FROM ILLINOIS CENTER-LEFT SOURCES
ABC7
— Senate confirms Pam Bondi as US attorney general
https://abc7chicago.com/post/senate-confirms-pam-bondi-us-attorney-general-putting-trump-ally-justice-departments-helm/15866274/
— Musk is serving as a ‘special government employee,’ White House says. That designation means Musk is not a volunteer but also not a full-time federal employee.
https://abc7chicago.com/post/elon-musk-is-officially-serving-president-donald-trump-special-government-employee-white-house-says/15864075/
— Senate Republicans insist Elon Musk isn’t in charge after whirlwind actions
https://abc7chicago.com/post/senate-republicans-insist-elon-musk-isnt-charge-whirlwind-actions/15865279/
— Trump says US will take ‘take over’ Gaza: ‘We’ll own it’ He said the U.S. would “level the site” and create “an economic development.”
https://abc7chicago.com/post/donald-trump-benjamin-netanyahu-hold-talks-us-president-warns-no-guarantees-fragile-peace-gaza-will/15863738/
— Chicago US Attorneys Office at critical juncture with caseload pile-up, new Trump directives
https://abc7chicago.com/post/chicago-us-attorneys-office-critical-juncture-caseload-pile-trump-administration-chaos/15866230/
— First military flight to send migrants to Guantanamo Bay is set to depart
https://abc7chicago.com/post/guantanamo-bay-first-military-flight-send-migrants-is-set-depart-official-says/15865004/
WTTW
— El Salvador Offers to Accept Deportees From US of Any Nationality, Including American Citizens
https://news.wttw.com/2025/02/04/el-salvador-offers-accept-deportees-us-any-nationality-including-american-citizens
WGN RADIO
— 18 House GOP lawmakers back Trump’s birthright citizenship order in court
https://wgnradio.com/news/18-house-gop-lawmakers-back-trumps-birthright-citizenship-order-in-court/
WBBM
— Illinois Republicans say illegal immigration remains a crisis, point the finger at Democrats
https://www.audacy.com/wbbm780/news/local/illinois-republicans-say-illegal-immigration-remains-crisis
CHICAGO TRIBUNE
— Marco Rubio says El Salvador’s offer to jail violent American criminals faces ‘legalities’
https://www.chicagotribune.com/2025/02/04/marco-rubio-el-salvador/
— Alderman told to leave City Council meeting after he appeared to call colleague a white supremacist
https://www.chicagotribune.com/2025/02/04/alderman-told-to-leave-city-council-meeting-white-supremacist/
— Once-obscure Bolingbrook company WeatherTech has wild ride with its 13th Super Bowl ad
https://www.chicagotribune.com/2025/02/04/weathertech-super-bowl-ad/
CHICAGO SUN-TIMES
— ‘White supremacist’ remark sparks City Council member’s ouster from hearing on public art dubbed antisemitic. Ald. Byron Sigcho-Lopez was ejected from the meeting of the Special Events Committee by the normally affable chair, Ald. Nick Sposato: “You can’t call anybody a white supremacist. You gotta go,” Sposato said. “We’re not gonna take that.”
https://chicago.suntimes.com/city-hall/2025/02/04/city-council-public-artwork-committee-hearing-cultural-center-conway-sigcho-lopez
— Democrat leaders ever-increasingly encourage citizens of foreign countries to seek refugee status in America.
https://chicago.suntimes.com/other-views/2025/02/04/trump-targeting-legal-refugees-political-persecution-state-rep-hoan-huynh
DAILY HERALD
— Democrats confront limits of their power in bid to stop Trump and Musk
https://www.dailyherald.com/20250204/nation-and-world-politics/democrats-confront-limits-of-their-power-in-bid-to-stop-trump-and-musk/
SOUTHERN
— Why shutting down USAID could have major impacts on Gaza aid
https://southernillinoisnow.com/2025/02/04/why-shutting-down-usaid-could-have-major-impacts-on-gaza-aid/
RIVER BENDER & WSIU
— Pritzker and Illinois Department of Revenue Encourage Taxpayers to Take Advantage of Tax Credits (COMMENT: My father never earned more than $50,000/years in today’s dollars.)
https://www.riverbender.com/news/details/governor-pritzker-and-illinois-department-of-revenue-encourage-taxpayers-to-take-advantage-of-tax-credits-79395.cfm?
