FROM ILLINOIS CENTER-LEFT SOURCES
FOX32
— DD: What is your municipality doing to stop Democrat teen takeovers? When you were a teen, what did you do when you were not in school? I did yard work 1962-1964. I delivered newspapers 1962-1966. I washed dishes 1964-1966. I cleaned golf shoes, chipped slag, and pumped gasoline in 1966. I delivered mail 1966-1969.
https://www.fox32chicago.com/video/fmc-wpszr7ochva90k0q
CHICAGO TRIBUNE
— Potential candidates get a lesson in what it takes to run for office from those who have won elections.
https://www.chicagotribune.com/2026/08/14/lagrange-forum-potential-candidates/
CHICAGO SUN-TIMES
— Free summer YMCA memberships draw 3,000 Chicago teens. More than a thousand teens signed up at the South Side YMCA alone. Teens there are playing basketball, lifting weights or just hanging out with friends — and hoping the program continues next year. DD: What is your municipality doing to stop Democrat teen takeovers? When you were a teen, what did you do when you were not in school? I did yard work 1962-1964. I delivered newspapers 1962-1966. I washed dishes 1964-1966. I cleaned golf shoes, chipped slag, and pumped gasoline in 1966. I delivered mail 1966-1969.
https://chicago.suntimes.com/education/2026/08/13/free-summer-ymca-memberships-draw-3-000-chicago-teens
— DD: Democrat leaders ever-increasingly promote more hatred against Trump.
https://chicago.suntimes.com/columnists/2026/08/14/trump-dictator-reflecting-pool-vandals-vaccines-todd-blanche-mona-charen
https://www.news-herald.com/2026/08/14/s-e-cupp-donald-trumps-third-world-presidency/
SPRINGFIELD STATE JOURNAL REGISTER
— DD: Democrat leaders demonize, denigrate, and condemn whatever Trump wants.
https://www.sj-r.com/videos/news/2026/07/24/poll-shows-disapproval-of-trumps-dc-changes/91036540007/
SHAW LOCAL
— Underwood calls for removing Trump from office: ‘Unstable,’ ‘dangerous,’ ‘unable to function.’ Congresswoman spoke at town hall meeting at Northern Illinois University.
https://www.shawlocal.com/news/2026/08/14/underwood-calls-for-removing-trump-from-office-unstable-dangerous-unable-to-function/
WHEATON PATCH
— DuPage Regional Office of Education Expands Student Health and Wellness Supports Ahead of New School Year. Partnerships, training, and early-intervention resources help schools create safer, more supportive learning environments.
https://patch.com/illinois/wheaton/dupage-regional-office-education-expands-student-health-wellness-supports-ahead-new
BLACK CHRONICLE
— The executive director of a Chicago violence prevention group has been charged with sexually assaulting a juvenile family member and grooming. Englewood First Responders executive director Charles McKenzie, 37, was arrested Aug. 5 in the 6700 block of South Emerald Avenue.
https://blackchronicle.com/midwest/illinois/illinois-quick-hits-violence-prevention-group-leader-arrested/
CAPITOL FAX
— Afternoon roundup
https://capitolfax.com/2026/08/14/isabel%e2%80%99s-afternoon-roundup-579/
FROM ILLINOIS CENTER-RIGHT SOURCES
MCHENRY COUNTY BLOG
— Trump Endorses Catalina Lauf for Congress in Southwest Florida, Victory Almost Certain
https://www.mchenrycountyblog.com/2026/08/14/trump-endorses-catalina-lauf-for-congress-in-southwest-florida-victory-almost-certain/
— Florida Law Preventing Minors from Attending Drag Shows Upheld 8-5 by Federal Appellate Court
https://www.mchenrycountyblog.com/2026/08/14/florida-law-preventing-minors-from-attending-drag-shows-upheld-8-5-by-federal-appellate-court/
— Safe-T Act Failure
https://www.mchenrycountyblog.com/2026/08/13/safe-t-act-failure-2/
— The Potential Data Center Problems
https://www.mchenrycountyblog.com/2026/08/13/the-potelxntial-data-center-problems/
— Vaccine Exemptions
https://www.mchenrycountyblog.com/2026/08/12/vaccine-exemptions/
— Triple Shot Vaccinations Led to Hours of Keening
https://www.mchenrycountyblog.com/2026/08/11/21787/
— On the National Front
https://www.mchenrycountyblog.com/2026/08/10/on-the-national-front/
— Double-Dipping, Something Illinois Legislators Won’t Stop. DD: My critics/opponents have always been furious a) that I earned both Civil Service Retirement System and Social Security credits for almost 5 years a) while I worked for the Post Office 1966-1969 and b) for IRS and Firestone Stores 1971-1972.
https://www.mchenrycountyblog.com/2026/08/11/double-dipping-something-illinois-legislators-wont-stop/
— Group Seeks to Stop Flock Cameras in Woodstock
https://www.mchenrycountyblog.com/2026/08/11/group-seeks-to-stop-flock-cameras-in-woodstock/
— Republicans Followed Pritzker’s 2022 Strategy in Wisconsin to Elect the Weakest Candidate in the Opposite Party–Francesca Hong, It Didn’t Work
— https://www.mchenrycountyblog.com/2026/08/11/republicans-follow-pritzkers-2022-strategy-tn-wisconsin-to-elect-the-weakest-candidate-in-the-opposite-party-francesca-hong/
FROM NATIONAL CENTER-RIGHT SOURCES
WASHINGTON EXAMINER
— Democrats turn their DEI strategy toward Muslim voters.
https://www.washingtonexaminer.com/opinion/beltway-confidential/4687851/democrats-turn-dei-strategy-toward-muslim-voters/
— ’Tax the rich’ is a scam. You’re the one getting the bill.
https://www.washingtonexaminer.com/op-eds/4685821/why-taxing-the-rich-hurts-middle-class/
WASHINGTON EXAMINER
— The carpetbagger primary: Meet the cast of characters running for this Florida House seat. DD: My critics/opponents continue to stress that I have lived in DuPage County, Milton Township, and Wheaton only since I was 29 in 1978 and that I never attended schools or churches or worked there. They continue to stress that they have lived in DuPage County, Milton Township, and/or Wheaton their entire lives and that they attended schools and churches there and worked there.
https://www.washingtonexaminer.com/news/campaigns/congressional/4687660/florida-19th-congressional-district-candidates-carpetbagger-primary/
NEW YORK POST
— Hegseth fumes over the Army’s decision to withdraw new academic standards for college students in the ROTC program — including requiring a SAT score of at least 1000 — to ensure that “stupid people” are not becoming military officers. DD: According to Google AI, an ACT score of 24 equals a SAT score of 1200–1220. My ACT score was 24.
https://nypost.com/2026/08/14/us-news/hegseth-angry-as-army-scraps-new-sat-minimum-for-rotc-to-screen-out-stupid-officers/
— AOC’s student debt unpaid as she embarks on costly egg-freezing journey.
https://nypost.com/2026/08/14/us-news/aocs-student-debt-unpaid-as-she-embarks-on-costly-egg-freezing-journey/
(FROM THE ARTICLE: Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-NY) has made at least $174,000 annually for nearly eight years as a member of Congress, but like many of her “Squad” colleagues, she has yet to put a substantial dent in her student loan debt, according to House financial disclosures. The Bronx and Queens Democrat has owed between $15,001 and $50,000 in federal student loan debt since her election to the House in 2018. That’s the same amount she owes now, according to her August disclosure, where lawmakers report ranges for debt and income. The “Tax the Rich!” pol reported less than $81,000 in total assets. Recently, Ocasio-Cortez has suggested that she’d been saving up for some time instead to freeze her eggs, a process that can cost between $10,000 and $20,000 per cycle. “I got sworn into the House of Representatives when I was 29 years old,” she said in an Instagram video. “There’s this flip side where you have to then grow up in the public eye in a time that most people usually get to grow more privately.” Ocasio-Cortez amassed the loans while attending Boston University as an international relations and economics major between August 2007 and May 2011 — and went on to tend bar in Manhattan before her successful run for Congress. The “Squad” Democrat has consistently backed student debt cancellation. During former President Joe Biden’s term, she even pushed the 46th commander-in-chief to cancel as much as $50,000 in debt per student borrower. But she’s not the only US lawmaker who’s still holding student loans. Rep. Ilhan Omar (D-Minn.) has held up to $50,000 over the past eight years in student debt — despite her net worth ballooning for a time to as much as $30 million due to her husband’s winery and venture capital businesses. Not all her colleagues who entered the same freshman class of 2018 have failed to pay off their student debts. Fellow “Squad” Rep. Rashida Tlaib (D-Mich.) had up to $100,000 in law school loans that have been partially paid off in the same time period — but could still amount to as much as $50,000 too, per House disclosures. Meanwhile, moderate Rep. Jared Golden (R-Maine) similarly held up to $100,000 in outstanding student debt but paid off at least half of it by his last House filing.)
AMERICAN CONSERVATIVE
— ‘Woke 1’ Never Really Went Away. Progressives may be less forthcoming, but they haven’t changed their beliefs since the mass lunacy of 2020.
https://www.theamericanconservative.com/woke-1-never-really-went-away/
BLAZE
— Wokeism is just the ‘smoke screen’ — Nick Freitas warns of the far more dangerous ideology quietly dismantling the West.
https://www.theblaze.com/shows/making-the-argument-with-nick-freitas/wokeism-is-just-the-smoke-screen-nick-freitas-warns-of-the-far-more-dangerous-ideology-quietly-dismantling-the-west
COLLEGE FIX
— 40% won’t hire Trump voters. DD: In Illinois, your primary voting record is public knowledge, it is in the public realm. Employers can easily find out if you cast a Republican primary ballot or a Democrat primary ballot.
https://www.thecollegefix.com/40-wont-hire-trump-voters-new-report-details-higher-educations-ideological-divide/
FEDERALIST
— America lives or dies based on how we address the very real problems that have put the American Dream far out of reach for most people. DD: When I was young, I believed that the American Dream was in my reach even though neither of my parents had attended college, my father was only the first of my ancestors to earn a high school diploma, my mother had never attended high school, my ACT score was only 24, and I only just barely made it into the upper 20% of my high school class. That motivated me to earn a job-related bachelor’s degree, three job-related master’s degrees, six job-related professional certifications, and a job-related professional license. But if I was young today and with the aforesaid limitations, I question if I would believe that the American Dream was in my reach. Since I was young, those who share my demographics are ever-increasingly demonized, denigrated, and condemned.
https://thefederalist.com/2026/08/14/we-cant-save-the-american-dream-by-pretending-everything-is-just-fine/
— If You Want To Be A Grandparent One Day, Raise Your Kids To Get Married And Want Babies ASAP. DD: My wife and I did not get married until I was 29 and she was 27. We did not know that we both had major fertility problems. We did not try IVF because our problems were so great. We did not adopt. We did not become foster parents. My Democrat GAO superiors used that against me big time.
https://thefederalist.com/2026/08/14/if-you-want-to-be-a-grandparent-one-day-raise-your-kids-to-get-married-and-want-babies-asap/
— Stepping Down To Raise Her Kids Makes Karoline Leavitt An Even Better Role Model. DD: According my Democrat GAO superiors, if my wife and I had children, I would not have been able to a) pass the CPA examination on my first attempt when I was 30, b) take a $23,699/year (21%) pay cut in today’s dollars to transfer from IRS to GAO when I was 31 and earn a master’s degree in accounting when I was 31, c) pass the Certified Internal Auditor examination on my first attempt when I was 32 and become a licensed CPA when I was 32, d) have a home built in Wheaton when I was 35, and g) buy a collector car when I was 40. My Democrat GAO superiors ever-increasingly demonized, denigrated, and condemned my wife and I as being disgusting selfish rich DINKs. They would not have done that if I had been a Democrat, minority, female, or veteran. They knew full-well that both my wife and I had major fertility problems. They painted themselves as being grossly underpaid. They decried the time and money they spent raising their children. They decried the little or no income that their wives had. Should I write about my Democrat GAO superiors?
https://thefederalist.com/2026/08/13/stepping-down-to-raise-her-kids-makes-karoline-leavitt-an-even-better-role-model/
— The Problem With DSA Democrats Isn’t Socialism, It’s Third-Worldism.
https://thefederalist.com/2026/08/12/the-problem-with-dsa-democrats-isnt-socialism-its-third-worldism/
FINANCIAL CONTENT
— IRS Collections Surge: What 11.5M Delinquent Accounts Mean for You. DD: The Democrats who ran GAO 1980-1997 wasted my knowledge of IRS. GAO audits IRS. After working for IRS’s Collection Division as a Revenue Officer for almost 9 years, the last 5 1/2 years of which at the GS-12 Step 1-5 Levels, currently $100,059-$113,402/year, I transferred from IRS to GAO when I was 31 in 1980. My Democrat GAO superiors wasted my knowledge of IRS’s Collection Division. The kept me off audits of IRS for all but 3 of the almost 18 years that I worked for them. While they did assign me to audits of IRS’s Criminal Investigation Division for 3 years, they never assigned me to audits of IRS’s Collection Division. Democrats do not want Republicans to audit Democrats.
https://www.financialcontent.com/article/getnews-2026-8-15-irs-collections-surge-what-115m-delinquent-accounts-mean-for-you
(FROM THE ARTICLE: The IRS is collecting again, and it’s not being subtle about it. The IRS Data Book FY2024 reported over 11.5 million delinquent taxpayer accounts in active inventory, with the agency’s compliance and enforcement division posting measurable increases in both automated notices and field revenue officer assignments. For the millions of Americans carrying unpaid tax balances, that shift isn’t abstract. It means liens, levies, and wage garnishments are moving from paper threats to real collection events at a pace not seen in several years. Noble Tax Relief is responding directly to that shift, offering structured tax resolution services built for taxpayers who are already in the IRS’s line of sight. The IRS Data Book FY2024 recorded 11.5 million delinquent accounts in the IRS’s active collection inventory IRS enforcement revenue from collection activities reached approximately $63.6 billion in FY2024, up from prior pandemic-era lows, per IRS Data Book FY2024 The Inflation Reduction Act directed roughly $45.6 billion of the IRS’s $80 billion funding boost specifically toward enforcement, per the Congressional Budget Office’s August 2023 report “Effects of the Inflation Reduction Act on CBO’s Projections of Federal Tax Revenues” Tax practitioners working IRS Installment Agreement and Offer in Compromise cases consistently report longer resolution timelines when taxpayers wait until a notice of levy or lien has already been filed Noble Tax Relief works with individuals and businesses across delinquent filing situations, unpaid balances, and active IRS collection cases, applying IRS resolution frameworks including Installment Agreements (Form 9465), Currently Not Collectible status, and the Offer in Compromise program The IRS’s own acceptance rate for Offers in Compromise has historically ranged between 30% and 40% depending on the tax year, per IRS Data Book annual records, meaning eligibility analysis before submission is what separates accepted cases from rejected ones. The IRS spent several years pulling back on aggressive enforcement during and after the pandemic. That period is over. With fresh funding, restored staffing in key compliance units, and a mandate to close the estimated $688 billion annual tax gap (IRS Tax Gap Estimates for Tax Years 2014-2016, updated 2023), the agency has both the resources and the political instruction to pursue unpaid accounts more systematically. Taxpayers who received a first notice and sat on it hoping things would quiet down are now finding out that the queue didn’t clear. It moved forward.)
FOX BUSINESS
— Green Beret combat veteran calls out anti-men rhetoric from ‘Woke 1’
https://www.foxbusiness.com/video/6403423368112
FOX NEWS
— Trump: New York is a ‘disaster,’ sanctuary cities protect criminals.
https://www.foxnews.com/video/6403409149112
— Hannity: The rise of the Democratic socialist movement is no surprise. DD: Both socialists and Democrats promote dependency on government. According to socialists, all you need to do advance is to be a socialist. According to Democrats, all you need to do advance is to be a Democrat. None of my Democrat Post Office, IRS, and GAO coworkers came close to doing what I did to advance. I earned a job-related bachelor’s degree. I earned three job-related master’s degrees. I earned six job-related professional certifications. I earned a job-related professional license.
https://www.foxnews.com/video/6403430164112
— Lefties backtrack on ‘woke-ism’
https://www.foxnews.com/video/6403432784112
FREE PRESS
— Abdul El-Sayed’s Victory and the Democrats’ Anti-American Turn.
https://www.thefp.com/p/abdul-el-sayed-anti-american-turn
INSTITUTE FOR FAMILY STUDIES
— America’s Demoralized Men, Lost Pathways, Greater Struggles. DD: If Affirmative Action and DEI had been stronger when I was young, I might very well have not have able to achieve what I did. I earned a bachelor’s degree from NIU in 1970. IRS hired me and I bought a new 1972 Corvette in 1971. IRS promoted me and I bought a new townhome in University Park in 1972. IRS promoted me in 1973. IRS promoted me and I bought a studio condo in the Outer Drive East (ODE) building in 1974. I earned an MBA from Loyola and bought a one bedroom condo in the ODE building in 1976. My wife and I got married and we bought a home in Wheaton and two new cars in 1978. I passed the CPA examination on my first attempt in 1979. I transferred from IRS to GAO and earned a master’s degree in accounting from DePaul in 1980. I passed the Certified Internal Auditor examination on my first attempt and became a licensed CPA in 1981. My wife and I had a home built in Wheaton in 1984. GAO promoted me in 1986. I earned four more job-related professional certifications in 1990, 1994, 1996, and 1997. I earned a master’s degree in finance from IIT in early 1997.
https://ifstudies.org/report-brief/americas-demoralized-men-part-ii-lost-pathways-greater-struggles
NEWSMAX
— Vote GOP to Stop Socialism.
https://www.newsmax.com/newsmax-tv/mike-lipetri-tom-suozzi-new-york/2026/08/14/id/1266180/
— AOC is rushing to the middle, backing away from past positions.
https://www.newsmax.com/newsmax-tv/aoc-moore-socialists/2026/08/14/id/1266164/
TOWNHALL
— Economic Case for Mass Deportations.
https://townhall.com/news/dmitri-bolt/2026/08/14/scott-bessent-deportations-are-driving-down-costs-and-improving-wages-n2681247
— Stop Dooming. We’re on the Cusp of the Golden Age. DD: What were your best years? My best years include 1970 when I earned a bachelor’s degree from NIU, 1971 when IRS hired me and I bought a new 1972 Corvette, 1972 when IRS promoted me and I bought a new townhome in University Park, 1973 when IRS promoted me, 1974 when IRS promoted me and I bought a studio condo in the Outer Drive East (ODE) building, 1976 when I earned an MBA from Loyola and bought a one bedroom condo in the ODE building, 1978 when my wife and I got married and we bought a home in Wheaton and two new cars, 1979 when I passed the CPA examination on my first attempt, 1980 when I transferred from IRS to GAO and earned a master’s degree in accounting from DePaul, 1981 when I passed the Certified Internal Auditor examination on my first attempt and became a licensed CPA, 1984 when my wife and I had a home built in Wheaton, 1986 when GAO promoted me, 1990, 1994, 1996, and 1997 when I earned four more job-related professional certifications, and early 1997 when I earned a master’s degree in finance from IIT. What were your worst years? My worst years include 1969 when my Democrat Post Office superiors forced me to resign by falsely claiming that I was not available to work enough part-time hours and my father died suddenly, 1971 when Oldsmobile withdrew a job offer that I had accepted because it had just agreed to stop hiring Whites to settle an EEOC complaint and my Firestone Store boss fired me because I had accepted that offer, 1974 when my Democrat IRS superiors disallowed my travel vouchers, 1978 when my Democrat IRS superiors disallowed my education deductions, 1980 when I had to take a $23,699 (21%) pay cut in today’s dollars to transfer from IRS to GAO, 1989 when my Democrat GAO superiors threw me off audits of IRS, gave me a very job assignment, gave me very unfair performance expectations, gave me a very unfair performance appraisal, and began ranking me at the bottom of my coworkers for pay-for-performance, and 1997 when they forced me to retire.
