News Wrap: Supreme Court delivers decisions favoring individuals over institutions

Amna Nawaz:

We start the day's other headlines at the U.S. Supreme Court, which delivered two unanimous decisions today in favor of the individual over institutions.

One case centered on a family's right to sue the FBI after agents mistakenly raided their home in 2017. The justices agreed to revive the suit after lower courts ruled in favor of the agents, which could make it easier for others to sue the government in such cases.

Separately, the High Court sided with a student who has a rare form of epilepsy and who claimed her Minnesota school district didn't do enough to accommodate her condition. That decision could open the door for other families to go to the court over access to education.

President Trump signed a measure today that blocks California's move to ban new gas-powered cars by 2035.

(Applause)

Amna Nawaz:

In doing so, Trump reversed the Biden administration's prior approval of the first-in-the-nation rule. He also signed measures to overturn the state policies on tailpipe emissions and smog-forming pollution, calling such regulations crazy.

California and 10 other states quickly challenged the move in court. Today's action is the latest volley in an ongoing battle between Trump and California's Governor Gavin Newsom, who blamed the president for what he called an all-out assault on his state.

In Texas, flooding overnight has killed at least four people in San Antonio. Weather officials say more than seven inches of rain drenched highways and washed away cars leaving many drivers stranded. At least two people are still missing. Some people were forced to climb trees to escape the water. Officials say they made at least 65 water rescues during one eight-hour stretch. By mid-morning, the flooding was receding, though rain was still falling in some areas.

Meanwhile, in South Africa, recent flooding has now killed at least 78 people, according to a government minister. Officials say rescue attempts in the Eastern Cape province have been paralyzed due to a lack of resources. The area is one of South Africa's poorest regions. Rescue teams are recovering bodies and searching for those still missing. Heavy rains on Tuesday burst riverbanks and sent 10 to 13 feet of water rushing into nearby towns.

Officials say dozens of schools and hospitals were damaged, and roughly 1,000 people were left homeless. Russia hit Ukraine overnight with a barrage of drones that killed at least three people. The strikes jolted residents awake in the northeastern city of Kharkiv. It's the latest in a series of ramped-up Russian aerial attacks this week.

In the meantime, across the border, Russians celebrated Russia Day with concerts and other public gatherings. The holiday marks the anniversary of Russia's declaration of sovereignty in 1990. It comes as Ukraine's military claims that over a million Russian troops have been killed or injured during their three-year war. That estimate is in line with Western intelligence estimates, though Russia hasn't provided any such numbers since early in the conflict.

In Gaza, there are conflicting claims over clashes involving Hamas and an aid group working in the area. The territory's Hamas-run police force says it killed 12 members of an Israeli-backed militia today. But an aid group backed by Israel and the U.S. says at least five of its workers were killed when Hamas attacked their bus. Neither of these claims has been independently verified.

But they come amid near-daily shootings around sites run by the GHF, or Gaza Humanitarian Foundation, which has largely taken over aid distribution in the territory.

Back in this country, a Harvard University researcher charged with smuggling frog embryos into the U.S. was released on bail today. Russian-born Kseniia Petrova spent four months in federal custody after failing to declare a package of scientific samples on her way home from vacation. She was detained at Boston's Logan Airport in February and was then transferred to multiple detention centers.

Following her release today, the 30-year-old was all smiles outside the courthouse.

Kseniia Petrova, Harvard Scientist (through translator):

I just want to thank everybody for supporting me, following my story, especially and first of all, to my friends and colleagues. I'm very grateful to all the journalists who made my story so famous and so well known.

Amna Nawaz:

Petrova appeared on this program in April via video call from the ICE facility where she was held. She will return to court next week for a hearing on the smuggling charge against her.

On Wall Street today, stocks edged higher after a reassuring update on inflation. The Dow Jones industrial average added around 100 points on the day. The Nasdaq rose 46 points, or a quarter of a percent. The S&P 500 also posted modest gains.

And former MTV host and V.J. Ananda Lewis has died after a battle with breast cancer.

Ananda Lewis, Former MTV Host:

But until then, I got a Snoop video for you, OK?

Amna Nawaz:

She helped to lead one of MTV's flagship programs, "Total Request Live," or "TRL," the iconic daily top 10 music video countdown, along with other shows like "Hot Zone."

Her fame at the peak of MTV's prominence led to her own syndicated talk show, "The Ananda Lewis Show," when she left the network in 2001. Lewis revealed her cancer diagnosis in 2020, saying that she had long avoided mammograms due to a fear of radiation exposure. She then used her platform to urge women to get screened. Ananda Lewis was just 52 years old.