{"id":6343,"date":"2026-06-29T05:34:48","date_gmt":"2026-06-29T12:34:48","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/infonews.ca\/news\/7722149\/the-latest-trump-says-iran-wants-a-meeting-tehran-says-nothings-scheduled\/"},"modified":"2026-06-29T14:45:01","modified_gmt":"2026-06-29T21:45:01","slug":"live-updates-supreme-court-lets-trump-fire-agency-heads-a-dramatic-expansion-of-presidential-power","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/infonews.ca\/inwheels\/news\/6343\/live-updates-supreme-court-lets-trump-fire-agency-heads-a-dramatic-expansion-of-presidential-power\/","title":{"rendered":"Live updates: Supreme Court lets Trump fire agency heads, a dramatic expansion of presidential power"},"content":{"rendered":"

President Donald Trump has won and lost some as the Supreme Court<\/a> wraps its final week of a term focused on executive power.<\/p>\n

The justices said Monday that Trump can fire leaders of independent agencies with one exception<\/a>, ruling that central banker Lisa Cook can keep her job at the Federal Reserve for now. Trump said he would still seek to remove her.<\/p>\n

The court said states can count late-arriving mailed ballots<\/a>, rejecting a Trump-led challenge. It declined to consider Trump\u2019s push to toss a $5 million jury verdict that he sexually abused writer E. Jean Carroll<\/a>. And it turned away Trump defender Alan Dershowitz<\/a> \u2019s effort to rewrite the U.S. libel law standards.<\/p>\n

Here’s the Latest:<\/p>\n

More than 100 Venezuelans deported from the US hours before earthquakes are missing after their hotel collapses<\/p>\n

The people were being held in a hotel when earthquakes struck Venezuela, setting off a scramble to find survivors and bodies buried in the rubble, according to survivors.<\/p>\n

A deportation flight from Miami arrived in Caracas hours before Wednesday\u2019s earthquakes. On board were 146 Venezuelans, including 19 women and seven children, according to ICE Flight Monitor, an initiative of Human Rights First, which tracks deportation flights.<\/p>\n

Lisbeth Portillo, 58, said she escaped the rubble from the hotel with about 20 other deportees who walked the streets looking for help. They saw people running, some naked and others barefoot as they emerged from the rubble of the building in La Guaira, one of the areas that was hardest hit in Wednesday\u2019s 7.2 and 7.5 earthquakes.<\/p>\n

Portillo was caught up in the Trump administration\u2019s drive for mass deportations. In May, ICE Flight Monitor tracked 288 deportation flights to 38 countries, including Burkina Faso, Cambodia, Cameroon, Chile and the Ivory Coast.<\/p>\n

U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement did not immediately respond to a request for information from the AP.<\/p>\n

\u25b6 Read more<\/a><\/p>\n

Alaska senators support Supreme Court ruling on mail-in ballots<\/p>\n

Alaska Republican U.S. Sen. Lisa Murkowski applauded the Supreme Court\u2019s decision allowing states to continue counting late arriving mail ballots, saying it \u201crecognizes that states face unique circumstances in administering their elections.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cIn Alaska, voting is not as simple<\/a> as driving down the road to a neighborhood polling place. Many Alaskans live in remote communities that are not connected to the road system, requiring ballots to travel by bush plane or boat, which means volatile weather conditions and limited infrastructure can determine whether those ballots arrive on time,\u201d she said in a statement.<\/p>\n

In Alaska, ballots are counted if postmarked by Election Day and received within 10 days \u2014 or 15 days for overseas voters in general elections.<\/p>\n

The office of Alaska GOP Sen. Dan Sullivan, who faces reelection this year, says he has a record of defending voting rights and believes \u201cevery eligible vote cast before or on Election Day should be counted.\u201d<\/p>\n

Feds to buy back North Carolina offshore wind lease from Duke Energy<\/p>\n

Duke Energy is the latest utility to bow to pressure from the Trump administration to cancel offshore wind leases in return for money.<\/p>\n

