Chicago’s Unholy Alliance

Written by David E. Smith

Chicago is a city with a complicated legacy — a place that has inspired political machines, entrepreneurial innovation, faith-filled reform, and yes, devastating corruption. While many think of shady deals made in smoke-filled back rooms, the deeper and more troubling truth is that Chicago has a long history of collaboration between political figures and violent street gangs.

This is not conspiracy theory. It’s documented history.

Gangs as Political Machinery

Beginning in the 1960s, Chicago politicians recognized something that should have been obvious: gangs had numbers.… Continue Reading

The High Cost of Judicial “Compassion”

Written by Daniel Horowitz

When victims’ advocates push for mandatory minimum sentences, the leniency lobby instantly howls about “judicial discretion.” In theory, that’s right: In a just society, judges should have the freedom to weigh every case, tailoring sentences to fit the crimes.

But America doesn’t live in that society. We live in an era when violent crime floods major cities and leftist judges treat predators like misunderstood poets. In this environment, mandatory minimums aren’t cruel — they’re the only remaining safeguard for victims and the public.… Continue Reading

A Not-So-Special Report with Governor Pritzker

Written by David E. Smith

Excuses, Deflection, and Denial

Illinois billionaire Governor JB Pritzker appeared on Fox News’ Special Report with Bret Baier on Thursday, where he blasted the Trump administration’s immigration enforcement in Chicago while downplaying the city’s spiraling crime problem. The two-term Democratic governor also dodged questions about his presidential ambitions, took shots at Trump’s tariff policies, and doubled down on his paranoid claim that U.S. troops could be used to “steal” the next election.… Continue Reading

SPOTLIGHT: DCFS in Illinois

Written by Alyssa Sonnenburg

In this important episode of Spotlight, Illinois State Representative Jed Davis (R-Yorkville) shares about the upcoming Lame Duck session in the Illinois Legislature and troubling concerns that he sees with the Illinois Department of Child and Family Services (DCFS).

Rep. Davis has a civil engineering degree, and served as board president for Yorkville’s Parkview Christian Academy.

“The state is running around investigating families and the people leading these investigations are interns who lack the experience.”

When Love Grows Cold: The Rise of Political Violence

Written by David E. Smith

The growing political violence in the U.S. is a serious concern that threatens both the stability of our republic and the safety of its citizens. What we’re witnessing today is not merely partisan animosity, but open hostility — a clear sign of our culture’s moral and spiritual decline, which undermines the very foundation of a civilized society.

Just look at the violent mobs that recently targeted ICE offices and federal agents — torching vehicles, smashing windows, and assaulting officers who enforce our nation’s immigration laws.… Continue Reading

JB Pritzker’s Gambling Win: Luck, Money Laundering or Bribe?

Written by David E. Smith

In a recent episode of The Matt Walsh Show, the host lays it out plainly: Hunter Biden proved just how easy it is to launder money in America. You don’t have to be clever — just land a no-show job, create a few shell companies with foreign investors, or sell “art” for millions to anonymous buyers.

That’s why questions are swirling around Illinois Governor JB Pritzker’s “lucky streak” in Las Vegas.… Continue Reading

The Big Lie: Pritzker’s Reckless Rhetoric

Written by David E. Smith

Governor JB Pritzker has repeatedly resorted to irresponsible and inflammatory language to demonize President Donald J. Trump, federal law enforcement officials, and Republicans in general. For months, he has engaged in extreme partisan bomb-throwing — in press conferences, on social media, and even at Democratic Party events outside Illinois.

Terms like “Nazi,” “jackbooted thugs,” “tyrant,” and “fascists” aren’t just political insults — they’re rhetorical grenades lobbed to manipulate the press and distort public perception.… Continue Reading

SPOTLIGHT: What to Expect in the Upcoming Fall Veto Session

Written by Alyssa Sonnenburg

The Fall Veto Session in the Illinois State Legislature is coming up.

IFI Springfield Lobbyist, David Curtin, gives insight into what we can expect regarding the response to Charlie Kirk’s assassination and more.

“In Illinois, the Democrats have really not found the opportunity to turn down the rhetoric because they are in power no matter what they say. They can say anything and the media will back them up…

The media is afraid of the Governor, quite frankly.”

When Justice Fails: How Soft-on-Crime Policies Cost Innocent Lives

Written by Daniel Horowitz

Republicans might finally take me seriously after years of warning: America suffers not from mass incarceration, but from mass under-incarceration. The system needs tougher sentences, not softer ones.

The brutal murder of 23-year-old Ukrainian refugee Iryna Zarutska, allegedly at the hands of career criminal Decarlos Brown Jr. on a Charlotte commuter train, didn’t reveal anything new. It shocked the nation precisely because it put on camera what has become routine in our cities since the bipartisan “criminal justice reform” wave dismantled Reagan-era tough-on-crime policies.… Continue Reading

The Deadly Cost of Going Soft on Crime

Written by Daniel Horowitz

Republicans might finally take me seriously after years of warning: America suffers not from mass incarceration, but from mass under-incarceration. The system needs tougher sentences, not softer ones.

The brutal murder of 23-year-old Ukrainian refugee Iryna Zarutska, allegedly at the hands of career criminal Decarlos Brown Jr. on a Charlotte commuter train, didn’t reveal anything new. It shocked the nation precisely because it put on camera what has become routine in our cities since the bipartisan “criminal justice reform” wave dismantled Reagan-era tough-on-crime policies.… Continue Reading