Weather woes impact July 4th celebrations as National Mall evacuated. Follow live updates.

Americans are celebrating 250 years of independence this Fourth of July, although severe weather is putting a damper on the proceedings in several parts of the country.

Heat and severe storms damper July Fourth celebrations, leave thousands without power

While millions of Americans across the Northeast experienced record-setting temperatures, thunderstorms in the Midwest downed trees, ruptured power lines and made transportation treacherous.

Mbappé spot-on to take France past stubborn Paraguay into World Cup quarter-finals

On this occasion, France kept the champagne football on ice. Which was probably just as well, given the temperature. As Philadelphia broiled in an independence day heatwave, the World Cup favourites were forced to drop a gear or two but still had too much for a Paraguay team that set out for a fight but were ultimately no more than a nuisance.

In the annals of France-Paraguay encounters this was more France 98 than Sweden 58, where Just Fontaine embellished his World Cup legend with a hat-trick. Les Bleus’ modern-day goal machine, Kylian Mbappé, had to make do with just the one, a penalty, to draw him level again with Lionel Messi in the golden boot race, but one behind the great man in terms of the all-time goalscoring record.

Pope Leo spends July Fourth at migrant cemetery in Italy, meets with U.S. ambassador

After the pope's visit to the Sicilian island of Lampedusa, the U.S. Embassy said the ambassador to the Holy See gave Leo a commemorative baseball, an apple pie and a U.S. World Cup jersey.

Cow corner: cricket match abandoned after runaway bull stops play

Match at Burnopfield near Newcastle called off after 800kg young bull escaped from farm and stormed playing field

A cricket match had to be abandoned after a runaway bull stormed the playing field and charged at players.

The North East Premier League fixture at Burnopfield Cricket Club near Newcastle was called off on Saturday evening despite efforts to remove the animal from the ground.

Trump tries again to delay $5m sexual abuse payout to E Jean Carroll

Lawyers file request days after US supreme court declined to hear an appeal, with payout topping $5.8m with interest

Lawyers for Donald Trump have requested more time to pay a $5m civil judgment to magazine columnist E Jean Carroll from 2023, days after the US supreme court declined to hear an appeal.

In a new filing, the president’s attorney said that since his former lead counsel, Justin Smith, took up a position as a federal judge last month (a post he was nominated to by Trump), his new lead counsel, Josh Halpern, needed more time “to become completely familiar with the facts and procedural circumstances” of the case.

NHS to use AI on its app to direct patients to appropriate services

Update in England expected to reach about 200,000 patients over the next year as part of £10bn package to overhaul NHS systems

The NHS will begin using AI on its app to direct patients to the appropriate services, it has been announced.

The tool will be used to triage patients and to ascertain if they should be allocated a GP appointment. Some may be advised to attend a pharmacy or their local A&E department instead, depending on the severity of their condition.

Female US rower completes historic solo journey from California to Hawaii

Kelsey Pfendler set out to become first US woman, youngest woman and fastest woman to solo over 2,400-mile journey

A Grand Canyon river-rafting guide who aimed to become the first US woman to row solo across the mid-Pacific has completed a record-breaking journey from California to Hawaii.

Hundreds of people gathered to cheer on Kelsey Pfendler as she pulled into a Honolulu harbor on Friday night on her 21ft rowboat, Lily, after nearly a month-and-a-half at sea, local media reported.

Guardian staff contributed

‘We were better than them’: Marsch bullish despite Canada’s World Cup exit to Morocco

• Canada coach says his side ‘totally controlled the match’

• Ouahbi: ‘It takes some nerve to say when you lose 3-0’

Jesse Marsch spoke of his pride in his Canada side after their last-16 exit to Morocco, claiming they were the better team and challenging his players to keep producing the levels they have reached in this tournament.

“We totally controlled the match,” he said. “We were the ones more likely to win the game, but goals change games so they could sit back. But overall in the match we were better than them. Before we came here if you’d said we’d be last 16 we’d have been satisfied. And if you’d said we were going to play like that … you’d think we were going to win the match.”

In Mount Rushmore speech, Trump veers from U.S. exceptionalism to warnings about communism

President Trump ushered in America's 250th anniversary with a darkly political speech that swerved from the typically apolitical, unifying speeches past presidents have given to mark Independence Day.

Archaeologists uncover ancient Byzantine city in Egypt’s western desert

Well-preserved fourth-century quarters reveal details of daily life, urban development and economic activities

Archaeologists in Egypt have uncovered a well-preserved Byzantine-era city in the western desert.

The fourth-century quarters had residential and religious structures, including a basilica-style church in the Dakhla oasis. Archaeologists also found coins, pottery fragments and tools.

Doctors’ soaring use of AI scribes prompts Australian government warning over privacy

Exclusive: With the technology fast becoming popular in GP surgeries, regulators are monitoring its implementation and potential pitfalls

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The federal health department has raised concerns about the use of AI scribes by doctors as the health regulator considers the need for safeguards around the technology.

AI scribe tools record, transcribe and summarise conversations between doctors and patients for medical notes, and have boomed in popularity in the past 18 months.

The moment I knew: I woke up and couldn’t see out of my right eye. Hours later, she helped me record an album

Rebecca ‘Darl’ Ritchie ticked all the boxes for musician Jack Ceriani. Then one morning his eye ruptured – and she was a calming force

• Find more stories from the moment I knew series

About eight years ago some mutual friends put Darl and me in touch, thinking we’d be a good match. We’d talked on the phone a bit, but hadn’t found the time to meet in person. I lived in Busselton, Western Australia, and she lived about a 30-minute drive away.

Then on St Paddy’s Day my mates and I invited some friends around to the Star hotel, which was what we called our share house at the time. It was a bit of a bachelor pad with a bar set-up, and I made some really bad mojitos. But when Darl arrived, they improved a lot – she knew what she was doing behind the bar.

