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
Reposted by Alexander Howard
A must-read about the tech oligarchs that support an imperialist approach to Greenland, motivated by its resources and large land mass for all manner of exploitation and experimentation, and not subject to European-style laws and regulations.
January 15, 2026 at 8:27 AM
A must-read about the tech oligarchs that support an imperialist approach to Greenland, motivated by its resources and large land mass for all manner of exploitation and experimentation, and not subject to European-style laws and regulations.
Reposted by Alexander Howard
"Buried within the kind of crony capitalist network that has propelled Trump’s imperialism is something far stranger, and far darker, than simply seizing Greenland’s resources for financial gain."
@cjcmichel.bsky.social on the Network State and Greenland.
newrepublic.com/article/2051...
@cjcmichel.bsky.social on the Network State and Greenland.
newrepublic.com/article/2051...
The Oligarchs Pushing for Conquest in Greenland
Trump’s fixation on filching the island territory from Denmark may seem like the demented ravings of a mad king. But to a cohort of plutocrat weirdos, it makes perfect sense.
newrepublic.com
January 17, 2026 at 7:34 PM
"Buried within the kind of crony capitalist network that has propelled Trump’s imperialism is something far stranger, and far darker, than simply seizing Greenland’s resources for financial gain."
@cjcmichel.bsky.social on the Network State and Greenland.
newrepublic.com/article/2051...
@cjcmichel.bsky.social on the Network State and Greenland.
newrepublic.com/article/2051...
Reposted by Alexander Howard
Photo by Pierre Lavie. Yes this is me. And I threw my Leica. It landed on the bass plate with hardly a scratch. Another Photographer grabbed it along with my phone and I was able to track him later. I was held face down tear gas deployed right in front of me and pepper sprayed directly into the eye.
January 17, 2026 at 2:57 PM
Photo by Pierre Lavie. Yes this is me. And I threw my Leica. It landed on the bass plate with hardly a scratch. Another Photographer grabbed it along with my phone and I was able to track him later. I was held face down tear gas deployed right in front of me and pepper sprayed directly into the eye.
Reposted by Alexander Howard
Fascism is for Losers
open.substack.com/pub/jennifer...
open.substack.com/pub/jennifer...
Fascism is for Losers
A Book TOC, lol/cry
open.substack.com
January 18, 2026 at 1:09 AM
Fascism is for Losers
open.substack.com/pub/jennifer...
open.substack.com/pub/jennifer...
Reposted by Alexander Howard
Gift link. He's talking about dual state theory. It's based on Nazi law that created a separate legal system for Jews and state enemies. He's saying this is happening and new in the US. I think it's happening, but an intensification of how the legal system has long treated communities of color.
Opinion | An Old Theory Helps Explain What Happened to Renee Good
www.nytimes.com
January 18, 2026 at 1:21 PM
Gift link. He's talking about dual state theory. It's based on Nazi law that created a separate legal system for Jews and state enemies. He's saying this is happening and new in the US. I think it's happening, but an intensification of how the legal system has long treated communities of color.
Reposted by Alexander Howard
If you read one thing today, it should be this
Iran report says 16,500 dead in ‘genocide under digital darkness’
www.thetimes.com/article/01ba...
Iran report says 16,500 dead in ‘genocide under digital darkness’
www.thetimes.com/article/01ba...
Iran report says 16,500 dead in ‘genocide under digital darkness’
Witnesses tell of the brutality inflicted on those taking part in anti-regime protests
www.thetimes.com
January 18, 2026 at 10:04 AM
If you read one thing today, it should be this
Iran report says 16,500 dead in ‘genocide under digital darkness’
www.thetimes.com/article/01ba...
Iran report says 16,500 dead in ‘genocide under digital darkness’
www.thetimes.com/article/01ba...
Reposted by Alexander Howard
January 18, 2026 at 1:25 PM
Yesterday, I noticed a faded but still legible sign outside of the FAA HQ in DC, at 7th & Independence. I stopped & learned it was a notorious location in the chattel slave trade.
