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Billy Binion

@billybinion.bsky.social
9.7K followers 123 following 600 posts

Journalist. Criminal justice & government accountability. Yes, this is my real name.

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Billy Binion @billybinion.bsky.social · 02/09/2026
This is Karyann Parkinson and her five kids. She just received a 6-month suspended jail sentence and is now on Virginia's child abuse registry. Her crime: letting her 5-year-old, Sam, walk a half-mile alone in their gated community. She's not the first. A thread.
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Billy Binion @billybinion.bsky.social · 19/08/2026
The best thing about these Flock controversies is they're exposing how shoddy some police work is. This cop accosted an innocent woman & said he was "100%" sure she was a thief. Why? Because Flock saw her car around the time of a theft—and he didn't bother to...do an actual investigation.
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cobbdouglas.bsky.social @cobbdouglas.bsky.social · 09/06/2026
Definitely read this thread
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Billy Binion @billybinion.bsky.social · 09/06/2026
This story is a nightmare. Texas cops fired dozens of tear gas grenades into an innocent woman's home. They smashed windows and drove through her front door. Her daughter's dog went deaf & blind. Then the city left her with the bill. Six years later, her saga is finally coming to an end. A thread.
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Billy Binion @billybinion.bsky.social · 13/04/2026
Viktor Orban is one of the most corrupt living politicians. He cozied up to Putin, expanded & packed the Supreme Court with loyalists, crippled economic growth with central planning & political favors, and killed media outlets for criticizing him. Amazing news for Hungarians.
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Billy Binion @billybinion.bsky.social · 31/03/2026
A lot of people clearly did not read the decision. The ruling doesn't endorse conversion therapy. It says laws that explicitly discriminate based on viewpoint are constitutionally suspect. That's it. The First Amendment doesn't just protect ideas you like.
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Julian Sanchez @normative.bsky.social · 27/03/2026
We overhauled and nationalized airport security after 9/11 out of a psychological need to Do Something bit and showy, not because it was actually necessary or, really, made any sense.
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Billy Binion @billybinion.bsky.social · 27/03/2026
I waited nearly 3.5 hours in a TSA line—and *still* almost missed my flight. The ability to get home shouldn’t hinge on Congress doing its job. Why are we still tolerating this? Nothing has made a better case for abolishing the TSA than this shutdown. I wrote about it: reason.com/2026/03/26/i...
reason.com
I spent over 3 hours in a TSA line. Why haven't we abolished this agency?
The ability to get home should not be a privilege that is contingent on politicians or the political moment.
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Billy Binion @billybinion.bsky.social · 16/03/2026
This article epitomizes why I stopped taking the Oscars seriously. It highlights Chalamet’s (correct) opera/ballet comments and his general ~vibe~ as emblematic of why he lost. Which is to say: it’s not about merit. It’s about who runs the best campaign. Endlessly silly.
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Billy Binion @billybinion.bsky.social · 11/03/2026
I used to work at an opera company. Paychecks bounced—because there were times when they had $0 in the bank. Glib phrasing aside, Timothée Chalamet was right: few people care about opera. Absurd that there’s international furor because an actor said a benign fact. www.thefp.com/p/im-a-forme...
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Billy Binion @billybinion.bsky.social · 05/03/2026
Kristi Noem smeared dead Americans as “domestic terrorists.” She sent some asylum seekers to a third-world prison without due process. She spent hundreds of millions of taxpayer dollars promoting herself. Taxpayers paid her while she lied to them. That's her legacy.
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Billy Binion @billybinion.bsky.social · 25/02/2026
Delcy Rodríguez is a dictator with a horrible history of violating human rights btw reason.com/2026/01/06/w...
reason.com
Venezuela's acting dictator is Delcy Rodríguez, a Maduro regime ally with a history of human rights violations
Trump chose to work with a sanctioned regime insider accused of human rights abuses and cartel ties rather than the elected opposition.
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Billy Binion @billybinion.bsky.social · 25/02/2026
My favorite quote from Trump is when she said he cut drug prices by 600 percent which would mean companies would be THROWING money at us to take drugs lol
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Billy Binion @billybinion.bsky.social · 25/02/2026
The tariffs are not, in fact, paid for by foreign countries. Virtually every economist agrees they are paid for by Americans, because that is how businesses pass down costs. It's basic economics. Thank you for your attention to this matter.