https://townhall.com/columnists/kurtschlichter/2026/08/14/stop-dooming-were-on-the-cusp-of-the-golden-age-n2681207
— PETA Isn’t Going to Condemn Dog-Killer Democrat Michigan Senate candidate Abdul El-Sayed.
https://townhall.com/news/josephchalfant/2026/08/14/shocker-peta-isnt-going-to-condemn-dog-killer-abdul-el-sayed-n2681291
FROM NATIONAL CENTER-LEFT SOURCES
THE HILL
— For Democrats, it’s the best of times and the worst of times. DD: What were your best years? My best years include 1970 when I earned a bachelor’s degree from NIU, 1971 when IRS hired me and I bought a new 1972 Corvette, 1972 when IRS promoted me and I bought a new townhome in University Park, 1973 when IRS promoted me, 1974 when IRS promoted me and I bought a studio condo in the Outer Drive East (ODE) building, 1976 when I earned an MBA from Loyola and bought a one bedroom condo in the ODE building, 1978 when my wife and I got married and we bought a home in Wheaton and two new cars, 1979 when I passed the CPA examination on my first attempt, 1980 when I transferred from IRS to GAO and earned a master’s degree in accounting from DePaul, 1981 when I passed the Certified Internal Auditor examination on my first attempt and became a licensed CPA, 1984 when my wife and I had a home built in Wheaton, 1986 when GAO promoted me, 1990, 1994, 1996, and 1997 when I earned four more job-related professional certifications, and early 1997 when I earned a master’s degree in finance from IIT. What were your worst years? My worst years include 1969 when my Democrat Post Office superiors forced me to resign by falsely claiming that I was not available to work enough part-time hours and my father died suddenly, 1971 when Oldsmobile withdrew a job offer that I had accepted because it had just agreed to stop hiring Whites to settle an EEOC complaint and my Firestone Store boss fired me because I had accepted that offer, 1974 when my Democrat IRS superiors disallowed my travel vouchers, 1978 when my Democrat IRS superiors disallowed my education deductions, 1980 when I had to take a $23,699 (21%) pay cut in today’s dollars to transfer from IRS to GAO, 1989 when my Democrat GAO superiors threw me off audits of IRS, gave me a very job assignment, gave me very unfair performance expectations, gave me a very unfair performance appraisal, and began ranking me at the bottom of my coworkers for pay-for-performance, and 1997 when they forced me to retire.
https://thehill.com/opinion/campaign/5893340-democrats-poll-setbacks-congress/
AOL
— Why the American dream feels like a fantasy to many. DD: If Affirmative Action and DEI had been stronger when I was young, I might very well have not have able to achieve what I did. I earned a bachelor’s degree from NIU in 1970. IRS hired me and I bought a new 1972 Corvette in 1971. IRS promoted me and I bought a new townhome in University Park in 1972. IRS promoted me in 1973. IRS promoted me and I bought a studio condo in the Outer Drive East (ODE) building in 1974. I earned an MBA from Loyola and bought a one bedroom condo in the ODE building in 1976. My wife and I got married and we bought a home in Wheaton and two new cars in 1978. I passed the CPA examination on my first attempt in 1979. I transferred from IRS to GAO and earned a master’s degree in accounting from DePaul in 1980. I passed the Certified Internal Auditor examination on my first attempt and became a licensed CPA in 1981. My wife and I had a home built in Wheaton in 1984. GAO promoted me in 1986. I earned four more job-related professional certifications in 1990, 1994, 1996, and 1997. I earned a master’s degree in finance from IIT in early 1997.
https://www.aol.com/articles/why-american-dream-feels-fantasy-160806000.html
NEW YORK TIMES
— DD: Democrat leaders ever-increasingly a) glorify and praise their illegals and b) fight their deportation.
https://www.nytimes.com/2026/08/13/us/politics/trump-immigration-crackdown.html
— Conservatives Don’t Like Sociology. Some Sociologists Don’t Either. DD: I avoided Democrat indoctrination by majoring in business, accounting, and finance.
https://www.nytimes.com/2026/08/14/us/activist-sociology-independent.html
— Can an 80-Year-Old Senator Outrun the Age Issue? Ed Markey is hoping that his progressive politics will save him in Massachusetts. DD: I remember attending a meeting with Markey when I worked for GAO in the early 1980s.
https://www.nytimes.com/2026/08/14/us/politics/ed-markey-senator-age.html
— Hegseth Is Pressed to Clarify Lawyer’s Role in Promotion Decisions. DD: All my coworkers who my Democrat superiors promoted over me a) were Democrats who had less education than I had, had less work experience than I had, had no professional certification or fewer than I had, and/or had no professional license like the one I had and/or b) were minority, female, younger, veteran, non-Protestant, non-German American, and/or had ancestors who had not been in America for a long time. Consequently, because I was not a Democrat, minority, female, or veteran, my Democrat Post Office superiors refused to promote me beyond GS-4, my Democrat IRS superiors refused to promote me beyond GS-12, and my Democrat GAO superiors refused to promote me beyond GS-13.
https://www.nytimes.com/2026/08/13/us/hegseth-jason-crow-military-promotions.html
WILX
— 1 in 5 adults in Michigan choose not to have children. DD: My Democrat GAO superiors viciously used against me a) my wife and I giving up trying to have children without trying IVF, b) our not adopting, and c) our not becoming foster parents. They painted themselves as being grossly underpaid. They decried the time and money they spent raising their children. They decried the little or no income that their wives had. They willfully and falsely ignored/dismissed/belittled our both having major fertility problems. They ever-increasingly hinted/implied/argued/shouted that we lied about our wanting to have children. They ever-increasingly demonized, denigrated, and condemned my wife and I as being disgusting selfish rich DINKs. They would not have done that if I had been a Democrat, minority, female, or veteran. Should I write about my Democrat GAO superiors?
https://www.wilx.com/2026/08/14/1-5-adults-michigan-choose-not-have-children-according-new-research/
BULWARK
— ‘A Slaughter in Our Industry’: Home Builders Say ICE is Destroying Their Business.
https://www.thebulwark.com/p/a-slaughter-in-our-industry-home-builders-ice-destroying-business-construction-immigration-vance
WALL STREET JOURNAL
— How Colleges Produce Socialists. When your first brush with adulthood involves endless consumption and no cost, it gives you the wrong idea of how the world works. DD: I avoided Democrat indoctrination by majoring in business, accounting, and finance.
https://www.wsj.com/opinion/how-colleges-produce-socialists-41fe4257
BLOOMBERG
— First-Time Homebuyers Find American Dream in Midwest. DD: My critics/opponents have always been furious that I was able to buy a new townhome when I was 24 in 1972. They have always stressed that if I had not avoided the Vietnam War draft, I would not have been able to do that.
https://www.bloomberg.com/news/videos/2026-08-14/first-time-homebuyers-find-american-dream-in-midwest-video
JD SUPRA
— DD: Democrat and RINO employers use disparate impact a) to not hire Republicans and b) to get rid of their Republican employees.
https://www.jdsupra.com/legalnews/illinois-joins-other-states-in-4203071/
FROM FOREIGN SOURCES
TELEGRAPH
— Reform would end student loans for ‘Mickey Mouse’ degrees. DD: I avoided Democrat indoctrination by majoring in business, accounting, and finance.
https://www.telegraph.co.uk/politics/2026/08/02/reform-would-end-student-loans-for-mickey-mouse-degrees/
Tag: old
August 9, 2026
FROM ILLINOIS CENTER-LEFT SOURCES
CHICAGO TRIBUNE
— Brandon Johnson’s City Hall can’t find anyone willing to collect debt on the city’s behalf. Shocking, but hardly surprising. DD: Just kidding, but should form a company to collect those debts? I worked for IRS’s Collection Division for almost 9 years, the last 5 1/2 years of which at the GS-12 Step 1-5 Levels, currently $100,059-$113,402/year.
https://www.chicagotribune.com/2026/08/09/editorial-brandon-johnson-debt-collection-budget-banks-aldermen/
(FROM THE EDITORIAL: Mayor Brandon Johnson’s administration has informed aldermen that a proposed sale of outstanding debts owed to the city of Chicago, which was supposed to net $90 million in this year’s budget, is garnering no interest from banks or other financial services firms. The apparent failure of the debt sale looks like it will blow a hole in the current year’s budget that will need to be addressed, although the size of that shortfall is yet to be determined. We certainly agree with members of the council majority who included the debt sale among other revenue-raising measures that the mayor and his administration gave their idea no real chance of succeeding. From the start, Johnson castigated the plan to sell some of the $8 billion owed to the city in unpaid ambulance charges, water bills, red-light and speeding camera tickets and other obligations as “immoral” and “morally bankrupt.” This page rejected his argument, saying among other things that it’s unfair to the people who pay their debts to give a tacit pass to those who just don’t. Johnson allowed the budget containing the proposed debt law to become law without his signature.)
HERALD WHIG
— Bailey pledges to lead Illinois with integrity.
https://whig.com/2026/08/08/bailey-pledges-to-lead-illinois-with-integrity/
BLOOMINGTON PANTAGRAPH
— DD: Democrat leaders ever-increasingly a) glorify and praise their illegals and b) fight their deportation.
https://pantagraph.com/news/local/education/article_fbe4e232-596c-4374-8400-f8538c003d9e.html
ABC7
— DD: My “Republican” critics/opponents are really Democrat Lite, if not anti-conservative, if not Democrat plants. Political parties exist to help elect candidates who can and will defend and advance their platform. The Republican Party platform is conservative.
https://abc7chicago.com/post/jim-durkin-illinois-house-republican-resigning/12678017/
VILLA PARK PATCH
— League of Women Voters “Unite & Rise” for Voting Rights!
https://patch.com/illinois/villa-park-il/calendar/event/20260808/2f82b133-686c-4891-a6ff-41630e21389c/league-of-women-voters-unite-rise-for-voting-rights
JUSTICE FOR ALL
— Justice For All is an American Human Rights organization, specifically advocating for the rights of Muslim minorities. Its main office is located in Chicago, with additional teams in Washington DC, Boston, New York, Toronto, and Ottawa.
https://www.justiceforall.org/
FROM ILLINOIS CENTER-RIGHT SOURCES
JOHN KASS
— The Democratic Socialists Are Coming!
https://johnkassnews.com/the-democratic-socialists-are-coming/
MCHENRY COUNTY BLOG
— GOP State Senate Calls Out Democrats on Ethics
https://www.mchenrycountyblog.com/2026/08/03/gop-state-senate-calls-out-democrats-on-ethics/
— 80 Years for Gun Toting Marengo Circle K Robber
https://www.mchenrycountyblog.com/2026/08/03/80-years-for-marengo-circle-k-robber/
— DeWitte Criticizes Chicago School District’s Lust for Money from the Rest of Illinois
https://www.mchenrycountyblog.com/2026/08/04/dewitte-criticizes-chicago-school-districts-lust-for-money-from-the-rest-of-illinois/
— Where School Spending Goes
https://www.mchenrycountyblog.com/2026/08/04/where-school-spending-goes/
— State Senator Darby Hills Explains New E-Bike Law and Channel 7
https://www.mchenrycountyblog.com/2026/08/04/darby-hills-explains-new-e-bike-law-and-channel-7/
FROM NATIONAL CENTER-RIGHT SOURCES
WASHINGTON EXAMINER
— The media act like cheerleaders with press credentials — they’re supposed to be instant replay. DD: The mainstream news media exists a) to elect and to reelect Democrats and b) to defeat Republicans.
https://www.washingtonexaminer.com/op-eds/4674625/media-bias-objective-journalism-press-referees/
AMERICAN THINKER
— Wealth Taxes Don’t Work. Envy is the second of the seven deadly sins, and Zohran Mamdani seems to want a more envious New York (and America). Instead of worrying about how much money Ken Griffin has (reportedly some $50 billion), why not begin by starting wherever you are qualified and working your way up?
https://www.americanthinker.com/articles/2026/08/wealth-taxes-don-t-work/
(FROM THE ARTICLE: Inciting envy is the modus operandi of all socialists. It is their means of fomenting division and attracting voters, but it is a particularly ugly way of doing so because it demeans the very people they would lead and creates the potential for violence. One reason envy is so destructive is that it saps the initiative of those who might otherwise be striving to improve their own situation. Instead of worrying about how much money Ken Griffin has (reportedly some $50 billion), why not begin by starting wherever you are qualified and working your way up? This has always been the American way, but socialists undermine this healthy instinct and replace it with the promise of equality of outcomes, which is their means of gaining power. Anyone who has studied the history of socialism knows that it does not produce equality.
Zohran Mamdani and others like to pretend wealth taxes can produce enough revenue to pay for their promises of free transportation, free daycare, subsidized groceries, and even Medicare for all.)
— How Little has Changed Between ‘Political Correctness’ and ‘Woke.’
https://www.americanthinker.com/articles/2026/08/how-little-has-changed-between-political-correctness-and-woke/
— The Democrat embrace of Islamo-socialism is party suicide.
https://www.americanthinker.com/blog/2026/08/the-democrat-embrace-of-islamo-socialism-is-party-suicide-comments/
— The Mohammunist Manifesto—Public Or Private, Nothing Is Beyond Our Control. Whether the government is Islamic or communist, the leaders can reach into every sphere of life and can truly make the rules up as they go along.
https://www.americanthinker.com/articles/2026/08/the-mohammunist-manifesto-public-or-private-nothing-is-beyond-our-control/
BREITBART
— Reject Cheap Foreign Labor. DD: All my employers would have hired noncitizens instead of me if they could have. My critics/opponents cannot say that because they had wealthy parents. Noncitizens work for less money and they are easier to exploit.
https://www.breitbart.com/immigration/2026/08/08/reject-cheap-foreign-labor-former-utah-rep-jason-chaffetz-condemns-sen-john-curtiss-amnesty-plan/
— Democrats Are Running to Destroy the Country, They Want to Blow Up the Constitution.
https://www.breitbart.com/clips/2026/08/08/blackburn-democrats-running-to-destroy-the-country-they-want-to-blow-up-the-constitution/amp/
COLLEGE FIX
— Illegal alien students demand U. California system comply with court ruling, hire them for campus jobs.
https://www.thecollegefix.com/illegal-alien-students-demand-u-california-system-comply-with-court-ruling-hire-them-for-campus-jobs/
— The Education Department is being praised by some for recently ending its disparate impact race-quota regulations, with an editorial in The Washington Post arguing civil rights laws “exists to protect individuals from discrimination, not to guarantee equal statistical outcomes.” The department in late July removed disparate impact from Title VI regulations, meaning it will no longer treat neutral school policies or practices that produce unequal outcomes by race as violations of federal law. DD: To curry favor with minorities and with females, my critics/opponents want equal outcome. Only about 20% of those who take the CPA and Certified Internal Auditor examinations pass the examinations on their first attempt like I did. Virtually all of those who passed the examinations on their first attempt with me were White males.
https://www.thecollegefix.com/bulletin-board/in-washington-post-education-department-praised-for-ending-outcome-based-discrimination-rules/
FEDERALIST
— RINOs Are Tanking The Entire Republican Party, Not Just Trump. DD: RINOs fail/refuse to defend and advance the Republican Party platform.
https://thefederalist.com/2026/08/07/rinos-are-tanking-the-entire-republican-party-not-just-trump/
— The Average Man Rejected Socialism. White Affluent Liberals Chose It For Him. DD: To vote for Democrats is to vote for socialism.
https://thefederalist.com/2026/08/05/the-average-man-rejected-socialism-white-affluent-liberals-chose-it-for-him/
FOX BUSINESS
— America is the envy of the world.
https://www.foxbusiness.com/video/6403015347112
FOX NEWS
— Socialism appeals to young voters because the ideology allows them to blame external systems rather than taking personal responsibility. DD: According to my critics/opponents, if I had worked in the private sector instead of the public sector, I would not have gotten the promotions that I got. According to my Democrat GAO superiors, supervisors, coworkers, and subordinates, if I had worked for GAO instead of IRS, I would not have gotten promoted to GS-9 (currently $68,999/year) when I was 23 in 1972, to GS-11 (currently $83,482/year) when I was 24 in 1973, and to GS-12 (currently $100,059/year) when I was 25 in 1974. They stress that I did not earn an MBA until I was 27 in 1976 and that I did not pass the CPA examination on my first attempt until I was 30 in 1979. They used that to force me to take a $23,699/year (21%) pay cut in today’s dollars, a downgrade from GS-12 Step 5 (currently $113,403/year) to GS-9 Step 10 (currently $89,703/year).
https://www.yahoo.com/news/videos/truth-socialisms-appeal-young-voters-115047273.html
— Gen Z spending faces scrutiny amid affordability concerns. DD: While I worked for IRS’s Collection Division for almost 9 years, I took and analyzed financial statements from many taxpayers who wanted payment agreements.
https://www.foxnews.com/video/6403080483112
— Vance slams blue states for failing to verify welfare eligibility.
https://www.foxnews.com/video/6403054464112
NATIONAL REVIEW
— Socialists Want the DNC to Sign Its Own Death Warrant.
https://www.nationalreview.com/2026/08/the-socialists-want-the-dnc-to-sign-its-own-death-warrant/
— A Foreseeable and Dire Munitions Crisis. DD: I worked for GAO on an audit of the Department of Defense FY 1990 ammunition budget request. SEE: https://www.gao.gov/assets/nsiad-90-23.pdf
https://www.nationalreview.com/2026/08/a-foreseeable-and-dire-munitions-crisis/
FROM NATIONAL CENTER-LEFT SOURCES
CNN
— DD: Democrat leaders ever-increasingly promote socialism.
https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/other/ar-AA28yb43
https://www.cnn.com/2026/08/08/politics/video/smerconish-will-the-democratic-party-become-the-party-of-democratic-socialism
AOL
— DD: I avoided Democrat indoctrination by majoring in business, accounting, and finance.
https://www.aol.com/articles/why-sending-kids-college-become-100232000.html
U.S. NEWS & WORLD REPORT
— Republicans Must Stop Being Democrat-Lite. DD: My “Republican” critics/opponents are really Democrat Lite, if not anti-conservative, if not Democrat plants. Political parties exist to help elect candidates who can and will defend and advance their platform. The Republican Party platform is conservative.
https://www.usnews.com/debate-club/is-the-gops-problem-in-its-strategies-or-its-policies/republicans-must-stop-being-democrat-lite
— Affordable New Cars With Lots of Horsepower in 2026. DD: Because I wanted to buy a new car before I graduated from Crete-Monee High School in 1966, In May of 1966, I bought a new Pontiac Tempest Sprint ( https://over-drive-magazine.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/02/1965-12-CD-1966-Pontiac-Tempest-Sprint-Test-1-4.pdf ), a poor man’s GTO, instead of a GTO. But then my Park Forest Post Office salary enabled me to buy a new 1968 Oldsmobile 442 in 1967 and then a new 1969 Dodge Charger SE in 1968.
https://cars.usnews.com/cars-trucks/advice/cheap-cars-with-a-lot-of-horsepower
(FROM THE ARTICLE: Our Top Picks Overall: 2026 Ford Mustang — The Ford Mustang rolls into 2026 with a few styling tweaks and no other changes, which means this sports car is still a fantastic driving machine.)
