National Security Law Today

Could the personal data of millions of Americans be our country's greatest national security treasure? This week, host Elisa is joined by Brandon Pugh, Policy Director and Resident Senior Fellow for the Cybersecurity and Emerging Threats team at the R Street Institute. Together, they discuss the silent behemoth that is online personal data collection and distribution. What could a foreign adversar...

On May 29th, the Standing Committee on Law and National Security hosted a luncheon featuring Jonathan Meyer, General Counsel for the DHS. Moderated by committee member Harvey Rishikof, Jonathan shared some of the department's key insights from the 2024 Homeland Threat Assessment, highlighting threats like foreign and domestic terrorism, immigration, cyber attacks, and the leveraging of AI technolo...

(Part 2 of 2) Continuing our series on the intersection of sci-fi and national security, host Elisa is joined by Sunita Patel, Senior Assistant General Counsel for Product Security at Micron. Together they unpack the 1990's film, Total Recall, exploring themes of memory, identity, and reality. What can sci-fi tales like Total Recall teach us about real "brain-computer" projects like Nuralink? And...

Continuing our series on the intersection of sci-fi and national security, host Elisa is joined by Sunita Patel, Senior Assistant General Counsel for Product Security at Micron. Together they unpack the 1990's film, Total Recall, exploring themes of memory, identity, and reality. What can sci-fi tales like Total Recall teach us about real "brain-computer" projects like Neuralink ? And how could te...

This week, Elisa dives straight in with a quick national security news update, spotlighting the recent death of Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi, as well as the ICC announcement of war crime charges against both Israel and Hamas leaders in relation to the Oct. 7th attacks and aftermath. Following the news update, Elisa revisits a previously aired discussion with Dimitri Alperovitch, co-founder of C...

Looking for the latest national security news? This week, Elisa breaks down recent national security related headlines, including Russia's advancement in Ukraine, major U.S. leaps in quantum computing, and a preview of next week's episode covering how your personal data, including DNA data, are quietly being bought and sold. References: "Russia intensifies Attacks on Ukraine's Kharkiv Region." Alj...

This week, Elisa is back with Tracy Reynolds and Harvey Rishikof to discuss the second book in Octavia Butler's popular Parable series, Parable of the Talents . Together they discuss its real-world connections, ironic cultural and religious references, and its cautionary connections to today's national security law issues. Elisa opens the episode by running through the latest national security new...

This week, we continue our series on the intersection of sci-fi and national security, diving into the popular novel and now Netflix series, The Three Body Problem . Host Elisa is joined again by Tracy Reynolds as well as Harvey Rishikof to discuss the book's themes, lessons and cautionary connections to today's national security issues. In addition, Elisa concludes the episode by running through...

As reality begins to echo the cautionary tales of science fiction, one question looms: are we listening to their warnings? Kicking off our series on the intersection of sci-fi and national security, host Elisa is joined by Tracy Reynolds, U.S. Navy Commander and Co-Chair of the Space Law Interest Group with the American Society of International Law. Together, they embark on a journey through the r...

As today's national security threats evolve, they must be met with agile and effective intelligence capabilities. On April 9th, FBI Director Christopher Wray spoke before the ABA Standing Committee on Law and National Security on the bureau’s priorities, including foreign threats to American elections, cyber-attacks on the US infrastructure and threats posed by foreign adversaries. He also discuss...

As law students across the country prepare to graduate this spring, what might a career in national security law have in store for them? This week, we're recasting an episode from last September, featuring arms control expert and Professor of Law at Georgetown University, David Koplow. Together with Elisa, David guides us through the history of WMDs, the laws and treaties that govern them, and how...

This week, host Elisa dives into the latest national security headlines, from happiness surveys and foreign influence on social media, to AI guidance across the U.S. financial services sector. References: Israel Has Killed a Top Hamas Commander in Gaza. It Took Five Months. WSJ. March 20, 2024 Managing Artificial Intelligence-Specific Cybersecurity Risks in the Financial Services Sector. The U.S....

