FROM ILLINOIS CENTER-LEFT SOURCES
ABC7
— Mayor reaffirms Chicago’s welcoming city status amid ICE raids; at least 100 arrested in area. Unclear if mayor will go to Washington to testify next month.
https://abc7chicago.com/post/ice-chicago-immigration-raids-today-arrests-continue-mayor-brandon-johnson-called-testify-sanctuary-city-policy/15843173/
— Federal judge temporarily blocks Trump administration freeze on federal grants and loans
https://abc7chicago.com/post/federal-grants-loan-disbursement-paused-white-house/15843367/
— Firings, freezes and layoffs: A list of Trump’s moves against federal employees and programs (COMMENT: Democrats run the federal government. Since the 1960s, they have ever-increasingly used Affirmative Action and DEI a) to not hire Republicans and b) to get rid of their Republican employees.)
https://abc7chicago.com/post/trump-federal-funding-actions-list-summary-trumps-moves-employees-programs/15844281/
(FROM THE ARTICLE: Diversity, equity and inclusion On his second day back at the White House, Trump moved to end affirmative action in federal contracting and directed that all federal diversity, equity and inclusion staff be put on paid leave and eventually be laid off. That move followed an executive order Trump signed on his first day ordering a dismantling of the federal government’s diversity and inclusion programs that could touch on everything from anti-bias training to funding for minority farmers and homeowners, programs Trump has called “discrimination.” That action revokes an order issued by President Lyndon Johnson, and curtails DEI programs by federal contractors and grant recipients. It’s using one of the key tools utilized by the Biden administration to promote DEI programs across the private sector – pushing their use by federal contractors – to now eradicate them. While many changes may take months or even years to implement, prominent companies from Walmart to Facebook have already scaled back or ended some of their diversity practices in response to Trump’s election and conservative-backed lawsuits against them. By Friday, federal agencies are expected to develop a plan to execute a “reduction-in-force action” against federal DEI workers in their employ as of Election Day.)
— Trump signs executive order aimed at curtailing gender transitions for everyone under 19 (COMMENT: How much success have Democrats had promoting LGBTQ in your school district?)
https://abc7chicago.com/post/trump-signs-executive-order-aimed-curtailing-gender-transitions-everyone-19/15844501/
— IL House lawmakers file almost 1,800 new bills only 2 weeks into legislative session (COMMENT: What bills have your Republican lawmakers filed to defend and advance the Republican Party platform?)
https://abc7chicago.com/post/il-house-lawmakers-file-almost-1800-new-bills-2-weeks-legislative-session-including-single-use-plastic-foodware-ban/15844418/
NBC5
— Pritzker calls Trump funding freeze ‘illegal’ after judge blocks order. Pritzker addressed media on Tuesday afternoon amid continuing fallout over the freeze order.
https://www.nbcchicago.com/news/local/chicago-politics/pritzker-blasts-trump-funding-freeze-medicaid-other-programs/3658478/
— Rep. Rich McCormick, R-Ga., on Tuesday defended the impacts of the White House’s federal aid freeze on school lunch programs by suggesting that some children should be working instead of receiving free lunch. (COMMENT: During my freshman and sophomore years in high school, I did yard work. During my freshman, sophomore, junior, and senior years in high school, I delivered newspapers. During my junior and senior years, I washed dishes. At the start of my junior year in 1964, I bought a 1958 Chevy Bel Air with the money that I had earned. At the end of my senior year, I bought a new 1966 Pontiac Tempest Sprint with the money that I had earned that I used it to commute to/from classes at UIC and my parents’ home in Crete. Because I worked so many hours instead of studying, I only just barely made it into the upper 20% of my class and my ACT score was only 24. Because of heavy traffic on the Dan Ryan, commuting was difficult.)
https://www.nbcchicago.com/news/national-international/republican-congressman-children-free-school-lunches-mcdonalds/3658368/
CBS2
— Illinois Attorney General Kwame Raoul calls Trump’s federal funding freeze unconstitutional
https://www.cbsnews.com/chicago/news/illinois-attorney-general-kwame-raoul-president-trump-freeze-federal-funding/
— Democratic states plan to sue over Trump’s federal grant funding freeze
https://www.cbsnews.com/chicago/news/trump-funding-freeze-lawsuit-democratic-attorneys-general/
— Medicaid, Head Start, health centers say they’re locked out of federal funding website (COMMENT: To what extent are those in Illinois, your county, your township, your municipality, your school district, and your precinct dependent on a) federal aid, b) state aid, c) township aid, d) municipal aid, and e) school district aid?)
