Independence Day (colloquially the Fourth of July) is a federal holiday in the United States commemorating the Declaration of Independence, which was ratified by the Second Continental Congress on July 4, 1776, establishing the United States of America. Quick Facts Also called, Observed by ... The Founding Father delegates of the Second Continental Congress declared that the Thirteen Colonies were no longer subject (and subordinate) to the monarch of Britain, King George III, and were now united, free, and independent states. The Congress voted to approve independence by passing the Lee Resolution on July 2 and adopted the Declaration of Independence two days later, on July 4. Independence Day is commonly associated with fireworks, parades, barbecues, carnivals, fairs, picnics, concerts, baseball games, family reunions, political speeches, and ceremonies, in addition to various other public and private events celebrating the history, government, and traditions of the United States. I...

Early celebrations date back to 1866, at first involving church-centered community gatherings in Texas. They spread across the South and became more commercialized in the 1920s and 1930s, often centering on a food festival. Participants in the Great Migration brought these celebrations to the rest of the country. During the Civil Rights Movement of the 1960s, these celebrations were eclipsed by the nonviolent determination to achieve civil rights, but grew in popularity again in the 1970s with a focus on African American freedom and African-American arts. Beginning with Texas by proclamation in 1938, and by legislation in 1979, every U.S. state and the District of Columbia has formally recognized the holiday in some way. Juneteenth is also celebrated by the Mascogos, descendants of Black Seminoles who escaped from slavery in 1852 and settled in Coahuila, Mexico.

Google Google CEO Sundar Pichai speaks during the Google I/O keynote session at Shoreline Amphitheatre in Mountain View, California, May 7, 2019. Josh Edelson | AFP | Getty Images Google’s mixed messaging when it comes to its return-to-office plans has been a subject of consternation across the company since the waning days of the Covid-19 pandemic. Now employees are finding further sources of frustration. Last week, Google updated its hybrid three-day-a-week office policy to include badge tracking and noted attendance will be included in performance reviews. Additionally, employees who already received approval for remote work may now have that status reevaluated. Based on CNBC’s discussions with some employees and posts to an internal site called Memegen, Google faces growing concern among staffers that management is overreaching in its oversight of physical attendance. Staffers say they’re being treated like schoolchildren. There’s also increased uncertainty about what the future...

By Jane C. Timm Five years after Democrats came close to unseating Republican Sen. Ted Cruz in Texas, a group of strategists has launched the "Lose Cruz" super PAC. Backed by seven-figure funding, the super PAC will try to drive anti-Cruz messaging through rapid response, with ads online and on television. The first ad is expected next week. “Ted Cruz has never been more vulnerable than he is this cycle,” said Sawyer Hackett, a Democratic strategist working as a senior adviser for the super PAC. Since Cruz's 2.6-percentage-point win over Democratic Rep. Beto O’Rourke in 2018, Hackett said, “he has become infamous for a number of things” that the group plans to target, including his trip to Cancún, Mexico, during the winter storm that wiped out Texas’ power grid in 2021, his efforts to overturn the results of the 2020 election on Jan. 6, 2021, his attendance record in the Senate and his podcasting gig. “He hosts three episodes a week talking about a whole bunch of stuf...

CAMPAIGNS Trump raised $2 million hours after arraignment The fundraising haul came at a fundraiser in Bedminster, N.J. Former President Donald Trump speaking at a podium, with an American flag in the foreground. Former President Donald Trump speaks at Trump National Golf Club in Bedminster, N.J., Tuesday, June 13, 2023, after his arraignment earlier in the day. | Andrew Harnik/AP Photo By MERIDITH MCGRAW 06/14/2023 11:24 AM EDT Former President Donald Trump raised about $2 million at the first major fundraiser of his campaign, only hours after his arraignment in Miami. The campaign raised $2.04 million during a “candlelight dinner” with top donors and campaign bundlers, according to a person familiar with the campaign. Trump gave brief remarks to his supporters and was seated at a table with donors and supporters that included Sen. Tommy Tuberville, (R-Ala.), according to an attendee. While Trump’s campaign has mostly relied on small dollar, grassroots donors, the fundraiser ...

SAUGUS — The allegations that led to Superintendent of Schools Erin McMahon’s leave have finally become clear nearly five months into her absence, with an attorney representing the School Committee citing four areas of concern with her performance. Attorney Howard Greenspan, in a letter sent to McMahon’s attorney Michael Long, said the committee informed McMahon in January that it would be investigating “her administration of grant funds, conflict of interest, billing issues with outside consultants, and the time of days in the district and out of district.” When presented with the allegations by the committee, McMahon opted to place herself on leave. Long said she was forced to do so to preserve her professional reputation, but her indication that she intended to return to work on June 5 prompted the committee to vote to place her on leave. While McMahon is on leave she is advised “not to come to the workplace, perform any work, or contact School Committee members or other persons ...

By Allan Smith, Katherine Doyle, Matt Dixon and Natasha Korecki It’s long been Republican orthodoxy that no matter what Donald Trump does, the GOP base will stick with him. After his last indictment in New York, the party rallied around him. But this time, privately, Republicans aren’t so sure. An operative in Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis’ orbit, who requested anonymity to speak candidly without approval from higher-ups, said that “from an objective standpoint,” the federal charges Trump faces for his post-presidency handling of classified documents are far more serious than the earlier ones around hush money payments before the 2016 election. “I don’t know what’s going to happen in Georgia,” this person said, referring to the investigation into possible election interference by Trump and his allies. “But the man is going to prison. It’s happening. So at this point, where we are is ‘Who’s going to be the nominee?’ … Donald Trump broke the law, and frankly, I’m not a never-Trumper. I...