NPR News: 07-03-2026 7AM EDT
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Live from NPR News in Washington, I'm Windsor Johnston.
What celebrations are planned for America's 250th birthday?
Millions of Americans are getting ready to celebrate the nation's 250th birthday with parades, concerts, and fireworks across the country this weekend. But as NPR's Anastasios Lucas reports, record-breaking heat is forcing some cities to modify their plans.
Some places have already decided to cancel or cut back on their festivities. The city of Philadelphia, which of course is central to our independence story, has already decided to substantially cut its annual 4th of July parade route. Many communities in Colorado, like Durango and Vail, have canceled their fireworks displays due to the risk of wildfires. And it's not clear yet what's going to happen in Washington, D.C., where President Trump has, of course, been emphasizing this 250th anniversary.
That's NPR's Anastasia Salukis reporting. Forecasters say heat index values could climb as high as 115 degrees in some areas. The hot weather is also driving up demand for electricity, putting added strain on the nation's power grid. The war in Iran has caused a number of products around the globe to increase in price, including fertilizer. NPR's Joe Hernandez reports experts say U.S. farmers, not consumers, will pay the additional costs.
Around one-third of the world's fertilizer shipped by sea passes through the Strait of Hormuz, which became a choke point during the war.
How is record-breaking heat affecting July 4th festivities?
For U.S. farmers, that's meant higher fertilizer prices due to an overall shrinkage of the global fertilizer market. But food systems experts say those costs are unlikely to hike prices at the grocery store. Fertilizer is just one part of a farmer's budget, and growers are typically unable to increase crop prices in response to rising operating costs. Some fertilizer prices have come down recently, but experts say it could take weeks or even months before the sector returns to normal. Joe Hernandez, NPR News.
Spotify says it's removed more than a half a million streams that sent a song surging on music charts. The music platform suggests the streams were purchased as part of a prediction market. NPR's Bobbi Allen reports.
The song Earrings by Malcolm Todd shot to the top of charts over a 24-hour period on Spotify. Meanwhile, on the prediction market site Kaoshi, bettors were placing wagers over what song would be number one, and those who bet on Todd received a payout. But after Spotify looked into the streams, it determined that automated bots, which can be purchased, appear to have contributed to hundreds of thousands of streams. Spotify has deleted the streams and adjusted its rankings. It's the latest instance of suspected market manipulation on fast-growing prediction markets, where people can bet on elections, war and White House policy. Critics have called for tighter regulation, but the Trump administration has embraced the industry.
Bobby Allen, NPR News.
This is NPR News in Washington. Telecasts of the World Cup are drawing record numbers of U.S. viewers for Fox Sports. NPR's Mandelita Barco reports that 48 percent are watching Telemundo's Spanish language coverage.
NBCUniversal says no matter what language they speak, fans are tuning in to Telemundo's telecast, streaming it on Peacock and viewing its social media coverage of the Copa Mundial, as it's known in Spanish. Miguel Lorenzo is a senior vice president at Telemundo Deportes.
Half of the country of the United States is watching the World Cup in Spanish on Telemundo, but we also know that only 20% of the U.S. population is Hispanic.
Last night, as the U.S. men's national soccer team knocked out Bosnia-Herzegovina's team 2-0, Giselle Rojas and her mother Graciela Reyes cheered along with Telemundo's famous announcer Andres Cantor. Yeah, that's the best part for everybody. Goal! You think it's more fun to watch in Spanish? A million percent. We like the excitement. Mandaly Del Barco, NPR News, Los Angeles.
Mandatory evacuation orders are in place as a wildfire in southern Colorado keeps growing in size. The blaze has burned nearly 48,000 acres and damaged or destroyed more than 150 structures.
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