memeorandum: When do struggling 2020 candidates have to bail to run for another office? (Amber Phillips/Washington Post)

Stephen Collinson / CNN:

Trump calls bluff of critics in July 4th speech — (CNN)President Donald Trump was as good as his word Thursday: He saluted America. — In one of the least polarizing speeches of his presidency, Trump paid tribute to America's armed forces at a July Fourth appearance before the Lincoln Memorial …

Discussion: FOX59, Power Line, KTLA, myfox8.com and fox8.com

Marc A. Thiessen / Washington Post:

Trump made his critics look small during his ‘Salute to America’ — The “Resistance” warned us that if we elected an authoritarian such as Donald Trump, eventually there would be tanks in the streets of our nation's capital. Well, on Thursday, their predictions finally came true.

Discussion: Associated Press

Michael D. Shear / New York Times:

With Flyovers and Flags, Trump Plays M.C. for the Fourth — WASHINGTON — In a made-for-television Independence Day production starring America's military weaponry, President Trump on Thursday used the Lincoln Memorial as the backdrop for a homage to the country's armed forces and a call …

Discussion: The Resurgent

The Hill:

Trump avoids politics — but not the rain — at ‘Salute to America’ event — President Trump avoided infusing partisan rhetoric into his rainy July 4 speech on the National Mall, though he still received energetic applause from a drenched crowd of supporters.

Discussion: PJ Media Home

Elizabeth Williamson / New York Times: Two Americas, Celebrating Separately in One Place

Owen Daugherty / The Hill:
Code Pink denounces no helium decision for Trump baby blimp

Discussion: Talking Points Memo, Breitbart and twitchy.com

Nancy Cook / Politico: Producer-in-chief puts on a 4th of July show — with emphasis on the military

Kathryn Watson / CBS News:
Trump emphasizes U.S. military might at “Salute to America”

Discussion: The Wrap and Boston Herald

Andrew O'Reilly / Fox News:
Antiwar group brings massive diaper-wearing Trump balloon to Washington Monument

Discussion: Reuters

Dan Merica / CNN:

CNN Exclusive: Joe Biden says he wasn't prepared for Kamala Harris to confront him the way she did — Des Moines, Iowa (CNN)Former Vice President Joe Biden said in an exclusive interview with CNN airing Friday that he wasn't prepared for California Sen. Kamala Harris to confront him on issues …

Discussion: Axios, Political Wire, Mediaite, New York Post and PJ Media Home

Dan Merica / CNN:

Exclusive: Biden expresses skepticism of Democrats' leftward tilt and AOC's mass appeal — Des Moines, Iowa (CNN)Former Vice President Joe Biden expressed deep skepticism of the leftward tilt of the Democratic Party in an exclusive interview with CNN airing Friday.

John Wagner / Washington Post:

'I'd smack him in the mouth': Biden seeks to dispel concerns about his ability to take on Trump after shaky debate performance — Joe Biden compared President Trump to the kind of bully that he would “smack"in the mouth as a child during an interview broadcast Friday in which the former vice president sought …

Discussion: Fox News

Edward-Isaac Dovere / The Atlantic:
Is Joe Biden ‘Too Old’?

Discussion: The Federalist, TheBlaze and Breitbart

New York Times:
Joe Biden and Kamala Harris Bring Their Debate-Stage Fight to Iowa

Discussion: Des Moines Register and Politico

Wall Street Journal: Despite Feud Over Busing, Harris and Biden Agree on Current Policies

David Jackson / USA Today:

Donald Trump trips up on history in 4th of July speech, mentions airports during Revolutionary War — President Donald Trump celebrated America as “the most exceptional nation in the history of the world” in a Fourth of July commemoration before a soggy, cheering crowd of spectators.

Discussion: Outside the Beltway

Gillian Brockell / Washington Post:

Trump's Fourth of July history speech: Turns out there weren't airports back then — President Trump broke with decades of tradition Thursday by not only attending the Independence Day celebration on the Mall in Washington but making a speech as part of his ‘Salute to America.’

Discussion: Mediaite

Washington Post:

Trump administration scrambles to save citizenship question on census — Spurred on by President Trump, government lawyers scrambled Thursday to find a legal path to add a controversial citizenship question to the 2020 Census, despite their conclusions in recent days that no such avenue exists.

Discussion: Talking Points Memo, The Economist, SCOTUSblog and electionlawblog.org

Molly Jong-Fast / The Daily Beast:

Trump's Not-Crazy Speech Just Highlighted Norms He's Crushed — It was a speech that had all the excitement of an excerpt from one of Bill O'Reilly's YA history books. — It was a triumph of low expectations. — Donald Trump's “Salute to America” speech could have easily devolved into chants of …

Paul Mirengoff / Power Line:

More about that Fourth of July parade — Phillip Kennicott, a lefty critic for the Washington Post, begins his column about the Fourth of July parade this way: … Really? What about those enraged feminists who marched up and down the Mall wearing pussy hats? They didn't seem conciliatory to me.

Discussion: Instapundit

Discussion: Outside the Beltway

Amber Phillips / Washington Post:

When do struggling 2020 candidates have to bail to run for another office? — The 2020 Democratic presidential race is still wide open, but candidates who have yet to break through have to decide how long they want to ride it out. In some cases, their ambitions for political Plan B will force …

Peter Wehner / The Atlantic:

The Deepening Crisis in Evangelical Christianity — Support for Trump comes at a high cost for Christian witness. — Last week, Ralph Reed, the Faith and Freedom Coalition's founder and chairman, told the group, “There has never been anyone who has defended us and who has fought for us, who we have loved more than Donald J. Trump.

Elizabeth Dias / New York Times:

Ordered Deported, Then Sent a $497,777 Fine From ICE — Edith Espinal spends her days praying, reading and, when feeling brave, taking short accompanied walks outside the Mennonite church in Columbus, Ohio, where she has been living for 21 months. Church leaders have been protecting Ms. Espinal …

Mike Baker / New York Times:

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.

Discussion: Common Dreams

Rodrigo Viga Gaier / Reuters:

Former Rio de Janeiro governor tells judge he paid $2 million bribe to host 2016 Olympics — RIO DE JANEIRO (Reuters) - The former governor of Rio de Janeiro state said in court testimony on Thursday that he paid $2 million (1.59 million pounds) to buy votes to ensure the sprawling Brazilian seaside city …

The Daily Beast:

Trump's Cherry-Picked Polls Still Show More than Half The Country Doesn't Approve — The president has tweeted out 28 polls during his time in office. The average approval rating of those show him at about 49% approval. — As he departed on a flight last week to Japan to attend the G20 summit …

Jonah Goldberg / New York Post:

Nike's pathetic Colin Kaepernick bungle turned Betsy Ross flag into racist symbol — Nike is doing it wrong. — I don't mean the shoemaking, though that thing with Zion Williamson was pretty bad, I have to say. — No, Nike is doing it wrong because it managed to do something that all the neo-Nazis …

Discussion: Instapundit

Sam Baker / Axios:

How the Supreme Court will upend 2020 — The Supreme Court is already poised to drop some big political bombshells right into the heat of the 2020 campaign. And there are even more waiting in the wings. — Why it matters: The court will likely hand down rulings on some of the most contentious issues …

Discussion: Political Wire