⚡ Today in History

On July 7, 1981, President Ronald Reagan nominated Sandra Day O’Connor as the first woman on the U.S. Supreme Court. In 2005, coordinated bombings killed 52 people across London’s transit system. Today? The Supreme Court that O’Connor joined has closed its term by blocking President Donald Trump’s effort to end birthright citizenship.

Top News

Masked gunman shoots 8 at Brooklyn July 4 barbecue, 4 children hit 8 SHOT

A gunman dressed in black and wearing a ski mask fired into a family barbecue late Saturday in the Coney Island neighborhood of Brooklyn, wounding eight people, including four boys ages 6 to 14. New York police recovered a TEC-9-style firearm at the scene and are investigating a possible link to a gang killing on the same block last week, with a 21-year-old woman left in critical condition.

Iran holds its largest procession yet for slain leader Khamenei

Hundreds of thousands filled Tehran on Monday for the largest procession yet in the dayslong funeral of Iranian Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, who was killed in an Israeli airstrike in February 2026. The 10-kilometer route ran from Imam Hossein Square to Azadi Square as mourners vowed revenge against the United States and Israel, while Khamenei’s son and expected successor, Mojtaba Khamenei, has yet to appear publicly.

Super Typhoon Bavi strikes U.S. Pacific islands as Category 5-equivalent storm 180 MPH

Super Typhoon Bavi, one of the strongest storms on the planet this year, made a direct hit Monday on Rota in the Northern Mariana Islands, a U.S. Pacific territory, with maximum sustained winds above 180 miles per hour. Local officials on the island of about 2,000 people reported major damage and widespread power and water outages as the storm tracked west toward the Philippines and Taiwan.

America marks 250 years as extreme heat disrupts July 4 events

The United States celebrated 250 years of independence over the July 4 weekend, with President Donald Trump delivering a speech on the National Mall in Washington after a severe-weather delay. Triple-digit temperatures pushed the capital’s Fire and EMS Department to treat 51 people for heat-related ailments at the Freedom 250 event, 12 of whom were taken to a hospital.

Colorado’s Willow Fire forces new evacuations after 1,000-acre jump

Driven by hot, dry conditions, the week-old Willow Fire burning west of Leadville, Colorado, grew by nearly 1,000 acres in 24 hours and prompted fire officials to issue new evacuation and pre-evacuation orders on Sunday. The blaze is one of several stretching firefighting crews across the western United States.

World

Mount Etna erupts for a ninth straight day, grounding Sicily flights 9 DAYS

Europe’s largest active volcano, Mount Etna on the Italian island of Sicily, reached its ninth consecutive day of eruptions this week, sending lava east from a vent near the summit. The sustained activity forced flight cancellations in the region as volcanic tremor held at high levels, according to Italy’s National Institute of Geophysics and Volcanology.

Xi promotes new generals in a military loyalty shake-up

Chinese leader Xi Jinping promoted a group of new generals in Beijing on July 3, in what analysts describe as an effort to secure the military’s loyalty to the Communist Party. The reshuffle follows a series of high-level purges within the People’s Liberation Army over the past two years.

China frees a prominent detained pastor after Trump raised his case

Ezra Jin Mingri, pastor of a prominent underground church in Beijing who was detained in October, has been released, less than two months after President Donald Trump raised his case in a meeting with Xi Jinping. The pastor leads Zion Church, one of China’s largest unregistered Protestant congregations.

U.S. Navy ends search for sailor lost in Arabian Sea crash

After a 102-hour effort spanning more than 14,000 square miles, the U.S. Navy suspended its search for a service member whose MH-60S helicopter went down in the Arabian Sea last Wednesday. The aircraft was assigned to the USS George H.W. Bush carrier group operating in the region during the U.S.-Iran ceasefire.

FIFA lifts U.S. striker Balogun’s red-card ban before Belgium clash

FIFA’s Disciplinary Committee suspended the one-game ban of United States forward Folarin Balogun for a one-year probationary period, clearing him to face Belgium at the 2026 World Cup hosted across North America. The Royal Belgian Football Federation said it was astonished by the decision.

Politics

Supreme Court blocks Trump bid to end birthright citizenship

On the final day of its term in late June, the U.S. Supreme Court struck down President Donald Trump’s executive effort to end birthright citizenship, the long-standing guarantee of citizenship to nearly everyone born on U.S. soil. House Speaker Mike Johnson said he was disappointed in the outcome.

