BillBenda
@bendabill.bsky.social
The year was 2081, and everyone was finally equal -- Vonnegut.
Blondie/Debbie Harry, rock & roll, nature, history & other fascinating things.
Blondie/Debbie Harry, rock & roll, nature, history & other fascinating things.
Oh, this is fantastic in every way.
Good morning to Brazilian reporter Manuela Borges, who’s been waiting eleven years for this petty moment. ❤️ 🇧🇷
November 26, 2025 at 2:00 PM
Oh, this is fantastic in every way.
Reposted by BillBenda
1/5 Why do we still allow Trump to negotiate on the war in Ukraine?
The US does not fund Ukraine. Trump and his team are compromised by Russia.
Europe pays the bills, yet Trump sits at the table.
There is zero reason for him and his team of traitors to be involved
The US does not fund Ukraine. Trump and his team are compromised by Russia.
Europe pays the bills, yet Trump sits at the table.
There is zero reason for him and his team of traitors to be involved
November 26, 2025 at 1:22 PM
1/5 Why do we still allow Trump to negotiate on the war in Ukraine?
The US does not fund Ukraine. Trump and his team are compromised by Russia.
Europe pays the bills, yet Trump sits at the table.
There is zero reason for him and his team of traitors to be involved
The US does not fund Ukraine. Trump and his team are compromised by Russia.
Europe pays the bills, yet Trump sits at the table.
There is zero reason for him and his team of traitors to be involved
Reposted by BillBenda
Such classic gaslighting it's an instructive moment. The question is not whether generic is better or worse, it's that a list with more expensive brand names is not the same as a list with cheaper generics. Perverting that truth into an attack on those calling it out is Manipulation 101.
Hassett: "On one of the Sunday shows, the anchor criticized the fact Walmart said the Thanksgiving dinner is cheaper by about $10. Then he said, 'Oh yeah, but they substituted generic stuff,' as if having a generic something is a crime for ordinary folks! It shows how out of touch these people are."
November 26, 2025 at 7:07 AM
Such classic gaslighting it's an instructive moment. The question is not whether generic is better or worse, it's that a list with more expensive brand names is not the same as a list with cheaper generics. Perverting that truth into an attack on those calling it out is Manipulation 101.
Reposted by BillBenda
I hope folks realize that between Trump, Kushner, Hegseth, Witkoff, Noem, RFK, Jr., Kash Patel, and Tulsi Gabbard, this country is almost entirely undefended.
Q: Have you heard this audio that Bloomberg has of Witkoff coaching the Russians on how to appeal to you?
TRUMP: That's a standard thing. He's gotta sell this to Ukraine, he's gonna sell Ukraine to Russia. That's what a dealmaker does. I haven't heard it but I heard it was standard negotiation.
TRUMP: That's a standard thing. He's gotta sell this to Ukraine, he's gonna sell Ukraine to Russia. That's what a dealmaker does. I haven't heard it but I heard it was standard negotiation.
November 26, 2025 at 1:28 AM
I hope folks realize that between Trump, Kushner, Hegseth, Witkoff, Noem, RFK, Jr., Kash Patel, and Tulsi Gabbard, this country is almost entirely undefended.
Reposted by BillBenda
Holy shit Trump was going to give him shelter in the embassy, wasn't he?
An amazing new Trump controversy, Part II of II:
- Saturday afternoon: Trump says he spoke to Bolsonaro the night before and planned to see him “in the very near future”
- Monday afternoon: The Trump White House isn’t sure whether Trump actually had the conversation he referenced two days earlier
- Saturday afternoon: Trump says he spoke to Bolsonaro the night before and planned to see him “in the very near future”
- Monday afternoon: The Trump White House isn’t sure whether Trump actually had the conversation he referenced two days earlier
White House hedges on Trump’s curious claim about his call with Brazil’s Bolsonaro White House hedges on Trump’s curious claim about his call with Brazil’s Jair Bolsonaro
Did the Republican president talk to Bolsonaro as the Brazilian plotted to escape? Trump said yes, but the White House isn’t so sure.
www.ms.now
November 25, 2025 at 7:48 PM
Holy shit Trump was going to give him shelter in the embassy, wasn't he?
Back in the '80s my mom, a breast cancer survivor, co-started a group to support women, and their families, that were diagnosed with breast cancer. Insurance didn't cover them.
Markwayne Mullin on healthcare: "What the president would like to do is say, hey, if you take care of yourself -- you don't smoke, you don't dip, you're not drinking, you're not overweight, you're working out -- then you should pay less than the guy that obviously is not taking care of himself."
