ABC7
— Mitt Romney slams vaccine distribution roll out: ‘As incomprehensible as it is inexcusable’ – CNN
https://abc7chicago.com/covid-19-vaccine-mitt-romney-rollout-pfizer/9280958/
NBC5
— In Georgia, Biden’s Presidency Meets Early Defining Moment. In his last visit, Biden called Republican Sens. David Perdue and Kelly Loeffler “roadblocks” – Bill Barrow
https://www.nbcchicago.com/news/politics/in-georgia-bidens-presidency-meets-early-defining-moment/2406371/
CHICAGO SUN-TIMES
— Name change for CPS’ Agassiz Elementary expected to be the first of many. The decision to rename the Lake View school for one of three Black women is expected to be followed by similar undertakings at dozens of CPS schools. – Nader Issa and Lauren FitzPatrick
https://chicago.suntimes.com/education/2021/1/1/22197836/cps-louis-agassiz-elementary-name-change-expected
— Wisconsin police monitor recreational marijuana in Illinois. A 2017 report on the effect legal recreational marijuana in Colorado and Washington had on neighboring states found “a sharp increase in marijuana possession arrests in border counties.” But checks with police along the Illinois-Wisconsin state line have shown no such rise, so far. – AP
https://chicago.suntimes.com/news/2021/1/2/22204742/marijuana-illinois-recreational-pot-sales-chicago-wisconsin-police-monitor-state-line-impact
CHICAGO TRIBUNE
— End of the Lipinski era: A 45-year political reign on Chicago’s Southwest Side comes to a close – BILL RUTHHART and RICK PEARSON
https://www.chicagotribune.com/politics/ct-dan-lipinski-william-chicago-southwest-side-20210102-vfetdanqx5foza5gvsa4nrszpa-story.html
— Old railroad corridors near Chicago transformed into all-weather trails for hiking, cycling and cross-country skiing – JEANINE BARONE
https://www.chicagotribune.com/travel/ct-trav-rails-to-trails-0103-20210102-bmkiqagstbgkbcfov7uq4do5du-list.html
(FROM THE ARTICLE: The 61-mile Illinois Prairie Path (aka IPP) is one of the nation’s oldest rail-trails, dating to 1967. Following the right of way of the former Chicago Aurora and Elgin Railroad, the IPP consists of three main branches, each making for a delightful day trip from Chicago. (Wheaton, the central trailhead for all three, is just 30 miles from the Windy City.) Along the more urban Main Branch, Villa Park is worth a stop. Its Historical Museum housed in a reclaimed train depot displays several old train signals outside. Other remnants of the route’s railroad past are found in Wheaton’s Volunteer Park, where a contemporary sculpture was created from spikes, bolts and part of the Roarin’ Elgin’s original third rail. The 13-mile Aurora Branch is especially leafy, owing to the necklace of forest preserves along the way, including the St. James Farm. This former equestrian estate displays many horse-related bronzes and reliefs that will enthrall art enthusiasts. It also makes for serene picnicking beside a parcel of prairie gardens and a cattail pond. Not far from Wheaton, the 14-mile-long Elgin Branch slips into the verdant Lincoln Marsh Natural Area, where a network of nature trails with observation points — including a floating boardwalk — offer birders the opportunity to spot great egrets, green herons and other species.)
