Transcript of SCOTUS Rules Both Ways & Record Heat Grips Two Continents | 6.30.26

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The Supreme Court disappoints Republicans with their ruling on mail-in ballots and hands the president a win on executive powers. We break down the latest rulings.

The Watson decision, which was the ballot decision, was a bit of a, a surprise. It was 5 to 4. I think the other decisions came out as expected.

I'm Georgia Howe. John is on vacation this week. It's Tuesday, June 30th, and this is Morning Wire. Populists in Europe rally around a surprising cause: air conditioning, after thousands die from a deadly heat wave.

This could be dangerous with the prolonged nature.

If this was one day, 2 days, okay, but we're talking more than three or 4 days, a bona fide extreme and historic heat wave.

And beef prices hit dizzying highs while the administration scrambles to shore up supply.

Not to be the bearer of bad news, But we're really not going to see any relief on beef prices until probably 2028.

Thanks for waking up with Morning Wire. Stay tuned. We have the news you need to know.

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On Monday, the Supreme Court dropped multiple high-stakes rulings dealing with mail-in ballots and executive powers. Joining us now to discuss these pivotal rulings from the Supreme Court is Alliance Defending Freedom Vice President of Litigation Strategy Jonathan Scruggs. Jonathan, thanks for coming on.

Thanks for letting me be on.

So first, let's talk about the two executive powers cases. Those were Trump v. Slaughter and Trump v. Cook. The Slaughter case, which essentially determined the president's right to fire the heads of independent government agencies. That went in Trump's way. Let's start there. People are saying it's a big win for the president.

Yeah, that's exactly right. That's exactly what happened. It was a really big opinion, big win for the Trump administration. The court effectively saying that Congress couldn't put limits on the Trump executive branch and whether they could hire or fire members of the FTC, a federal agency. And so this one is going to have a huge impact, I think, on a lot of other agencies as well. So this is one of the biggest wins for the Trump administration this term.

So the court said that the president can fire heads of independent agencies, but then surprisingly they ruled against him in Trump v. Cook. Listeners may remember President Trump attempted to fire Fed Governor Lisa Cook. She was a Biden appointee. She fought it, and that's what this case was about. So, Jonathan, uh, what was the ruling here?

That was a loss for the Trump administration involving the federal bank, uh, where in a 5-4 decision, the Supreme Court said that Congress had the power to put limits on, uh, the president and its ability to hire and fire officials in the Federal Reserve. But something to flag is ultimately the case said Trump couldn't fire the member of the Federal Reserve yet, but may end up being able to later. So this was a temporary loss, but the court did address the bigger constitutional issue, uh, so really going against the Slaughter decision, which I mentioned earlier. So one win, one big win for the Trump administration, one, I'd say, loss for the Trump administration.

Now, arguably the biggest case, at least to a lot of everyday Americans, is the mail-in ballot decision. That was Watson v. RNC. Tell us about that decision.

That's another 5-4 decision, this time interpreting the meaning of a federal statute and what mean— what does election date mean? And there the court ruled that essentially punting it to the states. The states under the statute get discretion to count ballots that are received after Election Day. So ultimately, at the end of the day, this case will be determined what Congress does. So Congress could amend the statute, but right now under the read of the federal statute, states can count ballots that are received after Election Day if they're postmarked before election. This really only affects federal elections.

Okay.

So our state elections, that's gonna be heavily regulated by the states. But here when it talks about election for federal office, it's regulated by a federal statute. So Congress is gonna have a lot more say and a lot more authority. But the court did interpret that federal statute to give states some discretion.

Okay, so the court has kicked it back to Congress to legislate elections. So for now, nothing changes.

That's right. It's a bit of a status quo. And like I said, it's going to be kind of a punt to Congress to decide what to do. And, you know, Congress can reinterpret the statute or amend the statute at issue in this case.

Now, how did the court break down for each of these rulings? Were there any surprise votes?

I think the Watson decision, which was the ballot decision, was a bit of a surprise. It was 5 to 4, Justice Barrett writing with Chief Justice Roberts, joining the liberal justices. I think most people would have said that it would come out the other way. So that was a bit of a surprise. I think the other decisions came out as expected in terms of a split decision for the Trump administration.

