NPR News: 06-29-2026 7PM 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 that deal with mail-in ballots today. The decision leaves in place laws in more than half the states in Washington, D.C., that permit mailed ballots to be counted after an election, as long as they're postmarked by election day. NPR's Ashley Lopez has more on the decision.

Ashley Lopez0:21

In a five-four ruling where two conservative justices, Amy Coney Barrett and John Roberts, sided with the liberal wing of the court. They said that Mississippi's law isn't violating federal statute. Justice Barrett authored the, this opinion. She wrote that states have the right to maintain some latitude in how they run their elections, which includes how they run their mail-in ballot programs. And while this might be out of step with President Trump and some GOP officials, this is actually historically a, a pretty conservative principle. The majority also said in clear language that voting is happening when voters fill out a ballot- Mm-hmm ... not when ballots are making their way through the mail.

Ryland Barton· Host0:54

NPR's Ashley Lopez reporting. And the Supreme Court rejected President Trump's push to throw out a jury's $5 million finding that he sexually abused writer E. Jean Carroll at a New York City department store in the mid-1990s, and later defamed her. The decision in the civil case comes about two years after the court granted Trump broad immunity from criminal prosecution. President Trump says he hasn't decided whether he'll sign a bipartisan housing bill. NPR's Steve, Steven Bisaha reports.

Stephen Bisaha1:22

Speaking with reporters in the Oval Office, President Trump dismissed the housing bill as unimportant.

Donald Trump· Soundbite1:27

Big deal. It's a yawn.