FROM ILLINOIS CENTER-LEFT SOURCES
NBC5
— Illinois toll hikes one step closer to reality after Pritzker signs transit funding bill. Under the proposed increase, tolls for passenger vehicles would rise $0.45, while semi drivers would be subjected to a greater hike.
https://www.nbcchicago.com/news/local/illinois-toll-hikes-one-step-closer-to-reality-after-pritzker-signs-transit-funding-bill/3864698/
CHICAGO SUN-TIMES
— After vandals wreck anti-ICE Nativity scene, Evanston church gets creative. Lake Street Church removes the figure of the Virgin Mary wearing a gas mask, which was smashed by vandals, from the display. In its place, church staff put up a sign stating that Mary is being detained by immigration agents. DD: How strongly have Democrats taken over your church?
https://chicago.suntimes.com/immigration/2025/12/16/lake-street-church-evanston-nativity-scene-vandalism
CHICAGO TRIBUNE
— FRONT PAGE TOP OF FOLD WITH BIG PICTURE: Border Patrol Cmdr. Gregory Bovino and agents return to Chicago in show of force across city and suburbs.
https://www.chicagotribune.com/2025/12/16/border-patrol-activity-cicero-chicago/
— DD: How strongly have Democrats taken over your church?
https://www.chicagotribune.com/2025/12/17/opinion-las-posadas-holiday-christmas/
DAILY HERALD
— FRONT PAGE TOP OF FOLD WITH BIG PICTURE: DD: Democrat leaders make it ever-increasingly clear that they will never stop a) flooding America with their illegals and b) fighting their deportation. Democrat leaders have declared a Second Civil War on Republicans. Illegals are soldiers in the Democrat Army.
https://www.dailyherald.com/20251207/news/the-u-s-citizens-getting-caught-in-trumps-immigration-crackdown/
CENTRAL ILLINOIS PROUD
— Darin LaHood urges Trump to deny Mike Madigan’s plea for a pardon
https://www.centralillinoisproud.com/news/local-news/lahood-urges-trump-reject-madigan-pardon/
— DD: Democrat and RINO leaders ever-increasingly push more pot. Pot is poison.
https://www.centralillinoisproud.com/news/national/trump-admin-could-reclassify-marijuana-would-that-make-it-legal-nationwide/amp/
25 NEWS NOW
— Police dispose of jars of ‘free weed’ that was left near school as holiday gift
https://www.25newsnow.com/2025/12/17/police-dispose-jars-free-weed-that-was-left-near-school-holiday-gift/
WCIA
— Pritzker, Anti-Defamation League call out rising antisemitism across Illinois. DD: What percent of those who come to America are antisemites?
https://www.wcia.com/news/sangamon-county/pritzker-anti-defamation-league-call-out-rising-antisemitism-across-illinois/
CHALKBEAT CHICAGO
— A college degree is most ‘promising path’ to a good job in Illinois
https://www.chalkbeat.org/chicago/2025/12/16/illinois-research-identifies-most-promising-pathways-to-good-jobs/
POLITICO ILLINOIS
— Border patrol returns, tensions rise
https://www.politico.com/newsletters/illinois-playbook/2025/12/17/border-patrol-returns-tensions-rise-00694628
(FROM THE NEWSLETTER: MADIGAN MOVES: Illinois Republican Congress members have written a letter to President Donald Trump urging him to reject former Illinois House Speaker Michael Madigan’s request for a presidential pardon. “Granting clemency in this case would not only reward a lifetime of unethical behavior but also embolden other public officials to exploit their offices for personal gain,” wrote Congress members Darin LaHood (IL-16), Mary Miller (IL-15) and Mike Bost (IL-12). Their letter is here.)
CAPITOL FAX
— Morning briefing
https://capitolfax.com/2025/12/17/isabel%e2%80%99s-morning-briefing-650/
FROM NATIONAL CENTER-RIGHT SOURCES
WASHINGTON TIMES
— Trump declares Venezuelan government a ‘terrorist’ organization; orders oil tanker blockade
https://www.washingtontimes.com/news/2025/dec/16/trump-orders-blockade-sanctioned-oil-tankers-venezuela-ramping/
— Trump administration urged to review Netflix’s LGBT content for kids as part of merger deal
https://www.washingtontimes.com/news/2025/dec/16/concerned-women-america-netflix-childrens-shows-41-lgbtq-content/
— Netflix and the near-complete woke Hollywood takeover. Filmmaking’s future depends on studio independence.
https://www.washingtontimes.com/news/2025/dec/16/netflix-near-complete-woke-hollywood-takeover/
ALABAMA
— College scholarship in honor of Charlie Kirk created at University of Alabama. DD: Who leads Turning Point USA in Illinois, your county, your township, your municipality, and your school district? Your attitude toward Kirk and toward his assassination say more about you than anything that you can say about yourself.
