Lightnews — Scholar-powered news

Luke Johnson @ljohnson.bsky.social · 7d

It's always a good bet to believe what Trump says. (From last October and yesterday.)

Hegseth's Vision for the Military is Positively Russian

Luke Johnson @ljohnson.bsky.social · 7d

Listening to Pete Hegseth yesterday, I was struck by how he seemed to want to turn the U.S. military into the Russian military, with more internal and external violence publicsphere.news/p/hegseths-v...

Militaries are designed to win wars. Hegseth focused on winning the culture wars.

1 1 1

Luke Johnson @ljohnson.bsky.social · 7d

My column on Europe's economic security is here -> ip-quarterly.com/en/under-pre...

Family of Orange County man who died in ICE custody planning to take legal action

Reposted by Luke Johnson

Melissa Chan @melissakchan.bsky.social · 7d

These stories of state-led law enforcement cruelty with no respect for process, inflicted on ordinary citizens with tiny infractions, remind me of my time reporting from authoritarian China.

The family of a 39-year-old Orange County man who died earlier this month while in the custody of ICE is planning on taking legal action.

abc7.com

40 130

Reposted by Luke Johnson

Dr. Ian Garner @irgarner.bsky.social · 9d

Outstanding summary of why Moldova's rejection of Russian electoral influence - bribery, really - matters to us from @snellarthur.bsky.social.

Has Russia lost Moldova?

Why the bitterly contested election in a "faraway country, between people of whom we know nothing", matters a lot

arthursnell.substack.com

2 65 270

Luke Johnson @ljohnson.bsky.social · 10d

publicsphere.news/p/the-new-bi...

Luke Johnson @ljohnson.bsky.social · 10d

NEW newsletter: Trump "is using every instance of political violence perpetrated by delusional loners to accelerate an authoritarian consolidation of power."

publicsphere.news/p/the-new-bi...

The New Big Lie

Trump is alleging a coordinated left-wing campaign to justify an authoritarian transition

1 1

Luke Johnson @ljohnson.bsky.social · 12d

Pleased to be a part of this issue ->

Henning Hoff @henninghoff.bsky.social · 12d

Almost done. Our Fall 2025 issue “Defending Europe‘s Economic Security“ will be out on Tuesday, marking IPQ‘s fifth anniversary — w/ Luuk van Middelaar, Hans Kribbe @jbenford-berlin.bsky.social @lucyaash.bsky.social @helenalegarda.bsky.social @rebeccawire.bsky.social @anandmenon.bsky.social et al.

A new financial impetus for peace in Ukraine

Luke Johnson @ljohnson.bsky.social · 12d

Merz says to give Ukraine's military a €140 billion interest-free loan on the frozen Russian assets. Russia would pay it back at the end of the war. That kind of money would be a game-changer for Ukraine's military; the vast majority of Ukrainian drone manufacturers can't scale without capital.

Ulrike Franke @rikefranke.bsky.social · 13d

Crucial article by German chancellor Merz

“Now I am advocating the mobilisation of financial resources on a scale that will secure Ukraine’s military resilience for several years.”

on.ft.com/3IBBcxy A new financial impetus for peace in Ukraine

We need the mobilisation of resources on a scale that will secure Kyiv’s military resilience

on.ft.com

1 1

Luke Johnson @ljohnson.bsky.social · 12d

This has the formatting of a college student who was asked to turn in a two-page paper, but takes a lot of space to write the name and date at the beginning to make it look like he didn't do the assignment 45 minutes before class started.

Mike Eckel @mikeeckel.bsky.social · 13d

Comey indictment:

5 21 120

Luke Johnson @ljohnson.bsky.social · 12d

The irony of the Trump Justice Department indicting James Comey is that the former FBI director tipped the election for Trump in 2016. Without Comey's late October letter to Congress about Clinton’s email server, Trump would have lost.

Germany’s Merz pushes to use frozen Russian assets to unlock €140bn for Ukraine

Reposted by Luke Johnson

Perry Bacon @perrybaconjr.bsky.social · 13d

Also, it's very useful to read people writing about America from abroad. They will see things and connect the dots in a way that people who have lived in the U.S. our entire lives (like me) won't.

Perry Bacon @perrybaconjr.bsky.social · 13d

Thomas has been an essential read the last several years. He presciently described the radicalization of the right (not just Trump, but the broader right) in clear terms and explained exactly why they would run an administration like this. I will subscribe to this and you should too!