November 25, 2025 at 10:46 PM
Back in the '80s my mom, a breast cancer survivor, co-started a group to support women, and their families, that were diagnosed with breast cancer. Insurance didn't cover them.
Reposted by BillBenda
This is the argument for "pre-existing conditions." Like being a woman.
Markwayne Mullin on healthcare: "What the president would like to do is say, hey, if you take care of yourself -- you don't smoke, you don't dip, you're not drinking, you're not overweight, you're working out -- then you should pay less than the guy that obviously is not taking care of himself."
November 25, 2025 at 10:30 PM
This is the argument for "pre-existing conditions." Like being a woman.
Reposted by BillBenda
I’m sorry, but if Democrats were in power, would this not be in the headlines every single day?
Average electricity cost increase since Jan:
Missouri ⬆️ 37%
Iowa ⬆️ 30%
North Dakota ⬆️ 30%
Oklahoma ⬆️ 30%
New Jersey ⬆️ 27%
Nebraska ⬆️ 25%
Montana ⬆️ 25%
Wyoming ⬆️ 23%
NATIONWIDE ⬆️ 11%
Instead of working to lower costs, Trump is boosting power-hungry AI data centers.
Missouri ⬆️ 37%
Iowa ⬆️ 30%
North Dakota ⬆️ 30%
Oklahoma ⬆️ 30%
New Jersey ⬆️ 27%
Nebraska ⬆️ 25%
Montana ⬆️ 25%
Wyoming ⬆️ 23%
NATIONWIDE ⬆️ 11%
Instead of working to lower costs, Trump is boosting power-hungry AI data centers.
November 25, 2025 at 9:25 PM
I’m sorry, but if Democrats were in power, would this not be in the headlines every single day?
Reposted by BillBenda
Still depressing that this isn’t THE story of his first year.
The numbers vary from study to study but hundreds of thousands of people have died because of Elon Musk and Marco Rubio illegally disbanding USAID — a body count on par with the first eight years of the Syrian civil war — In just seven months. It’s mass death that is simply unfathomable in scale.
USAID shutdown has led to hundreds of thousands of deaths | Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health
The Trump administration’s decision to shut down the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) has resulted in hundreds of thousands of deaths from infectious diseases and malnutrition, accord...
hsph.harvard.edu
November 25, 2025 at 5:48 PM
Still depressing that this isn’t THE story of his first year.
Reposted by BillBenda
This is called “chain refoulment” and it’s illegal under both U.S. and international law. And the State Department and ICE know very well what Ghana is doing and simply don’t care.
ICE deported a woman who owned a home in the US for 30 years. A judge banned ICE from deporting her to Sierra Leone where she had been tortured, so it deported her to Ghana, which kidnapped her and sent her back Sierra Leone anyway. ICE is part of this illegal conspiracy.
November 25, 2025 at 7:30 PM
This is called “chain refoulment” and it’s illegal under both U.S. and international law. And the State Department and ICE know very well what Ghana is doing and simply don’t care.
Reposted by BillBenda
Yep. I've been waiting for EU spooks to start reminding Trump that they've got their own capabilities.
Three things about the Witkoff tapes:
1) It appears Western intelligence services have decided to let Witkoff (and Trump) know they have recordings of their traitorous conversations w/Russia.
2) This Ukraine "deal" was all Witkoff's idea.
3) Congressional leaders should demand he be fired.
1) It appears Western intelligence services have decided to let Witkoff (and Trump) know they have recordings of their traitorous conversations w/Russia.
2) This Ukraine "deal" was all Witkoff's idea.
3) Congressional leaders should demand he be fired.
EXCLUSIVE: US presidential envoy Steve Witkoff advised Russia on how to pitch Ukraine plans to Trump, in audio files reviewed by Bloomberg
November 25, 2025 at 8:46 PM
Yep. I've been waiting for EU spooks to start reminding Trump that they've got their own capabilities.
Reposted by BillBenda
Three things about the Witkoff tapes:
1) It appears Western intelligence services have decided to let Witkoff (and Trump) know they have recordings of their traitorous conversations w/Russia.
2) This Ukraine "deal" was all Witkoff's idea.
3) Congressional leaders should demand he be fired.
1) It appears Western intelligence services have decided to let Witkoff (and Trump) know they have recordings of their traitorous conversations w/Russia.
2) This Ukraine "deal" was all Witkoff's idea.
3) Congressional leaders should demand he be fired.
