NPR News: 06-29-2026 5PM EDT

Ryland Barton· Host0:00

Live from NPR News in Washington, I'm Ryland Barton. The Supreme Court rejected President Trump's attacks on state laws regarding mail-in ballots. The decision leaves in place laws in more than half of states and the District of Columbia that permit mailed ballots to be counted after the election, as long as they're postmarked by election day. Trump says mail-in voting breeds fraud, despite strong evidence to the contrary. And President Trump boasted of a new Supreme Court ruling today that gives him greater executive power over independent agencies. NPR's Franco Ordoñez reports the high court ruled Trump can fire certain independent regulators.

Franco Ordoñez0:35

The ruling overturns an almost 100-year-old previous court ruling that provided greater protections for certain agencies to maintain their independence. In a social media post, Trump wrote that it was an honor to be the, quote, "sitting president who won this historic and unprecedented ruling." The case centered on Trump's right to fire a member of the Federal Trade Commission, but the ruling has much deeper implications and could serve as precedent for more than two dozen independent agencies across the federal government, including the National Labor Relations Board and the Consumer Product Safety Commission. But the court also ruled that Trump cannot immediately fire Federal Reserve Governor Lisa Cook. Franco Ordoñez, NPR News, the White House.

Ryland Barton· Host1:21

The Justice Department is changing the name of a division that focuses on environmental litigation and enforcement. NPR's Jacqueline Diaz has more.

Jacqueline Diaz1:28

The new name for the DOJ's