Thomas Zimmer @thomaszimmer.bsky.social · 14d

Things have really changed. Now I need your help.

I wrote about why I left academia, why I left America, why I left Substack - and why I need your support as I am starting over as a full-time independent writer:

Some major personal news:

steady.page/en/democracy...

1 38

Reposted by Luke Johnson

Financial Times @financialtimes.com · 13d

Germany’s Merz pushes to use frozen Russian assets to unlock €140bn for Ukraine on.ft.com/4gQGPET

Chancellor calls on Europe to ‘systematically and massively raise the costs’ of Kremlin’s aggression

on.ft.com

9 57 260

Reposted by Luke Johnson

Carl Quintanilla @carlquintanilla.bsky.social · 14d

KIMMEL, on the Pentagon’s new reporting “pledge”:

“.. They want to pick what the ‘news’ is. I know it’s not as interesting as muzzling a comedian, .. but it’s nuts that we aren’t paying more attention to it.”

45 1.2K 4.2K

Luke Johnson @ljohnson.bsky.social · 14d

publicsphere.news/p/a-governme...

Luke Johnson @ljohnson.bsky.social · 14d

NEW newsletter: Why governments driven by conspiracy theories are dangerous publicsphere.news/p/a-governme...

A Government Driven by Conspiracy Theories

QAnon was one thing. But the Trump Administration is motivated by dangerous conspiracies.

‘Your Countries Are Going to Hell’: Trump Airs His Grievances at the U.N.

Luke Johnson @ljohnson.bsky.social · 15d

Trump, in pursuit of a Nobel Peace Prize: "Your countries are going to hell." www.nytimes.com/2025/09/23/u...

www.nytimes.com

Hundreds of Alligator Alcatraz detainees drop off the grid after leaving site

Reposted by Luke Johnson

Laura Bassett @lebassett.bsky.social · 15d

More than 1800 detainees are missing after the closure of Alligator Alcatraz. Their families and lawyers can’t find them and they’ve vanished from the ICE database. Feels like this should be a much bigger story www.miamiherald.com/news/local/i...

As of the end of August, the whereabouts of two-thirds of more than 1,800 men detained at Alligator Alcatraz during the month of July could not be determined by the Miami Herald.

www.miamiherald.com

1.2K 19K 32K

Reposted by Luke Johnson

Chris Hayes @chrislhayes.bsky.social · 16d

"it's too much liquid" going into the baby, instantly up there with the injecting bleach moment.

Aaron Rupar @atrupar.com · 16d

Trump: "It's too much liquid. Too many different things are going into that baby at too big a number. The size of this thing when you look at it. It's like 80 different vaccines and beyond vaccines."

550 1.2K 6.8K

Luke Johnson @ljohnson.bsky.social · 15d

Russian involvement not ruled out.

TVP World @tvpworld.bsky.social · 15d

Airports in Copenhagen and Oslo were temporarily closed late Monday after drone sightings, disrupting dozens of flights and affecting thousands of passengers.

Drone sightings force airport closures in Denmark and Norway, Russia suspected

Airports in Copenhagen and Oslo were temporarily closed late Monday after drone sightings, disrupting dozens of flights and affecting thousands of passengers.

tvpworld.com

Tom Homan was investigated for accepting $50,000 from undercover FBI agents. Trump's DOJ shut it down.

Luke Johnson @ljohnson.bsky.social · 15d

NATO statement on Estonian incursion: "Russia should be in no doubt: NATO and Allies will employ, in accordance with international law, all necessary military and non-military tools to defend ourselves and deter all threats from all directions."

Luke Johnson @ljohnson.bsky.social · 17d

"In an undercover operation last year, the FBI recorded Tom Homan, now the White House border czar, accepting $50,000 in cash after indicating he could help the agents — who were posing as business executives — win government contracts in a second Trump administration" www.msnbc.com/msnbc/news/t...

The FBI and Justice officials closed the investigation, which a Justice Department appointee had called a “deep state” probe in early 2025.

www.msnbc.com

Ukraine and Russia Aren't About to Collapse

Luke Johnson @ljohnson.bsky.social · 17d

Been light on posting here -- I was in Ukraine. Some early thoughts on my trip... publicsphere.news/p/ukraine-an...

Notes from my 7th trip to Ukraine since the full-scale invasion