shooting.
https://abc7chicago.com/live-updates/rnc-2024-event-kicks-off-in-milwaukee-following-donald-trump-assassination-attempt/15060290/
— Portrait of suspected gunman emerges after Trump assassination attempt. A recovered firearm was legally purchased by the suspect’s father, sources said.
https://abc7chicago.com/post/donald-trump-assassination-attempt-suspect-had-registered-republican/15058563/
(FROM THE ARTICLE: Officials feared that the assassination attempt would inspire others. The assassination attempt against President Donald Trump “will likely be amplified in extremist messaging and heavily exploited by malicious actors as well as adversarial nation-states in mis/dis/mal-information aimed at fomenting division,” according to an NYPD intelligence product obtained by ABC News. “In the immediate hours after the shooting took place, multiple users on numerous online messaging platforms responded to the incident with support for the attack, overt calls for civil war, hostile rhetoric against FPOTUS Trump, threats against elected officials, and generalized calls for retaliatory violence,” according to the bulletin which was dated July 14, 2024. . . (Crooks) was working as a dietary aide at the Bethel Park Skilled Nursing and Rehabilitation Center, according to administrator Marcie Grimm. Thomas Matthew Crooks “performed his job without concern” and passed a background check, according to Grimm. “We are shocked and saddened to learn of his involvement as Thomas Matthew Crooks performed his job without concern and his background check was clean,” Grimm said in a statement. “We are fully cooperating with law enforcement officials at this time.” The firearm recovered at the scene was legally purchased by the suspect’s father, an urgent trace conducted by ATF found, according to multiple law enforcement sources. A source who has been briefed said the gun was an AR-15 style rifle that was purchased in 2013. . .Crooks had no known history of mental illness, per the FBI. His family is cooperating with investigators. “We’re looking into his background, his day-to-day activities, any writings, and social media posts that might help us identify what led to this shooting. And we have not seen anything threatening,” Rojek added. . .So far, investigators have not uncovered any ties to extremist organizations or individuals, though they continue to scour information from the suspect’s phone and other digital devices, according to the sources. Increasingly, the shooting was looking like a lone wolf attack, sources said. . .Myers said that Crooks “tended to be more of an interesting one” and described him as “more socially reserved” and someone who “didn’t have a ton of friends.” But he said he never heard Crooks discuss politics or, specifically, Donald Trump. . .Myers and another student said that Crooks tried to join the high school’s rifle team but was rejected and asked not to return after a “preseason” session. “He didn’t just not make the team, he was asked not to come back because how bad of a shot he was, it was considered like, dangerous,” said Myers. Another member of the team, who asked not to be named, told ABC News that there was a view that Crooks “wasn’t really fit for the rifle team.” “He also shot terrible,” the team member added. . .Crooks, however, did belong to a local shooting club, counsel for the club confirms to ABC News, Clairton Sportsmen’s Club. . .The classmate added that Crooks was interested in building computers and never discussed politics. . .It was too early in the investigation to say whether the suspect had been acting alone, Bivens said. Investigators were determining if anyone else had been involved, he said.)
— Donald Trump supporters hold rally in Chicago day after assassination attempt. – Michelle Gallardo
https://abc7chicago.com/post/donald-trump-shooting-supporters-hold-rally-chicagos-west/15059186/
(FROM THE ARTICLE: The rally hosted by Trump supporters in the Austin neighborhood was briefly interrupted after a verbal altercation with those who did not welcome their presence led to a person pulling a weapon. Police, who were monitoring the rally nearby, responded immediately and the situation was diffused. . .The rally was a small one, bringing together around 20 Trump supporters.)
— No changes made to RNC security plan after Trump assassination attempt, Secret Service says. Chicago Police Department monitoring situation in preparation for DNC.
https://abc7chicago.com/post/donald-trump-rally-shooting-authorities-reexamining-2024-rnc/15058117/
— Chicago shootings: At least 36 shot, 6 fatally, in weekend gun violence across city
https://abc7chicago.com/post/chicago-shootings-weekend-least-25-shot-4-fatally/15058670/

NBC5
— Trump attack a ‘failure’ for Secret Service: retired agent who survived Reagan assassination attempt. While in the Secret Service, Tim McCarthy suffered a gunshot wound to the chest during an assassination attempt against former President Ronald Reagan in the 1980s. – Bennett Haeberle
https://www.nbcchicago.com/news/local/trump-attack-a-failure-for-secret-service-retired-agent-who-survived-reagan-assassination-attempt-says/3489204/
— Biden orders security review of RNC plans after Trump assassination attempt. The president also ordered a review of security at the rally Saturday where former President Trump was injured in an assassination attempt. – James Neveau
https://www.nbcchicago.com/2024-rnc-republican-national-convention-milwaukee/biden-security-review-rnc-milwaukee-plans-trump-assassination-attempt/3489143/
— Secret Service ‘confident’ in security plans for Republican National Convention in Milwaukee
https://www.nbcchicago.com/2024-rnc-republican-national-convention-milwaukee/secret-service-confident-in-security-plans-for-republican-national-convention-in-milwaukee/3489236/
— Here’s who is expected to speak at the Republican National Convention in Milwaukee
https://www.nbcchicago.com/2024-rnc-republican-national-convention-milwaukee/heres-who-is-expected-to-speak-at-the-republican-national-convention-in-milwaukee/3489177/

CBS2
— The 2024 Republican National Convention set to begin on heels of assassination attempt. Here’s what to know. – Caitlin Yilek
https://www.cbsnews.com/chicago/news/2024-republican-national-convention-what-to-know/
— Ex-classmate of Trump rally shooter describes him as “normal boy,” rejected from high school rifle team. – Madeleine May
https://www.cbsnews.com/chicago/news/trump-rally-shooter-classmate-normal-boy-rejected-from-high-school-rifle-team/
— Trump rally shooter’s motive still unclear as Biden urges calm.
https://www.cbsnews.com/chicago/live-updates/trump-shooting-statement-joe-biden-updates/
— Secret Service to review security at Chicago DNC after Trump assassination attempt. -Dave Savini
https://www.cbsnews.com/chicago/news/secret-service-review-security-chicago-dnc-trump-assassination-attempt/

FOX32
— Chicago police heighten security for DNC after Trump rally shooting. – Nate Rodgers and Cody King
https://www.fox32chicago.com/news/chicago-police-heighten-security-for-dnc-after-trump-rally-shooting

WTTW
— The RNC’s First Day Will Still Focus on the Economy. Here’s What to Know About Trump’s Plans. – AP
https://news.wttw.com/2024/07/15/rnc-s-first-day-will-still-focus-economy-here-s-what-know-about-trump-s-plans
— From the Uihleins to Prominent Business Owners, Who Are Illinois’ Biggest Republican Donors? – Nick Blumberg  (COMMENT: What do major Republican donors think of you?)
https://news.wttw.com/2024/07/15/uihleins-prominent-business-owners-who-are-illinois-biggest-republican-donors
(FROM THE ARTICLE: Trump’s Top Donors: With a combined $10 million donation to the Make America Great Again Super PAC, billionaires Richard and Elizabeth Uihlein are the second-biggest backers of Trump’s reelection bid —  though their contribution has been dwarfed by the $75 million kicked in by banking heir Timothy Mellon. The Uihleins, Lake Forest residents and owners of the shipping products company Uline, are longtime conservative political donors. Uline, which was once headquartered in Illinois, moved in 2010 to Wisconsin — also home to Schlitz Brewing, to which Richard Uihlein is an heir. The Uihleins have long been active in Illinois politics. They supported former Gov. Bruce Rauner in his successful 2014 election bid. In 2018, they backed his unsuccessful challenger in the Republican gubernatorial primary, then-state Rep. Jeanne Ives. They’ve also supported U.S. Rep. Mary Miller (R-Springfield), who drew widespread condemnation for approvingly quoting Adolf Hitler in a 2021 speech; failed Illinois gubernatorial and congressional candidate Darren Bailey; and U.S. Rep. Darin LaHood (R-Peoria). Other donations have gone to two firebrands in the U.S. House: U.S. Rep. Lauren Boebert (R-Colorado) and U.S. Rep. Matt Gaetz (R-Florida). Elizabeth Uihlein also made a $3,300 gift to former Vice President Mike Pence’s presidential campaign in 2023. Since 1998, the Uihleins and their company have made donations totaling nearly $92 million to Illinois-based candidates or committees, according to state election records. The Uihleins have also been active donors to a variety of PACs during the current election cycle. Including their contribution to the Trump campaign, they’ve made more than $61 million in donations to candidates and committees across the country last year and this year, according to federal election records. They’ve been most generous to two Downers Grove-based Super PACs affiliated with the conservative activist organization Restoration of America: Restoration PAC and Fair Courts America. Restoration of America’s founder, Doug Truax, was an unsuccessful candidate in the 2014 Illinois Republican primary for U.S. Senate, losing to Jim Oberweis. In total, the Uihleins have given the two PACs nearly $20 million in 2023 and 2024. They’re also longtime backers of the Club For Growth PAC, which has raked in nearly $16 million from the Uihleins this cycle. And while they’re now Trump mega-donors, they also contributed $3 million to Never Back Down, a super PAC supporting the failed presidential campaign of Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis. . .The Uihleins aren’t the only Illinoisans actively backing conservative political committees during this election cycle. Billionaire Ken Griffin — who famously railed against crime in Chicago and announced he’d move his hedge fund, Citadel, to Miami in 2022 — is still listed as an Illinois resident in some of the contributions that appear in federal election records. During the current campaign cycle, he’s pumped nearly $60 million into campaigns and committees across the country. He has given $10 million apiece to Maryland’s Future, which is supporting former Republican Gov. Larry Hogan’s bid for the U.S. Senate, and Keystone Renewal PAC, which is backing Republican David McCormick’s bid to unseat U.S. Sen. Bob Casey, a Democrat from Pennsylvania. Griffin has also donated $6 million to the American Patriots PAC, a group that backs military veteran candidates that spent heavily in a successful bid to oust U.S. Rep. Bob Good (R-Virginia), who voted to unseat former House Speaker Kevin McCarthy. While Griffin hasn’t been an active donor in Illinois campaigns recently, he did give $6,600 to the successful Nebraska Senate bid of Pete Ricketts, a Republican, who is part of the family that owns the Chicago Cubs. Craig Duchossois, whose billionaire family previously owned the Arlington Park horse racing track, has given more than $9 million to an array of candidates and committees this cycle. According to federal records, Duchossois gave $3 million to the Congressional Leadership Fund, which backs GOP House candidates; $2 million to the Senate Leadership Fund, which supports Republican Senate candidates; and $1 million to the PAC associated with the Koch Brothers-founded group Americans for Prosperity. He also gave $13,200 to Ricketts’ campaign and an associated fund. . .Federal records show that during the current election cycle, the RNC has taken in $826,000 from Elizabeth Uihlein; $413,000 from Duchossois; and $250,000 from Gerson. . .Just 50 Illinoisans have given Trump $3,300 or more, the maximum amount under federal law per each election (primary and general). Compare that to 572 such contributions to Biden. The average contribution to Trump was $39, whereas Biden donations averaged $221. And the overall totals reflect the disparity in Illinois’ political leaning as well. Trump has taken in $3.7 million from Illinoisans, according to the most recent data available, while Biden has taken in $5.8 million.)

CHICAGO TRIBUNE
— The Secret Service is investigating how a gunman who shot and injured Trump was able to get so close. – AP
https://www.chicagotribune.com/2024/07/14/the-secret-service-is-investigating-how-a-gunman-who-shot-and-injured-trump-was-able-to-get-so-close/
— Former fire chief who died at Trump rally used his body to shield family from gunfire. – AP
https://www.chicagotribune.com/2024/07/14/former-fire-chief-who-died-at-trump-rally-used-his-body-to-shield-family-from-gunfire-2/
— FRONT PAGE TOP OF FOLD WITH BIG PICTURE: Illinois GOP leaders at RNC say Trump shooting will unite the party for November. – JEREMY GORNER and RICK PEARSON
https://www.chicagotribune.com/2024/07/14/rnc-trump-shooting-illinois/
— Chicago’s Jewish community is bearing the brunt of religious intolerance. – Yinam Cohen (COMMENT: Democrats run Chicago.)
https://www.chicagotribune.com/2024/07/15/opinion-anstisemitism-hate-crimes-chicago/
— To reduce gun violence, America must change the culture that glamorizes violence. – Tio Hardiman
https://www.chicagotribune.com/2024/07/15/opinion-america-glamorizes-gun-violence/

CHICAGO SUN-TIMES
— Trump expected to take RNC stage Monday night. – Lynn Sweet
https://chicago.suntimes.com/politics/rnc-2024/2024/07/15/rnc-milwaukee-trump-convention-opening-night
— Illinois Republicans ready to ‘rock this’ RNC as Trump assassination attempt unites GOP. Donald Trump’s defiant response to the shooting has provided “a shot of adrenaline in our arm” for his already fervent followers, Illinois delegate Aaron Del Mar said as the GOP gets ready to kick off the Republican National Convention on Monday. – Mitchell Armentrout
https://chicago.suntimes.com/politics/rnc-2024/2024/07/14/illinois-republicans-trump-assassination-attempt-gop-national-convention-milwaukee
— With the attempt on his life, Trump’s convention will be ‘epic,’ says Reince Priebus. The image of a bloodied Trump pumping his fist at a campaign rally in Butler, Pennsylvania Saturday and mouthing the word “fight” will become one of the iconic photos defining these charged political times. – Lynn Sweet
https://chicago.suntimes.com/columnists/2024/07/14/republican-national-convention-milwaukee-donald-trump-assassination-attempt
— After Trump assassination attempt, Dems pause counter-messaging at RNC, including Pritzker appearance. Democrats had planned daily press conferences to highlight “the grave danger that Donald Trump and MAGA Republicans pose to our democracy, our rights and our livelihoods.” But with images of the shooting still fresh in the voters’ minds, they’re opting to let President Biden lead their response. – Tina Sfondeles
https://chicago.suntimes.com/politics/rnc-2024/2024/07/14/trump-assassination-attempt-democrats-counter-messaging-pause-republican-national-convention-pritzker
— Mental health disorders are remarkably pervasive in the general public. Nearly 20% of the US population is estimated to have a mental illness.
https://chicago.suntimes.com/other-views/2024/07/12/gun-access-rage-hate-fuel-killings-violence-crime-diana-fishbein-alex-rohrer-madeline-jupina
— Democrats ever-increasingly promote more LGBTQ.
https://chicago.suntimes.com/other-views/2024/07/15/rallying-cry-defend-rights-transgender-people-youth-conservative-states-republicans-heather-steans

DAILY HERALD
— FRONT PAGE TOP OF FOLD WITH MCCARTY PHOTO: Former suburban police chief wounded protecting Reagan Tim McCarthy expects ‘deep dive’ into security failures. – Steve Zalusky
https://www.dailyherald.com/20240714/news/former-suburban-police-chief-wounded-protecting-reagan-expects-deep-dive-into-security-failures/
— What we know about the 20-year-old suspect in the apparent assassination attempt of Donald Trump. – AP
https://www.dailyherald.com/20240714/nation-and-world/what-we-know-about-the-20-year-old-suspect-in-the-apparent-assassination-attempt-of-donald-trump/
— Judge dismisses classified documents indictment against Trump. – Devlin Barrett, Perry Stein
https://www.dailyherald.com/20240715/crime/judge-dismisses-classified-documents-indictment-against-trump/

CRAINS CHICAGO BUSINESS
— Airlines look to navigate political turbulence around their diversity commitments. – Judith Crown (COMMENT: To meet Affirmative Action and DEI requirements, all my coworkers who my Democrat superiors in the federal government promoted over me were Democrats a) who had less work experience than I had, b) who had less education than I had, c) who had no professional certifications or fewer than I had, d) who had no professional license like the one I had, and/or e) who were minority, female, and/or younger than me.)
https://www.chicagobusiness.com/equity/airlines-dei-efforts-navigate-polarized-political-landscape

NORTHERN PUBLIC RADIO
— Jim Marter of Oswego, a delegate and the Republican candidate for Illinois’ 14th Congressional District, said on matters of foreign policy, there’s a clear consensus within the party since the old guard is no longer dominant. The old guard, he said, refers to “the old Republicans where a lot of them wanted to go into this, that, and the other war.” He said that contrasts with the current Republican stance. “I think for the most part,” he said, “Republicans are at this point, let’s say, ‘hey, if it doesn’t directly affect our national security, we don’t want to be involved.’” Marter opposes U.S involvement in the Ukraine War but does support U.S. funding to Israel in its war in Gaza. This aligns with Trump’s stance. Israel has received more U.S. aid than any other country since World War II, according to Reuters. – Maria Gardner Lara
https://www.northernpublicradio.org/wnij-news/2024-07-15/republican-national-convention-illinois-delegate-says-it-will-showcase-partys-isolationist-foreign-policy-view

CENTRAL ILLINOIS PROUD
— ‘Died a hero’: Man killed at Trump rally used body to shield family from gunfire. – AP
https://www.centralillinoisproud.com/news/national/man-killed-at-trump-rally-was-former-fire-chief-who-died-a-hero-pa-governor-says/

NPR ILLINOIS
— After saying she wouldn’t be there, Nikki Haley will now speak at Republican convention. – Sarah McCammon
https://www.nprillinois.org/2024-07-14/after-saying-she-wouldnt-be-there-nikki-haley-will-now-speak-at-republican-convention
— Women don’t have equal access to college in prison. – Jenny Abamu (COMMENT: What gave you access to college? For me it was my taking college preparatory classes in high school, getting an ACT score of 24, and graduating in the upper 20% of my class.)
https://www.nprillinois.org/2024-07-15/women-dont-have-equal-access-to-college-in-prison-heres-why

WGLT
— How the shooting at Trump’s rally breached security at the event. – Ayesha Rascoe
https://www.wglt.org/2024-07-14/how-the-shooting-at-trumps-rally-breached-security-at-the-event

CITIES 92.9
— Different views of how Biden, Trump impact Illinois’ down-ballot races. – Greg Bishop
https://www.cities929.com/2024/07/15/different-views-of-how-biden-trump-impact-illinois-down-ballot-races/

ST. LOUIS PUBLIC RADIO
— Hawley calls for congressional investigation into Trump assassination attempt security failures. – Jason Rosenbaum
https://www.stlpr.org/government-politics-issues/2024-07-14/senator-josh-hawley-missouri-congressional-investigation-trump-assassination-attempt-failures-fbi-secret-service

POLITICO ILLINOIS
— Illinois GOP ready for Trump’s convention – SHIA KAPOS
https://www.politico.com/newsletters/illinois-playbook/2024/07/15/illinois-gop-ready-for-trumps-convention-00168227

CAPITOL FAX
— Morning briefing
https://capitolfax.com/2024/07/15/isabel%e2%80%99s-morning-briefing-325/

FROM ILLINOIS CENTER-RIGHT SOURCES

JOHN KASS
— As Republican Convention Begins Democrats Come Bearing Gifts.
https://johnkassnews.com/as-republican-convention-begins-democrats-come-bearing-gifts/

FROM NATIONAL CENTER-RIGHT SOURCES

RNC
— 2024 MASTER EVENT CALENDAR
https://www.scribd.com/document/750623190/RNC-Master-Calendar#fullscreen&from_embed

WASHINGTON TIMES
— Trump: I’m rewriting RNC speech after near-death experience. – Tom Howell Jr.
https://www.washingtontimes.com/news/2024/jul/15/donald-trump-im-rewriting-rnc-speech-after-near-de/
— Secret Service at center of ‘failure’ to prevent assassination attempt. – Stephen Dinan and Kerry Picket
https://www.washingtontimes.com/news/2024/jul/14/secret-service-at-center-of-failure-to-prevent-ass/
— Words of vilification from Trump’s opponents echo after close attempt at assassination. – Susan Ferrechio (COMMENT: If you are a Republican, the more demographics that you share with Trump, especially his religion and national origin, the more that hate-filled Trump-hating Trump-haters vilify you.)
https://www.washingtontimes.com/news/2024/jul/14/donald-trump-shooting-follows-ramped-vilification-/
— Trump shooter had no clear politics, wore a Demolition Ranch T-shirt, had bomb-making material. Thomas Matthew Crooks lived south of Pittsburgh, was bullied in high school. – Dave Boyer and Tom Howell Jr.
https://www.washingtontimes.com/news/2024/jul/14/donald-trump-shooter-thomas-matthew-crooks-had-no-/
— Secret Service director, DEI hiring under scrutiny in wake of Trump security lapses. – Matt Delaney (COMMENT: To meet Affirmative Action and DEI requirements, all my coworkers who my Democrat superiors in the federal government promoted over me were Democrats a) who had less work experience than I had, b) who had less education than I had, c) who had no professional certifications or fewer than I had, d) who had no professional license like the one I had, and/or e) who were minority, female, and/or younger than me.)
https://www.washingtontimes.com/news/2024/jul/14/secret-service-director-dei-hiring-under-scrutiny-/
— Democrat media’s ‘Hitlerization’ of Trump no match for divine providence. – Charles Hurt  (COMMENT: If you are a Republican, the more demographics that you share with Trump, especially his religion and national origin, the more that hate-filled Trump-hating Trump-haters Hitlerize you.)
https://www.washingtontimes.com/news/2024/jul/14/fearless-men-history/
— A Trump-Vance ticket is a Biden-Harris victory. Trump needs a running mate with conviction and experience that voters can trust. – Jeffrey Scott Shapiro
https://www.washingtontimes.com/news/2024/jul/13/trump-vance-ticket-is-biden-harris-victory/

WASHINGTON EXAMINER
— Failure to intercept Trump shooter either ‘malice or incompetence’: Betsy DeVos’s brother. – Kaelan Deese
https://www.washingtonexaminer.com/news/campaigns/presidential/3082009/trump-shooter-intercept-malice-incompetence-betsy-devos-brother/
— Wisconsin Gov. Evers asking for guns to be banned near RNC convention after Trump shooting. – Conrad Hoyt
https://www.washingtonexaminer.com/news/campaigns/3082055/evers-asking-guns-banned-near-rnc-convention-trump-shooting/
— Trump assassination attempt follows a Charlottesville every weekend & January 6th on steroids. – Tiana Lowe Doescher
https://www.washingtonexaminer.com/opinion/3082167/trump-assassination-attempt-follows-a-charlottesville-every-weekend-january-6th-on-steroids/
— Is Trump Hitler or not? – Ian Haworth (COMMENT: If you are a Republican, the more demographics that you share with Trump, especially his religion and national origin, the more that hate-filled Trump-hating Trump-haters Hitlerize you.)
https://www.washingtonexaminer.com/opinion/3081484/is-trump-hitler-or-not/
— Will Democrats now stop calling Trump a threat to democracy? – Conn Carroll
https://www.washingtonexaminer.com/opinion/3081574/will-democrats-now-stop-calling-trump-a-threat-to-democracy/

NEW YORK POST
— Trump lands in Milwaukee for RNC on day after assassination attempt. – Victor Nava
https://nypost.com/2024/07/14/us-news/trump-lands-in-milwaukee-for-rnc-after-assassination-attempt/
— Secret Service blames local police, says it was tasked with securing properties surrounding Trump’s Pa. rally. – Alex Oliveira and Victoria Churchill
https://nypost.com/2024/07/14/us-news/secret-service-blames-local-police-says-it-was-tasked-with-securing-properties-surrounding-trumps-pa-rally/
— Disgraced ex- Illinois Gov. Blagojevich now a ‘Trump-o-crat’ with praise for his ‘his new Republican Party’ – Carl Campanile (COMMENT: My critics/opponents, their operatives, and their dupes have always hinted/implied/argued/shouted that I am disgraced. They stress the adverse actions that they, their operatives, and their dupes have taken against me. I should write about them.)
https://nypost.com/2024/07/14/us-news/disgraced-ex-illinois-gov-blagojevich-now-a-trump-o-crat-with-praise-for-his-his-new-republican-party/
— Secret Service chief Kimberly Cheatle facing mounting calls to resign after ‘total security breakdown’ at Trump rally. – Dana Kennedy
https://nypost.com/2024/07/14/us-news/secret-service-chief-kimberly-cheatle-facing-mounting-calls-to-resign-after-total-security-breakdown-at-trump-rally/
— Fury at Secret Service after Trump shooter opens fire from obvious perch & video shows agents fumbling to get ex-prez to safety. Ryan King and Joe Marino
https://nypost.com/2024/07/14/us-news/secret-service-under-pressure-in-wake-of-assassination-attempt-on-trump/

WASHINGTON FREE BEACON
— The Immaculate Conception of Thomas Crooks. – Editorial
https://freebeacon.com/democrats/the-immaculate-conception-of-thomas-crooks/

AMERICAN GRATNESS
— The Biden Titanic. Removing Biden is wise and needed for the country’s sake, but it will not solve the growing public anger at the left. – Victor Davis Hanson
https://amgreatness.com/2024/07/15/the-biden-titanic/

AMERICAN THINKER
— They look just like the Keystone Kops: The DEI Secret Service in inaction. – Ned Barnett (COMMENT: To meet Affirmative Action and DEI requirements, all my coworkers who my Democrat superiors in the federal government promoted over me were Democrats a) who had less work experience than I had, b) who had less education than I had, c) who had no professional certifications or fewer than I had, d) who had no professional license like the one I had, and/or e) who were minority, female, and/or younger than me.)

https://www.americanthinker.com/blog/2024/07/they_look_just_like_the_keystone_kops_the_dei_secret_service_in_inaction.html

BEAUFORD COUNTY NOW
— Was the attempt on Trump’s life an isolated event or the start of something Big? – Editorial
https://www.beaufortcountynow.com/post/81077/was-the-attempt-on-trumps-life-an-isolated-event-or-the-start-of-something-big.html

BIZ PAC REVIEW
— Trump’s resilience, momentum dire threat to Deep State – Jeff Willis
https://www.bizpacreview.com/2024/07/15/trumps-resilience-momentum-dire-threat-to-deep-state-1472367/

BLAZE
— Why are Dems FREAKING OUT over Efforts to STOP Illegals from Voting?!? (COMMENT: In your county, in your township, in your municipality, and in your precinct, how many illegals are going to vote for Biden and for the rest of the rest of the Democrats on the ballot?)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IFiH28k_jTQ

