August 26, 2026 Evening Edition

FROM ILLINOIS CENTER-LEFT SOURCES

ABC7
— Pritzker kicks off statewide bus tour as part of reelection campaign against Bailey.
https://abc7chicago.com/post/il-democratic-gov-jb-pritzker-kicks-off-statewide-bus-tour-governor-election-race-republican-darren-bailey-continues/19739557/
— Federal judge lifts all blocks on Trump mail-in ballots executive order.
https://abc7chicago.com/story/federal-judge-lifts-blocks-trump-mail-ballots-executive-order/19739846/
— State Department preparing to cancel tens of thousands of visas held by asylum seekers.
https://abc7chicago.com/post/state-department-preparing-cancel-tens-thousands-visas-held-asylum-seekers-officials/19738439/

NBC5
— Mayor Brandon Johnson defends administration’s approach to teen takeovers. DD: What is your municipality doing to stop Democrat teen takeovers? When you were a teen, what did you do when you were not in school? I did yard work 1962-1964. I delivered newspapers 1962-1966. I washed dishes 1964-1966. I cleaned golf shoes, chipped slag, and pumped gasoline in 1966. I delivered mail 1966-1969.
https://www.nbcchicago.com/news/local/chicago-politics/mayor-brandon-johnson-defends-administrations-approach-to-teen-takeovers/3980831/

CBS2
— Grocery stores in Gary, Indiana, restocking after weeks without power. DD: The more that overhead lines bring power to your home, the more that those lines are near trees, the more that I recommend getting a whole-house backup electric generator.
https://www.cbsnews.com/chicago/news/gary-crocery-stores-short-supply/

WBEZ
— Mayor’s executive order targets companies helping with deportation campaign. A national group behind the order says the city holds $3.19 billion in contracts with 42 companies doing business with ICE.
https://www.wbez.org/city-hall/2026/08/26/mayor-brandon-johnson-executive-order-contracts-city-business-deportation-campaign

CHICAGO TRIBUNE
— Pritzker pounces on President Donald Trump in campaign bus tour kickoff.
https://www.chicagotribune.com/2026/08/26/gov-jb-pritzker-pounces-on-president-donald-trump-in-campaign-bus-tour-kickoff/
— Illinois joins lawsuit to block Postal Service from deciding mail-in voting eligibility.
https://www.chicagotribune.com/2026/08/26/illinois-mail-in-ballot-lawsuit/
— DD: Democrat leaders ever-increasingly a) glorify and praise their illegals and b) fight their deportation.
https://www.chicagotribune.com/2026/08/26/chicago-immigration-court/
https://www.chicagotribune.com/2026/08/26/immigration-enforcement-contracts/
— Arab American activists rally outside Oak Lawn Village Hall, say police placed 14-year-old in chokehold.
https://www.chicagotribune.com/2026/08/26/arab-american-activists-rally-oak-lawn/
— Today in Chicago History: 1968 Democratic National Convention begins with ‘the whole world watching.’ What did you do during August of 1968? I lived with my parents and brother in Crete. I delivered mail full-time for the Park Forest Post Office. I drove my 1968 Oldsmobile 442.
https://www.chicagotribune.com/2026/08/26/august-26-chicago-history/

DAILY HERALD
— ‘Our contingency plans have contingency plans’: Officials preparing for potential changes ahead of Election Day.
https://www.dailyherald.com/20260826/nation-and-world-politics/our-contingency-plans-have-contingency-plans-suburban-officials-preparing-for-potential-changes-a/
— Bailey implores GOP to improve turnout as campaign’s focus shifts to suburbs. DD: I hope that each of the 18 Republican candidates on the November 3, 2006 ballot in my precinct will provide enough of their campaign pieces to the Milton Township Republican Organization (MTRO) so that I can pick them up 400 pieces and hand-deliver them to the 400 residences in my DuPage County Milton Township Precinct 59 in Wheaton that have at least one registered Republican or Independent voter. That is 7,200 pieces (400 X 18). So far, I have placed 660 DuPage County Election Division-provided mailing labels on 400 DuPage County GOP-provided envelopes. I have split them into five batches and put them in walk order. I want to start stuffing those envelopes with MTRO-provided outstanding Voter Guides and the literature pieces ASAP. I want to start stuffing as soon as I have at least 100 pieces from each of the candidates. As soon as the sample ballot for my precinct is available, I will make 400 photocopies, stuff them, and head out the door. The 18 candidates are Tracy, Bailey/Del Mar, Fioretti, Solomon, Harris, Drew, Soloman, Oakley, Lewis, Vrankovich, Grasso, Noonan, Schiappa, Henry, Eckhoff, Michaud, Schultz, Quirk, and Helland.
https://www.dailyherald.com/20260826/illinois-state-politics/bailey-implores-gop-to-improve-turnout-as-campaigns-focus-shifts-to-suburbs/
— Clerk’s tantrum doesn’t justify elections ‘blank check.’
https://www.dailyherald.com/20260826/letters-to-the-editor/clerks-tantrum-doesnt-justify-elections-blank-check/

CRAIN’S CHICAGO BUSINESS
— Johnson puts city contractors on notice over ties to ICE.
https://www.chicagobusiness.com/politics-policy/ccb-brandon-johnson-ice-executive-order-20260826/
— Illinois joins renewed push to stop Trump mail-ballot curbs.
https://www.chicagobusiness.com/politics-policy/ccb-mail-ballots-lawsuit-supreme-court-20260826/

QUAD CITY TIMES
— Bailey speaks at Tyson plant.
https://qctimes.com/news/local/business/article_526f3c45-1c05-4d84-8e7f-0f48a8efdc1e.html

CITY OF WHEATON
— Community Invited to September 11 Remembrance Ceremony. DD: I organized Wheaton’s 2003 and 2004 9/11 remembrance ceremonies.
https://page.alertsense.com/content/1745/196982
(ALSO FROM WHEATON: Wheaton Car Show Draws Thousands to Memorial Park. The Wheaton Concours Car Show was a tremendous success, with an estimated 5,000 attendees gathering at Memorial Park on August 22. The free event, hosted in partnership with the Wheaton Police Department and The Hamilton Collection, brought the community together to see an impressive collection of exotic cars, supercars, classics and American muscle cars while supporting Special Olympics Illinois. Thank you to everyone who attended, participated and helped make the event such an incredible day in Wheaton!)

FROM ILLINOIS CENTER-RIGHT SOURCES

ILLINOIS POLICY INSTITUTE
— Pritzker record: Illinois loses tens of thousands of residents during his tenure.
https://www.illinoispolicy.org/illinois-population-loss-pritzker/

FROM NATIONAL CENTER-RIGHT SOURCES

WASHINGTON EXAMINER
— Half of America’s power plants are sitting idle while your electric bill soars.
https://www.washingtonexaminer.com/op-eds/4691404/building-transmission-lines-impact-electricity-prices-bottlenecks-cost-allocation/

BREITBART
— Trump Pauses Immigrant Visas Globally for Training to Avoid Deadbeats, Troublemakers.
https://www.breitbart.com/immigration/2026/08/26/nolte-trump-pauses-immigrant-visas-globally-for-training-to-avoid-deadbeats-troublemakers/

NATIONAL REVIEW
— It’s No Mystery Why Young Men Are Leaving the Workforce. DD: If I had been a woman, the Democrats who ran the federal government would have promoted me into their Senior Executive Service long before I was 40 in 1988. While I worked for them, I earned a bachelor’s degree in management, an MBA, and master’s degrees in accounting and in financial markets and trading. I passed the CPA and Certified Internal Auditor examinations on my first attempt. I became a licensed CPA. I earned professional certifications in fraud examination, government financial management, financial services auditing, and forensic accounting. But they delayed my promotions and never promoted me beyond GS-13. None of my Democrat coworkers who were women who my Democrat superiors promoted over me came close to doing what I did.
https://www.nationalreview.com/2026/08/its-no-mystery-why-young-men-are-leaving-the-workforce/
(FROM THE ARTICLE: “American women now hold 176,000 more payroll jobs than American men,” according to the Wall Street Journal and July data from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. For many years under progressive administrations and in major companies, the DEI regime has reigned. A lot of firms had either official or unofficial gender and/or race targets they were striving to meet. The NASDAQ, which includes more than 3,000 major companies, had rules requiring its listees to publicly disclose diversity statistics and to have — or explain why they did not have — at least two directors who are minorities, including one who self-identifies as female. Though not a strict numerical quota, such forced diversity disclosure served as a moral litmus test for companies. Though a court eventually struck down the rules, the exchange for over three years signaled that females should be privileged in C-suites. That and other virtue-signaling memos trickled down through the culture to this generation of young men. In college, I remember a male friend’s frustration as he and other finance undergrads competed for a small pool of jobs while big banks clamored to fill spots with females, despite their having, in his telling, less impressive applications. Before President Trump issued executive orders prohibiting DEI in the federal government, affirmative action in the awarding of government contracting was widespread, effectively a different kind of cronyism. The message was the same in college admissions. Before the Supreme Court declared affirmative action in admissions unconstitutional in 2023, colleges participated in discrimination against white men by applying racial preferences. Even now, some schools, including Duke Law, have tried to circumvent the Supreme Court’s Harvard ruling via proxy discrimination, developing mechanisms to flag for ostensibly marginalized backgrounds in admissions essays and usher in minority candidates. As for women, their rising numbers in colleges were aided by the lifting of artificial caps on female enrollment. Before the 1970s, schools such as Yale University limited female enrollment to a small fraction of the class. With affirmative action and Title IX, universities dropped these ceilings and invited many new female students. However, some STEM institutions didn’t just open the doors — they gave favorable consideration to women to counter underrepresentation. “Girls are twice as likely as boys to get into Caltech or MIT, to make up for the fact that they are half as likely to apply,” the Washington Post wrote in 2024. To be fair, now that females make up nearly 60 percent of all college students nationwide, some colleges have allegedly practiced gender balancing in the other direction. Dubbed “affirmative action” for men, this isn’t the way, either. But even if female enrollees didn’t technically steal spots that would otherwise go to men, the disproportionate number changed the constitution of the average college. It is not a coincidence that gender studies, which is based on the idea that the patriarchy is the root of evil in society, has exploded as a discipline across academia in the past decade. With women dominating, colleges have evolved to focus on women’s concerns, as Helen Andrews wrote in her essay “The Great Feminization.” Gee, maybe that was a deterrent to men? If colleges are increasingly adopting an ideological tone that treats maleness as problematic, that might chase men out or keep men away. A conscious policy choice that has displaced young men in the workforce involves legal immigration programs such as H-1B, which, aside from being a corrupt labor arrangement, takes jobs from young men in technical fields. For those who would argue that these immigrants bring special genius and expertise that Americans cannot provide, there is no highly skilled worker shortage in the United States. Rather, it is more likely that the infusion of foreign labor depresses wages for Americans, disincentivizing them from putting their STEM degrees to use or pursuing them in the first place. That being said, there is a whole sector begging for young men to join. An analysis this year found that nearly 1.4 million trade jobs across seven essential industries will be unfilled by 2030. Since the turn of the century, labor force participation has steadily declined across the board. As tradesmen retire, new apprentices aren’t replacing them fast enough. For every five tradesmen who leave the workforce, only two younger workers step up. There is incredible financial opportunity for young men in vocations if they want it. It’s true that for many years, young men have repeatedly run into walls erected by politicians and corporate partners who determined that the appearance of equity was more important than fairness. The trend of the stay-at-home boyfriend is partly a consequence of a workforce now dominated by women, which was not so much an organic development as one that was socially engineered. Their disengagement from American life did not happen in a vacuum. Young men feel defeated, and they cannot be entirely blamed for that. But the answer is not to grovel to despairing young men or treat them with kid gloves. The Trump administration has done the foundational work of ripping up the institutional barriers standing against men, though some remain. We, as a culture, must continually affirm that young men are valuable parts of our economy and our future. And entrepreneurship and getting your hands dirty are still paths welcome to young men who desire to build.)

REAL CLEAR POLITICS
— The Cost of California’s ‘Sanctuary’ Policies – In Human Lives.
https://www.realclearpolitics.com/2026/08/26/the_cost_of_californias_sanctuary_policies_-_in_human_lives_709063.html

WHITE HOUSE
— Trump Delivers: 14 Recent Wins You May Have Missed.
https://www.whitehouse.gov/releases/2026/08/trump-delivers-14-wins-you-may-have-missed/

FROM NATIONAL CENTER-LEFT SOURCES

CBS NEWS
— DD: Democrat leaders ever-increasingly a) glorify and praise their illegals and b) fight their deportation.
https://www.cbsnews.com/news/ice-arrests-record-high-july-new-data/

NEW YORK TIMES
— Stop Trying to Make Everyone Go to College. DD: My father often decried his not having a college degree. That motivated me to earn not only four college degrees, but a six professional certifications, and a professional license even though no one saw me as being college material. My ACT score was only 24 and I only just barely made it into the upper 20% of my class.
https://www.nytimes.com/2025/05/06/opinion/college-technical-vocational-education.html

WALL STREET JOURNAL
— States Face Election Confusion as Trump Administration Upends Mail-Ballot Rules. With clock ticking and litigation raging, new Trump-favored postal regulations threaten to disrupt midterms.
https://www.wsj.com/politics/policy/states-face-election-confusion-after-postal-service-upends-mail-ballot-rules-6525fe7d

FORBES
— There Are 5 Mentors Your Career Needs. How Many Do You Have? DD: To get rid of me, my Democrat IRS superiors got rid of the IRS manager who had promoted me when I was 23, 24, and 25. To get rid of me, my Democrat GAO superiors got rid of the GAO manager who had arranged for my transfer from IRS when I was 31 and was finally able to assign me audits of IRS when I was 37 and to promoted me when I was 38.
https://www.forbes.com/sites/andymolinsky/2026/04/20/there-are-5-mentors-your-career-needs-how-many-do-you-have/
— Job Ads Deter Applicants Age 40 And Older.
https://www.forbes.com/sites/sheilacallaham/2022/09/26/new-research-shows-job-ads-deter-applicants-age-40-and-older/

LAW
— Discouragement. DD: To get rid of me, my Democrat Post Office, IRS, and GAO superiors discouraged me from earning job-related college degrees, professional certifications, and professional licenses. Nevertheless, I earned a bachelor’s degree in management, an MBA, and master’s degrees in accounting and in financial markets and trading. I passed the CPA and Certified Internal Auditor examinations on my first attempt. I became a licensed CPA. I earned professional certifications in fraud examination, government financial management, financial services auditing, and forensic accounting. None of my Democrat coworkers who my Democrat superiors promoted over me came close to doing what I did.
https://www.law.com/2026/08/24/how-i-made-law-firm-leadership-do-not-let-being-underestimated-discourage-you-says-hillary-nappi-of-awk-survivor-advocate-attorneys/

FROM FOREIGN SOURCES

TIMES OF INDIA
— Generac has a $1.6 billion data-center order backlog.
https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/technology/tech-news/wisconsin-based-generator-company-has-a-1-6-billion-data-center-order-backlog-ceo-says-the-question-is-/articleshow/133455798.cms

August 24, 2026

FROM ILLINOIS CENTER-LEFT SOURCES

CHICAGO TRIBUNE
— An ethics watchdog, such as our state’s legislative inspector general, should know when to say ‘no comment.’ Former judge Michael McCuskey has been talking too much.
https://www.chicagotribune.com/2026/08/22/patrick-pfingsten-michael-mccuskey-legislative-inspector-general-harry-benton/
— Recall referendum issue seems like Laesch vs. Irvin round two.
https://www.chicagotribune.com/2026/08/23/column-recall-referendum-issue-seems-like-laesch-vs-irvin-round-two/
— Data centers near O’Hare win nearly $100M in local tax breaks, leaving suburban homeowners to cover the gap.
https://www.chicagotribune.com/2026/08/23/special-report-data-centers-taxes/
— Mandatory service can renew young people’s faith in America. DD: My initial plan was to enlist and to earn a bachelor’s degree with the GI Bill. But then I saw that my high school neighbor friend in Crete was on track to get accepted by UIC and to commute to/from classes there from his parents’ home. I adopted that plan, I took college preparatory classes, got an ACT score of 24, and I graduated in the upper 20% of my 1966 Crete-Monee High School class. My high school neighbor friend commuted in a new 1965 base Chevelle that his father bought for him. I commuted in a new 1966 Pontiac Tempest Sprint that I paid for with money that I earned washing dishes for 28 hours a week during my junior and senior years 1964-1966 and for 40 hours a week during the summer of 1965.
https://www.chicagotribune.com/2026/08/24/opinion-national-service-renew-faith-america-patriotism/
— For tens of thousands in northwest Indiana, power outages mean much of August has been hell. ComEd took a few days to restore power after Aug. 11 storms. NIPSCO is taking two weeks. DD: The more that overhead lines bring power to your home, the more that those lines are near trees, the more that I recommend getting a whole-house backup electric generator.
https://www.chicagotribune.com/2026/08/24/editorial-nipsco-commonwealth-edison-electricity-outages-storms/

CHICAGO SUN-TIMES
— ALL OF THE FRONT PAGE: ‘Why is this OK?’  With no power and a spotty generator, every day is a struggle for a family of seven as they approach two weeks without electricity in Northwest Indiana. DD: The more that overhead lines bring power to your home, the more that those lines are near trees, the more that I recommend getting a whole-house backup electric generator.
https://chicago.suntimes.com/graphics/weather/powerless/12-nights-without-power-in-Gary-Indiana/

DAILY HERALD
— Geneva Concours highlights rare, unusual vehicles. DD: There were three 1972 Corvettes in the concours. I have owned my 1972 Corvette since October 14, 1971.
https://www.dailyherald.com/20260823/festivals-and-fairs/a-fashion-show-for-cars-geneva-concours-highlights-rare-unusual-vehicles/
https://www.corvetteforum.com/forums/great-lakes/5008067-genevais-concours-dielegance-car-show-pics-lots.html

ABC7
— At least 17 shot, 4 fatally, in weekend gun violence across Chicago.
https://abc7chicago.com/post/chicago-shootings-weekend-least-16-shot-4-fatally-gun-violence-city-police-department-says/19722721/

NBC5
— A $25-per-hour minimum wage? Some Illinois lawmakers are pushing for it. DD: I did not start earning $25/hour in today’s dollars until I had a) passed the Federal Service Entrance Examination and earned a bachelor’s degree in business from NIU when I was 21 in 1970 and b) got hired by IRS in 1971.
https://www.nbcchicago.com/news/local/chicago-politics/a-25-per-hour-minimum-wage-some-illinois-lawmakers-are-pushing-for-it/3931575/

CBS2
— Frustration mounts for thousands still without power after deadly Indiana storms. DD: The more that overhead lines bring power to your home, the more that those lines are near trees, the more that I recommend getting a whole-house backup electric generator.
https://www.cbsnews.com/news/deadly-indiana-storms-frustration-mounts-thousands-still-without-power/
— Illinois politics are to blame for failure to secure stadium for Chicago Bears in state.
https://www.cbsnews.com/chicago/news/expert-illinois-politics-blame-failure-secure-stadium-chicago-bears/

WGN9
— Indiana Gov. Mike Braun criticizes NIPSCO over ongoing outages; more than 15K remain without power. DD: The more that overhead lines bring power to your home, the more that those lines are near trees, the more that I recommend getting a whole-house backup electric generator.
https://wgntv.com/northwest-indiana/nipscos-latest-outage-numbers-gary-mayor-provides-update-at-wgn/

WBEZ
— DD: Democrat leaders fight standardized testing because those who have demographics that vote for Democrats get lower test scores than those who have demographics that vote for Republicans. I passed many standardized tests a) to earn a job-related bachelor’s degree, b) to earn three job-related master’s degrees, c) to earn six job-related professional certifications, d) to earn a job-related professional license, and e) to get hired by the Post Office, IRS, and GAO. Overwhelmingly, those who took and passed standardized tests with me had demographics that vote for Republicans. 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.wbez.org/say-more-with-mary-dixon-patrick-smith/2026/08/18/should-colleges-and-universities-require-standardized-test-scores-for-admission

NORTHWEST HERALD
— Trump store in Crystal Lake is closing, owner announces – but then seemingly takes it back.
https://www.shawlocal.com/northwest-herald/2026/08/22/trump-store-in-crystal-lake-is-closing-owner-announces/

