Joe Ura
@joeura.bsky.social
a private citizen commenting on matters of public concern. not at all speaking for my employer.
political science. law and courts. higher education. revolutionaries. tar heels. tigers. aggies. different tigers. sc.
political science. law and courts. higher education. revolutionaries. tar heels. tigers. aggies. different tigers. sc.
Reposted by Joe Ura
They're offloading all the debt onto special purpose vehicles (SPV) that are legally distinct entities propped up by promises from meta for decades of demand in compute. The banks take all the risk, Nvidia gets the equity and revenue, Meta gets the stock bump without the downside.
"It seems like a marvel of financial engineering: Meta is building a $27 billion data center in Louisiana, financed with debt, and neither the data center nor the debt will be on its own balance sheet."
AI Meets Aggressive Accounting at Meta’s Gigantic New Data Center
Favorable treatment off the balance sheet hinges on some convenient assumptions.
www.wsj.com
November 24, 2025 at 2:30 PM
They're offloading all the debt onto special purpose vehicles (SPV) that are legally distinct entities propped up by promises from meta for decades of demand in compute. The banks take all the risk, Nvidia gets the equity and revenue, Meta gets the stock bump without the downside.
Reposted by Joe Ura
Also, "Trump’s Transportation Secretary" is telling, all by itself. The job title is "Secretary of Transportation." I'm quite sure that in previous administrations this is not how Cabinet secretaries announced their initiatives.
November 24, 2025 at 10:11 AM
Also, "Trump’s Transportation Secretary" is telling, all by itself. The job title is "Secretary of Transportation." I'm quite sure that in previous administrations this is not how Cabinet secretaries announced their initiatives.
Reposted by Joe Ura
Pretty remarkable that Trump has installed someone on the Saudi dole — Jared Kushner collects millions in fees from the Saudis every year — in a key role for America's most sensitive and consequential foreign policy negotiations (Gaza, Ukraine), and it is largely TREATED AS A NON-STORY
November 23, 2025 at 11:33 PM
Pretty remarkable that Trump has installed someone on the Saudi dole — Jared Kushner collects millions in fees from the Saudis every year — in a key role for America's most sensitive and consequential foreign policy negotiations (Gaza, Ukraine), and it is largely TREATED AS A NON-STORY
And, our civic success is built, in no small part, on the Morrill Act's creation of a dual mandate for land-grant institutions---to "promote the liberal and practical education of the industrial classes" by including "scientific and classical studies" alongside "agricultural and mechanical arts."
the economic success of the U.S. is significantly built on the land grant universities and in particular their excellent agricultural science tradition.
Really important to stress that the Crown Jewels of the US higher education system were never the Ivies or elite SLACs (other countries have equivalents of these) but the well-funded, large, cheap, and excellently staffed public state university systems bringing high quality education to the masses.
November 23, 2025 at 6:49 PM
And, our civic success is built, in no small part, on the Morrill Act's creation of a dual mandate for land-grant institutions---to "promote the liberal and practical education of the industrial classes" by including "scientific and classical studies" alongside "agricultural and mechanical arts."
Reposted by Joe Ura
Full text of peace plan by EU published the Telegraph
November 23, 2025 at 5:33 PM
Full text of peace plan by EU published the Telegraph
Reposted by Joe Ura
Really important to stress that the Crown Jewels of the US higher education system were never the Ivies or elite SLACs (other countries have equivalents of these) but the well-funded, large, cheap, and excellently staffed public state university systems bringing high quality education to the masses.
One of the bragging rights that the US ed system had in the 20th century is that we didn't have education tracks. Essentially, any kid could go to a CC or state school & major in whatever they wanted to (obviously an oversimplification). I fear this aspect of the American dream is dying.
November 23, 2025 at 5:18 PM
Really important to stress that the Crown Jewels of the US higher education system were never the Ivies or elite SLACs (other countries have equivalents of these) but the well-funded, large, cheap, and excellently staffed public state university systems bringing high quality education to the masses.
