genebensinger
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genebensinger.bsky.social
genebensinger
@genebensinger.bsky.social
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Volunteer parent advocate for equitable autism + disability research, public policy, funding, supports. Chicago. Aikido. Reader. profoundautism.org
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genebensinger.bsky.social
Major media stories about cruelly withheld SNAP funding have typically erased intellectually and developmentally disabled recipients from the narrative. The lazy default is “poor people”. More editors and reporters need to responsibly follow the example below from @slooterman.bsky.social
slooterman.bsky.social Sara Luterman @slooterman.bsky.social · 3d
People with intellectual and developmental disabilities rely on SNAP. In my latest @19thnews.org, I talk to a bunch of policy people and economists, as well as Kajeana Tillman, who lives in the Bronx and just wants to get groceries like she usually does.
SNAP benefits are a ‘lifeline’ — especially for people with disabilities
For those with disabilities who rely on the aid, its uncertainty threatens not just nutrition, but independence.
19thnews.org
November 12, 2025 at 9:40 PM
Reposted by genebensinger
govpritzker.illinois.gov
This is not a deal — it's an empty promise.

Trump and his Republican Congress are making healthcare more expensive for the middle class and ending it for working families.

Time for Democrats to stand tall for affordable healthcare. www.politico.com/news/2025/11...
Senate reaches deal on ending the shutdown
Democrats are coalescing around a bipartisan agreement to fund the government.
www.politico.com
November 10, 2025 at 12:50 AM
genebensinger.bsky.social
This are spectacular images.
November 9, 2025 at 6:47 PM
Reposted by genebensinger
newsjennifer.bsky.social
Here's a disgusting new twist to the Kavanaugh stop: Are you aware of Zorhan Mamdani? WHAT THE HELL? Read this
@chicago.suntimes.com times.com story about how ICE stopped an Illinois state highway worker doing road construction. chicago.suntimes.com/immigration/...
The employee, who is Indian and a U.S. citizen, was stopped and questioned by agents while working on the Busse Highway resurfacing project. Three agents, wearing masks, questioned him about his immigration status - and also asked him if he had traveled to New York and if he was “aware” of the mayor-elect in New York City, the governor’s office said.
November 8, 2025 at 2:45 PM
Reposted by genebensinger
charlesgaba.com
HERE'S WHAT THIS LOOKS LIKE VISUALLY.

YOU MIGHT WANT TO SIT DOWN.
West Virginia
October 28, 2025 at 8:32 PM
Reposted by genebensinger
andreapitzer.bsky.social
I've talked before about power struggles within hardening authoritarianism. Usually, regime supporters fight over using rule-of-law in crackdowns (with massive abuses, of course) vs. completely embracing extrajudicial methods. Here, we see the latter dominating. Which is very bad news going forward.
reichlinmelnick.bsky.social Aaron Reichlin-Melnick @reichlinmelnick.bsky.social · 18d
🚨BIG changes happening -- ICE leadership is being purged tonight. The old guard, which prioritized targeted enforcement operations aimed at people with criminal records, is being replaced with Border Patrol and Gregory Bovino's "Midway Blitz" style.