PEORIA JOURNAL STAR
— What income is needed to live comfortably in Illinois: $244,109 for a family of 4 and $101,587 single
https://www.pjstar.com/story/business/economy/2026/08/24/salary-needed-to-live-comfortably-in-illinois-smartasset/91409434007/

ILLINOIZE
— Will there be gubernatorial debates?
https://www.theillinoize.com/articles/will-there-be-gubernatorial-debates

FROM NATIONAL CENTER-RIGHT SOURCES

WASHINGTON EXAMINER
— Ocasio-Cortez endorses Massachusetts Senate incumbent Ed Markey. DD: I remember attending a meeting with Markey when I worked for GAO in the early 1980s.
https://www.washingtonexaminer.com/news/campaigns/congressional/4694506/ocasio-cortez-endorses-massachusetts-senate-incumbent-ed-markey-green-new-deal/
— California school district’s curriculum cites Osama bin Laden’s manifesto as proof US ‘targeted Muslim communities.’ DD: Democrat and RINO leaders ever-increasingly give more preference to Muslims.
https://www.washingtonexaminer.com/policy/education/4696334/california-school-districts-curriculum-cites-osama-bin-ladens-manifesto-as-proof-us-targeted-muslim-communities/

AMERICAN ENTERPRISE INSTITUTE
— Inflation Pressures. DD: Democrat leaders ever-increasingly blame Trump for inflation and for everything else that is bad.
https://www.aei.org/featured_data/inflation-pressures/

AMERICAN THINKER
— Colorado to constituents — no guns for you. Colorado leftists attempt an end run around the 2nd Amendment. DD: Colorado today, Illinois tomorrow.
https://www.americanthinker.com/blog/2026/08/colorado-to-constituents-no-guns-for-you/

CATO
— Ten Democratic Socialists of America (DSA) Arguments for Socialism and Why They’re Wrong.  DD: What were you able to do under capitalism? I was able to buy a 1958 Chevy BeAir when I was 16 in 1964 with money I earned doing yard work and delivering newspapers. I was able buy a new 1966 Pontiac Tempest Sprint in 1966 with money I earned washing dishes for the minimum wage. I was able buy a new 1968 Oldsmobile 442 in 1967 and a new 1969 Dodge Charger SE in 1968 with money I earned delivering mail. I was able to graduate debt-free from NIU in 1970 owning that Charger with money I earned delivering mail. I was able to buy a new 1972 Corvette in 1971 with money I earned working for Firestone Stores and IRS. I was able to buy a new townhome in 1972 with money I earned working for Firestone Stores and IRS.
https://www.cato.org/blog/ten-democratic-socialists-america-dsa-arguments-socialism-why-theyre-wrong

CRISIS MAGAZINE
— In Defense of Private Property: Repelling the Rise of Socialism. DD: What were you able to do under capitalism? I was able to buy a 1958 Chevy BeAir when I was 16 in 1964 with money I earned doing yard work and delivering newspapers. I was able buy a new 1966 Pontiac Tempest Sprint in 1966 with money I earned washing dishes for the minimum wage. I was able buy a new 1968 Oldsmobile 442 in 1967 and a new 1969 Dodge Charger SE in 1968 with money I earned delivering mail. I was able to graduate debt-free from NIU in 1970 owning that Charger with money I earned delivering mail. I was able to buy a new 1972 Corvette in 1971 with money I earned working for Firestone Stores and IRS. I was able to buy a new townhome in 1972 with money I earned working for Firestone Stores and IRS.
https://crisismagazine.com/opinion/in-defense-of-private-property-repelling-the-rise-of-socialism

DAILY SIGNAL
— Immigration Under the New Left.
https://www.dailysignal.com/2026/08/23/immigration-under-the-new-left/
— Why Are So Many Young People Drawn to Communism?
https://www.dailysignal.com/2026/08/23/why-are-so-many-young-people-drawn-to-communism/

EPOCH TIMES
— Why Are So Many Young People Drawn to Communism?
https://www.theepochtimes.com/opinion/why-are-so-many-young-people-drawn-to-communism-6077478

FOX NEWS
— Socialists don’t believe in liberty of any kind.
https://www.foxnews.com/video/6403937012112
— Billions spent by key federal agency hasn’t made American dream of homeownership any easier. DD: I bought a new townhome in University Park when I was 24 in 1972. SEE: https://www.zillow.com/homedetails/774-Sunset-Ct-5-University-Park-IL-60484/5451474_zpid/ . In today’s dollars, I paid about $180,000 for it and the down payment would have been about $36,000. In today’s dollars, my IRS Revenue Officer salary had just increased from $56,409/year to $68,999/year. The down payment came from what I had earned working for IRS for 15 months and for a Firestone Store part-time for 18 months and full-time for 7 months before that. According to Zillow, the townhome is currently worth $93,700. That says worlds about real estate values in University Park.
https://www.foxnews.com/politics/billions-spent-key-federal-agency-hasnt-made-american-dream-homeownership-any-easier-report

NATIONALREVIEW
— Democratic Socialists of America Hate Billionaires — Except Fidel Castro.
https://www.nationalreview.com/2026/08/the-democratic-socialists-of-america-hate-billionaires-except-fidel-castro/

REAL CLEAR POLITICS
— We Need To Remind Americans Why Capitalism’s Important.  DD: What were you able to do under capitalism? I was able to buy a 1958 Chevy BeAir when I was 16 in 1964 with money I earned doing yard work and delivering newspapers. I was able buy a new 1966 Pontiac Tempest Sprint in 1966 with money I earned washing dishes for the minimum wage. I was able buy a new 1968 Oldsmobile 442 in 1967 and a new 1969 Dodge Charger SE in 1968 with money I earned delivering mail. I was able to graduate debt-free from NIU in 1970 owning that Charger with money I earned delivering mail. I was able to buy a new 1972 Corvette in 1971 with money I earned working for Firestone Stores and IRS. I was able to buy a new townhome in 1972 with money I earned working for Firestone Stores and IRS.
https://www.realclearmarkets.com/2026/08/24/we_need_to_remind_americans_why_capitalisms_important_1201914.html
— DEI Refuses To Die.
https://www.realclearpolitics.com/articles/2026/08/24/dei_refuses_to_die_154439.html

FROM NATIONAL CENTER-LEFT SOURCES

AOL
— Curfews, drones, and criminal charges: Cities differ on approaches to ‘teen takeovers.’  DD: What is your municipality doing to stop Democrat teen takeovers?
https://www.aol.com/articles/curfews-drones-criminal-charges-cities-140006000.html

NEW YORK TIMES
— Moving to Florida. DD: More and more and more of those who are the following are moving to Florida: conservative, Republican, White, male, older, non-poor, Protestant, German American, and/or have ancestors who have been in America for a long time.
https://www.nytimes.com/2026/08/15/realestate/florida-retirement-residency-taxes.html

USA TODAY
— FRONT PAGE TOP OF FOLD: The Democrat Party platform is extremely anti-religious. How successful have Democrats been taking over your church?
https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/politics/elections/2026/08/22/democrats-use-faith-to-challenge-red-state-gop/91340610007/

USA HERALD
— California Wants Corporations to Confess Their Ties to Slavery — Under Oath. DD: According to Democrat leaders, the more of the following that you are, the more that you are tied to slavery: conservative, Republican, American, White, male, older, non-poor, non-veteran, Protestant, German American, and/or have ancestors who have been in America for a long time. I am all of the aforesaid. In my defense, I stress that even though all my ancestors immigrated during the 1840s and 1850s, they always lived in northeast Illinois, they never were in a position to discriminate against anyone, and they never did discriminate against anyone.
https://usaherald.com/california-wants-corporations-to-confess-their-ties-to-slavery-under-oath/

WALL STREET JOURNAL
— A Socialist Surprise in Florida.
https://www.wsj.com/video/wsj-opinion-a-socialist-surprise-in-florida/7780BE57-7ACC-4DD7-A963-30D1C441AB05

FORBES
— Unfair Advantages. DD: What unfair advantages do your critics/opponents say you have? According to my critics/opponents, the following are unfair advantages and I have them: White, male, Protestant, German American, and my ancestors have been in America since 1844. In addition, a) my parents sent me to Missouri Synod Lutheran grade schools 1953-1962, b) my parents provided me with room and board while I attended UIC 1966-1968, weekends during my first semester at NIU in 1969, and the summer of 1969, and c) I avoided the Vietnam War draft. In my defense. neither of my parents attended college, my father was only the first of my ancestors to earn a high school diploma, my mother never attended high school, and I had to work my way through college.
https://www.forbes.com/sites/ruthgotian/2022/07/19/you-might-be-overlooking-your-unfair-advantage-heres-how-to-find-it/

MARKETPLACE
— Americans are retiring earlier than they’d like to. And not because they can afford to. DD: The more of the following that you are, the more that you should anticipate/expect that you will be forced to retire early: conservative, Republican, White, male, older, non-poor, non-veteran, Protestant, German American, and/or if you have ancestors who have been in America for a long time.
https://www.marketplace.org/story/2026/07/24/why-some-americans-are-forced-to-retire-too-soon

NEWS BREAK
— Sen. Duckworth Tells Hegseth to “Find a New Job and Let the Press Do Theirs” After Stars and Stripes Editor’s Firing. DD: Since 2000, my critics/opponents have hinted/implied/argued/shouted at the following that because I am a Republican Precinct Committeeman, they can and they should dictate the content of my GOPUSA ILLINOIS newsletters: the leaders of the Illinois Republican Party, DuPage County Republican Central Committee, and Milton Township Republican Organization. I should write about the many big adverse actions that the aforesaid have taken against me since 2000.
https://www.newsbreak.com/combat-rated-361333999/4845203759286-sen-duckworth-tells-hegseth-to-find-a-new-job-and-let-the-press-do-theirs-after-stars-and-stripes-editor-s-firing

ATLANTIC
— High-School Reunions. Social media should have killed them. Instead, they’re popular again. DD: I just learned that my 1966 Crete-Monee High School class is going to have a reunion. Sadly, my interactions with my classmates was dramatically less during my junior and senior years because I spent 28 hours a week during the school years and 40 hours a week during the summer in between washing dishes in the basement of the SS Kresge in Chicago Heights. Sadly, that job did not paint me as being college material. Further, my not being able to run because I had a bone disease kept out of sports.
https://www.theatlantic.com/family/archive/2025/09/high-school-reunion-attendance/684097/

August 20, 2026 Evening Edition

FROM ILLINOIS CENTER-LEFT SOURCES

ABC7
— Republican leaders urge supporters to mobilize ahead of November election at Illinois State Fair.
https://abc7chicago.com/post/republican-candidates-midterm-election-share-message-unity-2026-illinois-state-fair/19709027/

NBC5
— What it’s like to live without power as thousands struggle for days in northwest Indiana. As of 4 p.m. Thursday, they are among 68,000 customers still without power as a result of last week’s catastrophic storms. DD: The more that overhead lines bring power to your home, the more that those lines are near trees, the more that I recommend getting a whole-house backup electric generator.
https://www.nbcchicago.com/news/local/what-its-like-to-live-without-power-as-thousands-struggle-for-days-in-northwest-indiana/3978094/
https://www.nbcchicago.com/news/local/thousands-without-power-in-nw-indiana-after-pole-fire-downed-lines/3978066/

WGN9
— Republicans look to focus messaging during GOP Day at the Illinois State Fair.
https://wgntv.com/politics-3/republicans-look-to-focus-messaging-during-gop-day-at-the-illinois-state-fair/
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MYwubVSMr3M
— Darren Bailey tries to stay on message on Republican Day at the Illinois State Fair
https://wgntv.com/news/politics/wgn-the-point-politics-chicago-illinois/darren-bailey-tries-to-stay-on-message-on-republican-day-at-the-illinois-state-fair/

WTTW & HERALD REVIEW & EVANSTON NOW
— Amid Democratic scandals, Illinois Republicans hoping to flip legislative seats.
https://news.wttw.com/2026/08/20/amid-democratic-scandals-illinois-republicans-hoping-flip-legislative-seats
https://herald-review.com/news/state-regional/government-politics/article_79c8ae4e-ed69-541b-85c3-ccb6c16b0104.html
https://evanstonnow.com/illinois-gop-hopes-to-flip-legislative-seats/

WTTW & WQAD & CAPITOL NEWS ILLINOIS
https://news.wttw.com/2026/08/20/trump-barely-mentioned-illinois-republicans-focus-common-enemy-pritzker
— With Trump barely mentioned, Illinois Republicans focus on common enemy: Pritzker. GOP officeholders, candidates lay blame for high prices, taxes on Democrats.
https://www.wqad.com/article/news/politics/illinois-politics/trump-barely-mentioned-illinois-republicans-focus-pritzker-capitol-news/526-a078daa5-b980-4ba1-99d9-e99d1383db4c
https://capitolnewsillinois.com/news/with-trump-barely-mentioned-illinois-republicans-focus-on-common-enemy-pritzker/

WBEZ
— As Trump pushes sweeping changes to mail voting, here’s where things stand in Illinois. In Illinois, there have been no major changes to voting — though voters are confused about their rights, including whether they need to bring proof of citizenship to the ballot box. DD: Democrat leaders ever-increasingly fight efforts to fight voter fraud.
https://www.wbez.org/elections/2026/08/20/donald-trump-changes-mail-in-voting-illinois-outlook-explainer

CHICAGO TRIBUNE
— DD: Democrat leaders use the state fair to badmouth Republicans.
https://www.chicagotribune.com/2026/08/20/republican-day-illinois-state-fair/

CHICAGO SUN-TIMES
— Illinois Republicans set state fair sights on Gov. JB Pritzker and ‘flat-out crazy’ Democrats. GOP governor nominee Darren Bailey and other Republicans mostly steered clear of mentioning President Donald Trump as they kicked off their run to the general election.
https://chicago.suntimes.com/springfield/2026/08/20/darren-bailey-illinois-republicans-state-fair-pritzker

DAILY HERALD
— Amid Democratic scandals, Illinois Republicans hoping to flip legislative seats.
https://www.dailyherald.com/20260820/illinois-state-politics/illinois-republicans-are-hoping-to-buck-historic-midterm-election-trends-by-focusing-on-affordabilit/

SPRINGFIELD STATE JOURNAL REGISTER
— Illinois Republicans bash economic outlook under Gov. Pritzker.
https://www.sj-r.com/story/news/state/2026/08/20/illinois-republicans-bash-gov-pritzker-downplay-trump-at-state-fair/91384412007/

WAND TV
— Republicans bash Pritzker, push for red wave during GOP Day at Illinois State Fair.
https://www.wandtv.com/news/statehouse/republicans-bash-pritzker-push-for-red-wave-during-gop-day-at-illinois-state-fair/article_30b3253f-7226-4cc7-985e-c9e7bece2cb4.html

DAILY NEWS LINE
— Illinois Democrats position state party’s success as an example for Democrats nationwide at Annual Governor’s Day.
https://www.thedailyline.com/illinois-democrats-state-party-success-example-nationwide-governor-day

CAPITOL CITY NOW
— Illinois Republicans fire back on their day at the Illinois State Fair. Bailey: Pritzker only agreed to one debate because he’s afraid I’ll win.
https://capitolcitynow.com/news/248842-illinois-republicans-fire-back-on-their-day-at-the-illinois-state-fair/

CAPITOL FAX
— Afternoon roundup
https://capitolfax.com/2026/08/20/isabel%e2%80%99s-afternoon-roundup-583/
— Campaign roundup
https://capitolfax.com/2026/08/20/campaign-roundup-13/

FROM ILLINOIS CENTER-RIGHT SOURCES

ILLINOIS POLICY INSTITUTE
— Pritzker’s financial disclosure less transparent than Trump’s. Rules are stricter for federal officials than for Illinois politicians.
https://www.illinoispolicy.org/illinois-financial-disclosure-laws-pritzker/

FROM NATIONAL CENTER-RIGHT SOURCES

WASHINGTON TIMES
— Pentagon orders 30 colleges to sever ‘problematic’ ties to China, Russia, Iran.
https://www.washingtontimes.com/news/2026/aug/20/pentagon-cracks-colleges-security-protocols/

FROM NATIONAL CENTER-LEFT SOURCES

MIAMI HERALD
— Republican voters nominated Floridians in primaries, not carpetbaggers. DD: My critics/opponents in DuPage County, Milton Township, and Wheaton have always stressed that I have lived in the aforesaid only since I was 29 in 1978, that I have never attended any schools there, that I have never attended any churches there, and that I have never raised any children there.
https://www.miamiherald.com/opinion/article316939032.html

NPR
— 400,000 kids are on waitlists for federal childcare assistance. DD: Because those who need/want/demand government assistance vote for Democrats, Democrat leaders ever-increasingly provide more government assistance.
https://www.npr.org/2026/08/19/nx-s1-5920326/childcare-assistance-waitlists

August 19, 2026 Evening Edition

FROM ILLINOIS CENTER-LEFT SOURCES

ABC7
— Democrats rally at Illinois State Fair ahead of midterms, decrying costs and corruption.
https://abc7chicago.com/post/illinois-state-fair-2026-governors-day-democrats-rally-springfield-ahead-midterm-election/19703516/
https://abc7chicago.com/videoClip/19704715/
— Illinois Tollway board votes to approve toll increases.
https://abc7chicago.com/post/illinois-tollway-board-vote-toll-increases/19701930/

CBS2
— Crowd turns out to honor U.S. Sen. Dick Durbin at brunch in Springfield.
https://www.cbsnews.com/chicago/news/crowd-turns-out-honor-u-s-sen-dick-durbin-springfield/
— More than 83,000 buildings, homes still without power in Northwest Indiana. DD: The more that overhead lines bring power to your home, the more that those lines are near trees, the more that I recommend getting a whole-house backup electric generator.
https://www.cbsnews.com/chicago/news/buildings-homes-still-without-power-northwest-indiana/

WGN9
— Democrats rally for Pritzker at Illinois State Fair ahead of gubernatorial rematch with Bailey.
https://wgntv.com/news/politics/democrats-rally-for-pritzker-at-illinois-state-fair-ahead-of-gubernatorial-rematch-with-bailey/
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Fi7u2jipwuQ

FOX32
— Illinois sues Trump admin. over CDL records. Attorney General Kwame Raoul discusses Illinois’ lawsuit against the Trump administration over demands for personal information from millions of commercial drivers.
https://www.fox32chicago.com/video/fmc-unwo4l5f9wgl4sgv

CHICAGO TRIBUNE
— Illinois Democrats tout party dominance at State Fair but it’s clouded by harassment scandal and fraud case.
https://www.chicagotribune.com/2026/08/19/democrats-illinois-state-fair/

CHICAGO SUN-TIMES
— Welch skips Illinois State Fair, where Democrats focus on Trump instead of harassment scandal. Democrats headed into the home stretch of the campaign season by hammering a familiar foe, while Chicago mayoral politics also made their way downstate.
https://chicago.suntimes.com/springfield/2026/08/19/chris-welch-state-fair-illinois-house-sexual-harassment-harry-benton
— What about Trump’s obsession with his critics? DD: My critics/opponents have taken many big adverse actions against me. They assume that because they have lots of clout, I will not take adverse actions against them in response.
https://chicago.suntimes.com/letters-to-the-editor/2026/08/19/trump-bears-illinois-indiana-stadium-ballys-city-council-traffic-stop

DAILY HERALD
— Illinois Democrats focused on Trump as they seek third sweep of statewide races.
https://www.dailyherald.com/20260819/illinois-state-politics/illinois-democrats-focused-on-trump-as-they-seek-third-sweep-of-statewide-races/
— Tollway imposes 57% hikes on cars, 30% for trucks, with more to come.
https://www.dailyherald.com/20260819/transportation/tollway-imposes-57-hikes-on-cars-30-for-trucks-with-more-to-come/

CAPITOL NEWS ILLINOIS
— In Illinois, Warren urges Democrats to unite behind all party nominees. Massachusetts senator delivers keynote in event honoring retiring Sen. Dick Durbin.
https://capitolnewsillinois.com/news/in-illinois-warren-urges-democrats-to-unite-behind-all-party-nominees/

CAPITOL CITY NOW
— Warren rallies Illinois Democratic troops. The US senator from Massachusetts praised Gov Pritzker as a fighter: “Go, JB!”
https://capitolcitynow.com/news/248842-warren-rallies-illinois-democratic-troops/

CAPITOL FAX
— Afternoon roundup
https://capitolfax.com/2026/08/19/isabel%e2%80%99s-afternoon-roundup-582/

FROM ILLINOIS CENTER-RIGHT SOURCES

ILLINOIS REPUBLICAN PARTY
— ILGOP Announces Jeff Castle as New State Central Committeeman for CD6
https://illinois.gop/news/
(THE PRESS RELEASE: Today, the Republican Party of Illinois announced that ILGOP Chairman Bob Grogan has resigned from his position as State Central Committeeman for the 6th Congressional District. Effective today, Grogan will be replaced by Jeff Castle, the Chairman of the Milton Republican Party and Secretary of the DuPage Republican Party. ILGOP Chair Bob Grogan released the following statement: “I always want to be replaced by someone better than me – and I have the perfect replacement in Jeff Castle. Jeff is the hardest-working volunteer in DuPage County and has been instrumental in moving the party forward, especially in the Collar Counties. Jeff will continue to be a fantastic champion for northern Illinois.” The Republican Party Chairs of the 6th Congressional District, consisting of Cook County and DuPage County, elected Castle unanimously. Castle was nominated by Cook County Chairman, Terrance Carr.)

