When an obnoxious group of political activists suddenly goes silent, it&#8217;s usually a sign that they&#8217;re regrouping in some way. That&#8217;s especially true after the activists suffer a crushing defeat in a national election. It&#8217;s only natural to assume that, under those circumstances, the activists have gone underground for a bit in order to refine their messaging. They&#8217;re putting their best minds together to come up with a platform that might appeal to more people. Or at the very least, they&#8217;re taking steps to make sure that, when they emerge from hiding, they&#8217;re not seen as even crazier and less convincing than they were before. That&#8217;s the bare minimum you&#8217;d expect. Think about how the Indians realized they were on the losing side of the whole debate over &#8220;who gets the land,&#8221; so they came back and decided to settle for owning a bunch of casinos instead. There&#8217;s a strategic retreat, then an effective comeback.
This is the playbook that we&#8217;ve seen again and again. But after this week, it&#8217;s clear trans activists and the LGBT movement have thrown out the manual. Following their rejection at the ballot box in November, trans activists have decided against the idea of moderating their insanity. Instead, they have elected to double down on the most extreme and demented aspects of their ideology.
They have devolved to a degree that, if you weren&#8217;t paying attention, you might have thought was impossible. We are now at the point where trans activists are embracing cruelty that isn&#8217;t even cloaked with the usual lies about &#8220;scientific consensus&#8221; or anything like that. These people are now endorsing child abuse, without reservation, right out in the open. That&#8217;s always what they&#8217;ve stood for. Now they&#8217;re not even attempting to hide it.
In order to understand the depths of depravity, you need to watch the scene that unfolded at a school board meeting on Thursday in Deerfield, Illinois, a suburb of Chicago. A woman named Nicole Georgas began by telling the school board that her daughter is a 13-year-old student at a local middle school. And recently, her 13-year-old was forced to share a bathroom with a male student. Watch:
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Before we play the rest of Nicole Georgas&#8217; statement, it&#8217;s worth pointing out that, strangely enough, no one on the Left is calling this situation a &#8220;constitutional crisis.&#8221; She&#8217;s pointing out, correctly, that the state of Illinois is defying Trump&#8217;s executive order on gender ideology. And in the process, they&#8217;re disregarding the civil rights of children at a systemic level. If you listened to the Left&#8217;s complaints about how outrageous it was that the Trump administration ignored a judge&#8217;s order when he deported Venezuelan terrorists the other day, you might think that they&#8217;d be equally upset about what the state of Illinois is doing in this case. But of course there&#8217;s no outrage, because these people are more than happy to ignore orders when they feel like it. And the state of Illinois should lose federal funding immediately as a result.
If you don&#8217;t agree with that, then you&#8217;ll change your mind after you hear the rest of Nicole Georgas&#8217; statement.
Listen as she explains what the adults at this middle school allegedly forced her child to do, against her will:
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To restate: This woman is saying that school officials forced her 13-year-old daughter — and several other young girls — to change in front of a male student in a locker room at a middle school. Those school officials, she said, include the district’s assistant superintendent for student services, the school’s assistant principal, and the director for student services.
If this claim is true — and as you&#8217;ll see in a moment, there&#8217;s no reason to doubt that it is — then the school officials who forced these girls to change in front of a boy are guilty of sexual assault. You could probably add kidnapping and child endangerment charges as well. The fact that this took place in a school should not provide any kind of cover for these people. If anything, it should make the charges even more serious. And whatever charges are brought, it&#8217;d still be too light of a punishment. Try to imagine what you&#8217;d do, as a parent, if you learned that an adult was forcing your daughter to get naked in front of a male, against her will. Criminal charges would probably be the least of that particular adult&#8217;s problems.
<h3><a href="https://www.dailywire.com/episode/ep-1557-the-matt-walsh-show" target="_blank" rel="noopener">WATCH: The Matt Walsh Show</a></h3>
At a minimum, we need conservative DAs to start pressing those kinds of charges against the people pushing this madness. This goes beyond the realm of a political debate or a &#8220;constitutional crisis.&#8221; This is child abuse. And if there were any good-faith members of the trans activist community — if any of them were capable of some level of basic human decency — they would admit this. They would acknowledge that, indeed, it&#8217;s possible to go too far in the process of affirming gender ideology. And that point is reached when you&#8217;re forcing children to expose themselves to members of the opposite sex.
But because there are no good-faith trans activists, you can probably guess how this mother&#8217;s statement was received. As soon as she was finished, &#8220;boos&#8221; rang out in the room. One person asked her why she was &#8220;obsessed&#8221; with the genitals of children, which is one of those stock arguments these activists use all the time, even though it makes no sense whatsoever. They could be exposing themselves to you and your children in the park, and then when you object to it, they&#8217;ll accuse you of being &#8220;obsessed.&#8221; Then, a few other activists spoke at the school board meeting, and they continued to take cheap shots at the mother. Watch:
<iframe loading="lazy" title="007 ATTACKS ON PARENT" width="500" height="281" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/-31ulVAg1do?feature=oembed" frameborder="0" allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share" referrerpolicy="strict-origin-when-cross-origin" allowfullscreen></iframe>
This is the dominant mode of thought, such as it is, among trans activists at the moment. If you&#8217;re a mother who doesn&#8217;t want your daughter to be forced to strip in front of males in middle school, then you&#8217;re a &#8220;bully.&#8221; You&#8217;re an extremist, as identified by Left-wing propaganda outfits. You&#8217;re &#8220;obsessed&#8221; with genitalia. And on and on.
One particularly threatening trans activist took things a step further, and railed against &#8220;white supremacy&#8221; and the &#8220;white God.&#8221; And this person did so while wearing a shirt that reads, &#8220;Protect trans kids,&#8221; with a picture of a knife. Watch:
<iframe loading="lazy" title="008 Wacko" width="500" height="281" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/Yj6PFKBJy0s?feature=oembed" frameborder="0" allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share" referrerpolicy="strict-origin-when-cross-origin" allowfullscreen></iframe>
The framing of course is that the male student is being &#8220;targeted.&#8221; So they can force a girl to undress in a place she doesn&#8217;t want to undress, in front of this male student. And the girl isn&#8217;t being targeted in that scenario, supposedly. Instead, the male is being targeted. He&#8217;s not getting to see the girls undress, so he&#8217;s the victim here. It doesn&#8217;t exactly take Freud to understand the psychology underlying this whole movement.
To the extent that any of these activists presented something approaching an argument, it was to suggest that actually, these girls did have the option of requesting private changing rooms. That came up a few times during the school board meeting. But I&#8217;m going to focus on this one clip, featuring a trans-identifying individual who uses the name &#8220;Charlie.&#8221; Charlie uses &#8220;they/he&#8221; pronouns, so we&#8217;re going to go ahead and use &#8220;she&#8221; to describe her, because it seems like it&#8217;s probably the most accurate option. Charlie says that she also has a trans middle-schooler, which of course is maybe the least surprising revelation imaginable. If trans activists are good at anything, it&#8217;s indoctrinating their own children. In any event, here&#8217;s Charlie&#8217;s big moment, where she reads from an Illinois law that&#8217;s supposedly about &#8220;human rights&#8221;:
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This is the extent of the concessions that these people were willing to offer. They&#8217;re saying that anyone who &#8220;wants more privacy,&#8221; under the law, can use a separate bathroom. They can request some other accommodation.
Put aside the fact that, in this case, that other accommodation apparently wasn&#8217;t provided. What they don&#8217;t address is the obvious question, which is: Why can&#8217;t the boy request the &#8220;other accommodation,&#8221; in this scenario? Why do all of these girls have to request their own accommodations, but the male doesn&#8217;t? The reason is apparently that it would make him feel bad if he isn&#8217;t included in the girl&#8217;s locker room. But the fact that his presence makes girls feel bad — feel unsafe and vulnerable — simply doesn&#8217;t register. As you heard from that trans activist, the girls&#8217; feelings of &#8220;discomfort&#8221; are simply considered invalid. The trans activist never explains why this discomfort is invalid. Neither does the Illinois law.
But we all know the explanation, which is that these activists, above all else, are sadists who crave power. They relish the prospect of forcing women and girls to take part in this charade. From their perspective, the more degrading the process is, the better. Everyone must be forced to participate. Whatever mental harm 10 or 20 middle-school girls might suffer as a result, they simply don&#8217;t care. Their only goal is to ensure that the male in the scenario gets his satisfaction.
The argument from these trans activists only got worse from there. Here&#8217;s a couple of them:
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So the second woman just yells about pronouns. Nothing new there. And the first woman makes a familiar logistical argument, saying some trans-identifying children supposedly &#8220;pass.&#8221; And therefore, unless we want to inspect their bodies, we need to just accept whatever those kids say.
First of all, of course, it&#8217;s not true that any &#8220;trans-identifying&#8221; middle-schoolers actually &#8220;pass&#8221; for a member of the opposite gender. The child in this situation certainly didn&#8217;t come close to passing. And for that matter, none of the activists at this school board meeting came close to &#8220;passing,&#8221; either. Humans have evolved for a very long time to develop certain sex-specific traits, and to perceive those traits in others. A child who throws on a wig from Party City isn&#8217;t going to overcome that.
But even if we assume, for the sake of argument, that some child somehow manages to fool everyone at school into thinking he&#8217;s really a girl, it&#8217;s still completely insane to endorse the idea that he should then have access to girls&#8217; locker rooms. Just because he manages to fool people and sneak into those locker rooms doesn&#8217;t make his actions justified. It&#8217;s like saying a bank robber is justified if no one notices he pulled off the heist. Deception is still wrong, whether it&#8217;s detected or not.
This is a basic moral principle — one of many basic moral principles that trans activists have abandoned. If this school board meeting demonstrates anything, it&#8217;s that these people are never going to become more moderate or sensible, no matter how badly they lose national elections. As I&#8217;ve pointed out before, most of the adult trans activists who continue in the fight are either trans themselves or have trans kids — or in some cases, both (as we saw at this school board meeting). They will never let it go, because to let it go would be to admit that they&#8217;ve maimed and mutilated themselves or their children. That is a level of self-reflection and acceptance that trans activists, as the ultimate narcissists, are simply incapable of achieving.
What that means is that it&#8217;s now the responsibility of law enforcement officials, at both the state and federal levels, to prevent trans activists from continuing to abuse children. There are clearly no limits to their depravity at this point. If we want to end this sickness, executive orders and court cases simply aren&#8217;t enough. The school officials who embraced this perversion need to go to prison. The school districts that enforce these policies need to lose federal funding. Simply put, there is no legal penalty too excessive for child abusers. And if we want to protect children and prevent anything like this from happening again, it&#8217;s time that the people responsible started facing those penalties.