The $129 million deal by the Interior Department brings the total amount spent on these agreements to about $2.7 billion. The Trump administration has been buying back the leases as it seeks to discourage the expansion of wind energy<\/a> in favor of more traditional energy sources such as natural gas, coal and nuclear power.<\/p>\n

Charlotte, N.C.-based Duke said the deal will allow it \u201crefocus\u201d the money in range of ways, including new nuclear or natural gas generation, or grid enhancements to strengthen reliability.<\/p>\n

French energy giant TotalEnergies, which had partnered with Duke on the North Carolina project, took a similar deal in March.<\/p>\n

Mississippi official sued over mail ballots says Supreme Court ruling was win for states\u2019 rights<\/p>\n

Mississippi Secretary of State Michael Watson said the Supreme Court Monday confirmed the right of states to administer elections.<\/p>\n

Watson, a Republican running for lieutenant governor in Mississippi, was sued by the Republican National Committee in 2024 over Mississippi\u2019s policy of counting absentee ballots received after Election Day. The justices in a 5-4 ruling sided with Watson.<\/p>\n

Watson said in a statement after the decision that he opposed the practice of counting ballots received after Election Day, but deeply valued the rights of states to \u201cgovern themselves, including the administration of elections.\u201d<\/p>\n

He said the Supreme Court ruling confirms election policy is a \u201cdecision to be made by Congress or, in its absence, state legislatures.\u201d<\/p>\n

Trump equivocates on importance of Qatar talks<\/p>\n

He said U.S. delegates had either just left or were getting ready to leave for negotiations to end the war with Iran. But he offered a lukewarm view of the talks.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe meeting in Doha is going to be perhaps important, perhaps not \u2014 we\u2019re going to find out,\u201d Trump told reporters in the Oval Office on Monday.<\/p>\n

Trump calls bill aimed at addressing housing affordability \u2018a yawn\u2019 and says he doesn\u2019t know if he\u2019ll sign it<\/p>\n

Trump last week abruptly canceled a ceremony to sign the bill, saying he would not approve the bipartisan legislation aimed at lowering the cost of housing until Congress acts on legislation to require proof of citizenship to vote.<\/p>\n

House Speaker Mike Johnson said over the weekend he would send Trump the bill on Monday anyway. When asked by reporters about whether he\u2019d sign it, Trump gave an exasperated response and drew out his words, saying, \u201cI don\u2019t knooow.\u201d<\/p>\n

He proclaimed to have more knowledge about housing than anyone in the history of the presidency, but said the bill was \u201cso unimportant\u201d compared to the voting legislation.<\/p>\n

\u201cWhen I look at that bill, it\u2019s a bill,\u201d Trump said. \u201cBut when I look at the Save America Act, it\u2019s about saving America.\u201d<\/p>\n

Rubio meets with son of Libyan military strongman as signs of a potential unification deal emerge<\/p>\n

Secretary of State Marco Rubio has met with the son of a powerful Libyan warlord as signs grow that the U.S. is intensifying efforts to broker a unity agreement between the Libya\u2019s fractured eastern and western factions.<\/p>\n

Rubio met on Monday with Saddam Hifter, the deputy general commander of the self-styled Libyan national army, based in the east of the country. Hifter is the son of Khalifa Hifter, widely seen as the most powerful figure in eastern and southern Libya.<\/p>\n

The two men \u201cdiscussed ongoing Libyan-led efforts to unify the country\u2019s military, economic, and political institutions\u201d and \u201cpossible avenues for cooperation to advance unity and peace in Libya,\u201d the State Department said.<\/p>\n

The U.S. is reportedly pushing an initiative under which Saddam Hifter would head a presidential council in a new unified administration that would also include Abdul Hamid Dbeibah, who runs the government in western Libya.<\/p>\n

