FROM ILLINOIS CENTER-LEFT SOURCES
ABC7
— Trump administration freezes social services, child care funding to Illinois. DD: For Democrats, the federal government exists to provide social services.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bQmfNXvO7Ys
CHICAGO TRIBUNE
— DD: Democrat leaders ever-increasingly a) demonize, denigrate, and condemn Trump and b) tell voters to vote for all the Democrats on their ballots to punish Trump.
https://www.chicagotribune.com/2026/01/07/editorial-campaign-midterms-election-cook-county-congress-governor/
— Former US Rep. Melissa Bean launches streaming ad buy in race for 8th Congressional District. DD: How aggressively are the candidates in contested races on the March 17, 2026 Republican primary ballot in your precinct campaigning?
https://www.chicagotribune.com/2026/01/06/former-us-rep-melissa-bean-launches-streaming-ad-buy-in-race-for-8th-congressional-district/
— DD: Democrat leaders ever-increasingly side with Maduro against America.
https://www.chicagotribune.com/2026/01/07/column-donald-trump-lawlessness-venezuela-chapman/
CHICAGO SUN-TIMES
— ALL OF THE FRONT PAGE: DD: Democrat leaders ever-increasingly use everything that Trump does or does not do a) to promote more mass/illegal immigration and b) to keep their illegal in America.
https://chicago.suntimes.com/immigration/2026/01/07/chicagos-venezuelans-want-protected-status-reinstated-after-trumps-maduro-capture-creates-more-uncertainty
— DD: Democrat leaders ever-increasingly unite minorities against Republicans
https://chicago.suntimes.com/other-views/2026/01/07/black-latino-communities-unite-national-day-racial-healing-pilar-audain
— Former CPS principal and network chief defrauded district of nearly $89K, watchdog finds. An annual report from the CPS inspector general’s office finds new cases in which staffers bilked the district. It also details how CPS agreed to repay the federal government $1 million after submitting false data on participation of Native American students in a grant-funded program.
https://chicago.suntimes.com/education/2026/01/07/cps-watchdog-report-onlyfans-waste-fraud-investigation-education-false-grant
CITIES 92.9
— Dabrowski wants audit as IL Child Care Services funding
https://www.cities929.com/2026/01/06/watch-candidate-dabrowski-wants-audit-as-il-child-care-services-funding-skyrockets/
WBEZ
— DD: Democrat leaders ever-increasingly use everything that Trump does or does not do a) to promote more mass/illegal immigration and b) to keep their illegal in America.
https://www.wbez.org/immigration/2026/01/07/chicagos-venezuelans-want-protected-status-reinstated-after-trumps-maduro-capture-creates-more-uncertainty
NPR ILLINOIS
— Trump again is remaking the Republican Party. DD: Political parties exist to help elect candidates who can and will defend and advance their platform. The Republican Party platform in conservative.
https://www.nprillinois.org/2026-01-06/president-trump-again-is-remaking-the-republican-party
POLITICO ILLINOIS
— Schakowsky endorses Biss
https://www.politico.com/newsletters/illinois-playbook/2026/01/07/schakowsky-endorses-biss-00713648
CAPITOL FAX
— Morning briefing
https://capitolfax.com/
FROM ILLINOIS CENTER-RIGHT SOURCES
GOPUSA ILLINOIS
— How do Illinois Republican party leaders, elected officials, and candidates stay informed about Illinois political and government news and commentary? I suggest that they read my GOPUSA ILLINOIS newsletters. The newsletters are free. I put them together and send them out every morning and often in the evening too. They contain no advertising or donation requests. Since 2004 they have contained links to more than 531,700 political and government news and commentary articles of interest to Illinois Republicans. Admittedly, I am conservative. The newsletters promote conservative principles and the Republican Party platform, and especially its personal responsibility, traditional marriage and family, right to life, immigration, illegal drugs, Second Amendment, and equal opportunity (no race or gender based preference giving) planks. Admittedly, I am independent. All the time and money I spend putting the newsletters together and sending them out comes from me. My money comes from my Civil Service Retirement System pension, my Social Security, and my retirement savings. To put the newsletters together, I draw on many things including what I have learned serving as the GOPUSA Illinois Editor since 2000, as a Republican Precinct Committeeman since 1999, as the TAPROOT Republicans of Illinois chairman 2005-2012, as the Milton Township Republican Organization webmaster 2008-2010 and 2000-2004, as an Illinois Center Right Coalition Steering Committee member 2003-2007, as a GAO Analyst 1980-1997, and as an IRS Revenue Officer 1971-1980. I also draw on what I learned a) earning master’s degrees in business, accounting, and finance, b) passing the CPA and Certified Internal Auditor examinations on my first attempt, c) earning four other job-related professional certifications, and d) becoming a licensed CPA. – Dave Diersen