MixCollage-18-Mar-2025-01-49-PM-3339

Trans Activists Hijack A School Board Meeting To Verbally Attack A Concerned Mother

Bathrooms

Gender

Illinois

JB Pritzker

LGBTQ

Matt Walsh

Opinion

Parental Rights in Education

Public Schools

School Boards

school district

Transgender

Tom Homan, President-elect Donald Trump&#8217;s incoming border czar, blasted Illinois Democratic leaders during a speech in Chicago this week as Trump draws up plans for mass deportations.
Homan discussed the incoming Trump administration&#8217;s plans during a GOP holiday party in the Windy City on Monday and urged Democrats Gov. JB Pritzker and Chicago Mayor Brandon Johnson to work with the president-elect, Fox 32 <a href="https://www.fox32chicago.com/news/chicago-deportations-tom-homan-border" target="_blank" rel="noopener">reported</a>. Both Pritzker and Johnson have vowed to fight Trump&#8217;s mass deportation policy.
&#8220;Chicago is in trouble because your mayor sucks and your governor sucks,&#8221; Homan said.
Homan said of Johnson, &#8220;If he doesn’t want to help, get the hell out of the way,&#8221; according to the <a href="https://chicago.suntimes.com/politics/donald-trump/2024/12/09/border-czar-tom-homan-donald-trump-chicago-pritzker-brandon-johnson-immigration" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Chicago Sun-Times</a>. Johnson has <a href="https://news.wttw.com/2024/11/12/chicago-will-remain-sanctuary-city-despite-trump-s-threats-mayor-brandon-johnson-says" target="_blank" rel="noopener">promised</a> to stand in the way of federal agents apprehending illegal immigrants in Chicago. After the election, the Democratic mayor <a href="https://news.wttw.com/2024/11/12/chicago-will-remain-sanctuary-city-despite-trump-s-threats-mayor-brandon-johnson-says" target="_blank" rel="noopener">called</a> Trump a &#8220;tyrant&#8221; and said his plans to clamp down on illegal immigrants are &#8220;unconscionable and dangerous.&#8221;
Pritzker has similarly vowed to stand between the federal government and illegal immigrants. The governor shot back following Homan&#8217;s comments and said that Trump&#8217;s border czar &#8220;does not have the authority to do the things that he’s talked about,&#8221; NBC 5 Chicago <a href="https://www.nbcchicago.com/news/local/chicago-politics/pritzker-pushes-back-on-trump-border-czars-promises-of-mass-deportations/3622500/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">reported</a>.
“Being a border czar is not an official position in the government,” the governor said. Pritzker added that he&#8217;s &#8220;open to dialogue&#8221; with Homan.
Following Trump&#8217;s election victory last month, Pritzker said that the federal government would have to go through him to deport illegal immigrants in Illinois.
“To anyone who intends to come take away the freedom and opportunity and dignity of Illinoisans, I would remind you that a happy warrior is still a warrior,” he said. “You come for my people. You come through me.”
<a href="https://get.dailywire.com/gift-guide/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">CHECK OUT THE DAILY WIRE HOLIDAY GIFT GUIDE</a>
Multiple Chicago residents slammed Mayor Johnson and other Chicago officials over the sanctuary city policies during a recent city council meeting, Fox News <a href="https://www.foxnews.com/media/chicago-residents-slam-stupidity-mayor-brandon-johnsons-liberal-policies-during-city-council-meeting" target="_blank" rel="noopener">reported</a>.
&#8220;Mayor Brandon Johnson, you took an oath to uphold the Constitution. Or when you took an oath, was it only intended to fight for the 10th and 14th amendments regarding illegal aliens?&#8221; asked Zoe Leigh.
&#8220;We don&#8217;t want illegals in our community. We don&#8217;t want migrants terrorizing our own people and to have y&#8217;all sit up here and say we have to accept 7 million dollars being given to them when you have black people already struggling and need help,&#8221; added Chicago resident O. King. &#8220;It is a disgrace.&#8221;
Earlier this week, Homan <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/tom-homan-explains-how-democrats-protecting-illegal-aliens-in-sanctuary-cities-states-will-backfire" target="_blank" rel="noopener">warned</a> sanctuary cities like Chicago about releasing illegal immigrants back onto the street after they commit a crime.
&#8220;If you let us in the jail, we can arrest the bad guy in the jail, in the safety and security of the jail. One officer could do that. But when you release the public safety threat back in the community, you put the community at risk,” he said. &#8220;You put my officers at risk. You put the alien at risk, because here’s what’s going to happen. You’re going to release that guy in the community, I’m going to send an entire team to go look for the guy in your community.&#8221;

