June 30, 2026: All Newsclips

Lead Stories

Justices expand presidential power over regulators, but not the Fed

The Supreme Court expanded presidential power on Monday by affirming President Trump’s ability to fire most independent regulators, though the justices explicitly affirmed the Federal Reserve’s independence and said its leaders could not be dismissed at will. The court’s 6-to-3 ruling to broadly allow the firing of federal regulators, with the three liberal justices dissenting, is a significant shift in power from Congress to the president that could usher in a drastic change to the government’s structure by giving the president more direct control over independent agencies. The justices ruled in two separate but related cases. One involved Mr. Trump’s efforts to fire Rebecca Kelly Slaughter, a Democratic member of the Federal Trade Commission who did not align with his agenda, and another involved his efforts to fire the Federal Reserve governor Lisa Cook, whom the president had targeted as he pressured the central bank to lower interest rates.

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In the first case, the justices found that Ms. Slaughter could be dismissed, but underscored the “unique role” of the Federal Reserve and cautioned that it should not be read as extending to the central bank. At the Federal Reserve — which has vast influence over the economy and a long history of independence from political forces — the justices affirmed that officials could not be fired at will, only for cause. In the second case, the justices decided in a 5-to-4 ruling that Ms. Cook could not be fired without the chance to refute the unproven allegations of mortgage fraud that the Trump administration cited in seeking her ouster. Agencies affected: The Federal Trade Commission is just one of dozens of agencies affected by the ruling in Trump v. Slaughter. The president will now be able to fire at will leaders from the Securities and Exchange Commission, Consumer Product Safety Commission, Equal Employment Opportunity Commission, the National Labor Relations Board, the Nuclear Regulatory Commission and the Postal Service, ending nearly 90 years of legal protection for those jobs. In the F.T.C. case, Justice Sonia Sotomayor warned in her dissent that the majority’s ruling would unleash “chaos” by transforming independent agencies, undoing centuries of political practice and concluding that “all three branches of government have been acting in open defiance of the Constitution all this time.” In the Cook case, Justice Amy Coney Barrett wrote that the court had decided to “go big” when “a modest approach would have been appropriate.”

Texas promised children with disabilities up to $30K vouchers. Fewer than 30 got the full amount.

One of the biggest selling points of Texas’ new private school voucher program was that it would support students with disabilities, offering up to $30,000 in state-funded accounts for tuition and other services. The possibility drew thousands of applications from across Texas, and hundreds of families flooded public school districts with requests for special education evaluations to qualify for higher amounts. However, fewer than 30 students with disabilities actually received the $30,000 maximum, according to data from the Comptroller’s Office. That’s less than 1% of applicants who indicated that they had a disability. It’s something the Texas Education Freedom Account directors tried to warn parents about earlier this year. “Most students will receive less than the maximum,” a handout about special education vouchers read.

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But many families still hoped that they would get closer to $30,000 to pay for private schools dedicated to students with disabilities, which can easily cost between $25,000 to $60,000 a year, according to a Chronicle analysis. One in four of the over 100,000 students awarded vouchers had a documented disability, and their average funding award was about $16,000, or roughly half the maximum amount, according to the Texas Comptroller’s Office. While nearly 13,000 families received more than the base amount, only around 220 families received over $20,000, records shared with the Chronicle from June 23 show. “The headline in everything we communicated was: ‘Homeschoolers get $2,000, private school students get $10,474 and students in special education get up to $30,000,’” said Travis Pillow, communications director for the education accounts. “It might be natural to see that round number and say, ‘My student is getting $30,000.’ When in reality, the ‘up to’ was very important, and the vast majority are getting less than that.”

Speaker Johnson announces gambit to attach SAVE America Act to must-pass defense bill

Speaker Mike Johnson (R-La.) announced on Monday that he plans to use an unusual maneuver to merge the Safeguard American Voter Eligibility (SAVE) America Act with the National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) after conservatives ground the House to a halt over the voter ID bill. Hard-line conservatives have said they would oppose any procedural rules that tee up debate and a final vote on legislation until the Senate passes the SAVE America Act, which would require proof of citizenship to register to vote in federal elections and the presentation of an ID to cast a ballot, or until the House takes further action to force the issue. Johnson said that he will use a process called MIRVing, in which a procedural rule directs separately passed legislation to be packaged together and sent to the Senate.

