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.

This July 4th Has Everything: Tanks, Trump—and Scandal  —  Qanon, MAGA, Baby Trump balloons have all descended on the nation's capital.  —  After two years of trying, President Donald Trump is finally getting the military pageantry he has so desperately wanted.

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 …

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,” …

Retired Army Gen. Stanley McChrystal says if his soldiers were ‘forced to come on a holiday’ to ‘stand in the sun’ for Trump's military parade, he would've stood with them  —  David Choi, provided by  — Retired US Army Gen. Stanley McChrystal gave a diplomatic answer to a question …

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

Antiwar group brings massive diaper-wearing Trump balloon to Washington Monument  —  The antiwar organization Code Pink brought its 20-foot-tall, diaper-clad balloon of an infant Donald Trump to the Washington Monument on Thursday to protest the president's planned “Salute to America” Fourth of July celebration.

Brexit: Labour crashes to fourth in poll for first time as frontbencher admits voters fleeing party  —  Just 18 per cent of public backs Jeremy Corbyn's party and only 25 per cent of Remain voters - down from 48 per cent at start of year  —  Labour has crashed to fourth place in a poll for the first time …

The Justice Department's New Brief in Texas v. United States  —  Last week, the Fifth Circuit asked the parties to Texas v. United States—the broadside challenge to the constitutionality of the Affordable Care Act—to submit letter briefs on whether anyone had standing to appeal.

Anchorage Has Never Reached 90 Degrees.  That Could Change This Week.  —  In more than 100 years of Anchorage history, weather stations have never recorded a single 90-degree reading.  If current forecasts hold, it could happen multiple times in the coming days.

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 …

Harris, Like Biden, Comes Out Against Federal Busing Mandate  —  Sen. Kamala Harris (D-CA) said Wednesday that busing students to better integrate schools should be an option left up to school districts, and not federally mandated, apparently backtracking from the stance she took on the matter during …

CREW Requests Documents into Fourth of July Fireworks Donation  —  Following reports that Phantom Fireworks CEO Bruce Zoldan both donated $750,000 dollars worth of fireworks to President Trump's Fourth of July celebration and successfully lobbied the president to not implement tariffs …

Special prosecutor assigned to investigate police shooting in South Bend, Indiana  —  A special prosecutor has been named to investigate a fatal police shooting of a black man by a white police officer in South Bend, Indiana, where 2020 presidential candidate Pete Buttigieg is the mayor.

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.

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.

‘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 …

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.

It's Not Nice to Lie to the Supreme Court  —  The decision in the census case suggests President Trump can no longer take the court for granted.  —  A cynic might say that with his two major decisions on the last day of the Supreme Court term a week ago, Chief Justice John Roberts saved …

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.