Sign in

Jen Bendery

@jbendery.bsky.social
67K followers 430 following 6.3K posts

Senior politics reporter for HuffPost. Drop me a tip or a hello: jen.bendery@huffpost.com Signal: jbendery.41

PostsRepliesMedia
Reposted by Jen Bendery
Dan Froomkin/Press Watch/Heads Up News @froomkin.bsky.social · 8h
What would Time's sad and useless Trump interview have been like if I were in charge? On @ms.now: www.ms.now/opinion/trum...
ms.now
Opinion | Time magazine’s big interview with Trump was a huge missed opportunity
Dan Froomkin: This is not a normal president. To get useful answers out of him, journalists need to break out of their standard interviewing molds.
35215
Reposted by Jen Bendery
Brandi Buchman @brandibuchman.bsky.social · 8h
Check out my new pen.
713118
Reposted by Jen Bendery
Greg Sargent @gregsargent.bsky.social · 9h
Adviser to Talarico campaign points out that non-MAGA Rs are exactly the sort of voters who would have backed John Cornyn and might be reluctant to support the corrupt adulterer that Trump ordered them to support. That may explain why Talarico is winning 1/5 of them newrepublic.com/article/2161...
524940
Jen Bendery @jbendery.bsky.social · 10h
ICYMI: Senate GOPers mostly think it's a great idea for vulnerable GOPers to tie themselves to Trump on the campaign trail -- despite his record-low approval rating, voter outrage at Trump over high costs + as Dems have the edge in competitive races nationally. www.huffpost.com/entry/republ...
huffpost.com
Republicans Sound Delusional About Their Fate In The Midterm Elections
“I think we hold the majority of both chambers,” said GOP Sen. Bernie Moreno, as Trump’s approval rating craters and Democrats lead in key battleground races.
45216
Reposted by Jen Bendery
Razzball @razzball.bsky.social · 10h
Announcing the merger with Titanic footage is an incredible bit
David Ellison • @ellisonskyd... 2h
What once was the peak, is now just the beginning.
Paramount and Warner Bros. shaped over a century of culture. By combining them, we aren't rewriting history — we're equipping these iconic studios with a more powerful engine. Together, we are Skydance: a creative-first ho Show
381118752455
Jen Bendery @jbendery.bsky.social · 10h
My fellow Americans: Are you burning out fast from all the political campaign ads, mailers, calls and/or texts you're getting ahead of the midterm elections? Tell me about it, and if you can, send pics of the mailers/messages you're drowning in. jen.bendery@huffpost.com 🙏
123513
Reposted by Jen Bendery
Paul Blumenthal @paulblumenthal.bsky.social · 11h
Independent candidates are trying to oust Republican incumbents in deep red territory. I decided to take a look at one less covered race in South Dakota and what it means for the present and future of politics www.huffpost.com/entry/south-...
huffpost.com
No One’s Paying Attention To This Senate Race. It Could Be The Future Of Politics In Deep-Red States.
Brian Bengs is one of several independent candidates running in deep-red states this year. He hopes his race can forge a new path for American politics.
03516
Jen Bendery @jbendery.bsky.social · 11h
WTF? And also, good.
2804
Jen Bendery @jbendery.bsky.social · 11h
James Talarico just launched a new ad that directs voters to a “Ken Paxton Corruption Hotline" that knocks Paxton's record + lets you leave a message. 1-844-Whos-Ken. “Legal advice may result in impeachment by your own party." 😂 www.huffpost.com/entry/live-u...
huffpost.com
James Talarico Launches ‘Ken Paxton Corruption Hotline’
417554
Reposted by Jen Bendery
Chris Ingraham @cingraham.bsky.social · 13h
why does the WaPo print headline on the botched TN execution read like The Onion
Drugs Fail to Kill Woman
542123284
Jen Bendery @jbendery.bsky.social · 13h
woof WASHINGTON (AP) — US employers added a disappointing 29,000 jobs in September and the unemployment rate ticked up to 4.2%.
510315
Jen Bendery @jbendery.bsky.social · 02/10/2026
👏 www.nytimes.com/2026/09/29/n...
nytimes.com
The Student Journalists Who Never Let the Cornell Assault Case Go (Gift Article)
The student newspaper, The Cornell Daily Sun, covered the allegations of rape at a fraternity house since they were first made in 2024 and led the reporting on the case.
112629
Reposted by Jen Bendery
Jen Bendery @jbendery.bsky.social · 01/10/2026
On the one hand, Trump's approval ratings are at an all-time low, voters everywhere are furious about high costs + Dems have the edge in key battleground races. On the other hand: “I think we hold the majority of both chambers,” said Sen. Bernie Moreno (R-Ohio). www.huffpost.com/entry/republ...
