February 17, 2025 Evening Edition

FROM ILLINOIS CENTER-LEFT SOURCES

ABC7
— Durbin, others in Chicago push back on proposed federal budget cuts to Medicaid. Illinois Democratic Congressional Delegation promise to stand up to Trump administration.
https://abc7chicago.com/post/sen-dick-durbin-joins-citizen-action-aids-foundation-chicago-push-back-proposed-federal-budget-cuts-medicaid/15921887/
— Mexico threatens to sue Google over Gulf of Mexico name change
https://abc7chicago.com/post/mexico-threatens-sue-google-company-continues-label-us-maps-gulf-america-entire-body-water/15921876/

WGN9
— Democrat leaders ever-increasingly promote their protests against Trump
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=luDPZki4H5Q

FOX32
— Democratic Illinois members of Congress blast Trump budget cuts
https://www.fox32chicago.com/video/1594551

WTTW
— Illinois Legislative, Labor Leaders Speak Out Against Trump Budget Cuts
https://news.wttw.com/2025/02/17/illinois-legislative-labor-leaders-speak-out-against-trump-budget-cuts
— Durbin, University Leaders Push Back on Trump’s Efforts to Cut Medical Research Funding
https://news.wttw.com/2025/02/17/sen-dick-durbin-university-leaders-push-back-trump-s-efforts-cut-medical-research

CHICAGO TRIBUNE
— ‘No kings on Presidents Day’ rings out from protests against Trump and Musk
https://www.chicagotribune.com/2025/02/17/trump-musk-protests/
— Illinois secession bill passes out of Indiana committee, but even supporters aren’t totally on board
https://www.chicagotribune.com/2025/02/17/illinois-secession-bill-passes-out-of-indiana-committee-but-even-supporters-arent-totally-on-board/
— Mexico awaits new response from Google on dispute over Gulf of Mexico name before filing lawsuit
https://www.chicagotribune.com/2025/02/17/mexico-google-gulf-of-mexico/

DAILY HERALD
— Musk’s DOGE seeks access to personal taxpayer data, raising alarm at IRS
https://www.dailyherald.com/20250217/nation-and-world-politics/musks-doge-seeks-access-to-personal-taxpayer-data-raising-alarm-at-irs/
— Democrat and RINO leaders ever-increasingly a) glorify and praise illegals and b) demonize, denigrate, and condemn Republicans.
https://www.dailyherald.com/20250217/letters-to-the-editor/save-immigrants-who-are-kind-hard-working/

SPRINGFIELD STATE JOURNAL REGISTER & OUR QUAD CITIES & DAILY EGYPTIAN
— Democrat leaders ever-increasingly promote their protests against Trump
https://www.sj-r.com/story/news/state/2025/02/17/illinois-protestors-rally-at-state-capitol-against-president-trump/78992981007/
https://www.sj-r.com/picture-gallery/news/2025/02/17/protestors-rally-against-president-trump-for-second-time-in-illinois/78997988007/
https://www.yahoo.com/news/illinois-protestors-rally-state-capitol-230718017.html
https://www.ourquadcities.com/news/local-news/illinois-advocates-speak-out-against-federal-cuts/
https://dailyegyptian.com/120456/news/carbondale-endures-cold-to-protest-trump-musk-on-presidents-day/

SOUTHERN
— Trump is the only person who can force Putin to the table
https://southernillinoisnow.com/2025/02/17/gop-sen-mullin-trump-is-the-only-person-who-can-force-putin-to-the-table/

CHAMPAIGN/URBANA NEWS GAZETTE
— Don’t believe ‘incredible’ claims about Illinois schools
https://www.news-gazette.com/opinion/mark-glennon-dont-believe-incredible-claims-about-illinois-schools/article_ea37a3f4-ea14-11ef-9b08-173768ebbab5.html

STATELINE
— Indiana bill to ‘adopt’ Illinois counties advances in House
https://www.mystateline.com/news/local-news/indiana-bill-to-adopt-illinois-counties-advances-in-house/

STATELINE & ADVANTAGE NEWS & WQRF
— 2.4 million voted for Trump in Illinois
https://www.mystateline.com/news/pritzker-majority-of-illinois-residents-dont-support-trump/
https://www.advantagenews.com/news/local/pritzker-says-trump-may-be-popular-nationwide-but-not-in-illinois/article_8724d48c-eb11-11ef-a176-efe4e140ec9e.html
https://www.yahoo.com/news/jb-pritzker-says-donald-trump-201600367.html

NPR ILLINOIS
— GAO official says fraud does exist, but it’s not widespread
https://www.nprillinois.org/2025-02-16/government-accountability-official-says-fraud-does-exist-but-its-not-widespread

