August 4, 2025 Evening Edition

FROM ILLINOIS CENTER-LEFT SOURCES

ABC7
— Gov. Abbott orders arrests of Texas Democrats who fled to Illinois to halt GOP redistricting plan
https://abc7chicago.com/post/texas-democrats-plan-staying-illinois-2-weeks-halt-redistricting-gov-greg-abbott-threatens-loss-seats/17426930/

NBC5
— Illinois officials face pushback over Texas gerrymandering criticisms. Critics say Illinois’ maps are just as gerrymandered as Texas’ would be under a proposed law that has sparked controversy.
https://www.nbcchicago.com/news/local/chicago-politics/illinois-officials-face-pushback-over-texas-gerrymandering-criticisms/3804336/
— Rep. Darin LaHood won’t run for Illinois governor, he says. LaHood also revealed he would not run for U.S. Senate.
https://www.nbcchicago.com/news/local/chicago-politics/rep-darin-lahood-wont-run-for-illinois-governor-he-says/3804440/
— Redistricting clash escalates in Texas after Democrats scatter
https://www.nbcchicago.com/news/politics/president-trump/trump-administration-trade-tariff-texas-redistricting-august-04-2025-live-updates/3804074/

CBS2
— Pritzker says redrawing Illinois district map “on the table” in response to Texas redistricting push
https://www.cbsnews.com/chicago/news/pritzker-illinois-district-map-texas-democrats/

CHICAGO TRIBUNE
— Tesla awards CEO Musk millions of shares valued at about $29 billion
https://www.chicagotribune.com/2025/08/04/tesla-elon-musk-share/
— Democrats prevent Texas House from moving forward with Trump-backed congressional map
https://www.chicagotribune.com/2025/08/04/texas-house-congressional-map/
— Why dozens of Democrats left Texas and how Republicans want to punish them
https://www.chicagotribune.com/2025/08/04/democrats-texas-republicans/
— Texas Democrats who fled to Chicago to deny GOP’s congressional redistricting effort speak out
https://www.chicagotribune.com/2025/08/04/watch-live-texas-democrats/

CHICAGO SUN-TIMES
— Chicago Public Schools needs $1.6 billion more from the state to provide an adequate education
https://chicago.suntimes.com/education/2025/08/04/chicago-public-schools-budget-deficit
— Pritzker’s signature on police pension bill adds pressure for state bailout and city property tax hike. The bill will cost the city $60 million more in 2027, and by 2055, city pension payments will be $750 million higher than they are now. It adds one more big pressure point onto Mayor Brandon Johnson, who already has said he won’t raise property taxes.
https://chicago.suntimes.com/city-hall/2025/08/04/jb-pritzker-police-pension-bill-brandon-johnson-pressure-chicago-budget-state-bailout

DAILY HERALD
— Former GOP official Porter won’t run for Durbin’s Senate seat
https://www.dailyherald.com/20250804/us-congress-politics/gop-official-porter-wont-run-for-durbins-senate-seat/
— ‘We will hide them at our own legal peril’: DuPage Democratic leader pledges to protect Texan lawmakers
https://www.dailyherald.com/20250804/nation-and-world-politics/we-will-hide-them-at-our-own-legal-peril-dupage-democratic-leader-pledges-to-protect-texan-lawmak/
— Geneva woman Jessica Breugelmans running for Republican nomination for state Senate
https://www.dailyherald.com/20250804/news/geneva-woman-running-for-republican-nomination-for-state-senate/

CRAIN’S CHICAGO BUSINESS
— Democrat leaders ever-increasingly push Blacks to be pot pushers.
https://www.chicagobusiness.com/opinion/how-black-owned-label-can-help-grow-cannabis-brands-oped

WAND TV
— New DPS policies target students and visitors smelling of marijuana, other ‘distracting’ odors
https://www.wandtv.com/news/education/new-dps-policies-target-students-and-visitors-smelling-of-marijuana-other-distracting-odors/article_3450f262-c6fa-41ce-963a-452589331826.html
(FROM THE ARTICLE: Ahead of the new school year, Decatur Public Schools updated its district policies to emphasize banning marijuana and other “offensive” odors in its facilities.  A DPS flyer said that students who come to school smelling like marijuana or other “distracting” odors will be instructed to call home for a change of clothes, or be picked up to change. Visitors who smell of marijuana or other “distracting” odors will be asked to leave the premises.  The district justified the changes by saying that marijuana has an odor that causes/triggers allergic reactions, affecting indoor air quality and putting others at risk of getting sick. The district added that marijuana potentially has cancer-causing chemicals that put students, staff and others at risk. That policy went into effect July 1.  According to the DPS 61 student code of conduct and parent handbook, those who use marijuana for medical purposes must provide a medical card upon request.)

NPR ILLINOIS
— Democrat leaders ever-increasingly fight Trump.
https://www.nprillinois.org/illinois/2025-08-04/professors-calling-for-northwestern-leaders-to-stand-up-to-the-trump-administration-first-listen

CAPITOL FAX
— Afternoon roundup
https://capitolfax.com/2025/08/04/isabel%e2%80%99s-afternoon-roundup-354/

FROM ILLINOIS CENTER-RIGHT SOURCES

ILLINOIS REVIEW
— Top Illinois GOP Donors Sit Out Upcoming Primary
https://www.illinoisreview.com/illinoisreview/2025/08/sources-top-illinois-gop-donors-sit-out-upcoming-primary.html

ILLINOIS FAMILY ACTION
— Gov. Pritzker to Fight Gerrymandering with… More Gerrymandering?
https://illinoisfamilyaction.org/2025/08/gov-pritzker-to-fight-gerrymandering-with-more-gerrymandering/