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“We’re going to pass a MIRV, or what’s better known as a merge onto the rule. So what that means is, when Republicans vote for the rule, they’ll be voting not just for the NDAA and everything else is there, but they’ll be voting to merge onto that the SAVE America Act we passed back in February,” Johnson said. “So that will send both of those items together over to the Senate, and so if any Republicans choose to vote against the rule, they will be voting against that outcome. So we think this is another good way to show the resolve of the House,” he added. The plan will likely face obstacles and continue the standoff between the chambers over the SAVE America Act. The upper chamber can still strip out the SAVE America Act, which faces united Democratic opposition, from the NDAA. But the gambit risks complicating the passage of the defense bill, which is considered must-pass legislation. Rep. Anna Paulina Luna (R-Fla.), who submitted an amendment to the House Rules Committee to attach the SAVE America Act to the NDAA, quickly came out against Johnson’s plan.

Despite SCOTUS loss on mail-in voting, Trump still has ways to affect November’s elections

President Donald Trump has tried many ways to tighten his grip on U.S. elections, from signing executive orders to pushing restrictive legislation in Congress. Monday’s Supreme Court ruling siding with states that accept late-arriving mail ballots was the latest example showing the limits of his reach. It followed back-to-back rulings last week that barred his two sweeping executive orders seeking to change national election rules, more court rulings preventing his Department of Justice from obtaining detailed state voter data and his stalled attempts to get the Senate to pass the SAVE Act. That measure would eliminate nearly all absentee voting, require citizenship documents to register to vote and impose photo identification requirements nationwide right before the midterm elections. “It’s been a mixed bag for Republicans,” said University of Notre Dame law professor Derek Muller. But the president, he added, “has come up mostly empty-handed.”

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Trump’s efforts have not been entirely fruitless. Republican-run states have satisfied his demands to redraw congressional district lines, efforts buoyed by the Supreme Court striking down a key section of the Voting Rights Act, and he has been directing his Department of Justice to investigate voting and election operations, which Democrats see as a possible prelude to their involvement in November. All the activity around how the nation votes and runs its elections is a reflection of the Republican president’s long fixation on his false claim that his 2020 election defeat was rigged. He has been so frustrated by the inability of the Senate to pass the SAVE Act that he has refused to sign a bipartisan housing bill. He weighed in again Monday after the Supreme Court’s decision in the mail ballot deadline case, saying on his social media account that he is trying to “save America from crooked elections.” The president has repeatedly said U.S. elections are riddled with fraud in part because of noncitizen voting. Research shows the problem to be rare, accounting for a minuscule percentage of fraud cases. Convictions are measured in the hundreds over periods in which tens of millions of ballots are cast. Trump’s view resulted in a multiagency push to nationalize voter data and use federal resources to help states remove voters from the rolls. The Department of Justice has sought detailed voter files from multiple states, data that would include dates of birth and partial Social Security numbers. Democratic and some Republican secretaries of state balked, and federal lawsuits followed. The administration has lost every case so far.

State Stories

Paxton says ‘we need to look more into’ in vitro fertilization

Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton, the GOP’s Senate nominee in the Lone Star State, said that “we need to look more into” in vitro fertilization as the procedure becomes a growing point of contention in the pro-life movement. Paxton’s comments come two weeks after delegates at the Texas Republican Party’s biennial convention in Houston called for an end to such procedures, which they argue in their platform “destroy embryonic life.” Paxton publicly broke with his party at the time, telling the Texas Tribune that he is a “strong supporter of IVF and pro-family policies.” Yet Paxton adopted a less absolute position in a Saturday interview on the sidelines of the Faith and Freedom Coalition’s Road to Majority Conference in Washington, D.C.