There’s no webpage at the link to GSA, but
historians remember, so all Americans can:
folklife.si.edu/magazine/yel...
There’s no webpage at the link to GSA, but
historians remember, so all Americans can:
folklife.si.edu/magazine/yel...
January 17, 2026 at 10:42 PM
Yesterday, I noticed a faded but still legible sign outside of the FAA HQ in DC, at 7th & Independence. I stopped & learned it was a notorious location in the chattel slave trade.
There’s no webpage at the link to GSA, but
historians remember, so all Americans can:
folklife.si.edu/magazine/yel...
There’s no webpage at the link to GSA, but
historians remember, so all Americans can:
folklife.si.edu/magazine/yel...
No legislative text.
No timeline for congressional action.
No new ideas to expand health coverage.
No ways to simplify the system.
No replacement for the ACA.
www.washingtonpost.com/politics/202...
Trump’s “plan” is built on Potemkin promises, again.
It’s a travesty that headlines don’t reflect it.
No timeline for congressional action.
No new ideas to expand health coverage.
No ways to simplify the system.
No replacement for the ACA.
www.washingtonpost.com/politics/202...
Trump’s “plan” is built on Potemkin promises, again.
It’s a travesty that headlines don’t reflect it.
January 16, 2026 at 9:40 PM
No legislative text.
No timeline for congressional action.
No new ideas to expand health coverage.
No ways to simplify the system.
No replacement for the ACA.
www.washingtonpost.com/politics/202...
Trump’s “plan” is built on Potemkin promises, again.
It’s a travesty that headlines don’t reflect it.
No timeline for congressional action.
No new ideas to expand health coverage.
No ways to simplify the system.
No replacement for the ACA.
www.washingtonpost.com/politics/202...
Trump’s “plan” is built on Potemkin promises, again.
It’s a travesty that headlines don’t reflect it.
This interview with the 8th Comptroller General is worth your time.
There’s also platform news in this post: GAO confirmed to me that they’ve officially joined @bsky.app & are in the process of verifying this @usgao.bsky.social account as gao.gov. They say they’ll be posting here like they do on X.
There’s also platform news in this post: GAO confirmed to me that they’ve officially joined @bsky.app & are in the process of verifying this @usgao.bsky.social account as gao.gov. They say they’ll be posting here like they do on X.
Gene Dodaro just retired as Comptroller General after 52 years of public service, including 17 leading @usgao.bsky.social. In his final interview in that role, he joined @nehls.bsky.social and me to talk about GAO’s role as Congress’s watchdog, how Congress has changed, and the future of oversight.
Interview: Comptroller General Gene Dodaro
We talked with the outgoing head of the Government Accountability Office after his 17 years leading the agency and 52 years of legislative branch service.
firstbranchforecast.substack.com
January 16, 2026 at 5:51 PM
This interview with the 8th Comptroller General is worth your time.
There’s also platform news in this post: GAO confirmed to me that they’ve officially joined @bsky.app & are in the process of verifying this @usgao.bsky.social account as gao.gov. They say they’ll be posting here like they do on X.
There’s also platform news in this post: GAO confirmed to me that they’ve officially joined @bsky.app & are in the process of verifying this @usgao.bsky.social account as gao.gov. They say they’ll be posting here like they do on X.
New beta feature from @bsky.app:
“Show when you're live.”
“Set your live status on Bluesky to add a badge to your avatar. Tapping it takes people straight to your stream.”
I like the dialog that informs a creator upon log-in.
Anyone who livestreams used this yet, or plan to do so?
“Show when you're live.”
“Set your live status on Bluesky to add a badge to your avatar. Tapping it takes people straight to your stream.”
I like the dialog that informs a creator upon log-in.
Anyone who livestreams used this yet, or plan to do so?
January 16, 2026 at 5:12 PM
New beta feature from @bsky.app:
“Show when you're live.”
