Highly recommend listening to this podcast conversation. @milleridriss.bsky.social discusses her new book - “Man Up: The New Misogyny and the Rise of Violent Extremism" - with fellow expert @tomjoscelyn.bsky.social. An important discussion about a profound societal problem we can all help address.

Key insight in Supreme Court brief for amici Charlie Kirk in 2024 case of Murthy v. Missouri.⤵️ Read now in thinking about government pressure on ABC and Jimmy Kimmel. (h/t @jacklgoldsmith.bsky.social for flagging the brief)

Forever Wars? "The broadly worded proposal, which would grant sprawling authority to Mr. Trump for five years to use American military force in a drug trafficking war, has set off alarm bells in some quarters of the executive branch and on Capitol Hill." www.nytimes.com/2025/09/19/u...

“We have uniformed military asking their chain of command for letters that ensure that they don’t have personal liability for any illegal action in these operations." Senator Slotkin to Politico www.politico.com/newsletters/...

1/ Judge Kelly cites #whistleblowers report in granting preliminary injunction blocking deportation of Guatemalan migrant children.⤵️ The whistleblowers pointed to government's own data on kids likelihood of being "victims of child abuse, including death threats, gang violence, human trafficking."

"Some military lawyers and other Defense Department officials are raising concerns ... around the justification for the strikes." "Other defense officials are looking to provide legal protection for the individual military personnel involved in the strikes, who might be 'personally liable.'"

On FCC Chair's threat to ABC/Jimmy Kimmel Executive Order 14149 (Jan. 20, 2025): Purpose: "The First Amendment ... essential to the success of our Republic..." Purpose: Stop "coercive pressure" to advance "Government's preferred narrative." Policy: Ensure no federal officer abridge free speech.

Wall Street Journal Editorial Board: "Is a basic understanding of the First Amendment too much to expect from the nation’s Attorney General?" "Ms. Bondi hasn’t had a distinguished tenure as AG...But she is a law enforcer, ... and she’s sworn to uphold the Constitution."

President Trump today: “We knocked off, actually, three boats, not two, but you saw two.” Podcast discussion about this new policy by top experts ⤵️ @tessbridgeman.bsky.social @bcfinucane.bsky.social @becingber.bsky.social www.buzzsprout.com/2074610/epis...

An honor to be publishing the important work of @mikeschmitt.bsky.social Striking Drug Cartels Under the Jus ad Bellum and Law of Armed Conflict www.justsecurity.org/120235/drug-... Striking Hamas in Qatar: “Unwilling or Unable”? www.justsecurity.org/120727/israe...

With a terrific team, I just published a large study looking at all court cases involving the Trump administration. Shows basis for courts no longer giving a so-called "presumption of regularity" (a legal doctrine involving a strong benefit of the doubt) to the administration. 🧵

Many thanks to Senator @slotkin.senate.gov for this wide-ranging conversation with @tessbridgeman.bsky.social and me on @justsecurity.org podcast. Economic security China and AI Fentanyl and military operations against drug cartels Military on U.S. streets more www.buzzsprout.com/2074610/epis...

The horrific assassination of Charlie Kirk was quickly condemned across the political spectrum - as it should be. Most Americans do not support political violence, regardless of what some may claim or imply on social media. home.dartmouth.edu/news/2024/02...

Rear Adm. James E. McPherson, former top judge advocate general for the Navy who later served in first Trump administration: “I would be interested if they could come up for any legal basis for what they did. ... if they turned back, then that threat has gone away.” 1/2

To understand the enormous significance of the grave line the U.S. military crossed with the strike on the alleged Venezuelan drug boat A must-read, brilliant and careful analysis by @martylederman.bsky.social Article II, UCMJ, international and domestic law.

I really appreciated speaking in depth with @billkristolbulwark.bsky.social about Venezuelan boat strike, what the law allows, and what comes next. Important for concerns about Forever Wars, those who care about deportation without due process and killing suspects without a trial.

