Illinois House Democrats are once again advancing sanctuary policies that place the interests of non-citizens ahead of law-abiding citizens.

During debate on House Bill 5093, lawmakers approved legislation removing key residency requirements for in-state tuition eligibility at public colleges and universities. While presented as a technical adjustment, the real effect is clear: expanding taxpayer-subsidized tuition benefits to individuals who are not lawfully present in the United States.

The bill’s sponsor, State Representative Barbara Hernandez (D-Aurora), acknowledged that the measure eliminates the requirement that a student be an Illinois resident while still allowing eligibility for those who attended and graduated from an Illinois high school.… Continue Reading

Illinois families are constantly being squeezed by state lawmakers, and this is especially true at the gas pump.

State Representatives Regan Deering (R-Decatur), C.D. Davidsmeyer (R-Jacksonville), and Ryan Spain (R-Peoria) are calling for immediate relief through House Bill 5738, which would suspend the state’s sales tax on gasoline for six months. At current prices, that would mean roughly 20 cents per gallon back in the pockets of Illinois families.

As gasoline prices climb above $4.00 per gallon in many parts of the state, Illinois drivers are paying not only for global energy pressures, but for one of the highest gas tax burdens in the nation.… Continue Reading

Angel Families, relatives of Americans killed by illegal immigrants, shared their heartbreaking stories at a White House event on April 9, 2026. These are the faces and voices that many Democrats and much of the mainstream media choose to ignore. They are real families grieving losses they believe were preventable due to current border policies.

The media often dismisses these stories because they don’t fit the prevailing narrative. Instead, outlets prioritize emotional coverage of illegal immigrants facing deportation while overlooking American families devastated by preventable crimes.… Continue Reading

Governor JB Pritzker is once again making headlines—this time calling for President Donald Trump to be removed from office under the 25th Amendment. His justification? The strong language Trump has used toward the Shiite (Shai) Islamist regime governing the Islamic Republic of Iran.

Pritzker has publicly questioned the president’s mental fitness, labeling his rhetoric “dangerous” and calling him a “deranged madman,” adding, “It’s past time. The 25th Amendment must be invoked.”… Continue Reading

In this episode of Spotlight, Pastor Caesar LeFlore sits down with Bishop Arthur Geis to discuss a bold prayer movement, Project 2026.

Bishop Arthur Geis is a renowned Bible teacher, pastor, prayer advocate, and the visionary behind Project 2026.

Project 2026 is a bold initiative to mobilize one million intercessors to prayer for one million souls to come to know Jesus Christ as Savior from Passover to Pentecost (April 5- May 24).… Continue Reading

The U.S. Supreme Court does not hand down 8–1 rulings very often, especially on culture-war issues. So when this Court—this Court—lands almost unanimously on one side, it’s an earthquake.

Justices John Roberts, Elena Kagan, Sonia Sotomayor, AND the Court’s conservatives all converged to say a particular law in Colorado was unconstitutional. Cue the earthquake.

The case has to do with “conversion therapy.” The term has been deceitfully used by LGBTQ proponents for many years to equate it with a barbaric practice.… Continue Reading

In this special episode of Illinois Family Spotlight, IFI’s Jenna Smith sits down with Aynaz “Anni” Cyrus.

Aynaz “Anni” Cyrus is an Iranian-American investigative author and national security voice focused on the ideological and psychological strategies of Islamism and political Islam in the West.

Her latest work, The Architecture of Jihad, examines how movements, institutions, and state actors deploy religious doctrine, narrative warfare, and moral inversion to influence Western policy, culture, and security.… Continue Reading

One of the most preposterous claims from liberals is that somehow, conservatives uniquely try to win elections by using “fear,” “hate” and “division,” especially on race and religion. Democrats never use any divisive, negative tactics when trying to motivate voters. It’s like they’ve never heard Chuck Schumer saying a Republican voter-ID bill is “Jim Crow 2.0.”

On March 24, PBS stations debuted a long negative campaign commercial disguised as a documentary titled “White With Fear,” on how “America’s conservative political machine uses racial fault lines to gain power.”… Continue Reading

We live in a divided nation. The unity we built 250 years ago is now fractured, and our disagreements have become so intense and sometimes so violent that they threaten the very fabric of our civil society.

One of the most volatile flashpoints today is the disagreement over how we enforce our national immigration laws.

Today, across the nation, hundreds of local “sanctuary” jurisdictions openly defy federal authority. We have seen this before.… Continue Reading

In this special edition of Illinois Family Spotlight, IFI’s Dave Smith and Alyssa Sonnenburg sit down with Katy Faust to discuss her newly launched child-advocacy campaign, “Greater Than.”

Katy Faust is founder of Them Before Us, a foundation with one goal in mind: to protect the right of a child to their mother and father.

In her new “Greater Than” campaign, organizations, including Illinois Family Institute, are joining the movement to overturn the devastating Obergefell decision, a landmark Supreme Court decision which guaranteed the “right” of two men or two women to enter into a legal “marriage.”… Continue Reading

On March 19, 2026, Loyola University Chicago freshman, Sheridan Gorman, was fatally shot by gunman, Jose Medina.

While walking with her friends near Tobey Prinz Beach in Chicago, all hoping to see the Northern Lights, a masked gunman, dressed in all black, started opening fire in a seemingly random attack, according to police.

What the media doesn’t want you to know is that this horrific crime was completely preventable.

Jose Medina, a Venezuelan national, was in the United States illegally.… Continue Reading

Even as Christianity shows signs of regaining some cultural ground after years of steady decline, other socio-political religious movements are quietly but rapidly expanding across the United States. While Religiously Unaffiliated (atheists, agnostics, and “nones”) is the growing category overall, according to this article by Quora, Hinduism is also “quietly expanding by immigration.”

Nevertheless, Islam is now widely recognized as the third-largest religion in America, and its growth trajectory continues upward.… Continue Reading

The rallying cry of the pro-abortion movement has always been “My Body, My Choice.” Abortion has always been sold as empowering for women, allowing them to exercise control over what happens to their own bodies. A typical response to any pro-life argument is, “If you don’t like abortion, don’t get one.”

However, this line of argumentation ignores the heartbreaking, and all too common, cases in which the abortion is unwanted by the mother.… Continue Reading

In this week’s episode of Illinois Family Spotlight, IFI’s Dave Smith sits down with Elaine Demoulos and Angela from Alliance Family Services.

Serving the large area of Elgin and Schaumburg, Alliance Family Services is dedicated to protecting the preborn and proclaiming the Gospel to every woman that walks through their door.

“The majority of our clients have never heard the true Gospel. Alliance Women’s Clinics are front-line mission fields, partnering with the local church to reach women vulnerable to abortion with truth, compassion, and hope.

In this episode of Verdict with Ted Cruz, U.S. Senator Ted Cruz (R-TX) discusses the progress of the SAVE America Act (S.128), now before the U.S. Senate. The bill would require proof of citizenship to register to vote in federal elections and a photo ID to cast a ballot. Senator Cruz points to strong public support for these commonsense protections, while also explaining the political obstacles in the Senate and urging Republicans to stand united in forcing a talking filibuster against Democratic opposition.… Continue Reading

The Declaration of Independence emphatically affirms that all human beings are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable rights, the first of which is the right to life.

The Bill of Rights reinforces this principle. The Fifth Amendment states that no person shall “be deprived of life, liberty, or property without due process of law” — explicitly protecting the right to life within the legal framework of the United States.

The Fourteenth Amendment extends this protection further, declaring that no state shall “deprive any person of life, liberty, or property without due process of law.”… Continue Reading

We strongly encourage you to vote in the March 17th primary election. Before heading to the polls, take time to learn where candidates stand on the sanctity of human life, transgender ideology, parental rights, and the expansion of big government. Click HERE for the IFI Voter Guide. Early began on February 5th.

The board of Illinois Family Action is pleased to endorse the following candidates in the 2026 primary election.… Continue Reading

In this special Spotlight episode, IFI’s Dave Smith sits down with Monte Larrick.

Monte Larrick served as Spotlight’s host and IFI’s Media Director who dedicated the 11 years he was at IFI to inform Illinois constituents on important issues with conciseness and clarity.

In this episode, Monte shares untold stories and experiences in his longtime career covering politics for Moody Radio.

This is a nostalgic episode you do not want to miss.… Continue Reading

For decades, Illinois Family Institute and many other Christian and conservative voices have sounded the alarm about the ongoing assault on children and the family.

We have warned our readers — from both a biblical and real-world perspective — that divorce, abortion, the rainbow lifestyle, and the U.S. Supreme Court’s ruling in Obergefell v. Hodges — which legalized so-called same-sex “marriage” — have all contributed to serious harm to children, our society, and the nation as a whole.… Continue Reading

James Talarico is 36 years old. He now serves in the Texas House of Representatives. Last week, he defeated U.S. Representative Jasmine Crockett in the Democratic primary for a seat in the U.S. Senate.

If Mr. Talarico wins in the November general election, here is a prediction you can take to the bank: In 2028, this freshly minted senator will be a featured speaker at the Democratic National Convention, and just a handful of months thereafter, he will announce his candidacy for the presidency of the United States.… Continue Reading

Texas State Representative James Talarico has emerged as an apostate “Christian” whose progressive ideology runs contrary to two thousand years of orthodox Christian teaching. Unsuprisingly, he has become something of a media darling on the Left, promoted as a thoughtful Christian voice who can reconcile progressive politics through a reinterpretation of Scripture.

Talarico, who recently won the Texas Senate Democratic nomination, describes himself as a “secularist seminarian.” He has gained attention for using biblical language and religious imagery to defend a host of progressive political causes, including abortion and transgender ideology.… Continue Reading

Congress Chooses Secrecy Over Transparency

On March 4, 2026, the U.S. House of Representatives voted 357–65 to block a resolution that would have forced the public release of sexual misconduct and harassment reports involving members of Congress. The proposal, introduced by U.S. Representative Nancy Mace (R-SC), was instead referred back to the U.S. House Ethics Committee, effectively preventing the disclosures from becoming public.

Officials of the bipartisan Committee on Ethics, including U.S.… Continue Reading

In this special episode of Illinois Family Spotlight, IFI’s Jenna Smith and Alyssa Sonnenburg sit down with special guest, Dr. Greg Gifford.

Dr. Gifford is a biblical counselor, Chair of Biblical Studies at the Master’s University, Fellow of Fortis Institute, and host of Transformed, a podcast where everyday issues meet the truth of the Bible.

Recently, Senate Bill 4832 was introduced in the Illinois General Assembly, a bill which would define “transgenderism” as a mental illness under the Illinois Health Code.… Continue Reading

Casey Means‘ nomination to serve as U.S. Surgeon General is moving forward again.

That alone might not raise alarms. Presidents nominate allies all the time and political skirmishes over health policy are nothing new. But this nomination is different – not because of partisan alignment, dietary views, or vaccine debates. Because of spiritual foundations.

When I first began examining her public statements, I honestly assumed critics were exaggerating. They weren’t.

In her own newsletters and interviews, Means describes praying to photographs of her ancestors and asking them for support.… Continue Reading

On Feb. 23, Candace Owens released the trailer for her upcoming “investigative series,” called “The Bride of Charlie,” whereby she removes all doubt (if any remained) that she is either an unhinged, delusional moonbat or just plain evil.

Here is just a smattering of the loony nonsense Ms. Owens continues to peddle as she proves more and more every day that she is completely deranged.

Despite zero evidence to support her claims, Candace Owens persists in suggesting that Erika Kirk and/or other Turning Point USA insiders have been complicit in a broader plot and subsequent cover-up of Charlie Kirk’s murder.… Continue Reading

It is an established fact that the Social Security Trust Fund will be depleted sometime in 2032. What this means is that going forward from that point recipients will receive only what is available from the current withholdings from America’s workers. Social Security administrators are estimating that there will be an approximate 25% reduction in the payouts to America’s retirees.

To most Americans this may appear to be of little consequence, but the ramifications are far more serious than one might think.… Continue Reading

Science fiction author Philip K. Dick once said, “The basic tool for the manipulation of reality is the manipulation of words. If you can control the meaning of words, you can control the people who must use them.”

Of all the strategies presently used by Democrats and their puppets in the establishment media, the bastardization of words is perhaps the most pernicious.

Take, for example, the words green and gay, change and choice, male and female, moral and immoral, justice and injustice, compassion, care and tolerance.… Continue Reading

In this episode of Illinois Family Spotlight, IFI’s David Smith sits down with two Illinois General Assembly members on new pieces of legislation they have introduced to protect children from the destructive nature of transgender ideology.

State Representative Bill Hauter, M.D., the only medical doctor serving in the Illinois General Assembly — has introduced HB 4482 to prohibit gender-transition medical procedures on children. Read more here.

SB 3842, introduced by State Senator Andrew Chesney, would expand the definition of “mental illness” to include transgenderism, giving Illinois residents who struggle with gender dysmorphia the mental help and assistance many need.… Continue Reading

When State Senator Neil Anderson, a Republican from Andalusia representing Illinois’ 47th Senate District, introduced Senate Bill 3572 on February 5, 2026, knowing very well that he was introducing legislation that would cause a firestorm of controversy and that very likely he would have to pay a political price.

A synopsis of SB 3572:

A city board in northwestern Virginia voted Tuesday to remove the Pledge of Allegiance as the opener for its meetings.

One of the Winchester Planning Commission’s liberal female members blew off the tradition as “pageantry,” and another called it “unnecessary.” Without discussion, they voted 4-2 to toss the Pledge into the hopper.

This is in line with what Democrats are doing to Virginia now that they have taken total control in Richmond.… Continue Reading

The people who call themselves the “mainstream media” have a remarkable tendency to take the minority position on an 80-20 issue, most recently on requiring voters to show a photo ID at the polls. U.S. House Republicans have passed the SAVE Act, while Democrats have almost unanimously opposed it.

But the American people do not. Gallup pollsters report 84% of Americans support requiring photo ID to vote — 98% of Republicans, 84% of independents, and 67% of Democrats.… Continue Reading

Referred to by the General Assembly doorkeeper as ‘His Excellency,’ Governor JB Pritzker and his entourage entered the House Chamber where he gave his annual Illinois budget address on Wednesday, February 18^th.

For the next fiscal year, Gov. Pritzker is proposing an additional $1 billion in spending — along with new taxes to pay for it. Don’t be surprised if the General Assembly adds even more to the budget — and the taxpayers’ tab.… Continue Reading

Governor JB Pritzker delivered his eighth consecutive budget address on February 18th. If you closed your eyes and listened, you might have thought you were hearing a man of the people, a defender of the powerless standing up to a tyrannical federal government. He invoked Abraham Lincoln, Frederick Douglass, and Reverend Jesse Jackson. He quoted the great reform governor, John Peter Altgeld.

