Billy Binion

Any American who cares about free speech and hates socialism should be eager to welcome Venezuelan refugees with open arms to the US. They are up against a level of oppression that most of us can't even fathom.

10 years in prison for selling a T-shirt of a Hugo Chávez statue getting smashed Two Venezuelan women were convicted of incitement to hatred, treason, and terrorism for printing the shirt.

This is bonkers. Two women have been sentenced to *10 years* in prison in Venezuela—for the crime of...criticizing Hugo Chávez. The man largely responsible for destroying the country. The U.S. has its problems, but I'm profoundly grateful for the First Amendment. reason.com/2025/07/28/1...

I’m very optimistic about the amazing things society will be able to do with AI. But there will obviously continue to be more examples of people abusing it like this. So the next time you are tempted to have a dead person speak via AI, remember: You really should not do that.

Reporting primarily exists to bring us new information. Interviewing a robot version of a dead kid programmed to say things you want him to say does not unearth information. It's also extremely tasteless. Shockingly bad judgment.

Hard for me to put into words how unsavory I find this.

Joaquin Oliver's death was a tragedy. But animating a dead child to speak words he never said serves no journalistic purpose. All it does is chase clicks by exploiting a kid who can no longer express himself. Grim.

It can’t be overstated how much of the pro-tariff movement comes down to a feverish desire to take us back to the 1950s-70s when life was worse in almost every measurable way. Bizarre that anyone would make regression their political platform, but here we are.

It’s maddening that people who know better are claiming victory in this trade war when data show it’s been disastrous. Manufacturing—which we were told would thrive with tariffs—is bleeding jobs because it relies on imports, which are now much more expensive. Is that “winning”?

People need to hear these stories. Corporations will survive tariffs by raising prices & hiring fewer people. It’s the small businesses that are suffering the most. Many will shutter completely, as some already have. But keep convincing yourself that tariffs help the little guy.

Veteran with PTSD can sue the cops who arrested him for panhandling and tased his service dog, court rules A homeless veteran arrested for panhandling—whose service dog was tased by cops—can move forward with his lawsuit against police and the city.

I can't stress enough that the original offense here was allegedly asking for money. Bodycam footage shows about a dozen cops responding to that. And it resulted in a bogus arrest, a dead service animal, and years of fallout. Do you feel safer? reason.com/2025/07/31/v...

Veteran with PTSD can sue the cops who arrested him for panhandling and tased his service dog, court rules A homeless veteran arrested for panhandling—whose service dog was tased by cops—can move forward with his lawsuit against police and the city.

A federal court just rejected the officers’ bid for qualified immunity. That's good. But they'll inevitably appeal—a reminder of how absurdly long it takes for victims of government abuse to get justice, if they're able to get it at all. reason.com/2025/07/31/v...

Veteran with PTSD can sue the cops who arrested him for panhandling and tased his service dog, court rules A homeless veteran arrested for panhandling—whose service dog was tased by cops—can move forward with his lawsuit against police and the city.

Even long after the arrest, police repeatedly smeared Rohrer on their official social media, implying he'd pleaded guilty to the charges.

In reality, those charged were dropped, because they were bogus. reason.com/2025/07/31/v...

I’ve covered this case for years. It’s the kind that keeps me up at night.

Police in NC arrested a homeless veteran—who has service-related PTSD—for allegedly panhandling. A cop tased his service dog, who ran away & was later killed by a car.

Four years later, he's *still* trying to get justice.

I spent a chunk of my early career covering efforts to criminalize filming the police. That should bother people. I get that law enforcement faces scrutiny. But if you want a taxpayer-funded gun and badge, the public has a right to see how you use them.

If there's one thing that should unite every American, it's the First Amendment. Whatever your politics, you have a right to film the police. Extremely concerning that some of the people entrusted to enforce the law have contempt for it, feel above it, or both.

This is so gross. Cops arrested & charged a U.S. citizen for having the audacity to...record them using chokeholds & a stun gun during an immigration arrest.