COLLEGE FIX
— 15 times academia demonized Trump before assassination attempt. – JENNIFER KABBANY (COMMENT: I should write about my critics/opponents who have demonized me, denigrated me, and condemned me the most. I would focus on past and present a) leaders of the Illinois Republican Party, DuPage County Republican Central Committee, and Milton Township Republican Organization, b) Republican leaders of Illinois, DuPage County, Milton Township, and Wheaton, c) Republican candidates on ballots in my precinct, d) conservative leaders and activists, and e) religious leaders and activists.)
https://www.thecollegefix.com/15-times-academia-demonized-trump-before-assassination-attempt/

CREATORS SYNDICATE
— Did You See the New RNC Platform? Trump is a Genius. Democrats are Screwed. I Dare Democrats to Argue with Any of Our Platform. I Double Dare You. – Wayne Allyn Root
https://www.creators.com/read/wayne-allyn-root

DAILY SIGNAL
— Secret Service Director Put Focus on diversity. – Jarrett Stepman (COMMENT: To meet federal diversity commitments, all my coworkers who my Democrat superiors in the federal government promoted over me were Democrats a) who had less work experience than I had, b) who had less education than I had, c) who had no professional certifications or fewer than I had, d) who had no professional license like the one I had, and/or e) who were minority, female, and/or younger than me.)
https://www.dailysignal.com/2024/07/14/secret-service-director-put-focus-on-diversity/

DAILY WIRE
— Biden DEI Push In Secret Service Led To Unqualified Agents, One Of Whom Threw Tampons At Her Boss In Unhinged Rage. – Luke Rosiak (COMMENT: To meet Affirmative Action and DEI requirements, all my coworkers who my Democrat superiors in the federal government promoted over me were Democrats a) who had less work experience than I had, b) who had less education than I had, c) who had no professional certifications or fewer than I had, d) who had no professional license like the one I had, and/or e) who were minority, female, and/or younger than me.)
https://www.dailywire.com/news/biden-dei-push-in-secret-service-led-to-unqualified-agents-one-of-whom-threw-tampons-at-her-boss-in-unhinged-rage

FOX NEWS
— Without a border, immigrant crime can hit everywhere. Honest analysts admit that illegal immigrants commit more crime than citizens. – Thomas Homan (COMMENT: To illegally come into a country illegally and/or to illegally stay illegally in a country illegally is to demonstrate a) gross disrespect for the rule of law and b) gross disrespect for that country. Beyond overwhelmingly, illegals demand massive government assistance.)
https://www.foxnews.com/opinion/without-border-immigrant-crime-can-hit-everywhere
— Democrats ever-increasingly promote more dependency on government in Evanston.
https://www.foxnews.com/media/chicago-suburb-expand-eligibility-guaranteed-income-program-we-all-need-help

GOPUSA
— A Platform For Trump’s GOP Heads To Milwaukee
https://www.gopusa.com/a-platform-for-trumps-gop-heads-to-milwaukee/
— What Will Happen At The Republican Convention, And What To Watch For
https://www.gopusa.com/what-will-happen-at-the-republican-convention-and-what-to-watch-for/

NATIONAL REVIEW
— GOP platform has lost its way. – Kathryn Jean Lopez
https://www.pressrepublican.com/opinion/gop-platform-has-lost-its-way/article_2f8f9bca-4194-11ef-87fd-77a74dd03b36.html
(FROM THE ARTICLE: Pro-life people believe abortion to be the human rights issue of our lifetime, one with eternal stakes. With the Republican Party’s changes to its platform regarding abortion, it’s hard to believe the GOP is in the cause for the long haul — never mind the eternal. The platform no longer calls for an end to abortion, opting instead for the leave-it-to-the-states position. This platform and likely presidential nominee Donald Trump have abandoned any even nominal claim to the moral high ground. Lauren Onak, vice-presidential candidate for the American Solidarity Party, is a pro-life convert who recently talked with me not just about saving babies but also helping people with immigration status and housing. If you are going to have an abortion because you don’t have anywhere to live, some pro-life people want to offer help. That’s the work of civil society— sometimes making use of government resources. If abortion is about human rights, ignoring women and children who need help is unacceptable. It doesn’t have to be this way. Henry Hyde, the late congressman, said something that remains true today: “The public virtue of hospitality has been grievously violated by abortion liberty,” he said. “And so, we must do better and we must do differently,” he said. “We must reclaim the heritage of public hospitality. We must become again become again a people capable of welcoming new life, weak life, dependent life, into our midst — and cherishing it,” Hyde went on. Onak is running with presidential candidate Peter Sonski. While they are not seriously expecting to have to move to D.C. come January, they have the right idea in wanting to offer an opportunity for Americans who feel politically homeless to vote in keeping with their values. Their platform is largely based on Catholic Social Teaching, even while they aim to be ecumenical. The Republican Party of 2024 does not reflect this thinking. Catholic convert Ohio Republican Sen. J.D. Vance has declared his support for abortion pills, which cruelly leave women and girls alone to see the demise of the remains of their unborn children. I listened to him speak about the vulnerability of teen girls to the pro-abortion message at an Ohio March for Life in October 2023. But that was then. Republicans now believe they have no responsibility beyond their home states. And maybe not even entirely there — Vance, in a “Meet the Press” interview, cited an erroneous interpretation of a recent Supreme Court decision. He and Trump have both said it approved of abortion pills, when it was a mere ruling on standing that did no such thing. Hyde’s above quotes came before Roe v. Wade was overturned, but his words are relevant to Republicans who might want to seriously consider their abortion positions on something based on more than what Donald Trump wants and the prospects of the next election. The American Solidarity Party is a winning ticket this year, only inasmuch as it captures something of the pro-life vision — loving and welcome — that is all too often lost today. At least someone is giving it a try.)

POST MILLENNIAL
— Biden Secret Service Director Kimberly Cheatle vowed to make DEI a priority of agency. – Katie Daviscourt (COMMENT: To meet Affirmative Action and DEI requirements, all my coworkers who my Democrat superiors in the federal government promoted over me were Democrats a) who had less work experience than I had, b) who had less education than I had, c) who had no professional certifications or fewer than I had, d) who had no professional license like the one I had, and/or e) who were minority, female, and/or younger than me.)
“I’m very conscious as I sit in this chair now of making sure that we need to attract diverse candidates,” said Cheatle.
https://time.com/6998539/trump-shooting-republicans-blame-dei-secret-service-women/

TOWNHALL
— Enough Illegal Aliens Are Registered to Vote to Swing the Election In Biden’s Favor. – Sarah Arnold|
https://townhall.com/tipsheet/saraharnold/2024/07/14/investigation-discovers-enough-illegal-aliens-registered-to-vote-to-swing-the-election-in-bidens-favor-n2641588

WESTERN JOURNAL
— Biden’s Secret Service Director’s Profile Says It All – Diversity – Joe Saunders (COMMENT: To meet Affirmative Action and DEI requirements, all my coworkers who my Democrat superiors in the federal government promoted over me were Democrats a) who had less work experience than I had, b) who had less education than I had, c) who had no professional certifications or fewer than I had, d) who had no professional license like the one I had, and/or e) who were minority, female, and/or younger than me.)
https://www.westernjournal.com/screen-shot-bidens-secret-service-directors-profile-says-diversity/
— Bongino Breaks Down Woke Secret Service Failures Point by Point, And It’s Absolutely Chilling. – Lorri Wickenhauser
https://www.westernjournal.com/bongino-breaks-woke-secret-service-failures-point-point-absolutely-chilling/

FROM NATIONAL CENTER-LEFT SOURCES

MSN
— To meet Affirmative Action and DEI requirements, all my coworkers who my Democrat superiors in the federal government promoted over me were Democrats a) who had less work experience than I had, b) who had less education than I had, c) who had no professional certifications or fewer than I had, d) who had no professional license like the one I had, and/or e) who were minority, female, and/or younger than me.
https://www.msn.com/en-ca/news/politics/gop-lawmaker-calls-secret-service-director-a-dei-person-after-trump-shooting/ar-BB1pY6BH

NEW YORK TIMES
— The New York Times unabashedly promotes hatred against Trump and then hypocritically says “The Attack on Donald Trump Is Antithetical to America.”
https://www.nytimes.com/2024/07/13/opinion/donald-trump-rally-shooting.html

WASHINGTON POST
— Trump remade the GOP in his image — and its platform in his words. – Derek Hawkins, Clara Ence Morse, Adrián Blanco and Aadit Tambe (COMMENT: Of course, my critics/opponents will stress those planks that Trump a) deleted, b) diminished, or c) failed to strengthen.)
https://www.washingtonpost.com/elections/interactive/2024/republican-platform-changes-trump/
— What to know about the head of Secret Service as agency faces scrutiny. The 27th director of the U.S. Secret Service, Kimberly Cheatle, was sworn into office in 2022 and now faces questions about how the agency handled Trump’s rally. – Maria Sacchetti
https://www.washingtonpost.com/nation/2024/07/14/secret-service-director-kimberly-cheatle/

USA TODAY
— Republicans’ focus on Biden’s age is a trap. Talk about his policy failures instead. The focus on age could easily come back to bite Republicans, hard. Where will voters go if Democrats end up nominating someone other than Joe Biden? – John Tillman
https://www.usatoday.com/story/opinion/2024/07/15/biden-age-inflation-border-policy-trump-republican-convention/74371168007/
— Joe Biden has everyone worried. Let’s talk about aging, for real. – Charles Trepany
https://www.usatoday.com/story/life/health-wellness/2024/07/10/joe-biden-trump-debate-aging/74348049007/
— New Republican platform makes one thing clear: We’ve dropped the anti-abortion effort. Republicans have made it clear they will follow Trump anywhere, even if it’s to ignore the anti-abortion movement. – Dace Potas
https://www.usatoday.com/story/opinion/columnist/2024/07/11/rnc-gop-platform-abortion-republicans-pro-life/74347683007/

WALL STREET JOURNAL
— Donald Trump’s near assassination presents the biggest crisis for the Secret Service in decades. At the heart of what will be a torrent of investigations: How was a 20-year-old lone shooter able to take up an exposed firing position on an open rooftop not much more than a football field away from the former president? –  C. Ryan Barber,, James Fanelli, Jan Wolfe
https://www.wsj.com/politics/trump-rally-shooting-is-the-secret-services-nightmare-1b35a7d6
— America Was an Inch From Catastrophe, and I Was There. I served in the Gulf War and know the sound of gunfire. I didn’t expect it at a rally in Pennsylvania. – David McCormick
https://www.wsj.com/articles/america-was-an-inch-from-catastrophe-and-i-was-there-butler-trump-rally-9e47b971
— The Question Aging Bosses Should Ask Themselves. Leadership and aging were urgent issues for American companies even before President Biden’s halting debate performance. – Callum Borchers (COMMENT: The issue should be health, not age.)
https://www.wsj.com/lifestyle/careers/the-age-question-looms-over-americas-bosses-31c1706b
— Democrat and RINO leaders ever-increasingly promote more illegal immigration.
https://www.wsj.com/economy/retirement-social-security-benefits-illegal-immigrants-c5a04d74

FORBES
— Democrat and RINO employers ever-increasingly use DEI a) to not hire Republicans and b) to get rid of their Republican employees.
https://www.forbes.com/sites/juliekratz/2024/07/14/how-to-talk-about-dei-work-in-a-polarizing-political-climate/

BLOOMBERG
— Secret Service Trump Rally Response Spurs Bipartisan Queries. – Ellen M Gilmer and Michaela Ross
https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2024-07-14/secret-service-trump-rally-response-spurs-bipartisan-queries

DAILY DOT
— MAGA fumes over women on Trump’s Secret Service detail, say DEI to blame for assassination attempt. The Secret Service director has tried to ramp up female recruitment. – Katherine Huggins (COMMENT: To meet Affirmative Action and DEI requirements, all my coworkers who my Democrat superiors in the federal government promoted over me were Democrats a) who had less work experience than I had, b) who had less education than I had, c) who had no professional certifications or fewer than I had, d) who had no professional license like the one I had, and/or e) who were minority, female, and/or younger than me.)
https://www.dailydot.com/debug/donald-trump-secret-service-women/

TIME & DAILY KOS
— To meet Affirmative Action and DEI requirements, all my coworkers who my Democrat superiors in the federal government promoted over me were Democrats a) who had less work experience than I had, b) who had less education than I had, c) who had no professional certifications or fewer than I had, d) who had no professional license like the one I had, and/or e) who were minority, female, and/or younger than me.
https://time.com/6998539/trump-shooting-republicans-blame-dei-secret-service-women/
https://www.dailykos.com/stories/2024/7/14/2254146/-Republicans-are-wasting-no-time-in-blaming-Democrats-and-Biden

July 12, 2024

Do you agree with retiring Republican State Senator Dan Caulkins that the Illinois Republican Party (IRP) State Central Committee (SCC) a) should urge Don Tracy to delay his resignation as IRP chairman and b) delay its election of a new IRP chairman? If so, you should contact Tracy and your IRP SCC member immediately.

ILLINOIS FAMILY ACTION
— Urge the IL GOP SCC Committee to Pick Kathy Salvi – David E. Smith and David E. Curtin (COMMENT: How much do you know about John Cabello, Aaron Del Mar, and Kathy Salvi who want to be the next Illinois Republican Party (IRP) chairman? In 2005, as an Illinois Center Right Coalition Steering Committee member, I organized a candidate forum in Springfield the evening before the day that the IRP State Central Committee elected Andy McKenna as the IRP chairman. Participants in that forum were John Cox, Stephen McGlynn, McKenna, and Jim Nalepa. Jim Oberweis wanted to participate, but could not. Serving as the chairman of a political organization is a thankless job. I know that because I served as chairman of TAPROOT Republicans of Illinois 2005-2012. Chairmen of Republican organizations are blamed for all the losses that Republican candidates suffer.)
https://illinoisfamilyaction.org/2024/07/the-next-ilgop-chair-will-be/
(FROM THE ARTICLE: The Illinois Republican State Central Committee (SCC) will be meeting (AT NOON TODAY) to consider how to fill the vacancy left by Chairman Don Tracy, who resigned in June. We are only aware of a couple of candidates who are up for consideration. Of course, we want to see someone who is fully committed to uphold the planks on the sanctity of human life, marriage, family, immigration security and religious liberty. Therefore, we wholeheartedly endorse Kathy Salvi for the next Illinois GOP chair. In fact, we don’t think we could ask for a better person to serve in that role. The 64-year-old mother of six adult children is the wife of former State Representative Al Salvi (1993-1996), who was the Republican nominee for U.S. Senate in 1996 and Illinois Secretary of State in 1998. We have complete confidence that Kathy is not only a true conservative, but one who will fight to keep the aforementioned planks in the Illinois GOP Platform. Take ACTION: Click HERE ( https://www.votervoice.net/ILFI/Campaigns/116846/Respond ) to send a message to the members of the Illinois Republican SCC to urge them to select Kathy Salvi. We cannot afford to have a chairman who is unwilling or dispassionate about certain critical GOP Platform planks or who has an agenda that isn’t aligned with them. Background. Both Salvis have been outspoken pro-life pro-family conservatives. Both attended the private Catholic school, Carmel High School in Mundelein, as did former U.S. Senator and former presidential candidate Rick Santorum (R-PA). The Salvis and Santorums are close friends. Kathy, and her husband Al, have a long history in conservative Illinois politics, especially in pro-life advocacy, including championing abstinence education. Kathy worked closely with Al over the years as they have been involved in GOP and family and pro-life conservative efforts helping candidates. In 2022, she ran and won the U.S. Senate primary nomination with 30% of the vote against 6 other great candidates. Unfortunately, Kathy was unable to defeat incumbent Tammy Duckworth in the General Election. As we know, the red wave did not materialize that year and it was tough election cycle for Republicans in Illinois.)

ILLINOIS REVIEW
— Angry, Bitter Don Tracy Meddling in IL GOP Chairman’s Race as SCC Rushes Selection to Appoint New State Party Chair.
https://www.illinoisreview.com/illinoisreview/2024/07/angry-bitter-don-tracy-meddling-in-il-gop-chairmans-race-as-ssc-rushes-selection-to-appoint-new-state-party-chair.html
(FROM THE ARTICLE: With the Republican National Convention just days away, the Illinois Republican State Central Committee is moving at warp speed to appoint a new state party chairman as Republicans across the state raise concerns about the vetting process and the need for transparency as candidates jockey to be the next leader of the Illinois Republican Party. On Wednesday evening, three candidates submitted their applications for party chairman: Aaron Del Mar, John Cabello and Kathy Salvi – but it’s Salvi – the former GOP nominee for U.S. Senate that’s creating the most buzz amongst grassroots circles. For the last two years, Salvi has defended outgoing chairman Don Tracy, co-hosted state party fundraisers with Tracy, and was endorsed by gubernatorial candidate Richard Irvin during the 2022 election cycle. Irvin was the state party’s favorite candidate – and Tracy’s too, although he won’t admit it – during the 2022 primary, but lost in a landslide to the conservative grassroots-backed candidate by 43 points. And during the primary campaign, it was reported by WTTW’s Paris Schutz that in 2018, Irvin sent text messages calling Trump an “idiot” and a “bigoted racist.” Irvin also texted the friend, “I hate Trump too!” Prior to running for governor, Irvin spent years praising Democrat Gov. JB Pritzker, referring to him as a, “great friend and a great leader.” And in 2020, Irvin spoke at a Black Lives Matter rally yelling, “I can’t breathe!” In exclusive audio obtained by Illinois Review, Tracy admitted during a July 2022 meeting with conservative leaders that the Irvin campaign for governor was allowed to use the IL GOP postage discount for mailers – a perk not afforded to other candidates for governor during the primary. Tracy acknowledged use of the postage discount in the recording, but said the IL GOP was taking its “direction from the House Caucus and the Senate Caucus.” In conservative circles across the state, many believe that Tracy is propping up Salvi to be his heir apparent, and multiple party insiders have shared with this publication that a backroom deal has been struck that gives Salvi the chairmanship and Jason Plummer – a downstate Republican state senator, the vice chair position. Plummer works closely with Tracy’s sister-in-law, State Sen. Jill Tracy, who serves alongside Plummer in the state senate and is the Senate Republican Whip. On Wednesday, retiring State. Sen. Dan Caulkins, a conservative from Decatur and member of the Illinois Freedom Caucus, released a statement urging the delay of Tracy’s resignation as state party chair, arguing that, “My concern is that the selection process is rushed and ill timed.” Applications were due on Wednesday, June 10, and the SSC meets two days later on June 12 to elect a new leader.)

CHICAGO TRIBUNE
— Illinois GOP set to select one of three finalists for state chair – JEREMY GORNER and RICK PEARSON
https://www.chicagotribune.com/2024/07/11/illinois-gop-set-to-select-one-of-three-finalists-for-state-chair/

WTTW
— Illinois Republicans Announce 3 Finalists for State Chair Post as Private Meeting Set for Friday. – Amanda Vinicky
https://news.wttw.com/2024/07/11/illinois-republicans-announce-3-finalists-state-chair-post-private-meeting-set-friday
(FROM THE ARTICLE: My concern is that the selection process is rushed and ill timed. We are setting up whoever takes over the chairmanship for failure. Caulkins publicly asked Tracy to delay his resignation through the Nov. 19 election and the rest of the calendar year. “The reality is the truncated timetable prohibits them from making a strong case for their candidacy,” Caulkins wrote. “We gain nothing by rushing this important decision and we risk losing traction in a state that we can ill afford to cede anymore ground to the Democrats.”)

JOURNAL & TOPICS
— Palatine’s Aaron Del Mar 1 Of 3 Running For Illinois State GOP Chair. – Tom Robb
https://www.journal-topics.com/articles/palatines-aaron-del-mar-1-of-3-running-for-illinois-state-gop-chair/

FROM ILLINOIS CENTER-LEFT SOURCES

CHICAGO TRIBUNE
— Will County committee seeks to end ‘divisive’ proclamations, then proposes ‘non-sanctuary’ designation. – MICHELLE MULLINS (COMMENT: How likely is it that Republican elected officials in your county, your township, and your municipality will propose ‘non-sanctuary’ designation? To what extent do Republican elected officials in the aforesaid support the immigration plank in the Republican Party platform?)
https://www.chicagotribune.com/2024/07/11/will-county-committee-seeks-to-end-divisive-proclamations-then-proposes-non-sanctuary-designation/
— Democrats ever-increasingly promote more LGBTQ.
https://www.chicagotribune.com/2024/07/11/chicago-queer-community-rallies-for-safe-return-of-taylor-casey-black-trans-woman-and-local-activist-still-missing-in-the-bahamas/
— Hate-filled Trump-hating Trump-haters, that is, Democrats, use a twice-convicted drug felon against Trump.
https://www.chicagotribune.com/2024/07/12/editorial-convicted-felon-donald-trump-could-not-run-for-the-sauk-village-board-say-what/
— Biden says during press conference he’s going to ‘complete the job’ despite calls to bow out. – SEUNG MIN KIM, ZEKE MILLER, LISA MASCARO, and COLLEEN LONG
https://www.chicagotribune.com/2024/07/11/biden-news-conference/
— US Reps. Brad Schneider, Eric Sorensen call on President Biden to drop reelection bid. (COMMENT: DAN PETRELLA and RICK PEARSON.)
https://www.chicagotribune.com/2024/07/11/us-rep-brad-schneider-calls-on-president-biden-to-drop-reelection-bid/
— How a 1994 highway tragedy led to debilitation of the Illinois Republican Party – Andy Shaw (COMMENT: I should write a book about my critics/opponents who have blamed me and my GOPUSA ILLINOIS newsletters the most for George Ryan’s and for Jim Ryan’s problems. I would focus on past and present a) leaders of the Illinois Republican Party, DuPage County Republican Central Committee, and Milton Township Republican Organization, b) Republican leaders of Illinois, DuPage County, Milton Township, and Wheaton, c) Republican candidates on ballots in my precinct, d) conservative leaders and activists, and e) religious leaders and activists.)
https://www.chicagotribune.com/2024/07/12/opinion-illinois-republican-party-george-ryan-operation-safe-road-don-tracy/
(FROM THE ARTICLE: The charred remains of Scott and Janet Willis’ minivan sits on the side of Interstate 94, Nov. 8, 1994, near Milwaukee after a part fell off a truck causing a fire that killed six of their children. The accident led to an investigation that eventually doomed former Illinois Gov. George Ryan’s political career. . .Power wondered if ABC affiliate WLS-Ch. 7, where I was covering politics, might be interested in what whistleblowers in then-Secretary of State George Ryan’s office were telling him about alleged corruption that may have contributed to a fiery 1994 explosion on a Milwaukee expressway that injured his clients — Duane “Scott” Willis and his wife, Janet — and killed their young children, who were riding in the back seat. So we interviewed the same whistleblowers, who were supervisors in Ryan’s suburban McCook office, and they identified a handful of employees, under the direction of Ryan’s chief of staff, who were issuing commercial driver’s licenses to minimally qualified truckers in exchange for cash bribes that went into their pockets and Ryan’s campaign coffers. . .Our story about the crash, and the alleged corruption that contributed to it, led a 10 p.m. newscast in early 1998, and we aired multiple follow-ups, but the affable and avuncular Ryan, a popular political veteran who was then running for governor, denied any knowledge of the alleged corruption in his office. That helped him survive a GOP primary challenge and defeat a weak Democratic challenger in the November election, even as storm clouds of a sweeping federal investigation that began after our stories aired were swirling around him. That investigation, dubbed “Operation Safe Road” by the feds, eventually led to the conviction of Ryan and others, many of them powerful Republican Party funders, operatives and insiders, leaving the Illinois GOP in shambles and paving the way for the gubernatorial election of Democrat Rod Blagojevich in 2002, ending 26 years of GOP control of the governor’s office in Springfield. The decimation of the Republican Party’s infrastructure also enabled then-Illinois House Speaker and state Democratic Party Chairman Michael Madigan to engineer the election of Democrats to all but one statewide office, super-majorities in both legislative chambers and control of the Illinois Supreme Court.)

