NPR News Now covers a Ninth Circuit panel's dismissal of the DOJ's bid to block 20,000 California ballots, noting the case returns to district court. The episode also highlights Vice President J.D. Vance's rally in Montana's competitive first congressional district and former National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan's warnings regarding Iranian threats to U.S. personnel. Additional segments address President Trump's unfounded claims about Brazil's election, record-breaking Colorado River flows in the Grand Canyon, and the NBA's new agreements with prediction markets.