ILLINOIS POLICY INSTITUTE
— Illinois Tollway board approves largest passenger toll hike in Illinois history.
https://www.illinoispolicy.org/illinois-tollway-hike-approved/

MCHENRY COUNTY BLOG
— Corbett Complains That State Fair Has Only Democrat and Republican Days
https://www.mchenrycountyblog.com/2026/08/19/corbett-complains-that-state-fair-has-only-democrat-and-republican-days/
— Democrats Pass Another Law That Would Keep ICE from Putting Illegals in McHenry County Jail
https://www.mchenrycountyblog.com/2026/08/19/democrats-pass-another-law/
— Law Allows More Flexibility When Dealing with Juvenile Domestic Violence Situations
https://www.mchenrycountyblog.com/2026/08/19/law-allows-more-flexibility-when-dealing-with-juvenile-domestic-violence-situations/
— Algonquin Township Board Doesn’t Use Robert’s Rules of Order
https://www.mchenrycountyblog.com/2026/08/19/algonquin-township-board-doesnt-use-roberts-rules-of-order/
— Next Spring’s Election Petitions Now Available
https://www.mchenrycountyblog.com/2026/08/19/next-springs-election-petitions-now-available/
— Catalina Lauf Loses Third Congressional Race
https://www.mchenrycountyblog.com/2026/08/18/catalina-lauf-loses-third-congressional-race/
— Facebook Marketplace Deal Goes Awry
https://www.mchenrycountyblog.com/2026/08/18/facebook-marketplace-deal-goes-awray/
— Newsletter Following Florida Politics Awards Illinois Ex-Pat Catalina Lauf “The Apprentice: Carpetbagger Edition,” Latest Polling Shows Close Race
https://www.mchenrycountyblog.com/2026/08/18/newsletter-following-florida-politics-awards-illinois-ex-pat-catalina-lauf-the-apprentice-carpetbagger-edition-latest-polling-shows-close-race/

FROM NATIONAL CENTER-RIGHT SOURCES

WASHINGTON TIMES
— Not so socialist: DSA leader lives in $1.5 million NYC row house purchased by his parents.
https://www.washingtontimes.com/news/2026/aug/19/not-socialist-dsa-leader-gustavo-gordillo-lives-15-million-nyc-row/
— Medicare for All: The Democratic Socialists of America’s Trojan horse. Government-run healthcare means rationing, fewer choices and more federal control.
https://www.washingtontimes.com/news/2026/aug/19/medicare-democratic-socialists-americas-trojan-horse/
— Who should control your life: You or the federal government? Young voters need more than warnings about communism’s bloody history.
https://www.washingtontimes.com/news/2026/aug/19/who-control-life-federal-government/

NEW YORK POST
— SF high school where 94% flunk math has California’s highest Berkeley acceptance rate.
https://nypost.com/2026/08/18/us-news/mission-high-boasts-top-berkeley-admit-rate-despite-math-failures/
— Deadbeat AOC’s student-loan mooching should be a red flag to her 2028 supporters.
https://nypost.com/2026/08/19/opinion/deadbeat-aocs-student-loan-mooching-should-be-red-flag-to-her-2028-supporters/

AARP
— What the Unemployment Rate Means for Older Adults. The rate for older workers increased in July as the nation lost jobs overall. DD: If you are forced to retire early, anticipate/expect that you will not be able to find a job appropriate for your work experience, education, and professional certifications/licenses. That is especially true if you are conservative, Republican, White, male, older, non-veteran, German American, and/or have ancestors who have been in America for a long time.
https://www.aarp.org/work/job-search/unemployment-rate-older-workers/
— Unemployed Older Adults Encounter Age Discrimination.
https://www.aarp.org/pri/topics/work-finances-retirement/employers-workforce/long-term-unemployment-survey/

AMERICANS FOR PROSPERITY
—  DD: Democrat and RINO leaders ever-increasingly promote more dependency on government, that is, they ever-increasingly destroy personal responsibility. My parents and teachers promoted personal responsibility. That put me on track to work my way through college, to earn a job-related bachelor’s degree, to earn three job-related master’s degrees, to earn six job-related professional certifications, and to earn a job-related professional license.
https://americansforprosperity.org/policy-corner/the-upward-mobility-act-is-a-step-forward-on-welfare-reform/

DAILY CALLER
— Colorado faced a new legal hurdle to a permit-to-purchase system that took effect August 1 when the National Rifle Association joined a state affiliate in seeking an injunction blocking the scheme. In April 2025, Democratic Colorado Gov. Jared Polis signed legislation initially introduced as an outright ban on so-called “assault weapons” that required anyone wishing to buy a modern semiautomatic firearm, including the AR-15 rifle, to first receive a firearms safety course eligibility card, then complete a firearms safety course within five years.
https://dailycaller.com/2026/08/13/blue-states-planned-purchase-permit-system-for-semi-auto-guns-just-got-slapped-with-legal-hurdle/

HERITAGE FORNDATION
— U.S. Has a Culture of Dependency. DD: Democrat and RINO leaders ever-increasingly promote more dependency on government, that is, they ever-increasingly destroy personal responsibility. My parents and teachers promoted personal responsibility. That put me on track to work my way through college, to earn a job-related bachelor’s degree, to earn three job-related master’s degrees, to earn six job-related professional certifications, and to earn a job-related professional license.
https://www.heritage.org/poverty-and-inequality/commentary/why-the-us-has-culture-dependency
— The Rise in Dependency. DD: Democrat and RINO leaders ever-increasingly promote more dependency on government, that is, they ever-increasingly destroy personal responsibility. My parents and teachers promoted personal responsibility. That put me on track to work my way through college, to earn a job-related bachelor’s degree, to earn three job-related master’s degrees, to earn six job-related professional certifications, and to earn a job-related professional license.
https://www.heritage.org/commentary/the-rise-dependency

REASON
— Americans Grow Increasingly Dependent on Government Payments. Many citizens of the land of the free are hooked on government checks. DD: Democrat and RINO leaders ever-increasingly promote more dependency on government, that is, they ever-increasingly destroy personal responsibility. My parents and teachers promoted personal responsibility. That put me on track to work my way through college, to earn a job-related bachelor’s degree, to earn three job-related master’s degrees, to earn six job-related professional certifications, and to earn a job-related professional license.
https://reason.com/2024/10/04/americans-grow-increasingly-dependent-on-government-payments/

US HOUSE
— More Americans Dependent on Welfare Checks, at the Expense of Work. DD: Democrat and RINO leaders ever-increasingly promote more dependency on government, that is, they ever-increasingly destroy personal responsibility. My parents and teachers promoted personal responsibility. That put me on track to work my way through college, to earn a job-related bachelor’s degree, to earn three job-related master’s degrees, to earn six job-related professional certifications, and to earn a job-related professional license.
https://waysandmeans.house.gov/2025/01/08/new-report-shows-more-americans-dependent-on-welfare-checks-at-the-expense-of-work/

FROM NATIONAL CENTER-LEFT SOURCES

MOUNTAIN DEMOCRAT
— Sheriffs, NRA oppose law requiring training for gun purchases. Opponents sue Colorado over new requirement for purchasers of semiautomatic firearms, rapid-fire devices.
https://www.mtdemocrat.com/news/national/sheriffs-nra-oppose-law-requiring-training-for-gun-purchases/article_6302cacf-de53-5865-a86c-4b42ff420a32.html

FORBES
— During a Illinois Democratic County Chairs’ Association event on Wednesday, Sen. Elizabeth Warren (D-MA) criticized the Republican Party.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3Eg0Ct7r1s8

FINANCIAL POST
— With $2.4 million in assets, does George need to double that to retire at 50? DD: My retirement income and savings are dramatically less because my Democrat superiors wasted my career and forced me to retire when I was 49 in 1997.
https://financialpost.com/personal-finance/family-finance/does-george-need-double-assets-retire-50

PARADE MAGAZINE
— Being Forced Into Retirement Is One of the Most Damaging Things That Can Happen to You. DD: I should write about that.
https://parade.com/living/being-forced-into-retirement-can-negatively-impact-mental-health

ECONOMIC POLICY INSTITUTE
— Educated, experienced, and out of work. Long-term joblessness continues to plague the unemployed.
https://www.epi.org/publication/issuebriefs_ib198/

August 17, 2026 Evening Edition

FROM ILLINOIS CENTER-LEFT SOURCES

ABC7
— New recruits joining military in big numbers, but not for reason Hegseth says. The economy is driving young Americans’ enlistments, according to Pentagon data.
https://abc7chicago.com/story/us-military-news-new-recruits-enlisting-big-numbers-not-reason-defense-secretary-pete-hegseth-says/19693144/
— Dramatic decline in people becoming new citizens in Chicago area this year. DD: Democrat leaders give tremendous benefits to noncitizens.
https://abc7chicago.com/post/chicago-area-naturalizations-drop-dramatically-more-80-2026-federal-citizenship-data-shows/19599022/
— Bailey calls for ending tolls; Pritzker questions funding plan. Toll revenues fund construction projects.
https://abc7chicago.com/post/republican-illinois-governor-candidate-darren-bailey-calls-ending-tolls-gov-jb-pritzker-questions-funding-plan/19694196/

NBC5
— Wheaton ZIP code 60187 named among America’s hottest housing markets for 2026.
https://www.nbcchicago.com/news/local/suburban-chicago-zip-code-named-among-americas-hottest-housing-markets-for-2026/3976579/

CBS2
— Some NIPSCO customers in northwest Indiana frustrated after nearly week without power. DD: The more that overhead lines bring power to your home, the more that those lines are near trees, the more that I recommend getting a whole-house backup electric generator.
https://www.cbsnews.com/chicago/news/northwest-indiana-power-outage-nipsco/

CHICAGO TRIBUNE
— Illinois spent big during COVID and the migrant crisis. Who was watching the bills?
https://www.chicagotribune.com/2026/08/17/favorite-staffing-covid-migrants-contractor-chris-meister/
— Northwest Indiana communities frustrated with extended NIPSCO outages. DD: The more that overhead lines bring power to your home, the more that those lines are near trees, the more that I recommend getting a whole-house backup electric generator.
https://www.chicagotribune.com/2026/08/17/northwest-indiana-frustrated-extended-nipsco-outages/
— DD: Democrat leaders ever-increasingly a) glorify and praise their illegals and b) fight their deportation.
https://www.chicagotribune.com/2026/08/17/ice-legal-insurance-local-officers/

CHICAGO SUN-TIMES
— Thousands of Gary residents still without power after last week’s deadly storms. As of Monday afternoon, more than 100,000 Indiana residents were without electricity, according to utility company NIPSCO, after over 300,000 people lost power because of the storms. DD: The more that overhead lines bring power to your home, the more that those lines are near trees, the more that I recommend getting a whole-house backup electric generator.
https://chicago.suntimes.com/weather/2026/08/17/gary-indiana-residents-without-power-deadly-storms
— DD: To get more votes from Blacks, Democrat leaders ever-increasingly shout at non-Whites that Republicans cause all the problems that non-Whites have.
https://chicago.suntimes.com/other-views/2026/08/17/anti-dei-trump-chicago-cps-firefighters-black-brown-equity-donathan-brown

DAILY HERALD
— Geneva’s annual Concours d’Elegance returns Aug. 23 with 200 vintage cars.
https://www.dailyherald.com/20260817/submitted-content/genevas-annual-concours-delegance-returns-aug-23-with-over-200-vintage-cars/

SAUK VALLEY
— Tri-County GOP candidates’ meet-and-greet event set for 3 counties at 3 locations at 3 times Sept. 24.
https://www.shawlocal.com/sauk-valley/2026/08/17/tri-county-gop-candidates-meet-and-greet-event-set-for-3-counties-at-3-locations-at-3-times-sept-24/

BURR RIDGE PATCH
— Burr Ridge Park District Bars Patricia Kladis-Schiappa’s Event. The candidate is asking the agency to reconsider. She says she cannot accept “the suppression or cancellation” of a community discussion.
https://patch.com/illinois/burrridge/burr-ridge-agency-wont-allow-local-politicians-event

IPM NEWS
— Bailey on SAFE-T Act, budget, and Illinois schools.
https://ipmnewsroom.org/republican-gubernatorial-candidate-darren-bailey-on-safe-t-act-budget-and-illinois-schools/

CAPITOL FAX
—  Afternoon roundup
https://capitolfax.com/2026/08/17/isabel%e2%80%99s-afternoon-roundup-580/

FROM ILLINOIS CENTER-RIGHT SOURCES

GOPUSA ILLINOIS
— What is your Republican Precinct Committeeman going to do to get out the vote? As the Republican Precinct Committeeman for DuPage County Milton Township Precinct 59 in Wheaton, I will hand-deliver to the 400 residences in my precinct that have at least one Republican or one Independent registered voter a copy of the sample ballot, campaign literature from all the candidates who provide their literature to the Milton Township Republican Organization (MTRO), and a MTRO voter guide. I have obtained a PDF file from the DuPage County Election Division mailing with labels for the 660 Republican and Independent registered voters in my precinct. I have printed out those labels and I am in the process of affixing them to envelopes provided by MTRO and putting them into five batches in walk order. I will be stuffing those envelopes with MTRO’s voter guide, literature that candidates provided MTRO, and the sample ballot. The Republican candidates on the ballot in my precinct are: Tracy, Bailey/Del Mar, Fioretti, Harris, Drew, Soloman, Oakley, Lewis, Vrankovich, Grasso, Noonan, Schiappa, Henry, Eckhoff, Michaud, Schultz, Quirk, and Helland. – Dave Diersen
http://www.gopillinois.com

MCHENRY COUNTY BLOG
— New Law Allows Veterans Second Set of Special License Plates
https://www.mchenrycountyblog.com/2026/08/15/new-law-veterans-second-set-of-special-license-plates/
— State Believes It Can Create and Preserve Affordable Housing
https://www.mchenrycountyblog.com/2026/08/15/state-believes-it-can-create-and-preserve-affordable-housing/
— Steve Willson’s Letter Blasting Proposed Rockford-Chicago Passenger Trains Make Front Page of Rockford Register-Star Email
https://www.mchenrycountyblog.com/2026/08/15/steve-willsons-letter-blasting-proposed-rockford-chicago-passenger-trains-make-front-page-of-rockford-register-star-email/
— Running for Chicago Mayor, Mike Quigley Willing to Risk His Future to Save Chicago, Is Trump Willing to Do the Same to Beat Iran?
https://www.mchenrycountyblog.com/2026/08/15/running-for-chicago-mayor-mike-quigley-willing-to-risk-his-future-to-save-chicago-is-trump-willing-to-do-the-same-to-beat-iran/

FROM NATIONAL CENTER-RIGHT SOURCES

WASHINGTON TIMES
— DD: Democrat leaders ever-increasingly promote voters who are anti-conservative, anti-Republican, anti-American, anti-White, anti-male, anti-older people, anti-Christian, anti-German American, and/or anti-those who have ancestors who have been in America for a long time. That is, Democrat leaders ever-increasingly promote the Democrat Party’s base.
https://www.washingtontimes.com/news/2026/aug/17/catholic-league-warns-massachusetts-legislation-would-give/

WASHINGTON EXAMINER
— Democrats are embracing socialism. Americans aren’t.
https://www.washingtonexaminer.com/op-eds/4687755/democrats-embracing-socialism-polling/

NEW YORK POST
— Shoplifting isn’t need, it’s just plain greed.
https://nypost.com/2026/08/17/opinion/hey-progressives-shoplifting-isnt-need-its-just-plain-greed/

DAILY SIGNAL
— The DSA Has a Diversity Problem.
https://www.dailysignal.com/2026/08/17/the-dsa-has-a-diversity-problem-dsa/

FROM NATIONAL CENTER-LEFT SOURCES

FLORIDA POLITICS
— Millions were spent in CD 19 GOP Primary, but will a late Donald Trump endorsement decide the race?
https://floridapolitics.com/archives/814362-millions-were-spent-in-cd-19-gop-primary-but-will-a-late-donald-trump-endorsement-decide-the-race/

PEW RESEARCH
— Refugee admissions to the U.S. are dropping sharply in Trump’s second term.
https://www.pewresearch.org/publications/

FROM OTHER SOURCES

REALTOR
— FOR SALE IN MY WHEATON PRECINCT:
25W451 Plamondon Road – $3,300,000
25W471 Plamondon Road – $2,400,000
1021 Greenwood Drive – $1,000,000
1160 Midwest Lane – $1,000,000
1028 Lodalia Court (lot) – $415,000
https://www.realtor.com/realestateandhomes-search/60189/sby-2

HOMES
— FOR SALE IN MY WHEATON PRECINCT: 25W328 Plamondon Road (lot) – $299,900
https://www.homes.com/property/25w328-plamondon-rd-wheaton-il/n6npjnwsm9jnz/

August 15, 2026

FROM ILLINOIS CENTER-LEFT SOURCES

FOX32
— DD: What is your municipality doing to stop Democrat teen takeovers? When you were a teen, what did you do when you were not in school? I did yard work 1962-1964. I delivered newspapers 1962-1966. I washed dishes 1964-1966. I cleaned golf shoes, chipped slag, and pumped gasoline in 1966. I delivered mail 1966-1969.
https://www.fox32chicago.com/video/fmc-wpszr7ochva90k0q

CHICAGO TRIBUNE
— Potential candidates get a lesson in what it takes to run for office from those who have won elections.
https://www.chicagotribune.com/2026/08/14/lagrange-forum-potential-candidates/

CHICAGO SUN-TIMES
— Free summer YMCA memberships draw 3,000 Chicago teens. More than a thousand teens signed up at the South Side YMCA alone. Teens there are playing basketball, lifting weights or just hanging out with friends — and hoping the program continues next year. DD: What is your municipality doing to stop Democrat teen takeovers? When you were a teen, what did you do when you were not in school? I did yard work 1962-1964. I delivered newspapers 1962-1966. I washed dishes 1964-1966. I cleaned golf shoes, chipped slag, and pumped gasoline in 1966. I delivered mail 1966-1969.
https://chicago.suntimes.com/education/2026/08/13/free-summer-ymca-memberships-draw-3-000-chicago-teens
— DD: Democrat leaders ever-increasingly promote more hatred against Trump.
https://chicago.suntimes.com/columnists/2026/08/14/trump-dictator-reflecting-pool-vandals-vaccines-todd-blanche-mona-charen
https://www.news-herald.com/2026/08/14/s-e-cupp-donald-trumps-third-world-presidency/

SPRINGFIELD STATE JOURNAL REGISTER
— DD: Democrat leaders demonize, denigrate, and condemn whatever Trump wants.
https://www.sj-r.com/videos/news/2026/07/24/poll-shows-disapproval-of-trumps-dc-changes/91036540007/

SHAW LOCAL
— Underwood calls for removing Trump from office: ‘Unstable,’ ‘dangerous,’ ‘unable to function.’  Congresswoman spoke at town hall meeting at Northern Illinois University.
https://www.shawlocal.com/news/2026/08/14/underwood-calls-for-removing-trump-from-office-unstable-dangerous-unable-to-function/

WHEATON PATCH
— DuPage Regional Office of Education Expands Student Health and Wellness Supports Ahead of New School Year. Partnerships, training, and early-intervention resources help schools create safer, more supportive learning environments.
https://patch.com/illinois/wheaton/dupage-regional-office-education-expands-student-health-wellness-supports-ahead-new

