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A firefighting plane drops fire retardant on the Aspen Acres fire near Colorado City, Colorado, on July 1. Photo: Michael Ciaglo/Getty Images

Catch up quick

Why this July 4 weekend is a wildfire tinderbox

  • Herb Scribner,
  • Rebecca Falconer
How the world's top AI models were revived
How the world's top AI models were revived
Democrats plot subpoena storm over Trump's $2 billion gold rush
Democrats plot subpoena storm over Trump's $2 billion gold rush
Ukraine proves it can hit Russia almost anywhere
Ukraine proves it can hit Russia almost anywhere
Portrait exhibit brings 47 American presidencies to life
Portrait exhibit brings 47 American presidencies to life
    • Josephine Walker
    Updated Jul 2, 2026
    -
    Politics & Policy
    Olympian indicted for allegedly vandalizing Reflecting Pool
    People work in the Lincoln Memorial reflecting pool as seen from the Washington Monument in Washington, DC, on June 30, 2026

    People work in the Lincoln Memorial reflecting pool as seen from the Washington Monument in Washington, DC, on June 30, 2026. Photo: Alex WROBLEWSKI / AFP via Getty Images.

    Former Olympic canoeist David Hearn was indicted Thursday for destroying property after he allegedly reached into Washington D.C.'s Lincoln Memorial Reflecting Pool, per a bench warrant reviewed by Axios.

    Why it matters: It's the first indictment prosecutors have secured since President Trump asserted that vandals had damaged D.C.'s reflecting pool shortly after it underwent a $14 million upgrade.

    Go deeper (1 min. read)
    • Josephine Walker
    Jul 2, 2026
    -
    Politics & Policy
    America's 250th fireworks party collides with burn-bans

    Firework associations expect a massive boom in backyard fireworks this July 4, a surge that collides with dry conditions and a blistering heatwave that could drastically increase the risk of fires.

    Why it matters: Climate change is increasing the likelihood and severity of wildfires, and large chunks of the U.S. are under burn bans because of severe drought.

    Go deeper (2 min. read)
    • Madison Mills,
    • Ina Fried
    Jul 2, 2026
    -
    Technology
    OpenAI courts Trump administration as its latest investor
    Photo illustration of Sam Altman looking nervously towards an exclamation point with the dot in the shape of the OpenAI logo

    Photo illustration: Sarah Grillo/Axios. Photo: Kyle Grillot/Bloomberg via Getty Images

    OpenAI may give the U.S. government a 5% stake in the company, per the Financial Times. The proposal is in very preliminary conversations, according to a person familiar with the matter.

    Why it matters: If the overture is taken up by the Trump administration, that would mean the government would have a vested interest in weighing whether or not to limit the release of an OpenAI model.

    Go deeper (2 min. read)

THE LATEST


    • Trump's July 4 sparks counter-250 events

      • What our states are adding to America's Time Capsule

        • NASA launches mission to save space telescope from fiery death

          • Fewer people are reading, but bookstores are making a comeback anyway

            • America's 250th turns into a fight over God and country

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