https://www.cbsnews.com/chicago/news/medicaid-head-start-health-centers-trump-funding-freeze/
WGN9
— President Trump’s sweeping immigration crackdown continues
https://wgntv.com/news/washington-dc-bureau/president-trumps-sweeping-immigration-crackdown-continues/
FOX32
— Illinois GOP bill would require law enforcement to coordinate with ICE
https://www.fox32chicago.com/news/illinois-ice-cooperation-trust-act
— Elgin man arrested by ICE, family says
https://www.fox32chicago.com/video/1584187
WBEZ
— Immigration arrests have quieted Chicago’s Latino neighborhoods. In East Chicago, a neighborhood that is about 80% Mexican, the typically bustling commercial corridor was eerily still on Monday.
https://www.wbez.org/immigration/2025/01/28/immigration-arrests-have-quieted-chicagos-latino-neighborhoods
— Health care providers in Illinois could lose millions in funding under Trump order. Some providers say an order freezing federal financial help could mean cuts in services within days or months. A judge temporarily blocked the order.
https://www.wbez.org/health-medicine/2025/01/28/health-care-providers-in-illinois-could-lose-millions-in-funding-under-trump-order
— Johnson, other ‘sanctuary’ mayors called to testify on ‘obstructionist policies,’ but he’s not sure he’ll show up. On Tuesday, Johnson referred the question to his Corporation Counsel Mary Richardson-Lowry, who said the “invitation” from the House Oversight and Government Reform Committee is “under legal review.” Johnson and the mayors of Boston, Denver and New York also were asked to hand over all documents related to their cities’ sanctuary status.
https://www.wbez.org/immigration/2025/01/28/mayor-brandon-johnson-house-oversight-committee-sanctuary-city-immigration-deportation
— Chicago’s immigration sweeps have restaurant and food industry employers feeling anxious. Chicago-based American Business Immigration Coalition warns of major economic consequences of mass deportations. (COMMENT: I washed dishes for the minimum wage in Chicago Heights during my junior and senior years in high school and the summer in between. If there had been as many illegals back then as there are now, one of them would have gotten that job. That job enabled me to earn and save enough money to buy a new car before I graduated, a car that I used to commute to/from classes at UIC and my parents’ home in Crete.)
https://www.wbez.org/immigration/2025/01/28/chicago-immigration-sweeps-restaurant-food-industry-employers-feeling-anxious
CHICAGO SUN-TIMES
— President Trump’s federal funding freeze hits Medicaid in Illinois, slated to disrupt vast array of programs. The temporary federal freeze has shut Illinois out of Medicaid, according to Gov. JB Pritzker’s office. The government-funded health insurance program covered about 3.9 million people in Illinois in 2023, including low-income adults, children, pregnant women and people with disabilities.
https://chicago.suntimes.com/politics/donald-trump/2025/01/28/illinois-medicaid-federal-funding-freeze-trump-administration
— Mayor Brandon Johnson reaffirms Chicago’s welcoming city status amid ICE raids. CPD says more than 100 have been detained from Chicago area.
https://abc7chicago.com/post/ice-chicago-immigration-raids-today-arrests-continue-mayor-brandon-johnson-called-testify-sanctuary-city-policy/15843173/
— Trump offers all federal workers a buyout with 7 months’ pay in effort to shrink size of government
Federal employees who don’t want to return to the office can apply for a buyout. Those workers who accept the buyout will need to resign by Feb. 6 and would receive severance paid through Sept. 30. (COMMENT: In 1993, when I was 45 years old, the Democrats who ran GAO “offered” $25,000 buyouts and early retirement to get rid of its older White male non-veteran employees who they had not promoted to GS-15, currently $163,749-$180,974/year in today’s dollars. I was eligible because I had 25 years of federal service – 13 with GAO, 9 with IRS, and 3 with the Post Office. They succeeded in forcing me to retire in 1997 just before their “offer” expired. If I had not succumbed, I would not have been eligible for regular retirement until 2003. Things that I did that helped me survive 1993-1997 include my a) earning a master’s degree in financial markets and trading in 1997, b) my becoming a Certified Forensic Accountant in 1997, Financial Services Auditor in 1996, Government Financial Manager in 1994, Fraud Examiner in 1990, Internal Auditor and licensed CPA in 1981, and CPA in 1979, and c) my earning master’s degrees in accounting from DePaul in 1980 and in business from Loyola in 1976.)