WBEZ
— Look At Who’s Eyeing A Run To Replace Jesse White, The State’s Most Popular Democrat. Illinois’ long-serving secretary of state says he won’t be seeking reelection in 2022. – Tony Arnold
https://www.wbez.org/stories/people-are-lining-up-to-replace-the-states-most-popular-democrat/5da39810-d8d4-406d-b503-89c2f537ea5c
BLOOMINGTON PANTAGRAPH
— Embattled Illinois House Speaker Michael Madigan gets backing for reelection from majority of Latinx Caucus – Rick Pearson
https://www.pantagraph.com/news/state-and-regional/embattled-illinois-house-speaker-michael-madigan-gets-backing-for-reelection-from-majority-of-latinx-caucus/article_cee62f3f-3c46-5c2c-b847-bc7da94b02d8.html
PRAIRIE STATE WIRE
— Breen fumes at governor’s latest mandates: ‘Small business has been left to die under Pritzker’ – Glenn Minnis
https://prairiestatewire.com/stories/568292999-breen-fumes-at-governor-s-latest-mandates-small-business-has-been-left-to-die-under-pritzker
— Curran criticizes governor’s handling of COVID-19 crisis: ‘The way we’ve closed the state is really a tragedy’ – Glenn Minnis
https://prairiestatewire.com/stories/568281879-curran-criticizes-governor-s-handling-of-covid-19-crisis-the-way-we-ve-closed-the-state-is-really-a-tragedy
— Dabrowski blasts governor’s COVID-19 response: ‘There is no data being presented that justifies it’ – Glenn Minnis
https://prairiestatewire.com/stories/568894205-dabrowski-blasts-governor-s-covid-19-response-there-is-no-data-being-presented-that-justifies-it
FOX NEWS
— Trump the clear Republican ‘front-runner’ in next White House race. Trump, Pence, other potential 2024 GOP contenders to attend major Republican Party meeting next week. – Paul Steinhauser
https://www.foxnews.com/politics/trump-clear-republican-frontrunner-2024-white-house-race
AMERICAN THINKER
— We Don’t Need To Accept The ‘New Normal’ The Left Is Forcing On Us – Caren Besner (DIERSEN: Ever-increasingly, under hate-filled Trump-hating Trump-haters, the ‘New Normal’ is the demise of individuals, organizations, companies, governments, and countries that are law enforcement, Trump supporters, conservative, patriotic, Republican, American, White, male, older, heterosexual, married, non-poor, homeowners, gun owners, Christian, Protestant, Italian American, German American, and those whose ancestors have been in America for a long time.)
https://www.americanthinker.com/articles/2021/01/we_dont_need_to_accept_the_new_normal_the_left_is_forcing_on_us.html
DAILY CALLER
— McConnell Again Blocks Standalone $2,000 Stimulus Check Bill – HENRY RODGERS
https://dailycaller.com/2021/01/01/mcconnell-again-blocks-standalone-2000-stimulus-check-bill-new-years-covid-19-coronavirus/
EPOCH TIMES
— Proposed House Rules Seek to Erase Gendered Terms Such as ‘Father, Mother, Son, Daughter’ – MIMI NGUYEN LY (DIERSEN: Ever-increasingly, Democrats promote LGBTQ, that is, ever-increasingly, Democrats promote the destruction of traditional marriage and the destruction of the traditional family.)
https://www.theepochtimes.com/proposed-house-rules-seek-to-erase-gendered-terms-such-as-father-mother-son-daughter_3640653.html
THE HILL
— Congress overrides Trump veto for the first time – JORDAIN CARNEY
https://thehill.com/homenews/senate/532321-congress-overrides-trump-ndaa-veto
— Five GOP contenders — other than Trump — for 2024 – NIALL STANAGE
https://thehill.com/homenews/campaign/531796-five-gop-contenders-other-than-trump-for-2024
NEW YORK TIMES
— Immigrant Neighborhoods Shifted Red as the Country Chose Blue – Weiyi Cai and Ford Fessenden
https://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2020/12/20/us/politics/election-hispanics-asians-voting.html
(FROM THE ARTICLE: Across the United States, many areas with large populations of Latinos and residents of Asian descent, including ones with the highest numbers of immigrants, had something in common this election: a surge in turnout and a shift to the right, often a sizable one. The pattern was evident in big cities like Chicago and New York, in California and Florida, and along the Texas border with Mexico, according to a New York Times analysis of voting in 28,000 precincts in more than 20 cities. Joseph R. Biden Jr. beat President Trump in almost all of these places en route to his record popular vote victory. But the red shifts, along with a wave of blue shifts in Republican and white areas, have scrambled the conventional wisdom of American politics and could presage a new electoral calculus for the parties.)