Reposted by Joe Ura
Reposted by Joe Ura
"the first time any president since at least 2007 ... has refused to help residents recover from such extensive damage to their homes"
"The projection was huge — the second most FEMA has ever documented in post-disaster residential costs since the agency began publishing damage assessments in 2007"
"The projection was huge — the second most FEMA has ever documented in post-disaster residential costs since the agency began publishing damage assessments in 2007"
November 23, 2025 at 2:58 AM
"the first time any president since at least 2007 ... has refused to help residents recover from such extensive damage to their homes"
"The projection was huge — the second most FEMA has ever documented in post-disaster residential costs since the agency began publishing damage assessments in 2007"
"The projection was huge — the second most FEMA has ever documented in post-disaster residential costs since the agency began publishing damage assessments in 2007"
Reposted by Joe Ura
My take on Gordon Wood's recent speech emphasizing America's role as a "creedal nation," pushing back on those who claim we should be an ethno-nationalist state. Wood is leading living historian of the Founding: reason.com/volokh/2025/...
Gordon Wood on America as a "Creedal Nation" Open to all Races and Ethnicities
Wood is the leading living historian of the American Founding. He pushes back here against those who claim America should be an ethno-nationalist polity.
reason.com
November 23, 2025 at 12:41 AM
My take on Gordon Wood's recent speech emphasizing America's role as a "creedal nation," pushing back on those who claim we should be an ethno-nationalist state. Wood is leading living historian of the Founding: reason.com/volokh/2025/...
The best Nelly song is Country Grammar. My favorite Nelly song is Hot in Herre.
An important question for the Bluesky generation: what’s the best Nelly song?
November 20, 2025 at 3:56 AM
The best Nelly song is Country Grammar. My favorite Nelly song is Hot in Herre.
November 19, 2025 at 11:40 PM
November 19, 2025 at 11:32 PM
Reposted by Joe Ura
This is the first story I ever did that got more than a million views
November 19, 2025 at 5:16 PM
This is the first story I ever did that got more than a million views
Reposted by Joe Ura
Literally just lectured about this!
In the late 1960s, air quality was so bad in several cities they had to turn on the street lights during the day so drivers could see. And yeah, the Cuyahoga River was so polluted it literally caught on fire.
In the late 1960s, air quality was so bad in several cities they had to turn on the street lights during the day so drivers could see. And yeah, the Cuyahoga River was so polluted it literally caught on fire.
Oh, I don’t know. Our rivers no longer catch on fire and our air is far less poisonous than it used to be, even in smog bowls like Los Angeles. And I think those are good things.
If there’s no shale gas then there’s no shale gas, but I still think environmentalism is basically bad and politicians should focus more on material prosperity.
November 19, 2025 at 4:01 PM
Literally just lectured about this!
In the late 1960s, air quality was so bad in several cities they had to turn on the street lights during the day so drivers could see. And yeah, the Cuyahoga River was so polluted it literally caught on fire.
In the late 1960s, air quality was so bad in several cities they had to turn on the street lights during the day so drivers could see. And yeah, the Cuyahoga River was so polluted it literally caught on fire.
Reposted by Joe Ura
This is...sort of brilliant.
November 19, 2025 at 12:56 PM
This is...sort of brilliant.
Reposted by Joe Ura
Trump intervening once again to protect an accused sex trafficker? Shocking.
Americans deserve a president who sides with survivors, not sex traffickers.
Americans deserve a president who sides with survivors, not sex traffickers.
November 19, 2025 at 1:32 AM
Trump intervening once again to protect an accused sex trafficker? Shocking.
Americans deserve a president who sides with survivors, not sex traffickers.
Americans deserve a president who sides with survivors, not sex traffickers.
November 18, 2025 at 1:12 PM
Reposted by Joe Ura
A whole story is good, too: www.nytimes.com/2025/11/17/u...
November 18, 2025 at 2:47 AM
A whole story is good, too: www.nytimes.com/2025/11/17/u...
