In Fourth of July Speech, Trump Celebrates America and Derides Foes  —  A centerpiece address for the nation's 250th anniversary celebration devoted time to American history, but had all the hallmarks of a Trump rally.  —  An hour before midnight on the Fourth of July …

Crowds Evacuated as Storms Menace Washington Ahead of Trump Speech  —  Thousands of people stood in security lines for hours in severe heat to reach the National Mall, only to be ordered to leave as events were set to start.  Some refused.  —  Federal officials ordered thousands of people …

A Zombie Congress Is Threatening the GOP Agenda  —  Wave of defeated and discouraged House members creates new headaches for GOP leaders  —  WASHINGTON—A growing number of GOP lawmakers have little incentive to come to work or toe the party line, putting critical legislation in danger as Republicans lurch toward the midterms.

Ukraine Says It Hit Power Substations in Russia-Annexed Crimea  —  Ukraine said it attacked 16 substations in Crimea and and other Russian-occupied regions over the past 48 hours, deepening an energy crisis in and around the Black Sea peninsula.  —  The attack was confirmed by Robert Brovdi …

Journalists float astonishing theory around silence surrounding Mitch McConnell's health  —  With Sen. Mitch McConnell's (R-KY) health status still unclear after his latest medical incident, multiple journalists have offered a stunning theory for why his office and fellow Republicans have remained largely silent.

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 …

Trump Administration Rolls Back Dozens of Gun Regulations  —  Critics say the administration is weakening public safety.  Proponents say regulations would be where they were before President Joseph R. Biden took office.  —  The Trump administration is scrapping more than three dozen firearms regulations …

The twisted history Trump's White House is using to redefine religious freedom  —  Is religious freedom on the retreat in America?  A Trump commission certainly believes that to be true. … When the Founding Fathers began their work to unify the colonies, America's religious landscape looked nothing …

Supreme Court's dramatic moves will reshape elections — and give the GOP a midterm boost  —  The timing and speed of the justices' moves are all but unprecedented in recent years, legal experts said.  Republicans are expected to reap the most rewards.  —  Summary

How Trump is turning NATO into a cash machine  —  President Donald Trump has recast a generations-old transatlantic alliance built on shared democratic values into a framework he's more comfortable dealing with — a business.  —  He's persuaded NATO members to turbocharge their own defense spending …

Olivia Nuzzi dating top media figure nearly 2 years after affair with RFK Jr.  —  Olivia Nuzzi has yet another jaw-dropping love interest, we hear.  —  Earlier this week, the Status newsletter reported that the scandal-scarred journo has been spotted with Vice co-founder Shane Smith …

At the Tall Ships Parade, a Historic Bell Rings Out  —  Despite extreme heat in much of the nation, the day was marked with the customary American exuberance.  Storm threats forced an evacuation of thousands on the National Mall in Washington, where the president plans to speak before a huge fireworks show.

Demonstrators in white supremacist attire protest on Capitol Hill … Demonstrators donning the logo and insignia of Patriot Front, a white supremacist group, were seen protesting in the Eastern Market neighborhood and on Capitol Hill on the 250th anniversary of U.S. independence.

The Alabamafication of National Politics  —  On Juneteenth, I watched Doug Jones, the Democratic nominee for Alabama governor, deliver a speech at the Scottsboro Boys Museum, in the northeastern corner of the state.  I found myself thinking of the 1960s civil-rights rallies that I'd covered …

A Narrowing Vision of America  —  The Supreme Court's recent rulings and the “Great American State Fair” reflect twin Trumpian visions of who belongs in America.  —  When the Supreme Court legalized gay marriage 11 years ago last month, the reaction was sheer jubilation.

Exclusive: Trump says Netanyahu “knows who the boss is” ahead of possible WH visit  —  President Trump told Axios Saturday that Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu asked him for a meeting at the White House, and that it could take place as early as next week after Trump returns from the NATO summit.