When he asserted his rights, one cop told him "you've got no rights...you're a migo." I just. 😑

It's interesting to think Democrats used to be the party of the blue collar worker. Many of them now insist on translating everything into hyper-online social justice speak, which is probably wildly out of touch with most of those voters. Normal people don't talk like this!

"Transit equity gap" reminds me of Elizabeth Warren's fight to end "traffic violence." Most folks just want the bus to show up on time & to dodge subway rats. They don't want a PhD thesis written by a social justice warrior. Desist.

Civil forfeiture is theft.

There were tons of victims in this particular raid, by the way. Here are just a few of them. I highlighted the one that increases my blood pressure the most (a high bar).

A reminder that the FBI violated a warrant to do this. This is the kind of thing that can really ruin lives.

The FBI returned Martin’s cash 2 years later—after she filed a class-action lawsuit. She kept fighting, hoping the courts would say that the FBI shouldn’t be allowed to steal from people without giving a reason.

The court threw out her suit. So we’re stuck with the status quo.

The FBI took her $40,000 without explaining why. She fought back—and lost. There is little accountability in civil forfeiture, which allows law enforcement to seize assets without charging the owner with a crime.

A hill I will keep dying on: If the government cannot articulate why it is taking your life savings, then it...shouldn't be doing that. It's legalized larceny, and it needs to end. reason.com/2025/07/28/t...

The woman—Linda Martin—was never charged with a crime. That's par for the course with civil forfeiture, and it's outrageous. But the FBI didn't even tell her what it *suspected* her of. How are innocent people supposed to fight back when that happens? How is anyone OK with this?

The FBI took her $40,000 without explaining why. She fought back—and lost. There is little accountability in civil forfeiture, which allows law enforcement to seize assets without charging the owner with a crime.

This story is wild. The FBI violated a warrant & took an innocent woman’s life savings. They never said why—because they don’t have to.

She sued to stop that. Her case was thrown out last week. So the feds can keep seizing people’s stuff without charges or explanation. reason.com/2025/07/28/t...

One of the best—and most important—things about the U.S. Constitution is that it protects unpopular people. That's the point. If this El Salvador controversy shows us anything, it's that a lot of people don't realize that, or would like to pretend otherwise. That's a problem.

Some people have tried to excuse the Trump admin's vile actions by saying the migrants should've come here "the right way." Well, many *did.* And the govt still subverted due process—aka the law—to send them to a hellhole. If you care about law & order, that should incense you.

Venezuelan makeup artist returns home, describes torture during El Salvador detention A makeup artist who became the face of more than 250 Venezuelan migrants deported by the U.S. to El Salvador's most notorious prison arrived home to his family on Wednesday after what he described as "an encounter with torture and death."

Vile. Andry Hernandez entered the U.S. *legally.* Then—without due process—the govt shipped him to a torture prison where he says people were beaten, shot with projectiles & sexually abused. That anyone’s okay with that just because he wasn’t born here is disturbing. www.reuters.com/business/med...

“But banning Airbnb helped renters!” No, it didn’t. Rents have kept *rising*—and they've risen even faster in areas that once had more Airbnbs. Those listings were a drop in the housing bucket but a huge chunk of hotel alternatives. All this law did was hand hotels a massive win.

One of the most predictable disasters in recent memory. NYC effectively banned short-term rentals like Airbnb—and now working-class people need to take out a second mortgage just to spend a weekend there. All in the name of ~helping.~ Total economic illiteracy.

Wild that this is even a debate. Costco is a cathedral of abundance. Walking in and finding *anything* you need—in bulk, at low prices—is science fiction in many countries. It's a modern miracle. We shouldn't take it for granted.

Gawker fans say Hulk Hogan’s lawsuit was a threat to the First Amendment. It wasn’t. He didn’t sue for libel or what the outlet *said.* He sued for invasion of privacy after it published a stolen sex tape filmed without his knowledge. If that’s not a breach of privacy, what is?