The Supreme Court Delivered Two Big Rulings

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The Supreme Court’s six-member conservative supermajority imposed its authority today in a pair of major decisions that were applauded by the right and denounced by the White House. In both cases, the three liberal justices offered vigorous dissents.

Justices struck down President Biden’s student debt cancellation program.

The Supreme Court ruled that the Education Department did not have the authority to forgive up to $20,000 of student debt, as Biden had promised last year. Writing for the majority, Chief Justice John Roberts said that the program — which would have cost $400 billion and been one of the most expensive executive actions in U.S. history — required clear approval by Congress, which is unlikely to happen in the short term.

The roughly 16 million Americans who had already been approved for debt cancellation will now find themselves owing significantly more than they thought they would, just as student loan payments are set to resume in October. Biden criticized the decision and vowed to find other ways to help student borrowers.

My colleague Ron Lieber outlined six other ways in which you can still cancel your student debt.

The court also backed a business that refused to provide services for gay couples.

The justices sided with a web designer in Colorado who said she had a First Amendment right to refuse to provide services for same-sex marriages, despite a state law that forbids discrimination against gay people. The decision appeared to suggest that the rights of L.G.B.T.Q. people, including the right to same-sex marriage, are now on more vulnerable legal footing.

More court fights are sure to come to determine what other services might qualify for similarly broad free-speech protections.

The French police last night arrested more than 800 people in an effort to crack down on violent protests over the fatal police shooting this week of a 17-year-old known as Nahel M. So far, officials said, demonstrators have burned 2,000 cars and damaged about 500 buildings. Today, President Emmanuel Macron urged parents to “keep them at home,” citing reports the riots were driven mostly by angry young people.

See images and footage from clashes between protesters and the police.

New York City officials today announced that 18 private schools run by the Hasidic Jewish community are failing to provide their students with an adequate secular education. If the findings are upheld by the New York State Department of Education, as is expected, the schools — which are known as yeshivas and enroll thousands of students — could be required to submit detailed improvement plans and undergo government monitoring.

The findings came less than a year after my colleagues reported on the failures at the schools.

Several airlines were forced to delay and cancel an unusually high number of flights this week after storms and other problems all but halted traffic at several U.S. airports. One major carrier is still struggling to keep up: United has today canceled more than 230 flights — far outpacing any of its American competitors. Whether the airline will be able to recover by the July 4 holiday will be a significant test of the company’s resilience.

Brazil: The electoral court barred former President Jair Bolsonaro from seeking office until 2030 for spreading false claims about the nation’s voting system.

Media: Fox News agreed to pay $12 million to a former producer who accused the network of workplace hostility and of forcing her to provide false testimony in the Dominion case.

Weather: Oppressive heat is expected to continue in the South through Sunday, and hit above-average levels in the West. Stay informed with our heat tracker.

Obituaries: Alan Arkin, the Oscar and Tony-winning character actor who specialized in comedy but was equally adept at drama, died at 89.

Economy: Inflation and consumer spending slowed in May, in a sign that the cool-down that the Federal Reserve has been aiming for is materializing.

Ukraine: Human Rights Watch accused Ukrainian soldiers of launching antipersonnel land mines, a banned weapon, into a Russian-controlled part of Ukraine.

Ticks: Researchers found that static electricity naturally produced by animals (including humans) can help the bloodsucking creatures get onto their hosts.

At 80 years old, Harrison Ford dons the fedora, cracks the whip and races against Nazis for artifacts one last time in “Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny,” which arrived in theaters today. The latest and apparently final chapter of the iconic Hollywood franchise tugs on the nostalgia of viewers who remember cheering for Indy when they were children.

The film, which again features a score from the composer John Williams and has a new co-star in Phoebe Waller-Bridge, is one of the most anticipated of the summer.

Read our review.

On Sunday, dozens of stock cars are going to be blazing past the Field Museum and around the tight corners of downtown Chicago — reaching speeds of 140 miles per hour (more than quadruple the usual speed limit). The extraordinary sight is part of a new experiment bringing a NASCAR race to an urban street course.

“This is something the sport hasn’t tried before, the city hasn’t tried before, and no one knows exactly how it’s going to go,” my colleague Mitch Smith, who reports from Chicago, said.

In other racing news, the Tour de France begins tomorrow in Spain. All eyes will be on the competition between Jonas Vingegaard of Denmark and Tadej Pogacar of Slovenia.

Purple milkshake horror: TikTok creators are having grisly fun with a new McDonald’s beverage named after Grimace.

Sleepless nights: Pickleball noise is driving everybody nuts. Residents who live near courts say that “it’s like having a pistol range in your backyard.”

Huge with the kids: The YouTube sensation Ms. Rachel says she’s found her calling in encouraging children to speak.

What makes a diva? A new exhibition at the Victoria and Albert Museum in London takes a stab at defining the term.

Cook: This dessert recipe is so good, our columnist was sworn to secrecy.

Drive: Here are five scenic road trips to take if you drive an electric vehicle.

Read: Upcoming novels from Colson Whitehead and Silvia Moreno-Garcia are among the most anticipated for July.

Marvel: Take a look at these five fascinating space and astronomy images.

Attend: This staging of “The Great Gatsby” invites the audience to join the party.

Equip: “The Bear” is back. Here’s every Wirecutter pick spotted in the show’s kitchen.

Hunt: Which Washington condo would you pick with a $650,000 budget?

Compete: Take this week’s news quiz.

Play: Here are today’s Spelling Bee, Wordle and Mini Crossword. For more, find all our games here.

In America’s biggest cities, most residents rent their homes. And many of those renters also share amenities with their neighbors, like washers, dryers, a gym or even a lounge.

But what if everything was shared? Some landlords are now trying to attract new tenants by offering them a chance to borrow just about anything. Need a bike, a scooter or a surfboard? How about a carpet steamer to clean up a spill? Even basics like plates, chairs and vacuums can now be rented at some apartments.

Have a well-equipped weekend.

Thanks for reading. I’ll be back on Monday. — Matthew

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