Happy Friday! This is a great weekend for television — the third and final season of “Squid Game” is out on Netflix, and “The Bear” is also back! Oh, and did you know, that infamous debate between Biden and Trump was one year ago today?
In today’s packed Supreme Court edition:
- President hails limiting judges’ power
- Trump’s birthright citizenship win
- Court backs LGBTQ book opt-outs
- Porn site age-verification law upheld
🚨️ THE SUPREME COURT
Going out with a bang:
To close out its term, the Supreme Court fired off major decision after major decision this morning.
1 — Birthright citizenship:
The Supreme Court delivered President Trump a major win this morning, allowing his executive order to restrict birthright citizenship to go into effect in some areas of the country — at least for now.
Importantly, the high court’s ruling limits the ability of federal judges across the country to issue nationwide injunctions blocking Trump’s policies. The White House is thrilled (more below on that).
The ruling: 6-3, along ideological lines. Liberal Justices Sonia Sotomayor, Elena Kagan and Ketanji Brown Jackson issued fiery dissent over the conservative court’s decision.
But here’s the thing: The court didn’t weigh in on the constitutionality of Trump’s executive order. Instead, the justices weighed in on whether three federal judges have the power to block Trump’s order nationwide. The court ruled those judges went too far. But the administration has to wait 30 days before attempting to deny citizenship to anyone.
There are still legal challenges to the constitutionality of restricting birthright citizenship, so this may not be the end of the issue.
Trump took a victory lap: He called it a “GIANT WIN” in a quick social media post. He then held a press conference to celebrate what he hailed as a “monumental” ruling, praising Justice Amy Coney Barrett and giving a shout-out to each of the conservative justices by name.
“That was meant for the babies of slaves. It wasn’t meant for people trying to scam the system and come into the country on a vacation,” Trump said, referring to the Fourteenth Amendment of the Constitution.
Attorney General Pam Bondi chimed in at the podium. “The judges have tried to cease the executive branch’s power and they cannot do that. No longer,” Bondi said, bashing “rogue” judges who she claims have “turned district courts into the imperial judiciary.”
“Active liberal [judges] have used these injunctions to block virtually all of President Trump’s policies,” Bondi told reporters. 💻 Watch Trump’s presser
Backstory: Trump issued an executive order restricting birthright citizenship for children born in the U.S. with parents who do not have permanent legal status.
2 — Parent opt-out options for LGBTQ+ books:
The court sided with religious parents this morning, allowing parents of Maryland elementary school children to opt out of classroom discussions involving LGBTQ+-inclusive books.
The ruling: 6-3, along ideological lines. The three liberal justices dissented.
3 — Age verification for porn sites:
The Supreme Court ruled that Texas’s age-verification law for porn websites *is* constitutional.
The ruling: 6-3, along ideological lines. The three liberal justices dissented.
The case: Texas has a law requiring porn sites to verify that users are at least 18 years old. The Supreme Court was weighing whether this law is a violation of the First Amendment. Twenty other states have similar laws, so this ruling could limit porn access.
4 — ObamaCare’s preventative care requirements:
The Supreme Court sided with the Trump administration in allowing Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. to appoint and fire members of an ObamaCare task force.
The ruling: 6-3. Justice Brett Kavanaugh authored the opinion.
The case: Is a task force created by ObamaCare that determines free preventative care services constitutional?
5 — Federal internet subsidies:
The court upheld a multibillion-dollar federal subsidy program to give internet to rural and poor Americans.
The ruling: 6-3. Justice Elena Kagan wrote the opinion. Justices Clarence Thomas, Samuel Alito and Neil Gorsuch dissented.
The case: The court weighed whether programs that bring high-speed internet to rural and poor communities are a violation of the separation of powers. Read more
❌ 6 — Racial redistricting:
The Supreme Court did *not* rule on this case and will rehear arguments next term.
