John D. Harden

Hello Bluesky! We're the Washington Post data team. We dig through government records, social media, campaign finance reports, weather maps, and any other data we can dig up, download, FOIA or create. Then, we share what we find with you.

We've worked on a lot in the past year. A few highlights 🧵

today I learned Austin has... curling teams?! (and 18 Texans in the olympics!!!)

killer piece from the best sports data journalist in the biz @emilygiam.bsky.social

He Was Laid Off at The Washington Post After Working There 60 Years

He Was Laid Off at The Washington Post After Working There 60 Years www.nytimes.com/2026/02/05/b...

Amid the hundreds of colleagues we’ve lost today, I wanted to highlight the BRILLIANT data/graphics folks who any newsroom should be fighting to hire right now—threading here:

Climate change is making the Winter Olympics harder to host: Here’s what the future could look like for 93 possible Olympic host locations.

wapo.st/4klzLC4

Between the sheets at the college Excel championships One of the most unusual — and fun — events in college sports is a high-stakes spreadsheeting competition in Las Vegas.

Between the sheets: One of the most unusual — and fun — events in college sports is a high-stakes spreadsheeting competition in Las Vegas.

www.washingtonpost.com/sports/inter...

As @washingtonpost.com international & local correspondents, we have risked our lives, side by side, because we believe reporting from the ground serves the public good. To choke that engine of brave, committed colleagues would be devastating. If you value our work, tell Jeff Bezos to #SaveThePost.

FBI executes search warrant at Washington Post reporter’s home The search came as part of an investigation into a government contractor accused of illegally retaining classified government materials.

FBI executes search warrant at Washington Post reporter’s home wapo.st/4pFh6lw

We also write about how many parts of the country are flying blind in the face of missing records, lack of resources, registry/access issues and all sorts of problems that could impact rates beyond choosing not to vax.

there are many caveats to the numbers we’re reporting here!!

U.S. vaccination rates are plunging. Look up where your school stands. Take a look to see what the kindergarten measles vaccination rates are in your area.

EXCLUSIVE: @laurenweberhp.bsky.social & I have spent the last year collecting school+county-level vaccination data from across the US and found that only about 28% of counties now have herd immunity for kindergartners from measles—that leaves about 5.2mn kids unprotected.

Gift link: wapo.st/49zDc43

U.S. vaccination rates are plunging. Look up where your school stands. Take a look to see what the kindergarten measles vaccination rates are in your area.

U.S. vaccination rates are plunging. Look up where your school stands.

www.washingtonpost.com/health/inter...

Wolves, long feared and reviled, may actually be lifesavers A new line of research has revealed a surprising finding about how the presence of wolves helps keep people safe.

Wolves, long feared and reviled, may actually be lifesavers

www.washingtonpost.com/climate-envi...

Trump Administration Live Updates: Borrowers in Default on Student Loans Could Have Wages Garnished Starting in January

Trump Administration Live Updates: Borrowers in Default on Student Loans Could Have Wages Garnished Starting in January

In deadly D.C. plane crash, city lights may have played a role. See how. The Post examined the bright skyline around Reagan National Airport and whether it may have been a factor in the January accident, which killed 67 people.

In deadly D.C. plane crash, city lights may have played a role. See how. wapo.st/4p5LiGg

The lasting impact of Trump’s federal surge on one D.C. neighborhood Those at the 10th Place apartments in Southeast Washington said the president’s crime strategy deepened their distrust of police and made them feel no safer.

When Trump launched his crime emergency — taking over D.C. police for 30 days and deploying National Guard troops into city streets — he said he wanted to combat “out of control” crime.

Here's the lasting impact of Trump’s federal surge on one D.C. neighborhood

wapo.st/4s4VMIF

Mental health videos are stickier than many other topics.

TikTok’s mental health ‘rabbit hole’? It’s not in your head. It’s not just you: Data shows the app’s algorithm makes some topics ‘stickier’ than others

Gift link: TikTok’s mental health rabbit hole’? It’s not in your head. TikTok’s algorithm favors mental health content over many other topics, including politics, cats and Taylor Swift, according to a Washington Post analysis. wapo.st/3YsPDs0

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Meet the Trump administration’s 12 billionaires At a net worth of $390 billion, it’s the wealthiest White House in modern history.

Billionaire Nation: Meet the Trump administration’s 12 billionaires. At a net worth of $390 billion, it’s the wealthiest White House in modern history.

wapo.st/48OTPra

In L.A., $750 a Month to Live in a Backyard Storage Unit

In L.A., $750 a Month to Live in a Backyard Storage Unit www.nytimes.com/2025/12/09/u...

Your morning read.

How billionaires took over American politics: The concentration of wealth among the richest Americans is unlike anything in history — and so is billionaires’ influence in politics.

wapo.st/48nkqMN

The homicide rate in the US has been dropping in the past three years and is trending toward its lowest level in decades. Reporters visited five cities with major decreases to figure out why. Data analysis by @jdharden.bsky.social:
www.washingtonpost.com/nation/inter...

The deadliest roads in America The number of pedestrians killed by vehicles has increased in the U.S., with road infrastructure and inadequate safety measures among key contributing factors.

The deadliest roads in America: The number of pedestrians killed by vehicles in the United States has surged amid neglect and lack of investment by transportation authorities. www.washingtonpost.com/business/int...

U.S. Coast Guard will no longer classify swastikas, nooses as hate symbols The military service, which falls under the Department of Homeland Security, has drafted a new policy that classifies such items “potentially divisive.”

Exclusive: The U.S. Coast Guard will no longer classify the swastika, nooses and the Confederate flag as hate symbols.

The military service drafted a new policy that classifies them as “potentially divisive.”

Atomic veterans: The legacy of watching nuclear blasts Hundreds of thousands of American soldiers watched nuclear bomb tests during World War II and the Cold War. Some “atomic veterans” now suffer from health problems they blame on radiation exposure.

A reminder of our past nuclear testing: revealnews.org/article/us-v...

The mysterious rise of cancer among young adults in the Corn Belt Communities across the Corn Belt are confronting a rise in cancers among young adults — and few clear explanations.

The mysterious rise of cancer among young adults in the Corn Belt wapo.st/3Le1yXo

The U.S. women's gymnastics program won just two medals at world championships this week — their fewest since 2001. What happened?

Analysis of the state of the U.S. program: wapo.st/3JuJl7s

"Across the country, eating beef is the bigger contributor to harmful pollutants. But it’s not as simple as that. Its origins matter. Eating a steak or a burger in Milwaukee, where the meat comes from nearby dairy cows, generates fewer emissions than in Oklahoma City."

Column | Your diet’s impact on the planet depends on where you live. Look up your city. What you eat, and where you eat it, can have a big impact on how much you’re contributing to climate change, according to a study published Monday.

Your diet’s impact on the planet depends on where you live. Look up your city. www.washingtonpost.com/climate-envi...