https://www.al.com/news/2025/12/college-scholarship-in-honor-of-charlie-kirk-created-at-university-of-alabama.html
AMAC
— Deport Illegal Aliens – Laws Require It
https://amac.us/newsline/national-security/deport-illegal-aliens-laws-require-it/
BLAZE
— ‘Enough white guys already’: The war on white men because of DEI in the working world exposed in damning report. DD: According to Democrat and RINO leaders, if Whites and males do better at something than minorities and females, it is because Whites and males benefitted from discrimination against minorities and females.
https://www.theblaze.com/news/damning-report-highlights-the-systematic-erasure-of-white-men-from-various-industries
BREITBART
— Cotton Introduces Bills Enforcing Strict Asylum Seeker Standards, Ending In-State Tuition for Illegal Migrants
https://www.breitbart.com/politics/2025/12/16/exclusive-sen-tom-cotton-introduces-bills-enforcing-strict-asylum-seeker-standards-ending-in-state-tuition-for-illegal-migrants/amp/
— Private sector job growth has shifted to native-born Americans rather than foreigners, Labor Secretary Lori Chavez-DeRemer celebrated on Tuesday. DD: All my employers would have hired noncitizens instead of me if they could have.
https://www.breitbart.com/economy/2025/12/16/labor-secretary-lori-chavez-deremer-private-sector-job-growth-going-to-native-born-americans/
CAMPUS REFORM
— 5 times universities gave scholarships and resources to illegal aliens in 2025. Campus Reform uncovered multiple examples of colleges providing scholarships, legal services, and other resources to illegal alien students even as American students faced rising costs.
https://www.campusreform.org/article/5-times-universities-gave-scholarships-resources-illegal-aliens-2025/29082
CHRISTIAN POST
— How critical theory paved the way for Nick Fuentes
https://www.christianpost.com/voices/how-critical-theory-paved-the-way-for-nick-fuentes.html
COLLEGE FIX
— Anti-Turning Point USA professor used class time to plot disruption
https://www.thecollegefix.com/anti-turning-point-usa-professor-used-class-time-to-plot-disruption-report/
CREATORS SYNDICATE
— The Left Hijacked the US Education System. It’s Time to Take It Back.
https://www.creators.com/read/ken-buck/12/25/the-left-hijacked-the-us-education-system-its-time-to-take-it-back
DAILY CALLER
— New York Voters Warm To Mamdani, His Socialist Policies
https://dailycaller.com/2025/12/16/zohran-mamdani-favorability-policies-siena-poll/
DEPARTMENT OF JUSTICE
— Justice Department Sues the Virgin Islands Police Department for Unconstitutional Practices Resulting in Effective Denials of Gun Permits. DD: When will Democrats officially announce that they will abolish the Second Amendment, confiscate all firearms and ammunition from Republicans, and get rid of Republicans once and for all?
https://www.justice.gov/opa/pr/justice-department-sues-virgin-islands-police-department-unconstitutional-practices
FOX BUSINESS
— White House AI czar blasts blue states for inserting ‘woke ideology’ into artificial intelligence. David Sacks targets Colorado’s algorithmic discrimination law as Trump administration moves to cut AI regulations. DD: Democrat and RINO employers use AI a) to not hire Republicans and b) to get rid of their Republican employees.
https://www.foxbusiness.com/media/white-house-ai-czar-blasts-blue-states-inserting-woke-ideology-artificial-intelligence
FOX NEWS
— Vance tells blue state they ‘might try hiring Americans before suing over Trump’s visa fee explosion. Oregon leads 18 states challenging Trump’s $100K H-1B visa fee as unlawful. DD: All my employers would have hired noncitizens instead of me if they could have.
https://www.foxnews.com/politics/vance-tells-blue-state-might-try-hiring-americans-before-suing-over-trumps-visa-fee-explosion
— Border Patrol commander returns to Chicago as agents deploy pepper balls in immigrant neighborhood. Gregory Bovino’s appearance draws protests in Little Village neighborhood as Operation Midway Blitz escalates. DD: Democrat leaders make it ever-increasingly clear that they will never stop a) flooding America with their illegals and b) fighting their deportation. Democrat leaders have declared a Second Civil War on Republicans. Illegals are soldiers in the Democrat Army.
