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
Reposted by Alex Halpern
Imagine what’s happening in the camps.
Imagine how much they’d be lying about what happened without all the videos showing it from multiple angles.
January 24, 2026 at 11:29 PM
Imagine what’s happening in the camps.
Every one of these will move us towards the end of all this, but we are nowhere near the end of all this.
It’s going to get much, much worse before it gets better and everyone should start mentally preparing the best they can for that.
January 24, 2026 at 9:06 PM
Every one of these will move us towards the end of all this, but we are nowhere near the end of all this.
Hard to just keep doing normal life things amidst all this.
January 24, 2026 at 6:39 PM
Hard to just keep doing normal life things amidst all this.
My mom was one of his middle school teachers and I came of political age in Gavin Newsom’s San Francisco and let me be the first to say lol, lmao even.
I actually don’t think this is true. CA Gov is one of probably the 10 most powerful people in the country and he’s been a public figure for longer than some voters have been alive. I don’t think there’s skeletons in his closet other than the ones we already know about.
I think if Newsom runs a huge amount of dirt will be dumped on him almost immediately, and probably by the Harris camp. It is noticeable that every long for profile of him goes out of its way to remake that he‘s a bit weird in an unspecific way
January 22, 2026 at 8:39 PM
My mom was one of his middle school teachers and I came of political age in Gavin Newsom’s San Francisco and let me be the first to say lol, lmao even.
Fun story about Lori Chavez-DeRemer, she would never be the Labor Secretary but for us primarying and beating Kurt Schrader, the worst Democrat in Congress, and the DCCC yanking all the campaign funding in retaliation, handing DeRemer one term in Congress where she became a MAGA darling.
(Cue the Labor IG getting canned)
Might as well FOIA her calendars and see if she's got any other strip club visits on there.
Might as well FOIA her calendars and see if she's got any other strip club visits on there.
Trump administration backs labor secretary facing misconduct probe
The accusations have caught the attention of the business community in Washington, which supports the agency’s priorities under Lori Chavez-DeRemer.
www.washingtonpost.com
January 22, 2026 at 8:37 PM
Fun story about Lori Chavez-DeRemer, she would never be the Labor Secretary but for us primarying and beating Kurt Schrader, the worst Democrat in Congress, and the DCCC yanking all the campaign funding in retaliation, handing DeRemer one term in Congress where she became a MAGA darling.
Hope all you folks east of the Rockies are ready for that snow and ice, here in the Pacific Northwest we are bracing for lows in the mid 40s and some light rain. God speed.
January 22, 2026 at 7:17 PM
Hope all you folks east of the Rockies are ready for that snow and ice, here in the Pacific Northwest we are bracing for lows in the mid 40s and some light rain. God speed.
Or maybe Republicans should take this as a sign that not only is he crazy, he’s ineffectual and deeply unpopular.
Trump stands down on Greenland — and Republicans exhale
Trump stands down on Greenland — and Republicans exhale
GOP lawmakers insisted U.S. military force against the Arctic island was never actually an option.
dlvr.it
January 21, 2026 at 9:27 PM
Or maybe Republicans should take this as a sign that not only is he crazy, he’s ineffectual and deeply unpopular.
It is not going away until there is the moral courage in Congress to make it go away.
To quote one source:
“They’re terrified of being labeled anti–law enforcement. They want this to go away so they can talk about the cost of living more. Problem is, it’s not going away.”
prospect.org/2026/01/21/j...
“They’re terrified of being labeled anti–law enforcement. They want this to go away so they can talk about the cost of living more. Problem is, it’s not going away.”
prospect.org/2026/01/21/j...
Jeffries Won’t Whip Vote Against ICE Funding - The American Prospect
While the House Democratic leader announced personal opposition to a funding bill for the Department of Homeland Security, he won’t pressure his colleagues to do the same.
prospect.org
January 21, 2026 at 9:01 PM
It is not going away until there is the moral courage in Congress to make it go away.
Honestly asking, as a very lowly elected school board member, what is the point of running for elected office if you just abandon your values when you get there?
NEWS: While Hakeem Jeffries has announced he's opposing the DHS/ICE funding bill tomorrow, his team is not whipping the vote. Several frontliners are expected to vote yes. There's a difference in leadership between personal vote decisions & unifying the caucus.
From me:
prospect.org/2026/01/21/j...
From me:
prospect.org/2026/01/21/j...
Jeffries Won’t Whip Vote Against ICE Funding - The American Prospect
While the House Democratic leader announced personal opposition to a funding bill for the Department of Homeland Security, he won’t pressure his colleagues to do the same.
prospect.org
January 21, 2026 at 8:38 PM
Honestly asking, as a very lowly elected school board member, what is the point of running for elected office if you just abandon your values when you get there?