On left Rubio 2016: "We write to express grave concern about the campaign of extrajudicial killings...by the government of Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte under the guise of his so-called 'War on Drugs.'" On right Rubio 2025: Praising presidential killing of alleged drug traffickers

Senator Rand Paul directly and forthrightly takes on JD Vance: "What a despicable and thoughtless sentiment it is to glorify killing someone without a trial."

What Epstein records have not been made public?

I'm told people involved in SOUTHCOM planning are scrambling to find lawyers because they are being asked to do stuff...that clearly violated the law.

U.S. military strike on Venezuelan boat is properly alleged to be murder. How important is this as a matter of international law? On left: Rubio State Department's top accusation against Venezuela On right: US Congress in codifying law on extrajudicial killings

1/3 Just so we are all clear on this. Based on what this former official "who has years of direct experience in fighting drug cartels" told the Times. The order to blow up the Venezuelan boat may have instead killed migrants who were being smuggled. www.nytimes.com/2025/09/03/u...

I've read and coded every War Powers Report ever sent to Congress (check them all out, with interactive graphics and a searchable database 👇), and this one on #Trump's attack on an alleged drug smuggling vessel in the Caribbean stands out. I'll explain below: warpowers.lawandsecurity.org

NEW 🧵The White House has now issued its first formal legal justification for the lethal attack on a vessel in the Caribbean. This War Powers report to Congress is long on bluster and short on substance. This letter does not adequately justify the premeditated killing of apparent civilians. 1/n

This is important. The first 24 hours of press coverage fumbled the ball. But the US just murdered 11 people in international waters. Analogies to the US’s (highly suspect, morally and legally) targeted killings of suspect terrorists don’t work. This crossed their own lines, and they know it.

1/ I worked at DoD. I literally cannot imagine lawyers coming up with a legal basis for lethal strike of suspected Venezuelan drug boat. Hard to see how this would not be "murder" or war crime under international law that DoD considers applicable. Read expert analysis by @bcfinucane.bsky.social⤵️

New Executive Order (Aug. 25, 2025) - despite its name - reaches far beyond DC in potential use of the U.S. military inside and across the United States. Link: www.whitehouse.gov/presidential... Highlight of some key provisions⬇️

A dangerous decision. "Some National Guard units patrolling the nation’s capital at the direction of President Donald Trump have started carrying firearms... Some units on certain missions would be armed — some with handguns and others with rifles." apnews.com/article/trum...

Big 1: Everyone should be held to the same standard of accountability - regardless of party. Big 2: Imperative to release all the Epstein files to get to the bottom of this. 3: Key points about Clinton-Maxwell timeline ... (see thread) (@kfile.bsky.social report) 🧵1/ www.cnn.com/2025/08/24/p...

1/ Judge in Habba ruling "Manipulation of official appointments had long been one of the American revolutionary generation’s greatest grievances against executive power, because the power of appointment to offices was deemed 'the most insidious and powerful weapon of eighteenth century despotism'"

"Among other changes announced by Gabbard, the restructuring eliminates the Foreign Malign Influence Center, which monitors foreign efforts to influence the US public." ODNI Fact Sheet here: www.dni.gov/files/ODNI/d... www.bbc.com/news/article...

"Ms. Gabbard, on orders from President Trump, fired the scientist, who was a leading government expert on artificial intelligence, cryptology and advanced mathematics." This looks damaging to USA and wrong-headed for so many reasons. If only there were a Congress to investigate such actions.

In a 1983 opinion by Ted Olson(!), DOJ’s Office of Legal Counsel concluded that assigning JAG lawyers to serve as Special Assistant U.S. Attorneys violated a statute that bans military officers from exercising the duties of a civil office. Then, Congress authorized it. This is dumb—but legal.

1/ Powerful interview Former top official of the National Guard Major Gen. Randy E. Manner Listen to this excerpt of it. - Our Guard is not trained for this - "Negatively impacts military readiness" - Being as "political props" Full interview: www.npr.org/2025/08/20/n...