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Billy Binion @billybinion.bsky.social · 25/02/2026
A reminder that Donald Trump had very little—if nothing—to do with lowering the national crime rate. It started plunging in mid-2023. No one knows why. Finding the actual answer should be important to everyone. reason.com/podcast/2026...
reason.com
What the media gets wrong about crime
Crime analyst Jeff Asher explains the historic decline in murders, why Americans distrust crime statistics, and what the data actually show about public safety.
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Billy Binion @billybinion.bsky.social · 24/02/2026
This is really sad. Anyone who has a friend or family member with Tourette's (as I do) knows it can make you blurt things you expressly *don't* want to say. The reflexive victimhood & lack of compassion here are pitiful.
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Billy Binion @billybinion.bsky.social · 20/02/2026
Whatever your views on trade, the idea that Trump needed to impose tariffs to address an “emergency” was always transparently ridiculous. He’s been unilaterally raising taxes on Americans based on his mood or who offends him.
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Billy Binion @billybinion.bsky.social · 17/02/2026
Hard to think of a story more pundits misunderstand. Kilmar Abrego Garcia *agreed to be deported*—months ago—to Costa Rica, which accepted. The admin refuses & is insisting on sending him to various African countries, which declined. He's still here because of the government.
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Billy Binion @billybinion.bsky.social · 16/02/2026
Stop worshiping whoever is in the Oval Office. Presidents aren't all-knowing beings worth changing your principles for. They aren't your friends. And they shouldn't be your personality trait. They're your employees. reason.com/2021/02/15/o...
reason.com
On This Presidents Day, Stop Worshiping the Imperial Presidency
Ah, Presidents Day: a much-needed moment to slow down and commemorate presidents past and present, because we definitely don't have…
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Billy Binion @billybinion.bsky.social · 12/02/2026
Insane. Cops in this Alabama town systemically slapped people with fake traffic violations & bogus charges to bankroll the government—fines & forfeitures made up *50 percent* of the town budget, totaling $487 per person. Policing for profit. reason.com/2026/02/11/a...
reason.com
A tiny Alabama town ran an outrageous speed trap. Now it will pay $1.5 million to settle a lawsuit.
Brookside, Alabama, made national news in 2022 after investigations revealed it was bankrolling itself through predatory traffic enforcement.
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Billy Binion @billybinion.bsky.social · 10/02/2026
This is why it’s funny that the White House keeps taking credit for crime falling. The decline was already noticeable in 2024, and Trump said that data was “ridiculous” and “a lie.” Now the numbers are magically reliable. That’s…not how this works. reason.com/2026/02/10/i...
reason.com
In 2024, Trump rejected numbers showing a homicide drop as a 'lie.' Now he is bragging about them.
While running against Kamala Harris, Trump claimed homicides were "skyrocketing," disregarding the data contradicting that assertion.
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Billy Binion @billybinion.bsky.social · 10/02/2026
Trump keeps taking credit for the murder decline. But crime started plunging in 2023—long before he returned to office. It’s falling in red & blue areas alike, because presidents don't control crime. The real story: no one actually knows why it's collapsing. Everyone should want the answer.
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Billy Binion @billybinion.bsky.social · 10/02/2026
This man got 20 years in prison for saying things the government didn’t like. He’s 78, so that’s a death sentence. I wrote about why everyone should know who Jimmy Lai is: reason.com/2026/02/09/j...
reason.com
Jimmy Lai got a 20-year sentence for saying things the Chinese government didn't like
China's 'national security law' was tailored to zero in on someone like Lai, who pushed for democracy, freedom of speech, and government reform.
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Billy Binion @billybinion.bsky.social · 10/02/2026
Hard to overstate how big a loss Rumeysa Ozturk’s case is for the Trump admin. Immigration court is an extension of the executive. It’s very hard for them to lose there. Here she is being arrested by men in plainclothes. Over an op-ed. Still disturbs me.
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Billy Binion @billybinion.bsky.social · 08/02/2026
I’m back with your yearly reminder that Whitney Houston sang the best National Anthem of all time. People are still pretending it can be beat. It can’t. Just put this on the Jumbotron every year.