https://www.wsiu.org/community-updates/2025-02-04/governor-pritzker-and-illinois-department-of-revenue-encourage-taxpayers-to-take-advantage-of-tax-credits
(FROM THE ARTICLE: The Illinois Earned Income Tax Credit (EITC) is a benefit for working people with low to moderate income. To claim an Illinois EITC for tax year 2024 (tax returns due in 2025), taxpayers must file an Illinois income tax return, even if they do not owe any tax and are not required to file and: have worked and earned income under $66,819)
WAND TV
— Illinois House Republicans demand Pritzker cut migrant services
https://www.wandtv.com/community/illinois-house-republicans-demand-pritzker-cut-migrant-services/article_5b09c71a-e330-11ef-a749-8bd800e65ff7.html
NORTHERN PUBLIC RADIO
— How much do Illinois school districts rely on federal funding?
https://www.northernpublicradio.org/wnij-news/2025-02-04/how-much-do-illinois-school-districts-rely-on-federal-funding
— Musk and Trump aim to shut down USAID, leaving humanitarian work in doubt
https://www.northernpublicradio.org/2025-02-03/musk-and-trump-aim-to-shut-down-usaid-leaving-humanitarian-work-in-doubt
FOX ILLINOIS
— Border Patrol agents warned cartels might attack with weaponized drones
https://foxillinois.com/news/nation-world/border-patrol-agents-warned-cartels-might-attack-with-weaponized-drones-reports-southern-border-security-cbp-arizona-mexican-drug-cartels-trump-illegal-immigration-crackdown
NPR ILLINOIS
— Trump administration adds fine print to ‘Fork’ resignation offer, deepening confusion
https://www.nprillinois.org/2025-02-04/trump-administration-adds-fine-print-to-fork-resignation-offer-deepening-confusion
CENTRAL ILLINOIS PROUD
— Will Trump’s federal hiring freeze affect IRS tax returns? (COMMENT: While I worked for the Democrats who ran GAO 1980-1997, the agency was almost always under Republican-imposed hiring freezes and/or promotion freezes. My Democrat superiors punished me big time for that.)
https://www.centralillinoisproud.com/news/national/will-trumps-federal-hiring-freeze-affect-irs-tax-returns/
NAPERVILLE PATCH
— OUTRAGEOUS, DISGUSTING: Democrats push pot in Warrenville
https://patch.com/illinois/naperville/prairie-cannabis-host-grand-opening-naperville-warrenville-area
ELMHURST PATCH
— Elmhurst D205 Hopeful Opposes DEI; Others Back It. Critical race theory also becomes a topic during an Elmhurst election forum. (COMMENT: To promote DEI is to promote discrimination against those who are conservative, Republican, American, White, male, older, non-poor, Protestant, German American, and/or have ancestors who have been in America for a long time. I am all of the aforesaid. My critics/opponents promote DEI.)
https://patch.com/illinois/elmhurst/elmhurst-d205-hopeful-opposes-dei-others-back-it
IPM NEWS
— Dozens protest on the streets of Champaign for the rights of transgender people
https://ipmnewsroom.org/dozens-protest-on-the-streets-of-champaign-for-the-rights-of-transgender-people/
CAPITOL NEWS ILLINOIS
— New bills would ban school fines, provide working moms paid time to breastfeed (COMMENT: During the 1990s, GAO’s Chicago office gutted its smoking room and turned it into a lactation room.)
https://capitolnewsillinois.com/news/new-bills-would-ban-school-fines-provide-working-moms-paid-time-to-breastfeed/
CAPITOL FAX
— Afternoon roundup
https://capitolfax.com/2025/02/04/isabel%e2%80%99s-afternoon-roundup-242/
FROM ILLINOIS CENTER-RIGHT SOURCES
CENTER SQUARE ILLINOIS
— House Republicans say immigration affecting Illinoisans’ finances, safety
https://www.thecentersquare.com/illinois/article_2d613c70-e336-11ef-a1a2-cb40670ac798.html
MCHENRY COUNTY BLOG
— Sosnowski Takes on Teeny-Tiny Township Governments
https://www.mchenrycountyblog.com/2025/02/04/sosnowski-takes-on-teeny-tiny-township-governments/
— Nunda Township Road Commissioner Mike Lesperance Issues Press Release on Charges from Opponent Ron Parish
https://www.mchenrycountyblog.com/2025/02/04/nunda-township-road-commissioner-mike-lesperance-issues-press-release-on-charges-from-opponent-ron-parish/
— County Administrator Peter Austin Set for Contract Extension into 2029, Salary Up $39,000 to $250,000
https://www.mchenrycountyblog.com/2025/02/04/county-administrator-peter-austin-set-for-contract-extension-into-2029-salary-up-39000-to-250000/
— Ness Proposes Legislation to Allowed Those Unrelated to Live Together, Overriding Local Zoning Ordinances
https://www.mchenrycountyblog.com/2025/02/04/ness-proposes-legislation-to-allowed-those-unrelates-to-live-together-overriding-local-zoning-ordinances/
FROM NATIONAL CENTER-RIGHT SOURCES
WASHINGTON TIMES
— More than 20,000 federal workers accept Trump’s buyout offer, with ‘largest spike’ yet to come
https://www.washingtontimes.com/news/2025/feb/4/20-000-federal-workers-accept-trump-buyout-offer-l/
(FROM THE ARTICLE: More than 20,000 workers would amount to roughly 1% of the two million federal workers. That remains below the 5% to 10% of federal workers the White House initially estimated would resign. The White House says the buyout offer would save the government $100 billion.)