https://chicago.suntimes.com/washington/2025/01/28/trump-offers-all-federal-workers-a-buyout-with-7-months-pay-in-effort-to-shrink-size-of-government
— Dr. Phil had no business taking part in ICE immigration raids in Chicago, Durbin says. Sen. Dick Durbin, D-Ill., on Tuesday slammed the decision to grant TV host Dr. Phil McGraw, a psychologist, access to the raids Sunday in Chicago, which McGraw streamed on his channel.
https://chicago.suntimes.com/washington/2025/01/28/durbin-senate-floor-comments-chicago-immigration-raids-ice-dr-phil-mcgraw-homeland-security
— Trump’s moves on electric vehicles will hurt industry and our climate. President Donald Trump’s executive orders target the electric vehicle industry, while Europe and China forge ahead. (COMMENT: Will Democrats say that I am helping the electric vehicle industry and climate with my buying an electric 2025 Dodge Charger Daytona R/T?)
https://chicago.suntimes.com/editorials/2025/01/28/evs-electric-vehicles-donald-trump-environment-editorial
CHICAGO TRIBUNE
— Trump administration’s surprise federal funding freeze hits Medicaid while raising havoc and sowing confusion across Illinois
https://www.chicagotribune.com/2025/01/28/mayor-brandon-johnson-trump-federal-funds-cut/
— Illinois unable to access Medicaid systems hours before President Trump’s freeze on grants was supposed to take effect
https://www.chicagotribune.com/2025/01/28/mayor-brandon-johnson-trump-federal-funds-cut/
— Democrat leaders crow about their manipulation/domination of religious leaders.
https://www.chicagotribune.com/2025/01/27/evanston-church-offers-sanctuary-to-immigrants/
— Trump offers all federal workers a buyout with 7 months’ pay in effort to shrink size of government (COMMENT: In 1993, when I was 45 years old, the Democrats who ran GAO “offered” $25,000 buyouts and early retirement to get rid of its older White male non-veteran employees who they had not promoted to GS-15, currently $163,749-$180,974/year in today’s dollars. I was eligible because I had 25 years of federal service – 13 with GAO, 9 with IRS, and 3 with the Post Office. They succeeded in forcing me to retire in 1997 just before their “offer” expired. If I had not succumbed, I would not have been eligible for regular retirement until 2003. Things that I did that helped me survive 1993-1997 include my a) earning a master’s degree in financial markets and trading in 1997, b) my becoming a Certified Forensic Accountant in 1997, Financial Services Auditor in 1996, Government Financial Manager in 1994, Fraud Examiner in 1990, Internal Auditor and licensed CPA in 1981, and CPA in 1979, and c) my earning master’s degrees in accounting from DePaul in 1980 and in business from Loyola in 1976.)
https://www.chicagotribune.com/2025/01/28/trump-federal-workers-buyout/
— CNN’s Jim Acosta, an irritant to Trump, says he’s quitting rather than take a late-night time slot (COMMENT: In 1997, my Democrat GAO superiors succeeded in forcing me to take their early retirement “offer.” They hinted that they might let me work another 6 years when I would be eligible for regular retirement if I happily agreed to be downgraded and transferred to a different audit group. I had been assigned to their group that audited federal financial regulators since 1990. I had become a Certified Fraud Examiner in 1990, Government Financial Manager in 1994, Financial Services Auditor in 1996, and Forensic Accountant in 1997. I had earned a master’s degree in financial markets and trading from IIT in 1997.)
