Christian Caryl

Here’s the latest.

Citing a nonexistent crime crisis, Trump plans to take over the Washington DC police and put troops in the streets of the nation's capital. Contrary to his claims, violent crime in DC is at a 30-year low. @katierogersnyt.bsky.social Campbell Robertson Chris Cameron www.nytimes.com/live/2025/08...

Trump, Putin and the future of Ukraine There is a danger for both Kyiv and Europe that they lose sight of a strategic vision of where they want to get to

"A legal recognition of Russia’s forcible annexation of Ukrainian territory is rightly unacceptable to Ukraine, the EU and the UK. But a de facto recognition of Russian occupation of some territory as a brutal reality — in the context of a broader peace deal — may be necessary."
on.ft.com/4lqU1kB

Trump says he’ll be feeling out Putin as US officials rush to finalize details of Alaska summit | CNN Politics President Donald Trump framed his Friday summit with Vladimir Putin as a moment to feel out the Russian leader’s parameters for ending the war in Ukraine and acknowledged it would take further meeting...

Trump’s talk of “land swapping” is nonsensical. Russia has staged an invasion and occupied Ukrainian land. Either Russia gives back what it stole through illegal aggression or it doesn’t. That’s the question at hand. Let’s not confuse matters. www.cnn.com/2025/08/11/p...

Washington Monthly: We keep putting pressure on Russia, but Putin does not abandon HIS goals Washington Monthly: We keep putting pressure on Russia, but Putin does not abandon HIS goals. Despite the sanctions pressure and military threats from the West, Vladimir Putin does not abandon his sta...

Pravda takes note of @washingtonmonthly.com coverage of the war in Ukraine, and notes as a dark aside that we are supported by Bill Gates‘s foundation! nato.news-pravda.com/world/2025/0...

Studying bank deposits, Sandra Grimes found a deadly CIA traitor Ms. Grimes, who has died at the age of 79, helped reveal that Aldrich Ames was selling secrets to the Soviets. Her book about the case was adapted into an ABC miniseries.

Hobiena said it was only in college that she first learned details about her mother’s work, while watching Ms. Grimes interviewed on ABC’s “Nightline.”
“It was a completely secret life, so she couldn’t come home and mourn” the loss of the Russian informants. www.washingtonpost.com/obituaries/2...

Zelenskyy looks to European allies to stop handover of territory to Russia Donald Trump said a peace deal with Russia could involve ‘some swapping’ of Ukrainian land

“If borders can be changed by force, none are safe . . . Sovereignty and territorial integrity are the cornerstones of global stability. We will not reward aggression — not in Ukraine, not anywhere,” Margus Tsahkna, Estonia’s foreign minister, said. on.ft.com/4liyn1O

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Hegseth reposts video on social media featuring pastors saying women shouldn't be allowed to vote The man who oversees the nation’s military has reposted a video on X, formerly Twitter, about a Christian nationalist church that included various pastors saying women should no longer be allowed to v...

what apnews.com/article/wome...

Putin Tells U.S. He’ll Halt War in Exchange for Eastern Ukraine The proposal prompted the Trump administration to begin preparing for a summit with the Russian leader, but European officials expressed skepticism over its viability.

“Ukrainian and European officials have long rejected officially recognizing Russian control over seized territory. Ukraine’s constitution also prohibits Zelensky from unilaterally authorizing territorial changes.” www.wsj.com/world/putin-...

Ukraine Repels a Russian Offensive, as Putin Seeks Trump Talks The fight for northern Ukraine’s Sumy province shows how neither Moscow nor Kyiv has gained a clear battlefield advantage.

Putin will be meeting Trump without being able to claim any significant recent victories that might have given him added leverage. #ukrainewar www.wsj.com/world/ukrain...

Trump softens stance on China amid trade talks and summit push The Trump administration has softened its stance toward China, allowing the sale of AI chips and cancelling meetings with top Taiwanese officials.

The president of Taiwan canceled a trip to the U.S. when it became clear that the Trump administration didn’t want it to happen. A very ominous sign at a time when Beijing is intensifying pressure on Taiwan. www.washingtonpost.com/national-sec...

She Was Murdered in Midtown Manhattan. The Internet Celebrated It. Wesley LePatner was a mother, a wife, and a beloved boss. But to a growing number of people, she was something else entirely: a symbol of everything they hate.

Wesley LePatner was a mother, a wife, and a beloved boss. But to a growing number of people, she was something else entirely: a symbol of everything they hate.

Get to know Book Post author Christian Caryl, a renowned journalist and author!

This clip is excerpted from a conversation that took place on April 18, 2025. Watch the full conversation → www.youtube.com/watch?v=v77s...

@ccaryl.bsky.social

In reversal, Defense Department will continue providing crucial satellite weather data About a month after announcing that it would stop sharing data that hurricane forecasters and scientists rely on, the Navy now says it will continue distributing it.

