First Thing: Supreme court hands Trump power to fire agency chiefs but rules against him on mail-in ballots

Yesterday, the U.S. Supreme Court handed President Trump sweeping new power—allowing him to fire leaders of independent federal agencies and commissions, overturning ninety years of legal precedent that had limited presidential authority. According to The Guardian, the Trump v Slaughter decision drew criticism from labor advocates, unions, and consumer groups who warned of its impact on American democracy. However, the court also ruled against the Trump administration: it upheld mail-in ballots counted after Election Day in more than a dozen states, and required Fourth Amendment privacy protections for law enforcement's geofence warrants that collect smartphone location data.

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