FROM ILLINOIS CENTER-LEFT SOURCES
CHICAGO TRIBUNE
— Rauner: When it comes to K-12 education, Illinois families deserve high standards and proven policies
https://www.chicagotribune.com/2026/01/06/opinion-illinois-k-12-education-standards/
— Vallas: Maduro is not just a corrupt leader. He’s also a direct threat to US security.
https://www.chicagotribune.com/2026/01/06/opinion-venezuela-war-powers-venezuela-nicolas-maduro/
— DD: Democrat leaders ever-increasingly side with Maduro against Trump.
https://www.chicagotribune.com/2026/01/06/column-venezuela-us-maduro-trump-depetris/
DAILY HERALD
— Every Chicago suburb should strive to meet the state’s affordable housing requirements. DD: How diverse is housing affordability in your precinct? There is tremendous diversity in my DuPage County Milton Township Precinct 59 in Wheaton.
https://www.dailyherald.com/20260106/editorials/daily-herald-opinion-a-group-effort-every-chicago-suburb-should-strive-to-meet-the-states-afforda/
WBEZ
— DD: Democrat leaders ever-increasingly side with Maduro against Trump.
https://www.wbez.org/politics/2026/01/06/venezuela-occupation-not-good-for-venezuela-america-chicago-uchicago-professor-says
WAND TV
— Illinois bans life insurance companies from discriminating against people with criminal records. DD: Democrats ever-increasingly encourage people to engage in bad behavior.
https://www.wandtv.com/news/statehouse/illinois-bans-life-insurance-companies-from-discriminating-against-people-with-criminal-records/article_e4b3f956-51fe-4289-a221-9dd7d5d0934c.html
FOX ILLINOIS
— Heightened security in DC after capture of Maduro
https://foxillinois.com/news/nation-world/nicolas-maduro-court-capture-venezuela-strikes-president-trump-washington-dc-heightened-security-white-house-embassy-us-military-delta-force-team-narco-terrorism-marco-rubio-venezuelans-pete-hegseth
NPR ILLINOIS
— DD: Democrat leaders ever-increasingly side with Maduro against Trump.
https://www.nprillinois.org/2026-01-05/trump-opposed-regime-change-but-now-he-says-the-u-s-is-in-charge-of-venezuela
https://www.nprillinois.org/2026-01-05/former-trump-administration-officials-calls-on-president-to-let-venezuelans-run-their-country
POLITICO ILLINOIS
— Giannoulias cash surge fuels City Hall buzz
https://www.politico.com/newsletters/illinois-playbook/2026/01/06/giannoulias-cash-surge-fuels-city-hall-buzz-00712205
CAPITOL FAX
— Morning briefing
https://capitolfax.com/2026/01/06/isabel%e2%80%99s-morning-briefing-653/
FROM ILLINOIS CENTER-LEFT SOURCES
MCHENRY COUNTY BLOG
— Could $1.5 Million in Congressional Pork for DuPage County’s Prairie Food Co-op Inspire Woodstock’s Food Shed To Request the Same?
