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Today’s top stories

America celebrated its 250th birthday this weekend. In Washington, the white nationalist group Patriot Front marched through the city, as did counterprotesters. President Trump praised America’s history and his war in Iran while criticizing Democrats and vowing to impose restrictions on mail-in ballots during his speech on Saturday night. Trump took to the stage at the National Mall around 11:15 p.m. ET, after stormy weather caused evacuations and delays. Following his roughly 30-minute speech, a massive fireworks display — billed by the White House as the largest in the United States’ history — illuminated the sky.

• 🎧 Trump’s July Fourth speech was overtly political, much like the one he gave at Mount Rushmore on Friday, NPR’s Mara Liasson tells Up First. The president referred to Democrats as “communists,” taking advantage of the fact that a few members of the Democratic Socialists of America have won some primaries, Liasson says. While these victories may not matter in deep-blue districts, Liasson says some Democrats are worried that swing states and districts could be nominating candidates who are too far left to win. The president and his party are using the word “communists” as one way to paint the entire democratic party as too far to the left, Liasson adds. In contrast to Trump’s speech, New York Mayor Zohran Mamdani — one of the most high-profile democratic socialists in office — gave a speech on July 3 at New York’s City Hall to newly naturalized citizens. Mamdani called on America to remain a place of asylum for the persecuted and described a form of patriotism that sees the nation’s flaws and embraces dissent, according to Liasson.
• ➡️ NPR’s member station reporters across the U.S. asked people how they are thinking about their country on its semiquincentennial. Here’s what they had to say.
• ➡️ Voters from NPR’s Swing Shift project talked about the state of the U.S. during this milestone year. Their opinions varied from “uncertain” and “concerned” to “excited” and “cautiously optimistic.”

Iran is holding its funeral for Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, four months after he was killed in U.S.-Israeli airstrikes. Massive crowds came to visit his casket at the Imam Khomeini Grand Mosalla mosque in Tehran, according to Iranian state media. Khamenei and four of his family members were killed on the first day of the conflict between the U.S., Israel and Iran. His family’s caskets are also part of the procession. A shaky truce remains in effect between the U.S. and Iran. Indirect talks aimed at negotiating a resolution to the war are paused until after the funeral, according to Qatar’s foreign minister. Israel has not been included in the preliminary agreement to end the war or in these talks. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has said he wants to travel to Washington, D.C., to discuss this matter with Trump.

• 🎧 Netanyahu has been seeking a face-to-face meeting with Trump for some time but has been repeatedly turned down, a source familiar with the matter who was not authorized to speak publicly tells NPR. The prime minister wants to discuss U.S. approval for potentially taking military action against Iran if necessary. Netanyahu is currently on the defensive regarding the interim deal between the U.S. and Iran, NPR’s Carrie Kahn says. It has been unpopular and perceived as too lenient toward Iran. Netanyahu, who faces elections this fall, has had to defend his relationship with Trump, Kahn adds. It’s unclear when Netanyahu will meet with Trump at the White House. The 60-day deadline to finalize the details of the preliminary peace plan is about a month away.

The U.S. men’s national soccer team faces Belgium tonight in its toughest World Cup matchup yet. The winner advances to the quarterfinals. Star striker, Folarin Balogun, will play in the match after Trump spoke to FIFA President Gianni Infantino regarding Balogun’s red card and one-game suspension for a cleat-first challenge. In a highly unusual move, FIFA’s Disciplinary Committee announced yesterday that it would postpone Balogun’s one-game suspension for a probationary period of one year. This decision allows him to participate in any remaining World Cup matches. Balogun is the U.S. national team’s leading scorer, with three goals so far in the tournament.

• 🎧 This red card decision has been challenging from the very beginning, NPR’s Becky Sullivan says. It was not a clear or obvious foul, and the contact appeared unintentional. The referee only called the foul after reviewing a slow-motion video replay. Similar contact between players in other matches during this tournament has gone unpunished, according to Sullivan. FIFA has not been transparent about how it reached its decision.

Life advice

Higher prices are driving consumers away from eating out, according to a YouGov report. Regardless of your budget, sometimes you just need a break from cooking at home or want to spend time with your loved ones. Personal finance and nutrition experts share simple strategies to eat out for less with Life Kit.

• 🍽️ Think about why you’re dining out. If your intent is to socialize, you might enjoy a less expensive diner just as much as a fancy restaurant.
• 🍽️ Take a look at how much you spend on food outside your home to establish a starting point for your dining-out budget. This money should be separate from money for essential needs like groceries and the mortgage.
• 🍽️ Read the menu in advance. Planning your meal ahead can help you avoid last-minute orders and eat healthier.

For more advice on how to save money on meals and groceries, sign up for the How to Cut Your Food Bill newsletter.

Behind the story

By St. Louis Public Radio’s Brian Munoz

Last month, U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement officials detained three young St. Louis-area immigrants in Morrisonville, Ill. — a rural village about 45 miles outside of the state capitol. The incident occurred shortly after local police dropped them off with a verbal warning for driving without a valid license.

The United States’ immigration story is as old as the country itself. It stretches from Ellis Island to California’s borderlands, from rural towns to major cities — and into the lives of countless families chasing stability, safety and opportunity.

As a child of Latino immigrants, I grew up hearing my community’s hopes for better education, reliable work, access to healthcare and a chance to build something that can last generations.

Those motivations, and the curiosity behind them, have lingered with me years later.

Who gets to call themselves American? What barriers are there? How is policy changing? When immigration officials allege they’re targeting violent criminals, who’s actually getting swept up?

St. Louis Public Radio has been exploring those questions across Missouri and southern Illinois. After ICE took those three local immigrants, I traveled to Morrisonville, a rural Illinois village lined with grain elevators, silos and railroad tracks.

Immigration advocates reached out, but questions remained: How did this happen? Did police call ICE, possibly breaking Illinois law? Where are the three young men now?

I fired off public records requests, drove to Morrisonville and contacted public officials for weeks. Many of them didn’t respond. What I did find raised more questions.

While more is now known about this story, it doesn’t offer a neat ending. Immigration stories rarely do. Nevertheless, we will continue to ask hard questions, document what is happening and hold officials accountable.

3 things to know before you go

1. Super Typhoon Bavi is bringing powerful winds to the U.S. territories of Guam and the Northern Mariana Islands, as forecasters warn of potentially severe damage.
2. Memphis police say National Guard troops shot and killed a man who was armed with a handgun early yesterday morning. State investigators will handle the case.
3. Taylor Swift and Travis Kelce officially tied the knot in New York after three years of dating, according to a statement from Swift’s publicist.

This newsletter was edited by Suzanne Nuyen.