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Texas Dems carefully navigate Israel-Gaza conflict at statewide convention

Jewish Democrats found themselves on defense at the Texas Democratic Convention in Corpus Christi last week. While some party delegates were pushing in the platform to condemn Israel and accuse the nation of genocide in Gaza, the final version of the document approved on Saturday struck a more nuanced tone, recognizing Israel’s right to exist, condemning Hamas and calling for support for a Palestinian state. While many Texas Jewish Democrats have also been critical of Israeli political leadership, they have worried the tone can alienate Jewish voters and, at its worst, feel anti-Semitic. Some said they felt disrespected at times during the platform fight, but ultimately were pleased to see the final version lose most of the most divisive language.

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“I’m relieved,” said Arthur Pronin, president of the Meyerland-area Democrats. The final platform closely mirrors the one adopted during the party's 2024 convention in El Paso. But Democrats added a key line that seemed aimed at reducing the tension, by saying the party recognizes “that criticizing the policies, laws, or actions of a specific regime should never be treated as an indictment of the citizens, many of whom may lack political power, hold differing views, or suffer under those exact same policies.” The party also added a line that would have been unheard of just a few years ago, jabbing — by name — at the American Israel Public Affairs Committee, which has long been one of the most prolific fundraising arms in U.S. politics. The platform now calls for more accountability in campaign finance and to "eliminate and reject the influence and contributions of foreign-interest PACs and lobbying organizations, including AIPAC, on campaigns.”

MAGA Senate candidate called out for visiting Iceland with 'some lady who's not his wife'

Texas Attorney General and GOP Senate nominee Ken Paxton was questioned on Monday for allegedly traveling with "some lady who's not his wife," in a video shared on social media. The anti-Trump group The Lincoln Project called out the MAGA candidate in a critical midterm race. Paxton, who was backed by President Donald Trump and beat the president's adversary Sen. John Cornyn, will face off against Democratic state Rep. James Talarico in November. Paxton was caught on video traveling with an alleged mistress from Dulles International Airport to Reykjavik, The Daily Mail reported. She was identified by the outlet as Tracy Duhon, a Christian influencer and mother of seven. He is married to Texas State Senator Angela Paxton, who filed for divorce under 'biblical' reasons; however, a state district judge canceled it last month.

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In a series of posts on X, The Lincoln Project shared a video of Paxton and criticized the Republican, who has touted "family values" in his campaign. "Why is @KenPaxtonTX spending the week before the 4th of July in Iceland? He's in one of the most competitive races in the country, and he's not campaigning. Does this sound or look like someone willing to fight for the job or taking the campaign seriously?" The Lincoln Project posted on X. "This man is saying James Talarico doesn't represent Texas values.....So is this Texas values????" Covie, a political commentator with more than 179,000 followers, wrote on X. "Someone should put this s--- up on billboards all over Texas," political analyst and strategist Rachel Bitecofer wrote on X. "We have friends everywhere," Rick Wilson, former GOP strategist and The Lincoln Project co-founder, wrote on X.

John Cornyn: Four years later, the Bipartisan Safer Communities Act is making a difference

It’s been four years since the Bipartisan Safer Communities Act, or the BSCA, was signed into law. My Senate colleagues and I carefully crafted this legislation in response to the tragic school shooting in Uvalde, where 19 children and two teachers died on May 24, 2022. I am proud of the work we did to reject the calls for extreme measures that would have encroached on the Second Amendment rights of law-abiding Texans and instead delivered a practical solution, narrowly tailored to address the root causes of this senseless violence. The Bipartisan Safer Communities Act provided hundreds of millions of dollars to Texas in grants for school safety and mental health infrastructure, and created new authorities to prosecute gun trafficking, all while protecting the due process rights of law-abiding firearms owners.

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The Bipartisan Safer Communities Act marked a historic investment in resources for mental health and school safety. Texas has received more than $300 million to strengthen mental health care and school safety. These resources have allowed school districts to upgrade security cameras, implement threat alert systems and improve emergency response plans. This law expanded the Certified Community Behavioral Health Clinic, or CCBHC, program, which has allowed clinics to expand their services for mental health and substance use disorders. There are now more than 500 CCBHCs operating in 46 states. Because of these provisions, those who are mentally troubled are more likely to receive the help they need, and children attending schools are safer due to enhanced security measures. This law also created narrow, targeted provisions consistent with existing law to keep dangerous weapons out of the hands of criminals and the mentally ill using the National Instant Background Check, or NICS, system. Of course, some loud voices have tried to erode support for these narrow reforms by labeling them as gun control measures, but that couldn’t be further from the truth.

