OUR PICKSRealizing America’s Drone Revolution | The Judge Dugan Case Is More Complicated Than It Seems | Suing the US Nuclear Regulatory Commission, and more

States and Startups Are Suing the US Nuclear Regulatory Commission  (Molly Taft, Wired)
Critics of the NRC say its red tape and lengthy authorization timelines stifle innovation, but handing some of its responsibilities to states could undermine public trust and the industry’s safety record.

Car Subscription Features Raise Your Risk of Government Surveillance, Police Records Show  (Dell Cameron, Wired)
Records reviewed by WIRED show law enforcement agencies are eager to take advantage of the data trails generated by a flood of new internet-connected vehicle features.

The Judge Dugan Case Is More Complicated Than It Seems  (James Pearce, Lawfare)
Some see the prosecution of the Wisconsin circuit court judge as vindicating the rule of law, and others as an attack on it. They’re both wrong.

Oral Argument Summary: Supreme Court Hears Gun Manufacturer Liability Case  (Michael Pusic and Niharika Vattikonda, Lawfare)
The question at issue: whether U.S. firearms manufacturers can be held liable when Mexican cartels illegally purchase and violently use their firearms.

Realizing America’s Drone Revolution  (Nathan Ecelbarger, War on the Rocks)
Two years ago, I represented the Marine Corps Warfighting Lab at the Defense Innovation Unit summit in Warsaw. A Ukrainian commander there poked me in the chest and said, “Stop sending us your American drones. They’re shit. They don’t work on the modern battlefield.” He wasn’t talking about some baby start-up. He was talking about one of America’s top drone manufacturers — a well-known brand in the halls of the Pentagon with a long-standing program of record, a spot on the “blue list,” retired generals on its advisory board, and a bank account packed with hundreds of millions from venture capital.
It doesn’t have to be this way, but it’s a natural result of the incentives of Pentagon processes as they exist today.
Despite the Defense Innovation Unit’s best efforts to sharpen the blunt instrument of the Department of Defense’s drone acquisitions, the system remains deeply flawed, overly bureaucratic, and resistant to innovation. As a result, American warfighters lag behind in crucial drone capabilities. The United States needs a competitive, real-world evaluation model. With humble but urgent intent, I, alongside other key veterans and servicemembers, founded the  U.S. National Drone Association to deliver the solutions we believe are desperately needed.

Targeting Biden’s Inflation Reduction Act Isn’t a Simple Partisan Issue  (Greg Priddy, National Interest)
The debate over repealing President Biden’s Inflation Reduction Act, despite the high degree of political polarization in Washington, does not break neatly across partisan lines.