Shea Levin — text status

The Supreme Court handed Republicans a victory Friday, granting an emergency request that allows political parties to benefit from discounted television advertising rates ahead of the midterm elections. The justices temporarily blocked a lower-court decision that sided with four Democratic candidates seeking to reserve the cheaper broadcast rates for candidates themselves. The Trump administration backed the Republican appeal, which was brought by the National Republican Congressional Committee and National Republican Senatorial Committee. The Supreme Court’s order will remain in effect while the GOP committees continue their appeal.