Author | Lightnews

Luke Johnson @ljohnson.bsky.social · 4h

It's possible that Trump may have been trolled into making a huge change in policy by a nothingburger by Putin, if so, that's dangerous. publicsphere.news/p/trump-goes...

Trump Goes Nuclear

Was he trolled by Putin into announcing a major change in U.S. policy?

publicsphere.news

Luke Johnson @ljohnson.bsky.social · 2d

Heartbreaking quotes from Ukrainians still in Kherson: "To be honest, I am no longer a normal person, but somebody has to do these jobs, so the country will survive.” twogrumpyoldmenonukraine.substack.com/p/talking-to...

Talking to Ukrainians under the rain of Russian bombs

Far away from the futile Trump-Putin noise (will he? won’t he? why didn't he?), Ukrainians are being targeted and killed every day. I talked to friends and acquaintances in Kherson, a frontline city.

twogrumpyoldmenonukraine.substack.com

Reposted by Luke Johnson

Ellen Barry @ellenbarry.bsky.social · 3d

Extraordinary reporting from Emily Baumgaertner Nunn on the malignant criminal network that turns girls in foster care into prostitutes on L.A.'s Figueroa Street -- and why the police can't stop it. Everyone should read this.
www.nytimes.com/2025/10/26/m...

Can Anyone Rescue the Trafficked Girls of L.A.’s Figueroa Street?

www.nytimes.com

7 10

Luke Johnson @ljohnson.bsky.social · 3d

ICYMI: The White House's manipulation of memory to justify present actions echoes Russia, Turkey and Hungary publicsphere.news/p/the-east-w...

The East Wing Demolition and the Manipulation of History

The White House announces changes to the "About" page with a distorted reading of history and the 💅 emoji

publicsphere.news

1

Luke Johnson @ljohnson.bsky.social · 3d

Pretty bleak start to the week with SNAP and other nutrition programs running out at the end of the week and more workers not getting paychecks. Other countries would find this barbaric. www.politico.com/news/2025/10...

Luke Johnson @ljohnson.bsky.social · 4d

publicsphere.news/p/the-east-w...

Luke Johnson @ljohnson.bsky.social · 4d

NEW post on the "I'm rubber, your glue" style of argumentation that the Trump Administration is using to defend demolishing the East Wing publicsphere.news/p/the-east-w...

The East Wing Demolition and the Manipulation of History

The White House announces changes to the "About" page with a distorted reading of history and the 💅 emoji

publicsphere.news

1

Luke Johnson @ljohnson.bsky.social · 6d

Always great to read a foreign correspondent's perspective on the US: Americans would rarely write like this. www.ft.com/content/1377...

The Trump Supremacy

Opponents in disarray, allies in line, followers enthralled — the US president is already on his way to building a new world order

www.ft.com

1

Luke Johnson @ljohnson.bsky.social · 6d

I don't quite agree with this framing: a lot depends on if the Trump sanctions are enforced AND the decision on the frozen assets was punted until December. But there's a great desire in European capitals to be seen as in lockstep with the US www.nytimes.com/2025/10/24/w...

Ukraine’s ‘Coalition of the Willing’ Has the Wind at Its Back

www.nytimes.com

1 1

Reposted by Luke Johnson

Marci Shore @marcishore.bsky.social · 7d

I found this very satisfying:

“We do need support, but nobody’s playing the cards given by America. Nobody gives a flying fuck about JD Vance’s opinion.”-- Artem Chapeye

@ljohnson.bsky.social

The Ukrainian Anarchist Pacifist Writer Putin Drove to Take Up Arms

Artem Chapeye once spent his time translating Gandhi and Chomsky and getting published in The New Yorker. Then, in 2022, he joined the army.

newrepublic.com

2 20 45

Luke Johnson @ljohnson.bsky.social · 8d

Putin bombed a kindergarten full of children today. Fortunately, none of the 48 children inside were killed, injured, or harmed.

WarTranslated (Dmitri) @wartranslated.bsky.social · 8d

Footage shows Russia’s deliberate strikes on a kindergarten in Kharkiv. At the time of the attack by three Shahed drones, 48 children were sheltering inside.

4

Luke Johnson @ljohnson.bsky.social · 8d

I was in Chernihiv last year, and I was very impressed by the people I met. This seems like white noise at this point, but it's against international law to target civilian infrastructure www.bbc.com/news/article...

