Supreme Court's Big Decisions, Tick Bites Rising & World Cup Upsets - Tuesday, June 30, 2026

**Erica Mandy** (0:00)
Today is Tuesday, June 30th. We'll tell you about four more major rulings from the US. Supreme Court, impacting mail-in ballots, presidential power, and President Trump himself. Also, what to know about a controversial ICE arrest involving a nun. Plus, where experts say tick bites are on the rise this year, the latest look at the hot weather expected for the upcoming holiday weekend, and how the first shootouts of this year's World Cup sent soccer giants back home. Those stories and even more news coming up.
Welcome to The NewsWorthy, all the day's news in less than 15 minutes. I'm Erica Mandy. Thanks so much for being here. Let's do this.
The US. Supreme Court handed down two major rulings this week that together mark one of the biggest shifts in presidential power in decades. Though for President Trump, they represent a mix of good and bad news. For starters, there was a six to three decision that lets Trump remove leaders of once independent federal agencies at will, meaning even without giving any specific cause. This impacts the FTC and roughly two other regulatory agencies. Republicans who celebrated the rulings say it will make the government more accountable to voters who elect the president, not the regulators. But Democrats worry it will lead to regulations being politicized when it comes to product safety, nuclear energy, elections and more. Either way, this throws out 90 years of precedent. In a separate five to four decision, the High Court made it harder for Trump or future presidents to remove members of the Federal Reserve. More specifically, it blocked Trump from firing Fed Governor Lisa Cook over allegations of mortgage fraud that she says are baseless. What's the difference between Trump's firing power at the FTC versus the Fed? Well, the Supreme Court majority wrote in its Cook ruling that the Federal Reserve has a different structure that actually traces back to the first national banks from before the Constitution was even written.
Still, the ruling technically just says Cook can keep her job while a lawsuit challenging her firing plays out in lower courts. So the case could take months or years to really resolve and may end up appearing again before the Supreme Court. But justices yesterday say she's still likely to eventually come out on top.
The US. Supreme Court also handed down a ruling that impacts the upcoming midterms and all future elections after that. In a five to four decision, the High Court let states collect and count mail-in ballots that arrive after election day, so long as they're postmarked on time. President Trump has said the rule undermines the integrity of federal elections, paving the way for voter fraud. But the majority of justices ruled elections happen when a voter makes their choice, not when ballots are received. Grace periods are in place in 29 states around the country, along with Washington, DC. So for now, they stand.
Separately, the high court dealt the president a personal defeat. It rejected Trump's final effort to toss the civil verdict that found he sexually abused magazine writer E. Jean Carroll in the 1990s, then defamed her by saying she lied about it. With that, Trump will actually have to pay her $5 million in damages. And that marks the end of this specific case. Today, the US. Supreme Court says it will hand down the rest of the rulings from this term. So expect to hear decisions on birthright citizenship, transgender athlete bans, campaign finance, and more.
It's now the sixth day of searching for survivors from devastating earthquakes in Venezuela. And sadly, the chances of finding more people alive are dwindling. As of this morning, the death toll has topped 1,700, with more than 5,000 people hurt and 16,000 displaced. But those numbers are expected to go up by a lot. Experts say it could be weeks before the true figures are known, though even now, the Venezuelan government says it's not giving up hope, especially since just yesterday, another 21-year-old man was pulled from the rubble alive despite being trapped for 106 hours. Acting President Delci Rodriguez says more than 25,000 emergency workers, police officers and soldiers have been helping. And more help has been coming from all around the world, including the US., where the Trump administration pledged even more aid yesterday. It's badly needed, especially in areas where people say they haven't seen any help and have had to carry out much of the rescue mission themselves without the proper equipment.
Meanwhile, Venezuelan Americans are now calling on the White House to halt deportations to a country that's not ready, arguing it could further strain the systems that should be focused on recovery. One deportation flight from Miami had actually arrived in Venezuela just hours before last week's earthquake. More than 160 people were on board, and activists say most of them died when the hotel they were staying in collapsed. So far, no comment from the White House about that or future deportation flights.