Reposted by Joe Ura
He summoned Boebert to the Situation Room to pressure her to withdraw her name. Called Mace. Threatened Massie and Greene. Now he knows it will pass and he’s trying to save face. But he also knows it may die in the senate and DOJ intends to cite a new “pending investigation” to block it.
November 17, 2025 at 10:46 AM
He summoned Boebert to the Situation Room to pressure her to withdraw her name. Called Mace. Threatened Massie and Greene. Now he knows it will pass and he’s trying to save face. But he also knows it may die in the senate and DOJ intends to cite a new “pending investigation” to block it.
Reposted by Joe Ura
“Gen Z has the lowest racial resentment of any generation ever studied.”
Important work from @jakemgrumbach.bsky.social that offers a clear explanation of why there is an intense push to change school curricula to make them more white supremacist
newrepublic.com/article/2030...
Important work from @jakemgrumbach.bsky.social that offers a clear explanation of why there is an intense push to change school curricula to make them more white supremacist
newrepublic.com/article/2030...
The Shocking Truth About Gen Z Voters Is That They’re Pretty Great
Stop panicking: They are the most progressive generation ever, especially on race. If that surprises you, you’ve been listening to the wrong story.
newrepublic.com
November 15, 2025 at 3:25 PM
“Gen Z has the lowest racial resentment of any generation ever studied.”
Important work from @jakemgrumbach.bsky.social that offers a clear explanation of why there is an intense push to change school curricula to make them more white supremacist
newrepublic.com/article/2030...
Important work from @jakemgrumbach.bsky.social that offers a clear explanation of why there is an intense push to change school curricula to make them more white supremacist
newrepublic.com/article/2030...
Reposted by Joe Ura
NEW: The DOJ is in settlement talks with Mike Flynn for $50M. They're robbing us blind. 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 7:41 PM
NEW: The DOJ is in settlement talks with Mike Flynn for $50M. They're robbing us blind. www.bloomberg.com/news/article...
Reposted by Joe Ura
Literally exactly what the Founders worried about. Exactly.
A foreign country bribed the president with a bar of gold.
Where are my Originalists at?
Where are my Originalists at?
"It was tough to beat Apple, but the Swiss did it." said one administration official.
How the Swiss convinced Trump to drop tariffs with gifts of a Rolex desk clock and a 1 kg gold bar.
www.axios.com/2025/11/14/t...
How the Swiss convinced Trump to drop tariffs with gifts of a Rolex desk clock and a 1 kg gold bar.
www.axios.com/2025/11/14/t...
November 15, 2025 at 11:27 PM
Literally exactly what the Founders worried about. Exactly.
Reposted by Joe Ura
A foreign country bribed the president with a bar of gold.
Where are my Originalists at?
Where are my Originalists at?
"It was tough to beat Apple, but the Swiss did it." said one administration official.
How the Swiss convinced Trump to drop tariffs with gifts of a Rolex desk clock and a 1 kg gold bar.
www.axios.com/2025/11/14/t...
How the Swiss convinced Trump to drop tariffs with gifts of a Rolex desk clock and a 1 kg gold bar.
www.axios.com/2025/11/14/t...
How to lobby Trump with Swiss precision: gifts, gold and gab
How the Swiss broke a diplomatic logjam on tariffs by arriving with tributes fit for a king.
www.axios.com
November 15, 2025 at 3:53 PM
A foreign country bribed the president with a bar of gold.
Where are my Originalists at?
Where are my Originalists at?
Reposted by Joe Ura
It’s useful for people of my generation to be reminded that this wasn’t that long ago. Ruby Bridges isn’t just still alive—she’s only 71, not ancient!
65 years ago on Nov. 14, little Ruby Bridges was escorted into an all-white elementary school in New Orleans. Norman Rockwell, renowned for blissful depictions of Americana, did this remarkable painting for Look magazine. Printed as a double page, over-size spread, it's his masterpiece.
November 15, 2025 at 3:32 PM
It’s useful for people of my generation to be reminded that this wasn’t that long ago. Ruby Bridges isn’t just still alive—she’s only 71, not ancient!