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244 years of freedom, but not for all |
| The Fourth of July is recognized for its backyard barbecues, fireworks and donning of the country's red, white and blue — an annual observance of America's independence, a nation now 244 years in the making. But for many, it's a difficult time to celebrate America. Amid protests and a pandemic, what does it mean to be patriotic in 2020? And are all Americans free? |
| Trump: 'The patriots who built our country were not villains' |
| President Donald Trump hosted a July 4th party Saturday in which he assailed the "angry mob" that opposes him. The president also echoed the speech he gave Friday night at Mount Rushmore in South Dakota, where he attacked people seeking to tear down statues and tributes to past leaders who owned slaves or fought for the Confederacy in the Civil War. "The patriots who built our country were not villains," he said. |
| Protesters: 'Black people weren't free on July 4th' |
| Many Americans spent the Fourth of July drawing attention to what they say is a hypocritical celebration of freedom . Protesters held rallies, marches and sit-ins in Chicago, Los Angeles and more than a dozen other U.S. cities and towns — including the nation's capital. Independence Day "doesn't really mean anything when Black people weren't free on July 4th and those same liberties weren't afforded to us," said Kerrigan Williams, co-founder of Freedom Fighters D.C. |
| Experts: What it means to be an American differs |
| While a majority of U.S. adults still say they are "extremely" or "very" proud to be American, according to Gallup, both numbers are at a 20-year low. So what does it mean to be an American? Experts say the heart of the debate is whether being American depends on who you are – such as being an English speaker – or on what you believe – such as valuing freedom or equality. It's not just a fight over who belongs, but about one version of the United States versus another. |
 | | Protesters burn U.S. flags during a protest near Trump International Hotel, Saturday, July 4, 2020, in New York. | | Eduardo Munoz Alvarez, AP | |
About those COVID-19 infections |
| The commissioner of the Food and Drug Administration, Stephen Hahn, refused Sunday to comment on the accuracy of Trump's assertion that 99% of infections are harmless . Hahn also refused to comment on the president's statement that the United States will have a vaccine long before the end of the year. "This is a very rapidly moving epidemic, a rapidly moving pandemic," Stephen Hahn said, citing "unprecedented speed" in the development of a vaccine but said science and data will determine when it is ready. Trump said Saturday that the nation was unleashing "scientific brilliance and we'll likely have a therapeutic and/or vaccine solution long before the end of the year." |
| America's new hot spots |
| Arizona remains one of the worst hot spots in the nation for the coronavirus, with 2,695 new COVID-19 cases and 17 additional deaths reported Saturday . At the same time, thousands of Arizona residents struggling to pay rent because of the pandemic could lose their homes this summer when Gov. Doug Ducey's executive order delaying evictions expires, government data suggests. And Phoenix Mayor Kate Gallego said Sunday the state's quick reopening made some residents overconfident about safety, spurring the state's surge in new cases. "We reemerged at zero to sixty," she said |
| • | Texas reported 8,076 new COVID-19 cases Saturday, marking the first time the state has crossed the 8,000 threshold for new cases in a single day. | | • | And Florida reported 11,458 new cases of the coronavirus Saturday, also a record for most new cases in one day. | |
| The U.S. has seen more than 2.8 million confirmed cases and more than 129,000 deaths. Globally, there have been more than 11.2 million cases and more than 530,000 deaths. |
Real quick |
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Kanye West says he's running for president. There is no evidence of that. |
| Kanye West for president? The rapper, businessman, record producer and social activist tweeted Saturday that he intends to run in 2020 – just 122 days before the Nov. 3 election. However, there is no evidence West has a campaign organization, nor is there any indication he has filed papers with the Federal Election Commission . And the filing deadlines for independent presidential candidates in many states have either passed or are coming up soon. "We must now realize the promise of America by trusting God, unifying our vision and building our future," West, 43, wrote on Twitter. "I am running for president of the United States!" He ended the tweet with a #2020VISION hashtag. |
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75 hot dogs, 10 minutes |
| Joey Chestnut eclipsed his own world record Saturday, winning his 13th title in the Nathan's Hot Dog Eating Contest. Chestnut downed 75 frankfurters to beat his 2018 mark of 74. The annual hot dog contest took place at a private New York location with COVID-19 safety measures in place instead of its usual Coney Island boardwalk spot. No fans were in attendance, and competitors were spaced six feet apart while separated by plexiglass. "I knew I was fast in the beginning," Chestnut said. "I hit a wall (at the end). I really missed the crowd." |
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 | | Competitive eater Joey Chestnut celebrates after setting a new world record with 75 hot dogs to win the men's division of the Nathan's Famous July Fourth hot dog eating contest, Saturday, July 4, 2020, in the Brooklyn borough of New York. | | John Minchillo, AP | |
| P.S. Like this round up of stories? We send it to inboxes every afternoon. Sign up for "The Short List" newsletter here. |
| This is a compilation of stories from across the USA TODAY Network. Contributing: Associated Press. |
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