By splitting 4-4 on the question, the justices left in place a lower-court ruling in Oklahoma denying public funding to what would have been the nation’s first religious public

With only eight justices voting, the 4-4 tie leaves in place an Oklahoma Supreme Court ruling that a public religious charter school would violate the separation of church and state.

The case, a major test of the separation of church and state, was an unexpected loss for those advocating a greater role for religion in public life.

Bloomberg's Ben Elliot breaks down Trump's proposal to take mortgage lenders Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac out from under government control after two decades. (Source: Bloomberg)

Experts fear that the move, though it could help the government's budget woes, could disrupt the fragile U.S. mortgage market.

President Donald Trump said he is seriously considering taking mortgage giants Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac public.