The briefing for Friday, June 26.

The Supreme Court ruled 6-3 Thursday that the Trump administration can terminate temporary protected status for approximately 350,000 Haitian and 6,000 Syrian immigrants, potentially exposing them to deportation. The decision found that courts cannot review the Department of Homeland Security's decisions about the program, which currently shields 1.3 million people from 17 countries. Justice Samuel Alito wrote that the law governing TPS clearly prevents judicial review of these determinations.

The ruling's impact extends beyond Haiti and Syria. The Trump administration has already ended TPS for about 1 million people from 13 countries, including 650,000 Venezuelans and 50,000 Hondurans, with decisions pending for 200,000 Salvadorans and 100,000 Ukrainians. Immigration lawyers argued that both Haiti and Syria remain unsafe for return and that the administration failed to properly assess country conditions before terminating protections, but the court majority rejected claims that the decisions were racially motivated despite Trump's 2024 campaign statements about Haitian immigrants.

The three liberal justices dissented, with Justice Elena Kagan writing that government statements "fairly shout, in their racial undertones and overtones alike, that race entered into the President's resolve to remove Haitians from this country." TPS recipients will likely lose work authorization within 32 days when the decision takes effect, forcing families to choose between voluntary departure or deportation proceedings. Local governments warn of economic disruption and family separations as people are forced back to countries facing violence and humanitarian crises.

Two powerful earthquakes struck Venezuela Wednesday evening near Caracas, killing at least 235 people and injuring more than 1,500, according to the country's National Assembly. The US Geological Survey measured the quakes at 7.2 and 7.5 magnitude, occurring seconds apart at shallow depths that intensified the destruction. Both struck close to the surface—20.3 kilometers and 10 kilometers deep respectively—making the damage more severe across the capital and coastal areas.

The earthquakes hit at 6:04 PM local time on a national holiday, meaning more people were at home than on a typical weekday. Rescuers are searching through rubble in Caracas and the coastal city of La Guaira, where a 10-story hotel was reduced to debris and 250 buildings were damaged or destroyed. Venezuela's main international airport in Maiquetía has been closed due to serious damage, with footage showing dust and debris falling from terminal ceilings. At least 30 aftershocks have rippled through the area since the initial quakes.

The United States pledged $150 million in emergency aid and is sending military transport ships and aircraft to support search and rescue operations. The USGS warned that high casualties and extensive damage are probable, estimating a 42% chance of more than 10,000 deaths based on factors including previous similar earthquakes and nearby population density. Venezuela lies over the meeting point of two tectonic plates, and the earthquakes were likely caused by sudden friction release between them.

A federal appeals court ruled Tuesday that the Trump administration can resume expedited deportations of undocumented migrants throughout the United States, not just near the border. The three-judge panel of the D.C. Circuit Court overturned a lower court decision that had temporarily blocked the practice, delivering a major victory for the administration's mass deportation policy. Expedited removal allows quick deportation without a chance to appear before a judge.

The practice was previously limited to migrants arriving by sea or caught at or near the border shortly after crossing. President Trump expanded its use in January to cover undocumented migrants anywhere in the country, and immigration agents began removing people from courthouses where they had gone for immigration proceedings, deporting them within days. The administration argued that expedited removal is a critical tool used by presidents of both parties to manage asylum seekers.

Immigration advocates criticized the ruling as subjecting people to an unfair and error-prone system. The ACLU's Anand Balakrishnan said the decision "undermines the fundamental principle" of due process protections. While the policy isn't currently in place, the court's decision clears the way for its potential revival as authorities continue imposing other restrictions on asylum seekers.

The Supreme Court sided 7-2 with Bayer on Thursday, blocking thousands of lawsuits alleging the company failed to warn that its Roundup weedkiller could cause cancer. The decision found that federal regulations preempt state failure-to-warn lawsuits because the Environmental Protection Agency determined a cancer link is unlikely and does not require warning labels. The ruling is expected to significantly contain litigation that has included multibillion-dollar verdicts against the German agrochemical manufacturer.

The case centered on Missouri resident John Durnell, who developed non-Hodgkin's lymphoma after more than 20 years using Roundup on parks in his St. Louis community. A jury awarded him $1.25 million, but the Supreme Court found Bayer cannot face such state court lawsuits due to federal regulatory authority. There remains fierce scientific debate about glyphosate, Roundup's key ingredient—the World Health Organization classified it as "probably carcinogenic" in 2015, while the EPA determined it's not likely to cause cancer when used as directed.

Bayer called the decision "good for science, farmers, and industries that depend on regulatory clarity for innovation." The company plans to proceed with a proposed $7.25 billion class-action settlement to resolve remaining claims from approximately 200,000 Roundup-related cases. Environmental groups and plaintiff attorneys denounced the ruling, with Beyond Pesticides calling it "a tragic setback for public and environmental health." The decision could prove politically complicated for the Trump administration, given allies in the "Make America Healthy Again" movement want to restrict pesticide use.

A federal judge halted President Trump's executive order Thursday that sought to create a federal voter list and restrict mail ballot access, the second voting-related order blocked in two days. U.S. District Judge Indira Talwani granted summary judgment to a coalition of nearly two dozen states that challenged the order, ruling that its provisions are "legally void" because they "unconstitutionally violate the separation of powers." The ruling applies to this year's midterm election cycle.

Nearly two dozen states argued that Trump's order was unconstitutional because states and Congress, not the president, have authority to set election rules. The order would have required using the U.S. Postal Service to determine who can receive mail ballots and created a federal list of eligible voters. Judge Talwani, nominated by President Obama, agreed that these provisions exceeded presidential authority. A separate ruling Wednesday had already blocked an executive order requiring citizenship documentation for voter registration.

Arizona Attorney General Kris Mayes, a Democrat, celebrated the decision, noting that nearly 80% of ballots in Arizona are cast by mail. She emphasized the importance of mail voting for military families, voters in rural areas, and Native Americans on tribal lands. The Trump administration is expected to appeal both rulings as it continues efforts to reshape federal oversight of elections.

The Federal Reserve's preferred inflation measure rose to 4.1% in May compared to a year earlier, the highest annual increase since April 2023, the Commerce Department reported Thursday. The rise was driven largely by elevated gas prices that peaked last month near $4.50 per gallon nationwide, as well as more expensive semiconductors and computer equipment in high demand for AI infrastructure. Monthly inflation was 0.4% in May, matching April's increase.

Core prices, excluding volatile energy and food categories, rose 3.4% year-over-year in May, up from 3.3% in April and the largest increase since October 2023. On a monthly basis, core prices increased 0.3% from April to May. Gas prices have since fallen to $3.92 per gallon following Trump's peace deal with Iran, but the sustained inflation has kept the Federal Reserve from cutting interest rates this year despite earlier expectations for two cuts.

New Fed Chair Kevin Warsh emphasized the central bank's commitment to reaching its 2% inflation target but gave no indication of next steps. Some economists now expect the Fed could raise rates this year rather than cut them, expectations that have contributed to stock market declines this week. The persistent inflation could pose political challenges for President Trump heading into the midterm elections.