FROM ILLINOIS CENTER-LEFT SOURCES
ABC7
— Leaders call for federal charges in alleged mass shooting plot against Hindu temple in Aurora. Krishnamoorthi was inside temple during thwarted attack; Palatine man Alexandros Paporakis facing terror charges. DD: What led to Paporakis being trans? How successful have Democrat leaders been promoting LGBTQ in your county, township, municipality, and school district?
https://abc7chicago.com/post/leaders-call-federal-charges-alleged-shooting-plot-hindu-temple-aurora/19943241/
— White House press secretary Katie Zacharia says she did not pass bar exam. Zacharia has described herself as a lawyer; Trump called her “an attorney.” DD: I passed the CPA examination on my first attempt when I was 30 in 1979. I passed the Certified Internal Auditor examination on my first attempt and became a licensed CPA when I was 32 in 1981. I grandfathered in to become a Certified Fraud Examiner in 1990, Certified Government Financial Manager in 1994, Certified Financial Services Auditor in 1996, and Forensic Accountant in 1997. My critics/opponents have always ignored/dismissed/belittled that.
https://abc7chicago.com/story/white-house-press-secretary-katie-zacharia-says-she-did-not-pass-bar-exam/19943822/
NBC5
— Chicago elected official calls colleagues ‘Nazis,’ ‘Fascists.’
https://www.nbcchicago.com/news/local/exclusive-chicago-elected-official-calls-colleagues-nazis-fascists/4002760/
CBS2
— Illinois leaders call on FBI to investigate Palatine mass shooting plot at Hindu temple as hate crime. DD: What led to Paporakis being trans? How successful have Democrat leaders been promoting LGBTQ in your county, township, municipality, and school district?
https://www.cbsnews.com/chicago/news/illinois-leaderscondemn-palatine-mass-shooting-plot/
CHICAGO TRIBUNE
— ‘Ordinary white kid’ or ‘neo-Nazi’? Court records offer new insight into alleged plot to attack Hindu temple. DD: What led to Paporakis being trans? How successful have Democrat leaders been promoting LGBTQ in your county, township, municipality, and school district?
https://www.chicagotribune.com/2026/10/16/aurora-hindu-temple-shooting/
— Lake County Board Chair Sandy Hart is running for county treasurer against political newcomer David Peñaherrera, with the former pitching her lengthy political resume and the latter his conservative values, but also his opposition to President Donald Trump.
https://www.chicagotribune.com/2026/10/16/lake-county-treasurer-race/
— Democrats lead fundraising in Illinois and federal races as megadonors fail to materialize for Darren Bailey.
https://www.chicagotribune.com/2026/10/16/illinois-campaign-fundraising-pritzker-bailey/
CHICAGO SUN-TIMES
— Pritzker outspending Darren Bailey’s campaign 25-to-1 in Illinois governor race. Illinois Democrats also hold massive fundraising advantages as they seek to expand supermajorities In the General Assembly.
https://chicago.suntimes.com/elections/2026/10/16/jb-pritzker-darren-bailey-illinois-governor-race-campaign-cash-spending
— Sexual harassment scandal shapes southwest suburban Illinois House race. Democrat Jessica Dixon Heitman is seeking a full term against Republican Gabby Shanahan, following the resignation of ex-Rep. Harry Benton — and the ensuing questions around Illinois House Speaker Chris Welch’s leadership.
https://chicago.suntimes.com/elections/2026/10/16/illinois-house-district-97-election-shanahan-heitman-benton-sexual-harassment-scandal
DAILY HERALD
— ‘Ordinary white kid’ or ‘neo-Nazi’? Court records offer new insight into alleged plot to attack Hindu temple. DD: What led to Paporakis being trans? How successful have Democrat leaders been promoting LGBTQ in your county, township, municipality, and school district?
https://www.dailyherald.com/20261016/news/ordinary-white-kid-or-neo-nazi-court-records-offer-new-insight-into-alleged-plot-to-attack-hind/
— Angel Oakley: 2026 candidate for the 3rd Congressional District.