CHICAGO SUN-TIMES
— Johnson offers fiery defense of Joe Biden as convention planners say Chicago is ready for DNC. “Do y’all know that the former president has been on trial for an attempted coup to overturn an election? What are we debatin’ over? You can go with the person who has shown up for the people of this country, investing in cities across America, or you can go with the person who does not to believe in democracy.” – Fran Spielman
https://chicago.suntimes.com/politics/2024/07/11/johnson-defends-biden-convention-dnc-trump-debate

CRAIN’S CHICAGO BUSINESS
— DNC party planners ignore questions about Biden nomination. – Justin Laurence
https://www.chicagobusiness.com/politics/dnc-party-planners-ignore-questions-about-joe-biden-nomination
— A 2nd Illinois congressman (Schneider) calls for Biden to step down. – Justin Laurence
https://www.chicagobusiness.com/politics/rep-brad-schneider-calls-joe-biden-step-out

MILWAUKEE JOURNAL SENTINEL
— RNC Host Committee raises $85 million for Milwaukee convention, exceeding goal. – Lawrence Andrea
https://www.jsonline.com/story/news/politics/elections/2024/07/11/rnc-host-committee-raises-85-million-for-milwaukee-convention/74364551007/

ABC7
— RNC 2024 speakers include Donald Trump Jr., Kristi Noem; Melania Trump expected to attend
https://abc7chicago.com/post/rnc-2024-speakers-donald-trump-jr-melania-trump-to-attend-sources-say/15052786/
— Democrats say “Republicans are gathering in Milwaukee to nominate Donald Trump again. What to expect.”
https://abc7chicago.com/post/rnc-2024-republicans-meet-milwaukee-nominate-donald-trump/15053451/
— Illinois Reps. Schneider, Sorensen call on President Biden to step aside. – Craig Wall and Liz Nagy
https://abc7chicago.com/post/us-rep-brad-schneider-calls-joe-biden-pass/15051843/
— Biden mixes up Trump and Harris when asked about his VP’s viability.
https://abc7chicago.com/live-updates/joe-biden-press-conference-live-president-calls-harris-trump-when-asked-about-his-vps-viability-amid-to-drop-out/15050926/entry/15052474/

NBC5
— The Republican party’s 2024 platform reflects a Trump-centric shift in policies. The 16-page document mirrors former President Donald Trump’s Truth Social posts in its slogans and capitalized letters. – Nicole Tan
https://www.nbcchicago.com/news/national-international/the-republican-partys-2024-platform-reflects-a-trump-centric-shift-in-policies/3486524/
— Biden insists he will stay in race in post-NATO news conference amid growing concerns within Democratic Party. Biden fielded questions over his fitness to run for office and policy addressing wars in Ukraine and Gaza, among other issues. – Rose Schmidt and Mary Ann Ahern
https://www.nbcchicago.com/news/local/biden-insists-he-will-stay-in-race-in-post-nato-news-conference-amid-growing-concerns-within-democratic-party/3487243/
— Biden loses his train of thought, calls Harris ‘Vice President Trump’ in solo press conference. – Rebecca Picciotto
https://www.nbcchicago.com/news/business/money-report/biden-loses-his-train-of-thought-calls-harris-vice-president-trump-in-solo-press-conference/3487108/
— 2 more Illinois House Democrats call on President Biden to withdraw from race. Brad Schneider and Eric Sorenson join Mike Quigley as Illinois House Democrats who have called for Joe Biden to end his reelection efforts.
https://www.nbcchicago.com/news/local/2nd-illinois-house-democrat-calls-president-biden-withdraw-race/3486794/

CBS2
— Chicago tent city to be cleared out, residents to be relocated ahead of Democratic National Convention. – Megan Hickey
https://www.cbsnews.com/chicago/news/chicago-tent-city-to-be-cleared-out-democratic-national-convention/
— Rep. Brad Schneider joins growing list of Democrats urging President Biden to drop out of race. – Todd Feurer, Charlie De Mar
https://www.cbsnews.com/chicago/news/congressman-brad-schneider-president-joe-biden-race-white-house/
— 5 people injured in mass shooting on Chicago’s West Side. – Jackie Kostek, Elyssa Kaufman
https://www.cbsnews.com/chicago/news/mass-shooting-chicago-north-lawndale/

WGN9
— Biden mistakenly refers to Harris as ‘Vice President Trump’ – Brett Samuels
https://wgntv.com/politics-3/biden-mistakenly-refers-to-harris-as-vice-president-trump/
— GOP bill to fund legislative branch fails on House floor. – Aris Folley (COMMENT: GAO works for Congress. During the 1980s and 1990s, Republicans cut GAO’s budget dramatically. The Democrats who ran GAO used that to get rid of the agency’s employees who were Republican, and especially those like me who were conservative, White, male, older, non-veteran, Protestant, German American, and/or had ancestors who have been in America for a long time. I should write a book about that.)
https://wgntv.com/hill-politics/gop-bill-to-fund-legislative-branch-fails-on-house-floor/
(FROM THE ARTICLE; Republicans say their bill would allocate about $7 billion in total discretionary funding, up 5.6 percent from current levels, with increases for chamber operations, U.S. Capitol Police, the Congressional Budget Office, the Government Accountability Office and the Library of Congress.)

FOX32
— Chicago mayor: Trump ‘trying to bring back the Confederacy’ – Paris Schutz (COMMENT: In the Civil War, Democrats (the Confederacy) fought for slavery and Republicans (the Union) fought against slavery. Ever-increasingly, since the Civil War, Democrats paint themselves as having been the Union and Republicans as hiving been the Confederacy.)
https://www.fox32chicago.com/news/chicago-mayor-brandon-johnson-donald-trump-confederacy
— Illinois Democrat (Schneider) calls for Biden to step down: ‘Time to pass the torch’ – Bradford Betz
https://www.fox32chicago.com/news/illinois-democrat-calls-biden-step-down-time-pass-torch
— Biden insists he’s staying in the race but makes noticeable gaffes in press conference. – Daniel Miller
https://www.fox32chicago.com/news/biden-nato-press-conference-calls-exit-race
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1JUErd4Iiqc
— Chicago mayor rips into Trump amid more calls for Biden to step aside. Another Illinois congressman is joining the call for President Joe Biden to step aside. It comes on the same day Chicago Mayor Brandon Johnson blasted Donald Trump.
https://www.fox32chicago.com/video/1483957

CHAMPAIGN/URBANA NEWS GAZETTE
— COMMENT: Democrats ever-increasingly use IVF against Republicans.
https://www.news-gazette.com/news/nation-world/more-than-6-in-10-u-s-adults-support-protecting-access-to-ivf-ap-norc/article_39da6391-9491-588b-8af6-8127989b4159.html

WBEZ
— Fewer Americans feel their vote matters. Changing our primaries may help. According to legal experts, partisan primaries may be keeping Americans away from the voting booth. They say change is needed. – David Schaper (COMMENT: In your precinct, in your township, and in your county, how many cast Republican ballots in primary elections but then vote for Democrat candidates in general elections?)
https://www.wbez.org/2024/07/11/fewer-americans-feel-their-vote-matters-changing-our-primaries-may-help

WIFR
— Cabello heads to Milwaukee for RNC.
https://www.wifr.com/2024/07/12/cabello-heads-milwaukee-rnc/

FOX ILLINOIS
— Biden confuses Harris for Trump after similar Zelenskyy-Putin gaffe in day of mixups. – JAMEL VALENCIA
https://foxillinois.com/news/beyond-the-podium/biden-confuses-kamala-harris-for-trump-after-similar-volodymyr-zelenskyy-putin-gaffe-in-day-of-mixups-high-stakes-speech-nato-solo-news-conference-republican-donald-trump-june-27-debate-slip-ups-flubs
— IRS touts enforcement funding, announces $1B in past-due collections from the rich. – CORY SMITH (COMMENT: Who do you know who has worked for IRS?  I worked for IRS for almost 9 years, the last 5 1/2 years of which at the GS-12 Step 1-5 Levels, currently $97,079-$110,020/year. Who do you know who had audited IRS? I worked for GAO for 3 years on audits of IRS at the GS-13 Step 1-3 Levels, currently $115,439-$123,136/year. I should write about those who have wasted my knowledge of IRS the most.)
https://www.foxillinois.com/news/nation-world/irs-touts-enforcement-funding-announces-1b-in-past-due-collections-from-the-rich-inflation-reduction-act-politics-congress-white-house-tax-system-federal-spending-revenue-tax-foundation

CENTRAL ILLINOIS PROUD
— The GOP platform calls for ‘universal school choice.’ What would that mean for students? – AP (COMMENT: If my parents had not sent me to Trinity Lutheran Grade School in Crete 1953-1961 and then to Hope Lutheran Grade School in Park Forest 1961-1962, I doubt that I would have been able to get an ACT score of 24, graduate in the upper 20% of my Crete-Monee High School class, and get accepted by UIC in 1966.)
https://www.centralillinoisproud.com/news/national/ap-the-gop-platform-calls-for-universal-school-choice-what-would-that-mean-for-students/
— Republicans are gathering in Milwaukee to nominate Donald Trump again. Here’s what to expect. – AP
https://www.centralillinoisproud.com/news/politics/ap-republicans-are-gathering-in-milwaukee-to-nominate-donald-trump-again-heres-what-to-expect/

POLITICO ILLINOIS
— Sorensen, Schneider want Biden to quit. – SHIA KAPOS
https://www.politico.com/newsletters/illinois-playbook/2024/07/12/sorensen-schneider-want-biden-to-quit-00167777?nname=illinois-playbook&nid=00000150-1596-d4ac-a1d4-179e288b0000

CAPITOL FAX
— Morning briefing
https://capitolfax.com/2024/07/12/isabel%e2%80%99s-morning-briefing-324/
— Afternoon roundup
https://capitolfax.com/2024/07/11/isabel%e2%80%99s-afternoon-roundup-117/

FROM ILLINOIS CENTER-RIGHT SOURCES

MARTER FOR CONGRESS
— Marter Calls Out Underwood for Failing to Protect U.S. Citizens’ Votes from Foreign Interference
https://www.wane.com/business/press-releases/ein-presswire/726958422/marter-for-congress-calls-out-underwood-for-failing-to-protect-u-s-citizens-votes-from-foreign-interference/

CENTER SQUARE ILLINOIS
— Democrats blaming Republicans for Chicago crime is ‘crazy,’ legislator says. –  Greg Bishop
https://www.thecentersquare.com/illinois/article_0953956a-3fbe-11ef-9b83-b78cc39e98ae.html

SANGAMON SUN
— U.S. Rep. Budzinski votes to make it easier for illegal aliens to vote in federal elections.
https://sangamonsun.com/stories/661795705-u-s-rep-budzinski-votes-to-make-it-easier-for-illegal-aliens-to-vote-in-federal-elections
— Illinois ranks second-highest nationwide for property taxes; lawmaker calls for urgent reforms
https://sangamonsun.com/stories/661796504-illinois-ranks-second-highest-nationwide-for-property-taxes-lawmaker-calls-for-urgent-reforms

EAST CENTRAL REPORTER
— Illinois GOP criticizes Democrats over new state budget and tax hikes.
https://eastcentralreporter.com/stories/661795862-illinois-gop-criticizes-democrats-over-new-state-budget-and-tax-hikes

KANE COUNTY REPORTER
— Ugaste on arrest of foreign nationals for drug smuggling: ‘Providing free healthcare to undocumented immigrants only exacerbates these issues’
https://kanecountyreporter.com/stories/661778168-ugaste-on-arrest-of-foreign-nationals-for-drug-smuggling-providing-free-healthcare-to-undocumented-immigrants-only-exacerbates-these-issues

WIREPOINTS
— Texas has created 1.4 million jobs in 5 years while Illinois has lost 80,000, it’s a clear contrast.
https://wirepoints.org/texas-has-created-1-4-million-jobs-in-5-years-while-illinois-has-lost-80000-its-a-clear-contrast-wirepoints-on-with-jeff-daly-of-wzus-decatur-radio/
— Illinoisans struggle with inflation while lawmakers raise their own salaries 33%
https://wirepoints.org/illinoisans-struggle-with-inflations-while-lawmakers-raise-their-own-salaries-33-wirepoints-on-wls-ramblin-ray-show/

JOHN KASS
— The Two Deep State Coups of Barack Obama
https://johnkassnews.com/the-silky-knife-two-deep-state-coups-of-barack-obama/

FROM NATIONAL CENTER-RIGHT SOURCES

WASHINGTON TIMES
— Biden confuses Vice President Harris with Trump at high-stakes presser to prove he’s mentally fit. –  Tom Howell Jr.
https://www.washingtontimes.com/news/2024/jul/11/joe-biden-confuses-kamala-harris-with-donald-trump/

WASHINGTON EXAMINER
— A commonsense platform for peace and prosperity. – Editorial
https://www.washingtonexaminer.com/opinion/3078738/a-commonsense-platform-for-peace-and-prosperity/

NEW YORK POST
— Trump-driven Republican platform is recipe for success. – Stephen Moore and Casey B. Mulligan
https://nypost.com/2024/07/11/opinion/trump-driven-republican-platform-is-recipe-for-success/

CAMPUS REFORM
— Duke report tying ‘individualism’ to ‘white supremacy’ uncovered amidst increasing scrutiny of DEI. – Patrick McDonald (COMMENT: According to Democrats, a) Whites succeed only because they benefit from discrimination against minorities and b) minorities fail only because they are discriminated against by Whites. If I had been a minority, the federal government would have promoted me into its Senior Executive Service, currently $191,900/year, long before I was 40 years old. I earned an MBA from Loyola when I was 27, I passed the CPA examination on my first attempt when I was 30, I earned a master’s degree in accounting from DePaul when I was 31, and I passed the Certified Internal Auditor examination on my first attempt and became a licensed CPA when I was 32. All those who GAO, IRS, and the Post Office hired and/or promoted over me were Democrats who 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. All of the aforesaid were minorities, females, younger than me, veterans, non-Protestant, non-German American, and/or had ancestors who had not been in America for a long time.)
https://www.campusreform.org/article/duke-report-tying-individualism-white-supremacy-uncovered-amidst-increasing-scrutiny-dei/25865

CENTER FOR FAMILY
— Biden Imposes Homosexual/Transgender Mandate on Entire World – Stefano Gennarini, J.D. (COMMENT: Democrats and RINOs ever-increasing get rid of you if you do not promote LGBTQ.)
https://c-fam.org/friday_fax/analysis-biden-imposes-homosexual-transgender-mandate-on-entire-world/

DAILY CALLER
— Biden Avoids Total Collapse In Gaffe-Heavy Presser – REAGAN REESE
https://dailycaller.com/2024/07/11/joe-biden-nato-press-conference-gaffe-vice-president-donald-trump/

DAILY SIGNAL
— We Asked Senate Dems About the Bill Banning Noncitizen Voting. – Elizabeth Troutman Mitchell (COMMENT: How many noncitizens will vote for Biden America, Illinois, your county, your township, and your municipality? To get votes from noncitizens, Democrats ever-increasingly give noncitizens more and more and more preference.)
https://www.dailysignal.com/2024/07/11/commonsense-save-act-gains-momentum-senate/

FEDERALIST
— U.S. Military Hides Push For Trans Surgeries, Queer Exploration Among Soldiers’ Kids. – JOY PULLMANN
https://thefederalist.com/2024/07/11/report-military-hides-push-for-trans-surgery-queer-exploration-among-soldiers-kids/

FOX NEWS
— Blue city hires equity trainer who calls US military ‘home of White supremacy’ as part of ‘culture change.’  The military is ‘the home of white supremacy and patriarchy,’ according to Albuquerque’s equity consultant. – Hannah Grossman
https://www.foxnews.com/media/blue-city-hires-equity-trainer-who-calls-us-military-home-white-supremacy-part-culture-change

GOPUSA
— Can RINOs Finally Expunge Conservatism From The Party? (COMMENT: How soon will RINO Illinois Republican Party (IRP) leaders, RINO county party leaders, and RINO township/ward party leaders succeed in expunging all the members of the aforesaid organizations who are conservative, that is, who are platform Republicans, that is, who are Republicans?  I should write a book about the success that RINO IRP, DuPage County Republican Central Committee, and Milton Township Republican Organization leaders have had expunging me.)
https://www.gopusa.com/can-rinos-finally-expunge-conservatism-from-the-party/
(FROM THE ARTICLE: With the insidious tenacity of termites, the RINOs are at it again in 2024, seeking to convince the Republican National Convention to abandon fundamental issues of morality and societal integrity, by removing the Party’s pro-life and pro-marriage platform planks. With this they hope to steer the party towards the platitude of fiscal only “conservatism.” They feel emboldened to make such a move in the wake of pro-abort ballot measures which passed in off-year elections in Kansas and Ohio. So they plot to derail party unity that should be focused singularly on victory for President Trump in November.)

LEGAL INSURRECTION
— Harvard Summer Reading List Recommends Book on How to Indoctrinate Students With CRT. “powerful appeal to build transformative educational homeplaces rooted in abolitionist pedagogies for liberation” – Mike LaChance
https://legalinsurrection.com/2024/07/harvard-summer-reading-list-recommends-book-on-how-to-indoctrinate-students-with-crt/

ONE AMERICA NEWS
— Democrats Support Measures Allowing Illegal Aliens To Vote. – Pearson Sharp
https://www.oann.com/video/pearsonsharpreports/democrats-support-measures-allowing-illegal-aliens-to-vote/

PJ MEDIA
— Border Crisis: WI Sen. Highlights Thousands of ‘Inadmissible Travelers’ at U.S. Airports. – CATHERINE SALGADO
https://pjmedia.com/catherinesalgado/2024/07/11/border-crisis-wi-sen-highlights-1000s-of-inadmissable-travelers-at-us-airports-n4930603

TOWNHALL
— Here’s How Many Dems Voted Against Bill That Would Prevent Non-Citizens From Voting. – Leah Barkoukis
https://townhall.com/tipsheet/leahbarkoukis/2024/07/11/heres-how-many-dems-voted-against-the-save-act-n2641709

FROM NATIONAL CENTER-LEFT SOURCES

NEWSWEEK
— Here’s What the GOP’s 2024 Platform Says About Immigration. – Dan Gooding  (COMMENT: Those who reject the immigration plank in the Republican Party platform reject E-Verify. I should write a book about the following who reject the immigration plank in the Republican Party platform. a) leaders of the Illinois Republican Party, DuPage County Republican Central Committee, and Milton Township Republican Organization, b) Republican leaders of Illinois, DuPage County, Milton Township, and Wheaton, c) Republican candidates on the November 5, 2024 ballot in my precinct, d) conservative leaders and activists, and e) religious leaders and activists.)
https://www.newsweek.com/republican-party-immigration-platform-2024-1923944

NEW YORK TIMES
— Once a G.O.P. Rallying Cry, Debt and Deficits Fall From the Party’s Platform. Fiscal hawks are lamenting the transformation of the party that claimed to prize fiscal restraint and are warning of dire economic consequences. – Alan Rappeport
https://www.nytimes.com/2024/07/11/us/politics/republicans-debt-deficit-platform.html

NEW YORK SUN
— Illinois Commission To Hold Series of Hearings for Public To Weigh In on Reparations Plan. The commission is kicking off a series of meetings aimed at allowing ‘the public to shape recommendations’ as it pushes ahead with reparations for Black Illinois residents who are descendants of slaves. – MAGGIE HRONCICH
https://www.nysun.com/article/illinois-commission-to-hold-series-of-hearings-for-public-to-weigh-in-on-reparations-plan

USA TODAY
— Democrats cancel Biden Chicago fundraiser amid slipping support – Rebecca Morin
https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/politics/elections/2024/07/11/biden-fundraiser-canceled-pritzker-dnc/74371540007/
— Illegals vote for Democrats because illegals want/need/demand massive government assistance and Democrat elected officials give them that.
https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/politics/elections/2024/07/12/border-immigration-politics-arrive-american-south/74121724007/

WALL STREET JOURNAL
— The Coming ‘Summer of Resistance’  Anti-Israel protesters seek to ‘Make 2024 as Great as 1968!’ – Editorial
https://www.wsj.com/articles/democratic-national-convention-protests-chicago-behind-enemy-lines-palestine-5aaecdea

JD SUPRA
— Is Illinois Trying to Bar the Use of E-Verify (Again)? – Kimberly Ross (COMMENT: Those who reject the immigration plank in the Republican Party platform reject E-Verify. I should write a book about the following who reject the immigration plank in the Republican Party platform. a) leaders of the Illinois Republican Party, DuPage County Republican Central Committee, and Milton Township Republican Organization, b) Republican leaders of Illinois, DuPage County, Milton Township, and Wheaton, c) Republican candidates on the November 5, 2024 ballot in my precinct, d) conservative leaders and activists, and e) religious leaders and activists.)
https://www.jdsupra.com/legalnews/is-illinois-trying-to-bar-the-use-of-e-8129654/

POLITICO
— Senate meeting with Biden aides fails to convince skeptical Dems. Those Senate Democrats with concerns said their feelings hadn’t changed following the Thursday afternoon meeting with top advisers to Joe Biden.
https://www.politico.com/live-updates/2024/07/11/congress/senate-dems-huddle-on-biden-00167632

GALLUP
— Sharply More Americans Want to Curb Immigration to U.S.  55% want immigration levels reduced. – JEFFREY M. JONES
https://news.gallup.com/poll/647123/sharply-americans-curb-immigration.aspx

RASMUSSEN REPORTS
— Who’s in Charge at the White House? Most Don’t Think It’s Biden (COMMENT: Those who are manipulating/dominating Biden are anti-conservative, anti-Republican, anti-American, anti-White, anti-male, anti-older people, anti-heterosexual, anti-married people, anti-non-poor people, anti-Protestant, anti-German American, anti-those whose ancestors have been in America for a long time, anti-etc.)
https://www.rasmussenreports.com/public_content/politics/biden_administration/who_s_in_charge_at_the_white_house_most_don_t_think_it_s_biden

July 9, 2024

In American politics, everything is either conservative or liberal. Political parties exist to help elect candidates who can/will defend/advance their platform. The Republican Party exists to promote conservative principles. The Democrat Party exists to promote liberal principles. The sequence should be this: a) political parties develop and approve their platforms, b) political parties encourage candidates who can/will defend/advance their platforms to run in primaries, and c) the candidates who win those primaries defend/advance those platforms while they are in office.

TRUMP FOR PRESIDENT
— RNC Platform Committee Adopts 2024 Republican Party Platform. Document Reflects 20 GOP Principles, Roadmap to Make America Great Again
https://djt.nucleusemail.com/amplify/v/eQjBXyTuzC
(MILWAUKEE, Wis. – Today, the Republican National Committee (RNC) Platform Committee adopted President Donald J. Trump’s 2024 Republican Party Platform with overwhelming support– a pro-American agenda that stands in stark contrast to the record of weakness, failure, and dishonesty created by Joe Biden. President Trump’s platform serves as a contract with the American voter that makes clear what we can and will deliver under a President Trump administration with the Republican Party leading the country for the next four years. “President Trump’s 2024 Republican Party Platform articulates his vision to Make America Great Again in a way that is concise and digestible for every voter,” said Trump Campaign Senior Advisors Chris LaCivita and Susie Wiles. “While Joe Biden and Democrats argue about who will be at the top of their ticket and have implemented policies that have raised prices on everyday families, opened the floodgates to migrant crime via wide-open borders, shackled American energy with red tape forced by Washington bureaucrats, and sewn chaos across the world through weak foreign policy, President Trump will Make America Great Again through these America First principles.” “Only President Trump can restore our economy, restore our Southern Border, and restore America’s standing in the world,” said RNC Chairman Michael Whatley and RNC Co-Chair Lara Trump. “His 2024 Republican Party Platform is a bold roadmap that will undo the devastating damage that Joe Biden’s far-left policies have done to this country, power President Trump to a historic victory in November, and Make America Great Again. Read the 2024 Platform, as passed by Committee, below: Our Nation’s History is filled with the stories of brave men and women who gave everything they had to build America into the Greatest Nation in the History of the World. Generations of American Patriots have summoned the American Spirit of Strength, Determination, and Love of Country to overcome seemingly insurmountable challenges. The American People have proven time and again that we can overcome any obstacle and any force pitted against us. But now we are a Nation in SERIOUS DECLINE. Our future, our identity, and our very way of life are under threat like never before. Today we must once again call upon the same American Spirit that led us to prevail through every challenge of the past if we are going to lead our Nation to a brighter future. For decades, our politicians sold our jobs and livelihoods to the highest bidders overseas with unfair Trade Deals and a blind faith in the siren song of globalism. They insulated themselves from criticism and the consequences of their own bad actions, allowing our Borders to be overrun, our cities to be overtaken by crime, our System of Justice to be weaponized, and our young people to develop a sense of hopelessness and despair. They rejected our History and our Values. Quite simply, they did everything in their power to destroy our Country. In 2016, President Donald J. Trump was elected as an unapologetic Champion of the American People. He reignited the American Spirit and called on us to renew our National Pride. His Policies spurred Historic Economic Growth, Job Creation, and a Resurgence of American Manufacturing. President Trump and the Republican Party led America out of the pessimism induced by decades of failed leadership, showing us that the American People want Greatness for our Country again. Yet after nearly four years of the Biden administration, America is now rocked by Raging Inflation, Open Borders, Rampant Crime, Attacks on our Children, and Global Conflict, Chaos, and Instability. Like the Heroes who built and defended this Nation before us, we will never give up. We will restore our Nation of, by, and for the People.  We will Make America Great Again. America needs determined Republican Leadership at every level of Government to address the core threats to our very survival: Our disastrously Open Border, our weakened Economy, crippling restrictions on American Energy Production, our depleted Military, attacks on the American System of Justice, and much more. To make clear our commitment, we offer to the American people the 2024 GOP Platform to Make America Great Again!  It is a forward-looking Agenda that begins with the following twenty promises that we will accomplish very quickly when we win the White House and Republican Majorities in the House and Senate.

1. SEAL THE BORDER, AND STOP THE MIGRANT INVASION
2. CARRY OUT THE LARGEST DEPORTATION OPERATION IN AMERICAN HISTORY
3. END INFLATION, AND MAKE AMERICA AFFORDABLE AGAIN
4. MAKE AMERICA THE DOMINANT ENERGY PRODUCER IN THE WORLD, BY FAR!
5; STOP OUTSOURCING, AND TURN THE UNITED STATES INTO A MANUFACTURING SUPERPOWER
6. LARGE TAX CUTS FOR WORKERS, AND NO TAX ON TIPS!
7. DEFEND OUR CONSTITUTION, OUR BILL OF RIGHTS, AND OUR FUNDAMENTAL FREEDOMS, INCLUDING FREEDOM OF SPEECH, FREEDOM OF RELIGION, AND THE RIGHT TO KEEP AND BEAR ARMS
8. PREVENT WORLD WAR THREE, RESTORE PEACE IN EUROPE AND IN THE MIDDLE EAST, AND BUILD A GREAT IRON DOME MISSILE DEFENSE SHIELD OVER OUR ENTIRE COUNTRY — ALL MADE IN AMERICA
9. END THE WEAPONIZATION OF GOVERNMENT AGAINST THE AMERICAN PEOPLE
10. STOP THE MIGRANT CRIME EPIDEMIC, DEMOLISH THE FOREIGN DRUG CARTELS, CRUSH GANG VIOLENCE, AND LOCK UP VIOLENT OFFENDERS
11. REBUILD OUR CITIES, INCLUDING WASHINGTON DC, MAKING THEM SAFE, CLEAN, AND BEAUTIFUL AGAIN.
12. STRENGTHEN AND MODERNIZE OUR MILITARY, MAKING IT, WITHOUT QUESTION, THE STRONGEST AND MOST POWERFUL IN THE WORLD
13. KEEP THE U.S. DOLLAR AS THE WORLD’S RESERVE CURRENCY
14. FIGHT FOR AND PROTECT SOCIAL SECURITY AND MEDICARE WITH NO CUTS, INCLUDING NO CHANGES TO THE RETIREMENT AGE
15. CANCEL THE ELECTRIC VEHICLE MANDATE AND CUT COSTLY AND BURDENSOME REGULATIONS
16. CUT FEDERAL FUNDING FOR ANY SCHOOL PUSHING CRITICAL RACE THEORY, RADICAL GENDER IDEOLOGY, AND OTHER INAPPROPRIATE RACIAL, SEXUAL, OR POLITICAL CONTENT ON OUR CHILDREN
17. KEEP MEN OUT OF WOMEN’S SPORTS
18. DEPORT PRO-HAMAS RADICALS AND MAKE OUR COLLEGE CAMPUSES SAFE AND PATRIOTIC AGAIN
19. SECURE OUR ELECTIONS, INCLUDING SAME DAY VOTING, VOTER IDENTIFICATION, PAPER BALLOTS, AND PROOF OF CITIZENSHIP
20. UNITE OUR COUNTRY BY BRINGING IT TO NEW AND RECORD LEVELS OF SUCCESS

*****
When America is united, confident, and committed to our principles, it will never fail. Today and together, with Love for our Country, Faith in our People, and Trust in God’s Good Grace, we will Make America Great Again!)