Ukrainian drones hit St Petersburg oil terminal and nearby port

St Petersburg governor reports no victims after ‘large-scale’ overnight attack that also hit Baltic port of Vysotsk

Ukraine launched a big overnight drone attack on St Petersburg and the surrounding area, hitting the city’s oil terminal and port infrastructure in the wider region.

The St Petersburg governor, Alexander Beglov, said the city had been subjected to a “large-scale” drone attack that had hit its oil terminal. He said there were no casualties and the aftermath of the attack had been dealt with.

British wildcard Arthur Fery fights back to beat Zizou Bergs in Wimbledon epic

• World No 114 wins 2-6, 7-5, 2-6, 7-6 (3), 7-6 (5)

• Fery needed treatment three times for nosebleeds

This place has always been home for Arthur Fery. He grew up a mile away from the Wimbledon grounds and went to school nearby. His mother, a former tennis player, is a member here. As a child he would spend his summers strolling the grounds: watching and wishing, inhaling this rarefied air, dreaming of the day when everyone here knew his name.

On a sun-baked Saturday evening, that moment finally arrived. The queues for seats stretched around the block and barely moved all day. Up in the high-rise flats overlooking court 18, residents leaned over balconies and pressed faces up against windows. This year’s Wimbledon finally has a homegrown hero to exalt, and it came after the longest match of the tournament so far: a five-set comeback that stretched credulity and announced the 23-year-old world No 114 as the next big star of British tennis.

Tens of thousands march in London for annual Pride parade

More than 35,000 people from about 600 groups made their way from Hyde Park Corner to Whitehall via Piccadilly

Tens of thousands of people marched through central London for the annual LGBT+ Pride parade.

Sadiq Khan, the mayor of London, joined the crowd as they proceeded through the capital on Saturday afternoon.

Tour de France 2026: Jonas Vingegaard in yellow after Barcelona team time trial

• Vingegaard leads Visma–Lease a Bike to stage one win

• Ganna second for Ineos; Pogacar third for Emirates

Jonas Vingegaard stunned Tadej Pogacar, the defending champion, by taking the first yellow jersey of the 2026 Tour de France after his Visma-Lease a Bike team won the opening stage of this year’s race, a 19.6km team time trial in Barcelona.

Two years after a life-threatening crash, Vingegaard, who won this year’s Giro d’Italia, looks back to his best. “It feels amazing to have the yellow jersey again,” said the Dane, the Tour champion in 2022 and 2023. “It’s been three years and it’s one of the most beautiful jerseys in cycling. It’s the perfect start for our race.”

Fit and firing Harry Kane is leading England by example on World Cup mission

The England captain is feeling fitter than ever but warns his team may have to ‘grind it out’ against Mexico

Nobody is more qualified than Thierry Henry to talk about finishing, so it was worth paying attention to the former France striker’s analysis of Harry Kane’s second goal against the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC).

“Striking with the inside of the foot, almost wrapping the ball while the body is off-balance, you have to maintain balance at the crucial moment to take the shot,” Henry said on Fox after the game. “Do you know how hard it is to generate power then? At the end of the game? To redirect it like that? If I did that now, I’d break my back.”

South Africa make statement with Nations Championship rout of England

• South Africa 45-21 England

• Springboks run in seven tries in one-sided contest

What a fabulous occasion this was, a thunderous way to kick off the new-look Nations Championship. Anyone stumbling across the sport for the first time would have been truly staggered by the commitment of both teams, not to mention the spine-tingling pre-match rendition of Nkosi Sikelel’ iAfrika. This was top-drawer sporting theatre in the spiritual home of South African rugby.

But when the smoke finally cleared on a cool, still Highveld evening there was a clear winner. Even though the world champion Springboks were missing a clutch of influential forwards they were still way too strong for gallant but outgunned opponents. From 17-0 down after just 12 minutes England showed huge resolve to battle their way back to 17-14 at half-time but, having been reduced to 13 men late on, the upstart visitors had been put firmly back in their place.

Bethell blasts England to T20 win over India after Sooryavanshi’s historic debut

• India 190-7; England 191-6; England win by four wkts

• Bethell’s 76 helps England chase 191 in second T20

Vaibhav Sooryavanshi was both headline act and bit-part player on a chill, windswept Manchester afternoon. He made his hotly anticipated debut to become, at 15 years and 99 days, the youngest Indian men’s international and the second youngest in all formats and from all full member nations.

But it was England’s youngest player, even if Jacob Bethell is a comparative veteran at 22 – “It feels weird to say I’m playing against someone seven years younger than me,” he said – who decided the match and in effect did so in the space of a single Ravi Bishnoi over.

Kimi Antonelli takes pole for British F1 Grand Prix with Hamilton third on grid

• Mercedes driver holds nerve with Leclerc a close second

• Russell fourth, with Norris and Piastri sixth and eighth

Much as Kimi Antonelli said he admired the British Grand Prix, its challenge and sporting spectacle, the Italian was in absolutely no mood to give a British driver so much as a sniff of a chance of enjoying a day in the sun as he swept to a majestic pole position for Sunday’s race.

Were will alone enough, the huge crowd at the old airfield would surely have powered Lewis Hamilton into the top spot, but their vocal support was not enough. Antonelli took his first pole here with the type of precision driving and commitment required on the high-speed blast that rewards drivers who can find the very edge. He did so with an authority and almost unconscious ease that unsurprisingly left his rivals a little deflated.

Storms prompt National Mall evacuations ahead of Trump's July 4th speech

Attendees gathered at the National Mall to mark America's 250th birthday were ordered to seek shelter due to the "severe storms" rolling into the area, just hours before the fireworks show was scheduled to take place.

This week on "Sunday Morning" (July 5)

A look at the features for this week's broadcast of the Emmy-winning program, hosted by Jane Pauley.

