Kevin J. Kircher
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kevinjkircher.com
Kevin J. Kircher
@kevinjkircher.com
Engineering prof (mechanical + electrical) at a big Midwest state school. Energy, climate, buildings, power grid, control, optimization, data science. He/him. Personal account. https://kevinjkircher.com/ Email: my last name at purdue dot edu
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New paper! Heat-pump water heaters could cut energy costs and pollution, but installs often require 💰 electrical work to accommodate backup resistance heat. My student Levi Premer developed prediction and control software to eliminate the need for backup heat and ⬆️ efficiency and flexibility. 🧵1/
Reposted by Kevin J. Kircher
As tens of thousands across America protest the violence that ICE sows with impunity, federal agents shot and killed another person in Minneapolis today.

ICE terrorizes our cities. ICE puts us all in danger. Abolish ICE.
January 24, 2026 at 6:00 PM
Reposted by Kevin J. Kircher
The attorney general is threatening a state that the federal government will continuing murdering its citizens in the streets unless they provide access to state voter rolls, a lawless demand which is the subject of ongoing litigation.
Fox News: "I've gotten my hands that AG Bondi said she sent to Gov. Tim Walz. It is strongly worded. The AG calls for the governor to support the men and women of ICE, to repeal the state's sanctuary policies, and to allow the DOJ to access state voter rolls."
January 24, 2026 at 8:15 PM
Reposted by Kevin J. Kircher
If ICE is emboldened to carry out extrajudicial killings of American citizens in broad daylight, imagine what's happening to the tens of thousands of people being held in makeshift detention camps across the US without cameras, attorneys and organizers
January 24, 2026 at 7:23 PM
Reposted by Kevin J. Kircher
I recommend not watching the videos, which are chaotic and gut-wrenching, and instead going through Bellingcat's analysis.

This man appeared to be zero threat, while the officers were overly-aggressive, agitated, and clearly primed to used lethal force.
Multiple federal agents can later be seen struggling with the man who is shot. One federal agent is seen approaching with empty hands, before reaching around the man’s waist.
January 24, 2026 at 7:10 PM
Reposted by Kevin J. Kircher
A new video contradicts the Trump administration's account of the Minneapolis shooting
Video contradicts Trump administration account of Minneapolis killing
Once again, DHS appears to be lying.
www.motherjones.com
January 24, 2026 at 8:55 PM
Reposted by Kevin J. Kircher
If you're living somewhere outside the USA, one thing you can do is pressure your leaders to boycott World Cup and Olympic events here.
January 24, 2026 at 8:29 PM
Reposted by Kevin J. Kircher
Seven democrats and every republican voted to fund this… YESTERDAY
January 24, 2026 at 7:13 PM
Reposted by Kevin J. Kircher
Gov. Tim Walz: "Thank God we have video, because according to DHS, these seven heroic guys took an onslaught of a battalion against them or something. It's nonsense, people. It's nonsense and it is lies."
January 24, 2026 at 8:27 PM
Reposted by Kevin J. Kircher
If this is what they do to white American citizens in front of everyone, imagine what happens to non-white people behind closed doors.
January 24, 2026 at 7:34 PM
Reposted by Kevin J. Kircher
Too obvious a point even to make, perhaps. But there was no “unrest” in Minneapolis before ICE and CBP showed up. ICE and CBP are the cause of the chaos…and the killings.

Get them out of there.
January 24, 2026 at 6:55 PM
Reposted by Kevin J. Kircher
This was also my father, who eventually moved to the US and became a historian of WWII. We lost him a couple years ago and have noted it's a consolation he didn't live to see this happen - he was so proud to be an American. I hope he'd be even prouder if he could see the bravery of Minnesotans.
My parents were kids in Norway during the Nazi occupation. People being disappeared and killed on the street. I always thought one of the worst parts would be not knowing how long it would last or if it would ever end. I knew it was five years. They had no idea.
January 24, 2026 at 6:21 PM
Reposted by Kevin J. Kircher
Quite unfortunate that federal policies & greedy corporations, some literal monopolies (utilities) & others effectively monopolies (Big Tech), have created an electric affordability crisis so salient that implementation of innovative state policies to address climate change have had to be delayed:
Healey administration pushes back clean heat standard to 2028 as affordability concerns mount
Oil, propane, and natural gas providers would need to gradually cut their emissions each year under the program and buy credits to offset their pollution, costs which in theory could be passed on to c...
commonwealthbeacon.org
January 24, 2026 at 6:30 PM
Reposted by Kevin J. Kircher
💯🎯
Too obvious a point even to make, perhaps. But there was no “unrest” in Minneapolis before ICE and CBP showed up. ICE and CBP are the cause of the chaos…and the killings.

