NPR News: 07-05-2026 4AM EDT

“You can’t.” The National Health Service’s new TikTok channel opens with those two words, followed by a defiant “Watch me.” The images that follow are not sporting feats but water flowing into a drinking glass, spraying from a garden hose into a child’s face—hammering home the NHS warning to stay hydrated in the current heat wave. It is a deliberate counteroffensive against the flood of online misinformation aimed at young people, and it is one of several developments in this NPR News Now roundup, which also covers the 250th Independence Day celebration, a court ruling on a slavery exhibit, new research on teen screen time, and the World Cup.

Storm, Celebration, and a Court Ruling on the Mall

President Trump commemorated the 250th anniversary of America’s independence Saturday night, but not before the National Mall in Washington, D.C., was temporarily evacuated because of a major storm nearby. In his remarks, he said America remains “the greatest country on earth.” “For two and a half centuries, our American Republic has stood as the crowning achievement of human history,” he said. “This country is the home of freedom. This is the land of liberty, and this is a flag that’s the banner of the most extraordinary, most exceptional, most incredible nation. And we’re doing better now than we’ve ever done before.”