From Promise to Peril: The U.S. Retreat From Civilian Harm Response
A Tale of Two Mogadishus
Courts for AI Constitutions
‘Defending Taiwan’ and the Limits of Military-Only Deterrence
Being a North Korean Hacker Is About to Be Less Fun
Highlights
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Pig-Butchering Scams and the Limits and Promise of Civil Forfeiture
The United States has increasingly used civil forfeiture to recover cryptocurrency stolen by transnational scam networks. The strategy has produced important seizures—but it remains structurally fragile ... -
From Promise to Peril: The U.S. Retreat From Civilian Harm Response
Hegseth’s U-turn on decades of CHMR progress has contributed to more civilian casualties and left victims without access to repair and amends. -
A Tale of Two Mogadishus
The Somali capital has had a calm year, but what does it actually mean? -
The Week That Was
Your weekly summary of everything on the site. -
Courts for AI Constitutions
AI labs already write constitutions for their models. What they lack is a court to interpret them. -
‘Defending Taiwan’ and the Limits of Military-Only Deterrence
A Review of Eyck Freymann’s “Defending Taiwan: A Strategy to Prevent War With China” (Oxford University Press, 2026) -
Being a North Korean Hacker Is About to Be Less Fun
The latest edition of the Seriously Risky Business cybersecurity newsletter, now on Lawfare. -
Trafficking in Israel’s War Crimes in a Midtown Manhattan Synagogue
Participation in the promotion of land sales in the occupied Palestinian territories violates the Geneva Conventions and may be a war crime. -
A New Research Agenda for AI Constitutionalism
AI constitutionalism is too important to leave to the labs. Here are the questions scholars should take up. -
Immigration as a Test Case for Executive AI Governance
DHS deploys AI in immigration enforcement largely untested, undisclosed, and unreviewed, a preview of how AI could reshape executive power. -
Grokipedia Stopped Reviewing Edits in April. It Didn’t Tell Anyone.
A halt in Grokipedia’s edit pipeline offers a case study in how an AI-generated reference system governs its own content. -
After Chatrie, the Real Fight Over Digital Privacy Is Just Beginning
Without legislation, the geofence warrant ruling risks becoming a high-water mark rather than a floor for digital privacy. -
The Case Against the Proposed Chip Security Act in Taiwan
A proposed Taiwanese law would draw lawmakers beyond their representative role and into direct involvement in private investment decisions. -
Dispatch: Setting Up Secret Courts
The first public hearing of the Alien Terrorist Removal Court had its stumbles. -
If AI Outputs Aren’t Speech, Who Has to Prove They’re Human?
Denying First Amendment protection to AI outputs sounds like a rule about machines. In practice it could burden human speech online.
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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The Return of Schedule F
The Trump administration has proposed new rules to remove due process protections for thousands of federal employees. -
Donald Trump and the Department of Justice
On the loyalty of lawyers and the attitude of voters -
Trump’s Attacks on Justice Department Independence, Then and Now
What the first Trump administration carried out slowly, the new administration is doing at once.
Documents
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White House Releases Executive Orders on Quantum Computing
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White House Releases Executive Order on AI
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Former Cuban President Raúl Castro Indicted
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Trump Administration Releases 2026 Counterterrorism Strategy
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Southern Poverty Law Center Indicted on Federal Fraud Charges
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U.S. Government Agrees to $1.25 Million Settlement in Michael Flynn Suit
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Trump Signs Executive Order Purporting to Restrict Mail-in Voting
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ODNI Releases 2026 Threat Assessment
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Lawfare Daily: The Trials of the Trump Administration, August 7
Listen to the August 7 livestream as a podcast. -
Scaling Laws: Daniel Kokotajlo on AI 2040: Plan A
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Lawfare Daily: The Court Against the Courts with Steve Vladeck and Kate Klonick
Steve Vladeck discusses his forthcoming Harvard Law Review Foreword, “The Court Against the Courts.”
Other Lawfare Podcasts 
Other Podcasts 
Videos & Webinars
Lawfare Live: The Trials of the Trump Administration, August 7
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Lawfare No Bull: Confirmation Hearing for Attorney General Nominee Todd Blanche
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The Monroe Doctrine Was Never a Blank Check for Presidential War
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Lawfare No Bull: Confirmation Hearing for Director of National Intelligence Nominee Jay Clayton
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The Unbearable Lightness of a Todd Blanche Confirmation Fight
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Hard National Security Choices
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.