Monday\u2019s meeting came after a senior official from Dbeibah\u2019s defense ministry met with U.S. officials in Washington last week.<\/p>\n

Trump signs memo telling EPA that people can fix their autos as they see fit<\/p>\n

The U.S. president said he signed a memo to allow Americans to fix their own vehicles, saying that people had been arrested for trying to do so.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt came to my attention because they noticed they were arresting people for fixing their car,\u201d Trump said.<\/p>\n

The president appeared to be referencing a diesel mechanic, Troy Lake, who violated the Clean Air Act by disabling emissions monitoring systems on trucks. Trump pardoned Lake last November.<\/p>\n

The memo also addresses the use of aftermarket auto parts. It would supersede the ability of the California Air Resources Board to evaluate parts that affect vehicle emissions.<\/p>\n

Schumer blasts Supreme Court decision on independent federal agencies<\/p>\n

Senate Democratic Leader Chuck Schumer says the Supreme Court\u2019s decision giving presidents free rein to fire agency heads at will gives Trump a \u201cpermission slip to turn independent federal agencies into members-only clubs for his golf buddies and cronies.\u201d<\/p>\n

The justices ruled in the case of former Federal Trade Commission member Rebecca Slaughter<\/a>, whom Trump fired without cause despite a provision of federal law that requires a reason. The logic of the court\u2019s decision extends to other agencies where Trump has fired board members.<\/p>\n

Slaughter once served as Schumer\u2019s chief counsel. Schumer says she was fired for no other reason than doing a good of a job protecting consumers.<\/p>\n

\u201cInstead of preserving independence intended to keep markets fair and protect consumers, Trump\u2019s instead catering to fraudsters and monopolists. And the Supreme Court is giving him a green light to do it,\u201d Schumer said.<\/p>\n

Top California election official says mail-in ballot ruling is a win for democracy<\/p>\n

California\u2019s Secretary of State hailed Monday\u2019s decision by the U.S. Supreme Court as a win for voters, the rule of law and democracy.<\/p>\n

Shirley Weber, California\u2019s first Black secretary of state, said in a statement the court \u201cprotected an important safeguard\u201d that helps make sure voters are not disenfranchised by mail delays.<\/p>\n

\u201cThis ruling makes one thing clear,\u201d the Democrat said in a statement. \u201cOur elections belong to the people, not to partisan agendas.\u201d<\/p>\n

Under California law, ballots received within seven days of an election are counted as long as they are postmarked by Election Day.<\/p>\n

FCC\u2019s sole Democrat warns of Supreme Court ruling\u2019s impact<\/p>\n

Anna Gomez is one of the few Democrats who have held onto their seats at federal agencies after Trump fired most of them, partly because her presence allows for a quorum that allows Chairman Brendan Carr to enact his agenda.<\/p>\n

She warned the Supreme Court\u2019s ruling \u201cputs at risk how Congress intended independent agencies to function in American democracy.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cThose who argue these agencies are unaccountable misunderstand how they were designed, as the FCC answers to Congress, the democratically elected body that created it, through oversight, appropriations, and legislation,\u201d she said in a statement following the Court\u2019s ruling. \u201cWhen commissioners can be removed for their policy views rather than for cause, the inevitable result is an agency that pulls its punches and defers to political winds rather than the record before it.\u201d<\/p>\n

She said consumers \u201cwill pay the price\u201d in higher costs, fewer choices and slower progress toward connectivity.<\/p>\n

Republican chairman follows Trump\u2019s lead on mail-in ballot ruling<\/p>\n

RNC Chairman Joe Gruters said the court\u2019s decision upholding state practices of accepting all ballots postmarked by Election Day is a reason to pass the president\u2019s proposed elections bill that is stalled on Capitol Hill.<\/p>\n

\u201cIf we want fair and secure elections, Election Day should mean exactly what it says, which is why this decision makes it even more imperative that Congress pass the SAVE America Act,\u201d Gruters said.<\/p>\n

