FROM ILLINOIS CENTER-LEFT SOURCES
ABC7
— House GOP unveils health care measure that does not extend ACA subsidies
https://abc7chicago.com/post/house-gop-health-care-plan-led-speaker-mike-johnson-unveiled-does-not-extend-aca-subsidies/18284008/
WGN9
— Health insurance premiums rose nearly 3x the rate of worker earnings over the past 25 years
https://wgntv.com/news/health-insurance-premiums-rose-nearly-3x-the-rate-of-worker-earnings-over-the-past-25-years/
CHICAGO TRIBUNE
— FRONT PAGE TOP OF FOLD: 2 Illinois election board Democrats who blocked Senate President Don Harmon fines have ties to his donors
https://www.chicagotribune.com/2025/12/14/illinois-elections-board-conflicts-harmon/
DAILY HERALD
— DD: Democrat leaders ever-increasingly blame Trump for healthcare costs. Is/was your healthcare insurance premiums subsidized? Ever since I became a part-time postal employee when was 18 years old in 1966, my critics/opponents have been furious that the federal government has paid 72% of my healthcare insurance premiums. They have been even more furious ever since I got married I was 29 years old and the federal government started paying 72% of my wife’s healthcare insurance premiums. That 72% subsidy is a major reason why people despise/hate federal employees, federal retirees, and their spouses. That 72% subsidy helped me withstand tremendous efforts by my Democrat superiors in the federal government to waste my career and to get rid of me.
https://www.dailyherald.com/20251213/nation-and-world-politics/somethings-got-to-give-sticker-shock-hits-suburban-affordable-care-act-enrollees/
WHMI
— Leaked lessons from first-year University of Illinois education course show extreme left bias: ‘just so wrong’
https://www.whmi.com/news/fox/leaked-lessons-from-first-year-university-illinois-education-course-show-extreme-left-bias-just-so-wrong
FROM ILLINOIS CENTER-RIGHT SOURCES
MCHENRY COUNTY BLOG
— Kathy Salvi Attends Party Building Meeting with the President
https://www.mchenrycountyblog.com/2025/12/13/kathy-salvi-attends-party-building-meeting-with-the-president/
JOHN KASS
— Little Mogadishu the Chicago Way
https://johnkassnews.com/the-little-mogadishu-way-the-chicago-way/
FROM NATIONAL CENTER-RIGHT SOURCES
WASHINGTON TIMES
— Bold and Blunt: Feminist wokeness is destroying masculinity
https://www.washingtontimes.com/news/2025/dec/13/watch-bold-blunt-feminist-wokeness-destroying-masculinity/
— San Diego schools accused of woke ‘lunacy’ with lessons on 9 genders, 28 sexual orientations
https://www.washingtontimes.com/news/2025/dec/12/san-diego-schools-accused-woke-lunacy-lessons-9-genders-28-sexual/
— Appeals court allows Planned Parenthood defunding in ‘huge’ win for Trump administration
https://www.washingtontimes.com/news/2025/dec/13/appeals-court-allows-planned-parenthood-defunding-huge-win-trump/
WASHINGTON EXAMINER
— IL Dem touts ‘great job’ on transit, GOP candidate Ajay Gupta laments ‘bailout’ for Chicago
https://www.washingtonexaminer.com/policy/infrastructure/3917122/illinois-transit-gop-candidate-laments-bailout-chicago/
— New York to spend $2 million providing mental health services to Afghan refugees
https://www.washingtonexaminer.com/news/investigations/3916163/new-york-2-million-dollars-mental-health-services-afghan-refugees/
NEW YORK POST
— Erika Kirk speaks out against antisemitism, political violence, during CBS town hall with Bari Weiss
https://nypost.com/2025/12/13/media/erika-kirk-speaks-out-against-antisemitism-political-violence-during-cbs-town-hall-with-bari-weiss/
AMERICAN GREATNESS
— Big Brother Is Holding Conservative Media Back
https://amgreatness.com/2025/12/12/big-brother-is-holding-conservative-media-back/
AMERICAN THINKER
— Duffy removes dangerous illegal alien CDLs; Democrats resist
https://www.americanthinker.com/blog/2025/12/duffy_removes_dangerous_illegal_alien_cdls_democrats_resist.html
— The imperial media and its enablers
https://www.americanthinker.com/blog/2025/12/the_imperial_media_and_its_enablers.html
BREITBART
— Trump Receives Hero’s Welcome at Army-Navy Game, Participates in Coin Toss
https://www.breitbart.com/politics/2025/12/13/watch-trump-receives-heros-welcome-at-army-navy-game-participates-in-coin-toss/
— Cannabis Stocks Surge as Trump Weighs Marijuana Rescheduling. DD: Pot is poison.
https://www.breitbart.com/health/2025/12/12/cannabis-stocks-surge-as-trump-weighs-marijuana-rescheduling/amp/
— Casten: Fraud Protections for ACA Might Hurt People Who Can’t Get Paperwork
https://www.breitbart.com/clips/2025/12/13/dem-rep-casten-fraud-protections-for-aca-might-hurt-people-who-cant-get-paperwork/
— Ramirez Initiates Impeachment Push Against Noem
https://www.breitbart.com/politics/2025/12/13/dem-rep-delia-ramirez-initiates-impeachment-push-against-dhs-secretary-kristi-noem/
— Newsom’s California Exposed: #1 Hub for Illegal CDL Licensing — Safety Crisis Ignites Federal Fury
https://www.breitbart.com/politics/2025/12/13/newsoms-california-exposed-1-hub-for-illegal-cdl-licensing-safety-crisis-ignites-federal-fury/amp/
COLLEGE FIX
— TPUSA denied, while Democrats Club approved, at Catholic Seton Hall University
https://www.thecollegefix.com/tpusa-denied-while-democrats-club-approved-at-catholic-seton-hall-university/
DAILY CALLER
— Gene Dodaro Stepping Down For New GAO Leader As Trump Admin Faces Probes For Withholding Funding. DD: Dodaro and Brown know full-well that GAO a) wasted my career, b) forced me to retire when I was 49 years old in 1997, and c) replaced me with my Black subordinate who had less work experience than I had, who had less education than I had, who had one professional certification while I had six, and who had no professional license like the one I had.
https://dailycaller.com/2025/12/11/gene-dodaro-orice-williams-brown-government-accountability-office-replaced-trump-federal-fudning-probes/
(FROM THE ARTICLE: The new comptroller’s leadership may be temporary, as a bipartisan group of senators are set to compile a list of potential candidates for a permanent comptroller for Trump to nominate. The acting official Orice Williams Brown is permitted to be on that list, Politico noted, as that is how Dorado wound up working as the top bureaucrat for GAO. Brown has worked there for 30 years, according to Politico. Before her current role at the GAO, she handled congressional relations for the agency. Brown will be the first Black woman to lead GAO.)
FEDERALIST
— If Time Magazine Weren’t So Corrupt, It Would Have Made Charlie Kirk Person Of The Year
https://thefederalist.com/2025/12/12/if-time-magazine-werent-so-corrupt-it-would-have-made-charlie-kirk-person-of-the-year/
— It’s Morally Righteous, Not Bigotry To Notice All Cultures Are Not Equally Good
https://thefederalist.com/2025/12/11/its-morally-righteous-not-bigotry-to-notice-all-cultures-are-not-equally-good/
— ‘Birthright Citizenship’ Is A Feudal Relic That Has No Place In America
https://thefederalist.com/2025/12/11/birthright-citizenship-is-a-feudal-relic-that-has-no-place-in-america/
FOX NEWS
— Prosecuting Charlie Kirk’s alleged killer in the social media age. Case shows how online speculation replaces traditional courthouse reporting.
https://www.foxnews.com/opinion/andrew-mccarthy-prosecuting-charlie-kirks-alleged-killer-social-media-age
— BROADCAST BIAS: Networks would rather slam Trump than report on massive Somali fraud. ABC, NBC and CBS dedicate majority of Somali coverage to typical attacks on Trump.
https://www.foxnews.com/opinion/broadcast-bias-networks-would-rather-slam-trump-than-report-massive-somali-fraud
— Minnesota’s Somali fraud scandal exposes the hidden cost of immigration. State officials cut Housing Stabilization Services after costs exploded from $3 million to $100 million.
https://www.foxnews.com/opinion/minnesotas-somali-fraud-scandal-exposes-hidden-cost-immigration
NATIONAL REVIEW
— Somali Welfare Use Would Be High Even Without Fraud
https://www.nationalreview.com/corner/somali-welfare-use-would-be-high-even-without-fraud/
PJ MEDIA
— Half the Licenses for Truckers in New York Were Issued to Illegal Aliens
https://pjmedia.com/rick-moran/2025/12/13/half-the-licenses-for-truckers-in-new-york-were-issued-to-illegal-aliens-n4947019
FROM NATIONAL CENTER-LEFT SOURCES
CBS NEWS
— 7 highlights from Erika Kirk’s CBS News town hall
https://www.cbsnews.com/news/erika-kirk-cbs-news-town-hall-highlights/
— Erika Kirk talks faith and grief, fields question from last person to speak to Charlie: How to watch the CBS News town hall
https://www.cbsnews.com/news/cbs-news-town-hall-erika-kirk-how-to-watch/
NBC NEWS
— ‘We can’t be bullied’: How Trump and the GOP’s redistricting push in Indiana backfired. Aggressive tactics employed by Trump and his allies did not sit well with state lawmakers, who delivered a major political blow to national Republicans ahead of the midterms.
https://www.nbcnews.com/politics/elections/trump-gop-redistricting-push-indiana-backfired-rcna247832
WASHINGTON POST
— DD: Democrat leaders ever-increasingly promote Omar.
https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/2025/12/13/illhan-omar-donald-trump/
— Efforts to require Asian American history in schools after anti-Asian hate starting to pay off. Since pandemic-fueled anti-Asian hate surged in 2020, Asian American, Native Hawaiian and Pacific Islander advocates have mobilized to make AAPI history mandatory learning.
https://www.washingtonpost.com/national/2025/12/12/aapi-asian-american-history-public-school-education/ccd5c852-d755-11f0-a93c-a869cf73ebd6_story.html
POLITICO
— Orice Williams Brown is queued up to lead GAO. Brown will take over as acting head of GAO in a few weeks. DD: Dodaro and Brown know full-well that GAO a) wasted my career, b) forced me to retire when I was 49 years old in 1997, and c) replaced me with my Black subordinate who had less work experience than I had, who had less education than I had, who had one professional certification while I had six, and who had no professional license like the one I had.
https://www.politico.com/live-updates/2025/12/10/congress/the-federal-governments-next-top-watchdog-is-queued-up-00685439
(FROM THE ARTICLE: When Comptroller General Gene Dodaro steps down later this month as head of the Government Accountability Office, he plans to pick the agency’s chief operating officer as his acting successor. Orice Williams Brown will replace Dodaro beginning Dec. 30, the day after his 15-year term ends at the helm of GAO, the agency confirmed Wednesday. She will be the first woman to serve in that role. The acting comptroller general will take over amid the agency’s ongoing investigations into President Donald Trump’s withholding of billions of dollars in federal cash. GAO is also under increased pressure to sue the Trump administration for impoundment and has been publicly derided this year by some top Republicans who accuse the agency of being unobjective. After Brown replaces Dodaro, a bipartisan group of lawmakers is supposed to put together a list of candidates for Trump to consider nominating for Senate confirmation to the role. The acting GAO head is allowed to be included on the roster, as Dodaro was when he served in an acting capacity prior to being confirmed in 2010. Brown has worked at GAO for more than 30 years and currently runs day-to-day management of the agency’s work helping Congress carry out its constitutional responsibilities. Before serving in her current role, she headed congressional relations for the agency.)
GOVERNMENT EXECUTIVE
— Exit interview: GAO’s Gene Dodaro talks impoundments, tenure and retirement priorities. The outgoing comptroller general reflects on leading the agency through national crises, building a skilled workforce and guiding federal oversight before his term ends Dec. 29. DD: Dodaro knows full-well that GAO a) wasted my career, b) forced me to retire when I was 49 years old in 1997, and c) replaced me with my Black subordinate who had less work experience than I had, who had less education than I had, who had one professional certification while I had six, and who had no professional license like the one I had.
https://www.govexec.com/oversight/2025/12/exit-interview-gaos-gene-dodaro-talks-impoundments-tenure-and-retirement-priorities/410114/
(FROM THE ARTICLE: In this exit interview, Dodaro discusses what it’s like to lead a workforce of “trained critics,” how to build relationships with an array of political figures and GAO’s future, particularly as it runs into conflict with the Trump administration over impoundments, which is when the executive branch delays or withholds congressionally approved funding. . .I’ve prioritized making sure we have a very robust internship program here at GAO. We usually bring in about 200 interns every year. It’s one of our main pipelines for future development of the GAO workforce. . .We have over 3,000 highly trained professionals of virtually all disciplines. Financial auditing is only about 10% of what we do. The rest of it is performance audits. We need economists. We need subject area experts in defense, healthcare, transportation, etc. We have actuaries. We have scientists. We have computer security experts, acquisition experts, so we have a wide range of subject area technical experts. . .We do work that supports over 90% of the standing committees of the Congress. There’s a wide footprint, so you have to have somebody who can manage a multidisciplinary workforce on a portfolio of work that transcends across the federal government’s activities. They have to be a person that can work with these highly trained people at GAO. . .I leave behind me a very strong workforce. The GAO workforce is among the best in the world. I have total confidence in them, but you need somebody who can come in and understand how they carry out their activities to make continuous improvement, as I’ve tried to do over my time.
HARVARD KENNEDY SCHOOL
— DD: According to Democrat and RINO leaders, if Whites and males do better at something than minorities and females, it is because Whites and males benefitted from discrimination against minorities and females.
https://www.hks.harvard.edu/centers/wappp/spring-2026-seminar-fairness-and-meritocracy-work
POLITICO
— Trump’s plans to shatter the bureaucracy have a green light at the Supreme Court. Incremental wins at the court give the White House confidence to go further. DD: Democrats run the federal government. Only those federal employees who are the following have Civil Service protections: Democrats who are minority, female, younger, veteran, disabled, LGBTQ, non-Protestant, non-German American, and/or have ancestors who have not been in America for a long time.
https://www.politico.com/news/2025/12/07/supreme-court-trump-firings-humphreys-executor-00679728
Tag: POT
December 12, 2025 Evening Edition
FROM ILLINOIS CENTER-LEFT SOURCES
CHICAGO SUN-TIMES
— Pritzker signs ‘right-to-die’ legislation for terminally ill people to end their lives in Illinois. The new law, which takes effect next September, opens the door for people 18 or older with a terminal diagnosis to be prescribed a fatal drug.
https://chicago.suntimes.com/politics/2025/12/12/illinois-right-to-die-pritzker-signs-law
— Illinois’ political tensions nothing compared to failed redistricting push in Indiana. Indiana Republicans’ arguments against the bill were sound, not only because they were under so much pressure from D.C., but because it just wasn’t the right thing to do. DD: What about the gerrymandered Illinois 3rd Congressional District?
https://chicago.suntimes.com/columnists/2025/12/12/illinois-redistricting-push-indiana-republicans-trump-rich-miller
CHICAGO TRIBUNE
— Trump downplays Indiana redistricting loss, but funds could be in doubt
https://www.chicagotribune.com/2025/12/12/trump-downplays-indiana-redistricting-loss-but-funds-could-be-in-doubt/
— Speaker Mike Johnson scrambles to find a health care plan as Republicans remain divided
https://www.chicagotribune.com/2025/12/12/speaker-johnson-health-care-plan/
DAILY HERALD
— DD: Democrat leaders ever-increasingly a) glorify and praise their illegals and b) fight deportation of their illegals.
https://www.dailyherald.com/20251212/nation-and-world/immigration-crackdown-leaves-teens-to-care-for-siblings-after-parents-get-detained/
— DD: Censures and attempts to censure are always big news. I should write about the unsuccessful attempt by my critics/opponents to get the Illinois Center Right Coalition to censure me for my GOPUSA ILLINOIS newsletters in 2006. I would focus on my critics/opponents who continue to have their operatives and their dupes take adverse actions against me.
https://www.dailyherald.com/20251212/news/district-211-board-censures-member-for-sharing-closed-session-discussion-of-fired-teachers/
CRAIN’S CHICAGO BUSINESS
— Illinois cannabis industry poised for major tax relief if Trump reclassifies marijuana. DD: Pot is poison.
https://www.chicagobusiness.com/cannabis/trump-cannabis-rescheduling-could-ease-industrys-tax-burden
— Illinois among states suing Trump over $100,000 H-1B visa fee. DD: All my employers would have hired noncitizens instead of me if they could have.
https://www.chicagobusiness.com/politics/illinois-among-states-suing-trump-over-h-1b-visa-fee
ABC7
— Republican state Sen. Niemeyer explains his vote against Indiana redistricting plan backed by Trump. DD: What about the gerrymandered Illinois 3rd Congressional District?
https://abc7chicago.com/post/gop-state-sen-rick-niemeyer-explains-indiana-redistricting-vote-rejecting-plan-backed-donald-trump-ahead-2026-midterms/18280892/
WTTW
— Evanston Church Nativity Scene Adds Zip Ties, Gas Masks and ICE to Protest Immigration Raids. DD: Democrat leaders ever-increasingly get religious leaders to do their bidding.
https://news.wttw.com/2025/12/12/evanston-church-nativity-scene-adds-zip-ties-gas-masks-and-ice-protest-immigration-raids
— Illinois Agriculture Director Says Trump Trade Policies Are ‘Crushing’ Farmers
https://news.wttw.com/2025/12/12/illinois-agriculture-director-says-trump-trade-policies-are-crushing-farmers
WSIU
— Illinois H-1B workers earn median $110K as visa fees and wage rules shift. DD: All my employers would have hired noncitizens instead of me if they could have.
https://www.wsiu.org/diversity/2025-12-12/illinois-h-1b-workers-earn-median-110k-as-visa-fees-and-wage-rules-shift
CAPITOL FAX
— Illinois very near its 15-year goal of 60 percent of adults holding ‘postsecondary credentials.’ DD: None of my peers hold anywhere near as many credentials as I have. I have a) three master’s degrees (business-1976, accounting-1980, and finance-1997), b) six professional certifications (accounting-1979, internal auditing-1981, fraud examination-1990, government financial management-1994, financial services auditing-1996, and forensic accounting-1997, and c) a professional license (CPA-1981). Since I was 27 years old in 1976, my critics/opponents have ever-increasingly ignored/dismissed/belittled my credentials. But worse than that, they have ever-increasingly used them against me. They ever-increasingly hint/imply/argue/shout that anyone with as many credentials I have should have had a far more successful career than I had. They stress that my ending federal salary in 1997 was only $153,151/year in today’s dollars. They stress the many adverse actions that my superiors in the federal government took against me. They stress that Republican candidates, elected officials, and party leaders in Illinois, DuPage County, Milton Township, and Wheaton continue to ignore/dismiss/belittle my credentials. They ever-increasingly hint/imply/argue/shout that my lack of career success and Republican ignoring/dismissing/belittling of my credentials is because I am an extremely bad person.
https://capitolfax.com/2025/12/12/report-illinois-very-near-its-15-year-goal-of-60-percent-of-adults-holding-postsecondary-credentials/
FROM ILLINOIS CENTER-RIGHT SOURCES
ILLINOIS REVIEW
— When the State Decides Your Life Isn’t Worth Living
https://www.illinoisreview.com/illinoisreview/2025/12/i-was-offered-death-when-i-needed-care-when-the-state-decides-your-life-isnt-worth-living.html
FROM NATIONAL CENTER-RIGHT SOURCES
WASHINGTON TIMES
— Seized oil tanker was hiding its location to evade sanctions, law enforcement
https://www.washingtontimes.com/news/2025/dec/12/seized-oil-tanker-hiding-location-evade-sanctions-law-enforcement/
— New York gave illegal driver’s licenses to foreign truck drivers
https://www.washingtontimes.com/news/2025/dec/12/new-york-gave-illegal-drivers-licenses-foreign-truck-drivers-feds/
— Killing narco-terrorists, saving American lives. Critics of the president’s drone policy would perpetuate deadly overdoses.
