A roundup of key developments across the United States on June 29, 2026
Supreme Court: Trump Can Fire Some Agency Heads, But Not Fed Governor Cook
The U.S. Supreme Court delivered a pair of landmark rulings on Monday that simultaneously expanded and constrained President Donald Trump’s authority over independent federal agencies, in a dramatic final week of the term focused on executive power.
In a 5-4 ruling, the justices blocked Trump’s unprecedented bid to fire Federal Reserve Governor Lisa Cook, standing firm to preserve the central bank’s cherished independence. Conservative Chief Justice John Roberts and fellow conservative Justice Brett Kavanaugh joined the court’s three liberal justices in the majority, while Conservative Justices Clarence Thomas, Samuel Alito, Neil Gorsuch and Amy Coney Barrett dissented.
Roberts, who authored the ruling, said Trump “failed to afford Cook the procedural protections to which she was entitled by statute”. The Fed governors “do not serve at the president’s pleasure – they instead serve staggered 14-year terms, and may be removed only ‘for cause,’” Roberts added.
Trump had cited unproven mortgage fraud allegations in trying to oust Cook last August – the first Black woman to serve as a Fed governor – while she called that a pretext to remove her for monetary policy differences. Cook’s term was due to run until 2038. The ruling marks the first time since Congress created the central bank in 1913 that the Supreme Court has blocked a president from removing a Fed official.
However, in a separate case also decided Monday, the court backed Trump’s firing of a Democratic Federal Trade Commission member, overturning its own 1935 precedent that had protected leaders of certain regulatory agencies from at-will presidential removal. The ruling fortifies the president’s powers to fire members of independent government agencies broadly, while carving out explicit protections for the Federal Reserve.
Supreme Court Endorses Mail-In Ballot Grace Periods
In another 5-4 ruling, the Supreme Court backed state laws that allow mail-in ballots received after Election Day to be counted, rejecting a Republican-led challenge to a five-day grace period in Mississippi. Justice Amy Coney Barrett wrote the majority opinion, joining the court’s three liberals and Chief Justice Roberts.
Mississippi’s law permits mail-in ballots to be counted if they were postmarked on or before Election Day but received up to five business days after a federal election. About 30 states and the District of Columbia accept at least some ballots that are postmarked on or before Election Day but received afterward. Trump had vowed to end the use of mail-in ballots nationwide before this November’s congressional elections and issued an executive order in March to restrict them – but a federal judge in Boston blocked its implementation on June 25.
Supreme Court Orders Reconsideration of ‘Geofence’ Warrant Case
In a third major decision, the justices voted 6-3 to throw out a lower court’s ruling in a Virginia man’s challenge to a “geofence” warrant used by police to access cellphone location data near a crime scene. The court agreed that a search had occurred but sent the case back to a lower court for further analysis.
The case involved Okello Chatrie, who conditionally pleaded guilty in 2022 to robbing a credit union and was sentenced to nearly 12 years in prison. Google location data placed Chatrie at the crime scene along with 18 other users who had opted in to the company’s “location history” feature. The ruling highlights ongoing tensions between the Fourth Amendment’s protections against unreasonable searches and digital-age investigative methods.
Politics: Biden Calls Trump a “Loser” in Scathing Speech
Former President Joe Biden launched a blistering attack on his successor over the weekend, describing President Donald Trump as “a loser” while charging his administration with “systemic corruption, procedural failure, and a tendency to prioritise personal vanity above national governance”.
Speaking at a gala event in Maryland, Biden attacked Trump’s plans to construct a ballroom and his approach to renovating Washington D.C.’s Reflecting Pool, calling them “vanity projects”. The speech marked one of Biden’s sharpest attacks on Trump since leaving office.
Meanwhile, a rift within the Republican Party over the SAVE America Act continues to intensify, with the online MAGA movement warring with Senate Republicans who oppose the measure.