Beyoncé releases surprise new track for Fourth of July weekend

Morning Dew (Donk) reportedly conceived for Beyoncé’s second album B’Day, which will be reissued for its 20th anniversary in September

She popularised the shock drop in 2013 with the surprise release of her self-titled album. And on Saturday, Beyoncé did it again, dropping a new song out of the blue.

The singer released the new track, titled Morning Dew (Donk), on the Fourth of July holiday weekend. Reports say the track was initially intended for her second album, B’Day, released in 2006.

Who were the last residents of Liberty Island?

The Statue of Liberty is one of the most recognized works of art in the world, symbolizing American progress and the welcoming promise of immigration. Lady Liberty stands on a 15-acre island, now crowded by tourists — but once, a small group of residents called the island their home.

England bowlers fear Rita Ora show will spoil Women’s T20 World Cup final warm-up

• Hosts take on Australia at Lord’s on Sunday

• Nat Sciver-Brunt’s side frustrated by singer’s stint

England have complained they are facing disruption to their World Cup final warm-up at Lord’s on Sunday from an unlikely source: the singer Rita Ora.

Ora is headlining the tournament closing ceremony, which lasts from 2.30pm to 3pm, with the final due to get under way half an hour later. It means that 30 minutes of pre-match warm-up time on the main square will be lost – although the players will have the Nursery Ground available to them throughout.

Serena Williams withdraws from Wimbledon doubles match with sister Venus

Serena Williams cited a knee injury behind her decision to withdraw from a doubles match at Wimbledon.

Flying "Old Glory" and the history of America's most iconic flags

The iconic American flag is recognized around the world, representing the ideals and image of the nation. Author and photographer Roland Miller joins "CBS Saturday Mornings" to showcase some of the most famous flag moments in American history.

DNA technology leads to identification of Revolutionary War soldier

The remains of a Revolutionary War soldier were identified as a young man from Maryland just before America's 250th anniversary.

Three children dead after boat capsizes during storm in Wisconsin

Officials rescued seven other people after a sudden storm led to a boat sinking on Geneva Lake

Three children died after a boat capsized on Wisconsin’s Geneva Lake during inclement weather on the eve of the US’s semiquincentennial celebrations, and seven other people had to be rescued by emergency responders, according to officials.

A recreational motor boat with 10 passengers, including four children, sank on Friday afternoon as the boat “attempted to navigate to safety as weather conditions deteriorated” amid an intense, sudden storm, the city of Lake Geneva police department said in a statement.

The US celebrated the end of a ‘long national nightmare’ as it turned 200. What about now?

A decade in the making, the 1976 bicentennial had a cathartic impact on the wounded national polity

• Americans: how do you feel about the country’s future after 250 years of independence?

It felt like a proper jamboree – a coming together of diverse peoples who thought they had something to celebrate. But the defining moment of the 1976 bicentennial, the US’s last epic birthday celebration, came two years before.

“My fellow Americans, our long national nightmare is over,” Gerald Ford declared in his presidential inauguration speech of 9 August 1974. “Our great republic is a government of laws and not of men.”

Move over Chutes & Ladders: Schisto & Ladders has educational value plus worms

Spread by parasitic worms that can infect via a splash of water, schistosomiasis causes debilitating symptoms. It hits kids hard. A board game teaches how to prevent it.

Pope Leo XIV celebrates America's 250th birthday, receives Liberty Medal

Chicago-born Pope Leo XIV, the first American pontiff, celebrated America's 250th birthday with a speech, praising the nation's tradition of welcoming immigrants. The National Constitution Center also awarded the pope with a Liberty Medal.

Revolutionary War soldier's identity revealed after 250 years

After 250 years, a soldier who fought for the birth of the nation has finally been identified and recognized for his service. Bradley Blackburn has more.

‘The situation is terrible’: aid workers on life in Sudanese city pummelled by drone strikes

El Obeid becomes key battleground in war between Sudan’s armed forces and their paramilitary enemies, the RSF

Fatima has lost count of the number of drone attacks on the besieged city of El Obeid in Sudan, but said the attacks this past weekend were the most violent so far.

The drones hit schools and fuel stations, killing more than 20 people, including students, she said. “Over the past few months, seeing 40 or 45 drones is the norm. You can literally count them,” said the aid volunteer, whose name has been changed for fear of retribution.

Elon Musk posted twice as often on UK race and immigration as about SpaceX in IPO run-up

Guardian analysis of X feed shows how keen world’s richest person was to air his views and ‘interfere’ in British politics

Elon Musk posted about race and immigration in the UK on his social media network X twice as often as he did about SpaceX, which he also owns, in the run-up to the aerospace and AI company’s initial public offering.

A Guardian analysis of Musk’s posts, replies and reposts between 31 May and 12 June has shown the extent to which the social media activity of the world’s richest person, who lives primarily in the US, has focused on UK politics.

UK woman, 21, arrested in Thailand after allegedly stabbing boyfriend to death

Officers found body of 34-year-old man in luxury rental home in Pattaya area, local media says

A 21-year-old British woman has been arrested in Thailand after allegedly fatally stabbing her boyfriend, according to local media reports.

The Bangkok Post reported that on Thursday morning local time, officers found the body of a 34-year-old man, who operated a cannabis farm, in a luxury rental home in the Pattaya area, a beachside region two hours from Bangkok known for its large expat population and nightlife.

Exclusive discounts from CBS Mornings Deals

On this edition of CBS Mornings Deals, we show you items that will help improve your everyday lifestyle. Visit cbsdeals.com to take advantage of these exclusive deals today. CBS earns commissions on purchases made through cbsdeals.com.

Week-long heatwave due in England with 34C peak in south-east

Heat health alerts in place in most regions of England from Sunday to Saturday with mercury also rising in Wales

Another heatwave is on the way across parts of the UK with peak temperatures of 34C forecast.

