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Today’s edition of quick hits.
* The three progressive justices dissented in this case: “The Supreme Court granted the Trump administration’s bid to lift a judge’s order that had required reinstating about 1,400 fired Department of Education employees. The unsigned order, issued on Monday via the so-called emergency docket, did not offer any rationale from the majority for allowing the firings to be carried out while litigation continues.”
* In Texas: “Central Texas has once again been hit with heavy rains and flooding, prompting rescues and evacuations just 10 days after catastrophic flooding hit the region and killed more than 130 people across the state. Over the weekend, rains returned to the region, inundating already saturated soils and halting search efforts Sunday.”
* TPS for Afghans: “Temporary measures that allowed nearly 12,000 Afghans to work in the U.S. and be protected from deportation are expiring Monday as part of the Trump administration’s efforts to make more people eligible for removal from the country. The Department of Homeland Security in May said it was ending Temporary Protected Status for 11,700 people from Afghanistan in 60 days. That status had allowed them to work and meant the government couldn’t deport them.”
* Tariff news from the weekend: “President Donald Trump on Saturday threatened a significant tariff hike on the European Union and Mexico, two of the largest U.S. trade partners. In separate letters published on his social media platform, Truth Social, Trump wrote that each country will face a blanket tariff rate of 30% on all goods exported to the U.S. starting Aug. 1. Trump threatened even higher tariffs if either the E.U. or Mexico retaliate against his new levy.”
* Another step backwards for consumers’ interests: “A federal judge in Texas reversed a Biden-era rule on Friday that permitted medical debt to be wiped from credit reports, according to court documents. U.S. District Judge Sean Jordan, a 2019 appointee of President Trump, said the rule by the previous administration exceeds the authority of the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB).”
* Sweeping policies inevitably have unintended ripple effects: “Nursing homes already struggling to recruit staff are now grappling with President Donald Trump’s attack on one of their few reliable sources of workers: immigration. Facilities for older adults and disabled people are reporting the sporadic loss of employees who have had their legal status revoked by Trump. But they fear even more dramatic impacts are ahead as pipelines of potential workers slow to a trickle with an overall downturn in legal immigration.”
* Awkward: “Donald Trump’s awkward interaction with one team at the close of the 2025 FIFA Club World Cup in New Jersey on Sunday confounded both players and fans alike. The president, who has a friendly relationship with FIFA President Gianni Infantino, was invited to present the trophy to the winning team at the final. But when he handed it over to Chelsea Captain Reece James after the team’s 3-0 victory against Paris Saint-Germain, Trump oddly continued to hover — even as Infantino appeared to try to direct the president away from the team as players seemed unsure whether to begin celebrating.”
See you tomorrow.