https://www.washingtontimes.com/news/2025/dec/10/killing-narco-terrorists-saving-american-lives/
WASHINGTON EXAMINER
— The dangers of Trump’s venture socialism
https://www.washingtonexaminer.com/opinion/beltway-confidential/3916547/dangers-trump-venture-socialism/
BIZ PAC REVIEW
— Trump and Team MAGA are coming for turncoat Indiana Republicans
https://www.bizpacreview.com/2025/12/12/trump-and-team-maga-are-coming-for-turncoat-indiana-republicans-1609751/
BREITBART
— Poll: Majority of Catholics Support President Trump’s Mass Deportation of Illegal Aliens
https://www.breitbart.com/faith/2025/12/12/poll-majority-of-catholics-support-president-trumps-mass-deportation-of-illegals/amp/
DAILY CALLER
— Trump: Blue States That Let Illegals Drive ‘Lethal Weapons’ Will Miss Out On Millions Of Tax Money
https://dailycaller.com/2025/12/12/sean-duffy-illegal-truckers-cdls-new-york/
FOX BUSINESS
— University calls ‘Standard American English’ a tool of white supremacy
https://www.foxbusiness.com/video/6386398348112
FOX NEWS
— Omar accused by GOP opponent of opening up the door to massive Minneapolis fraud: ‘Deep, deep ties.’ Republican challenger John Nagel alleges that Omar has ties to individuals involved in fraud scandal.
https://www.foxnews.com/politics/omar-accused-gop-opponent-opening-up-door-massive-minneapolis-fraud-deep-deep-ties
NATIONAL RIGHT TO LIFE
— National Right to Life Condemns Actions of Pritzker’s Signing of Illinois Assisted Suicide Law
https://nrlc.org/communications/nrl-condemns-actions-of-illinois-governor-pritzkers-signing-of-illinois-assisted-suicide-law/
NEWSMAX
— Blue States Flouting Federal Laws
https://www.newsmax.com/newsmax-tv/illinois-crash-cdl/2025/12/12/id/1238101/
FROM NATIONAL CENTER-LEFT SOURCES
WALL STREET JOURNAL
— Cannabis Stocks Soar on Reports White House Plans to Reclassify Pot. DD: Pot is poison.
https://www.wsj.com/livecoverage/stock-market-today-dow-sp-500-nasdaq-12-12-2025/card/cannabis-stocks-soar-on-reports-of-white-house-plan-to-reclassify-pot-PvFT19TMWSoL6bTntJEz
INDEPENDENT JOURNAL REVIEW
— Trump: Blue States That Let Illegals Drive ‘Lethal Weapons’ Will Miss Out On Millions Of Tax Money
https://ijr.com/trump-admin-says-blue-states-that-let-illegals-drive-lethal-weapons-will-miss-out-on-millions-of-tax-money/
December 12, 2025
FROM ILLINOIS CENTER-LEFT SOURCES
FOX32
— Duckworth slams troop deployment. DD: Democrat leaders ever-increasingly fight deportation of their illegals.
https://www.fox32chicago.com/video/1755268
CHICAGO TRIBUNE
— FRONT PAGE TOP OF FOLD WITH BIG PICTURE: Illinois Democrats applaud as GOP-led Indiana Senate rebuffs President Trump’s push for new redistricting map. DD: Will Indiana be the next red state to turn blue and crash and burn?
https://www.chicagotribune.com/2025/12/11/illinois-democrats-applaud-as-gop-led-indiana-senate-rebuffs-president-trumps-push-for-new-redistricting-map/
— DD: Democrat leaders ever-increasingly crow about their success in getting religious leaders to do their bidding. The Democrat Party platform is extremely anti-religious.
https://www.chicagotribune.com/2025/12/09/jesus-zip-ties-taken-evanston-church-updates-nativity/
CHICAGO SUN-TIMES
— Greg Bovino’s the star of Trump’s deportation show. We trace his roots. As a boy, the Hollywood movie “The Border” set the course for his life. He couldn’t believe the Border Patrol agents in the movie were the bad guys. Now that he’s in charge of deportation efforts causing turmoil in Chicago and elsewhere, he sees himself as the good guy. Not everyone agrees.
https://chicago.suntimes.com/the-watchdogs/2025/12/12/gregory-bovino-border-patrol-deportation-elcentro-california-blowing-rock-boone-north-carolina-migrants-immigration
DAILY HERALD
— Pritzker Military Foundation helps carry on Chicago’s historic tradition of holiday giving. DD: Soon, under Pritzker, everyone in Illinois will be a) handing out welfare and/or b) receiving welfare.
https://www.dailyherald.com/20251211/submitted-content/pritzker-military-foundation-helps-carry-on-chicagos-historic-tradition-of-holiday-giving/
— DD: FRONT PAGE TOP OF FOLD WITH PICTURE: Democrat leaders ever-increasingly a) glorify and praise their illegals and b) fight their deportation.
https://www.dailyherald.com/20251211/news/elgin-police-refute-dhs-account-of-violence-during-immigration-enforcement/
https://www.dailyherald.com/20251211/news/he-doesnt-deserve-to-be-treated-like-a-criminal-effort-underway-on-behalf-of-man-detained-by-ice/
CRAIN’S CHICAGO BUSINESS
— Trump aims to cut curbs on marijuana via exec order: report. DD: Pot is poison. I led the successful effort to stop the sale of pot in Wheaton in 2019.
https://www.chicagobusiness.com/cannabis/trump-aims-cut-curbs-marijuana-exec-order-report
JOURNAL COURIER
— Illinois bill would let state inmates work remote jobs for pay
https://www.myjournalcourier.com/news/article/illinois-incarcerated-remote-jobs-21236922.php
NPR ILLINOIS
— Foreign-born population shrinks as Trump administration pressures immigrants to go. DD: All my employers would have hired noncitizens instead of me if they could have,
https://www.nprillinois.org/2025-12-11/foreign-born-population-shrinks-as-trump-administration-pressures-immigrants-to-go
— DD: The mainstream news media exists to destroy Trump.
https://www.nprillinois.org/2025-12-12/trump-struggles-to-find-his-economic-messaging-amid-voter-skepticism
DURBIN
— DD: Democrat leaders ever-increasingly fight deportation of their illegals.
https://www.durbin.senate.gov/newsroom/press-releases/durbin-condemns-president-trumps-racist-comments-towards-immigrants-in-senate-judiciary-committee-executive-meeting
DAILY LINE
— Two candidates running in open Republican primary in Illinois’ 33rd Senate District
https://www.thedailyline.com/two-candidates-running-republican-primary-illinois-33rd-senate-district
POLITICO ILLINOIS
— Illinois pauses after Indiana rejects map
https://www.politico.com/newsletters/illinois-playbook/2025/12/12/illinois-pauses-as-indiana-rejects-map-00688582
CAPITOL FAX
— Morning briefing
FROM ILLINOIS CENTER-RIGHT SOURCES
ILLINOIS REVIEW
— Pritzker Threatens Mid-Decade Power Grab to Wipe Out GOP Seats After Indiana Redistricting Move. DD: When will the last Republican leave Illinois?
https://www.illinoisreview.com/illinoisreview/2025/12/pritzker-threatens-mid-decade-power-grab-to-wipe-out-gop-seats-after-indiana-redistricting-move.html
ILLINOIS POLICY INSTITUTE
— $1B, unneeded tax hike coming to a tollway near you?
https://www.illinoispolicy.org/1b-unneeded-tax-hike-coming-to-a-tollway-near-you/
MCHENRY COUNTY BLOG
— GOP Gubernatorial Hopeful Ted Dabrowski at Marengo Library Today 2-4
https://www.mchenrycountyblog.com/2025/12/12/gop-gubernatorial-hopeful-ted-dabrowski-at-marengo-library-today-2-4/
— A Democratic Party Governor Favoring School Choice Financed by Private Donations
https://www.mchenrycountyblog.com/2025/12/12/a-democratic-party-governor-favoring-school-choice-financed-by-private-donations/
— Court Seeks New Public Defender as Mark Cook Retires
https://www.mchenrycountyblog.com/2025/12/11/court-seeks-new-public-defender-as-mark-cook-retires/
— McHenry County’s Top Law Enforcement Officials Willing To Offer Pritzker Input on Revising SAFE-T Act
https://www.mchenrycountyblog.com/2025/12/11/mchenry-countys-top-law-enforcement-officials-willing-to-offer-pritzker-input-on-revising-safe-t-act/
— Ugaste Reminds Pritzker That He Already Gerrymandered Illinois
https://www.mchenrycountyblog.com/2025/12/11/ugaste-reminds-pritzker-that-he-already-gerrymandered-illinois/
— Porch Thefts in Chicago and Locally
https://www.mchenrycountyblog.com/2025/12/11/porch-thefts-in-chicago-and-locally/
— Suggestions for Making Illinois’ No Cash Bail Law Work Better
https://www.mchenrycountyblog.com/2025/12/10/suggestions-for-making-illinois-no-cash-bail-law-work-better/
— Crooked Suburban Police Chief Goes Down
https://www.mchenrycountyblog.com/2025/12/10/crooked-suburban-police-chief-goes-down/
— Sheriff Hiring Bailiffs, Retired Police Sought for Full and Part-Time Work
https://www.mchenrycountyblog.com/2025/12/10/sheriff-hiring-bailiffs-retired-police-sought-for-full-and-part-time-work/
— CORRECTION: Riley Grade School District Announces 103% Tax Increase AFTER MAJOR TAX CUT LAST YEAR TO SPEND DOWN SURPLUS
https://www.mchenrycountyblog.com/2025/12/10/riley-grade-school-district-announces-3-tax-increase/
— State Rep. Candidate Bailey Templeton Quantifies Blagojevich Era Allowance of Illegal Alien Kids on Medicaid
https://www.mchenrycountyblog.com/2025/12/10/state-rep-candidate-bailey-templeton-quantifies-blagojevich-era-allowance-of-illegal-alien-kids-on-medicaid/
— Dems Forget Federal Supremacy
https://www.mchenrycountyblog.com/2025/12/10/dems-forget-federal-supremacy/
— Tax Sale Law Ruled Unconstitutional in Federal Cook County Suit, Logic Will Affect All Counties
https://www.mchenrycountyblog.com/2025/12/10/tax-sale-law-ruled-unconstitutional-in-federal-cook-county-suit-logic-will-affect-all-counties/
— UPDATE: Pritzker Continues Unannounced Visits to Crystal Lake, Refers to Excessive SNAP (Food Stamp) Fraud
https://www.mchenrycountyblog.com/2025/12/09/pritzker-continues-unannounced-visits-to-crystal-lake/
FROM NATIONAL CENTER-RIGHT SOURCES
WASHINGTON TIMES
— Trump advocates for primary against Indiana GOP leader who rejected redrawn congressional map
https://www.washingtontimes.com/news/2025/dec/11/trump-calls-primary-indiana-gop-leader-rodric-bray-rejected-redrawn/
WASHINGTON FREE BEACON
— Yes, Ilhan Omar Married Her Brother.
https://freebeacon.substack.com/p/yes-ilhan-omar-married-her-brother
NEW YORK POST
— Trump: Biden administration weaponized DOJ to target Charlie Kirk to put the Turning Point USA movement ‘out of business.’ DD: Who leads Turning Point USA in Illinois, in your county, in your township, in your municipality, and in your school district?
https://www.aol.com/articles/trump-claims-biden-admin-weaponized-104731208.html
BLAZE
— Mamdani dares ICE to come get him — and throws the Constitution in the trash
https://www.theblaze.com/columns/opinion/mamdani-dares-ice-to-come-get-him-and-throws-the-constitution-in-the-trash
COLLEGE FIX
— Turning Point USA leaders forced off campus at Olivet Nazarene university after death threats. DD: Who leads Turning Point USA in Illinois, in your county, in your township, in your municipality, and in your school district?
https://www.thecollegefix.com/turning-point-usa-leaders-forced-off-campus-at-illinois-university-after-death-threats/
DAILY SIGNAL
— LGBTQ Activists Hound Debate Venue to Cancel Christian Leader. DD: If I was still the TAPROOT Republicans of Illinois chairman and an Illinois Center Right Coalition Steering Committee member, the organizations would still be hosting conservative speakers.
https://www.dailysignal.com/2025/12/11/were-not-canceling-ohio-venue-stands-for-christian-leaders-free-speech/
FOX NEWS
— GOP accuses Democrats of manufacturing affordability crisis as Obamacare subsidy fight nears deadline. Senate Republicans say Democrats manufactured affordability crisis to score political points in 2026 midterms.
https://www.foxnews.com/politics/gop-accuses-democrats-manufacturing-affordability-crisis-obamacare-subsidy-fight-nears-deadline
— Bovino urges Pritzker to follow the example of Louisiana when it comes to ICE. Bovino comments on the consequences of the Biden administration border crisis and threats against ICE agents on ‘Hannity.’
https://www.foxnews.com/video/6386360430112
— House Dem to force Trump impeachment vote on 2 articles. Rep Al Green, D-Texas, has forced House vote on impeachment articles within two legislative days.
https://www.foxnews.com/politics/house-dem-force-trump-impeachment-vote-2-articles
LAW ENFORCEMENT TODAY
— New California Law Puts ICE Agents at Risk While Violent Protesters Stay Hidden
https://lawenforcementtoday.com/california-law-newsom-police-unmasked
LEGAL INSURRECTION
— Turning Point USA Leaders at Olivet Nazarene U. Forced Off Campus Due to Death Threats. “At no time is this sort of behavior acceptable in our society and certainly not at Olivet, and it will be handled accordingly.” DD: Who leads Turning Point USA in Illinois, in your county, in your township, in your municipality, and in your school district?
https://legalinsurrection.com/2025/12/turning-point-usa-leaders-at-olivet-nazarene-u-forced-off-campus-due-to-death-threats/
FROM NATIONAL CENTER-LEFT SOURCES
ABC NEWS
— Trump’s $1 million ‘Gold Card’ immigration application plan launches. The program will fast-track residency and citizenship for wealthy immigrants. DD: When your ancestors immigrated, how much money did they have? On my father’s side, they immigrated in 1844. They worked in brick factory in Chicago for 10 years to be eligible to homestead a farm in southeast Crete Township in 1854. On my mother’s side they immigrated in the 1850s and sharecropped a farm in Grant Park along the Indiana border.
https://abcnews.go.com/US/trumps-1-million-gold-card-immigration-application-plan/story?id=128320787
— Without affirmative action, elite colleges are prioritizing economic diversity in admissions. Some of the nation’s most prestigious colleges have been enrolling record numbers of low-income students as campuses prioritize economic diversity in the wake of a ban on affirmative action. DD: Because the parents of Black and Hispanic students have less income than the parents of White students, colleges use income as a proxy to give preference to Black and Hispanic students. My father never earned more than $50,000/year in today’s dollars. I had to work my way through college.
https://abcnews.go.com/Politics/wireStory/affirmative-action-elite-colleges-prioritizing-economic-diversity-admissions-128303327
(FROM THE ARTICLE: In legal memos, the White House has alleged that prioritizing students based on earnings or geography amounts to a “racial proxy” in violation of the Supreme Court’s 2023 decision against affirmative action. In a June letter, Trump officials accused the University of California-Los Angeles of “race-based admissions in all but name.” It criticized UCLA for considering factors like applicants’ family income, ZIP code and high school profile. Colleges often weigh that kind of information in admissions decisions. Yet the Trump administration has declared that the Supreme Court decision outlaws a wide range of long-accepted education practices, including scholarships targeting students in underserved areas.)
ABC NEW YORK
— Mamdani answers questions on his universal child care plan. DD: Ever since I was born in 1948, my critics/opponents have falsely unethically used my mother staying home to raise me and my brother to paint my mother and father as being filthy rich. Because my mother never attended high school, the belief was that her earning potential was very limited. She never worked outside of the home until after my father died suddenly in 1969 when he was 47 and I was 21. My father never earned more than $50,000/year in today’s dollars. He almost always worked second jobs to pay the family’s bills. I had to work my way through college.
https://abc7ny.com/post/nyc-mayor-elect-zohran-mamdani-answers-questions-universal-child-care-plan/18276590/
CBS NEWS
— Abbott announces statewide push to expand Turning Point USA chapters in Texas high schools. DD: Who leads Turning Point USA in Illinois, in your county, in your township, in your municipality, and in your school district?
https://www.cbsnews.com/texas/news/gov-abbott-announces-statewide-push-to-expand-turning-point-usa-chapters-in-texas-high-schools/
NBC NEWS
— Republican-led House votes to overturn Trump executive order on federal employee bargaining rights. The rare bipartisan vote, 231-195, marks the first time the House has voted to overturn an executive order from President Donald Trump this term. DD: GAO did not unionize until 2007. If GAO had unionized sooner, I might still be a GAO employee. But if not that, my Democrat GAO superiors would not have been able to take the many adverse actions against me that they did including forcing me to retire when I was 49 years old in 1997.
https://www.nbcnews.com/politics/congress/republican-led-house-votes-overturn-trump-executive-order-bargaining-r-rcna248767
NEW YORK TIMES
— Democrats Press Noem on Harsh Immigration Tactics. DD: Democrat leaders ever-increasingly fight deportation of their illegals.
https://www.nytimes.com/video/us/politics/100000010582298/noem-house-hearing-immigration-crackdown.html
— DD: The mainstream news media exists to drive Trump’s approval rating down.
https://www.nytimes.com/2025/12/11/opinion/trump-approval-rating-affordability.html
— DD: Hate-filled Trump-hating Trump-haters ever-increasingly shout at everyone that if you cannot afford something, it is because of Trump.
https://www.nytimes.com/2025/12/11/us/politics/trump-affordability-democrats.html
WASHINGTON POST
— A Democratic upset in Miami’s mayoral runoff this week is a wakeup call for Trump heading into the midterms. DD: What is the likelihood that the Republican candidates on the November 3, 2026 ballot in your precinct will win?
https://www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/2025/12/11/miami-election-mayor-higgins-democrats/
— DD: Democrat leaders promote IVF to give themselves cover to promote abortion. I should write about how my Democrat GAO superiors to get rid of me used against me my and my wife giving up trying to have children without trying IVF. They hinted/implied/argued/shouted that I lied about our efforts to have children. In 1989, to punish me, they rudely threw me off audits of IRS, rudely gave me a bad 6-month audit assignment in Iowa, rudely gave unfair performance expectations, rudely gave me an unfair performance appraisal, and rudely ranked me at the bottom of my coworkers for pay-for-performance. I should write about the aforesaid. Of course, Duckworth would applaud the aforesaid.
https://www.washingtonpost.com/nation/2025/12/10/ndaa-ivf-coverage-military-families/
USA TODAY
— DD: Democrats fight for criminals. Republicans fight for the victims of criminals.
https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/investigations/2025/11/20/sepsis-deaths-lawsuits-prisons-jails-infection-investigation/85755243007/
— FRONT PAGE TOP OF FOLD WITH PICTURE: Democrat leaders ever-increasingly blame Trump for inflation.
https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/politics/2025/12/11/trump-affordability-poll-news/87623654007/
WALL STREET JOURNAL
— Rise of the Mamdani Clones. After the 2024 humiliation, the left is back. It could hurt the party in 2026.
https://www.wsj.com/opinion/rise-of-the-mamdani-clones-28d0db8b
FORBES
— DD: Democrat leaders ever-increasingly fight deportation of their illegals.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=X3bRTO00IcI
AMERICAN IMMIGRATION COUNCIL
— Immigrant Workers and the Childcare Crisis. DD: What percent of childcare workers are illegals?
