Alex Halpern
@halpernalex.bsky.social
Expert generalist. Oregonian.
Act locally. Views expressly my own.
Act locally. Views expressly my own.
Pinned
Alex Halpern
@halpernalex.bsky.social
· Dec 1
And where reputable journalists and thinkers go, so do elected officials.
I’ve been getting asked lately about a more serious + systemic migration to Bluesky among electeds.
Idk the answer but it highlights how much of a breaking point misinfo & throttling has become for Twitter(& other platforms)
I’ve been getting asked lately about a more serious + systemic migration to Bluesky among electeds.
Idk the answer but it highlights how much of a breaking point misinfo & throttling has become for Twitter(& other platforms)
Bluesky is winning because both twitter and threads have gone out of their way to make their platforms inhospitable to reputable journalists and news. @kattenbarge.bsky.social reports:
www.nbcnews.com/tech/social-...
www.nbcnews.com/tech/social-...
All the best school board members are here
Keep trying to explain that while yes, this was absolutely an illegal war crime for which the orchestrators should be prosecuted, decades of GWOT propaganda have made it important to stress that it was also a very, very impressive and well-executed war crime.
January 4, 2026 at 4:49 AM
Keep trying to explain that while yes, this was absolutely an illegal war crime for which the orchestrators should be prosecuted, decades of GWOT propaganda have made it important to stress that it was also a very, very impressive and well-executed war crime.
“This makes Operation Iraqi Freedom look well planned and executed” is not a thing I hoped to ever say.
January 3, 2026 at 7:29 PM
“This makes Operation Iraqi Freedom look well planned and executed” is not a thing I hoped to ever say.
Can’t wait until CBS News blames the American withdrawal from Venezuela on the Democratic president in 2029.
January 3, 2026 at 7:17 PM
Can’t wait until CBS News blames the American withdrawal from Venezuela on the Democratic president in 2029.
Would have preferred this not kick off 2026 but alas this was the inevitable capper to 2025
January 3, 2026 at 7:06 PM
Would have preferred this not kick off 2026 but alas this was the inevitable capper to 2025
I don’t think it’s asking too much
January 3, 2026 at 3:56 AM
I don’t think it’s asking too much
There are a lot of things wrong with this post, but from a librarians perspective let me just very plainly state that library late fees are a tax on the poor people and children who use libraries and a barrier to entry for many more who avoid libraries because of economic anxiety over late fees.
The Arlington library is quite woke in terms of the children’s books they choose to highlight, but imo the place where they’ve really gone off the rails is they’ve gotten rid of fines.
January 2, 2026 at 5:53 PM
There are a lot of things wrong with this post, but from a librarians perspective let me just very plainly state that library late fees are a tax on the poor people and children who use libraries and a barrier to entry for many more who avoid libraries because of economic anxiety over late fees.
Introduce yourself with what almost killed you.
Hi, I’m probably Dr. Bruce Ivins but also maybe a wider conspiracy or even Al Queda?
Hi, I’m probably Dr. Bruce Ivins but also maybe a wider conspiracy or even Al Queda?
Introduce yourself with what almost killed you.
Hi, I'm toothpaste.
Hi, I'm toothpaste.
January 2, 2026 at 5:02 PM
Introduce yourself with what almost killed you.
Hi, I’m probably Dr. Bruce Ivins but also maybe a wider conspiracy or even Al Queda?
Hi, I’m probably Dr. Bruce Ivins but also maybe a wider conspiracy or even Al Queda?
Reposted by Alex Halpern
Who called them candy cane flavored peeps and not Peepermints
December 25, 2025 at 5:31 PM
Who called them candy cane flavored peeps and not Peepermints
We can all have this if we are willing to work for it
Mamdani: I have been told that this is the occasion to reset expectations, that I should use this opportunity to encourage the people of New York to ask for little and expect even less. I will do no such thing. The only expectation I seek to reset is that of small expectations.
January 1, 2026 at 8:09 PM
We can all have this if we are willing to work for it
Happy New Year, I liked the end of Stranger Things and you are wrong if you disagree.
January 1, 2026 at 3:44 PM
Happy New Year, I liked the end of Stranger Things and you are wrong if you disagree.
2025 had some real low points for us as a country, but it also had some real low points for us as human beings. So who is to say what kind of year it was?
January 1, 2026 at 12:14 AM
2025 had some real low points for us as a country, but it also had some real low points for us as human beings. So who is to say what kind of year it was?
Time for the staff at NYT Connections to just give it up.
December 29, 2025 at 3:58 PM
Time for the staff at NYT Connections to just give it up.