https://www.mchenrycountyblog.com/2026/01/06/could-1-5-million-in-congressional-pork-for-dupage-countys-prairie-food-co-op-inspire-woodstocks-food-shed-to-request-the-same/
GOPUSA ILLINOIS
— What will your Republican Precinct Committeeman do to encourage voters in your precinct to cast Republican ballots in the March 17, 2026 primary? I will hand-deliver a sample ballot and the campaign literature that the Milton Township Republican Organization (MTRO) provides me to the 400 residences in my precinct that have at least one registered Republican or Independent voter. The contested Republican races in my precinct are U.S. Senate, Illinois Governor, Illinois Attorney General, Illinois Secretary of State, Illinois 3rd District Appellate Court, and DuPage County Sheriff. I have obtained a PDF file from the DuPage County Election Division and printed individual mailing labels for the 800 registered Republican and Independent voters in my precinct. I have asked MTRO for 400 envelopes. As soon as the sample ballot is available, I will photocopy it and stuff the envelopes with them and the campaign literature that MTRO provides me with, put them in walk order, divide them into five batches, and hand-deliver them. I hope we have a mild winter. – Dave Diersen
http://www.gopillinois.com
— What discourages people from visiting websites? Paywalls, advertising, popups, cookie permission requests, donation requests, and/or lack of full disclosure of sources, who is paying for the website, and who is running then. Visitors to http://www.gopillinois.com have never seen any of the aforesaid and they never will. But sadly, the many websites that I have to visit to put GOPUSA ILLINOIS newsletters together are ever-increasingly full of the aforesaid. Because news and commentary websites are overwhelming fronts for the Democrat and Libertarian parties, my having to visit them for opposition research is ever-increasingly stressful, painful, and disgusting. – Dave Diersen
http://www.gopillinois.com
— Are you conservative? Are you Republican? I am. How hard have Democrat and RINO leaders tried to get you to leave Illinois? They have tried extremely hard to get me to leave Illinois. But I am not leaving. My ancestors have lived in northeast Illinois since 1844. I have lived in northeast Illinois since 1948, in DuPage County, Milton Township, and Wheaton since 1978, and in Wheaton’s West District and my precinct since 1984. My parents, brother, uncles, aunts, virtually all my relatives have died. I earned my four college degrees, six professional certifications, and professional license in Illinois. Hopefully, Democrat and RINO caused poverty and crime will not increase as much as I fear. I should write about those Democrat and RINO leaders who have had their operatives and their dupes take the most/biggest adverse actions against me to get me to leave Illinois. – Dave Diersen
http://www.gopillinois.com
— Political parties exist to help elect candidates who can and will defend and advance their platform. The Republican Party platform in conservative. RINO leaders have chosen. They have chosen to make the Republican Party the Democrat Lite Party, that is, they have chosen to dump conservative principles and virtually all the planks in the Republican Party platform. They have chosen to drive conservatives, that is, Republicans, out of the Republican Party. They have chosen to destroy the Republican Party. – Dave Diersen
http://www.gopillinois.com
ILLINOIS POLICY INSTITUTE
— How Illinois has changed under Pritzker
https://www.illinoispolicy.org/presidential-profile-how-illinois-has-changed-under-pritzker/
ILLINOIS REVIEW
— Fraud Targeting Children Went Unchecked for Years in Minnesota as Pritzker Praises Walz. DD: I became Certified Fraud Examiner in 1990 and a Forensic Accountant in 1997. I became a CPA in 1979, Certified Internal Auditor in 1981, and a licensed CPA in 1981. While I worked for IRS as Revenue Officer 1971-1980, I referred cases to IRS’s Criminal Investigation Division (CID) for investigation. I worked for GAO on audits of IRS’s CID 1986-1988.
https://www.illinoisreview.com/illinoisreview/2026/01/fraud-targeting-children-went-unchecked-for-years-in-minnesota-as-pritzker-praises-walz.html
FROM NATIONAL CENTER-RIGHT SOURCES
NEW YORK POST
— DD: Democrat leaders ever-increasingly promote Maduro.
https://nypost.com/2026/01/05/us-news/gavin-newsom-slams-donald-trump-for-nicolas-maduro-arrest/
— CIA concluded Maduro’s lackeys more likely to maintain order in Venezuela than opposition leader
https://nypost.com/2026/01/05/world-news/pro-maduro-thugs-ordered-to-hunt-down-us-collaborators-as-tension-fills-venezuelan-streets/
— Illegal immigrant trucker accused of causing fatal crash appears in court wearing turban he requested
https://nypost.com/2026/01/05/us-news/illegal-immigrant-truck-driver-accused-in-fatal-crash-appears-in-court-wearing-turban/
BIZ PAC REVIEW
— Trump freezes $10 billion in childcare social services funds for five blue states
https://www.bizpacreview.com/2026/01/06/trump-freezes-10-billion-in-childcare-social-services-funds-for-five-blue-states-1614170/
FOX NEWS
— Bondi says Trump ‘saved countless lives’ in Venezuelan dictator Maduro capture operation. Attorney general defends military operation as ‘well within’ presidential authority after Democratic criticism.
https://www.foxnews.com/media/bondi-says-trump-saved-countless-lives-venezuelan-dictator-maduro-capture-operation
— The ‘Jewish question’ was a needless distraction at Turning Point USA’s AmericaFest
https://www.aol.com/articles/david-marcus-jewish-becomes-needless-184821505.html
— DD: Democrat leaders ever-increasingly blame Trump for inflation and for some people having less money than others.