“Set your live status on Bluesky to add a badge to your avatar. Tapping it takes people straight to your stream.”
I like the dialog that informs a creator upon log-in.
Anyone who livestreams used this yet, or plan to do so?
“Show when you're live.”
“Set your live status on Bluesky to add a badge to your avatar. Tapping it takes people straight to your stream.”
I like the dialog that informs a creator upon log-in.
Anyone who livestreams used this yet, or plan to do so?
Reposted by Alexander Howard
Just hours after Renee Good was shot, one member of Customs and Border Patrol’s elite tactical team on an adjacent street fired a less-lethal weapon five times in less than five minutes, with four shots aimed at the faces of protestors. www.bellingcat.com/news/2026/01...
Analysing One Federal Agent’s Use of Less-Lethal Launcher in Minneapolis
After the fatal shooting of Renee Good, Border Patrol agent "EZ-17" was filmed shooting less-lethal munitions at protesters five times in five minutes.
www.bellingcat.com
January 16, 2026 at 4:52 PM
Just hours after Renee Good was shot, one member of Customs and Border Patrol’s elite tactical team on an adjacent street fired a less-lethal weapon five times in less than five minutes, with four shots aimed at the faces of protestors. www.bellingcat.com/news/2026/01...
Reposted by Alexander Howard
The federal government loses hundreds of billions of dollars to fraud every year—wasting taxpayer dollars and eroding trust in government.
Today’s WatchBlog post looks at ways federal agencies can better combat fraud: https://ow.ly/khET50XWGXN
Today’s WatchBlog post looks at ways federal agencies can better combat fraud: https://ow.ly/khET50XWGXN
January 15, 2026 at 2:02 PM
The federal government loses hundreds of billions of dollars to fraud every year—wasting taxpayer dollars and eroding trust in government.
Today’s WatchBlog post looks at ways federal agencies can better combat fraud: https://ow.ly/khET50XWGXN
Today’s WatchBlog post looks at ways federal agencies can better combat fraud: https://ow.ly/khET50XWGXN
Reposted by Alexander Howard
Gene Dodaro just retired as Comptroller General after 52 years of public service, including 17 leading @usgao.bsky.social. In his final interview in that role, he joined @nehls.bsky.social and me to talk about GAO’s role as Congress’s watchdog, how Congress has changed, and the future of oversight.
Interview: Comptroller General Gene Dodaro
We talked with the outgoing head of the Government Accountability Office after his 17 years leading the agency and 52 years of legislative branch service.
firstbranchforecast.substack.com
January 16, 2026 at 2:06 PM
Gene Dodaro just retired as Comptroller General after 52 years of public service, including 17 leading @usgao.bsky.social. In his final interview in that role, he joined @nehls.bsky.social and me to talk about GAO’s role as Congress’s watchdog, how Congress has changed, and the future of oversight.
Reposted by Alexander Howard
Happy 25th birthday to @wikipedia.org, the global encyclopedia built on free speech.
Wikipedia’s 25th birthday proves the power of free speech
If the global encyclopedia is going to thrive for the next 25 years, we must maintain and expand First Amendment protections
freedom.press
January 15, 2026 at 2:40 PM
Happy 25th birthday to @wikipedia.org, the global encyclopedia built on free speech.
Reposted by Alexander Howard
"The [Iranian] authorities deployed military-grade electronic weaponry designed to disrupt the GPS signals that Starlink equipment needs to function, a step that activists and civil society groups said was rarely taken outside battlefields like those in Ukraine."
Inside the Fight to Keep Iran Online
www.nytimes.com
January 16, 2026 at 1:15 AM
"The [Iranian] authorities deployed military-grade electronic weaponry designed to disrupt the GPS signals that Starlink equipment needs to function, a step that activists and civil society groups said was rarely taken outside battlefields like those in Ukraine."
Reposted by Alexander Howard
People really reacting to this without all the details. I am sure there are good and legitimate reasons why President Trump is taking the oil revenue ransom he extorted from Venezuela and is putting into a Middle Eastern bank account that Congress cannot control.
