America 250 kicks off in nation's capital as Americans brave heat to celebrate Independence Day

Many of the American colonists’ eating habits have made a comeback in recent years. They ate minimally processed, locally sourced whole foods and regularly incorporated organ meats into their meals.

Livestock and many Old World crops had already been introduced to North America by European explorers and settlers during the centuries before the nation's founding.

Early settlers adapted European cooking traditions using ingredients available in North America, the Center for the Study of the Presidency and Congress (CSPC) reported.

Indigenous peoples introduced corn to the colonists, and it became a core ingredient in many of their recipes. Beans, squash, and potatoes were among the other crops that became incorporated into colonial cooking, according to the CSPC.

"Cornmeal appeared in dishes such as hasty pudding — a thick porridge similar to polenta — and johnnycakes, simple griddle cakes that were popular from New England to the South," reported History Facts.

Cornmeal Johnnycakes, roast pork and cream cheese are distinctly early-American foods the CSPC has recipes for on its website.

Regional customs and crops greatly influenced what the colonists ate. Rice and okra grew well and was plentiful in the South, where French and African influences also shaped eating habits. Dutch, English and German immigrants largely settled the north and established the region’s culinary traditions.

This is an excerpt from an article by Fox News' Teresa Mull.

America's role in world affairs and its special relationships with allies and partners were on full display Saturday as world leaders offered congratulations and praise while the U.S. celebrated its 250th birthday.

"This year marks a truly historic milestone and a moment of great celebration for Americans everywhere," The United Kingdom's King Charles III wrote in a statement . "It offers an opportunity to pause and reflect on the remarkable journey of the United States over the past two and a half centuries, and to honour all that has been achieved since 1776."

Pope Leo XIV, leader of the world's 1.4 billion Catholics, extended his "heartfelt congratulations" to the American people on the 250th anniversary of the signing of the Declaration of Independence.

"In marking this anniversary, it is important to recognize that freedom of religion has long been central to the American promise, protecting both individual dignity and the peaceful coexistence of a diverse people," Leo wrote in a statement.

In France, authorities illuminated the Eiffel Tower in red, white and blue in what Paris described as a "heartfelt tribute to America's 250th anniversary" and "a powerful reminder that the friendship between our two nations dates back to the 18th century."

German Chancellor Friedrich Merz emphasized that the United States was "founded on freedom, democracy, and responsibility.

"Germany and the USA have always enjoyed a close friendship. Especially in challenging times, our transatlantic partnership remains indispensable," he wrote on X.

This is an excerpt from an article by Fox News' Amelie Botbol.

Salena Zito, a Pittsburgh-based columnist for the Washington Examiner, joined Fox News on Saturday to discuss the overwhelming sense of gratefulness she says is being felt nationwide for America's 250th birthday.

Zito highlighted local fireworks, block parties, and the impressive parade of tall ships filling New York Harbor, emphasizing the country's unity and appreciation for the historic moment.

Former President Bill Clinton laid into President Donald Trump on America's 250th anniversary on Saturday.

Clinton attacked Trump's policies on immigration as well as his decision to launch the war in Iran.

"The people in charge have unleashed masked agents on American communities to seize people from their homes, workplaces, and the street," Clinton wrote. "They have started an unconstitutional war on a whim, with no clear objectives or exit strategy, and zero regard for the consequences to the lives of millions of people around the world."

"With the help of lifetime appointees to the Supreme Court and a compliant Congress, they have weaponized government to settle personal scores, prosecute enemies, stamp out free speech, and made the federal government a new profit center for themselves and their allies," he continued.

The Great American State Fair was postponed Saturday after multiple people reportedly fainted onsite the day before, forcing thousands of visitors to pivot during celebrations for America’s 250th anniversary.

Friday's medical emergencies required onsite attention as crowds flocked to the nation’s capital for Independence Day.

The fair reopened later on Friday evening, but was postponed again on Saturday.

Fox News Digital asked attendees what it took to get to the capital, and what they made of the closure.

"We are so blessed to live in the best country in the world," Whitney Thomas, a mother from North Carolina who traveled with her family for the Great American State Fair, told Fox News Digital on Friday.

Despite the weather closure, she said her family was able to enjoy the State Fair Thursday evening and planned to wait out the heat in nearby museums until the fair reopened.

"I wanted my kids, who are 9 and 10, to be able to experience this with us," she said.

Brad Shultis, a retired Marine who traveled from Stafford, Virginia, expressed frustration over the decision to halt festivities.

"You cannot tell me that America was won by shutting things down when it gets hot," he told Fox News Digital.

Attendees shared their frustration and resilience after extreme heat forced the Great American State Fair to temporarily close during America's 250th on Friday.

"I'm a retired Marine. You cannot tell me that America was won by shutting things down when it gets hot," said one man exasperated with the closure.