— Virginia Judge Won’t Try Black Man in Courtroom Lined With White Portraits. David Bernhard, a circuit court judge, wrote in his decision that the display of portraits of white judges “is based on a non-racial principle, yet yields a racial result.” – Derrick Bryson Taylor (DIERSEN: Ever-increasingly, Democrats hint/imply/argue/shout a) that if Whites achieve more than minorities, it is because of Republican racism and b) that if men achieve more than women, it is because of Republican sexism.)
https://www.nytimes.com/2021/01/01/us/virginia-judge-white-portraits.html
— FAFSA’s Expected Family Contribution Is Going Away. Good Riddance. The dollar figure that the federal financial aid form spits out has long left families confused and despondent. And then there are those great expectations. – Ron Lieber (DIERSEN: How much money did you expect your parents to pay for your bachelor’s degree? I did not expect my parents to pay anything. Neither of my outstanding parents attended college. My father was the first of his ancestors to earn a high school diploma. He fought type 1 diabetes from age 14, worked in the office of a nasty chemical plant in Chicago Heights, almost always worked second jobs to pay the family’s bills, did not buy a new car until he was 45 in 1967 and it was a bottom of the line 2-door Chevy, and died suddenly when he was 47 and I was 21. My mother never attended high school and she never worked outside the home until after he died. My outstanding parents provided me with room and board 1966-1968 while I took classes at UIC, weekends during my first semester at NIU in 1969, and the summer of 1969.)
https://www.nytimes.com/2020/12/30/your-money/fafsa-expected-family-contribution.html
NEW YORK POST
— Trump rips ‘Pathetic!!!’ Senate GOP for blocking $2,000 checks – Steven Nelson
https://nypost.com/2021/01/01/trump-rips-pathetic-senate-gop-for-blocking-2k-checks/
WALL STREET JOURNAL
— What’s at Stake in Georgia. Here’s the difference between a Democratic and Republican Senate this year. – Editorial
https://www.wsj.com/articles/whats-at-stake-in-georgia-11609540879
— Never Think You’re Too Old to Become a Beginner – Tom Vanderbilt (DIERSEN: My Democrat and IRS superiors, supervisors, coworkers and subordinates demonized me, denigrated me, and condemned me as being a failed late-coming beginner in accounting and in auditing. They stressed that I did not a) take and pass the CPA examination until I was 30 in 1979, b) earn a master’s degree in accounting from DePaul until I was 31, and c) take and pass the Certified Internal Auditor examination until I was 32. They would have done that if I had been a Democrat, minority, female, and/or veteran.)
https://www.wsj.com/articles/for-new-years-resolutions-never-think-youre-too-old-to-become-a-beginner-11609426707
— The Future Turns 50 This Year – Daniel Casse (DIERSEN: What did you do in 1971? I started the year when I was 22 years old a) working for Firestone Stores as the Retail Sales Manager in its Chicago Heights store, b) taking a graduate business course at UIC, c) pursuing a financial hardship draft deferment, and d) driving a 1969 Dodge Charger SE. Then, I accepted a job offer from Oldsmobile, and that changed everything because Oldsmobile withdrew that job offer saying that it had just agreed to stop hiring Whites to settle an EEOC complaint after my Firestone Store manager had rudely fired me for accepting that offer. That directly resulted in my accepting a job offer from IRS to be a GS-7 (currently $47,965/year) Revenue Officer in Chicago. As an IRS employee, I was a member of the National Treasury Employees Union. I accepted my Firestone Store manager’s offer to come back and work part-time. I lived in Crete with my mother and brother. After my Charger was stolen in Chicago, I bought a new 1972 Corvette and a 1962 Chevy Bel Air. Late in the year, Loyola accepted me into its Graduate School of Business.)
