Illinois Review

Di Leo: China's Draconian Lockdowns Extend to Tianjin

By John F. Di Leo - 

 

The Chinese government announced on May 19 that they are immediately putting much of the city of Tianjin under the martial-law style Covid lockdowns for which Chairman Xi Jinping will be remembered.

 

As he has previously done in Wuhan, Shenzhen, and other major cities, residents are restricted to their homes and require special permission to leave. While businesses may not be formally closed, they cannot reopen without staff, so they are unable to function unless they are fortunate enough to be completely outside the shuttered zone, and rely on staffs also outside the shuttered zones.

 

Tianjin is the primary seaport for the capital city of Beijing, one of the largest ports in northern China, and one of the busiest ports in the world.

Rossi: The Biggest Scandal In U.S. History Is Being Hidden From the People

By Randy Rossi - 

Thanks to Special Council John Durham’s investigation, we now know that Hillary Clinton with the help of the DNC and corrupt FBI leadership committed the worst scandal in U.S. history by slanderously, knowingly, and treasonously creating and supporting the great “Russian Collusion Hoax” with a goal of illegally defeating or kicking out of office President Donald Trump. We now know that Hillary Clinton created this scandal and she and the DNC paid for it. The real tragedy is that this incredible news has been hidden from the American people by the “Fake News”. As of yesterday (5/21), ABC, NBC, CBS, CNN, and MSNBC have not devoted one second to reporting this breakthrough news that has come out of the Sussman trial thanks to Special Counsel Durham. In that trial, multiple witnesses have reported that Hillary and her cohorts knew the “Russian Collusion Hoax” was indeed a hoax, but still presented it to the FBI who then used it and other phony data to illegally obtain FISA warrants to spy on the Trump team.

Did the Disinformation Governance Board originate in a D.C. think tank?

The Department of Homeland Security's new and controversial Disinformation Governance Board may have originated from an under-the-radar think tank report that called on the department to change its focus by prioritizing "nonmilitary threats," such as white supremacism and disinformation.

The report, titled "Future of DHS Project: Key Findings and Recommendations," was published in September 2020 by the Atlantic Council, which is headquartered in Washington, D.C. and committed to a mission of "shaping the global future together."

Thomas Warrick and Caitlin Durkovich, the report's authors, both served in the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) but left their posts during the Trump administration. Durkovich currently serves on the White House National Security Council.

More HERE

Dare We Forget?

By James M. Kushiner -

In his Templeton Address, Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn said, “More than half a century ago, while I was still a child, I recall hearing a number of older people offer the following explanation for the great disasters that had befallen Russia: ‘Men have forgotten God; that’s why all this has happened.’”

How did Solzhenitsyn come to agree? He looked back:

“Since then I have spent well-nigh 50 years working on the history of our Revolution; in the process I have read hundreds of books, collected hundreds of personal testimonies, and have already contributed eight volumes of my own toward the effort of clearing away the rubble left by that upheaval. But if I were asked today to formulate as concisely as possible the main cause of the ruinous Revolution that swallowed up some 60 million of our people, I could not put it more accurately than to repeat: ‘Men have forgotten God; that’s why all this has happened.’”

This amnesia was widespread:

Against American Mobocracy

Abraham Lincoln’s Lyceum Address proves prescient about the dangers of enflaming citizens’ passions for political ends. Josh Hammer writes:

In his 1838 Lyceum Address in Springfield, Illinois, a 28-year-old Abraham Lincoln spoke on “the perpetuation of our political institutions.” The speech was eerily prescient, coming 23 years as it did before then-President Lincoln presided over a nation tragically brought into a grisly Civil War — the ultimate test of that “perpetuation” — by the assault on Fort Sumter.

48% likely US voters would vote GOP if election were held today

Illinois opened the door on election polls Thursday for the June 28th 2022 primary, meaning the election has officially begun. But how are voters leaning? 

