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 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/