Nun released after being detained by ICE on her way to Mass

A Rio Grande Valley nun who was detained by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents while on her way to Sunday Mass has been released, according to U.S. Reps. Monica De La Cruz and Henry Cuellar. De la Cruz, R-Texas, said on Facebook that after speaking with Department of Homeland Security Secretary Mullin, Sister Letty Ugboaja is coming home. “My office worked closely with the Department of Homeland Security, and I’m grateful they acted to resolve this quickly. Thank you to everyone who kept her in their prayers,” De La Cruz said in her post. Cuellar, D-Texas, also said that after speaking with Mullin and border czar Tom Homan, he was pleased to share that Ugboaja is coming home.

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“The order has been given for her to be released today instead of tomorrow, and she’ll be home tonight. My office stayed engaged with the Department of Homeland Security throughout this process, and I appreciate everyone who helped make this possible. Thank you to all who kept her in your prayers. We’re thankful for this good news,” Cuellar said. On Sunday, Our Lady of Sorrows Church in McAllen announced on social media that Ugboaja had been detained by ICE while on her way to Mass: “We ask our parish family to please keep this religious Sister Letty in your prayers. Reports indicate that she was detained while on her way to Sunday Mass. We pray for her safety, peace, and strength during this difficult time, and we hope for a swift and just resolution that allows her to be released soon.” ValleyCentral reached out to Sister Norma Pimentel, executive director of Catholic Charities of the Rio Grande Valley, who confirmed that Ugboaja was on her way to Our Lady of Sorrows.

New Texas food truck permit sparks cost concerns for Southeast Texas owners

Starting Wednesday, food trucks across Texas will operate under a new statewide permit system, replacing permits previously issued by individual cities and counties. The change comes from House Bill 2844, passed during the 89th Texas Legislature, with the goal of simplifying the process for food truck operators by creating one statewide permit through the Texas Department of State Health Services. But while the new system could make it easier for some vendors to operate across multiple communities, some local food truck owners and health officials say the change could create new financial challenges. In Beaumont, newly opened food truck El Patron is still focused on building its customer base and has not yet felt the impact of the new permit system.

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For longtime operators, however, the change is raising concerns. Joseph Taylor, owner of T’s Barbecue and Blues, has operated his food truck for three years and said the new permit cost could make it harder for some businesses to continue. “$1,300. I have to sell a lot of brisket sandwiches to make that back up, and it has to be made back up for it to be a viable business decision,” Taylor said. Taylor said he currently spends about $400 a year on permits to operate in Port Arthur and Jefferson County. Under the new statewide system, food trucks could pay between roughly $300 and $1,400 for the initial application and licensing process, depending on their operation category. Inspection fees may also apply. For some operators, the change may not have a major impact. Joe Oates, owner of Boss Burger, said traveling throughout Southeast Texas already means paying multiple permit fees in different jurisdictions.

Dallas mayor calls narrative that businesses have lost confidence in Downtown 'a bunch of bull'

In his regular newsletter this week, Dallas Mayor Eric Johnson addressed the narrative of businesses losing faith in Downtown after a string of recently announced departures, calling that narrative "a bunch of bull." Johnson touted a recently approved incentive package meant to attract a $1.3 billion office tower and about 5,000 jobs from Morgan Stanley. The plan would include a lease of office space in Downtown Dallas through 2031. "Morgan Stanley choosing Dallas as a new regional hub would be a huge win for the fast-growing Y'all Street sector of the city," Johnson wrote.

