Jake Higdon
@jakehigdon.com
Clean economic development, manufacturing, climate, running, PNW & Carolina hoops. I believe in America.
Reposted by Jake Higdon
Donald Trump wants to be recognized as a peacemaker.
His deputies obliged today by putting his name on the headquarters of the U.S. Institute of Peace, an agency that DOGE tried to kill.
The new name — the Donald J. Trump Institute of Peace — "adds insult to injury," said a lawyer for USIP staff.
His deputies obliged today by putting his name on the headquarters of the U.S. Institute of Peace, an agency that DOGE tried to kill.
The new name — the Donald J. Trump Institute of Peace — "adds insult to injury," said a lawyer for USIP staff.
Building gets a new name: The ‘Donald J. Trump’ Institute of Peace
The change comes as Trump’s administration has touted his peace deals and ahead of a signing of a deal between the leaders from Rwanda and the Democratic Republic of Congo this week.
www.washingtonpost.com
December 3, 2025 at 11:48 PM
Donald Trump wants to be recognized as a peacemaker.
His deputies obliged today by putting his name on the headquarters of the U.S. Institute of Peace, an agency that DOGE tried to kill.
The new name — the Donald J. Trump Institute of Peace — "adds insult to injury," said a lawyer for USIP staff.
His deputies obliged today by putting his name on the headquarters of the U.S. Institute of Peace, an agency that DOGE tried to kill.
The new name — the Donald J. Trump Institute of Peace — "adds insult to injury," said a lawyer for USIP staff.
Reposted by Jake Higdon
Trump pardoned Democratic Rep. Henry Cuellar of Texas (an repeated progressive target in Dem primaries, he narrowly survived multiple times) from bribery and conspiracy charges.
Cuellar just thanked him profusely on social; obvious questions as to whether Cuellar switches parties.
Cuellar just thanked him profusely on social; obvious questions as to whether Cuellar switches parties.
December 3, 2025 at 4:38 PM
Trump pardoned Democratic Rep. Henry Cuellar of Texas (an repeated progressive target in Dem primaries, he narrowly survived multiple times) from bribery and conspiracy charges.
Cuellar just thanked him profusely on social; obvious questions as to whether Cuellar switches parties.
Cuellar just thanked him profusely on social; obvious questions as to whether Cuellar switches parties.
Trump is pretty transparently running the Eric Adams playbook here.
We don’t need to act shocked that Trump did this for a (nominal) Democrat. The point is that he is a crook who depends on Trump for his freedom, and will now do his bidding.
www.washingtonpost.com/politics/202...
We don’t need to act shocked that Trump did this for a (nominal) Democrat. The point is that he is a crook who depends on Trump for his freedom, and will now do his bidding.
www.washingtonpost.com/politics/202...
Trump says he will pardon Democratic Rep. Henry Cuellar
Cuellar was charged last year with bribery, money laundering and conspiracy. His wife, Imelda, also will receive a pardon, according to Trump.
www.washingtonpost.com
December 3, 2025 at 4:35 PM
Trump is pretty transparently running the Eric Adams playbook here.
We don’t need to act shocked that Trump did this for a (nominal) Democrat. The point is that he is a crook who depends on Trump for his freedom, and will now do his bidding.
www.washingtonpost.com/politics/202...
We don’t need to act shocked that Trump did this for a (nominal) Democrat. The point is that he is a crook who depends on Trump for his freedom, and will now do his bidding.
www.washingtonpost.com/politics/202...
Reposted by Jake Higdon
Musk's nonprofit grows to $14bn. But, for the 4th year in a row, it gave away less than the legal minimum required for the year. 85% of its giving went to other Musk nonprofits—including a private school next to his business compound in Bastrop. The principal beneficiary of Musk's charity is Musk.
Elon Musk’s Foundation Grows to $14 Billion, but Gives Little to Outsiders
www.nytimes.com
December 2, 2025 at 7:07 PM
Musk's nonprofit grows to $14bn. But, for the 4th year in a row, it gave away less than the legal minimum required for the year. 85% of its giving went to other Musk nonprofits—including a private school next to his business compound in Bastrop. The principal beneficiary of Musk's charity is Musk.
Reposted by Jake Higdon
Today, DOE renamed the National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL), one of the crown jewels of U.S. science and engineering for renewable energy, the National Laboratory of the Rockies (NLR). We should be reinvesting in our world-leading national labs not renaming them. www.nrel.gov/news/detail/...