He spoke of empathy, love, and the courage to resist authoritarianism.… Continue Reading

This episode of Illinois Family Spotlight features a conversation between IFI’s David Smith, Pastor Michael Johnson and Pastor Ceasar LeFlore.

Recently, Illinois Senator Neil Anderson introduced Senate Bill 3572, a bill with the express goal of abolishing abortion in the state of Illinois.

“Women are currently being told by the law that it is okay to kill their babies. That is unjust. We want to inform peoples’ conscience with a just law.

Last week, I argued in this column that if you want to know what has caused the chaos in our country, you need look no further than what is being taught in our public schools. This week, I provide the proof. Consider the following.

In New York City, the Chloe Day School just held a protest of U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement inside one of its kindergarten classrooms, where 5- and 6-year-old children were being taught to chant “No Donald Trump” and hold up protest signs referencing how other children are being taken away from their families by ICE.… Continue Reading

It’s clear that the public is increasingly rejecting the transgender fiction that boys can be girls and girls can be boys.

The medical community itself is undergoing a retrenchment over its rush to embrace transgender treatments for minors. These include cross-sex hormones, puberty blockers and surgeries to cut off healthy breasts and male genitals.

On Feb. 3, the American Society of Plastic Surgeons released new guidelines recommending against irreversible procedures such as mastectomy, phalloplasty, vaginoplasty, hysterectomy or orchiectomy on minors younger than 19.… Continue Reading

Republican voters in Illinois will notice something unusual on their Primary Election ballot this year — there is no listed Republican nominee for Illinois State Treasurer. While the reasons behind that absence are a story for another time, there is encouraging news: a strong conservative Christian candidate has stepped forward to run as a write-in.

Incumbent Democratic Treasurer Michael Frerichs is unopposed in the Democratic primary and could face no major-party challenger in the general election unless write-in candidate Max Solomon secures the 5,000 votes required to appear on the November ballot.… Continue Reading

In this week’s episode of Illinois Family Spotlight, IFI’s Dave Smith sits down with Pastor Brandon Myers and Pastor Calvin Lindstrom to discuss SB 3572, a bill with the express goal of abolishing abortion in Illinois.

Because of its serious language, this bill has many pro-lifers standing against it. It is vital that we, as believers, are not controlled by our emotions but are instead controlled by the Word of God.… Continue Reading

Have you ever wondered how we got into the mess we’re in, how Minneapolis became so ungovernable, how anarchy replaced civility and how rioting replaced the rule of law?

Have you ever asked yourself how this societal meltdown happened and how so many people have come to hate American culture, values and heritage so much that they would rather tear it all down than work together to preserve it?

Have you ever wondered how we became the “divided states” rather than the “United States” and how e pluribus unum (out of many, one) became “us against them” almost overnight?… Continue Reading

Faced with Democratic opposition over a national election integrity bill, House Republicans are upping the ante instead of reflexively making concessions.

They passed the SAVE Act in April by a vote of 220-208, with all Republicans voting yes and all but four Democrats voting no. That bill would require proof of citizenship for all new voter registrations.

Two of the Democrats who voted yes, U.S. Representatives Vicente Gonzalez and Henry Cuellar, represent South Texas border districts.… Continue Reading

George Orwell was on to it almost 80 years ago — the problem of below-replacement level birth rates. In a short book written for the Britain in Pictures series in 1947, written just as Britain was emerging from wartime rigors into an uncharted postwar future, Orwell noted that despite an upward blip in birth rates during the war, “the general curve is downward. The position is not quite so dangerous as it is sometimes said to be, but can only be put right if the curve not only rises sharply but does so within ten or at most twenty years.”… Continue Reading

Illinois State Senator Neil Anderson recently announced that he will be introducing legislation in Springfield to abolish abortion in the state of Illinois.

In this episode, IFI’s David Smith, Jenna Smith, and Alyssa Sonnenburg discuss this legislation and unpack the reality of the abortion practice in Illinois.

Did you know that in the state of Illinois,

• abortion businesses do not need to undergo inspections,
• when a woman dies during an abortion, the coroner is not required to be notified,
• a medical professional cannot be disciplined for performing an abortion on a non-pregnant woman, and
• medical professionals with a revoked medical license from another state will be allowed to perform abortions in Illinois.

The Illinois gubernatorial primary and general elections are coming up in March and November of this year, respectively.

For the past eight years, Illinoisans have had first-hand experience of the radical nature of the Democratic Party in Illinois.

• Shocking abortion statistics: 38,472 abortions in Illinois in 2014; 89,770 in 2024.
• The highest combined state and local tax burden in the nation.
• Heightened violence.
• Radical school curriculum: sex ed in kindergarten, proficiency testing of LGBTQ history in 8^th grade in order to graduate, tampons in boys school bathrooms, and much more.

Riley Gaines Barker is a 12-time all-American collegiate swimmer who gained national notoriety for her common sense stand that men and women are different.

In her collegiate swimming career, Riley faced firsthand the harm that “gender-affirming care” brings to women when she and her teammates were forced to share a locker room with a biological male during NCAA competitions.

In her speech from the 2025 Faith, Family & Freedom Banquet, Riley affirms the biblical realities of gender, sexuality, and life in the womb.… Continue Reading

Last week, a friend sent me an article and asked for my opinion. The author of the essay in question is a “progressive Christian” named Tripp Fuller. His long, verbose column is titled “Bonhoeffer’s Warning, Unheeded: The Moral Collapse of White Evangelicalism.”

Painful though it was, I read all 7,300 words of Mr. Fuller’s musings, and here is what he said in a nutshell: Today’s “White evangelicals” are like the German Christians of the 1930s, and, like them, we are “sequentially complicit” in the evils of a Nazi regime.… Continue Reading

When leftist protesters stormed into Cities Church in St. Paul, Minnesota, during a Sunday service on Jan. 19, they chanted and screamed. Some of them told the frightened children that their parents were Nazis. Others blocked parents from reaching their children to remove them from the chaos.

Former CNN newsman Don Lemon, who claimed to have been an observer, insisted that the mob — and he — had a First Amendment right to disrupt the service.… Continue Reading

The University of Chicago Institute of Politics, WBEZ, the Chicago Sun-Times, and International House recently covered the three frontrunner Democratic candidates running for the open U.S. Senate seat in Illinois for the upcoming Primary on March 17^th.

The debate featured candidates Congresswoman Robin Kelly (D-IL, District 2), Congressman Raja Krishnamoorthi (D-IL, District 8), and Illinois Lieutenant Governor Juliana Stratton.

I watched the debate so that you wouldn’t have to and these are the big takeaways.… Continue Reading

What happens when the state becomes God?

Dr. Erwin Lutzer, pastor emeritus of the Moody Church in Chicago, answers this exact question in today’s episode of Illinois Family Spotlight.

“It is the role of the pastor to speak about the controlling realities of the culture.”

If you are interested in reading more about this topic, consider purchasing Dr. Lutzer’s book, The Church in Babylon.

Listen to this episode anywhere you find podcasts or click the link!… Continue Reading

Illinois has been known as a “sanctuary state” since August of 2017 when Governor Pritzker signed the TRUST Act (SB 31) into law.

This legislation restricts both local and state law enforcement from cooperating in any way with Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE).

As we have seen in recent months, the reality of Illinois being a “sanctuary state” for illegal immigrants has continued to build to a boiling point.

If you thought the TRUST Act was radical legislation, this past week revealed the dangerous reality for citizens living in a “sanctuary state” with a governor who has little concern for his constituents – those he is obligated to protect.… Continue Reading

Christian conservatives across the nation clearly see what the biased media refuses to report: leftists are intentionally escalating tensions in Minnesota, with some openly advocating violence, and even armed confrontation, against federal agents. Antifa thugs have gone so far as to call for a “guerrilla war.”

Irresponsible politicians like Governor JB Pritzker, U.S. Senator Tammy Duckworth and Chicago Mayor Brandon Johnson are in lockstep agreement with their counterparts in Minnesota Governor Tim Walz, U.S.… Continue Reading

What happened at Cities Church last Sunday should matter to all of us. It isn’t possible to outline all of the ways in this [article], and there are many others providing helpful perspectives. But if you haven’t read and shared the public statement issued by the leadership at Cities Church, I encourage you to do so. You can read their statement here.

Let me add a few related thoughts to consider as well.… Continue Reading

Illinoisans are about to feel another hit to their wallets—this time in the name of “clean” energy.

Gov. JB Pritzker and his Democratic supermajorities have pursued the unrealistic goal of 100 percent carbon-free electricity by 2045 with little regard for cost or reliability. What lawmakers failed to disclose when they passed Illinois’ original clean-energy law is now painfully hitting home with no relief in sight. These foolish policies will cost taxpayers billions.… Continue Reading

You just knew when anti-U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement protester Renee Good tragically died in Minneapolis on Jan. 7 that the media would turn her into the next George Floyd.

Floyd, whose asphyxiation death under the knee of a police officer triggered the 2020 anti-police riots that took at least 25 lives and caused $2 billion in damage, has since been virtually deified. Minneapolis has named a square after him and erected a “living memorial” featuring art installations, including a raised-fist sculpture, in his honor.… Continue Reading

In a moment when Washington D.C. spends with reckless abandon and our national debt towers above $38 trillion, it’s past time we confront a glaring inconsistency in our federal welfare system. Last week, U.S. Senator Rand Paul (R-KY) introduced the End Welfare for Non-Citizens Act — a bill rooted in fiscal responsibility, the rule of law, and basic fairness to American taxpayers.

In an interview with Real America’s Voice (RAV), U.S.… Continue Reading

You’ve likely been hearing a lot lately about the Hyde Amendment—a vital, long-standing safeguard that has protected Americans for nearly fifty years from being forced to fund abortion with their tax dollars. Its purpose is straightforward and morally necessary: no citizen should be compelled to subsidize the taking of innocent human life.

The amendment is named for Illinois Congressman Henry Hyde, a courageous and principled pro-life leader who represented the 6th Congressional District from 1975 to 2007.… Continue Reading

The U.S. Supreme Court delivered an important decision this week by ruling that Illinois Republican Congressman Mike Bost (R-Murphysboro) has legal standing to challenge Illinois’ controversial mail-in ballot law. The 7–2 decision in Bost v. Illinois State Board of Elections doesn’t decide whether the law itself is constitutional — but it opens the courthouse door for candidates to hold election rules accountable in court.

At issue is an Illinois statute that allows mail-in ballots postmarked by Election Day to be counted up to two weeks afterward.… Continue Reading

It’s the $1.2 trillion question.

The United States spends roughly $1.2 trillion every year on means-tested welfare programs — cash aid, food assistance, housing subsidies, and medical care. The list runs through a thicket of acronyms: SNAP, TANF, SSI, EITC, ACTC, WIC, CHIP, ACA subsidies, and CCDBG, plus school meals, Medicaid, and Section 8 housing.

This guaranteed-income architecture now fuels a destructive cycle. Federal spending drives debt. Debt fuels inflation. Inflation expands dependence.… Continue Reading

One of the most chilling scenes in the 1965 epic film “Doctor Zhivago” is when the good doctor joyfully returns to his Moscow home after the communist Russian Revolution in 1917, only to find his stately house occupied by dozens of government-placed squatters.

Two unctuous Communist Party officials lecture him about why this is more equitable, to which Zhivago quickly agrees, given the circumstances. As he and his wife climb the stairs to the bare-bones living space left to them, the squatters stare with undisguised hatred.… Continue Reading

Last week, in this column, I wrote of New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani’s decision to be sworn into office with his right hand placed on the Quran. I then asked some questions every logical observer should ask: Does Mr. Mamdani believe what this book teaches? For example, does he believe in its explicit endorsements of child slavery, forced marriage, institutionalized misogyny, forced conversions, capital punishment for sexual immorality and the beheadings of nonbelievers?… Continue Reading

This episode of Illinois Family Spotlight features two special guests.

In the first segment, we hear from JennyBeth Martin from the Only Citizens Vote Coalition on why only Americans should participate in American elections.

In the second segment, we hear from Larry Elder on the importance of the film Uncle Tom II.

“87% of Americans agree [in proof of citizenship for license to vote].”

This is an important episode you do not want to miss.… Continue Reading

The shooting and death of Renee Nicole Good by an ICE agent in Minneapolis was tragic, completely avoidable, and deserves a full, transparent investigation and a serious response. We cannot ignore the dangerous reality on the ground: federal law-enforcement officers carrying out a vital mission are being targeted, threatened, doxed, assaulted, and routinely obstructed. That cannot continue.

These mob tactics cross the line. The First Amendment guarantees “the right of the people peaceably to assemble, and to petition the Government for a redress of grievances.”… Continue Reading

I was quite saddened to learn of the death of my friend Michael Reagan, the oldest son of Ronald Reagan. Mike was adopted by Ronald Reagan and Jane Wyman (their first child was daughter Maureen) shortly after his birth in March 1945. He was not a biological son of Reagan. The biological son of Reagan is Ron, born to Ronald and Nancy Reagan in 1958. Nonetheless, as I told Mike a hundred times, he was truly his father’s son.… Continue Reading

This week’s episode of Illinois Family Spotlight features Dr. Frank Turek’s speech at Illinois Family Institute’s 2017 Worldview Conference.

Dr. Turek is the President of Cross Examined, a ministry dedicated to apologetics of the Christian faith. He is the author of the book, “I Don’t Have Enough Faith to be an Atheist” and is the host of the podcast, I Don’t Have Enough Faith to be an Atheist.

In his speech, Dr.… Continue Reading

The multibillion-dollar Somali welfare scandal in Minnesota continues to grow, even as Democrats do their best to tamp it down.

U.S. Representative Ilhan Omar, who represents the Twin Cities area and is a naturalized citizen from Somalia, lamented the fraud but said the focus on Somalis was because of bigotry. She wrote a column for The New York Times accusing President Trump of “hate speech” and “racism, xenophobia, Islamophobia and division.”… Continue Reading

Last week, Zohran Mamdani was sworn in as the 112th mayor of New York City. Mr. Mamdani is a “socialist democrat.” He doesn’t hide it. In fact, he campaigned openly as a neo-Marxist proponent of wealth redistribution, government-run grocery stores, government-owned housing and government-controlled transportation.

Mr. Mamdani is a graduate of the Frankfurt School of critical theory. He believes in the intersectional conflict of the proletariat versus the bourgeoisie and the utopian dreams of no borders, no private property and no possessions.… Continue Reading

As news reports proliferate of multimillion-dollar — and possibly billion-dollar — fraudulent diversions of government funds involving Minnesota’s Somali immigrant community, it may be time at one year’s end and the next one’s beginning to take a longer look at America’s experience with immigration, and to seek the guidance of the first and one of its two greatest presidents.