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Johnson went on to say Dallas has led the nation in post-pandemic economic recovery under his watch, and noted multiple business investments — including Goldman Sachs investing hundreds of millions of dollars into a new campus near Victory Park last year, meant to house 5,000 employees, and Frontier Communications' decision to relocate its headquarters from Connecticut to Dallas in 2023. Of course, there is also Nasdaq, the Texas Stock Exchange and the New York Stock Exchange coming to town. Johnson pointed out that Neiman Marcus, despite closing its downtown shop, still plans on heavily investing in its NorthPark Center location, and that Fifth Third and the Dallas Mavericks plan to remain in the city, although not in Downtown. "FIFA chose Downtown Dallas — over many other interested cities — as the home of its international broadcast center for the World Cup and selected the region to host more matches than any other," Johnson wrote. "Does that sound like a loss of confidence, or does it sound like winning?"

Dan Patrick reiterates: ‘No separation of church and state’

Texas Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick stood in the Oval Office last Friday afternoon and told the American people once again there should be no such thing as separation of church and state in America. Patrick, a Southern Baptist from Houston, chaired President Donald Trump’s controversial Religious Liberty Commission that was made up entirely of evangelical Christians and one Orthodox rabbi. Standing directly behind Trump, who was seated, Patrick declared: “No president in our history has stood more for God than this president. He has been unashamed to speak the word of Jesus. He’s been unashamed to speak up for all faiths.” Patrick lauded Trump as leading the fight for religious liberty as “one of your greatest legacies” and said he was “the perfect president to be here in the 250th celebration” of the nation’s birth. Earlier Friday, Trump spoke at the Faith and Freedom Coalition gathering at the Washington Hilton. There he said: “We saved religion, it was going down.” He accused the Biden administration of carrying out a “reign of persecution.” Trump also encouraged that crowd to get out and vote in the midterms or else sacrifice all the “progress” he has made.

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Patrick defined religious liberty as “that little voice inside of us that tells us right from wrong. It’s that voice that when we’re in trouble we can talk to in our quiet moments. It’s that voice when we feel unloved and alone that can comfort us through a higher power.” Then he warned: “When governments can take away your religious liberty, they’re putting their hand in your heart and taking everything you believe in.” He compared such an atrocity to communism and told Trump, “We didn’t know about this communist movement a year ago.” Patrick referenced the 103 witnesses the commission chose to hear from — all were handpicked to testify before the panel — and declared those testimonies showed “one constant theme: The overwhelming majority of our witnesses said they were attacked and punished and what was used against them was one phrase that’s not in the Constitution and that phrase is ‘separation of church and state.’” He added: “The Left has used that one phrase that was one line out of one of hundreds of letters by Thomas Jefferson to batter and hammer people of faith for the last 70 to 80 years, and this report will speak very clearly that we want to be sure Americans understand they cannot be attacked by that phrase any longer.”

Sundance Square scores big as World Cup crowds draw national attention

Whether It’s little kids playing in the fountain or folks seeking shade underneath the trees, people are coming out in the 90-degree weather to watch the World Cup at Sundance Square. Sundance Square in downtown Fort Worth is hosting soccer viewing parties at the plaza for the entirety of the World Cup. The destination has been hugely popular, and the big crowds have put Fort Worth in the national spotlight. More than 7,000 people filled the plaza and surrounding streets for the Mexico vs. South Korea match on June 18, according to Andy Santos, who works at Stretch and Tone, a yoga studio and shop at 302 Main St.

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“There’s been a lot of movement, like we’ve had a lot more people coming in the stores, people from all over the world, which is incredible,” Santos said. For Rafferty Berkey these events have been “nothing short of miraculous” for his hot dog truck, Coney Corner, which he has parked at the viewing events. “I’m super grateful to have the opportunity to just be out here, and to be able to provide food to people,” Berkey said. The owners of Hopscotch, Cesar Luna and Corina Duenes, say the watch parties have been great visibility for their business, which sells “traditional Mexican treats and sweets.” The shop is at 101 W. Third Street, right in the middle of Sundance Square, and has been open since 2023. “For some of the most popular games, people come out, and they support their team, and it has been really good for us, but it has been really wild,” Luna said. All the local businesses that spoke to Star-Telegram agreed that Mexico’s team draws the largest crowd.

Chevron and Microsoft Sign $9b West Texas power-and-compute deal

Chevron and Microsoft announced a 20-year power purchase agreement on June 22, 2026, to co-locate a dedicated natural gas power plant with a Microsoft AI campus near Pecos in Reeves County, West Texas. The development is named Project Kilby. The project carries a total capital outlay estimated between $7 billion and $9 billion, with definitional dispersion between Bloomberg’s earlier estimate and a later figure from TD Securities.

