The Lawfare Podcast

Scott R. Anderson, Lawfare senior editor offering legal and strategic perspective. Natan Sachs, Brookings foreign policy expert on Israeli strategy and U.S.-Israel dynamics. Firas Maksad, Middle East Institute analyst on Lebanon and Hezbollah. They discuss shifting Israeli operations, Hezbollah leadership losses, mass displacement in Lebanon, Iran’s missile barrage, and the regional calculations shaping possible responses.

Kevin Frazier, AI Innovation and Law Fellow at UT Austin and Lawfare senior editor, and Cullen O'Keefe, Research Director at the Institute for Law & AI, discuss automated compliance for AI. They explore how compliance costs fall harder on startups, the limits of compute thresholds, which reporting and evaluation tasks AI can automate, Goodhart-style gaming risks, and the idea of conditional "automatability triggers" to time regulation.

Daniel Byman, a Middle East security and intelligence analyst; Ari Tabatabai, an Iran policy specialist; and Benjamin Wittes, a legal and national security commentator. They probe Trump’s shift to direct action against Iran, regional players’ roles including Israel and Gulf states, legal limits on strikes, Iran’s retaliatory options, and the uncertain political future after Khamenei.

Steven Monacelli, investigative correspondent who covered the Prairieland protest. Troy "LT" Edwards, former national security prosecutor experienced with material support charges. Tom Brzozowski, ex-DOJ prosecutor who led domestic terrorism prosecutions. They discuss the Prairieland shooting and arrests. They explain material support law, DOJ review practices, decentralized organizing, and what makes this terrorism case unusual.

Marty Lederman, Georgetown law professor and national security and constitutional scholar, offers statutory and doctrinal perspectives on executive power. He explains how presidential tariff tactics shaped the Court’s ruling. Conversations cover the major questions doctrine, distinctions among tariff authorities, and what legal fights may follow.

Alan Rozenshtein, a law professor and Lawfare research director specializing in national security and AI policy, breaks down the Pentagon's supply chain designation of Anthropic. He explains the background, Anthropic’s contractual red lines, likely legal challenges, and how this move compares to past retaliatory actions. He also explores statutory bases and business and reputational risks for AI companies.

Alan Rozenshtein, national security and tech law scholar; Roger Parloff, litigation and court analyst; Scott R. Anderson, administrative-law expert; Molly Roberts, national security litigation reporter; Troy Edwards, DOJ/national security fellow; Anna Bower, courtroom reporter. They discuss the Minnesota superseding indictment, FBI firings after the Mar-a-Lago probe, Judge Cannon’s order blocking a Mar-a-Lago report, the Anthropic–Pentagon contract standoff, and sprawling agency and immigration litigation.

Scott R. Anderson, senior editor and national security law analyst, Troy Edwards, former federal prosecutor with maritime interdiction experience, and Ariane Tabatabai, Iran specialist, discuss Khamenei's role and succession. They examine the targets and risks of U.S.-Israeli strikes, legal self-defense claims, maritime counterproliferation actions, and the regional and domestic fallout in Iran.

Stephanie Leutert, Mexico Security Initiative Fellow at UT Austin and author of the "Beyond the Border" series, discusses the epidemic of violence in Mexico and Central America. She outlines how homicide and disappearance rates have surged. She explains blurred lines between cartels and gangs, why U.S. security often overlooks the crisis, and how violence fuels migration and policy dilemmas.

Peter Harrell, a policy analyst at Carnegie and Lawfare contributor, and Kathleen Claussen, a Georgetown law professor specializing in international trade law, unpack the surge in presidential tariff actions. They trace legal authorities like IEPA, Section 232 and 301. They debate political motives, implementation headaches, likely litigation paths, and international pushback.