Tom Homan

Tom Homan Says ‘Chicago Is In Trouble’: ‘Your Mayor Sucks And Your Governor Sucks’

Tom Homan Says 'Chicago Is In Trouble': 'Your Mayor Sucks And Your Governor Sucks'

Brandon Johnson

Chicago

Deportations

Donald Trump

Illegal Immigration

Immigration

Politics

Illinois Democratic Governor JB Pritzker refused to say over the weekend that it was wrong for Democrats to ignore the will of the voters and force President Joe Biden off the ticket because Democrats &#8220;weren&#8217;t feeling&#8221; good vibes from Biden&#8217;s campaign.
Pritzker made the remarks during a Sunday interview on CNN&#8217;s &#8220;State of the Union&#8221; when asked about comments made by former Biden chief of staff Ron Klain.
&#8220;I do think the president was pushed by public calls from elected officials for him to drop out, from donors calling him to drop out. And I think that was wrong,&#8221; Klain recently told CNN. &#8220;The president had won the nomination fair and square; 14 million people went and voted for him and the vice president as vice president.&#8221;
<a href="https://www.amiracist.com/" target="_blank" rel="noopener" data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?q=https://www.amiracist.com/&amp;source=gmail&amp;ust=1723848169620000&amp;usg=AOvVaw3E3OUC3roIcb5fjwk-l_Ct">Tickets for “Am I Racist?” are on sale NOW! Buy here for a theater near you.</a>
When Tapper asked Pritzker if it was wrong for Democrats to force Biden out, Pritzker responded: &#8220;Well, I want to remind you that, I mean, there is an enormous amount of reverence for Joe Biden.&#8221;
&#8220;I think everybody was looking at the polls and seeing that there were some real challenges ahead,&#8221; he said. &#8220;There is a danger on the horizon here, and that is that Donald Trump might become president again. And it&#8217;s a danger that a majority of Americans will reject. But they need to know that who they&#8217;re voting for is somebody that they can be excited and electrified by.&#8221;
<a href="http://www.amiracist.com/" target="_blank" rel="noopener" data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?q=http://www.amiracist.com/&amp;source=gmail&amp;ust=1723848169620000&amp;usg=AOvVaw3Sf3qpHNBu8vICyZg-J1qc">WATCH THE TRAILER FOR &#8216;AM I RACIST?&#8217; — A MATT WALSH COMEDY ON DEI</a>
&#8220;And I think they weren&#8217;t feeling that about Joe Biden,&#8221; he continued. &#8220;Having said that, this is a man who&#8217;s accomplished more than 3.5 years than most presidents get done in eight. So we&#8217;re going to see a celebration of him. We&#8217;re also going to see how Kamala Harris has brought the party together with Tim Walz, by the way, a good friend of mine and a fellow Midwestern governor, who&#8217;s an everyday guy and somebody that everybody relates to.&#8221;
WATCH:
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet">
.<a href="https://twitter.com/GovPritzker?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@GovPritzker</a> says “there is an enormous amount of reverence” for Biden among Democrats but tells <a href="https://twitter.com/jaketapper?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@jaketapper</a> Americans “need to know that who they’re voting for is somebody that they can be excited and electrified by, and I think they weren’t feeling that about Joe Biden.” <a href="https://t.co/vzI7u27Glc">pic.twitter.com/vzI7u27Glc</a>
— State of the Union (@CNNSOTU) <a href="https://twitter.com/CNNSOTU/status/1825181431506583816?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">August 18, 2024</a></blockquote>

J.B. Pritzker

Illinois Governor JB Pritzker Refuses To Say It Was Wrong For Democrats To Ignore Voters By Forcing Biden Out

Media

In his 2024 <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DXBZnmtOMGk" target="_blank" rel="noopener">State of the State address</a>, Illinois Democrat governor JB Pritzger, who attacked Texas GOP governor Greg Abbott for sending illegal immigrants to blue states, declared that Illinois did not “ask for this manufactured crisis” of the huge influx of illegal immigrants.
“Over the last 18 months, more than 35,000 have arrived in Illinois, most of them landed here in buses sent by Governor Abbott of Texas. Abbott willfully planned the arrival of these individuals in locations and at times that would engender the maximum chaos for the city of Chicago,” Pritzger fulminated.
“Maybe some of you think we should just say &#8216;This is not our problem&#8217; and we should just let the migrant families starve or freeze to death,” he continued later. “But that’s not what decent Midwesterners do. That’s not what leaders do. We didn’t ask for this manufactured crisis but we must deal with it all the same.”
Although Pritzger claimed Illinois under his leadership “didn’t ask for this manufactured crisis,” on August 2, 2021, he issued an <a href="https://www.illinois.gov/news/press-release.23653.html" target="_blank" rel="noopener">executive order</a> “expanding protections for immigrant and refugee communities and further establishing Illinois as the most welcoming state in the nation.”
“The new laws strengthen the TRUST Act and make Illinois the second state in the nation to require local officials to end partnerships with ICE, address hate crimes against immigrant communities, expand workplace protections for Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) recipients, and create the Illinois Immigration Impact Task Force to ensure state programs and policies best serve immigrant residents,” Pritzger added.
He also signed an executive order “creating the Welcoming Illinois Office, to report to the Office of the Governor and the Secretary of the Department of Human Services while being housed and supported by the Department of Human Services. The Office will work to coordinate, develop and implement policies and practices to make Illinois a more welcoming and equitable state for immigrants and refugees.”
“Throughout my governorship I&#8217;ve directed my administration to adopt policies that make Illinois a welcoming state for immigrants, and I&#8217;m proud to sign these accountability measures into law to advance our cause,” Pritzger wrote. “Every family, every child, every human being deserves to feel safe and secure in the place they call home. I am committed to making sure that value defines what it means to live in Illinois.”
In his State of the State address, Pritzger also admitted, “States and cities in the country’s interior are not equipped alone to handle the rapid influx of new arrivals that we have seen. The White House and the federal government need to step up, to coordinate and manage these asylum seekers.”
In addition, he promised to send the immigrants who arrived in Chicago to other places in the state, declaring, “This plan includes our efforts to divert as many people as possible away from temporary shelter to more permanent settlement, wherever that may be. Not because we are unwelcoming of immigrants, but because Chicago’s shelter system is near capacity.”

DES MOINES – JANUARY 15: Illinois Governor J. B. Pritzker speak

Illinois Dem Gov Says He Didn’t Ask For ‘Crisis’ Of Immigrants. Look What He Stated In 2021.