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Project Kilby is structured around Chevron’s wholly owned subsidiary Energy Forge One LLC. Energy Forge One partners with Joulent LLC, the energy venture of investment firm Engine No. 1. Joulent holds a 50 percent equity option in the project. The site covers more than 2,000 acres in Reeves County at the heart of the Permian Basin. TD Securities analyst Jason Gabelman estimated the capital outlay at approximately $9 billion, assuming predominantly project-financed capital at a developer internal rate of return of roughly 15 percent, which implies Microsoft pays approximately $150 per megawatt-hour under the PPA. The plant will ramp to 2.67 GW of nameplate generation capacity, built in phases. Microsoft will add approximately 2 GW of data center capacity over the next five to seven years to serve AI and cloud workloads. The agreement creates more than 6,000 construction jobs and generates hundreds of permanent operational roles.

Texas A&M cleared after NSF research security review

The National Science Foundation found no violations in a major Texas A&M University contract that came under scrutiny when a key GOP leader alleged that the institution failed to protect other federally funded research from entities linked to the Chinese military. U.S. Rep. John Moolenaar, a Michigan Republican who chairs the House of Representatives' select committee on China, had urged the NSF to conduct a review and pause funding for a project known as SECURE, or “Safeguarding the Entire Community of the U.S. Research Ecosystem.” A&M received the five-year, $17 million contract in 2024 and is now analyzing data to identify and mitigate federal research risks with foreign organizations. The University of Washington received $50 million for its part in the initiative.

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“NSF found no violations of the SECURE award terms and conditions,” Mike England, head of media affairs at the NSF, said in an email to the Houston Chronicle on Friday. “NSF takes research security very seriously and remains focused on maintaining robust oversight of the SECURE program.” Moolenaar did not accuse Texas A&M or the University of Washington of breaking the law as they work with SECURE, which stemmed from the CHIPS and Science Act under the Biden administration. In a letter to the NSF in March, he said he worried that the universities advancing the country's research security frameworks allegedly "collaborate with China’s defense research and industrial base, its nuclear weapons programs, its mass surveillance infrastructure, and institutions on U.S. government national security lists." A&M officials defended their research practices in a statement to the Houston Chronicle after Moolenaar urged the NSF to pause funding in March. They then submitted letters to the NSF and NASA, describing their policies in more detail and stating that A&M currently has no agreements or contracts with Chinese entities. Moolenaar, who previously described a vision to remake SECURE into a new national research security center, reaffirmed his belief that A&M has had "multiple research security failures where it published research with Chinese entities the U.S. government has designated as national security risks."

National Stories

Democratic socialists hope to build on NYC wins in Colorado primaries

After victories in New York City, democratic socialists are taking their fight against the Democratic establishment to Colorado. On Tuesday, Rep. Diana DeGette will face her toughest reelection fight yet, against 29-year-old attorney and democratic socialist Melat Kiros, who was born months after she won her seat in Congress, 30 years ago. Kiros, who was fired from her law firm in 2023 after writing an open letter criticizing her employers’ response to pro-Palestinian protests, told ABC News she hopes to build on the movement’s momentum from last Tuesday in New York and channel voters’ anger with the political system.

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“Ultimately, folks are really tired of the party failing to meaningfully represent the values and policies that are extremely popular with our base,” she said. “And we're looking for leaders that are unbought and unafraid to stand up to a lot of these corporations and special interests that have gotten us into this mess in the first place.” While Kiros has netted the endorsement of progressive stalwart Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vermont) and some left-leaning groups, the race does not break down evenly along ideological fault lines. DeGette is a leading member of the Congressional Progressive Caucus who has led Democratic messaging on abortion rights and served as a House impeachment manager during President Trump’s second impeachment trial. Unlike some incumbent Democrats facing primaries, she has criticized Israel’s handling of the war in Gaza and voted against additional U.S. military aid to Israel. “Denver knows I don’t back down. That’s why I’m taking on Donald Trump to protect our reproductive freedom, abolish ICE, and pass Medicare for All. Together we’ll win and deliver on our progressive values,” DeGette said in a statement to ABC News.

