Roundup: BREC meeting change / Mail-in ballots / Rocket Lab acquires Iridium

Venue change: BREC’s City-Brooks Master Plan community meeting is set for July 14 from 5:30 p.m. to 7:30 p.m., with doors opening at 5:00 p.m. The meeting has been moved to the Independence Park Theater, 7800 Independence Blvd., to provide more seating, improved sound and a more comfortable experience for attendees. The meeting was previously set to take place inside the ballroom in BREC’s main office.

Supreme Court ruling: The U.S. Supreme Court ruled 5-4 that states may count mail-in ballots postmarked by election day even if they arrive afterward, upholding a Mississippi law that allows a five-day grace period for ballot receipt. Justice Amy Coney Barrett wrote the majority opinion, joined by Chief Justice John Roberts and the court’s three liberal justices, concluding that federal law sets a deadline for casting ballots, not for when election officials must receive them. The decision preserves similar mail-ballot policies in multiple states and rejects a Republican-backed challenge that argued such grace periods violate federal election law. Bloomberg has the full story.

SpaceX competition: Rocket Lab will acquire satellite communications company Iridium in an $8 billion cash and stock deal to expand its space services business. The acquisition strengthens Rocket Lab’s ability to compete with SpaceX by combining launches, satellite manufacturing and communications services. The deal is expected to close in 2027, pending regulatory and shareholder approval. The Wall Street Journal has the full story.