huffpost.com
Republicans Sound Delusional About Their Fate In The Midterm Elections
“I think we hold the majority of both chambers,” said GOP Sen. Bernie Moreno, as Trump’s approval rating craters and Democrats lead in key battleground races.
127824
Reposted by Jen Bendery
Benjamin S. Weiss @benjaminweiss.bsky.social · 01/10/2026
👀 SO YOU'RE SAYING THERE'S A CHANCE: Republicans leaving town to campaign this week told me & @jbendery.bsky.social they were optimistic about their chances at keeping the Senate in Nov - and were looking forward to seeing Trump on the trail. More on @huffpost.com ⤵️ www.huffpost.com/entry/republ...
huffpost.com
Republicans Sound Delusional About Their Fate In The Midterm Elections
“I think we hold the majority of both chambers,” said GOP Sen. Bernie Moreno, as Trump’s approval rating craters and Democrats lead in key battleground races.
193
Jen Bendery @jbendery.bsky.social · 01/10/2026
On the one hand, Trump's approval ratings are at an all-time low, voters everywhere are furious about high costs + Dems have the edge in key battleground races. On the other hand: “I think we hold the majority of both chambers,” said Sen. Bernie Moreno (R-Ohio). www.huffpost.com/entry/republ...
huffpost.com
Republicans Sound Delusional About Their Fate In The Midterm Elections
“I think we hold the majority of both chambers,” said GOP Sen. Bernie Moreno, as Trump’s approval rating craters and Democrats lead in key battleground races.
127824
Reposted by Jen Bendery
emptywheel @emptywheel.bsky.social · 29/09/2026
Bc the last 30 seconds of this are the best, reminder that @amyklobuchar.com's dad was a sports journalist, which may explain her utter contempt for Schmitt mistaking the Hawks and Hawkeyes.
1252602457
Reposted by Jen Bendery
James Talarico @jamestalarico.bsky.social · 29/09/2026
www.huffpost.com/entry/james-...
huffpost.com
James Talarico Challenged Ken Paxton To A Debate On Fox News. Neither Will Respond.
The Texas Democratic Senate nominee hasn’t gotten “any update” from the conservative news network about hosting a debate before November.
526645
Reposted by Jen Bendery
James Talarico @jamestalarico.bsky.social · 29/09/2026
BREAKING: Fox News agrees to host a debate between me and Ken Paxton — because the people of Texas deserve it. They're just waiting on Paxton to agree. Ball's in your court, Ken.
1114126951
Jen Bendery @jbendery.bsky.social · 29/09/2026
Senate Majority PAC, the main DC-based super PAC focused on electing Senate Dems, launched in Texas today. Its initial investment is in this digital ad focusing on the plea deal Ken Paxton negotiated for child sex predator Adam Hoffman. www.youtube.com/watch?v=ncN6...
youtube.com
Sweetheart Deal
YouTube video by Texas Forever
02410
Jen Bendery @jbendery.bsky.social · 29/09/2026
! Emma Hayes just released the 26-player USWNT training camp roster for the team's two games against Spain in October. Trinity Rodman and Tara Rudd called up from @washingtonspirit.com. Also, Ashley Sanchez, former Spirit player who's had a banger of a season, has been called up.
0121
Jen Bendery @jbendery.bsky.social · 29/09/2026
Ken Paxton keeps dodging James Talarico's requests to debate him, so Talarico last week offered to debate him on Fox News and went viral over it: "I'll go into the lion's den." Now neither Paxton nor Fox News are responding to Talarico's request. www.huffpost.com/entry/james-...
huffpost.com
James Talarico Challenged Ken Paxton To A Debate On Fox News. Neither Will Respond.
The Texas Democratic Senate nominee hasn’t gotten “any update” from the conservative news network about hosting a debate before November.
620463
Reposted by Jen Bendery
Sherrod Brown @sherrodbrownoh.bsky.social · 29/09/2026
NEW AD: Listen to this sh*t.
37890332825
Reposted by Jen Bendery
Jay Willis @jaywillis.net · 29/09/2026
Wrote about the decline and fall of SCOTUSblog, which used to be the single best resource for Supreme Court stuff, and (thanks to some intervening crimes committed by its co-founder) is now a weird platform for conservative pundits to talk about what a good job the conservative justices are doing
slate.com
It Was the Essential Home of Supreme Court News. Now It’s a Joke. What Happened?
How high-stakes poker brought down a pillar of Supreme Court coverage.
151040261
Reposted by Jen Bendery
Lorenzo Salgado, jr. @oznezol.bsky.social · 29/09/2026
One step closer to justice for my dad, Lorenzo Salgado Araujo.
333383815
Reposted by Jen Bendery
Clara Jeffery @clarajeffery.bsky.social · 26/09/2026