https://www.foxnews.com/politics/white-house-laser-focused-affordability-trump-softens-tariff-strategy.print
DAILY SIGNAL
— ‘Seize Private Property’: Mamdani and Lieutenants Were Serious About the Socialist Thing
https://www.dailysignal.com/2026/01/05/seize-private-property-mamdani-and-lieutenants-were-serious-about-the-socailist-thing/
LEGAL INSURRECTION
— University of Illinois Hosted State-Funded Committee Meeting Where Professors Advocated for Reparations. “They shared with White workers labor exploitation. That is the hallmark of capitalism: theft.”
https://legalinsurrection.com/2026/01/u-illinois-hosted-state-funded-committee-meeting-where-professors-advocated-for-reparations/
NATIONAL REVIEW
— The Crowd Cheered Ramaswamy. DD: Political parties exist to help elect candidates who can and will defend and advance their platform. The Republican Party platform in conservative. RINO leaders have chosen. They have chosen to make the Republican Party the Democrat Lite Party, that is, they have chosen to dump conservative principles and virtually all the planks in the Republican Party platform. They have chosen to drive conservatives, that is, Republicans, out of the Republican Party. They have chosen to destroy the Republican Party.
https://www.nationalreview.com/corner/the-crowd-cheered-ramaswamy/amp/
(FROM THE ARTICE: Vivek Ramaswamy’s speech at Turning Point USA’s flagship event last month is worth watching — both for the content of the Ohio gubernatorial candidate’s remarks, and for the reaction of the crowd. Because of their growing numbers and influence, some on the right seem to believe that the political success of the GOP playing footsie with racists, bigots, and antisemites. But not Ramaswamy, who accurately argued that the political right currently faces a time for choosing: It is the American dream that makes American exceptionalism possible. And the answer of what it means to be a conservative — this is what it’s up to us to answer. It is a fork in the road for the future of the conservative movement right now. What does it mean to be a conservative? It means we conserve those ideals that define our country. And now is a moment, a time for choosing in the future of our conservative movement to determine with clarity who’s actually on that team of conserving the ideals versus who actually is not.)
FROM NATIONAL CENTER-LEFT SOURCES
THE HILL
— DEI has no place in our K-12 classrooms
https://thehill.com/opinion/education/5673073-radical-activism-dei-antiracism/
— Trump moves to dominate Western Hemisphere
https://thehill.com/newsletters/morning-report/5674161-trump-venezuela-foreign-policy/
— Venezuelans praise Trump for taking out Maduro
https://thehill.com/opinion/robbys-radar/5673039-us-forces-oust-venezuelan-dictator/amp/
— Twenty-five years ago, Gallup began asking Americans if they were proud of their country. Nine out of 10 said yes, they were extremely or very proud of the United States. Things have changed. National pride has sunk to 58 percent, an all-time low. The response among young people is especially telling. Gallup found that the members of each new generation since 2001 have been less likely than the previous one to say they are very proud to be Americans. Only 41 percent of the Gen Z, the latest generation to reach adulthood, feels that way today. DD: Ever-increasingly since the 1960s, Democrat and RINO leaders have replace meritocracy with race and gender based preference giving.
https://thehill.com/opinion/campaign/5668737-we-need-a-program-of-national-service/amp/
ASSOCIATED PRESS
— DD: Anti-Americans ever-increasingly promote Maduro.
https://apnews.com/article/venezuela-united-nations-maduro-trump-waltz-1433e10bbb800fb41b21a70c7501ad88
ABC NEWS
— DD: Anti-Americans ever-increasingly promote Maduro.
https://abcnews.go.com/Politics/trumps-donroe-doctrine-seeks-influence-western-hemisphere-citing/story?id=128926397
CBS NEWS
— 2,000 federal agents deploying to Minneapolis in immigration crackdown, fraud probe. DD: I became Certified Fraud Examiner in 1990 and a Forensic Accountant in 1997. I became a CPA in 1979, Certified Internal Auditor in 1981, and a licensed CPA in 1981. While I worked for IRS as Revenue Officer 1971-1980, I referred cases to IRS’s Criminal Investigation Division (CID) for investigation. I worked for GAO on audits of IRS’s CID 1986-1988.