RNC aides distributed the statement after Trump made the same argument Monday morning. Trump\u2019s proposal would virtually eliminate absentee voting nationally, require voters to provide citizenship documentation to register and then present certain photo identification at polling places.<\/p>\n

Gruters said Democrats \u201care inviting chaos at the ballot box by allowing elections to drag on.\u201d He did not offer any examples of such chaos, and it was the original plaintiffs who wanted the court to overturn long-established rules months before November\u2019s elections.<\/p>\n

America 250 celebrations bring extraordinary security challenge to Washington<\/p>\n

Federal law enforcement is preparing for one of the capital\u2019s largest and most complex security operations as hundreds of thousands of people visit Washington for the 250th anniversary<\/a> of the nation\u2019s freedom.<\/p>\n

The security challenge comes amid rising political violence<\/a>, including recent incidents<\/a> near the White House, and a president who enjoys being at the center of public pomp<\/a> yet has repeatedly faced attempts on his life.<\/p>\n

The nation\u2019s capital \u201cis a target-rich environment\u201d on a normal day, said Darren B. Cox, assistant director in charge of the FBI\u2019s Washington Field Office. \u201cWe are prepared for any threats.\u201d<\/p>\n

The throngs will be joined by thousands of law enforcement officers and agents and 5,000 National Guard troops<\/a>, along with military-style vehicles and other hardware not often seen on American streets.<\/p>\n

\u25b6 Read more<\/a><\/p>\n

Trump says he will keep fighting Carroll case after court declines to take it up<\/p>\n

The president said in a social media post that it was \u201ca Fake Case\u201d brought against him by a woman he claims he never met.<\/p>\n

\u201cI will continue the fight against this Weaponization and Lawfare Case against me, including the ridiculous claim of Defamation, with all of my power and strength,\u201d Trump wrote.<\/p>\n

He also said the case, in which a jury found that he sexually abused the writer E. Jean Carroll<\/a> in New York City in the 1990s and later defamed her, is \u201creally against the United States of America, and all it stands for.\u201d<\/p>\n

In a statement Monday, Carroll said the decision affirms the jury\u2019s verdict will stand. \u201cHis multiple efforts to appeal that verdict have all failed and today\u2019s ruling ends his quest to avoid accountability for his actions,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n

Trump says he’ll seek to remove Cook despite court rejection of his initial attempt<\/p>\n

Trump said he lost his effort to remove the Federal Reserve\u2019s Lisa Cook \u201con a strictly procedural basis\u201d and would still seek to remove the central bank governor.<\/p>\n

The court ruled 5-4 that the Federal Reserve\u2019s Lisa Cook can remain on the Fed board as she challenges the administration\u2019s attempts to fire her over claims of mortgage fraud, which she has denied.<\/p>\n

Trump said in a social media post that \u201cwe will take appropriate action immediately to make sure that someone who has committed wrongdoing will not be making vital decisions concerning the Welfare of the United States of America!\u201d<\/p>\n

In light of Supreme Court rejection, Trump renews push for his voter ID bill<\/p>\n

Trump called a Supreme Court ruling that ballots postmarked by Election Day can be counted days after an election a \u201ctremendous loss.\u201d<\/p>\n

Trump posted on social media that the decision makes it more important for his SAVE America Act to pass. The measure would require proof of citizenship and include a ban on mail-in ballots unless that person is sick, disabled, traveling or deployed by the military, Trump noted.<\/p>\n

\u201cThere is only one reason to oppose \u2014 CHEATING!\u201d Trump said.<\/p>\n

The president then called out Republican senators who have objected to the measure: Lisa Murkowski of Alaska, Susan Collins of Maine, Thom Tillis of North Carolina, Bill Cassidy of Louisiana and Mitch McConnell of Kentucky.<\/p>\n

Cook says her attempted firing was about \u2018political pressure\u2019 on the Fed<\/p>\n

