United States: Government, Public Sector

The Committee on Foreign Investment in the United States (“CFIUS” or the “Committee”) has released its Annual Report to Congress for calendar year 2025 — marking the Committee’s 50th year of operation.

Studies show that 70-90% of corporate mergers and acquisitions fail to achieve their stated goals, making governance discipline critical as deal activity accelerates. This framework guides directors through the fiduciary duties, key questions, documentation requirements, and common pitfalls they must navigate when overseeing a significant acquisition. From evaluating strategic rationale and synergies to managing conflicts of interest and ensuring adequate due diligence, directors who approach acquisitions w

An intelligence fellow examines Africa's strategic importance through the lens of US-China competition, critical mineral supply chains, and evolving security partnerships.

The legal fight over sports-related prediction-market contracts has moved quickly from regulatory novelty to a full-blown federal-state jurisdictional dispute. On August 28, 2026, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit held in KalshiEX, LLC v. Assad that Nevada may continue enforcing its gaming laws against Kalshi’s sports-related event contracts because those contracts likely fall outside the category of swaps subject to the Commodity Futures Trading Commission’s (CFTC) exclusive jurisdiction under the Commodity Exchange Act (CEA).

The U.S. Small Business Administration (SBA) published a final rule on August 31, 2026, rescinding its policy to utilize notice and comment procedures for certain rulemaking actions.

The U.S. District Court for the District of Oregon recently entered judgment in favor of the state in National Association of Wholesaler-Distributors v. Feldon, rejecting constitutional challenges to Oregon's Plastic Pollution and Recycling Modernization Act (RMA) – the state's extended producer responsibility (EPR) law for packaging and paper products – under both the Dormant Commerce Clause and Due Process Clause.

This is the third installment in our coverage of the Anthropic/Department of War dispute. Our first alert addressed the Trump administration’s February 27 directives barring federal contractors from using Anthropic and its Claude platform, including Secretary Hegseth’s designation of Anthropic as a supply chain risk to national security and the resulting requirement that all DoW contractors sever commercial ties with the company.

Establishes the Presidential Commission on the United States Space Academy and directs it to develop recommendations for creating a NASA-led federal academy to educate and train future space sector leaders...

The US Treasury Department has launched "Operation Economic Outcast," the most comprehensive economic pressure campaign ever directed at Iran, featuring expanded secondary sanctions, revoked banking access, and new sector-wide restrictions. Simultaneously, the administration has granted significant sanctions relief to Syria while tightening measures against terrorist support networks and updating Venezuela-related authorizations. These developments signal a major shift in US sanctions policy that will requi

The Trump administration accelerated domestic critical minerals production in August 2026 through billions in new mining investments, DOE grants for battery manufacturing and mineral processing, and Department of War direct investments targeting supply chain vulnerabilities. Congressional Democrats are now escalating oversight investigations, citing transparency concerns and potential conflicts of interest in the administration's international minerals agreements.

The U.S. Small Business Administration (SBA) published a final rule on August 31, 2026, rescinding its policy to utilize notice and comment procedures for certain rulemaking actions.

This is the third installment in our coverage of the Anthropic/Department of War dispute. Our first alert addressed the Trump administration’s February 27 directives barring federal contractors from using Anthropic and its Claude platform, including Secretary Hegseth’s designation of Anthropic as a supply chain risk to national security and the resulting requirement that all DoW contractors sever commercial ties with the company.