The Founding Fathers were aware that their new nation was gifted with vast acreage, but only 4 million people were counted in the first decennial Census in 1790.… Continue Reading

Nancy Pelosi may be retiring from Congress, but no one should expect the DNC media to stop treating her as a most glorious political figure. She draws deep bows wherever she goes. She’s always the Best Ever.

On CBS’s “Sunday Morning” in early 2024, substitute host Tracy Smith announced Pelosi “has a new book out, ‘The Art of Power’ — an art which Nancy Pelosi is something of a master.” After Pelosi bizarrely suggested Joe Biden could go on Mount Rushmore, Leslie Stahl just had to follow up with flattery:

“If there were a Mount Rushmore for Speakers of the House, Nancy Pelosi would certainly be up there, commemorating her 20 years as a commanding leader in Congress.”

On this first day of the New Year, we come to you with an overwhelming heart of appreciation, and it is from all of us at IFI and IFA… We are deeply grateful to God for His bountiful mercies, love and the call to be transformed by the renewing of our minds to align with His truth and perfect will. (Romans 12:2)

Moreover, we are

Blessed by your unwavering, unqualified support for the work we are doing in deep blue Illinois.… Continue Reading

Our Christian values, basic freedoms, and even common sense have been under relentless attack for years — but never more fiercely than in recent times. From pro-life prayer warriors and Christian students to pastors and everyday believers working in secular jobs, no one has been spared the hostility of today’s militant woke culture.

This movement is no longer merely ideological. Its growing aggression — including threats, intimidation, and even violence — is aimed at silencing orthodox Christianity and dismantling the moral foundations of Western civilization.… Continue Reading

If recent events don’t prove to you that Islam is now the No. 1 enemy of the civilized world, then you are blind, deaf and dumb.

Consider the following.

In Germany, multiple Christmas markets were effectively shut down by thousands of Muslims seeking to intimidate Christians who simply wanted to celebrate “peace on earth and goodwill toward men.”

In Paris, the annual New Year’s Eve festival was canceled because of credible Muslim terrorist threats.… Continue Reading

Over the course of a single day this month, a pattern repeated itself across the West. Two Muslims murdered at least 15 people at a Hanukkah celebration in Sydney. Five Muslims were arrested for plotting an attack on a Christmas market in Germany. French authorities canceled a concert in Paris due to credible threats of an Islamist terror attack. Two Iowa National Guardsmen in Syria were murdered by an Islamist while we play footsie with an illegitimate regime.… Continue Reading

Great news! The U.S. Supreme Court ruled once again in favor of parents’ rights.

The Justices recently reversed a terrible decision by the 2^nd U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals that allowed the State of New York to force Amish parents to vaccinate their children. When the families asked for religious exemptions, they were denied and faced catastrophic penalties from the state, directly violating their religious freedom and parental rights.

The Supreme Court instructed the appeals court to reconsider this case in light of its decision in Mahmoud v.… Continue Reading

Illinois Family Action would like to wish all of our friends a very Merry Christmas!! Enjoy this special time of the year with your families.

Below I’ve included a Christmas essay by Chicago Pastor Thorin Anderson that proclaims the good news of our Savior, Jesus Christ, yet at the same time reminds us that the world is far from being ready to accept the Truth, that we all are sinners in need a Savior.… Continue Reading

The adage “It’s always darkest before the dawn” is a perfect fit for this week in the Northern Hemisphere.

The winter solstice was Sunday. At less than eight hours, it was the shortest day of the year, leading to the longest, darkest night.

Then, four days later, we celebrate the entrance of divine light into the world on Dec. 25, with the birth of Jesus in Bethlehem 2,000 years ago. Down Under, it’s summertime because of the tilt of the Earth, but Christians in Australia, South America and Africa are also celebrating Christmas.… Continue Reading

It has been said that the best predictor of future behavior is always past behavior and that if you want to know what your neighbor is going to do tomorrow, it would be wise to pay attention to what he has already done. In the words of Sun Tzu: “Know your enemy” if you want to avoid the “peril of a hundred of battles.”

In light of recent atrocities, including the massacre of Jews in Australia and the butchery of Christians in Nigeria, as well as the shootings on the campus of Brown University, maybe it’s time we start acknowledging what we know about this enemy that seems so hell-bent on destroying us.… Continue Reading

As a leftist Muslim immigrant from Somalia, radical U.S. Representative Ilhan Omar (D-MN) is wonderfully blessed with a DEI press. She is perennially assumed to be a victim of racism, sexism and xenophobia whenever she is criticized, and especially when she’s verbally targeted by President Donald Trump.

At the end of a typically syrupy interview with Esme Murphy from the local CBS station WCCO in Minneapolis on Sunday, Omar claimed her 19-year-old son Adnan Hirsi was pulled over by Immigrations and Customs Enforcement personnel.… Continue Reading

Last week, Republican Senator Josh Hawley, along with his wife Erin Hawley, a constitutional attorney affiliated with the Alliance Defending Freedom National Law Center, announced the launch of a new political action committee (PAC) – the Love Life Initiative.

According to its mission, the Love Life Initiative embodies:

“ [the] desire to restore a conviction that life is sacred, life is good, and life is worth protecting.”

Sounds like a message that every Republican can get behind, right?… Continue Reading

The U.S. House of Representatives passed H.R. 3492 — the Protect Children’s Innocence Act — on December 17, 2025, by a narrow 216–211 vote. The legislation now heads to the U.S. Senate for consideration.

This landmark bill, sponsored by U.S. Representative Marjorie Taylor Greene (R-GA), would amend federal law to make it a crime to provide gender-affirming medical procedures or medications (including puberty blockers, cross-sex hormones, and sex-reassignment surgeries) to minors under the age of 18.… Continue Reading

Public schools have long failed our children. Academic scores continue to drop and moral decay continues to creep in through the forms of critical race theory, gender theory, the usurpation of parental authority, and more.

Scott Phelps, head of the Abstinence and Marriage Partnership organization, reveals another way that public education is failing our children:

Sex education.

“Planned Parenthood is not only the largest provider of abortions in America, they are also the largest provider of sex education programs in America.

A disturbing reality is finally being exposed: thousands of illegal immigrants have been operating commercial vehicles on American roads—often without proper training, without English proficiency, and in violation of federal law.

Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy recently announced that more than 9,500 commercial truck drivers have been taken out of service nationwide after failing federally required English-language proficiency checks. This followed new enforcement guidance strengthening long-standing rules that require commercial drivers to read, speak, and understand English—a basic safety necessity when navigating traffic signs, emergency instructions, and law-enforcement encounters.… Continue Reading

Last week, the National Association of Evangelicals published its monthly newsletter, whereby it heralded the Christmas season not by celebrating “joy to the world” but by repeating its annual Yuletide claim that because Christ was a “refugee,” all Christians are obligated to welcome all immigrants (regardless of status) into our country, our towns and our neighborhoods.

How are we to do this? How exactly are some 60 million American evangelicals purportedly represented by the National Association of Evangelicals to welcome the “sojourner” and “foreigner” in our midst?… Continue Reading

In this episode of Illinois Family Spotlight, Reverend Caesar LeFlore discusses the word of Good Soil, Good Seed, the reality of mental health screenings in Illinois government schools, and more.

The school systems aren’t failing, they are performing exactly as they were designed to perform and they were never intended to produce not only Christian children [with] Biblical worldviews, but they also aren’t there to teach them how to be logical or how to be learners.

Neurological science is catching up with the tech revolution. Our brains, a growing body of research shows, are sitting ducks for the stimuli found on cellphones, social media and computer screens, making us want even more.

The 24/7 news feed makes it tough to relax when a crisis is always going on somewhere, and we can engage in “doom scrolling.” Our bodies emit “fight or flight” chemicals when we feel endangered, anxious or stressed.… Continue Reading

A sweeping U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) review has uncovered over 260,000 deceased individuals still listed on voter rolls nationwide—along with thousands of non-citizens registered to vote in federal elections. Now, the DOJ is demanding that Illinois hand over its complete statewide voter-registration database, unredacted, as part of a broader push to enforce federal election-integrity laws. Some states are cooperating; others, including Illinois, are resisting. The stakes for 2026 could not be clearer.… Continue Reading

If anyone from a backward and unstable country could be vetted for anti-American hostility, it would have been someone like Rahmanullah Lakanwal, the Afghan national who allegedly shot two National Guardsmen in Washington, D.C., the day before Thanksgiving. He had been vetted by the CIA, worked with our military in Afghanistan, and was later approved for asylum alongside his wife and five children.

And still, he turned his gun on the very country that took him in.… Continue Reading

The Trump White House has officially launched a media-bias page on its website — and judging by the hysteria from the legacy press, the Trump Administration hit a nerve. Breitbart reports that the new page highlights falsehoods, distortions, and slanted coverage from the usual suspects. And the reaction from those “objective journalists” tells you everything you need to know.

It’s exciting to see a Republican administration go on offense rather than shrink back.… Continue Reading

Join Spotlight for a special, hope-filled episode where we feature Walt Heyer’s testimony of how Christ saved him out of his lifestyle in sexual sin.

Walt Heyer underwent gender reassignment surgery at age 42 and lived for 8 years as a woman. In his testimony, Walt shares how Christ saved him from gender dysphoria, homelessness, and drunkenness.

“It is so important that when you hear that people can’t come back out of this lifestyle that you actually see a witness that says you can.

Let’s face it: Republicans are staring at a wipeout in the midterm elections. The economy is battered, GOP leadership looks unfocused, and swing voters show signs of fatigue with the endless drama surrounding Trump. The trend lines point in one direction.

But another truth sits alongside it: Republican voters still want a reason to show up. The base will not match the left’s turnout intensity unless the party gives them a fight worth having.… Continue Reading

The Trump administration is moving to reclassify practices such as government-funded abortion, gender transition procedures for minors, and additional leftist policy measures as violations of human rights.

It’s no secret that the U.S. sets a global standard. The Country Reports on Human Rights Practices (HRR) puts out a universal code of ethics that countries must follow to be in good standings with America. The administration’s new updates will significantly reshape that landscape— affecting countries’ access to U.S.… Continue Reading

In the wake of the Washington, D.C. terror attack on two members of the West Virginia National Guard, Americans may finally be waking up to the reality that unvetted illegal immigrants pose a clear and present danger to our communities and to law and order. For years, warnings about open-border policies were dismissed as political posturing. Now the consequences are undeniable—and in this case, deadly.

While federal officials carefully tell the media they are “still investigating the motive,” multiple eyewitness accounts and reports leave little to no doubt: the shooter, Afghan national Rahmanullah Lakanwal, shouted “Allahu Akbar” during the attack near the White House on November 26, 2025.… Continue Reading

Illinois’ Soft-on-Crime Policies Are Hurting Innocent People

More and more people are being violently victimized because of the so-called “SAFE-T Act,” rushed through the General Assembly on January 13, 2021, and signed by Governor J.B. Pritzker on February 22, 2021. This massive overhaul of our criminal-justice system passed entirely along party lines — every Democrat voted for it; not a single Republican supported it.

The horrific attack on 26-year-old Bethany Magee is not an isolated tragedy.… Continue Reading

During this weekend, as we gather together with relatives, friends and neighbors to thank God for His many blessings, we want to thank you so much for your prayers and support over the years.

Our national Thanksgiving holiday dates to 1789, when Congress unanimously passed a resolution proclaiming a National Day of Thanksgiving, “a day of public thanksgiving and prayer, to be observed by acknowledging, with grateful hearts, the many signal favors of Almighty God…”

It is good and right to pause from business as usual to give God honor, worship and our sincere gratitude for His many blessings in our lives and for His blessings of family, friends, and freedom.… Continue Reading

November 7, 2025 featured Illinois Family Institute’s annual Faith, Family & Freedom banquet.

In his address to over 700 attendees, Executive Director, David Smith, outlined IFI’s mission to standing firm against the spiritual battles that Illinois is facing.

“Illinois is now poised to become the 12th jurisdiction and the first midwest state to normalize suicide…

We must pray… that Governor Pritzker would veto this legislation.”

This is an episode that you do not want to miss.… Continue Reading

On November 17th at around 9 pm on Chicago’s L Train, Bethany Magee, a 26 year old woman, was doused in gasoline and set on fire by Lawrence Reed.

The infuriating part of this horrific crime is not only the crime itself, but the looming fact that this atrocity was completely preventable.

Why? Because Lawrence Reed is another “career criminal” with 72 prior arrests. A very long rap sheet.

To understand the nature of just how preventable this incident was, Reed’s criminal context is important.… Continue Reading

The rightness or wrongness of acts of civil disobedience is in the mind of the beholder.

For example, official lawlessness is openly practiced in “sanctuary” jurisdictions across the nation. The Department of Justice lists a total of 600 cities, counties and states where governing officials refuse to cooperate with federal officers enforcing immigration laws. In some cases, local officials actually interfere with the operations.

Democrats, who support open borders, say this is a matter of conscience, while Republicans say it invites further mass illegal immigration and lawlessness.… Continue Reading

Our culture is in desperate need of a biblical perspective on marriage and family.

In this episode of Spotlight, Scott Phelps, head of the Abstinence and Marriage Partnership organization, discusses how to restore a biblical perspective of marriage and family in Generation Z and the future generations.

“The purpose of abstinence isn’t to avoid problems… it is to prepare you for the marriage relationship.”

This is an episode you do not want to miss.… Continue Reading

For years, conservatives have warned that America’s welfare system—especially the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP)—has been riddled with fraud, waste, and abuse. Now, at long last, someone in Washington D.C. is taking the problem seriously. Agriculture Secretary Brooke Rollins has announced a sweeping overhaul of the nation’s food stamps program, and the changes could not be more timely.

Roughly 43 million Americans—about 12 percent of the population—are enrolled in SNAP.… Continue Reading

“The Troubling Case of Jeffrey Epstein” reveals one of the most notorious organized child sex trafficking networks in modern American history and the systematic government cover-up that protected it for decades. Written by Thomas Hampson, a former Air Force intelligence analyst and Chief Investigator for the Illinois Legislative Investigating Commission, this detailed report shows how Jeffrey Epstein exploited hundreds of child victims while seemingly maintaining ties to the wealthiest and most influential individuals in the world, as well as to the CIA, MI6, Mossad, and possibly other intelligence agencies.… Continue Reading

We keep being told that both sides of America’s political divide are equally culpable for violent rhetoric and violent acts. It’s a lie.

Virtually all of it comes from the political left. It wasn’t right-wingers who shot President Donald Trump and murdered health care executive Brian Thompson in New York and conservative activist Charlie Kirk in Utah in cold blood.

