Why some of Trump’s big Supreme Court wins remain a mystery

Summary

Apple News Today: Detailed Summary of "Why Some of Trump’s Big Supreme Court Wins Remain a Mystery"

Release Date: July 18, 2025
Host: Shemitah Basu
Description: Join Shemitah Basu every weekday morning as she guides you through some of the most fascinating stories in the news — and how the world’s best journalists are covering them.

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1. House Approves $9 Billion Cuts to Foreign Aid and Public Media

Shemitah Basu opens the episode by discussing a significant development in federal spending. On July 17, 2025, the House approved a $9 billion budget that includes substantial cuts to foreign aid and public media. Both chambers of Congress had previously agreed to reallocate funds that were initially designated for global health programs and emergency food aid.

Key Points:

• Historical Context: This marks the first instance in over 25 years where Congress approved a rescission request allowing the President to cancel already approved funding.
• Administration Influence: Members of the Trump administration, notably White House Budget Director Russell Vogt and Elon Musk's Doge team, advocated for these cuts, arguing they were necessary to eliminate "waste, fraud, and abuse" in the federal budget.
• Legislative Support: The message resonated with many lawmakers, culminating in bipartisan support. Republican Senate Majority Leader John Thune commended the administration's efforts, stating, “[quote, 01:38]” “I appreciate all the work the administration has done in identifying wasteful spending, and now it's time for the Senate to do its part to cut some of that waste out of the budget.”

Investigative Insights: NPR conducted an in-depth investigation, interviewing six officials from USAID and the State Department who revealed that the purported reviews lacked thoroughness. Instead of comprehensive evaluations, Trump officials and Doge team members employed a simplistic keyword search methodology. They flagged programs containing terms like “gender,” “family planning,” “climate,” or “equality” for cuts, prioritizing alignment with Trump’s agenda over actual program effectiveness or instances of improper spending.

As explained by one official at [02:24]:

"The review may have focused more on how much a program aligned with Trump's agenda rather than measuring its effectiveness or identifying potential improper spending."

Additionally, Trump administration claims of wasteful expenditures were found to be largely unsubstantiated. For instance, Paul Martin, former USAID inspector general, alleged significant misallocation of funds toward LGBTQ initiatives in Uganda and Nepal but failed to provide supporting documentation. When NPR requested evidence, the response was nonexistent.

Contrasting Views: The State Department countered these claims by asserting that their review process was exhaustive and individual program evaluations were conducted meticulously. However, this stance was challenged by Paul Martin, who stated at [04:14]:

"As far as I know, never once has anybody in Doge or in the new administration referred to the IG's Office Criminal allegations of fraud, waste or abuse. Frankly, the handful examples I'm aware of were just completely made up."

2. Trump's Influence on the Supreme Court and the 'Shadow Docket'

A significant portion of the episode delves into the Supreme Court's recent activities under the Trump administration, particularly focusing on the use of the emergency appeals process, commonly referred to as the "shadow docket."

Understanding the Shadow Docket: The shadow docket allows the Supreme Court to make swift decisions on cases without the usual comprehensive procedures, such as full briefings, oral arguments, or detailed opinions. These decisions are often temporary, enabling policies to be implemented while lower courts continue to deliberate on the legality of the actions.

Key Discussion Points:

• Prevalence of Emergency Appeals: Trump’s administration has been aggressively utilizing the shadow docket to secure favorable rulings. This tactic has been employed in cases ranging from federal workforce reductions to immigration policies.
• Supreme Court Dynamics: The conservative majority, solidified by Trump’s three judicial appointments, has been instrumental in these swift rulings. Legal experts like Bloomberg Supreme Court reporter Lydia Wheeler explain that these decisions often lack transparency, making them appear partisan and undermining the court's reputation as an impartial institution.

Notable Quotes: Maria Sacchetti highlights the aggressive strategy:

“[04:55] Maria Sacchetti: Basically, every time the Trump administration loses a court challenge in a lower court, what they do is they rush up to the Supreme Court and they say, hey, justices, we need you to let us, like, implement the policy that we're trying to implement while we still fight whether it's legal in court.”