WAND TV
— Durbin, Kelly join Citizen Action Illinois in fight against Trump budget cuts to Medicaid, SNAP
https://www.wandtv.com/news/statehouse/durbin-kelly-join-citizen-action-illinois-in-fight-against-trump-budget-cuts-to-medicaid-snap/article_fa0cd2ec-ed78-11ef-b7d9-477fd3841f09.html

CAPITOL NEWS ILLINOIS
— Second ‘50501’ protest held outside Illinois Capitol. Protestors take aim at Trump, call for “No Kings on President’s Day.”
https://capitolnewsillinois.com/news/second-50501-protest-held-outside-illinois-capitol/

FROM ILLINOIS CENTER-RIGHT SOURCES

WIREPOINTS
— With the border closed, will Illinois finally cut spending on illegal immigrants?
https://wirepoints.org/with-the-border-finally-closed-when-will-illinois-stop-spending-on-illegal-immigrants-wirepoints-quickpoint/

MCHENRY COUNTY BLOG
— Integrity Team Seeks to Defeat Algonquin Township Supervisor Randy Funk’s Slate
https://www.mchenrycountyblog.com/2025/02/17/integrity-team-seeks-to-defeat-algonquin-township-supervisor-randy-funks-slate/
— Former Co-Chair of Republican National Committee Headlining Joe Tirio Fundraiser on February 21st
https://www.mchenrycountyblog.com/2025/02/17/former-co-chair-of-republican-national-committee-headlining-joe-tirio-fundraiser-on-february-21st/
— Resident Criticizes McHenry Mayor Wayne Jett’s Stewardship
https://www.mchenrycountyblog.com/2025/02/17/resident-criticizes-mchenry-mayor-wayne-jetts-stewardship/
— Is McHenry County Administrator’s Pending 5.3% Raise a Signal That All Non-Union Employees Will Receive the Same?
https://www.mchenrycountyblog.com/2025/02/16/is-mchenry-county-administrators-pending-5-3-raise-a-signal-that-all-non-union-employees-will-receive-the-same/

ILLINOIS POLICY INSTITUTE
— Bill introduced to again try for progressive income tax in Illinois
https://www.illinoispolicy.org/bill-introduced-to-again-try-for-progressive-income-tax-in-illinois/

FROM NATIONAL CENTER-RIGHT SOURCES

WASHINGTON TIMES
— Democrats protest as Trump’s DOGE squad exposes federal waste. Discoveries of misspent millions reveal a pattern of unauthorized funding to partisan causes.
https://www.washingtontimes.com/news/2025/feb/17/democrats-protest-trump-doge-squad-exposes-federal/
— DOGE seeks access to IRS system with taxpayers’ financial data
https://www.washingtontimes.com/news/2025/feb/17/doge-seeks-access-irs-system-taxpayers-financial-d/
— White House hits back on Democrats’ criticism of DOGE actions
https://www.washingtontimes.com/news/2025/feb/17/white-house-hits-back-democrats-criticism-doge-act/
— FAA’s new air traffic control towers go ‘green’ instead of the latest safe tech
https://www.washingtontimes.com/news/2025/feb/17/faa-new-air-traffic-control-towers-go-green-instea/
— Vance calls for U.S. and its allies to reject Germany’s ‘Orwellian’ speech laws (COMMENT: My critics/opponents hate the First Amendment. They want to stop me from sending out GOPUSA ILLINOIS newsletters. Failing that, they want to stop everyone from reading them. Failing that, they have their operatives and their dupes take big adverse actions against me. I should write about my critics/opponents.)
https://www.washingtontimes.com/news/2025/feb/17/j-d-vance-calls-u-allies-reject-germany-orwellian-/
— Trump’s immigration crackdown protects Hispanic communities
https://www.washingtontimes.com/news/2025/feb/17/trump-immigration-crackdown-protects-hispanic-comm/

WASHINGTON EXAMINER
— Everything you need to know about this year’s CPAC
https://www.washingtonexaminer.com/news/3319947/everything-you-need-to-know-about-cpac-this-year/
— Losing the race: Crass identity politics isn’t what it used to be for Democrats
https://www.washingtonexaminer.com/premium/3311358/losing-race-crass-identity-politics-not-what-it-used-to-be-democrats/