BLACK CHRONICLE
— The executive director of a Chicago violence prevention group has been charged with sexually assaulting a juvenile family member and grooming. Englewood First Responders executive director Charles McKenzie, 37, was arrested Aug. 5 in the 6700 block of South Emerald Avenue.
https://blackchronicle.com/midwest/illinois/illinois-quick-hits-violence-prevention-group-leader-arrested/

CAPITOL FAX
— Afternoon roundup
https://capitolfax.com/2026/08/14/isabel%e2%80%99s-afternoon-roundup-579/

FROM ILLINOIS CENTER-RIGHT SOURCES

MCHENRY COUNTY BLOG
— Trump Endorses Catalina Lauf for Congress in Southwest Florida, Victory Almost Certain
https://www.mchenrycountyblog.com/2026/08/14/trump-endorses-catalina-lauf-for-congress-in-southwest-florida-victory-almost-certain/
— Florida Law Preventing Minors from Attending Drag Shows Upheld 8-5 by Federal Appellate Court
https://www.mchenrycountyblog.com/2026/08/14/florida-law-preventing-minors-from-attending-drag-shows-upheld-8-5-by-federal-appellate-court/
— Safe-T Act Failure
https://www.mchenrycountyblog.com/2026/08/13/safe-t-act-failure-2/
— The Potential Data Center Problems
https://www.mchenrycountyblog.com/2026/08/13/the-potelxntial-data-center-problems/
— Vaccine Exemptions
https://www.mchenrycountyblog.com/2026/08/12/vaccine-exemptions/
— Triple Shot Vaccinations Led to Hours of Keening
https://www.mchenrycountyblog.com/2026/08/11/21787/
— On the National Front
https://www.mchenrycountyblog.com/2026/08/10/on-the-national-front/
— Double-Dipping, Something Illinois Legislators Won’t Stop. DD: My critics/opponents have always been furious a) that I earned both Civil Service Retirement System and Social Security credits for almost 5 years a) while I worked for the Post Office 1966-1969 and b) for IRS and Firestone Stores 1971-1972.
https://www.mchenrycountyblog.com/2026/08/11/double-dipping-something-illinois-legislators-wont-stop/
— Group Seeks to Stop Flock Cameras in Woodstock
https://www.mchenrycountyblog.com/2026/08/11/group-seeks-to-stop-flock-cameras-in-woodstock/
— Republicans Followed Pritzker’s 2022 Strategy in Wisconsin to Elect the Weakest Candidate in the Opposite Party–Francesca Hong, It Didn’t Work
— https://www.mchenrycountyblog.com/2026/08/11/republicans-follow-pritzkers-2022-strategy-tn-wisconsin-to-elect-the-weakest-candidate-in-the-opposite-party-francesca-hong/

FROM NATIONAL CENTER-RIGHT SOURCES

WASHINGTON EXAMINER
— Democrats turn their DEI strategy toward Muslim voters.
https://www.washingtonexaminer.com/opinion/beltway-confidential/4687851/democrats-turn-dei-strategy-toward-muslim-voters/
— ’Tax the rich’ is a scam. You’re the one getting the bill.
https://www.washingtonexaminer.com/op-eds/4685821/why-taxing-the-rich-hurts-middle-class/

WASHINGTON EXAMINER
— The carpetbagger primary: Meet the cast of characters running for this Florida House seat. DD: My critics/opponents continue to stress that I have lived in DuPage County, Milton Township, and Wheaton only since I was 29 in 1978 and that I never attended schools or churches or worked there. They continue to stress that they have lived in DuPage County, Milton Township, and/or Wheaton their entire lives and that they attended schools and churches there and worked there.
https://www.washingtonexaminer.com/news/campaigns/congressional/4687660/florida-19th-congressional-district-candidates-carpetbagger-primary/

NEW YORK POST
— Hegseth fumes over the Army’s decision to withdraw new academic standards for college students in the ROTC program — including requiring a SAT score of at least 1000 — to ensure that “stupid people” are not becoming military officers. DD: According to Google AI, an  ACT score of 24 equals a SAT score of 1200–1220. My ACT score was 24.
https://nypost.com/2026/08/14/us-news/hegseth-angry-as-army-scraps-new-sat-minimum-for-rotc-to-screen-out-stupid-officers/
— AOC’s student debt unpaid as she embarks on costly egg-freezing journey.
https://nypost.com/2026/08/14/us-news/aocs-student-debt-unpaid-as-she-embarks-on-costly-egg-freezing-journey/
(FROM THE ARTICLE: Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-NY) has made at least $174,000 annually for nearly eight years as a member of Congress, but like many of her “Squad” colleagues, she has yet to put a substantial dent in her student loan debt, according to House financial disclosures. The Bronx and Queens Democrat has owed between $15,001 and $50,000 in federal student loan debt since her election to the House in 2018. That’s the same amount she owes now, according to her August disclosure, where lawmakers report ranges for debt and income. The “Tax the Rich!” pol reported less than $81,000 in total assets. Recently, Ocasio-Cortez has suggested that she’d been saving up for some time instead to freeze her eggs, a process that can cost between $10,000 and $20,000 per cycle. “I got sworn into the House of Representatives when I was 29 years old,” she said in an Instagram video. “There’s this flip side where you have to then grow up in the public eye in a time that most people usually get to grow more privately.” Ocasio-Cortez amassed the loans while attending Boston University as an international relations and economics major between August 2007 and May 2011 — and went on to tend bar in Manhattan before her successful run for Congress. The “Squad” Democrat has consistently backed student debt cancellation. During former President Joe Biden’s term, she even pushed the 46th commander-in-chief to cancel as much as $50,000 in debt per student borrower. But she’s not the only US lawmaker who’s still holding student loans. Rep. Ilhan Omar (D-Minn.) has held up to $50,000 over the past eight years in student debt — despite her net worth ballooning for a time to as much as $30 million due to her husband’s winery and venture capital businesses. Not all her colleagues who entered the same freshman class of 2018 have failed to pay off their student debts. Fellow “Squad” Rep. Rashida Tlaib (D-Mich.) had up to $100,000 in law school loans that have been partially paid off in the same time period — but could still amount to as much as $50,000 too, per House disclosures. Meanwhile, moderate Rep. Jared Golden (R-Maine) similarly held up to $100,000 in outstanding student debt but paid off at least half of it by his last House filing.)

AMERICAN CONSERVATIVE
— ‘Woke 1’ Never Really Went Away. Progressives may be less forthcoming, but they haven’t changed their beliefs since the mass lunacy of 2020.
https://www.theamericanconservative.com/woke-1-never-really-went-away/

BLAZE
— Wokeism is just the ‘smoke screen’ — Nick Freitas warns of the far more dangerous ideology quietly dismantling the West.
https://www.theblaze.com/shows/making-the-argument-with-nick-freitas/wokeism-is-just-the-smoke-screen-nick-freitas-warns-of-the-far-more-dangerous-ideology-quietly-dismantling-the-west

COLLEGE FIX
— 40% won’t hire Trump voters. DD: In Illinois, your primary voting record is public knowledge, it is in the public realm. Employers can easily find out if you cast a Republican primary ballot or a Democrat primary ballot.
https://www.thecollegefix.com/40-wont-hire-trump-voters-new-report-details-higher-educations-ideological-divide/

FEDERALIST
— America lives or dies based on how we address the very real problems that have put the American Dream far out of reach for most people. DD: When I was young, I believed that the American Dream was in my reach even though neither of my parents had attended college, my father was only the first of my ancestors to earn a high school diploma, my mother had never attended high school, my ACT score was only 24, and I only just barely made it into the upper 20% of my high school class. That motivated me to earn a job-related bachelor’s degree, three job-related master’s degrees, six job-related professional certifications, and a job-related professional license. But if I was young today and with the aforesaid limitations, I question if I would believe that the American Dream was in my reach. Since I was young, those who share my demographics are ever-increasingly demonized, denigrated, and condemned.
https://thefederalist.com/2026/08/14/we-cant-save-the-american-dream-by-pretending-everything-is-just-fine/
— If You Want To Be A Grandparent One Day, Raise Your Kids To Get Married And Want Babies ASAP. DD: My wife and I did not get married until I was 29 and she was 27. We did not know that we both had major fertility problems. We did not try IVF because our problems were so great. We did not adopt. We did not become foster parents. My Democrat GAO superiors used that against me big time.
https://thefederalist.com/2026/08/14/if-you-want-to-be-a-grandparent-one-day-raise-your-kids-to-get-married-and-want-babies-asap/
— Stepping Down To Raise Her Kids Makes Karoline Leavitt An Even Better Role Model. DD: According my Democrat GAO superiors, if my wife and I had children, I would not have been able to a) pass the CPA examination on my first attempt when I was 30, b) take a $23,699/year (21%) pay cut in today’s dollars to transfer from IRS to GAO when I was 31 and earn a master’s degree in accounting when I was 31, c) pass the Certified Internal Auditor examination on my first attempt when I was 32 and become a licensed CPA when I was 32, d) have a home built in Wheaton when I was 35, and g) buy a collector car when I was 40. My Democrat GAO superiors ever-increasingly demonized, denigrated, and condemned my wife and I as being disgusting selfish rich DINKs. They would not have done that if I had been a Democrat, minority, female, or veteran. They knew full-well that both my wife and I had major fertility problems. They painted themselves as being grossly underpaid. They decried the time and money they spent raising their children. They decried the little or no income that their wives had. Should I write about my Democrat GAO superiors?
https://thefederalist.com/2026/08/13/stepping-down-to-raise-her-kids-makes-karoline-leavitt-an-even-better-role-model/
— The Problem With DSA Democrats Isn’t Socialism, It’s Third-Worldism.
https://thefederalist.com/2026/08/12/the-problem-with-dsa-democrats-isnt-socialism-its-third-worldism/

FINANCIAL CONTENT
— IRS Collections Surge: What 11.5M Delinquent Accounts Mean for You. DD: The Democrats who ran GAO 1980-1997 wasted my knowledge of IRS. GAO audits IRS. After working for IRS’s Collection Division as a Revenue Officer for almost 9 years, the last 5 1/2 years of which at the GS-12 Step 1-5 Levels, currently $100,059-$113,402/year, I transferred from IRS to GAO when I was 31 in 1980. My Democrat GAO superiors wasted my knowledge of IRS’s Collection Division. The kept me off audits of IRS for all but 3 of the almost 18 years that I worked for them. While they did assign me to audits of IRS’s Criminal Investigation Division for 3 years, they never assigned me to audits of IRS’s Collection Division. Democrats do not want Republicans to audit Democrats.
https://www.financialcontent.com/article/getnews-2026-8-15-irs-collections-surge-what-115m-delinquent-accounts-mean-for-you
(FROM THE ARTICLE: The IRS is collecting again, and it’s not being subtle about it. The IRS Data Book FY2024 reported over 11.5 million delinquent taxpayer accounts in active inventory, with the agency’s compliance and enforcement division posting measurable increases in both automated notices and field revenue officer assignments. For the millions of Americans carrying unpaid tax balances, that shift isn’t abstract. It means liens, levies, and wage garnishments are moving from paper threats to real collection events at a pace not seen in several years. Noble Tax Relief is responding directly to that shift, offering structured tax resolution services built for taxpayers who are already in the IRS’s line of sight. The IRS Data Book FY2024 recorded 11.5 million delinquent accounts in the IRS’s active collection inventory IRS enforcement revenue from collection activities reached approximately $63.6 billion in FY2024, up from prior pandemic-era lows, per IRS Data Book FY2024 The Inflation Reduction Act directed roughly $45.6 billion of the IRS’s $80 billion funding boost specifically toward enforcement, per the Congressional Budget Office’s August 2023 report “Effects of the Inflation Reduction Act on CBO’s Projections of Federal Tax Revenues” Tax practitioners working IRS Installment Agreement and Offer in Compromise cases consistently report longer resolution timelines when taxpayers wait until a notice of levy or lien has already been filed Noble Tax Relief works with individuals and businesses across delinquent filing situations, unpaid balances, and active IRS collection cases, applying IRS resolution frameworks including Installment Agreements (Form 9465), Currently Not Collectible status, and the Offer in Compromise program The IRS’s own acceptance rate for Offers in Compromise has historically ranged between 30% and 40% depending on the tax year, per IRS Data Book annual records, meaning eligibility analysis before submission is what separates accepted cases from rejected ones. The IRS spent several years pulling back on aggressive enforcement during and after the pandemic. That period is over. With fresh funding, restored staffing in key compliance units, and a mandate to close the estimated $688 billion annual tax gap (IRS Tax Gap Estimates for Tax Years 2014-2016, updated 2023), the agency has both the resources and the political instruction to pursue unpaid accounts more systematically. Taxpayers who received a first notice and sat on it hoping things would quiet down are now finding out that the queue didn’t clear. It moved forward.)

FOX BUSINESS
— Green Beret combat veteran calls out anti-men rhetoric from ‘Woke 1’
https://www.foxbusiness.com/video/6403423368112

FOX NEWS
— Trump: New York is a ‘disaster,’ sanctuary cities protect criminals.
https://www.foxnews.com/video/6403409149112
— Hannity: The rise of the Democratic socialist movement is no surprise. DD: Both socialists and Democrats promote dependency on government.  According to socialists, all you need to do advance is to be a socialist. According to Democrats, all you need to do advance is to be a Democrat. None of my Democrat Post Office, IRS, and GAO coworkers came close to doing what I did to advance. I earned a job-related bachelor’s degree. I earned three job-related master’s degrees. I earned six job-related professional certifications. I earned a job-related professional license.
https://www.foxnews.com/video/6403430164112
— Lefties backtrack on ‘woke-ism’
https://www.foxnews.com/video/6403432784112

FREE PRESS
— Abdul El-Sayed’s Victory and the Democrats’ Anti-American Turn.
https://www.thefp.com/p/abdul-el-sayed-anti-american-turn

INSTITUTE FOR FAMILY STUDIES
— America’s Demoralized Men, Lost Pathways, Greater Struggles. DD: If Affirmative Action and DEI had been stronger when I was young, I might very well have not have able to achieve what I did. I earned a bachelor’s degree from NIU in 1970. IRS hired me and I bought a new 1972 Corvette in 1971. IRS promoted me and I bought a new townhome in University Park in 1972. IRS promoted me in 1973. IRS promoted me and I bought a studio condo in the Outer Drive East (ODE) building in 1974. I earned an MBA from Loyola and bought a one bedroom condo in the ODE building in 1976. My wife and I got married and we bought a home in Wheaton and two new cars in 1978. I passed the CPA examination on my first attempt in 1979. I transferred from IRS to GAO and earned a master’s degree in accounting from DePaul in 1980. I passed the Certified Internal Auditor examination on my first attempt and became a licensed CPA in 1981. My wife and I had a home built in Wheaton in 1984. GAO promoted me in 1986. I earned four more job-related professional certifications in 1990, 1994, 1996, and 1997. I earned a master’s degree in finance from IIT in early 1997.
https://ifstudies.org/report-brief/americas-demoralized-men-part-ii-lost-pathways-greater-struggles

NEWSMAX
— Vote GOP to Stop Socialism.
https://www.newsmax.com/newsmax-tv/mike-lipetri-tom-suozzi-new-york/2026/08/14/id/1266180/
— AOC is rushing to the middle, backing away from past positions.
https://www.newsmax.com/newsmax-tv/aoc-moore-socialists/2026/08/14/id/1266164/

TOWNHALL
— Economic Case for Mass Deportations.
https://townhall.com/news/dmitri-bolt/2026/08/14/scott-bessent-deportations-are-driving-down-costs-and-improving-wages-n2681247
— Stop Dooming. We’re on the Cusp of the Golden Age. DD: What were your best years? My best years include 1970 when I earned a bachelor’s degree from NIU, 1971 when IRS hired me and I bought a new 1972 Corvette, 1972 when IRS promoted me and I bought a new townhome in University Park, 1973 when IRS promoted me, 1974 when IRS promoted me and I bought a studio condo in the Outer Drive East (ODE) building, 1976 when I earned an MBA from Loyola and bought a one bedroom condo in the ODE building, 1978 when my wife and I got married and we bought a home in Wheaton and two new cars, 1979 when I passed the CPA examination on my first attempt, 1980 when I transferred from IRS to GAO and earned a master’s degree in accounting from DePaul, 1981 when I passed the Certified Internal Auditor examination on my first attempt and became a licensed CPA, 1984 when my wife and I had a home built in Wheaton, 1986 when GAO promoted me, 1990, 1994, 1996, and 1997 when I earned four more job-related professional certifications, and early 1997 when I earned a master’s degree in finance from IIT. What were your worst years? My worst years include 1969 when my Democrat Post Office superiors forced me to resign by falsely claiming that I was not available to work enough part-time hours and my father died suddenly, 1971 when Oldsmobile withdrew a job offer that I had accepted because it had just agreed to stop hiring Whites to settle an EEOC complaint and my Firestone Store boss fired me because I had accepted that offer, 1974 when my Democrat IRS superiors disallowed my travel vouchers, 1978 when my Democrat IRS superiors disallowed my education deductions, 1980 when I had to take a $23,699 (21%) pay cut in today’s dollars to transfer from IRS to GAO, 1989 when my Democrat GAO superiors threw me off audits of IRS, gave me a very job assignment, gave me very unfair performance expectations, gave me a very unfair performance appraisal, and began ranking me at the bottom of my coworkers for pay-for-performance, and 1997 when they forced me to retire.
https://townhall.com/columnists/kurtschlichter/2026/08/14/stop-dooming-were-on-the-cusp-of-the-golden-age-n2681207
— PETA Isn’t Going to Condemn Dog-Killer Democrat Michigan Senate candidate Abdul El-Sayed.
https://townhall.com/news/josephchalfant/2026/08/14/shocker-peta-isnt-going-to-condemn-dog-killer-abdul-el-sayed-n2681291

FROM NATIONAL CENTER-LEFT SOURCES

THE HILL
— For Democrats, it’s the best of times and the worst of times. DD: What were your best years? My best years include 1970 when I earned a bachelor’s degree from NIU, 1971 when IRS hired me and I bought a new 1972 Corvette, 1972 when IRS promoted me and I bought a new townhome in University Park, 1973 when IRS promoted me, 1974 when IRS promoted me and I bought a studio condo in the Outer Drive East (ODE) building, 1976 when I earned an MBA from Loyola and bought a one bedroom condo in the ODE building, 1978 when my wife and I got married and we bought a home in Wheaton and two new cars, 1979 when I passed the CPA examination on my first attempt, 1980 when I transferred from IRS to GAO and earned a master’s degree in accounting from DePaul, 1981 when I passed the Certified Internal Auditor examination on my first attempt and became a licensed CPA, 1984 when my wife and I had a home built in Wheaton, 1986 when GAO promoted me, 1990, 1994, 1996, and 1997 when I earned four more job-related professional certifications, and early 1997 when I earned a master’s degree in finance from IIT. What were your worst years? My worst years include 1969 when my Democrat Post Office superiors forced me to resign by falsely claiming that I was not available to work enough part-time hours and my father died suddenly, 1971 when Oldsmobile withdrew a job offer that I had accepted because it had just agreed to stop hiring Whites to settle an EEOC complaint and my Firestone Store boss fired me because I had accepted that offer, 1974 when my Democrat IRS superiors disallowed my travel vouchers, 1978 when my Democrat IRS superiors disallowed my education deductions, 1980 when I had to take a $23,699 (21%) pay cut in today’s dollars to transfer from IRS to GAO, 1989 when my Democrat GAO superiors threw me off audits of IRS, gave me a very job assignment, gave me very unfair performance expectations, gave me a very unfair performance appraisal, and began ranking me at the bottom of my coworkers for pay-for-performance, and 1997 when they forced me to retire.
https://thehill.com/opinion/campaign/5893340-democrats-poll-setbacks-congress/