https://www.dailyherald.com/20261016/us-congress-politics/angel-oakley-2026-candidate-for-the-3rd-congressional-district/
— DuPage County Board chair race: Conroy seeks second term against challenger Grasso.
https://www.dailyherald.com/20261016/news/dupage-county-board-chair-race-conroy-seeks-second-term-against-challenger-grasso/
SUBURBAN LIFE
— DD: Democrat leaders promote their No Kings rallies. Pritzker is their King of Illinois.
https://www.shawlocal.com/my-suburban-life/2026/10/16/from-protests-to-the-polls-saturdays-no-kings-rallies-focus-on-early-voting/
(FROM THE ARTICLE: With mid-term elections only weeks away, people are expected to gather Saturday in an effort to encourage early voting. While the first three No Kings rallies featured homemade posters, political costumes and lots of honking and waving, the upcoming rallies are expected to have a slightly different tone. “This is a nonpartisan event that is designed to encourage early voter turnout,” said Mike Waters, a member of Indivisible West Suburban Chicago. The Indivisible West Suburban Chicago event will be held from 1 to 2 p.m. at the Tower Green in downtown Western Springs. Other rallies are scheduled for Lombard, Glen Ellyn, Wheaton, Elmhurst, Naperville, Geneva and other locations across the Chicago area. “We are trying to connect (people) with opportunities to encourage others to vote early,” Waters said. The rallies will not be partisan, Waters said. “We will not be supporting a particular candidate,” he said. “We won’t have any candidates speaking; this is strictly to try to generate excitement for voting and to get people involved in encouraging others to vote.” Still, he added, “Our leanings are clear from our past activities. We have been resisting the Trump administration.” “But this will not be an overtly partisan event,” Waters said. “We are trying to keep it nonpartisan and focus strictly on getting people to vote.” “We want people to cast their vote as soon as possible. Don’t wait until Election Day. Go and get it done,” said Jill Grauman, a member of Indivisible DuPage. “The focus is moving away from a mass mobilization, protest movement …. into moving people to do a particular thing, and the particular thing is to vote early,” Grauman added. “We wanted to give some of our members the opportunity to be out there in the community with other people on the street with a sign together,” she said. “But this time around our goal is really to emphasize getting people to vote early and to tell other people to make a plan to get their vote cast.” “We want to encourage people to vote in the morning and then come and join us at the protest to celebrate,” Grauman said. “The date was picked because it is very close to the midterms, but there is also a couple of weeks. So if this is the first time you thought about voting, there is enough time to get a plan together, update your registration and find your polling place,” she said. Indivisible DuPage will host the No Kings: Roosevelt Road Resistance from noon until 2 p.m. on Saturday at three locations: South Naperville Road and Roosevelt and Naperville roads in Wheaton, Main Street and Roosevelt Road in Glen Ellyn and Roosevelt Road and Main Street in Lombard. In Illinois, early voting for the Nov. 3 General Election began Sept. 24. Registered Illinois voters can cast their ballots early at designated locations, according to the Illinois State Board of Elections. If you are not registered to vote, there is still time to register. Eligible individuals in Illinois can register to vote until 11:59 p.m. Oct. 18.)
BELLEVILLE NEWS DEMOCRAT
— DD: Democrat leaders promote their No Kings rallies. Pritzker is their King of Illinois.
https://www.bnd.com/news/local/article317653035.html
STATELINE
— Can downstate Illinois really defeat Chicago and unseat JB Pritzker?
https://www.mystateline.com/news/can-downstate-illinois-really-defeat-chicago-and-unseat-jb-pritzker/
AXIOS CHICAGO
— Former Chicago Tribune columnist John Kass to shut down website for health reasons.