https://www.foxnews.com/politics/border-patrol-commander-returns-chicago-agents-deploy-pepper-balls-immigrant-neighborhood.amp
NEWSMAX
— Democrat Control Leads to Socialism
https://www.newsmax.com/newsmax-tv/markwayne-mullin-gavin-newsom-democrats/2025/12/16/id/1238618/
— Bill Would Bar In-State Tuition for Noncitizens
https://www.newsmax.com/newsfront/tom-cotton-immigration-college-tuition/2025/12/16/id/1238584/
NUMBERS USA
— Twenty Years Ago Today: House Passed Bipartisan Immigration Reduction and Enforcement Legislation
https://www.numbersusa.com/blog/twenty-years-ago-today-house-passed-bipartisan-immigration-reduction-and-enforcement-legislation/
TOWNHALL
— The November Jobs Numbers Are Here, and It’s Good News for American Workers. Since September the private sector has gained 121,000 jobs. Meanwhile, the government has lost 168,000 jobs. DD: Ever since I became a government employee when I was 18 years old in 1966, my critics/opponents have always hinted/implied/argued/shouted that if I had been a private sector employee, I never would have had the career successes that I had. They have always hinted/implied/argued/shouted a) that career advancement in government is much easier than it is in the private sector, but nevertheless, I never earned more than $153, 151/year in today’s dollars notwithstanding the fact that I earned a job-related bachelor’s degree, three job-related master’s degrees, six job-related professional certifications, and a job-related professional license. In my defense, my Democrat superiors in the federal government wasted my career and forced me to retire when I was 49 in 1997. They would not have done that if I had been a Democrat, minority, female, and/or veteran
https://townhall.com/tipsheet/amy-curtis/2025/12/16/jobs-numbers-n2667959
FROM NATIONAL CENTER-LEFT SOURCES
CNN
— Trump condemns antisemitism after Bondi Beach shooting. DD: What percent of those who come to America are antisemites?
https://www.cnn.com/2025/12/16/politics/video/donald-trump-bondi-beach-antisemitism-condemn-vrtc-digvid
ABC NEWS
— Maryland to consider slavery reparations after Gov. Wes Moore’s veto is overridden. DD: In my defense, I have always stressed that while all my ancestors immigrated during the 1840s and 1850s, they always lived in northeast Illinois.
https://abcnews.go.com/US/wireStory/maryland-slavery-reparations-after-gov-wes-moores-veto-128464864
CBS NEWS
— As food insecurity rises in Georgia, a Stone Mountain pet pantry struggles to keep up with growing demand
https://www.cbsnews.com/atlanta/news/as-food-insecurity-rises-in-georgia-a-stone-mountain-pet-pantry-struggles-to-keep-up-with-growing-demand/
ABC SAN FRANCISCO
— Dozens of protesters arrested after chaining themselves in front of San Francisco ICE building. SF’s ICE building cancels appointments; 44 protesters arrested after chaining themselves to entrances. DD: Democrat leaders make it ever-increasingly clear that they will never stop a) flooding America with their illegals and b) fighting their deportation. Democrat leaders have declared a Second Civil War on Republicans. Illegals are soldiers in the Democrat Army.
https://abc7news.com/post/dozens-protesters-faith-communities-block-entrances-san-francisco-ice-building/18292234/
NEW YORK TIMES
— Johnson Rules Out House Vote to Extend Health Insurance Subsidies. DD: Are/were your healthcare insurance premiums subsidized? Ever since I became a part-time postal employee when was 18 in 1966, my critics/opponents have been furious that the federal government has paid 72% of my healthcare insurance premiums. They have been even more furious ever since I got married when I was 29 and the federal government started paying 72% of my wife’s healthcare insurance premiums. That 72% subsidy is a major reason why people despise/hate federal employees, federal retirees, and their spouses. That 72% subsidy helped me withstand tremendous efforts by my Democrat superiors in the federal government to waste my career and to get rid of me.
https://www.nytimes.com/2025/12/16/us/politics/obamacare-subsidies-house.html
— New Yorkers Back Mamdani’s Push for Free Child Care. DD: My Democrat GAO superiors ever-increasingly decried the cost of raising their children. They ever-increasingly punished me for my and my wife giving up trying to have children without trying IVF, our not adopting, and our not becoming foster parents. According to them, if we had children, I would not have been able a) to pass the CPA examination on my first attempt in 1979, b) to earn a master’s degree in accounting in 1980, c) to pass the Certified Internal Auditor examination on my first attempt in 1981, and d) to become a licensed CPA in 1981.
https://www.nytimes.com/2025/12/16/nyregion/mamdani-child-care-poll.html
— DD: To give preference to one demographic is to discriminate against another demographic. To get more votes from those who are the following, Democrat and RINO leaders ever-increasingly give them more preference: minority, female, younger, non-Protestant, non-German American, have ancestors who have not been in America for a long time, and/or are noncitizens. That is, Democrat and RINO leaders ever-increasingly discriminate against those who are White, male, older, Protestant, German American, have ancestors who have been in America for a long time, and/or are citizens of America.
https://www.nytimes.com/2025/12/16/opinion/young-white-men-discrimination.html
— Our Kids Are the Least Flourishing Generation We Know Of. DD: What motivated you when you were young? Did you have the American Dream? I did. That motivated me to earn a job-related bachelor’s degree, three job-related master’s, six job-related professional certifications, and a job-related professional license. But if I was young today, because of my bad demographics, I would not have that motivation because of ever-increasing discrimination against those who share my demographics.