Temperatures in the south of England could reach 28C on Saturday, according to the Met Office.

Philadelphia buries time capsule to commemorate America's 250th birthday

To commemorate America's 250th birthday, Philadelphia will bury a time capsule on the same grounds where the Founding Fathers signed the Declaration of Independence.

Pride in London – in pictures

Members and supporters of the LGBTQ+ community gather to celebrate the annual parade in London

Scorching heat disrupts some Fourth of July celebrations

Washington, D.C., and Philadelphia have called off some celebratory events amid searing heat. Intense storms in the Midwest and a shark sighting in New York also disrupted holiday activities. Lana Zak reports.

Football Daily | Argentina advance. But for Cape Verde, they’ll always have for ever

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They couldn’t, could they? They almost did. Fair play, Gianni Infantino, adding an extra knockout round has proved a worthy addition to the Geopolitics World Cup. Sure, the group stage occasionally dragged like a wet Sunday in February, with attendant Scottish and South Korean tears, and Uruguayan rage, but jeopardy is king content. And “the 32” signed off with an all-time classic that went close to delivering the greatest shock of all shocks.

Have to say I just unsubscribed from Football Daily because of the relentless negativity during the GWC, both from the writers and the letters that are being published. Normally I enjoy a bit of snark but, my goodness, this seven-day-a-week version of the email is on another level. What a shame” – Jeff Round.

In honour of Gianni Infantino, I have decided to introduce my own hydration breaks when reading Football Daily. Following several cans of Tin each day, it almost becomes funny” – Martyn Shapter.

Re: yesterday’s News, Bits and Bobs (full email edition). Education minister Jacqui Smith may have been planning a disco nap before watching England, but her ex-husband is more famously a fan of jazz” – David Maddock.

Re: Rick Costigan asking about giving the USA USA USA their exclamation marks and dropping the A (yesterday’s Football Daily letters). Does Rick know that their fans are already supporting his campaign? Having recently returned from Boston, Miami and Atlanta (final one was a stop-off on the way home to see Dr Martin Luther King Jr’s birth place and resting place), the place was full of USA USA USA fans holding up signs and wearing T-shirts saying ‘Why not US?’. Does this count as the first mass movement in support of a letter to the Football Daily email?” – James Thomson.

Bessent on Trump Accounts, gas prices and affordability

Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent spoke exclusively with Kelly O'Grady about inflation, gas prices and Trump Accounts, which are now available.

China's military promotes 2 new generals after anti-corruption purge thins ranks

The shake-up is believed to be an effort to ensure the military's loyalty to the Communist Party and its leader, Xi Jinping.

Overcrowded and underfunded: Trump’s cuts to national parks threaten the US’s ‘best idea’

This summer, Yosemite national park has been rife with traffic jams and throngs of visitors. Can these popular national treasures withstand a future of strained resources?

On a crisp, sunny morning at the end of June, dappled light filtered through the canopy of an ancient grove of giant sequoias, casting a tranquil backdrop for a mule deer as it ambled across the trail. Families from around the world gazed up at the towering trees in awe, speaking in hushed tones and different languages.

Experiences like these draw more than 4 million people to Yosemite national park each year. But as an increasing number of visitors come to take in the dramatic vistas, camp under the stars or feel the mist cascading off its thundering waterfalls, Yosemite’s landscapes are being pushed to their limits.

Burnham will change No 10 ‘boys club’ briefing culture, says Lucy Powell

Deputy Labour leader says No 10 must become more meritocratic as party’s female MPs press Burnham on gender balance

Andy Burnham will change a “boys club” culture of factional briefings at No 10 which silenced critics, according to the deputy leader of the Labour party.

Lucy Powell said she had experienced “unpleasant” briefings in Downing Street, which left people afraid to speak out or challenge Downing Street’s position.

7/4: CBS Saturday Morning

Americans are celebrating the Fourth of July and America's 250th birthday amid a sweltering heat wave. Plus, Taylor Swift's wedding, a Revolutionary War soldier is finally recognized, and former Liberty Island residents speak out.

German riot police clash with protesters hoping to block far-right AfD conference

Thousands of police deployed to Erfurt in central Germany as party holds conference on key Nazi date

Riot police have clashed with opponents of the far-right Alternative für Deutschland (AfD) party on the streets of Erfurt in Germany, where thousands met to block roads and prevent AfD delegates from attending the party’s biennial national conference to elect its leadership.

Police reported 20,000 protesters were demonstrating in the eastern city, where Alice Weidel and Tino Chrupalla are expected to be re-elected as the party’s co-leaders in the run-up to crucial regional elections in which AfD could win power at state-level for the first time.

‘This is a hellhole’: Aramco makes its presence hurt in the shadow of the World Cup

The oil giant’s sponsorship deal with Fifa has featured prominently at matches in Houston. But 100 miles away in another Texas city, residents say the firm’s refinery is exposing them to poisonous gases and long-term health problems

The street is wide, its grass verges thick and scruffy after a week of rainstorms. Jamal Johnson will walk home straight down the middle carrying his plastic shopping bag, a jot of motion through the stillness. He lives in one of the modest wood-panelled houses spaced out on each side, most lovingly kept and passed through at least two generations. There is nobody else in sight, but a freight train breaks the silence, grinding left to right along the line flanking the north-facing gardens. The west side of Port Arthur, Texas, could be any lower-income neighbourhood in the southern states if it were not for the looming menace on the other side of the track.

This is a sad, unsettling place. “I’ve got a load of friends and family who’ve had weird diseases,” says Johnson, his face contorting at the thought. He lists a grandfather and aunt who died of cancer, the latter at a young age after relocating here to care for other relatives. An uncle died with complications from ALS (motor neurone disease). “You know what I’m saying? Man, they’ve let off all these poisonous gases; it’s like that all the time. It’s fucked up.”