If you haven’t watched Mark Carney’s speech at Davos, you should.
January 21, 2026 at 2:37 AM
If you haven’t watched Mark Carney’s speech at Davos, you should.
If the news is too much for you today I impaled my thumb on a fork trying to take a tangerine out of my little work cooler so be glad that your existential pain is not coupled with the humiliating physical pain that I am enduring.
January 21, 2026 at 12:17 AM
If the news is too much for you today I impaled my thumb on a fork trying to take a tangerine out of my little work cooler so be glad that your existential pain is not coupled with the humiliating physical pain that I am enduring.
I have to stop looking at the news, I say, as I do not stop looking at the news
January 20, 2026 at 8:34 PM
I have to stop looking at the news, I say, as I do not stop looking at the news
Miller’s East Coast Deli in San Francisco made a pastrami Reuben but they used latkes instead of bread and I’d do pretty terrible things for one more of those.
Sunday night timeline cleanse
please tell me about your favorite lost restaurant (closed for at least 5 years, like I really want you to go back into the vault), why you loved it and what you ate there
please tell me about your favorite lost restaurant (closed for at least 5 years, like I really want you to go back into the vault), why you loved it and what you ate there
January 19, 2026 at 2:33 AM
Miller’s East Coast Deli in San Francisco made a pastrami Reuben but they used latkes instead of bread and I’d do pretty terrible things for one more of those.
Literally millions of us marched through cities to try and stop that war
the kind of ron paul right wing fringe stuff happened a couple years later, but in 2003 the only people who objected to george bush were a bunch of dumbass leftwing bloggers even as every online conservative then claimed they were 'libertarians'
January 18, 2026 at 6:36 PM
Literally millions of us marched through cities to try and stop that war
Do it for Mark
I am too weak to get out of bed so I am going to need some of you (you know who you are) to step up your Posting today
January 18, 2026 at 5:15 PM
Do it for Mark
Reposted by Alex Halpern
Big shift from a "alright, the party's over freaks" to a "this place rules!" theory of mayoring
Outside Gracie Mansion. This is his job. But dare I day it he seems genuinely affected and happy to be there. There’s potentially immense power in that.
January 17, 2026 at 3:23 PM
Big shift from a "alright, the party's over freaks" to a "this place rules!" theory of mayoring
The Hmong community in America is here predominantly because they were our allies in the Vietnam War, and we lost so they had to leave their homes and move here.
Seeing reports that ICE agents in Minnesota are targeting Hmong. As a Viet we know the Hmong as allies and also a culture that promotes rugged individualism loyalty. I sincerely hope that the ICE agents going after them eat shit.
January 17, 2026 at 1:14 AM
The Hmong community in America is here predominantly because they were our allies in the Vietnam War, and we lost so they had to leave their homes and move here.
✊
every single successful general strike in US history has had union backing through the local AFL-CIO
this is the first time it’s been called for since the 1940s
this is the first time it’s been called for since the 1940s
January 17, 2026 at 12:33 AM
✊
It’s going to get much, much worse before it gets better and everyone should start mentally preparing the best they can for that.
January 15, 2026 at 5:02 AM
It’s going to get much, much worse before it gets better and everyone should start mentally preparing the best they can for that.
I had a lot of real fears when Trump was re-elected, and many of them have come to pass. I did not, however, forsee a real potential for war with Denmark, Germany, Sweden, and goddamn Canada.
January 14, 2026 at 9:16 PM
I had a lot of real fears when Trump was re-elected, and many of them have come to pass. I did not, however, forsee a real potential for war with Denmark, Germany, Sweden, and goddamn Canada.
Reposted by Alex Halpern
I serve on a school board that last night voted to approve a statement in support of our affected communities and calling on immigration enforcement to show restraint and humanity in their actions.
Should I be shot for that, CNN?
Should I be shot for that, CNN?
The woman killed by an ICE agent in Minneapolis last week served on the board of her son’s school, which linked to documents encouraging parents to monitor ICE and directing them to training. https://cnn.it/49yoNEa
January 14, 2026 at 3:19 AM
I serve on a school board that last night voted to approve a statement in support of our affected communities and calling on immigration enforcement to show restraint and humanity in their actions.
Should I be shot for that, CNN?
Should I be shot for that, CNN?
I just discovered that I ended a 95 day wordle streak because I forgot to do it yesterday so this week is essentially ruined
January 14, 2026 at 1:54 PM
I just discovered that I ended a 95 day wordle streak because I forgot to do it yesterday so this week is essentially ruined