It wasn’t Young Republicans who attacked a Turning Point USA event on the University of California, Berkeley, campus last week, beating up a TPUSA staffer.… Continue Reading

In this wide-ranging conversation, Pastor Jack Hibbs interviews Dr. Erwin Lutzer about the growing appeal of socialism in America, the failures of Marxist ideology, and the urgent spiritual implications for the church. Drawing from his book We Will Not Be Silenced, Dr. Lutzer explains why socialism inevitably collapses—because it destroys initiative, fuels corruption, and depends on spending wealth created by capitalism. He shares firsthand observations from the Soviet Union and other communist countries, contrasting their misery and scarcity with the freedom and abundance produced by free markets.… Continue Reading

Societies like ours don’t jump off ethical cliffs in a single leap. They drift toward them in the name of lofty sounding ideals like autonomy and empathy.

Illinois Senate Bill 1950 is a tragic example of this.

ACTION ALERT:

We need everyone to call Illinois Governor JB Pritzker at 312-814-2121 or 312-814-2122 and tell him to veto assisted suicide bill SB 1950. pic.twitter.com/n6hQzH1hSw

— LifeNews.com (@LifeNewsHQ) November 4, 2025

The bill allows doctors to prescribe lethal drugs to patients deemed “terminal” within six months.… Continue Reading

No matter their claims, Nick Fuentes and those who sympathize with him are not Christians.

How do we know this? Because what matters to true Christians is Jesus. Christ is our “highest good.” He is the most important aspect of our lives. He is our summum bonum. He and nothing else — not politics, not popularity nor personal animus — is our “first thing.”

Christ, not clicks, drives every decision of a Christian’s life.… Continue Reading

Investigative journalist Alex Newman outlines how Venezuela has become a dangerous hub for a broader communist alliance threatening U.S. national security. He explains that Venezuela itself is weak militarily, but operates as a “tentacle of a massive beast” made up of communist regimes, drug cartels, Islamist terror networks, and globalist actors — all working together to undermine the United States.

Newman traces the origins of this movement to the 1990 São Paulo Forum, an alliance linking Cuba, Brazil, Nicaragua, Venezuelan leadership, and Colombian narco-terrorists, all supported by Russia, China, and Iran.… Continue Reading

One big word worth learning is “schadenfreude.”

Schadenfreude is “pleasure derived by someone from another person’s misfortune.”

Nothing better captures the perverse pleasure that Democrats are deriving from the pain inflicted on our country caused by the government shutdown.

Democrats precipitated this shutdown to force Republicans to back off efforts to turn around our suicidal growth of government spending and debt.

House Republicans passed a continuing resolution ready for the president’s signature to fund the government, but Democrats said no.… Continue Reading

This week’s Spotlight episode features a conversation about Christian education between Pastor Caesar LeFlore and Pastor Courtney Lewis of Cornerstone Baptist Church located in Chicago.

Five years ago, pastor Courtney Lewis was involved in starting a school out of his church– Cornerstone Baptist Academy.

“[Chicago public schools] have failed our youth…

People nationwide were exiting public schools to the tune of about a million people over the past ten years.

We had no money, no facilities, and no staff… In the course of three months, we watched the Lord bring in all of those resources to allow us to open our doors.”

Thanks to cable news and the wall-to-wall coverage of national conventions, most Americans have at least a basic sense of what Democrats and Republicans claim to represent. Yes, there’s still plenty of confusion in our political discourse — but generally speaking, Democrats push for more government intervention to solve real or perceived problems, while Republicans emphasize free markets, limited government, and individual liberty.

But how many Americans understand the goals of Democratic Socialists of America (DSA)?… Continue Reading

In his book “What Americans Believe,” George Barna points out that 87% of non-Christians and 77% of self-described born-again believers agreed with the statement “People are basically good.” In other words, our culture, by and large, has discarded the idea of original sin.

The sophisticated among us roll our eyes at the concept of innate human corruption. We snicker at the notion that certain actions, thoughts and behaviors are still deemed to be sinful.… Continue Reading

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

How should we view immigration from a biblical perspective?

Dr. Shando Valdez, a political consultant, clergy organizer, and senior pastor at New Jerusalem Baptist church in Chicago, answers this very question in this week’s Spotlight episode.

“[Jesus] understood that countries have laws, that countries have borders.”

This is an episode you will not want to miss.

Listen to “A Biblical Perspective on Immigration” anywhere you find podcasts or click the link!… Continue Reading

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

In this episode, Rev. Caesar LeFlore is joined by Cynthia Morales from Pro-Life Champions.

Cynthia, and her husband John, started their pro-life advocacy with the “40” film, a powerful documentary featuring Abby Johnson and others on the reality of the aftermath of abortion.

This project led them to start “Shout My Story,” a campaign started to combat Shout My Abortion:

“The Shout My Story campaign was created in response to websites like ShoutYourAbortion.com

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

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.”

Last weekend, Leftists gathered in cities across the country for coordinated “No Kings” rallies — events ostensibly organized to complain, scream and whimper that Donald J. Trump is acting like a monarch. In reality, these unsubstantiated attacks on Trump’s leadership mask a much deeper and more troubling agenda. One in which central government would expand dramatically.

A closer look at the sponsors and partners behind the marches reveals a powerful coalition of radical and socialist groups working to reshape America’s political foundation.… Continue Reading

Under federal law, Election Day in the United States is not two days, two weeks or two months. It is a single day. That anyone might insist otherwise is difficult to imagine.

Last week, the U.S. Supreme Court heard oral arguments in Bost v. Illinois State Board of Elections, a case challenging Illinois’ decision to count mail-in-ballots that arrive up to 14 days after Election Day. For 80 years, Election Day has been held on the same day in November.… Continue Reading

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

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

While reckless sanctuary-state policies continue to erode the rule of law, several members of Congress are stepping up to restore sanity and protect public safety.

This week, U.S. Representative Andy Barr (R-KY) joined U.S. Senators Tom Cotton (R-AR), Tommy Tuberville (R-AL), and Bill Hagerty (R-TN) in introducing the Secure Commercial Driver Licensing Act of 2025 — legislation designed to stop illegal immigrants from obtaining commercial driver’s licenses (CDLs). The measure also holds defiant states accountable when they ignore federal law and recklessly issue CDLs to those here illegally.… Continue Reading

Late-night host Jimmy Kimmel recently went on air to tell Americans that Antifa, designated by the Trump administration as a “major terrorist organization,” doesn’t exist. Ironically, Joe Biden said much the same during the 2020 debates, calling Antifa “an idea, not an organization.”

Many Democrats and their allies in the media have repeated that line for years. But if Antifa is merely an “idea,” not an organized movement bent on chaos and intimidation, then there’s no way to confront or curtail it under the law.… Continue Reading

On Monday, President Donald J. Trump said we should want to prove to God that we’re good so we can get “to that next step.”

Christians should roll our eyes at the stunted theology, but before dismissing the comment outright, behind it lies a truth our culture desperately needs to hear.

“If a country doesn’t have religion, doesn’t have faith, doesn’t have God, it’s going to be very hard to be a good country.

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

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.”

I was listening in the car the other day to an old Jackson Browne album.

Don’t judge. The man has talent, even if, in his 70s, he still suffers from chronic liberalitis.

Contracted in adolescence, liberalitis is a mental block against reality that usually fades in most people with the passing of time. For some reason, people in show business seem more inclined than others to have an antibiotic like resistance to the kinds of life lessons that constitute a cure.… Continue Reading

If the national media can be counted on to spin anything dramatically toward the Democrats, it’s a government shutdown. They feel passionately that the Democrats are the Party of Government, and the Republicans are the Haters of Government, so who naturally favors shutting it all down?

Even before the shutdown occurred, NPR and PBS issued their poll warning Republicans would get more of the blame than Democrats. That’s why those partisan hacks deserved defunding.… Continue Reading

The U.S. government should leave the United Nations and restore American sovereignty as an urgent matter, explained U.S. Congressman Chip Roy (R-TX) in this far-reaching discussion with journalist Alex Newman at the Fredericksburg Tea Party’s Boots & BBQ fundraiser.

Rep. Roy is the chief sponsor of the DEFUND Act to “disengage entirely from the United Nations debacle.” He picked up the torch from lawmakers in previous congresses who also tried to get the U.S.… Continue Reading

In memory of Dr. Voddie Baucham, this week’s episode of Spotlight features IFI’s interview with Voddie Baucham at the 2023 Black Conservative Summit.

Dr. Baucham was a husband, father, pastor, author, was the dean of the school of divinity at African Christian University in Zambia for 9 years, and he also served as the first president of Founders Seminary in Cape Corral, Florida. He and his bold ministry will be greatly missed by the staff at Illinois Family Institute.… Continue Reading

See update below!

Community Unit School District 300 (D300), based in Algonquin, Illinois, is the sixth-largest district in the state, serving families across Kane, McHenry, Cook, and DeKalb counties. While the school board ought to be focused on academic excellence and serving students, instead, the spotlight has been stolen by Vice President of the Board of Education, Nancy Zettler—whose reckless words have inflamed the community and dishonored her office.

Disgraceful Words

On September 10, 2025, Christian conservative apologist Charlie Kirk was assassinated.… Continue Reading

The future of our constitutional republic depends on free, fair, and secure elections. But right now, the U.S. Election Assistance Commission (EAC) is considering a petition that could dramatically strengthen the integrity of our voter registration process—and they need to hear from all of us.

The petition calls on the EAC to amend the federal voter registration form to require documentary proof of U.S. citizenship (DPOC), such as a Real ID driver’s license, military ID, or passport.… Continue Reading

While the country has witnessed many funerals of national prominence, I think it’s fair to say that few have carried the kind of attention, emotion, and gravity as Charlie Kirk’s memorial service Sunday. And for those with eyes to see and ears to hear, it revealed a striking contrast between humanity’s two most influential faiths.

In the wake of losing her husband in the most brutal and public of ways, Erika Kirk stood before a grieving crowd and, as a Christian clinging to her faith, spoke words that sounded impossible:

On the cross, our Savior said: ‘Father, forgive them, for they know not what they do.’

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

Today’s episode of Spotlight features Dr. Frank Turek and his 2017 IFI Worldview presentation on Sex in America. Dr. Turek is an author of 7 books, the host of the podcast “I Don’t Have Enough Faith to be an Atheist,” & Founder & President of CrossExamined, an Apologetics-based ministry.

Dr. Turek was a close friend and mentor of Charlie Kirk, and his wisdom and insight into our culture is undeniable.… Continue Reading

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

In the wake of Charlie Kirk‘s assassination, U.S. Representative Ilhan Omar (D-MN) posted an Anti-Defamation League chart that purports to prove that right-wingers perpetrate the majority of politically motivated murders in the United States.

“Data isn’t vibes,” she wrote. “If you need vibes, check out the hate filled comments the rightwing will leave on this post and all my posts.”

The ADL graph has been very popular among left-wingers. The problem is that it’s based on one of the most dishonest reports ever.… Continue Reading

Once the shock of Charlie Kirk‘s murder began to wear off, it became easier to notice how today’s “news” media routinely fail to live up to their own pompous prattle about their work. They don’t “hold people accountable,” they don’t “uphold democracy,” and they aren’t “independent” or “objective.” They don’t produce “news” as much as narrative.

You can see this in their energetic declarations that you couldn’t possibly ascribe a leftist motive to Kirk’s shooter … and even claimed you shouldn’t try.… Continue Reading

Dr. Susan Monarez, PhD—a microbiologist, public health official, and former director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC)—testified yesterday before the U.S. Senate Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions Committee. She alleged that she was fired for refusing to comply with directives from Health and Human Services (HHS) Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr., which she said would have compromised scientific integrity.

According to Monarez, she was pressured to approve changes to the childhood vaccination schedule, including the possible removal of the hepatitis B vaccine for newborns.… Continue Reading

Did you know that one of Islam’s goal is to take over the top 18 cities in America, one of which is Chicago?

This episode features Anni Cyrus and her presentation on Islam in American today.

Anni Cyrus is a human rights activist who fled from Iran when she was only 15 years old. Her platform, Live Up to Freedom, is dedicated to revealing the truth about Islam.

“Chicago is being conquered… because we are not paying attention…

There are schools that are actually teaching children about Muhammad…”

This is a vitally important episode that you do not want to miss.… Continue Reading

Illinois Gov. JB Pritzker is facing criticism after denying that he has ever called Republicans “Nazis.” Pressed by a reporter on Monday, Pritzker insisted,

“That is completely false. I have never called Republicans Nazis. That’s what they’d like to say. They’re lying. They’re lying.”

Republican gubernatorial candidate Ted Dabrowski quickly pushed back:

“Gov. Pritzker is not telling the truth. He is denying his own words, words that Illinoisans heard for themselves.”

The Democratic Party is having an identity crisis. To win elections, it must pose as moderately liberal. It is anything but.

The rise of Muslim/socialist Zohran Mamdani as the Democratic nominee for mayor of America’s largest city shows how far left the party has plunged.

New York City voters may yet reject Mr. Mamdani, but he is favored right now to win in November. That would saddle the Big Apple with a functionally Islamic/communist regime.… Continue Reading

Have you ever questioned the Judeo-Christian teaching that mankind is evil? Have you ever recoiled at the Old Testament’s claim that “the heart is deceitful above all things” or felt uncomfortable with St. Paul’s accusation that, apart from Christ, all of us suffer the curse of a “reprobate mind”? Well, if you have, then the response to Charlie Kirk’s assassination last week should remove all doubt. We are indeed a wicked and broken race.… Continue Reading

In the wake of Charlie Kirk’s horrific public execution, Governor JB Pritzker issued condolences to the Kirk family. He then pivoted to the broader issue of political violence, warning that it is “ratcheting up in this country.” Pointing to recent political killings in Minnesota, he insisted, “It’s got to stop, and I think there are people who are fomenting it in this country.” Of course, Pritzker ultimately laid the blame at the feet of President Donald Trump, saying:

I think the president’s rhetoric often foments it.

Gay marriage was not just a step down the slippery slope toward today’s transgender dystopia. It was the first manifestation of it. Now that a broad reawakening has exposed the harms of gender ideology and the denial of natural law, Republicans must press beyond protecting women’s sports and opposing child castration. They must return to the root of the problem: the redefinition of marriage itself.

Marriage is the foundation of human civilization, not a mere “social construct.”… Continue Reading

Why should voting be relegated to citizens only? Darren Bailey answers this very question in today’s episode of Spotlight.

Darren Bailey is a former state representative, senator, and gubernatorial candidate. Bailey, a long-time farmer from Southern Illinois, recently participated in an Only Citizens Vote protest in Orland Park– a protest demanding that only U.S. citizens be allowed to vote in state and national elections.

