Considered as literary genre, the Trump presidency is best described as “farce.” Though the “script” is ludicrous prima facie, it is simultaneously malignant and intermittently murderous. In a no-longer implausible scenario, this president’s simplifying approach to complex strategic problems could trigger unmanageable episodes of nuclear terrorism or nuclear war. There is more. Even on a [...]
Do we have kings in this country? Any child could tell you: “No.” Yet modern presidents talk about “inherent powers” like a magician opening Pandora’s box. Does Article II of the Constitution really let them do whatever they think is good for the country, even if Congress never gave them permission? The administration’s pre-election lawsuits [...]
Editor’s note: Joel Zivot, an anesthesiologist and medical ethicist, has served as a medical expert for Christa Pike’s legal team, including providing expert testimony in her challenge to Tennessee’s execution protocol before the Sept. 30 execution attempt. After Tennessee failed to execute Christa Pike on September 30, the Tennessee Department of Correction issued a statement saying [...]
A satellite’s planned maneuver can be both a warning to avoid and a signal to exploit. When a spacecraft operator provides the space safety service with the predicted ephemeris, covariance, and maneuver information, the information allows the space safety service to determine whether the maneuver will solve one conjunction problem by creating another. But that [...]
On the morning of Nov. 2, 2025, in Zeytoon Park, in Ahvaz, southwestern Iran, a municipal operation to remove a small food stall brought the authority of the state into direct contact with the material conditions of a family’s existence. The stall was more than a structure occupying municipal land. For years, it had helped [...]
Editor’s note: This piece is satire, written in the form of an amicus brief. The New York Times reported on October 28 that officials with Mary Peltola’s campaign worked with other operatives to recruit Daniel J. Sullivan Jr. to the race; the campaign denies it, and Sullivan denies running on its behalf. This piece addresses [...]
Every Tuesday, Iranians gather—online, in diaspora communities, in whispered conversations inside the country—to say the one thing the Islamic Republic fears most: No to execution. It is a phrase that has become both a rallying cry and a plea for help. The No to Execution Tuesdays campaign is not a slogan; it is a weekly [...]
In this five-part series, data analyst David Stasior demonstrates how AI can turn unstructured legal records into measurable data, testing the rule of law against empirical reality. Part 1 made the case, and Part 2 put it to work on 24 years of Massachusetts attorney disciplinary decisions. In Part 3, he turned to federal court [...]
Rumors are swirling of a possible summit involving the leaders of the world’s three most powerful nations: the United States, China, and Russia. Ostensibly, the purpose of such a gathering would be to discuss an end to Russia’s brutal war against Ukraine. On the surface, any effort to halt bloodshed and restore stability to Europe [...]
The preliminary injunction issued by US District Judge Timothy Kelly blocking the executive exclusion of CNN, MS NOW and POLITICO from the White House complex is being widely heralded as a triumphant vindication of the Free Press clause. In his 26-page opinion, Judge Kelly unmasked the state’s post-hoc national security justifications, finding that the blanket [...]