Suing everyone who doesn’t like me for hurting my feelings is sure to get them to like me
The Kennedy Center is planning legal action after jazz musician Chuck Redd canceled an annual holiday concert. Redd pulled out after President Trump's name appeared on the building. n.pr/49tB0uS
Kennedy Center vows to sue musician who canceled performance over Trump name change
The Kennedy Center is planning legal action after jazz musician Chuck Redd canceled an annual holiday concert. Redd pulled out after President Trump's name appeared on the building.
n.pr
December 28, 2025 at 2:10 AM
Suing everyone who doesn’t like me for hurting my feelings is sure to get them to like me
I liked Avatar and I liked Avatar at Sea and I am sure I am going to like Avatar on Fire and maybe one day Jim Cameron will make Avatar on Ice and I’ll probably like that too.
December 27, 2025 at 3:22 AM
I liked Avatar and I liked Avatar at Sea and I am sure I am going to like Avatar on Fire and maybe one day Jim Cameron will make Avatar on Ice and I’ll probably like that too.
Who called them candy cane flavored peeps and not Peepermints
December 25, 2025 at 5:31 PM
Who called them candy cane flavored peeps and not Peepermints
This is 100% true.
if they had just shown it on 60 Minutes nobody would have seen it
December 23, 2025 at 1:02 AM
This is 100% true.
I can’t decide if it would be worse if JD Vance was an actual Nazi or if it’s worse that he is so sociopathic that he is pretending to be a Nazi to pander to Nazi voters. Ultimately it doesn’t matter because the result is the same but it’s wild!
JD Vance: "In the United States of America you don't have to apologize for being white anymore"
December 21, 2025 at 8:43 PM
I can’t decide if it would be worse if JD Vance was an actual Nazi or if it’s worse that he is so sociopathic that he is pretending to be a Nazi to pander to Nazi voters. Ultimately it doesn’t matter because the result is the same but it’s wild!
Well that’s the least shocking news I’ve ever gotten
The one-time bonuses President Donald Trump said Wednesday will be paid out to over a million US service members will be pulled from funds already approved by Congress to cover housing and other household costs for troops as part of a military stipend program.
Trump repurposing money earmarked for troop housing for ‘warrior dividend' bonuses | CNN Politics
The one-time bonuses President Donald Trump said Wednesday will be paid out to over a million US service members will be pulled from funds already approved by Congress to cover housing and other household costs for troops as part of a military stipend p...
www.cnn.com
December 18, 2025 at 11:04 PM
Well that’s the least shocking news I’ve ever gotten
Absolute worst part of being an adult is that you need to have a dinner plan every day
December 18, 2025 at 12:09 AM
Absolute worst part of being an adult is that you need to have a dinner plan every day
It was Andor 2 because I am a basic 43 year old man
2025 has been a rough year. What's one piece of art that's brought you absolute joy despite everything?
December 17, 2025 at 12:03 AM
It was Andor 2 because I am a basic 43 year old man
Susie Wiles fell victim to the oldest journalistic trick in the book, multiple on the record interviews.
December 16, 2025 at 11:17 PM
Susie Wiles fell victim to the oldest journalistic trick in the book, multiple on the record interviews.
Reposted by Alex Halpern
Why do my party leaders insist on humiliating me in front of my friends
"We will do nothing to hold Trump and his regime accountable for the next two years if you put us in charge" is not an inspiring message. This isn't 2017. Replacing the GOP House was *by itself* enough to derail much of Trump's agenda in 2019.
cc: @senategabe.bsky.social @owillis.bsky.social
cc: @senategabe.bsky.social @owillis.bsky.social
December 14, 2025 at 8:31 PM
Why do my party leaders insist on humiliating me in front of my friends
This is the way.
This is the good stuff. @halpernalex.bsky.social your dream is being realized.
www.thenewstribune.com/news/local/a...
www.thenewstribune.com/news/local/a...
At Tacoma library, accessing social services is as easy as checking out a book
Tacoma Public Library hired a social worker to help patrons access housing, benefits and emergency services.
www.thenewstribune.com
December 13, 2025 at 10:31 PM
This is the way.
Boy he does not look good
December 12, 2025 at 11:27 PM
Boy he does not look good
That’s one of the more dystopian headlines I think I’ve ever read
President Donald Trump has signed an executive order that blocks states from enforcing their own regulations around artificial intelligence and instead aims to create a "single national framework" for AI. https://cnn.it/49chVwf
December 12, 2025 at 12:48 AM
That’s one of the more dystopian headlines I think I’ve ever read