by Brittney Melton

July 5, 2026

Good morning. This week, the Senate Ethics Committee dismissed a complaint against Sen. Ruben Gallego involving allegations of campaign finance violations, President Trump appealed a ruling that blocks parts of his order to restrict voting by mail, and LeBron James decided to leave the Los Angeles Lakers after eight seasons.

From the American Revolution to the AI revolution

by Rund Abdelfatah, host of Throughline

If I've learned anything from hosting NPR's history show, Throughline, for the last seven years, it's that understanding begins where easy answers end. Spending time wading through the murky, messy, complicated parts of the past gets us a little closer to making sense of our present.

It's often the small, unexpected moments that move our journey of understanding forward. History is full of them. Sometimes they can be found on a battlefield. Other times in a courthouse, on a city boulevard, in the boxing ring … or on a bench.

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Lately, I've been reflecting a lot on one moment in the very first episode of Throughline's mini series, America in Pursuit. We've been releasing episodes every week this year to mark the 250th anniversary of the Declaration of Independence. A director at the Museum of the American Revolution mentions a bench in front of an exhibit there called "The Declaration's Journey." It's an unassuming bench that's rusting, with paint falling off of it. The bench is from the jail cell in Birmingham, Ala., where Martin Luther King Jr. wrote his now-famous 1963 "Letter from Birmingham Jail." In it, he draws a connection between the words of the declaration and the Black youth who were conducting peaceful sit-ins at white-only establishments during the Civil Rights Movement. As King put it, they were restoring "those great wells of democracy."

Last fall, as we set out to map out the throughline of the American democratic experiment, our mission was clear: Each week, we wanted to deliver stories about life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness that began 250 years ago in the U.S. The team, led by producer Kyana Moghadam, set out to craft an arc we called America in Pursuit. We knew we wanted it to feel like a time capsule, transporting listeners to different times in American history, from the American Revolution to the AI revolution.

Figuring out exactly which moments to travel to — and what 250 years means in a fraught moment in our country's story — well, that felt like what I imagine it was like for Jefferson and Franklin trying to craft the Declaration of Independence. Lots of strikethroughs and edits. Debates and questions. Ok, that's probably a little hyperbolic. But we did have to contend with some pretty big questions: What have we achieved in the past 250 years? Where have we stumbled? What is the American story, and who is American?

As an immigrant myself, that last question has always been a part of how I think about this country — a place where someone like my dad, a Palestinian refugee, could come and build a new life. But also a place in perpetual struggle to uphold "those great wells of democracy."

Throughout our journey, we have zoomed in on people and places — and benches. We've told stories that reflect the beauty, the pain, the contradictions and the range of experiences that have shaped the U.S. We've brought you up close to those historic moments: A woman on a food line in the Great Depression or the Japanese American activist who cradled Malcolm X as he took his final breaths.

And we have asked all kinds of questions: what does free speech mean? When was birthright citizenship established? What do bananas tell us about America’s relationship with the world? How did so many Americans get sold on the idea that God wants you to be happy and rich? Why did the United States begin to be called America?

We're also very excited in the coming weeks to feature some work from across the NPR network that will highlight the role of music, humor and protest over the last 250 years, and center local perspectives.

Check out more great reads from the NPR network you may have missed:

➡️ After Trump's reelection, an increasing number of U.S. scientists are seeking job opportunities abroad. An analysis by the journal Nature revealed that in the first quarter of 2025, U.S. scientists submitted nearly a third more international job applications than in the same period in 2024. In March 2025, a survey of more than 1,600 scientists in the U.S. found that 75% were considering leaving the country. These departures are partly a response to changes the Trump administration made to federal funding for scientific research in the U.S. Three scientists explain to NPR why they decided to shift their research to universities in the U.K.
➡️ Agents from Homeland Security Investigations (HSI), a part of the Department of Homeland Security, recently tracked down a man after he sent a harsh email to a federal official five months ago. They showed up at David Streever's home in Rochester, N.Y., to warn him that an email could be considered an illegal threat. At the time of the visit, Streever was on vacation, so the agents gave his wife a form for him to sign that said: "YOU MAY BE IN VIOLATION OF FEDERAL LAW." Civil liberties advocates have criticized the agency's recent use of these forms, calling them intimidation tactics aimed at silencing critics. Another HSI agent later located Streever at his hotel. The agent left a business card with the hotel front desk, raising concerns from critics of the agency over whether Streever was being monitored.
➡️ Republicans are urging courts to reinterpret a longstanding ban on mass purges of voter rolls just before a federal election. This legal challenge is set to be reviewed by the Supreme Court in its upcoming term, beginning in October. The review comes as Trump and GOP leaders spread false information about widespread voter fraud by non-U.S. citizens, despite state reviews finding illegal voting by noncitizens to be incredibly rare. The National Voter Registration Act (NVRA) of 1993 mandates that voter roll purges should be completed by election officials 90 days before Election Day, allowing eligible voters ample time to resolve any issues. That deadline applies to the 44 states covered by the NVRA, plus Washington, D.C. As the midterm elections approach, some legal experts are questioning how courts will enforce the 90-day "quiet period" beginning Aug. 5.

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Pod Club

Tom Hanks in an astronaut suit in the movie “Apollo 13.”

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Thanks for tuning in last week to the Short Wave episode “Is sewage the future of green aviation?” The episode explores how the war in Iran has disrupted the global fuel supply. Airline prices have skyrocketed, resulting in numerous canceled flights. The newsletter team wanted to hear from readers about what could work as a solution to aviation costs. NPR reader John Hugo said he read that electronic airplanes could work for shorter hops. “The airlines should be encouraged to offer lower fares for sustainable flights and show a passenger how to take connecting electric flights that save jet fuel,” Hugo said.

Today, we’re listening to Pop Culture Happy Hour. As the nation celebrates its 250th anniversary, the hosts share their picks for the best depictions of the American Dream, including The Wire, Apollo 13, Grey Gardens and the spiritual successor to Tracy Chapman’s “Fast Car.” Listen to the episode or read the transcript here.

What pop culture moment do you best believe showcases the American Dream? Listen to the episode and share your picks here. Your response could appear in next week's Sunday newsletter.

Love podcasts? For handpicked episode recommendations every week, check out Pod Club — a newsletter written FOR podcast fans BY podcast fans. Subscribe here!

And, on this week's episode of The Sunday Story from Up First, a look into why an increasing number of rural counties want to secede from Illinois and create a 51st state called “New Illinois.”

Five plus two, two plus five

The words "Sunday Puzzle" over a white background. The name "Will Shortz" is under the Sunday Puzzle title, etched into red dice.

NPR

It's time for the Sunday Puzzle! For this week’s on-air challenge, NPR Puzzlemaster Will Shortz will provide you with two five-letter words. You will then add the same two letters at the end of the first one and the start of the second one, in each case to complete a familiar seven-letter word. For example, if you are given the clue “Later, Ready,” the answer would be “Lateral, Already.” Test your skills here. Check the page later to hear the answers, or catch them live on Weekend Edition at 8:41 a.m. ET.

This week's online challenge comes from Henri Picciotto and Joshua Kosman, who will be at the 186th convention of the National Puzzler League, in Bloomington, Ind., that Shortz will be attending. Name two words that are opposites. They share a single letter. Remove that shared letter from each word, put a hyphen between the two starting words and you'll get a term you sometimes see in food ads. What are the two words? Submit your answer here, and you could win a chance to play next Sunday's on-air puzzle.

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This newsletter was edited by Suzanne Nuyen.

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