NPR News: 07-04-2026 2PM EDT
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Live from NPR News in Washington, I'm Janine Hurst. Ukraine launched another wave of drones against Russia overnight. This as Moscow and Kiev offered competing claims over whose forces held a key eastern Ukrainian city. NPR's Charles Maines has more.
The governor of Russia's former imperial capital of St. Petersburg said city air defenses had fended off a large-scale Ukrainian drone attack, even as he reported damage to the city's main oral terminal and a nearby port. Russia's defense ministry said Ukraine fired nearly 400 drones into some 18 regions of Russia and its occupied territories in all. Meanwhile, on the front lines, Russia's top brass informed President Vladimir Putin its troops had seized the eastern Ukrainian city of Konstantinovka, an outpost long sought by the Kremlin in its quest to take the entirety of Ukraine's eastern Donbass region. Yet Zelensky later called that claim a Russian lie and said Ukrainian forces remain in the city.
Charles Baines, NPR News, Moscow.
This Fourth of July, some Americans think the nation is on the wrong track, but the majority say they're proud or very proud to be an American, according to the latest NPR PBS News Marist poll. NPR's Maham Javid has more.
American feelings about the country appear to be divided along partisan lines. Republicans are the most proud, at 93%. Independents are at 61%. And the least proud are Democrats at 45%. Christopher James, a Democrat based out of Maryland, says it's complicated.
My feelings are mixed. I'm proud of some of the achievements that we've made in a variety of... ways in the world. It's hard to feel like absolute pride considering the conflicts that are going on in our society right now.
He says he's referring to Americans who won't compromise with people they disagree with, as well as those who value emotion over logic. Maham Javed, NPR News.
With parts of the country under a heat dome, safety experts are urging people to hydrate. That goes for people spending hours working outside in the heat, as well as those enjoying time off this holiday weekend. Empire's Andrea Hsu reports.
Decades ago, as a student, Douglas Kessa helped with research behind a color chart for urine. Today, as CEO of the Corey Stringer Institute at the University of Connecticut, he's urging people to pay attention to the findings.
If it's lighter, like lemonade, you're very likely hydrated. If it's darker, like apple juice, you're very likely dehydrated.
Another thing Kassa says people can monitor is their weight. If it changes from day to day, he says, it's probably dehydration. Now, for workers who are starting new jobs outdoors in the heat, he says it's important to acclimatize, slowly ramping up the hours. The body goes through physiological changes, he says, and the greatest risk of heat stroke is in the first three to five days of exposure. Andrea Hsu, NPR News.
This is NPR News from Washington. After months of speculation... Singer Taylor Swift and football player Travis Kelsey are married. NPR's Vanessa Romo has more.
The pop icon and the Super Bowl-winning player, both 36, tied the knot on Friday in New York after three years of dating. Swift's publicist, Tree Payne, confirmed the couple wed, telling NPR that the ceremony was officiated by comedian Adam Sandler. Payne added that there were neither bridesmaids nor groomsmen. Instead, Swift's brother Austin served as Taylor's man of honor, and Kelsey's brother Jason was the best man. Photos of the event have yet to be released, but the singer's publicist says the couple was dressed in Christian Dior haute couture designed by creative director Jonathan Anderson. Swift was bejeweled in Cartier. Security around the multi-day event has been intense, so it's unclear if the wedding was charming, if a little gauche.
But the night before the ceremony, the 20,000-person stadium where the Associated Press says the wedding took place was bathed in a lavender haze. Vanessa Romo, NPR News.
Serena Williams has withdrawn from the doubles competition with her sister Venus at Wimbledon because of a knee injury.
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