News Release: Energy Department Renames NREL 'National Lab of the Rockies' | NREL
www.nrel.gov
December 1, 2025 at 11:53 PM
Today, DOE renamed the National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL), one of the crown jewels of U.S. science and engineering for renewable energy, the National Laboratory of the Rockies (NLR). We should be reinvesting in our world-leading national labs not renaming them. www.nrel.gov/news/detail/...
Reposted by Jake Higdon
A very nice visualization here of how an office floor can be converted to residential. www.wsj.com/real-estate/...
Office-to-Residential Conversions Are Booming and New York Is the Epicenter
A tour of Manhattan buildings you can now call home, and a peek inside the architectural hacks that make transformations possible.
www.wsj.com
December 1, 2025 at 3:03 PM
A very nice visualization here of how an office floor can be converted to residential. www.wsj.com/real-estate/...
Reposted by Jake Higdon
It's getting a lot of attn today. But even before today most of the country had very little idea of what has happened at NIH or through it the entire ecosystem of biomedical research in the US. Simply put, Musk, Kennedy & Trump exploded a bomb right in the middle of cancer cure research in the US.
April 2, 2025 at 1:26 AM
It's getting a lot of attn today. But even before today most of the country had very little idea of what has happened at NIH or through it the entire ecosystem of biomedical research in the US. Simply put, Musk, Kennedy & Trump exploded a bomb right in the middle of cancer cure research in the US.
Reposted by Jake Higdon
Harvard Law School’s Jack Goldsmith:
“In short, if the Post’s facts are correct, it appears that Special Operations Forces committed murder when the ‘two men were blown apart in the water, as the Post put it.’”
open.substack.com/pub/executiv...
“In short, if the Post’s facts are correct, it appears that Special Operations Forces committed murder when the ‘two men were blown apart in the water, as the Post put it.’”
open.substack.com/pub/executiv...
November 29, 2025 at 4:25 AM
Harvard Law School’s Jack Goldsmith:
“In short, if the Post’s facts are correct, it appears that Special Operations Forces committed murder when the ‘two men were blown apart in the water, as the Post put it.’”
open.substack.com/pub/executiv...
“In short, if the Post’s facts are correct, it appears that Special Operations Forces committed murder when the ‘two men were blown apart in the water, as the Post put it.’”
open.substack.com/pub/executiv...
Reposted by Jake Higdon
6/ 🚨 Per CURRENT and former US officials, there are strong reasons to believe some people on board the Sept 2 boat were people being trafficked.
(That is consistent with prior NYT reporting)
(That is consistent with prior NYT reporting)
November 28, 2025 at 6:32 PM
6/ 🚨 Per CURRENT and former US officials, there are strong reasons to believe some people on board the Sept 2 boat were people being trafficked.
(That is consistent with prior NYT reporting)
(That is consistent with prior NYT reporting)
Reposted by Jake Higdon
This is murder. www.washingtonpost.com/national-sec...
November 28, 2025 at 6:16 PM
This is murder. www.washingtonpost.com/national-sec...
Reposted by Jake Higdon
Awful. Trump admin is deporting a 23-year-old NC woman who came here at the age of 14 as an unaccompanied minor. Her father was murdered and mother died of cancer. All she has are two traffic citations, per this report from Charlotte Observer's Dan Kane:
www.charlotteobserver.com/news/politic...
www.charlotteobserver.com/news/politic...
November 26, 2025 at 8:17 PM
Awful. Trump admin is deporting a 23-year-old NC woman who came here at the age of 14 as an unaccompanied minor. Her father was murdered and mother died of cancer. All she has are two traffic citations, per this report from Charlotte Observer's Dan Kane:
www.charlotteobserver.com/news/politic...
www.charlotteobserver.com/news/politic...
Reposted by Jake Higdon
NEW: ICE has torn up its $180M cap on a proposed immigrant-tracking program and is now guaranteeing private surveillance firms at least $7.5M each, with potential payouts reaching $281M per vendor. The change signals a shift from “pilot” to full-scale outsourcing of street-level investigative work.