“What if instead offering free college education to people who are here illegally that we actually look at how we can prop up our own children to be the greatest and brightest for the future that we have before us?”

If you’ve ever wondered why America’s public schools receive so much criticism today and why so many hardworking families are making considerable financial sacrifices to enroll their children in private education instead, consider three recent headline stories.

First is the case in Michigan, where a public school teacher with 31 years of seniority decided to quit her job rather than succumb to a test that required her to “rate her level of Whiteness” as a means of improving her teaching skills.… Continue Reading

Chicago endured another bloody Labor Day weekend: eight people killed and 58 shot, including two teenagers. President Donald J. Trump responded by declaring, “Enough is enough… we’re going in,” signaling his willingness to send federal help to restore order in the city.

Trump contrasted Chicago’s spiraling violence with Washington, D.C., which he claimed is now a “safe zone” after federal intervention. “You can walk right down the middle of the street… you’re safe,” he told reporters.… Continue Reading

The The Middle East Media Research Institute report states in part:

Imam Mazhar Mahmood of the Islamic Foundation of Peoria, IL, said in his August 8, 2025 Friday sermon that “alleged” Muslims suggest building “political situations” with the Zionists for the sake of stability, and he asked whether Muslims have “stooped so low.”… Continue Reading

An urgent matter requires our attention and action (BY 5:00 P.M., THIS FRIDAY)!

We oppose the appointment of Terra Costa Howard who has become an applicant to fill a vacancy which will occur on October 15^th due to the retirement of Circuit Judge Paul Fullerton (18^th Judicial Circuit, covering 7 counties: Kane, DuPage, Will, Kendall, Grundy, cities: Princeton, Ottawa, Morris, Shorewood, Kankakee, Watseka, and Wheaton).

Judge Fullerton currently serves at-large in the 18^th Circuit, District 3, at the DuPage County Courthouse.… Continue Reading

One of the most dishonest attacks on the pro-life movement is the charge that pro-life people care only about the baby in utero – not about the mothers or their delivered babies.

A new report, “Pregnancy Centers Stand the Test of Time,” by the Charlotte Lozier Institute, the research arm of the Susan B. Anthony List, puts the lie to that assertion.

In 2019, the latest year tabulated, about 2,700 pro-life pregnancy centers nationally served nearly two million people.… Continue Reading

As a university president, I had a front-row seat as I watched hundreds of students descend onto my campus every year. Each fall, I watched with growing discomfort as the increase in self-centeredness became more apparent.

From the athlete who was upset because his coach was too harsh, to the student who failed a test because the professor was “unfair,” to the coed who was incredulous because a faculty member dared to penalize her for skipping class, over and over again, I watched as one generation after another strutted into the classroom with the confidence that they were God’s gift to the ivory tower, regardless of their academic performance (or lack thereof).… Continue Reading

Word leaked from internal memos on [earlier this month] that the Trump Department of Justice had officially instructed employees not to include preferred pronouns, motivational quotes, or other “extraneous content” in their official email signatures.

Trump DOJ directs employees to cease using preferred pronouns starting August 25 @WashTimes @DAGToddBlanche pic.twitter.com/LUfWSGIsY6

— Alex Swoyer (@ASwoyer) August 12, 2025

Workers in the department must clean up their correspondence as the directive, part of the administration’s policy on “Defending Women from Gender Ideology Extremism and Restoring Biological Truth,” requires.… Continue Reading

After a weekend of bloodshed—34 shot in Chicago, including a 5-year-old boy killed in his own home—Governor JB Pritzker, flanked by Mayor Brandon Johnson and U.S. Senators Dick Durbin and Tammy Duckworth, had the audacity to declare with straight faces:

“There is no emergency in Chicago that calls for armed military intervention.”

For anyone who lives, works, or grew up in Chicago, the denial is staggering. Over the weekend alone, five people were killed, including the young child in Kenwood and a woman slain in a West Side mass shooting that left five others wounded.… Continue Reading

Last week, Ryan Walters, the Oklahoma superintendent for public instruction, made national news for announcing that, effective immediately, his state’s teacher candidates (especially from such places as California and New York) will now be required to take and pass an “America First” test before they will be considered for employment in Oklahoma’s public schools. As you can imagine, the teachers unions and establishment elites have lost their ever-loving minds over this.… Continue Reading

Liberal journalists who decry an allegedly pusillanimous White House press corps under Trump never seem to spend 10 seconds considering how “courageous” this group was under Biden.

CNN “Chief Media Analyst” Brian Stelter tweeted:

“The Trump White House has sought to reshape the press corps in its favor this year, and today showcased how well the effort has succeeded.”

Stelter was unhappy that no one ruined President Donald Trump’s Q&A session in the Oval Office with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky.… Continue Reading

Our nation is facing an unprecedented crisis of illegal immigration — one that threatens not only our national sovereignty but the foundational principle that is essential for the maintenance of a free society: the rule of law.

The plain truth is that those who cross into our nation unlawfully have violated the law. Under 8 U.S.C. § 1325, it is a misdemeanor to enter the United States illegally. That some administrations have failed to enforce these laws does not make these individuals legal residents.… Continue Reading

In this episode of the Spotlight podcast, we’re highlighting remarks from Dr. Brad Wilcox during the Illinois Family Institute’s 2025 Marriage & Family worldview conference, hosted by Belmont Bible Church in Downer’s Grove.

Dr. Wilcox serves as director of the National Marriage Project & professor of sociology at the University of Virginia. He’s the author of several books including “Get Married: Why Americans Must Defy the Elites, Form Strong Families, & Save Civilization.”… Continue Reading

The Democrats’ “free stuff army” has stopped growing, just in time. Maybe.

At some point, if tax eaters outnumber taxpayers, the whole thing will come crashing down.

That is the actual Cloward-Piven Strategy concocted by Marxist academics Richard Cloward and Frances Fox Piven back in 1966. Their hope was that a socialist government would pick up the pieces and destroy capitalism.

Anyway, the border is now secure under President Donald Trump after four years of President Joe Biden’s policies allowing an estimated 6 million to 10 million migrants to enter the United States illegally and get on the dole.… Continue Reading

One of the great truths that history teaches us is this: your means define your end. The methods you employ in pursuit of power reveal not only your character, but the kind of world you intend to create.

For years now, we have watched the political Left justify political violence and arson, widespread looting, heavy-handed censorship, and even election manipulation under the banner of “saving democracy.” During the 2020 riots, many progressives quietly admitted that movements like Antifa and BLM were destructive—but excused them as necessary to stop Donald Trump, whom they continue to equate with Adolf Hitler and Nazism.… Continue Reading

In his excellent history of the 20th century, Modern Times, Paul Johnson quotes one of Stalin’s economists: “Our task is not to study economics but to change it. We are bound by no laws.” I believe this describes the general tenor of the Democratic regime that rules Chicago and Illinois. They are people who believe that they can transcend the order and laws God has established, hence their support for abortion, the mutilation of children, and a host of other evils.… Continue Reading

A new report from the U.S. Department of Energy concludes that, yes, the climate is changing and humans contribute to it — but no, it’s not necessarily the impending catastrophe we’ve been warned about. In another era, an agency charting this kind of middle course would be unremarkable. Today, it feels revolutionary.

The debate over climate change and responses has become so polarized that acknowledging the problem of human-driven warming without accepting a narrative that can sound apocalyptic invites attacks from all sides.… Continue Reading

Today we’re highlighting remarks from Dr. Brad Wilcox during the Illinois Family Institute’s 2025 Marriage & Family worldview conference, hosted by Belmont Bible Church in Downer’s Grove.

Dr. Wilcox serves as director of the National Marriage Project & professor of sociology at the University of Virginia. He’s the author of several books including “Get Married: Why Americans Must Defy the Elites, Form Strong Families, & Save Civilization.”

In Part One of this Two Part series, Dr.… Continue Reading

U.S. Senator Tom Cotton (R-AR) sent a letter on August 4, 2025 that asked IRS Commissioner Billy Long to investigate the Council on American Islamic Relations (CAIR) for compliance with IRS Section 501C3. However, Billy Long is no longer the IRS Commissioner.  Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent has temporarily taken charge as the IRS Director.

CAIR’s agenda has been very destructive to American values with its dozens of frivolous lawsuits, advocacy for convicted terrorists, opposition to federal laws and policies that protect Americans from terror, and agenda to replace the United States Constitution with Sharia law.  … Continue Reading

Last month, it was a woman named Holly who was punched in the face and left unconscious in downtown Cincinnati. Last week, it was the brutal beating of a 19-year-old man named Edward Coristine, who, while protecting his girlfriend during an attempted carjacking, was left bloodied and shirtless on the streets of the District of Columbia.

Why are these stories becoming so commonplace? Why are hordes of young men, from Seattle to San Diego and from Minneapolis to Miami, now taking over America’s cities like a pack of rabid wolves?… Continue Reading

Self analysis can be helpful. Or harmful. Discovering and admitting to weaknesses should lead us to making changes that will move us forward. Failing to make that honest assessment can bring us to a sense of failure and even despair.

The political fallout from the 2024 elections has forced Democrats into some heavy self analysis. It’s even created a sense of helplessness to some degree. Pinpointing the core problem seems to be a mystery.… Continue Reading

During his interview on The Late Show with Stephen Colbert, Illinois Governor JB Pritzker was confronted with the reality of the state’s wildly gerrymandered Congressional Districts.

In a sad attempt to make light of this serious issue, Pritzker tells Colbert that his Democratic predecessors “we handed it over to a kindergartner class and let them decide…”

It would be funny if it weren’t so very serious. The maps disenfranchise conservative voters all across the state and undermine our republican form of government.… Continue Reading

For years, Americans concerned about election fraud have been dismissed, mocked, or accused of undermining democracy. But facts are stubborn things. And the facts in New Jersey just caught up with a powerful Democrat insider.

Craig Callaway, a former Atlantic City Council President and longtime Democratic political operative, was sentenced this week to 24 months in federal prison for orchestrating a widespread vote-by-mail fraud scheme during the 2022 general election.… Continue Reading

Across Illinois and the nation, the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) has been quietly expanding its footprint by acquiring U.S. farmland. According to 2023 data from the USDA, Chinese investors now own approximately 277,336 acres of American agricultural land. While that number may seem modest, the trend is accelerating—and raising serious national security concerns.

In response, U.S. Representative Mary Miller (R‑Quincy), a member of the House Agriculture Committee, recently introduced H.R.… Continue Reading

Last week, I posted a comment on Facebook from Amichai Chikli, Israel’s minister of diaspora affairs, whereby he said there is a growing concern among Israeli leaders that people in the West don’t understand we are undergoing the same existential threat that his country is facing, but just in a much more subtle way.

“I think it is very important for Americans to understand,” he said, “that there is a plan by the Muslim Brotherhood [and its proxy organizations such as CAIR, the Council on American-Islamic Relations] to make America a Muslim state.” … Continue Reading

It’s the gay. . .movement that lies to the American public. They will accept if your child identifies as bisexual, transgender, nonbinary, gender queer, polyamory — but they won’t accept if a gay kid decides, ‘hey, I’m gonna leave this lifestyle.’

Peter LaBarbara is President of the Center for Morality & Americans for Truth, a national group dedicated to exposing the homosexual, bisexual, transgender activist agendas. Labarbara discusses with Monte how Trump’s Administration has affected their cause.… Continue Reading

Last week, Illinois Governor JB Pritzker raised the possibility of redrawing the state’s congressional map before the 2026 midterm elections, positioning it as a direct response to Republican-led redistricting efforts in Texas.

Pritzker, who has his eyes set on becoming the next Democratic nominee for the White House, hosted a delegation of Texas Democratic lawmakers in Illinois, offering political support and strategic coordination with fellow Democratic governor Gavin Newsom of California.… Continue Reading

French President Emmanuel Macron and British Prime Minister Keir Starmer announced this week that their countries would unilaterally recognize a Palestinian state.

The first problem with that is “Palestine” is a fictional place. There never was any such thing.

And diplomatic recognition of it no more changes this reality than if Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu were to decide to recognize the archipelago of Islamic banlieues on the outskirts of Paris as an independent nation.… Continue Reading

Did you know that Sharia is actively being taught in your child’s public school?

“If you say anything bad about Islam, if you mock Mohamud, if you say anything bad about muslims then you’re a racist, you’re islamaphobic, you’re a bigot.”

Anni Cyrus is a human rights activist and survivor of the Islamic regime in Iran living under Sharia. She was forced into a marriage by her father at the age of 13 & beaten & imprisoned several times before escaping to Turkey.… Continue Reading

For months, Republicans and Democrats alike have insisted on keeping the Medicaid subsidy scam alive — even as it drives inflation and enriches the health care cartel. With the Biden-era expansion of Obamacare “marketplace” subsidies set to expire in December, both parties want to renew them. But this moment offers Republicans a rare opportunity: Finally lower health care costs for Americans not living on government handouts.

Obamacare buried the middle class

The ill-named Affordable Care Act helped Republicans win more elections than any issue in recent memory.… Continue Reading

A conspiracy theory is something “that explains an event or set of circumstances as the result of a secret plot by usually powerful conspirators,” according to Merriam-Webster.

One of those theories is coming true before our eyes with the release of newly unclassified documents by Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard.

These documents reveal a secret plot by the Obama administration to falsely frame President Trump as colluding with Russia to fix the 2016 election.… Continue Reading

On July 22, 2025, the Committee on House Administration held a hearing titled, “Clean Rolls, Secure Elections: Reviewing Voter List Maintenance Standards.” The hearing focused on the importance of maintaining accurate voter registration lists to protect the integrity of our elections.

The National Voter Registration Act of 1993 (NVRA), also known as the “Motor Voter Law,” was designed to increase voter participation in federal elections while also requiring states to maintain accurate and up-to-date voter rolls.… Continue Reading

In a case that could have national implications for election integrity, the U.S. Supreme Court has agreed to hear Judicial Watch, Inc. et al. v. The Illinois State Board of Elections, a lawsuit brought on behalf of U.S. Representative Mike Bost (R-Murphysboro) and two presidential electors. At the heart of the case is whether Illinois acted unlawfully by allowing mail-in ballots to be counted up to 14 days after the federally established Election Day.… Continue Reading

In this two for one podcast, you’ll hear remarks from Evangela Pringles, director of Pregnancy Aid Illinois during a 40 Days for Life Celebration, and from pastor Caesar LeFlore during the 2020 Rally for Jesus held on the campus of Cavlary Church in Orland Park. These two leaders touch on why advocating for life is so important, and how you can gain real peace to anchor you throughout any storm in life.… Continue Reading

We’re thrilled to announce the launch of the 2025 Religious Liberty in the States (RLS) index!

