WTF Just Happened This Week

Curated by Matt Kiser, WTF Just Happened Today

6.29.26/ Today in One Sentence
The Supreme Court rejected Trump’s Justice Department and the Republican National Committee’s effort to force states to throw out mail ballots that arrive after Election Day so long as voters cast them on time; ¶ the Supreme Court declined to consider Trump’s attempt to overturn a 2023 jury verdict holding him liable for the sexual abuse and defamation of writer E. Jean Carroll; ¶ the Supreme Court expanded presidential authority over independent federal agencies; ¶ Trump said the U.S. and Iran will meet this week in Qatar for negotiations after the two agreed to “stand down for now” following attacks over the weekend; ¶ Trump nominated former Oklahoma state trooper Lance Schroyer as director of ICE; ¶ Trump’s former national security adviser pleaded guilty to mishandling classified information; ¶ Trump plans to renovate Washington, D.C.’s public East Potomac Golf Links starting Sept. 1, despite a pending federal lawsuit to stop Trump from unilaterally renovating the golf course; ¶ and 33% of Americans say they are “extremely proud” to be an American – a 25-year low.

Today's Top Top Story
The Supreme Court rejected Trump’s Justice Department and the Republican National Committee’s effort to force states to throw out mail ballots that arrive after Election Day so long as voters cast them on time. The 5-4 ruling preserves Mississippi’s five-business-day grace period and similar rules in more than a dozen states, plus separate protections for military and overseas voters elsewhere. Trump called the decision a “tremendous loss” and demanded Congress pass the SAVE America Act, again claiming opposition means “CHEATING!” without evidence. (Politico / New York Times / Wall Street Journal / NPR / Associated Press / NBC News / Axios / Bloomberg / CNBC)

6.25.26/Today in One Sentence
The Supreme Court ruled that migrants at the U.S.-Mexico border aren’t entitled to apply for asylum until they set foot in the country; ¶ the Supreme Court allowed Trump to end Temporary Protected Status for about 350,000 Haitians and 6,000 Syrians; ¶ a federal judge blocked Trump from using the Postal Service and Homeland Security to restrict who can receive mail ballots; ¶ Senate Republicans held a late night re-vote on Trump’s Iran war powers, this time rejecting a nearly identical measure that the Senate had approved the day before; ¶ Inflation rose to 4.1% in May – the highest in three years; ¶ and 53% of Americans say there’s grounds for Congress to impeach Trump.

Today's Top Story
The Supreme Court ruled that migrants at the U.S.-Mexico border aren’t entitled to apply for asylum until they set foot in the country. The decision allows Trump to revive the asylum “metering” policy, which was first used under Obama in 2016, expanded during Trump’s first term, but rescinded by Biden in 2021. It lets border agents physically block asylum seekers when ports are deemed over capacity. Justice Samuel Alito wrote that “a guest does not arrive in a house when he knocks on the front door,” while Justice Sonia Sotomayor said the court had blessed the government’s decision to “slam the door shut” on people fleeing persecution. “More people will die,” Sotomayor wrote. “More people will attempt to cross the border illegally, and some will make it while others will not.” (Politico / Reuters / NPR / Axios / Washington Post / Associated Press / NBC News / New York Times)

6.24.26/Today in One Sentence
A federal judge permanently blocked Trump from enforcing an executive order that would’ve required proof of citizenship to register to vote and forced mail ballots to be received by Election Day; ¶ a federal appeals court blocked Trump’s Justice Department from obtaining Michigan’s unredacted voter rolls; ¶ Trump abruptly canceled the signing ceremony for a major bipartisan housing affordability bill, saying he won’t sign it until Congress passes the SAVE America Act; ¶ Trump berated Senate Republicans for voting to block him from continuing his war with Iran without congressional authorization; ¶ Trump asked Congress for $87.6 billion in emergency spending for his Iran war; ¶ a federal judge temporarily blocked the Justice Department from obtaining six years of transgender patients’ medical records; ¶ and 77% of Americans say the founders would be disappointed with how the country has turned out.

Today's Top Story
A federal judge permanently blocked Trump from enforcing an executive order that would’ve required proof of citizenship to register to vote and forced mail ballots to be received by Election Day. U.S. District Judge Denise Casper ruled that the Constitution gives election authority to states and Congress, not the president, and said the Justice Department failed to support Trump’s claims of “widespread illegal voting, discrimination, fraud, and other forms of malfeasance and error.” The order also would have blocked states from counting mail ballots that arrive after Election Day even if postmarked on time, and threatened to withhold federal money from states that refused to comply. Separately, the Supreme Court is expected to decide whether 14 states can keep counting postmarked mail ballots that arrive after Election Day. (ABC News / Associated Press / NBC News)

6.23.26/Today in One Sentence
The Senate approved a war powers resolution for the first time to block Trump from continuing his war with Iran without congressional authorization; ¶ Trump insisted that Iran had “fully and completely agreed” to indefinite nuclear inspections, while Tehran denied making that commitment; ¶ a group of eight anti-ICE protesters were found guilty of terrorism-related charges and sentenced to between 30 and 100 years in prison; ¶ the Justice Department withdrew grand jury subpoenas that would have forced four national security reporters to testify about leaked information tied to Trump’s military decision-making in Iran and Venezuela; ¶ and a federal appeals court allowed the Trump administration to resume fast-track deportations of undocumented immigrants throughout the country.

Today's Top Story
The Senate approved a war powers resolution for the first time to block Trump from continuing his war with Iran without congressional authorization. Four Republicans joined Democrats to adopt the House-passed war powers resolution, 50-48. The measure directs Trump to remove U.S. forces from hostilities against Iran unless Congress declares war or authorizes military force. The resolution, however, is largely symbolic, and under the 1973 War Powers Act, a concurrent resolution passed by both the House and Senate doesn’t ​go to Trump for his signature, leaving its legal force disputed. The White House, meanwhile, dismissed the vote as having “no significance,” arguing there are “no hostilities” to end because of the April 7 ceasefire. It’s the first time both chambers have passed the same war powers measure since the 1973 law. (New York Times / Associated Press / Washington Post / CNN / NBC News / Politico / CBS News / Wall Street Journal / ABC News / Reuters / Bloomberg)

• poll/ 23% of Americans think the U.S. is in a stronger position with Iran compared with ​before the war. 24% of Americans think the war with Iran was worth the costs. (Reuters)