FROM NATIONAL CENTER-RIGHT SOURCES

WASHINGTON TIMES
— Firing the government’s statically incompetent statisticians. Isn’t it about time? Of course, my Democrat superiors in the federal government hinted/implied/argued that they wasted my career, took adverse actions against me, and forced me to retire because I was incompetent. It is called pretext. But they were frustrated a) by my earning a job-related bachelor’s degree and three job-related master’s degrees, b) by my passing the CPA and Certified Internal Auditor examinations on my first attempt, c) by my earning four more job-related professional certifications, and d) by my earning a job-related professional license.
https://www.washingtontimes.com/news/2025/aug/4/firing-governments-statically-incompetent-statisticians/
— Not sorry for immigration enforcement. Without borders, we have no country.
https://www.washingtontimes.com/news/2025/aug/4/sorry-sorry-immigration-enforcement/

TOWNHALL
— Texas House Approves Arrest Warrants for Democrats Who Fled to Illinois to Block Redistricting Vote
https://townhall.com/tipsheet/saraharnold/2025/08/04/texas-house-approves-arrest-warrants-for-democrats-who-fled-to-illinois-to-block-redistricting-vote-n2661402

FROM NATIONAL CENTER-LEFT SOURCES

THE HILL
— Pritzker says Texas Democrats who fled state will be protected amid arrest threats
https://thehill.com/homenews/5434627-redistricting-battle-texas-illinois/
— Redistricting fights explode across US
https://thehill.com/newsletters/evening-report/5435411-texas-redistricting-political-war/

CBS NEWS
— State Department may require some travelers to post $15,000 bond for business or tourism visas
https://www.cbsnews.com/news/state-department-visa-bond-pilot-program/

NEW YORK TIMES
— Trump Will Slow, but May Not Stop, the Rise of Electric Vehicles
https://www.nytimes.com/2025/08/03/business/trump-electric-vehicles.html

WASHINGTON POST
— Trump moves to bar nearly all abortions at Veterans Affairs hospitals
https://www.washingtonpost.com/nation/2025/08/04/veterans-va-abortion-trump/
— Democrats are becoming a) more liberal, b) bigger advocates of mass/illegal immigration, and c)  less proud to be American.
https://www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/2025/08/04/democratic-party-change-under-trump-polls/

WALL STREET JOURNAL
— Democrats are ever-increasingly becoming more anti-car, anti-American nameplate car, and anti-American nameplate muscle car.
https://www.wsj.com/lifestyle/cars/americas-love-affair-with-the-car-has-soured-over-money-4b73670f
— China Is Choking Supply of Critical Minerals to Western Defense Companies
https://www.wsj.com/world/asia/china-western-defense-industry-critical-minerals-3971ec51

BUSINESS INSIDER
— What does our choice of vehicle reveal about our political preferences?
https://www.businessinsider.com/car-models-owned-by-republicans-democrats-american-politics-jeep-2024-10

CAR BUZZ
— 10 Muscle Cars That Prove America Does It Best. Cars I used to own include a 1962 Chevrolet Impala SS, 1966 Pontiac Tempest Sprint (a poor man’s GTO), 1968 Oldsmobile 442, 1968 Dodge Charger R/T, and 1969 Dodge Charger SE. Cars I currently own include a 1972 and 2005 Chevrolet Corvette, 1996 Ford Thunderbird LX, 2023 Ford Mustang GT Premium, and 2025 Dodge Charger Daytona R/T Plus. Please let me know if you share my interest in any of the aforesaid cars.
https://carbuzz.com/10-muscle-cars-showing-america-does-it-best/

GOOGLE AI
— Republican politicians and car choices
https://www.google.com/search?q=Republican+politicians+and+car+choices

Author: David Diersen

The opinions that I express in GOPUSA ILLINOIS emails are based on experience that I have gained doing many things since 1948. I base my opinions on what I learned a) working for the federal government for almost 30 years -- Post Office 1966-1969, IRS 1971-1980, and GAO 1980-1997, serving on the Executive Committee of the Association of Government Accountants Chicago Chapter 1983-1996, and being a union member while I worked for the Post Office and IRS; b) earning an MBA from Loyola in 1976, a masters degree in accounting from DePaul in 1980, and a masters degree in financial markets and trading from IIT in 1997; c) passing the CPA examination on my first attempt in 1979 and passing the Certified Internal Auditor examination on my first attempt in 1981; c) serving as a Republican Precinct Committeeman since 1999, the GOPUSA Illinois Editor since 2000, the TAPROOT Republicans of Illinois Chairman 2005-2012, a member of the 2008 Illinois Republican Party (IRP) Platform and Resolutions Committee, a Wheaton Chamber of Commerce Government Affairs Committee member 2003-2011, the Milton Township Republican Central Committee webmaster 2008-2010 and 2000-2004, an Illinois Center Right Coalition Steering Committee member 2003-2007, and an American Association of Political Consultants Midwest Chapter board member 2001-2004; d) attending the 2000, 2004, 2008, 2012, and 2016 IRP State Conventions as a delegate; e) being the subject of a nasty 4-page article in the February 1978 issue of Money Magazine; f) pursing litigation including Diersen v. GAO and Diersen v. Chicago Car Exchange; g) being married since 1978; h) living in Crete 1948-1972, in University Park 1972-1976, in Chicago 1976-1978, and in DuPage County, Milton Township, and Wheaton since 1978; and i) being baptized, raised, and confirmed as a Missouri Synod Lutheran.