https://www.americanimmigrationcouncil.org/report/immigrant-workers-childcare-crisis/
NATIONAL JURIST
— Northwestern Pritzker Law scholarship fund reaches $1 million to support public service careers. DD: I worked for the Democrats who ran the federal government for almost 30 years. They always stressed that I wanted a career in the automotive industry and that none of my four degrees are in public service. In my defense, I would not have become a postal employee when I was 18 in 1966 if my high school friend had not asked me to join him in taking the postal employment test. I would not have become an IRS employee when I was 22 in 1971 if my Firestone Store boss had not fired me because I had accepted a job offer from Oldsmobile, an offer that Oldsmobile withdrew because it had just agreed to stop hiring Whites to settle an EEOC complaint.
https://nationaljurist.com/northwestern-law-scholarship-fund-reaches-1-million-to-support-public-service-careers/
EDUCATION WEEK
— DD: To get more votes from minorities, Democrat leaders ever-increasingly give minorities more preference.
https://www.edweek.org/leadership/trump-admin-accuses-minneapolis-schools-of-racism-in-protecting-minority-teachers/2025/12
PBS
— DD: To illegally bring a child into a country illegally and/or to illegally keep a child in a country illegally is child abuse.
https://www.pbs.org/newshour/nation/trump-administration-separates-thousands-of-migrant-families-in-the-u-s
AXIOS
— Ramirez is pressing the House Judiciary Committee to begin impeachment hearings against Noem.
https://www.axios.com/2025/12/11/kristi-noem-impeachment-democrat-dhs-rfk-trump
December 2, 2025 Evening Edition
FROM ILLINOIS CENTER-LEFT SOURCES
NBC5
— Dell family to give $6.25 billion to create 25 million additional ‘Trump Accounts.’ “This gift is expected to reach nearly 80% of children age 10 and under across 75% of U.S. zip codes,” according to Invest America.
https://www.nbcchicago.com/news/national-international/dell-billions-donations-trump-accounts/3857683/
WBEZ
— DD: Democrat leaders use students to crow about their obstruction of justice.
https://www.wbez.org/education/2025/12/02/as-immigration-agents-swept-chicago-this-fall-communities-stepped-in-to-get-kids-to-school-safely
CHICAGO TRIBUNE
— DD: Democrat leaders ever-increasingly fight enforcement of immigration laws.
https://www.chicagotribune.com/2025/12/02/sen-dick-durbin-demands-answers-from-homeland-security-regarding-u-s-citizens-caught-up-in-immigration-raids/
https://www.chicagotribune.com/2025/12/02/opinion-chicago-immigration-raids-lessons-children/
DAILY HERALD
— Needless dispute: Censure of DuPage County clerk could have been avoided
https://www.dailyherald.com/20251202/editorials/daily-herald-opinion-needless-dispute-censure-of-dupage-county-clerk-could-have-been-avoided/
— Batavia pub gets OK for video gambling, despite being next to two churches
https://www.dailyherald.com/20251202/gambling/batavia-pub-gets-ok-for-video-gambling-despite-being-next-to-two-churches/
CENTRAL ILLINOIS PROUD
— DD: Democrat leaders ever-increasingly blame Trump for price increases.
https://www.centralillinoisproud.com/news/national/more-americans-say-trump-has-helped-raise-prices-rather-than-lower-them-survey/
CAPITOL FAX
— Afternoon roundup
https://capitolfax.com/2025/12/02/isabel%e2%80%99s-afternoon-roundup-430/
FROM ILLINOIS CENTER-RIGHT SOURCES
CENTER SQUARE ILLINOIS
— Bill on Pritzker’s desk enhances Illinois’ migrant sanctuary policies. DD: The Democrats who run Illinois are ever closer to officially seceding Illinois from the United States.
https://www.thecentersquare.com/illinois/article_adaf80e0-ede3-4720-9968-6028d9d1fbbf.html
GOPUSA ILLINOIS
— If you are a Republican and if more and more and more of the voters in your county, township, municipality, school district, and precinct are voting for Democrats, your future is bleaker and bleaker and bleaker. At what point will you move? But if you move to a prosperous and safe area that Republicans created, Democrats will a) move into that area to take advantage of that prosperity and safety and b) get rid of you. Look at DuPage County. – Dave Diersen
http://www.gopillinois.com
FROM NATIONAL CENTER-RIGHT SOURCES
WASHINGTON TIMES
— Young socialists revolt as Democratic Party hits 30-year popularity low
https://www.washingtontimes.com/news/2025/dec/2/democratic-party-popularity-hits-30-year-low-young-socialists-gain/
— GOP advances bill to add citizenship question to 2030 census
https://www.washingtontimes.com/news/2025/dec/2/gop-advances-bill-add-citizenship-question-2030-census/
— Journalist group presses White House to remove ‘media offenders’ webpage
https://www.washingtontimes.com/news/2025/dec/2/journalist-group-presses-white-house-remove-media-offenders-webpage/
WASHINGTON FREE BEACON
— Mamdani Taps Felon Who Served 7 Years for Robbing NYC Taxi Drivers as ‘Criminal Legal System’ Adviser
https://freebeacon.com/democrats/mamdani-taps-felon-who-served-7-years-for-robbing-nyc-taxi-drivers-as-criminal-legal-system-adviser/
NEW YORK POST
— Trump Derangement Syndrome is real
https://nypost.com/2025/12/02/opinion/trump-derangement-syndrome-is-real-these-hysterical-threats-prove-it/
— Anti-ICE chaos in Lower Manhattan is a sign of trouble ahead
https://nypost.com/2025/12/01/opinion/anti-ice-chaos-in-lower-manhattan-is-a-taste-of-whats-to-come-if-mamdani-amp-feds-cant-cooperate/
AMERICAN ENTERPRISE INSTITUTE
— States Fail to Require Adequate Cannabis Product Safety Warnings. DD: Pot is poison.
https://www.aei.org/op-eds/states-fail-to-require-adequate-cannabis-product-safety-warnings/
BIZ PAC REVIEW
— Lawmakers who spent hundreds of millions on illegals want to charge Chicagoans $1.25 ‘package fee’ deliveries.
https://www.bizpacreview.com/2025/12/02/lawmakers-who-spent-hundreds-of-millions-on-illegals-want-to-charge-chicagoans-1-25-package-fee-deliveries-1607606/
BREITBART
— Trump: ‘The Word Affordability Is a Con Job by the Democrats’ After Biden’s Historic Inflation
https://www.breitbart.com/politics/2025/12/02/trump-word-affordability-is-con-job-democrats-after-bidens-historic-inflation/
DAILY SIGNAL
— House GOP Pushing Affordability Heading Into Election Year
https://www.dailysignal.com/2025/12/02/house-gop-pushing-affordability-heading-into-election-year/
FOX NEWS
— Trump unleashes on Dems’ top campaign platform: affordability
https://www.foxnews.com/video/6385857884112
FROM NATIONAL CENTER-LEFT SOURCES
CNN
— Religious leaders sue to block ICE raids at houses of worship. DD: Democrat leaders ever-increasingly turn religious leaders against America.
https://www.cnn.com/2025/12/01/world/video/religious-leaders-sue-to-block-ice-raids-at-houses-of-worship
USA TODAY
— ‘Affordability is a con job by the Democrats’: Trump tells Cabinet. Trump said tariffs are generating billions of dollars from countries such as Japan and South Korea that had been ‘ripping us off.’
https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/politics/2025/12/02/trump-cabinet-meeting-venezuela-live-updates/87566205007/
NEW YORK DAILY NEWS
— Trump dismisses affordability concerns as Democratic ‘con job’
https://www.nydailynews.com/2025/12/02/trump-dismisses-affordability-concerns-as-democratic-con-job/
NEW YORK SUN
— Illinois Church’s Nativity Scene Depicts Baby Jesus Zip-Tied, Romans as ICE Agents. ‘The Holy Family were refugees. This is not political interpretation, this is the reality described,’ the church says. DD: The Democrat Party’s conquering of religion will soon be complete.
https://www.nysun.com/article/illinois-churchs-nativity-scene-depicts-baby-jesus-zip-tied-romans-as-ice-agents
NEWSWEEK
— In a survey of more than 1,200 likely Illinois voters, carried out between November 20 and 25 and seen by Fox 32, Chicago-based Victory Research put Pritzker at 54.3 percent of the vote, compared to 34 percent for GOP candidate Darren Bailey.
https://www.newsweek.com/republicans-chances-beating-jb-pritzker-illinois-governor-election-11142102
FORBES
— Giving Tuesday: What It Is And How To Maximize Its Impact. DD: What do you give to others? Since 2000, I have given my GOPUSA ILLINOIS newsletters to anyone who wants to read them free of charge, without any advertising, and without any donation requests. Since 2004, they have included links to almost 530,000 articles.
https://www.forbes.com/sites/juliekratz/2025/12/02/giving-tuesday-what-it-is-and-how-to-maximize-its-impact/
GOVERNMENT EXECUTIVE
— Why America needs the GAO: DD: For almost 18 years, I worked for the Democrats who ran GAO. If Gingrich had reformed GAO during that time instead of gutting it, DOGE would not have been needed.
https://www.govexec.com/oversight/2025/11/why-america-needs-gao-doge-done-right/409745/
(FROM THE ARTICLE: Ten months after the launch of Elon Musk’s Department of Government Efficiency, one thing is clear: no one can agree on how much money it saved—or, in fact, whether it saved any money at all—and, if there were savings, what happened to them. What if DOGE were done right? Here something else is clear: we have had the Government Accountability Office, founded as a green-eye-shade operation back in 1921 to audit every single government transaction. It’s grown into the indispensable watchdog on the federal government’s spending and operations. It’s what DOGE done right looks like. At first, Musk promised to find $2 trillion in savings. Then the pledge dropped to $1 trillion. Then he struggled to document any savings at all. Since 2002, GAO’s work has logged more than $1.45 trillion in savings for taxpayers, across more than 29,000 different federal operations. Last year, savings were $67.5 billion. And better than most watchdogs glad to gobble up every available can of dog food, GAO has kept watch on itself. It’s measured the return on taxpayer investment in its own operations: $123 for every budget dollar. It’s operations aren’t flashy. In fact, they’re pretty wonky, which as card-carrying wonks we greatly admire. Its staff get advanced training when they walk into the door, which never stops as employees move up through the ranks. The size of its staff, which was reduced from 5,200 staff to its current level of about 3,500 after the Republican takeover of the House in 1995, has been relatively stable over the last decade, despite expanding demands on its work. Musk promised to trim the number of federal agencies. “There’s so many that people have never heard of. I think we should be able to get away with 99 agencies,” he said. It wasn’t clear where that number came from. It was clear from his work that DOGE didn’t know how to get there. GAO, on the other hand, has been identifying areas of duplication and overlap since 2011, with $725 billion in savings in this area alone. As others were struggling to come up with solid savings, GAO in May issued a 154-page report detailing just how to do more. Musk brought in IT whiz kids to comb through the federal government’s information services, but they had little to show for it except putting the security of Americans’ personal information at risk. GAO, in contrast, laid out a plan for figuring out how to save money on IT. Better proof-of-concept work in space-based laser communications could save hundreds of million dollars—and the government could pick up $157 billion by better managing the payment rates in Medicare. In a February Oval Office meeting, Musk claimed the federal government was full of officials who had approved money for “fraudsters,” but that claim turned out to be little more than arm-waving. GAO, in contrast, has since 1990 prepared a report every two years on programs prone to waste, fraud, abuse and mismanagement. Its latest report, in February 2025, identified 38 areas needing special attention. This “high-risk list” bears careful reading for anyone who really cares about getting into the guts of the problem. It identifies issues ranging from contract management in the Pentagon to money leaking out of federal disability programs to management of oil and gas leases to mega-challenges inside the Federal Emergency Management Agency’s disaster assistance. Even a casual look of the report—all 323 pages of it—would convince any reader that it’s a road map for which stones to unturn to get at the unholy trinity of waste, fraud and abuse. But there’s more here. GAO keeps score so we can see who’s making progress—and who isn’t. In 10 areas, federal agencies made $84 billion in progress. Three slipped backwards—acquisition of weapons systems by the Pentagon, improving IT management throughout the government and managing the federal government’s property. And even more. GAO doesn’t operate like a sheriff riding into town promising to clean up the saloons. It has developed a big-picture look at federal operations and identified leading practices that federal agencies can pick up. Like any oversight body, federal agencies don’t always like what they hear and often squawk. But there’s no question that we—and even they—are a whole lot better off for GAO’s work. GAO is relatively little known outside government. Even less well known is the fact that it’s an agency that works for Congress. That often is a thorn in the side of the administration, regardless of who’s in power, because GAO often says things the administration would rather not hear. That’s especially been the case in recent months with GAO’s findings that the administration has violated the law in impounding federal money—refusing to spend money that Congress appropriated. This was at the root of Office of Management and Budget Director Russell Vought’s statement that GAO “shouldn’t exist”. The OMB Director doesn’t want anyone looking over their shoulder, just as students don’t like to take home report cards that aren’t straight-A’s or spend their time in detention. But now that we’re closing in on the 250th anniversary of the signing of the Declaration of Independence and celebrating the Constitution that the founders crafted to govern us, we need to strengthen the balance-of-powers model that Madison and the other founders left us. They deliberately chose not to give us an easy system to use in governing ourselves. That means the three branches of government are always going to be jousting with each other—and that’s how it should be. In the growing complexity of our society, we need governmental institutions that can keep up with that complexity. That means Congress, in turn, needs muscle to do the heavy lifting required to oversee the executive branch, whether it’s a Republican or Democratic Congress, or a Republican or Democratic President. That’s what Washington, Madison, Jefferson, Hamilton and the other founders had in mind. And that’s why the next month is so important. The current head of GAO, Comptroller General Gene Dodaro, will be at the end of his fifteen-year term, the longest term in the federal government except for the lifetime appointment of federal judges, and the process to name a successor will shift into high gear. A special commission—consisting of congressional leaders—recommends a slate of individuals to the president. The president selects one person to nominate, and the Senate must then confirm the new head. This appointment is a pretty big deal. It will ensure strong oversight through the 2030s into the 2040s and reinforce the balance of powers for even longer. GAO will provide the executive branch with the independent insights it needs to wring out waste, fraud and abuse. It is a tool that Congress can use to hold the executive branch accountable, essential because a weak GAO weakens the legislative branch. We all have a stake in making sure that GAO can provide the oversight the Constitution requires—and the balance of powers that they designed.)
HR DIVE
— As major firms green-light AI for performance reviews, should others follow suit? Artificial intelligence promises efficiency and data-driven insights, but it could also subject employers to bias claims and compliance obligations, sources say. DD: Democrat and RINO employers use performance reviews to get rid of their Republican employees. They paint their Democrat employees as positively as they can and they paint their Republican employees as negatively as they can. In Diersen v. GAO, I entered into the court record all the many performance reviews that my Democrat superiors gave me 1980-1997. None of them came close to justifying the many adverse actions that they took against me. They forced me to take a $23,472 (21%) pay cut in today’s dollars to transfer from IRS to GAO in 1980. They kept me off audits of IRS for all but 3 of the almost 18 years that I worked for GAO. They delayed my promotions and never promoted me beyond GS-13. They always ranked me in the bottom half of my coworkers for pay-for-performance. They forced me to retire when I was 49 years old in 1997.
https://www.hrdive.com/news/AI-for-performance-reviews/806785/
PBS
— Trump says the word ‘affordability’ is a ‘con job’ by the Democrats
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PS8IJgsOip8
FROM FOREIGN SOURCES
GUARDIAN
— Chicago’s faith leaders on front lines of resistance against ICE crackdown. DD: Democrat leaders ever-increasingly turn religious leaders against America.
https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2025/nov/28/chicago-faith-leaders-ice-crackdown
November 25, 2025 Evening Edition
FROM ILLINOIS CENTER-LEFT SOURCES
ABC7
— City of Chicago employee accused of threatening Republican Illinois senator
https://www.yahoo.com/news/articles/city-chicago-employee-accused-threatening-235906336.html
CBS2
— Volunteers keep McCormick Place kitchen busy preparing Thanksgiving meals for thousands in need. DD: Under the Democrats, more and more and more people are in need.
https://www.cbsnews.com/chicago/news/fight2feed-volunteers-mccormick-place-thanksgiving-meals/
FOX32
— CPS advises immigrant parents to plan child care amid arrest fears. DD: What percent of CPS parents and students are in America illegally?
https://www.fox32chicago.com/video/1746794
WTTW
— For Some People With Criminal Records, Illinois’ Clean Slate Act Could Offer a New Beginning. DD: When I was 49 years old in 1997, I knew that there would be no new beginnings for my career. My Democrat GAO superiors had forced me to retire. Previously, they had delayed my promotions and never promoted me beyond GS-13, always ranked me in the bottom half of my coworkers for pay-for-performance, kept me off audits of IRS for all but 3 of the almost 18 years that I worked for GAO, and forced me to take a $23,472/year (21%) pay cut in today’s dollars to transfer from IRS to GAO. Previously, my Democrat IRS superiors had never promoted me beyond GS-12, disallowed my education deductions, and disallowed my travel vouchers. Previously, my Democrat Post Office superiors had disallowed my sick leave requests and forced me to resign.
https://news.wttw.com/2025/11/25/some-people-criminal-records-illinois-clean-slate-act-could-offer-new-beginning
CHICAGO TRIBUNE
— FBI seeks interviews with Democrats who urged US troops to defy illegal orders
https://www.chicagotribune.com/2025/11/25/democrats-urged-troops-defy-orders/
— AI: The death of American education
https://www.chicagotribune.com/2025/11/25/opinion-education-teachers-artificial-intelligence/
— Readers share what is making them thankful. DD: I am thankful that my critics/opponents in Wheaton, Milton Township, DuPage County, and Illinois have let me serve as the GOPUSA Illinois Editor since 2000 and as a Republican Precinct Committeeman since 1999. I am thankful that they let me serve as the Republican fundraiser for Wheaton Independence Day parades and fireworks 2005-2021, the TAPROOT Republicans of Illinois chairman 2005-2012, the Milton Township Republican Organization webmaster 2008-20210 and 2000-2004, an Illinois Center Right Coalition Steering Committee member 2003-2007, and an American Association of Political Consultants Midwest Chapter board member 2001-2004. I am thankful that they let me stop video gambling in Wheaton in 2009 and the sale of pot in Wheaton in 2019. Obviously, the aforesaid is sarcastic. I should write about my critics/opponents.
https://www.chicagotribune.com/2025/11/25/letters-112525-thankful/
DAILY HERALD
— DuPage County Clerk censured by county board
https://www.dailyherald.com/20251125/local-politics/dupage-county-clerk-censured-by-county-board/
CHAMPAIGN/URBANA NEWS GAZETTE & WCIA & CENTRAL ILLINOIS PROUD
— More people are addicted to marijuana, but fewer of them are seeking help. Cannabis use among young adults has reached historic levels, with nearly 18 million Americans using marijuana daily in 2022. DD: Pot is poison. If not stopped, it will destroy America.
https://www.news-gazette.com/news/nation-world/more-people-are-addicted-to-marijuana-but-fewer-of-them-are-seeking-help-experts-say/article_274f1ddd-2ac8-52ac-96c6-c3d9d2834df9.html
https://www.wcia.com/health/ap-health/ap-more-people-are-addicted-to-marijuana-but-fewer-of-them-are-seeking-help-experts-say/
https://www.centralillinoisproud.com/news/health-news/ap-more-people-are-addicted-to-marijuana-but-fewer-of-them-are-seeking-help-experts-say/amp/
FOX ILLINOIS
— Millions of illegal migrants got jobs in US due to being paid under the table. DD: All my employers would have hired noncitizens instead of me if they could have.
https://foxillinois.com/news/nation-world/millions-of-illegal-migrants-got-jobs-in-us-due-to-being-paid-under-the-table-report-donald-trump-manufacturing-citizenship-fraud
WAND TV & CENTRAL ILLINOIS PREOUD & WCIA
— They relied on marijuana to get through the day. But then days felt impossible without it. As daily cannabis use rises to historic levels in the U.S., some longtime users are finding it harder to quit. DD: Pot is poison. If not stopped, it will destroy America.