I’m sorry, what? This piece was not a joint publication/ reporting job (as some are). It was @propublica’s alone and the Times followed with a summary. This is so indicative of NYT. If they don’t ignore proper credit, they just go for stolen valor.
623739734
Reposted by Jen Bendery
Beth Dahlman @bethdahlman.bsky.social · 29/09/2026
I was so distracted by "I let the child predator out at 60 days" I missed "data centers are good!"
15712
Jen Bendery @jbendery.bsky.social · 29/09/2026
There's a "MAHA Summit" in DC on Tuesday and I see it not only features pols like JD Vance and RFK Jr, but also Russell Brand -- charged with multiple counts of rape and sexual assault -- and convicted rapist Mike Tyson. www.mahasummit.com/agenda
mahasummit.com
Agenda & Speakers — MAHA Summit 2026
Explore the announced speakers and program for MAHA Summit 2026. Tuesday, September 29, 2026 at The Waldorf Astoria Washington DC.
1114956
Jen Bendery @jbendery.bsky.social · 28/09/2026
Just noting that data centers are NOT popular among Texans. *A UT/Texas Politics Project poll in late August found 57% of bipartisan voters oppose a data center in their community *A June poll by the same outfit found a majority of Texans oppose it -- including nearly 2/3 of Texans in rural areas
45718
Reposted by Jen Bendery
Nick Benson @ottergoose.net · 28/09/2026
This is a BFD - one of the charter airlines doing ICE flights has been sold off, thanks to pressure from smart folks with spines. Raise a glass to the financial misfortune of those who’ve been profiting off of ICE’s detention apparatus; may they not be the last.
38429
Reposted by Jen Bendery
Anna Gifty @itsafronomics.blacksky.app · 28/09/2026
Let the history books show that STUDENT reporters brought national attention to unchecked abuse. I hope that their cups and opportunities forever overfloweth.This is courage.
abcnews.com
District attorney reopens case of alleged Cornell University 'gang rape'
Prosecutors in central New York say they are reopening the case of alleged gang rape at a Cornell University fraternity.
31395376
Jen Bendery @jbendery.bsky.social · 28/09/2026
“Look at the record,” Ken Paxton today urged undecided voters in his Senate race when weighing who to support. “It’s people’s behavior that you need to look at & say, ‘Are they for real?’” Paxton was indicted on 3 felony charges + impeached by his own party in 2023. www.huffpost.com/entry/live-u...
huffpost.com
Indicted On 3 Felony Counts, Ken Paxton Urges Voters To ‘Look At The Record’ Of Candidates
1919986
Reposted by Jen Bendery
Ezra Levin ❌👑 @ezralevin.bsky.social · 28/09/2026
I was at the Indivisible statewide summit in Texas last week and cannot overemphasize how politically dumb this is. In the reddest parts of the state, people are pissed about these data centers.
1523853
Jen Bendery @jbendery.bsky.social · 28/09/2026
In convo with U.S. Hispanic Business Council, Texas GOP Senate nominee Ken Paxton says he supports bringing data centers to Texas. “There’s plenty of open space in Texas," he says. "They're creating a lot of jobs." Data centers will be "a huge economic boon."
2520187
Reposted by Jen Bendery
Bobby Kogan @bbkogan.bsky.social · 26/09/2026
I think something to consider here is that Collins voted to confirm Russ Vought as OMB Director despite the fact that he said a billion times that he thought Trump had a constitutional right to illegally impound funds, and now she’s doing shocked Pikachu reactions.
Sen. Susan Collins • fAl
劉
@SenatorCollins
X.com
Without warning or consultation, Congress just received an $810 million package of pocket rescissions from the Administration. This is the most recent attempt by this Office of Management and Budget (OMB) to undermine Congress's Constitutional power of the purse.
This move shows that OMB intentionally withheld these funds for months to execute this unlawful cancellation of appropriations that were approved on a bipartisan basis and signed into law.Not only is the delay itself an impoundment that was not reported to Congress, but also it is a usurpation of Congress's appropriations powers.
OMB is an agency of the executive branch. It does not get to decide which programs are worth funding.
The independent Government Accountability Office has concluded that pocket rescissions are unlawful and not permitted by the Impoundment Control Act. Any effort to rescind appropriated funds without congressional approval is a clear violation of the law.
I will work with my colleagues to address these illegal actions.
11738561017
Jen Bendery @jbendery.bsky.social · 28/09/2026
