July 4 live: Trump heads for Mount Rushmore after severe heat shuts down his state fair

Part of stage falls and almost hits dancers at Donald Trump's Fourth of July rehearsalsPresident Donald Trump’s chaotic preparations for America’s 250th anniversary celebrations are continuing in the wake of another disaster that almost saw dancers hit by a piece of falling stage set during their rehearsals in Washington, D.C., Thursday.
Fortunately no one was injured in the accident, but the incident marks the latest in a series of mishaps surrounding the administration’s plans for the nation’s semiquincentennial celebrations, from the recently renovated Lincoln Memorial Reflecting Pool turning green from algae to the “Great American State Fair” on the National Mall failing to draw crowds.
The president is heading to South Dakota Friday for the latest leg of the festivities at Mount Rushmore, where he will be greeted by Gov. Larry Rhoden and take in a fireworks display above the famous landmark, an event environmentalists have warned could spark wildfires.
The president will then..

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Massive Russian bomb attack kills at least 4 in Ukraine’s Sumy

A massive Russian ⁠glide bomb strike on the centre of the northern Ukrainian city of Sumy killed at least four people, including a child, on Friday and injured 27, Regional Governor Oleh Hryhorov said.
Other areas in Sumy region and in southeastern Ukraine, closer to ‌the front lines, also came under Russian attack, killing a total of six people.
“At the epicentre of the strike – a high-rise apartment building, a shop and a street,” Hryhorov wrote on Telegram of the strike in Sumy. “There were a…

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Taylor Swift, Travis Kelce already secretly married ahead of Madison Square Garden bash: Report

Celebrated American singer-songwriter Taylor Swift and Travis Kelce have reportedly tied the knot in a private ceremony ahead of their star-studded celebration at New York's Madison Square Garden, according to a report by the New York Post, citing multiple unnamed sources.The report claimed the pop superstar and the Kansas City Chiefs tight end, both 36, are already legally married after exchanging vows in an intimate ceremony attended by a small group of family members and close friends. A larger celebration for more than 1,000 guests is reportedly scheduled for Friday at Madison Square Garden, following a rehearsal dinner on Thursday.”They are already married,” one source quoted by the New York Post said, while another music industry source based in Nashville claimed the couple had already completed the legal formalities.The report noted that New York State wedding licenses are sealed. It added that security sources at Manhattan's City Clerk's Office told the publicati..

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Is Kai Cenat set to stream Taylor Swift and Travis Kelce’s wedding? Truth behind the Madison Square Garden rumor

Is Kai Cenat set to stream Taylor Swift and Travis Kelce’s wedding? Truth behind the Madison Square Garden rumor (Image via Getty) Rumors about Taylor Swift and Travis Kelce’s reported wedding have taken over social media ahead of the July 4 weekend. One of the biggest claims suggested that popular streamer Kai Cenat would live-stream the couple’s wedding from Madison Square Garden on July 3. However, there is no evidence to support that claim. The rumor came from an X account called “Daily Noud,” which openly describes itself as a parody page and states that it posts fake stories. At the same time, details surrounding Swift and Kelce’s wedding remain largely unconfirmed, leading to a flood of speculation, conspiracy theories and viral posts online. Kai Cenat live-stream rumor about Taylor Swift and Travis Kelce’s wedding The claim began circulating after an X post alleged: “Kai Cenat will be live streaming Taylor Swift & Travis Kelce’s wedding on July 3rd at Madison Square Garden.”But..

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Which Trump will show up at Nato summit? Odds are it will be the fuming one

The Nato summit beginning on Tuesday in Turkey is expected to be low-key as European members track their progress towards increased defence spending goals and Beijing watches intently from afar.
Low-key, that is, with one major caveat. Will the get-along US President Donald Trump show up, or the raging Trump who slammed the alliance, questioned its purpose and threatened repeatedly to take his military and head home?
Early indications suggested it would be the raging one.
“The United States…

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Trump sees massive spike in Mar-a-Lago membership fees revenue since returning to office

President Donald Trump’s luxury Florida clubs saw a major spike in earnings last year, according to federal financial disclosures, part of the historic windfall the Republican has earned since returning to office.
Last year, Trump’s Mar-a-Lago club, which also serves as his primary residence, earned him nearly $77.5 million, more than 50 percent more than in 2024.
The estate, which is sometimes called the “Winter White House,” has emerged as a key venue for getting access to the president. Donors and Silicon Valley executives have flocked to Palm Beach to court the president there, and Trump has regularly visited the property and held high-dollar fundraisers at Mar-a-Lago since taking office.
Fundraising events at the Florida club have hit $1 million-per-plate.
Shortly before Trump was reelected in 2024, Mar-a-Lago raised its initiation fee from $700,000 to $1 million. (The club hiked fees around the time of Trump’s first election, too.)
open image in galleryPresident Trump has seen ..

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From starry-eyed to sceptical: why young Chinese are turning away from the American dream

As the United States marks the 250th anniversary of its founding, it confronts a new world order dominated by its relationship with China. In this wide-ranging series, we examine the pressure points and possibilities in those ties, from hard tech to soft power. In this article, Jane Cai and Yuanyue Dang examine Chinese people’s changing attitudes towards the US.
As the United States prepares to celebrate its 250th anniversary this month – marking its journey from a revolutionary experiment to a…

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