So it sounds like a mixed bag for the Trump administration, but we still have several more rulings coming out this week, right?

There are 4 decisions left, including the big birthright citizenship case.

All right. Well, we're definitely going to be watching that. Jonathan, thanks for coming on.

Oh, thanks so much.

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A brutal heat wave is gripping Europe for the second time in 2 months, shattering temperature records and leading to at least 1,300 deaths across the continent. Joining us to discuss is Cabot Phillips, host of Wired In. So Cabot, first off, just how extreme is this heat wave?

Yeah, it's shaping up to be one of the deadliest heat waves in European history. Germany recorded a temperature of 107°F over the weekend, which would stand as the hottest temperature ever recorded in the country's history. Poland and the Czech Republic have also set new records, and Hungary is expected to also break its record within the next day or so. Uh, the heat is now making its way east across the continent. Uh, that'll bring some relief to Britain, France, and Spain after a week of temperatures north of 104°F there.

Now, as we mentioned at the top, this heat wave has already killed more than 1,000 people. Are these heat stroke deaths, or how are they counting these?

So it's a bit more of a statistical inference, as they say, but there's no doubt that heat is the leading factor for a lot of these deaths. The head of the World Health Organization, for example, says that more than 1,300 excess deaths, as they call them, have been linked to the heat since June 21st alone. The vast majority are logged among older people, 65 and above, mostly in nursing homes. Many of which lack air conditioning. And the true number might actually be higher because a lot of these countries are slow to officially link deaths to the heat. For example, France alone reported about 1,000 excess deaths during this heat wave when compared to cooler weeks. Now, these deaths have not been formally tied to the heat wave yet, but again, if we make some educated guesses, that 1,300 number will likely be revised upward in the coming days and weeks.

Now, understandably, people are very upset that their loved ones have died in this way, especially because it could have been prevented in many of these cases. And this has become something of a political lightning rod in Europe. Tell us about that debate.

Right. There's no doubt this is a surprisingly politically charged debate for Europeans. Uh, just for some context, air conditioning is extremely rare across most of Europe. Only about 20% of European homes are equipped with it. That's compared to roughly 90% in the US. And considering the generally cooler climate of Europe, a lot of homes, schools, and offices were built to retain heat. So when temperatures spike like this, people have very little defense. And many folks on the right across Europe have certainly seized on this issue as an example of climate policy gone too far. In France, for example, National Rally leader Marine Le Pen pledged on Friday that if she's elected president, she'll roll out what she called a massive air conditioning plan, starting with the most vulnerable populations. And this is not a trivial issue. More than 62,000 Europeans died of heat-related deaths in 2024 alone, compared to fewer than 2,500 in the U.S. In the same year.

So what's the counterargument for putting air conditioning in places like nursing homes?

Yeah, the counter is coming from the left and more green parties who are still staunchly opposed to AC despite what we've seen this week. They argue that it draws far too much electricity and contributes to climate change. The clearest example of that came from a city in Belgium, uh, run almost entirely by left-leaning officials. Its government website told residents last week that, quote, the best air conditioner is a tree, uh, and offered them a free tree to plant outside their homes instead of AC. The city eventually walked that back after backlash and has since installed portable AC units in a number of daycare centers. And the right is arguing at this point, no matter what you believe about climate change, protecting vulnerable populations needs to come first. And there are signs that public opinion is shifting in favor of AC.

Now, bringing it back to the US, we also have a huge heat wave this week for Fourth of July weekend. What are we expecting to see?

Yeah, it's going to be dangerously hot for much of the country. There's no other way of putting it. A heat dome, as they're calling it, is settling over the eastern half of the country. It's forecasted to peak on Friday. More than 100 million people are under a major heat risk at some point this week, and cities along the I-95 corridor could see several straight days in the upper 90s to low 100s, with heat indexes hitting as high as 110. Washington could hit 103 on Friday. New York projected to record its first 100-degree day since 2012. Forecasters are urging people to take the heat seriously as folks celebrate America's 250th anniversary with cookouts and fireworks. So, you know, stay hydrated, be smart, and enjoy AC, which thankfully most of us have.

