The Lawfare Podcast

Steven Heydemann, director of Smith College’s Middle East Studies Program and longtime analyst, offers a brisk tour of Syria’s sudden political transition. He breaks down Ahmed al-Shara’s power grab and comparisons to Erdogan-style rule. He discusses deadly communal violence, the al-Shara-Kurd deal, Turkey’s aims in the north, Israeli interventions, and the U.S. sanctions dilemma.

Aaron Faust, former State Department INR Iran-Iraq division chief and commentator, and Chip Usher, 32-year CIA veteran and Middle East intelligence analyst, discuss Iran’s threats, limits of U.S. military options, risks of wider escalation, gaps in missile and drone defenses, the difficulty of seizing territory or uranium, and the economic and diplomatic fallout of prolonged conflict.

Molly Roberts, senior editor focused on domestic politics and elections. Renée DiResta, researcher on misinformation and platform harms. Tyler McBrien, managing editor covering OSINT and intelligence. They unpack recent jury verdicts about social platforms and youth harms. They debate legal lines around algorithms, explore the SAVE America Act’s ties to DHS funding, and dig into OSINT dashboards, incentives, and AI detection limits.

Chris Mirasola, law professor and former DoD counsel, explains Posse Comitatus, Title 10/32 nuances, and shifting legal doctrines. Linda Singh, Maj. Gen. (Ret.) and former state Adjutant General, shares operational lessons from Guard deployments. They discuss blurred legal lines on the ground, evolving Guard missions, novel mobilization authorities, risks of normalizing domestic military use, and what to watch going forward.

Tom Kemp, Executive Director of the California Privacy Protection Agency, leads implementation of California’s privacy laws. He explains the DROP system for delete and opt-out requests and the data broker registry. The conversation covers technologists in regulation, interstate cooperation on privacy enforcement, concerns about foreign access to U.S. data, and emerging risks from wearables and automated decision rules.

Roger Parloff, veteran legal journalist analyzing litigation strategy. Molly Roberts, national security and civil liberties commentator summarizing the hearing’s flow. Kate Klonick, legal scholar on tech and free speech weighing statutory and First Amendment angles. They debate the court’s surprising focus on retaliation and due process, Judge Lynn’s tentative skepticism, the supply-chain designation’s reach, and the chances of a quick ruling.

Elisa Catalano Ewers, a Middle East security expert at CFR and CNAS, breaks down Iranian strategy and regional dynamics. She describes asymmetric threats to the Strait of Hormuz and how Iran sustains pressure at low cost. Discussion covers U.S. miscalculations on escalation, allies’ maritime roles, impacts on Israel–Gulf ties, and broader geopolitical ripple effects across Europe and Asia.

Eric Columbus, senior editor on litigation and federal funding, offers court-focused commentary. Roger Parloff, veteran legal journalist, analyzes major courtroom rulings. Anna Bower, reporter on agency litigation, breaks down depositions and agency actions. Molly Roberts, litigation reporter, covers hearings and grand jury moves. Kate Klonick, legal scholar on tech and free speech, examines AI and supply-chain litigation. They discuss subpoenas to Powell, Anthropic v. DOD, deposition videos, agency reinstatements, and funding freezes.

Ramya Krishnan, a First Amendment and national security lawyer, and Alan Rozenshtein, a constitutional and national security scholar, break down the Supreme Court oral arguments over Congress’s divest-or-ban law for TikTok. They explain the statute’s mechanics, the government’s data and manipulation rationales, competing First Amendment frameworks, practicalities of divestiture, and possible judicial paths and timing.

Michael Posner, a NYU Stern professor and former Assistant Secretary of State, unpacks the Al-Shimari v. CACI verdict and corporate human rights liability. He recounts how abusive practices at Abu Ghraib developed and the legal paths plaintiffs used to sue a U.S. contractor. The conversation covers jurisdictional fights, state secrets hurdles, the $42 million verdict, and what this means for private security and corporate duty.