Compiled by Athena Smith.
Articles
Washington’s Overlooked Leverage Over China’s Chip Ambitions
Ethan Chiu explained how China’s leading chipmakers are making steps towards acquiring a domestically built advanced lithography machine. Chiu described how China has not yet put the machine into practice, so the U.S. and allied chipmaking still has an advantage. He noted, however, that export control restrictions still allow Dutch, Japanese, and nonrestricted Americans to service Chinese DUV machines, which risks allowing Chinese toolmakers to close this gap.
EUV access remains a major U.S. and allied chipmaking advantage. But potential homegrown DUV machines still matter. If Chinese engineers make those scanners reliable enough for mass production, China’s fabs could significantly expand advanced domestic chip production. Because advanced fabs use both DUV and EUV for different chip layers, DUV would remain incredibly useful even if China eventually develops viable EUV machines.
Newly Public IG Report Sheds Light on Biden Administration Arms Transfers to Israel
Tyler McBrien** **reported that Lawfare obtained a newly public report that revealed how in September 2025, the State Department’s Office of the Inspector General determined it would take the government over 12 years to review allegations of human rights violations against Israel Defense Force units receiving U.S. assistance. McBrien described how vetting procedures were underdeveloped and raised the risk of U.S. aid reaching ineligible units.
The inspector general found that the State Department lacked a system or process to verify that ineligible units are not receiving U.S. assistance. It also found that the Israel Leahy Vetting Forum (ILVF), a specialized internal State Department group charged with reviewing allegations of human rights violations committed by Israeli military and police units, was operating without final rules that would guide that process.
Podcasts
Lawfare Daily: The Israeli Elections—What Does it All Mean?:Natalie Orpett sat down with Joel Braunold, Natan Sachs, and Benjamin Wittes to discuss the Oct. 27 Israeli elections, whether longtime Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has a path to staying in power, whether opposition parties can stay unified, whether there is any prospect of a governing coalition, and more.
Rational Security: The “Not So Super Tuesday” Edition: Scott Anderson sat down with Natalie Orpett, Michael Feinberg, and Molly Roberts to discuss how the Justice Department has escalated from warning about election fraud to actively shaping how votes are counted and certified; foreign election meddling, including Kremlin-linked deepfake videos falsely accusing Texas Democratic Senate Candidate James Talarico of sexual abuse; and more.
*Support *Lawfare
*Follow us on Twitter, Facebook, YouTube, and LinkedIn. Become a material supporter on Patreon. Sign up to receive *Lawfare
