Powering Data Centers and the Permitting Problem
The Justice Department’s bid to nix a Clean Air Act suit against xAI’s turbines shows how security claims reshape energy permitting.
What They Want to Hear: The Politicization of U.S. Intelligence
A campaign of firings and clearance revocations is teaching the intelligence community that silence is the only job security.
The Rip Van Winkle Court
Last week, the Alien Terrorist Removal Court had its first case in 30 years. We dive into DOJ’s awakening of a controversial court.
Tokyo’s Nuclear Dilemma
Would a nuclear-armed Japan be a deterrence shortcut or a source of instability?
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When Reporting an AI Security Incident Is Not Mandatory
A recent AI security incident during a frontier model internal evaluation demonstrates the need for better information sharing requirements.
Legalism Mission Creep
A review of Doyle K. Hodges, “The Rise of US Military Legalism: A New Theory of Military Professionalism” (Routledge, 2026).
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Powering Data Centers and the Permitting Problem
The Justice Department’s bid to nix a Clean Air Act suit against xAI’s turbines shows how security claims reshape energy permitting. -
What They Want to Hear: The Politicization of U.S. Intelligence
A campaign of firings and clearance revocations is teaching the intelligence community that silence is the only job security. -
The Rip Van Winkle Court
Last week, the Alien Terrorist Removal Court had its first case in 30 years. We dive into DOJ’s awakening of a controversial court. -
Tokyo’s Nuclear Dilemma
Would a nuclear-armed Japan be a deterrence shortcut or a source of instability? -
The Week That Was
Your weekly summary of everything on the site. -
When Reporting an AI Security Incident Is Not Mandatory
A recent AI security incident during a frontier model internal evaluation demonstrates the need for better information sharing requirements. -
Legalism Mission Creep
A review of Doyle K. Hodges, “The Rise of US Military Legalism: A New Theory of Military Professionalism” (Routledge, 2026). -
Knives Are Out for Open-Weight AI Models
The latest edition of the Seriously Risky Business cybersecurity newsletter, now on Lawfare. -
The Monroe Doctrine Was Never a Blank Check for Presidential War
Trump’s “Donroe Doctrine” in Latin America inverts a policy that, properly understood, abided by and reinforced constraints on unilateral presidential force. -
Why U.S. Technology Controls Keep Faltering, and How to Save Them
Current export controls are the worst of both worlds: Key technology leaks to China, while controls weaken U.S. firms’ incentive to invest. -
When Commercial Satellites Become Wartime Intelligence
Commercial satellite imagery now serves accountability and military operations, but the law has not caught up. -
The Next Mythos Moments
Future AI risks will be harder to address ad hoc. -
Come Work With Us—As Our New AI Associate Editor!
The Lawfare Institute—publisher of information and insight at the intersection of national security, law and policy—seeks a motivated full-time associate editor focused on artificial intelligence. -
Within Bounds: State Authority to Regulate Federal Contractors
As private actors take on more federal functions, states retain broad but bounded authority to hold federal contractors accountable. -
The Legal Risks That Chill Good-Faith Security Research
In their own words, researchers describe how anti-hacking laws push them to abandon work, stockpile flaws, or quit the field entirely.
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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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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, July 24
Listen to the July 24 livestream as a podcast. -
Lawfare Daily: Maggie Haberman and Jonathan Swan Discuss Their Bestseller, ‘Regime Change’
New York Times White House Correspondents Maggie Haberman and Jonathan Swan discuss their recent bestseller. -
Lawfare Daily: Can State Laws Protect Against Misuse of the National Guard?
Breaking down the state laws governing the National Guard.
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Lawfare Live: The Trials of the Trump Administration, July 24
Join the Lawfare team at 4 pm ET for a discussion of the litigation surrounding the Trump administration.
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Congress
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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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Congress Should Do Something: The Case for (Fixing) the Great American AI Act
Armed Conflict
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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.