The latest Rasmussen Reports national telephone and online survey finds that, if the elections for Congress were held today, 48% of Likely U.S. Voters would vote for the Republican candidate, while 39% would vote for the Democrat. Just four percent (4%) would vote for some other candidate, but another eight percent (8%) are not sure. (To see survey question wording, click here.)

Republicans have added one point to their congressional advantage since April, when they led 47%-39%.

In May 2018, before voters handed Democrats their first House majority in eight years, Democrats held a one-point advantage (43% to 42%) in the generic ballot question. As the November 2018 midterms neared, and the margin was a statistical dead heat – Republicans 46%, Democrats 45% – in the final poll before Democrats won a slim House majority while Republicans gained Senate seats to maintain control of that chamber.

Laying Siege to the Institutions

Why do I say that we need to lay siege to our institutions? Because of what has happened to our institutions since the 1960s.

The 1960s saw the rise of new and radical ideologies in America that now seem commonplace—ideologies based on ideas like identity politics and cultural revolution. There is a direct line between those ideas born in the ’60s and the public policies being adopted today in leftist-run cities like Seattle, San Francisco, and Chicago.

The leftist dream of a working-class rebellion in America fizzled after the ’60s. By the mid-1970s, radical groups like the Black Liberation Army and the Weather Underground had faded from prominence. But the leftist dreamers didn’t give up. Abandoning hope of a Russian-style revolution, they settled on a more sophisticated strategy—waging a revolution not of the proletariat, but of the elites, and specifically of the knowledge elites. It would proceed not by taking over the means of production, but by taking control of education and culture—a strategy that German Marxist Rudi Dutschke, a student activist in the 1960s, called “the long march through the institutions.”

More HERE

Thorner: Will US agree to new, sweeping powers for WHO Director-General?

By Nancy Thorner - 

The current Administration in D.C. is attempting to subvert control of U.S. healthcare to the Director-General of the WHO alone through sweeping new powers and thus drastically compromise our national sovereignty. The current WHO Dir-Genl, Tedros, is a longtime Marxist essentially appointed by the CCP.    

 

The Biden admin proposed secret amendments to the longstanding WHO International Health Regulations of the World Health Assembly (WHA) will be voted on at the WHO May 22-28 meeting. These regulations are a binding instrument of international law and enforceable in all 193 UN member nations via a broad swath of international agencies.

 

Passage of the amendments is a big step to the US voluntarily ceding its sovereignty to the New World Order or Great Reset.

No Mob Rule, No Criminal Domination

Mob rule will lead to tryanny. Newt Gingrich writes:

Two civilization-destroying streams are coming together to form a river of violence and intimidation that can sweep away the Constitution, the rule of law and the most basic elements of our free society.

On the political front, there is a self-righteous fanaticism dominating the quasi-religious ideology of the Left. This fanaticism has convinced many on the Left that the end justifies the means and therefore, they have the right to break the law for political purposes.

Americans Still Rank ‘Climate Change’ Dead Last Among Environmental Concerns, Reports Gallup

Despite billions spent annually on outreach, education, and outright propaganda, a new Gallup poll shows Americans still don’t think climate change is the most significant environmental concern facing the world. In fact, “Global warming or climate change” ranked dead last among seven environmental issues in the new 2022 Gallup Poll.

Those surveyed ranked the drinking water pollution as their top environmental concern. The “pollution of rivers, lakes, and reservoirs,” ranked second among the public’s environmental concerns. Concern over “the loss of tropical rain forests,” “air pollution,” species extinction, ranked third through fifth in order. “Global warming or climate change,” came in dead last as the environmental concern those surveyed “worried [about] a great deal.”

More HERE

Big Tech Censorship: Biden ‘Disinformation’ Board Prompts Lawsuit

The Biden administration’s formation of a “disinformation” board has sparked momentum for two states to sue the U.S. government, alleging pressure and collusion with Big Tech censorship of political content that challenges the government line.

“If we would’ve tried to bring this lawsuit two or three months ago, I think they would’ve laughed us out of court,” Louisiana Attorney General Jeff Landry told The Daily Signal in a phone interview about the new Disinformation Governance Board inside the Department of Homeland Security.

