My First Karaoke Experience

I went with nonsense

Good Morning:

I cannot confirm or deny that I have big plans for this image. And I cannot confirm or deny that those plans involve projecting it onto the Hoover Building, otherwise known as FBI Headquarters, in Washington DC. I can confirm that you should keep your eye on my “The Situation” column on Lawfare.

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Yesterday on #DogShirtTV, the estimable Holly Berkley Fletcher celebrated the anniversary of her birth by wresting control of the show away from me in order to talk about karaoke and the nature of beauty:

Yesterday evening, at Holly’s estimable birthday party, I sang my first ever karaoke—actually, my first three karaoke songs. I went with these timeless songs—on the theory that nonsense is the very essence of our time:

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Yesterday On Lawfare

Compiled by the estimable Isabel Arroyo

When AI Models Can Continually Learn, Will Our Regulations Be Able to Keep Up?

Daniel Wilf-Townsend evaluates the prospect of regulating artificial intelligence that has achieved “continual learning”—the capacity to meaningfully update itself as it acquires new information. Wilf-Townsend describes how the capacity for continual learning could complicate both safety research and liability distribution, as well as how regulators could potentially adapt to this development.

But test-time training could change models in at least a couple of ways that would raise concerns. For one thing, just as existing training methods can create dangerous capacities in models, test-time training could add to a model’s capacities, letting a model do things (like conduct a cyberattack) that it previously could not do. Or, for another, test-time training could change a model’s propensities within its existing capabilities: A developer might remove certain kinds of biases or behaviors in a model, only to have those problems reemerge through training that occurs via a user’s ongoing deployment of that model. Given the strong incentives to develop the technology, and the potential complications it could create for regulatory systems that are just now being built, it is worth thinking through some of the implications that continual learning might have for AI regulation. (Continual learning is also sometimes discussed in the context of AI agents that develop autonomy, but the regulatory challenges of that potential future are a different ball game.)

Why Gaza’s Aid Effort Will Fail Without Cash

Ashleigh Subramanian-Montgomery examines how legal dependence on a banking waiver from the Israeli government has created a “cash vacuum” in Gaza, limiting aid efforts as well as depressing the broader Palestinian economy.

While Gaza’s liquidity has evaporated, the Occupied West Bank is hurtling toward the same fate. Tax revenues meant for the Palestinian Authority’s employees in Gaza remain locked in a Norwegian trust, inaccessible without Israeli approval. The Israeli government suspended work permits for over 100,000 Palestinians, drastically slashing their incomes. At the heart of the crisis is Israel’s continued refusal to allow Palestinian banks to offload surplus shekels. Local Palestinian banks are flooded with excess currency they cannot transfer, choking the financial system. As of June 2025, the Palestine Monetary Authority has warned that the situation is untenable. Officials are now studying alternatives—including a formal shift away from the shekel. However, this move could very well be blocked by Israel as well.

Podcasts

On Lawfare Daily, Tyler McBrien sits down with Cristin Dorgelo and Rob Storch to discuss the Trump administration’s firing of personnel in offices of the inspector general, how those cuts erode oversight and hinder accountability, Dorgelo’s recent report with the Center on Budget and Policy Priorities.

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Today’s #BeastOfTheDay is the horse, seen here absolutely blissed out about getting a pedicure:

Video Source

In honor of today’s Beast, I—EJ Wittes—spent a full two minutes of my finite, mortal life considering whether professional grooming for the front hoof of a horse should be considered a manicure (on the basis that the front hooves are the equivalent of hands) or a pedicure (on the basis that hooves are feet). That was approximately 115 seconds too much thought to devote to such a profoundly stupid question, and I feel that today’s Beast has already been thoroughly honored by my contemplation.

However, if you feel called upon to further honor today’s Beast by contributing your thoughts on this issue, that’s what the comment section is for.