AOL
— Why the American dream feels like a fantasy to many. DD: If Affirmative Action and DEI had been stronger when I was young, I might very well have not have able to achieve what I did. I earned a bachelor’s degree from NIU in 1970. IRS hired me and I bought a new 1972 Corvette in 1971. IRS promoted me and I bought a new townhome in University Park in 1972. IRS promoted me in 1973. IRS promoted me and I bought a studio condo in the Outer Drive East (ODE) building in 1974. I earned an MBA from Loyola and bought a one bedroom condo in the ODE building in 1976. My wife and I got married and we bought a home in Wheaton and two new cars in 1978. I passed the CPA examination on my first attempt in 1979. I transferred from IRS to GAO and earned a master’s degree in accounting from DePaul in 1980. I passed the Certified Internal Auditor examination on my first attempt and became a licensed CPA in 1981. My wife and I had a home built in Wheaton in 1984. GAO promoted me in 1986. I earned four more job-related professional certifications in 1990, 1994, 1996, and 1997. I earned a master’s degree in finance from IIT in early 1997.
https://www.aol.com/articles/why-american-dream-feels-fantasy-160806000.html

NEW YORK TIMES
— DD: Democrat leaders ever-increasingly a) glorify and praise their illegals and b) fight their deportation.
https://www.nytimes.com/2026/08/13/us/politics/trump-immigration-crackdown.html
— Conservatives Don’t Like Sociology. Some Sociologists Don’t Either. DD: I avoided Democrat indoctrination by majoring in business, accounting, and finance.
https://www.nytimes.com/2026/08/14/us/activist-sociology-independent.html
— Can an 80-Year-Old Senator Outrun the Age Issue? Ed Markey is hoping that his progressive politics will save him in Massachusetts. DD: I remember attending a meeting with Markey when I worked for GAO in the early 1980s.
https://www.nytimes.com/2026/08/14/us/politics/ed-markey-senator-age.html
— Hegseth Is Pressed to Clarify Lawyer’s Role in Promotion Decisions. DD: All my coworkers who my Democrat superiors promoted over me a) were Democrats who had less education than I had, had less work experience than I had, had no professional certification or fewer than I had, and/or had no professional license like the one I had and/or b) were minority, female, younger, veteran, non-Protestant, non-German American, and/or had ancestors who had not been in America for a long time. Consequently, because I was not a Democrat, minority, female, or veteran, my Democrat Post Office superiors refused to promote me beyond GS-4, my Democrat IRS superiors refused to promote me beyond GS-12, and my Democrat GAO superiors refused to promote me beyond GS-13.
https://www.nytimes.com/2026/08/13/us/hegseth-jason-crow-military-promotions.html

WILX
— 1 in 5 adults in Michigan choose not to have children. DD: My Democrat GAO superiors viciously used against me a) my wife and I giving up trying to have children without trying IVF, b) our not adopting, and c) our not becoming foster parents. They painted themselves as being grossly underpaid. They decried the time and money they spent raising their children. They decried the little or no income that their wives had. They willfully and falsely ignored/dismissed/belittled our both having major fertility problems. They ever-increasingly hinted/implied/argued/shouted that we lied about our wanting to have children. They ever-increasingly demonized, denigrated, and condemned my wife and I as being disgusting selfish rich DINKs. They would not have done that if I had been a Democrat, minority, female, or veteran. Should I write about my Democrat GAO superiors?
https://www.wilx.com/2026/08/14/1-5-adults-michigan-choose-not-have-children-according-new-research/

BULWARK
— ‘A Slaughter in Our Industry’: Home Builders Say ICE is Destroying Their Business.
https://www.thebulwark.com/p/a-slaughter-in-our-industry-home-builders-ice-destroying-business-construction-immigration-vance

WALL STREET JOURNAL
— How Colleges Produce Socialists. When your first brush with adulthood involves endless consumption and no cost, it gives you the wrong idea of how the world works. DD: I avoided Democrat indoctrination by majoring in business, accounting, and finance.
https://www.wsj.com/opinion/how-colleges-produce-socialists-41fe4257

BLOOMBERG
— First-Time Homebuyers Find American Dream in Midwest. DD: My critics/opponents have always been furious that I was able to buy a new townhome when I was 24 in 1972. They have always stressed that if I had not avoided the Vietnam War draft, I would not have been able to do that.
https://www.bloomberg.com/news/videos/2026-08-14/first-time-homebuyers-find-american-dream-in-midwest-video

JD SUPRA
— DD: Democrat and RINO employers use disparate impact a) to not hire Republicans and b) to get rid of their Republican employees.
https://www.jdsupra.com/legalnews/illinois-joins-other-states-in-4203071/

FROM FOREIGN SOURCES

TELEGRAPH
— Reform would end student loans for ‘Mickey Mouse’ degrees. DD: I avoided Democrat indoctrination by majoring in business, accounting, and finance.
https://www.telegraph.co.uk/politics/2026/08/02/reform-would-end-student-loans-for-mickey-mouse-degrees/

August 13, 2026

FROM ILLINOIS CENTER-LEFT SOURCES

NBC5
— DD: Democrat leaders ever-increasingly blame Trump for everything that is bad including bad weather.
https://www.nbcchicago.com/investigations/as-dc-aims-to-cut-weather-forecasting-illinois-takes-nations-tornado-warning-lead/3974563/

WGN9
— GOP candidate for Lt. Governor Aaron Del Mar defends abortion comments: ‘I was expressing my personal feelings’
https://wgntv.com/news/politics/wgn-the-point-politics-chicago-illinois/gop-candidate-for-lt-governor-defends-abortion-comments-i-was-expressing-my-personal-feelings/

CHICAGO TRIBUNE
— ‘Steel Across America’ tour brings 9/11 memorial to Chicago ahead of 25th anniversary. DD: I organized Wheaton’s 2003 and 2004 9/11 ceremonies.
https://www.chicagotribune.com/2026/08/12/september-11-memorial-chicago-steel-across-america/
— As police response times grow, people are taking defense into their own hands. DD: What is the police response time where you live?
https://www.chicagotribune.com/2024/06/03/opinion-chicago-911-response-time-firearms-concealed-carry/

DAILY HERALD
— College of DuPage to commemorate 25th anniversary of 9/11. DD: I organized Wheaton’s 2003 and 2004 9/11 ceremonies.
https://www.dailyherald.com/20260812/submitted-content/college-of-dupage-to-commemorate-25th-anniversary-of-9-11/

CRAIN’S CHICAGO BUSINESS
— Ford to shift Lincoln production from China, potentially boosting Chicago plant.
https://www.chicagobusiness.com/manufacturing-logistics/ccb-ford-china-lincoln-chicago-20260812/

WBEZ
— DD: Democrat leaders ever-increasingly a) glorify and praise their illegals and b) fight their deportation.
https://www.wbez.org/education/2026/08/12/colleges-scramble-after-court-strikes-down-in-state-tuition-for-illinois-undocumented-students

SPRINGFIELD STATE JOURNAL REGISTER
— Springfield food pantries struggle as SNAP cuts hit. DD: Democrat leaders want as many people as possible on SNAP because people on SNAP vote for Democrats.
https://www.sj-r.com/story/news/local/2026/08/13/snap-cuts-strain-springfield-food-pantries/91235814007/

FOX ILLINOIS
— David Crowley’s razor-thin Wisconsin primary win sets up match against Trump pick.
https://www.foxillinois.com/news/nation-world/david-crowleys-razor-thin-wisconsin-primary-win-sets-up-match-against-trump-pick/article_63a00f27-53cd-5816-8c09-23a5d94f37be.html
— Republicans see Minnesota fraud scandal as a chance to go on offense in a blue state.
https://www.foxillinois.com/news/nation-world/republicans-see-minnesota-fraud-scandal-as-a-chance-to-go-on-offense-in-a-blue/article_1900df0e-d605-5312-a4fe-de1b007a9afd.html

GLEN ELLYN PATCH
— College of DuPage to Commemorate 25th Anniversary of 9/11. The ceremony will commemorate the 25th anniversary of the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks in New York. DD: I organized Wheaton’s 2003 and 2004 9/11 ceremonies.
https://patch.com/illinois/glenellyn/amp/34631685/college-of-dupage-to-commemorate-25th-anniversary-of-9-11

POLITICO ILLINOIS
https://www.politico.com/newsletters/illinois-playbook/2026/08/13/bustos-puts-her-network-to-work-01035668

CAPITOL FAX
— Morning briefing
https://capitolfax.com/
— Afternoon roundup
https://capitolfax.com/2026/08/12/isabel%e2%80%99s-afternoon-roundup-577/

FROM ILLINOIS CENTER-RIGHT SOURCES

JOHN KASS
— Vallas: CHICAGO TEACHERS UNION’S SUSTAINABLE COMMUNITY SCHOOLS IS A SCAM
https://johnkassnews.com/chicago-teachers-unions-sustainable-community-schools-is-a-scam/

FROM NATIONAL CENTER-RIGHT SOURCES

WASHINGTON TIMES
— Democrats cannot escape their overeducated socialist wing. Voters remain wary of a party increasingly shaped by entitled collectivists. DD: I avoided Democrat indoctrination by majoring in business, accounting, and finance.
https://www.washingtontimes.com/news/2026/aug/12/democrats-cannot-escape-overeducated-socialist-wing/
— Far-left momentum meets resistance as energized Democrats search for winning formula.
https://www.washingtontimes.com/news/2026/aug/12/far-left-momentum-meets-resistance-energized-democrats-search-winning/
— Lindell refuses to concede in Minnesota’s GOP gubernatorial primary.
https://www.washingtontimes.com/news/2026/aug/12/mypillow-founder-mike-lindell-refuses-concede-minnesotas-gop/
— H-2A visa program should not become an amnesty, a permanent foreign-labor pipeline. DD: All my employers would have hired noncitizens instead of me if they could have. My critics/opponents cannot say that because they had wealthy parents. Noncitizens work for less money and they are easier to exploit. I did yard work 1962-1964. I delivered newspapers 1962-1966. I washed dishes 1964-1966. I cleaned golf shoes, chipped slag, and pumped gasoline in 1966. I delivering mail 1966-1969. I worked on an automotive assembly line in 1970. I sold tires, automotive services, and major appliances 1970-1971. I pumped more gasoline 1971-1972. I collected delinquent taxes 1971-1980. I audited federal agencies 1980-1997. Many, if not most, if not virtually all of my peers would not have stooped to take the aforesaid bad jobs that I took.
https://www.washingtontimes.com/news/2026/aug/12/h-2a-visa-program-not-become-amnesty-permanent-foreign-labor-pipeline/
(FROM THE ARTICLE: Despite President Trump’s strong focus on immigration enforcement and protecting American workers, a bill to provide amnesty for illegal aliens and to broaden the use of work visas was recently introduced by the House Agriculture Committee chairman. The Securing Agriculture’s Workforce Act of 2026 (H.R. 9535), which has more than 50 co-sponsors including 47 Republicans, dramatically expands the scope of the H-2A program. This would allow employers to more easily replace Americans with foreign workers and would suppress wage growth while reducing incentives to recruit domestic labor, improve working conditions, or invest in productivity-enhancing technology. Supporters portray the bill as a response to labor shortages. But when workers are scarce, wages rise. Employers improve conditions. Businesses innovate and automate. The purpose of a market economy though is not to guarantee employers access to labor at a price they prefer; it is to allow supply and demand to determine wages and encourage productivity growth. H.R. 9535 violates this healthy market dynamic. The bill broadens eligible work to include not only traditional agricultural jobs, but also packing, processing, transportation, aquaculture, logging, equine-related activities, and even portions of meat and poultry processing. It also redefines “temporary” work to include contracts lasting up to 349 days, regardless of the employer’s underlying need.)

WASHINGTON EXAMINER
— How ‘pro-union conservatism’ is a win for the radical Left. DD: I was a union member for almost 12 years.
https://www.washingtonexaminer.com/restoring-america/faith-freedom-self-reliance/4681478/pro-union-conservatism-win-for-radical-left-josh-hawley-labor-terms-mobilization/
— Mike Lindell lost because of immigration amnesty proposal despite Trump backing.
https://www.washingtonexaminer.com/news/campaigns/state/4685105/mike-lindell-loss-immigration-amnesty-steve-bannon/

WASHINGTON FREE BEACON
— DEI Fellowship Pledging To Recruit ‘Underserved’ Legal Talent Accepted Most Privileged Students in US.
https://freebeacon.substack.com/p/dei-fellowship-pledging-to-recruit

NEW YORK POST
— How Democrats’ DEI kept homebuyers in the dark about crime and schools. DD: When Democrats move in, poverty and crime increase.
https://nypost.com/2026/08/12/opinion/how-democrats-dei-kept-homebuyers-in-the-dark-about-crime-schools/
— Vanity Fair profile on Usha Vance claims she ‘built JD’ Vance. DD: My outstanding wife helped me a) pass the CPA examination on my first attempt when I was 30, b) afford to take a $23,699 (21%) pay cut in today’s dollars to transfer from IRS to GAO when I was 31, c) earn a master’s degree in accounting when I was 31, d) pass the Certified Internal Auditor examination on my first attempt when I was 32, e) become a licensed CPA when I was 32, f) earn four more professional certifications when I was 41, 45, 47, and 48, g) get promoted when I was 38, h) earn a master’s degree in finance when I was 48, and i) afford to take a $86,042/year (56%) loss in income in today’s dollars to retire in 1997. But before we got married, I had a) gotten promoted when I was 23, 24, and 25, b) earned an MBA when I was 27, c) earned $100,066/year in today’s dollars, and d) almost completed the requirements for a master’s degree in accounting.
https://nypost.com/2026/08/12/us-news/vanity-fair-profile-on-usha-vance-claims-she-built-jd-vance/

AMAC
— Air Traffic Control Hiring Surges Under Trump. A campaign targeting video gamers hired over 2,000 controllers and hit 94% of its goal, offering pay above $155,000 after three years of training. DD: 3 years after I started working for IRS in 1971, I was earning $100,000/year in today’s dollars.  According to my critics/opponents, I was grossly overpaid. I did not earn $155,000/year in today’s dollars until after I had a) worked for GAO for almost 18 years, b) worked for IRS for almost 9 years, c) earned three job-related master’s degrees (business, accounting, and finance), d) I earned six job-related professional certifications (accounting, internal auditing, fraud examination, government financial management, financial services auditing, and forensic accounting), and e) I earned a job-related professional license (CPA).
https://amac.us/newsline/air-traffic-control-hiring-surges-under-trump

BLAZE
— Here’s the unfiltered truth about the ‘moderate’ who beat the America-hating socialist in Wisconsin.
https://www.theblaze.com/news/heres-the-unfiltered-truth-about-the-moderate-who-beat-the-america-hating-socialist-in-wisconsin

BREITBART
— Pro-migration activists have funded some 20,000 lawsuits to release roughly 17,300 illegal migrants — including many criminals — mostly with the aid of judges nominated by President Joe Biden.
https://www.breitbart.com/immigration/2026/08/12/pro-amnesty-groups-fund-wall-of-20000-lawsuits-to-block-migrant-deportations/
— Lindell Loses Minnesota Primary After Embracing Amnesty.
https://www.breitbart.com/immigration/2026/08/12/mike-lindell-loses-minnesota-primary-after-embracing-amnesty/
— The Radical Left Has Control of the Democratic Party.
https://www.breitbart.com/politics/2026/08/12/exclusive-rep-jim-jordan-the-radical-left-has-control-of-the-democrat-party/

DAILY WIRE
— Why Socialism Is Winning With America’s Youth. DD: Socialists hint/imply/argue/shout at youth and at everyone else that all you need to do to advance under socialism is to be a socialist. Democrats hint/imply/argue/shout at youth and at everyone else that all you need to do to advance under Democrats is to be a Democrat. I worked for the Democrats who ran the Post Office, IRS, and GAO for almost 30 years. None of my Democrat coworkers came close to doing what I did to advance. I earned a job-related bachelor’s degree (management). I earned three job-related master’s degrees (business, accounting, and finance). I earned six job-related professional certifications (accounting, internal auditing, fraud examination, government financial management, financial services auditing, and forensic accounting). I earned a job-related professional license (CPA). But because my coworkers were Democrats, they were promoted them over me. They all a) had less education than I had, b) had less work experience than I had, c) had no professional certification or fewer than I had, and/or d) had no professional license like the one I had.
https://www.dailywire.com/news/why-socialism-is-winning-with-americas-youth
— Democrats’ ‘Moderate’ Wisconsin Nominee Has His Own Woke Skeletons In The Closet. DD: All my critics/opponents are woke to some degree, that is, they all reject some, many, most, virtually all, if not all conservative principles and planks in the Republican Party platform..
https://www.dailywire.com/news/democrats-moderate-wisconsin-nominee-has-his-own-woke-skeletons-in-the-closet

FOX BUSINESS
— Jonathan Turley warns of ‘DRESS UP’ socialism schtick.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Jrqx_4QGXoo

FOX NEWS
— Biden-era directive for diplomats to peddle DEI on foreign governments scrapped by State Department. Trump administration says diplomats should advocate national interests, not ‘woke political dogmas,’ on the world stage.
https://www.foxnews.com/politics/biden-era-directive-diplomats-peddle-dei-foreign-governments-scrapped-state-department?lid=1ejfrqce3s10
— Hong’s defeat doesn’t mean we’re ‘out of the woods’ from the socialist threat.
https://www.foxnews.com/video/6403305979112
— Internal fight exists between ‘regular’ Democrats and ‘crazy’ socialists.
https://www.foxnews.com/video/6403291974112
— This is not the end of the socialist surge.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jnW24OghUSQ

NRCC
— Socialists Hijack the Democrat Party, America Is Next.
https://www.nrcc.org/2026/08/12/socialists-hijack-the-democrat-party-america-is-next/

NEWSMAX
— Why Socialist Hong Lost in Wisconsin.
https://www.newsmax.com/john-gizzi/david-crowley-francesca-hong-wisconsin/2026/08/12/id/1265932/

TOWNHALL
— Democrats Blame Capitalism for America’s Problems. But America Isn’t As Capitalist As You Think. DD: Democrat and RINO employers put hiring, retaining, and promoting Democrats and RINOs ahead of making profits.
https://townhall.com/news/dmitri-bolt/2026/08/12/is-it-socialism-or-capitalism-that-has-failed-the-united-states-n2681127

FROM NATIONAL CENTER-LEFT SOURCES

NBC NEWS
— One year in, the National Guard continues to patrol Washington, D.C.  Taxpayers have spent at least $600 million on the federal deployment in the nation’s capital. President Donald Trump has declared victory, while residents call it an unnecessary “occupation.” DD: The Democrat Party platform promotes poverty and crime.
https://www.nbcnews.com/politics/trump-administration/one-year-national-guard-continues-patrol-washington-dc-rcna591956

NEW YORK TIMES
— FRONT PAGE TOP OF FOLD: Homeland Security Intensifies Pursuit of Noncitizens on Voter Rolls. Immigrants who said they inadvertently registered to vote while obtaining or renewing driver’s licenses are increasingly facing deportation under the Trump administration.
https://www.nytimes.com/2026/08/10/us/politics/noncitizens-vote-crackdown.html
— DD: Democrat leaders ever-increasingly promote Islam.
https://www.nytimes.com/2026/08/11/us/politics/muslim-voters-candidates.html

USA TODAY
— America’s 10 best colleges. DD: According to my critics/opponents, degrees from non-Ivy League colleges are worthless, that is, my 1970 degree from NIU, 1976 degree from Loyola, my 1980 degree from DePaul, and my 1997 degree from IIT are worthless.
https://www.usatoday.com/story/money/2026/08/09/best-colleges-ranking-linkedin/91215754007/
— A pay cut for a steady job? Economic anxiety fuels forever jobs. DD: Who do you know who voluntarily took a pay cut to get promoted? I voluntarily took a $23,699/year (21%) pay cut in today’s dollars to transfer from IRS to GAO when I was 31 in 1980. I did that to get promoted to GS-13. My Democrat IRS superiors had made it very clear that they would never promote me to GS-13 because I refused to become a Democrat. They had gotten rid of the IRS manager who had promoted me when I was 23, 24, and 25. They had disallowed my travel vouchers when I was 25. They had disallowed my education deductions when I was 29. GAO ultimately did promote me to GS-13, but not until I was 38. By then, I had become a licensed CPA when I was 32, passed the Certified Internal Auditor examination on my first attempt when I was 32, earned a master’s degree in accounting when I was 31, passed the CPA examination on my first attempt when I was 30, and earned an MBA when I was 27. The Democrats who ran GAO would never have promoted me to GS-13 if the GAO manager who had arranged my transfer had not gotten back into power. They forced him to retire when I was 38.
https://www.usatoday.com/story/money/personal-finance/2026/08/11/steady-job-pay-cut/91247904007/

