Back to today’s briefing

Story perspectives

Appeals Court Backs Trump on Budget, Challenges Diversity

8/13/2025

28 3

Left

Court Limits Challenges

A federal appeals court has declared that only Congress has the authority to challenge the Trump administration's budget decisions, enabling it to withhold foreign aid. This ruling complicates legal battles against the administration. In a related move, an anti-affirmative action group has abandoned lawsuits against military academies following Trump's push for merit-based admissions, undermining years of diversity initiatives.

Center

Republicans Challenge Firearms Act

Fifteen Republican-led states have united in a federal lawsuit against the National Firearms Act, arguing that recent tax cuts on regulated firearms threaten its constitutional foundation. This legal battle, sparked by President Trump's One Big Beautiful Bill Act, could drastically alter firearm registration requirements and challenge decades of gun control efforts.

1 of 2

Court Limits Challenges

A federal appeals court has declared that only Congress has the authority to challenge the Trump administration's budget decisions, enabling it to withhold foreign aid. This ruling complicates legal battles against the administration. In a related move, an anti-affirmative action group has abandoned lawsuits against military academies following Trump's push for merit-based admissions, undermining years of diversity initiatives.

1 / 2