https://www.nytimes.com/2025/04/01/opinion/ezra-klein-podcast-jonathan-haidt.html
LOS ANGELES TIMES
— Texas launches plan to open Turning Point USA chapters in every high school. DD: Who leads Turning Point USA in Illinois, your county, your township, your municipality, and your school district?
https://www.latimes.com/world-nation/story/2025-12-16/texas-launches-plan-to-open-turning-point-usa-chapters-in-every-high-school
MIAMI TIMES
— Without affirmative action, elite colleges are prioritizing economic diversity in admissions. DD: Because Black and Hispanic parents have lower incomes than White parents, colleges use income as a proxy for race.
https://www.miamitimesonline.com/education/without-affirmative-action-elite-colleges-are-prioritizing-economic-diversity-in-admissions/article_9e22ccca-396d-4d8d-82e7-2c6d42613a47.html
USA TODAY
— Mamdani’s NYC win sparks secession talk by Staten Island Republicans
https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/politics/2025/12/17/mamdani-nyc-staten-island-republicans-secession/87340414007/
— Agents are right to file lawsuit against FBI. DD: Because federal courts ruled that my Democrat GAO superiors had the power to force me to retire, that is, that they had the power to fire me, Trump has the power to fire any federal employee he wants to.
https://www.usatoday.com/story/opinion/columnist/2025/12/11/fbi-agents-fired-kneeling-first-amendment-lawsuit/87691940007/
FORBES
— DHS Tells Churches To ‘Get A Grip’ As Nativity Scenes Used To Protest ICE. DD: How strongly have Democrats taken over your church?
https://www.forbes.com/sites/maryroeloffs/2025/12/16/dhs-tells-churches-to-get-a-grip-as-nativity-scenes-used-to-protest-ice/
FAST COMPANY
— DD: If you would ask my Democrat GAO superiors what their greatest successes were, they would include their forcing me to retire when I was 49 years old in 1997 and giving my job and my preferred corner office to my Black subordinate who had less work experience than I had, who had less education than I had, who had one professional certification while I had six, and who had no professional license like the one I had.
https://www.fastcompany.com/91460876/how-trumps-anti-dei-policies-are-hurting-black-workers
ENTREPRENEUR
— McDonald’s CEO Warns That His Career Advice May ‘Hurt Your Feelings.’ In a new Instagram video, Kempczinski urged professionals to take full responsibility for their careers instead of waiting for someone else to give them an opportunity. Kempczinski’s message frames career growth as a personal responsibility, not a passive undertaking. DD: None of my Democrat Post Office superiors urged me to earn a job-related bachelor’s degree. None of my Democrat Firestone Store, IRS, and GAO superiors urged me to earn job-related master’s degrees, job-related professional certifications, or a job-related professional license. In fact, they discouraged me from doing the aforesaid big time. They would not have done that if I had been a Democrat, minority, female, younger, and/or veteran. I should write about that.
https://www.entrepreneur.com/business-news/mcdonalds-ceo-this-career-advice-may-hurt-your-feelings/500931
PROPLE
— DD: How strongly have Democrats taken over your church?
https://people.com/why-churches-taking-stand-anti-ice-nativity-scenes-11864296
UNITED METHODIST NEWS
— In a Nativity scene at Oak Lawn United Methodist Church in Dallas, Mary, Joseph and the baby Jesus are depicted being held in a detention center, as a protest of how immigrants are being treated in the United States. DD: How strongly have Democrats taken over your church?
https://www.umnews.org/en/news/nativity-scenes-art-spotlight-immigration
INSIDE HIGHER EDUCATION
— Turning Point USA’s Student Membership Keeps Growing. DD: Who leads Turning Point USA in Illinois, your county, your township, your municipality, and your school district?
https://www.insidehighered.com/news/quick-takes/2025/12/17/turning-points-student-membership-keeps-growing
FROM FOREIGN SOURCES
ECONOMIC TIMES
— Vance: “Try hiring Americans as states challenge Trump’s $100,000 H-1B visa fee.” DD: All my employers would have hired noncitizens instead of me if they could have.
https://www.msn.com/en-in/money/topstories/jd-vance-says-try-hiring-americans-as-states-challenge-trump-s-100-000-h-1b-visa-fee/ar-AA1SjoUN
PRESS GAZETTE
— Top 50 news websites in the US in November: Ten newsbrands down by over 40% in a year. DD: The mainstream news media is ever-increasingly nothing more than a mouthpiece for the Democrat Party.
https://pressgazette.co.uk/media-audience-and-business-data/media_metrics/most-popular-websites-news-us-monthly-3/
