Thor Benson
@thorbenson.bsky.social
Writer. Featured in Rolling Stone, WIRED, The Daily Beast, NBC News and elsewhere. I write about politics, tech and science.
Newsletter: madness.ghost.io
Newsletter: madness.ghost.io
So is the House at least going to swear in Adelita Grijalva now
November 10, 2025 at 8:02 AM
So is the House at least going to swear in Adelita Grijalva now
In LA for the first time in years and they have delivery robots that have anxiety now
November 10, 2025 at 6:40 AM
In LA for the first time in years and they have delivery robots that have anxiety now
Popular opinion: New Senate minority leader
November 10, 2025 at 5:40 AM
Popular opinion: New Senate minority leader
Reposted by Thor Benson
I truly don’t know how you look at the past week and THEN decide THIS is an appropriate — let alone the right — response.
Dems backed Trump into a corner where he’s advocating for starving Americans and hemorrhaging support. If they vote to let him off the hook in exchange for nothing it’s a cataclysmic failure. I know people are in pain but insulating Republicans from political consequences is not the answer.
November 9, 2025 at 11:14 PM
I truly don’t know how you look at the past week and THEN decide THIS is an appropriate — let alone the right — response.
A promise to vote on extending ACA tax credits for one year is not a good deal
BREAKING: Deal to end government shutdown in reach
Deal to end government shutdown in reach
At least 10 Senate Democrats are expected to support a key procedural motion.
www.axios.com
November 9, 2025 at 9:43 PM
A promise to vote on extending ACA tax credits for one year is not a good deal
Reposted by Thor Benson
Reductions in Force not required by shutdowns, have never happened in any previous shutdown, and a judge has ruled they are illegal.
The shutdown is an excuse, not a reason, for them to do what they wanted to do: destroy government.
The shutdown is an excuse, not a reason, for them to do what they wanted to do: destroy government.
Lee Zeldin announces on Fox that there will be "severe" layoffs at the EPA if the shutdown continues
November 9, 2025 at 3:28 PM
Reductions in Force not required by shutdowns, have never happened in any previous shutdown, and a judge has ruled they are illegal.
The shutdown is an excuse, not a reason, for them to do what they wanted to do: destroy government.
The shutdown is an excuse, not a reason, for them to do what they wanted to do: destroy government.
Reposted by Thor Benson
FLAG: The Trump admin has told states to "immediately undo" any actions to provide full food stamp benefits to low-income families for the month of November — threatening financial penalties if they do not comply.
SNAP helps roughly one in eight Americans buy groceries.
SNAP helps roughly one in eight Americans buy groceries.
November 9, 2025 at 8:40 PM
FLAG: The Trump admin has told states to "immediately undo" any actions to provide full food stamp benefits to low-income families for the month of November — threatening financial penalties if they do not comply.
SNAP helps roughly one in eight Americans buy groceries.
SNAP helps roughly one in eight Americans buy groceries.
Reposted by Thor Benson
Yesterday at the farmer’s market I saw a vendor quietly give food to someone whose EBT (SNAP) card didn’t have enough money on it.
People helping people because the president and his administration refuse to.
Even when court-ordered.
People helping people because the president and his administration refuse to.
Even when court-ordered.
November 9, 2025 at 6:00 PM
Yesterday at the farmer’s market I saw a vendor quietly give food to someone whose EBT (SNAP) card didn’t have enough money on it.
People helping people because the president and his administration refuse to.
Even when court-ordered.
People helping people because the president and his administration refuse to.
Even when court-ordered.
You want to get nuts? Let's get nuts
November 9, 2025 at 8:58 AM
You want to get nuts? Let's get nuts
Reposted by Thor Benson
"The planes also don't have engines, which would need to be purchased separately."
The WSJ on how unbelievably stupid Noem and Lewandowski are.
I don’t care that I’m late to this; it’s to good to pass up.
www.wsj.com/politics/pol...
I don’t care that I’m late to this; it’s to good to pass up.
www.wsj.com/politics/pol...
November 9, 2025 at 12:18 AM
"The planes also don't have engines, which would need to be purchased separately."
Reposted by Thor Benson
Journalists for NYT document tortures to dozens of Venezuelans Trump sent to El Salvador earlier this year.
The piece is based on the testimonies of 40 people and on doctors who said their injuries are consistent and credible
www.nytimes.com/2025/11/08/w...
The piece is based on the testimonies of 40 people and on doctors who said their injuries are consistent and credible
www.nytimes.com/2025/11/08/w...
‘You Are All Terrorists’: Four Months in a Salvadoran Prison
www.nytimes.com
November 8, 2025 at 11:07 PM
Journalists for NYT document tortures to dozens of Venezuelans Trump sent to El Salvador earlier this year.
The piece is based on the testimonies of 40 people and on doctors who said their injuries are consistent and credible
www.nytimes.com/2025/11/08/w...
The piece is based on the testimonies of 40 people and on doctors who said their injuries are consistent and credible
www.nytimes.com/2025/11/08/w...
Reposted by Thor Benson
NYC is home to “384,000 millionaires” while 20% of residents are on #SNAP.
“.. the extent to which some .. have it all while others have absolutely nothing .. without a civil uprising .. is a minor miracle unto itself.”
@downtownjoshbrown.bsky.social
www.downtownjoshbrown.com/p/there-s-so...
