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billybinion.bsky.social
Journalist. Criminal justice & government accountability. Yes, this is my real name.
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They were innocent. But police lied, raided them, and killed them in their own home. The drug war made that possible. Tonight in DC, I’m debating why it needs to end. Howard Theatre at 7pm. Join us.

This is Rhogena Nicholas & Dennis Tuttle. Police shot & killed them—and their dog—during a no-knock raid on their home. A Texas officer claimed an informant had bought heroin there. The problem? That cop lied. The couple hadn’t sold heroin—and there was no informant. A thread.

This is Rhogena Nicholas & Dennis Tuttle. Police shot & killed them—and their dog—during a no-knock raid on their home. A Texas officer claimed an informant had bought heroin there. The problem? That cop lied. The couple hadn’t sold heroin—and there was no informant. A thread.

A lot of people defending Trump bombing Iran would’ve just as passionately defended him *not* bombing if he’d called for restraint instead. We'd be hearing he’s the most peace-loving president in history. So many people's principles start & end with loyalty to one man.

It is my controversial take that no one—non-citizens included—should be jailed for their opinions, no matter how offensive I may personally find them.

Is there anything more libertarian and pro-freedom than the abolition of slavery?

As I've reflected on this day, I've realize that it should be celebrated as much if not more than our independence because the promise of the Declaration of Independence certainly was not met unless and until all were free.

Appreciate this relatively short piece by @billybinion.bsky.social. We should celebrate, though the work continues

I wrote about why Juneteenth truly is the most American—and libertarian—holiday. Nothing is more offensive to liberty than slavery—and nothing more pro-liberty than abolishing it. Happy Juneteenth. reason.com/2025/06/19/j...

Violence doesn’t become more or less grotesque depending on the killer’s politics. I wrote about Mike Lee's disgusting tweets—and why it doesn’t actually matter if Vance Boelter was a Republican or Democrat. Violence is bad, period. reason.com/2025/06/19/i...

These stories make my stomach turn. This man helped the U.S. during the war in Afghanistan—at great personal risk. The Trump administration then revoked his parole, and his wife & children learned of his arrest by watching it online. Cruelty for the sake of it.

We don't talk enough about the total financial ruin defendants face when the state brings an absurd case like this. They prosecuted Karen Read for years while law enforcement engaged in blatant misconduct—and she lost both her jobs, her home, and her life savings. It's bullshit.

Mike Lee apparently deleted his tweets. This was the right move, although I’d have more respect for him if he actually said he was sorry. Sad that public humility is out of style. It's still wild how some of the most powerful people in the country have the emotional maturity of middle school boys.

Good news feels rare these days. The Supreme Court unanimously agreeing this family’s lawsuit should be able to proceed—after the FBI blew up their house because they didn’t check the address—is a refreshing exception. The govt shouldn’t be held to this rock bottom standard.

Say it with me: Trump, Josh Hawley & all the others who want to lock people up for burning the American flag have a fundamental disdain for the First Amendment & the freedom that makes America great. I wrote about why that matters—and what the law actually says: reason.com/2025/06/11/w...

I’ve never forgotten this picture from 2016 and how it completely reshaped my understanding of how the media covers protests.

I'm sorry, but it's pretty hard to take the conservative outrage over this Terry Moran post seriously when reporters & hosts on Fox, Newsmax, OANN, etc. constantly say wildly partisan things—and people have just kind of accepted they’re held to a lower standard.

Unpopular take on here, but days like today show why Twitter/X is still very much the dominant platform for politics & media and why that’s…not going to change anytime soon.

I agree with Elon here. But I gotta say: His righteous indignation over insane government spending is a bit rich coming from someone who just had a powerful job meant to fix that—and mostly used it to stage performative cuts to own the libs. Miss me with this.

It is outrageous that lawmakers routinely vote for legislation that they have not even read. They pass laws without knowing what's in them. And they do it on the taxpayer's dime.

This should be a much bigger story. Murder has *plunged* across the country—so much so that the U.S. may see the lowest murder rate *ever recorded.* That this is even possible after the 2020 murder spike is truly amazing.

A lot of Very Online people underestimate how much stuff like this turns off the average normie. Many liberals oppose this—not because they dislike trans people—who deserve compassion & respect—but because it is...very clearly unfair. Acting like it's not just looks crazy.

Of course it was. DOGE fired a bunch of people while managing to save almost no money at all because Musk et al were primarily interested in performative cuts to fight the culture war. So taxpayers got a less efficient govt for the same price. But at least the libs were owned.

Bob Menendez appears to be gunning for a pardon after he was convicted of taking nearly $1 million in bribes—including for favors to foreign governments. I wrote about why that would be a slap in the face to basic justice. reason.com/2025/05/30/b...

This story is appalling. A man fled Guatemala & sought asylum in the U.S. *legally.* He says he was raped while passing through Mexico. A judge granted him withholding of removal—finding he’d likely be persecuted if deported. The Trump admin deported him anyway.