Trump says he 'shouldn't have left' the White House

A Pennsylvania judge on Friday ordered election officials in Erie County to extend early voting hours and offer expedited absentee ballots to up to 17,000 voters whose mail-in ballots either never arrived or arrived late, delivering a victory to state Democrats who sued county election officials over a series of "vendor issues."

Those vendor-related issues “threaten to disenfranchise thousands of registered voters,” according to the suit from the Pennsylvania Democratic Party, which claimed thousands of individuals had not yet received or belatedly received mail-in ballots.

At a hearing earlier this week, Democrats shared evidence establishing that around 1,200 Erie voters who live out-of-state never received mail-in ballots “through no fault of their own,” Judge David Ridge ruled on Friday.

Ridge wrote that the measures he imposed, which include a mandate to add additional printers to election offices to reduce wait times, were necessary to “ensure all registered voters … are given full opportunity to complete their right to vote.”

-ABC News’ Olivia Rubin

Texas says election monitors from the U.S. Department of Justice will not be permitted in the state's polling places.

A letter from Texas Secretary of State Jane Nelson sent Friday to the department's Civil Rights Division, says federal monitors are not permitted under Texas law.

Earlier Friday, the Justice Department issued a press release stating it planned to send election monitors to more than 80 counties in 27 states to monitor compliance with federal voting rights laws. The list included eight counties in Texas, including Dallas and Harris counties.

"Texas law is clear: Justice Department monitors are not permitted inside a polling place where ballots are being cast or a central counting station where ballots are being counted," Nelson's letter stated.

The letter ended with: "Rest assured that Texas has robust processes and procedures in place to ensure that eligible voters may participate in a free and fair election."

The Justice Department has sent Election Day monitors to polling places around the U.S. for decades.

At a campaign stop in upstate New York on Friday, House Speaker Mike Johnson told reporters, “I expect that we probably will” repeal the CHIPS and Science Act.

Johnson was asked about his position on the legislation by Syracuse University student journalist Luke Radel if former President Donald Trump wins the election and Republicans keep control of the House.

“We haven’t developed that part of the agenda yet. We gotta get over the election first. That’s why we are so happy to be in NY-22,” Johnson said.

The speaker added, "When you take the Green New Deal out of the equation you will save trillions of dollars in the long run for the U.S. economy.”

New York Republican Rep. Brandon Williams - who is running in a tight race that could determine control of the House - said he supports the CHIPS and Science Act.

"I will remind him [Johnson] night and day how important the CHIPS Act is," Williams said.

The comments already drew ire from Democrats including New York Gov. Kathy Hochul.

"I’m amazed that any national leader would even consider repealing the CHIPS & Science Act — and Speaker Johnson threatening to do so during his visit to Central New York just shows how out-of-touch he and his allies are," she said in a statement.

In a statement released later in the evening, Johnson clarified his remarks and reversed his previous comments.

"The CHIPS Act is not on the agenda for repeal. To the contrary, there could be legislation to further streamline and improve the primary purpose of the bill—to eliminate its costly regulations and Green New Deal requirements," he said in his statement.

Williams said in a statement that the speaker "apologized profusely, saying he misheard the question."

-ABC News' Lauren Peller

The U.S. Supreme Court rejected the Republican National Committee NC emergency request Friday evening to block the counting of provisional ballots in Pennsylvania cast by voters whose mail-in ballots arrived without a required security sleeve and therefore invalid.

There were no dissents.

The decision, however, applies only to the case at hand — which involves the "naked" ballots submitted during the 2024 Democratic primary.

That means the court has taken no precedent position on any future dispute over Pennsylvania provisional ballots stemming from "naked" mail-in ballots in the general election.

The court signaled it agreed with the Democratic voters’ argument that the RNC lacks injury to intervene, and that granting a stay now would impose no obligation on state election officials overseeing the general election.

Justices Neil Gorsuch, Samuel Alito and Clarence Thomas -- three conservatives who in 2020 expressed desire to intervene in disputes over Pennsylvania mail ballot rules -- issued a joint statement respecting the decision to deny the RNC request.

-ABC News' Devin Dwyer