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Bennett
@bponsford.bsky.social
76 followers 79 following 38 posts
Retired (thank god); Buffista
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Bennett @bponsford.bsky.social · 16h
No surprise there.
A Very, Very Expensive Way to Reduce Crime
The Trump administration’s National Guard deployments are highly inefficient.
www.theatlantic.com
Bennett @bponsford.bsky.social · 16h
Someone who actually believes in states' rights and follows thru. Who knew? "Gov. Kevin Stitt, the current chairman of the National Governors Association, broke with Texas, saying, “Oklahomans would lose their mind” if Illinois sent troops to their red state."
Oklahoma’s Republican Governor Criticizes National Guard Deployment in Chicago
www.nytimes.com
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Bennett @bponsford.bsky.social · 22d
Interesting look at his approval ratings by on demographics and issues. I found the state-by-state comparison between all voters and 2024 voters especially telling.
Donald Trump’s approval rating
Follow our presidential approval rating poll tracker to see how favourably Americans view Mr Trump
www.economist.com
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Bennett @bponsford.bsky.social · Sep 6
No surprise there.
Trump Is Accusing Foes With Multiple Mortgages of Fraud. Records Show 3 of His Cabinet Members Have Them.
The White House has targeted opponents, including a Fed governor, for having more than one primary residence on their loan papers. ProPublica found that, in one case, a Trump cabinet secretary got two...
www.propublica.org
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Bennett @bponsford.bsky.social · Aug 13
"A POLITICO analysis of DOGE data reveals the organization saved less than 5 percent of its claimed savings from nearly 10,100 contract terminations."
Just how much has DOGE exaggerated its numbers? Now we have receipts.
A POLITICO analysis of DOGE data reveals the organization saved less than 5 percent of its claimed savings from nearly 10,100 contract terminations.
www.politico.com
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Bennett @bponsford.bsky.social · Aug 13
No surprise there:
Some Texas private schools hire relatives and enrich insiders. Soon they can do it with taxpayer money.
An investigation by ProPublica and The Texas Tribune found more than 60 instances of nepotism, self-dealing and conflicts of interest among 27 private schools that likely would have violated state law...
www.texastribune.org
Bennett @bponsford.bsky.social · Aug 7
That's Trump alright.
Trump Delayed a Medicare Change After Health Companies’ Donations
www.nytimes.com
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Bennett @bponsford.bsky.social · Jul 28
Surprise, surprise.
Dropped cases against LA protesters reveal false claims from federal agents
Revealed: records show border patrol gave inaccurate testimony about people it jailed. Prosecutors now face ‘embarrassing’ dismissals
www.theguardian.com
Bennett @bponsford.bsky.social · Jul 16
Trying to distract from his personal scandals?
Ken Paxton investigating “potential noncitizens” for voting in 2020 and 2022 election cycles
Most of those voters are in Harris County, home to Houston. Noncitizen voting is illegal and documented instances are rare.
www.texastribune.org
Bennett @bponsford.bsky.social · Jul 16
<snort>
Republican leading inquiry into Biden’s autopen use has digitally signed letters
James Comer has used a digital signature on documents throughout his investigation into Biden’s use of an autopen
www.theguardian.com
Bennett @bponsford.bsky.social · Jul 15
"Instead of preparing, communities often resort to reacting to disasters, which is costly. The National Institute of Building Sciences found that for every dollar spent by the federal government on mitigation, it saves taxpayers $6."
How a small East Texas town turned a devastating tornado into funding for sirens
As the public scrutinizes parts of the Hill Country for a lack of sirens during the July 4 floods, Crockett turned its own tragedy into preparedness.
www.texastribune.org
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Bennett @bponsford.bsky.social · Jul 13
It's only going to get worse, alas. www.agweb.com/news/busines...
Bennett @bponsford.bsky.social · Jul 13
This is good - not for us, but for them. It may take a while to disentangle themselves from the US, but the rest of the world needs to realize that we are just not reliable.