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Billy Binion @billybinion.bsky.social · 06/02/2026
This is a horror story. A Florida woman who lives paycheck to paycheck was fined over $100,000 for...parking on her own grass. A judge ruled that wasn't "excessive." The Florida Supreme Court won't hear her case. She's not even the first. A thread.
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Billy Binion @billybinion.bsky.social · 27/01/2026
Contrary to what this administration says, merely having a gun on you is *not* enough to justify deadly force. Claiming otherwise is legally illiterate. Here’s why:
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Billy Binion @billybinion.bsky.social · 22/01/2026
These stories never fail to make my jaw drop. A CPS worker ruled this family neglected their son because they...let him ride his scooter a third of a mile away. They’re now living under a government “safety plan” for behavior that was normal just a few decades ago. reason.com/2026/01/16/s...
reason.com
She let her 6-year-old ride to the park alone. Georgia called it neglect.
Despite a new state law protecting childhood independence, child welfare officials accused these Atlanta parents of neglect—and put their family under surveillance.
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Billy Binion @billybinion.bsky.social · 03/01/2026
A potential silver lining to the news out of Venezuela: more people may finally become aware of how Chávez and Maduro’s socialism—price controls, oil nationalization, attacks on property rights—helped turn one of Latin America’s richest countries into one of its poorest.
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Billy Binion @billybinion.bsky.social · 31/12/2025
There are few things that haunt me more than someone dying this young. Her essay on coming to terms with her mortality was one of the more gorgeous things I’ve read, and a reminder how lucky we are to be here. RIP.
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Billy Binion @billybinion.bsky.social · 30/12/2025
A SWAT team threw 30+ grenades into an innocent man’s business while chasing a suspect. L.A. left him with a $60,000 bill. His livelihood was destroyed. A federal court says he’s entitled to $0. Whatever your politics, that’s a travesty. reason.com/2025/12/29/i...
reason.com
Innocent man sues for over $60,000 after police blew up his business. A court says he's entitled to nothing.
Carlos Pena sued Los Angeles for over $60,000 after law enforcement destroyed his printing shop in pursuit of a fugitive who had broken in.
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Billy Binion @billybinion.bsky.social · 25/12/2025
Thinking about the time my sister blew up a photo of a guy trolling me on Twitter, framed it, and gave it to me as my Christmas gift. You can’t top it
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Billy Binion @billybinion.bsky.social · 23/12/2025
We're constantly told the Supreme Court is "extreme" and hopelessly divided. Meanwhile, here's a major ruling where 3 conservatives and 3 liberals just benchslapped the Trump admin on a key issue. Reality is often way more interesting than the narrative.
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Billy Binion @billybinion.bsky.social · 22/12/2025
This is atrocious. These law-abiding H-1B holders were following the rules to renew their visas. They’re now trapped abroad, separated from their families, and unsure if they’ll be able to work. The U.S. is their home. Cruelty for the sake of it. www.washingtonpost.com/world/2025/1...
washingtonpost.com
H-1B workers flew to India to renew U.S. visas. Now they’re stuck.
H-1B holders who returned to India this month to renew their visas had consular appointments canceled, stranding them far from their homes and jobs, lawyers said.
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Billy Binion @billybinion.bsky.social · 21/12/2025
Omar Fateh was born in the United States. He is an American. I don’t share his politics, but I tend to think it’s better to challenge him based on his ideas, not his race. This is so gross.
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Billy Binion @billybinion.bsky.social · 19/12/2025
The saddest part of this story: The arts are supposed to bring people together. They're supposed to be an equalizer. Really disappointing—for both the artists & patrons—that the president has decided to infect that so he can have another vanity project.
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Billy Binion @billybinion.bsky.social · 18/12/2025
Apropos of nothing, *BANGS ON SIGN*
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Billy Binion @billybinion.bsky.social · 18/12/2025
This story is insane. It’s been almost a year since the Palisades fire & the LA City Council “is still debating how much permit relief the city can afford.” Out of 6,000 homes, construction is underway at fewer than 400 addresses. Devastating for these victims. www.latimes.com/california/s...
latimes.com
For L.A.'s mayor, a Palisades recovery marked by missteps, reversals and delays
Since the Palisades fire, Mayor Karen Bass has outlined recovery strategies that critics say have faltered in execution, affecting confidence in the rebuilding process.
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Billy Binion @billybinion.bsky.social · 15/12/2025
Just months ago, several top Republicans argued that nasty rhetoric should not only cost you your job but also potentially land you in prison for inciting violence. Curious to hear their thoughts on this.
