Tom ‘Beardo’ Hilliard
@tomh4.bsky.social
Trying to stay focused on higher ed, but someone always seems to be wrong on the internet.
Reposted by Tom ‘Beardo’ Hilliard
So President Trump has the ability to deprive Sen. Tim Kaine of sleep by cutting off SNAP benefits or laying off government workers, thereby destroying Kaine's willingness to fight for his constituents? I'm sure Trump is quite pleased to know that and will take note for future confrontations.
Tim Kaine on backlash he's getting: "I got the first good night's sleep last night that I've gotten since Oct 1, b/c I wasn't worried about being able to look Capitol Police in the eye when I walked in, or what a furloughed fed worker would say to me at church, or what somebody would say about SNAP"
November 10, 2025 at 8:23 PM
So President Trump has the ability to deprive Sen. Tim Kaine of sleep by cutting off SNAP benefits or laying off government workers, thereby destroying Kaine's willingness to fight for his constituents? I'm sure Trump is quite pleased to know that and will take note for future confrontations.
Reposted by Tom ‘Beardo’ Hilliard
A reminder - last March, republicans promised to restore $1.1B in funding to DC in exchange for funding the government, and Mike Johnson never took it up in the House.
a cartoon girl in a blue dress is kneeling in a field holding a bag
ALT: a cartoon girl in a blue dress is kneeling in a field holding a bag
media.tenor.com
November 10, 2025 at 2:07 AM
A reminder - last March, republicans promised to restore $1.1B in funding to DC in exchange for funding the government, and Mike Johnson never took it up in the House.
💯
Scholars - if you're publishing articles behind a paywall, why not make your work accessible to everyone by also publishing a preprint version?
November 10, 2025 at 1:30 AM
💯
Puzzling to hear Kaine describe a Senate vote on ACA tax credits as something “Republicans weren’t willing to do” when Senate Majority Leader Thune publicly proposed it in a Sunday interview three weeks ago.
My statement on the funding deal to reopen government, protect federal employees, and vote to protect health care:
November 10, 2025 at 1:08 AM
Puzzling to hear Kaine describe a Senate vote on ACA tax credits as something “Republicans weren’t willing to do” when Senate Majority Leader Thune publicly proposed it in a Sunday interview three weeks ago.
My understanding is that people in these states really need to start dialing and sending angry emails: Georgia, Nevada, Michigan, and New Hampshire. These are the home grounds of the emerging Surrender Caucus.
If you have a Dem senator and you're seeing this right now, CALL THEM RIGHT NOW and tell them NO. If you don't know anyone who would be affected by this, call them for my friend Lisa. She cannot afford insurance without ACA subsidies and without health insurance I'm terrified she will die.
! A key group of Senate Democrats is leaning toward voting for a deal to end the shutdown, provided final details can be worked out like worker protections (Gift link)
(Deal does NOT include an ACA extension.)
www.bloomberg.com/news/article...
(Deal does NOT include an ACA extension.)
www.bloomberg.com/news/article...
November 9, 2025 at 11:53 PM
My understanding is that people in these states really need to start dialing and sending angry emails: Georgia, Nevada, Michigan, and New Hampshire. These are the home grounds of the emerging Surrender Caucus.
Reposted by Tom ‘Beardo’ Hilliard
Sounds like the squishes in the senate caucus are ready to pull the plug with no ACA changes. This is real. If you want to register your opinion you shld call yr senator in the next hour. They not only want to reopen w/nothing. They want cover from their colleagues who still want to hold out.
November 9, 2025 at 8:42 PM
Sounds like the squishes in the senate caucus are ready to pull the plug with no ACA changes. This is real. If you want to register your opinion you shld call yr senator in the next hour. They not only want to reopen w/nothing. They want cover from their colleagues who still want to hold out.
Congrats to New York voters for not electing this vapid airhead governor.
Zeldin: "Conservatives say there are two genders. Democrats are saying there are a hundred genders and counting and growing."
November 9, 2025 at 4:54 PM
Congrats to New York voters for not electing this vapid airhead governor.
Exactly. And not just USDA’s own guidance, but the guidance of the USDA official, Patrick Penn, who is now threatening to punish states for following his earlier guidance.
I asked Georgetown law prof David Super wtf is going on with this latest demand for states to claw back benefits already sent out.
He says the law doesn't allow for this, and if the USDA is mad that states already sent out SNAP money, too bad—they were following USDA's own guidance. Full comments:
He says the law doesn't allow for this, and if the USDA is mad that states already sent out SNAP money, too bad—they were following USDA's own guidance. Full comments:
November 9, 2025 at 4:50 PM
Exactly. And not just USDA’s own guidance, but the guidance of the USDA official, Patrick Penn, who is now threatening to punish states for following his earlier guidance.
This is what happens when you hate the people you serve, and also when you replace competent staff with disorganized bunglers. The states that released full benefits acted under the authority of a valid court order and without any guidance from USDA warning otherwise.
