WASHINGTON (AP) — Festivities commemorating the 250th anniversary of American independence from Great Britain kick into higher gear across the United States on Friday as celebrations are balanced with efforts to stay safe as much of the country bakes under extreme heat.
President Donald Trump will travel to South Dakota to deliver a speech and watch fireworks at Mount Rushmore. And in a novel twist, there will be a ball drop in New York City's Times Square at midnight to usher in the July Fourth holiday with much the same revelry that is typically reserved for New Year’s Eve.
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Visitors react to the heat while attending the Great American State Fair on the National Mall, Wednesday, July 1, 2026, in Washington. (AP Photo/Nathan Howard)
A member of the Texas State Troopers pours cold water over his head during an extreme head advisory near the Lincoln Memorial, while providing extra security ahead of the America 250 July 4th celebration, Thursday, July 2, 2026, in Washington. (AP Photo/Nathan Howard)
Statue of Liberty stands next to Empire State Building, left, in New York, as seen from Jersey City, N.J., Sunday, May 31, 2026 (AP Photo/Yuki Iwamura)
Drones put on a show in the sky near independence hall in Philadelphia on Thursday, July 2, 2026. (AP Photo/Jack Auresto)
The activity culminates in the main event Saturday, when fireworks will erupt in communities across the U.S., along with backyard cookouts and block parties. Trump will deliver another speech at the National Mall in Washington before what is being billed as a historically massive fireworks show.
But for all the celebrations, there are also serious safety considerations as potentially record heat grips much of the Midwest and East Coast. Officials have warned those celebrating the holiday to stay hydrated and take air-conditioned breaks as needed.
The heat has already affected some of the programming surrounding the holiday. In Washington, organizers of the Capitol Fourth concert banned the public from attending a Thursday rehearsal because of the heat. The concert Friday, a staple of Washington's Independence Day traditions, may ultimately be canceled. Organizers of celebrations in Washington on Saturday said they were adding water stations along with cooling resources and medical support.
From Boston to Norristown, Pennsylvania and Gettysburg National Military Park, plans were shifting to accommodate the soaring temperatures. Amtrak canceled some trains in the Northeast due to excessive heat that could affect the tracks.
The holiday is unfolding at a unique time in the U.S. The anniversary has served as an opportunity for the country to reflect on its history while also reminding it of the political polarization of the moment.
Even the celebrations themselves have not quite escaped the divide.
Freedom 250, an organization aligned with the White House, has come to rival America250, a bipartisan group founded by Congress a decade ago. Freedom 250 has organized much of the activity in Washington, including the Great American State Fair, which has gained attention for the relatively small crowds it has attracted. America250 is behind the ball drops unfolding in many cities, including New York, and will host a concert in Los Angeles on Saturday.
About 4 in 10 U.S. adults feel “proud” about the country’s 250th anniversary, according to an April survey from The Associated Press-NORC Center for Public Affairs Research. Roughly 3 in 10 said “excited” describes their emotions.
Ahead of the holiday, auto technician Joe Fuqua-Bejarano, in Topeka, Kansas, sized up “what makes us awesome” as a people. It is clearly not the politics, in his view, but rather resilience.
“We’ve just all got to find unity somewhere, whether that’s in laughter or perseverance, and keep everybody cool,” he said from the fireworks stand where he is doing a booming business as a side hustle.
Christina Zhou, a 25-year-old research assistant from Cambridge, Massachusetts, said she would aim to “think about just things that are happening locally.”
“It feels a little bit more like within our own personal control," she said.
Associated Press writers John Hanna in Topeka, Kan., Michael Casey in Cambridge, Mass., and Calvin Woodward in Washington contributed to this report.
Visitors react to the heat while attending the Great American State Fair on the National Mall, Wednesday, July 1, 2026, in Washington. (AP Photo/Nathan Howard)
A member of the Texas State Troopers pours cold water over his head during an extreme head advisory near the Lincoln Memorial, while providing extra security ahead of the America 250 July 4th celebration, Thursday, July 2, 2026, in Washington. (AP Photo/Nathan Howard)
Statue of Liberty stands next to Empire State Building, left, in New York, as seen from Jersey City, N.J., Sunday, May 31, 2026 (AP Photo/Yuki Iwamura)
Drones put on a show in the sky near independence hall in Philadelphia on Thursday, July 2, 2026. (AP Photo/Jack Auresto)
LA GUAIRA, Venezuela (AP) — Speaking in a hushed voice, Rosa López recalled how she had to sidestep the rows of bodies lying under a harsh sun as she helped her daughter search for her missing husband. Even her years working as a nurse did not prepare her for the sight of the dozens of dead wrapped in sheets or blankets.
“We saw a lot of bodies that had not yet been identified,” López said.
