Latest NDAA Supports AI Safety, Innovation, and China Decoupling
This year’s defense bill made many significant changes to U.S. AI policy.
Lawfare Live: Trials of the Trump Administration, Feb. 6
Join the Lawfare team at 4 pm ET for a discussion of the litigation surrounding the Trump administration.
NATO’s Loss Is Russia’s Gain
Russia is reaping the benefits while the United States undermines NATO from within.
It’s Time to Renew Section 702 of FISA Permanently
As the April deadline looms, Congress risks letting one of America’s most valuable intelligence tools wither.
Understanding Global AI Governance Through a Three-Layer Framework
Global AI governance is increasingly complex and fragmented. The three-layer framework of internet governance can yield powerful insights.
Another Misstep in U.S.-China Tech Security Policy
The Trump administration gutted another office tackling Chinese tech threats—national security missteps that will be difficult to untangle.
Highlights
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Latest NDAA Supports AI Safety, Innovation, and China Decoupling
This year’s defense bill made many significant changes to U.S. AI policy. -
NATO’s Loss Is Russia’s Gain
Russia is reaping the benefits while the United States undermines NATO from within. -
It’s Time to Renew Section 702 of FISA Permanently
As the April deadline looms, Congress risks letting one of America’s most valuable intelligence tools wither. -
Understanding Global AI Governance Through a Three-Layer Framework
Global AI governance is increasingly complex and fragmented. The three-layer framework of internet governance can yield powerful insights. -
Another Misstep in U.S.-China Tech Security Policy
The Trump administration gutted another office tackling Chinese tech threats—national security missteps that will be difficult to untangle. -
Public Service in America: A Decade of Danger and the Choice to Fix It
Violence against public servants is rising. Here’s what to do about it. -
Unpacking the Trump Administration’s Plans for Venezuela’s Oil Revenue
There’s more logic to it than meets the eye. -
The Dangerous Drift to Redefine Protest as Terrorism
The line between civil disobedience and terrorism is collapsing. History warns us what comes next. -
Can Pakistan Contain the Violent Politics of Blasphemy?
The government’s ban on Tehreek-e-Labbaik reduced blasphemy violence but will take work to maintain. -
The Situation: Cheating on The Situation
On the irrational guilt of being far away when the country is in crisis. -
The Week That Was
Your weekly summary of everything on the site. -
We Have Questions About the FBI’s Fulton County Search
The administration continues to litigate the 2020 election more than five years later. -
AI Will Automate Compliance. How Can AI Policy Capitalize?
AI may soon automate regulatory compliance itself—making regulations contingent on whether compliance can be reliably completed by AI tools. -
Minnesota’s Compelling 10th Amendment Case Against Trump’s ICE Surge
The 10th Amendment bars the Trump administration from using ICE to force state and local governments to give up their sanctuary policies. -
The National Security Strategy and the Maduro Operation: A Coherent Mess
As framed by the NSS, the Maduro raid trades international law for a retro-imperialist and ethno-nationalist agenda.
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Featured Podcast
Live Coverage
For real-time updates of Lawfare’s coverage of the Trump administration’s legal challenges, follow on Bluesky or below:
What's Old Is New Again
With every new administration comes new promises and new actions on national security. But what’s “new” has often been proposed or even tried before—which means there’s a good chance Lawfare has already analyzed some of the legal and policy implications they present. So we’re making that past content readily accessible as it becomes newly relevant.
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Using Force Against Mexican Drug Cartels: Domestic and International Law Issues
Executive branch lawyers could argue that using force against cartels would be consistent with past presidential uses of force, but it would be very difficult to defend under international law. -
My Lloyd Cutler Rule of Law Lecture: "Law and the Use of Force: Challenges for the Next President"
Read John Bellinger's Lloyd Cutler Lecture on Rule of Law at the Supreme Court. -
Lawfare Daily: DOGE’s Attack on the Treasury Department
Why is it so alarming to have political appointees accessing BFS systems?
Documents
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Trump Administration Releases 2026 National Defense Strategy
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Trump Administration Releases Legal Opinion on Maduro Capture, Attacks on Venezuela
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Sen. Kelly Sues Department of Defense Over Disciplinary Actions
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Trump Orders U.S. Withdrawal from International Organizations and Treaties
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Justice Department Unseals Superseding Indictment in Maduro Case
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House Judiciary Committee Releases Jack Smith Deposition Transcript
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Executive Order Designates Fentanyl as Weapon of Mass Destruction
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Trump Signs Executive Order to Preempt State AI Laws
The Lawfare Podcast 
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Lawfare Daily: The U.S. Plan for Venezuelan Oil Revenue
What is the U.S. plan for managing Venezuelan oil and why is Qatar involved? -
Lawfare Daily: Unearthing and Reckoning with the Intelligence Excesses of the Cold War
What can be learned from the intelligence community’s Cold War excesses? -
Lawfare Daily: Misogyny and Violent Extremism with Cynthia Miller-Idriss
How have different forms of misogyny led to political and social violence?
Other Lawfare Podcasts
Other Podcasts
Videos & Webinars
Lawfare Live: Trials of the Trump Administration, Feb. 6
Join the Lawfare team at 4 pm ET for a discussion of the litigation surrounding the Trump administration.
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Lawfare is a non-profit multimedia publication dedicated to “Hard National Security Choices.” We provide non-partisan, timely analysis of thorny legal and policy issues through our written, audio, and other content—all of which you can find here.