http://www.gopillinois.com
MCHENRY COUNTY BLOG
— $50 Million in State Pot Tax Money Earmarked for “Historically Underserved Communities”
https://www.mchenrycountyblog.com/2026/01/06/50-million-in-state-pot-tax-money-earmarked-for-historically-underserved-communities/
— Bob Anderson Goes After Richmond Township Cemetery District for Spending $36,000 on “Special Services” and its $260,000 Surplus
https://www.mchenrycountyblog.com/2026/01/05/bob-anderson-goes-after-richmond-township-cemetery-district-for-spending-36000-on-special-services-and-its-260000-surplus/
— Republican Congressional/County Board Debate at MCC on January 22nd
https://www.mchenrycountyblog.com/2026/01/05/republican-congressional-county-board-debate-at-mcc-on-january-22nd/
— Capparelli, Seeking US Senate Seat, Says Congressional Candidates Should Have Geo-Political Knowledge
https://www.mchenrycountyblog.com/2026/01/05/capparelli-seeking-us-senate-seat-says-congressional-candidates-should-have-geo-political-knowledge/
— Tracy Calls Out Raja for Support of Minnesota Governor
https://www.mchenrycountyblog.com/2026/01/05/tracy-calls-out-raja-for-support-of-minnesota-governor/
— Congressman Schneider Challenger Endorsed by Illinois Muslim Action Committee
https://www.mchenrycountyblog.com/2026/01/05/congressman-schneider-challenger-endorsed-by-illinois-muslim-action-committee/
— Wilcox-Weber Event Wednesday Evening
https://www.mchenrycountyblog.com/2026/01/05/wilcox-weber-event-tuesday-evening/
— Richmond Township Cemetery Fund’s $36,300 in “Social Services” May Just Be Reporting Error
https://www.mchenrycountyblog.com/2026/01/06/richmond-township-cemetery-funds-36300-in-social-services-may-just-be-reporting-error/
— A Look at the County’s Legislative Agenda
https://www.mchenrycountyblog.com/2026/01/06/a-look-at-the-countys-legislative-agenda/
— Business Phones Can Be Used to Record Evidence of Family Violence
https://www.mchenrycountyblog.com/2026/01/06/business-phones-can-be-used-to-record-evidence-of-family-violence/
— 9th District Democrat Laura Fine on TV, Video Included
https://www.mchenrycountyblog.com/2026/01/06/9th-district-democrat-laura-fine-on-tv/
— Melissa Bean, Beaten for Congress by Joe Walsh, Incorrectly Says She Lost Because of Her Support for Obamacare
https://www.mchenrycountyblog.com/2026/01/06/melissa-bean-beaten-for-congress-by-joe-walsh-says-she-lost-because-of-her-support-for-obamacare/
— DeWitte Recovering from Cancer Operation
https://www.mchenrycountyblog.com/2026/01/06/dewitte-recovering-from-cancer-operation/
ILLINOIS REVIEW
— DD: A Dabrowski Critic Says Dabrowski Copies Bailey’s DOGE Plan But Botches His Own Signature Issue During Press Conference
https://www.illinoisreview.com/illinoisreview/2026/01/gop-governor-candidate-ted-dabrowski-copies-baileys-doge-plan-but-botches-his-own-signature-issue-during-press-conference.html
FROM NATIONAL CENTER-RIGHT SOURCES
ABC NEWS
— How to choose the best tax software for you in 2025. DD: I recommend using Quicken and TurboTax.
https://abcnews.go.com/Shop/best-tax-software/story?id=107480210
WASHINGTON TIMES
— Mamdani’s Big Apple is now the canary in the socialist coal mine
https://www.washingtontimes.com/news/2026/jan/6/zohran-mamdanis-big-apple-canary-socialist-coal-mine/
WASHINGTON EXAMINER
— Illegal immigrants cost IL taxpayers more than enforcement
https://www.washingtonexaminer.com/policy/immigration/4409139/illegal-immigrants-cost-illinois-taxpayers/
— Venezuela’s downfall should be a wake-up call to fans of ‘democratic socialism’
https://www.washingtonexaminer.com/restoring-america/faith-freedom-self-reliance/4408104/venezuela-downfall-wake-up-call-democratic-socialism/
WASHINGTON FREE BEACON
— Mamdani Taps Prep School Socialists for Senior Press Roles. Scrappy gang of privileged elites gears up to sell ‘the warmth of collectivism.’
