Alexander B. Howard

I've spent this week at @UTMDAnderson, recovering from surgery I had on Monday morning. I'll be discharged tomorrow (Saturday), although I'll need to remain close by for another week or two. No worries, I'm still nearly 5 years without evidence of the aggressive inflammatory breast cancer that tried to kill me, but there are lingering effects that must still be addressed. Hopefully, I'll have my last surgery in 6 months and only return for my quarterly checkups in the future. But being out here makes me thankful for this place. And I want to encourage those who face a diagnosis, no matter how grim, to seek a second opinion. It can literally save your life the way that this place has mine. I'm so full of gratitude for the doctors, nurses, admin, and all staff, who have been so kind to me this week and over the past 5 years. I wouldn't be here without them. Mainly, I guess I wanted to remind you to: Self-exam. Get a mammogram. ADVOCATE for yourself. (Because sometimes, the first two aren't enough) #BeatCancer 👊👠

This has barely registered but Trump is turning ICE over to a Private Prison executive whose ex-company holds $1 BILLION in ICE contracts. stuff of scandal not long agao thebulwark.com/p/trump-just-h…

Empathy is good and right when thought through (@SocialSecurity), but can be deadly to a constitutional republic when simply stimulus-response (cutting humanitarian aid, scientific R&D, federal disaster response, deleting data). For example, pardoning a violent offender may feel good at first (shallow empathy for a partisan you felt was unjustly prosecuted), but it is wrong to do so when that person will go on to hurt other federal police or steal from, sexually assault, or murder innocent people, as there should be deep empathy for future victims. en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pardon_of…

Beware the empathy exploit. Empathy is good and right when thought through (deep), but can be deadly to civilization when simply stimulus-response (shallow). For example, releasing a repeat violent offender may feel good at first (shallow empathy for the criminal), but it is wrong to do so when that person will go on to hurt or murder innocent victims, as there should be deep empathy for future victims.

Does any @POTUS need an act of Congress to fundamentally change the nature & use of federal parkland in the heart of DC, @SpeakerJohnson @LeaderJohnThune @RepJeffries @SenSchumer? Is the Commemorative Works Act actually ambiguous about this, @murraymatt? ncpc.gov/about/authorit…

@dc17sales @BasedMikeLee Fascists call everything “Communist.” Liberals explain the difference.

@digiphile @BasedMikeLee

What Democrats think fascism means: Republicans What fascism actually means: a far-left, authoritarian ideology focused on creating a highly centralized, dictatorial state that subordinates to the state all aspects of society—economy, culture, media, education, and private life

Trump's Border Patrol chief has abruptly resigned after a report that he traveled abroad to solicit sex workers huffpost.com/entry/latest-n…

We will continue to demand transparency in this process and ensure the needs of all DMV community members are met. Golfers, cyclists, runners, families. All of them. We are not taking the spotlight off this and demand public engagement. saveeastpo.com

4. Secretary Burgum says affordable and discounted rates. Great. Put it in writing. Specific numbers. Enforceable commitments. A press release promise on public land is not a guarantee.

1. Zero public input. The DMV community that uses this place every day was never consulted. Not once. That alone should disqualify any design from moving forward on public land.

Indeed! No ducklings at the Reflecting Pool now, but I just saw one at Constitution Gardens after it was refilled. I saw @DCCityWildlife rescue a wee flock, when it was empty. Hawks, owls, catfish, & eagles seem to like them, too: nature’s expression is red in tooth, talon, & beak along the Potomac and National Mall.

Strolling around the park, you can see ducklings swimming & exploring new territory, usually within careful sight of a watchful momma duck. It’s common to find ducklings around Constitution Gardens Pond and the Tidal Basin. Enjoy the cuteness, but please don't disturb or feed the wildlife.

@Michael89500647 @TheSpectator @SebGorka @Freddygray31 Among other things.

@digiphile @TheSpectator @SebGorka @Freddygray31 What about calling all members of an ethnicity filthy, low iq, accusing them of eating cats and dogs, accusing them of all committing fraud, threatening genocide after having blown up a girls school and double apping the parents trying to retrieve their babies' corpses?

I get an email from Dr. @SebGorka. He’s heard I’m writing a piece about him. It’s from his official White House account and this is the middle of the day. I am surprised he has the time to speak to me – surely it’s busy on the National Security Council? – but pleased to get the chance to talk about US counterterrorism policy. He ignores my earnest questions. Instead, he calls our editor, @Freddygray31, a “risible little twerp” and “a ball-less wonder.” Such rancor is out of all proportion to the gentle fun The Spectator has had in pricking his pomposity in the past, but Gorka is notorious for his feuds. ✍️ Paul Wood Article: spectator.com/article/the-in…

Campaigns offer a window into how a candidate would govern as an executive, represent the people in a legislature, or rule from the bench as a judge, from ethics to management to honesty. High staff turnover is always a warning signal in any Congressional office. nytimes.com/2026/05/14/nyr…

White House planned to start Triumphal Arch work under unrelated contract. Gift Article wapo.st/436yzuh

Historic preservationists sued to stop it. A federal judge ordered a halt to it. But the White House appealed. And as the legal battle drags on, the first parts of Trump’s planned ballroom are now beginning to poke above-ground. With @jonathanreports washingtonpost.com/politics/2026/…

@JamieMetzl @PeterHotez The scientific community has been adding evidence of zoonotic origin for years, including Dr. Hotez. His time is better spent developing vaccines & educating the public about how they work than lending his reputation to help proponents of the lab leak hypothesis at journals.

@PeterHotez @digiphile That is not actually correct. It would be great if you can help facilitate the review and publication of these papers with the editors you have referred to.

Nonsense. We have half dozen papers in our best scientific journals, Cell, Science, Nature, detailing the evidence for zoonotic spillover of SARS-2, happening just like SARS-1, MERS coronaviruses, and not a single scientific paper, nor even plausible mechanism for GOF lab leak

As the editors of just about every major scientific journal has publicly stated, send me any paper showing evidence of lab leak or GOF in Covid origins and they will expedite the review. So far, nada, nothing, zip, for the simple reason it never happened. SARS-2 arose through zoonotic spillover just like SARS-1 and MERS

Exclusive: White House officials are weighing a plan for President Trump to issue 250 pardons as a way to mark the celebration of the nation’s 250th birthday on.wsj.com/42BdZlF

Yesterday a few folks pointed out that Trump has changed major details about his reflecting pool project since he announced it in late April. I've created a video with graphics that point out how much he's lied about it. This includes edits of longer rambling statements.

NEW: We've spent 10 months tracking the outcomes in tens of thousands of lawsuits brought by ICE detainees amid an unprecedented detention push. It's not a cose call: judges have ruled more than 10,000 times against ICE, a 9-1 ratio. See the database: politico.com/news/2026/05/1…