A federal judge has blocked a new <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/topic/illinois" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Illinois</a> law that targets crisis pregnancy centers in the state, saying that it violates the <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/topic/first-amendment" target="_blank" rel="noopener">First Amendment</a>. 
The bill that was signed into law last week by Governor <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/topic/j-b-pritzker" target="_blank" rel="noopener">J.B. Pritzker</a> (D-IL) allows the state’s attorney general to investigate a case of alleged consumer fraud against crisis pregnancy centers accused of deceptive practices, but it has raised concerns that it would be used to target pro-life centers that suggest <a href="https://www.liveaction.org/news/research-really-shows-abortions-physical-risks/">an association</a> between abortion and breast cancer or infertility.
&#8220;The bill is painfully and blatantly a violation of the First Amendment,&#8221; U.S. District Judge Iain Johnston <a href="https://www.pontiacdailyleader.com/story/news/local/2023/08/04/anti-abortionists-celebrate-halting-of-illinois-pregnancy-centers-law/70525909007/#:~:text=Injunction%20halts%20Illinois'%20new%20law%20aimed%20at%20ending%20pregnancy%20center%20deceptive%20practices&amp;text=%22The%20bill%20is%20painfully%20and,in%20federal%20court%20in%20Rockford." target="_blank" rel="noopener">said</a> on Thursday. 
&#8220;There&#8217;s no doubt who the Attorney General wants to win or lose in the market place of ideas, but the government doesn&#8217;t get to decide that,&#8221; Johnston, a Trump-appointee, added. &#8220;The people do.&#8221;
Almost immediately after the law was enacted, the Thomas More Society, a conservative law firm that fights in defense of religious liberty and free speech, filed a suit challenging the law. 
“Free Speech won today in the Land of Lincoln — pro-life advocates across Illinois can breathe a sigh of relief they won’t be pursued for ‘misinformation’ by Attorney General Kwame Raoul,” Peter Breen, the executive vice president and head of litigation for the Thomas More Society, <a href="https://www.thomasmoresociety.org/news/thomas-more-societys-peter-breen-responds-to-federal-court-victory-protecting-pro-life-pregnancy-centers" target="_blank" rel="noopener">said</a> after the judge&#8217;s ruling.
The suit was filed on behalf of the National Institute of Family and Life Advocates, Women’s Pregnancy Services, Rockford Family Initiative, Relevant Pregnancy Options Center, and the Pro-Life Action League.
“Across the nation, pregnancy help ministries are being discriminated against by laws that target their life-affirming work,” said Breen. “The injunction granted today sends a strong, clear message to the country that the First Amendment protects pro-life speech.”
Centers found guilty of alleged &#8220;misinformation, deceptive practices, or misrepresentation&#8221; could have faced $50,000 in fines if found guilty. 
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Pritzker <a href="https://www.washingtonpost.com/national/2023/08/04/illinois-law-crisis-pregnancy-centers-blocked/fe3d6e66-32f9-11ee-85dd-5c3c97d6acda_story.html#:~:text=The%20bill%20was%20championed%20by,consumer%20fraud%20in%20such%20cases." target="_blank" rel="noopener">said</a> he believes that the law will ultimately take effect and keep women in the state from accessing so-called “misinformation.”
“I’m disappointed that the far-right is interfering with the ability for women to access safe medical care without deception or lies,” he said. “This law is constitutional and I am confident that the law will ultimately be found constitutional and we’ll continue to work alongside Attorney General Raoul to ensure Illinois patients are protected from misinformation.”
Vermont has instituted a similar law taking aim at pro-life pregnancy centers, a law that is also being challenged in court.

Vice President Kamala Harris Travels To Chicago

Federal Judge Blocks Illinois Law Targeting Crisis Pregnancy Centers: ‘Violation Of The First Amendment’

Federal Judge Blocks Illinois Law Targeting Crisis Pregnancy Centers: 'Violation Of The First Amendment'

Abortion

First Amendment

Pro-Life Movement

Governors <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/topic/tony-evers">Tony Evers</a> (D-WI) and <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/topic/gretchen-whitmer">Gretchen Whitmer</a> (D-MI) announced plans this week with two other Midwest states to design a scenic route along Lake Michigan for electric vehicles (EVs), which currently make up less than <a href="https://graphics.reuters.com/AUTOS-ELECTRIC/USA/mopanyqxwva/">1% of all vehicles</a> on the road in the U.S.
The 1,100-mile route near the Great Lake’s shoreline is being heralded as an “eco-tourism attraction” and will include numerous EV charging stations to make the scenic drive convenient for EV owners. The so-called “electric Route 66” will connect major cities and tourist attractions, such as Chicago, Milwaukee, and Traverse City, Michigan.
Evers celebrated the plan as a win for the environment. “Making our beautiful coastal communities not only more accessible to EVs but protecting them through lower emissions is a win-win for Wisconsin,” the Wisconsin governor <a href="https://content.govdelivery.com/accounts/WIGOV/bulletins/325c3ad">said</a>. “We’re proud to support this multi-state partnership as we work to implement our first-ever Clean Energy Plan and continue our efforts to bolster Wisconsin&#8217;s tourism industry.”
Evers and Whitmer will join forces with J.B. Pritzker (D-IL) and Eric Holcomb (R-IN) on the project dubbed the “Lake Michigan EV Circuit Tour” that could cost up to $4 million.
In a previously signed <a href="https://www.michigan.gov/leo/-/media/Project/Websites/leo/Lake_MI_Circuit_MOUdocx1.pdf">Memorandum of Understanding</a>, the four neighboring states said that one of the objectives of the EV route was to “support organizations to build, maintain, and encourage use of a robust EV tourism attraction around Lake Michigan.”
Michigan’s Democratic governor first announced the “Lake Michigan EV Circuit Tour&#8221; last September at the Mackinac Policy Conference. At the time, the project was estimated to cost between $3.5 and $4 million, <a href="https://www.govtech.com/fs/multi-state-partnership-to-bring-ev-circuit-to-lake-michigan">according</a> to GovTech.com.
Whitmer said the EV route will help bolster the state’s economy and provide more jobs for autoworkers while giving EV drivers the option to travel longer distances.
“Today, Michigan is proud to lead the Lake Michigan Electric Vehicle Circuit Tour, a partnership between fellow Midwestern states to grow our economy, create more good-paying jobs, and lead the future of mobility and electrification,” Whitmer <a href="https://www.michigan.gov/whitmer/news/press-releases/2022/08/03/whitmer-announces-michigan-joining-three-other-midwest-states-to-build-lake-michigan-ev-circuit">said</a> in a statement released Wednesday.
Meanwhile, Michigan’s largest employer, Ford, was <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/ford-plans-to-cut-8000-jobs-so-it-can-fund-ev-push-report">reportedly</a> preparing last month to cut thousands of jobs to help the company fund its EV projects. It was unclear how many of those cuts would affect Michigan-based jobs.
In March, Ford admitted that its EV project would not be profitable until at least 2025 when its next generation models come out. Ford CEO Jim Farley also said at a conference in February that EV portfolios were “under-earning.”

Electric Vehicle

‘Electric Route 66’: Midwest Governors Collaborating On Scenic Road Trip Circuit Designed For EVs

Midwest Governors Collaborating On Scenic Road Trip Circuit For Electric Vehicles