EXCLUSIVE: US presidential envoy Steve Witkoff advised Russia on how to pitch Ukraine plans to Trump, in audio files reviewed by Bloomberg
Witkoff Advised Russia on How to Pitch Ukraine Plan to Trump
US presidential envoy Steve Witkoff, fresh from the triumph of the Gaza peace deal, held a phone call last month with a senior Kremlin official to suggest they work together on a similar plan for Ukraine — and that Vladimir Putin should raise it with Donald Trump.
bloom.bg
November 25, 2025 at 8:40 PM
Three things about the Witkoff tapes:
1) It appears Western intelligence services have decided to let Witkoff (and Trump) know they have recordings of their traitorous conversations w/Russia.
2) This Ukraine "deal" was all Witkoff's idea.
3) Congressional leaders should demand he be fired.
1) It appears Western intelligence services have decided to let Witkoff (and Trump) know they have recordings of their traitorous conversations w/Russia.
2) This Ukraine "deal" was all Witkoff's idea.
3) Congressional leaders should demand he be fired.
Reposted by BillBenda
Average electricity cost increase since Jan:
Missouri ⬆️ 37%
Iowa ⬆️ 30%
North Dakota ⬆️ 30%
Oklahoma ⬆️ 30%
New Jersey ⬆️ 27%
Nebraska ⬆️ 25%
Montana ⬆️ 25%
Wyoming ⬆️ 23%
NATIONWIDE ⬆️ 11%
Instead of working to lower costs, Trump is boosting power-hungry AI data centers.
Missouri ⬆️ 37%
Iowa ⬆️ 30%
North Dakota ⬆️ 30%
Oklahoma ⬆️ 30%
New Jersey ⬆️ 27%
Nebraska ⬆️ 25%
Montana ⬆️ 25%
Wyoming ⬆️ 23%
NATIONWIDE ⬆️ 11%
Instead of working to lower costs, Trump is boosting power-hungry AI data centers.
November 25, 2025 at 8:01 PM
Average electricity cost increase since Jan:
Missouri ⬆️ 37%
Iowa ⬆️ 30%
North Dakota ⬆️ 30%
Oklahoma ⬆️ 30%
New Jersey ⬆️ 27%
Nebraska ⬆️ 25%
Montana ⬆️ 25%
Wyoming ⬆️ 23%
NATIONWIDE ⬆️ 11%
Instead of working to lower costs, Trump is boosting power-hungry AI data centers.
Missouri ⬆️ 37%
Iowa ⬆️ 30%
North Dakota ⬆️ 30%
Oklahoma ⬆️ 30%
New Jersey ⬆️ 27%
Nebraska ⬆️ 25%
Montana ⬆️ 25%
Wyoming ⬆️ 23%
NATIONWIDE ⬆️ 11%
Instead of working to lower costs, Trump is boosting power-hungry AI data centers.
Reposted by BillBenda
Only two Republicans (Rand
Paul and Lisa Murkowski) have shown any spine in questioning questioning Trump’s illegitimate war of choice. This is even worse than 2003 and the run-up to the disastrous Iraq invasion. They have learned nothing from that quagmire!
Paul and Lisa Murkowski) have shown any spine in questioning questioning Trump’s illegitimate war of choice. This is even worse than 2003 and the run-up to the disastrous Iraq invasion. They have learned nothing from that quagmire!
‘It’s important to liberate Venezuela’: Congressional Republicans cheer Trump’s offensive
The president is expanding his “armed conflict,” authorizing CIA action as he strikes alleged drug boats. His party is behind
www.semafor.com
October 24, 2025 at 5:30 PM
Only two Republicans (Rand
Paul and Lisa Murkowski) have shown any spine in questioning questioning Trump’s illegitimate war of choice. This is even worse than 2003 and the run-up to the disastrous Iraq invasion. They have learned nothing from that quagmire!
Paul and Lisa Murkowski) have shown any spine in questioning questioning Trump’s illegitimate war of choice. This is even worse than 2003 and the run-up to the disastrous Iraq invasion. They have learned nothing from that quagmire!
Reposted by BillBenda
SEN. KELLY : “They informed me of this in a tweet because this is not about the law. This is about the media cycle, and intimidation… We basically repeated the uniform code of military justice, and they're saying that's in violation of it. It's absurd. Comical.”
November 25, 2025 at 3:15 AM
SEN. KELLY : “They informed me of this in a tweet because this is not about the law. This is about the media cycle, and intimidation… We basically repeated the uniform code of military justice, and they're saying that's in violation of it. It's absurd. Comical.”
Rep. Underwood is an RN, with two master's degrees from Johns Hopkins.
Please listen to her description of the inhumane facilities used to detain people.
Please listen to her description of the inhumane facilities used to detain people.
Today, after months of requests, I toured the Broadview ICE Processing Facility. I want to share what I saw.
