Free Republic

Ancient philosophers and tragedians would have understood the human folly—from the media, the president, and his party—that led to last week’s debate debacle. A day before Thursday’s presidential debate, the New York Times ran a front-page story in its print edition railing against the posting of unflattering videos of Joe Biden. Among the president’s many “adversaries,” observed the Times, was the “distorted, online version of himself, a product of often misleading videos that play into and reinforce voters’ longstanding concerns about his age and abilities.” Such voter concerns were misguided, according to the Times and its sources. Former Illinois representative...

The Supreme Court announced Tuesday that it will not yet review challenges to an Illinois ban on certain types of semi-automatic weapons, attachments and magazines, effectively leaving the law in place while lower courts decide the cases. In its final order list before going on a summer recess, the Court denied petitions to hear six different cases over the so-called "assault weapons ban," prompting a statement from Justice Clarence Thomas. Thomas noted that the Supreme Court was presented the case after the Court of Appeals for the Seventh Circuit already rejected a request for a preliminary injunction against the law....

President Biden’s campaign is intensely trying to quell speculation that he may drop out of the 2024 race following his lackluster debate performance last week. Most top Democrats have voiced support for Biden continuing in the race, while members of his family, including first lady Jill Biden, have declared they also want him to remain a candidate, casting doubt on the potential for replacing Biden. But if Biden were to step aside, several prominent Democrats could be waiting in the wings as possible successors. Here are the top possible Biden replacements: Kamala Harris Gavin Newsom Gretchen Whitmer Pete Buttigieg Josh...

new report suggests that presidential debate affected director Rob Reiner and actress Jane Fonda so immensely that the latter was reduced to tears while the former screamed at the TV. According to CNN, people in attendance at the Hollywood debate watch party this past Thursday said that Reiner and Fonda were emotionally swept up in seeing President Joe Biden perform poorly against former President Trump. A debate watch party in Los Angeles on Thursday night happened to feature Harris’ husband Doug Emhoff, Pritzker, Whitmer and Beshear. There were other high-profile attendees – by a few answers in, Rob Reiner was...

A group of around 40 pro-Palestinian protesters descended upon Democrat Rep. Brad Schneider’s (D-IL) north suburban Chicago area home in the early morning hours on Saturday, worrying neighbors and causing the police department to step up patrols in the neighborhood. Neighbors reported being shocked when the protesters began making noise and shouting slogans at around 3 a.m. on Saturday morning. A group of around 40 pro-Palestinian protesters descended upon Democrat Rep. Brad Schneider’s (D-IL) north suburban Chicago area home in the early morning hours on Saturday, worrying neighbors and causing the police department to step up patrols in the neighborhood....

No arrests made after anti-Israel protest held outside Highland Park, Illinois home of Congressman Brad Schneider in early hours of the morning, waking up residents... Video with link to X

The Center Square) – More than 87,000 people moved out of Illinois taking with them nearly $10 billion in income, according to the latest Internal Revenue Service data. For the last six years, the total lost adjusted gross income is more than $47.5 billion. For nearly a decade, annual population estimates from the U.S. Census show Illinois losing population. For well over a year, Gov. J.B. Pritzker has denied the state’s population decline, saying the Census is getting it wrong. In May, he doubled down. “You should take what I’m saying as truth that actually when we count people, it...

Since the Supreme Court’s decision in Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Health Organization overturned Roe v. Wade, states have been allowed to pass their own abortion laws. As certain states began to pass stronger protections for preborn human beings, other states began to eliminate protections — and ‘abortion travel’ became a hot-button issue. Some companies began funding abortion travel as a “benefit” to employees, and abortion funds began to pay for airfare, hotels, and the like in order to assist women living in pro-life states to obtain abortions in states where abortion was more available. Since that time, the Guttmacher Institute...

Non-citizens, migrants, and illegal aliens will be permitted to apply for a driver’s license in Illinois starting on July 1. Illinois Democrat Gov. J.B. Pritzker signed HB 3882 in June of last year to allow all migrants to get a state driver’s license, and the law is about to go into effect. “This legislation is a significant step in eliminating the barriers to opportunity that many undocumented immigrants face,” Pritzker said when he signed the legislation last year. “We’re ensuring every eligible individual can obtain a driver’s license, making our roads safer, decreasing stigma, and creating more equitable systems for...