https://www.axios.com/local/chicago/2026/10/15/john-kass-chicago-news-website-strokes-tribune-columnist
CAPITOL
— Afternoon roundup
https://capitolfax.com/2026/10/16/isabel%e2%80%99s-afternoon-roundup-616/
FROM ILLINOIS CENTER-RIGHT SOURCES
GOPUSA ILLINOIS
— To vote for Democrats is to vote for socialism, Marxism, dependency on government and charity, LGBTQ, that is, the destruction of traditional marriage and family, abortion, that is, disrespect for human life, mass/illegal immigration, booze, gambling, pot, and other vices, diminishment of Second Amendment rights, and Affirmative Action and DEI, that is, race and gender based preference giving, political affiliation discrimination, reverse discrimination, age discrimination, religious discrimination, and national origin discrimination. The aforesaid is the Democrat Party platform. The aforesaid brings forth poverty and crime. – Dave Diersen
http://www.gopillinois.com
ILLINOIS REVIEW
— Jim Durkin Calls Female Illinois Review Contributor a “F—ing B**ch,” Bailey a “Hillbilly Loser” at Hinsdale Fundraiser. DD: Sooner or later, all my critics and opponents who falsely claim to be conservative and/or Republican will come out of their closets.
https://www.illinoisreview.com/illinoisreview/2026/10/witnesses-jim-durkin-calls-female-illinois-review-contributor-a-f-ing-bch-bailey-a-hillbilly-loser-at-hinsdale-fundraiser.html
(FROM THE ARTICLE: Former Illinois House Republican Leader Jim Durkin, who recently endorsed Democratic Gov. JB Pritzker over Republican gubernatorial nominee Darren Bailey, allegedly launched an unprovoked, profanity-laced verbal attack against a female Illinois Review contributor Thursday evening during a political fundraiser at Hinsdale Prime Steak, according to the contributor herself and eyewitnesses who spoke with Illinois Review. The target of Durkin’s alleged outburst was Janelle Towne, a longtime Republican activist and contributor to Illinois Review, one of Illinois’ prominent conservative, pro-Trump news publications. According to Towne and multiple witnesses, Durkin called her a “f—ing bitch” and criticized her for supporting Bailey, whom he referred to as a “hillbilly loser.” Towne told Illinois Review that she had done nothing to provoke the confrontation and that it occurred near the front door of the restaurant. Towne is no stranger to Durkin. A former constituent of the Western Springs Republican, she has known him for years. She is also an outspoken supporter of President Donald Trump and a frequent visitor to Mar-a-Lago, the president’s private residence in Palm Beach, Florida. Towne has never been shy about her support for Trump or conservative Republican candidates like Bailey. Durkin, meanwhile, has long opposed Trump and has become increasingly outspoken against the party’s MAGA wing. Durkin’s disagreements with Trump and his influence on the Republican Party date back years. In December 2023, Illinois Review reported that Durkin had decided against running for Cook County State’s Attorney, citing Trump’s potential presence at the top of the Republican ticket. “I see no path winning with Trump at the top of the ticket,” Durkin told CBS Chicago at the time. But Thursday’s alleged confrontation goes beyond political differences. A former Republican legislative leader allegedly directing a degrading, gender-directed insult at a woman over her political support is a serious matter, particularly for someone who spent years representing the public in Springfield. The incident comes less than fourteen days after Durkin appeared in a campaign video endorsing Pritzker for a third term. In it, he said he would not “throw away or waste a vote” on Bailey, whose campaign he called a “foolish escapade.” Durkin now works in government affairs as “of counsel” at Point of Difference Strategies, a Chicago lobbying firm led by Lisa Duarte, a former senior official in the Pritzker administration. As Illinois Review previously reported, the firm is registered to represent 37 clients in Springfield, including AbbVie, United Airlines, Nicor Gas, the Chicago White Sox and the Chicago Transit Authority. Those clients are represented by the firm, not necessarily by Durkin individually. Durkin spent years in Springfield as one of Illinois’ most influential Republicans, including nearly a decade as House Republican leader. Although he has left elected office, his work in government affairs keeps him connected to the same political institutions he once helped lead. Political disagreements are nothing new. But according to Towne, Thursday night’s encounter at Hinsdale Prime Steak went beyond a disagreement over candidates. They allege that a former Republican legislative leader directed a degrading, profanity-laced insult at a woman he has known for years because of her support for Darren Bailey. The allegations raise a question that has little to do with party loyalty or political endorsements: Why would a former House Republican leader speak to any woman that way?)