Lydia Wheeler adds concern over the court’s impartiality:

“[07:38] Maria Sacchetti: And the more that the Supreme Court rules in favor of the Trump administration, legal scholars say that it invites other people, other litigants to also come to the court the minute they lose at the lower court and try to appeal.”

Case Study: Department of Education Cuts This week, the court ruled against a lawsuit challenging Trump’s extensive cuts to the Department of Education. The Supreme Court allowed the administration to maintain cuts that led to a 50% reduction in the department's workforce, despite lower courts questioning the legality of such large-scale dismantling of a Congress-established entity.

Maria Sacchetti observes:

“[05:59] Maria Sacchetti: The Supreme Court said, you don't have to reinstate 1400 employees of the Education Department that you had cut, which a lower court had told him he had to do.”

This decision sets a troubling precedent, contrasting with previous rulings that limited executive overreach, such as the court’s earlier decision against President Biden’s attempt to cancel student loan debt.

3. Immigration Policy Changes: Removal of Bond Hearings and Increased Deportations

The Trump administration has implemented stringent immigration policies aimed at accelerating deportations to meet the ambitious goal of removing one million undocumented immigrants within the first year of the administration.

Key Changes:

• Elimination of Bond Hearings: Previously, individuals detained for civil immigration violations were eligible for bond hearings, allowing them to be released on bail while their cases were processed. The new policy removes this eligibility, significantly reducing the chances of release and legal recourse.

  As Amanda Hess explains:

  “[08:42] Amanda Hess: The Trump administration has departed from a very common practice. Normally, after someone in the interior of the United States, say Nebraska or Northern California, is arrested for civil immigration violations, they can be detained in immigration facilities. But generally they're eligible to ask for a bond hearing. They could be released on bail, then they can be with their families, they can work, and they can meet with their lawyers, crucially, so that they can build a case against being deported.”

• Increased Detention Capacities: The recently passed Republican tax and spending bill allocates over $3 billion to the Department of Justice for immigration-related activities, including expanding ICE's detention capacity to 100,000 individuals per day. This contrasts with efforts to reduce the federal workforce, such as the firing or resignation of approximately 50 immigration judges over the past six months, resulting in a 14% reduction in the judiciary.

Impact and Challenges: The removal of bond hearings severely hampers the ability of immigrants to defend themselves in removal proceedings, often stretching the process to months or years. Additionally, the shrinking number of immigration judges exacerbates the existing backlog of nearly 4 million cases, raising concerns about the system's capacity to handle the increased detention and deportation activities.

Legal and Humanitarian Concerns: While the administration asserts that these measures are essential for enforcing final removal orders and swiftly deporting individuals, critics argue that these policies undermine due process and human rights. The acting director of ICE acknowledges that the policy is likely to face legal challenges, but proponents within the administration remain steadfast in their commitment to the policy’s effectiveness.

4. Additional News Highlights

DOJ’s Recommendation on Brianna Taylor Case: The Department of Justice has recommended a one-day prison sentence for Brett Hankison, a former police officer convicted for his role in the fatal raid that killed Brianna Taylor in 2020. Taylor’s family and advocates view this recommendation as a gross miscarriage of justice, given the severity of the incident and the absence of charges against the officers who directly caused her death.

President Trump's Health Update: President Trump has been diagnosed with chronic venous insufficiency, a common circulatory condition in older adults. This diagnosis comes amid public speculation about his health, especially after his recent appearance at the FIFA Club World Cup final, where he exhibited visibly swollen legs and a bruised hand.

Stephen Colbert’s Announcement: In a surprising revelation during the latest taping of The Late Show on CBS, Stephen Colbert announced that next year will mark the final season of the show. Colbert expressed his gratitude to CBS while simultaneously criticizing Paramount, the parent company, for their recent decision to settle a lawsuit filed by Trump over a 60 Minutes interview with Kamala Harris. Colbert quipped:

“[13:07] Stephen Colbert: The corporation released a statement where they said, you may take our money, but you will never take our dignity. You may, however, purchase our dignity for the low, low price of $16 million. We need the cash.”

CBS maintains that the decision to end The Late Show is purely financial and unrelated to other ongoing matters.