WALL STREET JOURNAL
— Rove: Seven Steps to Defeat Dems and the DSA. Far-left candidates give an opening to the GOP in the midterms. Can they use it wisely?
https://www.wsj.com/opinion/seven-steps-to-defeat-dems-and-the-dsa-d113b12b
— The Badger State Says No to Socialism.
https://www.wsj.com/video/series/potomac-watch-strassel/wsj-opinion-the-badger-state-says-no-to-socialism/7A61C74D-F7F4-43B0-B5D7-B588C82EBEFB
— Welfare Benefits and the ‘Disincentive Desert.’ How Americans become ensnared in the system. DD: Democrat leaders want as many people on welfare as possible because people on welfare vote for Democrats.
https://www.wsj.com/opinion/poverty-welfare-benefits-work-incentives-22850530

FORBES
— Our First Socialist President.
https://www.forbes.com/sites/jameskglassman/2026/08/12/our-first-socialist-president/

WASHINTON REPORTER
— Catalina Lauf ahead in final days of Florida House primary.
https://washingtonreporter.news/exclusive-catalina-lauf-ahead-in-final-days-of-house-primary-poll-shows/

LOS ANGELES SENTINEL
— DD: To get more votes from Blacks, Democrat leaders ever-increasingly shout at them that Republicans cause all their problems.
https://lasentinel.net/the-american-dream-is-being-repossessed.html

HIGHER EDUCATION
— College costs for families up 10% from last year. DD: My critics/opponents ignore/dismiss/belittle my working my way through college because college costs were less back then.
https://www.highereddive.com/news/college-costs-for-families-up-10-from-last-year-poll-finds/827623/

CORNELL UNIVERSITY
— The Privilege Spectrum. DD: According to my critics/opponents, a) those who are White, male, older, Protestant, German American, and/or have ancestors who have been in America for a long time are advantaged and b) those who are minority, female, younger, non-Protestant, non-German American, and/or have ancestors who have not been in America for a long time are disadvantaged. But not only that, that a) those who are advantaged cause all the problems that those who are disadvantaged have.
https://www.ilr.cornell.edu/high-road/buffalo/privilege-spectrum

FEDWEEK
— Shared Hiring Certificates DD: I never applied to work for IRS. IRS offered me a job when I was 22 in 1971 because I had taken and passed the Federal Service Entrance Examination in 1970.
https://www.fedweek.com/careers/shared-hiring-certificates-what-you-need-to-know/
(FROM THE ARTICLE: A “shared certificate” is a list of job candidates who have already applied to a federal job announcement, been assessed against the job’s qualifications, and been found eligible for hire but who were not selected by the original hiring agency. Agencies that ran the original hiring action can share that certificate of eligible candidates (known as a “cert”) with other federal agencies looking to fill a similar position without those agencies having to post their own announcement.)
— Within Grade Increases and Who Gets Them. DD: My critics/opponents have always been furious that I got within grade increases while I worked for the Post Office, IRS, and GAO. In today’s dollars, my Post Office salary increased from $19.57/hour to $20.87/hour 1966-1969. My IRS salary increased from $100,059/year to $113,402/year 1974-1980. My GAO salary increased from $118,984/year to $154,682/year 1986-1997.
https://www.fedweek.com/ask/federal-pay/within-grade-increases/

MY FEDERAL RETIREMET
— 2027 CSRS / Social Security COLA Estimate DD: My critics/opponents were furious that I got COLAs while I worked for the federal government 1966-1969 and 1971-1997 and that I have continued to get COLAs as a federal retiree since 1997.
https://www.myfederalretirement.com/cola-estimate/
https://www.myfederalretirement.com/fers-csrs-cola-watch/

PEW RESEARCH CENTER
— What the data says about food stamps in the U.S.
https://www.pewresearch.org/short-reads/2025/11/14/what-the-data-says-about-food-stamps-in-the-us/

August 9, 2026

FROM ILLINOIS CENTER-LEFT SOURCES

CHICAGO TRIBUNE
— Brandon Johnson’s City Hall can’t find anyone willing to collect debt on the city’s behalf. Shocking, but hardly surprising. DD: Just kidding, but should form a company to collect those debts? I worked for IRS’s Collection Division for almost 9 years, the last 5 1/2 years of which at the GS-12 Step 1-5 Levels, currently $100,059-$113,402/year.
https://www.chicagotribune.com/2026/08/09/editorial-brandon-johnson-debt-collection-budget-banks-aldermen/
(FROM THE EDITORIAL: Mayor Brandon Johnson’s administration has informed aldermen that a proposed sale of outstanding debts owed to the city of Chicago, which was supposed to net $90 million in this year’s budget, is garnering no interest from banks or other financial services firms. The apparent failure of the debt sale looks like it will blow a hole in the current year’s budget that will need to be addressed, although the size of that shortfall is yet to be determined. We certainly agree with members of the council majority who included the debt sale among other revenue-raising measures that the mayor and his administration gave their idea no real chance of succeeding. From the start, Johnson castigated the plan to sell some of the $8 billion owed to the city in unpaid ambulance charges, water bills, red-light and speeding camera tickets and other obligations as “immoral” and “morally bankrupt.” This page rejected his argument, saying among other things that it’s unfair to the people who pay their debts to give a tacit pass to those who just don’t. Johnson allowed the budget containing the proposed debt law to become law without his signature.)

HERALD WHIG
— Bailey pledges to lead Illinois with integrity.
https://whig.com/2026/08/08/bailey-pledges-to-lead-illinois-with-integrity/

BLOOMINGTON PANTAGRAPH
— DD: Democrat leaders ever-increasingly a) glorify and praise their illegals and b) fight their deportation.
https://pantagraph.com/news/local/education/article_fbe4e232-596c-4374-8400-f8538c003d9e.html

ABC7
— DD: My “Republican” critics/opponents are really Democrat Lite, if not anti-conservative, if not Democrat plants. Political parties exist to help elect candidates who can and will defend and advance their platform. The Republican Party platform is conservative.
https://abc7chicago.com/post/jim-durkin-illinois-house-republican-resigning/12678017/

VILLA PARK PATCH
— League of Women Voters “Unite & Rise” for Voting Rights!
https://patch.com/illinois/villa-park-il/calendar/event/20260808/2f82b133-686c-4891-a6ff-41630e21389c/league-of-women-voters-unite-rise-for-voting-rights

JUSTICE FOR ALL
— Justice For All is an American Human Rights organization, specifically advocating for the rights of Muslim minorities. Its main office is located in Chicago, with additional teams in Washington DC, Boston, New York, Toronto, and Ottawa.
https://www.justiceforall.org/

FROM ILLINOIS CENTER-RIGHT SOURCES

JOHN KASS
— The Democratic Socialists Are Coming!
https://johnkassnews.com/the-democratic-socialists-are-coming/

MCHENRY COUNTY BLOG
— GOP State Senate Calls Out Democrats on Ethics
https://www.mchenrycountyblog.com/2026/08/03/gop-state-senate-calls-out-democrats-on-ethics/
— 80 Years for Gun Toting Marengo Circle K Robber
https://www.mchenrycountyblog.com/2026/08/03/80-years-for-marengo-circle-k-robber/
— DeWitte Criticizes Chicago School District’s Lust for Money from the Rest of Illinois
https://www.mchenrycountyblog.com/2026/08/04/dewitte-criticizes-chicago-school-districts-lust-for-money-from-the-rest-of-illinois/
— Where School Spending Goes
https://www.mchenrycountyblog.com/2026/08/04/where-school-spending-goes/
— State Senator Darby Hills Explains New E-Bike Law and Channel 7
https://www.mchenrycountyblog.com/2026/08/04/darby-hills-explains-new-e-bike-law-and-channel-7/

FROM NATIONAL CENTER-RIGHT SOURCES

WASHINGTON EXAMINER
— The media act like cheerleaders with press credentials — they’re supposed to be instant replay. DD: The mainstream news media exists a) to elect and to reelect Democrats and b) to defeat Republicans.
https://www.washingtonexaminer.com/op-eds/4674625/media-bias-objective-journalism-press-referees/

AMERICAN THINKER
— Wealth Taxes Don’t Work. Envy is the second of the seven deadly sins, and Zohran Mamdani seems to want a more envious New York (and America). Instead of worrying about how much money Ken Griffin has (reportedly some $50 billion), why not begin by starting wherever you are qualified and working your way up?
https://www.americanthinker.com/articles/2026/08/wealth-taxes-don-t-work/
(FROM THE ARTICLE: Inciting envy is the modus operandi of all socialists. It is their means of fomenting division and attracting voters, but it is a particularly ugly way of doing so because it demeans the very people they would lead and creates the potential for violence.  One reason envy is so destructive is that it saps the initiative of those who might otherwise be striving to improve their own situation.  Instead of worrying about how much money Ken Griffin has (reportedly some $50 billion), why not begin by starting wherever you are qualified and working your way up?  This has always been the American way, but socialists undermine this healthy instinct and replace it with the promise of equality of outcomes, which is their means of gaining power.  Anyone who has studied the history of socialism knows that it does not produce equality.
Zohran Mamdani and others like to pretend wealth taxes can produce enough revenue to pay for their promises of free transportation, free daycare, subsidized groceries, and even Medicare for all.)
— How Little has Changed Between ‘Political Correctness’ and ‘Woke.’
https://www.americanthinker.com/articles/2026/08/how-little-has-changed-between-political-correctness-and-woke/
— The Democrat embrace of Islamo-socialism is party suicide.
https://www.americanthinker.com/blog/2026/08/the-democrat-embrace-of-islamo-socialism-is-party-suicide-comments/
— The Mohammunist Manifesto—Public Or Private, Nothing Is Beyond Our Control. Whether the government is Islamic or communist, the leaders can reach into every sphere of life and can truly make the rules up as they go along.
https://www.americanthinker.com/articles/2026/08/the-mohammunist-manifesto-public-or-private-nothing-is-beyond-our-control/

BREITBART
— Reject Cheap Foreign Labor. DD: All my employers would have hired noncitizens instead of me if they could have. My critics/opponents cannot say that because they had wealthy parents. Noncitizens work for less money and they are easier to exploit.
https://www.breitbart.com/immigration/2026/08/08/reject-cheap-foreign-labor-former-utah-rep-jason-chaffetz-condemns-sen-john-curtiss-amnesty-plan/
— Democrats Are Running to Destroy the Country, They Want to Blow Up the Constitution.
https://www.breitbart.com/clips/2026/08/08/blackburn-democrats-running-to-destroy-the-country-they-want-to-blow-up-the-constitution/amp/

COLLEGE FIX
— Illegal alien students demand U. California system comply with court ruling, hire them for campus jobs.
https://www.thecollegefix.com/illegal-alien-students-demand-u-california-system-comply-with-court-ruling-hire-them-for-campus-jobs/
— The Education Department is being praised by some for recently ending its disparate impact race-quota regulations, with an editorial in The Washington Post arguing civil rights laws “exists to protect individuals from discrimination, not to guarantee equal statistical outcomes.” The department in late July removed disparate impact from Title VI regulations, meaning it will no longer treat neutral school policies or practices that produce unequal outcomes by race as violations of federal law. DD: To curry favor with minorities and with females, my critics/opponents want equal outcome. Only about 20% of those who take the CPA and Certified Internal Auditor examinations pass the examinations on their first attempt like I did. Virtually all of those who passed the examinations on their first attempt with me were White males.
https://www.thecollegefix.com/bulletin-board/in-washington-post-education-department-praised-for-ending-outcome-based-discrimination-rules/

FEDERALIST
— RINOs Are Tanking The Entire Republican Party, Not Just Trump. DD: RINOs fail/refuse to defend and advance the Republican Party platform.
https://thefederalist.com/2026/08/07/rinos-are-tanking-the-entire-republican-party-not-just-trump/
— The Average Man Rejected Socialism. White Affluent Liberals Chose It For Him. DD: To vote for Democrats is to vote for socialism.
https://thefederalist.com/2026/08/05/the-average-man-rejected-socialism-white-affluent-liberals-chose-it-for-him/

FOX BUSINESS
— America is the envy of the world.
https://www.foxbusiness.com/video/6403015347112

FOX NEWS
— Socialism appeals to young voters because the ideology allows them to blame external systems rather than taking personal responsibility. DD: According to my critics/opponents, if I had worked in the private sector instead of the public sector, I would not have gotten the promotions that I got. According to my Democrat GAO superiors, supervisors, coworkers, and subordinates, if I had worked for GAO instead of IRS, I would not have gotten promoted to GS-9 (currently $68,999/year) when I was 23 in 1972, to GS-11 (currently $83,482/year) when I was 24 in 1973, and to GS-12 (currently $100,059/year) when I was 25 in 1974. They stress that I did not earn an MBA until I was 27 in 1976 and that I did not pass the CPA examination on my first attempt until I was 30 in 1979. They used that to force me to take a $23,699/year (21%) pay cut in today’s dollars, a downgrade from GS-12 Step 5 (currently $113,403/year) to GS-9 Step 10 (currently $89,703/year).
https://www.yahoo.com/news/videos/truth-socialisms-appeal-young-voters-115047273.html
— Gen Z spending faces scrutiny amid affordability concerns. DD: While I worked for IRS’s Collection Division for almost 9 years, I took and analyzed financial statements from many taxpayers who wanted payment agreements.
https://www.foxnews.com/video/6403080483112
— Vance slams blue states for failing to verify welfare eligibility.
https://www.foxnews.com/video/6403054464112

NATIONAL REVIEW
— Socialists Want the DNC to Sign Its Own Death Warrant.
https://www.nationalreview.com/2026/08/the-socialists-want-the-dnc-to-sign-its-own-death-warrant/
— A Foreseeable and Dire Munitions Crisis. DD: I worked for GAO on an audit of the Department of Defense FY 1990 ammunition budget request. SEE: https://www.gao.gov/assets/nsiad-90-23.pdf
https://www.nationalreview.com/2026/08/a-foreseeable-and-dire-munitions-crisis/

FROM NATIONAL CENTER-LEFT SOURCES

CNN
— DD: Democrat leaders ever-increasingly promote socialism.
https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/other/ar-AA28yb43
https://www.cnn.com/2026/08/08/politics/video/smerconish-will-the-democratic-party-become-the-party-of-democratic-socialism

AOL
— DD: I avoided Democrat indoctrination by majoring in business, accounting, and finance.
https://www.aol.com/articles/why-sending-kids-college-become-100232000.html

U.S. NEWS & WORLD REPORT
— Republicans Must Stop Being Democrat-Lite. DD: My “Republican” critics/opponents are really Democrat Lite, if not anti-conservative, if not Democrat plants. Political parties exist to help elect candidates who can and will defend and advance their platform. The Republican Party platform is conservative.
https://www.usnews.com/debate-club/is-the-gops-problem-in-its-strategies-or-its-policies/republicans-must-stop-being-democrat-lite
— Affordable New Cars With Lots of Horsepower in 2026. DD: Because I wanted to buy a new car before I graduated from Crete-Monee High School in 1966, In May of 1966, I bought a new Pontiac Tempest Sprint  ( https://over-drive-magazine.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/02/1965-12-CD-1966-Pontiac-Tempest-Sprint-Test-1-4.pdf ), a poor man’s GTO, instead of a GTO. But then my Park Forest Post Office salary enabled me to buy a new 1968 Oldsmobile 442 in 1967 and then a new 1969 Dodge Charger SE in 1968.
https://cars.usnews.com/cars-trucks/advice/cheap-cars-with-a-lot-of-horsepower
(FROM THE ARTICLE: Our Top Picks  Overall: 2026 Ford Mustang — The Ford Mustang rolls into 2026 with a few styling tweaks and no other changes, which means this sports car is still a fantastic driving machine.)

NEW YORK TIMES
— Trump Gains a Loyal Enabler at the Justice Dept. DD: My critics/opponents was loyal enablers. They destroy those like me a) who they cannot manipulate or dominate, b) who refuse to glorify or praise them, c) who refuse to pander to them, d) who refuse to serve as one of their operatives or dupes, e) who refuse to cover up their wrong doing, and/or f) who refuse to give them money. I should write about my critics/opponents. I would focus on those who have lots of government, political, financial, and/or religious clout in Wheaton, Milton Township, DuPage County, and Illinois. I would focus on those who have had their operatives and their dupes take the most/biggest adverse actions against me lately.
https://www.nytimes.com/2026/08/08/us/politics/blanche-attorney-general-doj-trump-power.html
— DD: Democrat leaders ever-increasingly promote socialism.
https://www.nytimes.com/2026/08/09/us/politics/gustavo-gordillo-democratic-socialists.html
— DD: Socialists win because they falsely hint/imply/argue/shout that if you do not get promotions, it is because of capitalism. Democrats win because they falsely hint/imply/argue/shout that if you do not get promotions, it is because of Republicans. All my coworkers who my Democrat Post Office, IRS, and GAO superiors promoted over me did little or nothing to get promoted. They got promoted because they were Democrats, minorities, females, and/or veterans. To get promoted, I earned a job-related bachelor’s degree (management), three job-related master’s degrees (business, accounting, and finance), six job-related professional certifications (accounting, internal auditing, fraud examination, government financial management, financial services auditing, and forensic accounting), and a job-related professional license (CPA). All my coworkers who my Democrat superiors promoted over me were Democrats who a) had less education than I had, b) had less work experience than I had, c) had no professional certification or fewer than I had, and/or d) had no professional license like the one I had. Consequently, because I was not a Democrat, minority, female, or veteran, my Democrat Post Office superiors refused to promote me beyond GS-4, my Democrat IRS superiors beyond GS-12, and my Democrat GAO superiors beyond GS-13.
https://www.nytimes.com/2026/08/08/opinion/socialist-wave-democratic-party.html
— The Bagpiper’s Endless Quest for a Place to Practice. DD: Between 2005 and 2019, I raised $2,500 a year from Republican candidates, elected officials, and party leaders for “DuPage Republicans” to be the lead sponsor for Wheaton Independence Day parades and fireworks. My critics/opponents ended that by stopping sponsorships. $1,000 each year of the money I raised was for bagpipers to walk in the parades. My critics/opponents do not like, if not despise, if not hate bagpipers. For them, they walked too slow.
https://www.nytimes.com/2026/08/01/nyregion/bagpipes-new-york.html
— FRONT PAGE TOP OF FOLD WITH BIG GRAPHIC: How a Nation of Immigrants Traces Its Roots. Melting pot, tapestry, mosaic, kaleidoscope, salad bowl. Every cliché is true. DD: My critics/opponents have always used against me the fact that all my ancestors immigrated from what is now Germany during the 1840s and 1850s when slavery was legal. In their defense, I have always stressed that they always lived in northeast Illinois.
https://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2026/07/01/us/america-identity-ancestry-census.html
(FROM THE ARTICLE: After 1840, immigration from Western Europe began to rise quickly as political instability in Germany and the famine in Ireland drove people to leave. Asian immigrants, drawn by the discovery of gold in California in 1848, were recruited to work on farms and railroads. Later in the 19th century, pogroms across Eastern Europe and the aftermath of Italian reunification drove a surge of migration to the United States. From 1880 to 1920, 24 million immigrants arrived. They went almost everywhere except the South, where the land-owning elite already had cheap labor from the formerly enslaved and poor tenant farmers. Cities swelled. In 1910, according to the Ellis Island National Museum of Immigration, three-quarters of the residents of Boston, Chicago, Cleveland, Detroit and New York City were immigrants or children of immigrants.)
— FRONT PAGE: For More College Graduates, Moving Home Is a No-Brainer. DD: I lived with and helped support my mother and brother in Crete for 25 months after I graduated from college. My father died suddenly when he was 47 and I was 21 in October of 1969. He was earning $50,000/year in today’s dollars. My mother had never attended high school, she had never worked outside the home, and my brother was having problems. I graduated from NIU in August of 1970 and I got a job working for the Firestone Store in Chicago Heights that month. I applied for and I got a financial hardship draft deferment. I lived with them in Crete and helped support them until September of 1972 when I bought a new townhome in University Park.
https://www.nytimes.com/2026/08/02/business/college-graduates-living-at-home.html
(FROM THE ARTICLE: Moving Back Home After College? All Your Friends Are Doing It. More young adults are living with their parents. The development suggests that they face a weak job market, but also that fewer face stigma in returning to the roost.)