“People are really starting to raise their eyebrows and it’s mostly because of this disinformation branch,” Landry said. “In other words, the government and Big Tech have become basically brazen in the face of the American people, saying, ‘We are going to give you the information that we deem you need.’”

More HERE

How the ESG Movement is Shooting Itself in the Foot

Reputational risk is the wonderfully vague term that is being used more and more to justify decisions to terminate a business relationship when an objective reason is unavailable. According to an excellent article in the Georgia Law Review, "Regulating Bank Reputation Risk," the concept of reputational risk really took off in the 1990s when federal regulators were looking for a way to incorporate subjective policy and social considerations when examining financial institutions.

The first phase of using reputational risk as a regulatory tool culminated in Operation Choke Point, which was a joint effort of the Treasury Department and the FDIC to target certain undesirable, but legal, businesses. The exposure of Operation Choke Point ended the direct use of reputational risk by regulators to force behaviors at individual banks, but the concept was so powerful it continued to incubate and expand. Today, large banks and big corporations are using the reputational risk tool to drive social-justice policies.

As pointed out in the Georgia Law Review article, the reputational risk tool heavily relies on the concept of stakeholder capitalism. Initially, the stakeholder in question was the regulator itself, but just as the power of reputational risk was becoming evident, so too was the role of stakeholders. The concept of stakeholder capitalism has continued to grow and now is an important element of the environmental, social, and governance (ESG) movement.

More HERE

GOP to Disney: You’ve Lost a Friend in Me

Disney went woke, but conservatives are finally fighting back. Suzanne Bowdey writes:

It’s been an unusually quiet week for corporate America after one of the biggest cultural bombshells of the modern age.

The news that the Supreme Court might be on the verge of overturning Roe v. Wade hasn’t unleashed an army of woke CEOs on the country like most people expected. On the contrary, most of the country’s brands seem surprisingly mum on an abortion issue that would have sent them into the stratosphere as recently as February.

What changed? Experts say one thing: Disney.

South suburban GOPers pick Salvi, Bailey and Pekau in contested races

6th CD GOP candidates Rob Cruz, Niki Conforti, Keith Pekau, Cathy Ryan O'Shea, Scott Kaspar, Gary Grasso rep and IR Editor Fran Eaton (photos by Mark Weyermuller)

TINLEY PARK - Tuesday night, the Bremen Township Republican Organization in south suburban Cook County picked their favorites for the June 28th IL GOP primary. 

After hearing from nearly 20 candidates or their campaign representatives on an array of current issues, the BTRO attendees gave a sampling of how Cook County suburban Republicans are thinking. 

In contested statewide races, BTRO members picked Kathy Salvi for US Senate, Darren Bailey/Stephanie Trussell for Gov/LG, David Shestokas for Attorney General, Dan Brady for Secretary of State.  

The results on the governor's race surprised many attendees, as GOP candidate Richard Irvin has spent millions of dollars on ads in the Chicago area and received zero votes in the BTRO straw poll. The Irvin campaign argues that Bailey cannot win in the suburbs. 

IL GOP lieutenant governor candidates Aaron Del Mar (Gary Rabine) and Stephanie Trussell (Darren Bailey) participated in BTRO forum

In congressional races that include portions of Bremen Township, the poll's winners were Eric Carlson in the 1st CD, Thomas Lynch in the 2nd CD, and Keith Pekau in the 6th CD. 

For Bremen Township Republican Committeeman, Carl Ivan won over Max Solomon. 

Questions were posed to the candidates by Illinois Review editor and co-founder Fran Eaton on topics that are currently being covered by Illinois Review, ranging from inflation, green energy, supply chain, student loan debt, surging crime, immigration, the US Supreme Court and other topics. 

Event was organized by Bremen Township Deputy Committeeman Sand Czyznikiewicz and Audrey Tancos.

More will be coming in the days ahead in Illinois Review on how the candidates responded to those questions. 

