Trump's Ballroom Fight Could Make Courts Rethink 'National Security' Deference
Appealing to national security is not a "get-out-of-law-free card," a federal court ruled last week.
National Security
Trump's Newest Tariffs Could Protect America From the National Security Risk of Brass Instruments
An idea that's wildly out of tune at a time when Americans are trumpeting their worries about affordability.
Trump Said Tariffs on Aluminum Would Boost Domestic Production. The White House Now Admits That Didn't Happen.
It's been more than eight years since Trump's first aluminum tariffs were imposed. How long do we have to wait before calling this a failure?
A Bill To Crack Down on Chinese Cars Could Shut Mercedes-Benz Out of American Markets
A new bipartisan bill would ban manufacturers from selling cars in the U.S. if more than 15 percent of shares are Chinese-owned.
Trump's New Director of National Intelligence Is a Menace to Liberty
As U.S. attorney, Jay Clayton subpoenaed journalists for reporting embarrassing information about the president's new plane.
Waltz: Interceptor Shortage Is Biden's Fault, Fake News, and Illegal To Discuss
The Trump administration official contradicted himself as he tried to explain away bad news from the Iran war.
The Iran War Is Back, Sort Of
The U.S.-Iranian peace memorandum has broken down, and violence is slowly ramping back up to a full-on war. Four Americans paid the price this weekend.
Iran Used Ad Tracking To Hunt American Soldiers: Report
The U.S. government has used private ad data to get around the Fourth Amendment. Now foreign enemies are turning it into a weapon.
Justice Department Subpoenas New York Times Journalists Who Reported About Trump's New Plane
The government says the reporters are not targets of the investigation, but such subpoenas can still have a chilling effect on the press.
Before the NSA Honored Historian David Kahn, the FBI Investigated Him
Newly declassified files reveal that J. Edgar Hoover wanted to prosecute the NSA’s future scholar in residence for collecting cryptography manuals.
'Scrap It and Start All Over': Ex-Bush and Obama Officials Say the War on Terror's Powers Have Gone Too Far
In a rare display of candor, former Attorney General Alberto Gonzales and former Homeland Security chief Jeh Johnson reflected on torture, Guantanamo Bay, and the 2001 Authorization for Use of Military Force.
The Right Way To Fight a Trade War
Economist Soumaya Keynes discusses Trump’s tariff policies, how China changed the global economy, and why trade wars require restraint.
America Spent a Fortune Shooting Down Cheap Drones. Now the Missile Stores Are Bare.
After burning through interceptors in the Iran war, the U.S. faces a dire math problem: Enemies can build drones faster than America can build missiles.
The White House vs. Anthropic's New AI Model
The government says this is about national security. But given the history—and ongoing litigation—between the White House and Anthropic, something more may be going on.
Trump's Position in the White House Ballroom Case Reflects His General Resistance to Judicial Review
The president has repeatedly argued that courts have no business deciding whether his actions are legal.
Even If Trump's Ballroom Project Is Illegal, a DOJ Lawyer Says, the Courts Cannot Stop It
The D.C. Circuit is reviewing an injunction issued by a judge who said "no statute comes close to giving the President the authority he claims to have."
Does Reporting Bad News About the Iran War Make You a Foreign Agent?
The Trump administration invokes the notoriously vague FARA to threaten a critic.
How to Make Sure AI Doesn't Spy on Us or Kill Innocent People
If we want powerful AI systems to respect liberty, now is the time to train them to be more libertarian.
Can We Ever Trust the Government To Be Honest About War?
Trump joins a long line of presidents unwilling to be transparent about the causes and goals of their adventurism abroad.
Defending the White House Ballroom, the DOJ Files a Trump Tantrum Masquerading As a Motion
The brief, which asks a federal judge to reconsider an injunction blocking the project, reads like it was transcribed from the president's Truth Social account.
Allowing Censorship of Military Retirees Like Sen. Mark Kelly Would Set a Chilling and Dangerous Precedent
To justify punishing a legislator for his speech, a FIRE brief notes, Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth relies on a Supreme Court precedent that is clearly inapposite.