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Billy Binion @billybinion.bsky.social · 15/12/2025
Just insane. This man's face & name have already been plastered all over the internet, but police are saying the evidence "now points in a different direction." I can't imagine. A reminder to wait for the facts to come out.
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Billy Binion @billybinion.bsky.social · 12/12/2025
Counterpoint: The Cinnabon story shows why strict labor protections are immoral. If an employee calls a customer the n-word, you should be able to fire them. The idea that the government would stop you is dystopian. No one is entitled to your money.
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Billy Binion @billybinion.bsky.social · 07/12/2025
A very refreshing piece from @wsj.com. Most Somali people want the same things as the rest of us. Watching some of the loudest voices smear them all as villains has been depressing. But it's given me a better understanding of how bigotry takes root. www.wsj.com/opinion/what...
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Billy Binion @billybinion.bsky.social · 19/11/2025
I still can’t get over this story. A Tennessee man spent 37 days in a cage—on *$2 million* bond—for posting a meme, because police said he was trying to “create hysteria.” This was the meme. I would expect this to happen in China, not the United States. reason.com/2025/10/30/p...
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Billy Binion @billybinion.bsky.social · 06/11/2025
Perfect example of why jury trials matter. The government had to argue—in public—that throwing a sandwich at a man in a bulletproof vest caused “fear of immediate bodily harm.” And the jury called that what it was: overreach. Prosecutors shouldn’t go unchecked. reason.com/2025/11/06/d...
reason.com
D.C. jury acquits 'sandwich guy' of assaulting federal agent
A jury found Sean Dunn, who went viral in August for throwing a Subway sandwich at a Border Patrol officer, not guilty.
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Billy Binion @billybinion.bsky.social · 01/11/2025
Heritage’s chief of staff—who was retweeting calls for staffers to leave the foundation for tweeting that “Nazis are bad”—has been demoted. This is what happens when you let Too Online bros run your org. Heritage’s decline really is quite sad. www.nationalreview.com/2025/11/excl...
nationalreview.com
Exclusive: Heritage Reassigns Chief of Staff Following Tucker Carlson, Nick Fuentes Fallout | National Review
The conservative think tank’s executive vice president, Derrick Morgan, has been tapped to replace Ryan Neuhaus as chief of staff.
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Billy Binion @billybinion.bsky.social · 25/10/2025
I don’t get how anyone can support the president having power over tariffs after watching this exchange. He is unilaterally raising taxes on Americans—not because of a ~negotiating~ tactic or to create jobs, but because…Canada hurt his feelings. Congress needs to do its job.
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Billy Binion @billybinion.bsky.social · 17/10/2025
What a wild story. The DOJ failed to convince *three* grand juries to indict a woman for felony assault of a police officer. So they refiled the case as a misdemeanor. A jury acquitted her. Is this what a responsible use of law enforcement resources looks like? reason.com/2025/10/17/w...
reason.com
Woman acquitted of assaulting FBI agent after 3 grand juries declined to indict
Grand juries have declined to indict numerous times when Trump's prosecutors have brought excessive charges.
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Billy Binion @billybinion.bsky.social · 10/10/2025
Maria Corina Machado lives in hiding—because she’d otherwise be jailed or killed for the crime of sticking up to a tinpot dictator. She’s fought against socialism and is an ardent defender of the flourishing that comes from free market capitalism. A great pick. reason.com/2025/10/10/v...
reason.com
Venezuela’s María Corina Machado wins the Nobel Peace Prize for standing up to socialism
The award goes to a classical liberal and free market advocate who has risked her life to challenge Venezuela’s socialist dictatorship.
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The Tennessee Holler @thetnholler.bsky.social · 09/10/2025
*ding ding* We’re seeing rampant lawlessness from the Trump admin @billybinion.bsky.social
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Billy Binion @billybinion.bsky.social · 08/10/2025
Unpopular opinion: Conversion therapy—however ineffective—is clearly protected by the First Amendment. People can find it offensive. But offensive speech is still protected. The Supreme Court should (and I suspect will) overturn Colorado’s ban. reason.com/2025/10/08/i...
reason.com
Is conversion therapy free speech?
Colorado says no. Supreme Court justices seem skeptical.
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