July 4th Heat Wave, Russian Strikes On Ukraine, Future Of Democratic Party
Up First from NPR
NPR
4.6 • 59K Ratings
🗓️ 3 July 2026
⏱️ 12 minutes
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Summary
Russia hit Kyiv with one of the deadliest strikes of the war overnight, firing nearly 600 missiles and drones that killed at least 27 people, Moscow says it's payback for Ukraine's attacks on its oil facilities.
And Democrats are hoping to take back the House this fall, but infighting is getting in the way as progressive upsets energize blue-city voters while raising doubts about whether that message plays in the places the party actually needs.
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Today’s episode of Up First was edited by Luis Clemens, Tina Kraja, Jason Breslow, Mohamed ElBardicy and Alice Woelfle.
It was produced by Ziad Buchh and Nia Dumas.
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(0:00) Introduction
(01:50) July 4th Heat Wave
(05:11) Russian Strikes On Ukraine
(09:03) Future Of Democratic Party
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Transcript
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| 0:00.0 | Happy almost birthday America. Tomorrow, the United States turns 250 years old. |
| 0:07.2 | And parts of the country may feel like it's 250 degrees. A heatway from Texas to the East Coast is already forcing cities to cancel parades and fireworks. |
| 0:14.7 | I'm Michelle Martin. That's A. Martinez. And this is up first from NPR News. |
| 0:20.8 | The death toll from Russia's attack on Kiev is climbing. |
| 0:23.8 | Ukraine's president says more air defenses could have saved lives. |
| 0:27.4 | And Democrats are hoping to win back the House this fall, but a fight within the party could get in the way. |
| 0:31.9 | Progressive and Democratic socialist upsets are energizing voters in blue cities. |
| 0:36.4 | The worry is whether that message can win |
| 0:38.7 | in the places Democrats actually need to take back the majority. Stay with us. We've got news |
| 0:43.1 | you need to start your day. |
| 0:50.1 | Today is the eve of the 250th birthday of the United States. |
| 0:54.7 | Tomorrow there will be celebrations of Independence Day, large and small all across the country, many of which are being affected by intense heat. |
| 1:02.4 | NPR culture correspondent, Anastasia Seyukas, has been tracking the festivities across the U.S. |
| 1:07.8 | So what are some of the difficult choices some people are going to have to make about |
| 1:11.2 | public events? Well, that heat wave is extending from Texas all the way up and down the East Coast. |
| 1:17.4 | And officials across much of the country are going to have to make some tough decisions |
| 1:21.5 | potentially at the last minute. But some places have already decided to cancel or cut back |
| 1:26.9 | on their festivities day. |
| 1:28.9 | The city of Philadelphia, which of course is central to our independent story, has already decided to substantially cut its annual Fourth of July parade route. |
| 1:38.1 | Many communities in Colorado, like Durango and Vale, have canceled their fireworks displays due to the risk of wildfires. |
| 1:46.0 | And it's not clear yet what's going to happen in Washington, D.C., where President Trump has, of course, |
| 1:51.7 | been emphasizing this 250th anniversary. |
... |
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