Alexander Howard
@digiphile.bsky.social
Dad, writer, cyclist, citizen, cereal dilettante. Advocate for freedom of information, open governance, & democracy. Lover of the Oxford Comma, hater of hubris. Recovering journalist. Trying to move carefully, & fix things. https://civic-texts.ghost.io
Pinned
Alexander Howard
@digiphile.bsky.social
· Jun 23
Good morning from DC 🥵
If we need to connect:
🤳 Signal: digiphile.97
💡📲 civic-texts.ghost.io
📧 [email protected]
🐦 X.com/digiphile
🧵 threads.net/@digiphile
🐘 mastodon.social/@digiphile
📇 linkedin.com/in/alexanderbhoward
👍 facebook.com/alexhoward
📸 instagr.am/digiphile
🖥️ youtube.com/digiphile
If we need to connect:
🤳 Signal: digiphile.97
💡📲 civic-texts.ghost.io
📧 [email protected]
🐦 X.com/digiphile
🧵 threads.net/@digiphile
🐘 mastodon.social/@digiphile
📇 linkedin.com/in/alexanderbhoward
👍 facebook.com/alexhoward
📸 instagr.am/digiphile
🖥️ youtube.com/digiphile
President Abraham Lincoln proclaimed a national day of #Thanksgiving during the height of the Civil War, when the first Republican President celebrated our union’s defense against the Confederacy & congratulated Americans on the emancipation of formerly enslaved people across the United States. ⚔️⛓️💥🇺🇸
November 26, 2025
Thanksgiving is the quintessential American holiday…but not for the reasons we generally remember.
heathercoxrichardson.substack.com
November 27, 2025 at 2:18 PM
President Abraham Lincoln proclaimed a national day of #Thanksgiving during the height of the Civil War, when the first Republican President celebrated our union’s defense against the Confederacy & congratulated Americans on the emancipation of formerly enslaved people across the United States. ⚔️⛓️💥🇺🇸
Reposted by Alexander Howard
I need everybody to read this and understand what’s going on. These are spouses of US citizens in the country legally. They have entry clearance and green cards, they’ve passed background checks and have no criminal records. ICE is taking them anyway.
Gift link:
www.nytimes.com/2025/11/26/u...
Gift link:
www.nytimes.com/2025/11/26/u...
Green Card Interviews End in Handcuffs for Spouses of U.S. Citizens
www.nytimes.com
November 26, 2025 at 8:40 PM
I need everybody to read this and understand what’s going on. These are spouses of US citizens in the country legally. They have entry clearance and green cards, they’ve passed background checks and have no criminal records. ICE is taking them anyway.
Gift link:
www.nytimes.com/2025/11/26/u...
Gift link:
www.nytimes.com/2025/11/26/u...
I was cycling near the White House as the security posture radically changed after 2 National Guard members were shot. @apnews.com reports they’re in critical condition, while a suspect is in custody after being shot: apnews.com/live/trump-n... Please: remember the rules of breaking news.
November 26, 2025 at 8:34 PM
I was cycling near the White House as the security posture radically changed after 2 National Guard members were shot. @apnews.com reports they’re in critical condition, while a suspect is in custody after being shot: apnews.com/live/trump-n... Please: remember the rules of breaking news.
Stephen Belk gifting us with some Bill Withers outside of the White House on an unseasonably sunny and warm late Sunday.
November 26, 2025 at 8:09 PM
Stephen Belk gifting us with some Bill Withers outside of the White House on an unseasonably sunny and warm late Sunday.
The civic spaces around the seat of the first branch of US government are far more open that those around the executive. The judicial branch is more open, but enshrouded & under construction. All offer an architectural metaphor for the historic moment.
November 26, 2025 at 8:07 PM
The civic spaces around the seat of the first branch of US government are far more open that those around the executive. The judicial branch is more open, but enshrouded & under construction. All offer an architectural metaphor for the historic moment.
Going to the DCDMV on the Wednesday before Thanksgiving was great timing.
I had to leave 2X, & was able to re-enter & get in queue with no issues.
#DCWIFI offers adequate public WiFi, if I didn’t have a ATT account.
Hope they modernize payments in 2026.
Glad to see voter registration by default.
I had to leave 2X, & was able to re-enter & get in queue with no issues.
#DCWIFI offers adequate public WiFi, if I didn’t have a ATT account.
Hope they modernize payments in 2026.
Glad to see voter registration by default.
November 26, 2025 at 5:00 PM
Going to the DCDMV on the Wednesday before Thanksgiving was great timing.
I had to leave 2X, & was able to re-enter & get in queue with no issues.
#DCWIFI offers adequate public WiFi, if I didn’t have a ATT account.
Hope they modernize payments in 2026.
Glad to see voter registration by default.