FROM NATIONAL CENTER-RIGHT SOURCES
WASHINGTON TIMES
— $2 trillion man: Trump oversees deep deficit in 2026.
https://www.washingtontimes.com/news/2026/oct/16/federal-deficit-hits-2-trillion-worst-since-end-pandemic/
WASHINGTON EXAMINER
— Obama presidential center’s costs balloon to $1 billion after initial $300 million estimate.
https://www.washingtonexaminer.com/politics/4766970/obama-president-campus-cost-balloon-1-billion-top-expensive-presidential-center/
NEW YORK POST
— Hypocrite Democrats say ‘no one is above the law’ — except for Ilhan Omar.
https://nypost.com/2026/10/15/opinion/hypocrite-dems-no-one-is-above-the-law-except-for-ilhan-omar/
BREITBART
— White House Press Secretary Katie Zacharia ‘Transitioning Out’ of Role. DD: I passed the CPA examination on my first attempt when I was 30 in 1979. I passed the Certified Internal Auditor examination on my first attempt and became a licensed CPA when I was 32 in 1981. I grandfathered in to become a Certified Fraud Examiner in 1990, Certified Government Financial Manager in 1994, Certified Financial Services Auditor in 1996, and Forensic Accountant in 1997. My critics/opponents have always ignored/dismissed/belittled that.
https://www.breitbart.com/politics/2026/10/16/report-white-house-press-secretary-katie-zacharia-transitioning-out-of-role/
CHRISTIAN NEWS
— ‘Trans’ neo-Nazi teen in Hindu temple murder plot to receive jail ‘hormone treatment.’ DD: What led to Paporakis being trans? How successful have Democrat leaders been promoting LGBTQ in your county, township, municipality, and school district?
https://christiannews.net/2026/10/16/trans-neo-nazi-teen-in-hindu-temple-murder-plot-to-receive-jail-hormone-treatment/
DIALY SIGNAL
— Trump Opens Door to Press Secretary Leaving. DD: I passed the CPA examination on my first attempt when I was 30 in 1979. I passed the Certified Internal Auditor examination on my first attempt and became a licensed CPA when I was 32 in 1981. I grandfathered in to become a Certified Fraud Examiner in 1990, Certified Government Financial Manager in 1994, Certified Financial Services Auditor in 1996, and Forensic Accountant in 1997. My critics/opponents have always ignored/dismissed/belittled that.
https://www.dailysignal.com/2026/10/16/breaking-trump-opens-door-to-press-secretary-leaving/
(FROM THE ARTICLE: Zacharia has faced questions about her legal credentials, as she calls herself a lawyer but there isn’t a record of her passing the bar exam. Zacharia has said she took the bar exam once, failed, and did not take it again. “I graduated Pepperdine, got married in the same week, and we had all intent to move out to China,” she told Fox News’ Sean Hannity. “I had already preregistered for the bar exam. “And during — basically, during the summer, I knew I would be living in China and the results of the bar were inconsequential, and I sat for it because I didn’t want to have a withdrawal status,” she said. “And then I moved over to China, and where I did get a job in an international practice of a Chinese law firm.”)