https://www.cbsnews.com/news/minneapolis-federal-agents-crackdown/
NBC NEWS
— DD: What percent of Venezuelans in America support Maduro?
https://www.nbcnews.com/video/venezuelan-americans-react-to-nicolas-maduro-s-removal-255445061938
NEW YORK TIMES
— Maduro’s Gesture Was Not Just a Peace Sign. The captured authoritarian leader flashed a symbol that many took to be a defiant peace sign. Loyal lawmakers repeated the gesture at a session in Caracas.
https://www.nytimes.com/2026/01/06/world/americas/maduro-gesture-peace-sign.html
— FRONT PAGE TOP OF FOLD: DD: Democrat leaders ever-increasingly promote Maduro.
https://static01.nyt.com/images/2026/01/06/nytfrontpage/scan.pdf
https://www.nytimes.com/2026/01/05/world/europe/trump-venezuela-china-russia.html
https://www.nytimes.com/2026/01/05/us/politics/congress-venezuela-maduro.html
https://www.nytimes.com/2026/01/05/world/americas/maduro-new-york-arraignment-venezuela-protest.html
https://www.nytimes.com/2026/01/05/opinion/trump-venezuela-maduro-clausewitz-aquinas.html
— Hegseth Starts Proceedings Against Sen. Mark Kelly Over His Remarks. DD: I got no proceedings when my Democrat GAO superiors forced me to retire when I was 49 years old in 1997. If GAO had been unionized, there would have been.
https://www.nytimes.com/2026/01/05/us/politics/hegseth-mark-kelly.html
WASHINGTON POST
— DD: Democrat leaders ever-increasingly promote Maduro.
https://www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/2026/01/05/maduro-arraignment-international-law-trump-justified/
— Trump officials bar Head Start providers from using ‘women’ and ‘race’ in grant applications. The Trump administration is telling Head Start providers to avoid dozens of terms in federal grant applications, including “race,” “belonging” and “pregnant people.”
https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/2026/01/05/head-start-dei-women-race/79c256b0-ea80-11f0-91a9-9928b22be817_story.html
USA TODAY
— So now Democrats are mad that Trump ousted a dictator? Kudos to President Donald Trump and our military. I hope the president can finish the job and reinstate democracy to the Venezuelan people.
https://www.usatoday.com/story/opinion/columnist/2026/01/05/democrats-criticize-trump-capture-maduro-venezuela/88017748007/
— Are opposing political views a bad thing at work? DD: To get rid of me, my Democrat GAO superiors, supervisors, coworkers, and subordinates ever-increasingly asked me questions to get me to defend my conservative beliefs, to remind me that I was not welcome.
https://www.usatoday.com/story/money/columnist/2025/12/30/how-to-address-clashing-political-viewpoints-work/87896476007/
— Is the 4% rule too stingy for your retirement? Try spending 5%. DD: My retirement savings are dramatically less because my Democrat superiors in the federal government wasted my career and forced me to retire when I was 49 in 1997.
https://www.usatoday.com/story/money/2025/12/30/4-percent-rule-retirement-savings-spending/87922293007/
LAS VEGAS REVIEW JOURNAL
— Maduro action not without historical precedent
https://www.reviewjournal.com/opinion/editorials/editorial-maduro-action-not-without-historical-precedent-3604261/
WGME
— Noem: Venezuelan migrants under TPS can apply for asylum in the US
https://wgme.com/news/nation-world/venezuelan-migrants-under-tps-can-apply-for-asylum-in-the-us-noem-nicolas-maduros-migrant-joe-biden-threat-deportation
KSL
— Utah County GOP censures County Commissioner. DD: I should write about my critics/opponents who had their operatives and their dupes try to get the Illinois Center Right Coalition to censure me for my GOPUSA ILLINOIS newsletters in 2006. I would focus on those who continue to have lots of religious, government. political, and/or financial clout in Wheaton, Milton Township, DuPage County, and Illinois.
https://www.ksl.com/article/51428753/utah-county-gop-censures-county-commissioner-amelia-powers-gardner
WALL STREET JOURNAL
— Dow Jumps to Record After U.S. Captures Venezuela’s Maduro. Blue-chips close near 49000; gold, silver and copper rally.
