We're back with a Spring Break edition, featuring:

 	ICC cases emerging against Russian defendants for (1) removing children from Ukraine to Russia and (2) attacking civilian infrastructure
 	A UK drone strike in Syria, a US drone strike in Yemen, and a US drone struck (by the Russians)
 	Renewal of Section 702 and the Rep. LaHood story
 	TikTok, CFIUS, and the RESTRICT Act
 	Another GTMO transfer
 	Possible repeal of the 2002 and 1991 Iraq AUMFs

And an early start to the annual Mets demoralization process.

Episode 235: A Drone Struck

Are you ready for a DEEP DIVE?  We've got an extended conversation today explaining the stakes and anticipating the outcomes in two cases argued in front of SCOTUS this week:  Google v. Gonzalez and Twitter v. Taamneh.  The cases present questions about the scope of civil liability under the Anti-Terrorism Act in the aiding-and-abetting context (as applied to the use of social media platforms by terrorist groups) and the proper interpretation of Section 230 of the Communications Decency Act and its protection of such platforms.

Episode 234: Not *That* Linda Hamilton

We are delighted this week to feature two Texas Law students -- Sam Libby and Alex Rigby -- who earned the chance to co-host the show with us thanks to their generosity supporting the Texas Law Fellowships program (a charitable endeavor that supports Texas Law students doing summer public interest work).  Join us as we talk about just how it is that Prime Minister Trudeau can be involved in orders that result in American F-22s taking out a UFO, a largely-unremarked material support prosecution that twenty years ago very well could have resulted in a high-profile dispute over military detention of a US citizen, loads of Super Bowl analysis, and much more!  And, yes, lots of questions posed to ChatGPT!

Episode 233: This Episode Was (Not) Written by ChatGPT

After a week with no electricity, Professors Vladeck and Chesney are back with the latest in national security law news.  Tune in for discussions of:

 	the law (or lack thereof) when it comes to balloons, altitude, and aerial espionage
 	sanctions on the Wagner Group and also on various Russians associated with ransomware
 	FBI and DOJ disrupting the Hive ransomware group
 	Majid Khan transferred from GTMO to ... Belize?
 	Ted Olson on the military commissions process

Finally, you'll want to watch SNL's "HBO Mario Kart": https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UiIRlg4Xr5w

Episode 232: Top Gun 3: Deflategate!

What's this, a one-week turnaround between shows?  Will wonders never cease? In a throwback to the days of this being a weekly show, your co-hosts Bobby Chesney and Steve Vladeck are back on a quick turnaround in order to debate and discuss:

 	A new seditious conspiracy conviction arising out of Jan. 6
 	A New York State "material support" prosecution (State v. el Faisal)
 	Various SCOTUS updates
 	Any classified documents that we might have found when cleaning up the ol' office
 	The shocking arrest of the former FBI Special Agent in Charge of the Counterintelligence Division at FBI's NY Field Office on IEEPA (and other) charges relating to secret work for a Russian oligarch....oof.

And, as always, some frivolity.

Episode 231: If You Go to Washington Don’t Crime There

Wouldn't want you to be misled by the episode number (though we do actually foreshadow some future Section 230 coverage in light of an upcoming pair of SCOTUS cases)!  At any rate: tune in as Professors Chesney and Vladeck discuss what is and isn't similar about the Trump and Biden classified documents scenarios; the relative authority of the President and Congress under the Arms Export Control Act (in light of the potential sale of F16s to Turkey); the 21st anniversary of GTMO; the indictment of a Chinese man who harassed a fellow student at the Berklee School of Music based on the victim's pro-democracy, pro-freedom speech; and of course no small amount of frivolity!

Episode 230, Not Section 230

Happy 2023 y'all!  We are off to a quick start this year.  Tune in as Professors Vladeck and Chesney discuss recent developments, including:

 	The Supreme Court's "Title 42"-related action in Arizona v. Mayorkas
 	Highlights from the National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year '23 (including a National Guard reform that did not make it, and a newly-clarified authorization for Cyber Command that did)
 	Central Command's year-end summary of its counter-ISIS operations in Syria and Iraq in 2022 (including remarkable statistics on the scale of detention administered by both Iraq and the SDF)
 	Call for your help: we want suggestions for statutes, cases, or events  (including ones from long ago, not just recent events) that you'd like us to explore in future episodes (we are going to add a recurring deep-dive segment)

All that, plus ample frivolity.

