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  Read facts. Mostly slow news. Not too much. https://civic-texts.ghost.io/what-should-be-in-your-civic-information-diet/

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  Rainy, cloudy, & clammy in Washington, but it’s Friday. TGIF. What was the best thing that happened to you this week? What achievement will you remember? I encourage you to brag.

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  Julia Angwin’s reflections on a threat model for opposing authoritarianism: https://buttondown.com/JuliaAngwin/archive/a-threat-model-for-opposing-authoritarianism/ are an excellent preface for her New Yorker article. Both are worth your time. Their principles: Keep hope alive Clean-up digital footprint Don’t give legal excuses Compartmentalize Find community

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  The most important thing agencies & companies can do on social media is listen & offer support — not post. Unfortunately, accounts tend to be made by PR & marketing folks whose job is to promote products & services, not do crisis management. Adobe’s Bluesky disaster is a case study for everyone to study. https://petapixel.com/2025/04/10/adobe-deletes-bluesky-posts-after-furious-backlash

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  They are coming for international students, as Don Moynihan writes today, but not for crimes. Rather, for their speech: https://open.substack.com/pub/donmoynihan/p/the-attack-on-international-students They will purge civil servants & then try to weaponize the state against donors, nonprofits, press, law firms, & business leaders: https://www.foreignaffairs.com/united-states/path-american-authoritarianism-trump If you follo the news, you know competitive authoritarianism is alrea...

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  No leader or government agency genuinely interested in “radical transparency” cuts FOIA staff: https://kffhealthnews.org/news/article/hhs-firings-federal-health-agencies-foia-requests-public-records/ or gags scientists & doctors, censors data, clamps down on communications, & adopts secrecy in rulemaking: https://www.thehealthcarepolicypodcast.com/p/alexander-howard-discusses-hhs-secretary #OpenGov

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  The rule of law in the United States continues to be under the greatest threat in my lifetime, with fundamental human rights and civil liberties in question. I wrote about it more today, along with other emerging issues around technology and government. Please read & share: https://civic-texts.ghost.io/despite-doubt-and-denial-authoritarianism-accelerates-in-the-united-states/

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  #HowToCitizen by @baratunde 🌱 Show up & participate ⚡ Understand power ❤️ Invest in relationships 🤝 Commit to the collective https://newsletter.baratunde.com/p/this-is-how-we-recover-from-disasters We can find hope & light in these profoundly American stories: “The keys to rebuilding our democracy are in the story of fire recovery in Altadena.“ 🇺🇸🛠️🗽

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  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

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  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.

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  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.

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  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

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  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/

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  Good morning from DC 🥵 If we need to connect: 🤳 Signal: digiphile.97 💡📲 https://civic-texts.ghost.io 📧 alex@governing.digital 🐦 X.com/digiphile 🦋 digiphile.bsky.social 🧵 threads.net/@digiphile 📇 linkedin.com/in/alexanderbhoward 👍 facebook.com/alexhoward 📸 instagr.am/digiphile 🖥️ youtube.com/digiphile

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  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.

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  +---------------------+ | Loading 2026... | | | | [████████████] 99% | +---------------------+ 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.

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  Today, I learned that Mastodon is @timbl@w3c.social’s favorite replacement for Twitter, while reading his memoir, “This is for Everyone.” This seemed worth sharing here. :) https://w3c.social/@timbl/115243018205563211

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  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/

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  My colleague @danielschuman sheds light on what has happened to open government nonprofits in the U.S.A. over the past decade — which has been my sector of work. It’s been a hard era, at the worst time. https://www.thebulwark.com/p/open-government-nonprofits-are-dying-off-just-when-needed-most I hope funders read this, & act.