The main bank account holding revenue from the Venezuelan oil sales is located in Qatar.
“There is no basis in law for a president to set up an offshore account that he controls so that he can sell assets seized by the American military,” Sen. Elizabeth Warren.
www.semafor.com/article/01/1...
“There is no basis in law for a president to set up an offshore account that he controls so that he can sell assets seized by the American military,” Sen. Elizabeth Warren.
www.semafor.com/article/01/1...
Exclusive: US gets first $500 million Venezuelan oil deal, holding some proceeds in Qatar
The details shared with Semafor mark an initial milestone in the administration’s plan following the ouster of Nicolás Maduro.
www.semafor.com
January 15, 2026 at 2:13 PM
People really reacting to this without all the details. I am sure there are good and legitimate reasons why President Trump is taking the oil revenue ransom he extorted from Venezuela and is putting into a Middle Eastern bank account that Congress cannot control.
Reposted by Alexander Howard
Today, we celebrate the 25th anniversary of @wikipedia.org, which for a quarter of a century has been collaboratively built by unpaid strangers on the internet.
Wikipedia’s 25th birthday proves the power of free speech
If the global encyclopedia is going to thrive for the next 25 years, we must maintain and expand First Amendment protections
freedom.press
January 15, 2026 at 8:13 PM
Today, we celebrate the 25th anniversary of @wikipedia.org, which for a quarter of a century has been collaboratively built by unpaid strangers on the internet.
Reposted by Alexander Howard
"The raid of Hannah Natanson is a shocking escalation, not a rupture. The United States has been backsliding to this point – at both the federal and local levels – for quite some time," write FPF's Seth Stern and @chipgibbons.bsky.social of @rightsdissent.bsky.social in The Guardian.
The FBI’s raid of journalist’s home was the product of decades of backsliding | Seth Stern and Chip Gibbons
The trend of invading newsrooms, in violation of federal law, has now spread to the highest levels of the federal government
www.theguardian.com
January 15, 2026 at 3:18 PM
"The raid of Hannah Natanson is a shocking escalation, not a rupture. The United States has been backsliding to this point – at both the federal and local levels – for quite some time," write FPF's Seth Stern and @chipgibbons.bsky.social of @rightsdissent.bsky.social in The Guardian.
Reposted by Alexander Howard
The FBI's raid on a WaPo reporter’s home was based on a lie.
Attorney General Pam Bondi’s decision to rescind rules protecting journalists are being used as a cudgel to attack the First Amendment.
Read more from FPF's @laurenleharper.bsky.social in @theintercept.com:
Attorney General Pam Bondi’s decision to rescind rules protecting journalists are being used as a cudgel to attack the First Amendment.
Read more from FPF's @laurenleharper.bsky.social in @theintercept.com:
FBI Raid on WaPo Reporter’s Home Was Based on Sham Pretext
Attorney General Pam Bondi’s decision to rescind rules protecting journalists are being used as a cudgel to attack the First Amendment.
theintercept.com
January 15, 2026 at 6:19 PM
The FBI's raid on a WaPo reporter’s home was based on a lie.
Attorney General Pam Bondi’s decision to rescind rules protecting journalists are being used as a cudgel to attack the First Amendment.
Read more from FPF's @laurenleharper.bsky.social in @theintercept.com:
Attorney General Pam Bondi’s decision to rescind rules protecting journalists are being used as a cudgel to attack the First Amendment.
Read more from FPF's @laurenleharper.bsky.social in @theintercept.com:
It’s gotten very late.
Our leaders & institutions failed to warn & protect us.
But there has never been a nation as sprawling, pluralistic, & dynamic as the USA.
Fascists abroad woke a sleeping giant last century.
Americans are finally waking up to the reality of far-right authoritarianism at home.
Our leaders & institutions failed to warn & protect us.
But there has never been a nation as sprawling, pluralistic, & dynamic as the USA.
Fascists abroad woke a sleeping giant last century.