NEW AMERICAN
— Pritzker Attacks Bailey for Christian Faith.
https://thenewamerican.com/us/politics/illinois-governor-jb-pritzker-attacks-gop-opponent-for-christian-faith/
(FROM THE ARTICLE: In his campaign to win election for a third term as Illinois’ governor, JB Pritzker is attacking his Republican opponent, Darren Bailey, for holding traditional Christian beliefs. Bailey, a former state senator from downstate Illinois, is an evangelical Christian, and founded a private Christian school with his wife. Pritzker’s campaign has published press releases attacking Bailey for his and his school’s theological stances. On October 14, for example, the campaign mocked Bailey because his school upholds biblical positions on the family, including that a husband “leads the family” — as opposed to the radical social agenda taught in government schools. Pritzker campaign spokesperson Leah Hurwitz disingenuously claimed that “Darren Bailey has used his own school to indoctrinate children into his extreme views.” In reality, government schools have indoctrinated millions of American children into rejecting biblical principles and adopting actual extreme views such as Marxism and critical race theory. Not the First Attack. This was not the first time that Pritzker’s campaign attacked Bailey’s Christian faith. On September 17, it launched a television ad attacking Bailey because his school uses curriculum that teaches biblical creation. In a press release published the following day, the campaign labeled the school’s curriculum “extreme,” and smeared biblical creation as a “false dinosaur hoax.” Pritzker’s attack effectively targeted millions of Americans. For example, Gallup polling indicates that a plurality of Americans believe in biblical creation. Additionally, many scientists continue to openly reject evolution as scientifically unsound. Responding to this attack, Bailey said that he wanted “to talk about high property taxes [and] high utility costs.” He called the attacks — and the media’s fixation on them — a “perfect example of JB Pritzker being successful by diverting the message.” Perhaps not surprisingly in a blue state, Pritzker’s campaign has also attacked both Bailey and his running mate for opposing abortion. The Illinois Democratic Party has joined in attacking Bailey’s Christian faith. In a Facebook post on October 14, David Smith, executive director of the Christian-conservative Illinois Family Institute, highlighted an anti-Bailey mailer that he received, paid for by the party. Headlined “Darren Bailey: Not this extremist b******t again,” the vulgar mailer attacked Bailey’s Christian beliefs, including “believ[ing] God intended for men to be the head of households” and “oppos[ing] the right to an abortion.” Pritzker’s and Bailey’s Records. In his post, Smith noted that “the hypocrisy is staggering coming from JB Pritzker, who repealed parental notification of abortion, expanded taxpayer funding for abortion, [and] legalized assisted suicide. His ‘culture of death’ agenda is extremism on steroids.” Bailey served in the Illinois House of Representatives from 2019 to 2021, and in the Senate from 2021 to 2023, earning an 83-percent lifetime Freedom Score. By contrast, the Illinois General Assembly’s average Freedom Score currently sits at a dismal 23.4 percent. America’s Biblical Foundation. Pritzker’s attacks on Bailey’s Christian faith illustrate how far the United States has drifted from its biblical foundation — a foundation that no informed American can miss. For example, the Declaration of Independence acknowledges that “all men … are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights,” including the rights to “Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness. Additionally, in his 1796 Farewell Address, President George Washington noted that, “of all the dispositions and habits which lead to political prosperity, religion and morality are indispensable supports.” In a 1798 letter to the Massachusetts Militia, President John Adams declared, “Our Constitution was made only for a moral and religious People. It is wholly inadequate to the government of any other.” And in its 1892 decision in Church of the Holy Trinity v. United States, the U.S. Supreme Court declared explicitly that the United States “is a Christian nation.” Instead of upholding America’s founding principles, a large segment of American leaders, including Pritzker, advocate policies such as abortion, euthanasia, gun control, and draconian government regulations that blatantly violate them — and many are openly condescending of traditional Christian principles. This trend is not limited to a single party, as The New American’s Freedom Index demonstrates. Defending Biblical Principles. With America’s biblical foundation under attack, traditionally minded Americans must push back. For example, parents must get their children out of government schools and instead homeschool them or place them in vetted private schools, such as FreedomProject Academy. Indoctrination via government schools and universities has been a key cause of America’s moral decline, and parents must not allow it get hold of their children. Americans must also educate their family, friends, and neighbors about their elected officials’ records. Few people are aware of how their leaders govern, or even know who their representatives are. The New American’s Freedom Index, which evaluates federal and state legislators based on their adherence to the U.S. Constitution and America’s founding principles, is an excellent place to start. Restoring adherence to America’s founding principles requires an informed and activated electorate. The John Birch Society, the parent organization of The New American, has been working tirelessly for nearly 70 years to educate Americans and motivate them to action, spearheading organized action in local communities to influence elected officials. This fight is not hopeless; by working together to educate others and influence our officials, we can successfully uphold America’s biblical foundation.)
