The Lawfare Podcast

This week, Scott sat down with his Lawfare colleagues Managing Editor Tyler McBrien and Senior Editor Eric Columbus; and Contributing Editor and Vice President of Research, Security and Defense at the Chicago Council on Global Affairs Ariane Tabatabai to talk through the week’s big international news stories, including:

“The Subpoena Is Coming From Inside the House.” Democrats scored a historic victory in yesterday’s midterm elections, securing control of both the House and Senate by a healthy (but not filibuster-proof) margin that is widely seen as a direct rebuke of the Trump administration. How will a Democratic agenda impact President Trump’s policy agenda over his last two years in office? Which topics are likely to be the clearest targets of oversight and other measures? And how effective are these measures likely to be in pressuring him to change his tack?
“Lame Duck and Cover.” The most significant issue in this week’s elections was undoubtedly President Trump’s decision to initiate the Iran War, and the subsequent impact it has had on the global economy. Yet Trump and his advisors have not been shy about their intent to escalate the war with Iran once again after the election, and have arguably already done so through a series of secret strikes that only became public the day of the midterm elections. What limits does a Democratic congress put on Trump’s war-fighting capabilities? And how much further will Trump be able to pursue the war now that he will no longer have a compliant Congress?
“2028 Days Later.” With the midterms over, the race for 2028 is about to begin in earnest. Does this most recent election give any insight into which national security issues are likely to be a major concern in the next presidential race? And what do the dynamics of the midterms tell us about how those issues will shape – and be shaped by – the primaries and general election to follow?
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For today's podcast, we're bringing you audio from yesterday's livestream event, Lawfare Live: Midterm 2026 Debrief. Editor in Chief Benjamin Wittes was joined by Contributing Editor Molly Reynolds; Public Service Fellow Julia Curlee; and Senior Editors Scott R. Anderson, Eric Columbus, Michael Feinberg, and Loren Voss. They discussed how the new composition of Congress will shape many of the key national security issues we've been tracking, including the appropriations process and presidential war powers. They discussed what tools may be available to exercise oversight and pursue accountability. And they discussed what priorities the new Congress should consider to remedy the Trump Administration's damage to the national security apparatus.
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Katherine Dunn, author of the new book “Little Blue Dot: How GPS Shaped the Modern World,” and a business reporter and editor based in London, joins Lawfare Contributor Justin Sherman to discuss navigation technologies and bombing in World War II, satellites and the Cold War, and the birth and evolution of the U.S. government’s GPS program. They also discuss GPS as a combination of ideas and technologies, how the U.S. defense establishment initially tried to balance tech advancement and security in the GPS capabilities it made public, GPS and navigation in Russia-Ukraine and modern war, and the future of global navigation.
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In this episode, Lawfare’s Ukraine Fellow Anastasiia Lapatina sits down with with Anton Antonenko, the vice president of a Ukrainian energy think tank, DiXi Group, to discuss the energy infrastructure in Kyiv, and why the upcoming winter may be the toughest yet for the Ukrainian capital.
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In a conversation on YouTube, Lawfare Editor in Chief Benjamin Wittes will sit down with Senior Editors Molly Roberts, Roger Parloff, and Eric Columbus to discuss developments in litigation against Trump administration’s policies, including former FBI Director James Comey being charged for a third time, a judge ruling that Maureen Comey was unlawfully fired as an assistant U.S. attorney, updates in the Kennedy Center litigation, and more.

You can find information on legal challenges to Trump administration actions here. And check out Lawfare’s new homepage on the litigation, new Bluesky account, and new WITOAD merch.

To receive ad-free podcasts, become a Lawfare Material Supporter at www.patreon.com/lawfare. You can also support Lawfare by making a one-time donation at https://givebutter.com/lawfare-institute.
Support this show http://supporter.acast.com/lawfare.
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.