The latest Lawfare "The Week That Was" highlights a federal hearing in Cable News Network, Inc. v. Trump, where Judge Timothy Kelly heard arguments on whether to turn CNN's temporary restraining order into a preliminary injunction. CNN contends the administration revoked its White House access because of viewpoint discrimination; the Justice Department responds that CNN failed to contest by deadline and was on notice not to publish classified information.
On tariffs, Ilya Somin pushes back against claims that President Trump's use of Section 338 of the Smoot-Hawley Tariff Act to impose 50 percent tariffs on some Canadian goods signals broad executive power. Somin says Congress, not the president, controls import restrictions and tariffs, and any delegation in statutes is limited.
In AI policy, Lisa Klaassen identifies a contradiction: the U.S. government defends American AI labs training on copyrighted works, yet brands Chinese labs a national security threat for distilling American models. Klaassen argues both positions cannot hold and Washington has not settled whether model outputs are legally protected. Separately, Renée DiResta notes AI-generated propaganda from state-linked actors is increasing campaign capacity but not necessarily swaying public opinion.