“.. the extent to which some .. have it all while others have absolutely nothing .. without a civil uprising .. is a minor miracle unto itself.”
@downtownjoshbrown.bsky.social
www.downtownjoshbrown.com/p/there-s-so...
November 8, 2025 at 9:48 PM
NYC is home to “384,000 millionaires” while 20% of residents are on #SNAP.
“.. the extent to which some .. have it all while others have absolutely nothing .. without a civil uprising .. is a minor miracle unto itself.”
@downtownjoshbrown.bsky.social
www.downtownjoshbrown.com/p/there-s-so...
“.. the extent to which some .. have it all while others have absolutely nothing .. without a civil uprising .. is a minor miracle unto itself.”
@downtownjoshbrown.bsky.social
www.downtownjoshbrown.com/p/there-s-so...
Reposted by Thor Benson
A majority of the days the government has ever been shut down, Donald Trump was president. www.howtoreadthisch.art/red-versus-b...
November 8, 2025 at 7:04 PM
A majority of the days the government has ever been shut down, Donald Trump was president. www.howtoreadthisch.art/red-versus-b...
Reposted by Thor Benson
oh so these people do pay attention to who politicians follow on social media, they just don’t care that the vice president follows a bunch of actual neo-nazis
Axios tried to bust James Talarico for following adult content creators on Instagram and I'm genuinely impressed by his campaign's response
November 8, 2025 at 4:39 PM
oh so these people do pay attention to who politicians follow on social media, they just don’t care that the vice president follows a bunch of actual neo-nazis
AI will vastly reduce Elon's horse budget
Elon has never experienced this and neither have his biggest fans but now they can create these visuals with the help of a computermachine
November 8, 2025 at 4:27 PM
AI will vastly reduce Elon's horse budget
I don't think the president of the United States should starve Americans
November 8, 2025 at 5:28 AM
I don't think the president of the United States should starve Americans
Reposted by Thor Benson
If these flight cancellations continue through the holidays, the American people will eat John Kennedy alive.
GOP SEN. JOHN KENNEDY: It may be 2026 when we'll come out of the shutdown.
REPORTERS: 😳
KENNEDY: I'm not kidding, you guys. I mean, you see what I see. Okay? This shutdown is going to last a long time. What's going to get us out of it?
REPORTERS: 😳
KENNEDY: I'm not kidding, you guys. I mean, you see what I see. Okay? This shutdown is going to last a long time. What's going to get us out of it?
November 8, 2025 at 5:02 AM
If these flight cancellations continue through the holidays, the American people will eat John Kennedy alive.
Reposted by Thor Benson
This is the correct explanation of what happened tonight👇
KBJ threaded the needle thanks to CA1’s unfinished business.
-if she denied the admin stay, the full SCOTUS woulda stepped in to override her.
-if she immediately referred the case to the full Court, they coulda dragged feet.
-instead she boxed them in to act quickly once she does refer the case.
-if she denied the admin stay, the full SCOTUS woulda stepped in to override her.
-if she immediately referred the case to the full Court, they coulda dragged feet.
-instead she boxed them in to act quickly once she does refer the case.
November 8, 2025 at 3:35 AM
This is the correct explanation of what happened tonight👇
The only thing keeping the conservatives justices of the Supreme Court upright is the starch in their shirts
JUSTICE BRETT KAVANAUGH:
“[Scalia] taught us … what it meant to have a backbone, what it meant to withstand withering criticism, what it meant to be fearless, what it meant to stand up for his principles even when they weren’t popular. Especially when they weren’t popular.”
“[Scalia] taught us … what it meant to have a backbone, what it meant to withstand withering criticism, what it meant to be fearless, what it meant to stand up for his principles even when they weren’t popular. Especially when they weren’t popular.”
November 8, 2025 at 4:54 AM
The only thing keeping the conservatives justices of the Supreme Court upright is the starch in their shirts
The state tells corporations what to do and takes ownership of some companies. Bribery of the head of government is systematic. Tens of millions of people are being starved by the leader of the country... This is 𝚌̶𝚘̶𝚖̶𝚖̶𝚞̶𝚗̶𝚒̶𝚜̶𝚖̶ Trumpism
November 8, 2025 at 4:06 AM
The state tells corporations what to do and takes ownership of some companies. Bribery of the head of government is systematic. Tens of millions of people are being starved by the leader of the country... This is 𝚌̶𝚘̶𝚖̶𝚖̶𝚞̶𝚗̶𝚒̶𝚜̶𝚖̶ Trumpism
He's literally trying to starve people to gain political leverage
November 8, 2025 at 12:29 AM
He's literally trying to starve people to gain political leverage
Made it back into America safely :)
November 7, 2025 at 5:58 AM
Made it back into America safely :)
Reposted by Thor Benson
it doesn’t get any clearer that america’s betrothal to fossil fuels is about letting energy companies pick our pockets to prop up their obsolete industry
Australia has so much electricity from solar power that it is going to start offering free electricity to everyone for at least three hours during the day as the wholesale price of power goes negative
electrek.co/2025/11/04/a...
electrek.co/2025/11/04/a...
Australia has so much solar that it's offering everyone free electricity
Australia's extensive solar power penetration makes so much energy that the government wants to offer free electricity at peak hours.
electrek.co
November 6, 2025 at 1:19 PM
it doesn’t get any clearer that america’s betrothal to fossil fuels is about letting energy companies pick our pockets to prop up their obsolete industry