https://www.wsj.com/livecoverage/stock-market-today-dow-sp-500-nasdaq-01-05-2026
— Welfare Fraud Takes Out Tim Walz. Minnesota’s Governor ends his re-election run as the scandal bites. DD: I became Certified Fraud Examiner in 1990 and a Forensic Accountant in 1997. I became a CPA in 1979, Certified Internal Auditor in 1981, and a licensed CPA in 1981. While I worked for IRS as Revenue Officer 1971-1980, I referred cases to IRS’s Criminal Investigation Division (CID) for investigation. I worked for GAO on audits of IRS’s CID 1986-1988.
https://www.wsj.com/opinion/tim-walz-ends-campaign-minnesota-welfare-fraud-7b276269
— Trump Administration to Freeze Social-Service Funds in More Democratic States. Government is pausing funds for child care and poor families in California, Colorado, Illinois and New York; expanding pause in Minnesota.
https://www.wsj.com/politics/policy/trump-administration-to-freeze-social-service-funds-in-more-democratic-states-bcb35c1d
BLOOMBERG
— Venezuela Swears in Rodríguez After Maduro Capture
https://www.bloomberg.com/news/newsletters/2026-01-06/venezuela-swears-in-rodriguez-after-maduro-capture
— Venezuela Regroups With New Leader, Old Repression Tactics
https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2026-01-05/maduro-s-son-backs-rodriguez-even-as-she-extends-hand-to-trump
— Trump Asks Rubio to Lead Venezuela Overhaul After Maduro Arrest
https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2026-01-06/trump-asks-rubio-to-lead-venezuela-overhaul-after-maduro-arrest?embedded-checkout=true
FORTUNE
— Trump’s strike on Venezuela gives the U.S. 30% of the world’s oil reserves on paper and a $100 billion rebuilding job in reality
https://fortune.com/2026/01/05/how-much-oil-is-in-venezuela-trump-maduro-jpmorgan-outlook/
GOVERNMENT EXECUTIVE
— ICE more than doubled its workforce in 2025. The Trump administration has reconfigured its onboarding and training process to quickly deploy agents into the field.
https://www.govexec.com/workforce/2026/01/ice-more-doubled-its-workforce-2025/410461/?oref=ge-featured-river-top
NPR
— Amid fraud claims, Trump admin announces more changes to federal child care funding. DD: I became Certified Fraud Examiner in 1990 and a Forensic Accountant in 1997. I became a CPA in 1979, Certified Internal Auditor in 1981, and a licensed CPA in 1981. While I worked for IRS as Revenue Officer 1971-1980, I referred cases to IRS’s Criminal Investigation Division (CID) for investigation. I worked for GAO on audits of IRS’s CID 1986-1988.
https://www.npr.org/2026/01/05/nx-s1-5667019/hhs-child-care-federal-funding
OUTSIDE THE BELTWAY
— Just Following Orders. DD: I never failed to follow orders from my Democrat IRS and GAO superiors to give preference to my Democrat subordinates who were minority, female, younger, and/or veteran. All those who they assigned me to supervise were the aforesaid. I gave them lots of preference. But that was not enough. They punished me severely a) because I complained about their political affiliation discrimination, reverse discrimination, and age discrimination and b) because I became an active member in a class action lawsuit that charged them with the aforesaid when I was 40 years old in 1988.
https://outsidethebeltway.com/just-following-orders/
FROM FOREIGN SOURCES
GUARDIAN
— Venezuela detains journalists and seizes communication devices after Maduro’s removal
https://www.theguardian.com/world/2026/jan/06/venezuela-detains-journalists-after-nicolas-maduros-captured
CBC NEWS
— DD: Democrat leaders ever-increasingly promote Maduro.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IpQ_Rp1YDRQ
AL JAZERRA
— US critics and allies condemn Maduro’s abduction at UN Security Council
https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2026/1/6/us-critics-and-allies-condemn-maduros-abduction-at-un-security-council
— Americans evenly split on Maduro’s abduction
https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2026/1/6/americans-evenly-split-on-maduros-abduction-poll-shows
— DD: Anti-Americans ever-increasingly promote Maduro.
https://www.aljazeera.com/news/liveblog/2026/1/6/live-un-security-council-members-slam-us-abduction-of-venezuelas-maduro