https://www.wandtv.com/news/national/they-relied-on-marijuana-to-get-through-the-day-but-then-days-felt-impossible-without/article_a6f1d658-1d2e-525d-954f-6e41bf9784f9.html
https://www.centralillinoisproud.com/news/health-news/ap-they-relied-on-marijuana-to-get-through-the-day-but-then-days-felt-impossible-without-it/
https://www.wcia.com/health/ap-health/ap-they-relied-on-marijuana-to-get-through-the-day-but-then-days-felt-impossible-without-it/
NPR ILLINOIS
— DD: Democrat leaders ever-increasingly focus on getting Latinos to blame their problems on Republicans.
https://www.nprillinois.org/2025-11-25/new-poll-shows-latino-support-for-trump-is-slipping
DUPAGE COUNTY
— DuPage County Board Censures Clerk Jean Kaczmarek
https://www.dupagecounty.gov/county_board/dupage_county_board_censures_clerk_jean_kaczmarek_1590.php
FROM ILLINOIS CENTER-RIGHT SOURCES
FROM NATIONAL CENTER-RIGHT SOURCES
WASHINGTON TIMES
— GOP senator introduces bill to protect Netanyahu from arrest in New York
https://www.washingtontimes.com/news/2025/nov/25/gop-senator-introduces-bill-protect-netanyahu-arrest-new-york/
— Trump’s comments on H-1B visa program drops hard truth about American education. Uncomfortable truth about failing public schools and teachers unions blocking reform. DD: Graduate accounting courses at DePaul and the Becker CPA Review course helped me pass the CPA examination on my first attempt in 1979. Undergraduate and graduate internal auditing courses at Roosevelt and Institute of Internal Auditors Certified Internal Auditor (CIA) review courses helped me pass the CIA examination on my first attempt in 1981.
https://www.washingtontimes.com/news/2025/nov/25/trumps-comments-h-1b-visa-program-drops-hard-truth-american-education/
WASHINGTON EXAMINER
— Chicago leaders have let teenage criminals take over the city
https://www.washingtonexaminer.com/opinion/beltway-confidential/3898690/chicago-leaders-have-let-teenage-criminals-take-over-the-city/
— The road to the Chicago train fire attack
https://www.washingtonexaminer.com/daily-memo/3898591/road-to-chicago-train-fire-attack-lawrence-reed-arrests/
— Bessent says Mamdani is ‘clearly’ a leader in Democratic Party after ‘great campaign’
https://www.washingtonexaminer.com/news/3898241/scott-bessent-mamdani-clearly-leader-democratic-party-after-great-campaign/
— Marjorie Taylor Greene embodies the inanity of populism
https://www.washingtonexaminer.com/in_focus/3898513/marjorie-taylor-greene-embodies-inanity-populism/
— DD: All my employers would have hired noncitizens instead of me if they could have.
https://www.washingtonexaminer.com/restoring-america/patriotism-unity/3897813/republicans-against-illegal-immigration-not-legal-immigration/
NEW YORK POST
— After a 40-year hiatus, the Communist Party USA is back on the ballot — and already has three people in office.
https://nypost.com/2025/11/25/us-news/communist-party-wins-big-in-local-elections-after-40-year-break/
— Trump brutally mocks ‘big, fat slob’ Pritzker during White House turkey pardon ceremony
https://nypost.com/2025/11/25/us-news/trump-mocks-big-fat-slob-j-b-pritzker-at-white-house-turkey-pardon-event/
BIZ PAC REVIEW
— Biden team pressured airports to house migrants despite safety warnings
https://www.bizpacreview.com/2025/11/25/biden-team-pressured-airports-to-house-migrants-despite-safety-warnings-bombshell-report-states-1605609/
BREITBART
— University of Minnesota Offers ‘Whiteness Pandemic’ Resources for ‘Antiracist’ Parenting
https://www.breitbart.com/education/2025/11/25/university-of-minnesota-offers-whiteness-pandemic-resources-for-antiracist-parenting/
CITIZENS AGAINST GOVERNMENT WASTE
— This Week In Waste. DD: My Democrat superiors in the federal government wasted my career and forced me to retire when I was 49 years old in 1997. So far, they have forced the Civil Service Retirement System to pay me $1.9 million in today’s dollars to stop me from coming to work.
https://www.cagw.org/this-week-in-waste-november-21-2025/
FOX NEWS
— Scott Bessent declares Zohran Mamdani is ‘clearly’ leader of the Democratic Party
https://www.foxnews.com/media/scott-bessent-declares-zohran-mamdani-clearly-leader-democratic-party-leader-cnbc-interview.amp
— University of Minnesota site warns of a ‘whiteness pandemic,’ urges White parents to ‘re-educate.’ DD: Democrat leaders ever-increasingly focus on getting non-Whites to blame their problems on Republicans.
https://www.foxnews.com/politics/university-minnesota-site-warns-whiteness-pandemic-urges-white-parents-re-educate
NATIONAL REVIEW
— Federally Funded University of Minnesota Lab Dedicated to Combatting ‘White Pandemic’
https://www.nationalreview.com/news/university-of-minnesota-paper-calls-white-families-most-powerful-systems-involved-in-systemic-racism/
PJ MEDIA
— Biden Admin Pressured Airports to House Illegal Aliens
https://pjmedia.com/catherinesalgado/2025/11/25/biden-admin-pressured-us-airports-to-house-illegal-aliens-n4946387
POST MILLENNIAL
— Trump slams Illinois officials over train arson: ‘A man arrested 72 times—and they let him out again’
https://thepostmillennial.com/trump-slams-illinois-officials-over-train-arson-a-man-arrested-72-times-and-they-let-him-out-again
TOWNHALL
— Remember All the Illegals Sleeping in Airports? The Biden Administration Was Behind It All.
https://townhall.com/tipsheet/amy-curtis/2025/11/25/biden-admin-housing-illegals-in-airports-n2666972
— New Yorkers Should Be Scared of Mamdani’s Pro-Crime, Anti-Police Appointees
https://townhall.com/tipsheet/amy-curtis/2025/11/25/mamdani-criminal-legal-committee-wants-to-empty-jails-n2666978
FROM NATIONAL CENTER-LEFT SOURCES
THE HILL
— Bessent: Mamdani ‘clearly the leader of the Democratic Party’
https://thehill.com/homenews/administration/5622112-treasury-secretary-bessent-mamdani/
CBS NEWS
— FBI opens inquiry into 6 Democrats appearing in video that urged defying illegal orders
https://www.cbsnews.com/news/fbi-inquiry-six-democrats-illegal-orders-video/
NEW YORK TIMES
— Indiana Lawmakers Are Poised to Vote on Redistricting After All
https://www.nytimes.com/2025/11/25/us/indiana-redistricting-republicans.html
NEW REPUBLIC
— DD: Democrat leaders ever-increasingly focus on getting Blacks to blame their problems on Republicans.
https://newrepublic.com/article/203615/anti-blackness-isnt-part-trump-agenda-it-heart
FROM FOREIGN SOURCES
MEAWW
— DHS links 1,150% spike in ICE assaults to ‘sanctuary politicians’ rhetoric. DHS said the spike in assaults reflected a broader rise in threats against immigration officers and warned that rhetoric from several leaders had intensified risks.
https://news.meaww.com/dhs-links-1-150-spike-in-ice-assaults-to-sanctuary-politicians-rhetoric
November 21, 2025 Evening Edition
FROM ILLINOIS CENTER-LEFT SOURCES
ABC7
— Trump, Mamdani promise to work to help NYC and tackle affordability amid cordiality
https://abc7chicago.com/post/trump-mamdani-meet-oval-office-mayor-elect-pushes-affordability-agenda/18185786/
— Durbin: Trump’s deployment of National Guard in Illinois cost taxpayers nearly $20M
https://abc7chicago.com/post/president-donald-trumps-deployment-national-guard-illinois-cost-taxpayers-20m-sen-dick-durbin/18186965/
— Judge prohibits IRS from sharing sensitive taxpayer data with ICE to aid its immigration crackdown
https://abc7chicago.com/post/judge-prohibits-irs-sharing-sensitive-taxpayer-data-ice/18187113/
NBC5
— Trump and Mamdani go from adversaries to allies after White House meeting
https://www.nbcchicago.com/news/national-international/trump-mamdani-washington-dc-meeting/3854391/
CBS2
— Detained protesters accuse feds of using them as props for Kristi Noem’s visit to Broadview ICE facility
https://www.cbsnews.com/chicago/news/protesters-arrested-broadview-ice-kristi-noem-gregory-bovino-promotional-video/
CHICAGO TRIBUNE
— Cook County Commissioner Sean Morrison ends reelection bid, leaving Republican primary uncontested
https://www.chicagotribune.com/2025/11/21/cook-county-sean-morrison-drops-out/
(FROM THE ARTICLE: Cook County Commissioner Sean Morrison, a Republican, announced Thursday he will not run for reelection next year, leaving former Commissioner Elizabeth Doody Gorman as the only Republican candidate for his seat. Morrison has represented the 17th District, which includes a wide swath of the southwest suburbs including Orland Park, Palos Heights and Lemont, since 2015. He was appointed to replace Gorman, who held the position from 2002 to 2015 before resigning to accept a job at an accounting firm in the private sector. Gorman supported Morrison as her successor. . .Morrison was reelected in 2018 and 2022. Gorman ran to unseat Morrison once before in 2022, but lost in the primary. With Morrison dropping out and the filing deadline past, she will run uncontested in the primary. Gorman has been on the Regional Transportation Authority board since 2021, and was formerly executive director of the Illinois State Toll Highway Authority. “I was probably just as surprised as anybody else, and, you know, wish him and his wife and kids well in their next chapter,” Gorman said Friday.)
— Takeaways from Donald Trump and Zohran Mamdani visit: Both men get something they want, GOP loses a punching bag
https://www.chicagotribune.com/2025/11/21/takeaways-trump-mamdani-visit/
CHICAGO SUN-TIMES
— Landscapers hit hard by ICE blitz, ‘accused of the crime of working’ “Operation Midway Blitz” teams might have scaled back in Chicago, but the fear — and defiance — remains. DD: The son of one of my GAO superiors started a landscaping business. But he was driven out of business by his competitors who used cheap illegal labor.
https://chicago.suntimes.com/columnists/2025/11/21/operation-midway-blitz-ice-landscapers-human-impact
— Cook County townships to reopen property tax appeals window. DD: Republican officials in Wheaton, Milton Township, and DuPage County were furious when I appealed the assessment of the newly built 915 Cove Court in Wheaton ( https://www.zillow.com/homedetails/915-Cove-Ct-Wheaton-IL-60189/4447887_zpid/ ) because of construction defects and unrecorded easements. They all denied my appeal. But the Illinois Property Tax appeal Board ( https://www.ptab.illinois.gov/ ) approved it. The home had been built by an extremely powerful major Republican donor. Since then, he and his supporters have done everything that they could to destroy me.
https://chicago.suntimes.com/real-estate/2025/11/20/township-property-tax-bill-appeal
DAILY HERALD
— Immigration agencies deny responsibility for mysterious drones spotted in Wheeling
https://www.dailyherald.com/20251121/local-politics/immigration-agencies-deny-responsibility-for-mysterious-drones-spotted-in-wheeling/
WAND TV
— ‘Claytons’ Law’ calls for English requirement, citizenship verification for Illinois licenses
https://www.wandtv.com/news/illinois/claytons-law-calls-for-english-requirement-citizenship-verification-for-illinois-licenses/article_e2576645-efc2-44f0-88a9-665f27a5d6f9.html
WGN RADIO
— Karen Conti: SAFE-T Act, man charged in CTA burning charges
https://wgnradio.com/lisa-dent/karen-conti-safe-t-act-man-charged-in-cta-burning-charges/
CAPITOL FAX
— Afternoon roundup
https://capitolfax.com/2025/11/21/isabel%e2%80%99s-afternoon-roundup-428/
FROM NATIONAL CENTER-RIGHT SOURCES
WASHINGTON TIMES
— Trump says Mamdani will be ‘great mayor’ as they exchange praise in White House meeting
https://www.washingtontimes.com/news/2025/nov/21/trump-says-mamdani-great-mayor-exchange-praise-white-house-meeting/
— House votes to oppose socialist policies
https://www.washingtontimes.com/news/2025/nov/21/house-votes-oppose-socialist-policies-mamdani-meets-trump/
— Texas asks Supreme Court to allow use of new GOP-friendly map
https://www.washingtontimes.com/news/2025/nov/21/texas-asks-supreme-court-allow-use-new-gop-friendly-map/
WASHINGTON EXAMINER
— House Democrats split on vote denouncing socialism
https://www.washingtonexaminer.com/news/house/3894870/house-democrats-split-denouncing-socialism-trump-mamdani-meeting/
— Top teachers union warns educators about Republicans’ ‘arsenal of racist dog whistles’ and ‘transphobic tropes’
https://www.washingtonexaminer.com/news/3895275/national-educators-association-warns-educators-republicans-transphobic-tropes/
NEW YORK POST
— Trump and Mamdani ‘giddy’ during ‘love fest’ first White House meeting, body language expert says
https://nypost.com/2025/11/21/us-news/trump-and-mamdani-look-giddy-during-first-wh-meeting-body-language-expert/
— Trump-Mamdani — the start of a beautiful friendship?
https://nypost.com/2025/11/21/opinion/trump-mamdani-the-start-of-a-beautiful-friendship/
— Trump jokes it’s OK for Mamdani to call him a ‘fascist’: ‘You can just say yes’
https://nypost.com/2025/11/21/us-news/trump-runs-cover-for-mamdani-after-mayor-elect-asked-to-explain-if-he-still-thinks-president-is-a-fascist-you-can-just-say-yes/
— Mamdani, Trump’s expected slugfest turns into a lovefest as president says socialist will make NYC ‘greater than ever before’
https://nypost.com/2025/11/21/us-news/mamdani-trumps-expected-slugfest-turns-into-a-lovefest-as-president-says-socialist-will-make-nyc-greater-than-ever-before/
— Trump says Zohran Mamdani is not a ‘jihadist’ in warm exchange during NYC mayor-elect’s White House visit
https://nypost.com/2025/11/21/us-news/trump-breaks-with-elise-stefanik-says-zohran-mamdani-is-not-a-jihadist-in-warm-exchange-during-nyc-mayor-elects-white-house-visit/
— House resolution condemning socialism splits Democrats
https://nypost.com/2025/11/21/us-news/house-passes-resolution-condemning-socialism-as-zohran-mamdani-arrives-for-trump-meeting/
— Body language expert reveals what happened during Trump and Mamdani’s meeting: ‘I was surprised’
https://nypost.com/video/body-language-expert-reveals-what-happened-during-trump-and-mamdanis-meeting-i-was-surprised/
BREITBART
— Trump Meets with Mamdani at the White House
https://www.breitbart.com/politics/2025/11/21/watch-donald-trump-meets-with-zohran-mamdani-at-the-white-house/
— ICE Operation in Charlotte Exposes Huge Scale of Illegal Migration Across Construction Industry
https://www.breitbart.com/immigration/2025/11/21/ice-operation-in-charlotte-exposes-huge-scale-of-illegal-migration-across-construction-industry/amp/
DAILY CALLER
— Nearly 100 Democrats Refuse To Condemn Socialism In Party-Shattering Vote
https://dailycaller.com/2025/11/21/democrats-split-house-resolution-condemn-socialism/
DAILY SIGNAL
— 127 Democrats Refuse to Vote to Condemn ‘Horrors of Socialism’
https://www.dailysignal.com/2025/11/21/127-democrats-refuse-to-vote-to-condemn-horrors-of-socialism/
DAILY WIRE
— House Passes Anti-Socialism Resolution
https://www.dailywire.com/news/house-passes-anti-socialism-resolution-as-mamdani-visits-white-house
FOX BUSINESS
— Mamdani’s charm may be the most ‘dangerous’ thing about him
https://www.foxbusiness.com/video/6385423453112
FOX NEWS
— ‘Just say yes’: Trump cuts in as NYC mayor-elect Mamdani dodges on calling him a ‘fascist’ at Oval Office. Democratic socialist discusses housing crisis and public safety cooperation with president.
https://www.foxnews.com/politics/just-say-yes-trump-cuts-nyc-mayor-elect-mamdani-dodges-calling-him-fascist-oval-office
— 86 Dems vote with Republicans to condemn socialism
https://www.foxnews.com/politics/86-dems-republicans-condemn-socialism-wake-mamdanis-mayoral-victory
— DOJ sues Newsom over California giving illegal immigrants college tuition benefits. Justice Department lawyers called it ‘unequal treatment’ that was ‘squarely’ at odds with federal law.
https://www.foxnews.com/politics/doj-sues-newsom-over-california-measure-giving-illegal-immigrants-college-tuition-benefits
— Big Paychecks, Bigger Problems: How a bloated bureaucracy exposes Congress’ funding failure. DD: According to my critics/opponents, the federal government grossly overpaid me, my employment benefits were far too generous, my Civil Service Retirement System pension is far too generous, and my federal retirement benefits are far too generous. In today’s dollars, my federal salary increased from $19.37hour when I was 16 in 1966 to $153,151/year when I was 49 in 1997. In my defense, during that time, 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.aol.com/articles/big-paychecks-bigger-problems-bloated-003400110.html
(FROM THE ARTICLE: A new report from a government watchdog group begs the question of why — with nearly 800,000 federal bureaucrats drawing six-figure salaries and the average payroll of the federal workforce far outpacing its size — is Washington still unable to fund the basics of government? Open The Books, a project of American Transparency, a 501(c)3 nonprofit, nonpartisan charitable organization, closely tracks government spending and released an expansive report Wednesday ahead of a looming agreement between Republicans and Democrats to reopen the government, showing the swamp has gotten bigger, richer and more secretive since 2020. The report, which analyzed all publicly disclosed federal salaries for fiscal year 2024, found a total of 2.9 million civil service employees with a total payroll of $270 billion, plus an additional 30% for benefits. While the total number of employees rose by 5% since 2020, payroll grew nearly five times as much. The current federal workforce is costing American taxpayers $673,000 per minute, $40.4 million per hour and just under $1 billion per day, according to Open The Books. This includes almost 1,000 workers who are making more than the president’s $400,000 per year salary, 31,452 non-War Department federal employees who made more than every governor of all 50 states and 793,537 people making $100,000 or more. Those making $300,000 or more have seen an 84% increase since 2020, while there has similarly been an 82% increase in those earning $200,000 or more, the report points out. During Open The Book’s investigation, the fiscal watchdog group also found that the names of 383,000 federal workers across 56 different agencies were redacted, amounting to a total of $38.3 billion in pay. According to Open The Books CEO John Hart, “You can’t have accountability without visibility.” “The Trump administration has a historic opportunity to bring much-needed transparency to the administrative state. While federal employees don’t add as much to the debt as safety net programs, defense and overall agency spending, they are an indicator of government’s growth,” Hart said in a statement to Fox News Digital. “Our investigators found far too many redactions and blind spots that DOGE should have already fixed. You can’t have accountability without visibility. Taxpayers need a much clearer picture of the federal workforce than they have today.” U.S. Sen. Joni Ernst, R-Iowa, has been working with Open The Books to fight for greater transparency. In a letter sent in September to Scott Kupor, the director of the U.S. Office of Personnel Management (OPM), Ernst said she had identified “numerous examples” of full-time federal employees earning two salaries while moonlighting for other agencies or government contractors, something typically prohibited under the law. Ernst pointed out that this was being done without the approval or knowledge of these workers’ managers. “The Trump administration has a historic opportunity to bring much-needed transparency to the administrative state. While federal employees don’t add as much to the debt as safety net programs, defense and overall agency spending, they are an indicator of government’s growth,” Hart said in a statement to Fox News Digital. “Our investigators found far too many redactions and blind spots that DOGE should have already fixed. You can’t have accountability without visibility. Taxpayers need a much clearer picture of the federal workforce than they have today.” U.S. Sen. Joni Ernst, R-Iowa, has been working with Open The Books to fight for greater transparency. In a letter sent in September to Scott Kupor, the director of the U.S. Office of Personnel Management (OPM), Ernst said she had identified “numerous examples” of full-time federal employees earning two salaries while moonlighting for other agencies or government contractors, something typically prohibited under the law. Ernst pointed out that this was being done without the approval or knowledge of these workers’ managers. “From 2021 to 2024, a Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) employee held multiple other full-time government contractor jobs, frequently billing taxpayers for more than 24 hours of work in a single day,” Ernst chronicled in her letter. “In addition to HUD, she was paid by AmeriCorps and the National Institutes of Health. Since she teleworked in all three positions, she was able to hide her overlapping jobs and get away with billing taxpayers $225,866 for hours she never worked. She claimed she worked 26 hours on 13 of the 21 workdays in a single month.” Ernst also described a second example of a human resources official at the Peace Corps who was caught falsifying time cards submitted to different agencies, which led to the employee double-billing taxpayers for tens of thousands of dollars. She laid out several other examples in the letter as well. “Until recently, outside of death and taxes, the expanding Washington bureaucracy was one of the few certainties in life,” said Ernst. “I am proud to have partnered with the Trump administration and DOGE to successfully downsize the bloated bureaucracy, but there is much more work to be done to make Washington more efficient.” One can “look no further” than the “failed Schumer shutdown,” Ernst said, pointing out that taxpayers will be on the hook for more than $12 billion in back pay for 750,000 non-essential federal employees who did not work for a month and a half. In October, Ernst introduced the Non-Essential Workers Transparency Act, aimed at providing the public with an exact accounting of how much back pay the government will be required to fork over in the case of a shutdown. The bill would require executive agencies to submit detailed reports to Congress within 30 days of a lapse in appropriations that must include the total number of employees and contractors employed by the agency at the time of the shutdown, the total salaries paid by the agency during the prior fiscal year, the number of furloughed during the lapse and their annual pay, the number of employees not furloughed and the sum of their pay and a requirement that all this information be posted publicly on the agencies’ websites.)