electric vehicles

Gretchen Whitmer

Indiana

Michigan

Tony Evers

Wisconsin

Governor <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/topic/j-b-pritzker">J.B. Pritzker</a> (D-IL) blasted Citadel CEO Ken Griffin, formerly the richest man in <a href="http://dailywire.com/topic/illinois">Illinois</a>, for moving himself and his company from <a href="http://dailywire.com/topic/chicago">Chicago</a> to Miami, <a href="http://dailywire.com/topic/florida">Florida</a>, amid soaring <a href="http://dailywire.com/topic/crime">crime</a> in the Windy City.
Griffin — whose $29 billion net worth places him among the 50 richest men on the planet, according to the <a href="https://www.bloomberg.com/billionaires/">Bloomberg Billionaires Index</a> — moved to Miami after <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/wealthiest-man-in-illinois-moves-his-business-from-chicago-to-miami-amid-feud-with-democratic-leadership">voicing concerns</a> about the lackluster business environment and rising crime rates in Chicago. He announced last month that Citadel, which manages $51 billion in assets, will likewise relocate to Florida.
In <a href="https://www.politico.com/f/?id=00000182-0c83-d06c-afbb-8d9354400000">prepared remarks</a> for a meeting of Florida Democrats last weekend, Pritzker criticized Griffin for leaving Illinois and for supporting Governor <a href="http://dailywire.com/topic/ron-desantis">Ron DeSantis</a> (R-FL).
“So like a spoiled rich kid, Griffin announced he was taking his toys and leaving Illinois,” Pritzker said. “Where did he move to? You guessed it. His $400 million, 20-acre Palm Beach estate. And he’s one of Ron DeSantis’ largest donors.”
“Really really sorry about that,” he continued, adding that supporting DeSantis over former President Donald Trump is “a little bit like saying you’ve never been a fan of Darth Vader but you support the Empire’s political agenda.”
Florida, however, saw the nation’s largest net domestic migration between July 2020 and July 2021, with over 220,000 people moving to the state, according to the U.S. <a href="https://www.census.gov/newsroom/press-releases/2021/2021-population-estimates.html">Census Bureau</a>. Florida was followed by Texas and Arizona, while New York, California, and Illinois led the nation in terms of numeric decline.
Pritzker also defended the reputation of Chicago which, under the leadership of Mayor <a href="http://dailywire.com/topic/lori-lightfoot">Lori Lightfoot</a> (D), recorded <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/lightfoots-chicago-records-797-homicides-in-2021-most-among-u-s-cities">797 homicides</a> in 2021 — the highest of any other American city that year.
“Just for the record, Chicago should be no one’s punching bag,” Pritzker argued. “It’s a beautiful city that boasts glorious summer festivals, the very best cultural institutions, entertainment and food, and the kindest and most amazing people you will ever meet. It’s the birthplace of gospel music and the Blues Brothers. It’s where Barack Obama came from. We’re a diverse, compelling place with a proud history.”
Citadel is one of several major companies to move its headquarters out of Chicago in recent months. Construction machinery maker <a href="https://www.nbcchicago.com/news/local/caterpillar-inc-to-move-global-headquarters-out-of-chicago-area-into-texas/2857142/">Caterpillar</a> and airplane manufacturer <a href="https://www.forbes.com/sites/joewalsh/2022/05/05/boeing-will-move-headquarters-from-chicago-to-dc-metro-area/?sh=2ffb83d863cf">Boeing</a> are respectively moving to Irving, Texas, and Arlington, Virginia.
Nevertheless, the office of Pritzker — with whom Griffin has feuded — said in a statement to <a href="https://www.wsj.com/articles/ken-griffin-moving-citadel-from-chicago-to-miami-following-crime-complaints-11655994600">The Wall Street Journal</a> that “countless companies” are still opting to stay.
“We will continue to welcome those businesses — including Kellogg, which just this week announced it is moving its largest headquarters to Illinois — and support emerging industries that are already creating good jobs and investing billions in Illinois, like data centers, electric vehicles and quantum computing,” Pritzker spokeswoman Emily Bittner said.
Chicago is slated to host the Democratic National Convention in 2024. As President Joe Biden’s poll numbers <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/most-americans-even-a-majority-of-democrats-dont-want-biden-to-run-in-2024-poll">continue to fall</a>, many Democrats — including Pritzker and Governor Gavin Newsom (D-CA) — have <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/newsom-buys-ad-space-in-florida-desantis-campaign-responds">ventured</a> into the Florida political sphere, fueling speculation of <a href="https://www.wbez.org/stories/pritzkers-florida-speech-fuels-presidential-ambition-buzz/d347918e-7308-4a62-af28-e30d83cdf135">presidential ambitions</a>.

Collage Maker-22-Jul-2022-12.32-PM

Illinois Governor Takes Parting Shot At State’s Richest Man For Moving To Florida