In MN Senate race, Peggy Flanagan is out with a new ad knocking Michele Tafoya for saying people upset about high gas prices should just "keep a stiff upper lip” and “take one less trip to Starbucks.” Not a great response to the #1 issue on voters' minds! www.youtube.com/watch?v=9gbq...
youtube.com
Right Here
YouTube video by Peggy Flanagan for MN
57524
Reposted by Jen Bendery
Ron Filipkowski @ronfilipkowski.bsky.social · 27/09/2026
These people make Marie Antoinette look connected to the people and empathetic by comparison. They laugh at what their own voters are going through as they continue to mock them as they enrich themselves and have a great time.
1107131494681
Reposted by Jen Bendery
ProPublica @propublica.org · 26/09/2026
In response to our reporting, Susan Collins has mustered a defense that is full of incorrect and misleading claims. We’ve reviewed FBI evidence, examined thousands of pages of records and interviewed dozens of people. Here are the receipts.
propublica.org
ProPublica Debunks Susan Collins’ Claims About FBI Anti-Corruption Probe
ProPublica revealed that the FBI was circling Sen. Collins over a defense contractor’s donations — until President Trump gutted the unit in charge. Collins has since mustered a defense with a series o...
10838381755
Reposted by Jen Bendery
Bill Grueskin @bgrueskin.bsky.social · 25/09/2026
Utah Valley Univ “repeatedly tried to raise security concerns ahead of Charlie Kirk’s appearance on campus last year. “But Kirk’s team brushed those warnings off.” His organization “insisted on having it in the open campus courtyard” despite the school’s warnings. www.sltrib.com/news/educati...
sltrib.com
New report: Utah Valley University tried to warn Charlie Kirk’s staff of risks, but team ignored concerns
UVU’s police chief had texted Charlie Kirk’s private security adviser to meet about final safety measures for the event. That meeting “did not occur,” according to the independent review.
2022853
Jen Bendery @jbendery.bsky.social · 25/09/2026
Just read the NYT piece with former aides saying Mary Peltola is a mean boss, used slurs, etc. Having just been in Alaska talking to voters for days about this Senate race, I'll just say I don't think this story will change voters' very strong feelings about this race.
49312
Reposted by Jen Bendery
Brandi Buchman @brandibuchman.bsky.social · 25/09/2026
NEW with Brittany Shepherd for @huffpost.com: Two former police officers who defended the Capitol on Jan. 6 are speaking out about an ad from a prominent Democratic candidate which features an attendee of the rally that day — and they are deeply unhappy. www.huffpost.com/entry/texas-...
huffpost.com
Jan. 6 Officers Call Out Democrat’s ‘Disgusting’ Ad With Rally Attendee
Michael Fanone and Harry Dunn told HuffPost that the ad, which features a self-described “staunch conservative” who attended Trump’s Jan. 6 rally, crosses a line.
16321100
Jen Bendery @jbendery.bsky.social · 24/09/2026
He literally just voted "no" on a resolution to end the Iran War
8531162
Reposted by Jen Bendery
Mark Follman @markfollman.bsky.social · 24/09/2026
NEWS: My new investigation uncovers the horrific ChatGPT history of the Tumbler Ridge school shooter. OpenAI’s chatbot fueled the shooter's violent fantasies and plans up to the day of the massacre. Chats about guns, timing of attacks, becoming infamous, and more. www.motherjones.com/media/2026/0...
motherjones.com
ChatGPT helped the Tumbler Ridge school shooter focus on guns, tactics, and terror, our investigation reveals
OpenAI’s chatbot fed the shooter’s violent fantasies and planning up to the massacre.
411470807
Reposted by Jen Bendery
Don Moynihan @donmoyn.bsky.social · 24/09/2026
This is a regular feature of data-matching, especially when done in a half-assed way. The purpose is to create the false claims of fraud. For example, Republicans complained for years about the risk of double voting. A credible system was built to detect it (ERIC). Then they killed it.
ERIC had been relatively uncontroversial since its creation. The idea behind it started in 2008, when election officials identified the potential for people to have multiple registrations in different states — in itself not surprising in a country that is at once highly mobile but operates a decentralized voting system — creating the potential for voting in different states. ERIC offered a tool that could track that problem, through a mixture of data sourcing and analytical tools that minimized false positives. By identifying moves and deaths, it allowed states to keep the voting rolls accurate. In 2013 it had seven members, which would increase to 32 states at its height.