UNION LEADER
— Socialism is a sin and a death sentence for America.
https://www.unionleader.com/opinion/op-eds/mary-jane-beauregard-socialism-is-a-sin-and-a-death-sentence-for-america/article_5dd566ea-6124-47bb-82b0-66b1a4e219d9.html

DALLAS EXPRESS
— Why Young Americans Are Turning To Socialism — And What JD Vance Says Must Change.
https://dallasexpress.com/national/why-young-americans-are-turning-to-socialism-and-what-jd-vance-says-must-change/
(FROM THE ARTICLE: Vance stated that “A lot of Americans look at this rising tide of socialism and say, ‘How did we get here?’ We got here by 40 years of bipartisan leaders selling our industrial base to foreign countries, allowing low-wage immigrants to come in and compete with Americans for jobs, by destroying the foundation of the middle class. That’s how you got socialism.” He continued: “How you fix that problem is by doubling down on Donald Trump’s economic nationalism, not going back to the way we’ve done things for the past 40 years. It’s failed everywhere it’s tried, and it always leads to socialism. It always leads exactly where we are. The only way to get out of it is to double down on the economics of the past 18 months.” Vance also described Democratic candidates he called “limousine socialists” as offering redistribution rather than industry or good jobs, saying manufacturing remains the foundation of middle-class prosperity.)

WALL STREET JOURNAL
— ICE Is Weaponizing Social Media Against Its Critics. Agency says its surveillance program searches for threats to agents, but critics see free-speech infringements.
https://www.wsj.com/politics/policy/ice-surveillance-internet-critics-e3b22f49

24/7 WALL STREET
— Only 30% of Americans Ever Receive an Inheritance. Those Who Do Get It at 58, Not 30. DD: My wife and I never anticipated receiving inheritances. Therefore, we lived our lives like that. We saved as much as we could for our retirement.
https://247wallst.com/personal-finance/2026/06/24/only-30-of-americans-ever-receive-an-inheritance-those-who-do-get-it-at-58-not-30/

MONEY LION
— These 16 US Colleges Now Cost More Than $100K a Year. DD: University of Chicago is $103,821/year. Back in the good old days, in 1970, I was able to graduate debt-free with a bachelor’s degree in management from NIU and owning a 1969 Dodge Charger SE a) by working part-time for the Park Forest Post Office while classes were in session and full-time during the summers 1966-1969 and b) by living with my parents in Crete while I took classes at UIC 1966-1968, weekends during my first semester at NIU in 1969, and the summer of 1969. In today’s dollars, my postal salary increased from $19.57/hour to $20.87/hour.
https://www.aol.com/articles/16-us-colleges-now-cost-153011000.html

COMPLETE COLORADO
— Democratic socialism is just an opening act for communism. Socialism is a devil’s brew of delusional utopianism, economic malpractice, hatred of capitalism, and unlimited government control of every aspect of our lives. It’s a philosophy based on envy and resentment dressed up as “social justice.”
https://completecolorado.com/2026/08/03/democratic-socialism-opening-act-communism/

COLORADO POLS
— Pence Slams Trump at Revamped Western Conservative Summit. DD: Ever-increasingly, the more conservative that you are, that is, the more conservative principles that you promote, that is, the more planks in the Republican Party platform that you promote, the faster that you are gotten rid of. I am no longer a) the Republican fundraiser for Wheaton Independence Day parades and fireworks, b) the TAPROOT Republicans of Illinois chairman, c) an Illinois Center Right Coalition Steering Committee member, and d) the Milton Township Republican Organization webmaster.
https://www.coloradopols.com/diary/227239/pence-slams-trump-at-western-conservative-summit
(FROM THE ARTICLE: “In our movement there are people who have been nibbling away at the very principles that have made America strong and prosperous and free and have defined a conservative agenda,” said former Vice President Mike Pence, CCU’s newest 2026 faculty member, who refused President Donald Trump’s efforts to overturn the 2020 election. “In fact, in many respects in recent years we’ve seen our movement toss about at a tempest of populism, protectionism, and on occasion even isolationism. On the world stage, we saw the administration’s initial stops and starts when it comes to Ukraine after that brutal and unprovoked invasion by Russia four years ago. I have held since that moment that America, as the leader of the free world, should continue to marshal the West to give the brave Ukrainian people what they need to repel and defeat that Russian invasion. “At home, we’ve seen the rise of protectionist policies,” continued Pence. “The so-called ‘Liberation Day’ tariffs of a year ago represented the largest tax increase in American history, imposed on friend and foe alike. They impacted families, literally at the grocery store and at the counter. We’ve also witnessed populist policies that have taken on the free market tradition of our movement, nationalizing American businesses. The headlines this morning are that a dozen more businesses have received direct equity investments by the federal government. And we’ve seen price controls on everything from consumer credit to medicines. And perhaps most troubling to traditional conservatives like me is there’s been a marked departure, a marginalizing of our commitment to the sanctity of human life.”)

ALTOONA MIRROR
— Reunions a time to reflect, reconnect. DD: Sadly, it looks like there will not be a 60th reunion for my Crete-Monee High School Class of 1966. Sadly, my interaction with my classmates decreased dramatically during my junior and senior years because I worked 28 hours a week during the school years and 40 hours a week during the summer in between washing dishes for the minimum wage in the basement of the SS Kresge in Chicago Heights.
https://www.altoonamirror.com/news/local-news/2026/08/reunions-a-time-to-reflect-reconnect/

POST AND COURIER
— Education pathways to prosperity.  DD: When you were young, what did you do to advance your career? I worked my way through college. I earned a job-related bachelor’s degree when I was 21 in 1970; job-related master’s degrees in 1976, 1980, and 1997; job-related professional certifications in 1979, 1981, 1990, 1994, 1996, and 1997; and a job-related professional license in 1981.
https://www.postandcourier.com/moultrie-news/news/education-pathways-to-prosperity/article_8678cc81-0b75-40e0-a27c-9d7c1d27ff10.html
(FROM THE ARTICLE: August marks back-to-school season. It’s a season filled with anticipation for new coursework and academic progress, but also a time for students and families to reflect on the career pathways that education can help make possible. It’s understandable that many young people are questioning the value of higher education. National student loan debt now exceeds $1.87 trillion, with borrowers in South Carolina carrying an average balance of about $34,000 per learner, slightly below the national average of roughly $37,000 to $39,000. Meanwhile, unemployment among South Carolinians ages 16 to 24 is approximately 9.2 percent, twice the state’s overall unemployment rate of 4.6 percent. While concerns about the value of college are very real, the data indicate that post-secondary education still provides the best pathways to increased lifetime income. In South Carolina, community college graduates will earn $220,000 to $335,000 more over their lifetime than those with just a high school diploma. Four-year graduates (including transfer students) will earn nearly $800,000 more over their lifetime. However, the biggest barriers to obtaining a college degree are cost, time to completion, accessibility and flexibility to accommodate competing life priorities. Certificates, associate degrees and bachelor’s degrees. Post-secondary education provides multiple pathways to economic success through professional certificates, associate degrees, and bachelor’s and master’s degrees. The key is to choose the pathways that offer the best job security and ROI. Professional certificates are the fastest and least expensive way to earn a credential that validates a desired skillset. Certificates can serve as a stackable on-ramp toward a degree, provide timely skills, or help you qualify for upward mobility.)

TRIB LIVE
— Potential of 3-year bachelor’s degrees spark debate of affordability, quality. DD: Immediately after I completed 16 graduate evening business courses one course at a time 1972-1976 and earned an MBA from Loyola, Loyola cut its requirement for an MBA to 12 courses if you had a bachelor’s degree in business which I did. My not earning an MBA sooner than I did harmed my IRS career.
https://community.triblive.com/news/4110996

CENTER FOR RETIREMENT RESEARCH
— Let’s Elect Candidates Who Will Make the Wealthy Pay Taxes. DD: The less income you have, the less income tax that you pay.
https://crr.bc.edu/lets-elect-candidates-who-will-make-the-wealthy-pay-taxes/

COMMON DREAMS
— Who Is ‘Authentically’ Working Class? DD: My critics/opponents look down on if not despise the working class. I was a member of the working class 1962-1997.  I did yard work 1962-1964. I delivered newspapers 1962-1966. I washed dishes 1964-1966. I cleaned golf shoes, chipped slag, and pumped gasoline in 1966. I delivering mail 1966-1969. I worked on an automotive assembly line in 1970. I sold tires, automotive services, and major appliances 1970-1971. I pumped more gasoline 1971-1972. I collected delinquent taxes 1971-1980. I audited federal agencies 1980-1997.
https://www.commondreams.org/opinion/who-is-the-working-class

LAW
— DD: Democrats and RINOs will always use Affirmative Action, DEI, and wokeness/wokeism to get rid of Republicans.
https://www.law.com/article/almID/53G6-WMG1-JBM3-R52C-00000-00/

FEDERAL RETIREMENT
— DD: My critics/opponents have always been furious that I qualified myself for both a Civil Service Retirement System (CSRS) pension, currently $68,640/year, and Social Security, currently $18,712/year. I paid into Social Security for 10 years and into CSRS for almost 30 years including into both at the same time for almost 3 years. While I worked part-time for the Post Office for almost 3 years, I paid into both Social Security and CSRS and  got full-time CSRS credit even though I worked only part-time. They are beyond furious that because of a Bill that Biden signed, my Social Security increased from about $3,000/year to about $6,000/year and then to $18,712/year.
https://federalretirement.net/social-security/csrs-social-security/

COLLEGE NEWS
— Best U.S. Companies for Entry-Level Jobseekers. DD: After you earned your bachelor’s degree, what was your entry-level job? When I graduated from NIU with a bachelor’s degree in management in 1970, I accepted the only job offer that I got. It was to be the Retail Sales Manager for the Firestone Store in the Chicago Heights. Potential employers saw me as being draft bait. They did not believe that my application for a financial hardship draft deferment to help support my mother and brother would be approved. Because advancement working for Firestone looked bleak, I accepted a job offer from Oldsmobile in 1971, but Oldsmobile withdrew that offer saying it had just agreed to stop hiring Whites to settle an EEOC complaint. My Firestone Store boss rudely fired me because I accepted that offer. Because I had to have a job, I accepted a job offer that I got from IRS. I had taken and passed the Federal Service Entrance Examination while I was a NIU student.
https://www.collegenews.com/which-are-the-best-us-companies-for-entry-level-jobseekers/

August 1, 2026

FROM ILLINOIS CENTER-LEFT SOURCES

NBC5
— DD: Democrat leaders ever-increasingly a) glorify and praise their illegals and b) fight their deportation.
https://www.nbcchicago.com/investigations/immigrant-children-could-face-court-hearings-without-lawyers-chicago-attorneys-warn/3969082/

CBS2
— Democrats in Congress demand training, vetting information on ICE agent who killed immigrant in Maine. DD: IRS would not have hired me to be a Revenue Officer when I was 22 in 1971 if I had not had a bachelor’s degree in business and had passed the Federal Service Entrance Examination. The first 6 months I worked for IRS was in classroom training.
https://www.cbsnews.com/news/democrats-congress-ice-maine-shooting-letter-training-vetting/
— People with disabilities fear service cuts as Trump’s DOJ questions legal protections. DD: While I worked for the Democrats who ran GAO’s Chicago office 1980-1997, they had me supervise all the disabled employees they hired.
https://www.cbsnews.com/news/trump-doj-disability-rights-home-care/
— Noisy motorcycle caravans creating chaos downtown, raising safety concerns from neighbors.
https://www.cbsnews.com/chicago/news/motorcycle-caravans-dan-ryan-expressway-south-loop-downtown/
(FROM THE ARTICLE: A caravan of hundreds of motorcycles created a loud, chaotic, and potentially dangerous situation on the Dan Ryan Expressway and in the South Loop and downtown Chicago late Thursday night. Some Chicago neighbors said it has become a summer nuisance that comes with serious safety concerns. The Caravan of motorcycles made its way from the Dan Ryan through the South Loop to downtown, where residents said it’s nothing new, but time something is done. Police experts said the solution isn’t as easy as it appears.)

WCIA
— Pritzker signs Illinois ‘language equity’ law; 24% of residents don’t speak English. DD: Everyone in America speaking English made America great.
https://www.wcia.com/news/capitol-news/pritzker-signs-illinois-language-equity-law-24-of-residents-dont-speak-english/
(FROM THE ARTICLE: With nearly 24% of Illinois residents speaking a language other than English, with Spanish being the most common, Gov. JB Pritzker signed a new law to regulate language requirements at government agencies statewide. “Illinois is a diverse state made up of people with cultural and linguistic backgrounds from around the world—hundreds of unique languages are spoken in households across the state, and those people are equally as entitled to access public services as their English-speaking counterparts,” said Pritzker. The Language Equity and Access Act requires the Governor’s Office of New Americans to partner with the Illinois Department of Human Services to create, implement, and oversee statewide language access plans for state agencies. The act requires an annual compliance report to the Governor’s Office and the Illinois General Assembly. The state says, besides Spanish, Polish, Chinese, and Tagalog are the most spoken languages in the state. “Prioritizing accessibility for people who do not speak English as a first language will open new avenues of equitable opportunities for countless Illinoisans of differing backgrounds,” said state Rep. Theresa Mah (D-Chicago).)


FROM NATIONAL CENTER-RIGHT SOURCES

WASHINGTON EXAMINER
— Socialist candidates barnstorm country to grow ranks in Congress.
https://www.washingtonexaminer.com/news/campaigns/congressional/4671147/left-wing-candidates-flock-allies-campaign-trail-maximize-collective-influence/

NEW YORK POST
— Fed-up Spaniards lash out at socialist prime minister after migrant invasion: ‘A third-world country.’
https://nypost.com/2026/07/31/world-news/fed-up-spaniards-lash-out-at-socialist-prime-minister-after-migrant-invasion/

AMERICAN CONSERVATIVE
— Import Socialists, Get Socialism. Democratic socialists haven’t learned hard lessons from their ancestral homelands.
https://www.theamericanconservative.com/import-socialists-get-socialism/

AMERICAN GREATNESS
— The Fifth for Fauci and the Administrative State. Fauci was attempting to protect the myth behind the leftist narrative of “trust the science.”
https://amgreatness.com/2026/08/01/the-fifth-for-fauci-and-the-administrative-state/

AMERICAN THINKER
— Socialism and Islam: A tale of two psychoses. A dark night is descending over America.
https://www.americanthinker.com/blog/2026/07/socialism-and-islam-a-tale-of-two-psychoses/

COLLEGE FIX
— Student debt is turning college grads into socialists.
https://www.thecollegefix.com/bulletin-board/student-debt-is-turning-college-grads-into-socialists-column/

DAILY SIGNAL
— The Democratic Socialist Rising Class.
https://www.dailysignal.com/2026/07/31/cut-flowers-democratic-socialist/

FOX NEWS
— Socialism has become a buzzword.
https://www.foxnews.com/video/6402556733112
— Shocking percentage of Democrats identify as ‘democratic socialists’ according to new poll: ‘Toxic policies.’ Democratic-aligned respondents who identify as democratic socialists were primarily young White Americans.
https://www.foxnews.com/politics/shocking-percentage-democrats-identify-democratic-socialists-according-new-poll-toxic-policies
— Democratic Socialists of America activists signed pledge to support, defend ‘Chinese socialism.’ The statement expresses the view that ‘the record of the socialist countries is overwhelmingly positive.’
https://www.foxnews.com/politics/democratic-socialists-america-activists-signed-pledge-support-defend-chinese-socialism

HANNITY
— Mamdani-Linked Socialists Sign China Loyalty Pledge.
https://hannity.com/media-room/commie-commitment-mamdani-linked-socialists-sign-china-loyalty-pledge/

NEWSMAX
— One-Third of Democrats Identify as Democratic Socialists.
https://www.newsmax.com/us/one-third-of-democrats-identify-as-democratic-socialists-cnn-poll-finds/2026/07/31/id/1264705/

PJ MEDIA
— Where Is the Socialist Wave Really Coming From?
https://pjmedia.com/matt-margolis/2026/07/31/where-is-the-socialist-wave-really-coming-from-n4955681

FROM NATIONAL CENTER-LEFT SOURCES

ASSOCIATED PRESS
— Vetting of ICE officer is under internal review after Maine shooting. DD: IRS would not have hired me to be a Revenue Officer when I was 22 in 1971 if I had not had a bachelor’s degree in business and had passed the Federal Service Entrance Examination. The first 6 months I worked for IRS was in classroom training.
https://apnews.com/article/maine-shooting-immigration-ice-vetting-9a8cfccc9e509766fb65effaa607a65b

ORANGE COUNTY REGISTER
— DD: Ever-increasingly, those who come to America want/need/demand massive government assistance, lack education and/or job skills, and/or have health and/or other problems.  Ever-increasingly they talk and/or act like they want to impose their language and/or their religion on America, that is, to turn America into a clone of their motherland.
https://www.ocregister.com/2026/07/31/fear-the-day-when-talented-foreigners-dont-want-to-move-here/

WALL STREET JOURNAL
— Democratic Voters Are Battling Over What Their Party Stands For. Some are embracing insurgent socialist candidates, and others say the party is losing itself.
https://www.wsj.com/politics/elections/democratic-socialists-voters-why-3d25da52
— The Smithsonian’s Disdain for America. The head of the National Museum of American History doesn’t want to talk about her exhibits.
https://www.wsj.com/opinion/the-smithsonians-disdain-for-america-8edffb1e

24/7 WALL STREET
— The RMD Tax Trap That Costs Retirees Six Figures. A $1.6 million traditional 401(k) generates a mandatory $60,400 first RMD at 73, which counts as ordinary income and grows larger every year. Adding the RMD to Social Security can push MAGI above $109,000, triggering Medicare IRMAA surcharges that won’t appear until 2028 due to a two-year lookback.
https://247wallst.com/personal-finance/2026/07/30/the-rmd-tax-trap-that-costs-retirees-six-figures-without-these-three-moves-before-year-end/

NATIONAL TREASURY EMPLOYEES UNION
— Tell Congress to Adequately Fund Federal Agencies. DD: I was a NTEU member 1971-1980.
https://www.nteu.org/blog/2026/07/30/tell-congress-to-adequately-fund

FED SMITH
— Federal Employees Could Get 12 Weeks of Paid Leave Under New Senate Bill. DD: My critics/opponents have always been furious about the benefits that I got a federal employee for almost 30 years and that I have continued to get as a federal retiree for almost 29 years.
https://www.fedsmith.com/2026/07/31/federal-employees-12-weeks-paid-leave-senate-bill/

FEDERAL NEWS NETWORK
— OPM cements major shift in federal employee appeals, RIF processes. DD: For Democrats, the federal government exists to hire, retain, and promote Democrats who are minority, female, younger, veteran, non-Protestant, non-German American, and/or have ancestors who have not been in America for a long time.
https://federalnewsnetwork.com/workforce/2026/07/opm-cements-major-shift-in-federal-employee-appeals-rif-processes/
— HHS violated 5,000 probationary employees’ rights with 2025 terminations. DD: I transferred from IRS to GAO when I was 31 in 1980. My Democrat GAO superiors were furious that they could not use probationary procedures to get rid of me.
https://federalnewsnetwork.com/workforce-rightsgovernance/2026/07/hhs-violated-5000-probationary-employees-rights-with-2025-terminations/
— Some federal careers are built to end early, so what comes next? DD: Federal employees under the Civil Service Retirement System (CSRS) who are the following are expected/forced to retire as soon as they are eligible, that is, as soon as they have 30 years of service and are 55 years old: Republican, White, male, non-veteran, Protestant, German American, and/or have ancestors who have been in America for a long time. I am all of the aforesaid. I became eligible to take GAO’s early retirement “offer” when I was 45 in 1993. My Democrat GAO superiors succeeded in forcing me to take early retirement when I was 49 in 1997 because since I was 40 in 1988, I had been an active member in a class action lawsuit that charged them with reverse discrimination, age discrimination, and retaliation. That dramatically reduced my CSRS pension and my retirement savings.
https://federalnewsnetwork.com/retirement/2026/07/some-federal-careers-are-built-to-end-early-so-what-comes-next/

GOVERNMENT EXECUTIVE
— New documentary recounts ‘free-for-all attitude of cruelty’ toward axed federal employees. The movie, which was filmed during the start of the second Trump administration, examines the human and societal effects of recent federal job cuts. DD: My critics/opponents continue to be overjoyed that my Democrat Post Office, IRS, and GAO superiors wasted my career and forced me to retire when I was 49 in 1997. My critics/opponents continue to ignore/dismiss/belittle that while I was a federal employee for almost 30 years, I used my personal time and my salary to earn a job-related bachelor’s degree, three job-related master’s degrees, six job-related professional certifications, and a job-related professional license.
https://www.govexec.com/workforce/2026/07/documentary-recounts-cruelty-axed-federal-employees/415071/
— Veteran’s preference. DD: I avoided the Vietnam War draft. While I worked for the federal government for almost 30 years, many, most, and at times, virtually all of my superiors, supervisors, coworkers, and/or subordinates were Democrat veterans. They had no use for me, if not despised me, if not hated me. They blamed Republicans like me for America losing the Vietnam War. I should write about my Democrat veteran superiors who took the most/biggest adverse actions against me. They all stressed that if I had not avoided the Vietnam War draft, I would not have been able to a) earn a bachelor’s degree when I was 21 in 1970 and master’s degrees when I was 27 and 31, b) earn professional certifications when I was 30 and 32, c) earn a professional license when I was 32, d) buy new cars when I was 19, 20, 23 25, and 29, e) buy real estate when I was 24, 25, 27, 29, and 35, or f) get married when I was 29.
https://www.govexec.com/technology/2026/07/gsa-official-put-leave-social-media-post-saying-veterans-preference-federal-hiring-hampering-tech-recruiting/415122/

GAO
— Law Enforcement Officers: Observations on Recruitment and Retention at the Federal Level. DD: IRS and GAO have always been run by Democrats. I was an IRS Revenue Officer 1971-1980, the last 5 1/2 years of which at the GS-12 Step-1-5 Levels, currently $100,059-$113,402/year. GAO audits IRS. I transferred from IRS to GAO when I was 31 in 1980 and worked for GAO for almost 18 years. My Democrat GAO superiors wasted my knowledge of IRS. Democrats do not want Republicans to audit Democrats. They refused to assign me to audits of IRS’s Collection Division. However, they did assign me to audits of IRS’s Criminal Investigation Division for 3 years.
https://www.gao.gov/products/gao-26-108495
(FROM THE REPORT: From 2019 through 2024, officer resignations and retirements have increased, reducing staff at law enforcement agencies. Studies have shown that having more officers can improve public safety and reduce crime.)