Supreme Court rejects Trump push to toss $5M E. Jean Carroll verdict

The Supreme Court on Monday rejected a push by President Donald Trump to throw out a jury’s $5 million finding that he sexually abused the writer E. Jean Carroll at a New York City department store in the mid-1990s and later defamed her. The high court declined to take up the case in a brief, unexplained order, as is typical. There were no noted dissents. Trump also plans to appeal another $83.3 million verdict awarded to Carroll by a different jury after a second defamation trial, his lawyers have said. The decision comes as the court hands down its biggest opinions, including a ruling that expands his firing power over the federal bureaucracy with the exception of the Federal Reserve. Trump called the decision to pass on the Carroll case “surprising” in a social media post, and he said he would continue to fight the defamation claims. “This Case is really against the United States of America, and all it stands for,” he wrote.

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Trump’s lawyers had argued that allegations leading to the verdict were propped up by “highly inflammatory” evidentiary rulings, including those that allowed the testimony of two other women who accused Trump of sexual abuse decades ago. Trump has denied all three women’s allegations. Trump’s attorneys argued the judge broke federal evidence rules in the case. They framed it as a distraction from Trump’s unique duties as president, though the verdict came before his return to the White House. “This mistreatment of a President cannot be allowed to stand,” Attorney Justin D. Smith wrote in court documents. Trump, a Republican, has since nominated Smith to be an appeals court judge. His lawyers called the case “Liberal Lawfare” in a statement on Monday. Carroll’s lawyers had urged the justices to pass on the case. They argued that the women’s testimony was relevant because the allegations were similar and that Judge Lewis Kaplan’s decisions were in line with others around the country. “This question is not worthy of review,” wrote attorney Roberta Kaplan, who is not related to the judge.

Supreme Court OKs late-arriving mailed ballots in loss for Trump

The Supreme Court on June 29 said Mississippi can count late-arriving mail-in ballots, handing a defeat to President Donald Trump, who is trying to curtail voting by mail. The court upheld a state law allowing ballots cast by Election Day to be counted if they’re received within five days. Justice Amy Coney Barrett and Chief Justice John Roberts joined the court's three liberal justices in backing the law. "The question today is not whether requiring ballots to be received by election day is a good or bad idea; the question is whether the idea has made its way into the United States Code," Barrett wrote for the 5-4 majority. And federal law, she concluded, dictates only that voters make a choice by a specific day, not that their ballots must be received on that day.

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In dissent, Justice Samuel Alito said accepting late-arriving ballots "effectively postpones the date on which the electorate's choice is made, and federal law precludes that postponement." "Allowing absentee ballots to pour in over the days and weeks after election day, by which point preliminary elections returns are being publicly reported, creates greater opportunity for fraud and risks further undermining the public's confidence in election integrity," he wrote. More than a dozen states have laws similar to Mississippi. Additional states allow late-arriving ballots from military and overseas voters. Voting by mail has decreased since its peak during the COVID-19 pandemic. But nearly 30% of voters still cast a ballot that way in the 2024 elections. Democrats are more likely than Republicans to vote by mail. Supporters of mail-in voting say it makes it easier for people – including retirees, service members and rural residents – to cast a ballot. And grace periods prevent people from losing their vote over postal service delays. But Trump has long railed against mail-in voting as vulnerable to fraud, despite casting a ballot by mail himself in March. He has claimed without evidence that mail-in voting cost him the 2020 election.

How Trump chose a former Oklahoma state trooper to lead ICE — and handed Markwayne Mullin a win

After an occasionally rocky start in his new post, Homeland Security Secretary Markwayne Mullin won an internal debate when President Donald Trump announced he was nominating Lance Schroyer, a former Oklahoma state trooper, to lead Immigration and Customs Enforcement, five sources familiar with the dynamic told CNN. The federal agency, which falls under DHS, is charged with carrying out Trump’s pledge of mass deportations; if confirmed, Schroyer would lead that task as the administration tries to deliver unprecedented results. He’d be charged with increasing immigration arrests and ramping up detention space, even as the administration had to sell or find ways to repurpose some warehouses that received bipartisan pushback. All three ICE directors in the second Trump administration have served in an acting capacity.

