February 13 Morning Edition

ABC7
— Trump impeachment trial: Senate expected to vote on holding ex-president accountable for Capitol riot – AP
https://abc7chicago.com/politics/final-vote-expected-today-in-trump-impeachment-trial/10336167/
— Impeachment trial: Which Republican senators are seen as possible votes against Trump? All eyes are on Senate Republican leader Mitch McConnell. – AP
https://abc7chicago.com/politics/which-gop-senators-are-seen-as-possible-votes-against-trump/10336265/
— USPS mail delays: Chicago letter carriers union asks for outside help to deliver mail – Mark Rivera
https://abc7chicago.com/10334240/
— Amazon faces biggest union push in its history – AP
(DIERSEN: Overwhelmingly, my critics/opponents are anti-union. They stress to everyone who will listen that I was a union member while I worked for the Post Office 1966-1969 and while I worked for IRS 1971-1980. I worked for GAO 1980-1997. My Democrat GAO superiors were vehemently anti-union. GAO did not unionize until 2007. If GAO had been unionized in 1997, I might still be a GAO employee.)
https://abc7chicago.com/10334304/

NBC5
— Senate Poised to Vote on Holding Trump Accountable for Riot. While it is unlikely the Senate would be able to mount the two-thirds vote needed to convict, several senators appear to be still weighing their vote. – Lisa Mascaro, Eric Tucker and Mary Clare Jalonick
https://www.nbcchicago.com/news/politics/trumps-speedy-impeachment-trial-heads-toward-senate-vote/2437401/

CBS2
— Aurora Store Owner Says Protesters Outside His Store Have Started Following Him; Protesters Say His Mask Policy Of Pulling Mask Down When Buying Age Restricted Products Is Racist – Jermont Terry
https://chicago.cbslocal.com/2021/02/12/aurora-store-owner-says-protesters-outside-his-store-have-started-following-him-protesters-say-his-mask-policy-of-pulling-mask-down-when-buying-age-restricted-products-is-racist/

WBBM
— 3 men arrested in Naperville, charged in Chicago armed carjackings
https://www.radio.com/wbbm780/news/local/3-men-arrested-in-naperville-charged-in-chicago-carjackings

CHICAGO TRIBUNE
— Pritzker trying to address inequities in vaccine distribution as new state data shows stark racial disparities | Census delay could yank Illinois Democrats’ control of state remap – LISA DONOVAN
https://www.chicagotribune.com/politics/ct-pritzker-vaccine-inequity-lightfoot-overtime-remap-census-spin-20210212-lsjx73gnjnag5nze4gss6cferm-story.html
— New Illinois teaching standards will help more students succeed — especially bilingual learners – CRISTINA PACIONE-ZAYAS
(DIERSEN: One reason why I transferred from UIC to NIU in 1969 when I was 20 years old was that I had trouble understanding UIC instructors whose first language was not English.)
https://www.chicagotribune.com/opinion/commentary/ct-opinion-culturally-responsive-teaching-standards-20210212-omicm3kohrg5ncqdfitjzjewai-story.html

SUBURBAN LIFE
— DuPage County reports 136 COVID-19 cases Friday, no deaths, 3.34% of the population fully vaccinated – Joshua Welge
https://www.shawlocal.com/my-suburban-life/coronavirus/2021/02/13/dupage-county-reports-136-covid-19-cases-friday-no-deaths-334-of-the-population-fully-vaccinated/

CENTRAL ILLINOIS PROUD
— ‘Constitutional cancel culture’: Trump’s defense team decries impeachment trial as divisive, unconstitutional – Kellie Meyer
https://www.centralillinoisproud.com/washington/washington-dc/constitutional-cancel-culture-trumps-defense-team-decries-impeachment-trial-as-divisive-unconstitutional/

CAPITOL NEWS ILLINOIS
— Interview: House GOP Leader Jim Durkin
https://soundcloud.com/user-592090129-621623053/interview-house-gop-leader-jim-durkin

ILLINOIS OPPORTUNITY PROJECT
— Failing To Prioritize What’s Important
https://www.illinoisopportunity.org/behind-the-scenes-in-springfield/

WIREPOINTS
— Facebook Live town hall meeting on “Culturally Responsive Teaching and Learning Standards” – Wirepoints attends town hall with 6 State Representatives
https://wirepoints.org/facebook-live-town-hall-meeting-on-culturally-responsive-teaching-and-learning-standards-wirepoints-attends-town-hall-with-6-state-representatives/

