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Daily Briefing: A brief, unsigned Supreme Court order

Nicole Fallert   Paste BN

Good morning!🙋🏼‍♀️ I'm Nicole Fallert. Here's a very, very, way too early look at when Pumpkin Spice Lattes return.

Here's Tuesday's news:

Supreme Court lets Trump fire hundreds at Education Department

An ideologically divided Supreme Court on Monday allowed the Trump administration to fire hundreds of workers from the Education Department and continue other efforts to dismantle the agency.

How we got here: The Education Department workers were placed on administrative leave in March and were to stop receiving salaries June 9 before a judge intervened at the request of Democratic-led states, school districts and teachers' unions.

  • The majority did not explain its decision in the brief, unsigned order. The court's three liberal justices opposed the order. Justice Sonia Sotomayor said the majority handed Trump the power to repeal laws passed by Congress “by firing all those necessary to carry them out.”
  • The court's decision came a week after the justices allowed the administration to move forward with large-scale staffing cuts at multiple agencies. Challenges came from unions, nonprofits and local governments, who argued the administration can't make such sweeping changes without Congress.
  • Who sets education policy? Republicans have long accused the federal government of holding too much power over local and state education policy, even though the federal government has no control over school curriculum. 

Trump is stepping up support for Ukraine

In a major shift by President Trump to increase U.S. pressure on Moscow, the U.S. is sending weapons to NATO, which plans to transfer the equipment to Ukraine. The announcement comes as Trump aims to push Moscow to make a quick peace deal. Trump has promised to end the war in Ukraine quickly, but has expressed increasing frustration with Russian President Vladimir Putin as a ceasefire proves elusive. Trump also threatened steep tariffs aimed at impacting Russia's ability to finance the war.

  • Trump’s posture toward Russia has evolved since he took office.

More news to know now

What's the weather today? Check your local forecast here.

A race is heating up in Southern Arizona

The Democratic and Republican primaries in Southern Arizona on Tuesday come two months before the special election Sept. 23. But, in the deep blue stronghold, whoever comes out on top among the handful of candidates on the left will have the general upper hand. Adelita Grijalva, the late congressman's daughter and former member of the Pima County Board of Supervisors, is the leading contender for the Democratic nomination in what has become a microcosm of an ongoing national debate about the future of the party. Also in the mix: A more moderate former intern for former Rep. Gabby Giffords and a Gen-Z reproductive rights activist. 

Young kids, babies are getting into nicotine pouches

Calls to poison control centers that involved children under 6 increased by 763% from 2020 to 2023, according to new research published this week. The steep increase in calls to poison control centers is partly due to the rising popularity of nicotine pouches, said Natalie Rine, study co-author and director of the Central Ohio Poison Center. Sometimes referred to as "lip pillow" or "upper decker," these pouches are small microfiber pouches containing nicotine powder. Here's what to do if your kid swallows a nicotine pouch.

Today's talkers

Politics meets fever pitch at the MLB All-Star Game

As the baseball world descends on Truist Park for the 2025 All-Star festivities celebrating the Atlanta Braves organization, there are still questions as to why Georgia was awarded the Midsummer Classic four years after it was revoked in response to the state's controversial voting laws. During a news conference Monday revealing the starting lineups for MLB's jewel event, officials were avoidant about explaining the decision to give the game to Georgia. National League manager Dave Roberts — once an advocate — has faced criticism in recent months for his silence on social issues.

Photo of the day: The largest Mars rock on Earth

A chunk of the Martian surface that made an unlikely interplanetary voyage to Earth will soon be available to the highest bidder. And for a few million dollars, it could be yours.

Nicole Fallert is a newsletter writer at Paste BN, sign up for the email here. Want to send Nicole a note? Shoot her an email at NFallert@usatoday.com.

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