https://freebeacon.com/democrats/mamdani-taps-prep-school-socialists-for-senior-press-roles/
NEW YORK POST
— Hilton drops Minneapolis Hampton Inn hotel that lied about immigration agent ban
https://nypost.com/2026/01/06/us-news/hilton-drops-minneapolis-hotel-that-lied-about-ice-agent-ban/
AMERICAN PROSPECT
— The Democratic Base Is Social Democratic. DD: Failed socialists have always been at war against capitalists, that is, Democrats have always been at war against Republicans, that is, liberals/moderates have always been at war against conservatives. How successful have socialists, that is, Democrats, that is, liberals/moderates been promoting socialism in your county, township, municipality, and school district? According to my critics/opponents, if I had worked in the capitalist private sector instead of the socialist federal government, I never would have had the career successes that I had.
https://prospect.org/2026/01/07/democratic-base-socialist-democratic-zohran-mamdani-medicare-for-all/
BREITBART
— ICE Surge Detains Criminals and Illegal Migrants in Minneapolis
https://www.breitbart.com/immigration/2026/01/06/ice-surge-detains-criminals-and-illegal-migrants-in-minneapolis/amp/
— House Judiciary Committee Alleges L.A. FireAid Relief Went to Pet Causes
https://www.breitbart.com/politics/2026/01/06/house-judiciary-committee-alleges-los-angeles-fireaid-relief-pet-causes/amp/
DAILY SIGNAL
— Stossel: Socialism Versus Capitalism
https://www.dailysignal.com/2026/01/06/socialism-versus-capitalism/amp/
FOX BUSINESS
— Venezuela’s fall echoes Berlin Wall collapse, says expert whose parents fled Soviet Union. Gabriella Hoffman draws parallels between Venezuelan jubilation, Iron Curtain liberation as Maduro faces federal charges.
https://www.foxbusiness.com/energy/venezuelas-fall-echoes-berlin-wall-collapse-says-expert-whose-parents-fled-soviet-union.amp
FOX NEWS
— Trump unleashes the ‘Donroe Doctrine’ and puts socialists on notice worldwide. America’s enemies should take note.
https://www.foxnews.com/opinion/trump-unleashes-donroe-doctrine-puts-socialists-notice-worldwide
— Pro-Maduro groups protesting Trump’s actions in socialist country include Soros-backed organization. The coalition urged ‘mass resistance’ against the administration’s actions, telling people to especially target U.S. embassies and military installations.
https://www.foxnews.com/politics/pro-maduro-groups-protesting-trumps-actions-socialist-country-include-soros-backed-organization
— DePaul offers courses on running cannabis dispensaries. DD: Democrat leaders ever-increasingly push more pot. Pot is poison.
https://www.foxnews.com/media/chicago-catholic-university-offers-courses-running-cannabis-dispensaries.print
— Pro-life groups warn Trump Hyde Amendment is ‘non-negotiable’ after flexibility remarks
https://www.960theref.com/news/health/trump-tells/TNRSJVKW742RDOAIYLW4NXFIBY/
https://www.yahoo.com/news/articles/pro-life-groups-warn-trump-000046465.html
— FLASHBACK FROM 1 YEAR AGO: Musk, Ramaswamy unveil the DOGE full-time, salaried roles they’re trying to fill. DD: There would have been no need for DOGE if Gingrich had reformed GAO instead of gutting it. If Gingrich had reformed GAO, the Democrats who ran GAO would not have been able a) to force me to take a $23,699 (21%) pay cut to in today’s dollars transfer from IRS to GAO, b) to keep me off audits of IRS for all but 3 of the almost 18 years that I worked for GAO, c) to delay my promotions and never promote me beyond GS-13, d) to always rank me in the bottom half of my coworkers for pay-for-performance, or e) to force me to retire when I was 49 years old.
https://www.msn.com/en-us/money/other/musk-ramaswamy-unveil-the-doge-full-time-salaried-roles-they-re-trying-to-fill/ar-AA1xaUf9
— DHS releases video of illegal alien criminal taken off Minneapolis streets as massive operation underway
https://www.foxnews.com/video/6387308228112
NEWSMAX
— Trump to GOP Lawmakers: Make Healthcare ‘Your Issue.’ DD: The federal government paying for 72% of my healthcare insurance premiums since I was 18 years old in 1966 and also for my wife since I was 29 years old in 1978 helped me endure tremendous efforts by my Democrat Post Office, IRS, and GAO superiors to waste my career and to get rid of me.
