Our politics is in a partisan death spiral.  That's why I'm leaving the GOP.  —  The two-party system has evolved into an existential threat to American principles and institutions.  — By Justin Amash-  —  The Opinions Essay

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 …

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 …

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.

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 Upholds Ruling Blocking Trump From Using Defense Funds for Border Wall  —  WASHINGTON — A federal appeals court in San Francisco on Wednesday upheld a block on President Trump's attempt to use $2.5 billion from the Department of Defense to construct a wall along the southwestern border …

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 …

‘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 …

In Surprise, Katz Pulls Just Ahead of Cabán in Queens District Attorney Primary  —  Tiffany Cabán's 1,100-vote lead evaporated after the count of paper ballots, putting Melinda Katz 20 votes ahead in the hotly contested primary.  —  The Democratic primary for district attorney in Queens …

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 …

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.

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 …

Kushner hints Palestinian refugees won't return, says Trump ‘very fond’ of Abbas  —  Promising a ‘pragmatic’ solution, president's son-in-law says Jewish refugees from 1948 were looked after, but Arab states have ‘not absorbed a lot’ of Palestinian refugees  —  Despite tensions and a total break …

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.

AP FACT CHECK: Trump often is wrong about military matters  —  WASHINGTON (AP) — In his Fourth of July remarks, President Donald Trump will be celebrating the armed forces and showcasing what he's done for them.  But in recent days, he has falsified his record on military matters on several fronts.