Then in January of 2022, the Louisiana Secretary of State Kyle Ardoin dropped out of ERIC. He made his announcement to a group of far right election activists, to sustained applause. But for other election officials it was a puzzle. One state election official who worked for GOP secretaries of state said:

Everybody looked at this and said, 'This is insane, what are you talking about?' As soon as [Ardoin] did that — that created this pressure on the other Republican states that wasn't there before
12899335
Reposted by Jen Bendery
Kyle Cheney @kyledcheney.bsky.social · 24/09/2026
JUST IN: A federal judge has issued a permanent injunction upbraiding ICE for mass arrests that have strained detention facilities and forced detainees all over the country into "overcrowded, squalid, and degrading rooms for excessive periods of time" www.nysd.uscourts.gov/sites/defaul...
9733481039
Jen Bendery @jbendery.bsky.social · 24/09/2026
Senate now voting on another Iran war powers resolution (i.e. it expresses a sense of Congress that Trump end the Iran war, remove all U.S. troops). So far three Republicans in the YES column: Susan Collins Rand Paul Thom Tillis One Dem in the NO column: John Fetterman
1821465
Reposted by Jen Bendery
Mike Zaccardi, CFA, CMT @mikezaccardi.bsky.social · 24/09/2026
7.37% mortgage rates
2428286
Jen Bendery @jbendery.bsky.social · 24/09/2026
Texas State Rep. Garnet Coleman (D) has died. I covered him for a few years in the early aughts. He was always sticking up for people who had the least, and not shy about calling out others who didn't. RIP. www.houstonpublicmedia.org/articles/obi...
houstonpublicmedia.org
Former Houston State Rep. Garnet Coleman dies at 65 | Houston Public Media
Coleman represented House District 147, including much of Inner Loop Houston, from 1991 until his retirement in 2022.
35910
Reposted by Jen Bendery
James Goodwin @jamesgoodwin.bsky.social · 24/09/2026
Can't imagine why young people aren't having kids. Don't they realize they're undermining capitalism?
1297
Jen Bendery @jbendery.bsky.social · 24/09/2026
oof www.huffpost.com/entry/mortga...
huffpost.com
Average 30-Year Home Loan Passes 7% As Mortgage Rates Keep Climbing
The average rate is now the highest it’s been since Jan. 16, 2025.
02312
Reposted by Jen Bendery
Matt Ford @mford.bsky.social · 24/09/2026
Ezra Klein asked Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang about AI making kids worse at math and reading. Huang’s reply: “Does it matter?” Then he said he doesn’t know his own address or phone number. “We’re going to lose some fine intellectual dexterity.” www.nytimes.com/2026/09/23/o...
So the message of this research out of China, where you were seeing a lot of kids using A.I. to help them, was that when they were using the A.I., they were getting things done faster. But it turned out that the skills they were learning were not holding, that their actual personal performance, at least in the way we traditionally measure it, was degrading.