The firing attempt \u201cwas never about mortgage documents signed years ago\u201d but rather \u201cwas an attempt to remove me on a manufactured pretext because I refused to bow to political pressure\u201d from Trump, who has long sought lower interest rates from the central bank, Cook said in a written statement reacting to the court\u2019s ruling.<\/p>\n

Trump fired Cook last August<\/a>, citing allegations that she had committed fraud in mortgage documents she signed in June and July of 2021. The Biden appointee sued to keep her job, and lower courts ruled she could remain while the case is litigated. The Supreme Court Monday upheld<\/a> those rulings.<\/p>\n

\u201cToday\u2019s ruling affirms a principle that has underpinned sound economic stewardship for generations: that the Federal Reserve must make all its policy decisions guided by evidence and independent judgment, free from political interference,\u201d Cook\u2019s statement said.<\/p>\n

Trump applauds ruling empowering him to fire independent agency leaders<\/p>\n

A majority of the justices ruled presidents have free rein to fire agency heads at will, despite federal laws that require a cause for such dismissals and a previous court ruling from 91 years ago<\/a>.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt is such an Honor to be the sitting President who won this Historic and Unprecedented Ruling, one of the most important ever given with respect to Presidential Powers,\u201d Trump posted on social media.<\/p>\n

The justices ruled in the case of former Federal Trade Commission member Rebecca Slaughter<\/a>. The decision\u2019s logic extends to National Labor Relations Board, the Merit Systems Protection Board and the Consumer Product Safety Commission.<\/p>\n

Trump did not acknowledge that the court recognized some limits on his authorities by also ruling 5-4 that Lisa Cook can remain a central bank governor while challenging unproven mortgage fraud allegations, which she has denied.<\/p>\n

Supreme Court says Fed\u2019s Cook can keep her job for now<\/p>\n

The Supreme Court<\/a> on Monday dramatically expanded presidential power, upholding Trump\u2019s firings of the heads of independent federal agencies with one important exception, the Federal Reserve.<\/p>\n

The justices allowed Fed governor Lisa Cook to stay in her job while she fights the Republican president\u2019s effort to fire her over allegations of mortgage fraud, which she has denied.<\/p>\n

But other than at the nation\u2019s central bank, with its role of setting interest rates, the court held that presidents have free rein to fire agency heads at will, despite federal laws that require a cause for such dismissals and a 91-year-old decision<\/a> that had limited executive authority. That decision, Humphrey\u2019s Executor, was overturned.<\/p>\n

Witkoff and Kushner going to Qatar for talks with Iran<\/p>\n

White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt said on Monday that Steve Witkoff, who is the special envoy, and Jared Kushner, Trump\u2019s son-in-law, are flying to Qatar to meet with the Iranians.<\/p>\n

Leavitt said in an interview with Fox News\u2019 \u201cFox & Friends\u201d that those talks would be \u201chigh level\u201d and that technical negotiations would occur on the sidelines. Iran has denied that the talks are happening.<\/p>\n

Trump accused Iran of violating the ceasefire by attacking a ship last week in Strait of Hormuz, but so far the interim deal for negotiations to take place appears to have held.<\/p>\n

Court rules states can count late-arriving mailed ballots<\/p>\n

The Court<\/a> said states can count ballots that arrive after Election Day<\/a>, a persistent target of Trump<\/a>.<\/p>\n

The decision Monday rejects a Republican-led attack on laws in more than half the states and the District of Columbia that permit mailed ballots to arrive and be counted some number of days after the election, provided they are postmarked by Election Day. The outcome spares officials the headache of changing their ballot rules just a few months before the 2026 midterm congressional elections.<\/p>\n

In just over half those states, the more forgiving deadlines apply only to ballots cast by military and overseas voters.<\/p>\n