"Personnel cuts are crippling progress on Advana, a Pentagon data platform that has been widely used in recent years to accelerate functions from logistics to finance to readiness—and which is key to the department’s AI plans, current and former defense and military officials say."

Judge Berman writes: "The Government committed that it would share its Epstein investigation materials with the public." The court refers to this February 27, 2025 DOJ statement.⬇️ Note the commitment including only redactions would be to protect victims. Why did Attorney General Bondi-DOJ change?

Another federal court calls out Government request to release grand jury transcripts as a "diversion." "The Government's 100,000 pages of Epstein files and materials dwarf the 70 odd pages of Epstein grand jury materials." Real transparency: DOJ can release the Epstein files.

“You come to our city and this is what you do? Seriously?” a woman yelled at the troops. One of the many, many reasons this deployment of the U.S. military in DC and onto American streets is damaging to military-civilian relations and more. www.washingtonpost.com/politics/202...

1/3 A revealing twist in the Ukraine diplomacy. On the left: On Tuesday, @ambdanfried.bsky.social anticipated that Witkoff may have missed a deceptive offering by Putin on security guarantees. On the right: On Wednesday, @antongerashchenko.bsky.social identifies the Russian move.

Great podcast discussion on recent legal developments in federalization of policing in DC from tippy top experts. Brian Netter (@democracyforward.org) @marknevitt.bsky.social with @davidaaron.bsky.social Apple: podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/t... Spotify: open.spotify.com/show/44CIxdu... Others:

"It won’t be a just deal as long as any part of Ukraine is under Russian occupation. But it could be a sustainable deal." Always read Ambassador Dan Fried (@ambdanfried.bsky.social)

1/ We put enormous effort into this: Comprehensive Timeline of Jeffrey Epstein-Ghislaine Maxwell Law Enforcement Failures (1996-2025) Important findings. Some will be new to many, including close observers All levels of government. 3 decades. #GhislaineMaxwell #EpsteinFiles #Corruption 🧵

Thanks to the deep expertise of @marknevitt.bsky.social for this Backgrounder: Trump, the National Guard, and the District of Columbia: What You Need to Know #NationalGuard #DCTakeover #ARNG

This could end up very badly given what we know of Rules on Use of Force (RUF) for Guard in DC. And very different training regimens compared to local police. Wall Street Journal reporting: "National Guard troops deployed to Washington, D.C. are preparing to carry weapons in the coming days."

A Ryan Goodman synopsis, meaning this is what to read to get the gist of where things stand re DC "takeover" by Trump Administration.

Hearing opens in Trump takeover of DC. Judge Reyes appears very doubtful that AG Bondi can issue orders directly to the Metropolitan Police Department or for MPD to refrain from actions. Also points out problems of making Terrance Cole "commissioner" DOJ first counter is to minimize Cole's role.

I cannot recommend this essay highly enough. @donell-harvin.bsky.social is one of the most important voices How to Truly Keep Washington, DC Safe: Trump’s militarized approach undercuts what’s been working Harvin is former Chief of Homeland Security & Intelligence for District of Columbia 🧵

BREAKING: Federal prosecutors said today they went to a grand jury twice to indict a D.C. woman for assaulting an FBI agent during an arrest by ICE — and were twice rejected. Notably, she faces the same charge as the District's alleged sandwich thrower. www.wusa9.com/article/news...

This is THE slippery slope. Plus the following clip in this thread by @atrupar.com where Chairman Comer puts it in an explicitly partisan and ideological frame, saying: "I think this is an experiment that's probably needed in a lot of the Democrat-run cities in America."

1/2 "Unchecked spread of illness, flooding and a lack of food and of a place to bathe or clean their teeth, according to the lawsuit. Detention officials go 'cell to cell' pressuring detainees to sign documents agreeing to drop their immigration cases and leave the country ...."