APTOPIX America 250 Portraits
Todd Shaw, left, kisses his wife Shannon Shaw, right, as they pose for portrait during the Great American State Fair on the National Mall, Thursday, July 2, 2026, in Washington.
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President Donald Trump has mixed partisan politics with patriotic appeals as he commemorated the 250th anniversary of American independence, a moment he declared “one of the most joyous and glorious milestones of all time.” Trump spoke late Saturday in Washington after storms prompted a roughly two-hour evacuation of the National Mall. Severe weather prompted the cancellation of celebrations in Hartford, Connecticut, along with Harrisburg and Wilkes-Barre, Pennsylvania. Spectators at Boston’s fireworks and concert were told to briefly seek shelter before events later resumed. An evacuation was also ordered in Philadelphia. New York and Pittsburgh moved forward with fireworks but shifted the time to accommodate the shifting weather.
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