July 31, 2026

FROM ILLINOIS CENTER-LEFT SOURCES

WTTW
— Judge Expands Lawsuit Accusing CPD of Targeting Black, Latino Chicagoans With Traffic Stops to Include All Black, Latino Drivers.
https://news.wttw.com/2026/07/30/judge-expands-lawsuit-accusing-cpd-targeting-black-latino-chicagoans-traffic-stops

CHICAGO TRIBUNE
— FRONT PAGE TOP OF FOLD: Urban League report says Trump administration is harming Black Americans’ chances at American Dream. DD: To get more votes from Blacks, Democrat leaders ever-increasingly shout at Blacks that Republicans cause all the problems that Blacks have. My Democrat superiors in the federal government did that. They ever-increasingly hinted/implied/argued/shouted at my many Black superiors, supervisors, coworkers, and subordinates that I caused all their problems. It all culminated when they forced me to retire when I was 49 in 1997 and gave my job and my preferred corner office to my Black subordinate. He had less education than I had. He had less work experience than I had. He had one professional certification while I had six. He had no professional license like the one I had.
https://www.pbs.org/newshour/politics/urban-league-report-says-trump-administration-is-harming-black-americans-chances-at-american-dream
https://www.pbs.org/newshour/politics/national-urban-league-declares-state-of-emergency-for-civil-rights-in-the-u-s-under-trump
— Most Black Americans say they never fly the American flag. DD: I have flown an American flag off my front porch 24 hours a day since September 11, 2001.
https://www.chicagotribune.com/2026/06/30/black-americans-fly-flag-poll/
— Businesses should improve access for people with disabilities. DD: While I worked for the Democrats who ran GAO’s Chicago office 1980-1997, they had me supervise all the disabled employees they hired.
https://www.chicagotribune.com/2026/07/30/letters-073026-accessability-transit/

CHICAGO SUN-TIMES
— Democrat leaders ever-increasingly a) glorify and praise their illegals and b) fight their deportation.
https://chicago.suntimes.com/immigration/2026/07/29/immigration-midway-blitz-federal-agents-misconduct-legal-liability-guzman-state-laws
— Other cities also struggle with teen takeovers. What can Chicago learn from them? DD: What is your municipality doing to stop Democrat teen takeovers?
https://chicago.suntimes.com/the-watchdogs/2026/07/30/chicago-teen-takeovers-other-cities-strategy-baltimore-detroit-philadelphia-washington
https://chicago.suntimes.com/teen-takeovers-chicago-public-schools-lollapalooza-tornadoes
— Illinois SNAP recipients kicked off the federal food program are getting $400 from the state. State officials estimate 100,000 people will receive the one-time benefit to help offset cuts in federal food assistance. DD: Democrat leaders want as many voters as possible on SNAP because they vote for Democrats.
https://chicago.suntimes.com/health/2026/07/30/illinois-snap-recipients-kicked-off-the-federal-food-program-are-getting-400-from-the-state

SHAW LOCAL
— Illinois launches monthly payment program to help residents who lost SNAP benefits. DD: Democrat leaders want as many voters as possible on SNAP because they vote for Democrats.
https://www.shawlocal.com/news/2026/07/30/illinois-launches-monthly-payment-program-to-help-residents-who-lost-snap-benefits/

POLITICO ILLINOIS
— DD: Democrats promote Democrats at  Lollapalooza.
https://www.politico.com/newsletters/illinois-playbook/2026/07/31/the-politics-of-lolla-01018139

CAPITOL FAX
— Morning briefing
https://capitolfax.com/
— Afternoon roundup
https://capitolfax.com/2026/07/30/isabel%e2%80%99s-afternoon-roundup-567/
— Pritzker calls Bailey a racist, in Spanish. DD: To get more votes from non-Whites, Democrat leaders ever-increasingly call Republicans racists.
https://capitolfax.com/2026/07/30/pritzker-calls-bailey-a-racist-in-spanish/
(BAILEY RESPONSE: Friends, today JB Pritzker called me a racist. But this isn’t really about me. It’s about you, because this is what JB Pritzker does to people who disagree with him. If you don’t support his agenda, you’re not just wrong, you’re an extremist. You’re a racist. Tomorrow, you’re a fascist. JB will do everything that he can to make this election about anything except his own record. After nearly eight years in office, that’s the one conversation that he can’t afford to have. He doesn’t want to explain why property taxes keep climbing. He doesn’t want to explain why he doubled the gas tax. He doesn’t want to explain why Illinois families are staring at the biggest tax hike in Illinois history. He doesn’t want to explain why people are paying more and getting less, and he certainly doesn’t want to explain why repeat offenders are escaping justice. And not for nothing, when people in my own party mocked JB Pritzker’s weight, I called them out. I said it was wrong because politics should be about ideas, not personal attacks. It’s a shame that Governor Pritzker doesn’t have the class to treat the people of Illinois with that same respect. Friends, I’m not running to call people names. I’m running to lower your taxes, make Illinois affordable, give drivers a break at the pump, and keep the bad guys in jail. That’s the conversation Illinois deserves. Thank you, and God bless.)

FROM ILLINOIS CENTER-RIGHT SOURCES

MCHENRY COUNTY BLOG
— Pritzker Takes the Typical Democratic Party Attack Approach – “He’s Too Extreme!!”
https://www.mchenrycountyblog.com/2026/07/30/21424/

JOHN KASS
— Vallas: Governor Pritzker’s “Vulgar” Education Record.
https://johnkassnews.com/governor-pritzkers-vulgar-education-record/

ILLINOIS POLICY INSTITUTE
— Thanks to gerrymandering, over 90% of recently passed bills in Illinois were sponsored by one party. DD: I live in the racially gerrymandered 3rd Congressional District.
https://www.illinoispolicy.org/thanks-to-gerrymandering-over-90-of-recently-passed-bills-in-illinois-were-sponsored-by-one-party/

FROM NATIONAL CENTER-RIGHT SOURCES

WASHINGTON TIMES
— About a third of Democrats identify as democratic socialists. DD: Under socialism, all you need to do to advance is to be a socialist. Under Democrats, all you need to do to advance is to be a Democrat. I worked for Democrats for almost 30 years. I refused to become a Democrat. None of my Democrat coworkers who they promoted over me did anything close to what I did to advance. I earned three job-related master’s degrees, six job-related professional certifications, and a job-related professional license.
https://www.washingtontimes.com/news/2026/jul/30/third-democrats-identify-democratic-socialists-poll/
— DSA-backed candidates cannot legally be seated in Congress. Americans legally elected but unable to faithfully and truthfully take the oath of office because they support dismantling the Constitution cannot be seated. If you cannot take the oath, then you cannot serve.
https://www.washingtontimes.com/news/2026/jul/30/dsa-backed-candidates-cannot-legally-seated-congress/

WASHINGTON EXAMINER
— How universities taught an entire generation to hate the West. DD: I avoided Democrat indoctrination by majoring in business, accounting, and finance.
https://www.washingtonexaminer.com/op-eds/4669133/postcolonial-theory-marxism-universities/
— Michigan primary tests socialism’s reach with black voters.
https://www.washingtonexaminer.com/news/campaigns/congressional/4668467/dsa-aligned-donavan-mckinney-sees-surge-support-cbc-members-will-black-voters-back-him/
— The government owns 28% of America — and has no clue what’s underneath it.
https://www.washingtonexaminer.com/op-eds/4669412/government-federal-land-critical-minerals/
— Trump’s failures on affordability are sinking the GOP ship for the midterm elections. DD: Democrats have always blamed Republicans for inflation. Then again, Democrats have always blamed Republicans for everything that is bad.
https://www.washingtonexaminer.com/opinion/beltway-confidential/4669564/trump-failures-affordability-tariffs-sinking-gop-midterms/
— Government compels, culture persuades: Why Washington is ruining America. DD: Under the Democrats and under the RINOs, fewer and fewer and fewer Americans are becoming productive members of society.
https://www.washingtonexaminer.com/op-eds/4669387/government-overreach-civil-society/

NEW YORK POST
— Trump gives veterans priority pass for trucking jobs after New York and California busted for illegal immigrants on the road. DD: I often drove postal trucks while I worked for the Post Office 1966-1969.
https://nypost.com/2026/07/30/us-news/trump-gives-veterans-priority-pass-for-trucking-jobs-after-new-york-and-california-busted-for-illegals-on-the-road/
— Lonnie Bunch III, the Smithsonian Institution secretary who called DEI an “integral to excellence in museum practice,” raked in over $4.4 million from 2020-2024 in base salary and added benefits.
https://nypost.com/2026/07/31/us-news/smithsonian-exec-lonnie-bunch-iii-who-said-dei-must-be-at-center-of-institutions-is-raking-in-eye-popping-salary/
— Members of Mamdani’s DSA pledge to ‘support’ and ‘defend’ China: ‘Survival of Chinese socialism is a crucial matter’
https://nypost.com/2026/07/30/us-news/members-of-mamdanis-dsa-pledge-to-support-defend-china/

AMERICAN LIBERTY
— Now Is The Time To Address The Emerging Socialism Of JD Vance.
https://americanliberty.news/commentary/now-is-the-time-to-address-the-emerging-socialism-of-jd-vance/dsimon/2026/07/

BIZ PAC REVIEW
— Semiautomatic firearms selling like hotcakes as gun owners try to beat clock on Colorado licensing scheme. DD: Colorado today, Illinois tomorrow.
https://www.bizpacreview.com/2026/07/30/semiautomatic-firearms-selling-like-hotcakes-as-gun-owners-try-to-beat-clock-on-colorado-licensing-scheme-1652854/

CREATORS SYNDICATE
— America’s Peak Socialism — Abandoned a Century Ago.
https://www.creators.com/read/michael-barone

DAILY CITIZEN
— Why Parents Everywhere Should Pay Attention to the DSA’s Public School Strategy in NYC.
https://dailycitizen.focusonthefamily.com/dsa-public-school-strategy/

FEDERALIST
— Barack Obama Fathered Today’s Marxist Democrat Party.
https://thefederalist.com/2026/07/30/barack-obama-fathered-todays-marxist-democrat-party/

FOX NEWS
— Trump admin’s push to scrap DEI in federal government takes landmark step with new hiring rule.  DD: My Democrat superiors in the federal government ever-increasingly used Affirmative Action and DEI a) to not hire Republicans and b) to get rid of their Republican employees.
https://www.foxnews.com/politics/trump-admin-push-scrap-dei-federal-government-landmark-step-new-hiring-rule
— Socialist surge: Inside the DSA’s funding.
https://www.foxnews.com/video/6402495662112
— Pro-migrant socialism brings thousands to Spain.
https://www.foxnews.com/video/6402485537112
— We must help more people buy a home. It’s key to the American Dream. DD: What did you do to buy your first home? I bought a new townhome in University Park ( https://www.zillow.com/homedetails/774-Sunset-Ct-5-University-Park-IL-60484/5451474_zpid/ ) when I was 24 in 1972. In today’s dollars, I paid about $180,000 for it and the down payment would have been about $36,000. In today’s dollars, my IRS Revenue Officer salary had just increased from $56,409/year to $68,999/year. The down payment came from what I had earned working for IRS for 15 months and for a Firestone Store part-time for 18 months and full-time for 7 months before that. According to Zillow, the townhome is currently worth $93,200. That says worlds about real estate values in University Park.
https://www.foxnews.com/opinion/we-must-help-more-people-buy-home-its-key-american-dream

LEGAL INSURRECTION
— Teacher Training Program Paints Parents as Oppressors.  DD: Democrats ever-increasingly destroy traditional marriage and family. I owe all my successes in life to my parents and to their traditional marriage.
https://legalinsurrection.com/2026/07/teacher-training-program-allegedly-paints-parents-as-oppressors/

PRESIDENTIAL PRAYER TEAM
— Judge Stephen McGlynn, Southern Illinois U.S. District Court. DD: Judge McGlynn ran for chairman of the Illinois Republican Party in 2005.  He was one of the candidates who attended a candidate forum that I organized in Springfield the evening before the election.
https://www.presidentialprayerteam.org/2026/07/30/judge-stephen-mcglynn-southern-illinois-u-s-district-court/

TOWNHALL
— The Socialist Monster Awakens.
https://townhall.com/columnists/victordavishanson/2026/07/30/the-socialist-monster-awakens-n2680404

WESTERN JOURNAL
— Mamdani Is Setting Stage to Saddle NYC with Cash Reparations for Slavery.
https://www.westernjournal.com/watch-mamdani-open-forcing-new-yorkers-pay-cash-reparations-slavery-says-complicit/

YOUR TANGO
— Gen X & Millennials Were Taught 8 Things About Success That Sound Completely Outdated To Gen Z. DD: To get promoted, I earned three job-related master’s degrees, six job-related professional certifications, and a job-related professional license.
https://www.yourtango.com/career/things-gen-x-millennials-taught-about-success-gen-z-sees-outdated
(FROM THE ARTICLE: For older generations, they were taught that work ethic is how you get ahead in life. Even exhaustion is a badge of honor because it’s tied into someone’s work ethic. . .Things about success that sound outdated to Gen Z but were taught to Gen X and millennials: 1. Living to work. . .3. Climbing the corporate ladder is the goal. . .6. Hard work is the key)

FROM NATIONAL CENTER-LEFT SOURCES

THE HILL
— Most say they wouldn’t back democratic socialist presidential candidate. DD: Ever-increasingly, to be a Democrat is to be a socialist.
https://thehill.com/homenews/campaign/5999703-democratic-socialism-presidential-support-low/
— 1 in 3 Democrats now consider themselves democratic socialists.  DD: Under socialism, all you need to do to advance is to be a socialist. Under Democrats, all you need to do to advance is to be a Democrat. I worked for Democrats for almost 30 years. I refused to become a Democrat. None of my Democrat coworkers who they promoted over me did anything close to what I did to advance. I earned three job-related master’s degrees, six job-related professional certifications, and a job-related professional license.
https://thehill.com/homenews/campaign/5999669-democrats-identify-democratic-socialists/

CNN
— A third of Democrats now identify as democratic socialists. DD: Under socialism, all you need to do to advance is to be a socialist. Under Democrats, all you need to do to advance is to be a Democrat. I worked for Democrats for almost 30 years. I refused to become a Democrat. None of my Democrat coworkers who they promoted over me did anything close to what I did to advance. I earned three job-related master’s degrees, six job-related professional certifications, and a job-related professional license.
https://www.cnn.com/2026/07/30/politics/cnn-poll-a-third-of-democrats-now-identify-as-democratic-socialists

CBS NEWS
— DD: Democrat leaders ever-increasingly blame Trump for inflation. Then again, Democrats have always blamed Republicans for everything that is bad.
https://www.cbsnews.com/news/cbs-poll-analysis-cost-of-living-democrats-republicans/

NEW YORK TIMES
— Mamdani Leaves Door Open to Paying Reparations to Black New Yorkers. DD: To get more votes from Blacks, Democrat leaders ever-increasingly promise them reparations.
https://www.nytimes.com/2026/07/30/nyregion/mamdani-reparations-slavery.html

WASHINGTON POST
— DD: Democrat leaders ever-increasingly promote socialism. Under socialism, all you need to do to advance is to be a socialist. Under Democrats, all you need to do to advance is to be a Democrat. I worked for Democrats for almost 30 years. I refused to become a Democrat. None of my Democrat coworkers who they promoted over me did anything close to what I did to advance. I earned three job-related master’s degrees, six job-related professional certifications, and a job-related professional license.
https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/2026/07/30/most-americans-would-not-support-democratic-socialist-president-poll-finds/

WALL STREET JOURNAL
— Federal hiring. DD: The Democrats who ran the Post Office in 1966 hired as a GS-4, currently $19.57/hour, part-time postal employee when I was 18 because I had earned a high school diploma and passed the postal employment examination. The Democrats who ran IRS in 1971 hired me as a GS-7, currently $56,409/year, Revenue Officer when I was 22 because I had earned a bachelor’s degree in business and passed the Federal Service Entrance Examination. The Democrats who ran GAO in 1980 hired me as a GS-9 Step 10, currently $89,703/year, Analyst when I was 31 because I had earned an MBA and passed the CPA examination on my first attempt. They hired me because they could not find a qualified Democrat, minority, female, younger person, or veteran who would take the job.
https://www.wsj.com/opinion/federal-hiring-isnt-a-one-test-fits-all-box-350cc742

NEW JERSEY
— New Jersey offers $20 million legal defense fund for noncitizens mistakenly registered to vote.
https://nj1015.com/noncitizen-voters-nj-legal-defense/

CHALKBEAT
— Teens feel unwelcome. DD: When you were a teen, what did you do when you were not in school? I did yard work 1962-1964. I delivered newspapers 1962-1966. I washed dishes 1964-1966. I cleaned golf shoes, chipped slag, and pumped gasoline in 1966. I delivered mail 1966-1969,
https://www.chalkbeat.org/philadelphia/2026/07/30/third-space-needed-to-address-philly-teen-safety/

FEDERAL NEWS NETWORK
— DD: Federal employees who are the following have no Civil Service protections: conservative, Republican, White, male, older, non-veteran, German American, and/or have ancestors who have been in America for a long time. Unions provide some protection. But GAO did not unionize until 2007. If GAO had been unionized when I transferred from IRS in 1980, my Democrat GAO superiors might not have been able to take the many big adverse actions against me that they did including forcing me to retire when I was 49 in 1997.
https://federalnewsnetwork.com/workforce/2026/07/a-key-mspb-ruling-threatens-civil-service-protections-democrats-warn/
https://federalnewsnetwork.com/workforce-rightsgovernance/2026/07/encouraging-people-to-speak-up-is-one-challenge-protecting-them-afterward-is-another/

JD SUPRA
— Embedding E-Verify into Federal Funding: Where Immigration and Grant Compliance Converge. DD: Democrats and RINOs oppose E-Verify. Democrats because illegals vote for Democrats. RINOs because RINOs want cheap labor.
https://www.jdsupra.com/legalnews/embedding-e-verify-into-federal-funding-3801433/

FROM FOREIGN SOURCES

WORLD SOCIALIST WEB SITE
— DD: Democrat leaders ever-increasingly crow about their success in promoting socialism.
https://www.wsws.org/en/articles/2026/07/31/ueag-j31.html