WASHINGTON TIMES
— RNC adopts Trump-inspired platform that rolls back anti-abortion positions. –  Seth McLaughlin and Kerry Picket
https://www.washingtontimes.com/news/2024/jul/8/rnc-adopts-donald-trump-inspired-platform-that-rol/

ABC7
— RNC committee adopts GOP’s 2024 policy platform — including on abortion. RNC membership will vote to officially confirm the platform at the convention. – Isabella Murray
https://abc7chicago.com/post/project-25-rnc-committee-adopts-gops-2024-policy/15043711/

THE HILL
— ‘Migrant invasion,’ mass deportations top 2024 GOP platform. – RAFAEL BERNAL
https://thehill.com/latino/4760673-migrant-invasion-mass-deportations-southern-border-2024-gop-platform/mlite/

ASSOCIATED PRESS
— Republicans move to adopt platform at Trump’s behest without explicit call for a national abortion ban
https://www.myjournalcourier.com/news/politics/article/alert-republicans-move-to-adopt-platform-at-19561050.php
— Republicans move at Trump’s behest to change how they will oppose abortion
https://www.25newsnow.com/2024/07/08/republicans-move-trumps-behest-change-how-they-will-oppose-abortion-ap-sources-say/

MSN
— Democrats say “RNC Passes Radical 20-Point Platform.”
https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/politics/rnc-passes-radical-20-point-platform/ar-BB1pDemN

ABC NEWS
— RNC committee adopts GOP’s 2024 policy platform — including on abortion. RNC membership will vote to officially confirm the platform at the convention. – Isabella Murray
https://abcnews.go.com/Politics/2024-rnc-platform-alter-gops-abortion-position-time/story?id=111728686
https://abcnews.go.com/amp/Politics/2024-rnc-platform-alter-gops-abortion-position-time/story?id=111728686

WASHINGTON POST
— GOP adopts platform that softens language on abortion, same-sex marriage. The scaled-back draft was approved by the 2024 Republican convention platform committee after Trump addressed the group. – Michael Scherer and Josh Dawsey
https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/2024/07/08/trump-abortion-republican-platform/

USA TODAY
— Democrats say “RNC’s GOP platform is a Trump-inspired, all-caps scare tactic.”
https://www.usatoday.com/story/opinion/columnist/2024/07/09/trump-republican-party-platform-rnc-2024/74330024007/

CBS WISCONSIN
— As new GOP platform calls for same day voting, party leaders encourage early voting. – A.J. Bayatpour
https://www.cbs58.com/news/as-new-gop-platform-calls-for-same-day-voting-party-leaders-encourage-early-voting

SOUTHERN
— 2024 RNC platform could alter the GOP’s abortion position for the first time in decades. – Isabella Murray
https://southernillinoisnow.com/2024/07/08/2024-rnc-platform-could-alter-the-gops-abortion-position-for-the-first-time-in-decades/

FOX ILLINOIS & NEWS CHANNEL 20
— Republicans move at Trump’s behest to change how they will oppose abortion. – AP
https://foxillinois.com/news/nation-world/republicans-move-at-donald-trumps-behest-to-change-how-they-will-oppose-abortion-president-constitution-14th-amendment-roe-wade-supreme-court-joe-biden-federal-ban
https://newschannel20.com/news/nation-world/republicans-move-at-donald-trumps-behest-to-change-how-they-will-oppose-abortion-president-constitution-14th-amendment-roe-wade-supreme-court-joe-biden-federal-ban

THE HILL
— Anti-abortion groups back RNC platform despite scaled-back language. – Nathaniel Weixel
https://www.centralillinoisproud.com/hill-politics/anti-abortion-groups-back-rnc-platform-despite-scaled-back-language/amp/

WALL STREET JOURNAL
— Republicans Adopt Stripped-Down Platform That Reflects Trump’s Abortion Views. Document, with fewer details on key policy issues than past years, approved ahead of next week’s convention. – Andrew Restuccia and John McCormick
https://www.wsj.com/politics/elections/republicans-adopt-stripped-down-platform-that-reflects-trumps-abortion-views-14a5ba98

FROM ILLINOIS CENTER-LEFT SOURCES

CHICAGO TRIBUNE
— On Monday, Joe Biden killed off any possibility of a graceful exit. – Editorial
https://www.chicagotribune.com/2024/07/08/editorial-on-monday-joe-biden-killed-off-any-possibility-of-a-graceful-exit/
— FRONT PAGE TOP OF FOLD WITH BIG PICTURE: Mayor condemns ‘choice to kill’ after more than 100 people are shot in Chicago over holiday weekend. – SAM CHARLES and NELL SALZMAN
https://www.chicagotribune.com/2024/07/08/mayor-condemns-choice-to-kill-after-more-than-100-people-are-shot-in-chicago-over-holiday-weekend/
— For political candidates, the issue should be their health, not their age.
https://www.chicagotribune.com/2024/07/09/opinion-joe-biden-democracy-youth-leadership/
— Skokie police sergeant files lawsuit alleging gender discrimination. – RICHARD REQUENA (COMMENT: The Democrats who ran GAO in 1980, IRS in 1971, and the Post Office in 1966 hired me because they could not find a qualified Democrat, minority, female, younger person, or veteran who would take the job. All those who GAO, IRS, and the Post Office hired and/or promoted over me 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.chicagotribune.com/2024/07/08/skokie-police-sergeant-files-lawsuit-alleging-gender-discrimination/

CHICAGO SUN-TIMES
— ALL OF THE FRONT PAGE: Mayor hardens stance on gun violence after more than 100 people shot in Chicago during holiday weekend. Johnson, who called on the feds to help, said those who did the shootings made “a choice to kill women, a choice to kill children, a choice to kill the elderly. And I’m here to say emphatically that we have had enough.” – Tom Schuba, Sophie Sherry and Fran Spielman
https://chicago.suntimes.com/crime/2024/07/08/mayor-johnson-hardens-stand-gun-violence-more-than-100-shot-chicago-holiday-weekend
— Democrats ever-increasingly promote more LGBTQ.
https://chicago.suntimes.com/lgbtq/2024/07/08/murders-transgender-women-chicago-unsolved
— After bloody July Fourth weekend, mayor calls for the feds. We hope they’re listening. We cannot let gun violence become as much of an American tradition on July Fourth as fireworks. Here in Chicago, there were at least 105 people shot — 19 fatally — over the long holiday weekend. – Editorial
https://chicago.suntimes.com/editorials/2024/07/09/july-fourth-gun-violence-mass-shootings-grand-crossing-mayor-brandon-johnson-editorial

DAILY HERALD
— Democrats glorify and praise Biden’s character and demonize, denigrate, and condemn Trump’s character.
https://www.dailyherald.com/20240708/editorials/daily-herald-opinion-supreme-court-ruling-means-voters-must-double-down-on-weighing-a-presidential/

CRAIN’S CHICAGO BUSINESS
— As Biden’s position continues to weaken, will Pritzker end up on revamped Dem ticket? – Greg Hinz
https://www.chicagobusiness.com/politics/bidens-position-weakens-will-pritzker-end-ticket
— Pritzker steps up anti-Trump drive with Milwaukee abortion ads – Miranda Davis
https://www.chicagobusiness.com/politics/pritzker-buying-abortion-ads-milwaukee-rnc

ABC7
— Parkinson’s expert visited White House 8 times in 8 months, met with Biden’s doctor. The White House will not confirm if he was advising on the president’s care.
https://abc7chicago.com/post/parkinsons-expert-visited-white-house-8-times-8/15042981/

NBC5
— Where do Illinois Democrats stand on supporting President Joe Biden’s reelection bid? U.S. Mike Quigley is the lone member of the IL delegation to say Biden should drop out. – Rose Schmidt and Mary Ann Ahern
https://www.nbcchicago.com/news/local/where-do-illinois-democrats-stand-on-supporting-president-joe-bidens-reelection-bid/3483976/

CBS2
— Chicago officials alarmed by violent July 4th weekend
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OqWjqOfeNts
— Officials address Chicago Police deployments after violent July 4th weekend
https://www.cbsnews.com/chicago/video/officials-address-chicago-police-deployments-after-violent-july-4th-weekend/

NEWS CHANNEL 20
— Democrats ever-increasingly promote more abortion.
https://newschannel20.com/news/local/planned-parenthood-expands-medication-abortion-to-12-weeks-for-patients-in-illinois

CITIES 92.9
— Black households in Chicago lag behind others, without liquid assets. – Glenn Minnis (COMMENT: Ever-increasingly, since the Civil War, Democrats blame Republicans for problems that Blacks have. My Democrat superiors in the federal government did that big time. I should write a book about my Democrat superiors and their successes and failures in doing that. In my defense, I stressed that all my ancestors have always lived in northeast Illinois, that they were never in a position to discriminate against anyone, and that they never did discriminate against anyone.)
https://www.cities929.com/2024/07/08/black-households-in-chicago-lag-behind-others-without-liquid-assets/

CAPITOL FAX
— Morning briefing
https://capitolfax.com/2024/07/09/isabel%e2%80%99s-morning-briefing-321/
— Afternoon roundup
https://capitolfax.com/2024/07/08/isabel%e2%80%99s-afternoon-roundup-114/

FROM ILLINOIS CENTER-RIGHT SOURCES

WIREPOINTS
— Mayor Johnson blames Richard Nixon for Chicago shootings – Mark Glennon
https://wirepoints.org/mayor-johnson-blames-richard-nixon-for-chicago-shootings-wirepoints-quickpoint/
— Illinois is a drag on America’s economy and continues to be a ‘net taker’ from the federal government. – Mark Glennon
https://wirepoints.org/new-reports-show-illinois-is-a-drag-on-americas-economy-and-continues-to-be-a-net-taker-from-the-federal-government-wirepoints/

CENTER SQUARE ILLINOIS
— Illinois Biden delegate says contested convention will further divide Democrats. – Greg Bishop
https://www.cities929.com/2024/07/08/illinois-biden-delegate-says-contested-convention-will-further-divide-democrats/
— Chicago mayor blames disinvestment, Republicans after violent weekend. – Jim Talamonti  (COMMENT: Ever-increasingly, since the Civil War, Democrats blame Republicans for problems that Blacks have. My Democrat superiors in the federal government did that big time. I should write a book about my Democrat superiors and their successes and failures in doing that. In my defense, I stressed that all my ancestors have always lived in northeast Illinois, that they were never in a position to discriminate against anyone, and that they never did discriminate against anyone.)
https://www.thecentersquare.com/illinois/article_e4bcde2e-3d6e-11ef-85f7-8b164ce33f51.html

FROM NATIONAL CENTER-RIGHT SOURCES

WASHINGTON TIMES
— Parkinson’s doctor made 10 White House visits, logs show. – Susan Ferrechio
https://www.washingtontimes.com/news/2024/jul/8/parkinsons-doctor-made-10-white-house-visits-logs-/
— Biden’s appeal for Democratic unity falls short on Capitol Hill. Calls to step aside tempered on Monday, but many lawmakers want more proof he’s up for a second term. – Lindsey McPherson and Kerry Picket
https://www.washingtontimes.com/news/2024/jul/8/bidens-appeal-democratic-unity-falls-short-capitol/

WASHINGTON EXAMINER
— National Education Association cares more about politics than students – Ben Rothove
https://www.washingtonexaminer.com/opinion/3072990/national-education-association-cares-more-about-politics-than-students/
— Facts can’t be racist – Brad Polumbo
https://www.washingtonexaminer.com/opinion/3072819/sorry-progressives-but-facts-cant-be-racist/

NEW YORK POST
— Shelters do nothing for communities except bring crime – Robert Holden
https://nypost.com/2024/07/08/opinion/shelters-do-nothing-for-communities-except-bring-crime/

AMERICAN CONSERVATIVE
— Biden Admin Bringing ‘World’s Predators’ Into America – former senior advisor to President Donald Trump, Stephen Miller
https://www.theamericanconservative.com/miller-biden-admin-bringing-worlds-predators-into-america/

AMERICAN GREATNESS
— New York City Hotels Housing Illegal Aliens Receive Over $1 Billion in Taxpayer Funds – Eric Lendrum
https://amgreatness.com/2024/07/08/report-new-york-city-hotels-housing-illegal-aliens-receive-over-1-billion-in-taxpayer-funds/

AMERICA MAGAZINE
— Democrat leaders ever-increasing hint/imply/argue/shout that Jesus hates immigration laws and borders
https://www.americamagazine.org/politics-society/2024/07/08/cara-poll-immigration-migration-refugees-248240

AMERICAN THINKER
— Biden’s failure vs. Trump’s success. – Joseph Ford Cotto
https://www.americanthinker.com/blog/2024/07/biden_s_failure_vs_trump_s_success.html
— Biden’s Dementia: What Did They Know and When Did They Know It? – Brian C. Joondeph
https://www.americanthinker.com/articles/2024/07/biden_s_dementia_what_did_they_know_and_when_did_they_know_it.html

BLAZE
— 10% of illegal aliens admit they’re registered to vote: Heritage Foundation survey – CANDACE HATHAWAY (COMMENT: Illegals vote for Democrats. Democrats run election commissions. How many illegals are registered to vote in America, in Illinois, in your county, in your township, in your municipality, and in your school district? Democrat leaders ever-increasingly flood America with more and more and more of their illegals.)
https://www.theblaze.com/news/10-of-illegal-aliens-admit-they-re-registered-to-vote-heritage-foundation-survey

DAILY CALLER
— Biden Admin ‘Strongly’ Opposed To Bill Cracking Down On Illegal Immigrants Voting. – JASON HOPKINS
https://dailycaller.com/2024/07/08/biden-opposes-illegal-migrant-voting-bill/

FOX NEWS
— Biden’s physician says neurologist visited White House as part of annual examinations. President Biden did not see a neurologist outside his annual physicals, White House physician Kevin O’Connor said. – Landon Mion
https://www.foxnews.com/politics/bidens-physician-says-neurologist-visited-white-house-part-annual-examinations?lid=7b9dj31tyrv2

FRONT PAGE MAGAZINE
— ‘God Bless the Blackest City in the World’ Only slavery reparations can save Chicago. – Daniel Greenfield
https://www.frontpagemag.com/god-bless-the-blackest-city-in-the-world/

HOT AIR
— Suburban Democrats Rejecting Wokeness
https://hotair.com/jazz-shaw/2024/07/08/suburban-democrats-rejecting-wokeness-n3791519

MINDING THE CAMPUS
— Academia Portrays Racism as Exclusively Perpetrated by Whites, but That’s Not the Case. – Larry Fuqua
https://www.mindingthecampus.org/2024/07/09/academia-portrays-racism-as-exclusively-perpetrated-by-whites-but-thats-not-the-case/

NEWSMAX
— The Biden administration said Monday it strongly opposes legislation that would require a proof of U.S. citizenship to vote in federal elections, an effort by congressional Republicans to prevent millions of illegal immigrants from voting. – Michael Katz (COMMENT: Illegals vote for Democrats. Democrats run election commissions. How many illegals are registered to vote in America, in Illinois, in your county, in your township, in your municipality, and in your school district? Democrat leaders ever-increasingly flood America with more and more and more of their illegals.)
https://www.newsmax.com/newsfront/biden-administration-voting-legislation/2024/07/08/id/1171664/

POST MILLENNIAL
— Elon Musk BLASTS Dem opposition to preventing illegal immigrants from voting in election. “The goal all along has been to import as many illegal voters as possible.” – Thomas Stevenson
https://thepostmillennial.com/elon-musk-blasts-dem-opposition-to-preventing-illegal-immigrants-from-voting-in-election#google_vignette

TOWNHALL
— It Was a Lot Easier Being Black in Donald Trump’s America – CJ Pearson
https://townhall.com/columnists/cj-pearson/2024/07/09/it-was-a-lot-easier-being-black-in-donald-trumps-america-n2641550
— The Themes of the 2024 RNC Convention Are Here. – Katie Pavlich
https://townhall.com/tipsheet/katiepavlich/2024/07/08/the-themes-of-the-rnc-convention-are-here-n2641536

FROM NATIONAL CENTER-LEFT SOURCES

NEW YORK TIMES
— Parkinson’s Expert Visited the White House Eight Times in Eight Months. The White House said President Biden had met with a neurologist only three times in more than three years in office. But it would not say whether the visiting expert was consulting with the president’s physician about his health. – Emily Baumgaertner and Peter Baker
https://www.nytimes.com/2024/07/08/us/politics/parkinsons-expert-white-house.html
— The Supreme Court has sharply limited the regulatory authority of federal agencies, upending 40 years of legal precedent. – David Gelles and Manuela Andreoni (COMMENT: In Diersen v. Chicago Car Exchange, ( https://caselaw.findlaw.com/court/us-7th-circuit/1385001.html ), the U.S. Court of Appeals, Seventh Circuit, ruled that “the NHTSA exceeded the scope of its statutory authority when it created this exemption for older cars.”)
https://www.nytimes.com/2024/07/02/climate/supreme-court-climate-chevron.html

WASHINGTON POST
— Biden meets with Congressional Black Caucus
https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/2024/07/08/election-2024-campaign-updates/

MSN
— The Democrats who ran GAO in 1980, IRS in 1971, and the Post Office in 1966 hired me because they could not find a qualified Democrat, minority, female, younger person, or veteran who would take the job. All those who GAO, IRS, and the Post Office hired and/or promoted over me 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.msn.com/en-us/news/politics/conservatives-are-already-attacking-kamala-as-a-dei-hire/ar-BB1pCO39
https://www.msn.com/en-nz/news/other/lauren-boebert-blasted-for-calling-white-house-press-secretary-dei-hire/ar-BB1pqbxh

TAMPA FREE PRESS
— Chicago Mayor Evokes Richard Nixon When Explaining Why Over 100 People Shot In His City – Jake Smith
https://www.tampafp.com/chicago-mayor-evokes-richard-nixon-when-explaining-why-over-100-people-shot-in-his-city/

WALL STREET JOURNAL
— White House Says Biden is Not Being Treated for Parkinson’s
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WeQOa7AFwfU

BLOOMBERG
— Pritzker Steps Up Anti-Trump Drive With Milwaukee Abortion Ads. Governor’s pro-choice group bought billboard ads before RNC. Campaign seeks to tie former president to Roe v. Wade reversal. – Miranda Davis
https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2024-07-08/pritzker-steps-up-anti-trump-drive-with-milwaukee-abortion-ads
— Biden Meets Black Lawmakers, Pushes to Quash Democratic Revolt. ‘We can’t waste any more time,’ Biden tells financial backers. More Democrats say privately they want Biden to step aside. – Josh Wingrove
https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2024-07-08/biden-tells-lawmakers-he-s-running-time-to-end-talk-of-swap?srnd=homepage-americas

NEWSWEEK
— Chicago Mayor Blames Richard Nixon as Over 100 People Shot at Weekend
https://www.newsweek.com/chicago-mayor-richard-nixon-gun-violence-1922590

GOVERNMENT EXECUTIVE
— Democrat and RINO leaders ever-increasingly promote more illegal immigration.
https://www.govexec.com/workforce/2024/07/asylum-backlog-could-double-end-decade-without-dhs-staffing-surge/397886/

HIGHER EDUCATION
— Democrat educators hate America, hate patriotism.
https://www.insidehighered.com/news/quick-takes/2024/07/09/gop-platform-calls-patriotic-campuses

SALON
— The Democrats who ran GAO in 1980, IRS in 1971, and the Post Office in 1966 hired me because they could not find a qualified Democrat, minority, female, younger person, or veteran who would take the job. All those who GAO, IRS, and the Post Office hired and/or promoted over me 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.salon.com/2024/07/08/it-makes-you-sound-like-a-racist-former-aide-slammed-for-calling-kamala-harris-a-dei-hire/

ADVOCATE
— Democrats ever-increasingly use the Pope to promote more LGBTQ.
https://www.advocate.com/news/vatican-excommunicates-antigay-archbishop

GLOBE AND MAIL
— Nixon’s resignation in 1974 provides a road map for how Biden’s presidential campaign could end. – DAVID SHRIBMAN  (COMMENT: What were you doing 50 years ago in 1974? I worked for IRS in its Chicago Loop office as a 25-year-old GS-12 (currently $97,079/year) Revenue Officer. I lived in my studio condo in the Outer Drive East building weekdays and my University Park townhome weekends. I took graduate evening business courses at Loyola. I owned a 1972 Corvette that I kept in my mother’s garage in Crete and my daily driver was a 1962 Chevrolet Be Air. Virtually all my IRS superiors, supervisors, coworkers, and subordinates were Democrats who hated Nixon, that is, who hated Republicans, that is, who hated me.)
https://www.theglobeandmail.com/world/us-politics/article-nixons-resignation-provides-a-roadmap-for-how-bidens-presidential/

July 8, 2024

Exactly, what impact will Trump have on the new Republican Party platform? In American politics, everything is either liberal or conservative. Political parties exist to help elect candidates who can/will defend/advance their platform. The Democrat Party platform is liberal and the Democrat Party helps elect candidates who can/will defend/advance the Democrat Party platform. The Republican Party platform is conservative, but the Republican Party far too often fails/refuses to help elect candidates who can/will defend/advance the Republican Party platform. Far too often, the Republican Party lets far too many hold leadership positions who are anti-conservative if not anti-Republican and who reject far too many planks in the Republican Party platform. I should write a book about the leaders of the Illinois Republican Party (IRP), DuPage County Republican Central Committee, and Milton Township Republican Organization who reject the most planks in the Republican Party platform. Most commonly, they reject the personal responsibility, traditional marriage and family, right to life, immigration, illegal drugs, Second Amendment, and/or equal opportunity (no race of gender based preference giving) planks. I would focus on those leaders who have taken the most/biggest adverse actions against me because I promote the aforesaid planks. I would focus on those who removed me from the 2024 IRP State Convention Platform and Resolutions Committee.

CENTRAL ILLINOIS PROUD & THE HILL
— Democrats say “Fears grow among conservatives over abortion in GOP platform.”
https://www.centralillinoisproud.com/hill-politics/fears-grow-among-conservatives-over-abortion-in-gop-platform/amp/
https://thehill.com/policy/healthcare/4754938-rnc-trump-abortion-platform/

HERALD WHIG & CENTRAL ILLINOIS PROUD & WAND TV & ABC NEWS
— Democrats say “National abortion ban splits the Trump campaign and Republican activists writing the party platform. Republicans may remove a vow to ban abortion from their party platform for the first time in 40 years.”
https://www.whig.com/ap/national/national-abortion-ban-splits-the-trump-campaign-and-republican-activists-writing-the-party-platform/article_0f05e32b-2658-5fed-a45e-29dbe8d88366.html
https://www.centralillinoisproud.com/news/politics/ap-national-abortion-ban-splits-the-trump-campaign-and-republican-activists-writing-the-party-platform/
https://www.wandtv.com/news/national/national-abortion-ban-splits-the-trump-campaign-and-republican-activists-writing-the-party-platform/article_7a146a61-0b38-5931-b453-9013f0e5af1d.html
https://abcnews.go.com/US/wireStory/national-abortion-ban-splits-trump-campaign-republican-activists-111736365
https://abcnews.go.com/Politics/2024-rnc-platform-alter-gops-abortion-position-time/story?id=111728686

SOUTHERN
— Democrats say “Donald Trump will define 2024 RNC platform.” – Tommy Barone
https://southernillinoisnow.com/2024/07/07/donald-trump-will-define-2024-rnc-platform-committee-members-say/
(FROM THE ARTICLE: The GOP’s first new platform since 2016 will also be the first truly defined by former President Donald Trump, Republicans who have served on the platform committee say. In 2016, then-candidate Trump deferred to party operatives to craft the document, according to the platform veterans. In 2020, the GOP declined to introduce a new platform, merely appending an updated introduction to the same platform from Trump’s first campaign. Now, several veterans of the platform committee predict that the document to be unveiled at the RNC convention in two weeks will reflect a Republican Party united behind the person and policies of Donald Trump. “I think the dynamic between then and now is totally different,” said Tom Schreibel, the Wisconsin Republican Party national committeeman and a platform subcommittee chair in 2016. “The campaign didn’t carry as much sway back then,” said Schreibel, who serves on the Committee on Arrangements for the 2024 convention, which will take place in his home-state capital of Milwaukee. “We spent weeks working with House and Senate staff to get their insights on what was happening currently.” “What were the sensitivities of the House? What were the sensitivities of the Senate? Where were the conferences at at that point? And what was the art of the possible?” said Schreibel, recalling the considerations he had weighed. James Bopp Jr., an Indiana lawyer who served on every platform committee from 2000 through 2016, called the process that produced the former president’s first platform “quite unusual.” “The Trump campaign took the explicit and well-circulated position that they were going to be very light-handed in terms of fashioning the 2016 platform,” said Bopp, “and leave it to the platform committee and the delegates to do that.” While that platform certainly bore Trump’s mark, it also contained positions out of step with the former president. On LGBTQ+ issues, it veered to Trump’s right, affirming a definition of marriage as strictly a union between a man and a woman, something fought for by religious conservatives. And at the convention, then-Trump campaign chair Paul Manafort successfully pushed to dilute the platform’s support for Ukraine — a change Trump later said he was neither involved in nor aware of. This year, Trump may not be able to say the same. “I expect this to be Trump’s platform,” said Jesse Law, a 2016 platform committee member reprising his role this year. “I expect the members of the committees to fall in line.” Schreibel concurred, saying, “Trump has gained control of the Republican Party, being the former president.” Schreibel, Law, and Bopp each made a version of the same point, though: This platform won’t be Trump’s because Trump has commandeered the platform process — this platform will be Trump’s because Trump has united the party behind him. “If you have 50 states, and we’re averaging 70% of every state party, every county party being pro-Trump in such a way, you’re going to see this in the makeup of those who are delegates,” said Law, who serves as chairman of the Republican Party in Clark County, Nevada. Law contrasted this dynamic with the 2016 convention, where “you had the Bible Belt, and you had the northeastern folks, and you had the Midwest folks, and you had the West Coast folks.” “We didn’t have a lot of cohesion,” he added. To Law’s point, RNC platform committee membership lists reviewed by ABC News show that only 12 members of the 2024 committee also served on the committee in 2016 — less than 15% of the total. While an ABC News analysis finds that this figure is consistent with the churn from 2012 to 2016, it shows that the 2024 platform will be shaped by a new generation of party leadership. The three leaders of the 2024 platform committee — who work with policy staff weeks before the convention to decide the drafts on which the broader committee will then deliberate — also come from Trump’s orbit. Two — Randy Evans and Russ Vought — served in the Trump administration, as ambassador to Luxembourg and Office of Management and Budget director, respectively. The third platform leader, Ed Martin, did not have a role in the Trump administration, but he marched to the U.S. Capitol on Jan. 6, 2021, and has become a prominent figure in the “Stop the Steal” movement advancing the false theory that Trump won the 2020 election. Schreibel pointed to a similar dynamic in the congressional considerations that influence the platform, noting that “issues within the House and Senate on X, Y or Z are turned by President Trump and his ideals.” And, said Schreibel, because Trump was relatively new to politics in 2016, he had less familiarity with the process, causing him to have “a lot of people at the table” working on plans for transition and the administration. One area where Trump’s influence over the party platform may make all the difference is on the polarizing issue of abortion rights. Since the Supreme Court overruled Roe v. Wade in 2022, ruling that there is no constitutional right to abortion, nearly two dozen states have banned or severely restricted access to abortion. This tide of state-level restrictions has become politically toxic for national Republicans, as Democrats have made it a signature campaign theme, attacking the GOP as extreme on the issue. As recently as a year ago, Trump — who appointed the conservative justices that enabled the overturning of Roe — eagerly took credit for the decision, writing in a post on Truth social, “I was able to kill Roe v. Wade.” More recently, however, the former president has adopted a more muted tone, saying that he wouldn’t sign a national abortion ban and emphasizing his support for leaving the issue to the states. Trump’s circumspection — along with the news that the 2024 platform will be much shorter than usual — has fueled speculation that the document might only briefly discuss the issue, drawing criticism from some anti-abortion rights groups. The New York Times has reported that a coalition of advocacy groups sent a letter to Trump, asking he “make clear that you do not intend to weaken the pro-life plank.” But the platform committee veterans who spoke with ABC News were largely unconcerned. Bopp, who told ABC News he had played an instrumental role in advocating for anti-abortion rights provisions in the platform since 1980, said of Trump’s abortion stance, “I fully embrace it, 100%. I think he’s absolutely right that the focus should be on the states.” “There is no votes for any national, substantive law on abortion,” said Bopp. “We should not be — nor have I ever been — confused with Don Quixote.” For Law, Trump’s line on abortion in the first presidential debate augured the approach the platform would take: “He was very concise with his comments the other day. That’s what I would expect.” “The majority of the Republican base agrees with that,” Law added. During his debate with President Joe Biden, Trump said he would not block access to the mifepristone abortion pill and stressed that the states should decide the extent of abortion rights, with exceptions for rape, incest, and danger to the life of the mother. As much as the 2024 platform may bespeak a party remade in Trump’s image, the platform committee veterans interviewed by ABC News stressed that it will remain, at least in part, a document that responds to the needs of the party as a whole. “This is a document that is worked on and thought about quite a bit by many members. Ensuring that all the parts of the Republican Party are heard and that we hear from the leadership — the elected leadership of the party — is important,” said Arkansas Lt. Gov. Leslie Rutledge, who chaired a platform subcommittee in 2016. “It will be reflective of the Republican Party as a whole.” “President Trump is in charge of the Republican Party, and so he’s going to have a bigger voice in what is said,” echoed Schreibel. “But still, at the end of the day, that document’s gonna have to represent House members and also Senate members.”)