Documentary: Choosing Death [The Legacy of Roe]

Even 50 years after Roe v. Wade, few know the truth behind the landmark decision— a decision that has enabled the destruction of over 64 million human lives since 1973.

The Daily Wire is taking a wrecking ball to the four big lies the abortion industry was built upon. Our new original documentary is streaming now and uncovers the inside story of how Roe v. Wade came to pass and why it needs to pass away.

You’ll discover the facts and stories the abortion regime has suppressed for generations, and witness the brutal reality they desperately don’t want you to see. Some of this content is hard to take in, but few subjects— if any— are more important.

Click HERE to uncover the truth. 

Cartoon of the Week

New Poll: 82 Percent of Likely Voters ‘Concerned’ About Rising Gas Prices Under Biden

According to a new poll conducted by Rasmussen Reports on behalf of The Heartland Institute, 82 percent of likely voters say they are either “very” or “somewhat concerned” about rising energy and gas prices under the Biden administration.

Since Joe Biden entered the Oval Office, the cost of energy (especially gasoline and diesel fuel) has absolutely skyrocketed, and this was occurring well before Vladimir Putin arrayed his troops on the Ukrainian border.

More HERE

How Ron DeSantis' Fundraising Compares to Donald Trump

Ron DeSantis' record-breaking fundraising month amid his reelection campaign is putting the Florida Governor on par with Donald Trump in terms of garnering financial support.

DeSantis was able to pull in nearly $10.5 million in donations in April, according to figures shared with Fox News and the Tallahassee Democrat, as the Republican seeks another term in office.

The donations for the record-breaking month included nearly $2.3 million raised by the governor's election campaign team, and $8.2 million from his political committee, Friends of Ron DeSantis.

The total from April means that DeSantis has managed to raise more than $113 million this campaign cycle, dwarfing any other Florida gubernatorial hopeful and approaching the amount that former president Trump is able to raise through his political committees.

More HERE

Pritzker sets new record of over $11M Illinois tax dollars to prevent low-income population growth

CHICAGO - In Illinois "family planning services" are a nicer-sounding term than "abortion clinics" - but whatever one is most comfortable referring to them as, they still perform the same services: finding ways to reject and destroy the next generation of Illinoisans. 

Here's the way Governor Pritzker's office announced Monday that he's giving over $11 Millions of those tax dollars you sent in last month to the State of Illinois to promote "family planning services" in Illinois:

Governor Pritzker Announces Record-Setting $11.2 Million in Funding to Support Family Planning Services Throughout Illinois

$5.4 million HHS grant will expand access to equitable and affordable services

CHICAGO — Governor Pritzker today announced that the State of Illinois has received $5.4 in grant funding from the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) that will support and expand access to equitable and affordable family planning services for low-income populations across Illinois. This federal grant, along with $5.8 million in state general revenue funds, means the Illinois Family Planning Program is providing approximately $11.2 million in funding in state Fiscal Year 2023 to 29 delegate agencies that operate 98 family planning clinics throughout the state.

The new HHS grant to the Illinois Department of Public Health (IDPH) will support access to Title X services under the Illinois Family Planning Program that were sharply restricted under the previous federal administration, which imposed a “gag rule” that blocked family planning clinics from referring patients to abortion providers.

“Now that the Biden administration has reversed Trump’s gag rule, I am proud to announce we have rejoined the federal Title X program and we’re putting record funding toward our Illinois Family Planning Program,” said Governor JB Pritzker. “Let this record-breaking investment remind women that the state of Illinois trusts you to make your own choices. To choose what contraceptives are right for you. To choose whether you want to be a parent or not. And we will make sure that—on top of protecting your right to choose—you get the care that you deserve.”

Gas prices reach an all-time high nationwide, even higher in Illinois

For the seventh straight day in a row, gas prices nationwide have reached an all-time high, this time reaching $4.48 per gallon.

And in Illinois, according to AAA, the numbers are even worse with the latest gas tax hike: