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
📧 alex@governing.digital
🐦 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
📧 alex@governing.digital
🐦 X.com/digiphile
🧵 threads.net/@digiphile
🐘 mastodon.social/@digiphile
📇 linkedin.com/in/alexanderbhoward
👍 facebook.com/alexhoward
📸 instagr.am/digiphile
🖥️ youtube.com/digiphile
@talkingpointsmemo.com: Trump Completes January 6 Autocoup With Mass Preemptive Pardon
morningmemo.talkingpointsmemo.com/p/trump-comp...
@npr.org: Trump grants pardons to Giuliani, Meadows, others linked to 2020 election efforts
“Election efforts.” 🤬
At least WSJ, NYT, & WaPo used “overturn.”
morningmemo.talkingpointsmemo.com/p/trump-comp...
@npr.org: Trump grants pardons to Giuliani, Meadows, others linked to 2020 election efforts
“Election efforts.” 🤬
At least WSJ, NYT, & WaPo used “overturn.”
November 10, 2025 at 5:05 PM
@talkingpointsmemo.com: Trump Completes January 6 Autocoup With Mass Preemptive Pardon
morningmemo.talkingpointsmemo.com/p/trump-comp...
@npr.org: Trump grants pardons to Giuliani, Meadows, others linked to 2020 election efforts
“Election efforts.” 🤬
At least WSJ, NYT, & WaPo used “overturn.”
morningmemo.talkingpointsmemo.com/p/trump-comp...
@npr.org: Trump grants pardons to Giuliani, Meadows, others linked to 2020 election efforts
“Election efforts.” 🤬
At least WSJ, NYT, & WaPo used “overturn.”
Reposted by Alexander Howard
Over the last 10 months, the federal government has cracked down on political expression with a persistence and viciousness reminiscent of some of the darkest periods of U.S. history. Welcome to the Third Red Scare.
The First Amendment Won’t Go Quietly
Welcome to the third Red Scare.
www.theatlantic.com
November 10, 2025 at 3:54 PM
Over the last 10 months, the federal government has cracked down on political expression with a persistence and viciousness reminiscent of some of the darkest periods of U.S. history. Welcome to the Third Red Scare.
Reposted by Alexander Howard
This is really good--one of the most powerful and insightful pieces I've read about what @qjurecic.bsky.social appropriately calls "The Third Red Scare." www.theatlantic.com/ideas/2025/1...
November 10, 2025 at 4:10 PM
This is really good--one of the most powerful and insightful pieces I've read about what @qjurecic.bsky.social appropriately calls "The Third Red Scare." www.theatlantic.com/ideas/2025/1...
Reposted by Alexander Howard
#BREAKING: Over no public dissents, #SCOTUS denies Kim Davis's petition asking the justices to overturn Obergefell v. Hodges (which recognized federal constitutional protections for same-sex marriage):
www.supremecourt.gov/orders/court...
www.supremecourt.gov/orders/court...
www.supremecourt.gov
November 10, 2025 at 2:31 PM
#BREAKING: Over no public dissents, #SCOTUS denies Kim Davis's petition asking the justices to overturn Obergefell v. Hodges (which recognized federal constitutional protections for same-sex marriage):
www.supremecourt.gov/orders/court...
www.supremecourt.gov/orders/court...
Reposted by Alexander Howard
BREAKING: The Supreme Court denied an attempt to challenge Obergefell v. Hodges, the case affirming marriage equality nationwide.
Our freedom to marry remains the law of the land.
Our freedom to marry remains the law of the land.
November 10, 2025 at 2:46 PM
BREAKING: The Supreme Court denied an attempt to challenge Obergefell v. Hodges, the case affirming marriage equality nationwide.
Our freedom to marry remains the law of the land.
Our freedom to marry remains the law of the land.
“we are witnessing why the framers of the Constitution were so concerned about the centralization of power in real time”– @nehls.bsky.social
firstbranchforecast.substack.com/p/master-of-...
firstbranchforecast.substack.com/p/master-of-...
Master of the House: The Pelosi Paradox
How the Strongest Speaker Made Congress Weak
firstbranchforecast.substack.com
November 10, 2025 at 1:27 PM
“we are witnessing why the framers of the Constitution were so concerned about the centralization of power in real time”– @nehls.bsky.social
firstbranchforecast.substack.com/p/master-of-...
firstbranchforecast.substack.com/p/master-of-...
I was today years old when I learned Toyota made a van like this when I saw a ‘90s era HiAce “Super Custom Living Saloon” in DC today.
Seem like it may have a 3.0L turbodiesel engine, swiveling seats, triple sunroofs, & full-time 4WD (!).
But it was designed for 8 passenger transport, not #VanLife.
Seem like it may have a 3.0L turbodiesel engine, swiveling seats, triple sunroofs, & full-time 4WD (!).
But it was designed for 8 passenger transport, not #VanLife.
November 9, 2025 at 9:06 PM
I was today years old when I learned Toyota made a van like this when I saw a ‘90s era HiAce “Super Custom Living Saloon” in DC today.
Seem like it may have a 3.0L turbodiesel engine, swiveling seats, triple sunroofs, & full-time 4WD (!).
But it was designed for 8 passenger transport, not #VanLife.
Seem like it may have a 3.0L turbodiesel engine, swiveling seats, triple sunroofs, & full-time 4WD (!).
But it was designed for 8 passenger transport, not #VanLife.
Amazing chestnut mushrooms from the Manchester Mushroom Farm at Eastern Market in DC made an unforgettable beef stroganoff. Next time, I might just roast them on their own. YUM. So lucky to have greater farmers who come here.
November 9, 2025 at 7:41 PM
Amazing chestnut mushrooms from the Manchester Mushroom Farm at Eastern Market in DC made an unforgettable beef stroganoff. Next time, I might just roast them on their own. YUM. So lucky to have greater farmers who come here.
+💯 @rebeccawilliams.info recommendation for @zohrankmamdani.bsky.social on public digital infrastructure: techpolicy.press/mayor-elect-... “the goal is not to compete with Big Tech but to replace dependence on private platforms with democratic infrastructure.”
#CivicTech by, for, & with the People!
#CivicTech by, for, & with the People!
Mayor-Elect Mamdani Can Build a Tech Agenda for New York and a Model for the Country | TechPolicy.Press
By resisting surveillance, extraction, and exploitation, Mamdani can show how technology truly serves the people, writes Rebecca Williams.
techpolicy.press
November 9, 2025 at 6:00 PM
+💯 @rebeccawilliams.info recommendation for @zohrankmamdani.bsky.social on public digital infrastructure: techpolicy.press/mayor-elect-... “the goal is not to compete with Big Tech but to replace dependence on private platforms with democratic infrastructure.”
#CivicTech by, for, & with the People!
#CivicTech by, for, & with the People!
DC government has steadily improved online dashboards tracking real-time leaf pickup & snow removal.
experience.arcgis.com/experience/0...
Snow plow trackers can be controversial, given what they reveal about how power shapes who gets help & when.
I bet the wind blows that way with leaves, too. 🍂 🍁
experience.arcgis.com/experience/0...
Snow plow trackers can be controversial, given what they reveal about how power shapes who gets help & when.
I bet the wind blows that way with leaves, too. 🍂 🍁
November 9, 2025 at 5:53 PM
DC government has steadily improved online dashboards tracking real-time leaf pickup & snow removal.
experience.arcgis.com/experience/0...
Snow plow trackers can be controversial, given what they reveal about how power shapes who gets help & when.
I bet the wind blows that way with leaves, too. 🍂 🍁
experience.arcgis.com/experience/0...
Snow plow trackers can be controversial, given what they reveal about how power shapes who gets help & when.
I bet the wind blows that way with leaves, too. 🍂 🍁
Research shows billionaires & corporations “have substantial independent impacts on U.S. government policy, while average citizens…have little or no independent influence.” www.cambridge.org/core/journal...
Testing Theories of American Politics: Elites, Interest Groups, and Average Citizens | Perspectives on Politics | Cambridge Core
Testing Theories of American Politics: Elites, Interest Groups, and Average Citizens - Volume 12 Issue 3
www.cambridge.org
November 9, 2025 at 5:19 PM
Research shows billionaires & corporations “have substantial independent impacts on U.S. government policy, while average citizens…have little or no independent influence.” www.cambridge.org/core/journal...
Reposted by Alexander Howard
OMG. The site is literally called the Dunning Kruger Times.
With a “WOW!,” President Trump posts a claim about DOGE and “royalties linked to Obamacare” that originated on a satirical website. That site’s own About section reads: “Everything on this website is fiction… If you believe that it is real, you should have your head examined.”
November 9, 2025 at 4:37 PM
OMG. The site is literally called the Dunning Kruger Times.
Reposted by Alexander Howard
They’re wearing masks so they can’t be prosecuted later. As long as they think they can’t be prosecuted, their crimes will intensify. They will torture, starve and kill, as they have already, on greater and greater scale.
Signed, someone who’s covered the unaccountable War on Terror for 23 years.
Signed, someone who’s covered the unaccountable War on Terror for 23 years.
I’ve come to believe that we need to gather considerable forces and a campaign to demand the removal of face masks by ICE, Border Patrol, FBI and police.
It is a practice in conflict with the principles of transparency & accountability that are central to the concept of democracy.
It is a practice in conflict with the principles of transparency & accountability that are central to the concept of democracy.
Video on social media shows an immigration agent pulling a gun in Little Village and holding it to the side — which is not an appropriate or safe way to hold a gun. (Among other issues.)
November 9, 2025 at 2:36 PM
They’re wearing masks so they can’t be prosecuted later. As long as they think they can’t be prosecuted, their crimes will intensify. They will torture, starve and kill, as they have already, on greater and greater scale.
Signed, someone who’s covered the unaccountable War on Terror for 23 years.
Signed, someone who’s covered the unaccountable War on Terror for 23 years.
“Climate change is increasingly lethal, though critics say…it is not.”
“Israel is murdering journalists in Gaza at historically unprecedented rates, though critics say…it is not.”
“Trans people claim to be real, though critics say…”
(Trump is a corrupt autocrat who incited insurrection, though…)
“Israel is murdering journalists in Gaza at historically unprecedented rates, though critics say…it is not.”
“Trans people claim to be real, though critics say…”
(Trump is a corrupt autocrat who incited insurrection, though…)
Maybe Don’t Talk to the New York Times About Zohran Mamdani
It’s remarkable, the people you’ll hear from. Teach for even a little while at an expensive institution—the term they tend to prefer is “elite”—and odds are that eventually someone who was a studen…
lithub.com
November 9, 2025 at 1:26 PM
“Climate change is increasingly lethal, though critics say…it is not.”
“Israel is murdering journalists in Gaza at historically unprecedented rates, though critics say…it is not.”
“Trans people claim to be real, though critics say…”
(Trump is a corrupt autocrat who incited insurrection, though…)
“Israel is murdering journalists in Gaza at historically unprecedented rates, though critics say…it is not.”
“Trans people claim to be real, though critics say…”
(Trump is a corrupt autocrat who incited insurrection, though…)
“Most of the days the federal government has ever been shut down, Donald Trump was the president.”— @howtoreadthisch.art
www.howtoreadthisch.art/red-versus-b...
www.howtoreadthisch.art/red-versus-b...
November 8, 2025 at 11:54 PM
“Most of the days the federal government has ever been shut down, Donald Trump was the president.”— @howtoreadthisch.art
www.howtoreadthisch.art/red-versus-b...
www.howtoreadthisch.art/red-versus-b...
“Most of the days the federal government has ever been shut down, Donald Trump was the president.”— @howtoreadthisch.art
www.howtoreadthisch.art/red-versus-b...
www.howtoreadthisch.art/red-versus-b...
November 8, 2025 at 11:51 PM
“Most of the days the federal government has ever been shut down, Donald Trump was the president.”— @howtoreadthisch.art
www.howtoreadthisch.art/red-versus-b...
www.howtoreadthisch.art/red-versus-b...
“Finding a business model that compensates the creators of content is not just a moral imperative, it’s a business imperative. Economies flourish better through exchange than extraction. AI has not yet found true product-market fit.”— @timoreilly.bsky.social
“Create more value than you capture.”
“Create more value than you capture.”
AI overviews shouldn't be "one size fits all"
So much of the thinking about how to address the problems of AI seems to start with laws and regulations. Rather than thinking about what should be illegal, we should be thinking about what should be ...
asimovaddendum.substack.com
November 8, 2025 at 10:03 PM
“Finding a business model that compensates the creators of content is not just a moral imperative, it’s a business imperative. Economies flourish better through exchange than extraction. AI has not yet found true product-market fit.”— @timoreilly.bsky.social
“Create more value than you capture.”
“Create more value than you capture.”
Perfect fall day for a quiet hike with the dogs in rural Maryland at the Glendening Nature Preserve. JugBay.org
Autumn 🍂 foliage may be past peak, but there were still gorgeous colors illuminated in strong sun.
Autumn 🍂 foliage may be past peak, but there were still gorgeous colors illuminated in strong sun.
November 8, 2025 at 8:49 PM
Perfect fall day for a quiet hike with the dogs in rural Maryland at the Glendening Nature Preserve. JugBay.org
Autumn 🍂 foliage may be past peak, but there were still gorgeous colors illuminated in strong sun.
Autumn 🍂 foliage may be past peak, but there were still gorgeous colors illuminated in strong sun.
Reposted by Alexander Howard
Yup. A judge can swear @adelitaforcongress.bsky.social in to Congress. But Congress first has to vote to allow it to happen. Click thru hear and watch Grijalva explain it in a nice smart, concise video.
Today, I learned from @pkcapitol.bsky.social that a federal judge can swear in a Representative, but it still requires an act of Congress to authorize them to do so.
s2.washingtonpost.com/camp-rw/?tra...
Speaker Johnson continues to keep the House out of session during the longest shutdown ever.
s2.washingtonpost.com/camp-rw/?tra...
Speaker Johnson continues to keep the House out of session during the longest shutdown ever.
The 7: Why Arizona is missing a member of Congress — your questions, answered
s2.washingtonpost.com
November 8, 2025 at 4:50 PM
Yup. A judge can swear @adelitaforcongress.bsky.social in to Congress. But Congress first has to vote to allow it to happen. Click thru hear and watch Grijalva explain it in a nice smart, concise video.
Today, I learned from @pkcapitol.bsky.social that a federal judge can swear in a Representative, but it still requires an act of Congress to authorize them to do so.
s2.washingtonpost.com/camp-rw/?tra...
Speaker Johnson continues to keep the House out of session during the longest shutdown ever.
s2.washingtonpost.com/camp-rw/?tra...
Speaker Johnson continues to keep the House out of session during the longest shutdown ever.
The 7: Why Arizona is missing a member of Congress — your questions, answered
s2.washingtonpost.com
November 8, 2025 at 1:23 PM
Today, I learned from @pkcapitol.bsky.social that a federal judge can swear in a Representative, but it still requires an act of Congress to authorize them to do so.
s2.washingtonpost.com/camp-rw/?tra...
Speaker Johnson continues to keep the House out of session during the longest shutdown ever.
s2.washingtonpost.com/camp-rw/?tra...
Speaker Johnson continues to keep the House out of session during the longest shutdown ever.
Reposted by Alexander Howard
Trying to figure out what #SCOTUS just did with #SNAP, and why Justice Jackson temporarily froze the district court's ruling?
Via "One First," me on what's going on—and why I think Jackson's move was savvy, notwithstanding the awful circumstances that forced it:
www.stevevladeck.com/p/190-snap-wtf
Via "One First," me on what's going on—and why I think Jackson's move was savvy, notwithstanding the awful circumstances that forced it:
www.stevevladeck.com/p/190-snap-wtf
190. SNAP WTF?
A very quick explainer on what (and why) Justice Jackson issued an "administrative stay" in the SNAP case late on Friday night, and on what's likely to happen next
www.stevevladeck.com
November 8, 2025 at 3:34 AM
Trying to figure out what #SCOTUS just did with #SNAP, and why Justice Jackson temporarily froze the district court's ruling?
Via "One First," me on what's going on—and why I think Jackson's move was savvy, notwithstanding the awful circumstances that forced it:
www.stevevladeck.com/p/190-snap-wtf
Via "One First," me on what's going on—and why I think Jackson's move was savvy, notwithstanding the awful circumstances that forced it:
www.stevevladeck.com/p/190-snap-wtf
I see more stickers & fliers than graffiti on the public streets & infrastructure of Capitol Hill, after months of steady evolution.
They show takedowns & rip-downs of messages, images, & public art someone disliked.
Like fences in 2020, these surfaces are makeshift bulletin boards of dissent.
They show takedowns & rip-downs of messages, images, & public art someone disliked.
Like fences in 2020, these surfaces are makeshift bulletin boards of dissent.
November 7, 2025 at 5:50 PM
I see more stickers & fliers than graffiti on the public streets & infrastructure of Capitol Hill, after months of steady evolution.
They show takedowns & rip-downs of messages, images, & public art someone disliked.
Like fences in 2020, these surfaces are makeshift bulletin boards of dissent.
They show takedowns & rip-downs of messages, images, & public art someone disliked.
Like fences in 2020, these surfaces are makeshift bulletin boards of dissent.
I stopped to bear witness to a protest at the U.S. Supreme Court on our morning walk back from the vet’s office.
I never tire seeing the vigorous expression of our constitutional rights to peaceably assemble, speak, associate, & petition our government for the redress of grievances in civic spaces.
I never tire seeing the vigorous expression of our constitutional rights to peaceably assemble, speak, associate, & petition our government for the redress of grievances in civic spaces.
November 7, 2025 at 4:23 PM
I stopped to bear witness to a protest at the U.S. Supreme Court on our morning walk back from the vet’s office.
I never tire seeing the vigorous expression of our constitutional rights to peaceably assemble, speak, associate, & petition our government for the redress of grievances in civic spaces.
I never tire seeing the vigorous expression of our constitutional rights to peaceably assemble, speak, associate, & petition our government for the redress of grievances in civic spaces.
The mayoral transition will be “defined by transparency” says Mayor-Elect Mamdani. The way a campaign transitions into governing is a bellwether for what follows, as we’ve seen at every level of government. I’ll be watching, like millions of New Yorkers, to see how this one keeps spreading the news.
November 6, 2025 at 1:04 PM
The mayoral transition will be “defined by transparency” says Mayor-Elect Mamdani. The way a campaign transitions into governing is a bellwether for what follows, as we’ve seen at every level of government. I’ll be watching, like millions of New Yorkers, to see how this one keeps spreading the news.
Reposted by Alexander Howard
Universal swing in action: "What we saw last night was a directional shift toward Democrats in 99.8% of counties that held partisan elections." www.gelliottmorris.com/p/seven-data...
November 5, 2025 at 1:20 PM
Universal swing in action: "What we saw last night was a directional shift toward Democrats in 99.8% of counties that held partisan elections." www.gelliottmorris.com/p/seven-data...