Episode 229: We Are Not Not Going to Post Weekly in 2023 Maybe

Holiday edition!  Tune in as co-hosts Steve Vladeck and Bobby Chesney discuss the rapid demise of the attempt by Donald Trump's lawyers to use Executive Privilege in relation to the classified documents found at Mar a Lago, the arrival in the US of a former Libyan intelligence officer charged with a key role in the horrific bombing of Pan Am 103 in 1988, the arrival in the US of a Mauritanian man charged with several terrorist attacks in Mali, the arrival in the US of erstwhile crypto exchange entrepreneur Sam Bankman-Fried to face charges stemming from that total dumpster fire.  And, naturally, an indefensible number of detours, digressions, and other forays into frivolity!

Episode 228: Not *That* George Clinton!

Hello friends!  We're back with a new episode. Tune in as Professor Steve Vladeck and Dean Bobby Chesney chat about (1) the fate of Twitter, (2) the national security implications of the election results, (3) a just-released 2016 NSA IG report, (4) the latest GTMO transfer, (5) Bobby's just-published Harvard Law Review piece (concerning two SCOTUS cases last year which touched on the state secrets privilege), (6) Steve's brand-new substack newsletter--One First--exploring all things SCOTUS, and (7) House of the Dragon.

Episode 227: Maybe This Episode Should Pay to Get Verified

So, it's been a while...but we're back!  And it's time to buy Steve's book on the Supreme Court's Shadow Docket: tinyurl.com/shadowdocket

Meanwhile, in today's episode, we'll review the ongoing Mar-a-Lago documents litigation, the Jan. 6 Committee's subpoena to ex-president Donald Trump, the Biden Administration's new policy memorandum on lethal force outside areas of active hostilities, the Justice Department's new update to its state secrets privilege process policy, the new executive order on handling of EU citizen data in the context of American intelligence gathering, Steve's latest litigation developments, and did we mention you can pre-order Steve's book at tinyurl.com/shadowdocket???  Or at Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/Shadow-Docket-Supreme-Undermine-Republic/dp/1541602633/ref=tmm_hrd_swatch_0?_encoding=UTF8&qid=&sr=.

Episode 226: What Is a Court Anyway?

Hello, and welcome back to the National Security Law Podcast, with co-hosts Bobby Chesney and Steve Vladeck! In this episode, we dig into the latest filings in the Mar-a-Lago classified documents/presidential records litigation, emphasizing the mounting reasons to believe that the first charges we might see in relation to all of this will involve not the underlying questions about unlawful retention of presidential records or national defense information, but "investigative offenses" such as obstruction of justice.  We also touch on "Nashiri Day," explaining what that anniversary signifies, as well as a bit on the recent airstrikes conducted by US forces in Syria--against weapons bunkers associated with an Iran-backed group that had earlier launched rockets at a US facility in Syria.

Episode 225: Appetite for Obstruction

After just one week, incredibly, we are back!  And we're joined by two of our fantastic Texas Law students.  Ryan Brown and Adam Goodrum won the right to guest host at last year's public-interest auction at Texas Law, and as it happens they signed up for the episode coinciding with the unsealing of the now-famous Mar-a-Lago search warrant!

If you are itching for a nearly line-by-line breakdown of the three criminal statutes mentioned in the search warrant application (as well as a key statute that is not mentioned), this is the show for you.  And if you also might be interested in a painfully-long discussion of the complexities that arise when a president acts contrary to an existing executive order, without actually amending or otherwise altering that executive order, well this is your lucky day!

Episode 224: Mar-a-Lag-o-Palooza

Well, the original idea was to have a short episode about the strike that killed al Zawahiri, and to recap the D.C. Circuit's Larabee ruling.  But then just before showtime, we learned of the FBI executing a warrant at Mar-a-Lago, not to mention an avalanche of awfully-inflammatory commentary about the significance of this event.  Between that and the Mets on a hot streak, we ended up with a lot to discuss!  Tune in for all the classic hits, such as: What is the legal significance of a formal surrender agreement in relation to the domestic law effect of a Declaration of War? 

Episode 223: The Search for Episode 222!

And we're back, with yet another interminable window of extemporaneous frivolity at the front end of what otherwise is a somewhat serious show about the latest national security law developments and debates (seriously). Listen up as co-hosts Steve Vladeck and Bobby Chesney discuss Russia's denial of combatant immunity to foreign fighters in Ukraine (including some Americans), how this pertains to mercenary status, how it compares to US policies on al Qaeda and Taliban fighters, how this in turn relates to the Abd al-Hadi al-Iraqi plea deal at GTMO, how speaking of GTMO they transferred Gul to Afghanistan, and hey speaking of the Global War on Terrorism (GWOT) there was a capture operation in Syria that seems like it was led by US SOF but who knows who now holds the detainee let alone what legal framework applies and hey maybe it was France because it seems like they've got their own Le GWOT going in the Sahel to include drone strikes taking out several dozen guys on motorcycles plus they also had a capture operation, and [...catching my breath...] meanwhile Steve lost a case about court-appointed prosecutors but maybe that's not the last word because that dissent made some good points.  [EXHALE]