https://www.wsj.com/articles/the-future-turns-50-this-year-11609537573
NEWSWEEK
— Kinzinger Fires Back at Fox News Host Mark Levin Who Called for His Defeat: ‘Outrage for Profit’ – CHRISTINA ZHAO
https://www.newsweek.com/gop-lawmaker-fires-back-fox-news-host-who-called-his-defeat-outrage-profit-1558473
NATIONAL LAW REVIEW
— Nasdaq Proposed Rule Would Require Board Diversity and Transparency (DIERSEN: I should write a book about groups that are ever-increasingly in the minority in the Illinois Republican Party (IRP), DuPage County Republican Central Committee (DCRCC), and Milton Township Republican Organization (MTRO). I would focus on groups that support the traditional marriage/family, right to life, immigration, illegal drugs, Second Amendment, and equal opportunity (no race or gender based preference giving) planks in the Republican Party platform. I would focus on how little if at all that IRP, DCRCC, and MTRO leaders defend or promote the aforesaid planks.)
https://www.natlawreview.com/article/nasdaq-proposed-rule-would-require-board-diversity-and-transparency
(FROM THE ARTICLE: In its proposal, Nasdaq emphasized that this year’s “social justice movement has brought heightened attention to the commitment of public companies to diversity and inclusion.” The proposal also cites several academic publications that studied the relationship between diverse boards and improved financial performance and corporate governance. As a result, the proposal seeks to encourage companies to have boards of directors that better reflect the country’s diverse population. The proposal would accomplish this goal by requiring a few things from companies. Under the proposed rule, Nasdaq-listed companies, subject to certain exemptions, would be required to: report on their annual proxy statements or websites statistical information regarding the gender, race, and LGBTQ+ makeup of their boards; and have at least two diverse directors: one who self-identifies as female and one who self-identifies as “an [u]nderrepresented minority” or “a member of the LGBTQ+ community.” Companies with corporate boards that do not satisfy the diversity requirements would be required to explain in their annual proxy statements or on their websites why they did not meet the requirements. The term “underrepresented minority” will be construed in accordance with the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission’s (EEOC) definitions, which include: “Black or African American, Hispanic or Latinx, Asian, Native American or Alaskan Native, Native Hawaiian or Pacific Islander, or Two or More Races or Ethnicities.” Gender, underrepresented minority status, and LGBTQ+ status would be self-identified. According to the proposal, requiring an explanation from companies that do not satisfy the diversity requirements would provide investors with additional information so they can make more informed investment decisions. Nasdaq would phase the rule in over a period of several years. The proposed rule would require at least one diverse director no later than two years after the rule’s approval, and two diverse directors no later than four years after approval for companies listed on two of Nasdaq’s tiers, or five years for a third tier.)
REASON
— “Diversity” Nonsense Cost Tens of Thousands of Lives. Moderna Delayed its Vaccine Trials to Ensure it had “Enough” Minority Representation. – DAVID BERNSTEIN (DIERSEN: How many protected groups are you a member of? Protected groups include those who are minority, female, younger, LGBTQ, disabled, veteran, citizens of foreign countries, non-Trump supporters, non-Christians, non-Protestants, non-Italian Americans, non-German Americans, Democrat, Libertarian, Green, Independent, RINO, moderate, liberal, low-income, those whose ancestors have not been in America for a long time, drinkers, gamblers, stoners, and those who lack education, lack job skills, lack job experience, have financial problems, and/or have health problems.)
https://reason.com/volokh/2021/01/01/diversity-nonsense-cost-tens-of-thousands-of-lives/
NATION
— The Past and Future of the Left in the Democratic Party. Centrist Democrats who blamed the left for election losses would do well to remember the people who have fought for and shaped the party’s history. – Michael Brenes and Michael Koncewicz (DIERSEN: I should write a book about groups that are ever-increasingly in the minority in the Illinois Republican Party (IRP), DuPage County Republican Central Committee (DCRCC), and Milton Township Republican Organization (MTRO). I would focus on those who support the traditional marriage/family, right to life, immigration, illegal drugs, Second Amendment, and equal opportunity (no race or gender based preference giving) planks in the Republican Party platform. I would focus on how little if at all that IRP, DCRCC, and MTRO leaders defend or promote the aforesaid planks.)
https://www.thenation.com/article/politics/left-history-democratic-party/