Crowds gather as six-day funeral for former Iranian supreme leader begins

Up to 30 million people expected to attend delayed events for Ali Khamenei, killed at start of war with US and Israel

Huge crowds have gathered at the funeral of the former Iranian supreme leader after the gates of the sprawling Grand Mosalla mosque in central Tehran let in thousands of mourners who had been waiting through the night to enter the grounds.

Iran is staging mass funeral processions for Ali Khamenei – whose ⁠37-year reign was brought ⁠to an ​end in February by the first airstrike of the war launched by the US and Israel. By 5.30am, the Tehran streets surrounding the mosque were already filling up as Iranians, some travelling for hours and many carrying flags or posters of Khamenei, made their way to an event designed to emphasise the country’s sense of loss at the killing of the supreme leader and desire for revenge. Emotions filled the air as the crowds chanted Death to America and Israel.

Three-year-old injured in UK crocodile enclosure faces ‘long rehabilitation’

Boy who was allegedly thrown into the area at a Cambridgeshire zoo has undergone five surgeries

A three-year-old boy left seriously injured after being allegedly thrown into a crocodile enclosure has undergone five surgeries and faces a long “rehabilitation journey”.

His family, who provided the update, also thanked donors who had raised more than £25,000. His parents said they had been “living at the hospital” since the incident at Johnsons of Old Hurst farm and zoo, in Cambridgeshire, on 18 June.

Tom Kean got months of paid sick leave – after voting against it for others | Arwa Mahdawi

The congressman spent four months mysteriously away from work, but he doesn’t seem to think his constituents should get mandated sick days

The mystery of the missing congressman has finally been solved. Almost four months ago Tom Kean Jr, a Republican, vanished from public view. He missed more than 100 votes, all while continuing to collect his full taxpayer-funded salary of $174,000 along with excellent benefits. The only explanation given for his absence was a cryptic statement from his office in late April saying he was dealing with a “personal health matter”. Kean’s father, former New Jersey governor Tom Kean Sr, further told CNN in May that his son was battling a temporary illness and would be back to work soon.

This week, Kean finally resurfaced and explained that he’d been absent due to inpatient treatment for depression. Why hadn’t he said anything about this earlier? Kean said he was “private person by nature”. Which is great, but maybe don’t choose a job in public service in that case.

Arwa Mahdawi is a Guardian columnist

‘All men are created equal’: America has lost its values. It’s time to go back to the founding text | Ted Widmer

As the US celebrates 250 years, the Declaration of Independence has been curiously absent. Yet its language on the consent of the governed is more relevant than ever

It’s America’s birthday. Ear-splitting pyrotechnics will be heard across the land tonight, as they were a few weeks ago, after the cage fight at the White House. On 24 June, the administration launched the Great American State Fair, with “spectacular flyovers” from fighter jets and stealth bombers. Six 18-wheel “Freedom Trucks” are barreling down the highways, bringing history-lite pop-up displays, mainly to red states. Later this summer, we will hear drivers revving their engines, deafeningly, as they leave skid marks around the National Mall during the Indy car race scheduled for 22 August. It’s gonna get loud.

But one guest is apparently not invited to the party. The Declaration of Independence, the reason we are convening, has been curiously absent from the lead-up. That feels strange for a document that essentially rewrote world history.

Opinion: America is still a work in progress

Poets like Walt Whitman and Langston Hughes have written movingly about America.

Family-owned company prepares to put on the largest fireworks display in history

When the sun goes down on Independence Day, the skies of Washington, D.C., are expected to fill with a record-setting 850,000 individual fireworks for a 40-minute spectacle like no one has seen before.

Taylor Swift and Travis Kelce married in ceremony officiated by Adam Sandler

Taylor Swift and Travis Kelce were married as they celebrated their wedding with hundreds of guests Friday at Madison Square Garden in New York City.

Trump warns of "communist menace" in speech at Mount Rushmore

The president kicked off America's 250th anniversary celebrations with a speech at Mount Rushmore where he warned of a resurgence in communism.

Mexico’s kidnapping crisis: 'How can they hold a World Cup?’ - video

As England prepares to take on Mexico in the Fifa World Cup, another battle is playing out just beyond the Azteca Stadium. More than 130,000 people have been forcibly disappeared in Mexico as cartel violence surges, leaving thousands of families searching for answers. They say the authorities have failed them and are demanding justice. The Guardian follows two families as they confront the police and challenge the government, determined to use football's biggest tournament to expose Mexico's disappearance crisis.

America’s 250th birthday celebrations are a mess. Here’s how we should mark the day | Dave Schilling

Instead of a UFC event and poorly attended state fair, how about ditching the electoral college and a new season of Game of Thrones?

I hate birthdays, especially my own, which is ominously arriving next month. I used to love them, back in those days when I had something tangible to look forward to: getting my first car, graduating high school, my first legal alcoholic drink, a new Star Wars film that’s actually good. That time is long gone. I can do all those things I listed, plus I haven’t seen a good Star Wars movie in more than 20 years. What am I even celebrating at 42? A slightly paunchier waistline? A larger bald spot? If the present you’re getting me isn’t a free Turkish hair transplant, I don’t want it. I don’t relish being 42, but imagine if I were 250?

America (the country, not the band) turns 250 this weekend, and we’re all meant to celebrate that fact on the Fourth of July. Millions of dollars have been poured into marking the occasion, though few of the events hold much appeal for me. I didn’t watch the UFC event; I have no desire to watch a bunch of cars driving around in circles, and the PragerU Freedom Truck hasn’t even come to my town. I couldn’t even get to finally see Vanilla Ice live in concert. Like every birthday, a lot of money has poured into a day where no one has any fun.