NEW YORK TIMES
— Trump Gains a Loyal Enabler at the Justice Dept. DD: My critics/opponents was loyal enablers. They destroy those like me a) who they cannot manipulate or dominate, b) who refuse to glorify or 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 should write about my critics/opponents. I would focus on those who have lots of government, political, financial, and/or religious clout in Wheaton, Milton Township, DuPage County, and Illinois. I would focus on those who have had their operatives and their dupes take the most/biggest adverse actions against me lately.
https://www.nytimes.com/2026/08/08/us/politics/blanche-attorney-general-doj-trump-power.html
— DD: Democrat leaders ever-increasingly promote socialism.
https://www.nytimes.com/2026/08/09/us/politics/gustavo-gordillo-democratic-socialists.html
— DD: Socialists win because they falsely hint/imply/argue/shout that if you do not get promotions, it is because of capitalism. Democrats win because they falsely hint/imply/argue/shout that if you do not get promotions, it is because of Republicans. All my coworkers who my Democrat Post Office, IRS, and GAO superiors promoted over me did little or nothing to get promoted. They got promoted because they were Democrats, minorities, females, and/or veterans. To get promoted, I earned a job-related bachelor’s degree (management), three job-related master’s degrees (business, accounting, and finance), six job-related professional certifications (accounting, internal auditing, fraud examination, government financial management, financial services auditing, and forensic accounting), and a job-related professional license (CPA). All my coworkers who my Democrat superiors promoted over me were Democrats who a) had less education than I had, b) had less work experience than I had, c) had no professional certification or fewer than I had, and/or d) had no professional license like the one I had. Consequently, because I was not a Democrat, minority, female, or veteran, my Democrat Post Office superiors refused to promote me beyond GS-4, my Democrat IRS superiors beyond GS-12, and my Democrat GAO superiors beyond GS-13.
https://www.nytimes.com/2026/08/08/opinion/socialist-wave-democratic-party.html
— The Bagpiper’s Endless Quest for a Place to Practice. DD: Between 2005 and 2019, I raised $2,500 a year from Republican candidates, elected officials, and party leaders for “DuPage Republicans” to be the lead sponsor for Wheaton Independence Day parades and fireworks. My critics/opponents ended that by stopping sponsorships. $1,000 each year of the money I raised was for bagpipers to walk in the parades. My critics/opponents do not like, if not despise, if not hate bagpipers. For them, they walked too slow.
https://www.nytimes.com/2026/08/01/nyregion/bagpipes-new-york.html
— FRONT PAGE TOP OF FOLD WITH BIG GRAPHIC: How a Nation of Immigrants Traces Its Roots. Melting pot, tapestry, mosaic, kaleidoscope, salad bowl. Every cliché is true. DD: My critics/opponents have always used against me the fact that all my ancestors immigrated from what is now Germany during the 1840s and 1850s when slavery was legal. In their defense, I have always stressed that they always lived in northeast Illinois.
https://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2026/07/01/us/america-identity-ancestry-census.html
(FROM THE ARTICLE: After 1840, immigration from Western Europe began to rise quickly as political instability in Germany and the famine in Ireland drove people to leave. Asian immigrants, drawn by the discovery of gold in California in 1848, were recruited to work on farms and railroads. Later in the 19th century, pogroms across Eastern Europe and the aftermath of Italian reunification drove a surge of migration to the United States. From 1880 to 1920, 24 million immigrants arrived. They went almost everywhere except the South, where the land-owning elite already had cheap labor from the formerly enslaved and poor tenant farmers. Cities swelled. In 1910, according to the Ellis Island National Museum of Immigration, three-quarters of the residents of Boston, Chicago, Cleveland, Detroit and New York City were immigrants or children of immigrants.)
— FRONT PAGE: For More College Graduates, Moving Home Is a No-Brainer. DD: I lived with and helped support my mother and brother in Crete for 25 months after I graduated from college. My father died suddenly when he was 47 and I was 21 in October of 1969. He was earning $50,000/year in today’s dollars. My mother had never attended high school, she had never worked outside the home, and my brother was having problems. I graduated from NIU in August of 1970 and I got a job working for the Firestone Store in Chicago Heights that month. I applied for and I got a financial hardship draft deferment. I lived with them in Crete and helped support them until September of 1972 when I bought a new townhome in University Park.
https://www.nytimes.com/2026/08/02/business/college-graduates-living-at-home.html
(FROM THE ARTICLE: Moving Back Home After College? All Your Friends Are Doing It. More young adults are living with their parents. The development suggests that they face a weak job market, but also that fewer face stigma in returning to the roost.)
UNION LEADER
— Socialism is a sin and a death sentence for America.
https://www.unionleader.com/opinion/op-eds/mary-jane-beauregard-socialism-is-a-sin-and-a-death-sentence-for-america/article_5dd566ea-6124-47bb-82b0-66b1a4e219d9.html
DALLAS EXPRESS
— Why Young Americans Are Turning To Socialism — And What JD Vance Says Must Change.
https://dallasexpress.com/national/why-young-americans-are-turning-to-socialism-and-what-jd-vance-says-must-change/
(FROM THE ARTICLE: Vance stated that “A lot of Americans look at this rising tide of socialism and say, ‘How did we get here?’ We got here by 40 years of bipartisan leaders selling our industrial base to foreign countries, allowing low-wage immigrants to come in and compete with Americans for jobs, by destroying the foundation of the middle class. That’s how you got socialism.” He continued: “How you fix that problem is by doubling down on Donald Trump’s economic nationalism, not going back to the way we’ve done things for the past 40 years. It’s failed everywhere it’s tried, and it always leads to socialism. It always leads exactly where we are. The only way to get out of it is to double down on the economics of the past 18 months.” Vance also described Democratic candidates he called “limousine socialists” as offering redistribution rather than industry or good jobs, saying manufacturing remains the foundation of middle-class prosperity.)
WALL STREET JOURNAL
— ICE Is Weaponizing Social Media Against Its Critics. Agency says its surveillance program searches for threats to agents, but critics see free-speech infringements.
https://www.wsj.com/politics/policy/ice-surveillance-internet-critics-e3b22f49
24/7 WALL STREET
— Only 30% of Americans Ever Receive an Inheritance. Those Who Do Get It at 58, Not 30. DD: My wife and I never anticipated receiving inheritances. Therefore, we lived our lives like that. We saved as much as we could for our retirement.
https://247wallst.com/personal-finance/2026/06/24/only-30-of-americans-ever-receive-an-inheritance-those-who-do-get-it-at-58-not-30/
MONEY LION
— These 16 US Colleges Now Cost More Than $100K a Year. DD: University of Chicago is $103,821/year. Back in the good old days, in 1970, I was able to graduate debt-free with a bachelor’s degree in management from NIU and owning a 1969 Dodge Charger SE a) by working part-time for the Park Forest Post Office while classes were in session and full-time during the summers 1966-1969 and b) by living with my parents in Crete while I took classes at UIC 1966-1968, weekends during my first semester at NIU in 1969, and the summer of 1969. In today’s dollars, my postal salary increased from $19.57/hour to $20.87/hour.
https://www.aol.com/articles/16-us-colleges-now-cost-153011000.html
COMPLETE COLORADO
— Democratic socialism is just an opening act for communism. Socialism is a devil’s brew of delusional utopianism, economic malpractice, hatred of capitalism, and unlimited government control of every aspect of our lives. It’s a philosophy based on envy and resentment dressed up as “social justice.”
https://completecolorado.com/2026/08/03/democratic-socialism-opening-act-communism/
COLORADO POLS
— Pence Slams Trump at Revamped Western Conservative Summit. DD: Ever-increasingly, the more conservative that you are, that is, the more conservative principles that you promote, that is, the more planks in the Republican Party platform that you promote, the faster that you are gotten rid of. I am no longer a) the Republican fundraiser for Wheaton Independence Day parades and fireworks, b) the TAPROOT Republicans of Illinois chairman, c) an Illinois Center Right Coalition Steering Committee member, and d) the Milton Township Republican Organization webmaster.
https://www.coloradopols.com/diary/227239/pence-slams-trump-at-western-conservative-summit
(FROM THE ARTICLE: “In our movement there are people who have been nibbling away at the very principles that have made America strong and prosperous and free and have defined a conservative agenda,” said former Vice President Mike Pence, CCU’s newest 2026 faculty member, who refused President Donald Trump’s efforts to overturn the 2020 election. “In fact, in many respects in recent years we’ve seen our movement toss about at a tempest of populism, protectionism, and on occasion even isolationism. On the world stage, we saw the administration’s initial stops and starts when it comes to Ukraine after that brutal and unprovoked invasion by Russia four years ago. I have held since that moment that America, as the leader of the free world, should continue to marshal the West to give the brave Ukrainian people what they need to repel and defeat that Russian invasion. “At home, we’ve seen the rise of protectionist policies,” continued Pence. “The so-called ‘Liberation Day’ tariffs of a year ago represented the largest tax increase in American history, imposed on friend and foe alike. They impacted families, literally at the grocery store and at the counter. We’ve also witnessed populist policies that have taken on the free market tradition of our movement, nationalizing American businesses. The headlines this morning are that a dozen more businesses have received direct equity investments by the federal government. And we’ve seen price controls on everything from consumer credit to medicines. And perhaps most troubling to traditional conservatives like me is there’s been a marked departure, a marginalizing of our commitment to the sanctity of human life.”)
ALTOONA MIRROR
— Reunions a time to reflect, reconnect. DD: Sadly, it looks like there will not be a 60th reunion for my Crete-Monee High School Class of 1966. Sadly, my interaction with my classmates decreased dramatically during my junior and senior years because I worked 28 hours a week during the school years and 40 hours a week during the summer in between washing dishes for the minimum wage in the basement of the SS Kresge in Chicago Heights.
https://www.altoonamirror.com/news/local-news/2026/08/reunions-a-time-to-reflect-reconnect/
POST AND COURIER
— Education pathways to prosperity. DD: When you were young, what did you do to advance your career? I worked my way through college. I earned a job-related bachelor’s degree when I was 21 in 1970; job-related master’s degrees in 1976, 1980, and 1997; job-related professional certifications in 1979, 1981, 1990, 1994, 1996, and 1997; and a job-related professional license in 1981.
https://www.postandcourier.com/moultrie-news/news/education-pathways-to-prosperity/article_8678cc81-0b75-40e0-a27c-9d7c1d27ff10.html
(FROM THE ARTICLE: August marks back-to-school season. It’s a season filled with anticipation for new coursework and academic progress, but also a time for students and families to reflect on the career pathways that education can help make possible. It’s understandable that many young people are questioning the value of higher education. National student loan debt now exceeds $1.87 trillion, with borrowers in South Carolina carrying an average balance of about $34,000 per learner, slightly below the national average of roughly $37,000 to $39,000. Meanwhile, unemployment among South Carolinians ages 16 to 24 is approximately 9.2 percent, twice the state’s overall unemployment rate of 4.6 percent. While concerns about the value of college are very real, the data indicate that post-secondary education still provides the best pathways to increased lifetime income. In South Carolina, community college graduates will earn $220,000 to $335,000 more over their lifetime than those with just a high school diploma. Four-year graduates (including transfer students) will earn nearly $800,000 more over their lifetime. However, the biggest barriers to obtaining a college degree are cost, time to completion, accessibility and flexibility to accommodate competing life priorities. Certificates, associate degrees and bachelor’s degrees. Post-secondary education provides multiple pathways to economic success through professional certificates, associate degrees, and bachelor’s and master’s degrees. The key is to choose the pathways that offer the best job security and ROI. Professional certificates are the fastest and least expensive way to earn a credential that validates a desired skillset. Certificates can serve as a stackable on-ramp toward a degree, provide timely skills, or help you qualify for upward mobility.)
TRIB LIVE
— Potential of 3-year bachelor’s degrees spark debate of affordability, quality. DD: Immediately after I completed 16 graduate evening business courses one course at a time 1972-1976 and earned an MBA from Loyola, Loyola cut its requirement for an MBA to 12 courses if you had a bachelor’s degree in business which I did. My not earning an MBA sooner than I did harmed my IRS career.
https://community.triblive.com/news/4110996
CENTER FOR RETIREMENT RESEARCH
— Let’s Elect Candidates Who Will Make the Wealthy Pay Taxes. DD: The less income you have, the less income tax that you pay.
https://crr.bc.edu/lets-elect-candidates-who-will-make-the-wealthy-pay-taxes/
COMMON DREAMS
— Who Is ‘Authentically’ Working Class? DD: My critics/opponents look down on if not despise the working class. I was a member of the working class 1962-1997. I did yard work 1962-1964. I delivered newspapers 1962-1966. I washed dishes 1964-1966. I cleaned golf shoes, chipped slag, and pumped gasoline in 1966. I delivering mail 1966-1969. I worked on an automotive assembly line in 1970. I sold tires, automotive services, and major appliances 1970-1971. I pumped more gasoline 1971-1972. I collected delinquent taxes 1971-1980. I audited federal agencies 1980-1997.
https://www.commondreams.org/opinion/who-is-the-working-class
LAW
— DD: Democrats and RINOs will always use Affirmative Action, DEI, and wokeness/wokeism to get rid of Republicans.
https://www.law.com/article/almID/53G6-WMG1-JBM3-R52C-00000-00/
FEDERAL RETIREMENT
— DD: My critics/opponents have always been furious that I qualified myself for both a Civil Service Retirement System (CSRS) pension, currently $68,640/year, and Social Security, currently $18,712/year. I paid into Social Security for 10 years and into CSRS for almost 30 years including into both at the same time for almost 3 years. While I worked part-time for the Post Office for almost 3 years, I paid into both Social Security and CSRS and got full-time CSRS credit even though I worked only part-time. They are beyond furious that because of a Bill that Biden signed, my Social Security increased from about $3,000/year to about $6,000/year and then to $18,712/year.
https://federalretirement.net/social-security/csrs-social-security/
COLLEGE NEWS
— Best U.S. Companies for Entry-Level Jobseekers. DD: After you earned your bachelor’s degree, what was your entry-level job? When I graduated from NIU with a bachelor’s degree in management in 1970, I accepted the only job offer that I got. It was to be the Retail Sales Manager for the Firestone Store in the Chicago Heights. Potential employers saw me as being draft bait. They did not believe that my application for a financial hardship draft deferment to help support my mother and brother would be approved. Because advancement working for Firestone looked bleak, I accepted a job offer from Oldsmobile in 1971, but Oldsmobile withdrew that offer saying it had just agreed to stop hiring Whites to settle an EEOC complaint. My Firestone Store boss rudely fired me because I accepted that offer. Because I had to have a job, I accepted a job offer that I got from IRS. I had taken and passed the Federal Service Entrance Examination while I was a NIU student.
https://www.collegenews.com/which-are-the-best-us-companies-for-entry-level-jobseekers/
August 1, 2026
FROM ILLINOIS CENTER-LEFT SOURCES
NBC5
— DD: Democrat leaders ever-increasingly a) glorify and praise their illegals and b) fight their deportation.
https://www.nbcchicago.com/investigations/immigrant-children-could-face-court-hearings-without-lawyers-chicago-attorneys-warn/3969082/
CBS2
— Democrats in Congress demand training, vetting information on ICE agent who killed immigrant in Maine. DD: IRS would not have hired me to be a Revenue Officer when I was 22 in 1971 if I had not had a bachelor’s degree in business and had passed the Federal Service Entrance Examination. The first 6 months I worked for IRS was in classroom training.
https://www.cbsnews.com/news/democrats-congress-ice-maine-shooting-letter-training-vetting/
— People with disabilities fear service cuts as Trump’s DOJ questions legal protections. DD: While I worked for the Democrats who ran GAO’s Chicago office 1980-1997, they had me supervise all the disabled employees they hired.
https://www.cbsnews.com/news/trump-doj-disability-rights-home-care/
— Noisy motorcycle caravans creating chaos downtown, raising safety concerns from neighbors.
https://www.cbsnews.com/chicago/news/motorcycle-caravans-dan-ryan-expressway-south-loop-downtown/
(FROM THE ARTICLE: A caravan of hundreds of motorcycles created a loud, chaotic, and potentially dangerous situation on the Dan Ryan Expressway and in the South Loop and downtown Chicago late Thursday night. Some Chicago neighbors said it has become a summer nuisance that comes with serious safety concerns. The Caravan of motorcycles made its way from the Dan Ryan through the South Loop to downtown, where residents said it’s nothing new, but time something is done. Police experts said the solution isn’t as easy as it appears.)
WCIA
— Pritzker signs Illinois ‘language equity’ law; 24% of residents don’t speak English. DD: Everyone in America speaking English made America great.
https://www.wcia.com/news/capitol-news/pritzker-signs-illinois-language-equity-law-24-of-residents-dont-speak-english/
(FROM THE ARTICLE: With nearly 24% of Illinois residents speaking a language other than English, with Spanish being the most common, Gov. JB Pritzker signed a new law to regulate language requirements at government agencies statewide. “Illinois is a diverse state made up of people with cultural and linguistic backgrounds from around the world—hundreds of unique languages are spoken in households across the state, and those people are equally as entitled to access public services as their English-speaking counterparts,” said Pritzker. The Language Equity and Access Act requires the Governor’s Office of New Americans to partner with the Illinois Department of Human Services to create, implement, and oversee statewide language access plans for state agencies. The act requires an annual compliance report to the Governor’s Office and the Illinois General Assembly. The state says, besides Spanish, Polish, Chinese, and Tagalog are the most spoken languages in the state. “Prioritizing accessibility for people who do not speak English as a first language will open new avenues of equitable opportunities for countless Illinoisans of differing backgrounds,” said state Rep. Theresa Mah (D-Chicago).)