Each year, First Liberty’s Center for Religion, Culture and Democracy (CRCD) publishes a nationwide index of domestic religious freedom. It ranks religious liberty protections for each of the 50 states. RLS focuses on select legal safeguards of religious exercise in state laws and constitutions.

[Earlier this month], the CRCD team unveiled the results at a special First Liberty event in Florida alongside Gov.… Continue Reading

As we all know by now, President Donald J. Trump signed into law the One Big Beautiful Bill—a much-needed course correction for a nation in moral and economic decline. This bold legislation champions the dignity of work, the sanctity of family, and the duty of government to serve—not control—its citizens. By providing tax relief to working families, protecting the preborn by defunding abortion mills, and easing the burden on struggling seniors, this bill aligns with biblical principles of stewardship, justice, and compassion.… Continue Reading

Last week’s major kerfuffle in the conservative Christian world centered around the announcement by Chip and Joanna Gaines, of Magnolia Network fame, that they will proudly feature a “family” of two “married” men and the men’s young, surrogacy-purchased boys in an upcoming episode of their show.

Upon receiving predictable criticism for this decision, Mr. Gaines defiantly posted the following message on X:

“Talk, ask questions, listen … maybe even learn.

As the world of “public” broadcasting faces the rebuke of Congress rescinding its billions of dollars, it spurs a broader thought about the arrogance of liberal journalists at national media outlets. They’re not simply arrogant. They sound remarkably insincere.

Start with a man named Michael Tribble, the chief content officer at WAMU, the NPR station in the nation’s capital. He sent out a fundraising email after the U.S. Senate rebuke, oozing to their liberal supporters: “You’re part of a community that believes facts matter, that context matters, and that journalism has the power to bring us closer together.”… Continue Reading

In a significant legislative victory for life activists, President Donald Trump’s recent signature on the Federal budget bill is being hailed as a crucial step towards the potential defunding of Planned Parenthood. The Republican-led spending blueprint specifically targets organizations that perform abortions by denying them access to Medicaid funding.

While the legislation carefully avoids mentioning Planned Parenthood by name, the organization, a major provider of reproductive health services, stands to face substantial financial repercussions.… Continue Reading

Since the 1990s, federal agencies and the media have fed Americans a steady diet of panic about shadowy “right-wing militias” — usually ex-military guys obsessed with guns and ready to wage war against the government at a moment’s notice.

The panic went into overdrive after January 6, 2021. But now, in a staggering act of projection, the threat they’ve spent decades warning about has arrived — only it’s coming from the radical left.… Continue Reading

Before 1954, pastors, priests and rabbis could openly endorse political parties or candidates.

Then came the Johnson Amendment, named for Lyndon Baines Johnson, then an U.S. Senator from Texas who tweaked the IRS code. Suddenly, tax-exempt nonprofits were barred from “participating or intervening in any political campaign on behalf of (or in opposition to) any candidate for public office.” The “opposition to” phrase was added in 1986.

A ruthless political strategist before and during his presidency, Johnson engineered this coup after two Texas nonprofit groups had supported his Senate primary opponent.… Continue Reading

Among Illinois conservatives, frustration with Cook County Republican leadership—and their backroom deals with Chicago Democrats—is boiling over. In many circles, that frustration has turned into outright rage. This discontent isn’t new; countless conservatives have already walked away from the party. But unrest is growing. Talk of an internal GOP civil war is becoming more frequent, and some may even buy into the idea of launching a third party—a move that would all but guarantee more victories for the Democrats.… Continue Reading

At the close of June 2025, Jay Robert Pritzker declared his intention to seek an unprecedented third term as Governor of Illinois. This move, widely interpreted as a stepping stone toward a potential presidential bid, solidifies his political trajectory and raises critical questions about the nature of power and influence in contemporary American governance.

Pritzker’s path to the governorship has been paved with an unparalleled personal fortune. In 2018, he invested an astounding $171.5 million of his own wealth into his campaign, followed by an additional $145 million in 2022 to secure his second term.… Continue Reading

Recorded live from the 2025 Illinois Christian Homeschool Convention (ICHE), Monte Larrick converses with Abraham Hamilton III. Hamilton is a husband, Bible teacher, a national radio host & TV host, a lawyer & homeschool father who was a keynote speaker for ICHE’s 2025 Conference, themed “This We Believe.”

Hamilton encourages listeners to prioritize homeschooling, because:

“For far too long, people have failed to recognize that mind cultivation is essential to disciple making.

A Republican Precinct Committeeman represents the GOP voters of his or her precinct at the County Republican Party level.

But most importantly, a Republican Precinct Committeeman is the face of the GOP within the precinct. In many cases, a Republican Precinct Committeeman might be the only party official a voter ever meets in person.

This volunteer position is really what one makes of it. Some do more than others. But the Republican Precinct Committeeman’s job is in essence all about helping to grow the GOP and working to deliver the maximum number of Republican votes from his or her precinct on Election Day. … Continue Reading

Last week, Baylor University announced that it had received a grant of approximately $700,000 from the Baugh Foundation to promote LGBTQ inclusivity on its campus. Baylor’s motto is “For the Church, For Texas, For the World.” It describes itself as a Christian university and is a proud member of the Council of Christian Colleges and Universities, otherwise known as the CCCU.

What exactly is the Council for Christian Colleges and Universities?… Continue Reading

‘If All Men Are Created Equal, That Is Final’

“If we are to maintain the great heritage which has been bequeathed to us,
we must be like-minded as the fathers who created it.”… Continue Reading

Elect strong conservative leaders in your state — or watch it go the way of New York City. That’s the unmistakable warning conservatives should take from New York voters nominating a Hamas sympathizer and self-proclaimed socialist for mayor.

How could this happen just one generation after 9/11? How does the city that suffered most from jihadist terrorism now embrace a foreign-born Islamist who wants to “globalize the intifada”?

When Donald Trump calls for more farm labor from the third world — so long as the workers aren’t ‘murderers’ — he misses the deeper issue.… Continue Reading

When we abandon the most basic of truths–man & woman–what do we have to stand on?

Today we’re featuring a Spotlight interview conducted in 2023 with conservative icon and activist, Riley Gaines Barker. Riley is a 12x all-American collegiate swimmer, praised by President Trump for leading the fight for fairness, safetey & the protection of women in women’s sports.

Riley will be our keyenote speaker at our annual Faith, Family & Freedom banquet on November 7th of this year. … Continue Reading

Iran’s nuclear enrichment facilities were not the only things going up in smoke last week, courtesy of American bombers sent by President Trump.

The Democratic Party’s recent attempts to appear worthy of national leadership also were blown to smithereens. Many prominent party figures have foolishly assailed the successful raid.

U.S. Representative Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez actually tried to launch an impeachment inquiry after Mr. Trump did the world a favor and declawed one of the world’s most dangerous regimes.… Continue Reading

Have you noticed? The ‘heroes’ of the American left, like Michael Brown, George Floyd, Freddie Gray, and Trayvon Martin were all bad guys? Mr Floyd was a convicted felon and drug addict, caught in the act of passing counterfeit money, Mr Brown had just roughed up a shopkeeper half his size, and then attempted to assault a police officer. Mr Martin had assaulted George Zimmerman. Mr Gray had a criminal record with 18 prior arrests, on drug charges, three separate assault charges, and minor crimes and had spent time in jail.… Continue Reading

Illinois Family Action is excited to share some good news for a change! Stephanie Trussell recently announced her run against Terra Costa Howard for Illinois State Representative in the 42nd District, which includes the suburbs of Glen Ellyn, Lisle, and Lombard.

Trussell has pointed out in recent media interviews that the Illinois House of Representatives currently has a super-majority of Democrats (78) to a super-minority of Republicans (40).… Continue Reading

Say it out loud. Say it with pride. Repeat after me…

The 2020 election was stolen.

I’ve known this for five years. You’ve known this for five years. I’ve said all along — the key to President Donald Trump‘s second term is PROVING it. That is what just happened. The evidence has been found. What happens next will change everything.

FBI Director Kash Patel has forwarded documents hidden by the FBI on a Chinese plot to steal the 2020 election by mass producing fake voter IDs to allow fraudulent mail-in voting by illegal aliens — including Chinese nationals in the U.S.… Continue Reading

If you watched the recent “No Kings” riots with a lingering sense of deja vu, together with a haunting feeling that the “fox is in the henhouse,” you had good reason. This chaos is not without precedent, and it is far from the grassroots movement it is portrayed to be. First, let’s deal with the deja vu.

Because most of our public schools have long since abandoned teaching anything remotely akin to an accurate version of world history, most people today are unaware that the anarchy we are witnessing in the streets of Philadelphia and Portland is not without precedent.… Continue Reading

Corporate America appears to be moving away from Diversity, Equity and Inclusion (DEI) policies, which could be good news for religious employees in the workplace.

Forbes recently reported that use of the acronym DEI in Fortune 100 company reports showed “the steepest decline between 2024 and 2025, decreasing by 98%, while each individual term also declined significantly: Mentions of “diversity” dropped 62%, “equity” decreased 48% and “inclusion” declined 43%.”

Words explicitly referring to diversity, including DEI, “declined 72% overall between 2024 and 2025,” according to a recent study from Gravity Research, a firm that studies how companies manage their reputations and respond to social pressures.… Continue Reading

“If Americans are going to reject abortion, they need to know what happens in an abortion. Who are the victims of abortion? What impact does it have on those mothers and fathers who choose abortion and on society as a whole.” – Anne Scheidler

Standing on the side of a busy highway, Monte Larrick talks with Anne Scheidler, vice president of the pro-life action league during the organization’s Face the Truth tour.… Continue Reading

If you still doubt whether elections have consequences, the U.S. Supreme Court ruling on a Tennessee statute last week should clarify things.

In a 6-3 ruling, the high court upheld a state law protecting minors from transgender experimentation that includes puberty blockers, cross-sex hormones and, in some cases, surgical removal of healthy body parts. In other words, permanent child abuse.

All six of the Republican-appointed justices voted in United States v. Skrmetti to protect children and reject radical transgender ideology.… Continue Reading

As an observant Jew and a strong supporter of the State of Israel with family members in bomb shelters, three serving in the IDF, and others who perished in the Holocaust, I find it deeply offensive and historically ignorant when Democrats suffering from Trump Derangement Syndrome compare Donald J. Trump to Adolf Hitler or call him a Nazi.

Let me be clear: Donald Trump is not a Nazi.… Continue Reading

The “No Kings” rally against President Donald Trump on June 14 featured several angry speeches from Democrats. Mediaite had this story: “Eric Swalwell ‘Trump Is America’s Hitler’ Remark at Rally Sparks Viral Outrage.” That gaseous D.C. speech was easily ignored by PolitiFact and those “independent fact-checkers.”

U.S. Representative Eric Swalwell (D-CA) says this repeatedly, and Mediaite added it’s a regular line from U.S. Representative James Clyburn (D-SC). Fox News host Neil Cavuto offered some mild pushback: “So you don’t think that’s a little hyperbolic?”… Continue Reading

Illinois is the abortion capitol of the Midwest. Women from states that have safegaurds to protect babies are choosing the land of Lincoln for surgical abortions or, increasingly, aboriton drugs. Donna Williams is trying to counter that. As the executive director for PASS network for Life, she leads the pregnancy based care center in Tinley Park to protect and promote life.

Pregnancy Aid South Suburbs offer services designed to address the needs of both mothers in crisis pregnancy situations and the father.… Continue Reading

A battle of perceptions has been underway since rioting began on June 6 in Los Angeles over the Trump administration’s crackdown on illegal immigrants.

The footage of burning vehicles and people throwing concrete blocks from an overpass to smash police car windshields might lead viewers to conclude that the “peaceful protests” have not been so peaceful.

You might even think President Trump was right to nationalize 2,000 troops from California’s National Guard and send in 700 Marines to protect federal buildings and quell the violence.… Continue Reading

Last week in this column, I argued that if we truly respect our neighbors, we should stop using all of the LGBTQ labels that have become endemic to the month of June and its corresponding celebration of “pride.” More specifically, I wrote,

“Don’t you realize that by calling people ‘gay’ (or lesbian, transgender, queer, homosexual or even heterosexual, for that matter) you are parroting the lie that our desires define us and that people can be pigeonholed into categories of appetites, proclivities, drives and desires?

On Thursday, June 12th, during a U.S. House Oversight and Accountability Committee hearing titled “A Hearing with Sanctuary State Governors,” Governor JB Pritzker was confronted about Illinois’ sanctuary policies and their perceived impact on public safety and state resources.

U.S. Representatives Mary Miller (R-Quincy) and Darin LaHood (R-Peoria) grilled Illinois Governor JB Pritzker on the devastating consequences of his sanctuary policies and his failure to cooperate with federal immigration enforcement. 

Miller highlighted the tragic murders committed by illegal aliens in Illinois who should never have been allowed into America, emphasizing that these policies are putting American lives at risk:

Illegal aliens in our state have overwhelmed local communities, causing untold pain and suffering, while costing Illinois taxpayers billions.

President Donald J. Trump has promised a “huge” celebration to commemorate America’s 250th birthday next year.

We’re talking massive fireworks, a Flag Day military parade in Washington and the creation of a National Garden of American Heroes consisting of life-size statues portraying great Americans from all walks of life, including Harriet Tubman, Frank Capra, the Wright Brothers, Susan B. Anthony and Miles Davis.

The truly eclectic selections include “scientists and inventors, entrepreneurs, civil rights leaders, missionaries and religious leaders,” along with “those who fought for the abolition of slavery” and “opponents of national socialism or international socialism.”… Continue Reading

With a culture as willfully depraved as 21st-century America, it’s hard to be surprised by much anymore … but I still found myself doing a double take when I saw this headline in my inbox:

Is God calling you to queerness?

If you want a primer in the long-suffering graciousness of a merciful God, just consider that such things can be written by ostensibly “Christian” authors and yet God hasn’t chosen to dispatch His legion of angels to incinerate the earth.… Continue Reading

Recording from the annual Illinois Christian Home Educator’s (ICHE) Convention at Olivet Nazarine University in Bourbonais, Monte Larrick conducts his annual interview with ICHE’s executive director, Kirk Smith.

The Illinois Christian Home Educators (ICHE) is a not-for-profit Christian organization dedicated to supporting families who choose to home educate their children throughout Illinois. Founded in December 1983 by four Christian families, its core mission is to encourage and equip parents to glorify Jesus Christ by discipling their children through home-based education.… Continue Reading

Note to reader: The following is for the church. If you’re not a Christian and would like to listen in, you’re welcome to do so; however, please note that any criticism is intended for the household of believers more than for you.

Dear Christians, please stop calling people gay.