The case: Can Louisiana continue to use its congressional map that includes two majority-Black districts, or is that unconstitutional racial gerrymandering? Read more on the case
📸The cloudy, humid Supreme Court today
🎆 ON CAPITOL HILL
It’s an uncharacteristically lively Friday on the Hill:
Republicans are barreling toward their own deadline to pass President Trump’s legislative agenda, even after the Senate parliamentarian threw a grenade into their plan.
How’s that going?: Trump has cranked up the pressure on the GOP, despite the hurdles. Senate Majority Leader John Thune (R-S.D.) says he has “contingency plans, plan B, plan C.”
Trump was asked what he thinks about the parliamentarian’s ruling: “The parliamentarian’s been a little difficult. I would say that I disagree with the parliamentarian on some things and on other ways [she’s] been fine.”
Is the July 4 deadline still possible?: Technically, yes, but it’s tricky. Here’s a helpful explainer.
Why gutting some Medicaid cuts from the bill was such a big blow: Republicans needed those steep Medicaid cuts to pay for the rest of the bill. Without that component, they’re back to the drawing board without those hundreds of billions of dollars in savings to offset the cost of their legislation. The Hill’s Nathaniel Weixel wrote a helpful explainer.
This is some Olympic-level ping-ponging: Speaker Mike Johnson (R-La.) said this morning that the House may need to amend the Senate bill. That would mean the bill would need to head *back* to the Senate again, explains The Hill’s Mychael Schnell. Like a game of hot potato!
Tidbit: Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent will attend the Senate GOP lunch today, per Punchbowl News.
➤ THE PARLIAMENTARIAN PULLED OUT HER RED PEN AGAIN:
Senate parliamentarian Elizabeth MacDonough rejected another part of the “big, beautiful bill.” She ruled against a Republican attempt to exempt some religious colleges from a tax carve-out. She also ruled against Republicans’ gun silencer deregulation. Read more
➤ MEANWHILE ON THE HOUSE SIDE:
House lawmakers received a briefing this morning on the U.S. strikes against Iran. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth, Secretary of State Marco Rubio, Joint Chiefs Chair Gen. Dan Caine and CIA Director John Ratcliffe led it, per Politico.
COMING UP
The House and Senate are in today. President Trump is in Washington. (All times EST)
3 p.m.: Trump meets with the foreign ministers of the Democratic Republic of Congo and the Republic of Rwanda.
6 p.m.: The Senate votes on Sen. Tim Kaine’s (D-Va.) war powers resolution on Iran. 📆Today’s agenda
Sunday: Sens. Markwayne Mullin (R-Okla.) and Chris Murphy (D-Conn.) and New York City mayoral candidate Zohran Mamdani will appear on NBC’s “Meet the Press.”
🐝 INTERNET BUZZ
🎂 Celebrate: Today is National Ice Cream Cake Day! It feels like the perfect weekend to make this one.
🍕 ‘Did Busy Pizza Shops Really Predict US Airstrikes on Iran?’: An account on social platform X has been tracking the activity of pizza shops near the Pentagon, based on Google’s “popular times” data, suggesting it may predict foreign policy events. Washingtonian spoke with an intelligence expert to weigh in on whether this may be an accurate measure. ✖️ The Pentagon Pizza Report X account
🐾 ‘Here’s the mail, it never fails, it makes me wanna wag my tail’: Steve Burns, the original host of “Blue’s Clues,” is launching a podcast for adults. “When it comes I wanna wail, MAAAAIL!”
🍦 I will wake up in a cold sweat because of this headline: The Atlantic’s Yasmin Tayag writes, “Brace Yourself for Watery Mayo and Spiky Ice Cream.” The gist: “Emulsifiers have become targets in RFK Jr.’s push to remove many additives from the American diet. But without them, food wouldn’t be the same.”
👋 AND FINALLY…
To leave you on a good note before the weekend, here’s a bird creatively scavenging for nest materials.