Markets S&P 500 7,709.02 ▼ 0.50% Nasdaq 26,450.12 ▼ 0.50% Dow Jones 53,404.12 ▼ 0.53% US 10 Yr 4.78 ▲ 0.29% Crude Oil 90.92 ▼ 0.42% Gold 4,464.00 ▼ 1.67% Bitcoin 79,591 ▼ 2.07% FTSE 100 10,831.09 ▲ 0.00% EUR/USD 1.1616 ▼ 0.13% Nikkei 225 65,020.94 ▲ 1.26%
The Beat

U.S.

Reporting from Washington, the federal courts and the fifty states, following legislation, litigation and executive action through to their effect on daily American life.

28 articles Updated 31 Jul 2026 Page 2 of 2

U.S. archive

Page 2 of 2
Crowds fill the National Mall for July 4 festivities in Washington in a file photograph. Photo: Anfonha, CC BY 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons
U.S.

Independence Day Heat Dome Leaves Dozens Dead From Alabama to Connecticut

A historic heat dome baked the central and eastern United States over the Independence Day weekend, killing at least 25 people and forcing cities to scrap holiday events. New Jersey reported the most suspected heat deaths of any state.

6 Jul 2026 ·6 min read
Police cordon and evidence markers outside a Coney Island residence after a July 4 shooting wounded eight people. Photo: Kidfly182, CC BY 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons
U.S.

NYPD Launches Manhunt After Masked Gunman Wounds Eight at Coney Island Barbecue

The New York Police Department opened a manhunt after a masked gunman fired into a Coney Island courtyard barbecue late on July 4, wounding eight people including four children, according to CNN and ABC News.

6 Jul 2026 ·6 min read
Tennessee National Guard soldiers during an official visit in Memphis in October 2025. Photo: SECWAR, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons
U.S.

Tyrin Johnson's Killing Puts Memphis Guard Patrols Under Investigation

Tennessee National Guard soldiers on a downtown patrol fatally shot 20-year-old Tyrin Johnson early on July 5, the first known fatal Guard shooting since troops arrived in Memphis, drawing a state inquiry.

6 Jul 2026 ·6 min read
Fireworks over the Washington Monument during America's 250th Independence Day celebration. Photo: Djembayz, CC BY-SA 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons
U.S.

On the National Mall, America Turns 250 Under a Punishing Sky

The capital's semiquincentennial promised a world-record fireworks display. What organizers could not script was a 102-degree afternoon and an evening storm line that emptied the Mall.

6 Jul 2026 ·7 min read
Job seekers review listings at a US hiring event as June payroll growth slows. Photo: U.S. Space Force photo by Brandon Kalloo Sanes, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons
U.S.

June Payrolls Stall at 57,000 as Falling Jobless Rate Masks a Cooling Market

Hiring cooled to 57,000 jobs in June, far short of forecasts, yet the unemployment rate edged lower, leaving policymakers to weigh a softening labor market against a headline that flatters it.

6 Jul 2026 ·6 min read
Bent and broken trees along the Guadalupe River in Kerrville, Texas, nearly one year after the July 4 flood. Photo: USCG, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons
U.S.

A Year After the Guadalupe Rose, Kerr County Counts Its Sirens

A year after the Guadalupe River rose as much as 38 feet and killed more than 130 people, the recovery in Kerr County can be read in what has been built and what remains unfinished.

6 Jul 2026 ·8 min read