— Illegal immigrant used stolen ID to vote, buy guns while hiding in Florida
https://www.washingtontimes.com/news/2025/feb/4/illegal-immigrant-voted-owned-guns-feds/
BIZ PAC REVIEW
— Harboring illegals could mean decades in jail; Homan responds to blue state dem’s ‘come and get her’ challenge (COMMENT: Democrat leaders ever-increasingly analogize illegals to fugitive slaves.)
https://www.bizpacreview.com/2025/02/04/harboring-illegals-could-mean-decades-in-jail-homan-responds-to-blue-state-dems-come-and-get-her-challenge-1520551/
BREITBART
— Trump: U.S. Will Take Over Gaza, ‘We Will Own It’
https://www.breitbart.com/politics/2025/02/04/trump-u-s-will-take-over-gaza-we-will-own-it/
DAILY SIGNAL
— Democrats Love Illegal Aliens, No Matter How Vicious
https://www.dailysignal.com/2025/02/04/democrats-love-illegal-aliens-no-matter-how-vicious/
EPOCH TIMES
— More Than 20,000 Federal Workers Have Taken Buyout Offer, Surge Expected Before Friday Deadline. Nobody knows now how many employees will ultimately accept Trump’s terms for leaving the government.
https://www.theepochtimes.com/us/more-than-20000-federal-workers-have-taken-buyout-offer-surge-expected-before-friday-deadline-says-official-5804094
FOX NEWS
— Dozens of illegals arrested in Trump’s home county in Florida. Officials arrested 32 criminal illegal aliens through ‘targeted immigration enforcement operations’ in Palm Beach County.
https://www.foxnews.com/politics/dozens-illegals-arrested-trumps-home-county-florida
HOT AIR
— Illegals Throwing Anti-ICE Temper Tantrums, Blocking Freeways
https://hotair.com/tree-hugging-sister/2025/02/04/illegals-throwing-anti-ice-temper-tantrums-blocking-freeways-making-friends-n3799466
FROM NATIONAL CENTER-LEFT SOURCES
CNN
— FBI turns over names of 5,000 employees who worked on January 6 cases to Trump Justice Department, as agents sue
https://www.cnn.com/2025/02/04/politics/fbi-employees-tuesday
NEW YORK TIMES
— Bondi Confirmed as Attorney General
https://www.nytimes.com/2025/02/04/us/politics/pam-bondi-attorney-general-confirmation.html
WALL STREET JOURNAL
— Trump Order Set to Ban Transgender Girls and Women From Female School Sports. The NCAA has indicated it will move rapidly to change its rules in the face of such an order. (COMMENT: Transgender athletes should only be allowed to compete against other transgender athletes.)
https://www.wsj.com/politics/policy/transgender-athletes-women-sports-executive-order-6223e414
REAL NEWS
— ‘Don’t open the door’: how Chicago is frustrating ICE’s campaign of fear. Months of know-your-rights work has Trump’s border czar complaining.
https://therealnews.com/dont-open-the-door-how-chicago-is-frustrating-ices-campaign-of-fear
INC
— Companies Are Avoiding the ‘DEI’ Acronym–Even If They’re Not Pulling Back on Diversity Initiatives The White House is wiping diversity, equity, and inclusion initiatives from the federal government. It’s prompting a shift in the communication used by business leaders who still believe in the concept.
https://www.inc.com/sam-blum/rebranding-dei-companies-tread-carefully-in-the-era-of-woke-politics/91141932
NPR
— Rubio says El Salvador will house deportees from U.S., including Americans
https://www.npr.org/2025/02/04/g-s1-46352/rubio-el-salvador-deportees-americans
POLITICO
— Trump says US will ‘take over the Gaza Strip’ He provided no details on how this was possible.
https://www.politico.com/news/2025/02/04/trump-says-us-will-take-over-the-gaza-strip-00202508
LGBTQ NATION
— Pete Buttigieg’s replacement bans diversity celebrations at Department of Transportation. New Secretary Sean Duffy calls them a “distraction”.
https://www.lgbtqnation.com/2025/02/pete-buttigiegs-replacement-bans-diversity-celebrations-at-department-of-transportation/
