PBS News Hour full episode, June 30, 2026

The Supreme Court, in a 6-3 decision, struck down President Trump's executive order to end birthright citizenship. Chief Justice John Roberts' majority opinion provided a historical account, tracing the concept from English law to the 14th Amendment's enactment in 1868, which was intended to ensure citizenship for formerly enslaved people and broadly for everyone born in the U.S. Legal experts, like Amanda Frost, confirmed that the 14th Amendment's language is universal and cannot be overturned by legislation, despite President Trump's claims.

Chief Justice John Roberts wrote: 'Citizenship then and now was the right to have rights, to freely participate in our political community. The framers of the 14th Amendment extended that promise to every free-born person in this land. We keep that promise today.'

The Supreme Court upheld state laws in West Virginia and Idaho that ban transgender athletes from competing in women's and girls' sports. This ruling applies to roughly half of U.S. states with similar legislation, but it does not mandate a nationwide ban or prohibit states from having transgender-inclusive policies. The decision effectively ends the athletic careers of plaintiffs in affected states, and future litigation challenging inclusive policies is anticipated.

Justice Kavanaugh wrote in the majority opinion that states and schools 'may maintain women's and girls' sports for biological females.' Katie Barnes, Senior Writer for ESPN, clarified that 'the scope of the ruling is limited to the 27 states who have this legislation in place, specifically the cases in Idaho and West Virginia.'

The Supreme Court's conservative majority transformed campaign finance laws by lifting post-Watergate limits on how much political parties can spend on advertising and other coordinated expenses with candidates. The Court reasoned that existing base contribution limits, earmarking rules, and disclosure obligations are sufficient to prevent corruption. This decision is expected to benefit Republicans in the short term due to their current fundraising advantage, but parity may emerge in the longer term, shifting some super PAC money to political parties.

Amy Howe stated, 'The court's conservative majority transformed campaign finance laws, lifting limits on how much political parties can spend on advertising and other expenses in coordination with the candidates.' Rick Hasen, UCLA School of Law, noted, 'The court is giving political parties a leg up, so now they will be able to compete for larger dollars with those super PACs and can work more directly with candidates.'

New Jersey Republican Representative Tom Kean Jr. returned to Congress after a monthslong absence, publicly disclosing that he was diagnosed with and hospitalized for depression. While expressing sympathy, some colleagues questioned the delay in his explanation, contrasting it with Senator John Fetterman's prompt disclosure of his own depression hospitalization. Kean's district is a Democratic target, and his lack of transparency could become a political issue.

REP. TOM KEAN (R-NJ) stated: 'I was given the diagnosis of depression. Now, when people hear the word depression, many people think it simply means feeling sad. But depression is so much more than that.'

The House of Representatives experienced a complete halt in legislative activity due to an internal Republican divide over President Trump's 'SAVE America Act,' an elections bill. A group of 14 hard-line Republicans rejected a proposal to attach the bill to a must-pass defense bill, effectively shutting down the floor to pressure the Senate. This tactic, described as 'low-I.Q. thinking' by some Republicans and a 'mess' by Democrats, led to an early end to the workweek and a two-week break for members, despite pressing legislative needs.

REP. CHIP ROY (R-TX) explained: 'You only have certain leverage points. And this town works on leverage points, nothing else.' REP. DON BACON (R-NE) criticized the tactic as 'low-I.Q. thinking.'