Get them out of there.
January 24, 2026 at 7:00 PM
Reposted by Kevin J. Kircher
Gas explosion in NYC kills one, injures 14, and leads to evacuation of hundreds. Natural gas is dangerous.
www.nytimes.com/2026/01/24/n...
1 Killed and 14 Injured in Fire at Bronx Apartment Building
www.nytimes.com
January 24, 2026 at 7:10 PM
Reposted by Kevin J. Kircher
We as voters can also rally outside their offices demanding that they do this. You don’t have to wait until ICE comes to your community.
"What can Democrats actually do?"

- Vote against funding for ICE and DHS

- State that any ICE officers who commit crimes under Trump will be prosecuted to the full extent of the law

- Encourage cities and states to refuse to cooperate with ICE

- Explain ICE is part of Trump's tyranny
January 24, 2026 at 8:00 PM
Reposted by Kevin J. Kircher
Maybe a good time to re-share my thread about how a skeezy crypto company *made profit* during the massive Texas winter freeze of 2021 by first seizing a massive amount of grid capacity and then getting paid to trickle a tiny amount back to freezing, dying citizens
I really couldn't help but dig into this - and I think it's fair to say that the Economist headline *is actually correct* - and I'm going to explain why in a short thread.

archive.ph/IqnaT
January 24, 2026 at 8:34 PM
Reposted by Kevin J. Kircher
Watching what is happening right now in MN (and elsewhere in USA) is frustrating, depressing, enraging, all of it. Especially as an American citizen living outside the country.

What I do have though (thankfully) is financial resources. So if you are in same boat, join me in donating? Links 👇
January 24, 2026 at 8:37 PM
Reposted by Kevin J. Kircher
ICE agent asked why he's taking pictures of a legal observer's car, replies: "Cuz we have a nice little database and now you're considered a domestic terrorist. So have fun with that."
January 23, 2026 at 5:32 PM
Reposted by Kevin J. Kircher
People are being executed in the street over a problem that straight up does not exist and both parties are complicit in the lie
January 24, 2026 at 5:49 PM
Reposted by Kevin J. Kircher
To those blaming Walz for not mobilizing the Guard, he did that six days ago. I have to say it's disturbing to see people angry at Walz instead of the government agents that just executed a man. As though we should all be experts about what to do when a secret police force invades an American city.
January 24, 2026 at 6:14 PM
Reposted by Kevin J. Kircher
When an ICE agent confronts you is "when your due process ends," says the member of Congress from the largest border district.

www.politico.com/news/2026/01...
January 23, 2026 at 1:11 PM
Reposted by Kevin J. Kircher
Remember last week when there were people dismissing the idea they could do illegal things to mess with elections?

Days later the administration is using violence from federal agents in the streets as a tool to try and access voter data.
Fox News: "I've gotten my hands that AG Bondi said she sent to Gov. Tim Walz. It is strongly worded. The AG calls for the governor to support the men and women of ICE, to repeal the state's sanctuary policies, and to allow the DOJ to access state voter rolls."
January 24, 2026 at 7:50 PM
Reposted by Kevin J. Kircher
ICE has now carried out two summary executions of innocent people in the streets of an American city.

If you work for ICE, there's no denying that's the mission you're supporting now. You don't get to claim in one year or ten or twenty that you didn't know what ICE was doing. You're complicit.
January 24, 2026 at 3:55 PM
Reposted by Kevin J. Kircher
Alex Pretti’s last words were “are you ok?” said the woman next to him who ICE also pepper sprayed in the face.
January 24, 2026 at 7:51 PM
Reposted by Kevin J. Kircher
The official policy of the government of the United States of America is that they will murder anyone they want, that they will tell any lie necessary to justify that murder, and that no one who resists them has any rights they are bound to respect.
/1
January 24, 2026 at 7:18 PM