Don’t you realize that by doing so, you are parroting the lie that our desires define us and that people can be pigeonholed into categories of appetites, proclivities, drives and desires?… Continue Reading

Isaiah 1:18 (KJV), “Come now, and let us reason together, saith the Lord…”

I remember the murder of Dutch film director Theo van Gogh in November 2004. He had completed a film titled “Submission: Part 1,” which criticized the treatment of women in Islam. Van Gogh was shot and had his throat slit by Mohammed Bouyeri who resented the film’s message. There was even a note left on van Gogh threatening Mohammed Bouyeri and others left on van Gogh’s body.… Continue Reading

This episode of Spotlight features Steve Karlen who serves as the campaign director for 40 Days for Life, where he trains and assists campaign leaders, co-hosts 40 Days for Life podcast and is the author of the book, “This is When we Begin to Fight.”

For those who may be unfamiliar, 40 Days for Life is a local pro-life ministry whose aim is to end abortion through prayer, fasting, and community outreach.… Continue Reading

“Let’s talk about the deficit.”

That is what U.S. Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-NY) said on the Senate floor on Monday, June 2.

“For years, Republicans screamed about fiscal responsibility. But now Republicans are backing a bill that could add over $50 trillion to the national debt over 30 years,” Schumer claimed — without citing a source — in a speech about the One Big Beautiful Bill Act.

“Senate Democrats,” he said, “will fight this bill in committee, on the floor, and in the court of public opinion every step, every day, and every possible way.”… Continue Reading

It’s June, and it’s that wonderful time of year when liberal pastors and priests across the country take to their pulpits to declare that conservative Christians, whether they be Catholic or charismatic, are bigots if we still believe that men engaging in sodomy are depraved or that women having sex with women are wrong. Yes, for the entire month, we will be harangued with messages from the church itself extolling the wonders of “same-sex love” and the virtues of 57 genders.… Continue Reading

The flame of wokeness — intolerance in the name of tolerance — wasn’t lit recently. It has been smoldering under the flag of liberalism for the past 100 years or so.

“These are the days when the Christian is expected to praise every creed except his own,” G.K. Chesterton wrote in 1928. At the time, moral relativism was already making its long, slow march through the institutions that impart cultural values, including liberal church denominations.… Continue Reading

“The End of Life Options Act” was introduced in the Illinois Senate on January 13, 2025 by State Senator Linda Holmes (D-Aurora) and in the Illinois House on January 14, 2025 by State Representative Robyn Gabel (D-Chicago).

If this bill is passed into law, doctors will be legally allowed to prescribe death-inducing drugs to patients who are suffering from terminal illnesses.

This push to legalize physician-assisted suicide (PAS) was added to a shell bill during the last week of regular session and then passed in the Illinois House by a vote of 63 to 42, with two members voting “present.”… Continue Reading

Ed Morrissey at Hot Air passed along some encouraging news today from the ratings, under the heading “Implosion: MSNBC Still Cratering With New Line-Up — And CNN’s Not Far Behind.”

Somehow, vigilantly anti-Trump programming isn’t a ratings dynamo in the second term.

Activists on the Left think the Democrats are worthless and weak, and apparently so are the Democrat-enabling TV networks. First, there’s Mediaite as MSNBC “lands with a thud.”

MSNBC’s new prime time lineup, which debuted on May 5th, failed to connect with viewers in its first three weeks as the network saw its audience decline to near record lows – especially in the key 25-54 age demographic.

“Low birth rates will end civilization,” Elon Musk recently warned. The plummeting birthrate is a grave concern which both he and J.D. Vance have repeatedly raised and one that the Trump administration is now seeking to address.

America’s birthrate has plummeted below the replacement level of 2.1 children per woman to its lowest point ever recorded – 1.6.  In 2023, the U.S. saw only 55 births per 1,000 women ages 15 to 44; for comparison in 1950 that rate was 106 births. … Continue Reading

A phrase often attributed to Saul Alinsky, author of “Rules for Radicals,” or to Joseph Goebbels, Adolf Hitler’s Nazi minister of propaganda, is “Accuse your opponent of what you are doing, to create confusion and to inculcate voters against evidence of your own guilt.” Although attribution for this quote may be spurious, it continues to resonate with millions for a reason.

Psychological projection is part of our common human experience.… Continue Reading

What was the most evil regime of the 20th century? Many people instantly picture a crazed Adolf Hitler and his Third Reich rounding up millions of Jewish men, women and children in an attempt to systematically exterminate them. An estimated six million were murdered across German-occupied Europe. That’s truly evil. Yet, if we’re looking at death tallies, consider the human toll inflicted under Communism:

• Sixty million dead in the Soviet Union under Joseph Stalin.

This episode of Illinois Family Spotlight features Dan Marquardt of We Love Police, an organization that dedicates itself to highlighting the untold good of police officers.

“We Love Police… spotlights the untold GOOD of our police officers… Through various resources, we uplift our police and their families holistically. Story by story, we will elevate the way Americans view our police…”

It has been well-documented that police officers have increasingly become demonized in our culture– especially since the George Floyd incident and BLM riots in 2020:

“A growing body of research has found that, after protests draw public attention to officer-involved killings, police officers become less proactive, pulling back from enforcing the law or other practices aimed at ensuring public safety due to fear of criticism, lawsuits, or low morale.”

It is unfortunately unsurprising that yet another school district in Illinois has defied the clear privacy and safety protections that Title IX puts in place.

Illinois School District 203, located in Naperville, is currently in the spotlight for allowing a biological male to participate in the female’s track meet.

Not only was the biological male allowed to participate in this athletic event, but he (surprise, surprise) won the track meet.

This should, of course, come as no surprise to those of us who acknowledge a basic biological fact which states that biological males have distinct physical advantages over biological females.… Continue Reading

In the 1970s, Ronald Reagan warned that “If fascism ever comes to America, it will come in the name of liberalism.” In the coming days, as Democrats once again spend an entire month celebrating their pride, recognize that what Reagan predicted has come to pass for about 50% of our country’s electorate.

Ideological fascism now rules the political left, and during the month of June, they will prove it once again by their incessant navel-gazing and adolescent demands.… Continue Reading

To this day, courts insist you have no right to bodily autonomy when it comes to coerced vaccination and forced masking. They cite the “police powers” of the state as justification. But when the state uses those same powers to regulate public nudity or sexually explicit drag shows in front of children, suddenly the judiciary rediscovers the First Amendment.

In 2023, Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis signed SB 1438, a commonsense law that barred businesses from knowingly admitting children to “adult live performances.”… Continue Reading

The only good thing to come out of COVID-19 is the public’s awakening to the fact that government officials will lie to us and the media will help them do it.

We might have suspected it, but it had never been so blatantly obvious, at least not since the Vietnam War or the vanishing weapons of mass destruction in Iraq.

If they lied to us six ways from Sunday about a pandemic and reasons to invade other countries, it’s a sure bet they have been lying to us about many other things.… Continue Reading

The first excerpts of the Jake Tapper-Alex Thompson book on denying former President Joe Biden’s obvious mental decline have been posted, and you can already sense Democrats don’t want to deal with what they have done.

The book’s title is “Original Sin.” Why the biblical title? The authors write:

“The original sin of Election 2024 was Biden’s decision to run for re-election — followed by aggressive efforts to hide his cognitive diminishment.”

This episode of Spotlight features Shannon Adcock, founder of Awake Illinois, an organization dedicated to erasing DEI initiatives and protecting children from mental health screenings, graphic sex education and Title IX violations within Illinois public schools.

“Parents don’t know that they have the right to opt out of radical sexual education, and they should.”

This is an important conversation that you do not want to miss.

Listen to “What is Going on In The Illinois School Districts?”… Continue Reading

Illinois lawmakers are actively shaping the state’s Fiscal Year 2026 budget as the May 31st legislative deadline approaches. Governor JB Pritzker has proposed a budget of $55.45 billion – an increase of $2.35 billion over last year, but final numbers are still under negotiation.

On May 13, 2025, Republican members of the Illinois House of Representatives held a press conference, urging substantial budget reductions. They claimed over $1 billion in wasteful spending, fraud, and abuse could be eliminated to save citizens from new or increased tax proposals.… Continue Reading

Apparently Katie Couric, the left-wing activist and former Today Show host still has an online program where she conducts interviews and produces progressive news content. Who knew?

Demonstrating her illustrious flare for originality and creativity, the topic of Couric’s most recent episode was how awful Donald Trump is for America. Drawing from a deep well of self-proclaimed conservative Republicans who decided the best way to conserve conservatism and fight for conservative values was to raise money for Democrats and help them gain power, Couric brought on former U.S.… Continue Reading

You may have heard by now that Loudoun County, Virginia, school officials are at it again.

In May 2021, they covered up a girl’s rape in a high school restroom by a boy wearing a skirt and sent him to another high school, where he assaulted another girl.

The first girl’s dad was thrown to the floor, handcuffed and arrested when he refused to shut up about it at a school board meeting.… Continue Reading

Back in 2021, Governor Pritzker signed HB121, SB667, SB1596, and SB2665 into law. All four of these pieces of legislation enshrined into law Illinois’ stance on immigration as being one of the most welcoming in the entire 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.

On April 3^rd, Attorney General Kwame Raoul, as part of a coalition of 19 state attorneys general, filed a lawsuit against the Trump administration over an executive order President Trump signed in March, which they claim is an unconstitutional attempt to impose sweeping voting restrictions across the country.

The lawsuit refers to Executive Order No. 14248, which is a lawful and necessary measure to protect election integrity, especially in federal elections.… Continue Reading

If America’s elite universities want to racially discriminate, they shouldn’t receive taxpayer money.

On Tuesday, Harvard University’s Presidential Task Force on Combating Antisemitism and Anti-Israel Bias released its final report. The 300-plus-page document reveals the depth of the university’s systemic bias against Jewish students.

Many students “described experiences of being bullied or shunned by fellow students, singled out for negative attention by instructors, and feeling ignored by administrators,” the report said. It continued,

“Fear of encountering hostility has led some Jewish students to conceal their Jewish identity from classmates.”

Last week, the U.S. Supreme Court heard the case of St. Isidore v. Drummond, whereby Oklahoma’s attorney general, Gentner Drummond, is suing to deny Oklahoma parents the right to choose to send their children to a board-approved charter school with a 100% graduation rate and 98% of its students matriculating to college.

In a state where traditional public schools are ranked among some of the worst in the nation, why would Mr. … Continue Reading

Today’s episode on Illinois Family Spotlight features Dr. Mark Zumhagen’s presentation at Illinois Family Institute’s Assisted Suicide Forum.

Dr. Mark Zumhagen is a family medicine physician with over four decades of practice and experience. In 2009, he co-founded Fearfully & Wonderfully Made, a holistic medicine center based in Orland Park, where he currently practices.

In this segment, he discusses how pro-suicide legislation has its roots in Darwinism and that life is a precious gift from God.… Continue Reading

I hate writing about this.

In what has to be one of the most gruesome, heartbreaking stories I’ve read in years, 18-year-old Chloe Coplen-Anderson has been sentenced to somewhere between 35-60 years in prison for the heinous crime she perpetrated against her newborn son.

When she was just 16, Coplen-Anderson secretly gave birth to her son in her bedroom after having hid the pregnancy from her parents. She then quietly retrieved a knife from the family’s kitchen, returned to her bedroom, and slit her son’s throat.… Continue Reading

The trans agenda has proved a tremendous millstone around the neck of the Democrat Party. Deservedly so! This evil ideology is one of the biggest reasons Democrats find themselves sinking in the political sea that is the American electorate. Currently, the Democrats are historically unpopular. As the New York Post put it [recently], “Democrats have become so unpopular that more Americans believe that aliens are among us than agree with the Democratic Party.”… Continue Reading

Written by David E. Smith

The U.S. Supreme Court heard last week from attorneys representing the state of Maryland arguing in favor of teaching prekindergarten children as young as 3 the virtues of, in the words of Justice Neil M. Gorsuch, “leather, bondage, sex work and drag queens.” If this story doesn’t highlight the fact that Democrats have completely lost their minds and sold their souls to their weird sexual fetishes, what does?

For decades, Democrats have been cheerleaders for nearly every aberrant copulative act imaginable, and the negative consequences of their sexual peccadillos are almost too numerous to count.… Continue Reading

This week, the White House celebrates the first 100 days of Donald Trump‘s second term as POTUS by focusing on the progress that has been made securing the border. In fact, the lawn outside the White House was lined with posters of 100 of the “worst illegal immigrant criminals” arrested under the new administration, including rapists, murderers, and criminals who attacked children.

At the Monday morning press briefing, Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt was joined by Border Czar Tom Homan to report on the significant progress that has been made during this time period.… Continue Reading

It’s “May Madness” in the Illinois General Assembly and this special episode of Spotlight features IFI’s lobbyist, David Curtin, with an update on what exactly is going on in Springfield.

“May Madness” is a term coined by David Curtin to describe the legislative chaos that ensues in Springfield before the May 31st adjournment. In essence, during this time, anything could happen with legislation.

“Anything could happen, and usually does in May…

May is usually the month where things come out of the nooks and crannies of the capital– you have never seen this legislation before, you’ve never seen these budget numbers before.

As previously noted, the IHSA (Illinois High School Association) is in hot water due to their dedication to allowing biological men to occupy girls’ spaces and compete in girls’ sports.

While the IHSA currently remains unmoved, U. S. Representative Mary Miller (IL-15) is doubling down on her calls for investigations into the IHSA to take place.

She recently told Fox News Digital,

“The Illinois High School Association has crossed a dangerous line.

For the past couple of weeks, aside from bashing President Trump over tariffs, the media have been fixated on an illegal immigrant deported to El Salvador.

Kilmar Abrego Garcia, who had been living in Maryland, is reputedly a member of the MS-13 gang, a U.S. government-designated foreign terrorist organization. He was summarily shipped off to his home country. Cue the outrage.

The Democratic Party and the media, in lockstep, have made this the case of the century.… Continue Reading

In this special episode of Illinois Family Spotlight podcast, Dave Smith sits down with IFI’s Senior Counsel, James Odom, to discuss the legal implications of the Homeschool Registration Act (HB 2827).

Their conversation focuses on Illinois State Rep. Terra Costa Howard’s claim that HB 2827 is intended to protect children through forcing homeschooling families register with their local regional office of education.

Smith notes that homeschooling families are thriving socially, academically, and spiritually far above their peers in the public school system.… Continue Reading

The IHSA (Illinois High School Association) has doubled down on its dedication to allow biological males to compete in girls’  sports.

Not only is IHSA’s decision a violation of President Trump’s February 5 Executive Order, “Keeping Men Out of Women’s Sports,” but it is also a clear indication of one thing:

The IHSA will gladly sacrifice the privacy and safety of your daughters on the altar of radical gender ideology.