https://www.chicagotribune.com/2025/01/28/cnns-jim-acosta-quits/
— If you’re arrested by ICE in Illinois, what happens next? Legal experts explain the process
https://www.chicagotribune.com/2025/01/28/ice-immigration-trump-deportation-know-your-rights/
— Illinois GOP sues over Democratic legislative remap, calling it ‘not just a little corrupt’
https://www.chicagotribune.com/2025/01/28/gop-remap-lawsuit/
DAILY HERALD
— Confusion reigns after feds pull plug on aid; Illinois sues and Pritzker blasts White House
https://www.dailyherald.com/20250128/nation-and-world-politics/illinois-joins-5-other-states-seeking-to-block-trump-pulling-plug-on-federal-aid/
— West Chicago mayor candidate wants lottery to determine ballot placement
https://www.dailyherald.com/20250127/local-politics/west-chicago-mayor-candidate-wants-lottery-to-determine-ballot-placement/
CRAIN’S CHICAGO BUSINESS
— Trump’s federal spending freeze has local recipients reeling
https://www.chicagobusiness.com/politics/uchicago-pauses-research-spending-after-trump-funding-freeze
— Before federal funding freeze, Illinois reports issues accessing Medicaid
https://www.chicagobusiness.com/health-care/after-trump-funding-freeze-illinois-reports-issues-accessing-medicaid
SPRINGFIELD STATE JOURNAL REGISTER
— Illinois lawmakers file bill to repeal ‘Trust Act,’ require police to work with ICE
https://www.sj-r.com/story/news/state/2025/01/28/illinois-lawmakers-want-law-enforcement-to-work-with-ice/78000550007/
WSIL TV
— More frequent use of marijuana damages the brain’s working memory, which could lead to issues with safety, communications and work success. (COMMENT: I have never used marijuana and I never will. That helped me a) earn a bachelor’s degree when I was 21, b) earn master’s degrees when I was 27, 31, and 48, c) earn professional certifications when I was 30, 32, 41, 45, 46, and 48, and d) earn a professional license when I was 32.)
https://www.wsiltv.com/news/health/more-frequent-marijuana-use-may-damage-an-important-memory-skill/article_d87a02d9-db7c-5ef4-af93-a9fe4151f824.html
DUPAGE COUNTY ELECTION DIVISION
— Unofficial Candidate Listings
https://cms5.revize.com/revize/dupage/Election/Documents/Candidate%20Information/Candidate%20Listings/2025CE/2025CE-0%20Full%20Candidate%20List.pdf
CAPITOL FAX
— Pritzker directs state agencies to report potential impacts of federal funding cuts
https://capitolfax.com/2025/01/28/pritzker-directs-state-agencies-to-report-potential-impacts-of-federal-funding-cuts/
— Trump administration starts at least a partial walk-back after furor – Judge pauses – State has access to Medicaid portal – Pritzker: ‘What Donald Trump tried to do in the last 24 hours is illegal’ – Medicaid shutdown ‘not an accident’ – Federal agencies ordered not to speak with states – AG lawsuit posted
https://capitolfax.com/2025/01/28/trump-administration-starts-at-least-a-partial-walk-back-after-furor/
— Afternoon roundup
https://capitolfax.com/2025/01/28/isabel%e2%80%99s-afternoon-roundup-237/
FROM ILLINOIS CENTER-RIGHT SOURCES
ILLINOIS GOP
— America First Means No More Open Borders and Dangerous Criminals
https://illinois.gop/category/news/
(PRESS RELEASE: ICE Raids targeting criminals and gang members have arrived in Chicago. While many Democrats across the country have embraced and even supported President Trump’s targeting of criminal illegal migrants, JB Pritzker and Brandon Johnson continue to grandstand side by side prioritizing protecting criminals over the safety of Illinois families. Here’s some of the people that they are protecting: Nine Tren de Aragua terrorists; Seven sexual predators who committed crimes against children; and Two murderers. Tom Homan said it himself – “everybody we arrested in Chicago yesterday was a significant public safety threat.” “The Trump Administration is making our communities safe again and placing the lives and wellbeing of Americans first. I am a proud supporter of the new Administration’s efforts to step up and take the action that Governor Pritzker and Mayor Johnson are too cowardly to take themselves,” said Illinois Republican Party Chair Kathy Salvi. “This is a nation of laws, laws that Governor Pritzker and Mayor Johnson are fine ignoring for the sake of their own radical agenda. President Trump is doing exactly what the American people elected him to do, and we stand ready to assist him in his efforts to secure our border and keep our streets safe.”)
