Supreme Court backs Trump's power to fire agency chiefs but rules against him on mail-in ballots

The US Supreme Court delivered a landmark decision on Tuesday in Trump v. Slaughter, granting President Donald Trump and all future presidents the power to fire the heads of independent agencies and commissions. The ruling overturns a 90-year-old legal precedent that had limited executive authority. Trump celebrated the decision on Truth Social as a "big win," while labor advocates, unions, and consumer groups criticized it, warning of long-term consequences for American democracy. Rebecca Slaughter, the fired Federal Trade Commissioner, expressed deep disappointment. Georgetown law professor Stephen Vladeck described the ruling as "enormously important" with massive ramifications for government functioning long after Trump leaves office.

In a separate ruling, the Supreme Court sided with more than a dozen states by allowing mail-in ballots that arrive after Election Day to be counted, rejecting the position of national Republicans and the Trump administration. The court also ruled that law enforcement's use of broad warrants to obtain smartphone location data requires privacy protections under the Fourth Amendment.

The court declined to review Donald Trump's appeal of a 2023 New York jury verdict finding him liable for sexually abusing writer E. Jean Carroll and defaming her. The decision leaves intact the $5 million civil judgment. Trump expressed surprise on social media, while Carroll's attorney, Roberta Kaplan, stated that the decision affirms the jury's unanimous verdict.

In Monaco, a parcel bomb explosion wounded Ukrainian oligarch Vadym Iermolaiev and two others in an unprecedented attack. Prince Albert II called it a "heinous crime" and a shock to the community. The public prosecutor said a suspect left a bag in the building lobby and fled to France; the device reportedly contained bolts and buckshot.