BREITBART
— Border Security, 2nd Amendment, Judges Examples of Winning GOP Platform Issues. – KEN BLACKWELL and KEN KLUKOWSKI
https://www.breitbart.com/politics/2024/07/07/blackwell-and-klukowski-border-security-second-amendment-and-judges-examples-of-winning-gop-platform-issuesll-klukowski-border-security-second-amendment-and-judges-examples-of-winning-gop-platform/

MSN
— Democrats say “‘Behind closed doors: Republicans break with precedent to pass policy platform in secret.”
https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/politics/behind-closed-doors-republicans-break-with-precedent-to-pass-policy-platform-in-secret/ar-BB1pi9vO

ABC NEWS
— Democrats say “Donald Trump will define 2024 RNC platform” and “Different from 2016, it will show a party in lockstep with the former president.”
https://abcnews.go.com/Politics/donald-trump-define-2024-rnc-platform-committee-members/story?id=111715854

NEW YORK TIMES
— Democrats say “A Republican Platform That Could Read Like a Trump Rally. The former president’s campaign team has packed the 2024 platform committee, which meets in Milwaukee this week, with the MAGA faithful.”
https://www.nytimes.com/2024/07/08/us/politics/trump-republican-platform.html

WASHINGTON POST
— Democrats say “Trump doesn’t want Americans to know what Republicans stand for. The former president wants the 2024 GOP platform to be anodyne, but don’t be fooled. He has an extreme agenda.”
https://www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/2024/07/07/rnc-platform-2024-gop-trump/
— Democrats say “Democrats focus attacks on right-wing Project 2025 pushed by Trump allies. The former president has sought to disavow the plan being touted by former advisers and aides, but Trump has endorsed many of the same ideas.”
https://www.washingtonpost.com/elections/2024/07/08/project-2025-trump-election/

POLITICO ILLINOIS
— PICKING A POOBAH: The Illinois Republican State Central Committee is scheduled to meet Friday, just a few days ahead of the Republican National Convention, to elect a new party chair “on an interim or permanent basis,” according to the Illinois GOP. Behind-the-scenes: Party leaders are grappling with how to manage the friction between its establishment and more conservative members, who are also divided regionally with moderate Republicans near Chicago and conservatives living downstate. The search for a new leader follows current Chair Don Tracy’s announcement last month that he’s stepping down. Names in the running (so far): State Rep. John Cabello, who represents Winnebago County and parts of Boone and Stephenson counties up north; state Sen. Jason Plummer, who represents the Edwardsville area near St. Louis; and Aaron Del Mar, a former Cook County GOP chair. The deadline to apply is Wednesday. – SHIA KAPOS
https://www.politico.com/newsletters/illinois-playbook/2024/07/08/the-illinois-chatter-about-biden-00166773

FROM ILLINOIS CENTER-LEFT SOURCES

ABC7
— Chicago shootings: At least 103 shot, 19 fatally, in citywide holiday weekend gun violence
https://abc7chicago.com/post/chicago-shootings-weekend-least-101-shot-18-fatally/15041696/
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SKSQD38faDk
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aInjzRMkAA0
— Protesters arrested at NASCAR Street Race
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1YVN0D1Drj8

CHICAGO TRIBUNE
— FRONT PAGE TOP OF FOLD: Democrat and RINO leaders ever-increasingly use DEI to get rid of Republicans.
https://www.chicagotribune.com/2024/07/08/ag-dei/
— Democrat leaders ever-increasingly promote more LGBTQ.
https://www.chicagotribune.com/2024/07/08/column-chicago-pride-weekend-vandalism-washington/
— Democrats say “Americans are split over whether Trump should face prison in the hush money case.”
https://www.chicagotribune.com/2024/07/08/trump-hush-money-2/

CENTRAL ILLINOIS PROUD
— Americans are split over whether Trump should face prison in the hush money case (COMMENT: My critics/opponents who have taken big adverse actions against me have always hinted/implied/argued/shouted that their operatives and their dupes wanted them to take those big adverse actions against me. I should write a book about my critics/opponents who have taken the biggest adverse actions against me and their operatives and their dupes. I would focus on those a) who removed me from the 2024 Illinois Republican Party State Convention Platform and Resolutions Committee and b) who ended my service as the Republican fundraiser for Wheaton Independence Day parades and fireworks in 2021.)
https://www.centralillinoisproud.com/news/politics/ap-americans-are-split-over-whether-trump-should-face-prison-in-the-hush-money-case-ap-norc-poll-finds/

NPR ILLINOIS
— In your county, in your township, in municipality, and in your school district, how many cast Republican ballots in primary elections but then vote for Democrats in general elections?
https://www.nprillinois.org/2024-07-08/why-some-republican-led-states-are-limiting-who-can-vote-in-party-primaries

CAPITOL FAX
— Morning briefing
https://capitolfax.com/2024/07/08/isabel%e2%80%99s-morning-briefing-320/

FROM ILLINOIS CENTER-RIGHT SOURCES

WIREPOINTS
— Pritzker tells CNN that jobs are coming back to Illinois. The number of people employed in Illinois under his watch says the opposite. Ted Dabrowski and Nick Binotti
https://wirepoints.org/gov-pritzker-tells-cnn-that-jobs-are-coming-back-to-illinois-the-number-of-people-employed-in-illinois-under-his-watch-says-the-opposite-wirepoints/

FROM NATIONAL CENTER-RIGHT SOURCES

WASHINGTON TIMES
— In letter to congressional Democrats, Biden says he’s ‘firmly committed’ to staying in the race. – Jeff Mordock
https://www.washingtontimes.com/news/2024/jul/8/in-letter-to-congressional-democrats-biden-says-he/?utm_source=Boomtrain&utm_medium=subscriber&utm_campaign=newsalert&utm_content=newsalert&utm_term=newsalert&bt_ee=oD8jJF9rz%2BvactMnz44gYY4Mz0Xgvu%2FJGTGNQlRQ6d4%3D&bt_ts=1720447331583
— Democrats set deadline for Biden to prove himself or withdraw from the race. Party coalescing around Harris as replacement atop 2024 ticket if he steps aside. – Mallory Wilson and Susan Ferrechio
https://www.washingtontimes.com/news/2024/jul/7/democrats-set-deadline-biden-president-must-prove-/
— White House doctor who gave Biden glowing health report helped him cash in on business deal. – Susan Ferrechio
https://www.washingtontimes.com/news/2024/jul/7/kevin-oconnor-who-gave-joe-biden-glowing-health-re/

NEW YORK POST
— ‘Woke’ policies fall flat as NY suburban Dems fight to take back party in blow to activist liberals. – Carl Campanile and David Propper
https://nypost.com/2024/07/08/us-news/woke-policies-fall-flat-as-ny-suburban-dems-fight-to-take-back-party-in-blow-to-activist-liberals/

BREITBART
— 99% of Illegal Aliens, Border Crossers Living Freely Across American Communities – JOHN BINDER (COMMENT: Anticipate/expect that many millions of them will use their false identifications to vote for Biden.)
https://www.breitbart.com/politics/2024/07/07/report-99-illegal-aliens-border-crossers-living-freely-across-us/
(FROM THE ARTICLE: Roughly 99 percent of illegal aliens and border crossers are living freely across the United States as President Joe Biden’s Department of Homeland Security (DHS) monitors fewer than 1.5 percent of the nation’s illegal population, a report states. The federal data, compiled by the National Immigration Center for Enforcement (NICE) and circulated by several House and Senate Republicans, looks at the overall illegal population living in American communities — estimated at nearly 17 million today.)
— Joe Biden’s Social Service Programs for Migrants Almost Ensure They Are Never Deported. – JOHN BINDER
https://www.breitbart.com/politics/2024/07/07/report-bidens-programs-migrants-almost-ensure-theyre-never-deported/
— NYC’s Low-Income Neighborhoods Overwhelmed by Migrant Shelters – OLIVIA RONDEAU
https://www.breitbart.com/immigration/2024/07/07/report-nycs-low-income-neighborhoods-overwhelmed-migrant-shelters/

DAILY CALLER
— Trans Kids Are The New Fashion Accessories Among Hollywood’s Most Deranged Moms – LEENA NASIR
https://dailycaller.com/2024/07/07/transgender-kids-fashion-accessories-hollywood-mom-charlize-theron-jennifer-lopez-megan-fox/

FOX NEWS
— What would a President Pritzker do on immigration, border crisis? Illinois Gov. J.B. Pritzker has called for significantly more federal action on the crisis. – Adam Shaw
https://www.foxnews.com/politics/what-would-president-pritzker-do-immigration-border-crisis
— Anti-Israel protesters arrested after locking themselves inside fence at NASCAR’s Chicago Street Race. Organizers condemn Israeli driver Alon Day, who spoke out about city’s pro-Hamas protests. – Scott Thompson
https://www.foxnews.com/sports/anti-israel-protesters-arrested-after-locking-themselves-inside-fence-at-nascars-chicago-street-race

LEGAL INSURRECTION
— Harvard Gaslighting: Task Forces “sanitizing antisemitism under the guise of fighting ‘Islamophobia’”  “Harvard tries to ‘both sides’ the campus problems, but in reality the anti-Israel and antisemitic students were the aggressors. Jewish and pro-Israel students were not holding rallies calling for the destruction of Palestinians and using anti-Muslim rhetoric. It was almost all in one direction, but you wouldn’t know that from the reports.” – William A. Jacobson
https://legalinsurrection.com/2024/07/harvard-gaslighting-task-forces-sanitizing-antisemitism-under-the-guise-of-fighting-islamophobia/

FROM NATIONAL CENTER-LEFT SOURCES

THE HILL
— Democrats say “If Joe Biden can’t do it, Kamala Harris sure can.”
https://thehill.com/opinion/campaign/4756495-biden-harris-trump-presidential-race/

NEW YORK TIMES
— Democrats say “Read Biden’s Letter to Congressional Democrats.”
https://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2024/07/08/us/president-biden-letter-to-congressional-democrats-78.html
— FRONT PAGE TOP OF FOLD: Democrats acknowledge that “6 Top Democrats Privately Saying Biden Should Go.”
https://www.nytimes.com/2024/07/07/us/politics/biden-democrats-congress-murphy.html

WASHINGTON POST
— Democrats acknowledge that “Nine House Democrats call for Biden to step aside as he seeks to energize his campaign. Amid rising unease among Democratic leaders, the campaign scrambled to schedule Sunday events to show Biden’s vigor and his intention to forcefully confront Donald Trump.” (COMMENT: What do you stress that shows your vigor? I stress the my putting together and sending out GOPUSA ILLINOIS newsletters every morning.)
https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/2024/07/07/biden-campaign-trump/

USA TODAY
— Democrats acknowledge that “Trump’s presidency viewed more favorably than Biden’s.”
https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/politics/elections/2024/07/07/trump-presidency-viewed-more-favorably-poll-finds/74292329007/
— Democrat leaders ever-increasingly promote more LGBTQ.
https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/politics/elections/2024/06/23/democrats-anti-trans-rhetoric-in-2024-lgbtq/74118688007/

CNN
— Biden’s defiant delusion. – David Axelrod
https://www.cnn.com/2024/07/06/opinions/biden-failed-to-quell-panic-abc-interview-axelrod
— At least 100 people shot, 17 fatally, during violent Fourth of July weekend in Chicago – up 27% from last year’s holiday. – Chris Boyette, Fabiana Chaparro, and Chris Boyette
https://www.cnn.com/2024/07/08/us/chicago-shootings-july-fourth-weekend/index.html
— The Democrats who ran GAO in 1980, IRS in 1971, and the Post Office in 1966 hired me because they could not find a qualified Democrat, minority, female, younger person, or veteran who would take the job. All those who GAO, IRS, and the Post Office promoted over me 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.cnn.com/2024/07/07/opinions/kamala-harris-dei-hire-racism-2024-obeidallah/index.html

MSN
— How would a brokered convention to replace Joe Biden work – Sarah Ewall-Wice
https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/politics/how-would-a-brokered-convention-to-replace-joe-biden-work/ar-BB1pyGyj
— Democrats have declared a Second Civil War on Republicans. Illegals are soldiers in the Democrat Army.
https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/politics/editorial-donald-trump-s-vile-attack-on-immigrants-pushes-gop-further-into-a-white-nationalist-party/ar-AA1lLMDv

WALL STREET JOURNAL
— Prominent House Democrats Want Biden to Exit 2024 Race. President travels to Pennsylvania events to try to shore up support after disastrous debate. – Annie Linskey, Natalie Andrews, Siobhan Hughes
https://www.wsj.com/politics/elections/some-democrats-urge-biden-to-weigh-options-as-age-worries-linger-2ff735e6
— The Thomas Eagleton Precedent for Democrats. George McGovern changed running mates in 1972 for mental-health reasons, but the ticket still lost big. – Joshua M. Glasser
https://www.wsj.com/articles/the-thomas-eagleton-precedent-for-democrats-fe95f5c3
— FRONT PAGE: ‘We’re Not Dead Yet.’ Baby Boomers’ Good Times Drive the Economy. Sky-diving, concerts, classic cars. An influx of older Americans bolsters the nation’s fastest-growing city. Heather Gillers and Ben Eisen
https://www.wsj.com/us-news/baby-boomers-drive-economy-d4b72e40

BOOMBERG
— Griffin Gives $500,000 to Back Miami-Dade’s Democratic Mayor. – Anna J Kaiser
https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2024-07-05/ken-griffin-gives-500-000-to-back-miami-dade-s-democratic-mayor

FAST COMPANY
— Employers believe this is the age you’re too old to hire. This is why they’re wrong. – JINJA BIRKENBEUEL (COMMENT: In 1974, when I was 25 years old, my Democrat IRS superiors used “up-or-out” to write me off as being too old to be promoted to GS-13. They would not have done that if I had been a Democrat, minority, female, and/or veteran. That rendered worthless my a) earning job-related master’s degrees in 1976, 1980, and 1997, b) earning job-related professional certifications in 1979, 1981, 1990, 1994, 1996, and 1997, and c) earning a job-related professional license in 1981.)
https://www.fastcompany.com/91142325/employers-believe-this-is-the-age-youre-too-old-to-hire-this-is-why-theyre-wrong

POLITICO
— Democrats say “Biden’s Survival Plan: Decry ‘Elite’ Critics, Appeal to His Base. Black voters and organized labor have been the president’s key backers and they’re going to have to carry him now.”
https://www.politico.com/news/magazine/2024/07/08/bidens-campaign-black-union-voters-00166761
— Lindsey Graham: Anybody who could be president should undergo cognitive tests. – Isabella Ramírez (COMMENT: What do you stress that shows your cognitive abilities? I stress my putting together and sending out GOPUSA ILLINOIS newsletters every morning.)
https://www.yahoo.com/news/lindsey-graham-anybody-could-president-163919891.html
— Leaders of foreign countries who want America to lead the free word want Trump. Leaders of foreign countries who want to destroy America want Biden.
https://www.politico.com/news/2024/07/07/nato-prepare-trump-2024-00165522

July 7, 2024

FROM ILLINOIS CENTER-LEFT SOURCES

CHICAGO TRIBUNE
— FRONT PAGE TOP OF FOLD WITH BIG PICTURE: Democrat and RINO leaders ever-increasingly promote mote illegal immigration.
https://www.chicagotribune.com/2024/07/07/in-rush-to-move-migrants-into-housing-state-program-paid-out-hundreds-of-thousands-for-apartments-that-were-unlivable-and-unlived-in/
— What exactly is a ‘Black job,’ Mr. Trump? – Clarence Page (COMMENT: My critics/opponents have always hinted/implied/argued/shouted that I took jobs that should have been given to Blacks. I did yard work 1962-1964, delivered newspapers 1962-1966, washed dishes 1964-1966, cleaned golf shoes, chipped slag, and pumped gasoline in 1966, delivered mail 1966-1969, worked on an automobile assembly line in 1970, sold tires, automotive services, and major appliances 1970-1971, pumped gasoline 1971-1972, collected delinquent taxes 1971-1980, and audited federal agencies 1980-1997. In 1997, my Democrat GAO superiors forced me to retire early and gave my job and gave my preferred corner office to my Black subordinate. My critics/opponents who have never held jobs like the ones I did make it very clear that they would never stoop to take the jobs that I took.
https://www.chicagotribune.com/2024/07/07/clarence-page-black-jobs-donald-trump-debate/

CHICAGO SUN-TIMES
— 14 killed, 69 wounded in shootings during extended Fourth of July weekend in Chicago. Of those shot, 20 were in mass shootings in Greater Grand Crossing, the Near West Side and Austin.
https://chicago.suntimes.com/crime/2024/07/05/chicago-fourth-july-violence-12-dead-55-shot

DAILY HERALD
— FRONT PAGE TOP OF FOLD: Suburban Republicans weigh in on Trump’s VP candidates. – Steve Zalusky (COMMENT: Comments are from Joe Folisi, Richard Porter, Aaron Del Mar, Connie Shanahan, Rick Lawrence, Steve Balich, and Jay Bergman.)
https://www.dailyherald.com/20240705/news/suburban-republicans-weigh-in-on-trumps-vp-candidates/

ABC7
— Chicago shootings: At least 71 shot, 11 fatally, in holiday weekend gun violence across city
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nLuxqhno_bQ

CBS2
— 11 killed, 69 hurt in shootings across Chicago during 4th of July weekend. – Jeramie Bizzle
https://www.cbsnews.com/chicago/news/weekend-shootings-july-3-to-8/
— Vandals tear down posters of Gaza hostages outside U.S. Rep. Brad Schneider’s office on Capitol Hill. – Todd Feurer
https://www.cbsnews.com/chicago/news/vandalism-rep-brad-schneider-capitol-gaza-hostages-posters/

FOX32
— Mayor Johnson MIA during violent start to Fourth of July weekend. – Paris Schutz
https://www.fox32chicago.com/news/city-chicago-responds-surge-shootings-additional-safety-measures
— Trump denies knowing about Project 2025
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_jmXS87BmnU

SOUTHERN
— Biden disputes diminishing poll numbers, low approval rating after debate – Ivan Pereira
https://southernillinoisnow.com/2024/07/06/biden-disputes-diminishing-poll-numbers-low-approval-rating-after-debate/

WCIA
— Senate GOP Leader John Curran talks Republican chairman exit ahead of convention – Cole Henke
https://www.wcia.com/news/capitol-news/senate-gop-leader-talks-republican-chairman-exit-ahead-of-convention/

CENTRAL ILLINOIS PROUD & WSIL TV
— Republicans turn their focus to Harris as talk of replacing Biden on Democratic ticket intensifies. – AP
https://www.centralillinoisproud.com/news/politics/ap-republicans-turn-their-focus-to-harris-as-talk-of-replacing-biden-on-democratic-ticket-intensifies/
https://www.wsiltv.com/news/national/republicans-turn-their-focus-to-harris-as-talk-of-replacing-biden-on-democratic-ticket-intensifies/article_16ce28de-5ccb-580e-a125-be76853aee08.html

FROM ILLINOIS CENTER-RIGHT SOURCES

GOPUSA ILLINOIS
— QUESTION: Why do Democrat candidates get votes? ANSWER: The Democrat Party’s success in convincing voters that Republicans cause all their problems and that they should want what the Democrat Party gives its voters: class warfare, dependency on government and charity, LGBTQ, abortion, mass/illegal immigration, booze, gambling, pot, and other vices, diminishment of Second Amendment rights, and/or Affirmative Action and DEI, that is, patronage, political affiliation discrimination, reversed discrimination, age discrimination, religious discrimination, and/or national origin discrimination. – Dave Diersen
http://www.gopillinois.com

FROM NATIONAL CENTER-RIGHT SOURCES

WASHINGTON TIMES
— Trump separates himself from Project 2025 blueprint crafted by the Heritage Foundation. – Seth McLaughlin
https://www.washingtontimes.com/news/2024/jul/5/donald-trump-separates-himself-from-project-2025-c/

WASHINGTON EXAMINER
— November is months away, but people are already voting with their feet. – Editorial (COMMENT How successful have Democrats been driving those who have demographics that vote for Republicans out of your county, your township, your municipality, your precinct, and your school district?)
https://www.washingtonexaminer.com/opinion/editorials/3069061/november-months-away-people-already-voting-with-feet/

NEW YORK POST
— America may soon be subjected to the country’s first DEI president: Kamala Harris. – Charles Gasparino (COMMENT: All my coworkers who my Democrat superiors in the federal government promoted over me were Democrats who were minority, female, younger, veteran, non-Protestant, non-German American, and/or had ancestors who had not been in America for a long time and/or 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://nypost.com/2024/07/06/business/america-may-soon-be-subjected-to-the-countrys-first-dei-president-kamala-harris/

AMERICAN GREATNESS
— Democrats Have Gone Full Soviet
https://amgreatness.com/2024/07/06/democrats-have-gone-full-soviet/

BREITBART
— Chicago 4th of July Weekend: At Least 58 Shot Wednesday Night to Friday Night – AWR HAWKINS
https://www.breitbart.com/politics/2024/07/06/chicago-4th-of-july-weekend-at-least-58-shot-wednesday-night-to-friday-night/

CHRISTIAN POST
— 10 ways woke culture is reframing civilization. – Joseph Mattera,
https://www.christianpost.com/voices/10-ways-woke-culture-is-reframing-civilization.html

NATIONAL REVIEW
— Another Biden Interview Debacle – PHILIP KLEIN
https://www.nationalreview.com/corner/another-biden-debacle/

NEWSMAX
— Kamala Harris is a ‘great example of affirmative action’ – Utah Rep. Burgess Owens
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NkcQdfJ1m5g

PJ MEDIA
— Democrats Push Depopulation as U.S. Fertility Plummets – CATHERINE SALGADO (COMMENT: Democrat leaders ever-increasingly replace those in America who have demographics that vote for Republicans with those who have demographics that vote for Democrats.)
https://pjmedia.com/catherinesalgado/2024/07/06/dems-push-depopulation-as-us-fertility-plummets-n4930433

FROM NATIONAL CENTER-LEFT SOURCES

NEW YORK TIMES
— Biden Faces New Calls From Democrats to Step Aside After Interview
https://www.nytimes.com/live/2024/07/06/us/biden-trump-election
— The Struggles of President Biden and the Truth About Aging – Rachael Bedard (COMMENT: The issue should be health, not age.)
https://www.nytimes.com/2024/07/05/opinion/biden-age-health.html