MCHENRY COUNTY BLOG
— McConchie Recommends Joe Salvi as Replacement in State Senate
https://www.mchenrycountyblog.com/2025/01/28/mcconchie-recommends-joe-salvi-as-replacement-in-state-senate/
— McLaughlin Seeks to Succeed McConchie in Senate
https://www.mchenrycountyblog.com/2025/01/28/mclaughlin-seeks-to-succeed-mcconchie-as-in-senate/
— More Bias in Illegal Alien Removal Reporting
https://www.mchenrycountyblog.com/2025/01/28/more-bias-in-illegal-alien-removal-reporting/
— Chicago Papers Emphasize Human Interest Angles of Illegal Alien Removals
https://www.mchenrycountyblog.com/2025/01/28/chicago-papers-emphasize-human-interest-angles-of-illegal-alien-removals/
— Rep. Sosnowski Takes on Pritzker about Illegal Alien Deportation
https://www.mchenrycountyblog.com/2025/01/28/rep-sosnowski-takes-on-pritzker-about-illegal-alien-deportation/
— Algonquin Township Road Commissioner Holding Fundraiser Wednesday
https://www.mchenrycountyblog.com/2025/01/28/algonquin-township-road-commissioner-holding-fundraiser-wednesday/
ILLINOIS POLICY INSTITUTE
— 7 steps to improve Illinois’ social mobility rating
https://www.illinoispolicy.org/press-releases/7-steps-to-improve-illinois-social-mobility-rating/
(FROM THE ARTICLE: Promote and encourage the “success sequence.” Research has shown progressing from getting an education, finding full-time work, getting married and then having children is a proven path to improve social mobility and strengthen families. American adults who follow this model have a poverty rate of only 2%, and about 75% joined the middle class.)
FROM NATIONAL CENTER-RIGHT SOURCES
BLAZE
— Trump to freeze federal funds as admin weeds out ‘wokeness’ in budget
https://www.theblaze.com/news/trump-to-freeze-federal-funds-as-admin-weeds-out-wokeness-in-budget
FROM NATIONAL CENTER-LEFT SOURCES
THE HILL
— Trump provokes firestorm with federal freeze
https://thehill.com/newsletters/evening-report/5111767-trump-federal-freeze-johnson-miami-leavitt-peters-medicaid/
CNN
— Trump administration denies it is pausing all federal grants after sweeping memo to government agencies
https://www.cnn.com/2025/01/27/politics/white-house-pauses-federal-grants-loan-disbursement/index.html
NBC NEWS
— Trump’s funding freeze creates widespread confusion. A White House memo set off a flurry of panic across nonprofit groups, who said they were unable to access federal government systems used to withdraw funds.
https://www.nbcnews.com/politics/donald-trump/trump-federal-funding-freeze-widespread-confusion-rcna189581
CBS NEWS
— Trump administration offering buyouts to government workers unwilling to return to office (COMMENT: In 1993, when I was 45 years old, the Democrats who ran GAO “offered” $25,000 buyouts and early retirement to get rid of its older White male non-veteran employees who they had not promoted to GS-15, currently $163,749-$180,974/year in today’s dollars. I was eligible because I had 25 years of federal service – 13 with GAO, 9 with IRS, and 3 with the Post Office. They succeeded in forcing me to retire in 1997 just before their “offer” expired. If I had not succumbed, I would not have been eligible for regular retirement until 2003. Things that I did that helped me survive 1993-1997 include my a) earning a master’s degree in financial markets and trading in 1997, b) my becoming a Certified Forensic Accountant in 1997, Financial Services Auditor in 1996, Government Financial Manager in 1994, Fraud Examiner in 1990, Internal Auditor and licensed CPA in 1981, and CPA in 1979, and c) my earning master’s degrees in accounting from DePaul in 1980 and in business from Loyola in 1976.)
https://www.cbsnews.com/news/trump-administration-offering-buyouts-to-government-workers-unwilling-to-return-to-office/
NEW YORK TIMES
— Trump’s Spending Freeze Sows Confusion and Fear
https://www.nytimes.com/live/2025/01/28/us/trump-news-executive-orders
PBS
— Trump orders temporary funding freeze that could affect trillions of dollars
https://www.pbs.org/newshour/politics/trump-orders-temporary-funding-freeze-that-could-affect-trillions-of-dollars
