Ken Briggs

Ken Briggs

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334 Spouts 263 Followers 29 Following

Engineer, tech co-founder, writer, and student. I talk about the energy transition and domestic and foreign affairs.

https://currenthistory.substack.com

I grew up on a cattle ranch in Texas, and I've spent a lot of time with livestock. Cattle definitely have an inner life, and individuals have obvious personalities. If there is a good way around raising them just to be rounded up, shipped to an industrial facility, and slaughtered, we should take it

nytimes.com

Lab-Made Meat? Florida Lawmakers Don't Like the Sound of It.

Legislators there and in several other states want to restrict the manufacture or sale of meat made in a laboratory, even though it barely exists. The space industry disagrees. Lab grown meat. It...

01:40 PM - May 04, 2024 (Edited)

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New post explaining why China hawks who think we should abandon Europe are narrowly focused on one threat to the exclusion of others, and fail to see the connections between them.
#foreignpolicy #ukraine #russia #china

https://currenthistory.sub...

03:06 PM - May 03, 2024 (Edited)

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When I migrated by blog over to Substack, not all of my posts made it (in fact, nothing from after April of last year did). That was annoying, but it was also an opportunity to revisit these old posts.

open.substack.com

"Democracies vs. Autocracies" Can Be a Useful Framework for American Foreign Policy

Critics Miss a Fundamental Aspect of Leadership

01:24 PM - May 01, 2024

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In 2016, we knew he had authoritarian tendencies, but the GOP ignored it.

In 2024, the Supreme Court is debating whether presidents have lifetime legal immunity even if they attempt a coup

Life comes at you fast.

10:45 AM - Apr 25, 2024 (Edited)

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Campus protests are going national (photo from the University of Texas at Austin). Can’t just use them as culture war fodder against the Ivies anymore

10:41 AM - Apr 25, 2024

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One of the notable things in the first $1 billion aid package to Ukraine is the supplying of long-range ATACMS missiles that can strike deep into Russian territory. Signals an end to self-deterrence by the U.S., and that is great news.

03:03 PM - Apr 24, 2024

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For anyone who wants to watch, President Biden is speaking right now on the Ukraine aid bill
https://www.youtube.com/li...

youtube.com

President Biden Delivers Remarks on H.R. 815, the National Security Supplemental - YouTube

The White House

11:04 AM - Apr 24, 2024

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I love #spoutible because of the great community that actually engages with you. Huge contrast with Elmo's site.

06:48 PM - Apr 23, 2024

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We're getting closer to treating Trump like any other citizen. Still a ways to go.

Deanna Fry @DeannaFryTV

Prosecutors on Tuesday alleged that former President Donald Trump violated a gag order imposed by Judge Juan Merchan in his New York criminal trial, saying Trump's "attacks" have "willfully and flagrantly" violated the order.

Prosecutors argue Trump "willfully and flagrantly" violated gag order, seek penalty - CBS News

Trump made 10 social media posts that were "threatening, inflammatory," prosecutors said, arguing he should pay a fine for each post.

03:51 PM - Apr 23, 2024

06:47 PM - Apr 23, 2024

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Conservation is a hugely important issue (and a bipartisan one).

Lisa W FirstWave @LisaW829

03:33 PM - Apr 23, 2024

06:43 PM - Apr 23, 2024

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Most people discussing these protests at #Columbia only care about them insofar as they can use them. With that in mind, here is what I think:
1. Law enforcement should ensure Jewish students feel safe.
2. Columbia should tell outside political interests to shove it.

03:17 PM - Apr 22, 2024

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In a follow-up to my thread yesterday, wanted to share a piece I wrote this week on America’s different approaches to supporting #Israel and #Ukraine .

https://open.substack.com/...

open.substack.com

Considering Israel and Ukraine - by Ken Briggs

Explains the different approaches by the United States toward Ukraine and Israel.

12:01 PM - Apr 21, 2024

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Looks like #Ukraine aid will finally pass the House today. Going to start a live thread of the House votes on the national security bills today, including military aid to Ukraine, Taiwan, Israel, and the bill banning TikTok.

01:20 PM - Apr 20, 2024

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Texas is over here doing violence to political narratives. Why is this?
1. Lots of empty land
2. Little to no red tape
3. Lots of sun and wind

The right-wing government wants to subsidize natural gas, but they won’t keep west Texas ranchers from making money on leases for wind/solar

11:15 AM - Apr 14, 2024 (Edited)

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I’m not a Reagan stan, but the modern GOP is objectively worse on this issue.

10:22 AM - Apr 14, 2024

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Just saw a breaking update that Iran has launched a drone attack on Israel. There is a strong danger of this escalating out of control.