NEWSMAX
— Dozens of House Dems Join GOP to Denounce Socialism
https://www.newsmax.com/newsfront/socialism-house-mamdani/2025/11/21/id/1235535/
ONE AMERICA NEWS
— House votes to condemn the ‘horrors of socialism’
https://www.oann.com/newsroom/house-votes-to-condemn-the-horrors-of-socialism-ahead-of-trumps-meeting-with-mamdani/
POST MILLENNIAL
— Jeffries votes to denounce ‘horrors’ of socialism after backing socialist Mamdani for NYC mayor
https://thepostmillennial.com/jeffries-votes-to-denounce-horrors-of-socialism-after-backing-socialist-mamdani-for-nyc-mayor
TOWNHALL
— House Votes to Condemn Socialism
https://townhall.com/tipsheet/dmitri-bolt/2025/11/21/house-debates-resolution-denouncing-socialism-n2666828
— Big Dem Donor Had Major Stake in Pot Company Busted Using Illegals, Kids in Operation
https://townhall.com/tipsheet/tomknighton/2025/11/21/big-dem-donor-had-major-stake-in-pot-company-busted-using-illegals-kids-in-operation-n2666830
FROM NATIONAL CENTER-LEFT SOURCES
THE HILL
— Warren: Trump ‘trying to take a little of the shine that Zohran Mamdani has’
https://thehill.com/homenews/5618262-warren-trump-mamdani-meeting/
NEWSWEEK
— Full List of Democrats Voting to Condemn Socialism
https://www.newsweek.com/full-list-of-democrats-voting-to-condemn-socialism-as-mamdani-comes-to-town-11088383
— DD: Democrat leaders ever-increasingly promote sedition.
https://www.newsweek.com/donald-trump-democrats-video-executed-seditious-11089044
ABC NEWS
— DD: Democrat leaders ever-increasingly promote sedition.
https://abcnews.go.com/US/video/president-trump-accuses-democratic-lawmakers-seditious-behavior-127755514
NBC NEWS
— DD: Democrat leaders ever-increasingly promote sedition.
https://www.nbcnews.com/politics/white-house/trump-democrats-sedition-death-threat-military-rcna245156
CBS NEWS
— Trump praises Mamdani after White House meeting: “I want him to do a great job”
https://www.cbsnews.com/newyork/live-updates/trump-mamdani-meeting-white-house-new-york/
— Full video of Trump-Mamdani meeting as president says they “agree on a lot more” than he thought
https://www.cbsnews.com/news/watch-full-video-trump-mamdani-meeting/
— Top 4 takeaways from the Trump-Mamdani meeting
https://www.cbsnews.com/newyork/news/trump-mamdani-white-house-meeting-takeaways/
NEW YORK TIMES
— Trump Heaps Praise on Mamdani and New York’s Future
https://www.nytimes.com/live/2025/11/21/us/trump-news
USA TODAY
— DD: Democrat leaders ever-increasingly promote socialism
https://www.usatoday.com/story/opinion/columnist/2025/11/20/katie-wilson-seattle-mayor-mamdani-socialism-democrats/87323706007/
— DD: Compared to our peers, my wife and I spent far less of our income for immediate pleasures and saved far more of our income for our retirement. My critics/opponents stress that we would not have been able save as much for our retirement if we had children.
https://www.usatoday.com/story/money/columnist/2018/09/12/retirement-savings-4-tips-save-more-spend-less/1201342002/
— DD: Democrat leaders ever-increasingly promote sedition.
https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/politics/2025/11/21/trump-threatens-death-six-democrats-sedition/87397313007/
https://www.usatoday.com/videos/news/politics/2025/11/21/trump-claims-sedition-post-not-threatening-democrats/87401336007/
TAMPA FREE PRESS
— Affordability Crisis Deepens: 7 In 10 Americans Say Raising Kids Is Unaffordable, Driving Down Birth Rates. DD: According to my Democrat GAO superiors, if my wife and I had children, a) I would not have been able to pass the CPA examination on my first attempt, earn a master’s degree in accounting, pass the Certified Internal Auditor examination on my first attempt, become a licensed CPA, earn four more professional certifications, or earn a master’s degree in financial markets and trading, b) my wife would not have been able to earn a bachelor’s degree in finance, and c) we would not have been able to have a new home built, save lots of money for our retirement, buy collector cars. etc.
https://www.aol.com/news/affordability-crisis-deepens-7-10-194250298.html
WALL STREET JOURNAL
— The Middle Class Is Buckling Under Almost Five Years of Persistent Inflation. Workers growing tired of economy in which everything seems to get more expensive.
https://www.wsj.com/personal-finance/the-middle-class-is-buckling-under-almost-five-years-of-persistent-inflation-4d783aee
FORBES
— Speaker Johnson Says He’s ‘Very Interested In Raising The Threshold’ To Censure Members. DD: I should write about my critics/opponents who almost succeeded in getting their operatives and dupes to get the Illinois Center Right Coalition to censure me for my GOPUSA ILLINOIS newsletters in 2006. I would focus on my critics/opponents who continue to have lots of religious, government, political, and/or financial clout in Wheaton, Milton Township, DuPage County, and Illinois.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IEcB9RiaAzA
FORBES
— House Passes Resolution To Denounce Socialism’s ‘Horrors’ With 98 Dems Voting Against
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CvUr17ulnwM
ATLANTIC
— Gas-Station Weed Is Fighting for Its Life. DD: Weed is poison.
https://www.theatlantic.com/health/2025/11/thc-marijuana-hemp-loophole/685016/
POLITICO
— House votes to denounce ‘horrors’ of socialism
https://www.politico.com/live-updates/2025/11/21/congress/house-denounces-horrors-of-socialism-00664412
ACLU
— DD: According to my critics/opponents, I owe all my successes in life to my benefitting from discrimination against those who do not share my demographics.
https://www.aclu.org/news/racial-justice/trumps-attempt-to-roll-back-key-civil-rights-enforcement-tool
FROM FOREIGN SOURCES
INDIAN EXPRESS
— Trump-Mamdani Meeting Live Updates: Trump praises NYC mayor-elect Mamdani in Oval Office meeting, says they ‘agreed on a lot’
https://indianexpress.com/article/world/live-updates-donald-trump-is-set-to-meet-with-zohran-mamdani-at-white-house-10378890/
November 18, 2025
FROM ILLINOIS CENTER-LEFT SOURCES
ABC7
— Mayor declares ’emergency order’ amid death threats against Broadview officials
https://abc7chicago.com/post/broadview-illinois-declares-civil-emergency-order-amid-death-threats-mayor-katrina-thompson-fbi-investigating/18165937/
— Coalition of organizations working to help communities rebuild after Chicago-area immigration raids
https://abc7chicago.com/post/ice-chicago-news-coalition-organizations-meets-humboldt-park-works-help-communities-impacted-immigration-raids/18166454/
NBC5
— Reprimand of Rep. ‘Chuy’ García over election withdrawal advances in House
https://www.nbcchicago.com/news/local/chicago-politics/reprimand-of-rep-chuy-garcia-over-election-withdrawal-advances-in-house/3852636/
FOX32
— Broadview mayor declares ‘civil emergency’ after out-of-town protesters threaten violence amid anti-ICE unrest. Katrina Thompson cites ‘serious and credible’ threats following protests at ICE facility that led to 21 arrests.
https://www.foxnews.com/politics/illinois-mayor-declares-civil-emergency-after-out-of-town-protesters-threaten-violence-amid-anti-ice-unrest
WTTW
— Decision to Send Texas National Guard Home Represents ‘Unconditional Surrender’: Mayor Brandon Johnson
https://news.wttw.com/2025/11/17/decision-send-texas-national-guard-home-represents-unconditional-surrender-mayor-brandon
— Illinois Public Universities See Highest Enrollment Levels in a Decade
https://news.wttw.com/2025/11/17/illinois-public-universities-see-highest-enrollment-levels-decade
CHICAGO TRIBUNE
— Pritzker deposits $25.5M of his own money into campaign fund as he ramps up bid for third term
https://www.chicagotribune.com/2025/11/17/pritzker-25-million-2026-campaign/
DAILY HERALD
— FRONT PAGE TOP OF FOLD WITH PHOTOS: Republican 9th Congressional District candidate Rocio Cleveland confronts Democratic rival Kat Abughazaleh with prison-themed gift bag at event
https://www.dailyherald.com/20251117/us-congress-politics/republican-congressional-candidate-confronts-democratic-rival-with-holy-water-and-prison-themed-gift/
— DD: Democrats push pot in Elburn. In 2019, I led the successful effort to stop the sale of pot in Wheaton.
https://www.dailyherald.com/20251116/business/cannabis-dispensary-coming-to-elburn/
POLITICO ILLINOIS
— Dems clash over García rebuke
https://www.politico.com/newsletters/illinois-playbook/
CAPITOL FAX
— Morning briefing
https://capitolfax.com/
— Afternoon roundup
https://capitolfax.com/2025/11/17/isabel%e2%80%99s-afternoon-roundup-424/
FROM ILLINOIS CENTER-RIGHT SOURCES
GOPUSA ILLINOIS
— If you have trouble affording things, Democrat and RINO leaders want you to blame Trump. What did you do to help you afford things? I took bad jobs that my critics/opponents would never have stooped to take. 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. My critics/opponents remain furious a) that I could afford the expenses to earn the aforesaid degrees, b) that I could afford to buy a 1958 Chevrolet Bel Air when I was 16 in 1964, a new 1966 Pontiac Tempest Sprint when I was 17, a new 1968 Oldsmobile 442 when I was 19, a new 1969 Dodge Charger SE when I was 20, a new 1972 Corvette when I was 23, etc., and c) that I could afford to buy real estate when I was 24, 25, 27, 29, etc. – Dave Diersen
http://www.gopillinois.com
— What stopped you from affording more things? For me, it was my Democrat superiors wasting my career and getting rid of me. My Democrat Post Office superiors forced me to resign when I was 20 in 1969. My Democrat Firestone Store boss fired me when I was 22. My Democrat IRS superiors never promoted me beyond GS12. My Democrat GAO superiors forced me to take a $23,472/year (21%) pay cut in today’s dollars to transfer when I was 31. They delayed my promotions and never promoted me beyond GS-13. They always ranked me in the bottom half of my coworkers for pay-for-performance. They forced me to retire when I was 49. – Dave Diersen
http://www.gopillinois.com
— Trump says that America does not have plenty of talent. Do you have talent? According to my critics/opponents, I do not. What do you stress that shows your talent? I stress that I passed the CPA and Certified Internal Auditor examinations on my first attempt, that I became a licensed CPA, that I earned four other job-related professional certifications, and that I earned master’s degrees in business, accounting, and finance. I stress that despite my Democrat superiors’ tremendous efforts to get rid of me, I survived as a postal employee for almost 3 years, as an IRS employee for almost 9 years, and as a GAO employee for almost 18 years. I stress that my Democrat IRS superiors promoted me to GS-12 Step 5, currently $112,280/year and that my Democrat GAO superiors promoted me to GS-13 Step 10, currently $153,151/year.
http://www.gopillinois.com
— What entry-level jobs did you have? I had three. I earned a bachelor’s degree in management from NIU when I was 21 years old in 1970. My first entry-level job was a Retail Sales Manager for a Firestone Store. My salary was about $50,000/year in today’s dollars for a 44-hour workweek. In 1971, my second entry-level job was a GS-7 IRS Revenue Officer. The salary was $55,850/year in today’s dollars. To get that job, I had passed the Federal Service Entrance Examination. My taking graduate evening business courses at Loyola helped me get promoted to GS-9 ($68,315/year) in 1972, to GS-11 ($82,655/year) in 1973, and to GS-12 ($99,069/year) in 1974. I earned an MBA from Loyola in 1976. In 1980, my third entry-level job was a GS-9 Step 10 GAO Analyst. The salary was $88,808/year in today’s dollars. To get that job, I passed the CPA examination on my first attempt in 1979 and almost earned a master’s degree in accounting from DePaul. Almost 18 years later, after earning a master’s degree in accounting from DePaul in 1980, after passing the Certified Internal Auditor examination on my first attempt in 1981, after becoming a licensed CPA in 1981, after earning four more professional certifications in 1990, 1994, 1996, and 1997, and after earning a master’s degree in financial markets and trading from IIT in 1997, my salary was $153,151/year in today’s dollars. – Dave Diersen
http://www.gopillinois.com
— Who do you know who voluntarily took a pay cut? I voluntarily took a downgrade from GS-12 Step 5 to GS-9 Step 10, that is, a $23,472/year (21%) pay cut in today’s dollars to transfer from IRS to GAO when I was 31 years old in 1980. Why did I do that? My Democrat IRS superiors had made it clear that they would never promote me to GS-13 even though I had earned an MBA from Loyola in 1976, passed the CPA examination on my first attempt in 1979, and almost completed the requirements for a master’s degree in accounting from DePaul. The GS-15 GAO Staff Manager (Bill) who arranged for my transfer assured me that I would be assigned to audits of IRS and soon promoted back up to GS-12 Step 5 and soon to GS-13. But almost immediately, Bill was replaced with a new Staff Manager (Dave) who despised me, if not hated me. Dave kept me off audits of IRS, gave me bad job assignments, gave me unfair performance expectations, and gave me unfair performance appraisals. Dave delayed my promotions back up to GS-11 Step 10 and to GS-12 Step 5. Dave stopped me from being promoted to GS-13. But then, in late 1985, Dave went on extended sick leave. That enabled Bill to assign me to audits of IRS and promote me to GS-13 in 1986. But then, Dave came back. Dave forced Bill to retire in 1987. Dave threw me off audits of IRS, gave me a very bad job assignment, gave me very unfair performance expectations, gave me a very unfair performance appraisal, and ranked me in the bottom half of my coworkers for pay-for-performance in 1989. Dave took the aforesaid adverse actions against me a) even though I had earned a master’s degree in accounting from DePaul in 1980, passed the Certified Internal Auditor examination on my first attempt in 1981, and became a licensed CPA in 1981. Dave would not have taken the aforesaid adverse actions against me if had been a Democrat, minority, female, younger, or veteran. Dave would not have been able to take the aforesaid adverse actions against me if GAO had been unionized. GAO did not unionize until 2007. – Dave Diersen
http://www.gopillinois.com
FROM NATIONAL CENTER-RIGHT SOURCES
WASHINGTON TIMES
— Republicans’ message not reaching younger generation enamored with socialism
https://www.washingtontimes.com/news/2025/nov/17/republicans-message-reaching-younger-generation-enamored-socialism/
— Illegal immigrant used gun-show loophole to traffic firearms
https://www.washingtontimes.com/news/2025/nov/17/illegal-immigrant-used-gun-show-loophole-traffic-firearms-feds/
— DD: If you have trouble affording things, Democrat and RINO leaders want you to blame Trump.
https://www.washingtontimes.com/news/2025/nov/17/trump-praises-affordability-policies-mcdonalds-impact-summit/
— Judge threatens DHS program that lets states scrub noncitizens from voter lists
https://www.washingtontimes.com/news/2025/nov/17/judge-threatens-dhs-program-lets-states-scrub-noncitizens-voter-lists/
WASHINGTON EXAMINER
— Foreign-funded socialist group behind anti-ICE uprising in Charlotte
https://www.washingtonexaminer.com/news/investigations/3889926/foreign-funded-socialist-group-behind-anti-ice-uprising-charlotte/
— DD: If you have trouble affording things, Democrat and RINO leaders want you to blame Trump.
https://www.washingtonexaminer.com/policy/economy/3890125/trump-affordability-message-mcdonalds-summit/
https://www.washingtonexaminer.com/news/white-house/3889645/watch-live-trump-affordability-speech-mcdonalds-impact-summit/
NEW YORK POST
— Massive drop in Latino support for Trump
https://nypost.com/2025/11/17/us-news/massive-drop-in-latino-support-for-trump-stuns-cnns-harry-enten/
BIZ PAC REVIEW
— L.A. Mayor Karen Bass faces socialist Mamdani-like-challenger
https://www.bizpacreview.com/2025/11/17/and-so-it-begins-mayor-karen-bass-faces-socialist-mamdani-like-challenger-1600800/
CENTER SQUARE
— Average cost of family insurance nears $27,000 a year. DD: My critics/opponents ever-increasingly demonize, denigrate, and condemn the 72% health insurance subsidy a) that I got when I was federal employee, b) that my wife got when she was a federal employee, c) that I will always get as a federal retiree, and d) that my wife has gotten since we got married in 1978 and will always get.
https://www.thecentersquare.com/national/article_4d30b633-d1f0-4f95-a085-967734edb4de.html
DAILY CALLER
— Mamdani’s West Coast ‘Sister’ May Spark Cascade Of Socialist Politicians
https://dailycaller.com/2025/11/17/katie-wilson-zohran-mamdani-socialist-analysts/
— Mamdani-Loving Queer Socialist Primaries Hakeem Jeffries
https://dailycaller.com/2025/11/17/chi-osse-hakeem-jeffries-democratic-primary-zohran-mamdani-new-york/
EPOCH TIMES
— Appeals Court Halts DOT Restrictions on Commercial Driver’s Licenses for Immigrants
https://www.theepochtimes.com/us/appeals-court-halts-dot-restrictions-on-commercial-drivers-licenses-for-immigrants-5945727
FOX BUSINESS
— Dems ‘embracing socialism’ amid leadership turmoil
https://www.foxbusiness.com/video/6385212204112
— Congress is looking at every tool to address the affordability crisis. DD: If you have trouble affording things, Democrat and RINO leaders want you to blame Trump. What did you do to help you afford things? I took bad jobs that my critics/opponents would never have stooped to take. 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://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cyJiyXlOfjA
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GWuSUxCPpzQ
https://www.foxbusiness.com/video/6385224326112
FOX NEWS
— Sean Hannity: This socialist contagion is ripping through the Democratic Party
https://www.foxnews.com/video/6385230892112
— DD: If you have trouble affording things, Democrat and RINO leaders want you to blame Trump.