WASHINGTON POST
— Democrats say “Trump doesn’t want Americans to know what Republicans stand for. The former president wants the 2024 GOP platform to be anodyne, but don’t be fooled. He has an extreme agenda.”
https://www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/2024/07/07/rnc-platform-2024-gop-trump/
— Trump running mate decision nears, with Vance, Rubio at center of talks. The campaign is eyeing an announcement by July 15th and internal talks have focused heavily on the two senators. – Marianne LeVine and Josh Dawsey
https://www.washingtonpost.com/elections/2024/07/06/trump-running-mate-vance-rubio-republicans/
— Defiant Biden doubles down on staying in race.
https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/2024/07/06/election-2024-biden-campaign-updates-trump/

USA TODAY
— Hate-filled Trump-hating Trump-haters promote Haley.
https://www.usatoday.com/story/opinion/columnist/2024/07/05/replace-biden-trump-age-haley-republicans-election/74288491007/
— Democrats’ cover-up of Biden decline raises hard questions. When did they know the truth?  It’s clear, based on his debate performance and other gaffes we’ve seen in public, that President Joe Biden’s decline must have been obvious to those closest to him. – Nicole Russell
https://www.usatoday.com/story/opinion/columnist/2024/07/07/biden-age-democrats-drop-out-election/74278327007/

CNN
— There is no historical precedent for Biden dropping out now – Zachary B. Wolf and Amy O’Kruk
https://www.cnn.com/2024/07/06/politics/joe-biden-drop-out-precedent-what-matters/index.html

MSN
— Those who benefit from Affirmative Action (AA) and DEI want AA and DEI because they benefit from AA and DEI. Those who benefit from AA and DEI are liberal, moderate, Democrat, Libertarian, Green, Independent, RINO, 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 in America illegally. Those who are harmed by AA and DEI are conservative, Republican, White, male, older, married, heterosexual, have more money than others, Protestant, German American, have ancestors who have been in America for a long time, and/or are citizens of America.
https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/politics/most-americans-favor-dei-programs-survey/ar-BB1ot0gt

DESERT NEWS
— Democrats move to the left on social issues. – Hanna Seariac (COMMENT: All those who state that they are religious, conservative, and/or Republican and who have dumped me have moved to the left.  All those who have taken adverse actions against me reject planks in the Republican Party platform, most commonly, its personal responsibility, traditional marriage and family, right to life, immigration, illegal drugs, Second Amendment, and/or equal opportunity (no race of gender based preference giving) planks. All those who reject direct election of Illinois Republican Party State Central Committee members have dumped me if not taken adverse actions against me. I should write a book about the aforesaid and the pretexts that they use to dump me if not take adverse actions against me.)
https://www.yahoo.com/news/democrats-move-left-social-issues-192624943.html

SPITZ LAW FIRM
— Employer’s Lies Are Called Pretext (COMMENT: All the justifications that my critics/opponents have used to take adverse actions against me were pretexts. I should write a book about my critics/opponents, the adverse actions that they took against me, and the pretexts that they used. I would focus on those situations in which the real reasons for the adverse actions were a) political affiliation discrimination, b) reverse discrimination, c) age discrimination, d) religious discrimination, e) national origin discrimination, f) my avoiding the Vietnam War draft, and/or g) my suing them. I would focus on my critics/opponents who have/had lots of religious, government, political, and/or financial clout and who destroy those like me a) who they cannot manipulate or dominate, b) who refuse to glorify and praise them, c) who refuse to pander to them, d) who refuse to serve as one of their operatives or dupes, e) who refuse to cover up their wrong doing, and/or f) who refuse to give them money. I would focus on my critics/opponents who blame me the most for defeats that Republican candidates on ballots in my precinct have suffered since 2000. I would focus on my critics/opponents who blame me the most for their problems, for your problems, for my problems, and for everyone’s problems.)
https://www.calltherightattorney.com/

July 5, 2024

FROM ILLINOIS CENTER-LEFT SOURCES

CHICAGO TRIBUNE
— Democratic governors, including J.B. Pritzker, meet with Biden, who insists he’s in the race to stay – RICK PEARSON
https://www.chicagotribune.com/2024/07/03/democratic-governors-including-j-b-pritzker-meet-with-president-joe-biden-at-white-house-amid-growing-unease-within-party/

DAILY HERALD
— Protesters targeting Schneider in the middle of the night went too far. – Editorial
https://www.dailyherald.com/20240705/opinion/daily-herald-opinion-protesters-targeting-schneider-in-the-middle-of-the-night-went-too-far/

ABC7
— Biden vows to stay in race, told governors he’s in good health after medical checkup.  A source said he had a ‘brief’ exam because of his cold. – Rachel Scott
https://abc7chicago.com/post/president-biden-told-governors-he-had-medical-checkup-sources/15029075/
— IL Gov. JB Pritzker, Democratic governors say they have Biden’s back after ‘candid and open’ meeting. – Craig Wall and Ravi Baichwal
https://abc7chicago.com/post/illinois-governor-jb-pritzker-goes-dc-meet-president/15025592/
— If Biden drops out, who could replace him? A look at possible candidates. Several major Democrats have pledged support for Biden after the debate. – Ivan Pereira
https://abc7chicago.com/post/could-replace-biden-he-drops-harris-does-better/15028101/
— Biden privately signals ‘open mind’ on path forward, sees next few days as critical. “This is false,” a White House spokesman said. – Rachel Scott and Rick Klein
https://abc7chicago.com/post/president-joe-biden-privately-signals-open-mind-path/15024934/
— 2 women, boy killed in Grand Crossing shooting; 2 boys critically wounded
https://abc7chicago.com/post/chicago-shooting-2-women-killed-3-boys-critically/15028437/

CBS2
— Chicago mass shooting leaves 2 women dead, 3 children critically hurt
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UqvvnRL6Lg8

WGN9
— At least 9 killed, dozens shot across Chicago in violent July Fourth. – Andrea Medina, Anna Roberts
https://wgntv.com/news/chicagocrime/chicago-july-fourth-shootings/

FOX32
— Biden tells governors he needs more sleep as calls to step down grow. President Biden hits the Midwest on Friday in an effort to kickstart his campaign. This as calls from within the Democratic party grow for him to step aside. (COMMENT: Since 2000, instead of sleeping, I have spent a tremendous amount of time putting GOPUSA ILLINOIS newsletters together and sending them out.)
https://www.fox32chicago.com/video/1480638
— July 4th mass shooting: Chicago women died shielding children from gunfire. – Tia Ewing
https://www.fox32chicago.com/news/july-4th-mass-shooting-chicago-mom-died-shielding-1-year-old-from-gunfire
— July 4th mass shooting: 2 women and 1 child dead, 2 more children in critical condition. – Will Hager
https://www.fox32chicago.com/news/july-4th-mass-shooting-chicago
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=I1Ec7qbOxJk

WBEZ
— President Biden finds JB Pritzker and other Democratic governors complimentary and critical in White House meeting. Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris met with the governors in an hourlong White House discussion described by Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz as ‘honest and open’ and by Illinois Gov. JB Pritzker as “candid.” But the president also heard comments and questions that ranged from complimentary to ‘a little targeted.’ – Tina Sfondeles
https://www.wbez.org/government-politics/dnc-2024/2024/07/04/president-biden-trump-debate-pritzker-harris-democratic-governors-meeting-walz-newsom-moore-whitmer

EVANSTON ROUNDTABLE
— Democrats ever-increasingly promote more discrimination in Evanston against its remaining residents who have demographics that vote for Republicans.
https://evanstonroundtable.com/2024/07/04/fourth-of-july-parades-seeds-of-change-theme-championed-by-participants/

NORTHERN PUBLIC RADIO
— Northern Illinois RNC delegate Jan Klaas says issues, not personality matter in her support for Donald Trump – Maria Gardner Lara
https://www.northernpublicradio.org/illinois/2024-07-05/northern-illinois-rnc-delegate-says-issues-not-personality-matter-in-her-support-for-donald-trump

CHICAGO CONTRARIAN
— Mayor Johnson’s Call for Reparations Ignores Chicago’s Most Serious Problems. – JACK LUCEY
https://www.chicagocontrarian.com/blog/mayor-johnson-reparations-chicago-serious-problems

FROM ILLINOIS CENTER-RIGHT SOURCES

GOPUSA ILLINOIS
— Republican candidates and elected officials who walked with the Milton Township Republican Organization (MTRO) entry in Wheaton’s Independence Day parade included Jeff Castle, Grant Eckhoff, Amy Grant, Richard Jorgensen, Seth Lewis, Amber Quirk, and Kenton Skarin. I walked with the MTRO entry, but according to one of the aforesaid, because I did not wear a MTRO shirt or a shirt with one of the candidates’ or elected officials’ names on it, I did not really walk with the MTRO entry. According to my critics/opponents, the more that I do to help elect a candidate, the more votes that candidate loses. I should write a book about Republican participation in Wheaton Independence Day parades since 1978. I started serving as the Republican fundraiser for the parades in 2005, but my anti-conservative, that is, anti-Republican critics/opponents ended that in 2021. In my book, I would focus on those who have worked the hardest to diminish/stop Republican participation in the parades. – Dave Diersen
http://www.gopillinois.com

GOUSA ILLINOIS
— Yesterday, before the parade started, I had a conversation with one of the leaders of my critics/opponents in Wheaton. He justified the many big adverse actions that he and his followers have taken against me since the 1980s, including ending my service as the Republican fundraiser for Wheaton Independence Day parades and fireworks in 2021. According to him, I cause all my own problems. What did I do? During the 1980s, I successfully fought Wheaton’s efforts to install a traffic signal at Harrison and President and I sued Wheaton, its favorite developer, Milton Township, and DuPage County. More recently, I led successful efforts to stop video gambling and the sale of pot in Wheaton. But since 2015, their unmitigated hatred against Trump has ever-increasingly increased and I refuse to share their unmitigated hatred against Trump. – Dave Diersen
http://www.gopillinois.com

GOPUSA ILLINOIS
— What do your critics/opponents do? My critics/opponents destroy those like me who they cannot manipulate or dominate, who refuse to glorify and praised them, who refuse to pander to them, who refuse to serve as one of their operatives or dupes, who refuse to cover up their wrong doing, and/or who refuse to give them money. They blame me and blame my GOPUSA ILLINOIS newsletters for their problems, for your problems, for my problems, and/or for everyone’s problems. They blame me and blame my GOPUSA ILLINOIS newsletters for all the losses that Republican candidates on ballots in my precinct have suffered since 2000. They reject planks in the Republican Party platform, most commonly its personal responsibility, traditional marriage and family, right to life, immigration, illegal drugs, Second Amendment, and equal opportunity (no race or gender based preference giving) planks. They have their operatives and their dupes do their dirty work. They despise if not hate those who my demographics including my religion and national origin. I should write a book about my critics/opponents. They would love it. – Dave Diersen
http://www.gopillinois.com

GOPUSA ILLINOIS
— Who do your critics/opponents blame their problems on? My critics/opponents who are liberal/moderate, Democrat, Libertarian, Green, Independent, RINO, minority, female, younger, unmarried, LGBTQ, veteran, have less money than others, non-Protestant, non-German American, and/or have ancestors who have not been in America for a long time blame their problems on those who are conservative, Republican, White, male, older, married, heterosexual, draft avoider, have more money than they have, Protestant, German American, and/or have ancestors who have been in America for a long time. – Dave Diersen
http://www.gopillinois.com

DUPAGE COUNTY REPUBLICAN CENTRAL COMMITTEE
— The DuPage Republican Society. Become A Member Today! (COMMENT: Yesterday, I applied to be a $240/year member. Will my critics/opponents within the DCRCC reject my application? My critics/opponents blame me and blame my GOPUSA ILLINOIS newsletters for all the losses that Republican candidates on ballots in my precinct have suffered since 2000. They especially blame me for George Ryan not seeking a second term, Jim Ryan’s and Jim Durkin’s losses in 2002, Andy McKenna’s loss in 2004, Bill Brady’s and Judy Baar Topinka’s losses in 2006, Bill Brady’s loss in 2010, Mark Kirk’s loss in 2016, Paul Hinds’ and Bruce Rauner’s and Peter Roskam’s losses in 2018, and Greg Hart’s and Richard Irvin’s losses in 2022.)
https://dupagegop.com/become-a-member/

CENTER SQUARE ILLINOIS
— Chicago alderman pushes harsher penalties for crimes committed wearing facemasks – Glenn Minnis
https://www.thecentersquare.com/illinois/article_4c965556-3979-11ef-81d8-cba6bf2e1afa.html

FROM NATIONAL CENTER-RIGHT SOURCES

WASHINGTON TIMES
— Third House Democrat calls for Biden to drop out of race. – Mallory Wilson
https://www.washingtontimes.com/news/2024/jul/4/third-house-democrat-calls-biden-drop-out-race/
— Media concealed Biden’s cognitive decline because they hate Trump. Reporters turned on president only when the lie became impossible to sustain. – Tim Murtaugh
https://www.washingtontimes.com/news/2024/jul/4/media-concealed-bidens-cognitive-decline-because-t/

WASHINGTON EXAMINER
— What caused the Biden-era illegal immigration spike?
https://www.washingtonexaminer.com/premium/3056275/what-caused-the-biden-era-illegal-immigration-spike/

NEW YORK POST
— This 5,500-mile loophole may be the SMALLEST one in Biden’s ‘border crackdown’ – Editorial
https://nypost.com/2024/07/04/opinion/this-5500-mile-loophole-may-be-the-smallest-one-in-bidens-border-crackdown/
— Biden loses train of thought in Fourth of July speech to vets. – Katherine Donlevy
https://nypost.com/2024/07/04/us-news/biden-loses-train-of-thought-in-fourth-of-july-speech-to-vets/

AMERICAN THINKER
— Wokeness is weakness – Nick Lopez
https://www.americanthinker.com/blog/2024/07/wokeness_is_weakness.html
— Mount Rushmore, make room for Trump – Bucky Fox
https://www.americanthinker.com/blog/2024/07/mount_rushmore_make_room_for_trump.html

BIZ PAC REVIEW
— America’s never-ending war of independence. – Kenneth Abramowitz (COMMENT: My critics/opponents promote dependency on government and charity, if not socialism, if not communism, if not dictatorship.)
https://www.bizpacreview.com/2024/07/04/americas-never-ending-war-of-independence-1470136/

DAILY CALLER
— Sanctuary Cities Crack Down On Shelter Programs After Rolling Out Red Carpet For Illegal Migrants – JASON HOPKINS
https://dailycaller.com/2024/07/04/sanctuary-cities-cut-back-migrant-shelters/
— Lauren Boebert called “racist” for saying Karine Jean-Pierre is a “DEI hire” – Alex Bollinger

FOX NEWS
— Former U.S. Space Force officer loses retirement after speaking out against DEI – Hannah Grossman , Alba Cuebas-Fantauzzi (COMMENT: I not only spoke out against political affiliation discrimination, reverse discrimination, and age discrimination, I because an active member in a class action lawsuit in 1988 that charged by GAO superiors with reverse discrimination, age discrimination, and retaliation, they wasted my career and forced me to take their early retirement “offer” in 1997 when I was 49 years old.)
https://www.foxnews.com/media/space-force-commander-lost-pension-criticizing-crt-military-says-gut-punch-betrayal

FROM NATIONAL CENTER-LEFT SOURCES

ASSOCIATED PRESS
— The questions about Biden’s age and fitness are reminiscent of another campaign: Reagan’s in 1984. – LAURIE KELLMAN (COMMENT: The issue should be health, not age.)
https://apnews.com/article/biden-reagan-age-president-trump-debate-292069ac97df6841ae84c215e63c84ec

MSN
— Woke New Yorkers whine America ‘doesn’t deserve a birthday party’ – Rachel Bowman (COMMENT: I should write a book about those who have worked the hardest since 1978 to destroy Wheaton’s Independence Day parades and fireworks.)
https://www.msn.com/en-za/news/other/woke-new-yorkers-whine-america-doesn-t-deserve-a-birthday-party/ar-BB1pqn75
— Lauren Boebert called “racist” for saying Karine Jean-Pierre is a “DEI hire” – Alex Bollinger (COMMENT: The Democrats who ran GAO in 1980, IRS in 1971, and the Post Office in 1966 hired me because they could not find a qualified Democrat, minority, female, younger person, or veteran who would take the job. All those who GAO, IRS, and the Post Office hired and/or promoted over me 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.msn.com/en-us/news/us/lauren-boebert-called-racist-for-saying-karine-jean-pierre-is-a-dei-hire/ar-BB1plnM4
— To promote reparations is to promote more hatred against those who have demographics that vote for Republicans.
https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/us/chicago-s-progressive-mayor-brandon-johnson-claims-reparations-will-help-tackle-the-cycle-of-violence-amid-a-17-per-cent-surge-in-crime/ar-AA1ma3LW

NEW YORK TIMES
— FRONT PAGE TOP OF FOLD: Major Democratic Donors Devise Plans to Pressure Biden to Step Aside. The president appears intent on remaining on the ballot, while wealthy donors are discussing plans to put their money elsewhere. – Kenneth P. Vogel, Theodore Schleifer and Lauren Hirsch
https://www.nytimes.com/2024/07/04/us/politics/biden-donors.html
— Student Loan Borrowers Owe $1.6 Trillion. Nearly Half Aren’t Paying. Millions of people are overdue on their federal loans or still have them paused — and court rulings keep upending collection efforts. – Stacy Cowley
https://www.nytimes.com/2024/07/02/business/student-loan-nonpayment.html

USA TODAY
— Democrat leaders ever-increasingly promote more LGBTQ.
https://www.usatoday.com/story/opinion/columnist/2024/07/05/sarah-mcbride-running-first-trans-person-congress-election/74197445007/

WALL STREET JOURNAL
— FRONT PAGE TOP OF FOLD: Biden Tries to Prove He Is Still Democrats’ Best Bet. President suggests to governors that he should avoid events that begin after 8 p.m. – Ken Thomas
https://www.wsj.com/politics/elections/biden-tries-to-prove-he-is-still-democrats-best-bet-66fcd5ac
— Sign Snatchers Beware, That Campaign Poster Might Have an AirTag. The tracking devices leave thieves dumbfounded—and occasionally facing criminal charges. – James Fanelli
https://www.wsj.com/politics/campaign-signs-stolen-apple-airtag-tracking-e7d17efb
— The IRS Has a High-Earner Delusion. The agency can’t find all those wealthy tax cheats that Democrats swear exist. – Editorial (COMMENT: I worked for GAO on audits of IRS’s Criminal Investigation Division for 3 years.)
https://www.wsj.com/articles/irs-audits-wealthiest-americans-tigta-report-steven-mnuchin-janet-yellen-4d3f678c
— Only the Fed Can Rekindle America’s Love for Cars. New-vehicle sales are stuck in middle gear as high interest rates and high prices push less affluent consumers into the secondhand market. – Stephen Wilmot (COMMENT: Overwhelmingly, my critics/opponents, their operatives, and their dupes despise/hate cars and especially American-nameplate cars.)
https://www.wsj.com/business/autos/only-the-fed-can-rekindle-americas-love-for-cars-5f0f3d4d

NEW REPUBLIC
— Pritzker Floated as Biden Replacement Issues Dire Warning. Pritzker warned Joe Biden has to prove himself once more.
https://newrepublic.com/post/183420/democratic-governor-pritzker-biden-issues-dire-warning

July 3, 2024

Political parties exist to help elect candidates who can and will defend and advance their platform. The Republican Party platform is conservative. Trump would not have won the primary in 2016 if he had not promised to defend and advance the Republican Party platform. My critics/opponents in the Illinois Republican Party (IRP), DuPage County Republican Central Committee, Milton Township Republican Organization, etc. are anti-conservative if not anti-Republican and they have always a) rejected many planks in the Republican Party platform and/or b) rejected direct election of IRP State Central Committee members.  Recently, they had me thrown off the IRP State Convention Platform and Resolutions Committee.



POLITICO
— Trump campaign blocks pair of anti-abortion activists from RNC platform committee. The shakeup, which has not been previously reported, comes as anti-abortion groups petition Trump, his campaign advisers and members of the RNC not to make significant changes to the party’s platform on abortion. –  NATALIE ALLISON and MEGAN MESSERLY (COMMENT: What do the following have to say about this: a) Illinois Republican Party’s (IRP) members on the RNC platform committee, b) the IRP State Central Committee members, c) the IRP chairman, d) the applicants for that position, e) the current and incoming IRP National Committeeman and Committee woman, f) the Illinois Republican county party chairmen, g) etc.?)
https://www.politico.com/news/2024/07/02/anti-abortion-delegates-committee-gop-platform-debate-00166323
(FROM THE ARTICLE: Two hardline anti-abortion delegates to next week’s GOP platform committee have been stripped of their positions, according to several members of the Republican National Committee, underscoring a broader fear among evangelicals and other social conservatives that the party is poised to moderate its stance on abortion at the direction of former President Donald Trump. The Trump campaign’s efforts to block the two South Carolina delegates from the platform committee and replace them with loyalists is described in several affidavits as “interference from paid RNC staff … to circumvent the will of the delegation.” The shakeup, which has not been previously reported, comes as anti-abortion groups petition Trump, his campaign advisers and members of the RNC not to make significant changes to the party’s platform on abortion. While running for the platform committee, the two South Carolina delegates, longtime party activist LaDonna Ryggs and former state party chair Chad Connelly, made clear they would not vote to “water down” the party’s positions on abortion, marriage or Israel, according to a person with knowledge of the comments and granted anonymity to speak freely. A Trump campaign official disputed that Connelly and Ryggs were ever on the platform committee and maintained that two other people were the ones properly elected to the body by South Carolina’s convention delegates, suggesting that the “state party” had tried to circumvent the RNC. And Danielle Alvarez, a spokesperson for the Trump campaign and RNC, said in a statement that the platform committee “has yet to convene to discuss what language should be in the final document.” Trump officials have privately maintained, meanwhile, that no specific language on abortion has been determined ahead of the scheduled platform meetings next week in Milwaukee. The party platform has long condemned the procedure and supported both state and federal restrictions on abortion, including a 20-week national ban. Anti-abortion groups fear the RNC’s platform committee is about to make Trump’s leave-abortion-to-the-states position — which they have reluctantly accepted — the official position of the Republican Party. Doing so, they say, would undo decades of progress by their movement to restrict access to the procedure at all levels of government, and they warn that it could cost Trump the election in the process. “I would strongly urge the leadership of the Republican National Committee and the Trump campaign to proceed with great caution on the platform and avoid doing anything that would discourage or in any way deflate the enthusiasm of pro-life and evangelical voters,” said Ralph Reed, founder and chair of the Faith & Freedom Coalition. “Right now, sitting here today, they are prepared to crawl across broken glass, to do everything in their power to see President Trump re-elected. I don’t want to see anything happen that would change that current dynamic.” Delegates in four other states told POLITICO they, too, had been blocked by operatives with the Trump campaign from securing seats on the platform committee. According to the affidavits prepared for the RNC’s committee on contests, obtained by POLITICO, the Trump campaign and RNC staffers held a separate vote to elect a different slate of platform committee delegates. The documents allege that at least two GOP staffers who were formerly employed by the Trump campaign “[pressured] them to vote against” Ryggs and Connelly and tried to “circumvent” the official vote. Two slates of convention committee members were ultimately elected — one slate from the meeting organized by the Trump staffers, and another, including Connelly and Ryggs, at the party’s official meeting that was presided over by South Carolina GOP Chair Drew McKissick. Ryggs and Connelly have appealed the RNC’s decision to accept the other slate of convention committee members, though no hearing has been set. Ryggs — who said in her affidavit that she has been such a loyal supporter of Trump that she and her husband had a gun pulled on them while knocking on doors for the campaign in 2020 — served on the RNC’s platform committee three times previously, including in 2016 when she celebrated the party moving its positions on social issues to the right. Connelly, who runs a faith-based conservative group, was the RNC’s national director of faith engagement under previous chair Reince Priebus. While many prominent anti-abortion leaders have weighed in with proposed language and called for the RNC to open platform meetings to activists and press, some in the movement have publicly and privately said their suggestions seem to be falling flat with Trump and at RNC headquarters. Tony Perkins, president of the Family Research Council and a member of the platform committee, accused RNC Chair Michael Whatley of “stalling tactics” in a letter on Monday about efforts to ensure the meetings are open. Closing the meetings, Perkins wrote in the letter obtained by POLITICO, “heightens speculation that the GOP platform will be watered down to a few pages of meaningless, poll-tested talking points.” A Trump campaign official said the meeting would be closed to members of the press, though guest passes would be available. Members of the platform committee, largely elected by convention delegates in their states, are set to gather in Milwaukee starting Sunday to iron out the party’s updated platform after foregoing changes in 2020. “I’m going to be fighting hard for the president’s agenda and making the platform America First and consistent with the president’s campaign agenda and what his promises are,” said conservative radio host John Fredericks, a delegate from Pennsylvania and member of the platform committee. Fredericks said he is serving as a whip for the Trump campaign, and it’s his opinion that the new party platform will reflect Trump’s own 2024 campaign positions — including that states should determine abortion law, a position the former president repeated during Thursday’s debate. Trump has also said he supports exceptions to abortion bans in cases of rape, incest and threats to the mother’s life. Jesse Law, chair of the Clark County Republican Party and a platform committee delegate from Nevada, added that he sees delegates “all getting into line.” “Best I can say is that this is going to be President Trump’s platform,” Law said. “That’s how I see it.” Oscar Brock, an RNC member from Tennessee who is not on the platform committee, said that based on Trump’s own positions, he expects the updated platform to become “more socially moderate,” not just on abortion, but on marriage equality, too. Polling shows Trump has the support of an overwhelming support of evangelical Christians, and there’s no evidence that droves of social conservatives would stay home if Republicans endorse a more moderate platform on abortion. Still, a rebuff from the Trump campaign threatens to divide a party that has largely managed to remain united behind the former president as Democrats grapple over internal divisions over whether Biden is even fit to run. “The problem isn’t just dampening enthusiasm. It’s also the fact that there’ll be a fight over it. There will be a platform fight, and it’ll be the week before the convention when you don’t want a fight, you want unity. And it’ll be for everyone to see in Milwaukee,” said a Republican strategist who consults with anti-abortion groups, who was granted anonymity to speak candidly. “If I were on the inside of a campaign I would be saying, ‘I don’t want to give everybody this story.’” In recent days, prominent evangelical and anti-abortion leaders have launched campaigns, hosted webinars and talked about the issue on podcasts in an effort to rally their supporters to pressure the Trump campaign and members of the platform committee. Perkins, at the Family Research Council, has been talking about the issue nearly daily on his podcast, while Students for Life President Kristan Hawkins hosted an “emergency webcast” Monday night on the topic to rally young anti-abortion activists around the cause. Others are lobbying members of the platform committee directly and voicing their concerns. Broadly, anti-abortion leaders would like to see the party platform on abortion — which includes specific details like affirming that “the unborn child has a fundamental right to life” and opposing the use of public funds to perform or promote abortion — to remain as strong as it is. Some are making the case to Trump and his campaign that even if they want to simplify the platform, it need not reflect the president’s views exactly. “The platform doesn’t necessarily ever reflect 100 percent the view of the party. That’s the case we’ve been making to the Trump campaign and as we’ve been speaking with those who’ve been discussing this,” Hawkins said in an interview. “We’ve been in conversations with the campaign for more than a month now about the platform and how it should reflect the views of the entire movement.” Lori Hinz, an RNC member from North Dakota who is serving on this year’s platform committee, said she is concerned about the plan to overhaul the platform altogether, and would prefer the RNC and Trump campaign create a separate, shorter, “Contract With America”-style document to go alongside the platform. “My view, honestly, is that we did a pretty fantastic platform in 2016, and I hope to preserve that,” Hinz said. Arizona state Rep. Alex Kolodin, another platform committee delegate, said the balance between state and federal restrictions on abortion is “complicated.” In April, the Arizona Supreme Court ruled that the state’s near-total abortion ban was enforceable, a law Democrats in the legislature, with help from a handful of Republicans, quickly moved to repeal; voters will weigh in on a constitutional amendment protecting the right to abortion until fetal viability in November. “The conservative grassroots and the pro-life movement very much want to ensure that we keep or even fortify our very robust language in defense of life,” Kolodin said. “The Republican Party platform, since the party was founded, has always strongly emphasized the equal dignity of every human person and the need to defend them from having their life taken away without due process of law. That’s integral to who we are as a party.” Some members of Congress are also using their political capital to help anti-abortion groups make their pitch to the platform committee. Rep. Josh Brecheen (R-Okla.) said recently that he had contacted one of his state’s platform committee members to share his concerns about the platform, while Sen. James Lankford (R-Okla.) joined Hawkins on the webcast, which was centered around criticism of a state-only approach to abortion policy. “The federal government has activated to increase the numbers of abortion in America, and so when I hear anyone say this is not a federal issue, it certainly is a federal issue because this administration has found ways to be able to advance abortion,” Lankford said during the webcast. “I’m keenly aware we don’t have the 60 votes in the Senate, but the worst thing we can do is not talk about it at all and somehow make people presume this is no longer a value … The way you win the argument is to keep talking about it, not to talk about it less.” Anti-abortion groups and their allies in Congress and statehouses say that maintaining a federal role for abortion in the party’s platform is not only the right policy, but also electorally crucial. Reed, a longtime Trump ally whose organization plans to spend $62 million registering and turning out evangelical voters, said that any “equivocation or retreat” by the Republican Party on the issue of abortion will “deflate voters of faith.” “Self-identified evangelical voters are roughly half of the entire Republican vote. And in some states, like Georgia, they’re about 60 percent of the entire Republican vote,” Reed said. “When you’re talking about a presidential election that could well be decided by thousands of votes spread out over three or four states, anything that discourages the enthusiasm or turnout of base or faith-based voters will not be helpful.”)