Episode 221: GWOT Shots, Part Deux

And...we're back, and in less than a month, remarkably!  Tune in as co-hosts Steve Vladeck and Bobby Chesney discuss (1) the latest seditious conspiracy indictment arising out of January 6th, (2) the Navarro contempt of Congress charge, (3) the latest developments in the lawsuits challenging the Texas and Florida social media content-moderation laws, and (4) enforcement of Commerce Department licensing rules designed to prevent certain US-made aircraft from being taken to Russia (or Belarus) and the way this resulted in what ultimately will be a $400m loss for Roman Abramovich.  That, plus more aimless Mets and Star Wars chit-chat than any reasonable person possible could want....

Episode 220: This Podcast Made the Kessel Run In Less than 12 Parsecs

Some of y'all were wondering if the show was done-for now that co-host Bobby Chesney has been named the next dean of the University of Texas School of Law.  But as it turns out, the main impact of that on the show probably will be no more and no less than to take the level of preparation that he and co-host Steve Vladeck put into things to new lows!

All of which is a long-winded way of saying: we're back with a fresh episode, this time focused on (1) discussion of the leak(s) associated with the Supreme Court's Dobbs case and (2) a review of what a war-crimes analysis might entail as applied to operation Russia's GRU conducted to shut down Ukraine's grid during the period after the occupation of Crimea but before the outbreak of the current invasion!

Ok, there's also a preposterously detailed discussion (in the form of a song-to-song competition) of the relative merits of various Indigo Girls albums.  Seriously?  Seriously.

Episode 219: And the Podcast Host-Designate Is …

Ok, ok, it's been a full month since the last episode.  But good things come to those who wait!  We are back, and hope you'll tune in as co-hosts Bobby Chesney and Steve Vladeck discuss the latest in national security legal news, including:

 	The questions associated with neutrality and co-belligerency (and especially "qualified neutrality") in relation to US and allied support to Ukraine in the Ukraine-Russia War
 	The Supreme Court's decision to grant a stay in Lloyd Austin v. U.S. Navy SEALS 1-26, in relation to a district court order (based on the Religious Freedom Restoration Act) barring the Navy from enforcing its policy precluding deployment of personnel who refuse COVID vaccination)
 	Another GTMO detainee (Hassan bin Attash of Yemen) cleared for release
 	A guilty verdict against an Islamic State member (a formerly-British citizen who was part of the quartet known as "the Beatles") charged with involvement in the horrific abuse of captives

And, yes, lots and lots of crowing over the early-season success of the Mets, along with other frivolity!

Episode 218: From 28(j) to Enterprise-J

What a treat we have for you this week!  Assistant Attorney General Matt Olsen, head of DOJ's National Security Division, sits down with co-hosts Bobby Chesney and Steve Vladeck to talk about a wide range of NSD-related topics:

 	the origins of NSD
 	the Section 702 sunset next year
 	indictments against Russian hackers
 	sanctions enforcement
 	focusing on China's commercial espionage and transnational repression
 	the continuing international terrorism threat
 	the growing domestic terrorism threat

Episode 217: Talking With Matt Olsen About DOJ National Security Division

And we're back! Tune in as Professors Bobby Chesney and Steve Vladeck discuss and debate:

 	ICC jurisdiction over war crimes on Ukraine's territory
 	Limits on sharing tactical intel and arms?
 	The Neutrality Act and its implications for those interested in going to Ukraine to fight
 	The Supreme Court's twin State Secrets Privilege rulings last week (Zubayda, Fazaga)
 	Qhatani transferred out of GTMO
 	A pair of recent rulings against the Navy on its COVID vaccination policy
 	The House Foreign Affairs Committee's AUMF hearing

All that, plus. what can only be described as perfunctory frivolity :)

Episode 216: This Podcast Does Not Constitute Legal Advice

We are back with a fresh episode, hot on the heels of Russia's latest incursion into Ukraine. Tune in as we survey some of the legal dimensions to this latest development (including discussion of the impact of diplomatic recognition on UN Charter Article 2(4)), as well as the various sanctions frameworks that are now in play.  We also check in on an important district court ruling in the civil suit against former President Trump in relation to the January 6 insurrection, exploring its First Amendment/Brandenburg doctrine aspects.  As for frivolity?  A bit random this time, even for these guys: we've got the Juwan Howard situation following the Michigan-Wisconsin game, and reviews of some of the key rides at Disneyland. Because...well, it's the frivolity segment, after all!

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