Independence Day Cookout Spending to Hit Record High Amid Inflation

Individual spending on Fourth of July food items has risen to $93.34 on average across the U.S., the highest the National Retail Federation (NRF) has recorded since it began collecting this information in 2003.

The cost of one person’s July Fourth foods rose about 10 percent over the past year from $84.12, according to NRF. Inflation remained twice as high as the Federal Reserve’s target in May, according to a Labor Statistics (BLS) report, and the price of energy and food increased 4.0 percent on an annual basis last month.

Read More

100-Year-Old World War II Veteran Cries, ‘Our Country’s Going to Hell!’

U.S. Marine Carl Spurlin Dekel, who turned 100 years old on June 29, mourned the decline of America in a Fox 13 News interview, tearfully lamenting, “Our country’s going to hell!”

“People don’t realize what they have,” Dekel said. “They bitch about it. And, then, nowadays, I am so upset that the things we did, things we fought for, and the boys that died for it, it’s all going down the drain.”

Read More

Commentary: An Independence Day Hat Tip to America’s Police Officers

As those of us who are not leftist ingrates celebrate Independence Day, it is important to remember and thank our men and women of the armed services for the sacrifices they make to keep us safe. Yet, it is well to remember and thank another crucial group of uniformed individuals. who also sacrifice to keep us safe—America’s police officers.

Recently, I had the chance to visit with members of one of my home state’s police organizations. It has been a rough couple of years for them. While the radical chic of attacking the police and demanding they be defunded has somewhat abated, my friends reminded me that dangers wrought by this injurious policy have only managed to dent, not end, its advocacy. 

Read More

Price of Independence Day Cookout Substantially More Than Last Year

If you plan on holding a July 4 cookout this weekend, expect to pay a lot more than what you paid for last year’s meal.

According to the American Farm Bureau Federation marketbasket survey, the overall cost for the Independence Day cookout is up 17%, or about $10 from last year. Ongoing supply chain disruptions, inflation tied in part to increased government spending, and the war in Ukraine are being blamed for the price hikes.

Read More

Delta Airlines to Allow Travelers to Change Flights at No Cost Ahead of Holiday Weekend

Delta Airlines will allow travelers to change flights over the Independence Day holiday weekend at no cost, saying it expects an increase in traveler numbers not seen since before the pandemic.

This week’s  announced comes as Americans continue to face flight cancellations and delays around the country amid ongoing airline industry issues.

Read More

Commentary: Targeting Citizens for Expressing Traditional Values is a Hallmark of Tyranny

All my life I’ve felt a bond with places and with people.

Growing up in Boonville, North Carolina, population then about 600, I went to elementary school and the Methodist church, knew many of the merchants in town—Harvey Smith, grocer and mayor for many years, Donald the barber, Mr. Weatherwax who owned the pharmacy and was kind enough to let me read comic books on the premises, and a dozen more adults—and relished my friends and their families. Boonville’s red clay and rolling hills are as much a part of me as any genetic code.

Read More

Democratic Rep. Cori Bush Tweets Independence Day is Only ‘For White People’

Progressive firebrand and Democratic lawmaker, Representative Cori Bush (D-MO-01) tweeted on Sunday that the only people who should celebrate Independence Day are “white people.”

“When they say that the 4th of July is about American freedom, remember this: the freedom they’re referring to is for white people. This land is stolen land and Black people still aren’t free,” her full tweet read.

Read More

At Florida Rally, Trump Strikes Defiant Pro-America Tone as He Slams Biden Administration

Former President Donald Trump on Saturday struck a brazenly American tone at a Sarasota, Fla. rally, painting the Biden administration as radically un-American as he hailed the country’s legacy stemming from its July 4, 1776 origins.

“The mission of all of us here tonight is to preserve the legacy of July 4, 1776, and to defend our liberty from the radical left movement,” Trump told the enormous crowd at the event.

Read More

Newt Gingrich Commentary: Reclaiming the Spirit of Independence Day

Planes in the sky letting off red, white and blue smoke

On Independence Day we reflect together as a nation on a remarkable moment in history 244 years ago, when 56 men from 13 colonies gathered in Philadelphia to sign the Declaration of Independence. There, our founders declared with one voice: “We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness.”

This act of political and moral courage changed the world forever. Since 1776, the values and ideals enshrined in the Declaration of Independence and the U.S. Constitution have been exported to democracies around the globe and have lifted millions of people out of tyranny, poverty, and oppression.

