NPR News: 07-05-2026 12PM EDT

Thousands of people braved temperatures topping 100 degrees Fahrenheit in Washington, D.C., for the nation’s 250th birthday celebration on the Fourth of July, though the extreme heat forced a temporary evacuation before the festivities resumed. Patricia Smedley, visiting from England, told NPR she did not begrudge Americans for the Revolutionary War: “No, you’ve made the right decision in 1776. Believe me.” The scene captured a nation marking a milestone birthday under punishing weather, with many attendees telling NPR they were simply excited to be there.

China and Russia deepen naval cooperation

China and Russia kicked off joint naval drills off the coast of Eastern China on Sunday, continuing a pattern of exercises that began in the early 2000s and were first formalized in 2012. But the scope and frequency of these drills have increased significantly since Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022, with about a third of all joint Russia-China military exercises taking place after that date. This week, a number of Chinese and Russian naval vessels gathered in China’s eastern port of Qingdao before setting out to patrol the Pacific Ocean together, according to state media, in order to “jointly respond to security challenges.” The drills come just over a month after Russian President Vladimir Putin visited China, where he strengthened economic and political ties wit