Taylor Swift wears Dior wedding dress for marriage to Travis Kelce

In coup for Dior, couple wear French haute couture designed by Northern Irish creative director, Jonathan Anderson

Your English teacher and your gym teacher wore Dior: Jonathan Anderson, the Northern Irish creative director of Dior, has been revealed as the designer of haute couture wedding looks for Taylor Swift and her new husband, Travis Kelce.

Photographs have not yet been released, with Swift’s team in charge of timing, but a Dior statement confirmed that Swift is the first bride for whom Anderson, who joined Dior last year, has created an haute couture gown.

This is how we do it: ‘I fell in love with my lover’s husband – and now we’re a trio’

Jonathan met Sadie when she was dating his wife. Now the two women share him – but he insists that they are the ones in control

• How do you do it? Share the story of your sex life, anonymously

When he suggested we stop seeing each other because he developed feelings for me, I told him: ‘This is too special to give up’

‘I filled a white ceramic bowl and carefully placed the fish inside’: Rashid Sheriff’s best phone picture

The Indian photographer dunked his iPhone underwater to get this shot of his pet

Rashid Sheriff’s fascination with photography and drawing originated in his school days, though “due to various limitations and circumstances, I couldn’t pursue those interests”, he says.

For the past 18 years, Sheriff, who is from Kerala, in south-west India, has been working in Qatar as an auto electrician. Smartphones, however, have allowed him to return to his passions once again.

6 presidential speeches that shaped American history

These six presidential speeches are some that have most reverberated through the ages, and whose impacts are still felt today.

Trump launches US’s 250th birthday celebrations with partisan attack

In speech at Mount Rushmore, US president claims resurgent ‘communist menace’ poses threat to country

Donald Trump has kicked off the US’s 250th birthday weekend with an extraordinary partisan attack on the “communist menace” in the US, framing its supporters as “the enemy of July 4th 1776”.

The US president spoke for half an hour on Friday night at Mount Rushmore in South Dakota, the latest stop on his tour celebrating the milestone anniversary of the US Declaration of Independence from Britain.

Why can’t Britain turn its green revolution into cheap energy? A visual analysis

Labour has approved a wave of renewable energy projects, but turning plans into power remains slow. Why is that?

Labour has a race on its hands if it is to lock in its promise to achieve a virtually zero-carbon electricity system by 2030.

Britain’s next prime minister will have to move fast: the climate emergency is raging, high energy bills are driving up the cost of living and the reactionary right is threatening a fossil fuel push if it wins power.

Esther Freud: ‘My parents died within four days of each other. I was engulfed’

The novelist on grief, being a terrible liar, and wanting to join the circus

Born in London, Esther Freud, 63, is the daughter of Bernardine Coverley and Lucian Freud. She trained as an actor and, in 1992, released her debut novel, Hideous Kinky, which was made into a film starring Kate Winslet in 1998. Freud’s work has been translated into 13 languages, and her 10th adult novel, My Sister and Other Lovers, is out in paperback. She has three children with the actor David Morrissey, and lives between Suffolk and London with her current partner.

What is your greatest fear?
Decline.

‘A halo of optimism’: why The Pitt is the most hopeful show on TV

It’s full of heart, humanity and such extreme competence it’s actually comforting to watch. No wonder it’s swept the boards at awards

‘Let’s go save some lives.” That’s the mantra of Noah Wyle’s A&E doctor at the start of every shift in The Pitt. The gritty US hospital drama seems an unlikely contender to be the most hopeful show on air. Yet despite the death, disease and pointed social commentary, The Pitt somehow pulls it off.

The smash HBO hit’s second season climaxed last night in a blaze of Fourth of July fireworks, group cuddles, cute babies and cathartic karaoke. A third season is about to enter production. For millions of devoted fans, it can’t be stretchered back on to our screens soon enough.

'Cautiously optimistic': Swing voters describe their view of America at 250

As America turns 250, voters from our Swing Shift project talk about the state of the country. Their views ranged from "uncertain" and "concerned" to "excited" and "cautiously optimistic."

The Rolling Stones: Foreign Tongues review – stomping blues and anti-Musk politics make this another late triumph

(Polydor)
Continuing the rejuvenated sound of 2023’s Hackney Diamonds, there’s touching vulnerability from Keith Richards while Jagger confronts war and autocracy

Mick Jagger recently launched the Rolling Stones’s 25th album declaring, “The thing about this record is, the Stones are a rock band that also has the capacity to do ballads, country music or dance music. So we don’t get stuck in one kind of style.” The same could be said of numerous bands, but what the singer was probably driving at was that the Stones have always been able to do all this while sounding utterly like themselves. Nobody else has been able to assemble their quintessentially just-shaky Jenga tower of sound, which often sounds like it could fall to pieces at any moment but somehow never does.

They have certainly also made their share of albums that sounded like they’d been phoned in from the cricket, but Foreign Tongues continues the creative renaissance that began with 2023’s Hackney Diamonds, which at the time was their first album of original songs in 18 years. Once again, producer and occasional musician Andrew Watt captures the rejuvenated band’s joy of playing in a room together – and, as guitarist Keith Richards put it recently, kicks their asses when needed. Perhaps drummer Charlie Watts’ death five years ago has sharpened the founding pair’s awareness that their band may not last much longer, so they may as well go down blazing and have fun while they do so.

Overseas education project for women and girls axed by UK after two years

The programme, aimed at keeping 1m girls in school across Africa, Asia and the Middle East, withdrawn after aid cuts

A leading higher education programme, aimed at keeping 1 million girls in school across Africa, Asia and the Middle East, has been axed by the British government just two years after it was announced.

The scheme, Strengthening higher education for female empowerment (SHEFE), which was unveiled with some fanfare two years ago by the outgoing Conservative government, had a £45m budget to increase access to higher education for 1 million students worldwide. It has now had its tender withdrawn, the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office (FCDO) said.