FROM NATIONAL CENTER-RIGHT SOURCES
WASHINGTON EXAMINER
— Socialist candidates barnstorm country to grow ranks in Congress.
https://www.washingtonexaminer.com/news/campaigns/congressional/4671147/left-wing-candidates-flock-allies-campaign-trail-maximize-collective-influence/
NEW YORK POST
— Fed-up Spaniards lash out at socialist prime minister after migrant invasion: ‘A third-world country.’
https://nypost.com/2026/07/31/world-news/fed-up-spaniards-lash-out-at-socialist-prime-minister-after-migrant-invasion/
AMERICAN CONSERVATIVE
— Import Socialists, Get Socialism. Democratic socialists haven’t learned hard lessons from their ancestral homelands.
https://www.theamericanconservative.com/import-socialists-get-socialism/
AMERICAN GREATNESS
— The Fifth for Fauci and the Administrative State. Fauci was attempting to protect the myth behind the leftist narrative of “trust the science.”
https://amgreatness.com/2026/08/01/the-fifth-for-fauci-and-the-administrative-state/
AMERICAN THINKER
— Socialism and Islam: A tale of two psychoses. A dark night is descending over America.
https://www.americanthinker.com/blog/2026/07/socialism-and-islam-a-tale-of-two-psychoses/
COLLEGE FIX
— Student debt is turning college grads into socialists.
https://www.thecollegefix.com/bulletin-board/student-debt-is-turning-college-grads-into-socialists-column/
DAILY SIGNAL
— The Democratic Socialist Rising Class.
https://www.dailysignal.com/2026/07/31/cut-flowers-democratic-socialist/
FOX NEWS
— Socialism has become a buzzword.
https://www.foxnews.com/video/6402556733112
— Shocking percentage of Democrats identify as ‘democratic socialists’ according to new poll: ‘Toxic policies.’ Democratic-aligned respondents who identify as democratic socialists were primarily young White Americans.
https://www.foxnews.com/politics/shocking-percentage-democrats-identify-democratic-socialists-according-new-poll-toxic-policies
— Democratic Socialists of America activists signed pledge to support, defend ‘Chinese socialism.’ The statement expresses the view that ‘the record of the socialist countries is overwhelmingly positive.’
https://www.foxnews.com/politics/democratic-socialists-america-activists-signed-pledge-support-defend-chinese-socialism
HANNITY
— Mamdani-Linked Socialists Sign China Loyalty Pledge.
https://hannity.com/media-room/commie-commitment-mamdani-linked-socialists-sign-china-loyalty-pledge/
NEWSMAX
— One-Third of Democrats Identify as Democratic Socialists.
https://www.newsmax.com/us/one-third-of-democrats-identify-as-democratic-socialists-cnn-poll-finds/2026/07/31/id/1264705/
PJ MEDIA
— Where Is the Socialist Wave Really Coming From?
https://pjmedia.com/matt-margolis/2026/07/31/where-is-the-socialist-wave-really-coming-from-n4955681
FROM NATIONAL CENTER-LEFT SOURCES
ASSOCIATED PRESS
— Vetting of ICE officer is under internal review after Maine shooting. DD: IRS would not have hired me to be a Revenue Officer when I was 22 in 1971 if I had not had a bachelor’s degree in business and had passed the Federal Service Entrance Examination. The first 6 months I worked for IRS was in classroom training.
https://apnews.com/article/maine-shooting-immigration-ice-vetting-9a8cfccc9e509766fb65effaa607a65b
ORANGE COUNTY REGISTER
— DD: Ever-increasingly, those who come to America want/need/demand massive government assistance, lack education and/or job skills, and/or have health and/or other problems. Ever-increasingly they talk and/or act like they want to impose their language and/or their religion on America, that is, to turn America into a clone of their motherland.
https://www.ocregister.com/2026/07/31/fear-the-day-when-talented-foreigners-dont-want-to-move-here/
WALL STREET JOURNAL
— Democratic Voters Are Battling Over What Their Party Stands For. Some are embracing insurgent socialist candidates, and others say the party is losing itself.
https://www.wsj.com/politics/elections/democratic-socialists-voters-why-3d25da52
— The Smithsonian’s Disdain for America. The head of the National Museum of American History doesn’t want to talk about her exhibits.
https://www.wsj.com/opinion/the-smithsonians-disdain-for-america-8edffb1e
24/7 WALL STREET
— The RMD Tax Trap That Costs Retirees Six Figures. A $1.6 million traditional 401(k) generates a mandatory $60,400 first RMD at 73, which counts as ordinary income and grows larger every year. Adding the RMD to Social Security can push MAGI above $109,000, triggering Medicare IRMAA surcharges that won’t appear until 2028 due to a two-year lookback.
https://247wallst.com/personal-finance/2026/07/30/the-rmd-tax-trap-that-costs-retirees-six-figures-without-these-three-moves-before-year-end/
NATIONAL TREASURY EMPLOYEES UNION
— Tell Congress to Adequately Fund Federal Agencies. DD: I was a NTEU member 1971-1980.
https://www.nteu.org/blog/2026/07/30/tell-congress-to-adequately-fund
FED SMITH
— Federal Employees Could Get 12 Weeks of Paid Leave Under New Senate Bill. DD: My critics/opponents have always been furious about the benefits that I got a federal employee for almost 30 years and that I have continued to get as a federal retiree for almost 29 years.
https://www.fedsmith.com/2026/07/31/federal-employees-12-weeks-paid-leave-senate-bill/
FEDERAL NEWS NETWORK
— OPM cements major shift in federal employee appeals, RIF processes. DD: For Democrats, the federal government exists to hire, retain, and promote Democrats who are minority, female, younger, veteran, non-Protestant, non-German American, and/or have ancestors who have not been in America for a long time.
https://federalnewsnetwork.com/workforce/2026/07/opm-cements-major-shift-in-federal-employee-appeals-rif-processes/
— HHS violated 5,000 probationary employees’ rights with 2025 terminations. DD: I transferred from IRS to GAO when I was 31 in 1980. My Democrat GAO superiors were furious that they could not use probationary procedures to get rid of me.
https://federalnewsnetwork.com/workforce-rightsgovernance/2026/07/hhs-violated-5000-probationary-employees-rights-with-2025-terminations/
— Some federal careers are built to end early, so what comes next? DD: Federal employees under the Civil Service Retirement System (CSRS) who are the following are expected/forced to retire as soon as they are eligible, that is, as soon as they have 30 years of service and are 55 years old: Republican, White, male, non-veteran, Protestant, German American, and/or have ancestors who have been in America for a long time. I am all of the aforesaid. I became eligible to take GAO’s early retirement “offer” when I was 45 in 1993. My Democrat GAO superiors succeeded in forcing me to take early retirement when I was 49 in 1997 because since I was 40 in 1988, I had been an active member in a class action lawsuit that charged them with reverse discrimination, age discrimination, and retaliation. That dramatically reduced my CSRS pension and my retirement savings.
https://federalnewsnetwork.com/retirement/2026/07/some-federal-careers-are-built-to-end-early-so-what-comes-next/
GOVERNMENT EXECUTIVE
— New documentary recounts ‘free-for-all attitude of cruelty’ toward axed federal employees. The movie, which was filmed during the start of the second Trump administration, examines the human and societal effects of recent federal job cuts. DD: My critics/opponents continue to be overjoyed that my Democrat Post Office, IRS, and GAO superiors wasted my career and forced me to retire when I was 49 in 1997. My critics/opponents continue to ignore/dismiss/belittle that while I was a federal employee for almost 30 years, I used my personal time and my salary to earn a job-related bachelor’s degree, three job-related master’s degrees, six job-related professional certifications, and a job-related professional license.
https://www.govexec.com/workforce/2026/07/documentary-recounts-cruelty-axed-federal-employees/415071/
— Veteran’s preference. DD: I avoided the Vietnam War draft. While I worked for the federal government for almost 30 years, many, most, and at times, virtually all of my superiors, supervisors, coworkers, and/or subordinates were Democrat veterans. They had no use for me, if not despised me, if not hated me. They blamed Republicans like me for America losing the Vietnam War. I should write about my Democrat veteran superiors who took the most/biggest adverse actions against me. They all stressed that if I had not avoided the Vietnam War draft, I would not have been able to a) earn a bachelor’s degree when I was 21 in 1970 and master’s degrees when I was 27 and 31, b) earn professional certifications when I was 30 and 32, c) earn a professional license when I was 32, d) buy new cars when I was 19, 20, 23 25, and 29, e) buy real estate when I was 24, 25, 27, 29, and 35, or f) get married when I was 29.
https://www.govexec.com/technology/2026/07/gsa-official-put-leave-social-media-post-saying-veterans-preference-federal-hiring-hampering-tech-recruiting/415122/
GAO
— Law Enforcement Officers: Observations on Recruitment and Retention at the Federal Level. DD: IRS and GAO have always been run by Democrats. I was an IRS Revenue Officer 1971-1980, the last 5 1/2 years of which at the GS-12 Step-1-5 Levels, currently $100,059-$113,402/year. GAO audits IRS. I transferred from IRS to GAO when I was 31 in 1980 and worked for GAO for almost 18 years. My Democrat GAO superiors wasted my knowledge of IRS. Democrats do not want Republicans to audit Democrats. They refused to assign me to audits of IRS’s Collection Division. However, they did assign me to audits of IRS’s Criminal Investigation Division for 3 years.
https://www.gao.gov/products/gao-26-108495
(FROM THE REPORT: From 2019 through 2024, officer resignations and retirements have increased, reducing staff at law enforcement agencies. Studies have shown that having more officers can improve public safety and reduce crime.)
July 31, 2026 Evening Edition
FROM ILLINOIS CENTER-LEFT SOURCES
NBC5
— Disgraced former Illinois official broke sexual harassment law
https://www.nbcchicago.com/video/investigations/disgraced-former-illinois-official-broke-sexual-harassment-law-report/3968975/
— Chicago-area residents urged to limit laundry, showers amid heavy rain threat. In addition to skipping showers and laundry, officials advised people across the Chicago area to flush less frequently and wait to use the dishwasher.
https://www.nbcchicago.com/news/local/chicago-area-residents-urged-to-limit-laundry-showers-amid-heavy-rain-threat/3968838/
FOX32
— Study accuses Amazon, Walmart of deceiving shoppers with false ‘Made in USA’ claims.
https://www.fox32chicago.com/news/study-accuses-amazon-walmart-deceiving-shoppers-false-made-usa-claims
— Pritzker signs bill recognizing gambling addiction as disorder under legal framework. DD: Democrat leaders ever-increasingly promote gambling, pot, and other vices. I 2009, I led the successful effort to ban video gambling in Wheaton. I 2019, I led the successful effort to ban the sale of pot in Wheaton.
https://www.fox32chicago.com/video/fmc-dtdyosta4rngj55h
CHICAGO TRIBUNE
— Public disservice announcement — beginning Saturday, Chicagoans will pay $10.50 on every $100 in retail purchases.
https://www.chicagotribune.com/2026/07/31/northern-illinois-transit-authority-sales-tax-transit-transit-bailout-illinois-chicago-sales-tax-cook-county-sales-tax-illinois-sales-tax/
CHICAGO SUN-TIMES
— DD: Democrat leaders want the Senate to defy Trump.
https://chicago.suntimes.com/columnists/2026/07/31/senate-republicans-trump-save-act-todd-blanche-bill-pulte-s-e-cupp
https://chicago.suntimes.com/columnists/2026/07/31/trump-no-humor-funny-white-house-correspondents-association-mona-charen
https://chicago.suntimes.com/other-views/2026/07/31/president-donald-trump-cold-blooded-leader-death-iran-ice-shootings-covid-measles-david-mcgra
CRAIN’S CHICAGO BUSINESS
— Cook County Health projects $100M spike in charity care as Medicaid rolls shrink.
https://www.chicagobusiness.com/health-care/ccb-cook-county-health-2027-budget-20260731/
— Alcohol distributor Republic National cutting nearly 300 jobs in Illinois.
https://www.chicagobusiness.com/consumer-products/ccb-republic-national-layoffs-illinois-20260731/
RIVER BENDER
— Duckworth, Hirono Introduce WARRIOR Act to Codify Women’s Right to Serve in Combat.
https://www.riverbender.com/news/details/duckworth-hirono-introduce-warrior-act-to-codify-womens-right-to-serve-in-combat-95550.cfm
FOX ILLINOIS
— Trump administration pushes tougher English rules for Mexican train crews crossing into the US.
https://www.foxillinois.com/news/nation-world/trump-administration-pushes-tougher-english-rules-for-mexican-train-crews-crossing-into-the-us/article_b195da9e-9ee9-51be-9a65-6527cc201914.html
CAPITOL FAX
— Afternoon roundup
https://capitolfax.com/2026/07/31/isabel%e2%80%99s-afternoon-roundup-568/
FROM NATIONAL CENTER-RIGHT SOURCES
WASHINGTON TIMES
— GOP sounds alarm: Spain’s border collapse is a wake-up call for America
https://www.washingtontimes.com/news/2026/jul/31/republicans-say-spains-migrant-surge-foreshadows-america-democrats/
WASHINGTON EXAMINER
— Democrats’ swing state ‘blue wall’ becomes a haven for socialists.
https://www.washingtonexaminer.com/opinion/beltway-confidential/4671106/democrats-swing-state-blue-wall-haven-for-socialists/
— I toured Smithsonian’s Native American Museum. What I saw was pure anti-American propaganda.
https://www.washingtonexaminer.com/op-eds/4670261/smithsonian-political-bias-drag-queens-founding-fathers-american-indian/
— Millionaires got 3%, and working families got 27%. The Left’s tax narrative is dead.
https://www.washingtonexaminer.com/op-eds/4670321/working-families-tax-cuts-middle-class/
— Mamdani promised to tax the 1%. Then 960,000 people ended up on the list.
https://www.washingtonexaminer.com/op-eds/4670273/mamdani-hochul-nyc-pied-a-terre-tax-list-expansion/
— They packaged potent THC to look like children’s candy — and fought to keep it that way.
https://www.washingtonexaminer.com/op-eds/4669697/gas-station-marijuana-thc-packaged-like-kids-candy-legal-loophole-nonintoxicating/
— A 4-year-old died from ‘gas station weed.’ Don’t let Congress save the industry.
https://www.washingtonexaminer.com/op-eds/4670001/congress-delta-8-hemp-gummies-ban-farm-bill/
— Does citizenship matter anymore? If not, neither does voting.
https://www.washingtonexaminer.com/op-eds/4670137/noncitizen-voting-devalues-american-citizenship-debate-exceptions-become-norms/
NEW YORK POST
— Young Dems’ radicalism threatens to doom their party in midterms — and beyond.
https://nypost.com/2026/07/30/opinion/young-democrats-radicalism-threatens-to-doom-party-in-midterms-and-beyond/
— Dems’ hatred of Trump created this socialist monster — and now it’s turning on them.
https://nypost.com/2026/07/31/opinion/democrats-hatred-of-donald-trump-created-this-socialist-monster-and-now-its-turning-on-them/
— Trump warns migrant ‘catastrophe’ in Spain would look ‘small time’ if Dems regain power.
https://nypost.com/2026/07/31/world-news/trump-warns-spain-migrant-catastrophe-would-look-small-time-if-dems-regain-power/
— Over 50K federal employees and their $2B in salaries eliminated under Trump in 2025. DD: My critics/opponents continue to be overjoyed that my Democrat Post Office, IRS, and GAO superiors wasted my career and forced me to retire when I was 49 in 1997. My critics/opponents continue to ignore/dismiss/belittle that while I was a federal employee for almost 30 years, I used my personal time and my salary to earn a job-related bachelor’s degree, three job-related master’s degrees, six job-related professional certifications, and a job-related professional license.
https://nypost.com/2026/07/31/us-news/more-than-50000-federal-employees-2b-in-salaries-eliminated-under-trump-in-2025/
— Newsom announced Friday that California’s statewide minimum wage will increase to $17.40 per hour beginning January 1, 2027. I worked for the minimum wage 1964-1966. In today’s dollars, it was $13.06/hour. I worked 28 hours a week for 16 months and 40 hours a week for 3 months. With the money I earned, I bought a new 1966 Pontiac Tempest Sprint ( https://over-drive-magazine.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/02/1965-12-CD-1966-Pontiac-Tempest-Sprint-Test-1-4.pdf ) in May of 1966.
https://nypost.com/2026/07/31/us-news/californias-minimum-wage-to-increase-in-2027-gavin-newsom-announces/
BREITBART
— Courts Say ICE Must Give Bond Hearings to Illegal Aliens if They’re Caught Anywhere Inside U.S. Borders.
https://www.breitbart.com/politics/2026/07/30/appeals-courts-reject-trump-mandatory-detention-illegal-aliens/
FEDERALIST
— Spain’s Illegal Alien Invasion Shows It Would Take Democrats Only A Few Hours To Destroy Trump’s Border Progress.
https://thefederalist.com/2026/07/31/spains-illegal-alien-invasion-shows-it-would-take-democrats-only-a-few-hours-to-destroy-trumps-border-progress/
LEGAL INSURRECTION
— U. Minnesota Receives $600K Grant for Study Aiming to Reduce ‘Racial Bias’ in White Kids.
https://legalinsurrection.com/2026/07/u-minnesota-receives-600k-grant-for-study-aiming-to-reduce-racial-bias-in-white-kids/
NEWSMAX
— Rep. Mary Miller to Newsmax: Trump Securing Highways From Illegal Truckers.
https://www.newsmax.com/newsmax-tv/mary-miller-donald-trump-migrants/2026/07/31/id/1264652/
FROM NATIONAL CENTER-LEFT SOURCES
CNN
— ICE’s vetting, training, vehicular stops ‘all being reviewed’ after fatal shootings. DD: IRS would not have hired me to be a Revenue Officer when I was 22 in 1971 if I had not had a bachelor’s degree in business and had passed the Federal Service Entrance Examination. The first 6 months I worked for IRS was in classroom training.
https://www.cnn.com/2026/07/26/politics/video/tom-homan-maine-ice-shooting-sotu
CBS NEWS
— DD: Democrat leaders ever-increasingly blame Trump for inflation and for everything else that is bad.
https://www.cbsnews.com/news/cbs-poll-analysis-cost-of-living-democrats-republicans/
— Democrats in Congress demand training, vetting information on ICE agent who killed immigrant in Maine. DD: IRS would not have hired me to be a Revenue Officer when I was 22 in 1971 if I had not had a bachelor’s degree in business and had passed the Federal Service Entrance Examination. The first 6 months I worked for IRS was in classroom training.
https://www.cbsnews.com/news/democrats-congress-ice-maine-shooting-letter-training-vetting/
— DD: Democrat leaders ever-increasingly promote race based politics. They ever-increasingly shout at Hispanics that Republicans cause all the problems that Hispanics have.
https://www.cbsnews.com/news/latino-organizations-voters-2026-midterm-elections/
NEW YORK TIMES
— Why Mitch McConnell Isn’t Giving Up His Senate Seat.
https://www.nytimes.com/2026/07/31/us/why-mitch-mcconnell-isnt-giving-up-his-senate-seat.html
WASHINGTON POST
— Trump administration reviewing ICE vetting process after Maine shooting. DD: IRS would not have hired me to be a Revenue Officer when I was 22 in 1971 if I had not had a bachelor’s degree in business and had passed the Federal Service Entrance Examination. The first 6 months I worked for IRS was in classroom training.
https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/2026/07/26/trump-administration-reviewing-ice-vetting-process-after-maine-shooting/
USA TODAY
— DD: Democrat leaders say Illinois guards against noncitizen voting.
https://www.usatoday.com/videos/news/politics/elections/2026/07/31/illinois-guards-against-noncitizen-voting/91126207007/
July 26, 2026
FROM ILLINOIS CENTER-LEFT SOURCES
ABC7
— How lighthearted social media trend of ‘teen takeovers’ took serious turn in Chicago and across US. DD: What is your municipality doing to stop Democrat teen takeovers?
https://abc7chicago.com/post/teen-takeover-chicago-news-how-social-media-trend-took-serious-turn/19575868/
CBS2
— Teen takeover crowds Green Line ‘L’ terminal in Chicago’s Englewood community. DD: What is your municipality doing to stop Democrat teen takeovers?
https://www.cbsnews.com/chicago/news/teen-takeover-green-line-l-terminal-chicago-englewood-community/
WGN9
— Trump’s crusade against mail-in voting loses in federal court.
https://wgntv.com/news/nexstar-media-wire/president-trumps-crusade-against-mail-in-voting-loses-in-federal-court/
FOX32
— Illinois giving undocumented immigrants in-state tuition rate is unconstitutional.
https://www.fox32chicago.com/news/illinois-immigrants-tuition-ruling
CHICAGO TRIBUNE
— FRONT PAGE TOP OF FOLD: DD: Democrat leaders ever-increasingly a) glorify and praise their illegals and b) fight their deportation.
https://www.chicagotribune.com/2026/07/24/chicago-immigration-court-removal-orders-analysis/
https://www.chicagotribune.com/2026/07/25/hundreds-march-to-trump-tower-vigil-for-ice-killings/
— Illinois Democrats’ single-party rule and diminished GOP may shield Springfield from Benton scandal reforms.
https://www.chicagotribune.com/2026/07/26/harry-benton-election-impact/
WGN RADIO
— Matt Dietrich, Spokesperson for the Illinois Board of Elections on that the Illinois Board of Elections does to ensure that noncitizens aren’t able to register to vote.
https://wgnradio.com/john-williams/how-secure-are-elections-in-illinois/
HERALD WHIG
— Lieutenant governor candidate Aaron Del Mar calls for grace.
https://whig.com/2026/07/25/lieutenant-governor-candidate-calls-for-grace/
CAPITOL NEWS ILLINOIS
— These 9 Illinois communities say they’re interested in new nuclear facilities.
https://capitolnewsillinois.com/news/these-9-illinois-communities-say-theyre-interested-in-new-nuclear-facilities/
FROM NATIONAL CENTER-RIGHT SOURCES
WASHINGTON EXAMINER
— The DSA’s dumbed-down definition of working class is designed to deceive. DD: I was a member of the working class 1964-1997, that is, I was a wage earner 1964-1997. My critics/opponents look down on the working class, that is, they look down on wage earners.
https://www.washingtonexaminer.com/premium/4657193/dsa-dumbed-down-definition-working-class-designed-to-deceive/
NEW YORK POST
— Socialists are on the march.
https://nypost.com/2026/07/25/real-estate/detroit-developer-cites-tax-hikes-as-reason-big-blue-cities-like-nyc-are-struggling-socialists-are-on-the-march/
— Team Trump is wisely pushing for most illegal migrants to go home voluntarily.
https://nypost.com/2026/07/25/opinion/team-trump-is-wisely-pushing-for-most-illegal-migrants-to-go-home-voluntarily/
— NYC promotes nearly 100% of students in grades 3-8 despite 40% of them failing standardized tests.
