Alex Howard

@digiphile
2.7K Followers
487 Following
1.7K Posts
💡Founder of Civic Texts: https://civictexts.ghost.io
🛠️Dad, writer, citizen, chef, cyclist, skeptical optimist, cereal dilettante
🏛️ Freedom of information and open government advocate: https://e-PluribusUnum.org
☀️Former deputy director of the Sunlight Foundation, correspondent for O'Reilly Media, Tow Center & Ash Center fellow, tech editor: https://digiphile.info/about

🤳4108499808 | [email protected]
Alex HowardJan 28
NEWS: The United States government has withdrawn from the Open Government Partnership, epitomizing the rapid retreat from the Enlightenment values our nation of, by, & or the people was founded upon. https://e-pluribusunum.org/2026/01/28/embracing-illiberalism-trump-administration-withdraws-from-global-open-government-partnership/
Embracing illiberalism, Trump administration withdraws from global Open Government Partnership

The official withdrawal of the United States from the Open Government Partnership (OGP) formalized what advocates, scholars, and watchdogs have been telling the American people from the l…

E Pluribus Unum
Alex HowardJan 1

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My year doesn’t seem to be up starting up quite right.

‪Has anyone had any luck turning this new year on and off again?‬

I may have to power cycle my brain if a lag continues.

Alex HowardJul 1, 2025
The Senate passed the reconciliation bill 51-50. https://www.washingtonpost.com/business/2025/07/01/senate-vote-big-beautiful-bill-trump/ On to the House. If they enact it and send it on to the President, millions will lose health care & food benefits — and the U.S. will scale up a police state to pursue mass deportations, to start.
Senate passes Trump’s tax bill, sending it to House for final passage

The legislation extends trillions of dollars in tax cuts from Trump’s first term and implements new campaign promises, while spending billions on immigration.

The Washington Post
Alex HowardJun 23, 2025
Good morning from DC 🥵
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Alex HowardJun 11, 2025
I updated my newsletter, with an apology for being out of touch. I will be updating more: American democracy has reached a tipping point as an authoritarian takeover accelerates.
https://civic-texts.ghost.io/american-democracy-nears-tipping-point-as-an-authoritarian-takeover-accelerates/
American democracy nears tipping point as an authoritarian takeover accelerates

Good morning from Washington, where I’m trying to recover my voice after some challenging months dealing with family and medical issues. I apologize for being out of touch with you here. Thank you for your notes and continuing to listen. I’ll have more to share and say in

CIVIC TEXTS
Show threadAlex HowardJun 4, 2025

Congress should not tolerate the corruption or censorship of the public data which belongs to the American people, not politicians or officials. Public access to public knowledge is a universal human right.

The greatest risk to open government data remains political, not technical: https://sunlightfoundation.com/2017/03/10/the-biggest-risks-to-open-government-data-are-political/

The biggest risks to open government data are political : Sunlight Foundation

Sunlight is said to be the best of disinfectants…

Alex HowardJun 4, 2025
Trustworthy government statistics about the economy, public health, energy, the environment, education, agriculture, campaign finance climate change, crime, & immigration are a crown jewel of every market democracy. The Trump administration is now trying to block politically inconvenient data:
https://www.gelliottmorris.com/p/the-trump-administration-is-trying
The Trump administration is trying to block politically inconvenient government data

Hands off the public's data!

Strength In Numbers
Alex HowardMay 5, 2025
More brilliant reporting on Trumpian corruption: nyti.ms/4iNzTYv But NYT does readers, nation, & Americans a disservice by not identifying monetizing the presidency as corruption. Ruling families in authoritarian regimes make patronizing family businesses the cost of access to state power.
Alex HowardMay 4, 2025
Happy #StarWarsDay, everyone! http://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Star_Wars_Day
It has been many years since I was tempted by the power of the Dark Side.
I found my way back to the light because the Jedi still saw something of good in me.
May the 4th be with you and yours, always.
Star Wars Day - Wikipedia

Alex HowardMay 1, 2025
Donald J. Trump is the most corrupt President in U.S. history. Cryptocurrencies have opened up new horizons for his abuses of entrusted power for political profit, creating new conflicts of interest, but his emolumental corruption is at issue. 🎁📰Gift link: https://www.nytimes.com/2025/04/29/us/politics/trump-crypto-world-liberty-financial.html?unlocked_article_code=1.D08.VisA.53nzmtkdTQCt
Secret Deals, Foreign Investments, Presidential Policy Changes: The Rise of Trump’s Crypto Firm

World Liberty Financial has eviscerated the boundary between private enterprise and government policy in ways without precedent in modern American history.

The New York Times