GOPUSA ILLINOIS
— The following email was sent out by the Illinois Republican Party Executive Director Matt Janes on July 1, 2024. I urge the IRP to immediately post it on its website.  I am very interested in learning what each the applicants have done and have promised to do to defend and advance the personal responsibility, traditional marriage and family, right to life, immigration, illegal drugs, Second Amendment, and equal opportunity (no race or gender based preference giving) planks in the Republican Party platform. I am very interested in learning what position each of the applicants has on direct election of IRP SCC members. It seems to me that the committee will reject applicants who want direct election. – Dave Diersen
http://www.gopillinois.com
(FROIM THE EMAIL: As you may know, the Illinois Republican State Central Committee will be meeting on Friday, July 12, 2024 at 12:00 Noon to elect a new Chairman on an interim or permanent basis. If you, or anyone you know, is interested in being considered for the position, please submit the following information to Matt Janes, Executive Director of the Illinois Republican Party, at Matt@illinois.gop by Wednesday, July 10th at 5:00 PM.  This is a hard deadline, and is necessary to provide the Committee sufficient time to review all applicant material.  Applicants may be asked to address the Committee on July 12th.

An applicant must provide:
– A current copy of the applicant’s professional and political resume
– A brief letter/document outlining the applicant’s vision for the Illinois Republican Party
– A Letter of Recommendation from an Illinois elected Republican Party Official or an Illinois elected Republican Government Official (no limit on number that may be submitted)
– A certified copy of the applicant’s voting record
– The applicant must fill out and submit the attached Ethics Statement
– In addition, to be considered by this position, an applicant must agree to a background check.)



NEW YORK TIMES
— Biden Told Ally That He Is Weighing Whether to Continue in the Race. The president’s conversation is the first indication that he is seriously considering whether he can recover after a devastating performance on the debate stage in Atlanta on Thursday. – Katie Rogers
https://www.nytimes.com/2024/07/03/us/politics/biden-election-debate.html



THE HILL
— Michelle Obama only Democrat to beat Trump in new poll – Lauren Sforza
https://www.centralillinoisproud.com/news/national/michelle-obama-only-democrat-to-beat-trump-in-new-poll/



FROM ILLINOIS CENTER-LEFT SOURCES



ABC7
— Pritzker says he still supports Biden after poor debate performance; some Democrats express concern. Illinois Congressman Mike Quigley concerned over down-ballot election impact if Biden stays in race. – Craig Wall and Ravi Baichwal
https://abc7chicago.com/post/trump-biden-debate-il-congressman-mike-quigley-worries/15021402/
— Democrats pressure Biden to answer questions after faltering in 1st debate. Doggett is the first sitting Democrat in Congress, House, or Senate to publicly call on Biden to withdraw as the Democratic candidate for president. – ABC News
https://abc7chicago.com/post/texas-rep-lloyd-doggett-calls-president-biden-withdraw/15021029/
— US Supreme Court won’t hear challenge to Illinois’ assault weapons ban, for now. – Peter Hancock
https://abc7chicago.com/post/us-supreme-court-hear-challenge-illinois-assault-weapons/15020363/
— 14, including 5 teens, face felony charges in mass arrests hours after Chicago Pride parade 2024. 53 arrested, including 9 juveniles, in all early Monday morning
https://abc7chicago.com/post/chicago-pride-parade-arrests-14-including-5-teens/15020238/
— 80 pro-Palestinian protesters have charges dropped after Art Institute encampment arrests. Local leaders worry dropping charges sends wrong message, with DNC 1 month away. – Jasmine Minor
https://abc7chicago.com/post/chicago-protest-80-pro-palestinian-protesters-have-charges/15021763/



NBC5
— Pritzker comments on President Biden’s candidacy amid debate fallout in CNN interview. Pritzker confirmed Biden is set to meet with Democratic governors on Wednesday while reiterating his support for the incumbent in a CNN interview.
https://www.nbcchicago.com/news/local/gov-pritzker-comments-bidens-candidacy-amid-fallout-debate-performance/3479988/
— Supreme Court declines to hear challenge to Illinois’ assault weapons ban. Opponents of the measure believe the court will take up another challenge later this year.
https://www.nbcchicago.com/news/local/chicago-politics/supreme-court-declines-challenge-illinois-assault-weapons-ban/3479726/
— Democrat leaders ever-increasingly promote more illegal immigration.
https://www.nbcchicago.com/news/local/undocumented-residents-receive-illinois-drivers-licenses/3479952/
— Chicago closes Daley College migrant shelter as city’s asylum seeker population continues to drop. – Todd Feurer (COMMENT: Anticipate/expect Democrat leaders to ramp up their efforts to promote more illegal immigration.)
https://www.cbsnews.com/chicago/news/chicago-closes-daley-college-migrant-shelter-asylum-seekers/
— Rep. Lloyd Doggett becomes first Democrat in Congress to call for Biden’s withdrawal from 2024 race. Rep. Lloyd Doggett of Texas said in a statement Tuesday that Biden should “make the painful and difficult decision to withdraw.” – AP
https://www.nbcchicago.com/news/national-international/rep-lloyd-doggett-first-house-democrat-publicly-call-biden-step-down-partys-nominee/3479509/



CBS2
— Chicago closes Daley College migrant shelter as city’s asylum seeker population continues to drop. – Todd Feure (COMMENT: Anticipate/expect Democrat leaders to ramp up their efforts to promote more illegal immigration.)
https://www.cbsnews.com/chicago/news/chicago-closes-daley-college-migrant-shelter-asylum-seekers/
— After confrontation at Dolton, Illinois board meeting, activist faces misdemeanor. A Chicago activist was taken away in handcuffs after attempting to confront a village trustee at a board meeting in Dolton on Monday night.
https://www.cbsnews.com/chicago/video/after-confrontation-at-dolton-illinois-board-meeting-activist-faces-misdemeanor/



FOX32
— Supreme Court declines to hear challenge to Illinois assault weapons ban. – Lindsay Whitehurst
https://www.fox32chicago.com/news/supreme-court-illinois-assault-weapons-ban-declines-challenge
— Evanston residents calling ‘dibs’ as they stake out spots for July 4th parade. – Nate Rodgers  (COMMENT: Which Republican candidates will have entries in Wheaton’s Independence Day parade?)
https://www.fox32chicago.com/news/evanston-dibs-july-4th-parade



WTTW
— Pritzker Signs Bill to Increase Party Power in Primary Elections – Andrew Adams
https://news.wttw.com/2024/07/02/pritzker-signs-bill-increase-party-power-primary-elections



CHICAGO TRIBUNE
— Lawsuit challenges affirmative action in hiring at Northwestern law school  (COMMENT: The Democrats who ran GAO in 1980, IRS in 1971, and the Post Office in 1966 hired me because they could not find a qualified Democrat, minority, female, younger person, or veteran who would take the job.)
https://www.chicagotribune.com/2024/07/02/lawsuit-challenges-affirmative-action-in-hiring-at-northwestern-law-school/
— Today in History: Civil Rights Act signed into law. AP (COMMENT: The Democrats who ran GAO in 1980, IRS in 1971, and the Post Office in 1966 hired me because they could not find a qualified Democrat, minority, female, younger person, or veteran who would take the job.)
https://www.chicagotribune.com/2024/07/02/today-in-history-civil-rights-act-signed-into-law/
— Democrats ever-increasingly blame Republicans for bad weather.
https://www.chicagotribune.com/2024/07/02/with-climate-change-coming-chicagos-current-migrant-influx-only-going-to-be-the-beginning/



CHICAGO SUN-TIMES
— Command performance — Pritzker, other Democratic governors to meet with Biden after dismal debate showing. Democratic governors spoke amongst themselves Monday and wondered why they hadn’t heard from the president since last week’s debate. A White House meeting with Biden is now scheduled for Wednesday evening. – Tina Sfondeles
https://chicago.suntimes.com/2024-democratic-national-convention/2024/07/02/jb-pritzker-democratic-governors-president-biden-meeting-debate-performance
— Battle over Illinois’ assault weapon ban will continue after Supreme Court declines to get involved. Groups challenging the law made their bid to the U.S. Supreme Court after last fall’s ruling from the federal appeals court in Chicago, which found that weapons covered by Illinois’ assault-weapons ban don’t have Second Amendment protection. – Jon Seidel
https://chicago.suntimes.com/politics/2024/07/02/supreme-court-declines-hear-challenge-illinois-assault-weapons-ban



SOUTHERN
— Survivors of Tulsa Race Massacre call on President Biden to open investigation into 1921 attack – ABC  (COMMENT: What did your ancestors do in 1921? On my father’s side, they operated Crete’s only hardware store. On my mother’s side, they operated a farm in Grant Park along the Indiana border.  Ever-increasingly, the longer that your ancestors have been in America and if you are a Republican, the more that Democrats hint/imply/argue/shout that you have benefitted from slavery, racism, and discrimination against Blacks and you owe more reparations.)
https://southernillinoisnow.com/2024/07/02/survivors-of-tulsa-race-massacre-call-on-president-biden-to-open-investigation-into-1921-attack/



NPR ILLINOIS
— Democrat leaders ever-increasingly encourage/force children to be sexually active LGBTQers.
https://www.nprillinois.org/2024-07-03/in-just-a-few-years-half-of-all-states-passed-bans-on-trans-health-care-for-kids



BLOCK CLUB CHICAGO
— Democrats ever-increasingly promote more LGBTQ.
https://blockclubchicago.org/2024/07/02/how-lakeside-prides-latin-band-is-bringing-rhythm-and-joy-to-chicagos-lgbtq-scene/



WHEATON PATCH
— Road Closures To Take Effect For Independence Day Events In Wheaton – Lisa Marie Farver (COMMENT: Which Republican candidates will have entries in Wheaton’s Independence Day parade?)
https://patch.com/illinois/wheaton/road-closures-take-effect-independence-day-events-wheaton



POLITICO ILLINOIS
— Pressed on whether he’d pick up the mantle if Biden were to bow out, Pritzker was careful in his words: “Right now, Joe Biden is our nominee, and I’m 100 percent on board with supporting him as our nominee unless he makes some other decision. And then I think we’re all going to be discussing what’s the best way forward.” – SHIA KAPOS
https://www.politico.com/newsletters/illinois-playbook/2024/07/03/pritzker-right-now-biden-is-the-nominee-00166414



FROM ILLINOIS CENTER-RIGHT SOURCES



GOPUSA ILLINOIS
— QUESTION: What indicates that a website is having more and more and more big problems and that it is soon to go down? ANSWER: More and more and more a) days with nothing new posted, b) self-promotion, c) pay walling, d) advertising, e) cookie permission requests/demands, f) donation requests, and g) promotion of vices and sex. – Dave Diersen
http://www.gopillinois.com



WIREPOINTS
— A 50/50 chance for a police response to a 911 call in Chicago shows total dysfunction
https://wirepoints.org/a-50-50-chance-for-a-police-response-to-a-911-call-in-chicago-shows-total-dysfunction-wirepoints-on-am-560-chicagos-morning-answer/
— Chicago’s worst-in-nation pension crisis strikes again. – Nick Binotti and Ted Dabrowski
https://wirepoints.org/chicagos-worst-in-nation-pension-crisis-strikes-again-wirepoints/
— UHaul, United Van Lines, the Census, the IRS…all show that Illinois is losing people
https://wirepoints.org/uhaul-united-van-lines-the-census-the-irs-all-show-that-illinois-is-losing-people-wirepoints-joins-tom-miller-of-wjpf-carbondale/
— South and southwest Chicago suburbs to be hammered by massive property tax increases. – Mark Glennon
https://wirepoints.org/south-and-southwest-chicago-suburbs-to-be-hammered-by-massive-property-tax-increases-wirepoints/



PRAIRIE STATE WIRE
— Pritzker on Axios ‘shortlist’ to replace Biden
https://prairiestatewire.com/stories/661440513-pritzker-on-axios-shortlist-to-replace-biden



ILLINOIS POLICY INSTITUTE
— CHICAGO TEACHERS UNION MAKES MOST EXTREME CONTRACT DEMANDS IN U.S.
https://www.illinoispolicy.org/press-releases/chicago-teachers-union-makes-most-extreme-contract-demands-in-u-s/



FROM NATIONAL CENTER-RIGHT SOURCES



WASHINGTON TIMES
— ‘There’s a price for being Russia’s enemy’: Putin, Kim aim to intimidate U.S. – Ben Wolfgang  (COMMENT: When Russia, China, North Korea, etc. officially declare war on America, which countries will side with them and which countries will side with America?)
https://www.washingtontimes.com/news/2024/jul/2/theres-price-for-being-russias-enemy-putin-kim-aim/
— Shifting claims: Biden blames bad debate performance on international travel. Biden had been in U.S. for two weeks, also does not mention the cold his allies have been citing. – Jeff Mordock
https://www.washingtontimes.com/news/2024/jul/2/joe-biden-blames-bad-debate-performance-internatio/
— Illegal aliens are still voting in our elections. Inaction is not an option. – Matthew Tragesser
https://www.washingtontimes.com/news/2024/jul/2/illegal-aliens-are-still-voting-in-our-elections/



WASHINGTON EXAMINER
— Justice Thomas: Of course, the AR-15 is legal under Second Amendment – Paul Bedard
https://www.washingtonexaminer.com/news/washington-secrets/3067835/justice-thomas-of-course-the-ar-15-is-legal-under-second-amendment/
— Conservatives are starting to win against DEI – Ben Rothove (COMMENT: My critics/opponents reject the equal opportunity (no race or gender based preference giving) plank in the Republican Party platform. They have always used Affirmative Action and DEI to get rid of Republicans.)
https://www.washingtonexaminer.com/opinion/3068216/conservatives-starting-win-against-dei/



NEW YORK POST
— There’s no way to restore the illusion that Biden is fit for the presidency. – Editorial
https://nypost.com/2024/07/02/opinion/enablers-have-been-hiding-the-worst-of-bidens-senility-from-americans/



AMERICAN CONSERVATIVE
— ‘Biden Replacement Theory’ Gains Steam with First Elected Democrat’s Defection. Texas Rep. Lloyd Doggett became the first elected Democrat to publicly call for President Joe Biden to step down as the Democratic Party’s presumptive nominee for president. He may not be the last. – Bradley Devlin
https://www.theamericanconservative.com/biden-replacement-theory-gains-steam-with-first-elected-democrats-endorsement/



BREITBART
— Hunter Biden, 54, the president’s son, who was recently convicted of three gun-related felonies, is reportedly sitting in on meetings with his father in the West Wing, as the Biden family tries to manage the fallout of last week’s debate. – JOEL B. POLLAK
https://www.breitbart.com/politics/2024/07/02/convicted-felon-hunter-biden-sits-in-on-west-wing-meetings-with-president/
— Joe Biden Took Naps During Each Day of Debate Prep. – WENDELL HUSEBØ
https://www.breitbart.com/politics/2024/07/02/report-joe-biden-took-naps-during-each-day-of-debate-prep/



DAILY CALLER
— Biden Admin Caught Taking Fake Victory Lap On Border. It’s Much Worse Than We Imagine. – MARY ROOKE
https://dailycaller.com/2024/07/02/rooke-biden-admin-border-crossings/



DAILY WIRE
— Affirmative Action Suit Details How Northwestern Law School Blackballed Accomplished White Men, Opted For Unqualified Black Women. Only 14% of law professor job offers went to white men due to affirmative action that blocked elite scholars in favor of incompetents, lawsuit says. – Luke Rosiak (COMMENT: The Democrats who ran GAO in 1980, IRS in 1971, and the Post Office in 1966 hired me because they could not find a qualified Democrat, minority, female, younger person, or veteran who would take the job.)
https://www.dailywire.com/news/affirmative-action-suit-details-how-law-school-blackballed-accomplished-white-men-opted-for-unqualified-black-women



FEDERALIST
— Nonprofit Sues Northwestern University Over Discriminatory Affirmative-Action Hiring Practices. – MONROE HARLESS (COMMENT: The Democrats who ran GAO in 1980, IRS in 1971, and the Post Office in 1966 hired me because they could not find a qualified Democrat, minority, female, younger person, or veteran who would take the job.)
https://thefederalist.com/2024/07/02/nonprofit-sues-northwestern-university-over-discriminatory-affirmative-action-hiring-practices/
— Counting The Most Horrific Crimes Allegedly Committed By Illegals Who Crossed The Border Under Biden’s Watch. – JORDAN BOYD
https://thefederalist.com/2024/07/02/counting-the-most-horrific-crimes-allegedly-committed-by-illegals-who-crossed-the-border-under-bidens-watch/



FEDERATION FOR AMERICAN IMMIGRATION REFORM
— When it Comes to Executive Action, the Administration Tells the American People One Thing and Migrants Another. – Ira Mehlman
https://www.fairus.org/when-it-comes-executive-action-administration-tells-american-people-one-thing-and-migrants-another



FOX NEWS
— Chicago’s mayor plans reparations task force. I’m on the South Side and I’ve got loads of questions. The last thing we need is more liberal gaslighting from Mayor Johnson that will only extend the misery of Black people. – Corey Brooks
https://www.foxnews.com/opinion/chicagos-mayor-plans-reparations-task-force-im-south-side-ive-got-loads-questions
— Supreme Court staying away from Illinois gun ban cases as Thomas seeks ‘more guidance’ on protected weapons. Illinois gun control law went into effect following 2022 Highland Park Fourth of July parade mass shooting. – Greg Norman
https://www.foxnews.com/politics/supreme-court-staying-away-illinois-gun-ban-cases-thomas-seeks-more-guidance-protected-weapons
— Overwhelming majority of illegal immigrants aren’t under federal supervision. The non-detained docket has exploded to more than 7.4 million cases. – Adam Shaw
https://www.foxnews.com/politics/over-98-illegal-immigrants-not-under-federal-supervision-analysis



LAW ENFORCEMENT TODAY
— What country are we in? 43 illegal immigrants who stormed the border during riot near El Paso RELEASED into U.S. – Matthew Holloway
https://www.lawenforcementtoday.com/forty-three-illegal-immigrants-who-stormed-the-border-during-riot-near-el-paso-released-into-u-s



LEGAL INSURRECTION
— Biden’s Cognitive Problems Were Raised in 2020, Including By Fellow Democrats. The media coverup of Biden’s cognitive problems in many ways was worse than the fake Russian collusion because with Biden the media had to cover up what was in plain sight. – William A. Jacobson
https://legalinsurrection.com/2024/07/flashback-bidens-cognitive-problems-were-raised-in-2020-including-by-fellow-democrats/



NATIONAL REVIEW
— Faculty, Alumni, & Students Opposed to Racial Preferences (FASORP) Sues Northwestern University Over Race and Sex Discrimination. – ED WHELAN (COMMENT: The Democrats who ran GAO in 1980, IRS in 1971, and the Post Office in 1966 hired me because they could not find a qualified Democrat, minority, female, younger person, or veteran who would take the job.)
https://www.nationalreview.com/bench-memos/fasorp-sues-northwestern-university-over-race-sex-discrimination/



NEWS BUSTERS
— PRIDE: Full Frontal Nudity for Kids, Urinating on Grandpa & Woke Military – Tierin-Rose Mandelburg
https://www.newsbusters.org/blogs/culture/tierin-rose-mandelburg/2024/07/02/pride-full-frontal-nudity-kids-urinating-grandpa



NEWSMAX
— ‘Vast DEI Bureaucracy’ in DOD Harms Military. – Brian Freeman
https://www.newsmax.com/newsfront/military-study-dei/2024/07/02/id/1171031/



TOWNHALL
— There Is Some Serious Blood in the Water Regarding Kicking Biden Off the Ticket – Matt Vespa
https://townhall.com/tipsheet/mattvespa/2024/07/03/cnn-reporter-on-biden-replacement-theory-the-dam-is-breaking-n2641315
— ‘It’s 3am’: Chip Roy Releases Chilling Ad on the Need to Use the 25th Amendment – Rebecca Downs
https://townhall.com/tipsheet/rebeccadowns/2024/07/02/chip-roy-ad-n2641273



FROM NATIONAL CENTER-LEFT SOURCES



NEW YORK TIMES
— FRONT PAGE TOP OF FOLD: Biden’s Lapses Are Said to Be Increasingly Common and Worrisome. People who have spent time with President Biden over the last few months or so said the lapses appear to have grown more frequent, more pronounced and, after Thursday’s debate, more worrisome. – Peter Baker, David E. Sanger, Zolan Kanno-Youngs and Katie Rogers
https://www.nytimes.com/2024/07/02/us/politics/biden-lapses.html



WASHINGTON POST
— Lawsuit: Northwestern’s law school is biased against White men in hiring. The complaint alleges that the private university’s law school gives hiring preference to “mediocre” women and applicants of color. – Laura Meckler and Susan Svrluga (COMMENT: The Democrats who ran GAO in 1980, IRS in 1971, and the Post Office in 1966 hired me because they could not find a qualified Democrat, minority, female, younger person, or veteran who would take the job.)
https://www.washingtonpost.com/education/2024/07/02/northwestern-university-faculty-lawsuit-affirmative-action/
— Democrat leaders ever-increasingly promote reparations, first for Blacks, but then for Hispanics, Asians, Native Americans, females, younger people, those who are not married, LGBTQers, non-Protestants, non-Italian American, non-German Americans, those whose ancestor have not been in America for a long time, those who have less money than others, boozers, gamblers, stoners, criminals, etc.
https://www.washingtonpost.com/national/2024/07/01/california-reparations-budget-black/1512220c-37fa-11ef-93fe-36cbc6f6ab36_story.html



USA TODAY
— How felon voting laws vary by state and what it means for Donald Trump – Rachel Barber
https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/politics/elections/2024/07/02/what-states-can-felons-vote/74203695007/



ABC NEWS
— Democrat and RINO leaders ever-increasingly promote more illegal immigration.
https://abcnews.go.com/International/wireStory/migrants-pause-amazon-us-harder-idea-lies-ahead-111632957



NEWSWEEK
— Rudy Giuliani Disbarred – Sean O’Driscoll
https://www.newsweek.com/rudy-giuliani-disbarred-new-york-donald-trump-1920238



WALL STREET JOURNAL
— Biden’s Worst Liability Isn’t His Infirmity. It’s his judgment. He has a special talent for making the worst possible choice out of all available options. – Barton Swaim
https://www.wsj.com/articles/bidens-worst-liability-isnt-his-decrepitude-poor-record-judgment-decisionmaking-2b3a7ff4
— The ‘MAGA Supreme Court’ Doesn’t Exist. Democrats are fuming, but look at the record of the cases this term. – Editorial
https://www.wsj.com/articles/supreme-court-term-donald-trump-joe-biden-chuck-schumer-sonia-sotomayor-7ea655b3
— Was There a ‘Biden’ Presidency?  ‘Scranton Joe’ was a fig leaf for a White House bent on woke appeasement. – Holman W. Jenkins, Jr.
https://www.wsj.com/articles/was-there-a-biden-presidency-election-voters-ec0839e4



BLOOMBERG
— Pritzker Urges Biden to Address Americans After Poor Debate – Isis Almeida
https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2024-07-03/pritzker-urges-biden-to-address-americans-after-debate-debacle