I had to leave 2X, & was able to re-enter & get in queue with no issues.
#DCWIFI offers adequate public WiFi, if I didn’t have a ATT account.
Hope they modernize payments in 2026.
Glad to see voter registration by default.
Reposted by Alexander Howard
Now here’s the kind of news you drop going into a long holiday weekend. Maybe no one will notice. 🤡
@nytimes.com
www.nytimes.com/2025/11/26/u...
@nytimes.com
www.nytimes.com/2025/11/26/u...
November 26, 2025 at 10:05 AM
Now here’s the kind of news you drop going into a long holiday weekend. Maybe no one will notice. 🤡
@nytimes.com
www.nytimes.com/2025/11/26/u...
@nytimes.com
www.nytimes.com/2025/11/26/u...
DC will have a new Mayor in 2027, likely the candidate chosen in the Democratic primary next summer on July 16, 2026: Muriel Bowser won’t seek re-election as @mayorbowser.dc.gov
www.washingtonpost.com/dc-md-va/202...
Might be @janeese4dc.bsky.social, Kenyan McDuffie, or a candidate yet TBD.
www.washingtonpost.com/dc-md-va/202...
Might be @janeese4dc.bsky.social, Kenyan McDuffie, or a candidate yet TBD.
November 25, 2025 at 7:54 PM
DC will have a new Mayor in 2027, likely the candidate chosen in the Democratic primary next summer on July 16, 2026: Muriel Bowser won’t seek re-election as @mayorbowser.dc.gov
www.washingtonpost.com/dc-md-va/202...
Might be @janeese4dc.bsky.social, Kenyan McDuffie, or a candidate yet TBD.
www.washingtonpost.com/dc-md-va/202...
Might be @janeese4dc.bsky.social, Kenyan McDuffie, or a candidate yet TBD.
“the United States has given up on its efforts to open up corporate registries, despite convincing arguments that shell companies from lax states like Nevada are a clear threat to national security.”
us12.forward-to-friend.com/forward/prev... A new Congress & POTUS will have to enforce transparency.
us12.forward-to-friend.com/forward/prev... A new Congress & POTUS will have to enforce transparency.
Tether, Trump and the Twisty Road to Transparency
us12.forward-to-friend.com
November 25, 2025 at 1:08 PM
“the United States has given up on its efforts to open up corporate registries, despite convincing arguments that shell companies from lax states like Nevada are a clear threat to national security.”
us12.forward-to-friend.com/forward/prev... A new Congress & POTUS will have to enforce transparency.
us12.forward-to-friend.com/forward/prev... A new Congress & POTUS will have to enforce transparency.
Reposted by Alexander Howard
Cannot overstate how, from my perch as a national-security reporter, this would have been an earth-shattering scandal in a prior era.
Billionaire Binance founder Changpeng Zhao, pardoned by Donald Trump, has been accused of facilitating millions of dollars’ worth of payments to Hamas in the wake of its attack on Israel on October 7 2023. Zhao also financed the Trump family's entrance into the cryptocurrency market.
Binance founder Changpeng Zhao accused of facilitating payments to Hamas
Crypto tycoon pardoned by Donald Trump faces US court complaint from families of victims of October 7 attack
www.ft.com
November 25, 2025 at 4:33 AM
Cannot overstate how, from my perch as a national-security reporter, this would have been an earth-shattering scandal in a prior era.
🦃 acquired
Area birds 🕊️🐓🦜🪿🦆🦃
…unamused.
Area birds 🕊️🐓🦜🪿🦆🦃
…unamused.
November 24, 2025 at 9:26 PM
🦃 acquired
Area birds 🕊️🐓🦜🪿🦆🦃
…unamused.
Area birds 🕊️🐓🦜🪿🦆🦃
…unamused.
Reposted by Alexander Howard
NEW: When RFK Jr. first told Trump that Tylenol might cause autism, the president wanted to tweet out a warning. Kennedy told him not to do that. There was nuance, and the drug companies would push back. “I don’t give a shit about that,” Trump responded. www.theatlantic.com/magazine/202...
The Most Powerful Man in Science
Why is Robert F. Kennedy Jr. so convinced he’s right?
www.theatlantic.com
November 24, 2025 at 2:18 AM
NEW: When RFK Jr. first told Trump that Tylenol might cause autism, the president wanted to tweet out a warning. Kennedy told him not to do that. There was nuance, and the drug companies would push back. “I don’t give a shit about that,” Trump responded. www.theatlantic.com/magazine/202...
Grilled sirloin, shaved thin, with caramelized onions, fresh arugula, melted Muenster cheese, & horseradish cream sauce over - a sliced & toasted baguette, with a dip on the side. (Dear reader, I ate the whole thing.) #WhatsCooking?