Under Attack by Trump’s Tariffs, Asian Countries Seek Out Better Friends
www.nytimes.com
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Bennett @bponsford.bsky.social · Jul 12
The University where I USED to work had a President who said "Isn't everything online now?" <sigh>
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Bennett @bponsford.bsky.social · Jul 11
Oh, it will raise prices, but he's also beating up on a lot of small countries that won't have much of an impact of inflation here in order to beef up his "deal" numbers.
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Bennett @bponsford.bsky.social · Jul 11
Note the share of US imports. Only 3 are 4% or higher. Trump is picking his victims more for show than anything. We will certainly feel the impact of tariffs on Canada, Japan, and S. Korea. But the rest, NSM. www.nytimes.com/2025/07/07/b...
www.nytimes.com
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Bennett @bponsford.bsky.social · Jul 9
Um, Medicaid is for health care. Do ANY farmers provide health insurance for their workers?
Rollins suggests Medicaid recipients can replace deported farmworkers
Agriculture Secretary Brooke Rollins believes that Medicaid work requirements and artificial intelligence will help bolster the nation’s farming workforce, while President Trump has been weig…
thehill.com
Bennett @bponsford.bsky.social · Jul 2
It occurs to me that the BBB has taught not only the American people, but also our enemies, who among the Republicans have guts and who are basically cowards afraid of Trump. So many cowards.
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Bennett @bponsford.bsky.social · Jun 27
Texas LIKES having a cheap underclass of workers. "But Texas lawmakers have overlooked one telling detail: They have failed to require most private employers to use E-Verify, a federal program that verifies workers’ legal status, an oversight not lost on farmers on the border."
On a Quiet Southern Border, Empty Farms and Frightened Workers
www.nytimes.com
Bennett @bponsford.bsky.social · Jun 26
"The most notable change is the ... pivot away from a phone that the press release said would be “designed and built in the United States” to one that is “brought to life” in the USA, with “American values in mind” and with “American hands behind every device.” How conveniently vague."
The Trump Phone Is Already a Lot Different From Last Week
WIRED had many questions last week about the Gold T1 Smartphone. Now we have even more—like where that “made in America” pledge went.
www.wired.com
Bennett @bponsford.bsky.social · Jun 26
I’m a physician who has looked at hundreds of studies of vaccine safety, and here’s some of what RFK Jr. gets wrong
The health secretary has made many inaccurate statements about vaccines. But the science is clear that vaccines have dramatically reduced childhood illness, disability and death.
theconversation.com
Bennett @bponsford.bsky.social · Jun 8
Yep.
Trump uses LA protests to redirect dissent from policy failures to the ‘enemy within’
Critics see deployment of the national guard as an authoritarian flex by a strongman who has relentlessly trampled norms
www.theguardian.com
Bennett @bponsford.bsky.social · Jun 8
<snort>
Eight US states seek to outlaw chemtrails – even though they aren’t real
States introduce chemtrail-coded legislation as conspiracy theories take root in some US chambers
www.theguardian.com
Bennett @bponsford.bsky.social · May 18
"Since SSA installed new anti-fraud checks on claims made over the phone, only two claims out of over 110,000 were found to likely be fraudulent, according to internal documents obtained by Nextgov/FCW."
DOGE went looking for phone fraud at SSA — and found almost none
Since SSA installed new anti-fraud checks on claims made over the phone, only two claims out of over 110,000 were found to likely be fraudulent, according to internal documents obtained by Nextgov/FCW...
www.nextgov.com
Bennett @bponsford.bsky.social · May 13
Trump’s Tariffs and Immigration Policies Destroy Thousands of Acres of Tomato Crops in Florida
Thousands of unharvested tomatoes are being plowed over in South Florida in a sign of what is to come under President Donald Trump's tariffs—or tariff
reason.com