Illinois Governor Pritzker Blasts Billionaire As He Leaves For Florida

Florida

Ron DeSantis

The office of Illinois Gov. <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/topic/j-b-pritzker">J.B. Pritzker</a> arranged to have the state secretly pay a former campaign aide who had been fired from her government job for stealing after she threatened to use her connections to get out of trouble, a state official claimed in a newly unsealed legal filing.
The state attorney general filed to dismiss the whistleblower&#8217;s lawsuit, which would mean allegations of improper political influence will not be probed. But the now-public allegations tell a disturbing tale of corruption and patronage in the Land of Lincoln.
Jenny Thornley was the chief financial officer and director of legislative policy for the Illinois State Police Merit Board, an anti-patronage agency which exists to &#8220;<a href="https://www.illinoistrooper.com/">remove</a> political influence and provide a fair and equitable merit process.&#8221; Although she lacked a college degree, she boasted on her resume that she has &#8220;been heavily involved with the following IL races at a high level, Cheri Bustos, Tammy Duckworth, Susana Mendoza, JB Pritzker&#8230; and many more,&#8221; according to court documents. Facebook photos picture her with a who&#8217;s who of Democrat elite.<a href="#_ftn1" name="_ftnref1"></a>
In January 2020, Thornley&#8217;s boss, Jack Garcia, wrote to the Merit Board&#8217;s chairman that he had caught Thornley forging his signature to pad her salary with overtime, according to court documents. Then-Program Administrator Emily Fox &#8212; who is now the Merit Board&#8217;s executive director and who filed the lawsuit &#8212; said, for example, that Thornley billed for 32.5 hours in overtime in September 2019 even though camera footage showed that not only did she not work overtime, but she frequently left during regular hours.<a href="#_ftn3" name="_ftnref3"></a>
On January 27, 2020, Thornley texted a mutual friend of her&#8217;s and Garcia&#8217;s and told him, &#8220;Garcia does not know who he is messing with, and that the Governor&#8217;s office would get involved if Mr. Garcia did not back off,&#8221; according to an affidavit.<a href="#_ftn4" name="_ftnref4"></a>
<div id="attachment_413077" style="width: 246px" class="wp-caption alignleft"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-413077" class="size-full wp-image-413077" src="https://www.dailywire.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/07/fb3.jpg" alt="" width="236" height="383" srcset="https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2022/07/fb3.jpg 236w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2022/07/fb3-185x300.jpg 185w" sizes="(max-width: 236px) 100vw, 236px" />Jenny Thornley and Nancy Pelosi / Facebook</div>
Four days later, Thornley filed a workers compensation claim saying she had suffered bruising and PTSD from being sexually assaulted by Garcia on January 23, the day after Garcia reported her alleged embezzlement, according to court documents. On the claim form, she listed her employer as the &#8220;Governor&#8217;s office,&#8221; and said that she worked directly for the governor, the documents show.<a href="#_ftn5" name="_ftnref5"></a>
An independent investigation commissioned by the state later found that the next day, Thornley emailed the governor&#8217;s chief of staff Anne Caprara; that she spoke on the phone with Pritzker&#8217;s general counsel, Ann Spillane, and said she &#8220;looks at the Pritzkers as friends&#8221;; and that on February 2, she texted the governor&#8217;s wife, M.K. Pritzker.
On February 3, the Merit Board moved to fire Thornley and seek criminal prosecution, according to lawsuit papers. Around that time, Thornley told the governor’s Deputy General Counsel Scott Lerner that &#8220;I just really want to make sure that this doesn&#8217;t look bad for Governor Pritzker and MK Pritzker,&#8221; the state investigation found.
According to court filings, the governor’s office advised the board to hold off on firing Thornley and instead put both her and Garcia on leave. The governor&#8217;s office also advised the Merit Board to hire the law firm of McGuire Woods to do an independent investigation, Merit Board Chairman Reeve Waud wrote in an email contained in court filings.
<div id="attachment_413078" style="width: 1198px" class="wp-caption alignnone"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-413078" class="size-full wp-image-413078" src="https://www.dailywire.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/07/mugshot.jpg" alt="" width="1188" height="694" srcset="https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2022/07/mugshot.jpg 1188w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2022/07/mugshot-300x175.jpg 300w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2022/07/mugshot-986x576.jpg 986w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2022/07/mugshot-768x449.jpg 768w" sizes="(max-width: 1188px) 100vw, 1188px" />Jenny Thornley mugshot</div>
McGuire Woods conducted a thorough investigation costing $550,000, the lawsuit says. As it dragged on, leaving Thornley paid and the Merit Board with no leader even though he had passed a lie detector test corroborating that he did not sexually assault her, Waud wrote to the governor’s office in April that “The Board is unanimously of the view that this has gone on long enough, that your intervention was and remains unwise and inappropriate&#8230; If the Governor feels differently, I would welcome the opportunity to discuss the entire situation with him.&#8221;<a href="#_ftn6" name="_ftnref6"></a>
<h2>&#8220;Your intervention was and remains unwise and inappropriate&#8230; If the Governor feels differently, I would welcome the opportunity to discuss the entire situation with him.&#8221;</h2>
In July, McGuire Woods produced a 133-page report concluding that the evidence showed that Thornley stole from taxpayers, and that it did not support that Garcia sexually assaulted her. It also said that Thornley falsely claimed to have COVID to avoid being interviewed by the investigators. She was fired.<a href="#_ftn7" name="_ftnref7"></a>
But in September 2020, Fox discovered that Thornley had been receiving workers comp, even though she had already been terminated and even though this would normally require the Merit Board, her employer, to be aware of it and have the opportunity to challenge it, according to the lawsuit. A claims adjuster said it was being handled by Kevin Richey at Central Management Services (CMS), an office close to the governor, the suit said.<a href="#_ftn8" name="_ftnref8"></a>
&#8220;Mr. Richey stated he has the authority to override any case, which he did in this particular case,&#8221; Fox wrote in a contemporaneous memo. &#8220;Mr. Richey reiterated he could not provide detailed information, but that the Governor’s Office was involved in all communication and decisions regarding this case&#8230; stating that he must be &#8216;evasive&#8217; with me.&#8221; That meant that Thornley was being paid 75% of her salary, &#8220;tax free with benefits and insurance coverage.&#8221;<a href="#_ftn9" name="_ftnref9"></a>
Garcia attempted to get the Inspector General to investigate the workers comp claim involving Thornley allegedly claiming she worked for the governor, and the governor’s office’s mysterious cooperation, but it did not seem interested, according to the lawsuit.
That led Fox to file a qui tam whistleblower suit, which allows people with knowledge of government fraud to pursue it through the courts, and can allow them to share in recovered funds as a reward.
&#8220;The success of Thornley&#8217;s most recent false statements is a consequence of the direct involvement of the Governor&#8217;s Office,” the lawsuit said. “There is no reason the Governor&#8217;s Office should be involved in Thornley&#8217;s schemes, except for Thornley&#8217;s personal and political relationships with the Governor and/or M.K. Pritzker.&#8221;<a href="#_ftn10" name="_ftnref10"></a>
<div id="attachment_413079" style="width: 630px" class="wp-caption alignnone"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-413079" class="size-full wp-image-413079" src="https://www.dailywire.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/07/fb1.jpg" alt="" width="620" height="625" srcset="https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2022/07/fb1.jpg 620w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2022/07/fb1-298x300.jpg 298w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2022/07/fb1-571x576.jpg 571w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2022/07/fb1-150x150.jpg 150w" sizes="(max-width: 620px) 100vw, 620px" />Jenny Thornley and JB Pritzker / Facebook</div>
Thornley was indicted on seven felony counts related to the alleged timekeeping fraud in September 2021, and her workers compensation benefits terminated a few days before the indictment. But she has not been charged for filing a workers comp claim over a sexual assault that the government concluded did not occur, or for falsely stating that she worked for a different office.
In December 2021, attorney general Kwame Raoul moved to have the whistleblower complaint thrown out, stating, &#8220;The State moves to dismiss Relator’s Complaint based on an exercise of the State’s discretion to do so.&#8221; The case was dismissed, causing the case to no longer be under seal. Fox intends to appeal.
Four of the five Merit Board members, including Waud, have since been replaced. The legislature inserted a provision into a spending bill that had the effect of forcing Garcia out of his position.
A spokesman for Gov. Pritzker did not return a request for comment from The Daily Wire.
Thomas Devore, a Republican running to replace Raoul as attorney general who has studied the case, said &#8220;this is exactly why our state is corrupt. These kind of issues on a grand scale are exactly why people don’t trust the government.”

Illinois Governor’s Office Made Secret Payments To Former Campaign Aide After She Was Caught Stealing From Taxpayers, Lawsuit Says

Illinois Gov. Pritzker’s Office Made Secret Payments To Former Campaign Aide After She Was Caught Stealing From Taxpayers, Lawsuit Says

Fraud

Nancy Pelosi

Ken Griffin of Citadel, a multibillion-dollar hedge fund, announced that he would move his company from <a href="http://dailywire.com/topic/chicago">Chicago</a>, Illinois, to Miami, <a href="http://dailywire.com/topic/florida">Florida</a>.
“Chicago will continue to be important to the future of Citadel, as many of our colleagues have deep ties to Illinois,” Griffin wrote in a Thursday letter to his employees, per <a href="https://www.wsj.com/articles/ken-griffin-moving-citadel-from-chicago-to-miami-following-crime-complaints-11655994600">The Wall Street Journal</a>. “Over the past year, however, many of our Chicago teams have asked to relocate to Miami, New York and our other offices around the world.”
Griffin — whose $29 billion net worth makes him the <a href="https://www.chicagobusiness.com/finance-banking/look-citadel-billionaire-ken-griffins-political-ambitions">richest man in Illinois</a> and places him within the 50 richest men on the planet, according to the <a href="https://www.bloomberg.com/billionaires/">Bloomberg Billionaires Index</a> — has already moved to Florida. He hinted to The Wall Street Journal earlier this year that crime rates may have prompted his decision.
“If people aren’t safe here, they’re not going to live here,” he told the outlet. “I’ve had multiple colleagues mugged at gunpoint. I’ve had a colleague stabbed on the way to work. Countless issues of burglary. I mean, that’s a really difficult backdrop with which to draw talent to your city from.”
Under the leadership of Mayor <a href="http://dailywire.com/topic/lori-lightfoot">Lori Lightfoot</a> (D-IL), the city of Chicago <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/lightfoots-chicago-records-797-homicides-in-2021-most-among-u-s-cities">recorded 797 homicides</a> in 2021 — the highest of any American city.
Lightfoot’s office acknowledged that Citadel’s move is by no means a positive development. “We thank the Citadel team for their contributions to our city and their many philanthropic commitments, particularly around education, arts and culture and public safety,” a statement said. “Our economic outlook has never been stronger and we will continue to build upon a best-in-class recovery in the nation amongst large U.S. cities.”
Indeed, Griffin is heavily involved in philanthropy and owns over $1 billion in residential real estate, The Wall Street Journal reports. Citadel manages over $51 billion in investment capital, according to its <a href="https://www.citadel.com/about-citadel/">website</a>.
The office of Governor <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/topic/j-b-pritzker">J.B. Pritzker</a> (D-IL) — with whom Griffin has feuded — said in a statement that “countless companies” are still choosing to operate in Illinois.
“We will continue to welcome those businesses — including Kellogg, which just this week announced it is moving its largest headquarters to Illinois — and support emerging industries that are already creating good jobs and investing billions in Illinois, like data centers, electric vehicles and quantum computing,” Pritzker spokeswoman Emily Bittner said in a statement to The Wall Street Journal.
Citadel is the third major company to move its headquarters out of Chicago in the past two months, following earlier decisions from construction machinery maker <a href="https://www.nbcchicago.com/news/local/caterpillar-inc-to-move-global-headquarters-out-of-chicago-area-into-texas/2857142/">Caterpillar</a> and airplane manufacturer <a href="https://www.forbes.com/sites/joewalsh/2022/05/05/boeing-will-move-headquarters-from-chicago-to-dc-metro-area/?sh=2ffb83d863cf">Boeing</a>. The former planned a move to Irving, Texas, while the latter will relocate to Arlington, Virginia.
&#8220;We believe it&#8217;s in the best strategic interest of the company to make this move, which supports Caterpillar&#8217;s strategy for profitable growth as we help our customers build a better, more sustainable world,&#8221; Caterpillar CEO Jim Umpleby in a statement.
As with employees at Citadel, investment bankers in New York City — which also struggles with rising crime — <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/bankers-are-begging-their-employers-for-transfers-from-new-york-to-florida">overwhelmed</a> recruiters’ offices last summer with requests for moves to Florida. Meanwhile, one Disney executive cited Florida’s “business-friendly climate” when announcing plans to relocate 2,000 employees from California to the Sunshine State — but was forced to delay those plans amid the entertainment giant’s battle with Governor <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/topic/ron-desantis">Ron DeSantis</a> (R-FL) over parental rights legislation.
Florida saw the largest net domestic migration between July 2020 and July 2021, with over 220,000 residents moving to the state, according to the U.S. <a href="https://www.census.gov/newsroom/press-releases/2021/2021-population-estimates.html">Census Bureau</a>. Florida was followed by Texas and Arizona, while New York, California, and Illinois led the nation in terms of numeric decline.