5. Conclusion

Shemitah Basu wraps up the episode by directing listeners to additional content available on the Apple News app, including an upcoming conversation with New York Times culture critic Amanda Hess about parenthood in the digital age. Basu encourages listeners to stay informed and engaged with the latest news through the Apple News platform.

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Notable Quotes with Timestamps:

• John Thune on Budget Cuts:
  “I appreciate all the work the administration has done in identifying wasteful spending, and now it's time for the Senate to do its part to cut some of that waste out of the budget.” [01:38]

• Paul Martin on Lack of Evidence:
  “As far as I know, never once has anybody in Doge or in the new administration referred to the IG's Office Criminal allegations of fraud, waste or abuse. Frankly, the handful examples I'm aware of were just completely made up.” [04:14]

• Maria Sacchetti on Shadow Docket Strategy:
  “Basically, every time the Trump administration loses a court challenge in a lower court, what they do is they rush up to the Supreme Court and they say, hey, justices, we need you to let us, like, implement the policy that we're trying to implement while we still fight whether it's legal in court.” [04:55]

• Amanda Hess on Immigration Policies:
  “The folks we're talking about here are folks who have been here a long time, and lawyers for immigrants argue have some defenses against being deported. But that's very difficult to build a case when you're detained, and it can take months, even years for removal proceedings to play out.” [09:33]

• Stephen Colbert on Ending The Late Show:
  “The corporation released a statement where they said, you may take our money, but you will never take our dignity. You may, however, purchase our dignity for the low, low price of $16 million. We need the cash.” [13:15]

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This comprehensive summary captures the essence of the "Apple News Today" episode, providing listeners with a clear understanding of the major discussions and insights surrounding Trump's administration's recent actions in federal spending, Supreme Court maneuvers, and immigration policies, as well as other pertinent news stories.

Transcript

[Shemitah Basu]

Good morning.

[NPR Reporter]

It's Friday, July 18th. I'm Shemitah Basu. This is Apple News today.

[Shemitah Basu]

On today's show, the Supreme Court keeps.

[NPR Reporter]

Issuing emergency rulings in Trump's favor.

[Shemitah Basu]

Millions of undocumented immigrants aren't eligible for bond hearings anymore. And Stephen Colbert makes a big announcement. But first, The House approved $9 billion.

[NPR Reporter]

In cuts to foreign aid and public.

[Shemitah Basu]

Media that both chambers of Congress had.

[NPR Reporter]

Previously agreed to spend.

[Shemitah Basu]

Yesterday we spoke about how those cuts.

[NPR Reporter]

Will impact public media.

[Shemitah Basu]

Today, let's focus on how the bulk.

[NPR Reporter]

Of that money, about $8 billion, was earmarked for global health programs and emergency food aid.

[Shemitah Basu]

It's the first time in over 25.

[NPR Reporter]

Years Congress has approved a rescission request for the president to cancel already approved funding.

[Shemitah Basu]

Congress members typically have closely guarded their.

[NPR Reporter]

Power over federal spending.

[Shemitah Basu]

But over the course of Trump's second term, members of his administration, led by.

[NPR Reporter]

White House Budget Director Russell Vogt, have aimed to give the executive branch more control. In this case, Vogt, along with Elon Musk's Doge team, are argued to lawmakers that cuts were necessary to combat what they've described as waste, fraud and abuse. That message resonated with many lawmakers who.

[Shemitah Basu]

Ultimately supported the package, including Republican Senate.

[NPR Reporter]

Majority Leader John Thune, who praised their work before the Senate approved the bill on Wednesday.

[Stephen Colbert]

I appreciate all the work the administration has done in identifying wasteful spending, and now it's time for the Senate to do its part to cut some of that waste out of the budget.

[Shemitah Basu]

But exactly how much waste, fraud, and.

[NPR Reporter]

Abuse did Vogt and the Doge team really find when they evaluated foreign aid? NPR took a closer look and spoke with six officials at USAID and the.

[Shemitah Basu]

State Department who had direct knowledge of.

[NPR Reporter]

How these reviews were conducted. All six said a thorough review process didn't happen.

[Shemitah Basu]

Instead, they said, Trump officials and DOGE.