https://www.newsmax.com/politics/trump-gop-house/2026/01/06/id/1240990/
— Trump Admin Freezes Child Care Funds to 5 Blue States. DD: For Democrats, the federal government exists to provide social services.
https://www.newsmax.com/newsfront/hhs-freeze-child-care-funds/2026/01/06/id/1241086/
REASON
— The Federal Government Has Shed 271,000 Jobs This Year. That’s Great. DD: What is your attitude toward federal employees and federal retirees? I was a federal employee for almost 30 years and I have been a federal retiree for more than 28 years. Anyone considering working for the federal government should be advised that they will be despised/hated by virtually everyone. I would not have become a postal employee when I was 18 in 1966 if my high school friend had not asked me to join him in taking the postal employment examination. I would not have become an IRS employee when I was 22 in 1971 if my Firestone Store boss had not rudely fired me because I had accepted a job offer from Oldsmobile, an offer that Oldsmobile withdrew because it had just agreed to stop hiring Whites to settle an EEOC complaint.
https://reason.com/2025/12/16/the-federal-government-has-shed-271000-jobs-this-year-thats-great/
TOWNHALL
— The Dividends of Operation Absolute Resolve
https://townhall.com/columnists/starparker/2026/01/07/the-dividends-of-operation-absolute-resolve-n2668986
— Leftists in Oregon Want Segregated Swimming Pools
https://townhall.com/tipsheet/amy-curtis/2026/01/07/eugene-or-bipoc-swimming-n2668997
FROM NATIONAL CENTER-LEFT SOURCES
REUTERS
— At 92, judge who defied Trump brings Torah ethos to Maduro trial
https://www.reuters.com/legal/litigation/92-judge-who-defied-trump-brings-torah-ethos-maduro-trial-2026-01-06/
ASSOCIATED PRESS
— Trump leaves Venezuela’s opposition sidelined and Maduro’s party in power
https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/world/trump-leaves-venezuela-s-opposition-sidelined-and-maduro-s-party-in-power/ar-AA1TIH8V
NBC NEWS
— Trump warns Venezuela to cooperate or risk new U.S. military attack. The president’s threats to seize the semi-autonomous Danish territory of Greenland drew a new warning from U.S. allies in Europe today.
https://www.nbcnews.com/world/venezuela/live-blog/live-updates-trump-venezuela-maduro-rodriguez-attack-greenland-ukraine-rcna252515
NEW YORK TIMES
— Health Dept. Freezes $10 Billion in Funding to 5 Democratic States. The funding pause could jeopardize child care and other programs that serve hundreds of thousands of households in California, Colorado, Illinois, Minnesota and New York. DD: For Democrats, the federal government exists to provide social services.
https://www.nytimes.com/2026/01/06/us/politics/child-care-funding-cuts-trump.html
— DD: Democrat leaders ever-increasingly side with Maduro against America.
https://www.nytimes.com/2026/01/06/us/politics/rubio-venezuela-future.html
https://www.nytimes.com/2026/01/06/world/asia/venezuela-china-trump-taiwan.html
WASHINGTON POST
— DD: Democrat leaders ever-increasingly side with Putin against America.
https://www.washingtonpost.com/world/2026/01/07/russia-venezuela-great-power-politics/
— DD: Democrat leaders ever-increasingly side with Maduro against America.
https://www.washingtonpost.com/world/2026/01/06/venezulea-maduro-rodriguez-government-repression/
https://www.washingtonpost.com/national-security/2026/01/06/maduro-raid-death-toll/
WALL STREET JOURNAL
— The Brutal Maduro Enforcer Standing in Trump’s Way in Venezuela. Diosdado Cabello looms as the biggest obstacle to Trump’s hopes for a stable, U.S.-friendly oil state.
https://www.wsj.com/world/americas/the-brutal-maduro-enforcer-standing-in-trumps-way-in-venezuela-65102c3a
— What’s the Difference Between a Democrat and a Socialist? The question stumped the DNC head in 2015. The answer is as elusive as ever in the age of Mamdani. DD: How soon will the Democrat Party officially change its name to the Socialist Party?
https://www.wsj.com/opinion/whats-the-difference-between-a-democrat-and-a-socialist-d65ec04e
— FRONT PAGE: The $160,000 Mechanic Job That Ford Can’t Fill. Ford’s CEO says 5,000 jobs are open. DD: In today’s dollars, I did not make $154,682/year until I was 49 years old even though I earned a) a job-related bachelor’s degree when I was 21, b) job-related master’s degrees when I was 27, 31, and 48, c) job-related professional certifications when I was 30 32, 41, 45, 47, and 48, and d) a job-related professional license when I was 32. My critics/opponents use the aforesaid to demonize me, denigrate me, and condemn me as being an unmitigated loser/failure and even worse things.
https://www.wsj.com/business/autos/the-160-000-mechanic-job-that-ford-cant-fill-fe6fd121
POLITICO
— US seizes Venezuela-linked oil tanker. The United States seized a Russian-flagged oil tanker in the North Atlantic on Wednesday.
https://www.politico.com/news/2026/01/07/us-seizes-venezuela-oil-tanker-russia-00713656
MIT
— Why meritocracy is hard to achieve. DD: According to my critics/opponents, I owe none of my success in life to meritocracy. According to them, I owe all my successes in life to my benefitting from discrimination against those who do not share my demographics, that is, those who are liberal/moderate, Democrat, minority, female, younger than me, veteran, non-married, non-Protestant, non-German American, and/or have ancestors who have not been in America for a long time. Generally, the more of the aforesaid that my critics/opponents are, the more critical that they are of me. But many of my critics/opponents who share my demographics are critical of me to curry favor with those who do not share my demographics.
https://news.mit.edu/2026/3-questions-emilio-castilla-why-meritocracy-is-hard-to-achieve-0106
ATLANTIC
— What’s the Point of a High-School Reunion? Social media should have killed them. Instead, they’re popular again. DD: Do you attend your high school reunions? My 60th Crete-Monee High School reunion is this year. Were you viewed as being college material when you were in high school? I was not. Neither of my parents had attended college. My father was only the first of my ancestors to earn a high school diploma. My mother never attended high school. I could not run because I had a bone disease, My eyesight could not be corrected to 20/20. I had partial red/green color blindness. I spent my junior and senior years and the summer in between washing dishes. My ACT score was only 24. I only just barely made it into the upper 20% of my class.
https://www.theatlantic.com/family/archive/2025/09/high-school-reunion-attendance/684097/
FROM FOREIGN SOURCES
DAILY MAIL
— Inside Maduro’s luxury socialist retreat: How dictator basked in ‘$700m fortune’ with ‘lavish Dominican Republic mansion’, Swiss watches and private jets – while his citizens faced poverty.
https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-15438011/amp/Inside-Maduro-luxury-socialist-retreat.html
SOCIALIST WORKER
— DD: Failed socialists have always been at war against capitalists, that is, Democrats have always been at war against Republicans, that is, liberals/moderates have always been at war against conservatives. How successful have socialists, that is, Democrats, that is, liberals/moderates been promoting socialism in your county, township, municipality, and school district? According to my critics/opponents, if I had worked in the capitalist private sector instead of the socialist federal government, I never would have had the career successes that I had.
https://socialistworker.co.uk/swp-meetings/stop-trumps-invasion-resist-u-s-imperialism-in-venezuela-29/
WORLD SOCIALIST WEBSITE
— Trump and Miller’s “iron law” of imperialist barbarism
https://www.wsws.org/en/articles/2026/01/07/erjx-j07.html
MEAWW
— Duckworth Slams Trump on Venezuela, Invokes Iraq War and Accuses Him of “Ignorance and Arrogance”
https://news.meaww.com/video/duckworth-slams-trump-on-venezuela-invokes-iraq-war-and-accuses-him-of-ignorance-and-arrogance
HRD MAGAZINE
— Canadian government workers continue to outpace private sector in pay, benefits. DD: According to my critics/opponents, in America, if I had worked in the capitalist private sector instead of the socialist federal government, I never would have had the career successes that I had. Of course, I disagree. Because socialists, that is Democrats, in government are not profit driven, they can and do waste the careers of and get rid of nonsocialists, that is, non-Democrats. Because I was not a Democrat, my Democrat Post Office, IRS, and GAO superiors wasted what I learned earning a) a job-related bachelor’s degree and three job-related master’s degrees, b) six job-related professional certifications, and c) a job-relate professional license.
https://www.hcamag.com/ca/specialization/benefits/canadian-government-workers-continue-to-outpace-private-sector-in-pay-benefits/551763