So on the East Coast, we have a heat dome, but also there are some very dangerous conditions out west. Tell us about the wildfires.

Yeah, that's right. Fire season is hitting hardest right now on the Colorado-Utah border, where 3 federal firefighters were just killed over the weekend while battling a fast-moving wildfire. These firefighters were part of an elite unit that specializes in stopping new fires, but this one unfortunately spread so fast the flames overtook them just before they could be pulled out. There are dozens of other massive fires raging across the western US right now. The biggest one in Utah has already burned more than 93,000 acres, and if it continues at this rate, it will be the most destructive fire in state history.

Wow.

Well, Cabot, thanks so much for reporting.

Absolutely.

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Rising beef prices could put a damper on Americans' plans to celebrate the Fourth. Daily Wire contributor Tim Pearce joins us now to talk about what happened to beef prices in recent years. And in case listeners don't know, Tim Pearce is actually a 5th generation rancher, so basically all cattle and no hat. Tim, why do beef prices seem so high right now?

Yeah, this is obviously a subject that I have a personal connection to, and my family spends a lot of time monitoring the beef prices. Makes sense. And that beef prices seem high because they are high. Federal data says that beef prices have risen 16% just in the past year. A lot of that comes down to herd sizes shrinking while demand is going up. Morning Wire recently spoke to Good Ranchers founder and CEO Ben Spell. Here's what he said.

It's no surprise we have the lowest cattle herds in the US pretty much in history. That's probably the biggest driver of it. The herds have been dwindling, you know, because of drought, but also because the average age of ranchers in the US is very high. Like, I think it's 62, meaning there's a saying, make hay when the sun's shining. And right now on the selling cattle side, cattle are selling for record prices. And so a lot of people, a lot of the ranchers are seeing this as an opportunity for them to sell off their herds.

So we're in a bit of a death spiral with aging ranchers being incentivized to liquidate their farms right as we need more cattle. Spell also said that changing tastes factor into this as well. Americans in general now eat a lot more beef than they used to. And that added demand has driven up prices as well.

Hmm.

Now, the price of beef is something that the Trump administration has tried to address directly. In February, President Trump signed an order to increase beef imports from Argentina to try to bring down those prices. Has that worked at all?

Yeah, Basic Economics says that the imports should help out the prices in the short term, at least with the price of ground beef, which was specifically targeted in that order. But ag and ranching groups have warned that increasing U.S. reliance on foreign beef has drawbacks as well. And in particular to this order, some groups have said that the amount that Trump's order increases imports by is not enough to have a measurable impact on beef prices in the grocery store. And then in general, there is a big concern that importing cattle, not just beef, could lead to the spread of disease. Cattle groups have warned that Argentina has a history of foot-and-mouth disease. It's a severe viral disease that is highly contagious and, while not often fatal, can leave the animal very weak and underweight. It's also very hard to get rid of once it starts to spread. There's also a more immediate example of this. Ag producers in the Southwest are currently fighting a resurgence of what's called the New World Screwworm. It's a fly that will lay its eggs in open wounds, and the maggots that hatch will burrow through the host and eat its flesh.

Obviously painful and lethal as well if left untreated. Screwworm reappeared in Mexico in 2024, and now cases of it just recently began to pop up in Texas. Authorities there have already issued emergency quarantine and animal movement orders across across nearly 2 dozen counties.

Now, if we need more cattle to bring down some of these prices, what do we need to do to get there? And how long will it take?

Well, there's really only 2 ways to get more cattle. You can either buy them or you can breed them. And then breeding, obviously you have to wait on the breeding cycle of the cattle, which will take months, if not years, to replenish stock. We also asked Spell about this, and he said it could be a long process.

You're talking about a 2-year process, really. Not to be the bearer of bad news, but we're really not going to see any relief on beef prices until probably 2028 at the soonest. But it is a cycle. And if you look back over the last 50 years, there are cycles like we're in right now.

So Americans will have to deal with high prices for now, but relief will hopefully come in the next couple of years.

Yeah, well, as an almost daily steak eater, this is something I have noticed a lot over the past year. Tim, thanks for reporting.

Thanks for having me.

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