Prosecutors have charged a suburban man with two felonies after he allegedly threw a Big Gulp on Cook County State’s Attorney Kim Foxx during an argument near her Flossmoor home. William Swetz “had no idea” who Kim Foxx was when he crossed paths with her as he drove in the 800 block of Sterling Avenue on Friday morning, Assistant Public Defender Catherine Stockslager said during his initial appearance this afternoon. Foxx was on her morning walk when Swetz, 34, encountered her while driving his GMC pickup truck around 10:30 a m., officials said. Courthouse veterans who spoke with CWBChicago on...

CHICAGO — The burglar who went viral after being attacked by a frying pan-wielding homeowner is a 12-time convicted felon who was paroled three months ago on burglary, forgery, theft, and stolen motor vehicle cases, according to court filings. Bradley Willenborg, 31, provided Chicago cops with the alias “Brandon Williams” and a fake birthdate after they arrested him in the 3400 block of West Parker around 3:30 p.m. Thursday. Judge Susana Ortiz ordered him detained yesterday afternoon because of a safety risk. [snip] As he entered his ransacked home, Williams encountered Willenborg on the stairs coming from the second floor,...

Three Chicago public schools are being renamed in the latest changes aimed at getting rid of racist or otherwise problematic namesakes.

On Wednesday, Illinois Republican Party Chairman Don Tracy submitted his resignation as party chairman effective July 19th – blaming the rise of the powerful “grassroots,” party infighting and the recent removal of state central committee member Mark Shaw as vice chairman of the party without “due process” as the embattled leader of the IL GOP presided over widespread and massive losses during his brief tenure as chairman. Since November of 2022, this publication has published dozens of articles critical of Tracy and calling on him to resign. And last June, 30 organizations representing over 80,000 conservative grassroots activists from across...

CHICAGO - Chicago Mayor Brandon Johnson announced an executive order Monday to establish a reparations task force and agenda aimed at addressing historical injustices against the African American community. The task force will develop a definition and framework for reparations, identifying areas for restorative action such as housing, education, jobs, and criminal justice. It is also responsible for conducting a comprehensive study to catalog policies that have harmed African Americans in Chicago, including controversial real estate practices like redlining and restrictive covenants. Johnson made the announcement during a Juneteenth flag-raising ceremony at Daley Plaza. "Reparations will be an investment in...

During a sermon at the University of Illinois Chicago, a speaker for the campus’s Muslim Students Association denounced America and democracy, describing them as a “cancer” spreading worldwide, while advocating for the adoption of Islam as the “new way of life” for humanity. In a sermon delivered at the campus’s Muslim Students Association (MSA) last month, Mohammad Nusairat, a University of Chicago Illinois (UIC) student, declared that America and its values are a “cancer.”

The US attorney's office is now prosecuting two alleged gang members over the death of a National Guard soldier in 2021 - after the state attorney refused to do so. Chrys Carvajal, 19, was killed in Chicago on July 3, 2021 in a drive-by shooting as he was walking to his car while attending a Fourth of July party with his girlfriend. Three years on from his killing, Gary 'Gotti' Roberson, 40, and Joseph 'Troubles' Matos, 41, are set to stand trial over his brutal slaying.

An industry group says the Biden administration’s new staffing regulations for long-term care facilities are unrealistic. The mandate requires that all nursing homes that receive Medicare and Medicaid funding provide a total of at least 3.48 hours of nursing care per resident per day. Plus, nursing homes must have a registered nurse onsite at all times. Research by SeniorLiving.org shows 82%, or nearly 12,000 facilities in the U.S., will need to hire staff or face being shut down. Spokesperson Corie Wagner said Illinois is home to the fifth highest number of understaffed nursing homes in the country. “If we were...

A Springfield judge on Wednesday ruled unconstitutional a new law that would have prevented Republicans from slating candidates for the November general election in contests where they had not fielded a contender in the March primary.

Governor JB Pritzker (D-IL) said Sunday on CNN’s “State of the Union” that he was concerned about a presidential debate because former President Donald Trump “lies and lies and lies.” Pritzker said, “Let’s let the courts have their say about Donald Trump’s crimes and I don’t think that Joe Biden needs to be talking about that when he can remind people about what’s at stake for their future when they go into the ballot box at in November.”

During CBS’s Iowa caucus coverage on Monday, Illinois Gov. JB Pritzker (D) stated that the surge in Venezuelan migrants is the fault of 2024 Republican presidential candidate former President Donald Trump because he “created the chaos that’s happened in Venezuela that’s caused so many people to leave that country and seek asylum in the United States.” And that while immigration will be “an important issue to people,” “what people really care about is their own well-being, their family’s well-being,” and economic issues are “things that really matter to people in their personal lives.” Pritzker said, “Well, I think it’ll be...