MCHENRY COUNTY BLOG
— Senator Don DeWitte Introduces Five Bills
http://mchenrycountyblog.com/2021/02/12/senator-don-dewitte-introduces-five-bills/
— Suzanne Ness Introduces Her First Bill
http://mchenrycountyblog.com/2021/02/12/suzanne-introduces-her-first-bill/
— Steve Reick Offers Five Bills for Consideration
http://mchenrycountyblog.com/2021/02/12/steve-reick-offers-five-bills-for-consideration/
— Prying the Transportation Lockbox Open?
http://mchenrycountyblog.com/2021/02/12/prying-the-transportation-lockbox-open/
— McLaughlin Introduces First Bill
http://mchenrycountyblog.com/2021/02/12/mclaughlin-introduces-first-bill/
— IL-16: Adam Kinzinger to be Challenged Again by James Marter *UPDATED*
http://mchenrycountyblog.com/2021/02/11/marter021121/
— Senator Don McConchie’s One Bill Addresses Gubernatorial Emergency Disaster Declarations
http://mchenrycountyblog.com/2021/02/11/senator-don-mcconchies-one-bill-addresses-gubernatorial-emergency-disaster-declarations/
— Springfield U.S. Attorney Resigns after President’s Request
http://mchenrycountyblog.com/2021/02/11/springfield-u-s-attorney-resigns-after-presidents-request/
— Detailed Census Data Now Delayed to September 30 – Official Statement
http://mchenrycountyblog.com/2021/02/12/census021221/

WASHINGTON TIMES
— Trump’s lawyer says Hillary Clinton could be impeached under new precedent – Alex Swoyer and Dave Boyer
https://www.washingtontimes.com/news/2021/feb/12/trumps-lawyer-says-hillary-clinton-could-be-impeac/
— A deal for impeachment Washington Democrats found their own fannies sizzling in the fire – Charles Hurt
https://www.washingtontimes.com/news/2021/feb/12/a-deal-for-impeachment/

WASHINGTON FREE BEACON
— Union or Woke Activist Group? New York Times Employees Raise Questions About Guild’s Role in Recent Dismissals – Aaron Sibarium
https://freebeacon.com/media/union-or-woke-activist-group-new-york-times-employees-raise-questions-about-guilds-role-in-recent-dismissals/
(FROM THE ARTICLE: “Journalists are not expendable,” the New York Times Guild declared in July. “Employers are attempting to undermine our collective strength and security.” But not every member of the Guild believes the union is practicing what it preaches. The union’s handling of star science reporter Donald McNeil’s recent “resignation,” according to several current and former Times staffers, is the latest indication that the Guild has been hijacked by a group of woke activists that is not only reluctant to defend unpopular members—but which frequently pressures management to fire them. “The people I’m supposed to go to if I have a problem with management are the same ones who might try to get me fired,” one union member told the Washington Free Beacon. “The union is the last place I would go for support.” It seems counterintuitive for a union, designed explicitly to protect workers and ensure managers do not apply standards capriciously, to weigh in against its own members. The Guild has done so by exploiting provisions in U.S. labor law that protect workers who voice concerns about workplace “safety” — and which help unions force out those who “harm” that safety.)

BREITBART
— Joe Biden Still Dismantling Trump’s Border Security Measures: 25,000 Migrants Being Brought into U.S. – PENNY STARR
https://www.breitbart.com/politics/2021/02/12/joe-biden-dismantling-trumps-border-security-measures-25000-migrants-being-brought-u-s/

DAILY CALLER
— ‘Impeachment Is Just The Beginning’: Legal Analyst Predicts Criminal Charges For Trump – MARY ROSE CORKERY
https://dailycaller.com/2021/02/12/impeachment-beginning-legal-analyst-predicts-criminal-charges-trump/

TOWNHALL
— GOP Senator: Mr. Biden, You’re Creating a COVID Nightmare By Allowing Hordes of Illegals To Enter the Country – Matt Vespa
https://townhall.com/tipsheet/mattvespa/2021/02/12/gop-senator-mr-biden-youre-creating-a-covid-nightmare-by-allowing-hordes-of-i-n2584678

ONE NEWS NOW
— Peter LaBarbera: The left can’t be trusted with kids – Charlie Butts
https://onenewsnow.com/science-tech/2021/02/12/labarbera-the-left-cant-be-trusted-with-kids

ONE AMERICA NEWS NETWORK
— Rep. Raskin Falsely Claims Trump Supporters Took Part In Church Burning
https://www.oann.com/rep-raskin-falsely-claims-trump-supporters-took-part-in-church-burning/