Collage Maker-23-Jun-2022-03.18-PM

Wealthiest Man In Illinois Moves His Business From Chicago To Miami Amid Feud With Democratic Leadership

Ken Griffin, Citadel To Move To Miami

Lori Lightfoot

Miami

On Wednesday evening, the Illinois Emergency Management Agency threatened officers who do not enforce Governor J.B. Pritzker’s lockdown orders.
&#8220;Things are moving at a dizzying pace in Springfield,&#8221; reported WCIA anchor Mark Maxwell. &#8220;Now, a new threat from [Governor Pritzker] administration to local law enforcement: IEMA (Illinois Emergency Management Agency) memo tells local law enforcement their federal funds are at risk if they refuse to enforce his executive order.&#8221;
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-width="500" data-dnt="true">
Things are moving at a dizzying pace in Springfield. Now, a new threat from <a href="https://twitter.com/GovPritzker?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@GovPritzker</a> administration to local law enforcement: IEMA memo tells local law enforcement their federal funds are at risk if they refuse to enforce his executive order. <a href="https://t.co/Yc4FOK9KWx">pic.twitter.com/Yc4FOK9KWx</a>
&mdash; Mark Maxwell (@MarkMaxwellTV) <a href="https://twitter.com/MarkMaxwellTV/status/1263232159118168073?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">May 20, 2020</a></blockquote>
<script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>
As noted by <a href="https://www.illinoispolicy.org/pritzker-forced-to-withdraw-criminal-penalties-for-small-business-owners-who-defy-his-order/">Illinois Policy</a>, the IEMA <a href="https://twitter.com/MarkMaxwellTV/status/1263232159118168073">memo</a> sent to local law enforcement officials stated that “failure to execute or enforce the [executive order] could be considered noncompliance with the [Public Assistance Program Grant] Agreement condition to comply with all applicable state laws, regulations and policies thus placing the applicant’s funding in jeopardy.”
As noted by <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/state-police-in-democratic-state-we-will-not-arrest-jail-any-individual-for-violating-lockdown-orders">The Daily Wire</a>, Illinois State Police (ISP) said in a statement posted Tuesday to social media that they will not arrest or jail any individual in violation of Pritzker’s lockdown order or emergency orders issued Friday, which were rescinded by the Democrat late Wednesday after immense backlash.
Pritzker&#8217;s rammed-through “emergency orders” expressly targeted businesses, leveling misdemeanor charges at owners who would defy his edicts with fines up to $2,500 and possible time behind bars.
ISP said Tuesday they will not be arresting or jailing anyone for such “crimes,” though they said they would be issuing some citations in accordance with “state and constitutional law.”
“During the COVID-19 pandemic, the Illinois State Police (ISP) continues to focus on community caretaking, educating citizens and businesses and urging voluntary compliance,” the statement from ISP said. “As part of that effort, the ISP will act incrementally to urge compliance of the executive order.”
“Consistent with this community spirit and with state law, policy guidance and discretion,” the statement continued, “the Illinois State Police will not issue any criminal misdemeanors to individuals for violations of temporary emergency rules or executive orders.”
“The Illinois State Police will only apply those emergency rules to entities such as corporations, LLPs or other business entities consistent with state and constitutional law. No individual will be arrested or taken to jail for a violation of the Executive Orders or emergency rules,” said the statement.
“We encourage all citizens to continue to do their part to maintain public health as we move forward in the days ahead with Reopening Illinois,” added the ISP.
https://twitter.com/AmandaPresto/status/1263113371064373250?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw%7Ctwcamp%5Etweetembed%7Ctwterm%5E1263113371064373250&#038;ref_url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.dailywire.com%2Fnews%2Fstate-police-in-democratic-state-we-will-not-arrest-jail-any-individual-for-violating-lockdown-orders
However, as reported by <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/illinois-democrat-governor-backs-down-rescinds-order-making-reopening-a-class-a-misdemeanor">The Daily Wire</a>, Pritzker has reversed course.
“Those tools are harsher measures than anybody, including me, is interested in pursuing,” the governor said at a press conference.
“A business that chooses not to follow the rules can recover from a fine,” Pritzker added. “It is much more expensive to be stripped of a license or forced to close.”
As noted by The Daily Wire&#8217;s Emily Zanotti, &#8220;It is also likely more expensive for Illinois to enforce such an order, not because of initial cost, but because of potential, subsequent litigation. Officials in other states, including Michigan, are now facing a barrage of lawsuits stemming from administration decisions to revoke business licenses and are defending against claims that such measures are &#8216;a taking&#8217; and a violation of individuals’ Constitutional rights.&#8221;
Related: <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/state-police-in-democratic-state-we-will-not-arrest-jail-any-individual-for-violating-lockdown-order">State Police In Democratic State: We Will Not Arrest, Jail Any Individual For Violating Lockdown Orders</a>
The Daily Wire, headed by bestselling author and popular podcast host Ben Shapiro, is a leading provider of conservative news, cutting through the mainstream media’s rhetoric to provide readers the most important, relevant, and engaging stories of the day. Get inside access to The Daily Wire by becoming a <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/subscribe">member</a>.

