June 23, 2026

FROM ILLINOIS CENTER-LEFT SOURCES

ABC7
— Those celebrating Israel’s and US’ independence in Skokie express optimism, concern about Iran talks.
https://abc7chicago.com/post/attendees-skokie-illinois-israel-independence-day-event-express-optimism-concern-us-iran-talks/19358767/
— DHS proposes 75% increase in fees for US citizenship paperwork. The proposed rule says current fees do not cover the costs of applications.
https://abc7chicago.com/post/dhs-proposes-75-increase-fees-us-citizenship-paperwork/19357641/

CBS2
— Fresh wave of ICE arrests has begun, with new tactics in play.
https://www.cbsnews.com/chicago/news/illinois-accountability-commission-chicago-ice-arrests-new-tactics/

FOX32
— Teen takeover problem remains unresolved. DD: What is your municipality doing to stop Democrat teen takeovers?
https://www.fox32chicago.com/news/why-chicagos-teen-takeover-problem-remains-unresolved

CHICAGO TRIBUNE
— FRONT PAGE TOP OF FOLD WITH BIG PICTURE: Democrat leaders ever-increasingly promote more LGBTQ.
https://www.chicagotribune.com/2026/06/23/zoo-same-sex-animals-pride/
— FRONT PAGE WITH PICTURE: Chicago faith leaders call for new Department of Gun Violence Prevention. DD: The Democrat Party platform promotes poverty and crime. The Republican Part platform promotes prosperity and safety.
https://www.chicagotribune.com/2026/06/22/department-of-gun-violence-prevention-chicago-faith-leaders/
— Conservative commentator Tucker Carlson says he’ll no longer support the Republican Party. DD: My critics/opponents who claim that they want Republican candidates to win want me to leave the Republican Party. The want me to stop sending out my GOPUSA ILLINOIS newsletters and they want me to resign as a Republican Precinct Committeeman. They blame me and they blame my newsletters for all the defeats that Republican candidates on ballots in my precinct have suffered since 2000. Previously, they also blamed what I did as the TAPROOT Republicans of Illinois chairman 2005-2012 and as an Illinois Center Right Coalition Steering Committee member 2003-2007. Most commonly, they hint/imply/argue/shout a) that I promote candidates in Republican primary elections who are too conservative to win in general elections and/or b) that I paint Republican candidates in general elections as being more conservative than they wanted to be painted. Who do you hold responsible for Republican defeats since 2000 in Illinois, DuPage County, Milton Township, Wheaton, and Warrenville School District 200 and why?
https://www.chicagotribune.com/2026/06/22/tucker-carlson-republican-party/

CRAIN’S CHICAGO BUSINESS
— Daily Herald sale to Tribune Publishing is complete.
https://www.chicagobusiness.com/media-marketing/ccb-daily-herald-alden-tribune-sale-esop-20260622/

WGN RADIO
— Student Loans. DD: Did you get a student loan? I did not. When I was in high school, no one saw me as being college material. At best, they thought that Prairie State Community College in Chicago Heights might accept me. I could not have gotten a student loan. But nevertheless, I took college preparatory courses, I got an ACT score of 24, I graduated in the upper 20% of my class, and I got accepted by UIC. I had to work my way through college and I did by delivering mail for the Park Forest Post Office. My critics/opponents stress that college expenses were much lower back then and that my parents provided me with room and board in their Crete home while I took classes at UIC 1966-1968, weekends during my first semester at NIU in 1969, and the summer of 1969. I graduated debt-free from NIU in August of 1970 with a bachelor’s degree in business and owning a 1969 Dodge Charger SE.
https://wgnradio.com/bob-sirott/how-to-find-out-if-youre-eligible-for-student-loan-forgiveness/

JOURNAL COURIER
— DD: What percent of food produced in America is given by Democrat government leaders to Democrats free of charge?
https://www.myjournalcourier.com/news/article/cuts-hitting-food-assistance-recipients-22314014.php

FOX ILLINOIS
— DD: Democrat leaders say that Trump is the frontman for his own party as rival groups vie to shape America’s 250th anniversary. DD: Democrat leaders ever-increasingly demonize, denigrate, and condemn America to demonize, denigrate and condemn Trump. Democrat leaders are ever-increasingly furious at Americans because they elected Trump. Democrat leaders ever-increasingly bring in America-haters from foreign countries.
https://www.foxillinois.com/news/nation-world/trump-is-the-frontman-for-his-own-party-as-rival-groups-vie-to-shape-america/article_8d384901-5b7d-57bc-860d-612a44d3aad9.html

NPR ILLINOIS
— DD: Democrat leaders ever-increasingly fight efforts to stop voter fraud.
https://www.nprillinois.org/2026-06-22/a-federal-judge-finds-a-trump-data-system-to-verify-voters-is-unlawful
— DD: So far, which of the Republican candidates on the November 3, 2026 ballot in your precinct a) have sought Trump’s endorsement and b) have gotten Trump’s endorsement? Which ones are unofficially or officially running as anti-Trumps?
https://www.nprillinois.org/2026-06-23/how-trumps-complete-and-total-endorsement-has-reshaped-the-republican-party
https://www.nprillinois.org/2026-06-23/as-republican-party-looks-to-future-without-trump-in-office-utah-could-be-a-road-map

WCBU
— Peoria Riverfront Museum leader stresses its inclusion in Great American State Fair is not political. DD: Ever-increasingly, to promote more hatred against Trump, Democrat leaders promote more hatred against America because Americans elected Trump.
https://www.wcbu.org/local-news/2026-06-22/peoria-riverfront-museum-leader-stresses-inclusion-in-great-american-state-fair-is-not-political

CITIES 92.9
— ‘Half-baked’ Illinois social media tax poised to tee up court challenges. DD: Of course, to discourage/stop me from sending out GOPUSA ILLINOIS newsletters, my critics/opponents want the federal government, Illinois, DuPage County, Milton Township, and Wheaton to tax them. They could not care less that my newsletters are not-for-profit and that all the money I spend to put them together and to send them out comes out my Civil Service Retirement System pension, my Social Security, and my retirement savings.
https://www.cities929.com/2026/06/22/half-baked-illinois-social-media-tax-poised-to-tee-up-court-challenges/

ADVANTAGE NEWS
— DD: Democrat leaders ever-increasingly a) glorify and praise their illegals and b) fight their deportation.
https://www.advantagenews.com/news/local/illinois-venezuelans-face-economic-double-whammy/article_f5d23406-e433-4383-ac55-4342c6f6ced1.html

BLOCK CLUB CHICAGO
— DD: Democrat leaders ever-increasingly promote more LGBTQ. To promote LGBTQ is to destroy traditional marriage and family.
https://blockclubchicago.org/2026/06/22/candyland-prom-in-little-village-celebrates-lgbtq-youth/

CHOOSE CHICAGO
— DD: Democrat leaders ever-increasingly promote more LGBTQ. To promote LGBTQ is to destroy traditional marriage and family.
https://www.choosechicago.com/blog/lgbtq/what-to-eat-drink-and-do-in-boystown-chicago/

POLITICO ILLINOIS
— DD: Democrat leaders ever-increasingly promote Giannoulias.
https://www.politico.com/newsletters/illinois-playbook/2026/06/23/local-150-makes-a-move-00970957

CAPITOL FAX
— Morning briefing
https://capitolfax.com/
— Afternoon roundup
https://capitolfax.com/2026/06/22/isabel%e2%80%99s-afternoon-roundup-541/

FROM ILLINOIS CENTER-RIGHT SOURCES

GOPUSA ILLINOIS
— What does it mean to be a conservative? It includes not doing things that are anti-conservative. It includes leading your life in accordance with conservative principles. It includes personal responsibility. It includes getting an education, getting a job, and becoming a contributing member of society and staying a contributing member of society. – Dave Diersen
http://www.gopillinois.com

— What does it mean to be a conservative activist/leader? It includes not doing things that are anti-conservative. It includes promoting conservative principles. It includes promoting personal responsibility, traditional marriage and family, right to life, immigration, anti-vice, Second Amendment rights, and/or equal opportunity (no race or gender based preference giving). – Dave Diersen
http://www.gopillinois.com

— What does it mean to be a Republican? It includes casting Republican primary ballots. It includes voting for Republican candidates in general elections. It includes not doing things that are anti-Republican. – Dave Diersen
http://www.gopillinois.com

— What does it mean to be a Republican activist/leader? It includes promoting Republican candidates. I includes promoting planks in the Republican Party platform. – Dave Diersen
http://www.gopillinois.com

— What does it mean to be a conservative Republican reporter/journalist? It includes publishing articles monthly, if not weekly, if not daily that promote conservative planks in the Republican Party platform, including its personal responsibility, traditional marriage and family, right to life, immigration, anti-vice, Second Amendment, and/or equal opportunity (no race or gender based preference giving) planks. – Dave Diersen
http://www.gopillinois.com

FROM NATIONAL CENTER-RIGHT SOURCES

WASHINGTON TIMES
— Federal agents are not enough without local buy-in, Blanche says of Chicago violence.
https://www.washingtontimes.com/news/2026/jun/22/federal-agents-not-enough-without-local-buy-todd-blanche-says-chicago/
— Trump vows to enforce law against vandalizing D.C. statues and fountains.
https://www.washingtontimes.com/news/2026/jun/22/trump-vows-enforce-law-vandalizing-dc-statues-fountains/
— Judge rules Trump’s voter database violates Americans’ privacy. DD: Your voting record is public record. My Democrat IRS and GAO superiors always knew that I always cast Republican primary ballots. They always used that against me.
https://www.washingtontimes.com/news/2026/jun/22/judge-rules-trumps-voter-database-violates-americans-privacy/

WASHINGTON EXAMINER
— Democrats become the party of socialists and Third-Worldism.
https://www.washingtonexaminer.com/opinion/beltway-confidential/4619261/democrats-become-party-socialists-third-worldism-new-york-city-primaries/
— Mamdani renews call to abolish ICE.
https://www.washingtonexaminer.com/policy/immigration/4619302/zohran-mamdani-renews-call-to-abolish-ice/
— Work permits. DD: All my employers would have hired noncitizens instead of me if they could have. My critics/opponent cannot say that because they had wealthy parents. Noncitizens work for less money and they are easier to exploit.
https://www.washingtonexaminer.com/opinion/beltway-confidential/4618058/resolve-refugee-crises-less-charity-more-permits/

NEW YORK POST
— Mamdani still backs his handpicked House candidate who now says she wouldn’t deport anyone — even criminals.
https://nypost.com/2026/06/22/us-news/mamdani-stands-by-his-handpicked-candidate-who-doesnt-want-to-deport-criminal-immigrants/
— Alberta is Canada’s Texas. It threatens secession and will vote whether to become the 51st US state.
https://nypost.com/2026/06/22/world-news/canadas-texas-threatens-secession-and-could-become-51st-us-state/
— Trump’s IGs are doing the job that past IGs let slide and the old guard hates it. DD: While I worked for GAO for almost 18 years, I had lots of interactions with IG employees. While I served on the Association of Government Accountants Chicago Chapter Executive Committee for 13 years, I had lots of interactions with IG employees. I worked for GAO on an audit of EPA’s IG office in 1985. SEE:  https://www.gao.gov/products/afmd-86-43
https://nypost.com/2026/06/22/opinion/trumps-federal-watchdogs-are-doing-the-job-past-igs-ignored/
— California’s Glock ban sets stage for nationwide gun control. DD: Democrats want to get rid of Republicans once and for all. Because of that, Democrats want to disarm Republicans. Because of that, Republicans should be buying more and more and more firearms and ammunition for their self-defense.
https://nypost.com/2026/06/22/opinion/californias-glock-ban-sets-stage-for-nationwide-gun-control/
— Chicago sanctuary policies let Tren de Aragua mass shooting getaway driver walk free.
https://nypost.com/2026/06/22/us-news/chicago-sanctuary-policies-let-alleged-tren-de-aragua-mass-shooting-getaway-driver-walk-free/

BIZ PAC REVIEW
— Border crossings collapse 96 percent after Trump policy changes
https://www.bizpacreview.com/2026/06/22/border-crossings-collapse-96-percent-after-trump-policy-changes-1647324/

CENTER FOR IMMIGRATION STUDIES
— DD: What percent of illegals are minority, female, and/or younger and want/need/demand massive government assistance, lack education, lack job skills, have health and/or other problems, have committed crimes, etc.? What percent are on track to be permanent wards of the state? All my employers would have hired noncitizens instead of me if they could have. My critics/opponent cannot say that because they had wealthy parents. Noncitizens work for less money and they are easier to exploit.
https://cis.org/Richwine/Course-Illegal-Immigrants-Access-Public-Health-Benefits

COLLEGE FIX
— More than half of Jesuit colleges celebrate LGBT ‘Pride Month.’ DD: To promote LGBTQ is to destroy traditional marriage and family.
https://www.thecollegefix.com/more-than-half-of-jesuit-colleges-celebrate-lgbt-pride-month/

DAILY SIGNAL
— Politics and Parenthood: Why Liberals Are Having Fewer Kids Than Conservatives. DD: Democrat leaders ever-increasingly promote more LGBTQ, that is, they ever-increasingly destroy traditional marriage and family.
https://www.dailysignal.com/2026/06/22/politics-and-parenthood-liberals-fewer-kids-than-conservatives/