Think things are bad now? It'll get worse.
Bill Melugin @BillMelugin_ BREAKING: Per four senior DHS & Trump admin sources, a mass removal of ICE leadership around the country is underway, with up to 12 ICE field office chiefs being removed & reassigned in an effort to increase deportation numbers. I'm told the move is spearheaded by Corey Lewandowski, and a handful of the ICE Chiefs will likely be replaced by Border Patrol & CBP officials, some of whom will be hand-picked by aggressive & controversial Border Patrol Commander Greg Bovino. I'm told some of the ICE leadership removed from their positions include the ICE Field Office Directors in: - Los Angeles - Phoenix - Philadelphia - Denver - El Paso - San Diego - Seattle/Portland - New Orleans Border Patrol officials taking over ICE leadership positions would be extremely significant, as Border Patrol and ICE do different things, and I've done numerous ride-alongs/embeds with both. Generally speaking, ICE typically conducts very targeted operations, largely going after criminal illegal aliens or those with deportation orders, but almost always knowing who they are targeting for arrest, often conducting surveillance to learn their schedules before and waiting hours before arresting them if needed. Border Patrol, under Trump 2.0, while sometimes doing their own targeted operations, has been extremely aggressive and has been at the forefront of some of the most controversial immigration enforcement operations we've seen so far, carrying out roving patrols in Los Angeles, Chicago, etc, often at Home Depot, car washes, flea markets etc, leading to a handful of federal judges around the country issuing injunctions against them. A majority of the viral videos you see online are Border Patrol agents, including the use of a Trojan horse style Penske moving truck at a Los Angeles Home Depot, an operation organized by Bovino. ICE often gets blamed for what Border Patrol does, as the media and activists often cannot tell the difference between federal agents, and everyone is called "ICE". I'm told there are growing concerns about the political and PR fallout associated with some of the roving patrols Border Patrol is conducting as lawsuits continue to stack up and mid-terms approach next year. I'm told there is significant friction within different wings of DHS and the administration, with Border Czar Tom Homan & ICE Director Todd Lyons preferring to prioritize targeting criminal aliens & the "worst of the worst" or those with deportation orders, while DHS Secretary Kristi Noem, Corey Lewandowski, and BP Commander Bovino prefer to use aggressive tactics to arrest anyone in the US illegally, including but not limited to criminals, to ramp up deportation numbers and achieve President Trump's promises of mass deportations. I am hearing from both sides of this friction. One senior DHS official tells me: "ICE started with the worst of the worst, knowing every target they are hitting, but since Border Patrol started in LA in June, we've (DHS) lost our focus, going too hard, too fast, with limited prioritization. It's getting numbers, but at what cost?". Border Patrol agents I've talked to defend their tactics, with one telling me: "What did everyone think mass deportations meant? Only the worst? Tom Homan has said it himself, anyone in the US illegally is on the table." It's quite a situation, as both sides of this are on the same team, with the same end goals, but different perspectives on how to get there. Another DHS official confirmed the personnel changes to me on deep background, adding that the moves are based on performance and doing what is needed to achieve the best results. Official statement to @FoxNews via @TriciaOhio : "While we have no personnel changes to announce at this time, the Trump Administration remains laser focused on delivering results and removing violent criminal illegal aliens from this country." 7:57 PM · Oct 27, 2025 · 29.6K Views
October 28, 2025 at 12:51 AM
genebensinger.bsky.social
No better guide to navigate the tech wilderness than @ftrain.bsky.social The pheromone quip reminded me that my most enduring textbook for the financial world has been the late Jane Goodall’s, “The Chimpanzees of Gombe - Patterns of Behavior”.
ftrain.bsky.social Paul Ford @ftrain.bsky.social · 19d
I’m writing for the local paper again!
harmancipants.bsky.social Reyhan Harmanci @harmancipants.bsky.social · 19d
People are scared of what happens after the bubble bursts. @ftrain.bsky.social is looking forward to it www.wired.com/story/ai-nor...
October 27, 2025 at 12:32 PM
Reposted by genebensinger
ftrain.bsky.social
I’m writing for the local paper again!
October 27, 2025 at 11:53 AM
genebensinger.bsky.social
Terrific interview.
npr.org NPR @npr.org · 21d
Del Toro's new Frankenstein adaption reimagines Mary Shelley's 1818 Gothic novel. Frankenstein was like a tech bro: "creating something without considering the consequences," he explains. n.pr/3L5exuu
Filmmaker Guillermo del Toro says 'I'd rather die' than use generative AI
Del Toro's new Frankenstein adaption reimagines Mary Shelley's 1818 Gothic novel. Frankenstein was like a tech bro: "creating something without considering the consequences," he explains.
n.pr
October 25, 2025 at 9:33 AM
Reposted by genebensinger
mattalt.bsky.social
Japanese pundits coined the term "Galapagos syndrome" to express how their country lost its role as global consumer electronics innovator. But in a world driven mad by tech disruption, is Japan’s having fallen behind turning into a secret super power?
blog.pureinventionbook.com/p/super-gala...
Super Galapagos
In a world driven mad by tech disruption, Japan’s having fallen behind is a superpower
blog.pureinventionbook.com
October 23, 2025 at 7:24 AM
Reposted by genebensinger
elleisanisland.bsky.social
I'm not sure you can get more marie antoinette than taking away food stamps before thanksgiving while you build a gold and marble dance hall so the other crooks can bring bribe you over a badly-cooked (argentinian) steak
October 22, 2025 at 11:53 AM
Reposted by genebensinger
timobrien.bsky.social
Premiums for employer-provided health insurance spiked by more than double the rate of inflation this year, driving the cost of a family plan to almost $27,000. Prescription drugs and chronic diseases are contributing to the higher price.
www.statnews.com/2025/10/22/h...
The cost of health insurance for a family jumps to $27,000
The cost of workplace health insurance rose faster than inflation or wages.
www.statnews.com
October 22, 2025 at 3:05 PM
Reposted by genebensinger
markjacob.bsky.social
Huge crowd in Chicago. #NoKings
October 18, 2025 at 5:08 PM
Reposted by genebensinger
govpritzker.illinois.gov
Donald Trump's effort to deploy troops in American cities is not normal.

