Hannah Recht

The main Census Bureau page is back up now, tiny cheer.

From a quick check it looks like the Census FTPs are up, which is good: a lot of bulk datasets live there. But you'd need to know the direct file path to get there.

I use a bunch of Census datasets that live only on the main website in annoying Excel files, which are now unreachable.

Screenshot of census.gov error message saying there is an unknown error with the web host.

Shutdown day 1: The Census website and data.census.gov are offline.
The APIs do appear to be working for now but not all data lives there. Vital that we have alternate data hosters like IPUMS.

Landlords Demand Tenants’ Workplace Logins to Scrape Their Paystubs Screenshots shared with 404 Media show tenant screening services ApproveShield and Argyle taking much more data than they need. “Opt-out means no housing.”

Not much surprises me anymore but this landlord screening software that forces prospective renters to grant direct access to their workplace payroll accounts and/or sit on a three-way call with their banks is not something I dreamed up www.404media.co/landlords-de...

A news tidbit: This week the D.C. Council will vote on an emergency bill from @cmchenderson.bsky.social that will allow pharmacies to administer the COVID-19 vaccine without a doctor's prescription. Because of changes at the federal level, local pharmacies have been requiring a prescription.

It's here: 2024 American Community Survey 1-year summary data!
AND the 2025 CPS-ASEC supplement microdata plus the monthly August 2025 CPS release. Big day for data nerds.

Tomorrow should be the first major data update since I created the Bluesky bot @censusapitracker.bsky.social - happy American Community Survey Release Eve to all who celebrate.

🤞 🤞🤞 will my bot post correctly?? will it fall flat on its face?? we'll find out tomorrow, together 🤪

It's alive! 🎉 My Census data tracker captured its first real (not test) minor data update yesterday: time frame update to the historical poverty dataset. 2024 is now available.

There have been a couple major data updates (data endpoints added) but this is the first minor! github.com/hrecht/censu...

Washington city officials are using ChatGPT for government work Records show that public servants have used generative AI to write emails to constituents, mayoral letters, policy documents and more.

Make sure to read this absolute banger ChatGPT FOIA investigation from KNKX in Washington state if you haven't already www.knkx.org/government/2...

Can't wait to FOIA the HHS ChatGPT logs.

diabolical

DC: CVS MinuteClinic has the new covid vaccine, appts still available later today, this weekend. Got mine today. I had to attest to eligibility but didn't need proof.

It will be billed as an office visit for the MinuteClinic assessment (probably, NP wasn't 100% sure.) Took about 15 minutes total.

Thank you! Appreciate the work you're all doing.

Do you know if they're requiring rx for people over 65 too?

How the Test-to-Treat Pillar of the US Covid Strategy Is Failing Patients - KFF Health News The federal “test-to-treat” program was designed to be a one-stop shop for people to get tested for covid and to receive treatment. But as covid cases rise again, many communities have no participatin...

I'm having serious CVS-covid rx deja vu today. Access in name vs reality.

My investigation from 2022 into how the federal covid test-to-treat program was initially dominated by CVS, who made it literally impossible to actually book an appointment in many cases. kffhealthnews.org/news/article...

Crucially: how is CVS communicating all these constant changes to its pharmacy staff on the ground? A few days ago CVS staff at a pharmacy in DC were saying that the covid vaccines weren't in yet, seemingly not aware that they wouldn't be able to give them without a prescription.

Tracking changes to Census data Hannah Recht is tracking data through the U.S. Census Bureau APIs: The Census Bureau doesn’t maintain a public changelog or regularly share updates about changes to their sprawling API universe. As…

"We need a government-wide changelog." - yes. strong cosign and thanks @flowingdata.com for the shoutout to my lil Census tracker flowingdata.com/2025/08/20/t...

the world may be full of swirling chaos but I have finally started really using Svelte, so at least my front-end code is peaceful and calm

Microsoft Excel adds Copilot Al to help ... theverge.com The Verget-4.1-mini Al model | 5 successor to the LABS.GENERATIVEAI function Microsoft started experimenting with in 2023. Microsoft notes that you can combine its new Al function with other Excel functions, including IF, SWITCH, LAMBDA, or WRAPROWS. The company adds that information sent through Excel's COPILOT function is "never" used for AI training, as "the input remains confidential and is used solely to generate your requested output." The COPILOT function comes with a couple of limitations, as it can't access information outside your spreadsheet, and you can only use it to calculate 100 functions every 10 minutes. Microsoft also warns against using the AI function for numerical calculations or in “high-stakes scenarios” with legal, regulatory, and compliance implications, as COPILOT "can give incorrect responses." Copy Share Select all Web search Dictionary ...

Good thing no one uses Microsoft Excel for anything related to legal, regulatory or compliance business functions

www.theverge.com/news/761338/...

yours are animated though!!! so fun

photograph of a construction site with an art print of a protestor in black and white holding a large colorful sub sandwich, preparing to throw it. the print is repeated 3 times.

new protest art spotted in DC

Penn Station Is NYC's Commuter Nightmare, and It’s About to Get Worse Misery ahead.

love to see the transit 🤝 emoji graphics still going strong www.bloomberg.com/graphics/201...

What happens when government disinvests from public transit? Commutes get longer & more frustrating. A NJ Transit case study from me, @suryamattu.com and @mariepastora.bsky.social : www.bloomberg.com/graphics/202...

Hi, please send me an email with details including what org runs the course. Contact info is at www.hrecht.com

Thank you!

ICYMI I built a Census tracker + Bluesky bot that posts when they add 👀 or remove 👀 datasets

Trump’s D.C. ‘takeover’: What we know so far — and where we’re headed How long will this last? Is it legal? And what are our leaders doing?

We try to clarify what happened in D.C. this week, what we can expect in the future, and what this all means for the residents who call D.C. home. There's a lot we don't know, but we'll continue following this story in the days and weeks to come. 51st.news/trump-dc-mpd...

I yell about the Bee word list every day and yet, cannot stop playing

Tracking Census Dataset Changes See when the U.S. Census Bureau adds or removes datasets.

Neat resource from @hannahrecht.bsky.social - tracking changes to U.S. Census Bureau datasets

www.hrecht.com/census-api-d...

Or how Spelling Bee counts mamma, mama, momma but no variations of dada.