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Today’s top stories

Tomorrow marks the 250th birthday of the United States, with Independence Day celebrations planned across the country. But many events are being affected by the intense heat wave stretching from Texas to the East Coast. Some communities have already chosen to cancel or reduce their festivities, including Philadelphia, which shortened its annual Fourth of July parade route.

• 🎧 It’s still unclear what will happen in Washington, D.C., where President Trump has made the anniversary a major focus. NPR’s Anastasia Tsioulcas tells Up First. Capitol Police said they’ll decide this morning whether the public can attend the Capitol Fourth concert and fireworks. Forecasts call for temperatures near 102 degrees, with a heat index as high as 113. A couple of days ago, Trump mentioned at a public event that he plans to deliver a “really long” speech on the night of the Fourth, when it is expected to be nearly as hot as it will be during the day.
• ➡️ The heat isn’t just the forecast. Democrats on the House Natural Resources Committee released a 55-page report yesterday accusing Freedom 250 of helping Trump transform America’s milestone into a “hotbed of corruption and self-enrichment” through tactics that potentially constitute criminal fraud.

Rescue workers in Kyiv recovered more bodies from an apartment building overnight after it was crushed by a Russian missile yesterday. Officials say that 30 people were killed in the missile and drone strikes on Ukraine’s capital, which Russia launched in response to Ukrainian drone strikes targeting Russian oil refineries.

• 🎧 Residents are deeply shaken, according to NPR’s Joanna Kakissis, who is in Kyiv. A massive crater now sits beside a kindergarten where a missile struck. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said the attack exposed Ukraine’s shortage of missile interceptors and renewed his call for Europe to strengthen its own defenses.

Congress is on its July 4th recess, but lawmakers will soon turn their focus to this fall’s midterm elections. Democrats are searching for ways to energize their base, and several primaries have revealed growing frustration with the party establishment. In Denver and New York City, democratic socialists have successfully unseated incumbent Democrats who they believe are not left-leaning enough.

• 🎧 Some candidates were able to unseat Democrats during the primaries by focusing on a core set of issues, NPR’s Elena Moore says. In large part, they are calling on the Democratic Party to adopt more ambitious economic policies to tackle the affordability crisis. They are also vocal about the influence of money in politics and criticize elected Democrats for accepting donations from corporate PACs and pro-Israel groups. Even though Democrats broadly agree on key economic issues, there is concern that the positions held by more leftist candidates could muddy their overall message. As Democrats try to regain control of the House, appealing to moderate voters will require a balancing act, Moore says.
• 🎧 House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries of New York discusses the Democratic Party’s midterm future with Morning Edition‘s Michel Martin.