July 4th Events Curtailed, The Week in Politics, A Funeral For Iran’s Supreme Leader

The 250th anniversary of American independence arrives under a heat dome, with celebrations scaled back and a mood that feels more subdued than the bicentennial in 1976. President Trump used his Mount Rushmore speech to warn of a "resurgence of the communist menace" from immigrants, while a new financial disclosure showed he made more than a billion dollars in his first year back in office. Meanwhile, Iran is holding a multi-day funeral for its late Supreme Leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, killed four months ago in U.S. and Israeli airstrikes, as the regime tries to project stability.

A Holiday Under Heat and Division

The Fourth of July celebrations marking America's 250th birthday are being curtailed by a ferocious heat wave. President Trump's "Great American State Fair" in Washington, D.C. had to close to the public through the afternoon, the Independence Day Parade in the capital was canceled, and Philadelphia also called off its parade. Fire risk forced the cancellation of some fireworks displays, though the Boston Pops and Seattle's big show are still on. NPR's Ron Elving noted that the heat might actually fit the national mood, which is "subdued compared to earlier eras." Polls show Americans are less optimistic and slightly less patriotic on average than citizens of other countries — a sharp departure from 1976, when the country was ready to move past Vietnam and Wat