https://www.foxnews.com/video/6385226053112
NEW AMERICAN
— The Real Affordability Agenda
https://thenewamerican.com/opinion/the-real-affordability-agenda/
NEWSMAX
— We Need to Make America, America Again. DD: Democrat and RINO leaders have no problem with citizens of foreign countries taking over America.
https://www.newsmax.com/michaeldorstewitz/india-roosevelt/2025/11/17/id/1234861/
— Dems to Push Housing Crisis on Trump in ’26
https://www.newsmax.com/newsfront/democrats-housing-affordability/2025/11/17/id/1234875/
— GOP Presses Abortion Limits in ACA Subsidy Talks
https://www.newsmax.com/politics/gop-abortion-limits-aca-subsidies/2025/11/17/id/1234869/
FROM NATIONAL CENTER-LEFT SOURCES
ASSOCIATED PRESS
— DD: If you have trouble affording things, Democrat and RINO leaders want you to blame Trump.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cu7wA8OVR4w
CNN
— DD: If you have trouble affording things, Democrat and RINO leaders want you to blame Trump.
https://www.cnn.com/2025/11/18/politics/trump-mcdonalds-economy-tariffs-rebate-checks-inflation-analysis
NEWSWEEK
— Trump’s surprising shift on legal immigration — from welcoming 600,000 Chinese students to endorsing more H-1B visa holders — triggered outrage among MAGA supporters who saw it as a betrayal of his “America First” stance. DD: All my employers would have hired noncitizens instead of me if they could have. All the colleges that admitted me would have admitted noncitizens instead of me if they could have.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Q42JhZN8zxw
— DD: If you have trouble affording things, Democrat and RINO leaders want you to blame Trump.
https://www.newsweek.com/donald-trump-mcdonalds-affordability-inflation-tariffs-updates-11062285
— Trump Admin Revoking Tens of Thousands of Visas
https://www.newsweek.com/trump-admin-revoking-tens-of-thousands-of-visas-stephen-miller-11063811
— Social Security COLAs To Be Capped for High Earners Under New Proposal
https://www.newsweek.com/social-security-cola-capped-high-earners-11057294
MSN
— ‘We don’t need low-wage servants…’: Vance sparks row amid H-1B visa debate, takes U-turn from Trump’s stance.
https://www.msn.com/en-in/news/other/we-don-t-need-low-wage-servants-jd-vance-sparks-row-amid-h-1b-visa-debate-takes-u-turn-from-donald-trump-s-stance/ar-AA1QtOza
AOL
— 12 Remote Entry-Level Jobs That Pay at Least $50,000 a Year. DD: What entry-level jobs did you have? I had three. I earned a bachelor’s degree in management from NIU when I was 21 years old in 1970. My first entry-level job was a Retail Sales Manager for a Firestone Store. My salary was about $50,000/year in today’s dollars for a 44-hour workweek. In 1971, my second entry-level job was a GS-7 IRS Revenue Officer. The salary was $55,850/year in today’s dollars. To get that job, I had passed the Federal Service Entrance Examination. My taking graduate evening business courses at Loyola helped me get promoted to GS-9 ($68,315/year) in 1972, to GS-11 ($82,655/year) in 1973, and to GS-12 ($99,069/year) in 1974. I earned an MBA from Loyola in 1976. In 1980, my third entry-level job was a GS-9 Step 10 GAO Analyst. The salary was $88,808/year in today’s dollars. To get that job, I passed the CPA examination on my first attempt in 1979 and almost earned a master’s degree in accounting from DePaul. Almost 18 years later, after earning a master’s degree in accounting from DePaul in 1980, after passing the Certified Internal Auditor examination on my first attempt in 1981, after becoming a licensed CPA in 1981, after earning four more professional certifications in 1990, 1994, 1996, and 1997, and after earning a master’s degree in financial markets and trading from IIT in 1997, my salary was $153,151/year in today’s dollars.
https://www.aol.com/articles/12-remote-entry-level-jobs-110500241.html
MS NOW
— Trump faces blowback from MAGA base over defense of H-1B visas and ‘America First’ agenda
https://www.ms.now/katy-tur/watch/trump-faces-blowback-from-maga-base-over-defense-of-h-1b-visas-and-america-first-agenda-252086853892
— DD: The more planks in the Republican Party platform that my critics/opponent reject, the harder that they work against me.
https://www.ms.now/opinion/msnbc-opinion/republican-party-platform-trump-project-2025-rcna161259
NEW YORK TIMES
— DD: If you have trouble affording things, Democrat and RINO leaders want you to blame Trump.
https://www.nytimes.com/2025/11/17/nyregion/mamdani-trump-meeting.html
https://www.nytimes.com/2025/11/17/us/politics/trump-mcdonalds-affordability-inflation.html
USA TODAY
— DD: If you have trouble affording things, Democrat and RINO leaders want you to blame Trump.
https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/politics/2025/11/17/trump-mcdonalds-affordability-taxes/87329117007/
LAS VEGAS REVIEW JOURNAL
— DD: If you have trouble affording things, Democrat and RINO leaders want you to blame Trump.
https://www.reviewjournal.com/opinion/editorials/editorial-the-chutzpah-of-democrats-and-the-affordability-theme-3583011/
WEEK
— DD: If you have trouble affording things, Democrat and RINO leaders want you to blame Trump.
https://theweek.com/politics/affordability-trump-answer
WALL STREET JOURNAL
— Affordability Costs a Bundle. Republicans need a free-market answer to Democrats’ turn toward socialism. DD: If you have trouble affording things, Democrat and RINO leaders want you to blame Trump.
https://www.wsj.com/opinion/affordability-costs-a-bundle-057bb0ee
— Trump, Affordability and Growth. The economy has rebounded smartly; the end of tariff fights could ignite a boom. DD: If you have trouble affording things, Democrat and RINO leaders want you to blame Trump.
https://www.wsj.com/opinion/trump-affordability-and-growth-c8e5a50a
— Identity Politics, Seattle Edition. Mayor-elect Katie Wilson lays out her cabinet priorities.
https://www.wsj.com/opinion/seattle-mayor-elect-katie-wilson-progressives-2slgbtquia-cabinet-0eb657c8
— Why Ford Can’t Find Mechanics. Forget about reshoring manufacturing without more skilled workers. DD: What did you do to maintain and improve your job skills? I earned thee job-related master’s degrees. I earned six job-related professional certifications. I earned a job-related professional license.
https://www.wsj.com/opinion/ford-motor-ceo-jim-farley-mechanic-shortage-autos-skilled-workers-334ae52d
BLOOMBERG
— DD: If you have trouble affording things, Democrat and RINO leaders want you to blame Trump.
https://www.bloomberg.com/news/newsletters/2025-11-17/tariffs-and-trump-and-affordability
https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2025-11-18/trump-hails-mcdonald-s-extra-value-meals-in-affordability-pitch
FOIRBES
— DD: Democrat and RINO leaders ever-increasingly promote citizens of foreign countries over citizens of America.
https://www.forbes.com/sites/stuartanderson/2025/11/17/top-us-technology-companies-dominate-h-1b-visa-list-in-2025/
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Qvhz58D0KYQ
FORTUNE
— DD: If you have trouble affording things, Democrat and RINO leaders want you to blame Trump.
https://fortune.com/2025/11/17/zohran-mamdani-donald-trump-affordability-meeting/
— Work-life balance finally outranks pay as a top motivator for job seekers. DD: Who do you know who voluntarily took a pay cut? I voluntarily took a downgrade from GS-12 Step 5 to GS-9 Step 10, that is, a $23,472/year (21%) pay cut in today’s dollars to transfer from IRS to GAO when I was 31 years old in 1980. Why did I do that? My Democrat IRS superiors had made it clear that they would never promote me to GS-13 even though I had earned an MBA from Loyola in 1976, passed the CPA examination on my first attempt in 1979, and almost completed the requirements for a master’s degree in accounting from DePaul. The GS-15 GAO Staff Manager (Bill) who arranged for my transfer assured me that I would be assigned to audits of IRS and soon promoted back up to GS-12 Step 5 and soon to GS-13. But almost immediately, Bill was replaced with a new Staff Manager (Dave) who despised me, if not hated me. Dave kept me off audits of IRS, gave me bad job assignments, gave me unfair performance expectations, and gave me unfair performance appraisals. Dave delayed my promotions back up to GS-11 Step 10 and to GS-12 Step 5. Dave stopped me from being promoted to GS-13. But then, in late 1985, Dave went on extended sick leave. That enabled Bill to assign me to audits of IRS and promote me to GS-13 in 1986. But then, Dave came back. Dave forced Bill to retire in 1987. Dave threw me off audits of IRS, gave me a very bad job assignment, gave me very unfair performance expectations, gave me a very unfair performance appraisal, and ranked me in the bottom half of my coworkers for pay-for-performance in 1989. Dave took the aforesaid adverse actions against me a) even though I had earned a master’s degree in accounting from DePaul in 1980, passed the Certified Internal Auditor examination on my first attempt in 1981, and became a licensed CPA in 1981. Dave would not have taken the aforesaid adverse actions against me if had been a Democrat, minority, female, younger, or veteran. Dave would not have been able to take the aforesaid adverse actions against me if GAO had been unionized. GAO did not unionize until 2007.
https://fortune.com/2025/11/17/work-life-balance-outranked-pay-top-perk-peoeple-choosing-a-job/
POLITICO
— DD: If you have trouble affording things, Democrat and RINO leaders want you to blame Trump.
https://www.politico.com/news/2025/11/17/trump-says-americans-are-damn-lucky-hes-in-office-in-first-affordability-pitch-00655751
HARVARD CRIMSON
— Harvard Students Hate Capitalism — Until Recruiting Season. DD: My critics/opponents hint/imply that under socialism, they would have been more successful.
https://www.thecrimson.com/article/2025/11/18/isaac-harvard-hates-capitalism/
BEAST
— DD: If you have trouble affording things, Democrat and RINO leaders want you to blame Trump.
https://www.thedailybeast.com/donald-trumps-favorite-food-is-failing-the-affordability-test/
RASMUSSEN REPORTS
— Democratic Socialism 2028? Most Young Voters Say ‘Yes’ DD: My critics/opponents hint/imply that under socialism, they would have been more successful.
https://www.rasmussenreports.com/public_content/politics/partner_surveys/democratic_socialism_2028_most_young_voters_say_yes
FROM FOREIGN SOURCES
FINANCIAL EXPRESS
— ‘Have ordinary skills but can be easily controlled’: Indian-origin US professor on H-1B visa workers. According to Hira, it is a “no-brainer” for corporations to opt for H-1B employees because while they have “ordinary skills”, that are widely available in the US job market, they are still favored due to economic advantages, such as legally being underpaid as compared to American workers.
https://www.financialexpress.com/business/investing-abroad-have-ordinary-skills-but-can-be-easily-controlled-indian-origin-us-professor-on-h-1b-visa-workers-4047556/
NDTV
— Indian-Origin Howard Professor Explains Why US Companies Prefer H-1B Workers: “Cheaper And Controllable” He explained that US companies favor the program because it lets them hire workers at lower wages who are tied to their employers, limiting job mobility.
https://www.ndtv.com/feature/indian-origin-howard-professor-explains-why-us-companies-prefer-h-1b-workers-cheaper-and-controllable-9651274
— H-1B Visa Holders Are Replacing US Workers
https://www.ntd.com/panel-discussion-are-h-1b-visa-holders-replacing-us-workers_1108457.html
INDIA
— Trump: “US doesn’t have plenty of talent.” DD: Do you have talent? According to my critics/opponents, I do not. What do you stress that shows your talent? I stress that I passed the CPA and Certified Internal Auditor examinations on my first attempt, that I became a licensed CPA, that I earned four other job-related professional certifications, and that I earned master’s degrees in business, accounting, and finance. I stress that despite my Democrat superiors’ tremendous efforts to get rid of me, I survived as a postal employee for almost 3 years, as an IRS employee for almost 9 years, and as a GAO employee for almost 18 years. I stress that my Democrat IRS superiors promoted me to GS-12 Step 5, currently $112,280/year and that my Democrat GAO superiors promoted me to GS-13 Step 10, currently $153,151/year.
https://www.msn.com/en-in/news/world/white-house-issues-clarification-on-h-1b-visa-programme-after-trump-admits-us-doesnt-have-plenty-of-talent/ar-AA1QkxDV
TIMES OF INDIA
— DD: Democrat and RINO leaders ever-increasingly promote citizens of foreign countries over citizens of America.
https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/business/international-business/busting-myths-donald-trump-h-1b-visa-holders-are-not-cheap-labour-why-foreign-workers-are-important-for-us/articleshow/125403553.cms
— Musk under fire for claiming Americans can’t do challenging physical work amid H-1B row
https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/world/us/elon-musk-under-fire-for-claiming-americans-cant-do-challenging-physical-work-amid-h-1b-row/articleshow/125387130.cms
DAILY MAIL
— DD: If you have trouble affording things, Democrat and RINO leaders want you to blame Trump.
https://www.msn.com/en-us/money/markets/trump-returns-to-mcdonald-s-golden-arches-to-sell-affordability/ar-AA1QCRo2?ocid=finance-verthp-feeds
WORLD SOCIALIST WEB SITE
— Chicago workers speak out against ICE neighborhood arrests
https://www.wsws.org/en/articles/2025/11/17/kupj-n17.html
November 14, 2025 Evening Edition
FROM ILLINOIS CENTER-LEFT SOURCES
ABC7
— 21 arrested outside Broadview ICE detention center as protesters clash with police; 4 officers hurt
https://abc7chicago.com/post/village-broadview-il-protest-several-detained-outside-ice-facility-protesters-push-designated-area-live/18154986/
— Trump calls for DOJ probe into other Epstein ties, including Clinton
https://abc7chicago.com/post/trump-calls-doj-probe-other-epstein-ties-including-clinton/18155350/
CBS2
— 21 arrested, 4 officers injured as protesters, police clash outside Broadview ICE facility during faith vigil Friday
https://www.cbsnews.com/chicago/news/broadview-ice-facility-protesters-clash-police/
— Border Patrol Commander Gregory Bovino leaves Chicago
https://www.cbsnews.com/chicago/news/border-patrol-commander-gregory-bovino-leaves-chicago/
— DD: Democrats do not want any of their illegals to be deported, and especially those who do not have criminal records.
https://www.cbsnews.com/chicago/news/chicago-area-ice-arrests-600-criminal-histories-high-public-safety-risk/
— DD: Democrat leaders ever-increasingly use Epstein against Trump
https://www.cbsnews.com/chicago/news/jeffrey-epstein-trump-emails-texts-inner-circle/
WGN9
— 4 law enforcement officers injured, 21 protestors arrested during clash outside Broadview ICE facility
https://wgntv.com/news/operation-midway-blitz/at-least-10-detained-amid-protests-outside-broadview-ice-facility/
FOX32
— Syverson blasts Pritzker’s immigration and healthcare policies
https://www.fox32chicago.com/video/1741155
— More Americans living paycheck to paycheck. DD: What did you do to qualify yourself for better paying jobs? 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. To pay for the aforesaid, I took bad jobs that my peers would not stoop to take. 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. I worked on an automotive assembly line in 1970. I sold tires, automotive services, and major appliances 1971-1972. I pumped more gasoline 1971-1972. I collected delinquent taxes 1971-1980. I audited federal agencies 1980-1997. According to my critics/opponents, I was grossly overpaid for those jobs and my pension and retirement benefits are much too generous.
https://www.fox32chicago.com/news/more-americans-living-paycheck-paycheck-data-bank-america
WBEZ
— Tear gas, car crashes, chokeholds: Risky tactics have driven Trump’s Chicago deportation ‘blitz.’ Law enforcement experts say federal agents have displayed a lack of training and restraint. “They’re out of control,” ex-police Supt. Garry McCarthy says.
https://www.wbez.org/immigration/2025/11/14/ice-bovino-border-patrol-homeland-security-chicago-police-department
WGN RADIO
— USDA head says ‘everyone’ on SNAP will now have to reapply
https://wgnradio.com/news/usda-head-says-everyone-on-snap-will-now-have-to-reapply/
CHICAGO TRIBUNE
— 21 arrested, police officers injured at protest outside ICE processing center in Broadview
https://www.chicagotribune.com/2025/11/14/broadview-protest-arrests/
— Illinois Democratic Senate hopefuls target Trump’s immigration policies at labor forum
https://www.chicagotribune.com/2025/11/14/us-senate-race-illinois-union-forum/
— Chicago police release redacted video of ICE Brighton Park shooting
https://www.chicagotribune.com/2025/11/14/chicago-police-release-redacted-video-of-ice-brighton-park-shooting/
— Durbin says controversial shutdown vote could highlight partisan divisions on health care. DD: The federal government paying 72% of my health insurance helped me endure my Democrat Post Office, IRS, and GAO superiors’ tremendous efforts to get rid of me.
https://www.chicagotribune.com/2025/11/14/dick-durbin-shutdown-vote-highlight-health-care/
— DD: Democrats do not want any of their illegals to be deported, and especially those who do not have criminal records.
https://www.chicagotribune.com/2025/11/14/only-2-5-on-list-of-614-operation-midway-blitz-arrestees-had-criminal-histories-doj-records-show/
— Spas, suites, safaris and shopping: Who wouldn’t want to work at CPS? CPS’s travel tab reads like a vacation brochure — Hawaii, Vegas, Egypt — all on the taxpayer’s dime. The district must freeze the perks and enforce accountability.
https://www.chicagotribune.com/2025/11/13/cps-chicago-public-schools-travel-abuse-oig-inspector-general-expenses/
— On dangerous synthetic hemp, Washington comes to Illinois’ rescue.
https://www.chicagotribune.com/2025/11/12/editorial-hemp-congress-federal-shutdown-brandon-johnson-pritzker/
— Activists rally outside Morton Grove board meeting, calling for ICE-free rules in town.
https://www.chicagotribune.com/2025/11/13/indivisible-wants-ice-free-zone-witko-says-no/
CHICAGO SUN-TIMES
— Cops, protesters injured and 21 arrested after scuffles erupt during Broadview ICE facility protest. Yelling and shoving broke out an hour after the protest began Friday against immigration “abductions” in the Chicago area.
https://chicago.suntimes.com/2025/11/14/scuffles-erupt-during-broadview-protest-several-arrested
— Tear gas, car crashes, chokeholds: Risky tactics have driven Trump’s Chicago deportation ‘blitz.’ Law enforcement experts say federal agents have displayed a lack of training and restraint. “They’re out of control,” ex-police Supt. Garry McCarthy says.
https://chicago.suntimes.com/the-watchdogs/2025/11/14/ice-bovino-border-patrol-homeland-security-chicago-police-department
— World Diabetes Day. DD: My ever-increasingly doing more to help elect Republican candidates contributed to my coming down with type 2 diabetes, if not caused it. I have ever-increasingly spent more time putting GOPUSA ILLINOIS newsletters together and sending them out instead of paying attention to my health.
https://chicago.suntimes.com/city-hall/2025/11/14/ald-emma-mitts-tough-love-message-healthy-eating-world-diabetes-day
DAILY HERALD
— Protesters arrested after clashing with police outside Chicago-area immigration facility
https://www.dailyherald.com/20251114/chicago/protesters-arrested-after-clashing-with-police-outside-chicago-area-immigration-facility/
— ‘We need to act now’: DuPage County to shift funds to help food pantries amid SNAP crisis. DD: Under DuPage County Democrats, soon, everyone in DuPage County will be a) handing out welfare and/or b) receiving welfare.
https://www.dailyherald.com/20251113/news/we-need-to-act-now-dupage-county-to-shift-funds-to-help-food-pantries-amid-snap-crisis/
KANE COUNTY CHRONICLE
— DD: Democrats push pot in Elburn
https://www.shawlocal.com/kane-county-chronicle/2025/11/14/cannabis-dispensary-coming-to-elburn/
NPR ILLINOIS
— She criticized President Trump during the shutdown. Now she’s been put on leave. DD: My Democrat GAO superiors forced me to retire when I was 49 years old in 1997 because I was an active member in a class action lawsuit that charged them with reverse discrimination, age discrimination, and retaliation.