https://nypost.com/2026/07/25/us-news/city-promotes-nearly-100-of-students-in-grades-3-8/
AMERICAN THINKER
— Bombshell Biden memo: More illegals means more illegal voters.
https://www.americanthinker.com/blog/2026/07/bombshell-biden-memo-more-illegals-means-more-illegal-voters/
— Texas to stop teaching capitalism? Texas parents have a new fight on their hands: keeping ‘anti-racism’ out of their children’s personal finance classes.
https://www.americanthinker.com/blog/2026/07/texas-to-stop-teaching-capitalism/
— America’s Current Socialist Trend Could End Badly.
https://www.americanthinker.com/articles/2026/07/america-s-current-socialist-trend-could-end-badly/
— Red better than blue. At least from an economics perspective.
https://www.americanthinker.com/blog/2026/07/red-better-than-blue/
BLAZE
— The socialists are coming for the Senate.
https://www.theblaze.com/columns/opinion/the-socialists-are-coming-for-the-senate
BREITBART
— Trump to Mamdani: Stop Destroying My Home Town.
https://www.breitbart.com/crime/2026/07/25/pinkerton-trump-to-mamdani-stop-destroying-my-home-town/
DAILY SIGNAL
— Capitalism Improves Human Lives, Socialism Does the Opposite. DD: Under socialism, to advance, all you need to do is be a socialist. Under Democrats, to advance, all you need to do is be a Democrat. For Democrats, the federal government exists to hire, retain, and promote Democrats who are minority, female, younger, veteran, disabled, non-Protestant, non-German American, and/or have ancestors who have not been in America for a long time.
https://www.dailysignal.com/2026/02/01/capitalism-improves-human-lives-socialism-does-the-opposite/
DAILY WIRE
— How Democratic Socialism Went Mainstream.
https://www.dailywire.com/episode/ben-shapiro-show-explains-the-dsa
FOX NEWS
— Majority of Democratic voters support socialism. DD: How soon, if not already, will Democratic Socialists take over the DNC, the Illinois Democratic Party, your Democratic county party, and your Democratic township party?
https://www.foxnews.com/video/6402114830112
— Court checks Pritzker as Trump administration scores another immigration win. The ruling invalidates the RISE Act and Illinois DREAM Act, marking another win for Trump’s immigration agenda.
https://www.foxnews.com/politics/court-checks-pritzker-trump-administration-scores-another-immigration-win
— Democrats concede NJ voter-roll failure was ‘horrible’ — but reject broader fraud fears. Senators and representatives called for election integrity reforms including paper trails and software reviews
https://www.foxnews.com/politics/democrats-concede-nj-voter-roll-failure-horrible-reject-broader-fraud-fears
— Fight for Democratic Party’s future moves to Midwest as socialism gains traction. DD: How soon, if not already, will Democratic Socialists take over the DNC, the Illinois Democratic Party, your Democratic county party, and your Democratic township party?
https://www.foxnews.com/video/6402121162112
— Cuban immigrant warns against rising socialism in US primaries.
https://www.foxnews.com/video/6402120321112
— AOC’s 2028 chances spark concerns about Democratic socialists’ rise.
https://www.foxnews.com/video/6402121973112?spark_wn=1
— Platner to be replaced with socialist Troy Jackson.
https://www.foxnews.com/video/6402114775112
— Far-left victories rip mask off Democrats as top conservative sounds alarm party is ‘way beyond socialism.’ The House Freedom Caucus chairman argues DSA-backed primary wins will make voters nervous ahead of midterm elections.
https://www.foxnews.com/politics/far-left-victories-rip-mask-off-democrats-top-conservative-sounds-alarm-party-way-beyond-socialism
— The Democratic establishment fights back against the socialists.
https://www.washingtonexaminer.com/news/campaigns/congressional/4663234/democratic-establishment-fights-back-against-socialists/
— Economic democracy: The DSA’s plan to punish the productive and reward the lazy. DD: Virtually all my superiors, supervisors, coworkers, and subordinates were Democrats. Extremely few of my Post Office coworkers earned a job-related bachelor’s degree like I did. Few of my IRS and GAO coworkers earned job-related master’s degrees and professional certifications like I did. None of my coworkers earned a job-related professional license like I did. All my coworkers who my Democrat superiors promoted over me were Democrats who a) had less education than I had, b) had less work experience than I had, c) had no professional certification or fewer than I had, and/or d) had no professional license like the one I had.
https://www.washingtonexaminer.com/restoring-america/patriotism-unity/4659903/dsas-plan-to-punish-productive-and-reward-lazy/
— Fetterman: Socialism should be the UNACCEPTABLE view.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GueGDcRLX5s
— Democrats are in big trouble because Black and brown voters don’t want socialism.
https://www.foxnews.com/opinion/democrats-big-trouble-black-brown-voters-dont-want-socialism
LAW ENFORCEMENT TODAY
— The Anti-ICE Campaign Is BLM 2.0.
https://lawenforcementtoday.com/the-anti-ice-campaign-is-blm-2-0
MILITARY
— White House Wants Veterans to Replace Immigrant Truckers Who Lost Their Licenses in Crackdown. DD: I often drove postal trucks while I worked for the Post Office 1966-1969.
https://www.military.com/white-house-wants-veterans-to-replace-immigrant-truckers-who-lost-their-licenses-in-crackdown
POST MILLENNIAL
— Federal judge strikes down Illinois sanctuary policy granting illegal immigrants in-state tuition, financial aid.
https://thepostmillennial.com/federal-judge-strikes-down-illinois-sanctuary-policy-granting-illegal-immigrants-in-state-tuition-financial-aid.
— Alaska sends over 3,000 letters asking voters to prove citizenship. DD: It seems that to prove that you were born in America and/or that either of your parents were American citizens is to prove that you are an American citizen.
https://thepostmillennial.com/alaska-sends-over-3000-letters-asking-voters-to-prove-citizenship
REAL CLEAR POLITICS
— Karl Rove: Dem Socialism a Gift to GOP.
https://www.realclearpolitics.com/2026/07/25/karl_rove_dem_socialism_a_gift_to_gop_706151.html
TOWNHALL
— Democratic Socialists Are Obsessed With Abortion.
https://townhall.com/columnists/derekhunter/2026/07/26/democratic-socialists-are-obsessed-with-abortion-n2680134
— Communism—the Religion of Hate.
https://townhall.com/columnists/marklewis/2026/07/26/communismthe-religion-of-hate-n2680127
FROM NATIONAL CENTER-LEFT SOURCES
THE HILL
— Mamdani’s ‘fair share’ myth joins a growing corpus of socialist fables. DD: According to my critics/opponents, I was always grossly overpaid. In my defense, I worked my way through college and I earned a job-related bachelor’s degree, three job-related master’s degrees, six job-related professional certifications, and a job-related professional license.
https://thehill.com/opinion/campaign/5989614-socialist-mythology-wealthy-taxpayers/
AOL
— The Minimum Salary You Need To Feel Financially Stable in Every State in 2026. DD: In Illinois, it is $83,000/year. I did not start earning $83,000/year in today’s dollars until I was 24 in 1973. By then, I had earned a bachelor’s degree in business from NIU, worked for IRS for 2 years, bought a new 1972 Corvette, bought a new townhome in University Park, and completed six graduate evening business courses at Loyola.
https://www.aol.com/articles/minimum-salary-feel-financially-stable-180011000.html
CNN
— GAO: More Amazon workers are turning to SNAP and Medicaid to make ends meet. DD: What did you do to qualify yourself for better paying jobs? I passed that postal employment test when I was 17 in 1966. I passed the Federal Entrance Examination when I was 21. I earned a bachelor’s degree in business when I was 21. I earned an MBA 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 when I was 31. I passed the Certified Internal Auditor examination on my first attempt when I was 32. I became a licensed CPA when I was 32. I earned four more job-related professional certifications when I was 41, 45, 47, and 48. I earned a master’s degree in finance when I was 48.
https://www.wxow.com/news/top-stories/more-amazon-and-gig-workers-are-turning-to-snap-and-medicaid-to-make-ends-meet/article_a5034c35-42e9-521b-b91a-e6281fd08371.html
(FROM THE ARTICLE: Employed but still in need of assistance. GAO, which also looked at 2024 Census data, found that nearly 14 million adults who worked at some point that year were enrolled in Medicaid, and 10.6 million adults lived in households that received Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP), the formal name for food stamps. They mostly worked full-time schedules, and a majority worked in one of five occupations, including transportation and food preparation and serving. In 2020, about 12 million wage-earning adults were covered by Medicaid, and 9 million received food stamps, according to the earlier GAO report, which looked at Census data from the prior year. To qualify for food stamps, applicants must earn less than 130% of the federal poverty level, or about $42,000 a year for a family of four. (Some states have higher income limits.) Medicaid recipients can earn no more than 138% of the federal poverty limit, or about $22,000 for an individual, though some states that did not expand the program to low-income adults have lower income thresholds.)
NEW YORK TIMES
— Democratic Socialists Are Winning Big. Now They Want Action. The Democratic Socialists of America, after a string of election victories in New York, is eager to tax the rich and enact anti-Israel policies. DD: How soon, if not already, will Democratic Socialists take over the DNC, the Illinois Democratic Party, your Democratic county party, and your Democratic township party?
https://www.nytimes.com/2026/07/26/nyregion/dsa-tax-rich-hochul-mamdani.html
— Gen Z-ers Don’t See the Point of Ambition. DD: How ambitious were your peers? Virtually all my superiors, supervisors, coworkers, and subordinates were Democrats. Extremely few of my Post Office coworkers earned a job-related bachelor’s degree like I did. Few of my IRS and GAO coworkers earned job-related master’s degrees and professional certifications like I did. None of my coworkers earned a job-related professional license like I did. All my coworkers who my Democrat superiors promoted over me were Democrats who a) had less education than I had, b) had less work experience than I had, c) had no professional certification or fewer than I had, and/or d) had no professional license like the one I had.
https://www.nytimes.com/2026/07/23/opinion/gen-z-ambition-millennials-career.html
USA TODAY
— What the Supreme Court’s test for gun rules could mean for AR-15 bans. After appearing to loosen a restrictive test for gun regulations two years ago, the Supreme Court tacked back to the right this term. An even bigger Second Amendment case is up next.
https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/politics/2026/07/26/supreme-courts-historical-test-guns-ar-15/91012945007/
— Student debt has grads becoming socialists. It’s not the answer.
https://www.usatoday.com/story/opinion/columnist/2026/07/26/college-degree-jobs-money-socialism/91014847007/
— New cars cost nearly $50K. Here are 5 affordable car brands under $40K. DD: Back in the good old days, that is, during the 1960s and 1970s. I was able to earn enough money to buy new cars when I was 17, 19, 20, 23, 25, and 29.
https://www.usatoday.com/story/cars/shopping/new-cars/2026/07/14/best-affordable-cars-under-40k/90915827007/
NEW YORK SUN
— Third World-ism Emerging as the Ultimate Driver of the Democratic Socialist Agenda. The far left aspires to fulfill President Obama’s goal of ‘fundamentally transforming’ America.
https://www.nysun.com/article/third-world-ism-emerging-as-the-ultimate-driver-of-the-democratic-socialist-agenda
— Silence of America’s Surging Socialists Speaks Volumes as Nicaragua’s Ortega Ends Democracy.
https://www.nysun.com/article/silence-of-americas-surging-socialists-speaks-volumes-as-nicaraguas-ortega-ends-democracy
DALLAS EXPRESS
— Just 12% Of U.S. Adults Call Four-Year Schools Affordable. DD: Back in the good old days, even though no one thought I was college material, I took college preparatory courses, I got an ACT score of 24, I graduated in the upper 20% of my high school class, I got accepted by UIC, I worked my way through college by working for the Park Forest Post Office part-time during the school years and full-time during the summers, and I graduated debt-free from NIU in 1970 with a bachelor’s degree in business and owning a 1969 Dodge Charger SE. I could not have done that if my parents had not provided me with room and board while I took classes at UIC 1966-1968, weekends during my first semester at NIU in 1969 to keep my Post Office job, and the summer of 1969.
https://dallasexpress.com/education/college-costs-under-fire-just-12-of-u-s-adults-call-four-year-schools-affordable/
TAMPA FREE PRESS
— Wealthy Elites, Not The Working Class, Are Driving Socialist Push.
https://www.tampafp.com/victor-davis-hanson-wealthy-elites-not-the-working-class-are-driving-socialist-push/
YONKERS TIMES
— Should the United States Have a $25 Minimum Wage? DD: I did not start earning $25/hour in today’s dollar s until after I had earned a bachelor’s degree in business and had passed the Federal Service Entrance Examination.
https://yonkerstimes.com/should-the-united-states-have-a-25-minimum-wage/
COMMON DREAMS
— DD: Democrat leaders ever-increasingly promote socialism.
https://www.commondreams.org/news/aoc-on-communism
FROM FOREIGN SOURCES
— ‘Teen takeovers’ started as a social media trend. But now the phenomenon has taken a sinister turn. DD: What is your municipality doing to stop Democrat teen takeovers?
https://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/americas/teen-takeovers-social-media-trend-us-police-chicago-b3021501.html
July 23, 2026 Evening Edition
FROM ILLINOIS CENTER-LEFT SOURCES
ABC7
— Durbin pressing for action amid possible Legionella at Dirksen Federal Courthouse in Chicago.
https://abc7chicago.com/post/sen-dick-durbin-pressing-general-services-administration-gsa-amid-possible-legionella-dirksen-federal-courthouse/19565422/
NBC5
— Man, 24, and woman, 27, fatally shot in car on University of Chicago campus. A weapon was recovered from the scene, police said.
https://www.nbcchicago.com/news/local/man-24-and-woman-27-fatally-shot-in-car-on-university-of-chicago-campus/3965571/
CHICAGO TRIBUNE
— DD: Democrat leaders ever-increasingly side with Iran against America.
https://www.chicagotribune.com/2026/07/23/house-passes-iran-war-resolution/
— DD: Democrat leaders continue to use Emmett Till to promote more hatred against Republicans.
https://www.chicagotribune.com/2026/07/23/emmett-till-day/
CHICAGO SUN-TIMES
— 2 fatally shot in Hyde Park. A 24-year-old man and 27-year-old woman were found inside a vehicle in the 5900 block of East Ellis Avenue at 5:35 p.m. with single gunshot wounds to each of their heads, police said.
https://chicago.suntimes.com/crime/2026/07/23/2-fatally-shot-in-hyde-park
DAILY HERALD
— Wheaton man charged with sexually assaulting woman.
https://www.dailyherald.com/20260723/news/authorities-wheaton-man-charged-with-sexually-assaulting-woman/
— Arlington Heights couple pleads guilty to vandalizing local GOP headquarters.
https://www.dailyherald.com/20260723/news/arlington-heights-couple-pleads-guilty-to-vandalizing-local-gop-headquarters/
FOX32
— DD: Democrat leaders continue to use Emmett Till to promote more hatred against Republicans.
https://www.fox32chicago.com/video/fmc-6f7oirzh028a7g8i
RIVER BENDER
— DD: Democrat leaders continue to use Emmett Till to promote more hatred against Republicans.
https://www.riverbender.com/news/details/gov-pritzker-designates-emmett-till-day-in-illinois-95340.cfm?
WSIL TV
— Push to make Illinois the 51st State.
https://www.wsiltv.com/video/push-to-make-illinois-the-51st-state/video_b96da2f7-14de-531c-90bd-0f3bfe157607.html
WJOL
— Diane M. Harris Named Interim Chairman Of Joliet Township Republican Organization.
https://www.wjol.com/diane-m-harris-named-interim-chairman-of-joliet-township-republican-organization/
WGLT
— DD: The mainstream news media exists to drive Trump’s approval rating down.
https://www.wglt.org/2026-07-23/a-year-after-trump-funding-cuts-public-media-finds-support-from-audiences
NPR ILLINOIS
— DD: Democrat leaders ever-increasingly side with Iran against America.
https://www.nprillinois.org/2026-07-23/for-a-2nd-time-house-approves-resolution-to-end-the-war-in-iran-in-a-rebuke-to-trump
CAPITOL NEWS ILLINOIS
— Here’s how Illinois election authorities guard against noncitizen voting. Officials say safeguards are in place prevent inadvertent registration.
https://capitolnewsillinois.com/news/heres-how-illinois-election-authorities-guard-against-noncitizen-voting/
CAPITOL FAX
— Afternoon roundup
https://capitolfax.com/2026/07/23/isabel%e2%80%99s-afternoon-roundup-562/
FROM NATIONAL CENTER-RIGHT SOURCES
WASHINGTON TIMES
— Trump administration falls short of ‘mass deportations.’ New data released by DHS is disappointing.
https://www.washingtontimes.com/news/2026/jul/23/trump-administration-falls-short-mass-deportations/
— The Smithsonian’s museum of woke. Federal funding should not support ideology masquerading as history.
https://www.washingtontimes.com/news/2026/jul/23/editorial-smithsonians-museum-woke/
WASHINGTON EXAMINER
— Medical students are being trained in left-wing activism. That puts us all in danger.
https://www.washingtonexaminer.com/op-eds/4658905/medical-students-left-wing-activism-puts-us-in-danger/
— Wikipedia is training Google and AI to lie to you.
https://www.washingtonexaminer.com/op-eds/4659114/wikipedia-training-google-and-ai-lie-to-you/
— JD Vance handed Iran $6 billion — American soldiers paid the price.
https://www.washingtonexaminer.com/op-eds/4659856/jd-vance-iran-mou-us-military-casualties-strait-hormuz/
NEW YORK POST
— Democrats’ shameful refusal to fund the Pentagon is making AOC the heart of the party.
https://nypost.com/2026/07/23/opinion/democrats-shameful-refusal-to-fund-the-pentagon-is-making-aoc-the-heart-of-the-party/
— China’s schemes are poisoning every facet of American life — and could bend us to its will.
https://nypost.com/2026/07/23/opinion/chinas-schemes-are-poisoning-every-facet-of-american-life-and-could-bend-us-to-its-will/
DAILY CALLER
— Conservative Leaders Call GOP-Led Amnesty Bill ‘Betrayal’ To Voters.
https://dailycaller.com/2026/07/23/conservative-leaders-call-gop-led-amnesty-bill-betrayal-to-voters/
FOX NEWS
— Smithsonian pushed ‘revolting’ social action training after ‘whiteness’ chart apology.
https://www.foxnews.com/politics/smithsonian-pushed-revolting-social-action-training-whiteness-chart-apology-expert
NEWSMAX
— House GOP Farm Bill Draws Conservative Amnesty Fury.
https://www.newsmax.com/us/house-gop-farming/2026/07/22/id/1263724/
TOWNHALL
— Mamdani Makes It Clear He Believes International Law Trumps US Sovereignty.
https://townhall.com/tipsheet/amy-curtis/2026/07/23/mamdani-international-law-trumps-us-law-n2680000
FROM OTHER SOURCES
THIS OLD HOUSE
— Undergrounding Power Lines. DD: I have asked ComEd to put its line underground between my subdivision and its line along the Illinois Prairie Path, and failing that, to trim the trees that are pushing the line down and to the north.
https://www.thisoldhouse.com/this-old-house/season-47/walpole-ranch-with-adu/all-about-undergrounding-power-lines
July 22. 2026 Evening Edition
FROM ILLINOIS CENTER-LEFT SOURCES
NBC5
— DD: Democrat leaders ever-increasingly a) glorify and praise their illegals and b) fight their deportation.
https://www.nbcchicago.com/news/local/chicago-politics/chicago-voters-will-be-asked-whether-city-should-seek-compensation-after-midway-blitz/3964880/
CHICAGO TRIBUNE
— DD: Anticipate/expect that people who have less income/assets (renters) will vote for higher taxes on people who have more income/assets (homeowners).
