May 11, 2026 Evening Edition

FROM ILLINOIS CENTER-LEFT SOURCES

NBC5
— Trump calls for suspending federal gas tax
https://www.nbcchicago.com/news/local/chicago-politics/trump-calls-for-suspending-federal-gas-tax-but-its-not-quite-that-simple/3934466/

FOX32
— Smash-and-grab caught on camera at Chicago cannabis store, suspects on the run
https://www.fox32chicago.com/news/smash-and-grab-caught-on-camera-at-chicago-cannabis-store-suspects-on-the-run

WTTW
— DD: What percent of grocers depend on food stamps?
https://news.wttw.com/2026/05/11/illinoisans-lose-federal-food-assistance-independent-grocers-face-debt-and-store-closure

CHICAGO TRIBUNE
— The U.S. Supreme Court on Monday set the stage for Alabama to get rid of one of two largely Black congressional districts before this year’s midterm elections, creating an opening for Republicans to gain an additional U.S. House seat in a partisan battle for control of the closely divided chamber.
https://www.chicagotribune.com/2026/05/11/supreme-court-alabama-house-map/
— DD: Democrat leaders ever-increasingly a) glorify and praise their illegals and b) fight their deportation.
https://www.chicagotribune.com/2026/05/11/judge-issues-injunction-to-keep-dhs-from-attempting-to-block-web-page-that-monitors-ice/
— Once epicenters of teenage culture, some Chicago-area malls are taking their last breath
https://www.yahoo.com/news/articles/once-epicenters-teenage-culture-chicago-100000566.html

SPRINGFIELD STATE JOURNAL REGISTER
— Trump uses AI-generated photo and social media to criticize Pritzker
https://www.sj-r.com/story/news/state/2026/05/11/trump-attacks-illinois-governor-pritzker-about-his-weight-on-social-media/90027690007/

CAPITOL NEWS ILLINOIS
— Unemployment rising throughout Illinois
https://capitolnewsillinois.com/news/unemployment-rising-throughout-illinois/

CAPITOL FAX
— Afternoon roundup
https://capitolfax.com/2026/05/11/isabel%e2%80%99s-afternoon-roundup-522/
— DD: Ives lives in the racially gerrymandered 3rd Congressional District, not the 6th.
https://capitolfax.com/2026/05/11/jeanne-ives-claims-shes-injured-by-the-illinois-voting-rights-act/

FROM ILLINOIS CENTER-RIGHT SOURCES

ILLINOIS REVIEW
— Pritzker Refuses Gas Tax Relief as Other States Offer Relief While Illinois Raises Fuel Taxes July 1
https://www.illinoisreview.com/illinoisreview/2026/05/pritzker-refuses-gas-tax-relief-as-other-states-offer-relief-while-illinois-raises-fuel-taxes-july-1.html

MCHENRY COUNTY BLOG
— Trump Wants To Dump 19 Cent Federal Gas Tax, But Illinois Still Charges 48.3 Cents a Gallon, Plus Sales Tax on the Gas Tax
https://www.mchenrycountyblog.com/2026/05/11/trump-wants-to-dump-19-cent-federal-gas-tax-but-illinois-still-charges-48-3-cents-a-gallon-plus-sales-tax-on-the-gas-tax/
— County Board Set to Limit Written Public Comment at Meetings
https://www.mchenrycountyblog.com/2026/05/11/county-board-set-to-limit-written-public-comment-at-meetings/
— Why Do County Boards Appoint Fire Protection District Trustees
https://www.mchenrycountyblog.com/2026/05/11/county-board-making-trustee-appointments-to-local-fire-protection-district-boards/
— Nick Shirley To Headline June 12th State GOP Fundraiser
https://www.mchenrycountyblog.com/2026/05/11/nick-shirley-to-headline-june-12th-state-gop-fundraiser/
— Why Morton Salt Left Illinois for Kansas
https://www.mchenrycountyblog.com/2026/05/10/why-morton-salt-left-illinois-for-kansas/
— Illinois Christian Congressional Rankings: From 2.3% to 92.3%
https://www.mchenrycountyblog.com/2026/05/10/illinois-christian-congressional-rankings-from-2-3-to-92-3/
— Dipping into UFO Territory
https://www.mchenrycountyblog.com/2026/05/10/dipping-into-ufo-territory/
— Housing Availability Part of Mix That Led to Greens Defeat of Labor in London Constituency
https://www.mchenrycountyblog.com/2026/05/09/housing-availability-part-of-mix-that-led-to-greens-defeat-of-labor-in-london-constituency/
— McLaughlin Offers Alternative to Pritzker Zoning Control Effort
https://www.mchenrycountyblog.com/2026/05/08/mclaughlin-offers-alternative-to-pritzker-zoning-control-effort/
— Another Data Point on the Cost of “Affordable” Housing
https://www.mchenrycountyblog.com/2026/05/08/another-data-point-on-the-cost-of-affordable-housing/
— How Do Taxpayers Feel about Bears Staying in Illinois?
https://www.mchenrycountyblog.com/2026/05/08/how-do-taxpayers-feel-about-bears-staying-in-the-illinois/
— Woodstock Named One of the Twelve Cutest Towns in Illinois, Others Identified
https://www.mchenrycountyblog.com/2026/05/09/woodstock-named-one-of-the-twelve-cutest-towns-in-illinois/
— Silent Majority Returns for May 17th McHenry Rally on National Day of Prayer
https://www.mchenrycountyblog.com/2026/05/08/silent-majority-returns-for-may-17th-mchenry-rally-on-national-day-of-prayer/

FROM NATIONAL CENTER-RIGHT SOURCES

WASHINGTON TIMES
— Pope Leo should heed Rubio’s warning on Iran
https://www.washingtontimes.com/news/2026/may/11/pope-leo-heed-rubios-warning-iran/
— 215,000 federal workers were delinquent on their taxes
https://www.washingtontimes.com/news/2026/may/11/215000-federal-workers-delinquent-taxes/

NATIONAL REVIEW
— Ending Racial Bias in Admissions
https://www.nationalreview.com/2026/05/ending-racial-bias-in-admissions/

FROM NATIONAL CENTER-LEFT SOURCES

CBS NEWS
— Musk and other CEOs among those invited to be in Trump’s delegation to China
https://www.cbsnews.com/news/elon-musk-trump-china-us-delegation/

NPR
— DD: Democrat leaders charge Trump with faking assassination attempts
https://www.npr.org/2026/05/11/nx-s1-5818557/poll-trump-assassination-attempts-conspiracy-theories

BLOOMBERG LAW
— Illinois Redistricting Law Hit With Constitutional Challenge. An Illinois state law that requires race to be considered in any redistricting plan violates the US Constitution, a lawsuit said. The Illinois Voting Rights Act of 2011 includes requirements that “make racial considerations a core purpose of all legislative line drawing in Illinois,” Jeanne Ives alleged in a complaint filed May 8 in the US District Court for the Central District of Illinois. Ives is a former Illinois Republican state representative who also ran for governor and Congress.
https://news.bloomberglaw.com/health-law-and-business/illinois-redistricting-rules-hit-with-constitutional-challenge

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.