Unfortunately, some in America seek to diminish America’s founding, rewrite our history, and invalidate the spirit of independence which led our founders to create the greatest, freest, and most prosperous nation on Earth.

Read More

Commentary: It Was a Magnificent Speech

Donald Trump did not mention Lincoln’s First Inaugural address in his speech commemorating the spirit of American Independence at Mount Rushmore on Friday night. But the president’s speech—perhaps his most forceful and eloquent to date—vibrated with the same energy and existential commitment that fired Lincoln in March 1861. 

Lincoln came to office at a time of crisis. His election had precipitated the secession of seven Southern states. His inaugural address was both a plea for conciliation and unity as well as a warning that violence would be stopped with force. “We are not enemies, but friends,” Lincoln said. 

Read More

‘When Is Fourth of July?’: Here Are the Top Five Google Searches Asking About Independence Day

Google revealed the top five searches and questions people are asking about July 4 when they visit the company’s platform ahead of Independence Day.

“Independence Day is upon us, and that means searches for fireworks, sparklers and tons of delicious recipes are on the rise,” Google Trends noted Tuesday three days ahead of Independence Day. Along with the greeting, the company also showed the top questions people are asking regarding July 4.

Read More

President Trump Kicks Off Independence Day Celebrations at Mount Rushmore

President Trump traveled to South Dakota Friday to kick off Independence Day celebrations across America with an historic appearance at Mount Rushmore.

In front of a packed, open-air audience of about 7,500, the president delivered a much-anticipated remarks White House representatives promised would be an unapologetic and full-throated defense of American culture, values, history, and future.

Read More

As Trump Prepares for Independence Day Visit to Mount Rushmore, Tribal Leaders Say They Want It ‘Removed’

President Donald Trump will kick off Independence Day weekend with an event at Mount Rushmore, which has prompted some local leaders to call for the removal of one of the nation’s most iconic monuments.

Several groups led by Native American activists are planning protests for Trump’s July 3 visit. The event is slated to include fighter jets thundering over the 79-year-old stone monument in South Dakota’s Black Hills and the first fireworks display at the site since 2009.

Read More

Ilhan Omar Sends Somber Fourth of July Message Days After Celebrating Somali Independence Day

by Molly Prince   Democratic Minnesota Rep. Ilhan Omar urged Americans to celebrate the Fourth of July by reflecting on “how much further we have to go,” standing in contrast to her joyful celebration of Somali Independence Day four days prior. “Today gives us all a chance to reflect on…

Read More

Tim Ryan Compares Trump’s Salute to America to ‘Dictatorships in China, North Korea, and Iran’

  Rep. Tim Ryan (D-OH-13), a 2020 candidate, sent a letter this week to the Trump Administration demanding answers on the costs associated with the president’s Fourth of July “Salute to America.” The Salute to America occurred Thursday evening at the Lincoln Memorial. Ryan compared the military-themed event to North…

Read More

Independence Day Across America: Fun and Festivities to Join in Ohio

  Check out these Ohio Independence Day events near you. Colombus Events: Dooh Dah Parade+ Party: Colombus is hosting its 36th annual Doo Dah Parade this Independence Day. “Dare to join irreverent self-styled satirists, partygoers, exhibitionists and overall lost souls in the 36th Annual Doo Dah Parade on the Fourth…

Read More

Activist Arrested Outside RNC in Cleveland Plans to Burn Flag at Trump’s Independence Day Celebration

  An activist who was arrested outside of the 2016 Republican National Convention in Cleveland for burning the American flag is planning a similar demonstration for President Donald Trump’s July Fourth “Salute to America.” As The Ohio Star previously reported, Cleveland officials agreed to pay $225,000 in a legal settlement…

Read More

JC Bowman Commentary: Lives, Fortunes, and Honor

US flags w airman

JC Bowman writes: Freedom should never be taken for granted.  Today we are debating the very concept of what it means to be a citizen of the United States of America.  While many citizens are very passionate about our country, others seem disillusioned and some openly hostile.  It is why the Declaration of Independence is such an important document. It expresses what it means to be an American. 

Read More

Minnesota’s Capital Cancels Independence Day Fireworks Because It’s Too Expensive

Melvin Carter

by Anders Hagstrom   The Democratic mayor of Minnesota’s capital cancelled the city’s annual 4th of July fireworks show Wednesday, claiming it required too many tax payer dollars. St. Paul Mayor Melvin Carter made the announcement on Facebook and clarified that while there would be no fireworks, there would still be a parade, Kare11…

Read More