FOX NEWS
— Obama Center isn’t a traditional presidential library. Critics say it’s an activism center. Illinois GOP chairman Bob Grogan says the project was sold as a library to win support before evolving into something else.
https://www.foxnews.com/politics/obama-center-isnt-traditional-presidential-library-critics-say-activism-center.amp

JUDICIAL WATCH
— Justice Dept. Joins Challenge to Evanston Reparations. DD: Did your ancestors own slaves. Mine did not. To get more votes from Blacks and to atone for their ancestors’ slave ownership, Democrat leaders ever-increasingly promote reparations. If anyone should pay reparations, it should be Democrat leaders whose ancestors owned slaves. Affirmative Action (AA) is reparations. Democrat leaders have always used AA to make Republicans who are the following pay reparations: conservative, White, male, older, non-poor, non-veteran, Protestant, German American, and/or have ancestors who have been in America for a long time. Because I am all of the aforesaid, my Democrat superiors in the federal government made me pay reparations big time. It culminated when they forced me to retire when I was 49 in 1997 and gave my job and my preferred corner office to my Black subordinate.
https://www.judicialwatch.org/justice-dept-joins-challenge-to-evanston-reparations/

PJ MEDIA
— Illinois Illegal Alien Teacher Linked to Tren de Aragua Mass Shooting
https://pjmedia.com/catherinesalgado/2026/06/22/illinois-illegal-alien-teacher-linked-to-tren-de-aragua-mass-shooting-n4954250

TOWNHALL
— Federal Judge Declares That Common-Sense Election Integrity Is Illegal.
https://townhall.com/tipsheet/josephchalfant/2026/06/22/we-arent-allowed-to-have-secure-elections-according-to-this-federal-judge-n2678116

FROM NATIONAL CENTER-LEFT SOURCES

CBS NEWS
— Trump comments on Juneteenth weekend violence in Chicago.
https://www.cbsnews.com/chicago/video/trump-comments-on-juneteenth-weekend-violence-in-chicago/

NEW YORK TIMES
— DD: Democrat leaders decry an Indiana professor losing her job for promoting hatred against Trump in her classroom. Democrats and RINOs did not decry my losing my job for opposing Democrat political affiliation discrimination, reverse discrimination, and age discrimination. In fact, they applauded it.  My critics/opponents promote political affiliation discrimination, reverse discrimination, age discrimination, religious discrimination, and national origin discrimination. They despise/hate Republicans like me who are conservative, White, male, older, non-poor, non-veteran, Protestant, German American, and/or have ancestors who have been in America for a long time.
https://www.nytimes.com/2026/06/17/us/indiana-professor-white-supremacy-lesson-maga.html

USA TODAY
— FRONT PAGE: Democrat leaders ever-increasingly punish America and punish Americans for electing Trump.
https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/politics/2026/06/22/america-at-250-is-anxious-about-today-pessimistic-about-whats-next/90564030007/

WALL STREET JOURNAL
— JD Vance’s Faith-Based Ambition. Like the vice president’s religious beliefs, his politics seem rather too conveniently flexible. DD: My parents had me baptized as a Missouri Synod Lutheran (MSL) at Trinity Lutheran Church in 1948, sent me to Trinity Lutheran Grade School in Crete 1953-1961, sent me to Hope Lutheran Grade School in Park Forest 1961-1962 to stay with the Missouri Synod, and had me confirmed as a MSL in 1962. My critics/opponents have always used the aforesaid against me. One could call it religious discrimination.
https://www.wsj.com/opinion/jd-vances-faith-based-ambition-022f7388

HARVARD BUSINESS REVIEW
— DD: What helped you endure the negatives of your jobs? For me, the following helped me endure the ever-increasing tremendous efforts of my Democrat superiors in the federal government to waste my career and to get rid of me: a) I needed a job, b) the importance of the missions of the agencies that I worked for, c) federal employee benefits including the federal government paying 72% of my and my wife’s health insurance premiums for life, and d) Civil Service Retirement System benefits. The aforesaid helped me survive for almost 18 years at GAO, for almost 9 years at IRS, and for almost 3 years at the Post Office.
https://hbr.org/2018/01/when-burnout-is-a-sign-you-should-leave-your-job

NEW YORKER
— American Dream. DD: What is/was your American dream? When I was younger, it included having a successful career in the automotive industry. But that all ended when I was 22 in 1971 when my Firestone Store boss rudely fired me when I told him that I had accepted a job offer from Oldsmobile. But Oldsmobile withdrew that job offer saying that it had just agreed to stop hiring Whites to settle an EEOC complaint. I had to have a job. That directly resulted in my accepting a job offer from IRS. I had not specifically applied for that job. I got that offer solely a) because I had passed the Federal Service Entrance Examination, b) because I had earned a bachelor’s degree in business, and c) because the Democrats who ran IRS could not find a Democrat, minority, female, or veteran who would take the job.
https://www.newyorker.com/magazine/2026/06/29/the-curious-career-of-the-american-dream