The rush is on across La Guaira, the state on Venezuela’s northern coast hardest hit by the powerful back-to-back June 24 earthquakes, to identify loved ones before it’s too late. With at least 2,295 people killed, Venezuela is overwhelmed with bodies that officials are struggling to collect, identify and preserve for loved ones to claim. Thousands are still missing.
José Antonio Toledo, López's 25-year-old son-in-law, was found under the building where he was working as a security guard when the quakes struck. Crews took his body to a local hospital, where staff turned them away because there was no space. The body was sent to another facility and eventually transferred to an open parking lot.
A forensic doctor helped the family find him days later, on Saturday. But once they identified his body, they didn’t know what to do with it because they couldn’t afford the $450 that a funeral home was charging.
At almost midnight on Saturday, López got word that the mayor’s office was offering them a free space at a local cemetery, but they had to move quickly to not lose the spot. An hour later, López and her daughter trudged up a hill leading to the cemetery and buried Toledo.
“He was an exemplary person, a boy who liked helping people,” López said.
They saved him from a mass grave that many fear is coming as they search for the bodies of their loved ones.
Forensic technician Joel Mirabal has worked for seven days straight since the 7.2 and 7.5 magnitude earthquakes struck.
The 45-year-old estimates that in 60% to 70% of cases, there’s a relative or neighbor available to identify a body when he comes to pick it up. Even so, it’s a struggle, he said, with many relying on tattoos, scars or familiar clothing.
“They don’t look even 10% like what they were in real life,” he said of the victims.
If a body cannot be identified, it goes to forensic specialists working at La Guaira seaport. Private companies have donated large cooling containers to help preserve the bodies, but the number of dead keeps growing.
“Obviously, mass graves will have to be created,” Mirabal said. “The collapse is massive, and the bodies are buried under many layers of debris.”
Mirabal said he and other forensic technicians anticipate spending up to three months collecting bodies.
They drive around the affected areas every day, led by rescue crews and civilians who have recovered or spotted bodies.
“Many of the rescues are carried out by the people,” he said of the thousands of ordinary Venezuelans who have pitched in for the recovery effort.
A dog trainer by profession who once helped the government locate drugs and missing people, Mirabal finds solace in the 12 dogs waiting for him at home, not counting the puppies. One of his favorites is Mila, a young black Dutch Shepherd who lay by his side on Thursday as he rested.
“It’s not easy at all to witness the suffering and tragedy of your fellow human beings,” he said.
Over the weekend, crews took dozens of bodies recovered from flattened buildings to a government-run health care facility in the city of La Guaira. They were left on a sweltering parking lot until families identified them, with funeral home workers estimating that more than 200 bodies were kept there at one point.
On Thursday, those who lost loved ones waited outside La Guaira seaport to identify bodies that authorities continue to pick up across the coastal state. Cars, including trucks and vans from funeral homes, formed a line outside a makeshift morgue.
Among those waiting was Robert Rodríguez. He sat on a concrete block, crestfallen, his legs dangling, waiting for his daughter to identify the body of his son-in-law. Rafael Alvarado died trapped inside a grocery store where he worked at the deli counter.
“He was her best friend,” Rodríguez said, referring to the couple as tears soaked his blue face mask.
Rodríguez said the family found Alvarado in the rubble on Wednesday, his body freed and transported to the port on Thursday.
“I saw his shoes and knew it was him,” Rodríguez said, adding that he warned his daughter. “I told her, ‘Prepare yourself.’”
He said the family plans to cremate Alvarado and scatter his ashes on Isla de Margarita, the Venezuelan island that was his home.
Coto reported from San Juan, Puerto Rico.
Rescue workers carry the body of an earthquake victim in La Guaira, Venezuela, Sunday, June 28, 2026. (AP Photo/Pedro Mattey)
Forensic technician Joel Mirabal rides through the area struck by the earthquakes collecting bodies recovered from the rubble in La Guaira, Venezuela, Tuesday, June 30, 2026. (AP Photo/Matias Delacroix)
Forensic workers recover the bodies of earthquake victims at the seaport in La Guaira, Venezuela, Monday, June 29, 2026. (AP Photo/Matias Delacroix)
Forensic technicians cover the bodies of earthquake victims in La Guaira, Venezuela, Tuesday, June 30, 2026. (AP Photo/Matias Delacroix)
Rescue workers and forensic technician Joel Mirabal, back left, recover the body of an earthquake victim in La Guaira, Venezuela, Tuesday, June 30, 2026. (AP Photo/Matias Delacroix)
EDS NOTE: GRAPHIC CONTENT - Emergency workers gather the bodies of earthquake victims in the parking lot of a hospital three days after twin earthquakes struck, in La Guaira, Venezuela, Saturday, June 27, 2026. (AP Photo/Matias Delacroix)