Because of the IHSA’s egregious violation of morality and biology, U.S.… Continue Reading

I legitimately don’t understand. Christianity Today, the flagship evangelical publication founded by the late Billy Graham, declares its method is:

To deliver biblical wisdom and beautiful storytelling from the whole world to the whole world across all media.

That publication published THIS on Eater weekend:

The Bible doesn’t say Jesus was nailed to a cross.

One evangelical Bible scholar thinks the crucifixion may have been done with ropes. https://t.co/jXxKuvyo2a

— Christianity Today (@CTmagazine) April 19, 2025

Christianity Today had to be community-noted by Christians to correct a grievous biblical error.

“Let’s not kid ourselves. Pennsylvanians who want to buy adult-use cannabis are just driving across the border to one of our five neighboring states where it’s legal. Up to 60% of the customers at those stores just over the border are Pennsylvanians, and we’re losing out on an industry that will bring in $1.3 billion in new revenue to our Commonwealth. Let’s work together — Republicans and Democrats alike — and legalize adult-use cannabis.”… Continue Reading

The U.S. Supreme Court could soon decide whether to take up First Liberty’s case involving Blake Warner.

This is a major case that can ensure government doesn’t get in the way of parents deciding what’s best for their children.

Blake lives in Hillsborough County, Florida, where he filed a legal complaint against the school board. However, he was told by a court that he must have an attorney in order to legally represent his child.… Continue Reading

I guess United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres didn’t think his hyping global warming risks brought him enough attention, so now he says, “The era of global boiling has arrived!”

Global boiling?

Give me a break.

Yes, the climate is warming.

We can deal with that.

What annoys me is politicians, activists and media pushing hysterical myths.

Myth 1: The Arctic will soon be ice-free.

It “could already be ice-free by the summer of 2030!”… Continue Reading

Pro-life organizers are starting their preparations for the Fall 40 Days for Life Prayer Campaign.

This episode features a conversation between Catherine Walker, a prayer organizer with the Aurora 40 Days for Life, and Steve Carlin, the National Campaign Director with 40 Days for Life.

In this conversation, both Catherine Walker and Steve Carlin share encouragement for pro-life prayer warriors in Illinois.

“More than 25,000 lives have been saved because someone showed up to pray at an abortion facility.”

Colorado and Vermont are unusually beautiful states renowned for scenery, skiing and, in Vermont’s case, cheese and ice cream.

These Democratic-dominated enclaves also attract weird and destructive people who somehow find their way into power. California does not have a monopoly on this.

How else to explain their ongoing war on free speech, common sense and Christianity? Colorado, which was slapped down by the U.S. Supreme Court for persecuting Christian cake baker Jack Phillips, went after him again before the state Supreme Court finally ruled in his favor.… Continue Reading

The “Dismantle DEI Act,” introduced by U.S. Representative Michael Cloud (R-TX) and U.S. Senator Eric Schmitt (R-MO), aims to eliminate all federal Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) programs and funding.

This legislation complements President Trump’s Executive Order issued on January 20th, and would codify into federal law President Trump’s agenda dismantling DEI programs across the federal government. This legislation ensures that Trump’s actions are permanently enshrined in law, preventing future administrations from reviving these divisive and wasteful policies.… Continue Reading

I was recently asked in an email exchange whether perhaps I was a bit of an alarmist in my persistent rants about the state of affairs in today’s public schools. “After all,” said my pen pal, “my personal experience with education, as well as that of my kids, hasn’t been all that negative. American education isn’t as bad as you suggest.” I offered my questioner a quick response in case y’all care (That’s Okie slang for: “in case any of you are interested”).… Continue Reading

Journalists are terrible at hiding their desire to run our democracy, using their platforms to direct history to the “right side.” That badly disguised lust for power creates an audience problem, where the people resent the media’s imperious lectures about which side they are supposed to favor — and if they don’t, they are uneducated, racist nincompoops.

Axios.com co-founders Jim VandeHei and Mike Allen appeared on the podcast “Honestly with Bari Weiss.”… Continue Reading

Did you know that the Pregnant Workers Fairness Act (PWFA) includes coverage for the cost of abortions and abortion-related services?

The PWFA, which went into effect on June 27, 2023, was originally intended to provide pregnant workers with reasonable accommodations due to their pregnancy.

“Generally, the Pregnant Workers Fairness Act (PWFA) requires a covered employer to provide a ‘reasonable accommodation’ to a qualified employee’s or applicant’s known limitations related to, affected by, or arising out of pregnancy, childbirth, or related medical conditions, unless the accommodation will cause the employer an ‘undue hardship.’”

Illinois is currently trying to legalize assisted suicide through the passage of the End of Life Options Act.

This Act, if passed, would give doctors the legal ability to prescribe death-inducing drugs to patients who have been diagnosed with terminal illnesses.

In this episode, Dr. Kevin Garner sits down with Monte Larrick to discuss the dangers this Act pose– not only to the terminally ill but the possible expansion of the bill to include non-terminal conditions and children.… Continue Reading

When Russian leader Vladimir Putin jails or poisons rivals or journalists or even invades a neighboring country, it’s not all that shocking.

After all, the Russian president was a high-ranking agent in the Soviet KGB and has shown little inclination to change his stripes while presiding over the kleptocracy that is modern Russia.

However, countries with actual self-governing systems are not supposed to resort to unsavory tactics. Leaders are not supposed to consolidate power by arresting opponents or crippling them with lawfare.… Continue Reading

In 1943, C.S. Lewis warned of a day when our country’s educated class would claim that it made sense to “geld the stallion and then bid him be fruitful.” In his seminal work, “The Abolition of Man,” he accused the ivory tower of creating “men without chests,” where instead of pursuing the truth, our schools would educate an entire generation of moral and intellectual amputees with no understanding of the good, the true and the beautiful.… Continue Reading

I’m 55 years old. I’ve never taken a flu shot. I doubt I ever will. I don’t recall this CBS News report shown below, but it’s totally unsurprising.

This might blow your mind.

Nearly 20 years ago, CBS aired a segment on the flu shot, revealing a shocking truth: despite flu shot uptake among seniors rising from 15% to 65%, flu deaths kept going up.

NIH scientists were devastated. This was not the result they were hoping to… pic.twitter.com/K7xbjE8j8U

Did you know that legalizing physician-assisted suicide in Illinois would target people with disabilities?

In this Spotlight episode, Monte Larrick sits down with Riley Spreadbury to discuss this very topic.

Riley Spreadbury is a leader in the disability community and works with the Disability Resource Center in Joliet, Illinois. She is outspoken in her opposition against physician-assisted suicide and even testified before the Illinois State Senate committee.

“My concerns are that of course not every disabled person is terminally ill, but every terminally ill person, in my opinion, is disabled.

The Corporation for Public Broadcasting is in the news again.

Kermit the Frog, the iconic “Sesame Street” Muppet, will give the 2025 commencement address at the University of Maryland.

Kermit’s appearance will coincide with the 65th anniversary of the graduation of UM’s Jim Henson, who was awarded a degree in home economics in 1960. In a press release, “Kermit” said he would keep the address upbeat, even though, as he put it, “It’s hard to be green.”… Continue Reading

British sociologist Noah Carl is the one who reported it: the political right has seemingly lost all confidence in the “scientific community.”

Percentage of Americans with “a great deal” of confidence in the scientific community, broken down by party. (The most recent data point is 2022.) pic.twitter.com/cXvheG2kde

— Noah Carl (@NoahCarl90) March 18, 2025

The data he used came from a “general social survey,” something whose reliability would perhaps seem suspect if the findings didn’t also match most of our anecdotal, personal experiences.… Continue Reading

Transgender ideology has wreaked havoc across America.

Biological men, claiming to be women, have insisted on infiltrating women’s restrooms, locker rooms, and sports.

Because of the radical policies allowing this infiltration, women’s privacy was revoked, championships were lost, and opportunities were ripped away.

However, consequences of this ideology have been even more severe than this. The infiltration of men into women’s spaces has led to egregious violent acts.

In January of 2024, NBC New York reported on an incident where a biological male, claiming to be a woman, sexually violated a female prisoner on Riker’s Island.… Continue Reading

In this episode of the Illinois Family Spotlight podcast, Monte Larrick is joined by Attorney Will Estrada who highlights the dangers associated with HB 2827, the ominous “The Homeschool Act.”

Will Estrada works as Senior Council to HSLDA (Home School Legal Defense Association) and is himself a homeschool graduate along with his wife.

“One of the arguments that we’ve seen from the sponsors of HB2827 is that homeschooling is unregulated, and that is not true…

There are educational neglect laws on the books in Illinois, so there really is no problem that HB2827 is needed to fix.”

President Donald Trump is in a public wrestling match with Chief Justice John Roberts and some of the federal judiciary.

Along with congressional lawmakers, Mr. Trump has called for impeaching several U.S. district judges who have issued orders blocking his administration from carrying out key policies.

Mr. Roberts says this imperils the independence of the judiciary, without which abuses of power could become routine.

Mr. Trump says that this is nonsense, that these judges have gone well beyond their authority to hear cases and are trying to dictate national policy.… Continue Reading

The assault on America’s children from the Democratic Left is unprecedented on our history.  Considering our long and storied history of favoring and protecting children, it is shocking and disgusting; and it must not be ignored!

Until I had children of my own, I did not fully understand how they would change my life and the joy they would bring.  I was always fond of children, but it is not the same as having little ones of your own.… Continue Reading

The American people overwhelmingly rejected Joe Biden’s presidency. His signature legislative agenda, the Green New Deal, subsidizes inefficient energy sources while driving up costs for affordable, reliable alternatives. This policy enriches a select few at the expense of taxpayers, who essentially fund their own economic suicide. Unfortunately, a group of lukewarm Republicans — whose donors profit from these terrible subsidies — are working to keep them in place.

The Green New Deal should be the first target for repeal through budget reconciliation.… Continue Reading

Shepard Middle School, located in Illinois School District 109 in Deerfield, is under heavy fire for forcing middle school girls to undress in front of a biological male.… Continue Reading

We all know something is desperately wrong with our society and that the bad behavior we see in our daily news must have a cause. We understand that the juvenile antics we are watching in our nation’s capital did not just spring out of thin air. We intuitively know that the immaturity so pervasive in our communities doesn’t come from a vacuum. Millions of us understand that these childish pouts of adults who should know better have a source and that our government-run schools are the seedbed of our cultural crisis.… Continue Reading

The Homeschool Act, also known as HB 2827, poses a grave danger to all homeschooling families across Illinois.

If passed, this bill would stifle the freedoms of homeschooling families through heavy regulations. If these regulations are not followed, families would face hefty fines and possible jail time.

Illinois Christian Home Educators (ICHE) is an organization that is passionately leading the charge against this dangerous legislation, and Kirk Smith, executive director of ICHE, sits down to discuss the consequences of the bill and how to oppose it.… Continue Reading

With all of today’s hubbub about separation of church and state, it’s refreshing to hear someone invoke Scripture on the floor of a state legislature. … Continue Reading

Trans woman activist Dylan Mulvaney did a happy-go-lucky softball interview tour to promote the book “Paper Doll: Notes from a Late Bloomer.” The “mainstream” media are out of the mainstream on trans issues, and their extreme fawning and flattery only underlines it.

On “CBS Mornings,” correspondent Natalie Morales sounded like a supporter:

“What do you want people to see and know about you?”

“I would ask them to please not make it harder for us,” Mulvaney said.… Continue Reading

Are there repercussions for legal suicide in the state of Illinois?

Robert Gilligan answers this very question on this edition of Illinois Family Spotlight.

Robert Gilligan is the executive director of Catholic Conference in Illinois and, in this episode, he dives into the very real dangers posed to Illinois if physician-assisted suicide is legalized.

“In states where this has been legalized, this leads to more suicide overall. There were 49,000 suicides in the country last year.

Democrats in Springfield have made Illinois one of the most unwelcoming states for businesses and families. They’re doing nothing to correct it, but instead have introduced bills to make it worse.

Due to the Biden Administration’s open border policies, Illinois is now home to over 530,00 illegal aliens, many of whom are enjoying free benefits on the backs of Illinois taxpayers.

The Trust Act, passed by Democrats in 2017, established Illinois as a sanctuary state, providing sanctuary for illegal aliens and preventing Illinois law enforcement from cooperating with federal immigration authorities.… Continue Reading

On February 26, 2025, the U.S. House Oversight Subcommittee held a hearing on the role of foreign aid and the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) in which it was revealed that American taxpayers were funding our enemies and the enemies of our allies. This news was largely ignored by the drive-by media, and in my opinion, must be better highlighted by center-right sources.

U.S. Representative Tim Burchett (R-TN) exposed how the Taliban – a Sunni Islamist terror group from Afghanistan – was receiving over $40 million a week in indirect funding through USAID.… Continue Reading

[Last] week, the U.S. Senate Judiciary Committee hosted a hearing to discuss the alarming rise of coordinated and centrally funded antisemitism on college and university campuses. While it was illuminating and frightening to hear the testimony of several of the witnesses, the highlight had to be this tour de force by Texas U.S. Senator Ted Cruz who, it seems, is not overly impressed with the Hamas-sympathizing Hitler brigades pushing a Holocaust sequel on federally-funded campuses.… Continue Reading

Everyone knows that winning the assignment of officially responding to a State of the Union speech can be a curse, not a blessing. But it depends on which party is responding.

Last year, the media ripped apart freshman U.S. Senator Katie Britt (R-AL) as a ditz. PBS analyst Jonathan Capehart made a “Legally Blonde” joke: “After watching Sen. Britt, I am just sitting here thinking what in the Elle Woods was that?”… Continue Reading

In January, the U.S.… Continue Reading

In this special episode of Spotlight, Pastor Ceasar LeFlore sits down with Latasha Fields to discuss education and the exciting upcoming event, Chicago Home Educators’ Summit.

Latasha Fields has been a home educator for over 18 years and her passion for parental rights and quality education is evident. She is a former candidate for Lieutenant Governor of Illinois, is a critic of the public school system, and has even testified before the U.S.… Continue Reading

Lasting political change doesn’t come from winning elections but reshaping institutions.

On Feb. 26, Jeff Bezos, the founder of Amazon and owner of The Washington Post, issued a stunning announcement.

“I’m writing to let you know about a change coming to our opinion pages,” he wrote on X. “We are going to be writing every day in support and defense of two pillars: personal liberties and free markets.”

Yes, that’s the same Washington Post editorial board that attacked Donald Trump last year for promising tax cuts and reduced regulations.… Continue Reading

A star was born last week in the great state of Maine. State Representative Laurel Libby, a Republican state legislator from the Auburn area, refused to apologize for a social media post criticizing transgender athletes.