https://www.nprillinois.org/2025-11-14/she-criticized-president-trump-during-the-shutdown-now-shes-been-put-on-leave
WCIA
— DD: Democrats want to abolish the Second Amendment.
https://www.wcia.com/news/champaign-county/new-gun-legislation-looking-to-make-a-difference-in-illinois/
BLOCK CLUB CHICAGO
— DD: Democrats ever-increasingly push intoxicating hemp
https://blockclubchicago.org/2025/11/14/federal-bill-banning-intoxicating-hemp-a-death-sentence-for-many-chicago-businesses/
CAPITOL FAX
— Afternoon roundup
https://capitolfax.com/2025/11/14/isabel%e2%80%99s-afternoon-roudnup/
FROM ILLINOIS CENTER-RIGHT SOURCES
MCHENRY COUNTY BLOG
— Dog Sex Arrests in Huntley
https://www.mchenrycountyblog.com/2025/11/14/dog-sex-arrests-in-huntley/
— U.S. Attorney Reports on Approach to Violent Crime
https://www.mchenrycountyblog.com/2025/11/14/u-s-attorney-reports-on-approach-to-violent-crime/
— Fox River Grove Apartment Building Being Demolished Near Train Station May Be Reason for the Rat in Town
https://www.mchenrycountyblog.com/2025/11/14/fox-river-grove-apartment-building-being-demolished-near-train-station-may-be-reason-for-the-rat-in-town/
ILLINOIS POLICY INSTITUTE
— Anti-Trump bluster hides Illinois vulnerability to federal control
https://www.illinoispolicy.org/anti-trump-bluster-hides-illinois-vulnerability-to-federal-control/
FROM NATIONAL CENTER-RIGHT SOURCES
WASHINGTON TIMES
— Bondi taps acting U.S. Attorney Jay Clayton to probe Democrats’ ties to Epstein
https://www.washingtontimes.com/news/2025/nov/14/bondi-taps-acting-us-attorney-jay-clayton-probe-democrats-ties/
WASHINGTON EXAMINER
— Democrats are less likely to be friends with Republicans
https://www.washingtonexaminer.com/politics/3887330/republicans-more-likely-than-democrats-close-friends-other-party-poll/
— Failing cities turn to failed socialism
https://www.washingtonexaminer.com/opinion/beltway-confidential/3887542/failing-cities-turn-failed-socialism/
NEW YORK POST
— Border Patrol gets shot at, rammed with cars and hit with bricks in Chicago: ‘Violence here is off the charts’
https://nypost.com/2025/11/14/us-news/border-patrol-chief-greg-bovino-says-chicago-violence-is-off-the-charts/
— College kids’ math skills worse than ever — blame our pass-the-buck public schools
https://nypost.com/2025/11/13/opinion/college-kids-math-skills-worse-than-ever-blame-pass-the-buck-schools/
AMERICAN THINKER
— Mamdani, Pied Piper of the Big Apple
https://www.americanthinker.com/blog/2025/11/zohran_mamdani_pied_piper_of_the_big_apple.html
BRIETBART
— Vance: Young Americans Can’t Afford Homes Because Joe Biden Flooded the Country with Millions of Illegal Aliens
https://www.breitbart.com/politics/2025/11/14/jd-vance-young-americans-cant-afford-homes-because-joe-biden-flooded-the-country-with-millions-of-illegal-aliens/
TOWNHALL
— Chaos Breaks Out in Broadview After Anti-ICE Protesters Clash With Police
https://townhall.com/tipsheet/jeff-charles/2025/11/14/chaos-breaks-out-in-this-city-after-anti-ice-protesters-clash-with-police-n2666478
FROM NATIONAL CENTER-LEFT SOURCES
AOL
— Nearly Two Dozen Arrested As Faith Leaders Protest Outside Chicago-Area ICE Facility
https://www.aol.com/articles/nearly-two-dozen-arrested-faith-003502397.html
NEW YORK TIMES
— Democrat leaders ever-increasingly fight deportation of their illegals.
https://www.nytimes.com/2025/11/14/us/trump-deportations-families.html
AMERICA MAGAZINE
— DD: Under the Democrats and under the RINOs, dependency on government and charity ever-increasingly increases.
https://www.americamagazine.org/weekly-dispatch/2025/11/14/the-government-shutdown-has-ended-but-americas-hunger-crisis-continues/
HR DRIVE
— Front-line workers are more difficult to find, train and retain. Employers’ previous assumptions about how easily workers can be hired or replaced have become increasingly unreliable. 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.hrdive.com/news/front-line-workers-more-difficult-to-find-train-and-retain/805408/
November 4, 2025 Evening Edition
FROM ILLINOIS CENTER-LEFT SOURCES
ABC7
— Witnesses testify to alleged unsanitary, squalid conditions inside Broadview ICE facility. Judge Robert Gettleman compared conditions at Broadview to those of a concentration camp, saying, ‘One is reminded of Auschwitz.’ DD: When my lawsuit against GAO was transferred from Washington DC to Chicago in 2000, it was initially assigned to Gettleman. SEE: https://gopillinois.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/09/DiersenGAOFifthAmendedComplaint.pdf
https://abc7chicago.com/post/ice-chicago-news-lawsuit-filed-aclu-illinois-conditions-inside-broadview-facility-court-tuesday/18111176/
— Food banks see surge in demand; Trump says SNAP benefits won’t be given until after shutdown
https://abc7chicago.com/post/trump-says-no-snap-benefits-will-go-shutdown-ends-food-banks-pantries-see-surge-demand/18113085/
— Dolton food pantry sees surge in visitors, could run out of groceries Wednesday
https://abc7chicago.com/post/dolton-illinois-feed-deed-market-food-pantry-could-run-groceries-wednesday-government-shutdown-impacts-snap-benefits/18113727/
CBS2
— Border Patrol commander Bovino defends tactics in Chicago immigration crackdown as Trump cheers
https://www.cbsnews.com/chicago/news/border-patrol-commander-gregory-bovino-defends-migration-crackdown-tactics/
WGN9
— 2026 election to reshape Illinois congressional delegation
https://wgntv.com/news/politics/illinois-political-landscape-2026/
FOX32
— Aurora joins growing list of cities barring feds from using public property
https://www.fox32chicago.com/video/1735338
— Live election results in key 2025 races
https://www.fox32chicago.com/news/live-election-results-key-2025-races
WTTW
— Broadview ICE Facility Lacks Beds, Showers, Adequate Food as Federal Judge Indicates Temporary Restraining Order Likely
https://news.wttw.com/2025/11/03/federal-judge-hear-evidence-after-claims-inhumane-and-unlawful-conditions-broadview-ice
— Border Patrol Official Behind Chicago Immigration Crackdown Defends Tactics as Trump Cheers
https://news.wttw.com/2025/11/04/border-patrol-official-behind-chicago-immigration-crackdown-defends-tactics-trump-cheers
CHICAGO TRIBUNE
— ‘It has really become a prison’: Broadview detainees detail dirty, overcrowded facility in court
https://www.chicagotribune.com/2025/11/04/broadview-lawsuit-hearing/
— Testimony from Bovino, body-cam footage among evidence expected in hearing over use of force by immigration agents
https://www.chicagotribune.com/2025/11/04/immigration-blitz-evidence-expected-in-hearing/
— Pritzker should veto ‘right to die’ bill passed in the veto session
https://www.chicagotribune.com/2025/11/04/euthanasia-medically-assisted-suicide-right-to-die-illinois-death/
CHICAGO SUN-TIMES
— Plaintiffs’ lawyers: Bovino views protesters as ‘violent rioters,’ tells officers to ‘go hard’ against them. The allegation came in a late-night court filing Monday as attorneys representing media organizations seek to restrict the feds’ use of force during Chicago-area deportation campaign.
https://chicago.suntimes.com/public-safety/2025/11/04/plaintiffs-lawyers-bovino-views-protesters-as-violent-rioters-tells-officers-to-go-hard-against-them
— Pritzker says what the Sun-Times can’t
https://chicago.suntimes.com/columnists/2025/11/04/jb-pritzker-donald-trump-obscenity-cursing
DAILY HERALD
— 22 — yes, 22 — candidates running for Durbin’s Senate seat; 7 seek GOP governor nomination
https://www.dailyherald.com/20251104/illinois-state-politics/22-yes-22-candidates-running-for-durbins-senate-seat-7-seek-gop-governor-nomination/
— Bolingbrook blocks release of body camera video of ICE agents claiming they were battered
https://www.dailyherald.com/20251104/crime/bolingbrook-blocks-release-of-body-camera-video-of-ice-agents-claiming-they-were-battered/
— DD: Democrats ever-increasingly promote more hatred against ICE, that is, against Republicans.
https://www.dailyherald.com/20251104/local-politics/how-are-you-protecting-us-palatine-residents-share-concerns-about-ice-with-council/
https://www.dailyherald.com/20251104/local/wheeling-prohibits-agents-from-using-village-property-to-prepare-for-immigration-enforcement-activit/
— Illinois treasurer faces no GOP challenger as 2026 primary ballots take shape
https://www.dailyherald.com/20251104/news/illinois-treasurer-faces-no-gop-challenger-as-2026-primary-ballots-take-shape/
NPR ILLINOIS
— Illinois treasurer faces no GOP challenger as 2026 primary ballots take shape
https://www.nprillinois.org/government-politics/2025-11-04/illinois-treasurer-faces-no-gop-challenger-as-2026-primary-ballots-take-shape
ILLINOIS PUBLIC MEDIA
— Republican Senate Candidate Don Tracy on Israel, ICE, and the future of MAGA and the GOP
https://will.illinois.edu/21stshow/story/u.s-senate-hopeful-don-tracy-on-israel-immigration-and-getting-support-from-gop-independent-voters
CAPITOL FAX
— Afternoon roundup
https://capitolfax.com/2025/11/04/isabel%e2%80%99s-afternoon-roundup-417/
FROM ILLINOIS CENTER-RIGHT SOURCES
CHICAGO CONTRARIAN
— Vallas: The Great Displacement
https://www.chicagocontrarian.com/blog/chicagos-great-displacement
MCHENRY COUNTY BLOG
— McHenry County Democratic Party Precinct Committee Candidates Vastly Outnumber Republican’s, 90-67
https://www.mchenrycountyblog.com/2025/11/04/mchenry-county-democratic-party-precinct-committee-candidates-vastly-outnumber-republicans-90-67/
— Does the McHenry County Republican Party Have a Death Wish?
https://www.mchenrycountyblog.com/2025/10/24/does-the-mchenry-county-republican-party-have-a-death-wish/
— Two Illinois Illegal Aliens Make Homeland Security’s Worse of the Worst” List
https://www.mchenrycountyblog.com/2025/11/04/two-illinois-illegal-aliens-make-homeland-securitys-worse-of-the-worst-list/
— The Role of Pot in Automobile Deaths at Over 40%
https://www.mchenrycountyblog.com/2025/11/04/the-role-of-pot-in-automobile-deaths-at-over-40/
— Algonquin GOP Chairman Calls for Taxpayers to Urge County Board Members Not to Increase Their Real Estate Tax Levy
https://www.mchenrycountyblog.com/2025/11/04/algonquin-gop-chairman-calls-for-taxpayers-to-urge-county-board-members-not-to-increase-their-real-estate-tax-levy/
ILLINOIS REVIEW
— Dabrowski Campaign Sends Southern Illinois Media Advisory During Bailey Family Burial
https://www.illinoisreview.com/illinoisreview/2025/11/tone-deaf-dabrowski-campaign-sends-media-advisory-during-bailey-family-burial.html
FROM NATIONAL CENTER-RIGHT SOURCES
WASHINGTON EXAMINER
— Israel to give Charlie Kirk the Pillars of Jerusalem award
https://www.washingtonexaminer.com/opinion/beltway-confidential/3873619/israel-give-charlie-kirk-pillars-of-jerusalem-award/
NEW YORK POST
— Conspiracy kook Tucker Carlson is no conservative and no friend to Charlie Kirk and JD Vance
https://nypost.com/2025/11/03/opinion/conspiracy-kook-tucker-carlson-is-no-patriot-no-conservative-and-no-friend-to-charlie-kirk-and-jd-vance/
— The reasons behind Gen Z’s love of Luigi Mangione should scare everyone who cares about the future of America
https://nypost.com/2025/11/04/opinion/whats-really-fueling-gen-zs-love-of-luigi-mangione/
AMERICAN THINKER
— A Deep Philosophical Analysis of Fuentes and Mamdani
https://www.americanthinker.com/articles/2025/11/a_deep_philosophical_analysis_of_fuentes_and_mamdani.html
BREITBART
— Half of Migrant Households Get Welfare Via US-Born Children
https://www.breitbart.com/immigration/2025/11/04/report-half-migrant-households-get-welfare-via-us-born-children/amp/
— Democrat-Run California to Spend Billions on Illegals’ Healthcare While Undercutting Police
https://www.breitbart.com/health/2025/11/04/report-democrat-run-california-to-spend-billions-on-illegals-healthcare-while-undercutting-police/
DAILY CALLER
— California Will Spend 28x More On Healthcare For Illegals Than State Law Enforcement
https://dailycaller.com/2025/11/04/california-will-spend-28x-more-health-benefits-for-illegals-than-state-law-enforcement/
HERITAGE FOUNDATION
== Without Borders, There Is No Nation
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=d__p6SDBQZk
FROM NATIONAL CENTER-LEFT SOURCES
ABC NEWS
— Dick Cheney became a vocal critic of Donald Trump after Jan. 6. He joined daughter Liz Cheney in criticizing Trump as “threat” to the country.
https://abcnews.go.com/Politics/dick-cheney-vocal-critic-donald-trump-after-jan/story?id=127168273
CBS NEWS
— Election Day 2025 live updates
https://www.cbsnews.com/live-updates/election-day-2025-voting-results/
NEWSWEEK
— What Dick Cheney Said About Donald Trump
https://www.newsweek.com/what-dick-cheney-said-about-donald-trump-10988139
— Who Did Biden Blame for Election Defeat? DD: What do you say to Republican candidates who blame me and my GOPUSA ILLINOIS newsletters for their defeats?
https://www.newsweek.com/biden-blame-election-defeat-pelosi-obama-trump-2037976
ASSOCIATION OF GOVERNMENT ACCOUNTANTS
— 75 years of Excellence in Serving the Public and Building the Government Accountability Profession DD: I have been an AGA member since 1979. I served on the AGA Chicago Chapter Executive Committee 1983-1996. AGA never came to my defense when my Democrat IRS and GAO superiors took adverse actions against me.
https://www.flipsnack.com/FCAA7CF569B/aga-journal-of-government-financial-management-fall-2025/full-view.html
— The CGFM is Over 30 and There Is Much to Celebrate! DD: I became a Certified Government Financial Manager in 1994.
https://www.flipsnack.com/FCAA7CF569B/aga-journal-of-government-financial-management-fall-2025/full-view.html
— David Walker: Transforming the Federal Government DD: Walker headed GAO 1998-2008.
https://www.flipsnack.com/FCAA7CF569B/aga-journal-of-government-financial-management-fall-2025/full-view.html
— How AGA Membership Has Helped My Career DD: I have been an AGA member since 1979. I served on the AGA Chicago Chapter Executive Committee 1983-1996. AGA never came to my defense when my Democrat IRS and GAO superiors took adverse actions against me.
https://www.flipsnack.com/FCAA7CF569B/aga-journal-of-government-financial-management-fall-2025/full-view.html
WIRED
— The GOP Civil War Over Nick Fuentes Has Just Begun. Tucker Carlson’s friendly interview with white nationalist Nick Fuentes has led to a major reckoning.
https://www.wired.com/story/gop-civil-war-over-nick-fuentes-antisemitism/
October 29, 2025 Evening Edition
FROM ILLINOIS CENTER-LEFT SOURCES
ABC7
— House candidate Kat Abughazaleh accused of conspiring to injure officers during anti-ICE protests in Broadview. A federal grand jury has indicted six people for allegedly assaulting and conspiring to injure law enforcement during a protest last month at an Immigration and Customs Enforcement facility near Chicago. House candidate Kat Abughazaleh and five others were charged with felony offenses for their alleged involvement in a series of skirmishes with officers that later went viral on social media outside of the facility in Broadview, Illinois.
https://abc7chicago.com/post/congressional-candidate-kat-abughazaleh-indicted-conspiring-injure-officers-during-anti-ice-protests-broadview-illinois/18086593/
— Court blocks order requiring CBP Chief Bovino to meet with judge every day on immigration operations
https://abc7chicago.com/post/border-patrol-ice-chicago-doj-appeals-judge-order-cbp-chief-greg-bovino-meet-every-day-immigration-operations/18087074/
— Ex-IL deputy found guilty of murder in shooting of Sonya Massey, a Black woman who called 911
https://abc7chicago.com/post/sonya-massey-death-jury-deliberations-will-continue-weds-attempt-reach-verdict-ex-il-deputy-sean-graysons-trial/18084767/
— DD: Under the Democrats, poverty and crime ever-increasingly increase.
https://abc7chicago.com/post/dupage-county-food-pantries-like-glen-house-northern-illinois-bank-worry-cant-meet-need-snap-benefits-end/18087689/
NBC5
— Appeals court blocks order requiring Bovino to brief judge on Chicago immigration sweeps. The court intervened on Wednesday before Greg Bovino’s first late afternoon meeting with U.S. District Judge Sara Ellis.
https://www.nbcchicago.com/news/local/appeals-court-blocks-order-requiring-bovino-to-brief-judge-on-chicago-immigration-sweeps/3845216/
— Pritzker declares agricultural export crisis in Illinois, signs executive order. The state says it is facing significant impacts due to the tariffs, with farmers from Illinois selling more than $1 billion in soybeans to China last year.
https://www.nbcchicago.com/news/local/chicago-politics/gov-pritzker-declares-agricultural-export-crisis-in-illinois-signs-executive-order/3845135/
CBS2
— Appeals court grants Justice Department request to pause daily meetings between Gregory Bovino, Judge Sara Ellis
https://www.cbsnews.com/chicago/news/justice-department-appeals-court-gregory-bovino-judge-sara-ellis/
— Little Village leaders urge Mayor Brandon Johnson to do more to stop ICE agents from using city property
https://www.cbsnews.com/chicago/news/little-village-mayor-brandon-johnson-executive-order-ice-agents-city-property/
— Border Patrol takes lead role in Trump administration’s Chicago crackdown, carrying out more arrests than ICE
https://www.cbsnews.com/chicago/news/border-patrol-trump-administrations-chicago-crackdown-more-arrests-than-ice/
CHICAGO TRIBUNE
— Immigration enforcement officers arrest at least 7 people in Crete, Chicago Heights. DD: While my brother lived at 1286 Wood Street in Crete, he told me about a major ICE raid on an illegal alien stash house across the street.
https://www.chicagotribune.com/2025/10/29/ice-arrests-crete-chicago-heights/
FROM THE ARTICLE: The Crete Police Department said multiple individuals from a construction crew near Berkshire and Stafford were detained Monday by federal immigration enforcement officers. RLM Underground construction manager Shawn Davis said Wednesday about four to five people were detained between 10:30 and 11 a.m. from his construction crew, which he subcontracted from another company. The crew was drilling conduit to install surf internet, but construction was halted after the workers were arrested. Davis said his company, along with another company on the job, Evolve Telecom, brought in additional workers from their company’s Midwest branches to continue the work on Tuesday. Some workers lived locally and others had to travel into town, he said. Crete police said in a statement information was received and verified from workers that several members of the crew were taken into custody by ICE agents. Officials also said the Police Department was contacted by several residents Monday regarding ICE sightings and activity within the village. Police said officers contacted witnesses and gathered information related to these reports and found several of the reported sightings were either untrue or couldn’t be substantiated. Crete officials also said the Police Department was never contacted by ICE and did not have notice of or assist in this operation. They noted Illinois law enforcement agencies are prohibited by the Illinois Trust Act from conducting or assisting in immigration only enforcement. Crete police also said Illinois law enforcement can only assist ICE if a valid warrant exists, probable cause of a criminal act (other than immigration status) was committed or protection of ICE agents who are victims of crime. “The Crete Police Department understands the sensitive nature of these matters and wants to assure the public that we are committed to being transparent in our role and the information we have regarding these encounters,” reads the statement. “The Crete Police Department is dedicated to communicating and sharing information with all residents, organizations, and businesses within our community.”