[NPR Reporter]

Staff members searched for keywords in the descriptions of foreign aid programs. And if they found words like gender or family planning, climate or equality, that program was flagged to be cut.

[Shemitah Basu]

In other words, as one official put.

[NPR Reporter]

It to NPR health correspondent Fatma Tanis.

[Shemitah Basu]

The review may have focused more on.

[NPR Reporter]

How much a program aligned with Trump's agenda rather than measuring its effectiveness or identifying potential improper spending.

[Fatma Tanis]

And these officials told me that the dismantling of the agency happened so quickly it was not possible for any actual investigation to happen in that chaos.

[NPR Reporter]

Many of the examples of allegedly wasteful spending Trump officials have presented to lawmakers and the public in recent months have not been backed up by evidence, including these comments vote made to senators last month when testifying about cuts to foreign aid.

[Paul Martin]

Americans have been funding the 5.5 million to LGBTQ advocacy in Uganda, 800,000 for transgender people, sex workers and their clients and in Nepal, 3.6 for LGBTQ activism, free training in pastry cooking, psychosocial counseling, a cyber cafe and the dance focus groups for male prostitutes in Haiti.

[NPR Reporter]

Again, he did not provide documentation to back up those claims or others he made in testimony, and when NPR reached out to his office to ask for evidence, Tanis received no response.

[Shemitah Basu]

The State Department, however, told her their.

[NPR Reporter]

Review process was exhaustive, and it said each program was reviewed individually.

[Shemitah Basu]

NPR also reached out to Paul Martin.

[NPR Reporter]

Who used to be USAID's inspector general.

[Shemitah Basu]

Under Biden, in charge of looking out.

[NPR Reporter]

For things like waste, fraud and abuse at the agency. He was fired by Trump in February, shortly after the president started rapidly dismantling usaid. Martin told NPR no one from Trump's team or the Doge team contacted him with concerns about spending.

[Lydia Wheeler]

As far as I know, never once has anybody in Doge or in the new administration referred to the IG's Office Criminal allegations of fraud, waste or abuse. Frankly, the handful examples I'm aware of were just completely made up.

[Shemitah Basu]

Now to the Supreme Court and how the Trump.

[NPR Reporter]

Administration is scoring big wins in cases through a system that largely keeps decisions out of the public eye, the emergency appeals process, also known as the shadow docket. Bloomberg Supreme Court reporter Lydia Wheeler told us about it.

[Maria Sacchetti]

Basically, every time the Trump administration loses a court challenge in a lower court, what they do is they rush up to the Supreme Court and they say, hey, justices, we need you to let us, like, implement the policy that we're trying to implement while we still fight whether it's legal in court.

[Shemitah Basu]

It's called the shadow docket because these.

[NPR Reporter]

Cases typically have no full briefings, oral arguments or signed opinions.

[Shemitah Basu]

And rulings are not explained the way.

[NPR Reporter]

A typical Supreme Court decision is, so.

[Shemitah Basu]

The public gets very little information on.

[NPR Reporter]

How the court reached a decision.

[Shemitah Basu]

This process is designed for questions that.

[NPR Reporter]

Need a fast answer, like prisoners wanting a stay of execution.

[Shemitah Basu]

It usually determines whether a specific policy.

[NPR Reporter]

Can go into effect, not whether it's.

[Shemitah Basu]

Legal and decisions are intended to be.

[NPR Reporter]

Temporary, while a lower court considers the case in more detail.

[Shemitah Basu]

But often during that period, things can.

[NPR Reporter]

Happen that can be hard to reverse later.

[Shemitah Basu]

An example of that came this week.

[NPR Reporter]

When the court's conservative majority ruled in favor of Trump's efforts to make big cuts at the Department of Education.

[Maria Sacchetti]

The Supreme Court said, you don't have to reinstate 1400 employees of the Education Department that you had cut, which a lower court had told him he had to do.

[Shemitah Basu]

The lawsuit challenging those cuts argued Trump.

[NPR Reporter]

Did not have the authority to do this or to scale back the Education Department at large because the department was created by Congress so only Congress can dismantle it.

[Shemitah Basu]

Lower courts are still deciding if Trump's.