NEW: The Trump admin told states it must immediately "undo" the work to provide full food stamp benefits, or face penalties. The feds sent this in a late-night memo, only adding to the chaos and confusion around SNAP. www.nytimes.com/2025/11/09/b...
Trump Administration Demands States ‘Undo’ Work to Send Full Food Stamps
www.nytimes.com
November 9, 2025 at 3:50 PM
This is what happens when you hate the people you serve, and also when you replace competent staff with disorganized bunglers. The states that released full benefits acted under the authority of a valid court order and without any guidance from USDA warning otherwise.
Now I have to rewatch all of Mamdani’s videos looking for the Liquid Sky influences.
You can be like, the average person doesn’t know who Kiarostami is, what are they talking about? But film is a visual language that people speak without knowing they’re doing it. You need to know what vocabulary is available.
November 5, 2025 at 4:20 PM
Now I have to rewatch all of Mamdani’s videos looking for the Liquid Sky influences.
President Trump delivers his takeaway lesson from last night: fair elections are dangerous and we should squash them as quickly as possible.
Trump: "They're gonna make DC a state and they're gonna make Puerto Rico a state. So now they pick up two states, four senators. They're gonna pick up electoral votes. It's gonna be a very, very bad situation. Now, if we do what I'm saying, they'll most likely never obtain power."
November 5, 2025 at 3:03 PM
President Trump delivers his takeaway lesson from last night: fair elections are dangerous and we should squash them as quickly as possible.
Graceful concession from Cuomo, who still calls his opponent Mandami. Maybe it wasn't a tactic and he’s literally unable to correctly pronounce Mamdani’s name? 🤔
Cuomo: Congratulations to Zohran Mamdani
Crowd: Boooooo
Cuomo: No, no… That is not right and that is not us. Tonight was their night.
Crowd: Boooooo
Cuomo: No, no… That is not right and that is not us. Tonight was their night.
November 5, 2025 at 4:07 AM
Graceful concession from Cuomo, who still calls his opponent Mandami. Maybe it wasn't a tactic and he’s literally unable to correctly pronounce Mamdani’s name? 🤔
Reposted by Tom ‘Beardo’ Hilliard
Some crazy results in South Jersey tonight. 70% of the vote being reported in Ocean County, and Ciattarelli is up by 30 percent. Which seems good.
Except that he needed to win Ocean County by *50* points.
Except that he needed to win Ocean County by *50* points.
November 5, 2025 at 2:03 AM
Some crazy results in South Jersey tonight. 70% of the vote being reported in Ocean County, and Ciattarelli is up by 30 percent. Which seems good.
Except that he needed to win Ocean County by *50* points.
Except that he needed to win Ocean County by *50* points.
Hmm, pretty sure this is the coffee shop where @nj11thforchange.bsky.social started. Can anybody confirm?
After voting and a stop at Montclair Diner, the final stop of my Election Day rituals is Java Love in Montclair, where it all began with our grassroots movement.
These traditions haven't failed me yet, and they won't today.
These traditions haven't failed me yet, and they won't today.
November 4, 2025 at 10:09 PM
Hmm, pretty sure this is the coffee shop where @nj11thforchange.bsky.social started. Can anybody confirm?
This article captures a zeitgeist that will probably be hard to remember a year from now.
Why the WashPost, WSJ, and NYT all hate Mamdani. Excellent piece from @hamiltonnolan.bsky.social. www.cjr.org/analysis/leg...
November 4, 2025 at 8:48 PM
This article captures a zeitgeist that will probably be hard to remember a year from now.
Come on Garden Staters. You know what to do. You have six hours left to do it.
Shout Out New Jersey
Vote
Mikie Sherrill
Tomorrow VOTE
GO TO
vote.org/newjersey
@mikiesherrill.bsky.social
Vote
Mikie Sherrill
Tomorrow VOTE
GO TO
vote.org/newjersey
@mikiesherrill.bsky.social
November 4, 2025 at 7:05 PM
Come on Garden Staters. You know what to do. You have six hours left to do it.
Josh is right here. In addition, Sen. John Thune publicly offered Dems this deal three weeks ago. People will reasonably want to know why Dems allowed federal workers to suffer for a deal they could have had back in mid-October. abcnews.go.com/Politics/thu...
November 4, 2025 at 5:16 PM
Josh is right here. In addition, Sen. John Thune publicly offered Dems this deal three weeks ago. People will reasonably want to know why Dems allowed federal workers to suffer for a deal they could have had back in mid-October. abcnews.go.com/Politics/thu...
