Good morning, and Happy Fourth. Politics are colliding with the holiday this year: President Trump scored a major victory yesterday when the House passed his big policy bill, and he’s expected to sign it in a ceremony today. We start with that. Then we explain how tariffs have affected firework sales. Plus, we have sticky, sunny archival images from Fourths over the decades.
The House passed Republicans’ major policy bill in a tight vote, 218 to 214, that was mostly along party lines. Representatives rushed and wrangled to meet the Fourth of July deadline Trump had set. The bill divided Congress for months. It frustrated Democrats who said it would hurt the working class, and who disputed it bitterly until the very end. Hakeem Jeffries, the Democratic leader in the House, held up the final vote for nearly nine hours yesterday as he spoke against it. Representatives had been up all night debating the bill when Jeffries’s speech began, and some slumped in their seats or nodded off as he told stories of Americans whose health care and incomes would be affected. The bill also divided Republicans, angering deficit hawks who worried about how it would increase the national debt. Ultimately, after weeks of protesting the bill, they relented to pressure from Trump and party leaders. “It is, by now, a well-worn routine,” Catie Edmondson, who covers Congress, wrote. Trump celebrated the bill’s passage at a rally in Iowa. His job now is to sell it to a skeptical public as Democrats focus on all the ways it helps the wealthy. — Lauren Jackson, an editor for The Morning So what’s in the bill?As a refresher, here are some of the major things the legislation does:
For more
Boom and bust
Fans of booming fireworks shows better get their fill this weekend. That’s because President Trump’s trade war could put a damper on future pyrotechnics. Virtually all of America’s fireworks supplies are imported from China, and the steep tariffs that Trump has slapped on all Chinese products are raising alarm across the industry. In theory, American retailers could start making their own sparklers and fireworks. But that is not so easy. Fireworks are highly regulated and dangerous to make, and China, where they were invented, has long been the only country with the skill and infrastructure to produce them at scale. Trump’s tariff bonanza threatens the U.S. industry, forcing importers to scour the world for cheaper fireworks because the levies are making those from China so expensive. Right now, the U.S. imposes a 30 percent tariff on Chinese imports, down from 145 percent a couple of months ago. One importer told me he looked to Cambodia and Brazil, but those countries didn’t produce enough to satisfy the $2 billion U.S. market, which craves even more explosive shows every year. In 2022 alone, Americans fired off more than 400 million pounds of fireworks, according to the American Pyrotechnics Association. This year’s Independence Day should be relatively unimpeded by the tariffs because retailers stock up in advance. But 2026’s Fourth of July is the bigger problem. That’s when the U.S. will celebrate its 250th birthday, and cities and towns across the country are planning to go all out to set the skies ablaze. Trump has a well-known affinity for fireworks and grand displays of patriotic pageantry. Last month, he soaked in a performance of “America the Beautiful” as fireworks were launched over the night sky to conclude his military parade in Washington. And during the first Trump administration, officials carved out an exception in the tariff rules for fireworks. But that hasn’t happened this time, and without that relief, fireworks lobbyists are warning that future shows might be shorter, less impressive and more expensive. Despite the president’s affection for pyrotechnics, it appears that, for now, he loves tariffs even more. “Real prosperity and patriotism isn’t celebrating the independence of our country with cheap foreign-made firecrackers and trinkets,” said Kush Desai, a White House spokesman. “It’s having a country with booming Main Streets, a thriving working class and robust manufacturing.” In case you were wondering: Hundreds of thousands of people asked Google “Is Walmart open on the Fourth of July?” Most stores will be open between 6 a.m. and 11 p.m. To mark the holiday, The Morning’s photo editor, Brent Lewis, collected some of his favorite Fourth of July photographs from the Times archives. Enjoy!
The Macy’s Fireworks display over New York City in 1977.
Sunbathers on a Long Island beach in 1984.
Left: People in front of Freedom Hall in New York City for a parade in 1986. Right: Ronnie James of Bronx huddled with her children under a blanket as rain fell in 1979.
The Astroland amusement park at Coney Island in 1975.
Supreme Court
Politics
International
ICE Raids
Other Big Stories
Wildfires have a favorite holiday in the U.S. As the chart above shows, July 4 and July 5 have significantly more human-caused wildfires than any other dates of the year. That’s because dry conditions make it easier to light a fuse (good for fireworks), but also easier to set off a fire that can grow out of control (bad for us). Read more about how weather could affect the holiday.
We’re nostalgic for the 1990s because we now lack real-life connection and the potential for wealth and beauty, Glynnis MacNicol writes. Joseph Lee is a member of the Wampanoag tribe on Martha’s Vineyard. His Native identity stems not from his fancy surroundings or appearance, but from his community, he writes. Morning readers: Save on the complete Times experience. Experience all of The Times, all in one subscription — all with this introductory offer. You’ll gain unlimited access to news and analysis, plus games, recipes, product reviews and more.
Paddle-out: In Hawaii, a floating memorial service honored a legendary surfer. Seoul: The city’s sidewalks and street signs are blanketed in a layer of crawling, black lovebugs. Many people want them dead. Ask the Therapist: “My brother and I haven’t spoken in four years. Can we reconcile?” Your pick: The most-clicked story in The Morning yesterday was about readers’ picks for their favorite movies of the century so far. Trending: Michael Madsen, the actor who died at 67, was America’s most-searched topic on Google in the past day. Madsen was a sledgehammer of an actor who became one of Hollywood’s reigning bare-knuckled heavies thanks to indelible performances in Quentin Tarantino’s “Reservoir Dogs” and “Kill Bill” series. Read more about him here.
|