What do you think when you hear that?

The last part — I completely agree. Try to get a kid to do long division right now. The multiplication table is starting to be forgotten. Doing square roots, my goodness. Basic math is being forgotten. Does it matter?

That’s my question for you.

Yeah. I don’t think it does. I don’t think it does.

But there must be some set of skills that matter.

Oh, yeah, yeah, yeah. But maybe not those. We’re going to discover new ones. Just maybe not those.

There are a lot of skills that don’t matter. My first confession, I actually don’t know my address.And I ——

I don’t really believe that to be true.

It’s completely true. Janine will tell you and Lori will tell you.

One day I had to pump gas — it was a few years ago. They needed my ZIP code, and I panicked. I didn’t know my ZIP code. I don’t know my telephone number. I forget these things. I can live with it.

But let me take the other side because I don’t want to fall into a thing where, because some skills can be safely offloaded ——

Yeah.

I also can’t get anywhere without a mapping system now. Never could, frankly. But I’m a big reader. And one of the skills I really value, one of the capacities I have that I really value is an attention span formed on physical books.

You’re a big reader. I’ve read about the kind of reading you do. And there is, prior to A.I., a lot of concern and noticing among college professors and others that the way people use the internet has probably shortened attention spans.
Some skills can be safely given away. Others are valuable. They are capacities that are needed for that flexibility, for that creative thinking, for that focus. It can’t be the case that everything can be traded off.Some skills can be safely given away. Others are valuable. They are capacities that are needed for that flexibility, for that creative thinking, for that focus. It can’t be the case that everything can be traded off.

Yeah. Well, I think that we’re going to lose some finer intellectual dexterity, but we’re going to be better systems thinkers.

Today’s engineers are far better systems thinkers than I was when I graduated from school. But I was a much better transistor thinker.

What do you mean by systems thinker?

They think of large systems. Today’s computers have trillions, hundreds of trillions of transistors in them. When I first graduated from school, the first chip I worked on had 200 transistors. I knew every one of them by name. No engineer does that today. Most engineers now work well above the transistor, well above the functionality, and they’re cobbling things together to do things.

So you need to think much more about systems and interactions of systems. So some of the lower-level knowledge is gone.
58854841504