Congress Still Has a Chance To Curb Section 702 Surveillance Abuses
Sen. Ron Wyden warns that Americans would be “stunned” at how officials have used the law.
Neither War nor Peace With Iran
The Trump administration is stuck in a standoff that is unstable and damaging to the entire world.
Pete Hegseth Wants the D.C. Circuit To Let Him Punish a Senator for Criticizing Him
The defense secretary's asserted authority to control the speech of retired military officers "would chill public participation by veterans," a brief supporting Mark Kelly warns.
The U.S. Military Has Finally Left Syria
After considering a permanent U.S. presence, the Trump administration instead evacuated American troops once and for all.
Congress Declines Again To Rein in Trump's Iran War
Republicans can’t decide whether the war is too early to stop, too late to stop, or nonexistent in the first place.
Trump's New Budget—Which Proposes $1.5 Trillion for Defense—Is Unserious. You Should Still Take It Seriously.
It would be easy to wave it away and move on. But that's how the U.S. got in such a dire fiscal situation.
Has the Iran War Ceasefire Already Ceased?
Both sides claim that they’ve agreed to stop fighting and open the Strait of Hormuz, but the fighting is still happening and Hormuz is still closed.
Trump Is Openly Targeting Innocent Civilians
He's using tools that were advertised as humane, but he isn't hiding the cruelty involved.
Unless People Support Me, Trump Habitually Warns, 'We Won't Have a Country Anymore'
The president's predictions of the nation's imminent demise reflect his narcissistic authoritarianism.
Government Actions Against Anthropic Are 'Classic First Amendment Retaliation'
Plus: the Facebook verdicts, porn star chatbots, facial recognition gone awry, drag queen regulation, and more…
The Goalposts of the Iran War Keep Shifting
Trump and his team can’t get their story straight on why they started this war, how long they plan to fight it, and whether they'll put boots on the ground.
Security Clearance Denied for Past Child Porn Downloading; Hearing Officer Unmoved by Claims That Behavior Stemmed from Since-Resolved Gender Dysphoria
"Applicant believed she was pre-adolescent or during adolescence when she was downloading images of children on her computer in 2013 to 2014 even though she was chronologically about 30 years old."
The El Paso Drone Scare Is the Future of National Security Paranoia
Fear over mysterious objects in the sky keeps disrupting society.
Jimmy Lai Got a 20-Year Sentence for Saying Things the Chinese Government Didn't Like
China's "national security law" was perfectly tailored to zero in on someone like Lai, who vigorously pushed for democracy, freedom of speech, and government reform in Hong Kong.
Your Wi-Fi Router Was Probably Made in China. Does That Mean It's a National Security Threat?
The Trump administration is reportedly moving to ban TP-Link routers, but experts say they're no less secure than other devices.
Trump Wants To Seize Greenland Because He Doesn't Understand Trade
Presidents should try to nudge the world toward more trade and less war whenever possible. Trump is doing the opposite.
3 Areas Where the Courts Pushed Back Against Trump's Attempts To Avoid Judicial Review in 2025
The president asserted broad powers to deport people, impose tariffs, and deploy the National Guard based on his own unilateral determinations.
Here Are 5 Wars Trump Started or Expanded in 2025
The U.S. military is fighting or preparing to fight in more countries than it was when the self-proclaimed "peace president" took office.
Jimmy Lai Is a Martyr for Freedom
The self-made tycoon was convicted this week of violating Hong Kong's "national security" law. But he could have escaped it.
Trump's Designation of Fentanyl As a 'Weapon of Mass Destruction' Is a Drug-Fueled Delusion
The executive order does not accomplish much in practical terms, but it jibes with the president's conflation of drug trafficking with violent aggression.
Hegseth Won't Let Us See a Video That Might Undermine Support for Trump's Bloodthirsty Anti-Drug Strategy
The defense secretary claims the video, which shows a second strike that killed two floundering survivors, would compromise "sources and methods."
Congress Gives the Military $8 Billion More Than It Asked for
The version of the NDAA passed by the House is larger than the administration’s budget request.
Can America Return to Neoconservatism Without the Same Results?
Shadi Hamid’s The Case for American Power implies that true interventionism hasn’t been tried.