[NPR Reporter]

Plans here are legal, but critics argue.

[Shemitah Basu]

This shadow docket ruling effectively clears the way for Trump to dismantle the department anyway, because these cuts alone account for.

[NPR Reporter]

Roughly half of its workforce.

[Maria Sacchetti]

People quickly looked at that decision and said, wait a minute. This same court just two years ago said to the Biden administration, no, you can't cancel millions of dollars in student loan debt that you don't have the authority do that. So they're saying, like, how is it possible that the Trump administration has the authority to completely dismantle the Education Department? And without any explanation, it's hard to see what's the difference between those two cases.

[Shemitah Basu]

Trump also used this approach to get.

[NPR Reporter]

Approval to fire federal workers en masse, ban transgender people from the military, and.

[Shemitah Basu]

Deport migrants to countries that are not.

[NPR Reporter]

Their countries of origin.

[Maria Sacchetti]

And the more that the Supreme Court rules in favor of the Trump administration, legal scholars say that it invites other people, other litigants to also come to the court the minute they lose at the lower court and try to appeal.

[NPR Reporter]

Now, emergency appeals aren't new. Every president for the past 20 or so years has made them President Biden on more than a dozen occasions.

[Maria Sacchetti]

But no president has done it to this extreme this often. In every case, they're losing.

[NPR Reporter]

And few presidents have had the opportunity to do it with a court that they single handedly reshaped.

[Maria Sacchetti]

President Trump, during his first term in office, was able to dramatically shift the court further to the right with three appointments and really solidify a 6:3 conservative majority. And so far, it seems, and legal scholars say that this is playing in his favor. So this is why people are saying that it's making the court look really partisan and it's hurting them reputationally as an institution.

[Shemitah Basu]

Now to immigration and how the Trump administration is trying to speed up deportations.

[NPR Reporter]

For people they suspect to be in the US illegally to meet the president's goal of deporting 1 million people in his first year. Washington Post immigration reporter Maria Sacchetti has been following this.

[Amanda Hess]

The Trump administration has departed from a very common practice. Normally, after someone in the interior of the United States, say Nebraska or Northern California, is arrested for civil immigration violations, they can be detained in immigration facilities. But generally they're eligible to ask for a bond hearing. They could be released on bail, then they can be with their families, they can work, and they can meet with their lawyers, crucially, so that they can build a case against being deported.

[Shemitah Basu]

But the administration has now decided these.

[NPR Reporter]

Immigrants are no longer eligible for bond hearings. And in rare cases, someone might be released on parole.

[Shemitah Basu]

But sacchetti reports that decision will be.

[NPR Reporter]

Up to an immigration officer, not a judge. Lawyers told her this policy change will impact millions of people who cross the u. S. Mexico border over the past few decades.

[Amanda Hess]

The folks we're talking about here are folks who have been here a long time, and lawyers for immigrants argue have some defenses against being deported. But that's very difficult to build a case when you're detained, and it can.

[NPR Reporter]

Take months, even years for removal proceedings to play out.

[Shemitah Basu]

The acting director of ice has acknowledged.

[NPR Reporter]

The policy will likely face legal challenges. But people who support the administration's mass deportation goals have long argued that detaining people in this way is necessary to enforce final orders of removal and get people out of the country quickly.

[Amanda Hess]

You have hundreds of thousands of people with final deportation orders, but generally they're very difficult to find, you know, once they're in the country.

[Shemitah Basu]

Meanwhile, as all of this plays out, the immigration court system is shrinking, which.

[NPR Reporter]

Could make it less capable of handling these cases.

[Shemitah Basu]

Over the last six months, the Justice.

[NPR Reporter]

Department fired at least 50 immigration judges, and around that same number resigned after doge offered voluntary resignation buyouts in its efforts to reduce the federal workforce.

[Shemitah Basu]

So that means today there are about.

[NPR Reporter]

14% fewer immigration judges nationwide Compared to the start of Trump's term.

[Shemitah Basu]

And their workload is growing.

[NPR Reporter]

There's a backlog of nearly 4 million immigration cases right now. The recently passed Republican tax and spending bill hopes to address this.

[Shemitah Basu]

Congress gave over $3 billion to the.