Hickenlooper wins Colorado Senate primary as an incumbent falls

U.S. Senator John Hickenlooper won Colorado’s Democratic Senate primary on June 30, fending off a progressive challenger. In the governor’s race, Senator Michael Bennet lost the Democratic primary to state Attorney General Phil Weiser.

McMorrow drops Senate bid, narrowing the Democratic field

Michigan state Senator Mallory McMorrow announced Sunday that she is suspending her U.S. Senate campaign, thinning the Democratic field ahead of a competitive August primary for the open seat.

NASA chief says the U.S. is in a space race with China

NASA Administrator Jared Isaacman said the United States is in a space race with China, as both nations work to land astronauts on the moon and build a lasting presence there. Isaacman made the remarks in a July 5 interview on CBS’s Face the Nation.

Former CDC official warns on federal health science

Dr. Debra Houry, former chief medical officer of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, warned Sunday that the scientific integrity of federal health agencies is at risk. Houry made the comments in a July 5 television interview as the agencies undergo restructuring.

Markets

Dow closes at a record above 52,900 before the holiday break 52,900

Helped by a weak June jobs report that eased fears of a near-term Federal Reserve rate hike, the Dow Jones Industrial Average, a 30-stock gauge of large U.S. companies, jumped 595 points to a record 52,900.07 on July 2, the last session before the Independence Day holiday.

Chip stocks pull the Nasdaq lower as AI valuations draw scrutiny

On concern that AI-linked shares had climbed too far, too fast, the tech-heavy Nasdaq Composite slid 0.8% to 25,832.67 on July 2 as investors sold semiconductors for a second day. Micron Technology fell 5.5%, Intel dropped 5.3% and Advanced Micro Devices lost 4.3%.

U.S. adds just 57,000 jobs in June, half of forecasts

The Labor Department reported that U.S. employers added 57,000 jobs in June, well below the roughly 115,000 economists expected, while the unemployment rate ticked down to 4.2%. The soft reading gives the Federal Reserve room to hold interest rates steady as it watches falling energy prices.

Semiconductors rebound as Wall Street reopens after the holiday

When U.S. markets reopened Monday, July 6, chip stocks bounced back, with the VanEck Semiconductor ETF up 2.4% before the opening bell and Intel rising about 3% in premarket trading. Oil prices slipped as Saudi Arabia ramped up crude exports through the reopened Strait of Hormuz.

SpaceX joins the Nasdaq-100 as oil slides toward $68

SpaceX was set to enter the Nasdaq-100 index before Tuesday’s opening bell, prompting index-tracking funds to buy the aerospace company’s shares. U.S. benchmark WTI crude fell toward $68 a barrel, down nearly 20% over two weeks as Gulf oil shipments recovered.

Entertainment

Taylor Swift and Travis Kelce marry in a star-packed MSG ceremony 1,000 GUESTS

Pop star Taylor Swift and Kansas City Chiefs tight end Travis Kelce married on July 3 at Madison Square Garden in New York, before a reported 1,000 guests. Actor Adam Sandler officiated the ceremony, the couple wore Christian Dior couture, and guests ranged from Selena Gomez and Ed Sheeran to Tom Hanks and Brad Pitt.

Joey Chestnut wins the Nathan’s hot dog contest for an 18th time

Competitive eater Joey Chestnut claimed his 18th title at the Nathan’s Famous International Hot Dog Eating Contest on July 4 at Coney Island in Brooklyn, extending his long run of wins at the annual Independence Day event.

Beyoncé releases new music over the July 4 weekend

Singer Beyoncé put out new music over the July 4 weekend, timed to the holiday festivities. Chaka Khan and Maren Morris performed the same weekend at the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum.

A $750,000 horror film crosses a rare box office milestone

Made for about $750,000 and directed by YouTube creators, a low-budget horror movie has reached a box office milestone that most big-budget films never hit, according to industry trackers. The film is among several inexpensive releases outperforming Hollywood expectations in 2026.

World Cup rolls on as Messi’s Argentina beats debutant Cape Verde

The 2026 World Cup, hosted across the United States, Canada and Mexico, played on through the holiday weekend, with Lionel Messi’s Argentina beating tournament debutant Cape Verde in extra time on July 3 in Miami Gardens, Florida.