In honor of Civic Learning Week 2024, this week host Elisa is joined by Dr. Michael Feuer, Dean of the Graduate School of Education and Human Development at George Washington University. Together, they dive into the importance of reinforcing early civic education, how technology has changed the way we listen to others, as well as other overarching themes from Michael's new book, Can Schools Save D...

On February 28th, President Biden signed Executive Order 14117 on "Preventing Access to Americans’ Bulk Sensitive Personal Data and United States Government-Related Data by Countries of Concern." This week, host Elisa is joined by friend-of-the-cast Alex Joel to breakdown the key actions within this EO, what types of data the DOJ may restrict, what "countries of concern" encomp...

What do the foundations of the Warsaw Pact teach us about the modern Russian attitude towards the west? This week, host Elisa is joined by Simon Miles, diplomatic historian and Assistant Professor for Slavic and Eurasian studies at the Sandford School of Public Policy at Duke University. Together they discuss the history of the Warsaw Pact, its archive materials,...

On February 26th, the U.S. supreme court heard oral arguments for two cases - Moody v. NetChoice, LLC, and NetChoice, LLC v. Paxton. These cases, specific to Florida and Texas, would similarly restrict social media companies' ability to moderate content on their platforms. This week, host Elisa is joined by Stephen Vladeck, the Charles Alan Wright Chair in Federal Courts at the University of Texas...

This week, Elisa is joined again by Judge James Baker to continue their conversation beyond the conflict zone; together, they dive into AI ethics, recommended protocols for applying AI in within the practice of law, the risks AI technology could pose on election cycles across the globe, as well as other national security related news. Hon. James E. Baker is Director of the Syracuse Unive...

The world watches as the war between Israel and Hamas continues, claiming thousands of lives and leaving many questioning the motives and methods of those in charge. Do Israel's recent retaliations still fall within the Law of Armed Conflict? This week, host Elisa is joined by Judge James Baker to review the global frameworks at play and discuss whether recent actions are in violation of thes...

This week, host Elisa is joined by Jamil Jaffer to cover the latest buzzworthy national security law topics. How might the denial of Donald Trump's presidential immunity impact future checks on executive power? Will Defense Secretary Austin's hospitalization impact U.S. involvements abroad? And did Tucker Carlson's interview with Vladamir Putin simply serve as a propaganda tool...

(Part 2 of 2) – This week we're covering the range of national security law topics that have been making global headlines. Host Elisa is joined by Harvey Rishikof, Senior Counsel with the ABA Standing Committee on Law and National Security, to breakdown the latest national security law news out of China, Ukraine, Russia and Iran. Harvey Rishikof is Senior Counsel with the ABA Standing Co...

This week we're covering the range of national security law topics that have been making global headlines. Host Elisa is joined by Harvey Rishikof, Senior Counsel with the ABA Standing Committee on Law and National Security, to breakdown the latest national security law news out of Israel, China, Ukraine and Russia.  Harvey Rishikof is Senior Counsel with the ABA Standing Committee...

Part 2 of 2 – If fortune favors the brave, then North Korea is certainly making a name for itself in the world of crypto; in 2023, hackers linked to the DPRK stole an equivalent of $600 million in global virtual currency. This week, host Elisa is joined by Sujit Raman, Chief Legal Officer at TRM labs. Together, they discuss how North Korea has a documented role in stealing global crypto assets ove...

If fortune favors the brave, then North Korea is certainly making a name for itself in the world of crypto; in 2023, hackers linked to the DPRK stole an equivalent of $600 million in global virtual currency. This week, host Elisa is joined by Sujit Raman, Chief Legal Officer at TRM labs. Together, they discuss the foundations of cryptocurrency, its inherent strengths and vulnerabilities, and the c...

To what extent do elected officials and lawmakers understand how data transmits the internet? This week, host Elisa is joined by Alex Joel of American University's Washington College of Law for the second half of their discussion on international data transmission and privacy. Alex sheds light on the concept of data localization, delves into the intricacies of Schrems cases I & II, and discusses h...

How much of your personal information is being bought and sold by data providers and brokers? For the average American, the sheer volume of these transactions can be staggering. This week, host Elisa is joined by Alex Joel of American University's Washington College of Law to discuss how user data is circulated and sold, how Congress might approach broader privacy regulations, and how personal dat...