There is no rational justification for such a deployment.

It is a breach of the most fundamental values and customs that our armed forces operate on.
October 18, 2025 at 2:49 PM
Reposted by genebensinger
torystephens.bsky.social
Tariff costs to companies this year to hit $1.2 trillion, with consumers taking most of the hit, S&P says.

www.cnbc.com/2025/10/16/t...

#Tariffs #Consumers #Economy #Business #Bills
Tariff costs to companies this year to hit $1.2 trillion, with consumers taking most of the hit, S&P says
The firm said its estimate of additional expenses for companies is probably conservative.
www.cnbc.com
October 18, 2025 at 11:28 AM
genebensinger.bsky.social
Amazing. *This* work by Kara Walker (and exhibition) is an artistic statement of the highest order. When I saw the image, the first thought that popped into my head was “Guernica”. Thank you @artcrimeprof.bsky.social
October 18, 2025 at 12:25 PM
Reposted by genebensinger
mnemonic.bsky.social
As an online MAGA discussion continues, the probability of a laudatory reference or comparison to Hitler or to Nazis all-too-briskly approaches 1.
October 17, 2025 at 8:53 PM
Reposted by genebensinger
govpritzker.illinois.gov
The people around Donald Trump are taking advantage of his diminished capacity to break the law.

Whatever they do now, we won’t forget — and we will hold them accountable.
October 17, 2025 at 3:13 PM
Reposted by genebensinger
newrepublic.com
ICE agents surrounded, seized, and zip-tied a U.S. citizen who had just finished working a double shift because she didn’t “look” American to them.

She had her U.S. passport on her when she was detained, yet she was interrogated for an hour. trib.al/hDC7Vgv
October 14, 2025 at 5:08 PM
Reposted by genebensinger
elienyc.bsky.social
Oh, by the way, I wrote in @thenation.com about how Trump is condeming millions of Americans to hunger this Thanksigiving with his accelarated timeline of adding work requirements for SNAP benefits.
I also discussed how work requirements provably don't work, for the neoliberals in your life.
Trump Has Just Condemned More Americans to Hunger
The administration’s decision to fast-track a bunch of changes to food stamps—including new work requirements—is as stupid as it is cruel.
www.thenation.com
October 15, 2025 at 4:54 PM
genebensinger.bsky.social
No kings = no *shrinking* paychecks and a return to sane fiscal and economic policy.

Democrats, independents, and progressives should not ignore the power of the “are you (financially) better off today?” argument in the No Kings messaging this weekend.

Kitchen table issues stick.
atrupar.com Aaron Rupar @atrupar.com · Oct 15
Bessent: "This crazy No Kings rally this weekend, which is gonna be the farthest left, the hardest core, the most unhinged in the Democratic Party, which is a big title. No Kings equals no paychecks."
October 15, 2025 at 2:59 PM
genebensinger.bsky.social
The call is coming from inside the house. I suspect the honorable Mr. Craven did not hesitate to act. Pretty solid evidence of the corrosion of some formerly great organizations.
markjacob.bsky.social Mark Jacob @markjacob.bsky.social · Oct 9
Joining the ranks of media capitulation and cowardice is the Illinois Press Association. Under CEO Don Craven, the group joined a lawsuit against ICE’s attacks on the local press and protesters in the Chicago area. But his board ordered him to withdraw from the suit, and he resigned. 1/2
Illinois Press Association CEO Resigns After Dispute Over ICE Lawsuit
The CEO of the Illinois Press Association, who had joined a lawsuit against the Trump administration for actions toward journalists outside a Chicago-area ICE facility, resigned this week following a ...
localnewsinitiative.northwestern.edu
October 9, 2025 at 1:22 PM
genebensinger.bsky.social
For those outside of Chicago today, I rode the “L” into my job in the CBD “loop”. Walked out to get lunch. Saw tons of tourists taking pictures of the river, skyscrapers and each other. It’s Marathon weekend and the Cubs are playing- all as usual. No soldiers wanted or needed here.
October 8, 2025 at 8:56 PM
Reposted by genebensinger
chrismurphyct.bsky.social
This has nothing to do with crime. This is an attempt to crush political dissent.

Never before, in our entire 250 year history, has the military or immigration agents been used like this. It's dystopian, illegal, and it should stop.
October 7, 2025 at 7:51 PM
Reposted by genebensinger
thebulwark.com
Pritzker: “The Trump administration is following a playbook: Cause chaos, create fear and confusion, make it seem that peaceful protesters are a mob by firing gas pellets and tear gas canisters at them. Why? To create the pretext for invoking the Insurrection Act.”
October 6, 2025 at 10:40 PM