https://www.chicagotribune.com/2026/07/22/cook-county-treasurer-mount-prospect-skokie-property-taxes/
CHICAGO SUN-TIMES
— DD: Democrat leaders ever-increasingly a) glorify and praise their illegals and b) fight their deportation.
https://chicago.suntimes.com/city-hall/2026/07/22/migrant-crisis-chicago-cost-inspector-general-david-glockner-report
— DD: By their actions and by their inactions, foreign countries ever-increasingly illegally a) send their citizens illegally to American illegally and b) keep their citizens in America illegally.
https://chicago.suntimes.com/immigration/2026/07/22/mexico-seeks-accountability-in-chicago-area-ice-death-and-16-others-can-it-force-the-u-s-to-act
— DD: While I worked for the Democrats who ran GAO’s Chicago office 1980-1997, they assigned me to supervise all the disabled employees they hired.
https://chicago.suntimes.com/other-views/2026/07/22/states-should-reject-doj-retreat-olmstead-ruling-disabilities-peggy-flaherty-debra-howard-frye
DAILY HERALD
— An Oswego man who was free on pretrial release on previous aggravated battery charges is facing additional felony charges after authorities say he punched a woman in the face and resisted arrest in Wheaton.
https://www.dailyherald.com/20260722/news/oswego-man-on-pretrial-release-facing-new-felony-charges-after-woman-punched-in-wheaton/
NPR ILLINOIS
— Pritzker for president? Handicapping the Illinois governor’s political future.
https://www.nprillinois.org/illinois/2026-07-22/pritzker-for-president-handicapping-the-illinois-governors-political-future
FOX ILLINOIS & CENTRAL ILLINOIS PROUD
— US civil rights agency moves to end demographic data collection after 60 years. DD: Since the 1960s, ever-increasingly, my bad demographics (White, male) have worked against me. Since the 1960s, my employers were under ever-increasingly pressure to hire, to retain, and to promote those who do not share my demographics (minority, female).
https://www.foxillinois.com/news/nation-world/us-civil-rights-agency-moves-to-end-demographic-data-collection-after-60-years/article_8dc8ff78-255b-534e-92d8-52167af0ed35.html
https://www.centralillinoisproud.com/news/business/ap-us-civil-rights-agency-moves-to-end-demographic-data-collection-after-60-years/
BLOCK CLUB CHICAGO
— DD: Democrat leaders continue to use Emmett Till to promote more hatred against Republicans.
https://blockclubchicago.org/2026/07/22/emmett-tills-85th-birthday-to-bring-radical-joy-at-closing-of-bronzeville-art-exhibition/
CAPITOL FAX
— Afternoon roundup
https://capitolfax.com/2026/07/22/isabel%e2%80%99s-afternoon-roundup-561/
FROM NATIONAL CENTER-RIGHT SOURCES
WASHINGTON TIMES
— Democrats will one day regret standing against Israel. The Democratic Socialists of America’s anti-Israel hysteria.
https://www.washingtontimes.com/news/2026/jul/21/editorial-democrats-one-day-regret-standing-israel/
— AOC, Buttigieg lead hypothetical 2028 Democrats in New Hampshire; Rubio closes gap with Vance.
https://www.washingtontimes.com/news/2026/jul/22/aoc-buttigieg-lead-hypothetical-2028-democrats-new-hampshire-rubio/
NEW YORK POST
— Trump’s IRS chief reveals scrub of Social Security database found 10% of recipients erroneously listed.
https://nypost.com/2026/07/22/us-news/trumps-irs-chief-reveals-scrub-of-social-security-database-found-10-of-recipients-erroneously-listed/
— GOP Rep. Kat Cammack pitches mandatory background checks for Congress staffers over claims foreign agents running wild. DD: What percent of those in America are agents of foreign countries?
https://nypost.com/2026/07/22/us-news/gop-rep-kat-cammack-pitches-mandatory-background-checks-for-congress-staffers-amid-claims-foreign-agents-running-wild/
— Congress is ancient — someone needs to make sure they are fit to serve. DD: My Democrat GAO superiors hinted that they forced me to retire when I was 49 in 1997 because too many of their employees were old White males.
https://nypost.com/2026/07/21/opinion/congress-is-ancient-someone-needs-to-make-sure-they-are-fit-to-serve/
AMERICAN THINKER
— Democratic Socialists Are Courting the Youth. How do we stop them? DD: Under socialism, to advance, all you need to do is be a socialist. Under Democrats, to advance, all you need to do is be a Democrat. For Democrats, the federal government exists to hire, retain, and promote Democrats who are minority, female, younger, veteran, disabled, non-Protestant, non-German American, and/or have ancestors who have not been in America for a long time.
https://www.americanthinker.com/articles/2026/07/democratic-socialists-are-courting-the-youth/
— Against the left: A time for resolution. Enough is enough. It’s time to speak out. DD: I speak out in every GOPUSA ILLINOIS newsletter.
https://www.americanthinker.com/blog/2026/07/against-the-left-a-time-for-resolution/
FEDERALIST
— DHS Should Be Threatening Employers Of Illegal Aliens, Not Buttering Them Up.
https://thefederalist.com/2026/07/22/dhs-should-be-threatening-employers-of-illegal-aliens-not-buttering-them-up/
— There Are No Ag ‘Jobs Americans Won’t Do’ If They Earn A Living Wage. Pro-amnesty Republicans are allowing the agriculture industry to shut out American workers in favor of foreign migrants.
https://thefederalist.com/2026/07/22/there-are-no-ag-jobs-americans-wont-do-if-they-earn-a-living-wage/
— How Woke Smithsonian Bureaucrats ‘Killed America’s Story’
https://thefederalist.com/2026/07/22/how-woke-smithsonian-bureaucrats-killed-americas-story/
FOX NEWS
— Biden administration forced a false choice on Americans about immigration.
https://www.foxnews.com/opinion/biden-administration-forced-false-choice-americans-immigration.amp
— Gluesenkamp Perez proposed an amendment to the FY27 Legislative Branch Appropriations bill in May that would have required “the Office of Congressional Conduct to develop a standard for what constitutes conduct that does not reflect creditably upon the House, as it relates to a member of Congress’ ability to perform the duties of office unimpeded by significant irreversible cognitive impairment.” DD: What shows your cognitive status? For me, it includes my putting GOPUSA ILLINOIS newsletters together and sending them out every day.
https://www.foxnews.com/politics/dems-cognitive-decline-crackdown-wins-rare-conservative-praise-extremely-based
— Turley: Democratic Socialists want to remake America in their image. That’s terrifying. DSA manifesto released on Bastille Day proposes ending capitalism and remaking the constitutional system.
https://www.foxnews.com/opinion/jonathan-turley-democratic-socialists-want-remake-america-image-thats-terrifying
TOWNHALL
— When the Left Says It Wants to ‘End Whiteness,’ This Is What They Mean.
https://townhall.com/tipsheet/print/2679908
FROM NATIONAL CENTER-LEFT SOURCES
CBS NEWS
— More people booked into ICE detention in June than in any month since crackdown began.
https://www.cbsnews.com/news/more-people-booked-into-ice-detention-june-2026/
JD SUPRA
— Your EEO-1 Reporting Obligations May Be Over. DD: Since the 1960s, ever-increasingly, my bad demographics (White, male) have worked against me. Since the 1960s, my employers were under ever-increasingly pressure to hire, to retain, and to promote those who do not share my demographics (minority, female).
https://www.jdsupra.com/legalnews/is-this-the-end-your-eeo-1-reporting-3566062/
July 20, 2026
FROM ILLINOIS CENTER-LEFT SOURCES
CHICAGO SUN-TIMES
— Illinois Republican Party chair Bob Grogan aims to shake off ‘Stockholm syndrome’ of struggling state GOP. Shut out of statewide office for a decade, the new face of the Illinois GOP is appealing to a suburban base that has evaporated under President Donald Trump.
https://chicago.suntimes.com/politics/2026/07/20/bob-grogan-illinois-republican-party-new-chairperson-dupage-county-auditor
(FROM THE ARTICLE: It doesn’t take a professional auditor to conclude the Illinois Republican Party is stuck in a rut, but the state GOP is hoping one can get them back on the path to relevance. Nearly 12 years removed from their last statewide election victory and long relegated to super-minority status in Springfield, Republicans have tapped former DuPage County Auditor Bob Grogan to chair the state party, aiming to revitalize the suburban base that has largely abandoned the GOP under President Donald Trump. Grogan spent 12 years as an elected watchdog keeping tabs on various arms of the county government, and he has no misconceptions about his new volunteer post recruiting candidates, fundraising and, most importantly, attempting to unite a fractured party. “You get blamed for everything and credit for nothing,” Grogan told the Sun-Times. “I’m not in it for the glory. I like to say professionally, what I do is I fix broken things. And that’s my audit background, where you find problems, and you don’t play ‘gotcha.’ You just say, ‘Here’s a list of solutions. Let’s try to go out and do it.’” He’ll need a long list in the wake of his predecessor, Kathy Salvi, who wasn’t able to make many statewide inroads before Grogan unseated her in a May vote by the Republican State Central Committee. “She was more aspirational, and I’m more operational,” said Grogan, who doesn’t embrace Trump quite as enthusiastically as Salvi did. Grogan compared the president to an “elephant in the china shop.” “We share a lot of the same goals. We definitely don’t share a style,” the Downers Grove resident said, referring to Trump. “I come from a totally different background. I’m a boring CPA. He’s a reality TV show, New York real estate developer … But he’s got the hardest job in the world, and I probably have the second hardest job in the world, being chairman of the Illinois Republican Party.” Trump has certainly complicated matters for the state party in the suburbs, which provided the lifeblood of the Illinois GOP for generations. Former President Joe Biden won DuPage County by 18 percentage points in 2024. Grogan contends the “evolution in the suburbs” started under former President Barack Obama. But he acknowledges the headwinds the MAGA movement has brought to suburbs that used to be reliably red. “[Trump] brought in blue-collar voters that weren’t ours before, and that’s a good thing and it’s a challenging thing,” Grogan said. “Blue-collar voters need to be enticed a little bit more. They need to be excited a little bit more.” Grogan doesn’t push Trump’s false conspiracy theory of widespread voter fraud costing him the 2020 presidential election, and Grogan says his party needs to embrace mail voting the president has sowed doubt about. But the new chair is quick to note “no system is zero-fraud and zero-error” — including the one in DuPage County that saw him lose his bid for a third term as auditor. “In 2020, I lost by 76 votes out of a half a million, and I will tell you that the error rate was probably north of that, because we threw out over 800 ballots,” Grogan said. “People should know that every vote does count, and we want to count every vote accurately.” As for abortion rights that remain popular and important to many suburban voters, Grogan, who calls himself pro-life, decried Illinois as “an abortion destination state, and I don’t think that’s what the average suburban, pro-choice person really wants. “They don’t want late-term abortions. They don’t want taxpayer-funded abortions for folks that aren’t even citizens,” Grogan said. “Abortion tourism is not something that they would really endorse.” And he’s undaunted by the odds playing on heavily gerrymandered, Democratic-drawn maps. “Voter patterns change, and they evolve. I have optimism … that eventually governance matters, and I think that the governance of the state of Illinois, and city of Chicago, leaves a lot to be desired,” Grogan said. “That old definition of insanity is doing the same thing over and over again, expecting a different result.” But Republicans are running Darren Bailey again this November against Gov. JB Pritzker, four years after the southern Illinois farmer got trounced by the billionaire governor who’s now heavily favored to win a third term. Grogan backed Ted Dabrowski in the GOP primary and now says Bailey “has definitely come back at it with a different approach … We have structural problems. But if you only believed polls, Hillary Clinton would be president.” More importantly, Grogan said, “There is definitely a lot more JB fatigue than there was six years ago. “You bring up the governor’s name, and there’s a grimace. Where they were giving the benefit of the doubt a couple cycles ago, they’re not so happy,” he said, pointing to COVID-19 business restrictions under Pritzker early in the pandemic and the governor’s potential White House ambitions in 2028. “A lot of people are getting the impression he’s looking over the person’s shoulder at New Hampshire, and the recipe for New Hampshire and Iowa is not the recipe for Illinois,” said Grogan, who’s tasked with working up a fundraising rebound, too. The Democratic Party of Illinois’ $1.2 million cash on hand at the end of June roughly quadrupled the state GOP’s total. Meanwhile, Bailey entered the summer with about $128,000 in his campaign fund compared to more than $3 million for Pritzker, who can cut another massive check anytime he pleases. “We’ve had an over-reliance on one or two donors on the Republican side, which means that we’ve been lazy on developing infrastructure for small-dollar donors and such that really should be our bedrock,” Grogan said, referencing the likes of conservative megadonor Richard Uihlein. A lot of it will take basic leg work and candidate recruitment. “Even if they aren’t going to win someplace, and obviously some … districts are really hard, I think that a well-crafted dialogue with voters has up-ticket and down-ticket effects,” Grogan said. “The first step is they have to meet us, and then they’ve got to hear us, and then they’ll like us. And you can’t do that just by listening to the screamers on Facebook.” It’s also about changing the mindset of Republicans who “kind of suffer from almost a Stockholm syndrome, that they’ve been so long outside of power that they no longer identify [with] what it’s like … to get power,” Grogan said. “So we argue about how many angels dance on the head of a pin, as opposed to how to most advantageously take back a House seat,” he said. “Fratricide is not a great campaign strategy.” “We are in the super minority, and we’ve been there for a long time. We haven’t held statewide office for quite a few years now. But the same was said 40 years ago — like the governor’s mansion was ours exclusively,” Grogan said. “There’s no magic flipping of a switch … We actually have to not fight about things that aren’t really as determinative to the average person trying to make their mortgage payment or their rent payment,” Grogan said. “We have prescriptions for many of the ills. At some point, I think the voters are going to stop digging deeper and look out of the hole that they’ve dug themselves into.”)
CHICAGO TRIBUNE
— DD: Democrat leaders ever-increasingly use the Patriot Front against Republicans. Of course, the Patriot Front knows that. What does that say about the Patriot Front?
https://www.chicagotribune.com/2026/07/20/column-patriot-front-washington-white-supremacy-donald-trump-page/
— First-generation professionals. DD: Thanks to my parents and to my teachers, I not only became first generation bachelor’s degree holder in 1970 when I was 21, but a first-generation MBA holder when I was 27, a first-generation CPA when I was 30, a first-generation master’s accounting degree holder when I was 31, a first-generation Certified Internal Auditor and licensed CPA when I was 32, a first-generation holder of four more job-related professional certifications when I was 41, 45, 47, and 48, and a first-generation master’s in finance degree holder when I was 48.
https://www.chicagotribune.com/2026/07/20/opinion-chicago-first-generation-business-professionals/
DAILY HERALD
— FRONT PAGE TOP OF FOLD WITH PICTURE: Facing 30% toll hike, truckers warn of fallout for the industry, consumers and roads. DD: I first started paying tolls when I was 20 in 1969 when I commuted in my 1969 Dodge Charger SE weekends to/from NIU and my parents’ home in Crete to keep my part-time Park Forest Post Office job.
https://www.dailyherald.com/20260719/transportation/facing-30-toll-hike-truckers-warn-of-fallout-for-the-industry-consumers-and-roads/
VERMILLION COUNTY FIRST
— Bailey Tells Vermilion County GOP “Bring Out the Voters.” DD: As the Republican Precinct Committeeman for DuPage County Milton Township Precinct 59 in Wheaton, I will hand-deliver to the 400 residences in my precinct that have at least one Republican or one Independent registered voter a copy of the sample ballot, campaign literature from all the candidates who provide it to the Milton Township Republican Organization (MTRO), and a MTRO election guide. The Republican candidates on the ballot in my precinct are: Tracy, Bailey/Del Mar, Fioretti, Harris, Drew, Soloman, Oakley, Lewis, Vrankovich, Grasso, Noonan, Schiappa, Henry, Eckhoff, Michaud, Schultz, Quirk, and Helland.
https://vermilioncountyfirst.com/2026/07/19/bailey-tells-vermilion-county-gop-bring-out-the-voters/
HOMEWOOD FLOSSMOOR CHRONICLE
— Cook County Board passes Miller’s resolution to place millionaire tax on November ballot.
https://www.hfchronicle.com/2026/07/18/cook-county-board-passes-millers-resolution-to-place-millionaire-tax-on-november-ballot/
POLITICO ILLINOIS
— Benton case reopens questions about reform.
https://www.politico.com/newsletters/illinois-playbook/2026/07/20/benton-case-reopens-questions-about-reform-01004642
(FROM THE NEWSLETTER: THE GOVERNOR’s RACE is beginning to take shape, and both Democratic Gov. JB Pritzker and Republican challenger Darren Bailey are looking to the latest headlines to sharpen their attacks. Urban love: Bailey last week continued working to make inroads with Chicago voters, hosting a meet-and-greet in Pilsen just weeks after moving into an apartment on the city’s Near South Side. The event, held at The Frida Room, was part of an effort by the downstate Republican to broaden his appeal beyond his rural base and connect with urban voters on issues such as affordability, housing costs and civil liberties. The appearance drew criticism from Team Pritzker, which sees it as an attempt by Bailey to rebrand himself after attacking Chicago, saying Bailey “is the same extreme” candidate he was in 2022. The exchange comes as both campaigns increasingly look for opportunities to turn news events into political ammunition. Bailey used the July 4 arrest of a man accused of jumping a fence at Pritzker’s Gold Coast residence to criticize the governor’s leadership on public safety. “If a criminal out on electronic monitoring can break into the Governor’s own home, we have a problem,” he says in a fundraising ad. Pritzker’s camp accused Bailey of exploiting a security incident, via the Tribune. The back-and-forth shows the race is likely to focus heavily on public safety, the economy and how the two men operate in Chicago. For Bailey, the challenge is convincing city and suburban voters that he can appeal beyond his conservative downstate base. For Pritzker, the task is tying Bailey to the positions and rhetoric that made him a polarizing figure during his unsuccessful 2022 gubernatorial bid. Election Day is 106 days away.)