How AI is changing language

As allegations of LLM use rock the literary and media worlds, linguists explain what really distinguishes human and machine writing, while novelists including Jennifer Egan and Jeanette Winterson reflect on the future of fiction in an age of ChatGPT

Three paragraphs, from three different hotel reviews. Can you tell which, if any, were AI‑generated?

“The hotel is in a great location for everything. Lots of places to eat and drink. The hotel itself is always abuzz. The tavern located on the ground floor is definitely a must. Food, service, prices and atmosphere were great.”

Farewell to Jackass, the finest catalogue of male idiocy – it could only go on for so long | Tom Usher

When I was 12, the antics of Johnny Knoxville, Steve-O and co were an invitation to jump out of trees. These days, I see something deeper in their refusal of filtered perfection

My name is Tom, and I am an idiot. I’ve been an idiot almost my entire life, ever since I was old enough to think it was funny and interesting to be one. So there was something sentimental for me in watching Jackass: Best and Last. It’s a final swansong for a 26-year project that is the finest document of idiocy and the Freudian death drive the modern world has seen.

Jackass debuted in 2000, when I was 12 years old. I was already obsessed with professional wrestling. I’d watch grainy VHS-quality videos of Mick Foley matches in awe, as he would jump headfirst into barbed wire, get repeatedly hit in the head with steel chairs or, famously, be thrown off a five-metre steel cage and through a table.

Tom Usher is a freelance writer

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How many teeth do caiman have and what makes cats purr? The kids’ quiz

Five multiple-choice questions – set by children – to test your knowledge, and a chance to submit your own junior brainteasers for future quizzes

• ​Submit a question

Molly Oldfield hosts Everything Under the Sun, a podcast answering children’s questions. Do check out her books, Everything Under the Sun and Everything Under the Sun: Quiz Book, as well as her new title, Everything Under the Sun: All Around the World.

Katie Price: Nothing to Hide – this remarkable profile is as fascinating and exhausting as its subject

You’d think there was nothing new to learn about the glamour model-turned-tabloid sensation. You’d be wrong…

‘Boobs,” says Katie Price, expressionlessly. “I always wanted a boob job. Always wanted them bigger.” Price, 48, places her tiny, tanned hands on the mountainous upper region of her pastel pink sweatshirt, under which lurk the latest results of this glandular restlessness. “I never wanted natural. I wanted stuck-on,” she says. “I wanted fake.” And so it came to pass. Now, 17 or so operations later, here she is, fidgeting on a beige sofa as she discusses the surgeries (“the pain!”), the insatiable ambition, the breakdowns, the flammable thongs, the still-bewildered ex-husbands and all the other stuff that has helped turn her into one of Britain’s longest-running soap operas; every bit of self-generated drama catapulting us, speechless, into the next instalment.

The new four-part series Katie Price: Nothing to Hide (Wednesday, 9pm, Sky Documentaries) promises several cliffhangers of its own. Here, it bugles, is a “revealing portrait” that will “go beyond the headlines”. Oh God, we think, as Price’s eyebrows disappear behind yet another nimbus of synthetic fog (the woman vapes like a furnace). Not again. We have read the unreadable memoirs, endured myriad “tell-all” documentaries and suffered any number of hand-wringing tabloid “exclusives”. Could there really be anything left to know about the woman who has, we are told, “sold every aspect of her life”? The answer is yes, actually, and it is, remarkably, as fascinating and exhausting as its subject.

My very own Greek Odyssey: a sailing trip to the island of Ithaca

A quest for the settings that inspired Homer – and Hollywood’s latest blockbuster – turned into a personal voyage of discovery

Swimming ashore from the boat I can see a narrow shingle beach covered in driftwood. There are logs, bamboo canes and the sundried planks of an old shipwreck. The steep climb up the hill behind is not easy. I skirt thick clumps of thorn and abandoned ancient olive trees, scrambling over jagged outcrops of limestone. Every time I curl my fingers into a rocky niche I think about snakes. The only residents, however, are spiders. Their webs are strung between the trees, and so thick and strong that I grab a stick to slash through them. No one has been here for a long time.

Near the hilltop I stumble on a ruined stone building. Who lived here, I wonder? And where have they gone? A few steps further and the land abruptly ends in a vertical white cliff that plummets into an improbably blue sea. Far away, in the haze, there is a stack of Ionian islands and one of them, I know, must be Ithaca.

I fell in love with ballet as a young girl – now it’s keeping me active in my eighties

The first time I saw a show, I felt like I had discovered a new language. It’s since become one of my greatest pleasures

When I was a young girl living in suburban London in the early 1960s, I was looking for ways to find excitement. The first time my mother took me to see the London Festival Ballet (now the English National Ballet), I felt a sense of rapture as I realised that the body could say things words could not.

I was yearning for more, and that night at the Royal Festival Hall, I saw glimmers of the world out there waiting for me. Watching the dancers, I felt something shift in me. It was like discovering a new language, one that I immediately wanted to speak.

Cape Verde's historic World Cup ride ends after pushing Argentina to the brink

Cape Verde didn't win a match at the World Cup, and somehow, that didn't seem to matter. The African team's debut on this stage was unforgettable.

Dayslong funeral for slain Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei begins in Tehran

Khamenei, who ruled Iran for more than three decades, was killed in an airstrike on Feb. 28 at the start of the U.S.-Israeli war against Iran.

Blind date: ‘I made him take a few too many selfies…’

Lily, 26, a PhD student, meets Brodie, 24, a chef

What were you hoping for?
Love, passion … marriage. Failing that, some good craic and a free dinner.