LIFE SITE NEWS
— Married Americans more likely to vote Republican – Brad Wilcox
https://www.lifesitenews.com/opinion/researcher-finds-married-americans-more-likely-to-vote-republican

EPOCH TIMES
— Trump ‘Plans to Stay in the Arena,’ Says Former White House Chief of Staff – JACK PHILLIPS
https://www.theepochtimes.com/trump-plans-to-stay-in-the-arena-says-former-white-house-chief-of-staff_3694700.html

THE HILL
— Groups call for YouTube boycott over Trump channel – CAMERON JENKINS
https://thehill.com/homenews/media/538584-civil-rights-groups-organize-boycott-demanding-google-remove-trump-youtube

REUTERS
— DIERSEN HEADLINE: A hate-filled Trump-hating Trump-hater says “Republican enthusiasm for second Trump term lags as impeachment trial nears end.”
https://www.reuters.com/article/us-usa-trump-impeachment-republicans-idUSKBN2AC2L6

NBC NEWS
— Trump impeachment trial live updates: Democrats, defense move toward closing arguments
https://www.nbcnews.com/politics/donald-trump/live-blog/2021-02-13-trump-impeachment-trial-live-updates-n1257801
— Trump’s impeachment trial is Democrats’ effort to prevent people from voting for him again. But Congress shouldn’t have the power to decide which private citizens can run for president. – Justin Clark
https://www.nbcnews.com/think/opinion/trump-s-impeachment-trial-democrats-effort-prevent-people-voting-him-ncna1257645

YAHOO NEWS
— DIERSEN HEADLINE: Hate-filled Republican-hating teachers promote hatred against Republicans.
https://news.yahoo.com/educators-against-bigotry-racism-schools-232037474.html

WASHINGTON POST
— Trump lawyers hit impeachment trial as politically motivated ‘hatred’ – Seung Min Kim, Mike DeBonis and Ann E. Marimow
https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/senate-impeachment-trial-trump/2021/02/12/8f53ceb4-6d3a-11eb-9f80-3d7646ce1bc0_story.html
— Lincoln Project co-founder Steve Schmidt resigns from the board amid crisis – David Weigel
https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/lincoln-project-deleted-tweet/2021/02/12/aaf5e036-6d7f-11eb-ba56-d7e2c8defa31_story.html
— Microsoft takes aim at Google and Facebook with call for new U.S. media rules – Cat Zakrzewski
https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/2021/02/12/technology-202-microsoft-takes-aim-google-facebook-with-call-new-us-media-rules/

NEW YORK POST
— Microsoft says Google and Facebook should pay publishers for news – Keith J. Kelly
(DIERSEN: My GOPUSA ILLINOIS newsletters drive lots of traffic to paywalled websites operated by my paywalled critics/opponents. Nevertheless, my paywalled critics/opponents want me to pay lots of money for the right to drive traffic to their paywalled websites. I pay many thousands of dollars each and every year for internet services to put together and send out the newsletters. For home delivery and website access, I pay the New York Times $1,040/year, Wall Street Journal $540/year, Crain’s Chicago Business $500/year, Chicago Tribune $364/year, Chicago Sun-Times $240/year, Daily Herald $192/year, Naperville Sun $192/year, USA TODAY $180/year, and Suburban Life $39/year for a total of $3,287/year plus many dollars to many others. Last year, I spent $5,982 for newspapers and internet access.)
https://nypost.com/2021/02/12/microsoft-says-google-and-facebook-should-pay-publishers-for-news/

USA TODAY
— DIERSEN HEADLINE: Hate-filled Trump-hating Trump-haters say “Convict Donald Trump and banish the 45th president from American democracy.”
https://www.usatoday.com/story/opinion/todaysdebate/2021/02/12/convict-donald-trump-banish-45th-president-democracy-editorials-debates/6723497002/

NEWSWEEK
— Adam Kinzinger Blasts Nikki Haley, Says She Can’t Play Both Sides, After She Breaks With Trump – MATTHEW IMPELLI
https://www.newsweek.com/adam-kinzinger-blasts-nikki-haley-says-she-cant-play-both-sides-after-she-breaks-trump-1568957