Economy: Markets Rally on US-Iran Truce, SpaceX IPO Sets Records
Wall Street rallied sharply on Monday as easing geopolitical tensions lifted sentiment. The S&P 500 gained 1.34% to 25,637.39, while the Nasdaq jumped over 1% as investors returned to technology stocks after a volatile week. The Dow Jones Industrial Average rose about 272 points.
The rally followed reports that the United States and Iran had agreed to halt attacks and would meet Tuesday in Qatar for further discussions. Technology shares led the rebound, with AI software stocks surging – Roblox jumped nearly 12%, while Palantir rose over 4% after announcing a deal with Nvidia to run AI models in sovereign environments.
In a milestone for U.S. capital markets, SpaceX has pushed U.S. share sales to a record $251 billion at mid-year, with Wall Street bankers buoyed by record-setting offerings from SpaceX and Google parent Alphabet Inc.
Economic data remains solid, led by continued job gains and strong consumer spending, though the Nasdaq and S&P 500 are down for the month overall. The U.S. economy grew 2.1% in the first quarter of 2026, as a slowdown in consumer spending was offset by stronger business fixed investment, which rose 10.6% driven by the AI buildout.
International: US and Iran Agree to Pause Attacks, Plan Qatar Talks
The United States and Iran have agreed to stop attacking each other and plan to meet Tuesday in Qatar to resolve their dispute over the Strait of Hormuz, according to U.S. officials. “We decided to stop all the kinetic activity,” a senior U.S. official told Axios, using a military term for strikes.
President Trump said on social media that Iran had requested the meeting. Trump’s top envoys – Special Envoy Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner – will travel to Doha for the high-level talks. “As far as we’re concerned, we’re holding up our end of the ceasefire. Violence will be met with violence,” Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt told Fox News.
The truce follows tit-for-tat strikes that threatened to derail a fragile June 17 memorandum of understanding. An Iranian projectile hit a cargo vessel in the strait on Thursday, prompting U.S. retaliatory strikes. The number of ships transiting the strait dropped from 48 on Friday to 22 on Saturday, according to data from maritime tracking firm Kpler. Oil prices edged higher on Monday, with Brent crude rising 0.5% to $73 a barrel.
Health: 3 Million Drop Obamacare Plans as Costs Surge
Three million fewer Americans had Affordable Care Act health insurance plans in February compared to the previous year, as surging costs and the expiration of subsidies forced millions to drop coverage.
In other health news, the Trump administration has narrowed its search for a permanent FDA commissioner to three candidates: White House domestic policy aide Heidi Overton, MD, oncologist Jeffrey Vacirca, MD, and Pentagon health official Stephen Ferrara, MD. The White House is also seeking more than $1.4 billion in new funds from Congress to address the widening Ebola virus outbreak.
Former NFL star Chris Johnson announced on ABC’s “Good Morning America” that he has been diagnosed with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS).
Weather: Record-Smashing Heat Wave Scorches Central and Eastern US
A prolonged, dangerous heat wave is intensifying across most of the central and eastern United States this week. High temperatures in the 90s to low 100s Fahrenheit, combined with high humidity, will lead to heat indices of 100-110 degrees, and locally as high as 115 degrees.
“The combination of prolonged daytime heating and limited nighttime relief will increase the risk of heat-related illnesses, especially for vulnerable populations and those without adequate cooling,” the National Weather Service’s Weather Prediction Center warned. Heat advisories have been issued across multiple states, including Alabama, where temperatures are expected to climb well into the 90s.
Crime: Manhunt Underway in Mississippi Triple Homicide
Authorities in Mississippi have launched a manhunt after two women and a 2-year-old child were found dead in what officials called a “horrifying” scene in the state’s capital city of Jackson. In a separate incident, a suspected murderer in Alabama is believed to have died of a heart attack while dumping the body of a mother of three he had strangled in remote woods, according to authorities.
The ATF announced it has secured an indictment against 16 New Haven gang members for murder, attempted murder, and firearms and drug trafficking.
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