When the Warning Bells Ring: Judicial Awareness in War By heeding the warning bells and embracing a do‑no‑harm principle, international courts can denounce abuse while preserving their credibility.

When the Warning Bells Ring: Judicial Awareness in War at www.justsecurity.org/131127/when-...

Pam Bondi Exploited ICE Violence to Control State Elections The attorney general saw an opportunity to advance the Trump regime’s elections agenda — even if it meant taking advanta

“Here’s what you need to know about the Trump administration’s months-long quest to access state voter rolls and what it could mean for the future of free and fair elections.”

Ring Denies Rumors That Its Footage Is Used by ICE. Here’s What to Know. Influencers are saying that Ring cameras are accessible to federal law enforcement and urging owners to turn off or destroy them. The truth is more complicated.

Rumors have swirled that Amazon-owned Ring, which has sold tens of millions of smart cameras and video doorbells, has been providing ICE agents with access to user data. We contacted Ring for clarification, and Wirecutter independently investigated the concerns ourselves.

Six Senators Accuse Deputy Attorney General of “Glaring” Crypto Conflict, Cite ProPublica Investigation The senators presented a letter demanding that top DOJ official Todd Blanche clarify the legality of his actions, pointing to ProPublica reporting that found he owned at least $159,000 in related asse...

NEW: Six senators accused Deputy Attorney General Todd Blanche of a “glaring” conflict of interest, citing ProPublica reporting that found he held at least $159,000 in related investments when he shut down crypto investigations at the DOJ.

Tom Homan and the Case of the Missing Fifty Thousand Lawmakers and ordinary citizens have to keep asking about the bag of cash, or accept an executive branch without any accountability.

www.newyorker.com/news/the-led...

ICE Reportedly Told To Not Engage With ‘Agitators’—New Clips Show Alex Pretti’s Earlier Clash With Agents The purported internal memo suggests ICE will be altering its tactics and focusing on migrants with criminal records.

The purported internal memo suggests ICE will be altering its tactics and focusing on migrants with criminal records.

"Does the river itself have rights? These are questions being considered in countries such as Ecuador, New Zealand & India.... Viewing rivers as 'sentient kin' offers a path toward
reciprocity where people treat rivers with gratitude & use water only for genuine needs." www.h-net.org/reviews/show...

Shockwaves from a Brussels firing Presented by Nokia By NICHOLAS VINOCUR PRESENTED BY Send tips here | Contact us on X @gerardofortuna @NicholasVinocur | Listen to Playbook and view in your browser GOOD FRIDAY MORNING. This is Nick…

The dismissal of a top EU official caught up in a graft scandal is sending shockwaves through Brussels, where disciplinary probes are typically handled away from the public — and sanctions like firings are vanishingly rare.

More in Brussels Playbook 👇

Video: New Video Analysis Reveals Flawed and Fatal Decisions in Shooting of Pretti A frame-by-frame assessment of actions by Alex Pretti and the two officers who fired 10 times shows how lethal force came to be used against a target who didn’t pose a threat.

New Video Analysis Reveals Flawed and Fatal Decisions in Shooting of Pretti www.nytimes.com/video/us/100...

Global warming reaches 1.4C after third-hottest year on record The world will shoot past the Paris climate agreement’s lower target by 2030, data shows.

The world is rapidly closing in on the 1.5 degrees Celsius warming limit that serves as a threshold for ever more dangerous climate change, European scientists have warned.

Are Federal Officials Immune From State Prosecution? Contrary to recent assertions, federal officers do not have blanket immunity from criminal prosecutions brought by states.

Are Federal Officials Immune From State Prosecution? www.lawfaremedia.org/article/are-...

Congress, the President, and Military Force in Venezuela Experts write the president did not have authority to undertake Operation Absolute Resolve in Venezuela without congressional authorization.

Congress, the President, and the Use of Military Force in Venezuela at www.justsecurity.org/128211/congr...

When Cities Become Battlegrounds: The Civilian Cost of Urban Operations against Organized Crime in Latin America - IPI Global Observatory Ludmila Quirós on the civilian cost of urban operations against organized crime in Latin America.

I am quoted here. Check out this thought provoking piece by Ludmila Quirós on civilian protection in urban operations during crime wars. theglobalobservatory.org/2025/12/when...

