Code Pink denounces no helium decision for Trump baby blimp  —  Activists planning to fly the “Baby Trump” blimp during President Trump's “Salute to America” event on July 4 were told by the National Park Service (NPS) that they could not fill the balloon with helium, essentially grounding the giant inflatable.

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.

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.

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.

Joe Biden and Kamala Harris Bring Their Debate-Stage Fight to Iowa  —  INDEPENDENCE, Iowa — Joseph R. Biden Jr. expressed frustration Thursday at Senator Kamala Harris's pointed criticism about his 1970s-era opposition to busing, arguing that Democrats should “be talking about the future.”

Patriotism As Theatrics  —  One of the more common tropes in modern American politics is the claim that the Republican Party has a monopoly on patriotism.  —  A flag flying in front of a home or a “Support Our Troops” bumper sticker is often assumed to signify the right-wing political affiliation of its owner.

Fourth of July's ugly truth exposed: The Declaration of Independence is sexist, racist, prejudiced  —  How we can embrace the underlying spirit of the Declaration of Independence — and also learn from its shortcomings  —  It is painful to write about the shortcomings of the Declaration of Independence.

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 …

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 …

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.

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 …

White House staff forced to hand out VIP tickets to Trump's Fourth of July rally to anyone who will take them  —  The big-Republican donors that were offered tickets from the White House couldn't make it — so the White House is begging for anyone at this point.

Sen. Kennedy on AOC: 'Someone Needs To Tell Her The Voices In Her Head Aren't Real'  —  Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, D-N.Y., listens during questioning at a House Oversight and Reform committee hearing on facial recognition technology in government, Tuesday, June 4, 2019, on Capitol Hill in Washington.

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 …

Iowa Rep. Steve King duped into sharing parody tweet from commentator  —  It seems the patriotic spirit of the holiday got the best of Congressman Steve King, who thought he was retweeting a salute to a service member overseas, but instead was duped by a commentator using a picture of Jack Nicholson in the hit film 'A Few Good Men.

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 …