CAPITOL FAX
— Morning briefing
https://capitolfax.com/
FROM ILLINOIS CENTER-RIGHT SOURCES
BREAKTHROUGH IDEAS
— More IL Tax Subsidies Wasted On Chinese Battery Production.
https://www.breakthrough-ideas.com/read/2026/07/19/more-il-tax-subsidies-wasted-on-chinese-battery-production
CENTER SQUARE ILLINOIS
— Illinois state Sen. Chris Balkema said True Value’s decision to move its headquarters from Chicago to Fort Wayne, Indiana, is another example of businesses seeking relief from what he described as Illinois’ costly regulatory and tax environment.
https://www.thecentersquare.com/illinois/article_ff44c6d1-447f-4610-920c-85b24341f408.html
FROM NATIONAL CENTER-RIGHT SOURCES
WASHINGTON TIMES
— Socialists’ agenda takes hold in America’s cities and towns, while their foothold grows in Congress.
https://www.washingtontimes.com/news/2026/jul/19/socialists-agenda-takes-hold-americas-cities-towns-foothold-grows/
— The Democratic Socialists of America flexes its muscles in the Democratic Party. DSA can bamboozle useful idiots because of ignorance.
https://www.washingtontimes.com/news/2026/jul/19/democratic-socialists-america-flexes-muscles-democratic-party/
— U.S. must not ignore radical Islam’s cultural threat.
https://www.washingtontimes.com/news/2026/jul/19/us-must-not-ignore-radical-islams-cultural-threat/
WASHINGTON EXAMINER
— Some ICE officers take issue with Trump approach to immigration enforcement.
https://www.washingtonexaminer.com/policy/immigration/4653698/ice-melting-under-trump-expectations/
— Cognitive dissonance is fueling the socialist surge.
https://www.washingtonexaminer.com/restoring-america/patriotism-unity/4648378/cognitive-dissonance-is-fueling-the-socialist-surge-disgruntled-democrats/
— Nurses and teachers unions bankroll leftist candidates and causes.
https://www.washingtonexaminer.com/news/campaigns/congressional/4654207/nurses-teachers-unions-bankroll-leftist-candidates-causes/
NEW YORK POST
— Revoke trucking licenses for illegal immigrants — and punish states that don’t comply.
https://nypost.com/2026/07/19/opinion/revoke-trucking-licenses-for-illegal-immigrants-and-punish-states-that-dont-comply/
AMERICAN THINKER
— JD Vance’s real political cause: JD Vance. A provocative essay from Lee Smith makes the case that Vance, having been humiliated over Iran, is finding scapegoats, including Israel and Trump himself. DD: My Democrat superiors who were veterans blamed Republicans like me for America losing the Vietnam War. They especially blamed me because I was 1-A for the Vietnam War draft and I because I avoided the Vietnam War draft with four student deferments and a financial hardship draft deferment. They knew full-well that I was 1-A for the draft even though I could not run because I had an inherited bone disease, my eyesight could not be corrected to 20/20, and I had partial red/green color blindness. They stressed that if I had not avoided the Vietnam War draft, I would not have been sent into combat and that proved beyond a shadow of a doubt that I am a disgusting unmitigated hypocritical lying coward. I should write about my Democrat superiors who were veterans.
https://www.americanthinker.com/blog/2026/07/jd-vance-s-real-political-cause-jd-vance/
CENTER FOR IMMIGRATION STUDIES
— H-1B – Designed for Cheap Labor. DD: All my employers would have hired noncitizens instead of me if they could have. My critics/opponents cannot say that because they had wealthy parents. Noncitizens work for less money and they are easier to exploit.
https://cis.org/Miano/H1B-Designed-Cheap-Labor
DAILY SIGNAL
— DSA’s Dark Triumph: Socialism Surges as America Turns 250.
https://www.dailysignal.com/2026/07/19/dsas-socialism-america-turns-250/
— American Psychological Association Pushes Bias on College Campuses.
https://www.dailysignal.com/2026/07/19/the-american-psychological/
FOX NEWS
— Tom Homan slams Mamdani over sanctuary city policies, ICE criticism.
https://www.foxnews.com/video/6401560708112
— Tom Homan warns ICE surge coming to New York City as Mamdani boasts about sanctuary status. The border czar said he won’t reveal operational details to avoid tipping off groups that could interfere with enforcement.
https://www.foxnews.com/media/tom-homan-warns-ice-surge-coming-new-york-city-mamdani-boasts-sanctuary-status
— Major appeals court declares New Jersey AR-15 ban unconstitutional in landmark Second Amendment ruling. The NRA called the ruling a ‘historic victory’ in a case it has litigated since 2018.
https://www.foxnews.com/politics/major-appeals-court-declares-new-jersey-ar-15-ban-unconstitutional-landmark-second-amendment-ruling
— Communists have captured socialist groups. The Democratic Party is next.
https://www.foxnews.com/media/former-dsa-member-alleges-communists-captured-socialist-group-warns-democratic-party-next.amp
JONATHAN TURLEY
— University of California Suspends Move to Restore Standardized Testing. DD: My critics/opponents have always attributed my success in passing standardized tests to my benefitting tremendously from tremendous discrimination against those who share their demographics.
https://jonathanturley.org/2026/07/15/university-of-california-suspends-move-to-restore-standardized-testing/
LEGAL INSURRECTION
— Trinity College Offering Course to Teach Students to ‘Unsettle’ the ‘White Gaze.’ “White supremacy and racial capitalism structure our world, setting in motion the systems of domination.” DD: I avoided liberal indoctrination by majoring in business, accounting, and finance.
https://legalinsurrection.com/2026/07/trinity-college-offering-course-to-teach-students-to-unsettle-the-white-gaze/
TOWNHALL
— AOC, Sanders Rally for Democratic Socialist El-Sayed in Senate Primary Fight.
https://townhall.com/tipsheet/scott-mcclallen/2026/07/19/aoc-sanders-rally-for-democratic-socialist-el-sayed-in-senate-primary-fight-n2679721
FROM NATIONAL CENTER-LEFT SOURCES
CBS NEWS
— Democratic socialists the new political force in the nation.
https://www.cbsnews.com/newyork/news/democratic-socialists-grace-mausser-the-point-with-marcia-kramer/
REUTERS
— US to revive public charge rule that could deny green cards to immigrants using public benefits.
https://www.msn.com/en-us/money/other/us-to-revive-rule-that-could-deny-green-cards-to-immigrants-using-public-benefits/ar-AA284VmA
— DD: Illegals know full-well that Democrat leaders encouraged/invited them to come to America illegally and to stay in America illegally. Illegals know full-well that Democrat leaders want them to use their false identifications to register to vote and to vote. Democrats run elections in America.
https://www.reuters.com/investigations/trump-claims-voting-by-noncitizens-is-rampant-america-numbers-tell-another-story-2026-07-19/
MSN
— Strengthen your resume. DD: What did you do to strengthen your resume? I earned a bachelor’s degree in business when I was 21. I earned an MBA 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 when I was 31. I passed the Certified Internal Auditor examination on my first attempt when I was 32. I became a licensed CPA when I was 32. I earned four more job-related professional certifications when I was 41, 45, 47, and 48. I earned a master’s degree in finance when I was 48. My critics/opponents stress that notwithstanding the aforesaid, I never earned more than $154,682/year in today’s dollars.
https://www.msn.com/en-us/money/general/top-10-skills-that-instantly-strengthen-any-resume/ss-AA25SdWD
— Mastering high school for college success. DD: When I was a Crete-Monee High School (CMHS) student 1962-1966, no one saw me as being college material. At best, they thought that Prairie State Community College in Chicago Heights might accept me. Neither of my parents had attended college. My father was only the first of my ancestors to earn a high school diploma. My mother never attended high school. I did not even try to get a student loan because I could not have gotten one. But nevertheless, I got accepted by UIC by taking college preparatory courses, by getting an ACT score of 24, and by graduating in the upper 20% of my class. I had to work my way through college. To buy a new car to commute to/from my parents’ home in Crete and classes at UIC, I washed dishes 28 hours a week during my junior and senior years at CMHS and 40 hours a week during the summer in between. I delivering mail for the Park Forest Post Office part-time while UIC was in session 1966-1968 and full-time during the summers of 1967, 1968, and 1969. My critics/opponents stress that college expenses were much lower back then and that my parents provided me with room and board while I took classes at UIC 1966-1968, weekends during my first semester at NIU in 1969, and the summer of 1969. I graduated debt-free from NIU in August of 1970 with a bachelor’s degree in business and owning a 1969 Dodge Charger SE.
https://www.msn.com/en-us/money/general/mastering-high-school-for-college-success/ss-AA27oyIb
NEW YORK TIMES
— States Rush to Fill Graduate Loan Gap Opened by G.O.P. Budget Bill. DD: What were the reasons why you earned a master’s degree? For me, the main reason was my IRS employee manual which encouraged taking graduate courses in business and accounting. IRS had hired me when I was 22 in 1971. I started taking graduate evening business courses at Loyola in 1972. Because I took only one course at a time, I did not earn an MBA from Loyola until 1976. By then, it was too late. Nevertheless, I then started taking graduate evening accounting courses at DePaul in 1976. Because I took only one course at a time, I did not earn a master’s degree in accounting from DePaul until 1980. By then, it was too late. Nevertheless, I started taking graduate evening finance courses at IIT in 1992. Because I took only one course at a time, I did not earn a master’s degree in financial markets and trading from IIT until 1997. By then, it was too late. I earned the degree from IIT because my GAO superior wanted all her subordinates to have a master’s degrees in finance.
https://www.nytimes.com/2026/07/17/your-money/states-graduate-loans-us-government.html
— DD: My critics/opponents have always attributed my success in passing standardized tests to my benefitting tremendously from tremendous discrimination against those who share their demographics.
https://www.nytimes.com/2026/07/16/opinion/new-york-high-school-test-racism.html
WASHINGTON POST
— DD: Democrat leaders ever-increasingly fight personal responsibility and traditional marriage.
https://www.washingtonpost.com/education/2026/02/25/success-sequence-bills-classrooms/
— Trump loomed over the World Cup, up until the awkward trophy ceremony. The president was loudly booed as he entered the field after Spain’s win, waving to people as he made his way to the stage. DD: What percent of soccer fans hate America, hate Americans, and hate Whites?
https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/2026/07/19/trump-loomed-over-world-cup-up-until-awkward-trophy-ceremony/
USA TODAY
— Vacations. DD: My Democrat IRS and GAO superiors, supervisors, coworkers, and subordinates became ever-increasingly furious as I ever-increasingly benefitted from my wife’s job as the Corporate Secretary for the U.S. League of Savings Institutions. I went with her on her four annual business trips to luxury resorts across America 1978-1992. We almost always followed her business meetings with trips to national parks. According to my Democrat IRS and GAO superiors, supervisors, coworkers, and subordinates, they were grossly underpaid. They decried the time and money they spent raising their children. They decried their wives having little or no income. They ever-increasingly demonized, denigrated, and condemned my wife and I as being selfish disgustingly rich DINKs. Previously, my Democrat Park Forest Post Office superiors who were veterans were furious when I took vacation days for a spring break in 1969 and drove to Daytona Beach with three of my female NIU classmates in my 1969 Dodge Charger SE. In 1970, I repeated the aforesaid. My Democrat Firestone Store boss who was a veteran was furious that I went on a student package trip to the Bahamas while I was taking a graduate evening business course at UIC in the spring of 1971. My aforesaid Democrat veteran superiors and bosses were furious that I took the aforesaid vacations because I had avoided the Vietnam War draft with student deferments and with a financial hardship deferment at a time when my peers were dying in Vietnam. They blamed Republicans like me for America losing the Vietnam War. Further, while I worked for IRS 1971-1980, many, most, and at times virtually all my of superiors and supervisors were Democrat veterans who also especially blamed Republicans for America losing the Vietnam War. They were furious when I took vacations in 1973, 1974, 1975, and 1976. For them, the federal government existed to hire, to retain, and to promote Democrat veterans. In defense of the four vacations that I took to the Bahamas, Hawaii, Mexico, and Jamacia with my IRS coworker 1973-1976, they were all budget packages offered by the National Treasury Employees Union.
https://www.usatoday.com/story/opinion/voices/2026/07/06/summer-travel-too-expensive-trump-inflation/90771431007/
SEATTLE TIMES
— DD: To get more votes, Democrats ever-increasingly flood America with those who have demographics that vote for Democrats, that is, those who want/need/demand massive government assistance. To get more cheap labor, RINOs ever-increasingly flood America with those who will work for less money.
https://www.seattletimes.com/opinion/birthright-citizenship-challenges-have-always-failed-but-they-persist/
SHORE NEWS NETWORK
— DD: Anticipate/expect that Democrat leaders will ever-increasingly hint/imply/argue/shout that Jesus is a socialist and that he condemns capitalists.
https://www.shorenewsnetwork.com/aoc-draws-criticism-after-comparing-jesus-to-socialism-at-memphis-campaign-rally/
DALLAS EXPRESS
— Duty To Disobey. DD: For Democrats, the federal government exists to hire, retain, and promote Democrats who are minority, female, younger, veteran, disabled, non-Protestant, non-German American, and/or have ancestors who have not been in America for a long time. While I worked for the Democrats who ran the federal government for almost 30 years, I never disobeyed any order that they gave me, including their ever-increasing orders to give more and more and more preference to my Democrat subordinates who were the aforesaid and/or had performance problems. All of those who they assigned me to supervise were many, most, if not virtually all of the aforesaid. But that was not enough for my Democrat superiors. When I was 49 in 1997, they forced me to retire and gave my Black subordinate my job and my preferred corner office. He had less education than I had. He had less work experience than I had. He had one professional certification while I had six. He had no professional license like the one I had.
https://dallasexpress.com/opinion/opinion-duty-to-disobey/
FORBES
— Reasons Why You Should Get A College Degree. DD: What were the reasons why you earned a college degree? For me, the main reason was my father’s often decrying his not having one. He had brittle type 1 diabetes from childhood. His doctors discouraged him from seeking a college degree because of the stress that would cause him. He often decried his being passed over for promotions. He often decried his not being able to keep up with Jones. He died suddenly in 1969 when he was 47 and I was 21. He never earned more than $50,000/year in today’s dollars.
https://www.forbes.com/sites/dereknewton/2021/07/31/even-more-reasons-you-should-get-a-college-degree/
— Timing Is Everything: What To Consider When Seeking Career Growth. DD: I earned an MBA from Loyola when I was 27 in 1976. But by then, it was too late. I passed the CPA examination on my first attempt when I was 30. But by then, it was too late. I earned a master’s degree in accounting from DePaul when I was 31. But by then, it was too late. I passed the Certified Internal Auditor examination on my first attempt and became a licensed CPA when I was 32. But by then, it was too late. I earned four more job-related professional certifications when I was 41, 45, 47, and 48. But by then, it was too late. I earned a master’s degree in finance from IIT when I was 48. But by then, it was too late. The aforesaid would not have been too late if I had been a Democrat, minority, female, and or veteran.
https://www.forbes.com/sites/tracybrower/2019/02/28/timing-is-everything-what-to-consider-when-seeking-career-growth/
HARVARD KENNEDY SCHOOL
— What is a good job? DD: Because I refused to become a Democrat, my Democrat Post Office, IRS, and GAO superiors made working for the federal government a bod job for me. Nevertheless, to advance, I earned a bachelor’s degree in business when I was 21. I earned an MBA 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 when I was 31. I passed the Certified Internal Auditor examination on my first attempt when I was 32. I became a licensed CPA when I was 32. I earned four more job-related professional certifications when I was 41, 45, 47, and 48. I earned a master’s degree in finance when I was 48. I would have earned the aforesaid master’s degrees much soon if I had taken more than one course at a time. But that was all I could afford and my focus was my IRS and GAO job duties.
https://www.hks.harvard.edu/centers/wiener/programs/economy/our-work/reimagining-economy-blog/daniel-schneider-defines-a-good-job
FAST COMPANY
— How much are you worth? Estimate your employability and earning potential. DD: What did you do to increase your employability and earning potential? I passed the postal employment test when I was 17 in 1966. I passed the Federal Entrance Examination when I was 21. I earned a bachelor’s degree in business when I was 21. I earned an MBA 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 when I was 31. I passed the Certified Internal Auditor examination on my first attempt when I was 32. I became a licensed CPA when I was 32. I earned four more job-related professional certifications when I was 41, 45, 47, and 48. I earned a master’s degree in finance when I was 48. My critics/opponents stress that notwithstanding the aforesaid, I never earned more than $154,682/year in today’s dollars.
https://www.fastcompany.com/91505244/how-much-you-worth
UNIVERSITY OF CHICAGO PRESS JOURNALS
— Good Jobs versus Bad Jobs. DD: My critics/opponents have always hinted/implied/argued/shouted that all the jobs I had were bad jobs that they would never stoop to take. I delivered newspapers 1962-1966. I washed dishes 1964-1966. I cleaned golf shoes, chipped slag, and pumped gasoline in 1966. I delivering mail 1966-1969. I worked on an automotive assembly line in 1970. I sold tires, automotive services, and major appliances 1970-1971. I pumped more gasoline 1971-1972. I collected delinquent taxes 1971-1980. I audited federal agencies 1980-1997. I should write about my critics/opponents. I would focus on those whose parents were the wealthiest.
https://www.journals.uchicago.edu/doi/abs/10.1086/209978
INSIDE HIGHER EDUCATION
— Young Men’s Perceptions of Higher Ed. DD: What were the reasons why you earned a master’s degree? For me, the main reason was my IRS employee manual which encouraged taking graduate courses in business and accounting. IRS had hired me when I was 22 in 1971. I started taking graduate evening business courses at Loyola in 1972. Because I took only one course at a time, I did not earn an MBA from Loyola until 1976. By then, it was too late. Nevertheless, I then started taking graduate evening accounting courses at DePaul in 1976. Because I took only one course at a time, I did not earn a master’s degree in accounting from DePaul until 1980. By then, it was too late. Nevertheless, I started taking graduate evening finance courses at IIT in 1992. Because I took only one course at a time, I did not earn a master’s degree in financial markets and trading from IIT until 1997. By then, it was too late. I earned the degree from IIT because my GAO superior wanted all her subordinates to have a master’s degrees in finance.
https://www.insidehighered.com/news/quick-takes/2026/07/20/young-mens-perceptions-higher-ed
July 17, 2026
FROM ILLINOIS CENTER-LEFT SOURCES
ABC7
— DD: Democrat leaders ever-increasingly promote more LGBTQ.
https://abc7chicago.com/amp/videoClip/19521831/
NPR ILLINOIS
— DD: Democrat leaders ever-increasingly fight efforts to fight voter fraud.
https://www.nprillinois.org/2026-07-16/in-primetime-speech-trump-doesnt-provide-evidence-for-illegal-voting
POLITICO ILLINOIS
— Pritzker’s Spanish-language play
https://www.politico.com/newsletters/illinois-playbook/2026/07/16/pritzkers-spanish-language-play-01002287
CAPITOL FAX
— Morning briefing
https://capitolfax.com/
FROM ILLINOIS CENTER-RIGHT SOURCES
CENTER SQUARE ILLINOIS
— The interim dean of the University of Illinois College of Medicine testified before Congress that the school has taken steps to address antisemitism.
https://www.thecentersquare.com/illinois/article_3aac5a69-252d-4a14-922f-882ca8af102b.amp.html
FROM NATIONAL CENTER-RIGHT SOURCES
BLAZE
— DD: Democrat leaders ever-increasingly promote more Islam.
https://www.theblaze.com/shows/relatable/child-content-creator-ms-rachel-accused-soft-pedaling-islam
BREITBART
— Trump Says U.S. Election System Is ‘Broken’ and ‘Vulnerable’ After DHS Review Found Noncitizens on Voter Rolls.
https://www.breitbart.com/politics/2026/07/16/trump-says-u-s-election-system-is-broken-and-vulnerable-after-dhs-review-found-noncitizens-on-voter-rolls/
— Trump Slams NBC, ABC for Not Covering Election Integrity Speech: ‘They Want to Protect the Radical Left’
https://www.breitbart.com/the-media/2026/07/16/president-trump-slams-nbc-abc-not-covering-election-integrity-speech-protect-radical-left/amp/
CAMPUS REFORM
— Trinity College course will teach students to ‘unsettle’ the ‘white gaze.’ The spring 2027 anthropology course will ask students to turn their ‘anthropological gaze upon whiteness itself.’ The course description contends that ‘white supremacy and racial capitalism structure our world.’
https://www.campusreform.org/article/trinity-college-course-will-teach-students-unsettle-white-gaze/30271
CITY JOURNAL
— How Socialism Captured the West Coast. Cities including Seattle, Portland, and Los Angeles have become new political battlegrounds for a socialist resurgence. DD: Socialists hint/imply/argue/shout that under socialism, all that employees need to do to get hired, retained, and promoted is to be a socialist just like all that federal employees need to do to get hired, retained, and promoted is to be a Democrat.
https://www.city-journal.org/article/west-coast-socialism-political-candidates-elections
DAILY CITIZEN
— Rep. Mary Miller Calls Out Gender and DEI Ideology in Medical Schools.
https://dailycitizen.focusonthefamily.com/rep-mary-miller-calls-out-gender-and-dei-ideology-in-medical-schools/
DAILY SIGNAL
— Why Mamdani Wants to Erase Europeans From New York’s Immigration History.
https://www.dailysignal.com/2026/07/16/mamdani-erase-new-yorks-history/
FEDERALIST
— DHS: More Than 250,000 Noncitizens Are Registered To Vote In Four States.
https://thefederalist.com/2026/07/16/dhs-more-than-250000-noncitizens-are-registered-to-vote-in-four-states/
— In Massive Military Bill, Congress Considers Putting Anti-DEI Protections Into Law.