November 24, 2025 at 1:11 AM
Grilled sirloin, shaved thin, with caramelized onions, fresh arugula, melted Muenster cheese, & horseradish cream sauce over - a sliced & toasted baguette, with a dip on the side. (Dear reader, I ate the whole thing.) #WhatsCooking?
Reposted by Alexander Howard
Meta halted internal research that purportedly showed (young) people who stopped using Facebook became less depressed and anxious, according to an unredacted legal filing released on Friday. www.cnbc.com/2025/11/23/m...
Meta halted internal research suggesting social media harm, court filing alleges
Meta is alleged to have halted internal research suggesting social media harm, according to court documents.
www.cnbc.com
November 24, 2025 at 12:31 AM
Meta halted internal research that purportedly showed (young) people who stopped using Facebook became less depressed and anxious, according to an unredacted legal filing released on Friday. www.cnbc.com/2025/11/23/m...
“if platforms don’t change the incentives, ordinary users will stay exactly what the system has optimized us to be: the marks in an unyielding battle for attention in which grifters & companies profit from pitting Americans against each other”—@noupside
agentsofinfluence.substack.com/p/on-the-int...
agentsofinfluence.substack.com/p/on-the-int...
November 24, 2025 at 1:00 AM
“if platforms don’t change the incentives, ordinary users will stay exactly what the system has optimized us to be: the marks in an unyielding battle for attention in which grifters & companies profit from pitting Americans against each other”—@noupside
agentsofinfluence.substack.com/p/on-the-int...
agentsofinfluence.substack.com/p/on-the-int...
Draw attention to news that matters.
Pay for journalism that you value.
Donate to nonprofits that do good work.
Cite scholarship that enlightens.
Vote for politicians who earn your trust.
Link to the original source.
Stay curious & humble.
Be kind, when you can.
Love your people while they’re alive.
Pay for journalism that you value.
Donate to nonprofits that do good work.
Cite scholarship that enlightens.
Vote for politicians who earn your trust.
Link to the original source.
Stay curious & humble.
Be kind, when you can.
Love your people while they’re alive.
November 22, 2025 at 5:54 PM
Draw attention to news that matters.
Pay for journalism that you value.
Donate to nonprofits that do good work.
Cite scholarship that enlightens.
Vote for politicians who earn your trust.
Link to the original source.
Stay curious & humble.
Be kind, when you can.
Love your people while they’re alive.
Pay for journalism that you value.
Donate to nonprofits that do good work.
Cite scholarship that enlightens.
Vote for politicians who earn your trust.
Link to the original source.
Stay curious & humble.
Be kind, when you can.
Love your people while they’re alive.
Reposted by Alexander Howard
NEW: In my OUR LAND newsletter, I examine how Donald Trump's brazen corruption extends beyond the White House and can poison the nation.
link.motherjones.com/public/42674...
Appreciate kick-ass reporting and analysis? You can sign up for a FREE trial subscription to OUR LAND at davidcorn.com.
link.motherjones.com/public/42674...
Appreciate kick-ass reporting and analysis? You can sign up for a FREE trial subscription to OUR LAND at davidcorn.com.
November 22, 2025 at 3:19 PM
NEW: In my OUR LAND newsletter, I examine how Donald Trump's brazen corruption extends beyond the White House and can poison the nation.
link.motherjones.com/public/42674...
Appreciate kick-ass reporting and analysis? You can sign up for a FREE trial subscription to OUR LAND at davidcorn.com.
link.motherjones.com/public/42674...
Appreciate kick-ass reporting and analysis? You can sign up for a FREE trial subscription to OUR LAND at davidcorn.com.
“there are about 42,000 journalists in the U.S., the vast majority performing ethically & honorably for newspapers large & small, television newscasts, community news startups, public radio stations &, in a few cases, independent newsletters & blogs”- @dankennedy.net dankennedy.net/2025/11/22/m...
November 22, 2025 at 2:54 PM
“there are about 42,000 journalists in the U.S., the vast majority performing ethically & honorably for newspapers large & small, television newscasts, community news startups, public radio stations &, in a few cases, independent newsletters & blogs”- @dankennedy.net dankennedy.net/2025/11/22/m...
Reposted by Alexander Howard
Gift link: wapo.st/43FXQfO
detailed WashPost account of how Trump and Stephen Miller sidelined serious lawyers so they could fabricate a justification for committing murder
www.washingtonpost.com/national-sec...
www.washingtonpost.com/national-sec...
White House blew past legal concerns in deadly strikes on drug boats
The Trump administration sidestepped skeptical lawyers across national security agencies as it pursued a military campaign against alleged narcotraffickers, officials say.
www.washingtonpost.com
November 22, 2025 at 2:30 PM
Gift link: wapo.st/43FXQfO
This past week showed once again that:
- everyone needs an editor
- no one knows what will happen in US politics in 2025
- journalism remains the immune system of democracy
- Russian influence on American foreign policy in Ukraine merits far more public debate
- vaccines don’t cause autism
- ?