PSY POST
— Age is the strongest predictor of how people view their dating prospects. DD: If I had not met my outstanding wife at a church sponsored singles social event when I was 28 in 1977, I might never had gotten married. My Democrat IRS superiors, supervisors, coworkers, and subordinates were furious that I got married when I was 29 in 1978. To get rid of me, they had painted me being an extremely bad person because I had refused to become a Democrat. What helped you become marriage material? By the time I got married, I had worked for IRS for almost 7 years and my salary was $110,066/year in today’s dollars. I had earned an MBA from Loyola in 1976 and I was taking graduate evening accounting courses at DePaul. I lived in a one bedroom condo in the Outer Drive East building that I had bought in 1976. I was renting out a town home in University Park that I had bought new in 1972. I owned a 1972 Corvette that I had bought new in 1971. See Money Magazine’s 4-page February 1978 article on my wife and I at https://gopillinois.com/documents/ Things that impressed me about my outstanding wife included that her first job after high school was working for the FBI. She soon became the Corporate Secretary of the U.S. League of Savings Institutions. She did much to help elect Big Jim Thompson governor in 1976. She earned a bachelor’s degree in finance from DePaul in 1986.
https://www.psypost.org/the-surprising-way-income-and-age-dictate-how-we-view-the-dating-market/

SPLC
— DD: Democrat leaders ever-increasingly promote more LGBTQ.
https://www.splcenter.org/resources/hopewatch/pride-month-reminds-lgbtq-youth-need-love-support/

FROM FOREIGN SOURCES

INDEPENDENT
— Pritzker rejects Trump’s call for federal help in Chicago crime crackdown
https://www.the-independent.com/bulletin/news/donald-trump-jb-pritzker-chicago-truth-social-b3001175.html

TIMES OF INDIA
— How illegals slip into city’s workforce.
https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/gurgaon/from-border-to-builder-how-illegals-slip-into-citys-workforce/articleshow/131916816.cms

ECONOMIC TIMES
— DD: What do your critics/opponents do to discredit/stop you? My critics/opponents have their operatives and their dupes take many big adverse actions against me.
https://economictimes.indiatimes.com/news/international/us/african-proverb-of-the-day-do-not-follow-a-person-who-is-life-lessons-on-judgment-awareness-decision-making-responsibility-and-why-understanding-a-situation-matters-more-than-following-the-crowd/articleshow/131908386.cms

Author: David Diersen

The opinions that I express in GOPUSA ILLINOIS emails are based on experience that I have gained doing many things since 1948. I base my opinions on what I learned a) working for the federal government for almost 30 years -- Post Office 1966-1969, IRS 1971-1980, and GAO 1980-1997, serving on the Executive Committee of the Association of Government Accountants Chicago Chapter 1983-1996, and being a union member while I worked for the Post Office and IRS; b) earning an MBA from Loyola in 1976, a masters degree in accounting from DePaul in 1980, and a masters degree in financial markets and trading from IIT in 1997; c) passing the CPA examination on my first attempt in 1979 and passing the Certified Internal Auditor examination on my first attempt in 1981; c) serving as a Republican Precinct Committeeman since 1999, the GOPUSA Illinois Editor since 2000, the TAPROOT Republicans of Illinois Chairman 2005-2012, a member of the 2008 Illinois Republican Party (IRP) Platform and Resolutions Committee, a Wheaton Chamber of Commerce Government Affairs Committee member 2003-2011, the Milton Township Republican Central Committee webmaster 2008-2010 and 2000-2004, an Illinois Center Right Coalition Steering Committee member 2003-2007, and an American Association of Political Consultants Midwest Chapter board member 2001-2004; d) attending the 2000, 2004, 2008, 2012, and 2016 IRP State Conventions as a delegate; e) being the subject of a nasty 4-page article in the February 1978 issue of Money Magazine; f) pursing litigation including Diersen v. GAO and Diersen v. Chicago Car Exchange; g) being married since 1978; h) living in Crete 1948-1972, in University Park 1972-1976, in Chicago 1976-1978, and in DuPage County, Milton Township, and Wheaton since 1978; and i) being baptized, raised, and confirmed as a Missouri Synod Lutheran.