https://thefederalist.com/2026/07/16/in-massive-military-bill-congress-considers-putting-anti-dei-protections-into-law/
FOX NEWS
— Socialism is one of the ‘greatest frauds’ burdened on humanity.
https://www.foxnews.com/video/6401354548112
— DHS: More than a quarter-million noncitizens may be registered to vote in 4 key states. California tops the list with nearly 191,000 flagged registrations as states are asked to verify voter rolls.
https://www.foxnews.com/politics/quarter-million-noncitizens-registered-vote-4-key-states-dhs-alleges
— Socialism or capitalism? Americans in Denver make their choice. DD: Socialists hint/imply/argue/shout that under socialism, all that employees need to do to get hired, retained, and promoted is to be a socialist just like all that federal employees need to do to get hired, retained, and promoted is to be a Democrat.
https://www.foxnews.com/video/6401333438112
— ‘Woke’ military academies targeted in new blueprint for sweeping warfighting overhaul. The blueprint calls for merit-based admissions, 75% warfighting curriculum and an end to tenure.
https://www.foxnews.com/politics/woke-military-academies-targeted-new-blueprint-sweeping-warfighting-overhaul
PJ MEDIA
— Chicago Reporters Doubted the Gang. The Court Files Didn’t.
https://pjmedia.com/david-manney/2026/07/16/chicago-reporters-doubted-the-gang-the-court-files-didnt-n4955129
TOWNHALL
— Mural of Slain Ukrainian Woman Painted Over With ‘Abstract Art’ in Chicago.
https://townhall.com/tipsheet/julia-cassidy/2026/07/16/mural-of-slain-ukranian-woman-painted-over-with-abstract-art-in-chicago-n2679552
FROM NATIONAL CENTER-LEFT SOURCES
NBC NEWS
— DHS: More Than 250,000 Noncitizens Registered to Vote. DD: All my employers would have hired noncitizens instead of me if they could have. My critics/opponents cannot say that because they had wealthy parents. Noncitizens work for less money and they are easier to exploit.
https://www.nbcnews.com/video/shorts/why-public-voter-rolls-can-produce-inaccurate-lists-of-non-citizens-266817093817
NEW YORK TIMES
— Younger Voters Are Propelling the Democratic Socialist Surge in New York. Age seemed to be the predominant factor in the Democratic Socialists of America’s primary wins in House races in New York City. DD: Socialists hint/imply/argue/shout that under socialism, all that employees need to do to get hired, retained, and promoted is to be a socialist just like all that federal employees need to do to get hired, retained, and promoted is to be a Democrat.
https://www.nytimes.com/2026/07/12/nyregion/dsa-young-voters-primary-ny.html
https://www.nytimes.com/video/opinion/100000011024674/a-vision-of-a-society-without-capitalism.html
— DHS: More Than 250,000 Noncitizens Registered to Vote. DD: All my employers would have hired noncitizens instead of me if they could have. My critics/opponents cannot say that because they had wealthy parents. Noncitizens work for less money and they are easier to exploit.
https://www.nytimes.com/2026/07/16/us/politics/trump-again-makes-unfounded-claims-of-noncitizen-voting.html
— DD: Democrat leaders ever-increasingly a) glorify and praise China and b) demonize, denigrate, and condemn America.
https://www.nytimes.com/2026/07/16/world/asia/pew-opinion-survey-china-united-states.html
WALL STREET JOURNAL
— New York’s DSA Holds One Political Party After Another. From a book club to a hootenanny, it wins over the young by putting the ‘social’ into socialism. DD: Socialists hint/imply/argue/shout that under socialism, all that employees need to do to get hired, retained, and promoted is to be a socialist just like all that federal employees need to do to get hired, retained, and promoted is to be a Democrat.
https://www.wsj.com/opinion/new-yorks-dsa-holds-one-political-party-after-another-df06811d
— DHS: More Than 250,000 Noncitizens Registered to Vote. DD: All my employers would have hired noncitizens instead of me if they could have. My critics/opponents cannot say that because they had wealthy parents. Noncitizens work for less money and they are easier to exploit.
https://www.wsj.com/video/trump-claims-more-than-250000-noncitizens-registered-to-vote/3EE1E08C-B211-47D3-90FC-01957FEC2053
— Less Is More in Higher Education. A bachelor’s degree in three years would cut costs and curb waste. DD: Immediately after I completed 16 graduate evening business courses one course at a time 1972-1976 and earned an MBA from Loyola, Loyola cut its requirement for an MBA to 12 courses if you had a bachelor’s degree in business which I did. My not earning an MBA sooner than I did harmed my IRS career.
https://www.wsj.com/opinion/less-is-more-in-higher-education-3f1c39da
FORTUNE
— Musk says he’s blocked from South Africa because he’s white. Amazon just moved in.
https://fortune.com/2026/07/16/musk-white-south-africa-amazon-starlink/
WTOP
— Former federal workers, lawmakers, mark a year after DOGE purge. DD: Were you purged? My critics/opponents had their operatives and their dupes purge me from the following: a) Post Office employment 1969, b) Firestone Store employment in 1971 and 1972, c) GAO employment in 1997, d) Milton Township Republican Organization webmaster position in 2004 and 2010, e) Illinois Center Right Coalition Steering Committee membership in 2007, f) TAPROOT Republicans of Illinois chairmanship position in 2012, g) Republican fundraiser for Wheaton Independence Day parades and fireworks role in 2021, and h) Illinois Republican Party State Convention Platform and Resolutions Committee membership in 2024.
https://wtop.com/liveblog-today-on-the-hill/2026/07/former-federal-workers-lawmakers-mark-a-year-after-doge-purge/
DESERT SUN
— DD: What do your critics/opponents hold you accountable for? My critics/opponents hold me accountable for all the defeats that Republican candidates on ballots in my precinct have suffered since 2000. I should write about my critics/opponents.
https://www.desertsun.com/story/opinion/readers/2024/06/03/hold-trump-accountable-in-november/73923292007/
EXPONENT
— Career successes. DD: What do you attribute your career successes to? I attribute my career successes to earning a) a job-related bachelor’s degrees, b) three job-related master’s degrees, c) six job-related professional certifications, and d) a job-related professional license. My critics/opponents attribute my career successes to my benefitting tremendously from tremendous discrimination against those who do not share my demographics: liberal/moderate, Democrat, RINO, minority, female, younger, veteran, non-Protestant, non-German American, have ancestors who have not been in America for a long time, and/or non-citizen.
https://www.purdueexponent.org/campus/alumni-attribute-career-successes-to-boilermaker-education-during-old-masters/article_324cde5a-ff67-11e9-8d96-4f71a1a74efa.html
GILLETTE NEWS RECORD
— Candidate survey asking their positions on party platforms. DD: The more planks in the Republican Party platform that the following reject, the harder that they have their operatives and their dupes work against me: past and present a) leaders of the Milton Township Republican Organization, DuPage County Republican Central Committee, and Illinois Republican Party, b) Republican leaders of Wheaton, Milton Township, DuPage County, and Illinois, c) Republican candidates on ballots in my precinct and their political consultants, major donors, fundraisers, pollsters, campaign managers, campaign staff members, and campaign volunteers, d) conservative leaders, and e) religious leaders. Most commonly, they reject the personal responsibility, traditional marriage and family, right to life, immigration, anti-vice, Second Amendment, and/or equal opportunity (no race or gender based preference giving) planks. I should write about my critics/opponents. I would focus on those who have had their operatives and their dupes take the biggest/most adverse actions against me lately.
https://www.gillettenewsrecord.com/news/local/article_c76e68f6-9cc4-40fe-be8a-6678b26fadba.html
FEDERAL NEWS NETWORK
— DD: Laid off federal employees decry the loss of agency expertise. When my Democrat GAO superiors forced me to retire when I was 49 in 1997, they flushed down their toilets what I had learned a) working for GAO for almost 18 years, the last 11 years of which at the GS-13 Step 1-10 Levels, currently $118,984-$154,682/year, b) working for IRS for almost 9 years, the last 5 1/2 years of which at the GS-12 Step 1-5 Levels, currently $100,059-$113,402/year, c) earning three job-related master’s degrees, d) earning six job-related professional certifications, and e) a job-related professional license. They would not have done that if I had been a Democrat, minority, female, or veteran.
https://federalnewsnetwork.com/workforce/2026/07/laid-off-federal-employees-spotlight-lasting-impacts-of-state-dept-rif/
FED AGENT
— Federal Employee Performance Ratings Get Major Overhaul. DD: Democrats run the federal government. They use the subjectivity in their performance rating systems a) to waste the careers of Republican employees and b) to get rid of federal employees.
https://www.fedagent.com/news/federal-employee-performance-ratings-get-major-overhaul-under-new-opm-rule
INSIDE HIGHER EDUCATION
— Student success. DD: What harmed your success as a student? For me, it was my spending far too many hours a) washing dishes in Chicago Heights instead of studying while I was Crete-Monee High School student 1964-1966 and b) delivering mail in Park Forest instead of studying while I was a UIC student 1966-1968 and a NIU student in 1969.
https://www.insidehighered.com/news/student-success/college-experience/2026/07/17/how-4-colleges-are-expanding-student-success
July 15, 2026
FROM ILLINOIS CENTER-LEFT SOURCES
CHICAGO TRIBUNE
— Graham Platner’s implosion should be a dire warning to Democrats. Is the party listening?
https://www.chicagotribune.com/2026/07/15/editorial-graham-platners-implosion-should-be-a-dire-warning-to-democrats-is-the-party-listening/
— DD: Democrat leaders ever-increasingly promote socialism. How soon will the Democrat Party officially change its name to the Socialist Party? For Democrats, the federal government exists to hire, retain, and promote Democrats who are
https://www.chicagotribune.com/2026/07/15/column-socialist-democrats-center-majority-washington/
— FRONT PAGE TOP OF FOLD: DD: Democrat leaders ever-increasingly a) glorify and praise their illegals and b) fight their deportation.
https://www.washingtonpost.com/national/2026/07/14/maine-ice-shooting-man-killed/4e1a0ba8-7f8f-11f1-8a16-393bd03340b0_story.html
https://www.chicagotribune.com/2026/07/14/ice-suspends-most-vehicle-stops/
ROCKFORD REGISTER STAR
— DOJ threatens to prosecute election officials over noncitizen voting
https://www.rrstar.com/story/news/state/2026/07/15/doj-threatens-state-officials-with-prosecution-over-noncitizen-votes/90701312007/
EVANSTON NOW
— Mayor Daniel Biss Monday night defended an Evanston pro-Palestine group’s participation in the 4th of July parade against claims by members of a Jewish group that it should have been banned. DD: I should write about my critics/opponents who have done the most since 1978 to diminish/stop Republican participation in Wheaton Independence Day parades.
https://evanstonnow.com/biss-defends-parade-free-speech/
STATE LINE
— Pritzker signs Certificate of Innocence Act to expand Illinois restitution laws. DD: My critics/opponents have taken many big adverse actions against me. Should I try to get exonerated?
https://www.mystateline.com/news/gov-pritzker-signs-certificate-of-innocence-act-to-expand-illinois-restitution-laws/
WBEZ
— Mayor Johnson’s controversial plan to crack down on ICE agents now faces City Council scrutiny
https://www.wbez.org/politics/2026/07/15/brandon-johnson-city-council-ice-immigration-midway-blitz
POLITICO ILLINOIS
https://www.politico.com/newsletters/illinois-playbook/2026/07/15/pritzker-hochul-diverge-on-data-centers-00997971
CAPITOL FAX
— Morning briefing
https://capitolfax.com/
FROM ILLINOIS CENTER-RIGHT SOURCES
MCHENRY COUNTY BLOG
— Illinois Second in Loss of Millionaires from 2010 thru 2022
https://www.mchenrycountyblog.com/2026/07/14/illinois-second-in-loss-of-millionaires-from-2010-thru-2022/
BREAKTHROUGH IDEAS
— Ammons Indictment Exposes the Useless NGO Spending in the IL Budget
https://www.breakthrough-ideas.com/read/2026/07/13/ammons-indictment-exposes-the-useless-ngo-spending-in-the-il-budget
FROM NATIONAL CENTER-RIGHT SOURCES
WASHINGTON EXAMINER
— The New York Times stumped for Stalin. Now it’s mooning over Mamdani.
https://www.washingtonexaminer.com/op-eds/4645547/new-york-times-mooning-over-mamdani-socialism/
NEW YORK POST
— Maine socialists try again — with another he-man fake to sub for Graham Platner.
https://nypost.com/2026/07/14/opinion/maine-socialists-boost-another-he-man-fake-after-graham-platner/
— DD: LGBTQ advocates destroy those who do not advocate LGBTQ.
https://nypost.com/2026/07/14/us-news/west-hollywoods-lindsey-graham-tribute-sparks-debate-over-his-lgbtq-record/
BIZ PAC REVIEW
— The birthright citizenship battle is back.
https://www.bizpacreview.com/2026/07/14/the-birthright-citizenship-battle-is-back-and-the-left-is-nervous-1650502/
— CNBC mocked for list of top 10 worst states to live – they are ALL red.
https://www.bizpacreview.com/2026/07/14/cnbc-mocked-for-list-of-top-10-worst-states-to-live-they-are-all-red-1650489/
BLAZE
— CNBC’s ‘worst states’ ranking under fire for scoring conservative policies as negatives.
https://www.theblaze.com/news/cnbcs-worst-states-ranking-under-fire-for-scoring-conservative-policies-as-negatives
BRITBART
— Socialists Will ‘Absolutely Rip Apart’ the Democrat Party.
https://www.breitbart.com/politics/2026/07/14/gop-rep-gill-socialists-will-absolutely-rip-apart-the-democrat-party/
DAILY CALLER
— Deranged American Rich Kids Are America’s Greatest Threat.
https://dailycaller.com/2026/07/14/ingersoll-deranged-american-rich-kids-leftists-marxism-education/
DAILY SIGNAL
— New York Times Countersues Trump Admin in DEI Hiring Case. DD: The Democrats who ran the Post Office in 1966, IRS in 1971, and GAO in 1980 hired me because they could not find a qualified Democrat, minority, female, younger person, or veteran who would take the job.
https://www.dailysignal.com/2026/07/14/new-york-times-countersues-dei/
FOX BUSINESS
— Democratic socialists erupt over 2028 endorsement.
https://www.foxbusiness.com/video/6401119900112
FOX NEWS
— College students reveal political ignorance on Trump, Iran and socialism.
https://www.foxnews.com/video/6401116345112
NEW AMERICAN
— DSA’s New Plan: Abolish Senate, Amnesty for Illegals — Deliver Madison’s “Tyranny”
https://thenewamerican.com/uncategorised/dsas-new-plan-abolish-senate-amnesty-for-illegals-deliver-madisons-tyranny/
U.S. HOUSE
— DEI is Discriminatory and Illegal. DD: Since the 1960s, my critics/opponents have used Affirmative Action and DEI against me.
https://oversight.house.gov/release/hearing-wrap-up-dei-is-discriminatory-and-illegal/
FROM NATIONAL CENTER-LEFT SOURCES
YAHOO
— Johnson warns of socialist, communist, ‘barbarians in the gate,’ during GOP briefing.
https://www.yahoo.com/news/politics/articles/johnson-warns-socialist-communist-barbarians-210303192.html
NEW YORK TIMES
— DD: All of my coworkers who my Democrat superiors in the federal government promoted over me were Democrats who a) had less education than I had, had less work experience than I had, had no professional certification or fewer than I had, and/or had no professional license like the one I had and/or b) were minority, female, younger, veteran, non-Protestant, non-German American, and/or had ancestors who had not been in America for a long time.
https://www.nytimes.com/2026/07/14/us/hegseth-blocks-navy-promotions.html
WALL STREET JOURNAL
— Federal Hiring. If I had not earned a high school diploma and passed the employment test, the Democrats who ran the Post Office would not have hired me in 1966. If I had not earned a bachelor’s degree in business, Firestone Stores would not have hired me in 1970. If I had not passed the Federal Service Entrance Examination, the Democrats who ran IRS would not have hired me in 1971. If I have not been taking graduate evening business courses at Loyola, my Democrat IRS superiors would not have promoted me in 1972, 1973, and 1974. If I had not earned an MBA from Loyola and passed the CPA examination on my first attempt, the Democrats who ran GAO would not have hired me in 1980.
https://www.wsj.com/opinion/federal-hiring-isnt-a-one-test-fits-all-box-350cc742
DESERET NEWS
— The socialists trying to reshape the Democratic Party. Is communism making a comeback?
https://www.deseret.com/politics/2026/07/14/are-democratic-socialists-of-america-communists-like-president-trump-says/
DALLAS EXPRESS
— What The Democratic Socialists Of America Want.
https://dallasexpress.com/national/democratic-socialists-of-americas-plan-to-remake-america/
INTER NEWS GROUP
— JD Vance’s New Neighbors Are Furious About His Arrival. DD: Those who have demographics that vote for Democrats do not want those who have demographics that vote for Republicans to be their neighbors. I base that on my having been the Republican Committeeman for my precinct since 1999. Since then, about 4 out of every 5 times when a Republican home is sold in my precinct, Democrats buy it. Since Trump got elected in 2016, things have gotten ever-increasingly worse. Democrat homebuyers especially do not want Republican neighbors who share Trump’s demographics: conservative, Republican, White, male, older, draft avoider, Protestant, German American, and have ancestors who have been in America for a long time. Because I share all of the aforesaid demographics with Trump and because I am their Republican Precinct Committeeman, I am ever-increasingly unpopular in my precinct, if not persona non grata, if not despised/hated. The hate-filled Trump-hating Trump-haters in my precinct ever-increasingly take their hatred against Trump out on me. It is caller displaced aggression. Should I write about that? Should I wear a body camera when I go door-to-door delivering Republican campaign literature for my self-defense?
https://internewsgroup.com/2026/07/jd-vances-new-neighbors-are-furious-about-his-arrival/
FORBES
— Meritocracy. DD: All of my coworkers who my Democrat superiors in the federal government promoted over me were Democrats who a) had less education than I had, had less work experience than I had, had no professional certification or fewer than I had, and/or had no professional license like the one I had and/or b) were minority, female, younger, veteran, non-Protestant, non-German American, and/or had ancestors who had not been in America for a long time.
https://www.forbes.com/sites/kimelsesser/2026/05/19/the-myth-of-meritocracy-and-other-outdated-beliefs-women-are-told-at-work/
CAMPAIGNS AND ELECTIONS
— Lessons In Vetting: Don’t Just Google Your Candidate. Before you agree to work for a political candidate make sure you do more than a Google search. This article lays out the key rules for vetting candidates. DD: Far too many run for offices as Republicans and get elected as Republicans who have far too much baggage, that is, far too many skeletons in their closets. I should write about candidates on ballots in my precinct since 2000 who ran as Republicans, but had far too much baggage, that is, far too many skeletons in their closets. I would focus on those who had their political consultants, major donors, pollsters, campaign managers, campaign staff members, and campaign volunteers destroy me because I refused to cover up their wrongdoing.
https://campaignsandelections.com/industry-news/lessons-in-vetting-don-t-just-google-your-candidate/
NEW REPUBLIC
— The ICE agent who shot and killed a 26-year-old Colombian immigrant in Biddeford, Maine, Monday morning had been with the agency for just a few short months. DD: The first 6 months that I worked for IRS in 1971 was in classroom training.
https://newrepublic.com/post/213081/new-details-ice-agent-fatal-maine-shooting
FROM FOREIGN SOURCES
STANDARD
— Meritocracy: The foundation of strong institutions and national prosperity. DD: All of my coworkers who my Democrat superiors in the federal government promoted over me were Democrats who a) had less education than I had, had less work experience than I had, had no professional certification or fewer than I had, and/or had no professional license like the one I had and/or b) were minority, female, younger, veteran, non-Protestant, non-German American, and/or had ancestors who had not been in America for a long time.
https://www.standardmedia.co.ke/health/amp/opinion/article/2001552327/meritocracy-the-foundation-of-strong-institutions-and-national-prosperity