Americans are finally waking up to the reality of far-right authoritarianism at home.
The one thing authoritarian leaders usually have going for them is the general apathy of the majority when they make a move solely against a marginal group in society.
But when they occupy an entire city with clumsy, brutal force, that just forces everyone out of that apathy.
But when they occupy an entire city with clumsy, brutal force, that just forces everyone out of that apathy.
This dude is intense and correct
January 15, 2026 at 7:30 PM
It’s gotten very late.
Our leaders & institutions failed to warn & protect us.
But there has never been a nation as sprawling, pluralistic, & dynamic as the USA.
Fascists abroad woke a sleeping giant last century.
Americans are finally waking up to the reality of far-right authoritarianism at home.
Our leaders & institutions failed to warn & protect us.
But there has never been a nation as sprawling, pluralistic, & dynamic as the USA.
Fascists abroad woke a sleeping giant last century.
Americans are finally waking up to the reality of far-right authoritarianism at home.
👀 “The affordances of AI systems have the effect of eroding expertise, short-circuiting decision-making, & isolating people from each other. These systems are anathema to the kind of evolution, transparency, cooperation, & accountability that give vital institutions their purpose & sustainability.“
How AI Destroys Institutions
Civic institutions—the rule of law, universities, and a free press—are the backbone of democratic life. They are the mechanisms through which complex societies
papers.ssrn.com
January 15, 2026 at 3:53 PM
👀 “The affordances of AI systems have the effect of eroding expertise, short-circuiting decision-making, & isolating people from each other. These systems are anathema to the kind of evolution, transparency, cooperation, & accountability that give vital institutions their purpose & sustainability.“
It is disappointing but unsurprising the @washingtonpost.com editorial board left out key context: President Biden & Congress failed to pass a federal shield law that would have prevented the abuse of power the FBI just engaged in by raiding the home of one of its journalists & seizing her devices.
Opinion | The Post and the First Amendment
An FBI raid won’t stop reporters from continuing their important work.
www.washingtonpost.com
January 15, 2026 at 2:56 PM
It is disappointing but unsurprising the @washingtonpost.com editorial board left out key context: President Biden & Congress failed to pass a federal shield law that would have prevented the abuse of power the FBI just engaged in by raiding the home of one of its journalists & seizing her devices.
The Justice Department and federal FOIA ombudsman (OGIS at NARA) cohosted a virtual public meeting of the Chief FOIA Officers (CFO) Council in December 2025:
www.justice.gov/oip/blog/vir...
Video of the presentations & questions, including from yours truly, is here:
www.youtube.com/live/VyzQWo6...
www.justice.gov/oip/blog/vir...
Video of the presentations & questions, including from yours truly, is here:
www.youtube.com/live/VyzQWo6...
January 14, 2026 at 3:22 PM
The Justice Department and federal FOIA ombudsman (OGIS at NARA) cohosted a virtual public meeting of the Chief FOIA Officers (CFO) Council in December 2025:
www.justice.gov/oip/blog/vir...
Video of the presentations & questions, including from yours truly, is here:
www.youtube.com/live/VyzQWo6...
www.justice.gov/oip/blog/vir...
Video of the presentations & questions, including from yours truly, is here:
www.youtube.com/live/VyzQWo6...
Press freedom should not be political, but it is when a president directs hatred to journalists & sues them.
Access to information should not be political, but it is when governments censor.
Equal justice under the law should not be political, but it is wherever unconstitutional policing endures.
Access to information should not be political, but it is when governments censor.
Equal justice under the law should not be political, but it is wherever unconstitutional policing endures.
January 14, 2026 at 3:18 PM
Press freedom should not be political, but it is when a president directs hatred to journalists & sues them.
Access to information should not be political, but it is when governments censor.
Equal justice under the law should not be political, but it is wherever unconstitutional policing endures.
Access to information should not be political, but it is when governments censor.
Equal justice under the law should not be political, but it is wherever unconstitutional policing endures.