— Border Patrol Cmdr. Gregory Bovino’s daily report in federal court canceled by appeals court — for now
https://www.chicagotribune.com/2025/10/29/bovino-daily-report-federal-court-canceled/
— Kristi Noem, Gov. Mike Braun to visit Gary for ICE-related news conference
https://www.chicagotribune.com/2025/10/29/noem-braun-visit-gary/
— DD: Democrat leaders prolong the shutdown.
https://www.chicagotribune.com/2025/10/29/snap-benefits-funding-fails/
— Children don’t invent hate — they have be to carefully taught. DD: Democrats run Illinois. Democrat leaders ever-increasingly promote more hatred.
https://www.chicagotribune.com/2025/10/29/jewish-attack-skokie-october-7-hate-crime/
— A left-leaning voters’ rights group that has pushed for President Donald Trump’s removal from office over alleged constitutional abuses is now asking Illinois officials to investigate and prosecute alleged violations of state law by federal immigration enforcement agents deployed in “Operation Midway Blitz.”
https://www.chicagotribune.com/2025/10/29/group-urges-state-investigations-of-federal-immigration-violations/
CHICAGO SUN-TIMES
— DD: Democrat leaders ever increasingly protect their illegals.
https://chicago.suntimes.com/other-views/2025/10/29/trump-administration-voting-rights-act-supreme-court-ice-curtis-lawrence
— Pritzker executive orders to help Illinois farmers, direct $20 million to plug SNAP funding gap. Wednesday’s order declares an agricultural crisis in Illinois and offers support for farmers and their families. His order Thursday will direct the state to work with food banks and pantries, grocers, universities and other organizations to mitigate cuts to the federal food assistance program.
https://chicago.suntimes.com/illinois-governor/2025/10/29/pritzker-executive-order-illinois-farmers-snap-cuts
DAILY HERALD
— DuPage County Board criticizes ICE, but won’t ban agents from county property. DD: Democrat leaders ever-increasing protect their illegals.
https://www.dailyherald.com/20251029/local-politics/dupage-county-board-criticizes-ice-but-doesnt-enact-ban-on-county-property/
(FROM THE ARTICLE: Republicans board members said they support due process or fair treatment, but described the resolution as “political theater,” noting that the county has no jurisdiction over immigration. “It’s sad that we have to waste our time today on this resolution that has no bearing to change anything or make any difference in the everyday lives of our residents,” said board member Jim Zay, a Republican from Carol Stream. Zay left Tuesday’s board meeting with fellow Republicans Cindy Cronin Cahill and Kari Galassi, just as a vote was being called on the resolution. Board member Brian Krajewski, also a Republican, left the meeting shortly after commenting on the resolution, saying he had an appointment to get to. The measure ultimately passed 12-1, with Republican Sam Tornatore joining Democrats in supporting the resolution. Grant Eckhoff, a Wheaton Republican, cast the only dissenting vote. Before Tuesday’s meeting, Eckhoff had suggested changes to the resolution to include statements related to crime and undocumented immigrants, noting that entering the country without permission is illegal and suggesting that if people do not like immigration laws that they work to change them. Eckhoff, who did not present his proposed suggestions at Tuesday’s meeting, said adopting the resolution steps into federal issues that are out of the county’s authority.)
— Abughazaleh, candidate for 9th District seat, indicted over ICE protest
https://www.dailyherald.com/20251029/crime/abughazaleh-candidate-for-9th-district-seat-indicted-over-ice-protest/
— Residents want Mount Prospect to restrict ICE from village-owned properties. DD: Who leads the efforts to protect illegals in your municipality?
https://www.dailyherald.com/20251029/news/residents-want-mount-prospect-to-restrict-ice-from-village-owned-properties/
— The Illinois House on Tuesday approved legislation aimed at protecting public officials from threats and harassment by allowing them to shield certain information — such as home addresses — from public disclosure while sanctioning the use of campaign funds for personal security services. The legislation, sponsored by state Rep. Katie Stuart, D-Edwardsville, would allow state lawmakers, constitutional officers, state’s attorneys, public defenders, county clerks and other elections officials to request that government agencies, businesses and individuals redact or refrain from posting their personal information on public websites. It would also allow a public official to use their campaign fund to pay for personal security and security upgrades to their home, including security systems, cameras, walls, fences and other physical improvements.
https://www.dailyherald.com/20251029/illinois-state-politics/lawmakers-advance-bill-allowing-public-officials-to-conceal-personal-information/
NPR ILLINOIS
— Teens who use weed before age 15 have more trouble later. DD: Pot is poison.
https://www.nprillinois.org/2025-10-29/teens-who-use-weed-before-age-15-have-more-trouble-later-a-study-finds
WGLT
— ISU teaching assistant on leave faces federal charges over alleged threats to President Trump
https://www.wglt.org/local-news/2025-10-29/isu-teaching-assistant-on-leave-faces-federal-charges-over-alleged-threats-to-president-trump
BLOCK CLUB CHICAGO
— Illinois Lawmakers Propose Bills That Would Protect Immigrants At Schools, Hospitals And Courthouses. DD: Democrat leaders ever-increasing protect their illegals.
https://blockclubchicago.org/2025/10/29/illinois-lawmakers-propose-bills-that-would-protect-immigrants-at-schools-hospitals-and-courthouses/
CAPITOL FAX
— Afternoon roundup
https://capitolfax.com/2025/10/29/isabel%e2%80%99s-afternoon-roundup-413/
— DD: Democrat leaders ever-increasingly protect their illegals.
https://capitolfax.com/2025/10/29/senate-dems-file-comprehensive-civil-rights-legislation-in-response-to-ice-activities/
FROM ILLINOIS CENTER-RIGHT SOURCES
CENTER SQUARE ILLINOIS
— Pritzker declares agricultural trade ‘crisis’ while Trump touts new deals
https://www.thecentersquare.com/illinois/article_bdde8a70-7c88-494a-9bdb-15cae47725e4.html
MCHENRY COUNTY BLOG
— UPDATE: Kat Gets More Free Publicity by Getting Arrested for Pounding on ICE Vehicle, Tribune and NORTHWEST HERALD
https://www.mchenrycountyblog.com/2025/10/29/kat-gets-more-free-publicity-by-getting-arrested-for-pounding-on-ice-vehicle/
— What Springfield Democrats May Be Looking at (Two Maps) To Get Rid of One of Illinois’ Republican Members of Congress
https://www.mchenrycountyblog.com/2025/10/29/what-springfield-democrats-may-be-looking-at-to-get-rid-of-one-of-illinois-republican-members-of-congress/
— Crystal Lake Park District Advised Public of Tax Hike Far Higher Than Increase in the Cost of Living
https://www.mchenrycountyblog.com/2025/10/29/crystal-lake-park-district-advised-public-of/
— Former McHenry County Board Member John Hammerand, R.I.P.
https://www.mchenrycountyblog.com/2025/10/29/john-hammerand-r-i-p/
— Coles County Board Member and Wife Killed in Crash by Illegal Alien, Rep. Adam Niemerg Reacts
https://www.mchenrycountyblog.com/2025/10/28/coles-county-board-member-and-wife-killed-by-illegal-alien/
— County Board Proposing Referendum to Put Pressure on Pritzker to Opt Into Federal School Choice Plan
https://www.mchenrycountyblog.com/2025/10/28/county-board-proposing-referendum-to-put-pressure-on-pritzker-to-opt-into-federal-school-choice-plan/
— County Board Candidates Begin Filing
https://www.mchenrycountyblog.com/2025/10/27/county-board-candidates-begin-filing/
— Only One Challenge So Far to Five Incumbent Republican County Office Holders
https://www.mchenrycountyblog.com/2025/10/27/only-one-challenge-so-far-to-five-incumbent-republican-county-office-holders/
— Chris Lauzen Files for Re-Election as Kane County Treasurer
https://www.mchenrycountyblog.com/2025/10/27/chris-lauzen-files-for-re-election-as-kane-county-treasurer/
— Republican Jennifer Davis Files Petitions to Replace Raja Krishnamoorthi
https://www.mchenrycountyblog.com/2025/10/27/jennifer-davis-files-petitions-to-replace-raja-krishnamoorthi/
— Jessica Breugelmans Files Petitions to Replace Retiring Don DeWitte
https://www.mchenrycountyblog.com/2025/10/27/jessica-breugelmans-files-petitions-to-replace-retiring-don-dewitte/
— Last Week of the Veto Session Appropriately Just Before Halloween
https://www.mchenrycountyblog.com/2025/10/27/last-week-of-the-veto-session-appropriately-just-before-halloween/
— Refuge for Women (Helping Women Escape Sex Work) Holds Successful Fundraiser, Hears “Victory” Testimony
https://www.mchenrycountyblog.com/2025/10/27/refuge-for-women-holds-successful-fundraiser-hears-testimony/
— Darby Hills Warns of Democrats’ Attempt to Increase Taxes to Bail Out CTA
https://www.mchenrycountyblog.com/2025/10/27/darby-hills-warns-of-democrats-attempt-to-increase-taxes-to-bail-out-cta/
— Taxpayers Urged to Contact County Board Members in Opposition to 13% Tax Levy Hike Placed on Review
https://www.mchenrycountyblog.com/2025/10/26/taxpayers-urged-to-contact-county-board-members-in-opposition-to-13-tax-levy-hike-place-on-review/
— Bruce Johnson Presents Plan (County Doge) to Avoid McHenry County’s Having a 13% Budget Hike
https://www.mchenrycountyblog.com/2025/10/25/bruce-johnson-comes-through-on-his-county-board-promise-to-present-13-budget-hike-cutting-plan/
ILLINOIS REVIEW
— The One Big Beautiful Battery Bailout: How Springfield Democrats Are Handing Wall Street a 20-Year Windfall
https://www.illinoisreview.com/illinoisreview/2025/10/the-one-big-beautiful-battery-bailout-how-springfield-democrats-are-handing-wall-street-a-20-year-windfall.html
FROM NATIONAL CENTER-RIGHT SOURCES
WASHINGTON EXAMINER
— IL state rep: Reckless immigration policies led to fatal crash
https://www.washingtonexaminer.com/news/3866805/il-state-rep-reckless-immigration-policies-led-fatal-crash/
— Democrats want open borders, most Americans don’t
https://www.washingtonexaminer.com/opinion/columnists/3868405/democrats-want-open-borders-most-americans-dont/
— Democrats can’t fake moderation on immigration
https://www.washingtonexaminer.com/opinion/beltway-confidential/3868206/bernie-sanders-illegal-immigration-trump-border-security/
NEW YORK POST
— Newsom is part of a disgusting new trend: Privileged people inventing ‘poorigin’ stories
https://nypost.com/2025/10/29/opinion/gavin-newsom-is-part-of-a-new-trend-inventing-poorigin-stories/
— Vance holding Q&A alongside Erika Kirk at Ole Miss Turning Point USA event
https://nypost.com/2025/10/29/media/jd-vance-holding-qampa-alongside-erika-kirk-at-ole-miss-turning-point-usa-event/
BREITBART
— ICE Buses 100 Illegal Aliens from Indiana to Texas for Deportation Processing
https://www.breitbart.com/border/2025/10/29/ice-buses-100-illegal-aliens-from-indiana-to-texas-for-deportation-processing/
FOX NEWS
— Turning Point table flipper threatened Trump, arrested by feds after firing from teaching assistant job. Derek Lopez was fired from Illinois State University after viral video showed him flipping conservative group’s table.
https://www.foxnews.com/us/turning-point-table-flipper-threatened-trump-arrested-feds-after-firing-from-teaching-assistant-job-fbi
MRC TV
— Pritzker and MSNBC Deny Dems Ever Called Trump ‘Hitler’
https://www.mrctv.org/videos/jb-pritzker-and-msnbc-deny-dems-ever-called-trump-hitler
POST MILLENNIAL
— Pritzker claims no Dems compared Trump to Hitler—he’s among the many who have
https://thepostmillennial.com/pritzker-claims-no-dems-compared-trump-to-hitler-hes-among-the-many-who-have
WESTERN JOURNAL
— Obama-Appointed Judge Is Trying to Take Over Border Patrol Operations in Chicago
https://www.westernjournal.com/obama-appointed-judge-trying-take-control-border-patrol-chicago/
FROM NATIONAL CENTER-LEFT SOURCES
NBC NEWS
— DOJ indicts Democratic Illinois congressional candidate Kat Abughazaleh over ICE protests. Abughazaleh called the charges “yet another attempt by the Trump administration to criminalize protest and punish those who dare to speak up.”
https://www.nbcnews.com/politics/justice-department/doj-indicts-democratic-congressional-candidate-kat-abughazaleh-ice-pro-rcna240584
NEW YORK TIMES
— Protesters of Immigration Crackdown, Including House Candidate, Indicted. Six people, including the congressional candidate Kat Abughazaleh, were indicted by a grand jury in Chicago. Ten others were arrested on charges stemming from California protests.
https://www.nytimes.com/2025/10/29/us/chicago-immigration-protest-indictments.html
WASHINGTON POST
— Former Illinois sheriff’s deputy convicted in killing of Sonya Massey
https://www.washingtonpost.com/nation/2025/10/29/sonya-massey-killing-verdict/
— One agency (GAO) can push back on Trump — but probably not for long. The Government Accountability Office is Congress’s watchdog. In two months, the president gets to nominate its new leader. DD: If Gingrich had reformed GAO instead of gutting it, there would be no need for DOGE.
https://www.washingtonpost.com/business/2025/10/27/trump-shutdown-gao/
(FROM THE ARTICLE: President Donald Trump has used the federal shutdown to seize control of spending from Congress and mold much of the government to his liking. Now the lone agency with the power to push back on those moves might be running out of time to try it. The agency’s leader, Comptroller General Gene Dodaro, has about two months left in his term, and Trump will nominate his replacement, potentially scuttling some of the Government Accountability Office’s most forceful attempts at oversight — including by taking the White House to court if necessary. The agency retained a law firm to evaluate whether the White House was breaking federal laws governing spending and to prepare for a potential legal challenge — though officials have not decided whether to pursue a case, according to two people familiar with Dodaro’s thinking, who spoke on the condition of anonymity to share details from private conversations. “They are looking at everything,” said one of the people. Now the White House is poised to defang the agency in the middle of the shutdown and the fight over constitutional powers, simply by appointing an ally as its new boss. When Dodaro’s term ends Dec. 29, congressional leaders will suggest to Trump a list of successors, though Trump can disregard the recommendation and send up his own choice for Senate confirmation. The Trump administration has claimed much of GAO’s work — and the agency itself — is illegitimate. Russell Vought, the White House budget director and architect of much of the administration’s shutdown strategy, said it “shouldn’t exist.” Congressional Republicans tried to slash GAO’s funding in this round of government spending negotiations and attempted to block the agency from suing the Trump administration on behalf of Congress. But the agency has taken on more prominence in recent months. A federal appeals court in August held that only GAO had the standing to sue over violations of spending laws, cutting out the groups that claimed harm from Trump’s decisions. Other federal courts that have considered related cases have not made similar determinations. “If Trump nominates the next comptroller general — I don’t want to make a political thing out of it, but his track record about caring about oversight and independent evaluations is not terribly strong,” said Henry Wray, a former associate general counsel and ethics counselor for GAO. “GAO is really the only truly fully independent source of executive branch oversight in government.” The government shutdown, well into its fourth week, presented a novel window for Trump to remake much of the federal government. He called the closure of many federal agencies an “opportunity” delivered to him on a “silver platter” to rid the government of “Democrat agencies” and lay off thousands of federal employees, though courts have blocked some of the dismissals he has attempted. And while congressional Democrats’ main demand in the shutdown talks is to preserve pandemic-era Affordable Care Act subsidies, they’ve also insisted that Trump drop attempts to impound funds, or that GOP lawmakers agree to strengthen provisions written into bill text that mandate the White House spend what Congress tells it to. Shutdowns are unique tests for the balance of power between the branches. With no spending laws in effect, the president has broader latitude than usual to redirect funds that preserve vital government functions, though such power is not unlimited. Long before the shutdown, the Trump administration had attempted to assert even greater authority. GAO determined this year that Trump and Vought blocked funds from going to programs that Congress had required by law, a concept called impoundment that is banned under a 1974 law. The agency investigated 13 spending maneuvers by the administration and found six violations. “Once enacted,” GAO wrote in its investigation of an impoundment of Department of Homeland Security funds in September, “an appropriation is a law like any other, and the President must implement it by ensuring that appropriated funds are obligated and expended prudently during their period of availability unless and until Congress enacts another law providing otherwise.” Trump and key advisers like Vought say that the funding levels Congress sets are a ceiling, not a floor, and that the president can choose not to spend as much as lawmakers have ordered. Republican leaders in Congress have generally gone along with that interpretation. But Sen. Susan Collins (R-Maine), chairwoman of the powerful Appropriations Committee, last month encouraged GAO to sue the White House. No decisions have been made. “GAO’s role in the [Impoundment Control Act] is to support Congress by providing information on the status of funds, issuing legal decisions and considering options for release of funds Congress has appropriated,” GAO General Counsel Edda Emmanuelli Perez said in a statement. “In considering whether to file a lawsuit, GAO would communicate with Congress on the available options and provide a 25 day formal notification as required by the ICA.” The tussle between the executive and legislative branches does not inherently require GAO’s intervention — if Congress stands up more aggressively for its powers, experts say. Lawmakers could publicly push back on the administration to pressure it to stop impoundments or to strictly adhere to Congress’s intent when making spending decisions during the shutdown. “If on a bipartisan basis, Congress would come together, at least a majority of members of Congress come together, and say, ‘The power of the purse is ours and here’s what that means,’ I think that would go a long way toward preventing the White House from continuing to give Congress a runaround when it comes to appropriated funding,” said Faith Williams, a program director at the Project on Government Oversight, a nonpartisan open-government organization.)
LAW DAILY REPORT
— Supreme Court Says Defending Congress’s Power of the Purse Is the Comptroller General’s Job. He Should Do It. Congress’s watchdog now faces an impossible choice, writes an Emory Law professor who worked for OMB during the first Trump administration. DD: If Gingrich had reformed GAO instead of gutting it, there would be no need for DOGE.
https://www.law.com/dailyreportonline/2025/10/28/commentary-supreme-court-says-defending-congresss-power-of-the-purse-is-the-comptroller-generals-job-he-should-do-it/
NEWSBREAK
— Trump wants House Republican ‘thrown out’ of Congress. DD: Since 1999, my critics/opponents have wanted me to be thrown out of the Milton Township Republican Organization. In 2007, they succeeded in throwing me off the Illinois Center Right Coalition leadership team. In 2012, they succeeded in throwing me off the TAPROOT Republicans of Illinois leadership team.
https://www.newsbreak.com/knewz-1594593/4320995406730-trump-wants-house-republican-thrown-out-of-congress
POLITICO
— Kat Abughazaleh, a progressive Democrat running for an open House seat in Illinois, faces federal charges after attending a protest at a U.S. Immigration Customs and Enforcement processing center outside Chicago. Abughazaleh, a social media influencer who recently moved to the state, was charged with conspiracy to impede or injure a federal officer and assaulting or impeding an officer as they engaged in official duties at the Broadview ICE detention center.
https://www.politico.com/news/2025/10/29/illinois-house-candidate-ice-protest-arrest-00627914
NEW REPUBLIC
— DD: Republican candidates, elected officials, and party leaders in Illinois have had their operatives and their dupes take many big adverse actions against me. I should write about them, their adverse actions, and what they have used as justifications.
https://newrepublic.com/article/202187/trump-republican-party-rise-politics-revenge