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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.