ICE Offers Up to $280 Million to Immigrant-Tracking ‘Bounty Hunter’ Firms
Immigration and Customs Enforcement lifted a $180 million cap on a proposed immigrant-tracking program while guaranteeing multimillion-dollar payouts for private surveillance firms.
www.wired.com
November 25, 2025 at 8:00 PM
NEW: ICE has torn up its $180M cap on a proposed immigrant-tracking program and is now guaranteeing private surveillance firms at least $7.5M each, with potential payouts reaching $281M per vendor. The change signals a shift from “pilot” to full-scale outsourcing of street-level investigative work.
Reposted by Jake Higdon
We came to LA as refugees from the USSR in 1991. Life wasn’t easy, but we persevered and, I dare say, came to contribute something of worth to this nation.
Had I experienced the following when I was a boy, I don’t know what would have become of me.
www.latimes.com/california/s...
Had I experienced the following when I was a boy, I don’t know what would have become of me.
www.latimes.com/california/s...
November 14, 2025 at 5:34 PM
We came to LA as refugees from the USSR in 1991. Life wasn’t easy, but we persevered and, I dare say, came to contribute something of worth to this nation.
Had I experienced the following when I was a boy, I don’t know what would have become of me.
www.latimes.com/california/s...
Had I experienced the following when I was a boy, I don’t know what would have become of me.
www.latimes.com/california/s...
2025 in America
“‘We don’t deserve the trust of the nation if we’re unclear about the divisiveness of swastikas,’ the official said, speaking on the condition of anonymity due to a fear of reprisal.”
www.washingtonpost.com/national-sec...
“‘We don’t deserve the trust of the nation if we’re unclear about the divisiveness of swastikas,’ the official said, speaking on the condition of anonymity due to a fear of reprisal.”
www.washingtonpost.com/national-sec...
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.”
www.washingtonpost.com
November 20, 2025 at 6:42 PM
2025 in America
“‘We don’t deserve the trust of the nation if we’re unclear about the divisiveness of swastikas,’ the official said, speaking on the condition of anonymity due to a fear of reprisal.”
www.washingtonpost.com/national-sec...
“‘We don’t deserve the trust of the nation if we’re unclear about the divisiveness of swastikas,’ the official said, speaking on the condition of anonymity due to a fear of reprisal.”
www.washingtonpost.com/national-sec...
Reposted by Jake Higdon
“I want their morale as low as possible because a team with low morale is ineffective.”
Meet the veteran who chases ICE on a scooter
Meet the veteran who chases ICE on a scooter
Meet the veteran who chases ICE on a scooter
Clifford “Buzz” Grambo patrols the streets of Baltimore to keep his neighbors safe—and make federal agents uncomfortable.
www.motherjones.com
November 20, 2025 at 2:00 PM
“I want their morale as low as possible because a team with low morale is ineffective.”
Meet the veteran who chases ICE on a scooter
Meet the veteran who chases ICE on a scooter
Reposted by Jake Higdon
Basically saying "if you do crime for me, I won't only pardon you--I'll give you millions of dollars of public money." Truly unprecedented level of corruption
www.bloomberg.com/news/article...
www.bloomberg.com/news/article...
Michael Flynn, DOJ in Settlement Talks Over $50 Million Claim
The Justice Department has been discussing settlements with two former officials from Donald Trump’s first term who — like the president — claim they’re owed major payouts from the US government as vi...
www.bloomberg.com
November 14, 2025 at 7:04 PM
Basically saying "if you do crime for me, I won't only pardon you--I'll give you millions of dollars of public money." Truly unprecedented level of corruption
www.bloomberg.com/news/article...
www.bloomberg.com/news/article...
Reposted by Jake Higdon
NYT - Dozens of Venezuelans sent by the US to a maximum security prison in El Salvador describe being beaten, sexually assaulted by guards and driven to the brink of suicide. www.nytimes.com/2025/11/08/wo...
Inside Trump’s Deportation of Venezuelans: Four Months in a Salvadoran Prison
The Times interviewed dozens of migrant men sent to a prison in El Salvador by the Trump administration. Independent forensic analysts called the testimony credible and consistent and said the treatment met the U.N.’s definition of torture.
www.nytimes.com
November 8, 2025 at 11:21 PM
NYT - Dozens of Venezuelans sent by the US to a maximum security prison in El Salvador describe being beaten, sexually assaulted by guards and driven to the brink of suicide. www.nytimes.com/2025/11/08/wo...