NEWS NATION
— Pritzker, a possible replacement for Biden? – Damita Menezes
https://www.newsnationnow.com/politics/2024-election/jb-pritzker-biden-president/



POLITICO MAGAZINE
— This Wouldn’t Be the First Time an Incumbent Stepped Aside. Here’s What Happened Last Time. Any move to replace Biden just four months before the election carries considerable risk. – JOSHUA ZEITZ (COMMENT: On March 31, 1968, I was watching TV when Lyndon B. Johnson stunned the nation when he announced he was pulling out of that year’s presidential election.)
https://www.politico.com/news/magazine/2024/07/03/biden-steps-down-what-next-00166065



AMERICAN BAR ASSOCIATION
— Asylum-seekers in Chicago receive pro bono legal aid from ABA staff. – MIKE RAMSEY  (COMMENT: Democrat and RINO leaders ever-increasingly promote more illegal immigration.)
https://www.abajournal.com/web/article/aba-staffers-provide-legal-aid-to-asylum-seekers-in-chicago



ACLU
— Democrat and RINO leaders have always used Affirmative Action and DEI to get rid of Republicans.
https://www.aclu.org/news/racial-justice/trumps-attacks-on-dei-reveal-administrations-agenda-for-second-term

June 30, 2024

FROM ILLINOIS CENTER-LEFT SOURCES

ABC7
— Democrats ever-increasingly promote more LGBTQ.
https://abc7chicago.com/post/chicago-pride-guide-what-to-know-pride-parade-fest/14982265/
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5OPvhgHrS1M
https://abc7chicago.com/post/puppy-love-dogs-tsunami-oden-get-married-wedding/15012141/

NBC5
— Democrats ever-increasingly promote more LGBTQ.
https://www.nbcchicago.com/chicago-pride-lgbtq/what-to-know-about-the-chicago-pride-parade-from-timing-to-viewing-spots-star-appearances-and-more/3477339/
https://www.nbcchicago.com/chicago-pride-lgbtq/how-to-watch-2024-chicago-pride-parade-live/3477176/
https://www.nbcchicago.com/chicago-pride-lgbtq/chicago-pride-parade-route-street-closures-what-to-know/3477143/
— Shootings near Chicago’s lakefront reignite beach safety concerns
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZOjJkTLeA1s
— Chicago’s minimum wage to increase Monday. Here’s a breakdown of the changes. Since increasing to $15 in 2021, the hourly minimum wage increases annually according to changes in the Consumer Price Index or at a rate of 2.5%, whichever is lower, according to Mayor Johnson’s office. (COMMENT: Have you ever worked for the minimum wage? I earned the minimum wage 1964-1966 washing dishes after school, Saturdays, and full-time during the summer of 1965. In today’s dollars, I earned $12.08/hour. With the money that I earned, I bought a new 1966 Pontiac Tempest Sprint in May of 1966. I used that car to commute to/from classes at UIC and my parents’ home in Crete. If I had earned $15/hour in today’s dollars back then, I might have worked fewer hours, studied more, gotten better grades, gotten a better ACT score, and graduated with a higher class ranking. Then again, I might have bought a loaded 1966 GTO that I might still own today.)
https://www.nbcchicago.com/news/local/chicagos-minimum-wage-to-increase-monday-heres-a-breakdown-of-the-changes/3477342/

CBS2
— Democrats ever-increasingly promote more LGBTQ.
https://www.cbsnews.com/chicago/video/chicago-pride-parade-steps-off-on-sunday/
https://www.cbsnews.com/chicago/video/chicagos-navy-pier-celebrates-lgbtq-pride/
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TpHkr_SL248
— Neighbors remain on edge after overnight protest outside Rep. Brad Schneider’s home in Highland Park – Sara Machi, Jeramie Bizzle, Adam Harrington
https://www.cbsnews.com/chicago/news/pro-palestinian-protest-brad-schneider-highland-park/
— Family of Highland Park parade shooting victim file wrongful death lawsuit against Smith & Wesson – Jeramie Bizzle (COMMENT: Democrats ever-increasingly blame guns for gun violence instead of blaming those who use guns illegally.)
https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/crime/family-of-highland-park-parade-shooting-victim-file-wrongful-death-lawsuit-against-smith-wesson/ar-BB1p7pue

CHICAGO SUN-TIMES
— Democrats ever-increasingly promote more LGBTQ.
https://chicago.suntimes.com/lgbtq/pride/2024/06/30/chicago-pride-parade-2024-route-map-uptown-lake-view-lincoln-park
https://chicago.suntimes.com/lgbtq/pride/2024/06/29/friendship-theater-and-drag-in-chicagos-mexican-american-community
— What was your most memorable summer job? – Nyarai Khepra (COMMENT: I did yard work during the summers of 1962, 1963, and 1964. I delivered newspapers during the summers of 1962, 1963, 1964, 1965, and1966. I washed dishes during the summer of 1965. I cleaned golf shoes, chipped slag, and pumped gasoline during the summer of 1966. I delivered mail during the summers of 1967, 1968, and 1969.)
https://chicago.suntimes.com/work/2024/06/27/sun-times-readers-summer-job-memories-growing-up-chicago-area

CHICAGO TRIBUNE
— The sad reality? Biden needs to make way for another Democratic nominee. – Clarence Page
https://www.chicagotribune.com/2024/06/30/clarence-page-joe-biden-donald-trump-debate/
— Democrat and RINO leaders ever-increasingly promote more illegal immigration.
https://www.chicagotribune.com/2024/06/30/early-20th-century-anti-immigrant-laws-fueled-by-fears-migrants-were-turning-cities-into-foreign-colonies/
— Faith leaders: Where’s the money going for reducing Chicago’s gun violence? – MICHAEL PFLEGER, OTIS MOSS III, SETH LIMMER and CIERA BATES-CHAMBERLAIN
https://www.chicagotribune.com/2024/06/30/opinion-chicago-office-of-gun-violence-reduction-ordinance/
— FRONT PAGE TOP OF FOLD WITH BIG PICTURE: Democrats ever-increasingly promote more LGBTQ.
https://www.chicagotribune.com/2024/06/30/chicago-same-sex-couple-blessed-catholic-church-vitriol/

CITIES 92.9
— IRS: Illinois loses $10 billion in income from 87,000 people moving out. – Greg Bishop
https://www.cities929.com/2024/06/28/irs-illinois-loses-10-billion-in-income-from-87000-people-moving-out/

FROM ILLINOIS CENTER-RIGHT SOURCES

JOHN KASS
— Biden Debate Disaster and the Root of Democrat Panic
https://johnkassnews.com/old-joe-unfocused-lost/

GOPUSA ILLINOIS
— What are the political entries in Wheaton’s 2024 Independence Day parade? Starting 2005, I served as the Republican fundraiser for Wheaton Independence Day parades and fireworks. But my anti-conservative anti-Republican critics/opponents, their operatives, and their dupes in Wheaton, Milton Township, DuPage County, and Illinois ended that in 2021. I should write a book about them. I would focus on past and present leaders of the Milton Township Republican Organization, DuPage County Republican Central Committee, and Illinois Republican Party. I would focus on past and present leaders of Wheaton, Milton Township, DuPage County, and Illinois. – Dave Diersen
http://www.gopillinois.com

GOPUSA ILLINOIS
— According to reports, the Illinois Republican Party (IRP) State Central Committee will meet on July 12 to elect a new IRP chairman. – Dave Diersen
http://www.gopillinois.com

Based on what the IRP did in 2005 and 2013, the IRP should have by now posted on its website:
a) the names of the two other members of the IRP chairman search committee,
b) the selection process that the committee will use,
c) the qualifications that applicants must have,
d) the requirements that applicants must meet, and
e) the application filing deadline.

Based on what the IRP did in 2005 and 2013, the IRP should then post on its website:
a) the names of all the applicants who met the filing deadline,
b) the names of all those applicants the committee deemed qualified,
c) lots of information on those applicants,
d) how Illinois Republicans can provide input on those applicants to IRP State Central Committee (SCC) members,
e) the date, time, and location of the meeting in which the applicants will give their presentations to the IRP SCC,
f) how Illinois Republicans can attend that meeting,
g) a Zoom link that Illinois Republicans can use to watch the applicant’s presentations at that meeting,
h) the weighted vote that each IRP SCC member has,
i) the weighted vote that each applicant got and from each of the IRP SCC members, and
j) the name of the winning applicant.

I am very interested in learning what each the applicants has done and has promised to do to defend and advance the personal responsibility, traditional marriage and family, right to life, immigration, illegal drugs, Second Amendment, and equal opportunity (no race or gender based preference giving) planks in the Republican Party platform. I am very interested in learning what position each of the applicants has on direct election of IRP SCC members. It seems to me that the committee will reject applicants who want direct election.

GOPUSA ILLINOIS
— What distinguishes Democrat and RINO leaders? – Dave Diersen
http://www.gopillinois.com

Democrat leaders ever-increasingly promote the Democrat Party platform; RINO leaders ever-increasingly paint themselves as being Democrat Lite and fail/refuse to promote the Republican Party platform.
Democrat leaders promote dependency on government and charity; RINO leaders fail/refuse to promote personal responsibility.
Democrat leaders promote LGBTQ; RINO leaders fail/refuse to promote traditional marriage and family.
Democrat leaders promote abortion; RINO leaders fail/refuse to promote right to life.
Democrat leaders promote mass/illegal immigration; RINO leaders fail/refuse to promote enforcement of immigration laws.
Democrat leaders promote booze, gambling, pot, and other vices; RINO leaders fail/refuse to promote conservative principles.
Democrat leaders promote diminishment of Second Amendment rights; RINO leaders fail/refuse to defend Second Amendment rights.
Democrat leaders promote Affirmative Action, DEI, and CRT, that is, patronage, political affiliation discrimination, reverse discrimination, age discrimination, religious discrimination, and national origin discrimination; RINO leaders fail/refuse to promote equal opportunity (no race or gender based preference giving).

FROM NATIONAL CENTER-RIGHT SOURCES

NEW YORK POST
— How the DEI is coming for lawyers. W. Dyer Halpern
https://nypost.com/2024/06/30/opinion/dei-is-coming-for-lawyers/

AMERICAN THINKER
— Not whether to get rid of Joe, but how – Mark Landsbaum
https://www.americanthinker.com/blog/2024/06/not_whether_to_get_rid_of_joe_but_how.html

BREITBART
— Biden’s Border Chief Claims Power to Admit More Illegals – NEIL MUNRO
https://www.breitbart.com/politics/2024/06/29/bidens-border-chief-claims-power-to-admit-more-illegals/

DAILY WIRE
— Possible VP Candidates For Trump Respond To Debate – Hank Berrien
https://www.dailywire.com/news/possible-vp-candidates-for-trump-respond-to-debate

EPOCH TIOMES
— CNN Trump-Biden Debate Brings in 51 Million TV Viewers Across Networks, 30 Million More Online. – Jackson Richman, Nathan Worcester and Jacob Burg
https://www.theepochtimes.com/us/cnn-trump-biden-debate-brings-in-51-million-tv-viewers-across-networks-30-million-more-online-5677108

NATIONAL REVIEW
— Biden Administration Suddenly Opposes ‘Gender-Affirming’ Surgeries on Minors – WESLEY J. SMITH
https://www.nationalreview.com/corner/biden-administration-suddenly-opposes-gender-affirming-surgeries-on-minors/

NEWSMAX
— Democrat leaders nationally and locally have been openly pushing to get illegal migrants to vote in elections, debunking liberal media denials that it was merely a “conspiracy theory,” according to House Speaker Mike Johnson, R-La. – Eric Mack
https://www.newsmax.com/newsmax-tv/illegals-voters-house/2024/06/29/id/1170662/

TOWNHALL
— Some Illegal Aliens Are Getting More Gun Rights than Americans – Luis Valdes
https://townhall.com/columnists/luis-valdes/2024/06/30/some-illegal-aliens-are-getting-more-gun-rights-than-americans-n2641159
— Resurfaced 2012 Debate Clip of Joe Biden Proves Just How Much the President Has Deteriorated – Sarah Arnold
https://townhall.com/tipsheet/saraharnold/2024/06/29/watch-how-joe-biden-deteriorates-from-his-vp-debate-in-2012-to-now-n2641137

FROM NATIONAL CENTER-LEFT SOURCES

ABC NEWS
— Trump campaign memo signals plans to reduce the national GOP platform. The memo said the new platform would reflect Trump’s political stances.. – Isabella Murray (COMMENT: My critics/opponents in the Illinois Republican Party, DuPage County Republican Central Committee, and Milton Township Republican Organization have always ever-increasingly wanted the Republican Party to officially dump the personal responsibility, traditional marriage and family, right to life, immigration, illegal drugs, Second Amendment, and/or equal opportunity (no race or gender based preference giving) planks in its platform. That is, they have always ever-increasingly wanted to dump conservatives. That is, they have always ever-increasingly wanted to destroy the Republican Party.)
https://abcnews.go.com/Politics/trump-campaign-memo-signals-plans-reduce-national-gop/story?id=111547663
(FROM THE ARTICLE: Donald Trump’s top advisers are planning to overhaul and shorten the Republican Party’s platform so that it will be “in line” with the former president’s “vision for America’s future,” according to a memo sent to the party’s platform committee that was obtained by ABC News. The memo comes as some more socially conservative RNC members — along with some anti-abortion groups — have expressed concern that the platform this cycle might adopt Trump’s stance on reproductive rights, which would lift the call for a 20-week federal abortion ban that is part of the current platform’s language. Trump has been clear about his opposition to a federal ban and his preference for this issue to be left up to the states. This memo did not specifically mention abortion or reproductive rights but doubled down on the notion that the new platform will reflect Trump’s political stances. “For decades, Republicans have published textbook-long platforms that are scrutinized and intentionally misrepresented by our political opponents. The mainstream media uses their bully pulpit to perpetuate lies and misrepresentations, and the voters are often left believing we stand for something different than we actually do,” the memo, sent by Trump campaign managers Chris LaCivita and Susie Wiles, says. The RNC’s 2016 platform, which was approved again in 2020 – both times with Trump at the helm of the party – is over 60 pages long. “Publishing an unnecessarily verbose treatise will provide more fuel for our opponent’s fire of misinformation and misrepresentation to voters. It is with that recognition that we will present a streamlined platform in line with President Trump’s principled and popular vision for America’s future,” the memo states. The memo was sent to Platform Committee members on Thursday. The committee begins convening in Milwaukee on the evening of July 7, and has meetings scheduled on July 8 and 9, ahead of the RNC’s convention. Draft language for a new platform has not yet been circulated to most Platform Committee members or general RNC members yet, according to several people with the process, though a number of conversations and lobbying on the issues with Trump allies have been ongoing among leaders of key advocacy groups and with some individuals. “The talk of changing the Republican party’s pro-life platform is deeply concerning for pro-life Americans across the country. There has only been one party that is the defender of life, and if Republicans back away from this fight, there will be no one to carry on this battle,” said Tim Chapman, the incoming president of former Vice President Mike Pence’s nonprofit political advocacy group. “Our expectation is that the GOP platform will continue to unequivocally call for national protections for unborn children, rooted in the 14th Amendment. Watering down the GOP platform’s stance on life would entail an abandonment of its defense of the human dignity of all people,” Marjorie Dannenfelser, president of Susan B. Anthony Pro-Life America, said in a statement to ABC News.)
— Democrats ever-increasingly promote more LGBTQ.
https://abcnews.go.com/US/wireStory/parties-protests-mark-culmination-lgbtq-pride-month-nyc-111553435

NEW YORK TIMES
— Democrats ever-increasingly promote Harris.
https://www.nytimes.com/2024/06/28/opinion/kamala-harris-biden-debate.html
https://www.nytimes.com/2024/06/28/us/politics/kamala-harris-biden-debate.html
— Memo Reveals Trump’s Plan to Slash the Size of the G.O.P. Platform. In another sign of Donald J. Trump’s grip on the Republican Party, his team wants the party’s platform to be a succinct pro-Trump document, not an “unnecessarily verbose treatise.” – Shane Goldmacher (COMMENT: My critics/opponents in the Illinois Republican Party, DuPage County Republican Central Committee, and Milton Township Republican Organization have always ever-increasingly wanted the Republican Party to officially dump the personal responsibility, traditional marriage and family, right to life, immigration, illegal drugs, Second Amendment, and/or equal opportunity (no race or gender based preference giving) planks in its platform. That is, they have always ever-increasingly wanted to dump conservatives. That is, they have always ever-increasingly wanted to destroy the Republican Party.)
https://www.nytimes.com/2024/06/29/us/politics/trump-gop-platform.html
— Want to Be Trump’s Running Mate? Make Sure He Knows About Your Donors. Vice-presidential hopefuls are posturing as part of a bid to highlight their ties to the rich. – Michael C. Bender and Theodore Schleifer (COMMENT: I have no donors. I have never sought any.)
https://www.nytimes.com/2024/06/30/us/politics/trump-vice-president-donors.html
— Democrats ever-increasingly promote more LGBTQ.
https://www.nytimes.com/2024/06/30/nyregion/small-town-pride-parades.html

WASHINGTON POST
— Trump advisers seek to simplify Republican Party platform. A memo calls for doing away with an “unnecessarily verbose treatise,” as the current platform, last adopted in 2016, runs 60-plus pages. – Hannah Knowles and Maegan Vazquez (COMMENT: My critics/opponents in the Illinois Republican Party, DuPage County Republican Central Committee, and Milton Township Republican Organization have always ever-increasingly wanted the Republican Party to officially dump the personal responsibility, traditional marriage and family, right to life, immigration, illegal drugs, Second Amendment, and/or equal opportunity (no race or gender based preference giving) planks in its platform. That is, they have always ever-increasingly wanted to dump conservatives. That is, they have always ever-increasingly wanted to destroy the Republican Party.)
https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/2024/06/29/trump-republican-party-platform/
— What we buy can be used to predict our politics, race or education — sometimes with more than 90 percent accuracy. Andrew Van Dam (COMMENT: Since 1964, I have spent  a) more than my peers on cars (American-nameplate only), real estate, and tuition and b) less than my peers on immediate pleasures.)
https://www.washingtonpost.com/business/2018/07/10/rich-people-prefer-grey-poupon-white-people-own-pets-data-behind-cultural-divide/

USA TODAY
— Influential donors want to pressure Biden to drop out – Swapna Venugopal Ramaswamy and Phillip M. Bailey
https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/politics/elections/2024/06/28/influential-donors-biden-drop-out/74243603007/
— Democrats ever-increasingly promote more LGBTQ.
https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/nation/2024/06/29/chicago-pride-parade/74216037007/

MSN
— Top journalism school teaches students to avoid harmful ‘microaggressions’ that display ‘myth of meritocracy’ – Kristine Parks (COMMENT: According to my critics/opponents, a) I achieved none of my accomplishments in life because of merit and b) I achieved all of my accomplishments in life because I benefitted tremendously from discrimination against those who do not share my demographics, that is, those who are minority, female, younger, LGHTQ, veteran, non-Protestant, non-German American, and/or those whose ancestors have not been in America for a long time. I should write a book about my critics/opponents. I would focus on those whose parents have/had lots of money.)
https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/us/top-journalism-school-teaches-students-to-avoid-harmful-microaggressions-that-display-myth-of-meritocracy/ar-BB1kbCGk

CNN
— Trump campaign pushes for pared-down GOP platform as allies fret over abortion stance – Steve Contorno (COMMENT: My critics/opponents in the Illinois Republican Party, DuPage County Republican Central Committee, and Milton Township Republican Organization have always ever-increasingly wanted the Republican Party to officially dump the personal responsibility, traditional marriage and family, right to life, immigration, illegal drugs, Second Amendment, and/or equal opportunity (no race or gender based preference giving) planks in its platform. That is, they have always ever-increasingly wanted to dump conservatives. That is, they have always ever-increasingly wanted to destroy the Republican Party.)
https://www.cnn.com/2024/06/29/politics/trump-campaign-gop-platform/index.html
(FROM THE ARTICLE: Top advisers to Donald Trump are plotting an overhaul of the Republican Party platform that will dramatically slash its size and refocus the GOP around the former president’s agenda for a second term. A memo from Trump campaign managers Chris LaCivita and Susie Wiles dated Thursday criticized past platforms as too long and too heavily influenced by special interests and outside groups. A “clear, concise and easily digestible” platform will be easier for voters to understand and harder for political opponents to attack, they wrote. “Publishing an unnecessarily verbose treatise will provide more fuel for our opponent’s fire of misinformation and misrepresentation to voters,” the memo said. “It is with that recognition that we will present a streamlined platform in line with President Trump’s principled and popular vision for America’s future.” The memo, obtained Saturday by CNN, was first reported by The New York Times. The party’s most recent platform, crafted in 2016 and reapproved in 2020, spans 66 pages. A person familiar with the planning said the goal for the upcoming platform is a concise document that is “a couple dozen pages,” written in clearer language and likely reflecting Trump’s top priorities. That person went on to say that when platform committees convened ahead of previous conventions, their meetings were attended by lobbyists and special interest groups trying to insert specific line items for their clients into the party platform. LaCivita and Wiles wrote they want a platform that will “free our Party from the constraints of Washington jargon and the shackles of lobbyist influence.” The memo comes amid intensifying anxiety from conservative groups over the direction of the platform ahead of next month’s Republican National Convention in Milwaukee. There is especially concern among anti-abortion groups that Thursday’s memo is signaling Trump intends to remove the platform’s long-standing commitment to a federal abortion ban and an amendment to the US Constitution giving the unborn the same rights as people. “The party is fully united, and taking out the pro-life language risks dividing the party,” said one Trump ally who is deeply involved in the anti-abortion movement and is aware of the memo from LaCivita and Wiles. The existing platform also lays out the party’s opposition to same-sex marriage and new gun restrictions. It embraces changes to Medicare and Social Security for people under 55 — some of which has become fodder for Democratic messaging in recent election cycles. Trump’s campaign is especially aware of how Democrats have weaponized the GOP platform in the past and is seeking to avoid a lengthy document full of potential landmines for the former president to navigate. “The platform is an opportunity to make our vision clear, and to lay out a framework for policy making, while rejecting any special interest influence that seeks to make public policy stray from our clear and straightforward objectives,” LaCivita and Wiles wrote. But by laying down markers in advance of next month’s convention, Trump’s campaign is further asserting his dominance over a party more fully in his control. Already, Trump this year has ousted the party’s previous chair, Ronna McDaniel, and installed close allies atop the GOP — his daughter-in-law Lara Trump and North Carolina GOP leader Michael Whatley. The platform committee, meanwhile, will be led by three close allies: Randy Evans, Trump’s former ambassador to Luxembourg; Russell Vought, a top official in the Trump administration; and Ed Martin, president of the right-wing interest group the Phyllis Schlafly Eagles and author of the 2016 book “The Conservative Case for Trump.” That committee will meet behind closed doors ahead of the convention, which begins July 15. Unlike in previous years, its deliberations will not be broadcast by C-SPAN, a source confirmed.)
— The 14th Amendment has been used to dismantle race-based programs. Historians say there are clashing interpretations. – Nicquel Terry Ellis (COMMENT: My critics/opponents reject the 14th Amendment. They ever-increasingly want more and more and more race and gender based preference giving.)
https://www.kake.com/story/50969201/the-14th-amendment-has-been-used-to-dismantle-race-based-programs-historians-say-there-are-clashing-interpretations
(FROM THE ARTICLE: The Supreme Court’s decision to gut affirmative action in college admissions one year ago has opened the door for numerous legal challenges against race-based grant programs, internships and scholarships across the country. Many of those lawsuits are being filed by conservative groups who insist that it’s unconstitutional to design and operate a program exclusively for a certain racial group. They argue that the programs particularly disadvantage White and Asian Americans, by preventing them from obtaining the jobs, funding or opportunities that these programs offer to other racial groups. Some lawsuits invoke the Equal Protection Clause of the 14th amendment which was ratified after slavery was abolished and says no state may “deny to any person within its jurisdiction the equal protection of the laws.” The amendment was notably cited in Justice Clarence Thomas’ concurring opinion in the landmark affirmative action ruling, who described it as a “crowning accomplishment” of Congress. Thomas argued that the 14th Amendment “ensures racial equality with no textual reference to race whatsoever.”)

FORBES
— Biden’s Debate Performance Puts Succession Plans In New Spotlight – Edward Sega
https://www.forbes.com/sites/edwardsegal/2024/06/29/bidens-debate-performance-puts-succession-plans-in-new-spotlight/
— Black People’s Responses To Trump’s Notion Of ‘Black Jobs’ – Shaun Harper (COMMENT: My critics/opponents have always hinted/implied/argued/shouted that I took jobs that should have been given to Blacks. I did yard work 1962-1964, delivered newspapers 1962-1966, washed dishes 1964-1966, cleaned golf shoes, chipped slag, and pumped gasoline in 1966, delivered mail 1966-1969, worked on an automobile assembly line in 1970, sold tires, automotive services, and major appliances 1970-1971, pumped gasoline 1971-1972, collected delinquent taxes 1971-1980, and audited federal agencies 1980-1997. In 1997, they forced me to retire early and gave my job and my preferred corner office to my Black subordinate. My critics/opponents who have never held jobs like the ones I did make it very clear that they would never stoop to take those jobs.)
https://www.forbes.com/sites/shaunharper/2024/06/29/black-peoples-responses-to-trumps-notion-of-black-jobs/

PSYCHOLOGY TODAY
— Keeping Up With the Joneses – Nancy Colier (COMMENT: My father often decried his not having a college degree, and therefore, his not being able to keep up with the Jones. Not surprisingly, that motivated me to earn college degrees. Many, if not most, if not virtually all of my father’s peers made more money than he did. In his defense, he fought brittle type 1 diabetes from childhood. He was only the first of my ancestors to earn a high school. His doctors discouraged him from going to college because of the stress that causes. He almost always worked second jobs to pay the family’s bills. He died suddenly of heart failure in 1969 when he was 47 and I was 21.)
https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/blog/inviting-monkey-tea/201401/the-beauty-in-not-keeping-the-joneses

GUARDIAN
— Who could replace Joe Biden? Here are six possibilities. With Biden not yet officially endorsed as Democratic presidential nominee, it is in theory open to the party to choose another candidate. – Martin Belam
https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/article/2024/jun/28/who-could-replace-joe-biden-here-are-six-possibilities