Ukraine: Chernihiv in total blackout after 'massive' Russian assault

Across the wider region, four people are reported to have been killed and 10 others injured.

www.bbc.com

1

Luke Johnson @ljohnson.bsky.social · 8d

Sitting president asks taxpayers for $230m payment to himself www.nytimes.com/2025/10/21/u...

Trump Said to Demand Justice Dept. Pay Him $230 Million for Past Cases

www.nytimes.com

1

Reposted by Luke Johnson

Kori Schake @kschake.bsky.social · 9d

Infuriating quote from President Trump: “Both sides should go home, go to their families, stop the killing.” The Ukrainians are home. A home that’s been invaded by Russia.

White House says no Putin-Trump summit anytime soon

The decision came after Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said Trump’s call for a ceasefire contradicted the understandings he reached with Putin.

www.washingtonpost.com

6 44 210

Luke Johnson @ljohnson.bsky.social · 9d

Seems like the Kremlin already got what it wanted with Trump taking Tomahawk missiles off the table after his call with Putin. Why bother with a roundabout flight to the one EU country that will have you when it's mission accomplished? www.bbc.com/news/article...

Plans for Trump-Putin meeting shelved days after Budapest talks proposed

A White House official said there were "no plans" for the two presidents to meet in the "immediate future".

www.bbc.com

Luke Johnson @ljohnson.bsky.social · 9d

this dynamic was always less true than many in the West thought and now has been scrambled: some Russian-speaking people from the East have moved to Lviv bc it's safer, and there have always been people in Eastern Ukraine who speak Ukrainian primarily.

Luke Johnson @ljohnson.bsky.social · 9d

The West has been asleep at the switch on China's rare earth chokehold for over a decade, about how long it takes to develop a supply. And after blowing up trade rules itself, the Trump Admin is now demanding they be followed. davekeating.substack.com/p/the-g7-has... via @davekeating.substack.com

The G7 has lost the credibility to criticise China

Trump has bullied the G7 into demonstrating it is nothing more than America and its vassals. Now he wants sympathy for Chinese bullying on rare earths.

davekeating.substack.com

Luke Johnson @ljohnson.bsky.social · 9d

Wild story... www.lawfaremedia.org/article/anna...

“Anna, Lindsey Halligan Here.”

My Signal exchange with the interim U.S. attorney about the Letitia James grand jury.

www.lawfaremedia.org

Reposted by Luke Johnson

Kashana @kashana.blacksky.app · 10d

Shoutout to whoever was like the news sucks, let’s spice it up by doing a jewel heist at the Louvre

110 1.4K 10K

Luke Johnson @ljohnson.bsky.social · 10d

Even in these deals, if they're finalized, the U.S. isn't funding them: the Trump Administration has zeroed out aid packages to Kyiv.

The Kyiv Independent @kyivindependent.com · 10d

⚡️Ukraine preparing long-term contract for 25 Patriot systems after meetings in US, Zelensky says.

According to Zelensky, the proposed contract for 25 Patriot systems would be carried out over several years, "with different quantities each year."

Ukraine preparing long-term contract for 25 Patriot systems after meetings in US, Zelensky says

Ukraine is looking to acquire 25 more Patriot air defense systems in a long-term arrangement with the United States, President Volodymyr Zelensky told journalists in Kyiv on Oct. 20. First delivered ...

kyivindependent.com

1

Luke Johnson @ljohnson.bsky.social · 10d

According to the FT, Trump threw a tantrum during his meeting with Zelenskyy Friday www.ft.com/content/7960...

Luke Johnson @ljohnson.bsky.social · 12d

publicsphere.news/p/putin-is-t...

Luke Johnson @ljohnson.bsky.social · 12d

A quick writeup on yesterday's entirely predictable turn of events publicsphere.news/p/putin-is-t...

Putin is Trump's Ex From Hell

Has the Russian leader cast a spell over the U.S. president?

publicsphere.news

1

Luke Johnson @ljohnson.bsky.social · 13d

“The Trump-versus-Biden situation shows how little Ukraine is dependent on what the U.S. thinks,” he said. “We do need support, but nobody’s playing the cards given by America.” He added: “Nobody gives a flying fuck about JD Vance’s opinion.” newrepublic.com/article/2018...

The Ukrainian Anarchist Pacifist Poet Whom Putin Drove to Take Up Arms

Artem Chapeye once spent his time translating Gandhi and Chomsky and getting published in The New Yorker. Then, in 2022, he joined the army.

newrepublic.com

Luke Johnson @ljohnson.bsky.social · 13d

he shared this on social media a few months back substackcdn.com/image/fetch/...

3