Trump has claimed most mail balloting<\/a> breeds fraud despite strong evidence to the contrary and years of experience. He keeps repeating that fraud caused his loss to Joe Biden in 2020 even though more than 60 court decisions and his own attorney general said that argument had no merit.<\/p>\n

\u25b6 Read more<\/a><\/p>\n

___<\/p>\n

This story has been corrected to show Trump saying hosing bill was \u201cunimportant.\u201d<\/p>\n

\n \"|\"
President Donald Trump, from right, White House aide Natalie Harp and Interior Secretary Doug Burgum walk during a tour of the East Potomac Park golf course, Sunday, June 28, 2026, in Washington. (AP Photo\/Mark Schiefelbein)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
\n \"|\"
FILE – E. Jean Carroll arrives at Manhattan federal court, Jan. 17, 2024, in New York. (AP Photo\/Eduardo Munoz Alvarez)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
\n \"|\"
FILE – Hannah Liu, 26, of Washington, holds up a sign in support of birthright citizenship, May 15, 2025, outside of the Supreme Court in Washington. (AP Photo\/Jacquelyn Martin, File)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
\n \"|\"
A small motorboat passes anchored vessels in the Strait of Hormuz off Bandar Abbas, Iran, Wednesday, June 17, 2026.(Amirhosein Khorgooi\/ISNA via AP)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

President Donald Trump has won and lost some as the Supreme Court wraps its final week of a term focused on executive power. The justices said Monday that Trump can fire leaders of independent agencies with one exception, ruling that central banker Lisa Cook can keep her job at the Federal Reserve for now. Trump […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":521,"featured_media":6344,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"guid":"17490aca-c2c7-49c8-b636-6da75eafa1ac","source":"The Associated Press","byline":"","published":"2026-06-29 05:34:48","updated":"2026-06-29 14:40:13","_infotelid":"","_prepressid":"","_multisite_post_sync":"","_jetpack_feature_clip_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false},"categories":[1303,1292,1304],"tags":[],"region":[1442,1280,1282],"class_list":["post-6343","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-international","category-politics","category-world","region-brandon","region-canada","region-manitoba"],"blocksy_meta":{"styles_descriptor":{"styles":{"desktop":"","tablet":"","mobile":""},"google_fonts":[],"version":7}},"parsely":{"version":"1.1.0","canonical_url":"https:\/\/infonews.ca\/inwheels\/news\/6343\/live-updates-supreme-court-lets-trump-fire-agency-heads-a-dramatic-expansion-of-presidential-power\/","smart_links":{"inbound":0,"outbound":0},"traffic_boost_suggestions_count":0,"meta":{"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org","@type":"NewsArticle","headline":"Live updates: Supreme Court lets Trump fire agency heads, a dramatic expansion of presidential power","url":"http:\/\/infonews.ca\/inwheels\/news\/6343\/live-updates-supreme-court-lets-trump-fire-agency-heads-a-dramatic-expansion-of-presidential-power\/","mainEntityOfPage":{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"http:\/\/infonews.ca\/inwheels\/news\/6343\/live-updates-supreme-court-lets-trump-fire-agency-heads-a-dramatic-expansion-of-presidential-power\/"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/infonews.ca\/inwheels\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/5\/inwheels-2ee4a1db49a2c820e0c59bd61862a8006a0781749644369770f04842aeff8661.jpg?w=150&h=150&crop=1","image":{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https:\/\/infonews.ca\/inwheels\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/5\/inwheels-2ee4a1db49a2c820e0c59bd61862a8006a0781749644369770f04842aeff8661.jpg"},"articleSection":"International","author":[{"@type":"Person","name":"The Associated Press"}],"creator":["The Associated Press"],"publisher":{"@type":"Organization","name":"iNwheels","logo":""},"keywords":[],"dateCreated":"2026-06-29T12:34:48Z","datePublished":"2026-06-29T12:34:48Z","dateModified":"2026-06-29T21:45:01Z"},"rendered":"