Reposted by Tom ‘Beardo’ Hilliard
Head Start closures will have far-reaching and long-lasting consequences. Because the million kids who rely on the program don't have other options. And so, we're likely to see:
⬇️maternal employment
⬆️child poverty, hunger, and homelessness
⬇️school readiness and achievement long-term
⬇️maternal employment
⬆️child poverty, hunger, and homelessness
⬇️school readiness and achievement long-term
November 4, 2025 at 2:30 PM
Head Start closures will have far-reaching and long-lasting consequences. Because the million kids who rely on the program don't have other options. And so, we're likely to see:
⬇️maternal employment
⬆️child poverty, hunger, and homelessness
⬇️school readiness and achievement long-term
⬇️maternal employment
⬆️child poverty, hunger, and homelessness
⬇️school readiness and achievement long-term
Reminds me that I once joined a block list to screen out MAGA shills. Then one day I couldn’t check out Ezra Klein’s account because the admin had added him in a fit of pique over the Kirk op-ed. I realized I couldn’t safely trust someone else to decide who to block and unsubbed.
Blocking hatemongers is one thing but this trend of using mass block lists to avoid hearing from people who might or might not hold points of view you expect to disagree with is unhealthy imo and hurts the platform.
Bluesky was better off with folks like Margaret Mitchell and Giada Pistilli on it.
Bluesky was better off with folks like Margaret Mitchell and Giada Pistilli on it.
November 3, 2025 at 8:26 PM
Reminds me that I once joined a block list to screen out MAGA shills. Then one day I couldn’t check out Ezra Klein’s account because the admin had added him in a fit of pique over the Kirk op-ed. I realized I couldn’t safely trust someone else to decide who to block and unsubbed.
Reposted by Tom ‘Beardo’ Hilliard
Why should you 🫵🏿 care about SNAP? SNAP recipients saw:
- Improved life expectancy
- Lower chance of incarceration
- Lowers chance of poverty
- Lived in better neighborhoods
- Higher human capital
SNAP keeps our neighbors fed, communities safer, and kids educated. Also people are HUNGRY. DUH!
- Improved life expectancy
- Lower chance of incarceration
- Lowers chance of poverty
- Lived in better neighborhoods
- Higher human capital
SNAP keeps our neighbors fed, communities safer, and kids educated. Also people are HUNGRY. DUH!
October 31, 2025 at 11:12 AM
Why should you 🫵🏿 care about SNAP? SNAP recipients saw:
- Improved life expectancy
- Lower chance of incarceration
- Lowers chance of poverty
- Lived in better neighborhoods
- Higher human capital
SNAP keeps our neighbors fed, communities safer, and kids educated. Also people are HUNGRY. DUH!
- Improved life expectancy
- Lower chance of incarceration
- Lowers chance of poverty
- Lived in better neighborhoods
- Higher human capital
SNAP keeps our neighbors fed, communities safer, and kids educated. Also people are HUNGRY. DUH!
Question for SNAP experts: is this evil policy even correctly interpreting the regs? I suspect the policy pertains to participants paying with SNAP cards.
The USDA sent an email to grocery stores telling them they are prohibited from offering special discounts to customers affected by the SNAP funding lapse.
I'm aware of at least 2 stores that had offered struggling customers a discount, then withdrew it after receiving this email
I'm aware of at least 2 stores that had offered struggling customers a discount, then withdrew it after receiving this email
November 2, 2025 at 8:26 PM
Question for SNAP experts: is this evil policy even correctly interpreting the regs? I suspect the policy pertains to participants paying with SNAP cards.
This could be an enduring image of Trump. In 2016, Trump said "My whole life I take money. Now I'm going to be greedy for the United States." That satisfied many Americans until now, when everyone can see that he never stopped being greedy for himself. www.theguardian.com/us-news/2016...
November 1, 2025 at 9:16 PM
This could be an enduring image of Trump. In 2016, Trump said "My whole life I take money. Now I'm going to be greedy for the United States." That satisfied many Americans until now, when everyone can see that he never stopped being greedy for himself. www.theguardian.com/us-news/2016...
Seems like a big deal.
🚨 EXPLOSIVE NEW investigation: We uncovered previously undisclosed details about an 18-month money laundering investigation into Jeffrey Epstein that took place alongside the 2007 sex crimes probe, according to emails obtained from Epstein's personal Yahoo account
🎁 www.bloomberg.com/features/202...
🎁 www.bloomberg.com/features/202...
Jeffrey Epstein Went to War Over Money Laundering Probe in 2007 Sex Case
Federal prosecutors opened a financial-crimes investigation into Jeffrey Epstein in 2007 amid their larger sex-trafficking probe. The financier and his legal team waged a war against them, his emails ...
www.bloomberg.com
November 1, 2025 at 4:38 PM
Seems like a big deal.
Good to remind everyone that residents of rural communities are more likely to live in poverty and self-report food insecurity. One in seven rural Americans receive SNAP benefits, compared to one in eight residents of urban communities. Courtesy of FRAC. frac.org/blog/snaps-c...
October 31, 2025 at 5:56 PM
Good to remind everyone that residents of rural communities are more likely to live in poverty and self-report food insecurity. One in seven rural Americans receive SNAP benefits, compared to one in eight residents of urban communities. Courtesy of FRAC. frac.org/blog/snaps-c...