Reposted by Jake Higdon
“woke” is when you acknowledge that black people have contributed to the united states
Two panels commemorating the contribution of Black American soldiers towards the liberation of the Netherlands in World War Two have been quietly removed from a cemetery in Limburg. It follows a complaint by right-wing think tank The Heritage Foundation to the American Battle Monuments Commission.
November 8, 2025 at 9:01 PM
“woke” is when you acknowledge that black people have contributed to the united states
[talking to the aid workers I fired from their jobs providing food and medical assistance to those in need in the U.S. and around the world]
You fools, you absolute simpletons
There’s “actually only one way” to widely address poverty or give people healthcare: a robot I haven’t made yet
You fools, you absolute simpletons
There’s “actually only one way” to widely address poverty or give people healthcare: a robot I haven’t made yet
November 7, 2025 at 7:06 AM
[talking to the aid workers I fired from their jobs providing food and medical assistance to those in need in the U.S. and around the world]
You fools, you absolute simpletons
There’s “actually only one way” to widely address poverty or give people healthcare: a robot I haven’t made yet
You fools, you absolute simpletons
There’s “actually only one way” to widely address poverty or give people healthcare: a robot I haven’t made yet
Reposted by Jake Higdon
This is mass murder on a scale we haven't seen in generations. Trump did this. Musk did this. The SCOTUS that allowed these cuts to congressionally mandated programs and an acquiescent GOP did this. It's sickening. www.newyorker.com/culture/the-...
The Shutdown of U.S.A.I.D. Has Already Killed Hundreds of Thousands
The short documentary “Rovina’s Choice” tells the story of what goes when aid goes.
www.newyorker.com
November 7, 2025 at 2:54 AM
This is mass murder on a scale we haven't seen in generations. Trump did this. Musk did this. The SCOTUS that allowed these cuts to congressionally mandated programs and an acquiescent GOP did this. It's sickening. www.newyorker.com/culture/the-...
Reposted by Jake Higdon
Prediction: The Senate is now in play.
November 5, 2025 at 3:47 AM
Prediction: The Senate is now in play.
Reposted by Jake Higdon
What we know, 10:20pm
—VA Dems flip Gov, LG, *and* AG
—BIG Dem gains in VA House
—Dems win NJ-Gov
—Mamdani wins
—Dems keep PA supreme court
—Larry Krasner & Bragg win
— GA Dems flip 2 statewide offices
—JD Vance’s half-brother loses Cincy
—Dems sweep Orlando council
—ME anti-mail vote measure loses
—VA Dems flip Gov, LG, *and* AG
—BIG Dem gains in VA House
—Dems win NJ-Gov
—Mamdani wins
—Dems keep PA supreme court
—Larry Krasner & Bragg win
— GA Dems flip 2 statewide offices
—JD Vance’s half-brother loses Cincy
—Dems sweep Orlando council
—ME anti-mail vote measure loses
November 5, 2025 at 3:19 AM
What we know, 10:20pm
—VA Dems flip Gov, LG, *and* AG
—BIG Dem gains in VA House
—Dems win NJ-Gov
—Mamdani wins
—Dems keep PA supreme court
—Larry Krasner & Bragg win
— GA Dems flip 2 statewide offices
—JD Vance’s half-brother loses Cincy
—Dems sweep Orlando council
—ME anti-mail vote measure loses
—VA Dems flip Gov, LG, *and* AG
—BIG Dem gains in VA House
—Dems win NJ-Gov
—Mamdani wins
—Dems keep PA supreme court
—Larry Krasner & Bragg win
— GA Dems flip 2 statewide offices
—JD Vance’s half-brother loses Cincy
—Dems sweep Orlando council
—ME anti-mail vote measure loses
Reposted by Jake Higdon
The factional grifters will hate this, but the Mamdani-Spanberger-Sherrill axis actually suggests the outlines of a broad, emerging Dem coalition organized around both anti-Trump *and* affordability politics, not a party bitterly divided against itself.
These big wins will embolden Dems to take on Trump's lawbreaking and show there's a price for GOP enabling of him. Folks hate to hear this, but normal patterns are asserting themselves: Liberalism isn't dead, Rs are likely to lose in 2026, and Trump is really unpopular, not a magical exception.
November 5, 2025 at 2:48 AM
The factional grifters will hate this, but the Mamdani-Spanberger-Sherrill axis actually suggests the outlines of a broad, emerging Dem coalition organized around both anti-Trump *and* affordability politics, not a party bitterly divided against itself.