The Morning: Judges vs. Trump

Plus, government cuts, China and the most divisive restaurant in London.

View in browser|nytimes.com March 6, 2025 By German Lopez Good morning. We're covering how the judiciary is stopping parts of the Trump agenda — as well as government cuts, China and the most divisive restaurant in London. Justices John Roberts and Brett Kavanaugh.  Doug Mills/The New York Times Judges vs. Trump Yesterday, the Supreme Court reminded President Trump that at least one branch of government would not bend the knee. The justices, in a 5-4 vote, rejected Trump's request to freeze $2 billion in foreign aid, a part of his effort to slash government spending and dismantle the "deep state." "A bare majority of the court ruled against Mr. Trump on one of his signature projects," my colleague Adam Liptak wrote. "The president's many programs and plans, the order suggested, will face close scrutiny from a deeply divided court." That's the second time the Supreme Court has stopped Trump in his second term, although lower courts have blocked many more parts of his agenda. With Republicans in control of Congress, the courts remain the only serious obstacle to the president. Today's newsletter looks at the tangle of cases — and at what may happen if Trump ignores the rulings they produce. The court battles The Times is tracking dozens of lawsuits against the Trump administration. The legal challenges, in federal courts around the country, fit into four categories: Government overhaul: With the help of Elon Musk's Department of Government Efficiency, Trump is trying to downsize the federal government. His administration has tried to fire tens of thousands of civilian employees and dismantle entire agencies. The legal challenges contend that Trump didn't follow rules for firing certain employees, that he can't shut down agencies established by law without congressional approval and that DOGE has gone beyond what laws allow it to do. Immigration: Trump has pushed his administration to end birthright citizenship, deport many more migrants, restrict asylum and withhold funds from cities that resist his policies. His critics say many of these moves violate laws or constitutional standards that protect immigrants' rights. Reversing liberal policies: Trump has tried to curtail a host of liberal policies, including environmental rules, legal protections for transgender people, congestion pricing in New York and D.E.I. initiatives. Some of the lawsuits seek to overturn Trump's orders and resurrect these policies. Others focus more narrowly on restoring access to government data, such as information about climate change and H.I.V. treatments, that officials have taken offline. Press freedom: Trump has blocked Associated Press reporters from official events because the A.P. style guide uses Gulf of Mexico instead of Gulf of America. The news service says this violates the First Amendment and the right to due process. These cases start in district courts, which can pause a policy. Then both sides argue their positions in court, and the losing side can appeal the ruling to appeals courts and eventually the Supreme Court. So far, 41 rulings have paused Trump's initiatives, at least temporarily. (Look at the whole list here.) Eventually, the Supreme Court could uphold or reverse Trump's actions permanently. But that process often takes years. The Trump administration could take advantage of that slowness to fire workers and reshape the government before the courts could react. Will Trump listen? President Trump in the House chamber.  Kenny Holston/The New York Times Scholars argue about whether the country is in the midst of a constitutional crisis. But most experts, both liberal and conservative, agree that one thing will cross a line: if Trump ignores a Supreme Court ruling. At that point, the checks and balances that the constitutional system relies on could collapse. The administration has already failed to comply with some lower court orders, such as one revoking a broad federal funding freeze. And some of Trump's supporters, including Vice President JD Vance, argue that the president should not listen to orders that constrain him. "Judges aren't allowed to control the executive's legitimate power," Vance posted on social media. Vance has also adapted an apocryphal Andrew Jackson line: "The chief justice has made his ruling; now let him enforce it." The implication is that courts have power only if people obey them. Judges don't have police officers or soldiers they can dispatch to enforce their rulings. Trump so far has not written off judicial authority. In the instances when the administration hasn't followed court orders, it has pointed to alternate legal justifications for its actions. Previous presidents did similar things, such as when Joe Biden cited other legal avenues for student loan forgiveness after the Supreme Court ruled against his initial attempt. Still, Trump doesn't like being told no. He has already stretched the powers of the presidency. He might believe that, in defying the courts, he can do it again. THE LATEST NEWS Government Overhaul Some universities, pre-empting cuts by the Trump administration, are enrolling fewer PhD. students. The administration's cuts have pushed out young federal employees. Some experts fear losing a generation of civil servants. The Veterans Affairs Department plans to eliminate 80,000 jobs, about 15 percent of its staff. A board that handles federal worker disputes ordered the Trump administration to reinstate thousands of employees it fired at the Agriculture Department. Musk has derided Social Security as a pyramid scheme and eliminated thousands of jobs within the program. Democrats see a political opportunity. The C.I.A. has started firing some employees whom it hired in the last two years. More on the Trump Administration The Trump administration announced a one-month pause on tariffs for cars from Canada and Mexico. The Senate confirmed Todd Blanche, Trump's criminal defense lawyer, to take the No. 2 position at the Justice Department. Trump promised to disclose the donors to his transition effort. So far, he hasn't. A federal appeals court ruled that Trump could fire a federal ethics watchdog, a role that Congress created. The Supreme Court may take up the case. The Trump administration plans to overhaul a program to expand high-speed internet. The changes could benefit Starlink, Musk's satellite internet service. The team behind the musical "Hamilton" canceled performances at the Kennedy Center because of Trump's takeover. Sanctuary City Hearing At a House committee hearing.  