Democratic Gubernatorial Candidate For Governor J.B. Pritzker Holds Primary Night Event In Chicago

Democrat Governor’s Admin Threatens Officers After State Police Say They Won’t Arrest Lockdown Violators

COVID

Illinois Democrat Governor J.B. Prizker has said he plans to extend the state&#8217;s coronavirus-related lockdown order well into June, but, fearing that Illinois residents will begin flouting his edicts, he&#8217;s now threatened any business owner who defies his stay-at-home order with jail time.
In other states, Democrat governors have revoked licenses, threatened closure, and even arrested those who open businesses in defiance of state lockdown provisions, but Pritzker appears to want to head off conflicts by simply laying out his response in advance.
The governor&#8217;s office &#8220;filed an emergency rule that would penalize owners of restaurants, bars, gyms, barbershops and other businesses for reopening before coronavirus restrictions are lifted,&#8221; <a href="https://thehill.com/homenews/state-watch/498263-illinois-business-owners-could-face-fine-jail-time-for-reopening-in">The Hill reports</a>.
The emergency rule makes reopening early a &#8220;class A misdemeanor,&#8221; which, in Illinois, carries with it a fine of up to $2,500 and up to a year in jail.
The governor&#8217;s office claims that the emergency rule is merely a tool for law enforcement &#8212; an “additional enforcement tool for businesses that refuse to comply with the most critical aspects of the stay-at-home order,&#8221; per a Pritzker spokesperson.
“Law enforcement has relied heavily on educating business owners about the order and always first discusses the regulations with business owners to urge compliance,” she added. “Only businesses that pose a serious risk to public health and refuse to comply with health regulations would be issued a citation.&#8221;
Other members of Pritzker&#8217;s administration claimed that running afoul of the rule change was akin to &#8220;getting a traffic ticket.&#8221;
&#8220;Nobody&#8217;s getting arrested or handcuffed,&#8221; the governor&#8217;s general counsel told media, per The Hill. &#8220;But they are getting a citation where they would have to go to court.&#8221;
The change was, however, enough to concern Illinois residents, who are already living under some of the nation&#8217;s strictest coronavirus lockdowns. The governor claims the state has yet to &#8220;flatten the curve&#8221; and that Illinois will not reach a &#8220;peak&#8221; of coronavirus cases for at least several more weeks, prompting the continued restrictions. Critics, however, point out that outside of Chicago&#8217;s south and west sides, coronavirus cases in Illinois are in steep decline. Some counties in Illinois saw fewer than a dozen cases.
States near Illinois, like Wisconsin, Indiana, and Iowa, have begun the slow process of reopening.
Legislators in Illinois are also concerned with the governor&#8217;s rule change, noting that it is the legislature&#8217;s job &#8212; not the governor&#8217;s &#8212; to make updates to the law and set punishments. One Republican legislator seemed to indicate that he and others will challenge the governor&#8217;s decision.
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-width="500" data-dnt="true">
The new emergency rule <a href="https://twitter.com/GovPritzker?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@GovPritzker</a> that makes it a crime to violate his executive orders is an affront to the separation of powers. Legislatures make laws. Governors enforce them. Period. <a href="https://t.co/SfX7SXFoo4">https://t.co/SfX7SXFoo4</a>
&mdash; Dan McConchie (@DanMcConchie) <a href="https://twitter.com/DanMcConchie/status/1262061375179948032?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">May 17, 2020</a></blockquote>
<script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>
&#8220;Legislatures make laws,&#8221; he noted on Twitter. &#8220;Governors enforce them. Period.&#8221;
The Daily Wire, headed by bestselling author and popular podcast host Ben Shapiro, is a leading provider of conservative news, cutting through the mainstream media’s rhetoric to provide readers the most important, relevant, and engaging stories of the day. Get inside access to The Daily Wire by becoming a <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/subscribe">member</a>.  
Ed note: The article mistakenly referred to the rule change as making reopening a &#8220;class A felony.&#8221; It is actually a &#8220;class A misdemeanor,&#8221; as evidenced by the attendant punishment (less than a year in jail, which is correct). We regret the error and have updated the article to reflect the change.

Illinois Governor JB Pritzker Threatens Jail Time If Business Owners Defy Coronavirus Lockdown Orders

Several Illinois churches have filed a Federal lawsuit challenging Illinois Governor J.B. Pritzker&#8217;s &#8220;Five Point&#8221; coronavirus plan, which could see gatherings of more than 50 people for religious services banned until 2021 unless a vaccine or reliable treatment for the virus becomes available.
Pritzker announced the &#8220;Five Point&#8221; plan last Wednesday, banning gatherings of 50 people or more until &#8220;Phase 5&#8243; &#8212; a phase that only takes effect when “a vaccine or highly effective treatment widely available or the elimination of any new cases.&#8221; Gatherings of fewer than 50 people would be allowed in &#8220;Phase 4&#8221; of the plan, though when that may take effect is not clear.
&#8220;Specific public health metrics&#8221; will guide movement between phases, <a href="https://chicago.suntimes.com/2020/5/8/21251905/churches-challenge-pritzker-restore-illinois-plan-federal-court-religion-worship-services">per the Chicago Sun-Times</a>, and &#8220;essential businesses&#8221; are listed as exempt from gathering restrictions.
The plan is a slight improvement over Illinois&#8217; current situation. &#8220;Previously, religious services of any kind in the state—including drive-in and in-person services—were curtailed during the pandemic, and even other forms of sacramental practice such as drive-in confessions were not allowed,&#8221; <a href="https://www.catholicnewsagency.com/news/illinois-churches-may-not-fully-reopen-for-a-year-as-white-house-shelves-cdc-plan-83898">Catholic News Service reported</a> last week.
But critics of the plan were quick to point out that while Pritzker&#8217;s roadmap allows for individuals to crowd in retailers, restaurants, and even marijuana dispensaries (many of which have never closed, because they are listed as &#8220;essential&#8221; businesses in Illinois&#8217; coronavirus plans) but creates a de facto ban on the free exercise of religion, particularly when religious services require large gatherings or the sharing of food or drink, or feature practices not considered &#8220;orthodox&#8221; under Pritzker&#8217;s plan.
Critics also suggested Pritzker was looking for a &#8220;miracle cure&#8221; that may never come.
“While there is always a possibility that some miracle cure may emerge, that is entirely uncertain and should not be the basis for setting policy, especially policy in relation to our communities of faith,” Peter Breen of the Thomas More Society told CNS last week. &#8220;[Pritzker] has at least brought churches out of the abyss of ‘non-essential,’ but he has not fully elevated them to the heights of being an ‘essential’ business or operation.&#8221;
The Thomas More Society is suing the state on behalf of The Beloved Church in Lena, Illinois. Their case, which predates the new order, is being appealed to the United States Court of Appeals for the Seventh Circuit.
Two other churches, Elim Romanian Pentecostal Church in Chicago, Illinois and Logos Baptist Ministries, located in the Chicago suburbs, are seeking an injunction against Pritzker&#8217;s new order, saying that they&#8217;ve taken substantial steps to protect worshippers and believe the governor&#8217;s orders go too far.
“To be clear, plaintiffs merely seek a (temporary restraining order) preventing plaintiffs, their pastors, and their congregants from being subject to criminal sanctions for hosting in-person worship services on Sunday during which plaintiffs will implement social distancing and hygiene protections on an equal basis with other non-religious gatherings,” the complaint, filed last week, says.
Pritzker&#8217;s office says it&#8217;s taken steps to ensure that the free exercise of religion is protected.
&#8220;The governor’s executive order protects the free exercise of religion,” the governor&#8217;s press secretary said in an email to the Sun-Times. “In the last week, a federal court has considered these exact claims and arguments and ruled that the executive order does not violate the constitution.”
But the churches say the problem with the governor&#8217;s edict is that it defines what the state believes to be &#8220;orthodox&#8221; worship &#8212; and their services fall outside that definition, rendering their services illegal under the law until there&#8217;s a cure for COVID-19.
“If plaintiffs, their pastors, or their members do not subscribe to what Governor Pritzker has prescribed as orthodox in a worship service, they risk becoming criminals in the state,” the complaint says.
The Daily Wire, headed by bestselling author and popular podcast host Ben Shapiro, is a leading provider of conservative news, cutting through the mainstream media’s rhetoric to provide readers the most important, relevant, and engaging stories of the day. Get inside access to The Daily Wire by becoming a <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/subscribe">member</a>.

closed church

Illinois Churches Sue After Governor Says Religious Services May Not Resume For Up To A YEAR Under Coronavirus Plan

Freedom of Religion