FROM NATIONAL CENTER-LEFT SOURCES
ABC NEWS
— Man charged in alleged plot that targeted a Hindu place of worship in Illinois. DD: What led to Paporakis being trans? How successful have Democrat leaders been promoting LGBTQ in your county, township, municipality, and school district?
https://abcnews.com/US/man-charged-alleged-plot-potentially-targeting-hindu-place/story?id=137281385
CBS NEWS
— Vance defends ICE but says there’s a responsibility to investigate when agents “screw up.”
https://www.cbsnews.com/news/vance-ice-investigate-agents-screw-up/
NBC NEWS
— DD: Democrat leaders ever-increasingly fight efforts to fight voter fraud.
https://www.nbcnews.com/politics/2026-election/election-officials-debunk-persistent-false-claim-poll-workers-ballots-rcna603676
GAO
— 2027-2032 Strategic Plan. DD: The Democrats who ran GAO 1980-1997 wasted my career. They forced me to take a $23,699/year (21%) pay cut in today’s dollars to transfer from IRS to GAO when I was 31 in 1980. They delayed my promotions and refused to promote me beyond GS-13. They wasted what I had learned working for IRS for almost 9 years, the last 5 1/2 years of which at the GS-12 Step 1-5 Levels, currently $100,059-$113,402/year. They refused to assign me to audits of IRS for all 3 of the almost 18 years that I worked for them. They wasted what learned earning an MBA in 1976, passing the CPA examination on my first attempt in 1979, earning a master’s degree in accounting in 1980, passing the Certified Internal Auditor Examination on my first attempt in 1981, becoming a licensed CPA in 1981, and earning a master’s degree in financial markets and trading in 1997. They forced me to retire when I was 49 in 1997. They would not have taken the aforesaid adverse actions against me if I had been a Democrat, minority, female, younger, or veteran.
https://www.gao.gov/products/gao-27-900655
POLITICO
— Katie Zacharia out as press secretary after five days. DD: I passed the CPA examination on my first attempt when I was 30 in 1979. I passed the Certified Internal Auditor examination on my first attempt and became a licensed CPA when I was 32 in 1981. I grandfathered in to become a Certified Fraud Examiner in 1990, Certified Government Financial Manager in 1994, Certified Financial Services Auditor in 1996, and Forensic Accountant in 1997. My critics/opponents have always ignored/dismissed/belittled that.
https://www.politico.com/news/2026/10/16/katie-zacharia-out-as-press-secretary-after-five-days-01123470
FROM FOREIGN SOURCES
NATIONAL HERALD INDIA & INDIA NEW ENGLAND NEWS
— Asian American caucus blames Trump administration for fueling anti-South Asian hate. Lawmakers cite inflammatory rhetoric and a weakened domestic terrorism monitoring mechanism after authorities foil a plot targeting an Illinois Hindu temple. DD: What led to Paporakis being trans? How successful have Democrat leaders been promoting LGBTQ in your county, township, municipality, and school district?
https://www.nationalheraldindia.com/international/asian-american-caucus-blames-donald-trump-administration-for-fuelling-anti-south-asian-hate
https://indianewengland.com/asian-american-lawmakers-accuse-trump-administration-of-fueling-anti-south-asian-hate-after-foiled-hindu-temple-attack/