About a month after announcing that it would stop sharing data that hurricane forecasters and scientists rely on, the Navy now says it will continue distributing it.

Amid U.S. tariff threat, India tells state refiners to find alternatives to Russian oil — Bloomberg — Meduza The Indian government has instructed state-owned oil refiners to “come up with plans for buying non-Russian crude,” sources familiar with the matter told Bloomberg. The guidance reportedly amounts…

The Indian government appears to be positioning the country's state-owned refineries for a world with less oil imported from Russia. meduza.io/en/news/2025...

Serenading the Soviets A new book takes on the brilliance and danger of the Soviet world of classical music.

“What made life so treacherous was that during the Stalin era, Prokofiev and others never could be sure when or what would incur the wrath of the Kremlin.” Marvelous review by @jacobheilbrunn.bsky.social of new book on Soviet musicians. www.theamericanconservative.com/serenading-t...

Exclusive | White House Seeks Payments From Other Universities—Including Harvard—After Columbia Deal Sets Precedent The Trump administration is in talks with several schools about future funding following allegations of antisemitism.

Protection racket www.wsj.com/us-news/educ...

Democracy Is Ukraine’s Most Powerful Weapon Protesters seem to have beaten back Volodymyr Zelensky’s assault on anti-corruption agencies.

Ukraine and its democratic institutions have survived precisely because ordinary Ukrainians have been so quick to take to the streets and the battlefield to defend them, writes Christian Caryl.

Democracy Is Ukraine’s Most Powerful Weapon Protesters seem to have beaten back Volodymyr Zelensky’s assault on anti-corruption agencies.

In my latest piece for @foreignpolicy.com, I argue that Ukraine’s democratic institutions are not only worth defending but actually contribute to a more effective war effort:

foreignpolicy.com/2025/07/24/u...

Review: Christian Caryl on Elaine Pagels and Paula Fredriksen The Greatest Show on Earth: How early Christianity conquered the world

How did Christianity gain such global influence?

Looking at texts on Christianity by two esteemed ancient historians, Christian Caryl investigates what we’ve forgotten about the faith’s origin and evolution.

@ccaryl.bsky.social

books.substack.com/p/review-chr...

Non c'è nessuno shift pro ukr di Trump. Armi , quantità e tipo non noto, che in un primo momento erano state fornite pro bono verranno vendute alle UE che le girerà all' ukr, e ogni ipotesi di sanzioni USA verso mosca è sospesa per almeno 50 giorni. Trump è sempre un fedele assett di Mosca.

Exclusive | Jeffrey Epstein’s Friends Sent Him Bawdy Letters for a 50th Birthday Album. One Was From Donald Trump. The leather-bound book was compiled by Ghislaine Maxwell. The president says the letter ‘is a fake thing.’

gift link to the WSJ story Trump didn’t want anyone ever to see

www.wsj.com/politics/tru...

"Weapons that were supposed to be given to the Ukrainians for free using the president’s drawdown authority will instead be sold to the Europeans, who will then pass them on to Kyiv. And details about the specific types and numbers of weapons that will be delivered are still unclear."

Why Japan Might Be America’s Most Frustrated Ally Tokyo is being squeezed by its biggest enemy and by its closest friend.

My latest for @foreignpolicy.com: #China is pressuring the Japanese militarily while Trump is squeezing them with tariffs. Is there a way out? #japan #indopacific #japanelection
foreignpolicy.com/2025/07/17/j...

Read Sarah Chayes on Robert Macfarlane’s “Is a River Alive?” here →
books.substack.com/p/review-sar...

There’s Less to Trump’s Ukraine Shift Than Meets the Eye Europe will buy unspecified weapons for Ukraine, and Russia gets a long reprieve from sanctions.

The multitalented @ccaryl.bsky.social publishes simultaneous pieces on ancient Christianity (us) and Ukrainian defense policy (@foreignpolicy.com) … foreignpolicy.com/2025/07/15/t...

US citizen who spied on Ukraine for Putin receives Russian passport after calling Washington ‘the greatest evil.’

www.kyivpost.com/post/56416

There’s Less to Trump’s Ukraine Shift Than Meets the Eye Europe will buy unspecified weapons for Ukraine, and Russia gets a long reprieve from sanctions.

Trump framed his change of heart about the Russians less as a strategic decision than as a fit of pique.

An important article. And an important reminder: "The new policy, if it comes to pass...is still a reduction from what was originally planned under the Biden administration."

There’s Less to Trump’s Ukraine Shift Than Meets the Eye Europe will buy unspecified weapons for Ukraine, and Russia gets a long reprieve from sanctions.

My latest for @foreignpolicy: There’s Less to Trump’s Ukraine Shift Than Meets the Eye

foreignpolicy.com/2025/07/15/t...