NEW YORK POST
— Homan vows to ‘eradicate’ every criminal migrant from US — as he touts staggering drop in daily encounters
https://nypost.com/2025/02/17/us-news/border-czar-tom-homan-vows-to-eradicate-every-criminal-migrant-from-us/
— Wall Street banks scrub DEI language from websites in latest retreat from corporate wokeness
https://nypost.com/2025/02/17/business/wall-street-banks-scrub-dei-language-in-retreat-from-wokeness/
— DOGE discovers $4.7 trillion in Treasury payments were missing critical code: ‘Traceability almost impossible’
https://nypost.com/2025/02/17/us-news/doge-discovers-4-7-trillion-in-treasury-payments-were-missing-critical-code/
— Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth says Biden’s IRS targeted him for an audit (DIERSEN: I should write about my Democrat IRS superiors who disallowed my education deductions in 1978.)
https://nypost.com/2025/02/17/us-news/defense-secretary-pete-hegseth-says-bidens-irs-targeted-him-for-an-audit/
— Riots and hijackings — why ICE cuffs and shackles some deportees
https://nypost.com/2025/02/17/opinion/riots-and-hijackings-why-ice-cuffs-and-shackles-some-deportees/
— Dems far outnumber conservatives in government — here’s what department is the worst (COMMENT: While I worked for the Democrats who ran the federal government for almost 30 years, virtually all my superiors, supervisors, coworkers, and subordinates were Democrats. I should write about Democrat superiors and supervisors who hated Republicans the most.)
https://nypost.com/2025/02/17/opinion/dems-far-outnumber-conservatives-in-government-heres-what-department-is-the-worst/

AMERICAN GREATNESS
— Pete Hegseth Says Biden’s IRS Targeted Him With ‘Sham’ Audit on Their Way Out the Door (DIERSEN: I should write about my Democrat IRS superiors who disallowed my education deductions in 1978.)
https://amgreatness.com/2025/02/17/pete-hegseth-says-bidens-irs-targeted-him-with-sham-audit-on-their-way-out-the-door/

AMERICAN THINKER
— Memo suggests the City of San Diego’s government is loaded with illegals
https://www.americanthinker.com/blog/2025/02/memo_suggests_the_city_of_san_diego_s_government_is_loaded_with_illegals.html

BREITBART
— Homan Says Illegal Daily Encounters Down to 229 from 11,000
https://www.breitbart.com/immigration/2025/02/17/nolte-border-czar-tom-homan-says-illegal-daily-encounters-down-to-229-from-11000/

CHRISTIAN POST
— Lesbian pastor blasphemes Jesus as drag queen at council meeting
https://www.christianpost.com/news/lesbian-pastor-blasphemes-jesus-as-drag-queen-at-council-meeting.html

FOX NEWS
— Obama library, begun with lofty DEI goals, now plagued by $40M racially charged suit, ballooning costs. The Black-owned firm claims it was accused of underperforming in the project because of race.
https://www.foxnews.com/us/obama-center-subcontractor-hired-under-dei-initiative-now-suing-40m-racial-discrimination-lawsuit

NATIONAL REVIEW
— Education Department Ends $600 Million in Grants for DEI, Critical Race Theory Trainings
https://www.nationalreview.com/news/education-department-ends-600-million-in-grants-for-dei-critical-race-theory-trainings/

NEWSMAX
— Big Banks Cutting DEI to Avoid Federal Scrutiny
https://www.newsmax.com/newsfront/dei-division-inequity/2025/02/17/id/1199374/
— GOP Rep Introduces Proposal to End Asylum for Criminals
https://www.newsmax.com/newsfront/illegal-alien-criminals/2025/02/17/id/1199423/

TOWNHALL
— Illinois state Rep. John Cabello (R) Wants to Create a DOGE for His State
https://townhall.com/tipsheet/madelineleesman/2025/02/17/a-republican-lawmaker-in-illinois-wants-to-create-a-state-doge-agency-n2652334

FROM NATIONAL CENTER-LEFT SOURCES

THE HILL
— DOGE sets up IRS, SEC accounts on X
https://thehill.com/policy/technology/5149582-doeg-irs-sec-x-accounts/
— Musk divides GOP
https://thehill.com/newsletters/technology/5149945-musk-divides-gop/
— Musk is coming for your Social Security
https://thehill.com/opinion/5148448-elon-musk-targeting-social-security/

MSN
— NAACP spending guide urges Black Americans to avoid companies that dumped DEI
https://www.msn.com/en-us/money/other/naacp-spending-guide-urges-black-americans-to-avoid-companies-that-dumped-dei/ar-AA1zdVIs

CBS NEWS
— Trump’s firings of independent agency heads put 90-year-old Supreme Court precedent in crosshairs
https://www.cbsnews.com/news/trump-firings-agencies-boards-supreme-court-precedent/

NEW YORK TIMES
— Education Dept. Gives Schools Two Weeks to Eliminate Race-Based Programs. The department’s Office for Civil Rights warned that it would penalize schools that consider race in scholarships, hiring and an array of other activities.
https://www.nytimes.com/2025/02/17/us/politics/education-dept-race-based-programs.html

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.