‘They started this too late’: Trump officials and allies anxious about July 4 fest  —  The White House and Republican National Committee have spent the past week scrambling to distribute VIP tickets to President Donald Trump's Fourth of July speech at the Lincoln Memorial.

Justice Dept. Reverses Course on Citizenship Question on Census, Citing Trump's Orders  —  WASHINGTON — A day after pledging that the 2020 census would not ask respondents about their citizenship, Justice Department officials reversed course on Wednesday and said they were hunting …

Politics Is Changing; Why Aren't the Pundits Who Cover It?  The Donny Deutsch problem in media.  —  In past weeks, the curtain has officially been raised on the vast and diverse field of candidates for the Democratic nomination, many of them politicians who would not have been seen …

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 …

ABC, CBS, and NBC announce they will snub President Trump's ‘Salute to America’ celebration  —  Major networks opting to run shows like ‘Jeopardy!’ in lieu of live coverage of the Fourth of July event  —  What are the details?  —  The Daily Mail reported that the networks will stick …

Appeals court: Trump can't use Pentagon cash for border wall  —  SAN DIEGO (AP) — An appeals court on Wednesday upheld a freeze on Pentagon money to build a border wall with Mexico, casting doubt on President Donald Trump's ability to make good on a signature campaign promise before the 2020 election.

“Don Jr. and Jared Really Dislike Each Other”: In the Trump Campaign, It's Son Versus Son-in-Law  —  Suspicion has turned to paranoia as Kushner pushes for 2020 hegemony.  “Don doesn't want to give Jared any excuses to delegitimize him,” says a person close to Don Jr.

Border agency knew about secret Facebook group for years  —  Customs and Border Protection officials have been aware for up to three years that a secret Facebook group for current and former Border Patrol agents was posting offensive messages — far longer than previously reported.

What a Pediatrician Saw Inside a Border Patrol Warehouse  —  MCALLEN, Texas—Inside the Border Patrol warehouse on Ursula Avenue, Dolly Lucio Sevier saw a baby who'd been fed from the same unwashed bottle for days; children showing signs of malnutrition and dehydration; and several kids who …

Trump administration ending in-person interpreters at immigrants' first hearings  —  WASHINGTON — The Trump administration is preparing to replace in-court interpreters at initial immigration court hearings with videos informing asylum seekers and other immigrants facing deportation of their rights, The Chronicle has learned.

Trump's Fourth of July Parade to Include Flyover by Russian Air Force  —  WASHINGTON (The Borowitz Report)—Calling it “incredibly exciting news,” President Donald Trump revealed on Wednesday that his long-planned Fourth of July parade in Washington will include a flyover by Russian Su-24 fighter planes.

Nauert Reported Earning Fox Salary While at State Department  —  Heather Nauert, a former State Department spokesperson and President Trump's original pick to replace Nikki Haley as the United States Representative to the United Nations, reported in her termination financial disclosure report …

MSNBC Guest Compares Betsy Ross Flag to Swastika, Burning Cross  —  ‘Those symbols are symbols of hate’  —  MSNBC guest Michael Eric Dyson compared the Betsy Ross American flag to the Nazi swastika and a burning Ku Klux Klan cross during an appearance Wednesday.

NRA meltdown has Trump campaign sweating  —  The National Rifle Association aired an avalanche of TV ads and pushed its 5 million-plus members to the polls for Donald Trump in 2016, propelling him in the Rust Belt states that delivered him the presidency.  —  Now, the gun rights group …

Anyone with more than 30,000 social media followers considered a celebrity, advertising watchdog rules  —  Anyone with more than 30,000 social media followers is now considered a celebrity and subject to advertising rules, a watchdog has ruled in a landmark case.

Trump Fed nominee Judy Shelton once advocated for ‘open borders’ with Mexico  —  President Trump's Federal Reserve nominee Judy Shelton has long been a proponent of free trade and once advocated for an open border with Mexico, a clear contrast with the president who has focused on barriers at the southern border.

Manslaughter Charge Dropped Against Alabama Woman Who Was Shot While Pregnant  —  Prosecutors in Alabama said on Wednesday that they were dropping a manslaughter charge against Marshae Jones over the death of the fetus she was carrying when she was shot in the belly.

Court Orders Release of Sealed Docs About Jeffrey Epstein's Alleged Sex Ring  —  In a blow to the billionaire pedophile and his alleged madam, Ghislaine Maxwell, a federal court ordered the release of sealed court records in a case brought by an alleged victim.

Meghan McCain, Feeling Like an ‘Exhausted, Defeated... Caged Animal,’ May Exit ‘The View’  —  Sources close to McCain tell The Daily Beast she feels like ‘a caged animal’ on the ABC talk show.  'It's getting to the point where it's not worth the emotional toll every week.'

Trump Needs His Base to Burn With Anger  —  But has he raised the political temperature too high for his own good?  —  Mr. Edsall contributes a weekly column from Washington, D.C. on politics, demographics and inequality.  —  For Democrats seeking to pry loose moderates and conservatives in 2020 …

Democratic Presidential Candidates Need to Stop Taking Unpopular Stances  —  The Democratic presidential primary has worked to the party's disadvantage by maneuvering its candidates into unpopular positions.  This is not quite a crisis, but it is a serious danger that, if not redressed, could blow up in the party's face.