The facility has no food vendor, no medical care, and detainees have to use toilets in the middle of shared cells. These are in no way suitable conditions to be holding anyone — period.
The facility has no food vendor, no medical care, and detainees have to use toilets in the middle of shared cells. These are in no way suitable conditions to be holding anyone — period.
November 25, 2025 at 3:48 AM
Rep. Underwood is an RN, with two master's degrees from Johns Hopkins.
Please listen to her description of the inhumane facilities used to detain people.
Please listen to her description of the inhumane facilities used to detain people.
Reposted by BillBenda
Phil Knight is almost single handedly funding the OR GOP, one of the more extreme state GOPs in the country. Keep that in mind next time you’re in the market for sportswear or sneakers. www.oregonlive.com/politics/202...
Nike co-founder Phil Knight makes record-setting donation to help elect Republicans
It is the single largest donation Knight has made to an Oregon candidate or political action committee.
www.oregonlive.com
November 25, 2025 at 3:31 AM
Phil Knight is almost single handedly funding the OR GOP, one of the more extreme state GOPs in the country. Keep that in mind next time you’re in the market for sportswear or sneakers. www.oregonlive.com/politics/202...
This isn't going to go well for Republicans.
Mark Kelly: "My wife, Gabby Giffords, meeting with her constituents, shot in the head. Six people killed around her, a horrific thing. She spent six months in the hospital. We know what political violence is and we know what causes it too, The statements that Donald Trump made incites others."
November 25, 2025 at 3:33 AM
This isn't going to go well for Republicans.
Reposted by BillBenda
Targeting Kelly is one of those “this is why we’ll win” moments, bc it shows how politically impetuous this admin is.
There’s clearly no adult in the room to say “wait, maybe don’t go after the charismatic war hero turned literal astronaut who ran after his wife was a victim of political violence.”
There’s clearly no adult in the room to say “wait, maybe don’t go after the charismatic war hero turned literal astronaut who ran after his wife was a victim of political violence.”
Mark Kelly: "My wife, Gabby Giffords, meeting with her constituents, shot in the head. Six people killed around her, a horrific thing. She spent six months in the hospital. We know what political violence is and we know what causes it too, The statements that Donald Trump made incites others."
November 25, 2025 at 3:10 AM
Targeting Kelly is one of those “this is why we’ll win” moments, bc it shows how politically impetuous this admin is.
There’s clearly no adult in the room to say “wait, maybe don’t go after the charismatic war hero turned literal astronaut who ran after his wife was a victim of political violence.”
There’s clearly no adult in the room to say “wait, maybe don’t go after the charismatic war hero turned literal astronaut who ran after his wife was a victim of political violence.”
Important history.
Thanksgiving is not a colonial/Pilgrim holiday. It’s a Civil War holiday. & we think otherwise in part because of the Lost Cause. 🗃️
www.tiktok.com/t/ZP8UrgXv1/
www.tiktok.com/t/ZP8UrgXv1/
Let’s talk the real #history of #Thanksgiving & the #LostCause history of the #CivilWar Follow @karencoxhistorian “Forgotten America” is available on @thegreatcourses plus & @Audible
TikTok video by PhDRachel
www.tiktok.com
November 25, 2025 at 2:43 AM
Important history.
Reposted by BillBenda
In reflection, these leaves fallen across a puddle, have found a way back into their parents’ arms.
November 23, 2025 at 10:04 AM
In reflection, these leaves fallen across a puddle, have found a way back into their parents’ arms.
Reposted by BillBenda
From the moment he answered our Village Voice ad for a "freak energy musical experienced drummer," our lives changed forever. We believe his energy lives on—somewhere still vibrant, echoing in ways we can’t yet understand. Happy Birthday, Clem — wherever you are…
November 24, 2025 at 3:26 PM
From the moment he answered our Village Voice ad for a "freak energy musical experienced drummer," our lives changed forever. We believe his energy lives on—somewhere still vibrant, echoing in ways we can’t yet understand. Happy Birthday, Clem — wherever you are…
Reposted by BillBenda
We lost our friend and drummer Clem Burke in April of this year. Clem was the heartbeat of Blondie - vital to our sound, success, and spirit. His extraordinary talent, infectious enthusiasm, and fierce work ethic shaped everything we did.
📸: Diane Harvey
📸: Diane Harvey
November 24, 2025 at 3:26 PM
We lost our friend and drummer Clem Burke in April of this year. Clem was the heartbeat of Blondie - vital to our sound, success, and spirit. His extraordinary talent, infectious enthusiasm, and fierce work ethic shaped everything we did.
📸: Diane Harvey
📸: Diane Harvey