04:42 PM - Apr 13, 2024

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Weird that the Speaker of the House is using Mike Johnson as a spokesperson.

thehill.com

Voter data expert hired by Trump on Johnson election claims: 'He should know better'

A voter data expert who was hired by the Trump campaign in 2020 to look for voter fraud criticized claims by House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-La.) about election integrity Friday. "Speaker Johnson is...

11:11 AM - Apr 13, 2024

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The House schedule next week. This is not a serious country.

09:33 AM - Apr 12, 2024

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To my progressive friends: convincing everyone the economy sucks despite all evidence creates a scarcity mindset that encourages people to look out for number 1 and to care less about helping others.

10:24 AM - Apr 11, 2024

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Here is another path that might be more realistic. Let’s say you’re 25, making 40k/year. Money is tight. You went to community college, so no debt. You sock away $1000/month, and do this every month for 10 years as your income grows.

Ken Briggs @KenWBriggs3

See folks talking about not being able to retire and I have a formula for you:
1. Keep your living costs as low as possible
2. Figure out how to sock away 2000 per month by the time you’re 25
3. Do that for five years, invest it in an index fund, and you can retire at 65 easy.
11:56 AM - Apr 03, 2024

07:31 PM - Apr 07, 2024

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No kidding. We can’t ask Ukraine to tie a hand behind its back in an existential war.

kyivindependent.com

Estonian president: Ukraine's right to attack military targets in Russia 'entirely legitimate'

Support independent journalism in Ukraine. Join us in this fight. During a meeting with Ukrainian Prime Minister Denys Shmyhal in Tallinn on April 3, Estonian President Alar Karis reaffirmed suppo...

10:12 PM - Apr 03, 2024

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It’s getting spicy in the House 🍿

thehill.com

Greene says Speaker Johnson is a 'Democrat,' comparable to Nancy Pelosi

Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene (R-Ga.) on Wednesday likened Speaker Mike Johnson (R-La.) to a Democrat as she doubled down on threats to push forward with an effort to oust him from his post. In a ph...

10:09 PM - Apr 03, 2024

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See folks talking about not being able to retire and I have a formula for you:
1. Keep your living costs as low as possible
2. Figure out how to sock away 2000 per month by the time you’re 25
3. Do that for five years, invest it in an index fund, and you can retire at 65 easy.

11:56 AM - Apr 03, 2024

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This piece is a strong dose of reality for the Biden administration. Time to get out of Ukraine’s way.

https://www.thecipherbrief...

07:44 PM - Mar 30, 2024

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Amazes me how Israel was the victim of a horrific terrorist attack and still managed to overreach in its response.

nbcnews.com

A resignation, rescheduled talks and rising public opposition: U.S. ire grows over Gaza

TEL AVIV -- Israel has agreed to reschedule talks on Gaza that it called off in protest just days ago, an apparent effort to mend a growing rift over the war that was highlighted Wednesday by the r...

11:00 AM - Mar 28, 2024

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It’s been amazing to learn just how much my yuppie late-2010s lifestyle was subsidized by VCs

11:34 PM - Mar 20, 2024

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I grew up in the Dallas area, and Mike Modano and the Dallas Stars were part of my childhood. So were Dirk Nowitzki and the Mavericks. Having their statues right across the street from each other is really cool.

Two all-time greats in their sports who were excellent role models.

apnews.com

Dallas Stars unveil statue of Hockey Hall of Famer Mike Modano

DALLAS (AP) -- The Dallas Stars unveiled a statue of Hockey Hall of Famer Mike Modano during Saturday night's home game against the Los Angeles Kings. Modano is the franchise leader in goals, assi...

11:16 PM - Mar 18, 2024

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This is a place where there is a kernel of truth in the GOP position on Social Security and Medicare. They account for over a third of the federal budget. Something has to be done to both shore up these programs and end trillion-plus dollar deficits

thehill.com

Both parties are returning to their roots on Social Security

Social Security's future is on the ballot this November. Donald Trump's recent comment to CNBC that "there is a lot you can do...in terms of cutting" Social Security, Medicare and Medicaid has app...

01:38 PM - Mar 16, 2024 (Edited)

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Transferring as much responsibility away from Israel for Gaza’s welfare as possible is a good thing

thehill.com

First ship carrying food aid arrives in Gaza, 'preparations underway' to dispatch second

The first ship carrying 200 tons of food gathered by World Central Kitchen (WCK) arrived in Gaza Friday and, the organization announced, more will be coming soon. WCK, the charity founded by celeb...

01:35 PM - Mar 16, 2024

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In the process of moving my blog over to Substack. This is one of my favorite posts, and I've made it free.

Please consider subscribing. A paid subscription is only $5/month and helps support my writing.

https://open.substack.com/...

open.substack.com

The Fall of the Last European Empire - Current History

Turning Putin's Historical Narratives Against Him

06:39 PM - Mar 15, 2024

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