I’m taking the plunge and buying a new swimsuit: the Becky Barnicoat cartoon

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Meera Sodha’s vegetarian recipe for Beijing-style courgette pancakes with hot honey cucumbers | Meera Sodha recipes

A spicy, umami-rich salad provides sweetness and crunch alongside these simple Chinese-style courgette pancakes

This week marks nine years since I started writing this column, and here’s something I’m excited by: that we’ve only just scratched the surface when it comes to our collective knowledge about Asian cuisine. When it comes to Chinese food, for example, we might know a fair bit about, for example, Cantonese or Sichuan food, but what about Fujian or Hunanese? There are still so many riches to discover and excellent meals to be had. Today’s offering is a small token in that vein: a simple vegetable pancake made with courgette, known as hutazi and straight from the homes of Beijing. I’ve taken the liberty of embellishing it with some hot and sweet cucumbers.

Burning flags, busty blondes and bison skulls: 48 photographs that capture America at 250

From the gold rush to civil rights, the moon landing to 9/11, the US has always understood, mythologised and sold itself through the power of the still image

The United States was founded in 1776, but did not begin to see itself until the autumn of 1839, when daguerreotypes, the first form of photograph, reached American cities. You could argue the US began again on the morning it could look at its own face.

At first photography seemed to answer the democratic promise of 1776. A portrait was no longer reserved for the rich; almost anyone could now leave a trace of their existence. The gold rush became one of the first great American dramas to find the camera: ordinary diggers squinting into the lens, looking beyond it for gold. A more emblematic American scene can scarcely be imagined: what would be called the American Dream, a lottery everyone plays and very few win. The myth was not that they all found gold – it was that the search itself made them American.

An AI philosopher, the conflict and chaos in Taylor Swift’s songs and the erasure of US history from national parks

Need something brilliant to read this weekend? Here are six of our favourite pieces from the last seven days

Malta’s ‘trial of the century’ revives interest in murder of Daphne Caruana Galizia

Investigative journalist had enemies in high places and accused, Yorgen Fenech, is establishment figure from powerful family

On the steps of the courts of justice in Valletta, there is a bronze statue of Malta’s late president. A bundle of papers in one hand, Guido de Marco stands on a plinth, looking out at passersby in the busy street below.

Every morning since Wednesday this week, his daughter has walked up the steps of the same courthouse, in dark glasses and smart clothes, a bundle of papers in her hand. A sought-after criminal lawyer, Giannella de Marco is representing the man accused of ordering the 2017 murder of the investigative journalist Daphne Caruana Galizia, in a case that continues to dominate public debate nearly nine years after the event.

Fight them for the beaches: the real villain of Europe’s overtourism is big business | Adam Almeida

From Albania to Portugal, privatisation of the coastline is bringing locals out on to the streets. For them, the economic benefits are few and far between

Few scenes better capture the essence of a European summer than the terminals of our airports in the early hours of the morning. Britons necking pints like a football match is on, German couples eagerly murmuring about their cycling tour across Croatia, and passengers sleeping peacefully on corridor floors. This holiday season, millions will embark on an annual pilgrimage to the hotspots of Mallorca, Corfu and Albufeira to enjoy a much-anticipated break in the sun.

But it’s increasingly likely that they will face some kind of hostility there. In Barcelona, demonstrators might spray them with water pistols or tape off the entrance to their hotel. In Tenerife, visitors might see “tourists go home” graffiti on the side of the road as they drive their rental car down to the beach.

Adam Almeida is a writer and researcher living in London

Reflections on America's 250th birthday

NPR member station reporters across the U.S. asked people how they are thinking about their country on its semiquincentennial.

The 2026 FIFA World Cup schedule and how to watch

With 104 World Cup games being played in the U.S., Canada and Mexico, it's like "a Super Bowl every single day for five weeks," U.S. team captain Tim Ream told CBS News.

Maps show this July 4th could be hottest ever in parts of U.S.

Extremely dangerous heat, coupled with humidity, could result in heat index readings of 100 to 115 degrees from the Midwest to the East Coast, forecasters said.

Feds seek lower prison term for $100M New Jersey deli fraudster — but some reasons why are hidden

James Patten is the third person who will be sentenced in the stock manipulation scheme related to Hometown International, a company that owned just one deli.

How to save money on air conditioning as electric bills climb

As Americans endure another bout of extreme heat, experts say small thermostat adjustments and other energy-saving steps can help reduce soaring cooling costs.

Inside the security operations for July Fourth celebrations in D.C.

The Fourth of July celebrations in Washington, D.C., are deemed a "national special security event," which is the highest possible designation.

After 10 years, one man's mission to preserve WWII veterans' legacy continues

Rishi Sharma started his journey 10 years ago by driving around his Southern California neighborhood to record interviews with veterans and later expanded his outreach.

How the Secret Service is managing America 250 security: "We're in a heightened threat environment"

Saturday's Fourth of July celebration on the National Mall is the first tagged as a "national special security event," meaning a law enforcement presence akin to a Super Bowl or an inauguration. Nicole Sganga has more.

Young man aims to preserve "real superhero" WWII veterans' stories

Every Fourth of July marks the loss of more veterans of World War II. Steve Hartman met a young man who is racing against time to preserve their stories.

Trump announces pardons for pollution violators prosecuted for "fixing their car"

CBS News previously reported President Trump was weighing pardons of a slate of people convicted of emissions and clean air-related violations.

Taylor Swift and Travis Kelce officially married

Taylor Swift and Travis Kelce are officially married, according to Swift's publicist. Jo Ling Kent reports.

7/3: CBS Evening News

Nearly 200 million Americans are under heat alerts; a string of shark attacks hits the East Coast.

After weeks of speculation, Taylor Swift, Travis Kelce wed in New York

Superfans and sleuths appear to have their hunches confirmed on Friday, as dozens of black cars dropped off elegantly dressed guests outside of Madison Square Garden in New York City. The wedding bash is expected to last into Saturday morning.

Extreme heat wave threatens U.S. power grids and July 4 travel

The heat wave threatens to overwhelm U.S. grids and may force some to change their plans on one of the busiest travel weeks of the year.