Eric Lee/The New York Times In a contentious hearing over sanctuary laws that protect migrants, Republican lawmakers accused the Democratic mayors of Boston, Chicago, Denver and New York of blocking Trump's immigration agenda. At several points, the mayors turned Republicans' law-and-order focus back on them. "If you wanted to make us safe, pass gun reforms," Mayor Michelle Wu of Boston said. Democrats grilled Mayor Eric Adams of New York City over whether he had cut a deal with Trump to crack down on immigration in exchange for avoiding federal prosecution. Read takeaways from the hearing. More on Politics Representative Sylvester Turner, a former Houston mayor who had just begun his first term in Congress, died at 70. A soberly delivered message or cane-waving outrage? Democrats are divided on how to resist Trump. The mayor of Washington plans to remove the city's two-block-long Black Lives Matter mural. War in Ukraine The U.S. has stopped sharing intelligence with Ukraine to pressure its government to comply with Trump's push to end the war. Trump's decision to stop sending weapons could reorder Ukraine's military strategy and deplete the systems that defend cities against missile attacks. China A video of a woman chained by the neck prompted weeks of uproar in China. The government quashed the public outcry with a campaign of surveillance and censorship. As Beijing works to increase birthrates, Chinese companies are instructing their employees to start families or lose their jobs. The U.S. charged a dozen Chinese citizens with stealing data from American businesses for the government. More International News U.S. officials have spoken to Hamas about hostages held in the Gaza Strip, breaking with a policy to use intermediaries when dealing with groups that the U.S. deems terrorists. Two militias, one backed by the U.S. and the other by Turkey, are fighting in northeastern Syria. The fighting complicates the new Syrian government's efforts to unify the country. Armed men in Sudan have raped hundreds of children during the country's civil war, a U.N. report said. The South Korean military mistakenly bombed a village during an exercise with the U.S., injuring 15 people. Other Big Stories Los Angeles County sued Southern California Edison, blaming the utility's equipment for the Eaton fire. Prosecutors said that two children, ages 7 and 12, were forced to help torture Sam Nordquist, a transgender man killed in western New York last month. Researchers identified a gene that they think helps women's brains age more slowly. Opinions Trump fired 16 inspector generals at the start of his term. Times Opinion spoke to seven of them about how his move could introduce more fraud in the government. Andrew Tate's prominence creates a culture that devalues young women, Jessica Grose writes. Here's a column by Thomas Friedman on lessons from the Iraq war. The Games Sale. Our best offer won't last. Come play with us. Subscribe to New York Times Games for up to 75% off your first year. Strengthen your strategy with Wordle Bot, reach Genius on Spelling Bee, play The Crossword and more. MORNING READS In London.  Peter Flude for The New York Times Yellow Bittern: The most divisive restaurant in London is open only for lunch. The wizard of vinyl: In a sprawling Kansas factory, Chad Kassem is "saving the world from bad sound." Ask Well: My partner snores. What should we do? Lives Lived: Juan Hamilton was an aimless young ceramist when he turned up on the doorstep of the octogenarian painter Georgia O'Keeffe. He would become her caretaker, confidant and the object of sensational accusations as virtually the sole beneficiary of her will. He died at 79. SPORTS N.H.L.: The Washington Capitals' winger Alex Ovechkin is nine goals from Wayne Gretzky's record after scoring in the team's win over the New York Rangers. N.F.L.: Players are on the move before free agency begins. The Chargers released Joey Bosa after nine seasons and the Seahawks wide receiver DK Metcalf requested a trade. Men's college basketball: Connecticut, the two-time defending champions, defeated No. 20 Marquette, but there's arduous work ahead. ARTS AND IDEAS Flush with memories, short on cash.  Audra Melton for The New York Times Gen Z fans pay much more for tickets than previous generations of concertgoers. In 1996, the average cost of a ticket to the year's biggest tours was $26 — adjusting for inflation, that's about $52 today. Last year's average was $136. How do 20-somethings afford live music? Some save; others go into debt. More on culture Take five minutes to fall in love with Chicago jazz. On late night, Taylor Tomlinson discussed Trump's address to Congress: "Democrats stood up to him the only way they know how: by writing about it later in their diaries." THE MORNING RECOMMENDS … Christopher Testani for The New York Times. Food Stylist: Simon Andrews. Sip a bone-warming carrot and cauliflower soup. Stay balanced and injury-free as you age. Try these fantasy sports apps. Turn an iPad into a laptop with these keyboard cases. GAMES Here is today's Spelling Bee. Yesterday's pangrams were awarding, drawing and warding. And here are today's Mini Crossword, Wordle, Sudoku, Connections and Strands. Thanks for spending part of your morning with The Times. See you tomorrow. — German Sign up here to get this newsletter in your inbox. Reach our team at themorning@nytimes.com. Editor: Adam B. Kushner News Editor: Tom Wright-Piersanti Associate Editor: Lauren Jackson News Staff: Desiree Ibekwe, Brent Lewis, German Lopez, Ashley Wu News Assistant: Lyna Bentahar Saturday Writer: Melissa Kirsch Need help? Review our newsletter help page or contact us for assistance. 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