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One of Mullin’s first tasks after assuming the role of secretary in March was selecting a leader for the agency after then-Acting Director Todd Lyons announced his departure. Mullin originally proposed a different candidate, Tulsa County Sheriff Vic Regalado, which caused friction with some White House officials, who did not think he was the correct fit, the sources said. (Regalado said publicly he took himself out of consideration.) When it became clear that Mullin’s first choice was not going to get White House support, Mullin turned to Schroyer, whom he called a “good friend of mine” at a National Sheriffs’ Association event this year. Schroyer currently serves as a senior adviser to Mullin and was part of Mullin’s security detail in the Senate. But there were internal disagreements over whether he was the right fit, particularly when the administration is under pressure to show results from the president’s immigration crackdown, the sources said. “[Schroyer] is Markwayne’s person— but he was ultimately appointed by the president,” one source said, noting that Trump has interviewed Schroyer and liked him.

Trump nominates Acting Labor Secretary to lead department

President Trump said Monday that he would nominate Keith Sonderling as labor secretary. Sonderling has served as acting head of the department since Trump’s first labor secretary, Lori Chavez-DeRemer, resigned in April after a tumultuous tenure at the agency. He will need Senate confirmation for the permanent role. In a social-media post, Trump said that Sonderling “has proven his dedication to delivering strong results for Hardworking People of our Country” and “will do an incredible job in his new role.” In a statement on X, Sonderling said that he’s grateful for Trump’s “trust and confidence” and looks forward to “advancing the President’s agenda on behalf of America’s workers, families, unions, and job creators.”

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Sonderling was previously deputy labor secretary. He also worked in the Labor Department during the first Trump administration, as the acting administrator of the agency’s Wage and Hour Division. Sonderling worked as commissioner of the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission from September 2020 until August 2024, a Senate-confirmed role. Chavez-DeRemer, a former Republican congresswoman who was an unusual choice for labor secretary in a Republican administration, left the department amid a continuing inspector general investigation that looked at allegations of misused taxpayer funds and an improper relationship with a member of her security team. The results of that investigation have yet to be released. Chavez-DeRemer has denied wrongdoing. Her nomination was backed by Teamsters President Sean O’Brien, and she received support from more than a dozen Senate Democrats.

Trump is using a $500M no-bid contract to build his White House ballroom

White House officials last year secretly awarded a no-bid contract worth up to $500 million for the construction of the East Wing ballroom in an unusual arrangement that sidestepped typical contracting procedures designed to control costs, according to a copy of the agreement obtained by The Washington Post. The White House routed the contract through the Executive Residence, the document shows, an office that is exempt from rules that require federal agencies to solicit competitive bids and disclose details to the public. The office is typically responsible for routine repairs, entertainment expenses, and the purchase of furniture, art and other items for the executive mansion. The confidential contract with Clark Construction, along with related correspondence and records obtained by The Post, reveal for the first time how the Trump administration bypassed norms last summer as it set the ballroom project in motion.

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Records also show that President Donald Trump was directly involved in negotiating some costs for the East Wing project. The East Wing contract is the latest example of the administration turning to no-bid deals to hasten a Trump-style makeover of the nation’s capital, which has included handpicking firms to upgrade Lafayette Square next to the White House and to renovate the Lincoln Memorial Reflecting Pool. Competitive bidding is generally required at most federal agencies. Experts said the Executive Residence is exempt from those rules, and the president has legal authority to hire companies of his choosing to make changes to the executive mansion and the surrounding grounds. Those experts said soliciting bids would have ensured the best price for taxpayers, especially given the size and cost of the East Wing project. “I would certainly expect them to compete a project of this size and complexity,” said Anthony Costa, a former General Services Administration official who oversaw complex government real estate projects during a career that spanned four presidential administrations.

Copyright June 30, 2026, Harvey Kronberg, www.quorumreport.com, All rights are reserved