Two hundred and fifty years ago, a group of Americans signed their names to a piece of parchment and made a promise no nation had ever made before: that we're all created equal, endowed by our Creator with unalienable rights — life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness.
We're the only nation in history built not on ethnicity, or blood, or geography but on an idea. That's always been what makes us exceptional. We chose that path 250 years ago but that’s where the work began, not where it ended. Every generation has had to choose it again. At Valley Forge, at Gettysburg, on the beaches of Normandy, in the streets of Selma. Americans recommitted themselves to the principles on which our nation was founded.
Now it's our turn.
There's nothing guaranteed about our democracy. We have to fight for it, defend it, and earn it. Over and over, year after year. That's not a burden. That's what it means to be an American.
250 years in, we still haven't fully lived up to those words in the Declaration. But we've never walked away from them, and this July 4, I hope all of us can commit to one thing: that we never will. I don't believe we're as divided as we're told we are. I've bet my whole life on the American people, and I'm not stopping now.
Happy 250th birthday, America. Our story isn't finished. Let's keep writing it together.
BREAKING: Both Governors JB Pritzker and Katie Hobbs are removing any tax incentives in existence for data centers from their states. Data centers will have to pay their fair share in Illinois and Arizona. Let’s go.
Todd Blanche's refusal to comply with the court order to release the Epstein Files following Katie Phang's lawsuit, just proves Trump is guilty. And that's a hill I'll die on.
Every single American should be alarmed that former Olympian, David Hearn, was indicted for causing $1,000 damage for taking a piece of floating debris from the Reflecting Pool with his ‘bare hands.’ This is f^cking ridiculous & Jeanine Pirro is a drunk. https://t.co/O3TsFWP47S
BREAKING: WE LOVE IT! Pope Leo beautifully trolls MAGA racists by celebrating America's 250th birthday with a heartfelt celebration of immigrants.
Just when you thought you couldn't possibly like him even more...
"I extend my heartfelt congratulations to all Americans on the occasion of the 250th anniversary of the signing of the Declaration of Independence," stated the first American Pope. "This semiquincentennial marks that defining moment in the history of the United States of America, July 4, 1776, that gave enduring voice to the ideals of liberty, equality, the pursuit of happiness, justice and democratic self-government."
Tragically, those ideals are under constant assault from Donald Trump, a President who has marked this Pope as one of his primary antagonists on the world stage. Leo has dared to criticize Trump's brutal treatment of migrants as well as his illegal war against Iran. Trump has attacked him, but clearly Leo remains unbowed.
"For two and a half centuries, generations of Americans have worked together to carry these principles forward — through sacrifice, service, innovation and civic participation," the Pope continued. "This anniversary stands as an invitation not only to celebrate the nation’s remarkable journey, but also to reflect upon the responsibilities that the sons and daughters of this country bear to one another, and to the generations who will inherit the nation that is being shaped today."
He went on to celebrate America's tradition of religious freedom, another principle that's under attack from a MAGA movement that wants to install a fascist Evangelical theocracy. But it was the section on immigrants that really has Republicans incensed—
"Defending human life also includes welcoming, protecting and assisting immigrants, whose hopes, sacrifices and contribution have formed part of the history of this country from its very beginning," said Leo. "In every generation, those who have arrived seeking freedom, opportunity and a place to belong have helped to shape the nation’s character. To receive them with compassion and generosity is not only an act of charity, but also a recognition of the dignity that belongs to every human person."
Contrast this patriotic message of inclusion with the hateful vitriol that constantly spews forth from the White House. Conservatives have been raging all week over the Supreme Court's decision to uphold birthright citizenship. Tomorrow, Trump will deliver a Fourth of July speech that will be partisan, self-aggrandizing, bigoted, and completely divorced from the eternal ideals that guided this nation's Founders.
As far as American leadership goes, Pope Leo puts Donald Trump to shame every single time.
Please ❤️ and share if you stand with Leo!
This brave soldier told us, his protest against trump unconstitutional regime’s reach, may put him in jail for ten years. He said that price is worth to him to save his country that he took an oath to protect. His bravery is historic, and it should challenge our conscience.
In January 2012, 20 year old Melissa Dohme stepped outside her Florida home to meet her ex boyfriend one last time.
What followed was a nightmare. He attacked her with two knives and stabbed her 32 times, leaving devastating wounds across her face, head and neck.
When firefighter paramedic Cameron Hill arrived, Melissa was lying in a pool of blood.
She had lost so much blood that he could not even tell she was blonde. Melissa flatlined four times, suffered a stroke, fell into a coma and was initially left paralyzed.
Doctors and emergency crews fought desperately to keep her alive.
Against incredible odds, Melissa survived.
Around 10 months later, Melissa was speaking publicly and raising awareness about domestic violence when she crossed paths with Cameron again.
The paramedic who had helped save her life was suddenly back in her world. They began talking, formed a connection and eventually fell in love.
Three years later, in 2015, Melissa was invited to throw the ceremonial first pitch at a Tampa Bay Rays game. Cameron appeared on the field carrying a baseball with four words written on it
“Will you marry me?”
He dropped to one knee.
Melissa said yes.
In 2017, they married surrounded by family, friends, firefighters, emergency responders and medical professionals, including people who had helped save Melissa's life years earlier.
While working as an airline ticket agent, Harper Lee once remarked that she never had enough time to write. In response, two close friends gave her a year’s salary so she could devote herself entirely to her novel. She used that opportunity to write To Kill a Mockingbird, which went on to sell more than 30 million copies and earned the Pulitzer Prize.
🚨HOLY SHIT: Former Trump White House lawyer Ty Cobb calls Trump earning over $1 billion from crypto ventures “the greatest onslaught of corruption in the history of mankind.”
🚨 BREAKING:
Former French footballer Eric Cantona:
A law should require presidents declaring war to go first to the front line.
Leaders should be on the front lines instead of 18-year-olds.
I believe this would result in far fewer wars. 🇫🇷
🚨 When Trump’s presidency ends, it should be annulled.
• No presidential library
• No official portrait
• No titles or honors
• No Nobel Prize
It was a shameful chapter of lies, grift, and destruction.
Thumbs up 👍 if you agree.
Cooper: I've seen governments and dictators rise and fall, people and places torn apart by lies and hate and war. And I've seen people do things and heard them say things that I could never have imagined. I've seen what we humans are capable of when everything else is stripped away. Yes, great acts of barbarism and brutality. But we are also capable of remarkable acts of heroism and kindness. It's a choice, and the choice is up to us
Let's hope 50 years from now, someone standing here or somewhere on the eve of the 300th anniversary of this republic will look back and say of us: they didn’t know if they would make it through but they did.
When the president gets away with raping kids, stealing thousands of classified documents, and mounting a deadly coup attempt, but an Olympian gets brought up on federal charges for pulling paint chips out of a pool, you’ve got yourself a shithole country.