Judge Blocks Trump’s Ban on DEI, Trans-Inclusive Funding
A federal judge in California has blocked the Trump administration from enforcing anti-diversity and anti-transgender executive orders in grant funding requirements that LGBTQ+ organizations say are unconstitutional. U.S. District Judge Jon Tigar said Monday that the federal government cannot force recipients to halt programs that promote diversity, equity and inclusion or acknowledge the existence of transgender people in order to receive grant funding. The order will remain in effect while the legal case continues, although government lawyers will likely appeal. The funding provisions “reflect an effort to censor constitutionally protected speech and services promoting DEI and recognizing the existence of
Trump Tariffs Move Forward as Court Grants Temporary Stay
By Samantha Delouya President Donald Trump’s heftiest tariffs cleared a court hurdle for now, after a federal appeals court ruled Tuesday that they could take effect while legal challenges play out. But the appeals court put the tariff cases on a fast track for a resolution this summer. The decision came after the Trump administration appealed the Court of International Trade’s ruling finding the president exceeded his authority to impose country-wide tariffs claiming a national emergency. “Both sides have made substantial arguments on the merits. Having considered the traditional stay factors… the court concludes a stay is warranted under the
Cory Booker Rejects Musk Cash, Slams GOP Spending Bill
By Alexandra Marquez Sen. Cory Booker on Sunday said he would not accept campaign donations from tech mogul Elon Musk but urged the former Trump adviser to “get involved right now in a more substantive way” in Democrats’ push against the sweeping GOP-backed spending bill. “This bill is disastrous for our long-term economy,” Booker told NBC News’ “Meet the Press.” “This is an American issue, and I welcome Elon Musk not to my campaign. I welcome him right now, not to sit back and just fire off tweets, get involved right now in a more substantive way in putting pressure
Trump vs Musk: Billion-Dollar Fallout Over GOP Budget Bill
By Kathryn Watson The relationship between President Trump and Elon Musk broke down in dramatic and public fashion on Thursday, with the president threatening to cancel Musk’s lucrative government contracts and Musk claiming that Mr. Trump could not have won the presidency without him, fueling a feud that erupted over Musk’s opposition to Republicans’ tax and budget bill. In the afternoon, Musk dropped what he called “the really big bomb,” alleging that Mr. Trump’s name appeared in the files related to the case of Jeffrey Epstein, the disgraced financier who died by suicide in federal custody in 2019 while facing charges
Judge Blocks Trump Order Targeting Harvard International Students
By Stephanie Saul and Andrés R. Martínez A federal judge late Thursday temporarily blocked the Trump administration’s latest effort to prevent Harvard from enrolling international students, stalling President Trump’s first bid to directly use the power of the presidency against the university. Judge Allison D. Burroughs of the U.S. District Court in Massachusetts also extended for about two weeks her previous order from May that prevented the Trump administration from blocking Harvard from issuing certain types of student visas. The orders from Judge Burroughs were victories, if perhaps temporary ones, in Harvard’s battle with Mr. Trump, for whom the university
CBO: GOP Bill Adds $2.4T to Deficit, Cuts Health Coverage
Republicans’ sweeping policy bill aimed at advancing President Trump’s second-term agenda would increase annual budget deficits by a total of $2.4 trillion over the next decade, according to a new estimate prepared by the nonpartisan Congressional Budget Office. The CBO also estimates that 10.9 million more people would be without health insurance in 2034 as the result of the House-passed legislation, mostly due to cuts to Medicaid and the Affordable Care Act under the bill. House Republicans are aiming to cut at least $1.5 trillion in spending to offset trillions in tax cuts, while also raising the debt ceiling by
Elon Musk Slams Trump’s 2025 Budget Bill as “Abomination”
By Bernd Debusmann Jr. Elon Musk has hit out at President Donald Trump’s signature tax and spending bill, describing it as a “disgusting abomination”, in a widening rift between the two allies. The budget – which includes multi-trillion dollar tax breaks and more defence spending while also allowing the US government to borrow more money – was passed by the House of Representatives last month. “Shame on those who voted for it,” Musk said in a post on X about the legislative linchpin of Trump’s second-term agenda. The tech billionaire left the administration abruptly last week after 129 days working
Keisha Lance Bottoms Launches 2026 Georgia Gov Bid
Keisha Lance Bottoms, a proud Florida A&M University alumna, is officially running to become Georgia’s next governor. The former mayor of Atlanta and senior advisor in the Biden administration made the announcement earlier this week, entering a high-stakes 2026 race that could make her the first Black woman ever elected to the position. Bottoms, who led Atlanta from 2018 to 2022, is no stranger to making history. As one of the few Black women to have led a major U.S. city, she gained national prominence for her leadership during the COVID-19 pandemic and for her strong stances on equity, criminal justice reform,
Trump Seeks $9.4B in Cuts to NPR, PBS, and Foreign Aid
President Trump formally asked Congress on Tuesday to rescind $9.4 billion in already approved funding for foreign aid and the Corporation of Public Broadcasting (CPB), which funds NPR and PBS. Why it matters: The rescissions package is an attempt to codify DOGE-driven cuts amid a wider push from the Trump administration to target news organizations perceived to be biased against Republicans. NPR and PBS are suing the administration after Trump signed an executive order last month that directed CPB to“cease direct funding” for the two biggest public broadcasters in the U.S., which he called “biased.” Details: Congressional Republican leaders in
Trump’s Trade Talks Falter Amid Tariff Threats, Court Rulings
By Shannon Pettypiece and Rob Wile President Donald Trump’s ambitious plan to broker dozens of trade deals with some of the United States’ closest trading partners has begun to show cracks as the clock on his 90-day pause for most country-specific tariffs winds down to just over one month. While some of the fissures are self-inflicted, like recent threats of tariffs against the European Union and higher duties on steel imports, a fresh set of court rulings questioning the president’s tariffs-granting authority now hangs over his entire push to reset U.S. trade relations. On Friday, Trump announced a plan to