- everyone needs an editor
- no one knows what will happen in US politics in 2025
- journalism remains the immune system of democracy
- Russian influence on American foreign policy in Ukraine merits far more public debate
- vaccines don’t cause autism
- ?
November 22, 2025 at 2:29 PM
This past week showed once again that:
- everyone needs an editor
- no one knows what will happen in US politics in 2025
- journalism remains the immune system of democracy
- Russian influence on American foreign policy in Ukraine merits far more public debate
- vaccines don’t cause autism
- ?
- everyone needs an editor
- no one knows what will happen in US politics in 2025
- journalism remains the immune system of democracy
- Russian influence on American foreign policy in Ukraine merits far more public debate
- vaccines don’t cause autism
- ?
Reposted by Alexander Howard
We spent a year investigating billionaires for @washingtonpost.com.
We found: the wealthiest 100 Americans gave $1.1 billion to influence the 2024 elections — 140x more than they did in 2000. And almost all of that giving boosted Republicans.
washingtonpost.com/politics/int...
We found: the wealthiest 100 Americans gave $1.1 billion to influence the 2024 elections — 140x more than they did in 2000. And almost all of that giving boosted Republicans.
washingtonpost.com/politics/int...
November 21, 2025 at 2:56 PM
We spent a year investigating billionaires for @washingtonpost.com.
We found: the wealthiest 100 Americans gave $1.1 billion to influence the 2024 elections — 140x more than they did in 2000. And almost all of that giving boosted Republicans.
washingtonpost.com/politics/int...
We found: the wealthiest 100 Americans gave $1.1 billion to influence the 2024 elections — 140x more than they did in 2000. And almost all of that giving boosted Republicans.
washingtonpost.com/politics/int...
Reposted by Alexander Howard
The Court today ruled what we have known all along: the federal occupation of the District is unlawful, unwelcome, and unjust.
This is a victory for democracy, and a victory for DC and our 700K residents who have stood united for our right to self-govern.
Thank you, AG Schwalb.
This is a victory for democracy, and a victory for DC and our 700K residents who have stood united for our right to self-govern.
Thank you, AG Schwalb.
NEW: The Court has ruled that the National Guard deployment to DC is illegal and granted a preliminary injunction.
As we made clear from the beginning: the US military should not be policing American citizens on American soil.
This is a victory for DC, Home Rule, and American democracy.
As we made clear from the beginning: the US military should not be policing American citizens on American soil.
This is a victory for DC, Home Rule, and American democracy.
November 20, 2025 at 9:38 PM
The Court today ruled what we have known all along: the federal occupation of the District is unlawful, unwelcome, and unjust.
This is a victory for democracy, and a victory for DC and our 700K residents who have stood united for our right to self-govern.
Thank you, AG Schwalb.
This is a victory for democracy, and a victory for DC and our 700K residents who have stood united for our right to self-govern.
Thank you, AG Schwalb.
Reposted by Alexander Howard
For what it’s worth, as a commander and officer it was my duty, moral obligation, and legal requirement to first question and then to not obey any illegal order I was given.
The same is true for everyone who swear their oath.
Hope that clears things up.
The same is true for everyone who swear their oath.
Hope that clears things up.
November 20, 2025 at 10:16 PM
For what it’s worth, as a commander and officer it was my duty, moral obligation, and legal requirement to first question and then to not obey any illegal order I was given.
The same is true for everyone who swear their oath.
Hope that clears things up.
The same is true for everyone who swear their oath.
Hope that clears things up.
Reposted by Alexander Howard
NEW AP INVESTIGATION: With license plate readers and local law enforcement partnerships, Border Patrol is monitoring American drivers and detaining those exhibiting ‘suspicious’ travel patterns in the U.S. interior. w/
@garanceburke.bsky.social. apnews.com/article/immi...
@garanceburke.bsky.social. apnews.com/article/immi...
Border Patrol is monitoring US drivers and detaining those with 'suspicious' travel patterns
The U.S. Border Patrol is monitoring millions of American drivers nationwide in a secretive program to identify and detain people whose travel patterns it deems suspicious.
apnews.com
November 20, 2025 at 5:48 PM
NEW AP INVESTIGATION: With license plate readers and local law enforcement partnerships, Border Patrol is monitoring American drivers and detaining those exhibiting ‘suspicious’ travel patterns in the U.S. interior. w/
@garanceburke.bsky.social. apnews.com/article/immi...
@garanceburke.bsky.social. apnews.com/article/immi...