Fourth of July live: Trump slams communism in Mount Rushmore speech marking America’s 250th birthday
In image: White nationalist group Patriot Front assembles in DC for July 4Patriot Front, a white nationalist neo-fascist group formed in the aftermath of the violent Unite the Right rally in 2017, is assembling in Washington, D.C. this morning as the nation celebrates its 250th anniversary.(Reuters)(Reuters)(Reuters)Alex Woodward4 July 2026 16:45JD Vance hails America's naval might and Constitution's endurance in remarks from New YorkVice President JD Vance, speaking from Manhattan, noted that the landscape looked “very, very different” when George Washington was in the same place with his gaze “fixed on the horizon for sails on the most powerful navy” more than 250 years ago.“War was coming and everyone knew it,” he said as he recalled thousands of British troops descending on the fledgling nation.Following the signing of the Declaration of Independence, Washington read the document that has “stirred our hearts and reminded us who we are as a people” to his troops, Vance said.To his troops, the document “was entirely new … they had never heard those words before,” he said.“It was written for the people of this fledgling country,” he said. “As a document, it does not handhold its readers ... It does not pause to explain who this ‘creator’ is or ‘what equality of men’ means ... It simply declares ‘these truths to be self evident.’”(Getty)Alex Woodward4 July 2026 16:35America's newest citizens sworn in for 250th annversaryThe U.S. routinely holds naturalization ceremonies across the country around the Fourth of July to welcome America’s newest citizens.Thomas Jefferson’s Virginia plantation home Monticello hosted a ceremony this morning to swear in the latest group of new citizens on the country’s 250th anniversary.“Please know, you are all welcome,” Judge Elizabeth K. Dillon told the group on Saturday morning.The event marked the landmark’s 64th annual naturalization ceremony.“Some of you may have come the the United States for a better life, some for a job, some for family, some for education, some for love and some for freedom,” she added.“Some of you may have lived here for a lifetime and others may have arrived more recently. Some may have come from free countries where you transition was one of choice and others may have risked your lives to flee a country where there is no freedom and no choice.”Alex Woodward4 July 2026 16:30Beyoncé marks Fourth of July with first new song in two yearsBeyonce has announced the release of “MORNING DEW (DONK),” her first new song in two years.Tom Murray4 July 2026 16:15Today's lineup at the Great American State FairThe Trump-backed Freedom 250 Great American State Fair has been plagued by low turnout, falling-apart stages and displays, and extreme heat that reportedly sent several people to urgent medical care.The gates are opening at noon today rather than 10 a.m.Alex Woodward4 July 2026 16:00Seven people needed 'advanced' care at Trump's State Fair on FridayAt least seven people who attended the Freedom 250 Great American State Fair on Friday needed “advanced life support,” according to CNN.The lightly attended event was forced to close for a few hours after temperatures hit triple digits.CNN’s Brian Todd reported Friday that those seven people most likely needed aid because of heat-related issues.Eleven people had to be taken to the hospital and 44 sought medical care while attending the fair on Friday, according to the outlet.Alex Woodward4 July 2026 15:45Trump kicks off America’s 250th with dead of night memes trolling foes as Pee-wee Herman and Alfred E. NeumanAfter using Mount Rushmore as a backdrop for a dark Independence Day eve speech that cast his political enemies as “godless” communists, the president popped on Truth Social to post memes of two prominent Democrats as Pee-wee Herman and the gap-toothed mascot for Mad magazine.Alex Woodward4 July 2026 15:20Analysis: Trump enters America's 250th more powerful than everDonald Trump possesses more presidential power than any of his predecessors in generations.That power, according to legal scholars and several Supreme Court justices, goes beyond the scope of the monarchy from which Americans fought to liberate themselves.Empowered by a Supreme Court increasingly drawn into his administration’s legal crusades, and unmoored from a Republican-controlled Congress uninterested in checks and balances, the president enters the next chapter of U.S. history testing how far the country has come since then.Alex Woodward4 July 2026 15:10Watch live: JD Vance participates in International Naval Review as part of America's 250th anniversaryAlex Woodward4 July 2026 15:00DC's Independence Day parade is canceledWashington, D.C.’S annual Independence Day is canceled due to “extreme heat” in the nation’s capital, organizers announced.“The National Weather Service has issued an Extreme Heat Warning for the District of Columbia, with heat index values expected to reach between 110°F and 115°F. This decision was made after extensive and careful consideration of the safety of our participants, spectators, and staff as the top priority,” according to a statement from organizers.The White House-backed Freedom 250 also is delaying the opening of the Great American State Fair on the National Mall. The fair will re-open at noon instead of 10 a.m. after closing temporarily on Friday due to triple-digit temperatures.Alex Woodward4 July 2026 14:50
