Our politics is in a partisan death spiral.  That's why I'm leaving the GOP.  —  Justin Amash, an independent, represents Michigan's 3rd Congressional District in the House.  —  When my dad was 16, America welcomed him as a Palestinian refugee.  It wasn't easy moving to a new country, but it was the greatest blessing of his life.

Scoop: Trump considers executive order on citizenship question  —  President Trump is considering an executive order to try to move forward with a citizenship question on the 2020 census, top sources tell Jonathan Swan and me.  — “We didn't come this far just to throw in the towel,” …

Robespierre's America  —  We need to reclaim the spirit of 1776, not the certitudes of 1789.  —  I was walking through an airport terminal trying to catch a connecting flight last Saturday when I spotted a writer I had never met but whose work I admire.  He greeted me with a look of fatherly concern …

Harris says busing should be considered, not mandated  —  WEST DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) — Sen. Kamala Harris said Wednesday that busing students should be considered by school districts trying to desegregate their locations — not the federal mandate she appeared to support …

Pentagon officials 'are concerned Trump's July 4 parade could be too political' - despite the president's claim that military chiefs are ‘thrilled’ to be taking part in the event  — An insider says the military's top brass have been hesitant about accepting Trump's invitation to the event at the National Mall on Thursday

Inside the effort to build suspense — and crowds — for Trump's Fourth of July  —  As President Trump's appointees have worked doggedly to assemble the most ambitious and costly Fourth of July ceremony the nation's capital has ever seen, they have been guided by one overriding principle: It cannot be a repeat of his 2017 inauguration.

Bad news for Bernie has his backers getting antsy  —  Bernie Sanders keeps getting bad news.  —  After Kamala Harris and Elizabeth Warren seized the spotlight in the first primary debate, the Vermont senator dropped to fourth place in two polls in the first-in-the-nation caucus state of Iowa.

A July 4 NPR Tradition: A Reading Of The Declaration Of Independence  —  In 1989, Morning Edition launched what has become an Independence Day tradition: hosts, reporters, newscasters and commentators reading the Declaration of Independence.  —  Church bells rang out over Philadelphia 243 years ago today …

‘What to the Slave Is the Fourth of July?’:  The History of Frederick Douglass' Searing Independence Day Oration  —  After the Independence Day military parade in the nation's capital on Thursday, President Donald Trump will give a speech at the Lincoln Memorial, the most recognizable memorial …

Trump's Fourth of July salute to himself will only hurt him  —  It's no surprise that President Trump has hijacked the Fourth of July ceremony on the Mall.  He wants to turn a celebration of America's founding into a celebration of himself.  Obscene, yes, but entirely in character.

Southerners, Facing Big Odds, Believe in a Path Out of Poverty  —  HUNTSVILLE, Ala. — A widening income gap and sagging social mobility have left dents in the American dream.  But the belief that anyone with enough gumption and grit can clamber to the top remains central to the nation's self-image.

After Confederate statues, America's culture war targets Betsy Ross and a founding father  —  As the nation has celebrated its birthday with displays of its contemporary power and prestige this week, two of its cherished historic symbols came under fire — its first flag and its third president.

Surprised by those Fourth of July tanks?  Here's what political science can tell us about nationalism, patriotism and public opinion.  —  Nationalism doesn't always involve militarism.  And patriotism is different from both.  —  President Trump will celebrate the Fourth of July …

Why nearly 350,000 workers in mostly red states aren't seeing wage increases, even though their local lawmakers passed them  —  For most of her 13 years working the grill and cash register at McDonald's, Bettie Douglas earned just over $7 an hour.  Then in 2017, the St. Louis resident's hourly pay rose …

Democrats Grapple With a Sprawling Primary Field, and No One to Shape It  —  WASHINGTON — John Deeth is the sort of Iowa activist who keeps up with every new twist in the Democratic presidential primary, but there was no way he was going to devote two evenings to watching the first round of debates last week.

Trump administration loses bid to lift bar on funds for border wall  —  (Reuters) - A federal appeals court on Wednesday refused to lift an injunction barring the Trump administration from using $2.5 billion intended for the fight against illegal narcotics to build a wall along the southern U.S. border with Mexico.