DC saw temperatures in excess of 100 degrees throughout Friday. The fair then closed during mid afternoon and reopened at 5pm.

"To live in the best country in the world and I wanted my kids who are nine and ten to be able to experience this with us. I might try to cool off, take the kids to the Spy Museum, do something with some AC for a little bit but then we'll be back," said a mother from North Carolina.

This is an excerpt from an opinion article by former White House senior counselor Peter Navarro.

In 1776, most Americans looked at the toppled statue of King George III in New York City’s Bowling Green and saw a shattered symbol of British tyranny.

Oliver Wolcott saw ammunition.

Four thousand pounds of lead. Enough, if properly gathered, hauled, melted, and molded, to help arm a revolution.

The statue had been erected in 1770, a gilded monument to imperial authority in America’s busiest port city. King George sat on horseback, dressed in the Roman style, elevated above the city as a daily reminder of who ruled and who obeyed.

But by the summer of 1776, that reminder had become intolerable.

On July 9, George Washington had the newly adopted Declaration of Independence read aloud to his troops and to the people of New York. The words did what words sometimes do in history. They became action.

A crowd of soldiers, sailors, and patriots surged down Broadway to Bowling Green. There stood the king: gilded, mounted, and untouchable.

So they touched him.

They threw ropes around the statue, pulled, and brought the symbol of British power crashing to the ground.

Vice President JD Vance addressed members of the U.S. Navy aboard the USS Kearsarge in New York Harbor on Saturday.

Vance paid homage to George Washington and other founding fathers who "by the grace of almighty God" secured for us "a free, a proud and an independent republic that endures, and doesn't just endure, but thrives to this very day."

American brands are going all in on red, white and blue as the country prepares to celebrate its 250th birthday.

From $17.76 burger deals and eagle-shaped coffee cups to collectible Coca-Cola cans and limited-edition snacks, companies are rolling out patriotic promotions tied to America’s semiquincentennial.

Steak 'n Shake

Steak ’n Shake is offering two "Liberty Meals" for $17.76 throughout July.

The meal includes a double grass-fed Steakburger, beef tallow fries and a Patriot milkshake, according to the chain.

"$17.76 for two Liberty Meals — all July long!" the burger chain wrote on X. "A Liberty Meal includes a double grass-fed Steakburger, beef tallow fries, and a Patriot milkshake. Can't touch this, Mr. Five Guys."

Dunkin’

Dunkin’ is marking the occasion with a limited-edition "Eagle Cup," themed merchandise and a summer menu tied to America’s 250th birthday.

The collectible cup features a clear base and a sculpted eagle lid. Dunkin’ said customers can purchase it for $10.99 and receive a free medium beverage.

The cup also includes a promotional code for $3 medium Refreshers or Dunkin’ Zero beverages for 30 days.

"Like summer fireworks, this drop won’t last forever. Quantities of the Eagle Cup are limited, so head to your local Dunkin' soon before it flies off the shelves," Dunkin' said in its June 29 announcement.

This is an excerpt from an article by Fox News' Sophia Compton.

Severe thunderstorms are expected to continue across parts of the Northeast and Mid-Atlantic through the July 4 holiday weekend.

While they won't be enough to break the historic heat wave baking the region, they could disrupt nighttime fireworks celebrations with damaging wind gusts and heavy rain.

Storms could also delay travelers at major East Coast airports and create brief periods of difficult driving for holiday road-trippers.

Sweltering temperatures across the region approaching and exceeding 100 degrees, combined with high humidity are fueling thunderstorm development Saturday.

NOAA's Storm Prediction Center issued a level 3 severe storm threat across the Mid-Atlantic, including Washington, D.C.

According to the FOX Forecast Center, storms could produce damaging downbursts — concentrated bursts of straight-line winds in excess of 60 mph — Saturday evening, potentially jeopardizing America 250 fireworks shows.

This is an excerpt from an article by Fox News' Julian Atienza.

George Washington's home of Mount Vernon in Virginia featured a big fireworks celebration America's 250th year of independence on Friday night.

Footage from CSPAN shows the historic home lit up with lights as fireworks burst in the air overhead.

Secretary of State Marco Rubio marked America's 250th year of independence in a post on X on Saturday.

"For 250 years, America has been the greatest nation on Earth — and with God’s grace, it will be for 250 more," Rubio wrote.

"Happy Independence Day!" he added.

The post also included a partially AI-generated video highlighting famous moments from U.S. history.

President Donald Trump rang in America's 250th birthday celebrations with a 28-minute speech at Mount Rushmore and a fireworks display that might have rivaled his words.

"The American dream still lives, and the American flag still flies more proudly than ever before over the people who will not quit," Trump said at the end of his lengthy — albeit shorter than his usual hours-long — speech. "The nation that will not fail, the country that will not fall no matter how hard the enemy tries, we cannot be beaten."

