July 4th Heat Wave, Russian Strikes On Ukraine, Future Of Democratic Party
July 3, 2026
AI Summary
5 min readJuly 4th Heat Wave, Russian Strikes On Ukraine, Future Of Democratic Party
On the eve of America's 250th birthday, a punishing heat wave is forcing cities to cancel or scale back Independence Day celebrations from Texas to the East Coast. In Washington, D.C., where President Trump planned a "really long speech" and the Great American State Fair is already set up on the National Mall, the forecast calls for 102 degrees with a heat index up to 113. Capitol Police were expected to decide this morning whether the public can attend the Capitol Fourth concert and fireworks. Yesterday, a Morning Edition producer on the Mall recorded 101 degrees, feeling like 114. Metal and glass water bottles are banned for security reasons, so visitors can only bring or buy plastic ones — water costs $5 for 20 ounces, lemonade $10 — though hydration stations offer free bottles. Philadelphia has already cut its parade route substantially. Communities in Colorado, including Durango and Vail, canceled fireworks due to wildfire risk. In New York, the arrival of about 40 tall ships and 20,000 sailors is still on despite a heat index up to 115 degrees.
Russian Missiles Hit Kyiv as Ukraine Pushes Drone Campaign
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What you'll learn
- 1 (00:02) **July 4th Heat Wave Disrupts Celebrations** - A massive heat wave from Texas to the East Coast is forcing cities to cancel or scale back Independence Day events.
- 2 (05:14) **Russian Missile Strike on Kyiv Kills 30** - Rescue workers continue pulling bodies from a high-rise apartment building destroyed by a Russian missile.
- 3 (07:12) **Ukraine Develops Own Anti-Missile System and Expands Drone Campaign** - Ukrainian firm "Fire Point" is testing an anti-ballistic interceptor, while Ukraine continues a systematic campaign of long-range drone strikes.
- 4 (09:05) **Democratic Party Primaries Reveal Internal Tensions** - As Congress recesses for July 4th, the focus turns to the fall midterms, where Democrats hope to retake the House but face internal divisions.
- 5 Standout Quotes
- 6 (05:56) "If our allies had delivered the air defense supplies they had promised on time, I think we could have saved more lives than homes." — Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky
- 7 (06:52) "If NATO still means something to the Allies, Europe must have its own capacity to defend itself from all types of threats, including Russian ballistic missiles." — Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky
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Guests on this episode
Show Notes
Russia hit Kyiv with one of the deadliest strikes of the war overnight, firing nearly 600 missiles and drones that killed at least 27 people, Moscow says it's payback for Ukraine's attacks on its oil facilities.
And Democrats are hoping to take back the House this fall, but infighting is getting in the way as progressive upsets energize blue-city voters while raising doubts about whether that message plays in the places the party actually needs.
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Today’s episode of Up First was edited by Luis Clemens, Tina Kraja, Jason Breslow, Mohamed ElBardicy and Alice Woelfle.
It was produced by Ziad Buchh and Nia Dumas.
Our director is Christopher Thomas.
We get engineering support from Stacey Abbott. Our technical director is Zac Coleman.
And our Executive Producer is Jay Shaylor.
(0:00) Introduction
(01:50) July 4th Heat Wave
(05:11) Russian Strikes On Ukraine
(09:03) Future Of Democratic Party
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