[NPR Reporter]

DOJ for immigration, which includes money for hiring and training more judges to address this backlog.

[Shemitah Basu]

But NPR reports it's not clear how.

[NPR Reporter]

The DOJ plans to replace these judges.

[Shemitah Basu]

And the process of training will take some time. Meanwhile, there are no signs the administration.

[NPR Reporter]

Plans to slow down detentions. In fact, the tax and spending bill aims to help ICE roughly double the nation's current detention capacity to 100,000 a day.

[Shemitah Basu]

Before we let you go, a few.

[NPR Reporter]

Other stories were following link.

[Shemitah Basu]

The department of justice has recommended a.

[NPR Reporter]

One day prison sentence for the former police officer convicted in connection with the botched raid that killed Brianna Taylor. Taylor died in 2020 in Louisville, Kentucky, when police came to her apartment looking for her ex boyfriend who was not there. Her then boyfriend said he thought police were intruders and shot at them, prompting return fire which hit Taylor. Brett Hankison was convicted of violating Taylor's civil rights when he fired 10 shots through Taylor's window and none of those shots hit her. But the jury determined that he used excessive force and his conviction carried a maximum life sentence. The two officers who fired the fatal shots were not charged. The DOJ criticized the prosecution made under the Biden administration, but Taylor's family attorney described the new recommendation as an insult to the life of their daughter.

[Shemitah Basu]

President Trump has been diagnosed with chronic venous insufficiency, a condition of circulation where.

[NPR Reporter]

The legs struggle to deliver blood back to the heart.

[Shemitah Basu]

In a rare nod to his age.

[NPR Reporter]

His press secretary, Caroline Levitt described it as a benign and common condition for.

[Shemitah Basu]

People in their 70s.

[NPR Reporter]

Trump is 79.

[Shemitah Basu]

Some people started raising questions about his.

[NPR Reporter]

Health after Trump appeared at the FIFA Club World cup final with visibly swollen legs and a bruised hand covered in makeup.

[Shemitah Basu]

And finally, at last night's taping of.

[NPR Reporter]

The Late show on cbs, host Stephen.

[Shemitah Basu]

Colbert had an announcement.

[Stephen Colbert]

Next year will be our last season. The network will be ending the Late show in May.

[Caroline Levitt]

And.

[Stephen Colbert]

Yeah, I share your feelings.

[Shemitah Basu]

Colbert said it was not just the.

[NPR Reporter]

End of his role hosting the show, but the end of the Late show itself. Colbert said he only found out on Wednesday night and expressed gratitude to CBS.

[Shemitah Basu]

Only days before he had some harsh.

[NPR Reporter]

Words for Paramount, CBS's parent company, for their decision to settle the lawsuit brought by Trump over its 60 Minutes interview with Kamala Harris.

[Stephen Colbert]

The corporation released a statement where they said, you may take our money, but you will never take our dignity. You may, however, purchase our dignity for the low, low price of $16 million. We need the cash.

[Shemitah Basu]

Cbs says that the decision was purely.

[NPR Reporter]

Financial and in no way related to other matters. At Paramount, Colbert has hosted the show for nearly a decade, taking over following a 22 year run from David Letterman.

[Shemitah Basu]

You can find all these stories and.

[NPR Reporter]

More in the Apple News app.

[Shemitah Basu]

And if you're already listening in the.

[NPR Reporter]

News app right now, stick around for the latest episode of Apple News.

[Shemitah Basu]

In conversation this week, I sat down.

[NPR Reporter]

With New York Times culture critic Amanda.

[Shemitah Basu]

Hess to talk about her journey into.

[NPR Reporter]

Parenthood and the dizzying digital world of apps, gadgets and influencers.

[NPR Host]

She discovered every time you look at your phone, you will get more advice about your kid, whether you're really looking at that or not. And I think what the drumbeat suggests is that our children and their emotions can be controlled and managed and optimized in this way if you just, like, absorb enough of the advice and you implement enough of the tips.

[Shemitah Basu]

If you're listening in the podcast app.

[NPR Reporter]

Follow Apple News in conversation to find that episode. Enjoy your weekend and I'll be back with the news on Monday.