When Is a Drug a Weapon? The Legal Puzzles of Designating Fentanyl a ‘Weapon of Mass Destruction’ President Trump’s WMD designation could have major implications for civil-military relations and asset forfeiture, if courts agree.

When Is a Drug a Weapon? The Legal Puzzles of Designating Fentanyl a ‘Weapon of Mass Destruction’ www.lawfaremedia.org/article/when...

Australia Shooting Is a Reminder of Islamic State’s Power to Inspire Attacks

Australia shooting is a grisly reminder of the Islamic State’s power to inspire attacks and could fuel more extremist plots over the holidays
www.nytimes.com/2025/12/17/w...

I needed a respite from reading case law. Besides it’s just about Christmas break.

HexWar Games recently released significant updates to its digital version of my "Littoral Commander: Indo-Pacific"! The new features include new JCCs, map options, and improved usability and playing modes. #wargaming 🎲

🔗 share.google/bV3APrGkN4CM... my

Mexican Cartel Tactical Note #54: Initial Reports on the Vehicle Explosion in Coahuayana, Michoacán: Car Bomb or Premature Detonation? A vehicle exploded in front of a community police/self-defense force facility in Coahuayana, Michoacán on Saturday, 6 December 2025. Two persons inside the vehicle were killed in the blast which appea...

Mexican Cartel Tactical Note #54: Initial Reports on the Vehicle Explosion in Coahuayana, Michoacán: Car Bomb or Premature Detonation? smallwarsjournal.com/2025/12/16/m...

The International Law Obligation to Investigate the Boat Strikes The lethal strikes are unlawful under IHRL and, even on the administration’s own terms, trigger LOAC and DoD duties to investigate.

www.justsecurity.org/127136/inter... The International Law Obligation to Investigate the Boat Strikes

Attacks against Persons Hors de Combat

ihl-databases.icrc.org/en/customary...

Cyber Operations on Domestic Networks Redux What happens if Trump deploys cyber forces in the U.S.?

Cyber Operations on Domestic Networks Redux www.lawfaremedia.org/article/cybe...

Alexander Clapp · Pig Butchering: Scam Gangs If it were a national economy, cybercrime would be the third largest in the world, behind only the United States and...

Pig Butchering www.lrb.co.uk/the-paper/v4...

Tony Wood · Sell Your Children: Latin America Shifts Right It’s​ striking how thoroughly Latin America’s contemporary right has absorbed neoliberalism. Earlier cohorts...

Sell Your Children www.lrb.co.uk/the-paper/v4...

Stephen Phelan · Diary: Spain’s Disappeared Emilio Silva set up the Asociación para la Recuperación de la Memoria Histórica to improve and formalise the process...

Diary www.lrb.co.uk/the-paper/v4...

Brett Christophers · Assume the worst: Where our waste goes Just as Big Oil has repeatedly failed to deliver on pledges to begin decarbonising, so too the promises of plastics...

Assume the worst www.lrb.co.uk/the-paper/v4...

Organised crime making millions from illegal waste dumping in UK, says committee Peers say ‘woeful’ record on prosecutions has led to a ‘low-risk, high-reward’ criminal culture

Ecomafia in the UK

Correctly Assessing U.S. Left-Wing Terrorism and Political Violence A recent published report suffers from fatal analytic flaws and risks feeding false narratives about political violence and polarization.

Correctly Assessing Left-Wing Terrorism and Political Violence in the United States at www.justsecurity.org/122278/corre...

Nature-Based Solutions: A Policy And Investment Framework For A Healthier Planet, People, And Communities Natural systems absorb nearly half of all human-generated carbon dioxide, making them one of our most powerful tools for long-term sustainability.

“Planetary health becomes public health. It’s increasingly clear that ecosystem integrity underpins the basic conditions for life – clean air, safe water, nutritious food, and stable climate regulation. When these systems falter, so do we.” www.forbes.com/sites/billfr...

United States: Federal Agents Use Excessive Force in Illinois Federal law enforcement agents have since mid-September 2025 used excessive force against peaceful protesters, legal observers, volunteer street medics, and journalists during demonstrations outside a...

United States: Federal Agents Use Excessive Force in Illinois
www.hrw.org/news/2025/10...

🏴‍☠️ In the first half of 2025, global piracy surged by over 50%. Roughly 15% of those attacks occurred in Latin America. Read our analysis of this growing trend in the region here: https://bit.ly/3KJVgi1