The Last Line of Defense: The Courts vs. Trump

Elon Musk's aggressive assault on federal agencies continues to reverberate throughout the government.

Musk 's goal — slashing $1 trillion from the federal budget — has fallen far short.

As the executive branch grows more hostile to checks on its powers, the courts remain the last, fragile line of defense.

This week on The Intercept Briefing , Mark Lemley and Shawn Musgrave take stock of the legal challenges mounting against the Trump administration’s agenda.

Donald Trump is a full-on authoritarian takeover of the U.S. government.

The Intercept has long covered authoritarian governments, billionaire oligarchs, and backsliding democracies around the world.

But there’s never been a more difficult time to survive as an independent nonprofit news outlet.

We depend on our members to help us hold the powerful to account.