As Trump spoke, across the world, Iranians buried Ayatollah Ali Khamenei at funeral ceremonies with calls for revenge on the U.S.

In perhaps the most iconic excerpt from Trump's speech, American exceptionalism was highlighted.

"Americans honor excellence; we admire boldness; we respect ambition," Trump said. "We are a nation of dreamers and believers, warriors and explorers, doers and fighters and in every human endeavor Americans see an unfinished competition.

"What is strong can be made stronger. What is fast can be made faster. What is great can be made greater than ever before. And that's what's happening with America.

"Show us a mountain, and we'll just climb it. Show us an ocean and we'll just cross it. Show us a problem and we will just solve it. Show us a task the world calls impossible and Americans will get it done."

Trump finished with a salute to his oft-repeated "golden age of America" mantra for the 250th birthday celebration.

This is an excerpt from an article by Fox News' Erick Mack.

Temperatures are expected to reach over 100 degrees in the nation's capital as Americans head to the Great American State Fair on the national mall Saturday.

The fair had to be temporarily closed due to the heat on Friday, but no announcements of a closure have come down Saturday.

The day is set to feature dozens of aircraft flyovers featuring craft from NASA and the U.S. military.

Back on the ground, there are over 100 pavilions with attractions representing all 56 states and U.S. territories.

Democratic National Committee Chairman Ken Martin offered thinly-veiled criticism of President Donald Trump in a statement marking America's 250th year of independence on Saturday.

“Two hundred and fifty years ago, the United States was born out of the radical, revolutionary idea of self-governance, not by king or aristocracy, but by leaders chosen by the people," Martin wrote.

“Since then, generations of advocates have marched, protested, and sacrificed so that all Americans — regardless of race, gender, or background — can participate in our democracy. Democrats are proud to carry on this tradition as we fight for a freer, fairer, and more just America. We remain focused on restoring the American Dream, which has become out of reach for far too many families," he continued.

“While others seek to co-opt our nation’s 250th anniversary into partisan tributes to one political leader, Democrats honor our past by fighting for civil rights, voting rights, lower costs, and equal opportunity," he added.

Security is tight at the "Salute to America" Independence Day celebration in Washington D.C., which received a top-tier security classification for the first time this year.

The event has been classified as a "National Special Security Event," the same classification used for the Superbowl, presidential inaugurations and other massive events.

Saturday's celebrations center on the Great American State Fair on the national mall, featuring pavilions representing all 50 states.

President Donald Trump is scheduled to address the nation at 9pm, prior to a fireworks show that has been described as the largest ever.

President Donald Trump will open America’s 250th Independence Day weekend with a return to Mount Rushmore, reviving one of the most symbolic scenes of his first administration as the White House stages a week of patriotic events across some of the country’s most recognizable landmarks.

Trump last attended a Mount Rushmore fireworks display in 2020, when the landmark hosted its first official fireworks show since 2009. 

Trump issued a presidential action in January to honor the history of America, ordering "a grand celebration worthy of the momentous occasion of the 250th anniversary of American Independence on July 4, 2026." On both a federal and state level, the nation has thrown a line up of events this summer including the "Great American State Fair" on the National Mall.

Trump kicked off the fair on June 24 by hosting a rally the night before the beginning of the fair.

He will return later Saturday for the "Salute to America" event, where he is expected to take the stage.

Washington, D.C., has been placed under an "Extreme Heat Alert" until Sunday morning with temperatures predicted to feel like 105°F or hotter, according to DC Homeland Security & Emergency Management.

Trump’s remarks are expected to begin around 9:00 p.m. ET, prior to a massive fireworks display on the National Mall that has been touted by the administration as the largest in history.

President Donald Trump marked the eve of America's 250th anniversary with a sweeping patriotic address at Mount Rushmore on Friday, declaring the United States the "most exceptional nation ever to exist" and vowing that it would "never be a Communist country."

Speaking beneath the granite likenesses of four of his predecessors — George Washington, Thomas Jefferson, Abraham Lincoln and Theodore Roosevelt — Trump touted American exceptionalism as festivities marking the nation's 250th anniversary ramped up across the country.

"In all the chronicles of the ages, never before has any nation celebrated so magnificent a triumph as this one," Trump told the crowd.

"At 250 years, America is the oldest republic on earth," he continued. "We are the freest people on earth. We have the most righteous and enduring Constitution on earth. We are the strongest and most powerful country on earth. And by the grace of God, the United States of America is the most successful, most accomplished, most exceptional nation ever to exist in human history."

Trump praised the nation's history and argued that no other country had achieved as much as the United States.

"The birth and survival of the American nation under God is, quite simply, the best and most incredible thing ever to happen on this planet by human hands, ever," he said. "No other country has done more good for this world than the United States of America."

This is an excerpt from an article by Fox News' Michael Sinkewicz.