WALL STREET JOURNAL
— Trump Impeachment Trial Live Updates: Closing Arguments Senators Could Vote as Early as Today on Whether to Convict
https://www.wsj.com/livecoverage/trump-second-impeachment-trial-2021-02-13
— How Equality Lost to ‘Equity’ Civil-rights advocates abandon the old ideal for the new term, which ‘has no meaning’ and promises no progress but makes it easy to impute bigotry, says Shelby Steele. – Tunku Varadarajan
https://www.wsj.com/articles/how-equality-lost-to-equity-11613155938
— The Times Is Changing, Badly Editors and managers at a great newspaper gather around Twitter to find out what they think. – Holman W. Jenkins, Jr.
https://www.wsj.com/articles/the-times-is-changing-badly-11613170637
— How to Quiet the Megaphones of Facebook, Google and Twitter – Barak Richman and Francis Fukuyama
https://www.wsj.com/articles/how-to-quiet-the-megaphones-of-facebook-google-and-twitter-11613068856
— How Congress Might Upend Section 230, the Law Big Tech Is Built On. Lawmakers have sweeping plans to change the foundational covenant between the government and internet platforms. Some experts are cheering, others are wondering if they’ll be burning down the internet rather than saving it. – Christopher Mims
https://www.wsj.com/articles/how-congress-might-upend-section-230-the-internet-law-big-tech-is-built-on-11613172368

FORTUNE
— Business’s social goals are not a passing political play – ALAN MURRAY AND DAVID MEYER
(DIERSEN: What goals do your critics/opponents have for 2021? Goals that my critics/opponents have for 2021 include a) stopping me from sending out GOPUSA ILLINOIS newsletters, but failing that, to stop everyone from reading those newsletters, b) getting me to resign as a Republican Precinct Committeeman, but failing that, getting a registered Republican in my precinct to run against me, c) getting the Illinois Republican Party (IRP) to officially strike the traditional marriage/family, right to life, immigration, and Second Amendment planks in tits platform, d) getting the IRP to officially promote LGBTQ, abortion, mass/ illegal immigration, abolition of the First and Second Amendments, booze, gambling, pot, and other vices, patronage, political affiliation discrimination, reverse discrimination, and age discrimination, e) getting Wheaton to officially banish all of its residents, businesses, organizations, etc. that do not promote BLM and LGBTQ, and f) getting the IRP, DuPage County Republican Central Committee, and Milton Township Republican Organization to officially banish conservatives, that this, to officially banish Republicans, that is, to officially abolish the Republican Party in Illinois, DuPage County, Milton Township, and Wheaton. Will my critics/opponents succeed in getting Kinzinger to officially serve as their leader?)
https://fortune.com/2021/02/08/business-social-goals-are-not-a-passing-political-play-ceo-daily/

BUSINESS INSIDER
— The Republican Party schism may end up tearing GOP leadership from the House and Senate apart – Kelsey Vlamis
https://www.businessinsider.com/republican-party-schism-tear-gop-house-and-senate-leadership-apart-2021-2

NEW YORK MAGAZINE
— DIERSEN HEADLINE: A hate-filled Trump-hating Trump-hater says “What Trump’s Lawyers Mean by Constitutional Cancel Culture.”
https://nymag.com/intelligencer/2021/02/what-trumps-lawyers-mean-by-constitutional-cancel-culture.html

FORD AUTHORITY
— Demand For Armored Ford Ranger In South Africa Is Strong So Far – Brett Foote
(DIERSEN: When Democrats move in, poverty and crime increase. Are Democrats moving in where you live? How soon will you buy an armored vehicle for your self-defense?)
https://fordauthority.com/2021/02/demand-for-armored-ford-ranger-in-south-africa-is-strong-so-far/

HARVARD BUSINESS SCHOOL
— Time, Money, and Subjective Well-Being – Cassie Mogilner, Ashley Whillans, Michael I. Norton
(DIERSEN: What do you do with your discretionary time and with your discretionary money? I spend 10+ hours each and every day and thousands of dollars each and every year putting together and sending out a GOPUSA ILLINOIS newsletter each and every morning and each and every evening. I should write a book about those who work the hardest a) to stop me from doing the aforesaid and b) to stop everyone form reading the aforesaid newsletters. I pay many thousands of dollars each and every year for internet services to put together and send out the newsletters. For home delivery and website access, I pay the New York Times $1,040/year, Wall Street Journal $540/year, Crain’s Chicago Business $500/year, Chicago Tribune $364/year, Chicago Sun-Times $240/year, Daily Herald $192/year, Naperville Sun $192/year, USA TODAY $180/year, and Suburban Life $39/year for a total of $3,287/year plus many dollars to many others. Last year, I spent $5,982 for newspapers and internet access.)
https://www.hbs.edu/ris/Publication%20Files/Time,%20Money,%20and%20Subjective%20Well-Being_cb363d54-6410-4049-9cf5-9d7b3bc94bcb.pdf

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.